Geology, Geophysics & Environment
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ISSN 2299-8004
e-ISSN: 2353-0790
Issue Date
2019
Volume
Vol. 45
Number
No 2
Description
Journal Volume
Geology, Geophysics & Environment
Vol. 45 (2019)
Projects
Pages
Articles
Study of wind power utilization in district heating systemsin the Westfjords, Iceland
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Mathews, Kamil; Sowiżdżał, Anna
Some Renewable Energy Sources (RES), such as wind power, are often regarded as intermittent. That means they are not available on demand, but rather depend on external conditions e.g. such as the weather. In order to manage these resources, it is advised to combine them with energy storage or other energy sectors, what is known as »sector coupling«. This approach is set to mitigate the negative impact of unstable renewable energy sources and manage the generated surpluses. In this study, a system combining wind turbines, district heating network and short-term thermal energy storage was proposed and examined for the instance of the Westfjords, Iceland. Ísafjörður, Patreksfjörður, Bolungarvík and Flateyri are the exemplary communities with existing district heating networks, chosen to investigate the implementation of the system. A short review of the current state of the energy sector in Iceland was provided to present the local conditions. Wind potential in the described area was estimated as high in comparison with average wind turbine generation in the European Union and a few instances of wind turbines placement were analyzed in this study. For locations close to the district heating net-work, a long-term correlation between power generation and usage was proven. However, locating wind turbines in places with better wind conditions, provides stable output and a similar amount of energy produced by fewer generators.
Burial crypts in solid rock - a geophysical case study of a small church with a unique polychrome in Szydłów (S Poland)
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Zieliński, Artur; Łyskowski, Mikołaj; Mazurkiewicz, Ewelina; Lubarska, Kinga Wiktoria
Lesser Poland (Małopolska) is a historic region of Poland. The presented case study was undertaken in the All Saints' Church in the town of Szydłów, in which conservation and restoration works were carried out to preserve Gothic wall paintings by identifying and eliminating the causes of their degradation, and these efforts were supported by geophysical surveying. The conducted studies constitute a step not only to determine the age of the construction of the Szydłów temple, but also to improve knowledge of medieval architecture and mural paintings in Lesser Poland. The geophysical research with application of GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) helped to locate previously unknown structures under the temple floor. This survey indicated four, possibly connected, structural objects clearly visible in GPR profiles. Carried out works confirmed that anomalies visible on radargrams mark two crypts. This discovery of the hidden construction elements emphasizes and strengthens the earlier suppositions of the unique character of this temple.
Characterisation of used traction sand for utilization aspects in earth construction based on the requirements of Finnish environmental legislation
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Pöykiö, Risto; Grönvall, Mika; Watkins, Gary; Välimäki, Ilkka; Perämäki, Paavo; Dahl, Olli
Finland launched a new Government Decree, the so-called MARA-regulation, on the utilization of certain wastes in earth construction on 1.1.2018. This statutory regulation sets limit values for the solubility of heavy metals (Sb, As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se, Zn, V, Hg), chloride, sulphate, fluoride and dissolved organic carbon, as well as for organic substance (petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, naphthalene, TEX (toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene), PAH-, phenolic- and PCB-compounds). In this case study, the concentrations of these harmful substances in the used traction sand collected in the city of Kemi, Northern Finland, were lower than their limit values set in the MARA-regulation. Therefore, this residue is a potential material to be used at earth construction sites such as in roads and roadways, in field and embankment structures, as well as in floor structures of industrial or storage buildings. However, if the used traction sand is to be utilized for these kinds of civil engineering purposes, an environmental permit is still needed because this material is not yet included in the scope of the MARA-regulation. This paper also gives an overview of the relevant Finnish environmental legislation on the utilization of wastes as an earth construction material.
What can be learned about the deposition and compaction of peat from the Miocene lignite seam exposed in the Chłapowo Cliff on the Polish coast of the Baltic Sea?
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Widera, Marek
This study focuses on discussing the relationship between the accumulation of peat and its compaction in the overbank zone of the Miocene river system. The examined 2$^{nd}$ Lusatian lignite seam is characteristically interbedded with sandy deposits and these are less compressible than peat. Therefore, in favourable conditions such as those found at Chłapowo Cliff (on the Baltic Sea coast in northern Poland), it is possible to identify the effects of an even or uneven lowering of the mire surface, resulting from diversified compaction of the underlying phytogenic beds. The research problem was applied to two examples located close to each other within the lignite seam. The first case shows the accumulation of fresh peat layers of almost equal thickness, while the second one presents a reduction in the thickness of fresh peat beds over the fossilised channel-fill sandy body. Only the latter example allows us to calculate the peat-to-lignite compaction ratio. The results of the compaction ratio obtained, Cr $\approx$ 7.37, mean that the youngest, fresh peat layers were compacted at least 7 times, transforming them into lignite beds. However, such a high compaction value, estimated for the top layers of the Miocene mire, cannot be directly taken into account when reconstructing the total thickness of the peat seam prior to covering it with mineral overburden. The published peat-to-lignite compaction ratios, determined using other research methods, for the 2$^{nd}$ Lusatian lignite seam or its stratigraphic equivalents range from 1.7 to 6.0 in most cases, with averages of 2.2 to 4.0. The differences between the data in the literature and the results given in this paper are due to the fact that the process of peat/lignite compaction is ongoing and cumulative.
Methane emissions in selected hard-coal mines of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in 1997–2016
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2019) Dreger, Marcin
Hard coal is extracted in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) from deeper and deeper coal seams every year. In 2000, the average depth of coal extraction was 600 m, in 2010 – 700 m, but in the last two years (2016–2017) this has been extended to a depth of 770 m. The USCB is not homogeneous in layout in terms of methane hazard, but rather very diverse. Therefore, the USCB has been divided into seven gassy regions to show differences in methane danger distribution. Northern and central USCB regions (I, II and III) are the mostly naturally degassed, so the most dangerous gassy conditions are in the IV and V regions, where methane content in coal seams varies from 6 m$^{3}$/Mg coaldafto above 18 m$^{3}$/Mg coal$^{daf}$. The two westernmost USCB gassy regions (VI and VII) are poorer in methane than the IV and V areas. Six representative coal mines were chosen: Mysłowice-Wesoła, Budryk, Brzeszcze, Pniówek, Marcel and Rydułtowy-Anna based on their high hard coal production and total methane emissions. The reason for the highest methane emission in those regions might be fault tectonics facilitating methane migration and also the thick and continuous Miocene cover constituting a hermetic screen for gases in the southern part of the USCB.