A vinhaça da cana-de-açúcar constitui-se no principal resíduo líquido gerado pelo setor sucro-alcooleiro e, face aos enormes volumes produzidos , os problemas decorrentes de seu armazenamento e disposição o final passaram a constituir nos últimos tempos num grande desafio a técnicos envolvidos com essa questão. Este estudo tem por objetivo apresentar uma alternativa de aproveitamento desse resíduo, Aquelas tradicionalmente conhecidas no meio alcooleiro, por .intermédio do tratamento e transformação da vinhaça em biogás e sua utilização na geração de eletricidade. Para tanto, adotou-se a tecnologia de digestão anaeróbia de alta eficiência através de digestores de fluxo ascendente para a produção de biogás e, uma vez purificado, o aproveitamento desse gás em motores e turbinas adequadas a esse tipo de combustíve1, conforme a literatura consultada. No sentido de avaliar a viabilidade prática deste trabalho, optou-se pela elaboração de um estudo de caso, no qual foi dimensionada uma destilaria hipotética de \'cerca de 150.000 litros de álcool/dia, gerando um volume de cerca de 1.800.000 litros de vinhaça/dia. Por meio desta simulação, foram analisados os aspéctos técnicos e econômicos envolvidos, possibilitando assim, uma apreciação crítica e realista do estudo proposto. / The vinasse of sugar-cane represents the main liquid residue produced by the sugar-alcohol sector and, in view of the enormous volumes produced, the problems related to its storage and final disposal came to pose a great challenge to the technical people involved in this matter these last few years. This study aims to present an alternative for the exploitation of this residue, to these traditionally employed in the alcohol production industry, based on the treatment and transformation of vinasse to biogas, and its subsequent utilization in eletric generation. In this context the technology of high efficiency anaerobic digestion using up-flow anaerobic digestors for biogas production was adapted. Once purified, the biogas produced can be utilized in engines and turbines specially adapted for this fuel, as evinced in the literature consulted. With a view to evaluate the pratical feasibility of this work, the elaboration of a case study was selected, in which a hypothetical distillery with a capacity of about 150.000 litres of alcohol/day, would generate a volume of about 1.800.000 litres of vinasse/day. By means of this simulation, the technical and economic aspects involved were analyzed, thus making possible a critical and realistic appreciation of the study proposed.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: John Byrne, School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy. Includes bibliographical references.

Renewable sources of energy such as wind turbine generators and solar panels have attracted much attention because they are environmentally friendly, do not consume fossil fuels, and can enhance a nation’s energy security. As a result, recently more significant amounts of renewable energy are being integrated into conventional power grids. The research reported in this dissertation primarily investigates the reliability-constrained planning and operations of electric power systems including renewable sources of energy by accounting for uncertainty. The major sources of uncertainty in these systems include equipment failures and stochastic variations in time-dependent power sources. Different energy sources have different characteristics in terms of cost, power dispatchability, and environmental impact. For instance, the intermittency of some renewable energy sources may compromise the system reliability when they are integrated into the traditional power grids. Thus, multiple issues should be considered in grid interconnection, including system cost, reliability, and pollutant emissions. Furthermore, due to the high complexity and high nonlinearity of such non-traditional power systems with multiple energy sources, computational intelligence based optimization methods are used to resolve several important and challenging problems in their operations and planning. Meanwhile, probabilistic methods are used for reliability evaluation in these reliability-constrained planning and design. The major problems studied in the dissertation include reliability evaluation of power systems with time-dependent energy sources, multi-objective design of hybrid generation systems, risk and cost tradeoff in economic dispatch with wind power penetration, optimal placement of distributed generators and protective devices in power distribution systems, and reliability-based estimation of wind power capacity credit. These case studies have demonstrated the viability and effectiveness of computational intelligence based methods in dealing with a set of important problems in this research arena.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2009. / "Spring 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-79).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX218866.

Zugl.: Berlin, Freie Univ., Diss., 2003. / With a German abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Eng. Sc.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 141).

Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes special report study entitled: An education and research centre on renewable energy. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy