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Thermochemical Energy Storage Using Radial Flow Annular Reactor for Attaining Lower Pressure Drop
Get PDFThe auxiliary power required in the form of electrical energy for blowing the air through the packed bed reactor is an important consideration since it depends on various design parameters of the system. A radial flow annular reactor configuration is proposed in the present study. It shows a 65%-80% reduction in the flow work requirement. The parameters, such as the flow direction and flow rate, need to be optimized for better performance and to ensure lesser flow work requirements
Winter foraging ecology of stump-tailed macaques Macaca arctoides in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam, India
No full textFrugivorous primates in temperate and subtropical regions often experience a shortage or complete absence of fruits for several months of the year. We studied the foraging ecology of a group of stump-tailed macaques Macaca arctoides in a subtropical forest during winter, when fruit abundance was low. We conducted this study in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Assam, India, from December 2015 to April 2016. We estimated the time–activity budgets, diet, and habitat use of the study troop and also conducted vegetation sampling and phenological monitoring of the study area. The stump-tailed macaque troop spent about 73.2% of its time foraging and feeding, with seasonal differences in food species intake and in habitat use. Open degraded forests were primarily used in December, January, and February, when the macaques largely fed on shoots of the bamboo Schizostachyum polymorphum and roots of the herb Forrestia (= Amischotolype) mollissima, while they mostly utilised F. mollissima in canopy-covered, degraded forests in March and April. There was a major shift from a primary diet of fruits in the wet season, reported from earlier studies, to possibly relatively poor-quality, but abundant, shoots and roots in winter. This suggests that the consumption of these poor-quality fallback food species is a key dietary adaptation of the macaques to periods of fruit scarcity. Although our preliminary study suggests that the feeding behaviour of the stump-tailed macaque in its subtropical semi-evergreen forest habitat appears to be similar to that of its congeneric species in temperate forests, further investigations are needed to firmly establish the observed foraging patterns of this vulnerable cercopithecine species in its last lowland rainforest refuge in northeastern India
Assessing End-of-Life Room Air Conditioner Recycling Potential for Sustainable Resource Utilization in India: A Case Study for Reducing Environmental Burden
No full textIncreasing cooling requirements for residential space owing to the rise in global temperature have led to an increased demand for room air conditioners. The pursuit for comfort in the residential and commercial spaces accompanied by expanding economic activities has increased the market size of this consumer durable globally by about three times in 2021 as compared to the 1990 levels. The high electricity consumption by air conditioners and their contribution toward greenhouse gas emission (994 Mt CO2) have necessitated the innovation of energy-efficient technologies. The neodymium-iron-boron rare earth permanent magnet-based motor architecture in air compressors helps in reducing electricity consumption by 58%. This study projects the growth of the residential air conditioner segment in India considering the plausible near-to-medium-term scenarios and estimates the demand for the rare earth elements used in the compressor motors in India till 2030. However, the escalated demand for rare earth materials is anticipated as a major roadblock to the aspirational ‘green and energy-efficient transition’ since it could lead to raw material shortage. Therefore, recycling essential components from the air conditioner units is envisaged as a suitable solution for sustaining the product supply chain. Different scenarios have been considered regarding the collection of end-of-life air conditioners while analyzing the impact of material recovery and recycling. Recovery, recycling, and reuse would likely result in the efficient utilization of critical materials with limited availability worldwide. The magnet-based rare earth elements recovered from consumer durables can be used in other value chains of commercial as well as strategic importance. The suggested closed-loop recovery and recycling of magnetic materials from the end-of-life air compressors are aimed at strengthening an alternate supply chain for fulfilling the growing demand for energy-efficient heavy consumer durables
Women and Their Interests in Rural India
Get PDFThere is a substantial and growing recognition of the hazards of treating the interests of women as being homogenous. A variety of sources focus on diversity in the interests of a woman, ranging from bargaining with patriarchy where she is forced to carry out diverse tasks within the household, to the extension of these negotiations elsewhere in her socio-economic reality. These challenges are accentuated at times of wider social transformation. Responses of women to these challenges are also influenced by their position within the household. This article seeks to gain insights into the complex negotiations between women, households and society in times of socio-economic transformation by exploring the relationship between women’s interests, strategic gender interests and practical gender interests within households that are headed by women. It does so through an empirical examination of the linkages between these interests of women across four different patterns of transformation in 21st-century rural India
Human Reliability in Launch Vehicle Systems
No full textIn the last two decades, there has been a major effort to create methods, techniques, and tools that help analysts understand and reduce human failures when performing an activity. Human reliability analysis (HRA) is a systematic technique to assess human systematic risk and has been widely used in various industries for enhancing the safety and reliability of complex socio-technical systems. For obvious reasons, the nuclear industry has been the motor for investigating and developing new models. The satellite industry provides another fertile source of information on how human failures arise in critical industries. This chapter provides a perspective on HRA in the launch vehicle industry
Book Review of "Mapping Scientific Method: Disciplinary Narrations" by Gita Chadha and Renny Thomas (eds.)
No full textImplications of Emission Sources and Biosphere Exchange on Temporal Variations of CO2 and δ13C Using Continuous Atmospheric Measurements at Shadnagar (India)
No full textImproved geospatial analysis of shoreline modification using a weighted-average-based novel formulation
No full textThis study presents a novel weighted-average method (WAM) that captures the detailed nuances of shoreline change patterns over long and short periods by considering shorelines belonging to five different time frames. Using the WAM, the average shoreline modification for the longer period (136 years with intervals of ~34 years) and for the shorter period (annual changes over a period of 5 years) have been calculated for the 9 km stretch of the Kollam coast in Kerala, India. Historically, Kollam has been a prominent seaport on the Malabar Coast of India and was extensively mapped due to its importance for political, strategic, and trade reasons. The coastal information available in these older maps is unique as there are no comparable data for the coastline of that period that can be used to assess changes along the coast. The WAM demonstrated the efficacy of the historical maps as pivotal reference points. It reliably captured the different shoreline activities (i.e., growing, stable, and receding regions) of natural and anthropogenic origins within the study area, and the findings are consistent with results obtained by using the linear regression rate (LRR) and the end point rate (EPR) methods. This work presents both qualitative and quantitative analyses to evaluate shoreline change using various statistical and mathematical methods. The findings should serve as baseline information for coastal management, notably mitigating coastal hazards—whether of natural or anthropogenic origin—which could result in the enhancement of ecosystem services for coastal communities
A Balanced scorecard to enable electricity distribution sector reforms in India
No full textThe performance of the State-owned electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) that distribute 96% of the electricity in India is critical for the country’s energy security. However, the current studies are not suitable for assessing the performance of India’s DISCOMs in an integrated manner since their underlying models are fragmented. This study presents the development and application of an integrated FOBC framework which is a balanced scorecard including 32 key performance indicators related to finance, operations, business processes, and customer service. This framework is used to benchmark the performance of 40 DISCOMs in 17 States on a like-to-like basis leading to the identification of nine DISCOMs for restructuring. The FOBC framework can be used by the regulators and the government to benchmark DISCOM performance in a holistic manner. This study will be useful for policymakers to implement power distribution sector reforms to enhance energy security while decarbonizing the power sector efficiently