This work aimed to study the bubble distribution in a multiphase pump. A Euler-Euler inhomogeneous two-phase flow model coupled with a discrete particle population balance model (PBM) was used to simulate the whole flow channel of a three-stage gas-liquid two-phase centrifugal pump. Comparison of the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation results with experimental data shows that the model can accurately predict the performance of the pump under various operating conditions. In addition, the liquid phase velocity distribution, gas-phase distribution, and pressure distribution of the second stage impeller at a 0.5 span of blade height under three typical working conditions were compared. Results show that the region with high local gas volume fraction (LGVF) mainly appears on the suction surface (SS) of the blade. With the increase in inlet gas volume fraction (IGVF), vortices and low velocity recirculation regions are generated at the impeller outlet and SS of the blade, the area... [more]

In this study, reverse electrodialysis power generation using an anisotropic anodic aluminum oxide membrane with nanopores of two different pore diameters is proposed and experimentally investigated for the first time. A number of experiments were carried out for various combinations of concentrations to show that the anisotropic anodic aluminum oxide membrane is superior to the conventional isotropic membrane. As a result, the highest power density that was measured from the anisotropic membrane was 15.0 mW/m2, and it was 7.2 times higher than that from the isotropic membrane. The reasons why the anisotropic membrane is superior to the isotropic membrane are explained in detail. The experiments on the anisotropic membranes with various active layer lengths and pore diameters were also conducted for exploring the effects of these engineering parameters on the power generation performance. As a result, it was shown that the length of the active layer is a more important engineering para... [more]

The experimental study of vortex induced vibration needs to be carried out in water tunnel, but in previous associated simulation work, the water tunnel was treated as an infinite flow field in the depth direction with the effect of the free surface neglected. In the paper, the dynamic characteristics and physical mechanisms of a passive turbulence control (PTC) cylinder in a flow field with a free surface is studied, and the combined technique of a volume of fluid (VOF) method and vortex-induced vibration (VIV) was realized. In the range of Reynolds number studied in this paper (3.5 × 104 ≤ Re ≤ 7.0 × 104), the dynamic parameters (lift and drag coefficients), vortex structures, VIV response (amplitude and frequency ratios), and energy harvesting characteristics of a PTC cylinder under different flow conditions were obtained. The study found that: (1) the shear layer was made more unstable behind the cylinder by the free surface, which made it quicker to reach periodic stability, and t... [more]

This paper presents a novel methodology for frequency control of a microgrid through doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) employing battery energy storage system (BESS) and droop control. The proposed microgrid frequency control is the result of the active power injection from the droop control implemented in the grid side converter (GSC) of the DFIG, and the BESS implemented in the DC link of the back-to-back converter also in the DFIG. This methodology guarantees the battery system charge during operation of the connected DFIG in the network, and the frequency control in microgrid operation after an intentional disturbance. In order for the DFIG to provide frequency support to the microgrid, the best-performing droop gain value is selected. Afterwards its performance is evaluated individually and together with the power injected by the battery. The power used for both battery charging and frequency support is managed and processed by the GSC without affecting the normal operation of... [more]

Italy, Greece, and, to a lesser degree, Bulgaria have experienced fast growth in their renewable generation capacity (RESc) over the last several years. The consequences of this fact include a decrease in spot wholesale prices in electricity markets and a significant effect on cross border trading (CBT) among neighboring interconnected countries. In this work, we empirically analyzed historical data on fundamental market variables (i.e., spot prices, load, RES generation) as well as CBT data (imports, exports, commercial schedules, net transfer capacities, etc.) on the Greek, Italian, and Bulgarian electricity markets by applying the Granger causality connectivity analysis (GCCA) approach. The aim of this analysis was to detect all possible interactions among the abovementioned variables, focusing in particular on the effects of growing shares of RES generation on the commercial electricity trading among the abovementioned countries for the period 2015−2018. The key findings of this pa... [more]

Inter-turn short-circuit faults can lead to further faults in motors. This makes monitoring and identifying such faults particularly important. However, because of interference in their working environment, fault signals can be weak and difficult to detect in permanent magnet synchronous motors. This paper proposes a method for overcoming this by extracting the inverter harmonics as an excitation source and then extracting characteristic of fault measurements from the negative sequence voltage. First of all, a model of permanent magnet synchronous motor faults is established and a fault negative sequence voltage is introduced to calculate the fault indicators. Then the high frequency harmonic excitation in the voltage is extracted. This is injected into the original voltage signal and the high frequency negative sequence component is separated and detected by a second-order generalized integrator. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively identify inter-turn shor... [more]

Microalgae are promising feedstock for the production of biodiesel and diverse medium- and high-value products such as pigments and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The importance of strain selection adapted to specific environments is important for economical purposes. We characterize here two microalgal strains, isolated from wastewater of shrimp cultivation ponds in Vietnam. Based on the 18S rDNA-ITS region, one strain belongs to the Eustigmatophyceae class and is identical to the Nannochloropsis salina isolate D12 (JX185299.1), while the other is a Chlorophyceae belonging to the Desmodesmus genus, which possesses a S516 group I intron in its 18S rDNA gene. The N. salina strain is a marine and oleaginous microalga (40% of dry weight (DW) at stationary phase) whole oil is rich in saturated fatty acids (around 45% of C16:0) suitable for biodiesel and contains a few percent of eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5). The Desmodesmus isolate can assimilate acetate and ammonium and is rich in lutein.... [more]

A fixed dual cylindrical oscillating water column (OWC) acting as a breakwater-type wave energy converter (WEC) is proposed to harvest the wave energy effectively for shallow offshore sites. An analytical model is developed to investigate the hydrodynamic characteristics and the energy capture capacity of the cylindrical OWC device in severe waves. Based on the linear potential flow theory, the analytical solutions of the velocity potential in diffraction mode are solved by matching the Eigen-function expansion technique, and the continuous conditions of the velocity potential and fluid velocity between the computational sub-domains are involved in solving the problem for determining a solution. The proposed model is verified against the published data. The effects of the wave height, the angle of chamber clapboard and the radius of the inner and outer cylindrical column on the energy conversion efficiency are investigated in this paper. To improve the energy conversion performance and... [more]

Electric air-conditioning systems driven by electricity from a wind turbine can be defined as wind electric and cooling systems according to the definition of solar-activated air-conditioners. They can potentially contribute to reduce primary energy demand and CO2 emission in the civil sector. In this paper, mini wind turbines are considered coupled with a ground source heat pump in order to serve an office building for air-conditioning and supply the electricity surplus for the pure electric load of the user. Different plant configurations are considered. First of all, assessments with two kinds of wind turbines (5−5.5 kW), vertical and horizontal axis, are performed, also considering the coupling with one and two identical wind generators. Secondly, to better use on-site electricity, a parametric study is proposed taking into account different battery storage system sizes (3.2−9.6 kWh). Finally, the plant is simulated in two locations: Naples and Cagliari. Simulation results demonstr... [more]

Climate change is becoming more important day after day. The main actor to decarbonize the economy is the building stock, especially in the energy used for Domestic Hot Water (DHW), heating and cooling. The use of renewable energy sources to cover space conditioning and DHW demands is growing every year. While solar thermal energy can cover building heating and DHW demands, there is no technology with such potential and development for space cooling. In this paper, a new concept of combining radiative cooling and solar thermal collection, the Radiative Collector and Emitter (RCE), through the idea of an adaptive cover, which uses different material properties for each functionality, is for the first time experimentally tested and proved. The RCE relies on an adaptive cover that uses different material properties for each functionality: high spectral transmittance in the solar radiation band and very low spectral transmittance in the infrared band during solar collection mode, and high... [more]

Power generation from wind farms is traditionally modeled using power curves. These models are used for assessment of wind resources or for forecasting energy production from existing wind farms. However, prediction of power using power curves is not accurate since power curves are based on ideal uniform inflow wind, which do not apply to wind turbines installed in complex and heterogeneous terrains and in wind farms. Therefore, there is a need for new models that account for the effect of non-ideal operating conditions. In this work, we propose a model for effective axial induction factor of wind turbines that can be used for power prediction. The proposed model is tested and compared to traditional power curve for a 2.5 MW horizontal axis wind turbine. Data from supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system along with wind speed measurements from a nacelle-mounted sonic anemometer and turbulence measurements from a nearby meteorological tower are used in the models. The res... [more]

The world energy production trumped by the exhaustive utilization of fossil fuels has highlighted the importance of searching for an alternative energy source that exhibits great potential. Ongoing efforts are being implemented to resolve the challenges regarding the preliminary processes before conversion to bioenergy such as pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and cultivation of biomass. Nanotechnology has the ability to overcome the challenges associated with these biomass sources through their distinctive active sites for various reactions and processes. In this review, the potential of nanotechnology incorporated into these biomasses as an aid or addictive to enhance the efficiency of bioenergy generation has been reviewed. The fundamentals of nanomaterials along with their various bioenergy applications were discussed in-depth. Moreover, the optimization and enhancement of bioenergy production from lignocellulose, microalgae and wastewater using nanomaterials are comprehensively e... [more]

In recent years, due to stringent emission regulations vehicle manufacturers have been compelled to cut down noxious pollutants released from diesel engines. Different alternative solutions have been recommended to achieve this challenging task. One of these alternative solutions is the utilization of biogas in addition to the use of liquid diesel. In this regard, the current study investigates the combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions of a turbocharged, direct injection, diesel engine operating at constant speed (1800 rpm) and under dual fuel mode with diesel as the pilot fuel and biogas (generated from pig manure and corn straw) and methane enriched biogas. Simulations were carried out at four various engine loads corresponding to brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of 0.425, 0.85, 1.275, and 1.7 MPa using GT-Power package. The BTE values of biogas-diesel were higher as compared to diesel fuel. The CO2 ratio of biogas did not impact BTE considerably. The highest BTE value... [more]

Fuel burnup analysis requires a high computational cost for full core calculations, due to the amount of the information processed for the total reaction rates in many burnup regions. Indeed, they reach the order of millions or more by a subdivision into radial and axial regions in a pin-by-pin description. In addition, if multi-physics approaches are adopted to consider the effects of temperature and density fields on fuel consumption, the computational load grows further. In this way, the need to find a compromise between computational cost and solution accuracy is a crucial issue in burnup analysis. To overcome this problem, the present work aims to develop a methodological approach to implement a Reduced Order Model (ROM), based on Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD), in fuel burnup analysis. We verify the approach on 4 years of burnup of the TMI-1 unit cell benchmark, by reconstructing fuel materials and burnup matrices over time with different levels of approximation. The resul... [more]

Formation lithology identification is of great importance for reservoir characterization and petroleum exploration. Previous methods are based on cutting logging and well-logging data and have a significant time lag. In recent years, many machine learning methods have been applied to lithology identification by utilizing well-logging data, which may be affected by drilling fluid. Drilling string vibration data is a high-density ancillary data, and it has the advantages of low-latency, which can be acquired in real-time. Drilling string vibration data is more accessible and available compared to well-logging data in ultra-deep well drilling. Machine learning algorithms enable us to develop new lithology identification models based on these vibration data. In this study, a vibration dataset is used as the signal source, and the original vibration signal is filtered by Butterworth (BHPF). Vibration time−frequency characteristics were extracted into time−frequency images with the applicati... [more]

The depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the increase of greenhouse gases (GHG) emission have led to moving towards alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy sources. Lignin is one of the significant, renewable and sustainable energy sources of biomass and pyrolysis is one of the most promising technologies that can convert lignocellulosic biomass to bio-oil. This study focuses on the production and characterization of bio-oil from hardwood and softwood lignin via pyrolysis process using a bench-scale batch reactor. In this study, a mixed solvent extraction method with different polarities was developed to fractionate different components of bio-crude oil into three fractions. The obtained fractions were characterized by using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GCMS). The calculated bio-oil yields from Sigma Kraft lignin and Chouka Kraft lignin were about 30.2% and 24.4%, respectively. The organic solvents, e.g., toluene, methanol, and water were evaluated for chemical ext... [more]

An energy-management system requires accurate prediction of the electric load for optimal energy management. However, if the amount of electric load data is insufficient, it is challenging to perform an accurate prediction. To address this issue, we propose a novel electric load forecasting scheme using the electric load data of diverse buildings. We first divide the electric energy consumption data into training and test sets. Then, we construct multivariate random forest (MRF)-based forecasting models according to each building except the target building in the training set and a random forest (RF)-based forecasting model using the limited electric load data of the target building in the test set. In the test set, we compare the electric load of the target building with that of other buildings to select the MRF model that is the most similar to the target building. Then, we predict the electric load of the target building using its input variables via the selected MRF model. We combi... [more]

This work focuses on the demand response (DR) participation using the energy storage system (ESS). A probabilistic Gaussian mixture model based on market operating results Monte, Carlo Simulation (MCS), is required to respond to an urgent DR signal. However, there is considerable uncertainty in DR forecasting, which occasionally fails to predict DR events. Because this failure is attributable to the intermittency of the DR signals, a non-cooperative game model that is useful for decision-making on DR participation is proposed. The game is conducted with each player holding a surplus of energy but incomplete information. Consequently, each player can share unused electricity during DR events, engaging in indirect energy trading (IET) under a non-cooperative game framework. The results of the game, the Nash equilibrium (N.E.), are verified using a case study with relevant analytical data from the campus of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) in Korea. The results of the ca... [more]

Industrial low-temperature processes are a promising sector for the introduction of solar collectors, which can partially, and in some cases, completely, replace traditional heat supply technologies. In Krasnodar Region (Russia), it is shown that the energy-saving potential when introducing industrial solar collectors only at food industry enterprises can make up 16%−17% of the total amount of thermal energy produced in the region annually. The global market of industrial solar collectors is currently developing almost without any government incentives, only due to market mechanisms, which indicates the commercial attractiveness of the technology. According to the predicted estimates, levelized cost of energy produced by industrial solar collectors in the southern regions of Russia may amount to 3.8−6.6 rubles per kWh. Even though the forecast estimates are higher than current tariffs, the economic feasibility of using solar collectors in the industry increases significantly if it is n... [more]

Myanmar remains one of the few exceptions to the rapid diffusion of solar photovoltaics (PV) in power generation mixes. This is surprising considering that Myanmar is one of the countries with the largest technical potential for solar energy among Southeast Asian nations. Solar energy can complement the existing hydropower generation to address endemic energy crisis during the dry season. A continuation of paralysis on investments in solar energy could affect the security and sustainability of the sector in one of the most rapidly growing countries in the region. In this paper, we aimed to identify the barriers preventing solar energy to flourish in Myanmar and to identify policy options to unlock them. We conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis with inputs from relevant stakeholders from the government, private sector, and civil society organizations. Our analysis suggested a consensus on the merits of solar energy among all factors; however, a po... [more]

The composite bucket foundation (CBF) for offshore wind turbines is the basis for a one-step integrated transportation and installation technique, which can be adapted to the construction and development needs of offshore wind farms due to its special structural form. To transport and install bucket foundations together with the upper portion of offshore wind turbines, a non-self-propelled integrated transportation and installation vessel was designed. In this paper, as the first stage of applying the proposed one-step integrated construction technique, the floating behavior during the transportation of CBF with a wind turbine tower for the Xiangshui wind farm in the Jiangsu province was monitored. The influences of speed, wave height, and wind on the floating behavior of the structure were studied. The results show that the roll and pitch angles remain close to level during the process of lifting and towing the wind turbine structure. In addition, the safety of the aircushion structur... [more]

Hydrates that form during transport of hydrocarbons containing free water, or water dissolved in hydrocarbons, are generally not in thermodynamic equilibrium and depend on the concentration of all components in all phases. Temperature and pressure are normally the only variables used in hydrate analysis, even though hydrates will dissolve by contact with pure water and water which is under saturated with hydrate formers. Mineral surfaces (for example rust) play dual roles as hydrate inhibitors and hydrate nucleation sites. What appears to be mysterious, and often random, is actually the effects of hydrate non-equilibrium and competing hydrate formation and dissociation phase transitions. There is a need to move forward towards a more complete non-equilibrium way to approach hydrates in industrial settings. Similar challenges are related to natural gas hydrates in sediments. Hydrates dissociates worldwide due to seawater that leaks into hydrate filled sediments. Many of the global resou... [more]

In order to ensure the information security, most of the important information including the data of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) in the energy internet is currently transmitted and exchanged through the intranet or the carrier communication. The former increases the cost of network construction, and the latter is susceptible to interference and attacks in the process of information dissemination. The blockchain is an emerging decentralized architecture and distributed computing paradigm. Under the premise that these nodes do not need mutual trust, the blockchain can implement trusted peer-to-peer communication for protecting the important information by adopting distributed consensus mechanisms, encryption algorithms, point-to-point transmission and smart contracts. In response to the above issues, this paper firstly analyzes the information security problems existing in the energy internet from the four perspectives of system control layer, device access, market transaction... [more]

The voltage instabilities in the distribution lines are primarily related to the integration of photovoltaic power plants with the local grids. Conventional tap-changers cannot compensate for the rapid disparities between generated and consumed power because of sluggish dynamic response. This article presents an effective method and control algorithm to improve the voltage instabilities of distribution lines. Analytical calculation confirms that the application of capacitive reactive power on load is beneficial to keep the voltage at the permissible level. Importantly, the severe concern about the current increment with voltage enhancement is also addressed. The dynamic behavior during capacitance switching is studied using simulation experiments. It is suggested that capacitance is connected to the load for the only time of voltage drop until the transformation ratio changes to the desired level. This article provides an explanation and solution for voltage deviations of electricity d... [more]

The excessive use of power electronics makes power quality problems in power grids increasingly prominent. The estimation of the harmonic parameters of harmonic sources in the power grid and the division of harmonic responsibilities are of great significance for the evaluation of power quality. At present, methods for estimating harmonic parameters and harmonic responsibilities need to provide the amplitude and phase information of the current and voltage of the point of common coupling (PCC). However, in practical engineering applications, the general power quality monitor only provides the amplitude information of the voltage and current of the measured point and the phase difference information between them. Missing phase information invalidates existing methods. Based on the partial least squares regression method, the present work proposes a method for estimating harmonic parameters in the case of monitoring data without phase. This method only needs to measure the amplitude infor... [more]