Academic literature on the topic 'Ceramic Infrared Heater'

This paper demonstrates the need and potential for using waste heat recovery (WHR) systems from infrared gas radiant heaters, which are typical heat sources in large halls, due to the increasing energy-saving requirements for buildings in the EU and the powerful and wide-spread development of the e-commerce market. The types of gas radiant heaters are discussed and the classification of WHR systems from these devices is performed. The article also presents for the first time our innovative solution, not yet available on the market, for the recovery of heat from the exhaust gases of ceramic infrared heaters. The energy analysis for an industrial hall shows that this solution allows for environmental benefits at different levels, depending on the gas infrared heater efficiency, by reducing the amount of fuel and emissions for domestic hot water (DHW) preparation (36.8%, 15.4% and 5.4%, respectively, in the case of low-, standard- and high-efficiency infrared heaters). These reductions, considering both DHW preparation and hall heating, are 16.1%, 7.6% and 3.0%, respectively. The key conclusion is that the innovative solution can spectacularly improve the environmental effect and achieve the highest level of fuel savings in existing buildings that are heated with radiant heaters with the lowest radiant efficiency.

Heating process is the first step in vacuum forming that transforms the plastic sheet from its glassy state to rubbery state, pliable enough to be formed to mold’s shape. Infrared ceramic heaters with zoning control are commonly used in thermoforming industry, in which temperature distribution and its consistency throughout processing time become very important in determining the thickness and properties of manufactured parts. Compared to other thermoplastics, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) with its crystallization characteristics is known to have narrower process window. Slight uneven temperature distribution and overheating will degrade PET as well as cause visible defects in final product. In order to obtain proper parameter setting of infrared ceramic heater in PET vacuum forming, a numerical approach that considers PET spectral absorbance was deployed and two methods to control temperature were compared. The experiment resulted in a reliable temperature distribution by means of voltage potentiometer control for pre-heating and implanted thermocouple inside ceramic emitter for main heating in PET vacuum forming machine.

Introduction: The accumulation of fatigue and stress creates problems, including reductions in quality of life and productivity. Objectives: To investigate the effects of a far-infrared heater that heats the feet with ceramic balls on autonomic nervous activity and mood states. Methods: This study was performed as a crossover trial. Participants comprised 20 women. On different days, each participant underwent 15 min of foot warming with the far-infrared heater (far-infrared group) or remained seated for 15 min (control group). Autonomic nervous activity (low-frequency component/high-frequency component, high-frequency) and mood states scales (Profile of Mood States Second Edition and Two-Dimensional Mood Scale for Self-monitoring and Self-regulation of Momentary Mood States) during the study intervention were measured and compared between groups. Results: Low-frequency/high-frequency was significantly higher in the control group 10 min after the start of intervention than at baseline ( P = .033). Low-frequency/high-frequency was significantly lower in the far-infrared group than in the control group at 5 min ( P = .027), 10 min ( P = .011), and 15 min ( P = .015). High-frequency was significantly higher in the far-infrared group at 5 min ( P = .008), 10 min ( P = .004), and 15 min ( P = .015) than at baseline. High-frequency 5 min after the start of intervention was significantly higher in the far-infrared group than in the control group ( P = .033). POMS2 scores improved significantly more in the far-infrared group than in the control group, including in fatigue-inertia ( P = .019), tension-anxiety ( P = .025), and total mood disturbance ( P = .019). Finally, the far-infrared group showed greater improvements in Two-Dimensional Mood Scale-Short Term scores such as stability ( P = .002) and pleasure ( P = .013). Conclusion: Using the far-infrared heater to heat the feet with ceramic balls stabilized and improved mood, reduced Fatigue-Inertia and Tension-Anxiety, and alleviated total mood disturbance. Parasympathetic nervous system activation was observed from 5 min after the start of heating, suggesting that short-duration heat stimulation of the feet is effective.

This article aims to acquaint as many specialists in the field of heat engineering and thermal power engineering as possible with the possibilities and advantages of metal-mesh catalytic heaters developed at the Institute of Catalysis SB RAS. They are shown to be fundamentally different from catalytic heaters in which ceramic or glass-fiber structures are used as carriers of oxidation catalysts. Practical examples of the implementation of this technology on the example of a hot water boiler, infrared heaters and other small-sized household appliances are given. It was shown experimentally that the supplied gas is oxidized completely, and the efficiency of the laboratory, even unoptimized sample of hot water boiler determined by the inlet and outlet water temperature is not lower than 85 % in the range from 15 to 100 % of nominal capacity and 93 % in the low-power mode. The presented technology enables smooth regulation of the heater output within the whole range from 1.5 to 10 kW with power overlap factor of about 7.

The purpose of this study was to develop the warm-up suit that is comfortable as well as has good thermal performance. The function of warm-up suit is to keep the body warm and thus to lose it’s weight by sweating. Ceramic powders, such as zirconium and magnesium oxide have been incorporated into the textile structures to utilize the far infrared radiation effect of ceramics, which heat substrates homogeneously by activating molecular motion. Thermal manikin tests were conducted to determine the clothing insulation and evaporative resistance of the selected warm-up suits. Also, the far IR emission effects of ceramics containing laminate on the body heat transfer were evaluated with the thermogram data using IR camera. The results showed that the ceramics inside laminate slightly increased the thermal insulation and the evaporative resistance. Thermogram showed that when the fabric was heated with the thermal manikin, surface mean temperatures of fabrics were increased as the ceramic incorporated, and the heat storage performance was confirmed.

The processible and high yield polyborosilazane (PBSZ) precursor for SiBN ceramics was prepared by coammonolysis reaction of dichlorosilane and trichloroborazine. The synthesized PBSZ precursor was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),1H,11B, and29Si Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and its ceramic conversion chemistry was investigated by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The PBSZ precursor is a viscous liquid and changes to an insoluble solid via a cross-linking reaction between the N-H group and Si-H group as post-heated from 60 to 180°C. The insoluble solid is transformed to Si3N4and BN amorphous structures with an approximately 95% ceramic yield after being pyrolyzed to 1000°C.

Thermal properties of Pt or RuO2 thick‐film heaters made on alumina, aluminum nitride or low temperature co‐fired ceramics (LTCC) were compared in the first step of our work. Special holes to improve the heat distribution were included. Several heater layouts were analysed. The heat distribution was measured by an infrared camera, at different heating power. Second, the optimization of LTCC constructions was carried out. The simple structure of LTCC permitted the achievement of a high package density. It was possible to integrate a heating element made from special thick‐film ink as a buried film, inside a substrate. An important step in our technology was the making of the holes. A pattern of holes (achieved by punching or laser cutting) around the heating area permitted a changeable heat gradient. The quality of lamination and the structure of the buried elements were investigated with an ultrasonic microscope.

The global warming is one of the most serious problems. The decrease of CO2 emissions in our daily life is an important subject today. Recently, an application of water retentive materials as a paving material has attracted a great deal of attention in Japan. This material is effective for reducing heat island phenomenon, which is also a recent problem in many cities in Japan. Water retained in the material during rainfall evaporates when heated by sunshine. The latent heat absorbed by evaporating water works to cool the surroundings. The water retentive ceramic products are expected to be useful for building materials as well as pavements. Several performances are required on the water retentive ceramics when it is used as building materials. Its cost and quality are the important factors. Porous ceramic materials formed by pressing without firing is one of ideal low cost and eco-friendly candidates. The porous ceramics is also expected to be produced from recycled ceramic materials. By optimizing its composition and forming method, a water retentive material with high performance was developed. The trial product had the properties as follows; fracture toughness: 1300N, bending strength: 175N/cm, water absorption: larger than 30%, and precision in size (length): +-0.5mm for 150mm. The product showed also enough frost resistance. In this paper, the fundamental properties of the porous ceramics prepared without firing are discussed with referring to the results of the field experiments.Another subject recently studied by several tile manufactures in Japan is the glazed tile with high solar reflectance. The exterior walls covered with such a high solar reflectance tile keeps the surface temperature of the wall lower under the strong sunshine of summer. It is effective against heat-island phenomenon. In this paper, the outline of the research results on visible and infrared reflectance of many kinds of glazes is also discussed.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)-- Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Keywords: temperature measurement; heat flux maps; Cone Calorimeter; three-dimensional heat conduction; fire growth models; retainer frame; ceramic fiberboard; edge effect; one-dimensional heat conduction; heat flux mapping procedure; infrared camera; specimen preparation; edge frame; one-dimensional heat conduction model; thermal properties. Includes bibliographical references (p.202-204).

Evaporation is one of the inherent processes of our planet earth as an ecosystem. Water bodies, earth’s surface and vegetation all contribute significantly towards the total evaporation which eventually leads to the formation of clouds. The physical processes governing the evaporation from these surfaces differ significantly and thus needs to be studied individually. The factors which affect the total evaporation (evaporation & transpiration) are the surface temperature, ambient temperature, relative humidity, external wind speed, pressure, surface area and geometry. The present investigation deals with evaporation from three different surfaces: open water bodies, soil-like surfaces, and leaf-like surfaces. A ceramic infrared heater (2kW, 230V) has been used as the heater, in order to mimic the natural process, in all the experiments which were conducted in quiescent atmosphere i.e. without any external wind. The present work has been broadly categorized into two parts: - (a) evaporation from bare water surface, and (b) evaporation from a porous media. In part (a), we present experimental results on the evaporation from a bare water surface heated either from above using the infrared radiations or from below using heater immersed in the water. Heating from below leads to unstable stratification while infrared heating from above leads to stable stratification. The effect of water-side convection on the evaporation from a bare water surface has been investigated and all the experimental results have been combined to obtain a power law relation between Sherwood number (Sh) and Rayleigh number (Ra). Part (b) of the thesis has been further split into three major categories: - (1) evaporation from spheres based conventional porous media; (2) evaporation from novel porous media; and (3) evaporation from leaf-like surfaces. Mono-disperse spheres-based (non-hygroscopic) conventional porous media are used to mimic the natural soils. Glass beads (0.10-0.16 mm to 2.5-3.0 mm diameter), Stainless steel balls (1 mm diameter), sieved natural sand (0.3-0.5 mm diameter) and hydrophobic Ball Grid Array balls (0.30; 0.50; 0.76 mm diameter) have been used to create the conventional porous media. The range of Bond number (Bo) spanned in the present investigation is 2.2 ∗ 10−4 − 1.2 ∗ 10−1 based on the spheres dimensions. The experiments were conducted either in a cylindrical vessel (63 mm diameter and 90 mm height) or in rectangular acrylic boxes having dimensions similar to that of the cylindrical vessel. The heat flux received by the top surface of the porous media in majority of the experiments was 1000W/m2 which is close to the average annual solar insolation on the earths’ surface. The evaporation from these soil-type surfaces was found to undergo different and distinct stages. In the 1st stage of evaporation, commonly known as the constant rate period (CRP) regime, where the water in a confined 3D porous media remains on the surface and a high evaporation rate is observed. Surface tension-driven formations of capillary film(s) which rise to the surface are seen during CRP. The strength of the capillary has been defined in terms of a characteristic length called the capillary break-up length. In the 2nd stage of evaporation often called a falling rate period (FRP) regime, the capillary film which was supplying water to the top surface of the porous media breaks-up. The break-up, also termed as the transition regime, leads to receding liquid-vapour menisci and heat is conducted through the top dried layer to the water below where evaporation takes place the evaporation rate drops. Along with the wetting properties, the spheres size has been found to effect capillary break-up length and hence the duration of the stages of evaporation drastically. Surface images captured using a thermal camera clearly showed the presence of water till the capillary break-up length. The capillary break-up length was also found to be affected significantly by the heat flux or in other sense we can say that the evaporation rate in CRP regime is critical in deciding its duration in a spheres-based conventional porous media. In the present investigation heat flux ranged from 250-2000W/m2. Visualization has been carried out using a solution of de-ionized water and fluorescein dye. The colour contrast property (orange if dry and green in the solution form) of the fluorescein particles has been used to observe the evaporation sites in the porous media and to differentiate between the 1st and 2nd stage of evaporation. Apart from the experimental findings of single stack of mono-disperse spheres, multiple layering have also been investigated. The presence of complicated network of textural layering in the earth’s surface is a well-known fact. Along with the preferential evaporation, evaporation enhancement & suppression are reported in the experiments with texturally layered porous media independent of the orientation viz. vertical or horizontal layering. The stacking positions are also found to be critical in determining the overall evaporation characteristics. The geometry of a pore between three spheres in mutual contact is complicated. A simpler geometry for a pore could be that between two rods/plates in contact or three rods in mutual contact or stacks of either of these two. We call these types of porous media as “Novel porous media” as they possess many unique features not seen in a conventional porous media consisting of spheres. For this class of experiments the materials used to create the novel porous media were: Glass rods (2 & 3 mm diameter and 75 mm length), Glass capillaries (1.1/1.5 mm and 75 mm length), Faber-Castell pencil leads (0.7 mm diameter and 75 mm length), Glass plates (cross sectional dimension of 42 mm x 102 mm and thickness of 1.85 mm) and Cover slips (cross sectional dimension of 22 mm x 60 mm and thickness of 0.130.16 mm). The evaporation characteristics of vertically stacked rod-based novel porous media was found to be dominated by the corner films present in the near-zero radii contacts. Unlike the conventional porous media, the capillary break-up in the vertically stacked rod-based novel porous media was found to be limited by the vertical extent of the rods and not on the rod diameter. Due to the same reason, capillary break-up of vertically stacked rod-based novel porous media was also found to be independent of the heat flux range investigated in the present work. The 2nd stage of evaporation in these types of novel porous media therefore does not hold the true meaning as it is not forced by the porous media. The effect of orientation has also been investigated and the surface roughness was found to affect the evaporation dynamics drastically in horizontally stacked rod-based novel porous media. However, it is the surface roughness which was found to be dominant in case of vertically stacked plate-based novel porous media. The average size of a stoma, tiny holes present on the leaves, is nearly 20μm and the population density in majority of the plants is close to 5% of the leaf area. However the higher transpiration rates (60-70 % compared to a bare water source) sustained by a plant has remained a mystery for the phytologists. To study this we mimic the leaf-type surfaces by manufacturing silicon wafers having through holes. The leaf-mimics had different hole-diameter but same open area. The leaf-mimic with the smallest hole-size was found to evaporate the most while with increasing the hole-size the evaporation was found to decrease. In all the types of the leaf-mimic the evaporation ratio (ratio of the evaporation rate from the leaf mimic to that of the evaporation rate of a bare water surface at the same surface temperature) was found to increase with decreasing heat fluxes. The 3D nature of diffusion near these tiny holes enhances the evaporative flux, owing to increase in the concentration gradient of water vapour, which explains the high evaporation rates observed in the present work.

碩士
遠東科技大學
機械工程研究所
105
Tea is an important agricultural product in Taiwan.The tea roasting is a very important processing.The roasting purposes include: (1).Lowering the water content of tea to avoid quality deterioration during storing and extend tea storage time. (2).Roasting can help expel astringent taste and other smells. (3).Through the Maillard reaction, the tea fragrance will be sent out. Compared with the general traditional roasting, not only can the far-infrared skills be used to roast partially fermented tea to keep the original fragrance and standardize the tea quality, but it can also shorten roasting time and save energy to lower manufacturing costs. Hence, it is hoped for this project that a high-efficiency roasting container, which is economical, energy-saving, easily operated and able to keep the most tea polyphenols, can be developed through the application of far infrared ceramic of Nano high emissivity ,which was developed by FEU green team.Through the combination of such container and Taguchi experimental design method, the best roasting parameters of Taiwan Oolong tea will be found out to make the tea quality stable ,thus enhancing the international competitiveness significantly. The results revealed that after the two surfaces of the aluminum sheets were both heated by 7W for 30 minutes, there were 22.1℃ difference between the one with far-infrared ceramic coating and the other one without any coating. The cooling effect is remarkable. With the experiment of summer tea roasting, the results showed that the EGCG in the catechins can be increased from 19.69 mg /g to 49.82 mg /g(153% increase) through the far infrared coating application. And compared with other general roasting changes, the far-infrared ceramic roasting is more efficient for other tea content components (total polyphenols, EC, Catechins). Not only can the far-infrared application be efficient for the roasting at lower temperatures, but it can also significantly increase the ingredients good for human body.

A numerical model based upon a Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) code was developed to predict the thermal radiative properties (reflectance, transmittance, emittance) of a family of virtual alumina ceramics with prescribed textural features. The numerical samples were constituted of polydisperse spherical pores [20–120 μm] embedded in a continuous and homogenous alumina matrix. The texture of the alumina ceramics were numerically settled, allowing, in our case, to fix their porosity, their volumetric surface and their radii size distribution. The MCRT code was applied at T = 300 K and T = 1300 K since, at the local scale, the complex indices of refraction of the alumina matrix were known. The comparisons of the emittance spectra of the numerical samples with the ones acquired by infrared emittance spectroscopy on a single crystal of alumina (T = 300 K and T = 1300 K) allow to discuss the effects played by the temperature and by each textural parameters.

In this work is described a hybrid numerical code aiming to retrieve the thermal radiative properties of opaque heterogeneous coatings. The code is based on the combination of a Monte Carlo Ray Tracing (MCRT) program and of the use of the Effective Medium Approximation (EMA). This hybrid code is able to takes account for the surface roughness, the internal porosity and the chemical composition of a given layer. The solid part of a coating is composed of a conducting oxide which contents excess oxygen (δ ∼ 0.1–0.2). Due to δ and to their thicknesses (> 2 μm), the coatings are opaque for the spectral range going from the far infrared range to the visible range. For each layers, their normal spectral emissivity have been measured by infrared spectrometry (T ∼1000K). The comparison of the numerical spectra to the experimental ones permits the discussion of the effects of both the surface roughness, and the internal porosity on the emissivity spectra.

Abstract The physico-chemical and thermo-mechanical properties of aluminosilicate ceramics (high melting point, low thermal expansion coefficient, excellent thermal shock resistance, low density and good corrosion resistance) make this class of materials a good option for high temperature structural applications. Al2O3-SiO2 compounds show an excellent refractory behaviour allowing a wide use as wear resistant thermal barrier coatings, in metallurgical and glass plants and in high temperature heat exchangers. Moreover the low values of thermal expansion coefficient and of complex permittivity allow to extend the use of this ceramic for microelectronic devices, radome for antennas and electromagnetic windows for microwaves and infrared. The present paper presents the results of an extensive experimental activity carried out to produce thick aluminosilicate coatings by plasma spray technique. APS deposition parameters were optimized on the basis of a surface response approach, as specified by design of experiments (DoE) methodologies. Samples were tested for phase composition, total porosity, microstructure, microhardness, deposition efficiency, fracture toughness and modulus of rupture. Finally, coatings were characterized for their particularly interesting electromagnetic properties: complex permittivity was measured at microwave frequency using a network analyzer with wave guide.

This study describes the development and characterization of novel high-temperature thermal storage media, based on inclusion of transition metal chlorides in the potassium-sodium chloride eutectic system, (K-Na)Cl (melting temperature of 657°C, latent heat of 278 J/g). At the melting temperature of (K-Na)Cl, infrared (IR) radiation can play a major role in the overall heat transfer process — 90 percent of spectral blackbody radiation falls in the range of 2 to 13 μm. The authors propose inclusion of small amounts (less than 0.2 wt %) of IR-active transition metal chlorides to increase radiative absorption and thereby enhance heat transfer rates. A new IR reflectance apparatus was developed to allow for determination of the spectral absorption coefficient of the newly formulated PCMs in the molten state. The apparatus consisted of an alumina crucible coated at the bottom with a reflective (platinum) or absorptive (graphite) surface, a heated ceramic crucible-holder, and a combination of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and zinc selenide (ZnSe) windows for containment of the salt and allowance of inert purge gas flow. Using this apparatus, IR spectra were obtained for various transition metal chloride additives in (K-Na)Cl, and improved infrared activity and radiative transfer properties were quantified. Further, thermophysical properties relevant to thermal energy storage (i.e., melting temperature, latent heat) are measured for the pure and additive-enhanced thermal storage medium.

The rotary-type solar reactor has been developed for solar hydrogen production with the two-step water splitting process using the reactive ceramic (Ni, Mn-ferrite). The rotary-type reactor has the rotating tubular cylinder covered on a reactive ceramic and dual reaction cells for O2-releasing and H2-generation reactions. The successive evolutions of O2 and H2 gases were observed in the O2 releasing and H2 generation reaction cells, respectively, with the prototype (small) reactor (diameter of cylinder ; 4cm). There is an upper limit for the rate of H2 gas evolution in the case of the prototype reactor because of the slow rotation rate in a small irradiation area. To confirm the practical operation of the rotary-type solar reactor with the two-step water splitting process for the simultaneous production of H2 and O2 gases, a scaled-up rotary-type solar reactor with 400cm2 of the irradiation area was fabricated (diameter; 50cm). The scaled-up reactor made of inner and outer short tubular cylinders (stainless steel) has a quartz glass window for the irradiation of reactive ceramic coated on the inner tubular cylinder (cylindrical rotor) and reaction cells were aligned in the sharing spaces between the inner and outer short tubular cylinders with gas sealing mechanisms. In the reactor, reactive ceramic coated on the inner tubular cylinder was heated up to 1800K by using the infrared imaging lamps (solar simulator) with thermal flux = 600kW/m2. The solid solution between YSZ and Ni-ferrite was used as reactive ceramic for the scaled-up reactor in order to prevent from sintering at a high temperature in the O2-releasing reaction, since the sintering of reactive ceramic resulted in lowering the yield of H2 gas evolution in the H2-generation reaction. The amounts of H2 and O2 gases evolved at the rotation rate of 0.3rpm were evaluated to 64cm3 and 30cm3 for 10min with the scaled-up rotary-type solar reactor, respectively, which were much larger than those with the prototype reactor. The simultaneous evolutions of H2 and O2 gases in the two-step water splitting process were repeated by employing the scaled-up reactor with the solid solution between YSZ and Ni-ferrite.

In this paper, radiative characterization of a packed bed of novel three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) ceria particles is performed in the spectral range relevant to solar thermochemical processes, 0.35–2.2μm. Normal–hemispherical transmittance and reflectance of three samples of various thicknesses are measured. Monte Carlo ray-tracing and discrete ordinate methods are employed to identify transport scattering albedo and transport extinction coefficient in the spectral range corresponding to weak absorption in the semi-transparency band of ceria. 3DOM ceria particles are characterized by weaker scattering in comparison to sintered ceria ceramics, and increased transparency in the near-infrared spectral range 0.7–2 μm. The ordered pore-morphology of the 3DOM ceria after thermochemical redox cycling between temperatures 1373 K and 1073 K is altered due to sintering of walls of the 3DOM structure. The absorption coefficient of the packed bed is found to be practically independent of morphology. Radiative characterization of 3DOM ceria ceramics before and after thermochemical cycling suggests that preserving the 3DOM structure can lead to scattering characteristics that permit longer attenuation path lengths of incident concentrated solar radiation in the material, as well as be favorable for confinement of the near-infrared radiation during thermochemical cycling leading to favorable thermochemical conditions for fuel production.

A two-step water-splitting thermochemical cycle using redox working material of iron-based oxide (ferrite) particles has been developed for converting solar energy into hydrogen. The two-step thermochemical cycle for producing a solar hydrogen from water requires a development of a high temperature solar-specific receiver-reactor operating at 1000–1500°C. In the present work, ferrite-loaded ceramic foams with a high porosity (7 cells per linear inch) were prepared as a water splitting device by applying ferrite/zirconia particles on a MgO-partially stabilized Zirconia (MPSZ) ceramic foam. The water splitting foam device was prepared using a new method of spin coating. A spin coating method we newly employed that has advantages of shortening preparation period and reducing of the coating process in comparison to previous preparation method reported. The water-splitting foam devices, thus prepared, were examined on hydrogen productivity and reactivity through a two-step thermochemical cycle. NiFe2O4/m-ZrO2/MPSZ and Fe3O4/c-YSZ/MPSZ foam devices were firstly tested for thermal reduction of ferrite using the laboratory scale receiver-reactor by a sun-simulator to simulate concentrated solar radiation. Subsequently, with another quartz reactor the light-irradiated device was reacted with steam by infrared furnace. As a result, it was possible to perform cyclic reactions over several times and to produce hydrogen through thermal-reduction at 1500°C and water-decomposition at 1100–1200°C. In further experiments, the NiFe2O4/m-ZrO2/MPSZ foam device was successfully demonstrated in a windowed single reactor for cyclic hydrogen production by solar-simulated Xebeam irradiation with input power of 1 kW. The NiFe2O4/m-ZrO2/MPSZ foam device produced hydrogen of 70–190μmol per gram of device through 6 cycles and reached ferrite conversion of 60% at a maximum.

In gas turbine, the enhancement of durability and the increase of reliability represent essential requirements. These issues become even more critical for components subjected to high thermal loads, as the combustion chamber, and go in parallel with the desire for higher efficiency, which resulted in a reduced amount of air that the cooling systems designers have available for the combustor liner. This work presents the results of an experimental campaign aimed to evaluate the performance on a portion of the combustion chamber liner of the latest Ansaldo Energia AE64.3A+ gas turbine. In this configuration ceramic tiles replace the previous metallic heat shields, reducing coolant consumption up to 40%. The designed test article is made up of two ceramic bricks, held on the shells by means of air cooled metallic tile holders, and is installed in a dedicated plenum chamber where is run over by an air flow from several angles of incidence in order to simulate some realistic turbine conditions. A preliminary numerical study is conducted to estimate the test article surface pressure distributions in order to evaluate the mainstream flow impact on the tile holder cooling system behaviour. A novel application of Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) technique is applied to evaluate the air seal cooling of the brick holder system, essential to prevent hot gas ingestion. Furthermore, infrared (IR) thermography measurements on the liner are performed using an hot mainstream flow and reproducing typical cooling flow conditions. During the tests, several thermocouples, allocated on most critic brick holder components, continuously check the metal temperature.