An improved electrothermal-coupled model for the temperature estimation of an air-cooled battery pack

This work establishes an improved electrothermal-coupled model for the estimation of the temperature evolution in an air-cooled pack with three parallel branches and four serial cells in each branch. This model includes the influences of the cells' state of charge (SOC) and temperature on the ohmic and polarization resistances and polarization capacitance. The current distribution in the pack is considered in the model and applied to predicting the inconsistent effect of cell temperature. Moreover, the pipe network theory is used to model the airflow in the pack and the heat convection between the air and the batteries. An experiment is implemented to verify prediction precision in the electrical and thermal parameters of the pack. The results show that the electrothermal model accurately estimates the electrical and thermal performance of the air-cooled pack. The relative error of the pack terminal voltage between the prediction and the experiment is 3.22% under the conditions of a discharging rate is 1.5 C (C denotes the ratio of charging/discharging current to battery capacity), environment temperature of 37°C, and air inlet velocity of 6 m/s. Regarding the prediction error in the temperature, the root mean square errors of most batteries are no more than 0.6°C under the conditions of discharge rates of 1 C and 1.5 C and ambient temperatures of 17°C, 27°C, and 37°C.     

The atmospheric steam engine as energy converter for low and medium temperature thermal energy

Many industrial processes and renewable energy sources produce thermal energy with temperatures below 100 °C. The cost-effective generation of mechanical energy from this thermal energy still constitutes an engineering problem. The atmospheric steam engine is a very simple machine which employs the steam generated by boiling water at atmospheric pressures. Its main disadvantage is the low theoretical efficiency of 0.064. In this article, first the theory of the atmospheric steam engine is extended to show that operation for temperatures between 60 °C and 100 °C is possible although efficiencies are further reduced. Second, the addition of a forced expansion stroke, where the steam volume is increased using external energy, is shown to lead to significantly increased overall efficiencies ranging from 0.084 for a boiler temperature of T₀ = 60 °C to 0.25 for T₀ = 100 °C. The simplicity of the machine indicates cost-effectiveness. The theoretical work shows that the atmospheric steam engine still has development potential.     

Numerical modeling and experimental investigation of a prismatic battery subjected to water cooling

In this paper, a numerical model using ANSYS Fluent for a minichannel cold plate is developed for water-cooled LiFePO₄ battery. The temperature and velocity distributions are investigated using experimental and computational approach at different C-rates and boundary conditions (BCs). In this regard, a battery thermal management system (BTMS) with water cooling is designed and developed for a pouch-type LiFePO₄ battery using dual cold plates placed one on top and the other at the bottom of a battery. For these tasks, the battery is discharged at high discharge rates of 3C (60?A) and 4C (80?A) and with various BCs of 5°C, 15°C, and 25°C with water cooling in order to provide quantitative data regarding the thermal behavior of lithium-ion batteries. Computationally, a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was also developed for a minichannel cold plate, and the simulated data are then validated with the experimental data for temperature profiles. The present results show that increased discharge rates (between 3C and 4C) and increased operating temperature or bath temperature (between 5°C, 15°C, and 25°C) result in increased temperature at cold plates as experimentally measured. Furthermore, the sensors nearest the electrodes (anode and cathode) measured the higher temperatures than the sensors located at the center of the battery surface.     

Evaluation of a microcomputer-based control system for a domestic sized engine-driven water-to-water heat pump

Steady-state performance data have been obtained on a domestic sized engine-driven water-to-water heat pump. The optimum working fluid suction superheat for the system was found to be 12°C. Over a range of heat sink conditions, increasing the engine speed linearly increased the total heat prouduced by the unit. Similarly, over a range of heat source conditions, increasing the engine speed linearly increased the working fluid evaporation rate. To produce water at 80°C, the heat pump was designed to operate with a heat sink temperature of 70°C, but its efficiency was improved by operating with the heat sink at 55°C. With a heat sink temperature of 55°C the primary energy ratio of the unit was observed to vary from 0–85 to 1–16, over a range of heat source temperatures. Algorithms developed from the steady-state experiments were incorporated as control function subroutines in a microcomputer program. Using this program, the microcomputer was employed to control the heat pump outlet water temperature and the working fluid suction superheat. The control system was tested in a series of dynamic experiments and was found to operate effectively and achieved its control requirements. In certain tests, the transient time period was extended because the electrically-controlled expansion valve was too large for the system and created instability in the suction superheat.     

1.2 kW beta type Stirling engine with rhombic drive mechanism

Because of some advantages such as higher theoretical thermal efficiency, lower pollutant release, working with lower noisy, working with any kind of thermal energy, and having longer life time, Stirling engines receive attentions of academic workers. The development studies related to the drive mechanism as well as the other components of Stirling engine are progressing. In the present study, a beta type Stirling engine with a rhombic‐drive mechanism was manufactured and tested. Tests were performed at hot end temperatures of 600 and 800°C for five different stages of charge pressure ranging from 1 to 5 bar with 1 bar increments. Torque and power characteristics of the engine were deduced. The maximum engine torque and power were obtained as 18 Nm and 1215 W at engine speeds of 612 and 722 rpm, respectively, at 4 bar charging pressure. The cyclic work generations of the engine, which is an important parameter indicating the engine performance, were determined as 19, 27, and 25 J corresponding to 1, 3, and 5 bar charging pressures, respectively. In the experiments, the cylinder pressure variation was also measured at various charging pressures. While the charge pressure increases from 1 to 5 bar, the location of the maximum cylinder pressure ranged from 86° to 74° of crankshaft angle, which may have a bit influence on the engine performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cooling performance and energy saving of a compression–absorption refrigeration system driven by a gas engine

The prototype of combined vapour compression–absorption refrigeration system was set up, where a gas engine drove directly an open screw compressor in a vapour compression refrigeration chiller and waste heat from the gas engine was used to operate absorption refrigeration cycle. The experimental procedure and results showed that the combined refrigeration system was feasible. The cooling capacity of the prototype reached about 589 kW at the Chinese rated conditions of air conditioning (the inlet and outlet temperatures of chilled water are 12 and 7°C, the inlet and outlet temperatures of cooling water are 30 and 35°C, respectively). Primary energy rate (PER) and comparative primary energy saving were used to evaluate energy utilization efficiency of the combined refrigeration system. The calculated results showed that the PER of the prototype was about 1.81 and the prototype saved more than 25% of primary energy compared to a conventional electrically driven vapour compression refrigeration unit. Error analysis showed that the total error of the combined cooling system measurement was about 4.2% in this work. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical analysis and experimental verification of a new dynamic test method for solar collectors

The numerical solutions of the mathematical transfer function model and test procedure were developed for dynamic solar collector test method. A series of experiments and results are presented to illustrate the method. Analysis of the errors between the predicted and measured fluid outlet temperatures for various test conditions show that the transfer function method can accurately predict the fluid outlet temperature. The average error is less than 1 °C for unsteady test conditions. At last, the transfer function method is evaluated to provide possible improvements in the future designs.     

Effect of fabrication parameters on the thermophysical properties of sintered wicks for heat pipe applications

Porous wicks for use in a loop heat pipe were sintered from copper and Monel powder. These wicks are characterized in terms of their porosity, liquid permeability, capillary pressure and thermal conductivity. The effect of fabrication parameters (particle size and sintering conditions) on these properties is studied. The experimentally measured values of permeability and capillary pressure were compared with correlations available in the literature. The Kozeny–Carman correlation was found to overpredict the experimental values of permeability; while the modified Young–Laplace equation was found to predict within 5% of the measured capillary pressure. Additionally, a model for predicting the thermal conductivity of sintered wicks is developed. First, the ‘two-sphere model’ is used to relate the sintering conditions to the size of the connection (the ‘neck’) between two particles. Then, a finite element simulation is used to determine the thermal resistance of the bonded particles as a function of the neck between them. This thermal resistance is integrated in a random 3D resistor network as a means to model the multiple connections between spheres in a wick and to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of the wick. Results of the model are compared with experimental measurements of thermal conductivity of sintered copper wicks. Agreement between the model and the experimental measurements is good (within 15%) for sintering temperatures below 550 °C, and within 26% for sintering temperatures up to 950 °C. Finally, a generalized thermal conductivity chart is presented, which can be used to estimate the sintering temperature and time required to achieve the desired thermal conductivity.     

Lifetime-based phosphor thermometry of an optical engine using a high-speed CMOS camera

The surface temperature inside an optical engine was measured both with and without heating the intake gas. The temperature distribution was measured by lifetime-based phosphor thermometry using 10 time-sequential images during a single decay recorded by a non-intensified high-speed complementary metal oxide semiconductor camera and by accounting for the pixel-to-pixel variation in the nonlinearity of the sensor. Consequently, the system was simple and compact. One goal of this research is to use a single camera to measure the temperature field because it is easy to use such a system in practical experiments. The shot-to-shot standard deviation of the decay constant for uniform temperature conditions was 0.17–0.33% at 80–160 °C and it varied ±0.15% with position, indicating that the pixel nonlinearity is highly nonuniform. The present measurement method had a measurement error of ?2.25 to 1.15 °C and it exhibited a similar level of shot-to-shot fluctuations (±0.42–2.34 °C). This technique was used to measure the temperature in an optical engine and it gave reasonable temperature maps.     

Inter‐particle contact heat transfer model: an extension to soils at elevated temperatures

A simple ‘inter‐particle contact heat transfer’ model for predicting effective thermal conductivity of soils at moderate temperatures (0–30°C) has been extended up to 90°C. The extended model accounts for latent heat transport by water vapour diffusion in soil air above the permanent wilting point; below that point, the soil thermal conductivity is approximated by linear interpolation without latent heat effect. By and large the best results are obtained when the latent heat is used only in the ‘self consistent approximation’ model with an overall root mean square error of 35% for all soils under consideration or 26% when excluding volcanic soils. This option can also be applied to moderate temperatures at which the enhanced heat transfer is negligibly small. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of ignition delay period of n-Butanol blends with JOME and diesel under static loading conditions

Longer ignition delay results in higher in-cylinder temperature which causes higher NO_X emission. However, limited information available about ignition delay and its importance. In the present work, ignition delay of various fuels and their blends is measured on different offload engine conditions. The experimental setup works between full load engine condition (i.e., 40bar and 400°C) and no load engine condition (i.e., 10bar and 300°C). The effect of injection pressure, in-cylinder temperature and in-cylinder pressure on delay period is analyzed for off engine conditions. The results show that parameter which effects ignition delay most is temperature followed by injection pressure and in-cylinder pressure.     

The passive solar heated school in wallasey. IV. An observational study of the thermal response of a passive school building

An observational study on the Wallasey School has demonstrated its ability to maintain in most conditions of climate an equitable indoor climate both in regard to daily mean temperatures and daily variations, through use of solar gain and heat from the lights, and the appropriate control of ventilation. During occupied periods, air temperatures are usually between 17°C in winter and 23°C in sunny summer periods. The room provides a mainly ‘cold wall’ environment. The observational data and a series of model estimates have been compared. The general level of temperature within the building is known to depend strongly on ventilation rate, but since ventilation rate was not measured, steady-state comparisons as such are not possible. The observed and estimated temperature profiles for air and various surfaces including that of the furnishings during a very sunny period are in broad agreement. Analyses of the transient response of the structure in winter conditions has demonstrated a long response time (several days) describing the response of the enclosure, and a shorter response time of about half a day which describes the rate of settlement of internal temperature differences which may be initially present. Evidence is presented indicating low values for the convective heat transfer coefficient. An autocorrelational technique demonstrates that the thermal ‘memory’ of the classroom is much longer in winter than in summer. The response of the room during occupied and unoccupied periods is broadly similar, but conditions are rather more variable during occupation.     

Passive thermal management of the lithium‐ion battery unit for a solar racing car

In this study, a three‐dimensional numerical model is developed to investigate the thermal and electrical characteristics of 18 650 lithium‐ion battery cells that are used in the solar racing car of Dokuz Eylül University, i.e., SOLARIS. The Newman, Tiedemann, Gu, and Kim (NTGK) battery model of ANSYS Fluent software is implemented to resolve the coupled multiphysics problem. In the analysis, only the discharging period of the battery is considered. Before going through parametric studies under variable weather conditions, time‐wise variations of the cell temperature and the battery voltage are evaluated both experimentally and numerically under two different ambient conditions of 0°C and 25°C. Comparative results revealed that reasonable predictions are achieved with the current battery model, and the difference between the predicted battery surface temperature and experimental data is less than 1°C. Following the model validation, the battery performance is numerically examined by applying the battery model to a real race procedure of SOLARIS. Phase change materials (PCMs) with different amounts and melting temperatures are implemented around the batteries, and transient analyses are conducted under real weather conditions. The current study aims to keep the battery temperature of a solar racing car above a certain limit to prevent the overcooling and maintain higher charging capacity. Implementation of PCM with a melting temperature of 26°C yields 3.15% of capacity increment, and such a performance improvement corresponds to 15.51 Wh of extra energy that can be extracted from an individual battery.     

Thermodynamic analysis of rhombic-driven and crank-driven beta-type Stirling engines

This work aims to compare beta-type Stirling engine performance (GPU-3 [ground power unit]) driven by rhombic and crank mechanisms. A modified non-ideal adiabatic model accounting for different frictional and thermal losses was adopted in this study. After validating the current model with engine experimental data, different scenarios of operating conditions including heater temperature, cooler temperature, charge pressure and engine speed were investigated. The results revealed that rhombic drive mechanism generates 32% more power and provides 20% more efficiency than crank mechanism at normal operating conditions. However, at low hot end temperature (300°C) and high charge pressure (50 bar) crank drive mechanism tends to slightly generate power more than rhombic drive mechanism at lower engine speeds. At low hot end temperature (300°C) and charge pressure (10 bar) both mechanisms cannot deliver any positive power. Higher power loss is recognized in crank drive mechanism at higher speeds due to increased pumping and gas spring hysteresis losses. This study highlights a wide analysis opportunity for designers and researchers of GPU-3 Stirling engine for further optimization.     

Temperature dependence of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of some composites using the transient plane source technique

The recently developed transient plane source (TPS) technique has been applied for the simultaneous measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of two composite materials namely, marble and magnesium oxychloride cement in the range of temperatures from 30 to 150°C. The experimental results of these samples show that there is very slight variation in thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of these materials in this range of temperature. An effort has been made to express this variation of thermal conductivity and diffusivity with temperature by a linear relation, in these materials.     

Dynamic viscosity of MWCNT/ZnO–engine oil hybrid nanofluid: An experimental investigation and new correlation in different temperatures and solid concentrations

The major objective of the present study was to investigate the dynamic viscosity of MWCNT/ZnO–engine oil hybrid nanofluid. The experiments carried out in different temperatures ranging from 5 °C to 55 °C and solid concentrations ranging from, 0.125% to 1%. The viscosity of the MWCNT/ZnO nanoparticle with the mean diameter of 30 nm dispersed in engine oil was measured using Brookfield cone and plate viscometer. The effect of temperature and solid concentration on dynamic viscosity of the nanofluid has been experimentally investigated. The results indicated that increasing the temperature resulted in decreasing the dynamic viscosity of the nanofluid by 85% while the dynamic viscosity increased as the solid concentration increased by 45%. Furthermore, based on the experimental data, a new model to predict the dynamic viscosity of the studied nanofluid has been proposed.     

Thermal modelling of asymmetric overlap roof greenhouse with experimental validation

Global solar radiation availability model and thermal model for newly designed asymmetric overlap roof shape (AORS) greenhouse are presented and experimentally validated. Instantaneous solar radiation flux is utilised in a dynamic thermal model to ascertain the hourly plant and inside air temperature. The AORS is also compared with the previously developed two best greenhouse shapes. An experimental validation of both the models is carried out for the measured instantaneous solar radiation, plant and inside air temperature for a typical day in summer at Ludhiana (31°N and 77°E), Punjab, India. During the experimentation, a tomato crop was grown inside the greenhouse. From the results, it can be inferred that an east–west orientation AORS greenhouse should be preferred due to a lesser solar radiation capture in summer months. The predicted plant and air temperatures are in good agreement with the measured data having a root mean square error of 4.69 and 3.7, respectively.     

基于传热系数反求法的船用柴油机组合活塞热分析

建立了柴油机组合活塞的2D有限元模型,并利用传热系数反求法对该模型进行热分析。在仿真分析中,将活塞头部外表面传热系数定义为设计参数,实测温度与仿真温度的差值定义为目标函数。通过仿真计算得到了活塞头部外表面传热系数的分布,并利用反求法得到的传热系数对有限元模型进行热分析,仿真结果与实测温度吻合;传热系数反求法收敛迅速,可以有效用于活塞及其他内燃机零部件的温度分布和热负荷分析。     

Experimental techniques for determining heat and mass transfer due to condensation of humid air in cooled,open cavities

An experimental investigation was conducted to examine combined buoyancy driven heat and mass transfer in open cavities of different aspect ratios. Test cavities were constructed with calorimeter plates bonded to Styrofoam insulation. The inside of the cavities was cooled and then exposed to ambient air for approximately 17–30 min. Measurements were conducted at three initial cavity temperatures (5 °C, 1 °C, and −5 °C) each for a range of ambient relative humidity from 60% to 75%. The mass of retained condensate accumulated on the inside cavity walls and the transient cavity temperatures were measured. The mass flux of retained condensate inside the cavity was compared to the mass flux determined utilizing the heat/mass transfer analogy. The results between the two methods were in good agreement. The effects of the retained condensate on the mass flux measurements due to the water’s thermal resistance and surface emittance were also investigated and shown to have a negligible impact.     

Influence of thermal emittance on the performance of laminated solar control glazing

Influence of thermal emittance on the performance of laminated solar control glazing is presented. A transient one-dimensional mathematical model allowing the prediction of conductive heat transfer within the glazing and convective and radiative heat transfer from the glazing towards the interior and exterior are considered separately. A constant normal incidence of air mass 2 solar radiation of 750 W/m² was assumed. The redistribution of the component of the solar radiation absorbed by the laminated glass and the shading coefficient (SC) were calculated for solar transmittance, 0.05 to 0.35; thermal emittance of the inner surface of the glazing, 0.15 to 0.85; convective heat transfer coefficient for the exterior surface, 10–100 W/m² K and exterior ambient temperatures of 15°C, 32°C and 45°C. The results indicate that as the emittance decreases, the SC decreases by 10–20% for all cases of ambient temperatures considered. The contribution from the convective mechanisms to the heat transfer to the interior is always higher than that from radiative process in the range of ambient temperatures considered. The results presented in this paper would help to decide whether for a given location of interest, the incorporation of a heat mirror glazing would make a meaningful reduction in the cooling load in enclosures with single glazed windows.