Jordan is relatively poor in conventional energy resources and it is dependent on foreign energy sources to cover its energy needs. At the same time the low percentage of freshwater along with the rapidly growing population urge to drag the attention to water desalination. This study presents an investigation and assessment of renewable energy resources to operate a reverse osmosis desalination plant located in arid remote area Sail El hasaa, Jordan with a capacity of up to 100 m³ of daily. The HOMER Hybrid Optimization Model Tool has been used to create optimal designs for these renewable energy systems. The photovoltaic system, wind turbine system, diesel generator, and hybrid system are evaluated in terms of each system’s net present cost and cost of energy. Different configurations are suggested for each system and compared to meet the analysis requirements. Results showed that the hybrid system is the most optimum system with the configuration of photovoltaic modules, diesel generator, wind turbine, and DC/AC converter.

This paper focuses on designing and assessing Pumped Hydroelectric Energy Storage Systems (PHESs) connected to the grid and a PV system for self-consumption constructed at Mutah University in an area of high solar potential. By focusing on the PHES and PV literature, data in the field were acquired based on the grid code needed in Jordan. Next, a search to find a suitable location for installation was conducted. Afterwards, a load profile was added to calculate the energy demand of the university. Then the productivity of the solar power plant of Mutah University was included. Finally, MATLAB software was used to realize the amount of energy to be stored; these data were used to implement the system that was chosen and dimensioned. A PHES layout was created to find the most accurate values for parameters to optimize system performance and to investigate loss analysis. The main finding is that the system attains 9230.89 MWh/year. An annual load yields 4430 MWh/year, which covers the Mutah University demand with an estimated saving of USD 287,607,993.

Coatings with a thickness of about 100 μm were obtained by microarc oxidation of technically pure aluminum and aluminum alloyed with copper and zinc in an alkaline silicate electrolyte at a current density of ~20 A/dm². The results of studying the surface morphology, phase composition, and hardness of MAO coatings are presented. The change parameters were the electrolyte composition and the concentration of alloying (Cu and Zn) elements. This study was carried out because the currently available data are not enough to understand the nature of the influence of the chemical composition of the aluminum alloy and electrolysis conditions (in particular, electrolyte composition) on the mechanism and kinetics of γ→α transformation. Without understanding this, a directed change in the structural state and properties of MAO coatings becomes impossible. As a result of the studies, it was found that during microarc oxidation of aluminum alloys in an alkaline electrolyte with the addition of liquid glass (Na₂SiO₃) of various concentrations, the strengthened layer consists of oxides α-A1₂O₃, γ-A1₂O₃ and mullite 3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂. The data of x-ray diffraction analysis of the coatings indicate the crystal structure of the coatings. It was established that aluminum alloying with copper and zinc significantly affects the phase composition of the coating, changing the quantitative ratio of the phases in a nonlinear manner. The highest content of the α-A1₂O₃ phase (up to 60 vol. %) is achieved by Cu doping. The highest hardness of MAO coatings is achieved using an electrolyte with a composition of 1 g/l KOH and 6 g/l Na₂SiO₃ in aluminum alloys with a copper content of more than 3 %, and zinc – 2–3 %. It is established that the mechanism of formation of the phase composition should be associated with stabilization and destabilization of the γ-A1₂O₃ phase. Therefore, to achieve high hardness, it is necessary to choose those alloying elements that affect the destabilization of γ-A1₂O₃, which ensures the formation of the α-A1₂O₃ phase (corundum). In this regard, it was revealed that Cu²⁺ cations contribute to the destabilization of the γ-А1₂О₃ phase, and Zn²⁺ cations lead to stabilization of the γ-А1₂О₃ phase at a Zn content >3 %

Zamak 5 is a commercially important Zn–Al–Cu–Mg alloy that is frequently used in precision casting applications because of its dimensional stability, good casta-bility, and balanced engineering properties. In the present investigation, the in-fluence of two artificial aging conditions on the thermal and mechanical behavior of this alloy was experimentally examined. The first treatment consisted of aging at 85 °C for 44 h, whereas the second treatment was performed at 120 °C for 24 h. The aged specimens were characterized using SEM and EDS analyses together with microhardness testing and transient cooling experiments. The findings showed that aging reduced the hardness of the alloy relative to the untreated condition, with the largest reduction obtained after aging at 120 °C for 24 h. In contrast, the same condition produced the highest heat transfer response among the tested specimens. The thermal behavior was strongly associated with precip-itate evolution, redistribution of Zn-rich and Al-rich phases, and the resulting modification in thermal energy storage capability during transient cooling.