Temperature-swing adsorption(TSA)is an effective technique for CO_(2) capture,but the temperature swing procedure is energy-intensive.Herein,we report a low-energy-consumption system by combining passive radiative coo...Temperature-swing adsorption(TSA)is an effective technique for CO_(2) capture,but the temperature swing procedure is energy-intensive.Herein,we report a low-energy-consumption system by combining passive radiative cooling and solar heating for the uptake of CO_(2) on commercial activated carbons(CACs).During adsorption,the adsorbents are coated with a layer of hierarchically porous poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene)[P(VdF-HFP)HP],which cools the adsorbents to a low temperature under sunlight through radiative cooling.For desorption,CACs with broad absorption of the solar spectrum are exposed to light irradiation for heating.The heating and cooling processes are completely driven by solar energy.Adsorption tests under mimicked sunlight using the CACs show that the performance of this system is comparable to that of the traditional ones.Furthermore,under real sunlight irradiation,the adsorption capacity of the CACs can be well maintained after multiple cycles.The present work may inspire the development of new temperature swing procedures with little energy consumption.展开更多
Materials with both large magnetocaloric response and high thermoelectric performance are of vital importance for all-solid-state thermoelectromagnetic cooling.These two properties,however,hardly coexist in single pha...Materials with both large magnetocaloric response and high thermoelectric performance are of vital importance for all-solid-state thermoelectromagnetic cooling.These two properties,however,hardly coexist in single phase materials except previously reported hexagonal Cr_(1-x)Te half metal where a relatively high magnetic entropy change(-△S_(M))of~2.4 J·kg^(-1)·K^(-1)@5 T and a moderate thermoelectric figure of merit(ZT)of~1.2×10^(-2)@300 K are simultaneously recorded.Herein we aim to increase the thermoelectric performance of Cr_(1-x)Te by compositing with semiconducting Ag_(2)Te.It is discovered that the in-situ synthesis of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites by reacting their constitute elements above melting temperatures is unsuccessful because of strong phase competition.Specifically,at elevated temperatures(T>800 K),Cr_(1-x)Te has a much lower deformation energy than Ag_(2)Te and tends to become more Cr-deficient by capturing Te from Ag_(2)Te.Therefore,Ag is insufficiently reacted and as a metal it deteriorates ZT.We then rationalize the synthesis of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites by ex-situ mix of the pre-prepared Cr_(1-x)Te and Ag_(2)Te binary compounds followed by densification at a low sintering temperature of 573 K under a pressure of 3.5 GPa.We show that by compositing with 7 mol%Ag_(2)Te,the Seebeck coefficient of Cr_(1-x)Te is largely increased while the lattice thermal conductivity is considerably reduced,leading to 72%improvement of ZT.By comparison,-△S_(M)is only slightly reduced by 10%in the composite.Our work demonstrates the potential of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites for thermoelectromagnetic cooling.展开更多
Thermoregulatory textiles,leveraging high-emissivity structural materials,have arisen as a promising candidate for personal cooling management;however,their advancement has been hindered by the underperformed water mo...Thermoregulatory textiles,leveraging high-emissivity structural materials,have arisen as a promising candidate for personal cooling management;however,their advancement has been hindered by the underperformed water moisture transportation capacity,which impacts on their thermophysiological comfort.Herein,we designed a wettability-gradient-induced-diode(WGID)membrane achieving by MXene-engineered electrospun technology,which could facilitate heat dissipation and moisture-wicking transportation.As a result,the obtained WGID membrane could obtain a cooling temperature of 1.5℃ in the“dry”state,and 7.1℃ in the“wet”state,which was ascribed to its high emissivity of 96.40%in the MIR range,superior thermal conductivity of 0.3349 W m^(-1) K^(-1)(based on radiation-and conduction-controlled mechanisms),and unidirectional moisture transportation property.The proposed design offers an approach for meticulously engineering electrospun membranes with enhanced heat dissipation and moisture transportation,thereby paving the way for developing more efficient and comfortable thermoregulatory textiles in a high-humidity microenvironment.展开更多
Passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) is environment-friendly without energy input by enhancing the coating's solar reflectance(R_(solar)) and thermal emittance(ε_(LWIR)) in the atmosphere's long-wave infra...Passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) is environment-friendly without energy input by enhancing the coating's solar reflectance(R_(solar)) and thermal emittance(ε_(LWIR)) in the atmosphere's long-wave infrared transmission window.However,high R_(solar) is usually achieved by increasing the coating's thickness,which not only increases materials' cost but also impairs heat transfer.Additionally,the desired high R_(solar) is vulnerable to dust pollution in the outdoors.In this work,a thin paint was designed by mixing hBN plates,PFOTS,and IPA. R_(solar)=0.963 and ε_(LWIR)=0.927 was achieved at a thickness of 150 μm due to the high backscattering ability of scatters.A high through-plane thermal conductivity(~1.82 W m^(-1) K^(-1)) also can be obtained.In addition,the porous structure coupled with the binder PFOTS resulted in a contact angle of 154°,demonstrating excellent durability under dust contamination.Outdoor experiments showed that the thin paint can obtain a 2.3℃ lower temperature for sub-ambient cooling than the reference PDRC coating in the daytime.Furtherly,the above-ambient heat dissipation performance can be enhanced by spraying the thin paint on a 3D heat sink,which was 15.7℃ lower than the reference 1D structure,demonstrating excellent performance for durable and scalable PDRC applications.展开更多
The main objective of this work was to modify the microstructure and enhance the tribological properties of a new Zn-4Si al-loy through a high solidification cooling rate(SCR).According to the results,by increasing th...The main objective of this work was to modify the microstructure and enhance the tribological properties of a new Zn-4Si al-loy through a high solidification cooling rate(SCR).According to the results,by increasing the SCR from 2.0 to 59.5℃/s the average size of primary Si particles and that of the grains reduced from 76.1 and 3780μm to less than about 14.6 and 460μm,respectively.Augment-ing the SCR also enhanced the microstructural homogeneity,decreased the porosity content(by 50%),and increased the matrix hardness(by 36%).These microstructural changes enhanced the tribological behavior.For instance,under the applied pressure of 0.5 MPa,an in-crease in the SCR from 2.0 to 59.5℃/s decreased the wear rate and the average friction coefficient of the alloy by 57%and 23%,respect-ively.The wear mechanism was also changed from the severe delamination,adhesion,and abrasion in the slowly-cooled alloy to the mild tribolayer delamination/abrasion in the high-cooling-rate-solidified sample.展开更多
Real-world passive radiative cooling requires highly emissive,selective,and omnidirectional thermal emitters to maintain the radiative cooler at a certain temperature below the ambient temperature while maximizing the...Real-world passive radiative cooling requires highly emissive,selective,and omnidirectional thermal emitters to maintain the radiative cooler at a certain temperature below the ambient temperature while maximizing the net cooling power.Despite various selective thermal emitters have been demonstrated,it is still challenging to achieve these conditions sim-ultaneously because of the extreme difficulty in controlling thermal emission of photonic structures in multidimension.Here we demonstrated hybrid polar dielectric metasurface thermal emitters with machine learning inverse design,en-abling a high emissivity of~0.92 within the atmospheric transparency window 8-13μm,a large spectral selectivity of~1.8 and a wide emission angle up to 80 degrees,simultaneously.This selective and omnidirectional thermal emitter has led to a new record of temperature reduction as large as~15.4°C under strong solar irradiation of~800 W/m2,signific-antly surpassing the state-of-the-art results.The designed structures also show great potential in tackling the urban heat island effect,with modelling results suggesting a large energy saving and deployment area reduction.This research will make significant impact on passive radiative cooling,thermal energy photonics and tackling global climate change.展开更多
Mathematical physics equations are often utilized to describe physical phenomena in various fields of science and engineering.One such equation is the Fourier equation,which is a commonly used and effective method for...Mathematical physics equations are often utilized to describe physical phenomena in various fields of science and engineering.One such equation is the Fourier equation,which is a commonly used and effective method for evaluating the effectiveness of temperature control measures for mass concrete.One important measure for temperature control in mass concrete is the use of cooling water pipes.However,the mismatch of grids between large-scale concrete models and small-scale cooling pipe models can result in a significant waste of calculation time when using the finite element method.Moreover,the temperature of the water in the cooling pipe needs to be iteratively calculated during the thermal transfer process.The substructure method can effectively solve this problem,and it has been validated by scholars.The Abaqus/Python secondary development technology provides engineers with enough flexibility to combine the substructure method with an iteration algorithm,which enables the creation of a parametric modeling calculation for cooling water pipes.This paper proposes such a method,which involves iterating the water pipe boundary and establishing the water pipe unit substructure to numerically simulate the concrete temperature field that contains a cooling water pipe.To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method,two classic numerical examples were analyzed.The results showed that this method has good applicability in cooling pipe calculations.When the value of the iteration parameterαis 0.4,the boundary temperature of the cooling water pipes can meet the accuracy requirements after 4∼5 iterations,effectively improving the computational efficiency.Overall,this approach provides a useful tool for engineers to analyze the temperature control measures accurately and efficiently for mass concrete,such as cooling water pipes,using Abaqus/Python secondary development.展开更多
Polypropylene is commonly used as a binder for ceramic injection molding,and rapid cooling is often encountered during processing.However,the crystallization behavior of polypropylene shows a strong dependence on cool...Polypropylene is commonly used as a binder for ceramic injection molding,and rapid cooling is often encountered during processing.However,the crystallization behavior of polypropylene shows a strong dependence on cooling rate due to its semi-crystalline characteristics.Therefore,the influence of cooling rate on the quality of final product cannot be ignored.In this study,the fast differential scanning calorimetry(FSC)test was performed to study the influence of cooling rate on the non-isothermal crystallization behavior and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of a copolymer polypropylene(PP BC03B).The results show that the crystallization temperatures and crystallinity decrease as the cooling rate increases.In addition,two exothermic peaks occur when cooling rate ranges from 30 to 300 K·s^(-1),indicating the formation of another crystal phase.Avrami,Ozawa and Mo equations were used to explore the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics,and it can be concluded that the Mo method is suitable for this study.展开更多
Maintaining thermal comfort within the human body is crucial for optimal health and overall well-being.By merely broadening the setpoint of indoor temperatures,we could significantly slash energy usage in building hea...Maintaining thermal comfort within the human body is crucial for optimal health and overall well-being.By merely broadening the setpoint of indoor temperatures,we could significantly slash energy usage in building heating,ventilation,and air-conditioning systems.In recent years,there has been a surge in advancements in personal thermal management(PTM),aiming to regulate heat and moisture transfer within our immediate surroundings,clothing,and skin.The advent of PTM is driven by the rapid development in nano/micro-materials and energy science and engineering.An emerging research area in PTM is personal radiative thermal management(PRTM),which demonstrates immense potential with its high radiative heat transfer efficiency and ease of regulation.However,it is less taken into account in traditional textiles,and there currently lies a gap in our knowledge and understanding of PRTM.In this review,we aim to present a thorough analysis of advanced textile materials and technologies for PRTM.Specifically,we will introduce and discuss the underlying radiation heat transfer mechanisms,fabrication methods of textiles,and various indoor/outdoor applications in light of their different regulation functionalities,including radiative cooling,radiative heating,and dual-mode thermoregulation.Furthermore,we will shine a light on the current hurdles,propose potential strategies,and delve into future technology trends for PRTM with an emphasis on functionalities and applications.展开更多
Thermal damage and thermal fracture of rocks are two important indicators in geothermal mining projects.This paper investigates the effects of heating and water-cooling on granite specimens at various temperatures.The...Thermal damage and thermal fracture of rocks are two important indicators in geothermal mining projects.This paper investigates the effects of heating and water-cooling on granite specimens at various temperatures.The laboratory uniaxial compression experiments were also conducted.Then,a coupled thermo-mechanical ordinary state-based peridynamic(OSB-PD)model and corresponding numerical scheme were developed to simulate the damage of rocks after the heating and cooling processes,and the change of crack evolution process was predicted.The results demonstrate that elevated heating temperatures exacerbate the thermal damage to the specimens,resulting in a decrease in peak strength and an increase in ductility of granite.The escalating occurrence of thermal-induced cracks significantly affects the crack evolution process during the loading phase.The numerical results accurately reproduce the damage and fracture characteristics of the granite under different final heating temperatures(FHTs),which are consistent with the test results in terms of strength,crack evolution process,and failure mode.展开更多
The demand for highly porous yet transparent aerogels with mechanical flexibility and solar-thermal dual-regulation for energy-saving windows is significant but challenging.Herein,a delaminated aerogel film(DAF)is fab...The demand for highly porous yet transparent aerogels with mechanical flexibility and solar-thermal dual-regulation for energy-saving windows is significant but challenging.Herein,a delaminated aerogel film(DAF)is fabricated through filtration-induced delaminated gelation and ambient drying.The delaminated gelation process involves the assembly of fluorinated cellulose nanofiber(FCNF)at the solid-liquid interface between the filter and the filtrate during filtration,resulting in the formation of lamellar FCNF hydrogels with strong intra-plane and weak interlayer hydrogen bonding.By exchanging the solvents from water to hexane,the hydrogen bonding in the FCNF hydrogel is further enhanced,enabling the formation of the DAF with intra-layer mesopores upon ambient drying.The resulting aerogel film is lightweight and ultra-flexible,which pos-sesses desirable properties of high visible-light transmittance(91.0%),low thermal conductivity(33 mW m^(-1) K^(-1)),and high atmospheric-window emissivity(90.1%).Furthermore,the DAF exhibits reduced surface energy and exceptional hydrophobicity due to the presence of fluorine-containing groups,enhancing its durability and UV resistance.Consequently,the DAF has demonstrated its potential as solar-thermal regulatory cooling window materials capable of simultaneously providing indoor lighting,thermal insulation,and daytime radiative cooling under direct sunlight.Significantly,the enclosed space protected by the DAF exhibits a temperature reduction of 2.6℃ compared to that shielded by conventional architectural glass.展开更多
With the continuous improvement of permanent magnet(PM)wind generators'capacity and power density,the design of reasonable and efficient cooling structures has become a focus.This paper proposes a fully enclosed s...With the continuous improvement of permanent magnet(PM)wind generators'capacity and power density,the design of reasonable and efficient cooling structures has become a focus.This paper proposes a fully enclosed self-circulating hydrogen cooling structure for a originally forced-air-cooled direct-drive PM wind generator.The proposed hydrogen cooling system uses the rotor panel supports that hold the rotor core as the radial blades,and the hydrogen flow is driven by the rotating plates to flow through the axial and radial vents to realize the efficient cooling of the generator.According to the structural parameters of the cooling system,the Taguchi method is used to decouple the structural variables.The influence of the size of each cooling structure on the heat dissipation characteristic is analyzed,and the appropriate cooling structure scheme is determined.展开更多
The extruded AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy was twisted in the temperature range of 300-380℃by using a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulation test machine with a torsion unit.The deformed cylindrical specimens were cooled at a...The extruded AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy was twisted in the temperature range of 300-380℃by using a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulation test machine with a torsion unit.The deformed cylindrical specimens were cooled at a cooling rate of 10℃/s or 0.1℃/s,respectively,and aged at 170℃.The microstructure analysis results showed that the grain size decreased with increasing specimen radial position from center(SRPC),and that the strong initial basal texture of the extruded magnesium alloy was weakened.Both continuous and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization mechanisms were involved in contributing to the grain refinement for all specimens investigated.And a novel extension twinning induced dynamic recrystallization mechanism was proposed for specimen deformed at 300℃.For the specimens deformed at 300℃and 340℃followed by a slow cooling rate(0.1℃/s),precipitates of various shapes(β-Mg_(17)Al_(12)),with the dominant precipitates being on the grains boundaries,appeared on the surface section.For specimen deformed at 380℃,lamellar precipitates(LPS)in the interiors of the grains were predominant.After aging,the LPS still dominated for specimens twisted at 380℃;however,the LPS gradually decreased with decreasing deformation temperatures from 380℃to 300℃.Dynamically precipitatedβ,especially those decorating the grain boundaries,changed the competition pictures for the LPS and precipitates of other shapes after aging.Interestingly,LPS dominated the areas for the center section of the specimens after aging regardless of deformation temperatures.Low temperature deformation with high SRPC followed by rapid cooling rate increased the micro hardness of the alloy after aging due to refined grain,reduced precipitates size,decreased lamellar spacing as well as strain hardening.展开更多
The Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)mission,which has been proposed by the Yunnan Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences,aiming to operate at a distance of 5 to 10 solar radii from the Sun,...The Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)mission,which has been proposed by the Yunnan Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences,aiming to operate at a distance of 5 to 10 solar radii from the Sun,plans to complete the in situ detection of the solar eruption process and observation of the magnetic field structure response.The solar flux received by the satellite ranges from 10^(3) to 10^(6) Wm^(-2),which poses challenges for thermal management of the solar arrays.In this work,the solar array cooling system of the Parker Solar Probe is discussed,the developments of the fluid loop technique are reviewed,and a research plan for a next-generation solar array cooling system is proposed.This paper provides a valuable reference for novel thermal control systems in spacecraft for solar observation.展开更多
In this study, a microchannel liquid cooling plate (LCP) is proposed for Intel Xeon 52.5 mm * 45 mm packaged architecture processors based on topology optimization (TO). Firstly, a mathematical model for topology opti...In this study, a microchannel liquid cooling plate (LCP) is proposed for Intel Xeon 52.5 mm * 45 mm packaged architecture processors based on topology optimization (TO). Firstly, a mathematical model for topology optimization design of the LCP is established based on heat dissipation and pressure drop objectives. We obtain a series of two-dimensional (2D) topology optimization configurations with different weighting factors for two objectives. It is found that the biomimetic phenomenon of the topologically optimized flow channel structure is more pronounced at low Reynolds numbers. Secondly, the topology configuration is stretched into a three-dimensional (3D) model to perform CFD simulations under actual operating conditions. The results show that the thermal resistance and pressure drop of the LCP based on topology optimization achieve a reduction of approximately 20% - 50% compared to traditional serpentine and microchannel straight flow channel structures. The Nusselt number can be improved by up to 76.1% compared to microchannel straight designs. Moreover, it is observed that under high flow rates, straight microchannel LCPs exhibit significant backflow, vortex phenomena, and topology optimization structures LCPs also tend to lead to loss of effectiveness in the form of tree root-shaped branch flows. Suitable flow rate ranges for LCPs are provided. Furthermore, the temperature and pressure drop of experimental results are consistent with the numerical ones, which verifies the effectiveness of performance for topology optimization flow channel LCP.展开更多
The district cooling system (DCS) with ice storage can reduce the peak electricity demand of the business district buildings it serves, improve system efficiency, and lower operational costs. This study utilizes a mon...The district cooling system (DCS) with ice storage can reduce the peak electricity demand of the business district buildings it serves, improve system efficiency, and lower operational costs. This study utilizes a monitoring and control platform for DCS with ice storage to analyze historical parameter values related to system operation and executed operations. We assess the distribution of cooling loads among various devices within the DCS, identify operational characteristics of the system through correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), and subsequently determine key parameters affecting changes in cooling loads. Accurate forecasting of cooling loads is crucial for determining optimal control strategies. The research process can be summarized briefly as follows: data preprocessing, parameter analysis, parameter selection, and validation of load forecasting performance. The study reveals that while individual devices in the system perform well, there is considerable room for improving overall system efficiency. Six principal components have been identified as input parameters for the cold load forecasting model, with each of these components having eigenvalues greater than 1 and contributing to an accumulated variance of 87.26%, and during the dimensionality reduction process, we obtained a confidence ellipse with a 95% confidence interval. Regarding cooling load forecasting, the Relative Absolute Error (RAE) value of the light gradient boosting machine (lightGBM) algorithm is 3.62%, Relative Root Mean Square Error (RRMSE) is 42.75%, and R-squared value (R<sup>2</sup>) is 92.96%, indicating superior forecasting performance compared to other commonly used cooling load forecasting algorithms. This research provides valuable insights and auxiliary guidance for data analysis and optimizing operations in practical engineering applications. .展开更多
In this paper,we introduce the design principle of the oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.We then designed an oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.By using the device,the swaying mo...In this paper,we introduce the design principle of the oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.We then designed an oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.By using the device,the swaying motion can be realized through the control system,and the motion of the droplet under different vibration frequencies can be observed.By measuring the liquid flow rate and pressure,the changes in liquid flow rate,pressure,and temperature with time under different vibration frequencies were studied.The trajectory of the droplet and the temperature distribution of the droplet under different vibration frequencies could be observed.The device has a simple structure,is easy to control,and can achieve continuous observation of the spray cooling process.展开更多
The serpentine tube liquid cooling and composite PCM coupled cooling thermal management system is designed for 18650 cylindrical power batteries,with the maximum temperature and temperature difference of the power pac...The serpentine tube liquid cooling and composite PCM coupled cooling thermal management system is designed for 18650 cylindrical power batteries,with the maximum temperature and temperature difference of the power pack within the optimal temperature operating range as the target.The initial analysis of the battery pack at a 5C discharge rate,the influence of the single cell to cooling tube distance,the number of cooling tubes,inlet coolant temperature,the coolant flow rate,and other factors on the heat dissipation performance of the battery pack,initially determined a reasonable value for each design parameter.A control strategy is used to regulate the inlet flow rate and coolant temperature of the liquid cooling system in order to make full use of the latent heat of the composite PCM and reduce the pump’s energy consumption.The simulation results show that the maximum battery pack temperature of 309.8 K and the temperature difference of 4.6 K between individual cells with the control strategy are in the optimal temperature operating range of the power battery,and the utilization rate of the composite PCM is up to 90%.展开更多
Epidermal electronics with superb passive-cooling capabilities are of great value for both daytime outdoor dressing comfort and low-carbon economy. Herein, a multifunctional and skinattachable electronic is rationally...Epidermal electronics with superb passive-cooling capabilities are of great value for both daytime outdoor dressing comfort and low-carbon economy. Herein, a multifunctional and skinattachable electronic is rationally developed on a porous all-elastomer metafabric for efficient passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) and human electrophysiological monitoring. The cooling characteristics are realized through the homogeneous impregnation of polytetrafluoroethylene microparticles in the styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene fibers, and the rational regulation of microporosity in SEBS/PTFE metafabrics, thus synergistically backscatter ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared light(maximum reflectance over 98.0%) to minimize heat absorption while efficiently emit human-body midinfrared radiation to the sky. As a result, the developed PDRC metafabric achieves approximately 17℃ cooling effects in an outdoor daytime environment and completely retains its passive cooling performance even under 50% stretching. Further, high-fidelity electrophysiological monitoring capability is also implemented in the breathable and skin-conformal metafabric through liquid metal printing, enabling the accurate acquisition of human electrocardiograph, surface electromyogram, and electroencephalograph signals for comfortable and lengthy health regulation. Hence, the fabricated superelastic PDRC metafabric opens a new avenue for the development of body-comfortable electronics and low-carbon wearing technologies.展开更多
A review is conducted about the application of the evaporative cooling technology in thermal power plants.Different case studies are considered,namely,evaporative air conditioners,evaporative cooling in direct air-coo...A review is conducted about the application of the evaporative cooling technology in thermal power plants.Different case studies are considered,namely,evaporative air conditioners,evaporative cooling in direct air-cooled systems,gas turbine inlet cooling,wet cooling towers,and hybrid cooling towers with a crosswind effect.Some effort is provided to describe the advantages related to direct evaporative cooling when it is applied in thermal power plants and illustrate the research gaps,which have not been filled yet.In particular,typical case studies are intentionally used to compare the cooling performances when direct evaporative cooling is implemented in different types of cooling towers,including the natural draft wet cooling tower(NDWCT)and the pre-cooled natural draft dry cooling tower(NDDCT).It is shown that the NDWCT provides the best cooling performance in terms of power station cooling,followed by the pre-cooled NDDCT,and the NDDCT;moreover,the evaporative pre-cooling is able to enhance the cooling performance of NDDCT.Besides,on a yearly basis,better NDDCT cooling performances can be obtained by means of a spray-based pre-cooling approach with respect to wet media pre-cooling.Therefore,the use of nozzle spray is suggested for improvement in the performance of indirect/direct air-cooling systems with controlled water consumption.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(22125804)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21808110,22078155,and 21878149).
文摘Temperature-swing adsorption(TSA)is an effective technique for CO_(2) capture,but the temperature swing procedure is energy-intensive.Herein,we report a low-energy-consumption system by combining passive radiative cooling and solar heating for the uptake of CO_(2) on commercial activated carbons(CACs).During adsorption,the adsorbents are coated with a layer of hierarchically porous poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene)[P(VdF-HFP)HP],which cools the adsorbents to a low temperature under sunlight through radiative cooling.For desorption,CACs with broad absorption of the solar spectrum are exposed to light irradiation for heating.The heating and cooling processes are completely driven by solar energy.Adsorption tests under mimicked sunlight using the CACs show that the performance of this system is comparable to that of the traditional ones.Furthermore,under real sunlight irradiation,the adsorption capacity of the CACs can be well maintained after multiple cycles.The present work may inspire the development of new temperature swing procedures with little energy consumption.
基金Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2019YFA0704900)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52171221)。
文摘Materials with both large magnetocaloric response and high thermoelectric performance are of vital importance for all-solid-state thermoelectromagnetic cooling.These two properties,however,hardly coexist in single phase materials except previously reported hexagonal Cr_(1-x)Te half metal where a relatively high magnetic entropy change(-△S_(M))of~2.4 J·kg^(-1)·K^(-1)@5 T and a moderate thermoelectric figure of merit(ZT)of~1.2×10^(-2)@300 K are simultaneously recorded.Herein we aim to increase the thermoelectric performance of Cr_(1-x)Te by compositing with semiconducting Ag_(2)Te.It is discovered that the in-situ synthesis of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites by reacting their constitute elements above melting temperatures is unsuccessful because of strong phase competition.Specifically,at elevated temperatures(T>800 K),Cr_(1-x)Te has a much lower deformation energy than Ag_(2)Te and tends to become more Cr-deficient by capturing Te from Ag_(2)Te.Therefore,Ag is insufficiently reacted and as a metal it deteriorates ZT.We then rationalize the synthesis of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites by ex-situ mix of the pre-prepared Cr_(1-x)Te and Ag_(2)Te binary compounds followed by densification at a low sintering temperature of 573 K under a pressure of 3.5 GPa.We show that by compositing with 7 mol%Ag_(2)Te,the Seebeck coefficient of Cr_(1-x)Te is largely increased while the lattice thermal conductivity is considerably reduced,leading to 72%improvement of ZT.By comparison,-△S_(M)is only slightly reduced by 10%in the composite.Our work demonstrates the potential of Cr_(1-x)Te/Ag_(2)Te composites for thermoelectromagnetic cooling.
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(“Study of Multi-Responsive Shape Memory Polyurethane Nanocomposites Inspired by Natural Fibers”,Grant No.51673162)Startup Grant of CityU(“Laboratory of Wearable Materials for Healthcare”,Grant No.9380116).CityU PhD Scholarship.
文摘Thermoregulatory textiles,leveraging high-emissivity structural materials,have arisen as a promising candidate for personal cooling management;however,their advancement has been hindered by the underperformed water moisture transportation capacity,which impacts on their thermophysiological comfort.Herein,we designed a wettability-gradient-induced-diode(WGID)membrane achieving by MXene-engineered electrospun technology,which could facilitate heat dissipation and moisture-wicking transportation.As a result,the obtained WGID membrane could obtain a cooling temperature of 1.5℃ in the“dry”state,and 7.1℃ in the“wet”state,which was ascribed to its high emissivity of 96.40%in the MIR range,superior thermal conductivity of 0.3349 W m^(-1) K^(-1)(based on radiation-and conduction-controlled mechanisms),and unidirectional moisture transportation property.The proposed design offers an approach for meticulously engineering electrospun membranes with enhanced heat dissipation and moisture transportation,thereby paving the way for developing more efficient and comfortable thermoregulatory textiles in a high-humidity microenvironment.
基金financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province(Grant No.2021JJ40732)the Central South University Innovation-Driven Research Programme(Grant No.2023CXQD012)。
文摘Passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) is environment-friendly without energy input by enhancing the coating's solar reflectance(R_(solar)) and thermal emittance(ε_(LWIR)) in the atmosphere's long-wave infrared transmission window.However,high R_(solar) is usually achieved by increasing the coating's thickness,which not only increases materials' cost but also impairs heat transfer.Additionally,the desired high R_(solar) is vulnerable to dust pollution in the outdoors.In this work,a thin paint was designed by mixing hBN plates,PFOTS,and IPA. R_(solar)=0.963 and ε_(LWIR)=0.927 was achieved at a thickness of 150 μm due to the high backscattering ability of scatters.A high through-plane thermal conductivity(~1.82 W m^(-1) K^(-1)) also can be obtained.In addition,the porous structure coupled with the binder PFOTS resulted in a contact angle of 154°,demonstrating excellent durability under dust contamination.Outdoor experiments showed that the thin paint can obtain a 2.3℃ lower temperature for sub-ambient cooling than the reference PDRC coating in the daytime.Furtherly,the above-ambient heat dissipation performance can be enhanced by spraying the thin paint on a 3D heat sink,which was 15.7℃ lower than the reference 1D structure,demonstrating excellent performance for durable and scalable PDRC applications.
文摘The main objective of this work was to modify the microstructure and enhance the tribological properties of a new Zn-4Si al-loy through a high solidification cooling rate(SCR).According to the results,by increasing the SCR from 2.0 to 59.5℃/s the average size of primary Si particles and that of the grains reduced from 76.1 and 3780μm to less than about 14.6 and 460μm,respectively.Augment-ing the SCR also enhanced the microstructural homogeneity,decreased the porosity content(by 50%),and increased the matrix hardness(by 36%).These microstructural changes enhanced the tribological behavior.For instance,under the applied pressure of 0.5 MPa,an in-crease in the SCR from 2.0 to 59.5℃/s decreased the wear rate and the average friction coefficient of the alloy by 57%and 23%,respect-ively.The wear mechanism was also changed from the severe delamination,adhesion,and abrasion in the slowly-cooled alloy to the mild tribolayer delamination/abrasion in the high-cooling-rate-solidified sample.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(Grant No.62175154)the Shanghai Pujiang Program(20PJ1411900)+2 种基金the Shanghai Science and Technology Program(21ZR1445500)the Shanghai Yangfan Program(22YF1430200)the Program for Professor of Special Appointment(Eastern Scholar)at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning.
文摘Real-world passive radiative cooling requires highly emissive,selective,and omnidirectional thermal emitters to maintain the radiative cooler at a certain temperature below the ambient temperature while maximizing the net cooling power.Despite various selective thermal emitters have been demonstrated,it is still challenging to achieve these conditions sim-ultaneously because of the extreme difficulty in controlling thermal emission of photonic structures in multidimension.Here we demonstrated hybrid polar dielectric metasurface thermal emitters with machine learning inverse design,en-abling a high emissivity of~0.92 within the atmospheric transparency window 8-13μm,a large spectral selectivity of~1.8 and a wide emission angle up to 80 degrees,simultaneously.This selective and omnidirectional thermal emitter has led to a new record of temperature reduction as large as~15.4°C under strong solar irradiation of~800 W/m2,signific-antly surpassing the state-of-the-art results.The designed structures also show great potential in tackling the urban heat island effect,with modelling results suggesting a large energy saving and deployment area reduction.This research will make significant impact on passive radiative cooling,thermal energy photonics and tackling global climate change.
文摘Mathematical physics equations are often utilized to describe physical phenomena in various fields of science and engineering.One such equation is the Fourier equation,which is a commonly used and effective method for evaluating the effectiveness of temperature control measures for mass concrete.One important measure for temperature control in mass concrete is the use of cooling water pipes.However,the mismatch of grids between large-scale concrete models and small-scale cooling pipe models can result in a significant waste of calculation time when using the finite element method.Moreover,the temperature of the water in the cooling pipe needs to be iteratively calculated during the thermal transfer process.The substructure method can effectively solve this problem,and it has been validated by scholars.The Abaqus/Python secondary development technology provides engineers with enough flexibility to combine the substructure method with an iteration algorithm,which enables the creation of a parametric modeling calculation for cooling water pipes.This paper proposes such a method,which involves iterating the water pipe boundary and establishing the water pipe unit substructure to numerically simulate the concrete temperature field that contains a cooling water pipe.To verify the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed method,two classic numerical examples were analyzed.The results showed that this method has good applicability in cooling pipe calculations.When the value of the iteration parameterαis 0.4,the boundary temperature of the cooling water pipes can meet the accuracy requirements after 4∼5 iterations,effectively improving the computational efficiency.Overall,this approach provides a useful tool for engineers to analyze the temperature control measures accurately and efficiently for mass concrete,such as cooling water pipes,using Abaqus/Python secondary development.
基金financially supported by a grant provided by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries。
文摘Polypropylene is commonly used as a binder for ceramic injection molding,and rapid cooling is often encountered during processing.However,the crystallization behavior of polypropylene shows a strong dependence on cooling rate due to its semi-crystalline characteristics.Therefore,the influence of cooling rate on the quality of final product cannot be ignored.In this study,the fast differential scanning calorimetry(FSC)test was performed to study the influence of cooling rate on the non-isothermal crystallization behavior and non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of a copolymer polypropylene(PP BC03B).The results show that the crystallization temperatures and crystallinity decrease as the cooling rate increases.In addition,two exothermic peaks occur when cooling rate ranges from 30 to 300 K·s^(-1),indicating the formation of another crystal phase.Avrami,Ozawa and Mo equations were used to explore the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics,and it can be concluded that the Mo method is suitable for this study.
基金support from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(PolyU152052/21E)Green Tech Fund of Hong Kong(Project No.:GTF202220106)+1 种基金Innovation and Technology Fund of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(ITP/018/21TP)PolyU Endowed Young Scholars Scheme(Project No.:84CC).
文摘Maintaining thermal comfort within the human body is crucial for optimal health and overall well-being.By merely broadening the setpoint of indoor temperatures,we could significantly slash energy usage in building heating,ventilation,and air-conditioning systems.In recent years,there has been a surge in advancements in personal thermal management(PTM),aiming to regulate heat and moisture transfer within our immediate surroundings,clothing,and skin.The advent of PTM is driven by the rapid development in nano/micro-materials and energy science and engineering.An emerging research area in PTM is personal radiative thermal management(PRTM),which demonstrates immense potential with its high radiative heat transfer efficiency and ease of regulation.However,it is less taken into account in traditional textiles,and there currently lies a gap in our knowledge and understanding of PRTM.In this review,we aim to present a thorough analysis of advanced textile materials and technologies for PRTM.Specifically,we will introduce and discuss the underlying radiation heat transfer mechanisms,fabrication methods of textiles,and various indoor/outdoor applications in light of their different regulation functionalities,including radiative cooling,radiative heating,and dual-mode thermoregulation.Furthermore,we will shine a light on the current hurdles,propose potential strategies,and delve into future technology trends for PRTM with an emphasis on functionalities and applications.
基金funded by the Postgraduate Research&Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province(Grant No.KYCX22_0613)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41831278 and 51878249).
文摘Thermal damage and thermal fracture of rocks are two important indicators in geothermal mining projects.This paper investigates the effects of heating and water-cooling on granite specimens at various temperatures.The laboratory uniaxial compression experiments were also conducted.Then,a coupled thermo-mechanical ordinary state-based peridynamic(OSB-PD)model and corresponding numerical scheme were developed to simulate the damage of rocks after the heating and cooling processes,and the change of crack evolution process was predicted.The results demonstrate that elevated heating temperatures exacerbate the thermal damage to the specimens,resulting in a decrease in peak strength and an increase in ductility of granite.The escalating occurrence of thermal-induced cracks significantly affects the crack evolution process during the loading phase.The numerical results accurately reproduce the damage and fracture characteristics of the granite under different final heating temperatures(FHTs),which are consistent with the test results in terms of strength,crack evolution process,and failure mode.
基金The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52273067,52122303,52233006)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.2232023A-03)the Shuguang Program of Shanghai Education Development Foundation and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission(23SG29).
文摘The demand for highly porous yet transparent aerogels with mechanical flexibility and solar-thermal dual-regulation for energy-saving windows is significant but challenging.Herein,a delaminated aerogel film(DAF)is fabricated through filtration-induced delaminated gelation and ambient drying.The delaminated gelation process involves the assembly of fluorinated cellulose nanofiber(FCNF)at the solid-liquid interface between the filter and the filtrate during filtration,resulting in the formation of lamellar FCNF hydrogels with strong intra-plane and weak interlayer hydrogen bonding.By exchanging the solvents from water to hexane,the hydrogen bonding in the FCNF hydrogel is further enhanced,enabling the formation of the DAF with intra-layer mesopores upon ambient drying.The resulting aerogel film is lightweight and ultra-flexible,which pos-sesses desirable properties of high visible-light transmittance(91.0%),low thermal conductivity(33 mW m^(-1) K^(-1)),and high atmospheric-window emissivity(90.1%).Furthermore,the DAF exhibits reduced surface energy and exceptional hydrophobicity due to the presence of fluorine-containing groups,enhancing its durability and UV resistance.Consequently,the DAF has demonstrated its potential as solar-thermal regulatory cooling window materials capable of simultaneously providing indoor lighting,thermal insulation,and daytime radiative cooling under direct sunlight.Significantly,the enclosed space protected by the DAF exhibits a temperature reduction of 2.6℃ compared to that shielded by conventional architectural glass.
基金supported in part by the“Chunhui Plan”Collaborative Research Project of Chinese Ministry of Education under Grant HZKY20220604by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 52107007。
文摘With the continuous improvement of permanent magnet(PM)wind generators'capacity and power density,the design of reasonable and efficient cooling structures has become a focus.This paper proposes a fully enclosed self-circulating hydrogen cooling structure for a originally forced-air-cooled direct-drive PM wind generator.The proposed hydrogen cooling system uses the rotor panel supports that hold the rotor core as the radial blades,and the hydrogen flow is driven by the rotating plates to flow through the axial and radial vents to realize the efficient cooling of the generator.According to the structural parameters of the cooling system,the Taguchi method is used to decouple the structural variables.The influence of the size of each cooling structure on the heat dissipation characteristic is analyzed,and the appropriate cooling structure scheme is determined.
基金supported by key technology research and development project of Shan Xi province(20201102019)Natural science foundation of Shanxi Province(201901D111167)+1 种基金Shanxi Scholarship Council of China(2020–117)JCKY2018408B003Magnesium alloy high-performance XXX multi-directional extrusion technology and XX supporting scientific research project(xxxx-2019-021)。
文摘The extruded AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy was twisted in the temperature range of 300-380℃by using a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulation test machine with a torsion unit.The deformed cylindrical specimens were cooled at a cooling rate of 10℃/s or 0.1℃/s,respectively,and aged at 170℃.The microstructure analysis results showed that the grain size decreased with increasing specimen radial position from center(SRPC),and that the strong initial basal texture of the extruded magnesium alloy was weakened.Both continuous and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization mechanisms were involved in contributing to the grain refinement for all specimens investigated.And a novel extension twinning induced dynamic recrystallization mechanism was proposed for specimen deformed at 300℃.For the specimens deformed at 300℃and 340℃followed by a slow cooling rate(0.1℃/s),precipitates of various shapes(β-Mg_(17)Al_(12)),with the dominant precipitates being on the grains boundaries,appeared on the surface section.For specimen deformed at 380℃,lamellar precipitates(LPS)in the interiors of the grains were predominant.After aging,the LPS still dominated for specimens twisted at 380℃;however,the LPS gradually decreased with decreasing deformation temperatures from 380℃to 300℃.Dynamically precipitatedβ,especially those decorating the grain boundaries,changed the competition pictures for the LPS and precipitates of other shapes after aging.Interestingly,LPS dominated the areas for the center section of the specimens after aging regardless of deformation temperatures.Low temperature deformation with high SRPC followed by rapid cooling rate increased the micro hardness of the alloy after aging due to refined grain,reduced precipitates size,decreased lamellar spacing as well as strain hardening.
基金This work has been supported by National Key R&D Program of China No.2022YFF0503804.
文摘The Solar Close Observations and Proximity Experiments(SCOPE)mission,which has been proposed by the Yunnan Observatories,Chinese Academy of Sciences,aiming to operate at a distance of 5 to 10 solar radii from the Sun,plans to complete the in situ detection of the solar eruption process and observation of the magnetic field structure response.The solar flux received by the satellite ranges from 10^(3) to 10^(6) Wm^(-2),which poses challenges for thermal management of the solar arrays.In this work,the solar array cooling system of the Parker Solar Probe is discussed,the developments of the fluid loop technique are reviewed,and a research plan for a next-generation solar array cooling system is proposed.This paper provides a valuable reference for novel thermal control systems in spacecraft for solar observation.
文摘In this study, a microchannel liquid cooling plate (LCP) is proposed for Intel Xeon 52.5 mm * 45 mm packaged architecture processors based on topology optimization (TO). Firstly, a mathematical model for topology optimization design of the LCP is established based on heat dissipation and pressure drop objectives. We obtain a series of two-dimensional (2D) topology optimization configurations with different weighting factors for two objectives. It is found that the biomimetic phenomenon of the topologically optimized flow channel structure is more pronounced at low Reynolds numbers. Secondly, the topology configuration is stretched into a three-dimensional (3D) model to perform CFD simulations under actual operating conditions. The results show that the thermal resistance and pressure drop of the LCP based on topology optimization achieve a reduction of approximately 20% - 50% compared to traditional serpentine and microchannel straight flow channel structures. The Nusselt number can be improved by up to 76.1% compared to microchannel straight designs. Moreover, it is observed that under high flow rates, straight microchannel LCPs exhibit significant backflow, vortex phenomena, and topology optimization structures LCPs also tend to lead to loss of effectiveness in the form of tree root-shaped branch flows. Suitable flow rate ranges for LCPs are provided. Furthermore, the temperature and pressure drop of experimental results are consistent with the numerical ones, which verifies the effectiveness of performance for topology optimization flow channel LCP.
文摘The district cooling system (DCS) with ice storage can reduce the peak electricity demand of the business district buildings it serves, improve system efficiency, and lower operational costs. This study utilizes a monitoring and control platform for DCS with ice storage to analyze historical parameter values related to system operation and executed operations. We assess the distribution of cooling loads among various devices within the DCS, identify operational characteristics of the system through correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA), and subsequently determine key parameters affecting changes in cooling loads. Accurate forecasting of cooling loads is crucial for determining optimal control strategies. The research process can be summarized briefly as follows: data preprocessing, parameter analysis, parameter selection, and validation of load forecasting performance. The study reveals that while individual devices in the system perform well, there is considerable room for improving overall system efficiency. Six principal components have been identified as input parameters for the cold load forecasting model, with each of these components having eigenvalues greater than 1 and contributing to an accumulated variance of 87.26%, and during the dimensionality reduction process, we obtained a confidence ellipse with a 95% confidence interval. Regarding cooling load forecasting, the Relative Absolute Error (RAE) value of the light gradient boosting machine (lightGBM) algorithm is 3.62%, Relative Root Mean Square Error (RRMSE) is 42.75%, and R-squared value (R<sup>2</sup>) is 92.96%, indicating superior forecasting performance compared to other commonly used cooling load forecasting algorithms. This research provides valuable insights and auxiliary guidance for data analysis and optimizing operations in practical engineering applications. .
基金The Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China(22KJD580001)Jiangsu Maritime Institute Innovation Technology Funding Project(kicx2020-2)。
文摘In this paper,we introduce the design principle of the oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.We then designed an oscillating excited spray cooling experimental device.By using the device,the swaying motion can be realized through the control system,and the motion of the droplet under different vibration frequencies can be observed.By measuring the liquid flow rate and pressure,the changes in liquid flow rate,pressure,and temperature with time under different vibration frequencies were studied.The trajectory of the droplet and the temperature distribution of the droplet under different vibration frequencies could be observed.The device has a simple structure,is easy to control,and can achieve continuous observation of the spray cooling process.
基金support provided National Natural Science Foundation of China with Grant No.51976016Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province,China with Grant No.2020JJ4616Research Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan Province(18B149).
文摘The serpentine tube liquid cooling and composite PCM coupled cooling thermal management system is designed for 18650 cylindrical power batteries,with the maximum temperature and temperature difference of the power pack within the optimal temperature operating range as the target.The initial analysis of the battery pack at a 5C discharge rate,the influence of the single cell to cooling tube distance,the number of cooling tubes,inlet coolant temperature,the coolant flow rate,and other factors on the heat dissipation performance of the battery pack,initially determined a reasonable value for each design parameter.A control strategy is used to regulate the inlet flow rate and coolant temperature of the liquid cooling system in order to make full use of the latent heat of the composite PCM and reduce the pump’s energy consumption.The simulation results show that the maximum battery pack temperature of 309.8 K and the temperature difference of 4.6 K between individual cells with the control strategy are in the optimal temperature operating range of the power battery,and the utilization rate of the composite PCM is up to 90%.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21875033, 52161135302)the Research Foundation Flanders (G0F2322N)+4 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M711355)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20221540)the Shanghai Scientific and Technological Innovation Project (18JC1410600)the Program of the Shanghai Academic Research Leader (17XD1400100)the Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (KYCX22_2317)。
文摘Epidermal electronics with superb passive-cooling capabilities are of great value for both daytime outdoor dressing comfort and low-carbon economy. Herein, a multifunctional and skinattachable electronic is rationally developed on a porous all-elastomer metafabric for efficient passive daytime radiative cooling(PDRC) and human electrophysiological monitoring. The cooling characteristics are realized through the homogeneous impregnation of polytetrafluoroethylene microparticles in the styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene fibers, and the rational regulation of microporosity in SEBS/PTFE metafabrics, thus synergistically backscatter ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared light(maximum reflectance over 98.0%) to minimize heat absorption while efficiently emit human-body midinfrared radiation to the sky. As a result, the developed PDRC metafabric achieves approximately 17℃ cooling effects in an outdoor daytime environment and completely retains its passive cooling performance even under 50% stretching. Further, high-fidelity electrophysiological monitoring capability is also implemented in the breathable and skin-conformal metafabric through liquid metal printing, enabling the accurate acquisition of human electrocardiograph, surface electromyogram, and electroencephalograph signals for comfortable and lengthy health regulation. Hence, the fabricated superelastic PDRC metafabric opens a new avenue for the development of body-comfortable electronics and low-carbon wearing technologies.
基金supported by the Shandong Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.ZR2022ME008)the Shandong Provincial Science and Technology SMEs Innovation Capacity Improvement Project(2022TSGC2018)+3 种基金the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(KCXFZ20201221173409026)The financial supports from the“Young Scholars Program of Shandong University”(YSPSDU,No.2018WLJH73)the Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization,Zhejiang University(Program Number ZJUCEU2020011)the Shandong Natural Science Foundation(Grant No.ZR2021ME118)are gratefully acknowledged。
文摘A review is conducted about the application of the evaporative cooling technology in thermal power plants.Different case studies are considered,namely,evaporative air conditioners,evaporative cooling in direct air-cooled systems,gas turbine inlet cooling,wet cooling towers,and hybrid cooling towers with a crosswind effect.Some effort is provided to describe the advantages related to direct evaporative cooling when it is applied in thermal power plants and illustrate the research gaps,which have not been filled yet.In particular,typical case studies are intentionally used to compare the cooling performances when direct evaporative cooling is implemented in different types of cooling towers,including the natural draft wet cooling tower(NDWCT)and the pre-cooled natural draft dry cooling tower(NDDCT).It is shown that the NDWCT provides the best cooling performance in terms of power station cooling,followed by the pre-cooled NDDCT,and the NDDCT;moreover,the evaporative pre-cooling is able to enhance the cooling performance of NDDCT.Besides,on a yearly basis,better NDDCT cooling performances can be obtained by means of a spray-based pre-cooling approach with respect to wet media pre-cooling.Therefore,the use of nozzle spray is suggested for improvement in the performance of indirect/direct air-cooling systems with controlled water consumption.