The possibility of installing photoelectrical solar units inside domical structures with the maintenance of their power generation level was investigated; an optimal distance between a photoelectrical solar unit and the transparent walls of the respective domical structure was determined. The experiments were carried out at the North-Eastern Federal University in the central part of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) by determining reduction in the electrical energy efficiency of photoelectrical solar units when changing their location. An optimal distance for installing such units within transparent domical structures was found based on graphical interpretations and gradients. The authors obtained reference parameters for light flux reduction, the generation power of a photoelectrical solar unit when changing the operation medium, and the optimal distance of a photoelectrical solar unit inside a domical structure for reducing the surface contamination of the unit. It was found that, when photoelectrical solar units are operated within a transparent domical structure, the power generation falls by 25.61% as compared to actual results in open space. It was found that an increase in the distance between the transparent walls of the domical structure and the unit led to a decrease in the power generation by ~23.01% and the light flux power by 5.224% at 1.5 m. This method of installing photoelectrical solar units can be used in the construction and designing of smart home systems and autonomous power generation facilities in northern regions of Russia.

We develop a simplified model of a current transformer based on its current-voltage characteristic. This model is applicable for studying relay protection operation in transient conditions when no high accuracy or consideration of current transformer magnet core hysteresis is required. The model was developed in MATLAB Simulink using elements of the SimPowerSystems and Simscape libraries. The model uses the transformation ratio and current-voltage characteristic obtained during operational tests of a current transformer. Calculation experiments with non-linear resistance found that a currentvoltage characteristic of voltage and current values can be used to model a current transformer, rather than instantaneous values. The following conditions were simulated: for nominal currents in current transformer windings to check the transformation ratio; for opened secondary winding; with current transformer saturation by increasing secondary loading; increasing the primary current ratio and presence of aperiodic current at the start of the transition process. It was found that the developed current transformer model allows for a correct imitation of all the above conditions. To verify the model, secondary current oscillograms were obtained using real current transformers 10 kV at known primary current, which were compared with nominal oscillograms in the model. The discrepancy between the results of calculational and real experiments was no more than 10% in amplitude values, with high-quality matching obtained for current charts in the model and real current transformers. A significant advantage of the developed model is that its setting requires no information on magnet core cross-section, power line length, steel grade, and the number of current transformer winding turns.

We investigated the service life of storage batteries to provide recommendations on the design of energy storage systems used in islanded energy systems based on renewable power sources. The service life of maintenance-free, sealed lead-acid batteries produced by absorbed glass mat (AGM) technology was determined by endurance tests carried out by repeated charge/discharge cycles according to specified load profiles, implemented at a specialized Chroma Test System station. Three battery load profiles were simulated: one for the standard DC charge/discharge mode, and two for the charge/discharge modes from renewable energy sources. To this end, the actual data obtained from monitoring the operating modes of a wind power plant were used. It was found that the battery service life depends on the intensity of stress factors. Among them, the throughput factor has the most pronounced influence on the battery lifespan. To extend the service life of storage batteries, it is proposed to separate the charge/discharge modes in time. For batteries operated on renewable energy profiles, this approach decreases time intervals between full charges and at low battery levels, which increases the battery service life by 14%. A solution to designing an energy storage system for microgrids was proposed, which consists in the use of a combined double-circuit energy storage unit. An experimental prototype of such a unit with a power of 15 kW was developed. The use of a combined energy storage unit in the microgrid system: increases the battery service life by 20–30% compared to analogues; improves the static and dynamic stability of the local energy system with a response time of no more than 50 ms towards power change; allows a fuel replacement level of at least 25%; reduces the electricity cost by 25–30%.

The aim was to optimize the dependence between fuel consumption and heat loading of regional consumers varied due to climatic conditions, taking into account the determination of structural characteristics of heat exchanging equipment for grid water heating in a heat gas turbine. A heat gas turbine comprising two fuel combustion chambers, a waste-heat boiler and a contact heat exchanger to heat makeup grid water was investigated. Scheme and parametric optimization studies were carried out using a mathematic model of a gas turbine created using a software and hardware system developed at the Department of Heat Power Systems of the Melentiev Energy Systems Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Th turbine operating conditions differing in heat loads in four suggested operating regions were studied. It was found that an increase in fuel consumption in the second combustion chamber was 29%– 84% compared to that in the first combustion chamber. This rise was recorded when the turbine heat loading was increasing in the considered regions. Data analysis of the scheme and parametric optimization studies showed that, for operating conditions with a higher heat loading, it seems reasonable to ensure the maximum possible heating of makeup grid water as the loading rises. It is also recommended to slightly increase the heat surface area of the makeup grid water heater whose structural materials are less expensive than in a waste-heat boiler. It was shown that the suggested technical solution slightly increases specific capital investments while fully providing electrical and heat power to consumers. The obtained results can be used to select optimal technical solutions ensuring competitiveness in the operation of a heat gas turbine in regions with various climatic characteristics.

The aim was to study the effects of technological residual stresses on the bending stiffness of cylindrical parts of shafts and axes. Experiments were conducted for elongated cylindrical specimens made of steel grade 35 with a diameter of 30 mm using boring and turning methods. Specimens were annealed in a protective medium to remove initial residual stresses. Experiments were carried out using an Amsler laboratory hydraulic testing machine and VK8 grade hard-alloy matrices. The experiments showed that, for an extremely low degree of relative crimping of 0.1 to 0.5%, the size of the layer with tangential residual compression stresses gradually decreases. The stiffness of such cylindrical workpieces remains almost unchanged. An increase in relative crimping (from 0.5 to 1.2%) leads to a decrease in resi dual compression stresses on the part surface. The layer thickness with tangential residual compression stresses starts to increase. This leads to a decreased residual buckling and an increased bending stiffness. It was found that the degree of relative crimping has no effect on the variation of distribution depth of axial residual stresses. Optimal distribution of tangential residual compression stresses can be reached by increasing their depth. A linear relationship was found for relative crimping of 0.1 to 1.0%. The highest bending resistance was recorded for specimens strengthened by residual crimping of about 1.0%. By processing workpieces using enveloping deformation with crimping of 0.1% and loading them with a transverse force of 0.6 kN, bending distortion can be decreased and the strength of parts can be increased by 5 times. It was found that the bending stiffness of cylindrical shafts is greatly affected by residual compression stresses. The bedding depth of residual stresses has various effects on the stiffness of cylindrical parts. Thus, correct use of strengthening enveloping deformation can form a high-quality surface layer on parts with the pre-defined distribution of residual stresses.

This paper compares stresses arising in the tool material of combined end-milling cutters and their admissible values with the purpose of preventing cutter destruction. The limit stress values of tool materials for the developed endmilling hard-alloy combined cutters having an interfaced cutting part and tailpiece were investigated. The cutting part was made of a tool-grade hard alloy, and the tailpiece was made of structural steel. To determine stresses, simulation modelling was carried out in the ANSYS and Deform software. The cutting force components were found experimentally. It was assumed that lower cutting force components lead to lower stresses in the tool material. This results in a lower probability of tool material destruction. The process of cutting the hard-to-cut stainless steel 12Kh18N10T was considered at the following parameters: a cutting speed of 70 m/min, a cutting depth of 1 mm, and a feeding of 0.1 mm/tooth. The tool material VK8 with no coating and with various coatings promoting the reduction of cutting force components was studied. It was confirmed that a combined end-milling cutter 16 mm in diameter and 92 mm long can be used to cut parts with the same accuracy as using a solid end-milling hard-alloy cutter. An increase in the length of combined cutters decreases the cutting accuracy; however, for lengths 123 and 180 mm, these cutters can be used to manufacture parts applied in general machine building. Therefore, combined end-milling cutters can compete with solid cutters in terms of the manufacturing accuracy and resilience period, which limits the existing applicability of solid cutters. The cost of combined cutters is 10–60% lower than that of solid cutters.

The aim was to assess the technological feasibility of generating sodium cyanide by coal gasification, to study the effects of the process parameters (temperature, experiment duration, coal type) on the concentration of sodium cyanide in the resulting solutions, as well as to identify optimal modes of the process. Experiments were carried out on a laboratory setup consisting of a tubular cylindrical furnace equipped with a working compartment in the form of a corundum tube. Lignite and charcoal, preliminarily crushed to increase the specific surface area, were investigated. A solution of sodium cyanide was produced by sorption of gaseous hydrocyanic acid (a syngas component) with a sodium carbonate solution. A NaOH solution (pH = 10) installed in an ice bath was used in the system of absorbers. The content of sodium cyanide in the solution was determined by the titrimetric method. The HSC Chemistry 5.1 software package was used for thermodynamic calculations. During the gasification of charcoal in the temperature range 600–800oC, sodium cyanide solutions with a concentration of 0.03–0.08 wt% were obtained. An increase in temperature from 600 to 900oC led to a 4-fold decrease in the concentration of sodium cyanide in an alkaline solution, under the same duration of the experiments. A regression equation was derived for the dependence of the NaCN concentration in solution on the temperature of coal gasification and the duration of the process. It was shown that the generation of sodium cyanide by coal gasification under laboratory conditions yields sodium cyanide concentrations in solution comparable to those used for gold cyanidation at gold recovery plants. The installation of sodium cyanide generation lines directly at the production areas of gold recovery plants will reduce the production costs by eliminating expenses for purchasing, transporting and storing reagents.

This article investigates the effect of material size on the efficiency of flotation concentration of gold-copperarsenic ores of the Taror deposit (Republic of Tajikistan) and studies the dependence of gold recovery on the duration of the process with the purpose of developing an alternative technological scheme for processing this ore type. According to X-ray phase analysis, Taror ore samples consist of rock-forming minerals by 92%. Ore mineralization is represented by sulphide minerals, mainly arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrite, in the total amount of 8%. Ore-forming elements include iron, sulphur, arsenic and copper with the mass fraction of 6.02%, 3.26%, 1.52% and 0.82%, respectively. Gold and silver are contained in the ore in the amount of 7.35 g/t and 20.28 g/t, respectively. The oxidation state of the ore calculated by iron comprises 51.3%. According to this indicator, this ore type can be distinguished as mixed, close to the primary type. According to the conducted chemical phase analysis of gold, this ore type belongs to the category of refractory ores. Flotation concentration experiments showed that grinding the original ore to a size of 95%–71 microns increases the recovery of gold in the concentrate by 10%, compared to grinding to a particle size of 80%–71 microns. The effect of the flotation process duration on gold recovery was also studied. To achieve the maximum gold recovery in the flotation concentrate, the duration of the main flotation and control flotation should be taken equal to 14 and 12 minutes, respectively. As a result of the experiments, a relatively simple technological solution was proposed for flotation concentration of the Taror ore, which includes the main, control and cleaning stages of flotation.

We apply mathematical modelling to study heat transfer processes during fire refining of blister copper in a ladle-furnace unit. A ladle-furnace unit was designed to test the refining technology using bottom blowing in a bubble mode by gaseous reducing agents (hydrocarbons) and an oxidiser. Mathematical modelling allows the properties of a real process to be described based on mathematical formalisation of physical laws and regularities. It was proposed to use gaseous reducing agents, rather than expensive residual fuel, as a liquid-reducing agent. The use of gaseous reducing agents in the bottom blowing mode produces higher technical and economic indicators of the process. In addition, some technological operations were transferred directly to the ladle, thereby eliminating the need for re-melting and heating of refined copper. One of the identified problems was the need to maintain the predetermined thermal regime, which provides the very possibility of both performing refining operations and introducing a gaseous reagent (determining the hydro-gas-dynamic parameters) into the melt during bottom blowing. An original method for considering the thermal effects of chemical reactions in mathematical models was presented using an example of exothermic reactions during oxidative refining. The use of two different methods of analysis allowed a comprehensive assessment of the influence of the main exothermic reactions on the thermal regime of the refining process. The presented mathematical models can be used for determining the specific effect of various technological parameters (composition and fuel consumption, temperature and degree of blast enrichment, lining design, etc.) on the dynamics of changes in the temperature field of the melt and the technical and economic parameters of melting as a whole.

This paper investigates the corrosion process of steel St3 protected by latex coating 69Б-2к produced by Kapitel Ltd (Irkutsk). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of steel samples with a threefold latex coating was carried out by a PGSTAT302 + FRA2 potentiostat-galvanostat equipped with NOVA 1.8. Corrosion studies were carried out under thermostating (25 ± 0.2°C) of the working environment. The corrosion rate was determined by gravimetric tests with the recording of mass changes over a controlled period of time (up to 10 h). A 3% sodium chloride solution was used as the electrolyte. In most cases, the mechanism of the corrosion process can be reliably described by an equivalent electrochemical circuit with Warburg and Cotangent Hyperbolic elements, which simulates the reaction at the electrodeelectrolyte interface. According to the conducted visual, gravimetric and electrochemical studies of the St3 steel surface protected with the 69B-2k latex coating, the impedance remains almost unchanged for a prolonged period of time. It is obvious that the surface process is associated with the limiting stage of solvent diffusion through the protective layer. Thus, the electrochemically determined corrosion rate was low and amounted to ~ 0.164 mm/year (for reference samples – 0.75 mm / year). Our studies confirmed high protective qualities of latex 69B-2k. The corrosion properties of the coating under study are related to its composition, the components of which not only exhibit good adhesion, but are also active with respect to other interactions, including chemical interactions of the components with each other and with metal surface crystallites. The model calculation of the process, carried out using the developed equivalent electrochemical circuit, describes experimental curves in Nyquist coordinates almost comprehensively.