Proof-of-Work (PoW) is a popular blockchain consensus algorithm that is used in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in which hashing operations are repeated until the resulting hash has certain properties. This approach uses lots of computational power and energy for the sole purpose of securing the blockchain. In order to not waste energy on hashing operations that do not have any other purpose than enabling consensus between nodes and therefore securing the blockchain, Proof-of-Useful-Work (PoUW) is an alternative approach which aims to replace excessive usage of hash functions with tasks that bring additional real-world benefit, e.g. supporting scientific experiments that rely on computationally heavy simulations. This publication consists of two parts: In the first part, important properties of conventional hash-based PoW are described. In the second part, theoretical PoUW concepts such as Coinami, CoinAI and the first successful PoUW cryptocurrency Primecoin are analyzed with respects to how PoW properties can be retained while doing useful work.

翻译：工作验证(PoW)是一种流行的供应链共识算法,用于像Bitcoin这样的加密中,在由此产生的散列具有某些特性之前,重复散列作业。这种方法使用大量计算动力和能源的唯一目的就是确保链条的安全。为了在散列作业上不浪费能源,而这种散列作业除了促成节点之间的共识并因此确保链条的安全之外没有任何其他目的。 使用工作验证(PoW)是一种替代方法,目的是用能够带来额外实际效益的任务来取代过度使用散列功能,例如支持依赖计算重度模拟的科学实验。该出版物由两部分组成:第一部分介绍传统的散列式波瓦的重要特性。在第二部分,对诸如Coinami、CoinAI和第一个成功的PoUW加密货币第一号概念进行了分析,同时分析了如何在进行有用的工作时保留 PoW特性的问题。