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Engineering Sustainability: Thermodynamics, Energy Systems and the Environment

In: Towards an Environment Research Agenda

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  • Geoffrey P. Hammond

Abstract

Summary Thermodynamic concepts have been utilized by practitioners in a variety of disciplines with interests in environmental sustainability, including ecology, economics and engineering. Widespread concern about resource depletion and environmental degradation are common to them all. It has been argued that these consequences of human development are reflected in thermodynamic ideas and methods of analysis; they are said to mirror energy transformations within society. The concept of ‘exergy’, which follows from the second law of thermodynamics, is viewed as providing the basis of a tool for resource and/or emissions accounting. It is also seen as indicating natural limits on the attainment of sustainability. The more traditional use of the exergy method is illustrated by a number of cases drawn from the United Kingdom energy sector: electricity generation, combined heat and power schemes, and energy productivity in industry. This indicates the scope for increasing energy efficiency, and the extent of exergetic ‘improvement potential’, in each of these areas. Poor thermodynamic performance is principally the result of exergy losses in combustion and heat transfer processes. However, the application of such thermodynamic ideas outside the sphere of engineering is not without its critics. The link between the efficiency of resource utilization, pollutant emissions and ‘exergy consumption’ is real, but not direct. Methods of energy and exergy analysis are therefore employed to critically evaluate thermodynamic concepts as measures of sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Geoffrey P. Hammond, 2004. "Engineering Sustainability: Thermodynamics, Energy Systems and the Environment," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Adrian Winnett (ed.), Towards an Environment Research Agenda, chapter 8, pages 175-210, Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-55442-9_8
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230554429_8
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Ediger, Volkan S. & Hosgor, Enes & Surmeli, A. Nesen & Tatlidil, Huseyin, 2007. "Fossil fuel sustainability index: An application of resource management," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2969-2977, May.
    2. Allen, S.R. & Hammond, G.P., 2010. "Thermodynamic and carbon analyses of micro-generators for UK households," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2223-2234.
    3. McKenna, R. & Bertsch, V. & Mainzer, K. & Fichtner, W., 2018. "Combining local preferences with multi-criteria decision analysis and linear optimization to develop feasible energy concepts in small communities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 268(3), pages 1092-1110.
    4. Carolino, Cristina Guedes & Medeiros Ferreira, João Paulo, 2013. "First and second law analyses to an energetic valorization process of biogas," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 58-64.
    5. Lucia, Umberto, 2013. "Entropy and exergy in irreversible renewable energy systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 559-564.
    6. Lucia, Umberto, 2014. "Overview on fuel cells," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 164-169.
    7. Dyer, Caroline H. & Hammond, Geoffrey P. & Jones, Craig I. & McKenna, Russell C., 2008. "Enabling technologies for industrial energy demand management," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(12), pages 4434-4443, December.
    8. Teijo Palander & Hanna Haavikko & Emma Kortelainen & Kalle Kärhä, 2020. "Comparison of Energy Efficiency Indicators of Road Transportation for Modeling Environmental Sustainability in “Green” Circular Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-22, March.
    9. John Bryant, 2008. "Thermodynamics and the Economic Process," Working Papers ten62008, Economic Consultancy, Vocat International.
    10. Rajabi Hamedani, Sara & Villarini, Mauro & Marcantonio, Vera & di Matteo, Umberto & Monarca, Danilo & Colantoni, Andrea, 2023. "Comparative energy and environmental analysis of different small-scale biomass-fueled CCHP systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PD).
    11. Hammond, Geoffrey P. & Owen, Rachel E. & Rathbone, Richard R., 2020. "Indicative energy technology assessment of hydrogen processing from biogenic municipal waste," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 274(C).
    12. El-Shafie, Mostafa & Kambara, Shinji & Hayakawa, Yukio & Hussien, A.A., 2021. "Integration between energy and exergy analyses to assess the performance of furnace regenerative and ammonia decomposition systems," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 232-243.
    13. Geoffrey P. Hammond, 2006. "‘People, planet and prosperity’: The determinants of humanity's environmental footprint," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(1), pages 27-36, February.
    14. John Bryant, 2007. "A Thermodynamic Theory of Economics," Working Papers tefprv2007, Economic Consultancy, Vocat International.
    15. Müller, Matthias Otto & Stämpfli, Adrian & Dold, Ursula & Hammer, Thomas, 2011. "Energy autarky: A conceptual framework for sustainable regional development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 5800-5810, October.
    16. Hakawati, Rawan & Smyth, Beatrice M. & McCullough, Geoffrey & De Rosa, Fabio & Rooney, David, 2017. "What is the most energy efficient route for biogas utilization: Heat, electricity or transport?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1076-1087.
    17. Hammond, Geoffrey P., 2009. "Industrial energy analysis, thermodynamics and sustainability," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(7-8), pages 675-700, July.
    18. Chen, Shaoqing & Chen, Bin, 2014. "Energy efficiency and sustainability of complex biogas systems: A 3-level emergetic evaluation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 151-163.
    19. Marc A. Rosen, 2012. "Engineering Sustainability: A Technical Approach to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(9), pages 1-23, September.
    20. Dincer, Ibrahim & Zamfirescu, Calin, 2012. "Potential options to greenize energy systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 5-15.
    21. Gasparatos, Alexandros & El-Haram, Mohamed & Horner, Malcolm, 2009. "Assessing the sustainability of the UK society using thermodynamic concepts: Part 1," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1074-1081, June.
    22. Geoffrey P Hammond & Hayley R Howard & Andrew Tuck, 2012. "Risk assessment of UK biofuel developments within the rapidly evolving energy and transport sectors," Journal of Risk and Reliability, , vol. 226(5), pages 526-548, October.
    23. Marc A. Rosen, 2013. "Engineering and Sustainability: Attitudes and Actions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-15, January.
    24. Gasparatos, Alexandros & El-Haram, Mohamed & Horner, Malcolm, 2009. "A longitudinal analysis of the UK transport sector, 1970-2010," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 623-632, February.
    25. Nuno Quental & Júlia Lourenço & Fernando da Silva, 2011. "Sustainability: characteristics and scientific roots," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 13(2), pages 257-276, April.

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