Traditional Supplies Research Articles

A compact conduction cooled flux pump operating below 77 K

Abstract High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets are widely used in high field
applications due to their exceptional current-carrying capabilities. Traditionally, these magnets
are powered by high current power supplies via current leads, which complicates insulation
between cryogenic and room temperature environments and introduces significant heat leaks.
Recent advancements in flux pumps for HTS magnets now allow charging currents in the
kA range without the need for traditional power supplies. However, while some research
has realized conduction-cooled traveling wave HTS flux pumps, much of the focus for
transformer rectifier flux pumps remains on operating them to charge magnets at liquid
cryogen temperatures, with limited attention given to the heat load and cooling capabilities
of modern dry cryocoolers. This study presents a compact, modular flux pump designed for
operation in conduction-cooled environments. It examines the impact of cooling power on the
flux pump’s performance in such settings. A lumped element model implemented in PLECS is
validated through experiments conducted at 70 K and 30 K, demonstrating consistent results.
Based on this validation, we demonstrate the capability to charge an HTS magnet to 300 mT
(≈ 800 A) in a conduction-cooled environment using a compact, self-regulating HTS flux
pump.

Innovative design of a compact nanosecond-pulse power supply using SiC-MOSFETs for enhanced dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators.

In this study, we present the development of a compact and lightweight nanosecond pulsed power supply designed to improve the performance of plasma actuators for flow control on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). While traditional AC power supplies are commonly used in plasma actuators, the nanosecond pulsed power supplies offer the advantage of operating over a wider range of Reynolds numbers, making them highly desirable. However, miniaturization and weight reduction of pulsed power supplies pose significant challenges. To address these issues, we present a novel approach using a high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET to create an inductive energy storage (IEC) power supply, eliminating the need for a bulky transformer core. This innovation results in a more compact and lightweight pulsed power supply, potentially improving aerodynamic control in UAV applications. The size and weight of the power supply developed is comparable to the smallest AC power supplies developed to date. In addition to basic current-voltage measurements, the performance of the power supply for airflow control is evaluated through wind tunnel experiments. As a result, the plasma actuator powered by the developed nanosecond pulsed power supply shows superior performance compared to previous studies, despite its small size and light weight.

Drone-based medical delivery in the extreme conditions of Himalayan region: a feasibility study

IntroductionUnmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have emerged as versatile tools across various sectors, including defence, agriculture, surveillance, mining, infrastructure, emergency response, transportation, geospatial mapping and notably medical supply delivery to...

Individual tree species classification using low-density airborne multispectral LiDAR data via attribute-aware cross-branch transformer

Traditional forest inventory supplies essential data for forest monitoring and management, including tree species, but obtaining individual tree-level information is increasingly crucial. Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) with multispectral observation offers rich information for improved forest inventory mapping with reliable individual tree attributes. Although deep learning techniques have shown promise in tree species classification, they are not sufficiently explored for individual tree-level classification using low-density (less than 30 point/m2) Airborne Multispectral LiDAR (AML) data. This study therefore explores the feasibility of using a deep learning (DL) framework for processing low-density AML point clouds to enhance tree species classification in challenging forest environments. A point-based deep learning network with a dual-branch mechanism combined Cross-Branch Attention modules named Attribute-Aware Cross-Branch (AACB) Transformer is designed for AML data to better differentiate tree species from delineated individual trees. In addition, a channel merging approach is introduced, which is suited to prepare the training samples of deep learning networks and reduces the computational costs. This study was tested with an average 9 points/m2 AML point cloud for 6 tree species including Populus tremuloides, Larix laricina, Acer saccharum, Picea abies, Pinus resinosa, and Pinus strobus from a Canadian mixed forest. The overall accuracies achieved 83.1 %, 85.8 %, and 95.3 % at species, genus, and leaf-type levels, respectively. The comparison between the proposed method and other widely used tree species classification methods demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach in enhancing tree species classification accuracy. We discuss potentials and remaining challenges, and our findings allow to further improve tree species classification of low-density AML point clouds by DL technology.

A survey on the need to incorporate rainwater harvesting systems as an alternative domestic water source in Ghana

This research survey seeks to gather responses in rainwater gathering and storage using harvesting systems as a key alternative. About 502 responses were gathered. Averaging 8 persons per household and 6 rooms per household. 73.1 % of males and 26.9 females. The main source of water includes GWCL (37.8 %), Borehole/groundwater (59.6 %), both GWCL & Borehole (1 %), Both Rainwater & GWCL (1 %), other unspecified sources (0.6 %). 58.2 % responded ‘Yes’ to the collection of rainwater to 41.8 ‘No’ responses. Methods for collecting rainwater includes roof gutter & drain spouts (37.8 %), open containers (40.8 %), other unspecified means (14.7 %). 56.8 % said ‘YES’, with about 2 % saying ‘IF THE NEED BE’ and 41.2 % responding ‘NO’ to the need to collect rainwater for future use. Roofs age also contribute to water quality, 45.2 % were above 10 years, 30.7 % between 7-10 years, 14.3 % between 4-6 years and 9.8 % between 1-3 years. Furthermore, 65.3 % respondents had heard of rainwater harvester systems. About 75.7 % responded to ‘NO’ for not having rainwater systems installed. About 83.3 % responded ‘NO’ to treating the collected water before use. About 64.1% are willing to treat the harvested rainwater. About 61.4 % respondents indicated the reduction in their water bill. The t-statistic and P-value results suggested collecting rainwater does not appear to be associated with a difference in the number of rooms in a household. The Chi-square statistic of 14.394 and a P-value of 0.000148 establishes a strong association between collecting rainwater at the household during the rainy seasons and seeing a reduction in water bills during the rainy season compared to reliance on traditional water supplies alone. Households that collect rainwater are significantly more likely to see a reduction in their water bills. There is a growing interest in the gathering, harvesting and the purification of rainwater for domestic use as a great alternative.

Microfluidic carbon cloth-based enzymatic glucose biofuel cell for sustainably powering a microelectronic circuit *

Enhancing enzymatic microfluidic biofuel cells (EBFCs) devices has garnered significant attention due to the development of microfluidic ultra-low power energy-gathering techniques. To facilitate the ability to create microfluidic EBFCs, a carbon cloth (CC) has been considered since they are effective renewable energy sources and utilized as the ideal paper-based substitute for traditional power supplies for a variety of tiny devices due to their inherent qualities and exceptional performance. The developed microfluidic EBFC utilized glucose as a fuel, carbon cloth as the bioelectrode, Glucose oxidase for the anode, and laccase for the cathode. The maximum stable open circuit voltage of CC-EBFC was measured to be 475 mV with a peak power density of 85 µW cm−2 at 300 mV and a current density of 484 µA cm−2. The power performance of the device was improved by bovine serum albumin and a booster circuit, which was also coated and connected to the load to stabilize the performance. The novelty of the work is that using a flexible substrate of carbon cloth, with a microfluidic channel, has an added advantage in the biofuel cell. LTC3108EDE DC–DC booster was used to increase energy and attain a high charging voltage of 5 V to operate a digital watch up to 3 V. With minimal weight and flexibility; this minuscule device opens up new possibilities to sustainably power wearable and portable microelectronic devices.

Self-Powered Dual-Band Electrochromic Supercapacitor Devices for Smart Window Based on Ternary Dielectric Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

A dual-band electrochromic supercapacitor device (DESCD) can be driven by an external power supply to modulate solar radiation, which is a promising energy-saving strategy and has broad application prospects in smart windows. However, traditional power supplies, such as batteries, supercapacitors, etc., usually face limited lifetimes and potential environmental issues. Hence, we propose a self-powered DESCD based on TiO2/WO3 dual-band electrochromic material and a ternary dielectric rotating triboelectric nanogenerator (TDR-TENG). The TDR-TENG can convert mechanical energy from the environment into electrical energy to obtain a high output of 840 V, 23.9 µA, and 327 nC. The as-prepared TDR-TENG can drive the TiO2/WO3 film to store energy with a high dual-band modulation amplitude of 41.6% in the visible (VIS) region and 84% in the near-infrared (NIR) region, decreasing the indoor-outdoor light-heat interaction and thereby reducing the building energy consumption. The self-powered DESCD demonstrated in this study has multiple functions of energy harvesting, energy storage, and energy saving, providing a promising strategy for the development of self-powered smart windows.

Information Construction of Hospital Medical Consumables Management Based on SPD Mode

To change the traditional hospital medical supplies rough management mode, the hospitals build an information material management platform which combines suppliers and hospitals, information systems and smart devices, clinical needs and professional operations innovatively. Finally, a lean management system called SPD is formed under the guidance of supply chain integration and supported by supply chain management theory and information technology. It has realized the whole process of consumables circulation information traceability, intelligent service in the hospital, and refined management of consumption settlement. The application of SPD in hospitals effectively improves the informatization level and overall operation efficiency of medical consumables management which is an important part of hospital information construction.

Dense station-based potential assessment for solar photovoltaic generation in China

To achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, China is vigorously promoting the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to replace traditional power supplies dominated by fossil fuels. A detailed potential assessment for solar PV generation will contribute to constructing and integrating a new power system with a high proportion of solar energy. In this study, we combined high-density and high-accuracy station-based solar radiation data from more than 2400 stations and a solar PV electricity generation model to map the technical potential for solar PV generation in China, while simultaneously considering land constraints through geographic information system technology. We found that the total installable capacity is at least 44,614.6 GW for China as a whole, resulting in an annual electricity generation potential of 72.7 PWh. However, the spatial distribution of solar PV potential does not match the electricity demand in China. Northwest China accounts for more than 95% of the total PV technical potential of China, but the power load centers are mainly located in eastern, southern, and central China, accounting for more than 70% of the total electricity consumption of the country. The challenges of solar PV development in China include grid integration and transmission from resource centers to load centers. The establishment and planning of new power systems based mainly on clean energy should facilitate the integration of fluctuating solar resources in China. This study will contribute to the planning and construction of solar PV systems in China.

Nano-porous transport membrane condenser for flue gas water recovery: Modeling and parametric membrane design analysis

Water resources are becoming scarce and climate change is exacerbating the stress on traditional water supplies. Thus, it is important to identify viable solutions to resolve tensions in the water energy nexus. One example is the use of transport membrane condensers (TMCs) to recover water as well as waste heat from flue gases with the aim to improve economics and to reduce the environmental impact of the industrial sector. In this work, the authors present a detailed 1D+1D TMC model and investigate the impact of three key membrane design parameters upon the water recovery rate. Sensitivity analyses of pore radius, membrane porosity and contact angle reveal that pore radii of smaller than 10 nm can substantially improve condensation rates due to the exponential vapor pressure dependency described by the Kelvin equation. Reducing the pore radius from 15 nm to 1 nm increases water recovery by over 74% in some of the study scenarios. Additionally, a higher membrane porosity is shown to increase water condensation rates. A higher porosity increases the number of pores on the surface, and thus, the driving force for mass transport. The results show an increase in water recovery of up to 7.7% per 10% porosity increase. The contact angle, which is related to the hydrophilicity of the membrane material, influences the formation of the meniscus inside the pore. Changes in the contact angle from a flat surface (90°) to 30° are shown to have a strong impact upon the water condensation rate. Furthermore, condensation flux improvements through the above-mentioned membrane design modifications are more pronounced in environments with low mass transport driving force due to the nature of the suction effect, which is governed by diffusion and convection transport laws.

Contaminants in Urban Stormwater: Barcelona case study

Abstract. Today's cities face simultaneous challenges due to rapidly growing populations, urban sprawl, climate change, and environmental pollution which pose a pressure on our traditional urban drinking water supplies. In this context, stormwater could augment our over-drafted urban groundwater resources. However, urban stormwater runoff carries a myriad of dissolved contaminants (e.g., organics, metals, nutrients), which pose a serious risk to the environmental and public health. Moreover, dissolved contaminants of urban origin – such as trace metals and organic compounds of emerging concern – may not be adequately removed by conventional stormwater treatments. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to fully understand stormwater contaminant presence, transport, and fate in the built environment to design novel or improve conventional treatment systems. To address this knowledge gap, we have conducted 7 field sampling campaigns during storm events at different Barcelona locations (within 3 districts) to investigate contaminant presence in different urban compartments (e.g., roofs, conventional streets with automobile traffic, pedestrian streets, and green infrastructure outlets). Preliminary results have confirmed presence of toxic metals in Barcelona urban rain and stormwater runoff along with significant differences depending on the catchment areas. After a storm event, trace metal concentrations followed the order: roof rain < pedestrian street runoff < conventional street runoff. Additionally, blue-green infrastructures (bioretention systems) had lower mean metal concentrations at the effluent (outlet) than the influents (inlet). Our initial results on metal occurrence in stormwater collected in the city of Barcelona will provide stormwater quality foundation for water agencies, municipalities, and companies in other water-stressed regions with Mediterranean climate.

Water and wastewater quality prediction: current trends and challenges in the implementation of artificial neural network.

Traditional freshwater supplies have been over-abstracted in the current global problem of water scarcity. Through the analysis of complex experimental and real-time data, to improve the activity of water and wastewater treatment (WWT) systems, an artificial neural network (ANN), a computational model inspired by the human brain, and its variants were created. This review paper focuses on recent trends and advances in modeling and simulating different water and wastewater systems using ANN. This study uses ANN in watershed management, impurity removal from wastewater, and wastewater treatment plants. According to the literature review, ANN can predict nonlinear, linear, and complex systems with high accuracy and well control. Finally, the limitations and future scope of ANNs were discussed. ANN proved itself in the prediction of various water and WWT processes. Still, implementation has practical challenges, which include a lack of data availability, poorly built models, timely updates in developed models, and low repeatability. The use of a proper toolbox, faster computing power, and proper domain knowledge makes the practical implementation of ANN successful. As a result, ANN can build a solid foundation for attracting and motivating investigators to work in this region in the forthcoming.

Systematic Review of Material and Structural Design in Interfacial Solar Evaporators for Clean Water Production

Rational and sustainable utilization of resources is critical for the continuous development of this society. Solar energy, as one of the renewables, shows great potential in replacing part of the traditional energy supplies since it is clean, abundant, and easily convertible to thermal, electrical, and biological energies. Using solar energy as the green driving force, interfacial solar evaporation is a promising way for clean water production to alleviate global water shortage, taking advantage of its high evaporation efficiency (more than 80%) and strong adaptability toward various water sources and fields. In recent years, various kinds of materials with diverse designs have been synthesized and applied in interfacial solar evaporation for clean water production. Herein, recent progress in interfacial solar evaporators for clean water production is systematically reviewed, based on the photothermal conversion mechanisms of solar absorbers, including carbonous, semiconductor‐based, and plasmatic ones. Furthermore, key design factors and strategies in interfacial solar evaporators are reviewed and discussed from material and structural design point of view, such as water transport, thermal management, latent heat for water vaporization, and salt accumulation. Finally, some perspectives related to resolving existing problems in the field are given.

A novel forecast scenario-based robust energy management method for integrated rural energy systems with greenhouses

Traditional energy supplies in rural areas are mainly rural power grids and fossil energy, which makes energy use inefficient and is not environmentally unfriendly. With the development of agricultural intelligence and the increasing seriousness of environmental problems, rural areas urgently need to make full use of the rich local renewable resources such as biogas and wind power. Meanwhile, it is also necessary to jointly optimize the supply of electricity and heat energy to improve energy utilization efficiency and reduce emissions. In this paper, a cooperative operation framework of the integrated rural energy system with greenhouses (IRES-GH) is introduced and a novel forecast scenario-based robust energy management method is presented to hedge the uncertainty of electric load and wind power output. Based on the forecast bounds of uncertain variables, a two-stage robust optimization (TSRO) model of the IRES-GH is first built. Using the TSRO model, the operation status of the units and energy storage elements in the worst-case scenario can be got. Then, the deterministic dispatch model is constructed based on the obtained operation status of devices and the day-ahead hourly point forecast scenario of uncertain variables to enhance the economy of the dispatch results. Since the second stage of the TSRO model includes binary variables, the nested column and constraint generation (NC&CG) algorithm is used to solve it. The effectiveness of the model and solution method is verified by two cases with different scales.

Driven by Density, Efficiency at Low Cost, Power Integration Reaches New Heights: PSiPs and PwrSoCs are growing faster than the traditional power supplies

For decades, miniaturization has been the trend in the power supply world. Consumers have been demanding more functions from smaller systems with better performance and reliability at lower cost. Such advances are evident in today’s laptops, tablets, smartphones, industrial drives and a host of other consumer and industrial applications. To meet these demands, the power supply industry has also kept pace with the needs of the markets. As a result, power integration, both in package and on-chip, has continued to evolve for more than a decade. Consequently, with this evolution, power density has risen from tens of watts to hundreds of watts from compact semiconductor packages with high performance in efficiency, density, reliability and other such metrics. On-chip, we are talking about tens of watts delivered from monolithic semiconductor substrates.

System cost minimisation in hybrid energy storage systems connected to microgrids: A comparative approach

Electricity is the most critical facility for humans. All traditional energy supplies are rapidly depleting. As a result, the energy resources are moved from traditional to non-conventional. In this research, mixture of two energy tools, namely wind and solar energy are used. Using a Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS), continuous power can be provided. Electricity can be produced at a cost that is affordable. The integration of solar and wind in a hybrid system cause an increase in the system’s stability, which is the key benefit of this research. The system’s power transmission efficiency and reliability can be greatly enhanced by integrating these two intermittent sources. When one of the energy source is unavailable or inadequate to meet load demands, the other energy source will supply the power. The major contribution in this research is that, the proposed bidirectional single-inductor multiple-port (BSIMP) converter significantly lowers the component count, smaller circuit size and lower cost, allowing HESS to be integrated into DC microgrid. Minimum number of components are used for the same number of ESs in HESS in the proposed BSIMP converter. The hybridization of battery and supercapacitor (SC) for storage purpose is more cost effective, as compared to the battery energy storage system, thus improving the battery stress and hence used for large scale grid energy storage. SC’s are accepted as backup and found very useful in delivering high power, not possible with batteries. The use of SC in addition to batteries can be one solution for achieving the low life cycle economy. The Single Objective Adaptive Firefly Algorithm (SOAFA) is introduced for optimising the Proportional-Integral (PI) controller parameters. The system cost is reduced by about 32%, with the constraints on wind turbine swept area, PV area, total battery and SC capacity with the proposed optimisation algorithm.

Impact of dual fuel compression ignition engine on its performance, combustion and emission characteristics

The scarcity and rapid depletion of traditional petroleum supplies, as well as worldwide agreement to stabilize carbon emission concentrations in the atmosphere, have fueled research into alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. Among the many biodiesel resources, Used Frying Oils (UFO) without any other chemical processing have been shown to have the ability to reduce massive import oil expenses while reducing net CO2 gases into the environment However, because to their high viscosity and minimal volatility, UFO fueled engines have been known to have operating and durability issues. This research analyses the potential of using UFO as a biofuel mix in a compression ignition engine with no changes to injection pressure or ignition advance. Experiments were conducted in a 4.4 kW, naturally aspirated, 4-stroke, constant speed, air cooled, direct - injection engine with varied UFO and Jatropha Methyl Ester (JME) mix proportions to study the combustion, pollutant, and performance parameters. The results of UFO bio dual fueling with JME were compared to the results of JME. Various variables such as in-cylinder pressure, emissions, fuel consumption, speed, and so on were examined in order to get crucial parameters such as brake thermal efficiency and brake specific fuel consumption. Engine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics were determined to be similar to JME fuel when using UFO mixes. In summary, the use of UFOs in conjunction with biofuel would be a realistic solution for achieving self-sufficiency in addressing the exponentially expanding oil demand. From the test results, it is found that the performance of UFO blended JME is higher than that of neat JME due to its intrinsic physiochemical properties.

Autonomous and Programmable 12-W 10-kHz Single-Cell Li-Ion Battery Tester

Portable electronics like laptops are ubiquitous nowadays and they depend on batteries for power. Unlike traditional power supplies, batteries have limited capacity, cycle life, power capability, and other restrictions. To improve battery performance or select the best battery for an application, engineers need to accurately extract the battery’s parameters through experiments. Existing battery testers often fall short in current flexibility, accuracy, and battery voltage range and thus cannot accommodate all the necessary experiments and different battery types with a single setup. In this article, a 12-W battery tester using linear charger/discharger and bipolar power supply is proposed. The tester can provide programmable current profile up to 3.3 A and 10 kHz with a wide battery voltage range to accommodate for different battery types. The tester can also regulate battery voltage and perform constant voltage charge/discharge. A prototype is implemented, and the testing capabilities are demonstrated with common battery experiments using a commercial 18650 cylindrical battery. The experimental results show the tester’s excellent current accuracy and flexibility.

Optimal sizing of different configuration of photovoltaic, fuel cell, and biomass-based hybrid energy system.

The need for power is rising on a daily basis all across the world. Due to the finite supply of fossil fuels, it is critical to develop innovative non-renewable energy systems that can reduce reliance on conventional energy sources. A hybrid off-grid renewable energy system might be utilized to reduce reliance on traditional energy supplies, and to enhance the reliability of the renewable energy system. The process of selecting the appropriate combinations of components and their costs in order to produce an affordable, dependable, and effective alternative energy supply is known as hybrid system optimization. Hybrid energy technology can meet the energy needs of community very effectively. The goal of improving hybrid energy system control, size, and component selection is to offer society with a cost-effective electric power solution. The main aim of this paper is to use the proposed algorithm, i.e., hybrid chaotic particle swarm optimization and slime mould algorithm (HCPSOSMA), and Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable (HOMER) Software (Version 3.14.0) to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) supply and annualized cost system (ACS). The findings show that the proposed algorithm has an excellent convergence characteristic and the capacity to provide high-quality output. According to the simulation findings, the suggested off-grid-connected hybrid (solar PV/biomass/FC) power system is the most suitable and cost-effective option for the selected location, Patiala in Indian sub-continent.

Reclaiming wastewater with increasing salinity for potable water reuse: Water recovery and energy consumption during reverse osmosis desalination

With reverse osmosis membranes being industry-standard in many potable reuse facilities, an opportunity exists to desalinate higher-salinity streams (e.g., brine and regional brine interceptor streams) to augment traditional wastewater supplies and reduce brine disposal requirements. This study evaluates the energy consumed in recovering water from these streams at advanced water purification facilities. Scenarios without and with seawater inflow and infiltration at coastal wastewater reclamation facilities are considered. It was found that as wastewater salinity increases with increasing seawater inflow and infiltration, base case energy consumption increases, but the percent increase of energy consumption caused by mixing higher-salinity streams decreases. Multiple energy-saving strategies were evaluated, including energy recovery devices, closed-circuit reverse osmosis, and desalination of the higher-salinity streams separately from the treated wastewater. The energy savings was greater for closed-circuit reverse osmosis than for energy recovery devices and increased for both as influent salinity increases. The energy savings from desalinating higher-salinity streams separately increased as the salinity difference between the two streams increased. Addition of higher-salinity streams was also considered within the context of inorganic scaling potential, product water requirements, and discharge permits that may limit recoveries.