Solar energy applications could be the best alternative to the conventional fuels for the purposes of domestic,water and space heating and some industries in the sunny,arid,and hot areas.In the present study,the perfo...Solar energy applications could be the best alternative to the conventional fuels for the purposes of domestic,water and space heating and some industries in the sunny,arid,and hot areas.In the present study,the performance of an evacuated tube solar heater for water heating for months of February and March was experimentally investigated.This was performed in a hot and arid area(Nasiriya City,South of Iraq).A solar heater with ten evacuated tube solar collectors with a capacity of 100 liter was used in the experiments.Each evacuated tube had a length of 1.8m with an outside diameter of 8 cm.It was observed that for the two selected months,water temperature of the solar heater reached a maximum more than 70°C during sunny days with no heat extraction from the tank of the solar heater.Moreover,heat was extracted from the solar collector with four different flowrates 0.5,0.75,1,and 1.25 l/min,respectively.The results showed that temperature of the solar heater behaved differently from the static situation.When the heat extraction begun,there was a gradual and noticeable decrease in the water temperature of the heater.The observed decrease was slight with the lowest flowrate(0.25 l/m)and becomes sharp with the highest flowrate(1.25 l/min).However,water temperature of the solar heater remained higher than 40°C for the investigated flowrates except the case of 1.25 l/min.The results showed that evacuated tube solar heater can work efficiently in arid and hot areas in winter and spring seasons when the conditions of solar radiation are suitable.展开更多
Introduction: Evacuation refers to the rapid transfer of a patient in an emergency, from one health center to another more equipped and better specialized. The objective of this study was to study maternal mortality i...Introduction: Evacuation refers to the rapid transfer of a patient in an emergency, from one health center to another more equipped and better specialized. The objective of this study was to study maternal mortality in patients evacuated to the gynecology and obstetrics department at the Fousseyni Daou Hospital in Kayes over a period of 10 years. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study over nine years from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019 and prospective over one year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 involving all patients or parturients evacuated for obstetrical causes and died in the gynecology-obstetrics department of the Fousseyni Daou Hospital. Confidentiality and anonymity were respected. The processing and analysis of the statistical data was carried out using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: during our study period we identified 38,854 obstetric admissions including 6758 evacuations or 17.4%, among the 6758 cases of obstetric evacuations 284 died, a frequency of 4.2%. The maternal death audit committee of the Fousseyni Daou hospital in Kayes audited 101/284 cases (files) or 35.5% of which 64 maternal deaths (63.4%) were considered inevitable. In our study the 20 - 29 age group was more represented with 38%. 85% of the deceased patients lived in rural areas. In our series, 63.7% of the deceased patients had not had antenatal consultations (NPC). Eclampsia accounted for 26.8% of admissions diagnoses and 30.9% of causes of death. Seventy-two (72%) of deaths occurred postpartum, 15% perpartum and 13% prepartum. Direct obstetric causes were predominant at 65.1%. Conclusion: Indicators of maternal deaths among evacuated patients remain poor in our work. Maternal deaths were driven by socio-economic and cultural factors, but also by factors related to the health system.展开更多
The experimental study of natural convection in allglass evacuated tube solar collectors is performed through the experimental platform of the solar-assisted fuel cell system.The experimental facility includes solar c...The experimental study of natural convection in allglass evacuated tube solar collectors is performed through the experimental platform of the solar-assisted fuel cell system.The experimental facility includes solar collectors with different length and diameter tubes, different coating materials, and with / without guide plates, respectively. Threedimensional mathematical models on natural and forced convections in the solar collectors are established and the experimental data is validated by field synergy and entransy principles. The results of natural convection show that the water temperature increases and thermal efficiency decreases gradually with the evacuated tube length. The thermal efficiency increases when absorption rates increase from 0. 95 to 1. 0 and emission rates decrease from 0. 16 to 0. 06. The thermal efficiency of solar collectors is increased after being equipped with the guide plate, which is attributed to the disappearance of the mixed flowand the enhancement of the heat transfer at the bottom of the evacuated tube. The results of forced convertion indicate that the Reynolds, Nusselt and entransy increments of the horizontal double collectors are higher than those of the vertical single collector while the entransy dissipation is lower than that of the vertical single collector. It is concluded that the solar collectors with guide plates are suitable for natural convection while the double horizontal collectors are suitable for forced convection in the thermal field of solar-assisted fuel cell systems with lowand medium temperatures.展开更多
Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies (ET3) offers the potential for more than an order of magnitude improvement in transportation efficiency, speed, cost, and effectiveness. An ET3 network may be optimized to susta...Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies (ET3) offers the potential for more than an order of magnitude improvement in transportation efficiency, speed, cost, and effectiveness. An ET3 network may be optimized to sustainably displace most global transportation by car, ship, truck, train, and jet aircraft. To do this, ET3 standards should adhere to certain key principals: maximum value through efficiency, reliability, and simplicity; equal consideration for passenger and cargo loads; optimum size; high speed/high frequency operation; demand oriented; random accessibility; scalability; high granularity; automated control; full speed passive switching; open standards of implementation; and maximum use of existing capacities, materials, and processes.展开更多
The aerodynamic resistance of a train running in the open air limits the maximum speed that can be attained by the train.For this reason,evacuated tube trains(ETT)are being considered as valid alternatives to be imple...The aerodynamic resistance of a train running in the open air limits the maximum speed that can be attained by the train.For this reason,evacuated tube trains(ETT)are being considered as valid alternatives to be implemented in the future.The atmosphere in the tube,the so-called blocking ratio and the length of the streamlined nose are the key factors affecting the aerodynamic performances of these trains.In the present work,we investigate evacuated tube trains with different lengths of the streamline nose on the basis of computational fluid dynamics(CFD).The three-dimensional steady compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved.The running speed of the ETT is 800 km/h and the blocking ratio is 0.2.Results show that with the increase of the streamlined nose length,the aerodynamic drag and lift forces of the head car decrease gradually,and the drag and lift forces of the middle car change slightly.For the tail car,the drag force decreases,whereas the absolute value of the lift force increases.At a speed of 800 km/h,a slight shock wave appears at the rear of the tail car,which affects the aerodynamic forces acting on the train.展开更多
Evacuated tube transportation (ETT) will be one of the ultra-large-scale vacuum application areas. This paper lists some key vacuum technology issues in ETT: (1) how to construct ultra-large-scale vacuum chamber ...Evacuated tube transportation (ETT) will be one of the ultra-large-scale vacuum application areas. This paper lists some key vacuum technology issues in ETT: (1) how to construct ultra-large-scale vacuum chamber with lower cost and high reliability, (2) how to evacuate gas out of the ETT tube in short time, (3) how to release heat or reduce temperature in the vacuum tube, (4) how to avoid vacuum discharge, (5) how to make vehicles with airproof shells and life support system, and (6) how to detect leaks and find leak positions efficiently. At the same time, some solutions are proposed.展开更多
The so-called Evacuated Tube Train(ETT)is currently being proposed as a high-speed transportation system potentially competitive with airplane transportation.Aerodynamic resistance is one of the most crucial factors f...The so-called Evacuated Tube Train(ETT)is currently being proposed as a high-speed transportation system potentially competitive with airplane transportation.Aerodynamic resistance is one of the most crucial factors for the successful design of an ETT.In the present work,a three-dimensional concept ETT model has been elaborated.The aerodynamic characteristics of the subsonic ETT have been numerically simulated under different conditions.The train’s running speed varies from 600 km/h up to 1200 km/h,and the blockage ratio is in the range between 0.1 and 0.3.As the blocking ratio and running speed increase,the resistance of the head car increases greatly,while the resistance of the middle car changes slightly.The aerodynamic resistance of the tail car is affected by the shock wave emerging in the wake flow.Two different design criteria for the maximum allowed aerodynamic resistance are proposed for aerodynamic parameter matching.With an increase in the blockage ratio and running speed,the atmospheric pressure in the tube should be decreased to achieve a balance.展开更多
The aerodynamic drag on a train running in an evacuated tube varies with tube air pressure, train speed and shape, as well as blockage ratio. This paper uses numerical simulations to study the effects of different fac...The aerodynamic drag on a train running in an evacuated tube varies with tube air pressure, train speed and shape, as well as blockage ratio. This paper uses numerical simulations to study the effects of different factors on the aerodynamic drag of a train running at subsonic speed in an evacuated tube. Firstly, we present the assumption of a steady state, two dimensional, incompressible viscous flow with lubricity wall conditions. Subsequently, based on the Navier-Stokes equation and the k-c turbulent models, we calculate the aerodynamic drag imposed on the column train with a 3-meter diameter running under different pressure and blockage ratio conditions in an evacuated tube transporta- tion (ETT) system. The simulation is performed with FLUENT 6.3 software package. An analyses of the simulation re- sults suggest that the blockage ratio for ETT should be in the range of 0.25-0.7, and the tube internal diameter in the range of 2-4 m, with the feasible vacuum pressure in the range of 1-10 000 Pa for the future subsonic ETT trains.展开更多
Based on the Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations of incompressible viscous fluids and the standard k-ε turbu- lence model with assumptions of steady state and two dimensional conditions, a simulation of the aerodynamic d...Based on the Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations of incompressible viscous fluids and the standard k-ε turbu- lence model with assumptions of steady state and two dimensional conditions, a simulation of the aerodynamic drag on a maglev train in an evacuated tube was made with ANSYS/FLOTRAN software under different vacuum pressures, blockage ratios, and shapes of train head and tail. The pressure flow fields of the evacuated tube maglev train under different vacuum pressures were analyzed, and then compared under the same blockage ratio condition. The results show that the environmental pressure of 1 000 Pa in the tube is the best to achieve the effect of aerodynamic drag reduction, and there are no obvious differences in the aerodynamic drag reduction among different streamline head shapes. Overall, the blunt-shape tail and the blockage ratio of 0.25 are more efficient for drag reduction of the train at the tube pressure of 1 000 Pa.展开更多
In order to study the relationships between the aerodynamic drag of maglev and other factors in the evacuated tube, the formula of aerodynamic drag was deduced based on the basic equations of aerodynamics and then the...In order to study the relationships between the aerodynamic drag of maglev and other factors in the evacuated tube, the formula of aerodynamic drag was deduced based on the basic equations of aerodynamics and then the calculated result was confirmed at a low speed on an experimental system developed by Superconductivity and New Energy R&D Center of South Jiaotong University. With regard to this system a high temperature superconducting magnetic levitation vehicle was motivated by a linear induction motor (LIM) fixed on the permanent magnetic guideway. When the vehicle reached an expected speed, the LIM was stopped. Then the damped speed was recorded and used to calculate the experimental drag. The two results show the approximately same relationship between the aerodynamic drag on the maglev and the other factors such as the pressure in the tube, the velocity of the maglev and the blockage ratio. Thus, the pressure, the velocity, and the blockage ratio are viewed as the three important factors that contribute to the energy loss in the evacuated tube transportation.展开更多
The super-high speed high temperature superconductor (HTS) maglev evacuated tube transport (ETT) is a promising transport mode for the future. As a key component of the HTS maglev vehicle, the permanent magnet gui...The super-high speed high temperature superconductor (HTS) maglev evacuated tube transport (ETT) is a promising transport mode for the future. As a key component of the HTS maglev vehicle, the permanent magnet guide- ways (PMGs) with different geometrical configurations and iron yoke widths are analyzed by finite element method (FEM). The levitation force of a single onboard HTS maglev device over the designed PMG at different field cooling heights (FCH) is measured by magnetic levitation measurement system. Based on the designed PMG and experimental results, a preliminary scheme of subterranean super-high speed HTS maglev ETT is described in this paper. The HTS maglev ETT is mainly composed of an evacuated tube, HTS maglev vehicle, PMG, propulsion system, station, emergency rescue system, etc. In addition, a subterranean tube that consists of foundation tube and vacuum airproof layer is introduced. In order to convert the stress caused by the air pressure difference between inside and outside of the vehicle, a multi-circular vehicle body is designed. The vehicle is driven by a linear motor propulsion system under the control of a ground controlling system. The scheme of long-distance super-high speed passenger transportation is accomplished by the connection of different vehicles.展开更多
Evacuated Tube Transportation(ETT)systems have been claimed to have considerable strengths,including ultra-highspeed,safety,and environmentally-friendly.However,the frequent handover caused by the high-speed brings a ...Evacuated Tube Transportation(ETT)systems have been claimed to have considerable strengths,including ultra-highspeed,safety,and environmentally-friendly.However,the frequent handover caused by the high-speed brings a challenge for ETT mobile wireless communication to preserve steady link performance.Moreover,in such a special scenario,the wireless link between the base station and the passengers on the train needs to experience fading from both metal pipe and train,thus the free-wave coverage with antennas in traditional high-speed rail wireless communication systems is not suitable for ETT.Based on the characteristics of ETT,an improved architecture of wireless communication network is proposed,using distributed base stations with remote radio units(RRUs)and baseband units(BBUs)and leaky waveguides to form stable coverage.And a redundant BBUs or RRUs structure is designed for coverage enhancement.Based on this redundant architecture,a fast handover scheme is proposed to resolve the handover problem.The analytical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme is capable of reducing communication outage probability and handover failure probability remarkably.展开更多
Since Maglev vehicles will run in a closed vacuum tube,the layout of the terminal stations of evacuated tube transportation(ETT) will differ from the traditional railway stations.This paper deals with some possible ...Since Maglev vehicles will run in a closed vacuum tube,the layout of the terminal stations of evacuated tube transportation(ETT) will differ from the traditional railway stations.This paper deals with some possible station layouts of ETT,e.g.,a station with an airlock,a station without an airlock,above ground and underground stations,and stations with either level arrayed or rotation platforms.Then different station layouts are compared,and characteristics of each are analyzed.Finally,a more secure mode for ETT station layouts is suggested,which can be the basis for future ETT station layout and designs.展开更多
Energy consumption in buildings is considered a significant portion of gross power dissipation, so a great effort is required to design efficient construction. In severe hot weather conditions as Kuwait, energy requir...Energy consumption in buildings is considered a significant portion of gross power dissipation, so a great effort is required to design efficient construction. In severe hot weather conditions as Kuwait, energy required for building cooling and heating results in a huge energy loads and consumption and accordingly high emission rates of carbon dioxide. So, the main purpose of the current work is to convert the existing institutional building to near net-zero energy building (nNZEB) or into a net-zero energy building (NZEB). A combination of integrated high concentrated photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules and evacuated tube collectors (ETC) are proposed to provide domestic water heating, electricity load as well as cooling consumption of an institutional facility. An equivalent circuit model for single diode is implemented to evaluate triple junction HCPV modules efficiency considering concentration level and temperature effects. A code compatible with TRNSYS subroutines is introduced to optimize evacuated tube collector efficiency. The developed models are validated through comparison with experimental data available from literature. The efficiency of integrated HCPV-ETC unit is optimized by varying the different system parameters. Transient simulation program (TRNSYS) is adapted to determine the performance of various parts of HCPV-ETC system. Furthermore, a theoretical code is introduced to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed building when integrated with renewable energy systems. The integrated HCPV-ETC fully satisfies the energy required for building lighting and equipment. Utilizing HCPV modules of orientation 25? accomplishes a minimum energy payback time of about 8 years. Integrated solar absorption chiller provides about 64% of the annual air conditioning consumption needed for the studied building. The energy payback period (EPT) or solar cooling system is about 18 years which is significantly larger than that corresponding to HCPV due to the extra expenses of solar absorption system. The life cycle savings (LCS) of solar cooling absorption system is approximately $2400/year. Furthermore, levelized cost of energy of solar absorption cooling is $0.21/kWh. Hence, the net cost of the solar system after subtracting the CO2 emission cost will be close to the present price of conventional generation in Kuwait (about $0.17/kWh). Finally, the yearly CO2 emission avoided is approximately 543 ton verifying the environmental benefits of integrated HCPV-ETC arrangements in Kuwait.展开更多
<strong>Introduction</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>:</str...<strong>Introduction</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>:</strong> All pregnant women are at risk of obstetric complications </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">leading to high fetal-maternal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the maternal and fetal prognosis of evacuated parturients.</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Patient and Method</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: we conducted a prospective analytical survey for four months, from April 1</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> to July 31</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, 2018 in the Maternity of N’Djamena Mother and Child Hospital about the maternal and fetal prognosis of evacuated parturients. Any parturient evacuated or referred for obstetric complications was included. Study parameters were epidemiological, clinical, para-clinical, therapeutic and prognosis order. These parameters were analyzed in the SPSS 18 French version software.</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: Evacuated parturients represented 20% of maternity admissions. The average age was 23.9 years, with extremes ranging from 15 and 43 years. They were uneducated in 72.9%, primiparous in 46.8% of cases. The three delays were dominated by the 1</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> delay, which represented 34.1% of cases. In this series, 26.3% parturients had presented obstetric com</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">plications. Preruptive syndrome was the most common complication with</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> 29.3% cases. Predisposing factors to maternal-fetal complications were low attendance antenatal care, late evacuation and distance travelled. The mater</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">nal mortality rate was 3%. Fetal complications were observed in 28.3% of cas</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">es and the neonatal mortality rate was 24.6%.</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: The maternal </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and fetal complications of evacuated parturients are a real public health</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> problem in our regions. The suppression of delays, capacity reinforcement of peripheral maternity and the periodic recycling peripheral centers to recognize </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">obstetric emergencies will contribute to improve the maternal and fetal</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> prognosis of evacuated parturients.</span></span></span></span>展开更多
Solar water heaters which provide a cost-effective and environmental friendly approach to hot water generation are in widespread application. Evacuated tube solar water heaters perform better than flat plate solar wat...Solar water heaters which provide a cost-effective and environmental friendly approach to hot water generation are in widespread application. Evacuated tube solar water heaters perform better than flat plate solar water heaters as a result of their greater surface area exposed for sunlight absorption. Water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters are widely used as compared to heat-pipe solar water heaters due to their short payback periods. In this study, the performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heater is investigated through experiments under the climatic conditions in Kenya. The results revealed a daily efficiency range of 0.58 - 0.65 and a daily final outlet temperature greater than 55<span style="white-space:normal;">°</span>C given an initial temperature of 25°C.展开更多
The primary goal of crowd evacuation in urban underground passages or subways is to evacuate as many evacuees as possible to safe areas in the shortest time when emergency events occur. This paper chooses the undergro...The primary goal of crowd evacuation in urban underground passages or subways is to evacuate as many evacuees as possible to safe areas in the shortest time when emergency events occur. This paper chooses the underground passages of one metro in Istanbul, Turkey as research object, and uses a study method which combines by sites investigation, field test and computer simulation of the creating new software. It is called Building Evacuate Module software. We present a depth analysis of the related factors which include the number and width of passage, channelization setting and the number of pedestrians with the evacuation time. And the influential effect of public opinion is explained by using big data technology. In addition, pedestrians evacuation condition are recorded in three evacuation period, the morning peak, common and evening peak by the observation and statistic obtained with video, and build the model to simulate the change of evacuation time with pedestrians. So it reveals when the number of pedestrians reaches to more than 200, evacuation time increases significantly and the field experiment and simulation condition are consistent basically.展开更多
Background: Carbon filters and expensive evacuation machines are available to evacuate surgical smoke in long-lasting laparoscopic operations and achieve good visibility and patient’s safety. Methods: This study was ...Background: Carbon filters and expensive evacuation machines are available to evacuate surgical smoke in long-lasting laparoscopic operations and achieve good visibility and patient’s safety. Methods: This study was aimed to determine which of two methods for laparoscopic smoke evacuation is most effective getting the best visibility. 20 patients submitted to elective laparoscopic colorectal resections were allocated to be operated using, either a carbon filter (Group A) or a home-made tubing with a continuous suction (Group B) connected through one of the ports to the hospital vacuum system: both methods were regulated with a roller clamp to increase smoke evacuation in order to obtain good visibility. A mono-polar hook and the LigasureV 5-mm vessel-sealing device were used. Groups were comparable for demographic characteristics, surgical techniques, and malignancy. Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistics. Results: Morbidity was 10%. There was no mortality, and there was no difference between Group A and B according to complications (p = 1.00), hospital stay (p = 0.23), duration of the operation (p = 0.79) and total consumption of CO2 (p = 0.36). However, the number of times that the clamp had to be released (Group A: 3.4 + 1 vs Group B: 1.5 + 1) (p = 0.006) and that a port had to be opened freely to quickly evacuate dense smoke (Group A: 0.9 + 0.7 vs Group B: 0) (p = 0.002) was very significantly increased in Group A as compared to Group B. Mean follow-up was 60 months and no port site metastases that could be a consequence of “chimney effect” or wound recurrence have been detected. Conclusions: The surgeon’s subjective impression that carbon filters are less effective for smoke evacuation than continuous outflow of gas through a port connected to the hospital vacuum source was confirmed. This simple method is advised for long-lasting laparoscopic procedures to improve visibility throughout the procedure.展开更多
Refrigeration challenges in regions with electricity shortages significantly decrease the quality of life for residents. In response to the prevalent refrigeration challenges in power-deficient areas, a novel distribu...Refrigeration challenges in regions with electricity shortages significantly decrease the quality of life for residents. In response to the prevalent refrigeration challenges in power-deficient areas, a novel distributed solar refrigeration system, comprising an evacuated U-tube solar collector and elastocaloric refrigerator, is theoretically introduced. Theoretical formulations for the energy efficiency and cooling power of the solar refrigeration system are presented to facilitate predictive assessments of the performance properties. Under typical conditions, the energy efficiency and cooling power of the solar refrigeration system are,respectively, 4.84% and 200.15 W. Subsequently, an extensive parameter study is conducted to comprehensively uncover key performance influencers and identify avenues for improvement. In addition, local sensitivity analyses identify that the length ratio is the top influential parameter, while the heat transfer fluid flow rate is the least sensitivity. A pragmatic case study,conducted with the weather data of Ningbo City, China, serves to empirically predict the performance of the hybrid system within the constraints of practical circumstances.展开更多
The operating efficiency of evacuated tubes themselves under varying environmental conditions and installation scenarios,independent of water and space heating auxiliary equipment,are not readily available values.Furt...The operating efficiency of evacuated tubes themselves under varying environmental conditions and installation scenarios,independent of water and space heating auxiliary equipment,are not readily available values.Further,Manitoba specific data has not been established.The purpose of this research program was to measure the efficiency of evacuated tube solar collectors under various operating conditions including:the angle of inclination towards the incident solar radiation,heat transfer fluid flow rate,glazing installation,and number of evacuated tubes.The operating conditions and configurations were chosen to represent realistic or probable installation scenarios and environmental conditions.Furthermore,the research aimed to identify the suitability of evacuated tube solar collectors to each of the scenarios.These design values are of use for appropriate sizing of water or space heating systems,system configuration and optimization,and calculation of return on investment.The scope of the research project was limited to the efficiency of various configurations of a 32-tube panel,not the entire solar domestic hot water or space heating system.Thus,factors such as heat loss in the tubing,solar storage tank,and heat exchanger efficiency were not investigated.The findings indicated that efficiency varied by approximately 5%between the different collector configurations,as observed from the overlay graph of results.When the efficiency of a collector is considered within a system it is proposed that effectiveness may be a better measure of overall performance.展开更多
文摘Solar energy applications could be the best alternative to the conventional fuels for the purposes of domestic,water and space heating and some industries in the sunny,arid,and hot areas.In the present study,the performance of an evacuated tube solar heater for water heating for months of February and March was experimentally investigated.This was performed in a hot and arid area(Nasiriya City,South of Iraq).A solar heater with ten evacuated tube solar collectors with a capacity of 100 liter was used in the experiments.Each evacuated tube had a length of 1.8m with an outside diameter of 8 cm.It was observed that for the two selected months,water temperature of the solar heater reached a maximum more than 70°C during sunny days with no heat extraction from the tank of the solar heater.Moreover,heat was extracted from the solar collector with four different flowrates 0.5,0.75,1,and 1.25 l/min,respectively.The results showed that temperature of the solar heater behaved differently from the static situation.When the heat extraction begun,there was a gradual and noticeable decrease in the water temperature of the heater.The observed decrease was slight with the lowest flowrate(0.25 l/m)and becomes sharp with the highest flowrate(1.25 l/min).However,water temperature of the solar heater remained higher than 40°C for the investigated flowrates except the case of 1.25 l/min.The results showed that evacuated tube solar heater can work efficiently in arid and hot areas in winter and spring seasons when the conditions of solar radiation are suitable.
文摘Introduction: Evacuation refers to the rapid transfer of a patient in an emergency, from one health center to another more equipped and better specialized. The objective of this study was to study maternal mortality in patients evacuated to the gynecology and obstetrics department at the Fousseyni Daou Hospital in Kayes over a period of 10 years. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study over nine years from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2019 and prospective over one year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020 involving all patients or parturients evacuated for obstetrical causes and died in the gynecology-obstetrics department of the Fousseyni Daou Hospital. Confidentiality and anonymity were respected. The processing and analysis of the statistical data was carried out using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: during our study period we identified 38,854 obstetric admissions including 6758 evacuations or 17.4%, among the 6758 cases of obstetric evacuations 284 died, a frequency of 4.2%. The maternal death audit committee of the Fousseyni Daou hospital in Kayes audited 101/284 cases (files) or 35.5% of which 64 maternal deaths (63.4%) were considered inevitable. In our study the 20 - 29 age group was more represented with 38%. 85% of the deceased patients lived in rural areas. In our series, 63.7% of the deceased patients had not had antenatal consultations (NPC). Eclampsia accounted for 26.8% of admissions diagnoses and 30.9% of causes of death. Seventy-two (72%) of deaths occurred postpartum, 15% perpartum and 13% prepartum. Direct obstetric causes were predominant at 65.1%. Conclusion: Indicators of maternal deaths among evacuated patients remain poor in our work. Maternal deaths were driven by socio-economic and cultural factors, but also by factors related to the health system.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51376110,51541604)the Major International(Regional) Joint Research Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61320106011)
文摘The experimental study of natural convection in allglass evacuated tube solar collectors is performed through the experimental platform of the solar-assisted fuel cell system.The experimental facility includes solar collectors with different length and diameter tubes, different coating materials, and with / without guide plates, respectively. Threedimensional mathematical models on natural and forced convections in the solar collectors are established and the experimental data is validated by field synergy and entransy principles. The results of natural convection show that the water temperature increases and thermal efficiency decreases gradually with the evacuated tube length. The thermal efficiency increases when absorption rates increase from 0. 95 to 1. 0 and emission rates decrease from 0. 16 to 0. 06. The thermal efficiency of solar collectors is increased after being equipped with the guide plate, which is attributed to the disappearance of the mixed flowand the enhancement of the heat transfer at the bottom of the evacuated tube. The results of forced convertion indicate that the Reynolds, Nusselt and entransy increments of the horizontal double collectors are higher than those of the vertical single collector while the entransy dissipation is lower than that of the vertical single collector. It is concluded that the solar collectors with guide plates are suitable for natural convection while the double horizontal collectors are suitable for forced convection in the thermal field of solar-assisted fuel cell systems with lowand medium temperatures.
文摘Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies (ET3) offers the potential for more than an order of magnitude improvement in transportation efficiency, speed, cost, and effectiveness. An ET3 network may be optimized to sustainably displace most global transportation by car, ship, truck, train, and jet aircraft. To do this, ET3 standards should adhere to certain key principals: maximum value through efficiency, reliability, and simplicity; equal consideration for passenger and cargo loads; optimum size; high speed/high frequency operation; demand oriented; random accessibility; scalability; high granularity; automated control; full speed passive switching; open standards of implementation; and maximum use of existing capacities, materials, and processes.
基金supported by Sichuan Science and Technology Program(No.2019YJ0227)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2019M663550)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51605397)Science and Technolgoy program of China Railway Group Limited(No.2018-S-02).
文摘The aerodynamic resistance of a train running in the open air limits the maximum speed that can be attained by the train.For this reason,evacuated tube trains(ETT)are being considered as valid alternatives to be implemented in the future.The atmosphere in the tube,the so-called blocking ratio and the length of the streamlined nose are the key factors affecting the aerodynamic performances of these trains.In the present work,we investigate evacuated tube trains with different lengths of the streamline nose on the basis of computational fluid dynamics(CFD).The three-dimensional steady compressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved.The running speed of the ETT is 800 km/h and the blocking ratio is 0.2.Results show that with the increase of the streamlined nose length,the aerodynamic drag and lift forces of the head car decrease gradually,and the drag and lift forces of the middle car change slightly.For the tail car,the drag force decreases,whereas the absolute value of the lift force increases.At a speed of 800 km/h,a slight shock wave appears at the rear of the tail car,which affects the aerodynamic forces acting on the train.
基金provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50678152)Scientific Plan Fund of Shaanxi Province (No.2009K09-24)
文摘Evacuated tube transportation (ETT) will be one of the ultra-large-scale vacuum application areas. This paper lists some key vacuum technology issues in ETT: (1) how to construct ultra-large-scale vacuum chamber with lower cost and high reliability, (2) how to evacuate gas out of the ETT tube in short time, (3) how to release heat or reduce temperature in the vacuum tube, (4) how to avoid vacuum discharge, (5) how to make vehicles with airproof shells and life support system, and (6) how to detect leaks and find leak positions efficiently. At the same time, some solutions are proposed.
基金supported by Sichuan Science and Technology Program(No.2019YJ0227)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2019M663550)+1 种基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2019M663550)Science and Technology Program of China Railway Group Limited(No.2018-S-02).
文摘The so-called Evacuated Tube Train(ETT)is currently being proposed as a high-speed transportation system potentially competitive with airplane transportation.Aerodynamic resistance is one of the most crucial factors for the successful design of an ETT.In the present work,a three-dimensional concept ETT model has been elaborated.The aerodynamic characteristics of the subsonic ETT have been numerically simulated under different conditions.The train’s running speed varies from 600 km/h up to 1200 km/h,and the blockage ratio is in the range between 0.1 and 0.3.As the blocking ratio and running speed increase,the resistance of the head car increases greatly,while the resistance of the middle car changes slightly.The aerodynamic resistance of the tail car is affected by the shock wave emerging in the wake flow.Two different design criteria for the maximum allowed aerodynamic resistance are proposed for aerodynamic parameter matching.With an increase in the blockage ratio and running speed,the atmospheric pressure in the tube should be decreased to achieve a balance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50678152)the Scientific Plan Fund of Shaanxi Province(No. 2009K09-24)
文摘The aerodynamic drag on a train running in an evacuated tube varies with tube air pressure, train speed and shape, as well as blockage ratio. This paper uses numerical simulations to study the effects of different factors on the aerodynamic drag of a train running at subsonic speed in an evacuated tube. Firstly, we present the assumption of a steady state, two dimensional, incompressible viscous flow with lubricity wall conditions. Subsequently, based on the Navier-Stokes equation and the k-c turbulent models, we calculate the aerodynamic drag imposed on the column train with a 3-meter diameter running under different pressure and blockage ratio conditions in an evacuated tube transporta- tion (ETT) system. The simulation is performed with FLUENT 6.3 software package. An analyses of the simulation re- sults suggest that the blockage ratio for ETT should be in the range of 0.25-0.7, and the tube internal diameter in the range of 2-4 m, with the feasible vacuum pressure in the range of 1-10 000 Pa for the future subsonic ETT trains.
基金supported by the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(PCSIRT) of the Ministry of Education of China(IRT0751)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 program: 2007-AA03Z203)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50588201 and 50872116)the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (SRFDP200806130023)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (SWJTU09BR152, SWJTU09ZT24, and SWJTU11CX073)
文摘Based on the Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations of incompressible viscous fluids and the standard k-ε turbu- lence model with assumptions of steady state and two dimensional conditions, a simulation of the aerodynamic drag on a maglev train in an evacuated tube was made with ANSYS/FLOTRAN software under different vacuum pressures, blockage ratios, and shapes of train head and tail. The pressure flow fields of the evacuated tube maglev train under different vacuum pressures were analyzed, and then compared under the same blockage ratio condition. The results show that the environmental pressure of 1 000 Pa in the tube is the best to achieve the effect of aerodynamic drag reduction, and there are no obvious differences in the aerodynamic drag reduction among different streamline head shapes. Overall, the blunt-shape tail and the blockage ratio of 0.25 are more efficient for drag reduction of the train at the tube pressure of 1 000 Pa.
基金supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program (No. 2011GB112001)the Program of International S&T Cooperation (No. S2013ZR0595)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. SWJTU11ZT16, SWJTU11ZT31)the Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (No. 2011JY0031,2011JY0130)
文摘In order to study the relationships between the aerodynamic drag of maglev and other factors in the evacuated tube, the formula of aerodynamic drag was deduced based on the basic equations of aerodynamics and then the calculated result was confirmed at a low speed on an experimental system developed by Superconductivity and New Energy R&D Center of South Jiaotong University. With regard to this system a high temperature superconducting magnetic levitation vehicle was motivated by a linear induction motor (LIM) fixed on the permanent magnetic guideway. When the vehicle reached an expected speed, the LIM was stopped. Then the damped speed was recorded and used to calculate the experimental drag. The two results show the approximately same relationship between the aerodynamic drag on the maglev and the other factors such as the pressure in the tube, the velocity of the maglev and the blockage ratio. Thus, the pressure, the velocity, and the blockage ratio are viewed as the three important factors that contribute to the energy loss in the evacuated tube transportation.
基金support from the PCSIRT of the Ministry of Education of China(IRT0751)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50588201, and 50872116)+3 种基金the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 program: 2007AA03Z203)the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (SRFDP200806130023)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(SWJTU09BR152 and SWJTU09ZT24)the Doctoral Innovation Foundation of Southwest Jiaotong University (X1899124710003)
文摘The super-high speed high temperature superconductor (HTS) maglev evacuated tube transport (ETT) is a promising transport mode for the future. As a key component of the HTS maglev vehicle, the permanent magnet guide- ways (PMGs) with different geometrical configurations and iron yoke widths are analyzed by finite element method (FEM). The levitation force of a single onboard HTS maglev device over the designed PMG at different field cooling heights (FCH) is measured by magnetic levitation measurement system. Based on the designed PMG and experimental results, a preliminary scheme of subterranean super-high speed HTS maglev ETT is described in this paper. The HTS maglev ETT is mainly composed of an evacuated tube, HTS maglev vehicle, PMG, propulsion system, station, emergency rescue system, etc. In addition, a subterranean tube that consists of foundation tube and vacuum airproof layer is introduced. In order to convert the stress caused by the air pressure difference between inside and outside of the vehicle, a multi-circular vehicle body is designed. The vehicle is driven by a linear motor propulsion system under the control of a ground controlling system. The scheme of long-distance super-high speed passenger transportation is accomplished by the connection of different vehicles.
基金the fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities under Grant 2018JBZ102.
文摘Evacuated Tube Transportation(ETT)systems have been claimed to have considerable strengths,including ultra-highspeed,safety,and environmentally-friendly.However,the frequent handover caused by the high-speed brings a challenge for ETT mobile wireless communication to preserve steady link performance.Moreover,in such a special scenario,the wireless link between the base station and the passengers on the train needs to experience fading from both metal pipe and train,thus the free-wave coverage with antennas in traditional high-speed rail wireless communication systems is not suitable for ETT.Based on the characteristics of ETT,an improved architecture of wireless communication network is proposed,using distributed base stations with remote radio units(RRUs)and baseband units(BBUs)and leaky waveguides to form stable coverage.And a redundant BBUs or RRUs structure is designed for coverage enhancement.Based on this redundant architecture,a fast handover scheme is proposed to resolve the handover problem.The analytical and simulation results show that the proposed scheme is capable of reducing communication outage probability and handover failure probability remarkably.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50678152)the Scientific Plan Fund of Shaanxi Province (No.2009K09-24)
文摘Since Maglev vehicles will run in a closed vacuum tube,the layout of the terminal stations of evacuated tube transportation(ETT) will differ from the traditional railway stations.This paper deals with some possible station layouts of ETT,e.g.,a station with an airlock,a station without an airlock,above ground and underground stations,and stations with either level arrayed or rotation platforms.Then different station layouts are compared,and characteristics of each are analyzed.Finally,a more secure mode for ETT station layouts is suggested,which can be the basis for future ETT station layout and designs.
文摘Energy consumption in buildings is considered a significant portion of gross power dissipation, so a great effort is required to design efficient construction. In severe hot weather conditions as Kuwait, energy required for building cooling and heating results in a huge energy loads and consumption and accordingly high emission rates of carbon dioxide. So, the main purpose of the current work is to convert the existing institutional building to near net-zero energy building (nNZEB) or into a net-zero energy building (NZEB). A combination of integrated high concentrated photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules and evacuated tube collectors (ETC) are proposed to provide domestic water heating, electricity load as well as cooling consumption of an institutional facility. An equivalent circuit model for single diode is implemented to evaluate triple junction HCPV modules efficiency considering concentration level and temperature effects. A code compatible with TRNSYS subroutines is introduced to optimize evacuated tube collector efficiency. The developed models are validated through comparison with experimental data available from literature. The efficiency of integrated HCPV-ETC unit is optimized by varying the different system parameters. Transient simulation program (TRNSYS) is adapted to determine the performance of various parts of HCPV-ETC system. Furthermore, a theoretical code is introduced to evaluate the environmental effects of the proposed building when integrated with renewable energy systems. The integrated HCPV-ETC fully satisfies the energy required for building lighting and equipment. Utilizing HCPV modules of orientation 25? accomplishes a minimum energy payback time of about 8 years. Integrated solar absorption chiller provides about 64% of the annual air conditioning consumption needed for the studied building. The energy payback period (EPT) or solar cooling system is about 18 years which is significantly larger than that corresponding to HCPV due to the extra expenses of solar absorption system. The life cycle savings (LCS) of solar cooling absorption system is approximately $2400/year. Furthermore, levelized cost of energy of solar absorption cooling is $0.21/kWh. Hence, the net cost of the solar system after subtracting the CO2 emission cost will be close to the present price of conventional generation in Kuwait (about $0.17/kWh). Finally, the yearly CO2 emission avoided is approximately 543 ton verifying the environmental benefits of integrated HCPV-ETC arrangements in Kuwait.
文摘<strong>Introduction</strong><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>:</strong> All pregnant women are at risk of obstetric complications </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">leading to high fetal-maternal mortality and morbidity. The aim of this work was to evaluate the maternal and fetal prognosis of evacuated parturients.</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Patient and Method</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: we conducted a prospective analytical survey for four months, from April 1</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> to July 31</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, 2018 in the Maternity of N’Djamena Mother and Child Hospital about the maternal and fetal prognosis of evacuated parturients. Any parturient evacuated or referred for obstetric complications was included. Study parameters were epidemiological, clinical, para-clinical, therapeutic and prognosis order. These parameters were analyzed in the SPSS 18 French version software.</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: Evacuated parturients represented 20% of maternity admissions. The average age was 23.9 years, with extremes ranging from 15 and 43 years. They were uneducated in 72.9%, primiparous in 46.8% of cases. The three delays were dominated by the 1</span><sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> delay, which represented 34.1% of cases. In this series, 26.3% parturients had presented obstetric com</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">plications. Preruptive syndrome was the most common complication with</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> 29.3% cases. Predisposing factors to maternal-fetal complications were low attendance antenatal care, late evacuation and distance travelled. The mater</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">nal mortality rate was 3%. Fetal complications were observed in 28.3% of cas</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">es and the neonatal mortality rate was 24.6%.</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">: The maternal </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and fetal complications of evacuated parturients are a real public health</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> problem in our regions. The suppression of delays, capacity reinforcement of peripheral maternity and the periodic recycling peripheral centers to recognize </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">obstetric emergencies will contribute to improve the maternal and fetal</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> prognosis of evacuated parturients.</span></span></span></span>
文摘Solar water heaters which provide a cost-effective and environmental friendly approach to hot water generation are in widespread application. Evacuated tube solar water heaters perform better than flat plate solar water heaters as a result of their greater surface area exposed for sunlight absorption. Water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters are widely used as compared to heat-pipe solar water heaters due to their short payback periods. In this study, the performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heater is investigated through experiments under the climatic conditions in Kenya. The results revealed a daily efficiency range of 0.58 - 0.65 and a daily final outlet temperature greater than 55<span style="white-space:normal;">°</span>C given an initial temperature of 25°C.
基金The authors would like to acknowledge the Suleyman Demirel University Scientific Research Project,which collectively funded this project.
文摘The primary goal of crowd evacuation in urban underground passages or subways is to evacuate as many evacuees as possible to safe areas in the shortest time when emergency events occur. This paper chooses the underground passages of one metro in Istanbul, Turkey as research object, and uses a study method which combines by sites investigation, field test and computer simulation of the creating new software. It is called Building Evacuate Module software. We present a depth analysis of the related factors which include the number and width of passage, channelization setting and the number of pedestrians with the evacuation time. And the influential effect of public opinion is explained by using big data technology. In addition, pedestrians evacuation condition are recorded in three evacuation period, the morning peak, common and evening peak by the observation and statistic obtained with video, and build the model to simulate the change of evacuation time with pedestrians. So it reveals when the number of pedestrians reaches to more than 200, evacuation time increases significantly and the field experiment and simulation condition are consistent basically.
文摘Background: Carbon filters and expensive evacuation machines are available to evacuate surgical smoke in long-lasting laparoscopic operations and achieve good visibility and patient’s safety. Methods: This study was aimed to determine which of two methods for laparoscopic smoke evacuation is most effective getting the best visibility. 20 patients submitted to elective laparoscopic colorectal resections were allocated to be operated using, either a carbon filter (Group A) or a home-made tubing with a continuous suction (Group B) connected through one of the ports to the hospital vacuum system: both methods were regulated with a roller clamp to increase smoke evacuation in order to obtain good visibility. A mono-polar hook and the LigasureV 5-mm vessel-sealing device were used. Groups were comparable for demographic characteristics, surgical techniques, and malignancy. Mann-Whitney and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistics. Results: Morbidity was 10%. There was no mortality, and there was no difference between Group A and B according to complications (p = 1.00), hospital stay (p = 0.23), duration of the operation (p = 0.79) and total consumption of CO2 (p = 0.36). However, the number of times that the clamp had to be released (Group A: 3.4 + 1 vs Group B: 1.5 + 1) (p = 0.006) and that a port had to be opened freely to quickly evacuate dense smoke (Group A: 0.9 + 0.7 vs Group B: 0) (p = 0.002) was very significantly increased in Group A as compared to Group B. Mean follow-up was 60 months and no port site metastases that could be a consequence of “chimney effect” or wound recurrence have been detected. Conclusions: The surgeon’s subjective impression that carbon filters are less effective for smoke evacuation than continuous outflow of gas through a port connected to the hospital vacuum source was confirmed. This simple method is advised for long-lasting laparoscopic procedures to improve visibility throughout the procedure.
基金supported by the Baima Lake Laboratory Joint Funds of the Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.LBMHY24E060010)。
文摘Refrigeration challenges in regions with electricity shortages significantly decrease the quality of life for residents. In response to the prevalent refrigeration challenges in power-deficient areas, a novel distributed solar refrigeration system, comprising an evacuated U-tube solar collector and elastocaloric refrigerator, is theoretically introduced. Theoretical formulations for the energy efficiency and cooling power of the solar refrigeration system are presented to facilitate predictive assessments of the performance properties. Under typical conditions, the energy efficiency and cooling power of the solar refrigeration system are,respectively, 4.84% and 200.15 W. Subsequently, an extensive parameter study is conducted to comprehensively uncover key performance influencers and identify avenues for improvement. In addition, local sensitivity analyses identify that the length ratio is the top influential parameter, while the heat transfer fluid flow rate is the least sensitivity. A pragmatic case study,conducted with the weather data of Ningbo City, China, serves to empirically predict the performance of the hybrid system within the constraints of practical circumstances.
基金financial support,the Biosystems Engineering technicians and Alternative Village team for their assistance.
文摘The operating efficiency of evacuated tubes themselves under varying environmental conditions and installation scenarios,independent of water and space heating auxiliary equipment,are not readily available values.Further,Manitoba specific data has not been established.The purpose of this research program was to measure the efficiency of evacuated tube solar collectors under various operating conditions including:the angle of inclination towards the incident solar radiation,heat transfer fluid flow rate,glazing installation,and number of evacuated tubes.The operating conditions and configurations were chosen to represent realistic or probable installation scenarios and environmental conditions.Furthermore,the research aimed to identify the suitability of evacuated tube solar collectors to each of the scenarios.These design values are of use for appropriate sizing of water or space heating systems,system configuration and optimization,and calculation of return on investment.The scope of the research project was limited to the efficiency of various configurations of a 32-tube panel,not the entire solar domestic hot water or space heating system.Thus,factors such as heat loss in the tubing,solar storage tank,and heat exchanger efficiency were not investigated.The findings indicated that efficiency varied by approximately 5%between the different collector configurations,as observed from the overlay graph of results.When the efficiency of a collector is considered within a system it is proposed that effectiveness may be a better measure of overall performance.