Marc A. Rosen, Ibrahim Dincer
& Mehmet Kanoglu talk with ScienceWatch.com
and answer a few questions about this month's Fast Breaking
Paper in the field of Social Sciences,
general.
Article Title: Role of exergy in increasing
efficiency and sustainability and reducing environmental
impact
Authors: Rosen,
MA;Dincer, I;Kanoglu, M
Journal: ENERG POLICY, Volume: 36, Issue: 1, Page: 128-137,
Year: JAN 2008
* Univ Gaziantep, Dept Mech Engn, TR-27310 Gaziantep,
Turkey.
* Univ Gaziantep, Dept Mech Engn, TR-27310 Gaziantep,
Turkey.
* Univ Ontario, Inst Technol, Fac Engn & Appl Sci,
Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
The paper describes how exergy methods, which are based on the
second law of thermodynamics, can be used successfully in increasing
efficiency and reducing environmental impact.
With the ever-increasing concern over global warming and the negative
effects of fossil fuel use, this method can provide a means to tackle this
problem in a scientifically sound manner. This ability was demonstrated in
the paper in a way that can be understood by people in non-technical (i.e.,
social) fields as well as by scientists and engineers.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
Coauthor
Ibrahim Dincer
Coauthor
Mehmet Kanoglu
In the paper, a new sustainability index is developed as a measure of how
exergy efficiency affects sustainable development. It was shown that as
exergy efficiency approaches 100%, emissions are minimized and the
sustainability index approaches infinity (i.e., the use of resource becomes
sustainable).
Would you summarize the significance of your paper in
layman's terms?
The reported work aims at providing a tool for understanding facets of
sustainability, which complements other such techniques, in hopes that it
can help bring human activity nearer to being sustainable now and in the
future.
How did you become involved in this research, and were
there any problems along the way?
Mehmet Kanoglu:
I was involved in this research during my sabbatical stay in 2006-2007 at
the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada, where I was
hosted by Professors Marc Rosen and Ibrahim Dincer. This was a great
experience for me, which also proved to be a very productive period in
terms of research. We worked as a perfectly coordinated team during this
research, allowing much progress to be made in a short period of time.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
Mehmet Kanoglu:
I continue to do research in various fields of advanced energy systems
including the use of exergy methods for efficiency improvements of energy
conversion systems. The feasible and effective use of renewable energy
sources in a possible future hydrogen economy, energy efficiency
improvements, and energy savings are some of the other topics on which my
research may concentrate in the future. Presenting the outcomes of my
research with co-workers in various media to tackle environmental and
social problems is something I value deeply, and I hope to do more of this
in the future.
Do you foresee any social or political implications for
your research?
The results of our research in this paper suggest that exergy should be
utilized by engineers and scientists, as well as by decision and policy
makers who are involved in green energy technologies, in tandem with other
objectives and constraints. We believe that in the future, exergy methods
will be used more commonly by politicians and other people in non-technical
fields.
This will only be possible if we develop and formulize better and more
straightforward methods derived from exergy suitable for use by other
people. This paper was an example of one approach to this goal, and
suggests that we will see social and political implications of this and
similar studies in the future.
Marc A. Rosen, Ph.D.
Professor
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Web
Ibrahim Dincer, Ph.D.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT)
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Web |
Web
Mehmet Kanoglu,
Ph.D. Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Gaziantep
Gaziantep,
Turkey Web|Web
KEYWORDS: ENERGY; EMISSIONS.
Related information:
IBRAHIM
DINCER - from the
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Prof. Dincer discusses how the use of exergy combines
the conservation of mass and conservation of energy
principles together with the second law of
thermodynamics for the design, analysis, and
performance improvement of energy systems.
Read the complete Emerging
Research Fronts comment, Aug. 2007 (podcast added
Dec. 2007).
Listen:
MP3 ¦
WMA