Design and Fabrication of a Novel Window-Type Convection Device

Global warming, climate change, and ever-increasing energy demand are among the pressing challenges currently facing humanity. Particularly, indoor air conditioning, a major source of energy consumption, requires immediate improvement to prevent energy crises. In this study, various airfoil profiles were applied to create a window-type convection device that entrains air to improve convection between indoor and outdoor airflows and adjust the indoor temperature. How the geometric structure of the convection device affects its air entrainment performance was investigated on the basis of various airfoil profiles and outlet slit sizes of the airflow multiplier. The airfoil profiles were designed according to the 4-digit series developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The results revealed that airfoil thickness, airfoil camber, and air outlet slit size affected the mass flow rate of the convection device. Overall, the mass flow rate at the outlet of the convection device was more than 10 times greater than at the inlet, demonstrating the potential of the device to improve air convection. To validate these simulated results, the wind-deflector plate was processed using the NACA4424 airfoil with a 1.2 mm slit, and various operating voltages were applied to the convection device to measure the resulting wind speeds and calculate the corresponding mass flow rates. The experimental and simulated results were similar, with a mean error of <7%, indicating that the airfoil-shaped wind-deflector plate substantially improved air entrainment of the convection device to the goal of reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions.

A Note on the Application of an AgLeader® Cotton Yield Monitor for Measuring Peanut Yield: An Investigation in Two US states.

ABSTRACT Previous researchers demonstrated the ability to adapt an AgLeader® Cotton Monitor to a peanut combine. It was demonstrated that the field weight could be accurately predicted with average errors of less than 10% across all trials when at least five calibration loads are applied. This project focused on expanding previous work performed at the University of Georgia and other peanut optical yield monitor work by incorporating a protective deflector plate for the sensors, obtaining multiple field weights, and using the peanut sale sheets to correlate yield monitor yield to sale weight. This study was a two-university, two-state effort, including Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma), and Mississippi State University (Mississippi). Data collected during this study included multiple loads which included yield monitor weight, field weight, field moisture content, and all the information presented on the standard USDA peanut grade sheet, when available. The multi-state effort allowed for the incorporation of the two major peanut types and for the incorporation of different soil types. The goal of this study was to develop guidelines for using, calibrating, and adapting the AgLeader® Cotton Monitor for peanut harvest. Five calibration loads referenced to buy-point net weight were typically needed to bring error within acceptable limits. Results indicated that multiple local calibrations were needed to ensure high data validity and yield estimation across multiple harvest environments. The data showed that peanut type (virginia, runner and spanish) and variable soil conditions impacted yield estimation.

Image Processing Based Fault Detection and Isolation for Mechanical Components

Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI) is essential in mechanical industry to detect and isolate objects with manufacturing defect. At present in assembly line, mechanical components are transported from one stage to other stage for assembly, packing etc. During this process, components are randomly drawn from the conveyor belt and manually inspected. Since the random inspection is done manually, there is a chance of missing out defected components in the assembly line. Manual inspection is time consuming and all the features of the components cannot be verified accurately. Hence, there is a need for a image processing based system to detect the anomalies in the components sent in the conveyor belt. In this work, camera is mounted above the conveyor module and captures the images of nuts and bolts which moving on conveyor belt. Captured images are preprocessed to remove background noise, then image is enhanced to get the appropriate features and Region of Interest (diameter of nut) is extracted to measure the diameter. If any anomaly is found in the attributes (diameter) of the mechanical components, an electrical signal will be sent to the Solenoid valve and then it actuates deflector plate by the pneumatic cylinder. Defected component is then carried by the secondary conveyor to the re-matching and the quality product are then carried to the packaging will passed to the separator through microcontroller. In this way, components with manufacturing defect are identified and isolated from assembly line

Numerical study of savonius water turbine performance by adding deflector to advancing blade side

As one of the best renewable energy sources, hydropower becomes more predictable sourcecompared to wind energy and Savonius which its performance does not contingent to fluid flowdirection. In this present, computational Fluid Dynamics acomplished by Finite Volume Methodand unsteady RANS equation were applied to analyze the numerical simulation. The presentstudy investigated the performance of Savonius Turbine by adding deflector plate installed toadvancing blade side at 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 of deflector angles in the direction of the fluid flow.The viscous turbulence model used realizable k-epsilon (RKE) and its descritization usedsecond order upwind. The type of mesh was made from coarse to fine meshing with 8 (eight)types of meshing and the grid independency of the numerical simulation had been validated bythe publish experimental data at TSR of 1,078. Grid independency occured at meshing G withthe error lower than 5 % compared to published experimental data. The result of this studyshows that the performance of Savonius turbine increased by adding deflector in advancingblade side with the maximum torque and power coefficient at 30 of deflector angle.

Numerical study on the anti-snow performance of deflectors in the bogie region of a high-speed train using the discrete phase model

In this paper, the three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations with an RNG double-equation turbulence model and a discrete phase model were used for the investigation of snow accumulation on the bogie of a high-speed train. Two kinds of deflector plates, one installed at the front end and the other at the rear end of the bogie, were proposed to reduce snow accumulation. The accuracy of the CFD methodology was validated against wind tunnel tests. The results showed that high-speed air will impact the plates where snow particles get accumulated. The snow covering on the bogie rarely drifts back into the bogie region with air. The amount of accumulating snow in the optimum models is reduced by 50.58% on average as compared to those in the original models. At the rear end of the bogie, the inclined deflector plate reduced snow accumulation by up to 10.91% compared to the vertical deflector plate.

Experimental and Numerical Investigations on Leakage Flow Characteristics of Two Kinds of Brush Seals

The leakage characteristics of interference and clearance brush seals were experimentally measured and numerically simulated in this paper. The leakage coefficients of the brush seals without a deflector plate at different pressure differentials were firstly measured. The effect of deflector plate and clearance on seal performance and the detailed flow field of the brush seal were numerically investigated using three-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solutions coupled with a Non-Darcian Porous Medium model. In addition, this study experimentally investigated the hysteresis characteristic of interference and clearance brush seals without deflector plates, and presented detailed investigations on the blow down effect of clearance brush seal using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as mentioned above and Finite Element Method (FEM) approaches. The obtained results show that the leakage coefficient and blow-down effect of the brush seal with a deflector plate is lower than that of the brush seal without a deflector plate at the same pressure difference and the clearance between the bristle pack and shaft will increase the leakage coefficient significantly. The different hysteresis characteristics of interference and clearance brush seals are illustrated and discussed.