Search Results (112)

Biodiesel has emerged as a progressively widespread and significant alternative to traditional diesel fuel within the transportation sector. Despite its growing popularity, the issue of corrosive tendencies upon interaction with both moving and static components of diesel engines and fuel systems poses a serious concern. This research endeavors to assess the corrosion characteristics of materials commonly found in automotive fuel systems when exposed to various blends of rapeseed oil biodiesel and diesel. The study involved static immersion tests, lasting 3360 h at room temperature, using B0, B20, B40, B60, B80, and B100 fuels. Copper, brass, aluminum, zinc, and stainless steel plate samples were subjected to these tests. The evaluation at the conclusion of the study included weight loss measurements, corrosion rate calculations, and observation of changes in the exposed metal surfaces. Surface morphology was scrutinized using a Bresser LCD MICRO 5MP digital microscope. Additionally, the total acid number (TAN) was employed to assess alterations in fuel acidity before and after the immersion tests. Full article

Tropical firewood species are of foremost importance for charcoal production worldwide. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the moisture content of tropical fuelwood on charcoal production in modified Argentinean half-orange kilns in terms of yield, quality, and economic viability. Ten tropical species from the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, were selected for charcoal production. The data were analyzed using a completely randomized design. The moisture content of the firewood was 48.99–79.31%. Temperatures close to 500 °C were obtained in the three kilns, as well as production yields of 28% with a consumption of 6.4 m³ of firewood and 38% with a consumption of 4.5–5 m³. Charcoal moisture values of less than 8%, volatile material of 20–30%, ash < 8%, fixed carbon of 60–70%, and higher heating values of 28–30 MJ kg⁻¹ were obtained. Burn I obtained the highest energy yield of 54%, with a production of 20.87 MWh of charcoal recovered. The production cost of the kiln for the producer is USD 0.00825 (MXN 0.16) per MJ. Full article

Kluyveromyces marxianus is an attractive thermotolerant yeast species for ethanol production because of its ability to utilize various carbon sources as a fermentation substrate. The use of thermotolerant microorganisms enables the performance of high-temperature ethanol fermentation, which has several advantages, including the reduction of cooling costs and minimization of contamination risks. To improve K. marxianus for ethanol fermentation under stress conditions, two strains, DMKU 3-1042 and DMKU 3-118, were adapted for heat resistance and resistance to toxic substances in pulp wastewater from a paper mill, respectively, resulting in the generation of KMR1042 and KMR118, respectively. Both adapted mutants exhibited clumpy clusters of cells as pseudo-hyphae and altered colony morphology, and their sedimentation speeds were much faster than those of the corresponding parent strains. The two mutants showed stronger tolerance to various stresses and higher performance for ethanol production than those of the corresponding parent strains at high temperatures or in the presence of toxic substances. Genome sequencing analysis revealed that both mutants had disruption of the same gene, SWI5, despite adaptation under different stress conditions, suggesting that the formation of pseudo-hyphae is a common strategy of K. marxianus for coping with stresses. Full article

As the need to minimize environmental impacts continues to rise, it is essential to incorporate, advance, and adopt renewable energy sources and materials to attain climate neutrality in industrial operations. It is established that economic growth is built upon infrastructure, where the cement industry plays a crucial role. However, it is also known that this industry is actively looking for ways to transition toward low-carbon practices to encourage sustainable and environmentally conscious practices. To this end, the use of refuse-derived fuels to substitute fossil fuels is very appealing, as these have the potential to lower clinker production costs and CO₂ emissions. Bearing this in mind, the primary objective of this work is to gain insights into the combustion behavior in an industrial rotary kiln by studying real-life scenarios and to assess the potential of substituting alternative fuels for fossil fuels to reduce CO₂ emissions. A 3D CFD turbulent combustion model was formulated in Ansys^® considering a Pillard NOVAFLAM^® burner, where refuse-derived and petcoke fuels were used, and different secondary air mass flows were considered. From the obtained results, it was possible to conclude that the outcome of the combustion process is greatly influenced by the fuel-to-air ratio. Increasing the secondary air mass flow promotes the occurrence of a complete and efficient combustion process, leading to enhanced fuel conversion and the decreased formation of pollutants such as CO, soot, and unburned hydrocarbons. An increase in combustion efficiency from 93% to 96% was observed, coupled with a slight decrease in the pollutant mass fraction in the flue gas. Full article

We investigated the effects of blending dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethanol with commercial gasoline on combustion characteristics. Our experimental approach involved using a rapid compression and expansion machine (RCEM) to achieve elevated temperatures and pressures. The fuels containing different volumes of oxygenated hydrocarbons were burned at equivalence ratios of 1.0 or 0.7, an initial temperature of 340 K, and initial pressures of 0.10 or 0.05 MPa. To simulate knocking phenomena, we installed a rectangular channel in the combustion chamber of the RCEM and measured the pressure history inside the chamber. By analyzing the pressure history resulting from the end-gas autoignition, we evaluated the combustion duration and maximum pressure amplitude. Blending both oxygenated fuels with gasoline effectively reduced the maximum-pressure amplitude in the end-gas autoignition, with ethanol exhibiting a more pronounced suppression effect compared to DMC in the same volumetric mixing ratio. At an initial pressure of 0.10 MPa, the combustion durations of DMC/gasoline blends showed non-linear behavior, being shorter than those of pure gasoline and DMC and comparable to those of the ethanol/gasoline blends. However, the blending effect of DMC on combustion durations was greatly mitigated when the initial pressure was reduced to 0.05 MPa. Conversely, the combustion durations for ethanol/gasoline blends showed a nearly monotonic reduction with an increase in the ethanol blending ratio at both initial pressures of 0.10 and 0.05 MPa. Finally, we discussed the differential impact of the blending effect of oxygenated hydrocarbons on combustion characteristics. Full article

The growing popularity of unconventional wells has led to increased interest in assessing and predicting their production performance. These wells, with their extended-reach structures, are able to generate and access larger reservoir volumes. Therefore, understanding the impact of a well’s lateral trajectory on its transient production performance is crucial. This study investigates the effect of lateral-trajectory undulation amplitude on flow behavior based on the experimental results obtained at the University of North Dakota using an undulated two-phase (UTP) flow loop. The experiments involved injecting an air-and-water mixture through a section with variable undulation amplitude followed by a vertical section. The results revealed that the increasing undulation amplitude resulted in lower translational velocity, frequency, and length, with consistent slug acceleration along the system profile. Additionally, the frequency of slugs decreased as they traveled through the vertical section. The measured data indicated that higher undulation amplitudes led to increased horizontal pressure losses and variability, suggesting larger instabilities. The numerical simulations predicted lower translational velocity and frequency, longer slug length, and similar vertical pressure losses when compared to the experimental results. Full article

The net-effective stress is a fundamental physical property that undergoes dynamic changes in response to variations in pore pressure during production and injection activities. Petrophysical properties, including porosity, permeability, and wave velocities, play a critical role and exhibit strong dependence on the mechanical stress state of the formation. The Williston basin’s Bakken Formation represents a significant reservoir of hydrocarbons within the United States. To investigate this formation, we extracted core plugs from three distinct Bakken members, namely Upper Bakken, Middle Bakken, and Lower Bakken. Subsequently, we conducted a series of measurements of ultrasonic compressional and shear wave velocities, as well as pulse decay permeabilities using nitrogen, under various confining pressures employing the Autolab-1500 apparatus. Our experimental observations revealed that the ultrasonic wave velocities and permeability display a significant sensitivity to stress changes. We investigated existing empirical relationships on velocity-effective stress, compressional-shear wave velocities, and permeability-effective stress, and proposed the best models and associated fitting parameters applicable to the current datasets. In conjunction with the acquired datasets, these models have considerable potential for use in time-lapse seismic monitoring and the study of production decline behavior. The best fitting models can be used to forecast the petrophysical and geomechanical property changes as the reservoir pore pressure is depleted due to the production, which is critical to the production forecast for unconventional reservoirs. Full article

Fishbone drilling (FbD) involves drilling multiple micro-holes branching out in various directions from the primary vertical or deviated wellbore. FbD is similar to multilateral micro-hole drilling and can be employed to boost hydrocarbon production in naturally fractured formations or during refracturing operations by connecting existing natural fractures. Key design elements in fishbones include determining the number, length, and spacing between the branches, and the angle at which the branches deviate from the main borehole. Fishbone wells have emerged as a promising technology for improving well performance and reducing environmental impact. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of the different applications of fishbone wells in conventional and renewable energy systems. We discuss the potential of fishbone wells for enhanced oil and gas recovery, as well as their application in unconventional resources such as coal bed methane. Moreover, we examine the feasibility of fishbone wells in renewable energy systems, such as geothermal energy and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). We highlight the various benefits of fishbone wells, including reduced carbon footprint, enhanced efficiency, and increased sustainability. Finally, we discuss the challenges and limitations associated with fishbone wells in different energy systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the potential and challenges of fishbone wells in reducing carbon footprint and improving well performance in a wide range of energy systems. Full article

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is considered a toxic and corrosive gas, commonly found in natural gas, crude oil, and other fossil fuels. This corrosive gas may lead to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). This phenomenon is caused by the combined influence of tensile stress and a corrosive environment. This may lead to the sudden failure of normally ductile metal alloys, especially at an elevated temperature. Desulfurization is the process of removing H₂S from these fuels to reduce their harmful environmental and health impacts. Ionic liquids (ILs) have shown great potential for application as liquid absorbents for H₂S extraction because of their advantages such as non-volatility, functionality, high carbon solubility and low energy requirements for regeneration. The proposed hydrogen sulfide extraction system consists of a tube, membrane and shell. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (emim)-based ionic liquids with bis-(trifluoromethyl) sulfonylimide (NTf2) anion has been selected due to its high H₂S diffusion coefficient. Functionalized graphene oxide (GO) advanced membranes have been employed in this design. In this research, H₂S extraction with ionic liquids has been numerically studied. The COMSOL finite element and multi-physics code has been employed to solve the continuity, turbulent fluid flow (k-ε model), and transient diffusion equations. For small time periods, there is sharp gradient in H₂S concentration profile inside the shell section. This is because the diffusion coefficient of H₂S in the ionic liquid is very small and the shell section is much thicker than the membrane. It has been determined that H₂S is absorbed almost completely by ionic liquids after a time period of 30,000 s. Full article

The cost of transport decarbonisation matters, yet little information is available. Policies need to reflect the costs to society. The European Union relies on the PRIMES model, a private model with limited transparency. Our research revealed its methodological deficiencies. Based on a revised PRIMES model, modelling was carried out and compared with an official impact assessment prepared for a key EU policy. Our modelling results indicate that crop-based bioethanol has negative abatement costs, biodiesel and biomethane have costs below 100 EUR/tCO2eq, electromobility falls in the range of 100–150 EUR/tCO2eq, cellulosic ethanol has costs above 200 EUR/tCO2eq, while advanced biodiesel has costs above 300 EUR/tCO2eq. Our results on carbon abatement costs suggest that policy-making has often been based on outdated modelling in the EU. With regard to transport decarbonisation policies, a large number of recent energy and climate proposals by the European Commission seem to have been misguided. Full article

Fracture porosity is crucial for storage and production efficiency in fractured tight reservoirs. Geophysical image logs using resistivity measurements have traditionally been used for fracture characterization. This study aims to develop a novel, hybrid machine-learning method to predict fracture porosity using conventional well logs in the Ahnet field, Algeria. Initially, we explored an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model for regression analysis. To overcome the limitations of ANN, we proposed a hybrid model combining Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification and ANN regression, resulting in improved fracture porosity predictions. The models were tested against logging data by combining the Machine Learning approach with advanced logging tools recorded in two wells. In this context, we used electrical image logs and the dipole acoustic tool, which allowed us to identify 404 open fractures and 231 closed fractures and, consequently, to assess the fracture porosity. The results were then fed into two machine-learning algorithms. Pure Artificial Neural Networks and hybrid models were used to obtain comprehensive results, which were subsequently tested to check the accuracy of the models. The outputs obtained from the two methods demonstrate that the hybridized model has a lower Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) than pure ANN. The results of our approach strongly suggest that incorporating hybridized machine learning algorithms into fracture porosity estimations can contribute to the development of more trustworthy static reservoir models in simulation programs. Finally, the combination of Machine Learning (ML) and well log analysis made it possible to reliably estimate fracture porosity in the Ahnet field in Algeria, where, in many places, advanced logging data are absent or expensive. Full article

Biogas and hydrogen (H₂) are breaking through as alternative energy sources in road transport, specifically for heavy-duty vehicles. Until a public network of service stations is deployed for such vehicles, the owners of large fleets will need to build and manage their own refueling facilities. Fleet refueling management and remote monitoring at these sites will become key business needs. This article describes the construction of a prototype system capable of solving those needs. During the design and development process of the prototype, the standard industry protocols involved in these installations have been considered, and the latest expertise in information technology systems has been applied. This prototype has been essential to determine the Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities and Risks (SCOR) of such a system, which is the first step of a more ambitious project. A second stage will involve setting up a pilot study and developing a commercial system that can be widely installed to provide a real solution for the industry. Full article

The present study aims to analyze the performance characteristics of the biogas dry reforming process conducted in a membrane reactor using Ni/Cr catalysts and to compare these characteristics with those obtained using pure Ni catalysts. The effect of the pre-set reaction temperature, the molar ratio of CH₄:CO₂ and the pressure difference between the reaction chamber and the sweep chamber on the characteristics of biogas dry reforming is analyzed. In the present work, the molar ratio of the supplied CH₄:CO₂ is varied to 1.5:1, 1:1 and 1:1.5. In this case, CH₄:CO₂ = 1.5:1 simulates a biogas. The pressure difference between the reaction chamber and the sweep chamber is varied to 0 MPa, 0.010 MPa and 0.020 MPa. The reaction temperature is changed to 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C. It is revealed that the highest concentration of H₂ is achieved using a Ni/Cr catalyst when the molar ratio of CH₄:CO₂ is 1.5:1 at the differential pressure of 0.010 MPa and the reaction temperature of 600 °C. Under this condition, the H₂ yield, H₂ selectivity and thermal efficiency are 12.8%, 17.5% and 174%, respectively. The concentration of the H₂ produced using a Ni/Cr catalyst is larger than that produced using a Ni catalyst regardless of the pre-set reaction temperature, the molar ratio of CH₄:CO₂ and the differential pressure. Full article

Detecting and identifying hydrogen gas leakage before a potential disaster is a critical safety concern. To address this issue, a low-cost and simple-design sensor is required with high response and fast sensing time, capable of detecting hydrogen gas even at low concentrations of 5–500 ppm. This study investigates the use of magnetron-sputtered SnO₂ thin films with palladium as a catalytic layer to achieve better sensing output. The developed Pd-caped SnO₂ thin film sensors showed increased sensitivity with increasing thickness, up to 246.1 nm at an operating temperature of 250 °C. The sensor with a thickness of 246.1 nm exhibited excellent selectivity for H₂ gas, even in humid conditions, and was able to distinguish it from other gases such as CO, NH₃, and NO₂. The sensor demonstrated high response (99%) with a response/recovery time of 58 s/35 s for (5–500 ppm) hydrogen gas. The sensor showed linear response to H₂ gas concentration variation (5–500 ppm) at 250 °C. The sensor was found to be mechanically stable even after 60 days in a high-humidity environment. The LOD of sensor was 151.6 ppb, making it a suitable candidate for applied sensing applications. The Pd-caped SnO₂ thin film sensor with thickness of ~245 nm could potentially improve the safety of hydrogen gas handling. Full article

The transition of mobility (in German “Verkehrswende”) as a fundamental part of the overall energy transition is a controversial field among stakeholders—in particular when it comes to synthetic fuels. There are considerable opposing views on the pros and cons of synthetic fuels within stakeholder communication. Against this background, the aim of this study was to research stakeholder positions and communication by identifying, systemizing, and assessing the bandwidth of stakeholder statements and views in Germany using a document-based positioning analysis. The objective was to provide the broadest possible range of (controversial) assessments on synthetic fuels’ future pathways. Based on a document analysis of 41 sources published by 17 stakeholders from the areas of economy, environment, and civil society in the last ten years, we analyzed commonalities and differences in the assessments of the synthetic fuels’ path as well as the reasons behind it. The results were synthesized in three narrative frames dominating the German discourse on synthetic fuels, namely: (1) synthetic fuels as a key component for the mobility transition; (2) synthetic fuels as an essential strategic niche management component, and (3) mobility transition as sustainable, affordable, safe, and comfortable mobility—with or without synthetic fuels. Full article