Integration of phase-change materials (PCMs) into building fabrics is considered to be one of the potential and effective ways of minimising energy-consumption and CO2-emissions in the building sector. In order to assess the thermal effectiveness of this concept, composite PCM drywall samples...

In recent years, energy storage has been recognised as a potentially significant means by which primary energy consumption can be reduced in domestic, commercial and industrial processes. An intermittent domestic thermochemical heat pump, with a 5 kWe electric power output when employed as an...

The energy ratio for a food-producing process is defined as the energy outputted in the form of crops, animals and wastes to the quantity of commercially supplied energy invested. This ratio should well exceed unity because of the harnessing of insolation during the growth of plants. This...

Methane (CH4), an important trace gas in the atmosphere, controls numerous chemical processes and species in the troposphere and stratosphere. It is a strong greenhouse gas with a significant adverse impact upon the environment. The concentration of CH4 in the Earth's atmosphere has been...

Methane is an atmospheric trace gas, which influences numerous chemical processes and species in the troposphere and stratosphere. It makes a significant adverse contribution to the [`]greenhouse' phenomenon. Its global concentration in the atmosphere has been rising since the start of the...

The performance of the expansion device in a Rankine-cycle engine is one of the major parameters dictating the engine's overall energy-conversion efficiency. In this paper, the screening process undertaken to choose the most suitable expansion machine for a steam Rankine-cycle engine, operating...

Rotary Wankel engines offer several advantages compared with turbines and other positive-displacement machines as the expansion devices in low-power-output Rankine-cycle engines. So a Wankel expander was selected as the most appropriate device for a steam Rankine engine, operating principally,...

Methane, a significant atmospheric trace-gas, controls numerous chemical processes and species in the troposphere and stratosphere. Its concentration in the Earth's atmosphere has been increasing at a rate of about 1% per year during the last century, and reached 1·72 ppmv in 1990. Methane is...

Rotary Wankel engines offer several advantages compared with turbines and other positive-displacement machines as the expansion devices in low-power-output Rankine-cycle systems. So a Wankel expander was selected as the most appropriate device for a steam Rankine-engine, operating principally as...

Methane, an important atmospheric trace gas, controls numerous chemical processes and species in the troposphere and stratosphere. It is a strong greenhouse gas with a significantly adverse environmental impact. Mathane's concentration in the Earth's atmosphere has been increasing at a rate of...