Search results for "efficien"
showing 10 items of 3014 documents
Investigation of heat transfer in spacer-filled channels by experiments and direct numerical simulations
2016
Abstract The analysis of flow fields and heat or mass transfer phenomena is of great importance in the optimum design of spacer-filled channel geometries for a variety of membrane-based processes. In the present work, models of spacer-filled channels often adopted in Membrane Distillation are simultaneously investigated by experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Experiments rely on a non-intrusive technique, based on the use of Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC) and digital image processing, and provide the local distribution of the convective heat transfer coefficient on a thermally active wall. CFD relies on steady-state (laminar flow) simulations in the lower end of the Reyn…
CHP retrofit for a large Med-Tvc Desalination Plant: High efficiency assessment for different design options under the current legislative EU framewo…
2015
Integrated power plants in "dual purpose" configuration may represent a viable option for energy cost abatement of desalted water produced by MED-TVC (Multiple Effect Distillation along with Thermal Vapour Compression). In this paper an existing large MED-TVC plant with a 36,000 m(3)/day capacity is studied: a plant retrofit is designed, based on a steam power plant with condensation and steam extraction used to drive the steam ejector. As the plant operates in CHP (Combined Heat and Power) mode, the possibility to assess the integrated "CHP + MED-TVC" as high efficiency cogeneration according to Directive 2004/8/EC is discussed. Based on a model developed in Engineering Equation Solver, a …
Exergy Analysis of Reverse Electrodialysis Heat Engine with Multi-Effect Distillation Regeneration Stage
2018
The increasing worldwide energy demand is rising the interest on alternative power production technologies based on renewable and emission-free energy sources. In this regard, the closed-loop reverse electrodialysis heat engine (RED-HE) is one of the most promising technologies currently under investigation. This technology produces electric power by harvesting the salinity gradient energy released from the controlled mixing of two artificial salt solutions with different concentrations. Low-grade heat (T < 100 °C), derived from any industrial process is used in a multi-effect distillation (MED) unit to restore the initial salinity gradient of the solutions. In this work, a comprehensive…
Bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis for the sustainable recovery of energy from pH gradients of industrial wastewater: Performance prediction by…
2021
Abstract The theoretical energy density extractable from acidic and alkaline solutions is higher than 20 kWh m−3 of single solution when mixing 1 M concentrated streams. Therefore, acidic and alkaline industrial wastewater have a huge potential for the recovery of energy. To this purpose, bipolar membrane reverse electrodialysis (BMRED) is an interesting, yet poorly studied technology for the conversion of the mixing entropy of solutions at different pH into electricity. Although it shows promising performance, only few works have been presented in the literature so far, and no comprehensive models have been developed yet. This work presents a mathematical multi-scale model based on a semi-…
Experimental investigation on high-efficiency control algorithms for three-phase induction motors
2020
This paper presents an experimental investigation regarding the power losses variations occurring in three-phase induction motors (IMs) as a function of the magnetization level of the machine. More in detail, the power losses identification is obtained by changing in real-time the working operating conditions of the IM drive and the IM reference flux. The sets of measurements are carried out by setting up a test bench and the obtained results confirm that the power losses occurring in induction motors can be minimized by adequately setting the direct axis current component for each IM working condition. This research represents the starting point for the conception of advanced real-time los…
Architetture e logiche di controllo ottimale di microreti per la razionalizzazione energetica Report 2 Applicazioni in reti di distribuzione
2011
Il presente Rapporto descrive, le attività svolte dal personale del DIEET dell’Università degli Studi Palermo nell’ambito della seconda fase delle attività di ricerca dal titolo: “ARCHITETTURE E LOGICHE DI CONTROLLO OTTIMALE DI MICRORETI PER LA RAZIONALIZZAZIONE ENERGETICA’”, oggetto dell’Accordo di Collaborazione tra ENEA e DIEET sottoscritto in data 24 febbraio 2011. Il presente Rapporto riporta le implementazioni della logica di controllo con una particolare attenzione al software che sovrintende alla gestione energeticamente efficiente dei sistemi individuati. Le implementazioni sono sviluppate in un ambiente di programmazione ad oggetti con una grafica di interfaccia che consente di se…
A Network Tomography Approach for Traffic Monitoring in Smart Cities
2018
Traffic monitoring is a key enabler for several planning and management activities of a Smart City. However, traditional techniques are often not cost efficient, flexible, and scalable. This paper proposes an approach to traffic monitoring that does not rely on probe vehicles, nor requires vehicle localization through GPS. Conversely, it exploits just a limited number of cameras placed at road intersections to measure car end-to-end traveling times. We model the problem within the theoretical framework of network tomography, in order to infer the traveling times of all individual road segments in the road network. We specifically deal with the potential presence of noisy measurements, and t…
Sensor9k : A testbed for designing and experimenting with WSN-based ambient intelligence applications
2012
Ambient Intelligence systems are typically characterized by the use of pervasive equipment for monitoring and modifying the environment according to users' needs, and to globally defined constraints. Our work describes the implementation of a testbed providing the hardware and software tools for the development and management of AmI applications based on wireless sensor and actuator networks, whose main goal is energy saving for global sustainability. A sample application is presented that addresses temperature control in a work environment, through a multi-objective fuzzy controller taking into account users' preferences and energy consumption.
SmartBuildings: An AmI system for energy efficiency
2015
Nowadays, the increasing global awareness of the importance of energy saving in everyday life acts as a stimulus to provide innovative ICT solutions for sustainability. In this scenario, the growing interest in smart homes has been driven both by socioeconomic and technological expectations. One of the key aspects of being smart is the efficiency of the urban apparatus, which includes, among others, energy, transportation and buildings. The present work describes SmartBuildings, a novel Ambient Intelligence system, which aims at reducing the energy consumption of "legacy" buildings by means of artificial intelligence techniques applied on heterogeneous sensor networks. A prototype has been …
Intelligent Management Systems for Energy Efficiency in Buildings: A Survey
2014
In recent years, reduction of energy consumption in buildings has increasingly gained interest among researchers mainly due to practical reasons, such as economic advantages and long-term environmental sustainability. Many solutions have been proposed in the literature to address this important issue from complementary perspectives, which are often hard to capture in a comprehensive manner. This survey article aims at providing a structured and unifying treatment of the existing literature on intelligent energy management systems in buildings, with a distinct focus on available architectures and methodology supporting a vision transcending the well-established smart home vision, in favor o…