Gurcan Konak

A Review of the Energy Situation in Turkey

In this review paper general information about the energy situation of Turkey is outlined. The ongoing energy policy of the recent governments of Turkey is given and the regulations that are in place regarding energy are mentioned. Then, a summary about various energy sources such as oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, geothermal energy and wind energy etc. is given. Regarding oil, Turkeys petroleum production and consumption, reserves and refineries are described. Then, similar emphasis is made for coal and thermal-electric power plants. The total electricity transmission grid installed across the country is argued in terms of years and finally environmental concerns and privatization attempts about the energy situation are explained.

Determination of specific charge minimizing total unit cost of open pit quarry blasting operations

The value of specific charge in open pit quarry blasting processes considerably affects the efficiency of the blasting. When a high value of specific charge is used in a blasting process, the material resulting from the blasting will have a finer dimension. Costs of explosives and drilling will be increased due to high specific charge value; however, costs of subsequent processes such as loading, hauling, crushing, and boulder crushing will be reduced due to finer dimension of the material. Determination of specific charge value that will minimize total unit costs of the open pit quarry operations will ensure the performance of blasting process in the most economical manner. In this study, certain blast tests have been carried out in three different limestone quarries. Unit costs of explosives, drilling, loading, hauling, crushing, and boulder crushing at each site were determined, and specific charge values minimizing total unit cost of the operations were separately determined for each worksite. Afterward, optimal specific charge values were interrelated according to uniaxial compressive strength values of the rock.

Geothermal Energy-Economy, Potential and Utilization Possibilities in Turkey

In this study, first of all, a general description of geothermal energy has been made and types of geothermal fields have been described. Later on, types of heat transfer within the Earths crust and also various plate tectonics theories responsible for the geothermal manifestations throughout the world, have been explained. Within this context, Turkeys real geothermal energy capacity, and on the other hand, insufficient present use of this natural source, have been given. Having mentioned the general utilization possibilities of geothermal energy, its use particularly in the fields of electricity generation, greenhouse heating and central district heating in Turkey has been investigated and the problems encountered in these applications have been put forward. Consequently, a practical and economical comparison has been made among different sorts of heating sources and it has been concluded that geothermal energy acts as a clean, cheap and renewable natural source only if it is extracted and utilized prudently and necessary environmental measures are taken beforehand.

Slope stability analysis and slide monitoring by inclinometer readings: Part 2

Abstract This part of the study covers the method of slope stability analysis and the necessary precautions to be taken to stop mass movement, the details of which have been given in the accompanying paper. Here, backfilling that was planned to provide support against the moving mass and the amount of coal to be left beneath the backfilling were examined. After starting to apply the most suitable alternative protection plan to restrain sliding by three alternatives in the early 2000s, the inclinometer readings provided supervision guidance over the slope movements. The results and comments on the inclinometer readings are also covered in this paper. Results taken from instrumentation work have been compared with the amount of backfill placed so far and the relationship between small-scale earthquakes that the nearby area of the study and slope movement have been given.

Analysis of quarry-blast-induced ground vibrations to mitigate their adverse effects on nearby structures

The Peak Particle Velocities (PPVs) were measured at several station points in the vicinity of a limestone quarry in Turkey, and a Scaled Distance (SD) value for each individual blast was calculated. A linear regression analysis was performed and results were plotted. An attenuation equation unique for the limestone quarry was statistically derived from the plotted graph, with an acceptable correlation coefficient. The safe charge weight per delay was calculated for given distances, based on the damage criteria developed by US Bureau of Mines (USBM), DIN 4150-3 and other international standards. A comparison was also performed between the predicted and measured PPV values to verify the accuracy of the attenuation equation.

Evaluation and monitoring an on-going landslide in volcanic sediments - a case study for an open pit mine, Turkey: Part 1

Abstract TKI (Turkish Coal Enterprises) has been operating an open pit lignite mine since late 1970s in a town called Çan which is situated in the north-west of Turkey. There is a ceramic factory, which is one of the biggest in Europe as far as capacity is concerned, operating very close to the lignite open pit mine. In 1999, a catastrophic earthquake demolished not only the cities and towns located on the Northern Anatolian fault zone but also triggered a landslide on the ceramic factory site benches of the Çan lignite open pit. The susceptibility of artificial slopes to failure during earthquakes is a wellknown event. This paper summarises geological, geomorphological and hydrological surveys of the area and the work done to define the slip surface by means of inclinometer surveys. Geotechnical parameters collected from all local geological formations were used later in the slope stability analysis. Details of the studies undertaken since the beginning of the landslide are given in this paper.