Reverse electrodialysis – Multi effect distillation heat engine fed by lithium chloride solutions

Salinity Gradient Heat Engines (SG-HEs) have been proposed as a promising technology for converting low-temperature heat into electricity. The SG-HE includes two different processes: (i) a salinity gradient process where the salinity gradient between two solutions is converted into electricity and (ii) a thermal regeneration process where low-grade heat (T<100°C) is used to re-establish the original salinity gradient of the two streams. Among the proposed working solutions, aqueous solution of lithium chloride has been identified as one of the most promising thanks to its remarkable solubility and activity. In this work, a process model to study the performance of a SG-HE constituted by a Reverse ElectroDialysis (RED) unit coupled with a Multi Effect Distillation (MED) unit fed with lithium chloride solution is presented. The influence of the concentration of the inlet solution in the RED unit and the temperature difference in the evaporators of the MED unit on the performance were evaluated by considering ideal membranes. Furthermore, the impact of membrane permselectivity and resistance on the system performance was evaluated. Results showed promising system efficiencies, making this technology attractive for conversion of low-grade heat (<100°C) into electricity, but membrane properties should be enhanced

Effects of interplanetary transport on derived energetic particle source strengths

We study the transport of solar energetic particles (SEPs) in the inner heliosphere in order to relate observations made by an observer at 1 AU to the number and total energy content of accelerated particles at the source, assumed to be near the Sun. We use a numerical simulation that integrates the trajectories of a large number of individual particles moving in the interplanetary magnetic field. We model pitch angle scattering and adiabatic cooling of energetic ions with energies from 50 keV nucleon^(−1) to 100 MeV nucleon^(−1). Among other things, we determine the number of times that particles of a given energy cross 1 AU and the average energy loss that they suffer because of adiabatic deceleration in the solar wind. We use a number of different forms of the interplanetary spatial diffusion coefficient and a wide range of scattering mean-free paths and consider a number of different ion species in order to generate a wide range of simulation results that can be applied to individual SEP events. We apply our simulation results to observations made at 1 AU of the 20 February 2002 solar energetic particle event, finding the original energy content of several species. We find that estimates of the source energy based on SEP measurements at 1 AU are relatively insensitive to the mean-free path and scattering scheme if adiabatic cooling and multiple crossings are taken into account

Global Trends In The Commercialization Of Space

For the past half century, the commercial potential of space has been a major rationale for the space program in the United States and elsewhere. This paper will provide an overview of space-related industries, which accounted for global revenues in the range of $106 billion by 2006, and the drivers that impact their development. It incorporates the evolution of space policy, recent economic data, and the emergence of the private spaceflight industry

The Market For The "Not-So-Rare" Rare Earth Elements

This paper examines the market for the Rare earth elements. These are comprised of 17 elements of the periodic table which include 15 elements from the group known as lanthanides and two additional elements known as scandium and yttrium. The metals are often found combined together in ores and must be separated into its individual elements. The fact is that rare earth metals are not rare in terms of the quantity present in the earths crust. However, the metals are less concentrated than other more common metals and the extraction and separation processes necessitate high research and development costs and large capital outlays.The various applications of rare earth elements can be broadly classified into four major categories, namely: High Technology Consumer Products, Environmentally Friendly Products, Industrial and Medical Devices, and National Defense Systems. The demand for such high technology products is rapidly increasing causing a simultaneous upsurge in the demand for rare earth metals as well.On the supply side, China dominates the production rare earth elements, mining approximately 97% of total world production. Consequently, most countries must rely on imports of these REEs to facilitate production of the various systems and products that are dependent on the rare earth metals as raw materials. This near-monopoly imposes several supply-chain risks on the importing nations which are exploring ways to mitigate the potential economic harm associated with these risks

Discussion Willingness in the Exit Interview: A Role-Play Field Investigation

The study sought to determine the effect of feelings on willingness to discuss issues during exit interviews. Using a role play methodology, subjects were asked to role play either positive or negative feelings toward their company. They were then asked to role play how willing they would be to discuss particular work-related issues. Results show that while diverging feelings toward the company yield few differences in willingness to discuss issues, differing feelings toward the interviewer yielded greater willingness to discuss issues. Additionally, it was found that on a number of issues, greatest willingness to discuss was evident when there was a positive feeling toward the company and the interviewer

Analyzing an Emerging Industry: Viatical Transactions and the Secondary Market for Life Insurance Policies

Joseph A. Giacalone, Ph.D., is professor of economics, Department of Economics and Finance, The Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John\u27s University, Jamaica, NY 11439

Evaluation of the economic and environmental performance of low-temperature heat to power conversion using a reverse electrodialysis - Multi-effect distillation system

In the examined heat engine, reverse electrodialysis (RED) is used to generate electricity from the salinity difference between two artificial solutions. The salinity gradient is restored through a multi-effect distillation system (MED) powered by low-temperature waste heat at 100 ◦C. The current work presents the first comprehensive economic and environmental analysis of this advanced concept, when varying the number of MED effects, the system sizing, the salt of the solutions, and other key parameters. The levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has been calculated, showing that competitive solutions can be reached only when the system is at least medium to large scale. The lowest LCOE, at about 0.03 €/kWh, is achieved using potassium acetate salt and six MED effects while reheating the solutions. A similar analysis has been conducted when using the system in energy storage mode, where the two regenerated solutions are stored in reservoir tanks and the RED is operating for a few hours per day, supplying valuable peak power, resulting in a LCOE just below 0.10 €/kWh. A life-cycle assessment has been also carried out, showing that the case with the lowest environmental impact is the same as the one with the most attractive economic performance. Results indicate that the material manufacturing has the main impact; primarily the metallic parts of the MED. Overall, this study highlights the development efforts required in terms of both membrane performance and cost reduction, in order to make this technology cost effective in the future

China, The World Trade Organization, And The Market For Rare Earth Minerals

Rare earth elements (also referred to as rare earth minerals, rare earth metals, green elements, rare earths or simply REEs) are comprised of 17 elements of the periodic table. The metals are often found combined together in ores and must be separated into its individual elements. On the supply side of the market, China is currently the largest producer of rare earth elements in the world, mining at least 90% of total world production. Consequently, many countries around the world rely on imports of these REEs to facilitate production of the various systems and products that are dependent on the rare earth metals as raw materials. With one supplier effectively monopolizing the rare earth industry, this imposes severe supply-chain risks to the producers of products that rely on rare earth minerals. After several actions that have restricted the supply, the United States, the European Union, and Japan have challenged China for violating provisions of its membership in the World Trade Organization. This paper will examine the rare earth industry, China’s near-monopoly, global supply-chain risks, and strategies to reduce dependence on China, including the invocation of the WTO’s dispute resolution process

Morphological variation of the newly confirmed population of the javelin sand boa, Eryx jaculus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes, erycidae) in Sicily, Italy

The presence of the Javelin sand boa in Sicily has recently been confirmed. Here the morphological characters and sexual dimorphism of the Sicilian population of Eryx jaculus are presented. Seven meristic and six metric characters in 96 specimens from Sicily were examined. The results show that tail length, snout-vent length, the distance between nostrils and the number of ventral and subcaudal scales are different between sexes. The characters found in the Sicilian population of the Javelin sand boa resemble those of the African population (ssp. jaculus) rather than the Eurasian population (ssp. turcicus), but biomolecular studies are necessary to understand its taxonomic identity

The Comparative Effectiveness of Impression Management Tactics on the Recommendation of Grievant Punishment: An Exploratory Investigation

They study applied the literatures on extra-legal variables and self-presentation toward an understanding of judgment biases in arbitration. Subjects were provided with a written case of a grievance over the firing of an employee for drinking on the job. The extra-legal variable of previous record was manipulated by providing subjects with a case in which the grievant had previously been drinking on the job or had never done so before. This was crossed with the manipulation of the impression management variable in which the subjects read either the grievant\u27s use of tactics known as an account or an apology. Results showed that the extent to which subjects believed punishment for the grievant was appropriate, as well as ratings of other secondary variables were differentially affected by an interaction of impression management tactic uses, as well as the grievant\u27s previous record