MAKARON, Paula. Análise de Viabilidade de Projetos de Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétricas: Pontos Críticos de Sucesso a Partir de Estudos de Caso no Estado de Santa Catarina. 2012. 144f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Energia) - Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Energia - EP/FEA/IEE/IF da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 2012. Esta dissertação analisa os pontos críticos de sucesso de projetos de Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétrica da perspectiva econômico-financeira. Para tal, foram percorridas três etapas. A primeira delas visou à análise dos contextos mundial e nacional desse segmento de geração de energia, seguindo os conceitos técnicos que caracterizam os empreendimentos de geração hidrelétricos de pequeno porte. Nessa etapa analisou-se o processo de implementação de uma PCH, desde o levantamento de potencias de aproveitamento de um rio até a sua entrada em operação comercial. A segunda etapa debruçou-se sobre a metodologia aplicada no cálculo da viabilidade de um projeto de infraestrutura e as adequações metodológicas necessárias para o caso de uma usina de pequeno porte. Tais adequações incluíram a seleção de componentes específicos do fluxo de caixa e de critérios para a escolha das variáveis-chave em projetos de PCHs. Outro importante conceito discutido nessa etapa foram os riscos inerentes a esses projetos e a forma como a materialização de cada risco pode afetar seus resultados. Por fim, na terceira etapa, à luz da teoria previamente visitada nas fases anteriores, foram analisados dois estudos de casos práticos de projetos reais localizados no Estado de Santa Catarina. Tais estudos de caso incluíram a análise de viabilidade para: (a) a construção da PCH Fartura e (b) a aquisição da PCH Santa Ana, estando essa última já em operação comercial. Em ambos os estudos foram testadas variações de algumas premissas tais como: o preço de venda da energia; o custo do capital; e aumento do custo da construção. Da análise realizada foi possível concluir que, no cenário do período estudado, a construção de uma PCH não é viável, o preço praticado nos ambientes livre e regulado de contratação não tem sido suficiente para pagar os investimentos realizados. Por outro lado, a compra de uma usina já em operação comercial se mostrou um ótimo negócio, uma vez que os principais riscos do período de construção já haviam sido superados no e a usina apresentava fluxo de receita garantido. Como as variáveis analisadas permeiam a maioria dos projetos de PCH, estima-se que este trabalho possa contribuir para o melhor entendimento da crise que o segmento de geração de pequenas usinas vem atravessando no Brasil nesses anos compreendidos entre 2008 e 2012. / MAKARON, Paula. Feasibility Analysis of Small Hydro Power Projects: Critical Points of Success Drawn from Case Studies in the State of Santa Catarina. 2012. 144f. Masters Dissertation Graduate Program on Energy, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2012. This dissertation analyzes critical points of success of projects in Small Hydro Power Plants (SHP) from the economic/financial perspective. For this, three stages were drawn up. The first aimed at the analysis of world and national contexts of this segment of energy generation following the technical concepts which characterize the small-sized hydroelectric generating businesses. During this stage, the implementation process of a SHP was analyzed; starting with the survey of the potential of a river until the plant enters into commercial operation. The second stage focused on the methodology applied to calculating the viability of an infrastructure project and the necessary methodological adjustments for a small-sized plant. These adjustments include a selection of components specific to the cash flow and the criteria for choosing key-variants in SHC projects. Another important concept discussed during this stage was the inherent risks involved in these projects and the way in which each risk can affect the results. Finally, during the third stage, in light of the theory reviewed in previous stages, two practical case studies of real projects from the state of Santa Catarina were analyzed. Such case studies included the viability analysis for decision making regarding: (a) the construction of the SHP Fartura and (b) the acquisition of the SHP Santa Ana, the latter already in full commercial operation. In both studies, it was tested a variation of some key elements such as: the price of energy; the capital cost; the cost overruns. From the aforementioned analysis, it was possible to conclude that in studied scenario, the construction of a SHP is not viable. The energy price level in the free hiring and in the regulated environments has not been sufficient to pay back original investment. On the other hand, buying a plant already in commercial operation proved to be a good business proposition, once the main development risks during the construction period had been overcome and the plant presented a flow of guaranteed income. Seeming as the variables permeate most SHP projects, it is foreseen that this work can contribute to the better understanding of the crisis in which this segment of small generation plants are going through here in Brazil during the years 2008 to 2012.

Output power of hydro power plant was modelled and an optimization algorithm was implemented in a tool for optimizing hydro power plants. The tool maximizes power output of a hydro power plant by distributing water over a set of active units in the power plant which will be used in planning of electricity production. This tool was built in a MATLAB environment, using the optimization toolbox, and a GUI was developed for Vattenfall. The optimization tool was based on the same architecture as the current tool used for this kind of optimization which is to be replaced by the work presented in this thesis. Therefore, the goal was to achieve the same optimal results as the current optimization tool. Power output of three of Vattenfall’s hydro power plants were computed and two of these plants were optimized. These power output results were compared to results from the optimization tool currently used. This showed differences within the inaccuracy of measurements of ≤ 0.3%. These three power plants proved that the new tool is sufficient to replace the current tool but further testing is recommended to be conducted on more of Vattenfall’s hydro power plants to prove its consistency.

Na esteira dos estudos sobre os impactos socioambientais das hidrelétricas na região amazônica, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo demonstrar a (in) sustentabilidade turística do município de Babaçulândia-TO na perspectiva dos barqueiros atingidos pela Usina Hidrelétrica Estreito que, ao se instalar no rio Tocantins, extinguiu suas rotas de navegação e interrompeu o turismo sazonal dos quais sobreviviam. Com base nos pressupostos teórico-analíticos da Teoria das Representações Sociais de Serge Moscovici, as representações dos barqueiros foram tomadas, nesta pesquisa, como indicadores da sustentabilidade turística. De natureza qualitativa, o estudo adotou uma estratégia multimétodos, combinando técnicas da história oral, observação assistemática e entrevista semiestruturada. Sendo um conhecimento socialmente construído, as representações dos barqueiros não apenas expressam suas próprias impressões sobre as perdas materiais e simbólicas decorrentes do empreendimento hidrelétrico, como também projetam as mazelas e os anseios de uma comunidade que tenta superar os efeitos das transformações decorrentes da barragem do rio Tocantins em suas vidas. Nesse sentido, buscou-se demonstrar como a descaracterização do lugar e do modo de vida ribeirinho interromperam o ciclo de vida turístico da cidade, provocando seu declínio precoce e comprometendo sua sustentabilidade. Assim, considerando que a insustentabilidade turística constitui um passivo socioambiental da UHE Estreito, as representações sociais dos barqueiros tornaram-se elementos concretos, produtos de uma dimensão simbólica que refletiram uma realidade capaz de qualificar o desenvolvimento do turismo no contexto pós-hidrelétrica. / In the bias of the studies on the socio-environmental impacts of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon region, this research aimed to demonstrate the touristic (un) sustainability of the municipality of Babaçulândia-TO from the boatmen's perspective affected by the Estreito Hydroelectric Power Plant that, when installed in the Tocantins River, extinguished their navigation routes and interrupted the seasonal tourism from which they made their living. Based on the theoretical-analytical assumptions of the theory of the social representations of Serge Moscovici, the representations of the boatmen were taken in this research as indicators of tourism sustainability. Of qualitative nature, the study adopted a multi-method strategy, combining techniques of oral history, unsystematic observation and semi-structured interview. Being a socially constructed knowledge, the boatmen's representations not only express their own impressions on the material and symbolic losses resulting from the hydroelectric enterprise, but also project the ills and the desires of a community that tries to overcome the effects of the transformations due to the dam of the river Tocantins in their lives. In this sense, it was tried to demonstrate how the decharacterization of the place and the riverside way of life interrupted the tourist cycle of the city, provoking its early decline and compromising its sustainability. Thus, considering that touristic unsustainability constitutes a social and environmental liability of the Estreito HPP, the boatmen's social representations became concrete elements, products of a symbolic dimension that reflected a reality capable of qualifying the development of tourism in the post-hydroelectric context.

The vulnerability of electrical cables exposed to a fire environment is of particular concern to the nuclear power plant community. The community is interested in data that could be used for predicting cable failures during a fire situation. For this reason, a cable test program was conducted using two different types of cable insulation. Several different exposure heat fluxes were tested, as well as different test arrangements such as cable trays and conduits. The program revealed that a single failure temperature for all cable types is not recommended, but if it is necessary a reasonable temperature could be chosen for the thermosets tested in this project.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T14:07:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao de Valter Barbosa de Oliveira Junior.pdf: 5244754 bytes, checksum: 0e5a4d27ed2f4da1d96089d0041ddaaa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-28 / Centrais termelétricas a vapor são capazes de utilizar biomassa e fazer o reaproveitamento de resíduos agrícolas, resíduos urbanos ou subprodutos industriais para produzir energia elétrica, condicionadas aos seus projetos. Este trabalho tem como objetivos representar, por meio de modelos matemáticos, os principais componentes que constituem o circuito de vapor de uma planta de geração termelétrica a vapor, com foco em caldeira aquatubular, e apresentar uma avaliação dos diversos modelos encontrados na literatura de referência, visando dar suporte ao desenvolvimento de aplicações de simulação dinâmica. Os modelos apresentados abrangem a conversão da energia térmica em energia mecânica e a conversão da energia mecânica em energia elétrica. O conhecimento das características das respostas dinâmicas dos componentes de uma central termelétrica é importante para a análise de estabilidade e para o projeto do sistema de controle. A partir dos modelos dinâmicos do processo é possível a realização de testes de estratégias de controle que, interagindo com os modelos da planta, possibilitem identificar previamente o comportamento dinâmico esperado. Este trabalho também pode ser utilizado como uma referência básica para o desenvolvimento de um simulador com finalidade de treinamento de operadores, cuja aplicação possibilita que seja feita a integração total do operador aos procedimentos operacionais, antes mesmo da partida da planta, ampliando a sua capacidade de aprendizagem / Steam power plants are able to utilize biomass and make the recovering of agricultural residues, urban residues or industrial by-products to produce electric energy, conditioned to its projects. This work aims to represent by means of mathematic modeling the main components that constitute the main steam circuit of a steam power plant, with focus in drum boiler, and to present an analysis of the several models founded at the reference literature, aiming to give support to the development of dynamic simulation applications. The models embrace the conversion of thermal energy in mechanical energy and the conversion of mechanical energy in electric energy. The knowledge of the dynamic response characteristics of power plant components is important for the analysis of stability and control system design. From the dynamic model of process is possible to perform tests of control strategies that, having interaction with the plant models, allow the previous indentifying of its hoped dynamic behavior. This work may be used also as a basic reference to the development of a simulator for operators training purpose, whose application allows the operator to be fully integrated to the operational procedures, before the plant start up, increasing his learning ability

A utilização de energia solar fotovoltaica é amplamente difundida no mundo e possui caráter promissor no Brasil atualmente. Apesar do grande potencial brasileiro, esta fonte de energia ainda apresenta baixos níveis de utilização. A competitividade da geração fotovoltaica de grande porte em usinas solares fotovoltaicas ainda não atingiu patamares admissíveis com taxas de retorno financeiro atrativas ao mercado nacional. Por se tratar de uma fonte de energia renovável, sua utilização no cenário mundial tem apresentado crescimento nos últimos anos. Mesmo em países que apresentam potenciais solares inferiores aos do Brasil, esta fonte de energia tem se mostrado competitiva devido aos incentivos oferecidos. Tendo em vista este prisma, o presente trabalho busca apresentar possibilidades de inserção de usinas solares fotovoltaicas no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. A usina proposta possui capacidade de geração de 30 MWp. Este estudo visa apresentar uma proposta de diversificar a geração de energia elétrica no estado do Rio Grande do Sul, apresentando uma nova alternativa de geração de energia renovável. Para tal realização, foram estudadas as linhas de transmissão e subestações existentes no estado do Rio Grande do Sul como forma de avaliar a possibilidade de conexão direta da nova usina, tendo como objetivo a redução do custo de instalação. Foi realizado o cálculo da produtividade fotovoltaica para o estado do Rio Grande do Sul e a análise dos custos de instalação desta fonte no Estado, bem como a relação de preço da geração centralizada no estado. / The use of photovoltaic solar energy is widespread in the world and has promising character in Brazil today. Despite the large Brazilian potential, this energy source still shows low levels of utilization. The competitiveness of photovoltaic generation in large solar photovoltaic power plants has not yet reached acceptable levels with attractive rates of financial return to the national market. Because it is a renewable source of energy, its use in the world has been increasing in recent years. Even in countries that have lower solar potential than Brazil, this source of energy has been competitive due to the incentives offered. Given this perspective, this paper seeks to show the possibilities for integration of photovoltaic solar plants in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The proposed plant has a generation capacity of 30 MWp . This study aims to present a proposal to diversify the electricity generation in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, presenting a new alternative source of renewable energy . For this achievement, the existing transmission lines and substations were studied in the state of Rio Grande do Sul as a way to evaluate the possibility of direct connection of the new plant, with the objective of reducing the cost of installation. The calculation of photovoltaic productivity for the state of Rio Grande do Sul and cost analysis of installing this source was held as well the price ratio of centralized generation.

Communities near nuclear power plants are at potential risk from natural and man-made failures at the nuclear power plants located within those communities. This study explored the concerns and rationalizations of residents of a community who live within a 10-mile evacuation zone of the nuclear power plant located there. Using the general theory of deliberative democracy, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and explore why individuals continue to live close to nuclear power plants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 individuals who live within a 10- mile radius of a nuclear power plant in the western US. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a modified Van Kaam procedure. Findings indicated that members of the community had concerns that natural or man-made disasters could lead to catastrophic failure of the nuclear power plant but rationalized living in proximity. Another key finding was that the community itself was supported by the revenue generated from the plant which led many of the participants to live in the community and this contributed to their rationalizing for why they should live close to the plant. The social change implications of this study included recommendations to mayors, city councils, and regulatory bodies to provide more information about nuclear power plants to communities to help them cope with fear and feelings of helplessness. Residents living near nuclear power plants would benefit from the recommendations made in this study because it would help them understand the risks of living near nuclear power plants.

This thesis project will explore the landscape site development of fossil fuel steam electric stations as it is presently practiced by electric utility companies, to determine what architectural, engineering, aesthetic, and climatological problems are being created through the engineering requirements acting upon' the site during site development and construction phases of power stations. It will identify typical problem areas that can be resolved by the Landscape Architect through the practical application of landscape architecture principles, the design use and influence of plant material, topography, and the environment. Design criteria will then be formulated for the site development of steam electric stations. The design criteria thus gathered will be applied to a critique of Huntington Canyon Electric Power Plant to determine the effectiveness and degree of success of the criteria.

An approach for developing a computer-based aid to assist in monitoring and assessing nuclear power plant status during situations requiring emergency response has been developed. It is based on the representation of regulatory requirements and plant-specific systems and instrumentation in the form of hierarchical rules. Making use of inferencing techniques from the field of artificial intelligence, the rules are combined with dynamic state data to determine appropriate emergency response actions. In a joint project with Portland General Electric Company, a prototype system, called EM-CLASS, was been created to demonstrate the knowledge-based approach for use at the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant. The knowledge domain selected for implementation addresses the emergency classification process chat is used to communicate the severity of the emergency and the extent of response actions required. EM-CLASS was developed using Personal Consultant Plus (PCPlus), a knowledge-based system development shell from Texas Instruments which runs on IBM-PC compatible computers. The knowledge base in EM-CLASS contains over 200 rules. The regulatory basis, as defined in 10 CFR 50, calls for categorization of emergencies into four emergency action level classes: (1) notification of unusual event, (2) alert, (3) site area emergency, and (4) general emergency. Each class is broadly defined by expected frequency and the potential for release of radioactive materials to the environment. In a functional sense, however, each class must be ultimately defined by a complex combination of in- plant conditions, plant instrumentation and sensors, and radiation monitoring information from stations located both on- and off-site. The complexity of this classification process and the importance of accurate and timely classification in emergency response make this particular application amenable to an automated, knowledge-based approach. EM-CLASS has been tested with a simulation of a 1988 Trojan Nuclear Power Plant emergency exercise and was found to produce accurate classification of the emergency using manual entry of the data into the program. / Graduation date: 1997

Arsenic (As) poses a significant water quality problem and it is a big challenge for all coal-based power plant industries worldwide. Currently most of the researches on the leaching behavior of arsenic from fly ash are based on the titration experiments. In this study a simulation method is used to study on the pH effect on the arsenic separation of coal-based power plants. Both single point and composition survey simulation of the OLI stream analyzer are used in the study. The simulation results of single point calculation indicates that for the fly ash which has high lime weight percent and equilibrium fly ash solution pH is over 11 and between 7 and 9, that is, Type C fly ash, the simulation results for equilibrium pH in fly ash solutions have great accuracy compared to actual experiment results. Based on the results obtained from single point simulation, both acid and base titrations of composition survey are simulated and the output results suggest that for the same type of fly ash, the simulation results proves the general trend of arsenic solubility in fly ash solutions. The solubility of arsenic decreases with the increase of pH value. It is also noted that at the equilibrium pH fly ash solutions, the maximum solid/liquid ratio of arsenic concentration is observed for type C fly ash. For other fly ashes which have low lime weight percent, the simulation results have discrepancy compared to actual experiment results. This work is important in offering an alternative way of analyze the reasonable output species and relative concentrations for type C fly ash in the waste water storage pond under specific pH conditions, which can be of great importance for the power plants to monitor and minimize the environment pollution in order to meet the future federal regulations.