Hochschule für Technik und Umwelt FHNW

Dauerhafte URI für den Bereichhttps://irf.fhnw.ch/handle/11654/35

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Bereich: Suchergebnisse

Gerade angezeigt 1 - 10 von 23
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    High order dynamic mode decomposition for mechanical vibrations and modal analysis
    (HAL, 2023) Tuor, Andreas; Canzani, Nico; Rüggeberg, Tobias; Gorenflo, Stefan; Simons, Gerd; Bättig, Bruno; Iseli, Daniel
    05 - Forschungs- oder Arbeitsbericht
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    A prototype system for the hydrothermal oxidation of feces
    (Elsevier, 14.11.2022) Affolter, Joël; Brunner, Thomas; Hagger, Nicola; Vogel, Frédéric
    To ensure access to safe sanitation facilities in rural communities, cheap off-grid technologies need to be developed to substitute pit latrines and open defecation. In this study, we present a prototype system based on hydrothermal oxidation, which, under optimal conditions, converts a fecal sludge simulant almost completely to CO2 and water, leaving behind only a carbon-poor aqueous phase with the minerals. The prototype has been designed to process the feces from two households. This technology does not only enable a fast and complete conversion, but is potentially also very energy efficient, as the feed does not require any pre-treatment or drying. The system was found to effectively remove 97–99% of the total organic carbon within a reaction time of 600 s under an external energy demand of roughly 4 kWh per kilogram of wet feces by using the oxygen in air as an oxidant. A total of ten experiments with varying injection pressure, total solids content of the feed, and residence time in the reactor were performed to find experimental settings with high conversion. Only when the residence time was decreased from 600 to 300 s did the conversion fall significantly below 97%. To reach a target value of 99.9% TOC conversion, the reactor temperature and/or the residence time must be increased further. To achieve a system applicable in regions with no connection to the energy grid, the thermal loss of the reactor insulation needs to be lowered further to achieve an overall thermally self-sustaining operation.
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    Hydrothermale Karbonisierung von Klärschlamm und Gülle im Labormassstab
    (Hochschule für Technik FHNW, 18.08.2023) Egolf, Tim; Vogel, Frédéric
    In der Schweiz entspricht das gesamte jährliche, energetische Potential, welches chemisch in Klärschlamm gebunden ist rund 5 PJ. Bei Gülle und Mist sind es knapp 49 PJ. Da Klärschlamm verbrannt werden muss, wird dieser vorab mechanisch entwässert und teilweise noch thermisch getrocknet. Besonders der zweite Schritt der Trocknung benötigt dabei viel Energie, weshalb alternative Möglichkeiten gesucht werden, den Klärschlamm für die Verbrennung aufzubereiten. Auch für überschüssige Gülle, welche nicht zum Düngen auf landwirtschaftlichen Feldern genutzt werden kann, würde sich eine solche Aufbereitung und anschliessende Nutzung als Brennstoff anbieten. Dies wäre besonders auch interessant, wenn in Zukunft durch vermehrtes Nährstoffrecycling einem Teil der Gülle die Funktion als Düngemittel verloren gehen würde. Ein alternatives Verfahren zur Entwässerung nasser Biomasse stellt die hydrothermale Karbonisierung (HTC) dar. In einem Reaktor wird das Substrat typischerweise bei 200 °C und 20 bar Druck innert weniger Stunden in einen braunkohleartigen Festbrennstoff umgewandelt. Dies gelingt, indem hauptsächlich durch Hydrolyse- und Dehydratisierungsreaktionen chemisch gebundenes Wasser und CO2 von der Biomasse abgeschieden werden. Dabei verringert sich die Molekülgrösse, der Kohlenstoffanteil steigt und damit auch der Brennwert. In einer Reihe von HTC-Batchversuchen mit Klärschlamm und Gülle im Labor wurde die Aufkonzentrierung des Trockensubstanzgehalts der Biomasse sowie deren Ansäuerung mit verdünnter Schwefelsäure untersucht. Dafür wurde ein Labordruckreaktor des Modells «kiloclave» von der Firma Büchi AG verwendet. Im Vordergrund der Untersuchungen stand die energetische Nutzung der erhaltenen Karbonisate. Die Ergebnisse wurden wo möglich jeweils mit Resultaten einer kontinuierlich arbeitenden Pilotanlage der Firma Mehli in Chur verglichen. Dabei musste berücksichtigt werden, dass gewisse Parameter wie zum Beispiel der Trockensubstanzgehalt der Ausgangssubstrate, nicht immer bei beiden Systemen identisch waren. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass durch die Trockensubstanz-Aufkonzentrierung mehr Energie von der Ausgangs-Biomasse in das Karbonisat überführt werden konnte, da sich besonders auch mehr Feststoffmasse vom Klärschlamm, beziehungsweise der Gülle im Karbonisat wiederfand. Durch eine Ansäuerung der Biomasse liess sich die Massenausbeute hingegen kaum verbessern. Die Brennwerte der Karbonisate waren über alle Versuche hinweg höher als jene der entsprechenden Ausgangssubstrate. Durch die Aufkonzentrierung und die Ansäuerung konnten jedoch nur kleine Steigerungen erreicht werden. Maximal wurde durch die Ansäuerung auf pH 2.0 eine Steigerung von 1.1 MJ/kg für Karbonisat aus Klärschlamm und 0.3 MJ/kg für Karbonisat aus Gülle erzielt. Daraus wurde abgeleitet, dass sich die Trockensubstanz-Aufkonzentrierung zur energetischen Optimierung des HTC-Karbonisats besser eignet als die Ansäuerung. Es muss jedoch berücksichtigt werden, dass sich dadurch auch mehr Organik im Prozesswasser löst und dieses dadurch stärker belastet ist. Es dürfte also auch schwieriger werden, dieses Nebenprodukt für die Einleitung in eine Abwasserreinigungsanlage aufzubereiten. Der Einsatz von Schwefelsäure schien sich zwar für die energetische Optimierung der HTC-Karbonisate nicht zu eignen, jedoch wären hierzu weitere Untersuchungen in Bezug auf die stoffliche Verwertung der Karbonisate interessant. So wurde in einer anderen Studie zum Beispiel eine bessere Löslichkeit von Phosphor in Zusammenhang mit einer Säurezugabe zur Biomasse beobachtet. IV Bei den Verbrennungsversuchen in einem Einzelpelletofen wurde festgestellt, dass der Grenzwert für Stickoxid-Emissionen von Holzfeuerungen mit allen HTC-Karbonisaten deutlich überschritten werden. Der Kohlenstoffmonoxid-Grenzwert wird zwar eingehalten, ist bei den Gülle-Karbonisaten aber um ein Vielfaches höher als bei Holz oder Klärschlamm-Karbonisat. Aus diesen Erkenntnissen lässt sich sagen, dass die untersuchten HTC-Karbonisate nicht für eine herkömmliche Holzfeuerung geeignet sind. Für die Verbrennung sind stickoxidreduzierende Massnahmen nötig wie beispielsweise das Einspritzen von Ammoniak zur Reduktion von NOx zu elementarem Stickstoff. Um die hohen CO-Emissionen bei den Karbonisaten aus Gülle zu senken, könnte zum Beispiel noch eine Abgasrückführung umgesetzt werden, um Kohlenstoffmonoxid in einem zweiten Schritt vollständig zu CO2 zu oxidieren.
    11 - Studentische Arbeit
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    Fast and efficient estimation of resonant modes. A case study of mechanical drivelines
    (Institut für Elektrische Energietechnik, Hochschule für Technik FHNW, 28.08.2024) Rezaeizadeh, Amin; Mastellone, Silvia
    This work presents the development of an online parameter estimation algorithm for the identification of resonating modes in a linear system of arbitrary order. The method employs a short-time Fourier transform of the input and output signals and uses a recursive least square (RLS) algorithm to detect resonant frequencies and damping factors of the resonant modes.
    05 - Forschungs- oder Arbeitsbericht
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    Development of a waveguide-based interferometer for the measurement of trace substances
    (Zenodo, 07.11.2023) Weingartner, Ernest; Bilal, Jonas; Steigmeier, Peter; Jundt, Gregor; Häusler, Samuel; Lenner, Miklós; Flöry, Nikolaus; Bittner, Matthias; Betschon, Felix
    Photonic integration on a chip has the potential to develop new low-cost, high-performance sensing devices. A proof of concept of the sensing capabilities of a waveguide-based photothermal interferometer for the measurement of traces of light-absorbing substances (soot particles, gases) has been achieved. The measurement principle can also be extended to a wide range of other applications such as refractive index measurements, or vibration/distance sensors. A unique feature is that the waveguide technology allows for a passive operation of the interferometer, i.e., no quadrature point control is required.
    04B - Beitrag Konferenzschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    Highly accurate pose estimation as a reference for autonomous vehicles in near-range scenarios
    (MDPI, 2021) Kälin, Ursula; Staffa, Louis; Grimm, David; Wendt, Axel
    To validate the accuracy and reliability of onboard sensors for object detection and localization for driver assistance, as well as autonomous driving applications under realistic conditions (indoors and outdoors), a novel tracking system is presented. This tracking system is developed to determine the position and orientation of a slow-moving vehicle during test maneuvers within a reference environment (e.g., car during parking maneuvers), independent of the onboard sensors. One requirement is a 6 degree of freedom (DoF) pose with position uncertainty below 5 mm (3σ), orientation uncertainty below 0.3° (3σ), at a frequency higher than 20 Hz, and with a latency smaller than 500 ms. To compare the results from the reference system with the vehicle’s onboard system, synchronization via a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) and system interoperability to a robot operating system (ROS) are achieved. The developed system combines motion capture cameras mounted in a 360° panorama view setup on the vehicle, measuring retroreflective markers distributed over the test site with known coordinates, while robotic total stations measure a prism on the vehicle. A point cloud of the test site serves as a digital twin of the environment, in which the movement of the vehicle is visualized. The results have shown that the fused measurements of these sensors complement each other, so that the accuracy requirements for the 6 DoF pose can be met while allowing a flexible installation in different environments.
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    A novel measurement system for unattended, in situ characterization of carbonaceous aerosols
    (Copernicus, 22.12.2023) Keller, Alejandro; Specht, Patrick; Steigmeier, Peter; Weingartner, Ernest
    Carbonaceous aerosol is a relevant constituent of the atmosphere in terms of climate and health impacts. Nevertheless, measuring this component poses many challenges. There is currently no simple and sensitive commercial technique that can reliably capture its totality in an unattended manner, with minimal user intervention, for extended periods of time. To address this issue we have developed the fast thermal carbon totalizator (FATCAT). Our system captures an aerosol sample on a rigid metallic filter and subsequently analyses it by rapidly heating the filter directly, through induction, to a temperature around 800°C. The carbon in the filter is oxidized and quantified as CO2 in order to establish the total carbon (TC) content of the sample. The metallic filter is robust, which solves filter displacement or leakage problems, and does not require a frequent replacement like other measurement techniques. The limit of detection of our system using the 3σ criterion is TC =0.19 µg-C (micrograms of carbon). This translates to an average ambient concentration of TC =0.32 µg-C m^−3 and TC =0.16 µg-C m^−3 for sampling interval of 1 or 2 h respectively using a sampling flow rate of 10 L min^−1. We present a series of measurements using a controlled, well-defined propane flame aerosol as well as wood-burning emissions using two different wood-burning stoves. Furthermore, we complement these measurements by coating the particles with secondary organic matter by means of an oxidation flow reactor. Our device shows a good correlation (correlation coefficient, R^2>0.99) with well-established techniques, like mass measurements by means of a tapered element oscillating microbalance and TC measurements by means of thermal–optical transmittance analysis. Furthermore, the homogeneous fast-heating of the filter produces fast thermograms. This is a new feature that, to our knowledge, is exclusive of our system. The fast thermograms contain information regarding the volatility and refractoriness of the sample without imposing an artificial fraction separation like other measurement methods. Different aerosol components, like wood-burning emissions, soot from the propane flame and secondary organic matter, create diverse identifiable patterns.
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    Waveguide based passively demodulated photothermal interferometer for light absorption measurements of trace substances
    (Optica Publishing Group, 2023) Visser, Bradley; Bilal, Jonas; Flöry, Nikolaus; Wipf, Manuela; Steigmeier, Peter; Rüggeberg, Tobias; Betschon, Felix; Weingartner, Ernest
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    A single-beam photothermal interferometer for in situ measurements of aerosol light absorption
    (Copernicus, 2020) Visser, Bradley; Röhrbein, Jannis; Steigmeier, Peter; Drinovec, Luka; Močnik, Griša; Weingartner, Ernest
    We have developed a novel single-beam photothermal interferometer and present here its application for the measurement of aerosol light absorption. The use of only a single laser beam allows for a compact optical set-up and significantly easier alignment compared to standard dual-beam photothermal interferometers, making it ideal for field measurements. Due to a unique configuration of the reference interferometer arm, light absorption by aerosols can be determined directly – even in the presence of light-absorbing gases. The instrument can be calibrated directly with light-absorbing gases, such as NO2, and can be used to calibrate other light absorption instruments. The detection limits (1σ) for absorption for 10 and 60 s averaging times were determined to be 14.6 and 7.4 Mm−1, respectively, which for a mass absorption cross section of 10 m2 g−1 leads to equivalent black carbon concentration detection limits of 1460 and 740 ng m−3, respectively. The detection limit could be reduced further by improvements to the isolation of the instrument and the signal detection and processing schemes employed.
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift
  • Vorschaubild
    Publikation
    A global study of hygroscopicity-driven light-scattering enhancement in the context of other in situ aerosol optical properties
    (Copernicus, 2021) Titos, Gloria; Burgos, María A.; Zieger, Paul; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas; Baltensperger, Urs; Jefferson, Anne; Sherman, James; Weingartner, Ernest; Henzing, Bas; Luoma, Krista; O'Dowd, Colin; Wiedensohler, Alfred; Andrews, Elisabeth
    The scattering and backscattering enhancement factors (f(RH) and fb(RH)) describe how aerosol particle light scattering and backscattering, respectively, change with relative humidity (RH). They are important parameters in estimating direct aerosol radiative forcing (DARF). In this study we use the dataset presented in Burgos et al. (2019) that compiles f(RH) and fb(RH) measurements at three wavelengths (i.e., 450, 550 and 700 nm) performed with tandem nephelometer systems at multiple sites around the world. We present an overview of f(RH) and fb(RH) based on both long-term and campaign observations from 23 sites representing a range of aerosol types. The scattering enhancement shows a strong variability from site to site, with no clear pattern with respect to the total scattering coefficient. In general, higher f(RH) is observed at Arctic and marine sites, while lower values are found at urban and desert sites, although a consistent pattern as a function of site type is not observed. The backscattering enhancement fb(RH) is consistently lower than f(RH) at all sites, with the difference between f(RH) and fb(RH) increasing for aerosol with higher f(RH). This is consistent with Mie theory, which predicts higher enhancement of the light scattering in the forward than in the backward direction as the particle takes up water. Our results show that the scattering enhancement is higher for PM1 than PM10 at most sites, which is also supported by theory due to the change in scattering efficiency with the size parameter that relates particle size and the wavelength of incident light. At marine-influenced sites this difference is enhanced when coarse particles (likely sea salt) predominate. For most sites, f(RH) is observed to increase with increasing wavelength, except at sites with a known dust influence where the spectral dependence of f(RH) is found to be low or even exhibit the opposite pattern. The impact of RH on aerosol properties used to calculate radiative forcing (e.g., single-scattering albedo, ω0, and backscattered fraction, b) is evaluated. The single-scattering albedo generally increases with RH, while b decreases. The net effect of aerosol hygroscopicity on radiative forcing efficiency (RFE) is an increase in the absolute forcing effect (negative sign) by a factor of up to 4 at RH = 90 % compared to dry conditions (RH < 40 %). Because of the scarcity of scattering enhancement measurements, an attempt was made to use other more commonly available aerosol parameters (i.e., ω0 and scattering Ångström exponent, αsp) to parameterize f(RH). The majority of sites (75 %) showed a consistent trend with ω0 (higher f(RH = 85 %) for higher ω0), while no clear pattern was observed between f(RH = 85 %) and αsp. This suggests that aerosol ω0 is more promising than αsp as a surrogate for the scattering enhancement factor, although neither parameter is ideal. Nonetheless, the qualitative relationship observed between ω0 and f(RH) could serve as a constraint on global model simulations.
    01A - Beitrag in wissenschaftlicher Zeitschrift