Optimal control of a repowered vehicle: Plug-in fuel cell against plug-in hybrid electric powertrain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tribioli, L., E-mail: laura.tribioli@unicusano.it; Cozzolino, R. [Dept. of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Niccolo’ Cusano (Italy); Barbieri, M. [Engineering Dept., University of Naples Parthenope, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, 80143 Naples (Italy)

2015-03-10

This paper describes two different powertrain configurations for the repowering of a conventional vehicle, equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE). A model of a mid-sized ICE-vehicle is realized and then modified to model both a parallel plug-in hybrid electric powertrain and a proton electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) hybrid powertrain. The vehicle behavior under the application of an optimal control algorithm for the energy management is analyzed for the different scenarios and results are compared.

Optimal control of a repowered vehicle: Plug-in fuel cell against plug-in hybrid electric powertrain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tribioli, L.; Cozzolino, R.; Barbieri, M.

2015-01-01

This paper describes two different powertrain configurations for the repowering of a conventional vehicle, equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE). A model of a mid-sized ICE-vehicle is realized and then modified to model both a parallel plug-in hybrid electric powertrain and a proton electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) hybrid powertrain. The vehicle behavior under the application of an optimal control algorithm for the energy management is analyzed for the different scenarios and results are compared

Assessing the Battery Cost at Which Plug-In Hybrid Medium-Duty Parcel Delivery Vehicles Become Cost-Effective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramroth, L. A.; Gonder, J. D.; Brooker, A. D.

2013-04-01

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) validated diesel-conventional and diesel-hybrid medium-duty parcel delivery vehicle models to evaluate petroleum reductions and cost implications of hybrid and plug-in hybrid diesel variants. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants are run on a field data-derived design matrix to analyze the effect of drive cycle, distance, engine downsizing, battery replacements, and battery energy on fuel consumption and lifetime cost. For an array of diesel fuel costs, the battery cost per kilowatt-hour at which the hybridized configuration becomes cost-effective is calculated. This builds on a previous analysis that found the fuel savings from medium duty plug-in hybrids more than offset the vehicles' incremental price under future battery and fuel cost projections, but that they seldom did so under present day cost assumptions in the absence of purchase incentives. The results also highlight the importance of understanding the application's drive cycle specific daily distance and kinetic intensity.

Cloud computing-based energy optimization control framework for plug-in hybrid electric bus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Chao; Li, Liang; You, Sixiong; Yan, Bingjie; Du, Xian

2017-01-01

Considering the complicated characteristics of traffic flow in city bus route and the nonlinear vehicle dynamics, optimal energy management integrated with clustering and recognition of driving conditions in plug-in hybrid electric bus is still a challenging problem. Motivated by this issue, this paper presents an innovative energy optimization control framework based on the cloud computing for plug-in hybrid electric bus. This framework, which includes offline part and online part, can realize the driving conditions clustering in offline part, and the energy management in online part. In offline part, utilizing the operating data transferred from a bus to the remote monitoring center, K-means algorithm is adopted to cluster the driving conditions, and then Markov probability transfer matrixes are generated to predict the possible operating demand of the bus driver. Next in online part, the current driving condition is real-time identified by a well-trained support vector machine, and Markov chains-based driving behaviors are accordingly selected. With the stochastic inputs, stochastic receding horizon control method is adopted to obtain the optimized energy management of hybrid powertrain. Simulations and hardware-in-loop test are carried out with the real-world city bus route, and the results show that the presented strategy could greatly improve the vehicle fuel economy, and as the traffic flow data feedback increases, the fuel consumption of every plug-in hybrid electric bus running in a specific bus route tends to be a stable minimum. - Highlights: • Cloud computing-based energy optimization control framework is proposed. • Driving cycles are clustered into 6 types by K-means algorithm. • Support vector machine is employed to realize the online recognition of driving condition. • Stochastic receding horizon control-based energy management strategy is designed for plug-in hybrid electric bus. • The proposed framework is verified by simulation and hard-in

Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Analysis (Milestone Report)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markel, T.; Brooker, A.; Gonder, J.; O' Keefe, M.; Simpson, A.; Thornton, M.

2006-11-01

NREL's plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) analysis activities made great strides in FY06 to objectively assess PHEV technology, support the larger U.S. Department of Energy PHEV assessment effort, and share technical knowledge with the vehicle research community and vehicle manufacturers. This report provides research papers and presentations developed in FY06 to support these efforts. The report focuses on the areas of fuel economy reporting methods, cost and consumption benefit analysis, real-world performance expectations, and energy management strategies.

Evaluation of energy requirements for all-electric range of plug-in hybrid electric two-wheeler

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amjad, Shaik; Rudramoorthy, R.; Neelakrishnan, S.; Sri Raja Varman, K.; Arjunan, T.V.

2011-01-01

Recently plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are emerging as one of the promising alternative to improve the sustainability of transportation energy and air quality especially in urban areas. The all-electric range in PHEV design plays a significant role in sizing of battery pack and cost. This paper presents the evaluation of battery energy and power requirements for a plug-in hybrid electric two-wheeler for different all-electric ranges. An analytical vehicle model and MATLAB simulation analysis has been discussed. The MATLAB simulation results estimate the impact of driving cycle and all-electric range on energy capacity, additional mass and initial cost of lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries. This paper also focuses on influence of cycle life on annual cost of battery pack and recommended suitable battery pack for implementing in plug-in hybrid electric two-wheelers. -- Research highlights: → Evaluates the battery energy and power requirements for a plug-in hybrid electric two-wheeler. → Simulation results reveal that the IDC demand more energy and cost of battery compared to ECE R40. → If cycle life is considered, the annual cost of Ni-MH battery pack is lower than lead-acid and Li-ion.

Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Quasi-Static Wireless Power Transfer for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Transit Buses: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Lijuan; Gonder, Jeff; Burton, Evan; Brooker, Aaron; Meintz, Andrew; Konan, Arnaud

2015-11-11

This study evaluates the costs and benefits associated with the use of a plug-in hybrid electric bus and determines the cost effectiveness relative to a conventional bus and a hybrid electric bus. A sensitivity sweep analysis was performed over a number of a different battery sizes, charging powers, and charging stations. The net present value was calculated for each vehicle design and provided the basis for the design evaluation. In all cases, given present day economic assumptions, the conventional bus achieved the lowest net present value while the optimal plug-in hybrid electric bus scenario reached lower lifetime costs than the hybrid electric bus. The study also performed parameter sensitivity analysis under low market potential assumptions and high market potential assumptions. The net present value of plug-in hybrid electric bus is close to that of conventional bus.

Consistent electrification of the powertrain in Mercedes-Benz cars. From micro hybrid to plug-in; Konsequente Elektrifizierung des Antriebsstrangs bei Mercedes-Benz Cars. Vom Micro-Hybrid bis zum Plug-In

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, M.; Henning, G.; Lamm, A.; Bitsche, O.; Antony, P.; Nietfeld, F. [Daimler AG (Germany)

2010-07-01

Electrifying vehicle drives is a major part of Daimler's strategy to realize sustained mobility. Electrification encompasses a wide range of concepts and system designs - from the micro hybrid to the plug-in. Economically priced micro hybrids were initially available in the smart fortwo as well as A-Class and B-Class model series and will be successively offered for other model series. Mild and full hybrids, which feature additional functionality, have already been successfully launched or will be available in the near future. The effort to continually advance innovative drive technology culminates in the SClass Plug-In. The lithium-ion battery plays a key role with its high energy density and efficiency. These vehicles and the drive technology they incorporate make it possible to meet the most stringent emissions standards as well as achieve very low fuel economy and CO{sub 2} emissions. (orig.)

Configuration Analysis of Plug-in Hybrid Systems using Global Optimization

OpenAIRE

Kim, Insup; Kim, Hyunsup

2013-01-01

The purpose of the study is to analyze the configurations of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with respect to fuel economy. Existing studies mostly focus on hybrid systems or few PHEV systems by only considering power split ratio and component efficiency. This paper adds original contribution to these literatures. First of all, this study compares and analyzes “series + α” PHEV – Input split, Series-output split and Series-parallel, which is consisted of a single Planetary gear or spur...

Plug-In Hybrid Medium-Duty Truck Demonstration and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyasato, Matt [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Kosowski, Mark [Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States)

2015-10-01

The Plug-In Hybrid Medium-Duty Truck Demonstration and Evaluation Program was sponsored by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) using American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funding. The purpose of the program is to develop a path to migrate plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology to medium-duty vehicles by demonstrating and evaluating vehicles in diverse applications. The program also provided three production-ready PHEV systems—Odyne Systems, Inc. (Odyne) Class 6 to 8 trucks, VIA Motors, Inc. (VIA) half-ton pickup trucks, and VIA three-quarter-ton vans. The vehicles were designed, developed, validated, produced, and deployed. Data were gathered and tests were run to understand the performance improvements, allow cost reductions, and provide future design changes. A smart charging system was developed and produced during the program. The partnerships for funding included the DOE; the California Energy Commission (CEC); the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD); the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI); Odyne; VIA; Southern California Edison; and utility and municipal industry participants. The reference project numbers are DOE FOA-28 award number EE0002549 and SCAQMD contract number 10659.

Distributed energy resources management using plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a fuel-shifting demand response resource

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morais, Hugo; Sousa, Tiago; Soares, J.

2015-01-01

In the smart grids context, distributed energy resources management plays an important role in the power systems' operation. Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles should be important resources in the future distribution networks operation. Therefore, it is important...... to develop adequate methodologies to schedule the electric vehicles' charge and discharge processes, avoiding network congestions and providing ancillary services.This paper proposes the participation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in fuel shifting demand response programs. Two services are proposed......, namely the fuel shifting and the fuel discharging. The fuel shifting program consists in replacing the electric energy by fossil fuels in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles daily trips, and the fuel discharge program consists in use of their internal combustion engine to generate electricity injecting...

In-use measurement of activity, energy use, and emissions of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Science.gov (United States)

Graver, Brandon M; Frey, H Christopher; Choi, Hyung-Wook

2011-10-15

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) could reduce transportation air emissions and energy use. However, a method is needed for estimating on-road emissions of PHEVs. To develop a framework for quantifying microscale energy use and emissions (EU&E), measurements were conducted on a Toyota Prius retrofitted with a plug-in battery system on eight routes. Measurements were made using the following: (1) a data logger for the hybrid control system; (2) a portable emissions measurement system; and (3) a global positioning system with barometric altimeter. Trends in EU&E are estimated based on vehicle specific power. Energy economy is quantified based on gasoline consumed by the engine and grid energy consumed by the plug-in battery. Emissions from electricity consumption are estimated based on the power generation mix. Fuel use is approximately 30% lower during plug-in battery use. Grid emissions were higher for CO₂, NO(x), SO₂, and PM compared to tailpipe emissions but lower for CO and hydrocarbons. EU&E depends on engine and plug-in battery operation. The use of two energy sources must be addressed in characterizing fuel economy; overall energy economy is 11% lower if including grid energy use than accounting only for fuel consumption.

Influence of driving patterns on life cycle cost and emissions of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicle powertrains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karabasoglu, Orkun; Michalek, Jeremy

2013-01-01

We compare the potential of hybrid, extended-range plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles to reduce lifetime cost and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions under various scenarios and simulated driving conditions. We find that driving conditions affect economic and environmental benefits of electrified vehicles substantially: Under the urban NYC driving cycle, hybrid and plug-in vehicles can cut life cycle emissions by 60% and reduce costs up to 20% relative to conventional vehicles (CVs). In contrast, under highway test conditions (HWFET) electrified vehicles offer marginal emissions reductions at higher costs. NYC conditions with frequent stops triple life cycle emissions and increase costs of conventional vehicles by 30%, while aggressive driving (US06) reduces the all-electric range of plug-in vehicles by up to 45% compared to milder test cycles (like HWFET). Vehicle window stickers, fuel economy standards, and life cycle studies using average lab-test vehicle efficiency estimates are therefore incomplete: (1) driver heterogeneity matters, and efforts to encourage adoption of hybrid and plug-in vehicles will have greater impact if targeted to urban drivers vs. highway drivers; and (2) electrified vehicles perform better on some drive cycles than others, so non-representative tests can bias consumer perception and regulation of alternative technologies. We discuss policy implications. - Highlights: • Electrified vehicle life cycle emissions and cost depend on driving conditions. • GHGs can triple in NYC conditions vs. highway (HWFET), cost +30%. • Under NYC conditions hybrid and plug-in vehicles cut GHGs up to 60%, cost 20%. • Under HWFET conditions they offer few GHG reductions at higher costs. • Federal tests for window labels and CAFE standards favor some technologies over others

Integration of plug-in hybrid cars in the promotion of intelligent distribution networks; Integration von Plug-in-Hybrid Cars zur Foerderung intelligenter Verteilnetzstrukturen (Vorstudie) - Schlussbericht / 2 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horbaty, R.; Rigassi, R.

2008-08-15

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) reviews work done as part of a preliminary study concerning the use of plug-in hybrid cars as part of a system for the regulation of energy in electricity supply grids. The 'Vehicle to Grid' concept is discussed. This involves hybrid vehicles with higher accumulator capacities, reversible charger units as well as appropriate connector technologies and communication systems. This 'smart grid' concept is looked at and the players involved are introduced. The advantages and disadvantages of such a system are discussed.

Consumer adoption and grid impact models for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Wisconsin.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-01

This proposed study focuses on assessing the demand for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) in Wisconsin and its economic : impacts on the States energy market and the electric grid. PHEVs are expected to provide a range of about 40 miles per ...

Households' Stories of Their Encounters with a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Caperello, Nicolette D.; Kurani, Kenneth S.

2012-01-01

One way to progress toward greenhouse gas reductions is for people to drive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Households in this study participated in a 4- to 6-week PHEV driving trial. A narrative of each household's encounter with the PHEV was constructed by the researchers from multiple in-home interviews, questionnaires completed by…

Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Quasi-In-Motion Wireless Power Transfer for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Transit Buses from Fleet Perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Lijuan; Gonder, Jeff; Brooker, Aaron; Meintz, Andrew; Konan, Arnaud; Markel, Tony

2016-05-16

This study evaluated the costs and benefits associated with the use of stationary-wireless-power-transfer-enabled plug-in hybrid electric buses and determined the cost effectiveness relative to conventional buses and hybrid electric buses. A factorial design was performed over a number of different battery sizes, charging power levels, and f bus stop charging stations. The net present costs were calculated for each vehicle design and provided the basis for design evaluation. In all cases, given the assumed economic conditions, the conventional bus achieved the lowest net present cost while the optimal plug-in hybrid electric bus scenario beat out the hybrid electric comparison scenario. The parameter sensitivity was also investigated under favorable and unfavorable market penetration assumptions.

Sorting through the many total-energy-cycle pathways possible with early plug-in hybrids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaines, L.; Burnham, A.; Rousseau, A.; Santini, D.

2008-01-01

Using the 'total energy cycle' methodology, we compare U.S. near term (to ∼2015) alternative pathways for converting energy to light-duty vehicle kilometers of travel (VKT) in plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), hybrids (HEVs), and conventional vehicles (CVs). For PHEVs, we present total energy-per-unit-of-VKT information two ways (1) energy from the grid during charge depletion (CD); (2) energy from stored on-board fossil fuel when charge sustaining (CS). We examine 'incremental sources of supply of liquid fuel such as (a) oil sands from Canada, (b) Fischer-Tropsch diesel via natural gas imported by LNG tanker, and (c) ethanol from cellulosic biomass. We compare such fuel pathways to various possible power converters producing electricity, including (i) new coal boilers, (ii) new integrated, gasified coal combined cycle (IGCC), (iii) existing natural gas fueled combined cycle (NGCC), (iv) existing natural gas combustion turbines, (v) wood-to-electricity, and (vi) wind/solar. We simulate a fuel cell HEV and also consider the possibility of a plug-in hybrid fuel cell vehicle (FCV). For the simulated FCV our results address the merits of converting some fuels to hydrogen to power the fuel cell vs. conversion of those same fuels to electricity to charge the PHEV battery. The investigation is confined to a U.S. compact sized car (i.e. a world passenger car). Where most other studies have focused on emissions (greenhouse gases and conventional air pollutants), this study focuses on identification of the pathway providing the most vehicle kilometers from each of five feedstocks examined. The GREET 1.7 fuel cycle model and the new GREET 2.7 vehicle cycle model were used as the foundation for this study. Total energy, energy by fuel type, total greenhouse gases (GHGs), volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), fine particulate (PM2.5) and sulfur oxides (SO x ) values are presented. We also isolate the PHEV emissions contribution from varying k

Comparison performance of split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle using ADVISOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Rashid Muhammad Ikram

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Electric vehicle suffers from relatively short range and long charging times and consequently has not become an acceptable solution to the automotive consumer. The addition of an internal combustion engine to extend the range of the electric vehicle is one method of exploiting the high efficiency and lack of emissions of the electric vehicle while retaining the range and convenient refuelling times of a conventional gasoline powered vehicle. The term that describes this type of vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle. Many configurations of hybrid electric vehicles have been designed and implemented, namely the series, parallel and power-split configurations. This paper discusses the comparison between Split Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle(SPHEV and Hybrid Electric Vehicle(HEV. Modelling methods such as physics-based Resistive Companion Form technique and Bond Graph method are presented with powertrain component and system modelling examples. The modelling and simulation capability of existing tools such as ADvanced VehIcle SimulatOR (ADVISOR is demonstrated through application examples. Since power electronics is indispensable in hybrid vehicles, the issue of numerical oscillations in dynamic simulations involving power electronics is briefly addressed.

Integration of plug-in hybrid cars for the encouragement of intelligent power distribution structures; Integration von Plug-in-Hybrid Cars zur Foerderung intelligenter Verteilnetzstrukturen. Vorstudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horbaty, R.; Rigassi, R.

2007-11-15

This preliminary study for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at how plug-in hybrid cars could be used to support the electricity supply in Switzerland. This study explains to what extent hybrid cars would be in a position to provide the services needed to regulate the Swiss electricity mains. Core elements of the concept known as 'Vehicle to Grid' (V2G) are presented. The requirements placed on the cars' equipment, including reversible battery chargers and communication equipment, are reviewed. Mains regulation systems are discussed, as are battery storage and the potential advantages offered by such a system. Challenges and hindrances to implementation are examined and initial feasibility studies are analysed. Questions still to be addressed are noted. A comprehensive appendix rounds off the report.

Selection of Ethanol-Tolerant Yeast Hybrids in pH-Regulated Continuous Culture

OpenAIRE

Jiménez, Juan; Benítez, Tahía

1988-01-01

Hybrids between naturally occurring wine yeast strains and laboratory strains were formed as a method of increasing genetic variability to improve the ethanol tolerance of yeast strains. The hybrids were subjected to competition experiments under continuous culture controlled by pH with increasing ethanol concentrations over a wide range to select the fastest-growing strain at any concentration of ethanol. The continuous culture system was obtained by controlling the dilution rate of a chemos...

Particle swarm optimization of driving torque demand decision based on fuel economy for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Peihong; Zhao, Zhiguo; Zhan, Xiaowen; Li, Jingwei

2017-01-01

In this paper, an energy management strategy based on logic threshold is proposed for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrain model is established using MATLAB/Simulink based on experimental tests of the power components, which is validated by the comparison with the verified simulation model which is built in the AVL Cruise. The influence of the driving torque demand decision on the fuel economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is studied using a simulation. The optimization method for the driving torque demand decision, which refers to the relationship between the accelerator pedal opening and driving torque demand, from the perspective of fuel economy is formulated. The dynamically changing inertia weight particle swarm optimization is used to optimize the decision parameters. The simulation results show that the optimized driving torque demand decision can improve the PHEV fuel economy by 15.8% and 14.5% in the fuel economy test driving cycle of new European driving cycle and worldwide harmonized light vehicles test respectively, using the same rule-based energy management strategy. The proposed optimization method provides a theoretical guide for calibrating the parameters of driving torque demand decision to improve the fuel economy of the real plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. - Highlights: • The influence of the driving torque demand decision on the fuel economy is studied. • The optimization method for the driving torque demand decision is formulated. • An improved particle swarm optimization is utilized to optimize the parameters. • Fuel economy is improved by using the optimized driving torque demand decision.

Torque Coordination Control during Braking Mode Switch for a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

OpenAIRE

Yang Yang; Chao Wang; Quanrang Zhang; Xiaolong He

2017-01-01

Hybrid vehicles usually have several braking systems, and braking mode switches are significant events during braking. It is difficult to coordinate torque fluctuations caused by mode switches because the dynamic characteristics of braking systems are different. In this study, a new type of plug-in hybrid vehicle is taken as the research object, and braking mode switches are divided into two types. The control strategy of type one is achieved by controlling the change rates of clutch hold-dow...

Component sizing optimization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Xiaolan; Cao, Binggang; Li, Xueyan; Xu, Jun; Ren, Xiaolong

2011-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are considered as one of the most promising means to improve the near-term sustainability of the transportation and stationary energy sectors. This paper describes a methodology for the optimization of PHEVs component sizing using parallel chaos optimization algorithm (PCOA). In this approach, the objective function is defined so as to minimize the drivetrain cost. In addition, the driving performance requirements are considered as constraints. Finally, the optimization process is performed over three different all electric range (AER) and two types of batteries. The results from computer simulation show the effectiveness of the approach and the reduction in drivetrian cost while ensuring the vehicle performance.

Charging up for the future of plug-in hybrids and range extenders. An exploration of options for increased battery utilisation; Opladen voor de toekomst van plug-in hybrides en range extenders. Een verkenning naar mogelijkheden voor vergroten van het elektrische gebruik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Essen, H.; Schroten, A.; Aarnink, S.

2013-05-15

If the full potential of plug-in hybrids and electric cars with a range extender is to be usefully exploited, it is important that these vehicles be used in battery mode as much as possible. This means that users' charging and driving behaviour needs to be positively influenced. This can be achieved through suitably designed financial incentives on the part of employers and government, further expansion of battery-charging infrastructure, and transferring knowledge on driving style. Improved driving and charging behaviour will lead to lower effective fuel consumption, reduced CO2 emissions and improved air quality. These are some of the results of this study in which it is examined how the performance of plug-in hybrids and cars with a range extender can be improved. It is the first study to look into the factors governing practical usage of such vehicles and the options available to the various parties to improve that usage. To this end a literature study was carried out and interviews were held with employers, leasing companies, trade associations, government agencies and other parties [Dutch] Om het potentieel van plug-in hybrides en elektrische auto's met een range extender te benutten is het van belang dat deze auto's zoveel mogelijk elektrisch worden gereden. Hiervoor is het nodig om het oplaad- en rijgedrag van de gebruikers positief te beïnvloeden. Dit kan door het geven van slimme financiële prikkels door werkgevers en overheid, het verder uitbreiden van de laadinfrastructuur en kennisoverdracht over rijgedrag. Een verbeterd rij- en laadgedrag zorgt voor een lager brandstofpraktijkverbruik, minder CO2-uitstoot en een betere luchtkwaliteit. Dit staat onder meer in de studie 'Opladen voor de toekomst van plug-in hybrides en range extenders' van CE Delft, waarin op verzoek van de Nederlandse importeurs van Toyota en Opel is onderzocht hoe het elektrisch gebruik kan worden verbeterd. Hierin is voor het eerst gekeken naar de factoren

Distributed energy resources management using plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a fuel-shifting demand response resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morais, H.; Sousa, T.; Soares, J.; Faria, P.; Vale, Z.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Definition fuel shifting demand response programs applied to the electric vehicles. • Integration of the proposed fuel shifting in energy resource management algorithm. • Analysis of fuel shifting contribution to support the consumption increasing. • Analysis of fuel shifting contribution to support the electric vehicles growing. • Sensitivity analysis considering different electric vehicles penetration levels. - Abstract: In the smart grids context, distributed energy resources management plays an important role in the power systems’ operation. Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles should be important resources in the future distribution networks operation. Therefore, it is important to develop adequate methodologies to schedule the electric vehicles’ charge and discharge processes, avoiding network congestions and providing ancillary services. This paper proposes the participation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in fuel shifting demand response programs. Two services are proposed, namely the fuel shifting and the fuel discharging. The fuel shifting program consists in replacing the electric energy by fossil fuels in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles daily trips, and the fuel discharge program consists in use of their internal combustion engine to generate electricity injecting into the network. These programs are included in an energy resources management algorithm which integrates the management of other resources. The paper presents a case study considering a 37-bus distribution network with 25 distributed generators, 1908 consumers, and 2430 plug-in vehicles. Two scenarios are tested, namely a scenario with high photovoltaic generation, and a scenario without photovoltaic generation. A sensitivity analyses is performed in order to evaluate when each energy resource is required

Journey predictive energy management strategy for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

OpenAIRE

Dharmaraj Ram Manohar, Ravi Shankar

2013-01-01

The adoption of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) is widely seen as an interim solution for the decarbonisation of the transport sector. Within a PHEV, determining the required energy storage capacity of the battery remains one of the primary concerns for vehicle manufacturers and system integrators. This fact is particularly pertinent since the battery constitutes the largest contributor to vehicle mass. Furthermore, the financial cost associated with the procurement, d...

'Plug-in hybrids and smart grids'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horbaty, R.

2008-07-01

This presentation made at the Swiss 2008 research conference on traffic by Robert Horbaty from the ENCO Energy Consulting AG takes a look at how the amount of renewable energy in the electricity mains and the efficiency of mobility can be increased and pollution reduced at the same time. The integration of energy supply and electrically-powered mobility to help reduce the effects of intermittent power production from renewable sources of energy is discussed. The 'smart' technologies needed for integration and management are looked at. Examples of pilot projects are quoted and the effects of the liberalisation of the electricity markets are discussed. The advantages offered by plug-in hybrid vehicles are noted and load-shifting possibilities are discussed. Trends towards mains regulation using bi-directional charging facilities are noted.

Component sizing optimization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Xiaolan; Cao, Binggang; Li, Xueyan; Xu, Jun; Ren, Xiaolong [School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China)

2011-03-15

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are considered as one of the most promising means to improve the near-term sustainability of the transportation and stationary energy sectors. This paper describes a methodology for the optimization of PHEVs component sizing using parallel chaos optimization algorithm (PCOA). In this approach, the objective function is defined so as to minimize the drivetrain cost. In addition, the driving performance requirements are considered as constraints. Finally, the optimization process is performed over three different all electric range (AER) and two types of batteries. The results from computer simulation show the effectiveness of the approach and the reduction in drivetrian cost while ensuring the vehicle performance. (author)

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in smart grid

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Yin

In this thesis, in order to investigate the impact of charging load from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), a stochastic model is developed in Matlab. In this model, two main types of PHEVs are defined: public transportation vehicles and private vehicles. Different charging time schedule, charging speed and battery capacity are considered for each type of vehicles. The simulation results reveal that there will be two load peaks (at noon and in evening) when the penetration level of PHEVs increases continuously to 30% in 2030. Therefore, optimization tool is utilized to shift load peaks. This optimization process is based on real time pricing and wind power output data. With the help of smart grid, power allocated to each vehicle could be controlled. As a result, this optimization could fulfill the goal of shifting load peaks to valley areas where real time price is low or wind output is high.

Model-based design approaches for plug-in hybrid vehicle design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendes, C.J. [CrossChasm Technologies, Cambridge, ON (Canada); Stevens, M.B.; Fowler, M.W. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Fraser, R.A. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Wilhelm, E.J. [Paul Scherrer Inst., Villigen (Switzerland). Energy Systems Analysis

2007-07-01

A model-based design process for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) was presented. The paper discussed steps between the initial design concept and a working vehicle prototype, and focused on an investigation of the software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and component-in-the-loop (CIL) design phases. The role and benefits of using simulation were also reviewed. A method for mapping and identifying components was provided along with a hybrid control strategy and component-level control optimization process. The role of simulation in component evaluation, architecture design, and de-bugging procedures was discussed, as well as the role simulation networks can play in speeding deployment times. The simulations focused on work performed on a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox converted to a fuel cell hybrid electric vehicle (FCHEV). Components were aggregated to create a complete virtual vehicle. A simplified vehicle model was implemented onto the on-board vehicle control hardware. Optimization metrics were estimated at 10 alpha values during each control loop iteration. The simulation was then used to tune the control system under a variety of drive cycles and conditions. A CIL technique was used to place a physical hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) component under the control of a real time HEV/PHEV simulation. It was concluded that controllers should have a standardized component description that supports integration into advanced testing procedures. 4 refs., 9 figs.

Resource Efficiency Assessment—Comparing a Plug-In Hybrid with a Conventional Combustion Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Henßler

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The strong economic growth in recent years has led to an intensive use of natural resources, which causes environmental stress as well as restrictions on the availability of resources. Therefore, a more efficient use of resources is necessary as an important contribution to sustainable development. The ESSENZ method presented in this article comprehensively assesses a product’s resource efficiency by going beyond existing approaches and considering the pollution of the environment as well as the physical and socio-economic availability of resources. This paper contains a short description of the ESSENZ methodology as well as a case study of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W 205—comparing the conventional C 250 (petrol engine with the C 350 e Plug-In Hybrid (electric motor and petrol engine. By applying the ESSENZ method it can be shown that the use of more and different materials for the Plug-In-Hybrid influences the dimensions physical and socio-economic availability significantly. However, for environmental impacts, especially climate change and summer smog, clear advantages of the C 350 e occur due to lower demand of fossil energy carriers. As shown within the case study, the when applying the ESSENZ method a comprehensive evaluation of the used materials and fossil energy carriers can be achieved.

Environmental Benefits of Using Wind Generation to Power Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahdi Hajian

2011-08-01

Full Text Available As alternatives to conventional vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs running off electricity stored in batteries could decrease oil consumption and reduce carbon emissions. By using electricity derived from clean energy sources, even greater environmental benefits are obtainable. This study examines the potential benefits arising from the widespread adoption of PHEVs in light of Alberta’s growing interest in wind power. It also investigates PHEVs’ capacity to mitigate natural fluctuations in wind power generation.

Electricity-price arbitrage with plug-in hybrid electric vehicle: Gain or loss?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang, Duo; Sun, Guodong

2016-01-01

Customers, utilities, and society can gain many benefits from distributed energy resources (DERs), including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Using battery on PHEV to arbitrage electricity price is one of the potential benefits to PHEV owners. There is, however, disagreement on the magnitude of such profit. This study uses a stochastic optimization model to estimate the potential profit from electricity price arbitrage of two types of PHEVs (PHEV-10, and PHEV-40) under three scenarios with variant electricity tariff and PHEV owners over a five-year period. The simulation results indicate that under current market structure, even with significant improvement in battery technologies (e.g., higher efficiency, lower cost), the PHEV owners can't achieve a positive arbitrage profit. This finding implies that expected arbitrage profit solely is not a viable option to engage PHEVs larger adoption. Subsidy and combining PHEV arbitraging with alternative PHEV services are required. - Highlights: •A stochastic optimization model is proposed to assess the arbitrage value of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). •Under current market condition, PHEV owners lose money from conducting PHEV arbitrage if counting battery degradation cost. •PHEV owner loses more money at real time pricing (RTP) than at time of use (TOU) scheme. •Battery improvement will reduce but can't even the arbitrage loss. •Expected arbitrage profit is not a viable option to engage PHEVs in dispatching and in providing ancillary services.

Effect of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle adoption on gas tax revenue, local pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are likely to increase in popularity in the near future. However, the : environmental benefits of PHEVs involve tradeoffs between the benefits of reduced tailpipe emissions : against the drawbacks of increased ...

Multi-objective component sizing of a power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrain using Pareto-based natural optimization machines

Science.gov (United States)

Mozaffari, Ahmad; Vajedi, Mahyar; Chehresaz, Maryyeh; Azad, Nasser L.

2016-03-01

The urgent need to meet increasingly tight environmental regulations and new fuel economy requirements has motivated system science researchers and automotive engineers to take advantage of emerging computational techniques to further advance hybrid electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) designs. In particular, research has focused on vehicle powertrain system design optimization, to reduce the fuel consumption and total energy cost while improving the vehicle's driving performance. In this work, two different natural optimization machines, namely the synchronous self-learning Pareto strategy and the elitism non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, are implemented for component sizing of a specific power-split PHEV platform with a Toyota plug-in Prius as the baseline vehicle. To do this, a high-fidelity model of the Toyota plug-in Prius is employed for the numerical experiments using the Autonomie simulation software. Based on the simulation results, it is demonstrated that Pareto-based algorithms can successfully optimize the design parameters of the vehicle powertrain.

National Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rames, Clement [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Muratori, Matteo [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-15

This report addresses the fundamental question of how much plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging infrastructure—also known as electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE)—is needed in the United States to support both plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs).

Plug-In Hybrid Urban Delivery Truck Technology Demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyasato, Matt [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States); Impllitti, Joseph [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States); Pascal, Amar [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States)

2015-07-31

The I-710 and CA-60 highways are key transportation corridors in the Southern California region that are heavily used on a daily basis by heavy duty drayage trucks that transport the cargo from the ports to the inland transportation terminals. These terminals, which include store/warehouses, inland-railways, are anywhere from 5 to 50 miles in distance from the ports. The concentrated operation of these drayage vehicles in these corridors has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the air quality in this region whereby significantly impacting the quality of life in the communities surrounding these corridors. To reduce these negative impacts it is critical that zero and near-zero emission technologies be developed and deployed in the region. A potential local market size of up to 46,000 trucks exists in the South Coast Air Basin, based on near- dock drayage trucks and trucks operating on the I-710 freeway. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) — the agencies responsible for preparing the State Implementation Plan required under the federal Clean Air Act — have stated that to attain federal air quality standards the region will need to transition to broad use of zero and near zero emission energy sources in cars, trucks and other equipment (Southern California Association of Governments et al, 2011). SCAQMD partnered with Volvo Trucks to develop, build and demonstrate a prototype Class 8 heavy-duty plug-in hybrid drayage truck with significantly reduced emissions and fuel use. Volvo’s approach leveraged the group’s global knowledge and experience in designing and deploying electromobility products. The proprietary hybrid driveline selected for this proof of concept was integrated with multiple enhancements to the complete vehicle in order to maximize the emission and energy impact of electrification. A detailed review of all

Fabrication of Te@Au core-shell hybrids for efficient ethanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Huile; Wang, Demeng; Zhao, Yuewu; Zhou, Huan; Wang, Shun; Wang, Jichang

2012-10-01

Using Au nanoparticles to catalyze the oxidation of alcohols has garnered increasing attention due to its potential application in direct alcohol fuel cells. In this research Te@Au core-shell hybrids were fabricated for the catalytic oxidation of ethanol, where the preparation procedure involved the initial production of Te crystals with different microstructures and the subsequent utilization of the Te crystal as a template and reducing agent for the production of Te@Au hybrids. The as-prepared core-shell hybrids were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Electrochemical measurements illustrate that the hybrids have great electrocatalytic activity and stability toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The enhanced electrocatalytic property may be attributed to the cooperative effects between the metal and semiconductor and the presence of a large number of active sites on the hybrids surface.

Targeting plug-in hybrid electric vehicle policies to increase social benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skerlos, Steven J.; Winebrake, James J.

2010-01-01

In 2009 the U.S. federal government enacted tax credits aimed at encouraging consumers to purchase plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These tax credits are available to all consumers equally and therefore do not account for the variability in social benefits associated with PHEV operation in different parts of the country. The tax credits also do not consider variability in consumer income. This paper discusses why the PHEV subsidy policy would have higher social benefits at equal or less cost if the tax credits were offered at different levels depending on consumer income and the location of purchase. Quantification of these higher social benefits and related policy proposals are left for future work.

Self-learning control system for plug-in hybrid vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

DeVault, Robert C [Knoxville, TN

2010-12-14

A system is provided to instruct a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle how optimally to use electric propulsion from a rechargeable energy storage device to reach an electric recharging station, while maintaining as high a state of charge (SOC) as desired along the route prior to arriving at the recharging station at a minimum SOC. The system can include the step of calculating a straight-line distance and/or actual distance between an orientation point and the determined instant present location to determine when to initiate optimally a charge depleting phase. The system can limit extended driving on a deeply discharged rechargeable energy storage device and reduce the number of deep discharge cycles for the rechargeable energy storage device, thereby improving the effective lifetime of the rechargeable energy storage device. This "Just-in-Time strategy can be initiated automatically without operator input to accommodate the unsophisticated operator and without needing a navigation system/GPS input.

Effects of the introduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on sources of energy and the electricity grid; Auswirkungen der Markteinfuehrung von Elektrofahrzeugen und Plug-In-Hybrids auf die Energietraeger und das Elektrizitaetsnetz. Bericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rigassi, R.; Huber, S. [Enco AG, Liestal (Switzerland); Strub, P. [Pierre Strub - nachhaltig wirkt, Basel (Switzerland)

2010-12-15

This comprehensive final report for the Swiss federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the effects of the introduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on sources of energy and the electricity grid. According to the authors, the introduction of electric drives in the automobile sector will cause no important additional consumption of electricity by 2035 for an expected percentage of around 25% of all vehicles being wholly or partly electrically powered; fossil fuel consumption can, however, be reduced by almost a quarter. The energy storage function of the batteries in electric vehicles can additionally be used to help integrate the high proportion of stochastically generated wind and solar power in the power grid. Energy and CO{sub 2} balances for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are discussed, as is the use of vehicle batteries as part of a 'vehicle-to-grid' system that can help regulate the electricity mains. The potential for using vehicles for the supply of regulating energy is looked at. Charge optimisation and mains feed-in are discussed. The ecological effects of this regulating function are examined in the European context. Relationships to other energy scenarios are presented and discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made. Questions still to be examined are listed.

Impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on power systems with demand response and wind power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Jianhui; Liu Cong; Ton, Dan; Zhou Yan; Kim, Jinho; Vyas, Anantray

2011-01-01

This paper uses a new unit commitment model which can simulate the interactions among plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), wind power, and demand response (DR). Four PHEV charging scenarios are simulated for the Illinois power system: (1) unconstrained charging, (2) 3-hour delayed constrained charging, (3) smart charging, and (4) smart charging with DR. The PHEV charging is assumed to be optimally controlled by the system operator in the latter two scenarios, along with load shifting and shaving enabled by DR programs. The simulation results show that optimally dispatching the PHEV charging load can significantly reduce the total operating cost of the system. With DR programs in place, the operating cost can be further reduced. - Research highlights: → A unit commitment model is used to simulate the interactions among plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), wind power, and demand response (DR). → Different PHEV charging scenarios are simulated on the Illinois power system → Load shifting and shaving enabled by DR programs are also modeled. → The simulation results show that the operating cost can be reduced with DR and optimal PHEV charging.

Kansas Consortium Plug-in Hybrid Medium Duty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2012-03-31

On September 30, 2008, the US Department of Energy (DoE), issued a cooperative agreement award, DE-FC26-08NT01914, to the Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC), for a project known as “Kansas Consortium Plug-in Hybrid Medium Duty Certification” project. The cooperative agreement was awarded pursuant to H15915 in reference to H. R. 2764 Congressionally Directed Projects. The original agreement provided funding for The Consortium to implement the established project objectives as follows: (1) to understand the current state of the development of a test protocol for PHEV configurations; (2) to work with industry stakeholders to recommend a medium duty vehicle test protocol; (3) to utilize the Phase 1 Eaton PHEV F550 Chassis or other appropriate PHEV configurations to conduct emissions testing; (4) and to make an industry PHEV certification test protocol recommendation for medium duty trucks. Subsequent amendments to the initial agreement were made, the most significant being a revised Scope of Project Objectives (SOPO) that did not address actual field data since it was not available as originally expected. This project was mated by DOE with a parallel project award given to the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in California. The SCAQMD project involved designing, building and testing of five medium duty plug-in hybrid electric trucks. SCAQMD had contracted with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to manage the project. EPRI provided the required match to the federal grant funds to both the SCAQMD project and the Kansas Consortium project. The rational for linking the two projects was that the data derived from the SCAQMD project could be used to validate the protocols developed by the Kansas Consortium team. At the same time, the consortium team would be a useful resource to SCAQMD in designating their test procedures for emissions and operating parameters and determining vehicle mileage. The years between award of the cooperative

Impact of electric range and fossil fuel price level on the economics of plug-in hybrid vehicles and greenhouse gas abatement costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Özdemir, Enver Doruk; Hartmann, Niklas

2012-01-01

In this paper, the energy consumption shares of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) for electricity from the grid and conventional fuel depending on electric driving range are estimated. The resulting mobility costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement costs per vehicle kilometer for the year 2030 are calculated and optimal electric driving range (which indicates the size of the battery) is found for different oil price levels with the help of a MATLAB based model for a typical compact passenger car (e.g. VW Golf). The results show that the optimum electric driving range for minimum mobility costs of a PHEV is between 12 and 32 km. Furthermore, optimum GHG abatement costs are achieved with an electric driving range between 16 and 23 km. These results are considerable lower than most market ready PHEVs (electric driving range of 50 to 100 km), which shows that the automobile industry should concentrate on shorter electric driving range for PHEVs in the near future to offer cost optimum mobility and low GHG abatement costs. However, the oil price level and the consumer driving habits impact heavily on the cost performance as well as the optimum electric driving range of plug-in hybrid vehicles. - Highlights: ► We analyze the energy consumption (and share of grid electricity) of plug-in hybrid vehicles. ► We analyzed the mobility costs and GHG abatement costs depending on electric driving range. ► Mobility costs of plug-in hybrid vehicles can be lower than those of conventional diesel vehicles in 2030. ► The optimum mobility costs are achieved with the electric driving range between 12 and 32 km. ► The optimum GHG abatement costs are achieved with the electric driving range between 16 and 23 km.

Dehydration of an ethanol/water azeotrope by novel organic-inorganic hybrid membranes based on quaternized chitosan and tetraethoxysilane.

Science.gov (United States)

Uragami, Tadashi; Katayama, Takuya; Miyata, Takashi; Tamura, Hiroshi; Shiraiwa, Tadashi; Higuchi, Akon

2004-01-01

To control swelling of quaternized chitosan (q-Chito) membranes, mixtures of q-Chito as an organic component and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as an inorganic component were prepared using the sol-gel reaction, and novel q-Chito/TEOS hybrid membranes were formed. In the separation of an ethanol/water azeotrope by pervaporation, the effect of TEOS content on the water/ethanol selectivity of q-Chito/TEOS hybrid membranes was investigated. Hybrid membranes containing up to 45 mol % TEOS exhibited higher water/ethanol selectivity than the q-Chito membrane. This resulted from depressed swelling of the membranes by formation of a cross-linked structure. However, introduction of excess TEOS led to greater swelling of the hybrid membranes. Therefore, the water/ethanol selectivity of the hybrid membranes containing more than 45 mol % TEOS was lower than that of the q-Chito membrane. The relationship between the structure of q-Chito/TEOS hybrid membranes and their permeation and separation characteristics during pervaporation of an ethanol/water azeotrope is discussed in detail.

Correlating Dynamometer Testing to In-Use Fleet Results of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John G. Smart; Sera White; Michael Duoba

2009-05-01

Standard dynamometer test procedures are currently being developed to determine fuel and electrical energy consumption of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV). To define a repeatable test procedure, assumptions were made about how PHEVs will be driven and charged. This study evaluates these assumptions by comparing results of PHEV dynamometer testing following proposed procedures to actual performance of PHEVs operating in the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) North American PHEV Demonstration fleet. Results show PHEVs in the fleet exhibit a wide range of energy consumption, which is not demonstrated in dynamometer testing. Sources of variation in performance are identified and examined.

Hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle performance testing by the US Department of Energy Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Karner, Donald; Francfort, James

The Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity (AVTA), part of the U.S. Department of Energy's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program, has conducted testing of advanced technology vehicles since August 1995 in support of the AVTA goal to provide benchmark data for technology modeling, and vehicle development programs. The AVTA has tested full size electric vehicles, urban electric vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles, and hydrogen internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Currently, the AVTA is conducting baseline performance, battery benchmark and fleet tests of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). Testing has included all HEVs produced by major automotive manufacturers and spans over 2.5 million test miles. Testing is currently incorporating PHEVs from four different vehicle converters. The results of all testing are posted on the AVTA web page maintained by the Idaho National Laboratory.

Technology Roadmaps - Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EV/PHEV)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-06-15

The mass deployment of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs and PHEVs) that rely on low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission electricity generation has great potential to significantly reduce the consumption of petroleum and other high CO2-emitting transportation fuels. The vision of the Electric and Plug-in Hybrid (EV/PHEV) Vehicles Roadmap is to achieve by 2050 the widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs, which together represent more than 50% of annual LDV (light duty vehicle) sales worldwide. In addition to establishing a vision, this roadmap sets strategic goals to achieve it, and identifies the steps that need to be taken to accomplish these goals. This roadmap also outlines the roles and collaboration opportunities for different stakeholders and shows how government policy can support the overall achievement of the vision. The strategic goals for attaining the widespread adoption and use of EVs and PHEVs worldwide by 2050 cover the development of the EV/PHEV market worldwide through 2030 and involve targets that align with global targets to stabilise GHG concentrations. These technology-specific goals include the following: Set targets for electric-drive vehicle sales; Develop coordinated strategies to support the market introduction of electric-drive vehicles; Improve industry understanding of consumer needs and behaviours; Develop performance metrics for characterising vehicles; Foster energy storage RD and D initiatives to reduce costs and address resource-related issues; and, Develop and implement recharging infrastructure. The roadmap outlines additional recommendations that must be considered in order to successfully meet the technology milestones and strategic goals. These recommendations include the following: Use a comprehensive mix of policies that provide a clear framework and balance stakeholder interests; Engage in international collaboration efforts; and, Address policy and industry needs at a national level. The IEA will work in an

On the performance of accelerated particle swarm optimization for charging plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imran Rahman

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Transportation electrification has undergone major changes since the last decade. Success of smart grid with renewable energy integration solely depends upon the large-scale penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs for a sustainable and carbon-free transportation sector. One of the key performance indicators in hybrid electric vehicle is the State-of-Charge (SoC which needs to be optimized for the betterment of charging infrastructure using stochastic computational methods. In this paper, a newly emerged Accelerated particle swarm optimization (APSO technique was applied and compared with standard particle swarm optimization (PSO considering charging time and battery capacity. Simulation results obtained for maximizing the highly nonlinear objective function indicate that APSO achieves some improvements in terms of best fitness and computation time.

Improving the Performance Attributes of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in Hot Climates through Key-Off Battery Cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sina Shojaei

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Ambient conditions can have a significant impact on the average and maximum temperature of the battery of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Given the sensitivity of the ageing mechanisms of typical battery cells to temperature, a significant variability in battery lifetime has been reported with geographical location. In addition, high battery temperature and the associated cooling requirements can cause poor passenger thermal comfort, while extreme battery temperatures can negatively impact the power output of the battery, limiting the available electric traction torque. Avoiding such issues requires enabling battery cooling even when the vehicle is parked and not plugged in (key-off, but the associated extra energy requirements make applying key-off cooling a non-trivial decision. In this paper, a representative plug-in parallel hybrid electric vehicle model is used to simulate a typical 24-h duty cycle to quantify the impact of hot ambient conditions on three performance attributes of the vehicle: the battery lifetime, passenger thermal comfort and fuel economy. Key-off cooling is defined as an optimal control problem in view of the duty cycle of the vehicle. The problem is then solved using the dynamic programming method. Controlling key-off cooling through this method leads to significant improvements in the battery lifetime, while benefiting the fuel economy and thermal comfort attributes. To further improve the battery lifetime, partial charging of the battery is considered. An algorithm is developed that determines the optimum combination of key-off cooling and the level of battery charge. Simulation results confirm the benefits of the proposed method.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Economic efficiency and market chances of different business models; Plug-in Hybridfahrzeuge: Wirtschaftlichkeit und Marktchancen verschiedener Geschaeftsmodelle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hackbarth, Andre; Schuermann, Gregor [RWTH Aachen (Germany). Lehrstuhl fuer Wirtschaftswissenschaften insb. Energieoekonomik,; RWTH Aachen (DE). E.ON Energy Research Center, Institut fuer Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN); Madlener, Reinhard [Technische Hochschule Aachen (DE). Lehrstuhl fuer Verbrennungskraftmaschinen (VKA)

2009-07-15

The German traffic sector is strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Electric vehicles could reduce this dependence and also help to keep CO2 emissions low. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) are a technology option that may facilitate the transition to electromobility. The authors investigate the economic efficiencies and amortisation periods of PHEV on the basis of two different business models, i.e. passenger cars (compact and medium-sized) and light vans. It is shown that under the assumed boundary conditions PHEV are not economically efficient at present. The influence of various parameters on economic efficiency and amortisation period is investigated by means of a sensitivity analysis. (orig.)

Influence of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on smart grids; Management der Trendwatching Group. Einfluss von Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles auf intelligente Verteilnetze (Smart Grids) - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Horbaty, R. [ENCO Energie Consulting AG, Bubendorf (Switzerland); Strub, P. [Pierre Strub, Basel (Switzerland)

2008-12-15

This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) takes a look at the influence of plug-in hybrid vehicles on intelligent electricity distribution grids. The work of a trend-watching group which examined the regulatory services at the interface between such 'smart' grids and electrically powered vehicles is reported on. The trend-watching group includes research institutes, energy suppliers, NGOs, the automobile industry and technology companies. Vehicle-to-grid concepts and innovative developments in the Swiss market are commented on and the group's own activities (research, business models, technological development and politics) are discussed. The group will accompany relevant research programs and the implementation of measures as well as accompanying feasibility evaluations concerning current market developments. The Swiss federal strategy is to be discussed and international co-operation (with the IEA) is to be further strengthened.

Plug-in Hybrid Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goodman, Angie; Moore, Ray; Rowden, Tim

2013-09-27

Our main project objective was to implement Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV) and charging infrastructure into our electric distribution service territory and help reduce barriers in the process. Our research demonstrated the desire for some to be early adopters of electric vehicles and the effects lack of education plays on others. The response of early adopters was tremendous: with the initial launch of our program we had nearly 60 residential customers interested in taking part in our program. However, our program only allowed for 15 residential participants. Our program provided assistance towards purchasing a PEV and installation of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). The residential participants have all come to love their PEVs and are more than enthusiastic about promoting the many benefits of driving electric.

Hybrid optimal online-overnight charging coordination of plug-in electric vehicles in smart grid

Science.gov (United States)

Masoum, Mohammad A. S.; Nabavi, Seyed M. H.

2016-10-01

Optimal coordinated charging of plugged-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in smart grid (SG) can be beneficial for both consumers and utilities. This paper proposes a hybrid optimal online followed by overnight charging coordination of high and low priority PEVs using discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) that considers the benefits of both consumers and electric utilities. Objective functions are online minimization of total cost (associated with grid losses and energy generation) and overnight valley filling through minimization of the total load levels. The constraints include substation transformer loading, node voltage regulations and the requested final battery state of charge levels (SOCreq). The main challenge is optimal selection of the overnight starting time (toptimal-overnight,start) to guarantee charging of all vehicle batteries to the SOCreq levels before the requested plug-out times (treq) which is done by simultaneously solving the online and overnight objective functions. The online-overnight PEV coordination approach is implemented on a 449-node SG; results are compared for uncoordinated and coordinated battery charging as well as a modified strategy using cost minimizations for both online and overnight coordination. The impact of toptimal-overnight,start on performance of the proposed PEV coordination is investigated.

Computational analysis on plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle chassis

Science.gov (United States)

Teoh, S. J.; Bakar, R. A.; Gan, L. M.

2013-12-01

Plug-in hybrid electric motorcycle (PHEM) is an alternative to promote sustainability lower emissions. However, the PHEM overall system packaging is constrained by limited space in a motorcycle chassis. In this paper, a chassis applying the concept of a Chopper is analysed to apply in PHEM. The chassis 3dimensional (3D) modelling is built with CAD software. The PHEM power-train components and drive-train mechanisms are intergraded into the 3D modelling to ensure the chassis provides sufficient space. Besides that, a human dummy model is built into the 3D modelling to ensure the rider?s ergonomics and comfort. The chassis 3D model then undergoes stress-strain simulation. The simulation predicts the stress distribution, displacement and factor of safety (FOS). The data are used to identify the critical point, thus suggesting the chassis design is applicable or need to redesign/ modify to meet the require strength. Critical points mean highest stress which might cause the chassis to fail. This point occurs at the joints at triple tree and bracket rear absorber for a motorcycle chassis. As a conclusion, computational analysis predicts the stress distribution and guideline to develop a safe prototype chassis.

Developing traction control strategy for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle using innovative optimization based approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, L.; Gu, J.; Dong, Z. [Victoria Univ., BC (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2010-07-01

This paper described a traction control system designed for hybrid vehicles with multiple power plants and drive axles. Model-based design tools were used to develop the traction control system and plug-in hybrid vehicle models. Optimization studies were conducted in a finite number of operating states in order to maximize the electrical and mechanical energy conversion efficiency of an extended range electric vehicle. Four global optimization algorithms were then evaluated in relation to their CPU times. The studied algorithms included a genetic algorithm (GA), a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, a hybrid adaptive metamodel optimization (HAM) and space elimination and unimodal region reduction (SEUMRE) algorithm. A comparative evaluation of the algorithms demonstrated that the PSO algorithm obtained optimal results, while the HAM algorithm used significantly less computational time. Results of the optimization studies were then implemented in a controller model. Results of the study showed that the energy efficiency of the vehicle improved using the developed controller model. 4 refs., 2 tabs., 8 figs.

Torque Coordination Control during Braking Mode Switch for a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Yang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Hybrid vehicles usually have several braking systems, and braking mode switches are significant events during braking. It is difficult to coordinate torque fluctuations caused by mode switches because the dynamic characteristics of braking systems are different. In this study, a new type of plug-in hybrid vehicle is taken as the research object, and braking mode switches are divided into two types. The control strategy of type one is achieved by controlling the change rates of clutch hold-down and motor braking forces. The control strategy of type two is achieved by simultaneously changing the target braking torque during different mode switch stages and controlling the motor to participate in active coordination control. Finally, the torque coordination control strategy is modeled in MATLAB/Simulink, and the results show that the proposed control strategy has a good effect in reducing the braking torque fluctuation and vehicle shocks during braking mode switches.

A Personalized Rolling Optimal Charging Schedule for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Based on Statistical Energy Demand Analysis and Heuristic Algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kong, Fanrong; Jiang, Jianhui; Ding, Zhigang

2017-01-01

To alleviate the emission of greenhouse gas and the dependence on fossil fuel, Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (PHEVs) have gained an increasing popularity in current decades. Due to the fluctuating electricity prices in the power market, a charging schedule is very influential to driving cost...

Plug-in-Hybrid Vehicle Use, Energy Consumption, and Greenhouse Emissions: An Analysis of Household Vehicle Placements in Northern California

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Kammen

2011-03-01

Full Text Available We report on the real-world use over the course of one year of a nickel-metal-hydride plug-in hybrid—the Toyota Plug-In HV—by a set of 12 northern California households able to charge at home and work. From vehicle use data, energy and greenhouse-emissions implications are also explored. A total of 1557 trips—most using under 0.5 gallons of gasoline—ranged up to 2.4 hours and 133 miles and averaged 14 minutes and 7 miles. 399 charging events averaged 2.6 hours. The maximum lasted 4.6 hours. Most recharges added less than 1.4 kWh, with a mean charge of 0.92 kWh. The average power drawn was under one-half kilowatt. The greenhouse gas emissions from driving and charging were estimated to be 2.6 metric tons, about half of the emissions expected from a 22.4-mpg vehicle (the MY2009 fleet-wide real-world average. The findings contribute to better understanding of how plug-in hybrids might be used, their potential impact, and how potential benefits and requirements vary for different plug-in-vehicle designs. For example, based on daily driving distances, 20 miles of charge-depleting range would have been fully utilized on 81% of days driven, whereas 40 miles would not have been fully utilized on over half of travel days.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Plug-in Conversation and Battery Monitoring system

Science.gov (United States)

Unnikannan, Krishnanunni; McIntyre, Michael; Harper, Doug; Kessinger, Robert; Young, Megan; Lantham, Joseph

2012-03-01

The objective of the project was to analyze the performance of a Toyota Hybrid. We started off with a stock Toyota Prius and taking data by driving it in city and on the highway in a mixed pre-determined route. The batteries can be charged using standard 120V AC outlets. First phase of the project was to increase the performance of the car by installing 20 Lead (Pb) batteries in a plug-in kit. To improve the performance of the kit, a centralized battery monitoring system was installed. The battery monitoring system has two components, a custom data modules and a National Instruments CompactRIO. Each Pb battery has its own data module and all the data module are connected to the CompactRIO. The CompactRIO records differential voltage, current and temperature from all the 20 batteries. The LabVIEW software is dynamic and can be reconfigured to any number of batteries and real time data from the batteries can be monitored on a LabVIEW enabled machine.

Dynamic Coordinated Shifting Control of Automated Mechanical Transmissions without a Clutch in a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinlei Liu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available On the basis of the shifting process of automated mechanical transmissions (AMTs for traditional hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs, and by combining the features of electric machines with fast response speed, the dynamic model of the hybrid electric AMT vehicle powertrain is built up, the dynamic characteristics of each phase of shifting process are analyzed, and a control strategy in which torque and speed of the engine and electric machine are coordinatively controlled to achieve AMT shifting control for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV without clutch is proposed. In the shifting process, the engine and electric machine are well controlled, and the shift jerk and power interruption and restoration time are reduced. Simulation and real car test results show that the proposed control strategy can more efficiently improve the shift quality for PHEVs equipped with AMTs.

Ford Plug-In Project: Bringing PHEVs to Market Demonstration and Validation Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Annunzio, Julie [Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI (United States); Slezak, Lee [U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States); Conley, John Jason [National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Albany, OR (United States)

2014-03-26

This project is in support of our national goal to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. By supporting efforts that contribute toward the successful mass production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, our nation’s transportation-related fuel consumption can be offset with energy from the grid. Over four and a half years ago, when this project was originally initiated, plug-in electric vehicles were not readily available in the mass marketplace. Through the creation of a 21 unit plug-in hybrid vehicle fleet, this program was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology and to help build cross-industry familiarity with the technology and interface of this technology with the grid. Ford Escape PHEV Demonstration Fleet 3 March 26, 2014 Since then, however, plug-in vehicles have become increasingly more commonplace in the market. Ford, itself, now offers an all-electric vehicle and two plug-in hybrid vehicles in North America and has announced a third plug-in vehicle offering for Europe. Lessons learned from this project have helped in these production vehicle launches and are mentioned throughout this report. While the technology of plugging in a vehicle to charge a high voltage battery with energy from the grid is now in production, the ability for vehicle-to-grid or bi-directional energy flow was farther away than originally expected. Several technical, regulatory and potential safety issues prevented progressing the vehicle-to-grid energy flow (V2G) demonstration and, after a review with the DOE, V2G was removed from this demonstration project. Also proving challenging were communications between a plug-in vehicle and the grid or smart meter. While this project successfully demonstrated the vehicle to smart meter interface, cross-industry and regulatory work is still needed to define the vehicle-to-grid communication interface.

Managing operations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) exchange stations for use with a smart grid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nurre, Sarah G.; Bent, Russell; Pan, Feng; Sharkey, Thomas C.

2014-01-01

We consider a deterministic integer programming model for determining the optimal operations of multiple plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery exchange stations over time. The operations include the number of batteries to charge, discharge, and exchange at each point in time over a set time horizon. We allow discharging of batteries back to the power grid, through vehicle-to-grid technology. We incorporate the exchange station's dependence on the power network, transportation network, and other exchange stations. The charging and discharging at these exchange stations lead to a greater amount of variability which creates a less predictable and flat power generation curve. We introduce and test three policies to smooth the power generation curve by balancing its load. Further, tests are conducted evaluating these policies while factoring wind energy into the power generation curve. These computational tests use realistic data and analysis of the results suggest general operating procedures for exchange stations and evaluate the effectiveness of these power flattening policies. - Highlights: • Model the operations of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery exchange stations. • Determine the optimal and general charging, discharging, and exchange operations. • Conclude that forced customer service levels are unnecessary with proper pricing. • Examine policies to reduce variability in power generation from PHEVs and wind. • Observe that strict constraints on exchange stations best reduce variability

Plug and Play Solar Power: Simplifying the Integration of Solar Energy in Hybrid Applications; Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-13-523

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lundstrom, Blake R. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-07-05

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is Australia's national science agency. CSIRO received funding from the Australian Solar Institute (ASI) for the United States-Australia Solar Energy Collaboration (USASEC) project 1-USO032 Plug and Play Solar Power: Simplifying the Integration of Solar Energy in Hybrid Applications (Broader Project). The Australian Solar Institute (ASI) operated from August 2009 to December 2012 before being merged into the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The Broader Project sought to simplify the integration, accelerate the deployment, and lower the cost of solar energy in hybrid distributed generation applications by creating plug and play solar technology. CSIRO worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) as set out in a Joint Work Statement to review communications protocols relevant to plug-and-play technology and perform prototype testing in its Energy System Integration Facility (ESIF). For the avoidance of doubt, this CRADA did not cover the whole of the Broader Project and only related to the work described in the Joint Work Statement, which was carried out by NREL.

Hybrid plasma-catalytic reforming of ethanol aerosol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solomenko, O.V.; Nedybaliuk, O.A.; Chernyak, V.Ya.; Iukhymenko, V.V.; Veremii, Iu.P.; Iukhymenko, K.V.; Martysh, E.V.; Fedirchyk, I.I.; Demchina, V.P.; Levko, D.S.; Tsymbalyuk, O.M.; Liptuga, A.I.; Dragnev, S.V.

2015-01-01

Hybrid plasma-catalytic reforming of the ethanol aerosol with plasma activation of only the oxidant (air) was studied. Part of the oxidant (∼20%) was activated by means of rotational gliding arc with solid electrodes and injected into the reaction (pyrolytic) chamber as a plasma torch. This part of the oxidant interacted with a mixture of hydrocarbons and the rest of the oxidant (∼80%) in the reaction chamber. Temperature changes in the reaction chamber, the composition of the synthesis-gas and the products of synthesis-gas combustion were analyzed

Optimal integration of a hybrid solar-battery power source into smart home nanogrid with plug-in electric vehicle

OpenAIRE

Wu, Xiaohua; Hu, Xiaosong; Teng, Yanqiong; Qian, Shide; Cheng, Rui

2017-01-01

Hybrid solar-battery power source is essential in the nexus of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV), renewables, and smart building. This paper devises an optimization framework for efficient energy management and components sizing of a single smart home with home battery, PEV, and potovoltatic (PV) arrays. We seek to maximize the home economy, while satisfying home power demand and PEV driving. Based on the structure and system models of the smart home nanogrid, a convex programming (CP) problem i...

An Activity-Based Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles on Energy and Emissions Using One-Day Travel Data

OpenAIRE

Recker, W. W.; Kang, J. E.

2010-01-01

With the success of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) in the automobile market, Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) are emerging as the next evolution of this attractive alternative. PHEV market penetration is expected to lead to lower gasoline consumption and less emission. The main objective of this research is to assess PHEVs’ energy profile impacts based on simulation of vehicles used in activity and travel patterns drawn from the 2000-2001 California Statewide Household Travel Survey....

Global Optimal Energy Management Strategy Research for a Plug-In Series-Parallel Hybrid Electric Bus by Using Dynamic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwen He

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Energy management strategy influences the power performance and fuel economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles greatly. To explore the fuel-saving potential of a plug-in hybrid electric bus (PHEB, this paper searched the global optimal energy management strategy using dynamic programming (DP algorithm. Firstly, the simplified backward model of the PHEB was built which is necessary for DP algorithm. Then the torque and speed of engine and the torque of motor were selected as the control variables, and the battery state of charge (SOC was selected as the state variables. The DP solution procedure was listed, and the way was presented to find all possible control variables at every state of each stage in detail. Finally, the appropriate SOC increment is determined after quantizing the state variables, and then the optimal control of long driving distance of a specific driving cycle is replaced with the optimal control of one driving cycle, which reduces the computational time significantly and keeps the precision at the same time. The simulation results show that the fuel economy of the PEHB with the optimal energy management strategy is improved by 53.7% compared with that of the conventional bus, which can be a benchmark for the assessment of other control strategies.

Cost-effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery capacity and charging infrastructure investment for reducing US gasoline consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, Scott B.; Michalek, Jeremy J.

2013-01-01

Federal electric vehicle (EV) policies in the United States currently include vehicle purchase subsidies linked to EV battery capacity and subsidies for installing charging stations. We assess the cost-effectiveness of increased battery capacity vs. nondomestic charging infrastructure installation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as alternate methods to reduce gasoline consumption for cars, trucks, and SUVs in the US. We find across a wide range of scenarios that the least-cost solution is for more drivers to switch to low-capacity plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (short electric range with gasoline backup for long trips) or gasoline-powered hybrid electric vehicles. If more gasoline savings are needed per vehicle, nondomestic charging infrastructure installation is substantially more expensive than increased battery capacity per gallon saved, and both approaches have higher costs than US oil premium estimates. Cost effectiveness of all subsidies are lower under a binding fuel economy standard. Comparison of results to the structure of current federal subsidies shows that policy is not aligned with fuel savings potential, and we discuss issues and alternatives. - Highlights: ► We compare cost of PHEV batteries vs. charging infrastructure per gallon of gasoline saved. ► The lowest cost solution is to switch more drivers to low-capacity PHEVs and HEVs. ► If more gasoline savings is needed, batteries offer a better value than chargers. ► Extra batteries and chargers are both more costly per gal than oil premium estimates. ► Current subsidies are misaligned with fuel savings. We discuss alternatives.

Simulating the potential effects of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the energy budget and tax revenues for Onondaga County, New York

Science.gov (United States)

Balogh, Stephen B.

My objectives were to predict the energetic effects of a large increase in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and their implications on fuel tax collections in Onondaga County. I examined two alternative taxation policies. To do so, I built a model of county energy consumption based on prorated state-level energy consumption data and census data. I used two scenarios to estimate energy consumption trends over the next 30 years and the effects of PHEV on energy use and fuel tax revenues. I found that PHEV can reduce county gasoline consumption, but they would curtail fuel tax revenues and increase residential electricity demand. A one-cent per VMT tax on PHEV users provides insufficient revenue to replace reduced fuel tax collection. A sales tax on electricity consumption generates sufficient replacement revenue at low PHEV market shares. However, at higher shares, the tax on electricity use would exceed the current county tax rate. Keywords: electricity, energy, gasoline, New York State, Onondaga County, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, transportation model, tax policy

Shifting primary energy source and NOx emission location with plug-in hybrid vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Karman, Deniz

2011-06-01

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) present an interesting technological opportunity for using non-fossil primary energy in light duty passenger vehicles, with the associated potential for reducing air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, to the extent that the electric power grid is fed by non-fossil sources. This perspective, accompanying the article by Thompson et al (2011) in this issue, will touch on two other studies that are directly related: the Argonne study (Elgowainy et al 2010) and a PhD thesis from Utrecht (van Vliet 2010). Thompson et al (2011) have examined air quality effects in a case where the grid is predominantly fossil fed. They estimate a reduction of 7.42 tons/day of NOx from motor vehicles as a result of substituting electric VMTs for 20% of the light duty gasoline vehicle miles traveled. To estimate the impact of this reduction on air quality they also consider the increases in NOx emissions due to the increased load on electricity generating units. The NOx emission increases are estimated as 4.0, 5.5 and 6.3 tons for the Convenience, Battery and Night charging scenarios respectively. The net reductions are thus in the 1.1-3.4 tons/day range. The air quality modelling results presented show that the air quality impact from a ground-level ozone perspective is favorable overall, and while the effect is stronger in some localities, the difference between the three scenarios is small. This is quite significant and suggests that localization of the NOx emissions to point sources has a more pronounced effect than the absolute reductions achieved. Furthermore it demonstrates that localization of NOx emissions to electricity generating units by using PHEVs in vehicle traffic has beneficial effects for air quality not only by minimizing direct human exposure to motor vehicle emissions, but also due to reduced exposure to secondary pollutants (i.e. ozone). In an electric power grid with a smaller share of fossil fired generating units, the beneficial

Development of the Multiple Use Plug Hybrid for Nanosats (MUPHyN) miniature thruster

Science.gov (United States)

Eilers, Shannon

The Multiple Use Plug Hybrid for Nanosats (MUPHyN) prototype thruster incorporates solutions to several major challenges that have traditionally limited the deployment of chemical propulsion systems on small spacecraft. The MUPHyN thruster offers several features that are uniquely suited for small satellite applications. These features include 1) a non-explosive ignition system, 2) non-mechanical thrust vectoring using secondary fluid injection on an aerospike nozzle cooled with the oxidizer flow, 3) a non-toxic, chemically-stable combination of liquid and inert solid propellants, 4) a compact form factor enabled by the direct digital manufacture of the inert solid fuel grain. Hybrid rocket motors provide significant safety and reliability advantages over both solid composite and liquid propulsion systems; however, hybrid motors have found only limited use on operational vehicles due to 1) difficulty in modeling the fuel flow rate 2) poor volumetric efficiency and/or form factor 3) significantly lower fuel flow rates than solid rocket motors 4) difficulty in obtaining high combustion efficiencies. The features of the MUPHyN thruster are designed to offset and/or overcome these shortcomings. The MUPHyN motor design represents a convergence of technologies, including hybrid rocket regression rate modeling, aerospike secondary injection thrust vectoring, multiphase injector modeling, non-pyrotechnic ignition, and nitrous oxide regenerative cooling that address the traditional challenges that limit the use of hybrid rocket motors and aerospike nozzles. This synthesis of technologies is unique to the MUPHyN thruster design and no comparable work has been published in the open literature.

Advancing Plug-In Hybrid Technology and Flex Fuel Application on a Chrysler Minivan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazzi, Abdullah [Chrysler Group LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (United States); Barnhart, Steven [Chrysler Group LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (United States)

2014-12-31

FCA US LLC viewed this DOE funding as a historic opportunity to begin the process of achieving required economies of scale on technologies for electric vehicles. The funding supported FCA US LLC’s light-duty electric drive vehicle and charging infrastructure-testing activities and enabled FCA US LLC to utilize the funding on advancing Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technologies to future programs. FCA US LLC intended to develop the next generations of electric drive and energy batteries through a properly paced convergence of standards, technology, components, and common modules, as well as first-responder training and battery recycling. To support the development of a strong, commercially viable supplier base, FCA US LLC also used this opportunity to evaluate various designated component and sub-system suppliers. The original project proposal was submitted in December 2009 and selected in January 2010. The project ended in December 2014.

Fuel consumption of business passenger cars and plug-in vehicles; Praktijkverbruik van zakelijke personenauto's en plug-in voertuigen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ligterink, N.E.; Smokers, R.T.M.

2013-05-15

TNO investigates the use and fuel consumption of private cars since 2008. In this report the results for 2012 are presented. In part 1 the most recent results of statistical analyses of fuel card data, which are used by business-type drivers of passenger cars, are presented. The second part contains the results of an analysis of available fuel consumption data of so-called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and range-extender electric vehicles that have entered the market in 2012 [Dutch] TNO doet al sinds 2008 onderzoek naar het praktijkverbruik van personenauto's. In dit rapport worden de resultaten over 2012 weergegeven. Het eerste deel presenteert de meest recente resultaten van statistische analyses van tankpasdata van door zakelijke rijders gebruikte personenvoertuigen. Het tweede deel bevat de resultaten van een analyse van beschikbare verbruiksgegevens van zogenoemde 'plug-in hybrides' en 'range-extender' elektrische voertuigen die in 2012 op de markt zijn gekomen.

On integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles into existing power system structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galus, Matthias D.; Zima, Marek; Andersson, Goeran

2010-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) represent one option for the electrification of private mobility. In order to efficiently integrate PHEVs into power systems, existing organizational structures need to be considered. Based on procedures of power systems planning and operation, actors are identified whose operational activities will be affected by PHEV integration. Potential changes and challenges in the actors' long- and short term planning activities are discussed. Further, a PHEV operation state description is developed which defines vehicle operation states from the power system point of view integrating uncontrolled, controlled recharging and vehicle to grid (V2G) utilization in one single framework. Future PHEV managing entities, such as aggregators, can use this framework for planning and operation activities including load management and V2G. This operational state description could provide a solution for future short term planning challenges of PHEVs and an aegis for various routes of current research, which to date have been weakly linked to each other.

New Integrated Multilevel Converter for Switched Reluctance Motor Drives in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles with Flexible Energy Conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gan, Chun; Wu, Jianhua; Hu, Yihua

2017-01-01

This paper presents an integrated multilevel converter of switched reluctance motors (SRMs) fed by a modular front-end circuit for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) applications. Several operating modes can be achieved by changing the on-off states of the switches in the front-end circuit......, the battery can be charged by the external AC source or generator when the vehicle is in standstill condition. The SRM-based PHEV can operate at different speeds by coordinating power flow from the generator and battery. Simulation in MATLAB/Simulink and experiments on a three-phase 12/8 SRM confirm...

Evaluation of energy consumption, emissions and cost of plug-in hybrid vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Carla; Ross, Marc; Farias, Tiago

2009-01-01

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) are gaining attention over the world due to their ability to reduce gasoline/diesel consumption by using electricity from the grid. Despite the efforts of Society of Automotive Engineers Recommended Practice SAE J1711, it has not yet been established a worldwide methodology for calculation of fuel consumption and emission factors when regarding emission standards, with distinct driving cycles. This paper intends to contribute to the creation of this broader methodology, based on SAE J1711, aiming a fair comparison among vehicle technologies, and giving insight on electric grid impact and on CO 2 life-cycle emissions. The methodology was applied to two simulated PHEVs exploring two different powertrain configurations: series and parallel; different driving cycles: CAFE, FTP75, NEDC and JC08; different driving distances (specially analyzing the average commuting daily distance of 20 km) and different user behaviours regarding battery recharging. CO 2 emissions were calculated for fuel consumption, electricity generation and cradle-to-grave. Electric grid power demand was estimated. Maintenance, manufacturer and use costs were discussed.

Energy conversion phenomena in plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katrasnik, Tomaz

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Energy conversion phenomena of PHEVs for different drive cycles and depletion rates of energy sources. → Detailed physically based framework for analyzing energy conversion phenomena in PHEVs. → Interaction of energy flows and energy losses with energy consumption of the PHEV. → Identification and explanation of mechanisms leading to optimal tank-to-wheel efficiency. → Analysis of well-to-wheel efficiencies for different realistic well-to-tank scenarios. -- Abstract: Energy flows and energy conversion efficiencies of commercial plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEV) are analyzed for parallel and series PHEV topologies. The analysis is performed by a combined analytical and simulation approach. Combined approach enables evaluation of energy losses on different energy paths and provides their impact on the energy consumption of the PHEV. Thereby the paper reveals energy conversion phenomena of different PHEV topologies operating according to charge depleting and charge sustaining modes as well as according to different test cycles. It is shown in the paper that amount of the energy depleted from both on-board energy sources is significantly influenced by the efficiencies of energy conversion chains from on-board energy sources to the wheels. It is also shown that energy used to power the PHEV according to particular test cycles varies based on its operating mode, which influences energy flows on different energy paths within the PHEVs and consequently overall energy consumed by the PHEV. The paper additionally discusses well-to-wheel efficiencies considering different realistic well-to-tank scenarios. It is shown that well-to-tank efficiency of electric energy generation significantly influences optimal operating mode of the PHEV if consumption of primary energy sources is considered.

Energy Management and Control of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in a Grid-Connected Hybrid Power System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sidra Mumtaz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The charging infrastructure plays a key role in the healthy and rapid development of the electric vehicle industry. This paper presents an energy management and control system of an electric vehicle charging station. The charging station (CS is integrated to a grid-connected hybrid power system having a wind turbine maximum power point tracking (MPPT controlled subsystem, photovoltaic (PV MPPT controlled subsystem and a controlled solid oxide fuel cell with electrolyzer subsystem which are characterized as renewable energy sources. In this article, an energy management system is designed for charging and discharging of five different plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs simultaneously to fulfil the grid-to-vehicle (G2V, vehicle-to-grid (V2G, grid-to-battery storage system (G2BSS, battery storage system-to-grid (BSS2G, battery storage system-to-vehicle (BSS2V, vehicle-to-battery storage system (V2BSS and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V charging and discharging requirements of the charging station. A simulation test-bed in Matlab/Simulink is developed to evaluate and control adaptively the AC-DC-AC converter of non-renewable energy source, DC-DC converters of the storage system, DC-AC grid side inverter and the converters of the CS using adaptive proportional-integral-derivate (AdapPID control paradigm. The effectiveness of the AdapPID control strategy is validated through simulation results by comparing with conventional PID control scheme.

Carbon nanotube-based ethanol sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brahim, Sean; Colbern, Steve; Gump, Robert; Moser, Alex; Grigorian, Leonid

2009-01-01

Sensors containing metal-carbon nanotube (CNT) hybrid materials as the active sensing layer were demonstrated for ethanol vapor detection at room temperature. The metal-CNT hybrid materials were synthesized by infiltrating single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with the transition metals Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Pd or Pt. Each sensor was prepared by drop-casting dilute dispersions of a metal-CNT hybrid onto quartz substrate electrodes and the impedimetric responses to varying ethanol concentration were recorded. Upon exposure to ethanol vapor, the ac impedance (Z') of the sensors was found to decrease to different extents. The sensor containing pristine CNT material was virtually non-responsive at low ethanol concentrations (<50 ppm). In contrast, all metal-CNT hybrid sensors showed extremely high sensitivity to trace ethanol levels with 100-fold or more gains in sensitivity relative to the starting SWNT sensor. All hybrid sensors, with the exception of Ni filled CNT, exhibited significantly larger sensor responses to ethanol vapor up to 250 ppm compared to the starting SWNT sensor.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: battery degradation, grid support, emissions, and battery size tradeoffs

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Scott B.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may become a substantial part of the transportation fleet in a decade or two. This dissertation investigates battery degradation, and how introducing PHEVs may influence the electricity grid, emissions, and petroleum use in the US. It examines the effects of combined driving and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) usage on lifetime performance of commercial Li-ion cells. The testing shows promising capacity fade performance: more than 95% of the original cell capacity remains after thousands of driving days. Statistical analyses indicate that rapid vehicle motive cycling degraded the cells more than slower, V2G galvanostatic cycling. These data are used to examine the potential economic implications of using vehicle batteries to store grid electricity generated at off-peak hours for off-vehicle use during peak hours. The maximum annual profit with perfect market information and no battery degradation cost ranged from ˜US140 to 250 in the three cities. If measured battery degradation is applied the maximum annual profit decreases to ˜10-120. The dissertation predicts the increase in electricity load and emissions due to vehicle battery charging in PJM and NYISO with the current generators, with a 50/tonne CO2 price, and with existing coal generators retrofitted with 80% CO2 capture. It also models emissions using natural gas or wind+gas. We examined PHEV fleet percentages between 0.4 and 50%. Compared to 2020 CAFE standards, net CO2 emissions in New York are reduced by switching from gasoline to electricity; coal-heavy PJM shows smaller benefits unless coal units are fitted with CCS or replaced with lower CO2 generation. NOX is reduced in both RTOs, but there is upward pressure on SO2 emissions or allowance prices under a cap. Finally the dissertation compares increasing the all-electric range (AER) of PHEVs to installing charging infrastructure. Fuel use was modeled with National Household Travel Survey and Greenhouse Gasses, Regulated

A Control Strategy for Mode Transition with Gear Shifting in a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyuhyun Sim

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The mode transition from electric propulsion mode to hybrid propulsion mode is important with regard to the power management strategy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs. This is because mode transitions can occur frequently depending on the power management strategies and driving cycles, and because inadequate mode transitions worsen the fuel efficiency and drivability. A pre-transmission parallel PHEV uses a clutch between the internal combustion engine (ICE and the electric motor (EM to connect or disconnect the power source of the ICE for a mode transition. The mode transition requires additional energy consumption for clutch speed synchronization, and is accompanied by a drivetrain shock due to clutch engagement. This paper proposes a control strategy for the mode transition with gear-shifting to resolve the problems of energy consumption and drivetrain shock. Through the development of a PHEV performance simulator, we analyze the mode transition characteristics and propose a control strategy considering the vehicle acceleration and gear state. The control strategy reduces the duration required for the mode transition by moving the start time of the mode transition. This helps to improve energy efficiency while maintaining adequate drivability.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles-A low-carbon solution for Ireland?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, William J.

2010-01-01

Between 1990 and 2006, the primary energy requirement of the Irish transport sector increased by 166%. Associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have followed a corresponding trajectory, and are responsible-at least in part-for Ireland's probable failure to meet its Kyoto targets. As in most countries, Ireland's transport sector is almost totally reliant on oil-a commodity for which Ireland is totally dependent on imports-and therefore vulnerable to supply and price shocks. Conversely, the efficiency and carbon intensity of the Irish electricity supply system have both improved dramatically over the same period, with significant further improvements projected over the coming decade. This paper analyses the prospects for leveraging these changes by increasing the electrification of the Irish transport sector. Specifically, the potential benefits of plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEV) are assessed, in terms of reducing primary energy requirement (PER) and CO 2 emissions. It is shown that, on a per-km basis, PHEV offer the potential for reductions of 50% or more in passenger car PER and CO 2 intensity. However, the time required to turn over the existing fleet means that a decade or more will be required to significantly impact PER and emissions of the PC fleet.

Plug-in hybrid vehicle GHG impacts in California: Integrating consumer-informed recharge profiles with an electricity-dispatch model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Axsen, Jonn; Kurani, Kenneth S.; McCarthy, Ryan; Yang, Christopher

2011-01-01

This paper explores how Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs) may reduce source-to-wheel Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from passenger vehicles. The two primary advances are the incorporation of (1) explicit measures of consumer interest in and potential use of different types of PHEVs and (2) a model of the California electricity grid capable of differentiating hourly and seasonal GHG emissions by generation source. We construct PHEV emissions scenarios to address inherent relationships between vehicle design, driving and recharging behaviors, seasonal and time-of-day variation in GHG-intensity of electricity, and total GHG emissions. A sample of 877 California new vehicle buyers provide data on driving, time of day recharge access, and PHEV design interests. The elicited data differ substantially from the assumptions used in previous analyses. We construct electricity demand profiles scaled to one million PHEVs and input them into an hourly California electricity supply model to simulate GHG emissions. Compared to conventional vehicles, consumer-designed PHEVs cut marginal (incremental) GHG emissions by more than one-third in current California energy scenarios and by one-quarter in future energy scenarios-reductions similar to those simulated for all-electric PHEV designs. Across the emissions scenarios, long-term GHG reductions depends on reducing the carbon intensity of the grid. - Research highlights: → We estimate California Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) GHGs using consumer data and an electricity supply model. → Consumer-designed (mostly 'blended') PHEVs can reduce GHG emissions compared to conventional vehicles. → These PHEVs can also reduce GHG emissions relative to 'all-electric' PHEV designs. → 'All-electric' designs may further reduce GHG emissions as electricity carbon intensity falls. → Ranking of GHG savings from off-peak versus daytime charging scenarios depends on electricity carbon intensity.

Efficient ethanol recovery from fermentation broths with integrated distillation-vapor permeation hybrid process

Science.gov (United States)

The energy demand of distillation-molecular sieve systems for ethanol recovery/dehydration can be significant, particularly for dilute solutions. An alternative hybrid process integrating vapor stripping (like a beer still) with vapor compression and a vapor permeation membrane s...

Effects of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on ozone concentrations in Colorado.

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkman, Gregory L; Denholm, Paul; Hannigan, Michael P; Milford, Jana B

2010-08-15

This study explores how ozone concentrations in the Denver, CO area might have been different if plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) had replaced light duty gasoline vehicles in summer 2006. A unit commitment and dispatch model was used to estimate the charging patterns of PHEVs and dispatch power plants to meet electricity demand. Emission changes were estimated based on gasoline displacement and the emission characteristics of the power plants providing additional electricity. The Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx) was used to simulate the effects of these emissions changes on ozone concentrations. Natural gas units provided most of the electricity used for charging PHEVs in the scenarios considered. With 100% PHEV penetration, nitrogen oxide (NO(x)) emissions were reduced by 27 tons per day (tpd) from a fleet of 1.7 million vehicles and were increased by 3 tpd from power plants; VOC emissions were reduced by 57 tpd. These emission changes reduced modeled peak 8-h average ozone concentrations by approximately 2-3 ppb on most days. Ozone concentration increases were modeled for small areas near central Denver. Future research is needed to forecast when significant PHEV penetration may occur and to anticipate characteristics of the corresponding power plant and vehicle fleets.

Implications of driving patterns on well-to-wheel performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Raykin, Leon; MacLean, Heather L; Roorda, Matthew J

2012-06-05

This study examines how driving patterns (distance and conditions) and the electricity generation supply interact to impact well-to-wheel (WTW) energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The WTW performance of a PHEV is compared with that of a similar (nonplug-in) gasoline hybrid electric vehicle and internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV). Driving PHEVs for short distances between recharging generally results in lower WTW total and fossil energy use and GHG emissions per kilometer compared to driving long distances, but the extent of the reductions depends on the electricity supply. For example, the shortest driving pattern in this study with hydroelectricity uses 81% less fossil energy than the longest driving pattern. However, the shortest driving pattern with coal-based electricity uses only 28% less fossil energy. Similar trends are observed in reductions relative to the nonplug-in vehicles. Irrespective of the electricity supply, PHEVs result in greater reductions in WTW energy use and GHG emissions relative to ICEVs for city than highway driving conditions. PHEVs charging from coal facilities only reduce WTW energy use and GHG emissions relative to ICEVs for certain favorable driving conditions. The study results have implications for environmentally beneficial PHEV adoption and usage patterns.

The effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and renewable power in support of holistic environmental goals: Part 2 - Design and operation implications for load-balancing resources on the electric grid

Science.gov (United States)

Tarroja, Brian; Eichman, Joshua D.; Zhang, Li; Brown, Tim M.; Samuelsen, Scott

2015-03-01

A study has been performed that analyzes the effectiveness of utilizing plug-in vehicles to meet holistic environmental goals across the combined electricity and transportation sectors. In this study, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) penetration levels are varied from 0 to 60% and base renewable penetration levels are varied from 10 to 63%. The first part focused on the effect of installing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on the environmental performance of the combined electricity and transportation sectors. The second part addresses impacts on the design and operation of load-balancing resources on the electric grid associated with fleet capacity factor, peaking and load-following generator capacity, efficiency, ramp rates, start-up events and the levelized cost of electricity. PHEVs using smart charging are found to counteract many of the disruptive impacts of intermittent renewable power on balancing generators for a wide range of renewable penetration levels, only becoming limited at high renewable penetration levels due to lack of flexibility and finite load size. This study highlights synergy between sustainability measures in the electric and transportation sectors and the importance of communicative dispatch of these vehicles.

Integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) with grid connected residential photovoltaic energy systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nagarajan, Adarsh; Shireen, Wajiha

2013-06-01

This paper proposes an approach for integrating Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) to an existing residential photovoltaic system, to control and optimize the power consumption of residential load. Control involves determining the source from which residential load will be catered, where as optimization of power flow reduces the stress on the grid. The system built to achieve the goal is a combination of the existing residential photovoltaic system, PHEV, Power Conditioning Unit (PCU), and a controller. The PCU involves two DC-DC Boost Converters and an inverter. This paper emphasizes on developing the controller logic and its implementation in order to accommodate the flexibility and benefits of the proposed integrated system. The proposed controller logic has been simulated using MATLAB SIMULINK and further implemented using Digital Signal Processor (DSP) microcontroller, TMS320F28035, from Texas Instruments

PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE EMISSIONS UNDER FTP AND US06 CYCLES AT HIGH, AMBIENT, AND LOW TEMPERATURES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seidman, M.R.; Markel, T.

2008-01-01

The concept of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is to displace consumption of gasoline by using electricity from the vehicle’s large battery pack to power the vehicle as much as possible with minimal engine operation. This paper assesses the PHEV emissions and operation. Currently, testing of vehicle emissions is done using the federal standard FTP4 cycle on a dynamometer at ambient (75°F) temperatures. Research was also completed using the US06 cycle. Furthermore, research was completed at high (95°F) and low (20°F) temperatures. Initial dynamometer testing was performed on a stock Toyota Prius under the standard FTP4 cycle, and the more demanding US06 cycle. Each cycle was run at 95°F, 75°F, and 20°F. The testing was repeated with the same Prius retrofi tted with an EnergyCS Plug-in Hybrid Electric system. The results of the testing confi rm that the stock Prius meets Super-Ultra Low Emission Vehicle requirements under current testing procedures, while the PHEV Prius under current testing procedures were greater than Super-Ultra Low Emission Vehicle requirements, but still met Ultra Low Emission Vehicle requirements. Research points to the catalyst temperature being a critical factor in meeting emission requirements. Initial engine emissions pass through with minimal conversion until the catalyst is heated to typical operating temperatures of 300–400°C. PHEVs also have trouble maintaining the minimum catalyst temperature throughout the entire test because the engine is turned off when the battery can support the load. It has been observed in both HEVs and PHEVs that the catalyst is intermittently unable to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, which causes further emission releases. Research needs to be done to combat the initial emission spikes caused by a cold catalyst. Research also needs to be done to improve the reduction of nitrogen oxides by the catalyst system.

Plug-in Hybrid and Battery-Electric Vehicles: State of the research and development and comparative analysis of energy and cost efficiency

OpenAIRE

Francoise Nemry; Guillaume Leduc; Almudena Muñoz

2009-01-01

This technical note is a first contribution from IPTS to a JRC more integrated assessment of future penetration pathways of new vehicles technologies in the EU27 market and of their impacts on energy security, GHG emissions and on the economy. The present report focuses on battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It provides a general overview of the current state of the research and development about the concerned technologies and builds some first estim...

Battery durability and longevity based power management for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with hybrid energy storage system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shuo; Xiong, Rui; Cao, Jiayi

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A novel procedure for developing an optimal power management strategy was proposed. • Efficiency and durability were considered to improve the practical performance. • Three control rules were abstracted from the optimization results with DP algorithm. • The proposed control strategy was verified under different SoC and SoH conditions. • The proposed strategy could further improve the energy efficiency obviously. - Abstract: Efficiency and durability are becoming two key issues for the energy storage system in electric vehicles together with their associated power management strategies. In this paper, we present a procedure for the design of a near-optimal power management strategy for the hybrid battery and ultracapacitor energy storage system (HESS) in a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The design procedure starts by defining a cost function to minimize the electricity consumption of the HESS and to optimize the operating behavior of the battery. To determine the optimal control actions and power distribution between two power sources, a dynamic programming (DP)-based novel analysis method is proposed, and the optimization framework is presented accordingly. Through analysis of the DP control actions under different battery state-of-health (SoH) conditions, near-optimal rules are extracted. A rule based power management is proposed based on the abstracted rules and simulation results indicate that the new control strategy can improve system efficiency under different SoH and different SoC conditions. Ultimately, the performance of proposed strategy is further verified under different types of driving cycles including the MANHATTAN cycle, 1015 6PRIUS cycle and UDDSHDV cycle.

CO2 Mitigation Potential of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles larger than expected.

Science.gov (United States)

Plötz, P; Funke, S A; Jochem, P; Wietschel, M

2017-11-28

The actual contribution of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles (PHEV and BEV) to greenhouse gas mitigation depends on their real-world usage. Often BEV are seen as superior as they drive only electrically and do not have any direct emissions during driving. However, empirical evidence on which vehicle electrifies more mileage with a given battery capacity is lacking. Here, we present the first systematic overview of empirical findings on actual PHEV and BEV usage for the US and Germany. Contrary to common belief, PHEV with about 60 km of real-world range currently electrify as many annual vehicles kilometres as BEV with a much smaller battery. Accordingly, PHEV recharged from renewable electricity can highly contribute to green house gas mitigation in car transport. Including the higher CO 2eq emissions during the production phase of BEV compared to PHEV, PHEV show today higher CO 2eq savings then BEVs compared to conventional vehicles. However, for significant CO 2eq improvements of PHEV and particularly of BEVs the decarbonisation of the electricity system should go on.

A Pontryagin Minimum Principle-Based Adaptive Equivalent Consumption Minimum Strategy for a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Bus on a Fixed Route

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaobo Xie

2017-09-01

Full Text Available When developing a real-time energy management strategy for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, it is still a challenge for the Equivalent Consumption Minimum Strategy to achieve near-optimal energy consumption, because the optimal equivalence factor is not readily available without the trip information. With the help of realistic speeding profiles sampled from a plug-in hybrid electric bus running on a fixed commuting line, this paper proposes a convenient and effective approach of determining the equivalence factor for an adaptive Equivalent Consumption Minimum Strategy. Firstly, with the adaptive law based on the feedback of battery SOC, the equivalence factor is described as a combination of the major component and tuning component. In particular, the major part defined as a constant is applied to the inherent consistency of regular speeding profiles, while the second part including a proportional and integral term can slightly tune the equivalence factor to satisfy the disparity of daily running cycles. Moreover, Pontryagin’s Minimum Principle is employed and solved by using the shooting method to capture the co-state dynamics, in which the Secant method is introduced to adjust the initial co-state value. And then the initial co-state value in last shooting is taken as the optimal stable constant of equivalence factor. Finally, altogether ten successive driving profiles are selected with different initial SOC levels to evaluate the proposed method, and the results demonstrate the excellent fuel economy compared with the dynamic programming and PMP method.

Cost and emissions impacts of plug-in hybrid vehicles on the Ohio power system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sioshansi, Ramteen; Fagiani, Riccardo; Marano, Vincenzo

2010-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been promoted as a potential technology that can reduce vehicles' fuel consumption, decreasing transportation-related emissions and dependence on imported oil. The net emission and cost impacts of PHEV use are intimately connected with the electricity generator mix used for PHEV charging, which will in turn depend on when during the day PHEVs are recharged. This paper analyzes the effects of a PHEV fleet in the state of Ohio. The analysis considers two different charging scenarios-a controlled and an uncontrolled scenario-which offer the grid operator different levels of control over the timing of PHEV charging. The analysis shows that PHEV use could result in major reductions in gasoline consumption of close to 70% per vehicle compared to a conventional vehicle (CV) under both charging scenarios. Moreover, despite the high penetrations of coal in the Ohio power system, net CO 2 emissions from a PHEV could be up to 24% lower than that of a CV in the uncontrolled case, however, CO 2 and NO x emissions would increase in both scenarios.

The impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles on distribution networks: A review and outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Robert C. II.; Wang, Lingfeng; Alam, Mansoor

2011-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are the next big thing in the electric transportation market. While much work has been done to detail what economic costs and benefits PHEVs will have on consumers and producers alike, it seems that it is also important to understand what impact PHEVs will have on distribution networks nationwide. This paper finds that the impact of PHEVs on the distribution network can be determined using the following aspects of PHEVs: driving patterns, charging characteristics, charge timing, and vehicle penetration. The impacts that these aspects of PHEVs will have on distribution networks have been measured and calculated by multiple authors in different locations using many different tools that range from analytical techniques to simulations and beyond. While much work has already been completed in this area, there is still much to do. Areas left for improvement and future work will include adding more stochasticity into models as well as computing and analyzing reliability indices with respect to distribution networks. (author)

Emissions impacts and benefits of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid services.

Science.gov (United States)

Sioshansi, Ramteen; Denholm, Paul

2009-02-15

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been promoted as a potential technology to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants by using electricity instead of petroleum, and byimproving electric system efficiency by providing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services. We use an electric power system model to explicitly evaluate the change in generator dispatches resulting from PHEV deployment in the Texas grid, and apply fixed and non-parametric estimates of generator emissions rates, to estimate the resulting changes in generation emissions. We find that by using the flexibility of when vehicles may be charged, generator efficiency can be increased substantially. By changing generator dispatch, a PHEVfleet of up to 15% of light-duty vehicles can actually decrease net generator NOx emissions during the ozone season, despite the additional charging load. By adding V2G services, such as spinning reserves and energy storage, CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions can be reduced even further.

Integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in a regional wind-thermal power system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goeransson, Lisa; Karlsson, Sten; Johnsson, Filip

2010-01-01

This study investigates consequences of integrating plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in a wind-thermal power system supplied by one quarter of wind power and three quarters of thermal generation. Four different PHEV integration strategies, with different impacts on the total electric load profile, have been investigated. The study shows that PHEVs can reduce the CO 2 -emissions from the power system if actively integrated, whereas a passive approach to PHEV integration (i.e. letting people charge the car at will) is likely to result in an increase in emissions compared to a power system without PHEV load. The reduction in emissions under active PHEV integration strategies is due to a reduction in emissions related to thermal plant start-ups and part load operation. Emissions of the power sector are reduced with up to 4.7% compared to a system without PHEVs, according to the simulations. Allocating this emission reduction to the PHEV electricity consumption only, and assuming that the vehicles in electric mode is about 3 times as energy efficient as standard gasoline operation, total emissions from PHEVs would be less than half the emissions of a standard car, when running in electric mode.

Tradeoffs between battery energy capacity and stochastic optimal power management in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moura, Scott J.; Fathy, Hosam K.; Stein, Jeffrey L.; Callaway, Duncan S.

2010-01-01

Recent results in plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) power management research suggest that battery energy capacity requirements may be reduced through proper power management algorithm design. Specifically, algorithms which blend fuel and electricity during the charge depletion phase using smaller batteries may perform equally to algorithms that apply electric-only operation during charge depletion using larger batteries. The implication of this result is that ''blended'' power management algorithms may reduce battery energy capacity requirements, thereby lowering the acquisition costs of PHEVs. This article seeks to quantify the tradeoffs between power management algorithm design and battery energy capacity, in a systematic and rigorous manner. Namely, we (1) construct dynamic PHEV models with scalable battery energy capacities, (2) optimize power management using stochastic control theory, and (3) develop simulation methods to statistically quantify the performance tradeoffs. The degree to which blending enables smaller battery energy capacities is evaluated as a function of both daily driving distance and energy (fuel and electricity) pricing. (author)

Energy efficiency for the multiport power converters architectures of series and parallel hybrid power source type used in plug-in/V2G fuel cell vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bizon, Nicu

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► It is analyzed the series and parallel Hybrid Power Source (HPS) topology for plug-in Fuel Cell Vehicle (PFCV). ► An energy efficiency analysis of the Multiport Power Converter (MPC) of both HPSs is performed. ► The MPC energy efficiency features were shown by analytical computing in all PFCV regimes. -- Abstract: In this paper it is presented a mathematical analysis of the energy efficiency for the Multiport Power Converter (MPC) used in series and parallel Hybrid Power Source (HPS) architectures type on the plug-in Fuel Cell Vehicles (PFCVs). The aim of the analysis is to provide general conclusions for a wide range of PFCV operating regimes that are chosen for efficient use of the MPC architecture on each particular drive cycle. In relation with FC system of PFCV, the Energy Storage System (ESS) can operate in following regimes: (1) Charge-Sustaining (CS), (2) Charge-Depleting (CD), and (3) Charge-Increasing (CI). Considering the imposed window for the ESS State-Of-Charge (SOC), the MPC can be connected to renewable plug-in Charging Stations (PCSs) to exchange power with Electric Power (EP) system, when it is necessary for both. The Energy Management Unit (EMU) that communicates with the EP system will establish the moments to match the PFCV power demand with supply availability of the EP grid, stabilizing it. The MPC energy efficiency of the PFCVs is studied when the ESS is charged (discharged) from (to) the home/PCS/EP system. The comparative results were shown for both PFCV architectures through the analytical calculation performed and the appropriate Matlab/Simulink® simulations presented.

Calibration methodology for energy management system of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duan, Benming; Wang, Qingnian; Zeng, Xiaohua; Gong, Yinsheng; Song, Dafeng; Wang, Junnian

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Calibration theory of EMS is proposed. • A comprehensive evaluating indicator is constructed by radar chart method. • Optimal Latin hypercube design algorithm is introduced to obtain training data. • An approximation model is established by using a RBF neural network. • Offline calibration methodology improves the actual calibration efficiency. - Abstract: This paper presents a new analytical calibration method for energy management strategy designed for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. This method improves the actual calibration efficiency to reach a compromise among the conflicting calibration requirements (e.g. emissions and economy). A comprehensive evaluating indicator covering emissions and economic performance is constructed by using a radar chart method. A radial basis functions (RBFs) neural network model is proposed to establish a precise model among control parameters and the comprehensive evaluation indicator. The optimal Latin hypercube design is introduced to obtain the experimental data to train the RBFs neural network model. And multi-island genetic algorithm is used to solve the optimization model. Finally, an offline calibration example is conducted. Results validate the effectiveness of the proposed calibration approach in improving vehicle performance and calibration efficiency.

Conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles? State-based comparative carbon and energy footprint analysis in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onat, Nuri Cihat; Kucukvar, Murat; Tatari, Omer

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Driving patterns and electricity generation mix influence vehicle preferences. • EVs are found to be least carbon-intensive vehicle option in 24 states. • HEVs are found to be the most energy-efficient option in 45 states. • EVs across the board are unfavorable in the marginal electricity mix scenario. • Use of renewable energy to power EVs/PHEVs is crucial. - Abstract: Electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are often considered as better options in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption compared to internal combustion vehicles. However, making any decision among these vehicle options is not a straightforward process due to temporal and spatial variations, such as the sources of the electricity used and regional driving patterns. In this study, we compared these vehicle options across 50 states, taking into account state-specific average and marginal electricity generation mixes, regional driving patterns, and vehicle and battery manufacturing impacts. Furthermore, a policy scenario proposing the widespread use of solar energy to charge EVs and PHEVs is evaluated. Based on the average electricity generation mix scenario, EVs are found to be least carbon-intensive vehicle option in 24 states, while HEVs are found to be the most energy-efficient option in 45 states. In the marginal electricity mix scenario, widespread adoption of EVs is found to be an unwise strategy given the existing and near-future marginal electricity generation mix. On the other hand, EVs can be superior to other alternatives in terms of energy-consumption, if the required energy to generate 1 kW h of electricity is below 1.25 kW h

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle LiFePO4 battery life implications of thermal management, driving conditions, and regional climate

Science.gov (United States)

Yuksel, Tugce; Litster, Shawn; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian; Michalek, Jeremy J.

2017-01-01

Battery degradation strongly depends on temperature, and many plug-in electric vehicle applications employ thermal management strategies to extend battery life. The effectiveness of thermal management depends on the design of the thermal management system as well as the battery chemistry, cell and pack design, vehicle system characteristics, and operating conditions. We model a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle with an air-cooled battery pack composed of cylindrical LiFePO4/graphite cells and simulate the effect of thermal management, driving conditions, regional climate, and vehicle system design on battery life. We estimate that in the absence of thermal management, aggressive driving can cut battery life by two thirds; a blended gas/electric-operation control strategy can quadruple battery life relative to an all-electric control strategy; larger battery packs can extend life by an order of magnitude relative to small packs used for all-electric operation; and batteries last 73-94% longer in mild-weather San Francisco than in hot Phoenix. Air cooling can increase battery life by a factor of 1.5-6, depending on regional climate and driving patterns. End of life criteria has a substantial effect on battery life estimates.

Online Energy Management of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles for Prolongation of All-Electric Range Based on Dynamic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeyu Chen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The employed energy management strategy plays an important role in energy saving performance and exhausted emission reduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs. An application of dynamic programming for optimization of power allocation is implemented in this paper with certain driving cycle and a limited driving range. Considering the DP algorithm can barely be used in real-time control because of its huge computational task and the dependence on a priori driving cycle, several online useful control rules are established based on the offline optimization results of DP. With the above efforts, an online energy management strategy is proposed finally. The presented energy management strategy concerns the prolongation of all-electric driving range as well as the energy saving performance. A simulation study is deployed to evaluate the control performance of the proposed energy management approach. All-electric range of the plug-in HEV can be prolonged by up to 2.86% for a certain driving condition. The energy saving performance is relative to the driving distance. The presented energy management strategy brings a little higher energy cost when driving distance is short, but for a long driving distance, it can reduce the energy consumption by up to 5.77% compared to the traditional CD-CS strategy.

A robust H∞ control-based hierarchical mode transition control system for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Chao; Jiao, Xiaohong; Li, Liang; Zhang, Yuanbo; Chen, Zheng

2018-01-01

To realize a fast and smooth operating mode transition process from electric driving mode to engine-on driving mode, this paper presents a novel robust hierarchical mode transition control method for a plug-in hybrid electric bus (PHEB) with pre-transmission parallel hybrid powertrain. Firstly, the mode transition process is divided into five stages to clearly describe the powertrain dynamics. Based on the dynamics models of powertrain and clutch actuating mechanism, a hierarchical control structure including two robust H∞ controllers in both upper layer and lower layer is proposed. In upper layer, the demand clutch torque can be calculated by a robust H∞controller considering the clutch engaging time and the vehicle jerk. While in lower layer a robust tracking controller with L2-gain is designed to perform the accurate position tracking control, especially when the parameters uncertainties and external disturbance occur in the clutch actuating mechanism. Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test are carried out in a traditional driving condition of PHEB. Results show that the proposed hierarchical control approach can obtain the good control performance: mode transition time is greatly reduced with the acceptable jerk. Meanwhile, the designed control system shows the obvious robustness with the uncertain parameters and disturbance. Therefore, the proposed approach may offer a theoretical reference for the actual vehicle controller.

Enhancement of ethanol oxidation at Pt and PtRu nanoparticles dispersed over hybrid zirconia-rhodium supports

Science.gov (United States)

Rutkowska, Iwona A.; Koster, Margaretta D.; Blanchard, Gary J.; Kulesza, Pawel J.

2014-12-01

A catalytic material for electrooxidation of ethanol that utilizes PtRu nanoparticles dispersed over thin films of rhodium-free and rhodium-containing zirconia (ZrO2) supports is described here. The enhancement of electrocatalytic activity (particularly in the potential range as low as 0.25-0.5 V vs. RHE), that has been achieved by dispersing PtRu nanoparticles (loading, 100 μg cm-2) over the hybrid Rh-ZrO2 support composed of nanostructured zirconia and metallic rhodium particles, is clearly evident from comparison of the respective voltammetric and chronoamperometric current densities recorded at room temperature (22 °C) in 0.5 mol dm-3 H2SO4 containing 0.5 mol dm-3 ethanol. Porous ZrO2 nanostructures, that provide a large population of hydroxyl groups in acidic medium in the vicinity of PtRu sites, are expected to facilitate the ruthenium-induced removal of passivating CO adsorbates from platinum, as is apparent from the diagnostic experiments with a small organic molecule such as methanol. Although Rh itself does not show directly any activity toward ethanol oxidation, the metal is expected to facilitate C-C bond splitting in C2H5OH. It has also been found during parallel voltammetric and chronoamperometric measurements that the hybrid Rh-ZrO2 support increases activity of the platinum component itself toward ethanol oxidation in the low potential range.

An innovation and policy agenda for commercially competitive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemoine, D M; Kammen, D M; Farrell, A E

2008-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can use both grid-supplied electricity and liquid fuels. We show that under recent conditions, millions of PHEVs could have charged economically in California during both peak and off-peak hours even with modest gasoline prices and real-time electricity pricing. Special electricity rate tariffs already in place for electric vehicles could successfully render on-peak charging uneconomical and off-peak charging very attractive. However, unless battery prices fall by at least a factor of two, or gasoline prices double, the present value of fuel savings is smaller than the marginal vehicle costs, likely slowing PHEV market penetration in California. We also find that assumptions about how PHEVs are charged strongly influence the number of PHEVs that can be charged before the electric power system must be expanded. If most PHEVs are charged after the workday, and thus after the time of peak electricity demand, our forecasts suggest that several million PHEVs could be deployed in California without requiring new generation capacity, and we also find that the state's PHEV fleet is unlikely to reach into the millions within the current electricity sector planning cycle. To ensure desirable outcomes, appropriate technologies and incentives for PHEV charging will be needed if PHEV adoption becomes mainstream

An innovation and policy agenda for commercially competitive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Lemoine, D. M.; Kammen, D. M.; Farrell, A. E.

2008-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) can use both grid-supplied electricity and liquid fuels. We show that under recent conditions, millions of PHEVs could have charged economically in California during both peak and off-peak hours even with modest gasoline prices and real-time electricity pricing. Special electricity rate tariffs already in place for electric vehicles could successfully render on-peak charging uneconomical and off-peak charging very attractive. However, unless battery prices fall by at least a factor of two, or gasoline prices double, the present value of fuel savings is smaller than the marginal vehicle costs, likely slowing PHEV market penetration in California. We also find that assumptions about how PHEVs are charged strongly influence the number of PHEVs that can be charged before the electric power system must be expanded. If most PHEVs are charged after the workday, and thus after the time of peak electricity demand, our forecasts suggest that several million PHEVs could be deployed in California without requiring new generation capacity, and we also find that the state's PHEV fleet is unlikely to reach into the millions within the current electricity sector planning cycle. To ensure desirable outcomes, appropriate technologies and incentives for PHEV charging will be needed if PHEV adoption becomes mainstream.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as regulating power providers. Case studies of Sweden and Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, S.-L.; Goeransson, L.; Karlsson, S.; Johnsson, F.; Elofsson, A.K.; Galus, M.D.; Andersson, G.

2010-01-01

This study investigates plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as providers of regulating power in the form of primary, secondary and tertiary frequency control. Previous studies have shown that PHEVs could generate substantial profits while providing ancillary services. This study investigates under what conditions PHEVs can generate revenues using actual market data, i.e. prices and activations of regulating power, from Sweden and Germany from four months in 2008. PHEV market participation is modelled for individual vehicles in a fleet subject to a simulated movement pattern. Costs for infrastructure and vehicle-to-grid equipment are not included in the analysis. The simulation results indicate that maximum average profits generated on the German markets are in the range 30-80 EUR per vehicle and month whereas the Swedish regulating power markets give no profit. In addition, an analysis is performed to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of PHEVs as regulating power providers. Based on the simulation results and the SWOT analysis, characteristics for an ideal regulating power market for PHEVs are presented. (author)

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Market Introduction Study: Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikes, Karen [Sentech, Inc.; Gross, Thomas [Sentech, Inc.; Lin, Zhenhong [ORNL; Sullivan, John [University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute; Cleary, Timothy [Sentech, Inc.; Ward, Jake [U.S. Department of Energy

2010-02-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sentech, Inc., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)/University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have conducted a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Market Introduction Study to identify and assess the effect of potential policies, regulations, and temporary incentives as key enablers for a successful market debut. The timeframe over which market-stimulating incentives would be implemented - and the timeframe over which they would be phased out - are suggested. Possible sources of revenue to help fund these mechanisms are also presented. In addition, pinch points likely to emerge during market growth are identified and proposed solutions presented. Finally, modeling results from ORNL's Market Acceptance of Advanced Automotive Technologies (MA3T) Model and UMTRI's Virtual AutoMotive MarketPlace (VAMMP) Model were used to quantify the expected effectiveness of the proposed policies and to recommend a consensus strategy aimed at transitioning what begins as a niche industry into a thriving and sustainable market by 2030. The primary objective of the PHEV Market Introduction Study is to identify the most effective means for accelerating the commercialization of PHEVs in order to support national energy and economic goals. Ideally, these mechanisms would maximize PHEV sales while minimizing federal expenditures. To develop a robust market acceleration program, incentives and policies must be examined in light of: (1) clarity and transparency of the market signals they send to the consumer; (2) expenditures and resources needed to support them; (3) expected impacts on the market for PHEVs; (4) incentives that are compatible and/or supportive of each other; (5) complexity of institutional and regulatory coordination needed; and (6) sources of funding.

Dueco Plug-In Hybrid Engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillip Eidler

2011-09-30

Dueco, a final stage manufacture of utility trucks, was awarded a congressionally directed cost shared contract to develop, test, validate, and deploy several PHEV utility trucks. Odyne will be the primary subcontractor responsible for all aspects of the hybrid system including its design and installation on a truck chassis. Key objectives in this program include developing a better understanding of the storage device and system capability; improve aspects of the existing design, optimization of system and power train components, and prototype evaluation. This two year project will culminate in the delivery of at least five vehicles for field evaluation.

Hybrid treatment of dysphagia lusoria: right carotid to subclavian bypass and endovascular insertion of an Amplatzer II Vascular Plug

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernesto Cobos-González

Full Text Available Compression of the esophagus by a retroesophageal aberrant right subclavian artery (ARSA is a rare cause of dysphagia. We present the case of a 47-year-old female with symptoms of progressive dysphagia diagnosed with dysphagia lusoria using barium swallow and contrast computed tomography and successfully treated with a hybrid procedure: right carotid to subclavian bypass and endovascular insertion of an Amplatzer II Vascular Plug through the right superficial femoral artery. We consider this approach safer, less invasive and more complete to avoid recurrent dysphagia.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle impact study for the Progress Energy Carolinas Territory : condensed grid impact report for PHEV 2007 conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waters, M.; Outlaw, T.; Boone, K.

2007-01-01

This presentation described a program designed to investigate the market viability of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and examine the impact of PHEVs on electricity generation systems. Three potential charging scenarios were examined: (1) uncontrolled; (2) delayed after 22:00, and (3) optimized off-peak. The study demonstrated that PHEVs have the capacity to provide greater value to users than conventional or standard hybrid vehicles, even when their higher initial cost is considered. Fuel savings were estimated at $600 more than savings estimated for standard hybrid vehicles. Developed market models were used to demonstrate that PHEVs will probably achieve sales market shares of 26 per cent by the year 2030. An estimated 670 GWh of electricity will be needed to charge the expected fleet. Results for the uncontrolled scenario showed additional peak demands. Delayed and off-peak scenarios were capable of massive penetrations of PHEVs without increases in transmission and distribution. Incremental emission rates for sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) and nitrogen oxide (NO x ) decreased in off-peak scenarios. The study showed that all PHEV charging scenarios increased SO 2 emissions when compared to standard hybrids. NO x emissions were equal or slightly higher. It was concluded that PHEVs can also serve as a key component to alternative fuel strategies and provide significant reductions in oil imports. 30 refs., 2 tabs., 21 figs

U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program: Battery Test Manual For Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christophersen, Jon P. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2014-09-01

This battery test procedure manual was prepared for the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office. It is based on technical targets for commercial viability established for energy storage development projects aimed at meeting system level DOE goals for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV). The specific procedures defined in this manual support the performance and life characterization of advanced battery devices under development for PHEV’s. However, it does share some methods described in the previously published battery test manual for power-assist hybrid electric vehicles. Due to the complexity of some of the procedures and supporting analysis, future revisions including some modifications and clarifications of these procedures are expected. As in previous battery and capacitor test manuals, this version of the manual defines testing methods for full-size battery systems, along with provisions for scaling these tests for modules, cells or other subscale level devices. The DOE-United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) supported the development of the manual. Technical Team points of contact responsible for its development and revision are Renata M. Arsenault of Ford Motor Company and Jon P. Christophersen of the Idaho National Laboratory. The development of this manual was funded by the Unites States Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. Technical direction from DOE was provided by David Howell, Energy Storage R&D Manager and Hybrid Electric Systems Team Leader. Comments and questions regarding the manual should be directed to Jon P. Christophersen at the Idaho National Laboratory (jon.christophersen@inl.gov).

National Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Eric W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rames, Clement L. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Muratori, Matteo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Srinivasa Raghavan, Seshadri [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Melaina, Marc W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-15

This document describes a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory quantifying the charging station infrastructure required to serve the growing U.S. fleet of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). PEV sales, which include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), have surged recently. Most PEV charging occurs at home, but widespread PEV adoption will require the development of a national network of non-residential charging stations. Installation of these stations strategically would maximize the economic viability of early stations while enabling efficient network growth as the PEV market matures. This document describes what effective co-evolution of the PEV fleet and charging infrastructure might look like under a range of scenarios. To develop the roadmap, NREL analyzed PEV charging requirements along interstate corridors and within urban and rural communities. The results suggest that a few hundred corridor fast-charging stations could enable long-distance BEV travel between U.S. cities. Compared to interstate corridors, urban and rural communities are expected to have significantly larger charging infrastructure requirements. About 8,000 fast-charging stations would be required to provide a minimum level of coverage nationwide. In an expanding PEV market, the total number of non-residential charging outlets or 'plugs' required to meet demand ranges from around 100,000 to more than 1.2 million. Understanding what drives this large range in capacity requirements is critical. For example, whether consumers prefer long-range or short-range PEVs has a larger effect on plug requirements than does the total number of PEVs on the road. The relative success of PHEVs versus BEVs also has a major impact, as does the number of PHEVs that charge away from home. This study shows how important it is to understand consumer preferences and driving behaviors when planning charging networks.

National Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muratori, Matteo [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rames, Clement L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Srinivasa Raghavan, Sesha [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Melaina, Marc W [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wood, Eric W [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-07

This presentation describes a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory quantifying the charging station infrastructure required to serve the growing U.S. fleet of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs). PEV sales, which include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs), have surged recently. Most PEV charging occurs at home, but widespread PEV adoption will require the development of a national network of non-residential charging stations. Installation of these stations strategically would maximize the economic viability of early stations while enabling efficient network growth as the PEV market matures. This document describes what effective co-evolution of the PEV fleet and charging infrastructure might look like under a range of scenarios. To develop the roadmap, NREL analyzed PEV charging requirements along interstate corridors and within urban and rural communities. The results suggest that a few hundred corridor fast-charging stations could enable long-distance BEV travel between U.S. cities. Compared to interstate corridors, urban and rural communities are expected to have significantly larger charging infrastructure requirements. About 8,000 fast-charging stations would be required to provide a minimum level of coverage nationwide. In an expanding PEV market, the total number of non-residential charging outlets or 'plugs' required to meet demand ranges from around 100,000 to more than 1.2 million. Understanding what drives this large range in capacity requirements is critical. For example, whether consumers prefer long-range or short-range PEVs has a larger effect on plug requirements than does the total number of PEVs on the road. The relative success of PHEVs versus BEVs also has a major impact, as does the number of PHEVs that charge away from home. This study shows how important it is to understand consumer preferences and driving behaviors when planning charging networks.

Shielding plug device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orii, Shoichi; Hasegawa, Satoshi; Makishima, Kenji.

1976-01-01

Object: To reduce the size of and extend the life of a revolving bearing and facilitate the laying of driving cables and duct lines, this being accomplished by providing plug raising means of a fast breeder on a stationary plug mounting base so as to prevent the shearing force of sodium from acting upon the revolving bearing. Structure: The shield plug means comprises a stationary plug secured to the open end of the reactor container, a rotary plug rotatable with respect to the stationary plug, an annular base formed on top of the stationary plug so as to cover the rotary plug, a bearing secured to the rotary plug edge lower face and upper and lower locking plates. At the time of the rotation of the rotary plug, the upper locking plate is withdrawn, the stationary plug is raised to release the seal structure, and the lower locking plate is inserted between the bearing and stationary plug. In this way, smooth rotation of the rotary plug can be obtained. (Horiuchi, T.)

Implementation of Single Phase Soft Switched PFC Converter for Plug-in-Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aiswariya Sekar

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new soft switching boost converter with a passive snubber cell without additional active switches for battery charging systems. The proposed snubber finds its application in the front-end ac-dc converter of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV battery chargers. The proposed auxiliary snubber circuit consists of an inductor, two capacitors and two diodes. The new converter has the advantages of continuous input current, low switching stresses, high voltage gain without extreme duty cycle, minimized charger size and charging time and fewer amounts of cost and electricity drawn from the utility at higher switching frequencies. The switch is made to turn ON by Zero Current Switching (ZCS and turn OFF by Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS. The detailed steady state analysis of the novel ac-dc Zero Current- Zero Voltage Switching (ZC-ZVS boost Power Factor Correction (PFC converter is presented with its operating principle. The experimental prototype of 20 kHz, 100 W converter verifies the theoretical analysis. The power factor of the prototype circuit reaches near unity with an efficiency of 97%, at nominal output power for a ±10% variation in the input voltage and ±20% variation in the snubber component values.

Swarm Intelligence-Based Smart Energy Allocation Strategy for Charging Stations of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Imran Rahman

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Recent researches towards the use of green technologies to reduce pollution and higher penetration of renewable energy sources in the transportation sector have been gaining popularity. In this wake, extensive participation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs requires adequate charging allocation strategy using a combination of smart grid systems and smart charging infrastructures. Daytime charging stations will be needed for daily usage of PHEVs due to the limited all-electric range. Intelligent energy management is an important issue which has already drawn much attention of researchers. Most of these works require formulation of mathematical models with extensive use of computational intelligence-based optimization techniques to solve many technical problems. In this paper, gravitational search algorithm (GSA has been applied and compared with another member of swarm family, particle swarm optimization (PSO, considering constraints such as energy price, remaining battery capacity, and remaining charging time. Simulation results obtained for maximizing the highly nonlinear objective function evaluate the performance of both techniques in terms of best fitness.

Proceedings of the PHEV09 conference : plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) will require careful consideration of the electric grid's generation and distribution capacities as well as new developments in electric drives and other PHEV and EV technologies. A greater understanding of the policy initiatives needed to develop and promote the use of PHEVs and EVs is also needed in Canada. With 344 delegates, this conference provided a forum for the discussion of issues related to the current PHEV and EV market in Canada. The first day of the conference focused on emerging battery technologies, while the second and third days discussed PHEV and EV technologies, markets, policies and regulations. Presentations at the conference were divided into 18 sessions: (1) performance of batteries in extreme conditions; (2) grid integration; (3) customer perspectives; (4) public and private support programs for the Canadian EV industry; (5) grid-vehicle interface; (6) standards, regulations and safety issues now and in the foreseeable future; (7) an overview of key initiatives in Canada; (8) applications in defence and space; (9) international perspectives on market issues and supportive policies; (10) power management; (11) applications in northern and remote communities; (12) emerging business models to accelerate electric drive; (13) power management; (14) renewable and zero GHG energy opportunities; (15) human resources implications; (16) OEM perspectives; (17) OEM perspectives part 2; and (18) a closing plenary session. The conference featured 64 presentations, of which 11 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. tabs., figs.

A Mixed Logical Dynamical-Model Predictive Control (MLD-MPC Energy Management Control Strategy for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jing Lian

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs can be considered as a hybrid system (HS which includes the continuous state variable, discrete event, and operation constraint. Thus, a model predictive control (MPC strategy for PHEVs based on the mixed logical dynamical (MLD model and short-term vehicle speed prediction is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the mathematical model of the controlled PHEV is set-up to evaluate the energy consumption using the linearized models of core power components. Then, based on the recognition of driving intention and the past vehicle speed data, a nonlinear auto-regressive (NAR neural network structure is designed to predict the vehicle speed for known driving profiles of city buses and the predicted vehicle speed is used to calculate the total required torque. Next, a MLD model is established with appropriate constraints for six possible driving modes. By solving the objective function with the Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP algorithm, the optimal motor torque and the corresponding driving mode sequence within the speed prediction horizon can be obtained. Finally, the proposed energy control strategy shows substantial improvement in fuel economy in the simulation results.

Energy management of a power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle based on genetic algorithm and quadratic programming

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zheng; Mi, Chris Chunting; Xiong, Rui; Xu, Jun; You, Chenwen

2014-02-01

This paper introduces an online and intelligent energy management controller to improve the fuel economy of a power-split plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Based on analytic analysis between fuel-rate and battery current at different driveline power and vehicle speed, quadratic equations are applied to simulate the relationship between battery current and vehicle fuel-rate. The power threshold at which engine is turned on is optimized by genetic algorithm (GA) based on vehicle fuel-rate, battery state of charge (SOC) and driveline power demand. The optimal battery current when the engine is on is calculated using quadratic programming (QP) method. The proposed algorithm can control the battery current effectively, which makes the engine work more efficiently and thus reduce the fuel-consumption. Moreover, the controller is still applicable when the battery is unhealthy. Numerical simulations validated the feasibility of the proposed controller.

U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program -- Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity -- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kevin Morrow; Donald Darner; James Francfort

2008-11-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are under evaluation by various stake holders to better understand their capability and potential benefits. PHEVs could allow users to significantly improve fuel economy over a standard HEV and in some cases, depending on daily driving requirements and vehicle design, have the ability to eliminate fuel consumption entirely for daily vehicle trips. The cost associated with providing charge infrastructure for PHEVs, along with the additional costs for the on-board power electronics and added battery requirements associated with PHEV technology will be a key factor in the success of PHEVs. This report analyzes the infrastructure requirements for PHEVs in single family residential, multi-family residential and commercial situations. Costs associated with this infrastructure are tabulated, providing an estimate of the infrastructure costs associated with PHEV deployment.

Optimal integration of a hybrid solar-battery power source into smart home nanogrid with plug-in electric vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaohua; Hu, Xiaosong; Teng, Yanqiong; Qian, Shide; Cheng, Rui

2017-09-01

Hybrid solar-battery power source is essential in the nexus of plug-in electric vehicle (PEV), renewables, and smart building. This paper devises an optimization framework for efficient energy management and components sizing of a single smart home with home battery, PEV, and potovoltatic (PV) arrays. We seek to maximize the home economy, while satisfying home power demand and PEV driving. Based on the structure and system models of the smart home nanogrid, a convex programming (CP) problem is formulated to rapidly and efficiently optimize both the control decision and parameters of the home battery energy storage system (BESS). Considering different time horizons of optimization, home BESS prices, types and control modes of PEVs, the parameters of home BESS and electric cost are systematically investigated. Based on the developed CP control law in home to vehicle (H2V) mode and vehicle to home (V2H) mode, the home with BESS does not buy electric energy from the grid during the electric price's peak periods.

Hybrid NiCoOx adjacent to Pd nanoparticles as a synergistic electrocatalyst for ethanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Yang, Yan; Liu, Yanqin; Zhang, Zhe; Dong, Wenkui; Lei, Ziqiang

2015-01-01

To improve the electrocatalytic activity of Pd for ethanol oxidation, hybrid NiCoOx adjacent to Pd catalyst (Pd-NiCoOx/C) is successfully synthesized. Physical characterization shows NiCoOx is closely adjacent to Pd nanoparticles in Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst, which leads to Strong Metal-Support Interactions (SMSI) between the NiCoOx and Pd nanoparticles, in favor of the electrocatalytic properties. The Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is estimated to own larger electrochemically active surface area than Pd/C and Pd-NiO/C catalysts. Moreover, compared to Pd/C catalyst, the onset potential of Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is negative 40 mV for ethanol oxidation. Noticeably, the current density of Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst is 2.05 and 1.43 times higher contrasted to Pd/C and Pd-NiO/C catalysts accordingly. Importantly, the Pd-NiCoOx/C catalyst exhibits better stability during ethanol oxidation, which is a promising electrocatalyst for application in direct alkaline alcohol fuel cells.

Tube plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zafred, P. R.

1985-01-01

The tube plug comprises a one piece mechanical plug having one open end and one closed end which is capable of being inserted in a heat exchange tube and internally expanded into contact with the inside surface of the heat exchange tube for preventing flow of a coolant through the heat exchange tube. The tube plug also comprises a groove extending around the outside circumference thereof which has an elastomeric material disposed in the groove for enhancing the seal between the tube plug and the tube

Evaluating the Degradation Mechanism and State of Health of LiFePO4 Lithium-Ion Batteries in Real-World Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Application for Different Ageing Paths

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate determination of the performance and precise prediction of the state of health (SOH of lithium-ion batteries are necessary to ensure reliability and efficiency in real-world application. However, most SOH offline studies were based on dynamic stress tests, which only reflect the universal rule of degradation, but are not necessarily applicable for real-world applications. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of two different operations of real-world plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with LiFePO4 batteries as energy-storage systems. First, the LiFePO4 batteries were subjected to a set of comparative experimental tests that consider the effects of charge depleting (CD and charge sustaining (CS operations. Then, different voltage analysis along with the close-to-equilibrium open circle voltage was utilized to evaluate the performance of the batteries in life cycles. Finally, a qualitative relationship between the external factors (the percentage of time of CD/CS operations during the entire driving range and the degradation mechanism was built with the help of the proposed methods. Results indicated that the external factors affect the degree of the batteries degradation, but not up to the point when the capacity fading stage occurs. This relationship contributes to the foundation for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles’ (PHEVs’ energy management strategy or battery management system control strategy.

Techno-economic comparison of series hybrid, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell and regular cars

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Vliet, O.P.R.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/288519361; Kruithof, T.; Turkenburg, W.C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/073416355; Faaij, A.P.C.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/10685903X

2010-01-01

We examine the competitiveness of series hybrid compared to fuel cell, parallel hybrid, and regular cars. We use public domain data to determine efficiency, fuel consumption, total costs of ownership and greenhouse gas emissions resulting from drivetrain choices. The series hybrid drivetrain can be

Effects of the introduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on sources of energy and the electricity grid - Additional information; Auswirkungen der Markteinfuehrung von Elektrofahrzeugen und Plug-In-Hybrids auf die Energietraeger und das Elektrizitaetsnetz. Ergaenzende Informationen - Schlussbericht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rigassi, R.; Huber, S. [Enco AG, Liestal (Switzerland); Strub, P. [Pierre Strub - nachhaltig wirkt, Basel (Switzerland)

2010-12-15

This comprehensive annex to a final report for the Swiss federal Office of Energy (SFOE) discusses the effects of the introduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids on sources of energy and the electricity grid. Energy and CO{sub 2} balances are discussed as is the use of vehicle batteries as part of a 'vehicle-to-grid' system that can help regulate the electricity mains. Charge optimisation and mains fed-in are discussed. The control and cost/remuneration of the power involved are looked at. The modelling involved for calculating the power quantities involved is examined. Data on related vehicle technologies and their usage is presented and discussed. The Swiss power grid, production and the mix of electricity produced are looked at and the needs for regulating energy are discussed. Factors taken into account for the comparison of carbon dioxide emissions are looked at. Further additional information is presented and discussed. Relationships to other energy scenarios are presented and discussed. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made. Questions still to be examined are listed.

Vascular plugs - A key companion to Interventionists - 'Just Plug it'.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramakrishnan, Sivasubramanian

2015-01-01

Vascular plugs are ideally suited to close extra-cardiac, high flowing vascular communications. The family of vascular plugs has expanded. Vascular plugs in general have a lower profile and the newer variants can be delivered even through a diagnostic catheter. These features make them versatile and easy to use. The Amplatzer vascular plugs are also used for closing intracardiac defects including coronary arterio-venous fistula and paravalvular leakage in an off-label fashion. In this review, the features of currently available vascular plugs are reviewed along with tips and tricks of using them in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Improvement of ethanol-tolerance of haploid Saccharomyces diastaticus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, S.H.; Kim, K.; Lee, M.W.

1994-01-01

Several mutation procedures have been compared to obtain an ethanol-tolerant Saccharomyces diastaticus strain secreting glucoamylase. These procedures include spontaneous mutation, EMS treatment, UV irradiation, and combination of EMS treatment and UV irradiation. All these methods were followed by adaptation of the yeast cells to gradually higher ethanol concentration. Among these procedures, the combined method of EMS treatment and UV irradiation gave the promising result, i.e. the ethanol tolerance of the yeast increased from 11.5%(v/v) to 14.0%(v/v). Respiratory deficient petite mutants of industrial and ethanol-tolerant yeast strains have been isolated and hybridized with haploid S. diastaticus strains. The resulting hybrids showed increased ethanol tolerance and starch-fermentability

Grooved tube plug rolls in

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krausser, P.

1991-01-01

The removable plugs used to date by the Power Generation Group (KWU) of Siemens to seal defective steam generator tubes have a good track record. Their sealing principle is based on the elastic tensioning of three seal disks against the inside wall of the tube. Now a further removable plug is available -a roll-in plug with a metal-coated surface. It is particularly suitable for use in the roller-expanded zone of the tubes at the tube sheet. The plugs can be used in both Siemens-KWU steam generators and in steam generators manufactured in compliance with the guidelines of the ASME Code. (author)

Tube plug removal machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hawkins, P.J.

1987-01-01

In a nuclear steam generator wherein some faulty tubes have been isolated by mechanical plugging, to remove a selected plug without damaging the associated tube, a plug removal machine is used. The machine drills into a plug portion with a tap drill bit having a drill portion a tap portion and a threaded portion, engaging that plug portion with the threaded portion after the drilled hole has been threaded by the tap portion thereof, and removing a portion of the plug in the tube with a counterbore drill bit mounted concentrically about the tap drill bit. A trip pin and trip spline disengage the tap drill bit from the motor. The counterbore drill bit is thereafter self-centered with respect to the tube and plug about the now stationary tap drill bit. After a portion of the plug has been removed by the counterbore drill bit, pulling on the top drill bit by grippers on slots will remove the remaining plug portion from the tube. (author)

Comparisons of Energy Management Methods for a Parallel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle between the Convex Optimization and Dynamic Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renxin Xiao

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a comparison study of energy management methods for a parallel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV. Based on detailed analysis of the vehicle driveline, quadratic convex functions are presented to describe the nonlinear relationship between engine fuel-rate and battery charging power at different vehicle speed and driveline power demand. The engine-on power threshold is estimated by the simulated annealing (SA algorithm, and the battery power command is achieved by convex optimization with target of improving fuel economy, compared with the dynamic programming (DP based method and the charging depleting–charging sustaining (CD/CS method. In addition, the proposed control methods are discussed at different initial battery state of charge (SOC values to extend the application. Simulation results validate that the proposed strategy based on convex optimization can save the fuel consumption and reduce the computation burden obviously.

Well-to-wheels energy use and greenhouse gas emissions analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elgowainy, A.; Burnham, A.; Wang, M.; Molburg, J.; Rousseau, A.; Energy Systems

2009-03-31

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory expanded the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model and incorporated the fuel economy and electricity use of alternative fuel/vehicle systems simulated by the Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit (PSAT) to conduct a well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis of energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The WTW results were separately calculated for the blended charge-depleting (CD) and charge-sustaining (CS) modes of PHEV operation and then combined by using a weighting factor that represented the CD vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) share. As indicated by PSAT simulations of the CD operation, grid electricity accounted for a share of the vehicle's total energy use, ranging from 6% for a PHEV 10 to 24% for a PHEV 40, based on CD VMT shares of 23% and 63%, respectively. In addition to the PHEV's fuel economy and type of on-board fuel, the marginal electricity generation mix used to charge the vehicle impacted the WTW results, especially GHG emissions. Three North American Electric Reliability Corporation regions (4, 6, and 13) were selected for this analysis, because they encompassed large metropolitan areas (Illinois, New York, and California, respectively) and provided a significant variation of marginal generation mixes. The WTW results were also reported for the U.S. generation mix and renewable electricity to examine cases of average and clean mixes, respectively. For an all-electric range (AER) between 10 mi and 40 mi, PHEVs that employed petroleum fuels (gasoline and diesel), a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline (E85), and hydrogen were shown to offer a 40-60%, 70-90%, and more than 90% reduction in petroleum energy use and a 30-60%, 40-80%, and 10-100% reduction in GHG emissions, respectively, relative to an internal combustion engine vehicle that used gasoline. The spread of WTW GHG emissions among the different fuel production

Performance of Nafion-TiO2 hybrid membranes and PtSn/C electrocatalysts in PEM type fuel cells fed with ethanol and H2/CO at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isidoro, Roberta Alvarenga

2010-01-01

In this work, Nafion-TiO 2 hybrid electrolytes and PtSn/C electrocatalysts were synthesized for the application in direct ethanol fuel cell operating at high temperature (130 degree C). For this purpose, TiO 2 particles were incorporated in commercial Nafion membranes by an 'in situ' sol gel route. The resulting materials were characterized by gravimetric analysis, water uptake, DSC, XRD and EDX. Electrocatalysts based on carbon dispersed platinum-tin (PtSn/C), with different composition, were produced by alcohol-reduction method and were employed as anodic electrode. The electrocatalysts were characterized by XRD, EDX, XPS and transmission electronic spectroscopy. The electrochemical characterization was conducted by cyclic voltametry, carbon monoxide linear anodic voltammetry (CO stripping), and chronoamperometry. Membrane-electrodes assembly (MEAs) were formed with PtSn/C anodes, Pt/C cathodes and Nafion-TiO 2 hybrids. The performance of these MEA was evaluated in single-cell fed with H2/CO mixture or ethanol solution at the anode and oxygen at the cathode in the temperature range of 80-130 degree C. The analysis showed that the hybrid membranes improved the DEFC performance due to crossover suppression and that PtSn/C 70:30 electrocatalysts, prepared by an alcohol reduction process, showed better performance in ethanol oxidation. (author)

Physicochemical properties of hybrid graphene-lead sulfide quantum dots prepared by supercritical ethanol

Science.gov (United States)

Tavakoli, Mohammad Mahdi; Tayyebi, Ahmad; Simchi, Abdolreza; Aashuri, Hossein; Outokesh, Mohmmad; Fan, Zhiyong

2015-01-01

Recently, hybrid graphene-quantum dot systems have attracted increasing attention for the next-generation optoelectronic devices such as ultrafast photo-detectors and solar energy harvesting. In this paper, a novel, one-step, reproducible, and solution-processed method is introduced to prepare hybrid graphene-PbS colloids by employing supercritical ethanol. In the hybrid nanocomposite, PbS quantum dots ( 3 nm) are decorated on the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets ( 1 nm thickness and less than 1 micron lengths). By employing X-ray photoelectron and Raman and infrared spectroscopy techniques, it is shown that the rGO nanosheets are bonded to PbS nanocrystals through carboxylic bonds. Passivation of {111} planes of PbS quantum dots with rGO nanosheets is demonstrated by employing density function theory. Quenching of the photoluminescence emission of PbS nanocrystals through coupling with graphene sheets is also shown. In order to illustrate that the developed preparation method does not impair the quantum efficiency of the PbS nanocrystals, the photovoltaic efficiency of solar cell device is reported and compared with oleic acid-capped PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cells. By employing the "Hall effect" measurement, it is shown that the carrier mobility is significantly increased (by two orders of magnitudes) in the presence of graphene nanosheets.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles as a way to maximize the integration of variable renewable energy in power systems: The case of wind generation in northeastern Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares MC Borba, Bruno; Szklo, Alexandre; Schaeffer, Roberto

2012-01-01

Several studies have proposed different tools for analyzing the integration of variable renewable energy into power grids. This study applies an optimization tool to model the expansion of the electric power system in northeastern Brazil, enabling the most efficient dispatch of the variable output of the wind farms that will be built in the region over the next 20 years. The expected combined expansion of wind generation with conventional inflexible generation facilities, such as nuclear plants and run-of-the-river hydropower plants, poses risks of future mismatch between supply and demand in northeastern Brazil. Therefore, this article evaluates the possibility of using a fleet of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to regularize possible energy imbalances. Findings indicate that a dedicated fleet of 500 thousand PHEVs in 2015, and a further 1.5 million in 2030, could be recharged overnight to take advantage of the surplus power generated by wind farms. To avoid the initial costs of smart grids, this article suggests, as a first step, the use of a governmental PHEV fleet that allows fleet managers to control battery charging times. Finally, the study demonstrates the advantages of optimizing simultaneously the power and transport sectors to test the strategy suggested here. -- Highlights: ► We evaluated the use of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to regularize possible energy imbalances in northeastern Brazil. ► This imbalance might result from the large-scale wind power penetration along with conventional inflexible power plants in the region. ► We adapted the MESSAGE optimization tool to the base conditions of the Brazilian power system. ► 500 thousand PHEVs in 2015 and 1.5 million in 2030 could be recharged taking advantage of wind energy surplus.

Drill pipe bridge plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winslow, D.W.; Brisco, D.P.

1991-01-01

This patent describes a method of stopping flow of fluid up through a pipe bore of a pipe string in a well. It comprises: lowering a bridge plug apparatus on a work string into the pipe string to a position where the pipe bore is to be closed; communicating the pipe bore below a packer of the bridge plug apparatus through the bridge plug apparatus with a low pressure zone above the packer to permit the fluid to flow up through the bridge plug apparatus; engaging the bridge plug apparatus with an internal upset of the pipe string; while the fluid is flowing up through the bridge plug apparatus, pulling upward on the work string and the bridge plug apparatus and thereby sealing the packer against the pipe bore; isolating the pipe bore below the packer from the low pressure zone above the packer and thereby stopping flow of the fluid up through the pipe bore; disconnecting the work string from the bridge plug apparatus; and maintaining the bridge plug apparatus in engagement with the internal upset and sealed against the pipe bore due to an upward pressure differential applied to the bridge plug apparatus by the fluid contained therebelow

Recent developments in plugging of steam generator tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buhay, S.; Abucay, R.C.

1995-01-01

Mechanical Plugging capability has been developed for Bruce Nuclear Generating Station (BNGS) steam generator (SG) tubes and Darlington Nuclear Generating Station (DNGS) SG tubes and tubesheet holes. The plug concept was a modified ABB/Combustion Engineering Inconel 690 plug with a nickel band, rolled into the tube or tubesheet hole from the primary side of the tubesheet. The qualification program included analytical justification of the plug body and experimental testing to verify the leak tightness of the rolled joint under conditions which meet or exceed all service or design requirements. Tools and procedures were developed and tested for manual and remote/robotic installation and removal of the mechanical plugs. Additionally, tools and procedures were developed to plug tubes/tubesheet holes at DNGS in the event the steam generator is recalled to service to act as a heat sink. A crew of Ontario Hydro personnel were trained and qualified for the installation of mechanical plugs for permanent and recall applications. During the DNGS Unit 4 spring 1995 outage, 6 tubes were plugged and the 'Recall Plugging Capability' was deployed and ready for use during a primary side SG tube removal. The mechanical plugs were installed manually with a typical 3 minute/plug in-bowl duration time with an average radiation dose of 12.5 mrem per plug. This compares favourably with manual plug welding during the same outage in the same SG bowl at approximately 15-30 minutes/plug in-bowl duration with an average radiation dose of 117 mrem/plug. (author)

Retained Herrick Plug

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin B. Hellman

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A 79-year-old female with a history of keratoconjunctivitis sicca presented with several years of epiphora of both eyes. Thirteen years earlier, intracanalicular Herrick lacrimal plugs (Lacrimedics, Eastsound, WA, USA had been placed in both eyes to treat her dry eye syndrome. After 13 years the patient felt the epiphora was intolerable and underwent endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR of the left, then the right side. Intraoperatively, during the right endoscopic DCR, a Herrick lacrimal plug was found in the common canaliculus into the lacrimal sac. Postoperatively, the patient did well with improved epiphora. The Herrick plug is designed to be intracanalicular, and this case illustrates that the plug can migrate and be retained for many years. Collared punctal plugs have a lower risk of this type of complication.

An agent-based model to study market penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eppstein, Margaret J.; Grover, David K.; Marshall, Jeffrey S.; Rizzo, Donna M.

2011-01-01

A spatially explicit agent-based vehicle consumer choice model is developed to explore sensitivities and nonlinear interactions between various potential influences on plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) market penetration. The model accounts for spatial and social effects (including threshold effects, homophily, and conformity) and media influences. Preliminary simulations demonstrate how such a model could be used to identify nonlinear interactions among potential leverage points, inform policies affecting PHEV market penetration, and help identify future data collection necessary to more accurately model the system. We examine sensitivity of the model to gasoline prices, to accuracy in estimation of fuel costs, to agent willingness to adopt the PHEV technology, to PHEV purchase price and rebates, to PHEV battery range, and to heuristic values related to gasoline usage. Our simulations indicate that PHEV market penetration could be enhanced significantly by providing consumers with ready estimates of expected lifetime fuel costs associated with different vehicles (e.g., on vehicle stickers), and that increases in gasoline prices could nonlinearly magnify the impact on fleet efficiency. We also infer that a potential synergy from a gasoline tax with proceeds is used to fund research into longer-range lower-cost PHEV batteries. - Highlights: → We model consumer agents to study potential market penetration of PHEVs. → The model accounts for spatial, social, and media effects. → We identify interactions among potential leverage points that could inform policy. → Consumer access to expected lifetime fuel costs may enhance PHEV market penetration. → Increasing PHEV battery range has synergistic effects on fleet efficiency.

Life cycle environmental assessment of lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride batteries for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Majeau-Bettez, Guillaume; Hawkins, Troy R; Strømman, Anders Hammer

2011-05-15

This study presents the life cycle assessment (LCA) of three batteries for plug-in hybrid and full performance battery electric vehicles. A transparent life cycle inventory (LCI) was compiled in a component-wise manner for nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cobalt manganese lithium-ion (NCM), and iron phosphate lithium-ion (LFP) batteries. The battery systems were investigated with a functional unit based on energy storage, and environmental impacts were analyzed using midpoint indicators. On a per-storage basis, the NiMH technology was found to have the highest environmental impact, followed by NCM and then LFP, for all categories considered except ozone depletion potential. We found higher life cycle global warming emissions than have been previously reported. Detailed contribution and structural path analyses allowed for the identification of the different processes and value-chains most directly responsible for these emissions. This article contributes a public and detailed inventory, which can be easily be adapted to any powertrain, along with readily usable environmental performance assessments.

Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Value Proposition Study: Interim Report: Phase I Scenario Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikes, Karen R [ORNL; Markel, Lawrence C [ORNL; Hadley, Stanton W [ORNL; Hinds, Shaun [Sentech, Inc.; DeVault, Robert C [ORNL

2009-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) offer significant improvements in fuel economy, convenient low-cost recharging capabilities, potential environmental benefits, and decreased reliance on imported petroleum. However, the cost associated with new components (e.g., advanced batteries) to be introduced in these vehicles will likely result in a price premium to the consumer. This study aims to overcome this market barrier by identifying and evaluating value propositions that will increase the qualitative value and/or decrease the overall cost of ownership relative to the competing conventional vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) of 2030 During this initial phase of this study, business scenarios were developed based on economic advantages that either increase the consumer value or reduce the consumer cost of PHEVs to assure a sustainable market that can thrive without the aid of state and Federal incentives or subsidies. Once the characteristics of a thriving PHEV market have been defined for this timeframe, market introduction steps, such as supportive policies, regulations and temporary incentives, needed to reach this level of sustainability will be determined. PHEVs have gained interest over the past decade for several reasons, including their high fuel economy, convenient low-cost recharging capabilities, potential environmental benefits and reduced use of imported petroleum, potentially contributing to President Bush's goal of a 20% reduction in gasoline use in ten years, or 'Twenty in Ten'. PHEVs and energy storage from advanced batteries have also been suggested as enabling technologies to improve the reliability and efficiency of the electric power grid. However, PHEVs will likely cost significantly more to purchase than conventional or other hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), in large part because of the cost of batteries. Despite the potential long-term savings to consumers and value to stakeholders, the initial cost of PHEVs

Trip-oriented stochastic optimal energy management strategy for plug-in hybrid electric bus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Yongchang; Zhao, Yue; Wang, Qinpu; Zhang, Yuanbo; Xia, Huaicheng

2016-01-01

A trip-oriented stochastic optimal energy management strategy for plug-in hybrid electric bus is presented in this paper, which includes the offline stochastic dynamic programming part and the online implementation part performed by equivalent consumption minimization strategy. In the offline part, historical driving cycles of the fixed route are divided into segments according to the position of bus stops, and then a segment-based stochastic driving condition model based on Markov chain is built. With the segment-based stochastic model obtained, the control set for real-time implemented equivalent consumption minimization strategy can be achieved by solving the offline stochastic dynamic programming problem. Results of stochastic dynamic programming are converted into a 3-dimensional lookup table of parameters for online implemented equivalent consumption minimization strategy. The proposed strategy is verified by both simulation and hardware-in-loop test of real-world driving cycle on an urban bus route. Simulation results show that the proposed method outperforms both the well-tuned equivalent consumption minimization strategy and the rule-based strategy in terms of fuel economy, and even proved to be close to the optimal result obtained by dynamic programming. Furthermore, the practical application potential of the proposed control method was proved by hardware-in-loop test. - Highlights: • A stochastic problem was formed based on a stochastic segment-based driving condition model. • Offline stochastic dynamic programming was employed to solve the stochastic problem. • The instant power split decision was made by the online equivalent consumption minimization strategy. • Good performance in fuel economy of the proposed method was verified by simulation results. • Practical application potential of the proposed method was verified by the hardware-in-loop test results.

Multi-Period Optimization Model for Electricity Generation Planning Considering Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Penetration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lena Ahmadi

2015-05-01

Full Text Available One of the main challenges for widespread penetration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs is their impact on the electricity grid. The energy sector must anticipate and prepare for this extra demand and implement long-term planning for electricity production. In this paper, the additional electricity demand on the Ontario electricity grid from charging PHEVs is incorporated into an electricity production planning model. A case study pertaining to Ontario energy planning is considered to optimize the value of the cost of the electricity over sixteen years (2014–2030. The objective function consists of the fuel costs, fixed and variable operating and maintenance costs, capital costs for new power plants, and the retrofit costs of existing power plants. Five different case studies are performed with different PHEVs penetration rates, types of new power plants, and CO2 emission constraints. Among all the cases studied, the one requiring the most new capacity, (~8748 MW, is assuming the base case with 6% reduction in CO2 in year 2018 and high PHEV penetration. The next highest one is the base case, plus considering doubled NG prices, PHEV medium penetration rate and no CO2 emissions reduction target with an increase of 34.78% in the total installed capacity in 2030. Furthermore, optimization results indicate that by not utilizing coal power stations the CO2 emissions are the lowest: ~500 tonnes compared to ~900 tonnes when coal is permitted.

Technology Status and Expected Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Battery, Plug-In Hybrid, and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Lipman, Timothy E.

2011-11-01

Electric vehicles (EVs) of various types are experiencing a commercial renaissance but of uncertain ultimate success. Many new electric-drive models are being introduced by different automakers with significant technical improvements from earlier models, particularly with regard to further refinement of drivetrain systems and important improvements in battery and fuel cell systems. The various types of hybrid and all-electric vehicles can offer significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions when compared to conventional vehicles on a full fuel-cycle basis. In fact, most EVs used under most condition are expected to significantly reduce lifecycle GHG emissions. This paper reviews the current technology status of EVs and compares various estimates of their potential to reduce GHGs on a fuel cycle basis. In general, various studies show that battery powered EVs reduce GHGs by a widely disparate amount depending on the type of powerplant used and the particular region involved, among other factors. Reductions typical of the United States would be on the order of 20-50%, depending on the relative level of coal versus natural gas and renewables in the powerplant feedstock mix. However, much deeper reductions of over 90% are possible for battery EVs running on renewable or nuclear power sources. Plug-in hybrid vehicles running on gasoline can reduce emissions by 20-60%, and fuel cell EV reduce GHGs by 30-50% when running on natural gas-derived hydrogen and up to 95% or more when the hydrogen is made (and potentially compressed) using renewable feedstocks. These are all in comparison to what is usually assumed to be a more advanced gasoline vehicle "baseline" of comparison, with some incremental improvements by 2020 or 2030. Thus, the emissions from all of these EV types are highly variable depending on the details of how the electric fuel or hydrogen is produced.

A life-cycle approach to technology, infrastructure, and climate policy decision making: Transitioning to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and low-carbon electricity

Science.gov (United States)

Samaras, Constantine

In order to mitigate the most severe effects of climate change, large global reductions in the current levels of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are required in this century to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations at less than double pre-industrial levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fourth assessment report states that GHG emissions should be reduced to 50-80% of 2000 levels by 2050 to increase the likelihood of stabilizing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In order to achieve the large GHG reductions by 2050 recommended by the IPCC, a fundamental shift and evolution will be required in the energy system. Because the electric power and transportation sectors represent the largest GHG emissions sources in the United States, a unique opportunity for coupling these systems via electrified transportation could achieve synergistic environmental (GHG emissions reductions) and energy security (petroleum displacement) benefits. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which use electricity from the grid to power a portion of travel, could play a major role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. However, this thesis finds that life cycle GHG emissions from PHEVs depend on the electricity source that is used to charge the battery, so meaningful GHG emissions reductions with PHEVs are conditional on low-carbon electricity sources. Power plants and their associated GHGs are long-lived, and this work argues that decisions made regarding new electricity supplies within the next ten years will affect the potential of PHEVs to play a role in a low-carbon future in the coming decades. This thesis investigates the life cycle engineering, economic, and policy decisions involved in transitioning to PHEVs and low-carbon electricity. The government has a vast array of policy options to promote low-carbon technologies, some of which have proven to be more successful than others. This thesis uses life

Optimal control strategy design for extending all-electric driving capability of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williamson, S.S [Concordia Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, P.D Ziogas Power Electronics Laboratory

2007-07-01

The high voltage energy storage system in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is usually a rechargeable type that service a dual purpose, notably to supplement the power delivered by the internal combustion engine, and to provide partial propulsion energy from an off-board source of electricity. The energy storage devices in electric vehicles typically improve vehicle efficiency through engine downsizing and by recapturing braking energy. However, since PHEVs have the ability to recharge their energy storage systems directly from the power grid, the periods of all-electric operation can be extended, thereby reducing the dependence on the internal combustion engine. This is particularly useful in city driving conditions. Developers of PHEV technology are faced with the challenge of choosing the appropriate energy storage battery in order to improve the all-electric drive range. In this study, control strategies were modeled for specific driving load conditions using the Advanced Vehicle Simulator (ADVISOR) software. This paper presented specific control algorithms for PHEV operation for various city driving loads. The optimal design strategy considered the improvement of critical energy storage parameters, overall drive train efficiency, and vehicle performance characteristics. Future trends in the design and development of PHEV drive trains were also presented. 13 figs.

Mastering Eclipse plug-in development

CERN Document Server

Blewitt, Alex

2014-01-01

If you are a Java developer who is familiar with the Eclipse plug-in environment, this book covers the advanced concepts that you need to know to achieve true expertise. Prior experience in creating Eclipse plug-ins is assumed for this book.

Well-to-wheels life-cycle analysis of alternative fuels and vehicle technologies in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen Wei; Han Weijian; Chock, David; Chai Qinhu; Zhang Aling

2012-01-01

A well-to-wheels life cycle analysis on total energy consumptions and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions for alternative fuels and accompanying vehicle technologies has been carried out for the base year 2010 and projected to 2020 based on data gathered and estimates developed for China. The fuels considered include gasoline, diesel, natural gas, liquid fuels from coal conversion, methanol, bio-ethanol and biodiesel, electricity and hydrogen. Use of liquid fuels including methanol and Fischer–Tropsch derived from coal will significantly increase GHG emissions relative to use of conventional gasoline. Use of starch-based bio-ethanol will incur a substantial carbon disbenefit because of the present highly inefficient agricultural practice and plant processing in China. Electrification of vehicles via hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and battery electric vehicle technologies offers a progressively improved prospect for the reduction of energy consumption and GHG emission. However, the long-term carbon emission reduction is assured only when the needed electricity is generated by zero- or low-carbon sources, which means that carbon capture and storage is a necessity for fossil-based feedstocks. A PHEV that runs on zero- or low-carbon electricity and cellulosic ethanol may be one of the most attractive fuel-vehicle options in a carbon-constrained world. - Highlights: ► Data and estimates unique to China are used in this analysis. ► Use of starch-based bio-ethanol will incur a substantial carbon disbenefit in China. ► Use of methanol derived from coal will incur even more carbon disbenefit. ► Plug-in-hybrid with cellulosic ethanol and clean electricity may be a viable option.

Real-world fuel economy and CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ploetz, Patrick; Funke, Simon Arpad; Jochem, Patrick

2015-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) combine electric propulsion with an internal combustion engine. Their potential to reduce transport related green-house gas emissions highly depends on their actual usage and electricity provision. Various studies underline their environmental and economic advantages, but are based on standardised driving cycles, simulations or small PHEV fleets. Here, we analyse real-world fuel economy of PHEV and the factors influencing it based on about 2,000 actual PHEV that have been observed over more than a year in the U.S. and Germany. We find that real-world fuel economy of PHEV differ widely among users. The main factors explaining this variation are the annual mileage, the regularity of daily driving, and the likelihood of long-distance trips. Current test cycle fuel economy ratings neglect these factors. Despite the broad range of PHEV fuel economies, the test cycle fuel economy ratings can be close to empiric PHEV fleet averages if the average annual mile-age is about 17,000 km. For the largest group of PHEV in our data, the Chevrolet Volt, we find the average fuel economy to be 1.45 litres/100 km at an average electric driving share of 78%. The resulting real-world tank-to-wheel CO 2 emissions of these PHEV are 42 gCO 2 /km and the annual CO 2 savings in the U.S. amount to about 50 Mt. In conclusion, the variance of empirical PHEV fuel economy is considerably higher than of conventional vehicles. This should be taken into account by future test cycles and high electric driving shares should be incentivised.

Reactor vessel sealing plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dooley, R.A.

1986-01-01

This invention relates to an apparatus and method for sealing the cold leg nozzles of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel from a remote location during maintenance and inspection of associated steam generators and pumps while the pressure vessel and refueling canal are filled with water. The apparatus includes a sealing plug for mechanically sealing the cold leg nozzle from the inside of a reactor pressure vessel. The sealing plugs include a primary and a secondary O-ring. An installation tool is suspended within the reactor vessel and carries the sealing plug. The tool telescopes to insert the sealing plug within the cold leg nozzle, and to subsequently remove the plug. Hydraulic means are used to activate the sealing plug, and support means serve to suspend the installation tool within the reactor vessel during installation and removal of the sealing plug

Friction Pull Plug and Material Configuration for Anti-Chatter Friction Pull Plug Weld

Science.gov (United States)

Littell, Justin Anderson (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A friction pull plug is provided for use in forming a plug weld in a hole in a material. The friction pull plug includes a shank and a series of three frustoconical sections. The relative sizes of the sections assure that a central one of the sections defines the initial contact point between the hole's sides. The angle defined by the central one of the sections reduces or eliminates chatter as the plug is pulled into the hole.

Bond strength of cementitious borehole plugs in welded tuff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akgun, H.; Daemen, J.J.K.

1991-02-01

Axial loads on plugs or seals in an underground repository due to gas, water pressures and temperature changes induced subsequent to waste and plug emplacement lead to shear stresses at the plug/rock contact. Therefore, the bond between the plug and rock is a critical element for the design and effectiveness of plugs in boreholes, shafts or tunnels. This study includes a systematic investigation of the bond strength of cementitious borehole plugs in welded tuff. Analytical and numerical analysis of borehole plug-rock stress transfer mechanics is performed. The interface strength and deformation are studied as a function of Young's modulus ratio of plug and rock, plug length and rock cylinder outside-to-inside radius ratio. The tensile stresses in and near an axially loaded plug are analyzed. The frictional interface strength of an axially loaded borehole plug, the effect of axial stress and lateral external stress, and thermal effects are also analyzed. Implications for plug design are discussed. The main conclusion is a strong recommendation to design friction plugs in shafts, drifts, tunnels or boreholes with a minimum length to diameter ratio of four. Such a geometrical design will reduce tensile stresses in the plug and in the host rock to a level which should minimize the risk of long-term deterioration caused by excessive tensile stresses. Push-out tests have been used to determine the bond strength by applying an axial load to cement plugs emplaced in boreholes in welded tuff cylinders. A total of 130 push-out tests have been performed as a function of borehole size, plug length, temperature, and degree of saturation of the host tuff. The use of four different borehole radii enables evaluation of size effects. 119 refs., 42 figs., 20 tabs

Rotary plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Keiji.

1979-01-01

Purpose: In a rotating plug of a reactor using a liquid metal as a coolant as in the case of a fbr type reactor, to prevent the ingress of Na vapor into the sliding surface of the rotating plug. Constitution: A rotating plug comprising a large disc covering the upper part of a reactor pressure vessel containing therein a liquid metal and forming surfaces for mounting a shielding device and various other devices, and at least one or more of small discs provided rotatably and eccentrically within said large disc, which is characterized in that an elastic member consisting of bellows and a sealing is interposed between said large disc and said small discs. (Nakamura, S.)

Bio ethanol use in light vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nogueira, Luiz Augusto Horta; Leal, Manoel Regis Lima Verde

2012-07-01

This chapter approaches vehicles emissions and air quality, Unite States context, Brazilian context, bio ethanol impact on engine emissions, bioethanol and engine technologies for emission control, bioethanol impact on engine emissions, flex-fuel vehicles, impact of bioethanol use in light vehicles, evolution perspectives for light vehicles: energy issues, and hybrid vehicles.

Performance study of sugar-yeast-ethanol bio-hybrid fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Jahnke, Justin P.; Mackie, David M.; Benyamin, Marcus; Ganguli, Rahul; Sumner, James J.

2015-05-01

Renewable alternatives to fossil hydrocarbons for energy generation are of general interest for a variety of political, economic, environmental, and practical reasons. In particular, energy from biomass has many advantages, including safety, sustainability, and the ability to be scavenged from native ecosystems or from waste streams. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can take advantage of microorganism metabolism to efficiently use sugar and other biomolecules as fuel, but are limited by low power densities. In contrast, direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) take advantage of proton exchange membranes (PEMs) to generate electricity from alcohols at much higher power densities. Here, we investigate a novel bio-hybrid fuel cell design prepared using commercial off-the-shelf DAFCs. In the bio-hybrid fuel cells, biomass such as sugar is fermented by yeast to ethanol, which can be used to fuel a DAFC. A separation membrane between the fermentation and the DAFC is used to purify the fermentate while avoiding any parasitic power losses. However, shifting the DAFCs from pure alcohol-water solutions to filtered fermented media introduces complications related to how the starting materials, fermentation byproducts, and DAFC waste products affect both the fermentation and the long-term DAFC performance. This study examines the impact of separation membrane pore size, fermentation/fuel cell byproducts, alcohol and salt concentrations, and load resistance on fuel cell performance. Under optimized conditions, the performance obtained is comparable to that of a similar DAFC run with a pure alcohol-water mixture. Additionally, the modified DAFC can provide useable amounts of power for weeks.

Impact of battery weight and charging patterns on the economic and environmental benefits of plug-in hybrid vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiau, Ching-Shin Norman; Samaras, Constantine; Hauffe, Richard; Michalek, Jeremy J.

2009-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology is receiving attention as an approach to reducing US dependency on foreign oil and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector. PHEVs require large batteries for energy storage, which affect vehicle cost, weight, and performance. We construct PHEV simulation models to account for the effects of additional batteries on fuel consumption, cost, and GHG emissions over a range of charging frequencies (distance traveled between charges). We find that when charged frequently, every 20 miles or less, using average US electricity, small-capacity PHEVs are less expensive and release fewer GHGs than hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) or conventional vehicles. For moderate charging intervals of 20-100 miles, PHEVs release fewer GHGs, but HEVs have lower lifetime costs. High fuel prices, low-cost batteries, or high carbon taxes combined with low-carbon electricity generation would make small-capacity PHEVs cost competitive for a wide range of drivers. In contrast, increased battery specific energy or carbon taxes without decarbonization of the electricity grid would have limited impact. Large-capacity PHEVs sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel do not offer the lowest lifetime cost in any scenario, although they could minimize GHG emissions for some drivers and provide potential to shift air pollutant emissions away from population centers. The tradeoffs identified in this analysis can provide a space for vehicle manufacturers, policymakers, and the public to identify optimal decisions for PHEV design, policy and use. Given the alignment of economic, environmental, and national security objectives, policies aimed at putting PHEVs on the road will likely be most effective if they focus on adoption of small-capacity PHEVs by urban drivers who can charge frequently.

Influence of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging strategies on charging and battery degradation costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunz, Benedikt; Yan, Zexiong; Gerschler, Jochen Bernhard; Sauer, Dirk Uwe

2012-01-01

The profitability of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is significantly influenced by battery aging and electricity costs. Therefore a simulation model for PHEVs in the distribution grid is presented which allows to compare the influence of different charging strategies on these costs. The simulation is based on real-world driving behavior and European Energy Exchange (EEX) intraday prices for obtaining representative results. The analysis of comprehensive lithium-ion battery aging tests performed within this study shows that especially high battery states of charge (SOCs) decrease battery lifetime, whereas the cycling of batteries at medium SOCs only has a minor contribution to aging. Charging strategies that take into account the previously mentioned effects are introduced, and the SOC distributions and cycle loads of the vehicle battery are investigated. It can be shown that appropriate charging strategies significantly increase battery lifetime and reduce charging costs at the same time. Possible savings due to lifetime extension of the vehicle battery are approximately two times higher than revenues due to energy trading. The findings of this work indicate that car manufacturers and energy/mobility providers have to make efforts for developing intelligent charging strategies to reduce mobility costs and thus foster the introduction of electric mobility. - Highlights: ► Modeling of PHEVs based on real-world driving behavior and electricity prices. ► Consideration of battery degradation for the calculation of mobility costs. ► Smart charging decreases battery degradation and electricity costs simultaneously. ► Reduction of battery degradation costs is around two times higher than reduction of electricity costs.

Biomass plug development and propagation in porous media.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, T L; Fogler, H S

2001-02-05

Exopolymer-producing bacteria can be used to modify soil profiles for enhanced oil recovery or bioremediation. Understanding the mechanisms associated with biomass plug development and propagation is needed for successful application of this technology. These mechanisms were determined from packed-bed and micromodel experiments that simulate plugging in porous media. Leuconostoc mesenteroides was used, because production of dextran, a water-insoluble exopolymer, can be controlled by using different carbon sources. As dextran was produced, the pressure drop across the porous media increased and began to oscillate. Three pressure phases were identified under exopolymer-producing conditions: the exopolymer-induction phase, the plugging phase, and the plug-propagation phase. The exopolymer-induction phase extended from the time that exopolymer-producing conditions were induced until there was a measurable increase in pressure drop across the porous media. The plugging phase extended from the first increase in pressure drop until a maximum pressure drop was reached. Changes in pressure drop in these two phases were directly related to biomass distribution. Specifically, flow channels within the porous media filled with biomass creating a plugged region where convective flow occurred only in water channels within the biofilm. These water channels were more restrictive to flow causing the pressure drop to increase. At a maximum pressure drop across the porous media, the biomass yielded much like a Bingham plastic, and a flow channel was formed. This behavior marked the onset of the plug-propagation phase which was characterized by sequential development and breakthrough of biomass plugs. This development and breakthrough propagated the biomass plug in the direction of nutrient flow. The dominant mechanism associated with all three phases of plugging in porous media was exopolymer production; yield stress is an additional mechanism in the plug-propagation phase. Copyright

Multiobjective Synergistic Scheduling Optimization Model for Wind Power and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles under Different Grid-Connected Modes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liwei Ju

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In order to promote grid’s wind power absorptive capacity and to overcome the adverse impacts of wind power on the stable operation of power system, this paper establishes benefit contrastive analysis models of wind power and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs under the optimization goal of minimum coal consumption and pollutant emission considering multigrid connected modes. Then, a two-step adaptive solving algorithm is put forward to get the optimal system operation scheme with the highest membership degree based on the improved ε constraints method and fuzzy decision theory. Thirdly, the IEEE36 nodes 10-unit system is used as the simulation system. Finally, the sensitive analysis for PHEV’s grid connected number is made. The result shows the proposed algorithm is feasible and effective to solve the model. PHEV’s grid connection could achieve load shifting effect and promote wind power grid connection. Especially, the optimization goals reach the optimum in fully optimal charging mode. As PHEV’s number increases, both abandoned wind and thermal power generation cost would decrease and the peak and valley difference of load curve would gradually be reduced.

High-Fidelity Battery Model for Model Predictive Control Implemented into a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolas Sockeel

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Power management strategies have impacts on fuel economy, greenhouse gasses (GHG emission, as well as effects on the durability of power-train components. This is why different off-line and real-time optimal control approaches are being developed. However, real-time control seems to be more attractive than off-line control because it can be directly implemented for managing power and energy flows inside an actual vehicle. One interesting illustration of these power management strategies is the model predictive control (MPC based algorithm. Inside a MPC, a cost function is optimized while system constraints are validated in real time. The MPC algorithm relies on dynamic models of the vehicle and the battery. The complexity and accuracy of the battery model are usually neglected to benefit the development of new cost functions or better MPC algorithms. The contribution of this manuscript consists of developing and evaluating a high-fidelity battery model of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV that has been used for MPC. Via empirical work and simulation, the impact of a high-fidelity battery model has been evaluated and compared to a simpler model in the context of MPC. It is proven that the new battery model reduces the absolute voltage, state of charge (SoC, and battery power loss error by a factor of 3.2, 1.9 and 2.1 on average respectively, compared to the simpler battery model.

Aspergillus fumigatus colonization of punctal plugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabbara, Khalid F

2007-01-01

Punctal plugs are used in patients with dry eye syndrome to preserve the tears. In this report, I present two cases of Aspergillus fumigatus colonization of punctal plugs. Observational series of two cases. Approval was obtained from the institutional review board. Two men aged 29 and 31 years developed black spots inside the hole of punctal plug, which looked like eyeliner deposits. The deposits inside the hole of the plug in each patient were removed and cultured. Cultures of the two punctal plugs black deposits grew A fumigatus. Bacterial cultures were negative. Colonization of the punctal plug hole with A fumigatus was observed in two cases. It is recommended that punctal plugs be removed in patients undergoing refractive or intraocular procedures or in patients who are receiving topical corticosteroids. Current punctal plugs should be redesigned to avoid the presence of an inserter hole.

Friction Pull Plug Welding in Aluminum Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Brooke, Shane A.; Bradford, Vann

2012-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has recently invested much time and effort into the process development of Friction Pull Plug Welding (FPPW). FPPW, is a welding process similar to Friction Push Plug Welding in that, there is a small rotating part (plug) being spun and simultaneously pulled (forged) into a larger part. These two processes differ, in that push plug welding requires an internal reaction support, while pull plug welding reacts to the load externally. FPPW was originally conceived as a post proof repair technique for the Space Shuttle fs External Tank. FPPW was easily selected as the primary weld process used to close out the termination hole on the Constellation Program's ARES I Upper Stage circumferential Self-Reacting Friction Stir Welds (SR-FSW). The versatility of FPPW allows it to also be used as a repair technique for both SR-FSW and Conventional Friction Stir Welds. To date, all MSFC led development has been concentrated on aluminum alloys (2195, 2219, and 2014). Much work has been done to fully understand and characterize the process's limitations. A heavy emphasis has been spent on plug design, to match the various weldland thicknesses and alloy combinations. This presentation will summarize these development efforts including weld parameter development, process control, parameter sensitivity studies, plug repair techniques, material properties including tensile, fracture and failure analysis.

Ethanol steam reforming heated up by molten salt CSP : reactor assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Falco, de M.; Gallucci, F.

2010-01-01

In this paper hydrogen production via reforming of ethanol has been studied in a novel hybrid plant consisting in a ethanol reformer and a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant using molten salt as heat carrier fluid. The heat needed for the reforming of ethanol has been supplied to the system by

Ethanol steam reforming heated up by molten salt CSP: Reactor assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Falco, Marcello; Gallucci, F.

2010-01-01

In this paper hydrogen production via reforming of ethanol has been studied in a novel hybrid plant consisting in a ethanol reformer and a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant using molten salt as heat carrier fluid. The heat needed for the reforming of ethanol has been supplied to the system by

Real-world fuel economy and CO{sub 2} emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ploetz, Patrick; Funke, Simon Arpad; Jochem, Patrick [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer System- und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany). Competence Center Energiepolitik und Energiesysteme

2015-07-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) combine electric propulsion with an internal combustion engine. Their potential to reduce transport related green-house gas emissions highly depends on their actual usage and electricity provision. Various studies underline their environmental and economic advantages, but are based on standardised driving cycles, simulations or small PHEV fleets. Here, we analyse real-world fuel economy of PHEV and the factors influencing it based on about 2,000 actual PHEV that have been observed over more than a year in the U.S. and Germany. We find that real-world fuel economy of PHEV differ widely among users. The main factors explaining this variation are the annual mileage, the regularity of daily driving, and the likelihood of long-distance trips. Current test cycle fuel economy ratings neglect these factors. Despite the broad range of PHEV fuel economies, the test cycle fuel economy ratings can be close to empiric PHEV fleet averages if the average annual mile-age is about 17,000 km. For the largest group of PHEV in our data, the Chevrolet Volt, we find the average fuel economy to be 1.45 litres/100 km at an average electric driving share of 78%. The resulting real-world tank-to-wheel CO{sub 2} emissions of these PHEV are 42 gCO{sub 2}/km and the annual CO{sub 2} savings in the U.S. amount to about 50 Mt. In conclusion, the variance of empirical PHEV fuel economy is considerably higher than of conventional vehicles. This should be taken into account by future test cycles and high electric driving shares should be incentivised.

Energy efficiency of multiport power converters used in plug-in/V2G fuel cell vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bizon, Nicu

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► It is proposed a new FC hybrid power source topology for plug-in FC vehicle (PFCV). ► An energy efficiency analysis of three architectures for Multiport Power Converter (MPC) of HPS is performed. ► The MPC energy efficiency features were shown by analytical computing in all PFCV regimes. -- Abstract: In this paper is presented an analysis of energy efficiency for the Multiport Power Converters (MPCs) used in Plug-in Fuel Cell Vehicles (PFCVs). A generic MPC architecture for PFCVs is proposed, which is analyzed for different operating modes of MPC in relation with PFCV operating regimes and the plug-in feature. The basic MPC architecture is described in relation with the PFCV operating regimes. Two MPC architectures are derived from the basic MPC architecture: (1) the MPC1 architecture, which is the MPC architecture without reverse power flow during regenerative braking process, and (2) the MPC2 architecture – MPC architecture without charging mode of Energy Storage System (ESS) from the FC system. Taking in account the imposed window for the ESS state-of-charge, the MPC can be connected to Plug-in Charging Stations (PCS) to exchange power with the Electric Power (EP) system, which will include renewable Distributed Generation (DG) systems. The Energy Management Unit (EMU) of MPC can communicate with the EP system to determine the moments that match the energy demand of plug-in vehicle with the supply availability of the EP system, stabilizing the EP system. The MPC features regarding its energy efficiency were shown by analytical computing performed and appropriate simulations presented in relation with the ESS that can be charged (discharged) from (to) the home/DG/EP system.

Double-plug seismic connector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annoot, I.R.

1984-01-01

The double-plug seismic electric connector comprises an elongated insulating body. A male connector plug is at one end of the body and a female connector plug is at the opposite end of the body. Each plug has a pair of male and female contacts. A pair of spaced axial conductors is embedded within the insulating body for interconnecting the opposite male and female contacts. The inner end of a double-wire cable is embedded within the insulating body and each wire inner end is connected to one of the conductors

A Genre Classification Plug-in for Data Collection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lehn-Schiøler, Tue; Arenas-García, Jerónimo; Petersen, Kaare Brandt

2006-01-01

This demonstration illustrates how the methods developed in the MIR community can be used to provide real-time feedback to music users. By creating a genre classifier plug-in for a popular media player we present users with relevant information as they play their songs. The plug-in can furthermor...... be used as a data collection platform. After informed consent from a selected set of users the plug-in will report on music consumption behavior back to a central server.......This demonstration illustrates how the methods developed in the MIR community can be used to provide real-time feedback to music users. By creating a genre classifier plug-in for a popular media player we present users with relevant information as they play their songs. The plug-in can furthermore...

Principle plug design for deposition tunnels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haaramo, M.; Lehtonen, A.

2009-06-01

This report examines the plug structures to be built in the deposition tunnels of the repository. The deposition tunnels located below the depth of 400 metres have been used as input data. Each plug consists of a massive concrete structure. The planned maximum pressure acting on the plug is 7.5 MPa. It consists of 4.5 MPa of groundwater pressure and 3 MPa of swelling pressure of the backfill. Five different plug types have been examined. Two of them (butt and irregular plug) turned out to be difficult from the point of view of other works in the central and deposition tunnels. One type (straight plug) requires a lot of construction material. Wedge-shaped and dome plugs have been examined more carefully. The wedge shaped plug has advantageous properties in comparison with the dome plug, such as a three dimensional state of stress, the wedging effect which increases strength as pressure increases and larger tolerances for the excavation of the slot. Leakage water has a longer path through the wedge shaped plug than through the dome plug. Pressure load affects the wedge shaped plug, creating normal stresses, which are compressive along each coordinate axis. The long-term rise in temperature in the deposition tunnels can produce high extra stresses in all the plug alternatives. These stresses make it necessary to increase the strength of the concrete or the distance between the plug and the nearest deposition hole. The stability effects of different plug distances and deposition tunnel orientations have been examined. The plug does not significantly affect stresses in the surrounding bedrock or the stability of the bedrock. Stresses caused by excavation and temperature rise are decisive factors. A groundwater chloride content of 0-3% in the environment of the repository is used as input data. It affects the tightness of the concrete and the quality of the cement. Cement has to be sulphate resistant with a low pH value. Low pH results in the weakening of the corrosion

Direct Fungal Production of Ethanol from High-Solids Pulps by the Ethanol-fermenting White-rot Fungus Phlebia sp. MG-60

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ichiro Kamei

2014-07-01

Full Text Available A white-rot fungus, Phlebia sp. MG-60, was applied to the fermentation of high-solid loadings of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp (UHKP without the addition of commercial cellulase. From 4.7% UHKP, 19.6 g L-1 ethanol was produced, equivalent to 61.7% of the theoretical maximum. The highest ethanol concentration (25.9 g L-1, or 46.7% of the theoretical maximum was observed in the culture containing 9.1% UHKP. The highest filter paper activity (FPase was observed in the culture containing 4.7% UHKP, while the production of FPase in the 16.5% UHKP culture was very low. Temporarily removing the silicone plug from Erlenmeyer flasks, which relieved the pressure and allowed a small amount of aeration, improved the yield of ethanol produced from the 9.1% UHKP, which reached as high as 37.3 g L-1. These results indicated that production of cellulase and ensuing saccharification and fermentation by Phlebia sp. MG-60 is affected by water content and benefits from a small amount of aeration.

Core barrel plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolino, R.W.; Hopkins, R.J.; Congleton, R.L.; Popalis, C.H.

1986-01-01

A plug is described for preventing flow through a port in a core barrel of a pressurized water nuclear reactor which consists of: a substantially cylindrical body formed with a cylindrical portion and a flange and defining a tapered leading open end with the other end being closed by an end plug attached to the flange, the body defining a bore therein extending from the open end to the end plug with the bore having a smaller diameter near the open end than near the end plug, the cylindrical portion having a lip near the open end and being formed with longitudinal slots extending from the open end toward the flange and extending entirely through the thickness of the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion having a circumferential first groove on the outer surface thereof located near the forwardmost portion of the cylindrical portion but not in the section of the cylindrical portion that has the slots therein, and a plurality of circumferential second grooves on the outer surface thereof located in the section of the cylindrical portion that has the slots therein, the first and second grooves establishing a seal between the cylindrical portion and the inside surface of the port when the cylindrical portion is expanded, and the flange and the end plug having a passageway defined therein for introducing a fluid into the body; a metal ring disposed in each of the second grooves; a mandrel slidably disposed and captured in the body and capable of being moved toward the open end of the body when the fluid is introduced through the passageway, thereby causing the cylindrical portion to be expanded into contact with the inside surface of the port; and a locking mechanism disposed in the end plug for preventing inadvertent movement of the mandrel

Shielding plug for LMFBR type reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashiguchi, Ko.

1979-01-01

Purpose: To enable effective removal of liquid metals deposited, if any, in the gaps between a rotary plug and a fixed plug in LMFBR type reactors. Constitution: A plate incorporated with a heater and capable of projecting in a gap between a rotary plug and a fixed plug, and a scraper connected in perpendicular to it are provided to the rotary plug. Solidified liquid metals such as sodium deposited in the gap are effectively removed by the heating with the heater and the scraping action due to the rotation. (Horiuchi, T.)

Air quality impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Texas: evaluating three battery charging scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, Tammy M; King, Carey W; Webber, Michael E; Allen, David T

2011-01-01

The air quality impacts of replacing approximately 20% of the gasoline-powered light duty vehicle miles traveled (VMT) with electric VMT by the year 2018 were examined for four major cities in Texas: Dallas/Ft Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) charging was assumed to occur on the electric grid controlled by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), and three charging scenarios were examined: nighttime charging, charging to maximize battery life, and charging to maximize driver convenience. A subset of electricity generating units (EGUs) in Texas that were found to contribute the majority of the electricity generation needed to charge PHEVs at the times of day associated with each scenario was modeled using a regional photochemical model (CAMx). The net impacts of the PHEVs on the emissions of precursors to the formation of ozone included an increase in NO x emissions from EGUs during times of day when the vehicle is charging, and a decrease in NO x from mobile emissions. The changes in maximum daily 8 h ozone concentrations and average exposure potential at twelve air quality monitors in Texas were predicted on the basis of these changes in NO x emissions. For all scenarios, at all monitors, the impact of changes in vehicular emissions, rather than EGU emissions, dominated the ozone impact. In general, PHEVs lead to an increase in ozone during nighttime hours (due to decreased scavenging from both vehicles and EGU stacks) and a decrease in ozone during daytime hours. A few monitors showed a larger increase in ozone for the convenience charging scenario versus the other two scenarios. Additionally, cumulative ozone exposure results indicate that nighttime charging is most likely to reduce a measure of ozone exposure potential versus the other two scenarios.

Vapor-fed bio-hybrid fuel cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Benyamin, Marcus S; Jahnke, Justin P; Mackie, David M

2017-01-01

Concentration and purification of ethanol and other biofuels from fermentations are energy-intensive processes, with amplified costs at smaller scales. To circumvent the need for these processes, and to potentially reduce transportation costs as well, we have previously investigated bio-hybrid fuel cells (FCs), in which a fermentation and FC are closely coupled. However, long-term operation requires strictly preventing the fermentation and FC from harming each other. We introduce here the concept of the vapor-fed bio-hybrid FC as a means of continuously extracting power from ongoing fermentations at ambient conditions. By bubbling a carrier gas (N 2 ) through a yeast fermentation and then through a direct ethanol FC, we protect the FC anode from the catalyst poisons in the fermentation (which are non-volatile), and also protect the yeast from harmful FC products (notably acetic acid) and from build-up of ethanol. Since vapor-fed direct ethanol FCs at ambient conditions have never been systematically characterized (in contrast to vapor-fed direct methanol FCs), we first assess the effects on output power and conversion efficiency of ethanol concentration, vapor flow rate, and FC voltage. The results fit a continuous stirred-tank reactor model. Over a wide range of ethanol partial pressures (2-8 mmHg), power densities are comparable to those for liquid-fed direct ethanol FCs at the same temperature, with power densities >2 mW/cm 2 obtained. We then demonstrate the continuous operation of a vapor-fed bio-hybrid FC with fermentation for 5 months, with no indication of performance degradation due to poisoning (of either the FC or the fermentation). It is further shown that the system is stable, recovering quickly from disturbances or from interruptions in maintenance. The vapor-fed bio-hybrid FC enables extraction of power from dilute bio-ethanol streams without costly concentration and purification steps. The concept should be scalable to both large and small

Removable pipeline plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vassalotti, M.; Anastasi, F.

1984-01-01

A removable plugging device for a pipeline, and particularly for pressure testing a steam pipeline in a boiling water reactor, wherein an inflatable annular sealing member seals off the pipeline and characterized by radially movable shoes for holding the plug in place, each shoe being pivotally mounted for self-adjusting engagement with even an out-of-round pipeline interior

Plug-In Tutor Agents: Still Pluggin'

Science.gov (United States)

Ritter, Steven

2016-01-01

"An Architecture for Plug-in Tutor Agents" (Ritter and Koedinger 1996) proposed a software architecture designed around the idea that tutors could be built as plug-ins for existing software applications. Looking back on the paper now, we can see that certain assumptions about the future of software architecture did not come to be, making…

Optimizing battery sizes of plug-in hybrid and extended range electric vehicles for different user types

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redelbach, Martin; Özdemir, Enver Doruk; Friedrich, Horst E.

2014-01-01

There are ambitious greenhouse gas emission (GHG) targets for the manufacturers of light duty vehicles. To reduce the GHG emissions, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) are promising powertrain technologies. However, the battery is still a very critical component due to the high production cost and heavy weight. This paper introduces a holistic approach for the optimization of the battery size of PHEVs and EREVs under German market conditions. The assessment focuses on the heterogeneity across drivers, by analyzing the impact of different driving profiles on the optimal battery setup from total cost of ownership (TCO) perspective. The results show that the battery size has a significant effect on the TCO. For an average German driver (15,000 km/a), battery capacities of 4 kWh (PHEV) and 6 kWh (EREV) would be cost optimal by 2020. However, these values vary strongly with the driving profile of the user. Moreover, the optimal battery size is also affected by external factors, e.g. electricity and fuel prices or battery production cost. Therefore, car manufacturers should develop a modular design for their batteries, which allows adapting the storage capacity to meet the individual customer requirements instead of “one size fits all”. - Highlights: • Optimization of the battery size of PHEVs and EREVs under German market conditions. • Focus on heterogeneity across drivers (e.g. mileage, trip distribution, speed). • Optimal battery size strongly depends on the driving profile and energy prices. • OEMs require a modular design for their batteries to meet individual requirements

Borehole Plugging Program. Plugging of ERDA No. 10 drill hole

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gulick, C.W. Jr.

1979-06-01

A requirement exists to plug exploratory drill holes located in the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant area of Southeastern New Mexico. Sandia Laboratories, in cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station, Concrete Laboratory, developed pumpable and durable cement grouts. These grouts were successfully used to plug an existing drill hole in the area. Results of this project are presented, along with comments and conclusions

A Comparative Study of Cycle Variability of Laser Plug Ignition vs Classical Spark Plug Ignition in Combustion Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Done, Bogdan

2017-10-01

Over the past 30 years numerous studies and laboratory experiments have researched the use of laser energy to ignite gas and fuel-air mixtures. The actual implementation of this laser application has still to be fully achieved in a commercial automotive application. Laser Plug Ignition as a replacement for Spark Plug Ignition in the internal combustion engines of automotive vehicles, offers several potential benefits such as extending lean burn capability, reducing the cyclic variability between combustion cycles and decreasing the total amount of ignition costs, and implicitly weight and energy requirements. The paper presents preliminary results of cycle variability study carried on a SI Engine equipped with laser Plug Ignition system. Versus classic ignition system, the use of the laser Plug Ignition system assures the reduction of the combustion process variability, reflected in the lower values of the coefficient of variability evaluated for indicated mean effective pressure, maximum pressure, maximum pressure angle and maximum pressure rise rate. The laser plug ignition system was mounted on an experimental spark ignition engine and tested at the regime of 90% load and 2800 rev/min, at dosage of λ=1.1. Compared to conventional spark plug, laser ignition assures the efficiency at lean dosage.

Mechanical and thermo-mechanical analyses of the tapered plug for plugging of deposition tunnels. A feasibility study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faelth, Billy (Clay Technology AB, Lund (Sweden)); Gatter, Patrik (Vattenfall Power Consultant AB, Stockholm (Sweden))

2009-09-15

This report presents results from a study that was carried out in order to examine the applicability of the tapered plug concept for plugging of deposition tunnels in the deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. The report presents results from mechanical and thermo-mechanical models of the tapered plug. The models were analyzed with 3DEC. The models included a portion of a deposition tunnel and its intersection with a main tunnel. In the deposition tunnel, a tapered concrete plug was installed. The plug was subjected to the combined load from the swelling backfill material and from pore pressure inside the deposition tunnel. The thermo-mechanical effects due to the heat generation in the spent fuel were also included in the analyses. Generic material parameter values for the concrete were used. The following items were studied: - Stresses and displacements in the plug. - Shear stresses and shear displacements in the rock-concrete interface. - Stress additions in the rock due to the loads. The sensitivity of the results to changes of constitutive models, to changes of the plug geometry and to pore water pressure in the rock-concrete interface was examined. The results indicate that the displacements in the plug will be within reasonable ranges but the stresses may locally be high enough that they exceed acceptable levels. However, they can be reduced by choice of advantageous plug geometry and by having a good rock-concrete bond. The results also show that the stress additions in the rock due to the thermal load may yield stresses that locally exceed the spalling strength of the rock. At most locations, however, the rock stresses will amount at lower levels. It was concluded that, with choice of an appropriate design, the tapered plug seems to be an applicable concept for plugging of deposition tunnels. It was also concluded that further studies of the tapered plug concept should use material properties parameter values for low-pH concrete. Further, they should also

Plug Power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marsh, A. [Plug Power Inc., New York, NY (United States)

2009-07-01

This presentation described Plug Power's GenDrive hydrogen fuel cell unit that supplies the power needs for folk lift trucks used in high-throughput distribution and high-volume manufacturing operations. The system offers an alternative to lead acid batteries, providing maximum performance at all times during use. The system is particularly useful in the material handling industry, where the revenue generated is based on operator uptime and lift truck productivity. The use of the system allows customers to reduce operational costs and expand valuable floor space by eliminating batteries and associated recharging infrastructure. Fuel cell units also reduce the wear on truck motors. Truck operators can easily and safely refuel at hydrogen fueling stations in 1-5 minutes. GenDrive works with all major OEM lift trucks, making the transition seamless. Commercial customers are investing in this solution to improve their current operations. In 2008, Plug Power sold to Wal-Mart, Bridgestone Firestone and Nestle. Most notably, Central Grocers purchased 220 fuel cell units for a new greenfield distribution center. Plug Power currently has more than 380 systems in operation.

Gonad morphogenesis defects drive hybrid male sterility in asymmetric hybrid breakdown of Caenorhabditis nematodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Alivia; Jin, Qi; Chen, Yen-Chu; Cutter, Asher D

2014-01-01

Determining the causes and evolution of reproductive barriers to gene flow between populations, speciation, is the key to understanding the origin of diversity in nature. Many species manifest hybrid breakdown when they intercross, characterized by increasingly exacerbated problems in later generations of hybrids. Recently, Caenorhabditis nematodes have emerged as a genetic model for studying speciation, and here we investigate the nature and causes of hybrid breakdown between Caenorhabditis remanei and C. latens. We quantify partial F1 hybrid inviability and extensive F2 hybrid inviability; the ~75% F2 embryonic arrest occurs primarily during gastrulation or embryonic elongation. Moreover, F1 hybrid males exhibit Haldane's rule asymmetrically for both sterility and inviability, being strongest when C. remanei serves as maternal parent. We show that the mechanism by which sterile hybrid males are incapable of transferring sperm or a copulatory plug involves defective gonad morphogenesis, which we hypothesize results from linker cell defects in migration and/or cell death during development. This first documented case of partial hybrid male sterility in Caenorhabditis follows expectations of Darwin's corollary to Haldane's rule for asymmetric male fitness, providing a powerful foundation for molecular dissection of intrinsic reproductive barriers and divergence of genetic pathways controlling organ morphogenesis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Battery sizing for serial plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: A model-based economic analysis for Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ernst, Christian-Simon; Hackbarth, Andre; Madlener, Reinhard; Lunz, Benedikt; Uwe Sauer, Dirk; Eckstein, Lutz

2011-01-01

The battery size of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) is decisive for the electrical range of the vehicle and crucial for the cost-effectiveness of this particular vehicle concept. Based on the energy consumption of a conventional reference car and a PHEV, we introduce a comprehensive total cost of ownership model for the average car user in Germany for both vehicle types. The model takes into account the purchase price, fixed annual costs and variable operating costs. The amortization time of a PHEV also depends on the recharging strategy (once a day, once a night, after each trip), the battery size, and the battery costs. We find that PHEVs with a 4 kWh battery and at current lithium-ion battery prices reach the break-even point after about 6 years (5 years when using the lower night-time electricity tariffs). With higher battery capacities the amortization time becomes significantly longer. Even for the small battery size and assuming the EU-15 electricity mix, a PHEV is found to emit only around 60% of the CO 2 emissions of a comparable conventional car. Thus, with the PHEV concept a cost-effective introduction of electric mobility and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle can be reached. - Highlights: → Total cost of ownership of a PHEV and a conventional car are compared for the average German car user.→ PHEVs with a 4 kWh battery reach the break-even after 5-6 years at current Li-Ion battery prices.→ Even with a small battery, PHEVs emit about 40% less CO 2 emissions than the average conventional car.

Life-cycle assessment of a Solar Assist Plug-in Hybrid electric Tractor (SAPHT) in comparison with a conventional tractor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mousazadeh, Hossein; Keyhani, Alireza; Javadi, Arzhang; Mobli, Hossein; Abrinia, Karen; Sharifi, Ahmad

2011-01-01

The most well-known reason of global warming is equivalent carbon dioxide (CO 2equ ) emitted from fossil fuels combustion in on-road and off-road vehicles. An appreciable portion of off-road pollution is allocated to farm implements. All cited studies have shown that renewable based electric vehicles (EVs) decrease petroleum consumption and consequently reduce criteria emissions under nearly all circumstances. Considering this, a Solar Assist Plug-in Hybrid electric Tractor (SAPHT) was designed, constructed and evaluated. This research evaluated the life cycle analysis of SAPHT project and compared the results with that of an internal combustion engine tractor (ICET). The life cycle was analyzed based on economical cost and environmental emissions. The externality of environmental pollutions was calculated to derive the life-cycle costs (LCC). The results showed that substituting each ICET by SAPHT can prevent 14 ton CO 2equ emission to atmosphere annually. Also it prevents a high volume of other emissions such as CO, NO x and PM 10 entering the atmosphere. LCC assessment emphasizes on economical effectiveness of SAPHT rather than ICET at any diesel fuel price, therefore, increasing fuel unit prices leads to more effectiveness. It is concluded that levelized cost of energy (LCE) in Euro /kW h for ICET is almost twice as that of SAPHT. Some of these advantages for SAPHT are offset in part by high purchase costs, heavy and massive batteries and low operating range.

Explosive plugging of nuclear heat exchangers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crossland, B.; Bahrani, A.S.; Townsley, W.J.

1977-01-01

Explosive welding is a well established process for cladding one metal on another or for welding tubes to tubeplates or lap welding, etc. Recently, the process has been adapted to plugging of heat exchangers in conventional and nuclear power plant, where it has already been accepted especially in situations where the access is difficult and remote from the site of plugging. The paper describes the explosive plugging techniques developed in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering of The Queen's University of Belfast for the reheater and superheater of the PFR, and for the reheater of the AGR. For the PFR a point charge system has been used which causes a spherical expansion of the plug, which gives two zones of welding. Initially for the much larger plug required for the AGR it was proposed to use a parallel stand-off welding set-up, but it proved difficult or impossible to avoid a crevice. Consequently, a rim charge set-up has been developed which gives a circular ring expansion of the plug with two zones of welding. Besides the problem of the design of the plug and explosive charge geometry it has also been necessary to consider the distortion of holes adjoining the hole in which a plug is welded. Bunging of adjoining holes in order to reduce the distortion has also been investigated

Reducing noise and vibration of hydraulic hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

The University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UT-UTC) has identified : hybrid vehicles as one of the three areas of the research. The activities in this research : are directed towards the noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) solutions ...

Plug-in electric vehicles integrating fluctuating renewable electricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dallinger, David

2013-11-01

This paper examines a method to model plug-in electric vehicles as part of the power system and presents results for the contribution of plug-in electric vehicles to balance the fluctuating electricity generation of renewable energy sources. The scientific contribution includes: - A novel approach to characterizing fluctuating generation. This allows the detailed comparison of results from energy analysis and is the basis to describe the effect of electricity from renewable energy sources and plug-in electric vehicles on the power system. - The characterization of mobile storage, which includes the description of mobility behavior using probabilities and battery discharging costs. - The introduction of an agent-based simulation approach, coupling energy markets and distributed grids using a price-based mechanism design. - The description of an agent with specific driving behavior, battery discharging costs and optimization algorithm suitable for real plug-in vehicles and simulation models. - A case study for a 2030 scenario describing the contribution of plug-in electric vehicles to balance generation from renewable energy sources in California and Germany.

Plug testing and removal tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baric, T.J.; Kauric, C.E.; Garcia, C.N.

1987-01-01

This patent describes an apparatus for testing and removing a plug from an aperture in the cylindrical core barrel wall of a nuclear reactor. The plug has an enlarged head disposed along the wall in a narrow annular access space between the wall and a surrounding cylindrical thermal neutron shield. The apparatus comprises: fixed jaw means; movable jaw means pivotally connected to the fixed jaw means for movement with respect thereto between an open position accommodating reception of the plug head between the fixed and movable jaw means and a closed position for securely gripping the plug head between the fixed and movable jaw means; drive means carried by the fixed jaw means and coupled to the movable jaw means for effecting movement thereof between the open and closed positions thereof; and tensioning means carried by the jaw means for engagement with the core barrel when the jaw means are disposed in gripping engagement with the plug head for exerting on the jaw means and the gripped plug a predetermined force in a direction radially outwardly of the wall. The jaw means and the drive means and the tensioning means all have dimensions radially of the wall substantially less than the radial thickness of the access space to permit insertion into, movement within and removal from the access space

Field-test programs of borehole plugs in southeastern New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, C.L.; Peterson, E.W.

1981-01-01

This paper gives a general overview of the repository-sealing field test effort being conducted by Sandia National Laboratories in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southeast New Mexico. Summary descriptions of supporting activities, such as performance assessment and plugging materials development, are included to create the connection between modeling and laboratory activities as they relate to field results. Results of tests on a portion of a 17-year-old plug (Plug 217) recovered from a mine horizon and the Bell Canyon Test, in which a cement plug was emplaced to isolate a naturally pressurized aquifer, are given. Conclusions from these field plugging tests are included

Refueling system with small diameter rotatable plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritz, W.C.

1987-01-01

This patent describes a liquid-metal fastbreeder nuclear reactor comprising a reactor pressure vessel and closure head therefor, a reactor core barrel disposed within the reactor vessel and enclosing a reactor core having therein a large number of closely spaced fuel assemblies, and the reactor core barrel and the reactor core having an approximately concentric circular cross-sectional configuration with a geometric center in predetermined location within the reactor vessel. The improved refueling system described here comprises: a large controllably rotatable plug means comprising the substantial portion of the closure head, a reactor upper internals structure mounted from the large rotatable plug means. The large rotatable plug means has an approximately circular configuration which approximates the cross-sectional configuration of the reactor core barrel with a center of rotation positioned a first predetermined distance from the geometric center of the reactor core barrel so that the large rotatable plug means rotates eccentrically with respect to the reactor core barrel; a small controllably rotatable plug means affixed to the large rotatable plug means and rotatable with respect thereto. The small rotatable plug means has a center of rotation which is offset a second predetermined distance from the rotational center of the large rotatable plug means so that the small rotatable plug means rotates eccentrically with respect to the large rotatable plug means

Plug cementing: Horizontal to vertical conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calvert, D.G.; Heathman, J.F.; Griffith, J.E.

1995-12-31

This paper presents an in-depth study of cement plug placement that was conducted with large-scale models for the improvement of plug cementing practices and plug integrity. Common hole and workstring geometries were examined with various rheology and density ratios between the drilling fluid and cement. The critical conditions dictating the difference between success and failure for various wellbore angles and conditions were explored, and the mechanisms controlling slurry movement before and after placement are now better understood. An understanding of these mechanisms allows the engineer to better tailor a design to specific hole conditions. Controversial concepts regarding plug-setting practices have been examined and resolved. The cumulative effects of density, rheology, and hole angle are major factors affecting plug success. While the Boycott effect and an extrusion effect were observed to be predominant in inclined wellbores, a spiraling or {open_quotes}roping{close_quotes} effect controls slurry movement in vertical wellbores. Ultimate success of a cement plug can be obtained if allowances are made for these effects in the job design, provided all other previously published recommended placement practices are followed. Results of this work can be applied to many sidetracking and plug-to-abandon operations. Additionally, the understanding of the fluid movement (creep) mechanisms holds potential for use in primary and remedial cementing work, and in controlling the placement of noncementitious fluids in the wellbore.

Shielding plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makishima, Kenji.

1986-01-01

Purpose: In shielding plugs of an LMFBR type reactor, to restrain natural convection of heat in an annular space between a thermal shield layer and a shield shell, to prevent the lowering of heat-insulation performance, and to alleviate a thermal stress in a reactor container and the shield shell. Constitution: A ring-like leaf spring split in the direction of height is disposed in an annular space between a thermal shield layer and a shield shell. In consequence, the space is partitioned in the direction of height and, therefore, if axial temperature conditions and space width are the same and the space is low, the natural convection is hard to occur. Thus the rise of upper surface temperature of the shielding plugs can prevent the lowering of the heat insulation performance which will result in the increment of shielding plug cooling capacity, thereby improving reliability. In the meantime, since there is mounted an earthquake-resisting support, the thermal shield layer will move for a slight gap in case of an earthquake, being supported by the earthquake-resisting support, and the movement of the thermal shield layer is restricted, thereby maintaining integrity without increasing the stroke of the ring-like spring. (Kawakami, Y.)

Freeway Driving Cycle Construction Based on Real-Time Traffic Information and Global Optimal Energy Management for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongwen He

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a freeway driving cycle (FDC construction method based on traffic information. A float car collected different type of roads in California and we built a velocity fragment database. We selected a real freeway driving cycle (RFDC and established the corresponding time traffic information tensor model by using the data in California Department of Transportation performance measure system (PeMS. The correlation of road velocity in the time dimension and spatial dimension are analyzed. According to the average velocity of road sections at different times, the kinematic fragments are stochastically selected in the velocity fragment database to construct a real-time FDC of each section. The comparison between construction freeway driving cycle (CFDC and real freeway driving cycle (RFDC show that the CFDC well reflects the RFDC characteristic parameters. Compared to its application in plug-in electric hybrid vehicle (PHEV optimal energy management based on a dynamic programming (DP algorithm, CFDC and RFDC fuel consumption are similar within approximately 5.09% error, and non-rush hour fuel economy is better than rush hour 3.51 (L/100 km at non-rush hour, 4.29 (L/km at rush hour. Moreover, the fuel consumption ratio can be up to 13.17% in the same CFDC at non-rush hour.

Aspergillus oryzae–Saccharomyces cerevisiae Consortium Allows Bio-Hybrid Fuel Cell to Run on Complex Carbohydrates

Science.gov (United States)

Jahnke, Justin P.; Hoyt, Thomas; LeFors, Hannah M.; Sumner, James J.; Mackie, David M.

2016-01-01

Consortia of Aspergillus oryzae and Saccharomyces cerevisiae are examined for their abilities to turn complex carbohydrates into ethanol. To understand the interactions between microorganisms in consortia, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy is used to follow the concentrations of various metabolites such as sugars (e.g., glucose, maltose), longer chain carbohydrates, and ethanol to optimize consortia conditions for the production of ethanol. It is shown that with proper design A. oryzae can digest food waste simulants into soluble sugars that S. cerevisiae can ferment into ethanol. Depending on the substrate and conditions used, concentrations of 13% ethanol were achieved in 10 days. It is further shown that a direct alcohol fuel cell (FC) can be coupled with these A. oryzae-enabled S. cerevisiae fermentations using a reverse osmosis membrane. This “bio-hybrid FC” continually extracted ethanol from an ongoing consortium, enhancing ethanol production and allowing the bio-hybrid FC to run for at least one week. Obtained bio-hybrid FC currents were comparable to those from pure ethanol—water mixtures, using the same FC. The A. oryzae–S. cerevisiae consortium, coupled to a bio-hybrid FC, converted food waste simulants into electricity without any pre- or post-processing. PMID:27681904

Rotary plug seal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Koji; Abiko, Yoshihiro.

1981-01-01

Purpose: To enable fuel exchange even upon failure of regular seals and also to enable safety seal exchange by the detection of the reduction in the contact pressure of a rotary plug seal. Constitution: If one of a pair of regular tube seals for the rotary plug is failed during ordinary operation of a FBR type reactor, the reduction in the contact pressure of the seal to the plug gibbousness is detected by a pressure gauge and a solenoid valve is thereby closed. Thus, a back-up-tube seal provided above or below the tube seal is press-contacted by way of argon gas to the gibbousness to enter into operation state and lubricants are supplied from an oil tank. In such a structure, the back-up-tube seal is operated before the failure of the tube seal to enable to continue the fuel exchange work, as well as safety exchange for the tube seal. (Moriyama, K.)

Energy consumption and cost analysis of hybrid electric powertrain configurations for two wheelers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, Paul D.; Roser, Holger M.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We analyse several driving cycles to for the preliminary design of hybrid two wheelers. • Simulation of alternate configurations to compare achievable driving range and economy. • Demonstrate that pure electric vehicles provide cost benefits over the vehicle life. • Hybrid and plug-in hybrid two wheelers have comparable costs to conventional vehicles. - Abstract: The development of hybrid electric two wheelers in recent years has targeted the reduction of on road emissions produced by these vehicles. However, added cost and complexity have resulted in the failure of these systems to meet consumer expectations. This paper presents a comparative study of the energy economy and essential costs of alternative forms of small two wheelers such as scooters or low capacity motorcycles. This includes conventional, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric variants. Through simulations of vehicle driving range using two popular driving cycles it is demonstrated that there is considerable benefit in fuel economy realised by hybridising such vehicles. However, the added costs associated with electrification, i.e. motor/generator, power electronics, and energy storage provide a significant cost obstacle to the purchase of such vehicles. Only the pure electric configuration is demonstrated to be cost effective over its life in comparison to conventional two wheelers. Both the hybrid electric and plug-in equivalents must overcome significant upfront costs to be cost competitive with conventional vehicles. This is demonstrated to be achieved if the annual driving range of the vehicle is increased substantially from the assumed mean. Given the shorter distances travelled by most two wheeler drivers it can therefore be concluded that the development of similar hybrid electric vehicles are unlikely to achieve the desired acceptance that pure electric or conventional equivalents currently achieve

Dialysis grafts arterial plug: Retrieval using the tulip sheath device in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharafuddin, Melhem J.; Titus, Jack L.; Gu Xiaoping; Hunter, David W.; Amplatz, Kurt

1997-01-01

The 'arterial plug' is a resistant thrombus that frequently persists at the arterial anastomosis of clotted hemodialysis grafts following thrombolytic therapy. We studied the physical and morphological characteristics of the plug and determined the feasibility of transcatheter removal in vitro using the tulip compression thrombectomy system. Sixteen thrombus plugs were recovered during surgical thrombectomy of clotted human dialysis grafts. The physical and gross physical characteristics of all plugs were analyzed. Eight specimens were evaluated microscopically. Transcatheter compression thrombectomy of eight plugs was attempted in vitro. Each plug was embedded in a polyvinyl tube filled with newly clotted blood and connected to a flow circuit. First, balloon-assisted aspiration thrombectomy (BAT) of soft thrombus was performed, while sparing the distal-most segment containing the plug. The tulip sheath was then introduced facing the 'arterial end' of the tube. The thrombus segment containing the plug was pulled back into the tulip mesh using either a 3 Fr Fogarty balloon catheter or a self-expanding rake. The tulip was closed to compress and remove the trapped plug. Near-complete thrombectomy of soft clot was achieved in all tested tubes. Compression and retrieval of the entire arterial plug was successful in all except one, where only partial compression of the plug occurred, presumably due to fibrotic changes. No fragmentation or embolization occurred in the remaining procedures. Spongy consistency was noted in 94% of the specimens. Microscopic evaluation showed organized layered thrombus with compaction in five plugs. Transcatheter removal of a thrombus plug is feasible in vitro using the tulip compression-thrombectomy system

Moving from assumption to observation: Implications for energy and emissions impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, Jamie; Kurani, Kenneth S.

2013-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are currently for sale in most parts of the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. These vehicles are promoted as providing distinct consumer and public benefits at the expense of grid electricity. However, the specific benefits or impacts of PHEVs ultimately relies on consumers purchase and vehicle use patterns. While considerable effort has been dedicated to understanding PHEV impacts on a per mile basis few studies have assessed the impacts of PHEV given actual consumer use patterns or operating conditions. Instead, simplifying assumptions have been made about the types of cars individual consumers will choose to purchase and how they will drive and charge them. Here, we highlight some of these consumer purchase and use assumptions, studies which have employed these assumptions and compare these assumptions to actual consumer data recorded in a PHEV demonstration project. Using simulation and hypothetical scenarios we discuss the implication for PHEV impact analyses and policy if assumptions about key PHEV consumer use variables such as vehicle choice, home charging frequency, distribution of driving distances, and access to workplace charging were to change. -- Highlights: •The specific benefits or impacts of PHEVs ultimately relies on consumers purchase and vehicle use patterns. •Simplifying, untested, assumptions have been made by prior studies about PHEV consumer driving, charging and vehicle purchase behaviors. •Some simplifying assumptions do not match observed data from a PHEV demonstration project. •Changing the assumptions about PHEV consumer driving, charging, and vehicle purchase behaviors affects estimates of PHEV impacts. •Premature simplification may have lasting consequences for standard setting and performance based incentive programs which rely on these estimates

Plugging of feed inlet tube upstands with Ni/Ti shape memory alloy plugs - Heysham 1 power station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathews, A.J.

1988-01-01

The paper contains a description of a new approach for Plugging feed inlet tubes of Gas-Cooled Reactors. Instead of utilizing the original explosive method plugging by fitting a shape memory alloy plug into the upstand is being described. (author)

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Signage for Plug-In Electric Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center: Signage for Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Signage for Plug-In Electric Vehicle Charging Stations on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Signage for Plug-In Electric Vehicle

Environmental assessment of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles using naturalistic drive cycles and vehicle travel patterns: A Michigan case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marshall, Brandon M.; Kelly, Jarod C.; Lee, Tae-Kyung; Keoleian, Gregory A.; Filipi, Zoran

2013-01-01

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) use grid electricity as well as on-board gasoline for motive force. These multiple energy sources make prediction of PHEV energy consumption challenging and also complicate evaluation of their environmental impacts. This paper introduces a novel PHEV energy consumption modeling approach and compares it to a second approach from the literature, each using actual trip patterns from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). The first approach applies distance-dependent fuel efficiency and on-road electricity consumption rates based on naturalistic or real world, driving information to determine gasoline and electricity consumption. The second uses consumption rates derived in accordance with government certification testing. Both approaches are applied in the context of a location-specific case study that focuses on the state of Michigan. The two PHEV models show agreement in electricity demand due to vehicle charging, gasoline consumption, and life cycle environmental impacts for this case study. The naturalistic drive cycle approach is explored as a means of extending location-specific driving data to supplement existing PHEV impact assessments methods. - Highlights: • Travel patterns from survey data are combined with naturalistic drive cycles. • More realistic PHEV energy modeling using these synthesized real-world drive cycles. • Methodology is demonstrated for PHEVs in Michigan but applicable for other regions. • Energy and emissions findings have major implications for PHEV standards and policy

An optimal design for millimeter-wide facture plugging zone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yili Kang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Lost circulation control in millimeter-wide fractures has been a challenge in well drilling all the time. Low pressure-bearing capacity of a plugging zone will result in excessive consumption of lost circulation materials (LCMs and extra down time. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted on the plugging of millimeter-wide fractures to evaluate the plugging effects of different types of LCM including rigid granules, elastic particles and fiber. Maximum plugging pressure, total loss volume before sealing and plugging time were taken as the evaluation index of the LCM plugging effect. According to the experimental results, the synergistic plugging mechanisms of different LCM combinations were also analyzed. Experimental results showed that the total loss volume of the plugging zone formed by rigid and elastic particle combination was generally greater than 400 mL, and the maximum plugging pressure of the plugging zone formed by elastic particle and fiber combination was generally less than 6 MPa. In contrast, the plugging zone formed by the combination of the three types of LCMs has the maximum plugging pressure of up to 13 MPa and total loss volume before sealing of 75 mL. In the synergistic plugging process, rigid granules form a frame with high pressure-bearing capacity in the narrower parts of the fractures; elastic particles generate elastic force through elastic deformation to increase the friction between a fracture and a plugging zone to make the plugging zone more stable; fibers filling in the pore space between the particles increase the tightness and integrity of the plugging zone. The experimental results can provide guidance for the optimal design of LCMs used in the field.

Thermographic study of the preheating plugs in diesel engines

OpenAIRE

Royo Pastor, Rafael; Albertos Arranz, M.A.; CÁRCEL CUBAS, JUAN ANTONIO; Payá Herrero, Jorge

2012-01-01

The use of direct injection diesel engines has been widely applied during the past ten years. In such engines, the preheating plugs are a key element which has a significant contribution in the pollutant emissions. In this paper, two different plug designs from Renault are analyzed. The new plug reduces substantially the required electrical consumption. Nevertheless, the pollutant emissions are higher (fundamentally CO and HCs) and hereby a thorough analysis is required to underst...

Exergetic and Economic Assessment of Distillation Hybrid Configurations for Bioethanol Refining

OpenAIRE

Suleiman, Bilyaminu; Olawale, Adegboyega Surajudeen; Mohammed, Saidu Waziri

2014-01-01

Thermo-economics analysis was used to identify the most economic distillation hybrid configuration to dehydrate bioethanol mash (12 wt%) to fuel grade (99.5 wt%) based on economic objective of minimization of operating cost in this work. Three different hybrids of THIDC with azeotropic and, extractive distillation units were assessed using similar feed and product specifications of 1200 kmol/h (12 % by weight ethanol) and 55 kmol/h (99.5 % by weight ethanol) respectively . The six hybrid conf...

The Novel Application of Optimization and Charge Blended Energy Management Control for Component Downsizing within a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravi Shankar

2012-11-01

Full Text Available  The adoption of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs is widely seen as an interim solution for the decarbonization of the transport sector. Within a PHEV, determining the required energy storage capacity of the battery remains one of the primary concerns for vehicle manufacturers and system integrators. This fact is particularly pertinent since the battery constitutes the largest contributor to vehicle mass. Furthermore, the financial cost associated with the procurement, design and integration of battery systems is often cited as one of the main barriers to vehicle commercialization. The ability to integrate the optimization of the energy management control system with the sizing of key PHEV powertrain components presents a significant area of research. Contained within this paper is an optimization study in which a charge blended strategy is used to facilitate the downsizing of the electrical machine, the internal combustion engine and the high voltage battery. An improved Equivalent Consumption Method has been used to manage the optimal power split within the powertrain as the PHEV traverses a range of different drivecycles. For a target CO2 value and drivecycle, results show that this approach can yield significant downsizing opportunities, with cost reductions on the order of 2%–9% being realizable.

Development of Near Optimal Rule-Based Control for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles Taking into Account Drivetrain Component Losses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanho Son

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A near-optimal rule-based mode control (RBC strategy was proposed for a target plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV taking into account the drivetrain losses. Individual loss models were developed for drivetrain components including the gears, planetary gear (PG, bearings, and oil pump, based on experimental data and mathematical governing equations. Also, a loss model for the power electronic system was constructed, including loss from the motor-generator while rotating in the unloaded state. To evaluate the effect of the drivetrain losses on the operating mode control strategy, backward simulations were performed using dynamic programming (DP. DP selects the operating mode, which provides the highest efficiency for given driving conditions. It was found that the operating mode selection changes when drivetrain losses are included, depending on driving conditions. An operating mode schedule was developed with respect to the wheel power and vehicle speed, and based on the operating mode schedule, a RBC was obtained, which can be implemented in an on-line application. To evaluate the performance of the RBC, a forward simulator was constructed for the target PHEV. The simulation results show near-optimal performance of the RBC compared with dynamic-programming-based mode control in terms of the mode operation time and fuel economy. The RBC developed with drivetrain losses taken into account showed a 4%–5% improvement of the fuel economy over a similar RBC, which neglected the drivetrain losses.

Inheritance of brewing-relevant phenotypes in constructed Saccharomyces cerevisiae × Saccharomyces eubayanus hybrids.

Science.gov (United States)

Krogerus, Kristoffer; Seppänen-Laakso, Tuulikki; Castillo, Sandra; Gibson, Brian

2017-04-21

Interspecific hybridization has proven to be a potentially valuable technique for generating de novo lager yeast strains that possess diverse and improved traits compared to their parent strains. To further enhance the value of hybridization for strain development, it would be desirable to combine phenotypic traits from more than two parent strains, as well as remove unwanted traits from hybrids. One such trait, that has limited the industrial use of de novo lager yeast hybrids, is their inherent tendency to produce phenolic off-flavours; an undesirable trait inherited from the Saccharomyces eubayanus parent. Trait removal and the addition of traits from a third strain could be achieved through sporulation and meiotic recombination or further mating. However, interspecies hybrids tend to be sterile, which impedes this opportunity. Here we generated a set of five hybrids from three different parent strains, two of which contained DNA from all three parent strains. These hybrids were constructed with fertile allotetraploid intermediates, which were capable of efficient sporulation. We used these eight brewing strains to examine two brewing-relevant phenotypes: stress tolerance and phenolic off-flavour formation. Lipidomics and multivariate analysis revealed links between several lipid species and the ability to ferment in low temperatures and high ethanol concentrations. Unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, and ergosterol were shown to positively influence growth at high ethanol concentrations. The ability to produce phenolic off-flavours was also successfully removed from one of the hybrids, Hybrid T2, through meiotic segregation. The potential application of these strains in industrial fermentations was demonstrated in wort fermentations, which revealed that the meiotic segregant Hybrid T2 not only didn't produce any phenolic off-flavours, but also reached the highest ethanol concentration and consumed the most maltotriose. Our study demonstrates the

Impacts of battery characteristics, driver preferences and road network features on travel costs of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for long-distance trips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arslan, Okan; Yıldız, Barış; Ekin Karaşan, Oya

2014-01-01

In a road network with refueling and fast charging stations, the minimum-cost driving path of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) depends on factors such as location and availability of refueling/fast charging stations, capacity and cost of PHEV batteries, and driver tolerance towards extra mileage or additional stopping. In this paper, our focus is long-distance trips of PHEVs. We analyze the impacts of battery characteristics, often-overlooked driver preferences and road network features on PHEV travel costs for long-distance trips and compare the results with hybrid electric and conventional vehicles. We investigate the significance of these factors and derive critical managerial insights for shaping the future investment decisions about PHEVs and their infrastructure. In particular, our findings suggest that with a certain level of deployment of fast charging stations, well established cost and emission benefits of PHEVs for the short range trips can be extended to long distance. Drivers' stopping intolerance may hamper these benefits; however, increasing battery capacity may help overcome the adverse effects of this intolerance. - Highlights: • We investigate the travel costs of CVs, HEVs and PHEVs for long-distance trips. • We analyze the impacts of battery, driver and road network characteristics on the costs. • We provide critical managerial insights to shape the investment decisions about PHEVs. • Drivers' stopping intolerance may hamper the cost and emission benefits of PHEVs. • Negative effect of intolerance on cost may be overcome by battery capacity expansion

A Rule-Based Energy Management Strategy for a Plug-in Hybrid School Bus Based on a Controller Area Network Bus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiankun Peng

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a rule-based energy management strategy for a plug-in hybrid school bus (PHSB. In order to verify the effectiveness and rationality of the proposed energy management strategy, the powertrain and control models were built with MATLAB/Simulink. The PHSB powertrain model includes an engine model, ISG (integrated started and generator model, drive motor model, power battery packs model, driver model, and vehicle longitudinal dynamics model. To evaluate the controller area network (CAN bus performance features such as the bus load, signal hysteresis, and to verify the reliability and real-time performance of the CAN bus multi-node control method, a co-simulation platform was built with CANoe and MATLAB/Simulink. The co-simulation results show that the control strategy can meet the requirements of the PHSB’s dynamic performance. Meanwhile, the charge-depleting mode (CD and charge-sustaining mode (CS can switch between each other and maintain a state-of-charge (SoC of around 30%, indicating that the energy management strategy effectively extends the working period of the CD mode and improves the fuel economy further. The energy consumption per 100 km includes 13.7 L diesel and 10.5 kW·h electricity with an initial SoC of 75%. The CANoe simulation results show that the bus communication performs well without error frames.

Greenhouse gas implications of using coal for transportation: Life cycle assessment of coal-to-liquids, plug-in hybrids, and hydrogen pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaramillo, Paulina; Samaras, Constantine; Wakeley, Heather; Meisterling, Kyle

2009-01-01

Using coal to produce transportation fuels could improve the energy security of the United States by replacing some of the demand for imported petroleum. Because of concerns regarding climate change and the high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with conventional coal use, policies to encourage pathways that utilize coal for transportation should seek to reduce GHGs compared to petroleum fuels. This paper compares the GHG emissions of coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuels to the emissions of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) powered with coal-based electricity, and to the emissions of a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) that uses coal-based hydrogen. A life cycle approach is used to account for fuel cycle and use-phase emissions, as well as vehicle cycle and battery manufacturing emissions. This analysis allows policymakers to better identify benefits or disadvantages of an energy future that includes coal as a transportation fuel. We find that PHEVs could reduce vehicle life cycle GHG emissions by up to about one-half when coal with carbon capture and sequestration is used to generate the electricity used by the vehicles. On the other hand, CTL fuels and coal-based hydrogen would likely lead to significantly increased emissions compared to PHEVs and conventional vehicles using petroleum-based fuels.

Process simulation of ethanol production from biomass gasification and syngas fermentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pardo-Planas, Oscar; Atiyeh, Hasan K; Phillips, John R; Aichele, Clint P; Mohammad, Sayeed

2017-12-01

The hybrid gasification-syngas fermentation platform can produce more bioethanol utilizing all biomass components compared to the biochemical conversion technology. Syngas fermentation operates at mild temperatures and pressures and avoids using expensive pretreatment processes and enzymes. This study presents a new process simulation model developed with Aspen Plus® of a biorefinery based on a hybrid conversion technology for the production of anhydrous ethanol using 1200tons per day (wb) of switchgrass. The simulation model consists of three modules: gasification, fermentation, and product recovery. The results revealed a potential production of about 36.5million gallons of anhydrous ethanol per year. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to investigate the effects of gasification and fermentation parameters that are keys for the development of an efficient process in terms of energy conservation and ethanol production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nuclear determination of saturation profiles in core plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sletsgaard, J.; Oelgaard, P.L.

1997-01-01

A method to determine liquid saturations in core plugs during flooding is of importance when the relative permeability and capillary pressure function are to be determined. This part of the EFP-95 project uses transmission of γ-radiation to determine these saturations. In γ-transmission measurements, the electron density of the given substance is measured. This is an advantage as compared to methods that use electric conductivity, since neither oil nor gas conducts electricity. At the moment a single 137 Cs-source is used, but a theoretical investigation of whether it is possible to determine three saturations, using two radioactive sources with different γ-energies, has been performed. Measurements were made on three core plugs. To make sure that the measurements could be reproduced, all the plugs had a point of reference, i.e. a mark so that it was possible to place the plug same way every time. Two computer programs for calculation of saturation and porosity and the experimental setup are listed. (EG)

Plug Load Behavioral Change Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metzger, I.; Kandt, A.; VanGeet, O.

2011-08-01

This report documents the methods and results of a plug load study of the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 8 Headquarters in Denver, Colorado, conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The study quantified the effect of mechanical and behavioral change approaches on plug load energy reduction and identified effective ways to reduce plug load energy. Load reduction approaches included automated energy management systems and behavioral change strategies.

Exergy Analysis of an Intermediate Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine Hybrid System Fed with Ethanol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fotini Tzorbatzoglou

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In the present work, an ethanol fed Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine (SOFC-GT system has been parametrically analyzed in terms of exergy and compared with a single SOFC system. The solid oxide fuel cell was fed with hydrogen produced from ethanol steam reforming. The hydrogen utilization factor values were kept between 0.7 and 1. The SOFC’s Current-Volt performance was considered in the range of 0.1–3 A/cm2 at 0.9–0.3 V, respectively, and at the intermediate operating temperatures of 550 and 600 °C, respectively. The curves used represent experimental results obtained from the available bibliography. Results indicated that for low current density values the single SOFC system prevails over the SOFC-GT hybrid system in terms of exergy efficiency, while at higher current density values the latter is more efficient. It was found that as the value of the utilization factor increases the SOFC system becomes more efficient than the SOFC-GT system over a wider range of current density values. It was also revealed that at high current density values the increase of SOFC operation temperature leads in both cases to higher system efficiency values.

Downhole television (DHTV) applications in borehole plugging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, C.L.; Statler, R.D.; Peterson, E.W.

1980-05-01

The Borehole Plugging (BHP) Program is a part of the Sandia experimental program to support the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The Sandia BHP program is an Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI)-funded program designed to provide inputs to the generic plugging program while simultaneously acquiring WIPP-specific data. For this reason a close liaison is maintained between the Sandia WIPP project and the ONWI generic program. Useful technology developed within the Sandia BHP to support WIPP is made available and considered for further development and application to the generic Borehole Plugging and Repository Sealing Program at ONWI. The purpose of this report is to illustrate the usefulness of downhole television (DHTV) observations of a borehole to plan plugging operations. An indication of the wellbore conditions observed is provided. The equipment and setup procedure used in the evaluation of AEC-7 for the Bell Canyon test series are illustrated. A sequence of pictures at various depths as the DHTV rig is lowered through the wellbore is presented. Sample photographs taken with both dry and underwater lamps for illumination are included. The caliper logs for the same depth are included for comparison. General comments are provided on the illustrations

Progress in application of hybrid numerical simulation methods to magnetic confinement systems. Annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morse, R.L.

1979-06-01

Hybrid codes have been developed to simulate high density, high β confined plasmas. The major areas of application have been end plugging and heating of linear confinement systems. In particular, significant progress has been made in understanding the role of line and recombination radiation in recent experiments which showed large increases in energy confinement times from the use of solid end plugs. Another accomplishment is the conception and theoretical analysis of an efficient, low frequency, axial heating method which we believe could significantly increase the attractiveness of linear systems as reactors

California Statewide Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melaina, Marc; Helwig, Michael

2014-05-01

The California Statewide Plug-In Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Assessment conveys to interested parties the Energy Commission’s conclusions, recommendations, and intentions with respect to plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) infrastructure development. There are several relatively low-risk and high-priority electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) deployment options that will encourage PEV sales and

Dehydration of an azeotrope of ethanol/water by sodium carboxymethylcellulose membranes cross-linked with organic or inorganic cross-linker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2010-11-01

Full Text Available To control the swelling of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa membranes, mixtures of CMCNa and glutaraldehyde (GA and mixtures of CMCNa as an organic component and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS as an inorganic component were prepared, and CMCNa/GA cross-linked membranes and CMCNa/TEOS hybrid membranes were formed. In the separation of an ethanol/water azeotrope by pervaporation (PV, the effects of the GA or TEOS content on the water/ethanol selectivity and permeability of these CMCNa/GA cross-linked and CMCNa/TEOS hybrid membranes were investigated. Cross-linked and hybrid membranes containing up to 10 wt% GA or 10 wt% TEOS exhibited higher water/ethanol selectivity than CMCNa membrane without any cross-linker. This resulted from both increased density and depressed swelling of the membranes by the formation of a cross-linked structure. The relationship between the structure of the CMCNa/GA cross-linked membranes and CMCNa/TEOS hybrid membranes and their permeation and separation characteristics for an ethanol/water azeotrope during PV is discussed in detail.

Plugging regime in the pump limiter throat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghendrih, P.; Grosman, A.; Samain, A.; Capes, H.; Morera, J.P.

1988-08-01

The plugging regime -with no outstreaming neutral flux- is studied for a closed configuration pump limiter (throat). We derive the plugging length and the neutral density build-up at the neutralizer plate. The analytical expressions are supported by numerical evidence. We find an improved efficiency related to the throat effect mainly due to neutral-sidewall interactions

An Overview of the HomePlug AV2 Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larry Yonge

2013-01-01

Full Text Available HomePlug AV2 is the solution identified by the HomePlug Alliance to achieve the improved data rate performance required by the new generation of multimedia applications without the need to install extra wires. Developed by industry-leading participants in the HomePlug AV Technical Working Group, the HomePlug AV2 technology provides Gigabit-class connection speeds over the existing AC wires within home. It is designed to meet the market demands for the full set of future in-home networking connectivity. Moreover, HomePlug AV2 guarantees backward interoperability with other HomePlug systems. In this paper, the HomePlug AV2 system architecture is introduced and the technical details of the key features at both the PHY and MAC layers are described. The HomePlug AV2 performance is assessed, through simulations reproducing real home scenarios.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles in the Smart Grid Environment: An Economic Model of Load Management by Demand Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poudineh R.

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Environmental concern regarding the consumption of fossil fuels is among the most serious challenges facing the world. As a result, utilisation of more renewable resources and promotion of a clean transport system such as the use of Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs became the forefront of the new energy policies. However, the breakthrough of PHEVs in the automotive fleet increases concerns around the stability of power system and in particular, the power network. This research simulates the aggregate load profile of the UK with presence of PHEVs based upon different price scenarios. The results show that under the fixed rate and time of use programmes in the current grid, the extra load of the electric vehicles intensifies the consumption profile and also creates new critical points. Thus, there should always be excess standby capacity to satisfy peak demand even for a short period of time. On the other hand, when the consumers do not pay the price based on the actual cost of supply, those who consume less in peak hours subsidise the ones who consume more and this cross subsidy raises a regulatory issue. On the contrary, a smart grid can accommodate PHEVs without creating technical and regulatory problems. This positive consequence is the result of demand response to the real time pricing. From a technical point of view, the biggest chunk of PHEVs' load will be shifted to the late evening and the hours of minimum demand. Besides, from a welfare analysis standpoint, real time pricing creates no deadweight losses and corresponding demand response will limit the ability of suppliers to increase the spot market clearing price above its equilibrium level.

Eddy current inspection of steam generator tubing plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, W.K.

1990-01-01

In response to the issues raised regarding the integrity of nuclear steam generator tubing plugs manufactured from certain heats of Inconel 600, Westinghouse engineers have developed, qualified and implemented an eddy current inspection system for the in-place assessment of these plugs. The heart of the system is a robotic and effector which delivers an eddy current sensor through the reduced diameter of the plug expander and actuates the coil to physical contact with the expanded inside bore of the plug. Once deployed, the eddy current sensor is rotated along a helical path to produce a detailed scan of the plug surface above the final position of the expander. This testing produces an isometric display of degradation due to primary water stress corrosion cracking, on the inside surface of the plug. To date, successful inspections have been conducted at two nuclear units with two different robotic delivery systems. While designed specifically for mechanical plugs with a bottle bore cavity, the inspection system can also be used for expanded straight bore plugs. Details of the inspection system along with a discussion of qualification activities and actual field results are presented in this paper

Modeling a one-stage continuous ethanol fermentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michalski, H; Wieczorek, A

1974-01-01

Kinetics of the fermentation process carried out with Saccharomyces cerevisiae hybrid G-67 on synthetic media at different initial concentrations of sugar and mixing speed have been determined. No significant effect of mixing (Reynolds No. 1915-7760) and initial sugar concentrations within 50 to 150 g/l was found on the biomass and final ethanol concentration or on the amount of sugar consumed. The optimum dilution rate was 0.10 to 0.20 h/sup -1/. Kinetic equations for sugar and ethanol concentration changes in the process are given.

Impact of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles charging demand on the optimal energy management of renewable micro-grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kavousi-Fard, Abdollah; Abunasri, Alireza; Zare, Alireza; Hoseinzadeh, Rasool

2014-01-01

This paper suggests a new stochastic expert framework to investigate the charging effect of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on the optimal operation and management of micro-grids (MGs). In this way, a useful method based on smart charging approach is proposed to consider the charging demand of PHEVs in both residential location and public charging stations. The analysis is simulated for 24 h considering the uncertainties associated with the forecast error in the charging demand of PHEVs, hourly load consumption, hourly energy price and Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) output power. In order to see the effect of storage devices on the operation of the MG, NiMH-Battery is also incorporated in the MG. According to the high complexity of the problem, a new optimization method called θ-krill herd (θ-KH) algorithm is proposed which uses the phase angle vectors to update the velocity/position of krill animals with faster and more stable convergence. In addition, a new modification method is proposed to improve the search ability of the algorithm, effectively. The suggested problem is examined on an MG including different RESs such as photovoltaic (PV), fuel cells (FCs), wind turbine (WT), micro turbine (MT) and battery as the storage device. - Highlights: • Introducing an expert stochastic framework for optimal operation and management of MGs including PHEVs. • Introducing a new artificial optimization algorithm based on KH evolutionary technique. • Introducing a new version of KH algorithm called θ-KH for the optimization applications. • Modeling the uncertainty of forecast error in Wind turbine, Photovoltaics, market price, load data, PHEVs electric charging demand in an intelligent framework

Effect of solvent content on resin hybridization in wet dentin bonding.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yong; Spencer, Paulette; Yao, Xiaomei; Brenda, Bohaty

2007-09-15

With wet bonding techniques, the channels between the demineralized dentin collagen fibrils are filled with debris, solvent, and water. Commercial adhesives include solvents such as ethanol or acetone to facilitate resin-infiltration into this wet substrate. Under in vivo conditions, the solvent may be diluted because of repeated exposure of the material to the atmosphere, or concentrated because of separation of the bonding liquids into layers within the bottle. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of different concentrations of ethanol (10-50%) on infiltration of the adhesive resin and collagen fibril encapsulation in the adhesive/dentin interface using light microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that under wet bonding conditions the hybridization process was highly sensitive to the initial solvent concentration in the adhesive system. The staining and scanning electron microscopy results showed that the quality of the interfacial hybrid layer was poor at the lower (10%) or higher (50%) ethanol content. Micro-Raman analysis indicated that there was a distinct difference in the degree of adhesive penetration among adhesives containing different concentrations of ethanol. Adhesives containing 10 or 50% ethanol did not realize effective penetration; the penetration of the adhesive monomers increased dramatically when the initial ethanol content was 30%. The amount of solvents are essential for achieving effective bonding to dentin. Copyright 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Market penetration speed and effects on CO2 reduction of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yabe, Kuniaki; Shinoda, Yukio; Seki, Tomomichi; Tanaka, Hideo; Akisawa, Atsushi

2012-01-01

Abstarct: In order to reduce CO 2 emissions in the passenger vehicle sector, mass introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is required despite their high battery costs. This paper forecasts the rate at which EV/PHEV will penetrate into the market in the future and the effects of that spread on CO 2 reduction by using a learning curve for lithium-ion batteries, distribution of daily travel distance for each vehicle, and an optimal power generation planning model for charging vehicles. Taking into consideration each driver's economical viewpoint, the speed at which the EV/PHEV share of the new passenger vehicle market grows is fairly slow. The optimum calculation in our base case shows that the share of EV/PHEV is only a quarter even in 2050. However, the initial price and progress rate of batteries have a great effect on this share. Therefore, long-term economic support from the government and significant R and D innovation are required to reduce CO 2 drastically through cutting down battery price. The results also show how much the CO 2 emission intensity of power generation affects the CO 2 reduction rate by introducing EV/PHEV. - Highlights: ► Authors minimized the total cost of vehicle and power supply sectors until 2050. ► Simulation results show the penetration speed of PHEVs/EVs is not so fast. ► To accelerate it and reduce CO 2 , subsidies and innovations are required. ► The introduction of PHEVs/EVs is still reasonable even after the nuclear accident.

Numerical simulation of ion confinement in the Phaedrus plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horne, S.F.

1984-01-01

Neutral beams of up to 60 amps were injected into the plugs of the tandem mirror Phaedrus. Substantial heating of the target RF-sustained plasma has been observed, but fueling has been negligible. In order to understand the lack of significant fueling, a model of the trapping and loss processes occurring in the Phaedrus plug was developed, and is presented in this thesis. The model includes neutral beam effects, RF trapping, Coulomb losses, and charge exchange on background gas, in a framework which includes finite gyro-orbit effects. A numerical simulation based on the model is compared to data from 2XIIB and TMX, and shows good agreement. The model is then applied to the Phaedrus plugs, and compared to RF-sustained and neutral-beam data obtained during machine operation in hydrogen and deuterium. The modeling of the Phaedrus plugs indicates that during beam injection, a two-step process occurs that results in the rapid loss of ions. Charge exchange of trapped plasma on the energetic neutral beam causes rapid radial diffusion of the plasma, which then charge exchanges on the background gas, or is lost to the limiter. Because this is a finite gyro-orbit effect, increasing the plug magnetic field should improve the net beam fueling by reducing this diffusion. Results from the model indicate that increasing the plug midplane field from 2600 to 4000 gauss will improve the beam fueling significantly

PLUGGING AND UNPLUGGING OF WASTE TRANSFER PIPELINES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebadian, M.A.

1999-01-01

This project, which began in FY97, involves both the flow loop research on plugging and unplugging of waste transfer pipelines, and the large-scale industrial equipment test of plugging locating and unplugging technologies. In FY98, the related work was performed under the project name ''Mixing, Settling, and Pipe Unplugging of Waste Transfer Lines.'' The mixing, settling, and pipeline plugging and unplugging are critical to the design and maintenance of a waste transfer pipeline system, especially for the High-Level Waste (HLW) pipeline transfer. The major objective of this work is to recreate pipeline plugging conditions for equipment testing of plug locating and removal and to provide systematic operating data for modification of equipment design and enhancement of performance of waste transfer lines used at DOE sites. As the waste tank clean-out and decommissioning program becomes active at the DOE sites, there is an increasing potential that the waste slurry transfer lines will become plugged and unable to transport waste slurry from one tank to another or from the mixing tank to processing facilities. Transfer systems may potentially become plugged if the solids concentration of the material being transferred increases beyond the capability of the prime mover or if upstream mixing is inadequately performed. Plugging can occur due to the solids' settling in either the mixing tank, the pumping system, or the transfer lines. In order to enhance and optimize the slurry's removal and transfer, refined and reliable data on the mixing, sampling, and pipe unplugging systems must be obtained based on both laboratory-scale and simulated in-situ operating conditions

Optimizing and Diversifying the Electric Range of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles for U.S. Drivers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Zhenhong

2012-01-01

To provide useful information for automakers to design successful plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) products and for energy and environmental analysts to understand the social impact of PHEVs, this paper addresses the question of how many of the U.S. consumers, if buying a PHEV, would prefer what electric ranges. The Market-oriented Optimal Range for PHEV (MOR-PHEV) model is developed to optimize the PHEV electric range for each of 36,664 sampled individuals representing U.S. new vehicle drivers. The optimization objective is the minimization of the sum of costs on battery, gasoline, electricity and refueling hassle. Assuming no battery subsidy, the empirical results suggest that: 1) the optimal PHEV electric range approximates two thirds of one s typical daily driving distance in the near term, defined as $450/kWh battery delivered price and $4/gallon gasoline price. 2) PHEVs are not ready to directly compete with HEVs at today s situation, defined by the $600/kWh battery delivered price and the $3-$4/gallon gasoline price, but can do so in the near term. 3) PHEV10s will be favored by the market over longer-range PHEVs in the near term, but longer-range PHEVs can dominate the PHEV market if gasoline prices reach as high as $5-$6 per gallon and/or battery delivered prices reach as low as $150-$300/kWh. 4) PHEVs can become much more attractive against HEVs in the near term if the electric range can be extended by only 10% with multiple charges per day, possible with improved charging infrastructure or adapted charging behavior. 5) the impact of a $100/kWh decrease in battery delivered prices on the competiveness of PHEVs against HEVs can be offset by about $1.25/gallon decrease in gasoline prices, or about 7/kWh increase in electricity prices. This also means that the impact of a $1/gallon decrease in gasoline prices can be offset by about 5/kWh decrease in electricity prices.

Design approaches for access plugs in a basalt repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Rourke, J.; Allirot, D.; O'Connor, K.

1982-01-01

This paper describes research, laboratory testing, and analytical approaches taken toward the development of designs for sealing boreholes, shafts, and tunnels penetrating from ground surface to a deep, mined nuclear waste repository in basalt. A material selection process leading to identification of preferred sealing materials is discussed, and the laboratory testing program to define the geochemical and geotechnical performance of these materials is described. Analysis of the environmental conditions in the Columbia Plateau basalt flows leads to identification of tentative design criteria for plug systems. These design criteria include performance of the plug as a hydraulic barrier and as a radionuclide barrier. An important problem for effective performance of a plug system as a hydraulic barrier is shown to be a potentially disturbed zone surrounding the excavation in the stressed and jointed host rock. An idealized one-dimensional numerical model is described for analyzing the performance of the plug as a barrier to radionuclide transport. The preliminary analyses led to the conclusion that the composition and dimensions of practical candidate plugs can satisfy both hydraulic and radionuclide barrier criteria. Examples of candidate designs are shown for boreholes, shafts, and tunnels. 9 references, 6 figures, 6 tables

Test Confessions : A Study of Testing Practices for Plug-in Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Greiler, M.; Van Deursen, A.; Storey, M.A.

2011-01-01

Testing plug-in-based systems is challenging due to complex interactions among many different plug-ins, and variations in version and configuration. The objective of this paper is to increase our understanding of what testers and developers think and do when it comes to testing plug-inbased systems.

System and method for charging a plug-in electric vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Bassham, Marjorie A.; Spigno, Jr., Ciro A.; Muller, Brett T.; Newhouse, Vernon L.

2017-05-02

A charging system and method that may be used to automatically apply customized charging settings to a plug-in electric vehicle, where application of the settings is based on the vehicle's location. According to an exemplary embodiment, a user may establish and save a separate charging profile with certain customized charging settings for each geographic location where they plan to charge their plug-in electric vehicle. Whenever the plug-in electric vehicle enters a new geographic area, the charging method may automatically apply the charging profile that corresponds to that area. Thus, the user does not have to manually change or manipulate the charging settings every time they charge the plug-in electric vehicle in a new location.

Power system operation risk analysis considering charging load self-management of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Zhe; Wang, Dan; Jia, Hongjie; Djilali, Ned

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The interactive mechanism between system and PHEVs is presented. • The charging load self-management without sacrificing user requirements is proposed. • The charging load self-management is coupled to system operation risk analysis. • The charging load self-management can reduce the extra risk brought by PHEVs. • The charging load self-management can shift charging power to the time with low risk. - Abstract: Many jurisdictions around the world are supporting the adoption of electric vehicles through incentives and the deployment of a charging infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), with offer mature technology and stable performance, are expected to gain an increasingly larger share of the consumer market. The aggregated effect on power grid due to large-scale penetration of PHEVs needs to be analyzed. Nighttime-charging which typically characterizes PHEVs is helpful in filling the nocturnal load valley, but random charging of large PHEV fleets at night may result in new load peaks and valleys. Active response strategy is a potentially effective solution to mitigate the additional risks brought by the integration of PHEVs. This paper proposes a power system operation risk analysis framework in which charging load self-management is used to control system operation risk. We describe an interactive mechanism between the system and PHEVs in conjunction with a smart charging model is to simulate the time series power consumption of PHEVs. The charging load is managed with adjusting the state transition boundaries and without violating the users’ desired charging constraints. The load curtailment caused by voltage or power flow violation after outages is determined by controlling charging power. At the same time, the system risk is maintained under an acceptable level through charging load self-management. The proposed method is implemented using the Roy Billinton Test System (RBTS) and

Intelligent optimization to integrate a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle smart parking lot with renewable energy resources and enhance grid characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fazelpour, Farivar; Vafaeipour, Majid; Rahbari, Omid; Rosen, Marc A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The proposed algorithms handled design steps of an efficient parking lot of PHEVs. • Optimizations are performed with 1 h intervals to find optimum charging rates. • Multi-objective optimization is performed to find the optimum size and site of DG. • Optimal sizing of a PV–wind–diesel HRES is attained. • Charging rates are optimized intelligently during peak and off-peak times. - Abstract: Widespread application of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) as an important part of smart grids requires drivers and power grid constraints to be satisfied simultaneously. We address these two challenges with the presence of renewable energy and charging rate optimization in the current paper. First optimal sizing and siting for installation of a distributed generation (DG) system is performed through the grid considering power loss minimization and voltage enhancement. Due to its benefits, the obtained optimum site is considered as the optimum location for constructing a movie theater complex equipped with a PHEV parking lot. To satisfy the obtained size of DG, an on-grid hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) is chosen. In the next set of optimizations, optimal sizing of the HRES is performed to minimize the energy cost and to find the best number of decision variables, which are the number of the system’s components. Eventually, considering demand uncertainties due to the unpredictability of the arrival and departure times of the vehicles, time-dependent charging rate optimizations of the PHEVs are performed in 1 h intervals for the 24-h of a day. All optimization problems are performed using genetic algorithms (GAs). The outcome of the proposed optimization sets can be considered as design steps of an efficient grid-friendly parking lot of PHEVs. The results indicate a reduction in real power losses and improvement in the voltage profile through the distribution line. They also show the competence of the utilized energy delivery method in

Time-dependent plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charging based on national driving patterns and demographics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, Jarod C.; MacDonald, Jason S.; Keoleian, Gregory A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Analyzed National Household Travel Survey to simulate driving and charging patterns. ► Average compact PHEVs used 49 kW h of electricity and 6.8 L of gasoline per week. ► Percent of electrically driven miles increased from 64.3 in 2001 to 66.7 in 2009. ► Investigated demographic effects of sex, age, income, and household location. ► Analysis shows higher utility factors for females versus males and high age variation. -- Abstract: Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are one promising technology for addressing concerns around petroleum consumption, energy security and greenhouse gas emissions. However, there is much uncertainty in the impact that PHEVs can have on energy consumption and related emissions, as they are dependent on vehicle technology, driving patterns, and charging behavior. A methodology is used to simulate PHEV charging and gasoline consumption based on driving pattern data in USDOT’s National Household Travel Survey. The method uses information from each trip taken by approximately 170,000 vehicles to track their battery state of charge throughout the day, and to determine the timing and quantity of electricity and gasoline consumption for a fleet of PHEVs. Scenarios were developed to examine the effects of charging location, charging rate, time of charging and battery size. Additionally, demographic information was examined to see how driver and household characteristics influence consumption patterns. Results showed that a compact vehicle with a 10.4 kW h useable battery (approximately a 42 mile [68 km] all electric range) travels between 62.5% and 75.7% on battery electricity, depending on charging scenario. The percent of travel driven electrically (Utility Factor, UF) in a baseline charging scenario increased from 64.3% using 2001 NHTS data to 66.7% using 2009 data. The average UF was 63.5% for males and 72.9% for females and in both cases they are highly sensitive to age. Vehicle charging load profiles across

Lyapunov Based-Distributed Fuzzy-Sliding Mode Control for Building Integrated-DC Microgrid with Plug-in Electric Vehicle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ghiasi, Mohammad Iman; Aliakbar Golkar, Masoud; Hajizadeh, Amin

2017-01-01

This paper presents a distributed control strategy based on Fuzzy-Sliding Mode Control (FSMC) for power control of an infrastructure integrated with a DC-Microgrid, which includes photovoltaic, fuel cell and energy storage systems with Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs). In order to implement...... the proposed control strategy, first a general nonlinear modeling of a DC-Microgrid based on related DC-DC converters to each DC power sources is introduced. Secondly, a power management strategy based on fuzzy control for regulating the power flow between the hybrid DC sources, PEVs is proposed. Third...

Interaction of clay and concrete plugs - Plugging of 5 m deep hole KA1621G01 at Aespoe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pusch, Roland [Drawrite AB, Lund (Sweden); Luleaa Technical Univ., Luleaa (Sweden); Ramqvist, Gunnar [Eltekno AB, Figeholm (Sweden)

2011-11-15

Sealing of deep boreholes in repository rock is planned to be made by installing dense smectite clay plugs where the rock is low-permeable and casting concrete where the holes intersect water-bearing fracture zones. Such zones have to be stabilized before sealing starts because fragments of rock can otherwise fall off and make it difficult to bring equipment for concrete casting and clay plug units down. These parts of the holes are filled with concrete and clay plugs are then inserted up to the nearest fracture zone where concrete is filled to the required level etc. The role of the concrete in the hole and in the closest part of the surrounding fracture zone is to provide stable parts that are sufficiently fine-porous to prevent clay particles from contacting clay plugs to migrate into the fractures and be lost by erosion. While the larger parts of long clay plugs are believed to stay largely intact chemically for hundreds of thousands of years, the parts adjacent to concrete plugs may undergo changes and so can the concrete plugs themselves. The objective of the presently reported project was to identify the detailed processes and quantify associated changes in physical properties by investigating samples of clay and concrete from a 2.5 m long plug of clay over which an equally long concrete plug had been cast and left to rest for 3 years. The outcome of the investigations was that significant chemically induced changes in mineralogy and physical performance had occurred within a few centimetres distance from the clay/concrete contact but that virtually no changes had taken place at larger distance. A comprehensive laboratory study including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and electron microscopy study (SEM and TEM) on the sample material was performed including also dual beam (combined ion and electron) microscopy. It was found that the clay had infiltrated the contacting concrete plug after filling of the borehole since clay was detected both

Interaction of clay and concrete plugs - Plugging of 5 m deep hole KA1621G01 at Aespoe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pusch, Roland; Ramqvist, Gunnar

2011-11-01

Sealing of deep boreholes in repository rock is planned to be made by installing dense smectite clay plugs where the rock is low-permeable and casting concrete where the holes intersect water-bearing fracture zones. Such zones have to be stabilized before sealing starts because fragments of rock can otherwise fall off and make it difficult to bring equipment for concrete casting and clay plug units down. These parts of the holes are filled with concrete and clay plugs are then inserted up to the nearest fracture zone where concrete is filled to the required level etc. The role of the concrete in the hole and in the closest part of the surrounding fracture zone is to provide stable parts that are sufficiently fine-porous to prevent clay particles from contacting clay plugs to migrate into the fractures and be lost by erosion. While the larger parts of long clay plugs are believed to stay largely intact chemically for hundreds of thousands of years, the parts adjacent to concrete plugs may undergo changes and so can the concrete plugs themselves. The objective of the presently reported project was to identify the detailed processes and quantify associated changes in physical properties by investigating samples of clay and concrete from a 2.5 m long plug of clay over which an equally long concrete plug had been cast and left to rest for 3 years. The outcome of the investigations was that significant chemically induced changes in mineralogy and physical performance had occurred within a few centimetres distance from the clay/concrete contact but that virtually no changes had taken place at larger distance. A comprehensive laboratory study including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and electron microscopy study (SEM and TEM) on the sample material was performed including also dual beam (combined ion and electron) microscopy. It was found that the clay had infiltrated the contacting concrete plug after filling of the borehole since clay was detected both

Non-isolated integrated motor drive and battery charger based on the split-phase PM motor for plug-in vehicles

OpenAIRE

Serrano Guillén, Isabel; Bermejo Fernández, Álvaro

2013-01-01

In electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the utility grid charges the vehicle battery through a battery charger. Different solutions have been proposed to reduce the size and cost of the charger. One solution to achieve this is to include the devices used in the traction circuit in the charger circuit; this is called an integrated motor drive and battery charger. A split-phase PM motor, a motor with double set of windings, gives the opportunity to implement different wind...

Capillarity Induced Negative Pressure of Water Plugs in Nanochannels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tas, Niels Roelof; Mela, P.; Kramer, Tobias; Berenschot, Johan W.; van den Berg, Albert

2003-01-01

We have found evidence that water plugs in hydrophilic nanochannels can be at significant negative pressure due to tensile capillary forces. The negative pressure of water plugs in nanochannels induces bending of the thin channel capping layer, which results in a visible curvature of the liquid

Laser ignition - Spark plug development and application in reciprocating engines

Science.gov (United States)

Pavel, Nicolaie; Bärwinkel, Mark; Heinz, Peter; Brüggemann, Dieter; Dearden, Geoff; Croitoru, Gabriela; Grigore, Oana Valeria

2018-03-01

Combustion is one of the most dominant energy conversion processes used in all areas of human life, but global concerns over exhaust gas pollution and greenhouse gas emission have stimulated further development of the process. Lean combustion and exhaust gas recirculation are approaches to improve the efficiency and to reduce pollutant emissions; however, such measures impede reliable ignition when applied to conventional ignition systems. Therefore, alternative ignition systems are a focus of scientific research. Amongst others, laser induced ignition seems an attractive method to improve the combustion process. In comparison with conventional ignition by electric spark plugs, laser ignition offers a number of potential benefits. Those most often discussed are: no quenching of the combustion flame kernel; the ability to deliver (laser) energy to any location of interest in the combustion chamber; the possibility of delivering the beam simultaneously to different positions, and the temporal control of ignition. If these advantages can be exploited in practice, the engine efficiency may be improved and reliable operation at lean air-fuel mixtures can be achieved, making feasible savings in fuel consumption and reduction in emission of exhaust gasses. Therefore, laser ignition can enable important new approaches to address global concerns about the environmental impact of continued use of reciprocating engines in vehicles and power plants, with the aim of diminishing pollutant levels in the atmosphere. The technology can also support increased use of electrification in powered transport, through its application to ignition of hybrid (electric-gas) engines, and the efficient combustion of advanced fuels. In this work, we review the progress made over the last years in laser ignition research, in particular that aimed towards realizing laser sources (or laser spark plugs) with dimensions and properties suitable for operating directly on an engine. The main envisaged

Development of sealing plug for sweep gas line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, Taiji; Yamada, Hirokazu; Saitoh, Takashi; Nakamichi, Masaru; Tsuchiya, Kunihiko; Kawamura, Hiroshi

2004-03-01

On the irradiation capsule for neutron irradiation test of the tritium breeder, the sealing plug is necessary to prevent a leak of tritium gas when the tritium breeder is picked up from the irradiation capsule after irradiation test. However, the general valve and plug cannot apply to sealing of the sweep gas line because of the following factors, the neutron irradiation effect, limited space in the irradiation capsule, high sealing efficiency, simple method and operation for control. Therefore, the sealing plug for sweep gas line has to be developed. This paper reports the development of the sealing plug for sweep gas line and the operating procedure of the sealing plug in the irradiation capsule. (author)

Nuclear fuel rod end plug weld inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, M. A.; Patrick, S. S.; Rice, G. F.

1985-01-01

Apparatus and method for testing TIG (tungsten inert gas) welds of end plugs on a sealed nuclear reactor fuel rod. An X-ray fluorescent spectrograph testing unit detects tungsten inclusion weld defects in the top end plug's seal weld. Separate ultrasonic weld inspection system testing units test the top end plug's seal and girth welds and test the bottom end plug's girth weld for penetration, porosity and wall thinning defects. The nuclear fuel rod is automatically moved into and out from each testing unit and is automatically transported between the testing units by rod handling devices. A controller supervises the operation of the testing units and the rod handling devices

Plug the socket of the main closing valve in a nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neupauer, J.; Bednar, B.

1988-01-01

The plug is designed for closing the main closing valve socket during a refuelling shutdown of a nuclear power plant. The plug is fixed in the using jaws forced against the socket ring part. The socket is sealed by expanding a ring between two cone trays. A valve provided in the plug allows draining the pipe. The plug is inserted in the socket using a jib suspended on a rail. Following sealing both sockets the inner surfaces of the closing valve can be decontaminated. Following decontamination, a water-proof cover is slid over the plug protecting the plug moving mechanism from damage. (J.B.). 1 fig

Reducing noise and vibration of hydraulic hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles : phase III final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-01

The University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UT-UTC) has identified hybrid vehicles as one of the three areas of the research. The activities proposed in this research proposal are directed towards the noise, vibration, and harshness (N...

Reducing noise and vibration of hydraulic hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles : phase II final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

The University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UT-UTC) has identified hybrid vehicles as one of the three areas of the research. The activities proposed in this research proposal are directed towards the noise, vibration, and harshness (N...

Fuel rod end plug

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGeary, R.K.; Bucher, G.D.

1989-01-01

This patent describes an end plug for welded disposition within the end of a tube. It comprises a circumferentially extending, axially oriented land surface, having a radial extent defined by means of a first predetermined dimension, for disposition within the end of the tube; a circumferentially extending, axially oriented land surface, having a radial extent defined by means of a second predetermined dimension which is greater than the first predetermined dimension, for disposition outside of the end of the tube. The second land surface being disposed upstream of the first land surface; an annularly extending, radially oriented shoulder portion, defined at the downstream end of the second land surface and having a radially inward depth which is greater than the difference defined between the first and second radial dimensions of the first and second land surfaces, for engaging the end of the tube in a butt contact fashion; and annular groove means defined between the upstream end of the first land surface and the shoulder portion of the end plug, for eliminating porosity defects normally developed within a weldment defined between the tube end and the end plug when the end plug is welded within the tube end, and including a conical surface which extends radially outwardly from the innermost radial depth extent of the shoulder portion to the upstream end of the first land surface

The Plug-in Concept: Technology and Aesthetics of Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Šenk

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The architecture concept of plug-in is based on the duality of the infrastructure system and units or elements connected to it. In the context of megastructures, the concept was most vividly characterised by works of Archigram and Japanese Metabolists in the 1960s and early 1970s. Blurring the boundary between the building and the city, the plug-in concept outgrew architectural boundaries and was slowly transformed into an urbanistic concept.The paper presents the cultural context relevant to contemporaneity, which influenced specific development of the technology-driven concept of plug-in in the British Archigram Group and Japanese Metabolists. Based on the aesthetics of change and incompleteness, which was characterised by similar architectural manifestations despite entirely different cultural backgrounds, the plug-in concept foreshadowed social transformation based on freedom, individualisation and mobility in an utopian manner and held a promise of urban development with adaptability to unpredictable needs and desires of residents, who would become its co-creators with an active approach.Although the revolutionary sixties are quite some time behind, the plug-in concept in its commodified form has become and remained operational and relevant at least on the metaphorical level; in the contemporary space it is evident primarily in urbanism and not as much in its original architectural form.

Rotary plug device for use in LMFBR type reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azuma, Kazuhiko; Imayoshi, Sho.

1988-01-01

Purpose: To prevent adhesion of sodium in the rotational gap of a rotational plug. Constitution: One of the walls of a cylindrical gap formed between the outer circumference of a small rotary plug and a large rotary plug that constitute a double rotary plug is cooled to lower than the sodium coagulation temperature, while a stater of a linear motor in a cylindrical shape and wound with linear coils around the iron core is attached to the inside of the other of the walls. Then, one of the walls of the gap to which sodium adheres is cooled to less than sodium coagulation temperature, so that sodium is or tends to be deposited to the wall. Then, eddy currents are resulted to sodium by the current supplied to the stater of the linear motor attached to the other of the walls, to produce thrusting force. Sodium on the wall surface is scraped off by this. (Yoshihara, H.)

Test plan: Potash Core Test. WIPP experimental program borehole plugging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, C.L.

1979-09-01

The Potash Core Test will utilize a WIPP emplaced plug to obtain samples of an in-situ cured plug of known mix constituents for bench scale testing. An earlier effort involved recovery at the salt horizon of Plug 217, a 17 year old plug in a potash exploration hole for bond testing, but the lack of particulars in the emplacement precluded significant determination of plug performance

Real-Time Occupant Based Plug-in Device Control Using ICT in Office Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woo-Bin Bae

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to reduce the unnecessary plug loads used by computers, monitors, and computer peripheral devices, all of which account for more than 95% of the entire plug loads of an office building. To this end, an occupant-based plug-in device control (OBC-P software was developed. The OBC-P software collects real-time information about the presence or absence of occupants who are connected to the access point through the Wifi and controls the power of monitors or computers, while a standby power off device controls computer peripheral devices. To measure the plug load saving of the occupant-based plug-in device control, an experiment was conducted, targeting 10 occupants of three research labs of the graduate school, for two weeks. The experiment results showed that it could save the plug loads of monitors and computer peripheral devices by 15% in the Awake mode, and by 26% in the Sleep mode.

Revascularization and Apical Plug in an Immature Molar

Science.gov (United States)

Roghanizadeh, Leyla; Fazlyab, Mahta

2018-01-01

Managing of necrotic permanent teeth with immature apices is a treatment challenges. Treatment of such teeth includes apexification, apical plug and more recently, revascularization technique with the probable advantage of continuation of root development. In the present case report the referred patient had discomfort with a necrotic immature mandibular first molar. Periapical radiography showed a rather large apical lesion around immature roots. Revascularization protocol using calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement was indicated for the mesial root. However, in distal canal apical plug technique was applied. At 2-year follow-up, both procedures were successful in relieving patient’s symptoms. Dentin formation and increase in length of the mesial root was obvious. Apical plug and revascularization technique proved to be successful in management of necrotic immature teeth; moreover, revascularization carried the advantage of continuation of root development. PMID:29692851

Final design of ITER port plug test facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cerisier, Thierry, E-mail: thierry.cerisier@yahoo.fr [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90046, St Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, 13067 (France); Levesy, Bruno [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90046, St Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, 13067 (France); Romannikov, Alexander [Institution “Project Center ITER”, Kurchatov sq. 1, Building 3, Moscow 123182 (Russian Federation); Rumyantsev, Yuri [JSC “Cryogenmash”, Moscow reg., Balashikha 143907 (Russian Federation); Cordier, Jean-Jacques; Dammann, Alexis [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90046, St Paul-lez-Durance Cedex, 13067 (France); Minakov, Victor; Rosales, Natalya; Mitrofanova, Elena [JSC “Cryogenmash”, Moscow reg., Balashikha 143907 (Russian Federation); Portone, Sergey; Mironova, Ekaterina [Institution “Project Center ITER”, Kurchatov sq. 1, Building 3, Moscow 123182 (Russian Federation)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • We introduce the port plug test facility (purpose and status of the design). • We present the PPTF sub-systems. • We present the environmental and functional tests. • We present the occupational and nuclear safety functions. • We conclude on the achievements and next steps. - Abstract: To achieve the overall ITER machine availability target, the availability of diagnostics and heating port plugs shall be as high as 99.5%. To fulfill this requirement, it is mandatory to test the port plugs at operating temperature before installation on the machine and after refurbishment. The ITER port plug test facility (PPTF) is composed of several test stands that can be used to test the port plugs whereas at the end of manufacturing (in a non-nuclear environment), or after refurbishment in the ITER hot cell facility. The PPTF provides the possibility to perform environmental (leak tightness, vacuum and thermo-hydraulic performances) and functional tests (radio frequency acceptance tests, behavior of the plugs’ steering mechanism and calibration of diagnostics) on upper and equatorial port plugs. The final design of the port plug test facility is described. The configuration of the standalone test stands and the integration in the hot cell facility are presented.

Different selective pressures lead to different genomic outcomes as newly-formed hybrid yeasts evolve

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Piotrowski Jeff S

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Interspecific hybridization occurs in every eukaryotic kingdom. While hybrid progeny are frequently at a selective disadvantage, in some instances their increased genome size and complexity may result in greater stress resistance than their ancestors, which can be adaptively advantageous at the edges of their ancestors' ranges. While this phenomenon has been repeatedly documented in the field, the response of hybrid populations to long-term selection has not often been explored in the lab. To fill this knowledge gap we crossed the two most distantly related members of the Saccharomyces sensu stricto group, S. cerevisiae and S. uvarum, and established a mixed population of homoploid and aneuploid hybrids to study how different types of selection impact hybrid genome structure. Results As temperature was raised incrementally from 31°C to 46.5°C over 500 generations of continuous culture, selection favored loss of the S. uvarum genome, although the kinetics of genome loss differed among independent replicates. Temperature-selected isolates exhibited greater inherent and induced thermal tolerance than parental species and founding hybrids, and also exhibited ethanol resistance. In contrast, as exogenous ethanol was increased from 0% to 14% over 500 generations of continuous culture, selection favored euploid S. cerevisiae x S. uvarum hybrids. Ethanol-selected isolates were more ethanol tolerant than S. uvarum and one of the founding hybrids, but did not exhibit resistance to temperature stress. Relative to parental and founding hybrids, temperature-selected strains showed heritable differences in cell wall structure in the forms of increased resistance to zymolyase digestion and Micafungin, which targets cell wall biosynthesis. Conclusions This is the first study to show experimentally that the genomic fate of newly-formed interspecific hybrids depends on the type of selection they encounter during the course of evolution

Experimental investigation of liquid-liquid plug formation in a T-junction microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Angeli, Panagiota; Chinaud, Maxime; Roumpea, Eynagelia-Panagiota; Weheliye, Weheliye; Omar. K. Matar Collaboration; Lyes Kahouadji Collaboration

2015-11-01

Plug formation mechanism of two immiscible liquids was studied experimentally in a 200 μm microchannel using two innovative micro Particle Image Velocimetry (μ PIV) techniques i.e. two-colour μ PIV and high speed bright field μ PIV. The aqueous phase was a water/glycerol solution whereas the organic phase was silicon oil with a range of viscosities from 5 to 155 cSt. Experiments were conducted for different fluid flow rate combinations in the T-junction inlet and it was observed that velocity profiles within the forming plugs depend on the flow rate ratios. The velocity field studies provided insight into the plug mechanism revealing that the interface curvature at the rear of the forming plug changes sign at the later stages of plug formation and accelerates the thinning of the meniscus leading to plug breakage. Results from the two-colour PIV show that the continuous phase resists the flow of the dispersed phase into the main channel at the rear of the plug meniscus and causes the change in the interface curvature. Department of Chemical Engineering South Kensington Campus Imperial College London SW7 2AZ.

Characterization of samples of a cement-borehole plug in bedded evaporites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheetz, B.E.; Grutzeck, M.W.; Wakeley, L.D.; Roy, D.M.

1979-07-01

This report describes the laboratory characterization of a section of an eighteen-year-old cement-based plug emplaced to seal a four-inch (ten-centimeter) borehole in the Salado Formation near Carlsbad, NM. The dominantly halite salt strata contain a horizon rich in potassium-bearing minerals such as langbeinite, in the plug region. Other host rock minerals identified include illite, kainite, magnesite, syngenite and polyhalite. Identified in the plug were: the cement phase calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H having an intermediate degree of crystallinity), Friedel's salt, halite, sylvite and portlandite. The plug, though intact, unfractured on a macroscale, and forming an adequate physical bond with the salt formation, was weak and permeable relative to the surrounding bedded salt. Characterization of the plug and rock was carried out by a combination of measurements: compressive strength, permeability, density and porosity, thermal measurements (DTA, TGA), x-ray diffractometry, SEM and optical (including thin section) microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis for chemical composition

Mechanics Model of Plug Welding

Science.gov (United States)

Zuo, Q. K.; Nunes, A. C., Jr.

2015-01-01

An analytical model has been developed for the mechanics of friction plug welding. The model accounts for coupling of plastic deformation (material flow) and thermal response (plastic heating). The model predictions of the torque, energy, and pull force on the plug were compared to the data of a recent experiment, and the agreements between predictions and data are encouraging.

Sustainability of grape-ethanol energy chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ester Foppa Pedretti

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to evaluate the sustainability, in terms of greenhouse gases emission saving, of a new potential bio-ethanol production chain in comparison with the most common ones. The innovation consists of producing bio-ethanol from different types of no-food grapes, while usually bio-ethanol is obtained from matrices taken away from crop for food destination: sugar cane, corn, wheat, sugar beet. In the past, breeding programs were conducted with the aim of improving grapevine characteristics, a large number of hybrid vine varieties were produced and are nowadays present in the Viticulture Research Centre (CRA-VIT Germplasm Collection. Some of them are potentially interesting for bio-energy production because of their high production of sugar, good resistance to diseases, and ability to grow in marginal lands. Life cycle assessment (LCA of grape ethanol energy chain was performed following two different methods: i using the spreadsheet BioGrace, developed within the Intelligent Energy Europe program to support and to ease the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC implementation; ii using a dedicated LCA software. Emissions were expressed in CO2 equivalent (CO2eq. These two tools gave very similar results. The overall emissions impact of ethanol production from grapes on average is about 33 g CO2eq MJ–1 of ethanol if prunings are used for steam production and 53 g CO2eq MJ–1 of ethanol if methane is used. The comparison with other bio-energy chains points out that the production of ethanol using grapes represents an intermediate situation in terms of general emissions among the different production chains. The results showed that the sustainability limits provided by the normative are respected to this day. On the contrary, from 2017 this production will be sustainable only if the transformation processes will be performed using renewable sources of energy.

Nanostructured Polyelectrolytes Based on SPEEK/TiO2 for Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells (DEFCs)

OpenAIRE

Dutra Filho, José Carlos; Santos, Tamirys Rodrigues dos; Gomes, Aílton de Souza

2014-01-01

Proton-conducting hybrid membranes consisting of poly(ether ether ketone) sulfonated (SPEEK) and titanium oxide (TiO2) were prepared using the sol-gel technique for application in direct ethanol fuel cells. The effect from TiO2 incorporation on membrane properties such as ethanol uptake, pervaporation and proton conductivity was investigated. The uptake and permeated flux decreased with increasing content of TiO2. The ethanol permeability was about one order of magnitude smaller than Nafion® ...

Pore-scale investigation of biomass plug development and propagation in porous media.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Terri L; Scott Fogler, H

2002-03-05

Biomass plugging of porous media finds application in enhanced oil recovery and bioremediation. An understanding of biomass plugging of porous media was sought by using a porous glass micromodel through which biomass and nutrient were passed. This study describes the pore-scale physics of biomass plug propagation of Leuconostoc mesenteroides under nutrient-rich conditions. It was found that, as the nutrient flowed through the micromodel, the initial biomass plug occurred at the nutrient-inoculum interface due to growth in the larger pore throats. As growth proceeded, biomass filled and closed these larger pore throats, until only isolated groupings of pore throats with smaller radii remained empty. As nutrient flow continued, a maximum pressure drop was reached. At the maximum pressure drop, the biomass yielded in a manner similar to a Bingham plastic to form a breakthrough channel consisting of a path of interconnected pore throats. The channel incorporated the isolated groupings of empty pore throats that had been present before breakthrough. As the nutrient flow continued, subsequent plugs developed as breakthrough channels refilled with biomass and in situ growth was stimulated in the region just downstream of the previous plug. The downstream plugs had a higher fraction of isolated groupings of empty pore throats, which can be attributed to depletion of nutrient downstream. When the next breakthrough channel formed, it incorporated these isolated groupings, causing the breakthrough channels to be branched. It was observed that the newly formed plug could be less stable with this higher fraction of empty pore throats and that the location of breakthrough channels changed in subsequent plugs. This change in breakthrough channel location could be attributed to the redistribution of nutrient flow and the changes in flowrate in the pore throats. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 77: 577-588, 2002; DOI 10.1002/bit.10044

Analyzing the Risk of Well Plug Failure after Abandonment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mainguy, M.; Longuemare, P.; Audibert, A.; Lecolier, E.

2007-01-01

All oil and gas wells will have to be plugged and abandoned at some time. The plugging and abandonment procedure must provide an effective isolation of the well fluids all along the well to reduce environmental risks of contamination and prevent from costly remedial jobs. Previous works have analyzed the plug behavior when submitted to local pressure or thermal changes but no work has looked to the effects of external pressure, thermal and stress changes resulting from a global equilibrium restoration in a hydrocarbon reservoir once production has stopped. This work estimates those changes after abandonment on a reservoir field case using a reservoir simulator in conjunction with a geomechanical simulator. Such simulations provide the pressure and thermal changes and the maximum effective stress changes in the reservoir cap rock where critical plugs are put in place for isolating the production intervals. These changes are used as loads in a well bore stress model that explicitly models an injector well and predict stress rearrangements in the plug after abandonment. Results obtained with the well bore stress model for a conventional class G cement plug show that the main risk of failure is tensile failure because of the low tensile strength of the cement. Actually, soft sealing materials or initially pre-stressed plug appears to be more adapted to the downhole conditions changes that may occurs after well plugging and abandonment. (authors)

Long term durability tests of small engines fueled with bio-ethanol / gasoline blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tippayawong, N.; Kundhawiworn, N.; Jompakdee, W.

2006-01-01

The paper presents the result of an ongoing research to evaluate performance and wear of small, single cylinder, naturally aspirated, agricultural spark ignition engines using biomass-derived ethanol and gasoline blends. The reference gasoline fuel was selected to be representative of gasoline typically available in Thailand. Long-term engine tests of 10% and 20% ethanol / gasoline blends as well as the reference fuel were performed at a constant speed of 2300 rpm under part load condition up to 200 operation hours for each fuel type. Engine brake power, specific fuel consumption, carbon deposits and surface wear were measured and compared between neat gasoline and ethanol/ gasoline blends. It was found that blended fuels appeared to affect the engine performance in a similar way and compared well with the base gasoline fuel. From the results obtained, it was found that engine brake power and specific fuel consumption changed slightly with running time and were not found to have any significant change between different fuel blends. There were carbon deposits buildup on the spark plug, the intake port and exhaust valve stem for all fuels used. Surface wear was not significantly different in the test engines between neat gasoline or ethanol/gasoline blend fuelling

Borehole plugging by hydrothermal transport. A feasibility report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, D.M.; White, W.B.

1975-01-01

The possibility of forming borehole plugs by hydrothermal transport was examined with respect to five systems, utilizing available literature data. In general, it would appear possible to create plugs with hydrothermal cements, with hydrothermally transported quartz, and with carbonates precipitated in-situ using carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide and water as reacting fluids. Hydrothermal cements appear to be most feasible from an engineering and economic point of view using a slurry with a lime-alumina-silica composition carried into the hole in a single pipe at temperatures in the range of 200 0 C and requiring only enough pressure to drive the mixture into the hole. Quartz or chalcedony plugs would be the most impervious, have the lowest chemical reactivity with groundwater, the lowest thermal expansion, and be most compatible with the wall rock. Deposition is likely to be slow, and there are severe engineering problems associated with a single pipe system carrying silica-rich solutions at temperatures in excess of 500 0 C at pressure of 2000 bars (30,000 psi). Calcite plugs could be formed as compatible plug materials in contact with a limestone or dolomite wall rock. It is not known whether non-porous plugs can be readily formed and there is also a problem of chemical reaction with percolating groundwater. The clay-water and sulfur-water systems do not appear to be viable plug systems. In-situ reconstitution of the wall rock does not appear to be an economically feasible possibility

Evaluation of preconceptual plug designs using experts' judgement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sioshansi, F.P.; O'Rourke, J.E.

1980-03-01

A number of preconceptual plug designs for an underground nuclear waste repository were to be evaluated based on the available information on plug materials and placement techniques. Because of complex environment and loading conditions, long time frame under consideration, rigid performance characteristics and considerable uncertainties present in preconceptual design and material properties, a qualitative and judgmental evaluation procedure was needed to supplement technical studies. A structured procedure was developed to qualitatively capture evaluator's views and reservations on the proposed preconceptual schemes. Since a thorough evaluation of each proposed plug scheme required in-depth experience and familiarity with many components of the plug, three knowledgeable experts with specialties in the most relevant aspects of the problem were independently interviewed. Each plug scheme was broken down into three subcomponents and each subcomponent was evaluated separately. The proposed schemes were then rated taking their subcomponents into consideration. Because the experts had different specialties, their subcomponent and overall ratings were not in full agreement. Each plug scheme's lowest overall rating was used as the most significant determinant of the judgmental preference categories reported in this study. The approach used discriminated between the proposed schemes for those with highest probability of being successful. The most preferred schemes were then reviewed with respect to the data produced in the technical analysis performed during the project. The results of the judgmental analysis were then synthesized and modified with results of the technical analysis to produce the preconceptual plug designs

Operant ethanol self-administration in ethanol dependent mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Marcelo F; Becker, Howard C

2014-05-01

While rats have been predominantly used to study operant ethanol self-administration behavior in the context of dependence, several studies have employed operant conditioning procedures to examine changes in ethanol self-administration behavior as a function of chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal experience in mice. This review highlights some of the advantages of using operant conditioning procedures for examining the motivational effects of ethanol in animals with a history of dependence. As reported in rats, studies using various operant conditioning procedures in mice have demonstrated significant escalation of ethanol self-administration behavior in mice rendered dependent via forced chronic ethanol exposure in comparison to nondependent mice. This paper also presents a summary of these findings, as well as suggestions for future studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plug-in vehicles and the future of road infrastructure funding in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dumortier, Jerome; Kent, Matthew W.; Payton, Seth B.

2016-01-01

In the United States, road infrastructure funding is declining due to an increase in fuel efficiency and the non-adjustment of fuel taxes to inflation. Legislation to tax plug-in vehicles has been proposed or implemented in several states. Those propositions are contrary to policies to promote fuel efficient vehicles. This paper assesses (1) the magnitude of the decline in federal fuel tax revenue caused by plug-in vehicles and (2) quantifies the revenue that could be generated from a federal plug-in vehicle registration fee. We find that the contribution of plug-in vehicles to the decline of the federal fuel tax revenue is at most 1.6% and the majority of the shortfall can be attributed to the non-adjustment of the fuel tax rate and the increase in vehicle fuel efficiency by 2040. An additional tax of $50–$200 per plug-in vehicle per year in the reference case would generate $188–$745 million in 2040 which represents an increase of 1.69–6.71% in federal fuel tax revenue compared to no tax. The lesson for policy makers is that plug-in vehicles do not contribute significantly to the funding shortfall in the short- and medium-run and a supplemental tax would generate a small percentage of additional revenue. - Highlights: •Fees on plug-in cars are proposed or implemented to collect foregone fuel taxes. •Plug-in cars are responsible for a very small percentage of declining tax revenue. •An additional tax on plug-in cars does not stop the decline in fuel tax revenue. •Adjusting fuel taxes to inflation is a more effective tool to increase tax revenue.

Beyond batteries: An examination of the benefits and barriers to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Hirsh, Richard F.

2009-01-01

This paper explores both the promise and the possible pitfalls of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept, focusing first on its definition and then on its technical state-of-the-art. More originally, the paper assesses significant, though often overlooked, social barriers to the wider use of PHEVs (a likely precursor to V2G) and implementation of a V2G transition. The article disputes the idea that the only important barriers facing the greater use of PHEVs and V2G systems are technical. Instead, it provides a broader assessment situating such 'technical' barriers alongside more subtle impediments relating to social and cultural values, business practices, and political interests. The history of other energy transitions, and more specifically the history of renewable energy technologies, implies that these 'socio-technical' obstacles may be just as important to any V2G transition-and perhaps even more difficult to overcome. Analogously, the article illuminates the policy implications of such barriers, emphasizing what policymakers need to achieve a transition to a V2G and PHEV world

Beyond batteries: An examination of the benefits and barriers to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sovacool, Benjamin K. [Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Singapore)], E-mail: bsovacool@nus.edu.sg; Hirsh, Richard F. [History and Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg (United States)], E-mail: richard@vt.edu

2009-03-15

This paper explores both the promise and the possible pitfalls of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept, focusing first on its definition and then on its technical state-of-the-art. More originally, the paper assesses significant, though often overlooked, social barriers to the wider use of PHEVs (a likely precursor to V2G) and implementation of a V2G transition. The article disputes the idea that the only important barriers facing the greater use of PHEVs and V2G systems are technical. Instead, it provides a broader assessment situating such 'technical' barriers alongside more subtle impediments relating to social and cultural values, business practices, and political interests. The history of other energy transitions, and more specifically the history of renewable energy technologies, implies that these 'socio-technical' obstacles may be just as important to any V2G transition-and perhaps even more difficult to overcome. Analogously, the article illuminates the policy implications of such barriers, emphasizing what policymakers need to achieve a transition to a V2G and PHEV world.

Beyond batteries. An examination of the benefits and barriers to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sovacool, Benjamin K. [Energy Governance Program, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore (Singapore); Hirsh, Richard F. [History and Science and Technology Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg (United States)

2009-03-15

This paper explores both the promise and the possible pitfalls of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept, focusing first on its definition and then on its technical state-of-the-art. More originally, the paper assesses significant, though often overlooked, social barriers to the wider use of PHEVs (a likely precursor to V2G) and implementation of a V2G transition. The article disputes the idea that the only important barriers facing the greater use of PHEVs and V2G systems are technical. Instead, it provides a broader assessment situating such 'technical' barriers alongside more subtle impediments relating to social and cultural values, business practices, and political interests. The history of other energy transitions, and more specifically the history of renewable energy technologies, implies that these 'socio-technical' obstacles may be just as important to any V2G transition - and perhaps even more difficult to overcome. Analogously, the article illuminates the policy implications of such barriers, emphasizing what policymakers need to achieve a transition to a V2G and PHEV world. (author)

Water-dispersable hybrid Au-Pd nanoparticles as catalysts in ethanol oxidation, aqueous phase Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck reactions

KAUST Repository

Song, Hyon Min

2012-01-01

The catalytic activities of water-dispersable Au@Pd core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) and Au-Pd alloy NPs were examined. There is growing interest in Au-Pd hybridized NPs in a supported matrix or non-supported forms as catalysts in various reactions that are not limited to conventional Pd-related reactions. Four different Au@Pd core-shell NPs in this study were prepared at room temperature with help from the emulsion phase surrounding the Au core NPs. Au-Pd alloy NPs were prepared over 90 °C, and underwent phase transfer to aqueous medium for their catalytic use. Au@Pd core-shell NPs show catalytic activity in ethanol oxidation reactions as electrocatalysts, and both core-shell and alloy NPs are good to excellent catalysts in various Suzuki-Miyaura and Heck reactions as heterogeneous catalysts. Specifically, Au@Pd core-shell NPs with sharp branched arms show the highest yield in the reactions tested in this study. A relatively small amount (0.25 mol%) was used throughout the catalytic reactions. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Method for in-use measurement and evaluation of the activity, fuel use, electricity use, and emissions of a plug-in hybrid diesel-electric school bus.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyung-Wook; Frey, H Christopher

2010-05-01

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a methodology for characterizing at high resolution the energy use and emissions of a plug-in parallel-hybrid diesel-electric school bus (PHSB) to support assessments of sensitivity to driving cycles and comparisons to a conventional diesel school bus (CDSB). Data were collected using onboard instruments for a first-of-a-kind prototype PHSB and a CDSB of the same chassis and engine, operated on actual school bus routes. The engine load was estimated on the basis of vehicle specific power (VSP) and an empirically derived relationship between VSP and engine manifold absolute pressure (MAP). VSP depends on speed, acceleration, and road grade. For the PHSB, the observed electrical discharge or recharge to the traction motor battery was characterized on the basis of VSP. The energy use and emission rates of the PHSB from tailpipe and electricity use were estimated for five real-world driving cycles and compared to the engine fuel use and emissions of the CDSB. The PHSB had the greatest advantage on arterial routes and less advantage on highway or local routes. The coupled VSP-MAP modeling approach enables assessment of a wide variety of driving conditions and comparisons of vehicles with different propulsion technologies.

A new carbon additive compounded Li3V1.97Zn0.05(PO4)3/C cathode for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wenhui; Zhang, Jiaolong; Lin, Yue; Ding, Fei; Chen, Zhenyu; Dai, Changsong

2015-01-01

The application of lithium ion batteries in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) requires safety, high energy density, high power density, excellent cyclability and good low temperature performance. On the basis of thermally stable Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 /C and cost-effective performance carbon additives, we designed a Li 3 V 1.97 Zn 0.05 (PO 4 ) 3 /(C+10PB) (PB stands for performance carbon additives PBX101) cathode that meets the above requirements for PHEVs battery. Firstly, its Ragone plot presents an excellent energy density retention at high power rates; secondly, the excellent capacity retention and high Coulombic efficiency of Li 3 V 1.97 Zn 0.05 (PO 4 ) 3 /(C+10PB)-Li half-cell clearly indicates a potential good cyclability of full cells based on Li 3 V 1.97 Zn 0.05 (PO 4 ) 3 /(C+10PB) cathode. Finally, we believe the good low temperature performance of Li 3 V 1.97 Zn 0.05 (PO 4 ) 3 /(C+10PB) (i.e. retains 91.6% and 76.3% of its capacity at ∼25 °C, when cycled at 0 and -15 °C) is also beneficial to its application in PHEVs

Review on Automotive Power Generation System on Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles & Electric Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leong Yap Wee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Regenerative braking is a function to recharge power bank on the Plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV and electric vehicles (EV. The weakness of this system is, it can only perform its function when the vehicle is slowing down or by stepping the brake foot pedal. In other words, the electricity recharging system is inconsistent, non-continuous and geography dependent. To overcome the weakness of the regenerative braking system, it is suggested that to apply another generator which is going to be parallel with the regenerative braking system so that continuous charging can be achieved. Since the ironless electricity generator has a less counter electromotive force (CEMF comparing to an ironcored electricity generator and no cogging torque. Applying the ironless electricity generator parallel to the regenerative braking system is seen one of the options which creates sustainable charging system compared to cored electricity generator.

EBR-II rotating plug seal maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, K.J.

1986-01-01

The EBR-II rotating plug seals require frequent cleaning and maintenance to keep the plugs from sticking during fuel handling. Time consuming cleaning on the cover gas and air sides of the dip ring seal is required to remove oxidation and sodium reaction products that accumulate and stop plug rotation. Despite severely limited access, effective seal cleaning techniques have removed 11 800 lb (5 352 kg) of deposits from the seals since 1964. Temperature control modifications and repairs have also required major maintenance work. Suggested seal design recommendations could significantly reduce maintenance on future similar seals

MFTF-α+T end plug magnet design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srivastava, V.C.; O'Toole, J.A.

1983-01-01

The conceptual design of the end-plug magnets for MFTF-α+T is described. MFTF-α+ T is a near-term upgrade of MFTF-B, which features new end plugs to improve performance. The Fusion Engineering Design Center has performed the engineering design of MFTF-α+T under the overall direction of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Each end plug consists of two Yin-Yang pairs, each with approx.2.5:1 mirror ratio and approx.5-T peak field on axis; two transition coils; and a recircularizing solenoid. This paper describes the end-plug magnet system functional requirements and presents a conceptual design that meets them. The peak field at the windings of the end-plug coils is approx.6-T. These coils are designed using the NbTi MFTF-B conductor and cooled by a 4.2K liquid helium bath. All the end-plug magnets are designed to operate in the cryostable mode with adequate quench protection for safety. Shielding requirements are stated and a summary of heat loads is provided. Field and force calculations are discussed. The field on axis is shown to meet the functional requirements. Force resultants are reported in terms of winding running loads and resultant coil forces are also given. The magnet structural support is described. A trade study to determine the optimum end-cell coil internal nuclear shield thickness and the resulting coil size based on minimizing the end-cell life cycle cost is summarized

Preparation and Evaluation of Biodegradable Scleral Plug Containing Curcumin in Rabbit Eye.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jun; Sun, Haiyan; Zhou, Nalei; Zhang, Bin; Ma, Jingxue

2017-12-01

To test whether biodegradable curcumin-loaded scleral plug is a promising choice for treating posterior ocular diseases, the study investigated the in vitro release profile of the scleral plug and its safety in vivo. Scleral plugs containing 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg and 1.5 mg curcumin were synthesized by a compression-sintering method. These scleral plugs were placed in tubes containing balanced salt solution (BSS) buffer, which was replaced by fresh buffer daily. The curcumin concentration in the removed aliquot was tested daily for 14 days using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In the study, 44 rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg and 1.5 mg curcumin groups. The scleral plug was trans-scleral fixed in the right eye of the rabbits in the three curcumin-treated groups. The control rabbits only received sclerotomy. The treated rabbit eyes were examined by a slit-lamp biomicroscope, an indirect ophthalmoscope and electroretinogram (ERG), and subjected to histological analysis. The concentration of the 1.5 mg curcumin-loaded scleral plug was higher than 15 μg/ml for consecutive 14 days in vitro. The in vivo experiments revealed intraocular pressure, a-wave and b-wave amplitudes of ERG, and conjunctival reaction degree were not significantly different between the four groups. Retinal structure was normal in the curcumin-treated groups. The sclerotomy wound healed after the plug was completely degraded. Anterior chamber reaction or complications were not observed. The study suggests that curcumin-loaded scleral plug could sustain high concentration of curcumin in vitro and is safe in vivo. It might be a promising alternative choice for the treatment of posterior ocular diseases.

An Overview of the HomePlug AV2 Technology

OpenAIRE

Yonge, Larry; Abad, Jose; Afkhamie, Kaywan; Guerrieri, Lorenzo; Katar, Srinivas; Lioe, Hidayat; Pagani, Pascal; Riva, Raffaele; Schneider, Daniel M.; Schwager, Andreas

2013-01-01

HomePlug AV2 is the solution identified by the HomePlug Alliance to achieve the improved data rate performance required by the new generation of multimedia applications without the need to install extra wires. Developed by industry-leading participants in the HomePlug AV Technical Working Group, the HomePlug AV2 technology provides Gigabit-class connection speeds over the existing AC wires within home. It is designed to meet the market demands for the full set of future in-home networking co...

Implementation of a solar thermal electricity pilot plant (Concentrated Tower) of 1MW and introduction of a bus fleet of plug-in hybrids on the Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Implementacao de uma planta piloto de heliotermia (Torre de Concentracao) de 1MW e introducao de uma frota de onibus hibridos plug-in na Ilha do Fundao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borba, Bruno Soares Moreira Cesar; Malagueta, Diego Cunha [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (PPE/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Programa de Planejamento Energetico

2010-07-01

The aim of this paper is to simulate a solar thermal electricity pilot plant at the Campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), at Fundao Island, which would generate part of the electricity demanded by the Technology Center (CT) of the UFRJ. Based on the electricity demand from UFRJ and the electric prices paid by the institution, this study proposes the construction of a 1MW Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) pilot plant and analyses the economical, energy and environmental viability of implementation of this plant, operating from 2015 to 2045. This CSP plant would cover a field of 0,01km{sup 2} and have a 30% of capacity factor. This study also evaluates the impact caused by the substitution of the current Campus internal bus fleet for plug-in hybrid electric buses. The current service is provided by Normandy, which operates 12 buses plus 1 backup. These new buses would be regularly partially recharged by the energy generated from CSP. All the simulations have been made with the RETScreen software, which simulated the operation of the CSP, the amount of electricity produced, the carbon emissions avoided, the acquisition and implementation of the plug-in hybrid electric bus fleet and the cash flow. Six scenarios generated were, namely A1, B1, C1 (all for lower costs for the CSP plants) and A2, B2, C2 (for higher costs). For a social discount rate around 8% and along 30 years, only the A1, C1 and C2 scenarios showed a non-negative cash flow. Also, the emissions avoided were around 222 tCO{sub 2}/yr (or 6.660 tCO{sub 2} over 30 years) in the A1 and A2 scenarios, and around 550 tCO{sub 2}/yr (or 16.512 tCO{sub 2} over 30 years) in all others scenarios. (author)

Synthesis of Selective Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors Coupled between α-Lipoic Acid and Polyphenols by Using 2-(Piperazin-1-yl)ethanol Linker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeun, Go Heun; Lee, Seung Hwan; LIm, Yong Bae; Lee, Hye Sook; Lee, Bong Ho; Park, Jeong Ho; Won, Mooho

2013-01-01

In the previous paper (Bull. Korean Chem. Soc., 2011, 32, 2997), the hybrid molecules between α-lipoic acid (ALA) and polyphenols (PPs) connected with neutral 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol linker (linker-1) showed new biological activity such as butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition. In order to increase the binding affinity of the hybrid compounds to cholinesterase (ChE), the neutral 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol (linker 1) was switched to the cationic 2-(piperazin-1-yl)ethanol linker (linker 2). The IC 50 values of the linker-2 hybrid molecules for BuChE inhibition were lower than those of linker-1 hybrid molecules (except 9-2) and they also had the same great selectivity for BuChE over AChE (> 800 fold) as linker-1 hybrid molecules. ALA-acetyl caffeic acid (10-2, ALA-AcCA) was shown as an effective inhibitor of BuChE (IC 50 = 0.44 ± 0.24 μM). A kinetic study using 7-2 showed that it is the same mixed type inhibition as 7-1. Its inhibition constant (Ki) to BuChE is 4.3 ± 0.09 μM

Synthesis of Selective Butyrylcholinesterase Inhibitors Coupled between α-Lipoic Acid and Polyphenols by Using 2-(Piperazin-1-yl)ethanol Linker

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yeun, Go Heun; Lee, Seung Hwan; LIm, Yong Bae; Lee, Hye Sook; Lee, Bong Ho; Park, Jeong Ho [Hanbat National Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Won, Mooho [Kangwon National Univ., Chuncheon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-04-15

In the previous paper (Bull. Korean Chem. Soc., 2011, 32, 2997), the hybrid molecules between α-lipoic acid (ALA) and polyphenols (PPs) connected with neutral 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol linker (linker-1) showed new biological activity such as butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibition. In order to increase the binding affinity of the hybrid compounds to cholinesterase (ChE), the neutral 2-(2-aminoethoxy)ethanol (linker 1) was switched to the cationic 2-(piperazin-1-yl)ethanol linker (linker 2). The IC{sub 50} values of the linker-2 hybrid molecules for BuChE inhibition were lower than those of linker-1 hybrid molecules (except 9-2) and they also had the same great selectivity for BuChE over AChE (> 800 fold) as linker-1 hybrid molecules. ALA-acetyl caffeic acid (10-2, ALA-AcCA) was shown as an effective inhibitor of BuChE (IC{sub 50} = 0.44 ± 0.24 μM). A kinetic study using 7-2 showed that it is the same mixed type inhibition as 7-1. Its inhibition constant (Ki) to BuChE is 4.3 ± 0.09 μM.

Mechanical Properties of Plug Welds after Micro-Jet Cooling

OpenAIRE

Hadryś D.

2016-01-01

New technology of micro-jet welding could be regarded as a new way to improve mechanical properties of plug welds. The main purpose of that paper was analyzing of mechanical properties of plug welds made by MIG welding method with micro-jet cooling. The main way for it was comparison of plug welds made by MIG welding method with micro-jet cooling and plug welds made by ordinary MIG welding method. It is interesting for steel because higher amount of acicular ferrite (AF) in weld metal deposit...

Cost Analysis of Plug-In Hybred Electric Vehicles Using GPS-Based Longitudinal Travel Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Xing [Lamar University; Dong, Jing [Iowa State University; Lin, Zhenhong [ORNL

2014-01-01

Using spatial, longitudinal travel data of 415 vehicles over 3 18 months in the Seattle metropolitan area, this paper estimates the operating costs of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) of various electric ranges (10, 20, 30, and 40 miles) for 3, 5, and 10 years of payback period, considering different charging infrastructure deployment levels and gasoline prices. Some key findings were made. (1) PHEVs could help save around 60% or 40% in energy costs, compared with conventional gasoline vehicles (CGVs) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), respectively. However, for motorists whose daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT) is significant, HEVs may be even a better choice than PHEV40s, particularly in areas that lack a public charging infrastructure. (2) The incremental battery cost of large-battery PHEVs is difficult to justify based on the incremental savings of PHEVs operating costs unless a subsidy is offered for largebattery PHEVs. (3) When the price of gasoline increases from $4/gallon to $5/gallon, the number of drivers who benefit from a larger battery increases significantly. (4) Although quick chargers can reduce charging time, they contribute little to energy cost savings for PHEVs, as opposed to Level-II chargers.

Experiences from the design and construction of plug II in the Prototype Repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahlstroem, Lars-Olof (NCC Teknik (Sweden))

2009-12-15

The intention with this document is to summarise the comprehensive documentation and experience that was gained during the design and construction of the temporary plugs in the Prototype Repository experiment at Aespoe HRL. The Prototype Repository experiment was designed to in full scale test the engineered barriers and their function, including the plug that separate the deposition tunnel from the temporary access- and transportation tunnels that are at atmospheric pressure. This plug is designed and constructed as a concrete plug with a spherical front side and a flat pressurised side. This report presents the processes and operations that were considered when developing the 'plug', design, construction and verification. In the Prototype Repository the demand of leakage control is very high and the maximum length of the plugs is constrained due to available clearance space, experimental set-up and configuration. Therefore a typical 'friction plug' normally used to block waterways in connection with hydropower plants, is not suitable. Instead a plug constructed as an 'arch plug' with abutments was considered. In order to minimize the Excavation Disturbed Zone (EDZ) the abutments, in which the plug is inserted, was excavated by seam drilling with coring technique. The steel formwork was pre-assembled at the ground surface before taken down to the tunnel. The steel was bolted and welded together and crossbars and plywood were mounted on top. Before taken down to the tunnel, the formwork was separated into smaller pieces that were easier to transport down the tunnel but easy to assembly at the Prototype Repository experiment. Before assembling the formwork, a retaining wall was installed to resist the earth and compaction pressure developed from the backfill material. The retaining wall consists of pre-fabricated concrete beams that were installed parallel with the installation of the backfill. Reinforcement was cut and bent at the

Experiences from the design and construction of plug II in the Prototype Repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlstroem, Lars-Olof

2009-12-01

The intention with this document is to summarise the comprehensive documentation and experience that was gained during the design and construction of the temporary plugs in the Prototype Repository experiment at Aespoe HRL. The Prototype Repository experiment was designed to in full scale test the engineered barriers and their function, including the plug that separate the deposition tunnel from the temporary access- and transportation tunnels that are at atmospheric pressure. This plug is designed and constructed as a concrete plug with a spherical front side and a flat pressurised side. This report presents the processes and operations that were considered when developing the 'plug', design, construction and verification. In the Prototype Repository the demand of leakage control is very high and the maximum length of the plugs is constrained due to available clearance space, experimental set-up and configuration. Therefore a typical 'friction plug' normally used to block waterways in connection with hydropower plants, is not suitable. Instead a plug constructed as an 'arch plug' with abutments was considered. In order to minimize the Excavation Disturbed Zone (EDZ) the abutments, in which the plug is inserted, was excavated by seam drilling with coring technique. The steel formwork was pre-assembled at the ground surface before taken down to the tunnel. The steel was bolted and welded together and crossbars and plywood were mounted on top. Before taken down to the tunnel, the formwork was separated into smaller pieces that were easier to transport down the tunnel but easy to assembly at the Prototype Repository experiment. Before assembling the formwork, a retaining wall was installed to resist the earth and compaction pressure developed from the backfill material. The retaining wall consists of pre-fabricated concrete beams that were installed parallel with the installation of the backfill. Reinforcement was cut and bent at the factory and was ready for

Plugging solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharipov, A U; Yangirov, I Z

1982-01-01

A clay-powder, cement, and water-base plugging solution is proposed having reduced solution viscosity characteristics while maintaining tensile strength in cement stone. This solution utilizes silver graphite and its ingredients, by mass weight, are as follows: cement 51.2-54.3%; claypowder 6.06-9.1%; silver graphite 0.24-0.33%; with water making up the remainder.

Experimental and numerical modeling of sulfur plugging in carbonate reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abou-Kassem, J.H. [Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, UAE University, PO Box 17555, Al-Ain (United Arab Emirates)

2000-05-01

Sour gas, mainly in the form of hydrogen sulfide, is produced in large amounts from many oil and gas reservoirs in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to creating problems in production lines, the precipitation of elemental sulfur in vicinity of the wellbore is often reported to cause wellbore damage. While there have been several studies performed on the role of solid deposition in gas reservoirs, the role of sulfur deposition in oil reservoirs has not been investigated. This paper presents experimental results along with a comprehensive wellbore model that predicts sulfur precipitation as well as plugging. Two separate sets of experiments, one for a gas phase system and another for a crude oil system, were conducted to investigate the deposition of elemental sulfur in (linear) carbonate cores. The gas flow tests were conducted with elemental sulfur being carried with nitrogen through limestone cores. Changes in gas flow rate were monitored while the injection pressure was held constant. A series of experiments generated valuable data for plugging with elemental sulfur. X-ray diffraction tests provided evidence of sulfur deposition along the cores. The oil flow tests were carried out to observe sulfur precipitation and plugging in a carbonate core. The crude oil was de-asphalted before conducting these tests in order to isolate the effect of asphaltene plugging. Significant plugging was observed and was found to be dependent on flow rate and initial sulfur concentration. This information was used in a phenomenological model that was incorporated in the wellbore numerical model. The data for the numerical model were obtained from both test tube and oil flow experiments. By using a phenomenological model, the wellbore plugging was modeled with an excellent match (with experimental results)

Influence of corn oil recovery on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of corn ethanol and corn oil biodiesel.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhichao; Dunn, Jennifer B; Han, Jeongwoo; Wang, Michael Q

2015-01-01

Corn oil recovery and conversion to biodiesel has been widely adopted at corn ethanol plants recently. The US EPA has projected 2.6 billion liters of biodiesel will be produced from corn oil in 2022. Corn oil biodiesel may qualify for federal renewable identification number (RIN) credits under the Renewable Fuel Standard, as well as for low greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity credits under California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Because multiple products [ethanol, biodiesel, and distiller's grain with solubles (DGS)] are produced from one feedstock (corn), however, a careful co-product treatment approach is required to accurately estimate GHG intensities of both ethanol and corn oil biodiesel and to avoid double counting of benefits associated with corn oil biodiesel production. This study develops four co-product treatment methods: (1) displacement, (2) marginal, (3) hybrid allocation, and (4) process-level energy allocation. Life-cycle GHG emissions for corn oil biodiesel were more sensitive to the choice of co-product allocation method because significantly less corn oil biodiesel is produced than corn ethanol at a dry mill. Corn ethanol life-cycle GHG emissions with the displacement, marginal, and hybrid allocation approaches are similar (61, 62, and 59 g CO2e/MJ, respectively). Although corn ethanol and DGS share upstream farming and conversion burdens in both the hybrid and process-level energy allocation methods, DGS bears a higher burden in the latter because it has lower energy content per selling price as compared to corn ethanol. As a result, with the process-level allocation approach, ethanol's life-cycle GHG emissions are lower at 46 g CO2e/MJ. Corn oil biodiesel life-cycle GHG emissions from the marginal, hybrid allocation, and process-level energy allocation methods were 14, 59, and 45 g CO2e/MJ, respectively. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to investigate the influence corn oil yield, soy biodiesel, and defatted DGS displacement credits

Performance and energy management of a novel full hybrid electric powertrain system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Cheng-Ta; Hung, Yi-Hsuan

2015-01-01

This study compared the performance and energy management between a novel full hybrid electric powertrain and a traditional power-split hybrid system. The developed planetary gearset and dual clutch configuration provides five operation modes. Equations for the torque and speed of power sources for the planetary gearset and dual clutch system and the Toyota Hybrid System are firstly derived. By giving vehicle performance of gradability, maximal speeds in hybrid and pure electric modes, the power sources of the 210 kg target vehicle are: a 125 cc engine and two 1.8 kW motor and generator. The optimal tank-to-wheel efficiencies, ratios of circulating power, and operation points at specific vehicle speeds and out loads are calculated. Simulation results show that the dual-motor electric vehicle mode offers superior performance regarding electric drive; the low capacity of the battery is conducive to reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs; the tank-to-wheel efficiency is mainly operated above 20% while the power split electronic-continuously-variable-transmission mode is the major operation mode, and a maximum of 17% fuel economy improvement is achieved compared with the Toyota Hybrid System in most of the vehicle speed ranges. The outstanding performance warrants further real-system development, especially regarding the implementation in plug-in and sport hybrid powertrain designs. - Highlights: • An innovative power split hybrid powertrain was designed. • Dual-motor electric-vehicle mode highlighted for plug-in function. • Power circulation ratios and five driving modes were analyzed. • Global search method utilized for optimal energy management. • Maximal 17+% fuel improvement compared to Toyota Hybrid System

Ethanol exposure affects cell movement during gastrulation and induces split axes in zebrafish embryos.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Shao, Ming; Wang, Lifeng; Liu, Zhongzhen; Gao, Ming; Liu, Chao; Zhang, Hongwei

2010-06-01

To explore the toxic effects of ethanol on axis formation during embryogenesis, zebrafish embryos at different developmental stages were treated with 3% ethanol for 3h. The effects of ethanol exposure appeared to be stage-dependent. The dome stage embryo was most sensible to form posterior split axes upon ethanol exposure. Morphological and histological observations and whole-mount in situ hybridization results showed that ethanol exposure at this stage caused a general gastrulation delay, and induced double notochords, double neural tubes and two sets of somites in the posterior trunk. Mechanistically, no ectopic organizer was found by examining the expression patterns of dorsoventral markers including goosecoid, chordin and eve1 at the onset of gastrulation. However, radial intercalation, epiboly and convergence extension were inhibited by ethanol exposure as revealed by cell labeling, phenotypic observation and the expression patterns of axial or paraxial markers. Further investigation showed that the cell aggregation might be affected by ethanol exposure, as indicated by the much more scattered expression pattern of chordin, eve1 and wnt11 at the early gastrula stage, and the discontinuous gsc positive cells during migration. These results imply that ethanol might affect cell movement before and during gastrulation and as a consequence, induces a split axes phenotype. Copyright 2010 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ligno-ethanol in competition with food-based ethanol in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poganietz, Witold-Roger

2012-01-01

First-generation biofuels are often challenged over their potentially adverse impact on food prices. Biofuels that use nonfood biomass such as lignocellulose are being promoted to ease the conflict between fuels and food. However, their complex processes mean that the total costs of lignocellulosic ethanol may be high in comparison. This might undermine the economic soundness of plans for its use. Another potential advantage of lignocellulosic ethanol is seen in an enhanced contribution to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the increasing attractiveness of lignocellulosic biofuels may also lead to changes in land use that induce additional carbon emissions. For this reason, the environmental impacts of such plans are not straightforward and depend on the affected category of land. The objective of this paper is to compare the economic perspectives and environmental impact of lignocellulosic ethanol with food-based ethanol taking into account market constraints and policy measures. The analysis of the environmental impact focuses on carbon dioxide emissions. In the medium run, i.e., by 2020, lignocellulosic ethanol could enter the gasoline market, crowding out inter alia food-based ethanol. In terms of carbon dioxide emissions, lignocellulosic ethanol seems to be environmentally desirable in each of the analyzed cases. The findings depend crucially on the market conditions, which are influenced inter alia by crude oil, the exchange rate, and technology conditions. -- Highlights: ► Competition of ligno-ethanol with competing energy carriers is analyzed. ► In medium-term ligno-ethanol could crowd out food-based ethanol. ► In terms of CO 2 ligno-ethanol seems to be environmentally desirable. ► The environmental impacts include by land use change induced CO 2 emissions. ► The findings depend crucially on market conditions.

Fumonisins in conventional and transgenic, insect-resistant maize intended for fuel ethanol production: implications for fermentation efficiency and DDGS co-product quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowers, Erin L; Munkvold, Gary P

2014-09-22

Mycotoxins in maize grain intended for ethanol production are enriched in co-product dried distiller's grains and solubles (DDGS) and may be detrimental to yeast in fermentation. This study was conducted to examine the magnitude of fumonisin enrichment in DDGS and to analyze the impacts of insect injury, Fusarium ear rot severity, and fumonisin contamination on final ethanol yield. Samples of naturally-contaminated grain (0 to 35 mg/kg fumonisins) from field trials conducted in 2008-2011 were fermented and DDGS collected and analyzed for fumonisin content. Ethanol yield (determined gravimetrically) was unaffected by fumonisins in the range occurring in this study, and was not correlated with insect injury or Fusarium ear rot severity. Ethanol production was unaffected in fumonisin B1-spiked grain with concentrations from 0 to 37 mg/kg. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize often has reduced fumonisins due to its protection from insect injury and subsequent fungal infection. DDGS derived from Bt and non-Bt maize averaged 2.04 mg/kg and 8.25 mg/kg fumonisins, respectively. Fumonisins were enriched by 3.0× for 50 out of 57 hybrid × insect infestation treatment combinations; those seven that differed were fumonisin enrichment in DDGS, with measurements traceable to individual samples. Under significant insect pest pressures, DDGS derived from Bt maize hybrids were consistently lower in fumonisins than DDGS derived from non-Bt hybrids.

Plug-Load Control and Behavioral Change Research in GSA Office Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metzger, I.; Cutler, D.; Sheppy, M.

2012-10-01

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) owns and leases over 354 million square feet (ft2) of space in over 9,600 buildings [1]. GSA is a leader among federal agencies in aggressively pursuing energy efficiency (EE) opportunities for its facilities and installing renewable energy (RE) systems to provide heating, cooling, and power to these facilities. According to several energy assessments of GSA's buildings conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), plug-loads account for approximately 21% of the total electricity consumed within a standard GSA Region 3 office building. This study aims to provide insight on how to effectively manage plug-load energy consumption and attain higher energy and cost savings for plug-loads. As GSA improves the efficiency of its building stock, plug-loads will become an even greater portion of its energy footprint.

Applying HAZOP analysis in assessing remote handling compatibility of ITER port plugs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duisings, L.P.M.; Til, S. van; Magielsen, A.J.; Ronden, D.M.S.; Elzendoorn, B.S.Q.; Heemskerk, C.J.M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We applied HAZOP analysis to assess the criticality of remote handling maintenance activities on port plugs in the ITER Hot Cell facility. ► We identified several weak points in the general upper port plug maintenance concept. ► We made clear recommendations on redesign in port plug design, operational sequence and Hot Cell equipment. ► The use of a HAZOP approach for the ECH UL port can also be applied to ITER port plugs in general. -- Abstract: This paper describes the application of a Hazard and Operability Analysis (HAZOP) methodology in assessing the criticality of remote handling maintenance activities on port plugs in the ITER Hot Cell facility. As part of the ECHUL consortium, the remote handling team at the DIFFER Institute is developing maintenance tools and procedures for critical components of the ECH Upper launcher (UL). Based on NRG's experience with nuclear risk analysis and Hot Cell procedures, early versions of these tool concepts and maintenance procedures were subjected to a HAZOP analysis. The analysis identified several weak points in the general upper port plug maintenance concept and led to clear recommendations on redesigns in port plug design, the operational sequence and ITER Hot Cell equipment. The paper describes the HAZOP methodology and illustrates its application with specific procedures: the Steering Mirror Assembly (SMA) replacement and the exchange of the Mid Shield Optics (MSO) in the ECH UPL. A selection of recommended changes to the launcher design associated with the accessibility, maintainability and manageability of replaceable components are presented

Combustion aided by a glow plug in diesel engines under cold idling conditions

OpenAIRE

Li, Qile

2016-01-01

Glow plugs are widely used to promote the desired cold start and post-cold start combustion characteristics of light duty diesel engines. The importance of the glow plug becomes more apparent when the compression ratio is low. An experimental investigation of combustion initiation and development aided by the glow plug has been carried out on a single cylinder HPCR DI diesel engine with a low compression ratio of 15.5:1. High speed imaging of combustion initiated by the glow plug in a combust...

A control-oriented lithium-ion battery pack model for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle cycle-life studies and system design with consideration of health management

Science.gov (United States)

Cordoba-Arenas, Andrea; Onori, Simona; Rizzoni, Giorgio

2015-04-01

A crucial step towards the large-scale introduction of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the market is to reduce the cost of its battery systems. Currently, battery cycle- and calendar-life represents one of the greatest uncertainties in the total life-cycle cost of battery systems. The field of battery aging modeling and prognosis has seen progress with respect to model-based and data-driven approaches to describe the aging of battery cells. However, in real world applications cells are interconnected and aging propagates. The propagation of aging from one cell to others exhibits itself in a reduced battery system life. This paper proposes a control-oriented battery pack model that describes the propagation of aging and its effect on the life span of battery systems. The modeling approach is such that it is able to predict pack aging, thermal, and electrical dynamics under actual PHEV operation, and includes consideration of random variability of the cells, electrical topology and thermal management. The modeling approach is based on the interaction between dynamic system models of the electrical and thermal dynamics, and dynamic models of cell aging. The system-level state-of-health (SOH) is assessed based on knowledge of individual cells SOH, pack electrical topology and voltage equalization approach.

Borehole plugging experiment in OL-KR24 at Olkiluoto, Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rautio, T.

2006-04-01

Sealing of investigation boreholes has been studied by Svensk Koernbroenslehantering AB (SKB) and Posiva Oy (Posiva) as a part of final disposal research. The proposed principle is that investigation boreholes drilled at a site must not act as a continuous flow path for groundwater but be sealed to become as tight as the surrounding rock. As a part of the investigations SKB and Posiva started the third phase of the joint project 'Cleaning and sealing of investigation boreholes' in 2005. One of the sub-projects was the plugging experiment in borehole OL-KR24 at Olkiluoto. The aim of the experiment was to test all main procedures of borehole sealing concept in practise in a deep borehole. Borehole KR24 was drilled to the depth of 551.11 metres in 2003 and it was located inside the shaft profile in Onkalo. From the surface to the depth of about 120 m the borehole diameter is 98 mm. The rest of the borehole is 75.7 mm in diameter. The borehole is vertical and the inclination is quite accurately 90 degrees. The plugging experiment in borehole OL-KR24 consisted of four main activities: (1) cleaning of the borehole, (2) characterization of the borehole (3) selective stabilisation of the borehole, and (4) emplacement of plugs. The comprehensive cleaning of the borehole was to be done in the first stage to provide the basis for other activities. The aim of characterization was to study the borehole in order to determine the sections for selective stabilisation and the locations for plugs. The characterization phase consisted of caliper measurements, dummy probing and optical borehole imaging (OBI). The aim of selective stabilisation was to show that selected borehole sections can be stabilised using new techniques and methods. One borehole section was reamed from Ω 76 mm to Ω 98 mm. The reamed borehole section should have been filled with sufficient amount of cement-based material to achieve a stable 'concrete tube' after redrilling, but due to encountered problems and

Plug Load Data

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We provide MATLAB binary files (.mat) and comma separated values files of data collected from a pilot study of a plug load management system that allows for the...

Chronic voluntary alcohol consumption results in tolerance to sedative/hypnotic and hypothermic effects of alcohol in hybrid mice

Science.gov (United States)

Ozburn, Angela Renee; Harris, R. Adron; Blednov, Yuri A.

2013-01-01

The continuous two bottle choice test is the most common measure of alcohol consumption but there is remarkably little information about the development of tolerance or dependence with this procedure. We showed that C57BL/6JxFVB/NJ and FVB/NJxC57BL/6J F1 hybrid mice demonstrate greater preference for and consumption of alcohol than either parental strain. In order to test the ability of this genetic model of high alcohol consumption to produce neuroadaptation, we examined development of alcohol tolerance and dependence after chronic self-administration using a continuous access two-bottle choice paradigm. Ethanol-experienced mice stably consumed about 16–18 g/kg/day of ethanol. Ethanol-induced withdrawal severity was assessed (after 59 days of drinking) by scoring handling-induced convulsions; withdrawal severity was minimal and did not differ between ethanol-experienced and -naïve mice. After 71 days of drinking, the rate of ethanol clearance was similar for ethanol-experienced and -naïve mice. After 77 days of drinking, ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex (LORR) was tested daily for 5 days. Ethanol-experienced mice had a shorter duration of LORR. For both ethanol-experienced and -naïve mice, blood ethanol concentrations taken at gain of righting reflex were greater on day 5 than on day 1, indicative of tolerance. After 98 days of drinking, ethanol-induced hypothermia was assessed daily for 3 days. Both ethanol-experienced and –naïve mice developed rapid and chronic tolerance to ethanol-induced hypothermia, with significant group differences on the first day of testing. In summary, chronic, high levels of alcohol consumption in F1 hybrid mice produced rapid and chronic tolerance to both the sedative/hypnotic and hypothermic effects of ethanol; additionally, a small degree of metabolic tolerance developed. The development of tolerance supports the validity of using this model of high alcohol consumption in genetic studies of alcoholism. PMID:23313769

Experimental Evaluation of Hybrid Distillation-Vapor Permeation Process for Efficient Ethanol Recovery from Ethanol-Water Mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

The energy demand of distillation-based systems for ethanol recovery and dehydration can be significant, particularly for dilute solutions [1]. An alternative separation process integrating vapor stripping with a vapor compression step and a vapor permeation membrane separation ...

Simulation of steam generator plugging tubes in a PWR to analyze the operating impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pla, Patricia, E-mail: patricia.pla-freixa@ec.europa.eu [Nuclear Reactor Safety Assessment Unit, Institute for Energy and Transport, Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, Petten (Netherlands); Reventos, Francesc, E-mail: francesc.reventos@upc.edu [Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona (Spain); Martin Ramos, Manuel, E-mail: manuel.martin-ramos@ec.europa.eu [Nuclear Safety and Security Coordination Unit, Policy Support Coordination, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Brussels (Belgium); Sol, Ismael, E-mail: isol@anacnv.com [Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellós-II (ANAV), Tarragona (Spain); Strucic, Miodrag, E-mail: miodrag.strucic@ec.europa.eu [Nuclear Reactor Safety Assessment Unit, Institute for Energy and Transport, Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, Petten (Netherlands)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Plugging a fraction of the SG tubes does not affect power output of the plant. • There is a limit to SG plugging in the range of 10–15%. • The rupture of a SG tube in a 12% plugged SG has shown no significant differences in operator actions. • A SBLOCA in a 12% plugged SG has shown no significant differences in operator actions. - Abstract: A number of nuclear power plants (NPPs) with pressurized water reactors (PWR) in the world have replaced their steam generators (SG) due to degradation of the SG tubes caused by different problems. Several methods were attempted to correct the defects of the tubes, but eventually the only permanent solution was to plug them. The consequences of plugging the tubes are the decrease of heat transfer surface, the reduction of the flow area and subsequent reduction of the primary system mass flow and for a fraction of plugged tubes higher than a given value, the reduction of reactor output and economic losses. The objective of this paper is to analyze whether steam generator tube plugging has an impact in the effectiveness of accident management actions. An analysis with Relap5 Mod 3.3 patch03 for the Spanish reactor Ascó-2, a 3-loop 2940.6 MWth Westinghouse PWR, in which plugging of steam generator tubes are simulated, is presented in order to find the limit for the adequate operation of the plant. Several steady state calculations were performed with different fractions of plugged SG tubes, by modeling the reduction of the primary to secondary heat transfer surface and the reduction of the primary coolant mass flow area in the tubes as well. The results of the analysis yield that plugging 12% of the SG tubes is around the limit for optimal reactor operation. To complete the study two events, in which the steam generators are used to cooldown the plant, were simulated to find out if the plugging of SGs tubes could influence the efficiency of the operator actions described in the emergency operating

Apparatus for sealing a rotatable shield plug in a liquid metal nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winkleblack, R.K.

1980-01-01

An apparatus for sealing a rotatable shield plug in a nuclear reactor having liquid metal coolant is described. The apparatus includes a dip -ring seal adapted to provide a fluid barrier between the liquid metal and the atmosphere and to permit rotation of the shield plug. The apparatus also includes a static seal for the rotatable shield plug located between the dip-ring seal and the liquid metal. The static seal isolates the dip-ring seal from the liquid metal vapor during operation at power and can be disengaged for rotation of the shield plug

A study on stress corrosion cracking of explosive plugged part

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaga, Seiichi; Fujii, Katsuhiro; Yamamoto, Yoshiaki; Sakuma, Koosuke; Hibi, Seiji; Morimoto, Hiroyoshi.

1986-01-01

Studies on the stress corrosion cracking of explosive plugged part are conducted. SUS 304 stainless steel is used as testing material. The distribution of residual stress in plug and tube plate after plugging is obtained. The effect of residual stress on the stress corrosion cracking is studied. Residual stress in tube plate near the plug is compressive and stress corrosion cracking dose not occur in the tube plate there, and it occurs on the inner surface of plug because of residual tensile stress in axial direction of the plug. Stress corrosion test in MgCl 2 solution under constant load is conducted. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking of the explosive bonded boundary is lower than that of base metal because of greater resistance to plastic deformation. Stress corrosion test in high temperature and high pressure pure water is also conducted by means of static type of autoclave but stress corrosion cracking does not occur under the testing condition used. (author)

Damage Tolerance Assessment of Friction Pull Plug Welds in an Aluminum Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

McGill, Preston; Burkholder, Jonathan

2012-01-01

Friction stir welding is a solid state welding process used in the fabrication of cryogenic propellant tanks. Self-reacting friction stir welding is one variation of the friction stir weld process being developed for manufacturing tanks. Friction pull plug welding is used to seal the exit hole that remains in a circumferential self-reacting friction stir weld. A friction plug weld placed in a self-reacting friction stir weld results in a non-homogenous weld joint where the initial weld, plug weld, their respective heat affected zones and the base metal all interact. The welded joint is a composite plastically deformed material system with a complex residual stress field. In order to address damage tolerance concerns associated with friction plug welds in safety critical structures, such as propellant tanks, nondestructive inspection and proof testing may be required to screen hardware for mission critical defects. The efficacy of the nondestructive evaluation or the proof test is based on an assessment of the critical flaw size. Test data relating residual strength capability to flaw size in an aluminum alloy friction plug weld will be presented.

The design and validation of a hybrid digital-signal-processing plug-in for traditional cochlear implant speech processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajiaghababa, Fatemeh; Marateb, Hamid R; Kermani, Saeed

2018-06-01

Cochlear implants (CIs) are electronic devices restoring partial hearing to deaf individuals with profound hearing loss. In this paper, a new plug-in for traditional IIR filter-banks (FBs) is presented for cochlear implants based on wavelet neural networks (WNNs). Having provided such a plug-in for commercially available CIs, it is possible not only to use available hardware in the market but also to optimize their performance compared with the-state-of-the-art. An online database of Dutch diphone perception was used in our study. The weights of the WNNs were tuned using particle swarm optimization (PSO) on a training set (speech-shaped noise (SSN) of 2 dB SNR), while its performance was assessed on a test set in terms of objective and composite measures in the hold-out validation framework. The cost function was defined based on the combination of mean square error (MSE), short‑time objective intelligibility (STOI) criteria on the training set. Variety of performance indices were used including segmental signal- to -noise ratio (SNRseg), MSE, STOI, log-likelihood ratio (LLR), weighted spectral slope (WSS), and composite measures C sig , C bak and C ovl . Meanwhile, the following CI speech processing techniques were used for comparison: traditional FBs, dual resonance nonlinear (DRNL) and simple dual path nonlinear (SPDN) models. The average SNRseg, MSE, and LLR values for the WNN in the entire data set were 2.496 ± 2.794, 0.086 ± 0.025 and 2.323 ± 0.281, respectively. The proposed method significantly improved MSE, SNR, SNRseg, LLR, C sig C bak and C ovl compared with the other three methods (repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA); P < 0.05). The average running time of the proposed algorithm (written in Matlab R2013a) on the training and test sets for each consonant or vowel on an Intel dual-core 2.10 GHz CPU with 2GB of RAM was 9.91 ± 0.87 (s) and 0.19 ± 0.01 (s), respectively. The proposed algorithm is accurate and

Plug-in Electric Vehicle Policy Effectiveness: Literature Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Yan [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Levin, Todd [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Plotkin, Steven E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2016-05-01

The U.S. federal government first introduced incentives for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) through the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which provided a tax credit of up to $7,500 for a new PEV purchase. Soon after, in December 2010, two mass-market PEVs were introduced, the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Chevrolet Volt and the battery electric vehicle (BEV) Nissan LEAF. Since that time, numerous additional types of PEV incentives have been provided by federal and regional (state or city) government agencies and utility companies. These incentives cover vehicle purchases as well as the purchase and installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) through purchase rebates, tax credits, or discounted purchase taxes or registration fees. Additional incentives, such as free high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane access and parking benefits, may also be offered to PEV owners. Details about these incentives, such as the extent to which each type is offered by region, can be obtained from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Alternative Fuel Data Center (http://www.afdc.energy.gov/). In addition to these incentives, other policies, such as zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandates,1 have also been implemented, and community-scale federal incentives, such as the DOE PEV Readiness Grants, have been awarded throughout the country to improve PEV market penetration. This report reviews 18 studies that analyze the impacts of past or current incentives and policies that were designed to support PEV adoption in the U.S. These studies were selected for review after a comprehensive survey of the literature and discussion with a number of experts in the field. The report summarizes the lessons learned and best practices from the experiences of these incentive programs to date, as well as the challenges they face and barriers that inhibit further market adoption of PEVs. Studies that make projections based on future policy scenarios and those that focus solely

Preparation and Characterization of Chemical Plugs Based on Selected Hanford Waste Simulants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattigod, Shas V.; Wellman, Dawn M.; Parker, Kent E.; Cordova, Elsa A.; Gunderson, Katie M.; Baum, Steven R.; Crum, Jarrod V.; Poloski, Adam P.

2008-01-01

This report presents the results of preparation and characterization of chemical plugs based on selected Hanford Site waste simulants. Included are the results of chemical plug bench testing conducted in support of the M1/M6 Flow Loop Chemical Plugging/Unplugging Test (TP-RPP-WTP-495 Rev A). These results support the proposed plug simulants for the chemical plugging/ unplugging tests. Based on the available simulant data, a set of simulants was identified that would likely result in chemical plugs. The three types of chemical plugs that were generated and tested in this task consisted of: 1. Aluminum hydroxide (NAH), 2. Sodium aluminosilicate (NAS), and 3. Sodium aluminum phosphate (NAP). While both solvents, namely 2 molar (2 M) nitric acid (HNO3) and 2 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) at 60 C, used in these tests were effective in dissolving the chemical plugs, the 2 M nitric acid was significantly more effective in dissolving the NAH and NAS plugs. The caustic was only slightly more effecting at dissolving the NAP plug. In the bench-scale dissolution tests, hot (60 C) 2 M nitric acid was the most effective solvent in that it completely dissolved both NAH and NAS chemical plugs much faster (1.5 - 2 x) than 2 M sodium hydroxide. So unless there are operational benefits for the use of caustic verses nitric acid, 2 M nitric acid heated to 60 C should be the solvent of choice for dissolving these chemical plugs. Flow-loop testing was planned to identify a combination of parameters such as pressure, flush solution, composition, and temperature that would effectively dissolve and flush each type of chemical plug from preformed chemical plugs in 3-inch-diameter and 4-feet-long pipe sections. However, based on a review of the results of the bench-top tests and technical discussions, the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) Research and Technology (R and T), Engineering and Mechanical Systems (EMS), and Operations concluded that flow-loop testing of the chemically plugged pipe sections

Techno-economic and behavioural analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system in the UK

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Offer, G.J., E-mail: gregory.offer@imperial.ac.u [Department Earth Science Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London (United Kingdom); Contestabile, M. [Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Howey, D.A. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Clague, R. [Energy Futures Lab, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Brandon, N.P. [Department Earth Science Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London (United Kingdom)

2011-04-15

This paper conducts a techno-economic study on hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen Fuel Cell plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCHEV) in the UK using cost predictions for 2030. The study includes an analysis of data on distance currently travelled by private car users daily in the UK. Results show that there may be diminishing economic returns for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with battery sizes above 20 kWh, and the optimum size for a PHEV battery is between 5 and 15 kWh. Differences in behaviour as a function of vehicle size are demonstrated, which decreases the percentage of miles that can be economically driven using electricity for a larger vehicle. Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 80% favours larger optimum battery sizes as long as carbon is priced, and will reduce emissions considerably. However, the model does not take into account reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen generation, assuming hydrogen will still be produced from steam reforming methane in 2030. - Research highlights: {yields} Report diminishing returns for plug-in hybrids with battery sizes above 20 kWh. {yields} The optimum size for a PHEV battery is between 5 and 15 kWh. {yields} Current behaviour decreases percentage electric only miles for larger vehicles. {yields} Low carbon electricity favours larger battery sizes as long as carbon is priced. {yields} Reinforces that the FCHEV is a cheaper option than conventional ICE vehicles in 2030.

Techno-economic and behavioural analysis of battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell and hybrid vehicles in a future sustainable road transport system in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Offer, G.J.; Contestabile, M.; Howey, D.A.; Clague, R.; Brandon, N.P.

2011-01-01

This paper conducts a techno-economic study on hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCV), Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen Fuel Cell plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (FCHEV) in the UK using cost predictions for 2030. The study includes an analysis of data on distance currently travelled by private car users daily in the UK. Results show that there may be diminishing economic returns for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) with battery sizes above 20 kWh, and the optimum size for a PHEV battery is between 5 and 15 kWh. Differences in behaviour as a function of vehicle size are demonstrated, which decreases the percentage of miles that can be economically driven using electricity for a larger vehicle. Decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 80% favours larger optimum battery sizes as long as carbon is priced, and will reduce emissions considerably. However, the model does not take into account reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from hydrogen generation, assuming hydrogen will still be produced from steam reforming methane in 2030. - Research highlights: → Report diminishing returns for plug-in hybrids with battery sizes above 20 kWh. → The optimum size for a PHEV battery is between 5 and 15 kWh. → Current behaviour decreases percentage electric only miles for larger vehicles. → Low carbon electricity favours larger battery sizes as long as carbon is priced. → Reinforces that the FCHEV is a cheaper option than conventional ICE vehicles in 2030.

Development of combined nanofiltration and forward osmosis process for production of ethanol from pretreated rice straw.

Science.gov (United States)

Shibuya, Masafumi; Sasaki, Kengo; Tanaka, Yasuhiro; Yasukawa, Masahiro; Takahashi, Tomoki; Kondo, Akihiko; Matsuyama, Hideto

2017-07-01

A membrane process combining nanofiltraion (NF) and forward osmosis (FO) was developed for the sugar concentration with the aim of high bio-ethanol production from the liquid fraction of rice straw. The commercial NF membrane, ESNA3, was more adequate for removal of fermentation inhibitors (such as acetic acid) than the FO membrane, whereas the commercial FO membrane, TFC-ES, was more adequate for concentration of the sugars than the NF membrane. The liquid fraction was subjected to the following process: NF concentration with water addition (NF (+H2O) )→enzymatic hydrolysis→FO concentration. This NF (+H2O) -FO hybrid process generated a total sugar content of 107g·L -1 . Xylose-assimilating S. cerevisiae produced 24g·L -1 ethanol from the liquid fraction that was diluted 1.5-fold and then concentrated by the NF (+H2O) -FO hybrid process. The NF (+H2O) -FO hybrid process has the potential for optimized ethanol production from pretreated lignocellulosic biomass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proceedings of the workshop on borehole and shaft plugging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Geologic disposal of radioactive waste relies on the capability of many geological formations to provide long-term containment of the waste. The disposal operations could significantly modify the original conditions. In addition to the underground excavations and the thermal input of the waste their is the problem of boreholes and shafts that constitute a potential by-pass of the geological barriers. It is therefore essential to develop techniques and procedures for effective plugging of all penetrations connecting the disposal zone with the surface or with water bearing layers. It will be necessary to produce plugs which effectively restore the original characteristics of the isolating formations. In addition these plugs must be chemically stable in the existing geochemical environment in order to remain effective for very long periods of time and the plugs of disposal holes can be exposed to high temperatures and radiation doses. All countries with geologic disposal programmes will have to face the problem of borehole and shapt plugging

The viscoelastic properties of the cervical mucus plug

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær Bastholm, Sara; Becher, Naja; Stubbe, Peter Reimer

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the viscoelastic properties of cervical mucus plugs (CMPs) shed during labor at term. Spontaneously shed cervical mucus plugs from healthy women in active labor, were tested. The viscoelastic properties of cervical mucus plugs were investigated...... with using frequency and stress sweep experiments within the linear viscoelastic region. Random-effects regression was used for statistical analysis. The CMPs are solid-like viscoelastic structures and the elastic modulus dominated the viscous modulus at all frequencies. These rheological characteristics...

Important Factors for Early Market Microgrids: Demand Response and Plug-in Electric Vehicle Charging

Science.gov (United States)

White, David Masaki

Microgrids are evolving concepts that are growing in interest due to their potential reliability, economic and environmental benefits. As with any new concept, there are many unresolved issues with regards to planning and operation. In particular, demand response (DR) and plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) charging are viewed as two key components of the future grid and both will likely be active technologies in the microgrid market. However, a better understanding of the economics associated with DR, the impact DR can have on the sizing of distributed energy resource (DER) systems and how to accommodate and price PEV charging is necessary to advance microgrid technologies. This work characterizes building based DR for a model microgrid, calculates the DER systems for a model microgrid under DR through a minimization of total cost, and determines pricing methods for a PEV charging station integrated with an individual building on the model microgrid. It is shown that DR systems which consist only of HVAC fan reductions provide potential economic benefits to the microgrid through participation in utility DR programs. Additionally, peak shaving DR reduces the size of power generators, however increasing DR capacity does not necessarily lead to further reductions in size. As it currently stands for a microgrid that is an early adopter of PEV charging, current installation costs of PEV charging equipment lead to a system that is not competitive with established commercial charging networks or to gasoline prices for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).

Bioethanol production by a flocculent hybrid, CHFY0321 obtained by protoplast fusion between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Gi-Wook; Kang, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Yule [Changhae Institute of Cassava and Ethanol Research, Changhae Ethanol Co., LTD, Palbok-Dong 829, Dukjin-Gu, Jeonju 561-203 (Korea); Um, Hyun-Ju; Kim, Mina; Kim, Yang-Hoon [Department of Microbiology, Chungbuk National University, 410 Sungbong-Ro, Heungduk-Gu, Cheongju 361-763 (Korea)

2010-08-15

Fusion hybrid yeast, CHFY0321, was obtained by protoplast fusion between non-flocculent-high ethanol fermentative Saccharomyces cerevisiae CHY1011 and flocculent-low ethanol fermentative Saccharomyces bayanus KCCM12633. The hybrid yeast was used together with the parental strains to examine ethanol production in batch fermentation. Under the conditions tested, the fusion hybrid CHFY0321 flocculated to the highest degree and had the capacity to ferment well at pH 4.5 and 32 C. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for ethanol production was carried out using a cassava (Manihot esculenta) powder hydrolysate medium containing 19.5% (w v{sup -1}) total sugar in a 5 l lab scale jar fermenter at 32 C for 65 h with an agitation speed of 2 Hz. Under these conditions, CHFY0321 showed the highest flocculating ability and the best fermentation efficiency for ethanol production compared with those of the wild-type parent strains. CHFY0321 gave a final ethanol concentration of 89.8 {+-} 0.13 g l{sup -1}, a volumetric ethanol productivity of 1.38 {+-} 0.13 g l{sup -1} h{sup -1}, and a theoretical yield of 94.2 {+-} 1.58%. These results suggest that CHFY0321 exhibited the fermentation characteristics of S. cerevisiae CHY1011 and the flocculent ability of S. bayanus KCCM12633. Therefore, the strong highly flocculent ethanol fermentative CHFY0321 has potential for improving biotechnological ethanol fermentation processes. (author)

Bioethanol production by a flocculent hybrid, CHFY0321 obtained by protoplast fusion between Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces bayanus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Gi-Wook; Um, Hyun-Ju; Kang, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Yule; Kim, Mina; Kim, Yang-Hoon

2010-01-01

Fusion hybrid yeast, CHFY0321, was obtained by protoplast fusion between non-flocculent-high ethanol fermentative Saccharomyces cerevisiae CHY1011 and flocculent-low ethanol fermentative Saccharomyces bayanus KCCM12633. The hybrid yeast was used together with the parental strains to examine ethanol production in batch fermentation. Under the conditions tested, the fusion hybrid CHFY0321 flocculated to the highest degree and had the capacity to ferment well at pH 4.5 and 32 o C. Simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for ethanol production was carried out using a cassava (Manihot esculenta) powder hydrolysate medium containing 19.5% (w v -1 ) total sugar in a 5 l lab scale jar fermenter at 32 o C for 65 h with an agitation speed of 2 Hz. Under these conditions, CHFY0321 showed the highest flocculating ability and the best fermentation efficiency for ethanol production compared with those of the wild-type parent strains. CHFY0321 gave a final ethanol concentration of 89.8 ± 0.13 g l -1 , a volumetric ethanol productivity of 1.38 ± 0.13 g l -1 h -1 , and a theoretical yield of 94.2 ± 1.58%. These results suggest that CHFY0321 exhibited the fermentation characteristics of S. cerevisiae CHY1011 and the flocculent ability of S. bayanus KCCM12633. Therefore, the strong highly flocculent ethanol fermentative CHFY0321 has potential for improving biotechnological ethanol fermentation processes.

Sustainability of grape-ethanol energy chain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Riva

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to evaluate the sustainability, in terms of greenhouse gases emission saving, of a new potential bio-ethanol production chain in comparison with the most common ones. The innovation consists of producing bio-ethanol from different types of no-food grapes, while usually bio-ethanol is obtained from matrices taken away from crop for food destination: sugar cane, corn, wheat, sugar beet. In the past, breeding programs were conducted with the aim of improving grapevine characteristics, a large number of hybrid vine varieties were produced and are nowadays present in the CRA-VIT (Viticulture Research Centre Germplasm Collection. Some of them are potentially interesting for bio-energy production because of their high production of sugar, good resistance to diseases, and ability to grow in marginal lands. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment of grape ethanol energy chain was performed following two different methods: (i using the spreadsheet “BioGrace, developed within the “Intelligent Energy Europe” program to support and to ease the RED (Directive 2009/28/EC implementation; (ii using a dedicated LCA software. Emissions were expressed in CO2 equivalent (CO2eq. The results showed that the sustainability limits provided by the normative are respected to this day. On the contrary, from 2017 this production will be sustainable only if the transformation processes will be performed using renewable sources of energy. The comparison with other bioenergy chains points out that the production of ethanol using grapes represents an intermediate situation in terms of general emissions among the different production chains.

In situ biosynthesis of bacterial nanocellulose-CaCO3 hybrid bionanocomposite: One-step process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohammadkazemi, Faranak; Faria, Marisa; Cordeiro, Nereida

2016-01-01

In this work, a simple and green route to the synthesis of the bacterial nanocellulose-calcium carbonate (BNC/CaCO 3 ) hybrid bionanocomposites using one-step in situ biosynthesis was studied. The CaCO 3 was incorporated in the bacterial nanocellulose structure during the cellulose biosynthesis by Gluconacetobacter xylinus PTCC 1734 bacteria. Hestrin-Schramm (HS) and Zhou (Z) culture media were used to the hybrid bionanocomposites production and the effect of ethanol addition was investigated. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, inverse gas chromatography and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the samples. The experimental results demonstrated that the ethanol and culture medium play an important role in the BNC/CaCO 3 hybrid bionanocomposites production, structure and properties. The BNC/CaCO 3 biosynthesized in Z culture medium revealed higher O/C ratio and amphoteric surface character, which justify the highest CaCO 3 content incorporation. The CaCO 3 was incorporated into the cellulosic matrix decreasing the bacterial nanocellulose crystallinity. This work reveals the high potential of in situ biosynthesis of BNC/CaCO 3 hybrid bionanocomposites and opens a new way to the high value-added applications of bacterial nanocellulose. - Graphical Abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • BNC/CaCO 3 hybrid bionanocomposites were produced using in situ biosynthesis process. • Ethanol and culture medium play an important role in the production and properties. • Z-BNC/CaCO 3 bionanocomposites revealed higher O/C ratio and amphoteric surface character. • CaCO 3 incorporated into the BNC decreased crystallinity.

Reducing noise and vibration of hydraulic hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles : phase II, final report, March 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

The University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UT-UTC) has identified hybrid vehicles as one of the three areas of the research. The activities proposed in this research proposal are directed towards the noise, vibration, and harshness (N...

Reducing noise and vibration of hydraulic hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles : phase I final report, March 2009.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-01

The University of Toledo University Transportation Center (UT-UTC) has identified hybrid vehicles as one of the three areas of the research. The activities proposed in this research proposal are directed towards the noise, vibration, and harshness (N...

Intelligent Energy Management for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles: The Role of ITS Infrastructure in Vehicle Electrification Gestion énergétique intelligente pour véhicules électriques hybrides rechargeables : rôle de l’infrastructure de systèmes de transport intelligents (STI dans l’électrification des véhicules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marano V.

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The desire to reduce carbon emissions due to transportation sources has led over the past decade to the development of new propulsion technologies, focused on vehicle electrification (including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. These propulsion technologies, along with advances in telecommunication and computing power, have the potential of making passenger and commercial vehicles more energy efficient and environment friendly. In particular, energy management algorithms are an integral part of plug-in vehicles and are very important for achieving the performance benefits. The optimal performance of energy management algorithms depends strongly on the ability to forecast energy demand from the vehicle. Information available about environment (temperature, humidity, wind, road grade, etc. and traffic (traffic density, traffic lights, etc., is very important in operating a vehicle at optimal efficiency. This article outlines some current technologies that can help achieving this optimum efficiency goal. In addition to information available from telematic and geographical information systems, knowledge of projected vehicle charging demand on the power grid is necessary to build an intelligent energy management controller for future plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. The impact of charging millions of vehicles from the power grid could be significant, in the form of increased loading of power plants, transmission and distribution lines, emissions and economics (information are given and discussed for the US case. Therefore, this effect should be considered in an intelligent way by controlling/scheduling the charging through a communication based distributed control. Le désir de réduire les émissions de carbone issues des sources de transport a conduit durant la dernière décennie au développement de nouvelles technologies de propulsion, axées sur l’électrification des véhicules (comprenant les véhicules �

Bio-plasticizer production by hybrid acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation with full cell catalysis of Candida sp. 99-125.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Changjing; Cai, Di; Qin, Peiyong; Chen, Biqiang; Wang, Zheng; Tan, Tianwei

2018-06-01

Hybrid process that integrated fermentation, pervaporation and esterification was established aiming to improve the economic feasibility of the conventional acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. Candida sp 99-125 cells were used as full-cell catalyst. The feasibility of batch and fed-batch esterification using the ABE permeate of pervaporation (ranging from 286.9 g/L to 402.9 g/L) as substrate were compared. Valuable butyl oleate was produced along with ethyl oleate. For the batch esterification, due to severe inhibition of substrate to lipase, the yield of butyl oleate and ethyl oleate were only 24.9% and 3.3%, respectively. In contrast, 75% and 11.8% of butyl oleate and ethyl oleate were obtained, respectively, at the end of the fed-batch esterification. The novel integration process provides a promising strategy for in situ upgrading ABE products. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Maintenance and plugging technology for CANDU steam generator tubing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prince, J.; Nicholson, A.; Hare, J.; McGoey, L.; Stafford, T.; Gowthorpe, P.

2006-01-01

In order to keep aging steam generators in service and to successfully manage the life of these critical components, the capability must exist to perform tube plugging and other complex maintenance activities in-situ. In the early days of CANDU steam generator operation, the only option was to perform these activities manually, which had inherent safety and quality risks. The challenge was to be able to perform these activities remotely thus eliminating some of the confined space and radiological exposure risks. The additional challenge was to develop equipment and techniques which would result in significantly improved quality, particularly for the completed plug welds which would be returned to service. Over the past fifteen years, this technology has matured and has produced remarkable results in field application. Some 14000 tube plugs have been successfully installed to date using automated plugging techniques. This paper presents an overview of the development of techniques available to utilities for steam generator tube plugging as well as some highlights of other steam generator tube maintenance activities such as primary side tube removal and tube end damage repair. Aspects covered in the paper include plug and procedure development, automated equipment and manipulators for tool deployment, process controls and personnel requirements. Recently, the steam generator tube plugging performed by OPG has been incorporated into a formal quality program under the requirements of ASME NCA 4000. An overview of the quality program will be presented and details of some of the important aspects of the quality program will be discussed. (author)

Development of weld plugging for steam generator tubes of FBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimoyama, T.; Matsuyama, T.; Matsumoto, O.; Nagura, Y.; Nakamura, H.; Tohguchi, Y.; Kurokawa, M.; Fukada, T.

2002-01-01

This study was undertaken to develop a method of weld plugging of the heat-exchanger tubes of steam generator of Prototype FBR 'MONJU' in case these tubes are damaged for some reason. We studied mainly the shape of plug, welding procedure and effect of postweld heat treatment (PWHT). Evaporator tube sheet, tube and plug are made of 2-1/4Cr-1Mo steel and usually preheating and PWHT will be required for welding of this steel. The results of this study is as follows. 1) Plug was designed to make butt joint welding with grooved tube sheet around the tube hole to satisfy the requirements of plug designing, stress analysis, and good weldability. 2) TIG welding process was selected and certified its good weldability and good performance. 3) PWHT can be done by using high frequency induction heating method locally and also designing the plug to weld joint with tube sheet which was grooved around the tube hole. 4) Mock up test was done and it was certified that this plugging procedure has good weldability and good performance ability for Non Destructive Inspection. (author)

Results of an integration study of a diagnostics port plug in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salasca, Sophie; Cantone, Bruno; Grosman, André; Esposito, Basilio; Moro, Fabio; Morocco, Daniele; Villari, Rosaria; Angelone, Maurizio; Rincon, Esther; Hidalgo, Carlos; Nagy, Daniel; Kocsis, Gabor; Varela, Paulo; Porempovics, Gabor; Perrollaz, Guillaume; Patel, Kunal; Krivchenkov, Yuri; Walsh, Michael

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► An extensive study on the integration of diagnostics in a port plug of ITER has been performed. ► It has shown that the diagnostic performances could not be reached if their number was not decreased. ► A design of Diagnostic Shield Modules has been validated through mechanical and thermal analyses. ► These analyses have confirmed that the highest loads are concentrated in the vicinity of the plasma. -- Abstract: Diagnostics in ITER are mandatory to characterize the parameters of plasma and study its interactions with plasma-facing components. Diagnostics components in the vicinity of the plasma are supported by metallic structures called port plugs. At the tokamak mid-plane, these components are installed in port plugs through intermediate structures called drawers. Apart from hosting the diagnostics, the port plugs act as shielding against neutrons and gammas, in order to limit the nuclear loads in crucial components (such as diagnostics and superconducting coils) as well as the dose levels in the controlled zones of the tokamak. The radiation shielding function of the port plugs is ensured through an optimized mixture of heavy metallic materials and water, forming shielding blocks surrounding the diagnostics and called Diagnostic Shield Modules (DSMs). These DSMs constitute the rear part of the drawers (the front part being composed of the Diagnostic First Wall). This paper presents the main results of a study performed in Europe on the integration of a particular diagnostics port plug, the Equatorial Port Plug 1 (EPP1). The paper first provides the results of the EPP1 diagnostics integration analysis. In a second step it focuses on the design of the EPP1 DSMs and summarizes the major results of a thorough set of analyses aiming at studying the DSMs behaviour under different loads, suggesting recommendations to improve their current design

From catastrophic acceleration to deceleration of liquid plugs in prewetted capillary tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Magniez, Juan; Baudoin, Michael; Zoueshtiagh, Farzam; Lemac/Lics Team

2016-11-01

Liquid/gas flows in capillaries are involved in a multitude of systems including flow in porous media, petroleum extraction, imbibition of paper or flows in pulmonary airways in pathological conditions. Liquid plugs, witch compose the biphasic flows, can have a dramatic impact on patients with pulmonary obstructive diseases, since they considerably alter the circulation of air in the airways and thus can lead to severe breathing difficulties. Here, the dynamics of liquid plugs in prewetted capillary tube is investigated experimentally and theoretically, with a particular emphasis on the role of the prewetting films and of the driving condition (constant flow rate, constant pressure). For both driving conditions, the plugs can either experience a continuous increase or decrease of their size. While this phenomenon is regular in the case of imposed flow rate, a constant pressure head can lead to a catastrophic acceleration of the plug and eventually its rupture or a dramatic increase of the plug size. A theoretical model is proposed to explain the transition between theses two regimes. These results give a new insight on the critical pressure required for airways obstruction and reopening. IEMN, International Laboratory LEMAC/LICS, UMR CNRS 8520, University of Lille.

Small-sized PdCu nanocapsules on 3D graphene for high-performance ethanol oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

HuThese Authors Contributed Equally To This Work., Chuangang; Zhai, Xiangquan; Zhao, Yang; Bian, Ke; Zhang, Jing; Qu, Liangti; Zhang, Huimin; Luo, Hongxia

2014-02-01

A one-pot solvothermal process has been developed for direct preparation of PdCu nanocapsules (with a size of ca. 10 nm) on three-dimensional (3D) graphene. Due to the 3D pore-rich network of graphene and the unique hollow structure of PdCu nanocapsules with a wall thickness of ca. 3 nm, the newly-prepared PdCu/3D graphene hybrids activated electrochemically have great electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation in alkaline media, much better than single-phase Pd and commercial E-TEK 20% Pt/C catalysts promising for application in direct ethanol fuel cells.A one-pot solvothermal process has been developed for direct preparation of PdCu nanocapsules (with a size of ca. 10 nm) on three-dimensional (3D) graphene. Due to the 3D pore-rich network of graphene and the unique hollow structure of PdCu nanocapsules with a wall thickness of ca. 3 nm, the newly-prepared PdCu/3D graphene hybrids activated electrochemically have great electrocatalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation in alkaline media, much better than single-phase Pd and commercial E-TEK 20% Pt/C catalysts promising for application in direct ethanol fuel cells. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr05722d

Remote Handling behind port plug in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bede, O.; Neuberger, H.

2006-01-01

Different Test Blanket Modules (TBM) will be used in succession in the same equatorial ports of ITER. The remote handling operations for connection/disconnection of an interface between the port plug of the EU-HCPB-TBM and the port cell equipment are investigated with the goal to reach a quick and simple TBM exchange procedure. This paper describes the operations and systems which are required for connection of the TBM to its supply lines at this interface. The interface is located inside the free space of the port plug flange between the port plug shield and the bioshield of the port cell behind. The approach of the operation place is only available through a narrow gate in the bioshield opened temporarily during maintenance periods. This gate limits the dimensions of the whole system and its tools. The current design of the EU-HCPB-TBM foresees up to 9 supply lines which have to be connected inside the free space of one half of the port plug flange. The connection operations require positioning and adjustment of the tools for each pipe separately. Despite the strict circumstances it is still possible to find such an industrial jointed-arm robot with sufficient payload, which can penetrate into the working area. A mechanical system is necessary to move the robot from its storing place in the hot cell to the port plug on 6 m distance. Each operation requires different end-of-arm tools. The most special one is a pipe positioner tool, which can position and pull the pipe ends to each other and align the tool before welding and hold them in proper position during the welding process. Weld seams can be made by orbital welding tool. The pipe positioner tool has to provide place for welding tool. Using of inbore tool is impossible because pipes have no open ends where the tool could leave it. Orbital tool must be modified to meet requirements of remote handling because it is designed for human handling. The coolant is helium, so for eliminating the leak of helium it is

Device for sealing a rotating plug in a nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandstetter, R.

1975-01-01

The invention relates to the sealing of a rotating plug in a nuclear reactor. The sealing arrangement comprises a friction track which is formed along the periphery of the top of a ring mounted on a stationary element. An annular base coaxial with the plug is secured in sealing-tight manner to the stationary bearing around the ring and the track by means of a seal which rests on the annular base and also on the friction track of the ring and which comprises at least one friction ring and a clamping spring ring. The seal is clamped against the friction track to retractable clamping means when the plug is stationary, the retractable clamping means being carried by a ring secured to the first-mentioned ring. (U.S.)

Instrumentation development for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) borehole plugging program (BHP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, C.W.

1979-11-01

This report discusses the instrumentation development needs of the borehole testing program as it now exists. Although requirements may change as the program progresses, the items indicated are basic to any borehole plugging program. Instrumentation is discussed both for the plug environment and for the plug itself. For the plug environment, a probe for measuring the disturbed region and a coordinate logging tool are required. For the plug itself, instrumentation includes measurements above, within, and below the plug. Instrumentation for most measurements above the plug is currently available; for measurements within and below the plug, however, further development is required. Specifically, resistivity, induction, and acoustic probes; an in situ stressmeter; and a hardwire, feedthrough system need to be developed

Rotating plug size study for liquid-metal fast breeder reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nemeth, L.J.

1980-01-01

A study was performed to evaluate possible rotating plug arrangements. The three-, two-, and one-rotating plug schemes were developed using a set of established restrictions and component sizes. The three-rotating plug configuration is the recommended reference design

Improving the energy density of hydraulic hybrid vehicles (HHVS) and evaluating plug-in HHVS.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

This report describes analyses performed by researchers at The University of Toledo (UT) in : collaboration with researchers at the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) on the project : Improving the Energy Density of Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles (HHVs)...

Rechargeable Energy Storage Systems for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles—Assessment of Electrical Characteristics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noshin Omar

2012-08-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the performances of various lithium-ion chemistries for use in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have been investigated and compared to several other rechargeable energy storage systems technologies such as lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride and electrical-double layer capacitors. The analysis has shown the beneficial properties of lithium-ion in the terms of energy density, power density and rate capabilities. Particularly, the nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode stands out with the high energy density up to 160 Wh/kg, compared to 70–110, 90 and 71 Wh/kg for lithium iron phosphate cathode, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum cathode and, lithium titanate oxide anode battery cells, respectively. These values are considerably higher than the lead-acid (23–28 Wh/kg and nickel-metal hydride (44–53 Wh/kg battery technologies. The dynamic discharge performance test shows that the energy efficiency of the lithium-ion batteries is significantly higher than the lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride technologies. The efficiency varies between 86% and 98%, with the best values obtained by pouch battery cells, ahead of cylindrical and prismatic battery design concepts. Also the power capacity of lithium-ion technology is superior compared to other technologies. The power density is in the range of 300–2400 W/kg against 200–400 and 90–120 W/kg for lead-acid and nickel-metal hydride, respectively. However, considering the influence of energy efficiency, the power density is in the range of 100–1150 W/kg. Lithium-ion batteries optimized for high energy are at the lower end of this range and are challenged to meet the United States Advanced Battery Consortium, SuperLIB and Massachusetts Institute of Technology goals. Their association with electric-double layer capacitors, which have low energy density (4–6 Wh/kg but outstanding power capabilities, could be very interesting. The study of the rate capability of the lithium-ion batteries has

Plug pattern optimization for gamma knife radiosurgery treatment planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Pengpeng; Wu, Jackie; Dean, David; Xing Lei; Xue Jinyue; Maciunas, Robert; Sibata, Claudio

2003-01-01

Purpose: To develop a novel dose optimization algorithm for improving the sparing of critical structures during gamma knife radiosurgery by shaping the plug pattern of each individual shot. Method and Materials: We first use a geometric information (medial axis) aided guided evolutionary simulated annealing (GESA) optimization algorithm to determine the number of shots and isocenter location, size, and weight of each shot. Then we create a plug quality score system that checks the dose contribution to the volume of interest by each plug in the treatment plan. A positive score implies that the corresponding source could be open to improve tumor coverage, whereas a negative score means the source could be blocked for the purpose of sparing normal and critical structures. The plug pattern is then optimized via the GESA algorithm that is integrated with this score system. Weight and position of each shot are also tuned in this procedure. Results: An acoustic tumor case is used to evaluate our algorithm. Compared to the treatment plan generated without plug patterns, adding an optimized plug pattern into the treatment planning process boosts tumor coverage index from 95.1% to 97.2%, reduces RTOG conformity index from 1.279 to 1.167, lowers Paddick's index from 1.34 to 1.20, and trims the critical structure receiving more than 30% maximum dose from 16 mm 3 to 6 mm 3 . Conclusions: Automated GESA-based plug pattern optimization of gamma knife radiosurgery frees the treatment planning team from the manual forward planning procedure and provides an optimal treatment plan

Installation of the backfill and plug test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunnarsson, D.; Borgesson, L.; Hokmark, H.; Hohannesson, L.E.; Sanden, T.

2003-01-01

The Backfill and Plug Test is a full scale test of backfill material, backfilling technique and a tunnel plug. The main objectives of the Backfill and Plug Test are: - to develop and test different materials and compaction techniques for backfilling of tunnels excavated by blasting; - to test the function of the backfill and its interaction with the surrounding rock in a tunnel excavated by blasting; - to develop technique for building tunnel plugs and to test the function. The installation was made in the Swedish underground laboratory, Aspo HRL, during 1999. The inner part of the tunnel is not used for the test but was filled with drainage material. The test volume, which is about 28 m long, can be divided into the following three parts: - the inner part filled with backfill containing 30% bentonite; - the outer part filled with backfill without bentonite and bentonite blocks and pellets at the roof; - the plug. Permeable layers divide the test volume into 11 test sections. The permeable layers are used for increasing the water saturation rate in the backfill and for applying hydraulic gradients between the layers for studying the flow of water in the backfill and in the near field rock. The permeable layers were installed every 2.2 m and each layer is divided into three units in order to separately measure the flow close to the roof, in the central areas of the tunnel and close to the floor. The outer part ends with a wall of prefabricated concrete beams that were used for temporary support of the backfill during the casting of the plug. The upper volume close to the plug is filled with bentonite pellets and blocks consisting of 20% bentonite and 80% sand. The backfill is instrumented with 34 pore water pressure cells, 21 total pressure cells, 57 sensors for monitoring the water saturation and 13 gauges for measuring the local hydraulic conductivity. The water pressures in the permeable mats are measured in all sections. Four pressure cylinders, 2 in the roof

Borehole plugging by hydrothermal transport: an interim report on experimental studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, D.M.; White, W.B.

1975-01-01

Five possible systems that might lead to borehole plugs were considered with respect to replacement of the original rock with a material of essentially the same chemical composition and mineralogical makeup or with the introduction of other materials that might be chemically compatible with the surrounding wall rock. The five systems were: Quartz or chalcedony plugs from the SiO 2 -water system, replacement of shale rock by transport in the ''clay''-water system, hydrothermal cement systems, carbonate plugs in limestone and dolomite, and sulfur plugs by transport in the system sulfur-water. Hydrothermal cements appear to be most feasible from an engineering and economic point of view. Pressures and temperatures for reactions in the systems CaO-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 -H 2 O are modest and there is evidence that the plug formed would have a lower porosity and permeability than those derived from more conventional cement systems. Further, the mineral phases, principally tobermorite, are likely to be compatible with expected shale, sandstone, and limestone wall rock materials. Calcite (but not dolomite) plugs could be formed in limestone or dolomite rock. Less is known about carbonate plugs and the porosity, permeability, and possible reactions with circulating groundwater. Quartz or chalcedony plugs would be the most impervious, have the lowest chemical reactivity with groundwater, the lowest thermal expansion, and be the most compatible with the wall rock but would be extremely difficult to form in place. It was concluded that replacement of shales by clay, mica, or other layer silicate transport in hydrothermal solution was limited by the extremely sluggish kinetics of these reactions and that a practical plug of such materials is not feasible. Likewise, the sulfur-water system was found to be unlikely to yield a plug material

Perception and reality: Public knowledge of plug-in electric vehicles in 21 U.S. cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krause, Rachel M.; Carley, Sanya R.; Lane, Bradley W.; Graham, John D.

2013-01-01

This paper examines the extent of consumer knowledge about plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and the current policies in place to encourage their purchase and use. Data are collected via a survey administered to a sample of 2302 adult drivers in 21 of the largest cities in the United States. Almost two-thirds of the respondents provided incorrect answers to basic factual questions about PEVs and, of those, approximately 75% underestimated their private value or advantages. The vast majority (94.5%) of respondents were not aware of the current state and local incentives in place in their locale to encourage PEV purchase and use. Based on a review of consumer theory, multivariate models are developed and used to assess the factors associated with consumer interest in the two major types of PEV technologies, Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV). Results show demographic and attitudinal characteristics having the largest influence on interest in either type of PEV. Misperceptions about purchase price and expected fuel and maintenance savings are likewise significant, although their impacts differ between BEVs and PHEVs. Better informing consumers about already available public incentives and advantageous aspects of existing PEV technologies offer promising steps toward their mass commercialization. - Highlights: • Survey analysis examines consumer knowledge of PEVs and current public policies. • Majority of respondents have incorrect perceptions about basic PEV characteristics. • Vast majority of respondents are not aware of current state and local PEV policies. • Misperception about fuel and maintenance savings significantly affects PEV interest

In situ biosynthesis of bacterial nanocellulose-CaCO{sub 3} hybrid bionanocomposite: One-step process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohammadkazemi, Faranak, E-mail: f_mkazemi@sbu.ac.ir [Department of Cellulose and Paper Technology, Faculty of New Technologies Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, Science and Research Campus, Zirab, Savadkooh, Mazandaran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Faria, Marisa; Cordeiro, Nereida [Faculty of Exact Science and Engineering, University of Madeira, Funchal (Portugal)

2016-08-01

In this work, a simple and green route to the synthesis of the bacterial nanocellulose-calcium carbonate (BNC/CaCO{sub 3}) hybrid bionanocomposites using one-step in situ biosynthesis was studied. The CaCO{sub 3} was incorporated in the bacterial nanocellulose structure during the cellulose biosynthesis by Gluconacetobacter xylinus PTCC 1734 bacteria. Hestrin-Schramm (HS) and Zhou (Z) culture media were used to the hybrid bionanocomposites production and the effect of ethanol addition was investigated. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, inverse gas chromatography and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the samples. The experimental results demonstrated that the ethanol and culture medium play an important role in the BNC/CaCO{sub 3} hybrid bionanocomposites production, structure and properties. The BNC/CaCO{sub 3} biosynthesized in Z culture medium revealed higher O/C ratio and amphoteric surface character, which justify the highest CaCO{sub 3} content incorporation. The CaCO{sub 3} was incorporated into the cellulosic matrix decreasing the bacterial nanocellulose crystallinity. This work reveals the high potential of in situ biosynthesis of BNC/CaCO{sub 3} hybrid bionanocomposites and opens a new way to the high value-added applications of bacterial nanocellulose. - Graphical Abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • BNC/CaCO{sub 3} hybrid bionanocomposites were produced using in situ biosynthesis process. • Ethanol and culture medium play an important role in the production and properties. • Z-BNC/CaCO{sub 3} bionanocomposites revealed higher O/C ratio and amphoteric surface character. • CaCO{sub 3} incorporated into the BNC decreased crystallinity.

Hydrological responses to channelization and the formation of valley plugs and shoals

Science.gov (United States)

Pierce, Aaron R.; King, Sammy L.

2017-01-01

Rehabilitation of floodplain systems focuses on restoring interactions between the fluvial system and floodplain, however, there is a paucity of information on the effects of valley plugs and shoals on floodplain hydrological processes. We investigated hydrologic regimes in floodplains at three valley plug sites, two shoal sites, and three unchannelized sites. Valley plug sites had altered surface and sub-surface hydrology relative to unchannelized sites, while only sub-surface hydrology was affected at shoal sites. Some of the changes were unexpected, such as reduced flood duration and flood depth in floodplains associated with valley plugs. Our results emphasize the variability associated with hydrologic processes around valley plugs and our rudimentary understanding of the effects associated with these geomorphic features. Water table levels were lower at valley plug sites compared to unchannelized sites, however, valley plug sites had a greater proportion of days when water table inundation was above mean root collar depth than both shoal and unchannelized sites as a result of lower root collar depths and higher deposition rates. This study has provided evidence that valley plugs can affect both surface and sub-surface hydrology in different ways than previously thought and illustrates the variability in hydrological responses to valley plug formation.

Geochemical factors in borehole-shaft plug longevity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, D.M.

1981-01-01

Geochemical investigations that address factors controlling the longevity of repository sealing materials in a geochemical environment are discussed. Studies are being made of cement-based materials as major candidates for seals for borehole plugging, and shaft and tunnel sealing in certain potential repository environments. Factors controlling the extent of attainment of equilibrium of the plug components with time and the rate of approach to a state of stable equilibrium of the plug component chemical subsystem within the total system are discussed. The effect of these factors on changes in physical, mechanical and thermal properties of a seal system, and the consequent effectiveness of the seal in preventing transport of radioactive waste species are the dominant features to be determined. Laboratory experiments on the effects of anticipated temperature, pressure, and environmental factors (including chemical composition and specific rock type) are described. Thermodynamic studies are used to determine the potentially stable reaction products under conditions similar to those anticipated for the repository boreholes, shafts, and tunnels during and after the operating stage. Multitemperature reaction series are studied, and reaction kinetics are investigated for the purpose of predicting the course of likely reactions. Detailed studies of permeability, diffusion, and interfacial properties and chemical and microphase characterization of the products of experiments are carried out. Characterization studies of old and ancient cements, mortars, and concretes and prototype man-made seal materials are performed to further assess the factors associated with longevity

Circadian activity rhythms and voluntary ethanol intake in male and female ethanol-preferring rats: effects of long-term ethanol access.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenwasser, Alan M; McCulley, Walter D; Fecteau, Matthew

2014-11-01

Chronic alcohol (ethanol) intake alters fundamental properties of the circadian clock. While previous studies have reported significant alterations in free-running circadian period during chronic ethanol access, these effects are typically subtle and appear to require high levels of intake. In the present study we examined the effects of long-term voluntary ethanol intake on ethanol consumption and free-running circadian period in male and female, selectively bred ethanol-preferring P and HAD2 rats. In light of previous reports that intermittent access can result in escalated ethanol intake, an initial 2-week water-only baseline was followed by either continuous or intermittent ethanol access (i.e., alternating 15-day epochs of ethanol access and ethanol deprivation) in separate groups of rats. Thus, animals were exposed to either 135 days of continuous ethanol access or to five 15-day access periods alternating with four 15-day periods of ethanol deprivation. Animals were maintained individually in running-wheel cages under continuous darkness throughout the experiment to allow monitoring of free-running activity and drinking rhythms, and 10% (v/v) ethanol and plain water were available continuously via separate drinking tubes during ethanol access. While there were no initial sex differences in ethanol drinking, ethanol preference increased progressively in male P and HAD2 rats under both continuous and intermittent-access conditions, and eventually exceeded that seen in females. Free-running period shortened during the initial ethanol-access epoch in all groups, but the persistence of this effect showed complex dependence on sex, breeding line, and ethanol-access schedule. Finally, while females of both breeding lines displayed higher levels of locomotor activity than males, there was little evidence for modulation of activity level by ethanol access. These results are consistent with previous findings that chronic ethanol intake alters free-running circadian

Preconceptual systems and equipment for plugging of man-made accesses to a repository in basalt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, C.L.; O'Rourke, J.E.; Allirot, D.; O'Connor, K.

1980-09-01

This report presents results of a study leading to preconceptual designs for plugging boreholes, shafts, and tunnels to a nuclear waste repository in basalt. Beginning design criteria include a list of preferred plug materials and plugging machines that were selected to suit the environmental conditions, and depths, diameters, and orientations of the accesses to a nuclear waste repository in the Columbia River basalts located in eastern Washington State. The environmental conditions are described. The fiscal year 1979-1980 Task II work is presented in two parts: preliminary testing of materials for plugging of man-made accesses to a repository in basalt (described in a separate report); and preconceptual systems and equipment for plugging of man-made accesses to a repository in basalt (described in this report). To fulfill the scope of the Task II work, Woodward-Clyde Consultants (WCC) was requested to: provide preconceptual systems for plugging boreholes, tunnels, and shafts in basalt; describe preconceptual borehole plugging equipment for placing the selected materials in man-made accesses; utilize the quality assurance program, program plan and schedule, and work plans previously developed for Task II; and prepare a preliminary report

Versatile Friction Stir Welding/Friction Plug Welding System

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Robert

2006-01-01

A proposed system of tooling, machinery, and control equipment would be capable of performing any of several friction stir welding (FSW) and friction plug welding (FPW) operations. These operations would include the following: Basic FSW; FSW with automated manipulation of the length of the pin tool in real time [the so-called auto-adjustable pin-tool (APT) capability]; Self-reacting FSW (SRFSW); SR-FSW with APT capability and/or real-time adjustment of the distance between the front and back shoulders; and Friction plug welding (FPW) [more specifically, friction push plug welding] or friction pull plug welding (FPPW) to close out the keyhole of, or to repair, an FSW or SR-FSW weld. Prior FSW and FPW systems have been capable of performing one or two of these operations, but none has thus far been capable of performing all of them. The proposed system would include a common tool that would have APT capability for both basic FSW and SR-FSW. Such a tool was described in Tool for Two Types of Friction Stir Welding (MFS- 31647-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 10 (October 2006), page 70. Going beyond what was reported in the cited previous article, the common tool could be used in conjunction with a plug welding head to perform FPW or FPPW. Alternatively, the plug welding head could be integrated, along with the common tool, into a FSW head that would be capable of all of the aforementioned FSW and FPW operations. Any FSW or FPW operation could be performed under any combination of position and/or force control.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Value Proposition Study - Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sikes, Karen [Sentech, Inc.; Hadley, Stanton W [ORNL; McGill, Ralph N [ORNL; Cleary, Timothy [Sentech, Inc.

2010-07-01

PHEVs have been the subject of growing interest in recent years because of their potential for reduced operating costs, oil displacement, national security, and environmental benefits. Despite the potential long-term savings to consumers and value to stakeholders, the initial cost of PHEVs presents a major market barrier to their widespread commercialization. The study Objectives are: (1) To identify and evaluate value-added propositions for PHEVs that will help overcome the initial price premium relative to comparable ICEs and HEVs and (2) to assess other non-monetary benefits and barriers associated with an emerging PHEV fleet, including environmental, societal, and grid impacts. Study results indicate that a single PHEV-30 on the road in 2030 will: (1) Consume 65% and 75% less gasoline than a comparable HEV and ICE, respectively; (2) Displace 7.25 and 4.25 barrels of imported oil each year if substituted for equivalent ICEs and HEVs, respectively, assuming 60% of the nation's oil consumed is imported; (3) Reduce net ownership cost over 10 years by 8-10% relative to a comparable ICE and be highly cost competitive with a comparable HEV; (4) Use 18-22% less total W2W energy than a comparable ICE, but 8-13% more than a comparable HEV (assuming a 70/30 split of E10 and E85 use in 2030); and (5) Emit 10% less W2W CO{sub 2} than equivalent ICEs in southern California and emits 13% more W2W CO{sub 2} than equivalent ICEs in the ECAR region. This also assumes a 70/30 split of E10 and E85 use in 2030. PHEVs and other plug-in vehicles on the road in 2030 may offer many valuable benefits to utilities, business owners, individual consumers, and society as a whole by: (1) Promoting national energy security by displacing large volumes of imported oil; (2) Supporting a secure economy through the expansion of domestic vehicle and component manufacturing; (3) Offsetting the vehicle's initial price premium with lifetime operating cost savings (e.g., lower fuel and

Modifications in adrenal hormones response to ethanol by prior ethanol dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Guaza, C; Borrell, S

1985-03-01

Ethanol was administered to rats by means of a liquid diet for 16 days; after an ethanol-free interval of four weeks, animals received a test (IP) dose of ethanol (2 g/kg), and the adrenocortical and adrenomedullary responses were evaluated. Chronically ethanol-exposed animals showed tolerance to the stimulatory effect of ethanol in the pituitary-adrenal axis. Likewise, previously dependent rats showed tolerance to the increase in the activity of the adrenomedullary function induced by acute administration of the drug. Our results indicate that chronic ethanol ingestion can induce persistent changes after complete alcohol abstinence.

IMPROVEMENT OF BIOFUEL ETHANOL RECOVERY USING THE PERVAPORATION SEPARATION TECHNIQUE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilufer Durmaz Hilmioglu [Kocaeli University Chemical Engineering Department Veziroglu Campus, Kocaeli (Turkey)

2008-09-30

The climatic impact of carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels have become a major problem. The production of renewable biofuels from biomass has received increasing attention. Because of the economic and environmental benefits of fuel ethanol's use it is considered one of the most important renewable fuels. In ethanol fermentations inhibition of the microorganism by ethanol limits the amount of substrate in the feed that can be converted. In a process high feed concentrations are desirable to minimize the flows. Such high feed concentrations can be realized in integrated processes in which ethanol is recovered by pervaporation from the fermentation broth as it is formed. The hybrid process is an attractive process to increase ethanol production economics and to decrease environmental pollution. The separaiton of alcohol from mixtures with ethanol produced by fermentation is usually carried out by distillation and the energy consumption is very high when azeotropic concentration is reached, which corresponds to 5% water in ethanol/water mixture. The pervaporation process provides an economical alternative to the existing distillation technique. A continous recovery of alcohol could be achieved by using the pervaporation process during fermentation, making the process more energy efficient. In this work, for the purposes of membrane material development for pervaporation; zeolite filled and unfilled cellulose acetate membranes were prepared. Zeolite types were 4A, 13X. The effect of incorporation of nano-sized zeolites prepared in a colloidal form in membranes was also investigated. From the sorption tests it is concluded that, ethanol/water azeotropy can be breaked by pervaporation.

Design and force analysis of end-effector for plug seedling transplanter.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhuohua; Hu, Yang; Jiang, Huanyu; Tong, Junhua

2017-01-01

Automatic transplanters have been very important in greenhouses since the popularization of seedling nurseries. End-effector development is a key technology for transplanting plug seedlings. Most existing end-effectors have problems with holding root plugs or releasing plugs. An efficient end-effector driven by a linear pneumatic cylinder was designed in this study, which could hold root plugs firmly and release plugs easily. This end-effector with four needles could clamp the plug simultaneously while the needles penetrate into the substrate. The depth and verticality of the needles could be adjusted conveniently for different seedling trays. The effectiveness of this end-effector was tested by a combinational trial examining three seedling nursery factors (the moisture content of the substrate, substrate bulk density and the volume proportion of substrate ingredients). Results showed that the total transplanting success rate for the end-effector was 100%, and the root plug harm rate was below 17%. A force measure system with tension and pressure transducers was installed on the designed end-effector. The adhesive force FL between the root plug and the cell of seedling trays and the extrusion force FK on the root plug were measured and analyzed. The results showed that all three variable factors and their interactions had significant effects on the extrusion force. Each factor had a significant effect on adhesive force. Additionally, it was found that the end-effector did not perform very well when the value of FK/FL was beyond the range of 5.99~8.67. This could provide a scientific basis for end-effector application in transplanting.

Waste isolation pilot plant (WIPP) borehole plugging program description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, C.L.; Hunter, T.O.

1979-08-01

The tests and experiments described attempt to provide a mix of borehole (with limited access) and in-mine (with relatively unlimited access) environments in which assessment of the various issues involved can be undertaken. The Bell Canyon Test provides the opportunity to instrument and analyze a plug in a high pressure region. The Shallow Hole Test permits application of best techniques for plugging and then access to both the top and bottom of the plug for further analysis. The Diagnostic Test Hole permits recovery of bench scale size samples for analysis and establishes an in-borehole laboratory in which to conduct testing and analysis in all strata from the surface into the salt horizon. The additional in mine experiments provide the opportunity to investigate in more detail specific effects on plugs in the salt region and allows evaluation of instrumentation systems

Method for preventing plugging of water wells by clay

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blazhkov, V I

1966-01-01

A method is suggested for preventing the plugging of water-bearing sands by clay from drilling fluids. It consists in placing a cement plug in the upper nipple above the filter, in order to prevent its plugging during the installation. The drilling mud passes through the rinsing windows and fills the internal void of the filter column, thus preventing further percolation and plugging of the filter during its lowering. When a 2-filter column is lowered, the clay solution is pumped into the interval between the cement plug and the next filter; this is done gradually in proportion to the addition of new pipes. When the drilling mud level lowers in the annular space between the pipes, the mud cake, together with water-saturated sand, passes through the rinsing windows into the pipes and is removed to the surface by airlift or other methods. This procedure is described in detail, discussed for various conditions of well structure, and illustrated by schematic drawings. Its advantage is in the possibility of separate testing and production of all water-bearing zones in the well, and it does not require the use of pure water for well washing.

Patterns of surface burrow plugging in a colony of black-tailed prairie dogs occupied by black-footed ferrets

Science.gov (United States)

Eads, David E.; Biggins, Dean E.

2012-01-01

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) can surface-plug openings to a burrow occupied by a black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). At a coarse scale, surface plugs are more common in colonies of prairie dogs occupied by ferrets than in colonies without ferrets. However, little is known about spatial and temporal patterns of surface plugging in a colony occupied by ferrets. In a 452-ha colony of black-tailed prairie dogs in South Dakota, we sampled burrow openings for surface plugs and related those data to locations of ferrets observed during spotlight surveys. Of 67,574 burrow openings in the colony between June and September 2007, 3.7% were plugged. In a colony-wide grid of 80 m × 80 m cells, the occurrence of surface plugging (≥1 opening plugged) was greater in cells used by ferrets (93.3% of cells) than in cells not observably used by ferrets (70.6%). Rates of surface plugging (percentages of openings plugged) were significantly higher in cells used by ferrets (median = 3.7%) than in cells without known ferret use (median = 3.2%). Also, numbers of ferret locations in cells correlated positively with numbers of mapped surface plugs in the cells. To investigate surface plugging at finer temporal and spatial scales, we compared rates of surface plugging in 20-m-radius circle-plots centered on ferret locations and in random plots 1–4 days after observing a ferret (Jun–Oct 2007 and 2008). Rates of surface plugging were greater in ferret-plots (median = 12.0%) than in random plots (median = 0%). For prairie dogs and their associates, the implications of surface plugging could be numerous. For instance, ferrets must dig to exit or enter plugged burrows (suggesting energetic costs), and surface plugs might influence microclimates in burrows and consequently influence species that cannot excavate soil (e.g., fleas that transmit the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis).

Efficient ethanol recovery from yeast fermentation broth with integrated distillation-membrane process

Science.gov (United States)

A hybrid process integrating vapor stripping with vapor compression and vapor permeation membrane separation, termed Membrane Assisted Vapor Stripping (MAVS), was evaluated for recovery and dehydration of ethanol from aqueous solution as an alternative to conventional distillatio...

A Personalized Rolling Optimal Charging Schedule for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle Based on Statistical Energy Demand Analysis and Heuristic Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanrong Kong

2017-09-01

Full Text Available To alleviate the emission of greenhouse gas and the dependence on fossil fuel, Plug-in Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (PHEVs have gained an increasing popularity in current decades. Due to the fluctuating electricity prices in the power market, a charging schedule is very influential to driving cost. Although the next-day electricity prices can be obtained in a day-ahead power market, a driving plan is not easily made in advance. Although PHEV owners can input a next-day plan into a charging system, e.g., aggregators, day-ahead, it is a very trivial task to do everyday. Moreover, the driving plan may not be very accurate. To address this problem, in this paper, we analyze energy demands according to a PHEV owner’s historical driving records and build a personalized statistic driving model. Based on the model and the electricity spot prices, a rolling optimization strategy is proposed to help make a charging decision in the current time slot. On one hand, by employing a heuristic algorithm, the schedule is made according to the situations in the following time slots. On the other hand, however, after the current time slot, the schedule will be remade according to the next tens of time slots. Hence, the schedule is made by a dynamic rolling optimization, but it only decides the charging decision in the current time slot. In this way, the fluctuation of electricity prices and driving routine are both involved in the scheduling. Moreover, it is not necessary for PHEV owners to input a day-ahead driving plan. By the optimization simulation, the results demonstrate that the proposed method is feasible to help owners save charging costs and also meet requirements for driving.

Electric and hydrogen consumption analysis in plug-in road vehicles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribau, Joao P.; Silva, Carla M.; Faria, Tiago L. [IDMEC, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1 Pav. Mecanica I, 2 andar, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

2010-07-01

The main goal of the present study is to analyze some of the capabilities and behavior of two types of plug-in cars: battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric, facing different driving styles, different road gradients, different occupation rates, different electrical loads, and different battery's initial state of charge. In order to do that, four vehicles with different power/weight (kW/kg) ratio (0.044 to 0.150) were simulated in the software ADVISOR, which gives predictions of energy consumption, and behavior of vehicle's power train components (including energy regeneration) along specified driving cycles. The required energy, electricity and/or hydrogen, to overcome the specified driving schedules, allowed to estimate fuel life cycle's CO2 emissions and primary energy. A vehicle with higher power/weight ratio (kW/kg) demonstrated to be less affected in operation and in variation of the energy consumption, facing the different case studies, however may have higher consumptions in some cases. The autonomy, besides depending on the fuel consumption, is directly associated with the type and capacity (kWh) of the chosen battery, plus the stored hydrogen (if fuel cell vehicles are considered, PHEV-FC). The PHEV-FC showed to have higher autonomy than the battery vehicles, but higher energy consumption which is extremely dependent on the type and ratio of energy used, hydrogen or electricity. An aggressive driving style, higher road gradient and increase of weight, required more energy and power to the vehicle and presented consumption increases near to 77%, 621%, 19% respectively. Higher electrical load and battery's initial state of charge, didn't affect directly vehicle's dynamic. The first one drained energy directly from the battery plus demanded a fraction of its power, with energy consumption maximum increasing near 71%. The second one restricted the autonomy without influence directly the energy consumption per