Modeling the free convection heat transfer in a partitioned cavity using ANFIS

In this paper, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is used to predict the free convection in a partitioned cavity consisting of an adiabatic partition. The main focus of the present paper is to consider the effects of partition angle and Rayleigh number variation on average heat transfer in the partitioned cavity. The training data for optimizing the ANFIS structure is obtained experimentally. For the best ANFIS structure obtained in this study, the mean relative errors of the train and test data were found to be 0.055% and 1.735% respectively, which shows that ANFIS can predict the experimental results precisely.     

Fuzzy modeling of the forced convection heat transfer from a V‐shaped plate exposed to an air slot jet

This paper focuses on the application of fuzzy logic (FL) to predict the forced convection heat transfer from V‐shaped plate internal surfaces exposed to an air impingement slot jet. The aim of the present paper is to consider the effects of the angle of a V‐shaped plate (Φ), slot‐to‐plate spacing ratio (Z/W), and Reynolds number (Re) variation on average heat transfer from the V‐shaped plate internal surfaces. The data used for developing the FL structure was obtained experimentally by a Mach‐Zehnder interferometer. The proposed FL was developed using MATLAB functions. It was observed that the average Nusselt number will be decreased with an increase in jet spacing and be increased with an increase in Reynolds number and angle of V‐shaped plate. Moreover, it is also shown that fuzzy logic is a powerful technique to use for predicting heat transfer due to its low error rate. The average error of the fuzzy predictions compared with experimental data was found to be 0.33% for this study. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.21009     

Numerical investigation of effective parameters in convective heat transfer of nanofluids flowing under a laminar flow regime

This article presents a numerical investigation on heat transfer performance and pressure drop of nanofluids flows through a straight circular pipe in a laminar flow regime and constant heat flux boundary condition. Al₂O₃, CuO, carbon nanotube (CNT) and titanate nanotube (TNT) nanoparticles dispersed in water and ethylene glycol/water with particle concentrations ranging between 0 and 6 vol.% were used as working fluids for simulating the heat transfer and flow behaviours of nanofluids. The proposed model has been validated with the available experimental data and correlations. The effects of particle concentrations, particle diameter, particles Brownian motions, Reynolds number, type of the nanoparticles and base fluid on the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of nanofluids were determined and discussed in details. The results indicated that the particle volume concentration, Brownian motion and aspect ratio of nanoparticles similar to flow Reynolds number increase the heat transfer coefficient, while the nanoparticle diameter has an opposite effect on the heat transfer coefficient. Finally, the present study provides some considerations for the appropriate choice of the nanofluids for practical applications.     

Grooving as Alternative Method of Surface Preparation to Postpone Debonding of FRP Laminates in Concrete Beams

Structural repair and strengthening have long been dynamic and challenging activities in construction work. One of the most commonly used methods for such repairs is the application of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets to strengthen RC or even steel structure members. A major issue of concern in flexural strengthening of RC beams with FRP laminates is the debonding of the concrete substrate, which leads to premature failure of the structural member thus strengthened. One reason for this premature rupture may be the lack of proper preparation of the concrete surface in contact with the FRP sheet. Surface preparation is typically associated with such constraints as adverse environmental impacts, economic losses due to stoppage of activities, repair costs, or even inaccessibility of the member(s) to be strengthened. This study aims to investigate surface preparation for application of FRP sheets in an attempt to develop substitute methods for conventional surface preparation methods. The experimental specimens used for the purposes of this study included a minimum of 100 prism specimens of dimensions 100×100×500?mm subjected to four-point flexural loading. The specimens were divided into the two control and experimental groups. The control group lacked FRP sheets, while the experimental one had FRP sheets tested for their ultimate failure strength as a result of both surface preparation and transverse, longitudinal, and diagonal grooves as substitutes for surface preparation. The results indicated that surface preparation prior to bonding of FRP sheets increased ultimate rupture strength. It was also found that the substitute preparation methods greatly compensated for the lack of conventional surface preparation such that they changed, in some cases, the ultimate failure behavior of the member.     

J-integral evaluation of austenitic-martensitic functionally graded steel in plates weakened by U-notches

In this paper, a numerical method for J-integral evaluation of plates weakened by U-notches for brittle or quasi-brittle functionally graded steel (FGS) has been proposed. The material contains austenite phase in addition to martensite layer produced by electroslag remelting (ESR). The Young’s modulus and the Poisson’s ratio have been assumed to be constant, while other mechanical properties vary exponentially along the specimen width. The effect of notch depth on the J-integral and the critical fracture load has been studied. A comparison of the J-integral between functionally graded and homogeneous steels was made, where the notch tip in the functionally graded steel is situated in a layer with same mechanical properties as the homogeneous steel.     

Development of a 2-D 2-group neutron noise simulator for hexagonal geometries

In this paper, the development of a neutron noise simulator for hexagonal-structured reactor cores using both the forward and the adjoint methods is reported. The spatial discretisation of both 2-D 2-group static and dynamic equations is based on a developed box-scheme finite difference method for hexagonal mesh boxes. Using the power iteration method for the static calculations, the 2-group neutron flux and its adjoint with the corresponding eigenvalues are obtained by the developed static simulator. The results are then benchmarked against the well-known CITATION computer code. The dynamic calculations are performed in the frequency domain which leads to discarding of the time discretisation. Then, the developed 2-D 2-group neutron noise simulator calculates both the discretised forward and the adjoint reactor transfer function between a point source and its induced neutron noise, by assuming the neutron noise source as an “absorber of variable strength” type. The neutron noise induced by a “vibrating absorber” type of noise source may also be modeled using the calculated transfer function. The viability of the simulator is verified for different benchmark cases.     

Dissimilar Joining of Pure Copper to Aluminum Alloy via Friction Stir Welding

In this study, the dissimilar friction stir welding(FSW) butt joints between aluminum alloy 5754-H114 and commercially pure copper were investigated. The thickness of welded plates was 4 mm and the aluminum plate was placed on the advancing side. In order to obtain a suitable flow and a better material mixing, a 1-mm offset was considered for the aluminum plate, toward the butt centerline. For investigating the microstructure and mechanical properties of FSWed joints, optical microscopy and mechanical tests(i.e., uniaxial tensile test and microhardness) were used, respectively.Furthermore, the analysis of intermetallic compounds and fracture surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The effect of heat generation on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the FSWed joints was investigated. The results showed that there is an optimum amount of heat input. The intermetallic compounds formed in FSWed joints were Al4Cu9 and Al2Cu. The best results were found in joints with 1000 rpm rotational speed and100 mm/min travel speed. The tensile strength was found as 219 MPa, which reached 84% of the aluminum base strength.Moreover, maximum value of the microhardness of the stir zone(SZ) was attained as about 120 HV, which was greatly depended on the grain size, intermetallic compounds and copper pieces in SZ.     

Experimental investigation of effect of palmitic acid as inhibitor on particle size of asphaltenes flocs using imaging techniques

In this article, the effect of one well-known inhibitor namely palmitic acid is investigated on particle size distribution of asphaltenes by imaging techniques. Pure asphaltene is extracted from crude oil to prepare Heptol (n-heptane+toluene) solutions of suspended asphaltenes. Different concentrations of inhibitors are then added to the solution. Afterward, image analysis of microscopic photos is used to determine the particle size distribution of asphaltene flocs in the presence of inhibitors. Average particle size of asphaltene and fractal structure of aggregates are also investigated; results show that the compaction of asphaltenes flocs is correlated with concentration of inhibitor. However, no significant relationship was observed between surface roughness of flocs and inhibitor concentration.     

New moment-rotation equation for welded steel beam-to-column connections

A three-parameter tangent inverse equation is generically proposed for the non-linear moment-rotation (M-θ) relationship of semi-rigid steel beam-to-column connections. The parameters are the initial stiffness, the plastic stiffness, and a reference moment. Two commonly used welded moment connections are picked up for moment-rotation calculation and comparison between the results of the proposed model and those of a detailed nonlinear finite elements modeling. Semi-analytical equations are proposed for calculating the parameters containing basic factors affecting behavior of the connections. The coefficients of the equations are computed based on a data bank developed in this study using the finite element method. A large number of finite elements models covering the whole range of common dimensions of the above connections are analyzed. Accuracy of the finite element model is verified on the basis of the available test results from previous studies. Tensile tests for determination of material properties of weld to be used in the modeling are conducted. Comparison between the results of the semi-analytical equations and the finite element models shows that the proposed model is able to estimate the moment-rotation curves of the welded beam-to-column connections with very good accuracy.     

An investigation on the impacts of regulatory interventions on wind power expansion in generation planning

Large integration of intermittent wind generation in power system has necessitated the inclusion of more innovative and sophisticated approaches in power system investment planning. This paper presents a novel framework on the basis of a combination of stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) algorithm and game theory to study the impacts of different regulatory interventions to promote wind power investment in generation expansion planning. In this study, regulatory policies include Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) incentive, quota and tradable green certificate. The intermittent nature and uncertainties of wind power generation will cause the investors encounter risk in their investment decisions. To overcome this problem, a novel model has been derived to study the regulatory impacts on wind generation expansion planning. In our approach, the probabilistic nature of wind generation is modeled. The model can calculate optimal investment strategies, in which the wind power uncertainty is included. This framework is implemented on a test system to illustrate the working of the proposed approach. The result shows that FITs are the most effective policy to encourage the rapid and sustained deployment of wind power. FITs can significantly reduce the risks of investing in renewable energy technologies and thus create conditions conducive to rapid market growth.