Parametric Study of a Supercritical CO2 Power Cycle for Waste Heat Recovery with Variation in Cold Temperature and Heat Source Temperature

The supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) power cycle is a promising development for waste heat recovery (WHR) due to its high efficiency despite its simplicity and compactness compared with a steam bottoming cycle. A simple recuperated S-CO2 power cycle cannot fully utilize the waste heat due to the trade-off between the heat recovery and thermal efficiency of the cycle. A split cycle in which the working fluid is preheated by the recuperator and the heat source separately can be used to maximize the power output from a given waste heat source. In this study, the operating conditions of split S-CO2 power cycles for waste heat recovery from a gas turbine and an engine were studied to accommodate the temperature variation of the heat sink and the waste heat source. The results show that it is vital to increase the low pressure of the cycle along with a corresponding increase in the cooling temperature to maintain the low-compression work near the critical point. The net power decreases by 6 to 9% for every 5 °C rise in the cooling temperature from 20 to 50 °C due to the decrease in heat recovery and thermal efficiency of the cycle. The effect of the heat-source temperature on the optimal low-pressure side was negligible, and the optimal high pressure of the cycle increased with an increase in the heat-source temperature. As the heat-source temperature increased in steps of 50 °C from 300 to 400 °C, the system efficiency increased by approximately 2% (absolute efficiency), and the net power significantly increased by 30 to 40%.

Optimization of Air Cooling System Using Adjoint Solver Technique

Air cooling systems are currently the most popular and least expensive solutions to maintain a safe temperature in electronic devices. Heat sinks have been widely used in this area, allowing for an increase in the effective heat transfer surface area. The main objective of this study was to optimise the shape of the heat sink geometric model using the Adjoint Solver technique. The optimised shape in the context of minimal temperature value behind the heat sink is proposed. The effect of radiation and trapezoidal fin shape on the maximum temperature in the cooling system is also investigated. Simulation studies were performed in Ansys Fluent software using the Reynolds—averaged Navier–Stokes technique. As a result of the simulation, it turned out that not taking into account the radiation leads to an overestimation of temperatures in the system—even by 14 ∘C. It was found that as the angle and height of the fins increases, the temperature value behind the heat sink decreases and the heat source temperature increases. The best design in the context of minimal temperature value behind the heat sink from all analysed cases is obtained for heat sink with deformed fins according to iteration 14. The temperature reduction behind the heat sink by as much as 25 ∘C, with minor changes in heat source temperature, has been achieved.

Effect of high temperatures on the efficiency of sub-critical CO2 cycle

Thermodynamic efficiency is a crucial factor of a power cycle. Most of the studies indicated that efficiency increases with increasing heat source temperature, regardless of heat source type. Although this assumption generally is right, when the heat source temperature is close to the critical temperature, increasing the heat source temperature can decrease efficiency. Therefore, in some cases, the increase in the source temperature, like using improved or more collectors for a solar heat source can have a double negative effect by decreasing efficiency while increasing the installation costs. In this paper, a comparison of the CO2 subcritical cycle and the Trilateral Flash Cycle will be presented to show the potential negative effect of heat source temperature increase.

Lumped Element Model for Thermomagnetic Generators Based on Magnetic SMA Films

This paper presents a lumped element model (LEM) to describe the coupled dynamic properties of thermomagnetic generators (TMGs) based on magnetic shape memory alloy (MSMA) films. The TMG generators make use of the concept of resonant self-actuation of a freely movable cantilever, caused by a large abrupt temperature-dependent change of magnetization and rapid heat transfer inherent to the MSMA films. The LEM is validated for the case of a Ni-Mn-Ga film with Curie temperature TC of 375 K. For a heat source temperature of 443 K, the maximum power generated is 3.1 µW corresponding to a power density with respect to the active material’s volume of 80 mW/cm3. Corresponding LEM simulations allow for a detailed study of the time-resolved temperature change of the MSMA film, the change of magnetic field at the position of the film and of the corresponding film magnetization. Resonant self-actuation is observed at 114 Hz, while rapid temperature changes of about 10 K occur within 1 ms during mechanical contact between heat source and Ni-Mn-Ga film. The LEM is used to estimate the effect of decreasing TC on the lower limit of heat source temperature in order to predict possible routes towards waste heat recovery near room temperature.

Wind tunnel test of an anti-icing approach by heat pipe for wind turbine bladesunder the rime ice condition

The icing events for the wind turbine blade is the key problem in the low temperature conditions. Heating is considered to be the most efficient approach to prevent from the ice formation on the turbine blade surface. However, this kind of method consumes a certain amount of energy. In this present study, an anti-icing method, using the heat pipe technology, is proposed to prevent from icing on the blade surface, and the anti-icing energy is from the waste heat generated during the operation of a wind turbine, which can reduce the assumption of the energy. The researches on the anti-icing temperature characteristics of the test model, based on the heat pipe anti-icing method, are carried out in an icing wind tunnel combining with the low natural temperature. The effects of the wind speed and heat source temperature on the heat transfer of heat pipes are investigated. The icing distribution and the temperature change of the anti-icing process of an airfoil with NACA0018 are explored, and the variation of the icing thickness of the airfoil with icing time, under the different heat source temperature conditions, is analyzed. The results indicate that the blade surface temperature, which is lower than 0?C, is more beneficial to the heat transfer of the heat pipe, and the ice prevention, based on the heat transfer of the heat pipe, can achieve a better anti-icing effect.

Exergy Analysis of Two-Stage Organic Rankine Cycle Power Generation System

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power generation is an effective way to convert medium and low temperature heat into high-grade electricity. In this paper, the subcritical saturated organic Rankine cycle system with a heat source temperature of 100~150 °C is studied with four different organic working fluids. The variations of the exergy efficiencies for the single-stage/two-stage systems, heaters, and condensers with the heat source temperature are analyzed. Based on the condition when the exergy efficiency is maximized for the two-stage system, the effects of the mass split ratio of the geothermal fluid flowing into the preheaters and the exergy efficiency of the heater are studied. The main conclusions include: The exergy efficiency of the two-stage system is affected by the evaporation temperatures of the organic working fluid in both the high temperature and low temperature cycles and has a maximum value. Under the same heat sink and heat source parameters, the exergy efficiency of the two-stage system is larger than that of the single-stage system. For example, when the heat source temperature is 130 °C, the exergy efficiency of the two-stage system is increased by 9.4% compared with the single-stage system. For the two-stage system, analysis of the four organic working fluids shows that R600a has the highest exergy efficiency, although R600a is only suitable for heat source temperature below 140 °C, while other working fluids can be used in systems with higher heat source temperatures. The mass split ratio of the fluid in the preheaters of the two-stage system depends on the working fluid and the heat source temperature. As the heat source temperature increases, the range of the split ratio becomes narrower, and the curves are in the shape of an isosceles triangle. Therefore, different working fluids are suitable for different heat source temperatures, and appropriate working fluid and split ratio should be determined based on the heat source parameters.

Analysis of novel regenerative thermo-mechanical refrigeration system integrated with isobaric engine

Refrigerants of the conventional cooling systems contribute to global warming and ozone depletion significantly, therefore it is necessary to develop new cooling systems that use renewable energy resources and waste heat to perform the cooling function with eco-friendly working fluids. To address this, the present study introduces and analyzes a novel regenerative thermo-mechanical refrigeration system that can be powered by renewable heat sources (solar, geothermal, or waste heat). The system consists of a novel expander-compressor unit (ECU) integrated with a vapor compression refrigeration system. The integrated system operates at the higher-performance supercritical conditions of the working fluids as opposed to the lower-performance subcritical conditions. The performance of the system is evaluated based on several indicators including the power loop efficiency, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cooling loop, and the expander-compressor diameters. Several working fluids were selected and compared for their suitability based on their performance and environmental effects. It was found that for heat source temperature below 100 °C, adding the regenerator to the system has no benefit. However, the regenerator increases the power efficiency by about 1 % for a heat source temperature above 130 °C. This was achieved with a very small size regenerator (Dr = 6.5 mm, Lr = 142 mm). Results show that there is a trade-off between high-performance fluids and their environmental effects. Using R32 as a working fluid at heat source temperature Th=150 °C and cold temperature Tc1=40 °C, the system produces a cooling capacity of 1 kW with power efficiency of 10.23 %, expander diameter of 53.12 mm, and compressor diameter of 75.4mm.

Nucleation and Condensation of Magnesium Vapor in Argon Carrier

The nucleation and condensation of Magnesium (Mg) vapor carried by argon gas (Ar) were examined. The condensation of Mg vapor at a heat source temperature of 1273–1473 K and Ar flow rate of 0.1–0.4 m3/h was analyzed. The result indicated that the condensation temperature is affected by the heat source temperature and Ar flow rate, and the condensation temperature of Mg vapor was 1013.3 K at a heat source temperature of 1473 K and Ar flow rate of 0.2 m3/h. The effects of Mg vapor partial pressure and temperature of the condensation zone on the nucleation and condensation of Mg vapor carried by Ar were calculated and analyzed in terms of atomic collisions and critical nucleation radius. Increased vapor oversaturation and decreased condensation temperature were favorable for liquid nucleation growth. The Mg condensation products in Ar flow rate of 0.2 m3/h at a heat source temperature of 1473 K were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and EDS, which indicated that the condensed product was of high purity and not easily oxidized in Ar flow. In this paper, the quality of Mg vapor condensation was controlled, which provided the theoretical and experimental basis for a continuous Mg production process.

Effect of heat source temperature, nanostructure, and wettability on explosive boiling of ultra-thin liquid argon film over graphene substrate: a molecular dynamics study

Background: The study on explosive boiling phenomenon has received increasing attention because it involves many industries, such as advanced micro-, nano-electromechanical and nano-electronic cooling systems, laser steam cleaning and so on. Objective: In present work, the explosive boiling of ultra-thin liquid film over two-dimensional nanomaterial surface in confined space with particular emphasis under the three different influencing factors: various heights of nanostructures, various wetting conditions of solid-liquid interface as well as various heat source temperatures. Methods: Molecular Dynamics simulations (MDs) in present work have been adopted to simulate the whole explosive boiling process. Results: For different heat source temperature case, the higher the heat temperature is, the less time the explosive boiling spends after relaxation. For nanostructure case, nanostructure surface significantly increases heat transfer rate and then leads to the increase of phase transition rate of explosive boiling. For different wetting property case, the increase of surface wettability results in increase of phase transition to some degree. Conclusion: The addition of nanostructures, the higher heat source temperature and good wettability between thin liquid film and substrate surface dramatically improve thermal heat transfer from solid surface to liquid film, which will obviously give rise to explosive boiling occur. in addition, the non-vaporized argon layer still exists in these three factors in spite of continuous thermal transmission from substrate surface to liquid argon film adjacent to solid surface even other vaporized argon atoms.