This work experimentally and theoretically analyzes the dynamics of the process of ion emission from a capillary emitter filled with an ionic liquid as a working fluid. Such emitters can be used in the energy system of low-mass satellites as a source of jet propulsion. The dependence of the thrust of a micromotor on the electrical power supplied to it was experimentally studied, which made it possible to determine the most efficient operating modes of the microthruster. This is of interest from the point of view of increasing the energy efficiency of the latter in conditions of limited power availability of low-mass satellites. It was found that the characteristic “electric field voltage – emitter thrust” is non-monotonic with a pronounced maximum, which imposes restrictions on the magnitude of the electric field in the emitter. To explain the limit of emission intensity, a diffusion-convective model of ion movement inside the capillary was constructed. The main idea of the proposed model is the assumption that the intensity of ion emission is determined by their concentration at the outlet of the capillary, and the velocity of the emitted ions is higher than the velocity of flow of the ionic liquid in the capillary as a continuous medium. Moreover, the acceleration of ions at the outlet of the emitter increases nonlinearly with increasing external forces. The decrease in the concentration of ions as they are emitted must be compensated by their diffusion inside the capillary and convective flows, the velocity of which is limited. The constructed system of equations is analyzed numerically. For the system of Navier – Stokes equations, the projection method proposed by Chorin is applied. Based on the known velocity field, density, and concentration distribution, a time step is taken for the equations of motion. Then, taking into account the found velocity, a time step is taken for the convective diffusion equations and the density field is recalculated. The created code made it possible to confirm the possibility of the existence of a maximum mass flow rate of ions, i.e., micromotor thrust, which is in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. The main factor on which the magnitude of the maximum and its position depend is the degree of nonlinearity of the coefficient responsible for the acceleration of ions at the outlet of the capillary.

Due to the development of electric transport and the growth of “green” energy, electric energy storage systems (ESS) are increasingly being used in the world. The growth of the battery market in the last decade has been 20-30%. One of the ways to increase the efficiency of an electric power storage device is its hybridization, i.e. the use of heterogeneous battery units. The paper examines the features of passive coupling of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries in a hybrid storage device. A model is presented for calculating the electrical characteristics of these units during operation. The possibility of choosing a hybrid drive structure that provides a comparable operating voltage range of the units (operation without voltage converters) is demonstrated. The modes of operation of a hybrid energy storage system are modeled both for simple parallel connection and for switching blocks according to a threshold algorithm. It is demonstrated that in order to equalize the discharge rate of the main and additional units, it is necessary to coordinate the capacity of the ESS, the degree of hybridization, the type of load and the electrical parameters of the batteries, which is impossible without modeling the system. When the threshold switching of the blocks takes place, additional control parameters, making it possible to change the discharge rate of the additional block and increase the economic efficiency of the hybrid ESS. Estimates of the economic efficiency of hybrid ESSs have been made for different values of the threshold switching voltage of the lithium-ion unit, as well as for three characteristic loads: an electric forklift truck, a 30-apartment apartment building and a 300-apartment residential complex. The results demonstrate the features and technical and economic potential of passive hybridization, can be used for the design of hybrid ESSs for small power systems with solar and wind power plants, in the calculation and design of generator – storage – consumer systems.

To organize reliable control over emissions from chimneys of energy facilities, automatic monitoring systems are needed. Equipment is known for monitoring emissions from small-diameter chimneys, but for large-diameter pipes (15 m or more) available in our Republic, there are no corresponding technical solutions.  The paper examines the problem of automating the sampling of flue gases based on an electric drive in large-diameter chimneys. To ensure the optimal trajectory of the sampler in the chimney section, it is necessary to use an asynchronous electric motor with a frequency converter and a position sensor. A functional diagram of the control system is proposed, which contains a programmable logic controller for generating the motion mode, as well as a method for calculating parameters and expressions for generating a task signal for continuous sampling mode. Since the range of speed control increases as the diameter of the chimney increases, depending on it, scalar or vector frequency control can be applied. An expression is proposed for calculating the optimal value of the parameter N of an incremental position and speed sensor (encoder), which contributes to a reasonable choice of sensor. The results of simulation modeling are presented, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed method for calculating the parameters of the sampler drive.

The paper presents the results of a study to determine the rational structure of mini-CHP (Cogeneration Heat and Power Plant) using local fuels types (LFT) for operation as part of the United Energy System (UES) of Belarus with a surplus of electricity generating capacity and dominance of imported types of energy resources (natural gas and nuclear fuel) in the fuel balance. When optimizing the operating modes of mini-CHPs using LFT and operating in parallel with the UES, which has a significant surplus of electricity generating capacity, it is necessary to separate options for existing stations and options for newly built ones. In the first case, due to the fact that  the power of the equipment is known, it is advisable to consider two extreme options, i.e., the operation of the heating unit according to an electrical or thermal load schedule. In this case, in order to maintain the daily consumption traffic it is necessary to provide for the accumulation of thermal or electrical energy, respectively. In the case of new construction, the optimized parameter is the power of the generating equipment, so it is advisable to give preference to the option with the maximum number of hours of use of the rated power. In order to increase the economic attractiveness of mini-CHP, options for developing the structure of mini-CHP using LFT with the transition to multi-generation technologies and adaptation to the existing operating conditions of the UES of Belarus have been considered. The results of an analysis of commercially available technologies for storing excess electrical energy are presented in accordance with current and projected (until 2030) cost and operational indicators. For adapting mini-CHP to operate in the UES in conditions of a surplus of electrical power capacity, an electrical energy storage system using hydrogen as an intermediate energy carrier is of greatest interest. To utilize the excess electrical energy consumption from a mini-CHP with a heating ORC unit during the daily dips, a structural diagram configuration using an alkaline electrolysis module for hydrogen production is proposed. The efficiency of energy storage and use technology is considered depending on the specific energy intensity for various electrical energy storage technologies. The use of the two most energy-intensive energy storage technologies is proposed: accumulation based on electrochemical batte-ries and the “electricity-hydrogen” type. During the study, an analysis of the functioning of the ORC-installation Turboden 14 CHP ORC-installation operating as part of a mini-CHP using LFT was carried out. It was revealed that today the installation operates in a wide range of load changes (from 17 to 87 % of the rated electrical power), while the generation of electrical energy from thermal consumption varied in the range from 0.20 to 0.026 MW/MW. Due to the fact that the ORC installation under study is a component of  the energy source with a high installed peak thermal power, in the current state there is no direct correlation between the outside air temperature and the generation power of the ORC installation. This circumstance indicates the need to continue the study of heat load trends to build functional models for short- and medium-term forecasting of heat load depending on the time of day and average hourly outside air temperature, which was implemented in the second part of the work.

Steel underground gas pipelines occupy a significant share of the total length of gas distribution pipelines,  and therefore their maintenance in proper condition is a constant and very urgent task. Due to its global nature, the main influencing factor affecting the technical condition of any steel underground pipelines, including gas pipelines, is corrosion, primarily soil corrosion. To protect against it on pipeline networks, along with insulating coatings, electrochemical protection (ECP) is applied, that is, following the definition of STO [Standard of Organization] 17330282.27.060.001–2008,  protection of metal against corrosion in an electrolytic environment, carried out by establishing a protective potential on it or eliminating the anodic potential shift from the stationary potential. In the gas distribution industry of the country, methods and means of electrochemical protection have been applied since the beginning of gasification and the construction of the first gas pipelines. All gas supplying organizations of the State Production Association for Fuel and Gasification “Beltopgaz” (six regional and Minsk city), which operate gas distribution facilities, have specialized corrosion protection services. These services provide maintenance of available ECP equipment, conduct electrical measurements on gas pipelines and corrosion studies of soils, and have certified laboratories. This paper is devoted to the analysis of domestic experience in organizing electrochemical protection of steel underground gas distribution pipelines, searching for promising directions for its improvement and increasing efficiency through the implementation of a unified industry technical policy, automation and telemechanization of ECP equipment in the general context of digital transformation, optimization of the timing and volume of maintenance.

For domestic and drinking water supply for cities and large industrial enterprises, group well water intakes are widely used, in which prefabricated water pipelines are designed to transport water from wells to collection points. The choice of the optimal layout of prefabricated water pipelines is determined after technical, economic and hydraulic calculations of the entire water intake, taking into account the characteristics of wells and deep-well pumps installed in them, and the parameters of all pressure pipelines. Hydraulic calculations are based on a developed mathematical model of water intake, which should provide reliable data on pump flows, drops in water levels in wells, flow rates and pressures in the collecting water pipeline system for any number and combination of operating wells. This allows for the correct selection of pumps and reduces energy costs for lifting and transporting water. The article is devoted to the development of a methodology for hydraulic calculation of group well water intakes with paired collection water pipelines, which are used at high-capacity water intakes in water supply systems with a high degree of water supply security. The difficulty in calculating such water intakes lies in the fact that here each well simultaneously supplies water to two strings of collecting water pipelines, which distinguishes this scheme for supplying water to a collecting unit from other standard schemes. The article presents calculation schemes and an algorithm for hydraulic calculation of group water intake, which is considered as a system with non-fixed water supplies. The calculation algorithm is based on taking into account the balance of pressures in water pipelines with pumps included in them and the balance of flow rates in nodes for all sections of prefabricated water pipelines. A computer program has been developed and the results of a numerical calculation of groundwater intake, equipped with paired prefabricated water pipelines and consisting of 15 wells, are presented.