bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modified sugarcane bagasse as effective biosorbent for copper ions removal
Authors: Yam Ken Yip , Chong Woon Chan , Chung Ying Tao
Published: April 2020

In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) as a cheap and effective biosorbent was used for copper ions (Cu(II)) removal and modification was performed on SCB with HCl chemical washing and mercerization with strong NaOH in order to improve the removal capability of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The effects of three influencing parameters including pH, temperature and initial metal ion concentration on Cu(II) adsorption were investigated for both untreated and modified SCB samples (U-SCB, HCl-SCB and M-SCB). The maximum removal efficiency obtained in the experiments was 98.75% for HCl-SCB while M-SCB was 93.1% at pH 5 with an initial metal ion concentration of 10 mg L−1. Four isotherm models including Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm were used to describe the adsorption process of Cu(II) ions for each SCB sample. Among these four isotherms, the experimental data was best fitted to Langmuir isotherm with R2 above 0.95. Based on the Langmuir isotherm, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 0.523, 2.006 and 0.938 for U-SCB, HCl-SCB and M-SCB. It was concluded that the modification performed on SCB with HCl was able to improve the removal efficiency of Cu(II) from 71.6% up to 98.75%.
Development of wireless data acquisition system for soil monitoring
Authors: Tolentino Efren Victor N. , Andaya Vrigitte S. , Cristobal Geanne Andrea G. , Ongtengco Ryle S. , Rosal Angelica A. , Ruzol Erich B. , Sacramento John Carlo A.
Published: April 2020

Agriculture is getting more inclined with modern technology. Automatic dataacquisition of soil condition with the help of a sensor lessens the time and manual work in testing a soil if it is suitable for planting. However, soil characteristic changes periodically. Thus, determining the macronutrients present in the soil is always a challenge for the currently available sensors because most of them can only get and give one or two information from the soil simultaneously. This research focused on the development of a digital single probe sensor to monitor the macronutrient contents of the soil, i.e. nitrogen, N; phosphorus, P; and potassium, K. Moreover, the soil’s temperature, moisture, and pH level were also monitored. In order to obtain the N-P-K content, a rod electrode or probe, which produces electrical potential in response to the reading, was utilized. The electrical conductivity of the soil provides the N-P-K values and the electrical resistivity of the soil gives the soil’s pH and moisture content. A canister for storing and releasing the reagents to enhance the sensor’s conductivity is installed and once the probe is injected in the soil, a button can be pressed to release the reagents to the soil. Moreover, a Wi-Fi module was installed in order for the user to monitor the data collected by the device. The calculated percentage error of the device in monitoring soil fertility is 12%.
Energy sustainability and industry 4.0
Authors: Ng Tan Ching , Ghobakhloo Morteza
Published: April 2020

The world is witnessing the fourth industrial revolution, as known as Industry 4.0, which integrates advanced manufacturing and operations techniques with the most recent digital and information technologies to create dynamic, interconnected, and smart manufacturing ecosystems. The underlying components of Industry 4.0 such as smart factories and technology trends also need an ever-increasing powering, and energy sustainability has strong ties to Industry 4.0. The Industry 4.0 offer numerous opportunities for energy sustainability, and the present research applies the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) not only to model the Industry 4.0 functions for energy efficiency but also sustainability. With the mentioned methodology, the research performs a systematic review of the literature to first identify the energy efficiency sustainability functions of Industry 4.0. Besides, the research further determined the opinion of a group of experts to map and analysed the interrelationships among the sustainability functions identified. The results in this research indicates that sophisticated precedence relationships exist amongst numerous energy sustainability functions of Industry 4.0. In particular, ‘Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée àun Classement’ (MICMAC) analysis indicates that the digital transformation of energy sector (Energy 4.0) itself, smart grids, and process optimization are the more immediate energy sustainability impacts of Industry 4.0. This research enable Industry 4.0 players including industrialists, academicians, consumers, and even governments to understand better the opportunities that Industry 4.0 may offer for energy sustainability.
Utilization of vegetable oil refinery activated carbon-bleaching earth as an additive to the production of low-density facing bricks
Authors: Carrillo Lorraine , Bilason Loudette , Loveres Shania Faith , Paurillo John Elijah , Sacobo Carl James , Sakay Cherrylyn , Espinosa Khiara , Vergara Jan
Published: April 2020

Incorporating industrial wastes and recyclable materials as additives and/or alternatives in raw materials of concrete bricks is an approach used by environmentalists to convert wastes to reusable materials. Facing bricks are aesthetic material that can be installed in the internal or external walls of houses or buildings. Spent Activated Carbon-Bleaching Earth (SACBE) is an industrial waste generated from the physical refining process of vegetable oil. SACBE is commonly disposed or buried in dedicated landfills. SACBE has no significant utilization and causes environmental hazards upon disposal. The study is designed to find the most effective and efficient mixture ratio of cement facing bricks with SACBE. The paper also investigates the physical and mechanical properties of the SACBE mixture. Three sets of mixtures with varying amount of SACBE in 800 mL, 900 mL, and 1 L of water were created. The volume of sand in the original ratio was substituted with 0% SACBE up to 30% SACBE in increments of 5%. Cement, sand, SACBE, and water were mixed accordingly to the different ratios and air dried in 7 days. Analysis of the results showed that as the percentage of SACBE increases, the density of the facing bricks decreases while the volume of water has no concrete effect on density. The water absorbed in varying amounts of water with the same percentage of SACBE decreased for most samples while the compressive strength is lower for the 900 mL across all samples. Results showed that the 30% SACBE mixture in 1 L of water is the optimum mixture of SACBE. This mixture exhibits higher compressive strength while having lowest density and minimum water absorption compared to other mixtures.
Recycling of nutrient-loaded biochars produced from agricultural residues as soil promoters for Gomphrena growth
Authors: Wongrod S , Watcharawittaya A , Vinitnantharat S
Published: April 2020

Biochar has been recognized as a potential media for soil amendment regarding its high surface area and retention capacity to slowly release nutrients to soils. However, the recycling of biochar after domestic water treatment towards agricultural application is still not well known. Therefore, this research studied the role of nutrient-loaded biochars produced from agricultural residues after canal water treatment as soil promoters for Gomphrena growth. Corncob, coconut husk, coconut shell and rice straw derived biochars were separately produced in a kiln (~378 °C) (namely CC, CH, CS and RS, respectively) and a pyrolysis reactor (500 °C) (namely CC-P, CH-P, CS-P and RS-P, respectively). The CH biochar was further modified with chitosan to improve its surface properties (labeled as CHC). The CH and CHC biochars after canal water treatment at lab and pilot scales are labeled as CH-column, CHC-column, CH-pilot and CHC-pilot, respectively. The loaded and unloaded biochars were further added in aquaculture sediment and loamy soil at 0.4, 0.7 and 1% mass ratio for Gomphrena growth. From the results, biochars amended in soil and sediment significantly improved seed germinations of Gomphrena, compared to control treatments. RS 0.4% amended in soil and sediment showed the highest seedling height (~2.5 cm) among all biochars, in accordance with its releases of K+, PO4
3- and NO3
− into solution at high concentrations. Gomphrena growth in sediment amended with CH-column 1.0% biochar was comparable to unloaded biochar, indicating that loaded biochar can provide nutrients without harming the plant. In addition, chitosan modification induced higher plant growth in sediment amended with CHC-column 1.0% than with unmodified biochar. Gomphrena germination was also improved in CH-pilot and CHC-pilot biochars amended in sediments with maximum seedling heights of 3.5 and 4.2 cm, respectively. This is likely due to the abilities of CH-pilot and CHC-pilot biochars to release N (NH4
+, NO3
−) and total P of 0.106 and 0.111 mgN/L, and 0.770 and 0.637 mgP/L, respectively. This study revealed that the nutrient-loaded biochars can be used to sustain soil fertility through gradual releases of nutrients and thus promote the recycling of agricultural residues.
Performance comparison of two eutectic solder based latent heat storage systems during discharging
Authors: Mawire Ashmore , Ekwomadu Chidiebere , Lefenya Tlotlo , Shobo Adedamola
Published: April 2020

Latent heat storage systems consisting of phase change materials (PCMs) offer the advantage of a large thermal energy storage density as compared to sensible heat storage systems. Most recent work has focussed on organic and inorganic PCMs which have problems of subcooling and phase segregation. Metallic PCMs are a recent innovation for medium to high temperature applications due to their high thermal conductivities, high volumetric storage capacities and their low degrees of sub-cooling during the release of latent heat. For medium temperature applications like cooking of food, very limited work has been done on metallic PCMs for energy storage. Solder based PCMs have rarely been investigated for medium temperature applications thus it is necessary to carry out an experimental study on the use of a solder as PCM candidate. No work has ever been reported using the eutectic solder (Sn63/Pb37) as a PCM. Its use is justified since it is low cost and locally manufactured solder worldwide. Another recent innovation is cascaded thermal energy storage (TES), whereby two PCMs with different melting temperatures are used in a single storage tank to improve the efficiency of energy storage. No work has also appeared in recent literature involving metallic solders in cascaded systems. In a bid to investigate the suitability of the eutectic solder as a PCM for medium temperature applications, two eutectic solder (Sn63/Pb37) based systems are experimentally evaluated during discharging cycles. The first system is a single PCM system composed of a packed bed of spherically encapsulated eutectic solder capsules. The other system is a two PCM cascaded system comprising of eutectic solder spherical capsules at the top and erythritol spherical capsules at the bottom in a storage ratio of 50 %: 50 %. Discharging experiments are carried with three different discharging flow-rates to investigate the effect of the flow-rate on the thermal performance. The three discharging flow-rates used are 4 ml/s, 6 ml/s and 8 ml/s. For both storage systems, an increase in the discharging flow-rate increases the peak discharging energy and exergy rates. For both storage systems, an increase in the discharging flow-rate increases the peak discharging energy and exergy rates. The single PCM system shows higher energy and exergy rates for most of the discharging duration compared to the cascaded system. An increase in the flow-rate increases the peak energy and exergy discharging rates for the single PCM and the cascaded PCM storage systems. The single PCM system out-performed the cascaded system during the discharging tests possibly due to the lower melting temperature and lower thermal conductivity of the bottom PCM (erythritol) in the cascaded system. However, for the higher flow-rates (6 ml/s, 8 ml/s), the cascaded system shows a slightly better or comparable performance at the start and at end of discharging.
Dynamic behaviours of damaged stability for floating energy storage unit after accidental collision
Authors: Kang Hooi-Siang , Choo Hau-Wei , Khor Wei-Han , Lee Kee-Quen , Tey Wah Yen , Lee Kiat Moon , Liu Yu-Jie , Chong Wen-Tong
Published: April 2020

The transient dynamic behaviour of floating energy storage unit (FESU) is a result of coupling between three non-linear effects, which are sloshing of floodwater, wave loading, and FESU dynamics. The coupling of these effects would result in the catastrophic failure of the FESU in extreme conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has shown that it holds great potential in solving the problem in the time domain, which is suitable for the transient stage. In this study, CFD simulation of damaged stability was conducted by using OpenFOAM to determine the dynamic response of FESU under the effects of floodwater and wave in transient flooding. OpenFOAM CFD simulation was conducted for the flooding of barge shaped FESU with different water inlet and air outlet sizes in still water condition followed by damaged stability in Stokes’ fifth-order beam wave and head wave condition. Dynamic responses of FESU, such as roll, pitch, heave, and floodwater volume flow rates were determined using the dynamic meshing solver of OpenFOAM. Simulation results showed similarity to experimental results within the time frame of 16 seconds. Reduction in water inlet area and air outlet area decreased the flooding time and flow rate of flood water. The amplitude of vibration of roll and pitch motion increased as the flood water volume was increased due to the force of floodwater exerted on the wall. Sloshing effects also caused the model to roll and pitch in secondary vibrational motion. Due to the coupling effect of the three non-linear criteria, the inflow and outflow of floodwater changed with time, which concludes that transient effects should not be ignored in the damaged stability assessment of FESU.
Effect of microwave susceptor design on the heating profile of co-pyrolysis between empty fruit bunches and waste truck tire
Authors: Idris R. , Chong W.W.F. , Ali A. , Idris S. , Asik J.A. , Hasan M.F. , Chong C.T. , Ani F.N.
Published: April 2020

The effect of microwave susceptor design on the heating profiles of co-pyrolysis between waste truck tyre and empty fruit bunch was studied. Carbonaceous susceptor was used to elevate the pyrolysis temperature along with increased heating rate. Different design of microwave susceptor and its effect towards the heating profiles of the studied co-pyrolysis process was examined. The aim is to determine the effect of heating rates on the pyrolytic-oil yield, calorific value and energy recovery. From the study, it was revealed that the microwave susceptor design (D1) with a horizontal-layer single-bed, located at the bottom (SB-HL-B) of the feedstocks, showed higher heating rate (83 °C min−1). Higher heating rates were observed to significantly increase pyrolytic-oil (39.0 wt%) and energy yield (59.0%). Such heating rate also upgraded the pyrolytic-oil properties, producing oil with higher calorific value (42.20 MJkg−1). Thus, the present study demonstrated a viable method to optimise pyrolytic-oil yield in producing diesel-like fuel through the adoption of a microwave-assisted heating method.
Hybrid of photovoltaic and diesel power plant in Celagen Island
Authors: Susanto I , Sunanda W , Gusa R F , Kurniawan R , Tiandho Y
Published: April 2020

Celagen Island is one of the outer islands in Bangka Belitung Islands Province. The population of Celagen island is 1234 people and dominated by fishermen. Currently, electricity is supplied from 1 unit of photovoltaic with capacity 80-kWp and coupled with three units of diesel power plant with capacity 100 kW. To meet the electricity needs of 1069 kWh/day, supply from diesel power plant already sufficient. But for the economics of the cost of providing primary fuel, a hybrid from photovoltaic and diesel power plants needs to be done. Hybrid power plants are one of the options to meet the electrical energy needs of geographically difficult areas to connect to the on-grid electricity network. The hybrid system with 72% of electricity from the diesel power plant and 28% of electricity from photovoltaic is very economical. The economic analysis shows that with this modeling, the cost of providing primary fuel is lower by 1228 rupiah/kWh if only using diesel power plant.
Power management system for hybrid AC/DC microgrid based on high frequency isolated interlink converter
Authors: Linn Zarchi , Win Soe
Published: April 2020

The hybrid AC/DC microgrid systems have been popular and being developed as the next generation power systems because of the comprehensive combination of both AC and DC microgrid systems. Power management scheme is one of the most critical operation aspects for hybrid microgrids because the system is operating with various generation sources and loads such as renewable energy sources, energy storage systems and AC and DC loads. Therefore, in this research, control strategies and power management scheme is considered for all possible operation modes of standalone and grid-connected conditions. In the existing microgrid system in Electrical Power Engineering department in Yangon Technological University, rooftop PV plant and battery are cooperating to supply the electricity. The inverter in this system allows the unidirectional power flow from DC to AC and there is no specific power management system for grid-connected and standalone operation mode. To provide bidirectional power flow in the existing system, the configuration of converter and control strategies for power management system are developed in this research. To provide the bidirectional power flow between AC bus and DC bus, the bidirectional interlink power converter with high frequency isolation is applied. The control system including the power balancing between generation and demand, DC link voltage control and AC link voltage and frequency control is considered. By applying droop control method in the developed system, power flow balancing between AC bus and DC bus is maintained. And also, using high frequency isolation transformer in interlink converter provides fast response of the system performance and maintaining continuous power supply within each AC system and DC system during disturbance condition in one subsystem. The performance of the proposed power management system is demonstrated by using MATLAB/Simulink.
Identification of cumulative damage at the blade root of AB92 blade using Palmgren-Miner’s rule
Authors: Augusto G.L. , Culaba A.B. , Chen W.H.
Published: April 2020

This study presents the identification of cumulative damage at the blade root of AVANTIS AB92 wind turbine blade by evaluating the simulations generated output obtained from GH Bladed software. The blade length was 45.3 m and consisted of six (6) different airfoils. The blade material was made of GRP/Epoxy with a weight of 10.2 tons. At the blade root, the bolt hole circle diameter was 2.3 m with a 1.3 m distance from hub centre to rotor shaft flange. The fatigue loads at the blade connection of AB92 were performed according to Germanischer Lloyd guideline for a 2.5 MW horizontal axis wind turbine generator with wind class IEC IIA. The simulations were performed when the turbine operates during power production with and without occurrence of fault with wind condition satisfying the normal turbulence model. Design load cases such as during start-up and normal shutdown were also carried out with wind condition similar to normal wind profile model. The fatigue load cases at the blade connection were post-processed by determining the rainflow cycle counting and damage equivalent loads using GH Bladed software. Statistical estimation models such as graphical and exponential methods were also used to predict the Weibull parameters. The total fatigue damages due to bending moments and torsion at the blade connection were evaluated using the Palmgren-Miner’s rule at different expected behaviour of S-N curves. Calculation results indicate that the total fatigue damage due to torsion, flapwise and edgewise bending moments at the blade connection of AB92 when the slope parameter of S-N curve i.e., m = 3 are less than unity with values of 0.8702, 0.0354 and 0.0180, respectively.
Anodized stainless mesh for flexible battery anodes
Authors: Nguyen D-T , Iwai K , Kawakami K , Taguchi K
Published: April 2020

The fast development of flexible electronic devices in recent years requires the development of flexible batteries. In this study, a compact and flexible battery (15 mm × 15 mm) was developed. The anode electrode of the battery was based on an anodized stainless mesh coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The battery can be activated anytime, anywhere, by saline solution. The anodization process was applied to the anode electrode. After the heat-treatment process, the anodized stainless mesh was coated MWCNTs. The power generation characteristics of the flexible battery were investigated. Two types of anode electrodes made of stainless mesh with and without anodization were used for the experiment. The anodized stainless mesh anode generated 169 µW/cm2, which is four times higher than that of the anode without anodization, 41.9 µW/cm2.
Experimental investigation of the performance of thermal energy storage with embedded phase change materials as wall insulator
Authors: Kee Lee Hooi , Kurnia Jundika C , Haryoko Luthfi AF , Riyandwita Byan Wahyu , Sasmito Agus P
Published: April 2020

Thermal energy storage (TES) has been widely adopted to bridge the mismatch between energy supply and demand. In general, thermal energy storage is segregated as sensible TES and latent TES whereby both have their own advantages and disadvantages. This study explores the possibility of utilizing the advantages of both sensible and latent TES by embedding phase change materials as a wall of the sensible TES. To investigate the performance of the proposed TES, an experimental set-up of TES with PCM embedded in the wall is developed. Temperature distribution within TES is measured and recorded during charging and discharging process. Several key parameters are evaluated to gauge their influence on the performance of the studied TES. The results indicate that the performance of TES with embedded PCM is superior that that without PCM, indicating the potential of the proposed design for high performance thermal energy storage application.
Performance of the prototype shaftless small scale horizontal wind turbine for electricity generating from industrial exhaust air system
Authors: Puttichaem Wachira , Boonyongmaneerat Yuttanant , Vadhanasindhu Pakpachong , Putivisutisak Sompong
Published: April 2020

Man-made or unnatural wind from the industrial exhaust air system is an alternative wind resource for countries with natural low-speed or intermittent wind such as Thailand. It has strong and consistent wind speed when compared to the natural wind, with velocity about 5 to 10 m/s at a distance of 5 cm from the exhaust air outlet. However, some negative impacts to the exhaust air system performance was observed when a conventional wind turbine was employed. The objective of this research is to feasibility study the practicality of a prototype shaftless small scale horizontal axis wind turbine (SSHWT) to generate electricity from the exhaust air of the industrial exhaust air system. Aerodynamic, blade and generator designs were addressed in this study to maximize energy output and minimize negative impacts to the performance of the original exhaust air system. The performance of SSHWT was tested with a selected industrial fan that is widely used in industrial sections. The results showed that the SSHWT could generate electricity with less negative effect to exhaust air system performance. However, it still needs further improvements caused by the voltage output is too low. By the concept design, this innovative wind turbine is compact, thus needs only small space for installation. This SSHWT has high market potential for low wind speed countries to take advantage of unnatural wind resources which are better in terms of efficiency and economy for sustainable energy development.
Experimental study on waste heat recovery system of an internal combustion engine using thermoelectric technology
Authors: Suhaimi Nur Athirah , Singh Baljit , Remeli Muhammad Fairuz
Published: April 2020

Internal combustion engines do not effectively convert energy from the chemical reaction into useful energy, notably mechanical energy. In fact, majority of the energy are converted into heat energy, and dissipated into environment which does not fully contribute to the performance of internal combustion engine. This results in lower overall efficiency of the engine. The heat released into the environment can be converted into useful electrical energy by using thermoelectric generator (TEG). TEG consists of cold side and hot side and works based on the principle of Seebeck effect. The hot side of TEG is exposed to hot surfaces of the exhaust, and the cold side is cooled with fan cooled heat sink. The function of heat sink is to increase the temperature differences across the TEG. The conversion of waste heat into electricity by TEG in an automobile can be a good case study to replace the alternator for battery charging and increase the overall efficiency of the Internal Combustion (IC) engine. In this study, eight pieces of TEG with dimensions of 40 mm x 40 mm each were attached to a square heat exchanger. This heat exchanger was connected to the exhaust pipe of the engine. The temperature recorded in the exhaust was more than 150 °C. Thermocuples were embedded on the hot side and cold side of the thermoelectric generators to evaluate the temperature differences across the TEGs. The output of the TEGs were obtained at idle and half-throttled engine conditions. An electronic load was applied to obtain the voltage, current and the power output from the TEGs system. The TEGs were tested individually, all connected in series and parallel connections. The maximum output voltage was recorded for the series connections at 5.8 V with an average hot side temperature of 48 ° C across TEGs. Maximum power output obtained when all the TEGs connected in series was at 2.3 W.
Design and simulation of grid-connected photovoltaic-diesel hybrid system
Authors: Thar Hla Aye , Ya Aung Ze , Win Yee Yee , Kyi Phyu Aye Myat , Myint Kay Khaing , Win Sein May Thu
Published: April 2020

The availability of reliable electrical energy is essential in developing countries for functioning in modern economies such as in residential, industrial and commercial developments. The sources to produce electricity can be divided into two categories: renewable sources and non-renewable sources. Renewable energies are sources of clean and inexhaustible energies which can be produced from natural resources and they produce neither greenhouse gases nor polluting emissions. There are variety of renewable energy such as wind energy, solar energy, hydro energy, biomass and biofuel energy and etc. The photovoltaic-diesel hybrid systems are systems that combine photovoltaic system and diesel generators to generate electricity. There are many types of photovoltaic-hybrid system. They are series hybrid, switch hybrid and parallel hybrid. In the series photovoltaic-hybrid system, Photovoltaic generator or diesel generator is used along with battery bank to charge. In this paper, the sizing of photovoltaic-diesel hybrid system with grid connection is calculated for the electricity consumption of an industry. The study area of this paper is located in North Okkalapa township, Yangon division, Myanmar and at latitude 16°53’06.9“N and longitude 96°09’17.8”E. The load consumption of this garment factory is firstly collected. In this paper, a photovoltaic system was designed. The number of modules, the number of inverters, and the efficient techniques of connecting them together was stated. Also the area of the designed photovoltaic system was calculated, and a suitable location for the system was chosen. The sizing calculation of the system is designed by using HELIOSCOPE software and HOMER software.
Techno-economic investigation of a grid-connected photovoltaic-biomass hybrid system for shaping the sustainable electrification in Ayeyarwady delta of Myanmar
Authors: Ya Aung Ze , Thar Hla Aye , Win Yee Yee , Moe Khin Moe , Myint Kay Khaing , Win Sein May Thu
Published: April 2020

This article presents the techno-economic investigation of the Grid-connected Hybrid system by harnessing the abundant potentials of Renewables in Ayeyarwady Delta of Myanmar. The focused village in this study, Ma Yan Chaung, is geographically situated at latitude 16°35’7“N and longitude 94°54’7”E. Its annual average Solar GHI (Global Horizontal Irradiation) is 5.08 kWh per m2 per day. It is included in the electrified (Grid arrived) village tract of Moke Soe Kwin and located in the Myaungmya Township. Site survey to that village was conducted in May, 2019. According to the collected data, the available Biomass is 480 tonnes per day and the estimated demand of the focused village is 2296 kWh per day with 361.7 kW peak. The thousands of different models are simulated in the powerful Microgrid tool, HOMER (Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources) Pro (version 3.13.3). Then, the feasible Grid-connected system is proposed with 100 kW PV; 1,800 kW Biomass; 45 kW Converter; total NPC (Net Present Cost) 4,255,082 $; levelized COE (Cost of Energy) 0.01575 $ per kWh; Initial Capital 524,000 $, and Operating Cost 219,337 $. Annual Energy Sold to Grid is 15,045,299 kWh and Average Monthly Energy Sold is 1253775 kWh. The simulated results significantly demonstrate the good performance and the available benefits of the proposed system. Moreover, this system can shape the Sustainable Electrification to tackle the Climate Crisis in Ayeyarwady Delta Region of Myanmar.
Experimental investigation of a diffuser-integrated vertical axis wind turbine
Authors: Wang X.H. , Wong K.H. , Chong W.T. , Ng J.H. , Xiang X.B. , Wang C.T.
Published: April 2020

The increase in energy demand and environmental pollution issues has led to the growth of utilizing renewable energy. Wind energy has become one of the main alternatives for power generation. In order to enhance the performance of the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), the application of a diffuser is one of the innovative methods. At present, research on deploying the diffuser on the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) remains scarce. This paper presents the experimental study on the aerodynamic characteristics of a small H-rotor VAWT integrated with a diffuser. The diffuser comprises a pair of flat plates with an inclined angle of 30° at the outlet, with the VAWT is located between the diffuser. A comparison between the turbine performance with and without the diffuser has been conducted. From the experiment, it shows that with the presence of the diffuser, the performance of the VAWT has increased significantly. The power obtained for the bare turbine and with the diffuser is 0.38 W and 0.48 W respectively which is increased by about 26.3% and occurring at 300 rpm. Moreover, with the diffuser, the incoming velocity is also increased. This is due to the presence of the diffuser which enables the flow expansion and creates a low-pressure region at the downwind; inducing a higher incoming wind flow to the VAWT and enhancing its performance. In addition, the rotational speed and a better self-start ability can be achieved with the presence of the diffuser.
Numerical investigation of heat storage in a chemical heat storage system for saving exhaust gas energy in internal combustion engines
Authors: Cao Duc Luong , Hong Guang , Le Tuan Anh
Published: April 2020

Thermal energy storage has become more and more important to improving the overall efficiency of energy systems by utilising the wasted energy. This study was aimed to develop a chemical heat storage (CHS) system using EM8block and its dehydration and hydration reactions to recover the thermal energy wasted by the exhaust gases in internal combustion (IC) engines. To experimentally investigate the performance of the CHS system in the heat storage process, a CHS system was developed and tested on a Diesel engine (D1146TI). To further investigate the CHS system in engine conditions more than that in experiments, a CFD model of the CHS system was developed using the commercial code of ANSYS FLUENT as a platform. In the 60 minutes mode, the maximum stored energy in the CHS system was 21.9 MJ which was equivalent to 4.78% of exhaust gas energy with 72.54% of the EM8block reacted at the full engine load. The stored energy and the percentage of reacted EM8block decreased with the decrease of the engine load. In the full charge mode, the simulation results showed that the time on fully charge of the CHS reduced with the increase of the engine load and that the shortest time was 67.1 minutes at full engine load. This time on full charging increased to 110.3 minutes at 50% engine load. The simulation results also showed that the maximum percentage of the exhaust gas energy stored in the CHS system was 7.14% at 70% engine load.
Efficient battery thermal management system design to ensure fast charging in extreme cold conditions
Authors: Tibrewala Himanshu , Ruhatiya C. , Gao Liang
Published: April 2020

In extreme cold conditions, there are negative consequences on battery life due to extremely slower rate of chemical reactions, resulting in lower charging rates. Therefore, an efficient battery thermal management system is required to ensure temperature optimization is low which may also result in charging. In best of authors understanding, there is hardly any research being carried out in this direction. In this paper, an Intelligent Optimization framework combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) shall be proposed to optimize the heating method accuracy so as to maintain the uniform and desired temperature across the battery for ensuring smooth and quick charging. Battery pack model shall be designed in CFD platform and the thermal analysis shall be carried for given set of conditions (such as constant heat source, air flow rate, air temperature). Based on the obtained set of analysis samples, a model shall be formulated illustrating relationship between the minimum temperature output and the inputs (air flow rate, air temperature, etc.). The minimum temperature output shall be maximized using NSGA II so as to determine the optimum set of input conditions (air flow rate, air temperature, etc.). The battery pack simulation revealed that thermal system utilizing a liquid medium is more effective than air medium. Future research directions shall be discussed in the end.
Study the effects of different media derived from palm shell for marine shrimp discharge filtration
Authors: Kruatong Nattakarn , Vinitnantharat Soydoa , Phoolphundh Sivawan
Published: April 2020

Marine shrimp culture is important in agricultural sector which generates income for farmers. If marine shrimp culture is not proper management, it can cause environmental impacts on coastal ecosystem and water quality. Some areas use water spraying, washing and then flushing the pond bottom after shrimp harvesting and discharge water to receiving water which high nutrient and suspended solids exceeded the effluent standard. This research studied the marine shrimp discharge filtration using different media derived from palm shell. Three different media types for wastewater filtration were palm shell biochar (B), raw palm shell (R) and palm shell mixed with palm shell biochar (volume ratio of 1:1) (M). The simulated wastewater was daily fed via the top of the filter in semi-continuous mode (8 hours/day) at the hydraulic retention time of 4 h. During the 54 days of operation, water sample was collected to analyse SS, BOD, NH3-N, TP and FCB. At day 54th of operation, the average suspended solids (SS) removal efficiencies of B, R and M were 84, 82 and 84%, respectively, and the average total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies were 33, 28 and 30%, respectively. All filters could remove ammonia on the first 30 days of operation in which the concentration met the standard requirement of <1.1 mg/L. The average influent biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentration of 27 mg/L can be reduced to less than 20 mg/L after 3 days of operation in all filters. In addition, all filters were able to reduce the fecal coliform bacteria (FCB) to a lower concentration. Thus, these three different media are environmentally friendly material that can be used for effluent water filtration in the small-scale shrimp farm.
Synthesis of magnetite macro-bead for water remediation: process optimization via manipulation of bead size and surface morphology
Authors: Wai S Y , Yeap S P , Jawad Z A
Published: April 2020

Particulate-based adsorbents have been actively researched for water remediation. Despite being successful, this approach raises technical concern toward the end of its’ implementation whereby the adsorbents are to be separated from the treated water. Separating the adsorbents via common filtration or centrifugation can be energy-intensive. Noting this, the present study prepared magnetite macro-beads (MMB) which can be easily isolated using a magnetic collector. Here, magnetite nanoparticles were impregnated into calcium alginate bead via facile drop-wise addition. The formed MMB was found effective in dye removal and the efficiency can be optimized by manipulate the bead’s size and surface morphology. In specific, MMB of size 2.0 mm outperformed the bigger counterparts. In terms of surface morphology, large quantity of magnetite nanoparticles loading (≥10 g/L) blocked major pores of the alginate surface and reduced its efficiency. More importantly, the MMB can be rapidly separated (in < 5 seconds) using a NdFeB magnet owing to cooperative magnetophoresis effect.
Development of antifouling poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membrane with the addition of polyethylene glycol as additive
Authors: Jie Sin Jun , Seng Ooi Boon , Hui Ting Lyly Leow , Yao Sum Jing
Published: April 2020

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is commonly used to fabricate ultrafiltration (UF) membrane due to its excellent thermal stability and chemical resistance. However, it is hydrophobic and hence has higher fouling tendency due to hydrophobic interaction with foulants. In this study, the antifouling properties of PVDF UF membranes was enhanced through the addition/blending of hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) of varying molecular weight. The addition of low molecular weight (200 Da, 4000 Da) PEG enhances the membrane’s pure water permeability (from 22.049 L/m2hr bar to 24.791 L/m2hr bar) which could be explained by the improved surface wettability. However, the addition of large PEG (35k Da) on other hand reduces the membrane’s pure water permeability (from 20.408 L/m2hr bar to 9.181 L/m2hr bar), with increasing rejection on humic acid (82.6 % to 98.5 %). This is due to the formation of a denser membrane with narrower surface pores. The membrane synthesized from 20% (w/v) PVDF with the addition of 4 g PEG 4000 Da showed better antifouling characteristic compared to pure PVDF membrane which could be explained by the enhancement of surface hydrophilicity. Nonetheless, the PVDF/PEG composite UF membrane suffered from rejection loss due to the leaching of PEG molecules from the membrane matrix. Lastly, a regeneration test is performed by flushing the used membrane (after the filtration on humic acid) with distilled water for one-hour duration. SEM images on the membrane surface reveals that the deposited humic acid layer was completely removed and the membrane was successfully recovered to its initial state. The results signified that the addition of PEG could enhances the hydrophilicity of the membrane and hence improving the membrane’s antifouling characteristic.
Forecasting greenhouse gas emissions from coal-based resource in power plant using a nonsupervisory artificial neural network
Authors: Zanil Mohd Fauzi , Lee Kiat Moon , Ahmad Radin Diana R. , Zakaria Sazalina , Shah RES Raja Shazrin
Published: April 2020

Machine learning can be a game-changer for a global warming prediction. About 75% global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cause by energy sector and this indicate a major concern to global warming community. In this study, non-supervisory machine learning technique has been used to predict the GHG effect relate to net calorific value based on intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) standard. The study focuses on the characteristic of coal that is used in power generation sector and its chemical effluent that obtained from ultimate analysis (dried basis; Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulphur and Ash) as gas emissions is concerned. The dataset shows, coal from different origin and type produce GHG emissions range approximately between 86.95 and 108.23 k-tonne CO2/TJ with the net calorific value of 19.77 to 27.17 MJ/kg-coal. While, for ultimate analysis, the percentage of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Sulphur and Ash are in the range of [65.05 – 73.3], [1.46 – 5.49], [1.2 – 19.06], [0.3 – 1.20] and [4.82 – 15.96] respectively. In this study, principal component analysis is used to screen the training dataset and feed forward structure from artificial neural networks are used which allows the trained model to determine the GHG emission factor based on the given input data. The network relative errors of year 2017 dataset were used to adjust the weight value and as a result, the networks give r-square of 0.91678, which subsequently the trained networks are simulated for GHG emissions prediction for year 2018 at accuracy of r-square 0.82191. Furthermore, the study also shows, they are significant effect from coal characteristic towards GHS emissions and study proposed an optimal solution to simultaneously maximise power generation (in net calorific value per consumption weight) and reducing GHG value (k-tonne CO2/TJ) of coal plant.
Nanoclay-based 3D printed scaffolds promote vascular ingrowth ex vivo and generate bone mineral tissue in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Cidonio Gianluca , Glinka Michael , Kim Yang-Hee , Kanczler Janos M , Lanham Stuart A , Ahlfeld Tilman , Lode Anja , Dawson Jonathan I , Gelinsky Michael , Oreffo Richard O C
Published: April 2020

Acellular soft hydrogels are not ideal for hard tissue engineering given their poor mechanical stability, however, in combination with cellular components offer significant promise for tissue regeneration. Indeed, nanocomposite bioinks provide an attractive platform to deliver human bone marrow stromal cells (HBMSCs) in three dimensions producing cell-laden constructs that aim to facilitate bone repair and functionality. Here we present the in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo investigation of bioprinted HBMSCs encapsulated in a nanoclay-based bioink to produce viable and functional three-dimensional constructs. HBMSC-laden constructs remained viable over 21 d in vitro and immediately functional when conditioned with osteogenic media. 3D scaffolds seeded with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and loaded with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) implanted ex vivo into a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model showed integration and vascularisation after 7 d of incubation. In a pre-clinical in vivo application of a nanoclay-based bioink to regenerate skeletal tissue, we demonstrated bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) absorbed scaffolds produced extensive mineralisation after 4 weeks (p < 0.0001) compared to the drug-free and alginate controls. In addition, HBMSC-laden 3D printed scaffolds were found to significantly (p < 0.0001) support bone tissue formation in vivo compared to acellular and cast scaffolds. These studies illustrate the potential of nanoclay-based bioink, to produce viable and functional constructs for clinically relevant skeletal tissue regeneration.
Health inequalities are worsening in the North East of England
Authors: Corris Valerie , Dormer Emily , Brown Andrea , Whitty Paula , Collingwood Paul , Bambra Clare , Newton Julia L
Published: April 2020

Background

The North of England, particularly the North East (NE), has worse health (e.g. 2 years lower life expectancy) and higher health inequalities compared to the rest of England.

Sources of data

We explore this over time drawing on publicly available data.

Areas of agreement and controversy

Whilst overall health is improving, within-regional health inequalities are getting worse and the gap between the NE and other regions (particularly the South of England) is worsening. The gap in life expectancy is widening with substantial variation between deprived and affluent areas within the NE. Those living in the NE are more likely to have a shorter lifespan and to spend a larger proportion of their shorter lives in poor health, as well as being more likely to die prematurely from preventable diseases.

Growing points

We highlight wide, and in some cases increasing, inequalities in health outcomes between the NE and the rest of England. This health disadvantage and the north-south health divide are recognized; despite this, the situation appears to be worsening over the time.

Areas timely for developing research

Research to understand and reduce health inequalities is needed particularly in the NE of England where reductions could have enhanced the impact.
Rapid Recalibration of Peri-Personal Space: Psychophysical, Electrophysiological, and Neural Network Modeling Evidence
Authors: Noel Jean-Paul , Bertoni Tommaso , Terrebonne Emily , Pellencin Elisa , Herbelin Bruno , Cascio Carissa , Blanke Olaf , Magosso Elisa , Wallace Mark T , Serino Andrea
Published: April 2020

Interactions between individuals and the environment occur within the peri-personal space (PPS). The encoding of this space plastically adapts to bodily constraints and stimuli features. However, these remapping effects have not been demonstrated on an adaptive time-scale, trial-to-trial. Here, we test this idea first via a visuo-tactile reaction time (RT) paradigm in augmented reality where participants are asked to respond as fast as possible to touch, as visual objects approach them. Results demonstrate that RTs to touch are facilitated as a function of visual proximity, and the sigmoidal function describing this facilitation shifts closer to the body if the immediately precedent trial had indexed a smaller visuo-tactile disparity. Next, we derive the electroencephalographic correlates of PPS and demonstrate that this multisensory measure is equally shaped by recent sensory history. Finally, we demonstrate that a validated neural network model of PPS is able to account for the present results via a simple Hebbian plasticity rule. The present findings suggest that PPS encoding remaps on a very rapid time-scale and, more generally, that it is sensitive to sensory history, a key feature for any process contextualizing subsequent incoming sensory information (e.g., a Bayesian prior).
Percutaneous closure of an aortopulmonary window in a young adult patient: a case report of transcatheter closure with an occluder device
Authors: Giordano Mario , Butera Gianfranco
Published: April 2020

Background

Aortopulmonary window is a congenital heart disease requiring a surgical approach to achieve a complete correction.

Case summary

We report on a case of a young female symptomatic adult patient with a significant aortopulmonary window. The patients refused surgical approach and since the defect was far enough from the pulmonary and aortic valve a percutaneous approach was proposed. The large aortopulmonary window was closed effectively with an Amplatzer Muscular Septal Occluder device (Abbott, Plymouth, MN, USA). At 1-year follow-up, the device was in a good position with no residual shunt.

Discussion

Transcatheter closure of an aortopulmonary window is an effective and safe procedure in specific anatomic defects.