Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, the optimal sizing and performance analysis of a standalone integrated solar power system equipped with different storage scenarios to supply the power demand of a household is presented. One of the main purposes when applying solar energy resource is to face the increasing environmental pollutions resulting from fossil fuel based electricity sector. To this end, and to compare and examine two energy storage technologies (battery and hydrogen storage technology), three storage scenarios including battery only, hydrogen storage technology only and hybrid storage options are evaluated. An optimization framework based on Energy Hub concept is used to determine the optimum sizes... 

The techno-economic and environmental performance of hybrid solar hydrogen energy systems was investigated to provide combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) demands of a standalone greenhouse in Iran to achieve sustainable agriculture based on an optimization procedure. From the environmental point of view, by deploying hybrid energy systems, 83%, to 100% of emissions can be avoided. Also a sensitivity analysis was performed on the hybrid energy systems in order to study the effect of major parameter variation on the systems justification. It was concluded that hybrid solar systems are economically competitive with conventional systems, for high solar intensity locations with high diesel... 

In this paper, hydrogen management in refineries is examined considering a new perspective to optimize refinery costs. In order to minimize the total annual cost in refineries a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model has been developed. Retrofitting the hydrogen network and determining the hydrogen surplus capacity of refineries are the main outputs of the proposed model. Then, to utilize this surplus capacity and increase the profitability of refineries, surplus hydrogen is used to produce electricity and ammonia. The results of a case study showed that retrofitting of the hydrogen network can save 12% in the consumption of fresh hydrogen from hydrogen plants. After retrofitting... 

Nanoscale Shielded channel transistors are investigated by solving the two-dimensional Poisson equation self-consistently with ballistic quantum transport equations for first time. We present self-consistent solutions of ultrathin body device structures to investigate the effect of electrically shielded channel region which impose charge controlling in the channel region on the characteristics of nanoscale DG-MOSFET. The simulation method is based on Nonequlibrium Green's Function (NEGF). Starting from a basic structure with a gate length of 10 nm, the effect of gate length variation on the performance of the device has been investigated. © 2007 IEEE  

In this paper the electrical characteristics of a novel nanoscale double-gate MOSFET (DG-MOSFET) have been investigate by a full Quantum Mechanical simulation framework. This framework consists of Non-Equilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) solved self-consistently with Poisson's Equation. Quantum transport equations are solved in two-dimension (2-D) by recursive NEGF method in active area of the device to obtain the charge density and Poisson's equation is solved in entire domain of simulation to get potential profile. Once self-consistently achieved all parameters of interest (e.g. potential profile, charge density, DIBL, etc) can be measured. In this novel DG-MOSFET structure, a front gate... 

This paper aims to propose a framework by which decision-makers can evaluate and compare alternatives for sustainable island-based tourism development. The uncertainties and risks involved in information and judgment within the evaluation process were taken into account by using a hybrid approach, which combined the Delphi method, fuzzy set theory, and a discrete multi-criteria method based on prospect theory called TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple-criteria decision making). The decision making model examined 3 different techniques for aggregating the viewpoints of different decision-makers and explored how the aggregation technique would affect the ranking of the... 

The forming limit stress diagram (FLSD) has been reported as being much less path dependent and much more favourable than the forming limit diagram (FLD) in representing forming limits in the numerical simulation of sheet metal forming processes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for the prediction of the forming limits both in strain and stress forms. All simulations are based on strain gradient theory of plasticity in conjunction with the Marciniak-Kuczynski (M-K) approach. This approach introduces an internal length scale into conventional constitutive equations and takes into account the effects of deformation inhomogeneity and material softening. The... 

This paper aims to propose a framework by which decision-makers can evaluate and compare alternatives for sustainable island-based tourism development. The uncertainties and risks involved in information and judgment within the evaluation process were taken into account by using a hybrid approach, which combined the Delphi method, fuzzy set theory, and a discrete multi-criteria method based on prospect theory called TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese of interactive and multiple-criteria decision making). The decision making model examined 3 different techniques for aggregating the viewpoints of different decision-makers and explored how the aggregation technique would affect the ranking of the... 

A high sensitive upper critical solution temperature (UCST) copolymer was synthesized through free radical copolymerization with acrylamide (AAm) and vinyl acetate (VA). The UCST behavior is due to a combination of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic potentials between copolymer chains. Turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering, and rheology studies were used to determine the phase transition and aggregation behavior. It is indicated that copolymer with 80% AAm has a phase transition temperature between 38 and 38.2 °C, which is suitable for releasing fever medicine. Also, the temperature gradient for the complete dissolution of the copolymer is 2 °C. The molecular dynamics simulations at a... 

Based on the closed-form solution of a one-dimensional wave equation, the primary, secondary and acoustic feedback paths for the active control of sound in an acoustic duct have been investigated. Accurate models for the condenser microphone and loudspeaker, which include both the electro-mechanical and mechano-acoustical couplings as well as acoustical damping, have been considered. A generalized form of the filtered-x least mean square (FXLMS) algorithm that uses a more general recursive adaptive weight update equation to improve the performance of the FXLMS algorithm has been developed. Computer simulations were carried out to investigate the performance of acoustical feedback and... 

The single-reference/multiple-output active noise control (ANC) of the accurate physical model of an acoustic duct system, developed earlier by the authors [1] is investigated. An adaptive feedforward algorithm is developed that minimizes a generic cost function consisting of the p-norm of the error vector. A computer model of a multi-channel ANC system, with the tonal and sweep sine input signals, is established, and the results for different single-input/single-output (SISO) configurations (error microphone and secondary source locations) of the ANC system are compared. The dynamic response of the single-reference/multiple-output ANC systems, using the Minimax and MEFXLMS algorithms, is... 

Normal human breathing exhibits complex variability in both respiratory rhythm and volume. Analyzing such nonlinear fluctuations may provide clinically relevant information in patients with complex illnesses such as asthma. We compared the cycle-by-cycle fluctuations of inter-breath interval (IBI) and lung volume (LV) among healthy volunteers and patients with various types of asthma. Continuous respiratory datasets were collected from forty agematched men including 10 healthy volunteers, 10 patients with controlled atopic asthma, 10 patients with uncontrolled atopic asthma, and 10 patients with uncontrolled non-atopic asthma during 60 min spontaneous breathing. Complexity of breathing... 

This review covers the most recent developments of inorganic and organic-inorganic composite coatings for orthopedic implants, providing the interface with living tissue and with potential for drug delivery to combat infections. Conventional systemic delivery of drugs is an inefficient procedure that may cause toxicity and may require a patient's hospitalization for monitoring. Local delivery of antibiotics and other bioactive molecules maximizes their effect where they are required, reduces potential systemic toxicity and increases timeliness and cost efficiency. In addition, local delivery has broad applications in combating infection-related diseases. Polymeric coatings may present some... 

The unique properties of NiTi alloy, such as its shape memory effect, super-elasticity and biocompatibility, make it ideal material for various applications such as aerospace, micro-electronics and medical device. In order to meet the requirement of increasing applications, great attention has been given to joining of this material to itself and to other materials during past few years. Laser welding has been known as a suitable joining technique for NiTi shape memory alloy. Hence, in this work, a comparative study on laser welding of NiTi wire to itself and to AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel wire has been made. Microstructures, mechanical properties and fracture morphologies of the... 

Solute-solvent and solvent-solvent interactions were investigated for binary mixtures of an ionic liquid (IL) 2-hydroxy ethylammonium formate as with methanol, ethylene glycol and glycerol. The physicochemical properties of the solvent mixtures at 25 °C, over the whole range of mole fractions, were determined using solvatochromic probes. High normal polarity (ETN) in the alcohol-rich region confirms solute-solvent interactions in this medium. Dipolarity/polarizability (π *) show a different trend to ETN with a positive deviation from ideal behavior in IL-glycerol mixtures. However, these deviations for other solvent mixtures are insignificant. Contrary to what is observed for E TN and π*,... 

Biomass residues due to their low bulk density typically require frequent transportation from biomass plantations in rural areas to conversion bio-energy power plants. This issue contrasts with environmental protection strategies, especially when power plants are facing different carbon reduction policies that enforce them to emit less than a given specific carbon amount. Although several researchers have investigated bio-energy supply chains concerning environmental policies, the majority of studies have been devoted to strategic decisions over a single planning period. This paper presents a multi-period bio-energy supply chain under carbon pricing (carbon tax) and carbon trading... 

Surface modification of orthopedic implants using titanium dioxide nanotubes and silver nanoparticles (SNs) is a promising approach to prevent bacteria adhesion, biofilm formation, and implant infection. Herein, we utilized a straightforward and all-solution process to prepare silver-decorated TiO2 nanotube arrays with surface density of 10(3) to 10(4) per µm(2). With controlling the synthesis conditions, hexagonal closed-packed nanotubes with opening diameter of 30-100 nm that are decorated with SNs with varying sizes (12-40 nm) were prepared. Various analytical techniques were utilized to characterize the size, morphology, distribution, valance state, surface roughness, and composition of... 

The reactions of different dithiocarbamate anions with epoxides were investigated in water. With this method, β-hydroxy dithiocarbamate derivatives were synthesized in high yields. The reaction was also carried out in DMF in the presence of lithium perchlorate with a simple work-up procedure, and the results are compared  

Superparamganetic iron oxide-based contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have offered new possibility for early detection of lymph nodes and their metastases. According to important role of nanoparticle size in biodistribution, magnetite nanoparticles coated with different polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations up to 10/1 PEG/iron oxide weight ratio in an ex situ manner. To predict the PEG-coated nanoparticle behavior in biological media, such as blood stream or tissue, colloidal stability evaluation was performed to estimate the coating endurance in different conditions. Accordingly, optical absorbance measurements were conducted in solutions with different values of pH and... 

The flux behavior during the industrial cross-flow ultrafiltration of apple juice in a batch process was modeled using a combination of the fouling and concentration polarization models. It was observed that the major flux reduction was at the beginning and at the end of operation due to fouling and increasing solute concentration in the feed tank, respectively. The fouling phenomenon was analyzed by classical and empirical models and it was shown that the empirical one has the best correlation within less than 0.3% error for each experiment. The most significant advantage of this model is its ability to predict a steady flux, while other models predict zero flux at infinite time, which is...