scholarly journals A Comprehensive Performance Characterization of a Nanofluid-Powered Dual-Fluid PV/T System under Outdoor Steady State Conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13134
Author(s):  
Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain ◽  
Gwi-Hyun Lee ◽  
Jun-Tae Kim

This paper discusses the effectiveness of simultaneous use of CuO nanofluid and air as a dual-fluid coolant for the thermal management of a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system. Outdoor experimental studies were performed to calculate the discrepancies between indoor and outdoor test findings. The thermal efficiency and the electrical characteristics of the dual-fluid PV/T system were investigated under steady-state test conditions following ISO standards. It was found that the divergence in electrical efficiency between indoor and outdoor-based PVT testing was significantly higher, while the difference in thermal efficiencies was marginal. It was observed that nanofluid/air, even at the lowest flow rates, outclassed the water/air coolant at higher flow rates in terms of PV/T energy output, which also ultimately helps in reducing the energy requirement for pumping. Unlike conventional solar air heaters, the proposed dual-fluid PV/T system produces a high air temperature when operated with only air at stagnant nanofluid. The maximum PV/T efficiency of approximately 85% was recorded when the nanofluid and air flows were kept at 0.02 kg/s and 0.04 kg/s, respectively. It is concluded that outdoor steady state testing provides comprehensive performance characterization of the nanofluid powered dual-fluid coolant for the PV/T system.

Author(s):  
M. Young ◽  
Y. L. Han ◽  
E. P. Muntz ◽  
G. Shiflett

Knudsen Compressors are meso/micro scale gas compressors/pumps based on thermal transpiration or thermal creep. The design of radiantly driven Knudsen Compressors is discussed, along with a model that was developed to understand their performance. Experimental pumping performances for Knudsen Compressors with one, two, five, and fifteen stage, radiantly driven cascades are also discussed. Temperature measurements across the transpiration membranes, for various pressures of Nitrogen, were obtained and compared to those predicted by the performance model. The results agree with the model to within 15% consistently under predicting the measured hot side temperature of the transpiration membrane. The pump-down curves, steady-state maximum pressure differences, and maximum flow rates produced by a single stage Knudsen Compressor were obtained. A variety of configurations were studied at pressures from 500 mTorr to atmospheric pressure. The experimental results agreed with the performance model’s predictions to within 20%.


1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Martin ◽  
D. Y. Goswami

Liquid desiccant cooling can provide control of temperature and humidity, while at the same time lowering the electrical energy requirement for air conditioning. Since the largest energy requirement associated with desiccant cooling is low temperature heat for desiccant regeneration, the regeneration process greatly influences the overall system performance. Therefore, the effects of variables such as air and desiccant flow rates, air temperature and humidity, desiccant temperature and concentration, and the area available for heat and mass transfer on the regeneration process are of great interest. Due to the complexity of the regeneration process, which involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer, theoretical modeling must be verified by experimental studies. However, a limited number of experimental studies are reported in the literature. This paper presents results from a detailed experimental investigation of the heat and mass transfer between a liquid desiccant (triethylene glycol) and air in a packed bed regenerator using high liquid flow rates. To regenerate the desiccant, it is heated to temperatures readily obtainable from flat-plate solar collectors. A high performance packing that combines good heat and mass transfer characteristics with low pressure drop is used. The rate of water evaporation, as well as the effectiveness of the regeneration process is assessed based on the variables listed above. Good agreement is shown to exist between the experimental findings and predictions from finite difference modeling. In addition, the findings in the present study are compared to findings previously reported In the literature. Also, the results presented here characterize the important variables that impact the system design.


1998 ◽  
Vol 120 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. O¨berg ◽  
D. Y. Goswami

Desiccant cooling systems have the ability to provide efficient humidity and temperature control while reducing the electrical energy requirement for air conditioning as compared to a conventional system. Naturally, the desiccant air dehumidification process greatly influences the overall performance of the desiccant system. Therefore, the effects of variables such as air and desiccant flow rates, air temperature and humidity, desiccant temperature and concentration, and the area available for heat and mass transfer are of great interest. Due to the complexity of the dehumidification process, theoretical modeling relies heavily upon experimental studies. However, a limited number of experimental studies are reported in the literature. This paper presents results from a detailed experimental investigation of the heat and mass transfer between a liquid desiccant (triethylene glycol) and air in a packed bed absorption tower using high liquid flow rates. A high performance packing that combines good heat and mass transfer characteristics with low pressure drop is used. The rate of dehumidification, as well as the effectiveness of the dehumidification process are assessed based on the variables listed above. Good agreement is shown to exist between the experimental findings and predictions from finite difference modeling. In addition, a comparison between the findings in the present study and findings previously reported in the literature is made. The results obtained from this study make it possible to characterize the important variables which impact the system design.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
T KALAIARASI ◽  
M SENTHILKUMAR ◽  
S SHANMUGAN ◽  
T JARIN ◽  
V CHITHAMBARAM ◽  
...  

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