Search Results (2,170)

The electrification of regional railway lines using battery-electric trains requires accurate simulation tools to support energy management and thermal control design. This paper presents an integrated dynamic simulation model of the traction system of a Hitachi Caravaggio ETR 521 regional train operating in battery-electric mode, developed in MATLAB/Simulink 2024b. The model incorporates all key drivetrain components, including a train reference generator, speed controller, motor controller, three-phase inverter, induction motor, a Kokam Co., Ltd. lithium-ion battery pack, and a detailed battery thermal management system. The proposed framework enables simultaneous evaluation of traction performance, battery state of charge (SOC) evolution, and thermal behavior under realistic conditions. To validate the model, simulations of the Treviso–Vicenza route were conducted under two scenarios: traction-only operation and operation with a 160 kW auxiliary load. Simulation results demonstrate that auxiliary loads significantly affect energy consumption and battery thermal behavior, with energy consumption increased by 50%. The results highlight the importance of integrating thermal effects into energy management and sizing decisions for battery-electric regional trains. The developed model provides a practical tool for optimizing battery sizing, thermal management strategies, and overall energy performance, supporting the planning and design of sustainable electric railway solutions. The modular MATLAB/Simulink architecture is designed to be route-agnostic; extension to other regional lines with different gradients, speed profiles, or extreme climate conditions (e.g., alpine routes or high-temperature regions) requires only updated route data and adjusted ambient boundary conditions, demonstrating the model’s broad applicability beyond the Treviso–Vicenza case study. Full article

As an important state parameter in battery management systems, accurate state of charge (SOC) estimation is of great significance for the safe and reliable use of batteries. In this paper, a Temporal Convolutional Network–Transformer (TCN–Transformer) model is proposed for achieving accurate estimation of SOC. First, the TCN is integrated in series with the Transformer model. This integration not only extracts the local characteristics of time-series data but also captures broader spatiotemporal correlations, thereby enhancing the feature representation and achieving highly accurate estimation. However, since the hyperparameter settings of neural networks have a significant impact on model performance, this study employs the advanced hippo optimization (HO) algorithm to determine the optimal values for the number of filters, filter size, number of residual blocks, and number of encoder layers, ultimately improving the model’s stability and efficiency. Finally, the proposed model was tested under various dynamic driving conditions at different temperatures. Experimental validation on the CALCE dataset demonstrates that the proposed HO–TCN–Transformer achieves RMSE and MAE both under 0.7%, representing an approximately 50% overall error reduction compared to the standalone TCN. Cross-validation across five folds confirms robust performance with <7% standard deviation. Full article

This report presents a novel protocol for the recovery and utilization of recycled manganese oxide from used batteries through hydrothermal (HT) treatment. The recovered and treated material showed high activity towards rutin electro-oxidation (RT) on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with recovered and treated MnO₂ within a hydrothermal reactor. Material characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and density distribution and particle size analysis revealed a more homogeneous and less dispersed particle size compared to the untreated material. This treatment increased the electroactive activity of the anodic current for RT by more than 70% compared to the SPCE without MnO₂ treated with HT. The electroanalytical application of this new electrode enabled the detection of RT, with a detection limit of 0.03 µmol/L, and its application in natural samples such as coffee and flavored beverages. Full article

Industrial decarbonisation requires the large-scale integration of renewable energy into energy-intensive processes traditionally characterised by limited flexibility, high heat demands, and strong dependence on fossil fuels. In this context, energy storage, encompassing thermal and electrical storage as well as hydrogen as an energy carrier, emerges as a key enabling solution to reconcile variable renewable supply with industrial process demands. This paper proposes a dynamic techno-economic framework linking sectoral energy profiles to storage sizing and economic performance in industrial renewable integration. Storage technologies are assessed with hydrogen emerging as a long-duration buffer and a solution for decarbonising high-temperature heat. A representative industrial plant with 5 GWh/year energy demand and an 80%/20% thermal-to-electric load split is analysed under increasing solar-to-load ratios (20–60%), with storage technologies evaluated both individually and in hybrid configurations. Results demonstrate that hybrid battery–hydrogen configurations systematically outperform single-technology solutions. Yearly energy cost reductions reach 16.6–33.8% at 20% renewable penetration, 30.0–49.6% at 40%, and 43.4–62.8% at 60%, with advantages over the best standalone option increasing on average from 13.5% to 28.0% as renewable availability rises. Overall, the study identifies scale-dependent feasibility thresholds and highlights small and medium-sized industrial plants as the most actionable deployment context under current technological and market conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Language difficulties have been recognised as common in people with FASD. Assessment of the language domain is important, and the CELF, CCC, and VABS are three commonly used language assessment tools. The CCC and VABS are both informant-report questionnaires, whilst the CELF is completed in person by a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT). As many neurodevelopmental assessment clinics may not have access to a SaLT, the aim of this paper was to establish potential correlations between these measures in individuals with FASD, as well as to establish the clinical utility of questionnaire-based measures for assessment of communication in FASD in the absence of a multidisciplinary team. Methods: Data was drawn from the UK National FASD Clinic database containing 385 patient assessments. Sample size varied between 77 and 274 completed assessments depending on the measure due to change in clinical practice over several years. A two-tailed Spearman’s Correlations between CCC subscales and CELF domains were carried out. Two-tailed Spearman’s Correlations between the Communication domain of the VABS and the CELF were also conducted. Results: Significant correlations were found between all assessed CELF domains and the CCC Semantics and Coherence subdomains and GCC, as well as between the CCC Syntax subdomain and 3 of the CELF domains. No significant correlations were found between CCC Speech and any CELF domains. A mix of significant correlations between the VABS domain and subdomains and the CELF domains were found. Conclusions: These results suggest the potential clinical utility of using the CCC as a measure of an individual’s language functioning as part of an FASD assessment, particularly in the absence of access to direct assessment carried out by a SaLT. Future research should focus on the development of a questionnaire-based assessment battery for an FASD population to increase access to diagnosis. Full article

Offshore industries depend solely on diesel-based power generation systems or mainland grids, which are expensive and carbon-intensive. The demand for renewable energy-based offshore DC microgrids (MGs) has significantly increased due to rising fuel prices, high costs of fuel transportation and storage, extreme operation and maintenance expenses, and associated carbon emissions. This research study optimises the size of an offshore DC MG that integrates wave, solar, energy storage, and diesel, utilising real-world data from a specific geographical location (latitude −33.525587 and longitude 114.772211), thereby accurately representing the availability of renewable energy sources. An algorithm is designed to optimise the utilisation of highly variable renewable sources via battery-based energy management, resulting in optimal energy dispatch. Utilising economic performance metrics, such as levelised cost of energy (LCoE) and net present value (NPV), this research aims to minimise the energy, operating, and greenhouse gas emission costs while maximising the economic feasibility of the system. A sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the impact of fuel prices, discount rates, and system lifespans on the feasibility of the system. The findings demonstrate that the proposed renewable-based offshore DC MG can substantially reduce fuel consumption (93%), operational expenses (77.56%), and carbon emissions (89.50%) compared with a diesel-only system for offshore platforms, while improving the sustainability and reliability of power supply for aquaculture and marine activities. In addition, the proposed renewable-energy-based offshore DC MG achieves a lower LCoE (0.5649 $/kWh) and a higher NPV (2.987 × ${10}^4$ $) than a conventional diesel-based power generation system for offshore industries. The results provide a decision-making framework for the design and implementation of renewable energy-based offshore DC MGs. Full article

The requirement of sustainable mobility and a clean environment has accelerated the development and adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) as an alternative, practical and promising solution against conventional vehicles globally. Such alternative energy vehicles not only provide a critical solution to mitigate fossil fuel dependency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also contribute to producing an energy-efficient transportation system. However, the operational performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of EVs and HEVs are hugely dependent on their powertrain architectures, selection of traction motors and associated control techniques. This paper systematically compares major hybrid architectures: series, parallel, and series–parallel, plug-in, as well as battery and fuel cell electric vehicle platforms, highlighting trade-offs in component sizing, cost, and system integration complexity. The paper critically analyses traction motor technologies with respect to torque–speed characteristics, efficiency behavior, material constraints, and power density. A detailed comparative assessment of traction motor technologies is presented. Furthermore, classical and advanced motor control strategies, including field-oriented control (FOC), direct torque control (DTC), model predictive control (MPC) and AI-enhanced control frameworks, are evaluated with respect to transient performance, robustness, computational requirements, and scalability. The review identifies key technological milestones, emerging next-generation drive technologies, existing limitations, and unresolved research challenges. Finally, critical research gaps and future development pathways are articulated to support the advancement of high-efficiency, reliable, and cost-effective EV/HEV powertrain systems. Full article

Microgrid sizing has traditionally been driven by economic, technical, environmental, and social criteria, while safety has often been treated implicitly or addressed at later stages of design and operation. In this context, safety refers to the prevention of unacceptable harm to people, assets, and the environment through appropriate design margins, protection coordination, operational limits, and risk-aware system configuration. However, the increasing penetration of distributed energy resources, battery energy storage systems, power electronics, and advanced digital control architectures has elevated safety to a critical design dimension that directly influences sizing decisions. Despite its importance, safety remains fragmented across the microgrid literature and lacks unified treatment within sizing-oriented studies. This paper presents a systematic review of microgrid sizing methodologies with a specific focus on safety-related indicators. The review critically examines how distinct safety dimensions—namely energy storage safety, protection and fault tolerance, operational margins and redundancy, grid interaction, cybersecurity, human and environmental safety—are addressed within traditional, artificial-intelligence-based, software-driven, and hybrid sizing approaches. Safety is conceptualized as a cross-cutting design constraint that shapes sizing variables and feasibility boundaries rather than as an independent optimization objective. By synthesizing the existing literature, this work identifies the safety dimensions most strongly coupled with sizing decisions. The paper further analyses how safety-related constraints can be incorporated into sizing frameworks and highlights key research gaps that hinder their systematic integration. The findings aim to provide a structured reference for researchers and practitioners seeking to embed safety considerations into microgrid sizing methodologies. Full article

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RES) introduces significant variability and instability in modern power systems, creating a growing need for advanced and coordinated energy storage solutions. However, a key unresolved challenge remains the integrated modeling and optimal sizing of hybrid energy storage systems (ESS) that combine technologies with different temporal characteristics under high RES penetration. This study addresses this challenge by developing a unified techno-economic and physical–mathematical framework for hybrid ESS integrating lithium-ion (Li-ion), vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB), and hydrogen (H₂) technologies. Unlike conventional approaches that treat storage technologies independently or use simplified hybrid representations, the proposed framework jointly considers dynamic energy balance, degradation-aware lifecycle behavior, and multi-criteria cost optimization. The model was implemented using Python 3.10-based simulation tools and evaluated under renewable penetration scenarios of 30%, 50%, and 70%. The results indicate that increasing RES penetration leads to higher power fluctuations, reaching ±15–20% at 50% RES and ±20–25% at 70% RES. The optimized hybrid system achieves an overall efficiency of up to 92%, reduces total system cost to approximately 450 USD/kWh, and extends operational lifetime to 25 years, demonstrating a balanced techno-economic performance compared to standalone storage technologies. The proposed framework addresses this gap by coupling dynamic energy balance analysis with degradation-aware techno-economic optimization, enabling coordinated allocation of storage functions across short-, medium-, and long-duration timescales. In this way, the study not only evaluates hybrid storage performance, but also provides a practical decision-support framework for renewable-dominated power systems, particularly in the context of Kazakhstan’s energy transition. Full article

Graphite remains the predominant negative electrode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs); however, its practical performance is increasingly limited by interface-driven degradation rather than bulk intercalation. This review examines the interconnected electrochemical, mechanical, and safety challenges associated with uncoated and coated graphite, with particular focus on how solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and evolution deplete cyclable lithium, increase interfacial resistance, and induce polarization that leads to lithium plating and dendritic growth during rapid charging and low-temperature operation. Electrolyte and solvation engineering are highlighted as coating-free strategies to mitigate these issues by reducing Li⁺ desolvation barriers and directing interphase chemistry toward thinner, more ion-conductive, fluorinated SEI films that inhibit plating while maintaining high-rate capability. Coated graphite approaches are compared, including carbon, inorganic, and polymer coatings that function as artificial SEI layers to minimize direct electrolyte contact, stabilize interphase composition, and enhance mechanical durability. Key trade-offs are discussed, including decreased first-cycle coulombic efficiency (FCCE) due to increased surface area, transport limitations arising from excessively thick coatings, nonuniform coverage leading to local current hotspots, and side reactions induced by the coatings. The discussion is further extended to sodium and potassium systems, explaining how larger ion sizes, unfavorable thermodynamics, and significant lattice expansion hinder their insertion into graphite, and summarizing strategies such as interlayer expansion and alternative carbon architectures that improve reversibility for larger ions. This review concludes that achieving durable, safe, and fast-charging graphite electrodes requires an integrated interfacial design that combines optimized graphite morphology, electrode architecture, and electrolyte chemistry. Full article

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO₄) (LFP) has emerged as the most popular cathode material in the current lithium battery market because of its stable charge–discharge cycle performance, low cost, and high safety. Moreover, this material does not require scarce resources such as nickel and cobalt, which alleviates supply chain conflicts and reduces the environmental and health impacts associated with Ni and Co. In this study, a cost-effective preparation method is implemented to synthesize a series of all-element integrated LiFePO₄ precursors using precursor solutions with varying concentrations of oxalic acid. The final LFP materials are subsequently obtained through a one-step heat treatment. To evaluate the advantages of this method, we compare the structural and electrochemical properties of the obtained LFP materials with those synthesized via the traditional solid-phase method. The experimental results reveal that the LFP material synthesized using an oxalic acid solution with a concentration of 0.125 mol L⁻¹ exhibits optimal performance. This material has a grain size in the range of 300–500 nm, which is smaller and more uniform than those of the other samples. This initial specific discharge capacity of the designed LFP is 150.3 mAh·g⁻¹, with an initial coulombic efficiency of 88%. Notably, the material maintains a high capacity of 98 mAh·g⁻¹ even at −20 °C and achieves a discharge capacity of 98.7 mAh·g⁻¹ at a high discharge rate of 5 C. The lithium-ion diffusion coefficient was determined to be 7.1 × 10⁻¹² cm² s⁻¹, which is approximately 2.5 times greater than that of the material synthesized via the solid-phase ball-milling method. These results highlight the significant improvements in both the structural and electrochemical properties of LFP materials synthesized through this novel liquid-phase method. Full article

We present a parametrised charging infrastructure model developed to support the design of a hybrid electric zero-emission vessel with corresponding charging infrastructure for operation along the Norwegian Coastal Express route. The charging model includes functionalities to analyse the required battery storage capacity and power ratings and locations of charging facilities for achieving battery-electric operation. We demonstrate the use of the charging model to analyse different zero-emission scenarios for the Norwegian Coastal Express route. In the presented example scenarios, the model takes as input the estimated energy demand for a new zero-emission vessel design for the Coastal Express in different weather conditions, and includes functionality to consider realistic port stays based on existing timetables and historical data of delays. The analyses show minimal required battery capacities and illustrate a trade-off between charging power and battery capacity, as well as exemplifying the impact of different timetables and historic deviations on charging and energy delivered from the battery. The charging model presented is general and can be used for other routes than the Norwegian Coastal Express, as a tool for decision-makers to optimize for battery-electric operation whilst keeping the need for onboard storage capacity and charging infrastructure installations at a minimum. Full article

Stationary energy storage (SES) is increasingly needed to integrate variable renewable generation and improve consumer self-consumption, but technology choices involve associated trade-offs between cost, efficiency, and life-cycle impacts. This study evaluates the role of second-life lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries repurposed from electric vehicles for stationary applications, compared to lead-acid (Pb-acid) batteries and power-to-hydrogen-to-power (PtH₂P) systems. We develop an optimization-based sizing and dispatch framework using measured PV–load profiles and hourly market electricity prices, and evaluate performance per 1 MWh delivered to the load over a 10-year life cycle. Economic performance is quantified through discounted cash flows equal to levelized cost of storage (LCOS), while environmental performance is assessed through life-cycle metrics with explicit representation of recycling and second-life credits. In addition to global warming potential (GWP), the analysis considers additional resource and impact metrics, as well as key operational efficiency metrics, including bidirectional consumption efficiency, autonomy, and share of self-consumption/export of photovoltaic systems. Scenario and sensitivity analyses examine the impact of policy and financial parameters, in particular feed-in tariff remuneration and discount rate, on the comparative ranking of technologies. The results highlight how circular economy pathways, especially second-life distribution for Li-ion batteries and high end-of-life recovery for lead-acid batteries, have a significant impact on the life-cycle burden for delivered energy, while market-driven conditions for dispatching and export activities shape economic outcomes. Overall, the proposed workflow provides a transparent, circularity-aware basis for selecting stationary storage technologies associated with photovoltaic systems, under realistic operational constraints. Full article

The global shift toward decentralized generation has established standalone energy supply systems as a vital solution for remote regions. However, the integration of intermittent renewable sources and the inherent lack of rotational inertia in power electronic interfaces create significant challenges for frequency stability. This study addresses these issues by introducing an original Two-Tier Fractional-Order PID (TTFOPID) controller designed for robust Load Frequency Control (LFC) in a hybrid system comprising solar, diesel, biodiesel, and battery energy storage (BESS). The research utilizes the Multi-Objective Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (MOICA), enhanced with an attractive and repulsive assimilation phase, to navigate the high-dimensional parameter space. A unique framework is established to simultaneously tune controller gains and high-level system parameters, specifically BESS sizing and droop settings. Results demonstrate that the MOICA-tuned TTFOPID provides superior performance, achieving a 72% improvement in the Integral of Time-Weighted Absolute Error (ITAE) compared to NSGA-II and a 56% improvement in the Integral of the Square of Control (ISC) compared to MOPSO. Furthermore, robustness analysis validates the controller’s stability against significant parametric variations. The study concludes that the integrated TTFOPID-MOICA approach provides a superior pathway for stabilizing autonomous energy supply systems while protecting hardware longevity through optimized control effort. Full article

To meet aviation decarbonization goals, novel electric energy storage systems are required. A promising approach combines a Li-ion battery with a hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cell system (PEMFCS) into an electrochemical energy storage and conversion (EC-ESC) system. Proper power management ensures efficiency, reliability and durability. The study investigates EC-ESC performance for regional hybrid electric aircraft under varying degrees of hybridization. By systematically adjusting the power split between the battery and FCS, we quantify its impacts on system sizing, energy efficiency and battery degradation. The results show that a well-balanced power distribution enhances overall efficiency and energy density while extending system lifetime. Full article