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Summary Coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) has spread all across the world. Low‐ and medium‐income countries are more affected economically and socially compared to developed countries due to the lack of a rapid, robust, and affordable testing infrastructure. Furthermore, the high cost of real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system, sophisticated user‐handling procedure, and high expense of the conventional clinical tests are the root causes of the less accessibility of the testing systems to the users. In this study, a COVID‐19 Point‐of‐Care (POC) ecosystem model is proposed for the low‐ and medium‐income countries (or energy deprived countries) that will facilitate the technological development with locally available fabrication components. In addition, the nontechnological development phases have also been discussed, which encompasses the collaboration among academia, local as well as government bodies, and entrepreneurial ventures. In addition, a hypothetical design of a microfluidic paper‐based analytical (μPADs) POC platform is proposed to detect COVID‐19 analyte using unprocessed patient‐derived saliva, which is a miniaturized form‐factor of conventional real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The device contains four major reaction zones, which are sample zone, buffer zone, loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) Master Mix zone, Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) zone, and sensor zone. To obtain quicker test results and easier operation, a handheld image acquisition technique is introduced in this study. It is hypothesized that in a remote setting, the proposed design could be used as an initial guideline to develop a POC COVID‐19 testing system, which may be simple, easy‐to‐use, and cost‐effective., A COVID‐19 Point‐of‐Care (POC) model is proposed that will facilitate the technological development with locally available fabrication components. To obtain quicker test results and easier operation, a handheld image acquisition technique is introduced. The proposed design could be used as an initial guideline to develop a POC COVID‐19 system, which may be simple, easy‐to‐use, and cost‐effective.

This paper analyses the economics of cogeneration potential in the pulp and paper industry of Vietnam. The analysis focuses on six large existing paper mills, their planned capacity expansion and nine planned new mills up to 2010. The analysis considered five alternative fuels (coal, diesel, fuel oil, natural gas and rice husk), three different technologies (steam turbines, gas turbines and reciprocating engines) and two modes of operation (thermal match and power match) of cogeneration. It also considered the case of sale of excess power to the grid. The analysis indicates that cogeneration is a viable option in the paper and pulp industry in Vietnam and the potential is about 200 MW. IRR in most of the cases ranges between 15 and 30% and the general payback period is between 3 and 5 years. Cogeneration remains a viable option even without sale of power to the grid and under different unfavourable conditions of fuel price, investment and other factors. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Different energy and exergy concepts and methods are presented and applied to a Swedish pulp and paper mill. Flow diagrams show that the exergy content is mostly much less than the energy content o ...

In the pulp and paper industry, energy costs represents a relatively large proportion of the value of production. When investing in new equipment, considerations concerning boundary conditions, suc ...

Previous studies by the authors have shown that energy savings in pulp and paper mills offer opportunities for increased electricity production on-site or wood fuel export. The energy export implies reductions in CO2 emissions off-site, where fossil fuel or fossil-fuel-based electricity is replaced. To assess this potential and the related profitability for a future situation, four energy market scenarios were used. For a typical Scandinavian mill, the potential for CO2-emission reductions was 15–140 kton year-1 depending on the scenario and the form of energy export. Extrapolated to all relevant mills in Sweden, the potential was 0.4–3.1 Mton year-1, which is in the order of percent of the Swedish CO2 emissions. Wood fuel export implies larger reduction in CO2 emissions in most scenarios. In contrast, electricity export showed better economy in most of the cases studied; with annual earnings of 5–6Mh, this is an economically robust option. In the market pulp mill investigated, the wood fuel export was in the form of lignin. Lignin could possibly be valued as oil, regarding both price and potential for CO2-emission reduction, making lignin separation an option with good profitability and large reductions of CO2 emissions.

SUMMARY The present study deals with a comprehensive thermodynamic modeling of a combined heat and power (CHP) system in a paper mill, which provides 50 MW of electric power and 100 ton h−1 saturated steam at 13 bars. This CHP plant is composed of air compressor, combustion chamber (CC), Air Preheater, Gas Turbine (GT) and a Heat Recovery Heat Exchanger. The design parameters of this cycle are compressor pressure ratio (rAC), compressor isentropic efficiency (ηAC), GT isentropic efficiency (ηGT), CC inlet temperature (T3), and turbine inlet temperature (T4). In the multi-objective optimization three objective functions, including CHP exergy efficiency, total cost rate of the system products, and CO2 emission of the whole plant, are considered. The exergoenvironmental objective function is minimized whereas power plant exergy efficiency is maximized using a Genetic algorithm. To have a good insight into this study, a sensitivity analysis of the results to the interest rate as well as fuel cost is performed. The results show that at the lower exergetic efficiency, in which the weight of exergoenvironmental objective is higher, the sensitivity of the optimal solutions to the fuel cost is much higher than the location of the Pareto Frontier with the lower weight of exergoenvironmental objective. In addition, with increasing exergy efficiency, the purchase cost of equipment in the plant is increased as the cost rate of the plant increases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Regression analysis is used to detect and quantify the gross consequences for energy use of structural differences in the pulp and paper industries of the OECD countries. It is shown that changes in the specific energy use with time are explicable in terms of the concentration of production. Size and learning effects on paper making machines are detected and quantified.

Recent progress in nanoscience and technology offers huge opportunities for applications in the energy field and for the development of clean energy systems. Advanced materials based on nanoscience could lead to large energy savings in a whole range of end-use energy applications such as buildings or lighting systems. Major technology breakthroughs could be accomplished through nanotechnology in solar cells, fuel cells and hydrogen technology, energy storage, etc. International research in nanoscience finds increasingly new and novel directions into energy applications.

Summary The Coronavirus (COVID‐19) outbreak hit the global economy like a tsunami. Every aspect of human society, including the energy industry and market, is affected by this pandemic. The pandemic has affected prices, demand, supply, investment, and several other aspects of the energy sector, including the oil and gas industry. This article is aimed to analyze the impacts of COVID‐19 on the oil and gas industry and give a perspective of the post‐COVID‐19 oil and gas market. Results of this article show that COVID‐19 impacts the oil and gas industry. The short‐term impact is nearly 25% decrease in petroleum consumption, slowly recovering to its former amount and even growing more. The long‐term impacts are the 30% to 40% decrease in the CAPEX and R&D investments over the oil and gas market, which is a regional scale in the United States, caused oil exploitation projects to decrease from more than 800 in 2019 to 265 in 2021. And it is predicted to reduce the competitiveness of oil and gas vs other energy carriers such as ever price‐decreasing renewable energies. Thus, the oil and gas industry has to change rapidly before losing a substantial energy market share. Finally, this article discusses acknowledging oil and gas trade as a part of World trade organization (WTO/ECT) regulations. And considering it a general energy commodity. An act that reduces the freedom of action of oil‐exporting governments and great oil cartels and protects their interests in a globalizing competitive energy market.

Energy efficiency measures in pulp mills can potentially reduce the consumption of biofuel, which can instead be exported and used elsewhere. In this paper a methodology is proposed for analysing the robustness of energy efficiency investments in Kraft pulp mills or other industrial process plants equipped with biofuelled combined heat and power units, given uncertain future climate policy. The outlook for biofuel and electricity prices is a key factor for deciding if energy efficiency measures are cost competitive. CO2 emission charges resulting from climate policy are internalized and thus included in electricity and biofuel prices. The proposed methodology includes a price-setting model for biofuel that assumes a constant price ratio between biofuel and electricity in the Nordic countries. Thirteen energy efficiency retrofit measures are analysed for an existing Swedish Kraft pulp mill. Special attention is paid to heatintegrated evaporation using excess process heat. Four possible energy market development paths are considered that reflect different climate policies. Pulp mill energy efficiency investments considered are shown to be robust with respect to uncertain climate policy. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Current communication reports the application of kinetic models viz., modified Gompertz, modified Logistic, Ratkowsky and Andrew model to study the acidogenic hydrogen (H2) production along with volatile fatty acids (VFA) production and substrate degradation from various wastewater (dairy, distillery, chemical and designed synthetic wastewater) using mixed consortia. Influence of fermentation time was specifically evaluated by modified Gompertz and modified Logistic models on H2 and VFA production. Influence of system redox condition on process was evaluated by Ratkowsky and Andrew models. The modified Gompertz model showed best fit for H2 production as well as substrate degradation while modified Logistic model showed good acceptability with VFA production. The Andrew model describes both H2 and VFA production with respect to system redox condition relatively well. This information provides an understanding of the process behavior, which can help in the design and upscaling of the process for efficient H2 production. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SUMMARY The use of graphene to bridge TiO2 particles in the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cell for reduced electrical resistance has been investigated. The difficulty in dispersing graphene in TiO2 paste was overcome by first dispersing graphene oxide (GO) into the TiO2 paste. The GO was then reduced to graphene after the sintering of TiO2. This is shown through transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Cell performance was evaluated using a solar simulator, incident photon to electron conversion efficiency, intensity modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy under blue light, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Depending on the amount of graphene in the photoanode, the cell performance was enhanced to different degrees. A maximum increase of 11.4% in the cell efficiency has been obtained. In particular, the inclusion of graphene has reduced the electron diffusion time by as much as 23.4%, i.e. from 4.74 to 3.63 ms and increased the electron lifetime by as much as 42.3%, i.e. from 19.58 to 27.85 ms. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper is concerned with the exergy analysis of the single layer drying process of laurel leaves in a ground-source heat pump drying cabinet, which was designed and constructed in the Solar Energy Institute, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. The effects of drying air temperature on exergy losses, exergy efficiencies and exergetic improvement potential of the drying process are investigated. The results have indicated that exergy efficiencies of the dryer increase with rising the drying air temperature. Moreover, the laurel leaves are sufficiently dried at the temperatures ranging from 40 to 50°C with relative humidities varying from 16 to 19% and a drying air velocity of 0.5 m s−1 during the drying period of 9 h. The exergy efficiency values are obtained to range from 81.35 to 87.48% based on the inflow, outflow and loss of exergy, and 9.11 to 15.48% based on the product/fuel basis between the same drying air temperatures with a drying air mass flow rate of 0.12 kg s−1. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In this study we present an energy and exergy modelling of industrial final macaroni (pasta) drying process for its system analysis, performance evaluation and optimization. Using actual system data, a performance assessment of the industrial macaroni drying process through energy and exergy efficiencies and system exergy destructions is conducted. The heat losses to the surroundings and exergy destructions in the overall system are quantified and illustrated using energy and exergy flow diagrams. The total energy rate input to system is 316.25 kW. The evaporation rate is 72 kg h−1 (0.02 kg s−1) and energy consumption rate is found as 4.38 kW for 1 kg water evaporation from product. Humidity product rate is 792 kg h−1 (0.22 kg s−1) and energy consumption rate is found about 0.4 kW for 1 kg short cut pasta product. The energy efficiencies of the pasta drying process and the overall system are found to be as 7.55–77.09% and 68.63%. The exergy efficiency of pasta drying process is obtained to be as 72.98–82.15%. For the actual system that is presented the system exergy efficiency vary between 41.90 and 70.94%. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Refractance Window® evaporator represents a novel concept in the design of evaporation systems for small food processing plants. In this system thermal energy from circulating hot water is transmitted through a plastic sheet to evaporate water from a liquid product flowing concurrently on the top surface of the plastic. The objectives of this study were to investigate the heat transfer characteristics of this evaporator, determine its energy consumption, and capacity at different tilt angles and product flow rates. The system performance was evaluated with tap water, raspberry juice, and blueberry juice and puree as feed. With a direct steam injection heating method, the steam economy ranged from 0.64 to 0.84, while the overall heat transfer coefficient (U) was 666 W m−2 °C−1. Under this condition, the highest evaporation capacity was 27.1 kg h−1 m−2 for blueberry juice and 31.8 kg h−1 m−2 for blueberry puree. The energy consumption was 2492–2719 kJ kg−1 of water evaporated. Installation of a shell and tube heat exchanger with better temperature control minimized incidences of boiling and frequent discharge of condensate. The steam economy, highest evaporation rate and overall heat transfer coefficient increased to 0.99, 36.0 kg h−1 m−2 and 733 W m−2 °C−1, respectively. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The aim of this study is to dry rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by employing a solar energized system. For this purpose, an experimental apparatus was built in the Energy Research Laboratory of Mechanical Engineering Department, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. The pre-treated fish samples were dried at 33–36°C with about 1·8 m/s air velocity in 3 days. Results showed that the samples dried very quickly in the first 15 h of drying then a slow process occurred. The drying process was completed in about 75 h. It was concluded that fish drying is possible in the North East Black Sea region or other areas with a similar climate by a solar energy system if an additional heater is used. This technique was found to be safe for changeable weathers as well as simple. This system has economical advantages compared to other methods applied alone, and can also be used for other drying applications. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A UK bituminous coal was co-processed with five different petroleum residues, and with hydrotreated feedstocks, in a simulation of the British Coal Corporation's two-stage liquid solvent extraction process. One-stage co-processing in the presence of a catalyst and hydrogen gas was also investigated. The feedstocks and products were analysed by a variety of procedures, some of which were especially devised, e.g. simulated distillation by supercritical fluid chromatography, determination of the functionality of nitrogen and sulphur, and assessment of the contributions of coal and petroleum to the products by stable-isotope mass spectrometry and size-exclusion chromatography. In low-severity co-processing the best yields were found to be associated with the content of n-pentane insoluble (asphaltene) aromatics in the solvent. Single-stage co-processing gave improved yields. Progressive changes in the composition of the solvent during recycle were identified. No changes in the distribution of nitrogen among different functional groups during co-processing were observed, but the formation of new sulphur groups was observed.

Since the depletion of fossil fuels, the world has started to rely heavily on renewable sources of energy. With every passing year, our dependency on the renewable sources of energy is increasing exponentially. As a result, complex and hybrid generation systems are being designed and developed to meet the energy demands and ensure energy security in a country. The continual improvement in the technology and an effort towards the provision of uninterrupted power to the end-users is strongly dependent on an effective and fault resilient Operation and Maintenance (O&M) system. Ingenious algorithms and techniques are hence been introduced aiming to minimize equipment and plant downtime. Efforts are being made to develop robust Prognostic Maintenance systems that can identify the faults before they occur. To this aim, complex Data Analytics and Machine Learning (ML) techniques are being used to increase the overall efficiency of these prognostic maintenance systems. This paper provides an overview of the predictive/prognostic maintenance frameworks reported in the literature. We pay a particular focus to the approaches, challenges including data-related issues, such as the availability and quality of the data and data auditing, feature engineering, interpretability, and security issues. Being a key aspect of ML-based solutions, we also discuss some of the commonly used publicly available datasets in the domain. The paper also identifies key future research directions. We believe such detailed analysis will provide a baseline for future research in the domain., 20 pages, 4 figures, 5 tables

This paper proposes the use of a hybrid 5 MW power generation system combining concentrated solar thermal and solar photovoltaic technology where the efficiency of the power block is increased by taking advantage of hot water from a low-temperature geothermal source. Aiming at a case study for Winton in Queensland the pertinent meteorological data are used for our simulations. In addition, the paper analyzes the feasibility of including a thermal desalination technology that uses the waste heat from the power block for producing clean water from wastewater. Our design replaces the traditional dry cooling system with a water-cooled heat exchanger to remove the waste heat from the power block. Finally, this work explores the ratio of concentrated solar thermal and photovoltaic electricity production that optimizes the levelized cost of electricity and water production. the results indicate that the incorporation of the desalination system does not produce a significant increase in this value, and the optimal ratio of electricity production is obtained when the photovoltaic system contributes to 27.5% of the total electricity generation. Our water production cost can be as low as 40 cent/m(3) while for the combined system our minimum levelized cost of electricity figures out at 12.4 cent/kWh to generate the base load with thermal storage.

The high integration of photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs) has started to affect the operation, stability, and security of utility grids. Thus, many countries have established new requirements for grid integration of solar photovoltaics to address the issues in stability and security of the power grid. In this paper, a comprehensive study of the recent international grid codes requirement concerning the penetration of PVPPs into electrical grids is provided. Firstly, the paper discusses the trends of PVPPs worldwide and the significance of improving grid codes' requirements. In addition, the comparison of common requirements covered in the majority of international grid codes considers high‐ and low‐voltage ride‐through capabilities, voltage and frequency regulation, and active and reactive power support requirements. Finally, a broad discussion on the compliance technology challenges and global harmonization of international grid codes that the PVPPs have to address is presented. The study summarizes the most recent international regulation regarding photovoltaic integration and research findings on the compliance of these regulations and proposed recommendations for future research. It also can assist power system operators to compare their existing requirements with other universal operators or establish their own regulations for the first time. Additionally, this research assists photovoltaic manufacturers and developers to get more accurate understanding from the recent global requirements enforced by the modern grid codes.

Summary The consumption of fossil fuel has resulted in global warming, environmental pollution, and many other crucial problems. Replacing fossil fuel with renewable energy has become an important issue over the recent decades. As a renewable clean energy, wind power is a relatively well-developed and promising energy method for current technology development in China. Under the background of growing demand for electricity and enhancing awareness for environmental, the “Internet+ wind power” concept has emerged based on both the wind power's characteristics that renewable and non-polluting, and the rapid development of the Internet in China. Through querying an amount of literature and information, this paper reveals the resource endowment and policy environment about wind power and energy Internet at first. Then, the PEST-SWOT strategy analysis model is used to analyze the internalities (strengths and weaknesses) and the externalities (opportunities and threats) of “Internet+ wind power”. According to these results, the paper puts forward some measures (development and utilization, business mode) for wind power accommodation. Then some policy recommendations have been proposed. The government should provide favorable conditions for wind power grid with the “Internet+” technology innovation.

Summary Mass roll-out of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and significant penetration of renewable energy sources in distribution system play a major role in delivering low carbon environment. However, placing and utilizing these units randomly result in overloading, increased power loss, and reduced voltage profile. This paper responds to these technical challenges by using a strategic placement method for locating the distributed generation (DG) and the charging station (CS) of PHEVs in a multi-zone distribution system. For simultaneously scheduling of these units in each zone, the smart energy management framework is proposed in this paper. Apart from usual energy management constraints, this paper also incorporates the real-time constraints involving the capacity of PHEV batteries, the mobility pattern, and the power level of the charging infrastructure. The simulation studies are carried out for each hour of a day. To cope with this time constraint execution, particle swarm optimization algorithm-based approach is used. The proposed framework is tested in IEEE 33 and IEEE 69 bus radial distribution system. The obtained results imply that the presented energy management framework provides maximum profits for the vehicle owner, and meanwhile it fulfills preferences of the user in each zone simultaneously.

Summary This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of photovoltaic mini-grid systems (PMs), using a group of remote houses in 3 locations in Nigeria, as case studies. It uses a worst-case users' load demand approach for the design and analysis of the proposed energy system, according to international technical standards. It presents detailed capacity, yield and losses, battery state of charge (SoC), reliability, users' load demand increase (Ldi), and life cycle economic analyses by using the Hybrid Optimisation for Electric Renewables (HOMER) simulation tool. The effect of 25% Ldi is also considered in the paper. The study can be used to develop a practical energy model to address the poor energy situation in those locations when they are implemented. Results indicate that PMs of 68, 76, and 61 kW can meet the users' demand of ~63 500 kWh/year with an availability of 99.2% for the locations, respectively. By including a 30-kVA diesel generator to the PMs' model, an availability of 100% was obtained, demonstrating that the issue of loss of energy supply for several days in the year due to users' Ldi and the cloudy days is being addressed. The results further show that although the hybrid energy systems have relatively higher initial capital, total life cycle and replacement costs, and the cost of energy, they achieve a higher reliability compared with the proposed PMs. The research can be useful for planning solar PV infrastructure for remote locations around the world.

Summary The Middle East region is a key player in the world energy market today. It holds approximately over 50% of the world's proven fossil fuel reserves. Yet, the region is significantly challenged by the large dependence on finite fossil fuel resources in its primary energy supply. The intricate relationship between climate change mitigation and the development of energy systems underlines great uncertainty over the future of energy development in the Middle East. Such uncertainty is greatly linked to growing energy demands and the region's capacity to transition to low-carbon energy systems. Over the past 20 years, the total primary energy demand in the Middle has almost tripled due to rapid population growth and economic development. Notably, most of the growing energy demand was concentrated in 5 countries, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, and the UAE. These 5 countries represented around 82% of the total primary energy demand in 2015, with Saudi Arabia and Iran alone accounted for 60%. The core question of this paper is what are the possible implications of growing energy demands in these countries and which sectors will entail significant increases in the projected energy requirements? The significance of the work presented here stems from analyzing 4 major countries that constitute the largest share in Middle East's total energy consumption and associated emissions. Examining these 4 countries together is important to highlight how future increase in these countries could largely affect the overall energy demand from the Middle East region in the next 20 years. Thus, the scope of the paper is looking at energy demand implications in 4 countries, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Iraq is excluded from the analysis due to the large political uncertainty associated with Iraq's energy development. Here, a regression model is used to forecast energy demand from 5 economic sectors across the 4 countries using projected increase in population and gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030. Results indicate that most of the projected energy demand will be from Iran and Saudi Arabia. In addition, industry and transportation sectors will witness the largest increase among the 5 sectors examined in the paper. For instance, industry and transportation sector will collectively account for 52% and 67% of the projected energy demand in Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Such results are important to highlight when ascertaining sectoral level implications of future energy demands and to determine potential areas where energy savings can be made.

Summary This paper presents a degradation testing of a lithium-ion battery developed using real world drive cycles obtained from an electric vehicle (EV). For this, a data logger was installed in the EV, and real world drive cycle data were collected. The EV battery system consists of 3 lithium-ion battery packs with a total of 20 battery modules in series. Each module contains 6 series by 49 parallel lithium-ion cells. The vehicle was driven in the province of Ontario, Canada, and several drive cycles were recorded over a 3-month period. However, only 4 drive cycles with statistical analysis are reported in this paper. The reported drive cycles consist of different modes: acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration in both highway and city driving at −6°C, 2°C, 10°C, and 23°C ambient temperatures with all accessories on. Additionally, individual cell characterization was conducted using a C/25 (0.8A) charge-discharge cycle and hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC). The Thevenin battery model was constructed in MATLAB along with an empirical degradation model and validated in terms of voltage and SOC for all drive cycles reported. The presented model closely estimated the profiles observed in the experimental data. Data collected from the drive cycles showed that a 4.6% capacity fade occurred over the 3 months of driving. The empirical degradation model was fitted to these data, and an extrapolation estimated that 20% capacity fade would occur after 900 daily drive cycles.

Summary Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is a newly proposed technology for effectively converting mechanical energy into electricity. Triboelectric nanogenerator has shown a great potential for harvesting the clean and abundant energy of ocean waves. Recently, a duck-shaped TENG device has been proposed as a lightweight, cost-effective, highly stable, and efficient system for scavenging the existing energy in water waves. In this paper, a detailed investigation on the performance of the duck-shaped TENG is presented. Then, a comparative analysis between the TENG device and an equivalent electromagnetic generator (EMG) for wave energy harvesting is performed. The electric output characteristics of both techniques under various mechanical and electrical conditions are obtained. The analysis demonstrates that at a low operating frequency of 2.5 Hz, the TENG and EMG achieve the peak power density of 213.1 and 144.4 W/m3, respectively. The present paper provides guidance for design and optimization of hybrid TENG and EMG technology toward scavenging the blue energy.

Summary Storing energy allows both the efficiency and availability of renewable energy to be increased, thus dissociating actual from expected generation and from consumption demands. Compressed air energy storage (hereinafter ‘CAES’) enables the efficient and cost-effective storage of large amounts of energy, achieving a capacity of over 100 MWh. There are several geological structures that can be used as CAES, among which the use and construction of salt domes are particularly noteworthy. However, there is a high exploration risk associated with subsurface exploration. To this end, it is advisable to establish a detailed schedule to select and characterize structures, with the purpose of minimizing the aforementioned risk. Multi-criteria algorithms can be used to establish a hierarchy of the alternatives and to identify the structures with the greatest potential with an objective approach. The analytic hierarchy process method is used in this paper as the selection algorithm, which is based on identifying and assessing criteria and weighting each criterion. In accordance with the analytic hierarchy process method, the goal was divided into a series of different level criteria, defining a breakdown structure of the problem to select salt domes. This paper defines a structure hierarchization method that allows the objective establishment of the areas with the highest potential for CAES, considering both technical and socioeconomic factors. Therefore, a supporting decision-making method may be established to reduce the exploration risk associated with underground structures. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary There is a constant growth in energy consumption and consequently energy generation around the world. During the recent decades, renewable energy sources took heed of scientists and policy makers as a remedy for substituting traditional sources. Wind and photovoltaic (PV) are the least reliable sources because of their dependence on wind speed and irradiance and therefore their intermittent nature. Energy storage systems are usually coupled with these sources to increase the reliability of the hybrid system. Environmental effects are one of the biggest concerns associated with the renewable energy sources. This study summarizes the last and most important environmental and economic analysis of a grid-connected hybrid network consisting of wind turbine, PV panels, and energy storage systems. Focusing on environmental aspects, this paper reviews land efficiency, shaded analysis of wind turbines and PV panels, greenhouse gas emission, wastes of wind turbine and PV panels' components, fossil fuel consumption, wildlife, sensitive ecosystems, health benefits, and so on. A cost analysis of the energy generated by a hybrid system has been discussed. Furthermore, this study reviews the latest technologies for materials that have been used for solar PV manufacturing. This paper can help to make a right decision considering all aspects of installing a hybrid system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary This paper aims to research the thermal power of lithium-ion cell with different operating conditions. A 55-Ah lithium-ion cell is selected as the research object. Experiment and simulation are chosen as the methods to research the temperature distribution and thermal power of the cell under different conditions. Combining with the thermal power of cells, this paper also researches the heat dissipation performance of battery pack under different operation conditions. The results indicated that average thermal power of a 55-Ah lithium-ion cell decreases along with the increase of ambient temperature and the decrease of state of charge and charge and discharge rates. The results achieved through simulation and experiment are consistent, so simulation could be used to research the temperature distribution of cell during charge and discharge. As considering the longitudinal battery pack with steady analysis, high temperature area is in the centre, and the temperature of air inlet is relatively low. The airflow mostly passes the top of battery pack but not through both sides. As considering the longitudinal battery pack with transient analysis, the temperature rise of battery pack is evidently higher than the inner temperature difference by studying three operating conditions (sustained deceleration, sustained acceleration and pulsed discharge). The curves of temperature rise and inner temperature difference rise along with sustained acceleration of the electric vehicle; therefore, even if the electric vehicle begins to decelerate, the fan must still work until the temperature of battery pack decreases. Then, the references are given for researching thermal characteristic during charge and discharge of the cell and the heat dissipation analysis of battery pack. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Estimating the dynamic status parameters of a battery, such as its state of health (SoH) and remaining useful life (RUL), is still a very difficult and complex task. In this paper we perform a structured review of the most relevant state of the art models, algorithms and commercial devices employed in the estimation of the SoH/RUL battery performance figures, in the context of embedded applications. The models and estimation techniques are thoroughly classified and, for each taxonomy class, a presentation of the working principles is made. A comprehensive set of metrics is then introduced for the evaluation of the SoH/RUL estimation techniques from the perspective of their implementation and operation efficiency in embedded systems. These algorithms are then analyzed and discussed in a comparative manner, with concrete figures and results. The capability and the performance of the different types of off-the-shelf fuel gauges to estimate the battery SoH/RUL parameters are also evaluated in this paper. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary This paper reviews the recent hybrid photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) structural/geometrical topologies to highlight the state of the art on this form of collector approaches and designs for both liquid and air-based systems. The review focuses on the development of the typical flat-plate collector – as an essential part in the PV/T system – in terms of new concept and novel configurations and specifically on the design of these collectors that use air or liquid as a heat transfer medium and their ability to extract useful heat from the back surface of the PV panel. Different mechanisms of fluid flow either natural or forced are considered. Many different design configurations for hybrid PV/T collectors have been cataloged and evaluated. It is shown that at least 30 distinct configurations have been introduced in the literature in the last 5 years. The paper concludes with identifying the major factors that affect the performance of typical PV/T systems and lead to effective enhancement of the heat removal mechanisms thus improving the electrical and thermal solar conversion efficiencies. This paper should serve as a significant form of reference for any future development in the design of the PV/T concept. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Integrated coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is the most advanced technology for coal-fired power generation. The two-stage entrained flow gasification process allows for the use of a wide range of coal, as long as the gasification temperature is above the ash melting point of a used fuel. In this gasification technology, lignite, which often has a low ash melting point, can be preferably utilized. However, ash fluidity is also another importance, because the behaviour of molten slag can diminish a stable ash discharge from a gasifier. As the eligibility of coal ash properties is a considerable factor, water physically and chemically kept in lignite (30 – 60% in mass) attributes to deteriorating gasification efficiency, because it causes significant heat loss and increasing oxygen consumption. Developing a thermal evaporative lignite drying method will be a necessary attempt to apply lignite to the coal gasification process. For those preceded objectives, coal and ash properties and drying characteristics of several grades of Polish lignite, extracted from Belchatow and Turow deposits, have been experimentally investigated in a preliminary study evaluating the applicability and consideration for its utilization in state-of-the-art clean coal technology, IGCC. This paper particularly discusses the eligibility of Polish lignite from the perspective of the fusibility and fluidity of ash melts and the fundamental drying kinetics of lignite in superheated steam in the light of water removal. The viscosity of ash melts is measured at high temperature up to 1700 °C. In the drying tests, the significant influence of structural issues, because of the provenance and origin of lignite on the drying characteristics, was found by applying the method of sensitivity analysis of physical propensity. This paper concludes that the investigated Polish lignite has characteristics favourable for utilization in IGCC technology, once the precautions related to its high moisture have been carefully addressed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Most of the recent studies about the photovoltaic cell-thermoelectric generator (PV-TEG) hybrid system pay their attention to silicon PV cells. This paper is to estimate the feasibility and features of the integrated system consisting of the emerging perovskite solar cells and thermoelectric modules. The results in this paper show that the temperature coefficient of the perovskite solar cell is lower than 2‰. Because of such a lower temperature coefficient, the efficiency of the perovskite solar cell-TEG hybrid system can amount to 18.6%, while the efficiency of the single perovskite solar cell is 17.8%. Therefore, the perovskite solar cell is a reasonable choice for the PV-TEG hybrid system. By altering the thermal concentration, the volume of the TEG material can be decreased, and the cost of the hybrid system can be remarkably reduced. To study the influence of the thermal concentration on the performance of the hybrid system, a three-dimensional numerical model of the hybrid system is developed in this paper. When the thermal concentration ration is lower than 100, the temperature drop is lower than 3 K, and the decline in the conversion efficiency caused by the thermal concentration can be neglected for the proposed PV-TEG hybrid system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary In this paper, a hybrid algorithm consisting of particle swarm optimization and pattern search algorithm is proposed to evaluate and optimize the design and operation of microgrids (MGs) in combined gas and power networks. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are modeled and proposed to evaluate and assess MGs. The paper begins by proposing a comprehensive study to define KPIs, which are used to evaluate the following MG parameters: economical efficiency, reliability, environmental conservation, and power quality. Multi-objective evaluation functions are then developed by building a relationship matrix of MG and KPI components. The results are then displayed as optimized power generation percentages for each technology with values for four KPI categories: cost, quality, reliability and environmental friendliness. Two case studies are examined in this paper; both the province of Ontario and Toronto regional zone under all system parameters with varying percentage of generation via gas technology. Results indicated that the optimal scenario for both Ontario and Toronto was achieved at hybrid PSO–patern search percentage generation via gas technology with improved cost KPI and other KPIs remaining approximately constant. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Dynamics modeling is of fundamental importance to Li-ion battery design and manufacturing. Accurate dynamics models established can be used to optimize the operation strategy, manage the life cycle, and thus ensure the economic and safe operation of the batteries. The Li-ion dynamics model examined in this paper has integrated both empirical and electrochemical aspects, and it has been specifically validated for electric vehicle applications using experimental data. Previously, the model parameter estimation was done by manually picking three key points from the discharge curve obtained from the datasheet. The approach is quite subjective and error prone. The resulted model may deviate greatly from the experimental curve. To address this issue, this paper proposes to use particle swarm optimization to more objectively estimate the model parameters. Results from case studies show that the proposed approach provides more accurate estimation of the true parameters, and thus the new approach can more precisely capture the battery dynamics. In addition, this approach is generic because it is independent of specific battery chemistries and applicable to many different types of Li-ion batteries. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary Previous study shows the ITM (oxygen ion transfer membrane)-integrated MCFC (molten carbonate fuel cell) hybrid system with CO2 recovery can maintain high efficiency; however, the oxygen partial pressure on the ITM permeate side is usually 1 atm, which requires a very high pressure ratio of the ITM air compressor in order to separate the oxygen; using the sweep gas can solve this problem. In this paper the ITM-integrated MCFC hybrid systems with CO2 recovery using different sweep gases are studied. With the Aspen plus software, two systems with different sweep gases are established, and their performances are compared with the benchmark system without sweep gas; the effects of key parameters on the optimum system performance are also investigated. Results show that compared with the benchmark system, the efficiencies of the systems with sweep gases are increased and the pressure ratios of the air compressors are decreased; the system using pure CO2 as sweep gas can improve the system efficiency by 1.25%, which is superior to the system using the mixture gas of CO2 and H2O as sweep gas. Achievements from this paper will provide a valuable reference for CO2 recovery from the MCFC hybrid power system with lower energy consumption. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary The application of renewable sources such as solar photovoltaic (PV) to charge electric vehicle (EV) is an interesting option that offers numerous technical and economic opportunities. By combining the emission-free EV with the low carbon PV power generation, the problems related to the greenhouse gases due to the internal combustion engines can be reduced. Over the years, numerous papers, including several review work, have been published on EV charging using the grid electricity. However, there seems to be an absence of a review paper on EV charging using the PV as one of the energy sources. With growing interest in this topic, this review summarizes and updates some of the important aspects of the PV-EV charging. For the benefit of a wider audience, it provides the background on the EV fundamentals, batteries and a brief overview on the PV systems. Two types of PV-EV charging, namely the PV-grid and the PV-standalone, are comprehensively covered. Moreover, a case study is carried out in comparison to the grid-only charging to critically analyse the technical and the economical feasibilities of both types using Matlab simulation. At the end, recommendations and future directions are presented. It is envisaged that the material gathered in this paper will be a valuable source of information for the researchers working on this topic. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper reviews the feasibility of ultralong-cycle operation on a compact liquid metal-cooled fast reactor (LMR) firstly by assessing the operation of a long-life fast reactor core and secondly by evaluating material performance in respect to both long-cycle operation and compact-size fast reactor. Many kinds of reactor concepts have been proposed, and LMR and small modular reactor (SMR) are the issued leading technologies for generation four (Gen-IV) reactor system development. The breed-and-burn strategy was proposed as a core burning strategy to operate a long cycle, and it has been evaluated in this paper with two reactor concepts: constant axial shape of neutron flux, nuclide densities, and power shape during life of energy and ultralong cycle fast reactor. In addition, Super-Safe, Small, and Simple and small modular fast reactor, compact LMR concepts, have been simulated to evaluate their long-life operation strategies. For the other practical issues, the materials for fuel, coolant, and structure have been identified and some of them are selected to have their performance optimized specifically for compact LMR with a long-cycle operation. It is believed that this comprehensive review will propose a proper direction for future reactor development and will be followed by the next step research formore » a complete reactor model with the other reactor components.« less

Summary The problems of energy shortage engage us to find new resource, and varieties of renewable energy produced in different places are looking forward to be feedback to the power grids. These requirements also make power grids start to change from centralized structure with a few power plant to distributed system with many generating stations. To fit the building requirement of Smart Grid, smart units and their information networks with functions of measurement protection and control are becoming necessities. This paper tries to give a new small grid with curtains applications. Around this grid needs, paper introduces the development of Smart Units, the real-time networks and information web services: (i) The Smart Unit is multi-μPU instruments with function of measurement analysis and control, which includes intelligent algorithms of FFT Zoom-FFT Wavelet to fit signal processing, networks communication protocols with Ethernet and 3G/4G interfaces, and controlling functions to control devices like Intelligent Broker and Intelligent Capacitor; (ii) Based on Ethernet, a real-time controlling protocol named Synchronous Ticket Strategy (STS) is proposed, which is used to manage to synchronize measurement and control; and (iii) Information web services are built on cloud computing platforms, which provide parallel calculation with S transmit and user application services like power parameters GIS and data accessing. At the end some results are given from simulations of algorithms and online tests. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary In this paper, research has been conducted on the floating type nuclear power plant named as ABV reactor which is designed for district heating, power, and sea water desalination by OKBM facility at Russia. This reactor was tested under different thermal loads during the designing phase, and three modules have been investigated. Theoretical calculations and simulation studies have been performed on these three modules having specifications as ABV-6M with 47MWth, ABV-6 with 38MWth, and ABV-3 with 18MWth.The results obtained from these modules have been calculated mathematically and verified by simulation. We have compared the originally derived data of ABV desalination system with our theoretical and simulation analysis. The results from two desalination techniques including RO and RO + MED have been calculated and are presented in this paper with details. The results obtained from both analysis show that the efficiency of ABV nuclear reactor desalination system increases with the decrease in corresponding water cost ratio. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary The valorization of municipal solid waste (MSW) into liquid fuels is a multi-beneficial global option for ensuring environmental and energy sustainability. The paper critically reviewed a wide range of recent literature on the potency, progress, and challenges associated with MSW upgrading into liquid fuels. Concise details on the various upgrading technologies involved such as gasification, pyrolysis, and syngas-to-fuels (i.e., syngas to gasoline and diesel) via a Fischer–Tropsch process were documented. Emphasis was critically given to the recent literature updates. The paper explored the role of heterogeneous catalyst systems in achieving the various processes with special considerations for optimizing fuel yield. Prospective technologies such as plasma gasification and nanoscale catalyst design with potentials to revolutionize the industry were also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Summary This paper discusses two brand-new patterning methods for solar cell front metallization by using a layer of amorphous silicon (a-Si) and the laser processed patterning process. These methods have the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, and low cost for the mass production of plated solar cells and also have the potential to overcome the shortcomings of the existing complex processes for Ni/Cu plated cells. In this paper, we reveal the processes and show the metallization performance. The patterning results were disclosed and had the line width of about 45 µm in our experiment. The specific contact resistivity (ρc) between plated Ni and silicon wafer exceeded the order of 10−4 Ω cm2. In addition, the patterning mechanisms are also proposed and discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.