• Energy Research
• 7. Clean energy close
• 13. Climate action close
• 2. Zero hunger close
• CN close
• GB close

The accelerator-driven sub-critical system is driven by external neutron sources, which are generated by the spallation reaction and maintain the stable operation of the sub-critical core, while the external neutron source increases the complexity of reactor neutron kinetic processes. This article focuses on simulation analysis of neutron space–time kinetics with a dynamic analysis code, which is developed based on the improved quasi-static approximation and Monte Carlo neutron transport method. The amplitude function and shape functions are solved to achieve the dynamics simulation process. Then, the transient responses of beam interruptions and reactivity insertions are calculated and analyzed for an experimental facility. To further verify the correctness and reliability of dynamic behavior, the simulation results are compared with experimental values, and the results show that the normalized neutron fluxes varying with time are in good agreement with the corresponding values. It can be concluded that the improved quasi-static coupled probability theory method can be used to solve the neutron space–time kinetic problem of the experimental facility, and the results are reliable.

Accurate monitoring of the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow and ice is essential for under-standing and predicting the impacts of climate change on Arctic ecosystems and their feedback on global climate. Traditional optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing still have limitations in the long-time series observation of polar regions. Although several studies have demonstrated the potential of moonlight remote sensing for mapping polar snow/ice covers, systematic evaluation on applying moonlight remote sensing to monitoring spatiotemporal dynamics of polar snow/ice covers, especially during polar night periods is highly demanded. Here we present a systematic assessment in Svalbard, Norway and using data taken from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) Day/Night Band (DNB) sensor to monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow/ice covers during dark Arctic winters when no solar illumination available for months. We successfully revealed the spatiotemporal dynamics of snow/ice covers from 2012 to 2022 during polar night/winter periods, using the VIIRS/DNB time series data and the object-oriented Random Forests (RF) algorithm, achieving the average accuracy and kappa coefficient of 96.27% and 0.93, respectively. Our findings indicate that the polar snow/ice covers show seasonal and inter-seasonal dynamics, thus requiring more frequent observations. Our results confirm and realize the potential of moonlight remote sensing for continuous monitoring of snow/ice in the Arctic region and together with other types of remote sensing data, moonlight remote sensing will be a very useful tool for polar studies and climate change.

In this study, the hybrid power system of the diesel, as the main power source, and new energy, as the auxiliary energy is developed. An optimal energy management strategy was proposed for the hybrid ship, aiming to minimize consumption of the fuel. The model of the hybrid power system was established in the MATLAB/SIMULINK simulation environment. The optimal energy management strategy was verified by simulation according to the typical drive cycle of ship compared to original energy management strategy. The simulation results show that the proposed optimization can improve fuel economy while the state of charge of the battery is maintained at reasonable range.

For zero‐defect wave soldering of double‐sided and multilayer printed circuit boards, the copper through‐hole‐plating must be impervious to gas generated in the laminate for the period of a few seconds while the solder is molten. The kinetics of the gas evolution during soldering have been related quantitatively to the integrity of the plated copper. This in turn is related to the quality of the electroless copper (evaluated using the backlighting test), the nature and distribution of the catalyst (evaluated using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and the methods and effectiveness of the hole‐wall preparation (evaluated using scanning electron microscopy). The relevance of laboratory measurements has been confirmed on a wide range of industrial production plating lines.

Ultrafast laser-annealing technique for the fabrication of large-grain perovskite films and efficient perovskite solar cells at room temperature.

The pyrolysis of waste disposable paper cups (WDPCs) was investigated using a thermogravimetric analyser coupled with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The activation energies of the pyrolysis reactions were obtained by the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) methods respectively. The kinetic model was determined by the master plots method. Thermogravimetric results showed that the highest weight loss rate occurred from 345 to 365 °C as the heating rate was increased from 10 to 30 °C min−1, indicating the pyrolysis of cellulosic material in the WDPC. The weight loss between 400 and 500 °C can be attributed to the decomposition of polyethylene. By analysing the FTIR spectra, it was found that the absorbance of all the evolved gaseous products had peaks at 360 °C due to the decomposition of cellulose fibres and the cracking of polyethylene at 485 °C led to the emergence of a second hydrocarbon peak. Ketones were the most abundant condensable organic products and CO2 was the dominating gaseous product, which can also be produced via secondary cracking of the small molecule organics above 400 °C. Kinetic analysis revealed that the average activation energy of the pyrolysis of the WDPC was 153.75 kJ mol−1 from the FWO method and 151.43 kJ mol−1 from the KAS method. The reaction mechanism can be described by the R3 model.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can potentially be utilized for power generation, but their low power density and low energy storage capabilities remain major bottlenecks for their large-scale development. In this research, a simplistic nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon material (HPC-A) was developed through a one-step carbonization and activation process and was successfully hot-pressed on the carbon cloth (CC) substrate. This process fabricates capacitive bioanodes (HPC-A-CC) that can enhance electricity generation and storage in MFCs. The as-prepared HPC-A-CC anode delivered a power density of 2043.6 mW·m-2 and a cumulative total charge (Qm) of 426.4 ± 13.4C·m-2 at each cycle, which was 2.1 and 34.8 times higher than that of the plain CC anode, respectively. This was a result of the hierarchical and interconnected porous structure, improved hydrophilic surface, and increased number of active centers which host the bacteria for enhanced electron transfer. Electrochemical measurements indicated the superior electrochemical activity and capacitive behavior of the HPC-A-CC anode. Furthermore, biofilm analysis revealed that the HPC-A-CC biofilm exhibited higher cell viability and a more uniform spatial distribution. These findings not only demonstrate the potential of HPC-A-CC for power enhancement in MFCs but also provide a feasible solution to the problem of power generation and demand mismatch in MFC applications.

The industrial sector accounts for 17% of end-use energy in the UK, and 54% globally. Therefore, there is substantial scope for simulating and assessing potential energy retrofit options for industrial buildings. Building Energy Modelling (BEM) applied to industrial buildings poses a complex but important opportunity for reducing global energy demand, due to years of renovation and expansion. Large and complex industrial buildings make modelling existing geometry for BEM difficult and time consuming. This paper presents a potential solution for quickly capturing and processing as-built geometry of a factory to be utilized in BEM. Laser scans were captured from the interior of an industrial facility to produce a Point Cloud. The existing capabilities of a Point Cloud processing software were assessed to identify the potential development opportunities to automate the conversion of Point Clouds to building geometry for BEM applications. In conclusion, scope exists for increasing the speed of 3D geometry creation of an existing industrial building for application in BEM and subsequent thermal simulation.