Ground settlement during and after tunnelling using TBM results in varying dynamic and static load action on the geo-stratum. It is an undesirable effect of tunnel construction causing damage to the surface and subsurface infrastructure, safety risk, and increased construction cost and quality issues. Ground settlement can be influenced by several factors, like method of tunnelling, tunnel geometry, location of tunnelling machine, machine operational parameters, depth & its changes, and mileage of recording point from starting point. In this study, a description and evaluation of the performance of the arti?cial neural network (ANN)was undertaken and a comparison with multiple linear regression (MLR) was carried out on ground settlement prediction. The performance of these models was evaluated using the coefficient of determination R2, root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). For ANN model, the R2, RMSE and MAPE were calculated as 0.9295, 4.2563 and 3.3372, respectively, while for MLR, the R2, RMSE and MAPE, were calculated as 0.5053, 11.2708, 6.3963 respectively. For ground settlement prediction, bothANNandMLRmethodswere able to predict significantly accurate results. It was further noted that the ANN performance was higher than that of the MLR.

Straw-fired batch boilers, due to their relatively simple structure and low operating costs, are an excellent source of heat for a wide range of applications. A concept prototype of a cogeneration system with a straw-fired batch boiler was developed. The basic assumptions were based on the principles of the Rankine Cycle and the Organic Rankine Cycle systems with certain design modifications. Using the prototype design of a system that collects high-temperature heat from the boiler, studies were performed. The studies involved an analysis of the flue gas temperature distribution in the area of the oil exchanger, a comparison of the instantaneous power of the boiler’s water and oil circuits for different modes of operation, as well as an analysis of the flue gas. In the proposed system configuration where the electricity production supplements heat generation, the power in the oil circuit may be maintained at a constant level of approx. 20-30 kW. This is possible provided that an automatic fuel supply system is applied. Assuming that the efficiency of the electricity generation system is not less than 10%, it will be possible to generate 2-3 kW of electricity. This value will be sufficient, for an on-site operation of the boiler.