Renewable Fuels

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2018) | Viewed by 10411

Special Issue Editors

Pro Vice-Chancellor, International and Partnerships Portfolio, Federation University Australia, Office A101c, Building A, Mt Helen Campus, PO Box 663, Ballarat, VIC 3353, Australia
Interests: renewable energy; energy generation; conversion and storage; alternative fuels for internal combustion engine; microalgae fuel; mechanical method for water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Biosystems Engineering Department, Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran 1411713116, Iran
Interests: renewable energies; sustainability; IC engines—fuels and combustion; machine design and FEM methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite original research or review articles to a Special Issue of the journal Applied Sciences on the topic of “Renewable Fuels”. Fuels are the main energy sources providing power for transportation, power plants, chemical plants and space exploration. Concerns over the depletion of fossil fuels and environmental problems caused by using conventional fuels have promoted the development and search for sustainable alternatives. The recent increased demand for energy associated with conventional fossil fuel has drawn attention to issues such as high production costs, depletion and emissions. These problems are the main factors behind the focus on alternative fuels in recent years. Energy security is another factor driving the push toward alternative fuels and reducing the demand on exporting oil. It is important for alternative fuels to be renewable, have less impact on the environment and be compatible with currently available technology.

The Special Issue of aims to gather innovative and original research articles on various solid, liquid and gaseous fuels from the perspective of production, properties and performance in engines, combustion processes and other energy system applications. The specific topics of interest for the Special Issue include biomass, biofuels, hydrogen, and other novel alternative fuels.

Prof. Dr. Talal Yusaf
Prof. Dr. Gholamhassan Najafi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • alternative fuel
  • biomass
  • biofuels
  • hydrogen
  • other novel renewable fuels
  • biofuels productions
  • biofuels from different agriculture sectors
  • bio-fuel mechanical and chemical properties
  • engine performance using different alternative fuels
  • ethanol/Methanol in diesel engine
  • energy-saving methods for waste engine oil recycling
  • bio-lubricant
  • economic optimization of biofuel powered IC engines
  • energy optimization using alternative fuels
  • green gas emission
  • viability and sustainability of biofuels
  • policy in biofuels promotions
  • biogas - productions and applications

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 984 KiB  
Article
A Robust Maximum Power Point Tracking Control Method for a PEM Fuel Cell Power System
by Mohamed Derbeli, Oscar Barambones and Lassaad Sbita
Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(12), 2449; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8122449 - 01 Dec 2018
Cited by 55 | Viewed by 5606
Abstract
Taking into account the limited capability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to produce energy, it is mandatory to provide solutions, in which an efficient power produced by PEMFCs can be attained. The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) plays a considerable role [...] Read more.
Taking into account the limited capability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to produce energy, it is mandatory to provide solutions, in which an efficient power produced by PEMFCs can be attained. The maximum power point tracker (MPPT) plays a considerable role in the performance improvement of the PEMFCs. Conventional MPPT algorithms showed good performances due to their simplicity and easy implementation. However, oscillations around the maximum power point and inefficiency in the case of rapid change in operating conditions are their main drawbacks. To this end, a new MPPT scheme based on a current reference estimator is presented. The main goal of this work is to keep the PEMFCs functioning at an efficient power point. This goal is achieved using the backstepping technique, which drives the DC–DC boost converter inserted between the PEMFC and the load. The stability of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by means of Lyapunov analysis. To verify the ability of the proposed method, an extensive simulation test is executed in a Matlab–Simulink TM environment. Compared with the well-known proportional–integral (PI) controller, results indicate that the proposed backstepping technique offers rapid and adequate converging to the operating power point. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Fuels)
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20 pages, 7315 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Camelina “Soheil” as a Novel Biodiesel Fuel on the Performance and Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engine
by Seyed Salar Hoseini, Gholamhassam Najafi, Barat Ghobadian, Talal Yusaf and Mohammad Taghi Ebadi
Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(6), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/app8061010 - 20 Jun 2018
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4203
Abstract
In this research, a new cultivar of Camelina “Soheil” seed oil (CSO) was investigated as a novel feedstock for biodiesel production. Maximum oil content of CSO seed was about 29%. Physical and chemical characteristics of CSO were investigated. The biodiesel production process was [...] Read more.
In this research, a new cultivar of Camelina “Soheil” seed oil (CSO) was investigated as a novel feedstock for biodiesel production. Maximum oil content of CSO seed was about 29%. Physical and chemical characteristics of CSO were investigated. The biodiesel production process was optimized by using the response surface methodology (RSM) reaction parameters, including molar ratio (methanol to oil), reaction time, and concentration of catalyst are studied. The result showed that the conversion of biodiesel was 98.91% under the optimized conditions of 10.18:1 molar ratio and 1.15 wt % concentration of catalyst for a reaction time of 7.33 min. By investigating the properties of the fuel, it turned out that biodiesel from new cultivar of CSO oil complied with the limits prescribed in the ASTM D6751 standards, and that this seed oil could be introduced as a new feedstock for biodiesel production. Also, the performance and emission of a diesel engine were investigated with CSO biodiesel. All of the engine experiments were performed under the constant speed of 2100 rpm at loads of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Results indicated that by using the biodiesel-diesel blends, the brake power, and the CO2 and NOx emissions increased, while the SFC and CO and UHC emissions decreased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Fuels)
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