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Lucio Postrioti
Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, 06125 Perugia, Italy

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Journal article
Published: 30 August 2021 in Sustainability
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Agro-food chain impacts global greenhouse gas emissions by around 30%. To reduce this score without worsening food crops’ yield, new and more sustainable technologies (i.e., mulching membranes, advanced irrigation systems) were implemented. Within this framework, the present study aims to assess the influences on heat propagation throughout the soil of a highly reflective mulching membrane. An experimental facility was implemented in which the surface temperatures of both the soil and the membrane were monitored together with the temperature of the soil (at three depths). Five statistical days were defined by considering the same amount of percentiles of the monitored temperatures (0th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th percentiles). Then, the attenuation and the phase shift of the thermal wave throughout the soil and the cooling potential of the membrane were calculated. Although negligible variations from the uncovered soil were observed in surface temperature, the membrane enables a greater attenuation of the thermal wave throughout the soil. This can be up to 16 °C cooler than the surface, with potential benefits for plant growth. Furthermore, the membrane optical properties permit to offset carbon emissions from agriculture activities by around 0.1 tCO2-eq∙m−2.

ACS Style

Mattia Manni; Alessia Di Giuseppe; Andrea Nicolini; Fabio Sciurpi; Franco Cotana. Influences of a Highly Reflective Mulching Membrane on Heat Propagation throughout the Soil. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9737 .

AMA Style

Mattia Manni, Alessia Di Giuseppe, Andrea Nicolini, Fabio Sciurpi, Franco Cotana. Influences of a Highly Reflective Mulching Membrane on Heat Propagation throughout the Soil. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (17):9737.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Manni; Alessia Di Giuseppe; Andrea Nicolini; Fabio Sciurpi; Franco Cotana. 2021. "Influences of a Highly Reflective Mulching Membrane on Heat Propagation throughout the Soil." Sustainability 13, no. 17: 9737.

Journal article
Published: 04 August 2021 in Sustainability
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One of the primary targets for the new lignocellulosic feedstock-based biorefinery is the simultaneous valorization of holocellulose and lignin. Acidified organosolv treatment is among the most promising strategy for recovering technical lignin, water-soluble hemicellulose, and cellulose pulp with increased accessibility to hydrolytic enzymes. In this work, a design-of-experiment (DoE) approach was used to increase the cellulose recovery, digestibility, and the delignification of Cynara cardunculus L. feedstock. In the first treatment, the milled biomass was subjected to microwave-assisted extraction using an acidified GVL/water mixture to separate lignin and hemicellulose from cellulose. In the second treatment, the cellulose pulp was hydrolyzed by cellulolytic enzymes to demonstrate the enhanced digestibility. At the optimal condition (154 °C, 2.24% H2SO4, and 0.62 GVL/water ratio), the cellulose pulp showed a cellulose content of 87.59%, while the lignin content was lower than 8%. The cellulose recovery and digestibility were equal to 79.46% and 86.94%, respectively. About 40% of the initial hemicellulose was recovered as monosaccharides. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the two-step organosolv treatment for biomass fractionation; however, as suggested by DoE analysis, a confirmative study at a low temperature (<154 °C) should be performed to further increase the cellulose recovery.

ACS Style

Tommaso Giannoni; Mattia Gelosia; Alessandro Bertini; Giacomo Fabbrizi; Andrea Nicolini; Valentina Coccia; Paola Iodice; Gianluca Cavalaglio. Fractionation of Cynara cardunculus L. by Acidified Organosolv Treatment for the Extraction of Highly Digestible Cellulose and Technical Lignin. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8714 .

AMA Style

Tommaso Giannoni, Mattia Gelosia, Alessandro Bertini, Giacomo Fabbrizi, Andrea Nicolini, Valentina Coccia, Paola Iodice, Gianluca Cavalaglio. Fractionation of Cynara cardunculus L. by Acidified Organosolv Treatment for the Extraction of Highly Digestible Cellulose and Technical Lignin. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (16):8714.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tommaso Giannoni; Mattia Gelosia; Alessandro Bertini; Giacomo Fabbrizi; Andrea Nicolini; Valentina Coccia; Paola Iodice; Gianluca Cavalaglio. 2021. "Fractionation of Cynara cardunculus L. by Acidified Organosolv Treatment for the Extraction of Highly Digestible Cellulose and Technical Lignin." Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8714.

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2021 in Energies
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The brick industry is currently facing a shortage of natural resources. Despite this, the demand for construction bricks is progressively increasing. Alternative materials, such as dredged sediments and solid organic waste, have been recently proposed as options to replace natural clay in brick manufacturing. Potential exploitation of dredged sediments in clay bricks is evaluated in this study. The chemical composition of the mixtures and the opto-thermal properties of brick samples, which differed for the dredged sediment content (from 10% to 50% of the clay weight), were investigated. Chemical analyses detected lower concentrations of heavy metals in bricks incorporating dredged sediments (DS). Negligible variations in thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat were observed by increasing the amount of DS in the mixture. In particular, the thermal conductivity values ranged between 0.45 ± 0.03 W m−1 K−1 (DS-50) and 0.50 ± 0.03 W m−1 K−1 (DS-30). Conversely, the color shift value and spectral reflectance in the infrared field were found directly proportional to the concentration of DS. Using dredged sediments as building material demonstrated to be a solution to the problem of their disposal and the scarcity of raw materials, reducing the global warming score by up to 2.8%.

ACS Style

Mattia Manni; Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi; Tommaso Giannoni; Alessandro Petrozzi; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana. A Comparative Study on Opto-Thermal Properties of Natural Clay Bricks Incorporating Dredged Sediments. Energies 2021, 14, 4575 .

AMA Style

Mattia Manni, Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi, Tommaso Giannoni, Alessandro Petrozzi, Andrea Nicolini, Franco Cotana. A Comparative Study on Opto-Thermal Properties of Natural Clay Bricks Incorporating Dredged Sediments. Energies. 2021; 14 (15):4575.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Manni; Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi; Tommaso Giannoni; Alessandro Petrozzi; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana. 2021. "A Comparative Study on Opto-Thermal Properties of Natural Clay Bricks Incorporating Dredged Sediments." Energies 14, no. 15: 4575.

Research article
Published: 18 July 2021 in International Journal of Engine Research
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In the present paper, a comprehensive, wall-adapted zonal URANS/LES methodology is shown for the multidimensional simulation of modern direct-injection engines. This work is the latest update of a zonal hybrid turbulence modeling approach, specifically developed by the authors for a flexible description of in-cylinder turbulent flow features with an optimal balance between computational costs and accuracy. Compared to the previous developments, a specific near-wall treatment is added, in order to preserve full-URANS behavior in the first near-wall cells, having in mind typically available mesh resolution in this part of the fluid domain. The updated methodology is applied to the multi-cycle simulation of a reference single-cylinder optical engine, which features a twin-cam, overhead-valve pent-roof cylinder head, and is representative of the current generation of spark-ignited direct-injection thermal power units. Results based on phase-specific flow field statistics and synthetic quality indices demonstrate the consistency and effectiveness of the proposed methodology, which is then qualified as a suitable candidate for affordable scale-resolving analyses of cycle to cycle variability (CCV) phenomena in direct-injection engines.

ACS Style

Clara Iacovano; Alessandro D’Adamo; Stefano Fontanesi; Giovanni Di Ilio; Vesselin Krassimirov Krastev. A wall-adapted zonal URANS/LES methodology for the scale-resolving simulation of engine flows. International Journal of Engine Research 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Clara Iacovano, Alessandro D’Adamo, Stefano Fontanesi, Giovanni Di Ilio, Vesselin Krassimirov Krastev. A wall-adapted zonal URANS/LES methodology for the scale-resolving simulation of engine flows. International Journal of Engine Research. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Clara Iacovano; Alessandro D’Adamo; Stefano Fontanesi; Giovanni Di Ilio; Vesselin Krassimirov Krastev. 2021. "A wall-adapted zonal URANS/LES methodology for the scale-resolving simulation of engine flows." International Journal of Engine Research , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 12 July 2021 in Energies
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Turbulent combustion modelling in internal combustion engines (ICEs) is a challenging task. It is commonly synthetized by incorporating the interaction between chemical reactions and turbulent eddies into a unique term, namely turbulent flame speed sT. The task is very complex considering the variety of turbulent and chemical scales resulting from engine load/speed variations. In this scenario, advanced turbulent combustion models are asked to predict accurate burn rates under a wide range of turbulence–flame interaction regimes. The framework is further complicated by the difficulty in unambiguously evaluating in-cylinder turbulence and by the poor coherence of turbulent flame speed (sT) measurements in the literature. Finally, the simulated sT from combustion models is found to be rarely assessed in a rigorous manner. A methodology is presented to objectively measure the simulated sT by a generic combustion model over a range of engine-relevant combustion regimes, from Da = 0.5 to Da = 75 (i.e., from the thin reaction regime to wrinkled flamelets). A test case is proposed to assess steady-state burn rates under specified turbulence in a RANS modelling framework. The methodology is applied to a widely adopted combustion model (ECFM-3Z) and the comparison of the simulated sT with experimental datasets allows to identify modelling improvement areas. Dynamic functions are proposed based on turbulence intensity and Damköhler number. Finally, simulations using the improved flame speed are carried out and a satisfactory agreement of the simulation results with the experimental/theoretical correlations is found. This confirms the effectiveness and the general applicability of the methodology to any model. The use of grid/time resolution typical of ICE combustion simulations strengthens the relevance of the proposed dynamic functions. The presented analysis allows to improve the adherence of the simulated burn rate to that of literature turbulent flames, and it unfolds the innovative possibility to objectively test combustion models under any prescribed turbulence/flame interaction regime. The solid data-driven representation of turbulent combustion physics is expected to reduce the tuning effort in ICE combustion simulations, providing modelling robustness in a very critical area for virtual design of innovative combustion systems.

ACS Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Clara Iacovano; Stefano Fontanesi. A Data-Driven Methodology for the Simulation of Turbulent Flame Speed across Engine-Relevant Combustion Regimes. Energies 2021, 14, 4210 .

AMA Style

Alessandro D’Adamo, Clara Iacovano, Stefano Fontanesi. A Data-Driven Methodology for the Simulation of Turbulent Flame Speed across Engine-Relevant Combustion Regimes. Energies. 2021; 14 (14):4210.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Clara Iacovano; Stefano Fontanesi. 2021. "A Data-Driven Methodology for the Simulation of Turbulent Flame Speed across Engine-Relevant Combustion Regimes." Energies 14, no. 14: 4210.

Journal article
Published: 30 June 2021 in Biochemical Engineering Journal
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Cardoon is low-input biomass which can be efficiently exploited in the modern biorefinery for multi-purpose uses. In this work, cardoon lignocellulosic stalks underwent to acid-catalyzed steam explosion. A design of experiments approach was employed to assess the effect of the process variables (acid concentration, temperature and reaction time) on xylan recovery after direct hydrolysis and cellulose digestibility in the enzymatic hydrolysis step. According to the statistical model generated, the optimal conditions to maximize overall monosaccharides yield were 166 °C, 1.45% (w/w) and 10 min. A monosaccharides production and inhibitors formation of 36.76 g/100 g raw material (close to 70% of the maximal theoretical yield) and 1.80 g/100 g raw material, respectively, were achieved. The scale-up of the hydrolysis step showed superior performance of the washed solid fraction than to the whole slurry, resulting in cellulose conversion to glucose by 76% vs 58%. By employing the life cycle assessment approach, it was possible to determine the environmental impact in terms of the global warming potential (3.18 kgCO2eq/kg of fermentable carbohydrates) and cumulative energy demand (43.34 MJ/kg of fermentable carbohydrates). The low-inhibitor and high-sugar hydrolysate can be fermented to biochemicals and biofuels without any detoxification process.

ACS Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio; Mattia Gelosia; Tommaso Giannoni; Ramoon Barros Lovate Temporim; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana; Alessandro Bertini. Acid-catalyzed steam explosion for high enzymatic saccharification and low inhibitor release from lignocellulosic cardoon stalks. Biochemical Engineering Journal 2021, 174, 108121 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio, Mattia Gelosia, Tommaso Giannoni, Ramoon Barros Lovate Temporim, Andrea Nicolini, Franco Cotana, Alessandro Bertini. Acid-catalyzed steam explosion for high enzymatic saccharification and low inhibitor release from lignocellulosic cardoon stalks. Biochemical Engineering Journal. 2021; 174 ():108121.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio; Mattia Gelosia; Tommaso Giannoni; Ramoon Barros Lovate Temporim; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana; Alessandro Bertini. 2021. "Acid-catalyzed steam explosion for high enzymatic saccharification and low inhibitor release from lignocellulosic cardoon stalks." Biochemical Engineering Journal 174, no. : 108121.

Journal article
Published: 27 June 2021 in Applied Sciences
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Port water injection (PWI) is considered one of the most promising technologies to actively control the increased knock tendency of modern gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines, which are rapidly evolving with the adoption of high compression ratios and increased brake mean effective pressure levels in the effort to improve their thermal efficiency. For PWI technology, appropriately matching the spray evolution and the intake system design along with obtaining a high spray atomization quality, are crucial tasks for promoting water evaporation so as to effectively cool down the air charge with moderate water consumption and lubricant dilution drawbacks. In the present paper, a detailed experimental analysis of a low-pressure water spray is presented, covering a lack of experimental data on automotive PWI systems. Phase doppler anemometry and fast-shutter spray imaging allowed us to investigate the influence exerted by the injection pressure level and by the water temperature on spray drop size and global shape, obtaining a complete database to be used for the optimization of PWI systems. The obtained results evidence how significant benefits in terms of atomization quality can be obtained by adopting injection pressure and water temperature levels compliant with standard low injection pressure technologies.

ACS Style

Lucio Postrioti; Gabriele Brizi; Gian Finori. Experimental Analysis of Water Pressure and Temperature Influence on Atomization and Evolution of a Port Water Injection Spray. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 5980 .

AMA Style

Lucio Postrioti, Gabriele Brizi, Gian Finori. Experimental Analysis of Water Pressure and Temperature Influence on Atomization and Evolution of a Port Water Injection Spray. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (13):5980.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lucio Postrioti; Gabriele Brizi; Gian Finori. 2021. "Experimental Analysis of Water Pressure and Temperature Influence on Atomization and Evolution of a Port Water Injection Spray." Applied Sciences 11, no. 13: 5980.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2021 in Energies
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Retro-reflectivity is a promising surface capability, which has attracted the interest of researchers for building applications in order to counteract Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects. This work aims at studying the impact of the substrate material on the optic performance of retro-reflective (RR) coatings. Three types of substrate materials were investigated: smooth pine wood panels, rough plywood panels, and smooth acetate sheets. The RR coating samples were made by firstly adding a high reflective white paint onto the substrate material and a homogeneous RR glass beads layer on the top. As a reference case, also diffusive samples, without RR beads, were developed. Samples have been tested through a spectrophotometric and an angular reflectivity analysis. Results show that, despite a lower global reflectance of the RR samples with respect to the diffusive ones, the glass beads coating provides a good retro-reflective capability to all the diffusive samples. Additionally, the roughest RR sample exhibited the highest RR capability of up to 16%, with respect to the other smoother samples. Future developments may involve the optimum design of RR coatings, in terms of their optic performance by varying the substrate materials and roughness, the glass beads density and dimension.

ACS Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe; Marta Cardinali; Beatrice Castellani; Mirko Filipponi; Alberto Gambelli; Lucio Postrioti; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. The Effect of the Substrate on the Optic Performance of Retro-Reflective Coatings: An In-Lab Investigation. Energies 2021, 14, 2921 .

AMA Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe, Marta Cardinali, Beatrice Castellani, Mirko Filipponi, Alberto Gambelli, Lucio Postrioti, Andrea Nicolini, Federico Rossi. The Effect of the Substrate on the Optic Performance of Retro-Reflective Coatings: An In-Lab Investigation. Energies. 2021; 14 (10):2921.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe; Marta Cardinali; Beatrice Castellani; Mirko Filipponi; Alberto Gambelli; Lucio Postrioti; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. 2021. "The Effect of the Substrate on the Optic Performance of Retro-Reflective Coatings: An In-Lab Investigation." Energies 14, no. 10: 2921.

Journal article
Published: 17 May 2021 in Sustainability
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Wine production is a key sector for the Italian economy, representing 13 billion euros per year. The proportion of the market raises concerns about improving the production technology at low cost, safe practices, and low environmental impacts. The recurrent life cycle assessment performed does not report on the impacts of frost protection. This study presents the potential environmental impact of a novel late frost protection technique for vineyards that is currently under development. It consists of an organic coating made of sugar and straw to prevent vine damage due to frosts in vineyards in the coldest hours of late winter and early spring. From previous research at the University of Perugia (Italy), the technique has proven to be an effective protection method for vine shoots. Currently, the yields are protected by highly energy-demanding methods. For this study, we simulated two different scenarios of frosting protection so we could point out possible hotspots for the field application of the novel method and compare it to a technique usually employed in central Italy. Under the Centrum voor Milieukunde Leiden (CML) method, the cotton candy technique is estimated at 316 kg CO2 equivalent emissions for hectare. Employing the organic sugar-coating means avoiding 69,375 kg of CO2 eq. compared to the traditional technique of oak wood-burning into the vineyard. Preliminary cost analysis demonstrated the economic viability of implementing the organic coating.

ACS Style

Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi; Alessia Di Giuseppe; Alberto Gambelli; Alberto Palliotti; Andrea Nicolini; Anna Pisello; Federico Rossi. Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Technology against Late Frosts in Vineyard. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5562 .

AMA Style

Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi, Alessia Di Giuseppe, Alberto Gambelli, Alberto Palliotti, Andrea Nicolini, Anna Pisello, Federico Rossi. Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Technology against Late Frosts in Vineyard. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (10):5562.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Fabiana Frota De Albuquerque Landi; Alessia Di Giuseppe; Alberto Gambelli; Alberto Palliotti; Andrea Nicolini; Anna Pisello; Federico Rossi. 2021. "Life Cycle Assessment of an Innovative Technology against Late Frosts in Vineyard." Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5562.

Review
Published: 14 April 2021 in Processes
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The large-scale adoption of fuel cells system for sustainable power generation will require the combined use of both multidimensional models and of dedicated testing techniques, in order to evolve the current technology beyond its present status. This requires an unprecedented understanding of concurrent and interacting fluid dynamics, material and electrochemical processes. In this review article, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are analysed. In the first part, the most common approaches for multi-phase/multi-physics modelling are presented in their governing equations, inherent limitations and accurate materials characterisation for diffusion layers, membrane and catalyst layers. This provides a thorough overview of key aspects to be included in multidimensional CFD models. In the second part, advanced diagnostic techniques are surveyed, indicating testing practices to accurately characterise the cell operation. These can be used to validate models, complementing the conventional observation of the current–voltage curve with key operating parameters, thus defining a joint modelling/testing environment. The two sections complement each other in portraying a unified framework of interrelated physical/chemical processes, laying the foundation of a robust and complete understanding of PEMFC. This is needed to advance the current technology and to consciously use the ever-growing availability of computational resources in the next future.

ACS Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Maximilian Haslinger; Giuseppe Corda; Johannes Höflinger; Stefano Fontanesi; Thomas Lauer. Modelling Methods and Validation Techniques for CFD Simulations of PEM Fuel Cells. Processes 2021, 9, 688 .

AMA Style

Alessandro D’Adamo, Maximilian Haslinger, Giuseppe Corda, Johannes Höflinger, Stefano Fontanesi, Thomas Lauer. Modelling Methods and Validation Techniques for CFD Simulations of PEM Fuel Cells. Processes. 2021; 9 (4):688.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Maximilian Haslinger; Giuseppe Corda; Johannes Höflinger; Stefano Fontanesi; Thomas Lauer. 2021. "Modelling Methods and Validation Techniques for CFD Simulations of PEM Fuel Cells." Processes 9, no. 4: 688.

Journal article
Published: 23 March 2021 in Processes
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Hydrogen-fueled fuel cells are considered one of the key strategies to tackle the achievement of fully-sustainable mobility. The transportation sector is paying significant attention to the development and industrialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) to be introduced alongside batteries, reaching the goal of complete de-carbonization. In this paper a multi-phase, multi-component, and non-isothermal 3D-CFD model is presented to simulate the fluid, heat, and charge transport processes developing inside a hydrogen/air PEMFC with a serpentine-type gas distributor. Model results are compared against experimental data in terms of polarization and power density curves, including an improved formulation of exchange current density at the cathode catalyst layer, improving the simulation results’ accuracy in the activation-dominated region. Then, 3D-CFD fields of reactants’ delivery to the active electrochemical surface, reaction rates, temperature distributions, and liquid water formation are analyzed, and critical aspects of the current design are commented, i.e., the inhomogeneous use of the active surface for reactions, limiting the produced current and inducing gradients in thermal and reaction rate distribution. The study shows how a complete multi-dimensional framework for physical and chemical processes of PEMFC can be used to understand limiting processes and to guide future development.

ACS Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Matteo Riccardi; Massimo Borghi; Stefano Fontanesi. CFD Modelling of a Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Gas Distributor. Processes 2021, 9, 564 .

AMA Style

Alessandro D’Adamo, Matteo Riccardi, Massimo Borghi, Stefano Fontanesi. CFD Modelling of a Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Gas Distributor. Processes. 2021; 9 (3):564.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessandro D’Adamo; Matteo Riccardi; Massimo Borghi; Stefano Fontanesi. 2021. "CFD Modelling of a Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cell with a Serpentine Gas Distributor." Processes 9, no. 3: 564.

Journal article
Published: 21 January 2021 in Fuels
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In the present automotive scenario, along with hybridization, GDI technology is progressively spreading in order to improve the powertrain thermal efficiency. In order to properly match the fuel spray development with the combustion chamber design, using robust and accurate diagnostics is required. In particular, for the evaluation of the injection quality in terms of spray shape, vision tests are crucial for GDI injection systems. By vision tests, parameters such as spray tip penetration and cone angles can be measured, as the operating conditions in terms of mainly injection pressure, injection strategy, and chamber counter-pressure are varied. Provided that a complete experimental spray characterization requires the acquisition of several thousand spray images, an automated methodology for analyzing spray images objectively and automatically is mandatory. A decisive step in a spray image analysis procedure is binarization, i.e., the extraction of the spray structure from the background. Binarization is particularly challenging for GDI sprays, given their lower compactness with respect to diesel sprays. In the present paper, two of the most diffused automated binarization algorithms, namely the Otsu and Yen methods, are comparatively validated with an innovative approach derived from the Triangle method—the Last Minimum Criterion—for the analysis of high-pressure GDI sprays. GDI spray images acquired with three injection pressure levels (up to 600 bar) and two different optical setups (backlight and front illumination) were used to validate the considered algorithms in challenging conditions, obtaining encouraging results in terms of accuracy and robustness for the proposed approach.

ACS Style

Federico Rosignoli; Lucio Postrioti. Experimental Validation of an Innovative Approach for GDI Spray Pattern Recognition. Fuels 2021, 2, 16 -36.

AMA Style

Federico Rosignoli, Lucio Postrioti. Experimental Validation of an Innovative Approach for GDI Spray Pattern Recognition. Fuels. 2021; 2 (1):16-36.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Federico Rosignoli; Lucio Postrioti. 2021. "Experimental Validation of an Innovative Approach for GDI Spray Pattern Recognition." Fuels 2, no. 1: 16-36.

Journal article
Published: 16 October 2020 in Processes
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Natural gas hydrates represent a valid opportunity to counteract two of the most serious issues that are affecting humanity this century: climate change and the need for new energy sources, due to the fast and constant increase in the population worldwide. The energy that might be produced with methane contained in hydrates is greater than any amount of energy producible with known conventional energy sources; being widespread in all oceans, they would greatly reduce problems and conflicts associated with the monopoly of energy sources. The possibility of extracting methane and simultaneously performing the permanent storage of carbon dioxide makes hydrate an almost carbon-neutral energy source. The main topic of scientific research is to improve the recovery of technologies and guest species replacement strategies in order to make the use of gas hydrates economically advantageous. In the present paper, an experimental study on how salt can alter the formation process of both methane and carbon dioxide hydrate was carried out. The pressure–temperature conditions existing between the two respective equilibrium curves are directly proportional to the effectiveness of the replacement process and thus its feasibility. Eighteen formation tests were realized at three different salinity values: 0, 30 and 37 g/L. Results show that, as the salinity degree increases, the space between CO2 and CH4 formation curves grows. A further aspect highlighted by the tests is how the carbon dioxide formation process tends to assume a very similar trend in all experiments, while curves obtained during methane tests show a similar trend but with some significant differences. Moreover, this tendency became more pronounced with the increase in the salinity degree.

ACS Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli; Beatrice Castellani; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. Water Salinity as Potential Aid for Improving the Carbon Dioxide Replacement Process’ Effectiveness in Natural Gas Hydrate Reservoirs. Processes 2020, 8, 1298 .

AMA Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli, Beatrice Castellani, Andrea Nicolini, Federico Rossi. Water Salinity as Potential Aid for Improving the Carbon Dioxide Replacement Process’ Effectiveness in Natural Gas Hydrate Reservoirs. Processes. 2020; 8 (10):1298.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli; Beatrice Castellani; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. 2020. "Water Salinity as Potential Aid for Improving the Carbon Dioxide Replacement Process’ Effectiveness in Natural Gas Hydrate Reservoirs." Processes 8, no. 10: 1298.

Journal article
Published: 24 September 2020 in Solar Energy
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The study deals with the application of retro-reflective (RR) and angular-selective retro-reflective (AS-RR) coatings on surfaces (i.e. the street ground and the south-exposed façade) within the urban canyon. Solar analyses were conducted at different latitudes (Oslo, Milan, and Cairo) by varying the urban canyon height-to-width ratio (H/W) to determine the variation in solar irradiation absorbed by north and south façades. Both summer and winter conditions were considered, and up to five material patterns (one reference case and four enhanced scenarios) were investigated for each combination of latitude and height-to-width ratio values. A validated Monte Carlo-based numerical model was used to conduct full-ray tracing analyses and to simulate the behavior of these coatings. The outcomes allowed the development of guidelines for the adoptions of RR and AS-RR materials in different scenarios. It was demonstrated that RR and AS-RR materials applied to the street performed better in low-density urban environment (H/W ≤ 0.5) with a consequent increase of the solar energy gains on the north façade by up to 15%. Employing RR and AS-RR materials on the south-exposed façade showed greater effectiveness on high-density urban canyon (H/W ≥ 2.0) and reduced by up to −8% the solar irradiation absorbed by the façade.

ACS Style

Mattia Manni; Marta Cardinali; Gabriele Lobaccaro; Francesco Goia; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. Effects of retro-reflective and angular-selective retro-reflective materials on solar energy in urban canyons. Solar Energy 2020, 209, 662 -673.

AMA Style

Mattia Manni, Marta Cardinali, Gabriele Lobaccaro, Francesco Goia, Andrea Nicolini, Federico Rossi. Effects of retro-reflective and angular-selective retro-reflective materials on solar energy in urban canyons. Solar Energy. 2020; 209 ():662-673.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Manni; Marta Cardinali; Gabriele Lobaccaro; Francesco Goia; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. 2020. "Effects of retro-reflective and angular-selective retro-reflective materials on solar energy in urban canyons." Solar Energy 209, no. : 662-673.

Journal article
Published: 03 September 2020 in Fuel
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Achieving an adequate knowledge of the fuel injector dynamic operation is an important step in the global effort of improving direct injection gasoline engine efficiency while limiting pollutant emissions. In this frame, needle displacement measurement is an important add-on to evaluate the injector actual performances and can be very useful for developing predictive numerical models to support both the component and engine development. In this study the dynamic behavior of a GDI injector was investigated by the simultaneous measurement of injector needle lift and of the resulting injection rate. With this methodology, the needle displacement is measured by laser Doppler vibrometry, while the injector is tested by an injection analyzer based on the Zeuch method. The vibrometer laser beam points on the needle back surface, passing through a quartz window allowing the fuel pressurization and the normal injector operation. The analysis of the simultaneously acquired needle displacement, injection rate, fuel inlet pressure and current time-history profiles allows a complete insight in the injector dynamic operation. The pressure effect on the needle dynamics was assessed with a detailed analysis of the opening and closing transients; further, multiple actuation strategies were analyzed focusing on the influence of dwell time on the injector dynamics evidencing how the resulting injection rate profile is affected by the needle inertia and by the pressure wave propagation along the fuel line.

ACS Style

Andrea Cavicchi; Lucio Postrioti. Simultaneous needle lift and injection rate measurement for GDI fuel injectors by laser Doppler vibrometry and Zeuch method. Fuel 2020, 285, 119021 .

AMA Style

Andrea Cavicchi, Lucio Postrioti. Simultaneous needle lift and injection rate measurement for GDI fuel injectors by laser Doppler vibrometry and Zeuch method. Fuel. 2020; 285 ():119021.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrea Cavicchi; Lucio Postrioti. 2020. "Simultaneous needle lift and injection rate measurement for GDI fuel injectors by laser Doppler vibrometry and Zeuch method." Fuel 285, no. : 119021.

Journal article
Published: 18 August 2020 in Sustainability
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The PRIN (Research Project with Relevant National Interest) project “Biocheaper—biomasses circular holistic economy approach to energy equipments” started in September 2019 and involves several universities: Palermo as the university coordinator, Perugia, Cassino, Enna, Pavia and Bolzano. The main goal of the project is to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the pollutants emissions in small-scale biomass plant for energy (heat and power) production. The project focuses on residual lignocellulosic feedstocks from the agriculture and forestry sector, from energy crops in marginal lands and residues from rivers maintenance. Starting from the selection and characterization of potential feedstocks, the project aims at developing some prototypes for retrofit applications in existing biomass boilers, like a mini-cyclone for the reduction of particulate emissions and an exhaust air-water condensing system for the recovery of water and the reuse in agriculture. This work presents the first results of the project, in particular regarding the selection and the chemical–physical characterization of different biomass, available in different zones of Italy; in particular the authors investigated cardoon chips, carthamus chips, olive and wine pruning, residues from rivers maintenance. Each biomass sample was characterized in terms of moisture content, ashes content, volatile substances, fixed carbon, low and high heating value, content of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and main metals.

ACS Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio; Franco Cotana; Andrea Nicolini; Valentina Coccia; Alessandro Petrozzi; Alessandro Formica; Alessandro Bertini. Characterization of Various Biomass Feedstock Suitable for Small-Scale Energy Plants as Preliminary Activity of Biocheaper Project. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6678 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio, Franco Cotana, Andrea Nicolini, Valentina Coccia, Alessandro Petrozzi, Alessandro Formica, Alessandro Bertini. Characterization of Various Biomass Feedstock Suitable for Small-Scale Energy Plants as Preliminary Activity of Biocheaper Project. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (16):6678.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Cavalaglio; Franco Cotana; Andrea Nicolini; Valentina Coccia; Alessandro Petrozzi; Alessandro Formica; Alessandro Bertini. 2020. "Characterization of Various Biomass Feedstock Suitable for Small-Scale Energy Plants as Preliminary Activity of Biocheaper Project." Sustainability 12, no. 16: 6678.

Journal article
Published: 13 August 2020 in Energies
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Lignocellulosic biomass is a non-edible feedstock that can be used in integrated biorefinery for the production of biochemicals and biofuel. Among lignocellulosic biomass, Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) is a promising crop thanks to its low water and fertilizer demand. Organosolv is a chemical treatment that uses numerous organic or aqueous solvent mixtures, and a small amount of acid catalyst, in order to solubilize the lignin and hemicellulose fractions, making the cellulose accessible to hydrolytic enzymes. Lignocellulosic residues of cardoon underwent a two-step treatment process to obtain fermentable glucose. In the first step, the milled biomass was subjected to microwave-assisted extraction using an acidified γ-valerolactone (GVL)/water mixture, yielding a solid cellulose pulp. In the second step, the pre-treated material was hydrolyzed by cellulolytic enzymes to glucose. The first step was optimized by means of a two-level full factorial design. The investigated factors were process temperature, acid catalyst concentration, and GVL/water ratio. A glucose production equal to 30.17 g per 100 g of raw material (89% of the maximum theoretical yield) was achieved after conducting the first step at 150 °C using an acidified water solution (1.96% H2SO4w/w).

ACS Style

Mattia Gelosia; Alessandro Bertini; Marco Barbanera; Tommaso Giannoni; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana; Gianluca Cavalaglio. Acid-Assisted Organosolv Pre-Treatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cynara cardunculus L. for Glucose Production. Energies 2020, 13, 4195 .

AMA Style

Mattia Gelosia, Alessandro Bertini, Marco Barbanera, Tommaso Giannoni, Andrea Nicolini, Franco Cotana, Gianluca Cavalaglio. Acid-Assisted Organosolv Pre-Treatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cynara cardunculus L. for Glucose Production. Energies. 2020; 13 (16):4195.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mattia Gelosia; Alessandro Bertini; Marco Barbanera; Tommaso Giannoni; Andrea Nicolini; Franco Cotana; Gianluca Cavalaglio. 2020. "Acid-Assisted Organosolv Pre-Treatment and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Cynara cardunculus L. for Glucose Production." Energies 13, no. 16: 4195.

Journal article
Published: 04 August 2020 in Sustainability
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Late frosts are one of the major impact factors on agriculture worldwide with large economic losses for agricultural crops, with a significant impact also in wine production. Given the importance of the wine sector in the world, more and more efforts are being made to identify innovative techniques capable of creating a low-cost and effective protection for vine shoots, as well as reducing energy consumption. In a previous work, cotton candy was identified as an insulating material to solve the problems related to late frosts on vineyards and limit its damages as much as possible. From the results of the previous research, it has proved that cotton candy is an excellent thermal insulator, but it degrades quickly in windy conditions. Thus, climatic tests carried out in windy condition showed that straw can greatly slow down the degradation of cotton candy over time, giving an indirect contribution to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy. In addition, several tests were conducted with different amounts of sugar and straw without wind to evaluate whether the straw can itself make a contribution in terms of thermal insulation, as well as contribute to the protective effectiveness of cotton candy, minimizing energy use as well.

ACS Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe; Alberto Gambelli; Federico Rossi; Andrea Nicolini; Nicola Ceccarelli; Alberto Palliotti. Insulating Organic Material as a Protection System against Late Frost Damages on the Vine Shoots. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6279 .

AMA Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe, Alberto Gambelli, Federico Rossi, Andrea Nicolini, Nicola Ceccarelli, Alberto Palliotti. Insulating Organic Material as a Protection System against Late Frost Damages on the Vine Shoots. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (15):6279.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alessia Di Giuseppe; Alberto Gambelli; Federico Rossi; Andrea Nicolini; Nicola Ceccarelli; Alberto Palliotti. 2020. "Insulating Organic Material as a Protection System against Late Frost Damages on the Vine Shoots." Sustainability 12, no. 15: 6279.

Conference paper
Published: 01 August 2020 in Proceedings of the 6th World Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering
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ACS Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli; Beatrice Castellani; Mirko Filipponi; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. Chemical inhibitors as potential allied for CO2 replacement in gas hydrates reservoirs: sodium chloride case study. Proceedings of the 6th World Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli, Beatrice Castellani, Mirko Filipponi, Andrea Nicolini, Federico Rossi. Chemical inhibitors as potential allied for CO2 replacement in gas hydrates reservoirs: sodium chloride case study. Proceedings of the 6th World Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering. 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alberto Maria Gambelli; Beatrice Castellani; Mirko Filipponi; Andrea Nicolini; Federico Rossi. 2020. "Chemical inhibitors as potential allied for CO2 replacement in gas hydrates reservoirs: sodium chloride case study." Proceedings of the 6th World Congress on Mechanical, Chemical, and Material Engineering , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 28 July 2020 in Energy and Buildings
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Urban areas are increasingly affected by the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon, which is mainly due to highly dense urban environments and to solar and radiative properties of outdoor surfaces. UHI has a strong impact on urban microclimate, significantly contributing to the deterioration of outdoor human thermal comfort. Solutions based on high reflective materials in outdoor applications, e.g. solar awnings, could represent an important issue for mitigating UHI and improving pedestrians’ thermal comfort. For this purpose, the present research aims to investigate the effect of different radiative properties of solar awning textiles on microclimate and outdoor thermal comfort below them. High reflective materials are usually used for awning textile, but they are often characterized by high emissivity properties downward that may affect the pedestrians’ thermal comfort. The proposed solution consists in an awning textile with highly-reflective, highly-emissive properties upward and highly-reflective but low-emissive properties downward. Different solar awning configurations were tested by a microclimate experimental campaign on summer 2019. Outdoor thermal comfort under each awning was assessed by evaluating Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). Results show that a daily average PET reduction up to 2.5 °C is achieved thanks to the proposed solutions, proving benefits to pedestrians’ thermal comfort.

ACS Style

Federico Rossi; Marta Cardinali; Alberto Maria Gambelli; Mirko Filipponi; Beatrice Castellani; Andrea Nicolini. Outdoor thermal comfort improvements due to innovative solar awning solutions: An experimental campaign. Energy and Buildings 2020, 225, 110341 .

AMA Style

Federico Rossi, Marta Cardinali, Alberto Maria Gambelli, Mirko Filipponi, Beatrice Castellani, Andrea Nicolini. Outdoor thermal comfort improvements due to innovative solar awning solutions: An experimental campaign. Energy and Buildings. 2020; 225 ():110341.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Federico Rossi; Marta Cardinali; Alberto Maria Gambelli; Mirko Filipponi; Beatrice Castellani; Andrea Nicolini. 2020. "Outdoor thermal comfort improvements due to innovative solar awning solutions: An experimental campaign." Energy and Buildings 225, no. : 110341.