Natural Energy Resources Research Articles

Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Optimal Energy Storage System Selection and Applications in Oman

This research aims to support the goals of Oman Vision 2040 by reducing the dependency on non-renewable energy resources and increasing the utilization of the national natural renewable energy resources. Selecting appropriate energy storage systems (ESSs) will play a key role in achieving this vision by enabling a greater integration of solar and other renewable energy. ESSs allow for solar power generated during daylight hours to be stored for use during peak demand periods. Additionally, the proposed framework provides guidance for large-scale ESS infrastructure planning and investments to support Oman’s renewable energy goals. As the global renewable energy market grows rapidly and Oman implements economic reforms, the ESS market is expected to flourish in Oman. In the near future, ESS is expected to contribute to lower electricity costs and enhance stability compared to traditional energy systems. While ESS technologies have been studied broadly, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis for optimal ESS selection tailored to Oman’s unique geographical, technical, and policy context. The main objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of ESS options and identify the type(s) most suitable for integration with Oman’s national grid using a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology. This study addresses this gap by applying the Hesitate Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (HF-AHP) and Hesitate Fuzzy VIKOR methods to assess alternative ESS technologies based on technical, economic, environmental, and social criteria specifically for Oman’s context. The analysis reveals pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) and compressed air energy storage (CAES) as the most appropriate solutions. The tailored selection framework aims to guide policy and infrastructure planning to determine investments for large-scale ESSs and provide a model for comprehensive ESS assessment in energy transition planning for countries with similar challenges.

Current Scenario and Global Perspective of Sustainable Algal Biofuel Production.

Industrialization and globalization have increased the demand for petroleum products that has increased a load on natural energy resources. The escalating fossil fuel utilization has resulted in surpassing the Earth's capacity to absorb greenhouse gases, necessitating the exploration of sustainable bioenergy alternatives to mitigate emissions. Biofuels, derived from algae, offer promising solutions to alleviate fossil fuel dependency. Algae, often regarded as third-generation biofuels, present numerous advantages owing to their high biomass production rates. While algae have been utilized for their bioactive compounds, their capability as biomass for the production of biofuel has gained traction among researchers. Various biofuels such as bio-hydrogen, bio-methane, bio-ethanol, bio-oil, and bio-butanol can be derived from algae through diverse processes like fermentation, photolysis, pyrolysis, and transesterification. Despite the enormous commercial potential of algae-derived biofuels, challenges such as high cultivation costs persist. However, leveraging the utilization of algae byproducts could improve economic viability of biofuel production. Moreover, algae derived biofuels offer environmental sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and waste reduction benefits, promising novel opportunities for a more sustainable energy future.

A REVIEW ON RENEWABLE BIOFUELS AND ITS PROPERTIES: A PROMISING CHOICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIODIESEL

Natural energy resources like coal and petroleum are under extreme pressure due to the world's population expansion, which is driving up energy consumption. The twenty-first century will see more violent drought occurrences, which will have an impact on agricultural production, according to climate prediction models. Developing bioenergy feedstock as a possible alternative for the manufacture of biodiesel might be a workable solution to manage the increasing demand for energy and worldwide climate crisis without diminishing fossil fuel supplies. Therefore, this research paper concentrates on the background sources of biodiesel along with their chemical and technological features. A thorough discussion of their respective benefits and drawbacks is provided, with an emphasis on their industrial use. An overview of the alternative fuels, possible feedstocks, biodiesel production processes, characteristics and their benefits from environmental point of view are also presented.

CALCULATION TO DETERMINE THE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY OF PUMPING UNITS FOR LIFTING WATER FROM WATERCOURSES POWERED BY WATER ENERGY FOR WATERING PASTURES AND IRRIGATION OF LAND

The problem of effective water supply using natural energy resources of water in modern conditions is promising and relevant, the solution of which is rationally carried out from watercourses with the necessary standard sizes of a hydraulic ram pumping unit, the design of which has a novelty. At the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University conducted applied research to improve the efficiency of water supply from watercourses in the system of irrigation of lands and irrigation of pastures of peasant and farm farms of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan through the development of an improved hydraulic ram pumping unit with an increase in its energy indicators: hydraulic shock pressure, supply, pressure and efficiency. This article presents a calculation to substantiate the economic efficiency of the studies carried out on the use of the necessary standard sizes of an improved hydraulic ram pumping unit (NUV-7-12 and NUV-17-20) for water supply to peasant and farm farms of the Republic of Kazakhstan and irrigation of lands located in areas of adjacent watercourses, compared with basic pumping units (AN - 2K - 9 - M1 and ANS-60 D).

Measuring Household Thermal Discomfort Time: A Japanese Case Study

This study proposes a metric to measure households’ discomfort related to thermal consumption time (hereafter referred to as t-discomfort). This metric relies on an ideal thermal consumption and calculates the gap between the usage times of thermal devices in vulnerable households compared to the ideal household. The t-discomfort is quantified using thermal data collected from 1298 households in the Tokyo and Oita prefectures in Japan. To create the ideal usage times of thermal devices, households are categorized into three clusters—Vulnerable (Vu), Semi-vulnerable (SVu), and Invulnerable (IVu)—based on their energy poverty ratio, and t-discomfort is subsequently calculated for each group. The IVu households are used as the ideal reference point for measuring thermal device usage in the other two categories. The findings of the study indicate that energy poverty does not necessarily lead to t-discomfort. Interestingly, the consumption time of heating devices among Vu households in both prefectures is longer than that of IVu households, despite the high energy prices. Conversely, SVu households, which do not experience severe energy poverty, tend to sacrifice their comfort by reducing their thermal consumption time. Additionally, the consumption time of cooling devices among Vu households in Oita is longer than that of IVu households, whereas in Tokyo, it is shorter. Two treatment strategies are evaluated to mitigate thermal discomfort in households without compromising resource availability. The first strategy integrates the thermal device consumption time with Japan’s current regulated time-of-use rates plan (daytime and nighttime). The results propose a three-tiered tariff plan (off-peak, mid-peak, and peak) to reduce the energy cost burden for Vu households. The second strategy recommends the installation of 12 rooftop solar panels for households in Tokyo and 11 panels for households in Oita. This strategy aims to maintain thermal comfort via a sustainable natural energy resource while minimizing energy costs.

Utilization of opium poppy seed oil for biodiesel production: A parametric characterization and statistical optimization

Consuming traditional petroleum-derived diesel fuel has long been associated with issues such as the depletion of natural energy resources. To solve these challenges, an alternate source like as biodiesel is an appealing option. Seed oils have long been recognized as an abundant and diverse source of biodiesel. In this study, poppy seed oil from the poppy (Papaver somniferum) was investigated for biodiesel production. Poppy seed biodiesel was generated and refined using acid-pretreated esterification with sulphuric acid prior to transesterification, as well as single-step alkaline catalyzed transesterification with methanol and potassium hydroxide. Finally, the percentage yield was compared. Using Statistica, the Box-Behnken design was applied to optimize process variables like time, temperature, catalyst concentration, and methanol-oil ratio to produce maximum yield. The relationship of process variables was also shown with the help of the Response Surface Methodology. A maximum yield of 94.87 % was obtained at optimized conditions, i.e., 90min reaction time, 60 °C of temperature, 0.25 mg of catalyst concentration, and 3v/v% alcohol-oil ratio. The fuel properties of biodiesel produced, such as acid value, moisture content, saponification value, iodine value, specific gravity, percentage of free fatty acids, refractive index, viscosity, boiling point, and peroxide value, were measured and compared with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751 and European Standards (EN) 14214. Further results were studied and discussed using Fourier Transfer Infrared (FTIR) analysis, which showed maximum similarity of raw material to formed biodiesel. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to identify and quantify various fatty acid methyl esters. The results obtained were in accordance with various international standards for biodiesel fuel. Thus, poppy seeds can be used to obtain biodiesel.

The identification and analysis of pivotal factors influencing the corrosion of natural gas pipelines using fuzzy cognitive map

Corrosion presents the gas industry with the formidable challenge of sustaining natural gas energy resources. Given the intricate nature of corrosion, it is imperative to devise a comprehensive model and formulate cognitive sets to effectively manage the risks associated with corrosion in the gas industry. Therefore, the present research was conducted with the objective of identifying and presenting a fuzzy cognitive map delineating the critical factors of corrosion. The statistical population of the research comprises corrosion experts. The statistical sample for this study encompasses 30 experts possessing requisite knowledge and experience, with a minimum of 10 years of expertise in engineering disciplines such as materials science and metallurgy. The findings revealed that the cathodic protection factor exerts the most significant influence on corrosion. The fuzzy cognitive mapping structure of the study comprises 19 edges. The factors “CO2″, ”H2S“, and ”Pipeline Age“ exhibit the highest susceptibility with input degrees of 0.895 and 0.6, respectively. Additionally, ”Cathodic Protection“ ranks highest in terms of influence with a degree of 0.895, whereas ”Working Temperature“ has the least impact with an output degree of − 0.895. The reliability of expert opinions using the Z-number theory has been assessed, yielding fuzzy numbers (0.47, 0.7, 0.93), indicating a reliable and highly certain relationship. The identified factors furnish essential insights to bolster evidence-based policy formulation, facilitating effective monitoring and evaluation of policies within the gas industry.

A FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGEMENT OF LEAKS AND EQUIPMENT FAILURE IN OIL WELLS

Oil is a precious and critical natural energy resource that is used in numerous ways to drive various industries worldwide. The extraction of oil from underground reservoirs is a complex process that requires a lot of planning, careful execution, and risk management. In this paper, CNN is employed to extract relevant features from sensor primary data collected from various wells. Detecting undesirable events such as leaks and equipment failure in oil wells is crucial for preventing safety hazards, environmental damage and financial losses, making it challenging to identify issues in a timely and accurate manner. This dissertation describes a hybrid model for detecting undesirable events in oil and gas wells using a combination of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) techniques. The CNN architecture enables effective information extraction by applying convolutional layers and pooling operations to identify patterns and spatial dependencies in the data. The extracted features are then fed into an LSTM network, which can capture temporal dependencies and learning long-term patterns. By utilizing LSTM, the model can effectively analyse the time series data and detect the occurrence of undesirable events, such as abnormal pressure, fluid leakage, or equipment malfunction, in oil and gas wells. The hybrid model leveraging CNN for feature extraction and LSTM for detecting undesirable events in the oil and gas industry presents a comprehensive approach to enhance well monitoring and prevent potential hazards. Achieving high accuracy rates of 99.8% for training and 99.78% for testing demonstrates the efficacy of the proposed model in accurately identifying and classifying undesirable events in oil and gas wells.

PROBLEMS OF GROWTH OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES IN CHINA

The article is devoted to the analysis of the problems of alternative energy in China. Ensuring economic growth is achieved by stable and sufficient supplies of energy to the needs of industry. Geopolitical tensions give rise to the development of national energy resources and, above all, renewable energy sources, development of which has a number of issues. A detailed examination of the 14th Five-Year (2021–2025) Energy Plan revealed challenges to China’s energy goals. Firstly, the main issue of alternative generation is the high level of «losses», i.e. the need to balance energy production with its consumption. The unevenness of energy production throughout the day, the lack of high-power batteries, as well as high-voltage lines for energy transmission, heighten this problem. Secondly, the struggle for land gives rise to competition with agriculture, construction and industrial sectors. Thirdly, alternative energy generation faces the problem of its insufficient efficiency (characterized by the ratio of energy production/ installed capacity, as well as energy density), which leads to reduction in subsidies and the replacement of renewable energy sources with more efficient, but currently less developed reserves of unconventional gas in China. The problem of subsidies is partly solved by the introduction of «green» financing as well as financing from special funds (AIIB, Silk Road Fund, NDB), that allows the implementation of distributed generation projects by attracting investor funds, as well as supporting promising energy production technologies. Most of the shortcomings relate to renewable energy sources, so China is actively developing other areas – nuclear generation, hydrogen production, and optimizing energy flows between inner regions.

ТЕПЛОФИЗИЧЕСКАЯ МОДЕЛЬ И РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ЭКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ГАЗИФИКАЦИИ ДРЕВЕСНЫХ И РАСТИТЕЛЬНЫХ ОТХОДОВ

The article compares the calculation results using the developed thermophysical composition model for the study of thermal gasification of wood and plant waste – renewable natural energy resources in a gas generator with the reverse combustion process and forced steam-air blast, which allows to achieve minimal formation of a by-product – resin. Based on the thermophysical model, the optimal consumption of solid fuel – wood and plant waste and oxidizer – atmospheric air is determined. The work can be used by technical engineers at enterprises in Russia and abroad for the environmentally friendly disposal of wood and plant waste in autonomous energy technology installations with combustion gas generators to generate thermal and electrical energy for the consumer. In particular, large volumes of wood and plant waste accumulate at wood processing and agricultural enterprises in the Tyumen region, which are an additional cheap source of energy.

THE IMPACT OF DESIGN VARIABLES ON THE HEAT DEMAND OF A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING IN THE COLD REGION

This study is about the impact of early design decisions on the heat demand of a small residential building. Heat demand is a significant part of the energy use of residential buildings in the Cold regions. Reducing this demand will reduce the strain on national energy resources and even allow buildings to become energy neutral or independent with the addition of energy supply and storage systems. Based on a case study building of apartments, the simulation study explores the impact of several individual design aspects: insulation, orientation of glass facades and building shape. Furthermore, the balcony facade of the case study building is compared to a plain facade and a sunspace (balconies with a glass facade) in terms of heat demand and comfortable use (operative temperature). Based on these studies a final set of design guidelines is developed for designers interested in designing small residential buildings with low heat demand.

Alternative Recipes SMA 11 with EAF FE-NI SLAG Aggregates the Only Possibility of Increasing the Safety and Comfort of Driving on The Highway

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the possibilities of using the slag of the electric arc furnace, for the development of the alternative recipe SMA 11, as one of the possibilities of increasing the safety and comfort of driving on the highway. Theoretical Framework: Theoretical, EAF (electric arc furnace slag) is an intermediate product, that during the melting process about 75% of the ore turns into slag, chemical and physical-mechanical properties of which make it a valuable aggregate for industry and especially for the development of recipes for asphalt concretes with advanced properties. The use EAF slag aggregates would be a good possibility for the development of an alternative asphalt concrete recipe for highways with comfort driving and high safety. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises chemical, mechanical-physical research methods, as well as the evaluation of the performance indicators of the consumable layer AC, developed according to the alternative recipe SMA 11. Results and Discussion: EAF Fe-Ni slag is classified as non-hazardous waste and has properties almost similar to conventional aggregates, and in some cases even better. The results obtained of the research have shown that the alternative recipe SMA (stone matrix aggregate) has an excellent skid coefficient, which guarantees high driving safety on the highway. Originality/Value: The use of EAF slag, in addition increasing the safety and comfort of driving on the highway, at the same time, show positive effects in terms of the rational use of natural resources, energy resources and environmental protection.

MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF THE AUTONOMOUS HEAT SUPPLY SYSTEM WITH TUBULAR GAS HEATERS IN BUILDING STRUCTURES WHEN OPERATING IN THE CONDENSATION MODE

Problem statement. The application of modern autonomous heat supply systems is one of the directions of reducing the consumption of natural energy resources. There are many different autonomous systems of heat supply of objects. One of the variants of such systems is the system with tubе gas heaters. A tube gas heater consists of a gas burner, a radiating tube and a fan. One of the technical solutions for such heat supply systems is a tubular heater located inside the building structure. Increase of the efficiency of gas equipment can be achieved by operating this equipment in the condensation mode. Therefore, the operation of tubular gas heaters in building structures in the condensation mode is quite interesting in terms of increasing the efficiency of utilisation of the thermal potential of gaseous fuel and ensuring its saving. For research and practical design of autonomous heat supply systems with gas tube heaters in building structures with regard to the condensation mode of operation it is essential to develop a mathematical model for calculating the thermal and hydraulic modes of the system. The purpose of the article is to develop a mathematical model of an autonomous heat supply system with tubular gas heaters in building structures when operating in the condensation mode. Conclusion. The mathematical model of hydraulic and thermal modes of autonomous heat supply system with tubular gas heaters in building structures when operating in the condensation mode was developed. It is presented in the form of differential equations. The model is based on the equations of conservation of mass, motion and energy for the gas-air mixture inside the canal in two-phase flow, the equation of heat transfer inside the building structure, the equation of heat transfer from the external surface of the heater to the environment. The mathematical model of hydraulic and thermal modes of autonomous heat supply system with tubular gas heaters in building structures when operating in the condensation mode will be used to calculate and design such systems.

The landlord state goes abroad: The remaking of the Norwegian ‘Energy Nation’ as a global rentier

This paper explores the global political economy of the relationship between energy, ground rent, and the state. In its role as the ‘nation’s landlord’, the state is widely acknowledged to have a central role in the political economy of energy, either as the enabler and guarantor for private rent extraction or by itself controlling the extraction and redistribution of rents engendered by national energy resources. This paper broadens the geographical purview of research on the landlord state by aiming attention at the rise in recent decades of the state as a major rentier in the world market. More than asserting ownership over land and its appurtenances within territorial borders, landlord states have become significant owners and profiteers of extraterritorial energy resources. Taking the historical geography of the Norwegian energy industry as an empirical point of departure, the paper explores how the landlord state that was built in the 20th century by taking public control over national energy resources since the turn of the millennium has become a considerable owner of energy resources abroad, effectively positioning itself as a major global rentier.

Organic Agriculture in Turkey and the World

Organic agriculture is an alternative production system that supports soil structure, fertility and conservation by protecting the ecological balance, using biological control methods against diseases and pests; based on the sustainability of living life, aiming for the highest yield with the maximum use of natural energy resources. In this context, it covers a different production process from conventional agriculture. While intensive input applications in conventional agriculture aim for the highest yield, organic agriculture prioritizes sustainability. Sustainable agriculture is defined as an agricultural practice that protects soil, water and biodiversity while meeting food, energy and natural resource needs. To ensure that organic agriculture contributes to sustainability goals, organic regulations need to focus more on environmental and best practices. Increasing demands day by day have positively affected the sustainability of organic agriculture. The common feature of most of the definitions of organic agriculture is that the products should be produced in accordance with the basic standards and that every stage from the land to the table is regularly controlled. The fact that every stage of organic agriculture is audited and documented, and that the practices operate in accordance with legal procedures are other noteworthy elements. These legal procedures provide protection at many points. Organic agriculture is not only limited to safe food production to protect human health; it is also an agricultural and ecosystem management that is environmentally friendly, effective in reducing ecological pollution, protection of water resources, prevention of erosion, protection of biodiversity, agricultural sustainability and agricultural development.

Sustainable Renewable Energy Resources in Comoros Islands

Sustainable Renewable Energy Resources in Comoros Islands

A Spin-Charge-Regulated Self-Powered Nanogenerator for Simultaneous Pyro-Magneto-Electric Energy Harvesting.

In view of the depletion of natural energy resources, harvesting energy from waste is a revolution to simultaneously capture, unite, and recycle various types of waste energies in flexible devices. Thus, in this work, a spin-charge-regulated pyro-magneto-electric nanogenerator is devised at a well-known ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer. It promptly stores thermal-magnetic energies in a "capacitor" that generates electricity at room temperature. The ferroelectric domains are regulated to slip at the interfaces (also twins) of duly promoting polarization and other properties. An excellent pyroelectric coefficient p ∼ 615 nC·m-2·K-1 is obtained, with duly enhanced stimuli of a thermal sensitivity ∼1.05 V·K-1, a magnetoelectric coefficient αme ∼8.8 mV·cm-1·Oe-1 at 180 Hz (resonance frequency), and a magnetosensitivity ∼473 V/T. It is noteworthy that a strategy of further improving p (up to 41.2 μC·m-2·K-1) and αme (up to 23.6 mV·cm-1·Oe-1) is realized in the electrically poled dipoles. In a model hybrid structure, the spins lead to switch up the electric dipoles parallel at the polymer chains in a cohesive charged layer. It is an innovative approach for efficiently scavenging waste energies from electric vehicles, homes, and industries, where abundant thermal and magnetic energies are accessible. This sustainable strategy could be useful in next-generation self-powered electronics.

A short review of marine renewable energy: Generation, storage, and applications

Renewable energy is a sustainable and green energy converted from renewable energy resources in the nature. There is a huge amount of renewable energy resources in the ocean that can be changed into useful energy like electricity, store for long time use, or apply in the daily energy consumption. These marine renewable energies (MRE) include wave energy, ocean thermal energy, tidal energy, ocean current energy, salinity gradient energy, and offshore energy. With a big area, the oceans have been prospected that it brings endless renewable energy sources for social development and human demand. The renewable ocean energy shows many advantages of sustainable energy, clean energy, and non-carbon dioxide emissions by generating from wave and water in the ocean with an enormous amount of natural energy resources. The MRE can service at many areas of off-shore, on-shore, and remote areas where need energy to drive daily living demands. The MRE reveals some disadvantages such as the influence of daily, monthly, season, and period of time. The solutions have been developed to solve the limitations of the MRE such as developing the storage method to store energy for long time use or making the balance of the output performance to improve quality of the renewable energy. The MRE has also received many concerns from countries by promulgating policies, strategies, and plans to develop the renewable ocean energy such as green economy development, blue economy strategy, carbon dioxide emission reduction, and encouragement of using marine renewable energy. This paper reviews current marine renewable energy with its generation, storage, and application. The work also mentioned some advantages, disadvantage, policies, strategies, and solutions to encourage the development of the renewable ocean energy in over the world. The results hope that it will be spread development, exploitation, and application of marine renewable energy in the near future. Keywords: Marine renewable energy, energy storage, generation, application, sustainable energy

Review on various voltage stability issues in AC distribution network

With the rapidly depleting natural energy resources and increasing population worldwide, the calls for more energy demand have risen globally. In this vein, the world is transitioning from traditional to renewable energy sources (RES) to meet the required demands. However, the (RES), due to its variable nature, has voltage stability and power quality issues that need to get minimized to enhance the reliability of the (RES) system. This paper reviews the voltage stability and quality issues in the AC distribution system based on renewable energy sources (RES). Initially the renewable energy sources and problems associated with renewable energy sources are discussed. This article gives an overview of voltage control strategies based on local as well as communication-based phenomenon for distribution networks. In this review a hybrid solar photovoltaic and wind system is used to generate the power of 3-5 kW. A voltage controller topology is suggested using MATLAB/Simulink for enhancing voltage stability of the system. It is suggested that a voltage stability controller can be designed using recommended topology by using Arduino with pulse width modulation technique. Thus, by measuring and correcting real-time voltage instability values of the system, the system can be made more reliably secure, efficient, and stable than the previously proposed renewable AC distribution systems.

Enhancement of thermal power plant performance through solar-assisted feed water heaters: An innovative repowering approach

Increasing the efficiency of a power plant by optimization or repowering has always been a crucial challenge for energy analysts. At the same time as natural energy resources are limited, the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar energy has been prioritized for the past few decades. This study presents a way of enhancing a thermal power plant with a regenerative reheating Rankine cycle, evaluating the impact of solar-powered heat exchangers on feed water heating at 200 MW single unit of the Shahid Montazeri Power Plant operating at 13 MPa and 540 °C. Increases in energy-exergy efficiencies, power output and fuel save due to this modification have been studied in 14 different cases which have been analyzed in Engineering Equation Solver (EES). The case studies cover replacing single, double, and triple Feed Water Heaters (FWH). Parametric analysis of the four most promising cases has been performed in varying operating conditions such as main steam and reheat steam temperature and pressure and condensation pressure. In the most favorable configuration (case 12), the net thermal power output increases to 225 MW while energy and exergy efficiency increases to 39.73 % and 43.99 % respectively. Exergy and energy loss across different major components have been presented as well which indicates room for further improvement and contributes valuable insights to thermal power plant optimization for sustainable and efficient energy solutions in the future.