The goal of this thesis is to examine dualueling concepts using two different types of primary fuel, methane and propane; as well as two different pilot fuels, ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel (B100). Experiments were performed using a 1.9 liter, turbocharged, 4 cylinder diesel engine at 1800 rev/min with ULSD and B100 being injected as a pilot fuel directly into the combustion chamber, at different brake mean effective pressures (BMEP), and percent energy substitutions of propane and methane. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and emissions (NOx, THC, CO, CO2, O2 and smoke) were also measured and analyzed. Maximum PES was limited by misfire at 2.5 bar, 5.0 bar, 7.5 bar, BMEP for all cases and knock at 10 bar BMEP for both B100-propane and ULSD-propane. In general dual fueling was shown to be beneficial for lowering NOx, CO2, and smoke emissions along with, in some cases, showing improvements in BTE.

Development of fueling technologies for modern and future tokamak reactors is essential for their implementation in a commercial energy production setting. Compared to the presently available fueling technologies, gas or cryogenic pellet injection, compact torus injection presents an effective and efficient method for directly fueling the central core of tokamak plasmas. Fueling of the central core of a tokamak plasma is pivotal for providing efficient energy production. The central core plasma of a reactor contains the greatest density of fusion processes. For consistent and continuous fueling of tokamak fusion reactors, compact torus injectors must be operated in a repetitive mode.<p> The goal of this thesis was to study the feasibility of firing the University of Saskatchewan Compact Torus Injector (USCTI) in a repetitive mode. In order to enable USCTI to fire repetitively, modifications were made to its electrical system, control system and data acquisition system. These consisted primarily of the addition of new power supplies, to enable fast charging of the many capacitor banks used to form and accelerate the plasma. The maximum firing rate achieved on USCTI was 0.33 Hz, an increase from the previous maximum firing rate of 0.2 Hz achieved at UC Davis.<p> Firing USCTI in repetitive modes has been successful. It has been shown that the CTs produced in any given repetitive series are properly formed and repeatable. This is made evident through analysis of data collected from the CTs' magnetic fields and densities as they traveled along the injector barrel. The shots from each experiment were compared to the series' mean data and were shown to be consistent over time. Calculations of their correlations show that there are only minimal deviations from shot to shot in any given series.

Development of fueling technologies for modern and future tokamak reactors is essential for their implementation in a commercial energy production setting. Compared to the presently available fueling technologies, gas or cryogenic pellet injection, compact torus injection presents an effective and efficient method for directly fueling the central core of tokamak plasmas. Fueling of the central core of a tokamak plasma is pivotal for providing efficient energy production. The central core plasma of a reactor contains the greatest density of fusion processes. For consistent and continuous fueling of tokamak fusion reactors, compact torus injectors must be operated in a repetitive mode.<p> The goal of this thesis was to study the feasibility of firing the University of Saskatchewan Compact Torus Injector (USCTI) in a repetitive mode. In order to enable USCTI to fire repetitively, modifications were made to its electrical system, control system and data acquisition system. These consisted primarily of the addition of new power supplies, to enable fast charging of the many capacitor banks used to form and accelerate the plasma. The maximum firing rate achieved on USCTI was 0.33 Hz, an increase from the previous maximum firing rate of 0.2 Hz achieved at UC Davis.<p> Firing USCTI in repetitive modes has been successful. It has been shown that the CTs produced in any given repetitive series are properly formed and repeatable. This is made evident through analysis of data collected from the CTs' magnetic fields and densities as they traveled along the injector barrel. The shots from each experiment were compared to the series' mean data and were shown to be consistent over time. Calculations of their correlations show that there are only minimal deviations from shot to shot in any given series.

Hydrogen has received significant attention throughout the past decade as the United States focuses on diversifying its energy portfolio to include sources of energy beyond fossil fuels. In a hydrogen economy, the most common use for hydrogen is in fuel cell vehicles. Advancements in on-board storage devices, investment in hydrogen production facilities nation-wide, development of a hydrogen transmission infrastructure, and construction of hydrogen fueling stations are essential to a hydrogen economy. This research proposes a novel underground storage technique to be implemented at a hydrogen fueling station. Three boreholes are drilled into the subsurface, with each borehole consisting of an outer pipe and an inner pipe. Hydrogen gas (H2) is stored in the inner tube, while the outer pipe serves to protect the inner pipe and contain any leaked gas. Three boreholes of varying pressures are necessary to maintain adequate inventory and sufficient pressure while filling vehicles to full tank capacity. The estimated cost for this storage system is $2.58 million. This dollar amount includes drilling and completion costs, steel pipe costs, the cost of a heavy-duty hydrogen compressor, and miscellaneous equipment expenses. Although the proposed design makes use of decades’ worth of experience and technical expertise from the oil and gas industry, there are several challenges—technical, economic, and social—to implementing this storage system. The impact of hydrogen embrittlement and the lack of a hydrogen transmission infrastructure represent the main technical impediments. Borehole H2 storage, as part of a larger hydrogen economy, reveals significant expenses beyond those calculated in the amount above. Costs related to delivering H2 to the filling station, electricity, miscellaneous equipment, and maintenance associated with hydrogen systems must also be considered. Public demand for hydrogen is low for several reasons, and significant misperceptions exist concerning the safety of hydrogen storage. Although the overall life-cycle emissions assessment of hydrogen fuel reveals mediocre results, a hydrogen economy impacts air quality less than current fossil-fuel systems. If and when the U.S. transitions to a hydrogen economy, the borehole storage system described herein is a feasible solution for on-site compressed H2 storage. / text

Over the past decade, public concerns have grown over America's energy use and production. Pushes towards more environmentally friendly and sustainable sources of energy have moved out of fringe politics and into mainstream political discourse. Advances in drilling technology and increased exploration of shale gas plays have made natural gas more available and accessible. The abundance of natural gas has led to its growing role in the U.S. electric production and has provided the United States with an opportunity to become a net exporter of energy in the near future. The availability of natural gas, coupled with uncertainty in the liquid petroleum market, has prompted stakeholders to search out additional uses for this low-cost energy source. The result has been a large-scale effort to encourage the use of natural gas-based fuel within the trucking industry. Commercial long-haul trucks and truck fleets are a v prime target of these efforts. The number of natural gas fueling stations around the country is increasing, and there are growing investments in new technologies and government incentives to retrofit and upgrade the nation's trucking fleet, making the logistics of a large-scale switch from a liquid petroleum-based fuel to natural gas much less complicated. Through a detailed analysis of natural gas trucks, fueling infrastructure, and case studies this report seeks to reach conclusions over the role natural gas vehicles (NGVs) should play in the future U.S. transportation system. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to natural gas. Chapter 2 discusses the current state of natural gas in the United States. Chapter 3 provides an overview of natural gas vehicle and infrastructure technology. Chapter 4 discusses marketplace NGV adoption factors. Chapter 5 deals with benefits of adoption and policy options for expansion of NGVs. Chapter 6 provides an overview of current federal, state and local policies and incentives. Chapter 7 discusses barriers and opportunities for NGV adoption. The report synthesizes and concludes that natural gas trucking offers the U.S. a cheaper alternative to liquid petroleum while promoting environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. / text

Orientador: Ennio Peres da Silva / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T02:55:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ferreira_PauloFabricioPalhavam_D.pdf: 3151457 bytes, checksum: db3c498b322d05294acffaaed5b498df (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Neste trabalho realizou-se um estudo sobre a produção de hidrogênio eletrolítico em estações de abastecimento para o suprimento de uma frota hipotética de veículos utilizando células a combustível na cidade de São Paulo. Realizou-se uma projeção da frota de veículos leves para a cidade de São Paulo para o ano de 2020. Com base na frota projetada estimou-se o número de veículos utilizando células a combustível passíveis de serem abastecidos pelas estações de abastecimento. Utilizando um comparativo entre o número de estações de abastecimento de GNV, o número de veículos utilizando GNV e o custo de instalação dos postos de abastecimento de GNV estimou-se a capacidade de produção das estações de abastecimento de hidrogênio. Realizou-se o dimensionamento dos principais componentes da estação de abastecimento de hidrogênio dentro de três cenários. Utilizando os custos de investimento para a instalação das estações de abastecimento de hidrogênio nos três cenários calculou-se o custo de produção do hidrogênio e o custo do quilômetro rodado para os veículos utilizando células a combustível. Obteve-se como resultado um custo de produção do hidrogênio de 2,68 R$.m-3, 2,14 R$.m-3e 2,07 R$.m-3 para os cenários 1, 2 e 3 respectivamente e, de 0,32 R$.km-1, 0,25 R$.km-1e 0,24 R$.km-1 para o custo do quilômetro rodado. Realizou-se também um estudo do impacto da introdução da eletricidade utilizada para a produção do hidrogênio na composição da matriz energética do setor de transportes. / Abstract: In this work it was made a study about electrolytic hydrogen production in fuelling stations for supplying a hypothetical fleet of fuel cell vehicles in São Paulo city. A lightweight fleet projection for the year 2020 in São Paulo city was made. Based on the estimative fleet, the number of vehicles using fuel cells and able to be refueled on these fueling stations was calculated. The hydrogen fueling station production capacity was calculated using a comparison with the number of natural gas fueling stations, the number of natural gas vehicles and the investment amount necessary for a natural gas station implementation. The major system components were calculated in three scenarios. The hydrogen production costs for each scenario and the driving costs were calculated, achieving as results a hydrogen cost of 2,68 R$.m-3, 2,14 R$.m-3 and 2,07 R$.m-3and driving costs of 0,32 R$.km-1, 0,25 R$.km-1 and 0,24 R$.km-1. An impact study for the introduction of electricity in the transportation energy matrix due to the hydrogen production was also made. / Doutorado / Planejamento de Sistemas Energeticos / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Future magnetic fusion reactors such as tokamaks will need innovative, fast, deep-fueling systems to inject frozen deuterium-tritium pellets at high speeds and high repetition rates into the hot plasma core. There have been several studies and concepts for pellet injectors generated, and different devices have been proposed. In addition to fueling, recent studies show that it may be possible to disrupt edge localized mode (ELM) formation by injecting pellets or gas into the fusion plasma. The system studied is capable of doing either at a variety of plasma and pellet velocities, volumes, and repetition rates that can be controlled through the formation conditions of the plasma. In magnetic or inertial fusion reactors, hydrogen, its isotopes, and lithium are used as fusion fueling materials. Lithium is considered a fusion fuel and not an impurity in fusion reactors as it can be used to produce fusion energy and breed fusion products. Lithium hydride and lithium deuteride may serve as good ablating sleeves for plasma formation in an ablation-dominated electrothermal plasma source to propel fusion pellets. Previous studies have shown that pellet exit velocities, greater 3 km/s, are possible using low-z propellant materials. In this work, a comprehensive study of solid lithium hydride and deuteride as a pellet propellant is conducted using the ETFLOW code, and relationships between propellants, source and barrel geometry, pellet volume and aspect ratio, and pellet velocity are determined for pellets ranging in volume from 1 to 100 mm3. / Master of Science

No description available.

This thesis mainly focuses on parallel hybrid electric vehicle energy management problems considering fueling control and air path dynamics of a diesel engine. It aims to explore the concealed fuel-saving potentials in conventional energy management strategies, by employing detailed engine models. The contributions of this study lie on the following aspects: 1) Fueling control consists of fuel injection mass and timing control. By properly selecting combinations of fueling control variables and torque split ratio, engine efficiency is increased and the HEV fuel consumption is further reduced. 2) A transient engine model considering air path dynamics is applied to more accurately predict engine torque. A model predictive control based energy management strategy is developed and solved by dynamic programming. The fuel efficiency is improved, comparing the proposed strategy to those that ignore the engine transients. 3) A novel adaptive control-step learning model predictive control scheme is proposed and implemented in HEV energy management design. It reveals a trade-off between control accuracy and computational efficiency for the MPC based strategies, and demonstrates a good adaptability to the variation of driving cycle while maintaining low computational burden. 4) Two methods are presented to deal with the conjunction between consecutive functions in the piece-wise linearization for the energy management problem. One of them shows a fairly close performance with the original nonlinear method, but much less computing time. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2016-08-26T12:33:02Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-26T12:33:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar as modificações introduzidas, ao longo de sucessivas versões, nos modelos empíricos do programa computacional FRAPCON utilizado para a simulação do comportamento sob irradiação de varetas combustíveis de Reatores a Água Leve Pressurizada (Pressurized Water Reactor - PWR) em regime de estado estacionário e sob condições de alta queima. No estudo, foram analisados os modelos empíricos utilizados pelo FRAPCON e que são apresentados em sua documentação oficial. Um estudo bibliográfico foi conduzido sobre os efeitos da alta queima em combustíveis nucleares visando melhorar o entendimento dos modelos utilizados pelo FRAPCON nestas condições. Foram feitas simulações do comportamento sob irradiação de uma vareta combustível típica de um reator PWR utilizando as versões 3.3, 3.4 e 3.5 do FRAPCON. Os resultados apresentados pelas diferentes versões do programa foram comparados entre si de forma a verificar as consequências das mudanças de modelo nos parâmetros de saída do programa. Foi possível observar que as modificações introduzidas trouxeram diferenças significativas nos resultados de parâmetros térmicos e mecânicos da vareta combustível, principalmente quando se evoluiu da versão FRAPCON-3.3 para a versão FRAPCON-3.5. Nessa ultima versão, obteve-se menores temperaturas na vareta combustível, menores tensões e deformações no revestimento, menor espessura da camada de oxido formada no revestimento a altas queimas na vareta combustível. / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP