• Energy Research
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AbstractBiodiesel fuel and biogas fuel as promising alternative energy sources for dual‐fuel‐mode diesel engine attract more researchers. Therefore, this study highlights the dual‐fuel mode (DFM) operation of diesel engine using biodiesel fuel from used cooking oil and simulated biogas fuel with different methane contents (M40, M60, M80, and M100) on the combustion, rate of heat release, combustion stability, and performance. The observation of diesel engine was conducted by varying the torques from 3.5 Nm, 10.5 Nm, 17.6 Nm, and 24.6 Nm and by varying the engine speeds from 1800 rpm, 2000 rpm, 2200 rpm, 2400 rpm, and 2600 rpm, respectively. It was found that in DFM at a low torque the thermal efficiency decreased, but biogas replacement, biogas energy, and sfc values increased. The relation of the results of biodiesel replacement, biogas energy ratio, and brake thermal efficiency with methane content ratio in DFM show that the methane content ratio has the maximum effect in DFM. In addition, the carbon dioxide content in the biogas can enrich the brake thermal efficiency. The combustion stability of all conditions (1.7%‐4.89%) is still acceptable.

AbstractBiodiesel fuel and biogas fuel as promising alternative energy sources for dual‐fuel‐mode diesel engine attract more researchers. Therefore, this study highlights the dual‐fuel mode (DFM) operation of diesel engine using biodiesel fuel from used cooking oil and simulated biogas fuel with different methane contents (M40, M60, M80, and M100) on the combustion, rate of heat release, combustion stability, and performance. The observation of diesel engine was conducted by varying the torques from 3.5 Nm, 10.5 Nm, 17.6 Nm, and 24.6 Nm and by varying the engine speeds from 1800 rpm, 2000 rpm, 2200 rpm, 2400 rpm, and 2600 rpm, respectively. It was found that in DFM at a low torque the thermal efficiency decreased, but biogas replacement, biogas energy, and sfc values increased. The relation of the results of biodiesel replacement, biogas energy ratio, and brake thermal efficiency with methane content ratio in DFM show that the methane content ratio has the maximum effect in DFM. In addition, the carbon dioxide content in the biogas can enrich the brake thermal efficiency. The combustion stability of all conditions (1.7%‐4.89%) is still acceptable.

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.e., selected case examples involving keystone plants in given parts of the world. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but encompasses the abiotic (e.g., temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests and humans) factors associated with plant health. Among the 33 (Ecoregion × Plant System) considered, 18 are assessed as in fair or poor health, and 20 as in declining health. Much of the observed state of plant health and its trends are driven by a combination of forces, including climate change, species invasions, and human management. Healthy plants ensure (i) provisioning (food, fiber, and material), (ii) regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and (iii) cultural (recreation, inspiration, and spiritual) ecosystem services. All these roles that plants play are threatened by plant diseases. Nearly none of these three ecosystem services are assessed as improving. Results indicate that the poor state of plant health in sub-Saharan Africa gravely contributes to food insecurity and environmental degradation. Results further call for the need to improve crop health to ensure food security in the most populated parts of the world, such as in South Asia, where the poorest of the poor, the landless farmers, are at the greatest risk. The overview of results generated from this work identifies directions for future research to be championed by a new generation of scientists and revived public extension services. Breakthroughs from science are needed to (i) gather more data on plant health and its consequences, (ii) identify collective actions to manage plant systems, (iii) exploit the phytobiome diversity in breeding programs, (iv) breed for plant genotypes with resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and (v) design and implement plant systems involving the diversity required to ensure their adaptation to current and growing challenges, including climate change and pathogen invasions.

The Global Plant Health Assessment (GPHA) is a collective, volunteer-based effort to assemble expert opinions on plant health and disease impacts on ecosystem services based on published scientific evidence. The GPHA considers a range of forest, agricultural, and urban systems worldwide. These are referred to as (Ecoregion × Plant System), i.e., selected case examples involving keystone plants in given parts of the world. The GPHA focuses on infectious plant diseases and plant pathogens, but encompasses the abiotic (e.g., temperature, drought, and floods) and other biotic (e.g., animal pests and humans) factors associated with plant health. Among the 33 (Ecoregion × Plant System) considered, 18 are assessed as in fair or poor health, and 20 as in declining health. Much of the observed state of plant health and its trends are driven by a combination of forces, including climate change, species invasions, and human management. Healthy plants ensure (i) provisioning (food, fiber, and material), (ii) regulation (climate, atmosphere, water, and soils), and (iii) cultural (recreation, inspiration, and spiritual) ecosystem services. All these roles that plants play are threatened by plant diseases. Nearly none of these three ecosystem services are assessed as improving. Results indicate that the poor state of plant health in sub-Saharan Africa gravely contributes to food insecurity and environmental degradation. Results further call for the need to improve crop health to ensure food security in the most populated parts of the world, such as in South Asia, where the poorest of the poor, the landless farmers, are at the greatest risk. The overview of results generated from this work identifies directions for future research to be championed by a new generation of scientists and revived public extension services. Breakthroughs from science are needed to (i) gather more data on plant health and its consequences, (ii) identify collective actions to manage plant systems, (iii) exploit the phytobiome diversity in breeding programs, (iv) breed for plant genotypes with resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses, and (v) design and implement plant systems involving the diversity required to ensure their adaptation to current and growing challenges, including climate change and pathogen invasions.

AbstractTypical adsorbent applied in solar-powered adsorption refrigeration cycle is activated carbon. It is known that activated alumina shows a higher adsorption capacity when it is tested in the laboratory using a constant radiation heat flux. In this study, solar-powered adsorption refrigeration cycle with generator filled by different adsorbents has been tested by exposing to solar radiation in Medan city of Indonesia. The generator is heated using a flat-plate type solar collector with a dimension of 0.5m×0.5m. Four cases experiments of solar-powered adsorption cycle were carried out, they are with generator filled by 100% activated alumina (named as 100AA), by a mixed of 75% activated alumina and 25% activated carbon (75AA), by a mixed of 25% activated alumina and 75% activated carbon (25AA), and filled by 100% activated carbon. Each case was tested for three days. The temperature and pressure history and the performance have been presented and analyzed. The results show that the average COP of 100AA, 75AA, 25AA, and 100AC is 0.054, 0.056, 0.06, and 0.074, respectively. The main conclusion can be drawn is that for Indonesian condition and flat-plate type solar collector the pair of activated carbon and methanol is the better than activated alumina.

AbstractTypical adsorbent applied in solar-powered adsorption refrigeration cycle is activated carbon. It is known that activated alumina shows a higher adsorption capacity when it is tested in the laboratory using a constant radiation heat flux. In this study, solar-powered adsorption refrigeration cycle with generator filled by different adsorbents has been tested by exposing to solar radiation in Medan city of Indonesia. The generator is heated using a flat-plate type solar collector with a dimension of 0.5m×0.5m. Four cases experiments of solar-powered adsorption cycle were carried out, they are with generator filled by 100% activated alumina (named as 100AA), by a mixed of 75% activated alumina and 25% activated carbon (75AA), by a mixed of 25% activated alumina and 75% activated carbon (25AA), and filled by 100% activated carbon. Each case was tested for three days. The temperature and pressure history and the performance have been presented and analyzed. The results show that the average COP of 100AA, 75AA, 25AA, and 100AC is 0.054, 0.056, 0.06, and 0.074, respectively. The main conclusion can be drawn is that for Indonesian condition and flat-plate type solar collector the pair of activated carbon and methanol is the better than activated alumina.