An intelligent broker agent for energy trading:an MDP approach

This paper details the development and evaluation of AstonTAC, an energy broker that successfully participated in the 2012 Power Trading Agent Competition (Power TAC). AstonTAC buys electrical energy from the wholesale market and sells it in the retail market. The main focus of the paper is on the broker’s bidding strategy in the wholesale market. In particular, it employs Markov Decision Processes (MDP) to purchase energy at low prices in a day-ahead power wholesale market, and keeps energy supply and demand balanced. Moreover, we explain how the agent uses Non-Homogeneous Hidden Markov Model (NHHMM) to forecast energy demand and price. An evaluation and analysis of the 2012 Power TAC finals show that AstonTAC is the only agent that can buy energy at low price in the wholesale market and keep energy imbalance low.

Outlook and application status of the Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems SOFC

Rolls-Royce fuel cell systems is developing megawatt scale power systems based on solid oxide fuel cell technology. The hybrid design promises to meet challenging energy efficiency, cost and performance targets in a grid friendly fashion. Analysis and testing to date indicate that those targets can be met and enable a wealth of fuel cell applications to meet customer and existing grid and modern grid requirements. Working with a global development team, a series of laboratory tests and evaluations are completed and future field test and evaluation and demonstration planned.

An evaluation of thermal plasmas in pyrometallurgy

The development of reliable, high powered plasma generators has resulted in many plasma processes being proposed as alternatives to existing pyrometallurgical technologies. This work evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of plasma systems by reviewing plasma generators, their integration with reactors and the process economics. Many plasma systems were shown to be technically and economically superior to existing technologies, but some of the plasma system advantages quoted in the literature were found to be impractical because of other system constraints. Process applications were limited by the power inputs available from plasma generators compared to AC electric furnaces. A series of trials were conducted where chromite and steelplant baghouse dusts were smelted in the Tetronics' 2.0 MW transferred arc/open bath reactor to confirm the operating characteristics of the plasma system and its economics. Chromite smelting was technical superior to submerged arc furnace technology, but the economics were unfavourable because of the limited power available from the water-cooled plasma torch and the high electrical energy consumption. A DC graphite electrode plasma furnace using preheated and prereduced chromite concentrates will compete economically with the submerged arc furnace. Ni, Cr and Mo were economically recovered from high alloy content steelplant dusts for recycling. Five Electric Arc Furnace dusts were smelted to produce a non-toxic residue and recover the contained zinc to an enriched zinc oxide product for recycling. It should be possible to condense the zinc vapour directly in a zinc splash condenser to increase the value of the product. Because of the limited power available from plasma generators, plasma processes will be most suitable for treating high and medium value materials such as Au, Pt, Mo, Ni, Ti, V, Cr etc at small production rates, heating metals in tundishes and ladles and remelting superalloy scrap. The treatment of environmentally hazardous waste materials is a particularly interesting application because of the additional financial incentives. Non-transferred arc plasma generators will be used for air and gas preheating in blast furnaces to reduce metallurgical coke consumptions.

Development of an integrated reverse osmosis-greenhouse system driven by solar photovoltaic generators

The development of a system that integrates reverse osmosis (RO) with a horticultural greenhouse has been advanced through laboratory experiments. In this concept, intended for the inland desalination of brackish groundwater in dry areas, the RO concentrate will be reduced in volume by passing it through the evaporative cooling pads of the greenhouse. The system will be powered by solar photovoltaics (PV). Using a solar array simulator, we have verified that the RO can operate with varying power input and recovery rates to meet the water demands for irrigation and cooling of a greenhouse in north-west India. Cooling requires ventilation by a fan which has also been built, tested and optimised with a PV module outdoors. Results from the experiments with these two subsystems (RO and fan) are compared to theoretical predictions to reach conclusions about energy usage, sizing and cost. For example, the optimal sizing for the RO system is 0.12–1.3 m2 of PV module per m2 of membrane, depending on feed salinity. For the fan, the PV module area equals that of the fan aperture. The fan consumes <30 J of electrical energy per m3 of air moved which is 3 times less than that of standard fans. The specific energy consumption of the RO, at 1–2.3 kWh ?m-3, is comparable to that reported by others. Now that the subsystems have been verifi ed, the next step will be to integrate and test the whole system in the field.

A cost-effective steam-driven RO plant for brackish groundwater

Desalination is a costly means of providing freshwater. Most desalination plants use either reverse osmosis (RO) or thermal distillation. Both processes have drawbacks: RO is efficient but uses expensive electrical energy; thermal distillation is inefficient but uses less expensive thermal energy. This work aims to provide an efficient RO plant that uses thermal energy. A steam-Rankine cycle has been designed to drive mechanically a batch-RO system that achieves high recovery, without the high energy penalty typically incurred in a continuous-RO system. The steam may be generated by solar panels, biomass boilers, or as an industrial by-product. A novel mechanical arrangement has been designed for low cost, and a steam-jacketed arrangement has been designed for isothermal expansion and improved thermodynamic efficiency. Based on detailed heat transfer and cost calculations, a gain output ratio of 69-162 is predicted, enabling water to be treated at a cost of 71 Indian Rupees/m3 at small scale. Costs will reduce with scale-up. Plants may be designed for a wide range of outputs, from 5 m3/day, up to commercial versions producing 300 m3/day of clean water from brackish groundwater.

New SR drive with integrated charging capacity for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) provide much promise in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, are a focal point of research and development. Existing on-board charging capacity is effective but requires the use of several power conversion devices and power converters, which reduce reliability and cost efficiency. This paper presents a novel three-phase switched reluctance (SR) motor drive with integrated charging functions (including internal combustion engine and grid charging). The electrical energy flow within the drivetrain is controlled by a power electronic converter with less power switching devices and magnetic devices. It allows the desired energy conversion between the engine generator, the battery, and the SR motor under different operation modes. Battery-charging techniques are developed to operate under both motor-driving mode and standstill-charging mode. During the magnetization mode, the machine's phase windings are energized by the dc-link voltage. The power converter and the machine phase windings are controlled with a three-phase relay to enable the use of the ac-dc rectifier. The power converter can work as a buck-boost-type or a buck-type dc-dc converter for charging the battery. Simulation results in MATLAB/Simulink and experiments on a 3-kW SR motor validate the effectiveness of the proposed technologies, which may have significant economic implications and improve the PHEVs' market acceptance.

Studies on the thermal decomposition behaviour, kinetics and electrical conductivity of the non-isothermal decomposition of pyridine mono carboxylic acids and some of their transition metal complexes

The thesis is divided into four chapters. They are: introduction, experimental, results and discussion about the free ligands and results and discussion about the complexes. The First Chapter, the introductory chapter, is a general introduction to the study of solid state reactions. The Second Chapter is devoted to the materials and experimental methods that have been used for carrying out tile experiments. TIle Third Chapter is concerned with the characterisations of free ligands (Picolinic acid, nicotinic acid, and isonicotinic acid) by using elemental analysis, IR spectra, X-ray diffraction, and mass spectra. Additionally, the thermal behaviour of free ligands in air has been studied by means of thermogravimetry (TG), derivative thermogravimetry (DTG), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. The behaviour of thermal decomposition of the three free ligands was not identical Finally, a computer program has been used for kinetic evaluation of non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry data according to a composite and single heating rate methods in comparison with the methods due to Ozawa and Kissinger methods. The most probable reaction mechanism for the free ligands was the Avrami-Erofeev equation (A) that described the solid-state nucleation-growth mechanism. The activation parameters of the decomposition reaction for free ligands were calculated and the results of different methods of data analysis were compared and discussed. The Fourth Chapter, the final chapter, deals with the preparation of cobalt, nickel, and copper with mono-pyridine carboxylic acids in aqueous solution. The prepared complexes have been characterised by analyses, IR spectra, X-ray diffraction, magnetic moments, and electronic spectra. The stoichiometry of these compounds was ML2x(H20), (where M = metal ion, L = organic ligand and x = water molecule). The environments of cobalt, nickel, and copper nicotinates and the environments of cobalt and nickel picolinates were octahedral, whereas the environment of copper picolinate [Cu(PA)2] was tetragonal. However, the environments of cobalt, nickel, and copper isonicotinates were polymeric octahedral structures. The morphological changes that occurred throughout the decomposition were followed by SEM observation. TG, DTG, and DSC measurements have studied the thermal behaviour of the prepared complexes in air. During the degradation processes of the hydrated complexes, the crystallisation water molecules were lost in one or two steps. This was also followed by loss of organic ligands and the metal oxides remained. Comparison between the DTG temperatures of the first and second steps of the dehydration suggested that the water of crystallisation was more strongly bonded with anion in Ni(II) complexes than in the complexes of Co(II) and Cu(II). The intermediate products of decomposition were not identified. The most probable reaction mechanism for the prepared complexes was also Avrami-Erofeev equation (A) characteristic of solid-state nucleation-growth mechanism. The tempemture dependence of conductivity using direct current was determined for cobalt, nickel, Cl.nd copper isonicotinates. An activation energy (ΔΕ), the activation energy (ΔΕ ) were calculated.The ternperature and frequency dependence of conductivity, the frequency dependence of dielectric constant, and the dielectric loss for nickel isonicotinate were determined by using altemating current. The value of s paralneter and the value of'density of state [N(Ef)] were calculated. Keyword Thermal decomposition, kinetic, electrical conduclion, pyridine rnono~ carboxylic acid, cOlnplex, transition metal compJex.

A study of the electrical and optical properties of unhydrogenated neon-sputtered amorphous silicon

Films of amorphous silicon (a-Si) were prepared by r.f. sputtering in a Ne plasma without the addition of hydrogen or a halogen. The d.c. dark electrical conductivity, he optical gap and the photoconductivity of the films were investigated for a range of preparation conditions, the sputtering gas pressure, P, the target-substrate spacing, d, the self-bias voltage, Vsb, on the target and the substrate temperature, Ts. The dependence of the electrical and optical properties on these conditions showed that various combinations of P, d and Vsb, at a constant Ts, giving the same product (Pd/V sb) result in films with similar properties, provided that P, d and Vsb remain vithin a certain range. Variation of Pd/Vsb between about 0.2 and 0.8 rrTorr.cm!V varied the dark conductivity over about 4 orders of magnitude, the optical gap by 0.5 eV and the photoconductivity over 4-5 orders of magnitude. This is attributed to controlling the density-of-states distribution in the mobility gap. The temperature-dependence of photoconductivity and the photoresponse of undoped films are in support of this conclusion. Films prepared at relatively high (Pd/Vsb) values and Ts=300 ºc: exhibited low dark-conductivity and high thermal activation energy, optical gap and photoresponse, characteristic properties of a 'low density-of-states material. P-type doping with group-Ill elements (Al, B and Ga) by sputtering from a composite target or from a predoped target (B-.doped) was investigated. The systematic variation of room-temperature conductivity over many orders of magnitude and a Fermi-level shift of about 0.7 eV towards the valence-band edge suggest that substitutional doping had taken place. The effects of preparation conditions on doping efficiency were also investigated. The post-deposition annealing of undoped and doped films were studied for a temperature range from 250 ºC to 470 ºC. It was shown that annealing enhanced the doping efficiency considerably, although it had little effect on the basic material (a-Si) prepared at the optimum conditions (Pd/Vsb=0.8 mTorr.cm/V and Ts=300 $ºC). Preliminary experiments on devices imply potential applications of the present material, such as p-n and MS junctions.

Drying processess in the United Kingdom:assessment of industrial energy utilisation and efficiency of drying systems and the modelling of drying characters using neural networks (BL)

Drying is an important unit operation in process industry. Results have suggested that the energy used for drying has increased from 12% in 1978 to 18% of the total energy used in 1990. A literature survey of previous studies regarding overall drying energy consumption has demonstrated that there is little continuity of methods and energy trends could not be established. In the ceramics, timber and paper industrial sectors specific energy consumption and energy trends have been investigated by auditing drying equipment. Ceramic products examined have included tableware, tiles, sanitaryware, electrical ceramics, plasterboard, refractories, bricks and abrasives. Data from industry has shown that drying energy has not varied significantly in the ceramics sector over the last decade, representing about 31% of the total energy consumed. Information from the timber industry has established that radical changes have occurred over the last 20 years, both in terms of equipment and energy utilisation. The energy efficiency of hardwood drying has improved by 15% since the 1970s, although no significant savings have been realised for softwood. A survey estimating the energy efficiency and operating characteristics of 192 paper dryer sections has been conducted. Drying energy was found to increase to nearly 60% of the total energy used in the early 1980s, but has fallen over the last decade, representing 23% of the total in 1993. These results have demonstrated that effective energy saving measures, such as improved pressing and heat recovery, have been successfully implemented since the 1970s. Artificial neural networks have successfully been applied to model process characteristics of microwave and convective drying of paper coated gypsum cove. Parameters modelled have included product moisture loss, core gypsum temperature and quality factors relating to paper burning and bubbling defects. Evaluation of thermal and dielectric properties have highlighted gypsum's heat sensitive characteristics in convective and electromagnetic regimes. Modelling experimental data has shown that the networks were capable of simulating drying process characteristics to a high degree of accuracy. Product weight and temperature were predicted to within 0.5% and 5C of the target data respectively. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the underlying properties of the data could be predicted through a high level of input noise.

Electrical charge effect on osmotic flow through pores

An electrostatic model for osmotic flow through circular cylindrical pores is developed to describe the reflection coefficient for the membrane transport in the presence of surface charges on the pore wall and the solute. For a spherical solute placed at an arbitrary radial position in the pore, the electrical potential was computed by a spectral element method applied to the Poisson-Boltzmann equation together with the condition of electrical neutrality. The interaction energy between the surface charges was used to estimate the osmotic reflection coefficient. The proposed model predicts that even for a small Debye length compared to the pore radius, the repulsive electrostatic interaction between the surface charges could significantly increase the osmotic flow through the pore.

A micro industry with closed energy and water cycles for sustainable rural development

Sustainable development requires combining economic viability with energy and environment conservation and ensuring social benefits. It is conceptualized that for designing a micro industry for sustainable rural industrialization, all these aspects should be integrated right up front. The concept includes; (a) utilization of local produce for value addition in a cluster of villages and enhancing income of the target population; (b) use of renewable energy and total utilization of energy generated by co and trigeneration (combining electric power production with heat utilization for heating and cooling); (c) conservation of water and complete recycling of effluents; (d) total utilization of all wastes for achieving closure towards a zero waste system. Enhanced economic viability and sustainability is achieved by integration of appropriate technologies into the industrial complex. To prove the concept, a model Micro Industrial Complex (MIC) has been set up in a semi arid desert region in Rajasthan, India at village Malunga in Jodhpur district. A biomass powered boiler and steam turbine system is used to generate 100-200 KVA of electric power and high energy steam for heating and cooling processes downstream. The unique feature of the equipment is a 100-150 kW back-pressure steam turbine, utilizing 3-4 tph (tonnes per hour) steam, developed by M/s IB Turbo. The biomass boiler raises steam at about 20 barg 3 tph, which is passed through a turbine to yield about 150 kW of electrical power. The steam let out at a back pressure of 1-3 barg has high exergy and this is passed on as thermal energy (about 2 MW), for use in various applications depending on the local produce and resources. The biomass fuel requirement for the boiler is 0.5-0.75 tph depending on its calorific value. In the current model, the electricity produced is used for running an oil expeller to extract castor oil and the castor cake is used as fuel in the boiler. The steam is used in a Multi Effect Distillation (MED) unit for drinking water production and in a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM) for cooling, for banana ripening application. Additional steam is available for extraction of herbs such as mint and processing local vegetables. In this paper, we discuss the financial and economic viability of the system and show how the energy, water and materials are completely recycled and how the benefits are directed to the weaker sections of the community.

Public policy and electrical-grid sector innovation

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the manner in which technological innovation in the European electrical-grid sector has developed by focusing, in particular, on the effect of public policy on innovation. To achieve this aim, this paper highlights how technological innovation and development progressed from the 1960s to the 1980s, and contrasts this period with the deregulated/privatization environment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a series of in-depth multiple company case studies of grid companies, some of their suppliers and other actors in their broader business network. Empirical data were collected through 55 interviews. Findings – The authors find that a phase of mutual collaboration was encouraged in the first period, which led to strong technological innovation with a focus on product quality and the development of functionality. Buyers played a pivotal role in the development of products and posed technical requirements. In contrast, the current role of the buyer has transformed principally into one of evaluating competing bids for specific projects. Today, buyers face increasing pressure to substantially lower CO2 emissions and transform the energy grid system. These goals are difficult to achieve without a new way of thinking about innovation. Research limitations/implications – Models to achieve innovation must not only focus on individual research projects; instead, the innovation should be factored into normal business dealings in the supply chain. Practical implications – We propose that policymakers and regulators need to: accommodate for innovation and address the collaborative elements of innovation when developing policies and regulations. Furthermore, regulators have the option of either developing a strategic vision for the electrical-grid network or incorporating sustainability into the evaluation of electrical grids and, thus, consumers’ willingness to pay. Originality/value – This paper makes a distinctive contribution in the area of innovation for electrical grids. Our paper shows how innovation and the development of new technology for electrical grids changed over time. Furthermore, this paper describes the energy sector in terms of a business network comprising the different actors involved in innovation and development and, thus, their role in the energy supply chain.

Biomass fast pyrolysis energy balance of a 1kg/h test rig

The present paper offers a methodological approach towards the estimation and definition of enthalpies constituting an energy balance around a fast pyrolysis experiment conducted in a laboratory scale fluid bed with a capacity of 1 kg/ h. Pure N2 was used as fluidization medium at atmospheric pressure and the operating temperature (∼500°C) was adjusted with electrical resistors. The biomass feedstock type that was used was beech wood. An effort was made to achieve a satisfying 92.5% retrieval of products (dry basis mass balance) with the differences mainly attributed to loss of some bio-oil constituents into the quenching medium, ISOPAR™. The chemical enthalpy recovery for bio-oil, char and permanent gases is calculated 64.6%, 14.5% and 7.1%, respectively. All the energy losses from the experimental unit into the environment, namely the pyrolyser, cooling unit etc. are discussed and compared to the heat of fast pyrolysis that was calculated at 1123.5 kJ per kg of beech wood. This only represents 2.4% of the biomass total enthalpy or 6.5% its HHV basis. For the estimation of some important thermo-physical properties such as heat capacity and density, it was found that using data based on the identified compounds from the GC/MS analysis is very close to the reference values despite the small fraction of the bio-oil components detected. The methodology and results can help as a starting point for the proper design of fast pyrolysis experiments, pilot and/or industrial scale plants.

Comparison of cost- and energy-efficient signal modulations for next generation passive optical networks

Extensive numerical investigations are undertaken to analyze and compare, for the first time, the performance, techno-economy, and power consumption of three-level electrical Duobinary, optical Duobinary, and PAM-4 modulation formats as candidates for high-speed next-generation PONs supporting downstream 40 Gb/s per wavelength signal transmission over standard SMFs in C-band. Optimization of transceiver bandwidths are undertaken to show the feasibility of utilizing low-cost and band-limited components to support next-generation PON transmissions. The effect of electro-absorption modulator chirp is examined for electrical Duobinary and PAM-4. Electrical Duobinary and optical Duobinary are powerefficient schemes for smaller transmission distances of 10 km SMFs and optical Duobinary offers the best receiver sensitivity albeit with a relatively high transceiver cost. PAM-4 shows the best power budget and costefficiency for larger distances of around 20 km, although it consumes more power. Electrical Duobinary shows the best trade-off between performance, cost and power dissipation.

Thermography-based virtual MPPT scheme for improving PV energy efficiency under partial shading conditions

This paper proposes a new thermography-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) scheme to address photovoltaic (PV) partial shading faults. Solar power generation utilizes a large number of PV cells connected in series and in parallel in an array, and that are physically distributed across a large field. When a PV module is faulted or partial shading occurs, the PV system sees a nonuniform distribution of generated electrical power and thermal profile, and the generation of multiple maximum power points (MPPs). If left untreated, this reduces the overall power generation and severe faults may propagate, resulting in damage to the system. In this paper, a thermal camera is employed for fault detection and a new MPPT scheme is developed to alter the operating point to match an optimized MPP. Extensive data mining is conducted on the images from the thermal camera in order to locate global MPPs. Based on this, a virtual MPPT is set out to find the global MPP. This can reduce MPPT time and be used to calculate the MPP reference voltage. Finally, the proposed methodology is experimentally implemented and validated by tests on a 600-W PV array.