Algerian Journal of Research and Technology (AJRT)

Design and realization of a Small-Scale Horizontal Wind Turbine with a Novel Blade Configuration

A. Adjlout, O. Ladjedel, O. Imine, L. Adjlout — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study presents the design and the realization of a small-scale horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) featuring a novel blade configuration aimed at rural electricity generation. The new blade design was derived from a 200 mm diameter PVC tube with a 3 mm wall thickness. Each of the three blades has a circular camber section with a 25° twist angle between the root and the tip, where the local pitch angle equals zero. The turbine, with a rotor radius of 1295 mm, was mounted on a conical hub and tested under real wind conditions.

The prototype was developed to validate previous numerical simulations that demonstrated good aerodynamic performance compared to conventional blade geometries. Although no precise measurement instruments were available, visual observations confirmed stable operation and effective wind energy capture. The numerical investigation, based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with a realizable k–ε turbulence model, predicted a maximum power coefficient (Cp) of 0.344 — slightly higher than similar configurations reported in the literature. This experimental implementation highlights the feasibility of low-cost fabrication using PVC material while maintaining satisfactory aerodynamic efficiency for different applications.

Integrated Structural, Petrophysical, and Petrographic Characterization of the Chinguetti Field, Mauritanian Coastal Basin

Bah dahmane, L. Aliouane — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Chinguetti Oil Field located offshore North West Africa, represents a structurally complex hydrocarbon system developed over a salt-cured diapir and strongly influenced by fault-driven compartmentalization. The field is a faulted domal anticline developed above an underlying salt diapir within the deepwater Mauritanian Basin. The structure is defined as a faulted domal anticline, dominated by a major east–west trending normal fault with significant throw, accompanied by radial faulting related to halo kinetic activity. These structural elements subdivide the field into distinct compartments, as evidenced by variations in fluid contacts and pressure behavior between wells. Fault seal analysis indicates that only faults with sufficient displacement contribute to effective compartmentalization, whereas smaller-scale and sub seismic faults may significantly influence fluid flow behavior. Hydrocarbon charge is linked to Cenomanian–Turonian source rocks, with migration facilitated by vertical pathways along salt domes. This study integrates 3D seismic sections with petrophysical well logs and petrography SWC data to constrain the geological framework, identify potential reservoir targets, and evaluate reservoir quality alongside the associated uncertainty and architectural complexity. The study integrates Posts TM seismic data, well-log interpretation, petrophysical analysis, and core-based petrography to characterize the structural and reservoir framework of the Chinguetti Field. Shale volume, porosity, hydrocarbon saturation, and net-to-gross were evaluated from well logs, while SWC and MSCT samples were analyzed using thin-section petrography, SEM, XRD, and grain-size analysis. The integrated workflow assesses reservoir compartmentalization, permeability uncertainty, and the influence of structural and depositional heterogeneity on reservoir quality and connectivity.

Study of Wastewater Filtrate Properties from Melon Husk Bio-sorbents

Naomi Ogolo, Tamunotonjo Obomanu, Iniobong Akwayo — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Industrial wastewater is a major source of water pollution when discharged in marine habitats without adequate treatment. Chemical treatment of wastewater is expensive, demanding other alternative sources especially from waste materials. In this study, the feasibility of using melon husk (MH) and melon husk bio-char (MHB) to improve the properties of oilfield produced water (OFPW) was investigated. The OFPW was contacted with the MH and MHB through a fixed bed column and filtrates were collected after 30, 60, 90 and 120minutes. Properties of the OFPW were determined before and after contact with the bio-sorbents. The properties determined were pH, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), total dissolved solid (TDS) and turbidity. Generally, the MHB gave better results than the MH but the TDS were high. Further tests that were thus conducted on the OFPW and only on the MHB filtrate after 120minutes of contact time include biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), dissolved oxygen (DO) and concentrations of three heavy metals; cadmium, lead and nickel. Results showed that MHB contains the three heavy metals considered and as such could not reduce their concentrations in the wastewater but it was efficient in drastically reducing the BOD of the OFPW. The MHB failed to reduce the COD and TOC of the wastewater because the TDS was high since the bio-char introduced more dissolved chemicals into the OFPW. Hence, MHB should be used with caution for wastewater treatment but is recommended for elimination of physical pollutants from wastewater.

Numerical Investigation of the Hydrodynamic Performance of the Duisburg Test Case Propeller Using RANS-Based CFD Simulations

Z. Elkhaldi, A. Hedd, L. Adjlout, O. Imine — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This study presents a numerical investigation of the hydrodynamic performance of the Duisburg Test Case (DTC) propeller using a Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)-based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach. The propeller geometry was reconstructed and discretized using a structured computational mesh, and the simulations were performed using the ANSYS CFX solver with the k−ω SST turbulence model and the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) approach. The open-water performance was evaluated over a range of advance coefficients from J = 0.1 to 1.0, and the predicted thrust coefficient, torque coefficient, and open-water efficiency were compared with available experimental data. The numerical results reproduced the main trends of the experimental propeller characteristics, although noticeable differences were observed at several operating conditions. The mean absolute deviations were approximately 15.9% for K_T, 13.5% for 10K_Q, and 12.7% for η₀. In addition, pressure distributions on the blade surfaces, pressure coefficient distributions at r/R=0.7, and the downstream wake structure were analyzed to characterize the propeller flow field. The results provide an assessment of the capability of the adopted RANS-based CFD approach to reproduce the principal hydrodynamic characteristics of the DTC propeller.

Simulation of the Production of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Flare Gas Using Aspen HYSYS: A Critical Review

Princess Lucky LeeLee, Emeka Okafor — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Routine gas flaring remains both an environmental burden and a loss of potentially marketable energy. This review critically evaluates the use of Aspen HYSYS and related process-simulation approaches for converting flare gas to liquefied natural gas (LNG), with emphasis on the complete process chain rather than on isolated recovery units. A structured literature review was organized around five technical themes: flare-gas feed variability and pretreatment, thermodynamic-model selection, liquefaction-cycle configuration, energy and exergy performance, and techno-economic/environmental assessment. The evidence shows that the technical feasibility of flare-gas liquefaction depends strongly on removal of CO₂, H₂S, water and heavy hydrocarbons before cryogenic cooling; appropriate representation of hydrocarbon phase behavior, commonly with the Peng–Robinson equation of state; and careful matching of refrigerant composition, pressure levels and heat-exchanger temperature profiles. Single mixed-refrigerant/PRICO configurations are attractive for small-scale applications because of their relative simplicity, whereas cascade and pre-cooled mixed-refrigerant systems can offer improved thermodynamic performance at the cost of greater process complexity. Across the reviewed literature, compressor power and cryogenic heat-exchanger performance emerge as dominant optimization targets. However, direct studies integrating real flare-gas variability, complete pretreatment, LNG liquefaction, dynamic operation, exergy analysis, emissions quantification and economic optimization in one Aspen HYSYS framework remain limited. The review therefore proposes a research framework in which feed characterization, pretreatment, liquefaction, nitrogen/heavy-component management, energy optimization, dynamic validation and sustainability assessment are treated as an integrated problem. This synthesis clarifies the specific contribution that future Aspen HYSYS studies should make beyond simply reproducing conventional natural-gas liquefaction flow sheets.