Transport Sector Research Articles

Design of an FPGA-based short-circuit fault diagnosis algorithm for DC current-limiting fuses

Abstract In recent years, DC current-limiting fuses have played a crucial role in the comprehensive power systems of ships, rail transport, and new energy sectors, ensuring the safe and reliable operation of DC power systems. However, with the increase in the capacity of DC power systems, short-circuit faults can lead to a rise in short-circuit current at rates of up to 40 A/μs, with peak short-circuit currents reaching up to 105KA. This poses higher demands on the accuracy and speed of fuse diagnostics to interrupt short-circuit currents. To address this issue, this paper introduces a fault diagnostic algorithm based on FPGA that can calculate the rise rate of short-circuit currents in real-time: employing FPGA with its high integration, abundant logic resources, and parallel data processing capabilities as the core of the measurement and control system to enhance the speed of short-circuit fault diagnosis from a hardware perspective; replacing the common large current trip protection and DDL protection algorithms with the Newton interpolation algorithm. This improvement calculates the rise rate of each current data point instead of the average rise rate over a period, thus enhancing the speed and accuracy of short-circuit fault diagnosis from a software perspective. The paper also discusses the design of the system’s hardware and software and the construction of the experimental platform. Simulation and experimental results show that the fault diagnosis time of the algorithm has been reduced from 98μs to 36μs, with the numerical error in the short-circuit current rise rate within 2%, and a significant reduction in the peak value of short-circuit current, meeting performance requirements and effectively ensuring the safe and reliable operation of DC power systems.

Optimizing Hybrid Active–Passive Thermal Management of Prismatic Li‐Ion Batteries Using Phase Change Materials and Porous‐Filled Mini‐Channels

ABSTRACTTackling climate change is crucial, and electrifying the vehicular transportation sector is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries are highly efficient for electric vehicles (EVs) but face challenges such as thermal management, risk of thermal runaway, and high costs of lithium and cobalt. Overcoming these challenges is vital for the widespread adoption of hybrid and EVs. To overcome this drawback, this article proposed a large‐kernel attention graph convolutional network (LKAGCN) with leaf in wind optimization algorithm (LWOA) named as LKAGCN‐LWOA technique, which enhances the thermal management of prismatic Li‐ion batteries by integrating both active and passive cooling techniques. The system incorporates phase change materials (PCMs) with porous‐filled mini‐channels to regulate battery temperature effectively. The LKAGCN analyze thermal properties, battery conditions, and PCM characteristics to predict and optimize the thermal behavior of the battery pack using LWOA. The proposed methods tune the parameters of the hybrid thermal management system, ensuring efficient thermal regulation and improved performance. The proposed method is compared to various existing methods such as convolutional neural network (CNN), Taguchi method, and Finite element model (FEM).

Investigating the Future of Freight Transport Low Carbon Technologies Market Acceptance across Different Regions

Fighting climate change has become a major task worldwide. One of the key energy sectors to emit greenhouse gases is transportation. Therefore, long term strategies all over the world have been set up to reduce on-road combustion emissions. In this context, the road freight sector faces significant challenges in decarbonization, driven by its limited availability of low-emission fuels and commercialized zero-emission vehicles compared with its high energy demand. In this work, we develop the Mobility and Energy Transportation Analysis (META) Model, a python-based optimization model to quantify the impact of transportation projected policies on freight transport by projecting conventional and alternative fuel technologies market acceptance as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Along with introducing e-fuels as an alternative refueling option for conventional vehicles, META investigates the market opportunities of Mobile Carbon Capture (MCC) until 2050. To accurately assess this technology, a techno-economic analysis is essential to compare MCC abatement cost to alternative decarbonization technologies such as electric trucks. The novelty of this work comes from the detailed cost categories taken into consideration in the analysis, including intangible costs associated with heavy-duty technologies, such as recharging/refueling time, cargo capacity limitations, and consumer acceptance towards emerging technologies across different regions. Based on the study results, the competitive total cost of ownership (TCO) and marginal abatement cost (MAC) values of MCC make it an economically promising alternative option to decarbonize the freight transport sector. Both in the KSA and EU, MCC options could reach greater than 50% market shares of all ICE vehicle sales, equivalent to a combined 35% of all new sales shares by 2035.

Exploring Hybrid Vehicle Integration in Nablus Urban Shared-Taxis: Cost-Benefit and Exhaust Emissions Assessment

There is a worldwide concern about the increase in vehicles’ exhaust emissions of traditional fuels and the rise in fuel prices. Nablus city is a major city in the West Bank, Palestine with peculiar topography and traffic congestion. This increases fuel consumption and the gas emission of the diesel operated public transport (PT) shared-taxi vehicles. This paper investigates the viability of introducing hybrid vehicles to the urban shared-taxis in highly congested areas with peculiar topography. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires were distributed among PT drivers and route managers to obtain the operational and cost characteristics of each route. The existing expenses and revenues and gas emissions of diesel vehicles were analyzed. Expenses-revenues analysis revealed that there is no immediate urgency in switching all diesel-fuel shared-taxis to hybrid; therefore, two scenarios were developed. The first was replacing old PT cars (2009 or older) with hybrid vehicles, which provided an average financial saving of 20.9% with a reduction in exhausts emission of CO2-equivalent by 33%. The second scenario included replacing PT vehicles with production dates from 2009-2014, which produced financial savings of 15% and reduction of exhaust emissions by 35%. The comparison showed a preference for the first scenario at the current time, while implementing other scenarios gradually. The first scenario is simple and close to reality; as old vehicles should typically be replaced. The study recommends using hybrid vehicles for new shared-taxis introduced to the service, and establishing national level policies to encourage the use of alternative fuels for the transportation sector, focusing on PT. However, several critical factors must be considered, including topography and route characteristics.

Global carbon transition in the passenger transportation sector over 2000–2021

The high-emitting and hard-to-abate passenger transport sector plays a crucial role in global deep decarbonization. To lead an equitable and rapid transition in the passenger transportation, this work is the first to develop a bottom-up modeling framework integrated with the latest decomposing structural decomposition methodology to assess and compare historical emission patterns and decarbonization efforts of 28 countries over the past two decades. Results indicate: (1) Carbon emissions from the global passenger transport sector increased between 2000 and 2021, peaking in 2019, with GDP per capita and population size being key drivers of rising carbon emissions across countries. (2) The decarbonization efforts of the global passenger transport sector varied by traffic mode. The largest contributors were passenger buses [−0.46 megatons of carbon dioxide per year (Mt CO2/yr)], followed by trains (−0.4 Mt CO2/yr), and airplanes (−0.28 Mt CO2/yr), while passenger cars (1.04 Mt CO2/yr) hindered the decarbonization process. (3) Although the global passenger transport sector has cumulatively decarbonized 3005.9 Mt CO2 and achieved a decarbonization rate of 5.1 %, regional performance varied significantly, exhibiting uneven and inadequate progress. Overall, the study provides an effective data-driven assessment framework for reviewing and comparing global and national passenger transport decarbonization performance, which will facilitate the planning of decarbonization pathways by global emitters and the early achievement of zero-carbon transport.

A Comprehensive Review of Physicochemical Properties of Biomass‐Derived Oxygenates and Reformulated Gasoline

AbstractBiorenewable energy resources can be crucial in neutralizing the transportation sector's greenhouse gas emissions. However, the direct use of biorenewable fuels in existing gasoline engines is challenging and requires several modifications. On the contrary, blending compatible biorenewable fuels in limited amounts as an additive in conventional gasoline does not necessarily require any modifications in the engine. Thus, the present review critically asses the physiochemical and fuel properties of biomass‐derived oxygenates such as alcohols, ether, furans, glycerine derivatives, alkyl levulinates, bio‐oils, and esters to understand their full potential as a gasoline additive. Properties such as research octane number (RON), motor octane number (MON), density, volatility characteristics, calorific value, and viscosity of the bio‐based oxygenates have been discussed. Moreover, emission characteristics such as NOx, CO, unburnt, HC, and CO2 of oxygenates reformulated gasoline have been discussed.

How do meteorological conditions impact the effectiveness of various traffic measures on NOx concentrations in a real hot-spot?

Recently, air quality has become a major concern for policy makers around the world, which has led to the implementation of mitigation measures. In particular, in urban areas most measures affect the road transport sector, as this is one of the main contributors to air pollution in those areas. Recent studies have pointed out the need to determine the importance of external factors such as the meteorological conditions on the net effect on air quality of mitigation strategies. Due to the strong spatial variability of urban air pollution, high spatial resolution modelling is necessary. In this work, the impacts on emissions and nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations of several mitigation strategies on a real air pollution hot spot in southern Madrid (Spain) are simulated at microscale under different meteorological conditions. The results show that the meteorological conditions affect local NOx concentrations, and its net changes can be comparable to those due to emission reductions. In particular, meteorological conditions in 2019 induced higher NOx concentrations than in 2016, despite the local emissions were reduced by 50 % from 2016 to 2019. On the other hand, the impact of the implementation of a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) on NOx concentrations is small and consistent with values found in other LEZs around Europe. However, this impact varies up to 70 % depending on the meteorological conditions. The impacts of a mitigation strategy are largely influenced by the meteorological conditions, and therefore the achievement of the target reduction of concentrations pursued by these measures will depend on the meteorological conditions.

A systematic literature review of optimal placement of fast charging station

Electric vehicles (EV) have increased in the last few decades due to their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Support for the electrification of the transportation sector has encouraged researchers to investigate the optimal placement of fast charging stations (FCS). In this study, we conducted a systematic literature review of 84 primary studies between 2019 and 2024 by identifying objective function and solution techniques, uncertainty, stakeholders, and network classification. We identified the objective functions most commonly used by authors related to technical and cost-solving problems using techniques: conventional (41.7%), metaheuristic (33.3%), hybrid (22.6%), and other (2.4%). Several researchers have also considered various uncertainty parameters from EV, FCS demand, and distributed generation (DG) power output with the most popular probabilistic method to solve problems. Furthermore, the role of stakeholders and network classification is also reviewed in this article. Our study contributes to the field by providing a comprehensive overview of the most significant journals and highlighting future research on the optimal placement of FCS. Future work must focus on improving parameters, models, methods, and using real data from various factors related to FCS demand.

Impacts of the sea-rail intermodal transport policy on carbon emission reduction: The China case study

China introduced the Intermodal Transport Demonstration Project Policy in 2015, spurring the rapid expansion of sea-rail intermodal transport (SRT) at coastal ports. This policy is of crucial importance as SRT is pivotal in supporting the transport sector's achievement of the “double carbon target”. Despite strong policy backing and notable growth of SRT, the impact of these SRT demonstration projects on curbing transport carbon emissions has not been comprehensively evaluated. This study addresses this gap by using panel data from hub seaports across nine provinces and applying a multi-period-continuous difference-in-differences model. The research quantifies SRT's contribution to reducing transport carbon emission reductions as a result of the policy. Key findings indicate: (1) Each 10,000 TEU increase in containerized SRT volume results in a 0.162% reduction in transport carbon emissions, with projected growth by 2025 leading to a 9.02% decrease in emissions. (2) SRT lowers transport energy consumption and carbon emission intensity, fostering a green transformation in energy use. (3) Geographical analysis indicates that policy implementation in the southern region requires further strengthening. This study enhances empirical understanding of low-carbon SRT development in hub ports, emphasizing its critical role in China's transition to decarbonized transport. It also highlights the importance of regional policy effectiveness, offering valuable insights for policymakers striving to promote sustainable transport modes.

Workforce development in the transport sector amidst environmental change: A conceptual review

This study embarks on an exploratory journey to elucidate the complex interplay between workforce development and environmental sustainability within the transport sector. It underscores the critical importance of nurturing a skilled workforce capable of propelling the sector towards sustainable practices, thereby addressing pressing environmental challenges. To achieve a comprehensive understanding, this review synthesizes a wide array of data sources, adopting a strategic framework for literature search and analysis. The methodology hinges on stringent criteria for literature selection, ensuring the relevance and quality of the information reviewed. Central to the study is the development of a theoretical framework that situates workforce development within the paradigm of sustainable transport. This includes an examination of the architectural underpinnings of sustainable transport systems, the potential for modal shifts to lessen environmental impacts, and the pivotal role of technological and methodological advancements. Moreover, the review highlights innovative practices in workforce training and development that are crucial for meeting future demands. The in-depth analysis sheds light on the multifaceted impacts of workforce development initiatives on achieving sustainable transport objectives, emphasizing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. It identifies existing gaps in workforce competencies and outlines strategies for skill enhancement. Additionally, the study emphasizes the indispensable role of policy, standards, and stakeholder collaboration in fostering sustainable transport. Conclusively, the study presents strategic recommendations for policymakers, educators, and industry leaders, charting a course for a resilient and sustainable transport workforce. It posits that an integrative approach, marrying workforce development with environmental sustainability, is essential for navigating the future challenges and opportunities within the transport sector.

Inverse modelling approach to assess air pollutant emission trends, and source contributions in highly polluted cities

Pollutant concentrations are regularly measured in many cities, but emission loads often remain unknown and are irregularly estimated. This paper presents a methodology to estimate total emissions in a highly polluted megacity using an inverse modeling approach. An inverted Fixed Box Model (FBM) has been used with pollutant concentrations and meteorological variables to estimate emissions of pollutants by discounting the meteorological variability from the measured concentrations. Model-predicted emissions are validated with existing inventories and then used to assess annual, monthly, and diurnal trends in emissions. The applicability of the model is demonstrated for Delhi. Trend analysis shows that pollutants are emitted in a unique pattern that also differs over time periods of consideration. Yearly trends in Delhi show that PM10, NOX, and SO2 emissions have increased by 33%, 4%, and 16%, respectively, during 2008–2018. However, due to controls, the emission intensities have been found to stabilize for PM10 and decrease for NOX and SO2 pollutants in Delhi. Monthly trends indicate that summer months have higher emission rates owing to intensive energy demands (in automobiles, power plants), dust storms, and increased re-suspension of dust due to higher wind speeds. However, due to dispersive meteorology, ambient concentrations are lower in summers. The inverse modeling shows that PM10 emissions are dominated by dust sources (73%), while PM2.5 has the largest contribution from transport sector emissions (34%). NOX and SO2 emissions in the city are contributed heavily by the transport (84%) and industrial (92%) sectors, respectively. The model helps in understanding temporal emission trends and source contributions, which can be useful to implement effective control measures and track the progress of control.

The Blockchain Technology Applications and its Impact on Governance Performance: A Field Study on the Transportation Sector in Palestine

Objectives: Blockchain technology (BCT) is an advance technical solution incorporating many technologies, with the capacity to overcome governance's limitations. As a consequence, our study aims to analyzing how BCT applications affect governance performance (GP), testing the mediating role of operational efficiency (OE) in the ministry of transport in Palestine (MTP). This study was conducted during the period from 2022 to 2024. Methods: A paper applied research design (Survey), and a study unit consisting of 90 participants at MTP was used out of the target population (110). In contrast, simple random and stratified sampling techniques were applied for the determination of the research sample. Data collected via questionnaires and the study's hypotheses were evaluated using PLS-SEM. Results:. The main results showed that BCT and their impact on GP from the perspective of employees were high. Until the period of the research, Palestine lacked a clear strategy and policy for the usage of BCT. There was an impact of BCT dimensions on GP at the level of significance. OE has a fully mediating role in the effect of decentralization & traceability and a partial mediating role in the effect of transparency on GP. Conclusions: The paper advises MTP management to start a sound BCT and invest in it concurrently in order to materialize OE and achieve GP efficiency. Future studies can apply the study model to other sectors to verify the reliability of the model.

Методика оценки экологического эффекта от применения биотоплив

Purpose: the fight for ecology in the transport sector is ensured by improving the design of vehicles and engines, the working processes of internal combustion engines, as well as the use of alternative fuels. To determine the rational use of biofuels in vehicles, it is necessary to assess the environmental effect that will be achieved when using them. Methods: the existing methods of estimating exhaust gas emissions from motor vehicles are considered. Based on them, improvements have been made, which include the introduction of additional coefficients that take into account changes in the environmental load depending on the percentage of biofuels mixed with traditional hydrocarbon fuels. Results: the calculation of the environmental effect from the use of biofuels was carried out using the example of adding biodiesel to petroleum diesel fuel, for which, based on statistical data from the US Environmental Protection Agency and data, WE established dependences of changes in annual emissions of harmful substances and carbon dioxide for a heavy-duty cargo vehicle. In addition to the calculation, the article presents graphs of emissions of harmful substances, taking into account their relative aggressiveness and the amount of carbon dioxide released during the combustion of biodiesel mixtures. Practical significance: The proposed method for calculating the environmental effect makes it possible to estimate the volume of emissions of harmful substances and carbon dioxide depending on the concentration of biofuels mixed with traditional fuels. Such an approach can provide an overall picture of the effect of using biodiesel, and at the same time, the coefficients used need to be clarified.

Comparative Experimental Study on Monofacial and Bifacial Photovoltaic Noise Barriers

Solar energy utilization in the transportation sector is important for reducing fossil fuel consumption and achieving the grant goal of carbon neutrality. The photovoltaic noise barriers (PVNB) are recognized as a potential alternative for electric vehicle charging. This study aims to evaluate the power generation capabilities of both monofacial photovoltaic noise barriers (mono‐PVNB) and bifacial photovoltaic noise barriers (bi‐PVNB) when applied along roads with different directions and shading conditions. Results show that the daily yields of bi‐PVNB facing west, southwest, south, and southeast are 754, 819, 1101, and 894 Wh, respectively. In contrast, the daily yields of mono‐PVNB are 459, 711, 968, and 764 Wh. The bifacial gains are, respectively, 64, 15, 14, and 17%. The influence of partial shading on PV power generation is tested, and sharp decrease is observed when horizontal shading reaches 20% and vertical shading reaches 40%. In summary, the bi‐PVNB shows satisfactory power generation ability with different orientation and shading conditions. Under Shenzhen climate, the annual power generation of bi‐PVNB along east–west, north–south, southeast–northwest, and southwest–northeast direction roads are predicted to be 304, 325, 342, and 335 MWh per kilometer.

The Impact of Public Transportation on the Transport Sector in the Age of Climate Change

The Impact of Public Transportation on the Transport Sector in the Age of Climate Change

ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF RAILWAYS TO REDUCE CO2 EMISSIONS: A COINTEGRATION STUDY OF ESTONIA'S TRANSPORT SECTOR

This The transportation sector is a major contributor to CO2 emissions, playing a significant role in exacerbating climate change. Railways, known for their greater energy efficiency compared to other modes of transport, present a viable solution for mitigating emissions, particularly in countries like Estonia. In 2014, transport-related CO2 emissions in Estonia were recorded at 12.7%, marking an overall upward trend since 1995, despite experiencing some fluctuations over the years. This study aims to explore the long-term equilibrium relationship between CO2 emissions from transport and railway passenger kilometers in Estonia through the application of cointegration analysis. Utilizing Engle-Granger and Phillips-Ouliaris cointegration tests, the analysis reveals a stable, long-term equilibrium relationship between the two variables. The findings suggest that an increase in railway passenger kilometers could potentially lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions from transport. These results underscore the importance of enhancing railway infrastructure and usage as a strategic measure to curb transportation-related emissions and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Hydrogen Refueling Stations: A Review of the Technology Involved from Key Energy Consumption Processes to Related Energy Management Strategies

Over the last few years, hydrogen has emerged as a promising solution for problems related to energy sources and pollution concerns. The integration of hydrogen in the transport sector is one of the possible various applications and involves the implementation of hydrogen refueling stations (HRSs). A key obstacle for HRS deployment, in addition to the need for well-developed technologies, is the economic factor since these infrastructures require high capital investments costs and are largely dependent on annual operating costs. In this study, we review hydrogen’s application as a fuel, summarizing the principal systems involved in HRS, from production to the final refueling stage. In addition, we also analyze the main equipment involved in the production, compression and storage processes of hydrogen. The current work also highlights the main refueling processes that impact energy consumption and the methodologies presented in the literature for energy management strategies in HRSs. With the aim of reducing energy costs due to processes that require high energy consumption, most energy management strategies are based on the use of renewable energy sources, in addition to the use of the power grid.

Assessing Supply-Side Determinants of Passenger Satisfaction in Long-Distance Expressway Bus Services in Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Southern Expressway

The transportation sector plays a vital role in fostering economic growth, societal connectivity, and individual mobility. Long-distance bus services have emerged as a prominent mode of transportation, offering an efficient and cost-effective means of travel for both urban and intercity commuters. This study aims to comprehensively assess and elucidate the supply-side determinants that significantly impact passenger satisfaction with long-distance expressway bus service in Sri Lanka. To ensure the collection of detailed and relevant insights from frequent users of the Southern Expressway's long-distance bus services, a purposive sampling technique was employed. Data collection was guided by variables identified in the literature review, and exploratory factor analysis was used to analyse the sample data. The study identified six salient supply-side factors affecting passenger satisfaction: service quality, comfort, accessibility and convenience, safety and security, cost, and customer service. These factors explained 74% of the total variance, with service quality being the most influential, accounting for 18% of the total variance. The findings recommend upgrading the bus fleet, maintaining cleanliness, optimizing scheduling, enhancing reservation systems, implementing staff training, improving safety measures, ensuring fair pricing, enhancing customer service, raising passenger awareness, and encouraging innovation to improve expressway bus services, attract more passengers, and build a reliable public transport system.

BEHIND THE WHEEL: UNDERSTANDING THE RISKS FOR TRUCK DRIVERS IN THE ERA OF THE INTERNET OF THINGS AND ADVANCEMENTS IN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Freight transportation is a crucial part of the global economy, but it encounters several complex challenges, with truck drivers at the centre of these issues. These professionals, responsible for transporting goods over long distances, often work in challenging conditions, exposing them to a range of risks, including physical, psychological, and chemical hazards. These risks make the profession less appealing to younger drivers, leading to an ageing workforce and worsening the driver shortage crisis in the road transport sector. This article aims to identify the various risks faced by truck drivers and examine their negative impacts on several critical aspects, including company image, service quality, financial implications, and road safety. Additionally, the article explores the transformative impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) and autonomous vehicles (AV) on the truck driving profession.

Strategy Implementation in Conflict Management to Prevent Violence in Transportation Education Institutions

Education is a fundamental basis for building national civilization. Educational institutions in the transportation sector continue to transform to enhance the quality of education. In connection with the violence in the educational environment, it is vital to carry out this study to provide an overview for the community, teaching, and education staff, and educational policymakers, especially in the transportation sector. The study was carried out using a method in the form of a literature study also called a literature review. The results of this study include: 1) Conflicts in educational institutions usually occur between individuals, groups, or between parts of the environment; 2) Conflict management in educational institutions can be conducted by mediating promptly to prevent conflicts from escalating.; and 3) Implementation of conflict management strategies can be done by creating professional code of ethics learning policies and routine activities to increase team collaboration outdoors (outbound).