Efficient Energy Source Research Articles

Ultra-broadband, wide-angle plus-shape slotted metamaterial solar absorber design with absorption forecasting using machine learning

Energy utilization is increasing day by day and there is a need for highly efficient renewable energy sources. Solar absorbers with high efficiency can be used to meet these growing energy demands by transforming solar energy into thermal energy. Solar absorber design with highly efficient and Ultra-broadband response covering visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared spectrum is proposed in this paper. The absorption response is observed for three metamaterial designs (plus-shape slotted design, plus-shape design, and square-shape design) and one optimized design is used for solar absorber design based on its high efficiency. The design results are compared with AM 1.5 spectral irradiance response. The electric field response of the plus-shape slotted metamaterial design is also presented which matches well with the absorption results of different solar spectrum regions. The results proved that the attained absorption response showing wide angle of incidence. Machine learning is also used to examine the design data in order to forecast absorption for various substrate thickness, metasurface thickness, and incidence angles. Regression and forecasting simulations based on machine learning are used to try to anticipate absorber behaviour at forthcoming and intermediate wavelengths. Simulation results prove that Machine Learning based methods can lessen the obligatory simulation resources, time and can be used as an effective tool while designing the absorber. The proposed highly efficient, wide-angle, ultra-broadband solar absorber design with its behavior prediction capability using machine learning can be utilized for solar thermal energy harvesting applications.

Cu-foil modification for anode-free lithium-ion battery from electronic cable waste

Abstract Batteries are a very efficient energy source used in an all-digital environment that adapts to today’s human mobility. The lithium-ion battery is one of the batteries used in various household appliances. There are some problems caused by the anode in terms of utility. This is due to high electrochemical reactivity, which can reduce battery performance. One of the innovations in lithium-ion batteries is anode-free Li-ion battery (AFLB). The working mechanism of this battery is the same as the previous Li-ion battery, but with a smaller anode capacity, so that it can reduce the volume (large) of the battery. The problem that arises is the growth of dendrites that interferes with the battery’s running mechanism, so it needs to be evaluated for its growth. The way that can be done is to modify the copper foil by adding Cu. The innovation of this research is to modify Cu-foil by adding Cu from cable waste. The research method used is leaching Cu from cable waste, followed by reducing Cu powder to form a modified Cu. This study’s data collection techniques include empirical research derived from previous studies and instrumental analysis using SEM, FTIR, and electrochemical performance tests. Electrochemical testing using a cylindrical battery with a current of 1 C (1 C = 430 mA g−1) and a voltage of 2.6–4.3 V obtained ALFB and ALFB Cu-modification batteries with a discharge capacity of 70 and 123 mA h g−1, respectively.

Reservoir Characteristics and Resource Potential Analysis of Transitional Shale Gas in Southern Sichuan Basin

Natural gas is a clean and efficient energy source. Shale gas, one of the unconventional natural gases, is becoming an indispensable part of natural gas. Compared with marine facies shale gas, which has large-scale exploitation, marine and continental transitional facies shale gas have greater development potential. It could be the new direction of development in the future. In this article, the basic geological characteristics, sedimentary environment, and reservoir characteristics of organic-rich transitional facies shale in the southern Sichuan basin are analyzed by lithologic characteristics, chemical element analysis, reservoir space, gas bearing characteristics, and so on and are compared with domestic and abroad transitional shale gas. The results show that the sedimentary period of transitional shale of Upper Permian Leping Formation has a high paleoproductivity level and deposition rate favorable for the accumulation of organic matter in southern Sichuan basin. It was warm and humid paleoclimatic by Sr, V, Cr, Ni, Co, and other trace elements analysis. According to the experimental test analysis of reservoir characteristics, the organic matter is mainly type Ⅲ kerogen, and the thermal evolution degree is mainly overmature in the reservoir. The reservoir space is mainly of microfractures and micropores. The main types of micropore development are intergranular pore, intragranular pore, and organic pore. Compared with other shale gas regions that form industrial airflow, the study region with large thickness, highly brittle mineral content, high level of organic carbon content, and excellent gas-bearing characteristics, it has favorable conditions for shale gas accumulation. The southern Sichuan basin could be the key area for breakthroughs in the exploration and development of transitional shale gas in the next step.

Reduced neural network based ensemble approach for fault detection and diagnosis of wind energy converter systems

Wind energy (WE) is one of the most important technology to produce energy and an efficient source of renewable energy (RE) available in the atmospheric environment due to different air-currents spread over the stratosphere and troposphere. Wind energy conversion (WEC) system has become a focal point in the research of RE in recent years. Moreover, fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) plays an important role in ensuring WEC safety. In the past decades, neural networks (NN) has provided an effective performance in fault diagnosis. On the other hand, ensemble learning (EL) techniques have gained significant attention from the scientific community. EL is a technique that creates and combines multiple machine learning models in order to produce one optimal predictive model which gives improved results. The goal of this paper is to develop and validate effective neural networks based ensemble approach. First, an ensemble classifier based on neural networks techniques and using bagging, boosting, and random subspace combination techniques is proposed. Second, an improved extension of the proposed neural networks-based ensemble technique is presented. Finally, the results obtained from the proposed neural networks-based ensemble techniques are compared with other methods to illustrate and validate the advantages of the proposed techniques.

Studies on Bloom Energy Server

Background: Energy is a fundamental requirement in economic growth and is directly related to almost all aspects of global development. The global energy demand is increasing daily due to the expanding economy, industrialization, and population growth. Countries have adopted the trend of renewable energy over non-renewable energy due to the sustainability of renewable energy sources. Bloom energy server is a renewable energy source that utilizes solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology to convert fuel into electricity through an electrochemical reaction with high efficiency and without combustion. Oman, however, still relies on non-renewable energy sources, namely oil and gas. Countries continuously apply the most efficient and cost-effective energy sources with the other different energy sources available Objective: This paper aims to investigate the different available energy sources, both renewable and non-renewable and compare them and the bloom energy server and make conclusions that Oman can adopt Methods: The methodology used was a comprehensive literature search of the Google Scholar database, ProQuest database and Google search. The energy sources investigated are SOFC, solar power, wind energy, hydropower, crude oil energy, coal energy and natural gas. The variant energy sources were compared based on the following parameters: capacity capital cost, reliability and availability, sustainability, lifetime, environmental concerns, efficiency, and long-term cost-effectiveness. Results: Results showed that renewable energy sources are superior to non-renewable energy sources. Of the renewable sources, SOFC was the most reliable, hydropower the most efficient with the longest lifetime, and solar and wind energy provided a long-term, cost-effective energy option Conclusion: In conclusion, perhaps bloom energy servers are not the best option for Oman, but the adoption of renewable energy sources is strongly urged

Welcome to the Special Issue on Hydrogen-Electric Aircraft Technologies [Guest Editors

The concept of hydrogen energy systems for aircraft is far from a new concept. Numerous historical development programs have produced aircraft of varying sizes, classes, ranges, and performance capabilities, with hydrogen-fueled flight test vehicles collectively completing hundreds of flights. The ultralightweight nature of hydrogen as an energy carrier makes it an appealing choice for air-vehicle applications, though its use is not without several challenges. Nevertheless, hydrogen has been shown in previous studies to be a technically feasible, highly efficient, safe, and clean alternative energy source for commercial vehicles. However, previous hydrogen aircraft concepts were, unfortunately, shown to not be economically competitive at the time. With the announcements of significant developments in affordable, renewably sourced hydrogen as a highlight in the European Green Deal, the U.S. Department of Energy Earthshot Goals, and other international policies and developments, the economic viability of hydrogen for aircraft applications may be changing soon.

Electric Power Integration Schemes of the Hybrid Fuel Cells and Batteries-Fed Marine Vessels—An Overview

Transportation electrification is undergoing a significant transition toward the utilization of efficient and reliable energy sources and smart integration schemes, where this transitioning is continuously facing ever-tightening challenges in order to comply with the increased environmental regulations. Among the different means of transportation, global maritime transport is responsible for 2%–3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and it is predicted to increase to 17% by 2050 if no changes are adapted. Hence, the international maritime organization (IMO) has targeted to reach a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 compared to 2008. Hence, alternative energy sources shall be utilized in order to meet these strict GHG emissions reduction targets, where battery- and hydrogen-fed fuel cells can play a vital role in such aspects. Since the output of these two energy sources is unregulated dc voltage, their connection to the whole ship power system can be accomplished in several ways, where each way has its features, in addition to utilizing different power conditioning stages (PCSs), and these features are not well clarified and compared in the literature. Hence, this article presents an overview of the possible integration schemes that can be utilized in fuel cell- and battery-fed vessels, which is supported with a comparative assessment. This is also presented along with highlighting the state-of-the-art PCSs that are available in the market and can be utilized in these integration schemes within marine vessels. Such overview and comparative assessment are seen to be of significant importance and added value for researchers and developers in both the academic and industrial sides in order to accelerate the adoption of fuel cells in marine systems for zero-emission shipping.

Maintenance Management in Solar Energy Systems

The energy industry is employing new reliable and efficient renewable energy sources because of government and environment restrictions [...]

Sustainability and Circular Economy Perspectives of Materials for Thermoelectric Modules

The growing demand for energy and the environmental problems derived from this problem are arousing interest throughout the world in the development of clean and efficient alternative energy sources, which involve ecological processes and materials. The materials used in the processes associated with thermoelectric generation technology will provide solutions to this situation. Materials related to energy make it possible to generate energy from waste heat residues, which are derived from various industrial processes in which significant fractions of residual energy are deposited into the environment. However, despite the fact that thermoelectric technology represents some relative advantages in relation to other energy generation processes, it in turn faces some technical limitations such as its low efficiency with respect to the high costs that its implementation demands today, and this has been the subject of intense research in recent years. On the other hand, the sustainability of the processes when analyzed from a circular economy perspective must be taken into account for the implementation of this technology, particularly when considering its large-scale implementation. In this article, a systematic search focused on the sustainability of thermoelectric modules is carried out as a step towards a circular economy model. The review aims to examine recent developments and trends in the development of thermoelectric systems in order to promote initiatives in favor of the environment. The aim of this study is to present a current overview, including trends and limitations, in research related to thermoelectric materials. As a result of this analysis, it was found that aspects related to costs and initiatives related to circular economy models have been little explored, which represents not only an opportunity for the development of new approaches in the conception of thermoelectric systems, but also for the conception of optimized designs that address the current limitations of this technology.

RANCANG BANGUN TURBIN KINETIK SUDU BERENGSEL LUAR SEBAGAI PEMBANGKIT LISTRIK SKALA PIKOHIDRO

The problem of energy shortages is still a global problem which is especially felt in developing countries whose residents live in villages, which still require the development of more efficient energy sources. The problem of meeting the availability of electricity in rural areas by utilizing water energy as new and renewable energy is a long-term goal in this research. The goal is to obtain the value of the turbine power from the turbine design which is designed to later be able to fulfill a picohydro scale power plant. The current research on kinetic turbines is a combination of two types of waterwheels, which have a vertical axis (overshot turbine and pusher turbine). Most water turbines have fixed blades. In this research, the target of the novelty is a kinetic turbine with a vertical shaft which has a hinged blade. Hinged blades are blades that can move when the flow of water hits the blades, so that on one side of the turbine it will reduce negative torque and on the other hand it will increase turbine rotation. The results of the research that became the target were to obtain a turbine design that has more optimal turbine power and efficiency, compared to a turbine that has a fixed blade, so that this externally hinged blade kinetic turbine can contribute to the provision of rural electrical energy. The optimum value in this study is the number of blades 10 and turbine power 59.01 Watt.

Design and Development of Ruthenium-Based Catalysts for Enabling Hydrogen Storage

For past decades, hydrocarbon-based fuels have been the primary source of energy as a necessity for modern machines and automotive vehicles. Despite use in combustion engines and power plants, fossil fuels reserves are unpredictable and the associated CO2 emissions are now causing terrible effects on the environment and human health. Researchers have realized H2 as a potentially safe and efficient energy source, with an energy density of 33.3 kWh per kg. Moreover, H2 is significantly more environmentally friendly as H2O is the only by-product. Currently, the development of on-board storage technology is progress for use in the transportation industry. The chemical storage of hydrogen, in which H2 is bound to a carrier molecule, provides a more practical and safer method to store and release immense amounts of H2. Ammonia Borane (H3N-BH3, AB) is a useful material for storing up to 19.6 wt% of and 0.145kg L-1 of H2 with the ability to release H2 under mild ambient conditions through exposure to a suitable catalyst. This project investigates the use of pyrazole-based compounds as ligands for η6-arene Ru-complexes in order to formulate efficient catalysts for AB dehydrogenation. Pyrazoles are interesting diaza-five member heterocycles and have strong electron-donating properties. Mono- and di-coordinating substituted pyrazole complexes and an unusual Cl-bridging dimeric Ru complex were successfully synthesized and characterized (NMR, ESI-MS and X-ray diffraction crystallography) before undergoing evaluation for AB dehydrogenation studies in a high-pressure stainless steel reactor. The dimeric Ru Cl-bridging catalyst released the largest H2 equivalent per mol of AB with 1.45 with a total of 7.82 bar of H2 pressure, proving to be the most successful catalyst in the series. However, from the H2 release profiles, it appears that catalysts undergo slow transformation where it is possible that the pyrazole ligands are lost. Further mechanistic studies are required to determine the decomposition process.

Investigating a novel role of LARP along the algal TOR pathway

Over the last few decades, global warming has become an increasingly desperate rallying cry for the need to find and optimize efficient renewable energy sources.1 Microalgae are considered apromising source of energy because they contain a high concentration of lipids, but due to inefficiencies in their lipid production, microalgae cannot produce enough biofuel to replace current fuel needs.2Chlamydomonas reinhardtiiis a unicellular green alga that is a great candidate for manipulation and an excellent model organism used to better understand algal metabolic pathways and improve biofuels. Our previous research has shown that inhibiting the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase of C. reinhardtii with AZD8055 causes the growth of the cell cultures to stagnate, the photosynthetic efficiency to decrease, as well as a direct link between oxidative signaling and the upregulation of TAGs.3 Additionally, our work has indicated that La‐related protein 1 (LARP1) is a TOR target and involved in propagating the intracellular response following inhibition. In mammalian systems, LARP1 interacts directly with mTOR and regulates protein synthesis by binding and stabilizing mRNA before recruiting polysomes to initiate translation. LARP1 is essential in mammalian systems, and deficiencies lead to inhibited growth, defects, and increased apoptosis. However, LARP1 deficiency in C. reinhardtii does not cause the same phenotype, indicating a distinct uncharacterized role in phototrophic organisms.This study seeks to understand this role by using a LARP1 knockout mutant to compare the physiological changes following inhibition with the parent strain. Both strains were assessed for biochemical composition, cell size, and photosynthetic electron fluxes. Together, these data support LARP1 as a regulator of protein degradation along the TOR pathway. The differential delineation of metabolic processes in LARP1 knockouts provides a framework for further TOR pathway characterization in phototrophic eukaryotes.Literature References1 IPCC, 2014: Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp.2 Sharma, Kalpesh K., Holger Schuhmann, and Peer M. Schenk.. High Lipid Induction in Microalgae for Biodiesel Production. 2012. Energies. 5:1532‐1553.3 Ford, M. M., Smythers, A. L., McConnell, E. W., Lowery, S. C., Kolling, D. R. J., & Hicks, L. M. (2019). Inhibition of TOR in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii leads to rapid cysteine oxidation reflecting sustained physiological changes. Cells, 8(10), 1171.

Advancements in Yttrium Hydride Moderator Development

As microreactors evolve to become a more affordable and efficient worldwide energy source, the development of moderator material within the system to decrease the required mass of low-enriched uranium fuel is important. The use of low- instead of high-enriched uranium in small nuclear reactors stems from recent national policies associated with nonproliferation. New designs are being developed for a range of applications and nuclear space systems in particular. Using system geometries such as those described in this paper, the next step is to advance the technology readiness level of moderator material such as delta-yttrium hydride (YHx,x = 1.6–2.0) so that it can be qualified for use in a microreactor system. Although characterization of unirradiated material has been documented previously, to fully understand the performance of this material, behavior in relevant irradiation environments must occur. This paper describes the fabrication of yttrium hydride samples through innovative techniques and how these samples were tested in two relevant neutron environments. These two experiments include (1) a critical experiment performed at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) to evaluate reactivity changes in a neutron-critical environment and (2) irradiation in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) to assess structural integrity/material form, thermophysical data, hydrogen permeability, and other features post irradiation. For this purpose, hundreds of samples were fabricated for the NCERC and ATR experiments and are described within this paper.

Increasing cycle length and flattening power distribution in soluble boron-free small modular reactor

Population growth, industrial development as well as limited fossil fuel resources have motivated the study of other energies, especially nuclear energy. Small modular reactors have been introduced as an efficient energy source due to their greater safety, easy transport, electricity generation and water desalination, even in remote areas. Optimization in the nuclear fuel management to improve performance and save energy leads to cost-effective design with higher efficiency and better safety. In this research, core loading pattern optimization of system-integrated modular advanced reactor (SMART) has been considered using the new dragonfly algorithm. In addition to the selected algorithm, the efficiency of optimizing loading pattern also depends on the definition of the objective function. Two-objective functions including flattening the power distribution and maximizing the effective multiplication factor are considered. Simulations of the reactor fuel assemblies and reactor core were performed by DRAGON lattice calculation and PARCS core calculation codes, respectively. According to the final results, the cycle length and effective multiplication factor are increased for 185 days and 582 pcm, respectively. Also the fitness function is decreased from 0.905931 to 0.194527.

Study of PEM Fuel Cell for Different Cell Temperature

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered an eco-friendly, highly efficient, and pollution-free alternative energy source. Due to their outstanding properties, these are used in stationary and transport applications like wild areas, military, space missions, the auto sector, and a few others. Therefore outstanding properties refer to the PEM fuel cells as a future alternative energy source. In this work, the serpentine membrane has been analyzed under different temperatures, and compared with experimental data and previous works. The results show that cell temperature is affected by cell voltage and power density. The cell voltage and power density are decreased with increased temperature and are much clear from the polarization curve. The overall investigations have suggested that the study of the thermal effect on PEM fuel cells provided good results, and the study made it more promising and could enhance its performance.

Economic Aspects of Nuclear Energy in India

One of the main requisites for development by any developing economy is to have continuous and efficient sources of energy. India being no exception needs to fuel its growth however, since the sources of energy are limited and headed to a serious level of depletion, the need of the hour is to identify and develop new sources of energy which can sustain the development. As a result, India is poised to embark upon a comprehensive nuclear power program with an emphasis on a new series ofnuclear power plants, including some of higher capacities. This paper highlights the reasons for increasing utilization of energy in India and also points out as to why nuclear power needs to be given more attention over the traditional resources of energy. The increased attention to the alternative sources of energy has also raised apprehensions about the costs involved in the generation and the usage of the nuclear energy. By using the secondary data gathered from various recent reports published nationally and internationally, this paper tries to analyze and compare the costs involved in setting up and running of nuclear power plants and other energy resources, to find answer to the question as to whether nuclear sources are feasible in terms of the costs they generate. The use of nuclear energy is not without any probable negative consequences. The steps which can be taken to avoid possible negative offshoots are also dealt with briefly in this paper Finally, this paper tries to project the overall importance and potential of nuclear power for playing a major role in India's quest for more power.

Mild Alkaline Pretreatment of Rice Straw as a Feedstock in Microbial Fuel Cells for Generation of Bioelectricity.

The dependency on non-renewable fossil fuels as an energy source has drastically increased global temperatures. Their continuous use poses a great threat to the existing energy reserves. Therefore, the energy sector has taken a turn toward developing eco-friendly, sustainable energy generation by using sustainable lignocellulosic wastes, such as rice straw (RS). For lignocellulosic waste to be utilized as an efficient energy source, it needs to be broken down into less complex forms by pretreatment processes, such as alkaline pretreatment using NaOH. Varied NaOH concentrations (0.5%,1.0%,1.5%,2%) for alkaline pretreatment of RS were used for the holocellulose generation. Amongst the four NaOH concentrations tested, RS-1.5% exhibited higher holocellulose generation of 80.1%, whereas 0.5%, 1 5 and 2% pointed 71.9%, 73.8%, and 78.5% holocellulose generation, respectively. Further, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were tested for voltage generation by utilizing holocellulose generated from untreated (RS-0%) and mildly alkaline pretreated RS (RS-1.5%) as a feedstock. The MFC voltage and maximum power generation using RS-0% were 194mV and 167mW/m2, respectively. With RS-1.5%, the voltage and maximum power generation were 556mV and 583mW/m2, respectively. The power density of RS-1.5% was three-fold higher than that of RS-0%. The increase in MFC power generation suggests that alkaline pretreatment plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall performance.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Green Accounting Research

The issue of environmental protection has gained momentum in recent times. Climate change has left no one untouched, and economies across the globe are debating on ways of environmental protection. Sustainable growth has become the buzzword- including using energy-efficient sources of production and paying attention to the environment and human capital. In light of this, green or environmental accounting is significant, as this can make companies more conscious about the impact of their working on the environment, and also has the potential of motivating them to contribute towards environmental protection. The present paper attempts to find out how much research has happened in the green accounting field. Using Biblioshiny, articles published in SCOPUS from 1976 onwards were studied. The trend of publications, in terms of countries where maximum research has happened, journals publishing the maximum number of papers on green accounting, author details, impact factor, and citations were assessed. The authors concluded that a lot more work needs to be done in this area, as research in developing nations is quite low. The critical importance of green accounting needs to be reflected in the quality and quantity of research.Classification-JEL: M14, M41, M48, Q01

Mechanism of the foaming agent‐assisted microwave drying process on the construction of natural raw rubber network and cross‐linking network

AbstractThe drying process of natural rubber latex significantly affects the structure of the raw rubber network and vulcanizate crosslinking network, resulting in various anti‐aging performances. In the present study, a microwave generator was used as an efficient source of clean energy; potassium oleate was introduced as a foaming agent to increase the porosity and water loss channel of the latex system. Aiming at dehydrating and drying natural rubber latex efficiently, an aging resistant rubber composite was prepared. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the foaming agent‐assisted microwave drying process on the raw rubber network and the cross‐linking network was studied. The experimental results show that the prepared rubber using by this process has higher plastic retention and fluidity. Moreover, it contains more non‐rubber components (e.g. protein and acetone extract) and better network structure of raw rubber and vulcanized rubber. It is found that applying this process increases the tensile product by 13.5% and the retention rate of the tensile product after aging by 15.3 times. This process is important for the development of the rubber industry in the direction of green environmental protection, energy conservation, and high efficiency.

Mycotoxin Metabolism by Edible Insects.

Mycotoxins are a group of toxic secondary metabolites produced in the food chain by fungi through the infection of crops both before and after harvest. Mycotoxins are one of the most important food safety concerns due to their severe poisonous and carcinogenic effects on humans and animals upon ingestion. In the last decade, insects have received wide attention as a highly nutritious, efficient and sustainable source of animal-derived protein and caloric energy for feed and food purposes. Many insects have been used to convert food waste into animal feed. As food waste might contain mycotoxins, research has been conducted on the metabolism and detoxification of mycotoxins by edible insects. The mycotoxins that have been studied include aflatoxins, fumonisins, zearalenone (ZEN), vomitoxin or deoxynivalenol (DON), and ochratoxins (OTAs). Aflatoxin metabolism is proved through the production of hydroxylated metabolites by NADPH-dependent reductases and hydroxylases by different insects. ZEN can be metabolized into α- and β-zearalenol. Three DON metabolites, 3-, 15-acetyl-DON, and DON-3-glucoside, have been identified in the insect DON metabolites. Unfortunately, the resulting metabolites, involved enzymes, and detoxification mechanisms of OTAs and fumonisins within insects have yet to be identified. Previous studies have been focused on the insect tolerance to mycotoxins and the produced metabolites; further research needs to be conducted to understand the exact enzymes and pathways that are involved.