The goal of this master thesis is to analyse the potential of LNG for the Central European region with the emphasis on the strategic role of LNG imports in strengthening the energy security of the region and its possible role in replacing the traditional fuels in the transport sector of the Visegrad Group countries. The increasing availability of LNG, together with the predictions of its rapidly growing global supply in the following years, offers a window of opportunity for the Central European states. Particularly when it comes to their energy security, as the growing access to LNG supplies translates into a growing competition for the existing pipeline supplies from Russia. Furthermore, the thesis also focuses on the potential of LNG as an alternative fuel in the inland waterway and heavy duty road transportation of the Visegrad Group countries and the steps that these countries take to integrate LNG fuel in their transport sector.

This thesis analyses stated preferences for 4 different types of passenger ve- hicles (conventional, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehi- cles). The discrete choice experiment survey was conducted in Poland in 2014. With the use of latent class model it was possible to identify and describe dis- tinct segments in the population with varying preferences for the propulsion technologies: groups with strong and weak preferences for conventional vehi- cles, segments preferring pure hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and a class in favour of battery electric vehicles. Even though it was found that on average consumers would require compensation up to 22,200zł (e5,311) to switch to using an electric vehicle, respective segments in the population would be willing to pay around 10,100zł (e2,417) for this change in case of pure hy- brid, around 21,400zł (e5,128) in case of plug-in hybrid, and around 92,800zł (e22,199) in case of battery electric vehicles.

My thesis is engaged in business development of company Iveco Czech Republic, s.r.o. I would like to review current situation and then work up plan how to improve this situation.

Shipping is the world’s largest mode of transportation, considering mass moved a distance: it is the most e˙effective way to carry large volumes far. In order for the shipping industry to keep its position and develop even further, efforts are made to increase efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint from the industry. More efficient ships, reduced fuel consumption, use of alternative fuels and exhaust gas treatment are some of the choices to reduce shipping’s environmental footprint and achieve the sustainability goal established by EU and enforced by the International Maritime Organization.Throughout the thesis, en evaluation of 18 energy efficiency measures and 4 alternative fuels is performed. Energy efficiency measures reduce a ship’s fuel consumption and alternative fuels substitutes fossil fuels with higher content of environmentally harmful content. The measures and fuels, covered in the study, are evaluated for nine representative container ship´s. Data from year 2016 are used for the nine container ships. The current procedure followed for new investments is analyzed for all measures and fuels for each ship, focused on the financial study of each measure and fuel. The results are then included in a risk and benefit analysis that introduces external aspects, not included in the traditional financial evaluation, that include: those that influence the ship and the ship’s environment and those affected by the ship’s operations.The main goal is to evaluate the possibilities to reduce emissions by considering these aspects and involve more stakeholders in the investment of measures and fuels for shipping to keep its position as the most efficient mode of transportation.

Desenvolveu-se um sistema de alimentação misto para motores de ignição por compressão turboalimentados, o qual utiliza diesel injetado normalmente na câmara de combustão e etanol pós-vaporizado, injetado líquido no coletor de admissão e vaporizado pela grande disponibilidade de energia contida no ar comprimido. Foram possíveis substituições de até 55% da massa de diesel por etanol; funcionamento regular e repetitivo foi verificado, resultado da admissão de álcool na forma de vapor. Constatou-se que o rendimento térmico e as emissões de gases poluentes eram bastante influenciados pelo sistema de alimentação desenvolvido: ganhos de até 25,6% no rendimento térmico foram possíveis com reduções máximas de 81% na emissão de material particulado e 80% em NOx, pela queima mais eficiente do diesel na presença do vapor de etanol. Reduções notáveis na temperatura do ar comprimido foram atingidas, possibilitando a substituição dos \"intercoolers\". A análise teórica da implantação do sistema desenvolvido, numa frota de veículos de transporte coletivo da região metropolitana de São Paulo, indicou viabilidade econômica e ambiental. / It was developed a supplementary fueling system for turbocharged compression ignition, which uses diesel injected usually in the combustion chamber and post-vaporized ethanol, that is injected in the liquid state inside the intake manifold and vaporized by the energy in the compressed air. It was possible to replace up to 55% of the diesel mass by ethanol; regular and repetitive operation was verified, result of the alcohol induction in the vapor state. It was verified that engine\'s efficiency and pollutant gases emissions were quite influenced by the fueling system developed: improvements of up to 25,6% in the efficiency were possible, with maximum reductions of 81% in particulate matter and 80% in NOx, as a result of a more efficient diesel oxidation in presence of ethanol vapor. Notable reductions in the compressed air temperature were reached, making possible the substitution of the \"intercoolers\". The theoretical analysis to implantation of the developed system, on vehicles of public transportation in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, indicated economical and environmental viability.

Desenvolveu-se um sistema de alimentação misto para motores de ignição por compressão turboalimentados, o qual utiliza diesel injetado normalmente na câmara de combustão e etanol pós-vaporizado, injetado líquido no coletor de admissão e vaporizado pela grande disponibilidade de energia contida no ar comprimido. Foram possíveis substituições de até 55% da massa de diesel por etanol; funcionamento regular e repetitivo foi verificado, resultado da admissão de álcool na forma de vapor. Constatou-se que o rendimento térmico e as emissões de gases poluentes eram bastante influenciados pelo sistema de alimentação desenvolvido: ganhos de até 25,6% no rendimento térmico foram possíveis com reduções máximas de 81% na emissão de material particulado e 80% em NOx, pela queima mais eficiente do diesel na presença do vapor de etanol. Reduções notáveis na temperatura do ar comprimido foram atingidas, possibilitando a substituição dos \"intercoolers\". A análise teórica da implantação do sistema desenvolvido, numa frota de veículos de transporte coletivo da região metropolitana de São Paulo, indicou viabilidade econômica e ambiental. / It was developed a supplementary fueling system for turbocharged compression ignition, which uses diesel injected usually in the combustion chamber and post-vaporized ethanol, that is injected in the liquid state inside the intake manifold and vaporized by the energy in the compressed air. It was possible to replace up to 55% of the diesel mass by ethanol; regular and repetitive operation was verified, result of the alcohol induction in the vapor state. It was verified that engine\'s efficiency and pollutant gases emissions were quite influenced by the fueling system developed: improvements of up to 25,6% in the efficiency were possible, with maximum reductions of 81% in particulate matter and 80% in NOx, as a result of a more efficient diesel oxidation in presence of ethanol vapor. Notable reductions in the compressed air temperature were reached, making possible the substitution of the \"intercoolers\". The theoretical analysis to implantation of the developed system, on vehicles of public transportation in the metropolitan area of São Paulo, indicated economical and environmental viability.

The purpose of this study was to determine consumers' attitudes toward and perceptions of global warming and hybrid cars and examine the car purchasing behavior in Singapore. The benefits of the study will provide marketers with insight of consumers' demand for cars in Singapore. Findings will help automakers develop more effective, consumer-oriented advertising plans for cars in Asia as Singapore consists of diverse Asian ethnic backgrounds- Chinese, Indian, and Malaysain.

Atomization of fuel is an important pre-requisite for efficient combustion in devices such as gas turbines, liquid propellant rocket engines, internal combustion engines and incinerators. The overall objective of the present work is to explore air-assisted atomization strategies for high viscosity fuels and liquids. Air-assisted atomization is a twin-fluid atomization method in which energy of the gas is used to assist the atomization of liquids. Broadly, three categories of air-assisted injection, i.e., effervescent, impinging jet and pre-filming air-blast are studied. Laser-based diagnostics are used to characterize the spray structure in terms of cone angle, penetration and drop size distribution. A backlit direct imaging method is used to study the macroscopic spray characteristics such as spray structure and spray cone angle while the microscopic characteristics are measured using the Particle/droplet imaging analysis (PDIA) technique. Effervescent atomization is a technique in which a small amount of gas is injected into the liquid at high pressure in the form of bubbles. Upon injection, the two-phase mixture expands rapidly and shatters the liquid into droplets and ligaments. Effervescent spray characteristics of viscous fuels such as Jatropha and Pongamia pure plant oils and diesel are studied. Measurements are made at various gas-to-liquid ratios (GLRs) and injection pressures. A Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of the order of 20 µm is achieved at an injection pressure of 10 bar and GLR of 0.2 with viscous fuels. An image-based method is proposed and applied to evaluate the unsteadiness in the spray. A map indicating steady/unsteady regime of operation has been generated. An optically accessible injector tip is developed which has enabled visualization of the two-phase flow structure inside the exit orifice of the atomizer. An important contribution of the present work is the correlation of the two-phase flow regime in the orifice with the external spray structure. For viscous fuels, the spray is observed to be steady only in the annular two-phase flow regime. Unexpanded gas bubbles observed in the liquid core even at an injection pressure of 10 bar indicate that the bubbly flow regime may not be beneficial for high viscosity oils. A novel method of external mixing twin-fluid atomization is developed. In this method, two identical liquid jets impinging at an angle are atomized using a gas jet. The effect of liquid viscosity (1 cP to 39 cP) and surface tension (22 mN/m to 72 mN/m) on this mode of atomization is studied by using water-glycerol and water-ethanol mixtures, respectively. An SMD of the order of 40 µm is achieved for a viscosity of 39 cP at a GLR of 0.13 at a liquid pressure of 8 bar and gas pressure of 5 bar. It is observed that the effect of liquid properties is minimal at high GLRs where the liquid jets are broken before the impingement as in the prompt atomization mode. Finally, a pre-filming air-blast technique is explored for transient spray applications. An SMD of 22 µm is obtained with diesel at liquid and gas pressures as low as 10 bar and 8.5 bar, respectively. With this technique, an SMD of 44 µm is achieved for Jatropha oil having a viscosity 10 times higher than that of diesel.

В выпускной квалификационной работе описываются основные пути реконструкции систем теплоснабжения, позволяющие добиться значительного повышения их энергоэффективности, а именно переход котельной на альтернативное топливо с целью повышения энергоэффективности, снижения экономических и экологических потерь. Целью работы является поиск и формулирование основных проблем реконструкции систем теплоснабжения, развитие технологического процесса перевода котельной на альтернативное топливо, проведение энергетического и экономического обоснования предлагаемой замены. Были изучены отечественные и зарубежные публикации по проблемам реконструкции систем теплоснабжения для повышения их энергоэффективности. Приведено обоснование необходимости перевода котельной на альтернативное и экологически чистое топливо, на основе оценки основного и вспомогательного оборудования котельной, а также экологического благополучия территории, прилегающей к котельной. Разработан технологический процесс перевода котельной на альтернативное и экологически безопасное топливо, выявлена и доказана необходимость модернизации оборудования для использования альтернативного топлива. Были определены существующие методы модернизации котла, работающего на угле для альтернативного и экологически чистого топлива. Выполнено экономическое обоснование предлагаемой замены. / This final qualifying work describes the main ways of reconstruction of heat supply systems, allowing achieving a significant increase in the energy efficiency of these systems, namely the transfer of the boiler to alternative fuel in order to improve energy efficiency, reduce economic and environmental losses. The purpose of the work is to consider and formulate the main problems of reconstruction of heat supply systems, development of the technological process of transferring the boiler house to alternative fuel, implementation of energy and economic justification of the proposed replacement. Domestic and foreign publications on the problems of reconstruction of heat supply systems in order to improve their energy efficiency were studied. The substantiation and relevance of the transfer of the boiler house to alternative and environmentally friendly fuel was discussed, for which the assessment of the main and auxiliary equipment of the boiler house, as well as the ecological well-being of the territory adjacent to the boiler house. The technological process of transfer of a boiler room to alternative and environmentally friendly fuel was developed, need of modernization of the equipment for use of pellet fuel is revealed and proved. The existing methods of modernization of the boiler unit operating on coal for alternative and environmentally friendly fuel were identified. Economic justification of the proposed replacement was done.

<p>This dissertation focused on the development of mass spectrometric methodologies, separation techniques, and engineered devices for the optimal analysis of complex mixtures relevant to the energy sector, such as alternative fuels, petroleum-based fuels, crude oils, and processed base oils. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been widely recognized as a powerful tool for the analysis of complex mixtures. In complex energy samples, such as petroleum-based fuels, alternative fuels, and oils, high-resolution MS alone may not be sufficient to elucidate chemical composition information. Separation before MS analysis is often necessary for such highly complex energy samples. For volatile samples, in-line two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC) can be used to separate complex mixtures prior to ionization. This technique allows for a more accurate determination of the compounds in a mixture, by simplifying the mixture into its components prior to ionization, separation based on mass-to-charge ratio (<i>m/z</i>), and detection. A GC×GC coupled to a high-resolution time-of-flight MS was utilized in this research to determine the chemical composition of alternative aviation fuels, a petroleum-based aviation fuel, and alternative aviation fuel candidates and blending components as well as processed base oils.</p> Additionally, as the cutting edge of science and technology evolve, methods and equipment must be updated and adapted for new samples or new sector demands. One such case, explored in this dissertation, was the validation of an updated standardized method, ASTM D2425 2019. This updated standardized method was investigated for a new instrument and new sample type for a quadrupole MS to analyze a renewable aviation fuel. Lastly, the development and evaluation of a miniaturized coreflood device for analyzing candidate chemically enhanced oil recovery (cEOR) formulations of brine, surfactant(s), and polymer(s) was conducted. The miniaturized device was used in the evaluation of two different cEOR formulations to determine if the components of the recovered oil changed.