In recent decades, climate change and a shortage of resources have brought about the need for technology in agriculture. Farmers have been forced to use information and innovation in communication in order to enhance production efficiency and crop resilience. Systems engineering and information infrastructure based on the Internet of Things (IoT) are the main novel approaches that have generated growing interest. In agriculture, IoT solutions according to the challenges for Industry 4.0 can be applied to greenhouses. Greenhouses are protected environments in which best plant growth can be achieved. IoT for smart greenhouses relates to sensors, devices, and information and communication infrastructure for real-time monitoring and data collection and processing, in order to efficiently control indoor parameters such as exposure to light, ventilation, humidity, temperature, and carbon dioxide level. This paper presents the current state of the art in the IoT-based applications to smart gr... [more]

A methanol−steam reformer (MSR) can safely provide hydrogen-rich fuel for a fuel cell system. Since the operating temperature of an MSR is relatively low, convective heat transfer is typically used to provide thermal energy to the endothermic reactions in the MSR. In this study, the use of phase change heat transfer to provide thermal energy to the endothermic reactions was investigated, which enhanced the temperature uniformity longitudinally along the MSR. ANSYS Fluent® software was used to investigate the performance of the reforming reactions. A comparative analysis using sensible heat and latent heat as the heat supply sources was performed. Using latent heat as a heat source achieved a lesser temperature drop than sensible heat that was under 5.29 K in the outer pipe. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis of methanol−steam-reforming reactions that use phase change heat transfer in terms of the carbon ratio, gas hourly velocity (for the inner and outer pipes of the MSR), inlet temperat... [more]

The renewable energy technologies attracted 70% global energy investment in 2021, but the global CO2 emission is increased by 1 [...]

RM (red mud), which comes from the Bayer process, has a huge annual output and is harmful to the environment. Because of the high iron content in RM, the process of iron recovery from RM can reduce the amount of RM well and create economic benefits, so it is a promising process. The paper focuses on the review on the research of the iron recovery method from RM, which includes the physical recovery method, chemical recovery method and emerging recovery method. By comparing the advantages and disadvantages of these processes, it is concluded that the fluidized bed reduction is a promising process that can be rapidly applied to the industry, but it still needs more investigation to overcome the current technical difficulties in the near future.

This paper investigates the application of anisotropic low-coercive force (LCF) magnets to a novel variable-flux spoke-type permanent magnet synchronous motor (VFS-PMSM) for electrical vehicles with a wide speed range. In the VFS-PMSM, flux is regulated by swiveling the magnetization of the anisotropic LCF magnets instead of directly magnetizing or demagnetizing them. The previously proposed VFS-PMSM uses only isotropic LCF magnets for easily swiveling the magnetic pole direction, resulting in lower torque density. The challenge thus lies in the feasibility to swivel the magnetic pole direction of the anisotropic LCF magnet, and the impact of the different magnetization strengths of the anisotropic magnets on the motor performance. This paper first studies the feasibility to swivel the magnetization direction of anisotropic LCF magnets through experiments. It is confirmed that the magnetization direction can be successfully swiveled by 90 degrees with a reduced external magnetizing fie... [more]

This paper presents the design of a permanent magnet generator for a gearless backyard wind turbine. The magnetisation characteristics of the rotor steel and the stator at different field strength ranges were considered at the design stage and mathematically described using a model in Matlab. The detailed calculations and the design of the planar model were carried out using FEMM software. The high-quality results obtained from the calculations shown in the paper made it possible to make a real model of the generator. This paper presents views of the stator package, the rotor, the entire generator and selected test results. The parameter of this turbine that distinguishes it from a wide range of manufactured generators is its low, non-standard rotational speed and low breakaway torque, which allows the power plant to start in winds of approximately 2 m/s. Other advantages of this generator is its low weight resulting from the use of a light rotor and light alloys for the generator hous... [more]

There is growing concern that airtight and well-insulated buildings designed to limit heat loss in temperate and cold climates could unintentionally elevate the risk of overheating in summers. Existing literature primarily uses dynamic simulation to investigate this problem due to the difficulty of obtaining large-scale in-performance data. To address this gap, we undertake a meta-analysis of large-scale indoor air temperature data for 195 UK dwellings, as a study of performance in a temperate climate. Of these, 113 are baseline (i.e., typical existing dwellings) and the rest designed to the high-performance Passivhaus standard. Using both Passivhaus and the well-known CIBSE TM59 overheating standards, this study found that there were few overheated cases for any building type. However, the average summer nighttime temperature of Passivhaus bedrooms was 1.6 °C higher than baseline, with 20 out of 31 measured bedrooms exceeding the overheating criterion, and the average overheating hour... [more]

The extensive adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) can introduce negative impacts on electric infrastructure in the form of sporadic and excessive charging demands, line overload, and voltage quality. Because EV loads can be movable around the system and time-dependent due to human daily activities, it is therefore proposed in this research to investigate the spatial effects of EV loads and their impacts on a power system. We developed a behavior-based charging profile simulation for daily load profiles of uncontrolled and controlled charging simulations. To mitigate the impact of increased peak demand, we proposed an optimal scheduling method by genetic algorithm (GA) using charging event matrices and EV queuing management. The charging event matrices are generated by capturing charging events and serve as an input of the GA-based scheduling, which optimally defines available charging slots while maximizing the system load factor while maintaining user satisfaction, depending on the we... [more]

Coal seam permeability is a critical factor in coal seam gas extraction and gas outburst control. In Australian coal mines, coal seam permeability is normally estimated using a packer test or drill stem test. In contrast, Chinese coal mines generally estimate a parameter called the “gas conductivity coefficient” by measuring natural gas flow rates from an underground borehole drilled through a coal seam. With this method, it has been frequently reported that the permeability of many Chinese coal seams is between 0.0001 mD and 0.01 mD, which is extremely low compared to that of Australian coal seams (1−100 mD). It is therefore natural to wonder how closely the Chinese method measures permeability. Resolving this question will allow knowledge and experience in outburst management to be shared between Australian and Chinese coal mines. This question is investigated by the numerical modelling of gas desorption and flow through a seam of known permeability and by using the model’s borehole... [more]

It is necessary to develop new drilling and breaking technology for hard rock construction. However, the process of high-voltage electro-pulse (HVEP) rock-breaking is complex, and the selection of electro-pulse boring (EPB) process parameters lacks a theoretical basis. Firstly, the RLC model, TV-RLC model, and TV-CRLC model are established based on the characteristics of the HVEP circuit to predict the EPB dynamic discharge curve. Secondly, the parameters are identified by the Particle Swarm Optimization Genetic Algorithm (PSO-GA). Finally, due to the nonlinear and complex time-varying characteristics of the discharge circuit, the discharge circuit prediction models based on Bayesian fusion and current residual normalization fusion method are proposed, and the optimal weight of these three models is determined. Compared with the single models for EPB current prediction, the average relative error reduction rates based on Bayesian fusion and current residual normalization fusion methods... [more]

We investigate the feasibility of electromagnetic (EM) geophysics methods to detect the dissociation of gas hydrate specifically from a gas hydrate deposit located in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea via an integrated flow-geomechanics-EM geophysics simulation. To this end, coupled flow and geomechanics simulation is first performed with the multiple porosity model employed, where a mixed formulation with the finite volume (FV) and finite element (FE) methods are taken for the flow and geomechanics, respectively. From the saturation and porosity fields obtained from the coupled flow and geomechanics, the electrical conductivity model is established for the EM simulation. Solving the partial differential equation of electrical diffusion which is linearized using the 3D finite element method (FEM), the EM fields are then computed. For numerical experiments, particularly two approaches in the configuration for the EM methods are compared in this contribution: the surface-to-surface and... [more]

Electrical models of battery cells are used in simulations to represent batteries’ behavior in various fields of research and development involving battery cells and systems. Electrical equivalent circuit models, either linear or nonlinear, are commonly used for this purpose and are presented in this article. Various commercially available cylindrical, state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cells, both protected and unprotected, are considered. Their impedance properties, according to four different equivalent circuit models, are measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopies. Furthermore, the pricing, impedance, specific energy, and C-rate of the chosen battery cells are compared. For example, it is shown that the energy density of modern 18650 cells can vary from a typical value of 200 to about 260 Wh kg−1, whereas the cell price can deviate by a factor of about 3 to 5. Therefore, as a result, this study presents a concise but comprehensive battery parameter library that shoul... [more]

This paper analyzes the electromagnetic torque (EMT) fluctuation characteristics in synchronous generators under rotor interturn short-circuit (DRISC) fault. The novelty of this paper is that the DRISC fault is proposed based on the intermittent interturn short circuit existing in the actual operation and compared with the static rotor interturn short-circuit (SRISC) fault. In the work, by studying the influence of DRISC with different positions and different short-circuit degrees, the fluctuation characteristic of the EMT is analyzed and verified. The results show that when the DRISC5% fails, the location is in slot 3, the amplitude of first harmonic decreases by 7.2%, second harmonic amplitude increases by 33.4%, third harmonic decreases by 4.3%, and fourth harmonic increases by 26.8%. As the degree increased and positioned away from the large tooth of the DRISC, the overall EMT amplitude and reverse pulse increased, first and third harmonics decreased, and second and fourth harmonic... [more]

Over time, the dependence on oil has increased to meet industrial and domestic needs. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques in this regard have captured immense growth as EOR is not only used to increase the oil recovery but also to augment the sweep efficiency. Several techniques over the past decades have been used to improve oil recovery with cost-effectiveness. Cost-effective alkaline flooding has been effective for those oil reservoirs with a high total acid number. In this review, the significance of alkaline flooding has been discussed in detail, as well as the features of alkaline flooding in comparison to other modes of flooding. This review entails (1) alkaline flooding, (2) hybrid modes of injection, (3) experimental work, (4) pilot projects, (5) screening criteria, and (6) field applications. The findings of this study can help increase the understanding of alkaline flooding and provide a holistic view of the hybrid modes of flooding.

Since no solutions have been proposed in Colombia that seek to reduce the consumption of electricity at the residential level, this paper describes the design and implementation of a simple prototype of a low-cost home energy management system (HEMS). The objective of this platform is to monitor the energy consumption of typical household devices so that users can access the consumption of each device separately and then establish the strategy that allows them to reduce energy consumption at home. In order to demonstrate that our system is viable, the system has been evaluated by measuring weekly energy consumption with the on-line and off-line HEMS using a test bench with typical household devices in a Sincelejo typical household. The evaluation has shown that with the installation of this HEMS, consumption is reduced by 27%. This shows that it is possible to achieve a good reduction percentage with a low-cost system.

Fine and ultrafine grinding of limestone are frequently used in the pharmaceutical, chemical, construction, food, and cosmetic industries, however, research investigations have not yet been published on the combination of energy and life cycle modeling. Therefore, the first aim of this research work was the examination of main grinding parameters of the limestone particles to determine an empiric energy-model. Dry and wet grinding experiments have been carried out with a Bond mill and a laboratory stirred ball mill. During the grinding processes, the grinding time and the filling ratio have been adjusted. The second goal of this research assessed the resources, emissions and environmental impacts of wet laboratory grinding with the help of life cycle assessment (LCA). The life cycle assessment was completed by applying the GaBi 8.0 (version: 10.5) software and the CML method. As a result of research, the determination of an empiric energy-model allowed to develop an estimated particle... [more]

The thermal evolution process of organic matter is associated with the complete hydrocarbon generation and expulsion process in shale, however, the thermal evolution of organic matter is a long process and cannot be realized without experimental simulations. Although several scholars have substantially studied the thermal evolution of organic matter, it remains a challenging and much debated issue in the studies of organic geochemistry. Volcanic events are crucial in the enrichment of organic matter, and appropriate heating accelerates the thermal evolution of organic matter. However, how strong-rock baking restricts the evolution of organic matter in shale has not been specifically studied. The South Qilian Basin in China is a typical superimposed basin where complex tectonic movements have induced multiple volcanic events, which makes it a favorable location to perform the aforementioned research. This study used the Galedesi Formation shale in the Hala Lake Depression of the South Q... [more]

This experiment was designed to study the water-weakening effect of artificially fractured chalk caused by the injection of different compositions of brines under reservoir conditions replicating giant hydrocarbon reservoirs at the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). NaCl, synthetic seawater (SSW), and MgCl2, with same ionic strength, were used to flood triaxial cell tests for approximately two months. The chalk cores used in this experiment originate from the Mons basin, close to Obourg, Belgium (Saint Vast Formation, Upper Cretaceous). Three artificially fractured chalk cores had a drilled central hole parallel to the flooding direction to imitate fractured chalk with an aperture of 2.25 (±0.05) mm. Two additional unfractured cores from the same sample set were tested for comparison. The unfractured samples exposed a more rapid onset of the water-weakening effect than the artificially fractured samples, when surface active ions such as Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42− were introduced. This instan... [more]

Aiming at the economic dispatch problem for an interconnected system with wind power integration, and in order to realize the goals of system economy and improvement of the cross-regional consumption level of wind energy, a decentralized coordination dispatch model is established in this paper. In this model, a DC tie-line is cut by the branch cutting method and used as a coupling variable. A virtual upper-level dispatch center is established, and the economic dispatch problem to be solved is decomposed into a master optimization problem for the upper-level dispatch center and subsidiary optimization problems for the lower-level dispatch centers. For solving this model, an improved Harris hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm called the chaotic mutation Harris hawks optimization (CMHHO) algorithm is proposed. In the CMHHO algorithm, tent mapping and the “DE/pbad-to-pbest/1” strategy are introduced, and a new nonlinear escape energy factor adjustment is proposed. Through an algorithm compa... [more]

The burning of organic fuel is one of the main factors influencing the greenhouse effect on the climate of the planet. The article examines the influence of the properties of lignite and coal−water slurries on the amount of carbon dioxide molecules formed as a result of chemical reactions. The authors give an overview of the results of other researchers in recent years and give the results of their research and development in the field of burning lignite and coal−water slurries in industrial recycling plants. The authors present the results of experimental studies of the thermophysical properties of coal and a coal−water mixture. The results obtained were compared with the results of calculations using a mathematical model and the results of numerical modeling in Ansys. New methods of approximation of step functions were used for the mathematical model. These methods make it possible to reduce errors in the approximation of the functions of the thermal properties of coal. The proposed... [more]

In this paper, the model of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with single straight channel is established to investigate the effect of dimensionless size factor of baffles on PEMFC performance. The influence of dimensionless length and height of baffles is discussed. Results show that adding baffles could dramatically optimize the mass transfer in PEMFC. The dimensionless length and height of the baffle have much influence on PEMFC performance.

The temperature rises hydrogen tanks during the fast-filling process could threaten the safety of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. In this paper, a 2D axisymmetric model of a type III hydrogen for the bus was built to investigate the temperature evolution during the fast-filling process. A test rig was carried out to validate the numerical model with air. It was found significant temperature rise occurred during the filling process, despite the temperature of the filling air being cooled down due to the throttling effect. After verification, the 2D model of the hydrogen tank was employed to study the temperature distribution and evolution of hydrogen during the fast-filling process. Thermal stratification was observed along the axial direction of the tank. Then, the effects of filling parameters were examined, and a formula was fitted to predict the final temperature based on the simulated results. At last, an effort was paid on trying the improve the temperature distribution by increas... [more]

Low-frequency oscillations are an inevitable phenomenon of a power system. This paper proposes an Ant lion optimization approach to optimize the dual-input power system stabilizer (PSS2B) parameters to enhance the transfer capability of the 400 kV line in the North-West region of the Ethiopian electric network by the damping of low-frequency oscillation. Double-input Power system stabilizers (PSSs) are currently used in power systems to damp out low-frequency oscillations. The gained minimum damping ratio and eigenvalue results of the proposed Ant lion algorithm (ALO) approach are compared with the existing conventional system to get better efficiency at various loading conditions. Additionally, the proposed Ant lion optimization approach requires minimal time to estimate the key parameters of the power oscillation damper (POD). Consequently, the average time taken to optimally size the parameters of the PSS controller was 14.6 s, which is pretty small and indicates real-time implement... [more]

The topic of power loss reduction in distribution systems has gained significant attention over recent years. Despite the efforts of the European Union towards the minimization of power losses, the decarbonization of the transport sector has raised several concerns, since charging overlaps of Electric Vehicles (EVs) can cause extensive power losses and power quality issues. Considering these, the present paper proposes a two-stage EV charging planning and Network Reconfiguration (NR) methodology, addressing the problem of power loss minimization in both Low-Voltage (LV) and Medium-Voltage (MV) Distribution Networks (DNs), respectively. In the first stage, considering the key role of the aggregator, the EV charging planning is applied to LV DN. In the second stage, the NR technique is applied to the MV DN, by taking into account the hourly power demand of LV DNs as obtained by the aggregators. The proposed methodology has been applied on a benchmarked MV network for which each node is r... [more]

Currently, energy demand is more significant than ever due to population growth and advances in recent technologies. In order to supply more energy while maintaining a healthy environment, renewable energy resources are employed. This paper proposes a novel solar-driven shape memory alloy thermomechanical actuator as an eco-friendly solution for solar thermal applications. The proposed actuator was assessed numerically and experimentally. The numerical tests showed that the designed actuation mechanism’s inner temperature has a minimum variation per day of about 14 °C and a temperature variation of 19 °C for most days of the year, which allows for proper activation and deactivation of the actuator. As for the experimental tests, the presented actuation mechanism achieved a bi-directional force of over 150 N, where the inner temperatures of the actuator were recorded at about 70.5 °C while pushing forces and 28.9 °C while pulling forces. Additionally, a displacement of about 127 mm was... [more]