Research in vehicles with thermal energy recovery systems

This feasibility report presents results in the thermal energy recovery systems (TERS) investigation, and the possibility of introducing them to production vehicles as subsystems. This prospective new technology should reduce dependence on fossil fuels. One of the TERS systems' research objectives is to create a sustainable, electrical power source, suitable for the energy to be stored and later used in the electrical vehicle driving mode (EV)1. It will also lower the impact on the environment by reducing fuel consumption through the application of automotive thermoelectric generators (ATEG) instead of classical alternators that convert mechanical energy to electrical. Instead of using part of the useful mechanical power, i.e. energy, we will be using wasted heat energy emitted in the environment. Investigation was carried out comprehensively by performing technical analysis, covering a wide variety of hybrid vehicles and systems. Finally, as an outcome, this report presents possible novel solutions to create sustainable hybrid vehicles with TERS systems

Nature versus built

Nature is made up of various living and non-living things which is related to plants, animals and other features such as mountains, deserts and seas. They are connected and some of the relationships between members are direct and obvious and ecosystem occurred to balance the amount of living things. Built environment is referring to aspects of creature human-made surroundings. Human activities caused some environmental issues and disturbance the nature. However, the technologies introduce sustainability building and creature as conservation our nature. There also some ways can be practice at house to save the environment

Thermodynamic analysis of a dual-loop organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for waste heat recovery of a petrol engine

Huge amounts of low-grade heat energy are discharged to the environment by vehicular engines. Considering the large number of vehicles in the world, such waste energy has a great impact on our environment globally. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), which uses an organic fluid with a low boiling point as the working medium, is considered to be the most promising technology to recover energy from low-grade waste heat. In this study, a dual-loop ORC is presented to simultaneously recover energy from both the exhaust gases and the coolant of a petrol engine. A high-temperature (HT) ORC loop is used to recover heat from the exhaust gases, while a low-temperature (LT) ORC loop is used to recover heat from the coolant and the condensation heat of the HT loop. Figure 1 shows the schematic of the dual-loop ORC. Differing from previous research, two more environmentally friendly working fluids are used, and the corresponding optimisation is conducted. First, the system structure and operating principle are described. Then, a mathematical model of the designed dual-loop ORC is established. Next, the performance of the dual-loop cycle is analysed over the entire engine operating region. Furthermore, the states of each point along the cycle and the heat load of each component are compared with the results of previous research. The results show that the dual-loop ORC can effectively recover the waste heat from the petrol engine, and that the effective thermal efficiency can be improved by about 20 ~ 24%, 14~20%, and 30% in the high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed operation regions, respectively. The designed dual-loop ORC can achieve a higher system efficiency than previous ORCs of this structure. Therefore, it is a good choice for waste heat recovery from vehicle engines

Thermodynamic investigation of a shared cogeneration system with electrical cars for northern Europe climate

Transition to alternative energy systems is indicated by EU Commission as a suitable path to energy efficiency and energy saving in the next years. The aims are to decrease greenhouses gases emissions, relevance of fossil fuels in energy production and energy dependence on extra-EU countries. These goals can be achieved increasing renewable energy sources and/or efficiency on energy production processes. In this paper an innovative micro-cogeneration system for household application is presented: it covers heating, domestic hot water and electricity demands for a residential user. Solid oxide fuel cells, heat pump and Stirling engine are utilised as a system to achieve high energy conversion efficiency. A transition from traditional petrol cars to electric mobility is also considered and simulated here. Different types of fuel are considered to demonstrate the high versatility of the simulated cogeneration system by changing the pre-reformer of the fuel cell. Thermodynamic analysis is performed to prove high efficiency with the different fuels

Flight Opportunities 2019 Accomplishments

This booklet highlights the work being done by the Flight Opportunities Program (FOP) for community outreach events

An overview on safety issues related to hydrogen and methane blend applications in domestic and industrial use

The share of electrical energy hailing from renewable sources in the European electricity mix is increasing. The match between renewable power supply and demand has become the greatest challenge to cope with. Gas infrastructure can accommodate large volumes of electricity converted into gas whenever this supply of renewable power is larger than the grid capacity or than the electricity demand. The Power-to-Gas (P2G) process chain could play a significant role in the future energy system. Renewable electric energy can be transformed into storable hydrogen via electrolysis and subsequent methanation. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the required technical adaptations of the most common devices for end users such as heating plants, CHP systems, home gas furnaces and cooking surfaces, wherever these are fuelled with methane and hydrogen blends in variable percentages by volume. Special attention will be given to issues related to essential safety standards, firstly comparing existing Italian and European regulations in this regard, and secondly highlighting the potential need for legislation to regulate the suitability of hydrogen methane blends. Finally, a list of foreseeable technical solutions will be provided and discussed thoroughly

Prediction of the aerodynamic performance of re-usable single stage to orbit vehicles

Re-usable single stage to orbit launch vehicles promise to reduce the cost of access to space, but their success will be particularly reliant on accurate modelling of their aero-thermodynamic characteristics. Non-equilibrium effects due to the rarefaction of the gas in the atmosphere are important at the very high altitudes at which lifting R-SSTO configurations will experience their greatest thermal load during re-entry. Current limitations in modelling the behaviour of the gas and hence in capturing these effects have a strong impact on the accuracy with which the thermal and aerodynamic loading on the surface of the vehicle can be predicted during this design-critical flight regime. The problem is most apparent in the presence of strong shock interactions, and this is likely to exacerbate the problem of aerodynamic characterisation of re-usable single stage to orbit vehicles, especially given design pressures towards increased geometric complexity compared to historical spacecraft designs, and hence the complexity of the shock structures that the vehicle will produce in high-speed flight. The development of this class of vehicles will thus very likely be paced by the development of the specialised modelling tools that will be required to account fully for the properties of the gas at the high speeds and altitudes that are characteristic of their re-entry into the atmosphere of the earth

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

Experimental study on transcritical Rankine cycle (TRC) using CO2/R134a mixtures with various composition ratios for waste heat recovery from diesel engines

A carbon dioxide (CO2) based mixture was investigated as a promising solution to improve system performance and expand the condensation temperature range of a CO2 transcritical Rankine cycle (C-TRC). An experimental study of TRC using CO2/R134a mixtures was performed to recover waste heat of engine coolant and exhaust gas from a heavy-duty diesel engine. The main purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the effect of the composition ratio of CO2/R134a mixtures on system performance. Four CO2/R134a mixtures with mass composition ratios of 0.85/0.15, 0.7/0.3, 0.6/0.4 and 0.4/0.6 were selected. The high temperature working fluid was expanded through an expansion valve and then no power was produced. Thus, current research focused on the analysis of measured operating parameters and heat exchanger performance. Heat transfer coefficients of various heat exchangers using supercritical CO2/R134a mixtures were provided and discussed. These data may provide useful reference for cycle optimization and heat exchanger design in application of CO2 mixtures. Finally, the potential of power output was estimated numerically. Assuming an expander efficiency of 0.7, the maximum estimations of net power output using CO2/R134a (0.85/0.15), CO2/R134a (0.7/0.3), CO2/R134a (0.6/0.4) and CO2/R134a (0.4/0.6) are 5.07 kW, 5.45 kW, 5.30 kW, and 4.41 kW, respectively. Along with the increase of R134a composition, the estimation of net power output, thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency increased at first and then decreased. CO2/R134a (0.7/0.3) achieved the maximum net power output at a high expansion inlet pressure, while CO2/R134a (0.6/0.4) behaves better at low pressure