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Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2021) | Viewed by 20718

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Riccardo Amirante

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Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari BA, Italy
Interests: systems for energy generation and heat exchange: with studies on wind turbines, combined cycles employing externally fired gas turbines and Rankine cycles using water and organic fluids; design optimization of combined cycle power plants and thermos-economic analyses by using genetic algorithms; construction of a small-scale combined-cycle prototype for energy generation from solid biomass and biogas; innovative immersed particle heat exchangers for heat recovery; development of an innovative open field wind tunnel for the testing of micro wind turbines; design of a novel heat exchanger employing solid alumina particles as a heat transfer medium, with the aim of realizing externally fired gas turbines
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Dr. Paolo Tamburrano

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Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari, BA, Italy
Interests: servo-valves; proportional valves; piezo-electric actuators; aircraft fuel systems; hydrogen for aircraft; internal combustion engines; heat exchangers; small-scale combined-cycles; biomethane liquefa
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Dr. Elia Distaso

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Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari BA, Italy
Interests: the pollutant emission processes deriving from combustion sources; the employment of 3D CFD simulations—involving detailed chemistry-based models as well as accurate heat-exchange and flame-propagation sub-models—coupled with extended experimental campaigns; the analysis and design of energy-generation and heat-exchange systems; the experimental and numerical analysis of multi-phase flows with applications in the design of proportional valves
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Prof. Dr. Pietro De Palma

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Department of Mechanics, Mathematics and Management, Politecnico di Bari, via Orabona 4, 70126 Bari BA, Italy
Interests: hydraulic and thermal machines; fluid dynamics; the design of numerical methods for compressible and incompressible flows; stability analysis of shear flows; turbulence and transition modeling; combustion modelling; numerical analysis of complex flow in turbomachinery; energy systems
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Energies (ISSN 1996-1073; CODEN: ENERGA, IF 2.707, Scopus indexed) is currently running a Special Issue entitled" Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation".

Prof. Dr. Riccardo Amirante, Dr. Paolo Tamburrano, Dr. Elia Distaso and Prof. Dr. Pietro de Palma are serving as Guest Editors for this Issue.

The articles in this Issue will be concerned with one of the most important sectors of the global economy: the production of energy for humanity. Energy production, efficiency, storage, and transportation have been topics of interest since the steam age, since they correspond to the power of nations. At present, with the increasing global emphasis on emissions reduction, global warming, and energy security and sustainability, these subjects has never been more important.

The submission deadline is 30 August 2020. You may send your manuscript at any point from now until the deadline. Submitted papers should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Prof. Dr. Riccardo Amirante
Dr. Paolo Tamburrano
Dr. Elia Distaso
Prof. Dr. Pietro De Palma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

renewables
storage systems
generation and smart grids
fluid machinery
power architectures
energy conversion
low-carbon technologies
solar energy
clean internal combustion engines

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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28 pages, 12523 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Inner Fluid-Dynamics of Scroll Compressors and Comparison between CFD Numerical and Modelling Approaches

by Giovanna Cavazzini, Francesco Giacomel, Alberto Benato, Francesco Nascimben and Guido Ardizzon

Energies 2021, 14(4), 1158; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14041158 - 22 Feb 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3539

Abstract

Scroll compressors are widely adopted machines in both refrigeration systems and heat pumps. However, their efficiency is basically poor and constitutes the main bottleneck for improving the overall system performance. In fact, due to the complex machine fluid dynamics, scroll design is mainly based on theoretical and/or semi-empirical approaches. Designs strategies that do not guarantee an in-depth analysis of the machine behavior can be supplemented with a Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. To this purpose, in the present work, the scroll compressor inner fluid dynamics is numerically analyzed in detail using two CFD software and two different modelling strategies for the axial gap. The analysis of the fluid evolution within the scroll wraps reveals unsteady phenomena developing during the suction and discharge phases, amplified by the axial clearance with negative impact on the main fluid flow (e.g., −13% of average mass flow rate for an axial gap of 30 μ) and on the scroll performance (e.g., +26% of average absorbed power for an axial gap of 30 μ). In terms of accuracy, the k-ε offers good performance on the estimation of average quantities but proves to be inadequate for capturing the complexity of the unsteady phenomena caused by the axial gap (e.g., −19% of the absorbed power in case of perfect tip seal). The need for considering specific geometric details in design procedures is highlighted, and guidelines on the choice of the most suitable numerical model are provided depending on the analysis needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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15 pages, 30512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Geometric Parameters of Pump Installation on the Hydraulic Performance of a Prefabricated Pumping Station

by Bowen Zhang, Li Cheng, Chunlei Xu and Mo Wang

Energies 2021, 14(4), 1039; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14041039 - 16 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2093

Abstract

A prefabricated pumping station is a new type of pumping station that plays an important role in the construction of sponge cities in developing countries. It solves the problem of urban water-logging and makes great contributions to the sustainable development of water resources. In order to research the influence of different installation positions of pumps on the internal hydraulic performance of a prefabricated pumping station, based on ANSYS software, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation method was used to analyze the internal flow state of the prefabricated pump station. In this research, the optimal geometric parameters of pump installation in a prefabricated pumping station are given. The results show that when the distance between the connecting line of two pumps and the center of the sump is L = 0.2 R, the distance between the two pumps is S = 0.6 R, and the suspension height of the two pumps is H = 0.6 D, the internal flow pattern of the prefabricated pump station is better. (R is the cross-sectional radius of the sump and D is the diameter of the nozzle of the pump horn.) These research results have certain guiding significance for improvement of the hydraulic performance and operation efficiency of prefabricated pump stations. They also provide a theoretical basis for parameter selection for prefabricated pumping stations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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15 pages, 3743 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A U-Shaped Oscillatory Liquid Piston Compression Air Conditioner Driven by Rotary Displacer Stirling Engine

by Chang-Sheng Lin, Jui-Kai Liu and Hung-Tse Chiang

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4091; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13164091 - 7 Aug 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4553

Abstract

A rotary displacer, Stirling engine-driven, oscillatory liquid piston-compression air conditioning unit is analyzed, designed, and conceptually proved by experiments on its cooling capability and performance efficiency. The engine itself aims to work compatibly with a conventional solar water heater as its power source, with a rotary displacer to manipulate its operation frequency. A U-shaped, oscillatory liquid piston, with the cylinder chamber vented to low pressure, aims to both reduce the sealing friction and serve as the refrigerant. During the experiments, the engine is fed with an electrically heated hot bath whose temperature profile is determined according to a field test of solar thermal collectors in summer conditions. Experimental results show that the coefficient of performance (COP) of the oscillatory liquid piston air conditioning unit would be in the range of 1.3 to 1.5. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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16 pages, 2810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evolution of Soot Particle Number, Mass and Size Distribution along the Exhaust Line of a Heavy-Duty Engine Fueled with Compressed Natural Gas

by Elia Distaso, Riccardo Amirante, Giuseppe Calò, Pietro De Palma and Paolo Tamburrano

Energies 2020, 13(15), 3993; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13153993 - 3 Aug 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3341

Abstract

An experimental study has been conducted to provide a characterization of the transformations that particle size distributions and the number density of soot particles can encounter along the exhaust line of a modern EURO VI compliant heavy-duty engine, fueled with compressed natural gas. Being aware of the particles history in the exhausts can be of utmost importance to understand soot formation and oxidation dynamics, so that, new strategies for further reducing these emissions can be formulated and present and future regulations met. To this purpose, particle samples were collected from several points along the exhaust pipe, namely upstream and downstream of each device the exhaust gases interact with. The engine was turbocharged and equipped with a two-stage after-treatment system. The measurements were carried out in steady conditions while the engine operated in stoichiometric conditions. Particle emissions were measured using a fast-response particle size spectrometer (DMS500) so that size information was analyzed in the range between 5 and 1000 nm. Particle mass information was derived from size distribution data using a correlation available in the literature. The reported results provide more insight on the particle emission process related to natural gas engines and, in particular, point out the effects that the turbine and the after-treatment devices produce on soot particles. Furthermore, the reported observations suggest that soot particles might not derive only from the fuel, namely, external sources, such as lubricant oil, might have a relevant role in soot formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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24 pages, 6548 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Servovalve Pilot Stage Actuated by a Piezo-Electric Ring Bender (Part II): Design Model and Full Simulation

by Paolo Tamburrano, Andrew R. Plummer, Pietro De Palma, Elia Distaso and Riccardo Amirante

Energies 2020, 13(9), 2267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13092267 - 4 May 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2432

Abstract

In part I of this study, we experimentally and numerically investigated the pilot stage of a novel two-stage servovalve architecture. The novelty of the proposed configuration is the torque motor being removed and replaced with two small two-way two-position (2/2) valves actuated by piezoelectric ring benders, which can effectively control the opening degree of a main spool valve. With this novel architecture, the typical drawbacks of two-stage servovalves can be overcome, such as the high complexity of the torque motor and the high internal leakage in the pilot stage when the main valve is at rest in the neutral position (null). The low complexity and the negligible internal leakage of the piezo-valves are accompanied by the high response speed typical of piezoelectric actuators. The valve assessment is completed in the present study, since the entire valve architecture (main stage + pilot stage) is investigated. In particular, a simplified numerical model is developed to provide a design tool that allows, for a given main stage spool, the values of the geometrical parameters of the pilot stage to be chosen along with the characteristics of the ring bender. This design procedure is applied to a 7 mm diameter main spool; afterward, a detailed numerical model of the entire valve, solved by SimScape Fluids software, is employed to demonstrate that the response of the main stage valve is very rapid while ensuring negligible internal leakage through the piezo-valves when the main stage is closed (resulting in lower power consumption). For this reason, the proposed valve can be regarded as a “clean” component for energy conversion, having lower energy consumption than commercially available servovalves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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Review

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20 pages, 3617 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review of Methods Used for Selecting Pumps as Turbines (PATs) and Predicting Their Characteristic Curves

by Mario Amelio, Silvio Barbarelli and Domenico Schinello

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6341; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13236341 - 1 Dec 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3503

Abstract

The use of Pumps As Turbines (PATs) can be the best solution for exploiting small hydraulic resources. Pump manufacturers do not provide the performances of their machines running in reverse mode, thus several authors developed appropriate prediction models. Some of them can only correlate the pump Best Efficiency Point (BEP) to the PAT corresponding one; other ones are able to obtain the characteristic curves. In this paper, a review of these methodologies is presented with the aim to find the best strategy that allows a designer of a small hydropower plant to select the PAT to be used and to predict its characteristic curves. The study also highlights the possibility of disassembling some models in order to merge the best parts in a more reliable strategy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fluid Machinery, Systems and Storage Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Energy Generation)

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