Diversos equipamentos industriais utilizam processos de combustão com sprays. As principais vantagens deste processo estão relacionadas ao aumento do controle da chama e à maior segurança na logística do combustível líquido. Atualmente, o interesse na utilização de bio-combustíveis como alternativa para a redução na emissão de dióxido de carbono é crescente. Entre os tipos de bio-combustíveis o etanol se destaca por ser utilizado em vários países misturado à gasolina no setor de transportes. Partindo deste panorama, o presente trabalho apresenta a modelagem e simulação de uma chama turbulenta de spray de etanol. Os resultados das simulações realizadas são comparados com dados experimentais da literatura. O modelo resultante baseia-se no método dos volumes finitos para escoamentos com baixo número de Mach e em regime permanente. O spray foi calculado com a aproximação de escoamentos separados com uma formulação Euler-Lagrange, em que a fase dispersante é modelada com a abordagem Euleriana, enquanto que a fase dispersa é modelada com a abordagem Lagrangeana. As duas fases foram completamente acopladas nos dois sentidos. O modelo de turbulência k- Padrão foi utilizado na fase dispersante. A evaporação de gotículas foi considerada, em que o modelo de condutividade infinita foi utilizado para a fase líquida. Dessa forma, a distribuição de temperaturas no interior da gotícula é uniforme, porém varia conforme ela se move no spray. Para reproduzir os efeitos do resfriamento evaporativo, a combustão foi modelada com um modelo de folha de chama modificado que considerou uma função joint -PDF de fração de mistura e entalpia. Transferências de calor por radiação foram negligenciadas neste trabalho. Aproximações razoáveis foram obtidas entre os perfis medidos e calculados de temperatura média da fase gasosa e de distribuições de tamanhos de gotículas. Algumas discrepâncias foram observadas nas comparações entre os perfis do componente axial de velocidade média da fase gasosa, que foram atribuídas à difusão superestimada das quantidades médias transportadas pela fase gasosa nas simulações. / Several industrial equipments use combustion processes with sprays. The main advantages of this process are related to the increase in the flame control and in the safety of liquid fuel logistics. Currently, the interest on the utilization of biofuels as an alternative to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is increasing. Among the types of biofuels the ethanol stands out by being used blended with gasoline in the transport sector of several countries. From this overview, this work presents the modeling and simulation of an ethanol turbulent spray flame. The results of the simulations were compared with experimental data from the literature. The resulting model was based on the finite volume method for low Mach number and steady state flows. The spray was calculated using the Separated Flow method (SF) with an Euler-Lagrange model, where the gaseous phase was described by an Eulerian model and the liquid phase by a Lagrangian particle method. Both phases were fully coupled in order to account for shared effects. The turbulence model k- Standard was used to determine the dispersant phase. Evaporation of droplets was calculated with the assumption of the infinite-liquid-conductivity model, where the droplet inner temperature is uniform, but varies with the mass and heat transfer within the dispersant phase. To reproduce the effects of the evaporative cooling the combustion was modeled with a modified flamesheet model which regarded a jointed mixture fraction-enthalpy -PDF. Radiactive heat transfer was not accounted for in this work. Reasonable agreement between measured and computed mean profiles of temperature of the gas phase and droplet size distributions was achieved. Some deviations were observed in the mean velocity profiles comparisons between experimental data and simulations, which were assigned to the over predicted diffusion of the mean quantities transported by the gas phase.

Concerns over environmental impacts and long term availability of liquid fossil fuels means that sourcing alternative, renewable transport fuels has increased in importance. To date, implemented approaches have concentrated on the production of liquid biofuels biodiesel and bioethanol from crops. Even though technology for implementation is readily available in the form of biogas production and upgrading, gaseous fuels have been largely overlooked in the UK. Research completed showed that if produced from indigenous crops using currently viable technology, it is energetically more favourable to produce gaseous fuels rather than biodiesel or bioethanol with gaseous fuels also delivering some emission benefits at end use. To date, the subsidy system supporting biofuel production has not functioned well. Research showed that if the subsidies approached the maximum allowable value, and when produced from waste materials, the production of gaseous fuels can be economic compared to liquid biofuels. Life cycle assessment has showed that utilising biomethane as a vehicle fuel could be an environmentally appropriate approach if the conventional use for biogas of combusting in a combined heat and power plant cannot utilise the majority of the excess heat produced. A two stage process to produce a hydrogen / methane blend was shown to be energetically favourable when utilising wheat feed, although hydrogen production was low. The process was not energetically favourable when food waste was utilised, indicating the importance of optimising process according to feedstock characteristics. Life cycle assessment of electrolytic hydrogen production using a range of energy sources found that electrolysis driven by renewable energy was a valid option for future deployment. However, given current feedstock availability, indigenous biofuel production, regardless of the fuel produced, could only make minor contributions to overall fuel requirements. As such, a range of fuel vectors, or a significantly greater commitment of land resources to fuel production, will be required in the future.

Este trabalho verifica a lubricidade de misturas de álcool anidro em óleo diesel por meio do método de ensaio HFRR (High Frequency Reciprocating Rig), utilizado para predizer o desgaste que o sistema de injeção de um veículo movido a óleo diesel pode sofrer em razão da capacidade lubrificante do combustível. A adição de álcool anidro ao óleo diesel veicular vem ao encontro das necessidades atuais de substituição completa ou parcial do uso de combustíveis de origem fóssil pelos provenientes da biomassa e, como em todas as pesquisas com combustíveis, deve-se haver um amplo trabalho em laboratório para verificação e validação dos combustíveis ou misturas formulados antes que estes sejam comercializados ou utilizados em grande quantidade, sendo que a lubricidade do combustível é um destes importantes parâmetros a serem avaliados. Durante a execução dos primeiros ensaios de lubricidade com as misturas de álcool anidro em óleo diesel notou-se incoerência nos resultados de desgaste obtidos em relação àqueles que inicialmente esperava-se em função da composição dos combustíveis constituintes da mistura. Foram, então, realizados estudos do mecanismo de desgaste, do comportamento do combustível e do método de ensaio, sendo que uma modificação no equipamento e no procedimento de teste foi proposta, executada e validada para que, assim, fosse possível realizar os ensaios de lubricidade com as misturas dos combustíveis citados obtendo-se resultados confiáveis. / A study in the lubricity behavior of blends of anhydrous ethanol in diesel fuel was carried on using the High Frequency Reciprocating Rig method, which is usually employed for predicting the wear that the fuel injection system of a diesel powered vehicle is subjected due to the degree of lubrication provided by the fuel. The addition of anhydrous ethanol to vehicular diesel fuel meets the present needs for the complete or partial replacement of the use of mineral origin fuels by fuels originating from biomass and, as occurs in all energetic researches, there must be a wide verification and validation work inside the laboratories prior to the introduction of these fuels or mixtures in the market. The lubricity of the resulting mixture is one of these important parameters. During the initial batch of lubricity tests performed with the mixtures of anhydrous ethanol in diesel fuel it was noticed a contradictory behavior in the results of wear for this fuel when comparing to the results that were expected based on the lubricity of the constituents of the mixture tested individually. Due to this fact studies of the fuel composition, wear mechanism and test method were carried out and modifications in the test apparatus and test procedure were proposed, executed and validated, making possible to run the lubricity tests with the ethanol-diesel mixtures and obtain reliable results.

FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / A busca de novas alternativas de energia renovÃvel à de grande relevÃncia, pois a problemÃtica do aquecimento global tem causado consequÃncias adversas para a populaÃÃo. Fontes advindas dos Ãleos vegetais para a produÃÃo do biodiesel tÃm sido adotadas no Brasil e constituem uma boa opÃÃo para que os produtores rurais possam se inserir na cadeia produtiva dos biocombustÃveis. No contexto do semiÃrido nordestino, a mamona tem sido usada, pois à uma cultura adequada Ãs condiÃÃes de semiaridez. A partir desta compreensÃo, este trabalho teve o objetivo geral de analisar e comparar os aspectos econÃmicos, sociais e ambientais dos grupos de produtores e nÃo produtores de mamona nos assentamentos Recreio e Nova Canaà e, os objetivos especÃficos foram: (i) analisar os indicadores de qualidade de vida, capital social, ambiental, econÃmico e de sustentabilidade entre os nÃo produtores e produtores de mamona, (ii) mensurar os custos e renda da produÃÃo dos produtores de mamona com o plantio e venda no ano de 2009 e (iii) avaliar a situaÃÃo ambiental atravÃs da anÃlise da variaÃÃo dos atributos quÃmicos do solo em funÃÃo dos plantios . A metodologia se baseou em trÃs aspectos visando abranger uma interdisciplinaridade. Primeiramente adotou-se o mÃtodo estatÃstico usando uma amostragem nos dois assentamentos em estudo e a partir dessas amostras foram calculados os Ãndices de qualidade de vida, capital social, ambiental, econÃmico e a partir destes o Ãndice de sustentabilidade. No segundo aspecto foi calculada a renda dos agricultores atravÃs do calculo dos custos, receita e lucro com o plantio da mamona tomando como base o ano de 2009. No terceiro aspecto, o solo foi avaliado nas Ãreas cultivadas e nas Ãreas preservadas coletando-se amostras compostas e realizando-se anÃlises fÃsicas e quÃmicas do material em laboratÃrio. Entre os resultados verificados concluiu-se que nÃo houve diferenÃa significativa entre os grupos de produtores e nÃo produtores de mamona em relaÃÃo aos Ãndices de capital social e ambiental, porÃm houve diferenÃa nos Ãndices de qualidade de vida, econÃmico e de sustentabilidade. NÃo se comprovou incremento de renda entre os produtores de mamona. No aspecto pedolÃgico foi comprovado que as Ãreas preservadas se mostraram com teores mais elevados de matÃria orgÃnica e de nutrientes, representando indÃcios de degradaÃÃo na Ãrea cultivada. / The search for new alternatives of renewable energy is of great importance, since the issue of global warming has caused adverse consequences for the population. Resulting sources of vegetable oils for biodiesel production have been adopted in Brazil and are a good option so that farmers may be inserted in the production chain of biofuels. Within the semiarid Northeast, castor bean has been used because it is an appropriate culture semiarid condition. From this understanding, this work was the general purpose of analyzing and comparing the economic, social and environmental groups of producers rather than producers of castor in the settlements Recreio and Nova CanaÃ, and the specific objectives were: (i) review the indicators quality of life, social equity, environmental and economic sustainability among non-producers and producers of castor, (ii) measure the costs of production and income of producers of castor oil with the planting and sale in 2009 and (iii) assess the environmental situation by analyzing the variation of soil chemical properties depending on the plantations. The methodology was based on three aspects in order to cover an interdisciplinary approach. First, we adopted the method using statistical sampling in a study in two settlements and from these samples were calculated for quality of life, social equity, environmental, economic and from these sustainability index. The second aspect was calculated farmers' income through the calculation of costs, revenue and profit with the planting of castor beans using as a base year of 2009. In the third aspect, the soil was evaluated in cultivated areas and preserved areas by collecting composite samples and performing chemical and physical analysis of the material in the laboratory. Among the results obtained it was concluded that there was no significant difference between groups of producers rather than producers of castor oil o growth of capital and environmental, but there was difference in the indices of quality of life and economic sustainability. No consistent increase in income between the producers of castor oil. In pedological point was proven that the preserved areas are shown with a higher content of organic matter and nutrients, suggesting a degradation in the cultivated area

Orientador: Maria Aparecida Anselmo Tarsitano / Banca: Silvia Maria Almeida L. Costa / Banca: Neli Cristina Belmiro dos Santos / Resumo: A busca por sistemas sustentáveis somada à gradual redução das reservas de petróleo, alternativas produtivas vêm sendo estudadas, visando obter sistemas economicamente viáveis, socialmente justos, ecologicamente adequados e energicamente equilibrados. Uma destas alternativas é o biodiesel, sendo que, o pinhão manso, dentre as culturas energéticas apontadas com grande potencial produtivo de óleo para fins combustíveis, é que apresenta cenário mais positivo. O Pinhão Manso tem despertado muito interesse a nível internacional e no Brasil por seu alto conteúdo de óleo (38 a 48% na semente) e baixo custo de produção, entretanto existe ainda falta de informação tecnológica, tanto agronômica como genética. Esta falta de informação limita o aumento de competitividade. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo central realizar uma análise econômica e de investimentosna cultura do Pinhão Manso, na região de Selvíria - MS. Os dados foram levantados a partir dos experimentos de campo, de entrevistas com técnicos e da literatura. Para o cálculo dos custos foi utilizada a estrutura do custo operacional total e estimados indicadores de lucratividade. Para análise de investimentos foram estimados o valor presente líquido, a taxa interna de retorno e o valor anual equivalente. Os resultados mostram que produtor recupera o capital investido no 9o ano de produção. Muito embora a relação B/C tenha sido de 1,3, o que pode considerar que, no horizonte de 15 anos, a atividade é rentável ao produtor, pode-se dizer que a atividade não é uma boa opção de investimento já que a TIR foi de 14,03%, valor esse pouco atrativo. O VAE total foi de 360,93, por se tratar de um valor maior que zero, afirma-se que a alternativa é economicamente viável. Apesar dos avanços no cultivo do pinhão manso ainda demandam muitas pesquisas, relacionadas não apenas a questões técnica como adubação e manejo fitossanitário, mas também... / Abstract: The search for sustainable systems coupled with the gradual reduction of oil reserves, alternatives production are being studied in order to obtain systems economically viable, socially just, ecologically appropriate and energetically balanced. One of these alternatives is biodiesel, and, Jatropha, among energy crops with great potential productive oil for fuel, is presenting more positive scenario. The Jatropha has attracted much interest internationally and in Brazil for its high oil content (38 to 48% in the seed) and low production cost, however there is still a lack of technological information, both genetic and agronomic. This lack of information limits the increase of competitiveness. The present study aims to conduct an economic and investment analysis of Jatropha in the region of Selvíria - MS. The data were collected from the field experiments, interviews with experts and literature. To calculate the costs was used the structure of total operating cost and estimated profitability indicators. For investment analysis were estimated net present value, internal rate of return and the annual value equivalent. The results show that producer retrieves the capital invested in the 9th year of production. Although the ratio B / C was of 1.3, which may consider that in the 15-year horizon, the activity is profitable to the producer, it can be said that the activity is not a good investment option since the IRR was of 14.03%, a value unattractive. The total EAV was 360.93, because it is a positive value it is stated that the alternative is economically viable. Despite advances in the cultivation of Jatropha still require much research, not only related to technical issues such as fertilization and pest management, but also socioeconomic / Mestre

Ammonia is an important compound to many industries around the world. Most of the fertilizers used by crop growers have ammonia as an essential ingredient. It can also be useful as a fuel source, offering greater energy density per unit than hydrogen and greater safety. Currently, the predominant method for producing ammonia on an industrial scale is by the Haber-Bosch process. This process uses steam evolution of methane to provide H2 gas, which is then combined with N2 gas over an iron catalyst to form NH3. This process requires large amounts of energy as well as high temperatures and pressures. Here, an alternative method for ammonia production is explored. With Anabaena Variabilis, a photosynthetic cyanobacteria, on a carbon electrode, ammonia can be generated at ambient temperatures and pressures at little energy cost, a few tenths of a volt. A bioelectrocatalytic device has been constructed by immobilizing whole cell a. variabilis in a Nafion film modified with a trimethyl octadecyl ammonium bromide (TMODA) salt at an electrode surface [3]. The polymer modified electrode provides the driving force and reductive microenvironment to facilitate production of NH3 by nitrogenase and nitrate/nitrite reductase enzymes present in a. variabilis. Ammonia production by cyanobacteria were increased from basal levels of 2.8 ± 0.4 µM produced over a two week period, to 22 ± 8 µM produced in 20 minutes under mild voltage perturbation, roughly 104% increase in rate. Control of ammonia producing structures (nitrogenase in heterocystic cells or nitrate/nitrite reductase in vegetative cells) can be accomplished by growing the algae with and without fixed sources of nitrogen in the growth media. With the addition of various nitrogen-containing gases to the electrolyte solution during cyclic voltammetry, there is evidence that biofilms containing a mixture of cell types increases ammonia production above controls when the nitrogen is present as NO2-, NO, or N2O. Chronoamperometric perturbation studies show increased ammonia production at near +600 mV and -300 mV vs SCE. In cyclic voltammetric studies, nitrate/nitrite reductase in vegetative-only biofilms responds favorably to positive voltage ranges, while isolated heterocyst biofilms containing nitrogenase can be effectively targeted with the application of a negative voltage profile. References: [1] Johna Leddy and Timothy M. Pashkewitz, Ammonia Production Using Bioelectrocatalytic Devices, US Patent Application 20140011252 [2] Timothy M. Paschkewitz, Ammonia Production at Ambient Temperature and Pressure: An Electrochemical and Biological Approach, Ph.D., University of Iowa, 2012.

Paper II reprinted with kind permission of Elsivier, science direct.com.

Graduation date: 1998

A transient code (TFETC) for calculating the temperature distribution throughout the radial and axial positions of a thermionic fuel element (TFE) has been successfully developed. It accommodates the variations of temperatures, thermal power, electrical power, voltage, and current density throughout the TFE as a function of time as well as the variations of heat fluxes arising from radiation, conduction, electron cooling, and collector heating. The thermionic fuel element transient code (TFETC) is designed to calculate all the above variables for three different cases namely: 1) Start-up; 2) Loss of flow accident; and 3) Shut down. The results show that this design is suitable for space applications and does not show any deficiency in the performance. It enhances the safety factor in the case of a loss of flow accident (LOFA). In LOFA, it has been found that if the mass flow rate decreases exponentially by a -0.033t, where t is a reactor transient time in seconds, the fuel temperature does not exceed the melting point right after the complete pump failures but rather allows some time, about 34 seconds, before taking an action. If the reactor is not shut down within 34 seconds, the fuel temperature may keep increasing until the melting point of the fuel is attained. On the other hand, the coolant temperature attains its boiling point, 1057 ��K, in the case of a complete pump failure and may exceed it unless a proper action to trip the reactor is taken. For 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 pump failures, the coolant temperatures are below the boiling point of the coolant. / Graduation date: 1994

"This work was supported by the Center for Energy Policy Research of the M.I.T. Energy Laboratory."