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Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "B: Energy and Environment".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 23824

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Prof. Dr. Wojciech Stanek

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Guest Editor

Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Thermal Technology, S. Konarskiego 22, Gliwice, Poland
Interests: thermo-ecological cost; exergy; cumulative energy and exergy consumption; optimization; energy systems; cogeneration and trigeneration; mathematical modeling and simulation
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Dr. Paweł Gładysz

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Guest Editor

AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, A. Mickiewicza 30, Kraków, Poland
Interests: Techno-Economic Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment, Mathematical Modeling and Simulation, CO2 Capture and Storage, Clean Coal Technologies, Cogeneration

Special Issue Information

ECOS 2019 conference aims at disseminating advanced scientific and engineering knowledge on efficiency, costs, optimisation, simulation and environmental impact of energy systems.

The overall objective of the conference is to introduce scholars of the subject, policy makers, and interested groups to cutting edge research that benefits society and stimulates economic growth. It is also intended to initiate discussion among international scholars from multiple disciplines, on the current state of energy-related research, including the impacts of energy use and conversion on critical resources, such as water, or on climate change. The conference strives to foster new collaborative and interdisciplinary relationships among emerging and established engineers, scientists, and policy makers. ECOS 2019 was particularly focused around the concept of circular economy and thermal and cryogenic energy storage – two topics that are in the centre of attention within the scientific community.

ECOS’s topics are built on the fundamentals of thermodynamics, with vigorous attention to all forms of energy conversion and enabling research tools, such as exergy analysis. Papers on any of the related themes, including the following, are invited.

Analytical and experimental aspects of hydrogen energy
Basic and applied thermodynamics
Biomass, biofuels
Biomedical applications and Exergy
Circular economy
Combustion, gasification, reaction engineering and CO2 mitigation
Distributed generation
Energy and buildings
Energy and water nexus
Energy conversion and conservation
Energy policy and planning
Energy resources
Energy storage
Energy use (building, transportation, desalination, etc.)
Environmental impact of energy
Exergy
Fluid dynamics and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Fuel cells
Heat and mass transfer
Hydrogen carriers such as NH3, CH4
Industrial energy use
Micro and nano energy processes and devices
Mining, drilling, and fracturing for energy resources
Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and low grade thermal energy recovery
Power generation and Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Process integration and optimization
Refrigeration and heat pumps
Renewable energy - solar, wind, hydro, etc.
Smart grids and renewables integration
Sustainable energy systems

Thermal and Cryogenic Energy Storage

Prof. Wojciech Stanek
Dr. Paweł Gładysz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

energy systems
exergy
mathematical modeling and simulation
optimization
environmental impact
techno-economic analysis
renewable energy sources
alternative fuels
fuel cells
CO2 capture and storage
circular economy
hybrid power systems
thermal and cryogenic energy storage

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 5655 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Techno-Economic Assessment of a Combined Heat and Power Plant Integrated with Carbon Dioxide Removal Technology: A Case Study for Central Poland

by Paweł Gładysz, Anna Sowiżdżał, Maciej Miecznik, Maciej Hacaga and Leszek Pająk

Energies 2020, 13(11), 2841; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112841 - 03 Jun 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3836

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the techno-economic potential of the proposed novel energy system, which allows for negative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂). The analyzed system comprises four main subsystems: a biomass-fired combined heat and power plant integrated with a CO₂ capture and compression unit, a CO₂ transport pipeline, a CO₂-enhanced geothermal system, and a supercritical CO₂ Brayton power cycle. For the purpose of the comprehensive techno-economic assessment, the results for the reference biomass-fired combined heat and power plant without CO₂ capture are also presented. Based on the proposed framework for energy and economic assessment, the energy efficiencies, the specific primary energy consumption of CO₂ avoidance, the cost of CO₂ avoidance, and negative CO₂ emissions are evaluated based on the results of process simulations. In addition, an overview of the relevant elements of the whole system is provided, taking into account technological progress and technology readiness levels. The specific primary energy consumption per unit of CO₂ avoided in the analyzed system is equal to 2.17 MJ_LHV/kg CO₂ for biomass only (and 6.22 MJ_LHV/kg CO₂ when geothermal energy is included) and 3.41 MJ_LHV/kg CO₂ excluding the CO₂ utilization in the enhanced geothermal system. Regarding the economic performance of the analyzed system, the levelized cost of electricity and heat are almost two times higher than those of the reference system (239.0 to 127.5 EUR/MWh and 9.4 to 5.0 EUR/GJ), which leads to negative values of the Net Present Value in all analyzed scenarios. The CO₂ avoided cost and CO₂ negative cost in the business as usual economic scenario are equal to 63.0 and 48.2 EUR/t CO₂, respectively, and drop to 27.3 and 20 EUR/t CO₂ in the technological development scenario. The analysis proves the economic feasibility of the proposed CO₂ utilization and storage option in the enhanced geothermal system integrated with the sCO₂ cycle when the cost of CO₂ transport and storage is above 10 EUR/t CO₂ (at a transport distance of 50 km). The technology readiness level of the proposed technology was assessed as TRL4 (technological development), mainly due to the early stage of the CO₂-enhanced geothermal systems development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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13 pages, 2145 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling, Simulation and Optimal Operation of Multi-Extraction Packed-Bed Thermal Storage Systems

by Alberto Romero, Ricardo Chacartegui and Emanuele Garone

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2247; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13092247 - 04 May 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

Solar thermal power technologies require storage systems to mitigate the natural variability of solar irradiation. Packed bed thermal storage systems (PBTES) offer a cost-effective solution using air as heat transfer fluid and rocks as a storage medium. Compared to its alternatives, however, PBTES presents a limited flexibility of operation due to the conventional unidirectional flow, which involves the progressive reduction of the outlet temperature during discharge and thus lowers the thermodynamic efficiency of the power cycle. The present study summarizes the progress on the design and optimal operation of a novel multi-extraction PBTES, a project that aims at mitigating its typically poor operational flexibility for solar power applications. To this end, a one-dimensional model with a high spatial resolution of a PBTES was developed, which includes four intermediate outlet points along the axial direction to investigate the benefits of optimal extraction operation. In order to reduce the computational burden, a coarser model of the storage system is used in combination with non-linear model predictive control (NLMPC). Through the optimal manipulation of the extraction valves, the output temperature is maintained close to a prescribed temperature throughout the discharge. The control admits not only constant temperature targets, but also time-varying scheduled profiles. This work describes the limitation of such a design and control approach and sets the direction for the future, more detailed analyses needed to demonstrate its applicability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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20 pages, 3983 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Effective Variants Leading to Higher Efficiency for the Geothermal Doublet, Using Numerical Analysis‒Case Study from Poland (Szczecin Trough)

by Anna Wachowicz-Pyzik, Anna Sowiżdżał, Leszek Pająk, Paweł Ziółkowski and Janusz Badur

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2174; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13092174 - 01 May 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2104

Abstract

Numerical models of geothermal doublet allows us to reduce the high risk associated with the selection of the most effective location of a production well. Furthermore, modeling is a suitable tool to verify possible changes in operational geothermal parameters, which guarantees liveliness of the system. An appropriate selection of software as well as the methodology used to generate numerical models significantly affects the quality of the obtained results. In this paper, the authors discuss the influence of such parameters as grid density and distance between wells on the efficiency of geothermal heating plant. The last stage of the analysis was connected with estimation of geothermal power potential for a hypothetical geothermal doublet. Numerical simulations were carried out using the TOUGH2 code, which applies the finite-difference method. The research was conducted in the Szczecin Trough area (NW Poland), based on archival data from Choszczno IG-1 well. The results demonstrated that in the studied case of the Choszczno region, the changes in the distance of boreholes can have a visible influence on obtained results; however the grid density of the numerical model did not achieve a significant impact on it. The results show the significant importance of numerical modeling aimed at increasing the efficiency of a potential geothermal heating plant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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38 pages, 7875 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Analysis of a Stirling Engine Hybrid Power System

by Pablo Jimenez Zabalaga, Evelyn Cardozo, Luis A. Choque Campero and Joseph Adhemar Araoz Ramos

Energies 2020, 13(4), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13040980 - 21 Feb 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6113

Abstract

The Bolivian government’s concerns that are related to reducing the consumption of diesel fuel, which is imported, subsidized, and provided to isolated electric plants in rural communities, have led to the implementation of hybrid power systems. Therefore, this article presents the performance analysis in terms of energy efficiency, economic feasibility, and environmental sustainability of a photovoltaic (PV)/Stirling battery system. The analysis includes the dynamic start-up and cooling phases of the system, and then compares its performance with a hybrid photovoltaic (PV)/diesel/battery system, whose configuration is usually more common. Both systems were initially optimized in size using the well-known energy optimization software tool, HOMER. An estimated demand for a hypothetical case study of electrification for a rural village of 102 households, called “Tacuaral de Mattos”, was also considered. However, since the characteristics of the proposed systems required a detailed analysis of its dynamics, a dynamic model that complemented the HOMER analysis was developed using MATLAB Simulink TM 8.9. The results showed that the PV/Stirling battery system represented a higher performance option to implement in the electrification project, due to its good environmental sustainability (69% savings in CO₂ emissions), economic criterion (11% savings in annualized total cost), and energy efficiency (5% savings in fuel energy conversion). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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19 pages, 11388 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Development and Testing of Novel Applications for Adsorption Heat Pumps and Chillers

by Xavier Jobard, Pierryves Padey, Martin Guillaume, Alexis Duret and Daniel Pahud

Energies 2020, 13(3), 615; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13030615 - 01 Feb 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2642

Abstract

This work aims at the development and the experimental characterization of new applications for adsorption heat pumps and chillers driven by industrial waste heat or renewable sources that can provide heating and/or cooling. Adsorption technologies offer the advantage of providing heating and cooling from low temperature sources below 100 °C without using refrigerant with high Global Warming Potential and with very low electricity consumption. Therefore, the technology enables the use of large untapped heat sources, increasing the energy efficiency of the heating and cooling sector with very limited impact on the environment. Several applications were investigated numerically for Switzerland using a simplified model of an adsorption heat pump. Four scenarios were identified as interesting: (1) the valorization of low-grade industrial waste heat in district heating networks, (2) energy efficiency improvement of district heating substations, (3) an autonomous adsorption heat pump with a wood pellets burner and (4) cooling applications. These scenarios were experimentally validated with a laboratory test of a commercial silica gel/water machine. Results show that there is a gap of up to 40% between the prediction of the simplified model and the experimental results. Therefore, there is huge potential to improve the performances of this commercial unit for these applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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31 pages, 4676 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Conceptual Design of Novel Supercritical CO₂ Power Cycles for Waste Heat Recovery

by Giovanni Manente and Mário Costa

Energies 2020, 13(2), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13020370 - 12 Jan 2020

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3810

Abstract

The supercritical CO₂ power cycle (s-CO₂) is receiving much interest in the utilization of waste heat sources in the medium-to-high temperature range. The low compression work and highly regenerative layout result in high thermal efficiencies, even at moderate turbine inlet temperatures. The capability of heat extraction from the waste heat source is, however, limited because the heat input takes place over a limited temperature range close to the maximum cycle temperature. Accordingly, novel s-CO₂ layouts have been recently proposed, aimed at increasing the heat extraction from the heat source while preserving as much as possible the inherently high thermal efficiency. Among these, the most promising ones feature dual expansion, dual recuperation, and partial heating. This work concentrates on the conceptual design of these novel s-CO₂ layouts using a systematic approach based on the superimposition of elementary thermodynamic cycles. The overall structure of the single flow split with dual expansion (also called cascade), partial heating, and dual recuperated cycles is decomposed into elementary Brayton cycles to identify the building blocks for the achievement of a high performance in the utilization of waste heat sources. A thermodynamic optimization is set up to compare the performance of the three novel layouts for utilization of high temperature waste heat at 600 °C. The results show that the single flow split with a dual expansion cycle provides 3% and 15% more power compared to the partial heating and dual recuperated cycles, respectively, and 40% more power compared to the traditional single recuperated cycle used as the baseline. The separate evaluation of thermal efficiency and heat recovery effectiveness shows the main reasons behind the achievement of the highest performance, which are peculiar to each novel layout. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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16 pages, 4878 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Three-Dimensional Microstructure-Scale Simulation of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode—The Analysis of Stack Performance Enhancement After a Long-Term Operation

by Tomasz A. Prokop, Katarzyna Berent, Marcin Mozdzierz, Janusz S. Szmyd and Grzegorz Brus

Energies 2019, 12(24), 4784; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12244784 - 15 Dec 2019

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2673

Abstract

In this research, we investigate the connection between an observed enhancement in solid oxide fuel cell stack performance and the evolution of the microstructure of its electrodes. A three dimensional, numerical model is applied to predict the porous ceramic-metal electrode performance on the basis of microstructure morphology. The model features a non-continuous computational domain based on the digital reconstruction obtained using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) electron nanotomography. The Butler–Volmer equation is used to compute the charge transfer at reaction sites, which are modeled as distinct locally distributed features of the microstructure. Specific material properties are accounted for using interpolated experimental data from the open literature. Mass transport is modeled using the extended Stefan–Maxwell model, which accounts for both the binary, and the Knudsen diffusion phenomena. The simulations are in good agreement with the experimental data, correctly predicting a decrease in total losses for the observed microstructure evolution. The research supports the hypothesis that the performance enhancement was caused by a systematic change in microstructure morphology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems)

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Selected Papers from ECOS 2019 – 32nd International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems

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