Kumaran Palanisamy

Micro hydro potential in West Malaysia

Combination of highland areas with huge river networks promise Malaysia with a lot of hydro power potential. To date Malaysia had utilized this potential in the range of large and mini hydropower but not in the micro hydro range. Micro hydro refers to power generation in the range of 5kW to 100kW. Micro hydro can provide alternative renewable energy sources especially in areas with small rivers or streams flowing. In identifying the micro hydro potential sites, reconnaissance studies is normally conducted. It is a preliminary study to identify micro hydropower potential. This paper presents the results of reconnaissance studies carried out to identify the micro hydro potential in West Malaysia. The reconnaissance studies were conducted with data from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, (JUPEM) and Metrological Department Malaysia. All the identified streams are located in areas which are accessible and/or showed evidence of settlements. Only streams with high head i.e. above 50m were considered in this study. From the reconnaissance studies, a total of 109 sites having micro hydro potential of about 20.4MW were identified. However, the energy demand for micro hydro was found not significant in West Malaysia as most areas are electrified. Still, micro hydro generation may serve as alternative renewable energy source in future amid rising electricity cost.

An experimental investigation of pump as turbine for micro hydro application

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of a centrifugal pump working as turbine (PAT). An end suction centrifugal pump was tested in turbine mode at PAT experimental rig installed in the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory of Universiti Tenaga Nasional. The pump with specific speed of 15.36 (m, m3/s) was used in the experiment and the performance characteristic of the PAT was determined. The experiment showed that a centrifugal pump can satisfactorily be operated as turbine without any mechanical problems. As compared to pump operation, the pump was found to operate at higher heads and discharge values in turbine mode. The best efficiency point (BEP) in turbine mode was found to be lower than BEP in pump mode. The results obtained were also compared to the work of some previous researchers.

Preliminary study on combustion of biodiesel for power generation

In the recent wake of escalating crude oil prices due to depletion of fossil fuel, biodiesel has generated a significant interest as an alternative fuel for the future. The use of biodiesel to fuel microturbines or gas turbine application is envisaged to solve problems of diminishing supplies of fossil fuel reserves and environmental concerns. This paper examines the combustion of biodiesel derived from Malaysian Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) in a combustion test facility to study the feasibility of using the designated fuel at five various volumetric ratios for gas turbine application. Biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil in Malaysia, mainly from palm oil sources and animal fats. The oil burner was able to fire the five blends of fuel without any modification or pretreatment. The combustion performance of Malaysian WCO biodiesel and distillate blends was examined with respect to the combustion efficiency. The results indicated biodiesel combustion required less air for stoichiometric combustion due to presence of oxygen in the fuel. Indeed biodiesel stand as a potential alternative fuel for power generation application with the best efficiency at blended ratio of 20% biodiesel and 80% distillate.Copyright

Analysis on Thermal Comfort of Air-Conditioned Buildings in Malaysia: Case Study of Universiti Tenaga Nasional

Field study was carried out on the thermal conditions and thermal comfort of occupants in air conditioned buildings in Malaysia. The study was carried out in 10 staff offices and 6 student study areas of Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) during October and November 2013, collecting a full set of objective physical measurements and subjective assessments through questionnaires. The measured environmental parameters were air temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. The subjective responses concern the judgment of the occupants about the thermal environment at the moment of measurements. The obtained results showed that most places are in acceptable and comfort zone according to Fanger’s predicted mean vote (PMV) model. The neutral air temperature obtained through linear regression analysis of thermal sensation vote (TSV) is 23.9°C for UNITEN. The result of this study demonstrates that the acceptability of thermal comfort among UNITEN occupant is about 78 %.

Preparation and characterization of kenaf derived heterogeneous catalyst for esterification reaction

A Kenaf fibers supported transition metal oxide solid acid catalyst (SAC) was prepared by wet impregnation method followed by calcination at 700°C. The characterizations of catalyst were studied by various methods. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDX) showed that tungsten oxide particle was synthesized and well dispersed on the surface of fibers. A catalytic activity with 68% free fatty acid (FFA) conversion was achieved in esterification reaction. The catalyst can be easily separated from the mixture and reused for few cycles. This finding proved that Kenaf fibers derived SAC has the ability to esterify free fatty acid prior to transesterification reaction to produce biodiesel.

Preparation of Oil Palm EFB Derived Solid Acid Catalyst for Esterification Reaction: Effect of Calcination Temperature

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the palm biomass produced in abundance after oil extraction in Malaysia. This study was focused to utilize this waste biomass as a beneficial raw materials. EFB was used to prepare new solid acid catalyst for biodiesel production. EFB was converted into solid catalyst via direct impregnation method and it was used to catalyse esterification of oleic acid. Transition metal sulfide salt, Fe2(SO4)3 was impregnated on EFB fibres. Effect of different calcination temperature was studied on the properties of catalyst. The result shows that Fe2(SO4)3 based solid acid catalyst which calcined at 500°C exhibited the highest catalytic activity with 93.90% esterification rate was achieved. The morphology and surface chemistry and function group determination for the solid acid catalyst were characterized by SEM-EDX and FTIR.