Environmental evaluation of cogeneration scenarios in sugar industry

The development of new techniques that allow the analysis and optimization of energy systems bearing in mind environmental issues is indispensable in a world with finite natural resources and growing demand of energy. Among the energy systems that deserve special attention, cogeneration in the sugar industry must be pointed out, because it uses efficiently a common fuel for generation of useful heat and power. Within this frame, thermoeconomical optimization - 2nd Law of Thermodynamics analysis by exergy function and economic evaluation of the thermal system - gradually is taking importance as a powerful tool to assist to the decision making process. Also, the explicit consideration of environmental issues offers a better way to explore trade-offs between different aspects to support the decisions that must be made. In this work it is used the technique of Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) which allows to consider environmental matters as an integral part of the problem, in opposite to most of the environmental approaches that only reduce residuals generation , without taking into account impacts associated to other related processes. On the other hand, the consideration of environmental issues in optimization of energy systems is a novel and promissory contribution in the state of the art of energy optimization and LCA. The system under study is a sugar plant of Tucumán (Argentina) given the particular importance that this industry had inside the regional economy of the Argentinean Northwest. Although cogeneration comes being used a while ago in sugar industry, being the main objective the generation of heat and as secondary objective the electric power generation and mechanic power to cover several needs of working machineries, to the date it is no available a versatile tool that allows to analyze economical feasible alternatives bearing in mind environmental issues. At sugar plants, steam is generated in boilers using as fuel bagasse - cellulosic fiber waste obtained crushing the sugar cane- and it is used to give useful heat and shaft work to the plant, but it can also be used to generate electricity with export opportunities to the electrical network. The great number of process alternatives outlines a serious decision making problem in order to take advantage of the resources. Although the problem turns out to be a mixed non-linear problem (MINLP), the main contribution of this work is the development of a hybrid strategy to evaluate cogeneration alternatives that combines optimization approaches with environmental indicators. This powerful tool for its versatility and robustness to analyze cogeneration systems, will be of great help in the decision making process, because of their easy implementation to analyze the kind of problems presented in the sugar industry.

Avaliação termodinâmica, termoeconômica e econômica da integração de sistemas de gaseificação da biomassa em uma usina sucroalcooleira

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Geração de energia através da biodigestão anaeróbica da vinhaça

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEB

Incorporation of hydrogen production process in a sugar cane industry: Steam reforming of ethanol

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Análise teórica de caldeiras de incineração de resíduos sólidos municipais

The discussion about possibility of deployment of MSW incineration boilers to generate electricity in Brazil is the major topic of this paper. In this article are showed some advantages and disadvantages of this technology, as well as a methodology for the estimate of area for the main equipments of a steam generator for a boiler incineration

Geração de energia elétrica a partir da concentração solar

The current world's need for clean and renewable energy sources aligned with the strong Brazilian growth looking to diversify its electric power generation sources, highly dependent on hydropower and petroleum encourages the implementation of technologies that reach this growth with diversity and cleaning. The sun energy source is considered inexhaustible and can meet the demand for energy through thermo solar plants to generate electricity. Several technologies are being studied and developed in the world and they can be used to generate electricity from the solar concentration, but in Brazil its use is still not found commercially. It is therefore essential to understand these technologies and develop knowledge about them so they can be implemented in Brazil. This work brings an overview of the thermo solar generation in Brazil, showing the different technologies and a thermodynamic simulation of one of such technologies considering a hybrid plant with complementary generation biomass, aiming at the generation of 1 MW in the Brazilian Northeast

O papel do gás de petróleo na matriz de energia elétrica brasileira - presente e futuro

This paper presents a study based on literature and examples found on literature of the potential of petroleum gas to be used as a primary source to generate electricity. The steady increase electricity demand in Brazil makes desirable an effective use of all available primary sources, combined with this need the momentum of the country with the discovery of the presalt reserves becomes interesting the use of this gas, often wasted, for generating electricity. The electricity generation in this work is illustrated by the cogeneration in oil refining plants that have the combined cycle thermal operation. The ultimate goal is to provide a text to identify the advantages, disadvantages and trends of this type of generation

Assessment of dry residual biomass potential for use as alternative energy source in the party of General Pueyrredon, Argentina

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Geração de energia por microturbina alimentada à biogás em uma propriedade rural: estudo de caso

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise da viabilidade do uso de biogás gerado a partir de dejetos bovinos em microturbinas para fins de geração, cogeração e trigeração de energia

The use of digesters has become an important alternative for the proper disposal of organic agricultural wastes, serving as a solution to some environmental and health problems. Furthermore, the process of digestion provides commercially valuable by products such as biogas and bio fertilizer. The generation of biogas from agricultural waste, and its use in power generation systems has aroused great interest in rural areas because it enables supply in whole or in large part the energy demand of ownership by reducing production costs. The advent of technology has brought new forms of energy conversion of biogas, as the use of micro turbines specifies to be fuelled with biogas derived from the decomposition of organic matter in digesters, since it has a low level of methane in its composition, and high degree of impurities such as hydrogen sulphide, which are harmful to equipment and reduce the calorific value of biogas. The use of micro turbines behind other advantages like low emissions, great fuel flexibility and low maintenance. This paper presents an analysis of the feasibility of using biogas generated from cattle manure in micro turbines to generate electricity. Behind also an assessment of the energy potential that each animal has on various uses of biogas, and forms of energy recovery from the exhaust gases of the micro turbine. Also conducts an evaluation of the energy savings that the use of biogas aggregates properties.

Células-combustível a etanol direto embarcadas em aeronaves: estudo de utilização e recuperação de calor residual

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Splice variants of the human ZC3H14 gene generate multiple isoforms of a zinc finger polyadenosine RNA binding protein

The human ZC3H14 gene encodes an evolutionarily conserved Cys(3)His zinc finger protein that binds specifically to polyadenosine RNA and is thus postulated to modulate post-transcriptional gene expression. Expressed sequence tag (EST) data predicts multiple splice variants of both human and mouse ZC3H14. Analysis of ZC3H14 expression in both human cell lines and mouse tissues confirms the presence of multiple alternatively spliced transcripts. Although all of these transcripts encode protein isoforms that contain the conserved C-terminal zinc finger domain, suggesting that they could all bind to polyadenosine RNA, they differ in other functionally important domains. Most of the alternative transcripts encode closely related proteins (termed isoforms 1, 2. 3, and 3short) that differ primarily in the inclusion of three small exons, 9, 10, and 11, resulting in predicted protein isoforms ranging from 82 to 64 kDa. Each of these closely related isoforms contains predicted classical nuclear localization signals (cNLS) within exons 7 and 11. Consistent with the presence of these putative nuclear targeting signals, these ZC3H14 isoforms are all localized to the nucleus. In contrast, an additional transcript encodes a smaller protein (34 kDa) with an alternative first exon (isoform, 4). Consistent with the absence of the predicted cNLS motifs located in exons 7 and 11, ZC3H14 isoform 4 is localized to the cytoplasm. Both EST data and experimental data suggest that this variant is enriched in testes and brain. Using an antibody that detects endogenous ZC3H14 isoforms 1-3 reveals localization of these isoforms to nuclear speckles. These speckles co-localize with the splicing factor, SC35, suggesting a role for nuclear ZC3H14 in mRNA processing. Taken together, these results demonstrate that multiple transcripts encoding several ZC3H14 isoforms exist in vivo. Both nuclear and cytoplasmic ZC3H14 isoforms could have distinct effects on gene expression mediated by the common Cys(3)His zinc finger polyadenosine RNA binding domain. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of a molten carbonate fuel cell: cogeneration to produce electricity and cold water

The fuel cell is an emerging cogeneration technology that has been applied successfully in Japan, the USA and some countries in the European Union. This system performs direct conversion of the chemical energy of the oxidation of hydrogen from fuel with atmospheric oxygen into direct current electricity and waste heat via an electrochemical process relying on the use of different electrolytes (phosphoric acid, molten carbonate and solid oxide, depending on operating temperature). This technology permits the recovery of waste heat, available from 200 degreesC up to 1000 degreesC depending on the electrolyte technology, which can be used in the production of steam, hot or cold water, or hot or cold air, depending on the associated recuperation equipment. In this paper, an energy, exergy and economic analysis of a fuel cell cogeneration system (FCCS) is presented. The FCCS is applied in a segment of the tertiary sector to show that it is a feasible alternative for rational decentralized energy production under Brazilian conditions. The technoeconomic analysis shows a global efficiency or fuel utilization efficiency of 86%. Analysis shows that the exergy losses in the fuel cell unit and the absorption refrigeration system are significant. Furthermore, the payback period estimated is about 3 and 5 years for investments in fuel cells of 1000 and 1500 US$/kW, respectively. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electricity, hot water and cold water production from biomass. Energetic and economical analysis of the compact system of cogeneration run with woodgas from a small downdraft gasifier

Wood gasification technologies to convert the biomass into fuel gas stand out. on the other hand, producing electrical energy from stationary engine is widely spread, and its application in rural communities where the electrical network doesn't exist is very required. The recovery of exhaust gases (engine) is a possibility that makes the system attractive when compared with the same components used to obtain individual heat such as electric power. This paper presents an energetic alternative to adapt a fixed bed gasifier with a compact cogeneration system in order to cover electrical and thermal demands in a rural area and showing an energy solution for small social communities using renewable fuels. Therefore, an energetic and economical analysis from a cogeneration system producing electric energy, hot and cold water, using wooden gas as fuel from a small-sized gasifier was calculated. The energy balance that includes the energy efficiency (electric generation as well as hot and cold water system; performance coefficient and the heat exchanger, among other items), was calculated. Considering the annual interest rates and the amortization periods, the costs of production of electrical energy, hot and cold water were calculated, taking into account the investment, the operation and the maintenance cost of the equipments. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How the interplay between individual spatial memory and landscape persistence can generate population distribution patterns

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)