This work investigates the energy performance consequences of replacing conventional natural gas-based syngas production with biomass gasification-based production as a supply of feedstock for a conventional oxo synthesis plant. The investigation is conducted for a plant currently processing 175 MW [higher heating value (HHV) basis] of natural gas (NG) annually. Two concepts based on the same gasification technology are considered: (i) replacing the NG feedstock with biomassderived synthetic NG (bio-SNG); (ii) replacing syngas with biomass-derived syngas. The work is based upon process models established in Aspen Plus in order to obtain mass and energy balances. Heat recovery opportunities by means of production of useful thermal heat and integration of a steam network for combined heat and power production are investigated using pinch analysis tools. Two different ways of harnessing the high-temperature excess heat are investigated: (i) maximization of the power production; (ii) low-pressure (LP) steam (co)production for process heating to reduce or entirely cover the steam demand of the oxo synthesis plant, which is currently produced by firing of purchased fuel gas. The different process alternatives are compared in terms of energy efficiency (η en ) and exergy efficiency (η ex ). The results show that around 262 MW (HHV basis) of lignocellulosic biomass is required to fully substitute for the NG feedstock with bio-SNG. The biomass input can be reduced to 216 MW (HHV basis) if the required syngas is produced directly from gasified biomass, thus avoiding the intermediate SNG synthesis step. The direct syngas route achieves the highest thermodynamic performance of the biorefinery concepts investigated, especially if LP steam is exported to the oxo synthesis plant (η en = 75% and η ex = 57%, i.e., 9.1 and 7.2 efficiency points higher than for the route via bio-SNG, respectively).
A B S T R AC TSeparated parents have the joint responsibility to give their children access to the other parent. If they fail to reach a visitation agreement, the District Court will decide on one for them. In Sweden one demand can be supervision by a contact person. This paper is about court-ordered visitations including supervision by a contact person. Different public systems, with different interpretations of the best interest of the child, have to interact in these cases: the District Court makes the decision on supervised visitation and the Social Services appoint a contact person and follow the intervention up. There is a shortage of research on this use of a contact person, and an exploratory research project is carried through: Three small-scale studies, based on group-interviews with family law social workers, social files and individual interviews with contact persons, supplement each other and form together a Social Services perspective on the intervention. The results are presented according to five themes: Social Services and the court; the families and children concerned; contact arrangements; termination of the intervention; Social Services' perceptions of the intervention. The conclusion is that contact person is perceived as a positive solution for children in visitation disputes involving risk. However, the intervention brings up some contradictory interests important to be conscious of.
In vivo MR spectroscopy (MRS) requires some kind of volume selection method to be able to measure the signal from a selected part of the body. To be able to interpret the spectra correctly, the quality of the volume selection must be investigated for each new MRS application using phantom measurements. A new phantom, especially suitable for precision measurements of the volume selection performance, is presented. It contains a small, remotely controlled signal source placed inside a larger vessel. This principle can be applied to various body regions, coil types and nuclei. The measurement conditions are close to the clinical situation. The phantom does not have to be repositioned during a signal profile measurement and the signal contribution from each point along the profile is determined regarding sign and amplitude.
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