Uncertainty,Irreversibility and the Timing Problems of Environmental Policy

Abstract

Most environmental issues and policy designing are uncertain and irreversible; therefore, the timing of environmental policy implementation becomes especially important. This paper establishes a random dynamic programming model and analyzes the optimal timing problems in environmental policy under uncertain variables. This model results indicate that two variables have a significant impact on the timing of environmental policy implementation and they work in opposite directions: on one hand, the more uncertain the economy is, the higher the cost of policies implementation will be, and consequently the incentive to immediately adopt the policy will be stronger. On the other hand, the higher the uncertainty of the environment is, the stronger the irreversibility of ecological harm caused by pollutants per unit will be. Therefore, the government should implement new environmental policies as early as possible in order to gain more ecological benefits.     

Experimental investigation on the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine by varying the injection pressure and injection timing using mixed biodiesel

Biodiesel is a promising fuel for compression ignition engines instead of diesel fuel. Due to the depletion of diesel fuel, an alternative fuel can be used in an engine. The experiments were conducted on a four-stroke, single cylinder CI engine. In this present investigation, an attempt has been made to study the influence of injection pressure (IP) and injection timing (IT) on the performance and emission characteristics of diesel engines by using mixed biodiesel (Thevetia peruviana, Jatropha, Pongamia, and Azadirachta indica). The injection pressure is varied from 200 to 230 bar and the injection timing is varied from 23 to 29° bTDC at an increment of 10 bar and 2° bTDC, respectively, and the results were compared with diesel. From this study, the results showed that the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) was increased by 2.4% with an increase in injection pressure and 1.5% with an increase in the injection timing for the maximum load, but lesser than diesel. Furthermore, a reduction of 5.08% of brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) has been noticed for the rise in IP and IT with loads but higher than diesel. The reduction was 34.17%, 53.85%, and 29.7% and 29.17%, 53.85%, and 21.95% of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and smoke emissions, respectively, at 230 bar injection pressure and at 27° bTDC injection timing. Also, a significant increase in nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions at the maximum load was observed by increasing the injection pressure and injection timing.     

Blends of karanja and jatropha biodiesels for diesel engine applications

Over a number of years, the work of exploring different biodiesels as an alternative to diesel fuel has been carried out worldwide. Not much focus on the use of combination of different biodiesels and their behaviour in diesel engines has been reported. This work is an attempt in this direction, which reports on the use of combination of biodiesels derived from jatropha and karanja oils. Jatropha oil methyl ester (JOME) and honge oil methyl ester (HOME) represent the respective biodiesels derived from these non-edible oils. Experiments were conducted on a four-stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine using these biodiesel combinations in order to check their feasibility as alternative fuels to diesel. Initially, experiments were conducted on each biodiesel and their blends with diesel and engine parameters were optimised in terms of injection pressure and injection timing. Advancing the injection timing improved the overall performance of the engine fuelled with JOME while retarding the injection timing favoured the HOME. Both biodiesels performed better with an injector opening pressure of 230 bar. Finally, experiments were conducted with the combination of both biodiesels with different blend ratios. It was observed that increasing the JOME content in the biodiesels blend improved the performance with reduced emissions of smoke, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions. However NO _x emission increased.     

Combustion characteristics of a four-stroke CI engine operated on Honge and Jatropha oil methyl ester–ethanol blends when directly injected and dual fuelled with CNG induction

The demand for petroleum products in India has been increasing at a rate higher than the increase of domestic availability. At the same time, there is continuous pressure on emission control through periodically tightened regulations particularly in metropolitan cities. In the wake of this situation, there is an urgent need to promote the use of alternative fuels as substitutes for high-speed diesel. Dual-fuel mode of operation employing compressed natural gas (CNG) and plant oils such as Honge and Jatropha oils and their esters is an attractive option as our country has a large agriculture base that can be a feedstock to this fuel technology which can ease the burden on the economy by curtailing fuel imports. This paper presents the results of investigations carried out in studying the behaviour of Honge and Jatropha oil methyl esters and their blends with 15% ethanol and subsequent testing of these oils in a four-stroke, single-cylinder, water-cooled, direct-injection compression ignition engine in dual-fuel mode with CNG induction.     

GM（1， 1）正弦模型修补气温监测缺失数据的探讨

目的建立预测精度较好的大气温度监测缺失数据修补的方法和模型。方法采用正弦函数对GM(1,1)标准模型进行修正,建立分段的GM(1,1)正弦修正模型对缺失数据进行修补。以万宁试验站某天监测的温度日记时值数据为试验数据,同时建立GM(1,1)标准模型、GM(1,1)时序修正模型和GM(1,1)正弦修正模型,对比分析各模型的修补误差,确立较好的修补模型。结果从模型的拟合效果分析,GM(1,1)标准模型和GM(1,1)正弦修正模型的拟合性最好,GM(1,1)时序修正模型的拟合性相对较差一些;从预测精度上分析,GM(1,1)标准模型和GM(1,1)时序修正模型预测修补效果差,平均相对误差分别达到22.54%和17.70%,而GM(1,1)正弦修正模型预测修补的平均误差仅为3.14%,得到了较大的改进,预测效果好。结论正弦修正模型能很好地修补缺失数据,其修补效果比时序修正模型和标准模型都要好。     

缸内直喷汽油机多环芳烃排放特性的试验研究

在一台缸内直喷(GDI)汽油机上,分别用玻璃纤维滤膜和“聚氨基甲酸乙酯泡沫(PUF)+XAD-2”对尾气中的颗粒相和气相多环芳烃(PAHs)进行了采集,并用色谱-质谱联用仪(GC-MS)对PAHs进行了定性定量分析,研究了点火时刻和废气再循环(EGR)对PAHs排放的影响.结果表明:在缸内直喷汽油机尾气中,气相PAHs浓度远高于颗粒相PAHs浓度,在气相PAHs中主要是2环和3环等小环PAHs,而在颗粒相PAHs中则主要是4环及以上的大环PAHs.随着点火时刻的提前,尾气中PAHs总浓度呈现先减小后增加再减小的变化趋势,气相和颗粒相PAHs浓度也呈现相似的变化趋势.随着EGR率的增大,气相PAHs所占比例先减小后增大,颗粒相PAHs所占比例则先增大后减小,总PAHs的排放在整体上呈现逐渐减小的变化趋势.加入EGR后,GDI汽油机尾气的毒性显著增大.     

Effects of injection timing,injector opening pressure and nozzle geometry on the performance of cottonseed oil methyl ester-fuelled diesel engine

Increasing petroleum prices, increasing threat to the environment from exhaust emissions and global warming have generated intense international interest in developing renewable and alternative non-petroleum fuels for engines. Evolving technology and a recurring energy crisis necessitates a continuous investigation into the search for sustainable and clean-burning renewable fuels. In this paper, cottonseed oil methyl ester (COME) was used in a four-stroke, single-cylinder variable compression ratio diesel engine. Tests were carried out to study the effects of fuel injection timing, fuel injector opening pressure (IOP) and injector nozzle geometry on the performance and combustion of COME biodiesel fuel used in a compression ignition engine with a single fuel mode. Fuel injection timing varied from 19° to 27° before top dead centre (bTDC) in incremental steps of 4° bTDC; fuel IOP varied from 210 to 240 bar in incremental steps of 10 bar. Fuel nozzle injectors with three, four and five holes, each of 0.3 mm size, were selected for the study. The results suggested that with retarded injection timing of 19° bTDC, increased IOP of 230 bar and a four-hole nozzle injector of 0.3 mm size resulted in overall better engine performance with an increased brake thermal efficiency and reduced HC, CO and smoke emission levels.     

The role of respondents’ comfort for variance in stated choice surveys: evidence from a SCUBA diving case

Preference elicitation among outdoor recreational users is subject to measurement errors that depend, in part, on survey planning. This study uses data from a choice experiment survey on recreational SCUBA diving to investigate whether self-reported information on respondents’ comfort when they complete surveys correlates with the error variance in stated choice models of their responses. Comfort-related variables are included in the scale functions of the scaled multinomial logit models. The hypothesis was that higher comfort reduces error variance in answers, as revealed by a higher scale parameter and vice versa. Information on, e.g., sleep and time since eating (higher comfort) correlated with scale heterogeneity, and produced lower error variance when controlled for in the model. That respondents’ comfort may influence choice behavior suggests that knowledge of the respondents’ activity patterns could be used to plan the timing of interviews to decrease error variance in choices and, hence, generate better information.     

柴油预喷参数对进气预喷甲醇柴油机燃烧和排放的影响

在一台满足国Ⅵ排放的柴油机基础上,采用进气预喷甲醇的方式替代原机的尿素辅助的选择性还原技术(SCR),探究不同柴油预喷油量和预喷时刻对发动机燃烧、性能和排放的影响.结果表明:在最大扭矩转速1690r·min-1和280 N·m(1.25 MPa BMEP)工况下,当甲醇在整个燃料的能量占比(占总燃料能量的63％～65％...     

Effect of injection timing,injector opening pressure and nozzle geometry on the performance of a compression ignition engine operated on non-edible oil methyl esters from different sources

Increasing cost of fossil fuels, environmental threats from exhaust emissions and their depleting nature have generated intense international interest in developing renewable and alternative fuels for internal combustion engines. This study investigates the suitability of different non-edible-derived biodiesels such as cottonseed oil methyl ester (COME), honne oil methyl ester (HnOME) and honge oil methyl ester (HOME) to four-stroke, single-cylinder compression ignition (CI) engine. Engine tests were conducted to study the effect of fuel injection timing (IT), fuel injector opening pressure (IOP) and injector nozzle geometry on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of COME, HnOME and HOME in the modified CI engine. IT was varied from 19° to 27° before top dead centre (bTDC) in steps of 4° bTDC; IOP was varied from 205 to 240 bar in steps of 10 bar. Nozzle injectors of three to five holes, each of 0.3 mm size, were selected for the study. It was concluded that a retarded IT of 19° bTDC increased IOP of 230 bar, and four-hole nozzle injector of 0.3 mm size resulted in overall better engine performance with increased brake thermal efficiency and reduced hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide smoke emissions for the fuels tested.