Abstract

The road transport system is moving, slowly but surely, away from using fossil fuels. Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are an energy-efficient alternative to conventional vehicles. Commercial vehicle fleets are an attractive entry for PEVa into the transport system. This paper presents findings from a three-year study of 550 PEVs and their users. A combination of technical and social science methods provides a basis for greater understanding of PEV operations in commercial vehicle fleets. This paper shows that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have proven their functionality in several applications, but that winter conditions still imply an unjustified decrease in use. Usage varies according to application but results show that in general a substantial share of the battery capacity is redundant. Findings indicate that usage is not necessarily inhibited by the technical specifications of the battery but by the operational conditions in which commercial duties are performed. The only reliable alternative is to return with a large battery surplus. The vehicles studied have demonstrated their functionality and the users are positive. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) imply no restrictions in mobility, which results in high user satisfaction. Commercial vehicle fleets are suitable for PEV operations and with growing acceptance users have requested more PEVs hence a significant possibility exists to substitute a large share of the fossil-fuelled vehicles operating in commercial vehicle fleets.

Abstract

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is one of the most potential technologies to mitigate climate change. Usingpipelinesto transport CO2 from emission sources to storage sitesis one of common and mature technologies. The design and operation of pipeline transport process requires careful considerations of thermo-physical properties.This paper studied the impact of properties, including density, viscosity, thermal conductivity and heat capacity, onthe performance of CO2 pipeline transport. The pressure loss and temperature dropin steady state were calculated by using homogenous friction model and Sukhof temperature drop theory, respectively. The results of sensitivity study show thatover-estimating density and viscosity increases the pressure loss while under-estimating of density and viscosity decreases it. Over-estimating density and heat capacity leads to lower temperature drop while under-estimating of density and heat capacity result in higher temperature drop.This study suggests that the accuracy of property models for example, more accurate density model, should be developed for the CO2 transport design.

Abstract

the number of electric vehicles increases, the impact of their charging on distribution networks is being investigated using different load profiles. Due to the lack of real charging data, the majority of these load impact studies are making assumptions for the electric vehicle charging demand profiles. In this paper a two-step modelling framework was developed to extract the useful information hidden in real EVs charging event data. Real EVs charging demand data were obtained from Plugged-in Midlands (PiM) project, one of the eight ‘Plugged-in Places’ projects supported by the UK Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). A data mining model was developed to investigate the characteristics of electric vehicle charging demand in a geographical area. A Fuzzy-Based model aggregates these characteristics and estimates the potential relative risk level of EVs charging demand among different geographical areas independently to their actual corresponding distribution networks. A case study with real charging and weather data from three counties in UK is presented to demonstrate the modelling framework. Document type: Article

Abstract

International audience; The scale of proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage (CCS) chains also draws attention to the hazards posed by the transport mode, enabling the link from source to sink. As such, the adverse consequences of an accidental release from transport pipelines or other equipment containing CO2 at high pressure in a dense-phase (supercritical or liquid) state are (re)considered in theory and in practice. Several experimental observations of large-scale CO2 releases have been made, and yet the physics and thermodynamics involved are not fully understood. The work presented here provides a database focused on the specificities of the release and the dispersion of the carbon dioxide cloud in case of substantial variations of storage (temperature and pressure) and discharge conditions (nozzle size). Document type: Conference object

Abstract

Synthetic fuels based on electricity, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2) may be necessary to cover the fuel demand in a sustainable transport sector based on renewable energy sources. The aim of this paper is to compare hydrogen, methane, methanol and diesel produced in this way. The main parameters for the analysis are well to wheel energy efficiency and costs, and the fuels are analysed in a Swedish context. The results indicate that methane and diesel could have the potential to be cost competitive in the near term, at least if common incentivesfor renewable transportation fuels are applied. Moreover, that hydrogen is the best option in terms of well to wheel energy efficiency, and that it in the longer term also may be cost competitive to the other fuels.

Abstract

International audience; Without a clear understanding of the hazards associated with the failure of CO2 pipelines, carbon capture and storage (CCS) cannot be considered as a viable proposition for tackling the effects of global warming. Given that CO2 is an asphyxiant at high concentrations, the development of reliable validated pipeline outflow and dispersion models are central to addressing this challenge. This information is pivotal to quantifying all the hazard consequences associated with the failure of CO2 transportation pipelines, which forms the basis for emergency response planning and determining minimum safe distances to populated areas. This paper presents an overview of the main findings of the recently completed CO(2)PipeHaz project [1] which focussed on the hazard assessment of CO2 pipelines to be employed as an integral part of CCS. Funded by the European Commission FP7 Energy programme, the project's main objective was to address this fundamentally important issue. Document type: Conference object

Abstract

Planning for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) infrastructure needs to address the impact of store uncertainties and store flow variability on infrastructure costs and availability. Key geological storage properties (pressure, temperature, depth and permeability) can affect injectivity and lead to variations in CO2 flow, which feed back into the pipeline transportation system. In previous storage models, the interface between the reservoir performance and the transportation infrastructure is unclear and the models are unable to provide details for flow and pressure management within a transportation network in response to changes in the operation of storage sites. Variation in storage demand due to daily and seasonal variations of fossil fuels uses and by extension CO2 flow is also likely to influence transportation infrastructure availability and the capacity to deliver. This work evaluates, at the level of infrastructure planning, the impact of geological uncertainty on CCS pipeline transportation and injection infrastructure. The analysis presented shows how to consider uncertainty in store properties in combination with CO2 flow variability to estimate the likely impact on pipeline infrastructure design. The operational envelope of the storage site infrastructure is estimated by combining the Darcy flow analysis of simple reservoir models with rigorous process simulation of the storage site wells. The proximity of wellhead conditions to the CO2 equilibrium line and the maximum velocities inside the well constrain the operational envelope of the storage site and limit the ability of the storage site infrastructure to handle CO2 flow variation. These factors, which are significantly influenced by variations in subsurface conditions, have also an impact on the design of the offshore pipeline infrastructure, needing to accommodate changes in pressure delivery requirements. Based on the evaluation of examples developed for different offshore transportation scenarios relevant to the United Kingdom, detailed insight on the expected impacts of store properties on pipeline transportation infrastructure design and operation is provided. For instance, it is found that enabling storage site flexibility is simpler in stores with an initial pressure above 20MPa. Given reductions in reservoir permeability, the requirements for pressure delivery are strongly dependent on the store temperature. Although the analysis is performed for specific geological characteristics in the North Sea the evaluation methodology is transferable to other locations and can be used for site screening to identify sites which are more flexible in terms of uncertainty in store performance. Document type: Article

Abstract

With global warming water issue is becoming a mean problem in areas of the south hemisphere where raining is decreasing considerably. As a result, preserving such resource is becoming a crucial task facing the authorities. One of the main ways of preservation is making the water pipelines network as safe as possible from any damages involving lose of water around urban areas in particular those situated within areas prone to seismicity. For this purpose, a method to assess the seismic vulnerability of water pipelines was developed and implemented in a Geographical Information System (GIS), allowing larger water supply network to be covered and studied. This method is based on the identification of the parameters that have an influence on the behaviour of pipelines. Each parameter having a coefficient that represent its influence on the behaviour of the structure, the product of these parameters represent the seismic vulnerability of the section pipe under study. As a result, a proposed classification is obtained allowing the determination of a safe section (green colour), an unsafe section (red colour) and an intermediate situation (orange colour). For a proposed application of the method, a case study for a town in suburb of Algiers is presented within this paper. It concerns the town of Blida. The results are given in the following sections.

Abstract

Throughout the years, different numerical HAM-simulation tools have been developed to assess and predict the heat, air and moisture response of building components. But, though commercially available and commonly applied in building practice, still, several simplifications and shortcomings exist in the common models. Probably the most important one, is the fact that most tools neglect or strongly simplify air transport, focusing only on heat and moisture transport. Especially for the analysis of wood frame constructions, these simplified models may cause a large discrepancy between simulation results and real performance. This study aims at a comparison of the outcomes of numerical HAM-simulations for wood frame constructions with experimental data of real test cases. In particular, the focus of this paper is on cavity ventilation behind brick veneer. Therefore, a simplified version of a wood frame wall with brick veneer cladding is studied in this paper. Different common modelling assumptions are compared. Furthermore, a detailed measuring campaign has been conducted at the VLIET test building of the KU Leuven to validate the different modelling approaches. By verifying the results of the numerical simulations by the data of real test cases, the reliability of the modelling assumptions can be analysed. The results of this study clearly show that simplified assumptions on cavity ventilation in HAM-models might cause large discrepancies between simulation results and in-situ measurements.