Heat transfer and pressure drop in a ZrB2 microchannel heat sink: A numerical approach

Advances in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) resulted in the fabrication of electronic and optic devices which generate high amounts of heat in a small space. Microchannel heat sinks are a new type of heat exchangers which are capable to absorb such ultrahigh heat fluxes and ensure the proper function of such devices. In the present work, a microchannel heat sink made of ZrB₂ ceramic is investigated numerically to evaluate its feasibility to operate at such harsh conditions. The governing equations of the liquid domain (water) and solid domain (ZrB₂) were solved by the finite element method. The obtained results showed a considerable heat transfer rate from the heated surface. For example, at an ultra-high heat flux of 3.6 MW/m², the maximum temperature didn't exceed ~360 K. The high heat transfer area per volume of the applied microchannel, as well as the remarkable thermal conductivity of ZrB₂, are the main reasons for such a high heat transfer rate.     

Aluminum nitride as an alternative ceramic for fabrication of microchannel heat exchangers: A numerical study

Advances in micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) necessitate utilizing efficient types of materials which are capable of dissipating high heat transfer rates. Aluminum nitride (AlN) as a member of advanced ceramics family, offers remarkable thermal conductivity which makes it suitable candidate in manufacturing of special and high-tech heat exchangers. The present work aims to investigate the application of a micro-sized heat exchanger made of AlN. According to the performed numerical simulations using Comsol Multiphysics, AlN made heat exchanger showed remarkable heat transfer enhancement of 59%, compared to the Al₂O₃ made one. Such a considerable improvement can be attributed to the higher thermal conductivity of AlN in comparison with Al₂O₃. The effectiveness of the heat exchangers were calculated for both AlN and Al₂O₃ made heat exchangers, and a 26% improvement was observed using aluminum nitride.     

Influence of Y2O3 addition on the mechanical and oxidation behaviour of carbon fibre reinforced ZrB2/SiC composites

The influence of Y₂O₃ addition on the microstructure, thermo-mechanical properties and oxidation resistance of carbon fibre reinforced ZrB₂/SiC composites was investigated. Y₂O₃ reacted with oxide impurities present on the surface of ZrB₂ and SiC grains and formed a liquid phase, effectively lowering the sintering temperature and allowing to reach full density at 1900 °C. The presence of a carbon source (fibres) led to additional reactions which resulted in the formation of new secondary phases such as yttrium boro-carbides. Mechanical properties were significantly enhanced compared to the un-doped composite. Further tests at high temperatures resulted in strength increase up to 700 MPa at 1500 °C which was attributed to stress relaxation. Oxidation tests carried out at 1500 °C and 1650 °C in air showed that the presence of the Y-based secondary phases enhanced the growth of ZrO₂ grains, but offered limited protection to oxygen due to the lower availability of surficial SiO₂ formed from SiC.     

High-temperature oxidation behavior of monolithic Zr3[Al(Si)]4C6 and its composite incorporating 30vol% ZrB2-SiC: Providing a basis for broadening the service temperature

To provide a basis for the high-temperature oxidation of ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), the oxidation behavior of Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ and a novel Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆-ZrB₂-SiC composite at 1500 °C were investigated for the first time. From the calculation results, the oxidation kinetics of the two specimens follow the oxidation dynamic parabolic law. Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ exhibited a thinner oxide scale and lower oxidation rate than those of the composite under the same conditions. The oxide scale of Zr₃[Al(Si)]₄C₆ exhibited a two-layer structure, while that of the composite exhibited a three-layer structure. Owing to the volatilization of B₂O₃ and the active oxidation of SiC, a porous oxide layer formed in the oxide scale of the composite, resulting in the degradation of its oxidation performance. Furthermore, the cracks and defects in the oxide scale of the composite indicate that the reliability of the oxide scale was poor. The results support the service temperature of the obtained ceramics.     

Computer modelling and numerical analysis of hydrodynamics and heat transfer in non-porous catalytic reactor for the decomposition of ammonia

Chemical reactors exhibit very complex behaviours such as multiple steady states, oscillations, etc. resulting from complex linkage between the transport processes and the non-linear chemical reaction kinetics. Ammonia is a potential hydrogen source for a number of fuel cell applications for small scale power generation useful for portable equipments. In the present work, we analyse the fluid dynamics and heat transfer in catalytic microreactor systems for the decomposition of ammonia over a monolayer Ni non-porous catalyst. The overall model for this convective-diffusive-reactive system consists of a flow model, a mass transport model, an energy conservation model and a reaction kinetics model for ammonia decomposition. The flow model is described by the Stokes equation for a creeping flow regime. The mass transport and energy conservation models are based on convective-diffusion equations. The rate of ammonia decomposition can be measured as a function of the catalyst activity and ammonia concentration. A standard Galerkin finite element technique has been applied for the solution of the flow equations. A slightly perturbed form of the mass continuity equation is used to satisfy the Ladyzhenskaya-Babuška-Brezzi stability criterion. For the solution of convection-diffusion equations, a streamline inconsistent upwind finite element scheme has been chosen to avoid any spurious oscillations. C⁰-continuous 9-noded Lagrangian biquadratic isoparametric finite elements are used for the approximation of the field variables. A second-order Taylor-Galerkin time-stepping scheme has been chosen for the temporal discretisation of the flow equations whilst an implicit theta method has been used for convection-diffusion equations. The results are presented in the form of velocity vectors and concentration, temperature contours and are examined for stability, convergence and theoretical consistency.     

Three-dimensional numerical study of heat and mass transfer in fluidized beds with spray nozzle

The numerical computations of temperature and concentration distributions inside a fluidized bed with spray injection in three-dimensions are presented. A continuum model, based on rigorous mass and energy balance equations developed from Nagaiah et al., is used for the three-dimensional simulations. The three-dimensional model equation for nozzle spray is reformulated in comparison to Heinrich. For solving the non-linear partial differential equations with boundary conditions a finite element method is used for space discretization and an implicit Euler method is used for time discretization.The time-dependent behavior of the air humidity, air temperature, degree of wetting, liquid film temperature and particle temperature is presented using two different sets of experimental data. The presented numerical results are validated with the experimental results. Finally, the parallel numerical results are presented using the domain decomposition methods.     

A numerical study on heat transfer enhancement and design of a heat exchanger with porous media in continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis system

The aim of this study is to use a new configuration of porous media in a heat exchanger in continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS) system to enhance the heat transfer and minimize the required length of the heat exchanger.For this purpose,numerous numerical simulations are performed to investigate performance of the system with porons media.First,the numerical simulation for the heat exchanger in CHFS system is validated by experimental data.Then,porous media is added to the system and six different thicknesses for the porous media are examined to obtain the optimum thickness,based on the minimum required length of the heat exchanger.Finally,by changing the flow rate and inlet temperature of the product as well as the cooling water flow rate,the minimum required length of the heat exchanger with porous media for various inlet conditions is assessed.The investigations indicate that using porous media with the proper thickness in the heat exchanger increases the cooling rate of the product by almost 40％and reduces the required length of the heat exchanger by approximately 35％.The results also illustrate that the most proper thickness of the porous media is approximately equal to 90％ of the product tube's thickness.Results of this study lead to design a porous heat exchanger in CHFS system for various inlet conditions.     

Re-evaluation of the Nusselt number for determining the interfacial heat and mass transfer coefficients in a flow-through monolithic catalytic converter

The two-equation porous medium model has been widely employed for modeling the flow-through monolithic catalytic converter. In this model, the interfacial heat and mass transfer coefficients have been usually obtained using the asymptotic Nusselt and Sherwood numbers with some suitable assumptions. However, previously it seemed that there existed some misunderstanding in adopting these Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. Up to now, the Nusselt number based on the fluid bulk mean temperature has been used for determining the interfacial heat and mass transfer coefficients. However, the mass and energy balance formulations in the two-equation model indicate that the Nusselt number should be evaluated based on the fluid mean temperature instead of the fluid bulk mean temperature. Therefore, in this study, to correctly model the heat and mass transfer coefficients, the Nusselt number based on the fluid mean temperature was newly obtained for the square and circular cross-sections under two different thermal boundary conditions (i.e., constant heat flux and constant temperature at the wall). In order to do that, the present study employed the numerical as well as analytical method.     

Particle‐scale simulation of the flow and heat transfer behaviors in fluidized bed with immersed tube

A kind of new modified computational fluid dynamics‐discrete element method (CFD‐DEM) method was founded by combining CFD based on unstructured mesh and DEM. The turbulent dense gas–solid two phase flow and the heat transfer in the equipment with complex geometry can be simulated by the programs based on the new method when the k‐ε turbulence model and the multiway coupling heat transfer model among particles, walls and gas were employed. The new CFD‐DEM coupling method that combining k‐ε turbulence model and heat transfer model, was employed to simulate the flow and the heat transfer behaviors in the fluidized bed with an immersed tube. The microscale mechanism of heat transfer in the fluidized bed was explored by the simulation results and the critical factors that influence the heat transfer between the tube and the bed were discussed. The profiles of average solids fraction and heat transfer coefficient between gas‐tube and particle‐tube around the tube were obtained and the influences of fluidization parameters such as gas velocity and particle diameter on the transfer coefficient were explored by simulations. The computational results agree well with the experiment, which shows that the new CFD‐DEM method is feasible and accurate for the simulation of complex gas–solid flow with heat transfer. And this will improve the farther simulation study of the gas–solid two phase flow with chemical reactions in the fluidized bed. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Predicting heat and mass transfer to a growing, rotating preform during soot deposition in the outside vapor deposition process

During the manufacture of optical fibers using the outside vapor deposition (OVD) process, porous soot preforms are made by depositing soot onto a rotating cylindrical target from a soot-laden flame traversing along the target axis. The dominant mechanism of soot deposition in the OVD process is thermophoresis, which is the tendency of particles to migrate down the local gas temperature gradient. Accurate methods to estimate the heat and mass transfer rates from the flame to the growing preform are critical, as these rates dictate important preform characteristics. The heat and mass transfer during the OVD process are coupled due to particle thermophoresis and growth of the preform. We here present methods to predict the growth rate of a rotating preform along with the evolution of temperature profile at different radial locations within the preform for specified process parameters of flame temperature, burner traverse speed and number of burners. Sensitivity of preform temperature profile and deposition rate to each of the process parameters is presented, along with the critical discussion of our principal results.     

Development of empirical relation to evaluate the heat transfer coefficients and fractional energy in basin type hybrid (PV/T) active solar still

The simple empirical relation is developed to estimate the glass cover temperature for known values of water and ambient temperatures in basin type hybrid (PV/T) active solar still. The empirical relation developed is based on outdoor experimental results of water and ambient temperature in the range of 14 °C to 92 °C, and 14 °C to 36 °C respectively. The results obtained for glass cover temperature using proposed relation are validated with the experimental as well as using a numerical results (obtained by numerical solution of heat balance equation) of solar still. The proposed glass cover temperature is obtained with a maximum relative error of 1.12% compared to the value obtained through a numerical solution. The maximum relative error in evaporative mode of energy transfers from water surface is obtained as 1.2%.     

A numerical study on the role of geometry confinement and fluid flow in colloidal self-assembly

As a strategy of autonomously organising nanoparticles into patterns or structures, colloidal self-assembly has attracted significant interests in both fundamental research and applied science. Discrete element method (DEM) coupled with a simplified fluid flow model is applied to investigate convective colloidal self-assembly. The model developed takes into account the interparticle interactions, i.e. the electrostatic repulsion, van der Waals attraction, Brownian motions, and the hydrodynamic effect. Therefore, a detailed insight of the combined influences of fluid flow field, geometrical confinement, and the interparticle interactions on the self-assembly process can be obtained. In this study, we simulated different self-assembled structures and various transition areas where a growing crystal transits from n to n + 1 layer as a function of varied 3 phase contact angle, which is represented by a wedge geometry, and the velocity and direction of fluid flow. The crystal defects and the formation mechanism of different defects are theoretically studied through numerical simulation.     

Energy transfer to Eu(III) in the solid‐state low‐density polyethylene–poly(acrylic acid) and low‐density polyethylene–Fe2O3–poly(acrylic acid) matrices

Ion exchange between H⁺ and Eu³⁺ and/or Tb³⁺ was studied in the material modified by in situ sorption and thermal polymerization of acrylic acid in low‐density polyethylene (LDPE–PAA) and in the composite system LDPE–Fe₂O₃–PAA. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed evidence of Eu³⁺ and/or Tb³⁺ ion exchanges in these materials. The matrix LDPE–PAA after Eu(III) ion exchange presented luminescence (excitation 265 nm). This was explained by an energy‐transfer process from the matrix LDPE–PAA to Eu³⁺ ions. The LDPE–PAA matrix after simultaneous Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ ion exchange exhibited Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ion luminescence (excitation 265 nm), confirming an energy‐transfer process from LDPE–PAA to Eu³⁺ ions in LDPE–PAA–Eu³⁺–Tb³⁺ matrix. Fe₂O₃ in LDPE–Fe₂O₃–PAA quenched the matrix for excitation at 265 nm and no emission at the region 400 nm was observed. The luminescence of Tb³⁺ ions in the matrix LDPE–Fe₂O₃–PAA–Tb³⁺ (excitation 265 nm) was partially quenched by Fe₂O₃. However, a weak emission of Eu³⁺ ions was observed (excitation 265 nm) in the matrix LDPE–Fe₂O₃–PAA after simultaneous Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ion exchanges, suggesting an energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 919–931, 2000