Conductive Heat Loss Research Articles

Exergy applied to the heat conduction analysis in glass covers of a solar cooker box-type with internal and external reflectors

In this work, an exergy evaluation to determine the energy availability across to glass covers, place where the solar radiation enters toward a solar cooker box-type is done. Considering the heating process of water, the energy not used is quantified by means of exergy. The results allow identifying the glasses in the cover as the zone where the solar cooker could be improved. The conduction heat transfer losses for the glasses is most big than 75%. Because the values for the conduction heat losses are around 90%, which are very important, this allows to identify the cover glass as the area where improvements could be made in this type of solar cookers.

Latent Heat Phenomena in Buildings and Potential Integration into Energy Balance

Wood as hygroscopic material has the capacity to absorb moisture and thus to moderate the indoor relative humidity (RH) in a building, resulting in lower ventilation demand. In addition, when moisture migrates in hygroscopic structures energy is released through latent heat phenomena. The diurnal variation of moisture content in wood hold a potential for contributing in the buildings energy balance. This study presents the theoretical energy savings in low energy buildings with interior wooden surfaces under different moisture protocols indoors. The requirements of the Norwegian Building Regulations (TEK10) are followed regarding the U-values of the envelope components. A hygrothermal simulation tool is employed to estimate the potential diurnal variations of moisture content in the wood structure. The latent heat released and absorbed is mathematically calculated for a reference building. The results show the potential of hygroscopic structures to save thermal energy by means of heat of sorption and to reduce the conductive heat losses through opaque building elements. The limitations of the phenomena are also discussed.

Investigation of isothermal convective heat transfer in an optical combustor with a low-emissions swirl fuel nozzle

Modern combustor design optimization is contingent on the accurate characterization of the combustor flame side heat loads. The present work focuses on the experimental measurement of the isothermal (non-reacting) convective heat transfer along a fused silica optical can combustor liner for Reynolds numbers ranging between 11,500 and 138,000. The model combustor was equipped with the SoLoNOx swirl fuel nozzle from Solar Turbines Incorporated, subjecting the liner walls to realistic isothermal flow and turbulence fields. Infrared (IR) imaging through fused silica was demonstrated, and a novel estimation of the three-dimensional conduction heat losses for steady state constant heat flux experiments was developed. A maximum heat transfer augmentation of ∼18 was observed with respect to fully developed turbulent pipe flow correlations. Contrary to other investigations, the augmentation magnitude and distribution are shown to be approximately constant with Reynolds number (particularly away from the impingement location). Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was included to support the heat transfer measurements, suggesting that peak heat transfer occurred 0.12 nozzle diameters upstream of the jet reattachment point along the liner. Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) computations are shown to yield peak heat transfer predictions within 17.4% of the experimental results when using the realizable k-ε turbulence model and enhanced wall treatment. The measurements were further analyzed in the context of results from other heat transfer studies on gas turbine combustors.

The slowly reacting mode of combustion of gaseous mixtures in spherical vessels. Part 1: Transient analysis and explosion limits

Frank-Kamenetskii's analysis of thermal explosions is revisited, using also a single-reaction model with an Arrhenius rate having a large activation energy, to describe the transient combustion of initially cold gaseous mixtures enclosed in a spherical vessel with a constant wall temperature. The analysis shows two modes of combustion. There is a flameless slowly reacting mode for low wall temperatures or small vessel sizes, when the temperature rise resulting from the heat released by the reaction is kept small by the heat-conduction losses to the wall, so as not to change significantly the order of magnitude of the reaction rate. In the other mode, the slow reaction rates occur only in an initial ignition stage, which ends abruptly when very large reaction rates cause a temperature runaway, or thermal explosion, at a well-defined ignition time and location, thereby triggering a flame that propagates across the vessel to consume the reactant rapidly. Explosion limits are defined, in agreement with Frank-Kamenetskii's analysis, by the limiting conditions for existence of the slowly reacting mode of combustion. In this mode, a quasi-steady temperature distribution is established after a transient reaction stage with small reactant consumption. Most of the reactant is burnt, with nearly uniform mass fraction, in a subsequent long stage during which the temperature follows a quasi-steady balance between the rates of heat conduction to the wall and of chemical heat release. The changes in the explosion limits caused by the enhanced heat-transfer rates associated with buoyant motion are described in an accompanying paper.

A transient one-dimensional numerical model for kinetic Stirling engine

A third-order numerical model based on one-dimensional computational fluid dynamics is developed for kinetic Stirling engines. Various loss mechanisms in Stirling engines, including gas spring hysteresis loss, shuttle loss, appendix displacer gap loss, gas leakage loss, finite speed loss, piston friction loss, pressure drop loss, heat conduction loss, mechanical loss and imperfect heat transfer, are considered and embedded into the basic control equations. The non-equilibrium thermal model is adopted for the regenerator to capture the oscillating features of the gas and solid temperatures. To improve the numerical stability and accuracy, the implicit second-order time difference scheme and the second-order upwind scheme are adopted for discretizing the time differential terms and convective terms, respectively. Experimental validations are then conducted on a beta-type Stirling engine with the extensive experimental data for diverse working conditions. The results show that the developed model has better accuracies than the previous second-order models. Good agreements are achieved for predicting various critical system parameters, including pressure-volume diagram, indicated power, brake power, indicated efficiency, brake efficiency and mechanical efficiency. In particular, both the experiments and simulations show that the Stirling engine charged with helium tends to have much lower optimal working frequencies and poorer performances compared to the hydrogen system. Based on the analyses of the losses, it reveals that the pressure drop in the flow channels plays a critical role in shaping the different behaviors. The pressure drop in the helium system is much larger and more sensitive to the frequency increase due to the much larger viscosity of gaseous helium. Hydrogen is a superior working gas for a Stirling engine. The transient characteristics of the oscillating flow and the associated thermal interactions between gas and solid in the regenerator are finally analyzed in order to have an insight of the complex thermodynamic process. The study provides a promising numerical approach in simulating Stirling engines for further understandings of their operating characteristics and the underling mechanisms.

The ability of White Leghorn hens with trimmed comb and wattles to thermoregulate

It is estimated that each year over 19 million pullets in the United States have their combs partially trimmed at a young age to improve egg production and feed efficiency. A possible disadvantage of trimming is that the comb and wattles may be essential for thermoregulation during hot weather allowing for conductive cooling of the blood through vasodilation of superficial vessels in these integumentary tissues. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of partial comb and wattle removal, performed at 21 d of age, on the ability of White Leghorns to thermoregulate before, during, and after an imposed heating episode that averaged 34.6°C for 50.5h. An increase in mortality at 20h and body temperature at 48h post initiation of the heating episode demonstrated that hens with trimmed comb and wattles were not able to cope with heat stress as effectively as controls. The increase in wattle temperature in controls as compared to trimmed hens during the heating episode and following heat stress provides supportive evidence that blood pools to the peripheral surface for conductive heat loss. During high temperatures typical of summer, trimmed hens attempted to compensate for their lack of ability to transfer heat from their comb and wattles to the environment through increased proportion of panting and wing spreading. Under less extreme conditions with lowered ambient temperatures, the trimming of the comb and wattles did not impair the ability of hens to thermoregulate, as body temperatures and behavior were similar to controls with no mortality. Egg weight was the only production parameter adversely affected by the trimming of the comb and wattles as compared to controls. The implication is that hens need their combs and wattles to thermoregulate effectively during periods of high environmental temperature. Pullets should not be subjected to a comb and wattle trim if they are housed in laying facilities that are not appropriately cooled during the summer.

On the van der Pauw's method applied to the measurement of low thermal conductivity materials.

The electrical van der Pauw's method has recently been extended to measure the thermal conductivity of different elements and compounds. This technique provides an easy way to determine the sample in-plane thermal conductivity by avoiding the influence of the thermal contact resistances. However, the reported calculated error values appear to be underestimated when dealing with the materials with low thermal conductivity (<5 W/Km) at room temperature. The causes of this underestimation are investigated in this communication and it has been found that they are due to the drastic influence of conduction heat losses through the thermo-resistance wires as well as the resulting modification of the sample temperature map. Both phenomena lead to experimental values of the sample thermal conductivity, which are systematically higher than the tabulated ones. The magnitude of this systematic error is ∼100% dealing with the samples of macroscopic dimensions, and low thermal conductivity indicated that the obtained accurate measurements can be quite challenging.

Thermal Runaway in Mold‐Assisted Flash Sintering

Analyzing the temperature evolution in pressureless mold‐assisted flash sintering, we found the same onset condition as in standard flash sintering: When sample's DC or AC Joule heating replaces environment's radiation heating as the dominant power input term, thermal runaway ensues. Various serial and parallel components connected to the sample, including the mold, insulation, and punches, can affect Joule heating and conduction heat loss, thus play an important role in successful mold‐assisted flash sintering.

Numerical investigation of a looped-tube travelling-wave thermoacoustic engine with a bypass pipe

A new configuration (“a looped-tube with a bypass pipe”) was recently proposed for low temperature travelling wave thermoacoustic engines and a prototype using atmospheric air as the working gas achieved an onset temperature difference as low as 65 °C. However, no further research has been reported about this new configuration to reveal its advantages and disadvantages. This paper aims to analyse this type of engine through a comprehensive numerical research. An engine of this type having dimensions similar to the reported prototype was firstly modelled. The calculated results were then qualitatively compared with the reported experimental data, showing a good agreement. The working principle of the engine was demonstrated and analysed. The research results show that an engine with such a bypass configuration essentially operates on the same thermodynamic principle as other travelling wave thermoacoustic engines, differing only in the design of the acoustic resonator. Both extremely short regenerators and a near-travelling wave resonator minimise the engine's acoustic losses, and thus significantly reduce its onset temperature difference. However, such short regenerators likely cause severe heat conduction losses, especially if the engine is applied to heat sources with higher temperatures. Furthermore, the acoustic power flowing back to the engine core is relatively low, while a large stream of acoustic power has to propagate within its resonator to maintain an acoustic resonance, potentially leading to low power density. The model was then applied to design an engine with a much longer regenerator and higher mean pressure to increase its power density. A thermoacoustic cooler was also added to the engine to utilise its acoustic power, allowing the evaluation of thermal efficiency. The pros and cons of the engine configuration are then discussed.

Plasma diagnosis as a tool for the determination of the parameters of electron beam evaporation and sources of ionization

The atomic vapor generated by electron beam heating is partially ionized due to atom–atom collisions (Saha ionization) and electron impact ionization, which depend upon the source temperature and area of evaporation as compared to the area of electron beam bombardment on the target. When electron beam evaporation is carried out by inserting the target inside an insulating liner to reduce conductive heat loss, it is expected that the area of evaporation becomes significantly more than the area of electron beam bombardment on the target, resulting in reduced electron impact ionization. To assess this effect and to quantify the parameters of evaporation, such as temperature and area of evaporation, we have carried out experiments using zirconium, tin and aluminum as a target. By measuring the ion content using a Langmuir probe, in addition to measuring the atomic vapor flux at a specific height, and by combining the experimental data with theoretical expressions, we have established a method for simultaneously inferring the source temperature, evaporation area and ion fraction. This assumes significance because the temperature cannot be reliably measured by an optical pyrometer due to the wavelength dependent source emissivity and reflectivity of thin film mirrors. In addition, it also cannot be inferred from only the atomic flux data at a certain height as the area of evaporation is unknown (it can be much more than the area of electron bombardment, especially when the target is placed in a liner). Finally, the reason for the lower observed electron temperatures of the plasma for all the three cases is found to be the energy loss due to electron impact excitation of the atomic vapor during its expansion from the source.

Experimental and numerical analysis of non-catalytic partial oxidation and steam reforming of CH4/O2/N2/H2O mixtures including the impact of radiative heat losses

Partial oxidation and non-catalytic steam reforming of methane is studied by conducting an experimental and numerical analysis of reactions taking place in the post-flame region of a generic laminar atmospheric burner operated at fuel-rich conditions. Laminar planar premixed methane/oxygen/nitrogen (CH4/O2/N2) flames are stabilized above a porous material with an equivalence ratio ϕ = 1.8. The oxygen enrichment Ω in the O2/N2 mixture varies from 0.32 to 0.45. Mixtures are also diluted with superheated steam. The water vapor mole fraction XH2Ou in the unburnt mixtures ranges from 0.11 to 0.28. The temperature of burnt gases is measured along the central axis of the burner with a thermocouple. Gas chromatography measurements along the same axis indicate the production of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) just downstream the flame front. Measurements also reveal a decrease of the CO concentration as the distance to the flame front increases due to a drop of the temperature in the burnt gases. One-dimensional direct simulations of flames using detailed chemistry mechanisms are conducted under non-adiabatic conditions accounting for conductive heat losses to the burner surface and radiative heat transfer of semi-transparent gases using a statistical narrow-band model for the radiative properties of the main species (H2O, CO2, CO,…). Predicted temperature profiles and major species mole fractions yield satisfactory match with measurements only if radiative heat losses are taken into account in the simulations. It is shown that self-absorption of thermal radiation from H2O and to a lesser extend from CO2 fully controls the temperature profile in the post-flame region. The endothermic steam methane reforming reaction taking place in this region is strongly penalized by radiative heat loss. It is shown that increasing the steam dilution promotes the H2/CO ratio within the burnt gases, while rising the oxygen enrichment benefits to the CO production to the detriment of H2. This analysis reveals the important role of radiative heat transfer and self-absorption of steam and to a lesser extent carbon dioxide in the syngas formation such as for example the methane auto-thermal reforming process.

Design, Analysis and Optimization of a Solar Dish/Stirling System

In this paper, a mathematical model by which the thermal and physical behavior of a solar dish/Stirling system was investigated, then the system was designed, analysed and optimized. In this regard, all of heat losses in a dish/Stirling system were calculated, then, the output net-work of the Stirling engine was computed, and accordingly, the system efficiency was worked out. These heat losses include convection and conduction heat losses, radiation heat losses by emission in the cavity receiver, reflection heat losses of solar energy in the parabolic dish, internal and external conduction heat losses, energy dissipation by pressure drops, and energy losses by shuttle effect in displacer piston in the Stirling engine. All of these heat losses in the parabolic dish, cavity receiver and Stirling engine were calculated using mathematical modeling in MatlabTM software. For validation of the proposed model, a 10 kW solar dish/Stirling system was designed and the simulation results were compared with the Eurodish system data with a reasonable degree of agreement. This model is used to investigate the effect of geometric and thermodynamic parameters including the aperture diameter of the parabolic dish and the cavity receiver, and the pressure of the compression space of the Stirling engine, on the system performance. By using the PSO method, which is an intelligent optimization technique, the total design was optimized and the optimal values of decision-making parameters were determined. The optimization has been done in two scenarios. In the first scenario, the optimal value of each designed parameter has been changed when the other parameters are equal to the designed case study parameters. In the second scenario, all of parameters were assumed in their optimal values. By optimization of the modeled dish/Stirling system, the total efficiency of the system improved to 0.60% in the first scenario and it increased from 21.69% to 22.62% in the second scenario of the optimization, while the system variables changed slightly. Article History: Received Sept 28, 2015; Received in revised form January 08, 2016; Accepted February 15, 2016; Available online How to Cite This Article: Nazemi, S. D. and Boroushaki, M. (2016) Design, Analysis and Optimization of a Solar Dish/Stirling System. Int. Journal of Renewable Energy Development, 5(1), 33-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/ijred.5.1.33-42

Human local and total heat losses in different temperature

This study investigates the effects of operative temperature on the local and total heat losses, and the relationship between the heat loss and thermal sensation. 10 local parts of head, neck, chest, abdomen, upper arm, forearm, hand, thigh, leg and foot are selected. In all these parts, convection, radiation, evaporation, respiration, conduction and diffusion heat losses are analyzed when operative temperature is 23, 28, 33 and 37°C. The local heat losses show that the radiation and convection heat losses are mainly affected by the area of local body, and the heat loss of the thigh is the most in the ten parts. The evaporation heat loss is mainly affected by the distribution of sweat gland, and the heat loss of the chest is the most. The total heat loss of the local body shows that in low temperature, the thigh, leg and chest have much heat loss, while in high temperature, the chest, abdomen, thigh and head have great heat loss, which are useful for clothing design. The heat losses of the whole body show that as the operative temperature increases, the radiation and convection heat losses decrease, the heat losses of conduction, respiration, and diffusion are almost constant, and the evaporation heat loss increases. By comparison, the heat loss ratios of the radiation, convection and sweat evaporation, are in agreement with the previous researches. At last, the formula about the heat loss ratio of convection and radiation is derived. It's useful for thermal comfort evaluation and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) design.

Thermal analysis on a weld joint of aluminium alloy in gas metal arc welding

In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model has been developed to simulate dynamically the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process of aluminium alloy sheets. The numerical simulation was conducted using a non-linear transient thermal analysis by changing the welding parameters: namely arc power and welding speed. A moving Gaussian distributed heat source is implemented. All major physical phenomena associated with the GMAW process, such as thermal conduction and convection heat losses are taken into account in the model development. The developed model can calculate the temperature field and predict the weld geometry profile during the welding process. The measurement of weld bead profile from the GMAW experiments was used to validate the developed finite element model. The numerical study reveals that the arc voltage and welding speed have a significant influence on the temperature distribution, weld pool size and shape, and weld bead geometry. The results show that there are good agreements with the weld bead profile between the experimental observation and finite element simulation.

Thermal and Mechanical Design of a HTS Quadrupole Magnet of In-flight Fragment Separator for Rare Isotope Science Project (RISP)

An in-flight fragment (IF) system is used to produce and investigate an isotope beam of interest from heavy-ion accelerators, and it is composed of prestages and main stages. A quadrupole magnet of an IF preseparator is located in a high-radiation region, and the neutron radiation heat load is much larger than that of common superconducting magnets. Considering the efficiency of a cooling system, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets are preferred to low-temperature superconducting magnets. To remove the large radiation heat load, the circulation of cold helium gas is used instead of conduction cooling. Pressurized helium gas circulates in cooling channels, and the optimized design of a cooling structure is required. Moreover, large Lorentz force is generated in the coil, and an appropriate supporting structure should be designed within the allowable conduction heat loss through the supporting structure. This paper describes the thermal and mechanical design of the REBCO HTS quadrupole magnet. Structural design is carried out considering the Lorentz force of the HTS magnet. Thermal analysis is also performed to estimate the heat loss using the designed structure. Finally, the design of a cooling system is carried out to keep the magnet temperature under 40 K against the estimated heat loss.

Numerical Simulation of the Thermal Efficiency During Laser Deep Penetration Welding

The advantages of laser beam welding, such as its high flexibility, its high local energy input, and its fast processing speed, led to a substantial increase of industrial applications of the technology. High losses can be observed during laser welding of materials with a high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or copper. This is caused by the heat conduction losses in the surrounding area of the process zone and due to reflections. These energy losses lead to a reduced efficiency of the laser welding process.A numerical model based on a CFD simulation is presented, which enables to calculate the molten pool isotherms. The thermal efficiency is determined for different keyhole geometries and welding velocities. This efficiency is defined as the ratio between the energy which is required to melt the volume of metal in the fusion zone and the absorbed laser beam power.

Effects of transient temperature on human's heat losses

The objectives of the paper are to analyze human convection, radiation, evaporation, respiration, conduction, and diffusion heat losses when the operative temperature increases from 26-34.4?C and then decreases from 34.4-26?C with a ratio of 1.4?C per 5 minutes. A energy balance model is used for sedentary subject. The results show that during temperature rising, all the heat losses are linear functions of temperature, while during temperature dropping, the convection, diffusion, and respiration heat losses are quadratic functions of temperature. The results are useful for thermal comfort evaluation and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning design.

정상 및 비정상상태의 화재조건에서 판형 열유속계의 적용성에 관한 실험적 연구

정상 및 비정상상태의 화재조건에서 설치가 용이하고 저가형인 판형 열유속계(PT)의 적용성에 대한 실험적 연구가 수행되었다. 열원으로서 적외선 복사 히터와 C3H8이 적용된 정사각형 버너가 사용되었다. PT의 상대적 측정 정확도는 Gardon-type 열유속 미터를 이용한 측정결과와의 비교를 통해 평가되었다. 정상 및 비정상상태의 화재조건에서 PT의 최적 크기 및 두께는 측정 정확도와 실용적 관점에서 각각 100 mm와 0.6 mm로 확인되었다. 이 결과들은 PT의 크기 및 두께의 변화에 따른 전도 열손실과 열관성에 의해 설명되었다. 또한 Slow보다 빠른 화재 성장속도의 조건에서 PT를 이용한 열유속 측정에는 상당한 주의가 요구됨을 확인하였다. The applicability of plate thermometer (PT), which feature simple installation and low cost, was experimentally examined in steady and unsteady-state fire conditions. An infrared radiation heater and a square burner with C3H8 as fuel were used as heat sources. The relative measurement accuracy of the PT was evaluated by comparing measurements made using a Gardon-type heat flux meter. From a practical point of view and in terms of measurement accuracy, the optimal size and thickness of the PT in steady and unsteady-state fire conditions were 100 mm and 0.6 mm, respectively. These results can be explained by the conductive heat losses and thermal inertia of the PT for different sizes and thicknesses. It can be also concluded that measurements of heat flux using the PT in conditions of faster fire growth rate than slow require considerable attention.

On the correlation of inverted flame blow-off limits with the boundary velocity gradient at the flame holder surface

Conductive heat losses from the base of a lean methane–air inverted flame stabilized behind the trailing edge of a thin rod have been experimentally evaluated. The results favor the view that the heat losses to the flame holder play a crucial role in the inverted flame stabilization and blow-off. Simple estimations have been performed, which indicate that the well-established correlation between the mixture composition and the boundary velocity gradient at the flame holder, usually considered as a proof of the flame stretch theory of blow-off, can be explained without involving the flame stretch concept. The suggested explanation of this correlation is based on the assumption that the heat loss to the flame holder is the main factor that determines the inverted flame blow-off behavior and on the similarity between the mechanisms of energy and momentum diffusion in gases (Pr≈ 1).

5 L급 액체수소 저장용기의 성능특성 연구

In the face of the world's growing energy storage needs, liquid hydrogen offers a high energy density solution for the storage and transport of energy throughout society. A 5 L liquid hydrogen storage tank has been designed, fabricated and tested to investigate boil-off rate of liquid hydrogen. As the insulation plays a key role on the cryogenic vessels, various insulation methods have been employed. To reduce heat conduction loss, the epoxy resin-based insulation supports G-10 were used. To minimize radiation heat loss, vapor cooled radiation shield, multi-layer insulation, and high vacuum were adopted. Mass flow meter was used to measure boil-off rate of the 5 L cryogenic vessel. A series of performance tests were done for liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen to compare with design parameters, resulting in the boil-off rate of 1.7%/day for liquid nitrogen and 16.8%/day for liquid hydrogen at maximum.