Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Heat of the cooling system'

Thesis (Ph.D)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008.
Committee Chair: Garimella, Srinivas; Committee Member: Allen, Mark; Committee Member: Fuller, Tom; Committee Member: Jeter, Sheldon; Committee Member: Wepfer, William. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

The global air temperature has increased by 0.74± 0.18 °C since 1905 and scientists have shown that CO2 accounts for 55 percentages of the greenhouse gases. Global atmospheric CO2 has been sharply increased since 1751, however the trend has slowed down in last fifty years in the Western Europe. UK and EU countries have singed the Kyoto agreement to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a collective average of 12.5% below their 1990 levels by 2020. In the EU, 40% of CO2 emission comes from the residential energy consumption, in which the HVAC system accounts for 50%, lighting accounts for 15% and appliances 10%. Hence, reducing the fossil-fuel consumption in residential energy by utilizing renewable energy is an effective method to achieve the Kyoto target. However, in the UK renewable energy only accounts for 2% of the total energy consumption in 2005. A novel heat recovery/desiccant cooling system is driven by the solar collector and cooling tower to achieve low energy cooling with low CO2 emission. This system is novel in the following ways: • Uses cheap fibre materials as the air-to-air heat exchanger, dehumidifier and regenerator core • Heat/mass fibre exchanger saves both sensible and latent heat from the exhaust air • The dehumidifier core with hexagonal surface could be integrated with windcowls/catchers draught • Utilises low electrical energy and therefore low CO2 is released to the environment The cooling system consists of three main parts: heat/mass transfer exchanger, desiccant dehumidifier and regenerator. The fibre exchanger, dehumidifier and regenerator cores are the key parts of the technology. Owing to its proper pore size and porosity, fibre is selected out as the exchanger membrane to execute the heat/mass transfer process. Although the fibre is soft and difficult to keep the shape for long term running, its low price makes its frequent replacement feasible, which can counteract its disadvantages. A counter-flow air-to-air heat /mass exchanger was investigated and simulation and experimental results indicated that the fibre membranes soaked by desiccant solution showed the best heat and mass recovery effectiveness at about 89.59% and 78.09%, respectively. LiCl solution was selected as the working fluid in the dehumidifier and regenerator due to its advisable absorption capacity and low regeneration temperature. Numerical simulations and experimental testing were carried out to work out the optimal dehumidifier/regenerator structure, size and running conditions. Furthermore, the simulation results proved that the cooling tower was capable to service the required low temperature cooling water and the solar collector had the ability to offer the heating energy no lower than the regeneration temperature 60℃. The coefficient-of-performance of this novel heat recovery/desiccant cooling system is proved to be as high as 13.0, with a cooling capacity of 5.6kW when the system is powered by renewable energy. This case is under the pre-set conditions that the environment air temperature is 36℃ and relative humidity is 50% (cities such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Spain and Thailand, etc). Hence, this system is very useful for a hot/humid climate with plenty of solar energy. The theoretical modelling consisted of four numerical models is proved by experiments to predict the performance of the system within acceptable errors. Economic analysis based on a case (200m2 working office in London) indicated that the novel heat recovery/desiccant cooling system could save 5134kWh energy as well as prevent 3123kg CO2 emission per year compared to the traditional HVAC system. Due to the flexible nature of the fibre, the capital and maintenance cost of the novel cooling system is higher than the traditional HVAC system, but its running cost are much lower than the latter. Hence, the novel heat recovery/desiccant cooling system is cost effective and environment friendly technology.

The efficiency of air-breathing gas turbine engines improves as the combustion temperature increases. Therefore, modern gas turbines operate at temperatures greater than the melting temperature of hot-gas-path components, and cooling must be introduced in order to maintain mechanical integrity of those components. Two highly effective techniques used in modern designs for this purpose are impingement cooling and use of coolant film on hot-gas-path surface introduced through discrete film or effusion holes. In this study, these two mechanisms are coupled into a single prototype cooling system. The heat transfer capability of this system is experimentally determined for a variety of different geometries and coolant flow rates. This study utilizes Temperature Sensitive Paint (TSP) in order to measure temperature distribution over a surface, which allowed for local impingement Nusselt number, film cooling effectiveness, and film cooling heat transfer enhancement profiles to be obtained. In addition to providing quantitative heat transfer data, this method allowed for qualitative investigation of the flow behavior near the test surface. Impinging jet-to-target-plate spacing was varied over a large range, including several tall impingement scenarios outside the published limits. Additionally, both in-line and staggered effusion arrangements were studied, and results for normal injection were compared to full coverage film cooling with inclined- and compound-angle injection. Effects of impingement and effusion cooling were combined to determine the overall cooling effectiveness of the system. It is shown that low impingement heights produce the highest Nusselt number, and that large jet-to-jet spacing reduces coolant flow rate while maintaining moderate to high heat transfer rates. Staggered effusion configurations exhibit superior performance to in-line configurations, as jet interference is reduced and surface area coverage is improved. Coolant to mainstream flow mass flux ratios greater than unity result in jet blow-off and reduced effectiveness. The convective heat transfer coefficient on the film cooled surface is higher than a similar surface without coolant injection due to the generation of turbulence associated with jet-cross flow interaction.
ID: 030646180; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; .; Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-176).
M.S.M.E.
Masters
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Mechanical Engineering; Thermo-Fluids Track

Advancements in the networking and routing industry have created higher power electronic systems which dissipate large amounts of heat while cooling technology for these electronic systems has remained relatively unchanged. This report illustrates the development and testing of a hybrid liquid-air cooling system prototype implemented on Cisco’s 7609s router. Water was the working fluid through cold plates removing heat from line card components. The water was cooled by a compact liquid-air heat exchanger and circulated by two pumps. The testing results show that junction temperatures were maintained well below the 105°C limit for ambient conditions around 30°C at sea level. The estimated junction temperatures for Cisco’s standard ambient conditions of 50°C at 6,000 feet and 40°C at 10,000 feet were 104°C and 96°C respectively. Adjustments to the test data for Cisco’s two standard ambient conditions with expected device characteristics suggested the hybrid liquid-air cooling design could meet the projected heat load.

This research entails the first comprehensive and systematic study on a heat-driven, self-cooling application based on the thermoelectric generation effect. The system was studied using the first and second laws of thermodynamics to provide a solid and basic understanding of the physical principles governing the system. Multiphysics equations that relate heat transfer, fluid dynamics and thermoelectric generation are derived. The equations are developed with increasing complexity, from the basic Carnot heat engine to externally and internally irreversible engines. A computational algorithm to systematically use the fundamental equations has been presented and computer code is implemented based on the algorithm. Experiments were conducted to analyze the geometric and system parameters affecting the application of thermoelectric based self-cooling in devices. Experimental results show that for the highest heat input studied, the temperature of the device has been reduced by 20-40% as compared to the natural convection case. In addition, it has been found that in the self-cooling cases studied, convection thermal resistance could account for up to 60% of the total thermal resistance. A general numerical methodology was developed to predict steady as well as transient thermal and electrical behavior of a thermoelectric generation-based self-cooling system. The methodology is implemented by using equation modeling capabilities to capture the thermo-electric coupled interaction in TEG elements, enabling the simulation of major heating effects as well as temperature and spatial dependent properties. An alternative methodology was also presented, which integrates specialized ANSI-C code to integrate thermoelectric effects, temperature-dependent properties and transient boundary conditions. It has been shown that the computational model is able to predict the experimental data with good accuracy (within 5% error). A parametric study has been done using the model to study the effect of heat sink geometry on device temperature and power produced by TEG arrays. In addition, a dynamic model suited for integration in control systems is developed. Therefore, the study has shown the potential for a heat driven self-cooling system and provides a comprehensive set of tools for analysis and design of thermoelectric generation.

In the future, new challenges will occur during the product development in the vehicular industry when emission legislations getting tighter. This will also affect the truck cooling system and therefore increase needs for analysing the system at different levels of the product development. Volvo 3P wishes for these reasons to examine the possibility to use AMESim as a future 1D analysis tool. This tool can be used as a complement to existing analysis methods at Volvo 3P. It should be possible to simulate pressure, flow and heat transfer both steady state and transient.

In this thesis work a cooling system of a FH31 MD13 520hp truck with an engine driven coolant pump is studied. Further a model of the cooling system is built in AMESim together with necessary auxiliary system such as oil circuits. The model is validated using experimental data that have been produced by Volvo 3P at the Gothenburg facility.

The results from validation and other simulations show that the model gives a good picture of the cooling system. It also gives information about pressure, flow and heat transfer in steady state conditions. Further a design modification is done, showing how a change affects the flow in the cooling system.

The conclusion is that a truck cooling system can be built and simulated in AMESim. Further, it shows that AMESim meets the requirements Volvo 3P in Gothenburg has set up for the future 1D analysis tool and thereby AMESim is a good complement to the already existing analysis method.

In this thesis, heat powered ejector cooling systems was investigated in two ways: to store the cold energy with energy storage system and to utilize low grade energy to provide both electricity and cooling effect. A basic ejector prototype was constructed and tested in the laboratory. Water was selected as the working fluid due to its suitable physical properties, environmental friendly and economically available features. The computer simulations based on a 1-0 ejector model was carried out to investigate the effects of various working conditions on the ejector performance. The coefficients of performance from experimental results were above 0.25 for generator temperature of lI5°C-130 °C, showing good agreements with theoretical analysis. Experimental investigations on the operating characteristics of PCM cold storage system integrated with ejector cooling system were conducted. The experimental results demonstrated that the PCM cold storage combined with ejector cooling system was practically applicable. The effectiveness-NTU method was applied for characterizing the tube-in-container PCM storage system. The correlation of effectiveness as the function of mass flow rate was derived from experimental data, and was used as a design parameter for the PCM cold storage system. In order to explore the possibility of providing cooling effect and electricity simultaneously, various configurations of combined power and ejector cooling system were studied experimentally and theoretically. The thermal performance of the combined system in the range of 0.15-0.25 and the turbine output between 1200W -1400W were obtained under various heat source temperatures, turbine expansion ratios and condenser temperatures. Such combined system was further simulated with solar energy as driving force under Shanghai climates, achieving a predicted maximum thermal efficiency of 0.2. By using the methods of Life Saving Analysis, the optimized solar collector area was 30m2 and 90m2 respectively for the system without and with power generation. The environmental impacts and the carbon reductions of these two systems were discussed.

Solar DEC (Desiccant and Evaporative Cooling) air-conditioning is a renewable technological approach to the future air-conditioning of buildings driven with solar-thermal heat. The principal acceptance of solar airconditioning has led to system prototypes mainly across Europe, however the diffusion of this innovative technology is proceeding slowly due to little field testing experience. In climates with coexisting heating demand particularly, a multivalent system approach that utilizes solar-heat not only for air-conditioning but also for hot water preparation and heating has potential as a feasible concept. However, previous research focused on systems using solar heat exclusively for the DEC-process. This research contributes to the advancement of the solar DEC-technology with multivalent use of solar thermal heat. The investigation consists of an initial detailed in-situ monitoring analysis of a system prototype operated in an industrial environment, followed by the development of optimised system concepts and a climate-specific analysis of the solar DEC-technology. The monitoring provided in-depth knowledge about the system operation, revealing the reasons for the insufficient refrigeration capacity achieved in practice. A detailed simulation model for an entire multivalent solar DEC-system including the heat sinks, DEC-system, heating and hot-water preparation was developed and a DEC-control strategy has been formulated. A new optimised control strategy for multivalent systems with simultaneous sink supply concept was devised. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to investigate the key design parameters for the dimensioning of multivalent solar DEC-systems. The research concluded that the auxiliary primary energy consumption of the optimised system was lower by one third compared to the initial system. Finally, a methodological zoning approach was developed, to systematically produce design-specific outline data for the application of the solar DEC-technology at climatically different sites.

Master of Science
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Kirby S. Chapman
The purpose of this thesis is to present on the development and results of the cooling system logic tree and model developed as part of the Pipeline Research Council International, Inc (PRCI) funded project at the Kansas State National Gas Machinery Laboratory. PRCI noticed that many of the legacy engines utilized in the natural gas transmission industry were plagued by cooling system problems. As such, a need existed to better understand the heat transfer mechanisms from the combusting gases to the cooling water, and then from the cooling water to the environment. To meet this need, a logic tree was developed to provide guidance on how to balance and identify problems within the cooling system and schedule appropriate maintenance. Utilizing information taken from OEM operating guides, a cooling system model was developed to supplement the logic tree in providing further guidance and understanding of cooling system operation. The cooling system model calculates the heat loads experienced within the engine cooling system, the pressures within the system, and the temperatures exiting the cooling equipment. The cooling system engineering model was developed based upon the fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer experienced by the coolant within the system. The inputs of the model are familiar to the operating companies and include the characteristics of the engine and coolant piping system, coolant chemistry, and engine oil system characteristics. Included in the model are the various components that collectively comprise the engine cooling system, including the water cooling pump, aftercooler, surge tank, fin-fan units, and oil cooler. The results of the Excel-based model were then compared to available field data to determine the validity of the model. The cooling system model was then used to conduct a parametric investigation of various operating conditions including part vs. full load and engine speed, turbocharger performance, and changes in ambient conditions. The results of this parametric investigation are summarized as charts and tables that are presented as part of this thesis.

Desiccant cooling is a technology that, based on a open psychrometric cycle, is able to provide cooling using heat as the main energy carrier. This technology uses a considerably smaller amount of electricity than refrigerators based on the vapor-compression cycle, which is an electricity driven cycle. Electricity is often more expensive than other types of energy and has CO2 emissions associated with its generation , so desiccant cooling has the potential of achieving both economic and environmental benefits. In addition to this, the heat the desiccant cooling cycle needs to work can be supplied at relative low temperatures, so it can use heat coming from the district heating grid, from a solar collector or even waste heat coming from industries. The system which will be studied in this report is a desiccant cooling system based on the model designed by the company Munters AB. The systems relies on several components: a desiccant rotor, a rotary heat exchanger two evaporative humidifiers and two heating coils. It is a flexible system that is able to provide cooling in summer and heat during winter. This study performs a deep economic and environmental analysis of the desiccant cooling systems, comparing it with traditional vapor compression based systems: In order to achieve this objective a user-friendly software was created, called the DCSS – Desiccant Cooling Simulation Software – that simulates the operation of the system during a year and performs automatically all the necessary calculations. This study demonstrates that economic savings up to 54% percent can be achieved in the running costs of desiccant cooling systems when compared to traditional compressor cooling systems, and  reductions up to39% in the CO2 emissions. It also demonstrates that desiccant cooling is more appropriate in dry climate zones with low latent heat generation gains. In addition to that, the DSCC software created will help further studies about the physical, economic and environmental feasibility of installing desiccant cooling systems in different locations.

The aim of this thesis is the design and the optimization of water radiator for the Tatuus F3 race car. Tatuus is a racing car manufacturer which designs, produces and sells cars for different racing categories. In a race car is essential that weight and occupied volume are kept as low as possible. This requirement is achieved by optimizing the vehicle’s components. For this reason, Tatuus commissioned a project focused on the optimization of heat exchangers. It is very important that the flow inside every radiator is as uniform as possible, to make it works in the most efficient way. With this respect, if in some channels the flow-rate is low or nil, they do not contribute to the cooling process, hence represent a waste of space and weight. To avoid this, it is crucial that inlet and outlet collectors have a shape such that the flow is distributed almost uniformly inside each channel. This optimization can be obtained simulating different radiator configuration with CFD software and analyzing the internal flow distribution. Using simulation solutions, it was possible to design radiators that guarantee a sufficiently uniform flow.

Cooling techniques for high density electrical components and electronic devices have been studied heavily in recent years. The advancements in the electrical/electronic industry have required methods of high heat flux removal. Many of the current electrical components and electronic devices produce a range of heat fluxes from 20 W/cm2 – 100 W/cm2. While parallel flow cooling systems have been used in the past, jet impingement is now more desirable for its potential to have a heat transfer coefficient 3-5 times greater than that of parallel flow at the same flow rate. Problems do arise when the jet impingement is confined and a cross flow develops that interacts with impinging jets downstream leading to a decrease in heat transfer coefficient. For long heated surfaces, such as an aircraft generator rotor, span wise fluid management is important in keeping the temperature distribution uniform along the length of the surface. A detailed simulation of the heat/mass transfer on a three-layer impingement/effusion cooling system has been conducted. The impingement jet fluid enters from the top layer into the bottom layer to impinge on the heated surface. The spent fluid is removed from the effusion holes and exits through the middle layer. Three different effusion configurations were used with effusion diameters ranging from 0.5 mm to 2 mm. Temperature uniformity, heat transfer coefficients, and pressure drops were compared for each effusion diameter arrangement, jet to target spacing (H/d), and rib configuration. A Shear Stress Transport (SST) turbulence fluid model was used within ANSYS CFX to simulate all design models. Three-layer configurations were also set in series for long, rectangular heated surfaces and compared against traditional cooling methods such as parallel internal flow and traditional jet impingement models. The results show that the three-layer design compared to a traditional impingement cooling scheme over an elongated heated surface can increase the average heat transfer coefficient by 75% and reduce the temperature difference on the surface by 75%. It was shown that for a three layer design under the same impingement geometry, the average heat transfer coefficient increases when H/d is small. The inclusion of ribs always provided better heat transfer and centralized the cooling areas. The heat transfer was increased by as much as 25% when ribs were used. The effusion hole arrangement showed minimal correlation to heat transfer other than a large array provides better results. The effusion holes' greatest impact was found in the pressure drop of the cooling model. The pressure losses were minimal when the effective area of effusion holes was large. This minimizes the losses due to contraction and expansion.
M.S.M.E.
Masters
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Mechanical Engineering; Thermofluids

In this investigation, a single phase fluid is used to study the coupling between natural convection heat transfer within an enclosure and forced convection through computer covering case to cool the electronic chip. Two working fluids are used (water and air) within a rectangular enclosure and the air flow through the computer case is created by an exhaust fan installed at the back of the computer case. The optimum enclosure size configuration that keeps a maximum temperature of the heat source at a safe temperature level (85℃) is determined. The cooling system is tested for varying values of applied power in the range of 15−40𝑊. The study is based on both numerical models and experimental observations. The numerical work was developed using the commercial software (ANSYS-Icepak) to simulate the flow and temperature fields for the desktop computer and the cooling system. The numerical simulation has the same physical geometry as those used in the experimental investigations. The experimental work was aimed to gather the details for temperature field and use them in the validation of the numerical prediction. The results showed that, the cavity size variations influence both the heat transfer process and the maximum temperature. Furthermore, the experimental results ii compared favourably with those obtained numerically, where the maximum deviation in terms of the maximum system temperature, is within 3.5%. Moreover, it is seen that using water as the working fluid within the enclosure is capable of keeping the maximum temperature under 77℃ for a heat source of 40𝑊, which is below the recommended electronic chips temperature of not exceeding 85℃. As a result, the noise and vibration level is reduced. In addition, the proposed cooling system saved about 65% of the CPU fan power.

In this investigation, a single phase fluid is used to study the coupling between natural convection heat transfer within an enclosure and forced convection through computer covering case to cool the electronic chip. Two working fluids are used (water and air) within a rectangular enclosure and the air flow through the computer case is created by an exhaust fan installed at the back of the computer case. The optimum enclosure size configuration that keeps a maximum temperature of the heat source at a safe temperature level (85°C) is determined. The cooling system is tested for varying values of applied power in the range of 15-40W. The study is based on both numerical models and experimental observations. The numerical work was developed using the commercial software (ANSYS-Icepak) to simulate the flow and temperature fields for the desktop computer and the cooling system. The numerical simulation has the same physical geometry as those used in the experimental investigations. The experimental work was aimed to gather the details for temperature field and use them in the validation of the numerical prediction. The results showed that, the cavity size variations influence both the heat transfer process and the maximum temperature. Furthermore, the experimental results ii compared favourably with those obtained numerically, where the maximum deviation in terms of the maximum system temperature, is within 3.5%. Moreover, it is seen that using water as the working fluid within the enclosure is capable of keeping the maximum temperature under 77°C for a heat source of 40W, which is below the recommended electronic chips temperature of not exceeding 85°C. As a result, the noise and vibration level is reduced. In addition, the proposed cooling system saved about 65% of the CPU fan power.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2007.
"Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Process." Keywords: Heat exchangers, Flow noise, Grooved evaporators, Acoustics, Heat transfer, Cooling systems Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-139). Also available online.

The great need for cooling combined with Mexico's large availability of low enthalpy energy from non conventional energy resources such as geothermal energy, solar heat and waste heat from industrial processes, makes it very attractive to utilize these resources for cooling using heat driven absorption systems. The main purpose of the work described in this thesis is to obtain experimental and theoretical data on heat driven absorption cooling systems for the design of large scale systems. Thermodynamic design data have been theoretically derived for heat driven absorption heat pumps and heat transformers using the working pairs ammonia-water and ammonia-lithium nitrate for cooling, heating and simultaneous heating and cooling. The interaction between the operating parameters has been illustrated graphically. A computer model of the steady state thermodynamics of a heat driven ammonia-water system and an ammonia-lithium nitrate system has been developed. A comparison of both systems is made by assessing the effect of operating temperatures and heat exchanger effectiveness on the coefficient of performance for cooling and the heat transfer rates within the system. An experimental study on the performance of the absorber of an absorption cooling system operating on water-lithium bromide has been made. The experimental study of the adiabatic absorber was concerned with the determination of the effect of the evaporator heat load and the absorber reflux on the performance of the absorber. An experimental study of the operating characteristics of an experimental. absorption cooler using water-lithium bromide-lithium iodide and waterlithium bromide-zinc bromide as ternary systems has been made in order to achieve higher coefficients of performance and a lower risk of crystallization. Experimental studies with a small heat driven absorption cooling system operating on ammonia-water using a falling film generator were made. Low generator temperatures were achieved which will'enable the use of non focussing solar collectors as a heat source for the system. An ammonia-water absorption cooler operating on low enthalpy geothermal energy was installed and operated at two geothermal fields. The system was used to cool a small cold storage facility below freezing temperatures. The experimental and theoretical results on absorption cooling systems will provide a basis for the design of heat pump systems for industrial and commercial applications.

One of the most important industrial processes is heat transfer, carried out by heat exchangers in single and multiphase flow applications. Despite the existence of well-developed theoretical models for different heat transfer mechanisms, the expanding need for industrial applications requiring the design and optimization of heat exchangers, has created a solid demand for experimental work and effort. This thesis concerns the use of numerical approaches to analyze and optimize heat transfer and fluid flow in power generation industry, with emphasis on pin fin technology. This research begins with a review on heat transfer characteristics in surfaces with pin fins. Different pin fins shapes with various flow boundaries were studied, and thermal and hydraulic performances were investigated. The impact of parameters such as inlet boundary conditions, pin fin shapes, and duct cross-section characteristics on both flow and heat transfer were examined. Two important applications in power generation industry were considered for this study: power transformer cooling, and condenser for CO2 capturing application in oxy-fuel power plants. Available experimental data and correlations in the literature have been used for models validation. For each case, a model based on current configuration was built and verified, and was then used for optimization and new design suggestions. All numerical modeling was performed using commercial CFD software. A basic condenser design was suggested and examined, supplemented by the use of pin fin technology to influence the condensation rate of water vapour from a CO2/H2O flue gas flow. Moreover an extensive review of numerical modeling approaches concerning this condensation issue was conducted and presented. The analysis results show that the drop-shaped pin fin configuration has heat transfer rates approximating those of the circular pin configuration, and the drop-shaped pressure losses are less than one third those of the circular. Results for the power transformer cooling system show those geometrical defects in the existing system are easily found using modeling. Also, it was found that the installation of pin fins in an internal cooling passage can have the same effect as doubling the radiator’s height, which means a more compact cooling system could be designed. Results show that a condensation model based on boundary layer theory gives a close value to experimental correlations. Considering a constant wall temperature, any increase in CO2 concentration results in lower heat transfer coefficients. This is a subsequence of increased diffusivity resistance between combustion gas and condensing boundary layer. Also it was shown that sensitivity of heat transfer rate to inlet temperatures and velocity values decreased when these parameters increased. The application of numerical methods concerning the condensation process for CO2 capturing required significant effort and running time as the complexity of multiphase flow was involved. Also data validation for the CO2/H2O condenser was challenging since this is quite a new application and less experimental data (and theoretical correlations) exist. However, it is shown that models based on numerical approaches are capable of predicting trends in the condensation process as well as the effect of the non-condensable CO2 presence in the flue gas. The resulting data, conclusions, applied methodology can be applied to the design and optimization of similar industrial heat exchangers, such as oil coolers which are currently working at low efficiency levels. It can also be used in the design of electronic components, cooling of turbine blades, or in other design applications requiring high heat flux dissipation. Finally, the finding on water vapour condensation from a binary mixture gas can be referenced for further research and development in this field.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Space heating and cooling, as required for chicken poultry farming, is an energy intensive operation. Due to the continuous rise in the prices of fossil fuel, water and electricity, there is a need to develop renewable and sustainable energy systems that minimise the use of fuel or electricity, for heating, and water, for cooling of air. The HYDROSOL (HYDro ROck SOLar) system, developed at Stellenbosch University, is such a renewable energy system that potentially provides a low cost solution. Instead of using conventional gas and electricity heaters for the heating of air during winter, the HYDROSOL system collects solar heat, stores it in a packed bed of rocks and dispatches the heat as required. During hot summer days, when cooling is needed, the rocks are cooled during the night when the ambient temperatures are low and/ or by evaporative cooling by spraying water onto them. During the day, hot air is then cooled when it passes through the colder rocks with minimal water consumption compared to current systems. In this thesis, a prototype of the HYDROSOL system is presented, designed and built for experimental testing. A transient 2-D thermo flow model is developed and presented for the analytical and experimental performance evaluation of this system for solar heating and night air cooling operation. This model is used to conduct a parametric study on HYDROSOL to gain a better understanding of the operation and control of the system. The HYDROSOL concept is intended to be used for heating and cooling of residential buildings, office suites, warehouses, shopping centres, food processing industries e.g. drying of foods, and various agricultural industries e.g. greenhouses. In this thesis, a HYDROSOL system is developed mainly for poultry broiler houses in South Africa focussing on convective dry cooling, charging the rock bed with night-time ambient air, and convective heating, harvesting solar heat during the day, with different modes of operation available.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ruimte verhitting en verkoeling, soos benodig vir hoender pluimvee boerdery, is ‘n energie intensiewe bedryf. As gevolg van die voortdurende styging in fossiel brandstof-, water- en elektrisiteitpryse, het ‘n behoefte ontstaan om hernubare en volhoubare energie-stelsels te ontwikkel wat minder brandstof of elektrisiteit, vir verhitting, en water, vir verkoeling van lug, gebruik. Die HYDROSOL (HYDro ROck SOLar) stelsel, wat ontwikkel is by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, is ‘n hernubare energie-stelsel wat ‘n potensiële lae koste oplossing bied. In plaas daarvan om konvensionele gas en elektrisiteit verwarmers vir verhitting van lug gedurende die winter te gebruik, maak HYDROSOL gebruik van son warmte, stoor dit in `n gepakte bed van klip en onttrek die warmte soos benodig. Gedurende die warm somer dae wanneer verkoeling benodig word, word die klippe gedurende die nag, met kouer omgewings lug en/of met verdampingsverkoeling, deur water op die klippe te spuit, afgekoel. Gedurende die dag word warm lug afgekoel deur die lug oor die koue klippe te forseer met minimale waterverbruik in vergelyking met huidige stelsels. ‘n Prototipe van die HYDROSOL word voorgestel, ontwerp en gebou vir eksperimentele doeleindes. ‘n 2-D tyd afhanklike termo- vloei model word voorgestel vir die analitiese en eksperimentele verrigting evaluering vir son verhitting en nag lug verkoeling. Hierdie model word gebruik om ‘n parametriese studie te doen om die werking en beheer van HYDROSOL beter te verstaan. Die HYDROSOL stelsel is bedoel om die verwarming en verkoeling vereistes van residensiële geboue, kantoor areas, pakhuise, winkelsentrums, voedsel verwerking nywerhede, soos bv. die droging van voedsel, en verskeie landboubedrywe, soos bv. kweekhuise, te bevredig. In hierdie tesis word ‘n HYDROSOL stelsel, hoofsaaklik vir pluimvee kuikenhuise in Suid- Afrika, ondersoek en fokus op die droë verkoeling, deur die rotsbed te laai gedurende die nag, asook droë- verhitting, wat gebruik maak van son energie gedurende die dag en kan beheer word op verskillende maniere.

Cogeneration is a hot topic in the efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuel usage and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing the primary energy source with a low-grade heat source. Cogeneration simultaneously produces power and cooling using a low-grade heat source (e.g. solar energy, geothermal energy or waste heat), which ideally provides a renewable carbon-free solution for implementation in domestic, industrial as well as isolated areas. This research thesis describes for the first time the development and construction of the Low Heat cogeneration chemisorption system, explores its potential and makes suggestions for its future development based on the experience gained during the experiments. The design uses two adsorption cycles operating out of phase and alternatively connected to a scroll expander in order to reach 3kW of cooling and 1kW of electricity. Each adsorption cycle consists of a reactor, a condenser and an evaporator. Each reactor contains a composite mixture of CaCl2 and activated carbon at a ratio of 4:1 by mass. The system was experimentally investigated for its cooling as well as for its cogeneration performance. Experimental investigations were performed for different heating and cooling temperatures, cycle times and the optimum overall ammonia for the system. The maximum refrigeration coefficient of the performance (COPref) of the machine was found to be 0.26 when the refrigeration power was 3.52kW. At the same time, the specific cooling power (SCP) per side was 201.14W/kg (402.28W/kg per cycle) and the cooling capacity 168.96kJ/kg (337.92kJ/kg per cycle). During the cogeneration experiments it was found that the expander affected the pressure and temperature; the refrigerant flow rate and the pressure across the expander were important for the system’s power production. The maximum power recorded was 486W which provides a power coefficient of performance (COPW) of 0.048. A model to describe the desorption power generation as well as the evaporation refrigeration process was developed using the ECLIPSE software. The cooling model was validated from the experimental results and later the power model was used for ii further investigation of the system power performance. The optimisation of the machine completes the study by using both experimental and simulation data.

L’exploitation minière souterraine dans les régions froides du monde nécessite le chauffage de l’air frais de ventilation et des bâtiments de surface. L’air vicié est habituellement rejeté dans l'atmosphère à des températures beaucoup plus élevées que l'air ambiant. Un logiciel informatique a été développé afin d'évaluer la faisabilité de récupérer la chaleur de l'air vicié des mines. Le logiciel estime la quantité de chaleur d’air vicié récupérable dans une mine souterraine. Il déterminera ensuite les économies annuelles potentiels d'énergie et un coût capital du système pour obtenir le retour sur l’investissement initial. Le logiciel considère un circuit de glycol en boucle fermée avec des échangeurs de chaleur à tubes et ailettes situées à l'extrémité des installations de ventilations à la surface (à l’entrée et l’échappement d’air). Différents concepts des systèmes de récupération de chaleur sont énoncés. La plupart des sources de chaleurs habituelles trouvées sur un site minier sont répertoriés. Quelques concepts innovateurs qui exploitent le froid de l'hiver comme un atout pour refroidir l'air d'entrée sont exposés. Mots clés : Sources de chaleurs, air vicié, récupération de chaleur, faisabilité, chauffage, refroidissement
Underground mining in cold regions of the world requires heating of surface buildings and intake fresh air. Exhaust return air is usually discharged to the atmosphere at much higher temperatures than the ambient air. A computer software application has been developed in order to evaluate the feasibility of recovering heat from return exhaust air. The software approximates the amount of heat that can be recovered on surface from the exhaust ventilation shaft of an underground mine. It will then determine the annual energy cost savings and a capital cost of the system. This software considers a closed-loop glycol circuit with tube and fins heat exchangers located at the extremity of the exhaust and intake shaft surface installations. Different concepts of the heat recovery system are as well described. Most common heat sources that can be found on mine sites are listed. Several innovative designs that exploit cold winter weather as an asset to cool mine intake air are explained. Key words: heat sources, return air, heat recovery, feasibility, heating, cooling

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, December 2008..
Title from PDF title page (viewed on July 10, 2009). "School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-187).

Cooling systems used to reduce heat stress in dairy operations require high energy, water usage, or both. Steady increases in electricity costs and reduction of water availability and an increase in water usage regulations require evaluation of passive cooling systems to cool cows and reduce use of water and electricity. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of heat exchangers buried as components in a conductive system for cooling cows. In the first experiment six cows were housed in environmentally controlled rooms with tiestall beds, which were equipped with a heat exchanger and filled with 25 cm of either sand or dried manure. Beds were connected to supply and return lines and individually controlled. Two beds (one per each kind of bedding material) constituted a control group (water off), and the other 4 (2 sand and 2 dried manure) used water at 7°C passing through the heat exchangers (water on). The experiment was divided in 2 periods of 40 d, and each period involved 3 repetitions of 3 different climates (hot and dry, thermo neutral, and hot and humid). Each cow was randomly assigned to a different treatment after each repetition was over. Sand bedding remained cooler than dried manure bedding in all environments and at all levels of cooling (water on or off). Results from this experiment demonstrated that bed temperatures were lower and heat flux higher during the bed treatment with sand and water on. We also detected a reduction in core body temperatures, respiration rates, rectal temperatures, and skin temperatures of those cows during the sand and water on treatment. Feed intake and milk yield numerically increased during the bed treatment with sand and water on for all climates. No major changes were observed in the lying time of cows or the composition of the milk produced. The efficiency of conductive cooling as a heat abatement technique in dairy production is highly correlated with the distance between the cooling system and the skin of the cow and the type of bedding material used. A second experiment was conducted to identify possible improvements in the utilization of conductive cooling for cooling cows. Heat exchangers buried 12.7 cm below the surface as components in a conductive system ware evaluated in this study. Six cows were housed in environmentally controlled rooms with tie-stall beds, which were equipped with a heat exchanger and filled with 12.7 cm of either sand or dried manure. Beds were connected to supply and return lines and individually controlled. Two beds (one per bedding material type) constituted a control group (water OFF), and the other four (two sand and two dried manure) used water at 7°C passing through the heat exchangers (water ON). The experiment was divided into two periods of 40 days and each period involved three repetitions of three different climates hot dry (HD), thermo neutral(TN) and hot humid (HH). Each cow was randomly assigned to a different treatment after each repetition was over. The sand and water on treatment was the most efficient treatment under heat stress conditions (humid or dry heat). Cows in stalls with the sand and water on treatment demonstrated lower rectal temperatures, respiration rates, skin surface temperatures and core body temperatures compared to the other three treatments. Additionally, the sand and water on treatment increased milk yield and resting time of cows under heat stress. Also, the sand and water on treatment had the lowest bed surface temperatures and highest heat exchange compared to the other treatments. From these two experiments we confirm that heat exchangers are a viable heat abatement technique that could reduce the heat load of heat stressed cows; however, this system should be paired with additional cooling systems (e.g. fans and or misters) to most efficiently reduce the negative effects of heat stress on dairy production. Additionally, Sand was superior to dried manure as a bedding material in combination with heat exchangers. To make further recommendations of the use of heat exchangers in commercial dairy farm, a third study was developed. Based on the data obtained in the previous experiments, a comprehensive energy balance was developed to fully understand conductive cooling in two different environments (HD and HH), two bedding materials (sand and dried manure) and two depths between cows and the heat exchangers (25 vs. 12.5 cm). The energy balance estimates indicated that sand is the most efficient bedding material when utilized as bedding material with conductive cooling in both hot dry and hot humid environments. In the hot-dry environment there was an increase in the conductive heat exchanged with the reduction in bedding depth to 12.5 cm, however this did not result in a reduction in the heat storage of cows. In the hot-humid environment when heat exchangers were placed 12.5 cm from the top of the bed there was an increase in both the conductive heat loss and heat storage of cows when compared to 25 cm. Additionally, results demonstrated that the efficiency of heat exchangers as measured by heat flux was improved when heat exchangers were at a depth of 12.5 cm. The sensibility analysis indicated that a reduction in the depth and/or an increase in the thermal conductivity of both bedding materials would maximize conductive heat exchange. These results should be utilized as recommendations for the utilization of heat exchangers and conductive cooling in commercial dairy farms. Evaporative cooling is widely used in dairy farms located in arid environments. Even though, these cooling systems have been shown to effectively reduce the heat stress of lactating dairy cows, a growing shortage of water and rising cost of electricity compromise its future usage. An experiment was developed to compare two evaporative cooling systems, their interaction with lactating dairy cows and their usage of natural resources. The efficacy of 2 evaporative cooling systems (Korral Kool, KK, Korral Kool Inc., Mesa, AZ; FlipFan dairy system, FF, Schaefer Ventilation Equipment LLC, Sauk Rapids, MN) was estimated utilizing 400 multiparous Holstein dairy cows randomly assigned to 1 of 4 cooled California-style shade pens (2 shade pens per cooling system). Each shaded pen contained 100 cows (days in milk = 58 ± 39, milk production = 56 ± 18 kg/d, and lactation = 3 ± 1). Production data (milk yield and reproductive performance) were collected during 3 months (June–August, 2013) and physiological responses (core body temperature, respiration rates, surface temperatures, and resting time) were measured in June and July to estimate responses of cows to the 2 different cooling systems. Water and electricity consumption were recorded for each system. Cows in the KK system displayed slightly lower respiration rates in the month of June and lower surface temperatures in June and July. However, no differences were observed in the core body temperature of cows, resting time, feed intake, milk yield, services/cow, and conception rate between systems. The FF system used less water and electricity during this study. In conclusion, both cooling systems (KK and FF) were effective in mitigating the negative effects of heat stress on cows housed in arid environments, whereas the FF system consumed less water and electricity and did not require use of curtains on the shade structure. Results of this research indicate that effective use of conductive cooling in combination with efficient evaporative cooling systems offer opportunities to reduce both water and electricity consumption on dairy farms under both hot dry and hot humid environments.

The global energy demand has seen a significant increase over the past decade. Our inseparable need for energy has created a number of serious concerns. The most important concern is the environmental impact of our energy generating methods. Another looming concern is our global fossil fuel resources that are diminishing progressively. These two major concerns have turned attention to research and development of energy efficient and alternative energy systems. A field of alternative energy that has been untapped is nocturnal radiative cooling. The idea behind this is to utilise the cooling effect between a hot surface and the night sky. The setup is similar to that of a solar water heating system but is used for cooling instead of heating. Previous studies on radiative cooling systems have all focussed on forced circulation systems. The aim of this study is to analyse the performance of a natural circulating system. The current knowledge on radiative cooling systems is limited and experimental research is often a costly and time consuming exercise. As a result it is difficult to get an understanding of the performance of a radiative cooling system in various operating environments. The aim of this study is to overcome this limitation by developing a theoretical model to simulate the performance of a natural circulating radiative cooling system. A natural circulating solar water heater model was used as a basis for the natural circulating radiative cooling model. A night sky radiation model replaced the solar radiation component to give the radiative heat transfer of the panel to the night sky. Fundamental heat transfer and fluid flow theories also formed part of the model. The theoretical model was able to give realistically accurate predictions compared to data from an experimental setup. The model made it possible to study the impact of various parameters on the system performance without the constraints of experimental setups. The performance of a natural circulating radiative cooling system was simulated over a year under different operating climates by using historical weather data. The results obtained with the help of the model indicated that natural circulating radiative cooling is indeed able to provide a sufficient cooling effect that can be utilised in a practical manner. This study gives indication that radiative cooling systems are worthy of further development to ensure that it forms part of the current line–up of alternative energy systems.
Thesis (M.Ing. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS) is used in the PBMR to protect the concrete citadel surrounding the reactor from direct nuclear radiation impingement and heat. The speci ed maximum operating temperature of the concrete structure is 65 ±C for normal operating conditions and 125 ±C for emergency shut-down conditions. A conceptual design of an entirely passive RCCS suitable for the PBMR was done by using closed loop thermosyphon heat pipes (CLTHPs) to remove heat from a radiation heat shield over a horizontal distance to an annular cooling dam placed around the PBMR. The radiation shield is placed in the air space between the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) and the concrete citadel, 180 mm from the concrete citadel. A theoretical heat transfer model of the RCCS was created. The theoretical model was used to develop a computer program to simulate the transient RCCS response during normal reactor operation, when the RCCS must remove the excess generated heat from the reactor cavity and during emergency shut-down conditions, when the RCCS must remove the decay heat from the reactor cavity. The main purpose of the theoretical model is to predict the surface temperature of the concrete citadel for di erent heat generation modes in the reactor core and ambient conditions. The theoretical model assumes a 1D geometry of the RCCS. Heat transfer by both radiation and convection from the RPV to the radiation heat shield (HS) is calculated. The heat shield is modelled as a n. The n e ciency was determined with the experimental work. Conduction through the n is considered in the horizontal direction only. The concrete structure surface is heated by radiation from the outer surface of the heat shield as well as by convection heat transfer from the air between the heat shield and the concrete structure surface. The modelling of the natural convection closed loop thermosyphon heat pipes in the RCCS is done by using the Boussinesq approximation and the homogeneous ow model. An experiment was built to verify the theoretical model. The experiment is a full scale model of the PBMR in the horizontal, or main heat transfer, direction, but is only a 2 m high section. The experiments showed that the convection heat transfer between the RPV and the HS cannot be modelled with simple natural convection theory. A Nusselt number correlation developed especially for natural convection in enclosed rectangles found in literature was used to model the convection heat transfer. The Nusselt number was approximately 3 times higher than that which classic convection theory suggested. An optimisation procedure was developed where 121 di erent combinations of n sizes and heat pipe sizes could be used to construct a RCCS once a cooling dam size was chosen. The purpose of the optimisation was to nd the RCCS with the lowest total mass. A cooling dam with a diameter of 50 m was chosen. The optimal RCCS radiation heat shield that operates with the working uid only in single phase has 243 closed loop thermosyphon heat pipes constructed from 62.72 mm ID pipes and 25 mm wide atbar ns. The total mass of the single phase RCCS is 225 tons. The maximum concrete structure temperature is 62.5 ±C under normal operating conditions, 65.8 ±C during a PLOFC emergency shut-down condition and 80.9 ±C during a DLOFC emergency shut-down condition. In the case where one CLTHP fails and the adjacent two must compensate for the loss of cooling capacity, the maximum concrete structure temperature for a DLOFC emergency shut-down will be 87.4 ±C. This is 37.6 ±C below the speci ed maximum temperature of 125 ±C. The RCCS design is further improved when boiling of the working uid is induced in the CLTHP. The optimal RCCS radiation heat shield that operates with the working uid in a liquid-vapour mixture, or two phase ow, has 338 closed loop thermosyphon heat pipes constructed from 38.1 mm ID pipes and 20 mm wide atbar ns. The total mass of the two phase RCCS is 198 tons, 27 tons less than the single phase RCCS. The maximum concrete structure temperature is 60 ±C under normal operating conditions, 2.5 ±C below that of the single phase RCCS. During a PLOFC emergency shut-down condition, the maximum concrete structure temperature is 62.3 ±C, 3.5 ±C below that of the single phase RCCS and still below the normal operating temperature of the single phase RCCS. By inducing two phase ow in the CLTHP, the maximum temperature of the working uid is xed equal to the saturation temperature of the working uid at the vacuum pressure. This property of water is used to limit the concrete structure temperature. This e ect is seen in the transient response of the RCCS where the concrete structure temperature increases until boiling of the working uid starts and then the concrete structure temperature becomes constant irrespective of the heat load on the RCCS. An increased heat load increases the quality of the working uid liquid-vapour mixture. Working uid qualities approaching unity causes numerical instabilities in the theoretical model. The theoretical model cannot capture the heat transfer to a control volume with a density lower than approximately 20 kg/m3. This limits the extent to which the two phase RCCS can be optimised. Recommendations are made relating to future work on how to improve the theoretical model in particular the convection modelling in the reactor cavities as well as the two phase ow of the working uid. Further recommendations are made on how to improve the basic design of the heat shield as well as the cooling section of the CLTHPs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Reaktor lug spasie verkoelingstelsel (RLSVS) word in die PBMR gebruik om die beton wat die reaktor omring te beskerm teen direkte stralingskade en hitte. Die gespesi seerde maksimum temperatuur van die beton is 65 ±C onder normale bedryfstoestande en 125 ±C gedurende die noodtoestand afskakeling van die reaktor. 'n Konseptuele ontwerp van 'n geheel en al passiewe RLSVS geskik vir die PBMR is gedoen deur gebruik te maak van geslote lus termo-sifon (GLTSe) om hitte van die stralingskerm te verwyder oor a horisontale afstand na 'n ringvormige verkoelingsdam wat rondom die reaktor geposisioneer is. Die stralingskerm word in die lug spasie tussen die reaktor drukvat (RDV) en die beton geplaas, 180 mm vanaf die beton. 'n Teoretiese hitteoordrag model van die RLSVS was geskep. Die teoretiese model was gebruik vir die ontwikkeling van 'n rekenaar program wat die transiënte gedrag van die RLSVS sal simuleer gedurende normale bedryfstoestande, waar die oorskot gegenereerde hitte verwyder moet word vanuit die reaktor lug spasie, asook gedurende noodtoestand afskakeling van die reaktor, waar die afnemingshitte verwyder moet word. Die primêre doel van die teoretiese model is om the oppervlak temperatuur van die beton te voorspel onder verskillende bedryfstoestande asook verskillende omgewingstoestande. Die teoretiese model aanvaar 'n 1D geometrie van die RLSVS. Hitte oordrag d.m.v. straling asook konveksie vanaf die RDV na die stralingskerm word bereken. The stralingskerm word gemodelleer as 'n vin. Die vin doeltre endheid was bepaal met die eksperimente wat gedoen was. Hitte geleiding in die vin was slegs bereken in die horisontale rigting. Die beton word verhit deur straling vanaf die agterkant van die stralingskerm asook deur konveksie vanaf die lug tussen die stralingskerm en die beton. The modellering van die natuurlike konveksie GLTS hitte pype word gedoen deur om gebruik te maak van die Boussinesq benadering en die homogene vloei model. 'n Eksperiment was vervaardig om the teoretiese model te veri eer. Die eksperiment is 'n volskaal model van die PBMR in die horisontale, of hoof hitteoordrag, rigting, maar is net 'n 2 m hoë snit. Die eksperimente het gewys dat die konveksie hitte oordrag tussen die RDV en die stralingskerm nie met gewone konveksie teorie gemodelleer kan word nie. 'n Nusselt getal uitdrukking wat spesi ek ontwikkel is vir natuurlike konveksie in geslote, reghoekige luggapings wat in die literatuur gevind was, was gebruik om die konveksie hitteoordrag te modelleer. Die Nusselt getal was ongeveer 3 maal groter as wat klassieke konveksie teorie voorspel het. 'n Optimeringsprosedure was ontwikkel waar 121 verskillende kombinasies van vin breedtes en pyp groottes wat gebruik kan word om 'n RLSVS te vervaardig nadat 'n toepaslike verkoelingsdam diameter gekies is. Die doel van die optimering was om die RLSVS te ontwerp wat die laagste totale massa het. 'n Verkoelingsdam diameter van 50 m was gekies. Die optimale RLSVS stralingskerm, waarvan die vloeier slegs in die vloeistof fase bly, bestaan uit 243 GLTSe wat van 62.72 mm binne diameter pype vervaardig is met 25 mm breë vinne. The totale massa van die enkel fase RLSVS is 225 ton. Die maksimum beton temperatuur is 62.5 ±C vir normale bedryfstoestande, 65.8 ±C vir 'n PLOFC noodtoestand afskakeling en is 80.9 ±C vir 'n DLOFC noodtoestand afskakeling. In die geval waar een GLTS faal gedurende 'n DLOFC noodtoestand afskakeling en die twee naasgeleë GLTSe moet kompenseer vir die vermindering in verkoelings kapasiteit, is die maksimum beton temperatuur 87.4 ±C. Dit is 37.6 ±C laer as die gespesi seerde maksimum temperatuur van 125 ±C. Die RLSVS ontwerp kan verder verbeter word wanneer die vloeier in die GLTSe kook. Die optimale RLSVS stralingskerm met die vloeier wat kook, of in twee fase vloei is, bestaan uit 338 GLTSe wat van 38.1 mm binne diameter pype vervaardig is met 20 mm breë vinne. The totale massa van die twee fase vloei RLSVS is 198 ton, 27 ton ligter as die enkel fase RLSVS. Die maksimum beton temperatuur is 60 ±C vir normale bedryfstoestande, 2.5 ±C laer as die enkel fase RLSVS. Gedurende 'n PLOFC noodtoestand afskakeling is die maksimum beton temperatuur 62.3 ±C, 3.5 ±C laer as die enkel fase RLSVS en nogtans onder die maksimum beton temperatuur van die enkel fase RLSVS vir normale bedryfstoestande. Deur om koking te veroorsaak in die GLTS word die maksimum temperatuur van die vloeier vasgepen gelyk aan die versadigings temperatuur van die vloeier by die vakuüm druk. Hierdie einskap van water word gebruik om 'n limiet te sit op die maksimum temperatuur van die beton. Hierdie e ek kan gesien word in die transiënte gedrag van die RLSVS waar die beton temperatuur styg tot en met koking plaasvind en dan konstant raak ongeag van die hitte belasting op die RLSVS. 'n Toename in die hitte belasting veroorsaak net 'n toename in die kwaliteit van die vloeistof-gas mengsel. Mengsel kwaliteite van 1 nader veroorsaak numeriese onstabiliteite in die teoretiese model. The teoretiese model kan nie die hitteoordrag beskryf na 'n kontrole volume wat 'n digtheid het laer as ongeveer 20 kg/m3. Hierdie plaas 'n limiet op die optimering van die twee fase RLSVS. Aanbevelings was gemaak met betrekking tot toekomstige werk aangaande die verbetering van die teoretiese model met spesi eke klem op die modellering van konveksie in die reaktor asook die modellering van twee fase vloei. Verdere aanbevelings was gemaak aangaande die verbetering van die stralingskerm ontwerp asook die ontwerp van die verkoeling van die GLTSe.

Lågtempererade värmekällor som ytvatten och borrhålslager kan i samverkan med en värmepump ses som outnyttjade energikällor. En sjö- och borrhålsbaserad anläggning kan ha en hög total effektivitet om både värme och kylbehov finns och en stor fördel är att frikyla kan användas från sjö och borrhål under delar av året. Kungsbrohuset byggdes 2008 - 2010 med målsättningen att bli världens mest energieffektiva kontorsbyggnad. Mer specifikt var målsättningen att köpt energi skulle vara hälften av boverkets regler. Av den totala bruksarean på 27 000 m2 utgörs ca 19 500 m2 av kontorsyta. Anläggningen värms och kyls huvudsakligen av en värmepump med en värmeeffekt på 350 kW. Vintertid används värmepumpen för både värme och kyla då ett stort kylbehov även finns under uppvärmningssäsongen till serverrum mm. När värmepumpen inte räcker till så används fjärrvärme och fjärrkyla/sjökyla för att täcka behovet. Vid byggnationen installerades en ledning mellan kungsbrohuset och centralstationen för att på centralstationen utnyttja frikyla från sjön samtidigt som kungsbrohuset fick möjligheten att utnyttja värmen i köldbärarreturen. Målet med studien var att utvärdera anläggningen med fokus på tre huvudsakliga frågor. Att undersöka om värmepumpen har högsta möjliga temperatur på förångningssidan vintertid var den första. Den andra frågan var om frikyla från sjön utnyttjades optimalt. Den tredje frågan var att jämföra den projekterade energianvändningen med det verkliga utfallet. Studien utfördes genom besiktningar på plats, insamling av energistatistik samt att studera anläggningen genom driftdator, driftkort, flödesscheman etc. Vintertid så har den egna köldbärarreturen använts nästan uteslutande som värmekälla till värmepumpen då dess temperatur är högre än borrhålslagrets. Utnyttjandet av frikyla från sjön har inte fungerat optimalt då fjärrkyla har använts under vintermånaderna trots att sjöns temperatur är låg. Detta kan åtgärdas genom omprogrammering av villkor för aktivering av frikylan. Jämförelsen mellan projekterad köpt fastighetsenergi på 47 kWh/m2, år med det verkliga utfallet visade att användningen är något högre i verkligheten och hamnade på 55 kWh/m2, år efter att processkylan räknats bort då den inte räknas som fastighetsenergi. Anläggningen är totalt sett väldigt effektiv och har en mycket låg användning av köpt energi. Att kylbehov finns även vintertid gör att värmepumpens effektivitet blir maximal då nyttig energi utnyttjas på båda sidorna.

Climatic conditions inside the dairy barn do not concern dairy farmers until those conditions begin to affect productivity and, consequently, profits. As heat and humidity increase beyond the cow's comfort levels, milk production declines, as does fertility and the welfare of the cow in general. To reinforce the cooling mechanisms currently used, this work proposes an alternative system for reducing the risk of heat stress. This innovative conductive cooling system does not depend on current weather conditions, and it does not require significant modifications when it is installed or during its operation. Also, the system circulates water that can be reused. Given that a review of the literature found very few related studies, it is suggested that each freestall be equipped with a viable prototype in the form of a waterbed able to exchange heat. Such a prototype has been simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and later verified by a set of experiments designed to confirm its cooling capacity. Furthermore, this investigation sets the foundation for modeling temperature in a water supply system linked to the waterbeds. EPANET, a software program developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, simulates the hydraulic model. Its Water Quality Solver has been modified according to an analogy in the governing equation that compares mass to heat transfer and serves to simulate water temperature as the water is transported from its source to the point of delivery and then as it returns to the same source.

Temperatures below 0.1 kelvin can be nowadays routinely attained. The methods for achieving these temperatures rely on either mixing the rare and expensive isotope of helium with the more common isotope (dilution refrigerator) or on adiabatic demagnetisation of paramagnetic salt (ADR). Although both of these methods are mature, they still remain complicated enough to limit the usage only to specialized laboratories. The research done in this thesis revolves around a promising alternative to these techniques; using normal metal - insulator - superconductor (NIS) junctions. One of the defining properties of a superconductor is a gap in its electronic density of states. This gap enables it to act as an energy filter for electrons. Because of this property, when a proper bias voltage is applied over a NIS junction the normal metal part will cool down as current passes the junction. The cooling properties of NIS junctions were demonstrated almost two decades ago with cooling powers of the order of one picowatt. At present cooling powers of few hundreds of picowatts have been achieved. This thesis describes research on three areas related to NIS junctions. Firstly we use NIS junctions to cool low dimensional lattice systems, both 1D and 2D. The cooling of a 1D lattice (beam) is interesting for fundamental research. The 2D lattice cooling (membrane) is aimed at bringing NIS devices closer to more widespread use. An electronically cooled membrane would offer a platform on which applications, such as radiation detectors or superconducting electronics, could be integrated. Secondly we focus on the limitations of NIS cooling. In all cooling, one of the main problems is the dissipation of the extracted heat. As the other side of the junction (normal metal) is cooled, the other side (superconductor) is heated with many times larger power. This heat can then weaken the superconducting properties and heat up the phonon system around the junction. These effects act to counter the cooling effect and have been one of the main obstacles in scaling up the cooling power of NIS devices. We study these effects both numerically and experimentally. Thirdly, we study the cooling of silicon with superconducting tunnel junctions. In these superconductor - semiconductor structures the normal metal in a NIS structure is replaced with highly doped silicon. Specifically we study the effects of induced lattice strain to the electron-phonon coupling in silicon and hence to the cooling properties of these structures.

This thesis describes experimental and theoretical investigation on the use of small diameter helically coiled tubes for the evaporator of miniature refrigeration systems. A detailed review of past experimental and theoretical work on boiling heat transfer inside helically coiled tubes is presented. As most of past work was conducted on helical coils with tube diameters larger than 6 mm, a brief review of the flow boiling heat transfer process inside straight tubes with small diameters of less than 3 mm is also presented. An experimental facility was constructed and instrumented to investigate the flow boiling of refrigerant R134a in helically coiled tubes with diameters ranging from 2.8 mm to 1.1 mm and coil diameter ranging from 30 mm to 60 mm. The experimental results showed that decreasing the tube diameter increases the boiling heat transfer coefficient by up to 58% while decreasing the coil diameter increased the boiling heat transfer coefficients more significantly by up to 130% before dryout. Dimensional analysis using Pi theorem and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques were used to develop correlations to predict the flow boiling heat transfer coefficients inside helically coiled tubes. The ANN method produced a better prediction of the experimental results with ±30%. The experimental facility was equipped with a reciprocating compressor and a manual expansion device and instrumented to assess the performance of miniature vapour compression refrigeration system. A mathematical model of this miniature system was developed, validated and then used to optimise the system performance in terms of the geometry of the helical coils used in the evaporator and condenser. It was shown that the smaller the coil diameter, the better the performance of cooling system. For the same evaporator length, the larger the tube diameter, the larger surface area and better COP. Smaller tube diameters showed better performance at lower area ratios. However, smaller tube diameters showed lower performance at high area ratios due to the large pressure drop caused by smaller tubes in case of using high area ratios. Finally, the addition of AL2O3 nanoparticles to pure water was investigated using computational fluid dynamics technique (CFD) in terms of heat transfer and pressure drop of single phase laminar and turbulent fluid flow in both straight and helically coiled tubes. The tested AL2O3 nanofluid in helical coils produced up to 350% increase in the heat transfer coefficient of the laminar flow compared to pure water in straight tubes for the same flow conditions. However, insignificant enhancement of the heat transfer was obtained in the turbulent flow regime. Also, the use of high AL2O3 nanofluid concentration of above 2% was found to produce significant pressure drop penalty factor of 5 times that of pure water in straight tubes.

High Temperature Cooling, HTC, is a thermal conditioning strategy, which aims to reducemixing and transfer heat losses. Cooling capacity strongly depends on heat transfer coefficientsand offers a great response and several advantages in terms of efficiency and sustainability.Among the advantages, there is evidence that HTC offers an increment of energy efficiency ofHVAC systems, provision of healthier and more comfortable indoor climate and provide widepotentials for the applications of renewable. This principle leads to a higher energy efficiency ofwater-based radiant cooling systems.This paper intends to focus on the research of the thermal capacity and performance of a newalternative. This is where Cooling Radiant Ceiling Panels, CRCP, becomes a major innovationwithin the sector and begin to take on certain relevance. The cooling capacity curve of thisparticular CRCP panels has been only measured in an idealized room environment according toDIN EN 14240. Thus, further studies of this key parameter through climate chamber testingand Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations, CFD, are necessary. CFD particularly focuseson fluids in motion, their behavior and their influences in complex processes such as heat transfer.The fluid motion can be described through fundamental mathematical equations and it isbecoming widely used within the building sector.Two different cases are going to be investigated. The first case will determine the mostoptimal peripheral gap to enhance cooling performance through Natural Convection, NC. Thisstudy states the existence of a peripheral gap around the panels has proven to be inefficientin terms of enhancing natural convection in the climate chamber. The second case is aboutcalculating the cooling capacity as a function of the internal heat loads. The cooling capacity ofthe CRCP panels followed an expected behavior. The R-squared factor of the linear regressionwas found to be 0.986, hence, it does not affect the performance of the CRCP panels dependingon the inclusion of the IHLs.This thesis provides the necessary information for the implementation of CRCP panels anddifferent possible operating environments, including considerations, limitations and recommendationsfor future implementation of this strategy.

Comprehensive molecular design was used to identify new heat transfer fluids for direct immersion phase change cooling of electronic systems. Four group contribution methods for thermophysical properties relevant to heat transfer were critically evaluated and new group contributions were regressed for organosilicon compounds. 52 new heat transfer fluids were identified via computer-aided molecular design and figure of merit analysis. Among these 52 fluids, 9 fluids were selected for experimental evaluation and their thermophysical properties were experimentally measured to validate the group contribution estimates. Two of the 9 fluids (C6H11F3 and C5H6F6O) were synthesized in this work. Pool boiling experiments showed that the new fluids identified in this work have superior heat transfer properties than existing coolant HFE 7200. The radiative forcing and global warming potential of new fluids, calculated via a new group contribution method developed in this work and FT-IR analysis, were found to be significantly lower than those of current coolants. The approach of increasing the thermal conductivity of heat transfer fluids by dispersing nanoparticles was also investigated. A model for the thermal conductivity of nanoparticle dispersions (nanofluids) was developed that incorporates the effect of size on the intrinsic thermal conductivity of nanoparticles. The model was successfully applied to a variety of nanoparticle-fluid systems. Rheological properties of nanofluids were also investigated and it was concluded that the addition of nanoparticles to heat transfer fluids may not be beneficial for electronics cooling due to significantly larger increase in viscosity relative to increase in thermal conductivity.

This thesis is based on eight articles all related to the characteristics of the cooling system and plate evaporator of a household refrigerator. Through these articles, knowledge is provided that can be used to increase the operational efficiency in household refrigeration. Papers A, B and C focus on heat transfer and pressure drop in a commonly used free convection evaporator – the plate evaporator. Applicable correlations are suggested on how to estimate the air side heat transfer, the refrigerant side pressure drop and the refrigerant side heat transfer. Papers D, E and F hold a unique experimental study of the refrigerant charge distribution in the cooling system at transient and steady state conditions. From this cyclic losses are identified and estimated and ways to overcome them are suggested. In paper G the topic “charging and throttling” is investigated in an unparalleled experimental study based on more than 600 data points at different quantities of charge and expansions device capacities. It results in recommendations on how to optimize the capillary tube length and the quantity of refrigerant charge. Finally, Paper H holds a thermographic study of the overall cooling system operating at transient conditions. Overall, a potential to lower the energy use by as much as 25 % was identified in the refrigerator studied. About 10 % was found on the evaporator’s air side. 1-2 % was identified as losses related to the edge effect of the evaporator plate. About 8 % was estimated to be cyclic losses. About 5 % was found in cycle length optimization.  It is believed that most of these findings are of general interest for the whole field of household refrigeration even though the results come from one type of refrigerator. Suggestions of simple means to reduce the losses without increasing the unit price are provided within the thesis

QC 20120411

This thesis presents work on a holistic approach for improving the overall design of solar cooling systems driven by solar thermal collectors. Newly developed methods for thermodynamic optimization of hydraulics and control were used to redesign an existing pilot plant. Measurements taken from the newly developed system show an 81% increase of the Solar Cooling Efficiency (SCEth) factor compared to the original pilot system. In addition to the improvements in system design, new efficiency factors for benchmarking solar cooling systems are presented. The Solar Supply Efficiency (SSEth) factor provides a means of quantifying the quality of solar thermal charging systems relative to the usable heat to drive the sorption process. The product of the SSEth with the already established COPth of the chiller, leads to the SCEth factor which, for the first time, provides a clear and concise benchmarking method for the overall design of solar cooling systems. Furthermore, the definition of a coefficient of performance, including irreversibilities from energy conversion (COPcon), enables a direct comparison of compression and sorption chiller technology. This new performance metric is applicable to all low-temperature heat-supply machines for direct comparison of different types or technologies. The achieved findings of this work led to an optimized generic design for solar cooling systems, which was successfully transferred to the market.

This work addresses the problem of using seawater for cooling and the associated environmental problems caused by the usage and discharge of biocides. The discharged biocide and its byproducts are toxic to aquatic lives and must be decreased below certain discharge limits on load prior to discharge. The conventional approach has been to add biocide removal units as an end-of-pipe treatment. This work introduces an integrated approach to reducing biocide discharge throughout a set of coordinated strategies for inplant modifications and biocide removal. In particular, process integration tools are used to reduce heating and cooling requirements through the synthesis of a heat-exchange network. Heat integration among process of hot and cold streams is pursued to an economic extent by reconciling cost reduction in utilities versus any additional capital investment of the heat exchangers. Other strategies include maximization of the temperature range for seawater through the process and optimization of biocide dosage. This new approach has the advantage of providing cost savings while reducing the usage and discharge of biocides. A case study is used to illustrate the usefulness of this new approach and the accompanying design techniques.