Interfacing the aluminium-air battery with telecommunications equipment
The tests carried out by British Telecom (BT) on the aluminum-air battery with regard to using the battery in a standby power system are described. The background to BT's interest in the aluminium-air battery is outlined along with the design considerations of a prototype power system to be installed in the switching network. The need for an interfacing DC/DC converter between the battery and the equipment is described, and the converter's novel features and operation are explained.<<ETX>>
A total battery monitoring program for the telecommunications industry
Considerable information has been provided on valve-regulated Pb-acid (VRLA) batteries concerning battery and ambient temperatures, float voltage for cells and strings, float current, and battery capacity. Often these characteristics have been considered separately or in incomplete sets. Telecommunications personnel using the Pb-acid battery in the field do not have a comprehensive, single source for reference. A source is needed that provides guidelines for selecting the various points of operation with a brief explanation for each. This paper meets this need by describing a program for total battery monitoring, management, record keeping, and maintenance. Monitored characteristics and selected ranges are justified by reference to published information. This program utilizes existing information to provide optimal battery life, battery capacity, remaining operating time both at present load and at maximum load, energy efficiency, and warranty records with less personnel. This program also locates deficient cells or blocks and provides records to indicate conditions that lead to the failure and to provide support of a warrantee claim. A reduction in personnel is possible, since sites only require attention when a problem is indicated and the proper equipment to correct the problem can be obtained before the site visit.<<ETX>>
Parboiled rice effluent: A wastewater niche for microalgae and cyanobacteria with growth coupled to comprehensive remediation and phosphorus biofertilization
Abstract The potential of microalgae and cyanobacteria for bioremediation of wastewater by nutrient uptake combined with simultaneous biomass production is a well recognized perception of today's world. The present study illustrates the treatment of a highly polluted wastewater generated during parboiling of paddy in rice mill industries, widely operational in developing countries where rice is the staple food crop, with the help of microalgal and cyanobacterial isolates capable of growing at high rates in parboiled rice mill effluent (RME). This endeavor leads to comprehensive bioremediation of the said effluent and subsequent use of the harvested biomass as slow release phosphorus biofertilizers and the treated effluent for crop irrigation. The RME-acclimatized algal consortium demonstrated highest growth in terms of fresh weight and greatest remediation efficiency at the end of 36 days' treatment of RME, with 93.9% phosphorus and 100% ammonia-nitrogen removal, 98.7%, 91.6% and 93.5% reduction in biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and total dissolved solid, respectively, and an increment of 186 ± 0.3 mg L − 1 dissolved oxygen, bringing down the pollutants level well below the discharge limits suggested by Central Pollution Control Board, India. Additionally, microalgae in the consortium aggregated in clumps spontaneously in presence of the filaments of Phormidium sp. facilitating easy harvest. The RME-acclimatized algal consortium demonstrated highest accumulation of polyphosphate (poly-P) (0.76 ± 0.01% of dry weight) as well as highest release of phosphorus in non-sterile soil emphasizing the essential role of soil phosphorus solubilizing organisms to leach soluble phosphorus from the insoluble poly-P present in the biomass. The rice seedlings watered with treated RME also showed improved growth effect on shoot height and leaf width. The study results establish the suitability of RME as an excellent growth media for microalgae and cyanobacteria.