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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Organic Fluids And Passive Cooling In A Supercritical Rankine Cycle For Power Generation From Low Grade Heat Sources, Rachana Vidhi Jul 2014

Organic Fluids And Passive Cooling In A Supercritical Rankine Cycle For Power Generation From Low Grade Heat Sources, Rachana Vidhi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low grade heat sources have a large amount of thermal energy content. Due to low temperature, the conventional power generation technologies result in lower efficiency and hence cannot be used. In order to efficiently generate power, alternate methods need to be used. In this study, a supercritical organic Rankine cycle was used for heat source temperatures varying from 125°C to 200°C. Organic refrigerants with zero ozone depletion potential and their mixtures were selected as working fluid for this study while the cooling water temperature was changed from 10-25°C. Operating pressure of the cycle has been optimized for each fluid at …


An Integral Framework For Sustainable Building Design, Bushra Asfari Jun 2014

An Integral Framework For Sustainable Building Design, Bushra Asfari

Masters Theses

Selection of materials for building design is a delicate process hinged of a number of factors which can be cost or environmental related, depending on the objectives of the design. This process becomes more difficult when designers are faced with several material options for each building component. This thesis presents the design and development of a framework that enables designers understand the trade-off between cost and environmental related factors when selecting materials for building design. The framework is based on the integration of Autodesk Revit, Microsoft access, and modeling modified Harmony search multi-objective optimization tool adapted to account for material …


Biofuel Feedstock Optimization Considering Different Land Cover Scenarios And Watershed Impacts, Rodney Wayne Vance Jan 2014

Biofuel Feedstock Optimization Considering Different Land Cover Scenarios And Watershed Impacts, Rodney Wayne Vance

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With an increased demand for renewable energy production, especially the conversion of biomass to biofuels, perennial grasses are gaining interest as a renewable source of biofuel feedstocks. Identifying the trade-offs between bioenergy crop cultivation and nutrient runoff, erosion, and water requirements will be important as the demand for these crops continues to grow. The primary objective of this study is develop an integrated optimal control model that estimates the potential effects on water quality and demand and soil erosion from cultivating switchgrass and other perennial grasses instead of conventional crops at the watershed scale. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool …