• Energy Research
• RU close
• EC close
• University of Technology close

Abstract The emission results from the diesel engine have a damaging effect on both the environment and people. Therefore, how to reduce and control these harmful exhaust emissions is mandatory requires plenty of experiments that elevate the cost and efforts. This paper depicts an application of an intelligent technique for prognostic the internal combustion of diesel engine performance, emission, and combustion characteristics. Zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminium oxide (Al2O3), and titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were added to diesel fuel. Experimental investigations were conducted on direct injection, water-cooled four cylinders, in-line, natural aspirated Fiat diesel engine. The engine was run at a firm speed of 1500 rpm with a regular fuel injection pressure at 400 bars but varying operation loads. Thus, the diesel engine emission and combustion characteristics, such as brake specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, and smoke concentrations were considered. The engine performance and exhaust gas analysis were conducted for seven various fuel blends and five load conditions. Therefore, in this current work, optimized ANN is utilised to model the relationship among engine emissions and operating parameters of direct injection diesel engines. The measured data was recorded for each conducted experiment to develop a multi-input multi-output intelligent system. Results obtained from the developed model were found to be suitable for predicting the engine performance and emissions for a limited number of available data and it was found to match well with those from the experiments.

AbstractPorous silicon (PS) is fabricated by anodization in aqueous hydrofluoric acid solution in the transition region between meso and macro pores. In the employed process the pore‐diameters are adjustable from 30 nm up to 100 nm using the same electrolyte as well as the same doping density of the wafer. Furthermore the self‐assembled pore‐arrangements show a quasi‐regular three‐dimensional nano‐architecture. These achieved PS‐membranes offering oriented pores with an aspect ratio around 1000 are filled with a transition metal in a galvanic deposition process. The use of different metals (Ni, Co, NiCo, Cu) together with the proper variation of the deposition parameters (e.g. current density and pulse duration) as well as the employment of different morphologies of the templates allow to tune the shape of the metal precipitations as well as their spatial distribution within the channels and therefore the possibility arises to influence the physical properties of the specimens. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

In order to use API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) particles in a dry powder formulation, they have to exhibit an aerodynamic diameter of 1 μm – 5 μm. [...]

Abstract A literature survey indicates that decisions about whether to reject or accept an investment are largely based on financial factors. The survey also indicates that a comparison of different efficiency improvement studies is difficult because their results are not readily commensurable. From the management perspective, more information on the physical aspects affecting efficiency is needed. From the engineering perspective, studies on integrated processes deal with a number of criteria that are often in conflict with each other, and for which information is difficult to produce. This paper discusses ways to analyse efficiency improvement studies in integrated industrial processes. The paper demonstrates how these analyses could be made more comprehensive. The paper presents a case study where test runs and simulations were carried out to improve process efficiency by adjusting process operating parameters. The case study was re-evaluated using a novel approach that has been developed to assess the efficiency of integrated systems. This includes considerations from three design perspectives: energy efficiency, material efficiency and operational efficiency, which, when analysed simultaneously, result in a more complete set of design and evaluation criteria.

This paper discusses a risk assessment approach to infrastructure technology planning aimed at improving power supply resiliency to natural disasters or other critical events. Cost as well as power supply availability are both fundamental decision factors considered in the study. The proposed planning process spans three phases during which the critical loads under study are subject to the effects of the extreme event: during the event, the immediate aftermath until potential infrastructure damage is repaired, and the long term aftermath until the load has recovered the same level existing before the critical event. The combined risk of these three phases is calculated considering likelihood of the critical event to occur, expected impact, and system vulnerability. This risk is then added to the system capital and normal operational costs to yield a lifetime cost that is used to compare technological options. Micro-grids are identified as a relevant technology with potential to achieve enhanced power supply during critical events. The analysis provides indications on how to better configure micro-grids in order to achieve high availability through diverse local distributed generation sources.

Integrating the plasma core performance with an edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) that leads to tolerable heat and particle loads on the wall is a major challenge. The new European medium size tokamak task force (EU-MST) coordinates research on ASDEX Upgrade (AUG), MAST and TCV. This multi-machine approach within EU-MST, covering a wide parameter range, is instrumental to progress in the field, as ITER and DEMO core/pedestal and SOL parameters are not achievable simultaneously in present day devices. A two prong approach is adopted. On the one hand, scenarios with tolerable transient heat and particle loads, including active edge localised mode (ELM) control are developed. On the other hand, divertor solutions including advanced magnetic configurations are studied. Considerable progress has been made on both approaches, in particular in the fields of: ELM control with resonant magnetic perturbations (RMP), small ELM regimes, detachment onset and control, as well as filamentary scrape-off-layer transport. For example full ELM suppression has now been achieved on AUG at low collisionality with n = 2 RMP maintaining good confinement . Advances have been made with respect to detachment onset and control. Studies in advanced divertor configurations (Snowflake, Super-X and X-point target divertor) shed new light on SOL physics. Cross field filamentary transport has been characterised in a wide parameter regime on AUG, MAST and TCV progressing the theoretical and experimental understanding crucial for predicting first wall loads in ITER and DEMO. Conditions in the SOL also play a crucial role for ELM stability and access to small ELM regimes.