Inlet Air Temperature Research Articles

Minimally processed yam beam roots fortified with probiotics and phenolic compound from green coffee microencapsulated

Yam beam (Pachyrhizus erosus L.) root, commonly known as jicama, is widely consumed by health-conscious individuals due to its low caloric content. However, its nutritional value is relatively low, despite containing some. To enhance these nutritional properties, jicama can be supplemented with probiotics and antioxidant compounds. In this study, the jicama pieces were coated with an edible layer containing microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium spp. and phenolic compounds derived from green coffee, which were microencapsulated using a double spray drying technique. The probiotics and phenolic compounds were dried using double spray drying with chitosan at 120 and 140 °C. The results showed that the inlet air temperature did not have a statistically significant effect (p ≥ 0.05) on the encapsulation efficiency of probiotics, chlorogenic acid and caffeine content, or antioxidant activity expressed as IC50 value (110 - 116 µg/mL). After 6 d of storage at 4 °C, the jicama supplemented with the microcapsules containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium spp. exhibited a reduction in microbial viability by 1 and 2 log CFU/g, respectively. However, the addition of microcapsules allowed a higher concentration of phenolic compounds than the control group. Minimally processed jicama containing microcapsules with probiotics and phenolic compounds could be a functional food, and the reported procedure could be applied for industrial purposes.

Spray Drying of Inca Peanut Meal Protein Hydrolysate to Produce Protein Powder Drink Mix

The optimal conditions (maltodextrin concentration and inlet air temperature) for spray drying Inca peanut meal protein hydrolysate (IMPH) were determined. The maltodextrin concentration was varied at 5, 10 and 15 % by weight, and inlet air temperature was varied at 150, 160 and 170 °C. The IMPH was subjected to spray drying, where the feed solution was atomized into fine droplets and exposed to a hot air stream, leading to rapid drying and the formation of powder. The moisture, protein, yield, water activity and water solubility index (WSI) of IMPH powder were analyzed. The optimal condition for spray drying IMPH powder utilized 10 % maltodextrin and an inlet air temperature of 160 °C. Under these conditions, the moisture, protein, yield and WSI of IMPH powder were 2.93, 36.93, 38.95 and 99.59 %, respectively, while water activity was 0.41. IMPH powder particles were spherical and non-agglomerate. Inca peanut meal protein powder drink mix (IMPD) with cocoa flavor was the most acceptable. The IMPD with cocoa flavor could be promoted as a high protein and high dietary fiber product. It could be kept at 35 ± 2 °C for 12 weeks, whilst retaining good microbiological properties. HIGHLIGHTS The optimal conditions for spray drying Inca peanut meal protein hydrolysate (IMPH) were determined to be 10% maltodextrin and an inlet air temperature of 160 °C. This resulted in high yield, protein content, and water solubility, while keeping moisture and water activity low. IMPH powder had spherical, non-agglomerated particles, and cocoa-flavored Inca peanut protein powder drink mix (IMPD) was the most preferred in sensory evaluations. The IMPD with cocoa flavor was identified as a high-protein, high-dietary-fiber product, suitable for storage at 35 °C for up to 12 weeks while maintaining good microbiological quality. The study highlights the nutritional benefits of the cocoa-flavored IMPD, which includes essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidant properties. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Impacts of non-uniform airflow over gas cooler on the performance of transcritical CO2 air conditioning

The air flowrate and air inlet temperature over gas cooler in transcritical CO2 air conditioning for vehicles are easily unevenly distributed due to the influence of upstream obstacles. The unevenly distributed airflow affects heat exchange between CO2 and air, thus influencing the cooling capacity and power consumption of the air conditioning system. This study delves into the implications of such non-uniform airflow on the operational performance of transcritical CO2 air conditioning through simulation analysis. It elucidates the mechanisms by which the uneven distribution pattern, uneven distribution direction and non-uniformity affect the cooling capacity of transcritical CO2 air conditioning system. Moreover, the conditions of inhomogeneous airflow for enhanced heat transfer are explored by decoupling inhomogeneous flow rate and inhomogeneous temperature. Results indicate that non-uniform airflow of air temperature distributed as TB-HT (high in top and low in bottom) and air flowrate as TB-HB (high in bottom and low in top) increases the cooling capacity of 27.7 % at non-uniformity of 55 %. Conversely, uneven airflow of flowrate and temperature both distributed as LR-HL (high in left and low in right) at 40 % non-uniformity leads to a wastage of compressor power up to 1/2. These findings reveal the dual impacts of non-uniform airflow on the performance of transcritical CO2 air conditioning system, which emphasizes the importance of considering these impacts when designing automotive CO2 air conditioning systems.

Inclined Installation Effect on the Offset Strip Finned Heat Exchanger Designed for a Hybrid Electric Propulsion System in Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing

The plate-fin heat exchanger was designed for the liquid cooling thermal management system of the hybrid electric propulsion system for an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. The offset-strip fin design was applied, and the performance of the heat exchanger was evaluated, particularly with respect to the inclination of the airflow entering the heat exchanger. The estimated performance during the design phase matched well with the experimental results. The inclination of the heat exchanger had a minimal effect on thermal performance, with a slight increase in performance as the inclination increased. However, the pressure difference along the airflow was affected, likely increasing as the inclination increased. The sensitivity of various parameters on coolant temperature was also investigated. The air inlet temperature had a significant effect on coolant temperature, followed by the coolant flow rate. Therefore, when designing the thermal management system, careful consideration should be given to the ambient air temperature and coolant flow rate.

Heat and mass transfer performance of multi-solute electroplating wastewater in spray evaporation separation process

Electroplating wastewater is complex in composition and contains many harmful substances. Based on the single droplet heat and mass transfer method, a one-dimensional mathematical model for the evaporation separation heat and mass transfer process of multi-solute electroplating wastewater is established. In order to validate the model, the experimental system of evaporation separation tower is established, and Nusselt numbers corresponding to metal ion solutions are fitted, reliabilities of models are also verified. The maximum relative errors of mathematical models are within 10.0 %. In addition, effects of the type and concentration of metal ions and air inlet temperature on heat and mass transfer characteristics of spray separation tower are investigated. Experimental results show that when the wastewater inlet concentration is the same, the improvement effects of increasing air inlet temperature on evaporation and separation performance from high to low are ZnCl2, CuCl2, and NiCl2 solutions. When the air inlet temperature increases from 90 °C to 130 °C, the evaporation speed of ZnCl2, CuCl2 and NiCl2 solutions increase by 90.3 %, 84.3 % and 45.7 %, respectively. When the air inlet temperature is the same, with the increase of wastewater inlet concentration, the evaporation separation performance of electroplating wastewater in descending order is ZnCl2, CuCl2, and NiCl2 solutions.

Numerical and artificial neural network inspired study on step-like-plenum battery thermal management system

This study leverage numerical simulation (NS) and artificial neural network (ANN) capabilities to carry out additional investigations on step-like plenum battery thermal management system (BTMS). Different cooling strategies have been developed over the years in BTMSs’ design. Yet, air-cooling strategies still remains relevant, especially in battery-powered aircrafts, where light-weight is important and air is the preferred cooling fluid. Hence, additional study become necessary especially on the step-like plenum design to provide more insight on the performance of the design by considering several number of step, varied air inlet temperature and velocity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach was employed to obtained results for different number of step; Ns = 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 15 and 19, varied air inlet temperature; Ti = 278, 298 and 318 K, and varied air inlet velocity; Vi = 3, 3.5, 4, 5 and 6 m/s. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach was then employed to predict the BTMSs’ performance for additional values of Ti and Vi. Minimum temperature (Tmin), maximum temperature (Tmax), maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax) and pressure drop (ΔP) were computed. By comparing the CFD results with the result predicted by the ANN, the percentage difference, for the entire dataset were 0.01 %, 0.005 %, 1 % and 0.14 % for Tmax, Tmin ΔTmax and ΔP, respectively. Based on the optimum design parameters predicted using ANN, for Tmax = 299.24 comprises Ns = 4, Vi = 6 m/s and Ti = 278 K, while for ΔP, comprises Ns = 1, Vi = 3 m/s and Ti = 318 K.

A comparative performance study of terminal control strategy for the multi-split backplane cooling system in data centers

Multi-split backplane cooling, a typical rack-level cooling technology, has the advantage of solving local hot-spot problems with huge energy-saving potential. These systems adopt the multi-split mode, and the operation effect is affected by terminal control performance. However, there are factors in the operation process, such as superheat degree (SH), rack airflow, evaporating/condensing pressures, etc., which improve the control complication, particularly under large head load differences among different terminals. Therefore, appreciative control strategies for outlet air temperatures of terminal evaporators, including single-loop control limited by minimum stable superheat degree (SLC) and fan/electronic expansion valve (EEV) double-loop control (DLC), are proposed considering that cooling performance can be affected by both refrigerant flow and airflow. Then, comparative simulation studies are carried out to evaluate energy efficiency, control effect, and feasibility under the condition of different server heat distribution characteristics. Results indicate that the DLC strategy achieves 23% higher energy efficiency than the SLC strategy with a better temperature control effect when the inlet air temperature (IAT) difference between terminal evaporators is within ±5K. The SLC strategy has better reliability by more stable control of SH at IATs below 42°C, but it may lead to cooling failure when IATs exceed 42°C. An insufficient liquid supply problem may happen to the evaporator adopting the DLC strategy when the IAT is too high, which can be solved by adjusting the pressure differential between the evaporator and condenser. Moreover, the DLC system exhibits intense coupling effects, and how to decouple it is worthy of further study.

Energy management of residential buildings using innovative passive techniques

Abstract Recently, efforts on sustainability and energy savings in buildings have increased due to the growing global awareness of the energy use of buildings and the negative impacts of carbon dioxide emissions on climate change. As a result, it is critical to propose effective strategies to reduce such energy consumption. The goal of this project is to advance the idea of net-zero energy buildings as a worldwide mitigation method for climate change. Thus, a numerical model was developed and validated to investigate the passive cooling capabilities of an innovative phase change material (PCM)-based phase cube in residential buildings. The proposed phase cube includes six various PCM-compact storage module (PCM-CSM) configurations including Rubitherm’s SP-24E plates (Horizontal), Half Circular Inline, Half Circular Staggered, Vertical plates, Inline Cylindrical and Staggered Cylindrical compact storage modules. All the proposed designs were numerically simulated, and the obtained results were compared and analysed at an inlet air temperature and velocity of 35°C, and 4m/s, respectively and each phase cube contained the same mass of Rubitherm’s SP-24E PCM, which was 30.326 kg. The results showed that the Horizontal, Half Circular Inline and Vertical phase cubes can absorb heat at a higher rate from fresh air at nearly 496.19w, 465.9w and 458.16w, respectively translating the lowest outlet air temperature of about 25°C from the cube. Integrating such phase cubes into residential buildings for indoor passive air cooling substantially decreased the building cooling loads, resulting in reduced electric energy consumption by the air conditioning system.

A Simulation-Based Optimization of Heat Pump Air Circulation Evaporating Separation System for Saline Wastewater Treatment

Recycling salt and water from saline wastewater is crucial for environmental preservation, resource conservation, and social economy sustainability. The heat pump air circulation evaporating separation (HP-ACES) system for saline wastewater treatment is proposed. Nevertheless, it is discovered that the system evaporation efficiency (SEE) is low and solid crystalline salt does not precipitate during the experiment. Therefore, an established and validated mathematical model of the HP-ACES system is provided and the average relative errors of the system evaporation rate (SER) and SEE are 5.3% and 7%, respectively. The theoretical analysis of the non-optimized system indicates that the main cause of the low SEE of the HP-ACES system during the test is incorrect cooling water flow. Hence, the system optimization scheme is presented and the comparison of the HP-ACES system’s performances before and after optimization is conducted. Results demonstrate that the SEE of the optimized HP-ACES system has been greatly improved (optimized system: 0.62 to 2.46 kg/kWh, non-optimized system: 0.77-0.91 kg/kWh). Additionally, there is almost no change in the yield and composition of the solid crystalline salt when the inlet air temperature of spray separation tower is above 90 °C.

Unsteady-state entropy generation analysis of the counter-flow dew-point evaporative coolers

The surging demand for air conditioning, especially in hot climates, underscores the urgency of strategies aimed at curbing fossil fuel reliance and fostering energy saving strategy. Despite the longstanding utility and advantages of the conventional mechanical vapor compression refrigeration system, sustainability hurdles persist owing to its pronounced electricity demand. While evaporative cooling, harnessing water evaporation, emerges as a more efficient alternative, its efficacy is contingent upon environmental conditions. Addressing this, dew-point evaporative cooling (DPEC) presents an innovative direction, showcasing superior efficiency by directing supply air into a wet channel. This study delves into the thermodynamic losses within a counter-flow configured DPEC system, employing a transient entropy generation model rooted in the second law of thermodynamics to provide a comprehensive analysis of DPEC’s performance. Key findings that emerged from this study reveal that (1) the transient entropy generation is intricately distributed across different layers of the dew point evaporative cooling (DPEC) system, including dry air, wet air, the channel plate, and the water film; (2) Parametric analyses highlight the significant impact of factors on entropy generation, inlet air temperature has a minimal effect on system efficiency, but higher temperatures increase thermal losses. Excessive humidity limits evaporative potential, while low humidity significantly increases entropy generation. The system performs optimally at a working ratio of 0.3 and lower air velocities (within the inlet air velocity range of 0.6 to 2.2 m/s). Channel length has little impact, while the system is more sensitive to channel height, with a height of 2.5–3.5 mm being conducive to better performance. Experimental validation demonstrates the model’s accuracy in predicting system performance. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of DPEC systems, offering insights for achieving optimal operating conditions and enhancing overall efficiency in the pursuit of sustainable development.

A full-scale CFD model of scavenge air inlet temperature on two-stroke marine diesel engine combustion and exhaust emission characteristics

Most ships in the maritime transport sector are equipped with large two-stroke marine diesel engines in their propulsion systems. Therefore, ensuring stable and long-term operation of these engines is crucial to maintaining freight transportation. The design of the ship's machinery, particularly the diesel engine, is a crucial step in achieving this goal. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools can be used to achieve this goal. This article presents a full-scale CFD study on the effect of different scavenge air inlet temperatures (300, 312, 330 and 340 K) on the combustion process and generation of exhaust emissions in a two-stroke marine diesel engine using ANSYS Forte software. Regarding the cylinder pressure, the presented model agrees well with experimental data. The maximum cylinder pressure decreases as the scavenge air inlet temperature increases, whereas the maximum cylinder temperature increases as the scavenge air inlet temperature increases. The maximum NOX, CO and UHC emission values are calculated to be 2256.5, 20375.8 and 3743.9 ppm, respectively, at a scavenge air inlet temperature of 340 K. Due to the higher combustion temperature caused by the increasing scavenge air inlet temperature, it is observed that the exhaust emission levels increase.

Study of inhalation micropowders obtained by spray drying

Objectives. To study the influence of the type of matrix-forming material and excipients concentration, spray drying parameters on the characteristics of the powder for inhalation, as well as to investigate the inhalation compositions for stability under stressful conditions.Methods. Spray drying was used to obtain powder compositions with the required characteristics for inhalation therapy. Microscopic and analytical studies of powders were carried out. Statistical analysis made it possible to estimate the influence of factors on the powder characteristics and rank them by importance. The stability of spray dried powders was studied.Results. The optimal parameters for obtaining powders for inhalation were found by means of mathematical statistics: air flow rate was 37 m3/h; compressed air flow rate — 601 L/h; inlet air temperature — 150°C; solution flow rate — 45% of the power of the peristaltic pump (16.3 g/min for this composition); L-leucine concentration — 10 wt %; ratio of components of the matrix polyvinylpyrrolidone K-30/D-mannitol = 1 : 3. Under these conditions, as well as by means of 2 experiments additionally selected from the research design, a composition with isoniazid as an active substance was spray dried. The resulting powders were analyzed, in order to confirm the correctness of the recommended parameters.Conclusions. The selection of compositions and spray drying conditions involves multiple criteria. The characteristics of the powder for inhalation may deteriorate significantly during long-term storage. The optimal parameters were determined using statistical analysis and confirmed by experimental data.

Experimental study of the optimal design and performance of a mixed-flow dew-point indirect evaporative cooler

Evaporative cooling technologies represent a promising alternative to face the emerging cooling energy poverty, owing to their low production and operative costs. High performance can be achieved through more complex designs, such as dew point indirect evaporative cooling (DIEC) systems. Recent literature explores improvements on these systems, like flow configuration, materials, and water distribution. This study proposes a compact mixed-flow DIEC system made of polycarbonate plates covered with two possible wicking materials. Three water distribution systems are also studied. The prototypes are experimentally characterised by varying the inlet air temperature, humidity, volume flow, and working-to-intake air ratio. The best performing design is evaluated in terms of temperature drop, dew-point effectiveness, wet-bulb effectiveness, and cooling capacity. Results are consistent with those in the literature for equivalent heat transfer areas. The use of a wicking material improves the cooling capacity by up to 1.45. The type of material is less relevant, which enables to select the most economic and accessible option. External nozzles for water distribution offers temperature drops of more than 1 °C and better cooling capacities of approximately 100 W than inlet water distributors.

Comprehensive modeling of far-infrared drying process for rough rice in a combined FIR dryer

This study introduces a novel single-parameter model for the far-infrared (FIR) drying process of rough rice in a combined FIR dryer, aiming to streamline the prediction process and enhance its efficiency. The experiments involved three levels of FIR intensity (0, 500, and 1000 W m−2) and three levels of inlet air temperature (30, 40, and 50 °C), with a comprehensive examination of various mathematical thin-layer models to predict the drying process. The study developed a comprehensive single-parameter model by investigating the interrelationship of the models’ coefficients under distinct drying conditions, demonstrating its capability to faithfully depict the drying characteristics of rough rice within the combined FIR dryer with an R2 exceeding 0.99. The findings also provide valuable insights into the impact of drying conditions on the drying time, percentage of cracked kernels (PCK), and amylose content of rough rice, revealing increasing trends in PCK and amylose content with higher drying temperature and FIR intensity, offering practical and efficient tools for optimizing the drying process and enhancing the quality of dried rice products. Overall, this research significantly advances rice drying technology and offers practical solutions for improving the efficiency and quality of rice drying processes.

Optimisation of the Encapsulation of Grape Pomace Extract by Spray Drying Using Goat Whey Protein as a Coating Material

The aim of this research was to determine the optimal conditions for the process of the microencapsulation of phenol-rich grape pomace extract (GPE) using spray drying and goat whey protein (GW) as a coating. The encapsulation was carried out with the aim of protecting the original bioactive components extracted from grape pomace to ensure their stability and protection from external agents, as well as antioxidant activity, during the conversion of the liquid extract into powder and during storage. Using the response surface methodology, an inlet air temperature of 173.5 °C, a GW ratio of 2.5 and a flow rate of 7 mL/min were determined as optimum process parameters. Under these conditions, a high yield (85.2%) and encapsulation efficiency (95.5%) were achieved with a satisfactorily low moisture content in the product (<5%). The amount of coating had the greatest influence on the MC properties. GW showed a more pronounced stabilising effect on the phenolic compounds in GPE during a longer storage period compared to anthocyanins. The results obtained indicate the potential of GW as a coating and are an example of the possible upcycling of GPE and GW, which can lead to a high-quality product that can be a functional ingredient.

A Computational Study on Utilizing Phase Change Material With a Condenser to Improve air Conditioning System Performance

ABSTRACTThe efficacy of employing multiple cylindrical phase change materials (PCM) to enhance the performance of an air conditioning (AC) unit is examined in this study. The objective of the present study is to examine the effects of combining an AC unit with a cylindrical PCM container configuration on the PCM discharge process and the performance of the AC system. The procedure involves the connection of a heat exchanger with a cold energy storage PCM to the condenser of the AC. During the daytime, the warm surrounding air is cooled and then transmitted to the AC unit's condenser. Four different turbulence models, that is, the SST , standard , Realizable and RNG have been considered for the present computational study. The investigation has been performed for different air flow rates, that is, 33.6, 42, and 49 for a constant inlet air temperature of 308.15 K. The present outcomes indicate that as the flow rate rises, the air temperature inside the domain increases and the solid PCM starts melting. It is noted that complete discharging time for multi‐cylindrical PCM reduces as the air flow rate rises which are around 13.36, 11.03, and 9.94 h for airflow rates of 33.6, 42, and 49 , respectively. The maximum achieved increase in the COP is around 94.49%, 88.68%, and 87.57% at airflow rates of 33.6, 42, and 49 L/s, respectively, for the multi‐cylindrical PCM throughout the summer. It is found that for the same temperature, as the airflow rate rises, the consumed power saving rises.

Study on internal heat transfer characteristics of a wind turbine blade

Abstract Based on the theory of computational fluid dynamics and computational heat transfer, ANSYS FLUENT software is used to simulate the internal space flow field and temperature field of a wind turbine blade. The temperature field distribution of the blade was studied under different conditions, and the heating law inside the blade was analyzed. The results show that the temperature of the blade tip, the end face on both sides of the web and the area near the outlet of the wind turbine are obviously lower, and the low temperature phenomenon can be alleviated simply by increasing the inlet speed and temperature of the blade. Compared with increasing the inlet air temperature, increasing the inlet air speed of the blade can more effectively enhance the convective heat transfer of the air, so as to increase the temperature of the blade surface rapidly. When the inlet wind speed of the wind turbine blade is 30m/s and the inlet temperature is 100°C, the average temperature of the outer wall of the blade is about 50°C, which can meet working requirements of the blade. It takes about 20 seconds from the beginning of heating to the internal temperature of the blade reaching a stable state.

Machine learning-based process design of a novel sustainable cooling system

An exponential rise in cooling requirements occurred in the last few years because of rising global surface temperatures, population growth, faster urbanization, and income growth. Developing countries are facing major issues because of the larger impact of these cooling drivers. Conventional vapor compression systems are energy-demanding and involve dangerous chemicals. The current paper proposed an innovative indirect evaporative cooling system with high energy performance, less emissions, and chemical-free operation. To map the full-scale performance, a prototype was developed,and tested in a variety of outside air conditions. Then artificial neural network (ANN)-based machine learning model was developed incorporating important input parameters including outdoor air temperature, air flow rate ratio, working air temperature, and working air wet bulb temperature to predict the supply air temperature. The ANN model having nine neurons in the hidden layer exhibits excellent modeling performance with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of ∼ 1 and root mean square error of 0.046 °C, 0.06 °C, and 0.06 °C in the training, testing, and validation phases respectively. The variable significance analysis carried out by one factor at a time (OFAT) technique reveals that working air inlet temperature is the most important parameter to predict supply temperature with a significance factor of 33 %. According to the combined experimental and ML model, the proposed system generated 130 W of cooling capacity and dropped the temperature by more than 20 °C at 48 °C of outdoor air. The corresponding coefficient of performance achieved (just for cooling) was 32. It is also shown that the enhanced IEC operates steadily in ambient temperatures ranging from 30 to 48 °C and maintains supply air temperatures within the comfort zone of ASHRAE-55 and ISO7730.

Effective design of sustainable energy productivity based on the experimental investigation of the humidification-dehumidification-desalination system using hybrid optimization

Reliable and cost-effective industrial-based sustainable desalination technologies are crucial for efficient and effective desalination of saline water. Seawater desalination emerges as a vital treatment, with humidification-dehumidification identified as a promising technology due to its simple, low-maintenance design and compatibility with renewable energy sources. The present work was developed using a large-scale experimental test rig based on the performance of a humidification-dehumidification system operated by the heat pump. As such, the study presents an advanced approach for optimizing humidification-dehumidification desalination systems using hybrid machine learning optimization techniques. The effectiveness of a neuro-fuzzy model, a decision algorithm based on a boosted tree, and a simple averaging ensemble in enhancing the performance of humidification-dehumidification systems were investigated. Experimental data includes cold water flowrate (L/min), hot water flowrate (L/min), inlet air temperature (°C), inlet cold water temperature (°C), inlet hot water temperature (°C), and inlet air relative humidity (%) as input variables combination and freshwater productivity (L/h), recovery ratio (%) as target variables. Several statistical indicators were used to evaluate the models’ prediction skills; similarly, a 2-dimensional Taylor diagram and error-radial plot were also utilized. In the calibration phase, boosted tree models slightly outperform neuro-fuzzy models, particularly for recovery ratio, demonstrating high accuracy and low bias. However, all models exhibit robust predictive accuracy in the verification phase, especially for recovery ratio, emphasizing their potential in generalizing to unseen data. The result indicated that the boosted tree outperformed others with Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency = 94 % and 88 % for recovery ratio and freshwater productivity, respectively. The simple averaging ensemble shows marginal improvement with 95 % accuracy for the recovery ratio. Integrating hybrid artificial intelligence optimization with humidification-dehumidification desalination systems marks a transformative step in addressing freshwater shortages. By utilizing cutting-edge machine learning techniques, we achieve a more efficient, accurate, and reliable prediction of desalination performance.

Analysis of energy and exergy of lavender extract powder in spray dryer

AbstractIn recent years, the research in the field of medicinal plants as therapeutic supplements has increased significantly. Lavender extract is widely used among medicinal plant products due to its unique therapeutic properties. Since drying processes require high energy, this study was conducted to study the performance of the spray dryer in the production of lavender extract powder at three levels of air temperature 150°C, 180°C, and 210°C, three levels of compressed air flow rate 6, 8, and 10 L/min and ratios of maltodextrin‐drying aid to the mass of dry matter of the extract 0%, 25%, and 50% by response surface method. For this purpose, the energy efficiency and exergy of the powder production process were examined. According to the obtained results, increasing the inlet air temperature and the inlet air flow rate increased the energy efficiency and exergy and decreased the energy efficiency and exergy, respectively. The energy efficiency of the drying process varied in the range of 6.55%–15.87%, and the exergy efficiency () of the drying process in the range of 2.87%–5.84%. Also, the of the spray dryer was calculated in the range of 20.05%–38.78%. Based on the energy efficiency and exergy, the optimal production of lavender plant extract powder was obtained at the air temperature of 210°C, the compressed air flow rate of 6 L/min, and the amount of drying aid of 11.9 g/L.