Heat Localization in the Medium in Blow-Up Regime

The existence of the effect of heat metastable localization in the medium in the blow-up heating regime was experimentally proved. This is the regime in which the heating energy for a finite period of time tends to infinity. Previous theoretical studies have shown that in this case some regions, inside of which the temperature increases, may arise, while their size remains constant or decreases with time (heat localization regions). These regions exist as long as there is some energy input from the outside. An installation for the experimental study of the thermal blow-up regimes in a solid was developed. The object of research was an aluminum rod with a heater at its end. The temperature distribution along the rod was measured with thermocouples. The temperature of the rod end could vary according to the given law. Calibration of the installation was performed. The sensitivity of thermocouples was determined. The inertia of the heating and cooling process was estimated. The mathematical description of the thermal processes, occurring during the experiment, was made. The nonlinear equation of heat conduction for the rod was solved, with the heat exchange with the environment by convection and radiation taken into account. The thermal regime at the boundary, which is necessary to create the thermal structures, was determined. The temperature distribution in the rod in the blow-up regime and non-blow-up regime was measured. In the blow-up regime the heat front (the coordinate of the point with the temperature equal to half the maximum temperature) initially shifts from the heat source, and then in the opposite direction, and the size of the area under heating decreases. In the non-blow-up regime the size of the heated region increases all the time. The predicted effect was supposed to be used in installations for thermonuclear fusion where the target was heated by laser radiation pulses of a special shape. This effect can also be used for localized heating in cutting and welding, when the adjacent regions are not to get very hot, and in other similar situations.

Thermal Energy Storage for the Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle

This paper examines the operation of a simple sensible thermal energy storage (TES) unit for use in concentrated solar power (CSP) plant applications using supercritical CO2 (sCO2) as the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer characteristics of the system are described and it is shown that an advancing heat front, with a very high temperature gradient, is achieved through proper design. Typical charge and discharge times of 6 hours are studied to show how this method can be used in practical applications. It is shown that the TES can be effectively matched to a conceptual CSP plant to allow it to operate at night or during periods of reduced sunlight.