In developed countries like Austria the renewable energy potential might outpace the demand. This requires primary energy efficiency measures as well as an energy system design that enables the integration of variable renewable energy sources. Municipal energy systems, which supply customers with heat and electricity, will play an important role in this task. The cumulative exergy consumption methodology considers resource consumption from the raw material to the final product. It includes the exergetic expenses for imported energy as well as for building the energy infrastructure. In this paper, we determine the exergy optimal energy system design of an exemplary municipal energy system by using cumulative exergy consumption minimisation. The results of a case study show that well a linked electricity and heat system using heat pumps, combined heat power plants and battery and thermal storages is necessary. This enables an efficient supply and also provides the necessary flexibilities... [more]

Among the driving factors for the high production cost of cellulosic butanol lies the pretreatment and product separation sections, which often demand high amounts of energy, chemicals, and water. In this study, techno-economic analysis of several pretreatments and product separation technologies were conducted and compared. Among the pretreatment technologies evaluated, low-moisture anhydrous ammonia (LMAA) pretreatment has shown notable potential with a pretreatment cost of $0.16/L butanol. Other pretreatment technologies evaluated were autohydrolysis, soaking in aqueous ammonia (SAA), and soaking in sodium hydroxide solution (NaOH) with pretreatment costs of $1.98/L, $3.77/L, and $0.61/L, respectively. Evaluation of different product separation technologies for acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process have shown that in situ stripping has the lowest separation cost, which was $0.21/L. Other product separation technologies tested were dual extraction, adsorption, and membra... [more]

Modular multilevel converters (MMCs) are expected to play an important role in future high voltage direct current (HVDC) grids. Moreover, advanced MMC topologies may include various submodule (SM) types. In this sense, the modeling of MMCs is paramount for HVDC grid studies. Detailed models of MMCs are cumbersome for electromagnetic transient (EMT) programs due to the high number of components and large simulation times. For this reason, simplified models that reduce the computation times while reproducing the dynamics of the MMCs are needed. However, up to now, the models already developed do not consider hybrid MMCs, which consist of different types of SMs. In this paper, a procedure to simulate MMCs having different SM topologies is proposed. First, the structure of hybrid MMCs and the modeling method is presented. Next, an enhanced procedure to compute the number of SMs to be inserted that takes into account the different behavior of full-bridge SMs (FB-SMs) and half-bridge submodu... [more]

The introduction of electrical vehicle charging infrastructure including electric vehicle (EV) charger renewable energy resource at the secondary feeder in a distribution system has been increased as one of countermeasure for global environmental issues. However, the electric vehicle charging (EVC) infrastructure may act as the peak load in the distribution system, which can adversely impact on the voltage stability when the electric vehicle is quickly charged. Therefore, to keep within the limit capacity of a secondary feeder and allowable limit for the feeder voltage, this paper proposes a stabilization method by an energy storage system (ESS) control strategy at the secondary feeder to not exceed the upper limit or fall below the lower limit. In addition, this paper presents an estimation method to keep the proper standard value of the state of charge (SOC). From the simulation results, the voltage stabilization operation by the ESS should make the feeder voltages of the distributio... [more]

The permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) is widely used in high voltage DC transmission technology of wind power systems due to its high-power density, high reliability and simple maintenance. To meet the increasing rated power of the generator (≥10 MW), the multi-converter parallel connection is usually used, which significantly increases the complexity and cost of the system. Therefore, a new modular N* three-phase PMSG is proposed in this paper. Based on the structure and working principle of the generator, the finite element model is established, and the electromagnetic properties are obtained by finite element analysis. Aiming at the unique winding structure and characteristics of modular N* three-phase PMSG, a generator side current converter harmonic control algorithm, combining a resonant controller with the proportional-integral regulator, is proposed. The suppression of stator current harmonics at different speeds could be achieved by the proposed algorithm, and the... [more]

Synthesis of surface modified/multi-functional nanoparticles has become a vital research area of material science. In the present work, iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles prepared by solvo-thermal method were functionalized by polydopamine. The catechol groups of polydopamine at the surface of nanoparticles provided the sites for the attachment of Aspergillus terreus AH-F2 lipase through adsorption, Schiff base and Michael addition mechanisms. The strategy was revealed to be facile and efficacious, as lipase immobilized on magnetic nanoparticles grant the edge of ease in recovery with utilizing external magnet and reusability of lipase. Maximum activity of free lipase was estimated to be 18.32 U/mg/min while activity of Fe3O4-PDA-Lipase was 17.82 U/mg/min (showing 97.27% residual activity). The lipase immobilized on polydopamine coated iron oxide (Fe3O4_PDA_Lipase) revealed better adoptability towards higher levels of temperature/pH comparative to free lipase. The synthesized (Fe3O4_PDA_... [more]

As fuel consumption in the transport sector has increased at a faster pace than in other sectors, the use of electromobility represents the main strategy adopted by the automotive industry. In this context, as the number of electrical vehicles (EVs) will increase, it will also be necessary to increase the number of charging stations. The present paper presents a complete solution for charging stations that can be located in the office or mall parking area. This solution includes a mode 3 AC charging stations of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61851-1 Standard, an EV simulator for testing the good functionality of the charging stations (i.e., communications, residual-current device (RCD) protection) and a software application used for controlling the charging process by the programmable logic controller (PLC).

In this paper, a method for induction machine (IM) torque/speed tracking control derived from the 3-D non-holonomic integrator including drift terms is proposed. The proposition builds on a previous result derived in the form of a single loop non-linear state controller providing implicit rotor flux linkage vector tracking. This concept was appropriate only for piecewise constant references and assured minimal norm of the stator current vector during steady-states. The extended proposition introduces a second control loop for the rotor flux linkage vector magnitude that can be either constant, programmed, or optimized to achieve either maximum torque per amp ratio or high dynamic response. It should be emphasized that the same structure of the controller can be used either for torque control or for speed control. Additionally, it turns out that the proposed controller can be easily adapted to meet different objectives posed on the drive system. The introduced control concept assures st... [more]

The role of buildings in the context of addressing the consequences of climate change and the energy deficit is becoming increasingly important due to their share in the overall amount of green house gas (GHG) emissions and rapidly growing domestic energy consumption worldwide. Adherence to a sustainability agenda requires ever-increasing attention to all stages of a building′s life, as such approach allows for the consideration of environmental impacts of a building, from design, through construction stages, until the final phase of a building′s life—demolition. A life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the most recognized and adopted models for the evaluation of the environmental performance of materials and processes. This paper aims to perform an LCA of four different types of residential buildings in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The assessment primarily considered embodied energy and GHG emissions as key assessment indicators. Findings suggest that the operational stage contributed to mo... [more]

Overspeed is more likely to occur in the process of load rejection or large disturbances for nuclear steam turbines due to the large parameter range and low steam parameters, as well as the power of the low-pressure cylinder accounting for a high proportion of the total power. It is of great significance to study the overspeed characteristics of nuclear power plants (NPPs) to ensure the safe and stable operation of the unit and power grid. According to the characteristics of NPPs, the overspeed protection model and the super-acceleration protection model were established, which were added to the speed-governing system model. The response characteristics of the reactor, thermal system, steam turbine and speed-governing system in the process of load rejection or large disturbances of the power grid were analyzed and simulated. The results were compared using the simulation software personal computer transient analyzer (PCTRAN). The simulation results showed that quickly closing both the... [more]

In this paper, a series of experimental data about the role of the metal foam thickness on the total air flow pressure drop is presented. The tested metallic foams are based on aluminum and nickel-chromium and they are characterized by a considerable value of porosity (>0.92) and by a number of pores per linear inches (PPI) close to 10. The measures were conducted in a range of air velocity values typical for HVAC fan-coils. Under these conditions, the flow regime into the pores is highly turbulent. It was demonstrated that below a threshold value of the ratio between the thickness of the porous medium (H) and the characteristic dimension of the pores (d), the dispersion of the pressure drop values from a sample to another one can be very high. This behavior can limit the industrial use of these materials. In addition, the results presented in this paper confirm that the pressure drop data obtained under highly turbulent conditions can be conveniently used in order to determine the ine... [more]

Motivated by the benefits of multi-energy integration, this paper establishes a bi-level two-stage framework based on transactive control, to achieve the optimal energy provision among interconnected multi-energy systems (MESs). At the lower level, each MES autonomously determines the optimal setpoints of its controllable assets by solving a cost minimization problem, in which rolling horizon optimization is adopted to deal with the load and renewable energies’ stochastic features. A technique is further implemented for optimization model convexification by relaxing storages’ complementarity constraints, and its mathematical proof verifies the exactness of the relaxation. At the upper level, a coordinator is responsible for minimizing total costs of interconnected MESs while preventing transformer overloading. This collaborative problem is solved iteratively in a proposed two-stage transactive control framework that is compatible with operational time requirement while retaining scalab... [more]

To improve the adaptability of direct air-cooled power generating units to the variations of both meteorological condition and power load, a piping-main arrangement of air-cooled condensers was proposed. The heat and mass transfer models of the air-side were established for the air cooling system of 2 × 600 MW thermal power generating units. The coupled model for both flow resistance loss and condensate flow rate distributions of exhaust steam inside air-cooled condensers were developed based on the temperature fields through numerical simulation. Calculation results, including the condensate flow rate, back pressure, and coal consumption rate, were acquired under different ambient temperatures and wind velocities. The results show that the proposed piping-main arrangement can weaken the ambient wind impacts and reduce the backpressure significantly in summer by adjusting the number of air-cooled condenser cells in operation. The steam flow rate can be uniformed effectively by adjustin... [more]

Two-dimensional design and analysis issues on the meridional surface, which is important in the preliminary design procedure of compressors, are highly dependent on the accuracy of empirical models, such as the prediction of total pressure loss model and turning flow angle. Most of the widely used models are derived or improved from experimental data of some specific cascades with low-loading and low-speed airfoil types. These models may work for most conventional compressors but are incapable of accurately estimating the performance for some specific cases like transonic compressors. The errors made by these models may mislead the final design results. Therefore, surrogate models are developed in this work to reduce the errors and replace the conventional empirical models in the through-flow calculation procedure. A group of experimental data considering a two-stage transonic compressor is used to generate the airfoils database for training the surrogate models. Sensitivity analysis i... [more]

In recent years, the energy performance of public buildings has attracted substantial attention due to the significant energy-saving potential. As a semi-open high-space building, the high-speed railway station is obviously different from other public buildings and even traditional stations in terms of energy consumption and internal environment. This paper investigates the current energy consumption situation and environmental quality of 15 high-speed railway passenger stations in China. Results show that the energy consumption of the high-speed railway station is between 117−470 kWh/(m2·a). The energy consumption of the station is related to the area and the passenger flow. The energy use of the station using district heating is higher than that of the station without district heating in the same region. The higher glazing ratio induces good natural lighting in the station, but the uniformity of the lighting in the station is not good. The acceptable temperature range of passengers i... [more]

With the penetration of renewable generation, electric vehicles and other random factors in power systems, the stochastic disturbances are increasing significantly, which are necessary to be handled for guarantying the security of systems. A novel stochastic optimal control strategy is proposed in this paper to reduce the impact of such stochastic continuous disturbances on power systems. The proposed method is effective in solving the problems caused by the stochastic continuous disturbances and has two significant advantages. First, a simplified and effective solution is proposed to analyze the system influenced by the stochastic disturbances. Second, a novel optimal control strategy is proposed in this paper to effectively reduce the impact of stochastic continuous disturbances. To be specific, a novel excitation controlled power systems model with stochastic disturbances is built in the quasi-generalized Hamiltonian form, which is further simplified into a lower-dimension model thr... [more]

This paper presents a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) transient model in stack current cycling conditions and its partial optimal control. The derived model is used for a specific application of the recently published multistage control technique developed by the authors. The presented control-oriented transient PEMFC model is an extension of the steady-state control-oriented model previously established by the authors. The new model is experimentally validated for transient operating conditions on the Greenlight Innovation G60 testing station where the comparison of the experimental and simulation results is presented. The derived five-state nonlinear control-oriented model is linearized, and three clusters of eigenvalues can be clearly identified. This specific feature of the linearized model is known as the three timescale system. A novel multistage optimal control technique is particularly suitable for this class of systems. It is shown that this control technique enable... [more]

The serious problem of climate change has led the energy sector to modify its generation resources from fuel-based power plants to environmentally friendly renewable resources. However, these green resources are highly intermittent due to weather dependency and they produce increased risks of stability issues in power systems. The deployment of different flexible resources can help the system to become more resilient and secure against uncertainties caused by renewables. Flexible resources can be located at different levels in power systems like, for example, at the transmission-level (TSO), distribution-level (DSO) and customer-level. Each of these levels may have different structures of flexibility trading as well. This paper conducts a comprehensive review from the recent research related to flexible resources at various system levels in smart grids and assesses the trading structures of these resources. Finally, it analyzes the application of a newly emerged ICT technology, blockch... [more]

A new idea for a contra-rotary ramjet engine is presented. To define the theoretical limits of the non-typical, contra-rotary ramjet engine configuration, its analytical model was developed. The results obtained from that model and the analytical results were compared with those received from numerical simulations. The main weakness of existing rotary ramjet engine projects is the very high rotational speed of the rotor required for achieving supersonic inlet flow. In this paper, a new idea for a contra-rotary ramjet engine (CORRE) is presented and analyzed. This paper presents the results of analytical analysis and numerical simulations of a jet engine system with two rotors rotating in opposite directions. Contra-rotating rotors generate a supersonic air velocity at the inlet to the compressor at two times slower rotor’s speed. To determine the flow characteristics, combustion process, and engine efficiency of the double-rotor engine, a numerical solution of the average Navier-Stokes... [more]

Nearly 30% of humanity lives in earthen dwellings. Earthbag is a sustainable, cheap, feasible and comfortable option for emergency housing. A comparative monitoring-simulation analysis of the hygrothermal behavior of an Earthbag dwelling in Mediterranean continental climate, designed under bioclimatic criteria, is presented. The dome shape Earthbag dwelling has a net floor area of 7.07 m2, a glass door facing south and two confronted windows in the east and west facades. A numerical model (EnergyPlus v8.8) was designed for comparison. Twenty-four hour cross ventilation, night cross ventilation, and no ventilation in free floating mode and a controlled indoor temperature were the tested scenarios. Comparisons between experimental data and simulation show a good match in temperature behavior for the scenarios studied. Reductions of 90% in summer and 88% in winter, in the interior thermal amplitude with respect to exterior temperatures are found. Position of the glazed openings was fundam... [more]

This paper investigates the nucleate boiling process of dimethyl ether and selected hydrocarbons. The main goal of this study is to measure the heat transfer coefficients of RE170, R600a, and R601, and to compare them with R134a. The experiments were carried out for heat fluxes up to 70 kW/m2. Experimental results have shown a typical trend that the heat transfer coefficient of flammable refrigerants increases as the heat flux increases. Among the tested fluids, the highest values of heat transfer coefficient were obtained for RE170. Available correlations describing this coefficient showed a deviation of up to 93%, as compared to the data obtained. The new correlation was developed by regression analysis taking into account dimensionless variables affecting the boiling process.

The term “energy efficiency” covers a wide scope and it is affected by a lack of clarity. To overcome this issue, quantitative measures should be defined and evaluated for each unit of product or process considered. These quantitative indicators are necessary to support and evaluate energy efficiency improvements in industry, by allowing to (i) monitor the energy performance, and (ii) perform benchmarking analyses with best available techniques or similar processes. The specific energy consumption (SEC), i.e., the amount of energy consumed per unit of product/output, is the most commonly used index. Because of the uncertain demand faced by companies, production processes run at a rate that can vary within a certain range, to which correspond a different utilization of plants. Energy efficiency investments can be categorized in accordance to how they affect the SEC: i.e., the first group of investments has the same effects for each production rate (e.g., replacement of dated electric mo... [more]

Active distribution networks must operate properly for different scenarios of load levels and distributed generation. An important operational requirement is to maintain the voltage profile within standard operating limits. To do this, this paper proposed a Multi-Scenario Three-Phase Optimal Power Flow (MTOPF) that plans the voltage regulation of unbalance and active distribution networks considering typical scenarios of operation. This MTOPF finds viable operation points by the optimal adjustments of voltage regulator taps and distribution transformer taps. The differentiating characteristic of this formulation is that in addition to the traditional tuning of voltage regulator taps of an active network applied for just one scenario of load and generation, it also performs the optimal adjustment of distribution transformer taps, which, once fixed, is able to meet the voltage limits of diverse operating situations. The optimization problem was solved by the primal-dual interior-point me... [more]

Energy storage systems (ESSs) are essential to ensure continuity of energy supply and maintain the reliability of modern power systems. Intermittency and uncertainty of renewable generations due to fluctuating weather conditions as well as uncertain behavior of load demand make ESSs an integral part of power system flexibility management. Typically, the load demand profile can be categorized into peak and off-peak periods, and adding power from renewable generations makes the load-generation dynamics more complicated. Therefore, the thermal generation (TG) units need to be turned on and off more frequently to meet the system load demand. In view of this, several research efforts have been directed towards analyzing the benefits of ESSs in solving optimal unit commitment (UC) problems, minimizing operating costs, and maximizing profits while ensuring supply reliability. In this paper, some recent research works and relevant UC models incorporating ESSs towards solving the abovementioned... [more]

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methods help decision makers to consider and weigh diverse criteria that include economic, environmental, social and technological aspects. This characteristic makes them a popular tool to comparatively evaluate road transportation fuels and vehicles (RTFV). The aim of this paper is to systematically classify and analyse the literature applying MCDA methods on the evaluation of RTFV. To this end, 40 relevant papers are pinpointed and discussed. We identified a great number of evaluation criteria employed in the reviewed papers from which we have established a concluding list of 41 criteria, that can serve as a pool for future research. A further analysis of the evaluation criteria reveals that the process of criteria selection partly suffers from a lack of scientific foundation and standardization. We propose to standardize the criteria selection process by using the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodology as a guiding reference.... [more]