Natural-gas fueled spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine performance and emissions

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that has been used and investigated extensively for use in spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engines. Compared with conventional gasoline engines, SI engines using natural gas can run at higher compression ratios, thus producing higher thermal efficiencies but also increased nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, while producing lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). These engines also produce relatively less power than gasoline-fueled engines because of the convergence of one or more of three factors: a reduction in volumetric efficiency due to natural-gas injection in the intake manifold; the lower stoichiometric fuel/air ratio of natural gas compared to gasoline; and the lower equivalence ratio at which these engines may be run in order to reduce NO_x emissions. High NO_x emissions, especially at high loads, reduce with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). However, EGR rates above a maximum value result in misfire and erratic engine operation. Hydrogen gas addition increases this EGR threshold significantly. In addition, hydrogen increases the flame speed of the natural gas-hydrogen mixture. Power levels can be increased with supercharging or turbocharging and intercooling. Natural gas is used to power CI engines via the dual-fuel mode, where a high-cetane fuel is injected along with the natural gas in order to provide a source of ignition for the charge. Thermal efficiency levels compared with normal diesel-fueled CI-engine operation are generally maintained with dual-fuel operation, and smoke levels are reduced significantly. At the same time, lower NO_x and CO₂ emissions, as well as higher HC and CO emissions compared with normal CI-engine operation at low and intermediate loads are recorded. These trends are caused by the low charge temperature and increased ignition delay, resulting in low combustion temperatures. Another factor is insufficient penetration and distribution of the pilot fuel in the charge, resulting in a lack of ignition centers. EGR admission at low and intermediate loads increases combustion temperatures, lowering unburned HC and CO emissions. Larger pilot fuel quantities at these load levels and hydrogen gas addition can also help increase combustion efficiency. Power output is lower at certain conditions than diesel-fueled engines, for reasons similar to those affecting power output of SI engines. In both cases the power output can be maintained with direct injection. Overall, natural gas can be used in both engine types; however further refinement and optimization of engines and fuel-injection systems is needed.     

Performance assessment of some ice TES systems

In this paper, a performance assessment of four main types of ice storage techniques for space cooling purposes, namely ice slurry systems, ice-on-coil systems (both internal and external melt), and encapsulated ice systems is conducted. A detailed analysis, coupled with a case study based on the literature data, follows. The ice making techniques are compared on the basis of energy and exergy performance criteria including charging, discharging and storage efficiencies, which make up the ice storage and retrieval process. Losses due to heat leakage and irreversibilities from entropy generation are included. A vapor-compression refrigeration cycle with R134a as the working fluid provides the cooling load, while the analysis is performed in both a full storage and partial storage process, with comparisons between these two. In the case of full storage, the energy efficiencies associated with the charging and discharging processes are well over 98% in all cases, while the exergy efficiencies ranged from 46% to 76% for the charging cycle and 18% to 24% for the discharging cycle. For the partial storage systems, all energy and exergy efficiencies were slightly less than that for full storage, due to the increasing effect wall heat leakage has on the decreased storage volume and load. The results show that energy analyses alone do not provide much useful insight into system behavior, since the vast majority of losses in all processes are a result of entropy generation which results from system irreversibilities.     

Decomposition of limestone in a solar reactor

The thermal decomposition of limestone has been selected as a model reaction for developing and testing an atmospheric open solar reactor. The reactor consists of a cyclone gas/particle separator which has been modified to let the concentrated solar energy enter through a windowless aperture. The reacting particles are directly exposed to the solar irradiation. Experimentation with a 60 kW reactor prototype was conducted at PSI's 90m² parabolic solar concentrator, in a continuous mode of operation. A counter-current flow heat exchanger was employed to preheat the reactants. Eighty five percent degree of calcination was obtained for cement raw material and 15% of the solar input was converted into chemical energy (enthalpy).The technical feasibility of the solar thermal decomposition of limestone was experimentally demonstrated. The use of solar energy as a source for high-temperature process heat offers the potential of reducing significantly the CO₂ emissions from lime producing plants. Such a solar thermochemical process can find application in sunny rural areas for avoiding deforestation.     

Effect of co-cultivation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with Azotobacter chroococcum on hydrogen production

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cc124 and Azotobacter chroococcum bacteria were co-cultured with a series of volume ratios and under a variety of light densities to determine the optimal culture conditions and to investigate the mechanism by which co-cultivation improves H₂ yield. The results demonstrated that the optimal culture conditions for the highest H₂ production of the combined system were a 1:40 vol ratio of bacterial cultures to algal cultures under 200 μE m^?2 s^?1. Under these conditions, the maximal H₂ yield was 255 μmol mg^?1 Chl, which was approximately 15.9-fold of the control. The reasons for the improvement in H₂ yield included decreased O₂ content, enhanced algal growth, and increased H₂ase activity and starch content of the combined system.     

Biohydrogen production by Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 wild-type and mutants under different conditions: Light, nickel, propane, carbon dioxide and nitrogen

Increasing awareness of environmental problems caused by the current use of fossil fuel-based energy, has led to the search for alternatives. Hydrogen is a good alternative and the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 is naturally able to produce molecular hydrogen, photosynthetically from water and light. However, this H₂ is rapidly consumed by the uptake hydrogenase.This study evaluated the hydrogen production of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 wild-type and mutants: hupL⁻ (deficient in the uptake hydrogenase), hoxH⁻ (deficient in the bidirectional hydrogenase) and hupL⁻/hoxH⁻ (deficient in both hydrogenases) on several experimental conditions, such as gas atmosphere (argon and propane with or without N₂ and/or CO₂ addition), light intensity (54 and 152 ??Em⁻²s⁻¹), light regime (continuous and light/dark cycles 16 h/8 h) and nickel concentrations in the culture medium.In every assay, the hupL⁻ and hupL⁻/hoxH⁻ mutants stood out over wild-type cells and the hoxH⁻ mutant. Nevertheless, the hupL⁻ mutant showed the best hydrogen production except in an argon atmosphere under 16 h light/8 h dark cycles at 54 ??Em⁻²s⁻¹ in the light period, with 1 ??M of NiCl₂ supplementation in the culture medium, and under a propane atmosphere.In all strains, higher light intensity leads to higher hydrogen production and if there is a daily 1% of CO₂ addition in the gas atmosphere, hydrogen production could increase 5.8 times, related to the great increase in heterocysts differentiation (5 times more, approximately), whereas nickel supplementation in the culture medium was not shown to increase hydrogen production. The daily incorporation of 1% of CO₂ plus 1% of N₂ did not affect positively hydrogen production rate.     

Investigation of the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of La–Fe–B system hydrogen-storage alloys

La–Fe–B hydrogen-storage alloys were prepared using a vacuum induction-quenching furnace with a rotating copper wheel. The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the La–Fe–B hydrogen-storage alloys were investigated in this work. The P–C–I curves of the La–Fe–B alloys were measured over a H₂ pressure range of 10⁻³ MPa to 2.0 MPa at temperatures of 313, 328, 343 and 353 K. The P–C–I curves revealed that the maximum hydrogen-storage capacity of the alloys exceeded 1.23 wt% at a pressure of approximately 1.0 MPa and temperature of 313 K. The standard enthalpy of formation ΔH and standard entropy of formation ΔS for the alloys' hydrides, obtained according to the van't Hoff equation, were consistent with their application as anode materials in alkaline media. The alloys also exhibited good absorption/desorption kinetics at room temperature.     

Exergetic evaluation of 5 biowastes-to-biofuels routes via gasification

This paper presents the exergy analysis results for the production of several biofuels, i.e., SNG (synthetic natural gas), methanol, Fischer–Tropsch fuels, hydrogen, as well as heat and electricity, from several biowastes generated in the Dutch province of Friesland, selected as one of the typical European regions. Biowastes have been classified in 5 virtual streams according to their ultimate and proximate analysis. All production chains have been modeled in Aspen Plus in order to analyze their technical performance. The common steps for all the production chains are: pre-treatment, gasification, gas cleaning, water–gas-shift reactions, catalytic reactors, final gas separation and upgrading. Optionally a gas turbine and steam turbines are used to produce heat and electricity from unconverted gas and heat removal, respectively. The results show that, in terms of mass conversion, methanol production seems to be the most efficient process for all the biowastes. SNG synthesis is preferred when exergetic efficiency is the objective parameter, but hydrogen process is more efficient when the performance is analyzed by means of the 1st Law of Thermodynamics. The main exergy losses account for the gasification section, except in the electricity and heat production chain, where the combined cycle is less efficient.     

The Solar Office in context

The goal of sustainability in buildings can only hope to be realised if buildings are designed to both conserve and generate energy. The Solar Office at Doxford International is designed to minimise the use of energy while its external fabric is designed to replace such energy that is used. The recently completed building is now subject of a comprehensive monitoring programme. The programme covers both the performance of the 73 kW_p photovoltaic installation and the environmental conditions within the building as a whole. Hour by hour findings are posted on a dedicated web site. Photovoltaics could have the same impact on building form and layout as the invention of the passenger lift at the end of the last century.     

液压系统常见的故障诊断及处理

任何工程机械式液压设备使用时出现故障是不可避免的。但是怎样确定故障的原因及找到好的解决方法，这是使用者最关心的问题。讲述了液压系统常见的故障及其排除方法。     

Hydrogen recovery from the photovoltaic electroflocculation-flotation process for harvesting Chlorella pyrenoidosa microalgae

In this paper, an integrated process using photovoltaic power to harvest microalgae by electro-flocculation (EF) and hydrogen recovery is presented. It is mainly favorable in regions with high solar radiation. The electro-flocculation efficiency (EFE) of Chlorella pyrenoidosa microalgae was investigated using various types of electrodes (aluminum, iron, zinc, copper and a non-sacrificial electrode of carbon). The best results regarding the EFE, and biomass contamination were achieved with aluminum and carbon electrodes where the electrical energy demand of the process for harvesting 1 kg of algae biomass was 0.28 and 0.34 kWh, respectively, while the energy yield of harvested hydrogen was 0.052 and 0.005 kWh kg^?1, respectively. The highest harvesting efficiency of 95.83 ± 0.87% was obtained with the aluminum electrode.The experimental hydrogen yields obtained were comparable with those calculated from theory. With a low net energy demand, microalgae EF may be a useful and low-cost technology.     

Electrochemical behavior of Mg–Li,Mg–Li–Al and Mg–Li–Al–Ce in sodium chloride solution

Mg–Li, Mg–Li–Al and Mg–Li–Al–Ce alloys were prepared and their electrochemical behavior in 0.7 M NaCl solutions was investigated by means of potentiodynamic polarization, potentiostatic current–time and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements as well as by scanning electron microscopy examination. The effect of gallium oxide as an electrolyte additive on the potentiostatic discharge performance of these magnesium alloys was studied. The discharge activities and utilization efficiencies of these alloys increase in the order: Mg–Li < Mg–Li–Al < Mg–Li–Al–Ce, both in the absence and presence of Ga₂O₃. These alloys are more active than commercial magnesium alloy AZ31. The addition of Ga₂O₃ into NaCl electrolyte solution improved the discharging currents of the alloys by more than 4%, and enhanced the utilization efficiencies of the alloys by more than 6%. It also shortened the transition time for the discharge current to reach to a steady value. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements showed that the polarization resistance of the alloys decreases in the following order: Mg–Li > Mg–Li–Al > Mg–Li–Al–Ce. Mg–Li–Al–Ce exhibited the best performance in term of activity, utilization efficiency and activation time.     

Economie d'énergie en trigénération

Trigeneration is defined as the production of three useful forms of energy—heat, cold and power—from a primary source of energy such as natural gas or oil. For instance, trigeneration systems typically produce electrical power via a reciprocating engine or gas turbine and recover a large percentage of the heat energy retained in the lubricating oil, exhaust gas and coolant water systems to maximize the utilization of the primary fuel. The heat produced can be totally or partially used to fuel absorption refrigerators. Therefore, trigeneration systems enjoy an inherently high efficiency and have the potential to significantly reduce the energy-related operation costs of facilities. In this paper, we describe a model of characterization of trigeneration systems trough the condition of primary energy saving and the quality index, compared to the separate production of heat, cold and power. The study highlights the importance of the choice of the separate production reference system on the level of primary energy saving and emissions reduction.     

Temperature dependence of the enthalpy of formation of metal hydrides characterized by an excess volume

A universal framework to calculate the temperature dependence of the excess enthalpy present in regions characterized by an excess volume is calculated for metals and metal hydrides. At high temperatures, the different contributions from the pressure–volume, heat capacity, entropy and work associated with the thermal expansion are studied separately and their magnitudes and signs are compared. It is found that the pressure–volume contribution opposes and dominates the other three contributions at both high temperature and excess volume, and it is thus found that this contribution becomes the leading temperature dependent contribution to the enthalpy of a material. The conditions under which a temperature change will reduce the enthalpy of formation of metal hydrides are also given and the Mg/MgH₂ system is studied as an example. Excluding the heat capacity contribution, an increase in temperature tends to offset the effect of the excess volume on the enthalpy of formation. It is also demonstrated that the impact of temperature will be more favorable to a reduction of the enthalpy of formation if a large fraction of the metal hydride is in a state of small excess volume compared to a small fraction of the hydride in a state of high excess volume.     

Mineralogical characterization of the intraseam layers of Lofoi lignite deposits in Florina basin (western Makedonia,northwest Greece)

The mineralogical composition of intraseam layers from Lofoi lignite deposits (northwest Greece) is the subject of the present study. The samples were examined by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric (TG/DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry. The clay minerals prevail in most samples, with illite-muscovite being the dominant phase, and kaolinite and chlorite being the other major clay components. No smectite was found. Quartz and feldspars, dominate in two cases. The studied materials are characterized as clays to clayey sands, showing significant similarities with the intraseam layers of the adjacent Achlada lignite deposits.     

Ash-forming elements in four Scandinavian wood species. Part 1: Summer harvest

Woody biomass in Finland and Sweden comprises mainly four wood species: spruce, pine, birch and aspen. To study the ash, which may cause problems for the combustion device, one tree of each species were cut down and prepared for comparisons with fuel samples. Well-defined samples of wood, bark and foliage were analyzed on 11 ash-forming elements: Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, Na, K, P, S and Cl. The ash content in the wood tissues (0.2–0.7%) was low compared to the ash content in the bark tissues (1.9–6.4%) and the foliage (2.4–7.7%). The woods’ content of ash-forming elements was consequently low; the highest contents were of Ca (410–1340 ppm) and K (200–1310), followed by Mg (70–290), Mn (15–240) and P (0–350). Present in the wood was also Si (50–190), S (50–200) and Cl (30–110). The bark tissues showed much higher element contents; Ca (4800–19,100 ppm) and K (1600–6400) were the dominating elements, followed by Mg (210–2400), P (210–1200), Mn (110–1100) and S (310–750), but the Cl contents (40–330) were only moderately higher in the bark than in the wood. The young foliage (shoots and deciduous leaves) had the highest K (7100–25,000 ppm), P (1600–5300) and S (1100–2600) contents of all tissues, while the shoots of spruce had the highest Cl contents (820–1360) and its needles the highest Si content (5000–11,300). This paper presented a new approach in fuel characterization: the method excludes the presence of impurities, and focus on different categories of plant tissues. This made it possible to discuss the contents of ash element in a wide spectrum of fuel-types, which are of large importance for the energy production in Finland and Sweden.     

Innovative methodologies in renewable energy: A review

This paper is concerned with innovative approaches to renewable energy sources computation methodologies, which provide more refined results than the classical alternatives. Such refinements provide additional improvements especially for replacement of fossil energy usages that emit greenhouse gas (GHG) into the atmosphere leading to climate change impact. Current knowledge gap among each renewable energy source calculation is rather missing fundamentals of plausible, rational, and logical explanations for the interpretation of results. In the literature, there are rather complicated and mechanically applicable methodologies, which require input and output measurement data match with missing physical explanations. The view taken in this review paper is to concentrate on quite plausible, logical, rational, and effectively applicable innovative energy calculation methodologies with simplistic fundamentals. For this purpose, a set of renewable energy methodological approaches is revisited with their innovative structures concerning solar, wind, hydro, current, and geothermal energy resources. With the increase in the renewable energy utilizations to combat the undesirable impacts of global warming and climate change, there is a need for better models that will include physical environmental conditions and data properties in the probabilistic, statistical, stochastic, logical, and rational senses leading to refined and more reliable estimations with application examples in the text. Finally, new research directions are also recommended for more refined innovative energy system calculations.     

Constrained Optimization of Heat Transfer from an Extended Surface

Two different zero‐order optimization techniques are used to maximize the rates of heat transfer from a fin assembly of a specified cost and in the shape of several annular fins that are mounted on a central stem. The problem is formulated to account for two‐dimensional steady‐state heat transfer that is limited by several inequality constraints. The dimensionless governing equations are used to identify the relevant decision variables. The number of fins making up the assembly is treated as an input parameter. A digital computer is used to determine the required temperature distributions and to implement the optimization search algorithms. Three different fin materials are assessed—aluminum, copper and carbon steel. Design optimizations of the extended surface assembly were made over a range of operating conditions, encompassing several different convection heat transfer coefficients that are representative of free and forced convection in air, and several different overall temperature differences between the substrate surface and air. A few recommendations based on trends in the predicted results are given. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 43(6): 504–521, 2014; Published online 3 October 2013 in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.21093     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of Li1−xFe0.8Ni0.2O2–LixMnO2 (Mn/(Fe + Ni + Mn) = 0.8) material

A new type of Li_1−xFe_0.8Ni_0.2O₂–Li_xMnO₂ (Mn/(Fe + Ni + Mn) = 0.8) material was synthesized at 350 °C in air atmosphere using a solid-state reaction. The material had an XRD pattern that closely resembled that of the original Li_1−xFeO₂–Li_xMnO₂ (Mn/(Fe + Mn) = 0.8) with much reduced impurity peaks. The Li/Li_1−xFe_0.8Ni_0.2O₂–Li_xMnO₂ cell showed a high initial discharge capacity above 192 mAh g⁻¹, which was higher than that of the parent Li/Li_1−xFeO₂–Li_xMnO₂ (186 mAh g⁻¹). We expected that the increase of initial discharge capacity and the change of shape of discharge curve for the Li/Li_1−xFe_0.8Ni_0.2O₂–Li_xMnO₂ cell is the result from the redox reaction from Ni²⁺ to Ni³⁺ during charge/discharge process. This cell exhibited not only a typical voltage plateau in the 2.8 V region, but also an excellent cycle retention rate (96%) up to 45 cycles.     

Tailored solar optics for maximal optical tolerance and concentration

Recently identified fundamental classes of dual-mirror double-tailored nonimaging optics have the potential to satisfy the pragmatic exigencies of concentrator photovoltaics. Via a comprehensive survey of their parameter space, including raytrace verification, we identify champion high-concentration high-efficiency designs that offer unprecedented optical tolerance (i.e., sensitivity to off-axis orientation) - a pivotal figure-of-merit with a basic bound that depends on concentration, exit angle, and effective solar angular radius. For comparison, results for the best corresponding dual-mirror aplanatic concentrators are also presented.     

The effect of electrode infiltration on the performance of tubular solid oxide fuel cells under electrolysis and fuel cell modes

The electrochemical performance of two different anode supported tubular cells (50:50 wt% NiO:YSZ (yttria stabilized zirconia) or 34:66 vol.% Ni:YSZ) as the fuel electrode and YSZ as the electrolyte) under SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell) and SOEC (solid oxide electrolysis cell) modes were studied in this research. LSM (La_0.80Sr_0.20MnO_3−δ) was infiltrated into a thin porous YSZ layer to form the oxygen electrode of both cells and, in addition, SDC (Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_1.9) was infiltrated into the fuel electrode of one of the cells. The microstructure of the infiltrated fuel cells showed a suitable distribution of fine LSM and SDC particles (50–100 nm) near the interface of electrodes and electrolyte and throughout the bulk of the electrodes. The results show that SDC infiltration not only enhances the electrochemical reaction in SOFC mode but improves the performance even more in SOEC mode. In addition, LSM infiltrated electrodes also boost the SOEC performance in comparison with standard LSM–YSZ composite electrodes, due to the well-dispersed LSM nanoparticles (favouring the electrochemical reactions) within the YSZ porous matrix.