1,721,076 research outputs found
PNRR e salute e sicurezza sul lavoro: un’occasione mancata?
No full textUna transizione sostenibile della economica italiana è possibile senza investimenti in salute e sicurezza su lavoro? E quali sono gli investimenti in grado di migliorare le attuali prestazioni del nostro sistema Paese rispetto al tema della salute e sicurezza dei lavoratori
Tecnologie innovative ad eiettori per la gestione sostenibile di fondali costieri, bocche portuali e porti turistici
No full textL’impianto per il rimodellamento dei fondali basato sulla tecnologia ad eiettori rappresenta una alternativa tecnologicamente avanzata, energeticamente efficiente e sostenibile dal punto di vista ambientale per la gestione dei sedimenti in ambito portuale. La tecnologia ad eiettori, testata sin dal 2005, ha dimostrato di essere uno strumento efficace nella gestione ordinaria dei problemi di insabbiamento derivanti dalle interazioni tra infrastrutture portuali e dinamiche naturali delle correnti marine, in particolare alla imboccatura dei porti. Inoltre, la tecnologia ad eiettori si configura, anche dal punto di vista normativo, come soluzione alternativa (seppur non concorrente) al dragaggio, poiché realizza uno spostamento del sedimento con bilancio di massa complessivamente nell’area di influenza, ovvero l’impianto trasferisce all’esterno dell’area di influenza tutto il sedimento in ingresso
Wide use of sustainable energy from aquifers in Italy: Pilot plant design and implementation
No full textStoring thermal energy in aquifers and acquiring heat and/or cold from extracted groundwater has been
proven to be a popular sustainable energy technology, especially in the Netherlands, because of its cost-efficiency,
delivering on average approximately 60% less CO2-emissions and substantial savings compared to sole use of fossil
energy. Nevertheless, in the rest of Europe socio-economic, legislative and technological barriers prevent widespread
application so far. The “Europe-wide Use of Sustainable Energy from aquifers” (E-USE(aq)) project, started in June 2015 and
financed by the Climate KIC, aims to pave the way for a Europe-wide use of this new cost-efficient form of collecting
and using renewable thermal energy and thus the creation of new business strategies and new jobs. The Department
of Industrial Engineering of the University of Bologna is involved in the realization of one pilot plant in Italy, which
will act as flywheels that enhance wide application of the technology in Italy. The paper shows the site identification
and the design phase of the pilot plant, including monitoring and control systems. Moreover, the paper shows which
barriers have been faced during the development of the project and how they can be overcome
Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Innovative Ejectors Plant Technology for Sediment By-Pass in Harbours and Ports
Full text linkSedimentation is the natural process of sediment transportation and deposition in quiescent water conditions. Sedimentation can affect the functionality of ports, harbours and navigation channels by reducing water depth, making navigation difficult, if not impossible. Different solutions are available to guarantee infrastructure functionality against sedimentation, with maintenance dredging being the most widely adopted. Alternative technologies for dredging have been developed and tested to reduce the environmental concerns related to dredging operations. Among other solutions, applying a sediment by-pass system based on a jet pump emerged as one of the most promising. While the existing literature covers the techno-economic aspects of sediment by-pass systems, the environmental impacts must be better evaluated and assessed. This paper aims to resolve this gap by evaluating, through the ReCiPe2016 life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the environmental impact of an innovative sediment by-pass system called an "ejectors plant". The LCA results are based on the demonstrator established in Cervia Harbour in Italy, which was extensively monitored for 15 months during its operation. This paper shows how energy consumption during the operation phase highly affects the considered midpoint and endpoint categories. For example, the GWP100 of the ejectors plant, considering the Italian electricity mix, equals 1.75 million tons of equivalent CO2 over 20 years, while under a low-carbon scenario, it is reduced to 0.17. In that case, material consumption in the construction phase becomes dominant, thus highlighting the importance of eco-innovation of ejectors plants to minimise oxidant formation. Finally, this paper compares the ejectors plant and traditional dredging through environmental LCA. The ejectors plant had a lower impact in all categories except for GWP-related categories. The sensitivity analysis showed how such a conclusion may be mitigated by considering different electricity mixes and maintenance dredging working cycles
Misure per contrastare l’emergenza durante l’epidemia da SARS-CoV-2: perché il controllo efficace della diffusione del contagio non può prescindere dal controllo dell’umidità dell’aria ambiente
No full textÈ ormai noto dalla letteratura scientifica che la trasmissione diretta del virus SARS-CoV-2 da un soggetto infetto ad un soggetto suscettibile avvenga attraverso le goccioline che sono emesse, per esempio, con il respiro, durante la conversazione, con un colpo di tosse o con uno starnuto. Per questo motivo, il primo punto da cui partire per studiare una strategia efficace di controllo della diffusione del contagio è lo studio del percorso che le goccioline contaminate fanno una volta emesse. Nota la traiettoria può essere definita la distanza interpersonale oltre alla quale due o più individui possono permanere con probabilità di contaminazione molto piccola. Sebbene possa apparire banale, studiare la traiettoria di una gocciolina in aria è un problema complesso che richiede strumenti propri della Fisica Tecnica e dell’Ingegneria Impiantistica, in particolare quella dedicata allo studio dell’Ingegneria dei Flussi Multifase, in termini anglosassoni Multiphase Flow Engineering
A preliminary assessment of the potential of low percentage green hydrogen blending in the Italian Natural Gas Network
Full text linkThe growing rate of electricity generation from renewables is leading to new operational and management issues on the power grid because the electricity generated exceeds local requirements and the transportation or storage capacities are inadequate. An interesting option that is under investigation by several years is the opportunity to use the renewable electricity surplus to power electrolyzers that split water into its component parts, with the hydrogen being directly injected into natural gas pipelines for both storage and transportation. This innovative approach merges together the concepts of (i) renewable power-to-hydrogen (P2H) and of (ii) hydrogen blending into natural gas networks. The combination of renewable P2H and hydrogen blending into natural gas networks has a huge potential in terms of environmental and social benefits, but it is still facing several barriers that are technological, economic, legislative. In the framework of the new hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe, Member States should design a roadmap moving towards a hydrogen ecosystem by 2050. The blending of “green hydrogen”, that is hydrogen produced by renewable sources, in the natural gas network at a limited percentage is a key element to enable hydrogen production in a preliminary and transitional phase. Therefore, it is urgent to evaluate at the same time (i) the potential of green hydrogen blending at low percentage (up to 10%) and (ii) the maximum P2H capacity compatible with low percentage blending. The paper aims to preliminary assess the green hydrogen blending potential into the Italian natural gas network as a tool for policy makers, grid and networks managers and energy planners
Preliminary investigation of fluidized bed reactors for carbon dioxide methanation by TPSIM Win software
No full text
Analysis of the existing barriers for the market development of power to hydrogen (P2H) in Italy
Full text linkNew technological solutions are required to control the impact of the increasing presence of renewable energy sources connected to the electric grid that are characterized by unpredictable production (i.e., wind and solar energy). Energy storage is becoming essential to stabilize the grid when a mismatch between production and demand occurs. Among the available solutions, Power to Hydrogen (P2H) is one of the most attractive options. However, despite the potential, many barriers currently hinder P2H market development. The literature reports general barriers and strategies to overcome them, but a specific analysis is fundamental to identifying how these barriers concretely arise in national and regional frameworks, since tailored solutions are needed to foster the development of P2H local market. The paper aims to identify and to analyze the existing barriers for P2H market uptake in Italy. The paper shows how several technical, regulatory and economic issues are still unsolved, resulting in a source of uncertainty for P2H investment. The paper also suggests possible approaches and solutions to address the Italian barriers and to support politics and decision-makers in the definition and implementation of the national hydrogen strategy
Application of an innovative jet pump system for the sediment management in a port channel: Techno-economic assessment based on experimental measurements
Full text linkThe realization of infrastructures in coastal environment modifies water and sediment natural current regime. In particular, sediment can be entrained and accumulated in port infrastructure like docks, haling basins, or port entrances and channels, creating problems for navigation and limiting the human activities. The result is that marine basins and approaches are frequently silted and require maintenance dredging. Dredging is a consolidated and proven technology which implies relevant drawbacks, like high environmental impact on marine flora and fauna, mobility and diffusion of contaminants, and pollutants already present on the seabed, limitations to navigation, relatively high and low predictable costs. Starting from 2001 an innovative plant for sediment management, alternative to maintenance dredging, has been developed and tested. The core of the plant is the "ejector", an open jet pump fed by pressurized water that is able to suck and convey in a pipeline the sediment that may accumulate in a certain area. On August 2018, a pilot plant has been installed in the haling basin of Cattolica (Italy), as part of a pilot initiative included in the Interreg-Med project "Promoting the co-evolution of human activities and natural systems for the development of sustainable coastal and maritime tourism" (CO-EVOLVE). The aim of the specific experimental activity was to test and monitor the efficacy of the technology applied in a port channel and working with sediments like silt and clay instead of sand. The paper shows the results of the monitoring campaign carried out by the University of Bologna from August 2018 to July 2019
- …
