Theoretical and testing performance of an innovative indirect evaporative chiller

An indirect evaporative chiller is a device used to produce chilled water at a temperature between the wet bulb temperature and dew point of the outdoor air, which can be used in building HVAC systems. This article presents a theoretical analysis and practical performance of an innovative indirect evaporative chiller. First, the process of the indirect evaporative chiller is introduced; then, the matching characteristics of the process are presented and analyzed. It can be shown that the process that produces cold water by using dry air is a nearly-reversible process, so the ideal produced chilled water temperature of the indirect evaporative chiller can be set close to the dew point temperature of the chiller’s inlet air. After the indirect evaporative chiller was designed, simulations were done to analyze the output water temperature, the cooling efficiency relative to the inlet dew point temperature, and the COP that the chiller can performance. The first installation of the indirect evaporative chiller of this kind has been run for 5 years in a building in the city of Shihezi. The tested output water temperature of the chiller is around 14–20 °C, which is just in between of the outdoor wet bulb temperature and dew point. The tested COP_r,s of the developed indirect evaporative chiller reaches 9.1. Compared with ordinary air conditioning systems, the indirect evaporative chiller can save more than 40% in energy consumption due to the fact that the only energy consumed is from pumps and fans. An added bonus is that the indirect evaporative chiller uses no CFCs that pollute to the aerosphere. The tested internal parameters, such as the water–air flow rate ratio and heat transfer area for each heat transfer process inside the chiller, were analyzed and compared with designed values. The tested indoor air conditions, with a room temperature of 23–27 °C and relative humidity of 50–70%, proved that the developed practical indirect evaporative chiller successfully satisfy the indoor air conditioning load for the demo building. The indirect evaporative chiller has a potentially wide application in dry regions, especially for large scale commercial buildings. Finally, this paper presented the geographic regions suitable for the technology worldwide.     

Performance of a solar liquid desiccant air conditioner – An experimental and theoretical approach

In this paper the results of testing a solar liquid desiccant air conditioner (LDAC) in the tropical climate of Queensland, Australia have been presented. The system uses polymer plate heat exchanger (PPHE) for dehumidification/indirect evaporative cooling, and a cooling pad as the direct evaporative cooler for the dry air leaving the PPHE. Lithium chloride, which is an effective desiccant in air dehumidification, was used in the experiments and a scavenger air regenerator concentrates the dilute solution from the dehumidifier using hot water from flat plate solar collectors. The data obtained from performance monitoring of the solar LDAC operating on a commercial site in Brisbane was compared with a previously developed model for the PPHE. The comparison reveals that good agreement exists between the experiments and model predictions. The inaccuracies are well within the measuring errors of the temperature, humidity and the air and solution flow rates. The above tests further indicate a satisfactory performance of the unit by independently controlling the air temperature and humidity inside the conditioned space.

In order to prevent carryover of the solution particles into the environment, eliminators are used at outlet of the absorber unit and the regenerator. An alternative method in preventing the carryover is the use of indirect cooling, in which the supply air does not contact the solution. The method can be used to produce potable water from the atmospheric air in remote areas.

The liquid desiccant system can be used in the HVAC industry, either as a packaged roof-top air conditioner, or as an air handler unit for commercial applications. The system could also be used for space heating in winter due to the property of desiccants to provide heat when wetted.     

CO2 emissions structure of Indian economy

This paper analyses carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of the Indian economy by producing sectors and due to household final consumption. The analysis is based on an Input–Output (IO) table and Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for the year 2003–04 that distinguishes 25 sectors and 10 household classes. Total emissions of the Indian economy in 2003–04 are estimated to be 1217 million tons (MT) of CO₂, of which 57% is due to the use of coal and lignite. The per capita emissions turn out to be about 1.14 tons. The highest direct emissions are due to electricity sector followed by manufacturing, steel and road transportation. Final demands for construction and manufacturing sectors account for the highest emissions considering both direct and indirect emissions as the outputs from almost all the energy-intensive sectors go into the production process of these two sectors. In terms of life style differences across income classes, the urban top 10% accounts for emissions of 3416 kg per year while rural bottom 10% class accounts for only 141 kg per year. The CO₂ emission embodied in the consumption basket of top 10% of the population in urban India is one-sixth of the per capita emission generated in the US.     

Thermo-economic optimization of an indirectly coupled solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine hybrid power plant

Power generation using gas turbine (GT) power plants operating on the Brayton cycle suffers from low efficiencies, resulting in poor fuel to power conversion. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is proposed for integration into a 10-MW GT power plant, operating at 30% efficiency, in order to improve system efficiencies and economics. The SOFC system is indirectly coupled to the GT, in order to minimize the disruption to the GT operation. A thermo-economic model is developed to simulate the hybrid power plant and to optimize its performance using the method of Lagrange Multipliers. It predicts an optimized power output of 18.9 MW at 48.5% efficiency, and a breakeven per-unit energy cost of USD 4.54 ¢ kW h⁻¹ for the hybrid system based on futuristic mass generation SOFC costs.     

Indirect land use change for biofuels: Testing predictions and improving analytical methodologies

Current practices for estimating indirect land use change (iLUC) due to United States biofuel production rely on assumption-heavy, global economic modeling approaches. Prior iLUC studies have failed to compare their predictions to past global historical data. An empirical approach is used to detect evidence for iLUC that might be catalyzed by United States biofuel production through a “bottom-up”, data-driven, statistical approach. Results show that biofuel production in the United States from 2002 to 2007 is not significantly correlated with changes in croplands for corn (coarse grain) plus soybean in regions of the world which are corn (coarse grain) and soybean trading partners of the United States. The results may be interpreted in at least two different ways: 1) biofuel production in the United States through 2007 (the last date for which information is available) probably has not induced any indirect land use change, and 2) this empirical approach may not be sensitive enough to detect indirect land use change from the historical data. It seems clear that additional effort may be required to develop methodologies to observe indirect land use change from the historical data. Such efforts might reduce uncertainties in indirect land use change estimates or perhaps form the basis for better policies or standards for biofuels.     

异常孔隙流体压力对各种相态天然气的间接封闭作用

在异常孔隙流体压力形成机制及条件的基础上,对异常孔隙流体压力在封闭各种相态天然气的作用方面进行了研究。指出:异常孔隙流体压力不能直接对游离相天然气进行封闭,但可使泥岩盖层毛细管封闭能力增强,间接地对封闭游离相天然气起作用;异常孔隙流体压力也不能直接对水溶相天然气进行封闭,但可通过使泥岩盖层吸附阻力增强,间接地对水溶相天然气起作用;异常孔隙流体压力也不能直接对扩散相天然气进行封闭,但可通过形成异常含气浓度,间接地对封闭扩散相天然气起作用。     

铝合金支架间接挤压铸造的研究

基于有限差分法,对大型铝合金支架间接挤压铸造充型和凝固过程进行了数值模拟。通过对模拟结果的分析,确定了浇注温度为700℃,压射速度为0.03m/s,完成了模具结构和工艺设计,并制作了模具,进行了支架挤压铸造的试制。分析了试制过程铸件缺陷产生的原因,发现气孔和氧化夹渣等是主要缺陷,通过调整脱模剂的配方,适当减少脱模剂的喷涂,缩短挤压铸造循环时间等,获得了品质和性能良好的支架铸件。     

资本市场对东方钽业发展的促进作用

从宏观经济的角度介绍了资本市场的成因与作用。对直接融资和间接融资方式的优缺点进行了深入的比较。详细阐述了东方钽业上市融资后对企业发展的巨大推动作用。