In automotive applications, artificial neural network (ANN) is now considered as a favorable prediction tool. Since it does not need an understanding of the system or its underlying physics, an ANN model can be beneficial especially when the system is too complicated, and it is too costly to model it using a simulation program. Therefore, using ANN to model an internal combustion engine has been a growing research area in the last decade. Despite its promising capabilities, the use of ANN for engine applications needs deeper examination and further improvement. Research in ANN may reach its maturity and be saturated if the same approach is applied repeatedly with the same network type, training algorithm and input–output parameters. This review article critically discusses recent application of ANN in ICE. The discussion does not only include its use in the conventional engine (gasoline and diesel engine), but it also covers the ANN application in advanced combustion technology i.e., homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. Overall, ANN has been successfully applied and it now becomes an indispensable tool to rapidly predict engine performance, combustion and emission characteristics. Practical implications and recommendations for future studies are presented at the end of this review. 

Review of artificial neural networks for gasoline, diesel and homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

Insight into torrefaction of woody biomass: Kinetic modeling using pattern search method

Biomass gasification offers a significant potential to close the loop of agriculture and many other activities that produce biomass residues. However, the presence of tars and impurities, such as soot, in the gasification products is still a major bottleneck causing operational problems, particularly blocking or fouling of equipment and low syngas quality. Numerical modelling is a very attractive solution to enhance the understanding of the physical and chemical phenomena occurring in gasifiers and thereby to overcome these barriers. In addition, understanding the biomass gasification fundamentals in laboratory-scale devices, such as drop tube furnaces (DTF), is crucial to evaluate its relevance for industrial applications. The main objective of this study is to develop a model able to predict soot formation during the gasification of biomass in a DTF. The model developed is based on a kinetic-diffusion approach and was implemented in Python using the Cantera reaction kinetics library. The model is validated against experimental data that assessed the effect of the temperature and steam to biomass (S/B) ratio on char and soot yields and syngas composition during the gasification of wheat straw in the DTF. Overall, the model developed captures with a rather good accuracy the evolution of the char yields, but with a less accuracy the evolution of the soot yields and syngas composition with the temperature and S/B ratio.

Modelling soot formation during biomass gasification.

Do FeCl3 and FeCl3/CaO conditioners change pyrolysis and incineration performances, emissions, and elemental fates of textile dyeing sludge?

A comprehensive experimental and modeling investigation of walnut shell gasification process in a pilot-scale downdraft gasifier integrated with an internal combustion engine

Review on dynamic process modeling of gasification based biorefineries and bio-based heat & power plants

https://zenodo.org/record/6810502/files/Liq2liq_Dynamics_paper_preprints.pdf

Dynamic process simulations and control of a lignite/waste to Fischer Tropsch liquids plant

/pdf/aviation-and-maritime-biofuels-production-via-a-combined-39trf1tw.pdf

Aviation and maritime biofuels production via a combined thermochemical/biochemical pathway: A conceptual design and process simulation study

This study presents design considerations and an evaluation of a full-scale process chain for methanol and advanced drop-in fuel production derived from lignite/solid recovered fuel (SRF) feedstock. The plant concept consists of a high-temperature Winkler (HTW) gasifier coupled with an air separation unit (ASU), which provides a high-purity (99.55%) gasification oxidant agent. The concept includes the commercially proven acid gas removal (AGR) system based on cold methanol (e.g., Rectisol® process) for the removal of BTX and naphthalene components. With the involvement of Rectisol®, an almost pure CO2 off-gas stream is generated that can be further stored or utilized (CCS/CCU), and a smaller CO2 stream containing H2S is recovered and subsequently driven to the sulfur recovery unit (e.g., Claus process). One of the potential uses of methanol is considered, and a methanol upgrading unit is implemented. The overall integrated process model was developed in the commercial software Aspen PlusTM. Simulations for different feedstock ratios were investigated, ensuring the concept’s adaptability in each case without major changes. A number of parametric studies were performed concerning (a) the oxygen purity and (b) the reformer type, and a comparison against alternative methanol production routes was conducted. Simulations show that the proposed system is able to retain the cold gas efficiency (CGE) in the range of 79–81.1% and the energetic fuel efficiency (EFE) at around 51%. An efficient conversion of approximately 99.5% of the carbon that enters the gasifiers is accomplished, with around 45% of carbon being captured in the form of pure CO2. Finally, the metrics of EFE and total C for the conversion of methanol to liquid fuels were 40.7% and 32%, respectively, revealing that the proposed pathway is an effective alternative for methanol valorization.

/pdf/process-analysis-and-design-considerations-of-a-low-carbon-17xapmvs.pdf

Process Analysis and Design Considerations of a Low Carbon Methanol Synthesis Plant from Lignite/Waste Gasification

The Paris Agreement’s objectives related to climate change put aviation under great pressure and environmental inspection. In particular, the aviation industry is committed to achieving a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. A shift to alternative aviation fuels seems imperative. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified the production of drop-in sustainable liquid fuels (SAFs) as the most promising strategy, at least short term, to reduce the environmental impact of the sector. Within this review, a critical summary of the current alternative aviation fuels/pathways is presented and a comparative analysis of the dominant technologies is performed considering techno-economic assessment, environmental evaluation, and future projections. The impact of the ‘ReFuelEU Aviation’ initiative on the current dominant policies and market incentives is assessed. Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis, alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) conversion, and e-fuel pathways are put under the microscope. A wide range of potential fuel selling prices (0.81–5.00 EUR/L) was observed due to the presence of multiple routes, while some pathways seem able to secure more than 90% emission savings compared to the fossil jet reference. The accelerated scale-up of SAF production is a reasonable demand for the aviation industry. The establishment of a sustainable scale-up framework and the alignment of all of the involved aviation stakeholders is an immediate challenge.

/pdf/recent-advances-on-alternative-aviation-fuels-pathways-a-2x3ey70d.pdf

Nikolaos Detsios

Papers

Review on dynamic process modeling of gasification based biorefineries and bio-based heat & power plants

Dynamic process simulations and control of a lignite/waste to Fischer Tropsch liquids plant

Aviation and maritime biofuels production via a combined thermochemical/biochemical pathway: A conceptual design and process simulation study

Process Analysis and Design Considerations of a Low Carbon Methanol Synthesis Plant from Lignite/Waste Gasification

Recent Advances on Alternative Aviation Fuels/Pathways: A Critical Review