Mining Engineering Commons^™

The Impact Of Direct Coupling Of Solar Cell Arrays To Electric Power Networks, Adel H. Eltimsahy, Fernando L. Alvarado, Thomas W. Boyd

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

This paper has to do with a preliminary investigation of the economic impact of solar cells when directly coupled to a conventional three-phase power network in the Toledo area.

A correlation is established between power system demand curves and solar insolation data in the Toledo area using computer simulation. The correlation studies determine how successfully solar cell/inverter systems can alleviate the power system demand during peak hours. They also show how much solar cell area will be needed to cause a significant impact on the power generating system.

Using computer simulation the initial cost of the solar cell/inverter is compared …

Choosing Alternative Energy Systems Under Conditions Of Uncertainty, Dennis Costello

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A methodology for simulating the decision process of an investor deciding between alternative energy systems is presented. The approach assumes the investor bases his decision on cost (or rate of return) and risk. Risk is treated directly in the model and not reduced to a certainty equivalent. The rate of return-risk characteristics of many system combinations allows them to be eliminated as viable choices to the investor without reference to his personal attitude toward risk.

Energy Conservation At Monsanto, Ray E. Doerr

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

We at Monsanto want to thank you for the opportunity to tell you about our energy conservation program. We are proud of our accomplishments to date, and are very optimistic regarding plans for the future in energy conservation.

Through our five operating companies and supported by corporate departments, Monsanto directs the conservation efforts at 50 locations in the United States.

We also have a very active conservation program in Canada and Europe.

Oil Shale R & D -- A Bureau Of Mines Program, Steve Utter

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Energy is one of our basic natural resources. Oil constitutes an important part of this resource but domestic production is dropping while imports are rising. Today, oil represents about one-half of the total energy consumed in this country, and demand is expected to grow at the rate of about 2 percent per year during the next 10 years. Increased reliance on imports can be reduced by synthetic fuels produced from the oil shale deposits of the Green River Formation in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. These deposits are so enormous (600 billion barrels in high- grade shale alone), that any limitations …

Inexpensive Inertial Energy Storage Utilizing Homopolar Motor-Generators, W. F. Weldon, H. H. Woodson, H. G. Rylander, M. D. Driga

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The pulsed power demands of the current generation of controlled thermonuclear fusion experiments have prompted a great interest in reliable, low cost, pulsed power systems. The Energy Storage Group at the University of Texas at Austin was created in response to this need and has worked for the past three years in developing inertial energy storage systems. 0.5 and 5 megajoule homopolar motor-generators have been designed, built and tested at the University of Texas and design studies have been completed for several systems ranging in size up to 63 gigajoules. The performance of the two laboratory machines and the potential …

Storage Of Spent Fuel From Light Water Reactors, W. C. Wolkenhauer

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The effects of possible inadequate nuclear fuel reprocessing capability upon a public utility, Washington Public Power Supply System, are studied. The possible alternatives for storing spent fuel are reviewed.

The Design And Application Of Induction Motors For Efficient Energy Utilization, Paul K. Lindhorst

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The various means for increasing electric motor efficiency and power factor are presented from the design and application points of view. Various design options are explored using computer aided design procedures. Motor characteristics are reviewed with the intent of maximizing efficiency through proper application. A thorough study of the economics of higher efficiency motors is presented showing payback to the user in terms of energy cost savings and payback of the increased energy required to produce the higher efficiency motors.

Self-Consistency In Estimating Future Electrical Energy Consumption, W. D. Devine Jr., C. C. Calligan, O. D. Osborne

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A socio economic computer simulation model for the State of Oregon is described. The Oregon State Simulation Model (OSSIM) includes a thirty-seven sector model of electrical energy consumption. Coupling between this model and the OSSIM ensures self-consistent scenarios of socio economic phenomena which underlie energy consumption. One of the purposes of this effort is to help state-level decision makers understand the determinants of electricity consumption within a context of changing economic conditions.

Evaluating The Total Cost Of An On-Site Solar Energy System, Dennis Costello, Jerry Bradley

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A methodology for evaluating the total or life-cycle cost of an on-site solar energy system is presented. The costs represent after-tax or effective costs realized by the owner of the energy system. The methodology addresses: (1) capital costs; (2) fuel costs; (3) maintenance and operating costs; (4) property taxes; (5) the tax benefits of depreciation; and (6) the investment tax credit. The model was developed for evaluating solar energy systems located at the point where the energy is demanded. However, the methodology also has applicability to many other types of energy systems.

Industrial Innovations And Management Toward More Efficient Usage Of Electrical Energy, Tom Day

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

This paper deals with some of the industrial accomplishments in alleviating energy supply and demand problems. A survey is presented on how electrical energy in America is generated, resources used and kilowatt usage for the years 1970 to and including 1974. Conservation of electrical energy is the main theme in which three primary areas of innovation and utilization of industrial equipment are discussed; induction, lighting, heating and air conditioning. An awareness of natural gas shortages and the trend toward an "electric economy" are reviewed. The real challenge to energy management is apparent in order to handle the greatest expansion in …

An Engineering, Geological And Hydrological Environmental Assessment Of A 250 Mmscfd Dry Ash Lurgi Coal Gasification Facility, Mason H. Somerville, James L. Elder, Stephen R. Moran

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A preliminary engineering, geological, and hydrological environmental assessment of a proposed 250 MMSCFD dry ash Lurgi coal gasification facility is discussed.

The facility's emission spectrum is examined on the basis of the proposed design and empirical data. This system utilizes approximately 13 million tons of lignite and 17,000 acre feet of water per year and consumes 6500 tons of oxygen per day. The results of the study indicate that the major gaseous effluent is CO₂, that the federal limits on SO₂ effluent may be met, and that the atmospheric degradation criterion will be the most difficult one …

2nd Annual Umr-Mec Conference On Energy -- Entire Proceedings, University Of Missouri--Rolla

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

No abstract provided.

Natural Resource Pricing And Economic Development, Vaman Rao

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

In a competitive equilibrium the price of a natural resource will be increasing at a rate equal to the social time preference rate, but in a monopoly market, the price will be increasing at less than social time preference rate. If the producer countries utilise their monopoly of production and sale of a natural resource for the purpose of developing their economies, the price of the natural resource will be growing at the rate at which the producer countries' economies are growing, whether or not the sales proceeds are used to finance their investment programmes, fully or partly.

Optimum Control Of Heating, Ventilating And Air Conditioning Systems, Terry R. Weaver

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The control of HVAC systems has traditionally been performed by relatively simple field hardware. The industry appears, however, to be ready for the use of more sophisticated measures. The paper presents several approaches to the conservation of energy in this area with the use of closed-loop computer control and optimization.

Creating The Electric Energy Economy, L. G. Hauser

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

My remarks will be directed to four points:

First, that energy is the life blood of our economy, and that its use or conservation is far from a simple matter of personal habits of waste or frugality. In other words, the vital role energy plays in the production of goods and services should be distinguished from its use in their consumption.

Second, that our excessive dependence on our two scarcest energy resources -- oil and natural gas -- is the core of the energy problem, both U.S. and worldwide.

Third, that limiting our time horizon to this winter, next summer, …

Centralized Solar Wind Home Heating, Russell Peterson, Duane Cromack

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

In the immediacy of national goals for energy independence, the need emerges to use dialectic methods to diminish the energy consumptive characteristics of the typical home.

At the cutting edge of resourceful progress are the residential developments which embrace alternative and conservative energy techniques. In conjunction with such a planned, low impact community, this paper proposes a cluster-centralized system which utilizes wind energy in combination with solar thermal energy for space and domestic water heating.

A description of the random solar-wind resource embodies a matching problem that in turn reveals the benefits of the combined mode of energy collection. Though …

Energy And Transportation Policy, James S. Sagner

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Energy shortages of recent years suggest a re-examination of national transportation policy. The lack of a coordinated approach to the solution of urban cogestion inhibits potential short-run responses to gasoline shortfalls. Longer-range policy, particularly in the context of severe financial constraints, must be carefully integrated with demonstrated patterns of urban travel and population and employment densities. Given these considerations, metropolitan areas now planning or constructing rapid rail facilities may be selecting inappropriate responses to the problem of urban access.

Energy, Environment And Incremental Decision Making, Jeff V. Conopask, Robert R. Reynolds Jr.

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

During the late 1960's and early 70's a variety of environmental/energy oriented legislation was enacted by the Congress. The most important of these acts, the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), required that environmental impact statements be filed when various private and public activities have a potential for impacting man and his environment. (17) Impact statement requirements go beyond the currently practiced cost/benefit analysis, which is often just a production (direct) impact assessment. Heretofore, indirect or second round economic and social effects of consequence affecting other national goals were seldom counted.

The Design And Performance Of A Distributed Flow Water-Cooled Solar Collector, Donald L. Spencer, Theodore F. Smith, Herbert R. Flindt

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Design of a flat plate collector which reduces the temperature differential between the absorber plate and the fluid is described. The reduced temperature differences are shown to yield increase collector performance. Flow characteristics of the collector are examined. Collector thermal performance is illustrated for typical operating and environmental conditions. A cost analysis is presented to demonstrate that material and assembly costs are substantially lower than for any collector presently on the market.

The Application Of Water Jets In Coal Mining, David A. Summers

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Water is one of the natural erosion agents which through time has changed the face of the earth. Application of this principle to remove earth and rock by man is a long established technique. This paper briefly describes the changes in technology which have brought the application of water jets from the slow erosion of soil to the point where in Canada some 3,400 tons per shift are currently mined in a coal mine using high pressure water jet technology. The use of water jets has shown sufficient promise that there are several research programs currently being funded by the …

Status Report On The Callaway Nuclear Power Plant, A. E. Bolan, D. F. Schnell

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

The progress to date of the first nuclear-powered, electric generating plant proposed to be constructed in the state of Missouri is described.

Direct Ac Generation From Solar Cell Arrays, Fernando L. Alvarado, Adel H. Eltimsahy

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Results of the investigation of the performance of solar cells when directly coupled to a conventional three-phase power network are presented. This approach dissociates the electricity production problem from the electric energy storage problem. Extensive studies of the required power inverter are performed. Preliminary simulation results indicate that ac power outputs of better than 90% of the optimum cell power output can be easily achieved by means of a suitably controlled inverter, thereby justifying the elimination of dc loads or local dc electric energy storage devices. It is also shown that the controlling policy for the inverter must depend on …

Dynamic Simulation For Regional Energy Studies, B. W. Jones, P. M. Moretti, J. H. Mize

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

A series of models has been developed for regional studies of energy supply- demand systems. The models are based on dynamic simulation of components of the system using equations derived from the technical details of the system. The models contain sufficient detail to make in-depth studies and specific recommendations. The final goal is to include all aspects of regional energy systems from native supplies of energy resources to the economic activities of the region.

To develop a comprehensive model, the system has been partitioned into subsystems, so that a detailed model can be made for each subsystem. The detailed model …

How Might Synthetic Fuels From Coal Affect Natural Resources And Environment?, H. J. Plass Jr.

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

Energy self-sufficiency for the U. S. requires substantially increased use of coal. Direct combustion of coal without adequate environmental controls, as would occur if coal were used as a fuel for homes and offices throughout the country, would result in severe air pollution problems„ Synthetic fuels from coal such as methane, low BTU gas, or hydrogen, when utilized by the homes and businesses as gas or as electricity from gas, will contribute a much smaller amount of air pollution. However, to make these synthetic fuels available, it is necessary to mine more coal than would have to be mined for …

Alcohol Assisted Hydrocarbon Fuels: A Comparison Of Exhaust Emissions And Fuel Consumption Using Steady-State And Dynamic Engine Test Facilities, D. J. Bushnell, J. M. Simonsen

UMR-MEC Conference on Energy / UMR-DNR Conference on Energy

This paper presents experimental data which exemplifies the differences in emission level testing on internal combustion engines when dynamic engine tests are used instead of steady-state engine tests. A comparison of the two test methods is made using hydrocarbon fuels with varying amounts of methanol. Emissions measured include the nitric oxides, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Emission levels and fuel consumption are reported for the various volumetric percentages of methanol in the fuel.

Of special significance are the different trends the emission levels establish when subjected to a dynamic engine test as compared to the results for the steady-state tests. …