Papers by Gianluca Ghirlanda
Vanadium Redox Flow batteries (VRFB) are electrochemical energy storage system which presents a h... more Vanadium Redox Flow batteries (VRFB) are electrochemical energy storage system which presents a high potential in terms of grid-scale renewable energies storage solution. A fundamental and inexpensive design for a lab-scale VRFB is presented in this work, along with the basic step for the electrolyte chemical preparation from vanadium pentoxide. The electrochemical cell has 25 cm2 of area without any specific flow path geometry and it is assembled using raw material of easy availability and tested with different working conditions and performing acid treatment on the electrodes. It has been tested with two different concentration of active species, 0.15 M and 0.3 M of vanadium. Polarization curves, charge-discharge cycles, self-discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used as tool to investigate the influence of the different working conditions and treatment on the efficiency of the electrochemical cell. The space-time test was also performed to understand the mass transport behaviour inside the cell. The outcomes from EIS exhibit an improvement with an increment of the concentration and it shows the membrane has a purely resistive behavior. The best performance were achieved using the maximum flow rate, the acid treated electrode and the more concentrated electrolytes, which presented current density of 40 mA/cm2. The cell presented an improvement with the increase of concentration in charge-discharge cycles as well as in the polarization curves and self-discharge curves .
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A complete life cycle assessment of hydrogen and gasoline vehicles, from fuel production to its u... more A complete life cycle assessment of hydrogen and gasoline vehicles, from fuel production to its utilization in fuels cells and internal combustion engines is conducted based on energy utilization and greenhouse gases emissions in order to compare its efficiency. Results are provided for two alternative technologies for hydrogen production, namely natural gas reforming and electrolysis (from wind and solar energy). Significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions are predicted from production of hydrogen through renewable energy sources, especially from wind power generation. Nevertheless, the economic feasibility of renewable production of hydrogen strictly depends on the ratio in cost between hydrogen and natural gas
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This report shows how a DHW solar thermal system works from the energy point of view to the econo... more This report shows how a DHW solar thermal system works from the energy point of view to the economic analysis.
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Team analysis performed on a CAES system. From the single parameter the team studied the main los... more Team analysis performed on a CAES system. From the single parameter the team studied the main losses and through specific softwares (ex. Aspen plus), different alternatives of optimization were analyzed in order to improve the overall efficiency of the system.
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Tramite software GIS si è effettuata un'analisi globale della possibile quota di energia elettric... more Tramite software GIS si è effettuata un'analisi globale della possibile quota di energia elettrica producibile da biomassa in cinque delle province della regione Piemonte.
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The project aims to analyze the hydrology of a watershed, namely Ponte Canas. This report shows d... more The project aims to analyze the hydrology of a watershed, namely Ponte Canas. This report shows different method to evaluate the water balance of the selected area to understand if there is conformity between them, aspiring to comprehend the feasibility study of a possible hydro power plant.
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In this project, multi-criteria decision support analysis is used to aid a decision maker in the ... more In this project, multi-criteria decision support analysis is used to aid a decision maker in the decision process of choosing a sensor for analyzing oxygen content in mixed-gases. The process and the work done is described from beginning to the end in chronological order, beginning with an introduction to the problem and ending with a recommended solution and reflections on the work done.
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This report aims to present a small scale hydropower plant scheme. The concept of small in hydrop... more This report aims to present a small scale hydropower plant scheme. The concept of small in hydropower is difficult to define and it is based on the installed power. Some countries accept 10 MW as the upper limit for installed capacity (i.e. Portugal, Spain) while in Italy and Sweden the limits are 3 MW and 1,5 MW respectively. In the UK the upper limit corresponds to 20 MW; in conclusion we can assume that small hydropower plants usually generate up to 20 MW of power.
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The project aims to describe the microbial fuel cell technology. Its analysis is based on electro... more The project aims to describe the microbial fuel cell technology. Its analysis is based on electrochemistry fundamentals and it provides a brief description of possible configuration and applications of the device.
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The aim of this experiment is to investigate the performances of a spar-buoy prototype by analyzi... more The aim of this experiment is to investigate the performances of a spar-buoy prototype by analyzing its scaled model behavior under regular waves excitation. The test is performed in a wave flume which ensure a controlled and repeatable environment and the possibility to use a scaled and less expensive model.
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Drafts by Gianluca Ghirlanda
The goal of our system is to store energy from the exhausted hot gases of a microturbine, in orde... more The goal of our system is to store energy from the exhausted hot gases of a microturbine, in order to let it available when necessary in a multistage desalination water plant. The microturbine delivers gases at 475 °C with a mass flow rate of 0.86 kg/s. The sea water need to increase its temperature from 90°C to 112 °C. The system we adopt is a TES (Thermal Energy Storage) unit based on a phase change material
(PCM). This technology take advantage of the latent heat that occurs during the phase change, which is characterized by a higher energy density than the sensible heat.
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Thesis Chapters by Gianluca Ghirlanda
Energy Engineering and Management, 2018
Vanadium Redox Flow batteries (VRFB) are electrochemical energy storage system which presents a h... more Vanadium Redox Flow batteries (VRFB) are electrochemical energy storage system which presents a high potential in terms of grid-scale renewable energies storage solution. A fundamental and inexpensive design for a lab-scale VRFB is presented in this work, along with the basic step for the electrolyte chemical preparation from vanadium pentoxide. The electrochemical cell has 25 cm2 of area without any specific flow path geometry and it is assembled using raw material of easy availability and tested with different
working conditions and performing acid treatment on the electrodes. It has been tested with two different concentration of active species, 0.15 M and 0.3 M of vanadium. Polarization curves, charge-discharge cycles, self-discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used as tool to investigate the influence of the different working conditions and treatment on the efficiency of the electrochemical cell. The space-time test was also performed to understand the mass transport behaviour inside the cell.
The outcomes from EIS exhibit an improvement with an increment of the concentration and it shows the membrane has a purely resistive behavior. The best performance were achieved using the maximum flow rate, the acid treated electrode and the more concentrated electrolytes, which presented current density of 40 mA/cm2. The cell presented an improvement with the increase of concentration in charge-discharge cycles as well as in the polarization curves and self-discharge curves .
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Papers by Gianluca Ghirlanda
Drafts by Gianluca Ghirlanda
(PCM). This technology take advantage of the latent heat that occurs during the phase change, which is characterized by a higher energy density than the sensible heat.
Thesis Chapters by Gianluca Ghirlanda
working conditions and performing acid treatment on the electrodes. It has been tested with two different concentration of active species, 0.15 M and 0.3 M of vanadium. Polarization curves, charge-discharge cycles, self-discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used as tool to investigate the influence of the different working conditions and treatment on the efficiency of the electrochemical cell. The space-time test was also performed to understand the mass transport behaviour inside the cell.
The outcomes from EIS exhibit an improvement with an increment of the concentration and it shows the membrane has a purely resistive behavior. The best performance were achieved using the maximum flow rate, the acid treated electrode and the more concentrated electrolytes, which presented current density of 40 mA/cm2. The cell presented an improvement with the increase of concentration in charge-discharge cycles as well as in the polarization curves and self-discharge curves .
(PCM). This technology take advantage of the latent heat that occurs during the phase change, which is characterized by a higher energy density than the sensible heat.
working conditions and performing acid treatment on the electrodes. It has been tested with two different concentration of active species, 0.15 M and 0.3 M of vanadium. Polarization curves, charge-discharge cycles, self-discharge curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used as tool to investigate the influence of the different working conditions and treatment on the efficiency of the electrochemical cell. The space-time test was also performed to understand the mass transport behaviour inside the cell.
The outcomes from EIS exhibit an improvement with an increment of the concentration and it shows the membrane has a purely resistive behavior. The best performance were achieved using the maximum flow rate, the acid treated electrode and the more concentrated electrolytes, which presented current density of 40 mA/cm2. The cell presented an improvement with the increase of concentration in charge-discharge cycles as well as in the polarization curves and self-discharge curves .