Evaluating the Technology Readiness of a Ribbon-Blade Wind Turbine Using NASA’s TRL Method

The aim of this article was to complete a methodologically original study and evaluation of the technological readiness of an innovative ribbon-blade wind turbine in accordance with NASA’s TRL method. The structural form of the wind turbine unit analyzed herein, featuring a new ribbon turbine design, is distinguished by its safe durability. The circumferential speeds of the points on the turbine circumference were technologically verified positively and have a significant impact on the evaluation indicators of the conversion process, these being efficiency, unit energy consumption, and the quality of the power and energy of the wind power plant. The use of a new turbine design in the wind turbine analyzed herein, a working ribbon unit, resulted in a technological increase in efficiency from 13% to 32% and a reduction in unit internal energy consumption from 18% to 36% compared to the traditional wind turbine design. The TRL NASA-based evaluation herein, which consists of modern computer-aided engineering procedures (CAE standard) as well as IT instrumentation, and which includes nine degrees of technological readiness of an innovative ribbon windmill, falls in line with the standards for smart development based on knowledge and innovation (EU 2020 Strategy).

HEAT FLOWS INTEGRATION OF DISTILLATION AND EPURATION COLUMNS INTO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OF RECTIFIED ETHYL ALCOHOL

Today, ethyl alcohol is widely used in many industries. Ethanol production processes from any organic matter often involve rectification, which is an energy-intensive process. The constant increase in the cost of energy leads to a significant growth of the cost of production. Reducing the unit energy consumption can solve a range of important issues: first, that of decreasing production cost, and secondly, that of nationwide dependence on external energy suppliers. A detailed analysis of the thermal energy potential of technological flows aimed at solving the problem of reducing energy consumption inspires the development of more energy-efficient solutions for organizing this processes. The search for alternative solutions demonstrates that one of the methods of reducing the unit energy consumption for ethanol production, in particular one that does not require a total restructuring of the production lines, is the method of integration of processes based on pinch analysis. The extraction of these technological flows was carried out on the basis of the regulatory documentation of the hardware-technological scheme of the centralized ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant and the energy audit report of that plant, which was carried out at one of the alcohol enterprises of Ukraine. A distillation and a purification column were selected from the centralized ethyl alcohol distillation plant for thermal integration of the existing process. The thermal and material balances of the ethyl alcohol head fraction distillation plant columns were calculated. To maximize the energy potential of the heat flows, the principles of pinch design were applied and a grid diagram of heat exchanger networks was designed. To maximize the recovery of thermal energy, the difference ΔTmin was set to - 3ºC. This led to the need to use energy-efficient heat exchange equipment. A significant reduction in the use of external utilities (by 48% for cold utilitie and by 38% for hot utilitie) for selected heat flows and a short payback period for the project (approximately three months) makes this solution viable.

Analysis of the Total Unit Energy Consumption of a Car with a Hybrid Drive System in Real Operating Conditions

The market demand for vehicles with reduced energy consumption, as well as increasingly stringent standards limiting CO2 emissions, are the focus of a large number of research works undertaken in the analysis of the energy consumption of cars in real operating conditions. Taking into account the growing share of hybrid drive units on the automotive market, the aim of the article is to analyse the total unit energy consumption of a car operating in real road conditions, equipped with an advanced hybrid drive system of the PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) type. In this paper, special attention has been paid to the total unit energy consumption of a car resulting from the cooperation of the two independent power units, internal combustion and electric. The results obtained for the individual drive units were presented in the form of a new unit index of the car, which allows us to compare the consumption of energy obtained from fuel with the use of electricity supported from the car’s batteries, during journeys in real road conditions. The presented research results indicate a several-fold increase in the total unit energy consumption of a car powered by an internal combustion engine compared to an electric car. The values of the total unit energy consumption of the car in real road conditions for the internal combustion drive are within the range 1.25–2.95 (J/(kg · m)) in relation to the electric drive 0.27–1.1 (J/(kg · m)) in terms of instantaneous values. In terms of average values, the appropriate values for only the combustion engine are 1.54 (J/(kg · m)) and for the electric drive only are 0.45 (J/(kg · m)) which results in the internal combustion engine values being 3.4 times higher than the electric values. It is the combustion of fuel that causes the greatest increase in energy supplied from the drive unit to the car’s propulsion system in the TTW (tank to wheels) system. At the same time this component is responsible for energy losses and CO2 emissions to the environment. The results were analysed to identify the differences between the actual life cycle energy consumption of the hybrid powertrain and the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Test Procedure) homologation cycle.

Energy consumption and performance of a rotating biological contactor treating high-strength wastewater

Clean water availability, energy costs and the environmental impact of energy usage are major concerns all over the world. At the same time, the Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) has emerged as a low energy-consuming technology used in wastewater treatment which compares favorably with other treatment methods. RBC is a fixed-film bioreactor employing rotating discs to provide support medium for the microbial growth and to supply dissolved oxygen. RBCs, when applied in the treatment of high strength wastewater, demand some modifications such as the addition of aeration systems or change the flow configuration. Aeration systems certainly reduce the footprint but at the cost of energy consumption. Therefore, the optimization of energy consumption in a modified RBC is a very relevant research objective. This thesis is an investigation on energy optimization in a commercial scale RBC modified with an aeration system and treating high strength synthetic wastewater. The coarse bubble diffuser was replaced by fine bubble air diffusers. To study energy consumption a mono-block main drive system and the central compressed air supply were replaced by a three phase motor with variable frequency drive and an aeration blower respectively. Removal performance and unit energy consumption were studied at various combinations of rotating speed (2.5-5 RPM) and rate of aeration (0-15 SCFM). Constant hydraulic (0.017 m³/m²-day), organic (86.1 gCOD/m²-day) and ammonia (3.444 gNH₃-N/m²-day) loadings were maintained throughout the study. The modified RBC was able to remove 34 to 96% COD and 21 to 68% ammonia depending on the aeration rate and angular velocity. The suspended growth section of the modified RBC contributed 47 to 85% and 38 to 87% of the total removal of COD and ammonia respectively. Conversion of ammonia-nitrogen to nitrate-nitrogen was observed very negligible at 0.26 to 1.59%. The angular velocity, 3.66 RPM and the rate of aeration 8.13 SCFM, were found to be the optimum parameters to achieve minimum unit energy consumption of 1.31 KWH/kg CODr. A mathematical model correlating energy consumption per unit oxygen demand with the rate of aeration and the angular velocity was developed.

Energy consumption and performance of a rotating biological contactor treating high-strength wastewater

Clean water availability, energy costs and the environmental impact of energy usage are major concerns all over the world. At the same time, the Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) has emerged as a low energy-consuming technology used in wastewater treatment which compares favorably with other treatment methods. RBC is a fixed-film bioreactor employing rotating discs to provide support medium for the microbial growth and to supply dissolved oxygen. RBCs, when applied in the treatment of high strength wastewater, demand some modifications such as the addition of aeration systems or change the flow configuration. Aeration systems certainly reduce the footprint but at the cost of energy consumption. Therefore, the optimization of energy consumption in a modified RBC is a very relevant research objective. This thesis is an investigation on energy optimization in a commercial scale RBC modified with an aeration system and treating high strength synthetic wastewater. The coarse bubble diffuser was replaced by fine bubble air diffusers. To study energy consumption a mono-block main drive system and the central compressed air supply were replaced by a three phase motor with variable frequency drive and an aeration blower respectively. Removal performance and unit energy consumption were studied at various combinations of rotating speed (2.5-5 RPM) and rate of aeration (0-15 SCFM). Constant hydraulic (0.017 m³/m²-day), organic (86.1 gCOD/m²-day) and ammonia (3.444 gNH₃-N/m²-day) loadings were maintained throughout the study. The modified RBC was able to remove 34 to 96% COD and 21 to 68% ammonia depending on the aeration rate and angular velocity. The suspended growth section of the modified RBC contributed 47 to 85% and 38 to 87% of the total removal of COD and ammonia respectively. Conversion of ammonia-nitrogen to nitrate-nitrogen was observed very negligible at 0.26 to 1.59%. The angular velocity, 3.66 RPM and the rate of aeration 8.13 SCFM, were found to be the optimum parameters to achieve minimum unit energy consumption of 1.31 KWH/kg CODr. A mathematical model correlating energy consumption per unit oxygen demand with the rate of aeration and the angular velocity was developed.

Study on catalytic removal of toluene by metal oxides derived from hydrotalcite

Hydrotalcite (HT) precursor was synthesized by coprecipitation method, and the surface of HT precursor was modified. The mixed metal oxide (MO) catalyst was prepared by calcination of HT precursor, which was used to remove toluene from VOCs assisted by NTP technology. The catalytic performance of MO catalyst was investigated. The results show that the MO catalyst with good structure can be obtained after calcination of HT precursor before and after modification. The results of catalytic performance test showed that the initial concentration of toluene was 700 ppm, the gas flow rate was 600 mL/min, and the reaction time was 30 min, SIE of NTP was above 3.0 kJ/L, the toluene conversion rate reached above 90%. MO assisted NTP had better catalytic performance with lower energy consumption. The toluene treatment capacity per unit energy consumption increased from 15.3% to 20.6%, which had an increase of 34.6%.

Comminution of Copper Ores with the Use of a High-Pressure Water Jet

The article presents research on the comminution of copper ore in a self-constructed mill using high-pressure water jet energy to investigate the usefulness of such a method for comminuting copper ore. As a result, ore particles are obtained that are characterized by appropriate comminution and a significant increase in their specific surface, in turn allowing for potential further processing of the mineral. A comparative analysis of the efficiency of copper ore comminution, primarily taking into account the unit energy consumption and the efficiency of the milling process, clearly indicates that the energy absorption of hydro-jet material comminuting is lower than during mechanical grinding, e.g., in a planetary ball mill. The applicability of the technique depends on the brittle nature of the host rock, e.g., it is especially appropriate for sandstone and shale ores.