Search results for "Energy production"
showing 10 items of 22 documents
Pumps as turbines (PATs) in water distribution networks affected by intermittent service
2013
A hydraulic model was developed in order to evaluate the potential energy recovery from the use of centrifugal pumps as turbines (PATs) in a water distribution network characterized by the presence of private tanks. The model integrates the Global Gradient Algorithm (GGA), with a pressure-driven model that permits a more realistic representation of the influence on the network behaviour of the private tanks filling and emptying. The model was applied to a real case study: a District Metered Area in Palermo (Italy). Three different scenarios were analysed and compared with a baseline scenario (Scenario 0 – no PAT installed) to identify the system configuration with added PATs that permits th…
ECO-design of solar driven systems: A performance comparison between the Italian and the Brazilian context
2013
The paper shows a comparative analysis of the performances of two typologies of solar assisted cooling systems for building applications. In particular, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to assess the energy and environmental impacts of solar-assisted, heat-driven chillers and conventional compression chillers driven by grid-connected and stand-alone photovoltaic configurations. LCA is applied in compliance with the international standards of ISO 14040. System boundaries are defined following a “cradle to grave” approach, taking into account all the life-cycle phases including the raw materials supply, the production of the components of the plant, the operation and mainten…
PV Reconfiguration Systems: a Technical and Economic Study
2017
Dynamical electrical array reconfiguration strategies for grid-connected PV systems have been proposed as solution to improve energy production due to the mismatch effect of PV plants during partial shading conditions. Strategies are based on the use of dynamic connections between PV panels given by the employment of switches that allow for each panel the series, parallel or exclusion connections, physically changing the electrical connections between the related PV modules, consequentially modifying the layout of the plant. Usually the cost of the dynamic matrix is not taken into account. This novel work evaluates the economic advantages obtained by the use of reconfiguration strategies in…
The importance of reliable climatic data in the energy evaluation
2012
Abstract In the last few years, more and more attention has been focused on energy issues, as it is pointed out, for example, by the Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings and Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. However, in order to do that, reliable tools for technicians to design systems for such topics should be provided. Nowadays, several software are available; the weak point is the availability of reliable climatic data and, above all, the ones referring to solar radiation. In this work, after a short overview of the world climatic databases, a description of three statistical methods for the elaboration of a climatic…
Cross-Flow Turbine Design For Energy Production And Discharge Regulation
2015
Cross-flow turbines are very efficient and cheap turbines that allow a very good cost/benefit ratio for energy production located at the end of conduits carrying water from a water source to a tank. In this paper a new design procedure for a cross-flow turbine working with a variable flow rate is proposed. The regulation of the head immediately upstream the turbine is faced by adopting a shaped semicircular segment moving around the impeller. The maximum efficiency of the turbine is attained by setting the velocity of the particles entering the impeller at about twice the velocity of the rotating system at the impeller inlet. If energy losses along the pipe are negligible, the semicircular …
Technical and economical comparison between different topologies of PV plant under mismatch effect
2014
This paper presents a technical and economical comparative analysis between two topology of photovoltaic plant. In particular the performances of series-parallel (SP) and total cross tied (TCT), topologies are taken into account, referring to a partially shaded photovoltaic plant. Thanks to a simulation model developed, in the paper the mismatch effects due to three different shading conditions, for SP and TCT topology plant, are quantified. Since the TCT solution, even though increase the energy production, raise the complexity of plants as well as their costs, an evaluation of the individual costs of each component of a SP and TCT plant topology, as PV modules, support structure, inverter…
Exergy recovery during LNG regasification: Electric energy production – Part one
2009
Abstract In liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification facilities, for exergy recovery during regasification, an option could be the production of electric energy recovering the energy available as cold. In a previous paper, the authors propose an innovative process which uses a cryogenic stream of LNG during regasification as a cold source in an improved combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Considering the LNG regasification projects in progress all over the World, an appropriate design option could be based on a modular unit having a mean regasification capacity of 2 × 109 standard cubic meters/year. This paper deals with the results of feasibility studies, developed by the authors at DRE…
An application of Reverse ElectroDialysis: energy production from produced water
2022
Modelling Reverse Electrodialysis process via Exergy Analysis
2017
Salinity Gradient Power Heat Engines (SGP-HEs) represent a novel technology to convert low grade waste heat into electricity. Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine (REDHE) is one of the possible application of this concept, where a common RED unit is coupled with a thermal regeneration unit supplied with waste heat to restore the salinity gradient of the streams to be fed back to the RED unit. In a RED unit, anion and cation exchange membranes (AEMs and CEMs) are alternatively stacked and interposed between salt solutions at different concentration generating an electric potential difference over each membrane along with a selective transport of cations and anions from the concentrated soluti…
Numerical simulation of wave energy production through experimental tool
2017
Wave energy is highly desirable resource and recent international reports underline its major relevance on global renewable energy in future. In general, the first step is a correct WEC (Wave Energy Converter) sizing and design. The aim of this paper is a presentation of an application of one experimental tool to define the external floating structure of WEC realized by University of Palermo. This new electric device could be another energy possibility for small islands in the Mediterranean Sea as Pantelleria, Lampedusa or Malta.