This text explains the use of compressed air for energy storage and efficient pneumatic applications. Chapters cover the elementary physical and engineering principles related to compressed air, including compression and expansion characteristics, adiabatic, polytropic, and isothermal phenomena, and energy content within a given volume. The author also discusses the advantages and drawbacks of pneumatic technology and presents innovative ways to increase the energetic efficiency of pneumatic actuators. A key highlight of the book is the introduction of a method to enhance energetic efficiency by incorporating expansion work alongside constant pressure displacement. The author presents an analysis of various cylinder assemblies where energy efficiency is notably improved compared to conventional pneumatic actuators. The book serves as a primary reference for mechanical engineering students and as a handbook for engineers designing efficient pneumatic devices. Key Features: Fundamental and advanced information about actuators and their pneumatic applications Focus on energy efficiency testing Systematic chapter order for effective learning progression, with a working example to support comprehension References for further reading Appendices providing additional insights and resources Readership Mechanical engineering students and engineers working on pneumatics.

Smart Energy Grid Engineering provides in-depth detail on the various important engineering challenges of smart energy grid design and operation by focusing on advanced methods and practices for designing different components and their integration within the grid. Governments around the world are investing heavily in smart energy grids to ensure optimum energy use and supply, enable better planning for outage responses and recovery, and facilitate the integration of heterogeneous technologies such as renewable energy systems, electrical vehicle networks, and smart homes around the grid. By looking at case studies and best practices that illustrate how to implement smart energy grid infrastructures and analyze the technical details involved in tackling emerging challenges, this valuable reference considers the important engineering aspects of design and implementation, energy generation, utilization and energy conservation, intelligent control and monitoring data analysis security, and asset integrity. - Includes detailed support to integrate systems for smart grid infrastructures - Features global case studies outlining design components and their integration within the grid - Provides examples and best practices from industry that will assist in the migration to smart grids

This book will provide the technical community with an overview of the development of new solutions and products that address key topics, including electric/hybrid vehicles, ultrafast battery charging, smart grids, renewable energy (e.g., solar and wind), peak shaving, and reduction of energy consumption. The needs for storage discussed are within the context of changes between the centralized power generation of today and the distributed utility of tomorrow, including the integration of renewable energy sources. Throughout the book, methods for quantitative and qualitative comparison of energy storage means are presented through their energy capacity as well as through their power capability for different applications. The definitions and symbols for energy density and power density are given and relate to the volume and weight of a given system or component. A relatively underdeveloped concept that is crucial to this text is known as the theory of Ragone plots. This theory makes possible the evaluation of the real amount of energy that can possibly release out of a given system, with respect to the level of power dependency chosen for the discharge process. From systems using electrochemical transformations, to classical battery energy storage elements and so-called flow batteries, to fuel cells and hydrogen storage, this book further investigates storage systems based on physical principles (e.g., gravitational potential forces, air compression, and rotational kinetic energy). This text also examines purely electrical systems such as superconductive magnets and capacitors. Another subject of analysis is the presentation of power electronic circuits and architectures that are needed for continuously controllable power flow to and from different storage means. For all systems described, the elementary principles of operation are given as well as the relationships for the quantified storage of energy. Finally, Energy Storage: Systems and Components contains multiple international case studies and a rich set of exercises that serve both students and practicing engineers.

Advances in Heat Transfer, Volume 55, the newest release in this series, highlights advances in the field with this new volume presenting interesting chapters written by an international board of authors. Topics discussed in this release include Mesoscopic Scale Simulations of Heat Transport in Porous Structures, Advancements in Single-Phase Enhanced Heat Transfer in Microchannels, and more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Advances in Heat Transfer series