Gianpiero Colangelo | University of Salento (original) (raw)
Papers by Gianpiero Colangelo
Advanced sustainable systems, Jul 6, 2023
Zn–air fuel cells are promising energy storage devices for renewable energy and power sources, as... more Zn–air fuel cells are promising energy storage devices for renewable energy and power sources, as they are cost‐effective and have high energy density. However, limited charge and discharge cycles and low round‐trip efficiency have long been obstacles to large‐scale market deployment. Herein, a new fluidized‐bed zinc–air fuel cell is designed, constructed, tested, and characterized. The integration of the fluidized bed in the zinc–air fuel cell leads to key advantages such as: erosion of the anode passivation layer, which plays a key role in the rapid voltage decay and keeping the products of reactions away from the proximity of the electrodes, reducing the concentration overpotential, due to the concentration gradient of electrode species in the diffusion boundary layer between the electrode–electrolyte interface and the electrolyte bulk.
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, 2019
Energies
Finned tube heat exchangers are used in many technological applications in both civil and industr... more Finned tube heat exchangers are used in many technological applications in both civil and industrial sectors. Their large-scale use requires a design aimed at reaching high thermal efficiency as well as avoiding unnecessary waste of resources in terms of time and costs. Therefore, in the last decades, research in this area has developed considerably and numerous studies have been conducted on modeling in order to predict heat exchangers (HXs) performance and to optimize design parameters. In this paper, the main studies carried out on plate-finned tube HXs have been collected, analyzed, and summarized, classifying existing models by their scale approach (small, large, or multi-scale). In addition, the main methods of design optimization with a focus on circuitry configurations have been illustrated. Finally, future developments and research areas that need more in-depth analysis have been identified and discussed.
Cooling Technologies - Technologies and Systems to Guarantee Thermal Comfort in Efficient Buildings [Working Title]
The hybrid method allows the overall performance of a fin and tube evaporator to be determined be... more The hybrid method allows the overall performance of a fin and tube evaporator to be determined beginning from local analysis results and combining the accuracy of the data obtained with a small-scale numerical approach with the low processing costs of the analytical approaches. The program calculates heat transfer rates, pressure drops, and temperature fields for both sides of the heat exchanger using regression equations derived from known data (analytical, experimental, or numerical).The hybrid method has been progressively refined and enhanced with the goal of modeling heat exchangers more closely to actual typologies often used for HVAC application that involve intricate circuit arrangements. In order to aid designers to choose the optimal configuration, various refrigerant circuitry layout choices were examined as well as a proper trade-off analysis was performed.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
The advantage of designing plate-finned tube evaporators applying the hybrid method is to combine... more The advantage of designing plate-finned tube evaporators applying the hybrid method is to combine low computational costs with the accurate results guaranteed by the use of predictive functions based on results of either numerical, or analytical, or experimental analysis. The high flexibility of the method makes it suitable for use as an effective design tool for evaporators in a wide range of operating conditions. This paper tells about improvements and refinements to the hybrid method algorithm performed to make it even more flexible and consistent with real heat exchangers performance prediction, depending on configuration changes. Part of the algorithm code has been changed in order to extend the application range of the model and several tests have been performed by varying the operating conditions such as the temperature difference between refrigerant and air at the inlet as well as the air relative humidity. The results show how the model is sensitive to the working condition...
Energies
Hydrogen represents a versatile fuel that has found usage in several sectors, such as automotive,... more Hydrogen represents a versatile fuel that has found usage in several sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, chemical industries, etc [...]
Journal of physics, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Phase change materials (PCMs) are growing in importance in many thermal applications as heat stor... more Phase change materials (PCMs) are growing in importance in many thermal applications as heat storage or to smooth the energy peak demand in many technological fields in industrial as well as in civil applications. Conductive nanoparticles can be added to phase change material to improve their thermo-physical properties. In this work, Iron oxide nanoparticles (IOx-NPs) were synthesized using a simple and green synthesis method, free of toxic and harmful solvents, using the extract of a plant as a reducer and stabilizer at two different temperatures of calcination 500°C and 750°C. The metallic oxide was used as an additive with 2% wt. compositions to paraffin wax to prepare a nanocomposite. The variation in thermal properties of paraffin wax in the composite was experimentally investigated. The biosynthesized IOx-NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA...
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Global warming has received widespread attention in recent years due to the accumulation of carbo... more Global warming has received widespread attention in recent years due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide. Looking at the current energy landscape, new technologies must be developed to reduce CO2 emissions. The present work is aimed to develop and test a new prototype of an innovative reactor for the conversion of CO2 into CO, operating according to a two-phase thermochemical cycle. The innovative and main aspect of this study was the use of a reactor coupled with a new type of catalyst, a copper-doped cerium oxide (Cuδ+2Ce(1-δ)O2), which allowed to decrease the temperature of the reaction up to 850°C, much lower than the models present in the literature, tested on 1300/1400°C and even beyond.
Energies
The global energy and environmental crises are the most urgent issues confronting humanity in the... more The global energy and environmental crises are the most urgent issues confronting humanity in the coming years [...]
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023
In the current scenario of transition to a Europe-wide circular economy (CE), the Waste-to-Energy... more In the current scenario of transition to a Europe-wide circular economy (CE), the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) treatments represent a smart solution to generate renewable energy, reduce landfills and ensure sustainable waste management. The costs and environmental impacts of existing WtE treatments are very different for each available technology. In many cases, their identification is affected by a set of variable boundary conditions strongly dependent on local municipal requirements. In light of these considerations, the paper aims to compare the investment in three different WtE treatments (i.e., incineration, gasification, and flameless oxy-combustion) to identify the best solution to support the current transitional phase towards a CE condition. An overall yearly cost analysis was developed by varying local municipal requirements, including investment, operating, and carbon emissions costs. The overall yearly cost and the revenues, due to energy sales and tipping fees, allowed to evaluate the profitability of the investment in the plant lifetime to identify the best WtE treatment. The investment profitability was evaluated by adopting the Net Present Value (NPV) method by estimating the cash flow statement over the entire plant lifetime. The performance of the three WtE treatments, classified as “conventional” (i.e., gasification and incineration) and “innovative” (i.e., flameless oxy-combustion), were compared in a case study concerning Southern Italy's Metropolitan City of Bari. The applied methodology showed, in this case, that gasification, at the moment, has to be deemed as the most sustainable treatment for MSW management. Moreover, the study proved a high dependence between the carbon price and the profitability of the investment and, thus, in the next future the innovative oxy-combustion technology will gain an advantage over all the other technologies, when carbon price will be higher than 44 €/tonnesCO2.
Materials
ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using lemon juice and zinc nitrate (1:1) through the green met... more ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using lemon juice and zinc nitrate (1:1) through the green method. The structure of the biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology and the size of ZnO nanoparticles were elucidated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The powder was highly dispersed and irregularly shaped and the size of the nanoparticles ranged from 28 to 270 nm, depending on the shape of the particles. Thermal conductivity of the biosynthesized ZnO PG/W mixture 40:60 (v/v) nanofluids was measured within the temperature range of 20–70 °C. Experimental results revealed a linear increase in thermal conductivity with the rise of temperature and volume fraction. The enhancement of this parameter with temperature was probably due to the different shapes of the former agglomerates. They were broken by the thermal...
2015 1st Workshop on Nanotechnology in Instrumentation and Measurement (NANOFIM), 2015
This paper describes a programmable electronic system for controlling the environmental parameter... more This paper describes a programmable electronic system for controlling the environmental parameters and managing the electrical functions of a civil/industrial thermo-solar plant. The device acquires data from temperature and light sensors, processes these information and commands external equipments (pumps, electric valves and power supplies) with dedicated relay outputs for the optimization of plant performances in order to maximize efficiency and energy saving. Recently several researches, in the field of solar thermal energy production, have demonstrated that nanofluid-based solar collectors present higher conversion efficiency. In this context, the designed control unit can be used to detect physical parameters in order to compare the performances of nanofluid-based solar collector with those of standard one. The electronic experimental setup is capable to monitor, at the same time, the two different types of solar collector in similar environmental conditions and to show on tou...
Electronics
This work discusses smart building applications involving the Internet of Things (IoT) which are ... more This work discusses smart building applications involving the Internet of Things (IoT) which are focused on energy consumption monitoring and forecasting systems, as well as indoor air quality (IAQ) control. Low-cost hardware integrating sensors and open source platforms are implemented for cloud data transmission, data storage and data processing. Advanced data analytics is performed by the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) method and a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network with an accurate calculation performance about energy predictions. The proposed results are developed within the framework of the R&D project Data System Platform for Smart Communities (D-SySCOM), which is oriented to a smart public building application. The main goal of the work was to define a guideline-matching energy efficiency with wellness in public indoor environments, by providing modular low-cost solutions which are easily implementable for advanced data processing. The i...
International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems, 2016
Aim of this work is the design of a programmable electronic system for monitoring the environment... more Aim of this work is the design of a programmable electronic system for monitoring the environmental parameters and managing the electrical functions of a thermo-solar plant. The designed control unit detects data from temperature and light sensors, processes acquired information and commands external equipments (pumps, electric valves and power supplies) in order to optimize plant performances and maximize efficiency and energy savings. Recently several researches, in the field of solar thermal energy production, have demonstrated that nanofluid-based solar collectors present higher conversion efficiency. In this context, the designed control unit can be used to detect their operation parameters in order to compare the performances of nanofluidbased solar collector with those of traditional one. The electronic experimental setup is capable to monitor, at the same time, the two different types of solar collector in similar environmental conditions and to show on touch screen display ...
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2016
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2017
Energies
Fossil fuels are the most widely used resource for energy production. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissi... more Fossil fuels are the most widely used resource for energy production. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are correlated with climate change, and therefore these emissions must be reduced in the future. It is possible by means of many different technologies, and one of the most promising seems to be oxyfuel combustion. This process, with oxygen and recirculating gas, produces a concentrated stream of CO2 and water. In recent years, many scientists carried out research and studies on the oxyfuel process, but a sufficient level of knowledge was not yet reached to exploit the great potential of this new technology. Although such areas of research are still highly active, this work provides an overview and summary of the research undertaken, the state of development of the technology, and a comparison of different plants so far.
Advanced sustainable systems, Jul 6, 2023
Zn–air fuel cells are promising energy storage devices for renewable energy and power sources, as... more Zn–air fuel cells are promising energy storage devices for renewable energy and power sources, as they are cost‐effective and have high energy density. However, limited charge and discharge cycles and low round‐trip efficiency have long been obstacles to large‐scale market deployment. Herein, a new fluidized‐bed zinc–air fuel cell is designed, constructed, tested, and characterized. The integration of the fluidized bed in the zinc–air fuel cell leads to key advantages such as: erosion of the anode passivation layer, which plays a key role in the rapid voltage decay and keeping the products of reactions away from the proximity of the electrodes, reducing the concentration overpotential, due to the concentration gradient of electrode species in the diffusion boundary layer between the electrode–electrolyte interface and the electrolyte bulk.
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, 2019
Energies
Finned tube heat exchangers are used in many technological applications in both civil and industr... more Finned tube heat exchangers are used in many technological applications in both civil and industrial sectors. Their large-scale use requires a design aimed at reaching high thermal efficiency as well as avoiding unnecessary waste of resources in terms of time and costs. Therefore, in the last decades, research in this area has developed considerably and numerous studies have been conducted on modeling in order to predict heat exchangers (HXs) performance and to optimize design parameters. In this paper, the main studies carried out on plate-finned tube HXs have been collected, analyzed, and summarized, classifying existing models by their scale approach (small, large, or multi-scale). In addition, the main methods of design optimization with a focus on circuitry configurations have been illustrated. Finally, future developments and research areas that need more in-depth analysis have been identified and discussed.
Cooling Technologies - Technologies and Systems to Guarantee Thermal Comfort in Efficient Buildings [Working Title]
The hybrid method allows the overall performance of a fin and tube evaporator to be determined be... more The hybrid method allows the overall performance of a fin and tube evaporator to be determined beginning from local analysis results and combining the accuracy of the data obtained with a small-scale numerical approach with the low processing costs of the analytical approaches. The program calculates heat transfer rates, pressure drops, and temperature fields for both sides of the heat exchanger using regression equations derived from known data (analytical, experimental, or numerical).The hybrid method has been progressively refined and enhanced with the goal of modeling heat exchangers more closely to actual typologies often used for HVAC application that involve intricate circuit arrangements. In order to aid designers to choose the optimal configuration, various refrigerant circuitry layout choices were examined as well as a proper trade-off analysis was performed.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
The advantage of designing plate-finned tube evaporators applying the hybrid method is to combine... more The advantage of designing plate-finned tube evaporators applying the hybrid method is to combine low computational costs with the accurate results guaranteed by the use of predictive functions based on results of either numerical, or analytical, or experimental analysis. The high flexibility of the method makes it suitable for use as an effective design tool for evaporators in a wide range of operating conditions. This paper tells about improvements and refinements to the hybrid method algorithm performed to make it even more flexible and consistent with real heat exchangers performance prediction, depending on configuration changes. Part of the algorithm code has been changed in order to extend the application range of the model and several tests have been performed by varying the operating conditions such as the temperature difference between refrigerant and air at the inlet as well as the air relative humidity. The results show how the model is sensitive to the working condition...
Energies
Hydrogen represents a versatile fuel that has found usage in several sectors, such as automotive,... more Hydrogen represents a versatile fuel that has found usage in several sectors, such as automotive, aerospace, chemical industries, etc [...]
Journal of physics, Dec 1, 2022
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Phase change materials (PCMs) are growing in importance in many thermal applications as heat stor... more Phase change materials (PCMs) are growing in importance in many thermal applications as heat storage or to smooth the energy peak demand in many technological fields in industrial as well as in civil applications. Conductive nanoparticles can be added to phase change material to improve their thermo-physical properties. In this work, Iron oxide nanoparticles (IOx-NPs) were synthesized using a simple and green synthesis method, free of toxic and harmful solvents, using the extract of a plant as a reducer and stabilizer at two different temperatures of calcination 500°C and 750°C. The metallic oxide was used as an additive with 2% wt. compositions to paraffin wax to prepare a nanocomposite. The variation in thermal properties of paraffin wax in the composite was experimentally investigated. The biosynthesized IOx-NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA...
Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Global warming has received widespread attention in recent years due to the accumulation of carbo... more Global warming has received widespread attention in recent years due to the accumulation of carbon dioxide. Looking at the current energy landscape, new technologies must be developed to reduce CO2 emissions. The present work is aimed to develop and test a new prototype of an innovative reactor for the conversion of CO2 into CO, operating according to a two-phase thermochemical cycle. The innovative and main aspect of this study was the use of a reactor coupled with a new type of catalyst, a copper-doped cerium oxide (Cuδ+2Ce(1-δ)O2), which allowed to decrease the temperature of the reaction up to 850°C, much lower than the models present in the literature, tested on 1300/1400°C and even beyond.
Energies
The global energy and environmental crises are the most urgent issues confronting humanity in the... more The global energy and environmental crises are the most urgent issues confronting humanity in the coming years [...]
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2023
In the current scenario of transition to a Europe-wide circular economy (CE), the Waste-to-Energy... more In the current scenario of transition to a Europe-wide circular economy (CE), the Waste-to-Energy (WtE) treatments represent a smart solution to generate renewable energy, reduce landfills and ensure sustainable waste management. The costs and environmental impacts of existing WtE treatments are very different for each available technology. In many cases, their identification is affected by a set of variable boundary conditions strongly dependent on local municipal requirements. In light of these considerations, the paper aims to compare the investment in three different WtE treatments (i.e., incineration, gasification, and flameless oxy-combustion) to identify the best solution to support the current transitional phase towards a CE condition. An overall yearly cost analysis was developed by varying local municipal requirements, including investment, operating, and carbon emissions costs. The overall yearly cost and the revenues, due to energy sales and tipping fees, allowed to evaluate the profitability of the investment in the plant lifetime to identify the best WtE treatment. The investment profitability was evaluated by adopting the Net Present Value (NPV) method by estimating the cash flow statement over the entire plant lifetime. The performance of the three WtE treatments, classified as “conventional” (i.e., gasification and incineration) and “innovative” (i.e., flameless oxy-combustion), were compared in a case study concerning Southern Italy's Metropolitan City of Bari. The applied methodology showed, in this case, that gasification, at the moment, has to be deemed as the most sustainable treatment for MSW management. Moreover, the study proved a high dependence between the carbon price and the profitability of the investment and, thus, in the next future the innovative oxy-combustion technology will gain an advantage over all the other technologies, when carbon price will be higher than 44 €/tonnesCO2.
Materials
ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using lemon juice and zinc nitrate (1:1) through the green met... more ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using lemon juice and zinc nitrate (1:1) through the green method. The structure of the biosynthesized ZnO nanoparticles was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The morphology and the size of ZnO nanoparticles were elucidated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The powder was highly dispersed and irregularly shaped and the size of the nanoparticles ranged from 28 to 270 nm, depending on the shape of the particles. Thermal conductivity of the biosynthesized ZnO PG/W mixture 40:60 (v/v) nanofluids was measured within the temperature range of 20–70 °C. Experimental results revealed a linear increase in thermal conductivity with the rise of temperature and volume fraction. The enhancement of this parameter with temperature was probably due to the different shapes of the former agglomerates. They were broken by the thermal...
2015 1st Workshop on Nanotechnology in Instrumentation and Measurement (NANOFIM), 2015
This paper describes a programmable electronic system for controlling the environmental parameter... more This paper describes a programmable electronic system for controlling the environmental parameters and managing the electrical functions of a civil/industrial thermo-solar plant. The device acquires data from temperature and light sensors, processes these information and commands external equipments (pumps, electric valves and power supplies) with dedicated relay outputs for the optimization of plant performances in order to maximize efficiency and energy saving. Recently several researches, in the field of solar thermal energy production, have demonstrated that nanofluid-based solar collectors present higher conversion efficiency. In this context, the designed control unit can be used to detect physical parameters in order to compare the performances of nanofluid-based solar collector with those of standard one. The electronic experimental setup is capable to monitor, at the same time, the two different types of solar collector in similar environmental conditions and to show on tou...
Electronics
This work discusses smart building applications involving the Internet of Things (IoT) which are ... more This work discusses smart building applications involving the Internet of Things (IoT) which are focused on energy consumption monitoring and forecasting systems, as well as indoor air quality (IAQ) control. Low-cost hardware integrating sensors and open source platforms are implemented for cloud data transmission, data storage and data processing. Advanced data analytics is performed by the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) method and a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network with an accurate calculation performance about energy predictions. The proposed results are developed within the framework of the R&D project Data System Platform for Smart Communities (D-SySCOM), which is oriented to a smart public building application. The main goal of the work was to define a guideline-matching energy efficiency with wellness in public indoor environments, by providing modular low-cost solutions which are easily implementable for advanced data processing. The i...
International Journal on Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems, 2016
Aim of this work is the design of a programmable electronic system for monitoring the environment... more Aim of this work is the design of a programmable electronic system for monitoring the environmental parameters and managing the electrical functions of a thermo-solar plant. The designed control unit detects data from temperature and light sensors, processes acquired information and commands external equipments (pumps, electric valves and power supplies) in order to optimize plant performances and maximize efficiency and energy savings. Recently several researches, in the field of solar thermal energy production, have demonstrated that nanofluid-based solar collectors present higher conversion efficiency. In this context, the designed control unit can be used to detect their operation parameters in order to compare the performances of nanofluidbased solar collector with those of traditional one. The electronic experimental setup is capable to monitor, at the same time, the two different types of solar collector in similar environmental conditions and to show on touch screen display ...
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2016
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2017
Energies
Fossil fuels are the most widely used resource for energy production. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissi... more Fossil fuels are the most widely used resource for energy production. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are correlated with climate change, and therefore these emissions must be reduced in the future. It is possible by means of many different technologies, and one of the most promising seems to be oxyfuel combustion. This process, with oxygen and recirculating gas, produces a concentrated stream of CO2 and water. In recent years, many scientists carried out research and studies on the oxyfuel process, but a sufficient level of knowledge was not yet reached to exploit the great potential of this new technology. Although such areas of research are still highly active, this work provides an overview and summary of the research undertaken, the state of development of the technology, and a comparison of different plants so far.