Comparative description of coal feeding systems for fixed bed pressure gasification

Coal feeding systems are discussed which are capable of feeding 20-100 T/H and the range of pressure is up to 100 bar. Most emphasis is placed on dry feeding systems. The systems outlined are subdivided into continuous and intermittent and the influence of each system on lock gas losses and reactor design is shown. Finally a cost estimate is presented which indicates the areas of preferred application and permits conclusions to be drawn regarding the economics of the various systems

Effect of floor type on footpad injuries in does: a pilot study

Onderzoek naar de geschikte ondergrond om voetproblemen bij konijnen te voorkomen. Uit dit onderzoek lijkt het er op dat plastic matten een positieve invloed hebben op het voorkomen van voetproblemen. Meer onderzoek is echter noodzakelijk om hierover meer zekerheid te krijge

Hazard identification and characterization of welfare aspects during transport of farm animals

Within the EU, free movement of animals from one Member State to another and more uniformity among production animals and production systems has resulted in more long distance transport from farm to farm or from farm to slaughterhouse. Since there is a lot of discussion about transport of farm animals within Europe a workshop on transport of farm animals was organized. The objective of the workshop was to identify research priorities and obtaining commitment with regard to livestock transport through dialogue and debate on issues of welfare, legislation and economic aspects. The second objective of the workshop was to try to set research priorities and to obtain consensus among stakeholders about potential risks and “blank spots” in the transport of livestock, in particular with regard to animals welfare aspect

Space allowance of young goats during transportation to slaughter = Beladingsdichtheid tijdens het wegtransport van jonge geiten

Research was performed during long distance road transportations of young goats (6-8 weeks). Effects of three space allowances on physiological responses (blood parameters, heart rate and body temperature) were measured

Welfare assessment of gas-filled foam as an agent for killing poultry

During outbreaks of notifiable diseases in poultry measures are taken to restrict the spread of the disease. Mass on-farm killing of birds using gasfilled foam is such a measure. This study examines the method and technologies involved using gas-filled foam and looks at the problems involved by scaling up the procedure. Methods and results are discussed in relation to poultry physiology and behaviour monitored during controlled studies. Recommendations are made for system design and an operational protocol is provided for practical on-farm implementation

Live-traps vs. Rodenticides on Organic Farms: which method works best?

Rodent control is important from a food safety perspective, especially on organic farms. However, extermination using cats and poison have their disadvantages. Therefore we were searching for a better method of rodent control on organic farms. Live-traps might be an alternative: it fits better in the organic philosophy. But does it work? In this study we compared application of poison with use of live-traps by determining their efficacies on 20 organic pig farms. We found no difference between treatments, thus live-traps can form an alternative for poison

C3PO: A Network and Application Framework for Spontaneous and Ephemeral Social Networks

International audienceThe C3PO project promotes the development of new kind of social networks called Spontaneous and Ephemeral Social Networks (SESNs) dedicated to happenings such as cultural or sport events. SESNs rely on both opportunistic networks formed dynamically by the mobile devices of event attendees, and on an event-based communication model. Therefore, user can exchange digital contents with the other members of their SESNs, even without Internet access. This paper presents the framework developed in the C3PO project to provide network and application supports in such challenged networks. This framework exploits the different wireless interfaces of the mobile devices to interconnect them and to disseminate content through the resulting opportunistic network. At the application layer, this framework is composed of plugins that process locally the data stream to offer generic features, or to easily build applications dedicated to specific happenings

Characterization of the Autoignition of Single Droplets of Fischer-Tropsch Fuels and Development of Surrogates

The autoignition behavior of single droplets of synthetic fuels produced by the Fischer-Tropsch process, such as GTL-Diesel and GTL-Kerosene, is the main focus of this study. For this, experiments are carried out under microgravity and normal gravity conditions with single droplets with an initial diameter of 0,7 mm in a high-temperature high-pressure chamber. Ignition delay times are determined for ambient pressures between 0,1 MPa < p < 1 MPa and ambient temperatures between 550 K < T < 950 K with the aid of a Michelson interferometer setup. The experimental data is fitted with two-term Arrhenius-type functions that represent the two main reaction mechanisms, the cool and hot flame. Furthermore the development of suitable surrogate fuels for these fuels is performed and the selection and formulation procedure for the components is shown. Surrogate fuels enable numerical calculations with detailed chemical reaction kinetics. The obtained data on the characterization of the aforementioned fuels is compared with data of related fuels, such as their mineral variants and other surrogates

Ontwikkeling van methoden voor het monitoren van voetzoollaesies bij vleeskuikens = Development of methods to monitor foot pad lesions in broiler chickens

This report describes different methods for classification and monitoring foot pad dermatitis in broiler chickens, including an automatic system using video imaging