Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons^™

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Bioavailable Lead In Topsoil Collected From General Aviation Airports, Jerry H. Kavouras, Randal J. Demik, Allison C. Hopkins

Biology Department Faculty Articles

Representatives of the aviation community are interested in determining the environmental effects of leaded fuel emissions from general aviation flight operations. Soil is an environmental sink for lead to accumulate over time. This study measured bioavailable lead concentrations in topsoil at three general aviation airports and at one site with no general aviation operations in order to determine if general aviation aircraft operations are contributing to the contamination of airport topsoil at levels that require remediation by law. Bioavailable refers to substances that organisms can absorb, because they have access to them. Topsoil was collected from refueling areas, run-up areas, …

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 …

Flaring, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about flaring and associated gas. Defines the terms and outlines measures to regulate and reduce flaring in North Dakota. Describes ongoing Energy & Environmental Research Center research to address the issue. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

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 …

Synthesis And Physico-Chemical Studies Of Azo Dyes From Anacardic Acid, An Inexpensive Renewable Resource, John Mkungu, Quintino Mgani, Stephen Mdachi

Tanzania Journal of Science

(3AP) and 4-aminophenol (4AP) with both unsaturated (UA) and saturated (SA) anacardic acidsand the calcium salt (CA) of the unsaturated acid. The six prepared dyes are, thus, given theacronyms 3APSA, 3APUA, 3APCA, 4APSA, 4APUA, and 4APCA depending on the source of thediazonium salt and the form of anacardic acid used. The dyes were characterized using UV-Visand FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. The UV-Vis absorption spectra of the dyes were found tohave maximum peaks at 520 nm for the dyes of 3AP origin and at 295 nm for the dyes of 4APorigin. The FT-IR spectra for the dyes indicated presence of the azo …

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 …

Plains Co2 Reduction (Pcor) Partnership Atlas, Wesley D. Peck, Tera D. Buckley, Earl P. Battle, Megan M. Grove, Joyce M. Riske, Charles D. Gorecki, Edward N. Steadman, John A. Harju

EERC Maps and Infographics

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Atlas provides a regional profile of CO₂ sources and potential CO₂ storage locations across the PCOR Partnership region. The revised fourth edition provides an update-to-date look at PCOR Partnership activities, including regional characterization and full-scale demonstration activities. Additional background information on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is included to give a better understanding of how CCUS addresses concerns about climate change while allowing future energy needs to be met.

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. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

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. …