Dynamic behaviour and control strategy of high temperature proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (HT-PEMECs) for hydrogen production

A fast and safe dynamic process is a key issue during the start-stop and adjustment of high temperature proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells (HT-PEMECs). In the paper, a 2D multi-physics model is developed to investigate the dynamic process in an HT-PEMEC. First, the dynamic responses of step scheme, multistep scheme and diagonal scheme are compared. It is found that the step scheme has the fastest dynamic response, but it may cause the problem of reactant starvation. The dynamic response speed of diagonal scheme is slower than the step scheme, but it can prevent the problem of reactant starvation. Subsequently, the dynamic process is optimized with a fast dynamic response without reactant starvation. This paper proposes a fast and safe dynamic process adjustment scheme and forms a basis for subsequent control of the HT-PEMEC stack and system.     

Structural optimization of a settler via CFD simulation in a mixer-settler

This work is aimed at optimizing a settler structure in a mixer-settler.Two different aspects have been considered.Firstly,the flowcharacteristics of a settler have been examined by computational fluid dynamics(CFD)simulation with various agitation speeds of the mixer,as well as organic phase volume fractions ranging from 0.075 to 0.6.The aqueous and organic phase turbulent flow fields were measured by particle image velocimetry(PIV) technique to verify the CFD simulation.Two organic phases with different physical properties were assessed in the CFD simulation to simulate the liquid-liquid systems related to rare earth element extraction,i.e.,0.072 mol·L~(-1) P507/kerosene and 1.8 mol·L~(-1) P507/kerosene.Secondly,the CFD simulation was carried out in a settler equipped with baffles.The effects of number and location of the baffle in the settler on flow features and entrainments of the aqueous and organic outlet were analyzed.Meanwhile,different settler/mixer volume ratios were also examined.By analyses and comparisons,an optimal design for settler was proposed.CFD can provide a significant guidance to better mixer-settler design.     

An optimization method to find the thermodynamic limit on enhancement of solar thermal decomposition of methane

An optimization approach to enhancing the solar thermal decomposition of methane (TDM) reaction process based on the fluid flow pattern reconstruction is proposed. The sum of entropy generations due to TDM reaction and heat convection in the process is shown to tend to its maximum when the performance of the reaction is enhanced, and thus, is used as the criterial to optimize the velocity field of the fluid. This optimization problem is solved by the calculus of variations method. The obtained flow pattern is shown to be able to give the conditions to achieve the optimally enhanced TDM process. As the sum of the entropy generations tends to its extremum, the solution found by the optimization can be known as the thermodynamic limit for the TDM process enhancement. The obtained flow pattern can then be used to inspire the design of internal structures of the solar TDM reactor.     

Comparison of co-current and counter-current flow in a bifunctional reactor containing ammonia synthesis and 2-butanol dehydrogenation to MEK

In this study, a multi-tubular thermally coupled packed bed reactor in which simultaneous production of ammonia and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) takes place is simulated. The simulation results are presented in two co-current and counter-current flow modes. Based on this new configuration, the released heat from the ammonia synthesis reaction as an extremely exothermic reaction in the inner tube is employed to supply the required heat for the endothermic 2-butanol dehydrogenation reaction in the outer tube. On the other hand, MEK and hydrogen are produced by the dehydrogenation reaction of 2-butanol in the endothermic side, and the produced hydrogen is used to supply a part of the ammonia synthesis feed in the exothermic side. Thus, 30.72% and 31.88% of the required hydrogen for the ammonia synthesis are provided by the dehydrogenation reaction in the co-current and counter-current configurations, respectively. Also, according to the thermal coupling, the required cooler and furnace for the ammonia synthesis and 2-butanol dehydrogenation conventional plants are eliminated, respectively. As a result, operational costs, energy consumption and furnace emissions are considerably decreased. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and optimization are applied to study the effect of the main process parameters variation on the system performance and obtain the minimum hydrogen make-up flow rate, respectively.     

A review on distributed generation impacts on electric power system

In 2021, the world's total installed capacity of generation units based on renewable energy sources (not including hydropower) amounted to about 1674 GW: over 825 GW and 849 GW of wind and solar power plants were installed respectively. The growing of the installed capacity of these distributed generators is a response to the increasing the power consumption, global environmental issues and has also become possible due to the development of technology in field of power semiconductor devices. However, on the way of large-scale implementation of distributed generators based on renewable energy sources, traditional electric power system meets new challenges to ensure the reliability and sustainability of new electric power systems with renewable energy sources. In particular, distributed generators change processes in the electric power system, impact to the parameters and power balance, change the magnitude and direction of power flow and short-circuit current, which determines the need to update the settings of the relay protection and automation systems of traditional electric power system and to coordinate their operation with automatic control systems of installed distributed generators. The above-mentioned tasks form a number of scientific research directions, one of which is a task of determining optimal size and location of distributed generators. The main purpose of this optimization task is to reduce power losses, operating and total electricity cost, improve the voltage profile, etc. In addition, the correct and reasonable placement of distributed generators defines an effective planning of the operating modes of electric power system and power plants (especially based on renewable energy sources, the operating modes of which depend on weather conditions and can be sharply variable).The paper highlighted the impacts of distributed generators on power losses, the voltage level, maintaining the power balance and the possibility of participating in the frequency regulation, and short-circuit current in power system. The optimization criteria, the main limiting conditions, as well as methods for solving this optimization problem are considered. This review will help the System operators and investing companies, especially in Russia, to form the main aim, objective function and constraints that will aid to meet their load demand at minimum cost and to choose from the options available for optimization of location and capacity of distributed generators.     

3D printing technology: The new era for food customization and elaboration

BackgroundDigitalizing food using 3-Dimensional (3D) printing is an incipient sector that has a great potential of producing customized food with complex geometries, tailored texture and nutritional content. Yet, its application is still limited and the process utility is under the investigation of many researchers.Scope and approachThe main objective of this review was to analyze and compare published articles pertaining 3D food printing to ensure how to reach compatibility between the huge varieties of food ingredients and their corresponding best printing parameters. Different from previously published reviews in the same journal by Lipton et al. (2015) and Liu et al. (2017), this review focuses in depth on optimizing extrusion based food printing which supports the widest array of food and maintains numerous shapes and textures. The benefits and limitations of 3D food printing were critically reviewed from a different perspective while providing ample mechanisms to overcome those barriers.Key findings and conclusionsFour main obstacles hamper the printing process: ordinance and guidelines, food shelf life, ingredients restrictions and post processing. Unity and integrity between material properties and process parameters is the key for a best end product. For each group, specific criteria should be monitored: rheological, textural, physiochemical and sensorial properties of the material its self in accordance with the process parameters of nozzle diameter, nozzle height, printing speeds and temperature of printing. It is hoped that this paper will unlock further research on investigating a wider range of food printing ingredients and their influence on customer acceptability.     

考虑布线资源松弛的X结构Steiner最小树算法

为了进一步考虑X结构,并充分利用障碍内可用布线资源,文中提出考虑布线资源松弛的X结构Steiner最小树算法.为了能够求解离散问题,在粒子的更新操作中引入交叉算子和变异算子.通过构建查找表,为整个算法流程提供快速的信息查询.提出角点选取策略,通过引入一些障碍角点,使粒子满足约束.最后构建精炼策略,进一步提高最终布线树的质量.实验表明,文中算法充分利用障碍内可用布线资源,有效缩短总布线长度,取得较佳的总布线长度.     

A novel approach for efficient stance detection in online social networks with metaheuristic optimization

In the 19th and 20th centuries, social networks have been an important topic in a wide range of fields from sociology to education. However, with the advances in computer technology in the 21st century, significant changes have been observed in social networks, and conventional networks have evolved into online social networks. The size of these networks, along with the large amount of data they generate, has introduced new social networking problems and solutions. Social network analysis methods are used to understand social network data. Today, several methods are implemented to solve various social network analysis problems, albeit with limited success in certain problems. Thus, the researchers develop new methods or recommend solutions to improve the performance of the existing methods. In the present paper, a novel optimization method that aimed to classify social network analysis problems was proposed. The problem of stance detection, an online social network analysis problem, was first tackled as an optimization problem. Furthermore, a new hybrid metaheuristic optimization algorithm was proposed for the first time in the current study, and the algorithm was compared with various methods. The analysis of the findings obtained with accuracy, precision, recall, and F-measure classification metrics demonstrated that our method performed better than other methods.     

Comparison among various energy management strategies for reducing hydrogen consumption in a hybrid fuel cell/supercapacitor/battery system

The aim of this study is to introduce a comprehensive comparison of various energy management strategies of fuel cell/supercapacitor/battery storage systems. These strategies are utilized to manage the energy demand response of hybrid systems, in an optimal way, under highly fluctuating load condition. Two novel strategies based on salp swarm algorithm (SSA) and mine-blast optimization are proposed. The outcomes of these strategies are compared with commonly used strategies like fuzzy logic control, classical proportional integral control, the state machine, equivalent fuel consumption minimization, maximization, external energy maximization, and equivalent consumption minimization. Hydrogen fuel economy and overall efficiency are used for the comparison of these different strategies. Results demonstrate that the proposed SSA management strategy performed best compared with all other used strategies in terms of hydrogen fuel economy and overall efficiency. The minimum consumed hydrogen and maximum efficiency are found 19.4 gm and 85.61%, respectively.