Performance evaluation of an industrial solar dryer in Indian scenario: a techno-economic and environmental analysis

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Food product drying is used to keep food products preserved for a long period and reduce post-harvest losses. Many industries dealing with food drying...     

Effects of Annealing Temperature on the Structural,Optical,and Electrical Properties of ZnO Thin Films Grown on n-Si<100>Substrates by the Sol–Gel Spin Coating Method

The effects of annealing temperature on the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin films deposited on n-Sh100 i substrates by sol–gel spin coating method have been studied in this paper.The structural,optical,and electrical properties of ZnO thin films annealed at 450,550,and 650 °C in the Ar gas atmosphere have been investigated in a systematic way.The XRD analysis shows a polycrystalline nature of the films at all three annealing temperatures.Further,the crystallite size is observed to be increased with the annealing temperature,whereas the positions of various peaks in the XRD spectra are found to be red-shifted with the temperature.The surface morphology studied through the scanning electron microscopy measurements shows a uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles over the entire Si substrates of enhanced grain sizes with the annealing temperature.Optical properties investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy shows an optical band gap varying in the range of 3.28–3.15 eV as annealing temperature is increased from 450 to 650 °C,respectively.The fourpoint probe measurement shows a decrease in resistivity from 2:1 10 2to 8:1 10 4X cm with the increased temperature from 450 to 650 °C.The study could be useful for studying the sol–gel-derived ZnO thin film-based devices for various electronic,optoelectronic,and gas sensing applications.     

Recapitulation on latent heat hybrid buildings

In the existent paper, the performance of thermal storage hybrid buildings exploiting the latent heat of phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal refrigeration and heating of the contemporary period has been investigated. The conventional buildings consume a large amount of electricity, primarily for the heating and cooling applications. Electricity generation primarily relies on coal-based thermal power plants. The emissions from these establishments pose a serious threat to the environment. Moreover, conventional heating/cooling units rely on exorbitant energy cost. The usage of any kind of thermal storage system is an efficacious way of stockpiling thermal energy and utilizing it when needed. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of the available thermal storage units incorporating PCMs. The various segments of the buildings, viz, ceiling, window, wall, and floor have been analyzed in details. The results are quite promising in terms of load reduction and overall energy saving. Indoor surface temperature reduction of up to 7^oC has been achieved. The energy saving of up to 40% can be realized by employing PCM. A comprehensive list of the PCMs is also tried to build up for end users according to their temperature requirement.