Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Mohamed Ramadan Gomaa; Njoud Hussein Alhabahbh; Mohammed Abbas Al-Nawafleh
Abstract
This research reviews various studies on the effect of using nanofluids in evacuated tube solar collectors (ETSC). The initial segment of this study elaborates on the importance of using the ETSCs and categorizes these collectors in terms of classification and application. The second segment evaluates ...
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This research reviews various studies on the effect of using nanofluids in evacuated tube solar collectors (ETSC). The initial segment of this study elaborates on the importance of using the ETSCs and categorizes these collectors in terms of classification and application. The second segment evaluates the physical properties of nanofluids incorporated in the solar system collector and presents some applications of nanofluids. The last segment of the research reviews the works of a group of researchers who have already applied nanofluids to evacuated tube solar collectors for various purposes, including increasing the heat transfer coefficient and improving efficiency. Among the prevalent nanofluids employed in solar applications, Al2O3, CuO, and TiO2 feature prominently, whereas Ag, WO3, and CeO2 find limited application in the solar context. Furthermore, nanofluids within the size range of 1–25 nm, 25–50 nm, and 50–100 nm constitutes 54%, 25%, and 11% of the applications, respectively. Particularly noteworthy, the single-walled carbon nanotubes/water (SWCNT/water) heat pipe showcases the most remarkable efficiency enhancement, achieving an impressive 93.43% improvement.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Soheil Fathi; Abbas Mahravan
Abstract
In many middle- and high-income countries, existing buildings will occupy the majority of building areas by 2050 and measures are needed to upgrade the mentioned buildings for a sustainable transition. This research proposes a method to mitigate the energy consumption of existing educational buildings ...
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In many middle- and high-income countries, existing buildings will occupy the majority of building areas by 2050 and measures are needed to upgrade the mentioned buildings for a sustainable transition. This research proposes a method to mitigate the energy consumption of existing educational buildings using four energy efficiency measures (EEMs). The proposed method divides simulations into two main parts: simulations with and without using heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Four passive EEMs are used, including window replacement, proposed shading devices, new insulations, and installing a new partition wall for the entrance part of the building. This research uses a simulation-based method to examine the effect of each EEM on the energy consumption of the building using DesignBuilder software. The steps of data collection and modeling in this research include collecting raw data related to the physical characteristics of the building experimentally and creating a basic model. Afterwards, simulation scenarios were defined based on the proposed method, and several simulations were carried out to examine the impact of each EEM on the energy performance of the building. Two environmental parameters of the simulation process, including indoor air temperature (IAT) and relative humidity (RH), were used. The measures reduced the heating and cooling demands in the building by 80.14 % and 15.70 %, respectively. Moreover, the results indicated that the total energy consumption of the building were reduced by 10.44 % after retrofitting measures.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Payam Ghorbannezhad; Behnam Dehbandi; Imtiaz Ali
Abstract
Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is recognized as a valuable product of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) derived from cellulosic materials as an abundant renewable source. It could find future bioplastic application if a feasible separation process is developed. To find a commercially available solvent, FDCA ...
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Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is recognized as a valuable product of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) derived from cellulosic materials as an abundant renewable source. It could find future bioplastic application if a feasible separation process is developed. To find a commercially available solvent, FDCA should be selectively separated from HMF and the downstream process be supported by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry experiments in line with density functional theory (DFT). Evaluation of the sigma potential and sigma surface analysis demonstrated that benzene and ethyl acetate enjoyed better extraction and HMF selectivity, whereas FDCA exhibited ideal behavior in the presence of DMF and DMSO solvents. It was proved that the hydrophobicity could be changed by improving the hydrogen-bonding interaction between them. Moreover, the up-down selection of classes of solvents based on the experimental data found by GC-MS revealed that polar molecular solvents (ethanol-water) were more compatible with carboxylic acids and alcohol compounds, while n-hexane was a desirable solvent for phenolic compounds. It was found that levoglucosan retained a significant fraction of water compared to other solvents, which need to be considered for further economic and environmental analysis under the multifaceted framework of biomass-derived products.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Mohammed Ali Sami Mahmood; Sergei Kuzmin
Abstract
Solar Organic Rankine Cycle (SORC) is a successful approach to sustainable development and exploiting clean energy sources. The research aims to improve and evaluate the energy efficiency of the SORC for combined heat and power generation for a residential home under the climatic conditions of Baghdad, ...
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Solar Organic Rankine Cycle (SORC) is a successful approach to sustainable development and exploiting clean energy sources. The research aims to improve and evaluate the energy efficiency of the SORC for combined heat and power generation for a residential home under the climatic conditions of Baghdad, Iraq. Thermoeconomic analysis was carried out for the proposed energy supply system. Refrigerant HFC-245fa was used as a working fluid in a solar organic Rankine cycle, and oil poly alkyl benzene (TLV-330) was suggested as a heat transfer fluid in the solar collector field. Parametric studies for some key parameters were conducted to examine the impact of various operating conditions on energy efficiency. The results showed a significant improvement in energy efficiency. The maximum efficiency of SORC CHPG reached 79.14 % when solar heat source temperatures were in the range of 100 to 150 °C and the solar radiation was at a maximum value of 870 W/m2 at noon on the 15th day of July in Baghdad. The maximum energy produced by SORC CHPG was 472.5 kW when the optimal average value of global solar radiation was 7.5 kWh/m2/day in June. The economic investigations revealed that the payback period of the new energy supply system was 10 years with the positive net present cost when the solar power plant was working 18 h/day.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Ali Nazari; Morteza Hosseinpour; Mahdi Rezaei
Abstract
In this study, the impact of digestate treatment after Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process in two scenarios is analyzed in the case of an industrial diary unit in the United States. The first scenario involves production of liquid fertilizer and compost, while the second scenario lacks such a treatment ...
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In this study, the impact of digestate treatment after Anaerobic Digestion (AD) process in two scenarios is analyzed in the case of an industrial diary unit in the United States. The first scenario involves production of liquid fertilizer and compost, while the second scenario lacks such a treatment process. Aspen Plus is used to simulate the AD process and evaluate the general properties of biogas and digestate. The results of technical analysis show insignificant changes in the net power production from the CHP unit in Scenario 1. The economic analysis, however, indicates the necessity of digestate treatment for AD systems to be profitable. Furthermore, the results of environmental analysis indicate the mitigation of about 93.4 kilotonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scenario 1, while AD in Scenario 2 saves only 12 kilotonnes of GHG emissions. In other words, digestate treatment has a more significant environmental impact than the power production and its profitability from CHP unit. The reason could be attributed to the enormous consumption of energy during the production of chemical fertilizers where the digestate treatment process (scenario 1) offsets the utilization of chemical fertilizers in the agriculture industry.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Abir Hmida; Abdelghafour Lamrani; Mamdouh El Haj Assad; Yashar Aryanfar; Jorge Luis Garcia Alcaraz
Abstract
Around the globe, a 60 % increase in energy demand is predicted to occur by the end of the year 2030 due to the ever-increasing population and development. With a registered temperature up to 50 °C in August 2020, which is classified as one of the hottest regions in the world, the demand for cool ...
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Around the globe, a 60 % increase in energy demand is predicted to occur by the end of the year 2030 due to the ever-increasing population and development. With a registered temperature up to 50 °C in August 2020, which is classified as one of the hottest regions in the world, the demand for cool temperatures in Gabes-Tunisia to achieve the thermal comfort of people ensuring the product storage has become more and more intense. Removing heat from buildings represents the most extensive energy consumption process. In this paper, an absorption-refrigeration system driven by solar energy is proposed. A parametric simulation model is developed based on the TRNSYS platform. A comparison between different models for global radiation calculation and experimental meteorological data was carried out. It has been proven that the Brinchambaut model seems to be the most convenient in describing the real global radiation, with an error of up to 3.16 %. An area of 22 m² of evacuated tube solar collector ensures the proper functioning of the generator and achieves a temperature up to 2 °C in the cold room.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Francis Olatunbosun Aweda; Segun Adebayo; Adetunji Ayokunnu Adeniji; Timothy Kayode Samson; Jacob Adebayo Akinpelu
Abstract
Wind energy has been identified as a critical component in the growth of all countries throughout the world. Nigeria has been identified as having energy issues as a result of poor maintenance of hydro and thermal energy generating stations. As a result, the current study uses some machine learning approaches ...
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Wind energy has been identified as a critical component in the growth of all countries throughout the world. Nigeria has been identified as having energy issues as a result of poor maintenance of hydro and thermal energy generating stations. As a result, the current study uses some machine learning approaches over wind speed data for energy generation in the country. Machine learning models were employed for wind speed using selected meteorological parameters. Little research was done using some meteorological data and machine learning to investigate wind speed across Nigerian sub-stations, resulting in the need for further research. This research, on the other hand, focuses on a neural network for forecasting, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network model based on several fire-work algorithms (FWA). The data for this study came from the archive of the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 (MERRA-2) Web service, which was modeled. The LSTM predicts the wind speed model based on the FWA, which used hyper-parameter optimization and was based on a real-time prediction model that was dependent on the change and dependence of the neural network. The study data was split into two categories: test and training. According to the validation technique, the sample data was reviewed, and the first 80 % of the data was utilized for training, as revealed by the (LSTM) network model. The remaining 20 % of the data was used as forecast data to ensure that the model was accurate. The normalization of the data for the wind speed range of 0 to 1 which illustrates the process data, the high peak in 1985 (a = 0.12 m/s, b = 0.11 m/s, c = 0.13 m/s, d = 0.08 m/s, e = 0.06 m/s, f = 0.10 m/s) was discovered. However, the summary result of the performances of different 11 Machine Learning algorithms of regression type for each of the seven locations in Nigeria has different values. As a result, it is recommended that this study will facilitate the prediction of wind speed for energy generation in Nigeria.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Majid Zarezadeh; Hoda Mansoori; Alireza Eikani
Abstract
In this study, in addition to assessing the conditions in the coastal region of Bandar Abbas, the feasibility of utilizing Archimedes torsional turbines for renewable energy production in this area was investigated through a combination of field measurements and numerical simulations. Field studies included ...
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In this study, in addition to assessing the conditions in the coastal region of Bandar Abbas, the feasibility of utilizing Archimedes torsional turbines for renewable energy production in this area was investigated through a combination of field measurements and numerical simulations. Field studies included the measurement of environmental conditions, depth, and vessel traffic. The determination of a safe depth was based on these measurements. Additionally, the current patterns were assessed in the field, measuring key parameters like salinity, electrical conductivity, and density. To further develop the results, a numerical simulation was conducted using the ROMS numerical model to establish the hydrodynamic current patterns in the target area. Upon reviewing the outcomes with the SOLVER program and employing linear programming methods, effective constraints derived from field monitoring were created. The study explored the optimal energy efficiency of Archimedes torsional turbines under different inclinations relative to the seabed and angular velocities. The research and simulations revealed that varying the tilt of the vertical axis of the turbine within the range of 5 to 15 degrees significantly impacted the turbine's efficiency. The highest efficiency, at 75 %, was achieved at a 15-degree angle with a turbine rotation speed of 150 rpm. This result is particularly notable, considering the low slope of the studied area.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Krishnarao Rajaram Patil
Abstract
The present study aims to develop different strategies for better utilization of oxygenated Diethyl ether and ethanol as supplementary fuels by blending them with biodiesel as the base fuel in CI engines. The used biodiesel used was readily available Karanja Oil Methyl Ester (KOME), its scientific name ...
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The present study aims to develop different strategies for better utilization of oxygenated Diethyl ether and ethanol as supplementary fuels by blending them with biodiesel as the base fuel in CI engines. The used biodiesel used was readily available Karanja Oil Methyl Ester (KOME), its scientific name being Pongamia Pinnata. Initially, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % amounts of ethanol (volume) were mixed with biodiesel. Further, the optimum selected blend BE15 was mixed with 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, and 20 % DEE by volume to make the ternary blend. This DEE-ethanol-biodiesel blend was tested on the same engine under the same conditions. The experimental results exhibited that the DEE-ethanol-biodiesel ternary blend, BE15DE10, mitigated BTE by 8.89 % and the smoke, NOx, and CO emissions by 15.66 %, 50.7 %, and 18.5 %, respectively, compared with neat biodiesel. The HC emission exhibited a slightly increasing trend. The results summarize the trade-off between smoke and NOx reduction using DEE and ethanol oxygenated fuels. The addition of ethanol by 15 % and DEE up to 10 % by volume to biodiesel could be considered the most favorable blend without any significant modifications in the CI engine.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Armin Motamed Sadr; Mehran Ameri Mahabadi; ٍٍEbrahim Jahanshahi Javaran
Abstract
In this research, the performance of an asphalt solar air collector was experimentally tested and the daily thermal and exergy efficiencies of the collector were analyzed. The sun's radiant energy is absorbed by asphalt and converted into thermal energy. Then, it is transmitted to aluminum pipes buried ...
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In this research, the performance of an asphalt solar air collector was experimentally tested and the daily thermal and exergy efficiencies of the collector were analyzed. The sun's radiant energy is absorbed by asphalt and converted into thermal energy. Then, it is transmitted to aluminum pipes buried under the asphalt and, finally, to the air passing through the pipes. A suction fan induces the ambient air to the collector. The experimental results show that the daily thermal efficiencies at mass flow rates of 0.007 (kg/s) and 0.014 (kg/s) are 11.98 % and 24.10 % and daily exergy efficiencies are 0.34 % and 0.66 %, respectively, showing the increase in daily energy and exergy efficiencies with increasing the air mass flow rate. In addition, results show that as the flow rate increases, the outlet air temperature decreases. The presence of temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the collector in the last hours of the day, when the sun's radiation islow, indicates that asphalt acts as a thermal energy storage medium.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Uttam Bista; Bhawana Rayamajhi; Bipasyana Dhungana; Sunil Prasad Lohani
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is one of the most effective technologies for managing degradable waste, which produces renewable energy and digestate as the byproduct. In this study, sewage sludge (SS), poultry litter (PL), and food waste (FW) were co-digested at ratios (SS:PL:FW 2:1:1) with 8 % total solid content ...
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Anaerobic digestion is one of the most effective technologies for managing degradable waste, which produces renewable energy and digestate as the byproduct. In this study, sewage sludge (SS), poultry litter (PL), and food waste (FW) were co-digested at ratios (SS:PL:FW 2:1:1) with 8 % total solid content at ambient temperature (average 22 °C) and controlled temperature (35 °C) in summer. The synergistic effects of co-digesting substrates enhance the biogas production potential when digested at an optimized ratio. The maximum biogas yield was 688.7 L/kgVSa at the controlled temperature and 462.3 L/kgVSa at ambient temperature. The ambient reactor had a methane composition of 55 %, while the controlled temperature reactor had about 60 %. The results provide approaches to increase biogas production in the anaerobic digestion process through co-digestion and controlled mesophilic temperature. Biogas production from anaerobic co-digestion could significantly transform waste into energy in low-income countries to achieve the objective of clean energy production and environmental sustainability.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Ararsa Derese Seboka; Fiseha Bekele Teshome; Motuma Tolera Feyissa
Abstract
This study was conducted in the Loka Abaya District of Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia to assess the environmental impacts of biomass energy production with particular emphasis on charcoal and firewood. The data collection was undertaken using the questionnaire survey administered to 186 randomly selected ...
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This study was conducted in the Loka Abaya District of Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia to assess the environmental impacts of biomass energy production with particular emphasis on charcoal and firewood. The data collection was undertaken using the questionnaire survey administered to 186 randomly selected households. This task was followed by key informant interviews and an analysis of the literature. The sampled households produced 208 432.9 kg firewood yr-1 for domestic consumption and 261 039.8 kg charcoal yr-1 for sale in town. 2.3 × 10-6 km2 of the forest is cleared to produce a single sack of charcoal. Charcoal and firewood production is totally responsible for the degradation of 39.4 ha of forest per year. The associated emissions of CO2, CO, N2O, CH4, and TNMHC (total non-methane hydrocarbon) during the production and consumption of firewood and charcoal were calculated based on the emission factors indicated by previous studies. The results demonstrated that the trace gases produced during charcoal making were higher than that of charcoal burning. Further, the amounts of greenhouse gases generated during firewood burning were higher than the onesgenerated during charcoal burning. In order to minimize the challenges of deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions caused by charcoal and firewood consumption, a strategy of promoting the utilization of alternative clean energy sources such as solar and biogas should be implemented in parallel to the effort of adoption of improved biomass energy-saving cook stoves.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Gokul Raghavendra Srinivasan; Aditya Mahajan; Rajiv Seth; Rakesh Mahajan
Abstract
The present study aims to explore the role of characterized hydrocarbons in thermally cracked shell liquid in determining its overall fuel properties and combustion characteristics in a CI engine. For this purpose, waste shell liquid was extracted from waste cashew nut shell by means of cold extraction ...
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The present study aims to explore the role of characterized hydrocarbons in thermally cracked shell liquid in determining its overall fuel properties and combustion characteristics in a CI engine. For this purpose, waste shell liquid was extracted from waste cashew nut shell by means of cold extraction technique using a simple electrically operated mechanical screw press, which reported maximum extractable oil content as 17.7 %. In addition, it was thermally cracked at 350-400 °C using conventional heating for both lab-scale and pilot-scale extraction. Based on its chemical composition, raw shell liquid contained anacardic acid and cardol, while thermally cracked shell liquid had cresol and methyl oleate as their dominant hydrocarbon compounds. Their composition was found to be 51.84 %, 33.68 %, 43.87 %, and 28.49 %, respectively. According to their contribution, both cyclic and aromatic as well as linear-chained hydrocarbons exhibited significant effect on the fuel properties of the cracked shell liquid, with carbon atoms contributing to its physical and thermal properties, whereas cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons enhance its flow characteristics. Next, neat and blend samples of this cracked shell liquid with petro diesel reported higher peak in-cylinder pressure by 5.6 % (on average) due to the presence of fatty acid esters, which induced early ignition and provided sufficient time for combustion. Meanwhile, higher emission levels were attributed by both cyclic and aromatic and linear-chained hydrocarbons, citing aromaticity and unsaturation in their molecules, which also resulted in reduced thermal efficiencies by 12.5 % (on average), upon accounting for their inferior calorific content. In conclusion, it is evident that hydrocarbons in these treated shell liquids play a significant role in their fuel properties and engine characteristics.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Fatemeh Norouzi; Morteza Hosseinpour; Saeed Talebi
Abstract
In this paper, an industrial dairy farm unit was taken as a case study to carry out the applicable technical assessment for the construction of a biogas plant using a combined heat and power (CHP) unit. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis was applied to examine the effectiveness of the operational parameters ...
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In this paper, an industrial dairy farm unit was taken as a case study to carry out the applicable technical assessment for the construction of a biogas plant using a combined heat and power (CHP) unit. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis was applied to examine the effectiveness of the operational parameters and feed composition in the purity and production rate of biogas. Aspen Plus was used to implement the anaerobic digestion process. The results showed that any increase in the digester’s operational performance and mass rate of feedstock water led to the modification of biomethane content, but dropped in biogas mass flow rate. Moreover, an increase in the mass rate of carbohydrates, protein, and organic load rate (OLR) of feedstock reduces methane composition. Besides, increasing the rate of lipids has raised the rate of methane production and its composition.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Roxana Isabel Bernaola Flores; Carmen Elena Flores Barreda; Diana Carolina Parada Quinayá; Ursula Fabiola Rodríguez Zúñiga
Abstract
Reducing the demand for fossil fuels and the derived products can be achieved through the development of alternative energy sources. This work presents a countrywide study of the energy potential of lignocellulosic biomass sourced from agro-industrial by-products in the country of Peru. Ranking of the ...
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Reducing the demand for fossil fuels and the derived products can be achieved through the development of alternative energy sources. This work presents a countrywide study of the energy potential of lignocellulosic biomass sourced from agro-industrial by-products in the country of Peru. Ranking of the crops that produce the most waste was followed by an energy potential evaluation of carbohydrate conversion and thermochemical conversion. The crops with high calorific values were sugar cane bagasse, wood waste, and coffee husk. The energy potential of the principal lignocellulosic by-products, in terms of tons of oil equivalents per year, resulted from rice straw at 1.45 M, followed by corn residue at 1.13 M and sugar cane residue at 1.10 M. The northern region of Peru generated the highest quantities of rice (straw and husk), banana (husk and rachis), and sugar cane (bagasse and straw) by-products and the southern regions generated the greatest quantities of quinoa residue, all of which could be used as raw materials for biofuels and aggregates for materials. These results indicate that theoretically, this readily available biomass could meet the country's energy demands while promoting sustainability and national energy security.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Farhad Amiri; Mohammad Hassan Moradi
Abstract
In the power system, frequency stability is critical. The wind turbine oscillates (depending on the wind speed) and is of low inertia. Thus, wind turbines face the issue of power system frequency stability. Since the power system's resources are interconnected via communication networks, the presence ...
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In the power system, frequency stability is critical. The wind turbine oscillates (depending on the wind speed) and is of low inertia. Thus, wind turbines face the issue of power system frequency stability. Since the power system's resources are interconnected via communication networks, the presence of time delay also affects the frequency stability of the power system. When a disturbance occurs in the power system due to load or distributed generation sources (wind turbine), it leads to frequency deviations in the power system, exhibiting low damping speed. Although large conventional generators in the power system provide sufficient inertia and reduce frequency deviation, the damping speed of frequency fluctuations is slow, which may be due to time delays between power system resources. In this paper, virtual damping (a proposed method) is used to accelerate the damping of frequency deviations caused by load disturbances, distributed generation source disturbances, and the time delay between power system resources. The results of the proposed method are compared to those obtained using the conventional method in this field, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed method. The proposed method reduced frequency deviations in the power system caused by disturbances and time delays by 67 % (a 67 % improvement over existing methods in this field) and increased the damping speed of the frequency deviations by 62 % (a 62 % improvement over the methods used in this field).
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Sapna Kinattinkara; Thangavelu Arumugam; Nandhini Samiappan; Vivek Sivakumar; Sampathkumar Velusamy; Mohanraj Murugesan; Manoj Shanmugamoorthy
Abstract
Increased global energy consumption demands the use of more energy resources, aggravating environmental issues. This study focused on analyzing biogas production from a mixture of cow dung, water hyacinth, and food waste and checking the efficiency of the biogas. The efficiency of biogas production was ...
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Increased global energy consumption demands the use of more energy resources, aggravating environmental issues. This study focused on analyzing biogas production from a mixture of cow dung, water hyacinth, and food waste and checking the efficiency of the biogas. The efficiency of biogas production was tested using two alternative settings in the study. The first setup employs Eichhornia crassipes that have been NaOH-treated and mixed with co-digestion substrates such as cow manure and food waste which have been stored at room temperature for 32 days. The second setup contains five different types of substrates such as L1-cow dung, L2- cow dung: water hyacinth, L3-cow dung: food waste, L4-cow dung: water hyacinth: food waste, and L5-water hyacinth. The properties of the Eichhornia crassipes were studied on several biogas substrates, such as pH, temperature, COD, TOC, and NPK tests, as well as total biogas output and methane percentage. The results of the comparison analysis show that the substrate L4 has a high level of NPK (4.7 %) and a higher amount of COD (137600 mg/l). These characteristics enhance the gas yield and methane percentage (85 %). Overall, the water hyacinth mixed with cow dung and food waste exceeded the other four substrates. The total yield of biogas from the first setup was 8.5 litres, the flammability was tested on the 28th day, and the blue flame was obtained. Water hyacinth was removed from aquatic areas and used as an alternative energy source, hence being environmentally friendly.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Toyese Friday Oyewusi; Gabriel Alebiowu; Elizabeth Funmilayo Aransiola; Ayowumi Rita Soji-Adekunle; Busayo Sunday Adeboye
Abstract
Briquettes from agro-residues have been promoted as a better alternative to firewood and charcoals for heating and cooking in the rural communities. In this light, a study was carried out to investigate the effect of pretreatment methods on physical properties and heating values of briquettes produced ...
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Briquettes from agro-residues have been promoted as a better alternative to firewood and charcoals for heating and cooking in the rural communities. In this light, a study was carried out to investigate the effect of pretreatment methods on physical properties and heating values of briquettes produced from corncob. To accomplish this work, an experiment was designed as a 2 × 3 × 3 × 3 completely randomized with three replicates. The parameters are pretreatment methods (carbonized and uncarbonized), binder types (cassava, corn, and gelatin), binder concentrations (10, 20, 30 %), and compacting pressures (50, 100, and 150 kPa). A charcoal kiln was fabricated to obtain the pretreatment through pyrolysis and a punch and die was also fabricated to facilitate briquette densification. The physical properties tested were limited to moisture content (MC), density and compressive strength and were determined using a conventional method. The heating value of the briquettes produced was determined using bomb calorimeter. The results demonstrated that averagemoisture content ranged between 5.29-6.58 % and 12.75-13.72 %, mean relaxed density varied from 813-925kgm-3 and 963-1166 kgm-3, compressive strength ranged between 2.27-5.07 MPa and 5.97-10.12 MPa, andheating value ranged between 28.85-32.36 MJkg-1 and 27.58-28.80 MJkg-1 for carbonized and uncarbonizedbriquettes, respectively. Briquettes produced from carbonized corncob had a better moisture content and heating value, while briquettes produced from uncarbonized corncob had higher density and compressive strength. The study shows that pretreatment methods under different binder types and concentrations and the compacting pressure significantly affected the briquettes physical properties and heating values. Therefore, this technology can be successfully applied in rural off-grid areas by the government and other stakeholders in the energy sector as part of renewable energy technologies.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Mehdi Jahangiri; Farhad Raeiszadeh; Reza Alayi; Atabak Najafi; Ahmad Tahmasebi
Abstract
Rural tourism is an important factor in achieving economic, social, and cultural development. Given that villages in Iran do not have access to permanent electricity or are associated with high power outages, the provision of sustainable electricity through renewable energy can cause more tourists to ...
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Rural tourism is an important factor in achieving economic, social, and cultural development. Given that villages in Iran do not have access to permanent electricity or are associated with high power outages, the provision of sustainable electricity through renewable energy can cause more tourists to choose these villages as their ultimate goal. Therefore, in this paper, for the first time, a hybrid system has been evaluated based on solar energy in 10 tourism target villages in Iran using HOMER software. This study investigated the design of the system with real and up-to-date data on equipment and fossil fuel prices taking into account transportation costs as well as a comprehensive study of energy-economic-environmental with electricity generation approach to the development of rural tourism. The results demonstrated that for the studied stations, the LCOE parameter was in the range of $ 0.615-0.722, the percentage of power supply by solar cells was in the range of 90-99 %, and the prevention of pollutants was 33.9-277 kg/year. According to the results, Meymand village is the most suitable and Mazichal village is the unsuitable station in the field of energy supply required by solar cells. The production pollution in the studied stations is mainly CO2 and results from the operational phase of the project and its amount is 979.5 kg/year. Given that the rural tourism has grown and become a solution for development, the authors hope that the present work results can be used as a perspective to help energy and rural tourism decision-makers.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Iman Ayoobi; Ramin Roshandel
Abstract
Light is a critical parameter for plant growth such that providing enough light for the plant can ensure better quality and higher yield in greenhouses. In many areas, in the cold seasons of the year, not enough natural light reaches the plant. Thus, to compensate for the natural light deficit, artificial ...
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Light is a critical parameter for plant growth such that providing enough light for the plant can ensure better quality and higher yield in greenhouses. In many areas, in the cold seasons of the year, not enough natural light reaches the plant. Thus, to compensate for the natural light deficit, artificial light is used. Since the use of artificial light leads to energy consumption, effective parameters in the energy consumption of the lighting system such as available natural light, greenhouse shape, and the on-off plan of the lighting system should be considered. In this paper, available natural light is estimated based on greenhouse structure in five cities of Iran. Then, the natural light deficit was investigated. Finally, to achieve clean cultivation, the utilization of photovoltaic panels is investigated to compensate for the electrical energy needed for supplementary lighting. The results show that although Iran is recognized as a region with high solar energy potential, natural light is not enough for optimum tomato lighting demand. Using supplementary lighting in greenhouses could compensate for the lack of natural light in proportion to the capacity of the lighting system. In 73.22 % to 91.32 % of days in the period of September to April, the natural light is not sufficient for optimum lighting. Therefore, 98 to 377 electricity is needed to supply power for supplementary lighting system. Accordingly, the photovoltaic area and its associated with costs to compensate electrical energy consumption for the supplementary lighting is estimated to be 0.47 to 2.58 per m2 of greenhouse area, which is equal to $ 171.08 to $ 939.12 per m2 of greenhouse area, respectively.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Setare Peirow; Fatemeh Razi Astaraei; Amir Ali Saifoddin; Hossein Yousefi
Abstract
The issue of power supply in hospitals is of special importance because of its direct effect on people's health conditions and vital treatment and care measures. Hospitals are among buildings with high energy consumption. The possibility of using renewable sources in their energy supply is one of the ...
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The issue of power supply in hospitals is of special importance because of its direct effect on people's health conditions and vital treatment and care measures. Hospitals are among buildings with high energy consumption. The possibility of using renewable sources in their energy supply is one of the issues and challenges that specialists encounter. This paper discusses the possibility of installing a small solar power generation unit on a hospital rooftop to improve the quality of power supply systems. The case study is a hospital located in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, the hospital energy system was modeled with the Design-Builder software. The obtained results were validated based on the actual consumption of the model specified in the hospital energy bills. According to the modeling step results, the annual consumption of the current energy system was 3.08 GWh of electricity and 4.23 GWh of gas. In the second step, a renewable power generation unit consisting of photovoltaic panels and battery was designed for the hospital's roof using PVsyst software. The designed power generation unit could produce 132 MWh of solar energy per year, of which 85 MWh may be sold to the main grid. The techno-economic and environmental feasibility study for the proposed system was performed using HOMER Pro software. The evaluation results revealed that considering the 20-year lifetime of the project, the proposed system achieved a lower energy cost and lower net present cost than the current system. Environmental assessment of the model by considering emission penalty indicated that the proposed system emitted fewer pollutant gases into the environment than the current system. Sensitivity analysis was also applied to investigate the effect of discounting and diesel fuel price variation on the system’s energy cost. According to the results, a 4 % increase in the discount rate leads to a 14 % growth in the cost of energy for the project. Also, there was a direct relation between enhancement of the expected inflation rate and raising the net present cost of the project.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Amir Hossein Zare; Esmail Mahmoodi; Mohsen Boojari; Ali Sarreshtehdari
Abstract
Significant growth of the wind power market has led to a dramatic increase in the scale and capacity of wind turbines over the past decades. As these extreme-scale structures are expected to pose a wide range of challenges, an innovative concept which both lightens blade's mass and improves their aerodynamic ...
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Significant growth of the wind power market has led to a dramatic increase in the scale and capacity of wind turbines over the past decades. As these extreme-scale structures are expected to pose a wide range of challenges, an innovative concept which both lightens blade's mass and improves their aerodynamic performance, is vital for the future of rotor's design. In the present study, modeling and evaluating of an innovative pre-aligned rotor design based on SANDIA SNL100-00 wind turbine blade were accomplished. To evaluate the aerodynamic performance of the proposed rotor, CFD simulation was used as a well-developed technique in fluid mechanic. In the new rotor design, the swept area was increased using an equal blade length and the blade sections were more appropriately aligned with the wind flow compared to the reference model. This enhancement attained due to transferring the bending position from the root to a certain point alongside the length of blade. According to simulation assessments, this modification led to the overall improvement of main performance parameters in terms of the mean power and the applied torque on the blades. The simulation revealed that the novel concept is capable of increasing the mean power coefficient by 13.21 % compared to the conventional rotor designs. Analysis of the axial induction in front of the rotor plane displayed a greater drop in the flow velocity streaming up to the rotor, which could lead to have a more efficient configuration for harnessing the upcoming wind's power.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Ayowumi Rita Soji-Adekunle; Betiku Eriola; Abraham A. Asere
Abstract
This study used ternary substrates consisting of honne, neem, and yellow oleander (HONOYO) oil blend to produce methyl-esters for sustainability of raw materials for biodiesel synthesis. A biomass-based catalyst from calcined mixed agro-wastes consisting of kolanut pod, cocoa pod, and plantain peel ash ...
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This study used ternary substrates consisting of honne, neem, and yellow oleander (HONOYO) oil blend to produce methyl-esters for sustainability of raw materials for biodiesel synthesis. A biomass-based catalyst from calcined mixed agro-wastes consisting of kolanut pod, cocoa pod, and plantain peel ash was employed to transesterify the blend. A two-step method was adopted to convert HONOYO into methyl-esters. Taguchi L9 experimental design tool was used to ascertain the interactive effects of microwave irradiation power (W), Methanol/oil ratio (MeOH), time (min), and agro-wastes synthesized catalyst ASC (wt %) on the yield of methyl-esters from HONOYO. Results demonstrated that at 3:1 MeOH, microwave power of 150 W, ASC of 1.5 wt %, and reaction time of 1 minute, a yield of 80.96 % was achieved. HONOYOB satisfied ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards. Performance evaluation of the process input variables suggests weight of ASC as the most significant process parameters for HONOYOB yield. This work authenticates that biomass catalyst from agricultural wastes can adequately be applied to synthesis biodiesel effectively from blends of non-edible oils to supplement fossil diesel.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Anupama Subhadarsini; Babita Panda; Byamakesh Nayak
Abstract
The solar photovoltaic system is modeled in Simulink using Matlab. Boost converter, FOTIDC controller, and Reduced Switch Multilevel Inverter are all included in this PV system (RSMLI). With regard to solar photovoltaic systems, the focus of this study is on the Fractional Order Tilt Integral Derivative ...
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The solar photovoltaic system is modeled in Simulink using Matlab. Boost converter, FOTIDC controller, and Reduced Switch Multilevel Inverter are all included in this PV system (RSMLI). With regard to solar photovoltaic systems, the focus of this study is on the Fractional Order Tilt Integral Derivative Controller (FOTIDC). In the suggested control technique, Hybrid Genetic Particle Swarm Jaya Optimization is used to optimize the control parameters (HGPSJO). Jaya Optimization (JO) is a hybrid of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and GA/PSO algorithm optimization techniques, combining the best of each for improved control executions. Control performance is enhanced using a fractional calculus-based technique to redesign the Tilt Integral Derivative Controller (TIDC) in order to reduce noise and harmonic distortions. Harmonic distortion and voltage magnitude are reduced by applying the proposed control method to the PV system. Simulated Matlab environments are used to test the stability, robustness, and stability of the proposed system as well as its capacity to reduce harmonic distortions. It is also compared to other well-known control techniques in order to ensure that the real-time implementation is properly validated.
Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies
Sharareh Esmaeili; Kambiz Tahvildari; Barat Ghobadian; Masoud Dehghani-Soufi; Sanaz Mohammadzadeh Koumleh; Tirth Panchal
Abstract
The presence of increasing concerns and enforcement of growing regulations over environmental pollution are nowadays at play. The pollution arising from mineral oils is among the major concerns. With the gradual reducation of the world oil reserves, an increasing pressure comes into play for finding ...
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The presence of increasing concerns and enforcement of growing regulations over environmental pollution are nowadays at play. The pollution arising from mineral oils is among the major concerns. With the gradual reducation of the world oil reserves, an increasing pressure comes into play for finding sustainable alternatives. Being appealing alternatives, vegetable oils consist of different fatty acids; however, they cannot be applied directly to internal combustion engines owing to their poor oxidation stability and high pour point value. Biolubricants are considered to be a new generation of lubricants, which are renewable and biodegradable and are produced from the chemical modification of vegetable oils. There are few studies investigating the feasibility of using the mixture of fatty acids as biolubricant feedstock. In this study, epoxidation, oxirane ring opening with palmitic acid and p-Toluenesulfonic acid, esterification reaction with octanol, and reaction of the remaining hydroxyl group with stearic acid were applied to modify the mixture of oleic and linoleic fatty acids and produce biolubricant. For this purpose, the IR spectrums of each epoxide, monoester, diester, and triester products were obtained and analyzed. At the end of the experiments, monoester, diester, and triester were obtained with 94 % yield, with 96 % yield, and with 98 % yield, respectively. Eventually, the final product was found with physicochemical properties comparable with the physicochemical properties of the lubricant standard ISO VG10.