Despite the different origins of the plasmon capabilities of the two materials, the results indicate that the optical response is determined by plasmon resonances, whose position depends on the nanowire interactions and material properties. Due to the thermoelectric properties of Bi2Te3 nanowires, these plasmon resonances could be used to develop new ways of enhancing thermal gradients and their associated thermoelectric power.The 1D nanowire arrays and 3D nanowire networks of topological insulators and metals have been fabricated by template-assisted deposition of Bi The spectroscopic ellipsometry was performed with an M2000 FI from J. A. Woollam Co. The nanostructures were characterized in the spectral range from 300 nm to 1500 nm. In this technique, the ratio between the reflectivity of p and s polarized light was obtained at different incident angles (55° to 75° in steps of 10 degrees). The analysis of the results was performed with the software Complete EASE and WVase32.2Te3 and The diameters of the nanowires used in this work have been sized at 50 ± 5 nm. There were two kinds of 1D nanowire arrays, with 100 or 65 nm of inter-wire distance  measurements, which are shown in 2Te3 a, it is f nickel b, the dip and s polarized light with the in-plane orientation of the sample was observed, as expected from X-ray diffraction characterization. Moreover, the nanowire layers are thick enough to be optically opaque, and due to the nanowire structure, they should be considered as uniaxial with in-plane and out-of-plane optical properties. Furthermore, as the sizes of the nanowires and inter-nanowire distances are much smaller than the wavelength, the nanowire structures can be viewed as an effective medium, and the ellipsometry measurements can be analyzed in terms of an effective dielectric tensor with in-plane (perpendicular to the nanowire axis) and out-of-plane  effective dielectric constants obtained from the ellipsometry data.The ellipsometry data were obtained for the range 300 to 1500 nm, at incident angles of 55, 65, and 75 degrees with respect to the normal to the surface of the sample. In the different nanostructures, no dependence of the ratio between the reflectivity of The imaginary and real parts of the in-plane effective dielectric constant obtained for the different structures assuming a sharp air/layer interface are shown in 2Te3  is roughly very similar to the 1D nanostructures but shifted to lower energies. This redshift is higher for Ni than for Bi2Te3. Furthermore, the Ni feature is much broader than the Bi2Te3 one.As can be observed for both the Bi2Te3 a and Ni 2Te3 b 1D nano2Te3 features is linked to the growth conditions of the Bi2Te3 arrays, which result in nanowire arrays with the c-axis perpendicular to the wire axis, as shown in the XRD of c-axis, giving rise to two main resonances: one for light polarized along this axis and the other in the perpendicular direction  approximation and taking into account the uniaxial structure of Biaxis see a. Figuretion see a, whereation see b,d resultion see a. As the2Te3 and Ni, when the nanowires are physically interconnected (forming the 3D nanowire networks). On the one hand, in the case of Ni, which may support plasmon resonances in the whole spectral range, the connection between the nanowires increases the interaction between the plasmons, inducing an additional redshift of the resonance. On the other hand, for Bi2Te3, this additional shift is reduced due to the restriction of the spectral range where plasmon resonances occur. A very rough estimation of the material dependence of this additional shift could be obtained using the same Maxwell Garnett approximation, and considering that the in-plane connection of the nanowires can be viewed as a change of the shape of the nanostructure from a nanowire to an effective shape defined by an effective form factor. This effective form factor should be the same for the two materials and can be determined from the redshift of the Ni nanostructures, which amounts to 490 nm, whereas within this approximation the estimated Bi2Te3 redshift is 220 nm, very similar to the experimental one, which is 260 nm.These results support the identification of the different features as due to the excitation of plasmon resonances in the nanostructures and give some clues about the different evolution of the optical properties of the two materials under study, Bi2Te3 is not fully understood. It might be due to the different optical properties of the Bi2Te3 grown inside the nanopore as compared with that grown as films, as it has also been observed for other chalcogenide compounds whose optical properties depend on the deposition conditions [The comparison between simulated and experimental results is good, and the origin of the slightly different result for Binditions . Moreove2Te3 3D nanowire networks outperform their bulk or thin film counterparts regarding their thermoelectric efficiency [2Te2 1D and 3D nanostructures would increase the effective thermal gradient in the material, and thus, increase the thermoelectric power output obtained in the nanostructured material. These metamaterials should help to develop plasmon-assisted thermoelectric devices similar to the resonant thermoelectric nanophotonic devices recently proposed [In summary, in this work, 1D nanowire arrays and 3D nanowire networks made of topological insulators and metals have been fabricated using 1D and 3D alumina templates. Their optical properties have been analyzed using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Despite the different origins of the plasmon capabilities of the two materials, the results indicate that the optical response is determined by plasmon resonances, whose position depends on the nanowire interactions and material properties. Furthermore, given that Bificiency  and thatproposed .


In order to alleviate the shortage of sand resources for construction, make full use of industrial waste and promote the development of green lightweight aggregate concrete in the desert and surrounding areas, this paper proposes a new lightweight ceramsite concrete, fly ash cenospheres and desert sand ceramsite concrete (FDCC). An orthogonal test was conducted to analyze the effects of the desert sand (DS) replacing ratio, fly ash cenosphere (FAC) replacing ratio and polymer emulsion (PLE) addition on the damage patterns, slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC. The results showed that the most influential factors for the slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC were the FAC replacing ratio, FAC replacing ratio and DS replacing ratio, respectively. Meanwhile, the PLE addition had little effect on the workability or mechanical performance of the FDCC. With the increase in the DS replacing ratio, the slump decreased rapidly and the compressive strength reached its peak value, increasing by 20.6% when the DS replacing ratio was 20%. With the increase in the FAC replacing ratio, the slump increased by 106%, the apparent density decreased gradually and the compressive decreased and then increased, reaching its lowest value when the FAC replacing ratio was 20%. According to the synthetic evaluation analysis, the optimum DS replacing ratio, FAC replacing ratio and PLE addition of the FDCC were 20%, 30% and 1%, respectively. Lightweight aggregate concrete (LWAC) has been widely used in high-rise buildings, large-span bridges and offshore platforms due to its various advantages, including its light weight, strength, good seismic performance, good economic efficiency, good durability and good heat insulation performance ,4,5,6,7.Desert sand (DS) is considered to be an appropriate alternative to RS. The utilization of DS could reduce RS consumption and improve waste utilization, environmental protection and material localization in deserts and surrounding areas . JayawarHowever, using DS instead of RS in equal volumes would increase the bulk density of concrete. Fly ash cenospheres (FACs) are by-products from fly ash that are spherical, hollow and lightweight and have good heat resistance ,20. FACsCeramsite concrete is brittle due to its aggregate properties; for example, the polymer emulsion (PLE) can dehydrate during the hardening process of concrete and form a spatial mesh structure ,25. TherIn general, according to our literature review, DS and FACs could both individually replace RS as the fine aggregate in concrete. However, research on the use of these two materials together to prepare LWAC has been not found, and the influence of the DS and FAC replacing ratios on workability and mechanical performance is not clear. Therefore, we proposed a new lightweight ceramsite concrete that used fly ash cenospheres (FACs) and desert sand (DS) to replace river sand as the fine aggregate, namely fly ash cenosphere–desert sand ceramsite concrete (FDCC). An orthogonal test of three factors and four levels was conducted, as well as a microstructural analysis of the FDCC using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of different DS replacing ratios, FAC replacing ratios and polymer emulsion (PLE) additions on the damage patterns, slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC were investigated, and reasonable DS and FAC replacing ratios and PLE additions were determined. The results of this study are expected to provide guidelines and a reference for the use of DS and FACs in engineering construction in deserts and surrounding areas.3 and 2239 kg/m3, respectively. The DS was from the south edge of the Gurbantünggüt Desert in China, with an average particle size of 0.183 mm and a bulk density and apparent density of 1610 kg/m3 and 2690 kg/m3, respectively. The particle size distributions of the DS and RS are shown in In this study, the binding materials were ordinary Portland cement and fly ash, as shown in 3 and 1877 kg/m3, respectively. The chemical compositions of the binding materials and fine aggregates are shown in 3 and 1348 kg/m3, respectively. The other physical properties are shown in The particle size, bulk density and apparent density of the FACs were 1 mm–2 mm, 303 kg/mA, B and C, respectively. The four levels of the DS and FAC replacing ratios were 0, 10%, 20% and 30%, while the four levels of PLE addition were 0, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%, as shown in D, which was used for error verification. It should be noted that the DS and FAC replacing ratios were the volume fractions of the fine aggregates, and the PLE addition was the mass fraction of solid content in the PLE to the binding materials. The orthogonal test was designed according to the selected factors and levels, and the L16(44) orthogonal table is shown in Orthogonal testing can effectively reduce the required specimen amounts and test times. They are generally conducted by selecting typical points from full trials using orthogonality ,27,28. A3, fly ash comprised 20% of the total binding material mass, the total volume of the coarse and fine aggregate was 1.3 m3, the sand rate was 35% and the water reducing agent dosage was 1.2% of the binding material. The mix ratios for all test conditions are shown in The loose volume method was adopted to design the reference mix ratio according to the following Chinese code: Technical specifications for the application of lightweight aggregate concrete (JGJ/T12-2019) . The watTo prevent the high water absorption of ceramsite from affecting the mixing effect of the concrete, the ceramsite was pre-wetted for 2 h. The specimens were mixed and vibrated artificially. Firstly, the cement, fly ash, DS, RS and FACs were premixed together for 2 min. Then, the pre-wetted ceramsite was added and the mixture was mixed continuously for 2 min. Finally, water and the water reducing agent and PLE were added and the mixture was mixed for another 2 min. After completing the slump test, the fresh concrete was cast into six cubic molds, which were 100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm in size. The specimens were demolded and remarked after 24 h and they were then cured in a standard curing box with humidity greater than 95% and a curing temperature of 20 ± 2 ℃. Of the six cubes, three were cured for 7 days and three were cured for 28 days. The specimen preparation and curing processes are shown in The slump of the FDCC was measured according to the following Chinese code: Standard for the test method for the performance of ordinary fresh concrete (GB/T 50080–2016) . The freThe compressive strength test was carried out according to the following Chinese code: Standard for the test method for the mechanical properties of ordinary concrete (GBT 50081–2019) . A 600-kAfter the compressive strength test, the damaged specimens were immersed in anhydrous ethanol to stop the hydration of the material. Then, they were dried in an oven at a temperature of 60 °C. An SEM  was selected to scan the microstructure of the FDCC, as shown in 3, while the FDCC-13 specimen had the greatest apparent density, with a value of 1849.6 kg/m3. The 28-d cubic compressive strength of the FDCC-9 specimen was the greatest, with a value of 32.72 MPa, which was 6.4% higher than that of the FDCC-1 specimen.The results of the slump, apparent density and 7-d and 28-d cubic compressive strength tests are shown in The compressive damage patterns of the FDCC are shown in The range analysis method can increase the test efficiency by distributing multi-factor and multi-level tests evenly over a smaller number of tests . Then, tIn B > DS replacing ratio (A) > PLE addition (C). The magnitude of the influence of each factor on the apparent density of the FDCC was as follows: FAC replacing ratio (B) > DS replacing ratio (A) > PLE addition (C). The magnitude of the influence of each factor on the 7-d and 28-d compressive strength of the FDCC was as follows: DS replacing ratio (A) > FAC replacing ratio (B) > PLE addition (C). The magnitude of the influence of each factor on the slump of the FDCC was as follows: FAC replacing ratio 0.01, F0.05 and F0.1 represent the critical values of F that were used to evaluate the different degrees of influence of the factors on the performance of the FDCC. When F > F0.01, the influence of the factor was highly significant (denoted as ***). When F > F0.1, the influence of the factor was affected (denoted as *). The range analysis method is intuitive and simple, but variations in and the randomness of levels can lead to errors in test results, while the variance analysis method can increase the precision of test results and reduce errors . Our varAs can be seen from The 7-d and 28-d compressive strength increased and then decreased with the increase in the DS replacing ratio, reaching their peak values with DS replacing ratios of 20%. This could have been due to the fact that the very fine DS particles filled the gaps between the aggregates and enhanced the compactness of the cement mortar. Moreover, the bonding effect between the aggregates and the binding materials improved because of the pozzolanic effect of the DS [Therefore, considering the effect of the DS replacing ratio on the slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC comprehensively, the most suitable DS replacing ratio was determined to be 20%.The compressive strength of the FDCC decreased and then increased with the increase in the FAC replacing ratio. The 7-d and 28-d compressive strengths of the FDCC were 15.71% and 15.19% lower than those of ordinary ceramsite concrete, respectively, when the FAC replacing ratio was 20%, and they were 8.82% and 5.38% higher, respectively, when the FAC replacing ratio increased from 20% to 30%. Because of the relatively low strength of FACs, adopting FACs as a replacement for RS decreased the strength of the cement mortar, which led to a decrease in the strength of the FDCC. However, the FAC surface was active, which promoted the hydration reaction and enhanced the adhesion of the FAC interface. This could have been the reason for the increase in the compressive strength of the FDCC.Therefore, considering the effect of the FAC replacing ratio on the slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC comprehensively, the most suitable FAC replacing ratio was determined to be 30%.The compressive strength of the FDCC increased and then decreased with the increase in the PLE addition, reaching a maximum value of 29.2 MPa when the PLE addition was 1%. This could have been due to the viscosity of the PLE addition increasing the bond strength between the binding materials and the aggregates, which led to the increase in the compressive strength of the FDCC. However, with the increase in the PLE addition, more polymer developed between the binding material and the aggregates, which disrupted the production of hydration products and reduced the bonding action between the binding materials and the aggregates, resulting in a decrease in the compressive strength of the FDCC.Therefore, considering the effect of the PLE addition on the slump, apparent density and compressive strength of the FDCC comprehensively, the most suitable PLE addition was determined to be 1%.The microstructures of the DS and FACs, as determined by the SEM, are shown in Splitting damage to the FAC particles is shown in There were no cracks at the interfaces between the binding material and the ceramsite, as shown in In order to alleviate the shortage of sand resources for construction, make full use of industrial waste and promote the development of green lightweight aggregate concrete in the desert and surrounding areas, we proposed the adoption of DS and FACs to replace RS when preparing a new lightweight ceramsite concrete (FDCC). The workability and mechanical performance of the FDCC were investigated and analyzed using an orthogonal test and SEM. The following conclusions were drawn.(1)The three factors of the DS replacing ratio, FAC replacing ratio and PLE addition had different effects on the workability and mechanical performance of the FDCC. According to the test results, the FAC replacing ratio was the most influential factor in the slump and apparent density of the FDCC, followed by the DS replacing ratio and PLE addition. For compressive strength, the most influential factor was the DS replacing ratio, followed by the FAC replacing ratio and PLE addition. The PLE addition had little effect on the workability or mechanical performance of the FDCC.(2)With the increase in the DS replacing ratio from 0 to 30%, the slump decreased from 72.8 mm to 36.8 mm, the apparent density increased gradually and the compressive strength increased by 20.6% to reach its peak value when the DS replacing ratio was 20% and then it decreased. With the increase in the FAC replacing ratio from 0 to 30%, the slump increased by 106% from 36.65 mm to 76 mm, the apparent density decreased gradually and the compressive strength first decreased and then increased, reaching its lowest value when the FAC replacing ratio was 20%.(3)According to our synthetic evaluation analysis of the orthogonal test results, the optimum DS replacing ratio, FAC replacing ratio and PLE addition for the FDCC were 20%, 30% and 1%, respectively. DS and FACs could replace up to 50% of the river sand in the FDCC, which means that full use can be made of desert sand and industry waste, thereby reducing the demand for river sand. This would also be beneficial for the environment.(4)In this study, we found that the lower strength of desert sand and fly ash cenospheres as fine aggregates increased the brittleness of the FDCC. Therefore, some types of fibers could be used in FDCC to improve its toughness and strength. Additionally, the long-term properties of FDCC may be worth paying attention to in the future.


The integrated energy system (IES) optimal scheduling under the comprehensive flexible operation mode of pumping storage is considered. This system is conducive to the promotion of the accommodation of wind and solar energy and can meet the water, electricity and heat needs of coastal areas far away from the energy center. In this study, the joint dispatch between double pumped storage power stations is used to accommodate wind and solar energy better and smooth their fluctuations on the grid. Through the scheduling of water between the high and low reservoirs of double pumped storage power stations and the reservoir of the seawater desalination plant, the impact of storage capacity constraints on pumped storage power plants is reduced. Moreover, the objective function to build the IES optimization scheduling model is to achieve minimum economic cost. The results reveal that the integrated energy system accommodates all wind energy and solar energy. As such, the system increases the average working time of the pumped storage unit by 1.9 hours and reduces the economic cost by 31.50%. Based on the simulation results, the model can enhance the accommodation capability of wind energy and solar energy and improve the system economy. Under the double background of the energy and environment issues of the 21st century, integrated energy system came into being. This system facilitates the integration of natural gas, electric energy, heat energy, wind energy, solar energy, and other kinds of energy in a certain region and coordinates the planning and optimization of the generation, conversion, storage, transmission, distribution, and other processes of all kinds of energy to improve the energy utilization rate –5. PumpeIn this article, the fresh water in coastal areas mainly comes from the desalination system, and the higher power consumption of the system is a greater burden for areas far from the grid . For theVarious scholars –14 have However, the pumped storage power station can only store or discharge energy at the same time. At the discharge time (affected by the storage capacity constraint or the power supply demand of the system), given the lack of storage equipment for wind energy and solar energy, a large amount of energy is wasted. Notably, aforementioned studies have not discussed such issues extensively.Various problems also persist in the storage and transportation of fresh water resources in –19. To dIn response to the above problems, this article takes the coastal areas far away from the energy center as the object and aims at the water, electricity, and heat problems in this area. Then, it constructs an IES considering the comprehensive and flexible operation mode of pumping storage.The main innovations and contributions are as follows:This study adopts the form of joint operation of two small pumped storage power stations of different scales to solve the problem in which the capacity of a single pumped storage power station is difficult to expand due to high terrain requirements.By adopting the mode of joint operation of two pumped storage power stations, one pumped storage power station can be in the discharge state, while the other can be in the charge state (accommodate wind energy and solar energy). This mode is expected to solve the waste of wind energy and solar energy of the single pumped storage power station mentioned above.In order to reduce the influence of storage capacity constraints on the operation of pumped storage power station under the premise of ensuring the fresh water transportation capacity. This study proposes to solve this problem through the system water scheduling. For details, see Section 2.2.This study takes the minimum economic cost as the objective function to construct an IES optimal scheduling model. Typical daily data in a certain area are selected, and the improved gray wolf algorithm is used for simulation. The results are analyzed, after which the theory is verified.The first section is the introduction. This portion briefly describes the research background and research status, analyzes the problems of pumped storage power stations in accommodating renewable energy, such as wind energy and solar energy, and the problems of seawater desalination devices in energy consumption and fresh water transportation, and provides the contribution and organization of the paper.The second section includes the system description and mathematical modeling. The components of the system are introduced, and the corresponding mathematical models are established.The third section is the economic dispatch model of the integrated energy system. The working principle and improvement process of the gray wolf algorithm are introduced, and the solution process of the algorithm to the economic dispatch model is explained.The fifth section is the conclusion. The discussion in the previous sections are summarized, and some prospects for the future are subsequently proposed.Fig 1.Wind energy and solar energy are volatile and random. When they are connected to the power grid, the phenomenon of abandoning wind and solar energy occurs. In this research, renewable energy is stored in the energy storage system and released according to the system scheduling requirements, thereby improving the utilization rate of wind and solar energy. Based on the above concepts, a wind-solar-pump storage energy supply system (WSPS) is established, as shown in Fig 1, first, wind energy and solar energy are converted by inverters . Then, they are stored by the pumped storage power station, and the unstored energy is discarded (4). The relevant relationship is:PWV, dis(t) is for unused wind energy and solar energy at time t; ei is the electric power of energy flow i.As shown in The pumped storage power station has three working states: pumped storage, power generation, and shutdown. The control station sets the working states of the pumped storage power station 1 and 2 according to the system requirements. When the pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 are in the pumped storage state, the control station will supplement the electric power (5) if the electric power generated by wind energy and solar energy (a) is less than the pumped water power. When pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 are in a discharge state, the released electric energy (b) will flow to the control station. The relevant relationship is:The control station is responsible for controlling the flow direction and size of each energy flow and maintaining the system power balance under the premise of satisfying the user’s load demand. The relevant relationship is:Under this comprehensive and flexible operation mode, the working states of pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 are independent of each other and are regulated by the control station. For example, during the peak period of wind energy and electric energy, the control station can change the state of both pumped storage power stations into a pumped-storage state to improve the power stations’ ability to absorb wind and solar energy. During the trough period of wind and electric energy, the control station can make turn one pumped storage power station into a pumped-storage state for accommodating wind energy and solar energy, and the other pumped storage power station can be in a power-generating state.Fig 2.A pumped storage power station is a hydropower station that uses electric energy when the power load is too low to pump water to a high-level reservoir. This station discharges water to a low-level reservoir to generate electricity during the peak power load period. The upper and lower limits of the storage capacity of the high/low reservoirs of pumped storage power stations affect the pumping and discharge power. In this study, this limitation is reduced by the water scheduling of the high/low level reservoirs of the double pumped storage power station and the reservoir of the seawater desalination device, as shown in Fig 2, system water scheduling is divided into water scheduling 1 and water scheduling 2. Water scheduling 1 is water scheduling between the high and low reservoirs of the pumped storage power station. Water scheduling 2 is water scheduling between the reservoir of seawater desalination plant and reservoirs of pumped storage power stations.As shown in Water scheduling 1: When the pumped storage power station is pumped and stored, the high-level reservoir flows to the low-level reservoir (a1/b1) to drive the turbine to do the work. When the pumped storage power station discharges, the low-level reservoir is transported to the high-level reservoir (a2/b2) by the water pump.mi (t) is the flow rate of water flow i in period t; musers (t) is the user’s fresh water demand in period t.Water scheduling 2: First, the downstream seawater is converted into fresh water (1) by a seawater desalination device (located at the downstream). Second, the fresh water can flow to the low-level reservoir (2a / 2c) to increase the water volume of the low-level reservoir, and the remaining fresh water is pumped to the reservoir of seawater desalination plant (3b). Finally, fresh water from the reservoir of seawater desalination plant flows to the user group (4), which can be replenished by the high reservoir of the pumped storage power station (3a / 3c) when it is insufficient. The correlation is as follows:Fig 3.In this study, users have water demand, electricity demand, cooling demand, and heat demand, among which the water demand is borne by the seawater desalination device, which will not be discussed in this section. To meet the user’s cooling, heating, and electric load requirements, a multi-energy complementary system is established in this work –23, as sFig 3 demonstrates that WSPS, gas turbines, batteries, and large power grids are used to bear the electrical load. Meanwhile, waste heat boilers, electric heating, and heat storage tanks are used to bear the thermal load. Absorption chillers and distributed air conditioners are used to bear the cooling load. The relevant equality constraints and inequality constraints are as follows.E(t) is the electrical load demand of the user in period t; t.Power balance:H(t) is the heat load demand of the user in period t.Heat balance:Co(t) is the cooling load demand of the user at period t.Cold balance:Mathematical models of each micro-source component in the system –26 are pThe IES optimal scheduling model established in this study is a single objective model, and the objective is to minimize the sum of operation cost, maintenance cost, and environmental cost. Constraints, such as the upper and lower limits of the heat generation power of waste heat boiler, have been described above and will not be repeated here. Details are presented in The optimization of the IES is a non-linear optimization problem with complex constraints and high solving dimensions. This study uses the improved gray wolf algorithm to solve the problem , 28.Gray Wolf Optimizer (GWO) is a new intelligent algorithm proposed by Mirialili et al. in 2014 . The optThe improved gray wolf algorithm is applied to the optimization solution steps of the integrated energy system scheduling as follows:Step 1: Set the parameters and data of the IES optimization model.Step 2: Set the parameters of the algorithm and initialize the gray wolf population.Step 3: Use Monte Carlo to simulate the continuous exploration process of the IES scheduling scheme, and select a better scheduling scheme as the initial solution set of the optimization algorithm, thereby updating the entire gray wolf population.Step 4: Use FCM clustering algorithm to group gray wolf populations (IES scheduling scheme) to prepare for the cooperative hunting process of wolves.Step 5: Select the first wolf in each group of wolves, that is, the optimal plan in each group of scheduling plans, and use the displacement update formula in the particle swarm algorithm to update the position of each wolf.Step 6: Continuously update the escape position of the prey  using the Harris Hawks Optimizer (HHO), and use Monte Carlo random simulation to find the best escape position of the prey.Step 7: Randomly extract wolves from each group except wolves with probability P, that is, select some of the schemes in each group except the optimal one, and update their positions with the displacement update formulas of the grey wolf algorithm and particle swarm algorithm.Step 8: Randomly extract the remaining wolves except the head wolf with probability (1-P), and update their positions with the displacement update formula of the bat algorithm.Step 9: Add a memory library to store the location of wolves in each group during the previous n iterations, and select the individual with higher crowding as the current individual through the crowding analysis. Save the optimal individual among wolves and the IES global optimal scheduling scheme.Step 10: Determine whether the maximum number of iterations has been reached, output the optimal individual if it is satisfied, and jump to step 5 instead until the termination condition is met.In this paper, the basic data of a certain area and the actual project are used to construct calculation examples, and the effectiveness of the research is demonstrated through simulation analysis. The scheduling period of the calculation example is 24h, and the length of a single period is 1h.In this study, the parameters of the pumped storage power station in , hourly 2 emission is 724 kg/MW·h [3 [3/MW·h [Refer to micro-source equipment parameters and energy prices in , 39–44 t kg/MW·h . The cos [3/MW·h .To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, this article sets up four cases based on the actual situation, as follows:Case 1: IES economic dispatch without considering pumped storage power stationCase 2: Based on Case 1, consider pumped storage power station 1Case 3: Based on Case 2, consider the water scheduling between the reservoir of seawater desalination plant and reservoirs of pumped storage power station 1 Case 4: Based on Case 3, consider the joint dispatch between pumped storage power stations 1 and 2, and the water scheduling between the reservoir of seawater desalination plant and reservoirs of pumped storage power station 1 and 2 S1 Table, and U-1 and U-2 are shown in S2 Table.Note: Pumped storage power station 1 is equipped with pumped storage unit PU-1 and PU-2. The maximum generating power is 90 MW, the pumping power is 80.2 MW, and the configuration reservoir U-1 is set. Pumped storage power station 2 install pumped storage unit PU-1. The maximum power generation is 60 MW, pumping power is 40.1 MW, and configuration reservoir U-2 is set. Among them, PU-1 and PU-2 are shown in Comparing Case 3 and Case 2, in Case 2, the G1 discharge period is 12 hours, the energy storage period is 9 hours, and the shutdown period is 3 hours; the G2 discharge period is 13 hours, and the energy storage period is 7 hours. The results show that considering a single pumped storage power station can meet the work requirements of discharge and energy storage. However, the shutdown state has an average of 3.5 hours of work period. In Case 3, the time period during which each unit is in the working and pumped storage state is significantly increased, which shows that considering water optimal dispatch 1, the impact of storage capacity constraints on pumped storage power plants is reduced. Moreover, it is mainly used to accommodate wind and solar energy. In this case, the pumped-storage unit is overused for pumped storage, and its power generation function is ignored, thus resulting in a waste of the unit’s functions.By comparing Cases 2, 3, and 4, in Case 4, G1 is in the energy storage period except for periods 19–23 when it is not working. G2 is in a discharge state in periods 19–23, and all other periods are in energy storage period. G3 discharge period is 12 hours, and the energy storage period is 12 hours. The results show that considering the joint dispatch of pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 and water optimal dispatch 2, only the average 1.6 hours of working time is in a shutdown state, which is 1.8 lower than that of case 2. Hence, the overall discharge/storage ratio of the pumped storage power station is significantly higher than that of Case 3. From what has been discussed above, the comprehensive index of this scheme has a strong balance.In this article, the scenario in which the wind energy and solar energy have not been accommodated by the pumped storage power station is wind and solar energy curtailment. The wind and solar energy curtailment for each period in Cases 1–4 is shown in Comparing Case 2 and Case 1, adding pumped storage power station 1 can effectively accommodate wind and solar energy. However, in the period except 1–2, 8–9, 11–14, 18–22, etc., the pumped storage power station does not effectively accommodate wind and solar energy. According to Figs Comparing Case 3 with Case 2, the wind and solar energy curtailment in Case 3 decreases significantly, thus indicating that increasing water optimal dispatch 1 can effectively reduce the impact of storage constraints and better accommodate wind and solar energy. However, as shown in Figs Comparing Case 4 and Case 3, the wind and solar energy curtailment in Case 4 is zero. It shows that considering the joint dispatch of pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 and water optimal dispatch 2 can further accommodate wind and solar energy. In addition, as shown in Figs After the above analysis, Case 4 has had a good impact on improving the economic dispatch of the integrated energy system.The cost of the objective function in Cases 1–4 is shown in Compared with case 1, the total cost of Case 2 is reduced by $104,079.98 mainly because the introduction of pumped storage power station 1 in Case 2 reduces wind and solar energy curtailment. Thus, the penalty cost of scenery abandonment and the cost of power generation equipment are reduced. Among them, the penalty cost of scenery abandonment decreases by $13,743.56, the power purchase cost of power grid decreases by $84,009.82, and the cost of gas turbine decreases by $6,927.06.Compared with Case 2, the total cost of Case 3 is reduced by $71,054.68 mainly because Case 3 considers water optimal dispatch 1. Therefore, pumped storage power station 1 is in the state of pumped storage for most of the time, which further reduces wind and solar energy curtailment. Among them, the penalty cost of scenery abandonment decreases by $17,105.03, the power purchase cost of power grid decreases by $60,490.42, and the cost of gas turbine increases by only $6,779.84.For Case 4, the joint dispatch between pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 and water optimal dispatch 2 is considered. While further reducing the penalty cost of scenery abandonment, it also stores the surplus wind and solar power during the low load period and converts it into the scarce power during the peak load period. Thus, the total cost of the objective function in this case is the lowest. Compared with Case 1, the total cost is reduced by $211,441.95. Among them, operating, maintenance, and environmental costs decreases by $210,943.53, $192.89, and $305.53$, respectively.To improve the economy of the integrated energy system and the capacity of accommodating wind and solar energy, this study takes into account the comprehensive flexible operation of pumped storage and establishes an IES optimal scheduling model and solves the model by improving the GWO. The conclusions obtained from the example analysis are as follows:Considering the system water scheduling can reduce the impact of storage constraints on pumped storage power stations.Considering the joint dispatch between pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 can make IES accommodate all the wind energy and solar energy.At the same time, considering the joint dispatch between pumped storage power stations 1 and 2 and system water scheduling is economical, as the total cost of the economic dispatch of the integrated energy system is reduced by about 31.50%.Considering the rich connotation of IES interconnection and interaction, the research of system planning can be further deepened from the aspects of multi-energy flow coupling and multi-system integration.S1 Appendix(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S2 Appendix(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S3 Appendix(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S1 Table(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S2 Table(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S3 Table(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.S4 Table(DOCX)Click here for additional data file.


The automobile covering parts mold is a key piece of equipment in the automobile industry, and its drawbead is the core element that affects the life of the mold and the quality of the parts made. Due to the complex structure of the mold cavity for covering parts, there exist differences between material flow characteristics, load conditions, stress strain, failure forms and so on in the surface of different parts of its drawbead and the different directions of the same part of the drawbead, thus putting forward new requirements for material strengthening. For the differentiated lose efficacy forms of the dangerous end faces of the tension bars, this study carried out research into the effect of laser quenching–shock peening strengthening (LQ-LSP) on the organization, plastic deformation resistance and wear resistance of Cr12MoV steel. It was shown that the microhardness (722.30 HV) and residual stress (−383.84 MPa) of the specimens were further enhanced after laser quenching–shock peening composite strengthening. The residual austenite content of the specimen was reduced to 0.8%, and the eutectic carbide distribution morphology was improved. After three rounds of laser composite peening, the specimens had the smallest displacement of the nanoindentation load–depth curve, which exhibited the greatest nanohardness (20.0 Pa) and modulus of elasticity (565.25 Pa), while reducing the coefficient of friction (0.61) and surface roughness (0.152 Ra). The smooth and flat surface of the specimen with shallow and narrow plow grooves improved the resistance of Cr12MoV steel to plastic deformation and wear. The automobile covering parts mold is a key piece of equipment in the automobile industry, and its drawbead is the core element that affects the life of the mold and the quality of the parts made. Due to the complex structure of the mold cavity of covering parts, there exist differences between material flow characteristics, load conditions, stress strain, failure forms, and so on at the surface of different parts of its drawbead and the different directions of the same part of the drawbead, thus putting forward new material strengthening needs. In addition, more than 50% of China’s high-end precision automotive molds rely on imports, and the stability, precision, and iteration speed of China’s molds are not excellent compared with the advanced level of foreign molds. In particular, the comprehensive performance of the covering parts mold drawbead and its strengthening process are seriously lagging behind, which has become a key bottleneck in the research and development of automobile cover mold manufacturing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the surface performance of the drawing tendons through surface strengthening technology and thereby improve the service life of automobile covering parts molds ,2,3,4,5.Laser quenching (LQ) is a surface heat treatment process commonly used in the tooling industry to improve surface hardness and wear resistance by inducing the generation of a laser-hardened layer . CompareCompared to traditional material modification techniques such as extrusion, shot peening and tumbling, laser shock peening (LSP) is a high-intensity (109 W magnitude) and short-pulse (tens of nanoseconds) process that induces large residual surface compressive stresses. The laser acts on the absorber layer through the confining layer, and an ion explosion occurs to generate pressure pulses that propagate to the surface and generate residual compressive stresses capable of obtaining a deeper reinforced impact layer (1 mm) [2. The 532 nm wavelength-reinforced specimens resisted corrosion better than 1064 nm wavelength-reinforced specimens.At present, there are few studies on the LSP of steel mold surfaces, and mostly they focus on improving the wear and fatigue resistance of aerospace materials such as titanium alloys and aluminum alloys ,12,13,14At present, with the continuous development of laser processing technology and the increasing requirements for material properties, the laser composite processing process has become a hot spot for current research . The effThis study is about the effect of LQ-LSP on the properties of Cr12MoV steel such as hardness, residual stress, and frictional wear. The test procedure is divided into strengthening test and testing test. The strengthening tests include LQ and LQ-LSP, while the testing tests include surface quality observation, micro-hardness testing, surface residual stress testing, micro-metallographic organization testing, SEM, XRD, and plastic deformation resistance and wear resistance testing.The experimental specimen is a Cr12MoV steel plate supplied by Taiyuan Iron and Steel Group with the dimensions of 25 mm × 15 mm × 6 mm. After the optimization of the preliminary LQ parameters, the surface of the prepared sample was laser quenched and strengthened using the FC-LD-532 laser processing drive control all-in-one machine with a selected power of 1200 w and a scanning speed of 4 mm/s. The surface of the quenched sample was laser shocked using the SIA-LP-21 laser shock wave equipment system, thus achieving LQ-LSP treatment of the sample surface, and the composite strengthening the area is shown in The laser shock energy was 10 J, spot size 3 mm, lap rate 50%, bound and absorbing layers of water and aluminum foil, respectively, 1–4 impacts; Measurement of residual stress values using a residual stress gauge type LXRD from PROTO Canada. For each test, 10 points were selected at different locations on the same plane of the specimen, and the average value was taken as the residual stress value for that surface. The treated Cr12MoV steel was tested for hardness using a Vickers micro hardness tester. The material was analyzed for physical phase using a Bruker D8 ADVANCE X-ray diffractometer. The morphology of the Cr12MoV steel was observed with a Hitachi regulus 8100 field emission scanning electron microscope. The surface micromorphology of the material was observed with an Olympus OLS4100 confocal microscope. Nanoindentation tests were performed on a NanoTest Vantage nanoindenter . The speIn order to investigate the effect of LQ-LSP on the microstructural changes to Cr12MoV steel in more depth, the microstructural changes of Cr12MoV steel under different numbers of laser shocks were therefore investigated. 3C, martensite, and residual austenite. LQ and radiation on the surface of the material rapidly heats up and then drops sharply causing the transformation of austenite into martensite. The LQ specimens contain substantially less austenite and more martensite compared to the UT specimens, but they still have more residual austenite present. LQ-LSP specimens were found to have a small reduction in residual austenite content compared to LQ specimens. It is demonstrated that LSP can further transform the residual austenite phase of the laser-hardened layer into martensite.As can be seen from As the required hardness of the surface of the drawing bar needs to be enhanced, the higher the martensite content the better. A comparison shows that LQ-LSP3 has the highest martensite content and the best hardness enhancement.As can be seen in As can be seen in According to statistics, molds account for 80% of the overall forms of failure due to wear and fatigue failure, of which die stretching bars are one type . TherefoAs shown in As can be seen in The indentation data are analyzed and integrated to obtain the nanohardness and the approximate modulus, which can be calculated using the material Poisson’s ratio (0.28 for Cr12MoV) in order to obtain the material’s modulus of elasticity. The roughness of the wear specimen surface reflects the degree of wear on the specimen. The smaller the roughness, the flatter the surface, and the fewer the spalling marks, the better the wear resistance will be. As can be seen from As shown in A study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr12MoV steel by LQ-LSP strengthening was carried out in order to investigate the differentiated forms of failure of the dangerous end faces of the tension bars. The main conclusions are as follows.(1)The microstructure of the material was observed by SEM and metallurgical microscopy, and the results showed that the LQ tissue was mainly martensite and residual austenite. Compared with the pearlite of UT specimens, the density and organization of martensite are small, and the hardness is high; the microstructure of the LQ-LSP3 group specimens has the smallest carbide particle size. The largest carbide particle size is only 10 μm, and the carbide distribution is the most dispersed, with the smallest carbide density per unit area. This indicates that LQ-LSP3 can effectively improve the surface properties of Cr12MoV.(2)3C. After the LQ treatment of Cr12MoV steel, the residual austenite content was reduced from 51.6 to 19.2%, with the lowest residual austenite content at 0.8% and a high martensite content of 96.1% in LQ-LSP3 specimens.The observation of the physical phase of Cr12MoV steel by X-ray diffractometer shows that LQ-LSP strengthening can effectively reduce the residual austenite content of the material and does not produce other phases, the main phase of which is Fe(3)A study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr12MoV steel by LQ-LSP strengthening was carried out in order to address the differentiated forms of failure of the dangerous end faces of the tension bars. The study showed that the specimens in the LQ-LSP3 group had the highest surface microhardness of 722.30 HV, an increase of 288.1% compared to the untreated specimens and an increase of 10.5% in microhardness compared to the LQ specimens. It also induced the largest residual pressure amplitude of −412.08 MPa, an increase of 690.5% compared to the untreated specimens and 59.0% compared to the LQ specimens in terms of residual compressive stress.(4)A study of the resistance to plastic deformation and wear resistance of LQ-LSP-strengthened Cr12MoV steel showed that the specimens strengthened by LQ-LSP had the smallest displacement of the nano-load–depth curve. This exhibits the greatest nanohardness (20.0 Pa) and modulus of elasticity (565.25 Pa), while reducing the friction coefficient (0.61), surface roughness (0.152 Ra), and wear rate (40


The motivation for this study was the need to extend and supplement the previously conducted research on technical objects in the renewable energy sector with analyses of the environmental impact of the production, operation and post-operational development stages of the wind power plant. The main purpose of the work was to investigate, analyze and assess the ecological effects of a real facility, which is a 2 MW Vestas V90/105 m wind farm, throughout its life cycle. The life cycle assessment analysis of the 2 MW wind power plant was performed using Impact 2002+ modeling. The results are presented for all impact levels and categories. The production stage was characterized by the highest total level of harmful effect. The use of recycling reduces the negative impacts of the life cycle by 6.5%. The investigated technical facility has the greatest negative impact during the production stage, especially in the area of depletion of fossil resources and human health. Global energy demand depends on many factors—the most important of them include the pace of the economic development of individual countries, population growth, the evolution of social structures, technical progress in the use of devices and the creation of new technical solutions ,2,3,4,5.2 reach the atmosphere every year, and the amount will increase. Other negative impacts of traditional energy generation include the resulting waste, such as dust, ash, sulfur and nitrogen oxides, as well as heavy metals. Each of the emitted compounds cause the deterioration of the condition of the environment to a greater or lesser extent, and the tangible effects of their adverse impact include the contamination of water and soil, acid rains and climate changes [The ever-growing demand for electricity forces an increase in its production. The main sources of energy in the world are fossil fuels: coal and lignite, crude oil and natural gas. Unfortunately, the extraction of conventional fuels and the extraction of the energy contained in them is associated with the deterioration of the quality of the natural environment caused by the emission of harmful substances. The biggest problem is the emission of carbon dioxide accompanying the burning of fossil fuels, which, according to many scientists, largely contributes to the deepening of the greenhouse effect and the warming of the climate. According to one source , approxi changes ,15,16,17Due to the environmental harmfulness and the forecasts of the depletion of natural resources of fossil fuels , alternThe use of renewable sources for energy production will undoubtedly contribute to the reduction of the emission of toxic compounds negatively affecting the ecosystem. The most important other positive aspects of obtaining energy from alternative sources are their renewable, unlimited resources, the flexibility of location and their ability to work in separate systems or, in limited circumstances, be connected to the power grid.Increasing the share of renewable energy sources (RES) in European or Polish conditions requires certain financial outlays and changes in the structure of the power system that would enable the transition from central energy production and its distribution over long distances towards distributed energy sources located near recipients. Wind farms fit into the implementation of this strategy ,25,26,27Generating energy in wind farms is considered ecologically clean due to the emission-free conversion of wind energy into electricity. The analyses conducted thus far of the impact of wind farms on the environment mainly concern their visible impact at the stage of use, which includes, inter alia, their influence on migrating birds, emission of vibrations, audible noise and infrasound, as well as their influence on the surrounding landscape. On the other hand, less attention is paid to the benefits, inputs and impacts of the life cycle of a wind power plant. Significant amounts of various materials, e.g., steel, plastics, concrete, are used for the production of wind turbine components, and large amounts of energy are also used. At the time of the liquidation of the working unit of a wind power plant, the materials used for its production should be disposed of after use, e.g., by landfill or recycling. The production and post-use management stages of the life cycle of a wind power plant are therefore not insignificant in the assessment of its total environmental impact. It is worth considering whether the benefits of wind farm operation in the use phase, in the form of the electricity generated and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, exceed the environmental and energy inputs in the remaining stages of its life cycle ,29,30,31Following the global trends, it was decided to investigate the intensively developing area of wind energy. Thanks to the analysis, assessment and study of the environmental potential in the life cycle of one selected type of wind farm, it will be possible to effectively assess the cycle of the production, use and management of its potentials.The rapid development of wind energy and other renewable energy sources requires, apart from the energy and economic aspects, an analysis of their impact on the environment. The concept of sustainable economic development requires taking into account the environmental aspects of the existence of the required technical facilities.The research part of the work presents the basic assumptions and indicators and the program. The detailed characteristics of the tested and assessed plastics, materials and elements, as well as information on the produced energy and environmental energy consumption, are also approximated. There are few studies in the world literature in which life cycle analyses of wind power plants were carried out using the Impact 2002+ method. Most of the research conducted focuses solely on the impact of the plants’ life cycle on the GWP , ignoring other negative impacts of the systems considered, which reduce the quality of the environment, pose a threat to human health and increase the depletion of raw materials, factors that also require detailed analysis, especially in the context of the sustainable development of energy systems. Unfortunately, analyses using the LCA methodology are still not very popular in Poland. In this study, an attempt to outline the local perspective on the issue of the impact of selected renewable energy sources on the environment was made. Hence, the decision was made to carry out a real case study.The main aim of the work is to develop and implement a methodology for researching the ecological expenditure of a wind power plant throughout its life cycle, starting from its production, through its use, to the management of its potentials, including mainly raw materials, plastics and other materials. The durability of wind farms is estimated at about 25 years . The folA life cycle assessment was carried out for an onshore, three-blade horizontal axis wind power plant with a capacity of 2 MW located in central Poland. Assessment of the life cycle of the plastics, materials and other components of renewable energy systems is possible thanks to the use of various models, including Life Cycle Assessment. Environmental LCA was chosen as the method of assessing the potential impact of the wind power plant on human health, ecosystem quality and resource depletion. In accordance with ISO 14040  and ISO 14044  standards, the LCA analysis performed in this work included four stages: determination of the goal and scope, life cycle inventory (LCI), life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) and interpretation ,39.The research began with the determination of the goal and scope. Based on the previous analysis of the current state of knowledge and technology, it was found that the literature lacks, in context, a detailed assessment of the life cycle of wind power plants ,40,41. TBased on the previous analysis of the state of knowledge and technology, it was acknowledged that the literature needs a detailed life cycle assessment of a wind power plants with particular attention to budget and to the benefits of their life cycle. It was also considerably important when articulating the goal and scope to accumulate as much and the best possible quality data on the objects of analysis as possible. This was possible thanks to cooperation with a company that produces materials and elements for wind power plants, which has a leading position on the European and domestic market. Due to the conclusion of a data confidentiality agreement with the company producing the RES system analyzed, this study does not disclose all detailed information on the structure of the analyzed subjects and their technological data ,43,44.The total weight of the elements and materials of the tested wind power plant is about two thousand tons. The foundations account for the largest share of the mass of the building—roughly 79% (of which roughly 96% is concrete and 4% is steel). Among the other most important elements of the power plant, one can distinguish the tower, contributing roughly 15% of the weight of the entire object (mostly made of steel), the nacelle, with a roughly 4% share  and the rotor, with a roughly 2% share   . 2/r, DALY and MJ. The cut-off level for all analyses was 0.05%.The results of the implementation of this stage for one life cycle of the Vestas V90/105 m wind farm, sorted by their impact categories, are presented in The results characterizing the environmental consequences occurring in the life cycle of the Vestas V90/105 m wind farm showed a particularly high level of negative impact during the production stage in the category of inorganic compounds causing respiratory diseases (7.33 DALY), processes related to the extraction of minerals  and non-renewable energy . Recycling would make it possible to minimize the harmful impact of the life cycle of the analyzed wind farm in most impact categories, including inorganic compounds causing respiratory diseases (−0.143 DALY), processes related to the extraction of minerals  and non-renewable energy  .−5 DALY), ethene (3.74 × 10−5 DALY), pentane (2.33 × 10−5 DALY) and butane (1.64 × 10−5 DALY) also play an important role in shaping the impacts of this category, as to xylene (1.45 × 10−5 DALY), fossil methane (1.12 × 10−5 DALY) and propane (1.03 × 10−5 DALY). In this case, recycling makes it possible to significantly reduce the harmful effects of non-methane volatile organic compounds (−6.42 × 10−4 DALY) and methane (−3.91 × 10−5 DALY). A particularly high level of negative impact during the production phase is evident (0.003 DALY). The use of recycling processes will make it possible to reduce the harmful impact of the life cycle of the tested wind farm by −0.001 DALY.The results of the studies characterizing the environmental consequences for inorganic compounds causing respiratory diseases in the life cycle of the Vestas V90 wind farm are summarized in The results characterizing the environmental consequences of the ionizing radiation occurring in the various stages of the life cycle of the Vestas V90 wind farm are presented in 4 PDF m2/y), the conversion of land into the area of mineral resource extraction (8.35 × 103 PDF m2/y), the use of class II-IV land (3.25 × 103 PDF m2/y), the use of III-IV class land (3.19 × 103 PDF m2/y) and its transformation into artificial water reservoirs (1.97 × 103 PDF m2/y). The highest level of harmful impact was recorded for the production process (3.34 × 104 PDF m2/y), while the levels are significantly lower for the use stage (3.96 × 103 PDF m2/y) and landfilling (2.92 × 103 PDF m2/y).6 MJ), fossil copper (8.31 × 104 MJ), and co-combustible bauxites (8.08 × 104 MJ)) and fossil chromium (4.95 × 104 MJ). The production stage of the plastics, materials and elements of a wind turbine is characterized by the highest negative impact on the environment (1.28 × 106 MJ). The choice of recycling as a method of post-consumer management will reduce the total harmful impact of the life cycle by −3.13 × 104 MJ. The results characterizing the environmental consequences for the processes related to the extraction of minerals occurring in each stage of the life cycle of the Vestas V90 wind farm are presented in 6 MJ) and natural gas, requiring 35 MJ/m3 of non-renewable energy (6.11 × 105 MJ). A significantly high level of destructive impact on the environment was recorded for the production stage of the wind turbine (2.47 × 106 MJ). Reducing the negative impact of the existence cycle is possible through the use of recycling processes (−3.74 × 105 MJ). 2eq) were the highest in the lifecycle of greenhouse gas management in the form of landfill storage. The share of the mobile above-ground part of the power plant (nacelle + rotor) was smaller than that of the fixed part (tower + foundations) in the total negative impact on the surroundings of the entire analyzed power plant and amounted to 22%. On the other hand, assuming that the post-use development of the research object will take the form of recycling, it can be noticed that the greatest amount of GHG is also found in the foundations . In this case, the share of the mobile part of the above-ground wind turbine is about 1/3 of the total harmful effect of the Vestas V90/105 m life cycle. The aim of the research in this study was to assess the impact of the life cycle of the Vestas V90 wind farm on the environment. The research was performed using the LCA method and the Impact 2002+ model by means of the SimaPro 7.1 software . To analyze the impact of the entire wind farm, various categories of impacts and the values of emissions of harmful compounds into the soil, water and atmosphere were taken into account. The cut-off level for all analyses was 0.05%. 2 emissions per kWh of generated energy. Chipindula et al. [LCA analysis in the field of wind energy initially focused on power plants with a capacity of less than one MW. Schleisner  concludea et al.  carried a et al.  examined6 MJ) and the mining of minerals (1.28 × 106 MJ). For the use phase, these were the key categories: non-renewable energy-related processes (2.09 × 105 MJ), inorganic compounds causing respiratory diseases (3.38 × 10−1 DALY) and carcinogens (1.06 × 10−1 DALY). However, in the case of post-use management in the form of landfill storage, the significant categories included carcinogenic compounds (1.55 DALY). The choice of recycling as a form of management makes it possible to reduce the negative impact of the life cycle of the plant, especially in the area of processes related to the acquisition of non-renewable energy (−3.74 × 10−5 MJ) and inorganic compounds causing diseases respiratory system (−1.43 × 10−1 DALY). The production stage was characterized by the highest total level of harmful effects. The use of recycling reduces the negative impacts of the life cycle by 6.5%. The technical facility has the greatest negative impact during the production stage, especially in the areas of the depletion of fossil resources and effects on human health. The highest level of harmful impact during the production of the Vestas V90/105 m wind farm was recorded in the categories of inorganic compounds causing respiratory diseases (7.33 DALY), processes related to non-renewable energy . −use of materials with the lowest possible negative impact on the environment for production,−using fewer resources during the production process,−reduction of the amount of pollution and by-products,−ensuring an adequate service life,−facilitating the re-use of materials, components and/or workgroups,−striving to reduce the impact of post-consumer development on the environment.The term eco-design is defined as “the integration of environmental aspects into product design and development with the aim of reducing adverse environmental impacts throughout the whole product’s life cycle”  . MateriaAs previously indicated, one of the main techniques used in eco-design is Life Cycle Assessment. The LCA studies carried out as part of this study enable the identification of both individual chemical compounds and substances, as well as materials, components, working units or entire stages of the life cycle of wind power plants, characterized by the greatest negative impact on the environment. This identification will make possible the introduction of changes in the subsequent cycles of newly designed wind power plants, in line with the key assumptions of eco-design and sustainable development.In the light of the analysis of our research results and conclusions, the research goal of the work, which consisted of determining the potentials of environmental influences in the life cycle of the tested working machine, its productivity, expenditures and the environmental impact of the research object, has been achieved.The main goal of the work was achieved by means of the development and implementation of a methodology for the research and evaluation of ecological expenditure in the life cycle of a wind power plant, starting from its generation, through its use, to the development of its potentials. The LCA method was used to determine the environmental inputs of the research object, and within its framework the Impact 2002+ procedure was used as a tool for determining the environmental inputs of greenhouse gas emissions. −development and implementation by manufacturers of wind turbines using technology that allows for the replacement of faster-wearing elements, e.g., nacelles and rotors or their parts after the first life cycle, while leaving slower-wearing elements, e.g., foundations and towers, for the second life cycle, as this will allow for the second life cycle to reduce environmental inputs;−use of pro-environmental construction materials;−designing structures that enable easy post-use separation of materials and elements;−minimization of energy consumption, material consumption and emission intensity of production processes, use and post-consumer disposal of materials, materials and elements of a wind power plant;−optimization at the stage of designing the consumption of the materials (mainly steel) used to build wind farms that have the highest environmental impact;−development of comprehensive, pro-environmental standards regarding the method of post-consumer management of plastics, materials and elements of a wind power plant.Among the possible actions to reduce selected inputs, our study suggests: Due to significant differences in its impact on the environment depending on the form used  and the distances that must be covered for different locations both in relation to Poland, Europe and the world, the wind turbine transport stage was not included in the study.In the future, it is planned to extend the conducted research to include other types of wind power plants (including offshore wind power plants) and to conduct LCA analyses of other renewable energy sources.


In the present study, tap water, alkaline electrolyzed water (AlEW) and tourmaline water (TMW) were used as the electrolytes to generated the silver-ionized water (SIW), AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW, respectively. The antioxidant properties of the samples containing ascorbic acid (AsA) were investigated by WST-kit method. The results showed that the SOD activity of AsA (2 mmol/L) dissolved in SIW (66.0%) was enhanced by about 8% compared to that of the tap water (57.9%). The SOD activity of the AlEW-SIW solution (77.3%), which was higher than that of the SIW solution, and lower than that of the AlEW solution (83.6%). The SOD activity of the TMW-SIW solution (83.0%) was similar to that of the TMW solution (82.5%). Furthermore, to classify the sample solutions, discriminant analyses were performed based on near infrared (NIR) spectral data, which was consistent with the results of the WST-kit method. The SOD activity of the AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW solutions decreased slowly with storage time, and their SOD activities were higher than that of AlEW, TMW and the tap water solutions at storage time of 14 days. In summary, AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW showed similar antioxidant activity enhancement as AlEW and TMW, and they also maintained the stability of the antioxidant activity of AsA during storage. Silver ions are used in a wide range of applications including the food industry, cosmetic processing and for medical treatment due to its antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties ,3,4,5,6.Hanaoka demonstrated that AlEW can enhance the superoxide dismutation (SOD) activity of antioxidants by electron spin resonance method . Wu et aNear infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is a spectroscopic analysis method based on the absorption of NIR radiation by molecules. It is widely used to determine characteristics of various food products such as honey, coffee, fresh fruits and vegetables due to the low cost, rapidity of analysis and simple sample preparation ,15,16. HIn our previous report, it was demonstrated that TMW with micro-electric energy has the same effect as AlEW in enhancing the SOD activity of antioxidants . Therefo3, CaCO3 and MgCO3, etc.) are added to the pure water to increase the EC of the electrolyte during the electrolysis of silver, or tap water is used directly. By subjecting voltage to the electrodes, the oxidation reaction occurs at the anode and the reduction reaction at the cathode; the principle is as follows:Positive pole (anode):2O → 4H+ + O2 + 4e−2H+ + e−Ag → AgNegative pole (cathode):2O + 2e− → 2OH− + H22Hn+ + ne− → MMwhere “Mn+” indicates the metal cation in the electrolyte and “M” means the metal atom recovered from the electrolyte on the cathode (negative pole).Silver cations were prepared using electrolysis method through an electrolysis device which was developed by the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Systems Science, Kagoshima University . In brief, two pure silver  electrodes with a spacing of 20 mm were placed in the electrolytic cell. The electrolyte is pumped into the electrolytic cell and the current and electrolyte flow rate are adjusted to obtain the corresponding concentration of silver-ionized water . Alkaline Electrolyzed water (AlEW) was generated by an electrolyzed water generator  at a current of 6, 8, 10 and 12 A, and a voltage of 10 V. Tourmaline water (TMW) was prepared with the tourmaline water generator . A total of 120 g of Brazilian tourmaline stones were kept in a water bath to 25, 50, 75 and 100 °C for 30 min and then cooled down to room temperature. Tourmaline stones were placed in the tube of the TMW generator and 10 L of tap water was circulated by pump at a flow rate of 3.4 L/min for 30 min. Silver ionized water (SIW) was generated by electrolysis as described in SOD activity was measured by the SOD Assay Kit-WST method . WST is a water-soluble tetrazolium salt. When superoxide radicals cause an oxidation reaction, WST-1 is reduced to WST-1 formazan and the color is changed to yellow; this reaction can be inhibited by SOD. Therefore, the activity of SOD can be calculated by colorimetric reaction. In order to study the antioxidant activity of each sample solution, AsA as a reducing agent with antioxidant properties was dissolved in the sample to prepare a sample solution with a concentration of 2 mmol/L. The details of the operation were performed according to our previous report .In the present study, three experiments were designed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of each sample solution. In the first experiment, the effect of silver ion concentration on the antioxidant properties of SIW was verified. Tap water was used as the electrolyte and the flow rate was set to 1.0 L/min. The current was adjusted to obtain SIW with silver ion concentrations of 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppb. Tap water was used as control groups.In the second experiment, the variation of antioxidant properties of SIW and AlEW mixed compound solution  and SIW produced by AlEW as an electrolyte  were evaluated. In brief, AlEW with an electrolytic current of 8 A  was compounded with silver-ionized water at concentrations of 200 ppb at ratios of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%, thus analyzing the effect of the volume fraction of AlEW on the SOD activity of silver-ionized water. Next, 200 ppb of silver-ionized water was compounded with equal volume fractions (1:1) of AlEW with different electrolytic currents  as well as a NaCl solution (as a control) with the same EC value as AlEW, SOD activity was measured; consequently, the effect of electrolytic strength of AlEW on the antioxidant activity of silver-ionized water was discussed. Then, 8A-AlEW instead of tap water was used as the electrolyte with a microcurrent of 2, 4, 6 and 8 mA to prepare AlEW-SIW and to analyze the changes of its antioxidant activity, and NaCl solution was used as a control group in this part of the experiment.In the third experiment, the SOD activity of SIW and TMW mixed compound solution  and SIW produced by TMW as an electrolyte  was analyzed. Briefly, SOD activity was measured after compounding 200 ppb of SIW and TMW at different tourmaline stone treatment temperatures  as well as tap water (as control) in a 1:1 volume fraction. In addition, tap water was replaced by TMW  to prepare TMW-SIW, and its antioxidant properties were analyzed, where tap water was used as a control group.According to the results of NIR spectra were measured according to the report . The NIRp < 0.05. The Unscrambler software  and “R” software (free software) were employed to complete the discriminant analysis.Each measurement was repeated multiple times. The data from independent repeated experiments were obtained, and the means and standard deviations were calculated. All data were analyzed using Duncan’s multiple range test . Statistical significance was set at a value of The effect of silver ion concentration on the antioxidant activity of SIW solution was investigated and the results are shown in In addition, the SOD activity of SIW without added AsA was 0.09% (data not shown in the figure), showing almost no antioxidant properties. Hanaoka et al. reported that AlEW has no antioxidant properties by itself. When antioxidant substances were dissolved in AlEW, their dissociation was promoted and thus the antioxidant activity was enhanced . It is sIn our previous study, AlEW and TMW solutions were shown to be effective in enhancing the antioxidant activity of AsA, which was increased by 22.4% and 37.0% in AlEW and TMW, respectively, compared to that of AsA dissolved in pure water . MoreoveThe SOD activity of SIW with silver ion concentration of 200 ppb and 8 A of AlEW compounded solution was greater than that of the SIW solution with 200 ppb (0%), indicating that the addition of AlEW enhanced the antioxidant activity of the Ag-AlEW compounded solution a. As thep < 0.05). Similar results were obtained when SIW was compounded with TMW with different tourmaline stone treatment temperatures  used to produce SIW was replaced by 8A-AlEW or 75 °C-TMW with the peak obtained in − to form AgCl precipitates [The SOD activity of the AlEW-SIW solution (77.3%) was significantly higher than that of the SIW-4mA solution (66.0%) and the NaCl solution (58.1%), however, with the increase in the electrolytic current, the SOD activity of AlEW-SIW solution remained basically constant and significantly lower than the 8A-AlEW solution of which the SOD activity was 83.6% a. Moreovipitates  resultinipitates ,23, and The SOD activity of the TMW-SIW solution b obtainep < 0.05).In AlEW and TMW solutions had similar trends of SOD activity. During the storage time from 0 h to 4 h, the SOD activity of the AlEW and TMW solutions remained basically stable, and from 4 h the SOD activity decreased rapidly. At the storage time from 3 d to14 d, the SOD activity of the TMW solution still showed a decreasing trend, and the rate of decrease was lower compared with that from 0 d to 3 d, while the SOD activity of the AlEW solution decreased but basically remained gentle. For the control group, the SOD activity decreased rapidly during the storage time from 0 d to 3 d, and remained basically stable at the storage time from 3 d to 14 d.p < 0.05).The SOD activity of AlEW-SIW solution stabilized from 0 h to 24 h and showed a decreasing tendency from 24 h until 5 d when it tended to level off again. At 0 h, the SOD activity of the AlEW-SIW solution was significantly lower than that of the AlEW solution, however, it was equal to that of the AlEW solution at 8 h and significantly higher than that of the AlEW solution from 48 h. For the TMW-SIW solution, the SOD activity increased slightly at the storage time from 0 h to 2 h, then decreased gradually at the storage time from 4 h to 5 d, and levelled off subsequently. At the storage time of 48 h, the SOD activity was lower than that at the 0 h. Furthermore, the SOD activity at 0 h was equal to that of the TMW solution; from the storage time of 2 h, its SOD activity surpassed that of the TMW solution, and during the following storage period, the SOD activity of the TMW-SIW solution was significantly higher than that of the TMW solution (AsA is an extremely oxidizable antioxidant that reacts with silver ions in solution to form dehydroascorbic acid (DHAsA). Generally in the organism, AsA and DHAsA can be interconverted by redox reactions and both of them possess bioactivities ,26. AsA In conclusion, compared with AlEW and TMW, AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW generated with them as electrolytes can then more effectively maintain AsA with a higher antioxidant activity and reduce the rate of decrease in their SOD activity.2 log (1/T) value at 900 nm to that at 996 nm were used.To classify the sample solutions with a different storage time, discriminant analyses were performed based on NIR spectral data. The NIR spectra of sample solutions are shown in Each sample solution was subjected to discriminant analyses and mapped onto a plane to confirm identity by the area, density and distance indicated by each sample cluster. The plots of the discriminant scores are shown in As shown in The plots of discriminant scores of the TMW-SIW, AlEW-SIW and tap water solutions stored for 4 d and 14 d, on the other hand, were entirely separated in the plane of LD1–LD2, as shown in From these results mentioned above, it was suggested that the NIR spectra of each sample solution containing AsA (2 mmol/L) reflected information on the SOD activities. In order to fully understand the relationship between the NIR spectra and the antioxidant activity of functional water containing AsA, further study is needed.The antioxidant activity of the SIW, Ag-AlEW or Ag-TMW compounded solutions and the AlEW-SIW or TMW-SIW solutions was investigated. The results showed that SIW enhanced the SOD activity of AsA. Compounding with AlEW or TMW contributed to the enhanced antioxidant activity of SIW solution, while the SOD activity of the compounded solution was significantly lower than that of the AlEW and TMW solutions. The results also showed that the antioxidant activity of the solutions of AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW generated by AlEW or TMW as electrolyte was significantly higher than that of the SIW solution. However, the SOD activity of the AlEW-SIW solution was significantly lower than that of the AlEW solution, while TMW-SIW had the same enhancement effect as TMW. The SOD activity of the AlEW, TMW and tap water (control) solutions decreased rapidly with storage time, while that of the AlEW-SIW-4mA and TMW-SIW-4mA solutions maintained as constant at the initial stage of storage time (0–24 h), although there was a slight decrease during storage, and it was significantly higher than that of the AlEW, TMW and control solutions at the final stage of storage time. Moreover, the differences in the sample solutions at each storage time can be classified by discriminant analyses of the NIR spectra, which are in agreement with the results of the WST-kit method. In conclusion, AlEW-SIW and TMW-SIW showed similar antioxidant activity enhancement as AlEW and TMW, and they also maintained the stability of the antioxidant activity of AsA during storage.


Through a series of characterizations and tests, it was found that the dispersion of two-component-lubricating additives in a polyurethane matrix is improved when the ratio of WS2 to SWNTs is roughly 2:1. In this case, the tribological performance of polyurethane matrix composites is more satisfactory than at other ratios. In addition, compared with the blank sample, the tribological performance of the synergistically modified polyurethane composites under dry friction is more significantly improved with the increase in contact load, while there is no significant improvement under water lubrication. Aside from contributing to the idea of exploring the synergistic effect of WS2 and other micro or nanofillers, this method also opens up the possibility of practically applying WS2 in the field of friction.To adapt to the complex application of polyurethane bearings, it is feasible to improve the tribological performance of single polyurethane-based friction materials through the synergistic effect produced by multi-component-lubricating fillers. In this context, rather than using tungsten disulfide (WS Since the middle of the 20th century, polyurethane elastomer has been widely applied in various industrial settings because of its effective molecular design, high mechanical strength and strong environmental robustness ,2,3. ForIn general, there are two research perspectives on how to modify polyurethane friction materials. One is to introduce specific functional groups or chain segments to improve their tribological performance through the excellent molecular design of polyurethane soft and hard segments . The oth2 is extensively used as a lubricant due to its excellent anti-wear and self-lubricating properties exhibited under various, extreme working conditions [2 is better than that of molybdenum disulfide, with the friction coefficient reaching as low as 0.03. As a kind of material with excellent electrical and mechanical properties and thermal conductivity, SWNTs can be regarded as the crimping of single-layer graphene. For specific varieties of polymer matrix materials, a small amount of single-walled carbon nanotubes can be used to significantly improve the comprehensive properties of composites compared to traditional micro and nanofillers [2 and SWNTs additives to prepare the polyurethane friction composites intended to work together in the context of polyurethane friction. Therefore, polyurethane composites are studied in this paper through the synergistic blending of WS2 and SWNTs, with polyether MDI polyurethane elastomer as matrix friction material [Among a variety of wear-resistant and drag-reducing fillers, WSnditions . The matofillers ,12,13. Amaterial , which i2/g  and WS2, with a size of 2 μm, mesh number of about 6500 and purity of 99.9% .The main chemical materials used in this study included polyether MDI polyurethane prepolymer (MDI-PUP) with isocyanate group (NCO) content 13.25–13.65 wt.%; polyether polyol (PA), chemical purity with relative molecular weight ; butanediol (BDO), analytical purity; SWNTs with an outside diameter of 1~2 nm and length of 5~30 μm, purity > 90 wt%, specific surface area > 380 mAs the key to the dispersion of two-component micro- or nano-lubricating fillers in polyurethane materials , dispers(1)Prepare materials by complying with the formula in (2)Subsequently, pre-mix the measured MDI-PUP and fillers at the temperature of 70 °C, place them into a shear mixer and regulate at the rotational speed of 5000 r/min for deep mixing. Label the mixture as material A . Moreove(3)0-0~WSS1-0) and place them in the ambient temperature for one week for further tests.Mix materials A and B. Then, place the mixture in a vacuum oven to remove the bubbles. Next, transfer the mixture to various molds and mature at 100 °C for 18 h. Finally, eject the samples  protective film [As shown in ive film , thus re2:SWNTs ranges from 1:2 to 5:1. This is because when the composite is in the dry friction state, the WS2 with a layered structure in the polyurethane composite shows excellent self-lubricating performance with the increase in contact load, while the lubricating effect is made increasingly evident with the increase in WS2 content. With the composite in the wet lubrication state, the addition of filler mitigates the water film lubrication effect, which can be explained by the increase in the contact angle of the polyurethane composite with the addition of WS2 and SWNTs, as shown in 2 and SWNTs are evenly distributed. Consequently, the friction coefficient shows a continuous, declining trend when WS2:SWNTs is about 2:1. As suggested by the information shown in the figure, the above self-lubricating effect is more significant when the contact load increases, which is consistent with the pattern exhibited by the friction coefficient of the composite in the context of dry friction.As shown in (1)2 improves the tribological performance of polyurethane composites under high load, whether in dry or wet conditions. Additionally, this effect is more significant with an increase in the proportion of WS2 in WS2 and SWNTs, which is attributed to the excellent anti-wear and self-lubricating properties of WS2 under high load.Compared to a low contact load, the addition of WS(2)2 and SWNTs, the higher the proportion of SWNTs, the more significant the improvement of the tensile strength for the composites. When the ratio of WS2 and SWNTs approaches 2:1, the distribution of composite additives in the polyurethane matrix is relatively satisfactory. Therefore, the tribological and tensile performance of polyurethane composites is generally acceptable.With the addition of WS(3)Due to the formation of a lubricating water film at the friction interface, the friction coefficient of the composites is reduced, which improves the hydrophilicity of the friction materials. This may also help improve the tribological performance.