Extra Energy Research Articles

Impacts of residential energy storage system modeling on power system

Power system reliability can be improved with the use of energy storage. Energy storage technologies are examined critically, including storage kinds, categorizations, and comparisons. Electrochemical and battery energy storage, thermal and thermochemical energy storage, flywheel energy storage, compressed air energy storage, pumped energy storage, magnetic energy storage, chemical and hydrogen energy storage are all taken into account. The recent research on novel energy storage kinds and its significant achievements and discoveries in energy storage are analyzed. It is the goal of this study to undertake a complete and systematic evaluation of the influence of battery energy storage systems (BESS) on power systems and microgrids. Peer-reviewed studies published between 2010 and the start of 2021 provides the basis of the SLR (Systematic Literature Review). Due to inadequate wind or sunlight, renewable energy sources (RESs) like wind and solar are regularly subjected to swings. Energy storage technologies (ESTs) help to solve the issue by storing extra energy and making it available when it’s needed. Despite the fact that there are several EST investigations, the literature is fragmented and out of date. The comparison of EST features and applications is very brief. The purpose of this article is to fill that void. It identifies major ESTs and offers an updated overview of the literature on ESTs and their potential use in the renewable energy industry, based on a set of criteria. The critical analysis reveals that Li-ion batteries have a high potential applicability in the utility grid integration sector and are BESS suited to alleviate RES volatility. However, Li-ion batteries’ costs must be decreased in order for them to be completely utilized in RES utility grid integration. It has long been shown to improve system dependability and reduce transmission costs by introducing energy storage into power networks. The development of energy storage devices is aided by regulations that promote the use of renewable energy sources rather than fossil fuels. There are also voids in this field of research. To help academics better grasp the dependability implications of energy storage systems and fill in knowledge gaps in the field, this review is available. Reduced emissions and global warming as a result of the increased usage of renewable energy resources In terms of renewable energy, wind turbines and solar PV systems are two of the most common. In contrast, the advantages and downsides of using renewable energy sources are numerous. Renewable energy’s biggest flaw is its inability to generate consistent amounts of power. It is difficult to maintain a balance between generation and demand due to the irregularity of renewable energy sources’ power output and the sudden spikes or dips in demand. Consequently, there will be deviations in grid voltage and frequency, leading to operational difficulties and perhaps jeopardizing grid stability. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can be used to regulate the output of renewable energy sources and keep the grid stable.

Porcelain waste from electrical insulators in self-leveling mortar: Materials characterization and properties

The addition of waste in building materials is a technical and economical alternative for modern construction. Self-leveling mortar (SLM) is a material used in floors because it is able to flow and fill a base area without using extra energy. The present studied SLMs using porcelain insulator waste (PIW) as partial and total sand replacement. Different methods were used to characterize the PIW (e.g. X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and pozzolanic activity index) and tests were made in SLMs in fresh and hardened states. XRD results revealed that PIW presented pozzolanic characteristics and increased the compressive strength of mortars. Tests also not verified alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) when PIW was added. SLMs containing PIW presented compressive and flexural strengths of 24.11 MPa and 7.07 MPa, respectively. The spread diameter reached values found in the literature.

A Quantitative Analysis of the Source of Inter‐Model Spread in Arctic Surface Warming Response to Increased CO2 Concentration

AbstractThis study exams the main sources of inter‐model spread in Arctic amplification of surface warming simulated in the abrupt‐4 × CO2 experiments of 18 CMIP6 models. It is found that the same seasonal energy transfer mechanism, namely that the part of extra solar energy absorbed by Arctic Ocean in summer due to sea‐ice melting is temporally stored in ocean in summer and is released in cold months, is responsible for the Arctic amplification in each of the 18 simulations. The models with more (less) ice melting and heat storing in the ocean in summer have the stronger (weaker) ocean heat release in cold season. Associated with more (less) heat release in cold months are more (less) clouds, stronger (weaker) poleward heat transport, and stronger (weaker) upward surface sensible and latent heat fluxes. This explains why the Arctic surface warming is strongest in the cold months and so is its inter‐model spread.

PSXIII-11 Avemix XG 10 Improves Piglet Performance When Dietary net Energy Content is Decreased

Abstract Plant-based dietary ingredients contain non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) fibers. Both soluble and insoluble NSP fibers are anti-nutritional factors for monogastrics that limit intestinal absorption and digestion of dietary nutrients. Increased digesta viscosity also occurs, which results in satiety and potential health issues. AveMix XG 10, containing high endo-1,4-β-xylanase and endo-1,3(4)-β-glucanase activity, hydrolyzes NSP fibers resulting in increased nutrient availability and digestibility. Therefore, it was hypothesized that AveMix XG 10 enables gain of some extra net energy (NE) content from piglet diets, optimizing the cost of live-weight growth. A 47-day trial was conducted with 3-week old weaned piglets (6.0 kg) allocated to three groups: control (CON), low energy (-56 kcal/kg feed; LE), and low energy + enzyme (LE+E). All groups had 13 pens of 28 pigs (n=364) and received wheat and corn mix based diets that had a similar NSP fiber content (11.4 %). Overall, CON diets had greater NE (2,456 kcal/kg feed) relative to the LE and LE+E groups (2,400 kcal/kg feed). The diet of the LE+E group was supplemented with AveMix XG 10 (Palital Feed Additives B.V.) at 100 g/T. For each pen the daily feed intake, weekly weight, diarrhea index and mortality were recorded. Compared with both CON and LE, LE+E significantly increased average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) during weeks 4-7 and overall, and also significantly increased final weight (Table 1). During weeks 1-3, ADG and ADFI did not differ between CON and LE+E groups, and the LE+E group was significantly greater than LE. Overall, LE detrimentally increased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared with CON; however, during weeks 4-7 the LE+E had similar FCR compared with CON. No significant effects were observed on mortality or diarrhea index. In conclusion, AveMix XG 10 improved piglet performance when dietary NE content is decreased.

Effects of long-term exposure to ammonia on growth performance, immune response, and body biochemical composition of juvenile ivory shell, Babylonia areolata

Ammonia is one of the most significant environmental pollutants affecting aquatic animals under culture conditions; however, little is known about ammonia toxicity in marine gastropods. In this study, the effects of different total ammonia concentrations (0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 mg∙L−1 NH4Cl) on growth performance, tissue damage, antioxidant capacity, immune function, and body composition were investigated in carnivorous ivory shells (Babylonia areolata) after seven weeks of rearing. The growth performance of ivory shells in the higher ammonia treatments (≥ 5.0 mg∙L−1) was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Significantly higher mortalities were observed in the 7.5 and 10.0 mg∙L−1 ammonia-treated groups than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After ammonia exposure, obvious tissue damage in the gill was observed, whereas almost no differences were observed in the hepatopancreas between the control and ammonia-treated groups. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the gill and hepatopancreas decreased with increasing ammonia concentrations. The activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in the hepatopancreas also significantly decreased when ivory shells were cultured in ammonia (P < 0.05), while these two immune enzymes in the gill reached the highest level in the 2.5 mg∙L−1 ammonia-treated group and decreased with the increase of ammonia concentration. The content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and activities of Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) increased with an increase in ammonia concentration. The amino acid content in the muscle of the ammonia-treated groups was lower than that in the control group, while almost all amino acid content in the hepatopancreas increased first and then decreased. Furthermore, the composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (e.g., C22:5n3 in the muscle; C22:6n3 and C20:5n3 in the hepatopancreas) showed an increasing tendency and then a decreasing tendency with an increase in ammonia concentration. Our study suggested that higher ammonia (≥ 5.0 mg∙L−1) not only caused a decrease in growth performance, immune and antioxidant-related enzymes, and an increase in mortality, tissue damage, and extra energy metabolism, but also led to significant changes in the nutritional composition of the ivory shell.

Perfromance analysis of black gravel solar still

Solar stills are uses to convert saltwater into drinking water. Due to its poor distillate yield, it is not much popular for domestic and industrial applications. This research report describes a detailed experiment on a single-basin solar still that has been upgraded with a black gravel energy storage medium. Because the heat capacity of black gravel has low than air and water, it will heat up more quickly. Convection transfers the heat from the pebbles to the water. Solar energy is quite high during the mid of the day and this extra thermal energy is accumulated in the black gravel, which is used to keep the vaporization of saltwater going throughout the evening and night. Solar still developed and performed at ADIT, New V V Nagar, Anand, Gujarat (22.5216°N, 72.9165°S) during March–April 2018. The efficiency of the developed solar still to differentiate the normal solar still with the similar environmental situation was studied. The still production was found to be raised by 10–17 percent at nearly no cost due to the low cost of black gravel, and the solar still's efficiency was also increased by 12–16 percent.

Hythane and methane production in a multistage anaerobic hythane reactor (MAHR): Stage separation, functional microbe selection, thermodynamics, and kinetics

The establishment of a multistage anaerobic hythane reactor (MAHR) that integrates biohythane and biomethane production into a single reactor demonstrates promising potential for simultaneously producing hythane and methane. However, separating hythane and methane production in a single reactor remains a challenge, and stages separation in MAHR system is not well understood. Moreover, the necessity to heating pretreatment of the inoculum for acidogenesis and hythane production is impractical for the full-scale application of MAHR due to the extra economic and energy input. Therefore, heating preselected and not preselected inocula were adopted in this study to reveal the biofuel production performance and the mechanisms of stage separation in MAHRs with different inoculum strategies. Results indicated that stable hythane and methane production of MAHR without inoculum preselection could be achieved and maintained after a longer start-up period compared to the preselected inoculum condition. A comparable hythane and methane production and organics conversion performance were observed in the two MAHRs during stable period, in which hythane with a suitable hydrogen concentration (5%-25%) and methane with a high concentration (57%-75%) were produced. Supported by the more stable microbial correlation networks, MAHR without inoculum preselection suggested a higher methane production rate (13.5 ± 2.8 L/L/d) and was resistant to organic loading shock (80 g COD/L/d). Furthermore, microbial diversity, thermodynamics, and kinetic analysis revealed that the stage separation was highly dependent on microbial dynamics, metabolism characteristics, and reactor configurations. Acetogens (Desulfovibrio and Syntrophobacter) and aceticlastic methanogens (Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina) were more likely to wash out form the hythane production zone (Mh) and be enriched in the methane production zone (Mm) compared to acidogens (Streptococcus, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Bacteroides, etc.) and hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanobacterium and Methanobrevibacter). The results from this study deepened the understanding of functional microbial community dynamics and stage separation mechanisms, which provided insights into the design, start-up, and full-scale operation of MAHR.

Energy and carbon footprint analysis of municipal wastewater treatment process integrated with food waste disposer

Household food waste (FW) management has become an emerging environmental issue affecting sustainable urban development. The application of in-sink domestic food waste disposers (FWDs) have brought significant public attentions due to its simplified waste handling process and reduced household expenses. However, the potentail negative impacts of mixing FW in the sewer system, i.e., the reduction of aeration efficiency in wastewater treatment processes (WWTPs) and corresponding increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, has not been quantified. In this study, real-time oxygen transfer efficiency in processing water was measured in WWTPs receiving negligible amount of FW and compared with those receiving sewage combined with FWD effluent. WWTP receiving sewage with FW had 6–10% lower oxygen transfer rate than those without FW, resulting in extra energy consumptions of 0.25–0.30 kWh/m3 and GHG emissions of 0.35–0.41 kg CO2/m3. For estimating the substantial impacts of FWD to the carbon cycle, sludge treatment scenarios were designed among anaerobic digestion (AD), incineration, and direct landfill disposal. Compared with AD (−0.07 kWh/kg) and incineration (0.112 kWh/kg), FWD/WWTP consumed more energy (0.69–0.9 kWh/kg) and most of which (∼64%) was required by aeration. The operating costs of WWTPs also increased by 1.6–2.1 times in comparison with those did not receive FW. The application of FWD, however, could reduce the overall GHG emissions by 35.2% in comparison with direct landfilling. Decision-makers should guide householders and waste management practitioners through new policies such as carbon credits and/or waste charging scheme to support more environmental-friendly disposal methods of FW, especally when the maturity of socio-economic conditions are of concerns. Compared with AD and incineration, FWD may be a compromising alternative to control GHG emissions with existing wastewater treatment facilities especially to those regions where complete FW classification and treatment are not well-established.

An adaptive controller based dynamic simulation of household air-conditioner with indirect evaporative cooler as dedicated outdoor air system

The lack of controllable ventilation design for acceptable indoor air quality is a major problem facing small-scale direct expansion air conditioning (DXAC) systems for household applications. The DXAC-IEC hybrid cooling system, consisting of DXAC systems and indirect evaporative cooler (IEC) ventilators, can provide an energy-efficient solution to this problem. An adaptive controller is proposed in this study to respond to changeable indoor and outdoor disturbances to provide standard-compliant fresh air demand, guarantee indoor thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption at the same time. In the adaptive control scheme, different operation modes are applied by combining three modes of compressor speed (high-low, low-off, off) and three modes of IEC fan speed (high, middle, low) responding to outdoor and indoor conditions. The dynamic performance of DXAC-IEC system on typical days and annual performance were numerically investigated. The results show that considerable energy saving (22.1 % to 34.1 % in Xi’an) can be achieved in transition seasons by DXAC-IEC system for providing standard-compliant ventilation rate and guaranteeing indoor thermal comfort simultaneously compared to a standalone DXAC system. However, extra energy (10.0 % to 25.4 % in Xi’an) will be consumed on summer days. On a typical summer day, the indoor relative humidity will increase by 10 % to 15 % because of extra latent load brought from IEC ventilator compared to the standalone DXAC system, but indoor temperature can be precisely controlled and CO2 concentration is mostly below 1500 ppm.

Multi-layer thermo-fluid modeling of powder bed fusion (PBF) process

In this study, a 3D thermo-fluid computational method has been developed and employed to simulate the laser powder bed fusion (PBF) process. The particular objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of multi-layer simulations of the laser PBF process and to discuss the potential and challenges of this approach. The approach includes using the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate particle spreading on a powder bed, as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and heat transfer to simulate laser-powder/matter interactions, in a sequential manner to about 10 layers only with a small scan area, limited by currently available computational power. The simulation results can offer insight such as melt pool shapes and sizes, also solidified surface morphology along different build layers. The model also includes a surface tracking algorithm to account for the formation of voids and lack-of-fusion pores. In addition to achieving the main objective of this study, i.e., feasibility demonstration of this computational process, it is also noted that, for the case studied, the defects in a former layer may shrink, or even vanish, due to the extra thermal energy received from laser scanning of subsequent layers. This study has successfully demonstrated the sequential linkage between a discrete element method and a thermo-fluid model in a multi-layer deposition fashion and the experimental validation will be performed in future work. With significantly greater computational capabilities in the future, the developed method may potentially be utilized as a means to understand physical phenomena and select key process parameters for PBF fabrications of small features.

Review of energy performance gap and solutions in residential buildings

The energy consumption in the world due to economic development, rising population, and technological developments is growing, which has led to an increase in global warming. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop new strategies to reduce energy consumption. Buildings account for about 40% of global energy consumption. Since occupancy time in residential buildings is longer than in commercial and office buildings, residential buildings have a more significant impact on energy consumption. Due to this issue, efforts are being made to optimize energy consumption in residential buildings. Evaluating the performance of a building through building certificates that include as-designed and in-operation is essential for improving energy efficiency. Building energy simulations must be performed before construction to ensure that energy consumption in buildings is acceptable. However, it is observed that the energy consumption of the building after construction is higher than what was designed. This difference is defined as the energy performance gap, which indicates extra energy consumption or failure to comply with energy standards in the operation of the building. There are several reasons for the increased energy consumption of an operating building compared to the designed model. So far, studies have been conducted to determine the factors affecting the energy performance gap, but it is necessary to analyze these studies comprehensively. This article investigates the causes of energy performance gaps and ways to reduce this difference through a comprehensive literature review study. In this way, it is possible to achieve solutions in the building certification criteria that minimize the difference in energy consumption between the as-designed model and the in-operation mode of the building. This article can help decision-makers select the certificate that best fits their purposes.

Increased CO2 Affinity and Adsorption Selectivity in MOF-801 Fluorinated Analogues.

The novel ZrIV-based perfluorinated metal–organic framework (PF-MOF) [Zr6O4(OH)4(TFS)6] (ZrTFS) was prepared under solvent-free conditions using the commercially available tetrafluorosuccinic acid (H2TFS) as a bridging ditopic linker. Since H2TFS can be seen as the fully aliphatic and perfluorinated C4 analogue of fumaric acid, ZrTFS was found to be isoreticular to zirconium fumarate (MOF-801). The structure of ZrTFS was solved and refined from X-ray powder diffraction data. Despite this analogy, the gas adsorption capacity of ZrTFS is much lower than that of MOF-801; in the former, the presence of bulky fluorine atoms causes a considerable window size reduction. To have PF-MOFs with more accessible porosity, postsynthetic exchange (PSE) reactions on (defective) MOF-801 suspended in H2TFS aqueous solutions were carried out. Despite the different H2TFS concentrations used in the PSE process, the exchanges yielded two mixed-linker materials of similar minimal formulae [Zr6O4(μ3-OH)4(μ1-OH)2.08(H2O)2.08(FUM)4.04(HTFS)1.84] (PF-MOF1) and [Zr6O4(μ3-OH)4(μ1-OH)1.83(H2O)1.83(FUM)4.04(HTFS)2.09] (PF-MOF2) (FUM2– = fumarate), where the perfluorinated linker was found to fully replace the capping acetate in the defective sites of pristine MOF-801. CO2 and N2 adsorption isotherms collected on all samples reveal that both CO2 thermodynamic affinity (isosteric heat of adsorption at zero coverage, Qst) and CO2/N2 adsorption selectivity increase with the amount of incorporated TFS2–, reaching the maximum values of 30 kJ mol–1 and 41 (IAST), respectively, in PF-MOF2. This confirms the beneficial effect coming from the introduction of fluorinated linkers in MOFs on their CO2 adsorption ability. Finally, solid-state density functional theory calculations were carried out to cast light on the structural features and on the thermodynamics of CO2 adsorption in MOF-801 and ZrTFS. Due to the difficulties in modeling a defective MOF, an intermediate structure containing both linkers in the framework was also designed. In this structure, the preferential CO2 adsorption site is the tetrahedral pore in the “UiO-66-like” structure. The extra energy stabilization stems from a hydrogen bond interaction between CO2 and a hydroxyl group on the inorganic cluster.

Thermodynamics description of dynamic plasticity in metals

In metals, the plastic flow is initiated when externally-supplied energy exceeds limits imposed by energy barriers, where the word “exceeds” is of interest. The extra energy, called here activation energy, is responsible for the nucleation of dislocations and is shown to guide the plastic process toward the state of thermodynamic equilibrium. The macroscopic plastic flow comprises of a large number of discrete dislocation events. The events cause local disturbances in stresses and strains, are associated with micro-inertia forces, and their lifespan is short. It turns out that the micro-kinetic energy affects the plastic flow at all strain rates. However, in the extremes of dynamics, the magnified perturbations corrupt the flow patterns making the flow process increasingly chaotic. In here, the ideas are first discussed on the ground of dislocation-based considerations, and then, the concept of dynamic plasticity is formulated in the framework of the Helmholtz free energy and its dual potential, where the two energies complement each other.

Microbubbles, oscillating flow, and mass transfer coefficients in air-water bubble columns

Mass transfer coefficient kLa determines the flux of dissolved oxygen DO in bubble columns. The kLa values can be determined experimentally or predicted using a correlation. Common correlations link kLa with superficial air velocity, air hold-up volume, bubble contact time, bubble rising velocity, or bubble Sauter diameter.We compared experimentally found and predicted kLa values to evidence that none of the above correlations is applicable for microbubbles flow. The only way to accurately predict the flow is by using mass transport models needed to calculate kL. The transition from kL to kLa requires a redefinition of the specific interfacial area a for microbubbles.Microbubbles distribute DO quicker than macrobubbles. Oscillating flow can raise the DO level to saturation. The generation of oscillating flow does not require extra energy turning the subsurface aeration more energy-efficient than the surface aeration.

Low Thrust Propelled Close Approach Maneuvers

The study of orbital maneuvers in space missions is a very important problem in astrodynamics. One of the options is the use of a “gravity assisted” maneuver, which is a technique where a spacecraft passes close to a celestial body and uses the gravity of this body to change its trajectory. This approach trajectory has symmetry with respect to the periapsis line when observed from a reference frame fixed in the approached body. There is also a more complex maneuver, when the passage by the celestial body is combined with the application of propulsion, either to give extra energy to the spacecraft or to help to satisfy other constraints required by the mission, like passing by a giving point or region in space. The main object of this study is to measure the efficiency of the application of a continuous thrust combined with the “gravity assisted” maneuver. The effect of this combination is analyzed using maps that give the energy variation of the spacecraft as function of the parameters related to the maneuver. This analysis is made from the point of view of the variation of energy of the spacecraft with respect to the main body of the system. The continuous thrust is applied in the different regions of the trajectory to evaluate the effects of the locations of the thrusting arcs in the variations of energy. The effects of the variations of the direction of the thrust are also studied. This type of combined maneuver may be used to give extra energy to the spacecraft and keeping control of the trajectory during the close approach to better position the spacecraft to complete the mission.

Modeling Bus Bunching and Anti-bunching Control Accounting for Signal Control and Passenger Swapping Behavior

The conventional bus propagation modeling process has two main shortcomings: bus bunching and extra energy consumption caused by idling at signalized intersections and unexpected speed variation along the route. To overcome these problems simultaneously, an extended bus propagation model and anti-bunching control are proposed in this paper. To extend the time-based bus propagation model, the authors used a finite state machine and an intelligent driver model to establish a spatial-temporal based bus propagation model accounting for dynamic bus motion and passenger swapping behavior between bunched buses. To mitigate bus bunching and improve fuel economy in a connected environment, an anticipated average speed plan was used to improve headway regularity and reduce the chance of encountering a red signal. Then, predictive control accounting for state and control constraints was used to generate a smooth trajectory for connected buses to follow the commands given by anticipated average speed planning. This ensured that connected buses traversed signalized intersections and approached downstream stops efficiently. Simulations show that the proposed model can imitate passenger swapping behavior when bus bunching occurs, and the anti-bunching control can mitigate bus bunching and guide connected buses to traverse signalized intersections and reach downstream stops with less delay.

Drosophila as a toolkit to tackle cancer and its metabolism.

Cancer is one of the most severe health problems worldwide accounting for the second leading cause of death. Studies have indicated that cancers utilize different metabolic systems as compared with normal cells to produce extra energy and substances required for their survival, which contributes to tumor formation and progression. Recently, the fruit fly Drosophila has been attracting significant attention as a whole-body model for elucidating the cancer mechanisms including metabolism. This tiny organism offers a valuable toolkit with various advantages such as high genetic conservation and similar drug response to mammals. In this review, we introduce flies modeling for cancer patient genotypes which have pinpointed novel therapeutic targets and drug candidates in the salivary gland, thyroid, colon, lung, and brain. Furthermore, we introduce fly models for metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, and cachexia. Diabetes mellitus and obesity are widely acknowledged risk factors for cancer, while cachexia is a cancer-related metabolic condition. In addition, we specifically focus on two cancer metabolic alterations: the Warburg effect and redox metabolism. Indeed, flies proved useful to reveal the relationship between these metabolic changes and cancer. Such accumulating achievements indicate that Drosophila offers an efficient platform to clarify the mechanisms of cancer as a systemic disease.

Seismic performance of precast CFDST segmental column with hybrid energy dissipation devices

Precast segmental column has various advantages as compared to traditional cast in-situ monolithic column. The major issues of such column are the concrete compressive damages at the toes of the segments and limited energy dissipation due to the rocking mechanism. This study explores a new design of precast segmental column with damage resistant features and hybrid energy absorption system. Super elastic shape memory alloy (SMA), external energy dissipation devices and concrete-filled double-skin steel tubes (CFDST) segments are used to form a seismic resilient precast segmental column. Specifically, the SMA rebars provide the column with good self-centring ability; the external replaceable energy dissipation devices provide extra energy dissipation capacity; the use of CFDST segments mitigates the concrete damage. It is found that the proposed column performs well with small residual displacement, satisfying energy dissipation and minor damage.

A Three-Dimensional Melamine Sponge Modified with MnOx Mixed Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Photothermal Catalysis of Formaldehyde.

Much attention has been paid to developing effective visible light catalytic technologies for VOC oxidation without requiring extra energy. In this paper, a series of sponge-based catalysts with rich three-dimensional porosity are synthesized by combining MnOx and graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) with commercial melamine sponges (MS) coated with polydopamine (PDA), demonstrating excellent photothermal catalytic performance for formaldehyde (HCHO). The three-dimensional porous framework of MS can provide a good surface for material modification and a reliable interface for gas-solid interaction. The grown layer of PDA framework not only increases the near-infrared wavelength absorption for improving the light-to-heat conversion of catalysts, but also brings excellent adhesion for the subsequent addition of MnOX and GCN. The efficient formaldehyde oxidation is attributed to the sufficient oxygen vacancies generated by co-loaded MnOX and GCN, which is conducive to the activation of more O2− in the oxidation process. As the surface temperature of catalyst rapidly increases to its maximum value at ca. 115 °C under visible light irradiation, the HCHO concentration drops from 160 ppm to 46 ppm within 20 min. The reaction mechanism is certified as a classical Mars-van Krevelen mechanism based on the photo-induced thermal catalysis process.

An energy‐efficient auto clustering framework for enlarging quality of service in Internet of Things‐enabled wireless sensor networks using fuzzy logic system

SummaryThe advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will play a vital role in the evolution of the smart city, smart healthcare, and smart grid applications. Wireless sensor network (WSN) is one of the futuristic technologies utilized for sensing and data exchange processes in IoT‐enabled applications. However, the hotspot problem, control packet overhead, and inefficient clustering are the most significant challenges to attaining an energy‐efficient IoT‐enabled WSN (IWSN) model. Most of the existing clustering schemes lagged to mitigate these aforesaid constraints since it consumes extra energy for data computation and forwarding tasks under any environmental conditions. In this article, a novel energy‐efficient auto clustering (EEAC) framework has been proposed to develop an effective IWSN model with enhanced quality of service. The EEAC framework comprises three phases such as zone formation, node classification, and auto clustering phases. The objective of the first phase is to significantly form the different zones by alleviating the hotspot problem. Subsequently, the fuzzy logic algorithm is employed in the second phase to classify the nodes as master, sub‐master, and member nodes. Finally, the third phase of the proposed framework will accomplish the auto clustering mechanism based on hop information received from the reported packet. The performance results evident that the proposed EEAC framework obtains a lesser energy consumption of 0.01 J during a dense network and the network lifetime is prolonged up to 52% when compared with existing state‐of‐the‐art clustering models.