Harvesting the Potential of CO2 before it is Injected into Geological Reservoirs

To store CO2 in geological reservoirs, expansion valves have been used to intentionally release supercritical CO2 from high-pressure containers at a source point to lower-pressure pipelines and transport to a selected injection site. Using expansion valves, however, has some shortcomings: (i) the fluid potential, in the form of kinetic energy and pressure which can produce mechanical work or electricity, is wasted, and (ii) due to the Joule-Thomson cooling effect, the reduction in the temperature of the released CO2 stream might be so dramatic that it can induce thermal contraction of the injection well causing fracture instability in the storage formation. To avoid these problems, it has been suggested that before injection, CO2, should be heated to a temperature slightly higher than that of the reservoir. However, heating could increase the cost of CO2 injection. This work explores the use of a Tesla Turbine, instead of an expansion valve, to harvest the potential of CO2, in the form of its pressure and kinetics, to generate mechanical work when it is released from a high-pressure container to a lower-pressure transport pipeline. The goal is to avoid throttling losses and to produce useful power because of the expansion process. In addition, due to the friction between the gas and the turbine disks, the expanded gas temperature reduction is not as dramatic as in the case when an expansion valve is used. Thus, as far as CO2 injection is concerned, the need for preheating can be minimized.

Gathering Energy of the Stray Currents in Electrified Railways Environment for Power Supply

The paper presents a new, unconventional energy harvesting (EH) method for supplying low-power devices on electrified railway lines that utilises stray currents and the non-zero potential of the rails to the ground. The EH device gathers the energy and stores it in batteries. It could even work in extremely unfavourable weather conditions and could be easily placed in almost any location. The presented real-life data show that the average available power is less than 250 mW and the average useful power is about 100 mW. This is enough to supply ultra-low power microcontrollers, which only occasionally use energy-consuming modules to perform measurements or communicate. The disadvantage of the EH method is the introduction of resistance between the rail and the earth, which increases stray currents and could increase the electrochemical corrosion of the rail. To reduce the impact of this resistance, a method for balancing the flowing charge is proposed. After balancing, the average of the flowing current is zero and electrochemical corrosion should be reduced. The proposed charge balancing algorithms could reduce the unbalanced charge to nearly zero at the expense of energy gathering efficiency, which decreases by 20–40%.

A new approach to the application of the principles of sustainable development

Most of the environmental, economic, social and political problems that have given rise to the global crisis continue to grow negatively and rapidly. It is with this situation that the world community has faced, feeling the consequences of earlier decisions. It is natural to raise the question: why, despite enormous efforts, it is not possible to reverse the negative trends and ensure the transition to sustainable development of the world community. In order for the criteria of sustainable development to meet these requirements, it is necessary to determine the main governing laws and find a way to measure different quality social, natural processes and resource flows in stable and universal units of measurement (measures). The article presents the basic definitions for the development of a formalized description of the tasks of monitoring sustainable development that meets the principles and requirements of sustainable development. It provides examples of calculating the parameters of sustainable development of Latvia and their primary interpretation. To formalize the tasks of sustainable development, the authors considered the methodology of systems analysis, methods of managing sustainable development projects using the concept of flows of full and useful power in open non-equilibrium stable systems, flows model of interactions in the system ‘man - society – nature’, as well as the theory of a unified system of space-time measurements. The main conclusions are: the system of four universal indicators of sustainable development shows that by 2019 the system of Latvia had a trend towards non-sustainable development. A decrease in consumption indicates an extensive development and is the result of a decrease in population, and is not associated with improving the structure of resource consumption and their efficient use.

An Analysis of Energy Flow in Diesel Engine on AVL-Boost

Energy achieved by burning fuel in an internal combustion engine (ICE) is divided into several main parts such as useful power, heat transfer for coolant system, energy of exhaust gases and mechanical losses. A detailed analysis of the quantity and distribution of these components will be an essential basis in the study of ICE improvement. In this paper, the authors present the calculation of energy distribution on D243 diesel engine through simulation on AVL-Boost. The results showed that the average thermal efficiency of the ICE during all operating modes was 25.8%. The total energy transfer for the coolant system and the heat of exhaust gases is 63.54% and reaches maximum 103.7 kW in rated mode. The acquired results can be used as a research basis to improve the economics and technical aspects of ICE such as optimization of working conditions of coolant and lubricating systems. As well as calculate the equipment of turbocharger or systems that utilize energy of exhaust gases and cooling water.

Evaluation of the Hydroelectric Potential of the TokounouWaterfall, Kankan Prefecture, Guinea

This study is a continuation of the work of evaluation and valuation of the hydro power potential of Small hydropower plants in Guinea. With a total hydroelectric potential estimated at 6000 MW, Guinea generally suffers from a lack of electrical energy, especially in rural areas where nearly 70% of the populations live and less than 15% of this population is connected to the grid. Electricity of the country, which has the negative consequence of the misuse of wood as a source of energy. Hence the need for this study, which aims to assess the hydroelectric potential of the Tokounou waterfall in Kankan prefecture. The main results obtained relate to : the turbine flow rate, the net head, the useful power, the dimensions of the loading basin, the characteristics of the penstock and the choice of turbine. Proposals for the use of the estimated hydroelectric potential have been made, which could improve the energy needs of the locality.

Mechanical Processing of Hard Coal as a Source of Noise Pollution. Case Study in Poland

This article presents the results of noise tests, measurements and proposals of solutions that have an impact for reducing noise at one of the Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa S.A. mines. All units and workstations at the mechanical coal processing plant were tested. Coal enrichment, aimed at adjusting its quality parameters to the requirements of various customers, is considered as a stage of mineral resources management. The adaptation of the quality of commercial coal products to the needs of specific customers consists in removing useless components from the excavated material. The processes of coal processing are carried out on various machines, the power of which reaches several dozen kilowatts. The energy of these machines, in addition to the useful power, is converted into heat, friction and noise. From the energy point of view, noise is not important, but it is very harmful to employees. The issue of noise pollution, although very dangerous to employees’ health, is often underestimated. Due to the subjective perception of noise, it is not possible to determine the risk without proper research. The aim of this study was to determine where the noise standards are exceeded. The next step was to propose specific solutions to reduce the impacts of noise on health and work comfort.

A Survay on Photovoltaics Technology for Water Pumping

Due to the evident shortfalls in the high costs of diesel and current, the requirements of pumping for agricultural and aqua supply have been affected. In that regard, utilizing solar energy to pump aqua is a potential technology for diesel-driven and conventional propelling structures. Propelling aqua using solar energy is done using photovoltaics techniques that transform energy from the sun into useful power meant to operate AC or DC engine-driven hydraulic ram. This research contribution provides a critical evaluation of the solar propelling technology e.g. Maximum Power-Point Trackers (MPPTs) and is based on economic viabilities of solar photovoltaics techniques and schemes, execution evaluation, photovoltaics generator degradation, and optimum sizing that distributes power to the electropumps. This analysis also relates to environmental and economic aspects, advanced Photovoltaics materials, and potential enhancements. Updates regarding the present condition and usage of solar H2O propelling technologies have also been focusing in this analysis.

Preliminary Re-design of an Axial Turbine in an Existing Engine to Meet the Increased Load Demand

This work presents a preliminary design of an axial turbine section in an industrial gas turbine. The design was necessitated following the need to provide a gas turbine of a power output in the range of 48 to 60MW for a mini-city harbouring an oil rig, which was not possible with the old engine. The turbine section is designed to produce a power capable of driving the compressor as well as produce a useful power for electricity. Using proprietary gas turbine performance simulation software called TURBOMATCH and a computer program written in Microsoft Excel, a redesign of the axial turbine component was achieved. Consequent upon redesigning the axial turbine, a preliminary analysis was carried out to ascertain the new turbine stages introduced. The analysis revealed that when one or two turbine stage(s) was used for new engine, it proved unsatisfactory as the blade loading coefficient and the flow efficiency were both beyond the limit acceptable for an optimum performance. A three stage turbine was finally employed having provided a loading coefficient of 2.1, 1.9 and 1.7 for the first, second and the last stages respectively.

Technological suitability of semi-coke as a carbon reducer in production of manganese and silicon alloys

The article presents results of testing semi-coke as a carbon reducing agent in the production of manganese and silicon alloys. The fundamental possibility of using semi-coke in carbon part of the charge as a basic reducing agent for the production of ferrosilicon manganese is established. It is noted that the new reducing agent in its pure form works worse than in the mixture with coal. The greatest synergistic effect in the production of ferrosilicon manganese was achieved during the interaction of semi-coke with coal, while the following indicators were obtained: maximum furnace productivity of 43 t/day, maximum extraction coefficient of 87.9 %, and minimum specific dust formation of 49 kg/t of alloy. In the production of ferrosilicon the use of a new reducing agent did not give a significant positive effect, due to its low structural strength. It was revealed that the structure and type of the reducing agent affect the furnace performance: when using a reducing agent with a higher reactivity in the charge, it is possible to obtain higher furnace performance. In the production of ferrosilicon, a change in the specific dust generation is closely related to the level of daily production and specific energy consumption and can serve as an indicator of the furnace operation. The furnace performance, ceteris paribus, is determined by the amount of useful power input. With an excess of carbon in the charge an increase in useful power leads to a slight increase in the furnace performance, but at the same time, the energy consumption and specific dust formation significantly increase. It is shown, that the influence of technological factors on the technical and economic indicators of melting is determined by the degree of electrode seating in the furnace.

DIGITALIZATION OF THE ELECTRIC POWER METERING SYSTEM

The article deals with the issue of paying for electricity transmission services by consumers in connection with the introducing on the 1st of July, 2020 the Federal Law no. 522-FZ dated December 27, 2018 and the requirements for smart devices and electricity metering systems. This topic is one of the key points in the fight against non-payments for electrical energy, reducing business losses. The article draws attention to the change in the relationship between a consumer of electrical power and its supplier after the introduction of the above-mentioned law. The opportunities of intelligent electricity metering systems are examined as well as their features and some of their characteristics are given. On the example of the Verkhneuslonsky region of the Republic of Tatarstan, served by the branch of JSC “Network Company” Buinsky electrical networks, a comparative analysis of electrical power consumption is presented according to the data of those consumers who have smart metering devices installed and those who use ordinary counters. It is shown that installation of intelligent electric power metering systems made it possible to increase the useful power supply for the observed period by 15.5% in 2020 against 1.8% when using traditional counters for the same period of 2019.