The diffusion of electric vehicles (EVs) can be sustained by the presence of integrated solutions offering parking and clean power supply. The recourse to DC systems allows better integration of EV bidirectional energy exchange, photovoltaic panels, and energy storage. In this paper, a methodology for optimal techno-economic sizing of a DC-microgrid for covering EV mobility needs is carried out. It is based on the definition of different scenarios of operation, according to typical EV usage outlooks and environmental conditions. In each scenario, optimal operation is carried out by means of a specific approach for EV commitment on different stations. The sizing procedure is able to handle the modular structure of microgrid devices. The proposed approach is applied to a case study of an envisaged EV service fleet for the Bari port authority.

The main objective of this paper is to examine the long-term effects of financial development, economic growth, energy consumption (electricity consumption in the agriculture sector), foreign direct investment (FDI), and population on the environmental quality in Pakistan during the period of 1980 to 2016. We use CO2 emissions from the agriculture sector as a proxy indicator for environmental quality. We employ various unit root tests (e.g., ADF, PP, ERS, KPSS) and structural break unit root tests (Z&A, CMR) to check the stationarity and structural break in the data series. Cointegration tests, i.e., Johansen, Engle-Granger, and ARDL cointegration approaches are used to ensure their robustness. Results showed that significant long-term cointegration exists among the variables. Findings also indicated that an increase in financial development and foreign direct investment (FDI) improves environmental quality, whereas the increase in economic growth and electricity consumption in the agr... [more]

The traditional way of managing the supply and return water temperatures in a district heating system (DHS) is by controlling the supply water temperature. The return water temperature then becomes a passive result that reflects the overall energy efficiency of the DHS. A DHS with many poorly functioning district heating centrals will create a high return water temperature, and the energy efficiency of the DHS will be affected negatively in several ways (e.g., lower efficiency of the flue gas condenser, higher heat losses in pipes, and lower electricity production for a DHS with combined heat and power (CHP)). With a strategic introduction of low-grade heat customers, the return water temperature can be lowered and, to some extent, controlled. With the heat customers connected in parallel, which is the traditional setup, return water temperatures can only be lowered at the same rate as the heat customers are improved. The active management of some customers can lower the return water t... [more]

Temperature is one of the most prominent factors affecting production operations, predicting the accurate wellbore-formation temperature in a water-flooding production well is of great importance for multiple applications. In this paper, an improved coupled model of oil−water two-phase fluid flow and heat transfer was developed to investigate the transient temperature behavior for a producing well with multiple pay zones. Firstly, a novel method was derived to simulate the water saturation and the water breakthrough time (WBT) for tubing, which are key monitoring parameters in the process of water flooding. Then, we incorporated water saturation and an equation set for immiscible displacement to calculate the seepage velocity and the pressure of the two-phase fluid in the pay zones. Next, the upward seepage velocity of the tubing fluid change with depth was focused on, and the proper coupled initial and boundary conditions are presented at the interfaces, therewith the implicit finite... [more]

We propose a model for the integration of electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid power system in Japan. The potential of the switchover from conventional vehicles to EVs and the incurred charging loads for the EV fleet were evaluated based on the results of a Japanese road traffic census. Furthermore, an EV battery operation model was incorporated into the production cost analysis model, which is capable of determining the optimal electricity supply and demand, considering the existing interconnector power flows. The potential economic and environmental contributions of EV charge and discharge controls, with the ultimate goal of realizing the introduction of a massive renewable energy source in the future, were also evaluated. We found that EVs can greatly contribute to expanding the use of renewable energy and reducing system cost by charging and discharging not only at the owner’s home but also at his/her workplace.

A vital requirement for all-air ventilation systems are their functionality to operate both in cooling and heating mode. This article experimentally investigates two newly designed air distribution systems, corner impinging jet (CIJV) and hybrid displacement ventilation (HDV) in comparison against a mixing type air distribution system. These three different systems are examined and compared to one another to evaluate their performance based on local thermal comfort and ventilation effectiveness when operating in heating mode. The evaluated test room is an office environment with two workstations. One of the office walls, which has three windows, faces a cold climate chamber. The results show that CIJV and HDV perform similar to a mixing ventilation in terms of ventilation effectiveness close to the workstations. As for local thermal comfort evaluation, the results show a small advantage for CIJV in the occupied zone. Comparing C2-CIJV to C2-CMV the average draught rate (DR) in the occu... [more]

The modern urban landscape creates numerous challenges for the deployment of solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The large structures that dominate the skyline of every city create compactness, which, in turn, limits the available rooftop area and creates unpredicted shading patterns. The majority of research today relies on modern applications such as geographical information system (GIS) software to evaluate urban morphology; however, this approach is computationally intensive and therefore it is usually limited to a small geographical area. In this paper, we approach this issue from another perspective, utilizing the enormous amount of high resolution PV yield data that is available for the Netherlands. Our results not only correlate performance losses with urban compactness indicators, but they also reveal a significant seasonality effect that can reach 15% in some cases.

In depleted offshore reservoirs, pore pressure declines and consequently horizontal in-situ stresses decrease as well. This causes a very limited well depth for extended-reach drilling targeting to offshore depleted reservoirs. In this paper, based on analyzing the safe mud weight window of the depleted offshore reservoirs, a model of predicting the Maximum Allowable Measured Depth (MAMD) for extended-reach drilling targeting to offshore depleted reservoirs is developed. Meanwhile, the numerical method of the model is proposed, and the key affecting factors of the MAMD are also investigated. The results show the pore pressure depletion has obvious effects on the MAMD. With the depletion of pore pressure, the safe mud weight window appears narrower and even disappears, consequently the predicted MAMD becomes shorter. For a normal regime depositional environment in the depleted reservoirs, it may be impossible to drill with conventional drilling method in the nearby directions of the max... [more]

Amidst rapid urban development, sustainable transportation solutions are required to meet the increasing demands for mobility whilst mitigating the potentially negative social, economic, and environmental impacts. This study analyses autonomous vehicles (AVs) as a potential transportation solution for smart and sustainable development. We identified privacy and cybersecurity risks of AVs as crucial to the development of smart and sustainable cities and examined the steps taken by governments around the world to address these risks. We highlight the literature that supports why AVs are essential for smart and sustainable development. We then identify the aspects of privacy and cybersecurity in AVs that are important for smart and sustainable development. Lastly, we review the efforts taken by federal governments in the US, the UK, China, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, France, and the EU, and by US state governments to address AV-related privacy and cybersecurity risk... [more]

In the view of microbial community, thermophilic microorganisms were reported to have faster biochemical reaction rates, which are reflected by a higher methane production rate. However, there has no research to discuss the effect of temperature on methanogenic activity in relation to micronutrient transport and availability. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature on methanogenic activity in relation to nutrient uptakes, micronutrient transports, and mass balance using anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (ASBR) with recycled biogas for treating ethanol wastewater at mesophilic (37 °C) and thermophilic (55 °C) temperatures. The increase in temperature from 37 to 55 °C increased in both of the optimum chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate and methanogenic activity, corresponding to the results of N and P uptakes, energy balance, and mass balance. The higher temperature of the thermophilic operation as compared to the mesophilic one caused a lower wat... [more]

Qinghai Province has a very fragile ecological environment and is an important component of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. To understand the disturbance caused by human activities to the local ecological system, it is necessary to evaluate the response of ecological service functions to land use change in Qinghai Province and to uncover the sensitivity of ecological service functions to land use change. This study uses a proxy-based method and proposes a sensitivity index to describe the degree of ecological service function response to the land use change in Qinghai Province. The findings were as follows. (1) From 1988 to 2008, the area of cultivated land, construction land and water in Qinghai Province increased, and forest land and grassland continuously decreased. The agricultural economy and the development of urbanization are the main driving factors in land use change in this area. Policies and eco-environmental engineering, such as the grain-for-green project, the Three-North shelt... [more]

Environmental change is currently considered a high-priority matter, both in the scientific community at large and at the institutional level of national and international governing bodies. Actually, an all-out effort seeks to investigate and advance viable solutions to deal with the global emergencies regarding to anthropic climate change; increasing demands for renewable sources of energy, technological innovation and energy-saving systems, ecological and environmental sustainability of natural resources and land. At the core of this worldwide endeavour an increasingly significant role seems destined to the agricultural sector and to agro-energy production systems for the potential benefits in terms of production costs. In fact, the interest in unconventional and low-impact energy sources mandates thorough investigation not only into the advantages, in terms of availability and affordability, but also into the impact on the environment and the quality of the landscape, as well as the... [more]

Low-permeability reservoirs have strong heterogeneity, and the production prediction based on traditional seepage model is not accurate enough. The dynamic capillary-force seepage model can characterize the dynamic heterogeneity of seepage and more accurately describe the oil−water flow process. In this paper, the calculation formula of the dynamic capillary force is obtained through a real low-permeability core experiment, and the seepage model of dynamic capillary force is established. Based on the model, the authors quantitatively study the effects of formation pressure, heterogeneity and production speed on dynamic capillary force through numerical solutions. It is found that compared with the traditional static capillary-force seepage model, the dynamic capillary-force seepage model makes the predicted water cut increase and the recovery factor decrease. With the increase in development time, formation pressure and production rate will make the effect of dynamic capillary force mo... [more]

In order to achieve sustainable development of mature oilfield, a series of adjustment measures should be implemented to improve production performance at the extra-high water cut stage. South Kumkol reservoir is a typical multi-layer low viscosity oil reservoir, which has the characteristics of small sandstone body, high shale volume, and strong heterogeneity. At present, the water cut of the South Kumkol reservoir is about 90%, which is on the verge of being abandoned. Multi-layer cyclic alternate injection and production (MCA-IP) is an ideal adjustment measure for multi-layer oil reservoir to improve oil recovery (IOR) at the extra-high water cut stage. In this paper, we designed the double-plate visual physical device and the MCA-IP experimental program and then calculated the sweep coefficient using image recognition method. Furthermore, the sweep coefficient was quantitatively calculated by image recognition method. The results show that the sweep area extends to both sides of th... [more]

In this work, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is used to examine the implications of CO2 capture from a natural gas combined cycle power plant with post-combustion carbon capture (NGCC-CCS) in Iraq, taking into account two different design scenarios. In the first scenario (retrofit), the carbon capture unit is considered as an end pipe technology that can be linked to an existing power plant. The second scenario considers a grassroots design, in which a new power plant equipped with a carbon capture unit needs to be constructed. The LCA is carried out based on different impact assessment (LCIA) methodologies of ReCipe 2016 Midpoint (H), TRACI 2.1, and IMPACT 2002+ to investigate whether the chosen LCIA method influences the LCA scenario analysis for decision support in process development. The results of three impact categories applied to both scenarios reveal a 28% reduction in Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) and a 14% and 17% increase in the Particulate Matter Formation... [more]

High energy consumption is one of the main problems of drying, a critical process for many industrial sectors. The optimization of drying energy use results in significant energy saving and has become a topic of interest in recent decades. We investigate benefits of heat recovery in a convective drying system by comparing two different scenarios. The Baseline Scenario is a conventional industrial dryer, and Scenario 1 includes the preheating of drying air by exhausts from the drying chamber. We show that the energy efficiency of the drying cycle is strictly related to the properties of the dried material and operative conditions, and performance improves significantly (by 59% to 87%) when installing a heat recovery unit (Scenario 1). Additionally, the temperature of drying air affects performance. We assess both scenarios by LCA analysis, measuring the environmental impacts and externalities of four different fuels (natural gas, light fuel oil, biomethane, and hardwood chips). Our find... [more]

Many studies have evaluated CO2 emission from batteries. However, the impact of Li-ion battery (LiB) degradation on the CO2 emissions from the material through operation phases has not been sufficiently examined. This study aims to clarify the dominant CO2 emission phase and the impact of the degradation of general industrial LiBs from repetitive cycle applications. We developed a model common to general LiB composition and calculated CO2 emissions by the LCA method using the IDEA database. Our model simplifies the degradation process, including capacity decrease and internal resistance increase. We used it in a sensitivity analysis of the carbon intensity of electricity charged to a LiB. The loss mechanism was determined by experimental data for an electric bus with an industrial LiB. The results illustrate that the carbon intensity of electricity affects CO2 emissions dominance, the operation phase for mix (71.3%), and the material phase for renewables (70.9%), and that battery degra... [more]

Net-zero climate districts are gaining wide attention at the European and international levels. Urban regeneration competitions have been launched recently to stimulate development; nevertheless, the literature does not yet provide a shared scope definition (i.e., product system). Using the process-based life cycle assessment method, the authors evaluate the climate profile of a new district in Milan (14 buildings with 36,000 m2 of gross surface area in total) aiming to become the first net-zero social housing project in Italy. The authors show in the results section how climate neutrality is achieved on the part of the real estate operator by varying the scope. The most conservative scenario (including all the emission sources considered in the analysis) indicates that the net-zero climate target is reached only by purchasing voluntary carbon credits. The authors also highlight: (i) a district composed of nearly-zero energy buildings is far from the definition of a net-zero climate em... [more]

There are different configurations selected by both industry and academia as the drivetrain for wind turbines in the power range of 10 to 16 MW. The choice of drivetrain system influences the levelized cost of energy, and, as the turbines become larger, and, therefore, costlier, there is more potential for the optimization of cost critical systems, like the drivetrain. The latter motivates the utilization of a life cycle assessment approach to profoundly influence the choice of drivetrain technology such that it offers a better compromise between the different aspects in the drivetrain life cycle. To this end, in this paper, various permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG)-based drivetrain technologies for 15 MW bottom-fixed and floating offshore wind turbine applications are designed and compared. The technologies under investigation are based on direct-drive, medium- and high-speed generators. The conceptual design of the drivetrain for the three technologies under consideration... [more]

The aim of this study is to calculate the average carbon footprint per capita from the transportation of the Ice Hockey League in Turkey and Lithuania in the 2021−2022 season. In addition, we identified the opinions of team managers of the national hockey leagues in Turkey and Lithuania regarding the problems and possible solutions related to the sustainable environment and persons’ right to a clean and safe environment in the sport sector. In this study, which was limited to the Turkish Ice Hockey Intercity Super League and the Lithuanian National Ice Hockey League in the 2021−2022 Season, eight teams from Turkey and five teams from Lithuania took part in the research. The type of vehicle used by each team and the total traveled distance were used for the collection of data. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview format seeking to identify problems and solutions proposed by sports managers regarding environmental sustainability and the implementation of persons’ r... [more]

With the vast majority of scientists agreeing that the only hope in mitigating the adverse effects of climate change is to drop our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, the decarbonization of the electricity sector is an environmental emergency. Wind energy can be a leader in the energy transition to a carbon emission-free economy. However, the wind energy transition must be carefully implemented to mitigate the economic, environmental, and social consequences of this change. Blade waste from end-of-life wind turbines is the Achilles’ heel of this energy transition and the main impediment to its full acceptance. Aiming to support efficient blade waste management and therefore to ensure sustainable wind energy transition, we conduct a two-fold methodology. In the first part, we propose a novel conceptual framework of upcycling and downcycling end-of-life solutions in an urban regeneration setting. In the second part, we use the case study method to illustrate the aspects of our concept... [more]

This study approaches cyber security in industrial environments focusing on hydro power plants, since they are part of the critical infrastructure and are the main source of renewable energy in some countries. The theoretical study case follows the standard IEC 62443-2-1 to implement a cyber security management system (CSMS) in a hydro power plant with two generation units. The CSMS is composed of six steps: (1) initiate CSMS, (2) high level risk assessment, (3) detailed risk assessment, (4) establish policies, procedures, and awareness, (5) select and implement countermeasures, and (6) maintain the CSMS. To perform the high-level risk assessment, an overview of the most common activities and vulnerabilities in hydro power plants systems is presented. After defining the priorities, the detailed risk assessment is performed based on a HAZOP risk analysis methodology focusing on hackable digital assets (cyber-HAZOP). The analysis of the cyber-HAZOP assessment leads to mitigations of the... [more]

The increasing concentration of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere is causing a global environmental crisis, forcing significant reductions in emissions. Among the existing CO2 capture technologies, microalgae-guided sequestration is seen as one of the more promising and sustainable solutions. The present review article compares CO2 emissions in the EU with other global economies, and outlines EU’s climate policy together with current and proposed EU climate regulations. Furthermore, it summarizes the current state of knowledge on controlled microalgal cultures, indicates the importance of CO2 phycoremediation methods, and assesses the importance of microalgae-based systems for long-term storage and utilization of CO2. It also outlines how far microalgae technologies within the EU have developed on the quantitative and technological levels, together with prospects for future development. The literature overview has shown that large-scale take-up of technological solutions for the prod... [more]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the overall life cycle environmental impact of an adiabatic compressed air energy storage (ACAES) system, which is designed to achieve the best match between the power production of a photovoltaic (PV) power plant and the power demand from the final user. The electrical energy demand of a small town, with a maximum power load of about 10 MW, is considered a case study. The ACAES system is designed with a compressor-rated power of about 10 MW and charging and discharging times of 10 and 24 h, respectively. Different sizes of the PV plant, ranging from 20 to 40 MWp, and two different solutions for the compressed air storage, an underground cavern, and a gas pipeline, are analyzed. The aim of this analysis is to compare the impacts on human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resource consumption of the PV power generation plant and the integrated PV-ACAES system with those of a reference scenario in which the end user demand is met entirely... [more]

The mechanical recycling of solid plastic waste on a small-scale level can be accomplished with the correct approaches. Thermoplastics are the types of plastic mostly considered for mechanical recycling because of their physical properties and ease of reprocessing. This paper reviews the mechanical reprocessing techniques of selected thermoplastics (polyethylene terephthalate and polyolefins), since they constitute a significant proportion of the plastics used commercially. Furthermore, necessary considerations for the effective operation of small-scale plants, including energy requirements of machinery and optimisation in order to improve efficiency and product quality, are discussed. A clearer understanding and addressing of the process-related challenges will lead to the successful establishment and management of small-scale mechanical recycling facilities to benefit communities. Efficient small-scale mechanical reprocessing establishments have become essential in reducing the envir... [more]