Experimental Study and Thermal Modelling of Cocoa Shell Convective Drying in an Indirect Solar Dryer

The concern of the present work is the convective drying of empty cocoa shells in an indirect solar dryer. Some drying experiments, using one sample, were carried out. During the experiments, the sample is introduced in the drying chamber. Then at steady time intervals, the sample is withdrawn from the drying chamber, for a rapid weighing. After each weighing, the sample is reintroduced in the dryer. At each time interval, the ambient temperature of the drying chamber and its relative humidity γ are measured by a thermo-hygrometer. From the experimental data, a theoretical determination of the moisture evaporated from the product was performed and a good agreement was found between the theoretical and experimental values, confirmed by the value of the RMSE. Those calculations used the constants in the Nusselt number found in literature. Then those constants were evaluated again, to get new values more suitable with the experimental data. The dimensionless numbers of Nusselt, Grashof and Prandtl were calculated. That allowed the calculation of the average value of the Nusselt number. The average convective heat transfer coefficient was determined.

Improving Heat Transfer in Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors by Magnetic Nanofluids

A parabolic trough solar collector(PTSC)converts solar radiation into thermal energy.However,low thermal efficiency of PTSC poses a hindrance to the deployment of solar thermal power plants.Thermal performance of PTSC is enhanced in this study by incorporating magnetic nanoparticles into the working fluid.The circular receiver pipe,with dimensions of 66 mm diameter,2 mm thickness,and 24 m length,is exposed to uniform temperature and velocity conditions.The working fluid,Therminol-66,is supplemented with Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles at concentrations ranging from 1%to 4%.The findings demonstrate that the inclusion of nanoparticles increases the convective heat transfer coefficient(HTC)of the PTSC,with higher nanoparticle volume fractions leading to greater heat transfer but increased pressure drop.The thermal enhancement factor(TEF)of the PTSC is positively affected by the volume fraction of nanoparticles,both with and without a magnetic field.Notably,the scenario with a 4%nanoparticle volume fraction and a magnetic field strength of 250 G exhibits the highest TEF,indicating superior thermal performance.These findings offer potential avenues for improving the efficiency of PTSCs in solar thermal plants by introducing magnetic nanoparticles into the working fluid.

Numerical investigation on convective heat transfer over two heated wall-mounted cubes in tandem and staggered arrangement

In this study, laminar convective heat transfer over two heated wall-mounted cubes is investigated.Two cubes, which are under constant heat flux, are placed in different tandem and staggeredarrangements on a base plate. This problem is studied for different streamwise and spanwisedistances between two cubes in different Renolds number （Re）, by using finite-volume method.Effects of these parameters are considered on flow and heat transfer characteristics. The resultsshow that the temperature distribution is strongly dependent on flow structure and varies with anychange of flow pattern in different arrangements of cubes. In addition, it is observed that the dragcoefficient, which is influenced more by pressure forces, in staggered arrangement, is greater thantandem arrangement. Results show that by increasing the spanwise distance the amount of meanNusselt number （Nu） of Cube 2 becomes the same as Cube 1.

An Investigation into the Influence of the Airflow Path on the Convective Heat Transfer for an Eddy Current Retarder Turntable

In order to improve the convective heat transfer relating to an eddy current retarder,the finite element model has been used to assess the performances of different possible designs.In particular,assuming the steady running state of retarder as the working condition,flow and temperature fields have been obtained for the rotor.The influence of airflow path on heat dissipation has been analysed,and the influence of the temperature field distribution on the performance of retarder has been discussed accordingly.The results show that when the steady running state of the turntable is considered,the maximum temperature is lower,the level of turbulence flow is mitigated,and the temperature distribution becomes more regular.These factors contribute to improve the heat dissipation ability of the retarder.

Temperature field model in surface grinding: a comparative assessment

Grinding is a crucial process in machining workpieces because it plays a vital role in achieving the desired precision and surface quality.However,a significant technical challenge in grinding is the potential increase in temperature due to high specific energy,which can lead to surface thermal damage.Therefore,ensuring control over the surface integrity of workpieces during grinding becomes a critical concern.This necessitates the development of temperature field models that consider various parameters,such as workpiece materials,grinding wheels,grinding parameters,cooling methods,and media,to guide industrial production.This study thoroughly analyzes and summarizes grinding temperature field models.First,the theory of the grinding temperature field is investigated,classifying it into traditional models based on a continuous belt heat source and those based on a discrete heat source,depending on whether the heat source is uniform and continuous.Through this examination,a more accurate grinding temperature model that closely aligns with practical grinding conditions is derived.Subsequently,various grinding thermal models are summarized,including models for the heat source distribution,energy distribution proportional coefficient,and convective heat transfer coefficient.Through comprehensive research,the most widely recognized,utilized,and accurate model for each category is identified.The application of these grinding thermal models is reviewed,shedding light on the governing laws that dictate the influence of the heat source distribution,heat distribution,and convective heat transfer in the grinding arc zone on the grinding temperature field.Finally,considering the current issues in the field of grinding temperature,potential future research directions are proposed.The aim of this study is to provide theoretical guidance and technical support for predicting workpiece temperature and improving surface integrity.

Numerical Assessment of Nanofluid Natural Convection Using Local RBF Method Coupled with an Artificial Compressibility Model

In this paper,natural heat convection inside square and equilateral triangular cavities was studied using a meshless method based on collocation local radial basis function(RBF).The nanofluids used were Cu-water or Al_(2)O_(3)-water mixture with nanoparticle volume fractions range of 0≤φ≤0.2.A system of continuity,momentum,and energy partial differential equations was used in modeling the flow and temperature behavior of the fluids.Partial derivatives in the governing equations were approximated using the RBF method.The artificial compressibility model was implemented to overcome the pressure velocity coupling problem that occurs in such equations.Themain goal of this work was to present a simple and efficient method to deal with complex geometries for a variety of problem conditions.To assess the accuracy of the proposed method,several test cases of natural convection in square and triangular cavities were selected.For Rayleigh numbers ranging from 103 to 105,a validation test of natural convection of Cu-water in a square cavity was used.The numerical investigation was then extended to Rayleigh number 106,as well as Al_(2)O_(3)-water nanofluid with a volume fraction range of 0≤φ≤0.2.In a second investigation,the same nanofluids were used in a triangular cavitywith varying volume fractions to test the proposed meshless approach on non-rectangular geometries.The numerical results appear to be in agreement with those from earlier investigations.Furthermore,the suggested meshless method was found to be stable and accurate,demonstrating that it may be a viable alternative for solving natural heat transfer equations of nanofluids in enclosures with irregular geometries.

Numerical study of convective heat transfer in static arrangements of particles with arbitrary shapes:A monolithic hybrid lattice Boltzmann-finite difference-phase field solver

A compressible lattice Boltzmann-finite difference method is extended by the phase-field approach into a monolithic scheme to study fluid flow and heat transfer through regular arrangements of solid bodies of circular,elliptical and irregular shapes.The advantage of using the phase-field method is demon-strated both in its simplicity of accounting for flow and thermal boundary conditions at solid surfaces with irregular shapes and in the capability of generating such complex-shaped objects.For an array of discs,numerical results for the overall solid-to-gas heat transfer rate are validated via experiments on flow through arrays of hot cylinders.The thus validated compressible LB-FD-PF hybrid scheme is used to study the dependence of heat transfer on flow and thermal boundary conditions(Reynolds number,temperature difference between the hot solid bodies and the inlet gas),porosity as well as on the shape of solid objects.Results are rationalized in terms of the residence time of the gas close to the solid body and downstream variations of gas velocity and temperature.Perspective for further applications of the proposed methodology are also discussed.

Numerical and theoretical investigations of heat transfer characteristics in helium-xenon cooled microreactor core

Helium-xenon cooled microreactors are a vital technological solution for portable nuclear reactor power sources.To exam-ine the convective heat transfer behavior of helium-xenon gas mixtures in a core environment,numerical simulations are conducted on a cylindrical coolant channel and its surrounding solid regions.Validated numerical methods are used to determine the effect and mechanisms of power and its distribution,inlet temperature and velocity,and outlet pressure on the distribution and change trend of the axial Nusselt number.Furthermore,a theoretical framework that can describe the effect of power variation on the evolution of the thermal boundary layer is employed to formulate an axial distribution cor-relation for the Nusselt number of the coolant channel,under the assumption of a cosine distribution for the axial power.Based on the simulation results,the correlation coefficients are determined,and a semi-empirical relationship is identified under the corresponding operating conditions.The correlation derived in this study is consistent with the simulations,with an average relative error of 5.3%under the operating conditions.Finally,to improve the accuracy of the predictions near the entrance,a segmented correlation is developed by combining the Kays correlation with the aforementioned correlation.The new correlation reduces the average relative error to 2.9%and maintains satisfactory accuracy throughout the entire axial range of the channel,thereby demonstrating its applicability to turbulent heat transfer calculations for helium-xenon gas mixtures within the core environment.These findings provide valuable insights into the convective heat transfer behavior of a helium-xenon gas mixture in a core environment.

A developed transient gas-liquid-solid flow model with hydrate phase transition for solid fluidization exploitation of marine natural gas hydrate reservoirs

The multiphase flow characteristic is one of the most concerning problems during solid fluidization exploitation of marine natural gas hydrate reservoirs.In this research,a new transient gas-liquid-solid multiphase flow model with hydrate phase transition was developed.Meanwhile,this model considered the coupling relationship among convective heat transfer,hydrate dynamic decomposition,and multi-phase flow.The model can simulate the change of flow pattern from solid-liquid to gas-liquid-solid flow,and describe the distribution character of volume fraction of phase,wellbore temperature and pressure,and hydrate decomposition rate during transportation.The simulation results indicate that the hydrate decomposition region in the wellbore gradually expands,but the hydrate decomposition rate gradually decreases during the solid fluidization exploitation of hydrate.When mining time lasts for 4 h,and the bottom hole pressure decreases by about 0.4 MPa.Increasing NaCl concentration in seawater helps expand hydrate decomposition regions and improves the wellbore hydrate decomposition rate.When the Nacl mass fraction in seawater reaches 15%,it will raise the hydrate decomposition regions to the whole wellbore.In addition,the higher the wellhead backpressure,the lower the decomposition area and decomposition rate of hydrate in the wellbore.When wellhead backpressure reaches 2 MPa,the volume fraction of gas near the wellhead will reduce to about 12%.This work is expected to provide a theoretical basis for the development of marine hydrate reservoirs.

Reaction characteristics of magnesium production under argon flow by silicothermic reduction and numerical simulation of argon entrainment process

In this study, the reaction characteristics of reduction of calcined dolomite with ferrosilicon under argon flow to produce magnesium were studied by conducting experiments Pidgeon pellets were used to study the effect of reduced temperature, argon flow, and reduced time on the conversion of calcined dolomite reduction by ferrosilicon. The results show that the conversion significantly increases with the increase in the reduction temperature and reduction time. The conversion first increases and then decreases with the increase in argon flow. The highest conversion was obtained when the argon flow rate was 3 L·min^(-1), and a nearly spherical shape, nanoscale magnesium powder was obtained. Then the characters of the circulating argon entrainment process were numerically studied by ANSYS Fluent 17. A physical model of multilayer pellet arrangement was established, and a numerical calculation model of chemical reaction, radiation, heat conduction, and convection heat transfer was constructed. This confirms that high-temperature argon can effectively strengthen the heat exchange between pellets, improve the heat transfer efficiency, and facilitate the pellets to react quickly. When the conversion is 80%, the production efficiency increased by about 28.6%. In addition, the magnesium production efficiency showed an increase tendency with the increase of the argon inlet flow rate.

Experimental Study on the Thermal Performances of a Tube-Type Indirect Evaporative Cooler

The so-called indirect evaporative cooling technology is widely used in air conditioning applications.The thermal characterization of tube-type indirect evaporative coolers,however,still presents challenges which need to be addressed to make this technology more reliable and easy to implement.This experimental study deals with the performances of a tube-type indirect evaporative cooler based on an aluminum tube with a 10 mm diameter.In particular,the required tests were carried out considering a range of dry-bulb temperatures between 16℃ and 18℃ and a temperature difference between the wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperature of 2℃∼4℃.The integrated convective heat transfer coefficient inside the tube in the drenching condition has been found to lie in the range between 36.10 and 437.4(W/(m^(2)⋅K)).

Energy model based sensorless estimation method for operational temperature of braking resistor onboard metro vehicles

Purpose–This study aims to improve the availability of regenerative braking for urban metro vehicles by introducing a sensorless operational temperature estimation method for the braking resistor(BR)onboard the vehicle,which overcomes the vulnerability of having conventional temperature sensor.Design/methodology/approach–In this study,the energy model based sensorless estimation method is developed.By analyzing the structure and the convection dissipation process of the BR onboard the vehicle,the energy-based operational temperature model of the BR and its cooling domain is established.By adopting Newton’s law of cooling and the law of conservation of energy,the energy and temperature dynamic of the BR can be stated.To minimize the use of all kinds of sensors(including both thermal and electrical),a novel regenerative braking power calculation method is proposed,which involves only the voltage of DC traction network and the duty cycle of the chopping circuit;both of them are available for the traction control unit(TCU)of the vehicle.By utilizing a real-time iterative calculation and updating the parameter of the energy model,the operational temperature of the BR can be obtained and monitored in a sensorless manner.Findings–In this study,a sensorless estimation/monitoring method of the operational temperature of BR is proposed.The results show that it is possible to utilize the existing electrical sensors that is mandatory for the traction unit’s operation to estimate the operational temperature of BR,instead of adding dedicated thermal sensors.The results also validate the effectiveness of the proposal is acceptable for the engineering practical.Originality/value–The proposal of this study provides novel concepts for the sensorless operational temperature monitoring of BR onboard rolling stocks.The proposed method only involves quasi-global electrical variable and the internal control signal within the TCU.

Contrasts of Atmospheric Circulation and Associated Tropical Convection between Huaihe River Valley and Yangtze River Valley Mei-yu Flooding

The significant differences of atmospheric circulation between flooding in the Huaihe and Yangtze River valleys during early mei-yu （i.e., the East Asian rainy season in June） and the related tropical convection were investigated. During the both flooding cases, although the geopotential height anomalies always exhibit equivalent barotropic structures in middle to high latitudes at middle and upper troposphere, the phase of the Rossby wave train is different over Eurasian continent. During flooding in the Huaihe River valley, only one single blocking anticyclone is located over Baikal Lake. In contrast, during flooding in the Yangtze River valley, there are two blocking anticyclones. One is over the Ural Mountains and the other is over Northeast Asia. In the lower troposphere a positive geopotential height anomaly is located at the western ridge of subtropical anticyclone over Western Pacific （SAWP） in both flooding cases, but the location of the height anomaly is much farther north and west during the Huaihe River mei-yu flooding. Fhrthermore, abnormal rainfall in the Huaihe River valley and the regions north of it in China is closely linked with the latent heating anomaly over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula. However, the rainfall in the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south in China is strongly related to the convection over the western tropical Pacific. Numerical experiments demonstrated that the enhanced latent heating over the Arabian Sea and Indian peninsula causes water vapor convergence in the region south of Tibetan Plateau and in the Huaihe River valley extending to Japan Sea with enhanced precipitation; and vapor divergence over the Yangtze River valley and the regions to its south with deficient precipitation. While the weakened convection in the tropical West Pacific results in moisture converging over the Yangtze River and the region to its south, along with abundant rainfall.

Thermal Influence of the Couette Flow in a Hydrostatic Spindle on the Machining Precision

Hydrostatic spindles are increasingly used in precision machine tools. Thermal error is the key factor affecting the machining accuracy of the spindle, and research has focused on spindle thermal errors through examination of the influence of the temperature distribution, thermal deformation and spindle mode. However, seldom has any research investigated the thermal effects of the associated Couette flow. To study the heat transfer mechanism in spindle systems, the criterion of the heat transfer direction according to the temperature distribution of the Couette flow at different temperatures is deduced. The method is able to deal accurately with the significant phenomena occurring at every place where thermal energy flowed in such a spindle system. The variation of the motion error induced by thermal effects on a machine work-table during machining is predicated by establishing the thermo-mechanical error model of the hydrostatic spindle for a high precision machine tool. The flow state and thermal behavior of a hydrostatic spindle is analyzed with the evaluated heat power and the coefficients of the convective heat transfer over outer surface of the spindle are calculated, and the thermal influence on the oil film stiffness is evaluated. Thermal drift of the spindle nose is measured with an inductance micrometer, the thermal deformation data 1.35 μm after running for 4 h is consistent with the value predicted by the finite element analysis’s simulated result 1.28 μm, and this demonstrates that the simulation method is feasible. The thermal effects on the processing accuracy from the flow characteristics of the fluid inside the spindle are analyzed for the first time.

Nusselt number correlation for turbulent heat transfer of helium-xenon gas mixtures

A gas-cooled nuclear reactor combined with a Brayton cycle shows promise as a technology for highpower space nuclear power systems.Generally,a helium-xenon gas mixture with a molecular weight of14.5-40.0 g/mol is adopted as the working fluid to reduce the mass and volume of the turbomachinery.The Prandtl number for helium-xenon mixtures with this recommended mixing ratio may be as low as 0.2.As the convective heat transfer is closely related to the Prandtl number,different heat transfer correlations are often needed for fluids with various Prandtl numbers.Previous studies have established heat transfer correlations for fluids with medium-high Prandtl numbers(such as air and water)and extremely lowPrandtl fluids(such as liquid metals);however,these correlations cannot be directly recommended for such helium-xenon mixtures without verification.This study initially assessed the applicability of existing Nusselt number correlations,finding that the selected correlations are unsuitable for helium-xenon mixtures.To establish a more general heat transfer correlation,a theoretical derivation was conducted using the turbulent boundary layer theory.Numerical simulations of turbulent heat transfer for helium-xenon mixtures were carried out using Ansys Fluent.Based on simulated results,the parameters in the derived heat transfer correlation are determined.It is found that calculations using the new correlation were in good agreement with the experimental data,verifying its applicability to the turbulent heat transfer for helium-xenon mixtures.The effect of variable gas properties on turbulent heat transfer was also analyzed,and a modified heat transfer correlation with the temperature ratio was established.Based on the working conditions adopted in this study,the numerical error of the property-variable heat transfer correlation was almost within 10%.

SIMULATION OF STEEL COIL HEAT TRANSFER IN HPH FURNACE

The mathematical model has been estublished for the simulation of steel coil＇s heat transfer during annealing thermal process in HPH （high performance hydrogen） furnace. The equivalent radial thermal conductivity is adopted by statistical analysis regression approach through the combination of a large quantity of production data collected in practice and theoretical analyses. The effect of the number of coils on circulating flow gas is considered for calculating the convection heat transfer coefficient, The temperature within the coil is predicted with the developed model during the annealing cycle including heating process and cooling process. The good consistently between the predicted results and the experimental data has demonstrated that the mathematical model established and the parameters identified by this paper are scientifically feasible and the effective method of calculation for coil equivalent radial heat transfer coefficient and circulating gas flow has been identified successfully, which largely enhances the operability and feasibility of the mathematic- model. This model provides a theoretical basis and an effective means to conduct studies on the impact that foresaid factors may imposed on the steel coil＇s temperature field, to analyze the stress within coils, to realize online control and optimal production and to increase facilily output by increasing heating and cooling rates of coils without producing higher thermal stress.

Technological,environmental and biological factors:referent variance values for infrared imaging of the bovine

Background： Despite its variety of potential applications, the wide implementation of infrared technology in cattle production faces technical, environmental and biological challenges similar to other indicators of metabolic state. Nine trials, divided into three classes （technological, environmental and biological factors） were conducted to illustrate the influence of these factors on body surface temperature assessed through infrared imaging. Results： Evaluation of technological factors indicated the following： measurements of body temperatures were strongly repeatable when taken within ]0 s; appropriateness of differing infrared camera technologies was influenced by distance to the target; and results were consistent when analysis of thermographs was compared between judges. Evaluation of environmental factors illustrated that wind and debris caused decreases in body surface temperatures without affecting metabolic rate; additionally, body surface temperature increased due to sunlight but returned to baseline values within minutes of shade exposure. Examination/investigation/exploration of animal factors demonstrated that exercise caused an increase in body surface temperature and metabolic rate. Administration of sedative and anti-sedative caused changes on body surface temperature and metabolic rate, and during late pregnancy a foetal thermal imprint was visible through abdominal infrared imaging. Conclusion： The above factors should be considered in order to standardize operational procedures for taking thermographs, thereby optimizing the use of such technology in cattle operations.

Role of viscous heating in entransy analyses of convective heat transfer

The entransy theory is widely used and found to be effective in thermal analyses and optimizations.Some researchers considered the entransy variation due to viscous heating as part of entransy dissipation and analyzed convective heat transfer based on the differential relationship between entropy and entransy.However,it has been pointed out that the derivation of the differential relationship between entropy and entransy is incorrect.In this paper,the convective heat transfer processes with viscous heating is reconsidered and analyzed from the viewpoint of the energy conservation and the entransy balance equation.It is shown that the influence of the viscous heating is equivalent to that of an inner heat source.Therefore,the contribution of viscous heating to system entransy should not be treated as part of entransy dissipation,but entransy flow into the system.Two-stream parallel and counter flow heat exchangers with viscous heating and a thermal insulation transportation problem of heavy oil are taken as examples to verify the theoretical analyses intuitively.In the examples,the numerical results show that the entransy dissipation rates could be negative when the influence of the viscous heating on the system entransy is treated as part of the entransy dissipation.This is obviously unreasonable.Meanwhile,when the entransy contribution from the viscous heating to the system entransy is treated as entransy flow into the system,it is shown that the entransy dissipation rate is always positive,and the heat transfer processes can be well explained with the entransy theory.

Experimental Investigation on Flow and Heat Transfer of Jet Impingement inside a Semi-Confined Smooth Channel

Experimental investigation is conducted to investigate the flow and heat transfer performances of jet impingement cooling inside a semi-confined smooth channel.Effects of jet Reynolds number(varied from 10 000to 45000),orifice-to-target spacing(zn=1d—4d)and jet-to-jet pitches(xn=3d—5d,yn=3d—5d)on the convective heat transfer coefficient and discharge coefficient are revealed.For a single-row jets normal impingement,the impingement heat transfer is enhanced with the increase of impingement Reynolds number or the decrease of spanwise jet-to-jet pitch.The highest local heat transfer is achieved when zn/dis 2.For the double-row jets normal impingement,the laterally-averaged Nusselt number distributions in the vicinity of the first row jets impinging stagnation do not fit well with the single-row case.The highest local heat transfer is obtained when zn/dis 1.A smaller jetto-jet pitch generally results in a lower discharge coefficient.The discharge coefficient in the double-row case is decreased relative to the single-row case at the same impingement Reynolds number.

The silicothermic reduction of magnesium in flowing argon and numerical simulation of novel technology

The silicothermic reduction of magnesium was investigated by the non-isothermal thermoanalysis in flowing argon,while the traditional investigations of silicothermic process for magnesium reduction were carried out under vacuum conditions.Firstly,the thermal gravimetric(TG)and derivative thermogravimetric(DTG)characteristic of briquettes prepared with calcined dolomite,ferrosilicon and fluorite were characterized by the thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA)at different heating rates.The intrinsic chemical kinetic mechanism was identified as a formal chemical reaction with the Nth order type which showed apparent activation energy E and reaction order n were 290.168 kJ mol^(-1) and 1.076,respectively.Then,a novel technique of magnesium production without vacuum was put forward and a three-dimensional unsteady numerical model incorporating the chemical reaction,radiation,heat conduction and heat convection was established and simulated,which was verified by Pidgeon process and novel tech no logy.rIhe nu merical results showed that the cycle time of the novel technique could be reduced when the argon temperature was higher than 1343 K and the argon entrance velocity was over 0.05 m s^(-1).And the effect of the argon temperature on reduction degree was much larger than that of entrance velocity.