The numerical solution of gaseous slip flows in microtubes

The gaseous flow in a circular microtube is studied by using of a finite-difference technique. The influences of gas compressibility, rarefaction effect and temperature difference between inlet gas and tube wall on the mass flow rate are comprehensively described. The numerical results indicate that rarefaction effect decreases friction factor and increases mass flow rate due to velocity slip at tube wall. Although inlet Mach number in a microtube is low, gaseous compressibility effect may be significant, because in such a flow problem the length-diameter ratio of tube is usually large so that flow Reynolds number may change much more along the flow path.     

Heat Transfer Characteristics of Gaseous Flows in Micro-Channel with Negative Heat Flux

Two-dimensional compressible momentum and energy equations are solved to obtain the heat transfer characteristics of gaseous flows in micro-channels with constant heat flux for which the value is negative for no-slip flow. The numerical methodology is based on the Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian method. The computations are performed for channels with constant heat flux ranging from ?10⁴ to ?10² W/m². The channel height ranges from 10 to 100 μ m and the aspect ratio of the channel height and length is 200. The stagnation pressure is chosen such that the exit Mach number ranges from 0.1 to 0.7. The outlet pressure is fixed at the atmosphere. The wall and bulk temperatures in micro-channels with negative heat flux are compared with those of positive heat flux cases obtained in our previous work and also those of the incompressible flow in a conventional sized channel. In the case of fast flow, temperatures normalized by heat flux have different trends whether heat flux value is positive or negative. A correlation for the prediction of the wall temperature of the gaseous flow in the micro-channel is proposed. The rarefaction effect is investigated for the cases of channel height of 10 μ m with slip boundary conditions. The magnitudes of viscous dissipation term and compressibility term are also investigated. The effect of each term on heat transfer characteristics is discussed.     

Natural convection slip flow in a vertical microchannel heated at uniform heat flux

Numerical solutions for steady state developing natural convection flow in air, in vertical parallel-plate microchannels are accomplished. An asymmetric heating is considered and the walls are assumed to be at uniform heat flux. A first-order model is used for slip and jump boundary conditions and an analytical solution for the fully developed flow is also given. Results are performed for air, for the heat flux ratio in the 0.0–1.0 range, for Rayleigh, Ra, and Knudsen, Kn, numbers from 10^?1 to 8 × 10³ and from 0.0 to 0.10, respectively. The maximum mass flow rate is always obtained for the highest considered Kn value, whereas the average Nusselt number, Nu, increases for lower Ra (<10) and decreases for Ra > 100. Wall temperature profiles have the lowest values for highest considered Kn value at lower Ra, whereas for the developing flow, they present opposite trends. For developing flow, velocity profiles for asymmetric and symmetric heating are completely different. In developing flow velocity profiles along the wall present the highest increases for asymmetric heating and the highest considered Kn value.     

Transport from a volatile meniscus inside an open microtube

A generalized model is developed which couples the evaporation at a liquid–air interface with the vapor diffusion processes in air to enable an investigation of the mass transport inside an open microtube. Tube inner diameters ranging from 100 to 1200 μm are considered. Evaporation is strongest at the meniscus junction with the tube wall due to the highest local vapor diffusion flux at this location. A temperature gradient is set up from the axis of the tube to the wall and results in Marangoni convection. The three-dimensional flow structure in the microtube is simulated with the effects of Marangoni convection, buoyancy, and the influx of fluid to the interface being included. For horizontal tubes of diameter 100 μm or larger immersed in a water bath, flow asymmetry due to buoyancy is observed. A large vortex is formed in the lower part of the tube cross-section, while a small vortex forms above. However, the primary cause of asymmetry is found to be the external thermal profile imposed on the microtube, especially when the meniscus is far from the outlet of the tube. The simulated flow patterns are found to be consistent with experimental measurements.     

Determination of emittance of selective absorbing surfaces

The hemispherical emittance of the selective absorbing coating on the outside of the inner glass tube of an all-glass evacuated collector tube has been determined, using calorimetry at steady state in the temperature range 50–300°C and gas pressure range 1.0×10⁻³–1.6 Pa at the jacket between cover and inner glass tubes. Calculated gas heat flux q_c and equivalent emittance _g based on the theory of gas conduction at medium and low pressures have been determined. The calculations agree well with experiments. The experimental results indicate that heat losses of all-glass evacuated collector tubes due to gas convection and conduction are negligible when the gas pressure in the tube is less than 5×10⁻² Pa.     

Study of the heat transfer characteristics in turbulent combined wall and offset jet flows

The heat transfer study of a combined wall jet and offset jet flow with different wall jet and offset jet flow velocities are considered. The flow is considered two-dimensional, steady, incompressible, turbulent at high Reynolds number with negligible body forces. The streamline curvature modification of the standard k–ε model is used to carry out the turbulence modeling. The Reynolds number is varied from 10⁴ to 4 × 10⁴ and Pr = 0.71 is taken for all computations. Constant wall temperature and constant wall heat flux boundary conditions are considered. The results are presented in the form of local Nusselt number, local heat flux, surface temperature in case of constant heat flux condition, average Nusselt number and total heat transfer.     

On minimizing heat transport in architectural glazing

Significant reductions in the heating energy demand of buildings are achievable through minimization of the thermal transmittance of glazing. This paper reviews all the heat transport processes occurring in gas-filled and evacuated insulating glazing. The heat transfer mechanisms in gas-filled glazing cavities include radiative exchange between the glass sheet surfaces, convection and gaseous conduction. The application of two low-emissivity coatings (0.04) lowers the thermal conductance due to radiation between the glass pane surfaces to roughly 0.1 W m⁻² K⁻¹. At the same time, even where fill gases such as krypton and xenon are used, thermal conductance due to convection and conduction cannot be reduced to much below 1 W m⁻² K⁻¹. Heat transfer by convection and gaseous conduction only becomes negligible where the cavity is evacuated to approximately 10⁻² Pa. Heat transfer is then determined by radiation and, even more importantly, conduction in support pillars required to bear the atmospheric load on the external glass sheet surfaces. The fact that the average centre-of-glazing heat transfer rates achievable by evacuation of the cavity are some two to five times lower than those of gas-filled cavities increases the significance of heat transfer in the glazing edge regions. Consequently, in addition to the heat transfer in the cavity, the impact on glazing thermal transmittance of the edge seal and different frame constructions was also quantified. The possibilities and limitations of reducing total heat transfer in evacuated glazing are discussed on the basis of analytical and numerical methods. The results suggest that this concept offers significant advantages over current glazing technology in terms of overall thermal transmittance.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of convection heat transfer of CO2 at supercritical pressures in a vertical mini-tube

Convection heat transfer of CO₂ at supercritical pressures in a 0.27 mm diameter vertical mini-tube was investigated experimentally and numerically for inlet Reynolds numbers exceeding 4.0 × 10³. The tests investigated the effects of heat flux, flow direction, buoyancy and flow acceleration on the convection heat transfer. The experimental results indicate that the flow direction, buoyancy and flow acceleration have little influence on the local wall temperature, with no deterioration of the convection heat transfer observed in either flow direction for the studied conditions. The heat transfer coefficient initially increases with increasing heat flux and then decreases with further increases in the heat flux for both upward and downward flows. These phenomena are due to the variation of the thermophysical properties, especially c_p. The numerical results correspond well with the experimental data using several turbulence models, especially the Realizable k–ε turbulence model.     

A computational method for determining segmental and overall geothermal gradients and geothermal heat flow values

A new computational method is presented which calculates geothermal heat flow values and geothermal gradients with more precision than permitted by previously published techniques. The data required are: geothermal temperature at a known depth, mean surface temperature, the rock types in the stratigraphic column and the thermal resistivity values for the different types of rocks. This method is valuable in areas that have no measured gradient values. Basic equation used was the Fourier heat transfer equation where is heat flux in μcal/(cm² s), ρ_i is thermal resistivity (°C s cm/μcal) and ∂T/∂x is the x component of the temperature gradient (°C/cm). The thermal resistivity was allowed to vary linearly with temperature ρ_i = ρ_i^o [1 + K_i (T − 30)] where ρ_i is thermal resistivity of the lithographic segment «iå at a temperature T, ρ_i^o is thermal resistivity at 30°C and K_i is the temperature coefficient of thermal resistivity. The procedure consisted of integrating the combined equation for heat flux in terms of temperature dependent resistivity.Two iterative solutions were used to simplify the calculations: exact and approximate. The heat flux for each well was assumed to be 1.0 HFU and segmental temperatures were calculated from the bottom (arbitrarily) up, until a surface temperature was obtained. The calculated surface temperature could then be compared with the mean surface temperature (MST). Correction in the heat flux value was made until the calculated surface temperature and MST agreed. An analysis of three deep Appalachian test wells was made and the results showed the critical importance of lithographic ordering and the temperature dependence of thermal resistivity upon calculated geothermal quantities.     

Electronic and photovoltaic properties of Al/p-Si/copper phthalocyanine photodiode junction barrier

Al/p-Si/copper phthalocyanine photovoltaic device has been fabricated and characterised by current–voltage and capacitance–voltage measurements. Electrical properties of the device were determined by current–voltage characterizations under dark and illumination conditions. The density distribution of the interface states of the photodiode was found to vary from 8.88×10¹² eV⁻¹ cm⁻² in E_ss-0.54 eV to 4.51×10¹² eV⁻¹ cm⁻² in E_ss-0.61 eV. The device shows a photovoltaic behaviour with a maximum open circuit voltage Voc of 0.16 V and short-circuits current I_sc of 0.45 μA under 3500 lux light intensity.     

CaBr2 hydrolysis for HBr production using a direct sparging contactor

The calcium–bromine cycle being investigated is a novel continuous hybrid cycle for hydrogen production employing both heat and electricity. Calcium bromide (CaBr₂) hydrolysis generates hydrogen bromide (HBr) which is electrolyzed to produce hydrogen. The CaBr₂ hydrolysis at 1050 K (777 °C) is endothermic with the heat of reaction δG_T = 181.5 KJ/mol (43.38 kcal/mol) and the Gibbs free energy change is positive at 99.6 kJ/mol (23.81 kcal/mol). What makes this hydrolysis reaction attractive is both its rate and that well over half the thermodynamic requirements for water-splitting heat of reaction of δG_T = 285.8 KJ/mol (68.32 kcal/mol) are supplied at this stage using heat rather than electricity. Molten-phase calcium bromide reactors may overcome the technical barriers associated with earlier hydrolysis approaches using supported solid-phase calcium bromide studied in the Japanese UT-3 cycle. Before constructing the experiment two design concepts were evaluated using COMSOL™ multi-physics models; 1) the first involved sparging steam into a calcium-bromide melt, while 2) the second considered a “spray-dryer” contactor spraying molten calcium bromide counter-currently to upward-flowing steam. A recent paper describes this work [6]. These studies indicated that sparging steam into a calcium-bromide melt is more feasible than spraying molten calcium bromide droplets into steam. Hence, an experimental sparging hydrolysis reactor using a mullite tube (ID 70 mm) was constructed capable of holding 0.3–0.5 kg (1.5–2.5 × 10⁻³ kg mol) CaBr₂ forming a melt with a maximum 0.08 m (8 cm) depth. Sparging steam at a steam rate of 0.02 mol/mol of CaBr₂ per minute (1.2–2.3 × 10⁻⁵ kg/s), into this molten bath promptly yielded HBr in a stable operation that converted up to 25% of the calcium bromide. The kinetic constant derived from the experimental data was 2.17 × 10⁻¹² kmol s⁻¹ m⁻² MPa⁻¹ for the hydrolysis reaction. The conversion rate is highly dependent on melt depth and the design for steam sparging. This experimental data provides a basis for designing a larger-scale sparging hydrolysis reactor for the calcium bromide thermochemical cycle where the endothermic heat of reaction can be effectively supplied by heat transfer coils embedded in the melt.     

Bulk p-CuInSe2 photo-electrochemical solar cells

Dense CuInSe₂ of high quality, prepared by the fusion technique in evacuated quartz ampoule from stoichiometric melt, crystallizes in the chalcopyrite structure. Compositional analysis carried out by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicates a uniform distribution of elements through the depth and a composition close to the stoichiometry. The diffuse reflectance spectrum gives a band gap at 0.94 eV. The electrical conductivity follows an Arrhenius-type law with activation energy of 23 meV in conformity with polarons hopping. Above 320 °C, CuInSe₂ undergoes an irreversible oxidation. The thermal variation of the thermopower indicates p-type behavior attributed to copper deficiency and a hole mobility μ_300 K of 0.133 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, thermally activated. In KCl media, the compound exhibits an excellent chemical stability with a corrosion rate of 8 μmol cm⁻² month⁻¹. The photo-electrochemical properties, investigated for the first time on the ingots, confirm the p-type conductivity. From the capacitance measurements, the flat band potential (V_fb=−0.62V_SCE) and the holes density (N_A=4×10¹⁷ cm⁻³) were determined. The valence band, located at 4.43 eV below vacuum, is made up of mainly Se orbital with little admixture of Cu character. The change of the electrolyte causes a variation in the potential V_fb (dV_fb/dpH=−0.058 V pH⁻¹) indicating strong OH⁻ adsorption. The fill factor in S²⁻ media was found to be 0.54; such result was corroborated by semi-logarithmic plots.     

Mixed convective heat transfer in rectangular enclosures driven by a continuously moving horizontal plate

The fluid flow and heat transfer induced by the combined effects of the mechanically driven lid and the buoyancy force within rectangular enclosures were investigated in this work. The fluid filled enclosures are heated and lid-driven either on the upper or on the lower horizontal wall, thermally isolated on the right vertical wall, and cooled on the other walls. The basis of the investigation was the numerical solutions of the equations for the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy transport using the finite difference method. The effects of the flow governing parameters including the Richardson and the Prandtl numbers, and the length-to-height aspect ratio, respectively, in the range 10⁻²  Ri  10², 10⁻³  Pr  10, and 1  AR  4 for a fixed Reynolds number, Re = 100, were studied. The results are presented in the form of the hydrodynamic and thermal fields, and the profiles for vertical and horizontal components of velocity, temperature, and the local heat flux. The fluid flow and energy distributions within the enclosures and heat flux on the heated wall are enhanced by the increase in the Richardson number. While an increase in the Prandtl number improves the heat flux on the heated wall, an increase in aspect ratio suppresses it. The results can be used as base line data in the design of systems in which mixed convection heat transfer in rectangular enclosures occurs.     

Photovoltaic effect in single-layer organic solar cell devices fabricated with two new imidazolin-5-one molecules

Organic solar cells were fabricated with two new imidazolin-5-one molecules as active layers. The use of imidazolin-5-ones, derivatives of a biomolecule chromophore, for photovoltaic applications is particularly attractive due to its biodegradable nature and tunable properties. Single-layer devices with two analogues of imidazolin-5-ones were prepared and characterized. Devices fabricated with one of the molecules as the active layer showed a maximum J_sc of 0.52 μA cm⁻² and V_oc of 0.68 V at an incident power of 20.32 mW cm⁻², while the other set of devices showed a maximum J_sc of 0.63 μA cm⁻² and V_oc of 0.57 V at the same incident power.     

Effect of slip on entropy generation in a single rotating disk in MHD flow

In the present study, the effect of slip on entropy generation in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow over a rotating disk is investigated by semi-numerical analytical solution technique. The nonlinear governing equations of flow and thermal fields are reduced to ordinary differential equations by the Von Karman approach, then solved via differential transform method (DTM), a recently-developed, powerful analytical method. Related entropy generation equations are derived and nondimensionalized using geometrical and physical flow field-dependent parameters. For a rotating surface the form of slip introduced into the governing equations is rarefaction. For comparison, slip and no-slip regimes in the range 0.1 > Kn > 0 and their interaction with magnetic effects are investigated by minimum entropy generation. While minimizing entropy generation, equipartitioning is encountered between fluid friction irreversibility and Joule dissipation.     

Interface characterisation of ZnSe/CuGaSe2 heterojunction

The ZnSe/CuGaSe₂ heterojunctions were fabricated by flash evaporation technique of CuGaSe₂ onto the (110) surface of ZnSe crystals. CuGaSe₂ layers had thickness 2–4 μm and showed a hole concentration up to (1.5–18.0)×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and mobility μ4–24 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at 300 K. The charge carrier concentration in ZnSe crystals at 300 K was n=5.6×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ and their mobility μ=300 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The investigated ZnSe/CuGaSe₂ heterojunctions have at the interface an intermediate layer with a thickness of 450–750 Å and a linear graded band gap as well as an i-ZnSe compensated layer with a thickness of 1–2 μm and resistivity ρ10⁸–10⁹ Ω cm. The i-ZnSe layer is highly compensated due to the presence of Cu acceptor impurities. In this layer the Fermi level position E_c−F₀690 meV and a trap level position E_t−F₀17 meV were determined. The total trap concentration in the i-ZnSe layer is N_t5×10¹⁴ cm⁻³. The mean free path of excited charge carriers in the graded band gap region was calculated as λ55 Å. On the basis of experimental data analysis of electrophysical properties of both ZnSe/CuGaSe₂ heterojunctions and constituent materials the energetic band diagram of the investigated heterostructures is proposed. The current transport mechanism through ZnSe/CuGaSe₂ heterojunctions is consequently elucidated.     

Photovoltaic activity in a ZnTe/PEO–chitosan blend electrolyte junction

A ZnTe/polymer junction has been fabricated and the photovoltaic properties studied. The polymer is a blend of 50 wt% chitosan and 50 wt% polyethylene oxide (PEO). The polymer blend was complexed with ammonium iodide (NH₄I) and some iodine crystals were added to the polymer–NH₄I solution to provide the I⁻/I³⁻ redox couple. The ionic conductivity of the polymer electrolyte is 4.32×10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature. ZnTe was electrodeposited on ITO conducting glass. The polymer film was sandwiched between the ZnTe semiconductor and an ITO glass to form a ZnTe/polymer electrolyte/ITO photovoltaic cell. The open circuit voltage (V_oc) of the fabricated cells ranges between 300 and 400 mV and the short circuit current between 2 and 5 μA.     

Flow pattern and heat transfer characteristics of R-134a refrigerant during flow boiling in a horizontal circular mini-channel

Flow boiling heat transfer of R-134a refrigerant in a circular mini-channel, 600 mm long with a diameter of 1.75 mm, is investigated experimentally in this study. The test section is a stainless steel tube placed horizontally. Flow pattern and heat transfer coefficient data are obtained for a mass flux range of 200–1000 kg/m² s, a heat flux range of 1–83 kW/m² and saturation pressures of 8, 10, and 13 bar. Five different flow patterns including slug flow, throat-annular flow, churn flow, annular flow and annular-rivulet flow are observed and the heat transfer coefficient data for different flow patterns are presented. The heat transfer coefficient increases with increasing heat flux but is mostly independent of mass flux and vapour quality. In addition, it is indicated from the experiments that the higher the saturation pressure, the lower is the heat transfer coefficient. Comparisons of the present data with the existing correlations are also presented.     

Thermogalvanic conversion of heat to electricity

A thermogalvanic (nonisothermal) cell was constructed for carrying out power conversion efficiency measurements. The design departed from that of traditional thermogalvanic cells which have largely been used only for studies of open-circuit voltage. The cell was used to obtain temperature coefficients, ∂E/∂T, of the open circuit voltage and power conversion efficiencies, Φ, for an interelectrode temperature difference, ΔT, of 20 K, using various redox couples. The values obtained were the following: Cu²⁺/Cu (1.0 mol dm⁻³), ∂E/∂T = 785 μV K⁻¹; Zn²⁺/Zn (1.0 mol dm⁻³), ∂E/∂T = 790 μV K⁻¹; Fe phen(CN)₄⁻/Fe phen(CN)₄²⁻ (10⁻³ mol dm⁻³), ∂E/∂T = 1046 μV K⁻¹, Φ = 4.17 × 10⁻⁵%; Fe(CN)₆³⁻/Fe(CN)₆⁴⁻ (0.07 mol dm⁻³), ∂E/∂T = 1600 μV K⁻¹, Φ = 1.4 × 10⁻²%. More detailed studies of the latter system when [Fe(CN)₆³⁻] = [Fe(CN)₆⁴⁻] = 0.26 mol dm⁻³ and [KCl] = 0.80 mol dm⁻³, using platinum electrodes, with ΔT = 20 K, gave a current density of 1.45 mA cm⁻² and a power conversion efficiency, Φ, of 2.8 × 10⁻²%. This approaches 0.5% of the maximum theoretical efficiency of a Carnot engine operating across the same temperature difference.     

PCM-facade-panel for daylighting and room heating

Double glazings combined with phase change materials (PCM) result in daylighting elements with promising properties. Light transmittances in the range of 0.4 can be achieved with such facade panels. Compared to a double glazing without PCM, a facade panel with PCM shows about 30% less heat losses in south oriented facades. Solar heat gains are also reduced by about 50%. This results in calculated U_eff-values of −0.3 to −0.5 W m⁻² K⁻¹, depending on PCM used. For an optimised panel, we calculated an U_eff-value of −0.6 W m⁻² K⁻¹. Although the U_eff-value of a double glazing is −0.8 W m⁻² K⁻¹, the PCM-systems may prove advantageous in lightweight constructed buildings due to their equalised energy balance during the course of day. Facade panels with PCM improve thermal comfort considerably in winter, especially during evenings. In summer, such systems show low heat gains, which reduces peak cooling loads during the day. Additional heat gains in the evening can be drawn off by night-time ventilation. If a PCM with a low melting temperature of up to 30 °C is used, thermal comfort in summer will also improve during the day, compared to a double glazing without or with inner sun protection. A homogeneous appearance of the PCM-systems is achievable by use of a concealment, like a screen-print glazing.