Effects of solar photovoltaic panels on roof heat transfer

Indirect benefits of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems for building insulation are quantified through measurements and modeling. Measurements of the thermal conditions throughout a roof profile on a building partially covered by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels were conducted in San Diego, California. Thermal infrared imagery on a clear April day demonstrated that daytime ceiling temperatures under the PV arrays were up to 2.5 K cooler than under the exposed roof. Heat flux modeling showed a significant reduction in daytime roof heat flux under the PV array. At night the conditions reversed and the ceiling under the PV arrays was warmer than for the exposed roof indicating insulating properties of PV. Simulations showed no benefit (but also no disadvantage) of the PV covered roof for the annual heating load, but a 5.9 kWh m⁻² (or 38%) reduction in annual cooling load. The reduced daily variability in rooftop surface temperature under the PV array reduces thermal stresses on the roof and leads to energy savings and/or human comfort benefits especially for rooftop PV on older warehouse buildings.     

Influence of a building’s integrated-photovoltaics on heating and cooling loads

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) has the potential to become a major source of renewable energy in the urban environment. BIPV has significant influence on the heat transfer through the building envelope because of the change of the thermal resistance by adding or replacing the building elements. Four different roofs are used to assess the impacts of BIPV on the building’s heating-and-cooling loads; namely ventilated air-gap BIPV, non-ventilated (closed) air-gap BIPV, closeroof mounted BIPV, and the conventional roof with no PV and no air gap. One-dimensional transient models of four cases are derived to evaluate the PV performances and building cooling-and-heating loads across the different roofs in order to select the appropriate PV building integration method in Tianjin, China. The simulation results show that the PV roof with ventilated air-gap is suitable for the application in summer because this integration leads to the low cooling load and high PV conversion efficiency. The PV roof with ventilation air-gap has a high time lag and small decrement factor in comparison with other three roofs and has the same heat gain as the cool roof of absorptance 0.4. In winter, BIPV of non-ventilated air gap is more appropriate due to the combination of the low heating-load through the PV roof and high PV electrical output.     

Thermal analysis and design of a volumetric solar absorber depending on the porosity

The thermal evaluation of different absorber configurations for a volumetric solar receiver designed for a solar furnace has been carried out by means of commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software in a 2D numerical model. Simulation results for proposed configurations depending on the porosity are discussed and compared to find the optimum configuration for which flow instabilities and thermal stresses are minimized and higher efficiencies are reached. The results obtained from the comparison of air velocity and thermal profiles at the absorber outlet propose a gradual-porosity configuration as an alternative to a previous design of a porous silicon-carbide honeycomb structure in order to heat an air stream up to temperatures suited for several high-temperature industrial processes.     

Performance analysis of a planted roof as a passive cooling technique in hot-humid tropics

Planted roofs are passive cooling techniques that reduce the thermal load of buildings. In this paper, the authors have developed a model for evaluating the cooling potential of green roofs. Transfer equations are solved using a finite difference scheme and Thomas algorithm. The study was conducted taking into account the Togolese climate conditions. The effect of Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Biot (Bi) number on diurnal variation of the Solar Heat gain Factor (SHF) is presented and analysed. A correlation for the estimation of the Solar Heat gain Factor as a function of LAI and Bi has been established. The results presented in terms of evapotranspiration (ET) and Solar Heat gains Factor (SHF) show notably that the foliage density and hence the vegetable canopy type selection influence the thermal efficiency of the bioclimatic insulation screen greatly. It was found that a larger LAI reduces the solar flux penetration, stabilizes the fluctuating values, and reduces the indoor air temperature.     

Three-dimensional CFD analysis for simulating the greenhouse effect in solar chimney power plants using a two-band radiation model

The greenhouse effect in the solar collector has a fundamental role to produce the upward buoyancy force in solar chimney power plant systems. This study underlines the importance of the greenhouse effect on the buoyancy-driven flow and heat transfer characteristics through the system. For this purpose, a three-dimensional unsteady model with the RNG k–ε turbulence closure was developed, using computational fluid dynamics techniques. In this model, to solve the radiative transfer equation the discrete ordinates (DO) radiation model was implemented, using a two-band radiation model. To simulate radiation effects from the sun's rays, the solar ray tracing algorithm was coupled to the calculation via a source term in the energy equation. Simulations were carried out for a system with the geometry parameters of the Manzanares power plant. The effects of the solar insolation and pressure drop across the turbine on the flow and heat transfer of the system were considered. Based on the numerical results, temperature profile of the ground surface, thermal collector efficiency and power output were calculated and the results were validated by comparing with experimental data of this prototype power plant. Furthermore, enthalpy rise through the collector and energy loss from the chimney outlet between 1-band and two-band radiation model were compared. The analysis showed that simulating the greenhouse effect has an important role to accurately predict the characteristics of the flow and heat transfer in solar chimney power plant systems.     

Thermal performance simulation of a solar cavity receiver under windy conditions

Solar cavity receiver plays a dominant role in the light-heat conversion. Its performance can directly affect the efficiency of the whole power generation system. A combined calculation method for evaluating the thermal performance of the solar cavity receiver is raised in this paper. This method couples the Monte-Carlo method, the correlations of the flow boiling heat transfer, and the calculation of air flow field. And this method can ultimately figure out the surface heat flux inside the cavity, the wall temperature of the boiling tubes, and the heat loss of the solar receiver with an iterative solution. With this method, the thermal performance of a solar cavity receiver, a saturated steam receiver, is simulated under different wind environments. The highest wall temperature of the boiling tubes is about 150 °C higher than the water saturation temperature. And it appears in the upper middle parts of the absorbing panels. Changing the wind angle or velocity can obviously affect the air velocity inside the receiver. The air velocity reaches the maximum value when the wind comes from the side of the receiver (flow angle α = 90°). The heat loss of the solar cavity receiver also reaches a maximum for the side-on wind.     

Thermal modeling of integrated roof air heater for passive solar space heating of a non-air-conditioned building

This communication presents the periodic heat transfer analysis for solar space heating of an unconditioned building with an integrated roof air heater. The system consists of an air duct within the roof such that the air is continuously or intermittently forced to circulate the cooler room air through the inlet of the air duct. Time dependence of the air flow is represented by a step function of time for daily operation and, hence, has been expressed as a Fourier series in time. The analysis takes into account air ventilation, ground heat conduction and furnishings. The effects of depth of the air duct from the outer surface of the roof and the magnitude and duration of air flow rate on indoor air temperature have been studied for a typical cold winter day in Delhi. It is seen that a time dependent air flow through the duct is desirable from the point of view of increasing the indoor air temperature in the case of a bare roof. However, in the case of a blackened and glazed roof, continuous air flow is needed for increasing the room air temperature. The results are desirable from the point of view of efficient space heating of solar passive buildings.     

Thermal behavior in solar air heater channel fitted with combined rib and delta-winglet

Effects of combined ribs and delta-winglet type vortex generators (DWs) on forced convection heat transfer and friction loss behaviors for turbulent airflow through a solar air heater channel are experimentally investigated in the present work. Measurements are carried out in the rectangular channel of aspect ratio, AR = 10 and height, H = 30 mm. The flow rate is presented in the form of Reynolds numbers based on the inlet hydraulic diameter of the channel ranging from 5000 to 22,000. The cross-section shape of the rib placed on the absorber plate to create a reverse-flow is an isosceles triangle with a single rib height, e/H = 0.2 and rib pitch, P_l/H = 1.33. Ten pairs of the DW with its height, b/H = 0.4; transverse pitch, P_t/H = 1 and three attack angles (α) of 60°, 45° and 30° are introduced and mounted on the lower plate entrance of the tested channel to generate longitudinal vortex flows. The experimental results show that the Nusselt number and friction factor values for combined rib and DW are found to be much higher than those for the rib/DW alone. The larger attack angle of the DW leads to higher heat transfer and friction loss than the lower one. In common with the rib, the DW pointing upstream (PU-DW) is found to give higher heat transfer rate and friction loss than the DW pointing downstream (PD-DW) at a similar operating condition. In comparison, the largest attack angle (α = 60°) of the PU-DW yields the highest increase in both the Nusselt number and friction factor while the lowest attack angle of the PD-DW provides the best thermal performance.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the thermal behaviour of a green roof system installed in two residential buildings in Athens,Greece

Measurements of the thermal behaviour of two residential buildings equipped with a green roof system have been performed in Athens, Greece. Experimental data have been used to calibrate detailed simulation tools and the specific energy and environmental performance of the planted roofs system has been estimated in detail. Simulations have been performed for free‐floating and thermostatically controlled conditions. The expected energy benefits as well as the possible improvements of the indoor thermal comfort have been assessed. It is found that green roofs have a limited contribution to the heating demand of insulated buildings operating under the Mediterranean climate. On the contrary, the green roof system is found to contribute highly to reduce the cooling load of thermostatically controlled buildings. For the considered residential buildings, a cooling load decrease of about 11% has been calculated. In parallel, it is found that green roofs contribute to improve thermal comfort in free‐floating buildings during the summer period. The expected maximum decrease of the indoor air and roof surface temperatures is close to 0.6°C. Such a decrease contributes to reduce by 0.1 the summer absolute Predicted Mean Vote Comfort Index levels in the building. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of experimental and theoretical results for the transient heat flow through multilayer walls and flat roofs

This study deals with comparison of experimental and theoretical results of transient temperature variations in multilayered building walls and flat roofs, and heat flow through the building structures. Experimental and theoretical models are presented to find the transient temperature variations in these structures and heat flow through these elements, which depends on inside surface and room air temperatures. Instantaneous inside and outside air temperatures, and surface temperatures of each wall and roof layers are measured by using the experimental model consisted of two rooms, cooling units, measuring devices and computers. A computer program based on the theoretical model is developed to perform numerical calculations. Hourly temperature variations of the nodal points are computed numerically over a period of 24 h by using the hourly measured ambient air temperatures and solar radiation flux on a horizontal surface for the city of Gaziantep (37.1°N), Turkey, and also by using thermophysical properties of the structures. Results obtained from the experimental and theoretical models are compared with each other, and validation of the theoretical model is verified in this paper. Computations for various multilayer building walls of briquette, brick, blokbims, and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC), which are commonly used in Turkey are repeated for finding heat gain through these structures, and results are compared to determine suitable wall material. It is observed that AAC and blokbims are more suitable wall materials than briquette and brick due to heat flow through these elements.     

滨江热电厂新建工程供热部分可行性分析

本文对哈尔滨滨江热电厂供热部分可行性进行分析,对热负荷、调峰热源确定、供热方案、热平衡及环保等方面进行阐述。为北方高寒地区的供热工程建设提供借鉴。     

Thermal and hydraulic characteristics of nanofluid flow in a helically coiled tube heat exchanger

The effects of using different geometrical parameters with the combination of nanofluid on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in a helically coiled tube heat exchanger (HCTHE) are numerically investigated. A CuO nanoparticle with a diameter of 25 nm dispersed in water with a particle concentration of 4% was used as the working fluid. The three dimensional governing equations (continuity, momentum and energy) along with the boundary conditions are solved using the finite volume method (FVM). The mass flow rate of water in the annulus was kept constant and the nanofluid flow rate in the inner tube was varied. The effect of flow configuration (parallel and counter) was also examined in this study. The performance of the HCTHE was evaluated in terms of Nusselt number, heat transfer rate, pressure drop, effectiveness and performance index. The results reveal that certain geometrical parameters such as the helix radius and inner tube diameter do affect the performance of the HCTHE under laminar flow conditions. It is also found that counter-flow configuration produced better results as compared to parallel-flow configuration.     

Thermal radiation effects of a high‐temperature developing laminar flow in a tube

The thermal radiation effects of a high‐temperature developing laminar flow in a tube are investigated numerically. The two‐dimensional steady flow and heat transfer are considered for an absorbing‐emitting gray medium, whose density is dependent on the temperature. The governing equations of the coupled process are simultaneously solved by the discrete ordinate method combined with the control volume method. For a moderate optical thickness, the velocity distribution, the temperature distribution, and the radial heat flux distribution in the medium as well as the heat flux distribution on the tube wall are presented and discussed. The results show that the thermal radiation effects of a high‐temperature medium are significant under a moderate optical thickness. The flow and convective heat transfer are weakened, and the development of temperature distribution is accelerated noticeably. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 33(5): 299–306, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20018     

Thermal performance of Ag–water nanofluid flow over a curved surface due to chemical reaction using Buongiorno's model

An analysis of heat and mass transfer is carried out under the influence of chemical reaction, friction heating, and heat generation/absorption over a curved surface. The impacts of random motion attributes of nanoparticles and thermophoresis are also applied in the expressions of energy and concentration. With the help of assigned transformations, the nonlinear partial differential equations are changed to dimensionless nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Then, the numerical solution is obtained using fourth‐fifth order Runge‐Kutta‐Fehlberg method via the shooting technique. The impacts of relevant parameters on velocity, temperature, and concentration are depicted through graphs and tables. The results illustrate that the lowest concentration distribution of nanofluid is related to the higher value of chemical reaction parameter. Moreover, it is found that thermophoresis and Brownian motion parameters have a propensity to increase the temperature profile while curvature parameter decreases the velocity profile. Also, velocity and temperature fields show a similar behavior for the increasing values of volume fraction of the nanoparticles, while a reverse trend is observed in the concentration profile under the same condition. To authenticate the results of the current study, the obtained data were compared with previously published data.     

冲击热负荷作用下垂直自然循环传热特性的试验研究

鉴于对炼钢转炉锅炉研究的重要意义,设计了一套简单、可靠的试验系统,对炼钢转炉余热锅炉周期性的不稳定传热过程进行试验模拟。对其在冲击热负荷下垂直自然循环的传热特性进行了深入的试验研究,得到其传热特性的一般变化规律,并分析了冲击热负荷和工质欠焓对其传热特性的影响,通过回归试验数据得到传热系数的准则关系式。对改善炼钢转炉余热锅炉的传热特性和水循环安全性提出了建议。     

Testing Thermal Properties of Cooling Device with Heat Pipes to Improve His Heat Transfer Ability

This paper deals about testing thermal properties of the cooling device with heat pipes at inclination position, in consequence of using the natural convection to improve heat transfer properties. Head point testing of cooling device is monitoring temperature on the aluminium block of energy converter, heat pipes and ribs under temperature condition 30 ℃ in thermostatic chamber. Testing of the device was performed at tilt angles positions 0, 10 and 20° from the vertical level. The heat flux loaded to energy converter was 450 W. The next goal of the paper is to research on influence working position of the wick heat pipe on their thermal performance. In this research heat pipes were made with capillary structure sintered from copper powder granularity 100, 63 and 50 μm filled with water and ethanol. Next heat pipe thermal performance was performed by measuring heat source and working positions. Knowledge of these two research goals can bring potential improvements in purpose of cooling device for effective heat sink from high power electronic components.     

Thermal performance analysis of plate heat exchanger with different configurations for the heat recovery system in buildings

Due to the scarcity of conventional energy sources, a lot of efforts need to be taken regarding energy conservation in the buildings, including heat recovery of air ventilation systems. The present paper focuses on new methods to improve the thermal performance of the heat recovery system by investigating the heat transfer characteristics and the flow development in a flat-plate heat exchanger (FPHE) using three different rib-grooved surfaces (trapezoidal, triangle and semi-circular), the numerical simulations were carried out for uniform wall heat flux equal to 290 W/m² for air as the working fluid, the Reynolds number varies from 500 to 2000 for three different channel heights. The numerical results indicated that, rib-grooved surfaces have a significant impact on heat transfer enhancement with an increase in the pressure drop through the channel. The effect of rib-grooved patterns on the heat transfer and the fluid flow is more significant in a narrow channel especially for trapezoidal and triangle corrugated surfaces, because they have sharp edges. Based on the present research, the FPHEs with the added rib-grooved surfaces are recommended to provide an efficient and compact heat recovery system. Moreover, it was found that by applying the new design, a considerable amount of energy and power could be saved.     

Heat transfer characteristics in non-Newtonian fluid flow due to a naturally permeable curved surface and chemical reaction

In this research endeavor, Casson fluid flow and melting heat transfer due to a curved nonlinearly stretching sheet are investigated. The sheet is naturally permeable and the flow is considered in a porous medium. For flow in a porous medium, a modified Darcy's resistance term for Casson fluid is considered in the momentum equation. In the energy equation, heat transport characteristics, including viscous dissipation, are taken into account. Mass transport is also studied together with the impact of chemical reaction of higher order. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations of flow, heat, and mass transport are reduced to nondimensional ordinary differential equations using adequate similarity transformations and then solved numerically employing the bvp4c technique and Runge–Kutta fourth-order method on MATLAB. The impacts of numerous occurring parameters on relevant fields (velocity field, temperature field, and concentration field) are depicted and discussed by plotting graphs. We concluded the curvature parameter, $K$ reduces the pace of the flow. The impacts of the stretching index, $m$ and melting parameter, $Me$ are also found to reduce flow and temperature field. Furthermore, we noted that the reaction parameter, $K_n$ and its order, $n$ exhibit opposite impacts on the concentration field. Moreover, the numerical values of skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number calculated employing bvp4c and Runge–Kutta fourth-order technique are expressed in tabular mode, and these are found in an excellent match. For validation of the results, skin-friction coefficient values were computed using the Runge–Kutta fourth-order technique and bvp4c solver, compared with the existing results, and a good agreement was found.     

Determination of heat transfer coefficients for cylindrical products exposed to forced-air cooling

An analytical model for estimation of transient heat transfer coefficients in forced-air precooling experiments of cylindrically shaped grapes, using a lumped capacitance approach were addressed and investigated. In order to determine transient heat transfer coefficients, the centre transient temperature measurements during forced-air precooling were used. Experiments involved cooling individual grapes in air flow without water losses. The individual grapes were instrumented with several interior thermocouples for measuring the centre transient temperature response during cooling. The transient values of the heat transfer coefficient history for five different air velocities were found to be about 21–40 W/m² K. These values were in good agreement with the values predicted using well-known Nusselt-Reynolds empirical correlation for forced convection. The present technique has the capability of determining transient heat transfer coefficients in a single transient experiment.     

Thermal performance of a single-layer packed metal pebble-bed exposed to high energy fluxes

It is difficult to accurately measure the temperature of the falling particle receiver since thermocouples may directly be exposed to the solar flux. This study analyzes the thermal performance of a packed bed receiver using large metal spheres to minimize the measurement error of particle temperature with the sphere temperature reaching more than 700°C in experiments in a solar furnace and a solar simulator. The numerical models of a single sphere and multiple spheres are verified by the experiments. The multiple spheres model includes calculations of the external incidence, view factors, and heat transfer. The effects of parameters on the temperature variations of the spheres, the transient thermal efficiency, and the temperature uniformity are investigated, such as the ambient temperature, particle thermal conductivity, energy flux, sphere diameter, and sphere emissivity. When the convection is not considered, the results show that the sphere emissivity has a significant influence on the transient thermal efficiency and that the temperature uniformity is strongly affected by the energy flux, sphere diameter, and sphere emissivity. As the emissivity increases from 0.5 to 0.9, the transient thermal efficiency and the average temperature variance increase from 53.5% to 75.7% and from 14.3% to 27.1% at 3.9 min, respectively. The average temperature variance decreases from 29.7% to 9.3% at 2.2 min with the sphere diameter increasing from 28.57 mm to 50 mm. As the dimensionless energy flux increases from 0.8 to 1.2, the average temperature variance increases from 13.4% to 26.6% at 3.4 min.