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In the present study, we explored the temperature evolution and hydrogen desorption properties of the Mg50Ni50 alloy through both numerical simulation and experimental analyses. Desorption kinetics characterization was carried out using the volumetric method, specifically employing a Sievert's-type apparatus to investigate solid-gas reactions. The experiments covered a temperature range from 313 K to 353 K, with an initial hydrogen pressure of 12 bar. Simultaneously, a mathematical approach was employed to numerically investigate the temperature evolution within the hydride bed. Using COMSOL Multiphysics as a simulator, a numerical simulation was conducted based on experimental data. The study examined the impact of cooling temperature on hydride temperature evolution. Results revealed that hydrogen desorption kinetics of the amorphous Mg50Ni50 alloy are more significant compared to those of Mg2Ni compounds. Moreover, the effect of the warming temperature on the equilibrium pressure can also be observed in the hydrogen desorption isotherm curves. The experimental study of the Mg50Ni50 alloy provided activation energy data, along with determination of hydride formation enthalpy and entropy. On the other hand, we showed that the hydride temperature is maximum at the hydride-hydrogen interface within the hydride center.

AbstractPreparation of uniform, spherical Li4Ti5O12 with high tap density is significant to achieve a high volumetric energy density in lithium‐ion batteries. Herein, Li4Ti5O12 microspheres with variable tap density and tunable size distribution were synthesized by a newly designed industrial spray‐drying approach. The slurry concentration, sintering time, sintering conditions after spraying, and the effect of lithium/titanium molar ratio on the lithium‐ion (Li+) storage capability were investigated. A narrow particle size distribution of around 10 μm and a high tap density close to 1.4 g cm−3 of the Li4Ti5O12 spheres can be obtained under the optimized conditions. The Li4Ti5O12 spheres can deliver a much higher capacity of 168 mAh g−1 at a rate of 1 C and show a high capacity retention of 97.7 % over 400 cycles. The synthetic conditions are confirmed to be critical for improving the electron conductivity and Li+ diffusivity by adjusting the crystal and spatial structures. As‐prepared high‐performance Li4Ti5O12 is an ideal electrode for lithium‐ion batteries or capacitors; meanwhile, the presented approach is also applicable for preparing other kind of spherical materials.

Abstract This paper uses research-quality, ground measurements of irradiance and temperature that are accurate to ±2% to estimate the electric energy yield of fixed solar modules for utility-scale solar power plants at 18 sites in Saudi Arabia. The calculation is performed for a range of tilt and azimuth angles and the orientation that gives the optimum annual energy yield is determined. A detailed analysis is presented for Riyadh including the impact of non-optimal tilt and azimuth angles on annual energy yield. It is also found that energy yield in March and October are higher than in April and September, due to milder operating temperatures of the modules. A similar optimization of tilt and azimuth is performed each month separately. Adjusting the orientation each month increases energy yield by 4.01% compared to the annual optimum, but requires considerable labour cost. Further analysis shows that an increase in energy yield of 3.63% can be obtained by adjusting the orientation at five selected times during the year, thus significantly reducing the labour requirement. The optimal orientation and corresponding energy yield for all 18 sites is combined with a site suitability analysis taking into account climate, topography and proximity to roads, transmission lines and protected areas. Six sites are selected as having high suitability and high energy yield: Albaha, Arar, Hail, Riyadh, Tabuk and Taif. For these cities the optimal tilt is only slightly higher than the latitude, however the optimum azimuth is from 20° to 53° west of south due to an asymmetrical daily irradiance profile.

Abstract Flow-accelerated corrosion (FAC) is a degradation mechanism that affects carbon steel piping in power plants. The failures and degradation due to FAC have necessitated numerous replacements in many power plants. Several computer codes around the world were developed as part of a systematic program or process to control FAC in power plant utilities. The typical plant model requires the input of the flow parameters, piping configuration and the plant water chemistry. The results on FAC rate are considered the key to proper selection of components for inspection. The lack of information on the effect of the upstream components located in the proximity limited the accuracy of the FAC prediction tools and hence will affect the accuracy in identifying potential inspection locations. In the present study 211 inspection data for 90° carbon steel elbows from several nuclear power plants were used to determine the effect of the proximity between two components on the FAC wear rate. The effect of the velocity as well as the distance between the elbows and the upstream components is discussed in the present analysis. Based on the analyzed trends obtained from the inspection data, significant increase in the wear rate of approximately 70% on average is identified to be due to the proximity.

Energy management within microgrids under the presence of large number of renewables such as photovoltaics is complicated due to uncertainties involved. Randomness in energy production and consumption make both the prediction and optimality of exchanges challenging. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of uncertainties on optimality of different robust energy exchange strategies. To address the problem, we present AIROBE, a data-driven system that uses machine-learning-based predictions of energy supply and demand as input to calculate robust energy exchange schedules using a multiband robust optimization approach to protect from deviations. AIROBE allows the decision maker to tradeoff robustness with stability of the system and energy costs. Our evaluation shows, how AIROBE can deal effectively with asymmetric deviations and how better prediction methods can reduce both the operational cost while at the same time may lead to increased operational stability of the system.

Effective waste management is of paramount importance as it contributes significantly to environmental preservation, mitigates health hazards, and aids in the preservation of precious resources. Conversely, mishandling waste not only presents severe environmental risks but can also disrupt the balance of ecosystems and pose threats to biodiversity. The emission of carbon dioxide, methane, and greenhouse gases (GHGs) can constitute a significant factor in the progression of global warming and climate change, consequently giving rise to atmospheric pollution. This pollution, in turn, has the potential to exacerbate respiratory ailments, elevate the likelihood of cardiovascular disorders, and negatively impact overall public health. Hence, efficient management of trash is extremely crucial in any society. It requires integrating technology and innovative solutions, which can help eradicate this global issue. The internet of things (IoT) is a revolutionary communication paradigm with significant contributions to remote monitoring and control. IoT-based trash management aids remote garbage level monitoring but entails drawbacks like high installation and maintenance costs, increased electronic waste production (53 million metric tons in 2013), and substantial energy consumption for always-vigilant IoT devices. Our research endeavors to formulate a comprehensive model for an efficient and cost-effective waste collection system. It emphasizes the need for global commitment by policymakers, stakeholders, and civil society, working together to achieve a common goal. In order to mitigate the depletion of manpower, fuel resources, and time, our proposed method leverages quick response (QR) codes to enable the remote monitoring of waste bin capacity across diverse city locations. We propose to minimize the deployment of IoT devices, utilizing them only when absolutely necessary and thereby allocating their use exclusively to central garbage collection facilities. Our solution places the onus of monitoring garbage levels at the community level firmly on the shoulders of civilians, demonstrating that a critical aspect of any technology is its ability to interact and collaborate with humans. Within our framework, citizens will employ our proposed mobile application to scan QR codes affixed to waste bins, select the relevant garbage level, and transmit this data to the waste collection teams’ database. Subsequently, these teams will plan for optimized garbage collection procedures, considering parameters such as garbage volume and the most efficient collection routes aimed at minimizing both time and fuel consumption.

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a type of force majeure that significantly and unexpectedly affected all human lifestyles. This study includes an integrative review of articles published across Scopus and Web of Science journals and compiled using the systematic review methodology based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement and VOSreview (visualization of similarities) software by defining keywords that include “construction industry” and “force majeure” and “environmental risks” as a starting point. Moreover, the research years and the countries covered by this research were determined in a second stage. Finally, the abstracts of selected studies were reviewed in order to extract factors similar to the pandemic conditions of COVID-19 along with the brief results of the research. Out of 6384 publications identified and 56 publications reporting, 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria with full text. Based on our findings, there has been a continuous growth of publications on construction risk and environmental research since 2010. Malaysia had the greatest contribution to the research topic of the countries covered by the study, followed by Egypt. The Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management journal published the greatest number of publications related to the research topic. In this review, the most important previous studies are classified according to their handling of force majeure and environmental risks and the most important factors mentioned in these studies are identified. In addition, recommendations are made for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and for mitigating its effects on the construction industry in the Arab world and Malaysia. The results of this review will benefit researchers and construction companies alike in furthering research on reducing the risks of COVID-19 to construction projects and avoiding the significant economic loss that results from stopping these projects.

This study evaluate the effects of different types of agricultural systems and their managements on energy balance over 45-year period (1970–2015). Agricultural systems were (i) spring barley and (ii) winter wheat monocultures with different types of organic supply (straw incorporation, straw incorporation + green manuring, green manuring and control without organic supply) and (iii) Norfolk four-course system. Averaged across each half of study period, total energy inputs ranged between 10.2 GJ ha-1 year-1 for barley in Norfolk to 22.9 GJ ha-1 year-1 for wheat in monoculture with green manuring. The results indicate increase of indirect inputs in case of wheat and barley in Norfolk. The only system where the indirect input energy became lower was barley monoculture. Total energy outputs ranged between 198 GJ ha-1 year-1 for wheat in Norfolk to 88 GJ ha-1 year-1 for barley in monoculture. Norfolk system had higher output/input ratio than monocultures during whole study period. In almost all systems the effectiveness of energy use decreased during study period when comparing two halves. Yields of cereals throughout all systems were negatively dependent on energy input.