Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
URI permanente desta comunidade:
Notícias
a definir... (FCT)
http://www.fct.ualg.pt/
Navegar
Percorrer Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia por Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) "07:Energias Renováveis e Acessíveis"
A mostrar 1 - 10 de 19
Resultados por página
Opções de ordenação
- Application of floquet theory and improvement of electron current flow control in a 1D Fe-Cu molecular chainPublication . Nikolic, Violeta; Mariano, JoséAbstract: In this study is investigated the application of Floquet theory to a one- -dimensional (1D) Fe–Cu molecular chain under periodic driving. It was demonstrated that orbital hybridization induces resonant behavior in the low-frequency regime, highlighting the potential of this system for energy-efficient and robust device applications. For the first time, a Floquet electronic friction framework – incorporating the influence of periodic driving on electron transfer – is applied to a 1D Fe–Cu molecular chain in the presence of strong light–matter interaction (LMI). Electron transport properties are analyzed, revealing the existence of an optimal driving frequency that maximizes the electric current. Two mechanisms for enhancing charge transport in the strong LMI regime are identified: a) hybridization-induced resonances and b) photon-assisted transport processes. In this work is combined Floquet band structure analysis with open-system transport modeling in a 1D Fe–Cu motif, revealing the impact of hybridization and periodic driving, on the enhancement of electron transport via photon- -assisted resonances – an approach that bridges quasi-energy spectra and dissipative transport in a single theoretical framework. These findings provide new insights into driven low-dimensional transition-metal systems and may support the development of Fe–Cu-based materials for electrochemical applications.
- Application of solar HVAC system in residential buildings for winter conditions in mediterranean climatePublication . Conceição, Eusébio; Gomes, João; Conceição, Margarida; Conceição, Maria Inês; Lúcio, Maria Manuela Jacinto do Rosário; Awbi, HazimThe design of thermal strategies applied in buildings based on the use of renewable energies can play an important role in the development of a built environment that is better adapted to the climate. This paper is focused on the application of a renewable solar energy system coupled with a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioned (HVAC) system to promote occupants’ thermal comfort (TC) and indoor air quality (IAQ) in buildings during heating season. In the building thermal design, a building thermal dynamic model is used to calculate the temperatures of the opaque and transparent building surfaces, the temperature of the water supply ducts, the TC level and the IAQ level, among other variables. The TC conditions of the occupants were evaluated using the Predicted Mean Vote index, commonly used in the literature in similar studies. IAQ was assessed by the usual carbon dioxide concentration in environments where most of the pollution is of human origin. The numerical study was carried out in a virtual residential building consisting of two floors and seven compartments. The building is occupied at night and at midday. Two cases were studied, considering, respectively, the non-use and use of the solar HVAC system. The solar HVAC system consists of solar water collectors, installed above the roof area, and thermo-convector heat exchangers, installed inside each occupied space. The results show that the application of this solar HVAC system in a Mediterranean-type climate is able to guarantee, during occupancy, acceptable TC levels in three compartments and near acceptable TC levels in one compartment. Regarding IAQ, acceptable level can be achieved throughout the day.
- Assessment of cell disruption methods in an integrated multi-product biorefinery for Nannochloropsis Oceanica: from process design to economic analysis.Publication . Cunha, Pedro; Carvalho, Bernardo; Kholany, Mariam; Pereira, Hugo; Varela, JoãoMicroalgae are bioresources with significant potential within a sustainable, circular, bio-economy. However, high production costs have limited the widespread use of algae biomass. This study aimed to develop a multi-product biorefinery for Nannochloropsis oceanica that generates multiple revenue streams from the biomass, thereby enhancing the economic viability of algal production. The effectiveness of cell wall disruption using high-pressure homogenization and enzymatic hydrolysis was evaluated. Enzymatic hydrolysis solubilized nearly half (48.2 ± 1.5%) of the dry cell weight, compared to only 27.3 ± 3.2% with high-pressure homogenization, resulting in more concentrated water-soluble fractions and significantly higher protein extraction yields. Lipid extracts obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis had higher lipid (72.0 ± 5.3% w/w) and eicosapentaenoic acid (28.1 ± 6.9% w/w) contents than those from high-pressure homogenization (38.8 ± 6.1% w/w lipids; 9.1 ± 0.6% w/w eicosapentaenoic acid), despite similar lipid extraction yields (around 30%). Increasing the ethanol volumetric ratio from 58% to 75% v/v significantly improved lipid extraction yields (57.4 ± 3.1%) in the enzymatic hydrolysis-based biorefinery, with even higher yields observed upon scaling up (70.1%). All fractions, including lipid extracts, exhibited a balanced essential amino acid profile that exceeded the WHO/FAO/UNU-recommended values. A preliminary economic analysis indicated that lipid production was more cost-effective when cells were permeabilized by enzymatic hydrolysis than by high-pressure homogenization.
- Catalytic transfer hydrogenation reactions of Glycerol Over Zr-Incorporated Zeolite Beta prepared by a mechanochemical approachPublication . Fernandes, Auguste; Ribeiro, M. Filipa; Lourenço, João P.Zr-containing zeolite beta catalysts were prepared by a post-synthesis procedure involving a dealumination followed by a mechanochemical step and tested in the gas-phase conversion of glycerol. The catalytic data indicate that the catalysts are active in the conversion of glycerol, promoting not only the typical dehydration but also its hydrogenolysis without an external source of hydrogen, resulting in the production of significant amounts of ethylene glycol and methanol. Partially frameworkattached (Si─O)2Zr═O species were identified and are suggested to play an important role in the catalytic behavior of these materials.
- A cost-effective solution for predictive maintenance in industrial pumping systemsPublication . Brito, Sergio; Azinheira, Gonçalo; Semião, Jorge; Sousa, NelsonThis paper presents a cost-effective, Internet of Things (IoT)-based solution for predictive maintenance (PdM) in industrial pumping systems. The proposed system integrates custom-built hardware with machine learning (ML) algorithms to monitor and detect anomalies in real-time. The innovation of the system lies in its non-intrusive design, ease of installation, and adaptability to a variety of industrial environments, providing a practical, low-cost alternative to traditional PdM solutions. Detailed discussion is provided on the hardware component selection, which prioritizes affordability without sacrificing performance, as well as the machine learning strategies used for anomaly detection. Preliminary results from laboratory and field testing demonstrate the system’s potential for reducing downtime and maintenance costs, with a focus on extending the application to broader industrial contexts.
- Digital twin modelling for a renewable energy community: a case study of the culatra island’s smart gridPublication . Ogunsola, Idris Olalekan; Santos, Joni; Monteiro, Jânio; Pacheco, AndréThis study develops and tests a Digital Twin (DT) of the Culatra Island’s distribution grid to enable the evaluation of demand side management strategies, in the scope of Renewable Energy Communities. Built in MATLAB/Simulink and structured across five functional layers, the DT integrates real-world data from five photovoltaic (PV) production units, monitored and fixed electrical loads, and realistic network parameters derived from the island’s infrastructure. Three steady-state test scenarios were simulated to assess voltage stability, and power flow under: 1) baseline grid operation without PV generation, 2) distributed PV integration under normal load conditions, and 3) high-demand operation near generationload equilibrium. Results show that PV integration improves voltage regulation and reduces losses through localized energy injection and bidirectional power flow. However, under peak load conditions, the system exhibits significant undervoltage, revealing the need for advanced control strategies and infrastructure reinforcement. Overall, the DT proves to be an effective analytical and decision-support tool for optimising distributed energy systems. This work provides a replicable application-oriented framework for data-driven planning in emerging Renewable Energy Communities and supports Culatra Island’s transition toward full energy self-sufficiency. Unlike prior studies that report generalized benefits of PV integration, this work explicitly identifies voltage instability thresholds under high-demand conditions in a real REC configuration, providing actionable insight into when passive operation becomes insufficient.
- Energy transition effects on food security amidst climate change and progress toward sustainable development goalsPublication . Tamasiga, Phemelo; Dzingai, Valentine Munyaradzi; Onyeaka, Helen; Ngameni Tchonkouang, Rose Daphnee; Siyanbola, Kehinde Favour; Genesis, Ulakom; Mudimu, George T.Transitioning to net-zero societies affects how energy is produced and consumed, with consequences for food security. Through a systematic review of 43 peer-reviewed studies that follow the PRISMA protocol, results reveal that renewable energy can enhance agricultural productivity by reducing operational costs, increasing efficiency in irrigation and processing, and providing reliable access to energy. However, challenges exist, including competition for land and water resources between renewable energy projects and food production, high upfront costs of clean energy technologies, limited access to credit facilities, and institutional bottlenecks. To overcome these challenges, recommended policies include offering subsidies and financial incentives to make clean energy more affordable for farmers, as well as providing education and training to support the adoption of sustainable practices. Furthermore, promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial to stimulate investment in renewable energy infrastructure. Moreover, these policies must be designed for specific national circumstances. High-income or upper-middle-income countries can deploy capital-intensive agrivoltaic and biogas technologies via concessional finance. In contrast, low-income settings should prioritize low-cost, decentralized solar pumps and off-grid dryers to build farmer confidence and trust. Countries with stronger regulatory frameworks and secure land tenure systems are better equipped to support large-scale renewable energy projects. At the same time, regions with weaker governance tend to benefit most from community-owned mini-grids. The mapping of policy options onto economic, institutional, and agro-ecological dimensions provides a nuanced, context-sensitive framework to guide equitable and effective energy transitions in diverse agricultural landscapes.
- From home energy management systems to energy communities: methods and dataPublication . Ruano, Antonio; Ruano, MariaThis paper introduces the HEMStoEC database, which contains data recorded in the course of two research projects, NILMforIHEM, and HEMS2IEA, for more than three years. To be manageable, the dataset is divided in months, from January 2020 until February 2023. It consists in: (a) consumption electric data for four houses in a neighbourhood situated in the south of Portugal, (b) weather data for that location, (c) photovoltaic and battery data, (d) inside climate data, and (e) operation of several electric devices in one of the four houses. Raw data, sampled at 1 sec and 1 minute are available from the different sensing devices, as well as synchronous data, with a common sampling interval of 5 minutes are available. Gaps existing within the data, as well as periods where interpolation was used, are available for each month of data.
- Gravitational waves from two scalar fields unifying the dark sector with inflationPublication . Luongo, Orlando; Mengoni, Tommaso; Sá, PauloWe investigate the gravitational-wave background predicted by a two-scalar-field cosmological model that aims to unify primordial inflation with the dark sector, namely late-time dark energy and dark matter, in a single and self-consistent theoretical framework. The model is constructed from an action inspired by several extensions of general relativity and string-inspired scenarios and features a non-minimal interaction between the two scalar fields, while both remain minimally coupled to gravity. In this context, we derive the gravitational-wave energy spectrum over wavelengths ranging from today’s Hubble horizon to those at the end of inflation. We employ the continuous Bogoliubov coefficient formalism, originally introduced to describe particle creation in an expanding Universe, in analogy to the well-established mechanism of gravitational particle production and, in particular, generalized to gravitons. Using this method, which enables an accurate description of graviton creation across all cosmological epochs, we find that inflation provides the dominant gravitational-wave contribution, while subdominant features arise at the inflation-radiation, radiation-matter, and matter-dark energy transitions, i.e., epochs naturally encoded inside our scalar field picture. The resulting energy density spectrum is thus compared with the sensitivity curves of the planned nextgeneration ground- and space-based gravitational-wave observatories. The comparison identifies frequency bands where the predicted signal could be probed, providing those windows associated with potentially detectable signals, bounded by our analyses. Consequences of our recipe are thus compared with numerical outcomes and the corresponding physical properties discussed in detail.
- HVAC systems applied in university buildings with control based on PMV and aPMV indexesPublication . Conceição, Eusébio; Sousa, António F. M.; Gomes, João; Ruano, AntonioIn this work, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems applied in university buildings with control based on PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and aPMV (adaptive Predicted Mean Vote) indexes are discussed. The building’s thermal behavior with complex topology, in transient thermal conditions, for summer and winter conditions is simulated by software. The university building is divided into 124 spaces, on two levels with an area of 5931 m2 , and is composed of 201 transparent surfaces and 1740 opaque surfaces. There are 86 compartments equipped with HVAC systems. The simulation considers the actual occupation and ventilation cycles, the external environmental variables, the internal HVAC system and the occupants’ and building’s characteristics. In this work, a new HVAC control system, designed to simultaneously obtain better occupants’ thermal comfort levels according to category C of ISO 7730 with less energy consumption, is presented. This new HVAC system with aPMV index control is numerically implemented, and its performance is compared with the performance of the same HVAC system with the usual PMV index control. Both HVAC control systems turn on only when the PMV index or the aPMV index reaches values below −0.7, in winter conditions, and when the PMV index or the aPMV index reaches values above +0.7, in summer conditions. In accordance with the results obtained, the HVAC system guarantees negative PMV and aPMV indexes in winter conditions and positive PMV and aPMV indexes in summer conditions. The energy consumption level is higher in winter conditions than in summer conditions for compartments with shading, and it is lower in winter conditions than in summer conditions for compartments exposed to direct solar radiation. The consumption level is higher using the PMV control than with the aPMV control. Air temperature, in accordance with Portuguese standards, is higher than 20 ◦C in winter conditions and lower than 27 ◦C in summer conditions. In Mediterranean climates, the HVAC systems with aPMV control provide better occupants’ thermal comfort levels and less energy consumption than the HVAC system with PMV control.