The purpose of this investigation is to further the current discussion of how the Swedish market for district heating can be made more competitive and effective. This is done by investigating how price, costs of production and profitability of district heating varies with ownership, a variable frequently held accountable for financial performance variations in natural monopoly markets. The investigation is based on financial and technical performance data from 203 firms from 2007 and 2008, compiled by the Swedish Energy Market Inspectorate. The results strongly indicate that private firms are more profitable than firms owned, fully or partly, by local government. Furthermore, the results find that higher profitability tends to be positively correlated with prices, rather than negatively with costs of production. The results speak in favor of private ownership under regulation, rather than the current mixture of public and unregulated private ownership.

For the induction heating process of bi-metallic tubes, the inner tube of alloy-layer is much easier to cause a lot of defects of cavities due to the fact that heating power, maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention were chosen improperly. This research focuses on the effect of maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention on the micro-structure and defects of cavities of the Nickel-based alloy-layer. The experiments of this study are divided into two parts. In the domain of the experiment in simulation fashion, Nickel-based alloy powders were put into the specimens of AISI 4140 steel. Radio Frequency (RF) oven were used to smelt Nickel-based alloy powders in the vacuum conditions over the maximum temperature range of 920~1180¢Jrespectively. After that, the time frame of temperature retention was conducted from 0 to 10 minutes. Then, the furnace-cooling went down to 700¢J then air-cooling down to the room temperature. Nickel-based alloy-layer, microstructure, component analysis, defects of cavities of the interface between Nickel-based alloy-layer and steels, and diffusion of interfaces were analyzed using optical microscopes (OM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM). From the experiments, it was found that Nickel-based alloy-layer consisted of £^-Ni¡BCrB¡BCr7C3 over the maximum temperature range of 920~1050¢Jwhether temperature retention is performed or not. According to the findings of metallographic observation, the increase of coarsening and the reduction of the capacity of CrB and Cr7C3 become more obvious as maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention become large. In addition, the whitening layer (diffusion zone) formed between the interface of alloy-layer and steels become much wider as maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention become large. Secondly, the field experiment method was also applied in this paper. The tube rich in Nickel-based alloy powders was heating to analyze induction coil in various conditions: heating power (200~285KW), maximum temperature value (1020~1040¢J), the time frame of temperature retention (10, 30, 50sec), and the rotating speed (1000~1300rpm). The results of the experiments indicated that the surface of the alloy-layer cause defects of vermicular cavities since the volume of liquid cannot fill out the crack of cavities completely due to lower temperature when there is insufficient time; too long periods of the time frame of temperature retention lead to the tough and huge dendrites to obstacle the flowing of liquid and the solidification of shrinkage cavity. According to the observation of the microstructure, the larger the maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention were, the more the dendrites formed. The formation of dendrites causes not only the uneven distribution of hardening phase of CrB and Cr7C3 of the alloy-layer but also the reduction of hardness of the alloy-layer. The dendrites are typically formed from the interface to the surface of the alloy-layer. Besides that, the alloy-layer mainly consists of £^-Ni, Ni3B, Ni3Si, CrB, and Cr7C3 via X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Among them, the main hardening phases are CrB and Cr7C3 which is the main reason that the alloy-layer has high-level hardness. As maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention become large, the whitening layer (diffusion zone) was formed between the interface of alloy-layer become much wider because the faster the elements of the based materials (tube) diffused and the wider the intermetallic compound formed among the interfaces. After heated for 800 seconds over the temperature range of 750~1030¢J, iron element was diffused all over the alloy-layer. The increase of coarsening and the reduction of the capacity near interface and interface become more obvious as maximum temperature value and the time frame of temperature retention become large.

Environment has become a major concern for society, which awareness of the importance of an environmentally respectful development has been growing during the last decades. Economic reasons have encompassed this transition to a more planet friendly conception of human development. In fact, this transition has been parallel to the growing prices of fossil fuels, facing a clear perspective of a shortage on its availability, insufficient to cope with a growing demand in the near future. Within this context, the role of renewable energies in order to stop depending on fossil fuels and to reduce greenhouse gases emissions has become crucial.   Because of its climate, heating represents a major source of energy consumption in Sweden, accounting for almost 60% of the residential and services sector energy use. Maximizing the efficiency of heating systems and using renewable, environmentally friendly and economically sustainable sources of energy may have an enormous impact on both environment and economy.   In this thesis the use of district heating and ground heat pump for a multi-dwelling building is evaluated, both from the economic and environmental points of view. Both are recognized to be efficient heating systems, allowing important savings of other sources of energy, and respectful with the environment.   An installation combining both district heating and ground heat pump, for a multi-dwelling building in Gävle has been analyzed. Different scenarios have been considered, and results obtained show that when installing a ground heat pump, both economic savings and CO2 emissions reduction are obtained. Annual economic savings account for 16,8% when providing 60% of the thermal energy with the ground heat pump, and considering the investment associated to the recent installation of a new heat pump (in the case studied, boreholes were already drilled), the payback time is 7,4 years. CO2 emissions reduction for a normal year reaches 34%. However, if we look at the wider picture of electricity and heat production from a community (local, regional, national or even international) point of view, several considerations have to be taken into account, which are discussed in the report.

For a district heating company it is of importance to have an efficient and well performing system. A central part in the work to lower temperature levels in district heating networks is to acknowledge and improve cooling capability in substations. The aim of this thesis is to analyse substations in Polish district heating systems in order to identify reasons of poor cooling and to present suggestions of implementable measures. Furthermore, the economical saving potential from an improved cooling is evaluated. The analysis was carried out for two of the five Polish companies included in this report; Sydkraft EC Slupsk and MEC Koszalin. It was followed by two scenarios created for evaluation of improvement possibilities based on calculated financial savings from reduction of distribution heat losses and distribution pumping. The results show that there are significant improvement possibilities. From the carried out scenarios a saving potential between 15 000 to 20 000 PLN/substation is possible to achieve for selected worst substations, if their individual annual average cooling is set to 30°C. The analysis further shows that causes of poor cooling in substations are highly individual but points out that customer owned substations are represented in the majority of worst substations.

Experiments were performed using a microparticle image velocimetry (MPIV) for full field velocity distributions of electroosmotically driven flows in a 40 mm long microchannel with a square cross section of 200 µm ¡Ñ 200 µm. Electroosmotic flow bulk fluid velocity measurements were made in a range of streamwise electric field strengths from 5 to 25 kV/m. A series of seed particle calibration tests can be made in a 200 µm x 200 µm x 24000 µm untreated PDMS channel incorporating MPIV to determine the electrophoretic mobilities in aqueous buffer solutions of 1 TAE, 1 TBE, 10 mM NaCl, and 10 mM borate, respectively. A linear/nonlinear (due to Joule heating) flow rate increase with applied field was obtained and compared with those of previous studies. A parametric study, with extensive measurements was performed with different electric field strength and buffer solution concentration under a constant zeta potential at wall for each buffer. The characteristics of electroosmotic flow in square microchannels were thus investigated. Finally, a composite correlation of the relevant parameters was developed within accuracy for 99% of the experimental data.

A combination of 3-D and 2-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling as well as experimental testing of the labyrinth seal with hexagonal honeycomb cells on the stator wall was performed. For the 3-D and 2-D CFD models, the hexagonal honeycomb structure was modeled using the concept of the baffle (zero-thickness wall) and the simplified 2-D fin, respectively. The 3-D model showed that even a small axial change of the tooth (or honeycomb wall) location, or a small circumferential change of the honeycomb wall location significantly affected the flow patterns and leakage characteristics especially for small tooth tip clearance. Also, the local details of the flow field were investigated. The seven basic procedural steps to develop a 2-D axisymmetric honeycomb labyrinth seal leakage model were shown. Clearly demonstrated for varying test conditions was the 2-D model capability to predict the 3-D honeycomb labyrinth flow that had been measured at different operating conditions from that used in developing the 2-D model. Specifically, the 2-D model showed very close agreement with measurements. In addition, the 2-D model greatly reduced the computer resource requirement needed to obtain a solution of the 3-D honeycomb labyrinth seal leakage. The novel and advanced strategy to reduce the turbine ingress heating, and thus the coolant requirement, by injecting a “coolant isolation curtain” was developed numerically using a 3-D CFD model. The coolant isolation curtain was applied under the nozzle guide vane platform for the forward cavity of a turbine stage. Specifically, the isolation curtain serves to isolate the hot mainstream gas from the turbine outer region. The effect of the geometry change, the outer cavity axial gap clearance, the circumferential location of the injection curtain slot and the injection fluid angle on the ingress heating was investigated. Adding the chamfer to the baseline design gave a similar or higher maximum temperature T* max than did the baseline design without chamfer, but implementation of the injection curtain slot reduced substantially T* max of the outer region. In addition, a more desirable uniform adiabatic wall temperature distribution along the outer rotor and stator surfaces was observed due to the presence of the isolation curtain.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 45 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-45).

Thesis--M. Sc.(Eng.), University of Hong Kong. / Offset from typescript.

Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Peninsula Technikon, 2002. / Word processed copy. Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-119). Also available online.

The municipality of Knivsta plans to expand from 15,000 to 25,000 inhabitants until the year 2025. In order to do so the municipality is planning to build a new residential area, Nydal. The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to estimate the heat demand for the new district and to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using a common or an individual heat solution. The common solution consists of a pipe grid system connecting each building with a central heat source and in the individual solution each building has its own heat source. The heat units that have been used are combined heat and power and solar thermal heating. The total yearly heat demand for Nydal was calculated to total 21.6 GWh for the common solution and 19.4 GWh for the individual solution. This implies that the losses in the pipe grid are 2.2 GWh. The heat demand peaks are largest in January, about 7600 kW, and smallest in July, about 300 kW. To cover the heat demand for the common solution during summer, solar panels need to cover 6.5 per cent of the roof area. To be able to cover the heat demand for the larger buildings in the individual solution up to 45 per cent of the roof area needs to be covered with solar panels. Furthermore, the total installed heat power from CHP plants is 4320 kW in the common solution and 7375 kW in the individual solution. In conclusion, a common solution is to prefer because less CHP needs to be installed despite heat losses in the pipe grid.