Design and Evaluation of the Fresnel-Lens Based Solar Concentrator System Through a Statistical-Algorithmic Approach

A novel non-imaging Fresnel-lens-based solar concentrator-receiver system has been investigated to achieve high-efficiency photon and heat outputs with minimized effect of chromatic aberrations. Two types of non-imaging Fresnel lenses, a spot-flat lens and a dome-shaped lens, are designed through a statistical algorithm incorporated in MATLAB. The algorithm optimizes the lens design via a statistical ray-tracing methodology of the incident light, considering the chromatic aberration of solar spectrum, the lens-receiver spacing and aperture sizes, and the optimum number of prism grooves. An equal-groove-width of the Poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) prisms is adopted in the model. The main target is to maximize ray intensity on the receiver’s aperture, and therefore, achieve the highest possible heat flux and output concentration temperature. The algorithm outputs prism and system geometries of the Fresnel-lens concentrator. The lenses coupled with solar receivers are simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics. It combines both optical and thermal analyses for the lens and receiver to study the optimum lens structure for high solar flux output. The optimized solar concentrator-receiver system can be applied to various devices which require high temperature inputs, such as concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), high-temperature stirling engine, etc.

Fruit Ripeness Estimation for Avocado Using Thermal Imaging

Novel technologies have always been an indispensable part of the scientific enterprise and a catalyst for new discoveries. The invisible radiation patterns of objects are converted into visible images called thermograms or thermal images. Thermal images can be utilized to estimate the ripeness of some fruits which do not change their color from yellow to green when they are ripe. Thermal imaging techniques are very helpful since color and fluorescent analytical approaches cannot be applied to these fruits. In this work, it is shown that different ripeness levels of avocado (Hall type) using a non-destructive method called thermal imaging, in two dimensional spaces. The work is based on the fact that fruits have different specific heat capacities at different temperatures, thus making their thermal images clear indicators of ripeness.

Heat Transfer Across Crystalline and Amorphous Silicon Surfaces in Contact With Water and the Effects of the Interfacial Liquid Structuring

The understanding of nanoscale heat transfer across solid-liquid interfaces poses similar challenges as solid-solid interfaces; however, the higher mobility of liquid particles increases the complexity of this problem. It has been observed that liquid particles tend to form organized structures in the vicinity of solid surfaces; additionally, the formation of such structures has been reported to correlate with heat transfer across interfaces. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were used to investigate the behavior of liquid water in contact with crystalline and amorphous silicon. The in-plane and out-of-plane structure of interfacial water was characterized under different artificial wettability conditions, i.e., the silicon-water interaction potentials were calibrated to reproduce a wide range of wettability conditions. The change in the vibrational density of states was analyzed in order to quantify the mismatch between modes on both sides of the solid-liquid interfaces. Linear response theory was used to calculate the thermal boundary conductance at the different interfaces and a correlation was found between surface chemistry and heat transfer.

Experimental Investigation on Flow Field in a Rotating Channel With a New TR-PIV System

In the current study, the influence of different rotation conditions on the flow behavior is experimentally investigated by a new system which is designed for time-resolved PIV measurements of the smooth channels at rotation conditions. The Reynolds number equals 15000 and the rotation number ranges from 0 to 0.392 with an interval of 0.098. This new time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry system consists of a 10 Watts continuous laser diode and a high-speed camera. The laser diode can provide a less than 1mm thickness sheet light. 6400 frames can be captured in one second by the high-speed camera. These two parts of the system are fixed on a rotating disk. In this case, the relative velocity of flows in the rotating smooth square channel can be measured directly to reduce the measurement error. This system makes high-speed camera close to the rotating channel, which allows a high resolution for the measurements of main stream. In addition, high accuracy and temporal resolution realize a detailed analysis of boundary layer characteristics in rotation conditions. Based on this system, experimental investigation has been undertaken. Results are presented of the evolution of velocity and boundary layer thickness at various rotation numbers and different circumferential positions.

Future Scenarios for Emissions From Energy and Power Production in the Rocky Mountain Region

Across the U.S., electricity production from coal-fired generation is declining while use of renewables and natural gas is increasing. This trend is expected to continue in the future. In the Rocky Mountain region, this shift is expected to reduce emissions from electricity production while increasing emissions from the production and processing of oil and gas, with significant implications for the level, location, and timing of the air pollution emissions that are associated with these activities. In turn, these emissions changes will affect air quality in the region, with impacts on ground-level ozone of particular concern. This study aims to evaluate the tradeoffs in emissions from both power plants and oil and gas basins resulting from contrasting scenarios for shifts in electricity and oil and gas production through the year 2030. The study also incorporates federal and state-level regulations for CH4, NOx, and VOC emissions sources. These regulations are expected to produce significant emissions reductions relative to baseline projections, especially in the oil and gas production sector. Annual emissions from electricity production are estimated to decrease in all scenarios, due to a combination of using more natural gas power plants, renewables, emissions regulations, and retiring old inefficient coal power plants. However, reductions are larger in fall, winter, and spring than in summer, when ozone pollution is of greatest concern. Emissions from oil and gas production are estimated to either increase or decrease depending on the location, scenario, and the number of sources affected by regulations. The net change in emissions thus depends on pollutant, location, and time of year.

Numerical Investigation on Simultaneous Effects of Surface Roughness and Variable Properties on Laminar Flow in Annular Tubes

A comprehensive study is conducted to evaluate the heat transfer characteristics of laminar nanofluid flow in an annular tube. Thermo-physical properties of the nanofluid is considered to be variable and for the inner and outer walls, there exists serrated surface roughness. The study focuses on the velocity distribution, friction factor and Nusselt number. All results are compared with those for the smooth channel and constant property nanofluid as well. The results show that the tube with serrated wall experiences greater maximum velocity. Moreover, decrease in velocity gradient and some other thermal characteristics result in decrease in average Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers for the rough tube with variable-property fluid.

Heat Transfer Modeling of Nanoparticle Packings on a Substrate

The temperature evolution of nanoparticle packings on a substrate under high laser power is investigated both experimentally and via numerical simulations. Numerical modeling of temperature distributions in copper nanoparticle packings on a glass substrate is performed and results are compared with experiment under 2.6 kW/cm2 laser power. A coupled electromagnetic-heat transfer model is implemented to understand the nanoparticle temperature distribution. Very good agreement between the coupled electromagnetic-heat transfer model and the experimental results is obtained by matching the interfacial thermal conductance, G, between the nanoparticles using the experimental result in the coupled electromagnetic-heat transfer model.

Influence of Pattern Geometry of Hybrid Surfaces on Dropwise Condensation Heat Transfer and Droplet Dynamics

The scope of combining two wettability regions is to impact the droplet dynamic behaviors, manipulate the droplets’ mobility and enhance condensation heat transfer. Hydrophobic-hydrophilic hybrid patterns can promote the heat transfer, droplet-renewal frequency and enhance the droplets’ removal during condensation. With regard of condensation on hybrid surfaces, the geometry of the patterns has a significant influence on droplets departure frequency and heat transfer performance. Therefore, different patterns geometries (circle, ellipse, and diamond) have been developed on horizontal copper tubes at atmospheric pressure. All the patterns have the same size, and the same identical gap as well between the adjacent patterns. Results show that the diamond hybrid surface has the best performance compared with ellipse, circles hybrid surfaces at the same pattern area with same neighbor gap between two patterns and complete dropwise However, the circle and ellipse hybrid surfaces outperform lower performance compared to complete dropwise surface. The heat transfer rate for the diamond hybrid surface is 15% higher than complete dropwise surface when the gap is 0.5mm. This study clearly demonstrated the effect of pattern’s geometry regarding maximum condensation heat transfer rate and droplet departure frequency.

Heat Transfer Enhancement in Wavy Micro-Channels Through Multiharmonic Surfaces

In this study, three-dimensional numerical simulations are performed to investigate heat transfer enhancement in multi-harmonic micro-scale wavy channels. The focus is on the influence of channel surface-topography, modeled as multi-harmonic sinusoidal waves of square cross-sectional area, on the enhancing mechanisms. A single-wave device of 0.5 mm × 0.5 mm × 20 mm length, is used as baseline, and new designs are built with harmonic-type surfaces. The channel is enclosed by a solid block, with the bottom surface within the sinusoidal region being exposed to a 47 W/cm2 heat flux. The numerical solutions of the governing equations for an incompressible laminar flow and conjugate heat transfer are obtained via finite elements. By using the ratio of the Nusselt number for wavy to straight channels, a parametric analysis — for a set of cold-water flowrates (Re = 50, 100, and 150) — shows that the addition of harmonic surfaces enhances the transfer of energy and that such ratio achieves the highest value with wave harmonic numbers of n = ±2. Use of a performance factor (PF), defined as the ratio of the Nusselt number to the pressure drop, shows that, surprisingly, the proposed wavy multi-harmonic channels are not as efficient as the single-wave geometries. This outcome is thought to be, primarily, due to the uncertainty associated with the definition of the Nusselt number used in this study, and establishes a direction to investigate the development of a more accurate definition.