Yueh‐Heng Li, Yung‐Sheng Lien, Yei‐Chin Chao et al.

Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications • 2008

Abstract Combustion‐driven thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems have obtained increasing attention in recent decades, but most studies have focused on developing narrowband photovoltaic cells and selective emitters. In terms of the heat source, conventional combustion configurations and light gaseous fuels are extensively utilized in macro‐ or meso‐scale TPV power systems to simplify thermal management and mechanical fabrication. As far as miniaturization is concerned, however, fuelling these systems with liquid hydrocarbons would provide inherent advantages of high energy density and low volatility. Liquid fuels also promise easy and safe fuel recharging for small‐scale power systems. In this paper, a central porous‐medium combustor was employed in a small scale TPV power system. The combustor incorporated an emitting chamber wall and a heat recuperator. The radiant efficiency and overall efficiency were compared using different liquid hydrocarbon fuels in the system. The electric output characteristics of the combustion driven TPV system have been investigated to demonstrate the feasibility of a GaSb cell‐based TPV power system and to provide design guidance for mesoscale liquid‐burning TPV systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

C. D. Klingshirn, M. DeWitt, R. Striebich et al.

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power • 2012

Due to potential beneficial environmental impacts and increased supply availability, alternative fuels derived from renewable resources are evolving on the forefront as unconventional substitutes for fossil fuel. Focus is being given to the evaluation and certification of Hydroprocessed Renewable Jet (HRJ), a fuel produced from animal fat and/or plant oils (triglycerides) by hydroprocessing, as the next potential synthetic aviation fuel. Extensive efforts have recently been performed at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) to evaluate the potential of two HRJ fuels produced from camelina and tallow feedstocks. These have included characterization of the fuel chemical, physical fuel characteristics and Fit-for-Purpose properties (FFP). The present effort describes general combustion performance and the emission propensity of a T63-A-700 Allison turbine engine operated on the HRJs and 50/50 (by volume) HRJ/JP-8 fuel blends relative to a specification JP-8. In addition, engine and emission testing with a blend of the tallow-derived HRJ and 16% bio-derived aromatic components was completed. Fundamental engine performance characterization allows for determination of the suitability of potential synthetic fuels while quantitation of gaseous and particulate matter emissions provides an assessment of the potential environmental impact compared to current petroleum-derived fuels. In addition, an extended 150 h endurance test was performed using a 50/50 blend of tallow-derived HRJ with JP-8 to evaluate the long-term operation of the engine with the synthetic fuel blend. This paper discusses the laboratory testing performed to characterize HRJs and results from the basic engine operability and emissions studies of the alternative fuel blends.

Kenneth R. Ferguson, Richard H. Stechmann

Journal of Petroleum Technology • 1980

This paper describes a program carried out to find the most cost-effective method of increasing the combustion efficiency of direct-gas-fired heater treaters. A mobile combustion analysis system was used to pinpoint areas of heat loss in production treaters. Data were used to define an efficiency improvement program that ultimately cut fuel consumption in the test field by 67%. Introduction The ever-increasing shortage of fossil fuels in the world today recently began to show its effects in the production of oil and gas. In most cases, the heat production of oil and gas. In most cases, the heat required to break a produced emulsion into separate oil and water phases is provided by a heater treater. The traditional source of fuel for heater treaters is the produced gas from the emulsion being separated. Until recently, lease gas has been plentiful, and very little, if any, attention has been paid to producing or maintaining a heater treater that burns gas in an efficient manner. The recent increase in commercial gas prices combined with a decline in gas/oil ratios in older fields and enhanced recovery operations suddenly finds many production personnel highly concerned about the efficient use of fuel gas. This paper describes a series of combustion-efficiency paper describes a series of combustion-efficiency improvement tests conducted on treaters in Gulf Oil Corp's Baxterville field in southern Mississippi. The study was defined to investigate the overall performance of heater treaters in terms of design, performance of heater treaters in terms of design, manufacturing, theoretical performance, and actual field operating characteristics. The information permits an evaluation of actual unit efficiency and permits an evaluation of actual unit efficiency and pinpoints areas of maximum energy waste and pinpoints areas of maximum energy waste and possible methods of increasing efficiency. possible methods of increasing efficiency. Preliminary Efficiency Study Preliminary Efficiency Study Program Description Program Description The heater treater study was defined by a six-step project outlined as follows: (1) obtain information project outlined as follows:obtain information from the treater industry on present design and manufacturing processes, as well as any research or design changes aimed at energy conservation,conduct a field examination of existing treaters to obtain information on actual operating characteristics,analyze the results of the field study to determine efficiency and pinpoint areas of maximum heat loss,scrutinize the industry-proposed unit modifications from Step 1 in terms of the field data to determine which alterations would produce the largest efficiency increase,retrofit field units with selected equipment and related process-monitoring instruments to permit a determination of the efficiency improvement that could be expected from any given change in treater configuration, andif the results of experimental retrofitting so dictated, modify all field units with similar equipment. Information Search Seven major heater treater manufacturers were contacted to gather state-of-the-art information on treater design, construction, and operation. It commonly was acknowledged that the basic gas-fired heater treater, as sold, is an inherently inefficient device because there has been no demand for a more fuel-efficient device. Considering the abundance of cheap gas in the past, and the highly cost-competitive nature of the treater industry, it was deemed senseless by manufacturers to incur higher costs by incorporating energy conservation measures in a market where they were not considered necessary. JPT P. 971

Justine Mink, Jhonathan Rojas, Kelly Rader et al.

physica status solidi (a) • 2013

We show that contact engineering plays an important role to extract the maximum performance from energy harvesters like microbial fuel cells (MFCs). We experimented with Schottky and Ohmic methods of fabricating contact areas on silicon in an MFC contact material study. We utilized the industry standard contact material, aluminum, as well as a metal, whose silicide has recently been recognized for its improved performance in smallest scale integration requirements, cobalt. Our study shows that improvements in contact engineering are not only important for device engineering but also for microsystems.

Sepehr Sanaye, Salahadin Hosseini

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part A: Journal of Power and Energy • 2019

A novel procedure for finding the optimum values of design parameters of industrial twin-shaft gas turbines at various ambient temperatures is presented here. This paper focuses on being off design due to various ambient temperatures. The gas turbine modeling is performed by applying compressor and turbine characteristic maps and using thermodynamic matching method. The gas turbine power output is selected as an objective function in optimization procedure with genetic algorithm. Design parameters are compressor inlet guide vane angle, turbine exit temperature, and power turbine inlet nozzle guide vane angle. The novel constrains in optimization are compressor surge margin and turbine blade life cycle. A trained neural network is used for life cycle estimation of high pressure (gas generator) turbine blades. Results for optimum values for nozzle guide vane/inlet guide vane (23°/27°–27°/6°) in ambient temperature range of 25–45 ℃ provided higher net power output (3–4.3%) and more secured compressor surge margin in comparison with that for gas turbines control by turbine exit temperature. Gas turbines thermal efficiency also increased from 0.09 to 0.34% (while the gas generator turbine first rotor blade creep life cycle was kept almost constant about 40,000 h). Meanwhile, the averaged values for turbine exit temperature/turbine inlet temperature changed from 831.2/1475 to 823/1471°K, respectively, which shows about 1% decrease in turbine exit temperature and 0.3% decrease in turbine inlet temperature.

Noura .R. Maznouk, Ghiath . A . Almaarate, Moneer . Alshalmany

المجلة الليبية العالمية • 2022

In this research, we formed a solar cell system which consists of three solar panels inclined off the horizon at a 300 angle, and the eastern and western panels inclined at a 450 angle, then these panels were connected to a computer via a connection card that converts analog signals (resulting from cell panels) to digital signals that are collected in excel files. The variations of the current, resulting from the panels, are measured according to the whole year. The collected data are taken, then the results are compiled starting from January 2020 to December 2020 based on the studies we conducted, July was determined as the best month of the year in terms of the efficiency of the solar cells. In addition, this work confirms that the studied region in particular and Libya in general represents a good incubator for renewable energies research, especially solar energy, and a promising and encouraging future in these fields.

G. Prem Kumar Reddy, Bhukya Mangu

International Journal of Power Electronics and Drive Systems (IJPEDS) • 2024

This paper aims to explore synthesis methods of three-phase multi- level current waveforms by utilizing a configuration of n parallel operating three-phase, three-level current-fed inverters (CFIs). It points out an issue where differences in the DC-link current between inverters cause a distorted space vector diagram and decreased switching state redundancy, this leads to generation of low frequency harmonics in the output current and increased total harmonic distortion (THD). The research suggests a method that chooses the best switching state vectors by considering their closeness to a reference current space vector. This approach aims to decrease switching losses and low-frequency harmonic content. This method improves the quality of the waveform and the efficiency of the inverter by closely matching the switching operations with the intended current path. An analytical model is created to investigate how changes in DC-link current impact inverter performance. Simulations and actual tests confirm the ef-ficacy of the proposed strategy in enhancing total harmonic distortion (THD) and waveform accuracy. The results provide valuable information on improving multilevel inverter designs to enhance power quality and operational efficiency, indicating potential areas for further research in power electronics.

Faika Hassanein, Zeinab M. Awwad, Hussin Abdel-Salam et al.

Research Square • 2022

Abstract Swimmers’ personal hygiene affects the spread of microbes in swimming pools. The present study aimed to determine the incidence of microbial infections among young Egyptian swimmers and its impact on biochemical parameters, and swimming performance. From January 2020 to June 2021, 528 public club swimmers were examined cross-sectionally. Swimmers were divided into two groups according their scores in the competition (group1 with high score and group 2 with low score). Stool samples, biochemical parameters and complete blood picture were assessed. Biological measures were evaluated directly after swimming. Microbial infections were 54% for intestinal parasitosis, 2.8% for H. pylori . Blastocystis spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. infected 24.1% and 23.3% of swimmers, respectively. Infection rates among swimmers’ groups varied according to gender, age, swimming duration and frequency. Infected swimmers with cryptosporidiosis had higher ALT, WBCs, and differential cells but lower AST levels. The results revealed high prevalence of Blastocystis spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and microsporidia. Swimming habits, frequency, and duration influenced the infectious status that induced anemia, abnormal blood pressure and heart rate. Giardiasis, showed reduction in the biochemical markers including ferritin, lactoferrin, iron and transferrin among group2 as compared to group1. Thus, raising swimmers’ hygiene awareness and targeting health education is obliged.

, Koustubh Danekar

• 2011

I developed a high power blue laser for use in scientific and technical applications (eg. precision spectroscopy, semiconductor inspection, flow cytometry, etc). It is linearly polarized, single longitudinal and single transverse mode, and a convenient fiber coupled continuous wave (cw) laser source. My technique employs external cavity frequency doubling and provides better power and beam quality than commercially available blue diode lasers. I use a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) stabilized infrared (IR) semiconductor laser source with a polarization maintaining (PM) fiber coupled output. Using a custom made optical and mechanical design this output is coupled with a mode matching efficiency of 96% into the doubling cavity. With this carefully designed and optimized cavity, measurements were carried out at various fundamental input powers. A net efficie ncy of 81 % with an output power of 680 mW at 486 nm was obtained using 840 mW of IR input. Also I report an 87.5 % net efficiency in coupling of blue light from servo locked cavity into a single mode PM fiber. Thus I have demonstrated a total fiber to fiber efficiency of 71% can be achieved in our approach using periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP). To obtain these results, all losses in the system were carefully studied and minimized.

Corydon D. Hilton, Daniel M. Peairs, John J. Lesko et al.

Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology • 2011

The U.S. Army has investigated a variety of multifunctional designs in order to achieve system level mass and/or volume savings. One of the multifunctional devices developed is the multifunctional fuel cell (MFC)—a fuel cell which simultaneously provides a system with structural support and power generation. However, there are no established methods for measuring how well a particular design performs or its multifunctional advantage. The current paper presents a metric by which multifunctional fuel cell designs can be characterized. The mechanical aspect of the metric is based on the specific bending stiffness of the structural cell and is developed using Frostig’s high-order theory. The electrical component of the metric is based on the specific power density achieved by the structural cell. The structural systems considered here display multifunctional efficiencies ranging from 22% to 69%. The higher efficiency was obtained by optimizing the contact pressure at the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a model cell design. The efficiencies obtained suggest the need for improved multifunctional designs in order to reach system level mass savings.

Ying Han, Weifeng Meng, Luoyi Li et al.

IET Renewable Power Generation • 2024

ABSTRACT With the global energy shortage and excessive carbon emissions, hydrogen energy has received significant attention as a key component of a carbon‐neutral future, with fuel cells serving as a key component for hydrogen‐to‐power conversion. In high‐powered applications like rail transportation and buildings, the multi‐stack fuel cell system (MFCS) offers superior performance compared to a single‐stack fuel cells system, providing advantages such as higher efficiency, stronger robustness, and longer lifetime. However, the efficiency, lifetime, and economy of MFCS are limited by the power distribution and performance of single‐stack fuel cell, and the strong coupling between the performance of single‐stack fuel cells and their actual power and voltage in real‐time operation makes the energy management method of MFCS extremely complicated. The traditional strategies struggle to balance the various indexes in the MFCS and are limited in optimising individual indexes. To tackle this issue, this paper proposes a dynamic evaluation‐based real‐time coordinated control method for MFCS considering lifetime consistency. First, to comprehensively consider various indexes of the MFCS, a dynamic evaluation matrix (DEM) of the MFCS is established. The DEM consists of two essential components: the first is the dynamic performance evaluation matrix (DPEM), which thoroughly considers the impact of the performance variations in each single‐stack fuel cell on the MFCS; and the other is the evaluation matrix pertaining to the efficiency, lifetime, and economy of the MFCS, which builds upon the DPEM and fully balances the mutual influences among the indexes. Then the objective function is established according to the DEM, and the GSSA algorithm is used for real‐time optimisation. To demonstrate its effectiveness and advantages, the proposed method is applied in a hardware‐in‐the‐loop (HIL) simulation system based on RT‐LAB. The findings demonstrate that the proposed method facilitates comprehensiveoptimisation of the MFCS across efficiency, lifespan, and economic considerations. Furthermore, it realises the uniform lifetimes of each PEMFC and enhances the overall utilisation of the MFCS.

Sa’ed A. Musmar, Ammar A. Al-Rousan, Musa AlAjlouni et al.

Journal of Energy Resources Technology • 2020

Abstract Oxyhydrogen gas (Brown gas (HHO)) can be an innovative venue for cleaner energy in the auto industry. The effect of potassium hydroxide (KOH) concentration in an electrolyte solution of HHO fuel cell on GK200 Honda single-cylinder engine performance parameters and emissions has been investigated. A 1 L/min blend of HHO is fed to the engine as a secondary fuel and a constant electrical load, and variable engine speed (1300–2300) tests were carried out to quantify the foremost concentration of KOH in the fuel cell electrolyte that has a constructive impact on both engine performance parameters and emissions. Several concentrations of KOH were considered (1 g/l, 1.5 g/l, 2 g/l, 5 g/l, and 6.5 g/l). Results reveal that all KOH concentrations considered have a positive impact on engine performance parameters and the best concentration range for KOH in distilled water is within the range 1–2 g/l. The average percentage enhancement in engine brake power was 22.3% and 20.5% reduction in specific fuel consumption whereas the average reduction in carbon oxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were almost 80% and 50% reduction in NOx and HC emissions. Most of the literature concerned with HHO as a fuel blend set 5 g/l KOH concentration for fuel cell electrolyte whereas the results of this research reveal that lower concentrations within the range of 1–2 g/l reduce the energy consumed by the fuel cell in addition to higher impact on the engine performance parameters and enhance the overall system efficiency.

Shadad Md Khayer, Thaneswer Patel, Britan Rahman et al.

Archives of Current Research International • 2024

Aims: Weeding operation is one of the most laborious and time-consuming operation in agriculture. Weeds basically an unwanted plant which competes with crop for light, moisture, and nutrient along with lowering the overall yield. Mechanical weed control methods are preferred among all weeding methods due to many reasons such as timeliness, safety, drudgery and cost effective.
 Study Area and Duration: The experiment was conducted in the farmer’s field of Abhayapuri, Bongaigaon, Assam in the year 2021 to 2023.
 Methodology: This study employed a 5.75 hp self-propelled diesel engine with three blade sets—rotary, non-rotary, and a combination of both, designed for weeding in vegetable fields with row spacing up to 75 cm. One-way ANOVA analysis compared group means for statistical significance.
 Results: Results showed that the field efficiency (90%), fuel consumption (7.7 l/ha), cost of operation (Rs 1217.7 per ha) and plant damage factor (0.01%) was better for rotary blade than non-rotary and combined blade. Whereas effective field capacity (0.07 ha/h), performance index (155.7) and man-hour/ha (14.3) was better for non-rotary blade and the parameters such as depth (4.4 cm) and weeding efficiency (94.2%) was better for combined blade mechanism. From the one-way ANOVA analysis, it showed that blade mechanism showed significant difference on parameters like weeding efficiency, field efficiency, fuel consumption, effective field capacity, cost of operation, man-h/ha and performance index at p<0.05 and non-significant for depth and plant damage factor at P<0.05.
 Conclusion: Study concluded that for intra-row weeding operation, rotary blade along with non-rotary blade was suitable economically whereas combined blade was suitable for weeding performance only besides high cost.

KATSUTOSHI ONO

Electrical Engineering in Japan • 2015

SUMMARY Toward achieving a breakthrough in self‐sustaining electric power generation systems consisting of a hydrogen energy cycle, we demonstrate an electrostatic induction potential superposed hydrogen electrolyzer to produce stoichiometric H ‐O fuel for fuel cells. This electrolytic system operates by a mechanism in which the total power requirement is given by the product of the electrolytic current and the additional voltage over the decomposition voltage. In order to achieve the highest energy efficiency for the fuel cell and full sustainability for the fuel, a combined cycle of an H ‐O fuel cell and this type of electrolyzer is introduced. Part of the power delivered by the fuel cell is returned to the electrolyzer, and the remainder represents the net power output. According to theoretical calculations, the net power output exceeds 70% of that delivered by the H ‐O fuel cell, without violating the laws of thermodynamics.

Aaron Bain, Burton Gibson, Brenique Lightbourne et al.

Research Square • 2025

Abstract Background Eutrophication is a major threat to freshwater ecosystems, leading to harmful algal blooms, biodiversity loss, and hypoxia. Excessive nutrient loading, primarily from nitrates and phosphates, is driven by fertilizer runoff, sewage discharge, and agricultural practices. Sediment microbial fuel cells (sMFCs) have emerged as a potential bioremediation strategy for nutrient removal while generating electricity. Although various studies have explored ways to enhance sMFC performance, limited research has examined the relationship between external resistance, electricity generation, and nutrient removal efficiency. Results This study demonstrated effective nitrogen and phosphorus removal from overlying water, achieving removal efficiencies of 69% and 61%, respectively. The impact of external resistances (510 Ω and 1200 Ω) on sMFC performance was evaluated, with the 1200 Ω configuration generating a maximum voltage of 715 mV. Conclusion The findings indicate that sMFCs can serve as a dual-purpose technology for nutrient removal and electricity generation. The power output may be sufficient to support small, eco-friendly biosensing devices in remote aquatic environments while mitigating eutrophication.

Hoon Cho, Dohoy Jung, Zoran S. Filipi et al.

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power • 2006

The engine cooling system for a typical class 3 pickup truck with a medium duty diesel engine was modeled with a commercial code, GT-Cool, in order to explore the benefit of a controllable electric pump on the cooling performance and the pump operation. As the first step, the cooling system model with a conventional mechanical coolant pump was validated with experimental data. After the model validation, the mechanical pump submodel was replaced with the electric pump submodel, and then the potential benefit of the electric pump on fuel economy was investigated with the simulation. Based on coolant flow analysis, a modified thermostat hysteresis was proposed to reduce the recirculating flow and the electric pump effort. It was also demonstrated that the radiator size could be reduced without any cooling performance penalty by replacing the mechanical pump with the electric pump. The predicted results indicate that the cooling system with the electric pump can dramatically reduce the pump power consumption during the FTP 74 driving schedule and that the radiator can be downsized by more than 27% of the original size, under the grade load condition.

Ragesh K. T., S. V. Jogdand, V. M. Victor

Current Agriculture Research Journal • 2018

Weeds are the main significant constraints in paddy production. Weed eradication by using herbicides and weedicides pronounced simple and fast method but is restricted due to its adverse effects on both environment as well as human beings. To overcome these limitations, mechanical weeding can be selected as appropriate weed control measure.Based on this, a modified power weeder was tested for weed control in upland paddy at 20 and 45 days after sowing (DAS) andthe performance was compared with traditional hand weeding and manual operated mechanical weeder (Ambika paddy weeder). The modified power weeder show well prominence in weeding for upland paddy at 20 and 45 DAS and fuel efficient (0.63 to 073 l/h).The power weeder was found at par with the Ambika paddy weeder with a weeding efficiencyof 74.22 % and 86% at 20 and 45 DAS respectively. There was no significant variation in field efficiency for Ambika paddy weeder at 20 & 45 DAS, but the highest field efficiency was shown by paddy power weeder as 70% for 45 DAS.The energy consumption was more in paddy power weeder than Ambikapaddy weeder as 493.64 and 452.40 MJ/ha at20 and 45DAS respectively. The cost of operation per hectare with power weeder amounted to ₹928/-and₹850/-against Ambika paddy weeder as₹2,617/- and₹2,346/- for 20 and 45 DAS respectively. The machine also depicted the energy-cost as 1.88 and 1.87 at 20 and 45 DAS respectively. Whereas the hand weeding showed the highest values in weeding efficiency and field efficiency at 20 and 45 DAS as it was an ideal method of weed control exceptforthe cost of operation.

Asha Chauhan, A K Shrivastav, Anjali Oudhia

Journal of Environmental Impact and Management Policy • 2022

The perovskite-based photovoltaic cells are the best way to convert photon radiation into electrical energy. The fundamental focus of this work is to stimulate and boost the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of an alloy-based CsPb0.75Sn0.25IBr2 perovskite solar cell. The simulation was run on SCAPS-1D cell simulator software (ver. 3.3.09). In this current work, a perovskite CsPb0.75Sn0.25IBr2 with the suitable composition of ions coupled with Tin-based electron transport layers (ETLs)-SnO2 and Mg:SnO2. The thickness and defect density of absorber layer-CsPb0.75Sn0.25IBr2 has been optimized. The impact of the thickness variation of ETL-SnO2 and Mg:SnO2 on device performances was also studied. The effect of working temperature, rate of charge carrier generation, and recombination on photovoltaic outputs like open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Jsc), fill factor (FF), and PCE has been studied and analyzed. The simulated cell achieved an efficiency of 13.82% under optimum conditions. The optimized efficiency was comparatively higher than the experimental efficiency of 11.85%. This study demonstrates the role of optimization of various properties of different layers of solar cells.

M. Pfafferodt, P. Heidebrecht, K. Sundmacher

Fuel Cells • 2010

Abstract A model of a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) stack including internal steam reforming is presented. It comprises a symmetric section of the stack, consisting of one half indirect internal reforming unit (IIR) and four fuel cells. The model describes the gas phase compositions, the gas and solid temperatures and the current density distribution within the highly integrated system. The model assumptions, the differential equations and boundary conditions as well as the coupling equations used in the model are shown. The strategy to solve the system of partial differential equations is outlined. The simulation results show that the fuel cells within the stack operate at different temperatures. This is expected to have an impact on the voltages as well as the degradation rates within the individual fuel cells.

Václav Hanušík, Zdena Kusovská, Geert Volckaert et al.

Volume 2: Mgmt. Low/Interm. Level Waste; Spent Fuel; Economics/Analyses for Waste Mgmt.; Radiological Characterization/Application Release Criteria; Panel Sessions; Solid Waste Reduction/Treatment; Current Activities in Central/Eastern Europe; Environmental Remediation Technology; LL/ILW; HLW/Spent Fuel; Chernobyl; D&D Waste; Performance Assessment; MOX and Spent UOX; D&D Nuclear Reactors; Decommissioning of Other Nuclear Facilities • 2001

Abstract The calculations for performance assessment of the Mochovce Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility in Slovakia were made by means of modified computer codes MODEMO, NUCDSLB and LAKE. During recent years computer codes DUST-MS, MODFLOW/MT3DMS and BS for source term, ground water flow and transport of radionuclides through ground water and biosphere respectively were implemented in the framework of the performance assessment iterative process. This paper describes results of comparison of the both approaches for source term and groundwater flow.

Zhikun Qin, Yan Yin, Fan Zhang et al.

SAE Technical Paper Series • 2025

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">In this paper, a hybrid model based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is proposed for predicting the degradation process of the fuel cell stack. The model integrates the interpretability of mechanism models with the strengths of data-driven approaches in capturing nonlinear dynamics. Voltage is selected as an indicator for predicting the performance degradation of the stack. By utilizing DRL, a dynamic weighting process is achieved, enhancing both the accuracy and robustness of the model. The model is validated by the IEEE 2014 dataset. The results show that the hybrid model achieves high accuracy with the R<sup>2</sup> value of 0.875 (30% of the data used as a training set). Moreover, when the training set is 7:3 compared to the test set, the accuracy of the hybrid model is 14.18% higher than that of the long short-term memory network (LSTM) model. The DRL model has the highest accuracy for different percentages of the training set in the total data set, which further verifies the universality of the hybrid model. In addition, feature selection using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method reduces the number of input features, reducing the number of input data types from 19 to 7. The most influential factor is voltage, followed by time, which is consistent with the laws of the mechanism model. The dependence of the model on large data sets is minimized without compromising accuracy. The DRL model demonstrates strong potential as a reliable tool for fuel cell degradation prediction, particularly in long-term forecasting applications that demand high accuracy and reduced cumulative error.</div></div>

Hanning Wang, Mingxiao Song, Mohammad Taghavi

International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies • 2023

Abstract In this article, a novel multi-generation plant is addressed and assessed from the energy, exergy, exergoenvironmental and exergoeconomic points of view. The multi-generation plant is composed of two main units: one unit for energy production and another unit for carbon capture and methanol synthesis. Biomass fuel, solar energy and seawater are the main nutrients in the plant. Steam, Brayton, organic Rankine and Kalina cycles have been employed to generate electricity. A linear Fresnel collector-driven solar farm is considered as an auxiliary heat source. In addition, an integrated desalination unit based on a multi-effect desalination unit, a microbial fuel cell and a reverse osmosis unit has been installed in the multi-generation plant. The proposed structure for the offered multi-generation plant is designed under a new configuration and layout that had not been reported in the publications. From the outcomes, the multi-generation plant can produce 69.6 MW of net electricity, 0.53 kg/s of methanol, 0.81 kg/s of oxygen gas, 73.8 kg/s of fresh water and ~0.015 kg/s of hydrogen gas. Under such performance, the offered multi-generation plant can be 51.72 and 27.5% efficient from the points of view of energy and exergy, respectively. Further, the total cost rate and environmental impact of the plant are ~3378 US$/h and 294.1 mPts/s, respectively. A comparative analysis is developed to exhibit the superiority of the planned multi-generation plant. A five-objective optimization is also developed to achieve the optimum design data and outcomes of the plant.

Beizhen Xie, Wenbo Dong, Bojie Liu et al.

Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology • 2013

Abstract BACKGROUND Developing an economical biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal technology with high efficiency has become a research priority in current sewage treatment procedures. In order to solve the problems within the anaerobic–anoxic–oxic ( A 2 /O) process, including substrates competition and high energy consumption, a microbial fuel cell ( MFC ) was embedded in the A 2 /O process to enhance the efficiencies of removal of nitrogen and phosphorus, along with electricity production . RESULTS Three A 2 /O reactors, one with an embedded MFC , were set up, and nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies and electricity generation were investigated. At the stage of stable operation, the chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal efficiencies of the MFC‐A 2 /O reactor, compared with the control, were increased by 15.9%, 9.3% and 1.4% on average, respectively. The average output power density of the MFC was 14.3 ± 1.4 mW m −3 and the internal resistance was 6000 Ω. Grey relational analysis was applied to study the most significant operational parameter of the A 2 /O process affecting electricity production of the MFC . CONCLUSIONS This research proved that nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency could be improved by embedding an MFC in the A 2 /O process. In addition, the MFC‐A 2 /O reactor can generate electricity continuously. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

Hiroshi YOKOYAMA, Hideyuki OHMORI, Mitsuyoshi ISHIDA et al.

Animal Science Journal • 2006

ABSTRACT Resource recycling and the proper treatment of animal waste to reduce its environmental impact are currently important issues for the livestock industry. A microbial fuel cell (MFC), a new type of bioreactor, is expected to play roles in both waste‐water purification and energy recovery. However, the generation of electricity from cow waste has not yet been examined. In this study, using an MFC, we examined the possibility of generating electricity from dairy‐cow waste slurry, and analyzed the properties of the treated slurry as liquid manure for resource recycling. The MFC treatment of the slurry generated electricity in a dose‐dependent manner, and the maximum power output by the MFC from a 1 g of chemical oxygen demand/L slurry was 0.34 mW/m 2 . After the MFC treatment, 84% of the biological oxygen demand in the slurry was removed and three essential fertilizer elements (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) were retained at 84, 70, and 91% levels, respectively. The amount of ammonia nitrogen in the slurry, as an element of fast‐release fertilizer, was increased by 1.9‐fold. Although the treated slurry displayed properties that made it preferable as liquid manure, further studies to improve the electrical power output by the MFC are required for practical use.

Y. Wang, B. Zu, R. Zhan et al.

Fuel Cells • 2020

Abstract In this study, a three‐dimensional model is developed to study a novel proton conducting solid oxide electrolysis cell (H‐SOEC) with porous current collector to alleviate the H 2 O‐starvation problem in oxygen electrode. The comparison between conventional straight‐channel structure and the new porous structure is conducted in detail. It is found that the porous current collector can increase the flow uniformity and facilitate the diffusion of H 2 O, which in turn improves the average performance of the H‐SOEC. The electrolysis efficiency can be increased by 6.4% compared to straight‐channel structure. It is also found that the thermal neutral voltage is decreased when the porous current collector is adopted. Besides, the evaluation of syngas production for CO 2 ‐supplied H‐SOEC is performed. Compared to H 2 production, the efficiency of syngas production can be increased by up to 13.5%.

Siddharth Gadkari, Jhuma Sadhukhan

Scientific Reports • 2020

Abstract We present a correlation for determining the power density of microbial fuel cells based on dimensional analysis. Important operational, design and biological parameters are non-dimensionalized using a selection of scaling variables. Experimental data from various microbial fuel cell studies operating over a wide range of system parameters are analyzed to attest accuracy of the model in predicting power output. The correlation predicts nonlinear dependencies between power density, substrate concentration, solution conductivity, external resistance, and electrode spacing. The straightforward applicability without the need for any significant computational resources, while preserving good level of accuracy; makes this correlation useful in focusing the experimental effort for the design and optimization of microbial fuel cells.

Jonghyeon Nam, Yoo Seok Lee, Junyeong An et al.

Energy Technology • 2015

Abstract We propose a method to determine the optimal electrode size of sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs). Four SMFCs presented a proportional increase in the current to the electrode size of the MFCs at day 16. From the I–V curves of the SMFCs, four plots of current versus electrode size ( I–E size plots) were obtained, which displayed high R 2 values ranging from 0.980 to 0.994. At day 47, however, V–I curves deviated in one of the four MFCs, such that the I–E size plots obtained from the I–V curves were inappropriate for estimating the electrode size. We found that the curves of overvoltage against the current density ( η–j curves) were comparable in the SMFCs, suggesting that the overvoltage is inversely proportional to the electrode size of the MFCs. The I–E size plots corrected by using the η–j curves had high R 2 values of over 0.978, indicating that the η–j curves can be used for estimating the electrode size when the working voltage to current density ratio is different in SMFCs.

Carlo Beatrice, Gabriele Di Blasio, Francesco Concetto Pesce et al.

SAE International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility • 2019

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Diesel will continue to be an indispensable energy carrier for the car fleet CO<sub>2</sub> emission targets in the short-term. This is particularly relevant for heavy-duty vehicles as for mid-size cars and SUVs. Looking at the latest technology achievements on the after-treatment systems, it can be stated that the concerning about the NOx emission gap between homologation test and real road use is basically solved, while the future challenge for diesel survival is to keep its competitiveness in the CO<sub>2</sub> vs cost equation in comparison to other propulsion systems.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The development of the combustion system design still represents an important leverage for further efficiency and emissions improvements while keeping the current excellent performance in terms of power density and low-end torque.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">The paper describes the results achieved in developing a new diesel combustion system for car application that, leveraging on the high flexibility of the latest fuel injection technology, combines outstanding power and fuel efficiency with low pollutant emissions in ultralight engine designed for lower maximum peak cylinder pressure. The study has been carried out on a 0.5l single-cylinder engine on which an advanced and last generation common rail system, capable of very high injection pressure, has been installed.</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">Through an extensive DoE-based test campaign in which all engine operating parameters have been carefully parametrized, the capability to achieve high power density and excellent fuel economy with low engine-out pollutant emissions has been demonstrated and discussed in the paper.</div></div>

Himanshu Gupta, Tanuj Jhankal, Bharat Bhushan Jain

International Journal of Technical Research & Science • 2021

The most powerful solution to current harmonics is a shunt active power filter (SAPF). Because of its simple implementation features, the Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF) concept has been commonly used in current harmonics extraction algorithms in its controller. The traditional SRF algorithm, on the other hand, has a significant time delay due to its heavy dependency on slow numerical filters. Furthermore, the algorithm is still thought to have unnecessary features that place an undue computational burden on the controller. Active control filters are commonly used in the power system to reduce harmonics induced by nonlinear loads. The Shunt Active Power Filter (SAPF) injects a suitable compensating current at a line point known as the point of common coupling (PCC) to cancel out the line's harmonics and restore the sinusoidal existence of voltage and current waveforms. As an active filter, a three-phase current-controlled voltage source inverter (VSI) with a DC connection capacitor across it is used. Shunt active power filter (SAPF) is the best solution that minimises the harmonic problems in power systems, but how fast and how effective it is. This paper describes a detailed study about the various types of power quality disturbances and their mitigation techniques and their comparative details.

D. M. Rankin, H. Whaley, P. J. Read et al.

Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power • 1989

The Canadian coal-water fuel technology development program has been in progress since 1980. This phase of the work is the final stage in the demonstration of practicability of burning coal-water fuel in a boiler designed to burn oil. Early tests in small coal-capable front-wall and tangentially fired utility boilers have shown that two of the major problems to be addressed are both burner related: atomizer durability and poor carbon conversion performance. The present paper describes tests that were conducted in a 20 MWe compact, oil-designed boiler. Five burners were modified to burn coal-water fuel and oil with minimum changeover time. No changes were made to the boiler heat transfer tubes or to the flat furnace bottom to facilitate ash removal. The addition of a fabric filter bag house to contain fly ash emissions is the subject of another paper at this conference. The performance of the unit on coal-water fuel and oil is compared and evidence given that the derating was not as severe as had been predicted. The commercial burner supplied did show some atomizer wear, part of which could be attributed to manufacturing deficiences. It is suggested that the performance of this small unit should be applicable to larger units in the 100 MWe range.

Alessandro Bertacchini, Marco Lasagni, Gabriele Sereni

Electronics • 2020

The demand for smart, low-power, and low-cost sensors is rapidly increasing with the proliferation of industry automation. In this context, an Ultra-Low Power Eddy Current Displacement Sensor (ULP-ECDS) targeting common industrial applications and designed to be embedded in wireless Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices is presented. A complete characterization of the realized ULP-ECDS operating with different metallic targets was carried out. The choice of the considered targets in terms of material and thickness was inspired by typical industrial scenarios. The experimental results show that the realized prototype works properly with extremely low supply voltages, allowing for obtaining an ultra-low power consumption, significantly lower than other state-of-the-art solutions. In particular, the proposed sensor reached the best resolution of 2 µm in case of a carbon steel target when operated with a supply voltage of 200 mV and with a power consumption of 150 µW. By accepting a resolution of 12 µm, it is possible to further reduce the power consumption of the sensor to less than 10 µW. The obtained results also demonstrate how the performances of the sensor are strongly dependent on both the target and the demodulation technique used to extract the displacement information. This allowed for defining some practical guidelines that can help the design of effective solutions considering application-specific constraints.

Leonard Javier Mamani-Asqui, Lucero Nataly Peredo-Berlanga, Francisco Javier Roque Rodríguez et al.

Chemical & biochemical engineering quarterly • 2020

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) simultaneously degrade organic substrates and generate electricity in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. Here, we built a 4-unit MFC and studied<br /> the efficiency of MFC at different conditions, including pH, substrate concentration of<br /> Vicia faba agricultural wastes with exoelectrogenic bacteria P. aeruginosa. The exoelectrogenic bacteria were obtained from industrial effluents and used to inoculate the MFCs. The optimized conditions in terms of yielding maximum potential of 802 mV, yielding maximum power density of 283 mW mb2 were reported at a substrate concentration of 6 g Lb1 of V. faba waste and pH of 5.5, corresponding to a current density 1255.93 mA mb2. Using exoelectrogenic bacteria from industrial effluents and agricultural wastes resulted in efficient MFC. Thus, the developed MFCs using V. faba agricultural wastes can be used in rural areas that have limited access to electricity, by reusing agricultural wastes and concomitant electricity generation.

J. Divya Navamani, Rishabh Mrinal, Anirudh Nair et al.

Journal of Circuits, Systems and Computers • 2021

This paper proposes a model to yield power from the low-power sources like microbial fuel cell (MFC). The structure of the MFC with a suitable energy storage unit is proposed and discussed in detail. The prototype of the MFC model with the charge pump (switched-capacitor) circuit is implemented and tested for an output voltage of 5[Formula: see text]V. Additionally, a novel high-step-up converter is suggested for the low-power applications. It employs a passive switched-inductor–capacitor cell (PSLC), which makes the switching of the LC network simple. This high-gain converter is derived by replacing the diode in the primary switched inductor cell with a capacitor. Compared to several topologies with similar voltage conversion ratio in the literature, the derived converter can achieve high voltage gain with the lesser component count. This study directs to propose a compact and lightweight DC–DC converter. Since the suggested topology is for low-power applications, a 5-W prototype is tested. The implemented setup is most appropriate for microbial fuel cell application, which is closely related to environmental stewardship.

Madiha Tariq, Jin Wang, Shama Sehar et al.

CLEAN – Soil, Air, Water • 2023

Abstract The present research focuses on the effect of the highly toxic and broad‐spectrum bacteriostatic antibiotic pollutant, tetracycline (TC) as a sole electron donor and co‐electron donor on the operational efficacy of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) in terms of nutrient and pollutants removal. It is observed that the removal efficiency of the MFC increases by the gradual increase in TC concentration (5–30 mg L −1 ). The maximum removal efficiency (59%), voltage production (372 mV), power density (81.4 mW m −2 ), and current density (232.5 mA m −2 ) are achieved in the MFC with 25 mg L −1 of TC. Moreover, the influential role of TC as a co‐substrate is also investigated using three substrates viz, acetic acid, sucrose, and albumin. The current results suggest that chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency, coulombic efficiency, and voltage output of each substrate are inversely proportional to the amount of TC and are in the order of acetic acid > sucrose > albumin. The nutrient removal efficiency of the MFC decreases with an increase in TC concentration, i.e., when TC is increased from 10 to 50 mg L −1 , the nitrogen removal efficiency decreases from 78% to 38%, the sulfur removal efficiency decreases from 79% to 32%, and the phosphorous removal efficiency decreases from 72% to 24%. The results suggest that an MFC can be upgraded for large‐scale biological processes for antibiotic pollutant removal. Moreover, the adverse effect of TC in power generation of an MFC can serve as a biosensor for biological wastewater treatment processes to detect the antibiotic toxicity.

Sindhuja M

ECS Meeting Abstracts • 2017

The effect of internal resistance on the electrochemical processes of microbial fuel cell is demonstrated by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy. The decrease in solution resistance and increase in charge transfer resistance influenced the performance of microbial fuel cell over time. To understand the effect of the parameters on the electrochemical processes a lumped equivalent circuit model for activated charcoal based microbial fuel cell and the Equivalent circuit fitting model of Nyquist plot for graphite based microbial fuel cell is adopted. The Equivalent circuit models predicted negligible activation polarization for activated charcoal electrode assembly and significant activation polarization for graphiteelectrode assembly. The rationale behind this observation could be due to the higher affinity for biofilm formation on activated charcoal in comparison to graphite. The efficiency of the microbial fuel cell went down with time as the electrochemical kinetics predominates over biochemical kinetics. The Maximum power density and current density measured are (i) 8 mW/m 2 and 103 mA/m 2 respectively for activated charcoal based microbial fuel cell, (ii) 1015 mW/m 2 and 11803.5 mA/m 2 respectively for graphite electrodes based microbial fuel cells. The power density is 7.6 times higher than the literature data of 133 mW/m 2 for graphite based microbial fuel cells. Figure 1

Global NEST Journal • 2024

<p>Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) offers a promising solution for addressing both waste water treatment and challenges in renewable energy production. This study aims to explore the integration of MFCs with adsorption/bio-oxidation (AB) process to tackle wastewater management difficulties while generating renewable energy. By investigating microbial mechanisms within MFCs, enhancing pollutant removal efficacy, and assessing MFC application feasibility, we seek to advance eco-friendly wastewater treatment and renewable energy harvesting. Lab-scale experiments will identify microbial communities, characterize electron transfer processes, and evaluate MFC performance in pollutant removal. Through systematic experimentation with varied operational parameters and substrate concentrations, we aim to optimize MFC efficiency. Electrochemical assessments, including power output tests and electron flow rates, quantify MFC energy generation capabilities. Environmental and financial sustainability aspects, such as cost-benefit analysis and life cycle assessment, will be integrated to assess MFC viability compared to traditional wastewater treatment systems. The outcomes of this research will contribute to scientific knowledge expansion, providing insights for policymakers, water utilities, and environmentalists to embrace green technologies for water contamination mitigation, energy efficiency enhancement, and sustainable development.</p>

Huang Yuqing, Xinmin Liu, Xiude Hu et al.

The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering • 2023

Abstract The modified resin is used as a multifunctional biological carrier to treat phenolic wastewater (PW) in an anaerobic fluidized bed microbial fuel cell (AFB‐MFC). First, the modified resin was prepared, and the conductive polyaniline (PANI) was polymerized in situ on the surface and pores of the macroporous adsorption resin (MAR) to prepare the modified resin composite material (MAR/PANI). A series of modified resins with different mass ratios of resin and aniline were prepared. The modified resins were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), specific surface area, and pore structure analysis. Materials Studio (MS) software was used to study the internal interaction forces of PANI and MAR, and the molecular dynamics simulation method was used to analyze and calculate the cohesive energy density. The simulation results are qualitatively consistent with the experimental data. The sorption module in the MS software was used to study the adsorption behaviour of the modified resin to the organic components in the wastewater, and the adsorption mechanism was explained on the atomic scale. When the modified resin with m (MAR):m(An) = 1:0.6 was used in the AFB‐MFC, the chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of wastewater was increased by 26.2%–88.90%, the voltage was increased by 98.46%–489.2 mV, and power density was increased by 303.28%–131.43 ± 0.17 mW/m 2 .

Muhammad Tanveer, Kwang-Yong Kim

Micromachines • 2019

A laminar flow micro fuel cell comprising of bridge-shaped microchannel is investigated to find out the effects of the cross-section shape of the microchannel on the performance. A parametric study is performed by varying the heights and widths of the channel and bridge shape. Nine different microchannel cross-section shapes are evaluated to find effective microchannel cross-sections by combining three bridge shapes with three channel shapes. A three-dimensional fully coupled numerical model is used to calculate the fuel cell’s performance. Navier-Stokes, convection and diffusion, and Butler-Volmer equations are implemented using the numerical model. A narrow channel with a wide bridge shape shows the best performance among the tested nine cross-sectional shapes, which is increased by about 78% compared to the square channel with the square bridge shape.

Daxing Zhang, Yingmin Zhu, Witold Pedrycz et al.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences • 2016

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are envisioned as one of the most promising alternative renewable energy sources because they can generate electric current continuously while treating waste. Terrestrial Microbial Fuel Cells (TMFCs) can be inoculated and work on the use of soil, which further extends the application areas of MFCs. Energy supply, as a primary influential factor determining the lifetime of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) nodes, remains an open challenge in sensor networks. In theory, sensor nodes powered by MFCs have an eternal life. However, low power density and high internal resistance of MFCs are two pronounced problems in their operation. A single-hop WSN powered by a TMFC experimental setup was designed and experimented with. Power generation performance of the proposed TMFC, the relationships between the performance of the power generation and the environment temperature, the water content of the soil by weight were measured by experiments. Results show that the TMFC can achieve good power generation performance under special environmental conditions. Furthermore, the experiments with sensor data acquisition and wireless transmission of the TMFC powering WSN were carried out. We demonstrate that the obtained experimental results validate the feasibility of TMFCs powering WSNs.

Sang-Sun Park, Na-Young Shin, Chanmin Lee et al.

Energies • 2021

The effect of the Au coated printed circuit board (PCB) as a current collector on the performance of fuel cells is demonstrated. In this study, optimized pulse electroplating was introduced, which was found to be much more effective compared to the direct current (DC) plating for the PCB fabrication based on the passive area from the potentiodynamic polarization scan. Variable electrochemical parameters such as applied potential and frequency for the pulse electroplating method are controlled. Using the polarization tests, the corrosion behavior of the Au coated PCB layer was also observed. From these basic data, the coating methods and electrochemical parameters were systematically controlled to achieve efficient results for direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The stability test for the cell operation indicates that the micro DMFC with the Au coated PCB substrate formed at a frequency of 10 Hz exhibited the highest stability and performance. As a result, the Au coated PCB substrate using pulse electroplating at 1.5 V and 1 kHz can be a promising current collector for portable DMFCs.