In the Middle East, gas-fired heaters are conventionally favored due to their reliability, cost-effectiveness, and minimal environmental impact. However, the challenges associated with traditional designs, such as low thermal efficiency, high fuel consumption, emissions of environmental pollutants, indoor gas leakage, moisture absorption, uneven heat distribution, and non-compliance with design standards, necessitate innovative solutions. A novel gas-fired heater design is thus presented in this investigation, incorporating a double-walled chimney equipped with an intermediate ejector, blades, and a mesh plate. These components were integrated to enhance the overall performance by optimizing airflow dynamics, thereby improving efficiency and ensuring uniform flame formation. An experimental heater model was constructed, and a series of controlled experiments, along with Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, were performed. The thermal efficiency was found to improve by an average of 10% compared to conventional models, elevating the efficiency from 75% to 85%. This increase was attributed to the preheating of the inlet air in the double chimney, proper air distribution within the combustion chamber through mesh plate application, and the reduction of excess air volume by controlling the air inlet. Enhanced safety was also observed in the proposed design, with no exchange of air with the room, thereby alleviating concerns related to indoor gas leakage and moisture absorption. A minor trade-off was noted with a 3 ppm increase in nitrogen oxides ((NO_x) emissions, an effect of reduced excess airflow to the combustion chamber; however, this was deemed acceptable in light of the substantial efficiency increase. Furthermore, the decreased natural gas consumption rendered the model economically attractive. Overall, the proposed gas-fired heater design offers significant potential for improving residential heating systems, addressing environmental issues, and maximizing energy savings, and is aligned with the global pursuit of energy-efficient and sustainable solutions.

The environmental impact of improper waste cooking oil (WCO) disposal can be substantial, resulting in serious implications such as soil contamination, water pollution, energy wastage, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. To mitigate these potential impacts, the conversion of WCO into biodiesel offers an attractive alternative to fossil fuel dependency. This investigation focuses on biodiesel production via transesterification reactions, utilizing WCO collected from local food vendors. Biodiesel yield from Gino, Kings, and Mamador WCO were found to range from 55.5 to 58.1%, 55.1 to 53.9%, and 53.7 to 52.6%, respectively. Furthermore, the specific gravities of the produced biodiesel from Gino, Kings, and Mamador WCO ranged between 0.725-0.75, 0.73-0.84, and 0.71-0.80, respectively. Acid values varied from 0.51-0.52 KOH/g for Gino WCO, 0.50-0.57 KOH/g for Kings WCO, and 0.50-0.57 KOH/g for Mamador WCO. Cetane numbers were observed to range from 45.82-46.25 min for Gino WCO, 46.2-46.45 min for Kings WCO, and 46.0-46.25 min for Mamador WCO. Finally, the flashpoints ranged between 135-138℃ for Gino WCO, 137-140℃ for Kings WCO, and 137-138℃ for Mamador WCO, while cloud points hovered between 4.82-5.02℃. Significantly, all physicochemical properties of the resulting biodiesel were found to be within ASTM recommended parameters, highlighting the potential of WCO as a valuable resource for sustainable biodiesel production.

This study proposes a novel annual temperature regulation system for sow houses, integrating heat recovery and photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) technology to optimize energy utilization efficiency and economic benefits. Mathematical models of key system components are developed and validated using published data, yielding a maximum error of 14.48%. A numerical simulation assesses the system's operating characteristics across different months, revealing the highest total energy consumption and output power in April and August, at 7,298.7 kW and 2.18×104 kW, respectively. Conversely, the lowest energy consumption and output power are observed in November and April, at 2,739.4 kW and 1.10×104 kW, respectively. The results indicate that the system's performance is significantly influenced by external environmental factors. Future research should investigate the system's performance and control strategies in various climatic regions across China, providing theoretical guidance for the application of solar energy and heat recovery in the environmental regulation of sow houses.

A comparative investigation is conducted, employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations to study two distinct room space configurations: one featuring a solar chimney and another integrating both a solar chimney and a geothermal system. The primary objective of this investigation is to scrutinize the thermal behavior, energy efficiency, and mass flow rates of these systems. Results underscore the considerable positive implications of the geothermal system integration. This amalgamation precipitates diminished average room temperatures and elevated mass flow rates, signifying superior thermal comfort and energy performance. The room implementing the geothermal system exhibited an average temperature of 302.2 Kelvin and a mass flow rate of 4.134 × 10⁻⁶ kg/s, in contrast to the room without the geothermal system, which demonstrated an average temperature of 309.6 Kelvin and a mass flow rate of 1.878 × 10⁻⁶ kg/s. These findings have practical repercussions for architects, engineers, and policymakers, facilitating well-grounded decisions in the domain of sustainable building design. The observed enhancement in thermal performance and mass flow rates underscore the potential merits of integrating geothermal systems, thereby promoting wider acceptance. Further research is recommended to investigate the influence of varied climatic conditions, building orientations, and room layouts on the efficiency of integrated solar chimney and geothermal designs. Examination of alternative renewable energy sources (RES), innovative building materials, and technologies is also suggested to elevate energy efficiency and sustainability in room space designs. This study contributes substantially to the expanding realm of sustainable building design, providing valuable insights for refining room space performance, curbing energy consumption, and heightening thermal comfort. By highlighting the advantages of renewable energy integration, particularly geothermal systems, the study stimulates the development of more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building spaces.

This study aims to optimize the structure of compact Plate-Fin Heat Exchangers (PFHE) by incorporating corrugated fins and validating their improved performance through numerical modeling and simulation. The results provide valuable insights for refining application-specific design guidelines and enhancing the performance of PFHEs. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the PFHE geometry was created in SolidWorks and Ansys Fluent, with fins modeled in three layers inside the heat exchanger both with and without a cover. To investigate the fins' performance, flow field, and heat transfer, fin thickness, entry velocities, and locations of water and air were varied across three wavelengths (10, 20, and 30) during the numerical investigation. The analysis focused on the variations in pressure, temperature, and fluid velocity within the heat exchanger. Key findings include the observation that temperature distribution is influenced by the velocities of both water and air, with the upper layer experiencing a temperature increase due to the warm fluid stream, while the opposite effect is observed near the bottom layer. Furthermore, fluid temperature variation in the depth direction is attributed to conductive heat transfer through side plates and convective heat transfer to the surroundings. The outcomes of this study have the potential to reduce the pressure difference generated during heat exchange and increase the thermal efficiency of PFHEs.

Understanding the response of buildings to wind loads is critical, as these forces can generate significant pressure and suction, potentially leading to structural failure if overlooked. This research was focused on examining the effects of openings on triangular-shaped buildings when subjected to high wind load conditions. Utilizing CAD modeling and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, the analysis was executed through the ANSYS simulation package. Subsequent Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) studies were conducted to ascertain shear stress and lateral deformation. The studies encompassed building models both with and without openings, with the evaluation of induced pressure and velocity. The resultant drag on buildings incorporating openings was discovered to be 6679N lower than those without openings. Furthermore, an analysis employing M25 concrete indicated a 33.13$3 \%$ reduction in lateral deformation in buildings with openings as compared to those without. For buildings constructed with M30 concrete, a 32.17$3 \%$ decrease in lateral deformation was observed. Despite the informative findings, it should be recognized that the investigation was confined to a particular range of wind load conditions and did not consider extreme scenarios. Dynamic wind effects and long-term structural behavior were not included in the current analysis. Therefore, while this study elucidates the importance of wind load analysis and structural reinforcement for maintaining building stability, further research is warranted. Such future investigations should consider broader simulation models, encompassing diverse building shapes and wind load conditions, and account for additional influential factors.

The modelling of complex technological systems serves as the foundation for enhancing process performance, including sustainability features (triple-bottom line). The European Green Deal, proposed in 2019, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and foster a resource-independent economy. Such a change must be carefully planned. Comprehensive sustainability protocols and guidelines are necessary to describe the standardized methodological procedure, the environmental certification procedures that allow market comparability and identification of the best solutions, the databases, the calculation tools and software, and the benchmark and target with which to make comparison. Policies and regulatory or incentive instruments promote the broad adoption of these approaches and ensure that policies reduce environmental, economic, and social impacts. This paper consists in an overview of sustainability assessment tools’ role in energy policy and short- and long-term modeling of more eco-friendly energy-product systems. Additionally, the paper explores these methods’ pros and cons in planning, analyzing, and optimizing energy/product systems, also according to the circular economy paradigm. All of these strategies aim to help the decision-maker make more consistent judgments by taking into consideration essential objective, such as end user or stakeholder demands, and minimizing subjective elements. An extensive listing of Sustainability accreditation and communication tools is provided. Sustainability assessment is an evaluation and optimization method that promotes sustainable development in all political planning and decision-making. It examines the social, economic, and environmental effects, finds conflicting goals, and recommends early optimization. Potentially, sustainability assessment should be integrated into the political planning process and depend on domain-specific research and assessments that currently exist or are planned, such as in combination with decision-making. Sustainability assessment is not designed to be an extra analytical tool. A sector-specific environmental or economic study from a strategic environmental analysis or regulatory effect analysis may be crucial to a sustainability assessment.

As a promising pollutant emission reduction technology, biomass mixed combustion has attracted widespread attention worldwide. This paper aimed to study the characteristics of biomass mixed combustion and temperature distribution. A combination of simulation and experimental methods was adopted. The results showed when four kinds of biomass were burned separately, their highest temperatures in the center section of combustion chamber were corn stalk>cotton stalk>sawdust>rice straw in descending order. Compared with other three biomass, the highest temperature of corn stalk was more than 100 K higher, which mainly occurred during the full combustion stage, mainly because corn stalk had high volatile content and caught fire easily. In addition, with the optimal mixed combustion parameters, biomass mixed combustion improved the combustion characteristics of single biomass combustion. The optimal blending ratio of corn stalk to rice straw was 7:3, and the optimal primary air velocity and temperature were 48 m/s and 1300 K, respectively. With the optimal blending ratio, the maximum temperature in the center section was higher than that of single biomass combustion, with advanced ignition point, relatively uniform temperature distribution in the combustion chamber and good combustion performance, because the precipitation and combustion of high volatile components during mixed combustion caused the surface temperature of fixed carbon to rise rapidly to reach the ignition temperature. Finally, this paper studied the combustion characteristics of corn stalk and rice straw with the optimal mixed combustion parameters in mixed combustion experiment, and verified the good consistency between the simulation and experimental values. Therefore, biomass mixed combustion technology provides an important reference for solving the problem of low calorific value of single biomass combustion.

A proposal is made in the sanitary hot water system in a hotel installation consisting in the change of the black steel pipe system by high density polypropylene pipes in the primary circuit of the system. A field of vacuum tube solar collectors is sized to work in replacement of the heat recovery system of the water chiller. An economic and environmental analysis of the proposal is made. With the installation of the solar collectors, the hotel will deduct 27,545 liters (15,425 kg) of liquid gas propane (LPG) from its annual consumption, equivalent to 51,728 USD, avoiding the emission of 104,583 kg of CO₂eq into the environment. The simple recovery time of the investment will be 5.88 years. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of using solar thermal energy in the heating of sanitary water due to the decrease in the consumption of liquefied petroleum gas and, therefore, the environmental damage is reduced when greenhouse gases are no longer emitted.

At present, intelligent buildings have formed a relatively mature and complete industrial chain and industrial scale in China, but there are still some technical and application problems to be solved urgently, mainly including the lack of linkage between different demand-side energy demand scenarios, the inability to guarantee information security, and serious building energy consumption. In view of the above problems, scholars at home and abroad have launched relevant research, but they have not comprehensively considered the relevance of the above problems. Therefore, this article sorts out the research status of source-load joint forecast method of intelligent building clusters, and analyzes the related development trends, including three major directions: source-load joint forecast method of intelligent building clusters, key technologies of energy supply and demand data security of intelligent building clusters, and distributed energy transaction strategy of intelligent building clusters. Through combing and analysis, this article has formed a number of valuable research directions, which can provide directional reference and knowledge for the accurate response of electric-thermal load and energy transaction strategy of intelligent building clusters and P2P method theory in other scenarios.

The invention of chemically flexible solar cells, known as dye-sensitive solar cells (DSSC), has led to cheaper, more ecologically friendly, yet inefficient solar cells. The poor link between the semiconductor and the substrate, which impacts the DSSC electrons' mobility, is the root reason of the low efficiency. TiCl₄ pre-coatings have been used in many studies on semiconductor engineering to boost electron mobility. In order to lower the internal resistance in the DSSC, it is known that using TiCl₄ pre-coating affects the mechanical strength between the semiconductor and the substrate. TiCl₄ pre-coating can be done by immersing FTO glass, where semiconductors have deposited, in the TiCl4 solution. This study examines how the TiCl₄ pre-coating time in the production of TiO₂ semiconductors affects DSSC performance. To reveal the effects on alterations in the semiconductor morphology of TiO₂, immersion times in the TiCl4 treatment were set to 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60mins. The results show that TiO₂ nanoparticles with a 60min TiCl₄ treatment had better connectivity between individual particles than those with shorter treatments. The performance metrics like open circuit photovoltage (Voc), short-circuit photocurrent density (Jsc), and fill factor (FF), and efficiency (η) were 0.569 V, 7,616 mA/cm2, 43.3%, and 2.208%, respectively.

In This research article represents the study of optical, and electrical properties of Methylammonium lead (MAPbBr_3-nI_n; n=0, 1, 2 and 3) (CH₃NH₃PbI₃, CH₃NH₃PbI₂Br, CH₃NH₃PbIBr₂, and CH₃NH₃PbBr₃) based Perovskite solar cell. An FTO/TiO₂/ MAPbBr_3-nI_n/Spiro-OMeTAD/Al based structure with TiO₂ as electron transport layer and Spiro-OMeTAD hole transport layer has been used for this study. The opto-electrical properties such as resonance time period, indirect and direct band gap have been studied. The results shows that the resonance time period, indirect band gap, and direct band gap for each of the Perovskite layer CH₃NH₃PbI₃ is 9.09 µs, 1.4 eV and 2.6 eV, for CH₃NH₃PbI₂Br is 6.25 µs, 1.5 eV and 2.7 eV, for CH₃NH₃PbIBr₂ is 6.25 µs, 1.7 eV, and 2.8 eV and for CH₃NH₃PbBr₃ is 5.55 µs, 2.1 eV and 2.9 eV respectively.