Journal of The Energy Institute最新文献

{"title":"Effects of fuel oxidation on the emission characteristics and formation mechanism of aldehydes from biodiesel combustion: Experimental and simulation analysis","authors":"Jinrui Guo ,&nbsp;Yaozong Duan ,&nbsp;Fashe Li ,&nbsp;Huicong Zhang ,&nbsp;Fangguan Tan ,&nbsp;Xinhua Qian ,&nbsp;Hua Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102289","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102289","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, the emission characteristics and formation mechanisms of aldehydes from biodiesel combustion, both before and after oxidation, are comprehensively investigated through Bunsen burner experiments coupled with Chemkin and Gaussian software simulations. The results reveal that the aldehyde concentration initially decreases, then increases, and eventually decreases again as the oxidation time of the original biodiesel increases. During the first 0–6 h of biodiesel oxidation, its overall saturation increases, while the aldehyde generation potential decreases. After 8 h, oxidation products with low bond dissociation energy (BDE) and multiple double bonds readily dissociate into aldehyde intermediates, such as CH₃O, CH₂CHO, and C₄H₆. This causes an increase in the concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde by 120.2 % and 188.3 %, respectively. Between 10 and 12 h, the oxidation products undergo transformation, significantly reducing aldehyde emissions. As the overall carbon chain length of biodiesel shortens, combustion accelerates, and the aldehyde peaks rise more rapidly, appearing earlier. The lowest BDE values, both before and after biodiesel oxidation, are concentrated near the ester group and C=C bond. The oxidation product methyl alpha-eleostearate exhibits the lowest BDE of 315.67 kJ/mol. The formation of oxidation products of biodiesel like methyl alpha-eleostearate leads to incomplete combustion, with aldehyde emissions increasing by 9.5–183.2 %. This is due to the electron-withdrawing, electronegative, and resonance effects of the double bonds, which lower the energy required for H-abstraction and β-decomposition reactions during aldehyde formation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102289"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High value olefins from polypropylene by in situ catalytic pyrolysis","authors":"Kaiwen Yun ,&nbsp;Xixi Lian ,&nbsp;Shuxiao Wang ,&nbsp;Rui Shan ,&nbsp;Haoran Yuan ,&nbsp;Yong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102279","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102279","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of low-cost, renewable catalysts for catalyzing the pyrolysis of waste plastics to enable selective upgrading and recycling remains a major challenge. This study reports a novel biochar-loaded calcium-based catalyst that demonstrates excellent olefin selectivity and catalytic efficiency in situ pyrolysis of polypropylene, outperforming traditional catalysts in catalytic performance. The reaction was performed using an in-house developed carbon-based calcium catalyst, which was characterized and examined using a variety of analytical test methods. The effects of catalyst calcium metal loading, feedstock/catalyst ratio and reaction temperature on pyrolysis oil yield and olefin content were investigated. The results showed that olefins and cycloalkanes were the main components of pyrolysis oil in the catalytic pyrolysis experiments, with carbon number distribution between C₁₃ and C₂₅. Under optimal conditions (480 °C, 25 % Ca loading, feedstock/catalyst ratio of 1:0.2), a maximum pyrolysis oil yield of 93.75 % (0.91 g/g_pp) was achieved, with an olefin content of 58.87 % (0.55 g/g_pp). The high dispersion of Ca²⁺ species on the porous biochar support was found to synergistically promote C–C bond cleavage while suppressing coke formation via pore confinement and radical stabilization mechanisms. This work offers a promising strategy for the sustainable production of high-quality oils from plastic waste.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102279"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145044193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic Cu+/Cu0 optimization via reduction-induced activation for water-gas shift reaction over Cu/Fe3O4 catalyst","authors":"Yanxin Jia ,&nbsp;Jinpeng Zhang ,&nbsp;Yuxin Liu ,&nbsp;Jieying Jing ,&nbsp;Wen-Ying Li","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102288","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102288","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cu/Fe₃O₄ catalysts have excellent water-gas shift (WGS) reaction activity, which served as a replacement for toxic Fe-Cr HTS catalysts. In this study, a reduction-induced activation strategy was applied to synthesize Cu/Fe₃O₄ catalysts with controlled generation of Cu⁺ and Cu⁰ species. Systematic investigations demonstrated that increasing the reduction temperature from 250 to 400 °C not only raised the Cu⁺/(Cu⁰+Cu⁺) ratio but also reduced Cu nanoparticle size highly, thereby synergistically enhancing CO and H₂O adsorption-activation kinetics. The optimized Cu/Fe₃O₄ catalyst, reduced at 300 °C, exhibited outstanding WGS reaction activity, gaining a CO conversion of 93.9 % at 340 °C, which outperformed the reported commercial Fe-Cr catalysts. This superior performance can be attributed to a well-balanced Cu⁺/(Cu⁰+Cu⁺) ratio (45.0 %) and a refined nanostructure, characterized by ultrasmall Cu (9.29 nm) and Cu₂O (6.16 nm) nanoparticles. It was clarified that the optimal adsorption activation sites for CO and H₂O were at the Cu⁺ and Cu⁰ sites, respectively. What's more, synergistic effect of Cu⁺-Cu⁰ sites significantly accelerated the process of WGS reaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102288"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metal organic frameworks catalytic co-pyrolysis mechanism of waste wood and rubber for oil preparation","authors":"Xinxing Zhou,&nbsp;Ziyang Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102285","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102285","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pyrolysis oil of waste wood exists high viscosity, poor stability, low calorific value, and low H/C ratio. <strong>The co-pyrolysis oil derived from waste wood and rubber overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks, with metal-organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs, Mg-MOFs, and Co-MOFs) serving as effective catalysts for enhancing this process.</strong> MOFs catalytic co-pyrolysis mechanism of waste wood and rubber for oil production were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Gas Chromatograph-Mass spectrograph (GC-MS), infrared flue analyzer (IFA), Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and molecular simulation. <strong>The highest oil yield (52.5 %) was achieved with the addition of Mg-MOFs. Furthermore, catalyst incorporation enhanced both the H/C ratio by over 10 % and the oil yield by at least 15 %. The MOFs catalytic co-pyrolysis mechanism of waste wood and rubber for oil preparation</strong> showed that the acid sites on Ni-MOFs and Mg-MOFs and basic sites on Co-MOFs contribute to the conversion of oxygenated compounds to phenols and aromatic hydrocarbons. <strong>MOFs catalysts effectively mitigate (&gt;20 %) the release of harmful gases during co-pyrolysis, including volatile organic compounds (C₆H₆), greenhouse gases (CH₄, CO₂), water vapor (H₂O), and acidic pollutants (SO₂). Gas evolution during waste wood and rubber co-pyrolysis occurs in stages: initial dehydration releases H₂O, followed by thermal decomposition yielding CO₂, CH₄, and C₆H₆, with sulfur-containing species (SO₂) emitted last. These</strong> <strong>five</strong> <strong>compounds dominate the gaseous emission profile.</strong> This study can contribute to take full use of organic wastes and reduce the environmental pollution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102285"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ce-promoted Ni/Al2O3 catalyst for enhanced sustainable syngas production from CO2 reforming of crude glycerol","authors":"Le Kim Hoang Pham ,&nbsp;Bui Thi Thu Thao ,&nbsp;Tung M. Nguyen ,&nbsp;Nguyen Huu Hieu ,&nbsp;Thuy-Phuong T. Pham ,&nbsp;Ly Tan Nhiem ,&nbsp;Vekes Balasundram ,&nbsp;Van-Dien Dang ,&nbsp;Dai-Viet N. Vo","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102281","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102281","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dry reforming of glycerol (GDR) presents an alternative approach to syngas production by converting glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel, with CO₂. This study systematically investigated the effect of Cerium doping on Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst synthesized via the wetness sonicated-assisted impregnation method. The effect of Ce promotion was studied at 0.5–3 wt%, conducted temperatures ranging from 650 to 750 °C and glycerol to CO₂ ratios from 1:0 to 1:4 in a fixed-bed reactor. The results show that Ce doping enhances catalyst basicity and modifies surface morphology by enlarging the CeO_x–nickel aluminate pore volume and reducing NiO crystallite size, thereby facilitating the formation of a synergistic NiO–NiAl₂O₄ active phase. Consequently, the improved adsorption of CO₂ molecules enhances glycerol conversion and significantly increases CO yield. The results show that the H₂/CO ratio in the syngas ranges from 0.8 to 1.2, with values below 2 being suitable for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. Among the examined catalysts, the 1Ce10Ni/Al₂O₃ catalyst, benefiting from an improved glycerol conversion of ∼60 %, correlates with higher yields of H₂ (53 %) and CO (73 %), showing a notable 1.5 times improvement in glycerol conversion and 1.3–1.6 times greater yields of hydrogen and CO compared to the catalyst unpromoted catalyst, at reaction temperature of 700 °C. This finding underscores the substantial influence of CeOx doping on catalytic performance, highlighting the critical role of optimizing the H₂/CO ratio to achieve maximum glycerol conversion efficiency. Furthermore, the apparent glycerol activation energy decreases significantly from 60.21 kJ mol⁻¹ to 35.99 kJ mol⁻¹, demonstrating that Ce promotion contributes to the superior activity of 1Ce10Ni/Al₂O₃ compared to its unpromoted Ni/Al₂O₃. In general, the glycerol to CO₂ ratio (GCR) were the dominant parameters influencing reaction products, with the optimized GCR found to be 1:1.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102281"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145004192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compatibility of feed for hydrocracking and FCC with scrap tires and waste plastics pyrolysis oil residue","authors":"D. Schlehöfer ,&nbsp;H. Kittel ,&nbsp;A. Vráblík ,&nbsp;M. Dragoun","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102283","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102283","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In contrast to residual fractions of petroleum hydrocarbons, pyrolysis oil residues (boiling above 360 °C) from chemical waste represent an underexplored feedstock. The primary issue that will need to be addressed in their coprocessing in oil refineries by cracking technologies will be compatibility with petroleum hydrocarbons. From a variety of recommended methods, a combination of SARA group analysis, standard and digitized spot test, and optical microscopy were used to evaluate the homogeneity and compatibility of standard feed for hydrocracking and FCC with scrap tires and waste plastics pyrolysis oil distillation residue in the concentration range of 0–100 wt%. A total of 40 samples were evaluated. It has been shown that the behavior of these blends is difficult to predict, as it is highly dependent on the particular blend and the concentration of the components contained. Notably, the most significant compatibility issues were observed at low concentrations of one feed in the other—a critical insight for the coprocessing of pyrolysis oil residues. Overall, blending hydrocracking feed with waste plastics pyrolysis oil residue, and FCC feed with scrap tires pyrolysis oil residue, showed the most favorable compatibility profiles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102283"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145108686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrogen concentration effects on electron energy and hydrogen radical in atmospheric-pressure argon/hydrogen dielectric barrier discharge for bio-oil upgrading","authors":"Yan Sun (孙岩) ,&nbsp;Yadi Liu (刘亚迪) ,&nbsp;Xiaojiao Wu (武晓蛟) ,&nbsp;Yongxi Lv (吕永喜) ,&nbsp;Xiaolong Wang (王晓龙)","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102287","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102287","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The environment-friendly refinement of bio-oil enhances its compatibility with future energy needs, increasing its practical viability. Plasma-assisted hydrodeoxygenation provides a mild, green, and efficient approach for bio-oil upgrading, though its efficiency requires further enhancement. To maintain high plasma activity under mild conditions, this work focuses on effectively modulating electron energy and H radical density —critical parameters governing bio-oil conversion performance. Using a one-dimensional fluid model, we simulate an atmospheric-pressure argon/hydrogen pulsed dielectric barrier discharge, focusing on H₂ concentration effects on electron energy distribution and H radical density. Results show that the increased H₂ % drives a transition from heavy Ar ions (Ar⁺, ArH⁺) to light H ions (H₃⁺, H⁺) through specific ion-production/loss reactions, reducing effective ion mass from 40 to 3 amu. The lighter ion population elevates average electron energy by lowering sheath potential and modifying energy dissipation pathways. An optimal H₂ concentration range (1–10 %) maintains high electron energy (2.6–2.8 eV) and H density (about 10¹³ cm⁻³) essential for plasma stability and efficient bio-oil hydrodeoxygenation. This work offers fundamental theoretical insights and parametric guidelines for developing plasma-assisted bio-oil conversion toward high-quality biofuels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102287"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modification of FeOx–VOx mixed oxide catalysts with WO3 for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3","authors":"Dong Ye ,&nbsp;Li Sun ,&nbsp;Jingyi Feng ,&nbsp;Jiahui Liu ,&nbsp;Xiaoxiang Wang ,&nbsp;Kai Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing a strategy to broaden the operational temperature window of the catalysts at a high gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) can effectively minimize catalyst usage and reduce the operation cost while maintaining a satisfactory deNO_<em>x</em> efficiency. In this study, the effect of WO₃ on the physicochemical properties and catalytic performance of FeO_<em>x</em>–VO_<em>x</em> mixed oxide catalysts for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) was systematically investigated. The introduction of WO₃ significantly enhanced SCR activity at various temperature ranges. The catalyst prepared with a W/V molar ratio of 3:1 achieved optimal NO_<em>x</em> conversion efficiency (&gt;89 %) within the temperature range of 250–400 °C at a GHSV of 200,000 mL g⁻¹ h⁻¹. The WO₃ modification significantly altered the characteristics of the catalyst, thus enhancing surface acidity while simultaneously reducing oxidative capacity and specific surface area. This trade-off effectively suppressed undesirable NH₃ over-oxidation to NO_<em>x</em>, thereby improving high-temperature performance. At lower and intermediate temperatures, the enhanced NH₃ adsorption capacity—attributable to increased surface acidity—outweighed the negative effects of reduced reactant activation and weakened catalyst-reactant interactions caused by decreased oxidative capability and surface area. This synergistic effect broadened the operational temperature range. Mechanistic studies revealed that both pristine and WO₃-modified FeO_<em>x</em>–VO_<em>x</em> catalysts mainly followed the Eley-Rideal mechanism, with the dehydrogenation of adsorbed NH₃ species being the critical step. Furthermore, the FeO_<em>x</em>–VO_<em>x</em>–WO₃ ternary system exhibited strong sulfur tolerance, making it a promising material for industrial emission control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102284"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of pressure and biomass ashes addition on the steam gasification of tire char","authors":"Katarzyna Śpiewak,&nbsp;Piotr Soprych,&nbsp;Grzegorz Czerski","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102282","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102282","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work aims to assess the effect of pressure on steam gasification of tire char catalysed by 10 and 15 wt% of biomass ashes (sunflower husk, beet pulp, beech chips, corn cobs). The gasification measurements were performed in quasi-isothermal conditions (800–900 °C) at pressures of 0.5 and 1 MPa, using the thermovolumetric method. The obtained data allowed the determination of conversion degree curves, reactivity indexes, yields of the main gaseous components, and kinetic parameters of the conversion reaction. Pressure increases favour carbon-steam reaction during non-catalytic gasification of tire char, but at higher conversion degrees, the process slowed down. In turn, the combination of the influence of pressure increase and catalyst addition eliminated the slowing down effect, and resulted in higher conversion degrees and CO yields, while the H₂ yields decreased. However, the positive effect of catalytic gasification compared to the non-catalytic process was observed only in the low-temperature range, 800–850 °C. In summary, pressure increase improves the catalytic conversion of tire char (especially while using 15 wt% of sunflower husk ash at 850 °C), but if the process is aimed at obtaining hydrogen, it should be carried out at lower pressure (especially while using 15 wt% of corn cobs ash at 800 °C).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102282"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996919","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Frontier exploration of image recognition in fuel spray diagnostics: Hybrid deep learning models and multimodal data fusion","authors":"Dongfang Wang,&nbsp;Yufeng Yang,&nbsp;Jilin Lei,&nbsp;Baojian Wang,&nbsp;Qiming Ouyang,&nbsp;Penghao Yin","doi":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102274","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.joei.2025.102274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Owing to its high detection accuracy and real-time processing capabilities, image recognition technology has become an indispensable tool for extracting spray morphological characteristics and analyzing dynamic evolution processes in combustion systems. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in image recognition technology, with a focus on its applications in multiphase flow coupling and detailed feature extraction within spray environments, while also providing a forward-looking discussion of current challenges and future trends. Conventional methods are limited by weak anti-interference capability, low feature extraction efficiency, and poor generalization. Deep learning techniques have been increasingly adopted to enhance boundary segmentation precision and quantitative feature parameter extraction. However, a major challenge remains in adapting these technologies to complex environments, as most existing models struggle to balance lightweight design with measurement accuracy—a critical barrier to real-time engineering applications. Emerging approaches, including hybrid CNN–Transformer architectures and novel Mamba-based models such as UltraLight_VM_UNet, have demonstrated significant potential. The model achieves a segmentation accuracy of up to 95.43 % mIoU for complex sprays, while reducing computational costs to just 0.05M parameters and 0.33 GFLOPs. These advancements significantly improve robustness and generalization under noisy and dynamic spray conditions. Future developments are expected to focus on computational efficiency, robustness in extreme scenarios, and more effective global–local feature fusion, thereby paving the way for real-time diagnostic applications in combustion systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17287,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Energy Institute","volume":"123 ","pages":"Article 102274"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144996912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}