scholarly journals Hydropower generation by transpiration from microporous alumina

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet Kaur ◽  
Satoshi Ishii ◽  
Ryusuke Nozaki ◽  
Tadaaki Nagao
Keyword(s):  
Porous Alumina ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Gravitational Potential Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Coulombic Interaction ◽  
Pre Treatment

AbstractTraditional hydropower generation is one of the most sustainable energy sources; however, the local environmental impact of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs is serious, and hydroelectric power requires high-cost turbines and generators. Because these installations utilize gravitational potential energy of massive volumes of falling water, this sort of hydropower generation is unsuitable for ubiquitous, small-scale energy production. Here, we report that wetting and evaporation of pure water from a tiny block of porous alumina generates electrical current in the direction of water transpiration. The current induced in microporous alumina is associated with mass transport of water accompanying ions that accumulate near the negatively charged surface of alumina pores. Without any pre-treatment or additives, once evaporation commences, a 3 × 3 cm2 piece of alumina can generate an open-circuit voltage as large as 0.27 V. The power generation scheme we propose here is simple, clean, and versatile, and it can be employed anywhere, as it utilizes only spontaneous capillary action of water and Coulombic interaction at the alumina-water interface, without requiring any input of heat or light.

scholarly journals Hydropower Generation by Transpiration from Microporous Alumina

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet Kaur ◽  
Satoshi Ishii ◽  
Ryusuke Nozaki ◽  
Tadaaki Nagao
Keyword(s):  
Porous Alumina ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Gravitational Potential Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Hydropower Generation ◽  
Coulombic Interaction ◽  
Pre Treatment

Abstract Traditional hydropower generation is one of the most sustainable energy sources; however, the local environmental impact of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs is serious, and hydroelectric power requires high-cost turbines and generators. Because these installations utilize gravitational potential energy of massive volumes of falling water, this sort of hydropower generation is unsuitable for ubiquitous, small-scale energy production. Here, we report that wetting and evaporation of pure water from a tiny block of porous alumina generates electrical current in the direction of water transpiration. The current induced in microporous alumina is associated with mass transport of water accompanying ions that accumulate near the negatively charged surface of alumina pores. Without any pre-treatment or additives, once evaporation commences, a 3×3 cm2 piece of alumina can generate an open-circuit voltage as large as 0.27 V. The power generation scheme we propose here is simple, clean, and versatile, and it can be employed anywhere, as it utilizes only spontaneous capillary action of water and Coulombic interaction at the alumina-water interface, without requiring any input of heat or light.

scholarly journals Power Generation by Water Transpiration from Microporous Alumina

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manpreet Kaur ◽  
Satoshi Ishii ◽  
Ryusuke Nozaki ◽  
Tadaaki Nagao
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Porous Alumina ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Gravitational Potential Energy ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Electric Generator ◽  
Energy Harvesters ◽  
Water Transpiration

Abstract Hydropower generation has been the most developed sustainable energy source that is based on the electromagnetic transduction of the gravitational potential energy but is only realized through elaborate construction of water dam and not yet suitable for small-scale energy harvesters. Here, we report that wetting and evaporation of water from a small block of porous alumina can generate electrical current in the direction of water transpiration. This induced current in microporous alumina is associated with the mass transport of water accompanying the accumulated charge near the negatively charged surface of the alumina pore. Without any pre-treatment or additives, once water evaporation commences, a 3×3 cm2 piece of alumina generates an open-circuit voltage of up to 0.27 V. Possible influence on power generation of the water-insulator interface and naturally available protons in water are discussed with respect to experimental results. Total output of this novel microporous ceramic electric generator can be scaled up and could be used for stand-alone energy harvesters or power generators in self-powered off-grid agricultural/ industrial sensors.

scholarly journals Desalination Performance Assessment of Scalable, Multi-Stack Ready Shock Electrodialysis Unit Utilizing Anion-Exchange Membranes

Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 347
Author(s):  
Jan Čížek ◽  
Petr Cvejn ◽  
Jaromír Marek ◽  
David Tvrzník
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Anion Exchange ◽  
Pure Water ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Limiting Current ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Anion Exchange Membranes ◽  
Separation Processes ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Treatment Shock

Incumbent electromembrane separation processes, including electrodialysis (ED) and electrodeionization (EDI), provide competitive techniques for desalination, selective separation, and unique solutions for ultra-pure water production. However, most of these common electrochemical systems are limited by concentration polarization and the necessity for multistep raw water pre-treatment. Shock electrodialysis (SED) utilizes overlimiting current to produce fresh, deionized water in a single step process by extending ion depleted zones that propagate through a porous medium as a sharp concentration gradient or a shock wave. So far, SED has been demonstrated on small scale laboratory units using cation-exchange membranes. In this work, we present a scalable and multi-stack ready unit with a large, 5000 mm2 membrane active area designed and constructed at the Technical University of Liberec in cooperation with MemBrain s.r.o. and Mega a.s. companies (Czechia). We report more than 99% salt rejection using anion-exchange membranes, depending on a dimensionless parameter that scales the constant applied current by the limiting current. It is shown that these parameters are most probably associated with pore size and porous media chemistry. Further design changes need to be done to the separator, the porous medium, and other functional elements to improve the functionality and energy efficiency.

Water Level Control of Small-scale Hydroelectric Power Plant

2002 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-994
Author(s):  
Shinichiro Endo ◽  
Masami Konishi ◽  
Hirosuke Imabayashi ◽  
Hayami Sugiyama
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Hydroelectric Power Plant ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Level Control

A rapid small scale evaluation of ultrafiltration performance for surface water treatment at Alcantarilha's water treatment works (Algarve, Portugal)

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 199-206
Author(s):  
M. Ribau Teixeira ◽  
H. Lucas ◽  
M.J. Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Membrane Fouling ◽  
Conventional Treatment ◽  
Apparent Molecular Weight ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hydraulic Permeability ◽  
Scale Evaluation ◽  
Surface Water Treatment ◽  
Drinking Water Production ◽  
Pre Treatment

A rapid small-scale evaluation of ultrafiltration (UF) performance with and without physical–chemical pre-treatment was performed to up-grade the conventional treatment used for drinking water production in Alcantarilha's water treatment works, Algarve, Portugal. Direct UF and pre-ozonation/coagulation/flocculation/sedimentation/UF (O/C/F/S/UF) were evaluated using polysulphone membranes of different apparent molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) (15–47 kDa). The results indicated that (i) UF is an effective barrier against microorganisms, including virus larger than 80 nm; (ii) for surface waters with low to moderate SUVA values, direct UF performance is equivalent or better than the conventional treatment in terms of residual turbidity, while UV254 nm and TOC residuals require the use of O/C/F/S/UF; (iii) the permeate quality improves with the membrane apparent MWCO decrease, especially for the direct UF, although the conventional treatment performance is never reached using UF; (iv) membrane fouling and adsorption phenomena are more severe in direct UF than in O/C/F/S/UF sequence (pre-ozonation decreases the membrane foulants by decreasing their hydrophobicity) and these phenomena increase with the membrane hydraulic permeability and, particularly, with the membrane apparent MWCO.

scholarly journals Improvement of Biogas Quality and Quantity for Small-Scale Biogas-Electricity Generation Application in off-Grid Settings: A Field-Based Study

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3088
Author(s):  
Henry Wasajja ◽  
Saqr A. A. Al-Muraisy ◽  
Antonella L. Piaggio ◽  
Pamela Ceron-Chafla ◽  
Purushothaman Vellayani Aravind ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Process Efficiency ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Buffer System ◽  
Biogas Plants ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
Pre Treatment

Small-scale electrical power generation (<100 kW) from biogas plants to provide off-grid electricity is of growing interest. Currently, gas engines are used to meet this demand. Alternatively, more efficient small-scale solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can be used to enhance electricity generation from small-scale biogas plants. Most electricity generators require a constant gas supply and high gas quality in terms of absence of impurities like H2S. Therefore, to efficiently use the biogas from existing decentralized anaerobic digesters for electricity production, higher quality and stable biogas flow must be guaranteed. The installation of a biogas upgrading and buffer system could be considered; however, the cost implication could be high at a small scale as compared to locally available alternatives such as co-digestion and improved digester operation. Therefore, this study initially describes relevant literature related to feedstock pre-treatment, co-digestion and user operational practices of small-scale digesters, which theoretically could lead to major improvements of anaerobic digestion process efficiency. The theoretical preamble is then coupled to the results of a field study, which demonstrated that many locally available resources and user practices constitute frugal innovations with potential to improve biogas quality and digester performance in off-grid settings.

Fluttering Amplitude Amplification by Utilizing Flapping Moment in Flutter-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Ka Chung Chan ◽  
Sau Chung Fu ◽  
Christopher Yu Hang Chao
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽  
Peak Value

Abstract Flutter-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) is one of the most promising methods to harvest small-scale wind energy. Wind causes self-fluttering motion of a flag in the FTENG to generate electricity by contact electrification. A lot of studies have been conducted to enhance the energy output by increasing the surface charge density of the flag, but only a few researches tried to increase the converting efficiency by enlarging the flapping motion. In this study, we show that by simply replacing the rigid flagpole in the FTENG with a flexible flagpole, the energy conversion efficiency is augmented and the energy output is enhanced. It is found that when the flag flutters, the flagpole also undergoes aerodynamic force. The lift force generated from the fluttering flag applies a periodic rotational moment on the flagpole, and causes the flagpole to vibrate. The vibration of the flagpole, in turn amplifies the flutter of the flag. Both the fluttering dynamics of the flags with rigid and flexible flagpoles have been recorded by a high-speed camera. When the flag was held by a flexible flagpole, the fluttering amplitude and the contact area between the flag and electrode plates were increased. The energy enhancement increased as the flow velocity increased and the enhancement can be 113 times when the wind velocity is 10 m/s. The thickness of the flagpole was investigated. An optimal output of open-circuit voltage reaching 1128 V (peak-to-peak value) or 312.40 V (RMS value), and short-circuit current reaching 127.67 μA (peak-to-peak value) or 31.99 μA (RMS value) at 12.21 m/s flow velocity was achieved. This research presents a simple design to enhance the output performance of an FTENG by amplifying the fluttering amplitude. Based on the performance obtained in this study, the improved FTENG has the potential to apply in a smart city for driving electronic devices as a power source for IoT applications.

Control of chironomid midge larvae in wastewater stabilisation ponds: comparison of five compounds

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 191-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Craggs ◽  
L. Golding ◽  
S. Clearwater ◽  
L. Susarla ◽  
W. Donovan
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
Organic Loading ◽  
Valuable Component ◽  
Pre Treatment

Chironomid midge larvae are a valuable component of wastewater stabilisation pond (WSP) ecology. However, in high numbers, adult midge swarms can be a nuisance to near-by urban areas. Improving WSP treatment by incorporating aerobic or maturation ponds or by the addition of pre-treatment to reduce organic loading also increases the availability of aerobic sediment (midge larva habitat) in the pond system and the potential for midge nuisance problems. The efficacy of Maldison, an organophosphate traditionally used to control midge larvae in New Zealand WSPs, was compared to Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti), Methoprene, Pyriproxyfen and Diflubenzuron which are all more specific to insects and have fewer adverse environmental effects. Initial laboratory trials established the concentration of each compound required to achieve 95% control of the midge population. During 21-day small-scale trials within the WSP, Bti, Diflubenzuron and Maldison reduced live larvae numbers substantially (80–89%) compared to controls and adult midge emergence was markedly reduced by all compounds (72–96%). Large-scale trials with Bti (Vectobac® WG) powder (1000 μg/L) only caused a slight reduction in midge larvae numbers compared to controls and had little effect on adult emergence, however, Methoprene (Prolink XRG granules) (50 μgAI/L) reduced midge adult emergence by ∼80% over 25 days and has been used successfully to control several midge nuisance outbreaks.

scholarly journals ECONOMIC PROFITABILITY OF THE UTILIZATION OF HOMEMADE ORGANIC PESTICIDE FOR SMALL SCALE PRODUCTION OF Brassica Napus L. Varchinensis (PECHAY)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 56-66
Author(s):  
Steven A. Loneria ◽  
Eunice L. Lluz
Keyword(s):  
Brassica Napus ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Block Design ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Hot Pepper ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Brassica Napus L ◽  
Effective Level ◽  
Pre Treatment

The study focused on the economic profitability of the utilization of homemade organic pesticide for small scale production of Brassica napus L. varchinensis (Pechay). An experiment was undertaken at the Palayamanan Program at the University of Eastern Philippines to determine the effectiveness of homemade organic pesticide in controlling or preventing insect infestation in Pechay, to find out the effective level of this homemade pesticide and to determine the economic profitability of using homemade organic pesticide and insecticide. To explore the use of homemade extract from garlic, Allium sativum L., hot pepper, Capsicum frutescens L., vinegar and mineral oil in the management of insect pests of Pechay. The design used was the randomized complete block design (RCBD) and the data gathered were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and DMRT at 5% level of significant. There were five treatments made up of 50% extracted organic insecticide diluted in 500ml and 1 litter of water  treatment before the insects will attack (pre–treatment) in weekly intervals and separate application of the same formulation of  the treatment after the insect will attack (post-treatment) two days interval and control without any treatment. The result of the study showed that those that gained higher profitable weight in treatment plots were the post – treatment.

scholarly journals Ultrahigh-resolution model of a breakout CME embedded in the solar wind

2018 ◽  
Vol 620 ◽  
pp. A57 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Hosteaux ◽  
E. Chané ◽  
B. Decraemer ◽  
D.-C. Talpeanu ◽  
S. Poedts
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Adaptive Mesh Refinement ◽  
Flux Rope ◽  
Adaptive Mesh ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Release Process ◽  
Ultrahigh Resolution ◽  
Current Sheets

Aims. We investigate the effect of a background solar wind on breakout coronal mass ejections, in particular, the effect on the different current sheets and the flux rope formation process. Methods. We obtained numerical simulation results by solving the magnetohydrodynamics equations on a 2.5D (axisymmetric) stretched grid. Ultrahigh spatial resolution is obtained by applying a solution adaptive mesh refinement scheme by increasing the grid resolution in regions of high electrical current, that is, by focussing on the maximum resolution of the current sheets that are forming. All simulations were performed using the same initial base grid and numerical schemes; we only varied the refinement level. Results. A background wind that causes a surrounding helmet streamer has been proven to have a substantial effect on the current sheets that are forming and thus on the dynamics and topology of the breakout release process. Two distinct ejections occur: first, the top of the helmet streamer detaches, and then the central arcade is pinched off behind the top of the helmet streamer. This is different from the breakout scenario that does not take the solar wind into account, where only the central arcade is involved in the eruption. In the new ultrahigh-resolution simulations, small-scale structures are formed in the lateral current sheets, which later merge with the helmet streamer or reconnect with the solar surface. We find that magnetic reconnections that occur at the lateral breakout current sheets deliver the major kinetic energy contribution to the eruption and not the reconnection at the so-called flare current sheet, as was seen in the case without background solar wind.

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