Failure Analysis of Two HP-Nb Heat-Resistant Tubes after 46,000 h Exposure to Reformer Service Conditions

This study presents a failure analysis in two reformer tubes used for hydrogen production in a petrochemical industry. These tubes (Tube A and Tube B) were made by the centrifugal casting of HP-Nb alloy in such a way that one contained titanium as a micro-element, and the other was free from titanium in its chemical composition. Although the two...

Multi-objective Optimisation Framework for Assessment of Trade-Offs between Benefits and Co-benefits of Nature-based Solutions

Urbanization and climate change are producing an escalation in the prevalence of urban problems, particularly those connected to flooding, prompting authorities and stakeholders to recognize the need for sustainable solutions. Nature-Based Solutions are progressively replacing traditional engineering solutions as an alternative since they are...

Application of the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions to river restoration projects

Implemented in river landscapes, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have the potential to reduce flood risk, while also playing an important role in restoring many of the ecosystem services that are lost as result of human interventions and global warming. A barrier to succesfull implementation of NbS is the lack of a global and common framework with...

Editorial: Coastal protection provided by ecosystems: Observations and modeling across scales

A Framework for Evaluating Performance of Large-Scale Nature-Based Solutions to Reduce Hydro-Meteorological Risks and Enhance Co-benefits

Over recent decades, hydro-meteorological disasters appear to be becoming more intense and frequent. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) have been introduced to address hydro-meteorological risks as they offer the possibility of working closely with nature. This provides solutions to adapt to future changes in climate and society, as well as to...

Temporal Assessment of Hybrid Flood Defenses: A Dynamic Bayesian Network

Implementation of nature-based solutions (NBS) in flood defenses is hindered by a lack of probabilistic tools and design guidelines that can be used to assess spatial and temporal variability in these biophysical systems. It is well established that nature-based elements, such as vegetation, attenuate waves, capture sediment, strengthen the...

NB­IoT: an Operator Perspective: Analysis of Current Usage and Potential Capacity

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been an enormous trend in the past few years and is expected to dominate business strategies the coming decade. IoT allows for the automation of processes, which increases productivity and reduces needed manhours. Interconnectivity between devices allows for exponential value creation due to Metcalfe’s law, as...

Effect of Nb on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Hot-Rolled Quenching and Partitioning Steels Containing Bainite

Herein, the effect of Nb content on the phase transformation kinetics, microstructure, and mechanical properties of hot-rolled quenching and partitioning (Q&P) steel is investigated. The characteristics of three C–Mn–Si–Ti steels (0.18C, 2.0Si, 2.6Mn, and 0.015Ti) containing 0, 0.027, or 0.061 wt% Nb are compared. Results reveal that...

An overview of monitoring methods for assessing the performance of nature-based solutions against natural hazards

To bring to fruition the capability of nature-based solutions (NBS) in mitigating hydro-meteorological risks (HMRs) and facilitate their widespread uptake require a consolidated knowledge-base related to their monitoring methods, efficiency, functioning and the ecosystem services they provide. We attempt to fill this knowledge gap by...

Nature-based solutions efficiency evaluation against natural hazards: Modelling methods, advantages and limitations

Nature-based solutions (NBS) for hydro-meteorological risks (HMRs) reduction and management are becoming increasingly popular, but challenges such as the lack of well-recognised standard methodologies to evaluate their performance and upscale their implementation remain. We systematically evaluate the current state-of-the art on the models...

LPWAN Performance Enhancement for IoT in the Smart Grid

With the proliferation of IoT devices across the globe, the adoption of IoT related technologies has been increasing rapidly. Newer technologies which fall in the category of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) have increased this adoption even further. A lot of research is being done in LPWAN licensed band as well as unlicensed band...

Optimisation of NB-IoT deployment for smart energy distribution networks

A suitability assessment and performance optimisation is presented of narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) cellular technology for use in smart energy distribution networks. The focus is on the reliable and timely delivery of outage restoration and management (ORM) messages at the event of a local or regional power outage. Both the cellular...

Extending the lifetime of NB-IoT devices through Energy-Harvesting techniques

For the Internet of Things (IoT) applications that send a few bytes of sensor information infrequently, several long-range IoT technologies have been conceived. Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is one of them that stands out due to its extended coverage, high penetrability, and high reliability features. Envisaged<br/>long device lifetime and the...

Assessment of the Suitability of NB-IoT Technology for ORM in Smart Grids

In this paper, we assess the suitability of NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) cellular technology for smart grid applications, concentrating on the reliable and timely delivery of Outage Restoration Management (ORM) messages at the event of a local or regional power outage. Using system-level simulations modelling of both the cellular NB...

Evaluating the suitability of Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT) for smart grids

Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), recently introduced by 3GPP, is a relevant Radio Access Technology (RAT) solution for deployment within smart grids, the electricity grids of the future, due to the need to provide low-cost connectivity to a large number of smart meters installed in households. Outage Restoration and Management (ORM), a...

Characterization of NbC and (Nb, Ti)N nanoprecipitates in TRIP assisted multiphase steels

Multiphase steels utilising composite strengthening may be further strengthened via grain refinement or precipitation by the addition of microalloying elements. In this study a Nb microalloyed steel comprising martensite, bainite and retained austenite has been studied. By means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we have investigated the...