• Energy Research
• 13. Climate action close
• 6. Clean water close
• Energy Procedia close

Abstract To protect the environment changing, coal combustion must reduce its CO 2 emission by capture and storage. Chemical looping is a potentially high technology for coal combustion with CO 2 capture efficiently. A chemical-looping-combustion system, using circulating fluidized bed witch consist two main reactors, a fuel reactor and an air reactor. An oxygen carrier, typically a metal oxide, is employed to transfer oxygen from the air reactor to the fuel reactor, and circulates between these two reactors. During 2012-2014, JCOAL, MHPS (Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (2012-2013 Babcock-Hitachi)) and IAE(The Institute of Applied Energy) have a project funded by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization) to surveyed chemical looping technology development in the world, studied market needs of chemical looping combustion, investigated carrier costs and reactivity, etc., in order to reduce CO 2 separation recovery cost to 2,500 yen/ton of CO 2 or less. A small-scale reactor was used to study the behaviors of the direct reaction of coal with an oxygen carrier. It was found that the coal conversion efficiency increases with increasing iron level in the carrier, that the volume of unreacted CO gas increases when oxygen use in the carrier exceeds the range of Fe 2 O 3 --> Fe 3 O 4 , and that there is no notable surface melting that could obstruct particle circulation at 950C or less. A basic model of the CLC process was produced using the AspenPlus software and used to analyze the process under the conditions of a 250MWth plant. It found that the volume of circulating CLC carrier is roughly the same as the circulation of CFBC medium, and that inner desulfurization and ultra-low NO X combustion are possible. Using the results of research and process analysis, a three-tower chemical looping coal combustion technology that consists primarily of an air reactor (AR), coal reactor (CR), and volatiles reactor (VR) was selected, and an conceptual design was produced for the reactor configuration and technical parameters.

AbstractThe efficiency of Geothermal Heat Pumps (GHPs) strongly depends on the site-specific parameters of the ground, which should therefore be mapped for the rational planning of shallow geothermal installations. In this paper, a case study is presented for the potentiality assessment of low enthalpy geothermal energy in the Province of Cuneo, a district of 6900 km2 in Piedmont, NW Italy. The available information on the geology, stratigraphy, hydrogeology, climate etc. were processed and mapped, and conclusions were drawn on the geothermal suitability and productivity of different areas of the territory surveyed.

AbstractThe National Solar Mission launched by the Government of India promotes the deployment of 20,000 GW of solar power by 2022. In this initiative CSP plays a significant role. Solar thermal power generation opportunities in India are huge. SunBorne Energy in partnership with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, is developing solar power tower technology within the framework of the R&D project CRISPTower (Collaborative Research Initiative in Solar Power Tower). The project is being carried out in cooperation with IMDEA Energy, Spain and the Clean Energy Research Center (CERC), University of South Florida (USA). A 1MWth solar power system is currently being installed at the Solar Energy Center at Delhi,India (28.425̊ Latitude). The project envisages the use of atmospheric air as the working fluid with an exit temperature from an open volumetric metallic porous receiver of about 600̊C. A new carousel-type heliostat design with 150m2 mirror surface area is incorporated in the system. The thermal storage system is based on a packed bed of rocks, primarily consisting of metallic oxides as sensible storage medium.

Abstract Evaluating and monitoring the CO 2 behavior in the reservoir, understanding the mechanism of CO 2 flow and distribution in the water-CO 2 mixture state is essential. In this study, measurement of the complex electrical impedance ( Z ) and P-wave velocity ( V p ) is conducted during the CO 2 injection into the rock core under the reservoir condition. Specimen is low permeable sandstone and injection rate is ultra-low (in the low capillarity number (C n ) area) to high. In addition to measuring Z and V p , differential pressure on the both sides of the specimen and CO 2 saturation (S CO2 ) of the entire specimen are measured. The change of Z and V p are observed according to the change of differential pressure and S CO2 . After the injection test, S CO2 in cross-section of the specimen is estimated using Archie's law and Gassmann's equation (Patchy saturation model) to the experimental results.

AbstractSouth Africa will require a portfolio of technologies to meet its climate change goals. Within this portfolio, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is of particular importance as the only technology to mitigate CO2 emissions from large-scale fossil fuel usage in fuel transformation, industry and power generation.Since 2009, the South African Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage (SACCCS) has been investigating the technical feasibility of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in South Africa. The South African CCS Roadmap, which was endorsed by the Cabinet of South Africa on the 4th May 2012, provides the overarching direction for the work of SACCCS. The key milestones of the South African CCS Roadmap are as follows:2004Assessment of the potential for CCS in South Africa2010Development of a South African CO2 geological storage atlas2017Commencement of a CO2 Test Injection Project (10,000 - 50,000tCO2 stored)2020Facilitate the commencement of a CCS demonstration plant (in the order of 100,000tCO2/year)2025+Inform the implementation of commercial CCS deployment (over 1,000,000tCO2/year)OngoingProvide support to other CCS activities in South AfricaThe 2010 Atlas on geological storage of CO2 in South Africa identified Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape as the regions with the most potential for safe and secure CO2 storage. SACCCS is now planning further exploration of this potential. Exploration will involve establishing the geological suitability of the regions and will be supported by environmental assessments and engagement with all relevant stakeholders. Only if this exploration is successful and an appropriate site is identified, SACCCS will develop a CO2 Test Injection Project to further evaluate and build experience around the technology in a South African context. The Test Injection Project will enable South Africa to better understand the role of CCS in reducing CO2 emissions and meeting the challenges of climate change.

Abstract The choice of a heat supply option in new residential areas depends on various factors including available local energy resources and the scale and density of the heat demand in the areas. Here, we study costs and primary energy use of using district heat (DH) and ground-source electric heat pump (EHP) for heating a residential area being developed. We consider different architecture layouts and exploitations of the area along with different building energy efficiency standards which give different heat demand densities and profiles for this residential area. The analysis shows that for existing fuel-based energy supply systems, using DH is more primary energy efficient than using EHP to supply heat to the new residential area. However, if the future production of marginal electricity is based on state-of-the art technologies utilizing renewable energy resources, using EHP can be more primary energy efficient than using DH. The initial investment costs are much lower for options using DH than for options using ground-source EHP for the different exploitation alternatives. Also, the marginal heat cost for suppling DH to the residential area, excluding the sunk capital costs, is significantly lower than the heat cost for supplying heat with ground-source EHPs. The potential use of local ground-source heat linked to the exploitation level of residential area and energy performance of the buildings should be further analyzed in comparison to the use of other types of heat sources such as ambient air or ventilation air.

Abstract Mold growth in buildings represents a widespread issue. It is, indeed, not only an aesthetic problem, but above all, a serious concern for the indoor air quality, which is directly related to the occupants’ health. Most of the existing residential buildings are poorly insulated and heavily affected by the presence of thermal bridges, that constitute the first area colonized by mold. In this paper the mitigation of the thermal bridges impact by applying a fine layer of insulating rendering coat in the interior side was analyzed. The numerical analyses were focused on a typical thermal bridge occurring on the Italian building stock between a vertical wall and a concrete slab and were carried out through dynamic 2D Heat and Moisture Transfer simulations. Moreover, the results related to the surface temperatures and relative humidity were used for the calculation of the mold index by means of the VTT growth model. Results are encouraging showing that the presence of the fine insulation rendering coat could moderately reduce the effect of the thermal bridges but can have a significant effect on the mold growth risk reduction.