EFFECTS OF FIELD’S TOPOLOGY ON ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY OF RAPESEED PLANTATION FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

The model, developed earlier, have been designed to the studies of energy gain in the biofuels production, as compared to the sum of energy inputs on various production steps, and in processes enabling biomass conversion to energy. The present paper shows application of that model towards estimation of the contribution of energy used for commuting between agricultural production sites for a chosen example of plantation’s topological characteristics. Algorithm for computations is elaborated, and numerical example is shown. The sizes of the fields as well as distances between them determine the amount of energy spend for the agricultural work in addition to the tillage technologies being applied

EFFECTS OF TILLAGE TECHNOLOGY ON ENERGETIC EFFICIENCY OF RAPESEED PLANTATION FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION

Biofuel production, as well as any other production processes, involves a number of conversion steps each of those is connected with unavoidable consumption of energy. Since biofuels are intended to replace fossil fuels it is important that the sum of energy inputs into subsequent technological steps does not exceed the energy output from the system. Basing on theoretical model derived recently by present authors, energy requirements for several agricultural technologies are computed, and used for estimation of energetic efficiency of rapeseed plantations dedicated for biodiesel fuel production. The effects of technological choices on energetic efficiency of plantations are demonstrated basing on numerical compu-tations performed using realistic data

Computer modelling of the influences of a subsystems’ interaction on energetic efficiency of biofuel production systems

Energetic efficiency of biofuel production systems, as well as that of other fuels production systems, can be evaluated on the basis of modified EROEI indicator. In earlier papers, a new definition of the EROEI indicator was introduced. This approach enables the determination of this indicator separately for individual subsystems of a chosen production system, and therefore enables the studies of the influence of every subsystem on the energetic efficiency of the system as a whole. The method has been applied to the analysis of interactions between agricultural, internal transport subsystems, as well as preliminary studies of the effect of industrial subsystem

THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE TECHNOLOGY ON AVAILABLE ENERGY FROM RAPESEED PLANTATION

The model, recently developed by present authors defines the energetic efficiency of plantation, as a ratio of total energy produced to the sum of energy inputs. It is explicitly expressed in terms of crop yield, caloric values and mass fractions of crop components used for biofuel production - on the side of outputs. Caloric values of fuel used in subsequent agricultural operations together with fuel consumption in those operations, as well as transportation distances and fuel caloric value and its consumption during transportation of goods (production means and products) between fields used in production and also during transport to customers, etc. The model is defined in mathematical form, as well as computer algorithm, enabling computations for real situation, is developed. Several examples of application are given showing that the range of energetic efficiency can vary substantially depending upon production technologies applied

Computer modelling of the influences of a subsystems’ interaction on energetic efficiency of biofuel production systems

Energetic efficiency of biofuel production systems, as well as that of other fuels production systems, can be evaluated on the basis of modified EROEI indicator. In earlier papers, a new definition of the EROEI indicator was introduced. This approach enables the determination of this indicator separately for individual subsystems of a chosen production system, and therefore enables the studies of the influence of every subsystem on the energetic efficiency of the system as a whole. The method has been applied to the analysis of interactions between agricultural, internal transport subsystems, as well as preliminary studies of the effect of industrial subsystem

Technology Management Leading to a Smart System Solution Assuring a Decrease of Energy Consumption in Recreational Facilities

Improvement of the energy efficiency of public buildings appears to be one of the best ways to simultaneously reduce energy consumption as well as the negative impacts on the environment. The work is dedicated to the analysis of modernization process of the energy system in a sports facility in a way leading to design of smart energy system. The proposed solution, being a specific case study, offers optimal use of energy in the facility, significantly reducing the demand for energy derived from fossil fuels (heat providers and conventional power plants). The project, on its first step, consists of recovering energy from sewage that usually is irretrievably lost. This option allows to achieve the assumed goals simultaneously optimizing the investment costs. The proposed solution mitigates air pollution and harmful gas and dust emissions to the atmosphere, and contributes to an increase of both the attractiveness and competitiveness of the area in which the sports facility is located. The next step will be further automation of the system and intelligent synchronization of time-dependencies of the processes

The Effects of Material’s Transport on Various Steps of Production System on Energetic Efficiency of Biodiesel Production

Rapeseed plantation biodiesel production systems require the transportation of goods, like raw materials, machines and tools, and products between various conversion stages of agricultural as well as industrial subsystems. Each transportation step requires the consumption of some energy. This consumption decreases the net amount of energy delivered out of the biofuel production system, and consequently decreases the energetic efficiency of the system. The majority of studies on biofuel sustainability are done by means of the LCA method with the use of a data average for some region and period of time. Such analyses do not reveal the possible causes of the conclusions determined. The present work deals with computer modelling of the influence of the energy consumed on those transport routes on the energetic efficiency of the production system. The model enables determination of the effects caused by changes introduced to technological parameters. The effects caused by variation of fuel consumption, the load capacity of transportation means, size of plantation, distribution and sizes of individual fields, distances between fields, plantation yield, and finally the distance between the plantation and the industrial facility are studied using the numerical model developed earlier. This approach is aimed towards identifying the reasons for the behavior of a system controlled by many somewhat coupled variables

Computer modelling of the effect of embodied energy on energetic effectiveness of biodiesel production

The effect of embodied energy on energetic effectiveness of biodiesel production is studied. Embodied energy, i.e. energy consumed for production of a technical device, is gradually consumed during the life time of that device. The amount of embodied energy consumed during individual agricultural operation affects the energetic effectiveness of that operation, as well as that for the whole production process. The embodied energy in agriculture is associated with the use of machinery , transportation means, fertilizes, etc. The paper estimates the effect of embodied energy in the rapeseed biodiesel production basing on computer modelling

Bioenergy and Biofuels

Technology is setting strategic directions for change in the economy and industry [...