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This paper explains a thorough exergy analysis of the most important reactions in soil–plant interactions. Soil, which is a prime mover of gases, metals, structural crystals, and electrolytes, constantly resembles an electric field of charge and discharge. The second law of thermodynamics reflects the deterioration of resources through the destruction of exergy. In this study, we developed a new method to assess the exergy of soil and plant formation processes. Depending on the types of soil, one may assess the efficiency and degradation of resources by incorporating or using biomass storage. According to the results of this study, during different processes from the mineralization process to nutrient uptake by the plant, about 62.5% of the input exergy will be destroyed because of the soil solution reactions. Most of the exergy destruction occurs in the biota–atmosphere subsystem, especially in the photosynthesis reaction, due to its low efficiency (about 15%). Humus and protonation reactions, with 14% and 13% exergy destruction, respectively, are the most exergy destroying reactions. Respiratory, weathering, and reverse weathering reactions account for the lowest percentage of exergy destruction and less than one percent of total exergy destruction in the soil system. The total exergy yield of the soil system is estimated at about 37.45%.

Pneumatic systems are widely used in industrial manufacturing sectors. However, the energy efficiency of pneumatic systems is generally much lower than their hydraulic and electric counterparts. It is necessary to explore more elaborate theories and methods for achieving better energy performance in pneumatic systems. In this study, for investigating the interaction effects between pneumatic components and the accessible improvement potential of energy efficiency in a pre-existing pneumatic system, the advanced exergy analysis is conducted with a better understanding of exergy destruction. The conventional exergy analysis is also carried out for comparison. The results show that an exergy efficiency of 17.3% could be achieved under the real condition in the case of the investigated pneumatic system. However, under unavoidable conditions, the theoretical maximum exergy efficiency could reach 70.5%. This means there is a significant potential for improving the energy performance of the investigated system. Furthermore, both conventional and advanced exergy analyses indicate that the pneumatic cylinder has the greatest potential for improvement. The advanced exergy analysis reveals the complex and variable interactions between pneumatic components. It highlights that the exergy destruction of some components is caused by other components in the system, and thus, improving energy efficiency at the system level rather than at the component level is of great significance. Besides, a priority order of all pneumatic components is determined, thereby guiding the improvement of the energy efficiency of the pneumatic system.

In this research, two innovative cooling systems are introduced that utilize low-temperature geothermal energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. Systems A and B utilize different subsystems: A uses the organic Rankine cycle (ORC), Kalina cycle (KC), and vapor compression refrigeration cycle (VCRC), while B integrates KC, VCRC, and the absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC). The proposed systems were analyzed using multiple techniques, including energy analysis, conventional exergy analysis (CEA), exergo-economic analysis (EEA), and advanced exergy analysis (AEA). Based on the results obtained, system A shows a modified exergy efficiency of 25.6% and a total cost of 117.9 $/s, while system B demonstrates an efficiency of 36.7% and a total cost of 35.3 $/s. Therefore, the proposed systems perform better thermodynamically and economically when using ARC rather than ORC. CEA states that specific components such as evaporators and generators, undergo significant exergy destruction. On the other hand, the AEA indicates that for both systems A and B, the most significant avoidable endogenous exergy destruction is related to VCRC’s condenser (37% for system A, 30.2% for system B), followed by the compressor (21% for system A, 17.2% for system B) and KC’s condenser (10.1% for system A, 13.2% for system B). Therefore, CEA and AEA prioritize components improvement differently. Based on the exergy destruction cost rate, the EEA recommends prioritizing the improvement of the VCRC’s condenser (29.2% for system A, 23.8% for system B), VCRC’s valve (17.39% for system A, 14.19% for system B), and compressor (14.2% for system A, 9.9% for system B). Accordingly, the EEA and AEA have different priorities for improving components, which should be considered based on the goal, whether it’s cost-saving or system efficiency. It has also been discovered that a considerable amount of avoidable exergy destruction in system A is exogenous in the ORC (84.4%) and KC (83.4%), while endogenous in the VCRC (61.83%). Consequently, optimizing the VCRC can significantly improve system A’s performance. Similarly, the VCRC should be prioritized to enhance system B’s performance. The findings of this study can be used to inform decision-making and optimize the design and operation of the proposed systemsQuery. Graphical Abstract

Exergy analysis and advanced exergy analysis of an absorption chiller/Kalina cycle integrated system are conducted in this research. The exergy destruction of each component and overall exergy efficiency of the cascade process have been obtained. Advanced exergy analysis investigates the interactions among different components and the actual improvement potential. Results show that among all the equipment, the largest exergy destruction is in the generators and absorber. System exergy efficiency is obtained as 35.52%. Advanced analysis results show that the endogenous exergy destruction is dominant in each component. Interconnections among different components are not significant but very complicated. It is suggested that the improvement priority should be given to the turbine. Performance improvement of this low-grade waste heat recovery process is still necessary because around 1/4 of the total exergy destruction can be avoided. Exergy and advanced exergy analysis in this work locates the position of exergy destruction, quantifies the process irreversibility, presents the component interactions and finds out the system improvement potential. This research provides detailed and useful information about this absorption chiller/Kalina cycle integrated system.

Rapid development in the renewable energy sector require energy storage facilities. Currently, pumped storage power plants provide the most large-scale storage in the world. Another option for large-scale system storage is compressed air energy storage (CAES). This paper discusses a particular case of CAES—an adiabatic underwater energy storage system based on compressed air—and its evaluation using advanced exergy analysis. The energy storage system is charged during the valleys of load and discharged at peaks. The model was built using Aspen HYSYS software. Advanced exergy analysis revealed interactions between system components and the potential for improving both system components individually and the system as a whole. The most significant reduction in exergy destruction can be achieved with heat exchangers. The round-trip efficiency of this system is 64.1% and 87.9% for real and unavoidable operation conditions, respectively.

Electricity access and reliability in Nigeria is poor due to obsolete power distribution infrastructure. This could be improved by deploying wind energy resources. The present research assessed the thermo-economic, advanced and extended exergy analysis of deploying wind turbine for distributed generation in four Nigerian locations. The air temperature and wind speed of the sites was used together with Weibull statistical parameters to mathematically model the thermodynamic performance of selected wind turbine for the sites. The results show that the energy and standard exergy efficiency of the sites ranges from 0.16 – 0.44, 0.05 – 0.37, 0.23 –0.39, 0.26 – 0.37 and 0.12 –0.33, 0.04 – 0.25, 0.17 – 0.28, 0.18 – 0.28 respectively for Enugu, Kaduna, Katsina and Jos. The exergy efficiency based on the extended exergy analysis (EEA) approach was found to be much lower than the standard exergy efficiency for all the sites. Based on EEA, Enugu, Kaduna, Katsina and Jos has exergy efficiency of 1.05, 0.73, 2.52 and 3.22 % respectively. Economic performance results showed that Jos is the best site with least monthly average COE value of 0.15$/kWh which compares closely with global average COE value of 0.14 $ /kWh for households. Katsina and Enugu have a COE value of 0.19 and 0.84$/kWh respectively while Kaduna is the worst in performance with highest COE value of 1.13 $ /kWh. 

This study evaluates the performance of an evacuated tube indirect solar dryer (ETISD) for drying tilapia strips at three thicknesses (4, 8, and 12 mm) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), energy-exergy analysis, and sustainability indicators. CFD simulations were employed to analyze airflow patterns, temperature distribution, and velocity profiles inside the drying room (DR) across five air velocities (0.02–0.06 m/s). The optimal air flow rate of 0.03 m 3 /s provided a uniform drying temperature of 74.82 °C, at solar noon. Simulations over two consecutive drying days (8 a.m.–5 p.m.) further assessed thermal and aerodynamic behavior, enhancing system optimization. Energy analysis revealed that the evacuated tube solar collector (ETSC) achieved a maximum input energy of 1311.8 W and useful energy of 682.5 W, with energy efficiencies of 44.5–51.2% (ETSC) and 16.18–21.57% (ETISD). Exergy efficiencies ranged from 8.51 to 21.99% (ETSC) and 29.23–84.76% (ETISD), highlighting thermodynamic performance. Sustainability indicators, including improvement potential (IP) (2.71–6.69 W), waste exergy ratio (WER) (1.15–1.36), and sustainability index (SI) (1.09–1.28), demonstrated the system’s environmental and operational viability. These findings underscore the ETISD’s effectiveness for sustainable tilapia drying, balancing energy efficiency, thermal performance, and ecological impact.

The increasing awareness about energy conservation and its implications for a company's profitability has led to the creation of several models that combine energy processes with cost-accounting methods. Consequently, the industry has centered its endeavors on identifying economically viable, technologically possible, and environmentally acceptable alternatives. An approach to addressing the above issues is to conduct an exergoeconomic analysis of the energy systems implemented during operations to maximize resource use. The present research evaluates the use of exergonomic analysis in an Absorption Heat Transformer (AHT) to identify areas for improvement in system operation and to optimize the essential parameters for improved technological efficiency. The study also found possible ways to make the generator (GE), economizer (EC), and absorber (AB) better for future research, while still reaching up to 98% technical efficiency in some parts. Considering cost as a measure of used resources provides a thorough insight into the energy systems adopted by the industry. Thanks to the fact that exergonomics considers costs as a measure of resource consumption, this approach offers a comprehensive view of the energy systems adopted by the industry. These results are relevant for understanding the potential impact of integrating technical, economic, and environmental efficiency into energy management practices within the industrial sector.

Solar energy is secure, clean, and available on earth throughout the year. The PV/T system is a device designed to receive solar energy and convert it into electric/thermal energy. Nanofluid is a new generation of heat transfer fluid with promising higher thermal conductivity and improve heat transfer rate compared with conventional fluids. In this review, the recent studies of PV/T using nanofluid is discussed regarding basic concept and theory PV/T, thermal conductivity of nanofluid and experimentally and theoretically study the perfromance of PV/T using nanofluid. A review of the literature shows that many studies have evaluated the potential of nanofluid as heat transfer fluid and optical filter in the PV/T system. The preparations of nanofluid play an essential key for high stability and homogenous nanofluid for a long period. The thermal conductivity of nanofluid is depending on the size of nanoparticles, concentration and preparation of nanofluids.

At present, the dual-loop organic Rankine cycle (DORC) is regarded as an important solution to engine waste heat recovery (WHR). Compared with the conventional exergy analysis, the advanced exergy analysis can better describe the interactions between system components and the irreversibility caused by economic or technical limitations. In order to systematically study the thermodynamic performance of DORC, the conventional and advanced exergy analyses are compared using an inline 6-cylinder 4-stroke turbocharged diesel engine. Meanwhile, the sensitivity analysis is implemented to further investigate the influence of operating parameters on avoidable-endogenous exergy destruction. The analysis result of conventional exergy analysis demonstrates that the priorities for the components that should be improved are in order of the high-temperature evaporator, the low-temperature turbine, the first low-temperature evaporator and the high-temperature condenser. The advanced exergy analysis result suggests that the avoidable exergy destruction values are the highest in the low-temperature turbine, the high-temperature evaporator and the high-temperature turbine because they have considerable endogenous-avoidable exergy destruction. The sensitivity analysis indicates that reducing the evaporation pinch point and raising the turbine efficiency can decrease the avoidable exergy destruction.