Cooling load is difficult to predict for a radiant system, because the interaction between a building’s thermal mass and radiation heat gain has not been well defined in a zone with a cooling surface. This study aims to reveal the effect of thermal mass in an external wall on the transmission load in a space with an active cooling surface. We investigated the thermal performances in a typical office building under various weather conditions by dynamic simulation with Energy-Plus. It was found that the thermal mass in the inside concrete layer had positives in terms of indoor temperature performance and energy conservation. The peak cooling load of the hydronic system decreases 28% in the proper operating state, taking into account the effect of the thermal mass in an external wall. Compared to the performances in zones with equivalent convective air systems (CASs), the peak cooling load and the accumulated load of the combined system (radiant system coupled by fresh air system) are hig... [more]

Time−domain simulation of electronic and thermal circuits is required by a large array of applications, such as the design and optimization of electric vehicle powertrain components. While efficient execution is always a desirable feature of simulation codes, in certain cases like System-in-the-Loop setups, real-time performance is demanded. Whether real-time code execution can be achieved or not in a particular case depends on a series of factors, which include the mathematical formulation of the equations that govern the system dynamics, the techniques used in code implementation, and the capabilities of the hardware architecture on which the simulation is run. In this work, we present an evaluation framework of numerical methods for the simulation of electronic and thermal circuits from the point of view of their ability to deliver real-time performance. The methods were compared using a set of nontrivial benchmark problems and relevant error metrics. The computational efficiency of... [more]

The analysis and calculation of the short-circuit fault current in the DC grid is of great significance to the design and configuration of the converter station and DC circuit breaker parameters. The existing flexible DC system not only includes the modular multilevel converter (MMC) converter, but also needs power equipment such as the fault current limiter and DC circuit breaker. Therefore, the system modeling and short circuit calculation of the multi-terminal DC system after adding the DC circuit breaker are also of great significance for the design of DC power system parameters and the grid troubleshooting ability. In this paper, firstly, the parameters of the four-terminal DC system of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) are simplified, and the analytical solution of the short circuit fault current of the multi-terminal DC system is given. Then, the external characteristics of the cascaded hybrid DC circuit breaker are modeled. Based on the equivalent circuit of the fault curr... [more]

This paper presents an inner-type of magnetic gears for non-contact driving, based on the nutation gearing principle. An improved three-dimensional analytical model, based on the magnetic vector potential of rectangular permanent magnets, via the equivalent current, is deduced for the proposed nutation magnetic gears. The transformation of coordinates is applied for a global field solution. The analytical model and the finite element model have analyzed the output torque of the nutation magnetic drive, respectively. The results show that the values calculated by the two models are consistent. The proposed analytical model can provide a reference for the design and optimization of nutation magnetic gears and other permanent magnetic mechanisms with rectangular magnets.

Model simulation allows to present the time-varying temperature distribution of the ground source for heat pumps. A system of 25 double U-shape borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) in long-term operation and three scenarios were created. In these scenarios, the difference between balanced and non-balanced energy load was considered as well as the influence of the hydrogeological factors on the temperature of the ground source. The aim of the study was to compare different thermal regimes of BHEs operation and examine the influence of small-scale and short-time thermal energy storage on ground source thermal balance. To present the performance of the system according to geological and hydrogeological factors, a Feflow® software (MIKE Powered by DHI Software) was used. The temperature for the scenarios was visualized after 10 and 30 years of the system’s operation. In this paper, a case is presented in which waste thermal energy from space cooling applications during summer months was used to... [more]

This Special Issue of Energies is dedicated to all aspects of fluid flow and heat transfer in geothermal applications, including the ground heat exchanger, conduction, and convection in porous media [...]

The more electric aircraft provides 115 V/360~800 Hz variable frequency power supply for the variable frequency asynchronous motor, and the motor operation characteristics change with the power frequency variation. It causes the starting pulse vibration torque with the low-frequency power supply (360 Hz) to increase greatly and the mechanical shock and fatigue damage. Therefore, this paper proposes step-down starting method with the low-frequency power supply. Based on the electromagnetic principles generated by the starting pulse vibration torque, this paper uses a novel method of simulation data fitting to establish an approximate model of the starting pulse vibration torque. The parameter design formulas of the low-frequency step-down starting methods, including the reducing voltage, the series resistance, and the series inductance are proposed. The effectiveness of the different methods are verified, and the performance is compared through the simulation. The experimental verificat... [more]

The present study numerically investigates thermal performance and turbulent flow characteristics of chevron-type plate heat exchangers with sinusoidal, trapezoidal, triangular, and elliptical corrugation profiles. The commercial code of ANSYS Fluent (v. 17.0) is used for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation with the realizable k-ε model. In particular, we focus on the influence of configuration shape on a substantial change in flow direction near the contact point, yielding local vorticity. As a result, secondary vortical motions are observed in the flow passage with vorticity that is distributed locally and which changes near the contact point. Higher flow mixing generated and distributed by the secondary vortical motions contributes to the increase of the Colburn j-factor as well as the friction factor. The highest Colburn j-factor and friction factor are obtained for an elliptical profile, compared to other shapes, because of the increase in the vortex strength near the co... [more]

Since a T-type three-level PWM converter has several intrinsic advantages, it has been researched for various applications such as grid-connected converter systems. However, it necessarily requires an additional voltage control loop for balancing the upper and the lower DC-link voltage. To satisfy this requirement, an offset voltage is widely used to provide a neutral point current without affecting other variables such as total DC-link voltage and three-phase input current. However, these methods are mostly based on the averaged value between the applied offset voltage and the neutral point voltage or current, and there is no exact analytical model. Therefore, in this paper, the exact theoretical relationship between the offset voltage and the neutral point current is analyzed. This result can be expected to be useful for an effective voltage balancing control loop design as well as the better understanding of the whole system operation. The validity of the obtained analytical model i... [more]

Electromechanical coupling devices have been playing an indispensable role in modern engineering. Particularly, flexoelectricity, an electromechanical coupling effect that involves strain gradients, has shown promising potential for future miniaturized electromechanical coupling devices. Therefore, simulation of flexoelectricity is necessary and inevitable. In this paper, we provide an overview of numerical procedures on modeling flexoelectricity. Specifically, we summarize a generalized formulation including the electrostatic stress tensor, which can be simplified to retrieve other formulations from the literature. We further show the weak and discretization forms of the boundary value problem for different numerical methods, including isogeometric analysis and mixed FEM. Several benchmark problems are presented to demonstrate the numerical implementation. The source code for the implementation can be utilized to analyze and develop more complex flexoelectric nano-devices.

In this paper, the inhibitory effects of added hydrogen in reactor headspace on fermentative hydrogen production from acidogenesis of glucose by a bacterium, Clostridium acetobutylicum, was investigated experimentally in a batch reactor. It was observed that hydrogen itself became an acute inhibitor of hydrogen production if it accumulated excessively in the reactor headspace. A mathematical model to simulate and predict biological hydrogen production process was developed. The Monod model, which is a simple growth model, was modified to take inhibition kinetics on microbial growth into account. The modified model was then used to investigate the effect of hydrogen concentration on microbial growth and production rate of hydrogen. The inhibition was moderate as hydrogen concentration increased from 10% to 30% (v/v). However, a strong inhibition in microbial growth and hydrogen production rate was observed as the addition of H2 increased from 30% to 40% (v/v). Practically, an extended l... [more]

This paper explores the possibility of using the Winter−Kennedy (WK) method for transient flow rate measurement in hydraulic turbines. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis of a numerical model of an axial turbine was carried out for accelerating and decelerating flows. Those were obtained by linearly opening and closing of the guide vanes, respectively, while retaining the inlet pressure constant during the simulations. The behavior of several WK configurations on a cross-sectional plane and along the azimuthal direction of the spiral casing was studied during the transients. The study showed that there are certain WK configurations that are more stable than others. The physical mechanism behind the stability (or instability) of the WK method during transients is presented. Using the steady WK coefficient obtained at the best efficiency point (BEP), the WK method could estimate the transient flow rate with a deviation of about 7.5% and 3.5%, for accelerating and decelerating flow... [more]

Cooling of thermal power stations requires large amounts of surface water and contributes to the increasing pressure on water resources. Water use efficiency of recirculating cooling towers (CT) is often kept low to prevent scaling. Partial desalination of CT feed water with membrane capacitive deionization (MDCI) can improve water quality but also results in additional water loss. A response surface methodology is presented in which optimal process conditions of the MCDI-CT system are determined in view of water use efficiency and cost. Maximal water use efficiency at minimal cost is found for high adsorption current (2.5 A) and short adsorption time (900 s). Estimated cost for MCDI to realize maximal MCDI-CT water use efficiency is relatively high (2.0−3.1 € m−3evap), which limits applicability to plants facing high intake water costs or water uptake limitations. MCDI-CT pilot tests show that water use efficiency strongly depends on CT operational pH. To allow comparison among pilot... [more]

As one of the core technologies of distributed feeder automation (DFA), line current differential protection (LCDP) can locate faults quickly and accurately and have the ability to cope with multi-directional flow. However, LCDP algorithm has high requirements for communication speed, and is sensitive to communication quality. In order to apply the LCDP algorithm to a real project, the communication system and its impacts on LCDP need to be studied in depth. In this paper, the design method of a communication system for LCDP, including communication mode, topology, communication protocol, and synchronization, is analyzed in detail. For better parameter determination, the communication models are investigated, and the impact of time delay, data loss, and jitter on LCDP are discussed. Further, the distribution network based on a real project is built in a cyber-physical co-simulation environment, and the impact of electrical fails and communication fails on LCDP are studied. The results... [more]

Calcium (Ca)-bearing minerals are of interest for the design of electrode materials required for rechargeable Ca-ion batteries. Here we use classical simulations to examine defect, dopant and transport properties of CaFeSi2O6. The formation of Ca-iron (Fe) anti-site defects is found to be the lowest energy process (0.42 eV/defect). The Oxygen and Calcium Frenkel energies are 2.87 eV/defect and 4.96 eV/defect respectively suggesting that these defects are not significant especially the Ca Frenkel. Reaction energy for the loss of CaO via CaO Schottky is 2.97 eV/defect suggesting that this process requires moderate temperature. Calculated activation energy of Ca-ion migration in this material is high (>4 eV), inferring very slow ionic conductivity. However, we suggest a strategy to introduce additional Ca2+ ions in the lattice by doping trivalent dopants on the Si site in order to enhance the capacity and ion diffusion and it is calculated that Al3+ is the favourable dopant for this proce... [more]

An artificial ground freezing (AGF) technique in the horizontal direction has been employed in Naples (Italy), in order to ensure the stability and waterproofing of soil during the excavation of two tunnels in a real underground station. The artificial freezing technique consists of letting a coolant fluid, with a temperature lower than the surrounding ground, circulate inside probes positioned along the perimeter of the gallery. In this paper, the authors propose an efficient numerical model to analyze heat transfer during the whole excavation process for which this AGF technique was used. The model takes into account the water phase change process, and has been employed to analyze phenomena occurring in three cross sections of the galleries. The aim of the work is to analyze the thermal behavior of the ground during the freezing phases, to optimize the freezing process, and to evaluate the thickness of frozen wall obtained. The steps to realize the entire excavation of the tunnels, a... [more]

Analysis of Halbach array placed in open space by using finite element method involves substantial consumption of memory, time, and cost. To address this problem, development of a mathematical modeling and analytic analysis method for Halbach array can be a solution, but research on this topic is currently insufficient. Therefore, a novel mathematical modeling and analytic analysis method for Halbach array in open space is proposed in this study, which is termed as the Ampere model and the Biot−Savart law (AB method). The proposed AB method can analyze the Halbach array rapidly and accurately with minimal consumption of memory. The usefulness of the AB method in terms of accuracy and memory and time consumption is verified by comparing the AB method with finite element method in this paper.

The underground air tunnel system shows promising potentials for reducing energy consumption of buildings and for improving indoor thermal comfort, whereas the existing dynamic models using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method show computational complexity and are user-unfriendly for parametrical analysis. In this study, a dynamic numerical model was developed with the on-site experimental calibration. Compared to the traditional CFD method with high computational complexity, the mathematical model on the MATLAB/SIMULINK platform is time-saving in terms of the real-time thermal performance prediction. The experimental validation results indicated that the maximum absolute relative deviation was 3.18% between the model-driven results and the data from the on-site experiments. Parametrical analysis results indicated that, with the increase of the tube length, the outlet temperature decreases with an increase of the cooling capacity whereas the increasing/decreasing magnitude slow... [more]

This research work presents a comparative thermal performance assessment of the laminar flow cooling blocks produced for automotive headlight assembly using a high power Light Emitting Diode (LED) chip. A three-dimensional numerical model with conjugate heat transfer in solid and fluid domains was used. Laminar flow was considered in the present analysis. The validation of the numerical model was realized by using the measured data from the test rig. It was observed that substantial temperature variations were occurred around the LED chip owing to volumetric heat generation. The cooling board with lower height performs better thermal performance but higher pressure drop for the same mass flow rates. The cooling board with the finned cover plate performs better thermal performance but results in an increased pressure drop for the same mass flow rates. Increasing the power of the LED results in higher temperature values for the same mass flow rates. The junction temperature is highly dep... [more]

Ozone, due to its high reactivity cannot be stockpiled, and thus requires to be generated on-demand. The paper reports on laboratory studies of O3 generation in a volume dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) tubular flow-through system with a coaxial-spiral electrode arrangement. Its performance is experimentally verified and compared to a commercial surface DBD O3 source fitted with a three-electrode floating supply arrangement. The presented volume DBD design is capable of steadily producing up to 4180 ppmv O3 at 1 Nl/min unprocessed atmospheric air intake and 10 kV 1.6 kHz sinusoidal high voltage supply corresponding to 67 g/kWh O3 production yield increasing to 93 g/kWh at 100 Nl/min air intake. The effects of high voltage supply tuning are also investigated and discussed together with finite element method simulation results.

The electricity sector foresees a significant change in the way energy is generated and distributed in the coming years. With the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources, smart algorithms can determine the difference about how and when energy is produced or consumed by residential districts. However, managing and implementing energy demand response, in particular energy flexibility activations, in real case studies still presents issues to be solved. This study, within the framework of the European project “SABINA H2020”, addresses the development of a multi-level optimization algorithm that has been tested in a semi-virtual real-time configuration. Results from a two-day test show the potential of building’s flexibility and highlight its complexity. Results show how the first level algorithm goal to reduce the energy injected to the grid is accomplished as well as the energy consumption shift from nighttime to daytime hours. As conclusion, the study demonstrates the feasibi... [more]

In the paper, the kinematic structure of the transmission shaft between the driving motor and the working mechanism is studied. The analysis is based on electrical and mechanical similarities. The equivalent circuits, typical for electrical systems, are defined for the transmission shaft concerned. Modelling of the transmission shaft based on a formal analogy between the transmission shaft and the electric transmission line is also proposed. The results of a computer simulation and experimental test are presented. The results confirm the high conformity of the proposed mathematical model with the physical object.

Targeting existing residential buildings for retrofit improvement presents significant prospects for global reduction of energy-usage and carbon footprints. Energy consumption of the existing single-family building in the hot-humid climate zone needs to be targeted for improvement due to their potential energy-savings and sizeable market share. This paper proposes and evaluates energy savings and cost-effectiveness of a whole building retrofit package for single-family residential buildings built between 1950 and 1970. The study outlined a survey conducted using the clustering data mining technique on Florida Single-Family Residential (SFR) homes to determine the essence of the building envelope, patterns of construction, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems. The evaluation of the energy efficiency measures (EEMs) effectiveness is performed utilizing Autodesk Revit and a Six-Step modeled framework. This framework consists of baseline model development, validati... [more]

The following article presents a computation procedure that enables us to simulate the dynamic states of electric machines with a laminated magnetic core, with direct consideration of the eddy current losses. The presented approach enables a significant reduction of the simulation process computational complexity. The verification of the obtained data correctness is based on a detailed balance of energy and power in the investigated system. The correctness of the obtained results was also confirmed by comparing them with the results included in norms that describe the losses in laminated sheets. The presented approach is based on expressing the equivalent permeability of transformer metal sheets by using RC or RL circuits. The impedances of these circuits are treated as the transmittance of Infinite Impulse Response filters (IIR) of the Laplace s variable. In this form they are implemented in direct calculations of the dynamics of electric machines based on field-circuital models, usin... [more]

The design and manufacturing of different full-size mock-ups of the resonance cavity of gyrotrons, relevant for fusion applications, were performed according to two different cooling strategies. The first one relies on mini-channels, which are very promising in the direction of increasing the heat transfer in the heavily loaded cavity, but which could face an excessively large pressure drop, while the second one adopts the solution of Raschig rings, already successfully used in European operating gyrotrons. The mock-ups, manufactured with conventional techniques, were hydraulically characterized at the Thales premises, using water at room temperature. The measured pressure drop data were used to validate the corresponding numerical computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, developed with the commercial software STAR-CCM+ (Siemens PLM Software, Plano TX, U.S.A.) and resulting in excellent agreement with the test results. When the validated models were used to compare the two optimized... [more]