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The goal of this research is to conduct a techno-environ-economic assessment of the two primary electrical energy generation technologies-photovoltaic and concentrating solar power with the storage system. The comparative technical analysis is based on solar to electrical efficiency, electrical output, capacity utilization factor, and land use factor, whereas the financial comparison considers factors like net present value, net capital cost, levelized cost of electricity, payback period, and greenhouse gas emission. The present simulation is carried out utilizing System Advisor Model software. The findings show that while installing photovoltaic power plants in China is the ideal option, establishing concentrating solar power plants in Egyptian meteorological conditions is the optimum alternative. Moreover, the results indicate that by comparing the best scenario for a photovoltaic plant with the best scenario for a concentrated solar power plant, the latter generates 33.34% more electricity. The findings also demonstrate that concentrated solar power plants use 48.7% of their capacity utilization factor, as opposed to photovoltaic plants, which only use 29.2% of their capacity utilization factor. Furthermore, the results imply the ability of concentrated solar power and photovoltaic to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 98.1% and 95.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In applications of solar energy, thermal ratcheting is a crucial topic connected to the periodic performance of dual-phase thermocline storage tank. In order to investigate this phenomenon, a detailed simulation of a thermocline reservoir that includes both the hybrid tank wall and the varied filling zone is necessary. The thermo-mechanical characteristic of the cascaded layers storage tank for parabolic trough power plants is examined in the current work using one parametric study (dimensionless temperature difference) to determine the impact of changing the melting temperature of the phase change material (PCMs) layers. Experimental work from earlier studies is utilized to validate the numerical outcomes currently being presented. The results showed that structures-VIII and XIV have acceptable thermal performance, but ineffective mechanical performance since the normalized stress values were greater than one. The structure-XIII has the best overall efficiency of 79.58%, followed by structures-II, III, and XI, with performance levels of 70.82%, 67.83%, and 66.85%, respectively. The lowest overall efficiency attains by structure-XII, which equals 22.21%. The energy retrieved, overall efficiency, capacity ratio, and utilization ratio for the best scenario "structures- XIII ″ are 188.2 MWh, 79.58%, 44.34%, and 40.5%, respectively, based on the charging/discharging duration. • A numerical model of cascaded layers storage tank for PTP plants is addressed. • Thermo-mechanical analysis of varying the melting temperature of each PCM layer. • The normalized stress values for structures-VIII and XIV are greater than one. • Based on the charging/discharging period, structures-XIII is recommended due to its 188.2 MWh energy recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The thermo-economic feasibility of the SPT station was investigated. • The influence of the location on the thermo-economics of the SPT station is evaluated. • The SPT station's thermo-economics are optimized. • An SM of 2.8 and a TES of 8 h were the best configurations for the STP station. Egypt is a sunbelt nation with plenty of solar resources and significant wasteland areas, particularly in its southern and western regions. Concentrating solar power technologies are tried-and-true renewable energy systems that use solar radiation to produce electricity in nearby nations. These technologies have the potential to reduce costs in the future. Comprehensive techno-economic research has not been conducted to assess the potential for the solar power tower technique in Egypt; instead, solar photovoltaic and parabolic trough systems are given the majority of the attention. The major goal of this article is to persuade the Egyptian government to pursue solar power tower technology and meet the accompanying difficulties. Using system advisor model software, six distinct locations were used to simulate a 100 MW plant for solar power tower technology. Based on a thorough technical solar power tower site evaluation research, these zones were examined. To achieve the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), thermal energy storage and solar field size optimization are carried out. The Benban location, with outputs of 521,228.8 MWh and 0.1130 $/kWh, respectively, has the greatest produced energy and the lowest levelized cost of electricity, according to the findings. The ideal design for the solar power tower plant was shown by the results to be a solar multiple of 2.8 with a thermal energy storage of 8 h. The solar power tower plant's lowest levelized cost of electricity might then be reduced, in accordance with the optimum configurations, to 0.1057 $/kWh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Based on the response surface method, a predictive model is built. • RSM is used to perform single-objective and multi-objective optimization. • All of the predicted outcomes are within the acceptable range. • Charging cycle inlet temperature is more effective than other operating parameters. The majority of prior experimental and computational studies of the energy tank system employed in solar power plant systems have been focused on parametric studies. The interaction effects of several input factors on the thermal behavior of the TTES tank configuration using RSM have not yet been addressed. A predictive approach depending on the response surface method (RSM) is built in this work to demonstrate the link between the independent and dependent parameters of the thermocline storage tank structure. The two-phase dispersion-concentric numerical model equations were calculated and solved using MATLAB software. RSM is used for both single and multi-objective optimization to suggest appropriate control parameters for various optimization purposes. Four response factors are considered: charging/discharging time, efficiency, and recovered energy. The analysis of variance check and perturbation assessment is as well used to assess the model's appropriateness and statistical significance. Based on the findings, it is recommended to choose a capsule diameter of 0.015 m, a charging cycle inlet temperature of 400°C, a discharging cycle inlet temperature of 250°C, and a molten salt mass flow rate of 100 kg/s to minimize charging and discharging time while also maximizing overall efficiency and recovered energy. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research examines how increasing the thickness of the phase change material (PCM) layer impacts the thermal and economic behavior of the hybrid sensible-latent heat storage reservoir utilized in solar power plants in order to prevent temperature fluctuations at the end of discharge cycles. On the basis of two-phase dispersion-concentric equations, a detailed transient numerical analysis is developed. The mathematical model equations are computed using the MATLAB program, and the present numerical findings are validated. Numerical investigations are used to compare the proposed storage system to the sensible heat storage (SHS) system in the context of cost and efficiency. The impact of various performance evaluation indexes, including axial temperature allocation, thermocline layer degradation, charging time, discharging time, and overall efficiency, are investigated. The results showed that the (35% PCM-30% SHS-35% PCM) configuration possesses the most considerable thermocline thickness of 7.94 m at the charge period of 360 min, while the SHS case has 3.2 m thermocline thickness at the charge period of 420 min. Due to its optimized efficiency, reduced thermocline area, and comparatively low cost, the (15% PCM-70% SHS-15% PCM) configuration demonstrates a more viable choice among the considered cases. • The thermal performance of a hybrid sensible-latent heat storage tank is analyzed. • A numerical model is used for the thermo-economic evaluation. • Thermo-economic evaluation of increasing the thickness of the PCM layer. • The (15% PCM-70% SHS-15% PCM) configuration demonstrates a more viable choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from gasoline automobiles to electric vehicles (EVs) is promoted as an alternative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollutant emissions. The performance of EVs depends entirely on the performance of a power battery, especially the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, which is very sensitive to temperature. The temperature of Li-ion battery must be controlled and maintained within a desired range. This paper provides two aspects: (i) a review on research progress in battery thermal management (BTM) with emphasis on battery technology of commercial EVs and phase change material (PCM) based hybrid thermal management and (ii) a developed passive thermal management for prismatic Li-ion battery module under abuse operation condition. The hybrid thermal management combining PCM based with air/liquid/heat pipes can provide superior thermal performance than any active or passive alone. Improving the existing battery thermal management system along with exploring novel techniques to regulate thermal impact and power consumption are required. For the developed battery module, thermal performance based on finite element method is analyzed in a situation where the PCM content surrounding the batteries is reduced due to leakage or toppled over of PCM during melting process. Two different configurations are considered. The open medium configuration exhibited better performance in decreasing the maximum temperature by 1.172 °C, 1.396 °C, 1.628 °C, and 1.860 °C in the module at various PCM shrink levels of 2, 4, 6, and 8 mm, respectively. • An insight into commercial EVs battery technology and a comprehensive analysis of PCM-based hybrid BTMS are presented. • The advantages of hybrid BTMS over single passive or active BTMS are summarized. • A battery module operating under abuse conditions due to PCM leakage or toppled over of PCM during melting process is proposed. • The opened air medium configuration outperformed the closed air medium one in terms of temperature control in the proposed module. • The effect of various evaluation parameters such as cells spacing, shrink level of PCM, aluminum and contact resistance on thermal behavior are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermocline thermal energy storage (TES) technology that uses the molten salt as heat transfer fluid is cheaper than a traditional two-tank structure, owing to its composite design and use of inexpensive filler materials. Nevertheless, this TES type suffers from the significant disadvantage of low capacity and utilization ratio when it is integrated with concentrating solar power plants due to moderate charge/discharge cut-off values. The primary purpose of the current research is to investigate and evaluate the impact of the change charge/discharge cut-off values on the thermal performance of six different TES tank configurations. First, the equations for the dispersion-concentric model were approached through the MATLAB program, and then the present research results are authenticated. The results show that the thermocline zones shrink when the charge cut-off value rises, and the discharge cut-off value reduces because a higher charge cut-off value and a smaller discharge cut-off value permit a longer charge/discharge time. Moreover, when the cut-off value of the charge/discharge changes simultaneously, the combined sensible-latent heat storage configuration has the highest capacity ratio, utilization ratio, recovered energy, and overall efficiency, which equals 90.55%, 83.3%, 147.2 MWh, 91.3%, respectively, at low charge cut-off value. • The thermal performance of the different thermocline tank configurations is analyzed. • The SHS configuration demonstrated the shortest charge/discharge time of 239/207 min. • At a higher charge cut-off value, the CSLHS case has the highest capacity ratio of 90.55%. • The MLPCMs-4 case has the highest recovered energy of 183.2 MWh with a lower charge cut-off value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve zero carbon emissions, replacing conventional fuels in combustion engines and gas turbines with carbon-free fuel is of utmost important. While hydrogen is effective in mitigating climate change, the cost challenges in liquefaction and transportation persist. Ammonia (NH 3), a carbon-free fuel with its higher volumetric energy density and cost advantages, emerges as a potential substitute. This review reports the most recent studies on NH 3 as a fuel for micro gas turbine (MGT), highlighting both advantages and limitations. The performance and emissions in gas turbines are discussed. The main obstacles to a widespread usage of NH 3 blends as fuel for MGT power generation are addressed, along with the current stage of commercialization. The review explores all the numerical and experimental works on NH 3 blend in combustion system of MGT, and further presents ways to overcome the limitations associated with the combustion, such as high NO x emissions and low burning velocity. [Display omitted] • A comprehensive analysis of ammonia blend reactive fuels for micro gas turbine power generation is presented. • Advantages and limitations of ammonia combustion in micro gas turbine over hydrocarbon fuels are summarized. • The issues that hinder a widespread usage of ammonia and ammonia/blend as fuel for micro gas turbine are addressed. • The current stages of commercialization are discussed. • Possible approaches to overcome ammonia combustion barriers in micro gas turbine are highlighted for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a numerical investigation of the integration of conventional parallel air-cooling battery system with multi-phase change materials (PCMs) to improve the cooling effectiveness at low power consumption (P c) rate. The study considers various cells partitioning of the PCMs on nine different parallel air-cooled battery packs. The impact of PCMs pattern schemes, inclination angle of the manifold, and air inlet velocity are analysed by employing finite volume technique coupled with an enthalpy-porosity method. Compared with a typical parallel air-cooling system, despite 90% reduction in the air inlet velocity, the integrated system successfully lowers the maximum temperature (T max) by 12.0 K and improves uniformity of temperature distribution based on standard deviation (SDV) of temperature field by 43.9%. Subsequently, inclining the air inlet manifold to an angle close to vertical leads to a poor cooling performance. Also, a proper pattern of PCMs cells partitioning having a trapezoidal cell shape at the top and bottom, and a parallelogram cell shape at the midsection exhibits a better heat dissipation performance. Moreover, compared to the module with highest inlet velocity of 1.5 m/s, reducing the inlet velocity by 66.7% still controls T max at 313.13 K which is well below the critical limit, and decreases the P c by 65.8%. • A comprehensive analysis of integrated traditional parallel air-cooled BTMS is presented. • Thermal performance of the modified battery module based on patterns of PCMs cell partitioning, inclination angle of manifolds, and low airflow rate was investigated. • The effect of various evaluation parameters on thermal behavior are presented. • The cooling effectiveness is remarkably improved. • The optimal pattern of multi-PCMs cells partitioning is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]