Primary Power Source Research Articles

Analysis and evaluation of fuel cell technologies for sustainable ship power: Energy efficiency and environmental impact

Amid growing emphasis on achieving carbon neutrality, this study conducts a thorough assessment of different fuel cell technologies for their suitability as primary ship power sources. The primary goal is to evaluate the energy efficiency and carbon footprint impacts associated with adopting fuel cells for ship propulsion. The analysis employs simulation modeling and comparative evaluation to establish key indices: energy efficiency design index (EEDI), energy efficiency operational index (EEOI), and carbon footprint design index (CFDI). These indices consider factors like system weight, maintenance cycle, and fuel economy, ensuring a comprehensive comparison under consistent ship design parameters. Results reveal that liquefied natural gas fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cells, and low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (LT-PEMFC) outperform other fuel cell systems in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction. Their respective EEDI values stand at 11.62, 12.72, and 10.05 g CO2/ton·km, accompanied by corresponding EEOI values of 0.10, 0.13, and 0.11 g CO2/ton·km. Additionally, CFDI values are calculated as 39.10 %, 19.45 %, and 11.64 %, respectively. Notably, the comprehensive assessment underscores LT-PEMFC as the most viable option for ship propulsion, offering improved energy utilization, reduced carbon impact, and decreased operational expenses. These findings contribute valuable insights into the appropriateness of diverse fuel cell technologies for ship power applications, considering both their energy efficiency and environmental implications.

Performance investigation of a standalone renewable energy system using response surface methodology (RSM): 4E analysis and multi-objective optimization

This study aimed to identify and present novel findings in the field of hybrid renewable energy systems tailored for off-grid operation through a numerical-experimental investigation. The objective of the research was to contribute to the current knowledge of energy systems by addressing critical aspects of energy, exergy, economic, and environmental (4E) evaluations. The system described in the study is designed to meet the electricity demands of a telecom tower by integrating various components, including a photovoltaic (PV) unit, proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEME), proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), and battery storage unit. An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is also incorporated to efficiently recover waste heat from the PEMFC. The PV unit serves as the primary power source, with excess solar power directed to the PEME during periods of high solar irradiation. The PEME generates hydrogen and oxygen, while the PEMFC is fueled by hydrogen stored in metal hydride tanks. This setup ensures consistent power generation year-round. The study employs response surface methodology (RSM) to create regression equation models and utilizes the desirability function approach for multi-objective optimization. The optimal parameters identified include a 12:35 PM time setting, PEMFC current density of 0.693 A/cm2, PEME inlet water temperature of 326.2 K, and ORC turbine inlet pressure of around 580 kPa. These parameters result in impressive 4E outcomes: 50.9 % energy efficiency, 54.7 % exergy efficiency, a $0.53 levelized cost of energy, and a sustainability index of 2.1.

238Pu production: a State-of-the-Art review of NpO2 target fabrication technologies and processing of irradiated targets

Abstract Space mission beyond the solar system cannot rely on photovoltaic (PV) cells as primary power source, and combinations of PV cells and batteries. For such purpose, Radioisotope Power Systems powered with 238Pu have served well for all flagship space exploration missions since the early Apollo missions until today’s Mars Exploration Program and continue to be the preferred primary energy source for future missions. 238Pu production proceeds via neutron irradiation of 237Np, which is created as a by-product in nuclear fission reactors. Neutron irradiation of 237Np to produce 238Pu is conceptually very simple, but the production of sizeable quantities of 238Pu with acceptable isotopic purity, and the further separation and processing stages pose formidable technological challenges. 238Pu is a highly radiotoxic alpha emitter with an elevated specific activity and high decay energy with high risk for the workers, and its precursor, 237Np, is a radiotoxic alpha emitter whose daughter 233Pa decays to 233U with a strong gamma emission. Furthermore, the very rich and weakly explored chemistry of Np is also a challenge. The historical 238Pu inventory of US-DOE has been highly consumed and supplies of available 238Pu to support new missions have diminished. NASA and US-DOE have started an extensive project to re-establish 238Pu production for US space missions. In Europe, ESA has also shown some interest in an European production of 238Pu for the European space missions. In the present review, the manufacture of Np targets for 238Pu production by irradiation, and the target processing are discussed and assessed from an European production perspective by comparing mainly US state-of-the-art with the European know-how and the current facilities. Two principal options for target fabrication stand out: aluminium-clad NpO2–Al CERMET and zircaloy-clad full-ceramic NpO2 targets. The principal advantages of the well documented CERMET route can be found in the irradiation stage. These targets allow a high flexibility in heavy metal loading fraction and have high thermal performance. But, they have significant drawbacks in terms of the amount and type of nuclear waste that is generated at the back-end. Instead, the full-ceramic targets are conceptually very similar to conventional nuclear fuels, and would be preferred from back-end perspective, although a demonstration of large scale production remains yet to be done. Presently, there are no operational large scale Np target production, irradiation, processing or 238Pu handling facilities in Europe, but the nuclear infrastructure exists and is operational to study each of the steps at least at small scale and all steps have similarities with well-established industrial capabilities in Europe.

Lithium-Ion Battery State-of-Health Prediction for New-Energy Electric Vehicles Based on Random Forest Improved Model

The lithium-ion battery (LIB) has become the primary power source for new-energy electric vehicles, and accurately predicting the state-of-health (SOH) of LIBs is of crucial significance for ensuring the stable operation of electric vehicles and the sustainable development of green transportation. We collected multiple sets of charge–discharge cycle experimental data for LiFePO4 LIB and employed several traditional machine learning models to predict the SOH of LIBs. It was found that the RF model yielded relatively superior predictive results, confirming the feasibility of applying the RF model to SOH prediction for the electric vehicle LIB. Building upon this foundation, further research was conducted on the RF improved model for LIB SOH prediction. The PSO algorithm was employed to adaptively optimize five major parameters of the RF model: max_depth, n_estimators, max_features, min_samples_split, and min_samples_leaf. This adaptation addresses the issue of prediction errors that stem from human experience to optimize parameters in the RF model. The results indicate that the RF improved model proposed in this paper can further improve the prediction accuracy of LIB SOH. Its model evaluation index also outperform others, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in the management of LIB SOH for new-energy electric vehicles. This contributes significantly to urban environmental protection and the development of green transportation.

An adaptive threshold method for multi-faults diagnosis of lithium-ion batteries based on electro-thermal model

Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the primary power source for electrochemical energy storage, making battery safety a crucial concern. This study focuses on the detection of thermal faults in lithium-ion batteries, specifically heat generation faults, thermal parameter faults, and temperature sensor faults. To address the issue of low accuracy in temperature indirect estimation models, a framework that combines electrical and thermal models is proposed. This framework employs particle swarm optimization to identify optimal thermal model parameters using real-time open circuit voltage and terminal voltage data. Additionally, an unscented Kalman filter estimator is utilized to predict core temperature based on surface temperature measurements in real time. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves rapid convergence of core and surface temperature biases within a range of 1 ℃ and 0.1 ℃, respectively. Furthermore, an adaptive threshold method is developed to diagnose faults by analyzing the change rates of the estimated temperatures. Experimental results reveal that the proposed methods exhibit quick response times for four different fault conditions, indicating their effectiveness and accuracy in multi-fault diagnosis.

Dynamic simulation of life cycle environmental benefits of remanufacturing asynchronous motors to permanent magnet synchronous motors

Electric motors, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, are widely utilized as the primary power source for electromechanical equipment. However, the huge energy consumption of electric motors makes their energy efficiency improvements crucial for achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals. As a result, low-efficiency asynchronous motors are being eliminated, while their high-value recycling has subsequently become a key issue. Remanufacturing offers a promising solution to upgrade low-energy efficiency asynchronous motors to high-energy efficiency permanent magnet synchronous motors, but its environmental benefits are unclear. A novel dynamic assessment model that integrates life cycle assessment and lifetime distribution modeling to evaluate the environmental benefits of motor remanufacturing is established. A manufacturing and four remanufacturing scenarios based on the damage profile of individual motor components are developed. The results demonstrate that motor remanufacturing can significantly reduce carbon emissions by 26.75%–65.13%. The model was also applied to various recycling scenarios and synchronous motor market penetration levels to provide a long-term environmental benefit in the motor industry in China by 2040. Findings suggest that the motor remanufacturing industry can achieve peak carbon reduction in 2035 and 2033 under the medium and high market penetration scenarios, respectively. It's also disclosed that remanufacturing offers considerable material savings (36%–73%), energy savings (28%–63%), and water savings (34%–88%). The environmental benefits of motor remanufacturing industry are quantified for the first time, demonstrating its effectiveness in facilitating a green and low-carbon transition. The dynamic assessment methodology system constructed in this research can provide a theoretical framework and research ideas for the environmental impact assessment of other end-of-life product management.

METHOD OF INCREASING EFFICIENCY, MEAN OF CONTROL AND TOOL OF ANALYSIS OF THE USE ENERGY OF POWER SOURCE PULSE LASER RANGE FINDER

The latest results of a series researches of the revealed paradox of energy balance disturb and its manifestations in electrical circuits are presented in order to increase the efficiency of the conversion of energy voltage direct current into pulsed energy of other forms, on the example of improving the use energy of the power source of pulsed solid-state laser range finder. It is show, that the efficiency of simultaneous conversion in a load with active linear or nonlinear resistance of the energy, which accumulated in the inductive and capacitive storage, can reach the efficiency of its accumulation. For this the first time offered the aperiodic mode of the transient process in the oscillating circuit use to combined the dual properties of inductive and capacitive energy storages and method of automatically switching their parallel connection during accumulation by them energy in series connection during conversion accumulated energy, particular, into optical pulses in the range finder. In total, proposed method of converting energy voltage direct current into pulsed energy of other forms, mean of objective control and tool of modeling and analyzing the use of energy primary power sources make up a set of measures for increasing energy efficiency separate nodes mobile devices of telecommunications, automation and robotics, what is especially actual in the existing conditions limited energy resources.

Evolution analysis of wheel polygon wear considering the effect of interharmonics in electrical traction drive system

The formation and development of wheel polygon wear (WPW) present significant challenges to the safety of railway vehicle operations. It is widely accepted that WPW occurs due to the mechanical vibration within the wheel-rail system. The output torque produced by the traction motor acts as the primary power source for the vehicle's movement. The pulsating torque, resulting from interharmonics can directly impact the wheelset's dynamic behavior, contributing to the occurrence of WPW. However, the precise mechanism by which interharmonics affect WPW remains incompletely understood. Therefore, this paper aims to establish the link between interharmonics originating from the electric traction drive system and the wheelset vibration. A comprehensive WPW evolution model that incorporates an electromechanical coupling model and a wheel wear calculation model is developed. This model allows to elucidate the intricate mechanism by which interharmonics impact WPW. The analysis indicates that when the locomotive is running at 70 km/h, the pulsating torque generated by the |5f−7f0|interharmonic can excite the 1st-order bending mode of the wheelset. This excitation triggers wheelset resonance, which ultimately leads to the development of 20th-order WPW.

Pond ash as a potential material for sustainable geotechnical applications - a review.

Energy-harnessing sources significantly influence a country's infrastructure and economic development. Though nuclear and hydel power sources are used for energy harnessing, thermal sources are still the primary power source in India and contribute to 75% of the demand. Thermal power plants exploit large volumes of coal reserves. The combustion of coal leads to 30%-40% of waste ash residues such as Fly ash and Bottom ash. Though Fly ash finds greater applicability, pond ash poses a severe environmental hazard due to its large occupancy of terrain in ash dykes and lagoons. Many research efforts are underway to utilize pond ash in various structural and geotechnical infrastructure projects; however, there are still limitations and apprehensions about its properties and determination. The present study provides a detailed review of the morphological and chemical properties. Further, the geotechnical attributes of pond ash, including strength characteristics, consolidation parameters, and durability aspects, are critically reviewed for the probable application as fill material for backfill and many other applications. Based on the earlier research on pond ash, it could be comprehended that pond ash has wide property variability and finds compatibility with many other pozzolanic admixtures and, in this way, finds broader applicability in geotechnical projects. The way forwards could be a significant step towards cleaner and greener technology.

Laser‐Assisted Interfacial Engineering for High‐Performance All‐Solid‐State Batteries

AbstractSafe and high‐energy‐density solid‐state batteries (SSBs) are promising candidates for use as the primary power source of next‐generation electric vehicles. However, their poor rate capabilities and long‐term cyclabilities because of material and interfacial instabilities have hindered their widespread commercialization. This study reviewed the recent progress of laser‐assisted interfacial engineering technologies to address the stability issues at the interfaces of SSBs. First, the overview of the interfacial issues of SSBs is briefly outlined. Subsequently, the recent achievements are summarized according to the photophysical mechanisms of laser processing and the type of interfaces to which they are applied. Consequently, the critical laser processing factors to improve the interfacial stabilities of SSBs are highlighted in detail. Finally, the future challenges and opportunities in laser‐assisted interfacial engineering for manufacturing high‐performance SSBs have been discussed to provide guidelines for developing reliable and scalable processes.

Optimal power control in Renewable Energy sources using Intelligence algorithm

An intelligent, Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) based Xilinx Power Management system is proposed for the Hybrid renewable energy sources (HRES). The Xilinx Power Management generator block set (ANFIS-XL-PMS) controller is implemented for the purpose to control and avoid the non-linear nature opted in the HRES power system. Solar (PV), Wind Energy (WE), and Fuel cell (FC) are the primary power sources of the system, and a battery storage system (BES) is used as a backup. A comprehensive power management strategy is intended for the proposed system to control the flow of power between the various energy sources and the system's storage device. The simulation model for the HRES is elegantly designed using the MATLAB/Simulink platform and the Switching patterns are generated using the XLPMS controller. The system performance and output responses of the SMC-XL-ANFIS controller have been verified by carrying out the simulation studies and compared with the existing controller like Sliding Mode Controller (SMC-XL-PMS), and Artificial Neutral Network (ANN-XL-PMS). Simulation results show good performance in terms of voltage and current transient, settling time, load power efficiency, and power quality Also a Prototype model with a PIC microcontroller is designed and the output responses are analyzed.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for Aviation

Airbus has revealed ZEROe, three concepts for the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft which could be brought to market by 2035. The ZEROe concept aircrafts, which support Airbus’ commitment to lead the decarbonisation of the aviation industry, all rely on hydrogen as a primary power source, which would be deployed via a hybrid-hydrogen configuration featuring modified gas-turbine engines complemented by fuel cells for electrical power. Although the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology is one of the most matured fuel cell types, Airbus Central Research and Technology (CRT) is also investigating novel SOFC concepts for potential hybrid-hydrogen configurations.The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) offers major benefits, namely electrical efficiency and fuel versatility, for hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion. Although the SOFC’s area specific power density has drastically increased within the last decade, more needs to be done to make the technology accessible for aviation applications. The combined development of novel SOFC concepts and corresponding manufacturing processes are regarded as key objectives for the SOFC activities at Airbus Central Research and Technology. Airbus is designing, manufacturing and testing SOFC concepts with the aim to achieve highest gravimetric power densities.Novel manufacturing technologies for metallic and ceramic materials have the potential to enable lighter functional layers for SOFCs with increased intrinsic mechanical stability and surface area. Different cell concepts with an optimized current collection are currently under development at Airbus. The micro-tubular and monolithic SOFC are seen as the most promising concepts, whereas around 2 kW/kg on a cell level has recently been achieved in a performance test at Airbus.

Development and Scaling up of the Purification and Regeneration Integrated Materials Engineering (“PRIME”) Process for Cathodes Direct Recycling and Upcycling

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the primary power source for portable electronic devices, electric vehicles (EVs), and energy storage systems (ESS) due to their high energy and power densities. However, with an average lifespan of mostly 5-10 years, million tons of end-of-life (EoL) LIBs will be produced by 2030. Recycling spent LIBs will bring new opportunities in reducing constraints imposed by material scarcity, enhancing environmental sustainability, and providing a safer and more resilient circular supply chain. The current commercialized recycling methods, including pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy, require extreme conditions, such as high temperatures and strong acids, to destroy the chemical bonds. The subsequent extraction process is lengthy, with high energy consumption and cost. A new direct recycling pathway has been brought to the field, defined as recycling valuable components without breaking down the chemical structure. Direct recycling can be efficient, cost and energy effective, but the currently developed methods can only be demonstrated at a lab scale due to the lack of robustness and tedious pre-treatments. Recently, we have identified that the direct recycling method combining hydrothermal relithiation and subsequent short annealing can successfully restore the composition, structural defects, and electrochemical performance of different spent cathode materials to the same level as the pristine material. More importantly, the method is extended to recover spent cathode materials with various impurities, such as conductive agents, binders, residual salts, and aluminum shreds. Such purification has been integrated into the regeneration process, which enables a practical pathway for cathode direct recycling. The related technology is named “Purification and Regeneration Integrated Materials Engineering (“PRIME”) and has been granted by the Department of Energy (DOE) under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (“BIL”). The PRIME process merges the advantages of direct cathode recycling techniques with the novel purification strategy to improve the quality of recovered cathode materials with significantly reduced unit operation steps, which can be scaled up to an industrial level. Meanwhile, the PRIME process can recover the cathode with high consistency and yield. This new direct recycling process will provide a solid technical foundation for mass production of the next generation of LIBs recycling.

Enhancing the cooling efficiency of the air cooling system for electric vehicle battery modules through liquid spray integration

To achieve the desired voltage and power capacity to serve as the primary power source in electric vehicles (EVs), the battery cells are densely interconnected in both series and parallel configurations, forming modules. These modules are further assembled to create the pack. Excessive heat generated by chemical reactions and internal resistance can lead to reduced capacity, instability, and thermal runaway. Hence, the implementation of a battery thermal management system is crucial to maintain the batteries operating within the optimal temperature range. In this study, a novel cooling system was proposed that combines an integrated non-electrically conductive liquid spray called hydrofluoroether (HFE) with forced air as the cooling fluids. A three-dimensional transient heat transfer model for the cylindrical lithium-ion battery module was developed by using ANSYS Fluent. Numerical investigations were conducted to evaluate the impact of liquid injection rate and injector arrangement on the cooling performance of the battery module. The findings demonstrate that the proposed technique effectively decreases the maximum temperature and the unbalanced temperature difference within the battery module compared to the traditional method of dry air cooling. The optimized system, which entails placing the nozzles between rows 1 and 2 of the battery module and maintaining a consistent mass flow rate of 20 g/s, leads to a decrease in the maximum temperature and temperature nonuniformity by about 6 °C and 4 °C, respectively. These insights provide valuable guidance for the design of spray-assisted forced-air cooling systems and contribute to the development of efficient thermal management solutions for EVs.

Fuel Economy Energy Management of Electric Vehicles Using Harris Hawks Optimization

Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCEVs) have gained significant attention due to their environmentally friendly nature and competitive performance. These vehicles utilize a fuel cell system as the primary power source, with a secondary power source such as a battery pack or supercapacitor. An energy management strategy (EMS) for FCEVs is critical in optimizing power distribution among different energy sources, considering factors such as hydrogen consumption and efficiency. The proposed EMS presents an optimized external energy maximization strategy using the Harris Hawks Optimization to reduce hydrogen consumption and enhance the system’s efficiency. Through a comparative simulation using the Federal Test Procedure (FTP-75) for the city driving cycle, the performance of the proposed EMS was evaluated and compared to existing algorithms. The simulation results indicate that the proposed EMS outperforms other existing solutions in terms of fuel consumption reduction, with a potential reduction of 19.81%. Furthermore, the proposed energy management strategy also exhibited an increase in system efficiency of 0.09%. This improvement can contribute to reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the negative environmental impacts associated with vehicle emissions.

Multi-stage stochastic planning for a long-term low-carbon transition of island power system considering carbon price uncertainty and offshore wind power

The characteristics of isolated grids lead island power systems to rely on stable conventional generation, which is not environmentally friendly and has high carbon emissions. This paper proposes a low-carbon transition model for island power systems considering large-scale offshore wind resources and the long-term uncertainty of carbon prices. First, a detailed model for offshore wind power systems is proposed considering the interaction of multiple wind farms and three transmission technologies. Second, a multi-stage power system planning model is established including the upgrading and decommissioning of thermal units. Meanwhile, an improved long-term carbon price uncertainty modeling method based on the binomial tree is proposed. Then, focusing on the uncertainty of carbon prices, a multi-stage stochastic optimization model is established, and the stochastic nested decomposition algorithm is used to solve the problem. Finally, numerical results show that the low-carbon transition develops plenty of offshore wind power as the primary power source and usually adopts a fractional frequency transmission system for offshore wind integration. The uncertainty of carbon prices has a significant impact on the transition: in the high carbon price realization, the annual carbon emissions are only 0.088 Mt, while in the low carbon price realization, the annual emissions are 0.255 Mt.

Optimized Control of a Hybrid Water Pumping System Integrated with Solar Photovoltaic and Battery Storage: Towards Sustainable and Green Water-Power Supply

This article presents the modeling and optimization control of a hybrid water pumping system utilizing a brushless DC motor. The system incorporates battery storage and a solar photovoltaic array to achieve efficient water pumping. The solar array serves as the primary power source, supplying energy to the water pump for full-volume water surrender. During unfavorable weather conditions or when the photovoltaic array is unable to meet the power demands of the water pump, the battery discharges only at night or during inadequate solar conditions. Additionally, the photovoltaic array can charge the battery on its own when water distribution is not necessary, negating the need for external power sources. A bi-directional charge control mechanism is employed to facilitate automatic switching between the operating modes of the battery, utilizing a buck-boost DC–DC converter. The study incorporates a control system with loops for battery control and DC voltage control within the bidirectional converter. The water cycle algorithm adjusts four control parameters by minimizing an objective function based on tracking errors. The water cycle optimization is compared to other methods based on overshoot and settling time values to evaluate its performance, showcasing its effectiveness in analyzing the results.

Parameter Tuning for WECC Generic Photovoltaic System Models Using Latin Hypercube Sampling and Pareto Optimality

With attention increasing towards worldwide ecological conservation, the energy policies of various countries are moving towards renewable energy systems, primarily with solar and wind as the primary power sources. The Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) has developed a generic model as a simulation framework for a typical solar wind generation system to analyze the response of the actual equipment. In this paper, we propose a parameter tuning process for a generic model controller that combines Latin hypercube sampling and Pareto optimization to enable a generic model to effectively match the output of an actual inverter device. Different operating scenarios were considered to match the dynamic characteristics of the inverter device using the multi-objective particle swarm algorithm (MOPSO) along with Pareto optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed parameter tuning process was verified on a user-defined test system and, later, the IEEE 39 bus system with a large solar power facility.

State-of-Charge Estimation of Batteries for Hybrid Urban Air Mobility

This paper proposes a framework for accurately estimating the state-of-charge (SOC) and current sensor bias, with the aim of integrating it into urban air mobility (UAM) with hybrid propulsion. Considering the heightened safety concerns in an airborne environment, more reliable state estimation is required, particularly for the UAM that uses a battery as its primary power source. To ensure the suitability of the framework for the UAM, a two-pronged approach is taken. First, realistic test profiles, reflecting actual operational scenarios for the UAM, are used to model the battery and validate its state estimator. These profiles incorporate variations in battery power flow, namely, charge-depleting and charge-sustaining modes, during the different phases of the UAM’s flight, including take-off, cruise, and landing. Moreover, the current sensor bias is estimated and corrected concurrently with the SOC. An extended Kalman filter-based bias estimator is developed and experimentally validated using actual current measurements from a Hall sensor, which is prone to noise. With this correction, a SOC estimation error is consistently maintained at 2% or lower, even during transitions between operational modes.

Online Big-Data Monitoring and Assessment Framework for Internal Combustion Engine with Various Biofuels

Article Online Big-Data Monitoring and Assessment Framework for Internal Combustion Engine with Various Biofuels Ming Zhang 1,*, Vikas Sharma 2, Zezhong Wang 1, Yu Jia 1, Abul Kalam Hossain 1, and Yuchun Xu 1 1 College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK 2 School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK * Correspondence: m.zhang21@aston.ac.uk Received: 14 December 2022 Accepted: 26 April 2023 Published: 30 May 2023 Abstract: As the primary power source for automobiles, the internal combustion (IC) engines have been widely used and served millions of people worldwide. With increasingly stringent environmental regulations, biofuels have been obtained more attentions and are being used as alternative fuel to power IC engines. However, there are currently no standard solutions or well-established monitoring and assessment methods that can effectively evaluate the IC engine’s performance with biofuels. The expectation for biofuels is to keep the engine’s lifetime as long as the conventional fuels, or even longer. Otherwise, their usage would be unnecessary because they would reduce the lifecycle of the engine and also cause more waste and pollution. To address this challenge, we initially designed two biofuels: waste cooking oil biofuel (WCOB) and lamb fat biofuel (LFB). Then we proposed an online big-data monitoring and assessment framework for IC engines operating with various types of fuel. We conducted comprehensive experiments and comparisons based on the proposed framework. The results indicate that LFB performs best under all the performance indicators.