Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Joint Fall 2011 Meeting of the APS New England Section and the New England Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (NES/AAPT)
Volume 56, Number 17
Friday–Saturday, November 18–19, 2011; Amherst, Massachusetts
Session F2: Energy, Climate, Nuclear Medicine |
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Chair: Jonathan Machta, UMass Amherst Room: Campus Center 163 C |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:00AM - 8:12AM |
F2.00001: Reducing Energy Consumption and CO2 One Street Lamp at a Time Peter Somssich Why wait for federal action on incentives to reduce energy use and address Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reductions (e.g. CO2), when we can take personal actions right now in our private lives and in our communities? One such initiative by private citizens working with Portsmouth NH officials resulted in the installation of energy reducing lighting products on Court St. and the benefits to taxpayers are still coming after over 4 years of operation. This citizen initiative to save money and reduce CO2 emissions, while only one small effort, could easily be duplicated in many towns and cities. Replacing old lamps in just one street fixture with a more energy efficient (Non-LED) lamp has resulted after 4 years of operation ($\sim $15,000 hr. life of product) in real electrical energy savings of $>$ {\$}43. and CO2 emission reduction of $>$ 465 lbs. The return on investment (ROI) was less than 2 years. This is much better than any financial investment available today and far safer. Our street only had 30 such lamps installed; however, the rest of Portsmouth (population 22,000) has at least another 150 street lamp fixtures that are candidates for such an upgrade. The talk will also address other energy reduction measures that green the planet and also put more green in the pockets of citizens and municipalities. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:12AM - 8:24AM |
F2.00002: Biochar As a Renewable Energy Source Richard Stein Biochar is a form of charcoal prepared by heating biomass in limited air. It is porous and has high surface area, maintaining much of the morphology of the biomass. The heat for its preparation arises primarily from burning volatiles emitted upon heating. About half the chemical energy in the biomass is contained in the biochar, about 40\% is used for the conversion, and about 10\% may be used as a local heat source. The biochar can serve as a soil additive where it acts as a template for the growth of bacteria and fungi which then lead to improved growth of biomass by as much as several hundred percent. It remains inert in the soil for many years. Thus, it sequesters the carbon, originally coming from the carbon dioxide absorbed during the photosynthesis occurring during the growth of the biomass. Its use reduces fertilizer and water needs and to pollution arising from the run-off of fertilizer and emission of noxious vapors. Its use is best done at a local level, close to sources of biomass from farm and forest waste. The Pioneer Valley Biochar Initiative along with the Center of Agriculture of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is promoting the use of biochar on local farms which reduces their dependence on energy arising from fossil fuel and nuclear sources. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:24AM - 8:36AM |
F2.00003: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:36AM - 8:48AM |
F2.00004: Is Earth's sea level currently rising? If so are humans responsible? Peter Glanz This paper presents the experimental evidence concerning sea level change. A historical perspective is also offered. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, November 19, 2011 8:48AM - 9:00AM |
F2.00005: A Network Model and Computational Approach for the Mo-99 Supply Chain for Nuclear Medicine Ladimer Nagurney, Anna Nagurney Technetium-99m, produced from the decay of Molybdenum-99, is the most commonly used radioisotope for medical imaging, specifically in cardiac and cancer diagnostics. The MO-99 is produced in a small number of reactors and is processed and distributed worldwide. We have developed a tractable network model and computational approach for the design and redesign of the MO-99 supply chains. This topic is of special relevance to medical physics given the product's widespread use and the aging of the nuclear reactors where it is produced. This generalized network model, for which we derived formulae for the arc and path multipliers that capture the underlying physics of radioisotope decay, includes total operational cost minimization, and the minimization of cost associated with nuclear waste disposal, coupled with capacity investment (or disinvestment) costs. Its solution yields the optimal link capacities as well as the optimal MO-99 flows so that demand at the medical facilities is satisfied. We illustrate the framework with a Western Hemisphere case study. The framework provides the foundation for further empirical research and the basis for the modeling and analysis of supply chain networks for other very time-sensitive medical products. [Preview Abstract] |
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