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Biomethane production from processed industrial food waste (IFW) in admixture with sewage sludge (primary and waste activated sludge: PS and WAS) was evaluated at a range of C:N ratios using a standard biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. IFW alone had a C:N of 30 whereas for WAS it was 5.4 and thus the C:N ratio of the blends fell in that range. Increasing the IFW content in mix improves the methane potential by increasing both the cumulative biogas production and the rate of methane production. Optimum methane yield 239 mL/g VSremoved occurred at a C:N ratio of 15 which was achieved with a blend containing 11 percent (w/w) IFW. As the fraction of IFW in the blend increased, volatile solids (VS) destruction was increased and this led to a reduction in methane yield and amount of production. The highest destruction of volatile solids of 93 percent was achieved at C:N of 20 followed by C:N 30 and 15. A shortened BMP test is adequate for evaluating optimum admixtures.

Abstract Hydrogen fuel cells are received increasingly wide attention in order to develop green ships and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the field of waterway transportation. Metal hydrides (MHs) can be used to store hydrogen for green ships due to their high volumetric storage capacity and safety. Various measures should be considered in the design and manufacture process of the MH reactor to strengthen its performance of heat and mass transfer and obtain an acceptable hydrogen storage capacity. In this work, LaNi5 hydride is used as the hydrogen storage material and packed in the reactor. A basic axisymmetric numerical model for the hydrogen storage system without a heat exchanger has been developed and proved to be effective through the comparison between its simulation results and the published data during dehydriding. A hybrid heat exchanger, which is consisted of a phase change material (PCM) jacket and a coiled-tube, has been applied into the hydrogen storage system to relieve the thermal effect of MH in the dehydriding process on system performance. Effects of the heat transfer coefficient between the circulating heating water in the coil-tube and the MH bed, the temperature of circulating heating water and the pressure at the outlet on the dehydriding performance have been investigated. Based on parametric study, the relationships among the average dehydriding rate, the heat transfer coefficient, the heating water temperature and the outlet pressure have been found and fitted as simple equations. These fitted equations can be considered as a reference, which provides an important method to effectively control the dehydriding rate in order to satisfy the fuel requirement of the power unit and ensure the safe navigation of green ships in the future.

The nonlinear modulation of water wave groups is investigated and the interaction equations with induced flows are obtained. The analysis is performed up to the third order of the wave steepness aκ∼e by treating it as a small parameter in the singular perturbation technique by means of the Krylov-Bogoliubov-Mitropolski method. The equation which governs the development of the wave envelope is found by a modification of the ordinary nonlinear Schroedinger equation for the case of uniform depth. The equations governing the behavior of the induced mean flow are examined by deriving the second order flow when the form of the modulated wave train is prescribed. The present theory can describe the mean flow caused by the radiation stress. Some applications containing the monochromatic wave instability are given to confirm the theoretical results.

Rotating stall and surge are flow instabilities contributing to the acoustic noise generated in centrifugal compressors at low mass flow rates. Their acoustic generation mechanisms are exposed employing compressible Large Eddy Sim- ulations (LES). The LES data are used for calculating the dominant acoustic sources emerging at low mass flow rates. They give the inhomogeneous char- acter of the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) wave equation. The blade loading term associated with the unsteady pressure loads developed on solid surfaces (dipole in character) is found to be the major contributor to the aerodynamically generated noise at low mass flow rates. The acoustic source due to the velocity variations and compressibility effects (quadrupole in character) as well as the acoustic source caused by the displacement of the fluid due to the accelerations of the solid surfaces (monopole in character) were found to be not as dominant. We show that the acoustic source associated with surge is generated by the pressure oscillation, which is governed by the tip leakage flow. The vortical structures of rotating stall are interacting with the impeller. These manipulate the flow incidence angles and cause thereby unsteady blade loading towards the discharge. A low-pressure sink between 4 and 6 o’clock causes a halving of the perturbation frequencies at low mass flow rates operat- ing conditions. From two point space-time cross correlation analysis based on circumferential velocity in the diffuser it was found that the rotating stall cell propagation speed increases locally in the low pressure zone under the volute tongue. It was also found that rotating stall can coexist with surge operat- ing condition, but the feature is then seen to operate over a broader frequency interval.

Attempts to model any present or future power grid face a huge challenge because a power grid is a complex system, with feedback and multi-agent behaviors, integrated by generation, distribution, storage and consumption systems, using various control and automation computing systems to manage electricity flows. Our approach to modeling is to build upon an established model of the low voltage electricity network which is tested and proven, by extending it to a generalized energy model. But, in order to address the crucial issues of energy efficiency, additional processes like energy conversion and storage, and further energy carriers, such as gas, heat, etc., besides the traditional electrical one, must be considered. Therefore a more powerful model, provided with enhanced nodes or conversion points, able to deal with multidimensional flows, is being required. This article addresses the issue of modeling a local multi-carrier energy network. This problem can be considered as an extension of modeling a low voltage distribution network located at some urban or rural geographic area. But instead of using an external power flow analysis package to do the power flow calculations, as used in electric networks, in this work we integrate a multiagent algorithm to perform the task, in a concurrent way to the other simulation tasks, and not only for the electric fluid but also for a number of additional energy carriers. As the model is mainly focused in system operation, generation and load models are not developed. The financial support from EPSRC for Liz Varga on project entitled "Transforming Utilities’ Conversion Points" (no. EP/J005649/1) is gratefully acknowledged.

SummaryEnvironmentally extended multiregional input‐output (EE MRIO) tables have emerged as a key framework to provide a comprehensive description of the global economy and analyze its effects on the environment. Of the available EE MRIO databases, EXIOBASE stands out as a database compatible with the System of Environmental‐Economic Accounting (SEEA) with a high sectorial detail matched with multiple social and environmental satellite accounts. In this paper, we present the latest developments realized with EXIOBASE 3—a time series of EE MRIO tables ranging from 1995 to 2011 for 44 countries (28 EU member plus 16 major economies) and five rest of the world regions. EXIOBASE 3 builds upon the previous versions of EXIOBASE by using rectangular supply‐use tables (SUTs) in a 163 industry by 200 products classification as the main building blocks. In order to capture structural changes, economic developments, as reported by national statistical agencies, were imposed on the available, disaggregated SUTs from EXIOBASE 2. These initial estimates were further refined by incorporating detailed data on energy, agricultural production, resource extraction, and bilateral trade. EXIOBASE 3 inherits the high level of environmental stressor detail from its precursor, with further improvement in the level of detail for resource extraction. To account for the expansion of the European Union (EU), EXIOBASE 3 was developed with the full EU28 country set (including the new member state Croatia). EXIOBASE 3 provides a unique tool for analyzing the dynamics of environmental pressures of economic activities over time.