A questão energética é um dos principais desafios do século XXI. Por outro lado, os aspectos geopolíticos e ambientais, são fontes de preocupação para o modelo econômico atual. O Brasil é um país que apresenta vantagens em relação ao mundo em termos de utilização de fontes renováveis de energia. Desde 2007 os produtos da cana-de-açúcar assumiram o primeiro lugar na oferta de energia renovável. A análise de energia é necessária para o gerenciamento de recursos naturais limitados, para abastecer, com as mais diversas alternativas de biomassa, uma população mundial em constante crescimento. Essa análise identifica as práticas de produção e quantifica sua eficiência sob o ponto de vista energético, determinando a energia incorporada nas etapas do processo de produção. Estudos de energia incorporada em máquinas agrícolas são escassos. A participação do setor sucroalcooleiro na matriz energética do Brasil, fornecendo energia renovável a partir da biomassa tem aumentado. Devido à energia consumida no processo, ser produzida a partir dos seus próprios resíduos, avaliar as formas pelas quais a energia é demandada é vital para se determinar a viabilidade energética dessa fonte. Esse estudo visa determinar a energia incorporada em colhedora autopropelida de cana-de-açúcar. Foram avaliadas duas colhedoras, denominadas Máquina 1 equipada com rodas e pneus e Máquina 2 equipada com esteiras metálicas, fabricadas por uma companhia localizada na região de Piracicaba, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Para cada colhedora foi contabilizado o consumo dos insumos (diretos e indiretos) utilizados na fase de montagem, bem como, o consumo dos insumos utilizados na fase de manutenção e reparo. Os dados de consumo dos insumos foram processados apresentando os fluxos de materiais utilizados, os quais foram multiplicados pelo seu índice de energia incorporada, resultando na energia incorporada nos insumos. Os resultados demonstram que a Máquina 2 apresentou maior energia incorporada (204,3 MJ kg-1) do que a Máquina 1 (202,6 MJ kg-1) durante o ciclo de vida útil, isso foi influenciado diretamente pelo rodante utilizado pela máquina 2. A energia incorporada na mão-de-obra requerida para desempenhar a atividade de montagem foi baixa comparada com as outras categorias de energia. O aço carbono foi o insumo que obteve a maior representatividade de consumo. A energia incorporada indiretamente nos insumos foi baixa comparada com as verificadas nos demais insumos. Em termos de consumo de energia incorporada, a Máquina 1 é melhor que a Máquina 2, porém esta última propicia menores danos ao canavial, fato esse que pode compensar sua maior demanda energética ao longo de seu ciclo de vida. / The energy subject is one of the main challenges of 21st century. The geopolitical and environment aspects, they are concern sources to the current economic model. Brazil presents advantages in comparison to the world due to the use of renewable energy. Since 2007, products from the sugarcane have assumed the first place as a renewable source in the Brazilian energy matrix. Energy analysis is necessary in order to monitor of scarce natural resources, to supply, with the most several biomass alternatives, a world population in constant growth. This analysis identifies the production practices and quantifies their efficiency in the energy point of view, determining the embodied energy in the steps of the production process. Studies of embodied energy in agricultural machinery are rare. The participation of the sugarcane sector in the Brazilian energetic matrix has increased. Due to the energy consumed in their processes it is interesting to quantify these input flows in order to monitor the energy feasibility of this source. This study aimed to determine the embodied energy in the self-propelled sugarcane harvester. Two models were evaluated, so called: Machine 1 equipped with wheels and tires; and Machine 2 equipped with metallic tracks, manufactured by a company located at Piracicaba region, State of São Paulo, Brazil. For every harvester, the consumption of the input (direct and indirect) used in the assembly phase, was accounted, and also the consumption of the input used in the maintenance and repair phase. The consumption data of the inputs were processed presenting the materials flows used, which they were multiplied by their embodied energy indices, resulting in the embodied energy required by the production system. The results show that Machine 2 presented higher embodied energy (204.3 MJ kg-1) than the Machine 1 (202.6 MJ kg-1) during their life cycle and this was influenced directly by the rolling used by the Machine 2. The embodied energy by demanded by labor in the assembly activity was low compared with the other categories of energy. The steel carbon represented the input with the highest consumption. The incorporated energy indirectly in the input was low compared with the verified on the other inputs. In terms of embodied energy consumption, Machine 1 is better than Machine 2, although the latter may cause less damage to the sugarcane rattons which can compensate the higher energy demand in its life cycle.

Achieving the reductions in carbon dioxide emissions which are necessary will require improvements in the way in which domestic space heating is supplied. Air Source Heat Pumps and micro-Combined Heat and Power units both have the potential to reduce emissions while using primary energy resources more efficiently. The performance which these technologies can achieve is fundamental to fulfilling this potential and yet it is still subject to some uncertainty. This thesis analyses the performance of Air Source Heat Pumps and micro-Combined Heat and Power units in terms of their energy and exergy requirements and in terms of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with their operation. A review of the literature identified that it was appropriate to develop a novel modelling approach. Models of many components currently exist and these are adopted and extended wherever possible within this modelling approach. However, it is the unique way in which this research combines these models and adds additional components which delivers performance data relating to a wider range of conditions at a greater level of detail than that which was previously available. The model which was developed can dynamically simulate the heating and power demands in many dwellings simultaneously, facilitating meaningful study of effects which are dependent upon the sum of their power flows. Consideration of the effect of operating conditions includes permutations of climate, control systems (including those which engage with demand side management), grid generation mixes and building properties. Efficient Air Source Heat Pumps units have the potential to make energy and carbon emissions savings at present but their performance is sensitive to the conditions studied. In particular, appropriate control of the units can yield energy savings of around 25%. Additionally, the carbon emissions intensity of the grid is an important consideration which is explored in depth. Currently, energy requirements and carbon emissions can be reduced by the use of micro-Combined Heat and Power units. Their potential to further reduce carbon emissions diminishes if the grid is predominantly decarbonised but units with high electrical efficiencies can still save energy. The effect of the control approach which is adopted is also significant and has different effects on fuel-cell based units compared to combustion-based units. The key contribution of this work is the analysis of performance data for a selection of units operating under a range of conditions, calculated with a consistent, accurate methodology. Comparison is made between the technologies and between the effects of different operating conditions. A second significant contribution of this work is the development of the model which was used to generate the performance results. These advances allow more detailed comparative analysis of performance data in a wider range of conditions than previously possible.

A questão energética é um dos principais desafios do século XXI. Por outro lado, os aspectos geopolíticos e ambientais, são fontes de preocupação para o modelo econômico atual. O Brasil é um país que apresenta vantagens em relação ao mundo em termos de utilização de fontes renováveis de energia. Desde 2007 os produtos da cana-de-açúcar assumiram o primeiro lugar na oferta de energia renovável. A análise de energia é necessária para o gerenciamento de recursos naturais limitados, para abastecer, com as mais diversas alternativas de biomassa, uma população mundial em constante crescimento. Essa análise identifica as práticas de produção e quantifica sua eficiência sob o ponto de vista energético, determinando a energia incorporada nas etapas do processo de produção. Estudos de energia incorporada em máquinas agrícolas são escassos. A participação do setor sucroalcooleiro na matriz energética do Brasil, fornecendo energia renovável a partir da biomassa tem aumentado. Devido à energia consumida no processo, ser produzida a partir dos seus próprios resíduos, avaliar as formas pelas quais a energia é demandada é vital para se determinar a viabilidade energética dessa fonte. Esse estudo visa determinar a energia incorporada em colhedora autopropelida de cana-de-açúcar. Foram avaliadas duas colhedoras, denominadas Máquina 1 equipada com rodas e pneus e Máquina 2 equipada com esteiras metálicas, fabricadas por uma companhia localizada na região de Piracicaba, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. Para cada colhedora foi contabilizado o consumo dos insumos (diretos e indiretos) utilizados na fase de montagem, bem como, o consumo dos insumos utilizados na fase de manutenção e reparo. Os dados de consumo dos insumos foram processados apresentando os fluxos de materiais utilizados, os quais foram multiplicados pelo seu índice de energia incorporada, resultando na energia incorporada nos insumos. Os resultados demonstram que a Máquina 2 apresentou maior energia incorporada (204,3 MJ kg-1) do que a Máquina 1 (202,6 MJ kg-1) durante o ciclo de vida útil, isso foi influenciado diretamente pelo rodante utilizado pela máquina 2. A energia incorporada na mão-de-obra requerida para desempenhar a atividade de montagem foi baixa comparada com as outras categorias de energia. O aço carbono foi o insumo que obteve a maior representatividade de consumo. A energia incorporada indiretamente nos insumos foi baixa comparada com as verificadas nos demais insumos. Em termos de consumo de energia incorporada, a Máquina 1 é melhor que a Máquina 2, porém esta última propicia menores danos ao canavial, fato esse que pode compensar sua maior demanda energética ao longo de seu ciclo de vida. / The energy subject is one of the main challenges of 21st century. The geopolitical and environment aspects, they are concern sources to the current economic model. Brazil presents advantages in comparison to the world due to the use of renewable energy. Since 2007, products from the sugarcane have assumed the first place as a renewable source in the Brazilian energy matrix. Energy analysis is necessary in order to monitor of scarce natural resources, to supply, with the most several biomass alternatives, a world population in constant growth. This analysis identifies the production practices and quantifies their efficiency in the energy point of view, determining the embodied energy in the steps of the production process. Studies of embodied energy in agricultural machinery are rare. The participation of the sugarcane sector in the Brazilian energetic matrix has increased. Due to the energy consumed in their processes it is interesting to quantify these input flows in order to monitor the energy feasibility of this source. This study aimed to determine the embodied energy in the self-propelled sugarcane harvester. Two models were evaluated, so called: Machine 1 equipped with wheels and tires; and Machine 2 equipped with metallic tracks, manufactured by a company located at Piracicaba region, State of São Paulo, Brazil. For every harvester, the consumption of the input (direct and indirect) used in the assembly phase, was accounted, and also the consumption of the input used in the maintenance and repair phase. The consumption data of the inputs were processed presenting the materials flows used, which they were multiplied by their embodied energy indices, resulting in the embodied energy required by the production system. The results show that Machine 2 presented higher embodied energy (204.3 MJ kg-1) than the Machine 1 (202.6 MJ kg-1) during their life cycle and this was influenced directly by the rolling used by the Machine 2. The embodied energy by demanded by labor in the assembly activity was low compared with the other categories of energy. The steel carbon represented the input with the highest consumption. The incorporated energy indirectly in the input was low compared with the verified on the other inputs. In terms of embodied energy consumption, Machine 1 is better than Machine 2, although the latter may cause less damage to the sugarcane rattons which can compensate the higher energy demand in its life cycle.

The shea tree is indigenous to 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and provides nuts from which oil (referred to as butter) can be extracted. Shea butter production in the Northern Region of Ghana is of socioeconomic importance to female processors who practice shea production. This study quantified the environmental effects of shea processing from carbon dioxide emissions and the human energy expended through the traditional, improved, and centralized methods of shea processing. Par-boiling accounted for up to 88% of total carbon dioxide emissions throughout the entire shea butter production process. A difference of 2.5(CO2 (kg))/(Shea butter (kg)) emitted observed between the traditional and centralized processing methods. The moisture content of 16 firewood samples collected at the centralized processing center found wood moisture to range between 9-34%. The largest amounts of human energy expended during traditional and improved processes take place during the nut collection process followed by manual crushing (40% and 20% of total energy expended during the traditional method, respectively). Women in the study area were found to travel an average of 10 km to pay for a corn mill to process their shea kernels into a paste, producers also expressed interest in mechanized crushing machines during household surveys. User perceptions of the improved roasting equipment were found to be positive, as well as adoption of the new technology was observed by all shea producers surveyed in the village of Tigla. The entirety of individual producers surveyed without access to improved roasters expressed interest in obtaining and utilizing improved roasters to improve the traditional method currently practiced. The profit observed from shea kernel processing and sales was found to be higher than women practicing traditional shea butter processing and sales due to time, energy, and inputs required by completing the entire process. Butter producers at centralized processing centers have the opportunity to make up to 33% higher profits while utilizing less energy (54% reduction) by purchasing directly from kernel producers and implementing improved technologies in a centralized setting. The potential of shea production in northern Ghana has yet to be reached. Through adoption of improved technologies, women have the opportunity to save time and human energy, reduce material inputs such as firewood, and in turn are able produce an even greater amount of marketable shea products.

<p>Desiccant cooling is a technology that, based on a open psychrometric cycle, is able to provide cooling using heat as the main energy carrier. This technology uses a considerably smaller amount of electricity than refrigerators based on the vapor-compression cycle, which is an electricity driven cycle. Electricity is often more expensive than other types of energy and has CO₂ emissions associated with its generation , so desiccant cooling has the potential of achieving both economic and environmental benefits.</p><p>In addition to this, the heat the desiccant cooling cycle needs to work can be supplied at relative low temperatures, so it can use heat coming from the district heating grid, from a solar collector or even waste heat coming from industries.</p><p>The system which will be studied in this report is a desiccant cooling system based on the model designed by the company Munters AB. The systems relies on several components: a desiccant rotor, a rotary heat exchanger two evaporative humidifiers and two heating coils. It is a flexible system that is able to provide cooling in summer and heat during winter.</p><p>This study performs a deep economic and environmental analysis of the desiccant cooling systems, comparing it with traditional vapor compression based systems:</p><p>In order to achieve this objective a user-friendly software was created, called the DCSS – Desiccant Cooling Simulation Software – that simulates the operation of the system during a year and performs automatically all the necessary calculations.</p><p>This study demonstrates that economic savings up to 54% percent can be achieved in the running costs of desiccant cooling systems when compared to traditional compressor cooling systems, and  reductions up to39% in the CO₂ emissions. It also demonstrates that desiccant cooling is more appropriate in dry climate zones with low latent heat generation gains.</p><p>In addition to that, the DSCC software created will help further studies about the physical, economic and environmental feasibility of installing desiccant cooling systems in different locations.</p>

The aim of this study is to develop a sound transmission model that can be used to predict the vibration and noise levels of a submerged vessel. The noise transmitted from the mechanical vibrations of the hull of a submarine and the turbulent boundary layer excitation on the submarine are investigated. A simplified physical model of the submarine hull including the effects of bulkheads, end enclosures, ring stiffeners and fluid loading due to the interaction of the surrounding medium is presented in the study. An energy approach, i.e., Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) is used for the analysis because the characterization of the hull of the structure can be done by a very large number of modes over the frequency range of interest and the deterministic analysis methods such as finite element and boundary element methods are limited to low frequency problems. The application consists of the determination of SEA subsystems and the parameters and the utilization of power balance equations to estimate the energy ratio levels of each subsystem to the directly excited subsystem. Through the implementation of SEA method, the sound pressure levels of the hull of the structure are obtained. In terms of military purposes, the sound levels of the submarine compartments are vital in the aspects of the preserving of submarine stealth.

Installed photovoltaic nameplate power have been growing rapidly around the worldin the last few years. But how much energy is returned to society (i.e. net energy) by this technology, and which factors contribute the most to the amount of energy returned? The objective of this thesis was to examine the importance of certain inputs and outputs along the solar panel production chain and their effect on the energy return on (energy) investment (EROI) for crystalline wafer-based photovoltaics. A process-chain model was built using publicly available life-cycle inventory (LCI) datasets. This model has been kept simple in order to ensure transparency. Univariate sensitivity analysis for processes and multivariate case studies was then applied to the model. The results show that photovoltaic EROI values are very sensitive to assumptions regarding location and efficiency. The ability of solar panels to deliver net energy in northern regions of the earth is questionable. Solar cell wafer thickness have a large impact on EROI, with thinner wafers requiring less silicon material. Finding an alternative route for production of solar-grade silicon is also found to be of great importance, as is introduction of kerf loss recycling. Equal system sizes have been found to yield an primary EROI between approximately 5.5-19 depending on location and assumptions. This indicates that a generalized absolute EROI for photovoltaics may be of little use for decision-makers. Using the net energy cliff concept in relation to primary EROI found in this thesis shows that primary EROI rarely decreases to less than the threshold of 8:1 in univariate cases. Crystalline photovoltaics under similar system boundaries as those in the thesis model does not necessarily constrain economic growth on an energetic basis.

La méthode SEA (Statistical Energy Analysis) permet de prévoir les échanges d'énergie entre sous-systèmes d'une structure lorsque celle-ci est soumise à une excitation. La SEA est théoriquement très simple à mettre en place et permet de faire des variations paramétriques sur un modèle de la structure en phase de conception. Cette méthode est utilisée de manière pertinente dans le domaine du bâtiment mais peine à s'implanter dans le secteur des transports où les systèmes étudiés sont beaucoup plus complexes. Plusieurs difficultés apparaissent dans ces cas de figure et empêchent une modélisation correcte de la structure. La première difficulté vient de la nécessité de découper la structure en sous-systèmes respectant les hypothèses de la SEA. Ce découplage, presque trivial dans le bâtiment, devient particulièrement complexe dans le cas d'une caisse de voiture par exemple. L'estimation des puissances injectées par les sources dans la structure est une deuxième difficulté. En effet, les énergies des sous-systèmes sont directement proportionnelles à la puissance injectée. Ainsi, une mauvaise estimation de la puissance entraîne une erreur sur les échanges d'énergies. Le but de ce travail de thèse est double. Dans la première partie, une modèle de puissance injectée dans une plaque rectangulaire soumise à une couche limite turbulente (CLT) établie. Ce modèle simple permet de souligner l'influence des différents paramètres agissant sur la puissance injectée et d'estimer avec le temps de calcul très faible la puissance injectée par bande de fréquence. Une validation expérimentale est aussi exposée. Dans la deuxième partie, une méthode de sous-structuration automatique d'une structure en sous-systèmes SEA est proposée. Elle est basée sur l'analyse et la classification de fonctions de transfert énergétiques simulées par éléments finis. Un algorithme de classification permet de diviser la base de données en N sous-systèmes (N allant de 2 à Nmax). Un indice, validé sur des assemblages simples, indique la sous-structuration optimale pour une application SEA. Des applications industrielles, démontrant l'applicabilité de la méthode à des structures complexes, seront présentées.

Multilayered structures have many application in industry and society: they have peculiar properties and serve a variety of purposes, like structural support, thermal insulation, vibrational and acoustic isolation. This thesis concerns the prediction of sound transmission in multilayered structures. Two problems are herein investigated: the transmission of energy through structures and the transmission of energy along structures. The focus of the analysis is on the mid to high frequency range. To predict sound transmission in these structures, statistical energy analysis (SEA) is used.SEA models are devised for the prediction of the sound reduction index for two kinds of multilayered structures, double-walls used in buildings and trim-panels in vehicles; the double-walls comprise an air cavity in between flat plasterboard or glass plates, whereas the trim-panels a porous layer in between curved aluminium and rubber layers. The SEA models are based upon the wave-types carrying energy. The novelty in these SEAs is an element describing the waves in the air cavity, or in the porous layer, fully coupled to the mass-impeded external layers. Compared to measurements, the proposed SEA performs well: for double-walls, it performs better than previous models; for trim-panels, it is an original result. The parameters of the new SEA element, such as modal density, are derived from the coupling equations describing the fully coupled waves. For double-walls, these equations are derived via Newton's laws. For trim-panels, a variational approach based upon a modified Hamilton's principle valid for non-conservative systems is preferred, because it is a powerful machinery for deriving equations of motion and coupling conditions of a medium as complex as the porous layer. The modified Hamilton's principle for non-conservative systems is based upon a self-adjoint functional analogous to the Lagrangian, inspired by Morse and Feshbach's construction. A self-adjoint variational principle for Biot's equations in the displacement formulation is devised. An equivalent mixed formulation is obtained changing the coordinates of the displacement formulation via Lagrange multipliers. From this mixed formulation, the Lagrangian for a porous material with a limp frame is derived, which yields the continuity of the total displacement of the porous layer. Lagrange multipliers help to obtain the correct coupling functionals between a porous material and a solid. The Lagrange multipliers introducing the continuity of the frame and the solid displacements equal the traction of the in-vacuo frame, thus disappearing if the latter is limp. Measurements to gather material parameters for a Biot model of the porous layer have been conducted.The effects of spatial energy decay in the transmission along structures predicted by SEA is studied: a major effect is the increased relevance of indirect coupling loss factors between SEA elements. This may jeopardize the usefulness of SEA at higher frequencies. / <p>QC 20130218</p>

This Thesis is focused on the study of the problem of condensation on the inner surface of Fullrigaren building’s large single pane window. This has serious consequences as water on the floor, corrosion or mould growth. As the climate in Nordic countries is cold for several months a year, windows are a crucial part in building envelopes. Condensation on a window may be suitably discussed only with respect to the climate considered as cold, moderate and warm climates pose different requirements on the windows, and this is why a characterization of Gävle by its climate is necessary. This Thesis will include the energy analysis of the staircase considered which is required to understand the source of the actual problem. Both heat and moisture transfer will be studied. In this purpose, an IDA model will be built to simulate the conditions throughout the year and hand-made calculations will be done for the average and most critical situations. The results show that condensation will already occur for the monthlyaverage conditions having as an additional problem that if temperature drops below zero it will freeze. Results will also be compared to an initial installation of a 2 pane window reaching as a conclusion that its original installation would had avoided the problems for most of the time. The Thesis will end with several proposals posed to solve the problem by either increasing the temperature or reducing the moisture content of the ambient air, and the selection of the best one. The final aim of the Thesis is to achieve an energy efficient window which should provide good lighting during the day and good thermal comfort both during day and night at minimum demand of paid energy. And for this, the selection of the electrically heated window is proposed.