An experimental apparatus for testing biodiesels based on a CFR engine—setup and validation with different methyl ester blends

A cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine was modified and instrumented in order to control operating conditions and to measure engine parameters and in-cylinder pressure diagrams. Aiming at the comparison of different alternative fuels, an experimental procedure was defined, including cetane number (CN) evaluation and the definition of engine operating quantities in different working points, for fixed levels of compression ratio (CR) and injection advance. An investigation was made considering several blends of methyl-esters of rapeseed oil (RME) and of a mix of vegetable oils (VOME) with conventional diesel oil. The defined experimental procedure was applied to assess CN, engine brake thermal efficiency (bte) and exhaust emissions. Results show that the biodiesel content has a positive influence on soot emissions, with strong reduction, while thermal efficiency and NO_X emissions are negatively affected, which can be justified taking into account fuel properties and changes in combustion process. As observed outcomes are generally in line with those presented in literature, the facility proved to be a suitable tool for basic investigations on alternative fuels to be used in specific applications.     

Comparative study on effect of blending,thermal barrier coating (LHR) and injector nozzle geometry on biodiesel-fuelled engines

Increased petroleum prices, increased threat to the environment from exhaust emissions and global warming have generated intense international interest in developing renewable and alternative non-petroleum fuels for internal combustion engines. Evolving suitable technology for addressing energy crisis creates a continued investigation into the search for sustainable and clean-burning renewable fuels. This work investigates suitability of different non-edible-derived biodiesels such as cotton seed oil methyl ester (COME), Honne oil methyl ester (HnOME) and Rubber seed oil methyl ester (RuOME) to four stroke, single cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine. Engine tests were conducted to study the effect of fuel blending, thermal barrier coating (TBC) or Low Heat Rejection (LHR) and injector nozzle geometry on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of COME, HnOME and RuOME in the modified CI engine. Blends of biodiesels with diesel were varied from 20 to 80% in steps of 20%. Two thermal barrier coatings of partially stabilized zirconium (PSZ) and aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) were provided on the engine to make it fully adiabatic. Nozzle injectors of 3, 4 and 5 holes, with size of orifice varied from 0.2 to 0.3 mm size were selected for the study. It was concluded that B20 biodiesel blend, PSZ-coated engine and four hole nozzle injector of 0.2 mm size resulted in overall better engine performance with increased brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and reduced HC, CO, smoke emissions for the fuel combinations tested. Combustion analysis to study the effect of biodiesel blends, LHR coatings, injector nozzle geometry on the performance of the biodiesel-fuelled engine has been presented to give more insight into the behaviour of operation.     

A study on the factor market distortion and the carbon emission scale effect of two-way FDI

Based on the data of 30 Chinese provinces for the period from 2004 to 2015, this paper expounds the carbon emissions effect of two-way foreign direct investment (FDI) from the perspective of scale effect and factor market distortions. This study uses Kaya identity to decompose carbon emission and construct simultaneous equations model to empirically examine the factor market distortion and the carbon emission scale effect of two-way FDI. The results show that the inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) increase regional carbon emission through scale effect and also exacerbates factor market distortion in China, whereas the outward FDI trends reduce carbon emission and reduces factor market distortions in China. The study also shows that human capital, research and development (R&D), trade openness, and capital accumulation are important determinants of two-way FDI. Therefore, the study proposes that IFDI policies should focus on acquiring green technologies. In addition, the domestic enterprises should be encouraged to participate in global business.     

全球低碳发展评估及中国低碳发展的实现路径

低碳发展日益成为国际关注的热点问题,中国正处在快速工业化和城镇化进程当中,通过低碳发展实现经济社会转型尤为迫切。在全球大背景下正确判断中国的低碳发展水平,汲取各国有益的低碳发展经验,寻求适合中国的低碳发展路径尤为重要。从低碳发展特征指标变动出发,通过统计分析,得出全球低碳发展历史和现状水平,以及中国所处的位置。研究表明,近20年来全球碳生产力水平不断提高,近年来中国的碳生产力水平飞速提升,但是中国的碳生产力仍然远远低于全球平均水平,离先进国家的差距更大,不足法国的1/10,人均二氧化碳排放增速位居世界前列,减排压力巨大。因此,结合国内外实践经验,总结了中国低碳发展的5个实现路径,分别是调整能源结构、发展低碳产业、倡导低碳消费、建设低碳城市和加强碳汇建设。     

Time and cost characterisation of emissions from non-road diesel equipment for infrastructure projects

The construction process contributes to pollutant emissions, particularly through the operation of diesel- and gasoline-powered equipment. In the past decade, a series of investigations were undertaken to quantify these emissions for a variety of non-road construction equipment performing different activities and undergoing different duty cycles, and a model to estimate quantities of six types of pollutant was developed. This paper uses that model to estimate emissions for four street and utility construction projects which no one has done previously. We combined information from company records with standard construction industry manuals to estimate total emissions for the projects and to examine the pollution patterns and magnitudes. The street construction projects all had similar emission profiles with a large peak at the beginning and a steady output of emissions throughout the duration of the project. For example, in two of the projects studied, half of all CO₂ emissions were produced before the projects were 40% completed. Results showed that demolition and earthwork are the activities with the largest contribution. The equipment types with the largest contribution are backhoes, front-end loaders, bulldozers and trenchers. Trenchers, for example, produced 30% of all emissions on the projects on which they were used.     

Performance,combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder,four-stroke,direct injection diesel engine operated on a dual-fuel mode using Honge oil methyl ester and producer gas derived from biomass feedstock of different origin

Renewable and alternative fuels have numerous advantages compared with fossil fuels, as they are renewable and biodegradable, and provide food and energy security and foreign exchange savings besides addressing environmental concerns and socio-economic issues. In this context, present work was carried out to investigate the feasibility of alternative and renewable fuels derived from biomass feedstock of different origin for engine applications. The present study was also extended to study the effect of producer gas composition derived from different biomass feedstock on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection stationary diesel engine operated on a dual-fuel mode using Honge oil methyl ester (HOME) and producer gas induction. The performance of the engine was evaluated with a constant injection timing of 27° before top dead centre, an injection pressure of 205 bar for the diesel–producer gas combination and 230 bar for the HOME–producer gas combination and a compression ratio of 17.5. The results showed that the performance of the dual-fuel engine varies with the composition of the producer gas and depends on the type of biomass feedstock used in the gasifier. Experimental investigations on the dual-fuel engine showed that brake thermal efficiency values for the engine operated using HOME–producer gas derived from babul, neem and honge woods were found to be 17.2, 14.3 and 11.56% respectively, compared to 23.8% for diesel–producer gas operation at 80% load. However, the results showed better engine performance with lower exhaust emission levels for the operation of HOME–producer gas derived from the ordinary or babul wood compared with the operation of that derived from the neem and Honge woods. In view of this, present study reveals that use of alternative and renewable fuels for dual fuel engine can be considered as an immediate solution for the development of rural areas and emergency use in the event of severe diesel fuel shortage.     

Fuel efficiency improvement of a dual-fuel engine fuelled with Honge oil methyl ester (HOME)–bioethanol and producer gas

Renewable and alternative fuels have numerous advantages compared with fossil fuels as they are renewable and biodegradable and provide food and energy security and foreign exchange savings besides addressing environmental concerns and socio-economic issues (Yaliwal et al. 2013. International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, doi:10.1080/19397038.2013.801530. Zhu et al. 2011a, Applied Thermal Engineering 31 (14–15): 2271–2278; Zhu et al. 2011b, Fuel 90: 1743-1750; Banapurmath, Tewari, and Hosmath 2008, Renewable Energy 33: 2007-2018; Banapurmath 2009, “Performance, Combustion and Emission Characteristics of a Single Cylinder Direct Injection CI Engine Operated on Dual Fuel Mode Using Honge Oil and Producer Gas.” PhD thesis, 1–195; Banapurmath et al. 2011, Waste and Biomass Valorization 2: 1–11). In this context, the main objective of the present work is to study methods of biofuel production such as Honge oil methyl ester (HOME) using a conventional transesterification process and bioethanol from the Calliandra calothyrsus shrub using a new pretreatment method known as hydrothermal explosion. Further, experimental investigations were carried out on a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct-injection stationary diesel engine operating in a dual-fuel mode using HOME, bioethanol and producer gas combinations to determine its performance, combustion and emission characteristics. The performance of the dual-fuel engine was analyzed at optimized engine conditions. HOME-Bioethanol (BE) blends such as HOME+ 5% bioethanol (BE5), HOME+ 10% bioethanol (BE10) and HOME+ 15% bioethanol (BE15) were prepared by adding bioethanol to HOME (on volume basis) in different proportions ranging from 5 to 15% with an increment of 5%. In this present work, the effect of different BE blends on the performance of producer gas fuelled dual fuel engine was studied. Experimental investigation on dual fuel engine using BE5-Producer gas operation resulted in up to 4–9% increased brake thermal efficiency with decreased hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and marginally increased nitric oxide (NOx) emission levels compared to HOME-Producer gas, BE10-producer gas and BE15-producer gas mode of operation. However, it was observed that, the overall performance of BE-producer gas operation was found to be lower compared to diesel-producer gas operation.     

基于卫星夜间灯光数据的中国分省碳排放时空模拟

中国能源统计数据"横向不可比,纵向不可加"现象依然突出,尤其是分省能源消费统计千差万别,给分省碳排放评估带来了较大困难,如何利用卫星遥感数据科学合理地估算中国分省碳排放是当前亟须研究的问题。本文运用DMSP/OLS全球稳定夜间灯光数据,在通过相互校正、年内融合和年际间校正等系列处理得到中国分省稳定夜间灯光数据的基础上,首先分别构建中国分省稳定夜间灯光亮度DN值与人均碳排放和单位面积碳排放之间的时空地理加权回归模型,两个模型整体效果均较好,拟合优度分别高达96.74%和99.24%;其次运用稳定夜间灯光亮度DN值对分省人均碳排放和单位面积碳排放进行时空模拟;最后运用人口规模和土地面积对分省碳排放进行估算。估算结果显示:(1)整体来看,2000—2013年年均碳排放模拟值与实际值6.3349×109t较为接近,两个模型的相对误差均在0.5%以内。(2)分年度来看,所有年份的相对误差均在5%以内,2006年分省加总碳排放模拟值与实际碳排放6.2036×109t最为接近,绝对误差和相对误差均较小,两个模型模拟值的相对误差均为0.04%。(3)分省域来看,2000—2013年年均碳排放模拟值与实际碳排放均非常接近,除海南和宁夏外,其余28个省区市的相对误差均在1%以内。(4)分年度分省域来看,以2013年为例,40%省份的相对误差在2%以内,70%省份的相对误差在5%以内。从整体、分年度、分省域、分年度分省域的估算结果来看,基于稳定夜间灯光数据的中国分省碳排放时空模拟效果良好。因此,运用卫星夜间灯光数据可以较为准确地对中国分省碳排放进行估算和预测,为卫星遥感影像数据服务分省碳排放监测和评估提供一种补充性参考。     

Influencing climate change regulations: examining responses from large-scale firms

Recent climate change projections and a push towards a universal agreement on carbon emission reductions suggest that firms will need to respond to future regulatory changes. This paper employs an influencing strategies lens to examine how large-scale firms might respond to future climate change regulations. The study uses a structured qualitative methodology to explore and explicate the strategic responses from 21 international firms to the proposed emissions trading scheme outlined in Australia's Garnaut Climate Change Review. The results of the analysis show that firms can use pre-emptive influencing strategies in attempts to shape and mould regulatory design parameters, secure high levels of transitional economic support, and shift the balance of public policies and expenditure. Complementary defensive strategies may also target policy makers and regulators with some of the potential negative consequences of the new regulations.     

家庭部门生活能源消费碳排放:测度与驱动因素研究

本文运用IPCC的二氧化碳排放量测算方法,在省际层面测度了我国家庭部门直接能源消费碳排放,并基于扩展的STIRPAT和Kaya模型,构建家庭部门直接能源消费碳排放影响因子动态面板数据模型,对我国2003-2012年分省面板数据样本及城乡子样本进行系统GMM估计。本文研究表明,第一,我国城乡家庭部门碳排放总量和人均碳排放在近十年都呈快速上升趋势,家庭部门碳排放的空间分布具有明显的地域差异特征,高碳排放地区主要集中在东、中部地区,西部地区的碳排放水平较低;第二,城乡家庭部门生活能源消费的上期碳排放量对本期碳排放产生重要的正向影响,这反映出我国家庭部门碳排放具有显著的惯性特征和路径依赖性,是一种动态自适应机制;人口规模、居民消费水平、能源消费结构、碳排放强度、能源消费强度和城镇化因素,都对我国居民能源消费碳排放总量及人均碳排放具有显著的影响,城乡之间的家庭能源消费碳排放驱动因素存在差异。本文研究得到如下启示及政策含义:家庭部门碳减排将是一个有步骤、分区域的渐进过程,我国碳减排政策应当兼顾消费升级和碳排放的双重目标,努力构建分层次碳减排的适应性预期机制。具体而言,一方面应着眼于引导和激励居民低碳消费,缓解人口规模增加、消费水平提升和城镇化对家庭部门碳减排的压力;另一方面要通过能源价格改革、财政政策和环境规制政策等优化我国能源消费结构,不断降低煤炭消费比重,提高清洁能源的消费。同时,通过技术创新、设备改造等科技手段提高煤炭利用效率,降低碳排放强度,这些政策将更有利于城镇家庭部门碳减排。