• Title/Summary/Keyword: Alternative Energy

Search Result 2,139, Processing Time 0.029 seconds

Recent Advances in Surgery for Atrial Fibrillation (심방세동의 최신 외과적 치료)

  • Lee, Dong-Hyup;Jung, Tae-Eun
    • Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
    • /
    • v.22 no.1
    • /
    • pp.13-26
    • /
    • 2005
  • Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac rhythm disturbance, which carries significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The medical treatment for AF is cumbersome and unsatisfactory, which has highlighted the need to develop alternative treatments for AF. The recent discovery that AF is often initiated by atrial ectopic beats has resulted in treatments designed to target the ectopic sources, particularly those within the pulmonary veins. Building on the pioneering work of Cox et al., a recent reported series demonstrated the feasibility of treating patients undergoing cardiac surgery for other structural heart diseases with limited, left-atrial ablation lesion sets using alternative energy sources. As less complex modifications of the Maze procedure have been developed, a number of energy sources have been introduced to create of electrically isolating lesions within the atria. These sources have been used both endocardially in arrest heart procedures as well as epicardially in a beating heart setting. This review summarizes the recent advances in surgery for AF that will aid in the development of an effective, minimally invasive surgical procedure to cure patients with AF.

  • PDF

Urban energy transition and energy autonomy in Daegu (대구의 도시 에너지 전환과 에너지 자립)

  • Choi, Byung-Doo
    • Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
    • /
    • v.16 no.4
    • /
    • pp.647-669
    • /
    • 2013
  • Depletion of fossil fuels and sharp rise of international oil price as well as climate worming and frequent environmental disasters have required to strengthen resource(esp. energy) and environmental policy and discourse. And hence highly influential discourses and policies such as the concept of sustainable development and strategy for carbon regulation have been developed and pursued world-widely. But these concept and strategy have seemed to be subsumed in the process of neoliberalism, so as to have little effective results. This leads us to energy transition and energy autonomy or autarky as alternative strategic and normative concepts. Daegu has shown strong interests in urban energy problems relatively earlier than other cities, and developed the so-call 'Solar City' project. But it could not properly tackled with the problems, while tending to meet with the global imperatives. This paper considers urban energy problems and energy policy of Daegu with its significance and limitations, and suggests 4 principles for urban energy transition and autonomy with some concrete alternative measures; that is, the transition from fossil and nuclear energy to renewable energy, the transition from supply-led policy to demand side focusing policy, the transition from central governing energy system to locally distributed one, and the transition from market-dependent management to citizen-participatory energy governance.

  • PDF

Microbial Fuel Cells: Recent Advances, Bacterial Communities and Application Beyond Electricity Generation

  • Kim, In-S.;Chae, Kyu-Jung;Choi, Mi-Jin;Verstraete, Willy
    • Environmental Engineering Research
    • /
    • v.13 no.2
    • /
    • pp.51-65
    • /
    • 2008
  • The increasing demand for energy in the near future has created strong motivation for environmentally clean alternative energy resources. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have opened up new ways of utilizing renewable energy sources. MFCs are devices that convert the chemical energy in the organic compounds to electrical energy through microbial catalysis at the anode under anaerobic conditions, and the reduction of a terminal electron acceptor, most preferentially oxygen, at the cathode. Due to the rapid advances in MFC-based technology over the last decade, the currently achievable MFC power production has increased by several orders of magnitude, and niche applications have been extended into a variety of areas. Newly emerging concepts with alternative materials for electrodes and catalysts as well as innovative designs have made MFCs promising technologies. Aerobic bacteria can also be used as cathode catalysts. This is an encouraging finding because not only biofouling on the cathode is unavoidable in the prolonged-run MFCs but also noble catalysts can be substituted with aerobic bacteria. This article discusses some of the recent advances in MFCs with an emphasis on the performance, materials, microbial community structures and applications beyond electricity generation.

A Study on the Ignition Characteristics at Constant Volume Combustion Chamber of LPG (LPG 정적연소실내 점화특성에 관한 연구)

  • 박경석
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
    • /
    • v.12 no.3
    • /
    • pp.75-82
    • /
    • 2004
  • The allowable exhaust standard has been intensified as a part of the countermeasure to decrease air pollution in the world. As the cars with an alternative fuel starts to get into the spotlight, the cars with low emission has been introduced and exhaust gas regulation forced in this country. These days, LPG vehicles, which infrastructure of fuel was already built up, and CNG vehicles are recognized for alternative fuel cars in this country. In this study, the constant volume combustion chamber was manufactured and used for experiments to obtain the ignition characteristics of LPG fuel and the optimal ignition energy. The experiment measured the combustion characteristics, in regard to the change of combustion variable, and the change of ignition energy. During the combustion of fuel, the maximum temperature inside the combustion chamber is higher when the initial pressure is higher. The burning velocity also seems to have the same characteristic as the temperature. However, the heat flux did not change much with the theoretical correct mixture but the various initial temperature of the combustion chamber. The heat flux got faster and ignition energy bigger as the dwell time of the ignition system expanded. When the dwell time get longer, the ignition energy also increased then fixed. The ignition energy increased as the initial pressure inside the combustion chamber higher. The heat flux got faster as the dwell time expanded.

Proposal on Active Self Charging and Operation of Autonomous Vehicle Using Solar Energy (태양광을 이용한 자율주행 자동차의 능동적 자가 충전 및 운행 제안)

  • Hur, Hyun-Woo
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
    • /
    • v.22 no.9
    • /
    • pp.85-94
    • /
    • 2022
  • In modern society, environmental and energy problems have caused to replace cars with environment friendly energy. Vehicles with internal combustion engine which use petroleum are one of the factors that influence global pollution due to environment problems such as fine dust and ozone layer destruction. In addition use of energies for automobile making resources to become depleted. To solve this limited oil energy problem by using other energy sources. To the problem using electric energy and green energy as alternative for a solution. Among environment friendly energies this paper studies the possibility of drive service for autonomous vehicles that self-charges using only solar energy and whether they can be used as pollution free and alternative energy for automobiles. Studies was researched based on published literature review, data from ministry of transportation and automobile companies. Also case of electric vehicle and prototype automobile using only solar energy and the theory of near future technologies. Many automakers are using electric cars as alternative energy. Also making efforts to use solar energy as an substitute energy source and as a way to supplement electricity. Results show that there is a potential on operating autonomous vehicle using only solar energy. Furthermore, it will be possible to use automobiles actively, also use and supply solar energy. This paper suggest the possibility of contributing to the future of the automotive industry.

Patent Analysis of Oil Sands Technologies (오일샌드 기술(技術)의 특허정보(特許) 분석(分析))

  • Lee, Ki-Bong;Jeon, Sang-Goo;Nho, Nam-Sun;Kim, Kwang-Ho;Shin, Dae-Hyun;Lee, Heoung-Yeoun
    • Resources Recycling
    • /
    • v.18 no.1
    • /
    • pp.3-12
    • /
    • 2009
  • Oil sands are sands containing bitumen similar to crude petroleum. Oil sands had not received enough interest because of the high production cost. However, in the current record-high oil price situation, oil sands are considered as new sources for unconventional oil. In this study, patents analysis was performed for the technologies of production of synthetic crude oil from oil sands. The patents covered were open patents applied in Korea, US, Canada, Japan, Europe, and China. The patents were divided into five detailed technologies; mining and in-situ, extraction, upgrading, fuelling, and other technologies. For oil sands technologies, there have been steady patent applications, since the first patent was applied in 1969. The number of patents applied appeared to be affected by the variation of world oil price. The portion of patents applied in US and Canada was about 90% of the overall patents and it means 05 and Canada have led oil sands technologies. Mining and in-situ technologies, and extraction have been developed actively and occupied more than 77% of the overall patents. However, the number of patents applied for mining and in-situ technologies, and extraction has been constant or started to decrease since 2000. The number of patents applied for upgrading technologies increases recently and it shows the development of upgrading technologies is active now.

Development of Renewable Energy Source in Mongolia: Biodiesel (몽골지역의 신재생에너지 발굴: 바이오디젤)

  • Hong, Yeon Ki
    • Journal of Institute of Convergence Technology
    • /
    • v.3 no.1
    • /
    • pp.9-14
    • /
    • 2013
  • Recently, the development of renewable energy sources in Mongolia has been needed due to climate change and air pollution in Ulaanbaatar as rapid economic growth. Biodiesel can be considered as an alternative fuel for petroleum based diesel in order to decrease air pollution in Ulaanbaatar because of its no emission of particle materials from internal combustion engine in automobile. Rapeseed oil having low cloud point and pour point was suggested as a promising raw material for biodiesel production in Mongolia. Considering high population density and severe air pollution by particle materials and SOx in Ulaanbaatar, prior supplying site of biodiesel in Mongolia was the capital region including Ulaanbaatar. In the production of biodiesel in Mongolia, adsorption process was a effective alternative to washing process for the removal of residual alkali catalyst and reactants due to long winter time in Mongolia. For the stable supply of biodiesel, subsidy and no tax policy is needed in the early stage of biodiesel supply in Mongolia.

  • PDF

Exhaust Emissions Characteristics of a Small Diesel Engine using Rice-bran Oil (미강유 적용 소형 디젤엔진의 배기배출물 특성)

  • 나우정;유병규;정진도
    • Journal of Biosystems Engineering
    • /
    • v.23 no.2
    • /
    • pp.125-134
    • /
    • 1998
  • It seems possible, by use of vegetable oils, to solve the pollution problem caused by the exhaust gas from diesel-engine vehicles. Recently vegetable oils has received considerable attention as an alternative and clean energy source to the foreseeable depletion of world oil supplies. The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the characteristics of exhaust emissions of a small diesel engine using light oil, rice-bran oil, heated rice-bran oil, rice-bran oil treated with ultrasonic energy. SO$_2$ emission from the pure and the treated rice-bran oils was not detected at speeds hgher than 1,800 rpm while that from the light oil was detected at all the speeds at 4/4 load. NOx emission form these vegetable oils was generally higher compared to that from the light oil for most of the test conditions. tendency opposite to that of NOx emission. The data obtained in this experiment may be applicable for the desist of small diesel engine using the alternative fuels.

  • PDF

A Study on the Demand Modelling for District Cooling Energy Source (지역냉방 열원의 수요모형에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Jin Hyung;Choi, Byung Ryeal
    • Environmental and Resource Economics Review
    • /
    • v.11 no.4
    • /
    • pp.633-657
    • /
    • 2002
  • This study presents a demand modelling for landfill gas, which is used as alternative energy source for district cooling business. By analyzing the cost minimizing behavior of producer facing with three alternative energy sources such as electricity, cooling heat water, and gas, a demand function for landfill gas is derived from the optimal operating time of gas fired production facility, and estimated using unpublished data, which are associated with Seoul city's development plan for Sang-am area. The estimation results repeals that Seoul City could supply the land-fill gas of 13.76 million cubic meters each year at the price of about 16 won per cubic meters. However, if the investment costs associated with installation of gas collecting facilities are treated as sunk costs, annual amount of gas supplied is expected to increase to 14.22 million cubic meters at a lower unit price of 14.76 won.

  • PDF