Search results for "energy [jet]"
showing 10 items of 1760 documents
Energy use efficiency of livestock farms in a mountain area of Sicily
2009
The research aimed to evaluate the performance (in terms of energy) of livestock farms located in a Mediterranean mountain area and characterized by different stocking rates. Farm data were collected from in-person interviews of farmers of 58 farms representative of the livestock farms of the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains area (Sicily, Italy), including several parameters related to farm characteristics, animal, crop and pasture management. The farm parameters were used to calculate input and output energy values from which agroecosystem performance indicators were derived. Increasing stocking rate corresponded to a more than proportional increase in total inputs per unit area because of a …
Energy-saving potential of ground source multiple chillers in simple and hybrid configurations for Mediterranean climates
2022
Air conditioning accounts for a large share of energy usage in residential and tertiary sectors. Renewable energy technologies offer promising solutions to reduce the environmental impacts of meeting buildings’ energy loads. The possibility of using the soil as a thermal reservoir for heating and cooling systems has gained growing attention in the last decade due to its high potential for energy saving. In this paper, the benefits achievable using ground source chillers for air conditioning in an office building located in Southern Italy are discussed. A multiple chillers system coupled with a borehole heat exchanger is investigated and compared to conventional air-cooled and water-cooled s…
An improved cathode for alkaline fuel cells
2010
Abstract The use of nickel foam as an electrode substrate in alkaline fuel cells (AFCs) has been investigated for bipolar cells incorporating an electrically conducting gas diffusion layer (GDL). Improved performance, compared to a previous design, was obtained by adding an extra active layer (AL) composed of manganese (IV) oxide (MnO2) deposited onto carbon black. This new cathode design performed significantly better (130 mA cm−2 at 0.8 V and 25 °C) than the previous design (35 mA cm−2 under the same condition), especially at higher potential. It has been shown that the GDL is a key component of the gas diffusion electrode for both performance and durability, especially with liquid electr…
Alkaline fuel cell technology - A review
2021
Abstract The realm of alkaline-based fuel cells has with the arrival of anionic exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) taken a great step to replace traditional liquid electrolyte alkaline fuel cells (AFCs). The following review summarises progress, bottleneck issues and highlights the most recent research trends within the field. The activity of alkaline catalyst materials has greatly advanced, however achieving long-term stability remains a challenge. Great AEMFC performances are reported, though these are generally obtained through the employment of platinum group metals (PGMs), thus emphasising the importance of R&D related to non-PGM materials. Thorough design strategies must be utilise…
Multioctave midinfrared supercontinuum generation in suspended-core chalcogenide fibers
2014
An As2S3 fiber-based supercontinuum source that covers 3500 nm, extending from near visible to the midinfrared, is successfully reported by using a 200-fs-pulsed pump with nJ-level energy at 2.5 μm. The main features of our fiber-based source are two-fold. On the one hand, a low-loss As2S3 microstructured optical fiber has been fabricated, with typical attenuation below 2 dB/m in the 1-4 μm wavelength range. On the other hand, a 20-mm-long microstructured fiber sample is sufficient to enable a spectral broadening, spreading from 0.6 to 4.1 μm in a 40 dB dynamic range.
Influence of melt flow and temperature on erosion of refractory and deposit formation in aluminium melting furnaces
2002
The deposition and erosion mechanism in induction-channel furnace for Al melting in alumino-silicate refractory is considered. The possibility of simultaneous erosion and deposition in the same cross-section of the channel is shown. The chemical reaction model causing the erosion of refractory is proposed. The erosion process is described by chemically active aluminium oxides while the deposition is caused by chemically stable aluminium oxides. The variations of erosion and deposition in the same cross-section of the channel are explained by variation of the thickness of laminar sub-layer along the perimeter.
An Intelligent System for Energy Efficiency in a Complex of Buildings
2012
Energy efficiency has nowadays become one of the most challenging task for both academic and commercial organizations, and this has boosted research on novel fields, such as Ambient Intelligence. In this paper we address the issue of timely and ubiquitous monitoring of building complexes in order to optimize their energy consumption, and present an intelligent system addressed to the typical end user, i.e. the administrator, or responsible operator, of the complex. A three-level architecture has been designed for detecting the presence of the building inhabitants user and understanding their preferences with respect to the environmental conditions in order to optimize the overall energy eff…
Nitroanilines as Quenchers of Pyrene Fluorescence
2012
The quenching of pyrene and 1‐methylpyrene fluorescence by nitroanilines (NAs), such as 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐nitroaniline (2‐NA, 3‐NA, and 4‐NA, respectively), 4‐methyl‐3‐nitroaniline (4‐M‐3‐NA), 2‐methyl‐4‐nitroaniline (2‐M‐4‐NA), and 4‐methyl‐3,5‐dinitroaniline (4‐M‐3,5‐DNA), are studied in toluene and 1,4‐dioxane. Steady‐state fluorescence data show the higher efficiency of the 4‐NAs as quenchers and fit with a sphere‐of‐action model. This suggests a 4‐NA tendency of being in close proximity to the fluorophore, which could be connected with their high polarity/hyperpolarizability. In addition, emission and excitation spectra evidence the formation of emissive pyrene—NA ground‐state complexes in…
Stabilizing nanostructured lithium insertion materials via organic hybridization: A step forward towards high-power batteries
2014
Abstract Herein, we present the electrochemical characterization of carbon-coated TiO 2 nanorods, obtained by carbonizing RAFT (reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer) polymerization derived block copolymers anchored on anatase TiO 2 nanorods. These carbon-coated TiO 2 nanorods show an improved electrochemical performance in terms of first cycle reversibility, specific capacity, cycling stability, and high rate capability. More importantly, however, the structural disordering observed in the uncoated TiO 2 nanorods by means of galvanostatic and potentiodynamic cycling as well as ex situ XRD analysis, does not occur for the carbon-coated material. Preventing this structural disorde…
Photoelectrochemical characterization of anatase-rutile mixed TiO2 nanosponges
2016
This work studies the influence of using hydrodynamic conditions during anodization on the morphology and electrochemical properties of anatase/rutile mixed TiO2 nanotubes (Reynolds number, Re = 0) and nanosponges (Re > 0). To this purpose different techniques were used, such as: microscopy techniques (Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, FE-SEM, and Confocal Laser-Raman Spectroscopy), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Mott Schottky (MS) analysis and photoelectrochemical water splitting tests. This investigation demonstrates that the morphology of TiO2 nanostructures may be greatly affected due to the hydrodynamic conditions and it can be adjusted in order to increase th…