Thermodynamic analysis of an existing coal-fired power plant for district heating/cooling application

In a conventional coal-fired power plant, which is only designed for electricity generation, 2/3 of fuel energy is wasted through stack gases and cooling water of condensers. This waste energy could be recovered by trigeneration; modifying the plants in order to meet district heating/cooling demand of their locations. In this paper, thermodynamical analysis of trigeneration conversion of a public coal-fired power plant, which is designed only for electricity generation, has been carried out. Waste heat potentials and other heat extraction capabilities have been evaluated. Best effective steam extraction point for district heating/cooling system; have been identified by conducting energetic and exergetic performance analyses. Analyses results revealed that the low-pressure turbine inlet stage is the most convenient point for steam extraction for the plant analyzed.     

Comparative energetic and exergetic performance analyses for coal-fired thermal power plants in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to analyze comparatively the performance of nine thermal power plants under control governmental bodies in Turkey, from energetic and exergetic viewpoint. The considered power plants are mostly conventional reheat steam power plant fed by low quality coal. Firstly, thermodynamic models of the plants are developed based on first and second law of thermodynamics. Secondly, some energetic simulation results of the developed models are compared with the design values of the power plants in order to demonstrate the reliability. Thirdly, design point performance analyses based on energetic and exergetic performance criteria such as thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, exergy loss, exergetic performance coefficient are performed for all considered plants in order to make comprehensive evaluations. Finally, by means of these analyses, the main sources of thermodynamic inefficiencies as well as reasonable comparison of each plant to others are identified and discussed. As a result, the outcomes of this study can provide a basis used for plant performance improvement for the considered coal-fired thermal power plants.     

The effects of using different type of inlet vents on the thermal characteristics of the automobile cabin and the human body during cooling period

A three-dimensional (3-D) transient numerical analysis was performed inside an automobile cabin during cooling period. A three-dimensional vehicle cabin including glazing surfaces was modelled by using the real dimensions of a car. A virtual manikin with real dimensions and physiological shape was added to the model of the vehicle cabin, and it was assumed that the manikin surfaces were subjected to constant temperature. The virtual manikin was divided into 17 parts in standing posture to evaluate the local heat transfer characteristics of the human body during transient cooling period. We considered three different cases that the cooling capacity of the automobile cabin was same for all cases. Three-dimensional fluid flow, temperature distribution and heat transfer characteristics inside the automobile cabin were calculated with different type of inlet vents. Comparisons of the numerical results were presented and discussed.     

Modelling airflow,heat transfer and moisture transport around a standing human body by computational fluid dynamics

In this study a combined computational model of a room with virtual thermal manikin with real dimensions and physiological shape was used to determine heat and mass transfer between human body and environment. Three dimensional fluid flow, temperature and moisture distribution, heat transfer (sensible and latent) between human body and ambient, radiation and convection heat transfer rates on human body surfaces, local and average convection coefficients and skin temperatures were calculated. The radiative heat transfer coefficient predicted for the whole-body was 4.6 W m^− 2 K^− 1, closely matching the generally accepted whole-body value of 4.7 W m^− 2 K^− 1. Similarly, the whole-body natural convection coefficient for the manikin fell within the mid-range of previously published values at 3.8 W m^− 2 K^− 1. Results of calculations were in agreement with available experimental and theoretical data in literature.     

Numerical analysis of air flow, heat transfer, moisture transport and thermal comfort in a room heated by two-panel radiators

A three-dimensional steady-state numerical analysis was performed in a room heated by two-panel radiators. A virtual sitting manikin with real dimensions and physiological shape was added to the model of the room, and it was assumed that the manikin surfaces were subjected to constant temperature. Two different heat transfer coefficients for the outer wall and for the window were considered. Heat interactions between the human body surfaces and the room environment, the air flow, the temperature, the humidity, and the local heat transfer characteristics of the manikin and the room surfaces were computed numerically under different environmental conditions. Comparisons of the results are presented and discussed. The results show that energy consumption can be significantly reduced while increasing the thermal comfort by using better-insulated outer wall materials and windows.     

Distribution-Independent Hierarchical Algorithms for the N-body Problem

The N-body problem is to simulate the motion of N particles under the influence of mutual force fields based on an inverse square law. Greengards algorithm claims to compute the cumulative force on each particle in O(N) time for a fixed precision irrespective of the distribution of the particles. In this paper, we show that Greengards algorithm is distribution dependent and has a lower bound of ­(N log 2 N) in two dimensions and ­(N log 4 N) in three dimensions. We analyze the Greengard and Barnes-Hut algorithms and show that they are unbounded for arbitrary distributions. We also present a truly distribution independent algorithm for the N-body problem that runs in O(N log N) time for any fixed dimension.     

Evaluation of Heat Transfer Characteristics in an Automobile Cabin with a Virtual Manikin During Heating Period

In this study, a three-dimensional transient numerical analysis was performed inside the automobile cabin during heating period. A three-dimensional vehicle cabin including glazing surfaces was modeled by using the real dimensions of a car. A virtual manikin with real dimensions and physiological shape was added to the model of the vehicle cabin. It was assumed that the manikin surfaces were subjected to either constant heat flux or constant temperature. Three-dimensional fluid flow, temperature distribution, and heat transfer characteristics inside the cabin were calculated. Experimental measurements were also conducted. Comparisons of the results were presented and discussed. The results of numerical calculations were in good agreement with the experimental and theoretical data in the literature.