Assessment Of Technical Feasibility Research Articles

Assessment of the Development Limitations for Wave Energy Utilization in the Baltic Sea

The use of renewable energy sources is one of the most promising options for slowing down climate change and the variability of resources would benefit the energy systems even further. Research provides an initial assessment of the Baltic Sea region concerning the possibility of using wave energy as a supplement to the current renewables in this region. During the study, the main parameters of the environment were examined (waves, salinity, tides, and the effect of ice). In addition to the technical and economic feasibility assessment (from a supplier perspective), marketability research was conducted among sector stakeholders through a survey. The majority of the respondents among maritime and energy sector stakeholders showed interest in applying wave energy in less than a 10-year perspective, particularly in the specific areas of their industries, such as seaports. This research is important as it demonstrates the limitations of the Baltic Sea environment, effects of regional economic activity, and local and EU level political, legal, and administrative burdens in applying wave energy within the studied region. Based on this study, policies and legislative frameworks need to be adapted (e.g., environmental protection areas and open access data of sea) to facilitate change.

An assessment of technical feasibility in the implementation of rooftop rainwater harvesting system in urban residential areas of Pakistan

An assessment of technical feasibility in the implementation of rooftop rainwater harvesting system in urban residential areas of Pakistan

An assessment of technical feasibility in the implementation of rooftop rainwater harvesting system in urban residential areas of Pakistan

An assessment of technical feasibility in the implementation of rooftop rainwater harvesting system in urban residential areas of Pakistan

Accelerating sustainable development and production of nanomaterials and printed electronics

Printed and embedded electronics are considered game changing for electronics industry, and various R&D groups worldwide have already achieved remarkable progress. In the EU, limited access to these developments for industry and businesses still hampers wide rollout. Additionally, technology evaluation is often strictly focused on performance, i.e. whether technical functionalities meet specified requirements. For multiple reasons, a more holistic evaluation could contribute to more sustainable innovation. The EU-funded LEE-BED project has therefore created an open innovation test bed for printed electronics (PE), offering a time-efficient three-step process accessible via an online single entry point for easy involvement. The approach fosters evaluating ideas, developing prototypes, and transferring knowledge to interested parties from SMEs to global OEMs with or without previous involvement with PE. The first step (LEE-BED Phase 1) includes a multi-dimensional assessment of technical feasibility, economic viability, environmental sustainability, safety, and intellectual property before developing any prototype. This has successfully been applied to industry partners from construction, automotive, labelling, and luxury brands, offering novel functionalities and additional aesthetics through PE in their business practices. In this way, LEE-BED has established a collaborative platform for PE innovation sharing key learnings and opportunities.

Technical and economic feasibility assessment of hybrid renewable energy system at Kenyan institutional building: A case study

This study focused on the technical and economic feasibility assessment of hybrid renewable energy system for powering institutional building in Kenya – a case study of the School of Engineering, University of Nairobi. The study aimed to determine the optimum hybrid renewable energy system that can supply reliable and affordable power to the school. The load profile of the site was determined using power and energy logger (PEL) with data analysis carried out in DataView™ software. The total energy demand and consumption of the establishment were found to be 84.59 kW and 1172 kWh/day, respectively. Grid/wind/photovoltaic/diesel/battery/converter configuration was simulated and optimized in HOMERTM Pro microgrid analysis tool using local meteorological data. The total net present cost was calculated for 25 years to find the lowest cost of energy for the systems. Grid/Photovoltaic/Diesel was found as the optimum system configuration with the system having Cost of Energy (COE) of Ksh 7.89, Net Present Cost (NPC) of Ksh 69,512,100.00, Initial capital cost of Ksh 30,264,100.00, a renewable fraction of 71.6%, simple payback period of six years, discounted payback period of eight years, present worth of Ksh 12,819,300.00, annual worth of Ksh 965,700.00, excess electricity generation of 2.48% etcetera. This result shows that the system is technically and economically viable. The system proved to have reduced the power purchase from the grid by approximately 77% and reduce the electricity bill by approximately 84%. In addition, nine (9) sensitivity cases were used for sensitivity analysis and the result gave the same configuration except in cases where the sizes and prices of some components were changed.

Usefulness of ultrasound fusion technology for hepatocellular carcinoma localisation, pre- and post-thermal ablation.

Percutaneous thermal ablation of inconspicuous lesions can be challenging. Fusion ultrasound (FUS) allows the use of previously performed diagnostic imaging like computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET-CT) to localise hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for treatment. This paper illustrates FUS case studies of pre-, intra- and post-ablation imaging of inconspicuous HCC, supplemented by use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Four prospective cases during September 2014 to October 2018, with HCC amenable to ablation, which were poorly identified on ultrasound, underwent FUS. FUS pre-screening was scheduled within three months of the previous CT or MRI, and between one to four weeks prior to the scheduled ablation date. Post-ablation imaging with FUS was performed between four to six weeks to coincide with their routine follow-up CT or MRI. There were potential benefits observed in the cases with combined techniques of FUS and CEUS for limiting circumstances such as heat sink effect, multiple lesions targeting, inconspicuous lesion detection and pre-ablation technical feasibility assessment. The combined use of FUS and CEUS improves tumour visibility, increases operator imaging confidence and reduces heat sink effect during percutaneous thermal ablation. FUS imaging is helpful in targeting poor conspicuity lesions that cannot be detected on grey-scale ultrasound. It facilitates in ensuring optimal treatment of hepatic lesions for improvement of patient prognosis and follow-up imaging.

A feasibility assessment of multi-modelling approaches for rail decarbonisation systems simulation

Simulation is an important tool to support rail decarbonisation but can be challenging due to heterogeneous models, simulation tools and skill sets, and concerns around intellectual property. Multi-modelling, a proven methodology in sectors such as aerospace and automotive, uses Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) and co-simulation to potentially overcome these problems. This paper presents a feasibility study of multi-modelling for rail decarbonisation, using a combination of audit of current state of the art, technical implementation and stakeholder consultation. The audit showed that while current uptake of FMI in rail is low, there is potential to repurpose models from pre-existing tools and apply them within multi-modelling. The technical feasibility assessment demonstrated how multi-modelling could generate flexible simulation outputs to identify decarbonisation systems effects both for urban and mainline rail, including rapid integration of pre-existing MATLAB Simulink models. Work with industry stakeholders identified use cases where multi-modelling would benefit rail decarbonisation, as well as barriers and enablers to adoption. Overall, the study demonstrates the feasibility and considerations for multi-modelling to support rail decarbonisation efforts, and the future developments necessary for wider rollout.

Beacon-Based Remote Measurement of Social Behavior in ASD Clinical Trials: A Technical Feasibility Assessment.

In this work, we propose a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacon-based algorithm to enable remote measurement of the social behavior of the participants of an observational Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) clinical trial (NCT03611075). We have developed a mobile application for a smartphone and a smartwatch to collect beacon signals from BLE beacon sensors as well as to store information about the participants’ household rooms. Our goal is to collect beacon information about the time the participants spent in different rooms of their household to infer sociability information. We applied the same technology and setup in an internal experiment with healthy volunteers to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed algorithm in 10 different home setups, and we observed an average accuracy of 97.2%. Moreover, we show that it is feasible for the clinical study participants/caregivers to set up the BLE beacon sensors in their homes without any technical help, with 96% of them setting up the technology on the first day of data collection. Next, we present results from one-week location data from study participants collected through the proposed technology. Finally, we provide a list of good practice guidelines for optimally applying beacon technology for indoor location monitoring. The proposed algorithm enables us to estimate time spent in different rooms of a household that can pave the development of objective sociability features and eventually support decisions regarding drug efficacy in ASD.

Simulations of methanol fueled locomotive engine using high pressure co-axial direct injection system

Methanol has emerged as a strong alternate fuel candidate, which can meet future fuel requirements for locomotive traction. Simulation approach is an excellent tool for preliminary technical feasibility assessment of alternative fuels compared to time consuming experiments. The objective of this study was therefore to assess the feasibility of 90% diesel displacement by methanol (on energy basis) in the ALCO-251 locomotive engines, the workhorse of Indian Railways (IR). In the first phase of this study, base model of ALCO-251 locomotive engine was prepared in 1-D simulation software (GT-Power), which was validated using the experimental data of mineral diesel provided by Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO), which is the R&D wing of IR. Locomotive engine works on eight different engine speeds at different notches: 350 rpm (1st Notch), 450 rpm (2nd Notch), 550 rpm (3rd Notch), 650 rpm (4th Notch), 750 rpm (5th Notch), 850 rpm (6th Notch), 950 rpm (7th Notch), 1050 rpm (8th Notch). In the second phase of the study using this validated model, a co-axial injector was used where methanol was used as the primary fuel, and diesel was used as the secondary fuel for pilot injection using Co-axial High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) method. For simulations, methanol and diesel injectors were housed in a single injector body of the co-axial injector, but they had individual controls. Co-axial injector was actuated such that first it injected diesel in hot air-environment to initiate the combustion, followed by injection of methanol as the main motive fuel. Base model simulated the engine performance, emissions, and combustion characteristics quite well, which were in good agreement with the experimental data. Pareto optimized dimensions of the co-axial injector were 0.486 mm nozzle hole diameter, and 3 holes for pilot diesel injection, and 0.544 mm nozzle hole diameter, and 5 holes for methanol injection. HPDI of Methanol with Pilot Diesel Injection Model with optimized injector dimensions exhibited in-cylinder pressure curve shapes similar to the base model with similar/ superior torque characteristics, higher brake thermal efficiency, and lower NOx emisssions. Inevitably, 1-D simulation for the locomotive engine represented a potential method to achieve similar/ better engine performance, combustion and emission characteristics via this new fuel injection concept, using high pressure co-axial direct injection system.

Nutrient recovery from swine wastewater at full-scale: An integrated technical, economic and environmental feasibility assessment

In this study, the technical, economic and environmental attributes of a full-scale nutrient recovery process connected to the centralized swine wastewater treatment facility (CSWTF) were evaluated. The performance of the process was assessed by introducing influent to the recovery reactor from different components of the CSWTF such as sedimentation tank (swine wastewater) and biological treatment reactor (biologically oxidized material and supernatant of the biologically oxidized material). The results of technical performance assessment revealed that the O–P recovery (87.1–90.7%) and NH4–N removal (66.9–72.1%) efficiencies from the influent of biological treatment reactor were significantly higher than the influent from sedimentation tank (81.7 and 19.8%, respectively, p < 0.05). The economic evaluation elucidated that by increasing the treatment capacity of the recovery reactor from 30 m3/d to 100 m3/d, operating expenses could be covered through the commercialization of struvite, while it would take around seven years to get back the capital investment. Additional economic savings could also be possible when using the recovered struvite as a fertilizer raw material along with other environmental benefits. Considering the current farming practices in Korea, the complete recovery of O–P from CSWTFs as struvite could drop the soil phosphorus surplus by 40%, minimize the phosphatic fertilizer consumption by 6.4% and ultimately reduce CO2 equivalent emissions of 6522 tons/year in comparison to chemical fertilizer production. However, during the continuous operation of the full-scale nutrient recovery process, influent characteristics need to be incessantly monitored and adjusted to the optimum conditions to improve the economics of recovered products. Overall, the nutrient recovery process at full-scale not only solves the problem of treating highly polluted swine wastewater but also helps to ensure societal and environmental sustainability.

Technical and Economic Feasibility Assessment of a Cloud-Enabled Traffic Video Analysis Framework

Computer vision techniques are expected to significantly improve the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS), which are anticipated to be a key component of future Smart City frameworks. Powered by computer vision techniques, the conversion of existing traffic cameras into connected “smart sensors” called intelligent video analysis (IVA) systems has shown the great capability of producing insightful data to support ITS applications. However, developing such IVA systems for large-scale, real-time application deserves further study, as the current research efforts are focused more on model effectiveness instead of model efficiency. Therefore, we have introduced a real-time, large-scale, cloud-enabled traffic video analysis framework using the NVIDIA DeepStream and NVIDIA Metropolis. In this study, we have evaluated the technical and economic feasibility of our proposed framework to help traffic agency to build IVA systems more efficiently. Our study shows that the daily operating cost for our proposed framework on Google Cloud Platform is less than $0.14 per camera, and that, compared with manual inspections, proposed framework achieves an average vehicle-counting accuracy of 83.7% on sunny days.

Bioenergy potential and technical feasibility assessment of residues from oil palm processing: A case study of Jalapa, Tabasco, Mexico

Bioenergy around the world has proved to be a feasible strategy in terms of environmental, social and economic advantages for the development of our society. Nevertheless, in low- and middle-income countries, wood is the most traditional common biomass resource. At the same time, there is a wide variety of residues from industry processing that can be valorized. In recent years, oil palm production in Mexico has increased significantly; giving rise to the establishment of extraction plants whose process focuses mostly on oil extraction, disregarding solid by-products. The lack of proper management of these residues impacts the environment by piling up without control, open burning or left on the ground. For these reasons, this study aimed to assess the bioenergy potential and identify the most feasible technologies for the sustainable use of oil palm residues. Oil palm residues (fruit fiber, palm kernel shells and empty fruit bunches) were characterized by proximate analysis, calorific value and energy dispersive spectroscopy. A weighted decision matrix was designed to weigh the biomass conversion technologies considering sustainability criteria (environmental, technical, economic and social). As a result, a biomass and energy potential of 33,416 t y−1 and 564.05 TJ y−1 were calculated for Tabasco palm oil sector. Pelletization of residue for thermal applications, followed by anaerobic digestion turned out to be the most feasible technologies for oil palm residue according to the regional context. An opportunity for pellet production from these residues was observed; this could be an alternative to substitute fuel wood and promotes modern bioenergy applications.

GIS-Based Assessment of the Technical and Economic Feasibility of Utility-Scale Solar PV Plants: Case Study in West Kalimantan Province

This paper presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the West Kalimantan Province of Borneo, which is essential for boosting the development of solar PV plants in Indonesia. The assessment was performed based on a previously developed geographical information systems (GIS) package that integrates satellite-derived data of solar irradiation with locally obtained data such as land usage, topography, road lines, and an electrical network. For the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility, annual energy production and electrical cost were calculated using an analysis tool that was integrated into a GIS package. The results show that more than 93% of the exploitable land that covers the area of 49,859 km2 is available for the development of solar PV plants, with an annual energy production higher than 180 GWh/km2 and an electricity cost lower than 0.05 USD/kWh, indicating the attractiveness of utility-scale solar PV plant development in West Kalimantan Province. A further detailed assessment of optimal sites shows that the selected sites are technically and economically feasible for the development of utility-scale solar PV plants. The approaches and results of this research should be valuable for energy planners, developers, and policy makers to set the strategies for promoting the development of utility-scale solar PV plants in pro of the sustainable development of Indonesia.

Innovative power train configurations for aircraft auxiliary power units focused on reducing carbon footprint

Auxiliary power units constitute a non-negligible source of pollution not only in flight conditions but also at airports and their surrounding areas. This work compiles a technical feasibility assessment focused on the analysis of innovative alternatives to the traditional aircraft gas turbine based auxiliary power unit arrangement. The proposed innovations involve both new power train configurations and the use of different fuels, with the purpose of reducing both the primary energy consumption and the environmental impact of these systems. The core innovation proposed here consists in the use of a supercharged rotary engine as an alternative configuration to traditional auxiliary power units in aircraft. The rotary engine can achieve higher thermal efficiencies than gas turbines, which corresponds to a lower specific fuel consumption and, thus, a lower carbon footprint. Additionally, the proposed alternatives will involve hybrid configurations, providing thermal energy generation with electrical storage devices. Finally, the assessed arrangements will be based on the “more electric aircraft” concept, which implies a simplification of the aircraft non-propulsive power system design and allows the addition of batteries to the generating unit. In order to perform this assessment, different thermal models and simulations have been developed, allowing the quantification of the improvements related to the alternative proposed configuration.

Persulfate oxidation for alternative sludge treatment and nutrient recovery: An assessment of technical and economic feasibility

The introduce of tighter waste disposal regulations and increasing resource scarcity make the re-utilization of waste activated sludge a hot and crucial research topic. Compared with traditional sludge disposal technologies (e.g. landfill and incineration), advanced oxidation processes have been proven to be an environmentally friendly method for sludge stabilization and disintegration. However, the effectiveness of persulfate oxidation for sludge degradation, and the re-utilization of its embedded nutrients have been rarely reported. Therefore, this work is to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of using persulfate oxidation and struvite precipitation for sludge degradation and nutrient recovery. The results show that with the assistance of ultraviolet radiation, released phosphate and ammonia nitrogen from sludge could reach 233.4 and 265.6 mg/L. Besides, 92.8% phosphate and 32.6% ammonia-nitrogen could be recovered by struvite precipitation at a pH of 9.5, with an Mg: P molar ratio of 1.1:1. The economic analysis shows that the operational cost of the proposed process was 25% higher than traditional sludge disposal (267.5 $/ton), but its capital investment is much lower. Investigations on chemical dosage minimization, energy reclamation and process optimization are suggested to reduce the process's operating cost in the future.

Percutaneous Microwave Ablation of Stage T1b Renal Cell Carcinoma: Short-Term Assessment of Technical Feasibility, Short-Term Oncologic Outcomes, and Safety.

Purpose: To report on the safety, technical results, and oncologic outcomes of computed tomography guided percutaneous microwave ablation of stage cT1b renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study investigated consecutive patients with T1b renal cell carcinoma who were treated with CT guided percutaneous microwave ablation between December 2015 and May 2019. Patient baseline characteristics, tumor biologic features, technical parameters, clinical outcomes, and complications were recorded and evaluated. Local tumor progression-free survival and overall survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier methods. Results: This study included 23 patients (18 men [mean age ± standard deviation, 74.6 years ±10.2; range 58-89 years] and 5 women [mean age, 71.6 years ±10.1; range 62-86 years]; overall mean age, 74.0 years ±10.0; range 58-89 years) with 23 T1b renal cell carcinomas. Primary technical success was achieved in 20/23 (87%) patients. Secondary technical success was achieved in 3/3 (100%) patients. Local tumor progression-free survival was 100.0%, 90.9%, and 90.9% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Overall survival was 95.2%, 85.7%, and 71.4% at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. There were 2 (8.7%) complications; both were classified as minor complications according to the Society of Interventional Radiology grading system. Conclusions: Computed tomography guided percutaneous microwave ablation for T1b renal cell carcinoma is associated with high rates of technical success, excellent local tumor progression-free survival, short-term survival and overall survival, and low complication rates.

Vinasse treatment using hybrid tannin-based Coagulation-Microfiltration-Nanofiltration processes: Potential energy recovery, technical and economic feasibility assessment

The sugarcane industry has a relevant contribution in the Brazilian economy. However, the inadequate disposal of vinasse in the fertigation practices has led to environmental issues. Therefore, the current research investigated the applicability of microfiltration (MF) and nanofiltration (NF), with and without the use of tannin as an organic coagulant, to treat vinasse. Among the different coagulant concentrations used, 8.0 mg/L was selected as optimum dosage due to greater removal efficiencies. Removal efficiencies for COD, color and ions by MF-NF and C-MF-NF routes were similar and higher than 90.6%. As floc sizes increased with the coagulant addition, the cake layer became more porous and compressible, reducing fouling resistance in MF process. In that sense, back transport velocity of particles became an important mechanism affecting the membrane fouling. Overall, the NF permeate quality allows its various uses, such as washing water and cooling water. The combined concentrate from MF and NF was considered for energy production and fertigation, presenting higher potential for methane production compared to raw vinasse. MF-NF route was chosen after an economic analysis due to the high chemical expenditures related to tannin acquisition in the C-MF-NF process. Considering the prices currently practiced for industrial water acquisition (2.8 US$·m−3), a 3 year would be required for the investment to be recouped. Moreover, an internal rate of return of 52.3% was obtained, which was higher than the market attractiveness considered. Hence, the economic analysis reassures the MF-NF rout feasibility for vinasse treatment.

Percutaneous microwave ablation of stage T1b renal cell carcinoma: Assessment of technical feasibility, clinical outcomes, and safety.

e17104 Background: The use of percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) for T1b (4.1-7.0 cm) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been widely adopted. Methods: This single-center retrospective study investigated consecutive patients who underwent CT-guided percutaneous MWA for T1b RCC from December 2015 to May 2019. Patient baseline characteristics, tumor biological features, technical parameters, clinical outcomes, and complications were recorded and evaluated. Local progression-free and overall survival (OS) rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: This study included 23 patients (18 men [mean age ± standard deviation, 74.6 y ± 10.2; range, 58–89 y] and 5 women [mean age, 71.6 y ±10.1; range, 62–86 y]; overall mean age, 74.0 y ± 10.0; range, 58-89 y) with 23 T1b tumors. Technical success was achieved in all of tumors. Local progression-free survival was 94.7%, 86.1%, and 86.1% at 1-, 2-, and 3-year respectively. OS was 95.2%, 85.7%, and 71.4% at 1-, 2-, and 3-year respectively. Of the 2 (8.7%) complications, both were classified as Clavien-Dindo grade I complication. Conclusions: CT-guided percutaneous MWA was associated with high rates of technical success, excellent local progression-free survival and OS, and a low complication rate for stage T1b RCC.

Technical Feasibility Assessment for Roll Pass Designs in Three-High Shape-Mill Stands in Modern Mini-Mills

Construction and commissioning of a network of mini-mills of various maximum production volumes requires installation of equipment. Several plants have developed mills in which continuous-reduction stands have been replaced by three-high stands. Despite prior experience in using continuous-cast billets for production of a variety of rolled shapes in modern continuous mills, use of this approach in shape mills with three-high reduction stands requires an technical feasibility assessment of the new forming modes and pass designs used for these modes. Comparative analysis indicated that the newly developed billet forming modes and pass designs did not fully achieve the requisite technical feasibility. The stress-strain behavior in the early passes facilitates not only formation of end cracks, but also increases the likelihood of discontinuity defects in the metal over the entire free surface of the billet not in contact with the bottom or corners of the pass due to development of tensile stresses. Absence of reduction in the initial box passes during rolling of continuous-cast billets therefore will lead to rhombicity defects. Using excessively high reductions in individual passes makes clamping of the process cross section less stable, increases the likelihood of overfilling the pass, and increases the peak rolling load in certain passes Collectively this suggests that these process characteristics indicate that a better-validated approach is needed for determination of continuous-cast billet rolling schedules for three-high reduction stands.

Technical feasibility assessment of a standalone photovoltaic/wind/adiabatic compressed air energy storage based hybrid energy supply system for rural mobile base station

The standalone renewable powered rural mobile base station is essential to enlarge the coverage area of telecommunication networks, as well as protect the ecological environment. In this paper, a standalone photovoltaic/wind turbine/adiabatic compressed air energy storage based hybrid energy supply system for rural mobile base station is proposed. The energies from renewable sunlight and wind are the primary power sources and the adiabatic compressed air energy storage system acts as the energy buffer to manage the fluctuations in both demand and generation sides. Meanwhile, the hybrid cooling strategy is also adopted by consisting of air conditioner, fan assistant natural ventilation and turbine exhaust from adiabatic compressed air energy storage during discharge. The simulation results under design condition demonstrate that the loss of power supply probability is 0.988%, and the monthly load and individual equipment power consumption, the monthly cooling energy demand and supply and the monthly energy generation and consumption all match well. Then, the effect of photovoltaic-wind turbine configuration, the air tank volume and storage pressures of adiabatic compressed air energy storage on system performance have been implemented. Moreover, the loss of power supply probability analysis show that the required photovoltaic panels number increases with the reduced air tank volume in conditions of fixed wind power capacity and fixed 1% maximum loss of power supply probability threshold, whereas the dump load rate raises. For a certain air tank volume and maximum loss of power supply probability threshold, the dump load rate firstly reduces and then rises with the wind turbine number increases.