International Journal of Energy and Power (IJEP)

The paper addresses the problems of energy security of the largest Asia Pacific countries. The situation concerning steady growth in the share of nonrenewable energy resources in the structure of primary energy consumption in the region cannot be considered fa-vorable. The stable trend of growth in region’s dependence on external supplies of the considered resources (almost 8% by 2030) is obviously indicative of possible substantial decrease in the level of energy security of APR. The level of energy security in APR can be increased only through more intensive development of renewable energy sources and considerable increase of their share in the structure of consumed primary energy.

In this paper, a new switching table for Direct Torque Control (DTC) of a nine-level Multi Point Clamped (MPC) Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) fed induction motor drive is proposed. A Nine level inverter has 729 switching states and there are 106 effective vectors are possible. The proposed multi level inverter drive scheme is capable for enough degrees of freedom to control both electromagnetic torque and stator flux with very low ripple and high dynamic speed response. From the simulation results shows that feeding electrical drive with multi level inverter can greatly improves the drive performance. The performance of this control method has been demonstrated by simulations performed using a versatile simulation package, Matlab/Simulink. The results have been good agreement with the published work.

A multi-step oscillating-blade vertical wind turbine is developed and experimented. Unlike Savonius rotors which rotate by an action of differential drag, the proposed design configuration makes the rotor rotates by an absolute positive drag. The proposed rotor comprises four vertically arranged (steps) stages and in each step there are two rectangular blades aligned at 180 degree-angle around a vertical shaft in the same vertical plane. Geometrically, the four vertical planes which enclose the blades in the four steps make a 45 degree-angle with each other, successively, from the topmost step to the bottommost step. A total of eight blades two in each step form the basic configuration of the rotor. The rotor steps are separated by circular endplates where the blades are all hinged to its own upper endplates. The proposed design makes only four of the eight blades in the "on" position while the other four blades will be in the "off" position. The "on-off" positions of blades are obtain…

This paper presents particle swarm optimization (PSO) and honey bee mating optimization (HBMO) algorithms for capacitor placement in transmission system that determines the optimal locations and number of capacitors with an objective of improving the voltage profile and reduction in power loss. The solution methodology has two parts: part one determines the number and size of capacitors and part two a new hybrid PSO and HBMO algorithms is used to estimate the optimal bus of capacitors at the optimal sizes and number at part one. The main advantage of the proposed method is that faster than other methods. The proposed method is applied to 14-bus IEEE transmission system. The results obtained by the proposed method are compared with PSO method. The proposed method has outperformed the other methods in terms of the quality of solution (Convergence speed and size of the objective function).

The waste cooking oil (WCO) is a promising feed stock for the synthesis of biodiesel. In this study, the WCO used for biodiesel production has a very high acid value (>13 mg KOH/g) so a simple base transesterification process was not suitable, which resulted in soap formation. Here we reported a two step process for biodiesel production from WCO, acid catalyzed esterification followed by base catalyzed transesterification. In the first step, the acid value of WCO was reduced below 1 mg KOH/g by homogeneous acid catalysis and in the second step, acid catalyzed WCO was transformed to biodiesel in the presence of NaOH as homogeneous base catalyst. GC/MS analysis was done to determine the chemical composition of WCO biodiesel. Five FAMEs, methyl dodecanoate (C12:0), methyl tetradecanoate (C14:0), methyl hexadecanoate (C16:0), methyl octadecanoate (C18:0) and methyl 9-octadecenoate (C18:1) were identified. The synthesized FAMEs were confirmed by FTIR and NMR (1H and 13C). The 1H NMR was als…

Power quality is the critical element of modern power system network where more and more distributed energy resources (DER) can be found. Distributed generation generate electricity from many small DER particularly from renewable sources. Distributed generator (DG) within the network from renewable energy resources (RER) like solar and wind, bring significant challenges to maintain acceptable power quality (PQ) at the consumer end. This paper investigates PQ issues associated with RER. It reviews existing PQ standards for distribution network (DN) and also summarized the experiences of several Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) while integrating DGs into the grid. It was found that few PQ parameter ranges varies in different standards due to lack of harmonization and that may hinder to accept bulk renewable energy into the grid.

Contracted capacity setting is a discrete and nonlinear optimization problem in consideration of expenses on the electricity from the utility and costs of the self-owned generating units (SOGUs) at the same time. This paper proposes the cultured differential computation algorithm (CDCA) to solve this problem. The cultural algorithm (CA) used in the CDCA extracts and saves the domain knowledge or problem properties during the evolution process. The differential computation of the CDCA provides fast converging characteristics in searching the optimal solution through operations of mutation, crossover, and selection operations, which are efficient and different from the existing generic algorithm (GA). To verify feasibility of the proposed method, the paper employs the real data obtained from an optoelectronics factory in Taiwan. In comparison with the existing optimization methods in different optimization problems, the proposed CDCA approach has superior results as revealed in the numer…

Mixed oxide catalysts derived from MgAlLa layered double hydroxide (LDH) were prepared by co-precipitation and calcination. They were characterized by the XRD, FT-IR and BET techniques. Their catalytic performance was compared with the 5%K-promoted catalyst as heterogeneous base catalysts for the transesterification of Moringa oleifera oil with ethanol to produce biodiesel. At 110°C, reaction time 6 h, methanol:oil molar ratio 30, 10 wt.% catalyst, the biodiesel with 96.1% ester content can be obtained from the 5%K/Mg 0.70Al 0.11La0.19O catalyst. This solid base showed high activity without signs of catalyst leaching. M. oleifera oil appears to be an acceptable feedstock for biodiesel.

Power quality is the critical element of modern power system network where more and more distributed energy resources (DER) can be found. Distributed generation generate electricity from many small DER particularly from renewable sources. Distributed generator (DG) within the network from renewable energy resources (RER) like solar and wind, bring significant challenges to maintain acceptable power quality (PQ) at the consumer end. This paper investigates PQ issues associated with RER. It reviews existing PQ standards for distribution network (DN) and also summarized the experiences of several Distributed Network Service Provider (DNSP) while integrating DGs into the grid. It was found that few PQ parameter ranges varies in different standards due to lack of harmonization and that may hinder to accept bulk renewable energy into the grid.

Contracted capacity setting is a discrete and nonlinear optimization problem in consideration of expenses on the electricity from the utility and costs of the self-owned generating units (SOGUs) at the same time. This paper proposes the cultured differential computation algorithm (CDCA) to solve this problem. The cultural algorithm (CA) used in the CDCA extracts and saves the domain knowledge or problem properties during the evolution process. The differential computation of the CDCA provides fast converging characteristics in searching the optimal solution through operations of mutation, crossover, and selection operations, which are efficient and different from the existing generic algorithm (GA). To verify feasibility of the proposed method, the paper employs the real data obtained from an optoelectronics factory in Taiwan. In comparison with the existing optimization methods in different optimization problems, the proposed CDCA approach has superior results as revealed in the numer…

Mixed oxide catalysts derived from MgAlLa layered double hydroxide (LDH) were prepared by co-precipitation and calcination. They were characterized by the XRD, FT-IR and BET techniques. Their catalytic performance was compared with the 5%K-promoted catalyst as heterogeneous base catalysts for the transesterification of Moringa oleifera oil with ethanol to produce biodiesel. At 110°C, reaction time 6 h, methanol:oil molar ratio 30, 10 wt.% catalyst, the biodiesel with 96.1% ester content can be obtained from the 5%K/Mg 0.70Al 0.11La0.19O catalyst. This solid base showed high activity without signs of catalyst leaching. M. oleifera oil appears to be an acceptable feedstock for biodiesel.

An analytical method of parameter estimation for the synchronous generator based on dynamic behavior evaluation is proposed in this paper. For this purpose, based on the concept of performance deviation of generator with respect to change of parameters, this paper proposes a deviation index showing the effect of change in each parameter on output variables of generator such as active, reactive and apparent powers, rotor angle, terminal voltage and armature current. In the other words, the bigger value of deviation index for an output variable with respect to a specific parameter shows better estimation of parameter from that output variable. In fact, the deviation index represents estimation of each parameter within the change in dynamic behavior of generator. The proposed concept and approach is demonstrated on a test system with 25 buses and 12 machines test system.

Solar radiation data are essential in the design of solar energy conversion devices. In this regard, empirical models were selected to estimate the solar radiation on horizontal and inclined surfaces. The global, direct and diffuse solar radiation incident on a horizontal surface at Cairo, Egypt (lat. 300 05‟ N & Long. 310 15‟ E), during the period time from January 1995 to December 2005 are used. The regression equations between (G/Go) and meteorological variables along with the values of (MBE), (RMSE), MPE, R2 and the t-test statics are discussed. The linear regression analysis was used to comparison between measured and calculated values of the solar radiation are presented. The Olmo et al. model was applied to the database corresponding to the horizontal solar irradiation to determine values for a south facing surface, Olmo et al. model is recommended to estimate the global solar radiation on an inclined surface in this study, due to its accuracy, input requirements and simplicity.…

Currently petroleum is being used as a major source for new chemicals, materials & fuels, although it has limitations of availability & costs. It also raises environmental concern. A promising alternative raw material for the production of bioethanol, a fossil fuel substitute, from renewable source is lignocellulosic biomass. Parthenium hysterophorus L, an obnoxious flowering, offers a big challenge to all attempts of control because of its high regeneration capacity, production of huge amounts of seeds, high seed germinabilty & extreme adaptability to wide range of ecosystems. Contact with this plant causes dermatitis & respiratory malfunction in humans, cattle and domestic animals due to the presence of the toxin “parthenin”. In the present work Parthenium is hence chosen for the production of bioethanol. Conversion of hemicellulose, present in the lignocellulosic biomass, into xylose is one of major step, as it increases the quantity of reducing sugar which ultimately enhances the e…

Energy is essential in our life. Energy sources in Malaysia are heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Today, Malaysia starts to realize the importance to adopt renewable energy (RE) in the energy mix to ensure sustainable energy and security. This paper aims to present and discuss the feed-in tariff (FiT) outlook in Malaysia, which is enacted under Renewable Energy Policy by the Malaysian Government. The overall approach of how FiT mechanism works towards the RE and how to benefit from it was discussed. The FiT implementation globally is positive indicators to implement FiT in Malaysia. Potentials of FiT on RE are currently very promising in Malaysia and able to give opportunities to public in generation of energy from RE. In terms of cost, solar energy (solar photovoltaic) predicted to be the main RE of the future, surpasses all other REs.

This paper presents the impact of integration of tidal power generation on the reliability of Bangladesh Power System (BPS). Energy crisis is considered as one of the major issues all over the world in recent times. In this critical stage renewable energy (RE) is regarded as the most important alternative energy source. With the crisis of global energy sources and severe environment pollution, distributed generation (DG) based RE has become a development trend for electric power industry. Power generation from RE sources like photo voltaic (PV), wind, tidal, biomass and geothermal has been gaining momentum in many countries. Bangladesh with a long coastal area of 710 km with about 2-8 m tidal height has some large tidal sites and many channels of low tidal range in a large number of deltaic islands, where barrages and sluice gates already exist. Tides in these sites can generate about 440 MW of electricity. Integration of this tidal generation into BPS improves the reliability of the s…

If it is assumed that CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technologies are successfully applied to fossil-fueled power plants before 2025, through scenarios analyses, this study found that the option of CCS could sufficiently meet both power supply demands and GHG emissions standards, under the circumstances of non-nuclear power and minor renewables. These results inferred that CCS is the most feasible way for Taiwan to construct a low-carbon power infrastructure, because the all installed capacities are very close to those of BAU (Business As Usual). However, the CCS option is not the most economical one, due to the significant increase of generation cost up to 34%. Besides, the commercialization of CCS in the short term is still a question. Inherently, Taiwan lacks fossil energies but reserves abundant renewables. Although renewable energy is not the mainstream of power generation currently, it is believed that its shortcomings (e.g., unsTABLE supply and high price) could be overcome ev…