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Thermodynamic Optimization of Energy Systems

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Thermodynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 852

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Department of Engineering, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-900, MG, Brazil
Interests: biofuels; biomass conversion; process integration; modeling and design of biorefineries
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on Thermodynamic Optimization of Energy Systems explores advanced methods for the design, optimization, and sustainability of energy systems in response to global energy and environmental challenges. Key topics include multi-objective optimization techniques, exergy and pinch analysis, life cycle assessment, and computational modeling for enhancing the efficiency of thermodynamic processes. Research covers biofuel production, hydrogen technology, and the integration of renewables, focusing on energy transitions in agricultural and industrial sectors. Emphasis is placed on innovative thermodynamic cycles, the optimization of energy conversion processes, emission reduction strategies, and resource management, offering critical insights for sustainable energy system design and operation.

Dr. Adriano Viana Ensinas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • thermodynamics
  • energy optimization
  • sustainable energy systems
  • multi-objective optimization
  • emission reduction strategies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 5719 KiB  
Article
Exergy Analysis of a Convective Heat Pump Dryer Integrated with a Membrane Energy Recovery Ventilator
by Anand Balaraman, Md Ashiqur Rahman, Davide Ziviani and David M. Warsinger
Entropy 2025, 27(2), 197; https://doi.org/10.3390/e27020197 - 13 Feb 2025
Viewed by 670
Abstract
To increase energy efficiency, heat pump dryers and membrane dryers have been proposed to replace conventional fossil fuel dryers. Both conventional and heat pump dryers require substantial energy for condensing and reheating, while “active” membrane systems require vacuum pumps that are insufficiently developed. [...] Read more.
To increase energy efficiency, heat pump dryers and membrane dryers have been proposed to replace conventional fossil fuel dryers. Both conventional and heat pump dryers require substantial energy for condensing and reheating, while “active” membrane systems require vacuum pumps that are insufficiently developed. Lower temperature dehumidification systems make efficient use of membrane energy recovery ventilators (MERVs) that do not need vacuum pumps, but their high heat losses and lack of vapor selectivity have prevented their use in industrial drying. In this work, we propose an insulating membrane energy recovery ventilator for moisture removal from drying exhaust air, thereby reducing sensible heat loss from the dehumidification process and reheating energy. The second law analysis of the proposed system is carried out and compared with a baseline convective heat pump dryer. Irreversibilities in each component under different ambient temperatures (5–35 °C) and relative humidity (5–95%) are identified. At an ambient temperature of 35 °C, the proposed system substantially reduces sensible heat loss (47–60%) in the dehumidification process, resulting in a large reduction in condenser load (45–50%) compared to the baseline system. The evaporator in the proposed system accounts for up to 59% less irreversibility than the baseline system. A maximum of 24.5% reduction in overall exergy input is also observed. The highest exergy efficiency of 10.2% is obtained at an ambient condition of 35 °C and 5% relative humidity, which is more than twice the efficiency of the baseline system under the same operating condition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermodynamic Optimization of Energy Systems)
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