1. |
- Abdi, Amir, et al.
(author)
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Experimental comparative analysis of close-contact and constrained melting of n-eicosane in a finned rectangular cavity
- 2023
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 219
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study demonstrates and visualizes the two modes of constrained melting and close-contact melting in a rectangular cavity enhanced with fins. Three configurations of fin with different lengths and numbers are tested in different horizontal, inclined, and vertical orientations. N-eicosane is used as the phase change material, and the experiments are performed with water as the heat transfer fluid at the inlet conditions of 50 degrees C, 55 degrees C, and 60 degrees C. In general, the close-contact melting time is shorter by 42-50%, compared to the convection dominated constrained melting in the unenhanced cavity without fins. By using fins to enhance the process, the melting time is reduced by 49% and 35% in the constrained and the close-contact modes, respectively, compared to the unfinned cavity in each mode. The thermal performance is observed to be superior in the horizontal and the inclined orientations. In these orientations, the buoyancy-driven structures are not blocked by fins in the con-strained mode. In the close-contact mode, the solid specimens attain more consistent contact with the base of the cavity and with the extended heat transfer area at the inclined and horizontal conditions. In the vertical orientation, the asymmetrical melting by the fins results in a rotational movement of the solid PCM and close -contact perturbations. The variations in the number of fins are found to have minor effects on the overall close-contact-induced melting. On the other hand, increasing the length of the fins is a more promising measure, providing consistent and prolonged contact.
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2. |
- Abdi, Amir, et al.
(author)
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Experimental investigation of solidification and melting in a vertically finned cavity
- 2021
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extending the heat transfer area is a simple technique to improve the thermal performance of phase change materials with low thermal conductivity. However, as the governing mechanisms differ in solidification and melting, fins can affect the processes in different ways. This demands assessment of fin enhancement in a combined analysis on both solidification and melting, often neglected in literature. This paper presents visual-izations of solidification and melting of n-eicosane in a rectangular cavity and experimentally investigates the enhancing effect of vertical fins with varying number and length. Experiments were conducted at water inlet temperature ranges of 15-25 degrees C and 50-60 degrees C for the solidification and melting processes, respectively. The results show that the vertical fins can be more influential in solidification rather than in melting with similar losses in the storage capacity. In the solidification process, as natural convection is absent, the mean power is enhanced by a maximum of 395% with a 10% loss in the storage capacity, as compared to the benchmark. In the melting case, the mean power is increased by a maximum of 90% with a 9% loss in the storage capacity. Although increasing the surface area with vertical fins contributes to development of convective structures, it makes a modest enhancement. In overall, increasing the fin volume fraction, in exchange for the loss in the storage capacity, enhances the solidification significantly while it has relatively low enhancement effect in melting. At the end, the performed experiments could be helpful for validation of future simulation tools with complex features, particularly solidification models lacking in literature.
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3. |
- Arnaudo, Monica, et al.
(author)
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Heat recovery and power-to-heat in district heating networks – Atechno-economic and environmental scenario analysis
- 2021
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 185, s. 116388-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heat recovery from local resources is shown to be a promising solution to reduce the carbon footprint of district heating. Supermarkets equipped with a CO2 refrigeration system and a geothermal storage offer a larger heating capacity, compared to traditional solutions. While district heat could benefit from this higher heat recovery availability, supermarkets could generate an income from a capacity that would be otherwise unused. For the first time, this study applies a detailed modelling approach considering both sides of such a synergy. The objective is to assess the techno-economic and environmental impact of a coordinated control strategy. Since the heat recovery from the supermarket consumes additional electricity, power-to-heat is implemented as a solution to reduce the overall CO2 emissions. This is demonstrated by scenarios simulated for a district in Stockholm. Hourly electricity CO2 intensity and prices are implemented as signals to prioritize either the district heating central supply or heat recovery. By boosting the use of electricity when cleaner, a CO2 intensity-driven control show the potential of reducing the carbon footprint of the district (−9.4%). A control based on prices, instead, is more convenient economically both for the district (−1.4% heat cost) and for the supermarket (−32% operational cost).
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4. |
- Attarzadeh, Reza, et al.
(author)
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Multi-objective optimization of TPMS-based heat exchangers for low-temperature waste heat recovery
- 2022
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 212, s. 118448-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transformation to a truly sustainable energy system will require taking better advantage of the waste heat. Integrating heat exchangers with the triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) is a promising and efficient way to build waste heat recovery systems that harness heat emissions from the low pitch thermal systems. This is mainly due to the low hydrodynamic resistance and pressure drop in the TPMS while securing good heat transfer at low-temperature gradient. This study establishes a computational design and analysis of heat and mass transfer inside a heat exchanger based on the TPMS structure and determine thermal effectiveness, heat transfer coefficient, and pressure drop inside the channel. The non-linearity dependence of results to several design variables makes obtaining the optimal design configuration solely using conventional CFD or experimental study nearly impossible. Hence, a multi-objective optimization workflow based on a Genetic Algorithm for laminar flow is employed to reveal the underlying relationships between design variables for the optimal configurations. The results illustrate the local sensitivity of important parameters such as the heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and thermal performance of the heat exchanger against various design variables. It is shown that the pressure drop is directly affected by gas inlet velocity, viscosity, and density, from high to low, respectively. The Pareto frontiers for the optimal thermal performance are extracted, and the correlation between design objectives is determined. This methodology provides a promising framework for heat exchangers' design analysis, including multi-objective goals and design constraints.
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5. |
- Behi, H., et al.
(author)
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A new concept of thermal management system in Li-ion battery using air cooling and heat pipe for electric vehicles
- 2020
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 174
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper presents the concept of a hybrid thermal management system (TMS), including air cooling and heat pipe for electric vehicles (EVs). Mathematical and thermal models are described to predict the thermal behavior of a battery module consisting of 24 cylindrical cells. Details of various thermal management techniques, especially natural air cooling and forced-air cooling TMS are discussed and compared. Moreover, several optimizations comprising the effect of cell spacing, air velocity, different ambient temperatures, and adding a heat pipe with copper sheets (HPCS) are proposed. The mathematical models are solved by COMSOL Multiphysics®, the commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. The simulation results are validated against experimental data indicating that the proposed cooling method is robust to optimize the TMS with HPCS, which provides guidelines for further design optimization for similar systems. Results indicate that the maximum module temperature for the cooling strategy using forced-air cooling, heat pipe, and HPCS reaches 42.4 °C, 37.5 °C, and 37.1 °C which can reduce the module temperature compared with natural air cooling by up to 34.5%, 42.1%, and 42.7% respectively. Furthermore, there is 39.2%, 66.5%, and 73.4% improvement in the temperature uniformity of the battery module for forced-air cooling, heat pipe, and HPCS respectively.
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6. |
- Behi, Hamidreza, et al.
(author)
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Heat pipe air-cooled thermal management system for lithium-ion batteries : High power applications
- 2021
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 183
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Thermal management of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in Electrical Vehicles (EVs) is important due to extreme heat generation during fast charging/discharging. In the current study, a sandwiched configuration of the heat pipes cooling system (SHCS) is suggested for the high current discharging of lithium-titanate (LTO) battery cell. The temperature of the LTO cell is experimentally evaluated in the 8C discharging rate by different cooling strategies. Results indicate that the maximum cell temperature in natural convection reaches 56.8 degrees C. In addition, maximum cell temperature embedded with SCHS for the cooling strategy using natural convection, forced convection for SHCS, and forced convection for cell and SHCS reach 49 degrees C, 38.8 degrees C, and 37.8 degrees C which can reduce the cell temperature by up to 13.7%, 31.6%, and 33.4% respectively. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model using COMSOL Multiphysics (R) is developed and comprehensively validated with experimental results. This model is then employed to investigate the thermal performance of the SHCS under different transient boundary conditions.
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7. |
- Choque Campero, Luis Antonio, et al.
(author)
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Decentralized biomass-based Brayton-Stirling power cycle with an air gap membrane distiller for supplying electricity, heat and clean water in rural areas
- 2024
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 254
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ensuring access to essential services, such as clean water and electricity, is a key challenge for achieving sustainable development goals in rural areas. This study proposes a novel Brayton-Stirling combined cycle-based cogeneration system for utilizing locally available biomass waste to generate both electricity and clean water. The system employs an externally fired gas turbine, a Stirling engine, and an air–gap membrane distiller. Four operation modes—parallel-powered, fully-fired, straightforward, and by-pass—were modeled for their efficiency and output. Four operation modes can be switched by two three-way valves. Sunflower husk, identified as the most effective biomass source, enabled the system to achieve up to 160 kW of electricity and 0.7 m3/h of freshwater. The electrical and exergy efficiencies of the system peaked in the parallel-power mode, offering a practical solution for enhancing rural sustainability. Moreover, the by-pass mode maximized water production, highlighting its effectiveness in addressing water scarcity along with energy generation. Through a case study, the cogeneration system has demonstrated its capability in satisfying both rural electricity and water demands throughout the day by controlling the combination of different operation modes and parameters. Therefore, it provides a promising solution for advancing rural electrification and water purification in rural areas.
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8. |
- da Silva, E. R., et al.
(author)
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Preliminary design, optimization and CFD analysis of an organic rankine cycle radial turbine rotor
- 2021
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 195
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The present study describes the development of a preliminary design of a rotor for a radial turbine operating in an organic Rankine cycle. An optimization algorithm is applied to the preliminary design in order to obtain a better configuration of the geometric parameters that provides good quantification of the efficiency in the turbine, a priori, since the application of optimization processes applied to three-dimensional problems consume a lot of computational resources. The strategy makes it possible to obtain an optimized geometry to obtain flow field analyzes by applying computational fluid dynamics techniques. The working fluid R236fa was used for comparison with the literature, as it presents a positive slope of the saturation curve, and thus it is possible to work with lower temperatures. The R245fa working fluid is more suitable to the operating conditions of the proposed cycle, allows an overpressure in the condenser and allows higher levels of system efficiency. The losses at the rotor nozzle were initially modeled using a mean line design approach. The preliminary design was implemented in a commercial code Matlab®, as well as the optimization algorithm, CRSA (Controlled Random Search Algorithm), and the real gas formulations were used based on the NIST REFPROP® database. The present study is presented under three work routes: i) Development of the preliminary design methodology for a radial turbine that operates with ORC producing 50 kW of power, in order to compare with other methodologies presented in the literature. The results were compared with results observed in the literature, and demonstrate agreement between the reference geometry and the thermodynamic parameters. The total-total efficiencies of the reference turbine designs were 76.23% (R236fa) and 79.28% (R245fa); ii) Optimization by CRSA of the preliminary design of a radial turbine developed on the basis of flow coefficient and load coefficient correlations. A three-dimensional analysis of the flow through the blade section using computational fluid dynamics was performed in the final optimized design to confirm the preliminary design and subsequently analyze its characteristics. The optimization focused on the R245fa working fluid. Although several optimized preliminary designs are available in the literature with efficiency levels of up to 90%, the preliminary design choices made will only be valid for machines operating with ideal gases, that is, exhaust gases typical of an air-breathing combustion engine. For machines operating with real gases, such as organic working fluids, the design options need to be rethought and a preliminary design optimization process must be introduced. As an important result observed, an efficiency of 82.4% was obtained in the final design of the radial turbine operating with R245fa after the optimization process.
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9. |
- Dong, Shichang, et al.
(author)
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Critical heat flux characteristics for subcooled flow boiling on an inclined downward-heating surface in a divergent channel
- 2024
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 255
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To have a deep understanding on the critical heat flux (CHF) characteristics of ex-vessel core catcher system, the present study conducted subcooled flow boiling experiments on an inclined downward-heating surface in a diverging channel. The effects of inlet mass flux (100 kg/m2s to 400 kg/m2s), subcooling (1 K to 30 K) and inclination angle (5° to 45°) on the CHF were investigated. A high-speed camera and pressure transducer were used to simultaneously record the two-phase flow behavior and pressure. The results show that with the increase of heat flux, the small bubbles grow and coalesce into a bubble blanket gradually. The condensation of bubble blanket outside the heating surface induces the reversal of downward liquid. Beyond the subcooling threshold (ΔTin ≥ 20 K for θ = 5° and ΔTin ≥ 25 K for θ ≥ 15°), a two-phase flow instability characterized by the pressure shock was observed, which leads to a remarkable enhancement in CHF. An increase in the inclination angle also leads to an increase in CHF, but with a declining slope. The effects of key parameters on the characteristics of the bubble blanket were further analyzed. Especially, the reduced inclined angle makes it easier for bubble blanket to form, and it's easier for the reversible and irreversible dry patches to be formed on the wall. The dry patch fraction is much larger so that the hovering time is much longer and the frequency is lower, so the CHF decreases. And then, a dimensionless correlation between the bubble blanket parameters and the thermal–hydraulic parameters (mass flux, subcooling and inclination angle) was developed.
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10. |
- Fasci, Maria Letizia, et al.
(author)
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Simulation of thermal influence between independent geothermal boreholes in densely populated areas
- 2021
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In: Applied Thermal Engineering. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 1359-4311 .- 1873-5606. ; 196
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) connected to Borehole Heat Exchangers (BHEs) are a fast-growing technology for thermally efficient buildings. Therefore, areas with several independent GSHP installations close to each other are becoming more and more common. To guarantee an optimal operation of these systems, it is necessary to design them considering the influence of the neighbouring installations. However, a tailored model for this scope has not been found in the literature. In this paper, we aim at filling this gap by proposing and validating a methodology to calculate the thermal influence between neighbouring independent boreholes. It is based on the Finite Line Source (FLS) model and prescribes novel boundary conditions, tailored to hydraulically independent boreholes. The methodology allows to prescribe different thermal loads to different BHEs and imposes uniform temperature boundary condition on each borehole wall. We also show how to implement and apply the model. Our application shows a thermal influence of up to 1.5 K during the lifetime of a GSHP and of up to 0.8 K during the first year of operation in an area with a relatively low number of installations, underlying the importance of considering the thermal influence and the usefulness of our proposed model. Finally, a sensitivity study on the ground thermal conductivity shows the importance of a correct estimation of this property for accurate simulation results.
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