Thermal System Design and Simulation covers the fundamental analyses of thermal energy systems that enable users to effectively formulate their own simulation and optimal design procedures. This reference provides thorough guidance on how to formulate optimal design constraints and develop strategies to solve them with minimal computational effort. The book uniquely illustrates the methodology of combining information flow diagrams to simplify system simulation procedures needed in optimal design. It also includes a comprehensive presentation on dynamics of thermal systems and the control systems needed to ensure safe operation at varying loads. Designed to give readers the skills to develop their own customized software for simulating and designing thermal systems, this book is relevant for anyone interested in obtaining an advanced knowledge of thermal system analysis and design.

Solid Fuels and Heavy Hydrocarbon Liquids: Thermal Characterisation and Analysis, Second Edition integrates the developments that have taken place since publication of the first edition in 2006. This updated material includes new insights that help unify the thermochemical reactions of biomass and coal, as well as new developments in analytical techniques, including new applications in size exclusion chromatography, several mass spectrometric techniques, and new applications of nuclear magnetic spectroscopy to the characterization of heavy hydrocarbon liquids The topics covered are essential for the energy and fuels research community, including academics, students, and research engineers working in the power, oil and gas, and renewable energy industries.

The application areas of batteries are currently booming. The recent generation of devices combines a high energy density with a reasonable cost and life expectancy, making them suitable not only for cars but also electric bikes, scooters, forklifts, gardening and household tools, storage batteries as well as airborne applications such as drones, helicopters, and small airplanes. Since manufacturing batteries requires a lot of energy and minerals, extending the life of the battery is worthwhile from both an ecologic and an economic point of view. The use of Battery Management Systems (BMS) can extend battery life, if they are used with a sound understanding of the internal electrical processes. This book provides insight into the electric behaviour of batteries for researchers involved with the design of battery management systems, and experts involved with electric vehicle development. It covers a range of options for designing battery management and cell balancing systems, with a focus on inductive balancing. After an overview of previous and current battery types, chapters convey a number of cell-balancing techniques, such as passive and active equalizer circuits, with a focus on transformer and coupled inductor based balancing methods. In addition, cell voltage monitoring and charging are investigated. Furthermore, solutions are provided to reduce the number of inductive components, the number of windings, and practical implementation.

Renewable Energy Forecasting: From Models to Applications provides an overview of the state-of-the-art of renewable energy forecasting technology and its applications. After an introduction to the principles of meteorology and renewable energy generation, groups of chapters address forecasting models, very short-term forecasting, forecasting of extremes, and longer term forecasting. The final part of the book focuses on important applications of forecasting for power system management and in energy markets. Due to shrinking fossil fuel reserves and concerns about climate change, renewable energy holds an increasing share of the energy mix. Solar, wind, wave, and hydro energy are dependent on highly variable weather conditions, so their increased penetration will lead to strong fluctuations in the power injected into the electricity grid, which needs to be managed. Reliable, high quality forecasts of renewable power generation are therefore essential for the smooth integration of large amounts of solar, wind, wave, and hydropower into the grid as well as for the profitability and effectiveness of such renewable energy projects.

Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Progressing from an economy mainly focussed on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable renewable energy resources requires considerable scientific research, as well as the development of new engineering systems. Energy fuels the world’s economy. Diminishing resources and severe environmental effects resulting from the continuous use of fossil fuels has motivated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for sustainable energy policies. Key difficulties to overcome often originate from the conversion of renewable energies (wind, solar, etc.) to useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel) at an acceptable cost, including impacts on the environment as well as in the integration of these resources into the existing infrastructure. A wide range of topics are covered by the works contained in this book. The collaboration of varied disciplines are involved in order to arrive at optimum solutions, including studies of materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many others.

Modern gas turbine power plants represent one of the most efficient and economic conventional power generation technologies suitable for large-scale and smaller scale applications. Alongside this, gas turbine systems operate with low emissions and are more flexible in their operational characteristics than other large-scale generation units such as steam cycle plants. Gas turbines are unrivalled in their superior power density (power-to-weight) and are thus the prime choice for industrial applications where size and weight matter the most. Developments in the field look to improve on this performance, aiming at higher efficiency generation, lower emission systems and more fuel-flexible operation to utilise lower-grade gases, liquid fuels, and gasified solid fuels/biomass. Modern gas turbine systems provides a comprehensive review of gas turbine science and engineering. The first part of the book provides an overview of gas turbine types, applications and cycles. Part two moves on to explore major components of modern gas turbine systems including compressors, combustors and turbogenerators. Finally, the operation and maintenance of modern gas turbine systems is discussed in part three. The section includes chapters on performance issues and modelling, the maintenance and repair of components and fuel flexibility. Modern gas turbine systems is a technical resource for power plant operators, industrial engineers working with gas turbine power plants and researchers, scientists and students interested in the field.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) is the one advanced technology that conventional power generation cannot do without. CCS technology reduces the carbon footprint of power plants by capturing and storing the CO2 emissions from burning fossil-fuels and biomass. This volume provides a comprehensive reference on the state of the art research, development and demonstration of carbon capture technology in the power sector and in industry. It critically reviews the range of post- and pre-combustion capture and combustion-based capture processes and technology applicable to fossil-fuel power plants, as well as applications of CCS in other high carbon footprint industries.

Large-scale wind power generation is one of the fastest developing sources of renewable energy and already makes a substantial contribution to power grids in many countries worldwide. With technology maturing, the challenge is now to increase penetration, and optimise the design, construction and performance of wind energy systems. Fundamental issues of safety and reliability are paramount in this drive to increase capacity and efficiency. Wind energy systems: Optimising design and construction for safe and reliable operation provides a comprehensive review of the latest developments in the design, construction and operation of large-scale wind energy systems, including in offshore and other problematic environments. Part one provides detailed coverage of wind resource assessment and siting methods relevant to wind turbine and wind farm planning, as well as aeroelastics, aerodynamics, and fatigue loading that affect the safety and reliability of wind energy systems. This coverage is extended in part two, where the design and development of individual components is considered in depth, from wind turbine rotors to drive train and control systems, and on to tower design and construction. Part three explores operation and maintenance issues, such as reliability and maintainability strategies and condition monitoring systems, before discussing performance assessment and optimisation routes for wind energy systems in low wind speed environments and cold climates. Part four reviews offshore wind energy systems development, from the impact of environmental loads such as wind, waves and ice, to site specific construction and integrated wind farm planning, and of course the critical issues and strategies for offshore operation and maintenance. With its distinguished editors and international teams of contributors, Wind energy systems is a standard reference for wind power engineers, technicians and manufacturers, as well as researchers and academics involved in this expanding field.

The nuclear fuel cycle is characterised by the wide range of scientific disciplines and technologies it employs. The development of ever more integrated processes across the many stages of the nuclear fuel cycle therefore confronts plant manufacturers and operators with formidable challenges. Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering describes both the key features of the complete nuclear fuel cycle and the wealth of recent research in this important field. Part one provides an introduction to the nuclear fuel cycle. Radiological protection, security and public acceptance of nuclear technology are considered, along with the economics of nuclear power. Part two goes on to explore materials mining, enrichment, fuel element design and fabrication for the uranium and thorium nuclear fuel cycle. The impact of nuclear reactor design and operation on fuel element irradiation is the focus of part three, including water and gas-cooled reactors, along with CANDU and Generation IV designs. Finally, part four reviews spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste management. With its distinguished editor and international team of expert contributors, Nuclear fuel cycle science and engineering provides an important review for all those involved in the design, fabrication, use and disposal of nuclear fuels as well as regulatory bodies and researchers in this field.

This book, the first in the Woodhead Publishing Reviews: Mechanical Engineering Series, is a collection of high quality articles (full research articles, review articles and cases studies) with a special emphasis on research and development in mechatronics and manufacturing engineering. Mechatronics is the blending of mechanical, electronic, and computer engineering into an integrated design. Today, mechatronics has a significant and increasing impact on engineering with emphasis on the design, development and operation of manufacturing engineering systems. The main objective of this interdisciplinary engineering field is the study of automata from an engineering perspective, thinking on the design of products and manufacturing processes and systems. Mechatronics and manufacturing systems are well established and executed within a great number of industries including aircraft, automotive and aerospace industries; machine tools, moulds and dies product manufacturing, computers, electronics, semiconductor and communications, and biomedical.

The addition of polymers to bitumen allows the modification of certain physical properties, such as softening point, brittleness and ductility, of the bitumen. Polymer modified bitumen: Properties and characterisation provides a valuable and in-depth coverage of the science and technology of polymer modified bitumen. After an initial introduction to bitumen and polymer modified bitumen, the book is divided into two parts. Chapters in part one focus on the preparation and properties of a range of polymer modified bitumen, including polymer bitumen emulsions, modification of bitumen with poly (urethanes), waste rubber and plastic and polypropylene fibres. Part two addresses the characterisation and properties of polymer modified bitumen. Chapter topics covered include rheology, simulated and actual long term ageing studies; the solubility of bituminous binders in fuels and the use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to study ageing/oxidation of polymer modified bitumen. Polymer modified bitumen is an essential reference for scientists and engineers, from both academia and the civil engineering and transport industries, interested in the properties and characterisation of polymer modified bitumen.

Electrical motor products reviews the energy efficiency management laws for electrical motor products in United States, European Union (EU) and China. The energy efficiency certification requirements for the electrical motor products vary from country to country and are summarised here. International standards, testing methods and certification requirements for specific electrical motor products are discussed, including electric motors, pumps and fans. Finally, methods for improving energy efficiency are examined.

Oxy-fuel combustion is currently considered to be one of the major technologies for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture in power plants. The advantages of using oxygen (O2) instead of air for combustion include a CO2-enriched flue gas that is ready for sequestration following purification and low NOx emissions. This simple and elegant technology has attracted considerable attention since the late 1990s, rapidly developing from pilot-scale testing to industrial demonstration. Challenges remain, as O2 supply and CO2 capture create significant energy penalties that must be reduced through overall system optimisation and the development of new processes. Oxy-fuel combustion for power generation and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture comprehensively reviews the fundamental principles and development of oxy-fuel combustion in fossil-fuel fired utility boilers. Following a foreword by Professor Janos M. Beer, the book opens with an overview of oxy-fuel combustion technology and its role in a carbon-constrained environment. Part one introduces oxy-fuel combustion further, with a chapter comparing the economics of oxy-fuel vs. post-/pre-combustion CO2 capture, followed by chapters on plant operation, industrial scale demonstrations, and circulating fluidized bed combustion. Part two critically reviews oxy-fuel combustion fundamentals, such as ignition and flame stability, burner design, emissions and heat transfer characteristics, concluding with chapters on O2 production and CO2 compression and purification technologies. Finally, part three explores advanced concepts and developments, such as near-zero flue gas recycle and high-pressure systems, as well as chemical looping combustion and utilisation of gaseous fuel. With its distinguished editor and internationally renowned contributors, Oxy-fuel combustion for power generation and carbon dioxide (CO2) capture provides a rich resource for power plant designers, operators, and engineers, as well as academics and researchers in the field.

Advanced separations technology is key to closing the nuclear fuel cycle and relieving future generations from the burden of radioactive waste produced by the nuclear power industry. Nuclear fuel reprocessing techniques not only allow for recycling of useful fuel components for further power generation, but by also separating out the actinides, lanthanides and other fission products produced by the nuclear reaction, the residual radioactive waste can be minimised. Indeed, the future of the industry relies on the advancement of separation and transmutation technology to ensure environmental protection, criticality-safety and non-proliferation (i.e., security) of radioactive materials by reducing their long-term radiological hazard. Advanced separation techniques for nuclear fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste treatment provides a comprehensive and timely reference on nuclear fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste treatment. Part one covers the fundamental chemistry, engineering and safety of radioactive materials separations processes in the nuclear fuel cycle, including coverage of advanced aqueous separations engineering, as well as on-line monitoring for process control and safeguards technology. Part two critically reviews the development and application of separation and extraction processes for nuclear fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste treatment. The section includes discussions of advanced PUREX processes, the UREX+ concept, fission product separations, and combined systems for simultaneous radionuclide extraction. Part three details emerging and innovative treatment techniques, initially reviewing pyrochemical processes and engineering, highly selective compounds for solvent extraction, and developments in partitioning and transmutation processes that aim to close the nuclear fuel cycle. The book concludes with other advanced techniques such as solid phase extraction, supercritical fluid and ionic liquid extraction, and biological treatment processes. With its distinguished international team of contributors, Advanced separation techniques for nuclear fuel reprocessing and radioactive waste treatment is a standard reference for all nuclear waste management and nuclear safety professionals, radiochemists, academics and researchers in this field.

Autonomic networking aims to solve the mounting problems created by increasingly complex networks, by enabling devices and service-providers to decide, preferably without human intervention, what to do at any given moment, and ultimately to create self-managing networks that can interface with each other, adapting their behavior to provide the best service to the end-user in all situations. This book gives both an understanding and an assessment of the principles, methods and architectures in autonomous network management, as well as lessons learned from, the ongoing initiatives in the field. It includes contributions from industry groups at Orange Labs, Motorola, Ericsson, the ANA EU Project and leading universities. These groups all provide chapters examining the international research projects to which they are contributing, such as the EU Autonomic Network Architecture Project and Ambient Networks EU Project, reviewing current developments and demonstrating how autonomic management principles are used to define new architectures, models, protocols, and mechanisms for future network equipment.

The conventional and modern well test interpretation methods are an important tool in the petroleum engineer's toolkit. Used in the exploration and discovery phase of a field, they are performed to determine the quality of a well or to permit estimation of producing rates at different producing pressures. However once a field enters the middle and later development phase, the reservoir flow environment grows increasingly complex and conventional or modern methods do not satisfy the needs of old field development and evaluation. Based on over 10 years of field and research experience, Streamline Numerical Well Test Interpretation Theory and Method provides an effective method for the determination of residual oil distribution for the middle and mature phases of a field. One of the most advanced books available, the author explains the development history of well test theory, analyzes the limitation of modern well test interpretation method, and proposes the concept and framework of numerical well test. This is quickly followed by an introduction of basic principles and solution procedures of streamline numerical simulation theory and method. The book then systematically applies streamline numerical well test interpretation models to a multitude of reservoir types, ranging from single layer reservoir to multi-layer reservoirs. The book presents multi-parameter streamline numerical well test automatic match interpretation method based on double-population genetic algorithm, which lays the foundation to fast automatic match of numerical well test. The book introduces streamline numerical well test interpretation software with independent intellectual property right which is programmed based on the above theoretical studies.

As nations alike struggle to diversify and secure their power portfolios, geothermal energy, the essentially limitless heat emanating from the earth itself, is being harnessed at an unprecedented rate. For the last 25 years, engineers around the world tasked with taming this raw power have used Geothermal Reservoir Engineering as both a training manual and a professional reference. This long-awaited second edition of Geothermal Reservoir Engineering is a practical guide to the issues and tasks geothermal engineers encounter in the course of their daily jobs. The book focuses particularly on the evaluation of potential sites and provides detailed guidance on the field management of the power plants built on them. With over 100 pages of new material informed by the breakthroughs of the last 25 years, Geothermal Reservoir Engineering remains the only training tool and professional reference dedicated to advising both new and experienced geothermal reservoir engineers.

This second volume of the new ASME Press Book Series on Renewable Energy also edited by Dr. Rao and published by ASME Press is based on updated chapters from the classic 2011 Handbook of Energy and Power Generation in addition to new chapters appropriate for the title of this book. The discussions in this book cover varied aspects of Biomass and Waste Energy in use around the globe. Chapters 1 and 2 are revisions of chapters 14 and 15 of the 2011 ASME Handbook whereas chapters 3 through 5 are new chapters which deal with other aspects of Waste Energy. The book is addressed in over 200 pages with several graphics addressed by 9 experts from academia and practicing professionals from the U.S., and India. Global interest in Biomass and Waste Energy is apparent not only from the current usage but also from the untapped resources and its potential for greater usage. The book has an Index to help users easily navigate through the text and graphics.

The Performance of Photovoltaic (PV) Systems: Modelling, Measurement and Assessment explores the system lifetime of a PV system and the energy output of the system over that lifetime. The book concentrates on the prediction, measurement, and assessment of the performance of PV systems, allowing the reader to obtain a thorough understanding of the performance issues and progress that has been made in optimizing system performance.