Greenhouse gas emission is one of the main environmental issues of today, and energy savings in all industries contribute to reducing energy demand, implying, in turn, less carbon emissions into the atmosphere. In this framework, water pumping systems are one of the most energy-consuming activities. The optimal regulation of pumping systems with the use of variable speed drives is gaining the attention of designers and managing authorities. However, optimal management and operation of pumping systems is often performed, employing variable speed drives without considering if the energy savings are enough to justify their purchasing and installation costs. In this paper, the authors compare two optimal pump scheduling techniques, optimal regulation of constant speed pumps by an optimal ON/OFF sequence and optimal regulation with a variable speed pump. Much of the attention is devoted to the analysis of the costs involved in a hypothetical managing authority for the water distribution sys... [more]

This study highlights the C O 2 , e -emission reduction potentials and related economic consequences for changing steam generation from fossil to renewable. Seven different utility concepts are developed, including a steam accumulator for load management. Peculiarities for the integration of biogas boilers, biomass-fuelled boilers, electrode steam boilers, biomethane-fuelled solid oxide fuel cells, micro gas turbine, solar energy systems, heat pumps and steam accumulators into a steam system with fluctuating steam demand are explained and the energy balance based models for the simulation study are described. The characteristics of batch processes, start up times and part load efficiency are considered via an annual dynamic simulation. Based on a detailed process analysis and dimensioning of the utilities and the accumulator a comprehensive simulation study is conducted for a pet food processing company having an average steam demand of 18,000 MWh at around 9 bar and 3 t/h.... [more]

In this work, the possibilistic fuzzy C-means clustering artificial bee colony support vector machine (PFCM-ABC-SVM) method is proposed and applied for the fault diagnosis of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system. The innovation of this method is that it can filter data with Gaussian noise and diagnose faults under dynamic conditions, and the amplitude of characteristic parameters is reduced to ±10%. Under dynamic conditions with Gaussian noise, the faults of the PEM fuel cell system are simulated and the original dataset is established. The possibilistic fuzzy C-means (PFCM) algorithm is used to filter samples with membership and typicality less than 90% and to optimize the original dataset. The artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is used to optimize the penalty factor C and kernel function parameter g. Finally, the optimized support vector machine (SVM) model is used to diagnose the faults of the PEM fuel cell system. To illustrate the results of the fault diagnosis... [more]

With the average solar radiation reaching up to 5 kWh/m2, Vietnam is considered as a country showing an excellent potential for solar power production. Since the year 2000, there have been a lot of studies about the potential of this source in Vietnam. So far, many applications of solar power have been implemented on small, medium, and large scales. In fact, the total capacity of current grid-connected solar power plants has exceeded the planned capacity by 2020 nearly 6 times. However, the studies of solar potential in Vietnam are still incomplete. The policies and mechanisms for developing solar power projects have received attention from the authorities but have not been really satisfactory. The infrastructure is still poor and the power system does not keep up with the development of modern grids. This paper reviewed the potential and actual implementation stage of photovoltaic projects in Vietnam. Moreover, the barriers and challenges of institution, technique, economy, and financ... [more]

This research focuses on the use of natural lighting integrated into buildings. Cylindrical glass was fitted into the top of our test model, which was 1 m × 1 m × 1 m, which enhanced the light inside it. The glass fitted comprised a single layer (G), two layers (2G), or two layers of glass filled with distilled water (2GW). Each combination of glass increased the number of glass cylinders from two to six. The nine formats were tested indoors using a light intensity of 1000 W/m2 and the temperature was controlled at 25 °C. The lowest temperature averaged 34.4 °C, which was recorded using only two glass cylinders that had two layers of glass filled with distilled water. The average internal illumination was 549 lux, which agreed with the CIE standard. Then, the two layers of glass filled with water were examined under natural conditions. It was found that the highest average inside temperature was 40.4 °C at 1:30 p.m. The average illuminant values for three days were in the range of 300−... [more]

Electric vehicles, when coupled to electricity generation from renewable energy sources, can become a viable solution to decarbonize the transport sector. However, given the high variability of electricity mixes on a daily and seasonal basis, high-resolution profiles are needed for a precise analysis of the impacts of electric vehicles in terms of greenhouse gases emissions. This paper presents a comparison of different charging profiles evaluated on 10 European countries over four years, to highlight the effects of national electricity mixes and of the type of charging location on the specific emissions of EVs charging. This study, based on three archetypal charging profiles, provide a quantification of the potential influence of different charging strategies on the average emission factor of the electricity supplied to electric vehicles. The results show that the variability related to charging profiles is generally limited, with an average variation range of 6% for any given country... [more]

In this numerical study, the temperature, pressure and flow structure inside the rotary compressor are obtained to analyze the work consumption and efficiency. The geometry of the compressor such as volume, inlet angle, and mass of reed valve are varied to look for optimal performance and design margin as the suggestions for manufacturing. The work done on refrigerant increases proportionally with the volume of the compressor. However, there is an optimal volume for efficiency. The design margin for inlet angle is determined. The best efficiency exists in a specific inlet angle. Larger mass of reed valve leads to the increase of input power due to the additional resistance from greater inertia, which causes a decrease of efficiency. The flow visualization by simulation diagnoses the potential factors, which may cause noise problem.

Vibroacoustic diagnostics (VM—Vibroacoustic Method) is one of the methods for diagnosing the active part of power transformers. Measurement technologies have been refined over the past several years, but the methods of analyzing data obtained in VM diagnostics are still in development. In most cases, they are based on a simple frequency spectrum analysis, and the diagnostic conclusions are subjective and depend on the expert’s professional experience. The article presents an objective method for the detection of transformer unit core damage, based on the analysis of the statistical properties of the vibration signal registered on the surface of the tank of an unloaded transformer in the steady state of vibrations (VM). The algorithm for proceeding further is: FFT analysis of the vibroacoustic signal, with the determination of the relative changes in vibration power as a function of frequency P r ( f ) and, finally, the determination of the statistic properties of the datase... [more]

The aim of this work is to show that a significant increase of the efficiency of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can be achieved already at an early design stage, through the choice of a turbine and control regulation, by means of an accurate Wave-to-Wire (W2W) modeling that couples the hydrodynamic response calibrated in a wave flume to a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test bench with sizes and rates not matching those of the system under development. Information on this procedure is relevant to save time, because the acquisition, the installation, and the setup of a test rig are not quick and easy. Moreover, power electronics and electric machines to emulate turbines and electric generators matching the real systems are not low-cost equipment. The use of HIL is important in the development of WECs also because it allows the carrying out of tests in a controlled environment, and this is again time- and money-saving if compared to tests done on a real system installed at the sea. Furthermore... [more]

Europe aims to diversify energy sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On this field, large PV power growth is observed that may cause problems in existing networks. This paper examines the impact of distributed PV systems on voltage quality in a low voltage feeder in terms of the European standard EN 50160. As the standard defines allowable percentage of violation during one week period, time-series analyses are done to assess PV hosting capacity. The simulations are conducted with 10-minute step and comprise variable load profiles based on Gaussian Mixture Model and PV profiles based on a distribution with experimentally obtained parameters. In addition, the outcomes are compared with “snapshot” simulations. Next, it is examined how energy storage utilization affects the hosting capacity. Several deployments of energy storages are presented with different number and capacity. In particular, a greedy algorithm is proposed to determine the sub-optimal energy storage deployment ba... [more]

Specifying nanofluids’ thermophysical properties correctly is crucial for correct interpretation of a system’s thermo-hydraulic performance and faster market-uptake of nanofluids. Although, experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted on nanofluids’ thermophysical properties; their order-of-magnitude change is still a matter of debate. This numerical study aims to reveal the sensitivity of single phase natural circulation loops (SPNCL), which are the passive systems widely used in solar thermal and nuclear applications, to thermophysical property inputs by evaluating the effects of measured and predicted nanofluid thermophysical properties on the SPNCL characteristics and performance for the first time. Performance and characteristics of an SPNCL working with water-based-Al2O3 nanofluid (1−3 vol.%) for heating applications is evaluated for different pipe diameters (3−6 mm). The thermal conductivity effect on SPNCL characteristics is found to be limited. However, viscosity a... [more]

An active coil system is proposed to shield the magnetic field produced by a dynamic wireless power transfer (WPT) system used to power electric vehicles (EVs) in motion. The considered dynamic WPT is based on an electrified road with many short-track pads. A sophisticated mathematical procedure is developed to optimize the design of the active coils configuration and their excitation. By the proposed approach, the resulting magnetic field is compliant with the reference levels (RLs) of the ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) 2010 Guidelines inside the cabin of EVs and on the side of the electrified road.

This paper presents an analysis of the time complexity of algorithms prepared for solving heat transfer problems at nanoscale. The first algorithm uses the classic Dual-Phase-Lag model, whereas the second algorithm employs a reduced version of the model obtained using a Krylov subspace method. This manuscript includes a description of the finite difference method approximation prepared for analysis of the real microelectromechanical system (MEMS) structure manufactured by the Polish Institute of Electron Technology. In addition, an approximation scheme of the model, as well as the Krylov subspace-based model order reduction technique are also described. The paper considers simulation results obtained using both investigated versions of the Dual-Phase-Lag model. Moreover, the relative error generated by the reduced model, as well as the computational complexity of both algorithms, and a convergence of the proposed approach are analyzed. Finally, all analyses are discussed in detail.

For the envisaged large number of commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects that are to be implemented in the near future, a number of issues still need to be resolved, the most prominent being the large capital and operational costs incurred for the CO2 capture and compression process. An economic assessment of the capture and compression system based on optimal design data is important for CCS deployment. In this paper, the parametric process design approach is used to optimally design coal and natural gas monoethanolamine (MEA)-based post-combustion CO2 absorption−desorption capture (PCC) and compression plants that can be integrated into large-scale 550 MW coal-fired and 555 MW natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants, respectively, for capturing CO2 from their flue gases. The study then comparatively assesses the energy performance and economic viabilities of both plants to ascertain their operational feasibilities and relative costs. The parametric processe... [more]

Corrosion in the marine environment is a complex and expensive form of damage. It is commonly studied by the deployment of coupons that reflect the marine corrosion a structure will experience, thus allowing design and maintenance prevention strategies to be developed accordingly. This study stems from the lack of information in the literature regarding the profiling of corrosion with respect to marine depth in the North Sea where important wind farm developments have been undertaken. To address such issue a field experiment has been designed and carried out in the vicinity of the Westermost Rough Windfarm in the North Sea. The field experiment consists of deploying steel S355 coupons below the tidal area and capturing the effects of corrosion, the mass loss from which the corrosion rate is derived and the chemical products that makes up the rust with water depth. The study involves proper planning and logistics to ensure that the field experiment survives the rough conditions of the N... [more]

In this paper, a multiobjective approach to carry out the planning of medium-voltage (MV) and low-voltage (LV) distribution systems, considering renewable energy sources (RES) and robustness, is proposed. Due to the uncertainties associated with RES and demand, the proposed planning methodology takes into account a robust planning index (RPI). This RPI allows us to evaluate the robustness estimation associated with each planning solution. The objective function in the mathematical model considers the costs of investment and operation and the robustness of the planning proposals. Due to the computational complexity of this problem, which is difficult to solve by means of classical optimization techniques, MV/LV planning is solved by a decomposition search and a general variable neighborhood search (GVNS) algorithm. To demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of this methodology, tests are performed in an integrated distribution system with 50 MV nodes and 410 LV nodes. Our numerical re... [more]

Photoinduced charge separation (PCS) plays an essential role in various solar energy conversions such as photovoltaic conversion in solar cells. Usually, PCS in solar cells occurs stepwise via solar energy absorption by light absorbers (dyes, inorganic semiconductors, etc.) and the subsequent charge transfer at heterogeneous interfaces. Unfortunately, this two-step PCS occurs with a relatively large amount of the energy loss (at least ca. 0.3 eV). Hence, the exploration of a new PCS mechanism to minimize the energy loss is a high-priority subject to realize efficient solar energy conversion. Interfacial charge-transfer transitions (ICTTs) enable direct PCS at heterogeneous interfaces without energy loss, in principle. Recently, several progresses have been reported for ICTT at organic-inorganic semiconductor interfaces by our group. First of all, new organic-metal oxide complexes have been developed with various organic and metal-oxide semiconductors for ICTT. Through the vigorous mate... [more]

Coal gangue-based geopolymer (CGGP) is one of the hot spots existing in the recycling of coal gangue resources due to its good comprehensive mechanical properties. However, the coal gangue structure is stable and reactivity is poor, so the coal gangue needs to be activated before utilization. In this paper, the microstructure changes of activated coal gangue by different mechanical and thermal activation methods, as well as the mechanical properties and microstructure changes of the CGGP specimens were studied by experimental investigation. The results indicated that mechanical activation and thermal activation were two effective methods to change the reactivity of coal gangue, which consisted of destroying the stable kaolinite structure and improving the activity of coal gangue. Conversely, part of the amorphous structure in coal gangue was destroyed when the activation temperature reached 900 °C, which was not conducive to the further enhancement of coal gangue activity. For the CGGP... [more]

One way to mitigate the variability of wind and solar power generation is to install the corresponding plants in nearby locations. For example, in Kuwait, the facility at Shagaya Renewable Energy Park is located in a desert area with both photovoltaic panels and wind turbines that allow the continuous generation of renewable energy throughout the day. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a system to generate probabilistic wind and solar predictions for the Shagaya facility. These predictions are based on the analog ensemble technique that post-processes the wind speed and solar irradiance predictions based on a combination of multiple models including the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model. The ensemble forecasts have 20 members and are generated independently at each wind and solar power production facility. Here we present a method based on the Schaake Shuffle (SS) technique to pair the ensemble members from the independent systems to... [more]

To analyze the effect of carbon emission quota allocation on the locational marginal price (LMP) of day-ahead electricity markets, this paper proposes a two-stage algorithm. For the first stage of the algorithm, a multi-objective optimization model is established to simultaneously minimize the total costs and carbon emission costs of power systems. Hence, an evenly distributed Pareto optimal solution can be solved effectively by means of the normalized normal constraint method. For the second stage, a tracing model is built with the goal of minimizing the total costs of power systems and satisfying the constraints generated based on the Pareto optimal solution obtained from the first stage. Furthermore, the influence of carbon emission quota allocation on the LMP of electricity markets is analyzed, and different schemes to allocate carbon emission quotas are evaluated on a real 1560-bus and 52-unit system.

Sustainable and smart mobility and associated energy systems are key to decarbonise the EU and develop a clean, resource efficient, circular and carbon-neutral future. To achieve the 2030 and 2050 targets, technological and societal changes are needed. This transition will inevitably change the composition of the future EU fleet, with an increasing share of electric vehicles (xEVs). To assess the potential contribution of lithium-ion traction batteries (LIBs) in decreasing the environmental burdens of EU mobility, several aspects should be included. Even though environmental assessments of batteries along their life-cycle have been already conducted using life-cycle assessment, a single tool does not likely provide a complete overview of such a complex system. Complementary information is provided by material flow analysis and criticality assessment, with emphasis on supply risk. Bridging complementary aspects can better support decision-making, especially when different strategies are... [more]

Cyberspace has become an indispensable factor for all areas of the modern world. The world is becoming more and more dependent on the internet for everyday living. The increasing dependency on the internet has also widened the risks of malicious threats. On account of growing cybersecurity risks, cybersecurity has become the most pivotal element in the cyber world to battle against all cyber threats, attacks, and frauds. The expanding cyberspace is highly exposed to the intensifying possibility of being attacked by interminable cyber threats. The objective of this survey is to bestow a brief review of different machine learning (ML) techniques to get to the bottom of all the developments made in detection methods for potential cybersecurity risks. These cybersecurity risk detection methods mainly comprise of fraud detection, intrusion detection, spam detection, and malware detection. In this review paper, we build upon the existing literature of applications of ML models in cybersecuri... [more]

Among all large-scale natural gas (NG) liquefaction processes, the mixed fluid cascade (MFC) process is recognized as a best-alternative option for the LNG production, mainly due its competitive performance. However, from a thermodynamic point of view, the MFC process is still far from its potential maximum energy efficiency due to non-optimal execution of design variables. Therefore, the energy efficiency enhancement of the MFC process remains an ongoing issue. The design optimization after fixing the main configuration of the process is one of the most economic, but challenging exercises during the design stages. In this study, shuffled complex evolution (SCE) is studied to find the optimal design of the MFC process corresponding to minimal energy consumption in refrigeration cycles. The MFC process is simulated using Aspen Hysys® v10 and then coupled with the SCE approach, which is coded in MATLAB® 2019a. The refrigerant composition and operating pressures for each cycle of the MFC... [more]

This work presents an innovative control architecture, which takes its ideas from the theory of adaptive control techniques and the theory of statistical learning at the same time. Taking inspiration from the architecture of a classical neural network with several hidden levels, the principle is to divide the architecture of the adaptive controller into three different levels. Each level implements an algorithm based on learning from data and therefore we can talk about learning concepts. Each level has a different task: the first to learn the required reference to the control loop; the second to learn the coefficients of the state representation of a model of the system to be controlled; and finally, the third to learn the coefficients of the state representation of the actual controller. The design of the control system is reported from both a rigorous and an operational point of view. As an application example, the proposed control technique is applied on a second-order non-linear s... [more]

Increased concerns over global warming and air pollution has pushed governments to consider renewable energy as an alternative to meet the required energy demands of countries. Many government policies are deployed in Taiwan to promote solar and wind energy to cope with air pollution and self-dependency for energy generation. However, the residential sector contribution is not significant despite higher feed-in tariff rates set by government. This study analyzes wind and solar power availability of four different locations of southern Taiwan, based on the Köppen−Geiger climate classification system. The solar−wind hybrid system (SWHS) considered in this study consists of multi-crystalline photovoltaic (PV) modules, vertical wind turbines, inverters and batteries. Global reanalysis weather data and a climate-based electricity load profile at a 1-h resolution was used for the simulation. A general framework for multi-objective optimization using this simulation technique is proposed for... [more]