The decarbonisation of the energy sector is probably one of the main worldwide challenges of the future. Global changes urge a radical transformation and improvement of the energy-producing systems to meet the decarbonisation targets and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The hydrocarbon industry also contributes to this transition path. In a mature stage of oil and gas fields, the production of hydrocarbons is associated with formation waters. The volume of produced water increases with the maturity of the assets and the conversion into geothermal wells could be an alternative to the mining closure. In the described transition scenario, the geothermal energy seems very promising because of its wide range of applications depending onthe temperature of extracted fluids. This flexibility enables to propose projects inspired to a circular economy vision with the integration in the territory and social acceptance. In Italy, since 1985, 7246 well has been drilled for hydrocarbonof which 898 are located on-shorewith a productive or potentially productive operational status. The paper presents a preliminary investigation on oil and gas fields located on shore in Italian territory based on the available informationon temperature distribution at different depth. Then, taking into account the local energy demand, existing infrastructure, and land use of the territory, a conversion strategy for the producing wells has been proposed for three case studies.

This paper presents a critical and analytical description of an ongoing research program aimed at the implementation of an expert system capable of monitoring, through an Intelligent Health Control procedure, the instantaneous performance of a cogeneration plant. The expert system is implemented in CLIPS environment and is denominated PROMISE as the acronym for PROgnostic and Intelligent Monitoring Expert System, generates, in real time and in a form directly useful to the plant manager, information on the existence and severity of faults, forecasts on the future time history of both detected and likely faults, and suggestions on how to control the problem.

The expert procedure, working where and if necessary with the support of a process simulator, derives from real-time data a list of selected performance indicators for each plant component. For a set of faults, pre-defined with the help of the plant operator, proper rules are defined in order to establish whether the component is working correctly; in several instances, since one single failure (symptom) can originate from more than one fault (cause), complex sets of rules expressing the combination of multiple indices have been introduced in the knowledge base as well.

Creeping faults are detected by analyzing the trend of the variation of an indicator in a pre-assigned interval of time. Whenever the value of this ‘‘discrete time derivative’’ becomes ‘‘high’’ with respect to a specified limit value, a ‘‘latent creeping fault’’ condition is prognosticated.

The expert system architecture is based on an object-oriented paradigm. The knowledge base (facts and rules) is clustered: the chunks of knowledge pertain to individual components. A graphic user interface (GUI) allows the user to interrogate PROMISE about its rules, procedures, classes and objects, and about its inference path. The paper also presents the results of some simulation tests.

Like several other countries worldwide, the federal state of Belgium has decided on a phase-out of its nuclear reactor fleet. In Belgium these assets provide up to 40% of the total electrical energy production and generate the bulk of the baseload profile. With a phase-out timeframe of only five years, this presents the Belgian energy systems with sizeable challenges. The phase-out is especially challenging for industrial processes, for which a reliable and economic source of baseload power is paramount. In the light of ever more pressing environmental concerns, the carbon footprint of this energy source also has to be as low as possible.

In this paper we investigate the potential of generating baseload power in situ through cogeneration methods such as combined heat and power or gas turbine plants, in combination with renewable energy sources. Specifically, we look at clustering energy use and production on the level of an industrial business park or cluster considering both electrical and thermal energy.

First we discuss the potential for energy synergies on business clusters. In the Interreg 2 Seas project ‘Business clusters Integrated Sustainable Energy PackageS (BISEPS)’ we have catalogued the energy use of many industrial sites throughout Western-Europe. An overview of these results is presented.

Next we discuss the design and results of the Renewable Energy Area Collaboration Tool (REACT), which we have created to map and calculate potential energy synergies on the level of a business cluster. We show that the optimization potential of a combined energy use profile is most often larger than the gains that can be achieved by optimising individual profiles. This is especially true for heat production, which is traditionally generated with fossil fuel individually for each company on the cluster.

In the following step, we match the production profiles of renewable energy sources and cogeneration sources to the combined electrical and heat consumption profiles. We show that the carbon footprint of the business cluster can actually be reduced this way, while still providing the same level of reliability and affordability of the current situation.

In a final paragraph we take a look at the viability of partly replacing nuclear power with in situ cogeneration methods, and formulate policy recommendations to advance on this goal. With the relatively short lead time constructing these assets and their mitigating effect on the total carbon footprint, they might provide part of the solution for a nuclear phase-out in Belgium but also other countries.

The Solar Receiver is a critical component of concentrated solar power technology; it works as a heat exchanger, transforming the concentrated solar radiation into high-temperature heat. Volumetric receiver technology, using air as heat transfer fluid, are designed to reach higher temperatures than the current receiver technology, which is limited by material resistance and fluid instability. The higher temperature, up to 1200K, could be used in high-temperature industrial processes or a high-temperature thermodynamic cycle. A correct radiation propagation is essential to develop their performances, reducing reflection and emission losses and promoting the heat transfer to the fluid. In this study, the optical behaviour of Hierarchical Volumetric Receiver (HVR) developed in FBK has been studied using Monte-Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) simulations. The simulations have been validated in an experimental setup that evaluates the light transmissivity of the HVR porous structure. Two different HVR structures are evaluated with MCRT simulations that use a real solar dish geometry to configure a complete CSP plant. Results show that frontal and rear losses are, respectively, 12% and 3% of the incoming concentrated radiation. Inside the HVR, 15% of the incoming power is propagated trough the lateral void spaces. Therefore, the power spreading avoids the overconcentration of the centre of the focalized area. The HVR optical behaviour has been investigated, showing an optical efficiency of 85%.

The aim of the research is to test the feasibility of a prototype of a newly designed thermal engine for a hybrid propulsion vehicle. The study consists of the implementation of an innovative supercharger for city car ICE (900cc). The preliminary proposal presented here is to mechanically disconnect the compressor/turbine device, supporting the rotation of the compressor with a dedicated electric motor and connecting a turbine to a generator. Mechanical decoupling will allow both machines to be designed for operating closer to their maximum performance point, for most of the expected real field of operation. Specifically, the turbine is likely to have a slightly lower rotation speed than the original group and will therefore be slightly larger in size. The advantage is that, while in the current supercharger groups the surplus at high regimes is discharged through the waste-gate valve without expanding in a turbine, in the configuration proposed all the energy of the combustible gases is used by the turbine to generate electrical power that can be used where required. Once the motorization of the vehicle (999 cc) has been fixed, the two turbomachines will have to be studied and designed, looking where possible, for commercial components. Finally, a CFD will be needed to verify the validity of the choice, followed by careful experimentation campaigns.