Life cycle assessment of photovoltaic implementation: an Italian case study

The energy efficiency is the possibility and ability to carry out a production process consume with the involves of less energy and minor environmental impact. Life Cycle Assessment is one of the major tools involved in the economic, social and environmental evaluation. The aim of this work is the LCA application to an Italian company that provides to install a photovoltaic plant for the energy self-maintenance, in order to break down costs and environmental impacts. The photovoltaic business can be an interesting solution especially for companies which consume more energy during the day. In the case study was highlighted that an average of 400.00 €/month was spent, equal to about 900 kWh / month. The company installed a 10 kWp photovoltaic system and with this implementation the energy consumption diminished of 84% and the costs of 57%

Force sensors for active safety, stability enhancement and lightweight construction of road vehicles

Force and moment measurement at different locations within road vehicles is a multifaceted, comprehensive and forthcoming technology that might play a breakthrough role in automotive engineering. The paper aims to describe why such technology seems so promising. A literature review is accomplished on which forces can be measured and what can be obtained with force and moment data. Additionally, attention is devoted to where–and how–force and moments can be measured effectively. Force and moment measurement technology is also studied with an historical perspective, briefly analysing the past applications. Active safety systems (ADAS up to full automated driving) and automotive stability enhancement systems are expected to be impacted by the measurement of forces and moments at the wheels. Friction potential evaluation and driver model development and monitoring have been–and are expected to be–major field of research. Force and moment measurement technology may also be exploited for lightweight construction purposes with remarkable synergistic effects with active safety and stability enhancement systems. Possible innovations on lightweight construction and sustainable mobility are to be expected thanks to force and moment measurement

Thermal Management of Electrified Vehicles—A Review

Vehicle electrification demands a deep analysis of the thermal problems in order to increase vehicle efficiency and battery life and performance. An efficient thermal management of an electrified vehicle has to involve every system of the vehicle. However, it is not sufficient to optimize the thermal behavior of each subsystem, but thermal management has to be considered at system level to optimize the global performance of the vehicle. The present paper provides an organic review of the current aspects of thermal management from a system engineering perspective. Starting from the definition of the requirements and targets of the thermal management system, each vehicle subsystem is analyzed and related to the whole system. In this framework, problems referring to modeling, simulation and optimization are considered and discussed. The current technological challenges and developments in thermal management are highlighted at vehicle and component levels

The vertical distribution of aerosols, Saharan dust and cirrus clouds at Rome (Italy) in the year 2001

International audienceA set of 813 lidar profiles of tropospheric aerosol and cirrus clouds extinction and depolarization observed at Rome, Italy, between February 2001 and February 2002 is analyzed and discussed. The yearly record reveals a meaningful contribution of both cirrus clouds (38%) and Saharan dust (12%) to the total optical thickness (OT) of 0.26, at 532 nm. Seasonal analysis shows the planetary boundary layer (PBL) aerosols to be confined below 2 km in winter and 3.8 km in summer, with relevant OT shifting from 0.08 to 0.16, respectively. Cirrus clouds maximize in spring and autumn, in both cases with average OT similar to the PBL aerosols one. With the exception of winter months, Saharan dust is found to represent an important third layer mostly residing between PBL aerosols and cirrus clouds, with yearly average OT~0.03. Saharan dust and cirrus clouds were detected in 20% and in 45% of the observational days, respectively. Validation of the lidar OT retrievals against collocated sunphotometer observations show very good agreement. These results represent one of the few yearly records of tropospheric aerosol vertical profiles available in the literature

Aerosol seasonal variability over the Mediterranean region and relative impact of maritime, continental and Saharan dust particles over the basin from MODIS data in the year 2001

International audienceThe one-year (2001) record of aerosol data from the space borne Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is analyzed focusing on the Mediterranean region. The MODIS aerosol optical thickness standard product (AOT at 550nm) provided over both land and ocean is employed to evaluate the seasonal and spatial variability of the atmospheric particulate over the region. Expected accuracy of the MODIS AOT is (±0.05±0.2xAOT) over land and (±0.03±0.05xAOT) over ocean. The seasonal analysis reveals a significant AOT variability all over the region, with minimum values in Winter (AOT0.2). The spatial variability is also found to be considerable, particularly over land. The impact of some major urban sites and industrialized areas is detectable. For the sole Mediterranean basin, a method (aerosol mask) was implemented to separate the contribution of maritime, continental and desert dust aerosol to the total AOT. Input of both continental and desert dust particles is well captured, showing North-to-South and South-to-North AOT gradients, respectively. A quantitative summary of the AOT seasonal and regional variability is given for different sectors of the Mediterranean basin. Results of this summary were also used to test the aerosol mask assumptions and indicate the method adopted to be suitable for the aerosol type selection. Estimates of the atmospheric aerosol mass load were performed employing specifically-derived mass-to-extinction efficiencies (?). For each aerosol type, a reliable mean ? value was determined on the basis of both lidar measurements of extinction and aerosol models. These estimates indicate a total of 43Mtons of desert dust suspended over the basin during 2001. A comparable value is derived for maritime aerosol. Opposite to the dust case, a minor seasonal variability (within 15%) of maritime aerosol mass is found. This latter result is considered a further check of the suitability of the methodology adopted to separate, on the basis of MODIS data, the three aerosol types which dominate the Mediterranean region

Sensitivity analysis of cohesive zone model parameters to simulate hydrogen embrittlement effect

For many steels and alloys used in engineering field, the presence of atomic hydrogen in working environment can produce a deleterious effect. In fact, when this small element penetrates into the material lattice induces a drastically decrease of the mechanical properties. This process is known as hydrogen embrittlement. This complex phenomenon involves chemical and physical factors that are strictly dependent on the microstructure of the material. Some examples are hydrogen diffusivity, solubility of hydrogen into the material and concentration related not only to the interstitial lattice sites (NILS) but also to the traps sites that is the most difficult part to quantify. The present work starts from the development of 2D finite elements cohesive zone model reproducing a toughness test of a high-strength low carbon steel, AISI 4130 operating in hydrogen-contaminated environment. With three consequent steps of simulations, the model implements diffusion and crack propagation analyses using cohesive elements. The embrittlement effect of hydrogen is considered by decreasing the cohesive law (TSL), which expresses the constitutive response of the material to the fracture behavior, based on the total hydrogen concentration. It includes NILS and traps sites. Aim of the work is a sensitivity analysis of the parameters included into the model. In particular, the influence of the hydrogen diffusion coefficient as well as the initial concentration set to calculate the total hydrogen concentration at the crack tip are taken into account. Both a comparison of the values used in the model with literature data and a critical discussion of the results obtained by the sensitivity analysis will be presented

Price level targeting under fiscal dominance

The adoption of a ‘‘makeup” strategy has been one of the proposals in the review of the Fed’s monetary policy framework. Another suggestion, to avoid the zero lower bound, has been a more active role for fiscal policy. We put together these ideas to study price level targeting under a fiscally-led regime. We find that following a deflationary demand shock: (i) the central bank should increase (rather than decrease) the policy rate; (ii) the central bank, thus, avoids the zero lower bound; (iii) price level targeting is welfare improving with respect to inflation targeting, unless one considers a nonstandard inflation targeting rule with a negative inflation coefficient and a high degree of smoothing

Controlling inflation with timid monetary-fiscal regime changes

Can monetary policy control inflation when both monetary and fiscal policies change over time? When monetary policy is active, a long-run fiscal principle entails flexibility in fiscal policy that preserves determinacy even when deviating from passive fiscal, substantially for brief periods or timidly for prolonged periods. To guarantee a unique equilibrium, monetary and fiscal policies must coordinate not only within but also across regimes, and not simply on being active or passive, but also on their extent. The amplitude of deviations from the active monetary/passive fiscal benchmark determines whether a regime is Ricardian: timid deviations do not imply wealth effects

Research and Development on Noise, Vibration, and Harshness of Road Vehicles Using Driving Simulators - A Review

Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) is a key aspect in the vehicle development. Reducing noise and vibration to create a comfortable environment is one of the main objectives in vehicle design. In the literature, many theoretical and experimental methods have been presented for improving the NVH performances of vehicles. However, in the great majority of situations, physical prototypes are still required as NVH is highly dependent on subjective human perception and a pure computational approach often does not suffice. In this article, driving simulators are discussed as a tool to reduce the need of physical prototypes allowing a reduction in development time while providing a deep understanding of vehicle NVH characteristics. The present article provides a review of the current development of driving simulator focused on problems, challenges, and solutions for NVH applications. Starting from the definition of the human response to noise and vibration, this article describes the different driving simulator technologies to tackle all the involved perception aspects. The different available technologies are discussed and compared as to provide design engineers with a complete picture of the current possibilities and future trends