In recent years, the power engineering community of the leading countries with well-developed economy and energy sectors has focused increased attention on matters concerned with the most environmentally friendly use of existing energy capacities. To solve this problem, it is necessary to modernize the current energy potential of one or another country (and, collectively, their common power system) and develop new principles and technologies for generating, transporting, and consuming energy in its various forms. Hydrogen energy and its derivatives is a topic that is most actively discussed and gaining popularity in different countries, the Russian Federation included. The main objective of hydrogen energy is to use hydrogen in the form of end product as fuel in the energy sector, thereby supporting the climate agenda to reduce the carbon footprint from the impact of the energy sector on the environment. The most promising and discussed vector of national hydrogen power engineering in Russia is the introduction of methane-hydrogen mixtures into the gas transportation sector, namely, the admixing of hydrogen into transported natural gas in a certain concentration. The purpose of the study is to analyze the features pertinent to the operation of Russian gas transportation and gas distribution systems in the case of their possible transition to methane-hydrogen technologies. In carrying out the study, systems analysis and mathematical modeling methods were used. In particular, simulation of the RGMG-10 burner in the ANSYS environment is described. The simulation results have shown that this type of equipment will require certain modification of its design characteristics in the case of its operation on methane-hydrogen mixtures. The furnace unit of a typical boiler installation was simulated in the Aspen Plus environment. The simulation results have shown that during the operation on methane-hydrogen mixtures, a positive tendency toward reducing CO2 emissions is observed; however, there is also an increase in the concentration of NOx compounds in the exhaust gases. Research in this field is promising and makes an important contribution to the overall scientific and technical background in the developing segment of Russian hydrogen energy.

Data processing centers (DPCs) are large consumers of electrical energy. Nearly the entire energy consumed by the DPS equipment is finally converted into heat, which is removed by the engineered air cooling system into the environment. Besides the heat losses, there is also a significant amount of electrical energy consumed by cooling systems, which account for up to 70% of the entire energy consumed by the data centers. The energy saving potential that can theoretically be gained from elimination of waste energy loss is evaluated in the article. In particular, the loss of waste energy and energy consumed for plenum air cooling can be reduced by using a cooling system that utilizes the cold of outdoor air, a so-called free-cooling system. The aim of the work is to study the energy efficiency of a system for recovering the DPC waste heat under different climatic conditions of Russia and estimate the technical energy saving potential in implementing a direct free-cooling system. A plenum air treatment method is proposed along with a procedure for calculating the air medium characteristics, the amount of DPC waste heat to be recovered, amount of energy consumed for plenum air humidifying and cooling, recirculating air and cooling (humidifying) water flowrates depending on the weather model in the DPC location. The results of model calculations of plenum air parameters with taking into account the environment weather conditions and suggested processes are given. For the climatic conditions of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar, the article presents forecasts of the amount of waste energy to be recovered and used for the DPC needs in the direct free-cooling system; the amount of electrical energy consumed for air humidification and cooling purposes; water flowrate in the adiabatic cooling (humidification) system; air flowrate directed for mixing it with the outdoor air for heating it to the optimal temperature, and saving of equivalent fuel in the thermal energy source when using the free-cooling system. The study results can be used for predicting the DPC equipment cooling system characteristics in any climatic region, in selecting the DPC microclimate maintenance system, and in substantiating the energy-saving effect from using atmospheric air as a cooling medium.

The article presents the results from a damageability analysis of linear suspended rod polymer insulators on power lines managed by PJSC ROSSETI – Main Electric Networks of the East, as well as the results from examination of polymer insulators using infrared imagers. The causes and nature of damage to insulators during operation have been established, and the possibilities of diagnosing damaged insulators using modern methods are pointed out.

The rapid improvement in the standard of living of mankind, increase of industrial production volumes, and growth of population have resulted in an essentially larger amounts of energy consumption in recent decades. Fossil fuels as the main source of energy play an important role for transport, industry, and agriculture. However, very high amounts in which these fuels are consumed have give rise to currently faced environmental problems. The problems of energy security and environmental pollution have forced many researchers in different countries to look for alternative ways of using renewable and environmentally friendly fuels, including those based on biofuels. The aim of the present study is to analyze the scientific and technical problem, the methodology for producing biodiesel from rapeseed oil, and testing its use in an automated power plant based on internal combustion engines (ICE). To this end, the parameters characterizing the ignition and combustion of droplets of petroleum diesel fuel and the obtained biodiesel were experimentally studied along with carrying out a set of experiments on trial production of biodiesel and determining the parameters characterizing the ignition and combustion of new and conventional fuels for internal combustion engines. The article presents the results of an analysis of the problem under study and experiments conducted to obtain biodiesel, study its energy characteristics, and its use in internal combustion engines. The ignition characteristics of droplets of conventional petroleum diesel and droplets of composite fuel with addition of biodiesel have been obtained. A technology for producing biodiesel from rapeseed oil has been studied and tested under laboratory conditions. A simplified structure of a system for automated control of a small-capacity ICE-based power plant has been developed.

Stable operation of an electric power system is currently among the power industry’s most pressing issues. The problem is connected with a change in the power system dynamic characteristics caused by the development of distributed generation facilities, renewable energy sources, and installations containing power electronics. These circumstances generate the need for further improvement and adaptation of automatic excitation control systems of synchronous generators for securing the power system stability. The article addresses matters concerned with application of an integral law for excitation control of synchronous generators. The subject of the study is a synchronous generator equipped with an automatic excitation controller, which is connected to a power system via a step-up transformer and transmits power through a two-circuit transmission line. The power system receiving end is represented by an infinite bus with constant voltage, frequency, and phase. The electric power system stability conditions were studied using the D-partitioning method and the Mikhailov stability criterion. The study results were tested using a mathematical model in the MATLAB software system with applying the Simulink library package. An example of using an algorithm for selecting the integral controller tuning parameter for the mathematical model test data is given. The variation of the Mikhailov root locus curve at different values of the integration time constant is analyzed. Based on the study results, conclusions have been drawn about the possibility of ensuring small-signal aperiodic and oscillatory stability of a synchronous generator equipped with an integral excitation controller and about the permissibility of applying the integral control law in the power system.

The problem of using the uncertainty analysis methodology when performing strength calculations is addressed. This issue is relevant for substantiating reliable operation of nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors. As a consequence of measurement errors and the empirical nature of the models, the results obtained by using computer codes contain uncertainty. The use of these codes requires significant time and large hardware resources of computation stations. The use of neural network (NN) models can reduce significantly the computation time while maintaining the correctness of the results. A mode of seismic impact on a pipeline with a postulated defect is analyzed. Seismic load calculations were carried out in compliance with the requirements of the regulatory documentation (STO, NP) adopted by the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom. Based on the calculation results, a stress variation time history was obtained for the entire period of seismic impact. Based on the results obtained, a neural network model was developed using special software, followed by testing it. The computation results have shown that the absolute error does not exceed 1 MPa, and the relative error is within 1%. The obtained results have demonstrated the relevance of using NN models not only for seismic load, but also for other impacts on the pipeline within the probabilistic safety assessment framework.

In recent years, the topic of Nazi crimes has become very relevant for the Russian national historiography. In particular, heated debates about the possibility of using the term “genocide of the Soviet people” are currently underway The purpose of the article is to analyze the findings and “blank spots” of the Russian historical science in the study of Nazi crimes against the civilian population. A conclusion has been drawn that the Russian national historiography has made significant progress in studying the practices of the Nazi policy against the civilian Soviet population, which can rightfully be called genocide. At the same time, there still remain problems with the declassification of sources and lack of specialists dealing with this issue, a circumstance that places significant obstacles for the work of Russian historians on this issue. In recent years, the topic of Nazi crimes has become very relevant for the Russian national historiography. In particular, heated debates about the possibility of using the term “genocide of the Soviet people” are currently underway The purpose of the article is to analyze the findings and “blank spots” of the Russian historical science in the study of Nazi crimes against the civilian population. A conclusion has been drawn that the Russian national historiography has made significant progress in studying the practices of the Nazi policy against the civilian Soviet population, which can rightfully be called genocide. At the same time, there still remain problems with the declassification of sources and lack of specialists dealing with this issue, a circumstance that places significant obstacles for the work of Russian historians on this issue.

The article addresses the development of a simulation model of a power inverter with a voltage support mechanism at the point of common connection to the grid under the conditions of external disturbances and subsequent simulation in the MATLAB Simulink software package. When developing the model, the technical limitations imposed on the power inverters operating as part of solar power plants and wind farms were taken into account. The parameters of the PQ-diagram, LVRT and Q(U)-characteristics are selected in accordance with the current recommendations of the Commission for Operational and Technological Coordination of the Joint Operation of Power Systems of the CIS and Baltic Countries (COTC). The incorporation of these limitations opened the possibility to achieve more correct and reliable results of the studies aimed at clarifying the effect the voltage support mechanism has on the electric power mode operation parameters. A system test model has been developed, which represents a power plant based on renewable energy sources (RES) with a total installed capacity of 25 MW, as well as an adjacent grid section. The effect the voltage support mechanism has on the electric power mode operation parameters, as well as on the reliability of parallel operation of power inverters with the electric power system in the event of external disturbances in the network, has been studied. The use of power inverters with a voltage support mechanism helps reduce the voltage deviations from the nominal values at the inverter terminals, as well as at the point of connection to the grid. The application of the developed mechanism is one of the ways to ensure the required electric power quality indicators. In case of large disturbances in the external grid, the voltage support mechanism makes it possible to retain the possibility of parallel operation of power inverters with the grid. This helps improve the economic performance indicators of operation for the owners of RES-based power generating facilities.

The current status of the Chinese electric power system (EPS) is analyzed, and its specific features are given. The primary concerns faced by the Chinese EPS are outlined along with the directions in which this EPS is currently developed, with placing focus on distributed generation. The analysis results have shown that active transformation of the Chinese EPS is currently underway, which is prompted, in particular, by the growth in the share of renewable energy sources and portion of electronic components. In all likelihood, after a few years it will be possible to witness an entirely different EPS that will differ from the currently existing one both in composition and management features.