MATERIAL SURFACE THERMAL PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION USING HEAT FLUX TACTILE SENSOR

Eased on the mechanism of temperature tactile sensing of human finger,a heat flux tactile sensor com- posed of a thermostat module and a heat flux sensor is designed to identify material thermal properties. The ther- mostat module maintains the sensor temperature invariable, and the heat flux sensor（Peltier device） detects the heat flux temperature difference between the thermostat module and the object surface. Two different modes of the heat flux tactile sensor are proposed, and they are simulated and experimented for different material objects. The results indicate that the heat flux tactile sensor can effectively identify different thermal properties.

Performance investigation of solar thermal collector with auxiliary heater for space heating

In this paper,the performance of a solar thermal system with a focus on space heating was investigated.A 70 m^(2) detached house was considered in the weather conditions of the city of Tehran,Iran.A thermosyphon solar water heater with a flat plate collector combined with an auxiliary electrical heater supplies the heating demand of the house.The proposed system was modeled and analyzed using TRNSYS software.In this regard,the TRNBuild module was employed for the building load calculation.The model has been simulated for one year of operation.The effects of the solar collector’s surface area and storage volume were assessed.The results show that for a solar collector with a 15 m^(2) surface area,the solar fraction is 0.29 in January,during which the solar radiation is the lowest.Using solar collectors of10 m^(2) and 5 m^(2) surface areas,the solar fraction falls to 0.23 and 0.14,respectively in January.Besides,two cases of 150 L and 300 L storage tanks are taken into account.Eventually,it is found that using a 15 m^(2) solar collector and a 150 L storage tank can appropriately provide the building’ s heating demand taking the thermal performance and economic aspects into consideration.

Temperature fault-tolerant control system of CSTR with coil and jacket heat exchanger based on dual control and fault diagnosis

For the characteristics of the continuous stirred-tank reactor(CSTR) with coil and jacket cooling system,a CSTR temperature dual control solution based on the analysis of the CSTR exothermic reaction control characteristic was proposed for an organic material polymerization production.The control solution has passive fault-tolerant ability for the jacket cooling water cutting off fault and active fault-tolerant potential for the coil cooling water cutting off fault,and it has good control ability,high saving energy and reducing consumption performance.Fault detection and diagnosis and fault-tolerant control strategy are designed for the coil cooling fault to achieve the active fault-tolerant control function.The CSTR temperature dual control,process fault detection and diagnosis and active fault-tolerant control were full integrated into the CSTR temperature fault-tolerant control system,which achieve fault tolerance control of CSTR temperature for any severe malfunction of jacket cooling or coil cooling cutting off,and the security for CSTR exothermic reaction is improved.Finally,the effectiveness of this system was validated by semi-physical simulation experiment.

Failure analysis of a kind of low power connector

A kind of low power connector used e.g. in household appliances was partly burned in routine experiment. The heat sources were four paralleled contacts constructed by springs (Sn/CuSn-alloy) in socket and a plug sheet (Ni/Steel) while mating. The contact interfaces were detected by scanning electronic microscope (SEM) and X-ray energy dispersive spectros- copy (XEDS), obvious wear tracks and various contaminants, including element Si, Al, Na, K, S, Cl, O, etc., were found. The contamination degrees on the four paralleled contacts were different, so that the ratio of average contact resistance on the four contacts was about 5:8:3:1. The maximum contact resistance on contacts of the plug sheet reached 28 ?. The main failure rea- sons were fretting and contamination between the contact interfaces. Fretting simulation showed that connection resistance of connectors was raised up, even to ohms level. When the current increased to 5 A, the socket housing was heated and decom- posed. By the thermal analysis, it was estimated that the connector would be burned under the lower current if the current was not evenly distributed on the four paralleled contacts caused by uneven contamination. Improvement methods for connector failure are also discussed.

An advanced turbulator with blades and semi-conical section for heat transfer improvement in a helical double tube heat exchanger

In present work,a helical double tube heat exchanger is proposed in which an advanced turbulator with blades,semi-conical part,and two holes is inserted in inner section.Two geometrical parameters,including angle of turbulator’s blades(θ) and number of turbulator’s blades(N),are considered.Results indicated that firstly,the best thermal stratification is achieved at θ=180°.Furthermore,at the lowest studied mass flow rate(m = 8 × 10^(-3) kg/s),heat transfer coefficient of turbulator with blade angle of 180° is 130.77%,25%,and 36.36% higher than cases including without turbulator,with turbulator with blade angle of θ =240°,and θ =360°,respectively.Moreover,case with N=12 showed the highest overall performance.At the highest studied mass flow rate(m = 5.842 × 10^(-2) kg/s),heat transfer coefficient for case with N=12 is up to 54.76%,27.45%,and 6.56% higher than cases including without turbulator,with turbulator with N=6,and with turbulator with N=9,respectively.

Thermal performance analysis of borehole size effect on geothermal heat exchanger

Thermal performance was the most important factor in the development of borehole heat exchanger utilizing geothermal energy. The thermal performance was affected by many different design parameters, such as configuration type and borehole size of geothermal heat exchanger. These eventually determined the operation and cost efficiency of the geothermal heat exchanger system. The main purpose of this work was to assess the thermal performance of geother^nal heat exchanger with variation of borehole sizes and numbers of U-tubes inside a borehole. For this, a thermal response test rig was established with line-source theory. The thermal response test was performed with in-line variable input heat source. Effective thermal conductivity and thermal resistance were obtained from the measured data. From the measurement, the effective thermal conductivity is found to have similar values for two- pair type （4 U-tubes） and three-pair type （6 U-tubes） borehole heat exchanger systems indicating similar heat transfer ability. Meanwhile, the thermal resistance shows lower value for the three-pair type compared to the two-pair type. Measured data based resistance have lower value compared to computed result from design programs. Overall comparison finds better thermal performance for the three-pair type, however, fluctuating temperature variation indicates complex flow behavior inside the borehole and requires further study on flow characteristics.

An empirical study on vortex-generator insert fitted in tubular heat exchangers with dilute Cu–water nanofluid flow

The heat transfer enhancement(HTE) in tubular heat exchangers fitted with vortex-generator(VG) inserts is experimentally investigated. The studied four parameters and ranges are: winglets-pitch ratio(1.33, 2.67, and 4),winglets-length ratio(0.33, 0.67, and 1), winglets-width ratio(0.2, 0.4, and 0.6), and Reynolds number(5200to 12200). The testing fluids are the water and Cu–water nanofluid at the volumetric fraction of 0.2%. The results obtained on HTE, pressure drop, and performance evaluation criterion(PEC) are compared with those for water in a smooth tube. It is found that the VG inserts with lower winglets-pitch ratio and higher winglets-length/width ratios present higher values of HTE and pressure drop. Over the range studied, the maximum PEC of 1.83 is detected with the Cu–water nanofluid inside the tube equipped with a VG insert at the winglets-width ratio of0.6 for the maximum Reynolds number, when the heat transfer rate and pressure drop are 1.24 times and 2.03 times of those in the smooth tube. Generalized regression equations of the Nusselt number, friction factor, and PEC are presented for the tubular heat exchangers with the VG inserts for both water and Cu–water nanofluid.It is concluded that the main advantage of the VG inserts is their simple fabrication and considerable performance, particularly at higher Reynolds number.

A novel experimental setup with sand trunk for heat extraction of geothermal heat exchanger

A novel experimental setup was developed to study the heat extraction of geothermal heat exchanger(GHE)in different operational modes under adiabatic and isothermal boundaries.The experimental setup consists of a sand trunk,a tailored water chiller,a natural cold source unit,two water boxes containing hot water and cool water,and a data acquisition system.The experimental results indicate that the volume flow rate of the entering water is a main factor affecting the heat extraction;furthermore,the heat extraction value per meter pipe decreases gradually along the heat extraction pipe and increases with the increase of the incoming water volume flow rate.Therefore,this novel experimental setup may be helpful to further study the operation performance of GHE in different types of soil.

Experimental Investigation on Turbulent Convection in Solar Air Heater Channel Fitted with Delta Winglet Vortex Generator

The paper presents an experimental study on the heat transfer and flow friction characteristics in a solar air heater channel fitted with delta-winglet type vortex generators （DWs）. The experiments are conducted by varying the airflow rate for Reynolds number in the range of 5000 to 24000 in the test section with a uniform heat-flux applied on the upper channel wall. Firstly, the DW pairs are mounted only at the entrance of the lower wall of the test channel （called DW-E） to create multiple vortex flows at the entry. The effect of two transverse pitches （Re= Pt/H= 1 and 2） at three attack angles （a= 30°, 45° and 60°） of the DW-E with its relative height, b/H= 0.5 （half height of channel） is examined. Secondly, the 30° DWs with three different relative heights （blH = 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5） are placed on the upper wall only （absorber plate, called DW-A） of the test channel. The experimental result reveals that in the first case, the 60° DW-E at Rp = 1 provides the highest heat transfer and friction factor while the 30° DW-E at Rp = 1 performs overall better than the others. In the second case, the 30° DW-A at b/H= 0.5 yields the highest heat transfer and friction factor but the best thermal performance is found at b/H = 0.4.

Characteristic analysis of bleeding effect on standing column well (SCW) type geothermal heat exchanger

Thermal performance is the most important factor in the development of a borehole heat exchanger utilizing geothermal energy.The thermal performance is affected by many different design parameters and different operating conditions such as bleeding.This eventually determines the operation and cost efficiency of the borehole heat exchanger system.The thermal performance of an open standing column well (SCW) type geothermal heat exchanger was assessed under the influence of bleeding.For this,a thermal response test rig was established with line-source theory.The test rig also had a bleeding function by releasing fluid while taking additional underground water through the heat exchanger.The thermal response test was performed with an additional constant input heat source.Effective thermal conductivity and thermal resistance were obtained from the measured data.From the measurement,the effective thermal conductivity is found to have 1.47 times higher value when bleeding is applied.The thermal resistance also increases by 1.58 times compared to a non-bleeding case.This trend indicates enhanced heat transfer in the SCW type heat exchanger with a bleeding function.Bleeding,therefore,could be an effective method of achieving a high heat transfer rate in the SCW type heat exchanger with sufficient underground water supply.

Numerical Simulation of Heat Exchanger＇s Length＇s Effect in a Thermoacoustic Engine

A numerical study of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine is presented. The aim of this work is to study the effect of increasing the heat exchangers length on the acoustic power. The analysis of the flow and the prediction of the heat transfer are performed by solving the non linear unsteady Navier-Stocks equations using the finite volume method implemented in -ANSYS CFX- CFD code. The results show an increase in the limit cycle acoustic pressure and power as well as the specific work per cycle with the increase of heat exchangers length.

Energy Efficiency Classification for Agricultural Heater

Classification of energy efficiency system for agricultural heater was discussed and analyzed in order to derive an energy efficiency classification scheme for agricultural heater. Current practices of energy efficiency programs for other products such as residential gas boiler were investigated and analyzed. Test items including energy efficiency and standby power for agricultural heater were analyzed. With the data of residential gas boiler, grade distribution of energy efficiency system was made and evaluated. An energy efficiency classification scheme for agricultural heater was proposed and applied to agricultural heaters, and the scheme was justified. Introducing a new energy efficiency classification system to the agricultural heater industry, it is expected that considerable amount of fossil fuels can be reduced by adopting energy efficiency classification system.

Temperature distribution of the incompletely mixed fluid flowing in the tubes and the unmixed fluid crossing over the tubes

A new model is established to describe heat exchanging of the incompletely mixed fluid flowing in the tubes and the unmixed fluid crossing out of the tubes in the heat-exchangers especially in air cooler. In the model, a new method of analyzing volume is proposed to develop the temperature distribution equations of the two fluids --tw（x） and ta（X,,7＂）. With tw（x） and ta （x, ,7）, the curves of the temperature distribution of the two fluids can be obtained. Also tw（x） and ta（x,n） can be used to calculate parameters of structure of an air cooler and to improve performances of it.

Analysis and design of resistance-wire heater in MOCVD reactor

Metal organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) is a key equipment in the manufacturing of semiconductor optoelectronic devices and microwave devices in industry. Heating system is a vital part of MOCVD. Specific heating device and thermal control technology are needed for each new reactor design. By using resistance-wire heating MOCVD reaction chamber model, thermal analysis and structure optimization of the reactor were developed from the vertical position and the distance between coils of the resistance-wire heater. It is indicated that, within a certain range, the average temperature of the graphite susceptor varies linearly with the vertical distance of heater to susceptor, and with the changed distances between the coils; furthermore, single resistance-wire heater should be placed loosely in the internal and tightly in the external. The modulate accuracy of the temperature field approximately equals the change of the average temperature corresponding to the change of the coil position.

Application of high temperature heat pipe in hypersonic vehicles thermal protection

In order to develop further the application of high temperature heat pipe in hypersonic vehicles thermal protection, the principles and characteristics of high temperature heat pipe used in hypersonic vehicles thermal protection were introduced. The methods of numerical simulation, theory analysis and experiment research were utilized to analyze the frozen start-up and steady state characteristic of the heat pipe as well as the machining improvement for fabricating irregularly shaped heat pipe which is suitable for leading edge of hypersonic vehicles. The results indicate that the frozen start-up time of heat pipe is long （10 min） and there exists large temperature difference along the heat pipe （47 ℃/cm）, but the heat pipe can reduce the temperature in stagnation area of hypersonic vehicles from 1 926 to 982 ℃ and work normally during 1 000-1 200℃. How to improve the maximum heat transfer capability and reduce the time needed for start-up from frozen state of the heat pipe by optimizing thermostructure such as designing of a novel wick with high performance is the key point in hypersonic vehicles thermal protection of heat pipe.

Technical Measures and Selections for Reducing Flue Gas Heat Loss of Large Coal-Fired Boilers

The main technologies for reducing flue gas heat loss of pulverized coal-fired boilers are introduced, and the suitability of these technologies for boiler operation and the principles for selection of these technologies are explored. The main conclusions are： 1） the non-equilibrium control over flue gas flow rates at the inlet of the air heater and the reversal rotation of the air heater rotator should be popularized as regular technologies in large boilers; 2） increasing the area of the air heater to reduce the flue gas heat loss in pulverized coal-fired boilers should be the top option and increasing the area of the economizer be the next choice; 3） low- pressure economizer technology could save energy under special conditions and should be compared with the technology of increasing economizer area in terms of technical economics when the latter is feasible; 4） the hot primary air heater is only suitable to the pnlvefizing system with a large amount of cold air mixed.

LabVIEW based temperature transmitter-a simple and realizable approachfor experimental cum application study in the laboratory

In this paper,we have presented a simple approach for experimental and application study on LabVIEW based temperature transmitter with NI myRIO device in the laboratory.In this work,to study the small range of temperature(40-100℃)although different temperature sensors can be used still,we have used here a K-type thermocouple as the measuring temperature sensor.The analog output voltage of thermocouple is amplified by instrumentation amplifier and the amplified signal is fed to the analog input of NI myRIO device which converts the analog input voltage signal as per the algorithm developed with virtual instrumentation based programming and provides the corresponding 4-20 mA output current signal in the analog output terminal of the device.Results show that input-output i.e.temperature-current relationship is linear.This low cost developed transmitter is very simple and it can be recommended for academic,scientific and industrial development of data acquisition systems,control and analysis of instruments.

Multi-objective Thermal Optimization of Dual-input Aeronautic Static Inverter Based on MOEA/D

To solve the multi-variable and multi-objective optimization problem in the thermal design process of the dual-input aeronautic static inverter,an optimization method based on the combination of the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition(MOEA/D)and the fuzzy set theory is proposed.The heat transfer path of the power device is analyzed and an equivalent heat circuit is conducted.We take junction temperature of the power device,mass,and cost of the heat sink as optimization goals,and take the heat sink structure parameters as design variables to conduct thermal optimization based on MOEA/D.This paper carries out a comparative study,and the results show that the proposed improved algorithm can meet the different requirements for multi-objective weights,and have good rapidity and robustness.

Analog-experiment analysis of ash-deposition monitoring model of boiler economizers in power plants

Ash deposition is a form of particulate fouling, and appears usually in boiler economizers. The ash deposition increases capital expenditure, energy input and maintenance costs. An analog experiment for monitoring ash deposition was performed from the analogous objective of a 410 t/h boiler economizer to verify the rationality and reliability of the ash-deposition-monitoring model presented in order to increase the security and economy in economizer running. The analog experiment platform is a tube-shell exchanger that conforms well to the conditions of a self-modeling area. The analog flue gas in the shell side is the heated air mixed with ash, and in the tube side the fluid is water heated by the flue gas. The fluid state in the water side and the flue gas side follows the second self-modeling area. A 4-factor-3-level orthogonal table was used to schedule 9 operation conditions of orthogonal experiment, with the 4 factors being heat power, flue gas velocity, ashes grain diameter and adding ashes quantity while the three levels are different values due to different position classes in every factor. The ash deposition thermal resistances is calculated by the model with the measure parameters of temperature and pressure drop. It shows that the values of the ash deposition thermal resistances gradually increase up to a stable state. And the experimental results are reliable by F testing method at α= 0.001. Therefore, the model can be applied in online monitoring of ash deposition in a boiler economizers in power plants and provides scientific decision on ash deposition prediction and sootblowing.