Testing was performed on commercially available 1 kW spark ignition generators that were modified to operate on JP-8 and other heavy fuels. This approach is motivated by the US Military mandate that only one fuel, JP-8, be taken to the battlefield, and the increased electrical demands at the squad and platoon level. Small units require a portable power source that can meet their energy demands, particularly battery charging. While diesel engines can operate on JP-8, their weight limits their mobility at the platoon level. Spark ignition engines have better power density at the 1 kW level, but must be modified to burn logistically available fuel. Multiple approaches have been pursued to enable these engines to operate on JP-8. In the present study, the longer term effects of three approaches are examined and compared to an unmodified spark ignition generator operating on gasoline. These approaches include A) chemically altering the fuel as it flows to the engine to create a higher octane mixture, B) modifying the carburetor and using ether starter fluid to preheat the cylinder, and C) electrically heating the cylinder while modifying the fuel system for direct injection. The different generators were characterized by oil sampling at 15 hour intervals. Oil testing included flash point, viscosity, wear elements, and additives. Oil quality and emissions vary with load. Different approaches to conversion perform better at different loads. It was determined that multiple start-stop cycles with no load resulted in fuel dilution of the lubricating oil in several of the modified engines. Response varied with some of the modified engines maintaining low fuel dilution similar to the gasoline fueled engine while others indicated 15–20% fuel in the oil. During operation at full load, the modified JP-8 burning generators showed 3–5% fuel dilution in the oil while the unmodified gasoline generator was less than 1%. These experiments illustrate the challenges in developing portable, reliable JP-8 burning power sources. While further research and development is needed in each approach, it was shown that converted spark ignition engines are a promising path to portable logistic power. Oil analysis was shown to identify future research and development efforts to improve this technology.

Solar trackers are rising in popularity; they benefit a wide range of applications since distributed solar energy generation can reduce electricity costs and support energy independence. In this paper, a simple solar tracking system is introduced. The system is a package unit that can be mounted on any solar panel. The system consists of an electrical motor connected directly to a sliding mass on a linear bearing. The electrical motor is controlled to slide the weight along the shafts in controlled steps. As a result, the photovoltaic panels are rotated automatically under the effect of controlled weight unbalance in fine angle increments to track solar trajectory without the need for traditional complex or costly mechanisms. Two light dependent resistors (LDR) sensors, mounted onto the surface of the solar photovoltaic panel, are exposed to solar irradiance and used to feed signals to a controller. A model of the solar tracking system is developed using ordinary differential equations, and numerically solved by MATLAB/Simulink™. The power consumption and tracking strategy of the proposed tracking system are estimated under realistic operating conditions (e.g. wind and brakes), and the power consumption is compared to the power generated by the photovoltaic panels. Optimum values for the sliding mass are suggested. Two photovoltaic modules are used to calculate the output parameters of the proposed tracking mechanism.

At present, the lithium-ion battery (LIB) is the most important candidate for electrical energy storage for different applications, including electric and hybrid vehicles and aircraft. Although many studies have been done so far to evaluate performance and durability of LIB cells and packs for vehicle application, there is no study for the application of LIBs in electric and hybrid aircraft. In this paper, the cycle life and calendar life of a typical aftermarket LIB are studied through an empirical modeling method. The degradation rate of the battery for a typical light-weight passenger aircraft with a flight range of less than 1000 km is presented. The real duty-cycle of the battery for this aircraft is used for the cycle-life analysis.

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for high-power-density direct-drive generators in the wind industry owing to their high reliability, torque per unit volume, and conversion efficiencies. However, direct-drive wind turbine generators are very large, low-speed electric machines, which pose remarkable design and manufacturing issues that challenge their upscaling potential and cost of implementation. With air-gap tolerance as the main design driver, the need for high stiffness shifts the focus toward support-structure design that forms a significant portion of the generator’s total mass. Existing manufacturing processes allow the use of segmented-steel-weldment disk or spoke-arm assemblies that yield stiffer structures per unit mass but tend to be heavier and more expensive to build. As a result, there is a need for a transformative approach to realize lightweight designs that can also facilitate series production at competitive costs. Inspired by recent developments in metal additive manufacturing (AM), we explore a new freedom in the structural design space with a high potential for weight savings in direct-drive generators. This includes the feasibility of using nonconventional complex geometries, such as lattice-based structures as structurally efficient options. Powder-binder jetting of a sand-cast mold was identified as the most feasible AM technology to produce large-scale generator rotor structures with complex geometry. A parametric optimization study was performed and optimized results within deformation and mass constraints were found for each design. The response to the maximum Maxwell stress due to unbalanced magnetic pull was also explored for each design. Further, a topology optimization was applied for each parameter-optimized design to validate results and provide insights into further mass reduction. These novel designs catered for AM are compared in both deflection and mass to conventional rotor designs using NREL’s systems engineering design tool, GeneratorSE. The optimized lattice design with a U-beam truss resulted in a 24% reduction in structural mass of the rotor and 60% reduction in radial deflection. It is demonstrated that additive manufacturing shifts the focus from manufacturability constraints toward lower mass.

In order to reduce the hotspots in partial oxidation of methane, CeO 2 supported BaCoO 3 perogvskite-type oxides were synthesized using a sol-gel method and applied in chemical-looping steam methane reforming (CL-SMR). The synthesized BaCoO 3 -CeO 2 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD and XPS results suggested that the obtained BaCoO 3 was pure crystalline perovskite, its crystalline structure and lattice oxygen could regenerate after calcining. The reactivity of perovskite-type oxides in CL-SMR was evaluated using a fixed-bed reactor. Gas production rates and H2/CO ratios showed that the optimal reaction temperature was about 860 °C and the properly reaction time in fuel reactor was about 180s when Weight Hourly Space Velocity (WHSV) was 23.57 h −1 . The syngas production in fuel reactor were 265.11 ml/g, hydrogen production in reforming reactor were 82.53 ml/g. (CSPE)

Pipeline architecture consists in several stations in series configuration; hence the unavailability of one station impacts the availability of the whole pipeline. This lead to the need of optimizing the availability of each station in terms of configuration and number of units required in order to be able of satisfying the demand at any time. The loss of production cost in gas supply application is very high. Aero-derivatives gas Turbines are typically used as drivers in pipeline applications since they maximize train efficiency, minimizing gas consumption. PGT25+ aero-derivative Gas Turbines are among the most popular units applied in pipeline services. They merge demonstrated reliability performances together with a very limited outage duration impact that leads to very high Availability. Outage duration is optimized through modular replacement of both GG and HSPT that is facilitated by light weight of the machine. A Reliability Block Diagram has been built with the aim to optimize the Pipeline PGT25+ Gas Generator scheduled maintenance. Each block represents a Gas Generator while each station is realized taking into account the actual k-out-of-N configuration of each station units. Once the model has been created, a sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to estimate the impact of the Gas Generator cycle time (Gas Generator refurbishment time),that is what if larger or shorter than the baseline 6 months. Further, even a sensitivity study has been carried on to estimate the impact of the number of available spare parts on the delay that some units will suffer due to un-sufficient number of GG spare with consequent higher risk.

Alternative fuels, such as municipal solid waste (MSW) tend to play an increasingly important role in Chinese energy supply. Gasifying fuels derived from MSW have the potential of covering a significant part of the future demand on gasification capacities. However, their pyrolysis behaviour was not clear due to that the reactions during co-pyrolysis of the MSW serval fractions have not yet been fully investigated. In this paper, thermal behavior of pork, polypropylene and their blends were investigated by thermogravimetry under pyrolysis conditions via the non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis. The pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis kinetics characteristics of the waste samples was investigated at a temperature range of 50 to 1000 °C with the heating rate of rate of 10, 20, 40 °C·min −1 and for particle sizes less than 74 μm. The results indicated that pyrolysis rate of pork was hindered by polypropylene. Negative synergistic effects on mixture decomposition was observed. Weight loss of mixture were lower than that calculated from individual samples for pork and polypropylene. The apparent activation energy were obtained through Kissinger and Ozawa methods for the samples. The results indicated that more energy for blends to be decomposed during co-pyrolysis.

PGE in collaboration with EBC and MTU is carrying out a testing program to fire up to 100% of biocoal (torrefied biomass) in its 600 MW Boardman boiler. An important aspect of this program is the selection of suitable biomass feedstock from which biocoal will be produced, emphasizing potential problems of fouling and slagging in the boiler. We thoroughly tested seven different types of feedstock: Arundo Donax (AD), wheat waste, corn waste, woody hybrid poplar, and bark from hybrid poplar, woody pine, and bark from pine. It was found that all these material comprised significant amounts of soil (varying from 5–25% in weight) with low fusion temperatures and therefore must be avoided from flowing into the boiler. We developed a separation technology of the soil from the biomass and were able to obtain biomass feedstock only with the plant minerals. All separated biomass feedstock, from soil, showed mineral content that is respective to soil they grew at. Samples were characterized for ultimate and proximate analysis, ash content and analysis and fusion temperatures. AD, wheat, and corn showed high content of potassium and low flow temperatures and therefore may not be used at 100% firing test unless some of the mineral contents are removed to protect the boiler from corrosion and slagging. Woody and bark hybrid poplar were found to have high fusion temperatures; woody and bark pine showed flow temperatures around 2500°F. All four feedstock types can be used for 100% firing test, however, the ones which is mostly recommended are woody and bark hybrid poplar.

This paper examines the gasification of woody biomass pellets and torrefied wood pellets at different temperatures using air or CO2 as the gasifying agents. The woody biomass pellets were pyrolyzed and gasified in a controlled reactor facility that allowed for the determination of sample weight loss as a function of time from which the kinetics parameters were evaluated. The experimental facility provided full optical access that allowed for in-situ monitoring of the fate of the biomass pellets and the release of gas phase under prescribed high temperature condition. Pellet sample of known weight was placed in a wire mesh cage and then introduced instantly into the high temperature zone of the reactor at known temperature and surrounding gas composition as gasifying agent. The weight loss as function of time was examined for different gasification temperatures ranging from 600–950°C using air or CO2 as the gasifying agent. Significant differences in the weight loss were observed to reveal the fundamental pyro-gasification behavior between the wood and torrefied wood pellets. The results show enhanced gasification with air at low to moderate temperatures while at high temperatures the oxygen evolved from CO2 provided a role in oxidation. The calculated activated energy was lower for woody pellets than torrefied wood pellets and it was lower with air than CO2. These kinetic parameters help in modeling to design biomass gasifiers and combustors for increased conversion efficiency and performance using biomass or municipal solid waste pellets.

This paper describes design and optimization of a Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU) for a power cycle which uses CO 2 as a working fluid. This system is designed for offshore installation to increase gas turbine efficiency by recovering waste heat from the exhaust for production of additional power. Due to severe constraints on weight and space in an offshore setting, it is essential to reduce size and weight of the equipment to a minimum. Process simulations are performed to optimize the geometry of the WHRU using different objective functions and thermal-hydraulic models. The underlying heat exchanger model used in the simulations is an in-house model that includes the calculation of weight and volume for frame and structure for the casing in addition to the thermal-hydraulic performance of the heat exchanger core. The results show that the for a set of given process constraints, optimization with respect to minimum total weight or minimum core weight shown similar results for the total installed weight, although the design of heat exchanger differs. The applied method also shows how the WHRU geometry can be optimized for different material combinations.

Water is a prime source to all living beings, but for humans it is even more because of its usage to extract power. The idea behind the water turbine is derived from the parental species of wind turbine. The operating fluid properties like density, specific weight of water draw out differences between the two turbine kinds. The objective of the present work is to experimentally investigate the performance of a two bladed Savonius water turbine with an aspect ratio of 1.21 at low water velocity conditions viz. 0.3 m/s, 0.65 m/s and 0.9 m/s. The variation of torque and power with the considered water velocities has been studied. Also a performance study has been conducted with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using Ansys 14.0. A detailed study on the flow characteristics has been done that elaborates the factors like torque variation at different angles of rotation of the turbine, revealing high torque generation at 270° position. Also the effect of tip speed ratio (TSR) on performance ( Cp ) has been studied and found that maximum Cp of 0.343 is obtained for water velocity of 0.65 m/s with a TSR of 0.643. The results obtained through CFD are in agreement with the experimental results.

The density and viscosity Field’s metal is measured in this work and compared to traditional liquid metal coolants such as sodium and lead-bismuth eutectic. Field’s metal is a eutectic of the ternary In-Bi-Sn system. The alloy is by weight percent is 51% indium, 32.5% bismuth and 16.5% tin and possesses a melting temperature of 333 K. This work experimentally measures the density and viscosity of Field’s metal for numerical modeling and thermal hydraulic applications. The density of Field’s metal is measured using a pycnometer. The density is determined for both its solid and liquid states. In its liquid state Field’s metal is found to have a linear dependence with respect to increasing temperature. The viscosity of Field’s metal is measured using a rotational viscometer. The viscosity is measured is to be 27 mPa-s at 353 K, however further investigation is required to determine a trend at higher temperatures.

A small horizontal axis wind turbine rotor was designed and tested with aerodynamically efficient, economical and easy to manufacture blades. Basic blade aerodynamic analysis was conducted using commercially available software. The blade span was constrained such that the complete wind turbine can be rooftop mountable with the envisioned wind turbine height of around 8 m. The blade was designed without any taper or twist to comply with the low cost and ease of manufacturing requirements. The aerodynamic analysis suggested laminar flow airfoils to be the most efficient airfoils for such use. Using NACA 63-418 airfoil, a rectangular blade geometry was selected with chord length of 0.27[m] and span of 1.52[m]. Glass reinforced plastic was used as the blade material for low cost and favorable strength to weight ratio with a skin thickness of 1[mm]. Because of the resultant velocity changes with respect to the blade span, while the blade is rotating, an optimal installed angle of attack was to be determined. The installed angle of attack was required to produce the highest possible rotation under usual wind speeds while start at relatively low speed. Tests were conducted at multiple wind speeds with blades mounted on free rotating shaft. The turbine was tested for three different installed angles and rotational speeds were recorded. The result showed increase in rotational speed with the increase in blade angle away from the free-stream velocity direction while the start-up speeds were found to be within close range of each other. At the optimal angle was found to be 22° from the plane of rotation. The results seem very promising for a low cost small wind turbine with no twist and taper in the blade. The tests established that non-twisted wind turbine blades, when used for rooftop small wind turbines, can generate useable electrical power for domestic consumption. It also established that, for small wind turbines, non-twisted, non-tapered blades provide an economical yet productive alternative to the existing complex wind turbine blades.

The paper will describe the following analysis of Loviisa plant’s spent fuel pools. As a consequence of stress tests for the existing NPP’s in Finland after the experiences gathered from the Tohoku -Taheiyou-Oki event in Japan in March of this year Fortum Power and Heat Oy (Fortum) has initiated the following analyses of the Loviisa power plant’s refueling pools and spent fuel intermediate storage pools for the combined cooling loss and the earthquake loads. The following loads will be analyzed: 1) The spent fuel pool and refueling pools water temperature is 100 degrees Celsius. The heat load duration is undetermined; 2) The earthquake ground motion applied simultaneously with the thermal load is defined as follows: (ground motion response spectrum is defined in Guide YVL 2.6), the maximum horizontal acceleration is assumed to be 0.1g, 0.2g, 0.3g and 0.4g, respectively; 3) Own weight; 4) The pool of water, hydrostatic pressure load plus the sloshing load because of earthquake motion. Te analysis is aimed to demonstrate the structural integrity and leak-tightness of the pools under the effect of above loads. The analysis is nonlinear taking into account the cracking of the concrete. As a result of the analysis the maximum strains will be determined in the pool stainless steel liner as well in the pool concrete walls.

The oxidation of the bottom reflector graphite in HTR-10 of Tsinghua University during air ingress accident were studied numerically based on a theoretical calculation model, which considered the changes of chemical reaction rate and mass transfer speed with weight loss in oxidation process. The results showed that oxidation degree of the bottom reflector increased nearly exponentially with temperature; the oxidation corrosion quantity increased significantly over time accumulation; weight loss calculated by this model is larger than previous models, so reactor graphite structure design should be paid more attention.

In this paper we have analyzed accounting spent nuclear fuel (SNF) burnup of VVER-1000 and RBMK-1000 only with actinides. The following characteristics were analyzed: initial fuel enrichment, burnup fraction, axial burnup profile in the fuel assembly (FA) and fuel weight. As the results show, in the first 400 hours after stopping the reactor, there is an increase in the effective neutron multiplication factor (k eff ) due to beta decay of 239 Np into 239 Pu. Further, from 5 to 50 years, decrease in k eff due to beta decay of 241 Pu into 241 Am. In the future there is a slight change in criticality of the system. Accounting nuclear fuel burnup in the justification of nuclear safety of SNF storages will provide an opportunity to increase the volume of loaded fuel and thus significantly reduce technology costs of handling of SNF.

Ash and slag deposits in coal fired boilers contribute to boiler in-efficiency, capacity reductions, and overheated tubes, which lead to tube failures. Typical on-line cleaning systems are not automated and do not optimize the removal of ash and slag deposits. The paper describes the development and implementation of an Intelligent Sootblowing (ISB) system which monitors data such as heat transfer rate and pendant weight and operates the boiler cleaning devises in an automatic mode. The system operates cleaning equipment to only clean what needs to be cleaned, thus reducing tube erosion and clinker formation. The Intelligent Sootblowing (ISB) system uses the process data, algorithms, thermodynamic models, and ash weight to derive a supervisory sequence control to initiate most effective sootblowing device, when and where necessary. Unique strain gage ash weight measurement feedback is utilized in the system. The system is modular and built with an Open Architecture off the shelf components. It comprises PLC Panels, Data Acquisition Panels and HMI (Human Machine Interface) / EWS (Engineering Work Station) using distributed controls architecture. This system also supports industry standard communication protocols, which provides seamless integration between the ISB system and the plant’s DCS. This protocol can be Ethernet, Modbus, Modbus TCP, DH+ or Serial. The Case Studies will describe existing installations where the integrated system controls the entire boiler cleaning system. One installation is in Texas for an 850 MW, supercritical Combustion Engineering tangential fired pulverized coal unit. The boiler burns Texas lignite coal with as much as 15% Powder River Basin coal blended. The soot blowing system consists of 50 retractable soot blowers and 8 water cannons plus air heater cleaners. Testing for this unit was supervised by EPRI. A second installation is in Louisiana where the system improved overall plant efficiency as much as 1% with a resulting high return on investment. Improvements also included improved heat rate, boiler efficiency, a reduction in spray flow and a reduction in soot blowing events.

It is a relatively common practice to address the problem of unacceptable synchronous (1X) vibration levels (like unbalance) by applying corrective balance weights after a thorough review of vibration measurements, available engineering information, and prior balancing history of a unit if available. The balance history might include balance plane weight maps and/or balancing influence data. On occasion, other vibration malfunctions and symptoms within measured vibration data, such as misalignment, a rub, or proximity probe journal target area slow roll (sometimes called “runout” or “glitch”) can also appear to be “unbalance” but are not. A principal requirement when performing any corrective balancing of a rotor is that the fundamental synchronous rotor response of the unit should always be linear and time invariant. The fundamental synchronous rotor response is directly proportional to dynamic forces and inversely proportional to dynamic stiffness. If the principle requirements cannot be met while balancing, any further balancing of the rotor should be terminated and other root causes for the unacceptable synchronous vibration levels should be investigated. This paper will discuss a case history involving a steam turbine generator unit where excessive synchronous vibration levels were measured at the LP turbine bearings during transient and steady state operation. The initial concern was a steady increase in vibration levels at the LP turbine under steady state conditions. Prior balancing history and balancing information was reviewed and initial corrective balancing was performed. Initial correction of the unbalance proved to be inadequate, and the unit exhibited a significant change in balance influence. Since the response of the rotor to balance correction was not predictable and inconsistent with prior balancing data, alternative root causes for the unbalance symptoms were investigated. Integration of measured vibration data and numerical modeling were essential with proper identification of the root cause of the unbalance symptoms.

Power plants originally designed to be decommissioned at 20–30 years are extending their service life by removing/replacing major power plant components. This requirement is contrary to the original floor and workspace designs engineered for power plants. Feedwater heaters, casks, heat exchangers, and other very large (50 ′ ±) and heavy (20–100 Ton) components can overcome floor and space restrictions by using a combination of air casters and cranes. This proven methodology saves in excess of 75% of the cost of a standard crane-only operation and significantly reduces the possibility of permanent floor damage. Air caster transport systems are low profile and easily insert under industrial heaters, exchangers, transformers, etc. The casters raise components and carry them across the floor, spreading the multi-ton weight across the surface area without damage to the floor or component. Air casters are frictionless even with the heaviest loads, and significantly reduce ergonomic risk while also providing the benefit of requiring a reduced workforce to move the component across the floor. Controlled drive systems allow a single operator to easily move components omni-directionally without wheels or rails, and into position within .5 ″ (13mm) accuracy. The air caster methodology for moving heavy loads was referenced as proven effective in existing nuclear plants in the 2004 ICONE paper presented by Tokyo Power. Air casters, often coupled with cranes, significantly lower material handling costs associated with new installation and repair/refurbishment of components up to and over 5000 tons. Air casters operate on normal compressed air and have very few moving parts, resulting in low ongoing maintenance costs.

The need for increased design flexibility and reduced weight and volume for electric power generation infrastructure has driven an increased interest in the use of high speed generators directly driven by gas turbine prime movers for both military and commercial power generation applications. This transition has been facilitated by the use of dc distribution and recent advances in the performance of solid state power conversion equipment, enabling designers to decouple the power generation frequency from typical 60 Hz ac loads. Operation of the generator at the turbine output speed eliminates the need for a speed reduction gearbox and can significantly increase the volumetric and gravimetric power density of the power generation system. This is particularly true for turbines in the 3 to 10 MW power range which typically operate with power turbine speeds of 7,000 to 16,000 rpm. The University of Texas at Austin, Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM) is currently developing a 3 MW high speed generator and turbine drive system for a hybrid vehicle propulsion system as a part of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Advanced Locomotive Propulsion System (ALPS) Program. The ALPS system consists of a 3 MW turbine/alternator prime mover coupled with a 480 MJ, 2 MW flywheel energy storage system. Although designed as the prime mover for a high speed passenger locomotive, the compact turbine/alternator package is well suited for use in marine applications as an auxiliary turbine generator set or as the primary propulsion system for smaller vessels. The ALPS 3 MW high speed generator and turbine drive system were originally presented at the ASME Turbo Expo 2005 [1]. This follow-on paper presents the results of mechanical spin testing and No-Load electrical testing of the high speed generator and the Static Load testing of the generator and turbine drive system at NAVSEA (Philadelphia, PA) with a fixed resistive load. The generator has been tested to a 1.5 MW power level in the Static Load procedures and is being prepared for the final test phase to include dynamic power exchange with the flywheel.