No abstract

Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy production option and can be applied to pumping water. Pumping water with photovoltaic solar energy is one of the technologies that has stood out in the country. In this context, the work aimed to evaluate the different methods of a drip irrigation system as a function of the use of an indoor amorphous photovoltaic pumping system, without electrical energy storage. The study was installed at the State University of Western Paraná. Voltage and current data were generated by the photovoltaic panels; solar irradiation was measured by the pyranometer device; the water pump flow rate was determined using the flow meter and in-line drip tube types. Irrigation performance was determined by the water distribution uniformity coefficients (CUD) and Christiansen’s uniformity coefficient (CUC). Tests were performed on open and partially cloudy days. The experiment totaled 40 sampled data, half being collected on sunny days and the other half on partially cloudy days, at 9:45 am; 11:00 am; 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm. The methodology had the greatest influence on the CUD value. For the CUC parameter, the values were approximately 89% for the studied methods. Values remained under control for the Shewhart graph, but with the process capacity index affected.

This study addresses the development of a computational tool for the sizing of photovoltaic systems interconnected to the grid (grid-tied) and isolated (off-grid) systems. The calculations for the sizing were obtained from the CRESESB Engineering Manual for Photovoltaic Systems, the GREENPO Photovoltaic Systems Technology, Design and Installation Manual, and the BLUESOL Solar System Introduction Digital Book. With knowledge of the latitude, longitude and altitude data of the site, the tool calculates the angle of the modules for better absorption of the photovoltaic radiation. For systems connected to the grid, it is also necessary to provide information on the consumption of the building to be serviced by the photovoltaic system. For isolated systems, in addition to information on the site, it is necessary to know the demand and consumption of the building. Decision-making criteria are based on economic analysis, according to indexes such as Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Discounted Payback. The screens developed for the sizing tool and examples of sizing of both photovoltaic systems are presented as results, through tables and graphs. The developed software is reliable, and all calculations have theoretical basis.

Combustíveis como o biodiesel vêm ganhando muita popularidade pelo fato de ser um combustível alternativo. O estudo trata da avaliação do desempenho e de emissões de um motor gerador operando com diesel e blendas de biodiesel, assistido por sistema de automação industrial utilizados na Indústria 4.0. O experimento foi conduzido nos laboratórios da Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná. Foram avaliados durante o experimento a energia gerada, o consumo específico, a eficiência energética e as emissões geradas pelo conjunto motor gerador. Os tratamentos utilizados foram o diesel de petróleo tipo A (D100), cinco blendas (misturas) de biodiesel de canola (B5, B10, B15, B20 e B50) e biodiesel puro (B100). As cargas aplicadas ao motor gerador foram do tipo resistivas de 1,0; 1,5; 4,5 e 6,0 kW para cada tipo de combustível.  A energia gerada se manteve crescente e estável conforme o aumento de carga. O melhor resultado do consumo específico foi com o diesel (D100), seguido por B10 e o B20, ambos para a carga de 4,5 kW. As emissões de gases de monóxido de carbono são reduzidas enquanto as emissões de dióxido de carbono aumentam com aplicação de maiores cargas. O biodiesel puro (B100) tende a apresentar melhor eficiência energética que as misturas binárias utilizadas quando inserida a carga de 6,0 kW. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que as misturas de biodiesel de canola com o diesel convencional são uma das possíveis soluções viáveis na substituição parcial do diesel mineral.

This study aimed to evaluate how the HHO gas injection from an electrolyser, conventional bipolar type, works inside a motor-generator fueled with gasoline for utilization in rural areas. After the injection of HHO gas together with gasoline, the parameters of exhaust gases, exhaust temperature, pollution expelled, specific consumption of the engine and excess air, were checked and compared. The main results allowed the evaluation of the engine, when it was fueled with gasoline and HHO gas, which had a better performance than that when fed only with gasoline. The results showed that the engine consume less gasoline and generate fewer pollutant gases when in operation with the injection of HHO gas without the need of radical changes in the engine design.