1,721,073 research outputs found
Energy infrastructure modeling for the oil sands industry: Current situation
No full textIn this study, the total energy requirements associated with the production of bitumen from oil sands and its upgrading to synthetic crude oil (SCO) are modeled and quantified. The production scheme considered is based on the commercially applied steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for bitumen extraction and delayed coking for bitumen upgrading. In addition, the model quantifies the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of energy required for these operations from technologies utilized in the currently existing oil sands energy infrastructure. The model is based on fundamental engineering principles, and Aspen HYSYS and Aspen Plus simulations. The energy demand results are expressed in terms of heat, power, hydrogen, and process fuel consumption rates for SAGD extraction and bitumen upgrading. Based on the model's output, a range of overall energy and emission intensity factors are estimated for a bitumen production rate of 112,500 BPD (or 93,272 BPD of SCO), which were determined to be 262.5–368.5 MJ/GJSCO and 14.17–19.84 gCO2/MJSCO, respectively. The results of the model indicate that the majority of GHG emissions are generated during SAGD extraction (up to 60% of total emissions) due to the combustion of natural gas for steam production, and the steam-to-oil ratio is a major parameter affecting total GHG emissions. The developed model can be utilized as a tool to predict the energy demand requirements for integrated SAGD/upgrading projects under different operating conditions, and provides guidance on the feasibility of lowering GHG emissions associated with their operation
Optimal Location of New Industries in Existing Industrial Areas Accounting for Environmental and Health Risks
No full textNowadays, a major problem throughout the world is air pollution caused mainly by the fast growth in industry. This growth leads to negative impacts on human health and ecosystems directly or indirectly by chemical reactions in the atmosphere. The gas emissions from industrial plants are a current problem especially on ecosystems close to these sources. These emissions from large industrial complexes have been an increasing concern around the world. Due to the rapid growth of urban areas and the increase in the standard of living, environmental problems in urban areas become particularly critical. Selecting the location of industrial areas has been the traditional way for a community to lower the impact of industrial nuisance such as noise, smoke, odor, dust, dirt, and noxious gases. This growth concern accentuates the need for additional studies of air dispersions and modeling.
The main objective of this thesis is to assess the potential impacts associated with the emissions of toxic air contaminants from new industrial plants in order to select the best location based on human health risk assessment.
Air dispersion models have been widely used to study the patterns of dispersion and air emissions behavior as well as to simulate the dispersion and transport of pollutants. In this work, AERMOD model, which is recommended by the U.S. EPA, has been used to estimate the gas emissions of all significant sources in an industrial complex (taken as a case study), as well as the pollutant concentrations and distributions in the industrial complex area.
In addition, in order to quantitatively assess potential changes in health impacts due to the gas emissions, IRAP View model, which is based on the Human Health Risk Assessment Protocol (HHRAP) for hazardous waste combustion facilities published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been used to estimate the transport and fate of mercury from all proposed industrial plants in the area of concern.
A case study that deals with locating a new industry in an existing complex was considered. Both environmental and health risks are considered in order to determine the best location for a new proposed plant. It is shown that considering both environmental impact as well as health risks leads to different best locations as compared to environmental impact alone
Graphene and Glass Flake Nanocomposites Coatings for Corrosion Mitigation in Chloride Rich Environments
Full text linkInspired by the needs for the preparation of protective coatings with enhanced protection properties especially corrosion resistance in the oil and gas industry, the research focuses on the synthesis and the evaluation of various polymer composites on different metals substrates as protective coatings in Chloride rich environment. In various areas of application including oil and gas industry, metals substrates are continuously exposed to various deterioration factors including corrosion, impact, thermal and UV degradation. In addition, the rates of deterioration based on those factors can be further accelerated in certain environment. For example, the rate of metal deterioration due to corrosion can be accelerated in a Chloride rich environment causing significant reduction in the life span of metal substrates in different fields including oil and gas industry. For instance, in off shore oil and gas operation, drilling rigs are continently exposed to the Chloride rich ocean’s wave, which may accelerates the corrosion process on various metals based items of the rigs. Therefore, various corrosion mitigation techniques including the use of protective coatings are utilized to attenuate the corrosion rate and extend the life span of metal substrates. In particular areas, protective coatings can be exposed to various degradation factors including UV, Thermal degradations as well as deterioration due to impact. Therefore, it was important to evaluate other protection properties of the prepared protective coatings in addition to corrosion resistance. The studies focused on the incorporation of pristine Graphene and Glass Flake in different polymer resin such as Epoxy and Polyetherimide and evaluates the composites as protective coating on different metals substrates such as Copper, Stainless Steel 304 and Cold Rolled Steel. Furthermore, the studies investigated the possibility of enhancing the protective properties of the prepared protective composites coating by surface modification and functionalization of the filler in order to enhance the level of interaction between the polymer resin and the fillers. The synthesized composites are characterized using X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) techniques, while the dispersion of the fillers in polymeric matrices are examined using Transition electron microscopy (TEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The corrosion protection properties of the prepared protective composites coatings are examined using Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic voltammetry (CV) or potentiodynamic techniques. Furthermore, the interface adhesion between metal substrates and the protective coatings is examined and evaluated according to the ASTM-D3359 standard, while the impact resistance and the UV degradation properties are examined and evaluated according to the ASTM -D2794 and ASTM-D4587 standards, respectively. Moreover, the thermal degradation properties of the prepared protective coatings are evaluated by examining the rate of degradation or weight loss of the composites using Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) techniques and examining the influences of the incorporation of the various fillers in the glass transition temperature of the composites using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) technique. The studies reveal that the incorporation of the different types of fillers will enhance the corrosion resistance properties of the polymer resin in addition to other properties such as impact resistance, thermal stability and UV degradation. Furthermore, the studies conclude that the level of enhancement in corrosion protection as well as other protection properties can be further excelled by increasing the load of fillers in the composites. Moreover, it was interesting to observe that increasing the load of filler in the composites may negatively impact imperative properties such as interface adhesion, where increasing the load of fillers may attenuate the interface adhesion between the protective coatings and the coated metal substrates. A number of contributions have been reported in this research project including the preparation and the examination of nanocomposites materials as protective coatings on different metals substrates after the incorporation of different pristine nano-fillers such as Graphene and Glass Flake. The contributions also include the reporting for the first time of new and unique recipes that demonstrate simple steps for the surface fuctionalization of Graphene Oxide and Glass Flake before utilizing the functionalized fillers in the preparation of nanocomposites coatings with enhanced protective properties including corrosion resistance and thermal stabilit
Energy Management and Environmental Sustainability of the Canadian Oil Sands Industry
Full text linkBy 2030 the worldwide energy demand is expected to increase by twofold, in which fossil fuels inevitably will still play a major role in this transition. Canadian oil sands, the second largest proven oil reserves, represent a major pillar in providing energy and economic security in North America. Their development on a large scale is hindered due to associated environmental impacts, which include greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and management of by-products of downstream operations (e.g. Sulfur, petroleum coke, etc.). In this work optimization techniques are employed to address the management of various environmental issues while minimizing the cost of operations of the oil sands industry. In this context, this thesis makes four principal contributions.
First, an extensive review is conducted on potential production pathways of renewable energy that can be integrated in the energy infrastructure of oil sands. Renewable technologies such as wind, geothermal, hydro, bioenergy, and solar are considered the most environmentally benign options for energy production that would contribute in achieving significant carbon emissions reductions. A mixed integer non-linear optimization model is developed to simultaneously optimize the capacity expansion and new investment decisions of both conventional and renewable energy technologies, and determine the optimal configurations of oil producers. The rolling horizon approach is used for the consecutive planning of multiple operational periods. To illustrate the applicability of the model, it was applied to a case study based on operational data for oil sands operators in Alberta for the period of 2010 – 2025.
Second, a generalized optimization model was developed for the energy planning of energy intensive industries. An extensive superstructure was developed that incorporates conventional, renewable, nuclear, and gasification of alternative fuels (e.g. petroleum coke, asphaltenes, etc.) technologies for the production of energy in the form of power, heat and hydrogen. Various carbon mitigation measures were incorporated, including carbon capture and sequestration, and purchase of carbon credits to satisfy emission targets. Finally, the superstructure incorporated the possibility of selling excess energy commodities in competitive markets. The superstructure is represented by a multi-period mixed integer optimization model with the objective of identifying the optimal set of energy supply technologies to satisfy a set of demands and emission targets at the minimum cost. Time-dependent parameters are incorporated in the model formulation, including energy demands, fuel prices, emission targets, carbon tax, construction lead time, etc. The model is applied to a case study based on the oil sands operations over the planning period 2015–2050. A scenario based approach is used to investigate the effect of variability in energy demand levels, various carbon mitigation policies, and variability in fuel and energy commodity prices.
Third, a multi-objective and multi-period mixed integer linear programming model is developed for the integrated planning and scheduling of the energy infrastructure of the oil sands industry incorporating intermittent renewable energy. The contributions of various energy sources including conventional, renewable, and nuclear are investigated using a scenario based approach. Power-to-gas for energy storage is incorporated to manage surplus power generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly wind. The wind-electrolysis system incorporates two hydrogen recovery pathways, which are power-to-gas and power-to-gas-to-power using natural gas generators. The model takes into account interactions with the local Alberta grid by incorporating unit commitment constraints for the grid’s existing power generation units. Three objective functions are considered, which are the total system cost, grid operating cost and total emissions. The epsilon constraint method is used to solve the multi-objective aspect of the proposed model.
Fourth, extensive research has been done on the components that constitute the sulfur supply chain, including sulfur recovery, storage, forming, and distribution. These components are integrated within a single framework to assist in the design optimization of sulfur supply chains. This represents a starting point in understanding the trade-offs involved in the sulfur supply chain from an optimization point of view. Optimization and mathematical modeling techniques were implemented to generate a decision support system that will provide an indication of the optimal design and configuration of sulfur supply chains. The resulting single-period mixed-integer linear programming model was aimed at minimizing total capital and operating costs. The model was illustrated through a case study based on Alberta’s Industrial Heartland. A deterministic approach in an uncertain environment was implemented to investigate the effect of supply and demand variability on the design of the supply chain. This was applied to two scenarios, which are steady state operation and sulfur surplus accumulation. The model identified the locations of forming facilities, the forming, storage and transportation technologies, and their capacities.
The contributions of this thesis are intended to support effective carbon mitigation policy making and to address the environmental sustainability of the oil sands industry
Allocation of Hydrogen Produced via Power-to-Gas Technology to Various Power-to-Gas Pathways
Full text linkDemand for renewable energy systems is accelerating and will account for a significant share of future power systems aimed to enhance and decarbonize the world’s energy system. Unlike conventional power plants, electricity output from renewable sources cannot be adjusted easily to match consumer power demand because renewable resources are intermittent short-term seasonal power sources. Accordingly, a rapid increase in surplus power is expected in the future. The Canadian Province of Ontario, in line with global efforts, has targeted 80 % reduction of greenhouse gas emission levels by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. One key step to accomplish this goal is to harness more renewable energies for power generation. Instead of losing the surplus power or exporting it for low returns, storage and utilization in other sectors urgently need to be explored.
Power-to-Gas technology offers a possible solution for optimal use of energy surplus. It is efficient at the huge — national— consumption scale and global acceptance of Power-to-Gas as energy storage and transportation technology is growing noticeably. In short, Power-to-Gas is a potential means to manage intermittent and weather-dependent renewable energies like wind, solar, or hydro in a storable chemical energy form. The main concept behind Power-to-Gas technology is to make use of surplus electricity to decompose water molecules into their primary components: hydrogen and oxygen. Power-to-Gas is not only a storage technology; its role can be extended to other energy streams including transportation, industrial use, injection into the natural gas grid as pure hydrogen, and renewable natural gas.
The current study investigated four specific Power-to-Gas pathways: Power-to-Gas to mobility fuel, Power-to-Gas to industry, Power-to-Gas to natural gas pipeline for use as hydrogen-enriched natural gas, and Power-to-Gas to Renewable Natural Gas (i.e., Methanation).
This study quantifies the hydrogen volumes at three production capacity factors (67%, 80%, and 96%) upon utilizing Ontario’s surplus electricity baseload. Five allocation scenarios (A-E) of the hydrogen produced to the four Power-to-Gas pathways are investigated and their economic and environmental aspects considered. Allocation scenario A in which hydrogen assigned to each pathway is constrained by a specific demand, is based on Ontario’s energy plans for pollution management in line with international efforts to reduce global warming impacts. Scenarios B-E are about utilization of the produced hydrogen entirely for one of mobility fuel, industrial feedstock, injection into the natural gas grid, or renewable natural gas synthesis, respectively. The study also examines the economic feasibility and carbon offset of the PtG pathways in each scenario.
The research sets the assumption that hydrogen is produced at three capacity production factors: 67% (16 h/day), 80% (19 h/day), and 96% (23 h/day). The amount of surplus baseload electricity for 2017 of each capacity factor is converted to hydrogen via water electrolysis. Accordingly, the total hydrogen produced is approximately 170 kilo-tonnes (kt), 193 kt, and 227 kt, respectively.
Results indicate that the Power-to-Gas to mobility fuel pathway in scenarios A and B has the potential to be implemented. Utilization of hydrogen produced via Power-to-Gas technology for refueling light-duty vehicles is a profitable business case with an average positive net present value of $4.5 billions, five years payback time, and 20% internal rate of return. Moreover, this PtG pathway promises a potential 2,215,916 tonnes of CO2 reduction from road travel. In the scenario to utilize Ontario’s surplus electricity to produce hydrogen via the PtG technology for industrial demand, results indicate that supply could achieve 82%, 93%, and 110% of the industrial demand for hydrogen at the three capacity factors, respectively. Nevertheless, hydrogen production through PtG is still costly compared to other available cheaper alternatives, namely hydrogen produced via steam methane reforming. Power-to-Gas for industry projects should, however, be part of government incentives to encourage clean energy utilization. In addition, although using hydrogen-enriched natural gas or renewable natural gas instead of the conventional natural gas could offset huge amounts of carbon, their capital and operational costs are extremely high, resulting in negative net present values and very long payback time
Designing Nano-Structural Composites as Advanced Anode Materials for Highly Efficient and Stable Lithium-ion Batteries
Full text linkWith the continued increase in energy demand for portable electronics, grid storage, and electric vehicles, more attention is being placed on the development of advanced energy conversion and storage systems such as metal ion batteries and fuel cells. Recently, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the electronic applications market such as consumer electronics, power tools, and medical devices. Moreover, LIBs have been used in the transportation sector in electric vehicles (EV) and electric bicycles. High capacity retention and long cycle life are essential, especially for the EV market. However, due to the limited energy density and high cost of large LIBs packs, the current battery technology is not satisfactory for the widespread application in EVs. Therefore, development of battery technology with high-energy density and low-cost materials can lead to significant improvements in the performance and lifetimes of products that use LIBs.
To improve the energy density of LIBs, conventional anode materials (graphite) need to be replaced by novel electrode materials and improved electrode designs with a higher capacity and more reliable performance. Silicon (Si) is an exciting and promising candidate for use as active material in the negative electrode to develop the next generation LIBs due to its natural abundance, high safety, low-cost, environmentally friendliness, and high theoretical specific capacity reaching 4200 mAh g-1 compared with 372 mAh g-1 of graphite. However, the critical challenge with Si is the huge volume changes during the lithiation and delithiation processes, which causes mechanical fractures and delamination of the electrode. In addition, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation disrupts the electrical contact between Si particles during cycling, which lead to degradation of the electrode and rapid capacity fading. These issues limit the wide commercialization of Si as anode material for LIBs.
In this thesis work, different categories of advanced nanostructure materials have been designed and developed to serve as a conductive network for nanostructured Si morphologies with high capacity and better mechanical stability to enable the evolution of the next generation of LIBs. This thesis starts with a brief introduction to LIBs, followed by the objectives and approaches taken in this PhD project. A literature review on the main battery components and the operation principles of rechargeable LIBs with a focus on the development of the electrode materials will be discussed. A survey of the experimental procedures, characterization techniques, and performance testing procedures are provided. Specific research projects are proposed, and specifically demonstrated in the projects presented in this thesis. This will provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the field of study, and detailed project plans in order to successfully develop novel advanced electrode materials for high energy density and reliable rechargeable LIBs.
The first approach of my PhD thesis is focused on developing flexible and conductive carbon networks to improve the stability of Si-based anodes. At this stage, we have designed a polymer blend of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) which was self-assembled onto the surface of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) allowing for the generation of a very intimate coating of Si dioxide and nitrogen-rich carbon shell upon slow heat treatment. This methodology capitalizes on the surface interaction of PVP with SiNPs to provide a sturdy nanoarchitecture. The addition of PVP improves the stability and adhesion of PAN to the carbon-based matrix which surrounds the Si particles, leading to enhance the stability of the Si anode. In addition to being a very scalable fabrication process, our novel blend of PVP and PAN allowed for an electrode with high reversibility. When compared with a standard electrode Si/PVDF framework, this material of PVP/PAN demonstrated a significantly superior first discharge capacity of 2736 mAh g-1, high Coulombic efficiency, and excellent rate capability, as well as excellent cycle stability for 600 cycles at a high rate of 3000 mA g-1.
Even though we achieved considerable improvements to the Si-based anode, we still need to improve the electrode capacity with long cycle stability and high areal capacity. In the second part of this thesis, a multifunctional composite binder was developed by cross-linking a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) spine with PAN through a slow heat treatment process. The composite binder strongly interacts with Si, providing a sturdy structure with efficient pathways for both Li-ion and electron transport. The cross-linked carboxyl groups from PAA and CMC offered a robust 3D cross-linked network, anchoring SiO2 coated Si nanoparticles onto a highly-porous carbon scaffold, forming stable a solid electrolyte interphase. This composite anode not only exhibits a high initial capacity of 3472.6 mAh g−1 with an initial Coulombic efficiency of 89.1%, but also provides excellent cycling stability for 650 cycles at a high current density of 3000 mA g−1.
While excellent rate performance and dramatic enhancement of Si-based anode were obtained using cross-linking of CMC-PAA with g-PAN, we looked to further improve the cycle life with high capacity using reinforcement additives. In the last part of this thesis, a novel multi-leveled design of webs-like morphology is reported as a robust and highly stable 3D interconnected network to mass-produce nanostructured Si composite anode. This sturdy composite consisting of nano-size Si particles (NSi), nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs), and graphenized polyacrylonitrile (g-PAN) is prepared via a simple and low-cost method as a negative electrode for LIBs. The NSi@N-CNT/g-PAN composite integrates the benefits from its components, where NSi-interactive materials deliver high capacity, N-CNTs with nitrogen functionalizations act as electron highways and flexible network to connect NSi particles, and g-PAN with nitrogen-rich provides nitrogen-doped graphene sheets, which wrapped the whole structure network of NSi@N-CNTs. The stable interaction between the Si particles and N-CNTs enhances electron transport, while g-PAN effectively improves the capacity and conductivity of the whole electrode and provides a porous skeleton allowing convenient ion diffusion leading to longevity in battery operations. We found that only when all three components are introduced will significant enhancement in performance be observed. This nanocomposite anode exhibits superior cycling stability with a reversible capacity of ~1361 mAh g-1 for a remarkably long-life of 1100 cycles when cycled at a high current density of 3000 mA g-1. Moreover, high loading cycling of up to 3 mAh cm-2 at ~1 mgSi cm-2 was achieved at a current density of 500 mA g-1. This effective strategy could potentially be applied to prepare large-scale production of a high-performance electrode for LIBs
Utilizing ‘Power-to-Gas’ Technology for Storing Energy and to Optimize the Synergy between Environmental Obligations and Economical Requirements
Full text linkThis work develops a generalized modeling framework using several approaches for assessing the feasibility of storing energy in order to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of managing the existing power generation sources in Ontario. Optimizing the costs and emissions while maintaining energy demand is the main and general target for this study. The purpose of this research is to provide the energy systems management and decision makers an effective tool for assessing the optimum way of utilizing existing energy sources in Ontario. The major contributions from this research are: to assess the feasibility of integrating renewable energy sources into Ontario power grid in terms of cost and emissions, and optimizing energy storage capacity in the natural gas network within the power-to-gas concept. Power to Gas as an energy storage is a novel technology that is considered to be a viable solution for the curtailed off-peak surplus power generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, particularly the wind and solar. The unique technology of ‘power-to-gas’ represents a promising system for managing storing energy when addressing the current challenges of demand satisfaction, grid-flexibility, related emissions, and costs.
In the first part of the research, the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources of wind and solar into a larger scale fossil-fueled combined cycle power plant (CCPP) utilizing hydrogen as an energy vector is explored in order to meet the needed load following energy profile at minimum costs and lower emissions. GAMS is used to model energy hub costs to approach the problem using mathematical programming while power cost and emission credits represent the model outputs. The cost-emissions models will aid in sizing of the key components within the hub and optimizing its operation. Two different types of modeling are used, Mixed Complementary Problem (MCP) and Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) in simulating the configuration of the proposed energy systems, while monetizing health impacts associated with exposure to conventional energy sources emissions.
In order to bring attention to the risks that associated with utilizing NG-fueled energy sources such as combined cycle power plant CCPP, the third part of the research is developed to assess the monetary value of the risks of the expected pollutants on human mortality and morbidity. The pollutants of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particles (PM2.5), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from a sample of natural gas NG, were chosen based on their emission rates and their severity on the health impacts. To lessen the health impact from natural gas fuel, hydrogen-enriched natural gas (HENG) fuel was examined to fuel the combined cycle power plant. The Health Canada’s Air Quality Benefits Assessment Tool, AQBAT was used for monetizing the impacts of pollutants on health by taking into account a range of morbidity and mortality outcomes as well as their dollar value, when the natural gas and the hydrogen enriched natural gas fuels were used.
The final part of this research is designed to measure the feasibility of new decentralized power system as a critical mechanism in meeting energy demand and as a step forward towards an energy sustainable future. Decentralized power systems are characterized by generating power near the demand area, it can operate by interactions with the local grid, in which it feeds surplus power generated to it, or it can behave as a stand-alone isolated energy system. The development of community power requires the consideration of several sustainability criteria in order to meet the minimum requirements that satisfy communities’ demands and maximize energy generation benefits. These criteria include cost-effectiveness, risks to the environment and humans, scaling, efficiency, and resilience. The existing natural gas distribution system is utilized to store and to distribute hydrogen produced via electrolysis with and without the consideration of additional hydrogen storage while considering two recovery pathways: ‘power-to-gas-to-power’ and ‘power-to-gas-to-end users’ to satisfy power and end-users demands. The multi-objective and multi-period mixed integer linear programming model is employed to minimize the cost of generating electricity and storage, the cost of health impacts associated with emissions, and the cost of power losses from renewable intermittent energy sources. The proposed model is designed to evaluate the optimal operation and sizing of the energy producers and the energy storage system, as well as the interactions between them.
The cost of generating electricity is found to depend on the operational hours of energy sources and on the estimated cost of electricity varied from 0.11 per kWh. Blending hydrogen with natural gas to fuel combined cycle power plant could save on human’s health and environment, at the hydrogen concentration of 2.3%, it could save CAD$1.15 for every MWh produced when meeting power demand. Storing the surplus electricity from wind and solar during off-peak periods by producing hydrogen through electrolysis process and storing it within the natural gas pipeline network saved 10% of the cost of electricity that generated to meet the power demand
Life Cycle Assessment of Residential Buildings Considering Photovoltaic Systems
Full text linkNowadays, energy consumption in the building sector is considered one of the main contributors to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which is having an enormous negative environmental impact worldwide. Correspondingly, rising CO2 emissions have become a global environmental issue. Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) have been deployed for evaluation of the ecological impact of the building sector will be used to analyze and assess ecological effects. Many studies utilize different LCA approaches to examine the building sector’s energy consumption. Some of these studies aimed to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the building segment by the adoption of two new building structure categories in the Industrial Building System (IBS). However, but neglect to consider the integration of LCA and Photovoltaic (PV) systems added to the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems and the resulting impact on the load demand of the buildings. The primary objective of this research is to consider the different phases of life cycle energy and CO2 analysis of a PV system integrated residential building by designing geometry, spaces, and thermal zones in Sketch Up and simulating the building and calculating the energy load in EnergyPlus. For illustrative purposes, a single residential building in Toronto was simulated.
Moreover, carbon emissions of the residential building were calculated through LCA and compared with the case of added PV systems. Also, different life cycle phases of the residential building were employed to calculate the energy consumption using EnergyPlus. More significantly, the focus is on HVAC, lighting, and electronic equipment using the OpenStudio plug-in for the SketchUp modeling software. OpenStudio is used as an interface of the EnergyPlus modeling software, and the results are compared with those that include the PV system. As a result of the LCA of the building, it was found that there would be a significant reduction in operating cost, energy cost, and CO2 emissions. However, the capital cost would increase by integrating PV systems, but it would be less significant considering a higher carbon tax in the future
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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