Response surface modelling and performance evaluation of solar dryer for drying of grapes

The current study focuses on the performance of Solar Greenhouse Dryer for drying of grapes for raisin making in Solar Dryer and Open sun condition in Western Maharashtra. The Maharashtra state ranks first in the production of grapes, probably Western Maharashtra produces nearly 800 thousand tons of grapes every year. The major wastage of grapes is due to low sugar content, glossy appearance, shrinkage, excess water in berry, scorching and size variation. Therefore, there is a need to preserve the grapes by drying and making raisins for a non-seasonal requirement. The experiment was conducted for drying of grapes in Solar Greenhouse Dryer and Open Sun condition from 1st of April to 4th of April for 48 hours. The initial weight of the grapes to be dried was 500 grams for both Solar Greenhouse Dryer and open sun drying conditions. The experiment was conducted at Bahe, Borgaon, Tal-Walwa, Dist- Sangli, Maharashtra, India located at 17.115o N and 74.33o E. The main aim of using DOE i.e., Response Surface Modelling is to get an optimum region for drying of grapes in Solar Greenhouse Dryer, from the Surface plot; the region of maxima and minima was obtained.

Design of a Solar Powered Reverse Osmosis System in Egypt

Scarcity of fresh water, forced many countries to get their water needs, or part of it, by means of saline water desalination. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are useful tools in this concern. In case the grid electricity is not available or costly, photovoltaic (PV) power is necessary to derive RO systems. The present paper is concerned with providing a methodology for complete sizing and design of a photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PVRO) system in Egypt. Egypt has very favorable solar energy. A computer program was constructed to solve the mathematical equations of the model to get the numerical values. The program is capable of calculating the solar irradiation for any city in Egypt. Calculations and selection of the RO system with all connected pumps, the peak PV power needed, and the actual PV area were performed for different water demands ranging from 1-100 m3/day, and various water total dissolved solids (TDSs) of 5000, 15000, and 30000 mg/l. The cost of the complete PVRO system was also determined. The concern of the paper is related to water desalination and solar energy, which are responsible for our existence. The work also aims toward sustainable and clean environment via utilizing solar energy.

Investigation of non-imaging Fresnel lens prototyping with different manufacturing methods for solar energy application

Non-imaging Fresnel lenses have been playing an important role in improving the efficiency of the solar energy systems. Many researchers have been developing novel designs of Fresnel lenses to enhance the concentrator performance. To bring the complex design of a Fresnel lens from a conceptual theory to a real-life application while maintaining its efficiency, it is critical to find the optimum manufacturing method that achieves the best quality fabrication at low cost in the lab scale. This work will systematically investigate four advanced manufacturing methods for their lens-making capabilities, including pressure casting, hot embossing, 3D printing, and CNC machining. Six Fresnel lenses were fabricated by the four methods, which were tested in the lab by a solar simulator and a solar cell to demonstrate their performances. The CNC machining provides the best quality lab-scale Fresnel lens that enhances the solar cell efficiency by 118.3%. 3D printing and hot embossing methods are also promising for the fabrication of good performance lenses – increasing the solar cell efficiency by 40-70%. However, the 3D printed lens has the issue of material degradation on the long term. Although the pressure casting is the easiest manufacturing method, the performance of fabricated lens was the lowest.

Design of Functionally Graded Composites through Friction Stir Processing

An Investigation was conducted to produce Aluminium based Functionally graded material (FGM) composites by Friction stir processing (FSP). A reinforcement strategy featuring the use of Alumina and TiC reinforcements was investigated, where holes were drilled in an Aluminium plate, filled with reinforcements and stirred using FSP. A mathematical model was formulated for positioning of holes in such a manner that the composition of the reinforcements varies from maximum to minimum over a given length. Samples were subjected to various number of FSP passes from one to three with 100% overlap and its influence on particle distribution and homogeneity was studied using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at cross sections parallel to the tool traverse direction. A progressive gradient in hardness values was observed for the surface composites at all the passes.

Numerical aided design of Pelton nozzle jet deflector

Hydro energy still occupies an important place among renewable energy sources. In special operating conditions, Pelton turbines are irreplaceable and can be used for extremely small hydropower plants and also large hydro power plants. Pelton turbines can operate with high head and relatively small flow rates. In many cases, the height differences of the water are very large. Sometimes it is necessary to stop the operation of the turbine very quickly and the consequences of water hammer can be very severe. The responsible part to minimize the consequences of this phenomena is jet deflector, which can be in two different technical designs. The steps for 3-D geometry definition, pre-processing and post-processing, flow modelling and FEM analysis are presented. In the paper is presented the new optimized design of push-out jet deflector shape. Optimization consider 3-D CFD analysis of free surface flow and stress analysis. The main goal of the research was to minimize the influence of all force components on the torque of deflector servomotor. The final results present the geometry of the deflector, with a significant reduction in the stresses and deformations. These have been achieved with a crucial reduction in the hydrodynamic force and torque.

Numerical analysis of the V-die bending process of the zinc coated DC01 steel

This paper presents the FEM analysis of V-die bending process of the zinc plated DC01 steel. The process is analyzed in terms of maximal plastic strain, and the reaction force on the punch. An analysis of the spring-back phenomenon has also been conducted. This paper shows the model preparation process as well as the achieved results and their interpretation.

Cooling holes with different structures effects on coolant cross flow and heat transfer at the outlet of the combustion chamber

The major effects of cylindrical and row trenched cooling holes with angles of alpha=30, beta=0, alpha=40, beta=0 and alpha=50, beta=0 at BR=3.18 on the effectiveness of film cooling near the combustor end wall surface is an important subject to study in detail. In the current study, researchers used a FLUENT package 16/11 to simulate a 3-D model of a Pratt and Whitney gas turbine engine. In this research, RNG turbulence model K-ε model was used to analyze the flow behavior on the passage ways of internal cooling. In the combustor simulator, the dilution jets and cooling flow staggered in the streamwise direction and aligned in the spanwise direction as well. In comparison with the baseline case of cooling holes, the application of trenched hole near the end wall surface increased the effectiveness of film cooling up to 100% for different trench cases.

Forecasting process parameters on weld nugget hardness of filler added friction stir welded dissimilar aluminium alloys 5052 And 6082 joints

This article deals with the optimization of friction stir welding process parameters with filler ratios on dissimilar Aluminium alloy groups. For this purpose, 6 series Aluminium alloy 6082 and 5 series Aluminium alloy 5052 were taken. Microhardness property was conducted under various rotational speeds, welding speed, plunge depth, Center distance between the holes and filler mixing ratio. The Central Composite Design (CCD), the most commonly used Response Surface Methodology (RSM), is considered to develop the prediction equation. A validation analysis is carried out, and the results were compared with the relative impact of input parameters on weld nugget microhardness. It is observed that the increase in welding speed with plunge depth and filler ratio result in the increase of weld nugget microhardness up to a maximum value. The maximum weld nugget hardness of fabricated joint was obtained with the welding process parameters combination of 1000 rpm rotational speed, 125 mm/min welding speed, 0.15 mm plunge depth, 2 mm centre distance between the holes, and filler ratio of 95% Mg and 5% Cr.

Numerical simulation and experimental validation of solar greenhouse dryer using finite element analysis for different roof shapes

The word greenhouse dryer is used for a building which is highly glazed with thermal conditioning for desired range and it is used for cultivating crops, plants, vegetables, etc. The actual working of a greenhouse is that the short-wave radiations falling on the greenhouse are absorbed by the outer glazing material thereby heating the interior area of greenhouse and providing ambient heat for plants, vegetables growth respectively. The heated space is retained within the enclosure of greenhouse. This phenomenon is called as greenhouse effect. The important role played during the greenhouse effect phenomenon are atmosphere, insulating roofs, walls, etc. The current study focuses on the numerical and experimental validation of Solar Greenhouse which is utilized for drying phenomenon. The numerical simulation is performed using Finite Element Analysis method. The various roof shapes have been incorporated to have emphasis on maximum solar gain to drying phenomenon.

Impact of electromobility development on the electricity market

The article describes the forecasts and the current state of electromobility in Poland. Attention was drawn to the significant problems faced by the electricity market as a result of adapting infrastructure for electromobility and growing energy demand. IT systems supporting electromobility were presented. The activities undertaken by Energa Operator for the development of electromobility in the area of electricity distribution of this company have also been presented.