Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons^™

Wind Turbine Controls For Farm And Offshore Operation, Zhongzhou Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Development of advanced control techniques is a critical measure for reducing the cost of energy for wind power generation, in terms of both enhancing energy capture and reducing fatigue load. There are two remarkable trends for wind energy. First, more and more large wind farms are developed in order to reduce the unit-power cost in installation, operation, maintenance and transmission. Second, offshore wind energy has received significant attention when the scarcity of land resource has appeared to be a major bottleneck for next level of wind penetration, especially for Europe and Asia. This dissertation study investigates on several wind turbine …

The Water Wall: A Passive Solar Collection And Thermal Storage Device For Supplementary Radiant Heating, Rhett Roman Noseck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Through the implementation of passive solar building systems, suburbia could take a fresh new step forward toward a progressively more sustainable direction. Making passive solar strategies a priority, master planned community developments would see opportunity to change the style and design of future suburban residences.

The focus and intention of this body of work is to research, design, fabricate, and test a prototype of a passive solar heating device using water as the medium for thermal storage. The size and shape of the design for the water wall device will be determined by the currently built suburban environment; however, for …

Criticality And Characteristic Neutronic Analysis Of A Transient-State Shockwave In A Pulsed Spherical Gaseous Uranium-Hexafluoride Reactor, Jeremiah Boles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to analyze the theoretical criticality of a spherical uranium-hexafluoride reactor with a transient, pulsed shockwave emanating from the center of the sphere in an outward-radial direction. This novel nuclear reactor design, based upon pulsed fission in a spherical enclosure is proposed for possible use in direct energy conversion, where the energy from fission products is captured through the use of electrostatic fields or through induction. An analysis of the dynamic behavior of the shockwave in this reactor is the subject of this thesis. As a shockwave travels through a fluid medium, the characteristics of …

Hydrogeological And Thermal Sustainability Of Geothermal Borehole Heat Exchangers, S. Emad Dehkordi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Assessment of the current approach taken by guidelines and design methods of vertical closed loop heat exchangers shows that often groundwater flow is either disregarded or is not methodically incorporated. The state of scientific research in this arena reveals that overlooking the groundwater flow in the design procedure may not always be a correct assumption. The significance of advective heat transport compared to conduction is defined by the groundwater flux or Darcy velocity which heavily depends on the hydraulic conductivity of the ground, followed by the hydraulic gradient which has a relatively limited range. A sensitivity analysis on ground and …

Zakład Termicznego Przekształcania Odpadów Komunalnych W Krakowie – Założenia Projektowe I Stan Realizacji Budowy, Mateusz Rzeszutek, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The aim of this paper is to discuss the design assumptions and to determine the current status of the construction of the Municipal Solid Waste Thermal Treatment Plant (ZTPOK) in Krakow with a capacity of 220 thousand tons per year. This plant, planned to be built by the end of 2015 years, will be an important element of municipal waste management system in the area of the Municipality of Krakow. ZTPOK in Krakow will consist of the following installations: two lines of municipal solid waste incinerators based on moving grate technology, an installation of chemical solidification and stabilization of fly …

Profiting From Regulation: Evidence From The European Carbon Market, James B. Bushnell, Howard Chong, Erin T. Mansur

Dartmouth Scholarship

We investigate how cap-and-trade regulation affects profits. In late April 2006, the EU CO2 allowance price dropped 50 percent, equating to a €28 billion reduction in the value of aggregate annual allowances. We examine daily returns for 552 stocks from the EUROSTOXX index. Despite reductions in environmental costs, we find that stock prices fell for firms in both carbon- and electricity-intensive industries, particularly for firms selling primarily within the EU. Our results imply that investors focus on product price impacts, rather than just compliance costs and the nominal value of pollution permits.

Global Fossil Energy Markets And Climate Change Mitigation: An Analysis With Remind, Nico Bauer, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Gunnar Luderer, Lavinia Baumstark, Robert J. Brecha, Ottmar Edenhofer, Elmar Kriegler

Physics Faculty Publications

We analyze the dynamics of global fossil resource markets under different assumptions for the supply of fossil fuel resources, development pathways for energy demand, and climate policy settings. Resource markets, in particular the oil market, are characterized by a large discrepancy between costs of resource extraction and commodity prices on international markets. We explain this observation in terms of (a) the intertemporal scarcity rent, (b) regional price differentials arising from trade and transport costs, (c) heterogeneity and inertia in the extraction sector. These effects are captured by the REMIND model. We use the model to explore economic effects of changes …

Environmental Tradeoffs In Bioenergy Production And Agricultural Practices, Alicia Lynn English

Open Access Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is the environmental tradeoffs of stover removal within the Corn Belt. The environmental tradeoffs considered are mainly concerned with managing soil erosion and soil quality. The analysis layers soil characteristics, management strategies and per acre costs using an integrated RUSLE2/WEPS model and an economic optimization model to illuminate a lower bound supply response. Different assumptions were tested in regards to sustainability, prices, and market integration for five states and 18,760 soil types throughout the Corn Belt. Sustainability was defined to limit soil erosion from wind and water to 5 tons/acre/year and the soil organic matter …

Electric Machine Differential For Vehicle Traction Control And Stability Control, Sandun Shivantha Kuruppu

Open Access Dissertations

Evolving requirements in energy efficiency and tightening regulations for reliable electric drivetrains drive the advancement of the hybrid electric (HEV) and full electric vehicle (EV) technology. Different configurations of EV and HEV architectures are evaluated for their performance. The future technology is trending towards utilizing distinctive properties in electric machines to not only to improve efficiency but also to realize advanced road adhesion controls and vehicle stability controls. Electric machine differential (EMD) is such a concept under current investigation for applications in the near future. Reliability of a power train is critical. Therefore, sophisticated fault detection schemes are essential in …

Redefining The Operation And Design Considerations Of Organic Solar Cells: Role Of Morphology And Defect States, Biswajit Ray

Open Access Dissertations

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology is currently a topic of great interest for potentially low cost solar energy conversion and possibility of many novel PV applications (e.g., building-integrated PV, portable solar cells). Successful commercialization of this technology, however, will require significant improvement in efficiency and lifetime. In the last few years, innovation in novel polymer synthesis has raised the efficiency of OPV above 10%, at par with a-Si and earth-abundant solar cells. Further improvement in performance relies on breakthroughs in device design, which requires profound understanding of the physics of device operation. A major challenge in the design of the state …

Solar Cell Temperature Dependent Efficiency And Very High Temperature Efficiency Limits, John Robert Wilcox

Open Access Dissertations

Clean renewable solar energy is and will continue to be a critically important source of electrical energy. Solar energy has the potential of meeting all of the world's energy needs, and has seen substantial growth in recent years. Solar cells can convert sun light directly into electrical energy, and much progress has been made in making them less expensive and more efficient. Solar cells are often characterized and modeled at 25 °C, which is significantly lower than their peak operating temperature. In some thermal concentrating systems, solar cells operate above 300 °C. Since increasing the temperature drastically affects the terminal …

Energy Systems Analysis For A Solar Economy, Dharik Sanchan Mallapragada

Open Access Dissertations

The use of solar energy for human needs faces challenges owing to its relatively low energy intensity and intermittent availability, coupled with the constrained availability of renewable carbon and land resources. This study uses systems analysis tools to identify carbon and energy efficient transformations of solar energy for different purposes, including transportation fuels and grid-scale energy storage. These efforts have been complemented with a feasibility analysis of existing fossil-energy and other hybrid pathways.

In an era of limited fossil resources, liquid fuels from sustainably available (SA) biomass could meet the energy needs of the transportation sector. We present a method …

An Experimental Investigation Of Wind Turbine Aerodynamic Interaction, Brandon Lee Ennis

Open Access Dissertations

Wind turbines have become a viable component in the overall energy makeup of the United States due to improved economics where energy prices have risen and production costs dropped. For a fixed cost, the effectiveness of a wind turbine financially is highly related to its performance. Considering the size of current wind farms, a minor performance improvement will result in large additional sums of revenue. A problem that has received attention with wind farms is that while the fixed costs of the development do get spread out further to reduce the installed cost of each wind turbine, the wind turbines …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Storage Temperature, Moisture Content & Duration Upon The Chemical Components & Bioprocessing Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Arun Athmanathan

Open Access Dissertations

The successful utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for fuels and chemicals necessitates storage for 2-6 months. It is correspondingly important to understand the impact of storage parameters - moisture concentration, temperature and duration - on biomass quality.

As aerobic storage is the most viable large-scale solution, aerobic storage experiments were carried out with three projected bioenergy feedstocks - sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) bagasse, corn (Zea mays) stover and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Stored samples of each were examined for dry matter loss and composition change to develop a material balance around carbohydrates and lignin.

A mean dry matter loss …

Technology Agnostic Analysis And Design For Improved Performance, Variability, And Reliability In Thin Film Photovoltaics, Sourabh Dongaonkar

Open Access Dissertations

Thin film photovoltaics (TFPV) offer low cost alternatives to conventional crystalline Silicon (c-Si) PV, and can enable novel applications of PV technology. Their large scale adoption however, requires significant improvements in process yield, and operational reliability. In order to address these challenges, comprehensive understanding of factors affecting panel yield, and predictive models of performance reliability are needed. This has proved to be especially challenging for TFPV for two reasons in particular. First, TFPV technologies encompass a wide variety of materials, processes, and structures, which fragments the research effort. Moreover, the monolithic manufacturing of TFPV modules differs significantly from that of …

Una Examinación Del Potencial Estratégico De Argentina Y Brasil En El Mercado Petrolero Mundial: Consideraciones Idiosincráticas Entre El Estado Y Empresas Petroleras Nacionales / An Examination Of The Strategic Potential Of Argentina And Brazil In The Global Energy Market: Idiosyncratic Considerations Between National Oil Companies And The State, Patrick John Zailckas

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Home to the second largest reserves of petroleum in the world, Latin America will prove to play an important role in the international energy market throughout the 21st century. Today, Argentina and Brazil in particular boast extensive quantities of nonconventional natural gas and petroleum reserves in the shale beneath the Vaca Muerta oil fields and the offshore wells of the Campos and Santos basins, respectively. Through the direction of their nationally-held oil companies (NOCs), YPF and Petrobras, the States of Argentina and Brazil have sought to exert their sovereignty over the presence of their hydrocarbon reserves. Whether financed through the …

Perspectivas Ciudadanas Del Petróleo En Ecuador: Variaciones De Opiniones Del Desarrollo Del Yasuní-Itt Por Barreras Socioeconómicas Y Geográficas / Citizen Perspectives On Petroleum In Ecuador: Variances In Opinion On Yasuní-Itt Development Across Socioeconomic And Geographic Barriers, Megan Tokunaga

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study considers the perspectives of the petroleum industry of three sites throughout Ecuador: the capital (Quito), a major Amazonian city (Coca), and a small Amazonian community (Loma del Tigre). Twenty-five surveys were distributed in each site with questions regarding socioeconomic factors, benefits of the petroleum industry, motivations behind these opinions, and economic alternatives to petroleum. Of the 75 participants, 79.7% were against the exploitation of the ITT petroleum Block in Yasuní National Park. Quito was most opposed and Loma del Tigre was least opposed to ITT exploitation. Perceived benefits from the petroleum industry were minimal: 33.8% felt that their …

Agenda: Water, Oil And Gas: Nuts And Bolts Of Oil And Gas Leases, Surface Use Agreements, And Water Rights For Non-Oil And Gas Attorneys, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (Denver, Colo.), Colorado Bar Association. Natural Resources & Energy Section

Water, Oil and Gas: Nuts and Bolts of Oil and Gas Leases, Surface Use Agreements, and Water Rights for Non-Oil and Gas Attorneys (September 26)

This third program in the Water, Oil, and Gas 101 series was designed to provide those who don’t practice in the area with essential information regarding leases, surface use agreements, siting considerations for oil and gas facilities, the resolution of disputes before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), the ins and outs of nontributary and produced nontributary ground water, and water rights as an asset.

Program topics include:

• Oil and Gas Leases
• Surface Use Agreements (SUAs)
• Government’s Role in Authorizing Locations for Oil and Gas Development
• Technical Aspects of Nontributary and Produced Nontributary Ground Water
• Produced Nontributary Ground …

Review Of Computer-Aided Numerical Simulation In Wind Energy, Aaron Miller, Byungik Chang, Roy Issa, Gerald Chen

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Many advances have been made during the last decade in the development and application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), numerical weather modeling, and other numerical methods as applied to the wind energy industry. The current information about this area of study may help researchers gage research efforts. Specifically, micro-siting, wind modeling and prediction, blade optimization and modeling, high resolution turbine flow modeling, support structure analysis, and noise prediction have been the main focuses of recent research. The advances in this area of research are enabling better designs and greater efficiencies than were possible previously. The trends …

Biofuel From Microalgae – A Review On The Current Status And Future Trends, Rajee Olaganathan, May Zaw Htet, Lim Yan Ling, Sek Hui Yun

Publications

The constant reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable, due to both depleting world reserves and increasing green house gas emissions associated with their use and thus there are dynamic research at the global level envisioned at developing alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. The contemporary knowledge and technology predictions have proved that among the third generation biofuels especially those derived from microalgae are considered the best reasonable alternative energy resource compared to undeniable drawbacks of first and second generation biofuels. Moreover, its efficiency to sequester carbon from the atmosphere …

Sustainable Development Of Tajikistan: Perspectives For Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco), Tahmina Azizova

Capstone Collection

Energy efficiency is one the most pressing objectives of the XXI century. Energy efficiency is an intrinsic part of sustainable development of any country. But it is especially crucial for country like Tajikistan, which has an inefficient energy use pattern as a result of the legacy of Soviet era. Energy resources required for economic development can be obtained not only through increased extraction of raw materials, but also through improved energy efficiency at the demand side. Tajikistan imports about 35 percent of its energy needs, which makes the country extremely energy-dependent. That leads to an obvious inference that for Tajikistan …

Hydrogen Generation From Magnesium Hydride By Using Organic Acid, Yen-Hsi Ho

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, the hydrolysis of solid magnesium hydride has been studied with the high concentration of catalyst at the varying temperature. An organic acid (acetic acid, CH3COOH) has been chosen as the catalyst. The study has three objectives: first, using three different weights of MgH2 react with aqueous solution of acid for the hydrogen generation experiments. Secondly, utilizing acetic acid as the catalyst accelerates hydrogen generation. Third, emphasizing the combination of the three operating conditions (the weight of MgH2, the concentration of acetic acid, and the varying temperature) influence the amount of hydrogen generation. The experiments results show acetic …

A Gis-Based Multi-Objective Optimization Of A Lignocellulosic Biomass Supply Chain: A Case Study In Tennessee, Zidong Wang

Masters Theses

To achieve an economically and environmentally sustainable lignocellulosic biomass (LCB)-based biofuel industry sector, the design and location of a sustainable LCB supply chain is important. In this study, a multi-objective optimization model integrated with high-resolution geographical data was developed to examine the optimal switchgrass supply chain for a potential biorefinery in Tennessee, specifically evaluating the potential tradeoffs between the objectives of minimizing plant-gate cost and GHG emissions from the switchgrass supply chain. The key findings of this study are as follows: both plant-gate feedstock cost and GHG emissions were sensitive to the type of land converted into switchgrass production, the …

Agenda: Changing Regulatory Frameworks For Shale Development And "Social License To Operate", University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

Changing Regulatory Frameworks for Shale Development and "Social License to Operate" (July 24)

Rapid development of unconventional shale resources in recent years has raised a series of regulatory issues both here and abroad. Because of the "distributed" nature of shale development and the significant increase in wells in key basins, local land-use conflicts have also erupted in certain areas of the country, leading to restrictions and moratoria on drilling by state, county, and municipal governments and raising questions about the industry's continued social license to operate in key jurisdictions. This moderated panel discussion will assess the current regulatory framework governing shale gas development and the changing dynamics among federal, state, and local regulation …

Reviewing Models Of Land Availability And Dynamics For Biofuel Crops In The United States And The European Union, Ruopu Li, Nicola Di Virgilio, Qingfeng Guan, Song Feng, Goetz M. Richter

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The biofuel-related land use in the USA and the EU has significantly expanded during the last decade; models have been used to estimate land availability and demand in these regions. This paper provides an overview of different land-use modeling practices applicable to first- and second-generation biofuels. We review the importance of different land categories for biofuels, modeling approaches (top-down/bottom-up) and their integration, data availability for calibration and validation, model scale, and uncertainty. Possible future changes of biofuel land use and research gaps and limitations are synthesized. Key issues are the lack of data for independent validation and the need for …

Pcor Partnership – Demonstrating Co2 Storage In The Northern Great Plains, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the third phase of the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Program project to promote the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Outlines various CCS projects that were part of the project, and discusses adjacent PCOR Partnership activities.

Comparative Feedstock Analysis In Setaria Viridis L. As A Model For C4 Bioenergy Grasses And Panicoid Crop Species, Carloalberto Petti, Andrew Shearer, Mizuki Tateno, Mathew J. Ruwaya, Sue E. Nokes, Tom Brutnell, Seth Debolt

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Second generation feedstocks for bioethanol will likely include a sizable proportion of perennial C4 grasses, principally in the Panicoideae clade. The Panicoideae contain agronomically important annual grasses including Zea mays L. (maize), Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (sorghum), and Saccharum officinarum L. (sugar cane) as well as promising second generation perennial feedstocks including Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass). The underlying complexity of these polyploid grass genomes is a major limitation for their direct manipulation and thus driving a need for rapidly cycling comparative model. Setaria viridis (green millet) is a rapid cycling C4 panicoid grass with a relatively …

Role Of Natural Gas In America's Energy Future: Focus On Transportation, Dharik Mallapragada, Rakesh Agrawal

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

The energy landscape of the United States for the past century has been dominated by the use of fossil fuels namely coal, petroleum, and natural gas (NG). While coal usage was dominant during the early 1900’s, petroleum has been dominant ever since the second half of the 20^th century owing to increasing use of liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel, for transportation. In contrast, NG consumption in the U.S., currently at ~25% of total primary energy use, has only been steadily increasing since the early 1990’s (BP, 2012). However, the last decade has seen rapid growth in U.S. NG consumption …

Influence Of Media Composition On The Growth Rate Of Chlorella Vulgaris And Scenedesmus Acutus Utilized For Co2 Mitigation, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Xinyi E, Aubrey Shea, Michael D. Montross, Mark Crocker, Rodney Andrews

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased since the industrial revolution due to increasing combustion of fossil fuels. One possible CO₂ mitigation strategy is the use of microalgae for mitigation of CO₂. This paper focuses on the influence of media composition on the growth rate of two microalgae strains, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus actus. A KNO₃ based medium was found to work better for Chlorella, while a urea based equivalent worked better for Scenedesmus. The urea based media investigated here resulted in growth similar to that found with previously reported KNO₃ based media. …

Agenda: Water, Oil And Gas: Recycling And Reuse Of Water, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Sturm College Of Law, University Of Denver, Colorado Bar Association, Natural Resources & Energy Section

Water, Oil and Gas: Recycling and Reuse of Water (June 11)

Program co-chairs: Sarah Klahn, Matthew Sura; planning committee: Susan Daggett, Kathryn Mutz.

Co-sponsored by: Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment, University of Colorado Law School, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver, Natural Resources & Energy Section of the Colorado Bar Association.

This program is the second in a 3-part series focusing on critical water, oil and gas issues in Colorado. This second program focuses on the technology behind the recycling of produced water and hydraulic back fracturing flowback fluid and the issue of mandatory recycling. It also addresses the legal implications …