Energy Sources: Fundamentals of Chemical Conversion Processes and Applications provides the latest information on energy and the environment, the two main concerns of any progressive society that hopes to be sustainable in the future. Continuous efforts have to be exercised in both these areas by any of the developing communities, as concern over energy conversion continues to evolve due to various ecological imbalances, including climate change. This book provides the fundamentals behind all energy conversion processes, identifies future research needs, and discusses the potential application of each process in a clear-and-concise manner. It is a valuable source for both chemists and chemical engineers who are working to improve current and developing future energy sources, and is a single reference that deals with almost all energy sources for these purposes, reviewing the fundamentals, comparing the various processes, and suggesting future research directions.

Human Factors in the Chemical and Process Industries: Making it Work in Practice is a comprehensive overview of human factors within this sector, focusing on the practical application. It has been written by acknowledged industry experts from the Keil Centre, which is a leading practice of chartered ergonomics and human factors specialists, chartered safety specialists, registered occupational psychologists, and registered clinical psychologists The book was inspired by the international human factors training course run by the Keil Centre with the IChemE(http://www.icheme.org/human-factors), which has reached four continents across the world. The book is written for those who want a comprehensive overview of the subject, focusing on the practical application of human factors. It has been written for safety professionals, engineers and operational disciplines within industry, and those aspiring to these disciplines, who either deal with human factors issues or any aspect of the 'human element' in their core role. The book explains what 'human factors' is about and how human factors issues are best managed from a practical perspective. It will help readers develop a greater understanding of the area and how to establish more effective solutions for human factors related issues.

Biofuels: Advances in Research and Applications first explores previously studied supercritical processes for the production of biodiesel. Two of the main drawbacks of said processes are discussed: the high energy requirements and the hazards due to the conditions under which the processes are operated. The authors present a review of the experimental excess enthalpy of mixtures of dibutyl ether or butanol, with representative hydrocarbons. The most relevant functional groups of gasoline hydrocarbon types are considered: heptane, iso-octane, 1-hexene, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, benzene, and toluene. Continuing, this compilation briefly explores the production of biofuel from different edible and non-edible feedstock, mentioning the various types of homogeneous and heterogeneous acid or base catalysts applied for reactions. The benefits and drawbacks of biodiesel as compared to diesel fuel are also described. Several yeasts are examined for their capability to produce xylanolytic enzymes that degrade xylan, the major polysaccharide in the hemicellulose structure. The production of hydrolytic enzymes for the enzymatic hydrolysis process is reported by optimizing lignocellulose degradation and increasing the yield of simple sugars.

Energy: Engine of Evolution is a compelling book that provides a compact history of energy over the last four billion years, with the aim of creating a sound basis to understanding the possible futures of the energy industry. It describes the role that energy has played in the evolution of nature and culture, the impact it has had on the world over time and the implications that we are faced with concerning the role of energy in the future.
This book describes the relationship between life and energy through time, outlining how the major revolutions in the evolution of life on earth were driven by developments at the energy frontiers. Energy: Engine of Evolution states that we are on the verge of the next energy revolution, where we will learn how to master new energy forms in a new way. As a result of years of research and discussions by leading experts in the oil and gas industry, this publication offers inspiring insights and examples of new approaches to technological and evolutionary developments, paving the way towards a more sustainable future.
* Provides evolutionary insight
* Introduces an Energy Time Scale that shows key relationships between energy and the history of planet Earth
* Contains exciting examples of new approaches to sustainable development

The Dictionary of Energy, Second Edition is a comprehensive and authoritative reference on all aspects of energy and its role in society. Edited by Cutler J. Cleveland and Christopher Morris, the editors of Handbook of Energy, Volumes 1 and 2, this authoritative resource comes at a time when the topic of energy prices, resources and environmental impacts are at the forefront of news stories and political discussions. The Second Edition of Dictionary of Energy contains over 10,000 terms, across 40 key subject areas in energy (e.g. solar, oil & gas, economics, models, policy, basic concepts, sustainable development, systems, renewable/alternative energy, water, etc), with additional window essays on key issues, such as Biomass, Ecological Footprint, Exergy, Fuel Cell, and Hybrid Vehicles. Dictionary of Energy, Second Edition is a valuable reference for undergraduate and graduate students, academics, and research scientists who study energy, as well as business corporations, professional firms, government agencies, foundations, and other groups whose activities relate to energy.

This book discusses sustainable housing issues in urban areas throughout the Global South, revealing their complexity in terms of urban dynamics, housing markets and human interactions with the environment. Its main focus is on the location of graves within private residences, cemeteries in the immediate vicinity of private residences, and the implications of these factors for renters' choices and rents. The book addresses the economics of land use for graves in connection with housing choices and the implications for the rented sector of the property market. By means of several model-based simulations, it demonstrates that the neoclassical economics remedy to the negative externality of graves in or near private residences remains generally unacceptable. Providing readers with a clear understanding of tenants' priorities in their choice of housing, as well as a new approach to the negative externality of graves in the rented sector, the book will be of interest to policymakers, urban planners, investors in residential housing and land economists alike.

An essential resource for optimizing energy systems to enhance design capability, performance and sustainability Optimization of Energy Systems comprehensively describes the thermodynamic modelling, analysis and optimization of numerous types of energy systems in various applications. It provides a new understanding of the system and the process of defining proper objective functions for determination of the most suitable design parameters for achieving enhanced efficiency, cost effectiveness and sustainability. Beginning with a general summary of thermodynamics, optimization techniques and optimization methods for thermal components, the book goes on to describe how to determine the most appropriate design parameters for more complex energy systems using various optimization methods. The results of each chapter provide potential tools for design, analysis, performance improvement, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Key features: * Comprehensive coverage of the modelling, analysis and optimization of many energy systems for a variety of applications. * Examples, practical applications and case studies to put theory into practice. * Study problems at the end of each chapter that foster critical thinking and skill development. * Written in an easy-to-follow style, starting with simple systems and moving to advanced energy systems and their complexities. A unique resource for understanding cutting-edge research in the thermodynamic analysis and optimization of a wide range of energy systems, Optimization of Energy Systems is suitable for graduate and senior undergraduate students, researchers, engineers, practitioners, and scientists in the area of energy systems.

This book presents an overview of both the theory and experimental methods required to realize high efficiency solar absorber devices. It begins with a historical description of the study of spectrally selective solar absorber materials and structures based on optical principles and methods developed over the past few decades. The optical properties of metals and dielectric materials are addressed to provide the background necessary to achieve high performance of the solar absorber devices as applied in the solar energy field. In the following sections, different types of materials and structures, together with the relevant experimental methods, are discussed for practical construction and fabrication of the solar absorber devices, aiming to maximally harvest the solar energy while at the same time effectively suppressing the heat-emission loss. The optical principles and methods used to evaluate the performance of solar absorber devices with broad applications in different physical conditions are presented. The book is suitable for graduate students in applied physics, and provides a valuable reference for researchers working actively in the field of solar energy.

This book makes Hazardous or Electrical Area Classification simple. In plants processing flammable materials, every effort is made to avoid the escape of such materials and in addition, stringent measures are taken to exclude sources of ignition. A complex array of standards surround this topic which has lead to an overly conservative approach being taken. This type of approach means that much more expensive electrical apparatus than is necessary is installed.
To avoid this unnecessary expenditure, Dr Groh clearly explains the relevant standards, so that accurate assessment of the risks associated with hazardous areas is possible. He also identifies possible ignition sources and methods of designing apparatus which do not cause sparks thereby maintaining safety.
* Covers must-have information regarding IEC/CENELEC standards in electrical or hazardous area classification
* Provides a clear overview of a complex area

This book highlights the essential theoretical and practical aspects of lightning, lightning protection, safety and education. Additionally, several auxiliary topics that are required to understand the core themes are also included. The main objective of the contents is to enlighten the scientists, researchers, engineers and social activists (including policy makers) in developing countries regarding the key information related to lightning and thunderstorms. A majority of developing countries are in tropics where the lightning characteristics are somewhat different from those in temperate regions. The housing structures and power/communication networks, and human behavioural patterns(that depends on socio-economic parameters) in these countries are also different from those in the developed world. As the existing books on similar themes address only those scenarios in developed countries, this book serves a vast spectrum of readership in developing world who seek knowledge in the principles of lightning and a practical guidance on lightning protection and safety education.

Minimizing Energy Consumption, Energy Poverty and Global and Local Climate Change in the Built Environment: Innovating to Zero analyzes three major issues of the built environment, including the political, economic and technical contexts, the impacts of global and local climate change, and the technical and social characteristics of energy poverty. In addition, the book addresses the causes and reasons for the magnitude and characteristics of the built environment's energy consumption. Users will find a fresh view of energy consumption in the built environment, especially in relation to energy poverty and climate change from the ZERO energy world perspective.

This safety report publication provides specific guidance on the management of project risks in decommissioning. The publication proposes a systematic and pro-active approach on how to identify, analyse, evaluate, and treat relevant project risks at strategic and operational levels, and provides examples of application of the proposed approach.

This book presents an overview on security and privacy issues in dynamic sensor networks and Internet of Things (IoT) networks and provides a novel tamper evident technique to counter and defend against these security related issues. The mission of this book is to explain the evolution of techniques and strategies in securing information transfer and storage thus facilitating a digital transition towards the modern tamper evident systems. The goal is also to aid business organizations that are dependent on the analysis of the large volumes of generated data in securing and addressing the associated growing threat of attackers relentlessly waging attacks and the challenges in protecting the confidentiality, integrity and provenance of data. The book also provides a comprehensive insight into the secure communication techniques and tools that have evolved and the impact they have had in supporting and flourishing the business through the cyber era. This book also includes chapters that discuss the most primitive encryption schemes to the most recent use of homomorphism in ensuring the privacy of the data thus leveraging greater use of new technologies like cloud computing and others.

This publication presents the results of an IAEA coordinated research project which served as a forum for the establishment of a research reactor material properties database for irradiated core structural components that are important to safety. The database is a compilation of data from comprehensive literature reviews, coordinated research projects and experimental data from research reactors on changes in research reactor core structural material properties owing to irradiation. Such a structured database is a resource for those involved in the aging assessment of core materials used in RRs to ensure the reactor's continued safe operation and possible life extension. The publication describes the coordinated effort to provide a comprehensive background and relevant information on the properties of irradiated core structural materials for RRs and make these data available to the research reactor community. Use of the information provided will contribute to the safe and reliable long-term operation and lifetime extension of operating RRs, as well as to the design of new ones.

Accurate prediction of source term and modelling of severe accident progression by severe accident analysis codes is integral to the safe operation of water cooled reactors in both developing and developed Member States. The source term released to the environment during severe accidents, calculated by these codes, is utilized by specialized atmospheric transport codes to evaluate the transport of radionuclides in the environment. Though severe accident codes are comprehensively validated based on experiments, there remains disagreement among calculations performed using different codes for the same scenarios. Such differences and their causes are being explored by a number of organizations, including cooperation by developers through code to code benchmarks. Furthermore, severe accident phenomena model improvements are being made with insights from experiments and with the development of models to account for previously less understood phenomena. This publication summarizes the current status of severe accident analysis codes and recommends areas for research and development. The information is detailed in terms of major findings,

This publication discusses the development and application of a hierarchical structure of safety goals encompassing high level goals and detailed technical requirements that may assist in forming a coherent and consistent approach to nuclear safety. The suggested hierarchy of safety goals provides a practical approach to consistently embrace the set of safety-related requirements, both qualitative and quantitative, and develop the interconnections between them. Specifically, the structure supports adding country specific safety goals (e.g. risk metrics) to the overall safety considerations in a consistent manner. This process can be aided by reference to the IAEA Safety Standards.

Mindful of possible future limitations on the availability of uranium, the introduction of the thorium fuel cycle is potentially a complementary source of nuclear energy. This publication assimilates current knowledge of thorium geology and mineralization into a brief account on the worldwide occurrence of thorium resources. Although thorium is currently not commercially viable as a fuel, it is important to pre-emptively assess thorium related information should that situation change. Thus, the publication provides an overview of the variety of natural thorium deposit types with associated thorium geology and thorium resources. It reviews available data on thorium occurrences/deposits and thorium resources and presents a classification of deposits according to geological and economic criteria

This Open Access book examines the implications of welfare policy for energy poverty and engages with key conceptual debates at the forefront of energy demand research. Academic work on energy poverty has rarely been brought into conversation with practice-theory-based approaches to energy use and sustainability. This book reveals how novel insights can be made visible through combining these different ways of thinking about energy demand issues. It presents a distinctive approach to energy poverty that places inequalities at the heart of debates about the advancing energy intensity of contemporary societies.

Process Plant Operating Procedures presents an introduction to the theory and applications of procedure synthesis that is primarily concerned with the task of conjecturing the sequence of controller (or operator) actions needed to achieve designated operational goals in a given system. In order to facilitate practical implementation, the formal problem statement, two alternative approaches, their validation methods and a series of realistic examples are provided. The authors explore Petri nets and automata to identify the best paths leading to the specified goal of operation. The model-building methods for characterising all components in the given system, as well as the required control specifications, are explained with simple examples. The sequential control actions and the corresponding time schedule can then be identified accordingly. This book exposes practitioners to an important area of plant operations, teaching them effective approaches for procedure synthesis, enabling them to construct and solve scheduling models, and providing them with tools for simulation and validation of procedures and schedules. It is written for readers with a basic understanding of process design and control activities, and it will appeal to engineers in diverse fields with an interest in synthesizing operating procedures in process plants. Advances in Industrial Control reports and encourages the transfer of technology in control engineering. The rapid development of control technology has an impact on all areas of the control discipline. The series offers an opportunity for researchers to present an extended exposition of new work in all aspects of industrial control.

This book examines the economics of natural resource markets and pricing, as well as the field of natural resource economics in general. It presents the key contributions to this field of research, including the pioneering works and contemporary studies. The book highlights the basic principles and ideas underlying theoretical models of resource pricing. The models considered in the book underline the fundamental determinants of resource prices and the economic nature of rents for non-renewable and renewable resources. Besides the classical theory of exhaustible resource economics, the book includes several issues that are of high importance for global economic growth, such as the transition to alternative energy and the economics of climate change. The authors also consider the issues of commodity pricing and a resource cartel's activity that are relevant to the world oil market. The book provides analytical solutions illustrated with numerical examples. It allows an intuitive understanding of the subject and the model inferences through graphical illustrations and an informal introduction. It, therefore, is a must-read for everybody interested in a better understanding of resource prices, resource markets, and resource economics.

This book sheds light on the topic of financial water risk by examining the modeling challenges associated with physical, regulatory, and reputational water risk in finance. It explores various approaches to operationalize water risk from a financial analysis, investment management, and climate science perspective. The analysis of tools to assess water risk provides the basis for the development of appropriate risk-return management techniques in finance and beyond. This book provides new insights by focusing on financial water threats and their related opportunities. It will be of interest to both academics and practitioners who work at the interface of finance, economics, nature, and society.

As the world accelerates towards a renewable energy transition, the demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) for energy generation, conversion, and storage technologies is seeing a drastic increase. Such materials are not only subject to limited supply and extreme price volatility but can also represent serious burdens to the environment, to human health, and also to socio-political systems. Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, this book provides a novel perspective on the discussion about material dependencies of energy technologies. It examines CRMs use in fuel cells, an emerging energy conversion technology, and discusses governance strategies for early-stage fuel cell development to predict and avoid potential issues. This will be an invaluable resource for researchers in energy studies, engineering, sociology and political science as well as those with a general interest in this field looking for an accessible overview.