Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Heat Transfer Characteristics Of Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage, Kedar Prashant Shete

Doctoral Dissertations

Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems can be used to reduce electric demand when used in conjunction with Combined Heat and Power Plants or HVAC(Heating, Ventilation, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning), as they can regulate the demand and supply of thermal energy. They can also be used to integrate renewable energy sources with the grid. A design procedure and performance modeling is required for designing and using thermal energy storage systems effectively. We propose hypotheses about the performance of an LHTES device with different operating conditions and material properties, for devices that are governed by different modes of heat transfer. We …

Modeling Portfolios Of Low Carbon Energy Generation Under Deep Uncertainty, Franklyn Kanyako

Doctoral Dissertations

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, nearly every country pledge through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) increased adoption of low carbon energy technologies in their energy system. However, allocating investments to different low carbon energy technologies under rising demand for energy and budget constraints, uncertain technical change in these technologies involves maneuvering significant uncertainties among experts, models, and decision-makers. We examine the interactions of low carbon energy sources (LCES) under the condition of deep uncertainty. Deep uncertainty directly impacts the understanding of the role of low carbon energy technologies in climate change mitigation and how much R&D investment should be allocated …

Classroom Exercise: Intro To Mechanical And Industrial Engineering, Erin Baker

Sustainability Education Resources

This classroom exercise was developed for Introduction to Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; Engineering Sustainability: Energy and the Environment. This is a freshman class with a class size of about 200. It is intended to get students to think critically about energy in the economy; to recognize the power of technological change; and to inspire them to work toward solving climate change.

Measurement And Verification - Retro-Commissioning Of A Leed Gold Rated Building Through Means Of An Energy Model: Are Aggressive Energy Simulation Models Reliable?, Justin M. Marmaras

Masters Theses

During the construction of the new 3 story, 25,000+ square foot police station, a decision was made to participate in the LEED program to ensure the building had low operating costs, reduced emissions, conserved water and overall energy. The design of the building includes a primary-secondary ground source heat pump (GSHP) loop, a Dedicated Outside Air System (DOAS) with Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) wheel, all controlled by CO2 monitoring through Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) to supply heat pumps located in each space; all monitored by a Building Automation System (BAS).

The building’s future energy performance was predicted through an energy …

Why Waste The Wind? A Look Into Small Scale Wind Energy, Mitchell Negus, Jon Swanton, Ben Chilcoat, Mark Settembrino

Student Showcase

The human race’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation has started to cause major changes in the environment. Climate change is a universal issue and it is evident that our current energy schematic is not sustainable. At the University of Massachusetts, small-scale wind power has the potential to be a key component in UMass’ energy portfolio as the university shifts from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy. Strategically placed turbines would produce clean, renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help to decentralize energy dependence on the Central Heating Plant. Small-scale turbines, like the eddyGT, are tested technologies …

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 …