Ibrahim Dincer

3.16 Thermal Energy Production

This contribution outlines and discusses the importance of thermal energy and its applications. Various forms of thermal energy are presented and discussed from energy, economic and environmental points of view. In order to provide a good understanding of the technical presentations of the options for thermal energy, illustrative examples are provided. Furthermore, various case studies on various systems (single to multigeneration) through tidal and getothermal are presented to highlight the importance of the subject and illustrate how the system performance is affected by changing state properties and operating conditions. In addition, the use of wind energy for thermal energy production is also described.

3.8 Ocean (Marine) Energy Production

This contribution outlines and discusses the importance of ocean (marine) energy and its applications for energy production. Various forms of ocean energy are presented and discussed from energy, economic, and environmental points of view. In order to provide a good understanding of the technical presentations of the options for ocean energy, illustrative examples are provided. Furthermore, a set of different case studies are included on analyses of the utilization of ocean thermal energy conversion (a type of ocean energy) for multigeneration incorporating other renewable energy sources (solar and geothermal). In addition, salinity gradient energy (a new type of ocean energy) is also described.

3.11 Chemical Energy Production

This chapter explains in detail the process of assessing the performance of various chemical energy production systems using energy and exergy analyses, starting from a basic mixing chamber and extending to a multigeneration system. Detailed steps for analyzing multigeneration systems are provided to provide a clear and detailed procedure for analyzing chemical energy production systems. Case studies are provided to better illustrate some of these chemical energy generation systems and, more importantly, to provide and apply a procedure for analyzing and assessing the performance of such systems.

3.10 Electrochemical Energy Production

This chapter deals with electrochemical energy production from an engineering thermodynamics point of view by utilizing the first and the second laws of thermodynamics. The chapter starts with the basics of electrochemistry, including Nernst’s law and Faraday’s law. Then the chapter goes into the details of electrochemical energy production by focusing on common electrochemical energy producing devices, including fuel cells, electrolyzers, capacitors, and batteries. Each of the main categories of electrochemical devices is characterized and explained in depth and a thermodynamic model is developed to analyze and assess the performance of electrochemical energy production devices.

1.9 Exergoenvironmental Analysis

The environmental effects of energy producing and consuming processes and devices are of importance to the health and living standards of people. With continuous progress in improving living standards, more energy is generally required. If produced from nonrenewable sources like fossil fuels, this leads to increasing harm to the environment. Two most common measures of performance of energy systems are energy and exergy efficiencies. Exergy efficiency provides a measure that is relative to the ideal efficiency. With exergy analysis, a better understanding of thermodynamic losses can be achieved. In this chapter, exergoenvironmental analysis, a method for analyzing energy systems and their components from a combined point of view that considers both exergy and the environment, is described and discussed. The chapter starts by describing the theory behind exergy-based environmental impact assessment of energy systems, which considers the exergy analysis, the relevant time scale and environmental parameters. This is followed by examples describing exergoenvironmental analyses of components, cycles and systems and finally with an integrated system.

1.28 Energy Optimization

Optimization is treated as a significant tool in engineering for determining the best, or optimal, value for the decision variable(s) of a system. For various reasons, it is important to optimize processes so that a chosen quantity, known as the objective function (OF), is maximized or minimized. For example, the output, profit, productivity, product quality, etc., may be maximized, or the cost per item, investment, energy input, etc., may be minimized. In this chapter we try to highlight the importance of optimization in energy systems and review some of the recent published work on energy systems optimization. Various optimization methods are explained in details in the following parts of this chapter which provide useful information for the readers to determine which kind of optimization tool has better match for their problem. OFs, constraints and design parameters are discussed and the optimal selection of those presented. Since all the energy systems are composed of small components, we initially tried apply optimization for some of the major components in most of the energy systems and determine the optimal design parameters when desired outputs are considered as our OFs. In order to better understand the application of optimization, several case studies are considered from simple to complex and proper optimization techniques are applied and the optimal design parameters are listed. To one step further, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis is conducted to see how optimal design parameters will vary with respect some major conditions such as ambient temperature, ambient pressure, different fuel price and interest rates, etc. By the end of this chapter, readers have the ability to first model the system and form the main OFs depending on their criteria of selection and apply the proper optimization methods satisfying some constraints.

5.5 Exergy Management

In this chapter, we consider exergy management through four main aspects including the confluence of energy, environment, and sustainable development; application of exergy concepts and methods to industrial operations and problems; the integration of exergy analysis with industrial ecology; and finally exergy in policy development and education. The first part of the chapter focuses on exergy as the confluence of energy, environment, and sustainable development. The basis for this treatment is the interdisciplinary character of exergy and its relation to these disciplines. The relations between them also suggest that exergy is related to sustainable development. So, this chapter also presents a unified exergy-based structure that provides useful insights and direction to those involved in sustainable development. Following the discussion of exergy as the confluence of energy, environment, and sustainable development the application is described of exergy concepts and methods to industrial operations and their analysis, design, improvement, and optimization. Exergy methods are increasingly accepted by industry. For electrical generation, for instance, exergy methods can be used to design better stations, improve efficiency, and avoid performance deterioration, while for cogeneration exergy methods can help improve efficiency and resolve economic costing and pricing issues. The third part of the chapter concentrates on the integration of exergy analysis with industrial ecology, and its application. Industrial ecology is an approach to designing industrial systems that contributes to sustainable development by balancing industrial activity and environmental stewardship and thereby can. As exergy analysis pinpoints exergy losses, it can help make industrial technologies more ecologically benign and efficient when integrated with industrial ecology. Illustrations are discussed for combined cycle power generation, hydrogen production, and crude oil distillation. Finally, the chapter describes the role of exergy in policy development and education. Education and awareness of exergy are examined, focusing on the public and the media, as well as thermodynamicists and other technical experts. Also, it is demonstrated that exergy has a place in policy development, pointing out that the public is often confused when it discusses energy and needs to be better educated about exergy if energy issues are to be addressed appropriately, and that a basic level of “exergy literacy” is needed among engineers, scientists, and decision makers.

5.9 Optimization in Energy Management

In this chapter, we aim to highlight the importance of energy management optimization in energy systems and review some of the recent published work on energy management optimization. Various optimization methods are explained in detail in the following parts of this chapter, which provide useful information for the readers to determine which kind of optimization tool has better match for their problem. It can be seen that energy management optimization will result in energy and cost saving of the system, greenhouse gas emission reduction, and loss reduction of the system. In order to better understand the application of energy management optimization, several case studies are considered from simple to complex and proper optimization techniques are applied and the optimal design parameters are listed. By the end of this chapter, readers have the ability to first model the system and form the main objective functions depending on their criteria of selection and apply the proper energy management optimization methods satisfying some constraints.

1.8 Exergoeconomics

Exergy has been a hot topic during the last several decades and several researchers around the world have been widely using exergy for system analysis and performance assessment. There are also studies where exergy efficiency and exergy destruction rate are considered as objective functions for the optimal design of various energy systems. Although exergy is a potential tool that can provide good insight of the system, the importance of its connection with economics has been always highlighted. Exergoeconomics is a branch of engineering that appropriately combines, at the level of system components, thermodynamic evaluations based on an exergy analysis and economic principles, in order to provide information that is useful to the design and operation of a cost-effective system, but not obtainable by conventional energy and exergy analyses and economic analysis. In this chapter, the principles of exergoeconomics are discussed and several case studies are considered, and exergoeconomics is applied in order to calculate the cost for exergy destruction and exergoeconomic factors. The results provide better understanding of energy systems from an economic point of view.

Industrial Heating and Cooling Systems

This chapter introduces industrial heating and cooling systems and categorizes them for specific applications. It also studies industrial heating and cooling systems through energy and exergy analyses. It aims to demonstrate how exergy analysis depicts the actual performance of a process clearly and meaningfully. There are parametric studies conducted on heat pump systems and their exergetic performance assessments. Furthermore, a case study is presented on an industrial textile heating process.