Comparative techno-economic analysis of ORC and gasification for bioenergy applications

The use of biomass for decentralized energy production has undergone a significant development the last years. The fact that this fuel is CO(2)-free provides many advantages in European and world aims for sustainable energy sources. Biomass trigeneration is a relatively new concept, which has the potential to improve the bioenergy economics for areas with warm climate, for which traditional biomass cogeneration was unfeasible. This concept can be applied with various energy conversion technologies, two of which are investigated in this paper: ORC and gasification. Both technologies are applied for a specific case study. The technological and financial comparison of the two technologies shows that gasification offers improved yield for the investment, mainly due to the higher electrical efficiency factor. However, attention should be placed to the increased investment risk of gasification projects, which could be an aversive factor for some investors. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Introduction: Advances and trends in image formation in X-ray computed tomography

Introduction to articles in a special focus series on CT imaging

How to Modify Tempo for Large Scale ICE Installations

The purpose of the presentation is to show how we modify SGI Tempo cluster management software for large scale ICE systems (Pleiades)

Novel Analytical and Numerical Methods in Heat Transfer Enhancement and Thermal Management

1Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, 80125 Napoli, Italy 2Laboratoire de Modelisation et Simulation Multi Echelle, Equipe Transferts de Chaleur et de Matiere, Universite PARIS-EST, 77454 Marne-la-Vallee Cedex 2, France 3School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710049, China 4Laboratory of Steam Boilers andThermal Plants, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou, 15780 Athens, Greece 5Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8058, US

Computerized 3-dimensional Localization of a Video Capsule in the Abdominal Cavity: Validation by Digital Radiography

Background: Video capsule endoscopy has become the gold standard for examining the small bowel and defining pathological lesions, however, localization of a specific lesion remains largely guesswork. We report the validation of a new 3D localization software using radiological localization in volunteers. Methods: 30 volunteers with no known prior history of gastrointestinal disease swallowed the EC-10 video capsule. A sensor array with six radiopaque markers was placed on the anterior abdominal wall. Once the capsule was visualized to be in the small intestine using a real time viewer, five sets of low dose x-rays were taken every thirty minutes. Distances between sensor points and the capsule were measured on the x-rays to provide X, Y, and Z coordinates and compared with the distances calculated by the software from the same points. Results: Data from 27 of the 30 subjects were suitable for analysis. There were three technical failures. Our study evaluated the accuracy of the “Capsule 3D Track function” which calculated the capsule position based on the signal strength received at the sensor array. The accuracy of the position was compared to the actual position of the capsule as determined by radiographic images obtained during the capsule’s transit through the small bowel. The average error for the software measurement for each of the three coordinates was: X -2.00 cm (SD 1.64 cm), Y -- 2.64 cm (SD 2.39 cm), and Z --2.51 cm (1.83 cm). Conclusion: The localization error reported here is comparable to the existing system for localization, however, it provides localization across all three spatial dimensions which has never been achieved before. The potential utility of this technology is yet to be seen, however, as it needs to now be studied in a prospective clinical trial for patients with suspected small bowel pathology

A review of key environmental and energy performance indicators for the case of Renewable Energy Systems when integrated with storage solutions.

During the last years a variety of numerical tools and algorithms have been developed aiming at quantifying and measuring the environmental impact of multiple types of energy systems, as those based on Renewable Energy Sources. Plenty of studies have proposed the use of a Life Cycle Assessment methodology, to determine the environmental impact of renewable installations when coupled with storage solutions, based on a pre-selected repository of Key Performance Indicators. The main scope of this paper is to propose a limited number of best fitting, and at the same time easily adaptable to various configurations, list of KPIs for the case of renewable energy systems. This is done by capitalizing on the environmental and energy performance KPIs tracked in the open literature (e.g. “Global Warming Potential”, “Energy Payback Time”, “Battery Total Degradation”, “Energy Stored on Invested”, “Cumulative Energy Demand”) and/or other proposing new simple, scalable and adaptable ones, (e.g. “Embodied Energy for Infrastructure of Materials and for the building system”, “Life Cycle CO2 Emissions”, “Reduction of the Direct CO2 emissions”, “Avoided CO2 Emissions”, “CO2 equivalent Payback Time”). Moreover, the proposed KPIs are distributed according to the individual phases of the entire life-cycle of a related component of a renewable energy system, each time the environmental impact refers to, i.e. manufacturing, operational and end-of-life. Apart from that, the current paper presents a necessary base grounded approach, which can be followed for a holistic approach in environmental point of view of renewable-based technologies, by addressing the potential competing interests of the relevant stakeholders (e.g. profit for the market operator in contrast to low-cost services for the consumer). All in all, the scalar quantification of the environmental impact of multiple energy systems, through a list of proposed assessment criteria, being evaluated in terms of the selected repository of KPIs, enables the comparison on a fair basis of the available energy systems, irrespective if they are fossil-fuel or RES based ones. As a typical example, a simple standard model of a photovoltaic integrated with an electric battery is selected, for which indicative indicators are provide