Urban and extra-urban hybrid vehicles: a technological review

Pollution derived from transportation systems is a worldwide, timelier issue than ever. The abatement actions of harmful substances in the air are on the agenda and they are necessary today to safeguard our welfare and that of the planet. Environmental pollution in large cities is approximately 20% due to the transportation system. In addition, private traffic contributes greatly to city pollution. Further, “vehicle operating life” is most often exceeded and vehicle emissions do not comply with European antipollution standards. It becomes mandatory to find a solution that respects the environment and, realize an appropriate transportation service to the customers. New technologies related to hybrid –electric engines are making great strides in reducing emissions, and the funds allocated by public authorities should be addressed. In addition, the use (implementation) of new technologies is also convenient from an economic point of view. In fact, by implementing the use of hybrid vehicles, fuel consumption can be reduced. The different hybrid configurations presented refer to such a series architecture, developed by the researchers and Research and Development groups. Regarding energy flows, different strategy logic or vehicle management units have been illustrated. Various configurations and vehicles were studied by simulating different driving cycles, both European approval and homologation and customer ones (typically municipal and university). The simulations have provided guidance on the optimal proposed configuration and information on the component to be used

Maintenance program for Electric Vehicles power train by Reliability Centred Maintenance

The reduction of environmental pollution is one of the greatest challenges for humanity, today and for the immediate future. Air quality is one of the most critical aspects in determining people’s health, particularly in big cities, and transportation emissions are currently considered accountable for almost 32% of total air contamination. The more widespread use of green vehicles could have important effects both on the environment and the economy, and this thesis work intends to focus on reliability and maintainability of pure-electric vehicles (EVs). The main objectives of this paper are: • To conduct research into state-of -art of pure-electric car powertrain technology, describing the functions and operations of its various components: mechanical, electrical and the control links between those components are all carefully considered. • To identify and define a long term maintenance plan for the power train system, utilising the RCM method. In order to achieve these targets and objectives, a wide literature review will be conducted on existing electric vehicle technology, taking already published and available information from similar technologies which are more mature than EVs one, but with comparable run conditions and operations. The method adopted for this maintenance study is Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM): this logic will be reviewed and applied to the powertrain system, designing and completing proper worksheets (COFA worksheet and PM task worksheet) which will form the suggested maintenance plan. This proposed plan consists of various elements including: failure modes identification, failure effects on the vehicle, criticality classification of the components, failure causes identification and suggested preventive maintenance tasks with proper periodicity. In the final part of the paper, the results and outcomes of the analysis will be discussed, and possible future developments will be identified

All-electric LNG a viable alternative to conventional gas turbine driven LNG plant

The world demand for natural gas which is at an increasing trend has rekindled interest in the production and transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from resource rich areas in Africa, Middle East, Far East, Australia and Russia to customers in Europe, Americas, China and India. The challenges for the future are to produce and transport gas in a cost effective manner to be competitive in the market place. Gas is beginning to play an increasingly important role in energy scenario of the world economy. The easiest ways of getting gas to the market is by pipe lines. However to reach markets far and wide across oceans, gas needs to be converted and transported in liquid form. Competitive pressure and search for economies of scale is driving up the size of LNG facilities and hence the capital requirement of each link of the value chain. Interdependent financing of the various links of the value chain, while maintaining their economic viability, is the challenge that sponsors need to address. The industry is potentially a high risk business due to uncertainty associated with the characteristics of the industry, which calls for high level of investment in an environment of volatility of the price and political and economic changes in the world market. LNG production facilities are becoming larger and larger than ever before to take advantage of economies of scale. These massive plants not only have created new challenges in design, procurement and construction and environment but will create new challenges in operation and maintenance. Innovative technologies and first of a kind equipment applications with a rigorous technology development and a stringent testing plans ensure that the facility will achieve a long term reliable operation. Conventional LNG plants use Gas Turbine as main drivers for refrigerant compressors. To this effect All-Electric LNG has a potential to provide an alternative offer a life cycle advantage over the convention. Hence it would be worthwhile to study the pros and cons and prospects offered by this new technology from an overall life cycle perspective for future of LNG projects. This research is an endeavours in this direction

Low-Carbon City Policy Databook: 72 Policy Recommendations for Chinese Cities from the Benchmarking and Energy Savings Tool for Low Carbon Cities

This report is designed to help city authorities evaluate and prioritize more than 70 different policy strategies that can reduce their city’s energy use and carbon-based greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Local government officials, researchers, and planners can utilize the report to identify policies most relevant to local circumstances and to develop a low carbon city action plan that can be implemented in phases, over a multi-year timeframe. The policies cover nine city sectors: industry, public and commercial buildings, residential buildings, transportation, power and heat, street lighting, water & wastewater, solid waste, and urban green space. See Table 1 for a listing of the policies. Recognizing the prominence of urban industry in the energy and carbon inventories of Chinese cities, this report includes low carbon city policies for the industrial sector. The policies gathered here have proven effective in multiple locations around the world and have the potential to achieve future energy and carbon savings in Chinese cities

Overview of Main Electric Subsystems of Zero-Emission Vehicles

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle market has stimulated the attention of power electronics and electric machine experts in order to find increasingly efficient solutions to the demands of this application. The constraints of space, weight, reliability, performance, and autonomy for the power train of the electric vehicle (EV) have increased the attention of scientific research in order to find more and more appropriate technological solutions. In this chapter, it proposes a focus on the main subsystems that make a zero-emission vehicle (ZEV), examining current features and topological configurations proposed in the literature. This analysis is preliminary to the various electric vehicle architectures proposed in the final paragraph. In particular, the electric drive represents the core of the electric vehicle propulsion. It is realized by different subsystems that have a single mission: ensure the requested power/energy based on the operating condition. Particular attention will be devoted to power subsystems, which are the fundamental elements to improving the performance of the ZEV

Screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

This chapter discusses screening of energy efficient technologies for industrial buildings' retrofit

Energy Efficiency Improvement and Cost Saving Opportunities for the U.S. Iron and Steel Industry An ENERGY STAR(R) Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

Energy is an important cost factor in the U.S iron and steel industry. Energy efficiency improvement is an important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants in the U.S. iron and steel industry to reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner. This Energy Guide discusses energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implemented at the component, process, facility, and organizational levels. A discussion of the structure, production trends, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions of the iron and steel industry is provided along with a description of the major process technologies used within the industry. Next, a wide variety of energy efficiency measures are described. Many measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in the steel and related industries worldwide. Typical measure payback periods and references to further information in the technical literature are also provided, when available. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. iron and steel industry reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures?and on their applicability to different production practices?is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants