Developing a Framework for Determining Optimum Dispatch of Energy to a Building from Conventional and Renewable Sources

In an optimally designed grid-connected system with distributed energy resources where the grid plays the role of an energy buffer, it is interesting to analyze the economic feasibility to employ energy storage systems. A grid-connected system synchronizes with the power fluctuations, lowering the costs of energy compared to the cost of using conventional energy storage systems. An adaptive code is developed using computer programming that is used for lifetime simulation of the energy dispatch system with a specified time step and for optimization algorithm with comprehensive reliability/cost assessment. The results can be extended to a long period considering various economic factors. The programming code can be integrated with any system model, which can be flexibly implemented to any number of applications. In the present work, a strategic framework is developed for determining the optimal energy technology allocation to a typically selected commercial building located in the United States. The optimum design and management strategy of grid connected renewable generating systems composed of energy conversion units is considered. The provision of a hybrid system of energy storage is investigated. A genetic algorithm optimization-based approach is adopted for carrying out the optimization. The optimization of the set problem consisted of the minimization of the total lifecycle costs considered as the objective function, whereas the fulfillment of the users demand for energy was considered as the key constraint. The most suitable systems with an operation on hourly basis and the best strategy for the storage of energy were considered to generate the optimization results providing the optimal size and total cost of the system components. Furthermore, the possibility of using alternative energy dispatch systems was explored that might reduce the total lifetime costs below the cost of a benchmark case in which the entire demand for electricity is fulfilled from the grid. Four scenarios were analyzed to measure the impact of planning and operating the distributed energy resources: typical, off grid, on grid, feed-in-tariffs

Design of Net Zero Energy Environmental Engineering Building in Peru

This paper describes a Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) being constructed on the engineering campus of the Universidad Nacional de San Augustín (UNSA) in Arequipa, Peru. The project is one part of a larger collaboration between UNSA and Purdue University called the Arequipa Nexus Institute for Sustainable Food, Energy, Water and the Environment (The Nexus Institute) that started in March of 2018. As UNSA seeks to become a leader in environmental engineering, there is an increasing need for a new building that has dedicated resources for teaching and research on sustainable design. Solar panels to achieve net zero energy were an important late addition to the building design. The Arequipa region of Peru is particularly well-suited for solar energy because it enjoys an abundance of sunshine throughout the year. The mild climate is also helpful because buildings do not require extensive HVAC systems that can consume significant amounts of energy

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Modeling of secondary loop refrigeration systems in supermarket applications

Today\u27s supermarket refrigeration systems predominantly use the direct expansion vapor compression cycle to provide cooling to refrigeration and freezer display cases. Next to the environmental concerns of global warming and ozone depletion associated with leakage of the currently used CFC and HCFC refrigerants from these systems, there is also a concern for the rising cost of purchasing suitable alternative refrigerants as those currently used are phased-out. Many of the refrigeration challenges faced by supermarkets may be suitably addressed through the implementation of a secondary loop system. Secondary loop refrigeration will dramatically reduce or eliminate the direct harmful impact of refrigerant leakage to the environment; however, consideration must also be given to the indirect environmental impact of using secondary loop systems. This document provides a discussion on the challenges faced by supermarket refrigeration systems and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of implementing secondary loop refrigeration. Finally, this document presents the results of an extensive effort to numerically model both direct expansion and secondary loop refrigeration systems, and presents a case study in which the performance of a secondary loop refrigeration system is compared to that of a direct expansion system in a supermarket. The simulated results indicate that an ammonia/HFE 7100 secondary loop system will require 15% less energy to deliver the same cooling capacity as an HCFC-22 direct expansion system