Thermal conductivity measurements on xonotlite-type calcium silicate by the transient hot-strip method

The experimental results of the thermal conductivities of xonotlite-type calcium silicate insulation materials were presented at different temperatures and pressures. Two appropriative surroundings, i.e. an elevated temperature surrounding from ambient temperature to 1450 K and a vacuum surrounding from atmosphere pressure to 10-3 Pa, were designed for the transient hot-strip （THS） method. The thermal conductivities of xonotlite-type calcium silicate with four densities from ambient temperature to 1000 K and 0.045 Pa to atmospheric pressure were measured. The results show that the thermal conductivity of xonotlite-type calcium silicate decreases apparently with the fall of density, and decreases apparently with the drop of pressure, and reaches the least value at about 100 Pa. The thermal conductivity of xonotlite-type calcium silicate increases almost linearly with T0, and increases more abundantly with low density than with high density. The thermal conductivity measurement uncertainty is estimated to be approximately 3% at ambient temperature, and 6% at 800 K.

A review of concentrated photovoltaic-thermal(CPVT) hybrid solar systems with waste heat recovery(WHR)

In conventional photovoltaic(PV) systems, a large portion of solar energy is dissipated as waste heat since the generating efficiency is usually less than 30%. As the dissipated heat can be recovered for various applications, the wasted heat recovery concentrator PV/thermal(WHR CPVT) hybrid systems have been developed. They can provide both electricity and usable heat by combining thermal systems with concentrator PV(CPV) module, which dramatically improves the overall conversion efficiency of solar energy.This paper systematically and comprehensively reviews the research and development of WHR CPVT systems. WHR CPVT systems with innovative design configurations, different theoretical evaluation models and experimental test processes for several implementations are presented in an integrated manner. We aim to provide a global point of view on the research trends, market potential, technical obstacles, and the future work which is required in the development of WHR CPVT technology. Possibly, it will offer a generic guide to the investigators who are interested in the study of WHR CPVT systems.

Thermal Radiative Properties of Xonotlite Insulation Material

This paper presents experimental results of thermal radiative properties of xonotlite-type calcium silicate insulation material. Transmittance spectra were first taken using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) for the samples with ρ =234 kg/m3. Specific extinction coefficient spectra were then obtained by applying Beer’s law. Finally, by using the diffusion approximation, the specific Rossland mean extinction coefficients and radiative thermal conductivities were obtained for various temperatures. The results show that the specific spectral extinction coefficient of xonotlite is larger than 7 m2/kg in the whole measured spectra, and diffusion approximation equation is a reasonable description of radiative heat transfer in xonotlite insulation material. The specific Rossland mean extinction coefficient of xonotlite has a maximum value at 400 K and the radiative thermal conductivity is almost proportional to the cube of temperature.

Effective Thermal Conductivity Analysis of Xonotlite-aerogel Composite Insulation Material

A 3-dimensional unit cell model is developed for analyzing effective thermal conductivity of xonotlite-aerogelcomposite insulation material based on its microstructure features. Effective thermal conductivity comparisonsbetween xonotlite-type calcium silicate and aerogel as well as xonotlite-aerogel composite insulation material arepresented. It is shown that the density of xonotlite-type calcium silicate is the key factor affecting the effectivethermal conductivity of xonotlite-aerogel composite insulation material, and the density of aerogel has little influence.The effective thermal conductivity can be lowered greatly by composite of the two materials at an elevatedtemperature.

CFD Analysis of an 800 kV HVDC Transformer Using Rapeseed Oil as the Cooling Fluid

This study aims to analyze rapeseed oil’s effectiveness as a coolant of a high-voltage direct current(HVDC)converter transformer while comparing it with mineral oil.We employed a numerical model,assisted by Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)tools,to simulate the convective heat transfer inside a HVDC converter transformer,which is an oil-directed air forced(ODAF)type.The model seeks to obtain the temperature and velocity fields at the critical points of the fluid domain.The simulation domain reproduces a 2D cross-sectional model in the center of the structure.The results show that rapeseed oil requires more time to gain heat from the core and windings due to its lower thermal conductivity.However,the average temperature of rapeseed and mineral oils will not significantly differ once the channel temperature reaches a stable value.It indicates that the rapeseed oil can effectively replace mineral oil under the same heating conditions.Also,a slower flow of the rapeseed oil allows the fluid to smoothly enter the cooling channel.Therefore,the rapeseed oil cools these channels by pushing the fluid in them and absorbs heat from the sources earlier than mineral oil.The improvement in cooling indicates that rapeseed oil is better than mineral oil as a coolant and electrical insulating fluid for power transformers.