One of the most important aerodynamic effects on energy consumption required to keep a body moving through a fluid is the aerodynamic drag force. The drag must be overcome by the thrust of a propulsion mechanism, which in turn is consuming energy. Everything else being equal, the higher the drag, the more energy is consumed. Therefore, for energy efficiency, bodies moving through a fluid should be low drag bodies. To understand how to obtain low drag, we have to first understand the nature of drag, and what really causes it. (more…)
The next time you hear an airplane flying overhead, look up, and pause for a moment. What you see is a machine that is heavier than ...
Plate tectonics is conceptually simple. It treats Earth’s outer shell as made up of approximately 15 rigid plates, about 100 km thi ...
The most fundamental process from an energy systems standpoint is heat transfer to (or from) a working fluid. This unit operation t ...
Mixing is a process where two or more liquids or gas phase components are brought together and combined to form a uniform compositi ...
Hydraulic turbines have two main classifications: impulse and reaction. The impulse turbine generally uses the velocity of the wate ...
The spark-ignition and compression-ignition engine and internal combustion engines technologies that are currently employed in motor vehicles were developed more than 100 years ago. These conventional vehicle technologies are fueled by petroleum-derived gasoline and diesel fuels (the socalled conventional fuels). Over the past 100 years, the conventional technologies have been dramatically improved, reducing cost and increasing performance. (more…)
ISO document 14040 identifies four areas for using life cycle analysis (LCA) results: (1) identifying opportunities to improve ...
The fuel cycle for a given transportation fuel includes the following processes: energy feedstock (or primary energy) product ...
There are different types of vehicle propulsion systems and the transportation fuels that have been studied for their potential ...
Because different studies have different system boundaries and parametric assumptions, the studies described in Section 7 resulted ...
For processes that produce multiple products, energy and emission burdens have to be allocated to individual products. ISO 14040 ad ...
The fuel cycle for a given transportation fuel includes the following processes: energy feedstock (or primary energy) production; biomass feedstock transportation and storage; fuel production; fuel transportation, storage, and distribution; and vehicle operations that involve fuel combustion air or other chemical energy conversions. The processes that precede vehicle operations are often referred to as the well-to-pump (WTP) stage, the vehicle operations are referred to as the pump-to-wheels (PTW) stage, and the entire fuel cycle is referred to as the well-to-wheels (WTW) cycle. Various models have been developed that allow researchers to conduct fuel cycle analyses of vehicle/fuel systems. The GREET (greenhouse gases, regulated emissions, and energy transportation) model, developed by Argonne National Laboratory, is in the public domain and, so far, more than 1000 users worldwide have used the model to predict the energy use and emissions associated with alternative fuels vehicles. The GREET model and its documents are posted on the Internet at http:// greet.anl.gov. (more…)
The spark-ignition and compression-ignition engine and internal combustion engines technologies that are currently employed in ...
Because different studies have different system boundaries and parametric assumptions, the studies described in Section 7 resulted ...
ISO document 14040 identifies four areas for using life cycle analysis (LCA) results: (1) identifying opportunities to improve ...
It shows Well-to-Wheels Greenhouse Gas emissions of the 23 vehicle/fuel systems. For each system, the bottom bar represents CO2 ...
The combination of well-to-pump results and the energy use and emissions associated with vehicle operation (also called the pum ...
Under both former President Bush and new President Obama, the U.S. government has vowed to reduce reliance on imported oil. The nation is encouraging development of a transportation fleet that uses biofuels, fuel cell vehicles and hybrid electric technologies.
Us Government Program To Reduce Reliance On Imported Oil
To that end, the federal government, in late 2008, put in place new incentives – and extended others – designed to create a strong up-tick in sales of unconventional vehicles. As a result, the U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates that hybrid cars will grow from 2% of new light-duty vehicles sold in 2007 to 38% by 2030. (more…)
This latter form of new car taxes can actually serve as an impediment to higher fuel economy to the extent that increased energ ...
A number of countries have vehicle tax incentives programs designed to reward purchasers and owners of alternative fuel-efficient v ...
We know of no studies that have examined vehicle taxation incentives programs elsewhere in the world, but it seems likely that ...
Both state and federal funding is available for research and development of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEVs) and other alter ...
Economists have overwhelmingly favored fuel taxes over fuel economy standards as a means to reduce fuel or gasoline consumption ...
Interest in rating the real-life energy performance of buildings has increased in recent years, and the real life efficiency performance rating of buildings is important for any sustainable energy future. (more…)
As the need for energy efficiency becomes more pronounced, the drive toward efficiency in the commercial sector will be impeded by ...
Energy performance ratings tell what the energy performance of a building is, but if the energy performance of a building is to be ...
Current forecasts call for solid growth in world energy use over the next 20 years, potentially increasing 60% above current energy ...
There are only a few compulsory energy efficiency programs aimed at industrial facilities. It is only recently that the EU introduc ...
The amount of energy consumed in the commercial sector often must be estimated as a fraction of energy use in the combined resident ...
This is a new generation of wind generator that has 60% more power than the known models of three helices. It has a flat blade design with kites attached at their ends that increase the surface scanning. (more…)
Wind energy alongside solar energy is one form of renewable energy and its supply is abundant in earth. Most people distinguish ...
Would it not be great to be able to produce your own electricity supply at home? The idea of being independently powered up without ...
Renewable energy generators are devices that convert energy from its original form in the renewable energy source into electric ...
In today's day and age there are millions of people who generate their own green energy at home by learning how to build windmills ...
Renewable energy! Renewable energy comes in many forms for many different applications. There is renewable energy for homes for ins ...
Whatever the actual motivation, American policymakers perceived a need after 1973 to restrict automobile and light truck consumption of gasoline. How The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 imposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards on all auto and light truck manufacturers who sold vehicles in the Unite d States. The weighted average of miles per gallon (MPG) for each manufacturer’s car sales was required to be at least 18 MPG by 1978 and 27.5 MPG by 1985. Manufacturer s that failed to meet this standard were to be fined $50 per vehicle sold for each gallon (of MPG rating) by which they failed. (more…)
A number of countries have vehicle tax incentives programs designed to reward purchasers and owners of alternative fuel-efficient v ...
Economists have overwhelmingly favored fuel taxes over fuel economy standards as a means to reduce fuel or gasoline consumption ...
We know of no studies that have examined vehicle taxation incentives programs elsewhere in the world, but it seems likely that ...
This latter form of new car taxes can actually serve as an impediment to higher fuel economy to the extent that increased energ ...
Analysis of future light-duty transportation energy use require estimates of the impact of fuel prices on travel and fleet fuel ...