Rebound and disinvestment effects in refined oil consumption and supply resulting from an increase in energy efficiency in the Scottish commercial transport sector

In this paper, we use an energy–economy–environment computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the Scottish economy to examine the impacts of an exogenous increase in energy augmenting technological progress in the domestic commercial Transport sector on the supply and use of energy. We focus our analysis on Scottish refined oil, as the main type of energy input used in commercial transport activity. We find that a 5% increase in energy efficiency in the commercial Transport sector leads to rebound effects in the use of oil-based energy commodities in all time periods, in the target sector and at the economy-wide level. However, our results also suggest that such an efficiency improvement may cause a contraction in capacity in the Scottish refined oil supply sector. This ‘disinvestment effect’ acts as a constraint on the size of rebound effects. However, the magnitude of rebound effects and presence of the disinvestment effect in the simulations conducted here are sensitive to the specification of key elasticities of substitution in the nested production function for the target sector, particularly the substitutability of energy for non-energy intermediate inputs to production.     

Power from Perspective: Potential future United States energy portfolios

This paper presents United States energy portfolios for the year 2030, developed from seven different Perspectives. The Perspectives are characterized by different weights placed on fourteen defining values (e.g., cost, social acceptance). The portfolios were constructed to achieve three primary goals, energy independence, energy security, and greenhouse gas reductions. The portfolios are also evaluated over a comprehensive set of secondary criteria (e.g., economic growth, technical feasibility). It is found that very different portfolios based on very different defining values can achieve the three primary goals. Commonalities among the portfolios include reliance upon cellulosic ethanol, nuclear power, and energy efficiency to meet year 2030 energy demands. It is concluded that the US energy portfolio must be diverse and to achieve national energy goals will require an explicit statement of goals, a strong role for government, and coordinated action across society.     

Anisotropic aspects of the environmental stress cracking of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and styrene acrylonitrile copolymers in methanol

Critical strains causing environmental stress cracking of injection-molded poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS) and poly(styrene-acrylonitrile) (SAN) plaques were determined upon exposure to methanol. Measurements were obtained for samples strained either parallel or perpendicular to the melt flow direction and for samples located at various distances from the mold gate. Critical strains were significantly higher in the direction parallel to the melt flow compared to the transverse direction. The degree of anisotropy increased with increasing rubber content. For ABS containing 46 percent rubber, the critical strain at one point was determined to be 2.99 percent in the direction of melt flow, but only 0.47 percent in the orthogonal direction. For this material, critical strains determined parallel to the melt flow decreased with distance from the gate; whereas, critical strains for SAN and ABS containing 30 percent rubber remained essentially constant. Orientation of the plaques was assessed using shrinkage determinations and a thermal conductivity technique. Though a straightforward correlation of orientation with critical strain is observed for ABS, a similar relationship is not observed for SAN. These results suggest that although stress cracking occurs in the glassy matrix of ABS, it is the dispersed rubbery phase which controls the magnitude of strain required to initiate cracking.     

The equilibrium phase properties of selected mesitylene binary systems: Mesitylene—methane and mesitylene—carbon dioxide

Vapor and liquid equilibrium phase compositions have been determined at 310.9, 394.3, and 477.6 K for the mesitylene–methane binary system and at 310.9, 338.7, 394.3, and 477.6 K for the mesitylene–carbon dioxide system. At each temperature, the pressure ranged from the vapor pressure of mesitylene to about 15 MPa, although in the case of the mesitylene–carbon dioxide system, pressures were extended to the vicinity of the critical region at about 18 MPa. The data were used to calculate equilibrium ratios for each component in the binary system.