Energy Systems Commons^™

A Framework For Energy Optimization Of Small, Two-Stroke, Natural Gas Engines For Combined Heat And Power Applications, Mahdi Darzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research was focused on the development of a framework for the energy optimization a natural gas engine for small combined heat and power (CHP) applications operating with low-pressure natural gas (NG) available at homes. The required targets of the ARPA-E GENSETS program for 1 kW electric power generation and previous GENSETS simulation at West Virginia University, suggested a design space for the engine which is currently dominated by simple two-stroke designs. Hence this research focused on screening, modeling, and experimentally evaluation of cost-effective technologies to achieve a system design that maximized thermal efficiency and utilization factor, while reducing emissions. …

Propagation And Morphology Of Premixed Flames In Obstructed Channels Under Atmospheric And Supercritical Conditions, Abdulafeez Akinola Adebiyi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The understanding of the morphology and propagation of premixed flames in channels is vital for the design and development of efficient propulsion systems requiring high heat release, such as pulse detonation engines, and for resolving accidental fire in industrial conduits. In this work, extensive computational simulation of premixed flames in channels (with rectangular and cylindrical cross sections) with closely packed obstacles are carried out with the goal of providing insights into flame propagation under various conditions which would be invaluable to the development and safety of energy and propulsion systems as well as for the mitigation of accidental fires in …

Scaling Analysis And Experimental Investigation Of A Rotating Detonation Engine, David Thomas Billups

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pressure gain combustion (PGC) technologies, specifically rotating detonation engines (RDEs), are poised to provide the next big leap in gas turbine engine advancement, significantly increasing the thermal. RDEs make use of thermodynamic advantages of isochoric as opposed to isobaric combustion. Theorized to increase thermal efficiency by up to 7% [1], the RDE would have significant impact on reducing anthropogenic carbon emissions. In addition to efficiency gains, the RDE also provides mechanical simplicity and reduced size advantages compared to it’s traditional counterparts and PGC competition.

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) maintains and operates …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of The Stirling Engine Robust Foil Regenerator, Koji Yanaga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The regenerator is located between the heat accepter and the heat rejecter of the Stirling engine. It works as a thermal energy storage component in the engine. Most of the regenerators are made of woven screen or random fiber. However, the flow going through the woven screen or random fiber is similar to the cylinders in crossflow which has flow separation. To achieve higher engine efficiency, it is required to design a regenerator which has higher convective heat transfer, lower pressure drops. Therefore, a parallel channel regenerator called a robust foil regenerator was designed and manufactured.

In this study, a …

Evaluation Of A Marketing Strategy Based On The Concept Of Virtual Energy Audit, Goutham Kumar Reddy Challa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the growing world population and efforts to bring better energy access to the people, energy needs of the world are expected to grow in the coming years. Given the limited availability of non-renewable resources, there has been a mounting consensus among the users and the stakeholders to utilize the available energy in the most efficient way by implementing various methods like use of advanced technologies, source reduction, behavioral changes, etc. Energy efficiency in general is considered as a win-win scenario for all the users and/or stakeholders involved as it not only lowers the base load for power generating companies, …

Paddle Mixer-Extrusion Reactor For Torrefaction And Pyrolysis, Stas Zinchik

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This work is focused on the fundamental understanding and the development of paddle mixer reactors (or modified screw augers). This work will contribute to the effort of the thermal conversion of biomass and wastes. We developed and studied two paddle systems (i) 25-mm lab-scale (up to 1 kg/hr) and (ii) 101-mm pilot-scale (up to 100 kg/hr). Thermal behavior of the two systems was studied and it was estimated that the lab-scale system has a high heating rate of up to 530 °C/s. Residence times were thoroughly measured and were determined as a function of rotation frequency and volume fraction. We …

Energy And Exergy Analysis Of A Thermosiphon And Forced-Circulation Flat-Plate Solar Collector Using Mwcnt/Water Nanofluid, Mahmoud Eltaweel, Ahmed A. Abdel-Rehim

Mechanical Engineering

The scientific community has focused on the use of nanofluids to enhance solar collectors' thermal efficiency. Solar energy is considered an extensively available energy resource with a weak effect on the environment. The flat-plate solar collector is considered to be the most common collector used, but the efficiency of the collector has limitations, such as the low effectiveness of the absorber in terms of energy absorption and the transmission of that energy to the working fluid. The flat-plate solar collector can be enhanced by replacing the working fluid with a nanofluid. Nanofluids are considered new media that exhibit thermophysical properties …

Deep Understanding Of Degradation In Lithium Ion Batteries Through Experimental And First-Principles Study, Yufang He

Doctoral Dissertations

"The growing interests in Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) have significantly accelerated the development of active materials. However, the key challenge is that electrode materials suffer from degradation, which include transition metal dissolution, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer formation, and mechanical fracture. To address these issues, applying an ultrathin coating onto active materials via Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is an efficient way. Although numerious works have been done for active material performance improvement via ALD technology, the fundamental enhancement mechanisms of ALD coating on battery performance improvement are not yet known. Therefore, this dissertation consists of four papers, which focused on the …

Blade Design And Analysis Of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine: Cfd And Experimental Investigation Of Blades Design, Relwinde Fabrice Zongo

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The present thesis focuses on the investigations of the computational fluid dynamics analysis and the experimental study of small scales Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blades. The initial steps are taken; in the process of this research were the selection of the airfoil type to be used in each blade design and the creation of a blade design with high efficiency operating in a low wind speed zone. For the mentioned blade design process, the following airfoils were selected respectively NACA 0010, NACA 0012, NACA 1412, NACA 2412, NACA 2414, NACA 4412 and NACA 6412. This selection intends to provide …

Modeling Of Thermal Dynamics In Chevrolet Volt Gen Ii Hybrid Electric Vehicle For Integrated Powertrain And Hvac Optimal Operation Through Connectivity, Nehal Doshi

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Integrated thermal energy management across system level components in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is currently an under explored space. The proliferation of connected vehicles and accompanying infrastructure in recent years provides additional motivation to explore opportunities in optimizing thermal energy management in EVs and HEVs with the help of this newly available connected vehicle data. This thesis aims to examine and analyze the potential to mitigate vehicle energy consumption and extend usable driving range through optimal control strategies which exploit physical system dynamics via controls integration of vehicle subsystems.

In this study, data-driven and physics-based models …

Networked Microgrid Optimization And Energy Management, Robert S. Jane

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Military vehicles possess attributes consistent with a microgrid, containing electrical energy generation, storage, government furnished equipment (GFE), and the ability to share these capabilities via interconnection. Many military vehicles have significant energy storage capacity to satisfy silent watch requirements, making them particularly well-suited to share their energy storage capabilities with stationary microgrids for more efficient energy management. Further, the energy generation capacity and the fuel consumption rate of the vehicles are comparable to standard diesel generators, for certain scenarios, the use of the vehicles could result in more efficient operation. Energy management of a microgrid is an open area of …

Performance Analysis Of A Thermal-Driven Tubular Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper examines the performance of a thermal-driven tubular direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system theoretically and experimentally. A multi-step mathematical model was developed to predict the freshwater productivity of the tubular DCMD module applicable for both small and large-scale applications by considering the changes in the operational variables along the membrane’s length. The proposed model was verified by building an experimental rig which was tested under different operational conditions. The results showed that keeping the mass flow rates in the hot and cold channels either near the end or beyond the transition range of the flows results in higher …

Theoretical Modelling Approaches Of Heat Pipe Solar Collectors In Solar Systems: A Comprehensive Review, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The invention of heat pipe solar collectors (HPSCs) is considered as an immense step forward towards solving the challenges of conventional solar thermal systems. Their unique qualities have acted as a great motivation for researchers to focus their studies on HPSCs and their applications. A considerable share of these studies has been allocated to theoretical studies due to several technical and economic reasons. However, to the authors’ knowledge and despite many valuable efforts in this field, there is no review paper available to summarise the relevant proposed and developed theoretical models to date and identifies the research gaps in this …

Enhancing Heat Pipe Solar Water Heating Systems Performance Using A Novel Variable Mass Flow Rate Technique And Different Solar Working Fluids, Abdellah Shafieian, Junaid Jaffer Osman, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper aims to improve the overall efficiency of heat pipe solar water heating (HPSWH) systems by implementing a novel variable mass flow rate technique which regulates the solar working fluid mass flow rate of the system with the solar radiation intensity. To analyse the system under real operational conditions, the residential hot water consumption pattern of Perth residents in Western Australia was used in the experiments. In addition, a nanofluid (Al₂O₃/DI) was fabricated and its performance as the solar working fluid was investigated to find the optimum concentration and to confirm its stability and thermo-physical …

Performance Of C2H4 Reductant In Activated-Carbon-Supported Mnox-Based Scr Catalyst At Low Temperatures, Guangli Liu, Dongtai Han, Jie Cheng, Yongshi Feng, Wenbin Quan, Li Yang, Kozo Saito

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydrocarbons as reductants show promising results for replacing NH₃ in SCR technology. Therefore, considerable interest exists for developing low-temperature (< 200 °C) and environmentally friendly HC-SCR catalysts. Hence, C₂H₄ was examined as a reductant using activated-carbon-supported MnOx-based catalyst in low-temperature SCR operation. Its sensitivity to Mn concentration and operating temperature was parametrically studied, the results of which showed that the catalyst activity followed the order of 130 °C > 150 °C > 180 °C with an optimized Mn concentration near 3.0 wt.%. However, rapid deactivation of catalytic activity also occurred when using C₂H₄ as the reductant. The mechanism of deactivation was explored and is …

Development And Thermodynamic Analysis Of An Integrated Mild/Partial Gasification Combined Cycle (Impgc) Under Green And Brown Field Conditions With And Without Carbon Capture, Henry A. Long Iii

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Coal is a very prominent energy source in the world, but it is environmentally unattractive due to its high sulfur and ash content as well as its alleged contribution towards climate change, but it is affordable, abundant, and has high energy content. Thus, utilizing coal in a cleaner and more efficient way has become necessary. One promising clean coal technology involves fully gasifying coal into synthesis gas, cleaning it, and feeding it into a high-efficiency combined cycle, such as an Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). Inspired by the recent success of warn gas cleanup (WGCU), mild and partial gasification are …

Interfacial Tailoring Of Lithium-Ion Batteries By Atomic/Molecular Layer Deposition, Qian Sun

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are promising energy storage devices, which play significant roles in addressing problems related to fossil fuels depletion and environmental pollution. Since the 1990s, LIBs have attracted great attention for many applications. Nowadays, LIBs are dominating portable electronics, having several advantages over their forerunners, such as high voltage (3.3~4.2 V) [1,2], low self-discharge (< 5~10 %/month) [3,4], wide operation temperature (-20~60 °C) [5,6], and fast charge/discharge rate [7,8]. However, LIBs deliver an energy density of 100-220 Wh/kg in practice to date, which is far from their theoretical ones, thus hindering their further applications in electric vehicles. Additionally, LIBs have been plagued by other problems, such as intolerance to overcharge/overdischarge, low heat resistance, lithium dendrites growth, large volume change of the silicon anode, large polarization and even safety problems.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and molecular layer deposition (MLD) are two important techniques, both proceeding in self-limiting gas-solid reactions and exhibiting excellent capabilities for ultra-thin films, conformal coatings, and controllable growth. They can be employed to address the problems of LIBs mentioned above by …

Towards Environmentally Sustainable And Cost-Effective Food Distribution In The U.S., Jasmina Burek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Distribution centers (DCs) and supermarkets have an important role in food sustainability, but no previous research has accounted for their environmental impact. The purpose of this research was to assess environmental sustainability of grocery, perishables, and general merchandise DCs; to estimate food storing and retailing impact; and to provide cost-effective strategies to reduce DCs’ environmental impacts. The importance and relevance of the research is threefold: improving sustainability of DCs, food storing, and food retailing. The main method used in this research was the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. An initial study calculated environmental impacts of the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. DCs, …

Low Temperature Desiccants In Atmospheric Water Generation., Sunil Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surging global water demand as well as changes to weather patterns and over exploitation of natural water sources, such as ground water, has made potable water a critical resource in many parts of the World already – one rapidly heading towards a crisis situation. Desalination has been adopted as a solution – this is however energy intensive and impractical for most of the developing countries - those most in need of water. A renewable source of energy is solar thermal and solar photovoltaic. A plentiful source of water is the humidity in the atmosphere. This research is to push the …

Local Peer-To-Peer Communication To Improve Demand Response In Residential Neighborhoods, Ryan Schwartz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increased electricity production from intermittent renewables presents a challenge to utilities. Since the grid has little ability to store energy, fluctuations in solar and wind generation require either an increase in generation from expensive sources or a reduction of demand. Demand Response (DR) programs focus on the latter and are designed to increase grid flexibility by allowing grid operators to modify when or how customers use electricity. For residential customers, this typically means shedding load during periods of high demand through a central controller temporarily shutting off air conditioning (AC) compressors. This type of DR can cause spikes in demand …