Generating Renewable Energy From Amusement Attractions MECH4307

Generating Renewable Energy From Amusement Attractions

Progression Report

Course name: Mechanical Engineering

Student name:

Supervisor name:

Submission date: 24/11/2023

Contents

1. Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Project Introduction........................................................................................................................ 4
3. Aims/Objectives and Scope of the Project........................................................................................ 5
4. Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 6
5. Project Arrangement....................................................................................................................... 8
   
   

• Project challenges..................................................................................................................... 8

• Current project status................................................................................................................. 8

• Future project plan.................................................................................................................... 9

• New project challenges (if applicable)........................................................................................ 9

6. Reference...................................................................................................................................... 10

Appendix 1 Project Schedule (Gantt chart)......................................................................................... 11

Appendix 2 Cost Estimate............................................................................................................... 12

1. Abstract

In the modern age, there is a large focus on environmental sustainability and the battle against climate change within engineering, especially with an increased demand for energy and electricity over the last century. The most polluting human action within the world currently is the burning of fossil fuels in large power stations, which is used to generate energy that can then be converted into electricity to power communities. Over 2022, over 40 billion tonnes of CO2 was produced by burning fossil fuels for energy, which is the equivalent of 4 trillion kilograms (Plasencia, 2023) (1). Burning fossil fuels and releasing excess CO2 into the environment is incredibly harmful for the planet, as carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and greenhouse gases lingering in the atmosphere causes an increase in global temperature, which is leading to sea levels rising.

Due to these concerns for the condition of the environment, industries such as engineering have had a heightened focus on finding alternatives to burning fossil fuels, favouring renewable energy sources instead. Renewable energy sources are ways of generating energy from naturally occurring sources, such as wind, solar or tidal. Energy can not be created out of nothing, however it can be transferred between different energy types to make it more useful for the task at hand. For example, electricity is electrical energy, therefore, to generate electricity, an energy source must be transferred into electrical energy through a generator.

Tidal or hydropower is the most popular way to generate electricity using renewable energy sources. This involves using rushing water to move turbines, converting kinetic energy into electrical energy, usually on a large scale by constructing structures like dams (Gupta, 2020) (2). Kinetic energy is also used in wind energy, in a very similar setup to tidal power, but by using turbines and windmills to harness the energy of the wind instead of water. Wind power has been in use since around 500AD, as the Persians would use early turbine designs to power their grain mills (Chen, 2023) (3).

Not only can energy be converted from natural resources such as the sun or wind, wasted energy from systems can also be recycled and reused by the same or separate systems. Regenerative energy techniques have already been implemented in some vehicles, especially at high levels such as in hypercars and motorsport. For example, in modern day Formula 1 cars, the heat produced by the rear brakes is converted into electrical energy, that is then fed back to a battery that can be used to give the engine more power, with Formula 1s energy recovery system (ERS) providing a 120kw increase in power to the hybrid V6 engine (Dalmier, 2022) (4). This concept of using and recycling wasted energy from systems is becoming a popular choice as an alternative to burning fossil fuels as the system in use is already functioning, and therefore using the wasted energy from the system would not take useful energy out, which could compromise the performance of the system.

2. Project Introduction

The amusement industry is a non-critical yet important sector to the population. Places such as cinemas and arcades can provide a much needed form of escapism for people, increasing happiness and alleviating stress. One of the most popular and well known sections of the amusement industry is theme parks, with theme parks such as Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom in Florida receiving 17 million visitors over 2022, and nearly 21 million visitors pre-covid in 2019 (Statista, 2023) (5). Amusement parks are large areas with multiple different structures and machines that already require engineering ingenuity to design, manufacture, construct and then maintain to ensure the safety of the riders. On top of this, energy is required to run the rides, along with any food stalls, lighting, or other facilities around the park that require electricity.

Rides such as rollercoasters traditional start with some form of propulsion system to give the train enough energy to traverse the layout, rather than having an engine on the train like cars or locomotives do. This propulsion system could be in the form of a lifthill, which takes riders to the highest point of a ride, giving the train enough gravitational potential energy to be converted into kinetic energy to then make it around the track, or a launch, which pulls the train along and gives it enough kinetic energy to overcome the gravitational potential energy needed to climb the hills. It is a fine balance between gravitational potential and kinetic energy, however, rollercoasters are not a 100?ficient system, with energy being wasted through various means. This project will aim to show that the energy wasted as a rollercoaster train runs on the track can be reused to help power the rest of the park, thus making the whole theme park more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

As mentioned, theme parks require electricity in order to function. In a report by the International Energy Agency, approximately 27,000,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity was used by theme parks alone in 2021 (Ustuner, 2023) (6). This is enough energy to power 270 million light bulbs for one hour. Theme parks can implement some traditional methods of generating renewable energy, such as using solar panels or wind turbines, however there are also opportunities to use these methods in unique scenarios which may be more powerful and efficient than some conventional areas, such as putting solar panels in car parks.

This project will be testing which renewable energy generation system would be the best in different contexts within a theme park, including how rollercoasters, flat rides and water rides can all be used to generate energy in an efficient, low maintenance and discreet way. This will include using energy data from existing theme parks, prototyping ways to generating renewable energy on a scale model rollercoaster, and finally analysing the data collected to see if enough energy would be generated to justify the price of manufacturing and fitting.

3. Aims/Objectives and Scope of the Project

Aims:

• Create means to generate renewable energy by harnessing wasted energy or the created environment from existing amusement attractions such as rollercoasters and water rides

• Provide new, innovative ideas to aid amusement attractions such as theme parks to become more environmentally sustainable

Objectives:

• Analyse the energy usage data of visitor attractions such as theme parks and smaller midway attractions (data collected by attractions, obtain by asking)

• Perform dynamic tests on CAD models of trains/carriages/boats from various attractions, such as aerodynamic flow tests or water displacement analysis

• Design ways to harness wasted energy/renewable energy opportunities, considering the results of these dynamic tests, to create the most efficient system possible

• Manufacture devices in order to generate energy from these attractions in a cheap and easily replicatable way

• Test prototypes on a functioning downscaled model of a rollercoaster in order to gain data on energy generation

• Compare different methods of energy generation to determine the most efficient, effective and appropriate in multiple given scenarios

Scope:

• Obtain energy data from multiple visitor attractions, preferably both inside and out of the UK (2^nd week of Nov 2023)

• Dynamics analysis of ride trains/carriages/boats (end of Nov 2023)

• Final draft of designs (Dec 2023)

• Manufacturing of parts for different renewable energy harvesting devices (Jan 2023)

• Test on pre-built model and get results for energy generated through different systems (Feb 2023)

• Post-test analysis of results to determine which system is the most efficient, consider benefits and drawbacks, potential costs, differences between test scenario and real-life scenario (Mar 2023)
• Consider whether the devices proposed would make a significant difference to an attractions net energy usage and the scale needed to implement these devices successfully (Mar 2023)

4. Literature Review

Introduction:

The report chosen is focusing on the possible usage of solar energy as a renewable energy source to be used to help power a theme park in Malaysia. Solar energy uses photons from light from the sun to release electrons into a system and create a current of electricity, and considering Malaysia is a generally hot country with long dry spells before monsoon season, using solar energy in this context is an understandable system to use. As this report focuses on one source of energy, solar, and one general location, Malaysia, it is a good source to compare the effects of a commonly used source of energy.

There is a large consideration of the cost of electricity between two parks, one using solar power to generate energy to be used back towards the park, and one not using any energy source of their own, purely relying on the power from the national grid. Along with the environmental effects, the economical effects on the businesses both long term and short term must be considered and discussed when implementing these renewable energy sources. Both companies chosen are substantial within Malaysia but small on a global scale, so comparisons are also made between the two Malaysian parks chosen and more internationally recognised theme parks such as Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.

The methods discussed in terms of energy generation, such as using solar photovoltaic technology, were actually installed into a theme park called ESCAPE in Malaysia, rather than tested on a small scale model. This will give accurate and valuable results as any results shown in the test should directly correlate to results shown if the park used these systems every day outside of the tests.

Analysis:

The results of this experiment can be split into two subsections, the environmental impact and the economic impact. In regards to the environmental impact, it is stated that solar energy is one of the most accessible ways of renewable energy generation without massive infrastructure such as building a dam. The majority of amusement attractions in Malaysia still used energy generated by burning fossil fuels rather than harnessing the environment around them and making use of the situations that the climate of the area provides.

The larger focus of this report is on the economic impact and the costs of manufacturing, upkeep and the comparison of electricity bills between the parks. Both parks have different electrical costs, so the comparison is not made directly between the two theme parks, however it is made in the difference in electricity bills between two years. One theme park has solar panels installed to harness solar energy and one theme park does not. This leads to the theme park with solar panels showing a dramatic decrease in energy costs over the course of a year, while the theme park without solar panels stays consistent.

This data is incredibly useful, as it shows that there is a considerable difference that can be made to both the environment and the running costs of the theme park by installing renewable energy sources. Only one opportunity was explored in this study, however the proof of success in the product would be a progression in the industry. A survey is taken at the end to collect peoples thoughts about using solar energy, to which a large number of people rejected the idea due to fears of failure and high costs, which have later been disproven in the graphs after a year of using solar panels.

Conclusion:

This experiment uses solar panels in a basic situation to test if using renewable energy in a theme park would help the park save money on energy bills as well as be beneficial to the environment, of which is has succeeded on both fronts. It is essential evidence that proves there is a gap in the market that can feasibly be filled, and provides two large benefits to these amusement attractions.

The ways the renewable energy sources are used are more traditional, not using the existing infrastructure of the theme park such as will be the case with this report. So although the data collected is important, it is not conclusive for the experiment that will be carried out. There are more opportunities for renewable energy sources to be explored within the amusement industry, whether that is using the environment like this report has shown and the more traditional method, or using existing infrastructure within a theme park to harness the wasted energy from high-energy systems. A combination of the two methods may be the most beneficial for theme parks as more energy would be generated, however this would also lead to a higher initial cost of manufacturing and installation.

5. Project Arrangement

• Project challenges

This project has numerous challenges due to the large scale of the problems that are being solved, and the inaccessibility of doing testing on actual rollercoasters and theme park rides.

• Data on energy usage must be collected from actual operating theme parks in order to understand the current figures in terms of yearly energy consumption

• Multiple designs must be considered depending on the context of the problem that is trying to be solved, or the type of rides being used to solve it

• Prototypes must be manufactured from appropriate designs and from resistant materials to ensure the systems dont break or fail while testing

• Testing must be carried out to find an experimental number for how much energy can be generated from each system, while also considering the scale of the tests compared to the size the actual models would have to be

• Designs must be discreet or customizable to fit into the area or theme the amusement park wants to use them in, so that the systems are not a distraction or an eyesore for guests

• There are costs in manufacturing, upkeep and travelling to make and test prototypes before there is conclusive proof that the methods will function properly

• Current project status

Currently, data has been collected from 2 major operating theme parks, one in the UK and one in Spain. This data is critical for the project as without it there would be no comparison to make to the energy the systems designed can generate, therefore rendering the numbers meaningless. Multiple other amusement parks in various countries such as the USA and China have also been contacted in the hopes that more data from different countries will offer a wider perspective as to where these renewable energy systems can help. The theme parks contacted are also on different scales, both in terms of yearly visitors and size of rides, with some parks catering to an older audience, whereas others cater more towards children and families, to see if there is a large difference in energy usage between them.

A model rollercoaster has been located and the owner contacted in order to conduct important tests when the prototypes are developed, which have been agreed. Initial designs have been designed but not perfected and finalized. Testing is scheduled to start around February, so final designs will need to be finished for January.

• Future project plan

To progress this project, the designs for the prototypes that will be tested must be finalised in order to later manufacture them. This will be a large process including aerodynamic analysis of common rollercoaster trains in order to understand where air is pushed to as trains move. This will help the decision as to what the design of the prototypes should look like and where they should be placed.

Once prototypes are designed, they must then be manufactured. The parts will be 3D printed as it is an easy and cheap method of production that fits the requirements needed for testing. On top of this, the testing facility that will be used has a 3D printer on site, so parts can be manufactured and tested in the same space on the same day. Furthermore, once these parts are made and fitted, they will then be linked to a generator with a gauge to show how much energy is being generated in multiple different scenarios and positions. This data will then be used to conclude which way of generating renewable energy is the most efficient and where they should be placed.

After this, further analysis will be conducted comparing the data collected in terms of energy generated, to the existing data from theme parks of their energy usage. This comparison will be important into helping understand if these methods are useful enough to be implemented into real life theme parks. Calculations will be carried out to declare how large of a scale manufacturing would have to be in order to make an important difference to the theme parks, and the costs involved in that process, to then finally conclude if these systems are worthwhile for theme parks to invest in.

• New project challenges (if applicable)