http://www.hindawi.com The latest articles from Hindawi Publishing Corporation © 2013 , Hindawi Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:24:54 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/712319/ Distributed generation (DG) of electricity is expected to become more important in the future electricity generation system. This paper reviews the different technological options available for DG. DG offers a number of potential benefits. The ability to use the waste heat from fuel-operated DG, known as combined heat and power (CHP), offers both reduced costs and significant reductions of CO2 emissions. The overall efficiency of DG-CHP system can approach 90 percent, a significant improvement over the 30 to 35 percent electric grid efficiency and 50 to 90 percent industrial boiler efficiency when separate production is used. The costs of generation of electricity from six key DG-CHP technologies; gas engines, diesel engines, biodiesel CI engines, microturbines, gas turbines, and fuel cells, are calculated. The cost of generation is dependent on the load factor and the discount rate. It is found that annualized life cycle cost (ALCC) of the DG-CHP technologies is approximately half that of the DG technologies without CHP. Considering the ALCC of different DG-CHP technologies, the gas I.C. engine CHP is the most effective for most of the cases but biodiesel CI engine CHP seems to be a promising DG-CHP technology in near future for Rajasthan state due to renewable nature of the fuel. Ram Kumar Agrawal and Kamal Kishore Khatri Copyright © 2013 Ram Kumar Agrawal and Kamal Kishore Khatri. All rights reserved. Sat, 15 Jun 2013 17:36:04 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/394512/ Colloidal CdSe QDs have been assembled, as quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs), on a novel architecture comprising a polytetrafluoroethylene- (PTFE-) framed TiO2 electrode for the first time. CdSe QDs are anchored on the surface of the film using a linker molecule (3-mercaptopropionic acid, MPA). The resulting photoelectrode comprises a TiO2 compact layer and a PTFE-framed structural layer with average respective thicknesses of 2 μm for the compact layer and either 23 μm or 28 μm for the PTFE-framed structural layer. UV-vis absorption spectra show that more CdSe quantum dots are anchored on the surface of the modified with MPA TiO2 film compared to direct absorption onto an unmodified film. Energy conversion efficiencies of up to 0.18% can be achieved with cells prepared from a TiO2 (25 μm)/MPA/CdSe QD electrode. Electrochemical impedance measurements show that the recombination resistance is relatively higher for a cell assembled with TiO2 (25 μm)/MPA/CdSe QD photoanode than with TiO2 (25 μm)/CdSe QD resulting in an increase of cell efficiency. The PTFE-framed structure along with the compact layer is a new approach to QDSSC application that provides a tunable film thickness and a cost-effective preparation technique for the large-scale production of the photoanode. Delele Worku Ayele, Wein-Nien Su, and Bing-Joe Hwang Copyright © 2013 Delele Worku Ayele et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:55:52 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/916413/ Effective and efficient production of electricity is promised to be one of the critical factors to utilize energy for sustainable development. We employ data envelopment analysis (DEA), including undesirable CO2 emissions outputs, to evaluate power plants resource utilization efficiency within 73 countries in order to incorporate the global warming effect. We find that Asia enjoys the highest technical efficiency and European countries suffer from the lowest technical efficiency among Europe, Asia, and America continents. Besides, we compare models with and without CO2 emissions and find that they have significant differences among technical and pure technical efficiencies. We also set up three hypotheses to examine gross national product (GNP), urbanization, and electricity import level factors that potentially influence power plants efficiency by Tobit regression analysis. Results show that GNP and urbanization have significant effects on power plants efficiency except electricity import level. Tser-Yieth Chen, Tsai-Lien Yeh, and Yi-Ting Lee Copyright © 2013 Tser-Yieth Chen et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 09 Jun 2013 10:26:20 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/571389/ Fuel cells face major challenges in sustaining the laboratory-scale performance during the scale up. The contact resistance mainly arises from the dimensional mismatch between gasket and gas diffusion layer during scale up, which may cause diminution in performance. In the present work, experiment as well as modelling is carried out for different combinations of clamping force and gasket thickness. The polarisation behaviours of PEFCs configured under different clamping torques and gasket thicknesses are analysed. The combination of 0.3 mm gasket and 0.3 mm GDL under 3 Nm and 5 Nm clamping forces offers 480 mΩ cm2 and 148 mΩ cm2 contact resistances, respectively. The configurations under 3 Nm and 5 Nm clamping torques with 0.2 mm thick gasket offer contact resistances as low as 23 mΩ cm2 and 11 mΩ cm2, respectively. The polarisation behaviour obtained from the experiment of such configurations is found to be in good agreement with the modelling results. Prakash C. Ghosh Copyright © 2013 Prakash C. Ghosh. All rights reserved. Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:33:53 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/321694/ This paper presents the modelling of electrical response of illuminated photovoltaic crystalline modules. As an alternative method to the linear five-parameter model, our strategy uses advantages of a nonlinear analytical five-point model to take into account the effects of nonlinear variations of current with respect to solar irradiance and of voltage with respect to cells temperature. We succeeded in this work to predict with great accuracy the characteristics of monocrystalline shell SP75 and polycrystalline GESOLAR GE-P70 photovoltaic modules. The good comparison of our calculated results to experimental data provided by the modules manufacturers makes it possible to appreciate the contribution of taking into account the nonlinear effect of operating conditions data on characteristics of photovoltaic modules. Sakaros Bogning Dongue, Donatien Njomo, and Lessly Ebengai Copyright © 2013 Sakaros Bogning Dongue et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:05:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/350731/ The focus of our work is on anaerobic digestion of locally available agro wastes like coconut oil cake, cashew apple waste, and grass from lawn cuttings. The most productive agro waste, in terms of methane yield, was coconut oil cake and grass. The results showed that the initial volatile solids concentration significantly affected the biogas production. The methane yield from coconut oil cake was found to be 383 ml CH4/g VS and 277 ml CH4/g VS added at 4 and 4.5 g VS/l. In case of grass the biogas production increased with increasing VS concentrations with methane yield of 199, 250, 256, 284, and 332 ml CH4/g VS at 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, and 5.0 g VS/l. For cashew apple waste single-stage fermentation inhibited biogas production. However, phase separation showed methane yield of 60.7 ml CH4/g VS and 64.6 ml CH4/g VS at 3.5 and 4.0 g VS/l, respectively. The anaerobic biodegradability of coconut oil cake was evaluated in fed batch mode in a 5 L anaerobic reactor at 4 g VS/L per batch, and the maximum methane yield was found to be 320 ml CH4/g VS. Vidhya Prabhudessai, Anasuya Ganguly, and Srikanth Mutnuri Copyright © 2013 Vidhya Prabhudessai et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 29 May 2013 16:39:45 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/791582/ Three types of local Malaysian dolomites were characterized to investigate their suitability for use as tar-cracking catalysts in the biomass gasification process. The dolomites were calcined to examine the effect of the calcination process on dolomite’s catalytic activity and properties. The modifications undergone by dolomites consequent to thermal treatment were investigated using various analytical methods. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses indicated that the dolomites underwent two stages of decomposition during the calcination process. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectra analyses showed that thermal treatment of dolomite played a significant role in the disappearance of the CaMg(CO3)2 phase, producing the MgO-CaO form of dolomite. The scanning electron microscopy microphotographs of dolomite indicated that the morphological properties were profoundly affected by the calcination process, which led to the formation of a highly porous surface with small spherical particles. In addition, the calcination of dolomite led to the elimination of carbon dioxide and increases in the values of the specific surface area and average pore diameter, as indicated by surface area analysis. The results showed that calcined Malaysian dolomites have great potential to be applied as tar-cracking catalysts in the biomass gasification process based on their favorable physical properties. M. A. A. Mohammed, A. Salmiaton, W. A. K. G. Wan Azlina, M. S. Mohamad Amran, and Y. H. Taufiq-Yap Copyright © 2013 M. A. A. Mohammed et al. All rights reserved. Tue, 28 May 2013 17:47:49 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/602393/ Decentralized energy planning (DEP) is looked upon as an indisputable opportunity for energy planning of villages, isolated islands, and far spots. Nonetheless, at this decentralized planning level, the value of demand-side resources is not fairly examined, despite enjoying great advantages. Therefore, the core task of this study is to integrate demand-side resources, as a competing solution against supply-side alternatives, with decentralized energy planning decisions and demonstrate the rewarding role it plays. Moreover, sustainability indicators (SIs) are incorporated into DEP attempts in order to attain sustainable development. It is emphasized that unless these indicators are considered at lower energy planning levels, they will be ignored at higher planning levels as well. Hence, to the best knowledge of the authors, this study for the first time takes into account greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by utilization of renewable energies in DEP optimization models. To address the issues mentioned previously, multiobjective linear programming model along with a min-max goal programming approach is employed. Finally, using data taken from the literature, the model is solved, and the obtained results are discussed. The results show that DSM policies have remarkably contributed to significant improvements especially in terms of environmental indicators. Seyed Mahmood Kazemi and Masoud Rabbani Copyright © 2013 Seyed Mahmood Kazemi and Masoud Rabbani. All rights reserved. Wed, 22 May 2013 11:16:05 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/926392/ Cost of biodiesel produced from virgin vegetable oil through transesterification is higher than that of fossil fuel, because of high raw material cost. To minimize the biofuel cost, in recent days waste cooking oil was used as feedstock. Catalysts used in this process are usually acids, base, and lipase. Since lipase catalysts are much expensive, the usage of lipase in biodiesel production is limited. In most cases, NaOH is used as alkaline catalyst, because of its low cost and higher reaction rate. In the case of waste cooking oil containing high percentage of free fatty acid, alkaline catalyst reacts with free fatty acid and forms soap by saponification reaction. Also, it reduces the biodiesel conversions. In order to reduce the level of fatty acid content, waste cooking oil is pretreated with acid catalyst to undergo esterification reaction, which also requires high operating conditions. In this review paper, various parameters influencing the process of biofuel production such as reaction rate, catalyst concentration, temperature, stirrer speed, catalyst type, alcohol used, alcohol to oil ratio, free fatty acid content, and water content have been summarized. A. Gnanaprakasam, V. M. Sivakumar, A. Surendhar, M. Thirumarimurugan, and T. Kannadasan Copyright © 2013 A. Gnanaprakasam et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 16 May 2013 09:45:42 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/268263/ Tsinghua life-cycle analysis model (TLCAM) has been used to examine the primary fossil energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for natural gas- (NG-) based alternative vehicle fuels in China. The results show that (1) compress NG- and liquid NG-powered vehicles have similar well-to-wheels (WTW) fossil energy uses to conventional gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, but differences emerge with the distance of NG transportation. Additionally, thanks to NG having a lower carbon content than petroleum, CNG- and LNG-powered vehicles emit 10–20% and 5–10% less GHGs than gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, respectively; (2) gas-to-liquid- (GTL-) powered vehicles involve approximately 50% more WTW fossil energy uses than conventional gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, primarily because of the low efficiency of GTL production. Nevertheless, since NG has a lower carbon content than petroleum, GTL-powered vehicles emit approximately 30% more GHGs than conventional-fuel vehicles; (3) The carbon emission intensity of the LNG energy chain is highly sensitive to the efficiency of NG liquefaction and the form of energy used in that process. Xunmin Ou and Xiliang Zhang Copyright © 2013 Xunmin Ou and Xiliang Zhang. All rights reserved. Thu, 16 May 2013 09:36:30 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/162457/ This paper presents the results of development of a hybrid fuel cell supercapacitor power system for vehicular applications that was developed and investigated at the Energy Sources Research Section of the Wroclaw Division of Electrotechnical Institute (IEL/OW). The hybrid power source consists of a polymer exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack and an energy-type supercapacitor that supports the system in time of peak power demands. The developed system was installed in the HY-IEL electric scooter. The vehicle was equipped with auxiliary components (e.g., air compressor, hydrogen tank, and electromagnetic valves) needed for proper operation of the fuel cell stack, as well as electronic control circuits and a data storage unit that enabled on-line recording of system and vehicle operation parameters. Attention is focused on the system energy flow monitoring. The experimental part includes field test results of a vehicle powered with the fuel cell-supercapacitor system. Values of currents and voltages recorded for the system, as well as the vehicle’s velocity and hydrogen consumption rate, are presented versus time of the experiment. Operation of the hybrid power system is discussed and analysed based on the results of measurements obtained. Piotr Bujlo, Grzegorz Pasciak, Jacek Chmielowiec, and Andrzej Sikora Copyright © 2013 Piotr Bujlo et al. All rights reserved. Sun, 12 May 2013 15:35:49 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/305207/ In order to grasp the significance of the work accomplished by the author, it is necessary to keep abreast of the present developments in this field. The research work reported in the paper is an attempt to get knowledge to assess the solar energy potential for practical and efficient utilization in India. Our work is centered on estimating realistic values of solar (global and diffuse) radiation on horizontal and tilted surfaces using measured meteorological data and geographical and geometrical parameters for India. C. K. Pandey and A. K. Katiyar Copyright © 2013 C. K. Pandey and A. K. Katiyar. All rights reserved. Thu, 02 May 2013 10:02:22 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/794095/ Wind energy applications and turbine installations at different scales have increased since the beginning of this century. As wind energy is an alternative clean energy source compared to the fossil fuels that pollute the atmosphere, systems that convert wind energy to electricity have developed rapidly. Turkey’s domestic fossil fuel resources are extremely limited. In addition, Turkey’s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of wind power. In this context, renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development and environmental pollution prevention in Turkey. Among the renewable sources, Turkey has very high wind energy potential. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Turkey theoretically has 166 TWh a year of wind potential. However the installed wind power capacity is approximately 14% of total economical wind potential. In this study, Turkey’s installed electric power capacity and electric energy production are investigated and also the current situation of wind energy in Turkey is examined. The wind data used in this study were taken from Turkish Wind Energy Association (TUREB) for the year 2012. This paper reviews the assessment of wind energy in Turkey as of the end of July 2012 including wind energy applications. Raşit Ata Copyright © 2013 Raşit Ata. All rights reserved. Thu, 02 May 2013 08:43:43 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/620698/ The majority of the life cycle costs (LCC) of a pump are related to the energy spent in pumping, with the rest being related to the purchase and maintenance of the equipment. Any optimizations in the energy efficiency of the pumps result in a considerable reduction of the total operational cost. The Fátima water supply system in Portugal was analyzed in order to minimize its operational energy costs. Different pump characteristic curves were analyzed and modeled in order to achieve the most efficient operation point. To determine the best daily pumping operational scheduling pattern, genetic algorithm (GA) optimization embedded in the modeling software was considered in contrast with a manual override (MO) approach. The main goal was to determine which pumps and what daily scheduling allowed the best economical solution. At the end of the analysis it was possible to reduce the original daily energy costs by 43.7%. This was achieved by introducing more appropriate pumps and by intelligent programming of their operation. Given the heuristic nature of GAs, different approaches were employed and the most common errors were pinpointed, whereby this investigation can be used as a reference for similar future developments. Daniel F. Moreira and Helena M. Ramos Copyright © 2013 Daniel F. Moreira and Helena M. Ramos. All rights reserved. Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:37:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/301647/ This work reports the use of FT-NIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate calibration to determine the percentage of free fatty acids (FFA) in samples obtained by the esterification of FFA in vegetable oils. The analytical method used as calibration matrix samples of the reaction medium of esterification of oleic acid in soybean oil in proportions of 0.3 to 40 wt% (by weight) of oleic acid obtained under different experimental conditions and utilized the partial least squares (PLS) regression. The efficiency of the method was tested to predict the content of FFA in reactions of esterification of oleic acid in soybean oil catalysed by KSF clay and Amberlyst 15 commercial resin, both in a batch mode. Good Correlations were observed between the FT-NIR/PLS method and the reference method (AOCS). The results confirm that FT-NIR spectroscopy, in combination with multivariate calibration, is a promising technique for monitoring esterification reaction for biodiesel production. Djéssica Tatiana Raspe and Camila da Silva Copyright © 2013 Djéssica Tatiana Raspe and Camila da Silva. All rights reserved. Sun, 28 Apr 2013 13:41:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/327179/ The fluid flow and heat transfer in a porous medium have received considerable attention due to its importance in many engineering applications. In this study numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer over a hot solid block inside a square porous block located in a channel was carried out. The lattice Boltzmann method with nine velocities, D2Q9, was used for numerical simulations. Brinkman-Forchheimer model was successfully used to simulate fluid flow in porous media. The effects of parameters such as porosity, Reynolds number on flow pattern, and heat transfer were studied. The different effects of mentioned parameters were discussed in the paper. Neda Janzadeh and Mojtaba Aghajani Delavar Copyright © 2013 Neda Janzadeh and Mojtaba Aghajani Delavar. All rights reserved. Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:18:29 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/871025/ DC/DC converters are widely used in many industrial and electrical systems. As DC/DC converters are nonlinear and time-variant systems, the application of linear control techniques for the control of these converters is not suitable. In this paper, a new sliding mode controller is proposed as the indirect control method and compared to a simple direct control method in order to control a buck converter in photovoltaic applications. The solar arrays are dependent power sources with nonlinear voltage-current characteristics under different environmental conditions (insolation and temperature). From this point of view, the DC/DC converter is particularly suitable for the application of the sliding mode control in photovoltaic application, because of its controllable states. Simulations are performed in Matlab/Simulink software. The simulation results are presented for a step change in reference voltage and input voltage as well as step load variations. The simulations results of proposed method are compared with the conventional PID controller. The results show the good performance of the proposed sliding mode controller. The proposed method can be used for the other DC/DC converter. M. Sarvi, I. Soltani, N. NamazyPour, and N. Rabbani Copyright © 2013 M. Sarvi et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:06:16 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/807639/ This paper presents an improved Walsh function IWF algorithms as an alternative approach for active and reactive powers measurement in linear and nonlinear, balanced and unbalanced sinusoidal three-phase load system. It takes advantage of Walsh function unified approach, simple algorithm and its intrinsic high level of accuracy as a result of coefficient characteristics and energy behaviour representation. The developed algorithm was modeled on the Matlab Simulink software; different types of load, linear and nonlinear, were also modeled based on practical voltage and current waveforms and tested with the proposed improved Walsh algorithms. The IEEE standard 1459–2000 which is based on fast Fourier transform FFT approach was used as benchmark for the linear load system. The data obtained from laboratory experiment to determine power components in harmonic load systems using Fluke 435 power quality analyzer PQA which complies with IEC/EN61010-1-2001 standard was modeled and used to validate the improved algorithm for nonlinear load measurement. The results showed that the algorithm has the potential to effectively measure three-phase power components under different load conditions. Saifulnizam Bin Abdul Khalid, Garba Aliyu, Mohd Wazir Mustafa, and Hussein Shareef Copyright © 2013 Saifulnizam Bin Abdul Khalid et al. All rights reserved. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:10:11 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/479894/ Solar dryers are imperative for the tropical and sub-Saharan African countries, which are faced with the duo challenges of inadequate electrical energy supply, which has severely limited the application of conventional refrigeration as a means of preservation of agricultural produce, and the need to make produce competitive in the international market. In this study, a cost-effective natural convection solar dryer was developed; the thermal and drying analyses were done and tested to obtain some performance evaluation parameters for the system in order to examine its efficiency and effectiveness by drying some plantain fillets. The collector and system efficiencies are found to be 46.4% and 78.73%, respectively, while a percentage moisture removal of 77.5% was achieved at the 20th hour in order to give final moisture contents of 15.75% in the product, which still maintained its integrity. With a cost of about $195.00, it has been affordable for the small- and medium-scale enterprises as well as for private use in domestic applications. A. O. Adelaja and B. I. Babatope Copyright © 2013 A. O. Adelaja and B. I. Babatope. All rights reserved. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:45:56 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/932976/ Vegetable oils are promising substitutes for petrodiesel as they can be produced from numerous oil seed crops that can be cultivated anywhere and have high energy contents, exhibiting clean combustion behavior with zero CO2 emission and negligible SO2 generation. The impact of biofuel on the corrosion of various industrial metals is a challenge for using biofuel as automotive fuel. Fuel comes in contact with a wide variety of metallic materials under different temperatures, velocities, and loads thereby causing corrosion during storage and flow of fuel. Hence, the present investigation compares the corrosion rates of copper and brass in Pongamia pinnata oil (O100), 3% NaCl, and oil blend with NaCl (O99) obtained by static immersion test and using rotating cage. The corrosivity and conductivity of the test media are positively correlated. This study suggested that the corrosivity of copper is higher than brass in Pongamia pinnata oil (PO). Meenakshi H. N. Parameswaran, Anisha Anand, and Shyamala R. Krishnamurthy Copyright © 2013 Meenakshi H. N. Parameswaran et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:18:32 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/203174/ In this paper, a pitch controller for a variable-speed wind turbine to be used in the high wind speed region is derived. The pitch regulator parameters are determined using analytical expressions and are compared with numerical calculations. In order to derive the pitch regulated wind turbine model, blade element momentum theory is utilized and reformulated analytically. Appropriate simplifications are made and, finally, the analytically derived pitch regulated wind turbine model is tested under grid disturbances such as voltage dips and spinning reserve provision. From this work it was found that by linearizing the blade profiles, one can analytically derive a fully functioned pitch regulator. In spite of all nonlinearities, a single pitch controller setting which is valid for the whole operation region is shown to be sufficient. This system is tested under grid disturbances and it is proven that the system is capable of operating well during a 0% remaining voltage dip and also during the voltage recovery back to the rated voltage level. Accordingly, grid codes commonly referred to can be handled with this simply derived pitch regulator. Moreover, it is shown that the derived system works well for a spinning reserve application using a 90% spinning reserve ability and still maintains a robust turbine control. Pinar Tokat, Torbjörn Thiringer, and Peiyuan Chen Copyright © 2013 Pinar Tokat et al. All rights reserved. Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:52:23 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/581723/ A new class of green solvents, known as ionic liquids (ILs), has recently been the subject of intensive research on the extractive desulfurization of liquid fuels because of the limitation of traditional hydrodesulfurization method. In present work, eleven Lewis acid ionic liquids were synthesized and employed as promising extractants for deep desulfurization of the liquid fuel containing dibenzothiophene (DBT) to test the desulfurization efficiency. [Bmim]Cl/FeCl3 was the most promising ionic liquid and performed the best among studied ionic liquids under the same operating conditions. It can remove dibenzothiophene from the model liquid fuel in the single-stage extraction process with the maximum desulfurization efficiency of 75.6%. It was also found that [Bmim]Cl/FeCl3 may be reused without regeneration with considerable extraction efficiency of 47.3%. Huge saving on energy can be achieved if we make use of this ionic liquids behavior in process design, instead of regenerating ionic liquids after every time of extraction. Swapnil A. Dharaskar, Kailas L. Wasewar, Mahesh N. Varma, and Diwakar Z. Shende Copyright © 2013 Swapnil A. Dharaskar et al. All rights reserved. Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:50:35 +0000 http://www.hindawi.com/journals/energy/2013/427049/ The pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of new marginal soil energy plant Helianthus annuus stalk were investigated using thermogravimetric (TG) method from 50 to 800°C in an inert argon atmosphere at different heating rates of 5, 10, 20, and 30°C min−1. The kinetic parameters of activation energy and pre-exponential factor were deduced by Popescu, Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) methods, respectively. The results showed that three stages appeared in the thermal degradation process. The primary devolatilization stage of H. annuus stalk can be described by the Avrami-Erofeev function . The average activation energy of H. annuus stalk was only 142.9 kJ mol−1. There were minor kinetic compensation effects between the pre-exponential factor and the activation energy. The results suggest that H. annuus stalk is suitable for pyrolysis, and more importantly, the experimental results and kinetic parameters provided useful information for the design of pyrolytic processing system using H. annuus stalk as feedstock. Huaxiao Yan, Hui Zhao, Yan Zhang, Yuanyu Tian, and Kechang Xie Copyright © 2013 Huaxiao Yan et al. All rights reserved.