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The editorial of Thermal Engineering of this issue continues the discussion on scientific research needs in vital areas in which thermal engineering has important participation. The main goal is to motivate the readers, within their specialties, to identify possible subjects for their future research.

As energy demand is directly related to the level of development of a nation and the technological advances that make our living more comfortable and convenient, scientists face the challenge of finding the optimal point between maximum efficiency in energy generation and lower cost of its production. The alternatives for fossil fuel use are often more expensive and still in some cases not efficient enough to be competitive. Exergoeconomic analysis is a useful tool to determine the feasibility of a new proposed technology. Experimentally validated scientific theories can face challenges when applied on a large scale. Hydrogen can be produced by different well-known processes that are largely used in industry nowadays. However, those processes need improvement if hydrogen is to be mass produced for transportation. Production, storage and transport of hydrogen bring in themselves not scientific but technological challenges. Forest residues can be used as fuel for power generation systems operating under Rankine cycle. The exhaust gases of this process have the potential to be nutrients for microalgae cultivation for biomass production. From the scientific point of view, hydrogen and power generation, usage of forest residue, biomass production, carbon dioxide biofixation can all be combined in a single process and contribute to a shift of the energetic matrix of a community. Nonetheless, technological challenges must be overcome to make that process efficient and economically feasible. Primary results from experimentation validating mathematical models derived from first principles are a start for optimization studies that will lead to broad application and design of competitive alternatives of the current power generation processes.

The mission of Thermal Engineering is to document the scientific progress in areas related to thermal engineering (e.g., energy, oil and renewable fuels). We are confident that we will continue to receive articles’ submissions that contribute to the progress of science.

 

Lauber de Souza Martins, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Physics
AdventHealth University, United States