The preliminary operational and functional research on a set of photovoltaic panels with power of 12.88 kW operating since June 2012 was conducted. The economic and energetic analysis of the research stand and its practical suitability for a small family farm in order to use the generated electric power for the farm’s current demands. The research results have shown that the amount of electric power generated by photovoltaic panels would be enough to cooperate with other renewable energy sources (e.g. power supply of heat pumps) collecting and processing heat from livestock buildings or from ground heat exchangers to make warm tap water and to heat up buildings. In a period from June 2012 to June 2013 there was generated electric power of 10480 kWh with an average power of 813.7 kWp/year (kilowatt peak per year) of one module of the panel. The panel was inclined at an angle of 20° to the Earth’s axis and at an angle of 210° to the north (as per the compass rose: S-S-W direction).
Small northern mammals undergo regular developmental and seasonal moults. However, the moulting patterns of many small mammals are not well known. Development and subsequent moulting of the pelage was documented in adult red-backed volesClethrionomys gapperi Vigors, 1830 and their offspring in relation to age, weight, and sex. Red-backed voles exhibited 4 developmental pelages (nestling, juveniles, subadult, and adult) through diffuse, rapid hair growth. Rapid growth was associated with early moulting at the nestling, juveniles and adult stages. However, a trade-off between moulting and growth existed at the subadult stage such that delayed moulting was associated with rapid growth. Adult voles completed a unique moult progression with highly variable timing. Male and femaleC. gapperi showed no differences in pattern or locations of moulting. Variation in the number and timing of moults in small mammals may reflect differences in life-history strategies and highlights the need for a consistent mammalian pelages and moults nomenclature.
The analytical method of power calculation of crank-type press working stroke is developed instead of graph analytical method. This analytical method allows substantially reducing working hours of calculation and promoting exactness of the results. Bending and coining are offered to execute separately. That will allow to make this processes more economically and to reduce depreciate charge.
The problem of evaluating and defining physical endurance of athletes has been the subject of a great body of research and scientific discussion. In team sports, especially football, the energy protection of working muscles in players requires the use of almost all metabolic pathways: aerobic, anaerobic and aerobic-anaerobic. Because of the varying pace of action, the share of energy conversions in muscle cells changes rapidly during a match. Another concern voiced by scientists and football coaches is the question of whether fitness training should always be performed with football balls. The aim of this paper was to present the necessity of monitoring the development of aerobic fitness in football players, and also to answer the question of whether motoric training in football may be performed with balls.
The realized research was aimed at determining the water content, size and fractions of wood chippings obtained using different technologies. Average absolute water content of the tested wood chippings was between 43-90% and may serve as a basis for financial settlements between the suppliers and the power companies. The obtained fraction distribution results enable conclusion that regardless of the material type the largest fraction is the one with particles of 6-32 mm. The best quality of wood chippings are obtained from round wood and they meet the requirements of the PN-91/D-95009 norm for fuel wood chips. The chippings produced in woodland areas from forest cutting refuse do not meet the above-mentioned requirements and contain about 30% of contaminants and trees remaining in the forest cutting area after clearing with thin branches with needles. In order to achieve better composition, wood chip-pings from forest clearing waste should be mixed in appropriate proportion with wood chippings from cutting round wood.
The actions that can mitigate the adverse effects of various energy crises are continuous improvements in the efficiency of power generation plants. This can be achieved by carrying out the processes at an always higher temperature and pressure, and in a more aggressive environment than the parameters used so far. Such requirements cannot be satisfied any longer by the iron-based alloys, even the best ones. Therefore, multi-component alloys based on nickel and cobalt start to be the materials of choice. On the other hand, new materials of higher performance life are searched for all the time. Jointly with its American partners, the Foundry Research Institute in Krakow carries out the research works which, among others, aim at the conversion of both material and techno-logy from structures forged and welded in nickel superalloys to cast elements for operation under the most demanding conditions of the power plants of a new generation. A part of the research is done under an “A-USC - NICKEL” American programme, to participation in which the Foundry Research Institute has been invited. Within this programme, the initial studies have already been carried out to master the technique of melting and casting the Inconel 740 alloy and preliminary material testing has been performed on the ready castings. It has been stated, among others, that with the temperature increase, particularly above 700°C, this alloy when used as a cast material is characterised by a definitely less drastic decrease of tensile strength than the same alloy subject to plastic forming.
Investigations of the heat acquisition from vertical ground heat exchangers were performed. From April to September 9.242 GJ of heat from ground boreholes have been obtained and the heat pump processing achieved 23.107 GJ of total heat used in the heating system. Coefficient of performance (COP) was 2.504 in spring and 1.981 in summer and compared to the heating period (winter) was 26.4 per cent lower with a COP of 3.05. The reason for reduction of the COP was probably high air temperatures in spring and summer (as confirmed by the correlation coefficient r = -0.178 in spring and r = -0.559 in summer).