Secondary electric power generation with minimum engine bleed

Secondary electric power generation with minimum engine bleed is discussed. Present and future jet engine systems are compared. The role of auxiliary power units is evaluated. Details of secondary electric power generation systems with and without auxiliary power units are given. Advanced bleed systems are compared with minimum bleed systems. A cost model of ownership is given. The difference in the cost of ownership between a minimum bleed system and an advanced bleed system is given

Primary electric power generation systems for advanced-technology engines

The advantages of the all electric airplane are discussed. In the all electric airplane the generator is the sole source of electric power; it powers the primary and secondary flight controls, the environmentals, and the landing gear. Five candidates for all electric power systems are discussed and compared. Cost benefits of the all electric airplane are discussed

Micro hydro-electric power generation

A major industrial water user in New Mexico discharges approximately 3.8 million gal of wastewater per day. The topology of the site provides an elevation difference of about 150 ft between the plant site and the entrance to the municipal sewage line; this flow and elevation difference is sufficient to produce about 40 kW of electrical power using a water turbine/electrical generator set to extract power from the flowing stream. This report includes designs and economic analyses for two distinct cases. One case is based on the written premises of the task; whereas, a second case is based on a real surrogate site, which is Intel’s Rio Rancho (near Albuquerque, NM) plant, which does discharge about 3.8 million gal per day and has about 120 ft of head available for power generation. After analyzing several turbine technologies, the Pelton wheel turbine was determined to be the most economical means for generating commercial electrical power. Pelton Wheel turbines operate most efficiently with a constant head and flow. Because the wastewater discharge for the task varies from 0.5 – 4 MM gal/day, an integrated study of the flow fluctuations determined that a surge tank of 27,000 gal was required to maintain a steady flow as input to the turbine. The task premises did not include any existing storage for the discharge stream; consequently, a 27,000 gal surge tank was provided for the task premises site. The surrogate site has a surge basin with a surface area of 17,000 ft2. This surface area requires only a 3 in level change to accommodate 27,000 gal of surge; consequently, no surge tank was included in the surrogate site case. The surge provides the turbine with a steady flow of 2,400 gpm and a constant head of 120 ft. The purchased turbine system selected by CREW has an overall (mechanical + electrical) efficiency of 68%. For the task premises scenario, 40 kW is produced, and for the surrogate site scenario, 30 kW is produced. The WERC task premises case is most economical with an IROR of 4.3%. This return is marginal for earnings projects under normal circumstances. However, interest rates are now at historically lower levels, and are projected to remain low for several years. The surrogate location IROR is about 2.4%, which is considered as a reasonable return for a minimal risk project with today’s economic environment. This energy recovery initiative is a “Green†project, which inherently lowers the acceptable IROR for environmentally conscious industries. This project will require about 12 months to complete once funds are available

Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

NASA fact sheet on propulsion and electric power generation developments at Lewis Research Center, and Plum Brook research reactor facilit

An Analysis of Cost Structures in the Electricity Generation Industry

This paper provides up to date firm level analysis of the production technology and cost structures in the U.S. electric power generation industry. The paper applies an econometric approach into a dual restricted variable cost function within a “temporal equilibrium” framework. The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation is used to estimate the cost structures in the electric power generation industry. This paper is empirically implemented using a panel data (1986-1998) on 32 nuclear power generations for major investor owned utilities. The major result indicates that most of electric utilities in the nuclear electricity generation industry overutilized capital in production over time. Technological progress may have slowed over the sample period of this study. The results also show that electric utilities with small generation were operating at decreasing returns to scale whereas those with large generation were operating at increasing returns to scale in the production of the electricity industry in the sample data.

Techno-economic performance analysis of biofuel production and miniature electric power generation from biomass fast pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading

The techno-economic performance analysis of biofuel production and electric power generation from biomass fast pyrolysis and bio-oil hydroprocessing is explored through process simulation. In this work, a process model of 72 MT/day pine wood fast pyrolysis and bio-oil hydroprocessing plant was developed with rate based chemical reactions using Aspen Plus® process simulator. It was observed from simulation results that 1 kg s−1 pine wooddb generate 0.64 kg s−1 bio-oil, 0.22 kg s−1 gas and 0.14 kg s−1 char. Simulation results also show that the energy required for drying and fast pyrolysis operations can be provided from the combustion of pyrolysis by-products, mainly, char and non-condensable gas with sufficient residual energy for miniature electric power generation. The intermediate bio-oil product from the fast pyrolysis process is upgraded into gasoline and diesel via a two-stage hydrotreating process, which was implemented by a pseudo-first order reaction of lumped bio-oil species followed by the hydrocracking process in this work. Simulation results indicate that about 0.24 kg s−1 of gasoline and diesel range products and 96 W of electric power can be produced from 1 kg s−1 pine wooddb. The effect of initial biomass moisture content on the amount of electric power generated and the effect of biomass feed composition on product yields were also reported in this study. Aspen Process Economic Analyser® was used for equipment sizing and cost estimation for an nth plant and the product value was estimated from discounted cash flow analysis assuming the plant operates for 20 years at a 10% annual discount rate. Economic analysis indicates that the plant will require £16.6 million of capital investment and product value is estimated at £6.25/GGE. Furthermore, the effect of key process and economic parameters on product value and the impact of electric power generation equipment on capital cost and energy efficiency were also discussed in this study

Geologic interpretation of LANDSAT satellite images for the Qattara Depression area, Egypt

The author has identified the following significant results. For the first time the regional geological units are given. Faults, fractures, and folds are included, as well as drainage lines which help to visualize the environmental impact of the Qattara project for electric power generation and to assess the regional questions involved in its implementation