Transport impacts on atmosphere and climate: Land transport

Emissions from land transport, and from road transport in particular, have significant impacts on the atmosphere and on climate change. This assessment gives an overview of past, present and future emissions from land transport, of their impacts on the atmospheric composition and air quality, on human health and climate change and on options for mitigation. In the past vehicle exhaust emission control has successfully reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. This contributed to improved air quality and reduced health impacts in industrialised countries. In developing countries however, pollutant emissions have been growing strongly, adversely affecting many populations. In addition, ozone and particulate matter change the radiative balance and hence contribute to global warming on shorter time scales. Latest knowledge on the magnitude of land transport's impact on global warming is reviewed here. In the future, road transport's emissions of these pollutants are expected to stagnate and then decrease globally. This will then help to improve the air quality notably in developing countries. On the contrary, emissions of carbon dioxide and of halocarbons from mobile air conditioners have been globally increasing and are further expected to grow. Consequently, road transport's impact on climate is gaining in importance. The expected efficiency improvements of vehicles and the introduction of biofuels will not be sufficient to offset the expected strong growth in both, passenger and freight transportation. Technical measures could offer a significant reduction potential, but strong interventions would be needed as markets do not initiate the necessary changes. Further reductions would need a resolute expansion of low-carbon fuels, a tripling of vehicle fuel efficiency and a stagnation in absolute transport volumes. Land transport will remain a key sector in climate change mitigation during the next decades

Fuels and Fuel Technologies for Powering 21st Century Passenger and Freight Rail: Simulation-Based Case Studies in a U.S. Context

The last century brought a shift in rail propulsion from the (typically) coal-powered steam engine to a combination of the diesel-electric locomotive and the electrified locomotive running under electrified overhead lines. While, no doubt, an advance over the earlier technology, the two incumbent technologies are not without their shortcomings. In the current era, rapid technological developments and increased concerns about climate change have also spurred interest away from the internal combustion engine and the use of fossil fuels in various applications. These same technologies hold promise in a rail context, a mode of transportation that relies on a smaller number of more centralized operators. With the tremendous investment of time, cost, and other resources that can go into a pilot experiment of a fuel technology and, often, related regulatory processes, it makes sense to determine the key candidates for such pilots. A major goal of this work is to help industry and government narrow down the key technologies, in terms of cost, viability, and environmental impacts, and simultaneously identify the challenges that may be encountered by a given technology that otherwise appears to hold significant promise. This study focuses on a U.S. context, and on the period between 2022 and 2038. Passenger and freight rail routes and systems were examined, each with different characteristics, via simulations of a single rail trip, A general environmental analysis was also performed on freight switcher locomotive activity. The fuels examined included diesel, natural gas, Fischer-Tropsch diesel, hydrogen, and, in a passenger rail and switcher context, diesel and hydrogen powertrains paired with batteries to take in regenerative braking energy. The study finds cost reductions with both natural gas and (natural gas-derived) Fischer-Tropsch diesel, but with limited environmental benefits. Hydrogen via fuel cell has significant promise to reduce GHG and criteria pollutant emissions. That technology\u2019s costs, both fuel and equipment, are highly uncertain; however, the study finds that, with lower bound projected costs, it could be competitive with diesel-electric costs; in the case of passenger rail, hybridization with batteries is also compelling. Hybridized hydrogen also was found to demonstrate a clear environmental benefit in switcher locomotive applications

Development of novel energy systems for LNG locomotives

The use of diesel in the railway sector brings challenges to the engineers to meet the current emissions standards set by governments. This thesis addresses potential solutions to overcome the emissions problems in the current diesel fueled locomotives with economic benefits using liquefied natural gas (LNG) locomotives. Six novel energy systems for LNG locomotives are developed with different prime movers and fuel combinations. The systems are analyzed energetically and exergetically, and their performances are compared for evaluation purposes. The environmental impact and the fuel cost for each system are considered in the comparison. The current study investigates the use of the fuel combinations including LNG-ULSD, LNG-LPG, LNG- and LNG only to run the locomotive using different prime movers

A collective review of renewable energy storage technologies (study of new energy storage systems for optimun use)

[Abstract] The world of sustainable energy is evolving. Governments, industries, companies and even individually, everyone has been seeking the improvement and development of energy efficiency all around us. There has been so much evolution in the renewable energy sector, some energies more than other and some countries better than its neighboring. In this study we are going to focus on the energy storage part of the efficiency equation as a way for enhancing sustainability another step of the way. We are going to discuss the purpose and objective of such storages and the futuristic development along with their advantages and drawbacks, that could add efficiency and quality of life to our environment. We started with the Hydrogen part of storage in particular. Since the number one derivative of transportation energy is oil, and it is bound to run out. The focus has shifted to hydrogen as an alternative for oil. Hydrogen has been known for a long time now for having the characterisitics that would give us matching if not better energy-wise results of a traditional energy, yet less harmful and more sustainable. Then we merge into Thermal energy storage the second largest part of the research, as how many technologies were developed as a part of this energy storage. Later on, the research takes into account further energy storage technologies and gives a review regarding each and every technology over 10 technologies explaining how they affect the development of the renewable energy in terms of enhancement and further goals achieving strikes towards a better environment and a better quality of life.Traballo fin de mestrado (UDC. EUP). Eficiencia e Aproveitamento Enerxético. Curso 2018/201

A Comparison of Emissions-Reduction Strategies to Improve Livability in Freight-Centric Communities

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entered into an interagency “Partnership for Sustainable Communities” to cooperatively increase transportation mode choices while reducing transportation costs, protecting the environment, and providing greater access to affordable housing through the incorporation of six principals of livability (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2014a). This study focuses on strategies to reduce vehicle emissions and improve livability along the Lamar Corridor in Memphis, Tennessee, a location that was designated by the U.S. Government in 2010 as an area to be targeted for livability improvements (Daniels & Meeks, 2010). The results of this study indicate that a common method to reduce emissions at freight terminals, a typical facility along the Lamar Corridor, may actually increase emissions along the corridor itself. Additionally, specific emphasis on the use of alternative fuels as a method to reduce emissions may be warranted

Biorefarmeries: Milking ethanol from algae for the mobility of tomorrow

The idea of this project is to fully exploit microalgae to the best of its potential, possibly proposing a sort of fourth generation fuel based on a continuous milking of macro- and microorganisms (as cows in a milk farm), which produce fuel by photosynthetic reactions. This project proposes a new transportation concept supported by a new socio-economic approach, in which biofuel production is based on biorefarmeries delivering fourth generation fuels which also have decarbonization capabilities, potential negative CO2 emissions plus positive impacts on mobility, the automotive Industry, health and environment and the econom

Techno-economic transition towards a hydrogen economy

PhDThe research conducted is in the field of innovation and focuses on the UK energy sector. The key theme of the study is the transition towards a hydrogen economy with fuel cell technologies at the epicentre and takes into account the relevant scientific, technological, economic and policy issues. In order to provide an understanding of the factors that affect techno-economic transitions to alternative energy systems, the thesis investigates the historical transition processes such as the transition to electrification in the early 1900s and recent transitions to CCGT and renewable energy systems (wind, biofuels and solar) that have taken place since the late 1980s. As the developmental status of hydrogen technologies lay at the heart of these transitions, a thorough analysis of the hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, the R&D requirements, and innovations required in different scientific fields (including materials science) to develop these technologies is conducted. At the same time, as other factors such as sustainability, climate change and security of supply concerns can greatly affect the direction of the transition processes, that includes R&D activities and investment in alternative energy technologies, an overview of these factors is also provided. The analysis employs a new theoretical framework that combines two well established theories in the literature, Techno-economic Transitions and Large Technological Systems. By using this new framework, the technological transition towards a hydrogen energy system can be analysed at three levels, (global, national and local). The analysis is narrowed down to the local level in order to determine the timing of a transition in London and how it can form the foundation for a wider a transition at the national level based on alternative technologies