Engineering Headway Vol. 26

Abstract: Sustainable development in underprivileged zones is still a global challenge owing to trade-offs between improvement and preservation. Sustainability is crucial for creating a sustainable environment that can support future generations. This paper provides an in-depth review of the concept and explores strategies to achieve sustainability. It emphasizes the importance of adopting multidisciplinary research approaches and highlights vital areas. This paper introduces the importance of sustainable practices to create a better future for our planet. The present study highlights clean mobility technologies, sustainability evaluation, and pathways and policies for transitioning energy markets that show how we can maintain and improve the environment by adopting sustainable practices.

Abstract: Ion thrusters have established themselves as a reliable and effective replacement for traditional propulsion systems. Even though they create a significantly less thrust than chemical propulsion systems, ion thrusters may readily compete because of their extremely high specific impulse output and very low fuel consumption. The system is applicable to a wide range of mission requirements, including multi-goal missions, orbit and attitude controlling, and orbit station keeping for geostationary satellites. Even though chemical propulsion is a poor choice for deep space missions, ion thrusters are enabling missions to travel ten times farther into deep space. The aim of this paper is to provides a concise overview of electric propulsion technologies, concentrating on the development and functionality of the Ion Thruster. Keywords: Plasma thruster, Propellent, Plasma Physics

Abstract: The technological improvement of agricultural equipment and tools is a continuous process. The past three industrial revolutions have changed the agriculture sector from conventional farming to technology-based farming. In the digital era, the fourth agriculture revolution is expected to transform the Indian agriculture industry with the efficient use of digital technology and applications. This paper presents a review of the current state of Indian agriculture and the agricultural revolution that has taken place recently. A review of Industry 4.0 was conducted for deep understanding of the context and provide an account of industry 4.0 applications in agriculture sector and challenges pertaining to adoption of industry 4.0 with opportunities and challenges for research in this area.

Abstract: The study emphasizes the interconnectedness of a healthy economy, equitable societies, environmental well-being, and the path towards sustainable development. While current sustainability assessments acknowledge ecological, social, and economic factors, they frequently miss the mark on space pollution and its related metrics. Space sustainability, envisioned as the peaceful and equitable access to and utilization of outer space, and is portrayed as a multi-faceted concept requiring consideration of various aspects to ensure responsible space conduct. Specifically, space debris in Earth's orbit poses a formidable challenge to achieving sustainable space activities, yet this critical dimension continues to be understudied within the broader sustainability framework. The study aims to fill this research gap by identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for evaluating product sustainability, emphasizing a comprehensive understanding across terrestrial and extraterrestrial dimensions. It advocates for integrating space-related factors into sustainability assessments, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach that spans both Earth's immediate environment and the broader universe. The proposed space-related KPIs aim to address unique challenges and opportunities associated with space activities. This study pushes the boundaries of sustainability, calling for a comprehensive approach that connects earthly principles with the vast reality of space. It emphasizes the need for responsible practices both on Earth and in orbit, highlighting the growing risks associated with space debris and advocating for effective space management strategies. For businesses, the study signifies a paradigm shift – challenging them to consider the impact of their activities on space sustainability by integrating the 'Dimension of Space' and its associated indicators into their sustainability frameworks. This holistic approach is critical for cultivating responsible space practices, ensuring the long-term viability of space exploration, and safeguarding our shared orbital commons for future generations. Keywords: Space Industry, Sustainable Practices, Space Product Eco-labeling and Certification, Mitigation Strategies, Pollution Reduction, Resource Recovery and Recycling.

Abstract: Lubricants are substances that minimize wear and friction for optimal performance and lower the likelihood of malfunctions. Over 95% of lubricants used today are made of non-renewable petroleum, which is being depleted and emitting emissions that are bad for the environment and people's health. The greatest substitutes are biolubricants, whose primary sources include edible and inedible oils that are generated from lipids and carbohydrates found in various animals, plants, and microbe sources, with the exception of Algae. An eco-friendly and sustainable resource for green lubricants, microalgae oil is vital to the lubricant business. Microalgae are photoautotrophs, meaning they grow quickly and can be grown multiple times a year with less energy needed. Because microalgae do not require agricultural land or climatic conditions to develop, they may also be produced in wastewater and saltwater. As a result, their production costs are also lower. Microalgae has exceptional chemical compositions, including significant levels of lipids, hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, and gelling properties. Microalgae are suitable for lubrication because they contain high amounts of saturated, mono-unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which give algae their good tribological, physiochemical, and rheological qualities and minimize friction. Molecular weight, viscosity, oxidation stability, thickening behaviors, friction coefficient, antiwear, antiseizure, thermal stability & characteristics, crystallinity, and rheology of polysaccharides as sustainable green lubricant are all covered in this review study about the lubricating properties of microalgae oil.

Abstract: Mineral oil-based lubricants have increased concerns regarding environmental damage, creating an increasing trend of promoting biolubricants based on either vegetable oil or animal oil. The presented work used Apricot kernel oil (Prunus armeniaca) as a base oil to synthesize biolubricant through a chemical process named Transesterification. The presented work has two parts: Tribological analysis of blends of Biolubricant and 15W40 oil on a High Temperature Tribometer with Ball-on-Disc configuration under different Temperature conditions; and performance analysis of prepared biolubricant in the field of Journal Bearing. Also, the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was conducted to determine the organic components present in the prepared biolubricant. The performance of biolubricant is compared with the commercially available 15W40 oil. From the experimental results of tribometer, it is found that an optimal blend of both the lubricants provides better tribological performance compared to individual content of the blend. Also, from the results of Journal bearing test rig, it is observed that the maximum pressure and load carrying capacity of prepared biolubricant increases with the increase in journal speed.

Abstract: Humanity has been compelled to contemplate numerous alternative fuels because of the ever-increasing demand and cost of petroleum-based products. Numerous experimental studies on alternative fuels in diesel engines have been conducted in order to decrease emissions and improve performance of CI diesel engines. A major respondent in the alternative fuels industry at the moment is bio-diesel, which can be employed in any diesel engine. The use of nanoadditives to diesel-biodiesel fuel mixes has further shown notable outcomes. They improved the qualities of biofuel, which resulted in better efficiency and a significant drop in emissions. The emphasis of the current work is on the impact of bio-diesel nanoadditions on efficiency and emission levels of CI engines. The paper aims to review the use of metal oxide nanoadditives and the growing utilization of hybrid nanoadditives. nanoadditives like Al₂O₃, CeO₂, graphene oxide, TiO₂ and recent works in hybrid additives have been discussed. It is found that emissions of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide have been significantly decreased, which allowed diesel engines to operate at their full potential.

Abstract: In this work, minimum energy consumption is found for industrial Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination system using Cerci and Gibbs free energy approaches. The RO plant uses groundwater of salinities, 800-1000 ppm and produces purified water, having zero salinity. The properties of incoming water are modelled as ideal solution of salt and water. For Cerci approach, input parameters are, salinities of incoming and outgoing water, recovery ratio. The dataset reported in literature is used and mathematical model developed in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) is validated with published results. Minimum separation work is found for incoming water, having salinities, 800-1000 ppm and recovery ratios from 0.2-0.95. In Gibbs free energy approach, input parameters are, salinity, density, molarity and temperature. A mathematical model is developed in EES, dataset reported in literature is used and model is validated with published results. In Gibbs free energy approach, minimum energy consumption is found using input parameters collected from plant, also with temperature variation, 15-55°C. The results indicate that minimum energy consumption increases with increase in salinity of incoming water, decrease in salinity of outgoing water, increase in recovery ratio and increases with increase in temperature of incoming water. Hence, temperature of incoming water may be kept low to save energy. Keywords: Reverse osmosis desalination, energy analysis, minimum energy consumption. ^*Corresponding author: gaurav.dst@gmail.com

Abstract: This study compares the performance of a vapor compression refrigeration system (VCRS) with an integrated mechanical subcooled vapor compression refrigeration system (IMS-VCRS) in water-cooled centrifugal chillers. Specifically, this study uses four different refrigerants R134a, R450a, R513a, and R515a. A mathematical model of IMS-VCRS is developed to determine the performance parameters at a fixed cooling capacity of 1750 kW. This study investigates that the energy consumption of an IMS-VCRS is reduced by 11.36% for R134a, 11.98% for R450a, 13.36% for R513a, and 11.89% for R515a. The mechanical subcooled system's COP is increased by 12.84% for R134a, 13.59% for R450a, 15.40% for R513a, and 13.48% for R515a due to the low power requirement. In addition, exergetic analysis is also used to determine the system's second law efficiencies, which in this study improved by 11.25%, 11.84%, 13.41%, and 11.77% for R134a, R450a, R513a, and R515a respectively. Furthermore, parametric analyses were performed to investigate the effects of various system parameters such as evaporator and condenser temperatures.