The key objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the main environmental life cycle impacts and energy balance of ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from soybean and palm oil, in the Brazilian conditions. The methodological tool used was the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), in Well-To-Tank (WTT) perspective. A process based on cradle-to-gate attribution […]
This paper presents a methodology for obtaining the parameters of the equivalent circuit for an induction motor from the information on the nameplate and manufacturer catalog data sheet. The proposed method is straight and noniterative. The variation in rotor parameters for deep bars or double squirrel-cage rotors is modeled and presented as a function of […]
Over the past years, the pursuit of using less polluting energy sources throughout society has been on the increase. In general, the transportation sector is responsible for most of the emissions of greenhouse gases. Therefore, in this article a methodological approach is applied in such a way that it is possible to quantify the impact […]
In an editorial of a recent issue of a known academic journal, Prof. Hartmut Michel affirmed that “…the production of biofuels constitutes an extremely inefficient land use… We should not grow plants for biofuel production.”, after comparing the area occupied with plants for bioenergy production with the one required for photovoltaic cells to supply the […]
A model proposal to determine the influence of wind over temperature measurements when conducting outdoor infrared (IR) themographic inspections is addressed in this paper. A wind velocity-dependent temperature reduction factor is developed and applied in order to estimate the target temperature in the absence of wind, which is considered as the worst case. The model […]
Liquid biofuels, as ethanol and biodiesel, supply 25% of the road transport fuel consumed in Brazil. Ethanol blending has been mandatory since 1931, pure ethanol has been used since 1975, and nowadays flex-fuel cars are widely used. In 2008, ethanol production reached 28 Mm³, but recently, government efforts to reduce gasoline prices have reduced the […]
This study aimed to evaluate the energy efficiency, thermal power and amount of volatiles released (CO2, CO and SO2) by three models of wood-metallic cookstoves into single-family residences in the city of Irati / PR, Brazil. All cookstoves had a low average energy efficiency from 2.9% ± 0.3 (stove 1), 2.6% ± 0.5 (stove 2) […]
Sugarcane produced in Brazil has several environmental advantages. However, burning residues, which leads to GHG and black carbon (BC) emissions, has been used to facilitate manual harvest. BC emissions have a net warming effect and cause health problems. Mechanized harvest without burning is gradually replacing manually harvested burned sugarcane. Global warming potential (GWP) and human […]
Increasing efficiency of electrical equipment is essential to national energy rationality, enabling energy consumption reduction and postponing inversion in distribution, transmission and generation, as well as mitigating environmental impacts associated with such activities. Considering such purposes, two actions have been promoted in Brazil: (a) minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) have been required for some appliances […]
Biomassa é a matéria orgânica utilizada na produção de energia. Dentre as vantagens do uso da biomassa está, principalmente, a sustentabilidade, pelo fato de ser renovável, permitir o reaproveitamento de resíduos, não contribuindo para o efeito estufa, com o gás carbônico (CO2), já que o mesmo é absorvido através da fotossíntese, o que não ocorre em outras fontes […]