Optimal Control of Centralized Thermoelectric Generation System under Nonuniform Temperature Distribution Using Barnacles Mating Optimization Algorithm

The need for renewable energy resources is ever-increasing due to the concern for environmental issues associated with fossil fuels. Low-cost high-power-density manufacturing techniques for the thermoelectric generators (TEG) have added to the technoeconomic feasibility of the TEG systems as an effective power generation system in heat recovery, cooling, electricity, and engine-efficiency applications. The environment-dependent factors such as the nonuniform distribution of heat, damage to the heat-transfer coating between sinks and sources, and mechanical faults create nonuniform current generation and impedance mismatch causing power loss. As a solution to this nonlinear multisolution problem, an improved MPPT control is presented, which utilizes the improvised barnacle mating optimization (BMO). The case studies are formulated to gauge the performance of the proposed BMP MPPT control under nonuniform temperature distribution. The results are compared to the grey wolf optimization (GWO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and cuckoo search (CS) algorithm. Faster global maximum power point tracking (GMPP) within 381 ms, higher power tracking efficiency of up to 99.93%, and least oscillation ≈0.8 W are achieved by the proposed BMO with the highest energy harvest on average. The statistical analysis further solidifies the better performance of the proposed controller with the least root mean square error (RMSE), RE, and highest SR.

A Conformable Two-Dimensional Resistance Temperature Detector for Measuring Average Skin Temperature

Various medical procedures are accomplished by manipulating skin temperature in a nonuniform pattern. Skin temperature monitoring is essential to assess conformance to protocol specifications and to prevent thermal injury. Existing solutions for skin temperature monitoring include single point sensors, such as thermocouples, and two-dimensional methods of sensing surface temperature, such as infrared thermography, and wearable technology. Single point sensors cannot detect the average temperature and consequently their measurements cannot be representative of average surface temperature in a nonuniform temperature field. Infrared thermography requires optical access, and wearable sensors may require complex manufacturing processes and impede the heat exchange with a source by introducing a layer of insulation. Our solution is a two-dimensional resistance temperature detector (2D RTD) created by knitting copper magnet wire into custom shapes. The 2D RTDs were calibrated, compared to one-dimensional sensors and wearable sensors, and analyzed for hysteresis, repeatability, and surface area conformation. Resistance and temperature were correlated with an R2 of 0.99. The 2D RTD proved to be a superior device for measuring average skin temperature exposed to a nonuniform temperature boundary in the absence of optical access such as when a full body thermal control garment is worn.

Combined effects of nonuniform temperature gradients and heat source on double diffusive Benard-Marangoni convection in a porous-fluid system in the presence of vertical magnetic field

The physical configuration of the problem is a porous-fluid layer which is horizontally unbounded, in the presence of uniform heat source/sink in the layers enclosed by adiabatic and isothermal boundaries. The problem of double diffusive Bènard-Marangoni convection in the presence of vertical magnetic field is investigated on this porous-fluid system for non-Darcian case and is subjected to uniform and nonuniform temperature gradients. The eigenvalue, thermal Marangoni number is obtained in the closed form for lower rigid and upper free with surface tension velocity boundary conditions. The influence of various parameters on the Marangoni number against thermal ratio is discussed. It is observed that the heat absorption in the fluid layer and the applied magnetic field play an important role in controlling Benard-Marangoni convection. The parameters which direct this convection are determined and the effect of porous parameter is relatively interesting.