Experimental investigation on the effect of photovoltaic panel partially and fully submerged in water

This study presents an experimental analysis of improving the thermal, electrical efficiency, and yield of a conventional solar still (CSS). The photovoltaic (PV) efficiency decreases with increase in water depth inside the basin while the still efficiency is higher in the case of fully submerged condition. The maximum water production was about 8 kg/m ²/day with PV under fully submerged condition; and during off‐shine hours the still efficiency was higher when compared with the partially submerged condition. Similarly, with a decrease in water temperature the panel efficiency is increases. The maximum hourly water production with and without the PV was found to be 1.3 and 0.45 kg/m ², respectively. The main outcome of this study is that this mechanism can be used in isolated locations where there is a scarcity of current and distilled water.     

Performance analysis of direct solar dryer driven by photovoltaic thermal energy recovery and solar air collector for drying materials and electricity generation

The direct-type solar dryer is characterized by very simple construction, less maintenance, cost-effectiveness, and is easy to handle. The present study aims to enhance the performance of a direct-type solar dryer. To achieve this, the photovoltaic (PV) panels with thermal energy recovery and solar air collector were integrated with the direct-type solar dryer. In this study, the PV panels with thermal energy recovery and solar air collector were utilized as preheating units to raise the air temperature before entering the direct solar dryer. Moreover, the PV panels were utilized to drive the air blower. In this study, three incorporated models are suggested to study the performance of the solar dryer integrated with PV panels with thermal energy recovery and solar air collector. The model of each component was validated by the previously recorded empirical data. The results confirmed that the dual utilization of the PV panels with thermal energy recovery and solar air collector as a preheating unit raised the air temperature entering the direct solar dryer by the rate varying between 29°C and 42°C within the period 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Also, the moisture content of banana samples inside the direct solar dryer reduced from the initial value of 72% (wb) to the value of 33.4% (wb) within 7 h (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.). During this operating period, moisture removal from the banana samples varied between 110 and 400 g/h.     

Energy analysis of a solar air collector with rows of fins

The necessity for improving the thermal performances of the solar air collector, for some needs, encouraged us to carry out this study. Initially, to improve the efficiency factor of these solar collectors, we create an increasingly turbulent flow between the absorber and the back wooden plate. For that, we use obstacles of various forms. In this study, we chose rectangular plate fins inserted perpendicular to the flow. The fluid flows out through the interstices between fins in the same row, this allows a good distribution of the fluid and reduces the dead zones. Secondly, and for the same configuration, we undertake a study on the evaluation of the transfer coefficient. The results are compared with those obtained with a solar air collector without fins, using two types of absorbers selective (in coppersun) or not selective (black-painted aluminium).     

低气压环境下开缝翅片管换热器换热性能研究

利用低气压环境模拟装置对开缝翅片管换热器在不同气压下的换热性能进行实验研究.研究结果表明:随着气压不断降低,换热器周围空气密度逐渐降低,换热器空气侧换热系数以及显热换热量逐渐降低,而空气含湿量随着气压降低逐渐升高,导致潜热换热量逐渐增加;当气压降至0.058 MPa以下时,换热器空气侧潜热换热量占主要部分,当气压为0.04 MPa时,换热器换热能力与常压下相比下降了36.63%.     

A comparison study of energy and exergy performance of a hybrid photovoltaic double‐pass and single‐pass air collector

In this present paper, analysis based on energy and exergy of double‐pass hybrid photovoltaic thermal (HPV/T) air collector having air flow in the opposite direction in ducts has been carried out based on initial cost, annual savings and return on investment. Choice of the location is made to cover different climatic conditions prevailing in India e.g. hot and dry climate represented by Jodhpur, warm and humid climate represented by Mumbai, moderate climate represented by Bangalore, cold and cloudy climate represented by Srinagar and composite climate represented by New Delhi. Results of single‐pass HPV/T air collector have also been compared. It is observed that electrical, thermal and exergy efficiencies of double‐pass HPV/T air collector are higher than that of single‐pass HPV/T air collector by 10–12, 40–45 and 13–17%, respectively. Further, it is observed that cost per kWh of double‐pass HPV/T air collector reduces for all the locations covered in the study when compared with cost per kWh of single‐pass HPV/T air collector. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

结霜工况下变片距空气冷却器性能仿真与试验

以结霜工况下的变片距空气冷却器为研究对象,对空气冷却器建立分布参数计算模型,采用分子扩散理论建立霜层的生长模型。在计算过程中,采用空气冷却器迎风面的霜层厚度平均值作为变量迭代求解空气冷却器的风量。研究了变翅片间距结构对空气冷却器结霜工况下性能的影响,并进行了实验验证。实验结果表明:空气冷却器的风量、换热量变化趋势的实验值和计算值基本一致,偏差在5%左右。与定翅片间距空气冷却器相比,变翅片间距空气冷却器在结霜工况下具有较长的除霜周期和更好的传热性能。     

Design, development and performance monitoring of a photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) air collector

The photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems allow the enhancement of the energy performance of photovoltaics, by removing thermal energy and subsequently decreasing the operating temperature of the cells. The possibility of the utilization of heat for climatization makes them attractive for the building integration. In order to diffuse this kind of solar systems it is necessary to translate the basic concepts into efficient and functional technological components and associated performance should be evaluated in a reliable manner. This paper presents the experimental and theoretical results of a research and development program carried out at the Politecnico di Milano on the design, development and performance monitoring of a hybrid PVT air collector. One of the main products of the research consists of a simulation model for performance prediction of the system. This R&D program led to the development of the TIS (tetto integrale solarizzato, i.e. integrated solar roof), an innovative technological system for building integration of hybrid PVT air collectors. The successful commercial application of the TIS in a research center building is also shown as a case study.     

夏季工况条件下空调/冷柜一体机性能实验研究

空调冷柜一体机系统是通过中间冷却器将空调与冷柜耦合,可以将空调系统中的部分制冷剂节流至中间冷却器对冷柜系统中的制冷剂进行过冷以提升其系统性能。实验研究了夏季工况条件下冷柜温度、室外环境温度及质量流量比对一体机系统制冷量及COP的影响。实验结果表明:在夏季工况条件下,冷柜系统的制冷量和COP随质量流量比的增大而增大,但质量流量比大于12%后其增速放缓;空调系统制冷量随质量流量比的增大而减小,而其COP随质量流量比的增大而略有增大。综合分析认为夏季工况条件下,质量流量比控制在8%～12%时可以提高空调及冷柜系统COP,同时空调器制冷量衰减也较小。     

A study of the potential of using the Earth to air heat exchanger for cooling and heating of residential buildings in Iraq

The Earth to air heat exchanger (EAHE) is an effective passive cooling and heating system for buildings. This paper studied numerically the potential for reduction in energy consumption for cooling and heating loads for a residence equipped with an EAHE system in the climate of Nasiriya city, which is located in southern Iraq and at 31.7°N and 45.8°E, latitude and longitude, respectively. Also, this paper presents a study about the thermal performance of three types of EAHE systems, system 1, consisting of one layer of EAHE and buried at an available area of house garden with 3‐m depth, system 2, at the same site of system 1, but with two layers of EAHE at two depths, 3 and 4 m, and finally, system 3, buried along the area of the house at a depth of 3 m. First, the built numerical model was validated against experimental results, and the results of the comparison showed good agreement. The electricity consumption for cooling and heating of the house is calculated with and without the EAHE system. The results showed that with using EAHE, there is a considerable saving in energy and saving in the cost of electricity consumption, which reached 376 329 IQD ($301.11) over 1 year for system 2.     

大空间两种气流组织夏季热环境及其能耗实验研究

以某大空间实验基地为研究对象,针对喷口送风和柱状下送风两种分层空调的热环境及供冷量进行了实测研究.研究结果表明:因喷口送风空调区较大,在夏季室外气象参数基本相同的两种室外气象条件下,喷口送风空调系统供冷量比柱状下送风空调系统的供冷量分别高出20.8%、24.4%,且喷口送风空调系统抗干扰能力较柱状下送风强;喷口送风时工作区温度均匀性好于柱状下送风,头足温差较小,但其工作区风速超过标准,而柱状下送风时工作区风速则符合环境设计要求;两种不同送风量下喷口送风时吹风感指数分别为15.64%、11.23%,而柱状下送风时吹风感指数分别为4.17%、2.40%,柱状下送风要明显优于喷口送风.故从节能及热舒适性角度综合考虑,单侧回风的大空间建筑应尽可能采用柱状下送风分层空调,而对于干扰比较大,空调场地较小,无法布置柱状下送风口的场合,则选取喷口送风较好.     

Performance study of a photovoltaic solar assisted heat pump with variable-frequency compressor – A case study in Tibet

The performance of a photovoltaic solar assisted heat pump (PV-SAHP) with variable-frequency compressor is reported in this paper. The system is a direct integration of photovoltaic/thermal solar collectors and heat pump. The solar collectors extract the required thermal energy from the heat pump and at the same time, the cooling effect of the refrigerant lowers the working temperature of the solar cells. So this combined system has a relatively high thermal performance with an improved photovoltaic efficiency. To adapt to the continuously changing solar radiation and ambient temperature conditions, the refrigerant mass flow rate should match the heat gain at the evaporator accordingly. A variable-frequency compressor and an electricity-operated expansion valve were used in the proposed system. Mathematical models were developed to evaluate the energy performance of the combined system based on the weather conditions of Tibet. The simulation results indicated that on a typical sunny winter day with light breeze, the average COP could reach 6.01, and the average electricity efficiency, thermal efficiency and overall efficiency were 0.135, 0.479 and 0.625 respectively.     

Comparison of PEMFC performance with parallel serpentine and parallel serpentine-baffled flow fields under various operating and geometrical conditions; a parametric study

Optimal flow channel design of a fuel cell is crucial to further improve the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In this work, a comprehensive parametric study was conducted to analyze the performance of a PEMFC with conventional parallel serpentine flow fields (PSFF) and parallel serpentine-baffled flow fields (PSBFF). A three-dimensional two-phase computational fluid dynamics model was used to numerically simulate the fuel cell performance. The effects of operating parameters such as pressure, temperature, and stoichiometric ratio, as well as the geometric parameters of channel height to channel width ratio and rib width to channel width ratio for both flow fields on fuel cell performance were investigated. The results show that as pressure, temperature, and stoichiometric ratio increase, cell performance increases for both flow fields, with a more substantial rate of improvement for the PSBFF design. A 16.1% improvement in cell performance at an operating pressure of 1 atm, a 19.9% improvement at a cell temperature of 70 °C, and a 16.1% improvement at a stoichiometric ratio of 2 were obtained when PSBFF was used instead of PSFF. By increasing the channel height and rib width, the cell performance for PSBFF remains almost constant due to the improved forced convection of the gas mixture and the reduction in concentration loss, while the cell performance for PSFF decreases significantly. At the largest channel height to channel width ratio of 1.5 and rib width to channel width ratio of 1.315 studied in this work, an improvement in cell performance of 53.3% and 58.5%, respectively, was achieved when PSBFF was used instead of PSFF. In addition, PSBFF was more effective in removing water from the porous zones than PSFF under all conditions.     

A feasibility study of using thermal energy storage in a conventional air‐conditioning system

An Erratum has been published for this article in International Journal of Energy Research 2004; 28 (13): 1213. This paper deals with the simulation of thermal energy storage (TES) system for HVAC applications. TES is considered to be one of the most preferred demand side management technologies for shifting cooling electrical demand from peak daytime hours to off peak night hours. TES is incorporated into the conventional HVAC system to store cooling capacity by chilling ethylene glycol, which is used as a storage medium. The thermodynamic performance is assessed using exergy and energy analyses. The effects of various parameters such as ambient temperature, cooling load, and mass of storage are studied on the performance of the TES. A full storage cycle, with charging, storing and discharging stages, is considered. In addition, energy and exergy analysis of the TES is carried out for system design and optimization. The temperature in the storage is found to be as low as 6.4°C after 1 day of charging without load for a mass of 250 000 kg. It is found that COP of the HVAC system increases with the decrease of storage temperature. Energy efficiency of the TES is found to be 80% for all the mass flow rate of the discharging fluid, whereas exergy efficiency varies from 14 to 0.5%. This is in fact due to the irreversibilities in a TES process destroy a significant amount of the input exergy, and the TES exergy efficiencies therefore become always lower than the corresponding energy efficiencies. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Boiling heat transfer coefficient of R22 and an HFC/HC refrigerant mixture in a fin‐and‐tube evaporator of a window air conditioner

The commonly used refrigerant in unitary type air conditioners is R22 and its phase out schedule in developing countries is to commence from 2015. Many alternatives to R22 are found in published literature in which R407C has similar characteristics to those of R22 except for its zeotropic nature. However, R407C which is an HFC is made compatible with the mineral oil lubricant in the system compressor by the addition of 20% of HC. This HFC/HC mixture called the M20 refrigerant mixture is reported to be a retrofit refrigerant for R22. Though its latent heat value is greater than that of R22, its refrigerating capacity is lower when it is used to retrofit R22 window air conditioners. Hence, a heat transfer analysis was conducted in the evaporator of a room air conditioner, for practically realized heat flux conditions during standard performance testing. The tests were conducted as per the BIS and ASHRAE standards. Kattan–Thome–Favrat maps are used to confirm the flow patterns, which prevail inside the fin‐and‐tube evaporator in the tested operating conditions. It is revealed that the heat transfer coefficient/heat fluxes are poorer for M20 because of the lower mass flow rate and higher vapor fraction at the entry of the evaporator than that of R22 in the prevailing operating conditions. The heat transfer coefficients of the M20 refrigerant mixture under various test conditions are lower in the range of 14% to 56% than those of R22. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20299     

Exact solution of coupled heat and mass transfer with double moving interfaces in a porous half-space. Part 2: Mass transfer controlled by the fick and darcy laws

Coupled heat and mass transfer with double moving interfaces, taking place in a porous half-space, is defined, and exact solutions for the temperature and moisture distributions as well as the positions of two moving fronts are obtained. As in Part 1 of the paper, the interest is focused on the case of moderate vacuum environment pressure where the moisture transfer is due to the result of the vapour concentration and pressure gradients. The effect of the surface pressure and the introduced parameter β₂ on the moisture transfer is analysed. Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the results.     

Exact solution of coupled heat and mass transfer with double moving interfaces in a porous half-space. Part 3: Effect of surface pressure and permeability on rates of sublimation and desorption

Coupled heat and mass transfer with double moving interfaces, taking place in a porous half-space, is defined, and exact solutions for the temperature and moisture distributions, as well as the positions of two moving fronts, are obtained. As in Part 2 of the paper, the interest is focused on the case of moderate vacuum environment pressure, where the moisture transfer is due to the result of the vapour concentration and pressure gradients. The temperature of sublimation is assumed to be unknown, whereas the temperature of desorption is still assumed to be known, and the pressure of desorption is determined by a linear assumption among pressures of sublimation, desorption and surface. The Clapeyron equation is incorporated on the sublimation front to close the equation system. The effects of the surface pressure and the permeability on the sublimation and desorption are analysed. Conclusions are drawn on the basis of the results.     

Comparative study on the electrochemical performance of coals and coal chars in a molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cell with a novel anode structure

Molten carbonate direct carbon fuel cells (MC-DCFCs) allow the efficient and clean use of coal. In this study, a novel anode structure is designed, and the performances of six coal-based fuels are investigated in MC-DCFC. The mechanisms of performance differences are investigated, as well as the effect of operating temperature on performance. The results reveal the fuel cell performance in the following order: meagre coal (109.8) ≈ bituminous coal (108.7) > bituminous coal char (98.1) > lignite coal (83.7) > lignite coal char (71.3) > meagre coal char (53.2) in mW cm^?2. Coal performs better because of its high carbon content, high volatile content, rich oxygen-containing functional groups, larger specific surface area, stronger thermal reactivity, and other factors. The electrochemical reactivity of coal fuel increased with higher reaction temperatures and varied throughout the temperature ranges. This study implies that using coal fuel to commercialize MC-DCFC could be a realistic alternative.