European Journal of Energy Research

Dynamic Simulation of a Hybrid Energy System for Powering a Water Treatment Facility in McCallum, Newfoundland and Labrador

2024-11-13T16:41:30+01:00

Clean water, a basic human need, is in short supply in McCallum, Newfoundland and Labrador, primarily due to lead contamination, forcing residents to rely on collected rainwater. Reverse Osmosis (RO) has been identified as the most suitable desalination method because of its lower energy requirements and high effectiveness in treating lead-contaminated water. Powering the RO system with renewable energy sources (RES) offers a promising solution for this remote, off-grid area, currently powered by a diesel generator. The proposed hybrid energy system (HES) provides not only the most economically optimal configuration but also greater reliability. The system consists of a 3.6 kW solar array, a 2-kW wind turbine, a 3-kW DC diesel generator, and a 680 Ah 48 V battery bank to supply the single-phase water treatment system, which includes a 0.3 kW resistive load, lighting, and two asynchronous machines rated at 0.5 hp and 0.75 hp, respectively. A dynamic simulation of the proposed system, based on calculation done in Kafrashi and Iqbal [1], is presented in this paper. All system components are modeled in MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show expected dynamics in the system. Results indicate proper system operation with reasonable within-range system voltage and current during normal operation.

Synthesis and Characterization of Biodiesel from Non-Edible Seed Oils Extracted from Cameroon Bioresources

2024-07-16T04:43:13+02:00

This work aimed at valorizing non-edible seed oils from some plants found in Cameroon videlicet Acacia hockii (AH), Garcinia livingstonei (GL) and Moringa oleifera (MO), through production of biodiesel. Two extraction methods used were; the Soxhlet extraction and surfactant assisted extraction with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as surfactant. The extracted oils were characterized using physicochemical parameters. The characterized oils were used to synthesize biodiesels via acid and base catalyzed transesterification reactions. The purification of the biodiesels was done using chromatographic columns. The biodiesels obtained were also characterized using physicochemical analysis in a manner similar to the oils with additional parameters like cold f low properties, f lammability, ignition qualities and cetane number determinations. Qualitative analysis was realized using the Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrophotometer (FT-IR). The Soxhlet extraction method gave higher yields for all the plants with MO being the highest, compared to the surfactant assisted extractions. The results from the physicochemical properties of the oils were as follows: specific gravity, 0.876 g/mL, 0.843 g/mL and 0.865 g/mL for AH, GL, and MO. The free fatty acid contents of the oils were 0.436% FFA, 0.547% FFA and 1.60% FFA for AH, GL, and MO respectively. The saponification values gave 143.03 mgKOH/g, 72.93 mgKOH/g, 126.22 mgKOH/g for AH, GL and MO in that order. Iodine values for the oils were 46.54 mgI2/g, 22.41 mgI2/g, 68.10 mgI2/g for AH, GL, and MO, respectively. The peroxide values gave 10.05 meq/kg, 8.50 meq/kg, 8.0 meq/kg for AH, GL, and MO, respectively. The kinematic viscosities were 21.0 mm2/s, 22.0 mm2/s and 43.0 mm2/s for AH, GL, and MO, respectively. The acid catalyzed reaction gave greater crude yields of 90.00% for all three plants while the base catalyzed reaction gave, 87.00% (AH), 84.00% (GL) and 74.00% (MO). The purified biodiesel samples had the following acid numbers: 0.028% FFA for BAH, 0.022% FFA for BGL, and 0.028% FFA for BMO. The kinematic viscosities values for biodiesel were 4.00 mm2/s, 4.23 mm2/s, and 5.22 mm2/s for BAH, BGL, and BMO, respectively. The cetane numbers of the synthesized biodiesel samples were 142.73 (BAH), 167.29 (BGL), and 82.40 (BMO). The IR spectra of the biodiesels corroborated the chemical make-up of biodiesel. Hence non-edible seed oils from the Cameroon rich bioresources can be valorized in biodiesel synthesis and other forms of green energy production in Cameroon and beyond.

Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Offshore Wind Industry: The Case of French Wind Farms

2024-06-17T16:24:11+02:00

The development of the offshore wind industry faces a number of organizational and economic hurdles, often strong societal resistance and the instability of public policies, thus drawing interest from academics who have analyzed this process from multiple viewpoints. This body of knowledge has served as the basis for a study aiming at characterizing France’s first three offshore wind farm projects, which finally reached the energy production stage after over ten years of development. Results show that although this development has been the subject of atypically strong social opposition, the projects’ features are quite close to those highlighted by the literature.

Influencing Factors Used for Performance Evaluation of Solar Dryers

2024-04-26T03:45:53+02:00

Due to the rapid growth in human energy demand, research and development in renewable energy sources have become a top priority. Solar energy, as a renewable energy source, is widely used in the drying industry. This study examines the factors that influence the performance evaluation of solar dryers. The dryer consists of an air collector, a drying chamber, and a chimney. Experiments were conducted at the Solar Energy Laboratory of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Hungary (47.59° N, 19.36° E). The drying behaviour of single-pass and double-pass solar dryers was compared under the same environmental conditions. The analysis results indicate that the maximum solar radiation value is 950 W/m2 at 12:00. The maximum temperature difference between the top and bottom channels of the double-pass solar air collector is 9.5 °C. The average humidity in the environment, single-pass, and double-pass drying chambers is 31%, 26.5%, and 24%, respectively. The instantaneous efficiency of the single-pass solar collector reaches a peak of 56%, while the double-pass collector’s instantaneous efficiency peaks at around 60%. The collector performance curves show that the double-pass collector has a more stable performance.