Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Performance Of Solid Oxide Iron-Air Battery Operated At 550°C, Xuan Zhao, Yunhui Gong, Xue Li, Nansheng Xu, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

“Metal-air” batteries have garnered much attention in recent years due to their high intrinsic specific energy and use of inexhaustible and storage-free oxygen source -air- for the “metal-oxygen” reaction. In this study, we report theperformance of a new type of all solid-state “iron-air” battery operated at 550°C. The results show that CeO₂ nanoparticles incorporated into the Fe-Fe₃O₄ redox-couple can improve the specific energy (Wh/kg) and round trip efficiency by 15% and 29%, respectively, over the baseline Fe-Fe₃O₄ battery. Use of supported Fe-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as the redox couple can increase the …

Investigations Of Attitudes Towards Offshore Wind Farm Development In Ireland: Their Implication Towards Future Development Of The Industry., Aidan Melia

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

This current research investigates what the attitudes of Irish people are towards the development of offshore wind farms in Ireland. Using a qualitative approach, a questionnaire is carefully designed and distributed among a sample population from three coastal communities. One is located on the west coast and two on the east coast. The two locations on the east coast have an involvement in offshore wind farms. One of the locations plays host to Ireland’s only offshore wind farm, while there are plans in place for an offshore wind farm at the other location. The results from the questionnaires are analyzed …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Systems Used As An Electricity Storage Technology In A Wind Farm With Large Amounts Of Intermittent Energy, Yash Sanghai

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

With the growing demand for electricity, renewable sources of energy have garnered a lot of support from all quarters. The problem with depending on these renewable sources is that the output from them is independent of the demand. Storage of electricity gives us an opportunity to effectively manage and balance the supply and demand of electricity. Fuel cells are a fast developing and market capturing technology that presents efficient means of storing electricity in the form of hydrogen. The aim of this research is to study the impact of integrating hydrogen fuel cell storage system with a wind farm to …

Background And Available Potential Energy In Numerical Simulations Of A Boussinesq Fluid, Shreyas S. Panse

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

In flows with stable density stratification, a portion of the gravitational potential energy is available for conversion to kinetic energy. The remainder is not and is called “background potential energy”. The partition of potential energy is analogous to the classical division of energy due to motion into its kinetic and internal components. Computing background and available potential energies is important for understanding stratified flows. In many numerical simulations, though, the Boussinesq approximations to the Navier-Stokes equations are employed. These approximations are not consistent with conservation of energy. In this thesis we re-derive the governing equations for a buoyancy driven fluid …

Aerodynamics Of Biplane Wind Turbine Blades, Phillip K. Chiu

Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports

Little is known about the aerodynamics of biplane wind turbine blades. Even more fundamentally, the two-dimensional aerodynamics of thick biplane airfoils are not well-understood. Supported by the Link Foundation Energy Fellowship, this research has sought to develop a better understanding of these aerodynamics through wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics. An understanding of biplane aerodynamics is a key step towards the commercial implementation of biplane wind turbine blades. These designs could enable larger turbines designs, ultimately reducing the cost of wind-generated electricity and helping to displace conventional means of electricity generation.

Synthesis And Characterization Of New Ionic And Mixed Ionic/Electronic Conductors, Kevin Gregory Romito

Theses and Dissertations

In a constantly growing and developing world, there is a great need to develop new forms of clean energy generation. Many solutions have been proposed to ameliorate these global concerns, which include fuel cell technology and new processes for reducing polluting chemicals in the atmosphere. These technologies are still in their infancy and require further development before becoming viable options.

In the case of fuel cells, particularly solid oxide fuel cells, and CO2 separation membranes, there is a need to develop ion conducting materials that are highly efficient, less costly to synthesize, and can perform strongly under many real-world conditions. …

Supercritical Co2 Brayton Cycles For Solar-Thermal Energy, Brian D. Iverson, Thomas M. Conboy, James J. Pasch, Alan M. Kruizenga

Faculty Publications

Of the mechanisms to improve efficiency for solar-­‐thermal power plants, one of the most effective ways to improve overall efficiency is through power cycle improvements. As increases in operating temperature continue to be pursued, supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles begin to look more attractive despite the development costs of this technology. Further, supercritical CO2 Brayton has application in many areas of power generation beyond that for solar energy alone.

One challenge particular to solar-­‐thermal power generation is the transient nature of the solar resource. This work illustrates the behavior of developmental Brayton turbomachinery in response to a fluctuating thermal input, much …