Electric Power Production Research Articles

Analysis of the Development Trend of Electric Power Technology

After decades of reform and opening up, China's development structure is constantly upgrading, and the quality of development is also constantly improving. As one of the main sources of clean energy, electric energy plays a vital role in people's production and life. Therefore, how to better serve all aspects of the society with power production technology is the current development must pay attention to the topic. This paper focuses on the analysis of the current situation of electric power production technology and its future development trend. Therefore, under the circumstances that logistics resources are limited and logistics activities are increasingly dependent on the market and industrial structure, Henan Province should scientifically plan and rationally allocate and use logistics resources in implementation of "One Belt, One Road" strategy to achieve the best input and output, improve the overall efficiency and level of logistics; vigorously develop local economy from the perspective of system coordination, realize coordination among logistics enterprises, logistics industry coordination, as well as inter-industry coordination and regional coordination.

Reviewing the Situation and Prospects for Developing Small Renewable Energy Systems in Poland

The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the number of small renewable energy sources (RES) power plants and the volume of generated energy in the years 2016–2020, with an outlook to year 2025. The study covered the area of Poland, including the division into provinces and different sources of renewable energy. Absolute values of electric power production and sale were presented, in addition to calculated structure indices. Moreover, the number and structure of small power plants using different renewable energy sources was determined for every Polish province. A classification of the provinces was made, where four classes were distinguished depending on the number of RES plants operating in the provinces. The research results allowed us to diagnose the current situation and make a prognosis for the future, which may translate into support for the development of particular types of installations, depending on the natural and economic characteristics of each area. The added value of the study stems from the fact that previous reports focused mainly on micro or large power plants and the time span covered data before and during the pandemic. This made it possible to assess the impact of the pandemic on the development of small renewable energy sources.

Effect Of Graphene Oxide on Poly (Methyl Methacrylate)-Grafted Natural Rubber Polymer Electrolytes

Polymer electrolytes (PE) are presently the subject of the majority of research due to their capacity to replace liquid electrolyte that suffer from high flammability and electrolyte leakage and also as a new forms of electrical power production and storage systems. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPE) typically have low ionic conductivity at room temperature because of the high crystallinity of the polymers. Methyl-grafted natural rubber has been studied extensively by a number of researchers due to its advantageous properties such as high flexibility, and ability to solvate inorganic salts to form a polymer-salt complex. Graphene oxide (GO) was used as a nanofiller, ammonium triflate (NH4CF3SO3) served as a dopant salt, and 30 % polymethyl methacrylate grafted natural rubber (MG30) served as the polymer host in the preparation of the nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (CPE) using the solution casting-method. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to analyse the ionic conductivity of the samples, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to analyse the complexation between salt, polymer host and filler while Optical microscope was used to study the surface morphology of the prepared CPE samples. The decrease in peak strength for C=O in the FTIR spectra indicates the interaction between the polymer host and salt The sample containing 15 weight percent NH4CF3SO3 had the highest conductivity, which was 2.05×10-5 S cm-1. This substance has the potential to be used in energy storage devices like batteries and supercapacitors as an alternative to commercial liquid electrolyte.

Combined Cycle Nuclear System Architecture for Crewed Mars Spacecraft Propulsion and Power

Nuclear thermal propulsion can potentially reduce the time of flight and spacecraft system mass needed for human spaceflight beyond cislunar space. This nuclear propulsion system has comparable thrust capability to chemically impulsive systems, which at about twice the specific impulse, can double the delta-velocity (ΔV) for the same propellant mass. However, the canonical problem for nuclear propulsion has always been that its benefits are shadowed by low technology readiness of a complex system. This paper describes a combined cycle nuclear thermal rocket (CCNTR) system architecture for propulsion and electrical power that comprises a 42-MWt-capable nuclear reactor core to provide 9.4 kN thrust on demand at a specific impulse of 940 s. The liquid hydrogen propellant flow through the rocket chamber cools the reactor during burns, thereby producing thrust while concurrently rejecting waste heat to space. The reactor also produces up to 100 kWe power for the spacecraft, eliminating the need for solar power generation and averting challenges associated with restarting a cold reactor for propulsive burns. Radiators reject the waste heat from electrical power production. Earth-to-Mars orbital transfers less than 100 days appear feasible assuming 680,000 kg of liquid hydrogen propellant and a vehicle dry mass of 83,000 kg that includes the 13,000 kg CCNTR system. Together, these results suggest that a CCNTR could be most promising to enable crewed missions to Mars.

Internal control, debt risk, CEO education and earnings management evidence from China

PurposeThis study aims to explore how earnings management techniques are affected by corporate financial debt risk (FDR), internal control (IC) effectiveness and CEO education.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a sample from listed firms in China from 2010 to 2017, comprising different industries, including agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and fishing; mining; manufacturing; electric power, gas and water production and supply; construction; transport and storage; information technology; the real estate industry; social services; and communication and cultural. The regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. The two-stage least squares technique is used to check for endogeneity issues.FindingsThe study finds that firms are less likely to manage real earnings when they have more robust IC and FDR. Likewise, companies with weak ICs are more likely to manipulate real earnings. Besides, the study finds an influence of CEO education on the relationship between IC, FDR and real earnings management (REM). These results can be applied to the sectors in the sample covered by the research, and the authors do not overlook the energy industry sector for the importance of its role in the economy.Research limitations/implicationsThere are some limitations for the researcher when performing any research, and this study is no exception. Researchers are urged to take these circumstances into consideration when generalizing or comparing the results because the methods used to calculate the measurement variables in each study may differ somewhat from those used in other research. In addition, expanding the current research design to incorporate additional nations may be an area of interest for future research and could aid in evaluating the effects of nation-specific elements (such as inflation, culture, legal systems and political considerations) on the usefulness of IC and decreasing FDR. Second, the current study focuses on the impact of IC and FDR on REM; this paper does not dissect the “black box” of IC and consider how each element affects earnings management. Future research may need to focus specifically on how effective IC would affect earnings management and precisely what IC mechanisms would discourage the management of earnings.Practical implicationsHelping companies listed in China to make decisions and improve investors’ vision of the results of real companies’ businesses, as well as helping management to avoid falling into debt risk and the consequent effects and manipulation of earnings.Originality/valueBy highlighting the significance of IC and debt risk in enhancing information quality in China, the results contribute to the body of work examining the relationship between IC, FDR and REM. In addition, this study uses a CEO’s education to moderate this link.

The effects of coolant mass flow rate and atmospheric indicators in a PV/T system with experimental and ANN’s models

In this study, the effects of the mass flow rate of coolant and other atmospheric and positional variables on the performance and efficiency of a PV/T system have been experimentally researched and modeled with ANN’s models. Mass flow rate, irradiance, ambient temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and coolant water inlet temperature have been measured while solar azimuth angle and solar elevation angle have been calculated. These parameters have been selected as the input parameters (independent variables), mainly having the preliminary focus on the mass flow rate of the coolant. The performance parameters namely, electrical power production, thermal energy production, total energy production, temperature decrease on the PV module, electrical efficiency increase, surface temperature of the PV module and water outlet temperature for the PV modules have been experimentally measured. They were also computed by ANN models, as the output variables (dependent variables) with the most robust estimation of FBPANN based models depending on the real measurement data set from the experimental works. The relevance of the dependability of each targeted variables were revealed by statistical indicators in order to maintain the sensitivity of the ANN calculations. Among all the dependent parameters that were predicted by the ANN models, the strictest predictions were found for electrical power production by the FFANN1 model with the R value of 99.985% and the R2 value of 99.971%. Also, all of the performance parameters have robustly been predicted by the FFANN models. Besides, the order of importance of the predictors that effects dependent variables has been found. The mass flow rate has been determined to be highly effective on electrical efficiency increase, surface temperature of the PV module, electrical power production, thermal energy production and total energy production. The benefit of the present work is that the effects of daily working parameters such as mass flow rate of coolant with respect to the other atmospheric indicators on instantaneous electrical and thermal performance of a PV or PV/T system can be robustly predicted with their order of importance with the developed ANN models. It will make the investors to easily manage their systems.

Spectral-Domain Modelling of Wave Energy Converters as an Efficient Tool for Adjustment of PTO Model Parameters

The power take-off (PTO) system is a core component in WECs as it plays a critical role in power production. In numerical models the PTO systems are commonly represented and simplified through a combination of linear stiffness and damping terms in the equations of motion. These parameters are influential to the dynamic response and thus affect the power performance of WECs. In the preliminary design and optimization of WECs, proper tuning of the PTO damping and stiffness could reflect better the potential of the concept. In practice, the PTO damping and stiffness are tuned to maximize the absorbed power by achieving the desired velocity amplitude or phase of the velocity with respect to the excitation force. However, recent literature has indicated that the selection of PTO parameters for maximum mechanical power absorption is not necessarily optimal for the maximum production of electrical power when the conversion efficiency of the electrical machine is included. To obtain these parameters which maximize the delivered electrical power, wave-to-wire models are widely used. Nevertheless, wave-to-wire models are predominately established by using time-domain models which can be associated with large computational efforts from the perspective of early-stage design and concept evaluation. To tackle this challenge, a spectral-domain-based wave-to-wire model is proposed to cover both hydrodynamic and electrical responses. In this paper, a spherical heaving point absorber integrated with a linear permanent-magnet generator is used as reference. The relevant nonlinear effects are incorporated by statistical linearization using spectral-domain modelling. In particular, the nonlinear effects considered in this work include the viscous drag force, the electrical current saturation and the partial overlap between the translator and stator components of the linear generator. The model results are then verified against a nonlinear time-domain-based wave-to-wire model. Subsequently, the proposed model is applied to identify the PTO parameters for maximizing the electrical power in various wave states. The computational efficiency and accuracy of the proposed spectral-domain model are compared with the time-domain model, with regard to the identification of the proper PTO damping and stiffness. Based on the results, the advantage of using the spectral-domain-based wave-to-wire modeling in PTO tuning is demonstrated.

Artificial Neural Network Based Solar Prediction in Multi-Area Networks

A clean, readily accessible and renewable energy source is solar energy. The use of photovoltaic panels is a popular trend to harness solar energy for the production of electrical power. Variable generated electricity is a result of solar energy's intermittent nature. An energy management system with a solar forecast module is presented in this study. The main purpose of this study is to apply ANN for verifying and predicting solar energy in India. The output is controlled by an ANN controller. To meet the demands put forward by the Energy Management System (EMS), artificial neural networks (ANNs), a subset of statistical approaches, were selected as the prediction method. Sun rising and sun set times are included in the total of 10 input factors taken into account for solar prediction data. For the EMS to operate properly, there are needs that include accurate forecasting in the short-term prediction horizon. The Mean Square Error (MSE) parameter is used to measure performance, and all findings are implemented in the Python language. This study shows the low RMSE value of that particular area and ANN is an efficient method for this study.

Control co-design and uncertainty analysis of the LUPA’s PTO using WecOptTool

Control co-design has been shown to significantly improve the performance of wave energy converters (WEC). By considering the control and WEC design concurrently, the space searched by the optimization routine is greatly expanded which results in better performing devices. Recently, an open-source WEC co-design code, WecOptTool, was released to perform control co-design research and facilitate its adoption in the community. In this study, we use WecOptTool to perform control co-optimization and uncertainty analysis of the LUPA device. The Laboratory Upgrade Point Absorber (LUPA) is a new open-source laboratory-scale WEC that provides a platform for testing new concepts, innovating control schemes, and validating numerical models. The LUPA can be adjusted to different configurations, including changing the number of bodies, the degrees of freedom (DOF), the float and spar geometry, and the diameter of the drive sprocket pulley in the power take off (PTO) system, as well as providing different control algorithms and input waves. The drive sprocket diameter influences the torque vs speed of the generator, which allows for more flexibility in operating under different wave conditions or with different control schemes. In this study we optimize the drive sprocket diameter, while considering the optimal control algorithm for each potential design, to identify the optimal diameter for electric power production at the PacWave South WEC test site. This case study demonstrates several new capabilities of WecOptTool including a multi-body multi-DOF system and multi-directional irregular waves. The PTO dynamics are modeled using first principle methods for a parametrized model of the mechanical subcomponents in combination with generator model obtained using a power-invariant Park transform. The case-study will be made available to serve as a design tool along the LUPA hardware. Users can readily use this model to perform their own design optimization prior to testing with the physical LUPA device. Finally, we use the automatic differentiation capability of WecOptTool to perform a sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the LUPA device.

Offshore Electrical-Oil Production Coupling System Reliability Analysis

The role played by offshore oil resources in energy supply is becoming more and more important, and the normal operation of oil production system on offshore oil platforms requires the reliable operation of the electric power system as a prerequisite; the failure of the components in the oil production system may lead to a large-scale production shutdown, and cause the related electrical components to shut down, making the power system ineffective in a certain range. In this paper, a coupled system model of the electric power system and production system of an offshore oil platform based on massively parallel computing is proposed. By analysing the connection between the oil production system and the electric power system, the coupled system model is established and the load data are calculated. Meanwhile, the reliability model of the coupling components is established based on the fault data, and the electric-related reliability index and the production-related reliability index of the coupling system are proposed. The broad-first search (BFS) algorithm was used to determine whether the coupling nodes were powered, and the depth-first search (DFS) algorithm was used to determine the connectivity of the coupling system. In addition, a minimum load-shedding model based on the integrated fault degree is proposed to reduce the load shedding of the coupled system.

La1.5Sr1.5Mn1.5Ni0.5O7 ±δ Vs La1.5Sr1.5Co1.5Ni0.5O7 ±δ: Exsolved Materials as Anodic Layers for Direct Biogas-Fueled SOFC

Currently, one of the main problems in commercial SOFC systems fueled directly with hydrocarbon compounds, such as biogas, is the high risk of blocking the active phase on the anode side (e.g. Ni-YSZ) due to carbon formation/deposition during the conversion of fuel into power energy. This issue causes a lowering in the overall performance and durability of the cell. Therefore, to overcome this deactivation mechanism, it was successfully demonstrated that an additional anodic active layer in commercial SOFC using materials based on exsoluted perovskites could be an interesting and viable alternative. This asseveration is based on the fact that using this kind of material is possible to get heterogeneous surface systems with highly stable and electrocatalytically active embedded nanoparticles uniformly distributed on the surface with a high carbon coking tolerance in a hydrocarbon fuel atmosphere.This study aimed to evaluate and compare the electrocatalytic behaviour of two new catalytic materials with Ni exsolution for direct dry biogas-fueled SOFC. The starting materials were Ruddlesden-Popper-type based on a nickel manganite (La1.5Sr1.5Mn1.5Ni0.5O7±δ or LSMN) and nickel cobaltite (La1.5Sr1.5Co1.5Ni0.5O7±δ or LSCN). Both materials have been synthesized by the Pechini method using stoichiometric amounts of precursors as nitrates. Once the respective gels have been formed, they were treated in the air at two dwell temperatures, 300°C for 2 h and 500°C for 3 h, to ensure the total elimination of the organic compounds. Finally, the resulting powders were treated in air at 1300°C for 12h and then, physicochemically characterized. For the electrochemical characterization, the as-treated powders were mixed individually with Gd0.1Ce0.9O2 (CGO) in a weight ratio of 70:30 using a ball milling for 6h. Finally, to get the slurry for the coating layer, each mixture (LSMN+CGO and LSCN+CGO) was ground for an additional 2h in the presence of 8 wt % of triethanolamine, 2 wt % polyvinyl butyral resin (BUTVAR B-98) and 2-propanol. Commercial button SOFC cells by InDEC® (anode-supported cell Ni-YSZ/YSZ/LSM) were painted on the anode side getting an active area of 2 cm2. The experiments were carried out at 800°C with pre-conditioning using diluted H2 and then, with simulated dry biogas. A Biologic tool was used as a device for the electrochemical measurements.The purpose of this communication is to present the results of experiments with two button cells derived from the same large area commercial cell (anode supporting cell) coated with the two electrocatalysts developed in this work. The electrochemical test carried out for more than 200 h demonstrated that this external functional layer on the anode side contributes to getting a stable potential within the whole working time at the selected galvanostatic conditions (500 mA cm−2). By comparing the results of these two tests, the exsolved LSCN layer showed better perfomances, because of the the B-site doped with Co instead of Mn which is responsible for an enhanced O2- transport within the crystal structures. Finally, post-reaction characterization revealed minimum/null carbonous species in both cases which suggests that the classical risks caused by the direct use of hydrocarbon fuels in commercial SOFC can be suppressed with this kind of approach which would lead us to think about the use of this type of materials in a next level or further electrochemical applications. Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge the project entitled "Direct utilisation of bio-fuels in solid oxide fuel cells for sustainable and decentralised electric power production and heat (DIRECTBIOPOWER)" Grant Agreement number: 2017FCFYHK.The authors acknowledge the Ministry of Ecological Transition of Italy (MiTE) for funding this research through the AdP "Piano Operativo di Ricerca (POR) sull'idrogeno verde Figure 1

Sea Floor Characterization by Multiples’ Amplitudes in Monochannel Surveys

The lithological characterization of the seafloor is key information for offshore engineering, especially when it comes to pier and platform design. Undetected shallow gas pockets may cause the collapse of heavy platforms for hydrocarbon production. Unconsolidated sediments are not ideal for the basement of wind farms for electric power production. Drilling and coring can be used for local sampling, but continuous profiles or even areal coverage are far more preferable. High-resolution seismic profiles are successfully used when ports are not too busy, but otherwise, single-channel systems must be used. We show in this paper that even these simpler systems can be used to estimate parameters such as the acoustic impedance of shallow sediments directly beneath the seafloor. We exploit the amplitude decay of the multiple reflections between the seafloor and the surface, which does not depend on the source energy. If the offset between source and receiver is not too small, we can estimate the shallow P velocity and, via acoustic impedance, also the rock density.

A Hybrid STATCOM Approach to Enhance the Grid Power Quality associated with a Wind Farm

The growing use of renewable energy sources in the production of electric power has certain adverse effects on power quality. A compensation system includes some additional devices, such as capacitors, compensators, or reactive power injection devices. FACTS devices, such as the Static Var Compensator (SVC), Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), and Unified Power Quality Conditioner (UPQC), have become popular as power electronics become more sophisticated. This study investigated the properties of three significant compensating devices: SVC, STATCOM with PI controller, and hybrid STATCOM with a harmonic filter. Common power quality concerns, such as voltage sags and swells and the percentage of Total Harmonic Distortion (TDH), were taken into account during the initial modeling and performance analysis of the proposed system. The overall results showed that the proposed hybrid STATCOM system enhanced the power quality in wind energy systems more than the other two systems.

Development of a new hybrid energy system based on a microturbine and parabolic trough collector for usage in sports stadiums

The use of solar technologies is expanding day by day due to easy access and its easiness in combining with other systems. The low density of solar radiation in some places has caused a quiet acceptance of this type of energy, which can be overcome by concentrating solar radiation in a specific area. One of the other problems of renewable energy is the lack of access at all hours of the day and night, and to solve this problem, a gas microturbine system has been used. The purpose of this research is to supply the thermal and electrical energy needed by the sports stadium. The purpose of this research is to investigate the hybrid gas microturbine system with a capacity of 30 kW with a linear parabolic concentrator collector. To achieve this goal, thermodynamic modeling was done and the effect of effective parameters on electrical and thermal power production was evaluated. Among the significant results of this research, the decrease of 0.1% in mechanical power due to the increase of 5 °C in the ambient temperature is noticeable, and on the other hand, according to the obtained results, it can be said that the electrical and mechanical efficiencies increase by 3% due to the increase in the annual radiation intensity to the amount of 1100 W/m2.

Shading and PAR under different density agrivoltaic systems, their simulation and effect on wheat productivity

The introduction of renewable energy to mitigate climate change and the need for sufficient land to increase food production are mutually exclusive. Agrivoltaic systems (AVS) integrate the production of agricultural crops and electric power on the same piece of land but the main issue is the reduced availability of light to crops below the AVS, which restricts optimum crop growth and yield. This study examines the radiation and shade distribution over the crop surface among three densities of photovoltaic (PV) panels {Partial density (PD), Half density (HD) and Full density (FD)} under the AVS. Wheat variety GW 496 was chosen to grow under the AVS with line sowing and drip irrigation. Among three densities of photovoltaic (PV) panels, the proportion of shaded area over the crop surface was found highest in full density plot and lowest in partial density plot. The shaded area under AVS varied from 24.1% to 75.4% of the total area. The shaded area under different density plots, adversely affects the availability of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) over the crop surface. The reduction of PAR under the AVS was more affected by panel density. Maximum reduction in PAR under AVS was observed in FD plot and minimum in the PD plot. A sharp increase in the PAR level was observed from shading to open sun conditions. The lowest value of PAR level (56 μmol m−2 s1) was recorded in just below the panel’s array. The consistent overestimation of PAR was observed during the crop growing period in all the PVPs density plots. The result revealed that the grid points under shade conditions showed a better association between observed and simulated incident PAR than unshaded grid points. Furthermore, the simulation results revealed that the model modeled PAR better in PD plot. The study also found that wheat grown under no shade yielded 4.51 t/ha over reduced light either in PD (3.06 t/ha), HD (2.77 t/ha), and FD plots (2.62 t/ha). Shading treatments showed that the crop yield decreased with an increase in shading intensity.

Indirect carbon emissions from household consumption of middle-income groups: Evidence from Yangtze River Economic Belt in China

Consumption is evidenced to play an increasing significant role accompanied by economic transition in China. Carbon emissions caused by consumption are becoming an important growth point of carbon emissions. The size of China's middle-income groups is growing and is expected to reach 60 % of the population in 2035. However, the amount of indirect carbon emissions from household consumption (ICEHCs) of middle-income groups and the effects of their drivers have not been quantitatively assessed. In response, this paper adopts input-output tables to calculate urban-rural middle-income groups' ICEHCs from 2012 to 2018, and uses structural decomposition analysis to determine the effects of drivers and sectors. Results are as follows: Urban-rural middle-income groups' ICEHCs in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) are increasing and its differences are significant, and present a spatial pattern of high in the eastern region while low in the western region. S22 (Production and Supply of Electric Power, Steam and Hot Water) becomes the main sector of carbon emissions, which accounts for about 70.00 % of the total middle-income groups' ICEHCs in 2018. Consumption pattern is the predominant driver for promoting urban-rural middle-income groups' ICEHCs, whereas production structure is the predominant restraining driver.

Possibility of Reducing Risks of Audit Profession in Improving Audit Quality -A Case Study in the General Company for Electric Power Production / Southern Region

The auditor's knowledge of professional risks is one of the basic means of success in practicing the profession, and this requires a review of the methodological framework related to qualification of the auditor; use of technology has led to the emergence of many risks,and these risks have been classified into different types, and use of technology has brought almost radical changes In the practice of the profession, as it affected types of services provided by the auditing profession, such as assurance services or advisory services. The research aims mainly to identify the extent to which it is possible to reduce the risks of auditing profession in improving quality of auditing from point view of auditors and employees in auditing offices who are allowed to practice occupation. Among the most important results reached: The most important factors in judging audit quality are experience with the client, knowledge in the field of activity, and the effect of the auditor's assessment of audit risks on the audit procedures necessary to respond to the assessed risks when auditing the financial statements. The recommendation that it proposes is to pay attention to continuing professional education and intensifying training courses in auditing and accounting. Paying attention to the consolidation of moral values by senior management to reduce the risks of the auditing profession in economic units.

Heat and electric power production using heat pumps assisted with solar thermal energy for industrial applications

Solar thermal devices with large installation areas represent technical, economic, and environmental challenges to design, construct, and operate them. Heat pump assisted with a solar thermal installation (STI) guarantee heat load supply at target temperature of a process, minimizing STI occupied area, environment impacts and associated costs. This paper deals with the design of two heat pumps, each one assisted with a STI. For designing solar network (which together the storage tank makes up the STI), lower irradiance levels than winter period are considered, guaranteeing continuous process operation. For designing each heat pump, two refrigerants with Ozone Depletion Potential of zero and Global Warming Potential of 7 (in one of them) are evaluated. This designing methodology is applied to a second-generation production of bioethanol case study. When heat is generated through a heat pump assisted with STI, the solar network absorber area is reduced by 85%, comparing with required area if only a STI produces heating. The same thing happens to generate electric power. Solar fraction value is one, 81,360 tons/year of not burned bagasse avoids 63,142 tons/year of greenhouse gases emissions. Still always guaranteeing the supply of energy to process, the impacts on environment and soil are minimized.

Forest Biomass Feedstock Availability and Economic Contribution of Biopower Facilities in the Lake States Region

Abstract The Lake States (MI, MN, WI) region holds 54.8 million acres of forest and offers the potential to meet the increasing demand for sustainable energy through forest biomass. The objective of this study is to estimate the annual availability of biomass, after considering the sustainability threshold, for a wood price and its economic impact in the Lake States region. This study identified twenty-seven active power facilities using biomass in addition to oil, gas, and coal, with a total capacity of 3.85 million MWh per year. They consumed 2.80 million dry tons of biomass in 2019. At the current delivered wood price, an additional 9.72 million dry tons of biomass is economically available, which, if used, would generate an additional 11,112 jobs (1,583 direct and 9,529 indirect and induced), $1.54 billion in value added ($803 million direct and $733 million indirect and induced), and $2.71 billion ($1.46 billion direct and $1.25 billion indirect and induced) in total output. Operating at least one-third of the existing capacity for biomass-based power generation would add 1,969 jobs, $293 million in value added, and $413 million in total output. The expansion of the biomass biopower industry has the potential to significantly increase economic impact, especially in rural areas. Study Implications: Mapping procurement zones for resource allocation using delivered wood prices for biomass helps identify the economic availability of biomass for electric power production in the Lake States. Our results establish the market extent for biomass and identify potential areas where investment in biopower production or capacity upgrade is feasible. This study also provides insight into the economic impacts of additional biomass utilization to produce power. Most of these impacts would come about in rural areas, improving economic growth in these communities. A combined analysis estimating the potential supply and demand and the economic effects of biopower industry expansion provides valuable insight into decision-making for state forest action plans and private sector forest management plans. Furthermore, the findings from this study will help inform effective regional policy and investment decisions on biomass power industries. The method used can also be tailored to a specific facility to estimate its procurement zone, feedstock availability, and economic impacts.

An experimental facility for the development of a gravitational water vortex turbine

Gravitational water vortex turbine (GVT) is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric system used for generating electricity in the absence of a large dam and a reservoir; i.e., GVT generates power using the water natural flow rate. Recently, the development of GVT is gaining a growing interest within the scientific community concerning the advantages associated with the technology in the process of electric power production. This work describes the design of an experimental facility for the characterization of a GVT in order to understand in a detailed way the effect of the variation of hydrodynamic and geometric parameters on the performance curve of the turbine. The experimental results demonstrated that a wider vortex is generated at lower channel inflow velocities. Additionally, a maximum efficiency of 0.495 at 140.25 rpm was found for the GVT tested.