• Energy Research
• Closed Access close
• Restricted close
• ES close
• EU close

In theoretical ecology, recent field experiments on terrestrial vertebrates observe that the predator-prey interaction can not only be curtailed by direct consumption but also governed by some indirect effects such as the fear of predator which may reduce the reproduction rate of prey individuals. Based on this fact, we have developed and explored the predator-prey interaction with the influence of both cost and benefit of fear effect (felt by prey). A Holling type III functional response with the effect of habitat complexity has been taken to consume the prey biomass. Positivity and boundedness of the studied system prove that the model is well-behaved. The uniform persistence of the studied system is derived analytically under some parametric restrictions. The feasibility conditions and stability criteria of each equilibrium points have been discussed. Next, we have exhibited the existence of Hopf-bifurcation around the interior equilibrium point. Our mathematical analyses show that habitat complexity and fear effect both have a great impact on the persistence of the predator biomass. Furthermore, we have investigated the effect of breeding delay parameter such that the system loses its stability behaviour and enters into a limit cycle oscillations through Hopf-bifurcation. Numerical simulations are illustrated to verify our analytical outcomes. Numerically, we have perturbed the death rates of prey and predator species with Gaussian white noise terms due to the effects of environmental fluctuations.

Bacterial biofilters usually exhibit a high microbial diversity and robustness, while fungal biofilters have been claimed to better withstand low moisture contents and pH values, and to be more efficient coping with hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, there are only few systematic evaluations of both biofiltration technologies. The present study compared fungal and bacterial biofiltration for the treatment of a VOC mixture (propanal, methyl isobutyl ketone-MIBK, toluene and hexanol) under the same operating conditions. Overall, fungal biofiltration supported lower elimination capacities than its bacterial counterpart (27.7 ± 8.9 vs 40.2 ± 5.4 gCm(-3) reactor h(-1)), which exhibited a final pressure drop 60% higher than that of the bacterial biofilter due to mycelial growth. The VOC mineralization ratio was also higher in the bacterial bed (≈ 63% vs ≈ 43%). However, the substrate biodegradation preference order was similar for both biofilters (propanal>hexanol>MIBK>toluene) with propanal partially inhibiting the consumption of the rest of the VOCs. Both systems supported an excellent robustness versus 24h VOC starvation episodes. The implementation of a fungal/bacterial coupled system did not significantly improve the VOC removal performance compared to the individual biofilter performances.

Abstract In this research, a series of combustion experiments of Indonesian oil sands using a thermal analyzer were conducted at three heating rates (10, 20, and 50 °C min − 1 ) over the temperature range of 20–900 °C under atmospheric pressure. The obtained DTG curves revealed that combustion reactions occurred at three different stages in all the samples. The DTG peak, which is a measure of the relative reactivity, shifted to higher temperature with increasing heating rate. The ignition temperature was determined by using the TG-DTG extrapolation method, and the other principal combustion features, such as maximum weight loss rate, combustion release index and average quality reactivity, were all obtained. Simultaneously, an activation energy distribution method was employed to determine the combustion kinetics and then the relationship between the energy distribution E and the applicable volatile content/the total volatiles ratio V / V * was obtained by plotting the V / V * value against the corresponding E values. Furthermore, the ln k 0 vs. V / V * relationship was calculated. At the last, the ash composition of oil sands was determined by adopting the chemical analysis method.

Abstract This paper provides a forecast of electricity consumption in Cyprus up to the year 2030, based on econometric analysis of energy use as a function of macroeconomic variables, prices and weather conditions. If past trends continue electricity use is expected to triple in the coming 20–25 years, with the residential and commercial sectors increasing their already high shares in total consumption. Besides this reference scenario it was attempted to assess the impact of climate change on electricity use. According to official projections, the average temperature in the Eastern Mediterranean is expected to rise by about 1 °C by the year 2030. Using our econometrically estimated model, we calculated that electricity consumption in Cyprus may be about 2.9% higher in 2030 than in the reference scenario. This might lead to a welfare loss of 15 million Euros in 2020 and 45 million Euros in 2030; for the entire period 2008–2030 the present value of costs may exceed 200 million Euros (all expressed in constant Euros of 2007). Moreover, we assessed the additional peak electricity load requirements in the future because of climate change: extra load may amount to 65–75 Megawatts (MW) in the year 2020 and 85–95 MW in 2030.

The implementation of industrial-scale facilities for microalgae cultivation is limited due to the high operation costs. One of the main problems in obtaining an efficient and long-lasting microalgae culture system is biofouling. The particular issue when developing antibiofouling surfaces for microalgae cultures is that the material must be transparent. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate the antibiofouling efficiency of a non-toxic polydimethylsiloxane-based coating prepared with polyethylene glycol-based copolymer on different photobioreactors at the pilot-plant scale. The antifouling properties result from the development of a fouling-release coating utilizing hydrogel technology. Nannochloropsis gaditana and Chlorella sorokiniana were cultured outdoors for 3 months over the summer, when biofouling formation is at its highest due to environmental conditions, to test the coating's antibiofouling efficiency. Although biofouling was not completely prevented in either photobioreactor, the coating significantly reduced cell adhesion compared to the polydimethylsiloxane control (70% less adhesion). Therefore, this coating was shown to be a good alternative for constructing efficient closed-photobioreactors at the pilot-plant scale, at least for cultures lasting 3 months.

Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, C. Wen, upon reasonable request. ; Deep-learning-based fault diagnosis of wind turbine has played a significant role in advancing the renewable energy industry. However, the imbalanced data sampled by the supervisory control and data acquisition systems has led to low diagnosis accuracy. Additionally, deep neural networks can encounter issues like gradient vanishing and insufficient feature learning during backpropagation when the model is too deep. This article introduces a novel approach that is based on dynamic weight loss functions to modulate unbalanced data and improve diagnostic accuracy by focusing on misclassification of a small sample number. The proposed approach employs a 1D-CNN model and an ensemble-learning-based convolution neural network (EL-CNN) to enhance diversity of models and complementarity of feature learning. The EL-CNN model addresses the problem of local features being overlooked and provides more accurate results. The effectiveness of this proposed approach is well demonstrated through experimental cases on real wind turbine pitch system fault data. Two different networks using three different loss functions and three state-of-the-art fault diagnosis models are tested, demonstrating the EL-CNN model’s superiority. ; This work was supported in part by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant 820776 (INTEGRADDE), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the UK, the Royal Society of the UK, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany, the BRIEF Award of Brunel University London, the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 61973209, the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai of China under Grant 20ZR1421200, and the Capacity Building Project of Shanghai Local Colleges and Universities of China under Grant 22010501100.

Abstract The limitations of the few correlations in the literature for the design of conical spouted beds and the non-validity of these conventional correlations proposed for cylindrical spouted beds have been proven. Consequently, original hydrodynamic correlations for spouting and jet spouting, corresponding to conical contactors, have been proposed for the calculation of the maximum pressure drop and of the pressure drop in stable operational conditions. The hydrodynamic study has been carried out with different geometries of the contactor—inlet system (different angles and diameters of inlet) and with solids of different particle sizes, densities and shape factors, so that the correlations obtained are of general applicability.

Although recent research has demonstrated that waste orange peel (WOP) is a potentially valuable resource that can be transformed into high value products, heat generation, biomethanisation and composting might be considered the most feasible alternatives in terms of yield. This study revealed that WOP can be successfully valorised through combustion. However, a previous drying step, which generates hazardous wastewater, is required and harmful NOx are emitted with the flue gases. In contrast, a high yield of renewable methane (280LSTPCH4/kg added COD, chemical oxygen demand) and an organic amendment can be obtained through the thermophilic biomethanisation of WOP following the removal of valuable essential oils from the peel. Co-composting of WOP combined at different proportions (17-83%) with the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was also demonstrated to be suitable. Moreover, a 37% reduction in odour generation was observed in co-composting of WOP compared to single composting of OFMSW.

With the spotlight on smart grid development around the world, it is critical to recognize the key factors contributing to changing power system characteristics. This is more apparent in distribution systems with the integration of renewable energy sources, energy storage, and microgrid development. Utilities are also focusing on the reliability and resiliency of the grid. These activities require distribution automation (DA) strategies that take advantage of available technologies while promoting newer solutions. It is necessary to create a roadmap for holistic DA strategies in a smarter grid. Sustainable and resilient grid development is a paradigm shift requiring a new line of thinking in the engineering, operation, and maintenance of the power system. International perspectives on DA are also addressed, with the understanding that one solution will not fit all. Integrating technical, business, and policy decisions into the challenges will generate the development of technologies, standards, and implementation of the overall solution. The challenges in the development of industry standards are also discussed. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities in the changing landscape of the distribution systems. Evolution of technologies and the business case for infrastructure investment in distribution systems are covered in another paper by the same authors.