Search results for: solar thermal energy

Authors: Mohamed Youssef

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The proliferation of energy consumption in the built environment has made energy efficiency and savings strategies a priority objective for energy policies in most countries. Qatar is a clear example, where it has initiated several programs and institutions to mitigate the overuse of electricity consumption and control the energy load of the building by following global standards and spreading awareness campaigns. A Case study on the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at Qatar University has been investigated in this paper. The paper studied the rating load of existing buildings before and after retrofitting by using Carrier’s Hourly Analysis Program (HAP). The performance of the building has increased especially after using the LED light system instead of fluorescent light with a low payback period. GINAN paint and green roof have shown a considerable contribution to the reduction of electrical load in the building. In comparison, the double HR window had the least effect on the reduction of electricity consumption.

Keywords: energy conservation in Qatar, HAP, LED light, GINAN paint, green roof, double HR window

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Authors: Alireza Saidi

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Aside from injuries due to direct contact with hot or cold substances or objects, exposure to extreme temperatures in the workplace involves physical hazards to workers. On the other hand, a poorly acclimatized worker may have reduced performance and alertness and may, therefore, be more vulnerable to the risk of accidents and injuries. Due to the incompatibility of the standards put in place with certain workplaces and the lack of thermoregulation in many protective equipments, thermal strains remain among the physical risks most present in many work sectors. However, many of these problems can be overcome thanks to the potential of intelligent textile technologies allowing intelligent thermoregulation in protective equipment. Nowadays, technologies such as heating elements, cooling elements are applied in products intended for sport and leisure, and research work has been carried out in the integration of temperature sensors and thermal stress detectors in personal protective equipment. However, the usage of all of these technologies in personal protective equipment remains very marginal. This article presents a portrait of the current state of intelligent thermoregulation systems by carrying out a synthesis of technical developments, which is accompanied by a gap analysis of current developments. Thus, the research work necessary for the adaptation and integration of intelligent thermoregulation systems with personal protective equipment is discussed in order to offer a perspective of future developments.

Keywords: personal protective equipment, smart textiles, thermoregulation, thermal strain

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Authors: Tran Le Na, Didit Novianto, Yoshiaki Ushifusa, Weijun Gao

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This paper introduces the characteristics of Japanese residential lifestyle and Japanese Architectural housing design, meanwhile, summarizes the results from an analysis of energy use of 12 households in electric-only multi dwellings in Higashida Smart Community, Kitakyushu, Japan. Using hourly load and daily load data collected from smart meter, we explore correlations of energy use in households according to the incentive of different levels of architectural characteristics and lifestyle, following three factors: Space (Living room, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom), Time (daytime and night time, weekdays and weekend) and User (Elderly, Parents, Kids). The energy consumption reports demonstrated that the essential demand of household’s response to variable factors. From that exploratory analysis, we can define the role of housing equipment layout and spatial layout in residential housing design. Likewise, determining preferred spaces and time use can help to optimize energy consumption in households. This paper contributes to the application of Smart Home Energy Management System in Smart Community in Japan and provides a good experience to other countries.

Keywords: smart community, energy efficiency, architectural housing design, residential lifestyle

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Authors: Nagesh Vangala, Rayudu Mannam

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Soft switching has attracted the interest of various researchers constantly. Many techniques are in vogue to achieve soft switching (ZVS and/or ZCS) in Boost converters. These techniques utilize an auxiliary switch to incorporate the ZCS/ZVS. Such schemes require additional control circuit and induce complexity in design. This paper proposes an elegant fly back approach which guarantees zero current switching of the main Switch without the need for any additional active device. A simple flyback transformer scheme is implemented which absorbs the initial turn ON energy (or the Reverse recovery energy of Boost diode) and delivers to the output.

Keywords: boost converter, complete energy transfer, flyback, zero current switching

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Authors: Samarjeet Singh, Shubhank Arya, Shubham Chauhan

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In recent years, the rise in carbon emissions and the widespread effects of global warming have brought new energy vehicles into the spotlight. Electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs), both producing zero tailpipe emissions, are seen as promising alternatives. This paper examines the working, structural characteristics, and safety designs of EVs and HFCVs, comparing their carbon emissions, charging infrastructure, energy efficiency, and safety features. The analysis reveals that both EVs and HFCVs significantly reduce carbon emissions and enhance safety compared to traditional vehicles, with EVs showing greater emission reductions. Moreover, EVs are advancing more rapidly in terms of charging infrastructure compared to hydrogen energy vehicles. However, HFCVs exhibit lower energy efficiency than EVs. In terms of safety, both types surpass conventional vehicles, though EVs are more prone to overheating and fire hazards due to battery design issues. Current research suggests that EV technology and its supporting infrastructure are more comprehensive, cost-effective, and efficient in reducing carbon emissions. With continued investment in the development of new energy vehicles and potential advancements in hydrogen energy production, the future for HFCVs appears promising. The paper also expresses optimism for innovative solutions that could accelerate the growth of hydrogen energy vehicles.

Keywords: electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, automotive engineering, energy transition

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Authors: Ravindra Gohane, S. V. Deshmukh

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The coal acts as a fuel on a very large scale. Coal forms the basis of any thermal power plant. Different types of coal are available for utilization. The moisture content, volatile nature and ash content determines the type of the coal. Out of these moisture plays a very important part as it is present naturally within the coal and is added while handling the coal and is termed as wet coal. The problems of wet coal are many and more particularly during rainy season such as generation loss, jamming of crusher, reduction in calorific value, transportation of coal etc. Efforts are made to resolve the problems arising out of wet coal worldwide. This paper highlights the issue of resolving the problem due to wet coal with the help of a case study involving installation of V-type wiper on the conveyer belt.

Keywords: coal handling plant, wet coal, v-type, generation

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Authors: Lingxiao Yang, Xin Wang, Bo Xu, Zhenqian Chen

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Due to its outstanding environmental performance, higher heating temperature and excellent low-temperature performance, transcritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) heat pumps are receiving more and more attention. However, improperly set operating parameters have a serious negative impact on the performance of the transcritical CO₂ heat pump due to the properties of CO₂. In this study, the heat transfer characteristics of the gas cooler are studied based on the modified “three-stage” gas cooler, then the effect of three operating parameters, compressor speed, gas cooler water-inlet flowrate and gas cooler water-inlet temperature, on the heating process of the system are investigated from the perspective of thermal quality and heat capacity. The results shows that: In the heat transfer process of gas cooler, the temperature distribution of CO₂ and water shows a typical “two region” and “three zone” pattern; The rise in the cooling pressure of CO₂ serves to increase the thermal quality on the CO₂ side of the gas cooler, which in turn improves the heating temperature of the system; Nevertheless, the elevated thermal quality on the CO₂ side can exacerbate the mismatch of heat capacity on both sides of the gas cooler, thereby adversely affecting the system coefficient of performance (COP); Furthermore, increasing compressor speed mitigates the mismatch in heat capacity caused by elevated thermal quality, which is exacerbated by decreasing gas cooler water-inlet flowrate and rising gas cooler water-inlet temperature; As a delegate, the varying compressor speed results in a 7.1°C increase in heating temperature within the experimental range, accompanied by a 10.01% decrease in COP and an 11.36% increase in heating capacity. This study can not only provide an important reference for the theoretical analysis and control strategy of the transcritical CO₂ heat pump, but also guide the related simulation and the design of the gas cooler. However, the range of experimental parameters in the current study is small and the conclusions drawn are not further analysed quantitatively. Therefore, expanding the range of parameters studied and proposing corresponding quantitative conclusions and indicators with universal applicability could greatly increase the practical applicability of this study. This is also the goal of our next research.

Keywords: transcritical CO₂ heat pump, gas cooler, heat capacity, thermal quality

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Authors: Tedros Asefaw Gebremeskel, Xaoyi Yang

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The potential of solar energy in Eritrea is relatively high, based on this truth, there are a number of isolated and remote villages situated far away from the electrical national grid which don’t get access to electricity. The core objective of this work is to design a most favorable and cost-effective power by means of standalone PV system for the electrification of a single housing in the inaccessible area of Eritrea. The sizing of the recommended PV system is achieved, such as radiation data and electrical load for the typical household of the selected site is also well thought-out in the design steps. Finally, the life cycle cost (LCC) analysis is conducted to evaluate the economic viability of the system. The outcome of the study promote the use of PV system for a residential building and show that PV system is a reasonable option to provide electricity for household applications in the rural area of Eritrea.

Keywords: electrification, inaccessible area, life cycle cost, residential building, stand-alone PV system

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Authors: Hakeem Ade Omokayode Idowu

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The extent of the role played by human capabilities developments as well as knowledge management on employees’ performance in the nuclear energy sector of Nigeria remains unclear. This is in view of the important role which human resource capabilities could play in the desire to generate energy using nuclear resources. This study appraised the extent of human resource capabilities available in the nuclear energy sector of Nigeria. It further examined the relationship between knowledge management and employees’ performance in the nuclear energy sector. The study adopted a descriptive research design with a population that comprised all the 1736 members of staff of the selected centres, institutes, and the headquarters of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), and Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and a sample size of 332 employees was selected using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. Data collected were subjected to analysis using frequency counts and simple regression. The results showed that majority of the employees perceived that they have to a high extent of availability of knowledge (118, 35.5%), credibility (134, 40.4%), alignment (130, 39.2%), performance (126, 38%) and innovation (138, 41.6%) The result of the hypothesis tested indicated that knowledge management has a positive and significant effect on employees’ performance (Beta weight = 0.336, R2 =0.113, F-value = 41.959, p-value = 0.000< 0.05). The study concluded that human resource capabilities and knowledge management could enhance employee performance within the nuclear energy sector of Nigeria.

Keywords: human resource capabilities, knowledge management, employees productivity, national development

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Authors: Temesgen Takele Kasa

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The main aim of this paper is to suggest one active slip based continuum dislocation approach to matrix dominated MMC plasticity analysis. The approach centered the free energy principles through the continuum behavior of dislocations combined with small strain continuum kinematics. The analytical derivation of this method includes the formulation of one active slip system, the thermodynamic approach of dislocations, determination of free energy, and evolution of dislocations. In addition zero and non-zero energy dissipation analysis of dislocation evolution is also formulated by using varational energy minimization method. In general, this work shows its capability to analyze the plasticity of matrix dominated MMC with inclusions. The proposed method is also found to be capable of handling plasticity of MMC.

Keywords: active slip, continuum dislocation, distortion, dominated, energy dissipation, matrix dominated, plasticity

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Authors: Mary-Luz Olivares-Tenorio, Ruud Verkerk, Matthijs Dekker, Martinus A. J. S. van Boekel

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Cape gooseberry, the fruit of the plant Physalis peruviana L. has gained interest in research given its contents of promising health-promoting compounds like contents. The presence of carotenoids, ascorbic acid, minerals, polyphenols, vitamins and antioxidants. This project aims to study thermal stability of β-carotene, ascorbic acid, catechin and epicatechin and antioxidant activity in the matrix of the Cape Gooseberry. Fruits were obtained from a Colombian field in Cundinamarca. Ripeness stage was 4 (According to NTC 4580, corresponding to mature stage) at the moment of the experiment. The fruits have been subjected to temperatures of 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120°C for several times. β-Carotene, ascorbic acid, catechin and epicatechin content were assessed with HPLC and antioxidant activity with the DPPH method. β-Carotene was stable upon 100°C, and showed some degradation at 120°C. The same behavior was observed for epicatechin. Catechin increased during treatment at 40°C, at 60°C it remained stable and it showed degradation at 80°C, 100°C and 120°C that could be described by a second order kinetic model. Ascorbic acid was the most heat-sensitive of the analyzed compounds. It showed degradation at all studied temperatures, and could be described by a first order model. The activation energy for ascorbic acid degradation in cape gooseberry was 46.0 kJ/mol and its degradation rate coefficient at 100 °C was 6.53 x 10-3 s-1. The antioxidant activity declined for all studied temperatures. Results from this study showed that cape gooseberry is an important source of different health-promoting compounds and some of them are stable to heat. That makes this fruit a suitable raw material for processed products such as jam, juices and dehydrated fruit, giving the consumer a good intake of these compounds.

Keywords: goldenberry, health-promoting compounds, phytochemical, processing, heat treatment

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Authors: Hung-Chu Chen, Han Qi, Bauke de Vries

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Energy consumption in the urban environment has attracted numerous researches in recent decades. However, it is comparatively rare to find literary works which investigated 3D spatial analysis of urban energy demand modelling. In order to analyze the spatial correlation between urban morphology and energy demand comprehensively, this paper investigates their relation by using the spatial regression tool. In addition, the spatial regression tool which is applied in this paper is ordinary least squares regression (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and building volume are explainers of urban morphology, which act as independent variables of Energy-land use (E-L) model. NDBI and NDVI are used as the index to describe five types of land use: urban area (U), open space (O), artificial green area (G), natural green area (V), and water body (W). Accordingly, annual electricity, gas demand and energy demand are dependent variables of the E-L model. Based on the analytical result of E-L model relation, it revealed that energy demand and urban morphology are closely connected and the possible causes and practical use are discussed. Besides, the spatial analysis methods of OLS and GWR are compared.

Keywords: energy demand model, geographically weighted regression, normalized difference built-up index, normalized difference vegetation index, spatial statistics

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Authors: Da LI, Peng Xu

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Recent extreme weather events, such as the 2021 European floods and North American heatwaves, have exposed the vulnerability of energy systems to both extreme demand scenarios and potential physical damage. Current integrated energy system designs often overlook performance under these challenging conditions. This research, focusing on a regional integrated energy system in Ningbo, China, proposes a distinct design method to optimize system reliability during extreme events. A multi-scenario model was developed, encompassing various extreme load conditions and potential system damages caused by severe weather. Based on this model, a comprehensive reliability improvement scheme was designed, incorporating a gradient approach to address different levels of disaster severity through the integration of advanced technologies like distributed energy storage. The scheme's effectiveness was validated through Monte Carlo simulations. Results demonstrate significant enhancements in energy supply reliability and peak load reduction capability under extreme scenarios. The findings provide several insights for improving energy system adaptability in the face of climate-induced challenges, offering valuable references for building reliable energy infrastructure capable of withstanding both extreme demands and physical threats across a spectrum of disaster intensities.

Keywords: extreme weather events, integrated energy systems, reliability improvement, climate change adaptation

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Authors: Luzie Krings, Sven Liebehentze, Maximilian Gehring, Uwe Rüppel

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The integration of renewable energy into the energy grid is essential for decarbonization, and leveraging electrified vehicles (EVs) as mobile storage units offers a pathway to address grid challenges. The decentralized nature of EVs and the intermittency of renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic (PV) and wind power, complicate grid stability. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology presents a promising solution, enabling EVs to support grid stability through services like redispatch, congestion mitigation, and enhanced renewable energy utilization. Freight transport, contributing 38% of transport emissions, holds significant potential as its aggregated energy storage capacity can stabilize the grid and optimize renewable energy integration. This study introduces a risk-averse optimization model for marketing EV flexibilities in Germany’s energy markets, with a strong focus on improving grid stability and maximizing renewable energy potential. Using a linear optimization framework, the model incorporates technical, regulatory, and operational constraints to simulate EV fleets as scalable energy storage solutions. The integration of proprietary PV and wind energy systems is also modeled to evaluate benefits. Benchmarks compare bidirectional charging with unidirectional charging under dynamic tariffs. The methodology employs the Python-based energypilot tool to optimize participation in Day-Ahead, Intraday, and Redispatch markets, accounting for trading conditions and temporal offsets. Results demonstrate that redispatch utilization substantially supports grid stability, while bidirectional charging increased renewable energy integration by 15% and economic benefits by 20%. Longer charging cycles offered greater financial returns compared to fragmented cycles, emphasizing the potential of fleets with extended idle periods for storing renewable energy. This research highlights the critical role of EVs in stabilizing the grid and utilizing renewable energy effectively by expanding storage capacity. The optimization framework addresses key challenges in energy trading, offering a transferable methodology for broader energy storage applications. This supports the transition to a sustainable energy system by improving environmental outcomes and economic incentives.

Keywords: Electric Vehicles, Energy Grid, Energy Storages, Redispatch

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Authors: Bahattin Duzgun, Adem Kocyigit, Demet Tatar, Ahmet Battal

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Tin oxide thin films are semiconductor materials highly transparent and with high mechanical and chemical stability, except for their interactions with oxygen atoms at high temperature. Many dopants, such as antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), fluorine (F), indium (In), molybdenum and (Mo) etc. have been used to improve the electrical properties of tin oxide films. Among these, Sb and F are found to be the most commonly used dopants for solar cell layers. Also Tin oxide tin films investigated and characterized by researchers different film deposition and analysis method. In this study, tin oxide thin films are deposited on glass substrate by spin coating technique and characterized by FTIR and AFM. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that all films have O-Sn-O and Sn-OH vibration bonds not changing with layer effect. AFM analysis indicates that all films are homogeneity and uniform. It can be seen that all films have needle shape structure in their surfaces. Uniformity and homogeneity of the films generally increased for increasing layers. The results found in present study showed that doubly doped SnO2 thin films is a good candidate for solar cells and other optoelectronic and technological applications.

Keywords: doubly doped, spin coating, FTIR analysis, AFM analysis

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Authors: Mahmoud Mourad, Ahmad Hamza H. Ali, S.Ookawara, Ali Kamel Abdel-Rahman, Nady M. Abdelkariem

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The energy consumption of a house can be affected simultaneously by many building design factors related to its main architectural features, building elements and materials. This study focuses on the impact of passive design factors on the annual energy consumption of a suggested prototype house for single-family detached houses of 240 m2 in two floors, each floor of 120 m2 in new Egyptian cities located in (Alexandria - Cairo - Siwa - Assuit – Aswan) which resemble five different climatic zones (Northern coast – Northern upper Egypt - dessert region- Southern upper Egypt – South Egypt) respectively. This study present the effect of the passive design factors affecting the building energy consumption as building orientation, building material (walls, roof and slabs), building type (residential, educational, commercial), building occupancy (type of occupant, no. of occupant, age), building landscape and site selection, building envelope and fenestration (glazing material, shading), and building plan form. This information can be used to estimate the approximate saving in energy consumption, which would result on a change in the design datum for the future houses development, and to identify the major design problems for energy efficiency. To achieve the above objective, this paper presents a study for the factors affecting on the building energy consumption in the hot arid area in new Egyptian cities in five different climatic zones , followed by defining the energy needs for different utilization in this suggested prototype house. Consequently, a detailed analysis of the available Renewable Energy utilizations technologies used in the suggested home, and a calculation of the energy as a function of yearly distribution that required for this home will presented. The results obtained from building annual energy analyses show that architecture passive design factors saves about 35% of the annual energy consumption. It shows also passive cooling techniques saves about 45%, and renewable energy systems saves about 40% of the annual energy needs for this proposed home depending on the cities location on the climatic zones.

Keywords: architecture passive design factors, energy efficient homes, Egypt new cites, renewable energy technologies

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Authors: Andreas Helwig, John Bell, Wangmo

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Hybrid energy storage systems (HESS) are gaining popularity for grid energy storage (ESS) driven by the increasingly dynamic nature of energy demands, requiring both high energy and high power density. Particularly the ability of energy storage systems via inverters to respond to increasing fluctuation in energy demands, the combination of lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery and supercapacitor (SC) is a particular example of complex electro-chemical devices that may provide benefit to each other for pulse width modulated DC to AC inverter application. This is due to SC’s ability to respond to instantaneous, high-current demands and batteries' long-term energy delivery. However, there is a knowledge gap on the current sharing mechanism within a HESS supplying a load powered by high-frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching to understand the mechanism of aging in such HESS. This paper investigates the prediction of current utilizing various equivalent circuits for SC to investigate sharing between battery and SC in MATLAB/Simulink simulation environment. The findings predict a significant reduction of battery current when the battery is used in a hybrid combination with a supercapacitor as compared to a battery-only model. The impact of PWM inverter carrier switching frequency on current requirements was analyzed between 500Hz and 31kHz. While no clear trend emerged, models predicted optimal frequencies for minimized current needs.

Keywords: hybrid energy storage, carrier frequency, PWM switching, equivalent circuit models

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Authors: Po-Jen Su, Huann-Ming Chou

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In this article we uses the residual correction method to deal with transient thermoelastic problems with a hollow spherical region when the continuum medium possesses spherically isotropic thermoelastic properties. Based on linear thermoelastic theory, the equations of hyperbolic heat conduction and thermoelastic motion were combined to establish the thermoelastic dynamic model with consideration of the deformation acceleration effect and non-Fourier effect under the condition of transient thermal shock. The approximate solutions of temperature and displacement distributions are obtained using the residual correction method based on the maximum principle in combination with the finite difference method, making it easier and faster to obtain upper and lower approximations of exact solutions. The proposed method is found to be an effective numerical method with satisfactory accuracy. Moreover, the result shows that the effect of transient thermal shock induced by deformation acceleration is enhanced by non-Fourier heat conduction with increased peak stress. The influence on the stress increases with the thermal relaxation time.

Keywords: maximum principle, non-Fourier heat conduction, residual correction method, thermo-elastic response

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Authors: N. R. Badurally Adam, S. R. Monebhurrun, M. Z. Dauhoo, A. Khoodaruth

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Transport energy demand is vital for the economic growth of any country. Globalisation and better standard of living plays an important role in transport energy demand. Recently, transport energy demand in Mauritius has increased significantly, thus leading to an abuse of natural resources and thereby contributing to global warming. Forecasting the transport energy demand is therefore important for controlling and managing the demand. In this paper, we develop a model to predict the transport energy demand. The model developed is based on a system of five stochastic differential equations (SDEs) consisting of five endogenous variables: fuel price, population, gross domestic product (GDP), number of vehicles and transport energy demand and three exogenous parameters: crude birth rate, crude death rate and labour force. An interval of seven years is used to avoid any falsification of result since Mauritius is a developing country. Data available for Mauritius from year 2003 up to 2009 are used to obtain the values of design variables by applying genetic algorithm. The model is verified and validated for 2010 to 2012 by substituting the values of coefficients obtained by GA in the model and using particle swarm optimisation (PSO) to predict the values of the exogenous parameters. This model will help to control the transport energy demand in Mauritius which will in turn foster Mauritius towards a pollution-free country and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels.

Keywords: genetic algorithm, modeling, particle swarm optimization, stochastic differential equations, transport energy demand

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Authors: A. Esra Pişkin, L. Yusuf Yivlik

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Polyurethane consumption in the world increases every year. Polyetherpolyol, which is the main raw material of polyurethane, is produced from petroleum, and bioresources are needed in polyol production due to the damage it causes to the environment and the consumption of too much energy during the production phase. In this present work, bio polyol was synthesized with castor oil and soybean oil, and its use in rigid polyurethane systems was investigated. Transesterification and ring opening methods were applied for polyol synthesis, and the obtained bio polyols were compared with polyols derived petroleum. The goal of the present study was to synthesize biopolyols and to investigate the mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties of the synthesized polyurethane in terms of bio polyols.

Keywords: polyurethane, polyol, biopolyol, vegetable oil, foam, rigid polyurethane foam, ring opening, transesterification

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Authors: Eyup Dogan

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This empirical aims to analyze the impacts of real income and biomass energy consumption on the level of emissions in the EKC model for the panel of biomass-consuming countries over the period 1980-2011. Because we detect the presence of cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity across countries for the analyzed data, we use panel estimation methods robust to cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. The CADF and the CIPS panel unit root tests indicate that carbon emissions, real income and biomass energy consumption are stationary at the first-differences. The LM bootstrap panel cointegration test shows that the analyzed variables are cointegrated. Results from the panel group-mean DOLS and the panel group-mean FMOLS estimators show that increase in biomass energy consumption decreases CO2 emissions and the EKC hypothesis is validated. Therefore, countries are advised to boost their production and increase the use of biomass energy for lower level of emissions.

Keywords: biomass energy, CO2 emissions, EKC model, heterogeneity, cross-sectional dependence

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Authors: Abubakar Abdullahi

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Large amount of human energy are spent gathering and collecting fuel wood in many parts of the world, most especially in rural areas. In Nigeria fuel wood serves million houses in both rural and urban centers for various energy needs. It’s a common scene in many places while passing by roads to see bunch of woods being sold by the road sides. Even though the resource serves millions of peoples energy needs it has serious consequences on our environment, thus sustainable environment. Majority of the rural areas who rely heavily on the firewood as a means of energy are not aware of the dangers associated with the uses of the products. The aim of this work is to look into the utilization of fuel wood among rural dwellers and their perception about the dangers associated with it and how to sustain our environment. The methodology used involves a structured questionnaire designed with the question about the utilization and perception. The questionnaire is administered to the people of Kashere, a rural area in Gombe state. The result clearly shows there is a high level of ignorance among rural dwellers on the dangers of using fuel wood and how it constitute the depletion of the immediate environment. However, what is surprising in the research is the people’s readiness for alternative energy sources. The research recommend that proper orientation and sensitization is required to create education and awareness to the rural dwellers as well as provide alternative energy that is available, environment friendly and accessible to address the problems.

Keywords: energy, rural dwellers, environment, fuel wood, resources

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Authors: V. Nikolov, I. Koseva, R. Sole, F. Diaz

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Cr4+ doped oxide compounds are particularly preferred active media for solid-state lasers with a wide emission region from 1.1 to 1.6 µm. However, obtaining of single crystals of these compounds is often problematic. An alternative solution of this problem is replacing the single crystals with a transparent glassceramics containing the desired crystalline phase. Germanate compounds, especially Li2MgGeO4, Li2ZnGeO4 and Li2CaGeO4, are suitable for Cr4+ doped glass-ceramics because of their relatively low melting temperature and tetrahedral coordination of all ions. The latter ensures the presence of chromium in the 4+ valence. Cr doped Li2CaGeO4 g lass-ceramic was synthesized by thermal treating using glasses from the Li2O-CaO-GeO2-B2O3 system. Special investigations were carried out for optimizing the initial glasscomposition, as well as the thermal treated conditions. The synthesis of the glass ceramics was accompanied by appropriate characterization methods such as: XRD, TEM, EPR, UVVIS-NIR, emission spectra and time decay as main characteristic for the laser emission. From the systematic studies carried out in the four-component system Li2O-CaO-GeO2-B2O3 for establishing the Li2CaGeO4 crystallization area and suitable thermal treatment conditions, several main conclusions can be drawn: 1. The crystallization region of Li2CaGeO4 is relatively narrow, localized around the stoichiometric composition of the Li2CaGeO4 compound. 2. The presence of the glass former B2O3 strongly supports the obtaining of homogeneous glasses at relatively low temperatures, but it is also the reason for the crystallization of borate phases. 3. The crystallization of glasses during thermal treatment is related to the production of more than one phase and it is correct to speak for crystallization of a main phase and accompanying crystallization of other phases. The crystallization of a given phase is related to changing the composition of the residual glass and creating conditions for the crystallization of other phases. 4. The separate studies show that glass-ceramics with different crystallized phases in different quantitative ratios can be obtained from the same composition of glass playing by the thermal treatment conditions. In other words, the choice of temperature and time of thermal treatment of the glass is an extremely important condition, along with the optimization of the starting glass composition. As a result of the conducted research, an optimal composition of the starting glass and an optimal mode of thermal treatment were selected. Glass-ceramic with a main phase Li2CaGeO4 doped by Cr4+ was obtained. The obtained glass-ceramic possess very good properties containing up to 60 mass% of Li2CaGeO4, with an average size of nanoparticles of 20 nm and with transparency about 70 % relative to the transparency of the parent glass. The emission of the obtained glass-ceramics is in a wide range between 1050 and 1500 nm. The obtained results are the basis for further optimization of the glass-ceramic characteristics to obtain an effective laser-active medium with radiation in the 1.1-1.6 nm range.

Keywords: glass, glass-ceramics, multicomponent systems, NIR emission

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Authors: Yang-Gyun Kim, Eun-Taek Woo, Myeong-Gon Lee, Yun-Hyun Cho, Seung-Ho Han

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For the sustainable development of wind energy, energy industries have invested in the development of highly efficient wind turbines such as an axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) generator. The AFPM generator, however, has a history of overheating on the surface of the stator, so that power production decreases significantly. A proper cooling system, therefore, is needed. Although a convective-type cooling system has been developed, the size of the air blower must be increased when the generator’s capacity exceeds 2.5 MW. In this paper, we proposed a newly developed conductive-type cooling system using a heat pipe wound to the stator of a 2.5 MW AFPM generator installed on an offshore wind turbine. The numerical results showed that the temperatures on the stator surface using convective-type cooling system and the proposed conductive-type cooling system at thermal saturation were 60 and 76°C, respectively, which met the requirements for power production. The temperatures of the permanent magnet cased by the radiant heating from the stator surface were 53°C and 66°C, respectively, in each case. As a result, the permanent magnet did not reach the malfunction temperature. Although the cooling temperatures in the case of the conductive-type cooling system were higher than that of the convective-type cooling system, the relatively small size of the water pump and radiators make a light-weight design of the AFPM generator possible.

Keywords: wind turbine, axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) generator, conductive-type cooling system

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Authors: Halit Tutar, Omer Eren, Oguz Parlakay

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The demand for food and energy of mankind has been increasing every passing day. Renewable energy sources have been pushed to forefront since fossil fuels will be run out in the near future and their negative effects to the environment. As in every sector, the transport sector benefits from biofuel (biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel) one of the renewable energy sources as well. The edible oil crops are used in production of biodiesel. Utilizing edible oil crops as renewable energy source may raise a debate in the view of that there is a shortage in raw material of edible oil crops in Turkey. Researches related to utilization of non-edible oil crops as biodiesel raw materials have been recently increased, and especially studies related to their vegetative production and adaptation have been accelerated in Europe. In this review edible oil crops are compared to non-edible oil crops for biodiesel production in the sense of biodiesel production, some features of non-edible oil crops and their harmful emissions to environment are introduced. The data used in this study, obtained from articles, thesis, reports relevant to edible and non edible oil crops in biodiesel.

Keywords: biodiesel, edible oil crops, environmental impacts, renewable energy

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Authors: M. J. Geca, T. Tulwin, A. Majczak

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On-board electricity consumption in the diesel city bus during operation is an important energy source. Electricity is generated by a combustion engine-driven alternator. Increased fuel consumption to generate on-board electricity in the bus has a negative impact on the emission of toxic components and carbon dioxide. At the same time, the bus roof surface allows placing a set of lightweight photovoltaic panels with power from 1 to 1.5 kW. The article presents an experimental study of electricity consumption of a city bus with diesel engine equipped with photovoltaic installation. The stream of electricity consumed by the bus and generated by a standard alternator and PV system was recorded. Base on the experimental research carried out in central Europe; the article analyses the impact of an additional source of electricity in the form of a photovoltaic installation on fuel consumption and emissions of toxic components of vehicles located in the latitude of Sydney. In Poland, the maximum global value of horizontal irradiation GHI is 1150 kWh/m², while for Sydney 1652 kWh/m². In addition, the profile of temperature and sunshine per year is different for these two different latitudes as presented in the article. Electricity generated directly from the sun powers the bus's electrical receivers. The photovoltaic system is able to replace 23% of annual electricity consumption, which at the same time will reduce 4% of fuel consumption and CO₂ reduction. Approximately 25% of the light is lost during vehicle traffic in Sydney latitude. The temperature losses of photovoltaic panels are comparable due to the cooling during vehicle motion. Acknowledgement: The project/research was financed in the framework of the project Lublin University of Technology - Regional Excellence Initiative, funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (contract no. 030/RID/2018/19).

Keywords: electric energy, photovoltaic system, fuel consumption, CO₂

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Authors: Monika Sogani, Zainab Syed, Adrian C. Fisher

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Pollution of estrogenic compounds has caught the attention of researchers as the slight increase of estrogens in the water bodies has a significant impact on the aquatic system. They belong to a class of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and are able to mimic hormones or interfere with the action of endogenous hormones. The microbial electrochemical remediation system (MERS) is employed here for exploiting an electrophototrophic bacterium for evaluating the capacity of biodegradation of ethinylestradiol hormone (EE2) under anaerobic conditions with power generation. MERS using electro-phototrophic bacterium offers a tailored solution of wastewater treatment in a developing country like India which has a huge solar potential. It is a clean energy generating technology as they require only sunlight, water, nutrients, and carbon dioxide to operate. Its main feature that makes it superior over other technologies is that the main fuel for this MERS is sunlight which is indefinitely present. When grown in light with organic compounds, these photosynthetic bacteria generate ATP by cyclic photophosphorylation and use carbon compounds to make cell biomass (photoheterotrophic growth). These cells showed EE2 degradation and were able to generate hydrogen as part of the process of nitrogen fixation. The two designs of MERS were studied, and a maximum of 88.45% decrease in EE2 was seen in a total period of 14 days in the better design. This research provides a better insight into microbial electricity generation and self-sustaining wastewater treatment facilities. Such new models of waste treatment aiming waste to energy generation needs to be followed and implemented for building a resource efficient and sustainable economy.

Keywords: endocrine disrupting compounds, ethinylestradiol, microbial electrochemical remediation systems, wastewater treatment

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Authors: Shing-Cheng Chang, Cheng-Hao Yang, Wen-Sheng Chang, Chih-Chia Lin, Chun-Han Li

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The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a promising green technology which can achieve a high electrical efficiency. Due to the high operating temperature of SOFC stack, the off-gases at high temperature from anode and cathode outlets are introduced into an afterburner to convert the chemical energy into thermal energy by combustion. The heat is recovered to preheat the fresh air and fuel gases before they pass through the stack during the SOFC power generation system operation. For an afterburner of the SOFC system, the temperature control with a good thermal uniformity is important. A burner with a well-designed geometry usually can achieve a satisfactory performance. To design an afterburner for an SOFC system, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is adoptable. In this paper, the hydrogen combustion characteristics in an afterburner with simple geometry are studied by using CFD. The burner is constructed by a cylinder chamber with the configuration of a fuel gas inlet, an air inlet, and an exhaust outlet. The flow field and temperature distributions inside the afterburner under different fuel and air flow rates are analyzed. To improve the temperature uniformity of the afterburner during the SOFC system operation, the flow paths of anode/cathode off-gases are varied by changing the positions of fuels and air inlet channel to improve the heat and flow field synergy in the burner furnace. Because the air flow rate is much larger than the fuel gas, the flow structure and heat transfer in the afterburner is dominated by the air flow path. The present work studied the effects of fluid flow structures on the combustion characteristics of an SOFC afterburner by three simulation models with a cylindrical combustion chamber and a tapered outlet. All walls in the afterburner are assumed to be no-slip and adiabatic. In each case, two set of parameters are simulated to study the transport phenomena of hydrogen combustion. The equivalence ratios are in the range of 0.08 to 0.1. Finally, the pattern factor for the simulation cases is calculated to investigate the effect of gas inlet locations on the temperature uniformity of the SOFC afterburner. The results show that the temperature uniformity of the exhaust gas can be improved by simply adjusting the position of the gas inlet. The field synergy analysis indicates the design of the fluid flow paths should be in the way that can significantly contribute to the heat transfer, i.e. the field synergy angle should be as small as possible. In the study cases, the averaged synergy angle of the burner is about 85̊, 84̊, and 81̊ respectively.

Keywords: afterburner, combustion, field synergy, solid oxide fuel cell

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Authors: Ayoola T. Brimmo, Mohamed I. Hassan

Abstract:

The push to mitigate the aluminum smelting industry’s enormous energy consumption and high emission releases is now even more persistent with the recent climate change happenings. Common approaches to achieve this have been focused on improving energy efficiency in the pot line and cast house sections of the smelter. However, the conventional energy efficiency analyses are based on the first law of thermodynamics, which do not shed proper light on the smelter’s degradation of energy. This just gives a general idea of the furnace’s performance with no reference to locations where improvement is a possibility based on the second law of thermodynamics. In this study, we apply exergy analyses on the pot line and cast house sections of the smelter to identify the locality and causes of energy degradation. The exergy analyses, which are based on a real life smelter conditions, highlight the possible locations for technology improvement in a typical smelter. With this established, methods of minimizing the smelter’s exergy losses are assessed.

Keywords: exergy analysis, electrolytic cell, furnace, heat transfer

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Authors: Julius Ilawe Osayi, Peter Osifo

Abstract:

Solid waste disposal, such as used tires is a global challenge as well as energy crisis due to rising energy demand amidst price uncertainty and depleting fossil fuel reserves. Therefore, the effectiveness of pyrolysis as a disposal method that can transform used tires into liquid fuel and other end-products has made the process attractive to researchers. Although used tires have been converted to liquid fuel using pyrolysis, there is the need to improve on the liquid fuel properties. Hence, this paper reports the investigation of zeolite NaY synthesized from kaolin, a locally abundant soil material in the Benin metropolis as a suitable catalyst and its effect on the properties of pyrolytic oil produced from used tires. The pyrolysis process was conducted for a range of 1 to 10 wt.% of catalyst concentration to used tire at a temperature of 600 oC, a heating rate of 15oC/min and particle size of 6mm. Although no significant increase in pyrolytic oil yield was observed compared to the previously investigated non-catalytic pyrolysis of a used tire. However, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR); and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) characterization results revealed the pyrolytic oil to possess an improved physicochemical and fuel properties alongside valuable industrial chemical species. This confirms the possibility of transforming kaolin into a catalyst suitable for improved fuel properties of the liquid fraction obtainable from thermal cracking of hydrocarbon materials.

Keywords: catalytic pyrolysis, fossil fuel, kaolin, pyrolytic oil, used tyres, Zeolite NaY

Procedia PDF Downloads 181