Energy-Saving and Economical Evaluations of a Ceramic Gas Turbine Cogeneration Plant

A ceramic gas turbine can save energy because of its high thermal efficiency at high turbine inlet temperatures. This paper deals with the thermodynamic and economic aspects of a ceramic gas turbine cogeneration system. Here cogeneration means the simultaneous production of electrical en-ergy and useful thermal energy from the same facility. The thermodynamic performance of a ceramic gas turbine cycle is assessed using a computer model. This model is used in parametric studies of performance under partial loads and at various inlet air temperatures. The computed performance is compared to the measured performance of a conventional gas turbine cycle. Then, an economic evaluation of a ceramic gas turbine cogeneration system is investigated. Energy savings provided by this system are estimated on the basis of the distributions of heat/power ratios. The computed economic evaluation is compared to the actual economic performance of a conventional system in which boilers produce the required thermal energy and electricity is purchased from a utility.

Case Studies of Energy Saving and CO₂Reduction by Cogeneration and Heat Pump Systems

This paper describes two case studies: 1) a cogeneration system of a hospital and 2) a heat pump system installed in an aquarium that uses seawater for latent heat storage. The cogeneration system is an autonomous system that combines the generation of electrical, heating, and cooling energies in a hospital. Cogeneration systems can provide simultaneous heating and cooling. No technical obstacles were identified for implementing the cogeneration system. The average ratio between electric and thermal loads in the hospital was suitable for the cogeneration system operation. An analysis performed for a non-optimized cogeneration system predicted large potential for energy savings and CO2 reduction. The heat pump system using a low-temperature unutilized heat source is introduced on a heat source load responsive heat pump system, which combines a load variation responsive heat pump utilizing seawater with a latent heat-storage system (ice and water slurry), using nighttime electric power to level the electric power load. The experimental coefficient of performance (COP) of the proposed heat exchanger from the heat pump system, assisted by using seawater as latent heat storage for cooling, is discussed in detail.

Evaluation of Skills in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Using Microsoft Kinect

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation,commonly known as CPR,is an emergency procedure that normally combines chest compression with artificial ventilation in an effort to preserve intact brain function manually until further measures can be taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.In this study,we evaluated the skills of CPR practitioners on the basis of kinematic data obtained from their body movements while performing CPR.In particular,we used a Microsoft Kinect sensor to evaluate CPR performance by new and more experienced practitioners and to analyze CPR skill-building techniques.Such measurement using the Kinect sensor enabled detailed information about motion at body joints to be displayed quickly and objectively,thus facilitating identification of any problems.However,we could not confirm gesture recognition and detailed motion analysis based on using a high-speed camera to capture three-dimensional(3-D)motion of the entire body,we determined the Kinect sensor to be an easily applied evaluation tool that can provide body-motion information quickly and thus serve as an objective index for evaluating CPR performance.