Optimization of Energy Conversion

The supersonic air induced into the air-intake is converted into a pressurized subsonic airflow through the shock wave in the air-intake. The fuel-rich gas produced in the gas generator pressurizes the combustion chamber and flows into the ramburner through a gas flow control system. The pressurized air and the fuel-rich gas produce a premixed and/or a diffusional flame in the ramburner. The combustion gas flows out through the convergent-divergent nozzle and is accelerated to supersonic flow. 

Since the airflow rate induced into the air-intake is dependent on the flight speed and altitude of the projectile, the mixture ratio of air and fuel gas must be adjusted accordingly. In some cases, the mixture may be too air-rich or too fuel-rich to bum in the ramburner, falling outside of the flammability limit (see Section 3.4.3), and no ignition occurs (see Section 3.4.1). In order to optimize the combustion in the ramburner under various flight conditions, a variable flow-rate system is attached to the gas flow control system. 

---

Design Optimization. The goal in design optimization of energy conversion systems is to select the equipment which strikes the best balance between overall capital (and other) costs and the cost of the exergy input—for the particular type of system opera-... 

Principle of the Variable Flow Ducted Rocket 9.6.2.1 Optimization of Energy Conversion... 

The control of energy in its various forms was always a necessity that became more relevant with the increasing performance requirements of the twentieth centui y. The control of energy conversion contributes to the optimization in performance and energy efficiency for all processes, machines, and devices. 

Optimal Rates of Energy Conversion and Optimal Retention of Energy in... 

H. B. Gray We must remember that we are still in the initial stages of systematic study of inorganic oxidation-reduction photochemistry. Nature has indeed some slick ways to optimize photochemical energy conversion. I am confident that inorganic chemists will do as well or better, perhaps even before the turn of the century ... 

Using expressions derived by Rdss and Hsiao (13) along with their estimate that )ioss RT/ymax/ one can obtain the following equation for the optimal rate of energy conversion... 

It is worth noting that some oxides have too low a band gap for optimal solar energy conversion. Palladium oxide in Table 8 exemplifies this trend as does Pb02.353 On the other hand, PbO has an Eg value around 2.8 eV.353 Other oxides such as CoO and CrcCh (both p type semiconductors) have been very briefly examined early on in the evolution of this field.353... 

Figure 1. Optical conversion efficiency for solar energy as a function of threshold wavelength of the absorber. Curve I is a plot of the fraction of incident solar power (percent) available at various threshold wavelengths Curve II is a plot of the thermodynamic conversion efficiencies under optimal rates of energy conversion.

Fig. 1 shows the potential profile near the joint boundary in the FGM. The abrupt potential change was found within a width of about 0.5 mm, which is also reported for the SiGe-FGM[2]. Since the potential gradient corresponds to an increase of resistivity at the joint interface, the interface resistivity must be minimized by optimizing the sintering in the further studies in order to attain high efficiency of energy conversion. 

Nature of the Solar Spectrum and Optimal Solar Energy Conversion Efficiencies... 

In order to be viable, a fuel cell should operate at a high current density, of the order of 1A cm , hence even a small Ohmic resistance between the two electrodes may cause significant loss of efficiency of energy conversion. This requires optimization of the thickness of the Nation membrane for low resistivity combined with low permeability for methanol. 

Though we and others (27-29) have demonstrated the utility and the improved sensitivity of the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence method for analyte detection in RP-HPLC separations for appropriate substrates, a substantial area for Improvement and refinement of the technique remains. We have shown that the reactions of hydrogen peroxide and oxalate esters yield a very complex array of reactive intermediates, some of which activate the fluorophor to its fluorescent state. The mechanism for the ester reaction as well as the process for conversion of the chemical potential energy into electronic (excited state) energy remain to be detailed. Finally, the refinement of the technique for routine application of this sensitive method, including the optimization of the effi-ciencies for each of the contributing factors, is currently a major effort in the Center for Bioanalytical Research. 

---