Methanol and ethanol are promising alternative SI engine fuels. Engine simulation tools could help to unlock the full potential of these fuels. Previous work by the current authors has focused on building submodels to predict the gas dynamics, combustion and knock occurrence in alcohol engines....

A Multi-Approach Evaluation System (MA-ES) is established in this paper providing comprehensive evaluations on Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) used for waste heat utilization. The MA-ES covers three main aspects of typical ORC performance: basic evaluations of energy distribution and system...

A thorough understanding of the mechanisms of ion crossover through the membranes in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) is critically important in making improvements to the battery’s efficiency and cycling performance. In this work, we develop a 2-D VRFB model to investigate the mechanisms...

A numerical model has been developed to study the complex thermal behavior of a CO2-filled vertical geothermal borehole consisting of a long copper U-tube embedded in a solid material (grout). The model accounts for combinations of single-phase and two-phase fluid flow which may occur along the...

Low-grade thermal energy recovery has attained a renewed relevance, driven by the desire to improve system efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of power generation. Various technologies have been suggested to exploit low-temperature thermal energy sources, otherwise difficult to access...

Analytical models for the prediction of the heat loss from the top cover of single and double glazing flat plate solar collectors have been proposed. The models require no iteration to solve and therefore, are easy to use. The models allow the analysis of collectors with very small air gap...

Improved prognostic models of wind turbine wakes are essential to improved design of offshore wind farms to maximized power production and minimize turbine fatigue loading. This paper describes the Virtual Wake Laboratory, an online open access resource that provides meteorological and wind farm...

Most industrial waste heat (e.g. waste heat from engines) is available as two or more heat sources or in a wider temperature range. Additionally, solar thermal energy has a higher harnessing efficiency at low temperatures while its work potential increases with temperature. However,...

A numerical model for a microfluidic electrolytic cell (MEC) for CO2 utilization and fuel production is developed and validated against experimental data in literature. Mass transfer and electrochemical characteristics at the cathode of the MEC are studied. Limiting factors to the cell...

Environmental damage due to the emission of greenhouse gases from conventional coal-based power plants is a growing concern. Various carbon capture strategies to minimize CO2 emissions are currently being investigated. Unfortunately, the efficiency drop due to de-carbonization is still...