Performance test of miniature heat exchangers with microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Yong Ju; Koh, Deuk Yong

2005-01-01

Etched microchannel heat exchanger, a subfield within MEMS, has high heat flux capability. This capability makes microchannels well-suited for a wide variety of application of cooling and chemical reaction. In this study, counter flow type miniature heat exchangers, which have flat metal plates with chemically etched microchannels, were manufactured by brazing method. Four type of the heat exchangers, which have straight microchannels, wavy shape microchannels, pin-fin channels and serpentine shape microchannels, were investigated to compare their thermal and hydraulic performance. Gas to gas heat exchange experiments were performed to measure the pressure drop and effectiveness of the heat exchangers at given gas flow rates and temperature difference

Micro-channel cooling for silicon detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaschel, Nils

2017-12-15

Silicon tracking detectors employed in high-energy physics are located very close to the interaction points of the colliding particle beams. The high energetic radiation emerging from the interaction induces defects into the silicon, downgrading the efficiency to collect the charges created by passing particles and increasing the noise while data taking. Cooling the sensors to low temperatures can help to prevent defects and maintain a high efficiency and lower noise level. In order to maximize the LHC's discovery potential, the collider and its detectors will be upgraded to a higher luminosity around 2024. The conditions inside the detector will become harsher demanding that the technology must adapt to the new situation. Radiation damage is already an issue in the current ATLAS detector and therefore a huge number of parameters are constantly monitored and evaluated to ensure optimal operation. To provide the best possible settings the behavior of the sensors inside the ATLAS Inner Detector is predicted using simulations. In this work several parameters in the simulation including the depletion voltage and the crosstalk between sensor strips of the SCT detector are analyzed and compared with data. The main part of this work concerns the investigation of a novel cooling system based on microchannels etched into silicon in a generic research and development project at DESY and IMB-CNM. A channel layout is designed providing a homogeneous flow distribution across a large surface area and tested in a computational fluid simulation before its production. Two different fabrication techniques, anodic and eutectic bonding, are used to test prototypes with differing mechanical and thermal properties. Hydromechanical and thermal measurements are performed to fully characterize the flow inside the device and the thermal properties of the prototype in air and in a vacuum. The thermal behavior is analyzed by means of local measurements with thermal resistors and infrared

Micro-channel cooling for silicon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flaschel, Nils

2017-12-01

Silicon tracking detectors employed in high-energy physics are located very close to the interaction points of the colliding particle beams. The high energetic radiation emerging from the interaction induces defects into the silicon, downgrading the efficiency to collect the charges created by passing particles and increasing the noise while data taking. Cooling the sensors to low temperatures can help to prevent defects and maintain a high efficiency and lower noise level. In order to maximize the LHC's discovery potential, the collider and its detectors will be upgraded to a higher luminosity around 2024. The conditions inside the detector will become harsher demanding that the technology must adapt to the new situation. Radiation damage is already an issue in the current ATLAS detector and therefore a huge number of parameters are constantly monitored and evaluated to ensure optimal operation. To provide the best possible settings the behavior of the sensors inside the ATLAS Inner Detector is predicted using simulations. In this work several parameters in the simulation including the depletion voltage and the crosstalk between sensor strips of the SCT detector are analyzed and compared with data. The main part of this work concerns the investigation of a novel cooling system based on microchannels etched into silicon in a generic research and development project at DESY and IMB-CNM. A channel layout is designed providing a homogeneous flow distribution across a large surface area and tested in a computational fluid simulation before its production. Two different fabrication techniques, anodic and eutectic bonding, are used to test prototypes with differing mechanical and thermal properties. Hydromechanical and thermal measurements are performed to fully characterize the flow inside the device and the thermal properties of the prototype in air and in a vacuum. The thermal behavior is analyzed by means of local measurements with thermal resistors and infrared

Simulation Study of Discharging PCM Ceiling Panels through Night - time Radiative Cooling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Grossule, F.

2016-01-01

demand. In the present simulation study, the coupling of nighttime radiative cooling with PCM for cooling an office room was investigated. For cooling water through nighttime radiative cooling two types of solar panels were utilized, an unglazed solar collector and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) panels...... provided by the PV/T panels was 43 W/m2 for Copenhagen, while for Milan and Athens it was 36 W/m2 and 34 W/m2, respectively. The cooling power of the unglazed solar collector was negligible. Finally, the total electricity produced in Copenhagen for the simulated period was 371 kWh, while for Milan...... and increase use of renewable energy sources. The aim is that by 2020 all new buildings should be nearly zero-energy buildings. A solution that could contribute to this is the combination of photovoltaic panels for the production of electricity and phase change material (PCM) for the reduction of peak cooling...

Cooling high heat flux micro-electronic systems using refrigerants in high aspect ratio multi-microchannel evaporators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa-Patry, E.

2011-11-01

Improving the energy efficiency of cooling systems can contribute to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. Currently, most microelectronic applications are air-cooled. Switching to two-phase cooling systems would decrease power consumption and allow for the reuse of the extracted heat. For this type of application, multi-microchannel evaporators are thought to be well adapted. However, such devices have not been tested for a wide range of operating conditions, such that their thermal response to the high non-uniform power map typically generated by microelectronics has not been studied. This research project aims at clarifying these gray areas by investigating the behavior of the two-phase flow of different refrigerants in silicon and copper multi-microchannel evaporators under uniform, non-uniform and transient heat fluxes operating conditions. The test elements use as a heat source a pseudo-chip able to mimic the behavior of a CPU. It is formed by 35 independent sub-heaters, each having its own temperature sensor, such that 35 temperature and 35 heat flux measurements can be made simultaneously. Careful measurements of each pressure drop component (inlet, microchannels and outlet) found in the micro-evaporators showed the importance of the inlet and outlet restriction pressure losses. The overall pressure drop levels found in the copper test section were low enough to possibly be driven by a thermosyphon system. The heat transfer coefficients measured for uniform heat flux conditions were very high and typically followed a V-shape curve. The first branch was associated to the slug flow regime and the second to the annular flow regime. By tracking the minimum level of heat transfer, a transition criteria between the regimes was established, which included the effect of heat flux on the transition. Then for each branch, a different prediction method was used to form the first flow pattern-based prediction method for two-phase heat transfer in microchannels. A

Effect of Thermoelectric Cooling (TEC module and the water flow heatsink on Photovoltaic (PV panel performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia A.R.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Photovoltaic (PV panel suffers in low conversion efficiency of the output performance affected by the elevated operating temperature of the PV panel. It is important to keep the PV panel to operate at low temperature. To address this issue, this paper proposes the cooling system using thermoelectric cooling (TEC and water block heatsink for enhancing the PV panel output performance. These both types cooling system were designed located on the back side of the PV panel to cool down the operating temperature of the PV panel. To evaluate the function for the existing cooling systems, the experiment was subsequently performed for PV panel without and with different design of the cooling system in outdoor weather conditions. By comparing the experimental results, it is concluded that by the hybrid cooling system which combining TEC module and the water block heatsink could improve the output performance of the PV panel. By the reduction temperature of the PV panel by 16.04 %, the average output power of the PV panel has been boosted up from 8.59 W to 9.03 W. In short, the output power of the PV panel was enhanced by the reduction of the operating temperature of the PV panel.

Effect of Thermoelectric Cooling (TEC) module and the water flow heatsink on Photovoltaic (PV) panel performance

Science.gov (United States)

Amelia, A. R.; Jusoh, MA; Shamira Idris, Ida

2017-11-01

Photovoltaic (PV) panel suffers in low conversion efficiency of the output performance affected by the elevated operating temperature of the PV panel. It is important to keep the PV panel to operate at low temperature. To address this issue, this paper proposes the cooling system using thermoelectric cooling (TEC) and water block heatsink for enhancing the PV panel output performance. These both types cooling system were designed located on the back side of the PV panel to cool down the operating temperature of the PV panel. To evaluate the function for the existing cooling systems, the experiment was subsequently performed for PV panel without and with different design of the cooling system in outdoor weather conditions. By comparing the experimental results, it is concluded that by the hybrid cooling system which combining TEC module and the water block heatsink could improve the output performance of the PV panel. By the reduction temperature of the PV panel by 16.04 %, the average output power of the PV panel has been boosted up from 8.59 W to 9.03 W. In short, the output power of the PV panel was enhanced by the reduction of the operating temperature of the PV panel.

Performance Analysis of Photovoltaic Panels with Earth Water Heat Exchanger Cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakhar Sanjeev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The operating temperature is an important factor affecting the performance and life span of the Photovoltaic (PV panels. The rising temperature can be maintained within certain limit using proper cooling techniques. In the present research a novel system for cooling of PV panels named as Earth Water Heat Exchanger (EWHE is proposed and modelled in transient analysis simulation tool (TRNSYS v17.0 for the conditions of Pilani, Rajasthan (India.The various parameters which include cell temperature, PV power output and cell efficiency are observed with respect to variation in mass flow rate of fluid. Simulation results of the system without cooling show that the maximum PV panel temperature reached up to 79.31 °C with electrical efficiency dropped to 9% during peak sunshine hour. On the other hand, when PV panels are coupled with EWHE system, the panel temperature drops to 46.29 °C with an efficiency improving to 11% for a mass flow rate of 0.022 kg/s. In the end the cooling potential of EWHE is found to be in direct correlation with mass flow rate. The proposed system is very useful for the arid regions of western India which are blessed with high solar insolation throughout the year.

Transition from annular flow to plug/slug flow in condensation of steam in microchannels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quan, Xiaojun; Cheng, Ping; Wu, Huiying [School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2008-02-15

A visualization study has been conducted to investigate the transition from annular flow to plug/slug flow in the condensation of steam in two different sets of parallel microchannels, having hydraulic diameters of 90 {mu}m and 136 {mu}m, respectively. The steam in the parallel microchannels was cooled on the bottom by forced convection of water and by natural convection of air from the top. It is found that the location, where the transition from annular flow to plug/slug flow takes place, depends on mass flux and cooling rate of steam. The effects of mass flux and cooling rate on the occurrence frequency of the injection flow in a single microchannel, having a hydraulic diameter of 120 {mu}m and 128 {mu}m, respectively, are investigated. It is found that two different shapes of injection flow occur in the smooth annular flow in microchannels: injection flow with unsteady vapor ligament occurring at low mass flux (or high cooling rate) and injection flow with steady vapor ligament occurring at high mass flux (or low cooling rate). It is also found that increase of steam mass flux, decrease of cooling rate, or decrease of the microchannel diameter tends to enhance instability of the condensate film on the wall, resulting in occurrence of the injection flow further toward the outlet with an increase in occurrence frequency. (author)

Critical heat flux in flow boiling in microchannels

CERN Document Server

Saha, Sujoy Kumar

2015-01-01

This Brief concerns the important problem of critical heat flux in flow boiling in microchannels. A companion edition in the SpringerBrief Subseries on Thermal Engineering and Applied Science to “Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop in Flow Boiling in Microchannels,” by the same author team, this volume is idea for professionals, researchers, and graduate students concerned with electronic cooling.

Cooled solar PV panels for output energy efficiency optimisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Zhijun; Herfatmanesh, Mohammad R.; Liu, Yiming

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Effects of cooling on solar PV performance have been experimentally investigated. • As a solar panel is cooled down, the electric output can have significant increase. • A cooled solar PV system has been proposed for resident application. • Life cycle assessment suggests the cost payback time of cooled PV can be reduced. - Abstract: As working temperature plays a critical role in influencing solar PV’s electrical output and efficacy, it is necessary to examine possible way for maintaining the appropriate temperature for solar panels. This research is aiming to investigate practical effects of solar PV surface temperature on output performance, in particular efficiency. Experimental works were carried out under different radiation condition for exploring the variation of the output voltage, current, output power and efficiency. After that, the cooling test was conducted to find how much efficiency improvement can be achieved with the cooling condition. As test results show the efficiency of solar PV can have an increasing rate of 47% with the cooled condition, a cooling system is proposed for possible system setup of residential solar PV application. The system performance and life cycle assessment suggest that the annual PV electric output efficiencies can increase up to 35%, and the annual total system energy efficiency including electric output and hot water energy output can increase up to 107%. The cost payback time can be reduced to 12.1 years, compared to 15 years of the baseline of a similar system without cooling sub-system.

CFD Analysis for Optimum Thermal Design of Carbon Nanotube Based Micro-Channel Heatsink

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mahbub

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Carbon nanotube (CNT is considered as an ideal material for thermal management in electronic packaging because of its extraordinary high thermal conductivity. Fabricated onto a silicon substrate to form micro-channels, the CNT based cooling fins show high heat dissipation efficiency. A series of 2D and 3D CFD simulations have been carried out for CNT based micro-channel cooling architectures based on one and two dimensional fin array in this paper using COMSOL 4.0a software. Micro-channels are generally regarded as an effective method for the heat transfer in electronic products. The influence of various fluids, micro-fin structures, fluid velocity and heating powers on cooling effects have been simulated and compared in this study. Steady-state thermal stress analyses for the forced convection heat transfer are also performed to determine maximum allowable stress and deflections for the different types of cooling assembly.

Optimal geometric structure for nanofluid-cooled microchannel heat sink under various constraint conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaodong; Bin An; Xu Jinliang

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► An inverse geometry optimization method is used to optimize heat sink structure. ► Nanofluid is used as coolant of heat sink. ► Three parameters are simultaneously optimized at various constraint conditions. ► The optimal designs of nanofluid-cooled heat sink are obtained. - Abstract: A numerical model is developed to analyze the flow and heat transfer in nanofluid-cooled microchannel heat sink (MCHS). In the MCHS model, temperature-dependent thermophysical properties are taken into account due to large temperature differences in the MCHS and strong temperature-dependent characteristics of nanofluids, the model is validated by experimental data with good agreement. The simplified conjugate-gradient method is coupled with MCHS model as optimization tool. Three geometric parameters, including channel number, channel aspect ratio, and width ratio of channel to pitch, are simultaneously optimized at fixed inlet volume flow rate, fixed pumping power, and fixed pressure drop as constraint condition, respectively. The optimal designs of MCHS are obtained for various constraint conditions and the effects of inlet volume flow rate, pumping power, and pressure drop on the optimal geometric parameters are discussed.

Formation of microchannels from low-temperature plasma-deposited silicon oxynitride

Science.gov (United States)

Matzke, Carolyn M.; Ashby, Carol I. H.; Bridges, Monica M.; Manginell, Ronald P.

2000-01-01

A process for forming one or more fluid microchannels on a substrate is disclosed that is compatible with the formation of integrated circuitry on the substrate. The microchannels can be formed below an upper surface of the substrate, above the upper surface, or both. The microchannels are formed by depositing a covering layer of silicon oxynitride over a mold formed of a sacrificial material such as photoresist which can later be removed. The silicon oxynitride is deposited at a low temperature (.ltoreq.100.degree. C.) and preferably near room temperature using a high-density plasma (e.g. an electron-cyclotron resonance plasma or an inductively-coupled plasma). In some embodiments of the present invention, the microchannels can be completely lined with silicon oxynitride to present a uniform material composition to a fluid therein. The present invention has applications for forming microchannels for use in chromatography and electrophoresis. Additionally, the microchannels can be used for electrokinetic pumping, or for localized or global substrate cooling.

Experimental study of discharging PCM ceiling panels through nocturnal radiative cooling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Péan, Thibault Q.; Gennari, Luca

PhotoVoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) panels were used for cooling water through the principle of nocturnal radiative cooling. This water was utilised for discharging Phase Change Material (PCM) which was embedded in ceiling panels in a climate chamber. Three different sets of flow rates were examined...... for the solar and the PCM loops, for five days each. The highest examined water flow rate (210 l/h) in the PCM loop provided the best thermal environment in the climate chamber, namely 92% of the occupancy time was within the range of Category III of Standard EN 15251. Although the lowest examined water flow...... rate (96 l/h) in the solar loop provided the highest average cooling power, due to the significant variations in the weather conditions during the three experimental cases, made it impossible to determine to which extent the difference in the cooling power is due to the different water flow rate...

Night time cooling by ventilation or night sky radiation combined with in-room radiant cooling panels including phase change materials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Olesen, Bjarne W.; Grossule, Fabio

Night sky radiative cooling technology using PhotoVoltaic/Thermal panels (PVT) and night time ventilation have been studied both by means of simulations and experiments to evaluate their potential and to validate the created simulation model used to describe it. An experimental setup has been...... depending on the sky clearness. This cooling power was enough to remove the stored heat and regenerate the ceiling panels. The validation simulation model results related to PCM were close to the corresponding results extracted from the experiment, while the results related to the production of cold water...... through the night sky radiative cooling differed significantly. The possibility of night time ventilation was studied through simulations for three different latitudes. It was concluded that for Danish climatic conditions night time ventilation would also be able to regenerate the panels while its...

Smoothing effect of the thermal interface material on the temperature distribution in a stepwise varying width microchannel cooling device

Science.gov (United States)

Riera, Sara; Barrau, Jérôme; Rosell, Joan I.; Fréchette, Luc G.; Omri, Mohamed; Vilarrubí, Montse; Laguna, Gerard

2017-09-01

The impact of the thermal interface material (TIM) layer on the performance of a stepwise varying width microchannel cooling device is analysed. A numerical model shows that the TIM layer, besides its well known negative impact on the temperature, also generates a smoothing effect on the temperature distribution. In this study, an analytical model is used to define a nondimensional parameter, called Smoothing Resistance ratio, as the quotient between the origin of the temperature non uniformities and the TIM thermal resistance that flatten the temperature distribution. The relationship between the temperature uniformity of the cooled device, expressed through the temperature standard deviation, and the Smoothing Resistance ratio is shown to be linear. These results lead to the definition of a new design procedure for this kind of cooling device, which aims to reduce the Smoothing Resistance ratio. Two solutions are identified and their drawbacks are analysed.

Improving the Solar Panel Efficiency by Using Cooling and Cleaning Techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anmar Khalil Ibrahim

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This paper is a contribution to research work which aims at ending the electricity crisis in Iraq. The electric power stations, which use conventional fuel, are unable to provide the growing population with electricity all day-long. Moreover, electric distribution lines are sometimes exposed to attacks by terrorists. This paper recommends solar energy as the optimum solution to the electricity problem in Iraq, since it is both renewable and friendly to the environment. The paper also concentrated on reliability techniques to improve the efficiency of the solar energy system. This was achieved by means of designing and constructing a cooling system that consists of fans, sprinklers and wipers to eliminate excessive heat from solar panels when temperature rises to maximum levels. Sprinklers and wipers are also useful for cleaning the panels because dust is a negative factor which undermines the generation capacity of solar panels.   The cooling system is operated by means of a microcontroller that is programmed through Proteus 8, Arduino, and Matlab2016. Statistics reveal that a cooling system has significantly improved the productive capacity of the solar system and it can achieve an energy gain of (34.55%.

Modeling of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system under the influence of panel cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chinathambi Gopal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the performance of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system was improved by maintaining the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C. Experiments have been conducted on a laboratory experimental set-up installed with 6.4 m2 solar panel (by providing air cooling either on the top surface or over the beneath surface of the panel to operate a centrifugal pump with a rated capacity of 0.5 HP. The performance characteristics of the photovoltaic panel (such as, cell temperature, photovoltaic panel output, and photovoltaic efficiency, pump performance characteristics (such as pump efficiency and discharge, and system performance characteristics are observed with reference to solar irradiation, ambient temperature and wind velocity. A thermal model has been developed to predict the variations of photovoltaic cell temperature based on the measured glass and tedlar temperatures. The influences of cell temperature and solar irradiation on the performance of the system are described. The results concluded that cooling of photovoltaic panel on beneath surface has maintained the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C and improved the overall efficiency by about 1.8% when compared to the system without panel cooling.

Integrated application of combined cooling, heating and power poly-generation PV radiant panel system of zero energy buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Baoquan

2018-02-01

A new type of combined cooling, heating and power of photovoltaic radiant panel (PV/R) module was proposed, and applied in the zero energy buildings in this paper. The energy system of this building is composed of PV/R module, low temperature difference terminal, energy storage, multi-source heat pump, energy balance control system. Radiant panel is attached on the backside of the PV module for cooling the PV, which is called PV/R module. During the daytime, the PV module was cooled down with the radiant panel, as the temperature coefficient influence, the power efficiency was increased by 8% to 14%, the radiant panel solar heat collecting efficiency was about 45%. Through the nocturnal radiant cooling, the PV/R cooling capacity could be 50 W/m2. For the multifunction energy device, the system shows the versatility during the heating, cooling and power used of building utilization all year round.

Thermal performance of nanofluid flow in microchannels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Jie [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of North Carolina, Campus Box 7910, Broungton Hall 4160, Raleigh, NC 27695-7910 (United States); Kleinstreuer, Clement [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of North Carolina, Campus Box 7910, Broungton Hall 4160, Raleigh, NC 27695-7910 (United States)], E-mail: ck@eos.ncsu.edu

2008-08-15

Two effective thermal conductivity models for nanofluids were compared in detail, where the new KKL (Koo-Kleinstreuer-Li) model, based on Brownian motion induced micro-mixing, achieved good agreements with the currently available experimental data sets. Employing the commercial Navier-Stokes solver CFX-10 (Ansys Inc., Canonsburg, PA) and user-supplied pre- and post-processing software, the thermal performance of nanofluid flow in a trapezoidal microchannel was analyzed using pure water as well as a nanofluid, i.e., CuO-water, with volume fractions of 1% and 4% CuO-particles with d{sub p} = 28.6 nm. The results show that nanofluids do measurably enhance the thermal performance of microchannel mixture flow with a small increase in pumping power. Specifically, the thermal performance increases with volume fraction; but, the extra pressure drop, or pumping power, will somewhat decrease the beneficial effects. Microchannel heat sinks with nanofluids are expected to be good candidates for the next generation of cooling devices.

Exergy metrication of radiant panel heating and cooling with heat pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kilkis, Birol

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Rational Exergy Management Model analytically relates heat pumps and radiant panels. ► Heat pumps driven by wind energy perform better with radiantpanels. ► Better CO 2 mitigation is possible with wind turbine, heat pump, radiant panel combination. ► Energy savings and thermo-mechanical performance are directly linked to CO 2 emissions. - Abstract: Radiant panels are known to be energy efficient sensible heating and cooling systems and a suitable fit for low-exergy buildings. This paper points out the little known fact that this may not necessarily be true unless their low-exergy demand is matched with low-exergy waste and alternative energy resources. In order to further investigate and metricate this condition and shed more light on this issue for different types of energy resources and energy conversion systems coupled to radiant panels, a new engineering metric was developed. Using this metric, which is based on the Rational Exergy Management Model, true potential and benefits of radiant panels coupled to ground-source heat pumps were analyzed. Results provide a new perspective in identifying the actual benefits of heat pump technology in curbing CO 2 emissions and also refer to IEA Annex 49 findings for low-exergy buildings. Case studies regarding different scenarios are compared with a base case, which comprises a radiant panel system connected to a natural gas-fired condensing boiler in heating and a grid power-driven chiller in cooling. Results show that there is a substantial CO 2 emission reduction potential if radiant panels are optimally operated with ground-source heat pumps driven by renewable energy sources, or optimally matched with combined heat and power systems, preferably running on alternative fuels.

Performance power evaluation of DC fan cooling system for PV panel by using ANSYS CFX

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiqah, Z.; Amin, N. A. M.; Irwan, Y. M.; Irwanto, M.; Leow, W. Z.; Amelia, A. R.

2017-09-01

A research has been conducted to find the optimum combination for DC fan air cooling system of photovoltaic (PV) panel. During normal operation of PV panel, it is estimated that only 15 % of solar radiation is converted into electrical energy. Meanwhile, the rest of the solar radiation is converted into heat energy which affects the performance of the PV panel. Therefore, the aim of this research is to investigate the performance power evaluation of DC fan cooling system for PV panel by using ANSYS CFX. The effect of airflow configuration of DC fan has been investigated. This is to analyze whether the airflow circulation of DC fan cause a change towards the maximum temperature of PV panel. Besides, the impact of varying number of DC fans attached at the back of PV panel is evaluated. The result of airflow circulation of DC fan has been discussed. Meanwhile, with the increment number of DC fans, the PV panel temperature drops significantly. As a conclusion, the optimum number of DC fans is two with the combination of inlet airflow.

Field evaluation of performance of radiant heating/cooling ceiling panel system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Rongling; Yoshidomi, Togo; Ooka, Ryozo

2015-01-01

heating/coolingceiling panel system is used. However, no standard exists for the in situ performance evaluation of radiantheating/cooling ceiling systems; furthermore, no published database is available for comparison. Thus,this study aims to not only clarify the system performance but also to share our...... experience and our resultsfor them to serve as a reference for other similar projects. Here, the system performance in relation toits heating/cooling capacity and thermal comfort has been evaluated. The heat transfer coefficient fromwater to room was 3.7 W/(m2K) and 4.8 W/(m2K) for heating and cooling cases...

Experimental investigation of heat transfer performance for a novel microchannel heat sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y; Ding, G-F

2008-01-01

We demonstrated a novel microchannel heat sink with a high local heat transfer efficiency contributed by a complicated microchannel system, which comprises parallel longitudinal microchannels etched in a silicon substrate and transverse microchannels electroplated on a copper heat spreader. The thermal boundary layer develops in transverse microchannels. Meanwhile, the heat transfer area is increased compared with the conventional microchannel heat sink only having parallel longitudinal microchannels. Both benefits yield high local heat transfer efficiency and enhance the overall heat transfer, which is attractive for the cooling of high heat flux electronic devices. Infrared tests show the temperature distribution in the test objects. The effects of flow rate and heat flux levels on heat transfer characteristics are presented. A uniform temperature distribution is obtained through the heating area. The reference temperatures decrease with the increasing flow rate from 0.64 ml min −1 to 6.79 ml min −1 for a constant heat flux of 10.4 W cm −2 . A heat flux of 18.9 W cm −2 is attained at a flow rate of 6.79 ml min −1 for assuring the maximum temperature of the microchannel heat sink less than the maximum working temperature of electronic devices

COOLING MICROELECTRONIC DEVICES USING OPTIMAL MICROCHANNEL HEAT SINKS: UNA COMPARACIÓN DE DOS ALGORITMOS DE OPTIMIZACIÓN GLOBAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Mario Cruz Duarte

Full Text Available This article deals with the design of optimum microchannel heat sinks through Unified Particle Swarm Optimisation (UPSO and Harmony Search (HS. These heat sinks are used for the thermal management of electronic devices, and we analyse the performance of UPSO and HS in their design, both, systematically and thoroughly. The objective function was created using the entropy generation minimisation criterion. In this study, we fixed the geometry of the microchannel, the amount of heat to be removed, and the properties of the cooling fluid. Moreover, we calculated the entropy generation rate, the volume flow rate of air, the channel width, the channel height, and the Knudsen number. The results of several simulation optimizations indicate that both global optimisation strategies yielded similar results, about 0.032 W/K, and that HS required five times more iterations than UPSO, but only about a nineteenth of its computation time. In addition, HS revealed a greater chance (about three times of finding a better solution than UPSO, but with a higher dispersion rate (about five times. Nonetheless, both algorithms successfully optimised the design for different scenarios, even when varying the material of the heat sink, and for different heat transfer rates.

Experimental study on frosting control of mobile air conditioning system with microchannel evaporator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu Xiaohua; Shi Junye; Qi Zhaogang; Chen Jiangping

2011-01-01

In this paper, a newly developed frost control system is proposed. System bench tests and vehicle test in wind tunnel have been carried out to explore the anti-frosting performance of automotive air conditioning system with microchannel evaporator. The experimental results are compared with the baseline conventional laminated evaporator system. The test results show that the installation position of temperature sensor can dramatically affect the anti-frosting performance. The clutch switching on/off temperature range of the microchannel evaporator is also experimentally studied. The test results show that, with a proper installation position and on/off temperature range, the system COP can be improved, and meanwhile the panel vents' air off temperature can be reduced, and temperature swing can be reduced. - Highlights: → The frost control systems were tested with microchannel and laminated evaporators separately. → The installation position of temperature sensor affects the anti-frosting performance. → Temperature control range affects the anti-frosting performance. → The panel vents' air off temperature and swing can be reduced by proper control parameters. → The system COP can be improved by proper control parameters.

Heat exchanger for cooling a liquid metal with air, including panels of identical tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malaval, C.

1985-01-01

The heat exchanger includes panels of identical tubes, each one comprising two horizontal collectors situated at the vertical of each other and a group of vertical tubes for cooling arranged in a horizontal parallelepiped casing opened on two of its opposite sides. The air flows from the inlet to the outlet face of the casing. The panels of tubes are arranged side by side so that their outlet faces form a prismatic surface of which the height is vertical and the inner space communicates with a vertical axis chimney. Each one of the panels is hanging from a fixed structure by means of articulated fasteners, by means of its upper collector only. The invention applies, more particularly, for cooling the primary sodium of fast neutron reactors after they are stopped [fr

Sustainable Heating, Cooling and Ventilation of a Plus-Energy House via Photovoltaic/Thermal Panels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Skrupskelis, Martynas; Sevela, Pavel

2014-01-01

Present work addresses the HVAC and energy concerns of the Technical University of Denmark's house, Fold, for the competition Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. Various innovative solutions are investigated; photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) panels, utilization of ground as a heat source/sink and phase change...... two separate systems. PV/T panels enable the house to perform as a plus-energy house. PV/T also yields to a solar fraction of 63% and 31% for Madrid and Copenhagen, respectively. The ground heat exchanger acts as the heat sink/source of the house. Free cooling enables the same cooling effect...

Performance in cooling mode of a heat pump using panels with PV cells as the condenser; Taiyo denchitsuki panel wo gyoshukuki to shita heat pump no reibo unten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawamura, T; Ito, S; Miura, N [Kanagawa Institute of Technology, Kanagawa (Japan); Fujita, M [Chubu Electric Power Co. Inc., Nagoya (Japan)

1996-10-27

Comparison was made between heat pumps in cooling operation, one having two panels provided with solar cells, the second having an air-cooled heat exchanger alone, and the third having a series connection of a panel unit and air-cooled heat exchanger, all serving as condenser. The results are shown below. In the case of two-panel-unit condenser, there is a difference ({Delta}t) of 15{degree}C between the daytime free air temperature and condensing temperature but, with decreased insolation, free air temperature, and wind speed in the evening, the {Delta}t lowered to approximately 8{degree}C while the COP (coefficient of performance) increased from 2.4 to 3.3. On a cloudy day in summer, the two-panel-unit condenser had a {Delta}t of 13.9{degree}C and a COP of 3.1. In the case of the series-connection condenser, the {Delta}t was approximately 8{degree}C and the COP was 3.5. The COP of the two-panel-unit condenser was lower than that of the air-cooled heat exchanger by 9% at an insolation of 442W/m{sup 2} but it rose to 12% in the absence of insolation. The COP of the two-panel-unit condenser was higher than that of a one-panel-unit condenser by 17%. When an insulator plate was attached to the back of a panel, the {Delta}t increased but the COP decreased by 14%. In the case of the series-connection condenser, the COP increased by 6% in the absence of the insulator plate. 2 refs., 9 figs.

Batch production of microchannel plate photo-multipliers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frisch, Henry J.; Wetstein, Matthew; Elagin, Andrey

2018-03-06

In-situ methods for the batch fabrication of flat-panel micro-channel plate (MCP) photomultiplier tube (PMT) detectors (MCP-PMTs), without transporting either the window or the detector assembly inside a vacuum vessel are provided. The method allows for the synthesis of a reflection-mode photocathode on the entrance to the pores of a first MCP or the synthesis of a transmission-mode photocathode on the vacuum side of a photodetector entrance window.

Parametric analysis of the operation of nocturnal radiative cooling panels coupled with in room PCM ceiling panels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Péan, T.Q.

2017-01-01

03:00 and get activated when the temperature in the storage tank was below 21°C, 69.8°F, activate the heat pump no earlier than 05:00 and get activated when the temperature in the storage tank was below 15°C, 59°F, and lastly have a temperature difference between the output of the solar panels......The scope of this parametric simulation study was to identify the optimal combination of set-points for different parameters of a radiant PCM ceiling panels cooling system that will result in the best indoor thermal environment with the least possible energy use. The results showed that for each...

An experimental study on flow friction and heat transfer of water in sinusoidal wavy silicon microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Houxue; Wu, Huiying; Zhang, Chi

2018-05-01

Sinusoidal wavy microchannels have been known as a more heat transfer efficient heat sink for the cooling of electronics than normal straight microchannels. However, the existing experimental study on wavy silicon microchannels with different phase differences are few. As a result of this, in this paper an experimental study has been conducted to investigate the single phase flow friction and heat transfer of de-ionized water in eight different sinusoidal wavy silicon microchannels (SWSMCs) and one straight silicon microchannel (SMC). The SWSMCs feature different phase differences (α  =  0 to π) and different relative wavy amplitudes (β  =  A/l  =  0.05 to 0.4), but the same average hydraulic diameters (D h  =  160 µm). It is found that both flow friction constant fRe and the Nusselt number depend on the phase difference and relative wavy amplitude. For sinusoidal wavy microchannels with a relative wavy amplitude (β  =  0.05), the Nusselt number increased noticeably with the phase difference for Re  >  250, but the effect was insignificant for Re  reducing the wavy wave length induced higher pressure drop and apparent friction constant fRe, while the Nusselt number increased with relative wavy amplitude for Re  >  300. The results indicate that the thermal resistances of sinusoidal wavy silicon microchannels were generally lower than that of straight silicon microchannels, and the thermal resistance decreased with the increase in relative wavy amplitude. The enhancement of thermal performance is attributed to the flow re-circulation occurring in the corrugation troughs and the secondary flows or Dean vortices introduced by curved channels. It is concluded that silicon sinusoidal wavy microchannels provide higher heat transfer rate albeit with a higher flow friction, making it a better choice for the cooling of high heat flux electronics.

Experimental study of discharging PCM ceiling panels through nocturnal radiative cooling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Péan, Thibault Q.; Gennari, Luca

2016-01-01

rate (96 l/h) in the solar loop provided the highest average cooling power, due to the significant variations in the weather conditions during the three experimental cases, made it impossible to determine to which extent the difference in the cooling power is due to the different water flow rate....... The percentage of electrical energy use that could be covered from the PV/Ts on site was 71.5% for Case 1, 68.3% for Case 2 and 86.8% for Case 3. In any case, the PV/T panels proved to be an efficient solution for the production of electrical energy, heated and chilled water....

Thermal effect of a thermoelectric generator on parallel microchannel heat sink

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolaei, Alireza Rezania; Rosendahl, Lasse

2012-01-01

Thermoelectric generators (TEG) convert heat energy to electrical power by means of semiconductor charge carriers serving as working fluid. In this work, a TEG is applied to a parallel microchannel heat sink. The effect of the inlet plenum arrangement on the laminar flow distribution...... in the channels is considered at a wide range of the pressure drop along the heat sink. The particular focus of this study is geometrical effect of the TEG on the heat transfer characteristics in the micro-heat sink. The hydraulic diameter of the microchannels is 270 μm, and three heat fluxes are applied...... on the hot surface of the TEG. By considering the maximum temperature limitation for Bi_2 Te_3 material and using the microchannel heat sink for cooling down the TEG system, an optimum pumping power is achieved. The results are in a good agreement with the previous experimental and theoretical studies....

Phase Change Material Based Accumulation Panels in Combination with Renewable Energy Sources and Thermoelectric Cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Skovajsa

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the use of modern materials and technologies that can improve the thermal comfort in buildings. The article describes the design and usage of a special accumulation device, which is composed of thermal panels based on phase change materials (PCMs. The thermal panels have an integrated tube heat exchanger and heating foils. The technology can be used as a passive or active system for heating and cooling. It is designed as a “green technology”, so it is able to use renewable energy sources, e.g., photovoltaic (PV panels, solar thermal collectors and heat pumps. Moreover, an interesting possibility is the ability to use thermoelectric coolers. In the research, measurements of the different operating modes were made, and the results are presented in the text. The measurement approves that the technology improves the thermal capacity of the building, and it is possible to use it for active heating and cooling.

Two-phase flow instabilities in a silicon microchannels heat sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogojevic, D.; Sefiane, K.; Walton, A.J.; Lin, H.; Cummins, G.

2009-01-01

Two-phase flow instabilities are highly undesirable in microchannels-based heat sinks as they can lead to temperature oscillations with high amplitudes, premature critical heat flux and mechanical vibrations. This work is an experimental study of boiling instabilities in a microchannel silicon heat sink with 40 parallel rectangular microchannels, having a length of 15 mm and a hydraulic diameter of 194 μm. A series of experiments have been carried out to investigate pressure and temperature oscillations during the flow boiling instabilities under uniform heating, using water as a cooling liquid. Thin nickel film thermometers, integrated on the back side of a heat sink with microchannels, were used in order to obtain a better insight related to temperature fluctuations caused by two-phase flow instabilities. Flow regime maps are presented for two inlet water temperatures, showing stable and unstable flow regimes. It was observed that boiling leads to asymmetrical flow distribution within microchannels that result in high temperature non-uniformity and the simultaneously existence of different flow regimes along the transverse direction. Two types of two-phase flow instabilities with appreciable pressure and temperature fluctuations were observed, that depended on the heat to mass flux ratio and inlet water temperature. These were high amplitude/low frequency and low amplitude/high frequency instabilities. High speed camera imaging, performed simultaneously with pressure and temperature measurements, showed that inlet/outlet pressure and the temperature fluctuations existed due to alternation between liquid/two-phase/vapour flows. It was also determined that the inlet water subcooling condition affects the magnitudes of the temperature oscillations in two-phase flow instabilities and flow distribution within the microchannels.

Design and construction of radiant panel for cooling and heating with photovoltaic and thermoelectric element modules; Taiyo denchi to netsuden soshi module wo mochiita fukusha reidanbo panel no sekkei oyobi shisaku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, M; Tani, T [Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan); Kadotani, K; Imaizumi, H [Komatsu Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-25

Utilizing cooling properties and current voltage characteristics of a small cooling panel using thermoelectric elements which had been fabricated previously on a trial basis, design and prototype production were executed on a large radiant cooling and heating panel driven by photovoltaic cell modules. The panel design set the cooling area to about 0.5 m {sup 2} and the number of elements to 70 pieces, and optimum number of elements in series and parallel connection was derived. As a result of the analysis, it was made clear that the optimum number of thermoelectric module arrays in series and parallel connection varies depending on insolation intensity. It was found preferable that the number of parallel connection array be set to one to two in a region or time period in which low insolation intensity is distributed in greater amount. In the case where high insolation intensity is distributed in a greater amount, setting it to two to three is preferable. By using the structured design method and the HASP Tokyo data, thermoelectric element modules were interconnected with 35 modules in series and two in parallel on a cooling panel installed on the roof of the Science University of Tokyo. A simulation result revealed that the average temperature difference on the cooled surface in summer is 4.37 degC, and the solar cell utilization rate is 0.67. It is necessary in the future to improve heat dissipation efficiency and area ratio. 1 ref., 12 figs., 5 tabs.

High power vertical stacked and horizontal arrayed diode laser bar development based on insulation micro-channel cooling (IMCC) and hard solder bonding technology

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Boxue; Jia, Yangtao; Zhang, Haoyu; Jia, Shiyin; Liu, Jindou; Wang, Weifeng; Liu, Xingsheng

2018-02-01

An insulation micro-channel cooling (IMCC) has been developed for packaging high power bar-based vertical stack and horizontal array diode lasers, which eliminates many issues caused in its congener packaged by commercial copper formed micro-channel cooler(MCC), such as coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between cooler and diode laser bar, high coolant quality requirement (DI water) and channel corrosion and electro-corrosion induced by DI water if the DI-water quality is not well maintained The IMCC cooler separates water flow route and electrical route, which allows tap-water as coolant without electro-corrosion and therefore prolongs cooler lifetime dramatically and escalated the reliability of these diode lasers. The thickness of ceramic and copper in an IMCC cooler is well designed to minimize the CTE mismatch between laser bar and cooler, consequently, a very low "SMILE" of the laser bar can be achieved for small fast axis divergence after collimation. In additional, gold-tin hard solder bonding technology was also developed to minimize the risk of solder electromigration at high current density and thermal fatigue under hard-pulse operation mode. Testing results of IMCC packaged diode lasers are presented in this report.

Semi-analytical investigation of electronics cooling using developing nanofluid flow in rectangular microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mital, Manu

2013-01-01

Thermal management issues are limiting barriers to high density electronics packaging and miniaturization. Liquid cooling using microchannels is an attractive alternative to bulky aluminum heat sinks. The channels can be integrated directly into a chip, and cooling can be further enhanced using nanofluids. The goals of this study are to evaluate heat transfer improvement of a rectangular channel nanofluid heat sink with developing laminar flow, taking into account the pumping power penalty. The proposed model uses semi-empirical correlations to calculate effective nanofluid thermophysical properties, which are then incorporated into heat transfer and friction factor correlations in literature for single-phase flows. The predictions of the model are found to be in good agreement with experimental studies. The validated model is used to predict the thermal resistance and pumping power as a function of four design variables that include the channel width, the wall width, the flow velocity and the particle volume fraction. The parameters are optimized using a Genetic Algorithm (GA) with minimum thermal resistance as the objective function, and fixed specified value of pumping power as the constraint. For a given value of pumping power, the benefit of nanoparticle addition is evaluated by independently optimizing the heat sink, first with nanofluid, and then with base fluid. Comparing the minimized thermal resistances revealed only a small benefit since the nanoparticles increase the pumping power which can alternately be diverted toward an increased velocity in a pure fluid heat sink. The benefit further diminishes with increase in available pumping power. -- Highlights: ► Validated model used to predict heat transfer and pumping power (p.p.) in nanofluids. ► Genetic algorithm used to minimize thermal resistance with p.p. constraint. ► Heat sink design independently optimized with nanofluid and base fluid coolant. ► No significant benefit through particle

Numerical study of a hybrid jet impingement/micro-channel cooling scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrau, Jérôme; Omri, Mohammed; Chemisana, Daniel; Rosell, Joan; Ibañez, Manel; Tadrist, Lounes

2012-01-01

A new hybrid jet impingement/micro-channel cooling scheme is studied numerically for use in high-heat-flux thermal management of electronic and power devices. The device is developed with the objective of improving the temperature uniformity of the cooled object. A numerical model based on the k–ω SST turbulent model is developed and validated experimentally. This model is used to carry out a parametrical characterization of the heat sink. The study shows that variations in key parameters of jet impingement and micro-channel technologies allow for the cooling scheme to obtain a wide range of temperature profiles for the cooled object. - Highlights: ► A new hybrid cooling scheme is numerically studied. ► The cooling scheme combines the benefits of jet impingement and micro-channel flows. ► The numerical model is validated by comparison with experimental results. ► The temperature distribution can be adapted to the needs of the cooled system.

Numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer under high heat flux using rectangular micro-channels

KAUST Repository

Mansoor, Mohammad M.

2012-02-01

A 3D-conjugate numerical investigation was conducted to predict heat transfer characteristics in a rectangular cross-sectional micro-channel employing simultaneously developing single-phase flows. The numerical code was validated by comparison with previous experimental and numerical results for the same micro-channel dimensions and classical correlations based on conventional sized channels. High heat fluxes up to 130W/cm 2 were applied to investigate micro-channel thermal characteristics. The entire computational domain was discretized using a 120×160×100 grid for the micro-channel with an aspect ratio of (α=4.56) and examined for Reynolds numbers in the laminar range (Re 500-2000) using FLUENT. De-ionized water served as the cooling fluid while the micro-channel substrate used was made of copper. Validation results were found to be in good agreement with previous experimental and numerical data [1] with an average deviation of less than 4.2%. As the applied heat flux increased, an increase in heat transfer coefficient values was observed. Also, the Reynolds number required for transition from single-phase fluid to two-phase was found to increase. A correlation is proposed for the results of average Nusselt numbers for the heat transfer characteristics in micro-channels with simultaneously developing, single-phase flows. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Interferometric measurement and numerical comparisons of supersonic heat transfer flows in microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Yuya; Chen, Lin; Okajima, Junnosuke; Iga, Yuka; Komiya, Atsuki; Maruyama, Shigenao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Effective cooling design by super-/sub-sonic air flow in microchannels is proposed. • Microscale supersonic flows is successfully generated and examined. • Microchannel flow density field were visualized quantitatively by interferometer. • The bump design shows great potential of heat transfer enhancement in microscale. - Abstract: With the fast development of electronic systems and the ever-increasing demand of thermally “smart” design in space and aeronautic engineering, the heat transfer innovations and high heat flux challenges have become a hot topic for decades. This study is aimed at the effective cooling heat transfer design by super-/sub-sonic air flow in microscale channels for high heat flux devices. The design is based on the low temperature flows with supersonic expansion in microscale, which yields a compact and simple design. By careful microelectromechanical process, microscale straight and bumped channels (with simple arc curve) are fabricated and experimentally tested in this study. The microscale flow field and density distributions under new designs are visualized quantitatively by an advanced phase-shifting interferometer system, which results are then compared carefully with numerical simulations. In this study, large differences between the two designs in density distribution and temperature changes (around 50 K) are found. The high heat flux potential for supersonic microchannel flows is realized and discussion into detail. It is confirmed that the bump design contributes significantly to the heat transfer enhancement, which shows potential for future application in novel system designs.

Two-Phase Flow in High-Heat-Flux Micro-Channel Heat Sink for Refrigeration Cooling Applications. Part 1: Micro-Channel Heat Sink for Direct Refrigeration Cooling

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-01

the two-phase mixture exiting the condenser. Throttling from high to low pressure was achieved by a manual metering valve situated upstream of the micro...channel et al. htp N4hsP) correlation (2002) kh sp = Nu kf dh’ Nuta, = const (Refer to Eqs. (1.4.6) and (1.4.7)), = 0.023Re" Prf4 f f E=1.0+6Bol6 +f(Bo)x...12.26% (318 data points) 0Id" +30%OND A ~’AAK - -30%",A- / A’ A* 10 " , , , htp ,&xp [W/M 2 K] Figure 1.4.8 Comparison of heat transfer coefficient

Experimental investigation of thermoelectric power generation versus coolant pumping power in a microchannel heat sink

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolaei, Alireza Rezania; Rosendahl, Lasse; Andreasen, Søren Juhl

2012-01-01

The coolant heat sinks in thermoelectric generators (TEG) play an important role in order to power generation in the energy systems. This paper explores the effective pumping power required for the TEGs cooling at five temperature difference of the hot and cold sides of the TEG. In addition......, the temperature distribution and the pressure drop in sample microchannels are considered at four sample coolant flow rates. The heat sink contains twenty plate-fin microchannels with hydraulic diameter equal to 0.93 mm. The experimental results show that there is a unique flow rate that gives maximum net-power...

Cooling characteristics of light and heat composite panel; Hikari{center_dot}netsu fukugo paneru no rekyakutokusei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machida, Satoshi [Science University of Tokyo, Tokyo (Japan)

1999-07-31

The Japan Solar Energy Soc. encouraging prize is really thank you this time receiving. Present winning prize is regarded as becoming large self-confidence and further encouragement in advancing the research in future. Duplicates and resources energy depletion problem and environmental problem, etc. will become serious more and more in respect of the twenty-first century just before. It is the threat even in the inside on the increase of the electric power demand by the popularization of air conditioner, etc., and peak shaving of the electric power, etc. must be urgently carried out. We heavily carry out the research of catching, width shot heating and cooling panel constituted by the thermo device module and light and heat composite panel which combined photovoltaic power generation panel in respect of this problem. The development of this panel was solved with the purpose this time, we produce the test equipment experimentally in outdoors, and the data was acquired. As the result, though it is possible to obtain the case in which it operated as air-cooling this panel, and temperature gradient of largest 6 degrees C, and it is the analysis, and it 4s, when it was used in July, It was possible to obtain 4.2 degrees C mean temperature difference. It is the place which has installed improved light and heat composite panel in which we suggested afterwards trial and error at present in the roof. And, it will become also reporting schedule on heating characteristics of this panel in future. Though it consists finally, everybody of Komatsu central laboratory, who received support, when this study was carried out, is asked for the slender face, the attention of thanks is shown. (translated by NEDO)

Experiments of cooling photovoltaic panel by desorption process; Dacchaku hanno wo riyoshita taiyoko hatsuden panel no ondo josho yokusei jikken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akisawa, A; Inoue, S; Kashiwagi, T [Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

1997-11-25

It is important to cool a photovoltaic (PV) panel, because increased panel temperature is accompanied by decreased power generation efficiency. The authors have proposed a PV power generation system combined with an adsorption chiller driven by low-temperature heat, and simulated temperature changes during the desorption cycle, where the chiller utilizes endothermic reactions of an adsorbent during the desorption cycle. Described herein are results of the tests carried out to validate possibility of controlling panel temperature increase. The system consists of the PV panel with which a bed packed with an adsorbent is monolithically combined, condenser and evaporator. It generates power during the daytime by sunbeams, and provides low-temperature heat during the nighttime by the evaporator. In particular, ice can be produced when methanol and activated coal are used as the adsorbate and adsorbent. It has an advantage of effective utilization of energy as the heat source, which has been merely dissipated by the conventional system in the air. Such a system is expected to be useful for promoting effective utilization of solar energy and for peak power shaving in summer. The initial targets are achieved by the tests. 4 refs., 10 figs.

Water cooling in nuclear reactors by using panels of integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominique, P.; Letissier, R.

1977-01-01

In view of the drawbacks of wet cooling towers, EDF is searching for another approach to the problem. A self-cleaning device is now envisaged, that consists in some exchanger plates, 30 to 40m height (max. 60m) capable of being hiden in the lanscape behind high trees. The plates would be rather smooth and the air circulated by natural convection. The prototype is composed of 960 aluminium panels of integrated circuits mounted on three modules made of tubular elements working as supporting and collecting means together [fr

Numerical modelling of phase-change material used for PV panels cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Sellami, Assia; Elotmani, Rabie; Kandoussi, Khalid; Eljouad, Mohamed; Hajjaji, Abdelowahed; Boutaous, M'Hamed

2017-12-01

Passive cooling of a PV solar panel using phase-change material (PCM) may play an important role in increasing efficiency of PV cells. Because it does not need a maintenance and does not release greenhouses gases, PCM seems to be a good way to decrease the among of overheating of PV cell. The aims of this paper describes a detailed multiphysical issue in order to understand the effect of PCM (RT25) in keeping PV cell temperature close to ambient. The study is focused on modeling the heat and mass transfer in a PCM domain by modifying the buoyancy term in momentum equation. Due to a phase-change and free convection, transient incompressible flow is taken into account to explain the dynamic variations of the velocity profile and viscosity distribution. With standard condition of irradiation and heat flux on both sides of the PV panel, a melt front has been tracked by the energy equation, which gives a good argument for the temperature evolution during phase-change.

Optimization of Dimples in Microchannel Heat Sink with Impinging Jets — Part A: Mathematical Model and the Influence of Dimple Radius

Science.gov (United States)

Ming, Tingzhen; Cai, Cunjin; Yang, Wei; Shen, Wenqing; Gan, Ting

2018-06-01

With increasing heat fluxes caused by electronic components, dimples have attracted wide attention by researchers and have been applied to microchannel heat sink in modern advanced cooling technologies. In this work, the combination of dimples, impinging jets and microchannel heat sink was proposed to improve the heat transfer performance on a cooling surface with a constant heat flux 500 W/cm2. A mathematical model was advanced for numerically analyzing the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of a microchannel heat sink with impinging jets and dimples (MHSIJD), and the velocity distribution, pressure drop, and thermal performance of MHSIJD were analyzed by varying the radii of dimples. The results showed that the combination of dimples and MHSIJ can achieve excellent heat transfer performance; for the MHSIJD model in this work, the maximum and average temperatures can be as low as 320 K and 305 K, respectively when mass flow rate is 30 g/s; when dimple radius is larger than 0.195 mm, both the heat transfer coefficient and the overall performance h/ΔP of MHSIJD are higher than those of MHSIJ.

CFD study of liquid-cooled heat sinks with microchannel flow field configurations for electronics, fuel cells, and concentrated solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos-Alvarado, Bladimir; Li Peiwen; Liu Hong; Hernandez-Guerrero, Abel

2011-01-01

A study of the heat transfer performance of liquid-cooled heat sinks with conventional and novel micro-channel flow field configurations for application in electronic devices, fuel cells, and concentrated solar cells is presented in this paper. The analyses were based on computations using the CFD software ANSYS FLUENT. The flow regime in heat sinks is constrained to laminar flow in the study. Details of the heat transfer performance, particularly, the uniformity of temperature distribution on the heating surface, as well as the pressure losses and pumping power in the operation of the studied heat sinks were obtained. Comparisons of the flow distribution uniformity in multiple flow channels, temperature uniformity on heating surfaces, and pumping power consumption of heat sinks with novel flow field configurations and conventional flow field configurations were conducted. It was concluded that the novel flow field configurations studied in this work exhibit appreciable benefits for application in heat sinks. - Highlights: → We present novel designs of flow channel configurations in liquid cooled heat sinks. → The flow and heat transfer in heat sinks were simulated using CFD tool. → The temperature and pressure loss in novel and conventional heat sinks were studied. → Figure of merit of heat sinks in different flow channel configurations was presented. → The heat sinks having our novel design of flow channel configurations are excellent.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Channel Geometric Effect for Fischer-Tropsch Microchannel Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, Jonggeol; Jung, Ikhwan; Kshetrimayum, Krishnadash S.; Park, Seongho; Park, Chansaem; Han, Chonghun

2014-01-01

Driven by both environmental and economic reasons, the development of small to medium scale GTL(gas-to-liquid) process for offshore applications and for utilizing other stranded or associated gas has recently been studied increasingly. Microchannel GTL reactors have been preferred over the conventional GTL reactors for such applications, due to its compactness, and additional advantages of small heat and mass transfer distance desired for high heat transfer performance and reactor conversion. In this work, multi-microchannel reactor was simulated by using commercial CFD code, ANSYS FLUENT, to study the geometric effect of the microchannels on the heat transfer phenomena. A heat generation curve was first calculated by modeling a Fischer-Tropsch reaction in a single-microchannel reactor model using Matlab-ASPEN integration platform. The calculated heat generation curve was implemented to the CFD model. Four design variables based on the microchannel geometry namely coolant channel width, coolant channel height, coolant channel to process channel distance, and coolant channel to coolant channel distance, were selected for calculating three dependent variables namely, heat flux, maximum temperature of coolant channel, and maximum temperature of process channel. The simulation results were visualized to understand the effects of the design variables on the dependent variables. Heat flux and maximum temperature of cooling channel and process channel were found to be increasing when coolant channel width and height were decreased. Coolant channel to process channel distance was found to have no effect on the heat transfer phenomena. Finally, total heat flux was found to be increasing and maximum coolant channel temperature to be decreasing when coolant channel to coolant channel distance was decreased. Using the qualitative trend revealed from the present study, an appropriate process channel and coolant channel geometry along with the distance between the adjacent

Numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer under high heat flux using rectangular micro-channels

KAUST Repository

Mansoor, Mohammad M.; Wong, Kokcheong; Siddique, Mansoor M.

2012-01-01

computational domain was discretized using a 120×160×100 grid for the micro-channel with an aspect ratio of (α=4.56) and examined for Reynolds numbers in the laminar range (Re 500-2000) using FLUENT. De-ionized water served as the cooling fluid while the micro

Next Generation Microchannel Heat Exchangers

CERN Document Server

Ohadi, Michael; Dessiatoun, Serguei; Cetegen, Edvin

2013-01-01

In Next Generation Microchannel Heat Exchangers, the authors’ focus on the new generation highly efficient heat exchangers and presentation of novel data and technical expertise not available in the open literature.  Next generation micro channels offer record high heat transfer coefficients with pressure drops much less than conventional micro channel heat exchangers. These inherent features promise fast penetration into many mew markets, including high heat flux cooling of electronics, waste heat recovery and energy efficiency enhancement applications, alternative energy systems, as well as applications in mass exchangers and chemical reactor systems. The combination of up to the minute research findings and technical know-how make this book very timely as the search for high performance heat and mass exchangers that can cut costs in materials consumption intensifies.

Thermal analysis of a multi-layer microchannel heat sink for cooling concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells

Science.gov (United States)

Siyabi, Idris Al; Shanks, Katie; Mallick, Tapas; Sundaram, Senthilarasu

2017-09-01

Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology is increasingly being considered as an alternative option for solar electricity generation. However, increasing the light concentration ratio could decrease the system output power due to the increase in the temperature of the cells. The performance of a multi-layer microchannel heat sink configuration was evaluated using numerical analysis. In this analysis, three dimensional incompressible laminar steady flow model was solved numerically. An electrical and thermal solar cell model was coupled for solar cell temperature and efficiency calculations. Thermal resistance, solar cell temperature and pumping power were used for the system efficiency evaluation. An increase in the number of microchannel layers exhibited the best overall performance in terms of the thermal resistance, solar cell temperature uniformity and pressure drop. The channel height and width has no effect on the solar cell maximum temperature. However, increasing channel height leads to a reduction in the pressure drop and hence less fluid pumping power.

Separation process using microchannel technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Dublin, OH; Perry, Steven T [Galloway, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Bothell, WA; Lamont, Michael Jay [Hilliard, OH; Burwell, Deanna [Cleveland Heights, OH; Dritz, Terence Andrew [Worthington, OH; McDaniel, Jeffrey S [Columbus, OH; Rogers, Jr; William, A [Marysville, OH; Silva, Laura J [Dublin, OH; Weidert, Daniel J [Lewis Center, OH; Simmons, Wayne W [Dublin, OH; Chadwell, G Bradley [Reynoldsburg, OH

2009-03-24

The disclosed invention relates to a process and apparatus for separating a first fluid from a fluid mixture comprising the first fluid. The process comprises: (A) flowing the fluid mixture into a microchannel separator in contact with a sorption medium, the fluid mixture being maintained in the microchannel separator until at least part of the first fluid is sorbed by the sorption medium, removing non-sorbed parts of the fluid mixture from the microchannel separator; and (B) desorbing first fluid from the sorption medium and removing desorbed first fluid from the microchannel separator. The process and apparatus are suitable for separating nitrogen or methane from a fluid mixture comprising nitrogen and methane. The process and apparatus may be used for rejecting nitrogen in the upgrading of sub-quality methane.

Comparison of solar panel cooling system by using dc brushless fan and dc water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwan, Y M; Leow, W Z; Irwanto, M; M, Fareq; Hassan, S I S; Amelia, A R; Safwati, I

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss comparison of solar panel cooling system by using DC brushless fan and DC water pump. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation is an interesting technique to reduce non-renewable energy consumption and as a renewable energy. The temperature of PV modules increases when it absorbs solar radiation, causing a decrease in efficiency. A solar cooling system is design, construct and experimentally researched within this work. To make an effort to cool the PV module, Direct Current (DC) brushless fan and DC water pump with inlet/outlet manifold are designed for constant air movement and water flow circulation at the back side and front side of PV module representatively. Temperature sensors were installed on the PV module to detect temperature of PV. PIC microcontroller was used to control the DC brushless fan and water pump for switch ON or OFF depend on the temperature of PV module automatically. The performance with and without cooling system are shown in this experiment. The PV module with DC water pump cooling system increase 3.52%, 36.27%, 38.98%in term of output voltage, output current, output power respectively. It decrease 6.36 °C compare than to PV module without DC water pump cooling system. While DC brushless fan cooling system increase 3.47%, 29.55%, 32.23%in term of output voltage, output current, and output power respectively. It decrease 6.1 °C compare than to PV module without DC brushless fan cooling system. The efficiency of PV module with cooling system was increasing compared to PV module without cooling system; this is because the ambient temperature dropped significantly. The higher efficiency of PV cell, the payback period of the system can be shorted and the lifespan of PV module can also be longer. (paper)

Emergency reactor cooling systems for the experimental VHTR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitake, Susumu; Suzuki, Katsuo; Miyamoto, Yoshiaki; Tamura, Kazuo; Ezaki, Masahiro.

1983-03-01

Performances and design of the panel cooling system which has been proposed to be equipped as an emergency reactor cooling system for the experimental multi purpose very high temperature gas-cooled reactor are explained. Effects of natural circulation flow which would develop in the core and temperature transients of the panel in starting have been precisely investigated. Conditions and procedures for settling accidents with the proposed panel cooling system have been also studied. Based on these studies, it has been shown that the panel cooling system is effective and useful for the emergency reactor cooling of the experimental VHTR. (author)

Field-effect Flow Control in Polymer Microchannel Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Sniadecki, Nathan; Lee, Cheng S.; Beamesderfer, Mike; DeVoe, Don L.

2003-01-01

A new Bio-MEMS electroosmotic flow (EOF) modulator for plastic microchannel networks has been developed. The EOF modulator uses field-effect flow control (FEFC) to adjust the zeta potential at the Parylene C microchannel wall. By setting a differential EOF pumping rate in two of the three microchannels at a T-intersection with EOF modulators, the induced pressure at the intersection generated pumping in the third, field-free microchannel. The EOF modulators are able to change the magnitude and direction of the pressure pumping by inducing either a negative or positive pressure at the intersection. The flow velocity is tracked by neutralized fluorescent microbeads in the microchannels. The proof-of-concept of the EOF modulator described here may be applied to complex plastic ,microchannel networks where individual microchannel flow rates are addressable by localized induced-pressure pumping.

Two-phase pressure drop and flow visualization of FC-72 in a silicon microchannel heat sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Megahed, Ayman; Hassan, Ibrahim

2009-01-01

The rapid development of two-phase microfluidic devices has triggered the demand for a detailed understanding of the flow characteristics inside microchannel heat sinks to advance the cooling process of micro-electronics. The present study focuses on the experimental investigation of pressure drop characteristics and flow visualization of a two-phase flow in a silicon microchannel heat sink. The microchannel heat sink consists of a rectangular silicon chip in which 45 rectangular microchannels were chemically etched with a depth of 276 μm, width of 225 μm, and a length of 16 mm. Experiments are carried out for mass fluxes ranging from 341 to 531 kg/m 2 s and heat fluxes from 60.4 to 130.6 kW/m 2 using FC-72 as the working fluid. Bubble growth and flow regimes are observed using high speed visualization. Three major flow regimes are identified: bubbly, slug, and annular. The frictional two-phase pressure drop increases with exit quality for a constant mass flux. An assessment of various pressure drop correlations reported in the literature is conducted for validation. A new general correlation is developed to predict the two-phase pressure drop in microchannel heat sinks for five different refrigerants. The experimental pressure drops for laminar-liquid laminar-vapor and laminar-liquid turbulent-vapor flow conditions are predicted by the new correlation with mean absolute errors of 10.4% and 14.5%, respectively.

A review of photovoltaic cells cooling techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Zubeer, Swar A.; Mohammed, H. A.; Ilkan, Mustafa

2017-11-01

This paper highlights different cooling techniques to reduce the operating temperature of the PV cells. This review paper focuses on the improvement of the performance of the small domestic use PV systems by keeping the temperature of the cells as low as possible and uniform. Different cooling techniques have been investigated experimentally and numerically the impact of the operating temperature of the cells on the electrical and thermal performance of the PV systems. The advantages and disadvantages of ribbed wall heat sink cooling, array air duct cooling installed beneath the PV panel, water spray cooling technique and back surface water cooling are examined in this paper to identify their effective impact on the PV panel performance. It was identified that the water spray cooling system has a proper impact on the PV panel performance. So the water cooling is one way to enhance the electrical efficiency of the PV panel.

A review of photovoltaic cells cooling techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zubeer Swar A.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper highlights different cooling techniques to reduce the operating temperature of the PV cells. This review paper focuses on the improvement of the performance of the small domestic use PV systems by keeping the temperature of the cells as low as possible and uniform. Different cooling techniques have been investigated experimentally and numerically the impact of the operating temperature of the cells on the electrical and thermal performance of the PV systems. The advantages and disadvantages of ribbed wall heat sink cooling, array air duct cooling installed beneath the PV panel, water spray cooling technique and back surface water cooling are examined in this paper to identify their effective impact on the PV panel performance. It was identified that the water spray cooling system has a proper impact on the PV panel performance. So the water cooling is one way to enhance the electrical efficiency of the PV panel.

A review of entropy generation in microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed M Awad

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this study, a critical review of thermodynamic optimum of microchannels based on entropy generation analysis is presented. Using entropy generation analysis as evaluation parameter of microchannels has been reported by many studies in the literature. In these studies, different working fluids such as nanofluids, air, water, engine oil, aniline, ethylene glycol, and non-Newtonian fluids have been used. For the case of nanofluids, “nanoparticles” has been used in various kinds such as Al2O3 and Cu, and “base fluid” has been used in various kinds such as water and ethylene glycol. Furthermore, studies on thermodynamic optimum of microchannels based on entropy generation analysis are summarized in a table. At the end, recommendations of future work for thermodynamic optimum of microchannels based on entropy generation analysis are given. As a result, this article can not only be used as the starting point for the researcher interested in entropy generation in microchannels, but it also includes recommendations for future studies on entropy generation in microchannels.

A highly stable microchannel heat sink for convective boiling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Chun Ting; Pan Chin

2009-01-01

To develop a highly stable two-phase microchannel heat sink, we experimented with convective boiling in diverging, parallel microchannels with different distributions of laser-etched artificial nucleation sites. Each microchannel had a mean hydraulic diameter of 120 µm. The two-phase flow visualization and the magnitudes of pressure drop and inlet temperature oscillations under boiling conditions demonstrated clearly the merits of using artificial nucleation sites to further stabilize the flow boiling in diverging, parallel microchannels. The stability map showed the plane of subcooling number versus phase change number. It illustrated that diverging, parallel microchannels with artificial nucleation cavities have a much wider stable region than parallel microchannels with uniform cross-sections or diverging, parallel microchannels without artificial nucleation cavities. In addition, the results revealed that the design with cavities distributed uniformly along the downstream half of the channel presented the best stability performance among the three distributions of nucleation sites. This particular design can be regarded as a highly stable microchannel heat sink for convective boiling

Gain stabilized microchannel plates and a treatment method for microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

Microchannel plates having increased gain and significantly improved aging characteristics are provided by forming a thin film of a cesium compound on the channel walls. In an exemplary embodiment, a suface film of cesium hydroxide is applied to the interior wall surfaces of an MCP by saturating the plate with a solution of the compound, then allowing the solvent to evaporate. The cesium hydroxide residue on the walls subsequently is converted to cesium oxide by a high temperature bake. Microchannel plates are used in image amplifiers, radiation detectors and such like equipment. (Auth.)

Three Canted Radiator Panels to Provide Adequate Cooling for Instruments on Slewing Spacecraft in LEO

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Michael K.

2012-01-01

Certain free-flying spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) or payloads on the International Space Station (ISS) are required to slew to point the telescopes at targets. Instrument detectors and electronics require cooling. Traditionally a planar thermal radiator is used. The temperature of such a radiator varies significantly when the spacecraft slews because its view factors to space vary significantly. Also for payloads on the ISS, solar impingement on the radiator is possible. These thermal adversities could lead to inadequate cooling for the instrument. This paper presents a novel thermal design concept that utilizes three canted radiator panels to mitigate this problem. It increases the overall radiator view factor to cold space and reduces the overall solar or albedo flux absorbed per unit area of the radiator.

Dynamic heat transfer modeling and parametric study of thermoelectric radiant cooling and heating panel system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Yongqiang; Zhang, Ling; Liu, Zhongbing; Wang, Yingzi; Wu, Jing; Wang, Xiliang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Dynamic model of thermoelectric radiant panel system is established. • The internal parameters of thermoelectric module are dynamically calculated in simulation. • Both artificial neural networks model and system model are verified through experiment data. • Optimized system structure is obtained through parametric study. - Abstract: Radiant panel system can optimize indoor thermal comfort with lower energy consumption. The thermoelectric radiant panel (TERP) system is a new and effective prototype of radiant system using thermoelectric module (TEM) instead of conventional water pipes, as heat source. The TERP can realize more stable and easier system control as well as lower initial and operative cost. In this study, an improved system dynamic model was established by combining analytical system model and artificial neural networks (ANN) as well as the dynamic calculation functions of internal parameters of TEM. The double integral was used for the calculation of surface average temperature of TERP. The ANN model and system model were in good agreement with experiment data in both cooling and heating mode. In order to optimize the system design structure, parametric study was conducted in terms of the thickness of aluminum panel and insulation, as well as the arrangement of TEMs on the surface of radiant panel. It was found through simulation results that the optimum thickness of aluminum panel and insulation are respectively around 1–2 mm and 40–50 mm. In addition, TEMs should be uniformly installed on the surface of radiant panel and each TEM should stand at the central position of a square-shaped typical region with length around 0.387–0.548 m.

Optimization of triangular microchannel heat sinks using constructible theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mardani, Moloud; Salimpour, Mohammad Reza

2016-01-01

The present paper examines the optimization of triangular microchannel heat sinks. The impact of volume fraction of solid material and pressure drop on the maximum temperature of the microchannel heat sinks are investigated and their optimum operating conditions are compared. From the results, it is seen that increasing the side angle of the triangular microchannel, improves its performance. Furthermore, there is an appropriate agreement between the analytical and numerical results. Finally, the effect of degrees of freedom on the performance of microchannels is investigated. To accomplish this end, the triangular microchannels with the side angle of 60 degree have been chosen as it has the best performance compared to other microchannels. It is observed that the minimized maximum temperatures of optimized microchannel heat sinks with three degrees of freedom are 10% lower than the ones with two degrees of freedom

Modelling refrigerant distribution in microchannel evaporators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brix, Wiebke; Kærn, Martin Ryhl; Elmegaard, Brian

2009-01-01

of the refrigerant distribution is carried out for two channels in parallel and for two different cases. In the first case maldistribution of the inlet quality into the channels is considered, and in the second case a non-uniform airflow on the secondary side is considered. In both cases the total mixed superheat...... out of the evaporator is kept constant. It is shown that the cooling capacity of the evaporator is reduced significantly, both in the case of unevenly distributed inlet quality and for the case of non-uniform airflow on the outside of the channels.......The effects of refrigerant maldistribution in parallel evaporator channels on the heat exchanger performance are investigated numerically. For this purpose a 1D steady state model of refrigerant R134a evaporating in a microchannel tube is built and validated against other evaporator models. A study...

Increasing heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluid in rectangular microchannel with triangular ribs

Science.gov (United States)

Shamsi, Mohammad Reza; Akbari, Omid Ali; Marzban, Ali; Toghraie, Davood; Mashayekhi, Ramin

2017-09-01

In this study, computational fluid dynamics and the laminar flow of the non-Newtonian fluid have been numerically studied. The cooling fluid includes water and 0.5 wt% Carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) making the non-Newtonian fluid. In order to make the best of non-Newtonian nanofluid in this simulation, solid nanoparticles of Aluminum Oxide have been added to the non-Newtonian fluid in volume fractions of 0-2% with diameters of 25, 45 and 100 nm. The supposed microchannel is rectangular and two-dimensional in Cartesian coordination. The power law has been used to speculate the dynamic viscosity of the cooling nanofluid. The field of numerical solution is simulated in the Reynolds number range of 5 nanoparticles as well as the use for nanoparticles with smaller diameters lead to greater heat transfer. Among all the studied forms, the triangular rib from with an angle of attack 30° has the biggest Nusselt number and the smallest pressure drop along the microchannel. Also, an increase in the angle of attack and as a result of a sudden contact between the fluid and the ribs and also a reduction in the coflowing length (length of the rib) cause a cut in heat transfer by the fluid in farther parts from the solid wall (tip of the rib).

Technology Development of an Advanced Small-scale Microchannel-type Process Heat Exchanger (PHE) for Hydrogen Production in Iodine-sulfur Cycle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sah, Injin; Kim, Chan Soo; Kim, Yong Wan; Park, Jae-Won; Kim, Eung-Seon; Kim, Min-Hwan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

In this study, ongoing manufacturing processes of the components employed in an advanced small-scale microchannel-type PHE are presented. The components, such as mechanically machined microchannels and a diffusion-bonded stack are introduced. Also, preliminary studies on surface treatment techniques for improving corrosion resistance from the corrosive sulfuric environment will be covered. Ongoing manufacturing process for an advanced small-size microchannel-type PHE in KAERI is presented. Through the preliminary studies for optimizing diffusion bonding condition of Hastelloy-X, a diffusion-bonded stack, consisting of primary and secondary side layer by layer, is scheduled to be fabricated in a few months. Also, surface treatment for enhancing the corrosion resistance from the sulfuric acid environment is in progress for the plates with microchannels. A massive production of hydrogen with electricity generation is expected in a Process Heat Exchanger (PHE) in a Very High Temperature gas-cooled Reactor (VHTR) system. For the application of hydrogen production, a small-scale gas loop for feasibility testing of a laboratory-scale has constructed and operated in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) as a precursor to an experimental- and a pilot-scale gas loops.

Micro-channel plates and vacuum detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gys, T., E-mail: Thierry.Gys@cern.ch

2015-07-01

A micro-channel plate is an array of miniature electron multipliers that are each acting as a continuous dynode chain. The compact channel structure results in high spatial and time resolutions and robustness to magnetic fields. Micro-channel plates have been originally developed for night vision applications and integrated as an amplification element in image intensifiers. These devices show single-photon sensitivity with very low noise and have been used as such for scintillating fiber tracker readout in high-energy physics experiments. Given their very short transit time spread, micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes are also being used in time-of-flight and particle identification detectors. The present paper will cover the history of the micro-channel plate development, basic features, and some of their applications. Emphasis will be put on various new manufacturing processes that have been developed over the last few years, and that result in a significant improvement in terms of efficiency, noise, and lifetime performance.

Energy efficient hotspot-targeted embedded liquid cooling of electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, Chander Shekhar; Tiwari, Manish K.; Zimmermann, Severin; Brunschwiler, Thomas; Schlottig, Gerd; Michel, Bruno; Poulikakos, Dimos

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We present a novel concept for hotspot-targeted, energy efficient ELC for electronic chips. • Microchannel throttling zones distribute flow optimally without any external control. • Design is optimized for highly non-uniform multicore chip heat flux maps. • Optimized design minimizes chip temperature non-uniformity. • This is achieved with pumping power consumption less than 1% of total chip power. - Abstract: Large data centers today already account for nearly 1.31% of total electricity consumption with cooling responsible for roughly 33% of that energy consumption. This energy intensive cooling problem is exacerbated by the presence of hotspots in multicore microprocessors due to excess coolant flow requirement for thermal management. Here we present a novel liquid-cooling concept, for targeted, energy efficient cooling of hotspots through passively optimized microchannel structures etched into the backside of a chip (embedded liquid cooling or ELC architecture). We adopt an experimentally validated and computationally efficient modeling approach to predict the performance of our hotspot-targeted ELC design. The design is optimized for exemplar non-uniform chip power maps using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). For industrially acceptable limits of approximately 0.4 bar (40 kPa) on pressure drop and one percent of total chip power on pumping power, the optimized designs are computationally evaluated against a base, standard ELC design with uniform channel widths and uniform flow distribution. For an average steady-state heat flux of 150 W/cm 2 in core areas (hotspots) and 20 W/cm 2 over remaining chip area (background), the optimized design reduces the maximum chip temperature non-uniformity by 61% to 3.7 °C. For a higher average, steady-state hotspot heat flux of 300 W/cm 2 , the maximum temperature non-uniformity is reduced by 54% to 8.7 °C. It is shown that the base design requires a prohibitively high level of pumping power (about

Integration of microplasma and microfluidic technologies for localised microchannel surface modification

Science.gov (United States)

Szili, Endre J.; Al-Bataineh, Sameer A.; Priest, Craig; Gruner, Philipp J.; Ruschitzka, Paul; Bradley, James W.; Ralston, John; Steele, David A.; Short, Robert D.

2011-12-01

In this paper we describe the spatial surface chemical modification of bonded microchannels through the integration of microplasmas into a microfluidic chip (MMC). The composite MMC comprises an array of precisely aligned electrodes surrounding the gas/fluid microchannel. Pairs of electrodes are used to locally ignite microplasmas inside the microchannel. Microplasmas, comprising geometrically confined microscopic electrically-driven gas discharges, are used to spatially functionalise the walls of the microchannels with proteins and enzymes down to scale lengths of 300 μm inside 50 μm-wide microchannels. Microchannels in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) or glass were used in this study. Protein specifically adsorbed on to the regions inside the PDMS microchannel that were directly exposed to the microplasma. Glass microchannels required pre-functionalisation to enable the spatial patterning of protein. Firstly, the microchannel wall was functionalised with a protein adhesion layer, 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES), and secondly, a protein blocking agent (bovine serum albumin, BSA) was adsorbed onto APTES. The functionalised microchannel wall was then treated with an array of spatially localised microplasmas that reduced the blocking capability of the BSA in the region that had been exposed to the plasma. This enabled the functionalisation of the microchannel with an array of spatially separated protein. As an alternative we demonstrated the feasibility of depositing functional thin films inside the MMC by spatially plasma depositing acrylic acid and 1,7-octadiene within the microchannel. This new MMC technology enables the surface chemistry of microchannels to be engineered with precision, which is expected to broaden the scope of lab-on-a-chip type applications.

Boiling in microchannels: a review of experiment and theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thome, John R.

2004-01-01

A summary of recent research on boiling in microchannels is presented. The review addresses the topics of macroscale versus microscale heat transfer, two-phase flow regimes, flow boiling heat transfer results for microchannels, heat transfer mechanisms in microchannels and flow boiling models for microchannels. In microchannels, the most dominant flow regime appears to be the elongated bubble mode that can persist up to vapor qualities as high as 60-70% in microchannels, followed by annular flow. Flow boiling heat transfer coefficients have been shown experimentally to be dependent on heat flux and saturation pressure while only slightly dependent on mass velocity and vapor quality. Hence, these studies have concluded that nucleate boiling controls evaporation in microchannels. Instead, a recent analytical study has shown that transient evaporation of the thin liquid films surrounding elongated bubbles is the dominant heat transfer mechanism as opposed to nucleate boiling and is able to predict these trends in the experimental data. Newer experimental studies have further shown that there is in fact a significant effect of mass velocity and vapor quality on heat transfer when covering a broader range of conditions, including a sharp peak at low vapor qualities at high heat fluxes. Furthermore, it is concluded that macroscale models are not realistic for predicting flowing boiling coefficients in microchannels as the controlling mechanism is not nucleate boiling nor turbulent convection but is transient thin film evaporation (also, microchannel flows are typically laminar and not turbulent as assumed by macroscopic models). A more advanced three-zone flow boiling model for evaporation of elongated bubbles in microchannels is currently under development that so far qualitatively describes all these trends. Numerous fundamental aspects of two-phase flow and evaporation remain to be better understood and some of these aspects are also discussed

Process for separating nitrogen from methane using microchannel process technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Marysville, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Dublin, OH; Dritz, Terence Andrew [Worthington, OH; Neagle, Paul [Westerville, OH; Litt, Robert Dwayne [Westerville, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Lamont, Michael Jay [Hilliard, OH; Pagnotto, Kristina M [Cincinnati, OH

2007-07-31

The disclosed invention relates to a process for separating methane or nitrogen from a fluid mixture comprising methane and nitrogen, the process comprising: (A) flowing the fluid mixture into a microchannel separator, the microchannel separator comprising a plurality of process microchannels containing a sorption medium, the fluid mixture being maintained in the microchannel separator until at least part of the methane or nitrogen is sorbed by the sorption medium, and removing non-sorbed parts of the fluid mixture from the microchannel separator; and (B) desorbing the methane or nitrogen from the sorption medium and removing the desorbed methane or nitrogen from the microchannel separator. The process is suitable for upgrading methane from coal mines, landfills, and other sub-quality sources.

Condensation in Microchannels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ameel, Timothy

1999-01-01

.... Evaporators and condensers for meso-scale energy systems will most likely be constructed of microchannels due to the microfabrication constraints that limit most structures to two-dimensional planar geometries...

Laser beam micro-milling of micro-channels in aerospace alloys

CERN Document Server

Ahmed, Naveed; Al-Ahmari, Abdulrahman

2017-01-01

This volume is greatly helpful to micro-machining and laser engineers as it offers obliging guidelines about the micro-channel fabrications through Nd:YAG laser beam micro-milling. The book also demonstrates how the laser beam micro-milling behaves when operating under wet conditions (under water), and explores what are the pros and cons of this hybrid technique. From the predictive mathematical models, the readers can easily estimate the resulting micro-channel size against the desired laser parametric combinations. The book considers micro-channels in three highly important research materials commonly used in aerospace industry: titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, nickel alloy Inconel 718 and aluminum alloy AA 2024. Therefore, the book is highly practicable in the fields of micro-channel heat exchangers, micro-channel aerospace turbine blades, micro-channel heat pipes, micro-coolers and micro-channel pulsating heat plates. These are frequently used in various industries such as aerospace, automotive, biomedical and m...

Citywide Impacts of Cool Roof and Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Deployment on Near-Surface Air Temperature and Cooling Energy Demand

Science.gov (United States)

Salamanca, F.; Georgescu, M.; Mahalov, A.; Moustaoui, M.; Martilli, A.

2016-10-01

Assessment of mitigation strategies that combat global warming, urban heat islands (UHIs), and urban energy demand can be crucial for urban planners and energy providers, especially for hot, semi-arid urban environments where summertime cooling demands are excessive. Within this context, summertime regional impacts of cool roof and rooftop solar photovoltaic deployment on near-surface air temperature and cooling energy demand are examined for the two major USA cities of Arizona: Phoenix and Tucson. A detailed physics-based parametrization of solar photovoltaic panels is developed and implemented in a multilayer building energy model that is fully coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting mesoscale numerical model. We conduct a suite of sensitivity experiments (with different coverage rates of cool roof and rooftop solar photovoltaic deployment) for a 10-day clear-sky extreme heat period over the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas at high spatial resolution (1-km horizontal grid spacing). Results show that deployment of cool roofs and rooftop solar photovoltaic panels reduce near-surface air temperature across the diurnal cycle and decrease daily citywide cooling energy demand. During the day, cool roofs are more effective at cooling than rooftop solar photovoltaic systems, but during the night, solar panels are more efficient at reducing the UHI effect. For the maximum coverage rate deployment, cool roofs reduced daily citywide cooling energy demand by 13-14 %, while rooftop solar photovoltaic panels by 8-11 % (without considering the additional savings derived from their electricity production). The results presented here demonstrate that deployment of both roofing technologies have multiple benefits for the urban environment, while solar photovoltaic panels add additional value because they reduce the dependence on fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation.

Heat transfer and fluid flow in minichannels and microchannels

CERN Document Server

Kandlikar, Satish; Li, Dongqing; Colin, Stephane; King, Michael R

2014-01-01

Heat exchangers with minichannel and microchannel flow passages are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to remove large heat fluxes under single-phase and two-phase applications. Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Minichannels and Microchannels methodically covers gas, liquid, and electrokinetic flows, as well as flow boiling and condensation, in minichannel and microchannel applications. Examining biomedical applications as well, the book is an ideal reference for anyone involved in the design processes of microchannel flow passages in a heat exchanger. Each chapter is accompan

Microchannel boiling mechanisms leading to burnout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landram, C.S.; Riddle, R.A.

1994-01-01

The authors are analyzing the thermal performance of microchannel heat sinks to extend their applied heat loads beyond coolant single-phase limits. This is the first investigation of boiling in the narrow (50-μm) microchannels having typically high-aspect-ratio (of order 10/1) flow cross-sections. The prescription of local, wall-coolant, interfacial, two-phase correlations first required development of a validated, approximate, thermal-model accounting for conjugate heat transfer. The strongest mechanism for heat transfer in two-phase microchannel flow was found to be saturated boiling in a channel region near the heated base. When this region dried out, burnout occurred, both in the computations and in the experiment

Microchannel neural interface manufacture by stacking silicone and metal foil laminae

Science.gov (United States)

Lancashire, Henry T.; Vanhoestenberghe, Anne; Pendegrass, Catherine J.; Ajam, Yazan Al; Magee, Elliot; Donaldson, Nick; Blunn, Gordon W.

2016-06-01

Objective. Microchannel neural interfaces (MNIs) overcome problems with recording from peripheral nerves by amplifying signals independent of node of Ranvier position. Selective recording and stimulation using an MNI requires good insulation between microchannels and a high electrode density. We propose that stacking microchannel laminae will improve selectivity over single layer MNI designs due to the increase in electrode number and an improvement in microchannel sealing. Approach. This paper describes a manufacturing method for creating MNIs which overcomes limitations on electrode connectivity and microchannel sealing. Laser cut silicone—metal foil laminae were stacked using plasma bonding to create an array of microchannels containing tripolar electrodes. Electrodes were DC etched and electrode impedance and cyclic voltammetry were tested. Main results. MNIs with 100 μm and 200 μm diameter microchannels were manufactured. High electrode density MNIs are achievable with electrodes present in every microchannel. Electrode impedances of 27.2 ± 19.8 kΩ at 1 kHz were achieved. Following two months of implantation in Lewis rat sciatic nerve, micro-fascicles were observed regenerating through the MNI microchannels. Significance. Selective MNIs with the peripheral nervous system may allow upper limb amputees to control prostheses intuitively.

Study of condensation of refrigerants in a micro-channel for development of future compact micro-channel condensers

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, Sourav

2009-12-01

Mini- and micro-channel technology has gained considerable ground in the recent years in industry and is favored due to its several advantages stemming from its high surface to volume ratio and high values of proof pressure it can withstand. Micro-channel technology has paved the way to development of highly compact heat exchangers with low cost and mass penalties. In the present work, the issues related to the sizing of compact micro-channel condensers have been explored. The considered designs encompass both the conventional and MEMS fabrication techniques. In case of MEMS-fabricated micro-channel condenser, wet etching of the micro-channel structures, followed by bonding of two such wafers with silicon nitride layers at the interface was attempted. It was concluded that the silicon nitride bonding requires great care in terms of high degree of surface flatness and absence of roughness and also high degree of surface purity and thus cannot be recommended for mass fabrication. Following this investigation, a carefully prepared experimental setup and test micro-channel with hydraulic diameter 700 mum and aspect ratio 7:1 was fabricated and overall heat transfer and pressure drop aspects of two condensing refrigerants, R134a and R245fa were studied at a variety of test conditions. To the best of author's knowledge, so far no data has been reported in the literature on condensation in such high aspect ratio micro-channels. Most of the published experimental works on condensation of refrigerants are concerning conventional hydraulic diameter channels (> 3mm) and only recently some experimental data has been reported in the sub-millimeter scale channels for which the surface tension and viscosity effects play a dominant role and the effect of gravity is diminished. It is found that both experimental data and empirically-derived correlations tend to under-predict the present data by an average of 25%. The reason for this deviation could be because a high aspect ratio

Simulation of an active cooling system for photovoltaic modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdelhakim, Lotfi

2016-01-01

Photovoltaic cells are devices that convert solar radiation directly into electricity. However, solar radiation increases the photovoltaic cells temperature [1] [2]. The temperature has an influence on the degradation of the cell efficiency and the lifetime of a PV cell. This work reports on a water cooling technique for photovoltaic panel, whereby the cooling system was placed at the front surface of the cells to dissipate excess heat away and to block unwanted radiation. By using water as a cooling medium for the photovoltaic solar cells, the overheating of closed panel is greatly reduced without prejudicing luminosity. The water also acts as a filter to remove a portion of solar spectrum in the infrared band but allows transmission of the visible spectrum most useful for the PV operation. To improve the cooling system efficiency and electrical efficiency, uniform flow rate among the cooling system is required to ensure uniform distribution of the operating temperature of the PV cells. The aims of this study are to develop a 3D thermal model to simulate the cooling and heat transfer in Photovoltaic panel and to recommend a cooling technique for the PV panel. The velocity, pressure and temperature distribution of the three-dimensional flow across the cooling block were determined using the commercial package, Fluent. The second objective of this work is to study the influence of the geometrical dimensions of the panel, water mass flow rate and water inlet temperature on the flow distribution and the solar panel temperature. The results obtained by the model are compared with experimental results from testing the prototype of the cooling device.

Simulation of an active cooling system for photovoltaic modules

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdelhakim, Lotfi [Széchenyi István University of Applied Sciences, Department of Mathematics, P.O.Box 701, H-9007 Győr (Hungary)

2016-06-08

Photovoltaic cells are devices that convert solar radiation directly into electricity. However, solar radiation increases the photovoltaic cells temperature [1] [2]. The temperature has an influence on the degradation of the cell efficiency and the lifetime of a PV cell. This work reports on a water cooling technique for photovoltaic panel, whereby the cooling system was placed at the front surface of the cells to dissipate excess heat away and to block unwanted radiation. By using water as a cooling medium for the photovoltaic solar cells, the overheating of closed panel is greatly reduced without prejudicing luminosity. The water also acts as a filter to remove a portion of solar spectrum in the infrared band but allows transmission of the visible spectrum most useful for the PV operation. To improve the cooling system efficiency and electrical efficiency, uniform flow rate among the cooling system is required to ensure uniform distribution of the operating temperature of the PV cells. The aims of this study are to develop a 3D thermal model to simulate the cooling and heat transfer in Photovoltaic panel and to recommend a cooling technique for the PV panel. The velocity, pressure and temperature distribution of the three-dimensional flow across the cooling block were determined using the commercial package, Fluent. The second objective of this work is to study the influence of the geometrical dimensions of the panel, water mass flow rate and water inlet temperature on the flow distribution and the solar panel temperature. The results obtained by the model are compared with experimental results from testing the prototype of the cooling device.

Study of different cross-shaped microchannels affecting thermal-bubble-actuated microparticle manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Weichen; Tsou, Chingfu

2015-10-01

This paper presents a thermal-bubble-actuated microfluidic chip with cross-shaped microchannels for evaluating the effect of different microchannel designs on microparticle manipulation. Four cross-shaped microchannel designs, with orthogonal, misaligned, skewed, and antiskewed types, were proposed in this study. The thermal bubble micropump, which is based on a resistive bulk microheater, was used to drive fluid transportation, and it can be realized using a simple microfabrication process with a silicon-on-isolator wafer. Using commercial COMSOL software, the flow profiles of microfluidics in various cross-shaped microchannels were simulated qualitatively under different pumping pressures. Microbeads, with a diameter of 20 μm, manipulated in four cross-shaped microchannels, were also implemented in this experiment. The results showed that a skewed microchannel design has a higher sorting rate compared with orthogonal, misaligned, and antiskewed microchannels because its flow velocity in the main microchannel is significantly reduced by pumping pressure. Typically, the successful sorting rate for this type of skewed microchannel can reach 30% at a pumping frequency of 100 Hz.

Effect of microchannel structure on the reaction performance of methanol steam reforming

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Minqiang; Wu, Qiuyu; Jiang, Lianbo; Zeng, Dehuai

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of microchannel cross-section and distribution on MSR are investigated. • Microchannel distribution shows much more influence on reaction performance. • SLDR and ELR with rectangular cross-section present better reaction performance. • DLSR and EUU with tooth cross-section have better reaction performance. • Equal-distribution of microchannels present the best reaction performance. - Abstract: Methanol steam reforming inside microchannel reactors is regarded as one of effective methods for supplying hydrogen for fuel cells. Microchannel structure plays an important role on the reaction performance of methanol steam reforming. Parallel and uniform-distributed microchannels with rectangular cross-section are generally adopted. In this work, two kinds of microchannel cross-sections and four kinds of microchannel distributions are selected to investigate the effect of microchannel structure on the reaction performance of methanol steam reforming. The result indicates that microchannel distribution shows much more influences on the reaction performance of methanol steam reforming than the microchannel cross-section. Sparse-distribution in the Left direction and Dense-distribution in the Right direction (SLDR) as well as Equal-distribution in the Left–Right direction (ELR) with rectangular cross-section present relatively good reaction performances, whereas Dense-distribution in the Left direction and Sparse-distribution in the Right direction (DLSR) as well as Equal-distribution in the Upside–Underside direction (EUU) with tooth cross-section have relatively good performances. ELR presents the best reaction performances of methanol steam reforming among all the investigated microchannel structures, whether rectangular or tooth cross-section

Proceedings: Cooling tower and advanced cooling systems conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-02-01

This Cooling Tower and Advanced Cooling Systems Conference was held August 30 through September 1, 1994, in St. Petersburg, Florida. The conference was sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and hosted by Florida Power Corporation to bring together utility representatives, manufacturers, researchers, and consultants. Nineteen technical papers were presented in four sessions. These sessions were devoted to the following topics: cooling tower upgrades and retrofits, cooling tower performance, cooling tower fouling, and dry and hybrid systems. On the final day, panel discussions addressed current issues in cooling tower operation and maintenance as well as research and technology needs for power plant cooling. More than 100 people attended the conference. This report contains the technical papers presented at the conference. Of the 19 papers, five concern cooling tower upgrades and retrofits, five to cooling tower performance, four discuss cooling tower fouling, and five describe dry and hybrid cooling systems. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database

Microfabrication of Microchannels for Fuel Cell Plates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Su Jang

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Portable electronic devices such as notebook computers, PDAs, cellular phones, etc., are being widely used, and they increasingly need cheap, efficient, and lightweight power sources. Fuel cells have been proposed as possible power sources to address issues that involve energy production and the environment. In particular, a small type of fuel-cell system is known to be suitable for portable electronic devices. The development of micro fuel cell systems can be achieved by the application of microchannel technology. In this study, the conventional method of chemical etching and the mechanical machining method of micro end milling were used for the microfabrication of microchannel for fuel cell separators. The two methods were compared in terms of their performance in the fabrication with regards to dimensional errors, flatness, straightness, and surface roughness. Following microchannel fabrication, the powder blasting technique is introduced to improve the coating performance of the catalyst on the surface of the microchannel. Experimental results show that end milling can remarkably increase the fabrication performance and that surface treatment by powder blasting can improve the performance of catalyst coating.

Investigating performance of microchannel evaporators with different manifold structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Junye; Qu, Xiaohua; Qi, Zhaogang; Chen, Jiangping [Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, No. 800, Dongchuan Rd, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2011-01-15

In this paper, the performances of microchannel evaporators with different manifold structures are experimentally investigated. Eight evaporator samples with 7 different designs of the I/O manifold and 5 different designs of the return manifold are made for this study. The performances of the evaporator samples are tested on a psychometric calorimeter test bench with the refrigerant 134A at a real automotive AC condition. The results on the variations of the cooling capacity and air temperature distribution of the evaporator due to the deflector designs in the I/O manifold and flow hole arrangements in the return manifold are presented and analyzed. By studying the KPI's for the performance of an evaporator, the design trade-off for an evaporator designer is summarized and discussed. (author)

Thermoelectric cooler application in electronic cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chein Reiyu; Huang Guanming

2004-01-01

This study addresses thermoelectric cooler (TEC) applications in the electronic cooling. The cold side temperature (T c ) and temperature difference between TEC cold and hot sides (ΔT=T h -T c , T h =temperature of hot side of TEC) were used as the parameters. The cooling capacity, junction temperature, coefficient of performance (COP) of TEC and the required heat sink thermal resistance at the TEC hot side were computed. The results indicated that the cooling capacity could be increased as T c increased and ΔT was reduced. The maximum cooling capacity and chip junction temperature obtained were 207 W and 88 deg. C, respectively. The required heat sink thermal resistance on TEC hot side was 0.054 deg. C/W. Larger cooling capacity and higher COP could be obtained when the TEC was operated in the enforced regimes (ΔT c values and heat sink thermal resistance at the TEC hot side. A microchannel heat sink using water or air as the coolant was demonstrated to meet the low thermal heat sink resistance requirement for TEC operated at maximum cooling capacity conditions

Ceramics and healthy heating and cooling systems: thermal ceramic panels in buildings. Conditions of comfort and energy demand versus convective systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Echarri Iribarren

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Porcelain stoneware is a widely used building material. In recent years, its range of uses has expanded to encompass a new spectrum of innovative and inventive applications in architecture. In this research, we analysed the patented Thermal Ceramic Panel. This consists of a thin porcelain stoneware panel that incorporates a capillary system of polypropylene tubes measuring 3.5 mm in diameter embedded in a conductive ceramic interface. The system works with hot or cold water, producing healthy heating and cooling by means of radiant surfaces. Following an initial prototype test in which panels were placed on the walls of an office, we conducted simulations at the University of Alicante Museum using wall, ceiling and baffle panels, having previously monitored the state of the building. Thermal behaviour parameters were analysed and compared with those of other standard finishing materials, obtaining results for thermal comfort and energy savings in comparison with all-air systems.

Static response of deformable microchannels: a comparative modelling study

Science.gov (United States)

Shidhore, Tanmay C.; Christov, Ivan C.

2018-02-01

We present a comparative modelling study of fluid-structure interactions in microchannels. Through a mathematical analysis based on plate theory and the lubrication approximation for low-Reynolds-number flow, we derive models for the flow rate-pressure drop relation for long shallow microchannels with both thin and thick deformable top walls. These relations are tested against full three-dimensional two-way-coupled fluid-structure interaction simulations. Three types of microchannels, representing different elasticity regimes and having been experimentally characterized previously, are chosen as benchmarks for our theory and simulations. Good agreement is found in most cases for the predicted, simulated and measured flow rate-pressure drop relationships. The numerical simulations performed allow us to also carefully examine the deformation profile of the top wall of the microchannel in any cross section, showing good agreement with the theory. Specifically, the prediction that span-wise displacement in a long shallow microchannel decouples from the flow-wise deformation is confirmed, and the predicted scaling of the maximum displacement with the hydrodynamic pressure and the various material and geometric parameters is validated.

Microchannel plate assembly parameters with micron gaps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demchenkova, A.A.

1987-01-01

Performance of chevron microchannel plate assembly with 5 and 15 μm gaps between them has been investigated. The assembly is placed into a vacuum chamber under pressure -6 Torr and irradiated by neutral He and Ar atom beams with 1.5 and 3 keV energies as well as by ultraviolet photons with 147 nm wave length. Dependence of the gain and amplitude resolution on power voltage in plates are measured. The results obtained have shown that microchannel plates permit to obtain the gain up to 3x10 7 and amplitude resolution up to 30% when detecting both atomic particles and ultraviolet photons. The assembly can be effectively used in those cases when it is necessary to use microchannel plates with curved channels

The effects of mixing air distribution and heat load arrangement on the performance of ceiling radiant panels under cooling mode of operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Kosonen, Risto; Melikov, Arsen Krikor

2016-01-01

arrangement and air distribution generated in a room by linear slot diffuser, radial multi-nozzle diffuser and radial swirl induction unit on the cooling power of radiant panels was compared. The impact on the thermal environment was also studied. Measurements were carried out without and with supply air...

Use of local convective and radiant cooling at warm environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Krejcirikova, Barbora; Kaczmarczyk, Jan

2012-01-01

The effect of four local cooling devices (convective, radiant and combined) on SBS symptoms reported by 24 subjects at 28 ˚C and 50% RH was studied. The devices studied were: (1) desk cooling fan, (2) personalized ventilation providing clean air, (3) two radiant panels and (4) two radiant panels...... and with radiant panel with attached fans, which also helped people to feel less fatigue. The SBS symptoms increased the most when the cooling fan, generating movement of polluted room air, was used....

Microchannel plate photodetectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majka, R.

1977-01-01

A review is given the status of development work on photodetectors using microchannel plates (MCP) as the electron gain element. Projections are made and opinions are presented on what might be available in the next few years. Several uses for these devices at ISABELLE are mentioned

Effect of nano-scale morphology on micro-channel wall surface and electrical characterization in lead silicate glass micro-channel plate

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Hua; Li, Fangjun; Xu, Yanglei; Bo, Tiezhu; Zhou, Dongzhan; Lian, Jiao; Li, Qing; Cao, Zhenbo; Xu, Tao; Wang, Caili; Liu, Hui; Li, Guoen; Jia, Jinsheng

2017-10-01

Micro-channel plate (MCP) is a two dimensional arrays of microscopic channel charge particle multiplier. Silicate composition and hydrogen reduction are keys to determine surface morphology of micro-channel wall in MCP. In this paper, lead silicate glass micro-channel plates in two different cesium contents (0at%, 0.5at%) and two different hydrogen reduction temperatures (400°C,450°C) were present. The nano-scale morphology, elements content and chemical states of microporous wall surface treated under different alkaline compositions and reduction conditions was investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. Meanwhile, the electrical characterizations of MCP, including the bulk resistance, electron gain and the density of dark current, were measured in a Vacuum Photoelectron Imaging Test Facility (VPIT).The results indicated that the granular phase occurred on the surface of microporous wall and diffuses in bulk glass is an aggregate of Pb atom derived from the reduction of Pb2+. In micro-channel plate, the electron gain and bulk resistance were mainly correlated to particle size and distribution, the density of dark current (DDC) went up with the increasing root-mean-square roughness (RMS) on the microporous wall surface. Adding cesiums improved the size of Pb atomic aggregation, lowered the relative concentration of [Pb] reduced from Pb2+ and decreased the total roughness of micro-channel wall surface, leading a higher bulk resistance, a lower electron gain and a less dark current. Increasing hydrogen reduction temperature also improved the size of Pb atomic aggregation, but enhanced the relative concentration of [Pb] and enlarged the total roughness of micro-channel wall surface, leading a higher bulk resistance, a lower electron gain and a larger dark current. The reasons for the difference of electrical characteristics were discussed.

CW-laser induced microchannels in dye-polymethacrylic acid films

OpenAIRE

M.A. Camacho-López

2007-01-01

In this work we report on the formation of microchannels on dye-polymethacrylic acid films using a cw-laser. A focalized beam of a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm emission line) was used to form microchannels on the films. It was found that there exists a laser power density threshold for a pit formation that depends on the dye concentration. The dimensions of the laser-induced channels are dependent on the laser power density. Microchannel formation in the transparent polymethacrylic acid films was no...

Scanning Microscopes Using X Rays and Microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu

2003-01-01

Scanning microscopes that would be based on microchannel filters and advanced electronic image sensors and that utilize x-ray illumination have been proposed. Because the finest resolution attainable in a microscope is determined by the wavelength of the illumination, the xray illumination in the proposed microscopes would make it possible, in principle, to achieve resolutions of the order of nanometers about a thousand times as fine as the resolution of a visible-light microscope. Heretofore, it has been necessary to use scanning electron microscopes to obtain such fine resolution. In comparison with scanning electron microscopes, the proposed microscopes would likely be smaller, less massive, and less expensive. Moreover, unlike in scanning electron microscopes, it would not be necessary to place specimens under vacuum. The proposed microscopes are closely related to the ones described in several prior NASA Tech Briefs articles; namely, Miniature Microscope Without Lenses (NPO-20218), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 22, No. 8 (August 1998), page 43; and Reflective Variants of Miniature Microscope Without Lenses (NPO-20610), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 26, No. 9 (September 2002) page 6a. In all of these microscopes, the basic principle of design and operation is the same: The focusing optics of a conventional visible-light microscope are replaced by a combination of a microchannel filter and a charge-coupled-device (CCD) image detector. A microchannel plate containing parallel, microscopic-cross-section holes much longer than they are wide is placed between a specimen and an image sensor, which is typically the CCD. The microchannel plate must be made of a material that absorbs the illuminating radiation reflected or scattered from the specimen. The microchannels must be positioned and dimensioned so that each one is registered with a pixel on the image sensor. Because most of the radiation incident on the microchannel walls becomes absorbed, the radiation that reaches the

Experiments on novel solar heating and cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yiping; Cui Yong; Zhu Li; Han Lijun

2008-01-01

Solar heating and nocturnal radiant cooling techniques are united to produce a novel solar heating and cooling system. The radiant panel with both heating and cooling functions can be used as structural materials for the building envelope, which realizes true building integrated utilization of solar energy. Based on the natural circulation principle, the operation status can be changed automatically between the heating cycle and the cooling cycle. System performances under different climate conditions using different covers on the radiant panel are studied. The results show that the novel solar heating and cooling system has good performance of heating and cooling. For the no cover system, the daily average heat collecting efficiency is 52% with the maximum efficiency of 73%, while at night, the cooling capacity is about 47 W/m 2 on a sunny day. On a cloudy day, the daily average heat collecting efficiency is 47% with the maximum of 84%, while the cooling capacity is about 33 W/m 2 . As a polycarbonate (PC) panel or polyethylene film are used as covers, the maximum heat collecting efficiencies are 75% and 72% and the daily average heat collecting efficiencies are 61% and 58%, while the cooling capacities are 50 W/m 2 and 36 W/m 2 , respectively

Study on Boiling Heat Transfer Phenomenon in Micro-channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Namgyun [Inha Technical College, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-09-15

Recently, efficient heat dissipation has become necessary because of the miniaturization of devices, and research on boiling on micro-channels has attracted attention. However, in the case of micro-channels, the friction coefficient and heat transfer characteristics are different from those in macro-channels. This leads to large errors in the micro scale results, when compared to correlations derived from the macro scale. In addition, due to the complexity of the mechanism, the boiling phenomenon in micro-channels cannot be approached only by experimental and theoretical methods. Therefore, numerical methods should be utilized as well, to supplement these methods. However, most numerical studies have been conducted on macro-channels. In this study, we applied the lattice Boltzmann method, proposed as an alternative numerical tool to simulate the boiling phenomenon in the micro-channel, and predicted the bubble growth process in the channel.

A review on the analysis and experiment of fluid flow and mixing in micro-channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Sang Mo; Suh, Yong Kweon; Jayaraj, Simon

2007-01-01

The studies with respect to micro-channels and micro-mixers are expanding in many dimensions. Most significant area of micro-mixer study is the flow analysis in various micro-channel configurations. The flow phenomena in microchannel devices are quite different from that of the macro-scale devices. An attempt is made here to review the important recent literature available in the area of micro-channel flow analysis and mixing. The topics covered include the physics of flow in micro-channels and integrated simulation of the micro-channel flow. Also, the flow control models and electro-kinetically driven micro-channel flows are dealt in detail. A survey of important numerical methods, which are currently popular for micro-channel flow analysis, is carried out. Different options for mixing in microchannels are provided, in sufficient detail

A Self-Contained Cold Plate Utilizing Force-fed Evaporation for Cooling of High flux Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

2007-01-01

additional improvement. The second advanced heat sink to be covered was developed and studied by Sung and Mudawar [27]. They created a hybrid jet...cooling by using manifold microchannel heat sinks.” Advanced Electronic Packaging. 2 (1997) 1837-1842. [27] Sung, M. K. & Mudawar , I

Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing of Microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Balvin, Manuel; Zheng, Yun

2014-01-01

The microbead packing is the critical element required in the success of on-chip microfabrication of critical microfluidic components for in-situ analysis and detection of chiral amino acids. In order for microliquid chromatography to occur, there must be a stationary phase medium within the microchannel that interacts with the analytes present within flowing fluid. The stationary phase media are the microbeads packed by the process discussed in this work. The purpose of the microliquid chromatography is to provide a lightweight, low-volume, and low-power element to separate amino acids and their chiral partners efficiently to understand better the origin of life. In order to densely pack microbeads into the microchannels, a liquid slurry of microbeads was created. Microbeads were extracted from a commercially available high-performance liquid chromatography column. The silica beads extracted were 5 microns in diameter, and had surface coating of phenyl-hexyl. These microbeads were mixed with a 200- proof ethanol solution to create a microbead slurry with the right viscosity for packing. A microfilter is placed at the outlet via of the microchannel and the slurry is injected, then withdrawn across a filter using modified syringes. After each injection, the channel is flushed with ethanol to enhance packing. This cycle is repeated numerous times to allow for a tightly packed channel of microbeads. Typical microbead packing occurs in the macroscale into tubes or channels by using highly pressurized systems. Moreover, these channels are typically long and straight without any turns or curves. On the other hand, this method of microbead packing is completed within a microchannel 75 micrometers in diameter. Moreover, the microbead packing is completed into a serpentine type microchannel, such that it maximizes microchannel length within a microchip. Doing so enhances the interactions of the analytes with the microbeads to separate efficiently amino acids and amino acid

Production of monodispersed Oil-in Water Emulsion Using Crossflow-Type Silicon Microchannel Plate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawakatsu, Takahiro.; Komori, Hideaki.; Yonemoto, Toshikuni. [Tohoku University, Miyagi (Japan). Chemical Engineering Department; Nakajima, Mitsutoshi.; Kikuchi, Yuji. [National Food Research Institute, Ibaraki (Japan)

1999-04-01

A novel method for continuous productin of monodispersed oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion is developed using acrossflow-type silicaon microchannel plate. On the single crystal silicon plate, a liquid flow path for continuous phase was made, and at each side of th wall of the path an array of regular-sized slits was precisely fabricated. A flat glass plate was tightly attached on the microchannel plate to cover the top of the slits to form the array of microchannels. Regular-sized oil (triolein) droplets were generated by squeezing the oil through the microchannels into the continuous-phase water (0.3 wt% sodium lauryl sulfate solutin) flowing in the liquid path. Oil droplet size is significantly dependent on the microchannel structure, which is identified with the microchannel width, height, and the length of the terrace (a flat area at the microchannel outlet). Three types of microchannel plates having different microchannel structures generate monodispersed emulsions of different average droplet sizes, 16,20, and 48 {mu}m at the watr flow rate of 1.4x10{sup -2}mL{center_dot}min{sup -1}. For the microchannel plate which generates large droplets of 48 {mu}m, increasing the flow rate causes decreasing droplet size. However, for the microchannel plate which generates small droplets of 16 or 20 {mu}m, the size is not affected by the flow rate within the range from 1.4x10{sup -2}to 2.4 mL{center_dot}min{sup -1}. In every case, the droplet size distribution is narrow, and the geometric standard deviation is 1.03 or less. (author)

Transient response of nonideal ion-selective microchannel-nanochannel devices

Science.gov (United States)

Leibowitz, Neta; Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Park, Sinwook; Yossifon, Gilad

2018-04-01

We report evidence of variation in ion selectivity of a fabricated microchannel-nanochannel device resulting in the appearance of a distinct local maximum in the overlimiting chronopotentiometric response. In this system consisting of shallow microchannels joined by a nanochannel, viscous shear at the microchannel walls suppresses the electro-osmotic instability and prevents any associated contribution to the nonmonotonic response. Thus, this response is primarily electrodiffusive. Numerical simulations indicate that concentration polarization develops not only within the microchannel but also within the nanochannel itself, with a local voltage maximum in the chronopotentiometric response correlated with interfacial depletion and having the classic i-2 Sands time dependence. Furthermore, the occurrence of the local maxima is correlated with the change in selectivity due to internal concentration polarization. Understanding the transient nonideal permselective response is essential for obtaining fundamental insight and for optimizing efficient operation of practical fabricated nanofluidic and membrane devices.

Periodic flow patterns of the magnetic fluid in microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, C.-W.; Cheng, Y.-T.; Tsai, C.-Y.; Chien, J.-H.; Wang, P.-Y.; Chen, P.-H.

2007-01-01

In this study, of interests are the periodic flow patterns of the oil-based magnetic fluid in microchannels. A microfluidic chip is made of poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and contains cross-shape microchannels. The microchannels are 1000 μm in width and 200 μm in depth. A syringe pump was used to drive the fluids. Periodic flow patterns were seen and the slugs of magnetic fluid and DI water were generated. The operating factors discussed in the present work are the flow rates and the magnetic field. The frequency of generation of the slugs increases with increase in the flow rates. Besides, by settling the permanent magnet around the microchannel, the periods of the slug generation are changed. Different positions of the magnet lead to different periods for generating the slugs. By adjusting operating conditions, to control the frequency and the volume of the slugs is practical

Relocation work of temporary thermocouples for measuring the vessel cooling system in the safety demonstration test

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimazaki, Yosuke; Shinohara, Masanori; Ono, Masato; Yanagi, Shunki; Tochio, Daisuke; Iigaki, Kazuhiko

2012-05-01

It is necessary to confirm that the temperature of water cooling panel of the vessel cooling system (VCS) is controlled under the allowable working temperature during the safety demonstration test because the water cooling panel temperature rises due to stop of cooling water circulation pumps. Therefore, several temporary thermocouples are relocated to the water cooling panel near the stabilizers of RPV and the side cooling panel outlet ring header of VCS in order to observe the temperature change of VCS. The relocated thermocouples can measure the temperature change with starting of the cooling water circulation pumps of VCS. So it is confirmed that the relocated thermocouples can observe the VCS temperature change in the safety demonstration test. (author)

Surface roughness influences on the behaviour of flow inside microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Farias, M. H.; Castro, C. S.; Garcia, D. A.; Henrique, J. S.

2018-03-01

This work discusses influence of the surface roughness on the behavior of liquids flowing inside microchannels. By measuring the flow profile using the micro-PIV technique, the flow of water inside two rectangular microchannels of different wall roughness and in a circular smooth microchannel was studied. Comparisons were made among the experimental results, showing that a metrological approach concerning surface characteristics of microdevices is required to ensure reliability of the measurements for flow analyses in microfluidic processes.

Study of a high gain microchannel plate photomultiplier having low statistical gain fluctuations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audier, M.

1980-12-01

A new photomultiplier configuration which synthesizes the performances of several models is proposed. The principles of microchannel plate photomultipliers are reviewed. The physical phenomena which limit the electron multiplication process in a microchannel and the detection efficiency of the microchannel plates are investigated. The operation of a herring-bone pattern device and of a system of two microchannel plate photomultipliers are described and characterized [fr

Numerical Simulation and Analysis of Gas-Liquid Flow in a T-Junction Microchannel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongtruong Pham

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Gas-liquid flow in microchannels is widely used in biomedicine, nanotech, sewage treatment, and so forth. Particularly, owing to the high qualities of the microbubbles and spheres produced in microchannels, it has a great potential to be used in ultrasound imaging and controlled drug release areas; therefore, gas-liquid flow in microchannels has been the focus in recent years. In this paper, numerical simulation of gas-liquid flows in a T-junction microchannel was carried out with computational fluid dynamics (CFD software FLUENT and the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF model. The distribution of velocity, pressure, and phase of fluid in the microchannel was obtained, the pressure distribution along the channel walls was analyzed in order to give a better understanding on the formation of microbubbles in the T-junction microchannel.

Cooling of a microchannel with thin evaporating liquid film sheared by dry gas flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kabova, Yu O.; Kuznetsov, V. V.

2017-11-01

A joint motion of thin liquid film and dry gas in a microchannel is investigated numerically at different values of initial concentration of the liquid vapor in the gas phase, taking into account the evaporation process. Major factors affecting the temperature distribution in the liquid and the gas phases are as follows: transfer of heat by liquid and gas flows, heat loses due to evaporation, diffusion heat exchange. Comparisons of the numerical results for the case of the dry gas and for the case of equilibrium concentration of vapor in the gas have been carried out. It is shown that use of dry gas enhances the heat dissipation from the heater. It is found out that not only intense evaporation occurs near the heating areas, but also in both cases vapor condensation takes place below the heater in streamwise direction.

Axisymmetric polydimethysiloxane microchannels for in vitro hemodynamic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Rui; Oliveira, Monica S N; Ishikawa, Takuji; Kaji, Hirokazu; Nishizawa, Matsuhiko; Tanaka, Shuji; Yamaguchi, Takami

2009-01-01

The current microdevices used for biomedical research are often manufactured using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. Although it is possible to fabricate precise and reproducible rectangular microchannels using soft lithography techniques, this kind of geometry may not reflect the actual physiology of the microcirculation. Here, we present a simple method to fabricate circular polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) microchannels aiming to mimic an in vivo microvascular environment and suitable for state-of-the-art microscale flow visualization techniques, such as confocal μPIV/PTV. By using a confocal μPTV system individual red blood cells (RBCs) were successfully tracked trough a 75 μm circular PDMS microchannel. The results show that RBC lateral dispersion increases with the volume fraction of RBCs in the solution, i.e. with the hematocrit.

Systems and methods of manufacturing microchannel arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, Brian K.; Brannon, Samuel T.

2018-03-20

The present application relates to apparatus and methods of reducing the cost of microchannel array production and operation. In a representative embodiment, a microchannel array can comprise a first lamina having one or more flanges and a plurality of elongated bosses. The one or more flanges can extend along a perimeter of the first lamina, the plurality of elongated bosses can at least partially define a plurality of first flow paths, and the first lamina can define at least one opening. The microchannel array can also comprise a second lamina having a plurality of second flow paths, and can define at least one opening. The second lamina can be disposed above the first lamina such that the second lamina encloses the first flow paths of the first lamina and the at least one opening of the first lamina is coaxial with the at least one opening of the second lamina.

NASA's Platform for Cross-Disciplinary Microchannel Research

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Sang Young; Spearing, Scott; Allen, Jeffrey; Monaco, Lisa A.

2003-01-01

A team from the Structural Biology group located at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama is developing a platform suitable for cross-disciplinary microchannel research. The original objective of this engineering development effort was to deliver a multi-user flight-certified facility for iterative investigations of protein crystal growth; that is, Iterative Biological Crystallization (IBC). However, the unique capabilities of this facility are not limited to the low-gravity structural biology research community. Microchannel-based research in a number of other areas may be greatly accelerated through use of this facility. In particular, the potential for gas-liquid flow investigations and cellular biological research utilizing the exceptional pressure control and simplified coupling to macroscale diagnostics inherent in the IBC facility will be discussed. In conclusion, the opportunities for research-specific modifications to the microchannel configuration, control, and diagnostics will be discussed.

Non-Newtonian fluid structure interaction in flexible biomimetic microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Kiran, M.; Dasgupta, Sunando; Chakraborty, Suman

2017-11-01

To investigate the complex fluid structure interactions in a physiologically relevant microchannel with deformable wall and non-Newtonian fluid that flows within it, we fabricated cylindrical microchannels of various softness out of PDMS. Experiments to measure the transient pressure drop across the channel were carried out with high sampling frequencies to capture the intricate flow physics. In particular, we showed that the waveforms varies greatly for each of the non-Newtonian and Newtonian cases for both non-deformable and deformable microchannels in terms of the peak amplitude, r.m.s amplitude and the crest factor. In addition, we carried out frequency sweep experiments to evaluate the frequency response of the system. We believe that these results will aid in the design of polymer based microfluidic phantoms for arterial FSI studies, and in particular for studying blood analog fluids in cylindrical microchannels as well as developing frequency specific Lab-on-chip systems for medical diagnostics.

Active cooling of microvascular composites for battery packaging

Science.gov (United States)

Pety, Stephen J.; Chia, Patrick X. L.; Carrington, Stephen M.; White, Scott R.

2017-10-01

Batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) require a packaging system that provides both thermal regulation and crash protection. A novel packaging scheme is presented that uses active cooling of microvascular carbon fiber reinforced composites to accomplish this multifunctional objective. Microvascular carbon fiber/epoxy composite panels were fabricated and their cooling performance assessed over a range of thermal loads and experimental conditions. Tests were performed for different values of coolant flow rate, channel spacing, panel thermal conductivity, and applied heat flux. More efficient cooling occurs when the coolant flow rate is increased, channel spacing is reduced, and thermal conductivity of the host composite is increased. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were also performed and correlate well with the experimental data. CFD simulations of a typical EV battery pack confirm that microvascular composite panels can adequately cool battery cells generating 500 W m-2 heat flux below 40 °C.

Microchannel electron multiplier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beranek, I.; Janousek, L.; Vitovsky, O.

1981-01-01

A microchannel electron multiplier is described for detecting low levels of alpha, beta, soft X-ray and UV radiations. It consists of a glass tube or a system of tubes of various shapes made of common technological glass. The inner tube surface is provided with an active coat with photoemitter and secondary emitter properties. (B.S.)

Silicon-micromachined microchannel plates

CERN Document Server

Beetz, C P; Steinbeck, J; Lemieux, B; Winn, D R

2000-01-01

Microchannel plates (MCP) fabricated from standard silicon wafer substrates using a novel silicon micromachining process, together with standard silicon photolithographic process steps, are described. The resulting SiMCP microchannels have dimensions of approx 0.5 to approx 25 mu m, with aspect ratios up to 300, and have the dimensional precision and absence of interstitial defects characteristic of photolithographic processing, compatible with positional matching to silicon electronics readouts. The open channel areal fraction and detection efficiency may exceed 90% on plates up to 300 mm in diameter. The resulting silicon substrates can be converted entirely to amorphous quartz (qMCP). The strip resistance and secondary emission are developed by controlled depositions of thin films, at temperatures up to 1200 deg. C, also compatible with high-temperature brazing, and can be essentially hydrogen, water and radionuclide-free. Novel secondary emitters and cesiated photocathodes can be high-temperature deposite...

Dynamic Modelling of the DEP Controlled Boiling in a Microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Lackowski, Marcin; Kwidzinski, Roman

2018-04-01

The paper presents theoretical analysis of flow dynamics in a heated microchannel in which flow rate may be controlled by dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces. Proposed model equations were derived in terms of lumped parameters characterising the system comprising of DEP controller and the microchannel. In result, an equation for liquid height of rise in the controller was obtained from momentum balances in the two elements of the considered system. In the model, the boiling process in the heated section of microchannel is taken into account through a pressure drop, which is a function of flow rate and uniform heat flux. Presented calculation results show that the DEP forces influence mainly the flow rate in the microchannel. In this way, by proper modulation of voltage applied to the DEP controller, it is possible to lower the frequency of Ledinegg instabilities.

Slip flow through a converging microchannel: experiments and 3D simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varade, Vijay; Agrawal, Amit; Pradeep, A M

2015-01-01

An experimental and 3D numerical study of gaseous slip flow through a converging microchannel is presented in this paper. The measurements reported are with nitrogen gas flowing through the microchannel with convergence angles (4°, 8° and 12°), hydraulic diameters (118, 147 and 177 µm) and lengths (10, 20 and 30 mm). The measurements cover the entire slip flow regime and a part of the continuum and transition regimes (the Knudsen number is between 0.0004 and 0.14); the flow is laminar (the Reynolds number is between 0.5 and 1015). The static pressure drop is measured for various mass flow rates. The overall pressure drop increases with a decrease in the convergence angle and has a relatively large contribution of the viscous component. The numerical solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations with Maxwell’s slip boundary condition explore two different flow behaviors: uniform centerline velocity with linear pressure variation in the initial and the middle part of the microchannel and flow acceleration with nonlinear pressure variation in the last part of the microchannel. The centerline velocity and the wall shear stress increase with a decrease in the convergence angle. The concept of a characteristic length scale for a converging microchannel is also explored. The location of the characteristic length is a function of the Knudsen number and approaches the microchannel outlet with rarefaction. These results on gaseous slip flow through converging microchannels are observed to be considerably different than continuum flow. (paper)

Acoustophoretic Synchronization of Mammalian Cells in Microchannels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thévoz, P.; Adams, J.D.; Shea, H.

2010-01-01

We report the first use of ultrasonic standing waves to achieve cell cycle phase synchronization in mammalian cells in a high-throughput and reagent-free manner. The acoustophoretic cell synchronization (ACS) device utilizes volume-dependent acoustic radiation force within a microchannel to selec......We report the first use of ultrasonic standing waves to achieve cell cycle phase synchronization in mammalian cells in a high-throughput and reagent-free manner. The acoustophoretic cell synchronization (ACS) device utilizes volume-dependent acoustic radiation force within a microchannel...

Silicon micro-fluidic cooling for NA62 GTK pixel detectors

CERN Document Server

Romagnoli, G; Brunel, B; Catinaccio, A; Degrange, J; Mapelli, A; Morel, M; Noel, J; Petagna, P

2015-01-01

Silicon micro-channel cooling is being studied for efficient thermal management in application fields such as high power computing and 3D electronic integration. This concept has been introduced in 2010 for the thermal management of silicon pixel detectors in high energy physics experiments. Combining the versatility of standard micro-fabrication processes with the high thermal efficiency typical of micro-fluidics, it is possible to produce effective thermal management devices that are well adapted to different detector configurations. The production of very thin cooling devices in silicon enables a minimization of material of the tracking sensors and eliminates mechanical stresses due to the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion between detectors and cooling systems. The NA62 experiment at CERN will be the first high particle physics experiment that will install a micro-cooling system to perform the thermal management of the three detection planes of its Gigatracker pixel detector.

Silicon-micromachined microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beetz, Charles P.; Boerstler, Robert; Steinbeck, John; Lemieux, Bryan; Winn, David R.

2000-01-01

Microchannel plates (MCP) fabricated from standard silicon wafer substrates using a novel silicon micromachining process, together with standard silicon photolithographic process steps, are described. The resulting SiMCP microchannels have dimensions of ∼0.5 to ∼25 μm, with aspect ratios up to 300, and have the dimensional precision and absence of interstitial defects characteristic of photolithographic processing, compatible with positional matching to silicon electronics readouts. The open channel areal fraction and detection efficiency may exceed 90% on plates up to 300 mm in diameter. The resulting silicon substrates can be converted entirely to amorphous quartz (qMCP). The strip resistance and secondary emission are developed by controlled depositions of thin films, at temperatures up to 1200 deg. C, also compatible with high-temperature brazing, and can be essentially hydrogen, water and radionuclide-free. Novel secondary emitters and cesiated photocathodes can be high-temperature deposited or nucleated in the channels or the first strike surface. Results on resistivity, secondary emission and gain are presented

Influence of sinusoidal flow on the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Om, N I; Gunnasegaran, P; Rajasegaran, S

2013-01-01

In this paper, the effect of sinusoidal flow on the thermal and hydraulic performance of microchannel heat sink (MCHS) is numerically investigated. This investigation covers Reynolds number in the range of 100 ≤ Re ≤ 1000 and pure water is used as a working fluid. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using finite volume method (FVM). The water flow field and heat transfer performance inside the sinusoidal microchannels is simulated and the results are compared with the straight microchannels. The effect of using sinusoidal microchannels on temperature distribution, Nusselt number, friction factor and thermal resistance is presented in this paper. It is found that with same rectangular cross-section, sinusoidal microchannels have a better heat transfer performance compared to the straight microchannels.

The Viability of Single Cancer Cells after Exposure to Hydrodynamic Shear Stresses in a Spiral Microchannel: A Canine Cutaneous Mast Cell Tumor Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dettachai Ketpun

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Our laboratory has the fundamental responsibility to study cancer stem cells (CSC in various models of human and animal neoplasms. However, the major impediments that spike our accomplishment are the lack of universal biomarkers and cellular heterogeneity. To cope with these restrictions, we have tried to apply the concept of single cell analysis, which has hitherto been recommended throughout the world as an imperative solution pack for resolving such dilemmas. Accordingly, our first step was to utilize a predesigned spiral microchannel fabricated by our laboratory to perform size-based single cell separation using mast cell tumor (MCT cells as a model. However, the impact of hydrodynamic shear stresses (HSS on mechanical cell injury and viability in a spiral microchannel has not been fully investigated so far. Intuitively, our computational fluid dynamics (CFD simulation has strongly revealed the formations of fluid shear stress (FSS and extensional fluid stress (EFS in the sorting system. The panel of biomedical assays has also disclosed cell degeneration and necrosis in the model. Therefore, we have herein reported the combinatorically detrimental effect of FSS and EFS on the viability of MCT cells after sorting in our spiral microchannel, with discussion on the possibly pathogenic mechanisms of HSS-induced cell injury in the study model.

Characterization of microchannel anechoic corners formed by surface acoustic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Destgeer, Ghulam; Alam, Ashar; Ahmed, Husnain; Park, Jinsoo; Jung, Jin Ho; Park, Kwangseok; Sung, Hyung Jin

2018-02-01

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) generated in a piezoelectric substrate couple with a liquid according to Snell's law such that a compressional acoustic wave propagates obliquely at a Rayleigh angle ( θ t) inside the microchannel to form a region devoid of a direct acoustic field, which is termed a microchannel anechoic corner (MAC). In the present study, we used microchannels with various heights and widths to characterize the width of the MAC region formed by a single travelling SAW. The attenuation of high-frequency SAWs produced a strong acoustic streaming flow that moved the particles in and out of the MAC region, whereas reflections of the acoustic waves within the microchannel resulted in standing acoustic waves that trapped particles at acoustic pressure nodes located within or outside of the MAC region. A range of actuation frequencies and particle diameters were used to investigate the effects of the acoustic streaming flow and the direct acoustic radiation forces by the travelling as well as standing waves on the particle motion with respect to the MAC region. The width of the MAC ( w c), measured experimentally by tracing the particles, increased with the height of the microchannel ( h m) according to a simple trigonometric equation w c = h m × tan ( θ t ).

Electrokinetic microchannel battery by means of electrokinetic and microfluidic phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jun; Lu, Fuzhi; Kostiuk, Larry W.; Kwok, Daniel Y.

2003-11-01

Pressure-driven flow in a microchannel induces a streaming current due to the presence of an electrical double layer in the interface between the electrolyte solution and channel wall. As the streaming current is of the order of a nano-amphere and is additive, we propose here a method to develop an electrokinetic battery consisting of an array of microchannels that converts the hydrostatic pressure of a liquid into electrical work. We have given oscillating analytical solutions by means of an electrical circuit analysis to model the multi-microchannel battery. Using superposition of the appropriate Fourier series, the derived analytical solutions are useful to predict the current when there is more general time-dependent flow through a microchannel array. To illustrate the idea, we have studied steady-state pressure-driven flow in micropore porous glass filter and compared the results with those predicted from our model. From a 30 cm hydrostatic pressure drop, an external current of 1-2 µA was obtained by means of water passing through the micropore porous glass filter. A larger current can be obtained by simply using a solution with higher salt concentration. This results in a new and potentially useful method of energy conversion by means of an array of microchannels.

The effects of different nano particles of Al2O3 and Ag on the MHD nano fluid flow and heat transfer in a microchannel including slip velocity and temperature jump

Science.gov (United States)

Karimipour, Arash; D'Orazio, Annunziata; Shadloo, Mostafa Safdari

2017-02-01

The forced convection of nanofluid flow in a long microchannel is studied numerically according to the finite volume approach and by using a developed computer code. Microchannel domain is under the influence of a magnetic field with uniform strength. The hot inlet nanofluid is cooled by the heat exchange with the cold microchannel walls. Different types of nanoparticles such as Al2O3 and Ag are examined while the base fluid is considered as water. Reynolds number are chosen as Re=10 and Re=100. Slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions are simulated along the microchannel walls at different values of slip coefficient for different amounts of Hartmann number. The investigation of magnetic field effect on slip velocity and temperature jump of nanofluid is presented for the first time. The results are shown as streamlines and isotherms; moreover the profiles of slip velocity and temperature jump are drawn. It is observed that more slip coefficient corresponds to less Nusselt number and more slip velocity especially at larger Hartmann number. It is recommended to use Al2O3-water nanofluid instead of Ag-water to increase the heat transfer rate from the microchannel walls at low values of Re. However at larger amounts of Re, the nanofluid composed of nanoparticles with higher thermal conductivity works better.

Detection of Aeromonas hydrophila Using Fiber Optic Microchannel Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samla Gauri

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This research focuses on the detection of Aeromonas hydrophila using fiber optic microchannel biosensor. Microchannel was fabricated by photolithography method. The fiber optic was chosen as signal transmitting medium and light absorption characteristic of different microorganisms was investigated for possible detection. Experimental results showed that Aeromonas hydrophila can be detected at the region of UV-Vis spectra between 352 nm and 354 nm which was comparable to measurement provided by UV spectrophotometer and also theoretical calculation by Beer-Lambert Absorption Law. The entire detection can be done in less than 10 minutes using a total volume of 3 μL only. This result promises good potential of this fiber optic microchannel sensor as a reliable, portable, and disposable sensor.

Stabilization of two-phase octanol/water flows inside poly(dimethylsiloxane) microchannels using polymer coatings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Linden, H. J.; Jellema, L. C.; Holwerda, M.; Verpoorte, E.

In this paper we present our first results on the realization of stable water/octanol, two-phase flows inside poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchannels. Native PDMS microchannels were coated with high molecular weight polymers to change the surface properties of the microchannels and thus

Thermal computations for electronics conductive, radiative, and convective air cooling

CERN Document Server

Ellison, Gordon

2010-01-01

IntroductionPrimary mechanisms of heat flowConductionApplication example: Silicon chip resistance calculationConvectionApplication example: Chassis panel cooled by natural convectionRadiationApplication example: Chassis panel cooled only by radiation 7Illustrative example: Simple thermal network model for a heat sinked power transistorIllustrative example: Thermal network circuit for a printed circuit boardCompact component modelsIllustrative example: Pressure and thermal circuits for a forced air cooled enclosureIllustrative example: A single chip package on a printed circuit board-the proble

Enhanced MicroChannel Heat Transfer in Macro-Geometry using Conventional Fabrication Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, KT; Goh, AL

2016-09-01

This paper presents studies on passive, single-phase, enhanced microchannel heat transfer in conventionally sized geometry. The intention is to allow economical, simple and readily available conventional fabrication techniques to be used for fabricating macro-scale heat exchangers with microchannel heat transfer capability. A concentric annular gap between a 20 mm diameter channel and an 19.4 mm diameter insert forms a microchannel where heat transfer occurs. Results show that the heat transfer coefficient of more than 50 kW/m·K can be obtained for Re≈4,000, at hydraulic diameter of 0.6 mm. The pressure drop values of the system are kept below 3.3 bars. The present study re-confirms the feasibility of fabricating macro-heat exchangers with microchannel heat transfer capability.

Developing a method of fabricating microchannels using plant root structure

Science.gov (United States)

Nakashima, Shota; Tokumaru, Kazuki; Tsumori, Fujio

2018-06-01

Complicated three-dimensional (3D) microchannels are expected to be applied to a lab-on-a-chip, especially an organ-on-a-chip. There are fine microchannel networks such as blood vessels in a living organ. However, it is difficult to recreate the complicated 3D microchannels of real living structures. Plant roots have a similar structure to blood vessels. They spread radially and three-dimensionally, and become thinner as they branch. In this research, we propose a method of fabricating microchannels using a live plant root as a template to mimic a blood vessel structure. We grew a plant in ceramic slurry instead of soil. The slurry consists of ceramic powder, binder and water, so it plays a similar role to soil consisting of fine particles in water. After growing the plant, the roots inside the slurry were burned and a sintered ceramic body with channel structures was obtained by heating. We used two types of slurry with different composition ratios, and compared the internal channel structures before and after sintering.

High Flux Microchannel Receiver Development with Adap-tive Flow Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drost, Kevin [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)

2015-08-15

This project is focused on the demonstration of a microchannel-based solar receiver (MSR). The MSR concept consists of using a modular arrangement of arrayed microchannels to heat a working fluid in a concentrating solar receiver, allowing a much higher solar flux on the receiver and consequently a significant reduction in thermal losses, size, and cost.

Nighttime radiative cooling potential of unglazed and PV/T solar collectors: parametric and experimental analyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pean, Thibault Quentin; Gennari, Luca; Olesen, Bjarne W.

2015-01-01

Nighttime radiative cooling technology has been studied both by means of simulations and experiments, to evaluate its potential and to validate the existing theoretical models used to describe it. Photovoltaic/thermal panels (PV/T) and unglazed solar collectors have been chosen as case studies....... The obtained values showed a good agreement with the ones found in the literature about solar panels or other kinds of heat sinks used for radiative cooling applications. The panels provided a cooling performance per night ranging between 0.2 and 0.9 kWh/m2 of panel. The COP values (defined as the ratio....... An experimental setup has been constructed and tested during summer of 2014, at the Technical University of Denmark. The cooling performance (heat loss) has been measured simultaneously for both types of panels, installed side-by-side. The experimental results have been compared with the results from a commercial...

Thermal mixing of two miscible fluids in a T-shaped microchannel.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Bin; Wong, Teck Neng; Nguyen, Nam-Trung; Che, Zhizhao; Chai, John Chee Kiong

2010-10-01

In this paper, thermal mixing characteristics of two miscible fluids in a T-shaped microchannel are investigated theoretically, experimentally, and numerically. Thermal mixing processes in a T-shaped microchannel are divided into two zones, consisting of a T-junction and a mixing channel. An analytical two-dimensional model was first built to describe the heat transfer processes in the mixing channel. In the experiments, de-ionized water was employed as the working fluid. Laser induced fluorescence method was used to measure the fluid temperature field in the microchannel. Different combinations of flow rate ratios were studied to investigate the thermal mixing characteristics in the microchannel. At the T-junction, thermal diffusion is found to be dominant in this area due to the striation in the temperature contours. In the mixing channel, heat transfer processes are found to be controlled by thermal diffusion and convection. Measured temperature profiles at the T-junction and mixing channel are compared with analytical model and numerical simulation, respectively.

Experimental and theoretical analysis of defocused CO2 laser microchanneling on PMMA for enhanced surface finish

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, Shashi; Kumar, Subrata

2017-02-01

The poor surface finish of CO2 laser-micromachined microchannel walls is a major limitation of its utilization despite several key advantages, like low fabrication cost and low time consumption. Defocused CO2 laser beam machining is an effective solution for fabricating smooth microchannel walls on polymer and glass substrates. In this research work, the CO2 laser microchanneling process on PMMA has been analyzed at different beam defocus positions. Defocused processing has been investigated both theoretically and experimentally, and the depth of focus and beam diameter have been determined experimentally. The effect of beam defocusing on the microchannel width, depth, surface roughness, heat affected zone and microchannel profile were examined. A previously developed analytical model for microchannel depth prediction has been improved by incorporating the threshold energy density factor. A semi-analytical model for predicting the microchannel width at different defocus positions has been developed. A semi-empirical model has also been developed for predicting microchannel widths at different defocusing conditions for lower depth values. The developed models were compared and verified by performing actual experiments. Multi-objective optimization was performed to select the best optimum set of input parameters for achieving the desired surface roughness.

A two-step sealing-and-reinforcement SU8 bonding paradigm for the fabrication of shallow microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Mehboudi, Aryan; Yeom, Junghoon

2018-03-01

Adhesive bonding is a key technique to create microfluidic devices when two separate substrates are used to form microchannels. Among many adhesives explored in microchannel fabrication, SU8 has been widely used as an adhesive layer for sealing the microchannel sidewalls. The majority of the available SU8-based bonding methods, however, suffer from the difficulties associated with sealing of two important types of the microchannel architecture: (1) shallow microchannels with small patterns on a large area, and (2) microchannels with ultra-low aspect ratios (e.g. 6 mm in width and 2~μ m in height). In this paper, a new bonding paradigm based upon the low-temperature and low-pressure SU8 bonding, consisting of two steps of sealing using a thin-SU8-coated PET film and bonding reinforcement using a SU8-coated glass slide, is proposed to resolve the aforementioned difficulties. Since it does not need complicated instruments such as a wafer bonding machine and a lamination device, the developed bonding paradigm is convenient and economical. We successfully demonstrate the compatibility of the proposed bonding paradigm with the two microchannel fabrication approaches based on the glass wet etching and the SU8 photo-lithography, where small microchannels with the innermost surfaces fully made of SU8 are obtained. A theoretical model is employed to better investigate the flow characteristics and the structural behavior of the microchannel including the PET film deformation, strain and von Mises stress distributions, bonding strength, etc. Moreover, we demonstrate the fabrication of the multi-height deep-shallow microchannel sidewalls and their sealing using the SU8-coated PET film. Finally, as a proof-of-concept device, a microfluidic filter consisting of the double-height deep-shallow microchannel is fabricated for separation of 3 µm and 10 µm particles.

Study of the electric field inside microchannel plate multipliers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gatti, E.; Oba, K.; Rehak, P.

1982-01-01

Electric field inside high gain microchannel plate multipliers was studied. The calculations were based directly on the solution of the Maxwell equations applied to the microchannel plate (MCP) rather than on the conventional lumped RC model. The results are important to explain the performance of MCP's, (1) under a pulsed bias tension and, (2) at high rate conditions. The results were tested experimentally and a new method of MCP operation free from the positive ion feedback was demonstrated

Compact Ceramic Microchannel Heat Exchangers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewinsohn, Charles [Ceramatec, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2016-10-31

The objective of the proposed work was to demonstrate the feasibility of a step change in power plant efficiency at a commercially viable cost, by obtaining performance data for prototype, compact, ceramic microchannel heat exchangers. By performing the tasks described in the initial proposal, all of the milestones were met. The work performed will advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level 3 (TRL 3) to Technology Readiness Level 4 (TRL 4) and validate the potential of using these heat exchangers for enabling high efficiency solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or high-temperature turbine-based power plants. The attached report will describe how this objective was met. In collaboration with The Colorado School of Mines (CSM), specifications were developed for a high temperature heat exchanger for three commercial microturbines. Microturbines were selected because they are a more mature commercial technology than SOFC, they are a low-volume and high-value target for market entry of high-temperature heat exchangers, and they are essentially scaled-down versions of turbines used in utility-scale power plants. Using these specifications, microchannel dimensions were selected to meet the performance requirements. Ceramic plates were fabricated with microchannels of these dimensions. The plates were tested at room temperature and elevated temperature. Plates were joined together to make modular, heat exchanger stacks that were tested at a variety of temperatures and flow rates. Although gas flow rates equivalent to those in microturbines could not be achieved in the laboratory environment, the results showed expected efficiencies, robust operation under significant temperature gradients at high temperature, and the ability to cycle the stacks. Details of the methods and results are presented in this final report.

Flow distribution analysis on the cooling tube network of ITER thermal shield

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Kwanwoo; Chung, Wooho; Noh, Chang Hyun; Kang, Dong Kwon; Kang, Kyoung-O; Ahn, Hee Jae; Lee, Hyeon Gon

2014-01-01

Thermal shield (TS) is to be installed between the vacuum vessel or the cryostat and the magnets in ITER tokamak to reduce the thermal radiation load to the magnets operating at 4.2K. The TS is cooled by pressurized helium gas at the inlet temperature of 80K. The cooling tube is welded on the TS panel surface and the composed flow network of the TS cooling tubes is complex. The flow rate in each panel should be matched to the thermal design value for effective radiation shielding. This paper presents one dimensional analysis on the flow distribution of cooling tube network for the ITER TS. The hydraulic cooling tube network is modeled by an electrical analogy. Only the cooling tube on the TS surface and its connecting pipe from the manifold are considered in the analysis model. Considering the frictional factor and the local loss in the cooling tube, the hydraulic resistance is expressed as a linear function with respect to mass flow rate. Sub-circuits in the TS are analyzed separately because each circuit is controlled by its own control valve independently. It is found that flow rates in some panels are insufficient compared with the design values. In order to improve the flow distribution, two kinds of design modifications are proposed. The first one is to connect the tubes of the adjacent panels. This will increase the resistance of the tube on the panel where the flow rate is excessive. The other design suggestion is that an orifice is installed at the exit of tube routing where the flow rate is to be reduced. The analysis for the design suggestions shows that the flow mal-distribution is improved significantly

Microchannel fabrication on cyclic olefin polymer substrates via 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser ablation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCann, Ronán [Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland); School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Irish Separation Science Cluster, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Bagga, Komal; Groarke, Robert [Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland); School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Irish Separation Science Cluster, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Stalcup, Apryll [Irish Separation Science Cluster, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Vázquez, Mercedes, E-mail: mercedes.vazquez@dcu.ie [Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Irish Separation Science Cluster, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Brabazon, Dermot [Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 (Ireland); School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); Irish Separation Science Cluster, National Centre for Sensor Research, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland); National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin 9 (Ireland)

2016-11-30

Highlights: • Rapid single-step microchannel fabrication on optically transparent cyclic olefin polymer using IR Nd:YAG laser. • Ability to tailor channel depth between 12–47 μm demonstrated for single laser pass. • Use of multiple laser passes showed capability for finer depth control. • Potential applications in lab-on-chip and microfluidic devices. - Abstract: This paper presents a method for fabrication of microchannels on cyclic olefin polymer films that have application in the field of microfluidics and chemical sensing. Continuous microchannels were fabricated on 188-μm-thick cyclic olefin polymer substrates using a picosecond pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. The effect of laser fluence on the microchannel morphology and dimensions was analysed via scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry. Single laser passes were found to produce v-shaped microchannels with depths ranging from 12 μm to 47 μm and widths from 44 μm to 154 μm. The ablation rate during processing was lower than predicted theoretically. Multiple laser passes were applied to examine the ability for finer control over microchannel morphology with channel depths ranging from 22 μm to 77 μm and channel widths from 59 μm to 155 μm. For up to five repeat passes, acceptable reproducibility was found in the produced microchannel morphology. Infrared spectroscopy revealed oxidation and dehydrogenation of the polymer surface following laser ablation. These results were compared to other work conducted on cyclic olefin polymers.

Microchannel fabrication on cyclic olefin polymer substrates via 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCann, Ronán; Bagga, Komal; Groarke, Robert; Stalcup, Apryll; Vázquez, Mercedes; Brabazon, Dermot

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Rapid single-step microchannel fabrication on optically transparent cyclic olefin polymer using IR Nd:YAG laser. • Ability to tailor channel depth between 12–47 μm demonstrated for single laser pass. • Use of multiple laser passes showed capability for finer depth control. • Potential applications in lab-on-chip and microfluidic devices. - Abstract: This paper presents a method for fabrication of microchannels on cyclic olefin polymer films that have application in the field of microfluidics and chemical sensing. Continuous microchannels were fabricated on 188-μm-thick cyclic olefin polymer substrates using a picosecond pulsed 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser. The effect of laser fluence on the microchannel morphology and dimensions was analysed via scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry. Single laser passes were found to produce v-shaped microchannels with depths ranging from 12 μm to 47 μm and widths from 44 μm to 154 μm. The ablation rate during processing was lower than predicted theoretically. Multiple laser passes were applied to examine the ability for finer control over microchannel morphology with channel depths ranging from 22 μm to 77 μm and channel widths from 59 μm to 155 μm. For up to five repeat passes, acceptable reproducibility was found in the produced microchannel morphology. Infrared spectroscopy revealed oxidation and dehydrogenation of the polymer surface following laser ablation. These results were compared to other work conducted on cyclic olefin polymers.

Theoretical Study of Molecular Transport Through a Permeabilized Cell Membrane in a Microchannel.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahboubi, Masoumeh; Movahed, Saeid; Hosseini Abardeh, Reza; Hoshyargar, Vahid

2017-06-01

A two-dimensional model is developed to study the molecular transport into an immersed cell in a microchannel and to investigate the effects of finite boundary (a cell is suspended in a microchannel), amplitude of electric pulse, and geometrical parameter (microchannel height and size of electrodes) on cell uptake. Embedded electrodes on the walls of the microchannel generate the required electric pulse to permeabilize the cell membrane, pass the ions through the membrane, and transport them into the cell. The shape of electric pulses is square with the time span of 6 ms; their intensities are in the range of 2.2, 2.4, 2.6, 3 V. Numerical simulations have been performed to comprehensively investigate the molecular uptake into the cell. The obtained results of the current study demonstrate that calcium ions enter the cell from the anodic side (the side near positive electrode); after a while, the cell faces depletion of the calcium ions on a positive electrode-facing side within the microchannel; the duration of depletion depends on the amplitude of electric pulse and geometry that lasts from microseconds to milliseconds. By keeping geometrical parameters and time span constant, increment of a pulse intensity enhances molecular uptake and rate of propagation inside the cell. If a ratio of electrode size to cell diameter is larger than 1, the transported amount of Ca 2+ into the cell, as well as the rate of propagation, will be significantly increased. By increasing the height of the microchannel, the rate of uptake is decreased. In an infinite domain, the peak concentration becomes constant after reaching the maximum value; this value depends on the intra-extracellular conductivity and diffusion coefficient of interior and exterior domains of the cell. In comparison, the maximum concentration is changed by geometrical parameters in the microchannel. After reaching the maximum value, the peak concentration reduces due to the depletion of Ca 2+ ions within the

Use of local convective and radiant cooling at warm environment: effect on thermal comfort and perceived air quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Duszyk, Marcin; Krejcirikova, Barbora

2012-01-01

The effect of four local cooling devices (convective, radiant and combined) on thermal comfort and perceived air quality reported by 24 subjects at 28 ˚C and 50% RH was studied. The devices studied were: (1) desk cooling fan, (2) personalized ventilation providing clean air, (3) two radiant panels...... and (4) two radiant panels with one panel equipped with small fans. A reference condition without cooling was tested as well. The response of the subjects to the exposed conditions was collected by computerized questionnaires. The cooling devices significantly (pthermal comfort...... compared to without cooling. The acceptability of the thermal environment was similar for all cooling devices. The acceptability of air movement and PAQ increased when the local cooling methods were used. The best results were achieved with personalized ventilation and cooling fan. The improvement in PAQ...

Investigation of Size Effects to the Mixing Performance on the X-shaped Micro-Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Tu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Due to the developing of micro-electro-mechanical-system, MEMS, the fabrication of the microminiaturization devices becomes obviously important. The advances in the basic understanding of fluid physics have opened an era of application of fluid dynamics systems using microchannels. The purpose of this study is to research the flow transport phenomenon by employing different kinds of micro-channel sizing in X-shaped micro-channels. As the working fluid, water is injected to microchannel at different mass flow rate. Over a wide range of flow condition, 1.06 < Re < 514, in X-shaped micro-channels, the mixture performances of numerical simulation, flow visualization, and temperature distribution remain the same. At the same mass flow rate as the Reynolds number below 112.53, the biggest channel size had the slowest flow velocity and got the best mixing performance; as the Reynolds number above 112.53, the smaller the channel sizing, the lower the pressure drops and the faster velocity becomes. The transition form early from laminar flow, the unsteady flow is an advantage for mixing in the limited mixing area, therefore 0.7 mm got the best mixing performance. It is clear that the size of the channel plays an important role in the X-shaped micro-channels.

Micro-channel convective boiling heat transfer with flow instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Consolini, L.; Thome, J.R.

2009-01-01

Flow boiling heat transfer in micro-channels has attracted much interest in the past decade, and is currently a strong candidate for high performance compact heat sinks, such as those required in electronics systems, automobile air conditioning units, micro-reactors, fuel cells, etc. Currently the literature presents numerous experimental studies on two-phase heat transfer in micro-channels, providing an extensive database that covers many different fluids and operating conditions. Among the noteworthy elements that have been reported in previous studies, is the sensitivity of micro-channel evaporators to oscillatory two-phase instabilities. These periodic fluctuations in flow and pressure drop either result from the presence of upstream compressibility, or are simply due to the interaction among parallel channels in multi-port systems. An oscillating flow presents singular characteristics that are expected to produce an effect on the local heat transfer mechanisms, and thus on the estimation of the two-phase heat transfer coefficients. The present investigation illustrates results for flow boiling of refrigerants R-134a, R-236fa, and R-245fa in a 510 μm circular micro-channel, exposed to various degrees of oscillatory compressible volume instabilities. The data describe the main features of the fluctuations in the temperatures of the heated wall and fluid, and draw attention to the differences in the measured unstable time-averaged heat transfer coefficients with respect to those for stable flow boiling. (author)

Micro-channel convective boiling heat transfer with flow instabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Consolini, L.; Thome, J.R. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland). Lab. de Transfert de Chaleur et de Masse], e-mail: lorenzo.consolini@epfl.ch, e-mail: john.thome@epfl.ch

2009-07-01

Flow boiling heat transfer in micro-channels has attracted much interest in the past decade, and is currently a strong candidate for high performance compact heat sinks, such as those required in electronics systems, automobile air conditioning units, micro-reactors, fuel cells, etc. Currently the literature presents numerous experimental studies on two-phase heat transfer in micro-channels, providing an extensive database that covers many different fluids and operating conditions. Among the noteworthy elements that have been reported in previous studies, is the sensitivity of micro-channel evaporators to oscillatory two-phase instabilities. These periodic fluctuations in flow and pressure drop either result from the presence of upstream compressibility, or are simply due to the interaction among parallel channels in multi-port systems. An oscillating flow presents singular characteristics that are expected to produce an effect on the local heat transfer mechanisms, and thus on the estimation of the two-phase heat transfer coefficients. The present investigation illustrates results for flow boiling of refrigerants R-134a, R-236fa, and R-245fa in a 510 {mu}m circular micro-channel, exposed to various degrees of oscillatory compressible volume instabilities. The data describe the main features of the fluctuations in the temperatures of the heated wall and fluid, and draw attention to the differences in the measured unstable time-averaged heat transfer coefficients with respect to those for stable flow boiling. (author)

Diagnostics for the NBETF actively cooled beamdump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Theil, E.; Jacobson, V.

1984-09-01

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's Neutral Beam Engineering Test Facility is currently testing multi-megawatt beams with pulse durations of up to 30 seconds. For this purpose, an actively cooled beam dump composed of heat-absorbing panels tht dissipate the beam energy via high speed water flow has been installed and tested. The panels are mounted in a complex assembly necessary to accommodate the variety of ion sources to be tested. The beam dump required new diagnostics of two kinds: beam diagnostics that provide graphic and quantitative information about the beam, as inferred from energy transferred to the water, and panel diagnostics that provide graphic and quantitative information about the beam dump itself. In this paper we describe our response to these requirements, including new algorithms for beam profiles, and we compare this work to our earlier results for inertial beam dumps. Principal differences are that the power densities on the water-cooled panels can be only indirectly inferred from measurements of the transferred beam energy, and that the acquisition and preparation of raw data is much more complex

3D printed microchannel networks to direct vascularisation during endochondral bone repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Andrew C; Pitacco, Pierluca; Nulty, Jessica; Cunniffe, Gráinne M; Kelly, Daniel J

2018-04-01

Bone tissue engineering strategies that recapitulate the developmental process of endochondral ossification offer a promising route to bone repair. Clinical translation of such endochondral tissue engineering strategies will require overcoming a number of challenges, including the engineering of large and often anatomically complex cartilage grafts, as well as the persistence of core regions of avascular cartilage following their implantation into large bone defects. Here 3D printing technology is utilized to develop a versatile and scalable approach to guide vascularisation during endochondral bone repair. First, a sacrificial pluronic ink was used to 3D print interconnected microchannel networks in a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) laden gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel. These constructs (with and without microchannels) were next chondrogenically primed in vitro and then implanted into critically sized femoral bone defects in rats. The solid and microchanneled cartilage templates enhanced bone repair compared to untreated controls, with the solid cartilage templates (without microchannels) supporting the highest levels of total bone formation. However, the inclusion of 3D printed microchannels was found to promote osteoclast/immune cell invasion, hydrogel degradation, and vascularisation following implantation. In addition, the endochondral bone tissue engineering strategy was found to support comparable levels of bone healing to BMP-2 delivery, whilst promoting lower levels of heterotopic bone formation, with the microchanneled templates supporting the lowest levels of heterotopic bone formation. Taken together, these results demonstrate that 3D printed hypertrophic cartilage grafts represent a promising approach for the repair of complex bone fractures, particularly for larger defects where vascularisation will be a key challenge. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Monte Carlo simulations of microchannel plate detectors I: steady-state voltage bias results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ming Wu, Craig Kruschwitz, Dane Morgan, Jiaming Morgan

2008-07-01

X-ray detectors based on straight-channel microchannel plates (MCPs) are a powerful diagnostic tool for two-dimensional, time-resolved imaging and timeresolved x-ray spectroscopy in the fields of laser-driven inertial confinement fusion and fast z-pinch experiments. Understanding the behavior of microchannel plates as used in such detectors is critical to understanding the data obtained. The subject of this paper is a Monte Carlo computer code we have developed to simulate the electron cascade in a microchannel plate under a static applied voltage. Also included in the simulation is elastic reflection of low-energy electrons from the channel wall, which is important at lower voltages. When model results were compared to measured microchannel plate sensitivities, good agreement was found. Spatial resolution simulations of MCP-based detectors were also presented and found to agree with experimental measurements.

Experimental investigation of two-phase gas-liquid flow in microchannel with T-junction

Science.gov (United States)

Bartkus, German; Kozulin, Igor; Kuznetsov, Vladimir

2017-10-01

Using high-speed video recording and the method of dual laser scanning the gas-liquid flow was investigated in rectangular microchannels with an aspect ratio of 2.35 and 1.26. Experiments were earned out for the vertical flow of ethanol-nitrogen mixture in a microchannel with a cross section of 553×235 µm and for the horizontal flow of water-nitrogen mixture in a microchannel with a cross section of 315×250 µm. The T-mixer was used at the channel's inlet for gas-liquid flow formation. It was observed that elongated bubble, transition, and annular flows are the main regimes for a microchannel with a hydraulic diameter substantially less than the capillary constant. Using laser scanning, the maps of flow regimes for ethanol-nitrogen and water-nitrogen mixtures were obtained and discussed.

Micro-PIV/LIF measurements on electrokinetically-driven flow in surface modified microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ichiyanagi, Mitsuhisa; Sasaki, Seiichi; Sato, Yohei; Hishida, Koichi

2009-01-01

Effects of surface modification patterning on flow characteristics were investigated experimentally by measuring electroosmotic flow velocities, which were obtained by micron-resolution particle image velocimetry using a confocal microscope. The depth-wise velocity was evaluated by using the continuity equation and the velocity data. The microchannel was composed of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) chip and a borosilicate cover-glass plate. Surface modification patterns were fabricated by modifying octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) on the glass surface. OTS can decrease the electroosmotic flow velocity compared to the velocity in the glass microchannel. For the surface charge varying parallel to the electric field, the depth-wise velocity was generated at the boundary area between OTS and the glass surfaces. For the surface charge varying perpendicular to the electric field, the depth-wise velocity did not form because the surface charge did not vary in the stream-wise direction. The surface charge pattern with the oblique stripes yielded a three-dimensional flow in a microchannel. Furthermore, the oblique patterning was applied to a mixing flow field in a T-shaped microchannel, and mixing efficiencies were evaluated from heterogeneity degree of fluorescent dye intensity, which was obtained by laser-induced fluorescence. It was found that the angle of the oblique stripes is an important factor to promote the span-wise and depth-wise momentum transport and contributes to the mixing flow in a microchannel

3D simulation of Heat transfer in MEMS-based microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Chi Woong; Huh, Cheol; Kim, Dong Eok; Kim, Moo Hwan

2007-01-01

The microchannel heat sink is promising heat dissipation method for high heat flux source. Contrary to conventional circular channel, MEMS based microchannel had rectangular or trapezoidal cross-sectional shape. In our study, we conducted three dimensional conjugate heat transfer calculation for rectangular shape microchannel. First, we simulated that channel was completely drained with known heating power. As a result we obtained calibration line, which indicates heat loss was function of temperature. Second, we simulated single phase heat transfer with various mass flux, 100-400 kg/m 2 s. In conclusion, the single phase test verified that the present heat loss evaluation method is applicable to micro scale heat transfer devices. Heat fluxes from each side wall shows difference due to non-uniform heating. However those ratios were correlated with supplied total heat. Finally, we proposed effective area correction factor to evaluate appropriate heat flux

Microchannel Reactor System for Catalytic Hydrogenation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adeniyi Lawal; Woo Lee; Ron Besser; Donald Kientzler; Luke Achenie

2010-12-22

We successfully demonstrated a novel process intensification concept enabled by the development of microchannel reactors, for energy efficient catalytic hydrogenation reactions at moderate temperature, and pressure, and low solvent levels. We designed, fabricated, evaluated, and optimized a laboratory-scale microchannel reactor system for hydrogenation of onitroanisole and a proprietary BMS molecule. In the second phase of the program, as a prelude to full-scale commercialization, we designed and developed a fully-automated skid-mounted multichannel microreactor pilot plant system for multiphase reactions. The system is capable of processing 1 – 10 kg/h of liquid substrate, and an industrially relevant immiscible liquid-liquid was successfully demonstrated on the system. Our microreactor-based pilot plant is one-of-akind. We anticipate that this process intensification concept, if successfully demonstrated, will provide a paradigm-changing basis for replacing existing energy inefficient, cost ineffective, environmentally detrimental slurry semi-batch reactor-based manufacturing practiced in the pharmaceutical and fine chemicals industries.

Microchannel plates as detectors and amplifiers of x-ray images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiedwald, J.D.

1992-08-01

Two decades of development driven largely by military night vision applications has led to the availability of a wide selection of microchannel plates for use by the scientific community. Microchannel plates (MCPs) are electron multipliers which retain a high degree of spatial resolution making it possible to amplify electron images by factors of 1,000 or more. Plates having 40 mm diameter and intrinsic spatial resolution of 8 μm are readily available. By coating the front surface of a microchannel plate with an x-ray sensitive photocathode material, x-ray images can be detected and amplified. While the detective quantum efficiency is relatively low, the low noise of the MCP (including the ability to construct images by single photon detection) and its high dynamic range make it suitable for some x-ray microscopy applications. The principles of MCP operation and typical performance are discussed. Examples of related applications and commercial capabilities are also presented

Effects of surface roughness and electrokinetic heterogeneity on electroosmotic flow in microchannel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masilamani, Kannan; Ganguly, Suvankar; Feichtinger, Christian; Bartuschat, Dominik; Rüde, Ulrich, E-mail: suva_112@yahoo.co.in [Department of Computer Science 10 University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Cauerstr.11 91058 Erlangen (Germany)

2015-06-15

In this paper, a hybrid lattice-Boltzmann and finite-difference (LB-FD) model is applied to simulate the effects of three-dimensional surface roughness and electrokinetic heterogeneity on electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a microchannel. The lattice-Boltzmann (LB) method has been employed to obtain the flow field and a finite-difference (FD) method is used to solve the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation for the electrostatic potential distribution. Numerical simulation of flow through a square cross-section microchannel with designed roughness is conducted and the results are critically analysed. The effects of surface heterogeneity on the electroosmotic transport are investigated for different roughness height, width, roughness interval spacing, and roughness surface potential. Numerical simulations reveal that the presence of surface roughness changes the nature of electroosmotic transport through the microchannel. It is found that the electroosmotic velocity decreases with the increase in roughness height and the velocity profile becomes asymmetric. For the same height of the roughness elements, the EOF velocity rises with the increase in roughness width. For the heterogeneously charged rough channel, the velocity profile shows a distinct deviation from the conventional plug-like flow pattern. The simulation results also indicate locally induced flow vortices which can be utilized to enhance the flow and mixing within the microchannel. The present study has important implications towards electrokinetic flow control in the microchannel, and can provide an efficient way to design a microfluidic system of practical interest. (paper)

Development of microchannel plates in advanced wind-tunnel instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Feller, W. Bruce

1990-01-01

Microchannel plate (MCP) electron multiplier dynamic range has been increased 3 to 4 orders of magnitude at ambient temperatures, through enhanced input count rate capability and reduced background or 'dark' noise. The previous upper limit of roughly 10(exp 7) - 10(exp 8) cm(exp -2)s(exp -1) at ambient has been extended to levels approach 10(exp 10) cm(exp -2)s(exp -1) under continuous dc operation. The lower limit, previously set by an irreducible background component (approximately 0.6 cm(exp -2)s(exp -1)), has been lowered to the cosmic ray limit of .01 cm(exp -2)s(exp -1). The high end improvement was achieved by conductively cooling a very low resistance MCP by bonding it to a heat sink, while maintaining pulse-counting operation with multianode readouts. The low-end improvement was achieved by removing all radioisotopes from the MCP matrix glass. The detectors will benefit optical and mass spectrometry, flow visualization, plasma diagnostics, magnetometry, and other high signal flux applications. Very low MCP background noise will benefit X-ray and UV astronomy, medical imaging, trace isotope mass spectrometry, and other applications where the signal flux is often extremely low.

Performance of a polymeric heat sink with circular microchannels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barba, Alessandro; Musi, Barbara; Spiga, Marco [Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 181, 43100 Parma (Italy)

2006-06-15

The object of this work is the thermal investigation of a polymeric microchannel heat sink designed for the active cooling of small flat surfaces. Its performance, pressure drop, temperature distribution, and thermal resistance are evaluated. A three-dimensional procedure is developed and applied to a geometrical configuration consisting of a circular microduct (with a gas running through it), embedded in a solid substrate with rectangular cross-section. The conjugate heat transfer problem is solved assuming fully developed laminar flow in forced convection. The bottom side of the heat sink receives a uniform heat flux, while the top side is adiabatic. Considering a gas flow with low Prandtl and Reynolds numbers, the temperature distribution is given by the sum of a linear function (in the stream direction) and a numerical solution obtained in 2-D coordinates resorting to a finite element software, based on the Rayleigh-Ritz-Galerkin method, with user-defined error tolerance. Rarefaction, compressibility and viscous dissipation are neglected, i.e., the Knudsen, Mach and Brinkman numbers are low. The theoretical results are shown in some graphs and compared with experimental data concerning helium and nitrogen flows in Nylon circular microducts. The agreement is quite satisfactory. [Author].

Microchannel Methanation Reactors Using Nanofabricated Catalysts, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) and the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) propose to develop and demonstrate a microchannel methanation reactor based on...

The procurement and testing of the stainless steel in-vessel panels of the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peacock, A.; Girlinger, A.; Vorkoeper, A.; Boscary, J.; Greuner, H.; Hurd, F.; Mendelevitch, B.; Pirsch, H.; Stadler, R.; Zangl, G.

2011-01-01

320 In-vessel water cooled stainless steel panels, poloidal closure plates and pumping gap panels, covering an area of approximately 100 m 2 , are used in Wendelstein7-X to protect the plasma vessel. The panels are manufactured at Deggendorf, Germany by MAN Diesel and Turbo SE. The panels consist of a laser welded sandwich of stainless steel plates together with a labyrinth of cooling channels and have a complicated geometry to fit the plasma vessel of Wendelstein 7-X. The hydraulic and mechanical stability requirements whilst maintaining the tight tolerances for the shape of the components are very demanding. The panels are designed to operate at up to an average heat load of 100 kW/m 2 and a maximum heat load of 200 kW/m 2 with a water velocity of approximately 2 m s -1 . High heat flux testing of an un-cooled panel at a time averaged load of 200 kW/m 2 for 10 s were successfully performed to support the start up phase of Wendelstein 7-X operation. Extensive testing both during manufacture and after delivery to IPP-Garching demonstrates the suitability of the delivered panels for their purpose.

Coordinate sensitive detectors based on microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruntman, M.A.

1984-01-01

Coordinate-sensitive detectors (CSD) on the basis of microchannel plates permit to determine in a digital form the coordinates of every recorded particle and they are used in different fields of physical experiment. The sensitive surface diameter of such detectors can reach 10 cm, and spatial resolution - 10 μm. In the review provided CSD with microchannel plates are classified according to the ways of coordinate determination, different types of the detectors, pecUliarities of their design and electron flowsheet are described. It is pointed out that there are reasons for introduction of CSD into practice of laboratory physical investigations in various fields, where the particle recorded is electron or is able to form a secondary electron. It is attributed to nuclear physics, physics of electron and atom collisions, optics, mass-spectrometry, electron microscopy, X-ray analysis, investigation of surfaces

Micro-Channel Embedded Pulsating Heat Pipes, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — As the need for thermal control technology becomes more demanding Micro-Channel Embedded Pulsating Heat Pipes (ME-PHPs) represents a sophisticated and enabling...

Distillation process using microchannel technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Dublin, OH; Simmons, Wayne W [Dublin, OH; Silva, Laura J [Dublin, OH; Qiu, Dongming [Carbondale, IL; Perry, Steven T [Galloway, OH; Yuschak, Thomas [Dublin, OH; Hickey, Thomas P [Dublin, OH; Arora, Ravi [Dublin, OH; Smith, Amanda [Galloway, OH; Litt, Robert Dwayne [Westerville, OH; Neagle, Paul [Westerville, OH

2009-11-03

The disclosed invention relates to a distillation process for separating two or more components having different volatilities from a liquid mixture containing the components. The process employs microchannel technology for effecting the distillation and is particularly suitable for conducting difficult separations, such as the separation of ethane from ethylene, wherein the individual components are characterized by having volatilities that are very close to one another.

Numerical study on the heat transfer performance of non-Newtonian fluid flow in a manifold microchannel heat sink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Si-Ning; Zhang, Hong-Na; Li, Xiao-Bin; Li, Qian; Li, Feng-Chen; Qian, Shizhi; Joo, Sang Woo

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Heat transfer performance of non-Newtonian fluid flow in a MHS is studied. • Pseudo-plastic fluid flow can clearly promote the heat transfer efficiency in MMC. • Heat transfer enhancement is attributed to the emergence of secondary flow. • The heat transfer uniformity can also be improved by pseudo-plastic fluid flow. - Abstract: As the miniaturization and integration become the leading trend of the micro-electro-mechanical systems, it is of great significance to improve the microscaled heat transfer performance. This paper presents a three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation on the flow characteristics and heat transfer performance of non-Newtonian fluid flow in a manifold microchannel (MMC) heat sink and traditional microchannel (TMC) heat sink. The non-Newtonian fluid was described by the power-law model. The analyses concentrated on the non-Newtonian fluid effect on the heat transfer performance, including the heat transfer efficiency and uniformity of temperature distribution, as well as the influence of inlet/outlet configurations on fluid flow and heat transfer. Comparing with Newtonian fluid flow, pseudo-plastic fluid could reduce the drag resistance in both MMC and TMC, while the dilatant fluid brought in quite larger drag resistance. For the heat transfer performance, the introduction of pseudo-plastic fluid flow greatly improved the heat transfer efficiency owing to the generation of secondary flow due to the shear-thinning property. Besides, the temperature distribution in MMC was more uniform by using pseudo-plastic fluid. Moreover, the inlet/outlet configuration was also important for the design and arrangement of microchannel heat sinks, since the present work showed that the maximum temperature was prone to locating in the corners near the inlet and outlet. This work provides guidance for optimal design of small-scale heat transfer devices in many cooling applications, such as biomedical chips, electronic systems, and

Numerical study on boiling heat transfer enhancement in a microchannel heat exchanger

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Jin Ho; Suh, Young Ho; Son, Gi Hun

2008-01-01

Flow boiling in a microchannel heat exchanger has received attention as an effective heat removal mechanism for high power-density microelectronics. Despite extensive experimental studied, the bubble dynamics coupled with boiling heat transfer in a microchannel heat exchanger is still not well understood due to the technological difficulties in obtaining detailed measurements of microscale two-phase flows. In this study, complete numerical simulations are performed to further clarify the dynamics of flow boiling in a microchannel heat exchanger. The level set method for tracking the liquid-vapor interface is modified to include the effects of phase change and contact angle and to treat an immersed solid surface. Based on the numerical results, the effects of modified channel shape on the bubble growth and heat transfer are quantified

Flat Miniature Heat Pipes for Electronics Cooling: State of the Art, Experimental and Theoretical Analysis

OpenAIRE

M.C. Zaghdoudi; S. Maalej; J. Mansouri; M.B.H. Sassi

2011-01-01

An experimental study is realized in order to verify the Mini Heat Pipe (MHP) concept for cooling high power dissipation electronic components and determines the potential advantages of constructing mini channels as an integrated part of a flat heat pipe. A Flat Mini Heat Pipe (FMHP) prototype including a capillary structure composed of parallel rectangular microchannels is manufactured and a filling apparatus is developed in order to charge the FMHP. The heat transfer im...

Use of the μPIV technique for an indirect determination of the microchannel cross-section passage geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puccetti, G; Pulvirenti, B; Morini, G L

2014-01-01

In this work the possible use of the μPIV technique for the experimental determination of the microchannel cross-section geometry has been investigated by means of a blind test in which a series of experimental measurements obtained using glass microchannels having a declared rectangular cross-section with a depth of 100 μm and width of 300 μm and a square microchannel with a 300 μm side have been compared with the direct SEM visualisation of the real cross section of the microchannels. For the (oPIV measurements water is used as working fluid. The laminar fully developed 2D velocity profile has been reconstructed by moving the focal plane of the microscope objective from the bottom to the top of the microchannel. The results shown in this paper demonstrate that the real cross section geometry of the microchannel can be predicted by minimizing the difference between the theoretical and the experimental 2D velocity profiles. When the right passage geometry is determined, the average difference between the theoretical and the experimental velocity is within 4-6%.

Imaging microchannel plate detectors for XUV sky survey experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barstow, M.A.; Fraser, G.W.; Milward, S.R.

1986-01-01

Attention is given to the development of microchannel plate detectors for the Wide Field Camera (WFC) XUV (50-300 A) sky survey experiment on Rosat. A novel feature of the detector design is that the microchannel plates and their resistive anode readout are curved to the same radius as the WFC telescope focal surface. It is shown that curving the channel plates is not detrimental to gain uniformity. The paper describes the design of a curved resistive anode readout element and contrasts the present measurements of spatial resolution, global and local uniformity and temperature coefficient of resistance with the poor performance recently ascribed to resistive anodes in the literature. 18 references

The Effect of the Rolling Direction, Temperature, and Etching Time on the Photochemical Machining of Monel 400 Microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deepakkumar H. Patil

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present paper describes the effect of the rolling direction on the quality of microchannels manufactured using photochemical machining (PCM of Monel 400. Experiments were carried out to fabricate microchannels along and across the rolling direction to investigate the effect of the grain orientation on microchannel etching. The input parameters considered were channel width and rolling direction, whereas the depth of etch was the response parameters. Different channels of widths of 60, 100, 150, 200, and 250 μm were etched. The effects of the etching time and temperature of the etchant solution on the undercut and depth of the microchannels were studied. For good quality microchannels, the effects of spinning time, spinning speed, exposure time, and photoresist film strength were also taken into consideration. Optimized values of the above were used for the experimentation. The results show that the depth of etch of the microchannel increases more along the rolling direction than across the rolling direction. The channel width and depth are significantly affected by the etching time and temperature. The proposed study reports an improvement in the quality of microchannels produced using PCM.

Finite Element Analysis of the SciFi-Nomex-Sandwich Panels

CERN Document Server

Schultz von Dratzig, Arndt

2015-01-01

A finite element analysis of the SciFi-Nomex-sandwich panels has been carried out in order to investigate their thermo-mechanical properties. This does not include the cooling of the silicon photomultipliers but is restricted to the panels themselves. Two kinds of panels have been considered: panels with 40 mm thickness and panels with 50 mm thickness. Both versions are equipped with mats of six layers of scintillating fibers. The analyses were carried out for a series of mechanical and thermal loads which might occur during the production or installation of the detector. For both versions the stiffnesses prove to be sufficient and no critical stresses or strains are found.

Flow friction and heat transfer of ethanol–water solutions through silicon microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Huiying; Wu Xinyu; Wei Zhen

2009-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed on the flow friction and convective heat transfer characteristics of the ethanol–water solutions flowing through five sets of trapezoidal silicon microchannels having hydraulic diameters ranging from 141.7 µm to 268.6 µm. Four kinds of ethanol–water solutions with the ethanol volume concentrations ranging from 0 to 0.8 were tested under different flow and heating conditions. It was found that the cross-sectional geometric parameters had great effect on the flow friction and heat transfer, and the microchannels with a larger W b /W t (bottom width-to-top width ratio) and a smaller H/W t (depth-to-top width ratio) usually had a larger friction constant and a higher Nusselt number. Entrance effects were significant for the flow friction and heat transfer in silicon microchannels, and decreased with the increase of dimensionless hydrodynamic length L and dimensionless thermal length L + h . When L > 1.0, the hydrodynamic entrance effect on the flow friction was ignorable. For the developed laminar flow in silicon microchannels, the Navier–Stokes equation was applicable. It was also found that the volume concentrations had different effects on the flow friction and heat transfer. Within the experimental range, the effect of volume concentrations on the flow friction was ignorable, and the friction constants of the ethanol–water solutions having different concentrations were the same as those of the pure water. However, volume concentrations had great effect on the convection heat transfer in silicon microchannels. With the increase of the volume concentrations, the Nusselt number of the ethanol–water solutions increased obviously, which was attributed to the combination effect of the increase in the Prantdtl number as well as the volatilization effect of the ethanol. Based on the experimental data, the dimensionless correlations for the flow friction and heat transfer of the ethanol–water solutions in the silicon

Electro-osmotic flows inside triangular microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vocale, P; Spiga, M; Geri, M; Morini, G L

2014-01-01

This work presents a numerical investigation of both pure electro-osmotic and combined electro-osmotic/pressure-driven flows inside triangular microchannels. A finite element analysis has been adopted to solve the governing equations for the electric potential and the velocity field, accounting for a finite thickness of the electric double layer. The influence of non-dimensional parameters such as the aspect ratio of the cross-section, the electrokinetic diameter and the ratio of the pressure force to the electric force on the flow behavior has been investigated. Numerical results point out that the velocity field is significantly influenced by the aspect ratio of the cross section and the electrokinetic diameter. More specifically, the aspect ratio plays an important role in determining the maximum volumetric flow rate, while the electrokinetic diameter is crucial to establishing the range of pressures that may be sustained by the electro-osmotic flow. Numerical results are also compared with two correlations available in the literature which enable to assess the volumetric flow rate and the pressure head for microchannels featuring a rectangular, a trapezoidal or an elliptical cross-section.

Forced convection flow boiling and two-phase flow phenomena in a microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Na, Yun Whan

2008-07-01

The present study was performed to numerically analyze the evaporation phenomena through the liquid-vapor interface and to investigate bubble dynamics and heat transfer behavior during forced convective flow boiling in a microchannel. Flow instabilities of two-phase flow boiling in a microchannel were studied as well. The main objective of this research is to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of two-phase flow boiling in a microchannel and provide predictive tools to design thermal management systems, for example, microchannel heat sinks. The numerical results obtained from this study were qualitatively and quantitatively compared with experimental results in the open literature. Physical and mathematical models, accounting for evaporating phenomena through the liquid-vapor interface in a microchannel at constant heat flux and constant wall temperature, have been developed, respectively. The heat transfer mechanism is affected by the dominant heat conduction through the thin liquid film and vaporization at the liquid-vapor interface. The thickness of the liquid film and the pressure of the liquid and vapor phases were simultaneously solved by the governing differential equations. The developed semi-analytical evaporation model that takes into account of the interfacial phenomena and surface tension effects was used to obtain solutions numerically using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The effects of heat flux 19 and wall temperature on the liquid film were evaluated. The obtained pressure drops in a microchannel were qualitatively consistent with the experimental results of Qu and Mudawar (2004). Forced convective flow boiling in a single microchannel with different channel heights was studied through a numerical simulation to investigate bubble dynamics, flow patterns, and heat transfer. The momentum and energy equations were solved using the finite volume method while the liquid-vapor interface of a bubble is captured using the VOF (Volume of Fluid

The procurement and testing of the stainless steel in-vessel panels of the Wendelstein 7-X Stellarator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peacock, A., E-mail: alan.peacock@ipp.mpg.de [European Commission c/o Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, 85748 Garching (Germany); Girlinger, A. [MAN Diesel and Turbo SE D-94469 Deggendorf (Germany); Vorkoeper, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, 17491 Greifswald (Germany); Boscary, J.; Greuner, H. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, 85748 Garching (Germany); Hurd, F. [European Commission c/o Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, 85748 Garching (Germany); Mendelevitch, B.; Pirsch, H.; Stadler, R.; Zangl, G. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Plasmaphysik, EURATOM Association, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2011-10-15

320 In-vessel water cooled stainless steel panels, poloidal closure plates and pumping gap panels, covering an area of approximately 100 m{sup 2}, are used in Wendelstein7-X to protect the plasma vessel. The panels are manufactured at Deggendorf, Germany by MAN Diesel and Turbo SE. The panels consist of a laser welded sandwich of stainless steel plates together with a labyrinth of cooling channels and have a complicated geometry to fit the plasma vessel of Wendelstein 7-X. The hydraulic and mechanical stability requirements whilst maintaining the tight tolerances for the shape of the components are very demanding. The panels are designed to operate at up to an average heat load of 100 kW/m{sup 2} and a maximum heat load of 200 kW/m{sup 2} with a water velocity of approximately 2 m s{sup -1}. High heat flux testing of an un-cooled panel at a time averaged load of 200 kW/m{sup 2} for 10 s were successfully performed to support the start up phase of Wendelstein 7-X operation. Extensive testing both during manufacture and after delivery to IPP-Garching demonstrates the suitability of the delivered panels for their purpose.

Solar Sustainable Heating, Cooling and Ventilation of a Net Zero Energy House

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Skrupskelis, Martynas; Olesen, Bjarne W.

Present work addresses the heating, cooling and ventilation concerns of the Technical University of Denmark’s house, Fold, for Solar Decathlon Europe 2012. Various innovative approaches are investigated, namely, utilization of ground, photo-voltaic/thermal (PV/T) panels and phase change materials...... (PCM). The ground heat exchanger acts as the heat sink and heat source for cooling and heating seasons, respectively. Free cooling enables the same cooling effect to be delivered with 8% of the energy consumption of a representative chiller. The heating and cooling needs of the house are addressed...... by the embedded pipes which are coupled with the ground. Ventilation is mainly used to control the humidity and to remove sensory and chemical pollution. PV/T panels enable the house to be a “plus” energy house. PV/T also yields to a solar fraction of 63% and 31% for Madrid and Copenhagen, respectively...

One-dimensional position readout from microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connell, K.A.; Przybylski, M.M.

1982-01-01

The development of a one-dimensional position readout system with microchannel plates, is described, for heavy ion detectors for use in a particle time-of-flight telescope and as a position sensitive device in front of an ionisation counter at the Nuclear Structure Facility. (U.K.)

Numerical study of the bubbly flow regime in micro-channel flow boiling

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuvankar, Pramod; Dabiri, Sadegh

2017-11-01

Two-phase flow accompanied by boiling in micro-channel heat sinks is an effective means for heat removal from computer chips. We present a numerical study of flow boiling in micro-channels with conjugate heat transfer with a focus on the bubbly flow regime. The bubbles are assumed to nucleate at a pre-determined location and frequency. The Navier Stokes equations are solved using a single fluid formulation with the Front tracking method. Phase change is implemented using the deficit in heat flux across the bubble interface. The analytical solution for bubble growth in a superheated liquid is used as a benchmark to validate the mentioned numerical method. Water and FC-72 are studied as the operating fluids in a micro-channel made of Copper with a focus on hotspot mitigation. The micro-channel of cross-section 231 μm × 1000 μm , is used to study the effects of vertical up-flow, vertical down-flow and horizontal flow of the mentioned fluids on the heat transfer coefficients. A simple film model accounting for mass and energy conservation is applied wherever the bubble approaches closer than a cell width to the wall. The results of the simulation are compared with existing experimental data for bubble growth rates and heat transfer coefficients.

Flow and heat transfer behaviour of nanofluids in microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Bowers

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Flow and heat transfer of aqueous based silica and alumina nanofluids in microchannels were experimentally investigated. The measured friction factors were higher than conventional model predictions at low Reynolds numbers particularly with high nanoparticle concentrations. A decrease in the friction factor was observed with increasing Reynolds number, possibly due to the augmentation of nanoparticle aggregate shape arising from fluid shear and alteration of local nanoparticle concentration and nanofluid viscosity. Augmentation of the silica nanoparticle morphology by fluid shear may also have affected the friction factor due to possible formation of a core/shell structure of the particles. Measured thermal conductivities of the silica nanofluids were in approximate agreement with the Maxwell-Crosser model, whereas the alumina nanofluids only showed slight enhancements. Enhanced convective heat transfer was observed for both nanofluids, relative to their base fluids (water, at low particle concentrations. Heat transfer enhancement increased with increasing Reynolds number and microchannel hydraulic diameter. However, the majority of experiments showed a larger increase in pumping power requirements relative to heat transfer enhancements, which may hinder the industrial uptake of the nanofluids, particularly in confined environments, such as Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS. Keywords: Nanofluid, Microchannel, Heat transfer, Pressure drop, Friction factor, Thermal conductivity, Viscosity

Effect of supersaturation on L-glutamic acid polymorphs under droplet-based microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Nan; Wang, Zhanzhong; Dang, Leping; Wei, Hongyuan

2016-07-01

Supersaturation is an important controlling factor for crystallization process and polymorphism. Droplet-based microchannels and conventional crystallization were used to investigate polymorphs of L-gluatamic acid in this work. The results illustrate that it is easy to realize the accurate and rapid control of the crystallization temperature in the droplets, which is especially beneficial to heat and mass transfer during crystallization. It is also noted that higher degree of supersaturation favors the nucleation of α crystal form, while lower degree of supersaturation favors the nucleation of β crystal form under droplet-based microchannels for L-gluatamic acid. In addition, there is a different nucleation behavior to be found under droplet-based microchannels both for the β form and α form of L-glutamic acid. This new finding can provide important insight into the development and design of investigation meanings for drug polymorph.

Comparison of heat pump performance using fin-and-tube and microchannel heat exchangers under frost conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao, Liang-Liang; Yang, Liang; Zhang, Chun-Lu

2010-01-01

Vapor compression heat pumps are drawing more attention in energy saving applications. Microchannel heat exchangers can provide higher performance via less core volume and reduce system refrigerant charge, but little is known about their performance in heat pump systems under frosting conditions. In this study, the system performance of a commercial heat pump using microchannel heat exchangers as evaporator is compared with that using conventional finned-tube heat exchangers numerically and experimentally. The microchannel and finned-tube heat pump system models used for comparison of the microchannel and finned-tube evaporator performance under frosting conditions were developed, considering the effect of maldistribution on both refrigerant and air sides. The quasi-steady-state modeling results are in reasonable agreement with the test data under frost conditions. The refrigerant-side maldistribution is found remarkable impact on the microchannel heat pump system performance under the frost conditions. Parametric study on the fan speed and the fin density under frost conditions are conducted as well to figure out the best trade-off in the design of frost tolerant evaporators. (author)

Modelling of flow and heat transfer in PV cooling channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diarra, D.C.; Harrison, S.J. [Queen' s Univ., Kingston, ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Solar Calorimetry Lab; Akuffo, F.O. [Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Technology, Kumasi (Ghana). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2005-07-01

Under sunny conditions, the temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules can be 20 to 30 degrees C above the ambient air temperature. This affects the performance of PV modules, particularly in regions with hot climates. For silicon solar cells, the maximum power decreases between 0.4 and 0.5 per cent for every degree C of temperature increase above a reference value. In an effort to address this issue, this experimental and numerical study examined an active PV panel evaporative cooling scheme that is typically used in hot arid climates. The cooling system circulated cool air behind the PV modules, extracting heat and lowering solar cell temperature. A fluid dynamic and thermal model of the combined system was developed using the EES program in order to study the configuration of the cooling channel and the characteristics of the cooling flow. Heat transfer and flow characteristics in the cooling channel were then calculated along with pressure drop and fan power associated with the air-circulation. The net power output was also calculated. The objective was to design a cost efficient cooling system and to optimize its flow and pressure drop in order to maximize power output. The study demonstrated how the performance of the PV panel is influenced by the geometry of the cooling channel, the inlet air temperature and the air flow rate. 2 refs.

Micro-channel heat sink with slurry of water with micro-encapsulated phase change material: 3D-numerical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabbah, Rami; Farid, Mohammad M.; Al-Hallaj, Said

2009-01-01

This study investigates the influence of using micro-encapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) on the thermal and hydraulic performance of micro-channel heat sinks used for heat dissipation of high power electronic devices. A three-dimensional, one-phase, laminar flow model of a rectangular channel using water slurry of MEPCM with temperature dependent physical properties was developed. The results showed a significant increase in the heat transfer coefficient under certain conditions for heat flux rates of 100 W/cm 2 and 500 W/cm 2 that is mainly dependant on the channel inlet and outlet temperatures and the selected MEPCM melting temperature. Lower and more uniform temperatures across the electronic device can be achieved at less pumping power compared to using water only as the cooling fluid

Development of a single-phase thermosiphon for cold collection and storage of radiative cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Dongliang; Martini, Christine Elizabeth; Jiang, Siyu; Ma, Yaoguang; Zhai, Yao; Tan, Gang; Yin, Xiaobo; Yang, Ronggui

2017-11-01

A single-phase thermosiphon is developed for cold collection and storage of radiative cooling. Compared to the conventional nocturnal radiative cooling systems that use an electric pump to drive the heat transfer fluid, the proposed single-phase thermosiphon uses the buoyancy force to drive heat transfer fluid. This solution does not require electricity, therefore improving the net gain of the radiative cooling system. A single-phase thermosiphon was built, which consists of a flat panel, a cold collection tank, a water return tube, and a water distribution tank. Considering that outdoor radiative cooling flux is constantly changing (i.e. uncontrollable), an indoor testing facility was developed to provide a controllable cooling flux (comparable to a radiative cooling flux of 100 W/m2) for the evaluation of thermosiphon performance. The testing apparatus is a chilled aluminum flat plate that has a controlled air gap separation relative to the flat panel surface of the thermosiphon to emulate radiative cooling. With an average of 105 W/m2 cooling flux, the 18 liters of water in the thermosiphon was cooled to an average temperature of 12.5 degrees C from an initial temperature of 22.2 degrees C in 2 h, with a cold collection efficiency of 96.8%. The results obtained have demonstrated the feasibility of using a single-phase thermosiphon for cold collection and storage of radiative cooling. Additionally, the effects of the thermosiphon operation conditions, such as tilt angle of the flat panel, initial water temperature, and cooling energy flux, on the performance have been experimentally investigated. Modular design of the single-phase thermosiphon gives flexibility for its scalability. A radiative cooling system with multiple thermosiphon modules is expected to play an important role in cooling buildings and power plant condensers.

A passive cooling system proposal for multifunction and high-power displays

Science.gov (United States)

Tari, Ilker

2013-03-01

Flat panel displays are conventionally cooled by internal natural convection, which constrains the possible rate of heat transfer from the panel. On one hand, during the last few years, the power consumption and the related cooling requirement for 1080p displays have decreased mostly due to energy savings by the switch to LED backlighting and more efficient electronics. However, on the other hand, the required cooling rate recently started to increase with new directions in the industry such as 3D displays, and ultra-high-resolution displays (recent 4K announcements and planned introduction of 8K). In addition to these trends in display technology itself, there is also a trend to integrate consumer entertainment products into displays with the ultimate goal of designing a multifunction device replacing the TV, the media player, the PC, the game console and the sound system. Considering the increasing power requirement for higher fidelity in video processing, these multifunction devices tend to generate very high heat fluxes, which are impossible to dissipate with internal natural convection. In order to overcome this obstacle, instead of active cooling with forced convection that comes with drawbacks of noise, additional power consumption, and reduced reliability, a passive cooling system relying on external natural convection and radiation is proposed here. The proposed cooling system consists of a heat spreader flat heat pipe and aluminum plate-finned heat sink with anodized surfaces. For this system, the possible maximum heat dissipation rates from the standard size panels (in 26-70 inch range) are estimated by using our recently obtained heat transfer correlations for the natural convection from aluminum plate-finned heat sinks together with the surface-to-surface radiation. With the use of the proposed passive cooling system, the possibility of dissipating very high heat rates is demonstrated, hinting a promising green alternative to active cooling.

In vitro blood flow in a rectangular PDMS microchannel: experimental observations using a confocal micro-PIV system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, Rui; Wada, Shigeo; Tanaka, Shuji; Takeda, Motohiro; Ishikawa, Takuji; Tsubota, Ken-ichi; Imai, Yohsuke; Yamaguchi, Takami

2008-04-01

Progress in microfabricated technologies has attracted the attention of researchers in several areas, including microcirculation. Microfluidic devices are expected to provide powerful tools not only to better understand the biophysical behavior of blood flow in microvessels, but also for disease diagnosis. Such microfluidic devices for biomedical applications must be compatible with state-of-the-art flow measuring techniques, such as confocal microparticle image velocimetry (PIV). This confocal system has the ability to not only quantify flow patterns inside microchannels with high spatial and temporal resolution, but can also be used to obtain velocity measurements for several optically sectioned images along the depth of the microchannel. In this study, we investigated the ability to obtain velocity measurements using physiological saline (PS) and in vitro blood in a rectangular polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) microchannel (300 microm wide, 45 microm deep) using a confocal micro-PIV system. Applying this combination, measurements of trace particles seeded in the flow were performed for both fluids at a constant flow rate (Re = 0.02). Velocity profiles were acquired by successive measurements at different depth positions to obtain three-dimensional (3-D) information on the behavior of both fluid flows. Generally, the velocity profiles were found to be markedly blunt in the central region, mainly due to the low aspect ratio (h/w = 0.15) of the rectangular microchannel. Predictions using a theoretical model for the rectangular microchannel corresponded quite well with the experimental micro-PIV results for the PS fluid. However, for the in vitro blood with 20% hematocrit, small fluctuations were found in the velocity profiles. The present study clearly shows that confocal micro-PIV can be effectively integrated with a PDMS microchannel and used to obtain blood velocity profiles along the full depth of the microchannel because of its unique 3-D optical sectioning ability

Natural Flow Air Cooled Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tanagnostopoulos, Y.; Themelis, P.

2010-01-01

Our experimental study aims to investigate the improvement in the electrical performance of a photovoltaic installation on buildings through cooling of the photovoltaic panels with natural air flow. Our experimental study aims to investigate the improvement in the electrical performance of a photovoltaic installation on buildings through cooling of the photovoltaic panels with natural air flow. We performed experiments using a prototype based on three silicon photovoltaic modules placed in series to simulate a typical sloping building roof with photovoltaic installation. In this system the air flows through a channel on the rear side of PV panels. The potential for increasing the heat exchange from the photovoltaic panel to the circulating air by the addition of a thin metal sheet (TMS) in the middle of air channel or metal fins (FIN) along the air duct was examined. The operation of the device was studied with the air duct closed tightly to avoid air circulation (CLOSED) and the air duct open (REF), with the thin metal sheet (TMS) and with metal fins (FIN). In each case the experiments were performed under sunlight and the operating parameters of the experimental device determining the electrical and thermal performance of the system were observed and recorded during a whole day and for several days. We collected the data and form PV panels from the comparative diagrams of the experimental results regarding the temperature of solar cells, the electrical efficiency of the installation, the temperature of the back wall of the air duct and the temperature difference in the entrance and exit of the air duct. The comparative results from the measurements determine the improvement in electrical performance of the photovoltaic cells because of the reduction of their temperature, which is achieved by the naturally circulating air.

Optimization of porous microchannel heat exchanger

Science.gov (United States)

Kozhukhov, N. N.; Konovalov, D. A.

2017-11-01

The technical progress in information and communication sphere leads to a sharp increase in the use of radio electronic devices. Functioning of radio electronics is accompanied by release of thermal energy, which must be diverted from the heat-stressed element. Moreover, using of electronics at negative temperatures, on the contrary, requires supply of a certain amount of heat to start the system. There arises the task of creating a system that allows both to supply and to divert the necessary amount of thermal energy. The development of complex thermostabilization systems for radio electronic equipment is due to increasing the efficiency of each of its elements separately. For more efficient operation of a heat exchanger, which directly affects the temperature of the heat-stressed element, it is necessary to calculate the mode characteristics and to take into account the effect of its design parameters. The results of optimizing the microchannel heat exchanger are presented in the article. The target optimization functions are the mass, pressure drop and temperature. The parameters of optimization are the layout of porous fins, their geometric dimensions and coolant flow. For the given conditions, the optimum variant of porous microchannel heat exchanger is selected.

Oscillatory electroosmotic flow in a parallel-plate microchannel under asymmetric zeta potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Peralta, M.; Arcos, J.; Méndez, F.; Bautista, O.

2017-06-01

In this work, we conduct a theoretical analysis of the start-up of an oscillatory electroosmotic flow (EOF) in a parallel-plate microchannel under asymmetric zeta potentials. It is found that the transient evolution of the flow field is controlled by the parameters {R}ω , {R}\\zeta , and \\bar{κ }, which represent the dimensionless frequency, the ratio of the zeta potentials of the microchannel walls, and the electrokinetic parameter, which is defined as the ratio of the microchannel height to the Debye length. The analysis is performed for both low and high zeta potentials; in the former case, an analytical solution is derived, whereas in the latter, a numerical solution is obtained. These solutions provide the fundamental characteristics of the oscillatory EOFs for which, with suitable adjustment of the zeta potential and the dimensionless frequency, the velocity profiles of the fluid flow exhibit symmetric or asymmetric shapes.

Novel dense CO2 technique for beta-galactosidase immobilization in polystyrene microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Leclair Ellis, Jeffrey; Tomasko, David L; Dehghani, Fariba

2008-03-01

In this study we design new fabrication techniques and demonstrate the potential of using dense CO2 for facilitating crucial steps in the fabrication of polymeric lab-on-a-chip microdevices by embedding biomolecules at temperatures well below the polymer's glass transition temperature (T(g)). These new techniques are environmentally friendly and done without the use of a clean room. Carbon dioxide at 40 degrees C and between 4.48 and 6.89 MPa was used to immobilize the biologically active molecule, beta-galactosidase (beta-gal), on the surface of polystyrene microchannels. To our knowledge, this is the first time dense CO2 has been used to directly immobilize an enzyme in a microchannel. beta-gal activity was maintained and shown via a fluorescent reaction product, after enzyme immobilization and microchannel capping by the designed fabrication steps at 40 degrees C and pressures up to 6.89 MPa.

Analytical analysis of heat transfer and pumping power of laminar nanofluid developing flow in microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mital, Manu

2013-01-01

Thermal management issues are limiting barriers to high density electronics packaging and miniaturization. Liquid cooling using micro and mini channels is an attractive alternative to large and bulky aluminum or copper heat sinks. These channels can be integrated directly into a chip or a heat spreader, and cooling can be further enhanced using nanofluids (liquid solutions with dispersed nanometer-sized particles) due to their enhanced heat transfer effects reported in literature. The goals of this study are to evaluate heat transfer improvement of a nanofluid heat sink with developing laminar flow forced convection, taking into account the pumping power penalty. The phrase heat transfer enhancement ratio (HTR) is used to denote the ratio of average heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid to water at the same pumping power. The proposed model uses semi-empirical correlations to calculate nanofluid thermophysical properties. The predictions of the model are found to be in good agreement with experimental studies. The validated model is used to identify important design variables (Reynolds number, volume fraction and particle size) related to thermal and flow characteristics of the microchannel heat sink with nanofluids. Statistical analysis of the model showed that the volume fraction is the most significant factor impacting the HTR, followed by the particle diameter. The impact of the Reynolds number and other interaction terms is relatively weak. The HTR is maximized at smallest possible particle diameter (since smaller particles improve heat transfer but do not impact pumping power). Then, for a given Reynolds number, an optimal value of volume fraction can be obtained to maximize HTR. The overall aim is to present results that would be useful for understanding and optimal design of microchannel heat sinks with nanofluid flow. - Highlights: ► Validated model is used to investigate heat transfer and pumping power in nanofluids. ► Particles improve heat transfer

Thermal environment in simulated offices with convective and radiant cooling systems under cooling (summer) mode of operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Kostov, Kalin

2016-01-01

The thermal environment in a double office room and in a six-person meeting room obtained with chilled beam (CB), chilled beam with radiant panel (CBR), chilled ceiling with ceiling installed mixing ventilation (CCMV) and four desk partition-mounted local radiant cooling panels with mixing...... calculated. Manikin-based equivalent temperature (MBET) was determined by using two thermal manikins to identify the impact of the local thermal conditions generated by the studied systems on occupants' thermal perception. The results revealed that the differences in the thermal conditions achieved...

Measuring the 3D motion of particles in microchannel acoustophoresis using astigmatism particle tracking velocimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Augustsson, P.; Barnkob, Rune; Bruus, Henrik

2012-01-01

We introduce full three-dimensional tracking of particles in an acoustophoresis microchannel using Astigmatism Particle Tracking Velocimetry (APTV) [1]. For the first time the interaction between acoustic streaming and the primary acoustic radiation force in microchannel acoustophoresis are exami...... relative to the influence from the acoustic radiation force. The current study opens the route to optimized acoustophoretic system design and operation to enable manipulation of small biological components such as spores, bacteria and viruses.......We introduce full three-dimensional tracking of particles in an acoustophoresis microchannel using Astigmatism Particle Tracking Velocimetry (APTV) [1]. For the first time the interaction between acoustic streaming and the primary acoustic radiation force in microchannel acoustophoresis...... are examined in three dimensions. We have quantified the velocity of particles driven by the primary acoustic radiation force and acoustic streaming, respectively, using 0.5-μm and 5-μm particles. Increased ultrasound frequency and lowered viscosity of the medium reduced the influence of acoustic streaming...

Improving of the photovoltaic / thermal system performance using water cooling technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussien, Hashim A; Numan, Ali H; Abdulmunem, Abdulmunem R

2015-01-01

This work is devoted to improving the electrical efficiency by reducing the rate of thermal energy of a photovoltaic/thermal system (PV/T).This is achieved by design cooling technique which consists of a heat exchanger and water circulating pipes placed at PV module rear surface to solve the problem of the high heat stored inside the PV cells during the operation. An experimental rig is designed to investigate and evaluate PV module performance with the proposed cooling technique. This cooling technique is the first work in Iraq to dissipate the heat from PV module. The experimental results indicated that due to the heat loss by convection between water and the PV panel's upper surface, an increase of output power is achieved. It was found that without active cooling, the temperature of the PV module was high and solar cells could only achieve a conversion efficiency of about 8%. However, when the PV module was operated under active water cooling condition, the temperature was dropped from 76.8°C without cooling to 70.1°C with active cooling. This temperature dropping led to increase in the electrical efficiency of solar panel to 9.8% at optimum mass flow rate (0.2L/s) and thermal efficiency to (12.3%). (paper)

Continuous particle focusing in a waved microchannel using negative dc dielectrophoresis

KAUST Repository

Li, Ming

2012-07-26

We present a waved microchannel for continuous focusing of microparticles and cells using negative direct current (dc) dielectrophoresis. The waved channel is composed of consecutive s-shaped curved channels in series to generate an electric field gradient required for the dielectrophoretic effect. When particles move electrokinetically through the channel, the experienced negative dielectrophoretic forces alternate directions within two adjacent semicircular microchannels, leading to a focused continuous-flow stream along the channel centerline. Both the experimentally observed and numerically simulated results of the focusing performance are reported, which coincide acceptably in proportion to the specified dimensions (i.e. inlet and outlet of the waved channel). How the applied electric field, particle size and medium concentration affect the performance was studied by focusing polystyrene microparticles of varying sizes. As an application in the field of biology, the focusing of yeast cells in the waved mcirochannel was tested. This waved microchannel shows a great potential for microflow cytometry applications and is expected to be widely used before different processing steps in lab-on-A-chip devices with integrated functions. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Fabrication of rectangular cross-sectional microchannels on PMMA with a CO2 laser and underwater fabricated copper mask

Science.gov (United States)

Prakash, Shashi; Kumar, Subrata

2017-09-01

CO2 lasers are commonly used for fabricating polymer based microfluidic devices. Despite several key advantages like low cost, time effectiveness, easy to operate and no requirement of clean room facility, CO2 lasers suffer from few disadvantages like thermal bulging, improper dimensional control, difficulty to produce microchannels of other than Gaussian cross sectional shapes and inclined surface walls. Many microfluidic devices require square or rectangular cross-sections which are difficult to produce using normal CO2 laser procedures. In this work, a thin copper sheet of 40 μm was used as a mask above the PMMA (Polymethyl-methacrylate) substrate while fabricating the microchannels utilizing the raster scanning feature of the CO2 lasers. Microchannels with different width dimensions were fabricated utilizing a CO2 laser in with mask and without-mask conditions. A comparison of both the fabricating process has been made. It was found that microchannels with U shape cross section and rectangular cross-section can efficiently be produced using the with mask technique. In addition to this, this technique can provide perfect dimensional control and better surface quality of the microchannel walls. Such a microchannel fabrication process do not require any post-processing. The fabrication of mask using a nanosecond fiber laser has been discussed in details. An underwater laser fabrication method was adopted to overcome heat related defects in mask preparation. Overall, the technique was found to be easy to adopt and significant improvements were observed in microchannel fabrication.

Non-Photolithographic Manufacturing Processes for Micro-Channels Functioned by Micro-Contact-Printed SAMs

Science.gov (United States)

Saigusa, Hiroki; Suga, Yasuo; Miki, Norihisa

In this paper we propose non-photolithographic fabrication processes of micro-fluid channels with patterned SAMs (Self-Assembled-Monolayers). SAMs with a thiol group are micro-contact printed on a patterned Au/Ti layer, which is vapor-deposited through a shadow mask. Ti is an adhesion layer. Subsequently, the micro-channels are formed by bonding surface-activated PDMS onto the silicon substrate via a silanol group, producing a SAMs-functioned bottom wall of the micro-channel. No photolithographic processes are necessary and thus, the proposed processes are very simple, quick and low cost. The micro-reactors can have various functions associated with the micro-contact-printed SAMs. We demonstrate successful manufacturing of micro-reactors with two types of SAMs. The micro-reactor with patterned AUT (11-amino-1-undecanethiol) successfully trapped nano-particles with a carboxylic acid group, indicating that micro-contact-printed SAMs remain active after the manufacturing processes of the micro-reactor. AUT -functioned micro-channels are applicable to bioassay and to immobilize proteins for DNA arrays. ODT (1-octadecanethiol) makes surfaces hydrophobic with the methyl terminal group. When water was introduced into the micro-reactor with ODT-patterned surfaces, water droplets remained only in the hydrophilic areas where ODT was not patterned. ODT -functioned micro-channels are applicable to fluid handling.

X-ray radiation channeling in micro-channel plates: Spectroscopy with a synchrotron radiation beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazuritskiy, M.I.; Dabagov, S.B.; Marcelli, A.; Dziedzic-Kocurek, K.; Lerer, A.M.

2015-01-01

We present here the angular distribution of the radiation propagated inside MultiChannel Plates with micro-channels of ∼3 μm diameter. The spectra collected at the exit of the channels present a complex distribution with contributions that can be assigned to the fluorescence radiation, originated from the excitation of the micro-channel walls. For radiation above the absorption edge, when the monochromatic energy in the region of the Si L-edge hits the micro-channel walls with a grazing angle θ ⩾ 5°, or at the O K-edge when θ ⩾ 2° a fluorescence radiation is detected. Additional information associated to the fine structures of the XANES spectra detected at the exit of MCPs are also presented and discussed

Micro-channel plate photon detector studies for the TORCH detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castillo García, L., E-mail: lucia.castillo.garcia@cern.ch [CERN, PH Department, CH-1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Brook, N.; Cowie, E.N.; Cussans, D. [H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom); Forty, R.; Frei, C. [CERN, PH Department, CH-1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Gao, R. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OXI 3RH (United Kingdom); Gys, T. [CERN, PH Department, CH-1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Harnew, N. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OXI 3RH (United Kingdom); Piedigrossi, D. [CERN, PH Department, CH-1211, Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Van Dijk, M. [H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TL (United Kingdom)

2015-07-01

The Time Of internally Reflected Cherenkov light (TORCH) detector is under development. Charged particle tracks passing through a 1 cm plate of quartz will generate the Cherenkov photons, and their arrival will be timed by an array of micro-channel plate photon detectors. As part of the TORCH R&D studies, commercial and custom-made micro-channel plate detectors are being characterized. The final photon detectors for this application are being produced in a three-phase program in collaboration with industry. Custom-made single-channel devices with extended lifetime have been manufactured and their performance is being systematically investigated in the laboratory. Optical studies for the preparation of beam and laboratory tests of a TORCH prototype are also underway.

Experimental investigation of Cu-based, double-layered, microchannel heat exchangers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Bin; Meng, W J; Mei, Fanghua

2013-01-01

Cu-based, single- and double-layered, microchannel heat exchangers (MHEs) were fabricated and assembled. Comparative measurements on liquid flow characteristics and heat transfer performance were conducted on these devices. Results were compared at the individual microchannel level as well as at the device level. The present results demonstrate that double-layered MHEs exhibit similar heat transfer performance while suffering a much lower pressure drop penalty compared to single-layered MHEs. Another Cu-based, double-layered, liquid–liquid counter-flow MHE was fabricated, assembled and tested. Results show that a low-volume, multilayered, high-performance, liquid-to-liquid MHE is achievable following the manufacturing protocols of the present double-layered, liquid–liquid counter-flow MHE. (paper)

Development of a Microchannel In Situ Propellant Production System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brooks, Kriston P.; Rassat, Scot D.; TeGrotenhuis, Ward E.

2005-09-01

An in situ propellant production (ISPP) plant on future Mars robotic missions can produce oxygen (O2) and methane (CH4) that can be used for propellant for the return voyage. By producing propellants from Mars atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) brought from Earth, the initial mass launched in low Earth orbit can be reduced by 20% to 45%, as compared to carrying all of the propellant for a round-trip mission to the Mars surface from Earth. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used microchannel architecture to develop a Mars-based In Situ Propellant Production (ISPP) system. This three year research and development effort focused on process intensification and system miniaturization of three primary subsystems: a thermochemical compressor, catalytic reactors, and components for separating gas phases from liquid phases. These systems were designed based on a robotic direct return mission scenario, but can be scaled up to human flight missions by simply numbering up the microchannel devices. The thermochemical compression was developed both using absorption and adsorption. A multichannel adsorption system was designed to meet the full-scale CO2 collection requirements using temperature swing adsorption. Each stage is designed to achieve a 10x compression of CO2. A compression ratio to collect Martian atmospheric CO2 at ~0.8 kPa and compress it to at least 100 kPa can be achieved with two adsorption stages in series. A compressor stage incorporates eight thermally coupled adsorption cells at various stages in the adsorption/desorption cycle to maximize the recuperation of thermal energy and provide a nearly continuous flow of CO2 to the downstream reactors. The thermochemically compressed CO2 is then mixed with hydrogen gas and fed to two reactors: a Sabatier Reaction unit and a Reverse Water/Gas Shift unit. The microchannel architecture allows better heat control than is possible in an adiabatic system, resulting in significantly higher conversion. The

Direct simulation Monte Carlo method for gas flows in micro-channels with bends with added curvature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tisovský Tomáš

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Gas flows in micro-channels are simulated using an open source Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC code dsmcFOAM for general application to rarefied gas flow written within the framework of the open source C++ toolbox called OpenFOAM. Aim of this paper is to investigate the flow in micro-channel with bend with added curvature. Results are compared with flows in channel without added curvature and equivalent straight channel. Effects of micro-channel bend was already thoroughly investigated by White et al. Geometry proposed by White is also used here for refference.

Microchannel Reactors for ISRU Applications Using Nanofabricated Catalysts, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Makel Engineering, Inc. (MEI) and USRA propose to develop microchannel reactors for In-Situ Resources Utilization (ISRU) using nanofabricated catalysts. The proposed...

A simple process to achieve microchannels geometries able to produce hydrodynamic cavitation

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, X.; Cherief, W.; Colombet, D.; Ayela, F.

2017-04-01

We present a simple process to perform microchannels in which cavitating two phase flows are easily producible. Up to now, hydrodynamic cavitation ‘on a chip’ was reached with small flow rates inside microchannels whose micromachining had involved a deep reactive ion etching (D-RIE). The process we present here does not require a D-RIE reactor, as it is only funded on a wet etching of silicon. It leads to a so-called microstep profile, and large cavitating flow rates become possible together with moderate pressure drops.

A simple process to achieve microchannels geometries able to produce hydrodynamic cavitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qiu, X; Cherief, W; Colombet, D; Ayela, F

2017-01-01

We present a simple process to perform microchannels in which cavitating two phase flows are easily producible. Up to now, hydrodynamic cavitation ‘on a chip’ was reached with small flow rates inside microchannels whose micromachining had involved a deep reactive ion etching (D-RIE). The process we present here does not require a D-RIE reactor, as it is only funded on a wet etching of silicon. It leads to a so-called microstep profile, and large cavitating flow rates become possible together with moderate pressure drops. (technical note)

Hot gas path component having near wall cooling features

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Carlos Miguel; Kottilingam, Srikanth Chandrudu; Lacy, Benjamin Paul

2017-11-28

A method for providing micro-channels in a hot gas path component includes forming a first micro-channel in an exterior surface of a substrate of the hot gas path component. A second micro-channel is formed in the exterior surface of the hot gas path component such that it is separated from the first micro-channel by a surface gap having a first width. The method also includes disposing a braze sheet onto the exterior surface of the hot gas path component such that the braze sheet covers at least of portion of the first and second micro-channels, and heating the braze sheet to bond it to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the hot gas path component.

Experimental and numerical investigations on spray structure under the effect of cavitation phenomenon in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghorbani, Morteza; Sadaghiani, Abdolali Khalili; Yidiz, Mehmet; Kosar, Ali

2017-01-01

In this study, the effect of upstream pressure on cavitation flows inside a microchannel with an inner diameter of 152 μm and resulting spray structure were experimentally and numerically investigated. The effects of bubble number density on two-phase flow hydrodynamics were studied using the numerical approach, where transient model was utilized to obtain the changes in vapor quality inside the microchannel and velocity field near the inlet and outlet of the nozzle. Spray visualization was carried out at a distance of 4.5 mm from the tip of the microchannel using the high speed visualization system. The experimental results showed that the spray cone angle increased with upstream pressure, and beyond the upstream pressure of 50 bar, the liquid jet flow changed to the cloudy spray flow. The bubble collapse was recorded at upstream pressures of 100 and 120 bar, where the cavitation bubbles extended to the outlet of the microchannel, and their collapse took place around the spray

Flow boiling in expanding microchannels

CERN Document Server

Alam, Tamanna

2017-01-01

This Brief presents an up to date summary of details of the flow boiling heat transfer, pressure drop and instability characteristics; two phase flow patterns of expanding microchannels. Results obtained from the different expanding microscale geometries are presented for comparison and addition to that, comparison with literatures is also performed. Finally, parametric studies are performed and presented in the brief. The findings from this study could help in understanding the complex microscale flow boiling behavior and aid in the design and implementation of reliable compact heat sinks for practical applications.

Photon counting with small pore microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martindale, A.; Lapington, J.S.; Fraser, G.W.

2007-01-01

We describe the operation of microchannel plates (MCPs) with 3.2μm diameter channels as photon counting detectors of soft X-rays. Gain and temporal resolution measurements are compared with theoretical scaling laws for channel diameter. A minimum pulse width of 264ps is observed for a two stage multiplier at a total bias voltage of ∼1930V

EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF R134a AND R152a USING MICROCHANNEL CONDENSER

OpenAIRE

Bhatkar, V. W.

2018-01-01

An experimental performance study on vapour compression refrigeration system with R134a and drop in substitute R152a with aluminium microchannel condenser was carried out for condensation temperature of 48°C while evaporation temperature varied from -10 to 15°C. Refrigerant charge of R152a was reduced by 40% over R134a with the microchannel condenser. Performance parameters like work input to the compressor, coefficient of performance, refrigerating capacity, condenser capacity and the produc...

Micro-fabricated silicon devices for advanced thermal management and integration of particle tracking detectors

CERN Document Server

Romagnoli, Giulia; Gambaro, Carla

Since their first studies targeting the cooling of high-power computing chips, micro-channel devices are proven to provide a very efficient cooling system. In the last years micro-channel cooling has been successfully applied to the cooling of particle detectors at CERN. Thanks to their high thermal efficiency, they can guarantee a good heat sink for the cooling of silicon trackers, fundamental for the reduction of the radiation damage caused by the beam interactions. The radiation damage on the silicon detector is increasing with temperature and furthermore the detectors are producing heat that should be dissipated in the supporting structure. Micro-channels guarantee a distributed and uniform thermal exchange, thanks to the high flexibility of the micro-fabrication process that allows a large variety of channel designs. The thin nature of the micro-channels etched inside silicon wafers, is fulfilling the physics requirement of minimization of the material crossed by the particle beam. Furthermore micro-chan...

Self-separation of blood plasma from whole blood during the capillary flow in microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Nunna, Bharath Babu; Zhuang, Shiqiang; Lee, Eon Soo

2017-11-01

Self-separation of blood plasma from whole blood in microchannels is of great importance due to the enormous range of applications in healthcare and diagnostics. Blood is a multiphase complex fluid, composed of cells suspended in blood plasma. RBCs are the suspended particles whose shape changes during the flow of blood. The primary constituents of blood are erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs), leukocytes or white blood cells (WBCs), thrombocytes or platelets and blood plasma. The existence of RBCs in blood makes the blood a non-Newtonian fluid. The current study of separation of blood plasma from whole blood during self-driven flows in a single microchannel without bifurcation, by enhancing the capillary effects. The change in the capillary effect results in a change in contact angle which directly influences the capillary flow. The flow velocity directly influences the net force acting on the RBCs and influence the separation process. The experiments are performed on the PDMS microchannels with different contact angles by altering the surface characteristics using plasma treatment. The change in the separation length is studied during the capillary flow of blood in microchannel. Bharath Babu Nunna is a researcher in mechanical engineering and implementing the novel and innovative technologies in the biomedical devices to enhance the sensitivity of the disease diagnosis.

Magnetic Control of Fe3O4 Nanomaterial for Fat Ablation in Microchannel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Chang

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, surface modification of iron (II, III oxide Fe3O4 nanoparticles by oleic acid (OA coating is investigated for the microablation of fat in a microchannel. The nanoparticles are synthesized by the co-precipitation method and then dispersed in organic solvent prior to mixing with the OA. The magnetization, agglomeration, and particle size distribution properties of the OA-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles are characterized. The surface modification of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles reveals that upon injection into a microchannel, the lipophilicity of the OA coating influences the movement of the nanoparticles across an oil-phase barrier. The motion of the nanoparticles is controlled using an AC magnetic field to induce magnetic torque and a static gradient field to control linear translation. The fat microablation process in a microchannel is demonstrated using an oscillating driving field of less than 1200 Am−1.

'Zero-time' detectors using microchannel plates for charged particle detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Girard, J.

1977-01-01

The mass identification of the reaction products detected in heavy ion nuclear reactions is generally obtained by the time-of-flight method. This method requires a device giving first the 'start' signal (zero time at the passage of the particle) and then the stop 'signal'. The interest lying in 'zero-time' detectors using a secondary electron emission has been considerably increased with using microchannel electron multipliers. Nevertheless such a device was shown to induce either fluctuations in the distance of flight or the use of detectors of different type in the 'start' and 'stop' channels respectively. In both cases, it remains an ambiguity as the access to time resolution, in the channel including the electron multiplier, is not direct and the effect of the different parameters on this resolution are masked. To palliate this drawback and study the qualities of microchannel plate multipliers in time measurement field, some devices mechanically and electronically symmetric have been developed. The resolution measurement in time of flight is obtained for electrons generated by the same particle and emitted from either side of a thin film. The distances of flight of the electrons on each side of the film are same, and so are the accelerating potentials. The microchannel electron multipliers and the processing electronic units are the same in each channel [fr

Turbulence convective heat transfer for cooling the photovoltaic cells

Science.gov (United States)

Arianmehr, Iman

Solar PV (photovoltaic) is a rapidly advancing renewable energy technology which converts sunlight directly into electricity. One of the outstanding challenges of the current PV technology is the reduction in its conversion efficiency with increasing PV panel temperature, which is closely associated with the increase in solar intensity and the ambient temperature surrounding the PV panels. To more effectively capture the available energy when the sun is most intense, significant efforts have been invested in active and passive cooling research over the last few years. While integrated cooling systems can lead to the highest total efficiencies, they are usually neither the most feasible nor the most cost effective solutions. This work examines some simple passive means of manipulating the prevailing wind turbulence to enhance convective heat transfer over a heated plate in a wind tunnel.

Measuring the local pressure amplitude in microchannel acoustophoresis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barnkob, Rune; Augustsson, Per; Laurell, Thomas

2010-01-01

/glass microchannels. The system is actuated by a PZT piezo transducer attached beneath the chip and driven by an applied ac voltage near its eigenfrequency of 2 MHz. For a given frequency a number of particle tracks are recorded by a CCD camera and fitted to a theoretical expression for the acoustophoretic motion...

Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of the Hydrodynamic Entrance Region of Rectangular Microchannels in the Slip Regime

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niya Ma

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Developing a three-dimensional laminar flow in the entrance region of rectangular microchannels has been investigated in this paper. When the hydrodynamic development length is the same magnitude as the microchannel length, entrance effects have to be taken into account, especially in relatively short ducts. Simultaneously, there are a variety of non-continuum or rarefaction effects, such as velocity slip and temperature jump. The available data in the literature appearing on this issue is quite limited, the available study is the semi-theoretical approximate model to predict pressure drop of developing slip flow in rectangular microchannels with different aspect ratios. In this paper, we apply the lattice Boltzmann equation method (LBE to investigate the developing slip flow through a rectangular microchannel. The effects of the Reynolds number (1 < Re < 1000, channel aspect ratio (0 < ε < 1, and Knudsen number (0.001 < Kn < 0.1 on the dimensionless hydrodynamic entrance length, and the apparent friction factor, and Reynolds number product, are examined in detail. The numerical solution of LBM can recover excellent agreement with the available data in the literature, which proves its accuracy in capturing fundamental fluid characteristics in the slip-flow regime.

Numerical study on fabricating rectangle microchannel in microfluidic chips by glass molding process

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tao; Chen, Jing; Zhou, Tianfeng

2017-09-01

This paper studied the glass molding process (GMP) for fabricating a typical microstructure of glass microfluidic chips, i. e., rectangle microchannel, on soda-lime glass by finite element method. More than 100 models were established on the platform of Abaqus/Standard. The influence of parameters, i. e., temperature, aspect ratio, side wall angle and friction coefficient on deformation were studied, and the predicted morphology of the molded microchannel were presented as well. The research could provide fundamental experience for optimizing GMP process in the future.

Thermal energy storage in the form of heat or cold with using of the PCM-based accumulation panels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skovajsa Jan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This article describes the usage of thermal energy storage in the form of heat and cold with an adaptation of the special device which is composed of the thermal panels. These panels are based on the phase change materials (PCM for normal inner environment temperature in buildings. The energy for the thermal energy storage is possible to get from built-in electric heating foil or from the tube heat exchanger, which is build in the thermal panels. This technology is able to use renewable energy sources, for example, solar thermal collectors and air-to-water heat pump as a source of heat for heating of the hot water tank. In the cooling mode, there is able to use the heat pump or photovoltaics panels in combination with thermoelectric coolers for cooling.

Photochemical immobilization of protein on the inner wall of a microchannel and Its application in a glucose sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakajima, Hizuru; Ishino, Satomi; Masuda, Hironori; Nakagama, Tatsuro; Shimosaka, Takuya; Uchiyama, Katsumi

2006-01-01

A new protein immobilization technique has been developed for patterning enzymes in a specific position inside a microchannel. First, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was adsorbed onto the internal surface of a polydimethylsiloxane microchannel. The microchannel was then filled with the conjugate solution of a photoreactive cross-linker, 4-azido-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoic acid succinimidyl ester (ATFB-SE), and an enzyme, horseradish peroxidase (HRP). An irradiation by a He-Cd laser activated the azido group of the conjugates and these conjugates became covalently attached to the adsorbed BSA on the microchannel. The enzyme turnover was observed from only the HRP zone. This technique was successfully applied to the enzymatic glucose sensor. Glucose oxidase (GOD) and HRP were sequentially patterned in a single microchannel, i.e., the HRP zone was located downstream from the GOD zone. The calibration curve of a glucose standard solution was linear over the range of 0-128 μM with a correlation coefficient of 0.993. Compared to the traditional method using a 96-well microtiter plate, the present technique on the microchip shortened the reaction time from 30 min to 4.8 s, i.e., to 1/375

Solar cooling - comparative study between thermal and electrical use in industrial buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Badea, N.; Badea, G. V.; Epureanu, A.; Frumuşanu, G.

2016-08-01

The increase in the share of renewable energy sources together with the emphasis on the need for energy security bring to a spotlight the field of trigeneration autonomous microsystems, as a solution to cover the energy consumptions, not only for isolated industrial buildings, but also for industrial buildings located in urban areas. The use of solar energy for cooling has been taken into account to offer a cooling comfort in the building. Cooling and air- conditioned production are current applications promoting the use of solar energy technologies. Solar cooling systems can be classified, depending on the used energy, in electrical systems using mechanical compression chillers and systems using thermal compression by absorption or adsorption. This comparative study presents the main strengths and weaknesses of solar cooling obtained: i) through the transformation of heat resulted from thermal solar panels combined with adsorption chillers, and ii) through the multiple conversion of electricity - photovoltaic panels - battery - inverter - combined with mechanical compression chillers. Both solutions are analyzed from the standpoints of energy efficiency, dynamic performances (demand response), and costs sizes. At the end of the paper, experimental results obtained in the climatic condition of Galafi city, Romania, are presented.

An adhesive bonding method with microfabricating micro pillars to prevent clogging in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Pin-Chuan; Liu, Yu-Min; Chou, Huang-Chieh

2016-01-01

Thermoplastics are widely used in the fabrication of microfluidic chips, due to their low cost, flexibility in manufacturing, and applicability in large-scale production. This paper presents a novel bonding method for the assembly of thermoplastic microfluidic chips, with the aim of preventing the flow of UV adhesive into microchannels during the bonding process. The proposed bonding methodology depends primarily on controlling the thickness of the UV adhesive, which is achieved by using spin-coating for the uniform UV adhesive in conjunction with the microfabrication of short pillars for keeping a uniform gap between the two bonded surfaces. In this study, two devices with serpentine microchannels (cross-sectional area of 500 μm  ×  500 μm and 200 μm  ×  200 μm) were fabricated on PMMA substrates using a micromilling machine, whereupon a hydrophobic coating was applied to the walls of 200 μm  ×  200 μm microchannels in order to prevent clogging, which might otherwise be caused by the seepage of UV adhesive into the channels. A variety of experiments were used to characterize the quality of bonding, the results of which reveal the following: (1) no leakage was observed in either of the microfluidic chips; (2) the hydrophobic coating proved highly effective in preventing the flow of UV adhesive into the smaller microchannels; (3) the average amount of clogging inside 500 μm  ×  500 μm microchannels was 1.13% with standard deviation of 0.55%, while the average amount of clogging inside 200 μm  ×  200 μm microchannels was 1.65% with standard deviation of 0.92%; (4) the average thickness of the UV adhesive in a 500 μm  ×  500 μm microfluidic chip was 32 μm with standard deviation of 2 μm, whereas the average thickness of the UV adhesive in a 200 μm  ×  200 μm microfluidic chip was 31 μm with standard deviation of 1.2 μm; (5) the two chips possess sufficient bonding strength to withstand

Entropy generation minimization of a MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) flow in a microchannel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibanez, Guillermo [Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas 29000 (Mexico); Cuevas, Sergio [Centro de Investigacion en Energia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico A.P. 34, Temixco, Mor. 62580 (Mexico)

2010-10-15

The dissipative processes that arise in a microchannel flow subjected to electromagnetic interactions, as occurs in a MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) micropump, are analyzed. The entropy generation rate is used as a tool for the assessment of the intrinsic irreversibilities present in the microchannel owing to viscous friction, heat flow and electric conduction. The flow in a parallel plate microchannel produced by a Lorentz force created by a transverse magnetic field and an injected electric current is considered assuming a thermally fully developed flow and conducting walls of finite thickness. The conjugate heat transfer problem in the fluid and solid walls is solved analytically using thermal boundary conditions of the third kind at the outer surfaces of the walls and continuity of temperature and heat flux across the fluid-wall interfaces. Velocity, temperature and current density fields in the fluid and walls are used to calculate the global entropy generation rate. Conditions under which this quantity is minimized are determined for specific values of the geometrical and physical parameters of the system. The Nusselt number is also calculated and explored for different conditions. Results can be used to determine optimized conditions that lead to a minimum dissipation consistent with the physical constraints demanded by the microdevice. (author)

Hydrophilic Surface Modification of PDMS Microchannel for O/W and W/O/W Emulsions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shazia Bashir

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A surface modification method for bonded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS microchannels is presented herein. Polymerization of acrylic acid was performed on the surface of a microchannel using an inline atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier microplasma technique. The surface treatment changes the wettability of the microchannel from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This is a challenging task due to the fast hydrophobic recovery of the PDMS surface after modification. This modification allows the formation of highly monodisperse oil-in-water (O/W droplets. The generation of water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W double emulsions was successfully achieved by connecting in series a hydrophobic microchip with a modified hydrophilic microchip. An original channel blocking technique to pattern the surface wettability of a specific section of a microchip using a viscous liquid comprising a mixture of honey and glycerol, is also presented for generating W/O/W emulsions on a single chip.

Feasibility investigations on a novel micro-manufacturing process for fabrication of fuel cell bipolar plates: Internal pressure-assisted embossing of micro-channels with in-die mechanical bonding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koc, Muammer [NSF I/UCR Center for Precision Forming (CPF), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA (United States); Mahabunphachai, Sasawat [NSF I/UCR Center for Precision Forming (CPF), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2007-10-25

In this paper, we present the results of our studies on conceptual design and feasibility experiments towards development of a novel hybrid manufacturing process to fabricate fuel cell bipolar plates that consists of multi-array micro-channels on a large surface area. The premises of this hybrid micro-manufacturing process stem from the use of an internal pressure-assisted embossing process (cold or warm) combined with mechanical bonding of double bipolar plates in a single-die and single-step operation. Such combined use of hydraulic and mechanical forming forces and in-process bonding will (a) enable integrated forming of micro-channels on both surfaces (as anode and cathode flow fields) and at the middle (as cooling channels), (b) reduce the process steps, (c) reduce variation in dimensional tolerances and surface finish, (d) increase the product quality, (e) increase the performance of fuel cell by optimizing flow-field designs and ensuring consistent contact resistance, and (f) reduce the overall stack cost. This paper explains two experimental investigations that were performed to characterize and evaluate the feasibility of the conceptualized manufacturing process. The first investigation involved hydroforming of micro-channels using thin sheet metals of SS304 with a thickness of 51 {mu}m. The width of the channels ranged from 0.46 to 1.33 mm and the height range was between 0.15 and 0.98 mm. Our feasibility experiments resulted in that different aspect ratios of micro-channels could be fabricated using internal pressure in a controllable manner although there is a limit to very sharp channel shapes (i.e., high aspect ratios with narrow channels). The second investigation was on the feasibility of mechanical bonding of thin sheet metal blanks. The effects of different process and material variables on the bond quality were studied. Successful bonding of various metal blanks (Ni201, Al3003, and SS304) was obtained. The experimental results from both

Experimental and numerical results from hybrid retrofitted photovoltaic panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, Cecilia; Tagliafico, Luca A.; Scarpa, Federico; Bianco, Vincenzo

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The experimental study focuses on the feasibility of hybrid PV/T panels retrofitting. • The critical role of a thin layer of air between PV panel and back plate is evidenced. • The benefit of the addition of a conductive paste layer is analyzed via FEM simulations. • The use of wood ribs to stick the back plate represents a cheap effective solution. - Abstract: The aim of present study is to investigate different methodologies to achieve a better contact between a photovoltaic panel and a thermal plate, in order to cool the PV panel by means of water in the perspective of coupling it with a heat pump. It is believed that this kind of system allows to obtain a higher energy efficiency. The analysis is developed both experimentally and numerically, testing different kinds of configurations in different operating conditions. Simulations are employed to analyze the effect of the variations of the contact resistance between the panel and the thermal plates, demonstrating that the use of a conductive paste increases the overall performance of the panel. Results show interesting possibilities in terms of retrofitting of existing photovoltaic panels by employing very simple solutions, such as to fix the thermal plate on the rear of the panel by means of wood ribs

Effect of junction configurations on microdroplet formation in a T-junction microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Lih, F. L.; Miao, J. M.

2015-03-01

This study investigates the dynamic formation process of water microdroplets in a silicon oil flow in a T-junction microchannel. Segmented water microdroplets are formed at the junction when the water flow is perpendicularly injected into the silicon oil flow in a straight rectangular microchannel. This study further presents the effects of the water flow inlet geometry on hydrodynamic characteristics of water microdroplet formation. A numerical multiphase volume of fluid (VOF) scheme is coupled to solve the unsteady three-dimensional laminar Navier-Stokes equations to depict the droplet formation phenomena at the junction. Predicted results on the length and generated frequency of the microdroplets agree well with experimental results in a T-junction microchannel with straight and flat inlets (the base model) for both fluid flows. Empirical correlations are reported between the volumetric flow ratio and the dimensionless microdroplet length or dimensionless frequency of droplet generation at a fixed capillary number of 4.7 · 10-3. The results of this study indicate a reduction in the droplet length of approximately 21% if the straight inlet for the water flow is modified to a downstream sudden contraction inlet for the water flow.

The measurements of water flow rates in the straight microchannel based on the scanning micro-PIV technique

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H. L.; Han, W.; Xu, M.

2011-12-01

Measurement of the water flow rate in microchannel has been one of the hottest points in the applications of microfluidics, medical, biological, chemical analyses and so on. In this study, the scanning microscale particle image velocimetry (scanning micro-PIV) technique is used for the measurements of water flow rates in a straight microchannel of 200μm width and 60μm depth under the standard flow rates ranging from 2.481μL/min to 8.269μL/min. The main effort of this measurement technique is to obtain three-dimensional velocity distribution on the cross sections of microchannel by measuring velocities of the different fluid layers along the out-of-plane direction in the microchannel, so the water flow rates can be evaluated from the discrete surface integral of velocities on the cross section. At the same time, the three-dimensional velocity fields in the measured microchannel are simulated numerically using the FLUENT software in order to verify the velocity accuracy of measurement results. The results show that the experimental values of flow rates are well consistent to the standard flow rates input by the syringe pump and the compared results between numerical simulation and experiment are consistent fundamentally. This study indicates that the micro-flow rate evaluated from three-dimensional velocity by the scanning micro-PIV technique is a promising method for the micro-flow rate research.

Quantitative study of sniffer leak rate and pressure drop leak rate of liquid nitrogen panels of SST-1 tokamak

Science.gov (United States)

Pathan, F. S.; Khan, Z.; Semwal, P.; Raval, D. C.; Joshi, K. S.; Thankey, P. L.; Dhanani, K. R.

2008-05-01

Steady State Super-conducting (SST-1) Tokamak is in commissioning stage at Institute for Plasma Research. Vacuum chamber of SST-1 Tokamak consists of 1) Vacuum vessel, an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber, 2) Cryostat, a high vacuum (HV) chamber. Cryostat encloses the liquid helium cooled super-conducting magnets (TF and PF), which require the thermal radiation protection against room temperature. Liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooled panels are used to provide thermal shield around super-conducting magnets. During operation, LN2 panels will be under pressurized condition and its surrounding (cryostat) will be at high vacuum. Hence, LN2 panels must have very low leak rate. This paper describes an experiment to study the behaviour of the leaks in LN2 panels during sniffer test and pressure drop test using helium gas.

Quantitative study of sniffer leak rate and pressure drop leak rate of liquid nitrogen panels of SST-1 tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pathan, F S; Khan, Z; Semwal, P; Raval, D C; Joshi, K S; Thankey, P L; Dhanani, K R [Institute for Plasma Research, Bhat, Gandhinagar - 382 428, Gujarat (India)], E-mail: firose@ipr.res.in

2008-05-01

Steady State Super-conducting (SST-1) Tokamak is in commissioning stage at Institute for Plasma Research. Vacuum chamber of SST-1 Tokamak consists of 1) Vacuum vessel, an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber, 2) Cryostat, a high vacuum (HV) chamber. Cryostat encloses the liquid helium cooled super-conducting magnets (TF and PF), which require the thermal radiation protection against room temperature. Liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooled panels are used to provide thermal shield around super-conducting magnets. During operation, LN{sub 2} panels will be under pressurized condition and its surrounding (cryostat) will be at high vacuum. Hence, LN{sub 2} panels must have very low leak rate. This paper describes an experiment to study the behaviour of the leaks in LN{sub 2} panels during sniffer test and pressure drop test using helium gas.

Quantitative study of sniffer leak rate and pressure drop leak rate of liquid nitrogen panels of SST-1 tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pathan, F S; Khan, Z; Semwal, P; Raval, D C; Joshi, K S; Thankey, P L; Dhanani, K R

2008-01-01

Steady State Super-conducting (SST-1) Tokamak is in commissioning stage at Institute for Plasma Research. Vacuum chamber of SST-1 Tokamak consists of 1) Vacuum vessel, an ultra high vacuum (UHV) chamber, 2) Cryostat, a high vacuum (HV) chamber. Cryostat encloses the liquid helium cooled super-conducting magnets (TF and PF), which require the thermal radiation protection against room temperature. Liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooled panels are used to provide thermal shield around super-conducting magnets. During operation, LN 2 panels will be under pressurized condition and its surrounding (cryostat) will be at high vacuum. Hence, LN 2 panels must have very low leak rate. This paper describes an experiment to study the behaviour of the leaks in LN 2 panels during sniffer test and pressure drop test using helium gas

Entropy generation of nanofluid flow in a microchannel heat sink

Science.gov (United States)

Manay, Eyuphan; Akyürek, Eda Feyza; Sahin, Bayram

2018-06-01

Present study aims to investigate the effects of the presence of nano sized TiO2 particles in the base fluid on entropy generation rate in a microchannel heat sink. Pure water was chosen as base fluid, and TiO2 particles were suspended into the pure water in five different particle volume fractions of 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2.0%. Under laminar, steady state flow and constant heat flux boundary conditions, thermal, frictional, total entropy generation rates and entropy generation number ratios of nanofluids were experimentally analyzed in microchannel flow for different channel heights of 200 μm, 300 μm, 400 μm and 500 μm. It was observed that frictional and total entropy generation rates increased as thermal entropy generation rate were decreasing with an increase in particle volume fraction. In microchannel flows, thermal entropy generation could be neglected due to its too low rate smaller than 1.10e-07 in total entropy generation. Higher channel heights caused higher thermal entropy generation rates, and increasing channel height yielded an increase from 30% to 52% in thermal entropy generation. When channel height decreased, an increase of 66%-98% in frictional entropy generation was obtained. Adding TiO2 nanoparticles into the base fluid caused thermal entropy generation to decrease about 1.8%-32.4%, frictional entropy generation to increase about 3.3%-21.6%.

Effect of patterned micro-magnets on superparamagnetic beads in microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, S S; Deng, Y L; Zhao, L B; Zhao, X-Z; Chan, H L W

2008-01-01

The trapping response of patterned micro-magnets (PMMs) was studied based on the parameters affecting superparamagnetic beads in microfluidic channels. Using replica moulding and electroplating technologies, the PMMs were fabricated on the microchannel bottom, which generated sufficient magnetic forces to bias the moments of magnetic particles in a flowing stream. A simplified physical principle was used to analyse the relative velocity of the magnetic particle in the confined space of a microchannel. The results revealed that the magnetic force contributed to the fluidic flow rate as well as to the hydrodynamic drag force. The relative velocity of magnetic particles was dependent on the frequency under an external magnetic field driven by an alternate current (ac) source. It showed that the magnetic gradient induced hysteresis characteristics of the transmission spectrum, associated with the interaction of superparamagnetic beads and magnetic field

The flow field around a micropillar confined in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Junkyu; Kuo, C.-J.; Peles, Yoav; Amitay, Michael

2012-01-01

The flow field over a low aspect ratio (AR) circular pillar (L/D = 1.5) in a microchannel was studied experimentally. Microparticle image velocimetry (μPIV) was employed to quantify flow parameters such as flow field, spanwise vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) in the microchannel. Flow regimes of cylinder-diameter-based Reynolds number at 100 ⩽ Re D ⩽ 700 (i.e., steady, transition from quasi-steady to unsteady, and unsteady flow) were elucidated at the microscale. In addition, active flow control (AFC), via a steady control jet (issued from the pillar itself in the downstream direction), was implemented to induce favorable disturbances to the flow in order to alter the flow field, promote turbulence, and increase mixing. Together with passive flow control (i.e., a circular pillar), turbulent kinetic energy was significantly increased in a controllable manner throughout the flow field.

The effect of diffuse ceiling panel on the energy performance of thermally activated building construction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Chen; Heiselberg, Per Kvols; Pomianowski, Michal Zbigniew

2016-01-01

An integrated system combining diffuse ceiling ventilation with thermally activated building construction (TABS) was proposed recently. In this system, TABS is encapsulated by diffuse ceiling panel and cannot have directly heat exchange with the room. The aim of this study is to investigate...... the effect of diffuse ceiling panel on the energy performance of TABS in both heat and cooling mode. Experiments are carried out in a full-scale test facility with the integrated system, and the cases without diffuse ceiling are also measured as references. The results indicate that the diffuse ceiling has...... an opposite effect on the heating and cooling capacity of TABS. In addition, a numerical model is built and validated by the measured data. The validated model is further applied to conduct a paramedical study on the materials of the diffuse ceiling panel....

Analysis of twisted tape solutions for cooling of the residual ion dump of the ITER HNB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ochoa Guamán, Santiago, E-mail: santiago.ochoa@kit.edu [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Technical Physics, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Hanke, Stefan [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Technical Physics, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Sartori, Emanuele; Palma, Mauro Dalla [Consorzio RFX (CNR, ENEA, INFN, Università di Padova, Acciaierie Venete SpA), Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padua (Italy)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • Due to manufacturing deviations, the cooling channels are made by double side drilling. • Twisted tapes with two different thicknesses are necessary for a better cooling performance. • The manufacturing of cooling channels and twisted tapes was demonstrated to be feasible. • The water critical heat flux safety margin is higher than 1.5 for the total channel length. • Geometry optimization shown better cooling performance and higher CHF safety margins. - Abstract: The ITER HNB residual ion dump is exposed to a heat load about 17 MW on the dump panels with a peak power density of 7 MW/m{sup 2}. Water flows through cooling channels, 2 m long and 14 mm diameter, realized by double side deep drilling. Unavoidable manufacturing deviations could generate a discontinuity at the channel length center. It is necessary to verify the influence of issues such as cavitation, fluid stagnation, low boiling margins, among others, in the cooling performance. Assuming worst case conditions, analytical and CFD methods showed a subcooled boiling operation with high safety margins to the water critical heat flux. Additionally, by analysing several thermo-hydraulic parameters, the twisted tape cross sections were optimized. Per cooling channel, two twisted tapes are inserted from the sides of the panels, thus, a study of a separation gap between them at the channel length center presented an optimal distance. This paper demonstrates that common machining techniques and drilling tolerances allow the manufacturing of panels able to withstand safely the required beam operation heat loads, even under worst case operation scenarios.

Convective boiling in a parallel microchannel heat sink with a diverging cross-section design and artificial nucleation sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Chun Ting; Pan, Chin

2009-01-01

To develop a highly stable boiling heat transfer microchannel heat sink, the three types of diverging microchannels, namely Type-1, Type-2 and Type-3, were designed to explore experimentally the effect of different distribution of artificial nucleation sites on enhancing boiling heat transfer in 10 parallel diverging microchannels with a mean hydraulic diameter of 120 μm. The Type-1 system is with no cavities, Type-2 is with cavities distributed uniformly along the downstream half of the channel, while Type-3 is with cavities distributed uniformly along the whole channel. The artificial nucleation sites are laser-etched pits on the channel bottom wall with a mouth diameter of about 20-22 μm based on the heterogeneous nucleation theory. The results of the present study reveal the presence of the artificial nucleation sites for flow boiling in parallel diverging microchannel significantly reduces the wall superheat and enhances the boiling heat transfer performance. Additionally, the Type-3 design demonstrates the best boiling heat transfer performance. (author)

Diamond Microchannel Heat Sink Designs For High Heat Flux Thermal Control

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Corbin, Michael

2002-01-01

.... Many investigators have suggested the use of diamond heat spreaders to reduce flux levels at or near to its source, and some have suggested that diamond microchannel heat sinks ultimately may play...

Evaluation of Superficial and Dimensional Quality Features in Metallic Micro-Channels Manufactured by Micro-End-Milling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudio Giardini

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Miniaturization encourages the development of new manufacturing processes capable of fabricating features, like micro-channels, in order to use them for different applications, such as in fuel cells, heat exchangers, microfluidic devices and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS. Many studies have been conducted on heat and fluid transfer in micro-channels, and they appeared significantly deviated from conventional theory, due to measurement errors and fabrication methods. The present research, in order to deal with this opportunity, is focused on a set of experiments in the micro-milling of channels made of aluminum, titanium alloys and stainless steel, varying parameters, such as spindle speed, depth of cut per pass (ap, channel depth (d, feed per tooth (fz and coolant application. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of dimensional error, channel profile shape deviation from rectangular and surface quality (burr and roughness. The micro-milling process was capable of offering quality features required on the micro-channeled devices. Critical phenomena, like run-out, ploughing, minimum chip thickness and tool wear, were encountered as an explanation for the deviations in shape and for the surface quality of the micro-channels. The application of coolant and a low depth of cut per pass were significant to obtain better superficial quality features and a smaller dimensional error. In conclusion, the integration of superficial and geometrical features on the study of the quality of micro-channeled devices made of different metallic materials contributes to the understanding of the impact of calibrated cutting conditions in MEMS applications.

Cavitation in flow through a micro-orifice inside a silicon microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Mishra, Chandan; Peles, Yoav

2005-01-01

Hydrodynamic cavitation in flows through a micro-orifice entrenched in a microchannel has been detected and experimentally investigated. Microfabrication techniques have been employed to design and develop a microfluidic device containing an 11.5μm wide micro-orifice inside a 100.2μm wide and 101.3μm deep microchannel. The flow of de-ionized water through the micro-orifice reveals the presence of multifarious cavitating flow regimes. This investigation divulges both similarities and differences between cavitation in micro-orifices and cavitation in their macroscale counterparts. The low incipient cavitation number obtained from the current experiments suggests a dominant size scale effect. Choking cavitation is observed to be independent of any pressure or velocity scale effects. However, choking is significantly influenced by the small stream nuclei residence time at such scales. Flow rate choking leads to the establishment of a stationary cavity. Large flow and cavitation hysteresis have been detected at the microscale leading to very high desinent cavitation numbers. The rapid transition from incipient bubbles to choking cavitation and subsequent supercavitation suggests the presence of radically different flow patterns at the microscale. Supercavitation results in a thick cavity, which extends throughout the microchannel, and is encompassed by the liquid. Cavitation at the microscale is expected to considerably influence the design of innovative high-speed microfluidic systems.

Characterization of Single Phase and Two Phase Heat and Momentum Transport in a Spiraling Radial Inow Microchannel Heat Sink

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz, Maritza

Thermal management of systems under high heat fluxes on the order of hundreds of W/cm2 is important for the safety, performance and lifetime of devices, with innovative cooling technologies leading to improved performance of electronics or concentrating solar photovoltaics. A novel, spiraling radial inflow microchannel heat sink for high flux cooling applications, using a single phase or vaporizing coolant, has demonstrated enhanced heat transfer capabilities. The design of the heat sink provides an inward swirl flow between parallel, coaxial disks that form a microchannel of 1 cm radius and 300 micron channel height with a single inlet and a single outlet. The channel is heated on one side through a conducting copper surface, and is essentially adiabatic on the opposite side to simulate a heat sink scenario for electronics or concentrated photovoltaics cooling. Experimental results on the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in the heat sink, using single phase water as a working fluid, revealed heat transfer enhancements due to flow acceleration and induced secondary flows when compared to unidirectional laminar fully developed flow between parallel plates. Additionally, thermal gradients on the surface are small relative to the bulk fluid temperature gain, a beneficial feature for high heat flux cooling applications. Heat flux levels of 113 W/cm2 at a surface temperature of 77 deg C were reached with a ratio of pumping power to heat rate of 0.03%. Analytical models on single phase flow are used to explore the parametric trends of the flow rate and passage geometry on the streamlines and pressure drop through the device. Flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics were obtained for this heat sink using water at near atmospheric pressure as the working fluid for inlet subcooling levels ranging from 20 to 80 deg C and mean mass flux levels ranging from 184-716 kg/m. 2s. Flow enhancements similar to singlephase flow were expected, as well

Pressure and partial wetting effects on superhydrophobic friction reduction in microchannel flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Tae Jin; Hidrovo, Carlos

2012-11-01

Friction reduction in microchannel flows can help alleviate the inherently taxing pumping power requirements associated with the dimensions involved. One possible way of achieving friction reduction is through the introduction of surface microtexturing that can lead to a superhydrophobic Cassie-Baxter state. The Cassie-Baxter state is characterized by the presence of air pockets within the surface microtexturing believed to act as an effective "shear free" (or at least shear reduced) layer, decreasing the overall friction characteristics of the surface. Most work in this area has concentrated on optimizing the surface microtexturing geometry to maximize the friction reduction effects and overall stability of the Cassie-Baxter state. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of partially wetted conditions induced by pressure and the correlation between the liquid-gas interface location within the surface microtexturing and the microchannel flow characteristics. This is mainly attributed to the difficulty in tracking the interface shape and location within the microtexturing in the typical top-down view arrangements used in most studies. In this paper, a rectangular microchannel with regular microtexturing on the sidewalls is used to visualize and track the location of the air-water interface within the roughness elements. While visually tracking the wetting conditions in the microtextures, pressure drops versus flow rates for each microchannel are measured and analyzed in terms of the non-dimensional friction coefficient. The frictional behavior of the Poiseuille flow suggests that (1) the air-water interface more closely resembles a no-slip boundary rather than a shear-free one, (2) the friction is rather insensitive to the degree of microtexturing wetting, and (3) the fully wetted (Wenzel state) microtexturing provides lower friction than the non-wetted one (Cassie state), in corroboration with observations (1) and (2).

The application of μPIV technique in the study of magnetic flows in a micro-channel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, N.T.; Wu, Z.G.; Huang, X.Y.; Wen, C.-Y..

2005-01-01

In this preliminary experimental study, micro-scale particle image velocimetry (μPIV) was adopted for the first time to get the quantitative information of magnetic flows in a micro-channel. The μPIV consists of an inverted florescent microscope, a Q-switch Nd:YAG laser and a CCD camera. The florescent liquid with particles of 3 μm diameter was blended homogeneously with the prepared magnetic fluid. A permanent magnet approached and left one end of the micro-channel. The response of the magnetic fluid was recorded with the μPIV simultaneously. The flow features validate the feasibility of using μPIV technique in the study of magnetic flows in a micro-channel. μPIV provides a promising experimental tool for visualization and quantitative measurement of magnetic micro-flows

Solar heating and cooling system installed at Leavenworth, Kansas

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

A solar heating and cooling is described which is designed to furnish 90 percent of the overall heating load, 70 percent of the cooling load and 100 percent of the domestic hot water load. The building has two floors with a total of 12,000 square feet gross area. The system has 120 flat-plate liquid solar panels with a net area of 2,200 square feet. Five 3 ton Arkla solar assisted absorption units provide the cooling, in conjunction with a 3,000 gallon chilled water storage tank. Two 3,000 gallon storage tanks are provided with one designated for summer use, whereas both tanks are utilized during winter.

Pattern analysis of aligned nanowires in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Young Jin; Kang, Hyun Wook; Ko, Seung Hwan; Sung, Hyung Jin

2013-01-01

An image processing method for evaluating the quality of nanowire alignment in a microchannel is described. A solution containing nanowires flowing into a microchannel will tend to deposit the nanowires on the bottom surface of the channel via near-wall shear flows. The deposited nanowires generally form complex directional structures along the direction of flow, and the physical properties of these structures depend on the structural morphology, including the alignment quality. A quantitative analysis approach to characterizing the nanowire alignment is needed to estimate the useful features of the nanowire structures. This analysis consists of several image processing methods, including ridge detection, texton analysis and autocorrelation function (ACF) calculation. The ridge detection method improved the ACF by extracting nanowire frames 1–2 pixels in width. Dilation filters were introduced to permit a comparison of the ACF results calculated from different images, regardless of the nanowire orientation. An ACF based on the FFT was then calculated over a square interrogation window. The alignment angle probability distribution was obtained using texton analysis. Monte Carlo simulations of artificially generated images were carried out, and the new algorithm was applied to images collected using two types of microscopy. (paper)

Osmotically driven flows in microchannels separated by a semipermeable membrane

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Kåre Hartvig; Lee, J.; Bohr, Tomas

2009-01-01

We have fabricated lab-on-a-chip systems with microchannels separated by integrated membranes allowing for osmotically driven microflows. We have investigated these flows experimentally by studying the dynamics and structure of the front of a sugar solution travelling in 200 mu m wide and 50-200 mu...... m deep microchannels. We find that the sugar front travels at a constant speed, and that this speed is proportional to the concentration of the sugar solution and inversely proportional to the depth of the channel. We propose a theoretical model, which, in the limit of low axial flow resistance......, predicts that the sugar front should indeed travel with a constant velocity. The model also predicts an inverse relationship between the depth of the channel and the speed, and a linear relation between the sugar concentration and the speed. We thus find good qualitative agreement between the experimental...

Cooled Ceramic Matrix Composite Propulsion Structures Demonstrated

Science.gov (United States)

Jaskowiak, Martha H.; Dickens, Kevin W.

2005-01-01

NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program has successfully demonstrated cooled ceramic matrix composite (CMC) technology in a scramjet engine test. This demonstration represented the world s largest cooled nonmetallic matrix composite panel fabricated for a scramjet engine and the first cooled nonmetallic composite to be tested in a scramjet facility. Lightweight, high-temperature, actively cooled structures have been identified as a key technology for enabling reliable and low-cost space access. Tradeoff studies have shown this to be the case for a variety of launch platforms, including rockets and hypersonic cruise vehicles. Actively cooled carbon and CMC structures may meet high-performance goals at significantly lower weight, while improving safety by operating with a higher margin between the design temperature and material upper-use temperature. Studies have shown that using actively cooled CMCs can reduce the weight of the cooled flow-path component from 4.5 to 1.6 lb/sq ft and the weight of the propulsion system s cooled surface area by more than 50 percent. This weight savings enables advanced concepts, increased payload, and increased range. The ability of the cooled CMC flow-path components to operate over 1000 F hotter than the state-of-the-art metallic concept adds system design flexibility to space-access vehicle concepts. Other potential system-level benefits include smaller fuel pumps, lower part count, lower cost, and increased operating margin.

Heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannels with random roughness

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pelevic, N.; van der Meer, Theodorus H.

2016-01-01

The effect of surface roughness on heat transfer and fluid flow phenomena within a microchannel has been investigated by using the lattice Boltzmann method. The surface roughness has been generated by using Gaussian function. Gaussian function is an efficient and convenient method to create surface

Variation of microchannel plate resistance with temperature and applied voltage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearson, J.F.; Fraser, G.W.; Whiteley, M.J.

1987-01-01

The resistance of microchannel plate electron multiplier is well known to be a function of both applied voltage and detector temperature. We show that the apparent variation of resistance with bias voltage is simply due to plate temperature increases resulting from resistive heating. (orig.)

Continuous particle focusing in a waved microchannel using negative dc dielectrophoresis

KAUST Repository

Li, Ming; Li, Shunbo; Cao, Wenbin; Li, Weihua; Wen, Weijia; Alici, Gursel

2012-01-01

We present a waved microchannel for continuous focusing of microparticles and cells using negative direct current (dc) dielectrophoresis. The waved channel is composed of consecutive s-shaped curved channels in series to generate an electric field

Air-side performance of a micro-channel heat exchanger in wet surface conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Srisomba Raviwat

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of operating conditions on the air-side heat transfer, and pressure drop of a micro-channel heat exchanger under wet surface conditions were studied experimentally. The test section was an aluminum micro-channel heat exchanger, consisting of a multi-louvered fin and multi-port mini-channels. Experiments were conducted to study the effects of inlet relative humidity, air frontal velocity, air inlet temperature, and refrigerant temperature on air-side performance. The experimental data were analyzed using the mean enthalpy difference method. The test run was performed at relative air humidities ranging between 45% and 80%; air inlet temperature ranges of 27, 30, and 33°C; refrigerant-saturated temperatures ranging from 18 to 22°C; and Reynolds numbers between 128 and 166. The results show that the inlet relative humidity, air inlet temperature, and the refrigerant temperature had significant effects on heat transfer performance and air-side pressure drop. The heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop for the micro-channel heat exchanger under wet surface conditions are proposed in terms of the Colburn j factor and Fanning f factor.

An active cooling system for photovoltaic modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teo, H.G.; Lee, P.S.; Hawlader, M.N.A.

2012-01-01

The electrical efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cell is adversely affected by the significant increase of cell operating temperature during absorption of solar radiation. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar system was designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated in this work. To actively cool the PV cells, a parallel array of ducts with inlet/outlet manifold designed for uniform airflow distribution was attached to the back of the PV panel. Experiments were performed with and without active cooling. A linear trend between the efficiency and temperature was found. Without active cooling, the temperature of the module was high and solar cells can only achieve an efficiency of 8–9%. However, when the module was operated under active cooling condition, the temperature dropped significantly leading to an increase in efficiency of solar cells to between 12% and 14%. A heat transfer simulation model was developed to compare to the actual temperature profile of PV module and good agreement between the simulation and experimental results is obtained.

Development of New Correlation and Assessment of Correlations for Two-Phase Pressure Drop in Rectangular Microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Chi Woong; Yu, Dong In; Kim, Moo Hwan

2010-01-01

There are two kinds of models in two-phase pressured drop; homogeneous flow model and separated flow model. Many previous researchers have developed correlations for two-phase pressure drop in a microchannel. Most correlations were modified Lockhart and Martinelli's correlation, which was based on the separated flow model. In this study, experiments for adiabatic liquid water and nitrogen gas flow in rectangular microchannels were conducted to investigate two-phase pressure drop in the rectangular microchannels. Two-phase frictional pressure drop in the rectangular microchannels is highly related with flow regime. Homogeneous model with six two-phase viscosity models: Owen(21)'s, MacAdams(22)'s, Cicchitti et al.(23)'s, Dukler et al.(24)'s, Beattie and Whalley(25)'s, Lin et al.(26)'s models and six separated flow models: Lockhart and Martinelli(27)'s, Chisholm(31)'s, Zhang et al.(15)'s, Lee and Lee(5)'s, Moriyama and Inue(4)'s, Qu and Mudawar(8)'s models were assessed with our experimental data. The best two-phase viscosity model is Beattie and Whalley's model. The best separated flow model is Qu and Mudawar's correlation. Flow regime dependency in both homogeneous and separated flow models was observed. Therefore, new flow pattern based correlations for both homogeneous and separated flow models were individually proposed

Theoretical modeling of electroosmotic flow in soft microchannels: A variational approach applied to the rectangular geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghi, Arman

2018-03-01

Modeling of fluid flow in polyelectrolyte layer (PEL)-grafted microchannels is challenging due to their two-layer nature. Hence, the pertinent studies are limited only to circular and slit geometries for which matching the solutions for inside and outside the PEL is simple. In this paper, a simple variational-based approach is presented for the modeling of fully developed electroosmotic flow in PEL-grafted microchannels by which the whole fluidic area is considered as a single porous medium of variable properties. The model is capable of being applied to microchannels of a complex cross-sectional area. As an application of the method, it is applied to a rectangular microchannel of uniform PEL properties. It is shown that modeling a rectangular channel as a slit may lead to considerable overestimation of the mean velocity especially when both the PEL and electric double layer (EDL) are thick. It is also demonstrated that the mean velocity is an increasing function of the fixed charge density and PEL thickness and a decreasing function of the EDL thickness and PEL friction coefficient. The influence of the PEL thickness on the mean velocity, however, vanishes when both the PEL thickness and friction coefficient are sufficiently high.

An experimental analysis of process parameters to manufacture micro-channels in AISI H13 tempered steel by laser micro-milling

Science.gov (United States)

Teixidor, D.; Ferrer, I.; Ciurana, J.

2012-04-01

This paper reports the characterization of laser machining (milling) process to manufacture micro-channels in order to understand the incidence of process parameters on the final features. Selection of process operational parameters is highly critical for successful laser micromachining. A set of designed experiments is carried out in a pulsed Nd:YAG laser system using AISI H13 hardened tool steel as work material. Several micro-channels have been manufactured as micro-mold cavities varying parameters such as scanning speed (SS), pulse intensity (PI) and pulse frequency (PF). Results are obtained by evaluating the dimensions and the surface finish of the micro-channel. The dimensions and shape of the micro-channels produced with laser-micro-milling process exhibit variations. In general the use of low scanning speeds increases the quality of the feature in both surface finishing and dimensional.

Laser-Driven Ion Acceleration from Plasma Micro-Channel Targets

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, D. B.; Pukhov, A.; Yi, L. Q.; Zhou, H. B.; Yu, T. P.; Yin, Y.; Shao, F. Q.

2017-02-01

Efficient energy boost of the laser-accelerated ions is critical for their applications in biomedical and hadron research. Achiev-able energies continue to rise, with currently highest energies, allowing access to medical therapy energy windows. Here, a new regime of simultaneous acceleration of ~100 MeV protons and multi-100 MeV carbon-ions from plasma micro-channel targets is proposed by using a ~1020 W/cm2 modest intensity laser pulse. It is found that two trains of overdense electron bunches are dragged out from the micro-channel and effectively accelerated by the longitudinal electric-field excited in the plasma channel. With the optimized channel size, these “superponderomotive” energetic electrons can be focused on the front surface of the attached plastic substrate. The much intense sheath electric-field is formed on the rear side, leading to up to ~10-fold ionic energy increase compared to the simple planar geometry. The analytical prediction of the optimal channel size and ion maximum energies is derived, which shows good agreement with the particle-in-cell simulations.

An analytical model for annular flow boiling heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Megahed, A.; Hassan, I.

2009-01-01

An analytical model has been developed to predict flow boiling heat transfer coefficient in microchannel heat sinks. The new analytical model is proposed to predict the two-phase heat transfer coefficient during annular flow regime based on the separated model. Opposing to the majority of annular flow heat transfer models, the model is based on fundamental conservation principles. The model considers the characteristics of microchannel heat sink during annular flow and eliminates using any empirical closure relations. Comparison with limited experimental data was found to validate the usefulness of this analytical model. The model predicts the experimental data with a mean absolute error 8%. (author)

Surface Modification of SiO2 Microchannels with Biocompatible Polymer Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Tatsuro; Momose, Takeshi; Hoshi, Toru; Takai, Madoka; Ishihara, Kazuhiko; Shimogaki, Yukihiro

2010-11-01

The surface of 500-mm-long microchannels in SiO2 microchips was modified using supercritical CO2 (scCO2) and a biocompatible polymer was coated on it to confer biocompatibility to the SiO2 surface. In this method, the SiO2 surface of a microchannel was coated with poly(ethylene glycol monomethacrylate) (PEGMA) as the biocompatible polymer using allyltriethoxysilane (ATES) as the anchor material in scCO2 as the reactive medium. Results were compared with those using the conventional wet method. The surface of a microchannel could not be modified by the wet method owing to the surface tension and viscosity of the liquid, but it was modified uniformly by the scCO2 method probably owing to the near-zero surface tension, low viscosity, and high diffusivity of scCO2. The effect of the surface modification by the scCO2 method to prevent the adsorption of protein was as high as that of the modification by the wet method. Modified microchips can be used in biochemical and medical analyses.

Pressure Drop and Catalytic Dehydrogenation of NaBH{sub 4} Solution Across Pin Fin Structures in a Microchannel Reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Ki Moon [Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Seok Hyun [Key Valve Technologies Ltd., Siheung (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Hee Joon [Kookmin Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

Dehydrogenation from the hydrolysis of a sodium borohydride (NaBH{sub 4}) solution has been of interest owing to its high theoretical hydrogen storage capacity (10.8 wt.%) and potentially safe operation. An experimental study has been performed on the catalytic reaction rate and pressure drop of a NaBH4 solution over both a single microchannel with a hydraulic diameter of 300 μm and a staggered array of micro pin fins in the microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 50 μm. The catalytic reaction rates and pressure drops were obtained under Reynolds numbers from 1 to 60 and solution concentrations from 5 to 20 wt.%. Moreover, reacting flows were visualized using a high-speed camera with a macro zoom lens. As a result, both the amount of hydrogenation and pressure drop are 2.45 times and 1.5 times larger in a pin fin microchannel array than in a single microchannel, respectively.

Induced- and alternating-current electro-osmotic control of the diffusion layer growth in a microchannel-membrane interface device

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sinwook; Yossifon, Gilad

2014-11-01

The passage of an electric current through an ionic permselective medium under an applied electric field is characterized by the formation of ionic concentration gradients, which result in regions of depleted and enriched ionic concentration at opposite ends of the medium. Induced-current electro-osmosis (ICEO) and alternating-current-electro-osmosis (ACEO) are shown to control the growth of the diffusion layer (DL) which, in turn, controls the diffusion limited ion transport through the microchannel-membrane system. We fabricated and tested devices made of a Nafion membrane connecting two opposite PDMS microchannels. An interdigitated electrode array was embedded within the microchannel with various distances from the microchannel-membrane interface. The induced ICEO (floating electrodes) / ACEO (active electrodes) vortices formed at the electrode array stir the fluid and thereby suppress the growth of the DL. The intensity of the ACEO vortices is controlled by either varying the voltage amplitude or the frequency, each having its own unique effect. Enhancement of the limiting current by on-demand control of the diffusion length is of importance in on-chip electro-dialysis, desalination and preconcentration of analytes.

Self-Sealed Bionic Long Microchannels with Thin Walls and Designable Nanoholes Prepared by Line-Contact Capillary-Force Assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Lao, Zhao-Xin; Hu, Yan-Lei; Pan, Deng; Wang, Ren-Yan; Zhang, Chen-Chu; Ni, Jin-Cheng; Xu, Bing; Li, Jia-Wen; Wu, Dong; Chu, Jia-Ru

2017-06-01

Long microchannels with thin walls, small width, and nanoholes or irregular shaped microgaps, which are similar to capillaries or cancerous vessels, are urgently needed to simulate the physiological activities in human body. However, the fabrication of such channels remains challenging. Here, microchannels with designable holes are manufactured by combining laser printing with line-contact capillary-force assembly. Two microwalls are first printed by femtosecond laser direct-writing, and subsequently driven to collapse into a channel by the capillary force that arises in the evaporation of developer. The channel can remain stable in solvent due to the enhanced Van der Waals' force caused by the line-contact of microwalls. Microchannels with controllable nanoholes and almost arbitrary patterns can be fabricated without any bonding or multistep processes. As-prepared microchannels, with wall thicknesses less than 1 µm, widths less than 3 µm, lengths more than 1 mm, are comparable with human capillaries. In addition, the prepared channels also exhibit the ability to steer the flow of liquid without any external pump. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Crossflow type silicon microchannel substrate monodispersion oil-in-water emulsion manufacture; Kurosufuro gata shirikon maikuro chaneru kiban wo mochiita tanbunsan suchuyu emarushon no sakusei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kawakatsu, Takahiro [Tohoku University, Miyagi (Japan). Graduate School; Komori, Hideai; Najima, Mitsutashi; Kikuchi, Yuji; Yonemoto, Toshikuni

1999-05-05

The new technique, which continuously produced the monodispersion oil-in-water (0/W) emulsion using the crossflow type silicon microchannel substrate, was developed. On the silicon monocrystal substrate, the watercourse as the liquid of the continuous phase flowed was produced, and the column of the equal slit of the size in both walls of the watercourse was precisely processed. By closing the upper part in the slit by the clamp of the flat glass board in the microchannel substrate, the microchannel column was formed. Through the microchannel, the oil droplet in which the size was even was formed by sending out the oil (triolein) in the water (0.3wt% sodium lauryl sulfate aqueous solution) of continuous phase which is flowing in respect of the watercourse. The size of the oil droplet is greatly dependent on the structure of the microchannel regulated by microchannel width, microchannel height and terrace length (the even part of which the microchannel exit was equipped). Monodispersion emulsion of 16,20 and 48 {mu}m at the average droplet diameter was formed by using microchannel substrate of the three types of which the structure differs. Droplet diameter decreased, when the substrate which formed large droplet of 48 {mu}m in which the water current quantity is 1.4x10{sup -2}mLmin{sup -1} was used, when the flow rate increased. However, there was no a flow rate at droplet diameter, even if it was made to change from 1.4x10{sup -2} to 2.4mLmin{sup -1}, 16 {mu}m 20 {mu}m small change. In all cases, the droplet size distribution was narrow, and the geometry standard deviation was under 1.03. (translated by NEDO)

A dimensional comparison between embedded 3D-printed and silicon microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Connor, J; Punch, J; Jeffers, N; Stafford, J

2014-01-01

The subject of this paper is the dimensional characterization of embedded microchannel arrays created using contemporary 3D-printing fabrication techniques. Conventional microchannel arrays, fabricated using deep reactive ion etching techniques (DRIE) and wet-etching (KOH), are used as a benchmark for comparison. Rectangular and trapezoidal cross-sectional shapes were investigated. The channel arrays were 3D-printed in vertical and horizontal directions, to examine the influence of print orientation on channel characteristics. The 3D-printed channels were benchmarked against Silicon channels in terms of the following dimensional characteristics: cross-sectional area (CSA), perimeter, and surface profiles. The 3D-printed microchannel arrays demonstrated variances in CSA of 6.6-20% with the vertical printing approach yielding greater dimensional conformity than the horizontal approach. The measured CSA and perimeter of the vertical channels were smaller than the nominal dimensions, while the horizontal channels were larger in both CSA and perimeter due to additional side-wall roughness present throughout the channel length. This side-wall roughness caused significant shape distortion. Surface profile measurements revealed that the base wall roughness was approximately the resolution of current 3D-printers. A spatial periodicity was found along the channel length which appeared at different frequencies for each channel array. This paper concludes that vertical 3D-printing is superior to the horizontal printing approach, in terms of both dimensional fidelity and shape conformity and can be applied in microfluidic device applications.

Flow analysis for efficient design of wavy structured microchannel mixing devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kanchan, Mithun; Maniyeri, Ranjith

2018-04-01

Microfluidics is a rapidly growing field of applied research which is strongly driven by demands of bio-technology and medical innovation. Lab-on-chip (LOC) is one such application which deals with integrating bio-laboratory on micro-channel based single fluidic chip. Since fluid flow in such devices is restricted to laminar regime, designing an efficient passive modulator to induce chaotic mixing for such diffusion based flow is a major challenge. In the present work two-dimensional numerical simulation of viscous incompressible flow is carried out using immersed boundary method (IBM) to obtain an efficient design for wavy structured micro-channel mixing devices. The continuity and Navier-Stokes equations governing the flow are solved by fractional step based finite volume method on a staggered Cartesian grid system. IBM uses Eulerian co-ordinates to describe fluid flow and Lagrangian co-ordinates to describe solid boundary. Dirac delta function is used to couple both these co-ordinate variables. A tether forcing term is used to impose the no-slip boundary condition on the wavy structure and fluid interface. Fluid flow analysis by varying Reynolds number is carried out for four wavy structure models and one straight line model. By analyzing fluid accumulation zones and flow velocities, it can be concluded that straight line structure performs better mixing for low Reynolds number and Model 2 for higher Reynolds number. Thus wavy structures can be incorporated in micro-channels to improve mixing efficiency.

A dimensional comparison between embedded 3D-printed and silicon microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, J.; Punch, J.; Jeffers, N.; Stafford, J.

2014-07-01

The subject of this paper is the dimensional characterization of embedded microchannel arrays created using contemporary 3D-printing fabrication techniques. Conventional microchannel arrays, fabricated using deep reactive ion etching techniques (DRIE) and wet-etching (KOH), are used as a benchmark for comparison. Rectangular and trapezoidal cross-sectional shapes were investigated. The channel arrays were 3D-printed in vertical and horizontal directions, to examine the influence of print orientation on channel characteristics. The 3D-printed channels were benchmarked against Silicon channels in terms of the following dimensional characteristics: cross-sectional area (CSA), perimeter, and surface profiles. The 3D-printed microchannel arrays demonstrated variances in CSA of 6.6-20% with the vertical printing approach yielding greater dimensional conformity than the horizontal approach. The measured CSA and perimeter of the vertical channels were smaller than the nominal dimensions, while the horizontal channels were larger in both CSA and perimeter due to additional side-wall roughness present throughout the channel length. This side-wall roughness caused significant shape distortion. Surface profile measurements revealed that the base wall roughness was approximately the resolution of current 3D-printers. A spatial periodicity was found along the channel length which appeared at different frequencies for each channel array. This paper concludes that vertical 3D-printing is superior to the horizontal printing approach, in terms of both dimensional fidelity and shape conformity and can be applied in microfluidic device applications.

Pool boiling visualization on open microchannel surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaniowski Robert

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents visualization investigations into pool boiling heat transfer for open minichannel surfaces. The experiments were carried out wih saturated water at atmospheric pressure. Parallel microchannels fabricated by machining were about 0.3 mm wide and 0.2 to 0.4 mm deep. High-speed videos were used as an aid to understanding the heat transfer mechanism. The visualization study aimed at identifying nucleation sites of the departing bubbles and determining their diameters and frequency at various superheats.

Solar panel thermal cycling testing by solar simulation and infrared radiation methods

Science.gov (United States)

Nuss, H. E.

1980-01-01

For the solar panels of the European Space Agency (ESA) satellites OTS/MAROTS and ECS/MARECS the thermal cycling tests were performed by using solar simulation methods. The performance data of two different solar simulators used and the thermal test results are described. The solar simulation thermal cycling tests for the ECS/MARECS solar panels were carried out with the aid of a rotatable multipanel test rig by which simultaneous testing of three solar panels was possible. As an alternative thermal test method, the capability of an infrared radiation method was studied and infrared simulation tests for the ultralight panel and the INTELSAT 5 solar panels were performed. The setup and the characteristics of the infrared radiation unit using a quartz lamp array of approx. 15 sq and LN2-cooled shutter and the thermal test results are presented. The irradiation uniformity, the solar panel temperature distribution, temperature changing rates for both test methods are compared. Results indicate the infrared simulation is an effective solar panel thermal testing method.

Two-phase flow regimes in a horizontal microchannel with the height of 50 μm and width of 10 mm

Science.gov (United States)

Fina, V. P.; Ronshin, F. V.

2017-11-01

Two-phase flows of distilled deionized nanofiltered water and nitrogen gas in a microchannel with a height of 50 μm and a width of 10 mm have been investigated experimentally. The schlieren method has been used to determine main features of the two-phase flow in the microchannel. This method allows detecting the liquid film on the lower and upper walls of the microchannel as well as droplets of various shapes and sizes or vertical liquid bridges. Two-phase flow regimes have been observed, and their boundaries precisely determined using post-processing of the recordings. The following flow regimes have been distinguished: bubble, churn, jet, stratified and annular. Comparison of regime maps for channels of different widths has been carried out, and this parameter showed to have a significant impact on the boundaries between the regimes in microchannels of a height of less than 100 μm.

Fabrication of Super-Hydrophobic Microchannels via Strain-Recovery Deformations of Polystyrene and Oxygen Reactive Ion Etch.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Anirban; Xiang, Mingming; Luo, Cheng

2013-08-19

In this article, we report a simple approach to generate micropillars (whose top portions are covered by sub-micron wrinkles) on the inner surfaces of polystyrene (PS) microchannels, as well as on the top surface of the PS substrate, based on strain-recovery deformations of the PS and oxygen reactive ion etch (ORIE). Using this approach, two types of micropillar-covered microchannels are fabricated. Their widths range from 118 μm to 132 μm, depths vary from 40 μm to 44 μm, and the inclined angles of their sidewalls are from 53° to 64°. The micropillars enable these microchannels to have super-hydrophobic properties. The contact angles observed on the channel-structured surfaces are above 162°, and the tilt angles to make water drops roll off from these channel-structured substrates can be as small as 1°.

Fabrication of Super-Hydrophobic Microchannels via Strain-Recovery Deformations of Polystyrene and Oxygen Reactive Ion Etch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anirban Chakraborty

2013-08-01

Full Text Available In this article, we report a simple approach to generate micropillars (whose top portions are covered by sub-micron wrinkles on the inner surfaces of polystyrene (PS microchannels, as well as on the top surface of the PS substrate, based on strain-recovery deformations of the PS and oxygen reactive ion etch (ORIE. Using this approach, two types of micropillar-covered microchannels are fabricated. Their widths range from 118 μm to 132 μm, depths vary from 40 μm to 44 μm, and the inclined angles of their sidewalls are from 53° to 64°. The micropillars enable these microchannels to have super-hydrophobic properties. The contact angles observed on the channel-structured surfaces are above 162°, and the tilt angles to make water drops roll off from these channel-structured substrates can be as small as 1°.

Analysis of photovoltaic with water pump cooling by using ANSYS

Science.gov (United States)

Syafiqah, Z.; Amin, N. A. M.; Irwan, Y. M.; Shobry, M. Z.; Majid, M. S. A.

2017-10-01

Almost all regions in the world are facing with problem of increasing electricity cost from time to time. Besides, with the mankind’s anxiety about global warming, it has infused an ideology to rapidly move towards renewable energy sources since it is believed to be more reliable and safer. One example of the best alternatives to replace the fossil fuels sourced is solar energy. Photovoltaic (PV) panel is used to convert the sunlight into electricity. Unfortunately, the performance of PV panel can be affected by its operating temperature. With the increment of ambient temperature, the PV panel operating temperature also increase and will affect the performance of PV panel (in terms of power generated). With this concern, a water cooling system was installed on top of PV panel to help reduce the PV panel’s temperature. Five different water mass flow rate is tested due to investigate their impact towards the thermal performance and heat transfer rate.

Neural growth into a microchannel network: towards a regenerative neural interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieringa, P.A.; Wiertz, Remy; le Feber, Jakob; Rutten, Wim

2009-01-01

We propose and validated a design for a highly selective 'endcap' regenerative neural interface towards a neuroprosthesis. In vitro studies using rat cortical neurons determine if a branching microchannel structure can counter fasciculated growth and cause neurites to separte from one another,

Behaviour and design considerations for continuous flow closed-open-closed liquid microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Melin, Jessica; van der Wijngaart, Wouter; Stemme, Göran

2005-06-01

This paper introduces a method of combining open and closed microchannels in a single component in a novel way which couples the benefits of both open and closed microfluidic systems and introduces interesting on-chip microfluidic behaviour. Fluid behaviour in such a component, based on continuous pressure driven flow and surface tension, is discussed in terms of cross sectional flow behaviour, robustness, flow-pressure performance, and its application to microfluidic interfacing. The closed-open-closed microchannel possesses the versatility of upstream and downstream closed microfluidics along with open fluidic direct access. The device has the advantage of eliminating gas bubbles present upstream when these enter the open channel section. The unique behaviour of this device opens the door to applications including direct liquid sample interfacing without the need for additional and bulky sample tubing.

Evaluation of a X-ray imaging method in micro-fluidics: the case of T-shaped micro-channels filling up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vabre, A.; Legoupil, S.; Manach, E.; Gal, O.; Colin, St.; Geoffroy, S.; Gue, A.M.

2006-01-01

X-rays methods assessment in micro-fluidics: case of 'T' shaped microchannels filling. Fluid flows within 'T' or 'Y' shaped microchannels are deeply studied in order to develop adapted modeling approaches and experimental techniques. Our technological choice lies on the attenuation measurement of X-ray in matter. The main advantage of this non-intrusive technique is to be implemented on media opaque to visible light. Moreover, X-rays methods may achieve better spatial resolutions as compared to optical methods because of their much lower wavelength. In order to validate this X-ray method, measurements obtained by this technique are compared with direct measurements carried out on similar microchannels. Finally, experimental results are compared with a theoretical model. (author)

Radiant heating tests of several liquid metal heat-pipe sandwich panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camarda, C.J.; Basiulis, A.

1983-08-01

Integral heat pipe sandwich panels, which synergistically combine the thermal efficiency of heat pipes and the structural efficiency of honeycomb sandwich construction, were conceived as a means of alleviating thermal stress problems in the Langley Scramjet Engine. Test panels which utilized two different wickable honeycomb cores, facesheets with screen mesh sintered to the internal surfaces, and a liquid metal working fluid (either sodium or potassium) were tested by radiant heating at various heat load levels. The heat pipe panels reduced maximum temperature differences by 31 percent with sodium working fluid and 45 percent with potassium working fluid. Results indicate that a heat pipe sandwich panel is a potential, simple solution to the engine thermal stress problem. Other interesting applications of the concept include: cold plates for electronic component and circuit card cooling, radiators for large space platforms, low distortion large area structures (e.g., space antennas) and laser mirrors

Surface cell immobilization within perfluoroalkoxy microchannels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stojkovič, Gorazd; Krivec, Matic [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Vesel, Alenka [Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova cesta 39, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Marinšek, Marjan [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Žnidaršič-Plazl, Polona, E-mail: polona.znidarsic@fkkt.uni-lj.si [Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

2014-11-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A very efficient approach for immobilization of cells into microreactors is presented. • It is applicable to various materials, including PFA and cyclic olefin (co)polymers. • It was used to immobilize different prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes. • Cells were immobilized on the surface in high density and showed good stability. • Mechanisms of APTES interactions with target materials are proposed. - Abstract: Perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) is one of the most promising materials for the fabrication of cheap, solvent resistant and reusable microfluidic chips, which have been recently recognized as effective tools for biocatalytic process development. The application of biocatalysts significantly depends on efficient immobilization of enzymes or cells within the reactor enabling long-term biocatalyst use. Functionalization of PFA microchannels by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (ATPES) and glutaraldehyde was used for rapid preparation of microbioreactors with surface-immobilized cells. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to accurately monitor individual treatment steps and to select conditions for cell immobilization. The optimized protocol for Saccharomyces cerevisiae immobilization on PFA microchannel walls comprised ethanol surface pretreatment, 4 h contacting with 10% APTES aqueous solution, 10 min treatment with 1% glutaraldehyde and 20 min contacting with cells in deionized water. The same protocol enabled also immobilization of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida and Bacillus subtilis cells on PFA surface in high densities. Furthermore, the developed procedure has been proved to be very efficient also for surface immobilization of tested cells on other materials that are used for microreactor fabrication, including glass, polystyrene, poly (methyl methacrylate), polycarbonate, and two olefin-based polymers, namely Zeonor{sup ®} and Topas{sup ®}.

Stability Analysis of Reactive Multiphase Slug Flows in Microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro A. Munera Parra

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Conducting multiphase reactions in micro-reactors is a promising strategy for intensifying chemical and biochemical processes. A major unresolved challenge is to exploit the considerable benefits offered by micro-scale operation for industrial scale throughputs by numbering-up whilst retaining the underlying advantageous flow characteristics of the single channel system in multiple parallel channels. Fabrication and installation tolerances in the individual micro-channels result in different pressure losses and, thus, a fluid maldistribution. In this work, an additional source of maldistribution, namely the flow multiplicities, which can arise in a multiphase reactive or extractive flow in otherwise identical micro-channels, was investigated. A detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of the flow stability with and without reaction for both gas-liquid and liquid-liquid slug flow has been developed. The model has been validated using the extraction of acetic acid from n-heptane with the ionic liquid 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate. The results clearly demonstrate that the coupling between flow structure, the extent of reaction/extraction and pressure drop can result in multiple operating states, thus, necessitating an active measurement and control concept to ensure uniform behavior and optimal performance.

Preliminary studies of microchannel plate photomultiplier tube neutron detectors for flight test applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolan, K.W.

1978-10-01

Electrical, mechanical, thermal, and neutron response data indicate that microchannel plate photomultiplier tubes are viable candidates as miniature, ruggedized neutron detectors for flight test applications in future weapon systems

Theoretical study of time-dependent, ultrasound-induced acoustic streaming in microchannels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Muller, Peter Barkholt; Bruus, Henrik

2015-01-01

Based on first- and second-order perturbation theory, we present a numerical study of the temporal buildup and decay of unsteady acoustic fields and acoustic streaming flows actuated by vibrating walls in the transverse cross-sectional plane of a long straight microchannel under adiabatic...

Improving the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels by oil coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abd-Elhady, M.S.; Fouad, M.M.; Khalil, T.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • It is possible to improve the efficiency of PV panels by increasing the amount of light transmitted to the panel. • Coating PV panels by a fine layer of Labovac oil increases the amount of sun light transmitted to the panel. • Coating PV panels by a fine layer of Labovac oil increases the power output of the panel. • Coating PV panels with a layer of Labovac oil has to be applied in cold countries and not in hot regions. - Abstract: The objective of this research is to develop a new technique for improving the efficiency of Photovoltaic (PV) panels. This technique is done by coating the front surface of the PV panel by a fine layer of oil in order to increase the amount of light transmitted to the panel, and consequently its efficiency. Different types of oils are examined, including both mineral oils and natural oils. In case of mineral oils; vacuum pump oil (Labovac oil), engine oil (Mobil oil) and brake oil (Abro oil) are examined, while in case of natural oils; olive and sunflower oils are examined. An experimental setup has been developed to examine the performance of the PV panels as a function of oil coatings. The experimental setup consists of an artificial sun, the PV panel under investigation, a cooling system and a measuring system to measure the performance of the panel. It has been found that coating the PV panel with a fine layer of Labovac oil, ∼1 mm thick, improves the efficiency of the PV panel by more than 20%, and this is due to the high transmissivity of the Labovac oil compared to other oils. However, the Labovac oil has a drawback which is overheating of the panel due to its high transmissivity. Coating of PV panels with a fine layer of Labovac oil should be done only in cold regions, in order to avoid the heating effect that can decrease the power output of PV panels.

Optical fibre cavity ring down measurement of refractive index with a microchannel drilled by femtosecond laser

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Kaiming; Webb, David; Mou, Chengbo; Farries, Mark; Hayes, Neil; Bennion, Ian

2009-10-01

μA microchannel was inscribed in the fibre of a ring cavity which was constructed from two 0.1%:99.9% couplers and a 10m fibre loop. Cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS) was used to measure the refractive index (RI) of gels infused into the microchannel with high resolution. The ring down time discloses a nonlinear increase with respect to the RI of the gel and sensitivity up to 300μs/RI unit (RIU) and resolution of 5×10-4 were obtained.

Flow Investigation in a Microchannel with a Flow Disturbing Rib

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Stogiannis, I.A.; Passos, A.D.; Mouza, A.A.; Paras, S.V.; Pěnkavová, Věra; Tihon, Jaroslav

2014-01-01

Roč. 119, NOV 8 (2014), s. 65-76 ISSN 0009-2509 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP101/12/0585; GA MŠk 7AMB12GR018 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : microchannel * wall shear stress * micro-PIV Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Impact factor: 2.337, year: 2014

Determination of the Navier slip coefficient of microchannels exploiting the streaming potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hung Mok

2012-03-01

For most microchannels made of hydrophobic materials such as polymers, velocity slip occurs at the wall, affecting volumetric flow rate of electroosmotic flow Q(eof) and streaming potential (∂ϕ(str)/∂z). Since most techniques exploit Q(eof) or (∂ϕ(str)/∂z) to determine the zeta potential, ζ, it is very difficult to measure ζ of hydrophobic walls, if the slip coefficient b is not found a priori. Until now, Q(eof) and (∂ϕ(str)/∂z) are known to depend on ζ and b in a same functional form, which makes it impossible to estimate ζ or b separately using measurements of Q(eof) and (∂ϕ(str)/∂z). However, exploiting the analytic formula for Q(eof) and (∂ϕ(str)/∂z) derived in the present work, it is found that the effect of ζ and that of b on Q(eof) and (∂ϕ(str)/∂z) can be separated from each other by varying the bulk ionic concentration. Thus, the slip coefficient as well as the zeta potential of hydrophobic microchannels can be found with reasonable accuracy by means of a nonlinear curve fitting method using measured data of Q(eof) and (∂ϕ(str)/∂z) at various bulk ionic concentrations. The present method allows an accurate estimation of slip coefficient of hydrophobic microchannels, which is quite simple and cheap compared with methods employing microparticle velocimetry. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tunable hydrodynamic characteristics in microchannels with biomimetic superhydrophobic (lotus leaf replica) walls.

Science.gov (United States)

Dey, Ranabir; Raj M, Kiran; Bhandaru, Nandini; Mukherjee, Rabibrata; Chakraborty, Suman

2014-05-21

The present work comprehensively addresses the hydrodynamic characteristics through microchannels with lotus leaf replica (exhibiting low adhesion and superhydrophobic properties) walls. The lotus leaf replica is fabricated following an efficient, two-step, soft-molding process and is then integrated with rectangular microchannels. The inherent biomimetic, superhydrophobic surface-liquid interfacial hydrodynamics, and the consequential bulk flow characteristics, are critically analyzed by the micro-particle image velocimetry technique. It is observed that the lotus leaf replica mediated microscale hydrodynamics comprise of two distinct flow regimes even within the low Reynolds number paradigm, unlike the commonly perceived solely apparent slip-stick dominated flows over superhydrophobic surfaces. While the first flow regime is characterized by an apparent slip-stick flow culminating in an enhanced bulk throughput rate, the second flow regime exhibits a complete breakdown of the aforementioned laminar and uni-axial flow model, leading to a predominantly no-slip flow. Interestingly, the critical flow condition dictating the transition between the two hydrodynamic regimes is intrinsically dependent on the micro-confinement effect. In this regard, an energetically consistent theoretical model is also proposed to predict the alterations in the critical flow condition with varying microchannel configurations, by addressing the underlying biomimetic surface-liquid interfacial conditions. Hence, the present research endeavour provides a new design-guiding paradigm for developing multi-functional microfluidic devices involving biomimetic, superhydrophobic surfaces, by judicious exploitation of the tunable hydrodynamic characteristics in the two regimes.

A new miniature microchannel plate X-ray detector for synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosemeier, R.G.; Green, R.E. Jr.

1982-01-01

A state-of-the-art microchannel plate detector has been developed which allows real time X-ray imaging of X-ray diffraction as well as radiographic phenomenon. Advantages of the device include a 50 mm X-ray input, length less than 4'', and a weight of less than 1 lb. Since the use of synchrotron radiation is greatly facilitated by the capability of remote viewing of X-ray diffraction or radiographic images in real time, a prototype electro-optical system has been designed which couples the X-ray microchannel plate detector with a solid state television camera. Advantages of the miniature, lightweight, X-ray synchrotron camera include a large 50 mm X-ray input window, an output signal that is available in both analog format for display on a television monitor and in digital format for computer processing, and a completely modular design which allows all the components to be exchanged for other components optimally suited for the desired applications. (orig.)

Ferrofluid-in-oil two-phase flow patterns in a flow-focusing microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Sheu, T. S.; Chen, Y. T.; Lih, F. L.; Miao, J. M.

This study investigates the two-phase flow formation process of water-based Fe3O4 ferrofluid (dispersed phase) in a silicon oil (continuous phase) flow in the microfluidic flow-focusing microchannel under various operational conditions. With transparent PDMS chip and optical microscope, four main two-phase flow patterns as droplet flow, slug flow, ring flow and churn flow are observed. The droplet shape, size, and formation mechanism were also investigated under different Ca numbers and intended to find out the empirical relations. The paper marks an original flow pattern map of the ferrofluid-in-oil flows in the microfluidic flow-focusing microchannels. The flow pattern transiting from droplet flow to slug flow appears for an operational conditions of QR < 1 and Lf / W < 1. The power law index that related Lf / W to QR was 0.36 in present device.

Deactivation of Legionella Pneumophila in municipal wastewater by ozone generated in arrays of microchannel plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Shengkun; Li, Jun; Kim, Min-Hwan; Cho, Jinhoon; Park, Sung-Jin; Nguyen, Thanh H.; Eden, J. Gary

2018-06-01

A greater than four log10 reduction in the concentration of Legionella pneumophila in municipal wastewater has been achieved in 1 min with ozone produced by a microchannel plasma reactor. Requiring less than 22 W of electrical power, and ambient air as the feedstock gas, the microplasma ozone generator is robust and a promising alternative to conventional corona and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technologies. Contrary to previous studies, the Ct model for pathogen deactivation (i.e. rate proportional to the product of the available disinfectant concentration and the exposure duration) is found to be valid for L. pneumophila. Accordingly, wastewater-specific Ct equations have been developed to predict the deactivation of L. pneumophila in the secondary wastewater environment. Inactivation of this pathogen was found to be dependent on temperature only in the absence of wastewater organic matter (WOM). In the presence of WOM, pathogen deactivation is controlled by the disinfection contact time, initial ozone concentration (varied between 15 and 281 µg l‑1), and initial WOM loading. The data reported here will assist in the implementation of plasma ozone generators for L. pneumophila deactivation in cooling towers, point-of-use systems, and wastewater reclamation facilities.

3D tomography of cells in micro-channels

Science.gov (United States)

Quint, S.; Christ, A. F.; Guckenberger, A.; Himbert, S.; Kaestner, L.; Gekle, S.; Wagner, C.

2017-09-01

We combine confocal imaging, microfluidics, and image analysis to record 3D-images of cells in flow. This enables us to recover the full 3D representation of several hundred living cells per minute. Whereas 3D confocal imaging has thus far been limited to steady specimens, we overcome this restriction and present a method to access the 3D shape of moving objects. The key of our principle is a tilted arrangement of the micro-channel with respect to the focal plane of the microscope. This forces cells to traverse the focal plane in an inclined manner. As a consequence, individual layers of passing cells are recorded, which can then be assembled to obtain the volumetric representation. The full 3D information allows for a detailed comparison with theoretical and numerical predictions unfeasible with, e.g., 2D imaging. Our technique is exemplified by studying flowing red blood cells in a micro-channel reflecting the conditions prevailing in the microvasculature. We observe two very different types of shapes: "croissants" and "slippers." Additionally, we perform 3D numerical simulations of our experiment to confirm the observations. Since 3D confocal imaging of cells in flow has not yet been realized, we see high potential in the field of flow cytometry where cell classification thus far mostly relies on 1D scattering and fluorescence signals.

Aluminum Nitride Micro-Channels Grown via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy for MEMs Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodak, L.E.; Kuchibhatla, S.; Famouri, P.; Ting, L.; Korakakis, D.

2008-01-01

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a promising material for a number of applications due to its temperature and chemical stability. Furthermore, AlN maintains its piezoelectric properties at higher temperatures than more commonly used materials, such as Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) [1, 2], making AlN attractive for high temperature micro and nanoelectromechanical (MEMs and NEMs) applications including, but not limited to, high temperature sensors and actuators, micro-channels for fuel cell applications, and micromechanical resonators. This work presents a novel AlN micro-channel fabrication technique using Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE). AlN easily nucleates on dielectric surfaces due to the large sticking coefficient and short diffusion length of the aluminum species resulting in a high quality polycrystalline growth on typical mask materials, such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride [3,4]. The fabrication process introduced involves partially masking a substrate with a silicon dioxide striped pattern and then growing AlN via MOVPE simultaneously on the dielectric mask and exposed substrate. A buffered oxide etch is then used to remove the underlying silicon dioxide and leave a free standing AlN micro-channel. The width of the channel has been varied from 5 ìm to 110 ìm and the height of the air gap from 130 nm to 800 nm indicating the stability of the structure. Furthermore, this versatile process has been performed on (111) silicon, c-plane sapphire, and gallium nitride epilayers on sapphire substrates. Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Raman measurements have been taken on channels grown on each substrate and indicate that the substrate is influencing the growth of the AlN micro-channels on the SiO2 sacrificial layer.

Advanced Refrigerant-Based Cooling Technologies for Information and Communication Infrastructure (ARCTIC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salamon, Todd

2012-12-13

Faster, more powerful and dense computing hardware generates significant heat and imposes considerable data center cooling requirements. Traditional computer room air conditioning (CRAC) cooling methods are proving increasingly cost-ineffective and inefficient. Studies show that using the volume of room air as a heat exchange medium is wasteful and allows for substantial mixing of hot and cold air. Further, it limits cabinet/frame/rack density because it cannot effectively cool high heat density equipment that is spaced closely together. A more cost-effective, efficient solution for maximizing heat transfer and enabling higher heat density equipment frames can be accomplished by utilizing properly positioned phase change or two-phase pumped refrigerant cooling methods. Pumping low pressure, oil-free phase changing refrigerant through microchannel heat exchangers can provide up to 90% less energy consumption for the primary cooling loop within the room. The primary benefits of such a solution include reduced energy requirements, optimized utilization of data center space, and lower OPEX and CAPEX. Alcatel-Lucent recently developed a modular cooling technology based on a pumped two-phase refrigerant that removes heat directly at the shelf level of equipment racks. The key elements that comprise the modular cooling technology consist of the following. A pump delivers liquid refrigerant to finned microchannel heat exchangers mounted on the back of equipment racks. Fans drive air through the equipment shelf, where the air gains heat dissipated by the electronic components therein. Prior to exiting the rack, the heated air passes through the heat exchangers, where it is cooled back down to the temperature level of the air entering the frame by vaporization of the refrigerant, which is subsequently returned to a condenser where it is liquefied and recirculated by the pump. All the cooling air enters and leaves the shelves/racks at nominally the same temperature. Results

High density gold nanoparticles immobilized on surface via plasma deposited APTES film for decomposing organic compounds in microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Xi; Guyon, Cédric; Ognier, Stephanie; Da Silva, Bradley; Chu, Chenglin; Tatoulian, Michaël; Hassan, Ali Abou

2018-05-01

Immobilization of colloidal particles (e.g. gold nanoparticles (AuNps)) on the inner surface of micro-/nano- channels has received a great interest for catalysis. A novel catalytic ozonation setup using a gold-immobilized microchannel reactor was developed in this work. To anchor AuNps, (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) with functional amine groups was deposited using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process. The results clearly evidenced that PECVD processing exhibited relatively high efficiency for grafting amine groups and further immobilizing AuNPs. The catalytic activity of gold immobilized microchannel was evaluated by pyruvic acid ozonation. The decomposition rate calculated from High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) indicated a much better catalytic performance of gold in microchannel than that in batch. The results confirmed immobilizing gold nanoparticles on plasma deposited APTES for preparing catalytic microreactors is promising for the wastewater treatment in the future.

Shock wave attenuation in a micro-channel

Science.gov (United States)

Giordano, J.; Perrier, P.; Meister, L.; Brouillette, M.

2018-05-01

This work presents optical measurements of shock wave attenuation in a glass micro-channel. This transparent facility, with a cross section ranging from 1 mm× 150 μm to 1 mm× 500 μm, allowed for the use of high-speed schlieren videography to visualize the propagation of a shock wave within the entire micro-channel and to quantify velocity attenuation of the wave due to wall effects. In this paper, we present the experimental technique and the relevant data treatment we have used to increase the sensitivity of shock wave detection. Then, we compared our experimental results for different channel widths, lengths, and shock wave velocities with the analytical model for shock attenuation proposed by Russell (J Fluid Mech 27(2):305-314, 1967), which assumes laminar flow, and by Mirels (Attenuation in a shock tube due to unsteady-boundary-layer action, NACA Report 1333, 1957) for turbulent flow. We found that these models are inadequate to predict the observed data, owing to the presence of fully developed flow which violates the basic assumption of these models. The data are also compared with the empirical shock attenuation models proposed by Zeitoun (Phys Fluids 27(1):011701, 2015) and Deshpande and Puranik (Shock Waves 26(4):465-475, 2016), where better agreement is observed. Finally, we presented experimental data for the flow field behind the shock wave from measurements of the Mach wave angle which shows globally decreasing flow Mach numbers due to viscous wall effects.

Improving the Electrical Parameters of a Photovoltaic Panel by Means of an Induced or Forced Air Stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Mazón-Hernández

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The main priority in photovoltaic (PV panels is the production of electricity. The transformation of solar energy into electricity depends on the operating temperature in such a way that the performance increases with the decreasing temperatures. In the existing literature, different cooling techniques can be found. The purpose of most of them is to use air or water as thermal energy carriers. This work is focused on the use of air as a working fluid whose movement is either induced by natural convection or forced by means of a fan. The aim of this study is to characterise the electrical behaviour of the solar panels in order to improve the design of photovoltaic installations placed in roof applications ensuring low operating temperatures which will correct and reverse the effects produced on efficiency by high temperature. To do this, a test installation has been constructed at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena in Spain. In this paper, the results of the tests carried out on two identical solar panels are included. One of them has been modified and mounted on different channels through which air flows. The different studies conducted show the effects of the air channel cross-section, the air velocity, and the panel temperature on the electrical parameters of the solar panels, such as the voltage, current, power, and performance. The results conclude that the air space between the photovoltaic panels and a steel roof must be high enough to allow the panel to be cooled and consequently to achieve higher efficiency.

Developing the laminar MHD forced convection flow of water/FMWNT carbon nanotubes in a microchannel imposed the uniform heat flux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karimipour, Arash; Taghipour, Abdolmajid [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Malvandi, Amir, E-mail: amirmalvandi@aut.ac.ir [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Neyshabur Branch, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabur (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-12-01

This paper aims to investigate magnetic field and slip effects on developing laminar forced convection of nanofluids in the microchannels. A novel mixture of water and FMWNT carbon nanotubes is used as the working fluid. To do this, fluid flow and heat transfer through a microchannel is simulated by a computer code in FORTRAN language. The mixture of FMWNT carbon nanotubes suspended in water is considered as the nanofluid. Slip velocity is supposed as the hydrodynamic boundary condition while the microchannel's lower wall is insulated and the top wall is under the effect of a constant heat flux. Moreover, the flow field is subjected to a magnetic field with a constant strength. The results are presented as the velocity, temperature and Nusselt number profiles. It is observed that nanofluid composed of water and carbon nanotubes (FMWNT) can work well to increase the heat transfer rate along the microchannel walls. Furthermore, it is indicated that imposing the magnetic field is very effective at the thermally developing region. In contrast, the magnetic field effect at fully developed region is insignificant, especially at low values of Reynolds number. - Highlights: • Simulation of water/FMWNT carbon nanotubes flow in a microchannel. • The effects of magnetic field strength on nanofluid's slip velocity. • The effects of Ha, Re, ϕ and slip coefficient on averaged Nusselt number. • Magnetic field effect at developing flow region is significant.

Fast microchannel plate detector for particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wurz, P.; Gubler, L.

1996-01-01

In this article we report on the timing capabilities of a new microchannel plate detector we designed and built. The detector assembly has an impedance-matched transition line (50 Ω line resistance) from anode to cable connector which is considerably smaller than other, commercially available solutions and at the same time has about four times the active area. The detector was tested with an alpha particle source and excellent time response was achieved. Using 10 μm pore size channel plates, a rise time of 300 ps and a pulse width of 520 ps are obtained. The details of the signal analysis are also given in the article. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

Investigating performance of microchannel evaporators for automobile air conditioning with different port structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guoliang Zhou

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Microchannel evaporator has been widely applied in automobile air conditioning, while it faces the problem of refrigerant maldistribution which deteriorates the thermal performance of evaporator. In this study, the performances of microchannel evaporators with different port structures are experimentally investigated for purpose of reducing evaporator pressure drop. Four evaporator samples with different port number and hydraulic diameter are made for this study. The performances of the evaporator samples are tested on a psychometric calorimeter test bench with the refrigerant R-134A at a real automobile air conditioning. The results on the variations of the evaporator pressure drop and evaporator surface temperature distribution are presented and analyzed. By studying the performance of an evaporator, seeking proper port structure is an approach to reduce refrigerant pressure drop as well as improve refrigerant distribution.

Activity and lifetime of urease immobilized using layer-by-layer nano self-assembly on silicon microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Forrest, Scott R; Elmore, Bill B; Palmer, James D

2005-01-01

Urease has been immobilized and layered onto the walls of manufactured silicon microchannels. Enzyme immobilization was performed using layer-by-layer nano self-assembly. Alternating layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, with enzyme layers "encased" between them, were deposited onto the walls of the silicon microchannels. The polycations used were polyethylenimine (PEI), polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDDA), and polyallylamine (PAH). The polyanions used were polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and polyvinylsulfate (PVS). The activity of the immobilized enzyme was tested by pumping a 1 g/L urea solution through the microchannels at various flow rates. Effluent concentration was measured using an ultraviolet/visible spectrometer by monitoring the absorbance of a pH sensitive dye. The architecture of PEI/PSS/PEI/urease/PEI with single and multiple layers of enzyme demonstrated superior performance over the PDDA and PAH architectures. The precursor layer of PEI/PSS demonstrably improved the performance of the reactor. Conversion rates of 70% were achieved at a residence time of 26 s, on d 1 of operation, and >50% at 51 s, on d 15 with a six-layer PEI/urease architecture.

Numerical and experimental study on temperature control of solar panels with form-stable paraffin/expanded graphite composite PCM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luo, Zigeng; Huang, Zhaowen; Xie, Ning; Gao, Xuenong; Xu, Tao; Fang, Yutang; Zhang, Zhengguo

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A passive cooling PV-PCM system was developed. • Form-stable paraffin/EG composite PCM with high thermal conductivity was utilized. • Numerical simulation on the temperature of PV-PCM panel was carried out. • Effects of density were studied under the given weather conditions. - Abstract: Performance of photovoltaic (PV) panels is greatly affected by its operating temperature. And traditional active and passive cooling methods usually suffer from the disadvantages of external energy consumption, uneven temperature distribution and low thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCMs). In this work, a PV-PCM system was developed to control the temperature of a PV panel by applying high thermal conductive form-stable paraffin (ZDJN-28)/EG composite PCM. The temperature, output voltage and power of a conventional PV panel and the PV-PCM panel were measured and compared. A numerical simulation model established by CFD software FLUENT was used to simulate the temperature change process of the PV-PCM panel with different material densities under the same conditions as experiment. The experiment results showed that compared with the temperature of the conventional PV panel, the temperature of the PV-PCM panel is kept below 50 °C for 200 min extended by 146 min with output power averagely increased by 7.28% in heating process. Simulated temperatures were in good agreement with experimental temperatures and indicated that the higher the density of the PCM is, the better the temperature management performance the PV panel could achieve. Besides, the PCM with density of 900 kg/m 3 was found sufficient to achieve a good temperature management performance when the average ambient temperature below 25 °C with the highest solar irradiation of 901 w/m 2 . In summary, this work is of great importance in the design of a PV-PCM system for temperature management of PV panels.

Studies of cryocooler based cryosorption pump with activated carbon panels operating at 11K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasthurirengan, S; Behera, Upendra; Gangradey, Ranjana; Udgata, Swarup; Krishnamoorthy, V

2012-01-01

Cryosorption pump is the only solution for pumping helium and hydrogen in fusion reactors. It is chosen because it offers highest pumping speed as well as the only suitable pump for the harsh environments in a tokamak. Towards the development of such cryosorption pumps, the optimal choice of the right activated carbon panels is essential. In order to characterize the performance of the panels with indigenously developed activated carbon, a cryocooler based cryosorption pump with scaled down sizes of panels is experimented. The results are compared with the commercial cryopanel used in a CTI cryosorption (model: Cryotorr 7) pump. The cryopanel is mounted on the cold head of the second stage GM cryocooler which cools the cryopanel down to 11K with first stage reaching about ∼50K. With no heat load, cryopump gives the ultimate vacuum of 2.1E-7 mbar. The pumping speed of different gases such as nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium are tested both on indigenous and commercial cryopanel. These studies serve as a bench mark towards the development of better cryopanels to be cooled by liquid helium for use with tokamak.

Modeling of low-capillary number segmented flows in microchannels using OpenFOAM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoang, D.A.; Van Steijn, V.; Portela, L.M.; Kreutzer, M.T.; Kleijn, C.R.

2012-01-01

Modeling of low-Capillary number segmented flows in microchannels is important for the design of microfluidic devices. We present numerical validations of microfluidic flow simulations using the volume-of-fluid (VOF) method as implemented in OpenFOAM. Two benchmark cases were investigated to ensure

Hydrogen production through aqueous-phase reforming of ethylene glycol in a washcoated microchannel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neira d'Angelo, M.F.; Ordomskiy, V.; Paunovic, V.; Schaaf, van der J.; Schouten, J.C.; Nijhuis, T.A.

2013-01-01

Aqueous-phase reforming (APR) of biocarbohydrates is conducted in a catalytically stable washcoated microreactor where multiphase hydrogen removal enhances hydrogen efficiency. Single microchannel experiments are conducted following a simplified model based on the microreactor concept. A coating

Modelling and Pareto optimization of heat transfer and flow coefficients in microchannels using GMDH type neural networks and genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amanifard, N.; Nariman-Zadeh, N.; Borji, M.; Khalkhali, A.; Habibdoust, A.

2008-01-01

Three-dimensional heat transfer characteristics and pressure drop of water flow in a set of rectangular microchannels are numerically investigated using Fluent and compared with those of experimental results. Two metamodels based on the evolved group method of data handling (GMDH) type neural networks are then obtained for modelling of both pressure drop (ΔP) and Nusselt number (Nu) with respect to design variables such as geometrical parameters of microchannels, the amount of heat flux and the Reynolds number. Using such obtained polynomial neural networks, multi-objective genetic algorithms (GAs) (non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, NSGA-II) with a new diversity preserving mechanism is then used for Pareto based optimization of microchannels considering two conflicting objectives such as (ΔP) and (Nu). It is shown that some interesting and important relationships as useful optimal design principles involved in the performance of microchannels can be discovered by Pareto based multi-objective optimization of the obtained polynomial metamodels representing their heat transfer and flow characteristics. Such important optimal principles would not have been obtained without the use of both GMDH type neural network modelling and the Pareto optimization approach

Heat Rejection from a Variable Conductance Heat Pipe Radiator Panel

Science.gov (United States)

Jaworske, D. A.; Gibson, M. A.; Hervol, D. S.

2012-01-01

A titanium-water heat pipe radiator having an innovative proprietary evaporator configuration was evaluated in a large vacuum chamber equipped with liquid nitrogen cooled cold walls. The radiator was manufactured by Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT), Lancaster, PA, and delivered as part of a Small Business Innovative Research effort. The radiator panel consisted of five titanium-water heat pipes operating as thermosyphons, sandwiched between two polymer matrix composite face sheets. The five variable conductance heat pipes were purposely charged with a small amount of non-condensable gas to control heat flow through the condenser. Heat rejection was evaluated over a wide range of inlet water temperature and flow conditions, and heat rejection was calculated in real-time utilizing a data acquisition system programmed with the Stefan-Boltzmann equation. Thermography through an infra-red transparent window identified heat flow across the panel. Under nominal operation, a maximum heat rejection value of over 2200 Watts was identified. The thermal vacuum evaluation of heat rejection provided critical information on understanding the radiator s performance, and in steady state and transient scenarios provided useful information for validating current thermal models in support of the Fission Power Systems Project.

Effects of microchannel confinement on acoustic vaporisation of ultrasound phase change contrast agents

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Shengtao; Zhang, Ge; Hau Leow, Chee; Tang, Meng-Xing

2017-09-01

The sub-micron phase change contrast agent (PCCA) composed of a perfluorocarbon liquid core can be activated into gaseous state and form stable echogenic microbubbles for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging. It has shown great promise in imaging microvasculature, tumour microenvironment, and cancer cells. Although PCCAs have been extensively studied for different diagnostic and therapeutic applications, the effect of biologically geometrical confinement on the acoustic vaporisation of PCCAs is still not clear. We have investigated the difference in PCCA-produced ultrasound contrast enhancement after acoustic activation with and without a microvessel confinement on a microchannel phantom. The experimental results indicated more than one-order of magnitude less acoustic vaporisation in a microchannel than that in a free environment taking into account the attenuation effect of the vessel on the microbubble scattering. This may provide an improved understanding in the applications of PCCAs in vivo.

Experimental and numerical investigations of ionic liquid-aqueous flow in microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qi; Tsaoulidis, Dimitrios; Angeli, Panagiota

2015-11-01

The hydrodynamic characteristics of plug flow of an ionic liquid-aqueous two-phase system in a microchannel were studied experimentally and numerically. A mixture of 0.2M N-octyl(plenyl)-N,N-diisobutylcarbamoylmethyphosphine oxide (CMOP)- 1.2 M Tri-n-butylphosphate (TBP) in room temperature ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]amide ([C4min][NTf2]), and a nitric acid solution of 1M were chosen. These fluids are relevant Eu(III) separation by extraction from nitric acid solutions. The two liquid phases were introduced into microchannels of 0.2 and 0.5mm internal diameter through a T-junction inlet. The flow pattern was visualized during plug formation at the inlet section and further downstream by means by bright field planar micro-Particle Image Velocimetry. Key features of plug flow, such as plug velocity, film thickness, plug length and recirculation intensity were measured under various experimental conditions. To gain further understanding of the 3-D flow field, Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations approach were also conducted.

Numerical simulation of electroosmotic flow in rough microchannels using the lattice Poisson-Nernst-Planck methods

Science.gov (United States)

Kamali, Reza; Soloklou, Mohsen Nasiri; Hadidi, Hooman

2018-05-01

In this study, coupled Lattice Boltzmann method is applied to solve the dynamic model for an electroosmotic flow and investigate the effects of roughness in a 2-D flat microchannel. In the present model, the Poisson equation is solved for the electrical potential, the Nernst- Planck equation is solved for the ion concentration. In the analysis of electroosmotic flows, when the electric double layers fully overlap or the convective effects are not negligible, the Nernst-Planck equation must be used to find the ionic distribution throughout the microchannel. The effects of surface roughness height, roughness interval spacing and roughness surface potential on flow conditions are investigated for two different configurations of the roughness, when the EDL layers fully overlap through the microchannel. The results show that in both arrangements of roughness in homogeneously charged rough channels, the flow rate decreases by increasing the roughness height. A discrepancy in the mass flow rate is observed when the roughness height is about 0.15 of the channel width, which its average is higher for the asymmetric configuration and this difference grows by increasing the roughness height. In the symmetric roughness arrangement, the mass flow rate increases until the roughness interval space is almost 1.5 times the roughness width and it decreases for higher values of the roughness interval space. For the heterogeneously charged rough channel, when the roughness surface potential ψr is less than channel surface potential ψs , the net charge density increases by getting far from the roughness surface, while in the opposite situation, when ψs is more than ψr , the net charge density decreases from roughness surface to the microchannel middle center. Increasing the roughness surface potential induces stronger electric driving force on the fluid which results in larger velocities in the flow.

The selective flow of volatile organic compounds in conductive polymer-coated microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Hossein-Babaei, Faramarz; Hooshyar Zare, Ali

2017-02-01

Many gaseous markers of critical biological, physicochemical, or industrial occurrences are masked by the cross-sensitivity of the sensors to the other active components present at higher concentrations. Here, we report the strongly selective diffusion and drift of contaminant molecules in air-filled conductive polymer-coated microfluidic channels for the first time. Monitoring the passage of different target molecules through microchannels coated with Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) revealed that contaminants such as hexane, benzene, and CO pass through the channel unaffected by the coating while methanol, ethanol, and partly acetone are blocked. The observations are explained with reference to the selective interactions between the conductive polymer surface and target gas molecules amplified by the large wall/volume ratio in microchannels. The accumulated quantitative data point at the hydrogen bonding as the mechanism of wall adsorption; dipole-dipole interactions are relatively insignificant. The presented model facilitates a better understanding of how the conductive polymer-based chemical sensors operate.

Calculating and optimizing inter-electrode capacitances of charge division microchannel plate detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xing, Yan [Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Chen, Bo, E-mail: chenb@ciomp.ac.cn [Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); Zhang, Hong-Ji; Wang, Hai-Feng; He, Ling-Ping [Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); Jin, Fang-Yuan [Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130033 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China)

2016-04-01

Based on the principle of charge division microchannel plate detectors, the inter-electrode capacitances of charge division anodes which are related to electronic noise of the charge sensitive amplifier and crosstalk effect of the anode are presented. Under all the requirements of charge division microchannel plate detectors such as the imaging linearity and spatial resolution, decreasing the inter-electrode capacitances is one way to improve the imaging performance. In this paper, we illustrate the simulation process of calculating the inter-electrode capacitances. Moreover, a Wedge and Strip (WSZ) anode is fabricated with the picosecond laser micromachining process. Comparing the simulated capacitances and measured capacitances, the three-dimensional finite element method is proved to be valid. Furthermore, by adjusting the design parameters of the anode, the effects of the substrate permittivity, insulation width and the size of pitch on the inter-electrode capacitances have been analysed. The structure of the charge division anode has been optimized based on the simulation data.

Glucose Fuel Cells with a MicroChannel Fabricated on Flexible Polyimide Film

Science.gov (United States)

Sano, Ryohei; Fukushi, Yudai; Sasaki, Tsubasa; Mogi, Hiroshi; Koide, Syohei; Ikoma, Ryuta; Akatsuka, Wataru; Tsujimura, Seiya; Nishioka, Yasushiro

2013-12-01

In this work, a glucose fuel cell was fabricated using microfabrication processes assigned for microelectromechanical systems. The fuel cell was equipped with a microchannel to flow an aqueous solution of glucose. The cell was fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate, and its porous carbon-coated aluminum (Al) electrodes of 2.8 mm in width and 11 mm in length were formed using photolithography and screen printing techniques. Porous carbon was deposited by screen printing of carbon black ink on the Al electrode surfaces in order to increase the effective electrode surface area and to absorb more enzymes on the electrode surfaces. The microchannel with a depth of 200 μm was fabricated using a hot embossing technique. A maximum power of 0.45 μW at 0.5 V that corresponds to a power density of 1.45 μW/cm2 was realized by introducing a 200 mM concentrated glucose solution at room temperature.

Glucose Fuel Cells with a MicroChannel Fabricated on Flexible Polyimide Film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sano, Ryohei; Fukushi, Yudai; Sasaki, Tsubasa; Mogi, Hiroshi; Koide, Syohei; Ikoma, Ryuta; Nishioka, Yasushiro; Akatsuka, Wataru; Tsujimura, Seiya

2013-01-01

In this work, a glucose fuel cell was fabricated using microfabrication processes assigned for microelectromechanical systems. The fuel cell was equipped with a microchannel to flow an aqueous solution of glucose. The cell was fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate, and its porous carbon-coated aluminum (Al) electrodes of 2.8 mm in width and 11 mm in length were formed using photolithography and screen printing techniques. Porous carbon was deposited by screen printing of carbon black ink on the Al electrode surfaces in order to increase the effective electrode surface area and to absorb more enzymes on the electrode surfaces. The microchannel with a depth of 200 μm was fabricated using a hot embossing technique. A maximum power of 0.45 μW at 0.5 V that corresponds to a power density of 1.45 μW/cm 2 was realized by introducing a 200 mM concentrated glucose solution at room temperature

Distribution of Evaporating CO2 in Parallel Microchannels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brix, Wiebke; Elmegaard, Brian

2008-01-01

The impact on the heat exchanger performance due to maldistribution of evaporating CO2 in parallel channels is investigated numerically. A 1D steady state simulation model of a microchannel evaporator is built using correlations from the literature to calculate frictional pressure drop and heat...... transfer coefficients. For two channels in parallel two different cases of maldistribution are studied. Firstly, the impact of a non-uniform air flow is considered, and secondly the impact of maldistribution of the two phases in the inlet manifold is investigated. The results for both cases are compared...

Manufacturing routes for stainless steel first wall panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bucci, Ph.; Federzoni, L.; Le Marois, G.; Lorenzetto, P.

2001-01-01

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) techniques are being considered in the European Home Team as one of the fabrication routes to produce ITER-FEAT primary first wall panels (PFWP). To demonstrate the potential and the availability of such techniques, material development, innovative mock-up fabrications and numerical modeling for the production of near-net shape components are currently been studied by CEA/CEREM in collaboration with the EFDA-CSU Garching. The aim of this work is to investigate the manufacturing feasibility of advanced PFWP concepts, with reduced pitch between FW cooling channels and reduced material thickness between the FW cooling channels and the front surface, in order to improve the thermal fatigue performance of these concepts. In order to select the best fabrication route, two different manufacturing methods based on the HIP process are being considered. The first one consists in manufacturing of the first wall panel by a HIP forming technique. Mock-ups are made of a serpentine tube expanded into a proper matrix. 2-D computer modeling has been performed to estimate the serpentine deformation. The second manufacturing route is based on the powder HIP technique. Mock-ups have been made of a serpentine embedded into SS powder. In both cases, the objective was to obtain the minimum pitch between the stainless steel (SS) tubes and between the SS tubes and the front face

Single-phase liquid flow forced convection under a nearly uniform heat flux boundary condition in microchannels

KAUST Repository

Lee, Man

2012-02-22

A microchannel heat sink, integrated with pressure and temperature microsensors, is utilized to study single-phase liquid flow forced convection under a uniform heat flux boundary condition. Utilizing a waferbond-and-etch- back technology, the heat source, temperature and pressure sensors are encapsulated in a thin composite membrane capping the microchannels, thus allowing experimentally good control of the thermal boundary conditions. A three-dimensional physical model has been constructed to facilitate numerical simulations of the heat flux distribution. The results indicate that upstream the cold working fluid absorbs heat, while, within the current operating conditions, downstream the warmer working fluid releases heat. The Nusselt number is computed numerically and compared with experimental and analytical results. The wall Nusselt number in a microchannel can be estimated using classical analytical solutions only over a limited range of the Reynolds number, Re: both the top and bottom Nusselt numbers approach 4 for Re < 1, while the top and bottom Nusselt numbers approach 0 and 5.3, respectively, for Re > 100. The experimentally estimated Nusselt number for forced convection is highly sensitive to the location of the temperature measurements used in calculating the Nusselt number. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Single-phase liquid flow forced convection under a nearly uniform heat flux boundary condition in microchannels

KAUST Repository

Lee, Man; Lee, Yi-Kuen; Zohar, Yitshak

2012-01-01

A microchannel heat sink, integrated with pressure and temperature microsensors, is utilized to study single-phase liquid flow forced convection under a uniform heat flux boundary condition. Utilizing a waferbond-and-etch- back technology, the heat source, temperature and pressure sensors are encapsulated in a thin composite membrane capping the microchannels, thus allowing experimentally good control of the thermal boundary conditions. A three-dimensional physical model has been constructed to facilitate numerical simulations of the heat flux distribution. The results indicate that upstream the cold working fluid absorbs heat, while, within the current operating conditions, downstream the warmer working fluid releases heat. The Nusselt number is computed numerically and compared with experimental and analytical results. The wall Nusselt number in a microchannel can be estimated using classical analytical solutions only over a limited range of the Reynolds number, Re: both the top and bottom Nusselt numbers approach 4 for Re < 1, while the top and bottom Nusselt numbers approach 0 and 5.3, respectively, for Re > 100. The experimentally estimated Nusselt number for forced convection is highly sensitive to the location of the temperature measurements used in calculating the Nusselt number. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Asymmetry of blood flow and cancer cell adhesion in a microchannel with symmetric bifurcation and confluence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Takuji; Fujiwara, Hiroki; Matsuki, Noriaki; Yoshimoto, Takefumi; Imai, Yohsuke; Ueno, Hironori; Yamaguchi, Takami

2011-02-01

Bifurcations and confluences are very common geometries in biomedical microdevices. Blood flow at microchannel bifurcations has different characteristics from that at confluences because of the multiphase properties of blood. Using a confocal micro-PIV system, we investigated the behaviour of red blood cells (RBCs) and cancer cells in microchannels with geometrically symmetric bifurcations and confluences. The behaviour of RBCs and cancer cells was strongly asymmetric at bifurcations and confluences whilst the trajectories of tracer particles in pure water were almost symmetric. The cell-free layer disappeared on the inner wall of the bifurcation but increased in size on the inner wall of the confluence. Cancer cells frequently adhered to the inner wall of the bifurcation but rarely to other locations. Because the wall surface coating and the wall shear stress were almost symmetric for the bifurcation and the confluence, the result indicates that not only chemical mediation and wall shear stress but also microscale haemodynamics play important roles in the adhesion of cancer cells to the microchannel walls. These results provide the fundamental basis for a better understanding of blood flow and cell adhesion in biomedical microdevices.

Mathematical modelling of liquid meniscus shape in cylindrical micro-channel for normal and micro gravity conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Marchuk, Igor; Lyulin, Yuriy

2017-10-01

Mathematical model of liquid meniscus shape in cylindrical micro-channel of the separator unit of condensing/separating system is presented. Moving liquid meniscus in the 10 μm cylindrical microchannel is used as a liquid lock to recover the liquid obtained by condensation from the separators. The main goal of the liquid locks to prevent penetration of a gas phase in the liquid line at the small flow rate of the condensate and because of pressure fluctuations in the vapor-gas-liquid loop. Calculation of the meniscus shape has been performed for liquid FC-72 at different values of pressure difference gas - liquid and under normal and micro gravity conditions.

Amorphous silicon-based microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, Andrea; Riesen, Yannick; Wyrsch, Nicolas; Dunand, Sylvain; Powolny, François; Jarron, Pierre; Ballif, Christophe

2012-01-01

Microchannel plates (MCP) based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) were recently introduced to overcome some of the limitations of crystalline silicon and glass MCP. The typical thickness of a-Si:H based MCPs (AMCP) ranges between 80 and 100 μm and the micromachining of the channels is realized by deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). Advantages and issues regarding the fabrication process are presented and discussed. Electron amplification is demonstrated and analyzed using Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) technique. The gain increases as a function of the bias voltage, limited to −340 V on account of high leakage currents across the structure. EBIC maps on 10° tilted samples confirm that the device active area extend to the entire channel opening. AMCP characterization with the electron beam shows gain saturation and signal quenching which depends on the effectiveness of the charge replenishment in the channel walls.

Experimental and numerical analysis of air and radiant cooling systems in offices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Corgnati, S. P.; Perino, M.; Fracastoro, G. V.

2009-01-01

This paper analyses office cooling systems based on all air mixing ventilation systems alone or coupled with radiant ceiling panels. This last solution may be effectively applied to retrofit all air systems that are no longer able to maintain a suitable thermal comfort in the indoor environment, ...

Thermal stress analysis of space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and thermal protection system

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, William L.; Jenkins, Jerald M.

1987-01-01

Preflight thermal stress analysis of the space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and the thermal protection system (TPS) was performed. The heated skin panel analyzed was rectangular in shape and contained a small square cool region at its center. The wing skin immediately outside the cool region was found to be close to the state of elastic instability in the chordwise direction based on the conservative temperature distribution. The wing skin was found to be quite stable in the spanwise direction. The potential wing skin thermal instability was not severe enough to tear apart the strain isolation pad (SIP) layer. Also, the preflight thermal stress analysis was performed on the TPS tile under the most severe temperature gradient during the simulated reentry heating. The tensile thermal stress induced in the TPS tile was found to be much lower than the tensile strength of the TPS material. The thermal bending of the TPS tile was not severe enough to cause tearing of the SIP layer.

Experimental and Numerical Research of the Thermal Properties of a PCM Window Panel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Koláček

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the experimental and simulation analysis of a window system incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCMs. In this study, the latent heat storage material is exploited to increase the thermal mass of the building component. A PCM-filled window can increase the possibilities of storage energy from solar radiation and reduce the heating cooling demand. The presented measurements were performed on a specific window panel that integrates a PCM. The PCM window panel consists of four panes of safety glass with three gaps, of which the first one contains a prismatic glass, the second a krypton gas, and the last one a PCM. New PCM window panel technology uses the placement of the PCM in the whole space of the window cavity. This technology improves the thermal performance and storage mass of the window panel. The results show the incongruent melting of salt hydrates and the high thermal inertia of the PCM window panel. The simulation data showed that the PCM window panel and the double glazing panel markedly reduced the peak temperature on the interior surface, reduced the air temperature inside the room, and also considerably improved the thermal mass of the building. This means that the heat energy entering the building through the panel is reduced by 66% in the summer cycle.

Parametric Study on the Characteristics of Multiphase Laminar Flow with Density Difference in Various Microchannels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paek, Seung Ho; Kim, Dong Sung; Choi, Young Ki

2009-01-01

In this paper, we have performed a parametric study on the characteristics of multiphase laminar flow with density difference in various microchannels. The interface between multiphase fluids is rotated by the gravitational forces induced by density difference. The numerical simulations were carried out via commercial CFD package to study the characteristics of multiphase laminar flow. The results of the numerical simulations in this study were verified by comparing with the previously reported experimental results in the literature. We have also proposed a new dimensionless relationship between dimensionless rotation angle of interface and dimensionless parameters are proposed for square microchannels with various aspect ratios. The dimensionless relationship could be widely applied to the reliable design of various microfluidic devices dealing with multiphase laminar flow

A microchannel plate X-ray multiplier with rising-time less than 170 ps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Shicheng; Ouyang Bin

1987-01-01

The time reponse of a microchannel plate X-ray multiplier has been improved considerably by using a coupling construction of coaxial tapers. The experimental calibration results with laser plasma X-ray source show that the rising-time of the multiplier is less than 170 ps

Improved lifetime of microchannel-plate PMTs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehmann, A., E-mail: lehmann@physik.uni-erlangen.de [Physikalisches Institut IV, Friedrich Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen (Germany); Britting, A.; Eyrich, W.; Uhlig, F. [Physikalisches Institut IV, Friedrich Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen (Germany); Dzhygadlo, R.; Gerhardt, A.; Götzen, K.; Höhler, R.; Kalicy, G.; Kumawat, H.; Lehmann, D.; Lewandowski, B.; Patsyuk, M.; Peters, K.; Schepers, G.; Schmitt, L.; Schwarz, C.; Schwiening, J.; Traxler, M.; Zühlsdorf, M. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); and others

2014-12-01

The charged particle identification at the PANDA experiment will be mainly performed with DIRC detectors. Because of their advantageous properties the preferred photon sensors are MCP-PMTs. However, until recently these devices showed serious aging problems which resulted in a diminishing quantum efficiency (QE) of the photo cathode. By applying innovative countermeasures against the aging causes, the manufacturers recently succeeded in drastically improving the lifetime of MCP-PMTs. Especially the application of an ALD coating technique to seal the material of the micro-channels proves very powerful and results in a lifetime of ≈6C/cm{sup 2} integrated anode charge without a substantial QE degradation for the latest PHOTONIS XP85112. This paper will present a comparative measurement of the lifetime of several older and recent MCP-PMTs demonstrating this progress.

Evaluating Economic and Environmental Aspects of Using Solar Panels on Multi-Angled Facades of Office Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hannoudi, Loay Akram; Lauring, Gert Michael; Christensen, Jørgen Erik

2017-01-01

This paper is concerned with using solar panels as high-tech cladding materials on multi-angled facades for office buildings. The energy produced by the solar panels will be consumed inside the office rooms by cooling compressors, ventilation, lighting and office equipment. Each multi-angled facade...... unit is directed into two different orientations on a vertical axis (right and left), but not tilted up and down. The different facade orientations will optimize the use of solar radiation to produce the needed energy from the solar panels when placing them on the parapets of these facades......, PVBAT to calculate the cost of the electricity produced by the solar panels and evaluate the total amount of energy produced from these panels along with the ratio to the energy bought directly from the electricity grid. There is also an environmental evaluation for the system by calculating the CO2...

Localized electric field induced transition and miniaturization of two-phase flow patterns inside microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Abhinav; Tiwari, Vijeet; Kumar, Vineet; Mandal, Tapas Kumar; Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar

2014-10-01

Strategic application of external electrostatic field on a pressure-driven two-phase flow inside a microchannel can transform the stratified or slug flow patterns into droplets. The localized electrohydrodynamic stress at the interface of the immiscible liquids can engender a liquid-dielectrophoretic deformation, which disrupts the balance of the viscous, capillary, and inertial forces of a pressure-driven flow to engender such flow morphologies. Interestingly, the size, shape, and frequency of the droplets can be tuned by varying the field intensity, location of the electric field, surface properties of the channel or fluids, viscosity ratio of the fluids, and the flow ratio of the phases. Higher field intensity with lower interfacial tension is found to facilitate the oil droplet formation with a higher throughput inside the hydrophilic microchannels. The method is successful in breaking down the regular pressure-driven flow patterns even when the fluid inlets are exchanged in the microchannel. The simulations identify the conditions to develop interesting flow morphologies, such as (i) an array of miniaturized spherical or hemispherical or elongated oil drops in continuous water phase, (ii) "oil-in-water" microemulsion with varying size and shape of oil droplets. The results reported can be of significance in improving the efficiency of multiphase microreactors where the flow patterns composed of droplets are preferred because of the availability of higher interfacial area for reactions or heat and mass exchange. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Flow Boiling in a Micro-Channel Coated With Carbon Nanotubes

OpenAIRE

Khanikar, Vikash; Mudawar, Issam; Fisher, Timothy

2009-01-01

This study examines the heat transfer enhancement attributes of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) applied to the bottom wall of a shallow rectangular micro-channel. Using deionized water as working fluid, experiments were performed with both a bare copper bottom wall and a CNT-coated copper wall. Boiling curves were generated for both walls, aided by high-speed video analysis of interfacial features. CNT arrays promoted earlier, abundant and intense bubble nucleation at low mass velocities, consistent ...

Optimal Design of Silicon-based Chips for Piezo-induced Ultrasound Resonances in Embedded Microchannels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garofalo, F.; Laurell, T.; Bruus, Henrik

2015-01-01

constituting the device (the piezo transducer, the silicon walls, the fluid-filled microchannel, and the glass lid) allows for the introduction of the weak formulation used in the finite element discretization of the equations describing the system in its oscillatory regime. Additionally, the knowledge...... of the Lagrangian density leads to the derivation of the correct structure of the Hamiltonian density, i.e. the energy density, which is important for the quantification of the energy content of the whole system and its individual parts. Specifically, the energy content of the embedded microchannel is quantified...... by means of the acoustofluidic yield η defined as the ratio between the energy in the channel and the total energy. From the standpoint of acoustophoretic application, the introduction of the acoustophoretic mean orientation allows us to identify the frequencies for which an acoustophoretic effect, i...

Hydrodynamic dispersion in a combined magnetohydrodynamic- electroosmotic-driven flow through a microchannel with slowly varying wall zeta potentials

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas, C.; Arcos, J.; Bautista, O.; Méndez, F.

2017-09-01

The effective dispersion coefficient of a neutral solute in the combined electroosmotic (EO) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)-driven flow of a Newtonian fluid through a parallel flat plate microchannel is studied. The walls of the microchannel are assumed to have modulated and low zeta potentials that vary slowly in the axial direction in a sinusoidal manner. The flow field required to obtain the dispersion coefficient is solved using the lubrication approximation theory. The solution of the electrical potential is based on the Debye-Hückel approximation for a symmetric (Z :Z ) electrolyte solution. The EO and MHD effects, together with the variations in the zeta potentials of the walls, are observed to notably modify the axial distribution of the effective dispersion coefficient. The problem is formulated for two cases of the zeta potential function. Note that the dispersion coefficient primarily depends on the Hartmann number, on the ratio of the half height of the microchannel to the Debye length, and on the assumed variation in the zeta potentials of the walls.

Synthesis of Rh/Macro-Porous Alumina Over Micro-Channel Plate and Its Catalytic Activity Tests for Diesel Reforming.

Science.gov (United States)

Seong, Yeon Baek; Kim, Yong Sul; Park, No-Kuk; Lee, Tae Jin

2015-11-01

Macro-porous Al2O3 as the catalytic support material was synthesized using colloidal polystyrene spheres over a micro-channel plate. The colloidal polystyrene spheres were used as a template for the production of an ordered macro porous material using an alumina nitrate solution as the precursor for Al2O3. The close-packed colloidal crystal array template method was applied to the formulation of ordered macro-porous Al2O3 used as a catalytic support material over a micro-channel plate. The solvent in the mixture solution, which also contained the colloidal polystyrene solution, aluminum nitrate solution and the precursor of the catalytic active materials (Rh), was evaporated in a vacuum oven at 50 degrees C. The ordered polystyrene spheres and aluminum salt of the solid state were deposited over a micro channel plate, and macro-porous Al2O3 was formed after calcination at 600 degrees C to remove the polystyrene spheres. The catalytic activity of the Rh/macro-porous alumina supported over the micro-channel plate was tested for diesel reforming.

VOF Modeling and Analysis of the Segmented Flow in Y-Shaped Microchannels for Microreactor Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xian Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Microscaled devices receive great attention in microreactor systems for producing high renewable energy due to higher surface-to-volume, higher transport rates (heat or/and mass transfer rates, and other advantages over conventional-size reactors. In this paper, the two-phase liquid-liquid flow in a microchannel with various Y-shaped junctions has been studied numerically. Two kinds of immiscible liquids were injected into a microchannel from the Y-shaped junctions to generate the segment flow mode. The segment length was studied. The volume of fluid (VOF method was used to track the liquid-liquid interface and the piecewise-liner interface construction (PLIC technique was adopted to get a sharp interface. The interfacial tension was simulated with continuum surface force (CSF model and the wall adhesion boundary condition was taken into consideration. The simulated flow pattern presents consistence with our experimental one. The numerical results show that a segmented flow mode appears in the main channel. Under the same inlet velocities of two liquids, the segment lengths of the two liquids are the same and depend on the inclined angles of two lateral channels. The effect of inlet velocity is studied in a typical T-shaped microchannel. It is found that the ratio between the lengths of two liquids is almost equal to the ratio between their inlet velocities.

A Flexible Ascorbic Acid Fuel Cell with a Microchannel Fabricated using MEMS Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Mogi, Hiroshi; Fukushi, Yudai; Koide, Syohei; Sano, Ryohei; Sasaki, Tsubasa; Nishioka, Yasushiro

2013-12-01

We fabricated a miniature ascorbic acid fuel cells equipped with a microchannel for the circulation of ascorbic acid (AA) solution using micro electronic mechanical system techniques. The fuel cell was fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate, and its porous carbon-coated aluminium (Al) electrodes of 2.8 mm in width and 11 mm in length were formed using photolithography and screen-printing techniques. The porous carbon was deposited by screen-printing of carbon-black ink on the Al electrode surfaces in order to increase the effective electrode surface area and to absorb more enzymes on the cathode surface. The microchannel with a depth of 200 μm was fabricated using a hot-embossing technique. A maximum power of 0.60 μW at 0.58 V that corresponds to a power density of 1.83 μW/cm2 was realized by introducing a 200 mM concentrated AA solution at room temperature.

Continuous particle separation in a serpentine microchannel via negative and positive dielectrophoretic focusing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Church, Christopher; Zhu, Junjie; Nieto, Juan; Keten, Gyunay; Ibarra, Erl; Xuan, Xiangchun

2010-01-01

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been widely used to focus and separate cells and particles in microfluidic devices. This work first demonstrates negative and positive dielectrophoretic focusing of particles in a serpentine microchannel by changing only the electric conductivity of the suspending fluid. Due to the channel turn-induced dielectrophoretic force, particles are focused to either the centerline or the sidewalls of the channel when their electric conductivity is lower (i.e. negative DEP) or higher (i.e. positive DEP) than that of the fluid. These distinctive dielectrophoretic focusing phenomena in a serpentine microchannel are then combined to implement a continuous separation between particles of different sizes and electric conductivities. Such separation eliminates the fabrication of in-channel microelectrodes or micro-insulators that are typically required in DEP-based separation techniques. A numerical model is also developed to predict the particle motion, and the simulation results agree reasonably with the observed particle focusing and separation behaviors.

Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation on gain saturation effect of microchannel plate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Qiangqiang; Yuan, Zheng; Cao, Zhurong, E-mail: cao33jin@aliyun.com; Deng, Bo; Chen, Tao; Deng, Keli [Research Center of Laser Fusion, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621900 (China)

2016-07-15

We present here the results of the simulation work, using the three-dimensional particle-in-cell method, on the performance of the lead glass microchannel plate under saturated state. We calculated the electron cascade process with different DC bias voltages under both self-consistent condition and non-self-consistent condition. The comparative results have demonstrated that the strong self-consistent field can suppress the cascade process and make the microchannel plate saturated. The simulation results were also compared to the experimental data and good agreement was obtained. The simulation results also show that the electron multiplication process in the channel is accompanied by the buildup process of positive charges in the channel wall. Though the interactions among the secondary electron cloud in the channel, the positive charges in the channel wall, and the external acceleration field can make the electron-surface collision more frequent, the collision energy will be inevitably reduced, thus the electron gain will also be reduced.

Numerical Study of Surfactant Dynamics during Emulsification in a T-Junction Microchannel.

Science.gov (United States)

Riaud, Antoine; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Xueying; Wang, Kai; Luo, Guangsheng

2018-04-18

Microchannel emulsification requires large amounts of surfactant to prevent coalescence and improve emulsions lifetime. However, most numerical studies have considered surfactant-free mixtures as models for droplet formation in microchannels, without taking into account the distribution of surfactant on the droplet surface. In this paper, we investigate the effects of nonuniform surfactant coverage on the microfluidic flow pattern using an extended lattice-Boltzmann model. This numerical study, supported by micro-particle image velocimetry experiments, reveals the likelihood of uneven distribution of surfactant during the droplet formation and the appearance of a stagnant cap. The Marangoni effect affects the droplet breakup by increasing the shear rate. According to our results, surfactant-free and surfactant-rich droplet formation processes are qualitatively different, such that both the capillary number and the Damköhler number should be considered when modeling the droplet generation in microfluidic devices. The limitations of traditional volume and pressure estimation methods for determining the dynamic interfacial tension are also discussed on the basis of the simulation results.

Comparison of radiant and convective cooling of office room: effect of workstation layout

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Melikov, Arsen Krikor; Rezgals, Lauris

2014-01-01

and compared. The room was furnished with two workstations, two laptops and two thermal manikins resembling occupants. Two heat load levels, design (65 W/m2) and usual (39 W/m2), were generated by adding heat from warm panels simulating solar radiation. Two set-ups were studied: occupants sitting......The impact of heat source location (room layout) on the thermal environment generated in a double office room with four cooling ventilation systems - overhead ventilation, chilled ceiling with overhead ventilation, active chilled beam and active chilled beam with radiant panels was measured...

Thermal Conditions in a Simulated Office Environment with Convective and Radiant Cooling Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mustakallio, Panu; Bolashikov, Zhecho Dimitrov; Kostov, Kalin

2013-01-01

velocity and turbulent intensity were measured and draft rate levels calculated in the room. Manikin-based equivalent temperature (MBET) was determined by two thermal manikins to identify the impact of the local thermal conditions generated by the studied systems on occupants’ thermal comfort. The results......The thermal conditions in a two person office room were measured with four air conditioning systems: chilled beam (CB), chilled beam with radiant panel (CBR), chilled ceiling with ceiling installed mixing ventilation (CCMV) and four desk partition mounted local radiant cooling panels with mixing...

Antiproton, positron, and electron imaging with a microchannel plate/phosphor detector

CERN Document Server

Andresen, G B; Bowe, P D; Bray, C; Butler, E; Cesar, C L; Chapman, S; Charlton, M; Fajans, J; Fujiwara, M C; Gill, D R; Hangst, J S; Hardy, W N; Hayano, R S; Hayden, M E; Humphries, A J; Hydomako, R; Jørgensen, L V; Kerrigan, S J; Kurchaninov, L; Lambo, R; Madsen, N; Nolan, P; Olchanski, K; Olin, A; Povilus, A; Pusa, P; Sarid, E; Seif El Nasr, S; Silveira, D M; Storey, J W; Thompson, R I; van der Werf, D P; Yamazaki, Y

2009-01-01

A microchannel plate (MCP)/phosphor screen assembly has been used to destructively measure the radial profile of cold, confined antiprotons, electrons, and positrons in the ALPHA experiment, with the goal of using these trapped particles for antihydrogen creation and confinement. The response of the MCP to low energy (10-200 eV, <1 eV spread) antiproton extractions is compared to that of electrons and positrons.

Coupling between electroosmotically driven flow and bipolar faradaic depolarization processes in electron-conducting microchannels

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Qian, S.Z.; Duval, J.F.L.

2006-01-01

A quantitative theory is proposed for the analysis of steady electroosmotically driven flows within conducting cylindrical microchannels. Beyond a threshold value of the electric field applied in the electrolyte Solution and parallel to the conducting surface, electrochemical oxidation and reduction

Pricing the urban cooling benefits of solar panel deployment in Sydney, Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, S; Goldstein, M; Pitman, A J; Haghdadi, N; MacGill, I

2017-03-06

Cities import energy, which in combination with their typically high solar absorption and low moisture availability generates the urban heat island effect (UHI). The UHI, combined with human-induced warming, makes our densely populated cities particularly vulnerable to climate change. We examine the utility of solar photovoltaic (PV) system deployment on urban rooftops to reduce the UHI, and we price one potential value of this impact. The installation of PV systems over Sydney, Australia reduces summer maximum temperatures by up to 1 °C because the need to import energy is offset by local generation. This offset has a direct environmental benefit, cooling local maximum temperatures, but also a direct economic value in the energy generated. The indirect benefit associated with the temperature changes is between net AUD$230,000 and $3,380,000 depending on the intensity of PV systems deployment. Therefore, even very large PV installations will not offset global warming, but could generate enough energy to negate the need to import energy, and thereby reduce air temperatures. The energy produced, and the benefits of cooling beyond local PV installation sites, would reduce the vulnerability of urban populations and infrastructure to temperature extremes.

Pricing the urban cooling benefits of solar panel deployment in Sydney, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, S.; Goldstein, M.; Pitman, A. J.; Haghdadi, N.; MacGill, I.

2017-01-01

Cities import energy, which in combination with their typically high solar absorption and low moisture availability generates the urban heat island effect (UHI). The UHI, combined with human-induced warming, makes our densely populated cities particularly vulnerable to climate change. We examine the utility of solar photovoltaic (PV) system deployment on urban rooftops to reduce the UHI, and we price one potential value of this impact. The installation of PV systems over Sydney, Australia reduces summer maximum temperatures by up to 1 °C because the need to import energy is offset by local generation. This offset has a direct environmental benefit, cooling local maximum temperatures, but also a direct economic value in the energy generated. The indirect benefit associated with the temperature changes is between net AUD$230,000 and $3,380,000 depending on the intensity of PV systems deployment. Therefore, even very large PV installations will not offset global warming, but could generate enough energy to negate the need to import energy, and thereby reduce air temperatures. The energy produced, and the benefits of cooling beyond local PV installation sites, would reduce the vulnerability of urban populations and infrastructure to temperature extremes. PMID:28262843

Design of multi-megawatt actively cooled beam dumps for the Neutral-Beam Engineering Test Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paterson, J.A.; Koehler, G.; Wells, R.P.

1981-10-01

The Neutral Beam Engineering Test Facility will test Neutral Beam Sources up to 170 keV, 65 Amps, with 30 second beam-on times. For this application actively cooled beam dumps for both the neutral and ionized particles will be required. The dumps will be able to dissipate a wide range of power density profiles by utilizing a standard modular panel design which is incorporated into a moveable support structure. The thermal hydraulic design of the panels permit the dissipation of 2 kW/cm 2 anywhere on the panel surface. The water requirements of the dumps are optimized by restricting the flow to panel sections where the heat flux falls short of the design value. The mechanical design of the beam-dump structures is described along with tests performed on a prototype panel. The prototype tests were performed on two different panel designs, one manufactured by Mc Donnell Douglas (MDAC) the other by United Technologies (UT). The dissipation capabilities of the panels were tested at the critical regions to verify their use in the beam dump assemblies

Development and testing of aluminum micro channel heat sink

Science.gov (United States)

Kumaraguruparan, G.; Sornakumar, T.

2010-06-01

Microchannel heat sinks constitute an innovative cooling technology for the removal of a large amount of heat from a small area and are suitable for electronics cooling. In the present work, Tool Steel D2 grade milling slitting saw type plain milling cutter is fabricated The microchannels are machined in aluminum work pieces to form the microchannel heat sink using the fabricated milling cutter in an horizontal milling machine. A new experimental set-up is fabricated to conduct the tests on the microchannel heat sink. The heat carried by the water increases with mass flow rate and heat input. The heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number increases with mass flow rate and increased heat input. The pressure drop increases with Reynolds number and decreases with input heat. The friction factor decreases with Reynolds number and decreases with input heat. The thermal resistance decreases with pumping power and decreases with input heat.

Modeling and performance of the MHTGR [Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor] reactor cavity cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conklin, J.C.

1990-04-01

The Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) of the Modular High- Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (MHTGR) proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy is designed to remove the nuclear afterheat passively in the event that neither the heat transport system nor the shutdown cooling circulator subsystem is available. A computer dynamic simulation for the physical and mathematical modeling of and RCCS is described here. Two conclusions can be made form computations performed under the assumption of a uniform reactor vessel temperature. First, the heat transferred across the annulus from the reactor vessel and then to ambient conditions is very dependent on the surface emissivities of the reactor vessel and RCCS panels. These emissivities should be periodically checked to ensure the safety function of the RCCS. Second, the heat transfer from the reactor vessel is reduced by a maximum of 10% by the presence of steam at 1 atm in the reactor cavity annulus for an assumed constant in the transmission of radiant energy across the annulus can be expected to result in an increase in the reactor vessel temperature for the MHTGR. Further investigation of participating radiation media, including small particles, in the reactor cavity annulus is warranted. 26 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab

Solar panels for the International Space Station are uncrated and moved in the SSPF

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

In the Space Station Processing Facility, a worker (left) guides the lifting of solar panels for the International Space Station (ISS). The panels are the first set of U.S.-provided solar arrays and batteries for ISS, scheduled to be part of mission STS-97 in December 1999. The mission, fifth in the U.S. flights for construction of ISS, will build and enhance the capabilities of the Space Station. It will deliver the solar panels as well as radiators to provide cooling. The Shuttle will spend 5 days docked to the station, which at that time will be staffed by the first station crew. Two space walks will be conducted to complete assembly operations while the arrays are attached and unfurled. A communications system for voice and telemetry also will be installed.

Eulerian-Eulerian two-phase numerical simulation of nanofluid laminar forced convection in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalteh, Mohammad; Abbassi, Abbas; Saffar-Avval, Majid; Harting, Jens

2011-01-01

In this paper, laminar forced convection heat transfer of a copper-water nanofluid inside an isothermally heated microchannel is studied numerically. An Eulerian two-fluid model is considered to simulate the nanofluid flow inside the microchannel and the governing mass, momentum and energy equations for both phases are solved using the finite volume method. For the first time, the detailed study of the relative velocity and temperature of the phases are presented and it has been observed that the relative velocity and temperature between the phases is very small and negligible and the nanoparticle concentration distribution is uniform. However, the two-phase modeling results show higher heat transfer enhancement in comparison to the homogeneous single-phase model. Also, the heat transfer enhancement increases with increase in Reynolds number and nanoparticle volume concentration as well as with decrease in the nanoparticle diameter, while the pressure drop increases only slightly.

Method for producing components with internal architectures, such as micro-channel reactors, via diffusion bonding sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Alman, David E [Corvallis, OR; Wilson, Rick D [Corvallis, OR; Davis, Daniel L [Albany, OR

2011-03-08

This invention relates to a method for producing components with internal architectures, and more particularly, this invention relates to a method for producing structures with microchannels via the use of diffusion bonding of stacked laminates. Specifically, the method involves weakly bonding a stack of laminates forming internal voids and channels with a first generally low uniaxial pressure and first temperature such that bonding at least between the asperites of opposing laminates occurs and pores are isolated in interfacial contact areas, followed by a second generally higher isostatic pressure and second temperature for final bonding. The method thereby allows fabrication of micro-channel devices such as heat exchangers, recuperators, heat-pumps, chemical separators, chemical reactors, fuel processing units, and combustors without limitation on the fin aspect ratio.

Verification test for helium panel of cryopump for DIII-D advanced divertor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baxi, C.B.; Laughon, G.J.; Langhorn, A.R.; Schaubel, K.M.; Smith, J.P.; Gootgeld, A.M.; Campbell, G.L.; Menon, M.M.

1992-01-01

It is planned to install a cryogenic pump in the lower divertor portion of the DIII-D tokamak with a pumping speed of 50000 ell/s and an exhaust of 2670 Pa-ell/s (20 Torr-ell/s). A coaxial counter flow configuration has been chosen for the helium panel of this cryogenic pump. This paper evaluates cool-down rates and fluid stability of this configuration. A prototypic test was performed at General Atomics (GA) to increase confidence in the design. It was concluded that the helium panel cooldown rate agreed quite well with analytical prediction and was within acceptable limits. The design flow rate proved stable and two-phase pressure drop can be predicted quite accurately

X-ray focusing with Wolter microchannel plate optics

CERN Document Server

Price, G J; Beijersbergen, M W; Fraser, G W; Bavdaz, M; Boutot, J P; Fairbend, R; Flyckt, S O; Peacock, A; Tomaselli, E

2002-01-01

Square-pore microchannel plate (MCP) X-ray optics of the 'lobster-eye' geometry have frequently been described in the literature. We have now investigated the use of a radial channel packing geometry which, in the context of an MCP pair slumped to the correct radii of curvature, can form a conic approximation to the Wolter Type I grazing incidence X-ray optic. Such an optic can provide a large effective area with very low mass and may be ideally suited for use in applications such as planetary imaging X-ray fluorescence. We present here the results of X-ray illumination of the first such optic, fabricated by Photonis SAS, France.

Experimental study of hydronic panels system and its environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diaz, Nestor Fonseca [University of Liege Belgium, Thermodynamics Laboratory, Campus du Sart Tilman, Bat: B49 - P33, B-4000 Liege (Belgium); Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica (Colombia)

2011-01-15

An experimental analysis of hydronic cooling or heating ceiling panels coupled to the building is present in this investigation as a part of the commissioning study of this system. Two test chambers are adapted in a way to reproduce the interaction of the system to the building (windows, internal thermal loads distribution, building structure and ventilation). A series of experimental tests were performed in which the main objective is to observe the influence of parameters such as the water mass flow rate, supply water temperature, thermal load distribution, window and ventilation system effects on the hydronic ceiling capacity and comfort conditions. Test results show that the influence of asymmetric surfaces temperatures inside the room, especially the window effect is not negligible. Then, it is clear that the cooling hydronic ceiling must be evaluated coupled to the building systems and structure. (author)

Experimental study of hydronic panels system and its environment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fonseca Diaz, Nestor, E-mail: nestorfonseca5@hotmail.co [University of Liege Belgium, Thermodynamics Laboratory, Campus du Sart Tilman, Bat: B49 - P33, B-4000 Liege (Belgium); Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica (Colombia)

2011-01-15

An experimental analysis of hydronic cooling or heating ceiling panels coupled to the building is present in this investigation as a part of the commissioning study of this system. Two test chambers are adapted in a way to reproduce the interaction of the system to the building (windows, internal thermal loads distribution, building structure and ventilation). A series of experimental tests were performed in which the main objective is to observe the influence of parameters such as the water mass flow rate, supply water temperature, thermal load distribution, window and ventilation system effects on the hydronic ceiling capacity and comfort conditions. Test results show that the influence of asymmetric surfaces temperatures inside the room, especially the window effect is not negligible. Then, it is clear that the cooling hydronic ceiling must be evaluated coupled to the building systems and structure.

Heater Chip with Different Microchannels Geometries for a Low Pressure Free Molecular Micro-Resistojet

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cordeiro Guerrieri, D.; de Athayde Costa e Silva, M.; Zandbergen, B.T.C.; Cervone, A.

2016-01-01

This paper presents a dynamic system approach for the modeling of fluid flow in microchannels to be used in thrust control applications. A micro-resistojet fabricated using MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) technology has been selected for the analysis. The device operates by vaporizing a liquid

Condensation in Microchannels

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ameel, Timothy

1999-01-01

Design of meso-scale energy systems, either for power production or heating/cooling, will require understanding of the thermodynamics of the proposed system as well as knowledge of the heat transfer...

Rapid on-site monitoring of Legionella pneumophila in cooling tower water using a portable microfluidic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Nobuyasu; Tokunaga, Yusuke; Goto, Satoko; Fujii, Yudai; Banno, Fumiya; Edagawa, Akiko

2017-06-08

Legionnaires' disease, predominantly caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, has increased in prevalence worldwide. The most common mode of transmission of Legionella is inhalation of contaminated aerosols, such as those generated by cooling towers. Simple, rapid and accurate methods to enumerate L. pneumophila are required to prevent the spread of this organism. Here, we applied a microfluidic device for on-chip fluorescent staining and semi-automated counting of L. pneumophila in cooling tower water. We also constructed a portable system for rapid on-site monitoring and used it to enumerate target bacterial cells rapidly flowing in the microchannel. A fluorescently-labelled polyclonal antibody was used for the selective detection of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 in the samples. The counts of L. pneumophila in cooling tower water obtained using the system and fluorescence microscopy were similar. The detection limit of the system was 10 4  cells/ml, but lower numbers of L. pneumophila cells (10 1 to 10 3  cells/ml) could be detected following concentration of 0.5-3 L of the water sample by filtration. Our technique is rapid to perform (1.5 h), semi-automated (on-chip staining and counting), and portable for on-site measurement, and it may therefore be effective in the initial screening of Legionella contamination in freshwater.

Enhancing heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks using converging flow passages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dehghan, Maziar; Daneshipour, Mahdi; Valipour, Mohammad Sadegh; Rafee, Roohollah; Saedodin, Seyfolah

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The fluid flow and conjugate heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks are studied. • The Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers are presented for width-tapered MCHS. • Converging walls are found to enhance the thermal performance of MCHS. • The optimum performance of MCHS for fixed inlet and outlet pressures is discussed. • For the optimum configuration, the pumping power is reduced up to 75%. - Abstract: Constrained fluid flow and conjugate heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks (MCHS) with converging channels are investigated using the finite volume method (FVM) in the laminar regime. The maximum pressure of the MCHS loop is assumed to be limited due to constructional or operational conditions. Results show that the Poiseuille number increases with increased tapering, while the required pumping power decreases. Meanwhile, the Nusselt number increases with tapering as well as the convection heat transfer coefficient. The MCHS having the optimum heat transfer performance is found to have a width-tapered ratio equal to 0.5. For this tapering configuration and at the maximum pressure constraint of 3000 Pa, the pumping power reduces by a factor of 4 while the overall heat removal rate is kept fixed in comparison with a straight channel

Slow waves in microchannel metal waveguides and application to particle acceleration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. C. Steinhauer

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Conventional metal-wall waveguides support waveguide modes with phase velocities exceeding the speed of light. However, for infrared frequencies and guide dimensions of a fraction of a millimeter, one of the waveguide modes can have a phase velocity equal to or less than the speed of light. Such a metal microchannel then acts as a slow-wave structure. Furthermore, if it is a transverse magnetic mode, the electric field has a component along the direction of propagation. Therefore, a strong exchange of energy can occur between a beam of charged particles and this slow-waveguide mode. Moreover, the energy exchange can be sustained over a distance limited only by the natural damping of the wave. This makes the microchannel metal waveguide an attractive possibility for high-gradient electron laser acceleration because the wave can be directly energized by a long-wavelength laser. Indeed the frequency of CO_{2} lasers lies at a fortuitous wavelength that produces a strong laser-particle interaction in a channel of reasonable macroscopic size (e.g., ∼0.6  mm. The dispersion properties including phase velocity and damping for the slow wave are developed. The performance and other issues related to laser accelerator applications are discussed.

Slow waves in microchannel metal waveguides and application to particle acceleration

Science.gov (United States)

Steinhauer, L. C.; Kimura, W. D.

2003-06-01

Conventional metal-wall waveguides support waveguide modes with phase velocities exceeding the speed of light. However, for infrared frequencies and guide dimensions of a fraction of a millimeter, one of the waveguide modes can have a phase velocity equal to or less than the speed of light. Such a metal microchannel then acts as a slow-wave structure. Furthermore, if it is a transverse magnetic mode, the electric field has a component along the direction of propagation. Therefore, a strong exchange of energy can occur between a beam of charged particles and this slow-waveguide mode. Moreover, the energy exchange can be sustained over a distance limited only by the natural damping of the wave. This makes the microchannel metal waveguide an attractive possibility for high-gradient electron laser acceleration because the wave can be directly energized by a long-wavelength laser. Indeed the frequency of CO2 lasers lies at a fortuitous wavelength that produces a strong laser-particle interaction in a channel of reasonable macroscopic size (e.g., ˜0.6 mm). The dispersion properties including phase velocity and damping for the slow wave are developed. The performance and other issues related to laser accelerator applications are discussed.

Optimum thermal design of microchannel heat sink with triangular reentrant cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Guodong; Chai Lei; Wang Haiyan; Zhou Mingzheng; Cui Zhenzhen

2011-01-01

The effect of geometric parameters on water flow and heat transfer characteristics in microchannel heat sink with triangular reentrant cavities is numerically investigated. A three-dimensional laminar flow model, consisting of Navier-Stokes equations and energy conservation equation, with the conjugate heat transfer between the silicon base and water taken into consideration is solved numerically. In order to find the optimum geometric parameters, four variables, representing the distance and geometry of the triangular reentrant cavity, are designed. It is found that the vortices in the triangular reentrant cavities lead to chaotic advection and can greatly enhance the convective fluid mixing. The thermal and hydraulic boundary layers are interrupted and the repeated developing flow enhances heat transfer in the constant cross-section segment. Furthermore, the effects of the four design variables on heat transfer augmentation and pressure drop penalty are investigated depending on different Reynolds numbers by using the simulated annealing method. Based on the thermal enhancement factor performance maps, the optimal geometric parameters are obtained in principle. - Research highlights: → The microchannels with different triangular reentrant cavities are numerically investigated. → The heat transfer enhancement attributes to fluid mixing and redeveloped thermal boundary layers. → The optimal distance and geometry of the triangular reentrant cavity are obtained in principle.

Investigation of high frequency external perturbation effects on flow in a T-shape microchannel by μLIF technique

Science.gov (United States)

Kravtsova, A. Yu; Meshalkin, Yu E.; Bilsky, A. V.

2017-11-01

Investigation of high frequency external perturbation effect on flow inside T-shape microchannel was examined. In-phase pulsations of different frequencies were added to both inlets of the T-shaped microchannel to study mixing by means of Micro Laser Induced Fluorescence (μLIF) technique. For all flow regimes studied, mixing enhancement was obtained. Significant enhancement can be achieved at the beginning of the outlet channel operating in steady asymmetric regime (Re=186) by forcing at certain frequency ranges (f = 500Hz, f = 800Hz). Mixing suppression was also observed for two flow regimes (Re = 400, f = 1000Hz) and (Re = 120, f = 700Hz).

Coaxial nozzle-assisted 3D bioprinting with built-in microchannels for nutrients delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Qing; He, Yong; Fu, Jian-zhong; Liu, An; Ma, Liang

2015-08-01

This study offers a novel 3D bioprinting method based on hollow calcium alginate filaments by using a coaxial nozzle, in which high strength cell-laden hydrogel 3D structures with built-in microchannels can be fabricated by controlling the crosslinking time to realize fusion of adjacent hollow filaments. A 3D bioprinting system with a Z-shape platform was used to realize layer-by-layer fabrication of cell-laden hydrogel structures. Curving, straight, stretched or fractured filaments can be formed by changes to the filament extrusion speed or the platform movement speed. To print a 3D structure, we first adjusted the concentration and flow rate of the sodium alginate and calcium chloride solution in the crosslinking process to get partially crosslinked filaments. Next, a motorized XY stages with the coaxial nozzle attached was used to control adjacent hollow filament deposition in the precise location for fusion. Then the Z stage attached with a Z-shape platform moved down sequentially to print layers of structure. And the printing process always kept the top two layers fusing and the below layers solidifying. Finally, the Z stage moved down to keep the printed structure immersed in the CaCl2 solution for complete crosslinking. The mechanical properties of the resulting fused structures were investigated. High-strength structures can be formed using higher concentrations of sodium alginate solution with smaller distance between adjacent hollow filaments. In addition, cell viability of this method was investigated, and the findings show that the viability of L929 mouse fibroblasts in the hollow constructs was higher than that in alginate structures without built-in microchannels. Compared with other bioprinting methods, this study is an important technique to allow easy fabrication of lager-scale organs with built-in microchannels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Characteristics in Straight Microchannel of Printed Circuit Heat Exchangers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jang-Won Seo

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Performance tests were carried out for a microchannel printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE, which was fabricated with micro photo-etching and diffusion bonding technologies. The microchannel PCHE was tested for Reynolds numbers in the range of 100‒850 varying the hot-side inlet temperature between 40 °C–50 °C while keeping the cold-side temperature fixed at 20 °C. It was found that the average heat transfer rate and heat transfer performance of the countercurrrent configuration were 6.8% and 10%‒15% higher, respectively, than those of the parallel flow. The average heat transfer rate, heat transfer performance and pressure drop increased with increasing Reynolds number in all experiments. Increasing inlet temperature did not affect the heat transfer performance while it slightly decreased the pressure drop in the experimental range considered. Empirical correlations have been developed for the heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop factor as functions of the Reynolds number.

Ionizing device comprising a microchannel electron multiplier with secondary electron emission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chalmeton, Vincent.

1974-01-01

The present invention relates to a ionizing device comprising a microchannel electron multiplier involving secondary electron emission as a means of ionization. A system of electrodes is used to accelerate said electrons, ionize the gas and extract the ions from thus created plasma. Said ionizer is suitable for bombarding the target in neutron sources (target of the type of nickel molybdenum coated with tritiated titanium or with a tritium deuterium mixture) [fr

Experimental study on flame pattern formation and combustion completeness in a radial microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Aiwu; Minaev, Sergey; Kumar, Sudarshan; Liu, Wei; Maruta, Kaoru

2007-12-01

Combustion behavior in a radial microchannel with a gap of 2.0 mm and a diameter of 50 mm was experimentally investigated. In order to simulate the heat recirculation, which is an essential strategy in microscale combustion devices, positive temperature gradients along the radial flow direction were given to the microchannel by an external heat source. A methane-air mixture was supplied from the center of the top plate through a 4.0 mm diameter delivery tube. A variety of flame patterns, including a stable circular flame and several unstable flame patterns termed unstable circular flame, single and double pelton-like flames, traveling flame and triple flame, were observed in the experiments. The regime diagram of all these flame patterns is presented in this paper. Some characteristics of the various flame patterns, such as the radii of stable and unstable circular flames, major combustion products and combustion efficiencies of all these flame patterns, were also investigated. Furthermore, the effect of the heat recirculation on combustion stability was studied by changing the wall temperature levels.

A novel ZVS high voltage power supply for micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pei, Chengquan; Tian, Jinshou; Liu, Zhen; Qin, Hong; Wu, Shengli

2017-01-01

A novel resonant high voltage power supply (HVPS) with zero voltage switching (ZVS), to reduce the voltage stress on switching devices and improve conversion efficiency, is proposed. The proposed HVPS includes a drive circuit, a transformer, several voltage multiplying circuits, and a regulator circuit. The HVPS contains several secondary windings that can be precisely regulated. The proposed HVPS performed better than the traditional resistor voltage divider, which requires replacing matching resistors resulting in resistor dispersibility in the Micro-Channel Plate (MCP). The equivalent circuit of the proposed HVPS was established and the operational principle analyzed. The entire switching element can achieve ZVS, which was validated by a simulation and experiments. The properties of this HVPS were tested including minimum power loss (240 mW), maximum power loss (1 W) and conversion efficiency (85%). The results of this research are that the proposed HVPS was suitable for driving the micro-channel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT). It was therefore adopted to test the MCP-PMT, which will be used in Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment II in China.

A novel ZVS high voltage power supply for micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pei, Chengquan [Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Tian, Jinshou [Xi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi' an 710119 (China); Liu, Zhen [Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Qin, Hong [School of Computer Science and Technology, Xi' an University of Science and Technology, Xi' an 710054 (China); Wu, Shengli, E-mail: slwu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China)

2017-04-11

A novel resonant high voltage power supply (HVPS) with zero voltage switching (ZVS), to reduce the voltage stress on switching devices and improve conversion efficiency, is proposed. The proposed HVPS includes a drive circuit, a transformer, several voltage multiplying circuits, and a regulator circuit. The HVPS contains several secondary windings that can be precisely regulated. The proposed HVPS performed better than the traditional resistor voltage divider, which requires replacing matching resistors resulting in resistor dispersibility in the Micro-Channel Plate (MCP). The equivalent circuit of the proposed HVPS was established and the operational principle analyzed. The entire switching element can achieve ZVS, which was validated by a simulation and experiments. The properties of this HVPS were tested including minimum power loss (240 mW), maximum power loss (1 W) and conversion efficiency (85%). The results of this research are that the proposed HVPS was suitable for driving the micro-channel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT). It was therefore adopted to test the MCP-PMT, which will be used in Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment II in China.

In-channel electrochemical detection in the middle of microchannel under high electric field.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Chung Mu; Joo, Segyeong; Bae, Je Hyun; Kim, Yang-Rae; Kim, Yongseong; Chung, Taek Dong

2012-01-17

We propose a new method for performing in-channel electrochemical detection under a high electric field using a polyelectrolytic gel salt bridge (PGSB) integrated in the middle of the electrophoretic separation channel. The finely tuned placement of a gold working electrode and the PGSB on an equipotential surface in the microchannel provided highly sensitive electrochemical detection without any deterioration in the separation efficiency or interference of the applied electric field. To assess the working principle, the open circuit potentials between gold working electrodes and the reference electrode at varying distances were measured in the microchannel under electrophoretic fields using an electrically isolated potentiostat. In addition, "in-channel" cyclic voltammetry confirmed the feasibility of electrochemical detection under various strengths of electric fields (∼400 V/cm). Effective separation on a microchip equipped with a PGSB under high electric fields was demonstrated for the electrochemical detection of biological compounds such as dopamine and catechol. The proposed "in-channel" electrochemical detection under a high electric field enables wider electrochemical detection applications in microchip electrophoresis.

Effect of Induced Magnetic Field on MHD Mixed Convection Flow in Vertical Microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, B. K.; Aina, B.

2017-08-01

The present work presents a theoretical investigation of an MHD mixed convection flow in a vertical microchannel formed by two electrically non-conducting infinite vertical parallel plates. The influence of an induced magnetic field arising due to motion of an electrically conducting fluid is taken into consideration. The governing equations of the motion are a set of simultaneous ordinary differential equations and their exact solutions in dimensionless form have been obtained for the velocity field, the induced magnetic field and the temperature field. The expressions for the induced current density and skin friction have also been obtained. The effects of various non-dimensional parameters such as rarefaction, fluid wall interaction, the Hartmann number and the magnetic Prandtl number on the velocity, the induced magnetic field, the temperature, the induced current density, and skin friction have been presented in a graphical form. It is found that the effect of the Hartmann number and magnetic Prandtl number on the induced current density is found to have a decreasing nature at the central region of the microchannel.

Static response of deformable microchannels

Science.gov (United States)

Christov, Ivan C.; Sidhore, Tanmay C.

2017-11-01

Microfluidic channels manufactured from PDMS are a key component of lab-on-a-chip devices. Experimentally, rectangular microchannels are found to deform into a non-rectangular cross-section due to fluid-structure interactions. Deformation affects the flow profile, which results in a nonlinear relationship between the volumetric flow rate and the pressure drop. We develop a framework, within the lubrication approximation (l >> w >> h), to self-consistently derive flow rate-pressure drop relations. Emphasis is placed on handling different types of elastic response: from pure plate-bending, to half-space deformation, to membrane stretching. The ``simplest'' model (Stokes flow in a 3D rectangular channel capped with a linearly elastic Kirchhoff-Love plate) agrees well with recent experiments. We also simulate the static response of such microfluidic channels under laminar flow conditions using ANSYSWorkbench. Simulations are calibrated using experimental flow rate-pressure drop data from the literature. The simulations provide highly resolved deformation profiles, which are difficult to measure experimentally. By comparing simulations, experiments and our theoretical models, we show good agreement in many flow/deformation regimes, without any fitting parameters.

Simulation of Micro-Channel and Micro-Orifice Flow Using Lattice Boltzmann Method with Langmuir Slip Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. R. Rahmati

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Because of its kinetic nature and computational advantages, the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM has been well accepted as a useful tool to simulate micro-scale flows. The slip boundary model plays a crucial role in the accuracy of solutions for micro-channel flow simulations. The most used slip boundary condition is the Maxwell slip model. The results of Maxwell slip model are affected by the accommodation coefficient significantly, but there is not an explicitly relationship between properties at wall and accommodation coefficient. In the present wok, Langmuir slip model is used beside LBM to simulate micro-channel and micro-orifice flows. Slip velocity and nonlinear pressure drop profiles are presented as two major effects in such flows. The results are in good agreement with existing results in the literature.

Process for making unsaturated hydrocarbons using microchannel process technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tonkovich, Anna Lee [Dublin, OH; Yuschak, Thomas [Lewis Center, OH; LaPlante, Timothy J [Columbus, OH; Rankin, Scott [Columbus, OH; Perry, Steven T [Galloway, OH; Fitzgerald, Sean Patrick [Columbus, OH; Simmons, Wayne W [Dublin, OH; Mazanec, Terry Daymo, Eric

2011-04-12

The disclosed invention relates to a process for converting a feed composition comprising one or more hydrocarbons to a product comprising one or more unsaturated hydrocarbons, the process comprising: flowing the feed composition and steam in contact with each other in a microchannel reactor at a temperature in the range from about 200.degree. C. to about 1200.degree. C. to convert the feed composition to the product, the process being characterized by the absence of catalyst for converting the one or more hydrocarbons to one or more unsaturated hydrocarbons. Hydrogen and/or oxygen may be combined with the feed composition and steam.

Regulating the Emission Spectrum of CsPbBr₃ from Green to Blue via Controlling the Temperature and Velocity of Microchannel Reactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yong; Lu, Hanguang; Rao, Longshi; Li, Zongtao; Ding, Xinrui; Yan, Caiman; Yu, Binhai

2018-03-02

The ability to precisely obtain tunable spectrum of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) is very important for applications, such as in lighting and display. Herein, we report a microchannel reactor method for synthesis of CsPbBr₃ QDs with tunable spectrum. By adjusting the temperature and velocity of the microchannel reactor, the emission peaks of CsPbBr₃ QDs ranging from 520 nm to 430 nm were obtained, which is wider than that of QDs obtained in a traditional flask without changing halide component. The mechanism of photoluminescence (PL) spectral shift of CsPbBr₃ QDs was investigated, the result shows that the supersaturation control enabled by the superior mass and heat transfer performance in the microchannel is the key to achieve the wide range of PL spectrum, with only a change in the setting of the temperature controller required. The wide spectrum of CsPbBr₃ QDs can be applied to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photoelectric sensors, lasers, etc.

Automated and temperature-controlled micro-PIV measurements enabling long-term-stable microchannel acoustophoresis characterization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Augustsson, Per; Barnkob, Rune; Wereley, Steven T.

2011-01-01

We present a platform for micro particle image velocimetry (μPIV), capable of carrying out full-channel, temperature-controlled, long-term-stable, and automated μPIV-measurement of microchannel acoustophoresis with uncertainties below 5% and a spatial resolution in the order of 20 μm. A method to...

Hydrodynamic shrinkage of liquid CO2 Taylor drops in a straight microchannel

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Ning; Wen, John Z.; Ren, Carolyn L.

2018-03-01

Hydrodynamic shrinkage of liquid CO2 drops in water under a Taylor flow regime is studied using a straight microchannel (length/width ~100). A general form of a mathematical model of the solvent-side mass transfer coefficient (k s) is developed first. Based on formulations of the surface area (A) and the volume (V) of a general Taylor drop in a rectangular microchannel, a specific form of k s is derived. Drop length and speed are experimentally measured at three specified positions of the straight channel, namely, immediately after drop generation (position 1), the midpoint of the channel (position 2) and the end of the channel (position 3). The reductions of drop length (L x , x  =  1, 2, 3) from position 1 to 2 and down to 3 are used to quantify the drop shrinkage. Using the specific model, k s is calculated mainly based on L x and drop flowing time (t). Results show that smaller CO2 drops produced by lower flow rate ratios ({{Q}LC{{O2}}}/{{Q}{{H2}O}} ) are generally characterized by higher (nearly three times) k s and Sherwood numbers than those produced by higher {{Q}LC{{O2}}}/{{Q}{{H2}O}} , which is essentially attributed to the larger effective portion of the smaller drop contributing in the mass transfer under same levels of the flowing time and the surface-to-volume ratio (~104 m-1) of all drops. Based on calculated pressure drops of the segmented flow in microchannel, the Peng-Robinson equation of state and initial pressures of drops at the T-junction in experiments, overall pressure drop (ΔP t) in the straight channel as well as the resulted drop volume change are quantified. ΔP t from position 1-3 is by average 3.175 kPa with a ~1.6% standard error, which only leads to relative drop volume changes of 0.3‰ to 0.52‰.

Hydrodynamic shrinkage of liquid CO2 Taylor drops in a straight microchannel.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Ning; Wen, John; Ren, Carolyn L

2018-01-16

Hydrodynamic shrinkage of liquid CO2 drops in water under a Taylor flow regime is studied using a straight microchannel (length/width ~ 100). A general form of a mathematical model of the solvent-side mass transfer coefficient (ks) is developed first. Based on formulations of the surface area (A) and the volume (V) of a general Taylor drop in a rectangular microchannel, a specific form of ks is derived. Drop length and speed are experimentally measured at three specified positions of the straight channel, namely, immediately after drop generation (position 1), the midpoint of the channel (position 2) and the end of the channel (position 3). The reductions of drop length (Lx, x = 1, 2, 3) from position 1 to 2 and down to 3 are used to quantify the drop shrinkage. Using the specific model, ks is calculated mainly based on Lx and drop flowing time (t). Results show that smaller CO2 drops produced by lower flow rate ratios (QLCO2/QH2O) are generally characterized by higher (nearly three times) ks and Sherwood numbers than those produced by higher QLCO2/QH2O, which is essentially attributed to the larger effective portion of the smaller drop contributing in the mass transfer under same levels of the flowing time and the surface-to-volume ratio (~ 104 m-1) of all drops. Based on calculated pressure drops of the segmented flow in microchannel, the Peng-Robinson equation of state (EOS) and initial pressures of drops at the T-junction in experiments, overall pressure drop (ΔPt) in the straight channel as well as the resulted drop volume change are quantified. ΔPt from position 1 to 3 is by average 3.175 kPa with a ~1.6% standard error, which only leads to relative drop volume changes of 0.3‰ to 0.52‰. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

A novel estimation of electrical and cooling losses in electric arc furnaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trejo, Eder; Martell, Fernando; Micheloud, Osvaldo; Teng, Lidong; Llamas, Armando; Montesinos-Castellanos, Alejandro

2012-01-01

A method to calculate electrical losses and a heat transfer model of a conventional Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) are presented. The application of a novel power theory for the EAF was used to compute electrical losses and it was compared with conventional power calculations. The electrical losses and electrical variables were used as input parameters to the proposed heat transfer model. Chemical energy sources were included as energy inputs to estimate the overall heat transferred including the heat losses in the cooling system. In the heat transfer model the furnace was divided in 11 inner surfaces and the radiation view factors between them were estimated by a commercial finite element software. Variations of the view factors for different arc coverage were evaluated. Different scenarios for cooling panels losses, with respect to arc coverage and thickness of slag layers adhered to cooling system panels, were analyzed. The approach presented in this work allows calculation of energy balances in electrical arc furnaces with low computational resources. Finally, the contribution of this research work is to define a framework for further research oriented to improve both the electrical and thermal energy efficiencies to increase productivity and reduce energy consumption in steel plants. -- Highlights: ► Radiation view factors for the electric arc furnace are estimated. ► Potential reduction in cooling losses is estimated to be 60 kWh/ton. ► Electrical losses are calculated based in the randomness power theory. ► The new approach yields an increase of 10% in the electrical losses. ► An analytic model is used to estimate the radiation mechanism.

Measuring density and compressibility of white blood cells and prostate cancer cells by microchannel acoustophoresis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barnkob, Rune; Augustsson, Per; Magnusson, Cecilia

2011-01-01

We present a novel method for the determination of density and compressibility of individual particles and cells undergoing microchannel acoustophoresis in an arbitrary 2D acoustic field. Our method is a critical advancement within acoustophoretic separation of biological cells, as the ability to...

Microchannel laminated mass exchanger and method of making

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Peter M.; Bennett, Wendy D.; Matson, Dean W.; Stewart, Donald C.; Drost, Monte K.; Wegeng, Robert S.; Perez, Joseph M.; Feng, Xiangdong; Liu, Jun

2000-01-01

The present invention is a microchannel mass exchanger having a first plurality of inner thin sheets and a second plurality of outer thin sheets. The inner thin sheets each have a solid margin around a circumference, the solid margin defining a slot through the inner thin sheet thickness. The outer thin sheets each have at least two header holes on opposite ends and when sandwiching an inner thin sheet. The outer thin sheets further have a mass exchange medium. The assembly forms a closed flow channel assembly wherein fluid enters through one of the header holes into the slot and exits through another of the header holes after contacting the mass exchange medium.

Detailed measurements and shaping of gate profiles for microchannel-plate-based X-ray framing cameras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landen, O.L.; Hammel, B.A.; Bell, P.M.; Abare, A.; Bradley, D.K.; Univ. of Rochester, NY

1994-01-01

Gated, microchannel-plate-based (MCP) framing cameras are increasingly used worldwide for x-ray imaging of subnanosecond laser-plasma phenomena. Large dynamic range (> 1,000) measurements of gain profiles for gated microchannel plates (MCP) are presented. Temporal profiles are reconstructed for any point on the microstrip transmission line from data acquired over many shots with variable delay. No evidence for significant pulse distortion by voltage reflections at the ends of the microstrip is observed. The measured profiles compare well to predictions by a time-dependent discrete dynode model down to the 1% level. The calculations do overestimate the contrast further into the temporal wings. The role of electron transit time dispersion in limiting the minimum achievable gate duration is then investigated by using variable duration flattop gating pulses. A minimum gate duration of 50 ps is achieved with flattop gating, consistent with a fractional transit time spread of ∼ 15%

Design study of an indirect cooling superconducting magnet for a fusion device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mito, Toshiyuki; Hemmi, Tsutomu

2009-01-01

The design study of superconducting magnets adapting a new coil winding scheme of an indirect cooling method is reported. The superconducting magnet system for the spherical tokamak (ST), which is proposed to study the steady state plasma experiment with Q - equiv-1, requires high performances with a high current density compared to the ordinal magnet design because of its tight spatial restriction. The superconducting magnet system for the fusion device has been used in the condition of high magnetic field, high electromagnetic force, and high heat load. The pool boiling liquid helium cooling outside of the conductor or the forced flow of supercritical helium cooling inside of the conductor, such as cable-in-conduit conductors, were used so far for the cooling method of the superconducting magnet for a fusion application. The pool cooling magnet has the disadvantages of low mechanical rigidities and low withstand voltages of the coil windings. The forced flow cooling magnet with cable-in-conduit conductors has the disadvantages of the restriction of the coil design because of the path of the electric current must be the same as that of the cooling channel for refrigerant. The path of the electric current and that of the cooling channel for refrigerant can be independently designed by adopting the indirect cooling method that inserts the independent cooling panel in the coil windings and cools the conductor from the outside. Therefore the optimization of the coil windings structure can be attempted. It was shown that the superconducting magnet design of the high current density became possible by the indirect cooling method compared with those of the conventional cooling scheme. (author)

COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR CALCULATION MICROCHANNEL HEAT EXCHANGERS FOR AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga V. Olshevska

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Creating a computer program to calculate microchannel air condensers to reduce design time and carrying out variant calculations. Software packages for thermophysical properties of the working substance and the coolant, the correlation equation for calculating heat transfer, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, the thermodynamic equations for the irreversible losses and their minimization in the heat exchanger were used in the process of creating. Borland Delphi 7 is used for creating software package.

NPC Based Design Optimization for a Net Zero Office Building in Hot Climates with PV Panels as Shading Device

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Zubair

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Hot areas of the world receive a high amount of solar radiation. As a result, buildings in those areas consume more energy to maintain a comfortable climate for their inhabitants. In an effort to design net-zero energy building in hot climates, PV possesses the unique advantage of generating electrical energy while protecting the building from solar irradiance. In this work, to form a net-zero energy building (NZEB, renewable resources such as solar and wind available onsite for an existing building have been analyzed in a hot climate location. PV and wind turbines in various configurations are studied to form a NZEB, where PV-only systems offer better performance than Hybrid PV Wind systems, based on net present cost (NPC. The self-shading losses in PV placed on rooftop areas are analyzed by placing parallel arrays of PV modules at various distances in between them. The effect on building cooling load by rooftop PV panels as shading devices is investigated. Furthermore, self-shading losses of PV are compared by the savings in cooling loads using PV as shading. In the case study, 12.3% saving in the cooling load of the building is observed when the building rooftop is completed shaded by PV panels; annual cooling load decreased from 3.417 GWh to 2.996 GWh, while only 1.04% shaded losses are observed for fully shaded (FS buildings compared to those with no shading (NS, as PV generation decreases from 594.39 kWh/m2 to 588.21 kWh/m2. The net present cost of the project has been decreased from US$4.77 million to US$4.41 million by simply covering the rooftop completely with PV panels, for a net-zero energy building.

Experimental investigation of the liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient for upward gas-liquid two-phase flow in rectangular microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Y. Ji

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The gas-liquid two-phase mass transfer process in microchannels is complicated due to the special dynamical characteristics. In this work, a novel method was explored to measure the liquid side volumetric mass transfer coefficient kLa. Pressure transducers were utilized to measure the pressure variation of upward gas-liquid two-phase flow in three vertical rectangular microchannels and the liquid side volumetric mass transfer coefficient kLa was calculated through the Pressure-Volume-Temperature correlation of the gas phase. Carbon dioxide-water, carbon dioxide-ethanol and carbon dioxide-n-propanol were used as working fluids, respectively. The dimensions of the microchannels were 40 µm×240 µm (depth×width, 100 µm×800 µm and 100 µm×2000 µm, respectively. Results showed that the channel diameter and the capillary number influence kLa remarkably and that the maximum value of kLa occurs in the annular flow regime. A new correlation of kLa was proposed based on the Sherwood number, Schmidt number and the capillary number. The predicted values of kLa agreed well with the experimental data.

Low temperature catalytic combustion of propane over Pt-based catalyst with inverse opal microstructure in microchannel reactor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guan, G.; Zapf, R.; Kolb, G.A.; Men, Y.; Hessel, V.; Löwe, H.; Ye, J.; Zentel, R.

2007-01-01

novel Pt-based catalyst with highly regular, periodic inverse opal microstructure was fabricated in a microchannel reactor, and catalytic testing revealed excellent conversion and stable activity for propane combustion at low temperatures

Two-fluid mixing in a microchannel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yingzheng; Kim, Byoung Jae; Sung, Hyung Jin

2004-01-01

A numerical study of the mixing of two fluids (pure water and a solution of glycerol in water) in a microchannel was carried out. By varying the glycerol content of the glycerol/water solution, the variation in mixing behavior with changes in the difference in the properties of the two fluids (e.g., viscosity, density and diffusivity) was investigated. The mixing phenomena were tested for three micromixers: a squarewave mixer, a three-dimensional serpentine mixer and a staggered herringbone mixer. The governing equations of continuity, momentum and solute mass fraction were solved numerically. To evaluate mixing performance, a criterion index of mixing uniformity was proposed. In the systems considered, the Reynolds number based on averaged properties was Re=1 and 10. For low Reynolds number (Re=1), the mixing performance varied inversely with mass fraction of glycerol due to the dominance of molecular diffusion. The mixing performance deteriorated due to a significant reduction in the residence time of the fluid inside the mixers

Simulation, Fabrication and Analysis of Silver Based Ascending Sinusoidal Microchannel (ASMC for Implant of Varicose Veins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Javaid Afzal

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Bioengineered veins can benefit humans needing bypass surgery, dialysis, and now, in the treatment of varicose veins. The implant of this vein in varicose veins has significant advantages over the conventional treatment methods. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT, vein patch repair, pulmonary embolus, and tissue-damaging problems can be solved with this implant. Here, the authors have proposed biomedical microdevices as an alternative for varicose veins. MATLAB and ANSYS Fluent have been used for simulations of blood flow for bioengineered veins. The silver based microchannel has been fabricated by using a micromachining process. The dimensions of the silver substrates are 51 mm, 25 mm, and 1.1 mm, in length, width, and depth respectively. The dimensions of microchannels grooved in the substrates are 0.9 mm in width and depth. The boundary conditions for pressure and velocity were considered, from 1.0 kPa to 1.50 kPa, and 0.02 m/s to 0.07 m/s, respectively. These are the actual values of pressure and velocity in varicose veins. The flow rate of 5.843 (0.1 nL/s and velocity of 5.843 cm/s were determined at Reynolds number 164.88 in experimental testing. The graphs and results from simulations and experiments are in close agreement. These microchannels can be inserted into varicose veins as a replacement to maintain the excellent blood flow in human legs.

RAMI analysis for DEMO HCPB blanket concept cooling system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dongiovanni, Danilo N., E-mail: danilo.dongiovanni@enea.it [ENEA, Unità Tecnica Fusione, ENEA C. R. Frascati (Italy); Pinna, Tonio [ENEA, Unità Tecnica Fusione, ENEA C. R. Frascati (Italy); Carloni, Dario [KIT, Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR) – KIT (Germany)

2015-10-15

Highlights: • RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability and inspectability) preliminary assessment for HCPB blanket concept cooling system. • Reliability block diagram (RBD) modeling and analysis for HCPB primary heat transfer system (PHTS), coolant purification system (CPS), pressure control system (PCS), and secondary cooling system. • Sensitivity analysis on system availability performance. • Failure models and repair models estimated on the base of data from the ENEA fusion component failure rate database (FCFRDB). - Abstract: A preliminary RAMI (reliability, availability, maintainability and inspectability) assessment for the HCPB (helium cooled pebble bed) blanket cooling system based on currently available design for DEMO fusion power plant is presented. The following sub-systems were considered in the analysis: blanket modules, primary cooling loop including pipework and steam generators lines, pressure control system (PCS), coolant purification system (CPS) and secondary cooling system. For PCS and CPS systems an extrapolation from ITER Test Blanket Module corresponding systems was used as reference design in the analysis. Helium cooled pebble bed (HCPB) system reliability block diagrams (RBD) models were implemented taking into account: system reliability-wise configuration, operating schedule currently foreseen for DEMO, maintenance schedule and plant evolution schedule as well as failure and corrective maintenance models. A simulation of plant activity was then performed on implemented RBDs to estimate plant availability performance on a mission time of 30 calendar years. The resulting availability performance was finally compared to availability goals previously proposed for DEMO plant by a panel of experts. The study suggests that inherent availability goals proposed for DEMO PHTS system and Tokamak auxiliaries are potentially achievable for the primary loop of the HCPB concept cooling system, but not for the secondary loop. A

Pressure loss in two-phase flow through a microchannel rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.C.; Hamm, L.L.; Qureshi, Z.; Steeper, T.J.

1998-01-01

The purpose of the microchannel rod bundle two-phase flow test described here was to provide data for benchmarking safety analyses for the accelerator production of tritium (APT). The objective was to obtain pressure loss data for a typical accelerator target rod bundle over a wide range of two-phase flow conditions. The test rod bundle assembly was fabricated for single-phase pressure drop tests conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and subsequently used for the two-phase flow testing described here. The results for a typical case are given. These results fall generally in the slug flow regime for the horizontal flow results of Fukano and Kariyasaki for a 1.0-mm circular channel. Fukano and Kariyasaki found that surface tension effects were dominant in the 1-mm channel and report no churn regime. The results were also compared with the flow regime maps given by Triplett et al. for flow in discrete microchannels. Triplett employed both circular and trapezoidal channels, the latter to approximate the rod bundle interstitial flow channel shape. It was found that the rod bundle flow fell across the slug-to-churn flow regime transition reported by Triplett. This is consistent with the expectation that cross flow among channels would result in turbulent mixing and would suppress the formation of large discrete bubbles

Continuous Size-Dependent Sorting of Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles in Laser-Ablated Microchannel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiqiang Fan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper reports a low-cost method of continuous size-dependent sorting of magnetic nanoparticles in polymer-based microfluidic devices by magnetic force. A neodymium permanent magnet was used to generate a magnetic field perpendicular to the fluid flow direction. Firstly, FeNi3 magnetic nanoparticles were chemically synthesized with diameter ranges from 80 nm to 200 nm; then, the solution of magnetic nanoparticles and a buffer were passed through the microchannel in laminar flow; the magnetic nanoparticles were deflected from the flow direction under the applied magnetic field. Nanoparticles in the microchannel will move towards the direction of high-gradient magnetic fields, and the degree of deflection depends on their sizes; therefore, magnetic nanoparticles of different sizes can be separated and finally collected from different output ports. The proposed method offers a rapid and continuous approach of preparing magnetic nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution from an arbitrary particle size distribution. The proposed new method has many potential applications in bioanalysis field since magnetic nanoparticles are commonly used as solid support for biological entities such as DNA, RNA, virus, and protein. Other than the size sorting application of magnetic nanoparticles, this approach could also be used for the size sorting and separation of naturally magnetic cells, including blood cells and magnetotactic bacteria.

Regulating the Emission Spectrum of CsPbBr3 from Green to Blue via Controlling the Temperature and Velocity of Microchannel Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Yong; Lu, Hanguang; Rao, Longshi; Ding, Xinrui; Yan, Caiman; Yu, Binhai

2018-01-01

The ability to precisely obtain tunable spectrum of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) is very important for applications, such as in lighting and display. Herein, we report a microchannel reactor method for synthesis of CsPbBr3 QDs with tunable spectrum. By adjusting the temperature and velocity of the microchannel reactor, the emission peaks of CsPbBr3 QDs ranging from 520 nm to 430 nm were obtained, which is wider than that of QDs obtained in a traditional flask without changing halide component. The mechanism of photoluminescence (PL) spectral shift of CsPbBr3 QDs was investigated, the result shows that the supersaturation control enabled by the superior mass and heat transfer performance in the microchannel is the key to achieve the wide range of PL spectrum, with only a change in the setting of the temperature controller required. The wide spectrum of CsPbBr3 QDs can be applied to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photoelectric sensors, lasers, etc. PMID:29498710

Slow waves in microchannel metal waveguides and application to particle acceleration

OpenAIRE

L. C. Steinhauer; W. D. Kimura

2003-01-01

Conventional metal-wall waveguides support waveguide modes with phase velocities exceeding the speed of light. However, for infrared frequencies and guide dimensions of a fraction of a millimeter, one of the waveguide modes can have a phase velocity equal to or less than the speed of light. Such a metal microchannel then acts as a slow-wave structure. Furthermore, if it is a transverse magnetic mode, the electric field has a component along the direction of propagation. Therefore, a strong ex...

Systematic studies of micro-channel plate PMTs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehmann, A.; Britting, A.; Cowie, E.; Dodokhof, V.Kh.; Dueren, M.; Dutta, D.; Eyrich, W.; Foehl, K.; Glazier, D.I.; Hayrapetyan, A.; Hoek, M.; Hohler, R.; Kaiser, R.; Keri, T.; Koch, P.; Kroeck, B.; Lehmann, D.; Marton, J.; Merle, O.; Montgomery, R.

2011-01-01

DIRC Cherenkov detectors will be the main devices for π/K separation at the PANDA experiment at FAIR. Due to their advantageous properties in terms of time resolution and especially inside magnetic fields micro-channel plate photo multipliers (MCP-PMTs) are very attractive sensor candidates. In this paper we present the investigation of several types of multi-anode MCP-PMTs. The darkcount rate, the behavior inside a magnetic field of up to 2 T, the time resolution, the gain homogeneity and crosstalk of multi-pixel MCP-PMTs were found to be well suitable for the PANDA requirements. Even the rate capability of the latest models from Burle-Photonis and Hamamatsu is satisfactory. Although a big step forward was accomplished with these recently available MCP-PMTs, the lifetime is still not sufficient for the photon densities expected for the PANDA DIRCs.

Panel Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brænder, Morten; Andersen, Lotte Bøgh

2014-01-01

Based on our 2013-article, ”Does Deployment to War Affect Soldiers' Public Service Motivation – A Panel Study of Soldiers Before and After their Service in Afghanistan”, we present Panel Analysis as a methodological discipline. Panels consist of multiple units of analysis, observed at two or more...... in research settings where it is not possible to distribute units of analysis randomly or where the independent variables cannot be manipulated. The greatest disadvantage in regard to using panel studies is that data may be difficult to obtain. This is most clearly vivid in regard to the use of panel surveys...... points in time. In comparison with traditional cross-sectional studies, the advantage of using panel studies is that the time dimension enables us to study effects. Whereas experimental designs may have a clear advantage in regard to causal inference, the strength of panel studies is difficult to match...

Detection of insulation flaws and thermal bridges in insulated truck box panels

OpenAIRE

Lei, Lei; Bortolin, Alessandro; Bison, Paolo ©; Maldague, X.

2017-01-01

This paper focuses on the detection of defects and thermal bridges in insulated truck box panels, utilising infrared thermography. Unlike the traditional way in which passive thermography is applied, this research uses both heating and cooling methods in active thermography configurations. Lamp heating is used as the hot external stimulation, while a compressed air jet is applied as the cold external stimulation. A thermal camera captures the whole process. In addition, numerical simulations ...

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CEILING RADIANT COOLING SYSTEM IN COMPOSITE CLIMATE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Anuj [Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, India; Mathur, Jyotirmay [Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, India; Bhandari, Mahabir S [ORNL

2015-01-01

Radiant cooling systems are proving to be an energy efficient solution due to higher thermal capacity of cooling fluid especially for the buildings that require individual zone controls and where the latent loads are moderate. The Conventional air conditioners work at very low temperature i.e.5-8 c (refrigerant evaporator inlet) while the radiant cooling systems, also referred as high temperature cooling system, work at high temperatures i.e. 14-18 c. The radiant cooling systems can maintain lower MRT (Mean Radiant Temperature) as ceiling panels maintain uniform temperature gradient inside room and provide higher human comfort. The radiant cooling systems are relatively new systems and their operation and energy savings potential are not quantified for a large number of buildings and operational parameters. Moreover, there are only limited numbers of whole building simulation studies have been carried out for these systems to have a full confidence in the capability of modelling tools to simulate these systems and predict the impact of various operating parameters. Theoretically, savings achieve due to higher temperature set point of chilled water, which reduces chiller-running time. However, conventional air conditioner runs continuously to maintain requisite temperature. In this paper, experimental study for performance evaluation of radiant cooling system carried out on system installed at Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur. This paper quantifies the energy savings opportunities and effective temperature by radiant cooling system at different chilled water flow rates and temperature range. The data collected/ analysed through experimental study will used for calibration and validation of system model of building prepared in building performance simulation software. This validated model used for exploring optimized combinations of key parameters for composite climate. These optimized combinations will used in formulation of radiant cooling system

Regulating the Emission Spectrum of CsPbBr3 from Green to Blue via Controlling the Temperature and Velocity of Microchannel Reactor

OpenAIRE

Yong Tang; Hanguang Lu; Longshi Rao; Zongtao Li; Xinrui Ding; Caiman Yan; Binhai Yu

2018-01-01

The ability to precisely obtain tunable spectrum of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) is very important for applications, such as in lighting and display. Herein, we report a microchannel reactor method for synthesis of CsPbBr3 QDs with tunable spectrum. By adjusting the temperature and velocity of the microchannel reactor, the emission peaks of CsPbBr3 QDs ranging from 520 nm to 430 nm were obtained, which is wider than that of QDs obtained in a traditional flask without changing hal...

Solar heating and cooling system installed at Leavenworth, Kansas. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perkins, R. M.

1980-06-01

The solar heating and cooling system installed at the headquarters of Citizens Mutual Savings Association in Leavenworth, Kansas, is described in detail. The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's solar demonstration program and became operational in March, 1979. The designer was TEC, Inc. Consulting Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri and contractor was Norris Brothers, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. The solar system is expected to furnish 90 percent of the overall heating load, 70 percent of the cooling load and 100 percent of the domestic hot water load. The building has two floors with a total of 12,000 square feet gross area. The system has 120 flat-plate liquid solar panels with a net area of 2200 square feet. Five, 3-ton Arkla solar assisted absorption units provide the cooling, in conjunction with a 3000 gallon chilled water storage tank. Two, 3000 gallon storage tanks are provided with one designated for summer use, whereas both tanks are utilized during winter.

Single-phase flow and flow boiling of water in horizontal rectangular microchannels

OpenAIRE

Mirmanto

2013-01-01

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University The current study is part of a long term experimental project devoted to investigating single-phase flow pressure drop and heat transfer, flow boiling pressure drop and heat transfer, flow boiling instability and flow visualization of de-ionized water flow in microchannels. The experimental facility was first designed and constructed by S. Gedupudi (2009) and in the present study; ...

Features of two-phase flow in a microchannel of 0.05×20 mm

Science.gov (United States)

Ronshin, Fedor

2017-10-01

We have studied the two-phase flow in a microchannel with cross-section of 0.05×20 mm2. The following two-phase flow regimes have been registered: jet, bubble, stratified, annular, and churn ones. The main features of flow regimes in this channel such as formation of liquid droplets in all two-phase flows have been distinguished.

Bubble splitting under gas–liquid–liquid three-phase flow in a double T-junction microchannel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, Yanyan; Yue, Jun; Zhao, Shuainan; Yao, Chaoqun; Chen, Guangwen

Gas–aqueous liquid–oil three-phase flow was generated in a microchannel with a double T-junction. Under the squeezing of the dispersed aqueous phase at the second T-junction (T2), the splitting of bubbles generated from the first T-junction (T1) was investigated. During the bubble splitting process,

Laser-Induced Motion of a Nanofluid in a Micro-Channel

OpenAIRE

Tran X. Phuoc; Mehrdad Massoudi; Ping Wang

2016-01-01

Since a photon carries both energy and momentum, when it interacts with a particle, photon-particle energy and momentum transfer occur, resulting in mechanical forces acting on the particle. In this paper we report our theoretical study on the use of a laser beam to manipulate and control the flow of nanofluids in a micro-channel. We calculate the velocity induced by a laser beam for TiO2, Fe2O3, Al2O3 MgO, and SiO2 nanoparticles with water as the base fluid. The particle diameter is 50 nm an...

Developments in microchannel plate detectors for imaging x-ray astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraser, G.W.; Whiteley, M.J.; Pearson, J.F.

1985-01-01

The authors present new results in four areas of microchannel plate (MCP) X-ray detector operation. The performance in pulse counting mode of MCPs with 8 micron channel diameters is reported. The effects on MCP quantum detection efficiency and energy discrimination of multiple CsI coatings are described. A new mode of operation of two-stage multipliers is evaluated. Replacing the conventional electron-accelerating inter-plate potential difference by a retarding field is shown to result in definite advantages with regard to X-ray energy discrimination and detector lifetime. The source of the MCP internal background is discussed

Spectral response data for development of cool coloured tile coverings

Science.gov (United States)

Libbra, Antonio; Tarozzi, Luca; Muscio, Alberto; Corticelli, Mauro A.

2011-03-01

Most ancient or traditional buildings in Italy show steep-slope roofs covered by red clay tiles. As the rooms immediately below the roof are often inhabited in historical or densely urbanized centres, the combination of low solar reflectance of tile coverings and low thermal inertia of either wooden roof structures or sub-tile insulation panels makes summer overheating a major problem. The problem can be mitigated by using tiles coated with cool colours, that is colours with the same spectral response of clay tiles in the visible, but highly reflecting in the near infrared range, which includes more than half of solar radiation. Cool colours can yield the same visible aspect of common building surfaces, but higher solar reflectance. Studies aimed at developing cool colour tile coverings for traditional Italian buildings have been started. A few coating solutions with the typical red terracotta colour have been produced and tested in the laboratory, using easily available materials. The spectral response and the solar reflectance have been measured and compared with that of standard tiles.

Evaluating economic and environmental aspects of using solar panels on multi-angled facades of office buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Hannoudi, Loay Akram; Lauring, Michael; Christensen, Jørgen Erik

2017-09-01

This paper is concerned with using solar panels as high-tech cladding materials on multi-angled facades for office buildings. The energy produced by the solar panels will be consumed inside the office rooms by cooling compressors, ventilation, lighting and office equipment. Each multi-angled facade unit is directed into two different orientations on a vertical axis (right and left), but not tilted up and down. The different facade orientations will optimize the use of solar radiation to produce the needed energy from the solar panels when placing them on the parapets of these facades. In this regard, four scenarios with different facade configurations and orientations are evaluated and discussed. The method for the simulations and calculations depends on two main programs: first, IDA ICE program to calculate the energy consumption and evaluate the indoor climate of the building; and second, PVBAT to calculate the cost of the electricity produced by the solar panels and evaluate the total amount of energy produced from these panels along with the ratio to the energy bought directly from the electricity grid. There is also an environmental evaluation for the system by calculating the CO2 emissions in the different scenarios.

Effects of carbon nanotube coating on flow boiling in a micro-channel

OpenAIRE

Khanikar, Vikash; Mudawar, Issam; Fisher, Timothy

2009-01-01

Experiments were performed to assess the heat transfer enhancement benefits of coating the bottom wall of a shallow rectangular micro-channel with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Using water as working fluid, tests were performed with a bare copper surface and three separate, yet identical CNT-coated surfaces. Each of the CNT-coated surfaces was tested repeatedly at the same mass velocity to explore any time dependence of heat transfer performance parameters, especially critical heat flux (CHIF). Ap...

Measurements of tangential momentum accommodation coefficient for various gases in plane microchannel

OpenAIRE

Graur , I; Perrier , Pierre; Ghozlani , W ,; Méolans , J.Gilbert

2009-01-01

International audience; Mass flow rate measurements in a single silicon microchannel were carried out for various gases in isothermal steady flows. The results obtained from hydrodynamic to near free molecular regime by using a powerful experimental platform allowed us to deduce interesting information, notably about the reflection/accommodation process at the wall. In the 0–0.3 Knudsen range, a continuum analytic approach was derived from the NS equations, associated with first or second ord...

The Influence of a Radiant Panel System with Integrated Phase Change Material on Energy Use and Thermal Indoor Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Lin Flemming; Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Kazanci, Ongun Berk

2018-01-01

This study examined the effect on energy use and thermal comfort when combining microencapsulated phase change material (PCM) with radiant ceiling panels in a two-person office. The performance of the system was studied during the cooling season in the climates of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Rome...

Mixing in wicking structures and the use of enhanced mixing within wicks in microchannel devices

Science.gov (United States)

Stenkamp, Victoria S [Richland, WA; TeGrotenhuis, Ward E [Kennewick, WA; Wegeng, Robert S [Alexandria, VA

2009-06-02

Advanced wicking structures and methods utilizing these structures are described. The use of advanced wicking structures can promote rapid mass transfer while maintaining high capillary pressure through the use of small pores. Particularly improved results in fluid contacting processes can be achieved by enhanced mixing within a wicking layer within a microchannel.

Regulating the Emission Spectrum of CsPbBr3 from Green to Blue via Controlling the Temperature and Velocity of Microchannel Reactor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yong Tang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The ability to precisely obtain tunable spectrum of lead halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs is very important for applications, such as in lighting and display. Herein, we report a microchannel reactor method for synthesis of CsPbBr3 QDs with tunable spectrum. By adjusting the temperature and velocity of the microchannel reactor, the emission peaks of CsPbBr3 QDs ranging from 520 nm to 430 nm were obtained, which is wider than that of QDs obtained in a traditional flask without changing halide component. The mechanism of photoluminescence (PL spectral shift of CsPbBr3 QDs was investigated, the result shows that the supersaturation control enabled by the superior mass and heat transfer performance in the microchannel is the key to achieve the wide range of PL spectrum, with only a change in the setting of the temperature controller required. The wide spectrum of CsPbBr3 QDs can be applied to light-emitting diodes (LEDs, photoelectric sensors, lasers, etc.

Features of two-phase flow in a microchannel of 0.05×20 mm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronshin Fedor

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We have studied the two-phase flow in a microchannel with cross-section of 0.05×20 mm2. The following two-phase flow regimes have been registered: jet, bubble, stratified, annular, and churn ones. The main features of flow regimes in this channel such as formation of liquid droplets in all two-phase flows have been distinguished.

Experimental results of a direct air-cooled ammonia–lithium nitrate absorption refrigeration system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llamas-Guillén, S.U.; Cuevas, R.; Best, R.; Gómez, V.H.

2014-01-01

Absorption thermal cooling systems driven by renewable energy are a viable option in order to reduce fossil fuel consumption and the associated emissions. This work shows the results of an air cooled absorption cooling prototype working with an ammonia–lithium nitrate mixture at high ambient temperatures. An absorption refrigeration system was designed and built. The prototype is a one stage ammonia–lithium nitrate air cooled chiller. The experimental system was instrumented to evaluate each component. This paper shows the operation conditions in the experimental unit as well as some of the heat loads encountered at different operating conditions. The system was operated successfully at ambient temperatures in the range of 25–35 °C. A series of test showed that even at ambient temperatures it can be operated at evaporator temperatures below 10 °C producing chilled water for air conditioning applications such as radiative cooling panels. The system proved to stabilize very quickly and no risk of crystallization was encountered so the first results are promising in order to continue with the development of a more advanced prototype. - Highlights: •Experimental results of a direct air-cooled ammonia–lithium nitrate system. •The prototype is a one stage ammonia–lithium nitrate air cooled chiller. •The absorption system was operated successfully at ambient temperatures. •Cooling loads of 4.5 kW were reached in the chilled water side

Turbine airfoil cooling system with cooling systems using high and low pressure cooling fluids

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Jan H.; Messmann, Stephen John; Scribner, Carmen Andrew

2017-10-25

A turbine airfoil cooling system including a low pressure cooling system and a high pressure cooling system for a turbine airfoil of a gas turbine engine is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the low pressure cooling system may be an ambient air cooling system, and the high pressure cooling system may be a compressor bleed air cooling system. In at least one embodiment, the compressor bleed air cooling system in communication with a high pressure subsystem that may be a snubber cooling system positioned within a snubber. A delivery system including a movable air supply tube may be used to separate the low and high pressure cooling subsystems. The delivery system may enable high pressure cooling air to be passed to the snubber cooling system separate from low pressure cooling fluid supplied by the low pressure cooling system to other portions of the turbine airfoil cooling system.

Thermal Analysis of Hybrid Thermal Control System and Experimental Investigation of Flow Boiling in Micro-channel Heat Exchangers

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seunghyun

refrigerant. Both heat exchangers feature parallel micro-channels with identical 1x1-mm2 cross-sections. The evaporators are connected in series, with the smaller 152.4-mm long heat exchanger situated upstream of the larger 609.6-mm long heat exchanger. In the steady-state characteristics part, it is shown low qualities are associated with slug flow and dominated by nucleate boiling, and high qualities with annular flow and convective boiling. Important transition points between the different heat transfer regimes are identified as (1) intermittent dryout, resulting from vapor blanket formation in liquid slugs and/or partial dryout in the liquid film surrounding elongated bubbles, (2) incipient dryout, resulting from dry patch formation in the annular film, and (3) complete dryout, following which the wall has to rely entirely on the mild cooling provided by droplets deposited from the vapor core. In the transient characteristics part, heat transfer measurement and high speed video are used to investigate variations of heat transfer coefficient with quality for different mass velocities and heat fluxes, as well as transient fluid flow and heat transfer behavior. An important transient phenomenon that influences both fluid flow and heat transfer is a liquid wave composed of remnants of liquid slugs from the slug flow regime. The liquid wave serves to replenish dry wall patches in the slug flow regime and to a lesser extent the annular regime. Unlike small heat sinks employed in the electronics industry, TCS heat sinks are characterized by large length-to-diameter ratio, for which limited information is presently available. The large length-to-diameter ratio of 609.6 is especially instrumental to capturing detailed axial variations of flow pattern and corresponding variations in local heat transfer coefficient. High-speed video analysis of the inlet plenum shows appreciable vapor backflow under certain operating conditions, which is also reflected in periodic oscillations in

A bio-inspired, microchanneled hydrogel with controlled spacing of cell adhesion ligands regulates 3D spatial organization of cells and tissue.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Min Kyung; Rich, Max H; Lee, Jonghwi; Kong, Hyunjoon

2015-07-01

Bioactive hydrogels have been extensively studied as a platform for 3D cell culture and tissue regeneration. One of the key desired design parameters is the ability to control spatial organization of biomolecules and cells and subsequent tissue in a 3D matrix. To this end, this study presents a simple but advanced method to spatially organize microchanneled, cell adherent gel blocks and non-adherent ones in a single construct. This hydrogel system was prepared by first fabricating a bimodal hydrogel in which the microscale, alginate gel blocks modified with cell adhesion peptides containing Arg-Gly-Asp sequence (RGD peptides), and those free of RGD peptides, were alternatingly presented. Then, anisotropically aligned microchannels were introduced by uniaxial freeze-drying of the bimodal hydrogel. The resulting gel system could drive bone marrow stromal cells to adhere to and differentiate into neuron and glial cells exclusively in microchannels of the alginate gel blocks modified with RGD peptides. Separately, the bimodal gel loaded with microparticles releasing vascular endothelial growth factor stimulated vascular growth solely into microchannels of the RGD-alginate gel blocks in vivo. These results were not attained by the bimodal hydrogel fabricated to present randomly oriented micropores. Overall, the bimodal gel system could regulate spatial organization of nerve-like tissue or blood vessels at sub-micrometer length scale. We believe that the hydrogel assembly demonstrated in this study will be highly useful in developing a better understanding of diverse cellular behaviors in 3D tissue and further improve quality of a wide array of engineered tissues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Continuously pumping and reactivating gas pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batzer, T.H.; Call, W.R.

1984-01-01

Apparatus for continuous pumping using cycling cyropumping panels. A plurality of liquid helium cooled panels are surrounded by movable nitrogen cooled panels the alternatively expose or shield the helium cooled panels from the space being pumped. Gases condense on exposed helium cooled panels until the nitrogen cooled panels are positioned to isolate the helium cooled panels. The helium cooled panels are incrementally warmed, causing captured gases to accumulate at the base of the panels, where an independent pump removes the gases. After the helium cooled panels are substantially cleaned of condensate, the nitrogen cooled panels are positioned to expose the helium cooled panels to the space being pumped

Continuously pumping and reactivating gas pump

Science.gov (United States)

Batzer, Thomas H.; Call, Wayne R.

1984-01-01

Apparatus for continuous pumping using cycling cyropumping panels. A plurality of liquid helium cooled panels are surrounded by movable nitrogen cooled panels the alternatively expose or shield the helium cooled panels from the space being pumped. Gases condense on exposed helium cooled panels until the nitrogen cooled panels are positioned to isolate the helium cooled panels. The helium cooled panels are incrementally warmed, causing captured gases to accumulate at the base of the panels, where an independent pump removes the gases. After the helium cooled panels are substantially cleaned of condensate, the nitrogen cooled panels are positioned to expose the helium cooled panels to the space being pumped.

Use of Large Surface MicroChannel Plates for the Tagging of Intermediate Energy Exotic Beams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lombardo, I., E-mail: ilombardo@lns.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Catania, Catania (Italy); INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); Amorini, F. [INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); Cardella, G. [INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Cavallaro, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Catania, Catania (Italy); INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); De Filippo, E. [INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Geraci, E.; Grassi, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Catania, Catania (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); La Guidara, E. [INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Centro Siciliano di Fisica Nucleare e Struttura della Materia, Catania (Italy); Lanzalone, G. [INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); Libera Universita Kore, Enna (Italy); Pagano, A.; Papa, M.; Pirrone, S. [INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Politi, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Catania, Catania (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Porto, F.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Catania, Catania (Italy); INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Catania (Italy); Verde, G. [INFN, Sezione di Catania, Catania (Italy); Vigilante, M. [INFN, Sezione di Napoli and Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita Federico II di Napoli (Italy)

2011-06-15

We show the properties of the tagging system for exotic beams coupled to the CHIMERA detector. In particular, the characteristics of a newly developed large surface MicroChannel Plate will be discussed. Timing and efficiency of this instrument have been investigated. Preliminary results of tests performed with radioactive beams and alpha sources are presented.

Experimental demonstration of a tailored-width microchannel heat exchanger configuration for uniform wall temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riera, S; Barrau, J; Rosell, J I; Omri, M; Fréchette, L G

2013-01-01

In this work, an experimental study of a novel microfabricated heat sink configuration that tends to uniform the wall temperature, even with increasing flow temperature, is presented. The design consists of a series of microchannel sections with stepwise varying width. This scheme counteracts the flow temperature increase by reducing the local thermal resistance along the flow path. A test apparatus with uniform heat flux and distributed wall temperature measurements was developed for microchannel heat exchanger characterisation. The energy balance is checked and the temperature distribution is analysed for each test. The results show that the wall temperature decreases slightly along the flow path while the fluid temperature increases, highlighting the strong impact of this approach. For a flow rate of 16 ml/s, the mean thermal resistance of the heat sink is 2,35·10 −5 m 2 ·K/W which enhances the results compared to the millimeter scale channels nearly three-fold. For the same flow rate and a heat flux of 50 W/cm 2 , the temperature uniformity, expressed as the standard deviation of the wall temperature, is around 6 °C

Mixing enhancement of low-Reynolds electro-osmotic flows in microchannels with temperature-patterned walls.

Science.gov (United States)

Alizadeh, A; Zhang, L; Wang, M

2014-10-01

Mixing becomes challenging in microchannels because of the low Reynolds number. This study aims to present a mixing enhancement method for electro-osmotic flows in microchannels using vortices caused by temperature-patterned walls. Since the fluid is non-isothermal, the conventional form of Nernst-Planck equation is modified by adding a new migration term which is dependent on both temperature and internal electric potential gradient. This term results in the so-called thermo-electrochemical migration phenomenon. The coupled Navier-Stokes, Poisson, modified Nernst-Planck, energy and advection-diffusion equations are iteratively solved by multiple lattice Boltzmann methods to obtain the velocity, internal electric potential, ion distribution, temperature and species concentration fields, respectively. To enhance the mixing, three schemes of temperature-patterned walls have been considered with symmetrical or asymmetrical arrangements of blocks with surface charge and temperature. Modeling results show that the asymmetric arrangement scheme is the most efficient scheme and enhances the mixing of species by 39% when the Reynolds number is on the order of 10(-3). Current results may help improve the design of micro-mixers at low Reynolds number. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Panel and planar experimental shear behavior of wood panels ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Panel shear strength along the thickness and planar shear along the length of wood panels laminated softwood oriented OSB 10 mm thick, conditioned at different moisture contents (anhydrous medium, ambient temperature and humid medium) was measured on standardized test specimens, cut in half lengthwise panel ...

Direct measurement of erythrocyte deformability in diabetes mellitus with a transparent microchannel capillary model and high-speed video camera system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukada, K; Sekizuka, E; Oshio, C; Minamitani, H

2001-05-01

To measure erythrocyte deformability in vitro, we made transparent microchannels on a crystal substrate as a capillary model. We observed axisymmetrically deformed erythrocytes and defined a deformation index directly from individual flowing erythrocytes. By appropriate choice of channel width and erythrocyte velocity, we could observe erythrocytes deforming to a parachute-like shape similar to that occurring in capillaries. The flowing erythrocytes magnified 200-fold through microscopy were recorded with an image-intensified high-speed video camera system. The sensitivity of deformability measurement was confirmed by comparing the deformation index in healthy controls with erythrocytes whose membranes were hardened by glutaraldehyde. We confirmed that the crystal microchannel system is a valuable tool for erythrocyte deformability measurement. Microangiopathy is a characteristic complication of diabetes mellitus. A decrease in erythrocyte deformability may be part of the cause of this complication. In order to identify the difference in erythrocyte deformability between control and diabetic erythrocytes, we measured erythrocyte deformability using transparent crystal microchannels and a high-speed video camera system. The deformability of diabetic erythrocytes was indeed measurably lower than that of erythrocytes in healthy controls. This result suggests that impaired deformability in diabetic erythrocytes can cause altered viscosity and increase the shear stress on the microvessel wall. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Streaming potential of superhydrophobic microchannels.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hung Mok; Kim, Damoa; Kim, Se Young

2017-03-01

For the purpose of gaining larger streaming potential, it has been suggested to employ superhydrophobic microchannels with a large velocity slip. There are two kinds of superhydrophobic surfaces, one having a smooth wall with a large Navier slip coefficient caused by the hydrophobicity of the wall material, and the other having a periodic array of no- shear slots of air pockets embedded in a nonslip wall. The electrokinetic flows over these two superhydrophobic surfaces are modelled using the Navier-Stokes equation and convection-diffusion equations of the ionic species. The Navier slip coefficient of the first kind surfaces and the no-shear slot ratio of the second kind surfaces are similar in the sense that the volumetric flow rate increases as these parameter values increase. However, although the streaming potential increases monotonically with respect to the Navier slip coefficient, it reaches a maximum and afterward decreases as the no-shear ratio increases. The results of the present investigation imply that the characterization of superhydrophobic surfaces employing only the measurement of volumetric flow rate against pressure drop is not appropriate and the fine structure of the superhydrophobic surfaces must be verified before predicting the streaming potential and electrokinetic flows accurately. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Spinning and tumbling of micron-sized triangles in a micro-channel shear flow

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, J.; Kumar, M. Vijay; Mihiretie, B. Mekonnen; Hanstorp, D.; Mehlig, B.

2018-03-01

We report on measurements of the angular dynamics of micron-sized equilaterally triangular platelets suspended in a micro-channel shear flow. Our measurements confirm that such particles spin and tumble like a spheroid in a simple shear. Since the triangle has corners, we can observe the spinning directly. In general, the spinning frequency is different from the tumbling frequency and the spinning is affected by tumbling. This gives rise to doubly periodic angular dynamics.

Varying the agglomeration position of particles in a micro-channel using Acoustic Radiation Force beyond the resonance condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Dron, Olivier; Aider, Jean-Luc

2013-09-01

It is well-known that particles can be focused at mid-height of a micro-channel using Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF) tuned at the resonance frequency (h=λ/2). The resonance condition is a strong limitation to the use of acoustophoresis (particles manipulation using acoustic force) in many applications. In this study we show that it is possible to focus the particles anywhere along the height of a micro-channel just by varying the acoustic frequency, in contradiction with the resonance condition. This result has been thoroughly checked experimentally. The different physical properties as well as wall materials have been changed. The wall materials is finally the only critical parameters. One of the specificity of the micro-channel is the thickness of the carrier and reflector layer. A preliminary analysis of the experimental results suggests that the acoustic focusing beyond the classic resonance condition can be explained in the framework of the multilayered resonator proposed by Hill [1]. Nevertheless, further numerical studies are needed in order to confirm and fully understand how the acoustic pressure node can be moved over the entire height of the micro channel by varying the acoustic frequency. Despite some uncertainties about the origin of the phenomenon, it is robust and can be used for improved acoustic sorting or manipulation of particles or biological cells in confined set-ups. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microchannel-connected SU-8 honeycombs by single-step projection photolithography for positioning cells on silicon oxide nanopillar arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larramendy, Florian; Paul, Oliver; Blatche, Marie Charline; Mazenq, Laurent; Laborde, Adrian; Temple-Boyer, Pierre

2015-01-01

We report on the fabrication, functionalization and testing of SU-8 microstructures for cell culture and positioning over large areas. The microstructure consists of a honeycomb arrangement of cell containers interconnected by microchannels and centered on nanopillar arrays designed for promoting cell positioning. The containers have been dimensioned to trap single cells and, with a height of 50 µm, prevent cells from escaping. The structures are fabricated using a single ultraviolet photolithography exposure with focus depth in the lower part of the SU-8 resist. With optimized process parameters, microchannels of various aspect ratios are thus produced. The cell containers and microchannels serve for the organization of axonal growth between neurons. The roughly 2 µm-high and 500 nm-wide nanopillars are made of silicon oxide structured by deep reactive ion etching. In future work, beyond their cell positioning purpose, the nanopillars could be functionalized as sensors. The proof of concept of the novel microstructure for organized cell culture is given by the successful growth of interconnected PC12 cells. Promoted by the honeycomb geometry, a dense network of interconnections between the cells has formed and the intended intimate contact of cells with the nanopillar arrays was observed by scanning electron microscopy. This proves the potential of these new devices as tools for the controlled cell growth in an interconnected container system with well-defined 3D geometry. (paper)

Implementation of 40-ps high-speed gated-microchannel-plate based x-ray framing cameras on reentrant SIM's for Nova

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, P.M.; Kilkenny, J.D.; Landen, O.; Bradley, D.K.

1994-01-01

Gated framing cameras used in diagnosing laser produced plasmas have been used on the Nova laser system since 1987. There have been many variations of these systems implemented. All of these cameras have been ultimately limited in response time for two reasons. One being the electrical gating amplitude verses the gate width, this has always limited the detectable gain in the system. The second being the length to diameter (l/d) ratio of standard off the shelf microchannel plates (MCP). This sets the minimum electrical gate pulse that will give detectable gain from a given microchannel plate. The authors have implemented two different types of 40 ps framing camera configurations on the Nova laser system. They will describe the configurations of both systems as well as discuss the advantages of each

Impact of Sustainable Cool Roof Technology on Building Energy Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Vuppuluri, Prem Kiran

Highly reflective roofing systems have been analyzed over several decades to evaluate their ability to meet sustainability goals, including reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. Studies have isolated and evaluated the effects of climate, surface reflectivity, and roof insulation on energy savings, thermal load mitigation and also ameliorating the urban heat island. Other sustainable roofing systems, like green-roofs and solar panels have been similarly evaluated. The motivation for the present study is twofold: the first goal is to present a method for simultaneous evaluation and inter-comparison of multiple roofing systems, and the second goal is to quantitatively evaluate the realized heating and cooling energy savings associated with a white roof system compared to the reduction in roof-top heat flux. To address the first research goal a field experiment was conducted at the International Harvester Building located in Portland, OR. Thermal data was collected for a white roof, vegetated roof, and a solar panel shaded vegetated roof, and the heat flux through these roofing systems was compared against a control patch of conventional dark roof membrane. The second research goal was accomplished using a building energy simulation program to determine the impact of roof area and roof insulation on the savings from a white roof, in both Portland and Phoenix. The ratio of cooling energy savings to roof heat flux reduction from replacing a dark roof with a white roof was 1:4 for the month of July, and 1:5 annually in Portland. The COP of the associated chillers ranges from 2.8-4.2, indicating that the ratio of cooling energy savings to heat flux reduction is not accounted for solely by the COP of the chillers. The results of the building simulation indicate that based on energy savings alone, white roofs are not an optimal choice for Portland. The benefits associated with cooling energy savings relative to a black roof are offset by

Flame dynamics in a micro-channeled combustor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, Taaha; Balachandran, Ramanarayanan; Markides, Christos N.

2015-01-01

The increasing use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) has generated a significant interest in combustion-based power generation technologies, as a replacement of traditional electrochemical batteries which are plagued by low energy densities, short operational lives and low power-to-size and power-to-weight ratios. Moreover, the versatility of integrated combustion-based systems provides added scope for combined heat and power generation. This paper describes a study into the dynamics of premixed flames in a micro-channeled combustor. The details of the design and the geometry of the combustor are presented in the work by Kariuki and Balachandran [1]. This work showed that there were different modes of operation (periodic, a-periodic and stable), and that in the periodic mode the flame accelerated towards the injection manifold after entering the channels. The current study investigates these flames further. We will show that the flame enters the channel and propagates towards the injection manifold as a planar flame for a short distance, after which the flame shape and propagation is found to be chaotic in the middle section of the channel. Finally, the flame quenches when it reaches the injector slots. The glow plug position in the exhaust side ignites another flame, and the process repeats. It is found that an increase in air flow rate results in a considerable increase in the length (and associated time) over which the planar flame travels once it has entered a micro-channel, and a significant decrease in the time between its conversion into a chaotic flame and its extinction. It is well known from the literature that inside small channels the flame propagation is strongly influenced by the flow conditions and thermal management. An increase of the combustor block temperature at high flow rates has little effect on the flame lengths and times, whereas at low flow rates the time over which the planar flame front can be observed decreases and the time of

Flame dynamics in a micro-channeled combustor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hussain, Taaha; Balachandran, Ramanarayanan, E-mail: r.balachandran@ucl.ac.uk [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Markides, Christos N. [Clean Energy Processes Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London (United Kingdom)

2015-01-22

The increasing use of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) has generated a significant interest in combustion-based power generation technologies, as a replacement of traditional electrochemical batteries which are plagued by low energy densities, short operational lives and low power-to-size and power-to-weight ratios. Moreover, the versatility of integrated combustion-based systems provides added scope for combined heat and power generation. This paper describes a study into the dynamics of premixed flames in a micro-channeled combustor. The details of the design and the geometry of the combustor are presented in the work by Kariuki and Balachandran [1]. This work showed that there were different modes of operation (periodic, a-periodic and stable), and that in the periodic mode the flame accelerated towards the injection manifold after entering the channels. The current study investigates these flames further. We will show that the flame enters the channel and propagates towards the injection manifold as a planar flame for a short distance, after which the flame shape and propagation is found to be chaotic in the middle section of the channel. Finally, the flame quenches when it reaches the injector slots. The glow plug position in the exhaust side ignites another flame, and the process repeats. It is found that an increase in air flow rate results in a considerable increase in the length (and associated time) over which the planar flame travels once it has entered a micro-channel, and a significant decrease in the time between its conversion into a chaotic flame and its extinction. It is well known from the literature that inside small channels the flame propagation is strongly influenced by the flow conditions and thermal management. An increase of the combustor block temperature at high flow rates has little effect on the flame lengths and times, whereas at low flow rates the time over which the planar flame front can be observed decreases and the time of

Recent developments with microchannel-plate PMTs

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann, A.; Böhm, M.; Britting, A.; Eyrich, W.; Pfaffinger, M.; Uhlig, F.; Belias, A.; Dzhygadlo, R.; Gerhardt, A.; Götzen, K.; Kalicy, G.; Krebs, M.; Lehmann, D.; Nerling, F.; Patsyuk, M.; Peters, K.; Schepers, G.; Schmitt, L.; Schwarz, C.; Schwiening, J.; Traxler, M.; Zühlsdorf, M.; Düren, M.; Etzelmüller, E.; Föhl, K.; Hayrapetyan, A.; Kröck, B.; Merle, O.; Rieke, J.; Schmidt, M.; Wasem, T.; Cowie, E.; Keri, T.; Achenbach, P.; Cardinali, M.; Hoek, M.; Lauth, W.; Schlimme, S.; Sfienti, C.; Thiel, M.

2017-12-01

Microchannel-plate (MCP) PMTs are the favored photon sensors for the DIRC detectors of the PANDA experiment at FAIR. Until recently the main drawback of MCP-PMTs were serious aging effects which led to a limited lifetime due to a rapidly decreasing quantum efficiency (QE) of the photo cathode (PC) as the integrated anode charge (IAC) increased. In the latest models of PHOTONIS and Hamamatsu an innovative atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique is applied to overcome these limitations. During the last five years comprehensive aging tests with ALD coated MCP-PMTs were performed and the results were compared to tubes treated with other techniques. The QE in dependence of the IAC was measured as a function of the wavelength and the position across the PC. For the best performing tubes the lifetime improvement in comparison to the older MCP-PMTs is a factor of > 50 based on an IAC of meanwhile > 10 C /cm2 . In addition, the performance results of a new 2-in. ALD coated MCP-PMT prototype from Hamamatsu with a very high position resolution (128×6 anode pixels) is presented and the first conclusions from investigations concerning the PC aging mechanism will be discussed.

Functionalized Nano-Film Microchannel Plate: A Single High Aspect Ratio Device for High Resolution, Low Noise Astronomical Imaging, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed innovation is to apply proven nano-film technology to enable Microchannel plate (MCP) devices to be manufactured on a range of insulating substrates and...

Stressed skin panels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon

2001-07-01

Advantages and disadvantages of stressed skin panels, also known as structural insulated panels (SIPs), are discussed as material and labour-saving alternatives to traditional stick framing. Stressed skin panels are manufactured 'sandwich' assemblies with a rigid insulating polystyrene foam core, whose interior and exterior surfaces are bonded into panels. The skins distribute and carry the structural loading while the bonded foam core provides insulation and keeps the two skins aligned. Since there are fewer framing members, there is little thermal bridging and the R-value remains high. SIPs are usually manufactured in four feet by eight feet panels, although some manufacturers can produce panels up to eight feet by forty feet. SIPs are resource efficient as they use less wood than conventional framing (about 25 per cent less); can structurally cover large spans, requiring less supplementary framing. Use of SIPs eliminate the need for headers over small openings; provide the ability to nail anywhere; create less scrap and waste; lessen vulnerability to unfavourable weather and other job-site hazards, can reduce delays, and often can produce significant savings in material and labour costs. Limitations include the more complex approaches to plumbing and electrical systems, although this can be minimized by designers by incorporating much of the plumbing and electrical work on interior (non-panel) walls. Most stressed skin panels require one-half inch interior gypsum drywall. If become wet, stressed skin panels take a long time to dry out and may harbour mold growth. Larger stressed-skin panels used in floors and roofs, may require cranes or other machinery for handling because of their weight. Although not without some environmental impact, overall, stressed skin panels are judged to be a resource-efficient building technology with significant energy-efficiency benefits and distinct advantages over stick framing. 3 photos.

The effects of viscosity, surface tension, and flow rate on gasoil-water flow pattern in microchannels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boogar, Rahman Sadeghi; Gheshlaghi, Reza; Mahdavi, Mahmood Akhavan [Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2013-01-15

A microchannel was fabricated with glass tubes to investigate the effect of viscosity, surface tension, and flow rate on the liquid-liquid two-phase flow regime. Water and gasoil were selected as aqueous and organic working fluids, respectively. The two fluids were injected into the microchannel and created either slug or parallel profile depending on the applied conditions. The range of Reynolds and capillary numbers was chosen in such a way that neither inertia nor interfacial tension forces were negligible. Xanthan gum was used to increase viscosity and Triton X-100 (TX-100) and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) were used to reduce the interfacial tension. The results demonstrated that higher value of viscosity and flow rate increased interfacial area, but slug flow regime remained unchanged. The two surfactants showed different effects on the flow regime and interfacial area. Addition of TX-100 did not change the slug flow but decreased the interfacial area. In contrast, addition of SDS increased interfacial area by decreasing the slug’s length in the low concentrations and by switching from slug to parallel regime at high concentrations.

Numerical simulation of the droplet formation in a cross-junction microchannel using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zilu; Kang, Jinfen; Park, Jae Hyun; Suh, Yong Kweon

2007-01-01

This study describes the numerical simulation of two-dimensional droplet formation and the following motion by using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) with the phase field equation. The free energy model is used to treat the interfacial force and the deformation of a binary fluid system, drawn into a cross-junction microchannel. While one fluid is introduced through the central inlet channel, the other fluid is drawn into the main channel through the two vertical inlet channels. Due to the effect of surface tension on the interface between the two fluids, the droplets of the first fluid are formed near the cross-junction. The aim in this investigation is to examine the applicability of LBM to the numerical analysis of the droplet formation and its motion in the microchannel. It was found from comparison with the experimentally visualized patterns that LBM with the free energy model can reproduce the droplet formation successfully. However because of the stability problem which is intrinsic for high surface-tension cases, it requires a very long computational time. This issue is to be resolved in the future.

Numerical simulation of the droplet formation in a cross-junction microchannel using the Lattice Boltzmann Method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zi Lu; Kang, Jin Fen; Park, Jae Hyun; Suh, Yong Kweon

2007-01-01

This study describes the numerical simulation of two-dimensional droplet formation and the following motion by using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM) with the phase field equation. The free energy model is used to treat the interfacial force and the deformation of a binary fluid system, drawn into a cross-junction microchannel. While one fluid is introduced through the central inlet channel, the other fluid is drawn into the main channel through the two vertical inlet channels. Due to the effect of surface tension on the interface between the two fluids, the droplets of the first fluid are formed near the cross-junction. The aim in this investigation is to examine the applicability of LBM to the numerical analysis of the droplet formation and its motion in the microchannel. It was found from comparison with the experimentally visualized patterns that LBM with the free energy model can reproduce the droplet formation successfully. However because of the stability problem which is intrinsic for high surface-tension cases, it requires a very long computational time. This issue is to be resolved in the future

Degradation of the performance of microchannel heat exchangers due to flow maldistribution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kaspar Kirstein; Engelbrecht, Kurt; Christensen, Dennis

2012-01-01

The effect of flow maldistribution on the performance of microchannel parallel plate heat exchangers is investigated using an established single blow numerical model and cyclic steady-state regenerator experiments. It is found that as the variation of the individual channel thickness...... in a particular stack (heat exchanger) increases the actual performance of the heat exchanger decreases significantly, deviating from the expected nominal performance. We show that this is due to both the varying fluid flow velocities in each individual channel and the thermal cross talk between the channels...

High-Throughput Particle Manipulation Based on Hydrodynamic Effects in Microchannels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chao Liu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Microfluidic techniques are effective tools for precise manipulation of particles and cells, whose enrichment and separation is crucial for a wide range of applications in biology, medicine, and chemistry. Recently, lateral particle migration induced by the intrinsic hydrodynamic effects in microchannels, such as inertia and elasticity, has shown its promise for high-throughput and label-free particle manipulation. The particle migration can be engineered to realize the controllable focusing and separation of particles based on a difference in size. The widespread use of inertial and viscoelastic microfluidics depends on the understanding of hydrodynamic effects on particle motion. This review will summarize the progress in the fundamental mechanisms and key applications of inertial and viscoelastic particle manipulation.

Proton beam micromachined buried microchannels in negative tone resist materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajta, I.; Chatzichristidi, M.; Baradacs, E.; Cserhati, C.; Raptis, I.; Manoli, K.; Valamontes, E.S.

2007-01-01

In the present work the Atomki, Debrecen microprobe facility has been used to write long tilted structures by 2 MeV protons. For the formation of the structures, two exposures have been carried out at +20 o and -20 o using a goniometer stage sample holder. The tilted structures were resolved in the negative tone resist materials SU-8 and ADEPR (an aqueous base developable chemically amplified resist). The length of the microchannels was varied between 100 μm and 1000 μm, the wall thickness was less than 10 μm. By applying the developed methodology it was possible to resolve the desired layout through the whole length of the channel

Optimal thermal-hydraulic performance for helium-cooled divertors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izenson, M.G.; Martin, J.L.

1996-01-01

Normal flow heat exchanger (NFHX) technology offers the potential for cooling divertor panels with reduced pressure drops (<0.5% Δp/p), reduced pumping power (<0.75% pumping/thermal power), and smaller duct sizes than conventional helium heat exchangers. Furthermore, the NFHX can easily be fabricated in the large sizes required for divertors in large tokamaks. Recent experimental and computational results from a program to develop NFHX technology for divertor coolings using porous metal heat transfer media are described. We have tested the thermal and flow characteristics of porous metals and identified the optimal heat transfer material for the divertor heat exchanger. Methods have been developed to create highly conductive thermal bonds between the porous material and a solid substrate. Computational fluid dynamics calculations of flow and heat transfer in the porous metal layer have shown the capability of high thermal effectiveness. An 18-kW NFHX, designed to meet specifications for the international Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor divertor, has been fabricated and tested for thermal and flow performance. Preliminary results confirm design and fabrication methods. 11 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab

Scaling Law for Cross-stream Diffusion in Microchannels under Combined Electroosmotic and Pressure Driven Flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Hongjun; Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil

2013-01-01

This paper presents an analytical study of the cross-stream diffusion of an analyte in a rectangular microchannel under combined electroosmotic flow (EOF) and pressure driven flow to investigate the heterogeneous transport behavior and spatially-dependent diffusion scaling law. An analytical model capable of accurately describing 3D steady-state convection-diffusion in microchannels with arbitrary aspect ratios is developed based on the assumption of the thin Electric Double Layer (EDL). The model is verified against high-fidelity numerical simulation in terms of flow velocity and analyte concentration profiles with excellent agreement (parametric analysis is then undertaken to interrogate the effect of the combined flow velocity field on the transport behavior in both the positive pressure gradient (PPG) and negative pressure gradient (NPG) cases. For the first time, the evolution from the spindle-shaped concentration profile in the PPG case, via the stripe-shaped profile (pure EOF), and finally to the butterfly-shaped profile in the PPG case is obtained using the analytical model along with a quantitative depiction of the spatially-dependent diffusion layer thickness and scaling law across a wide range of the parameter space.

Investigation of Different Droplet Formation Regimes in a T-junction Microchannel Using the VOF Technique in OpenFOAM

Science.gov (United States)

Malekzadeh, Shima; Roohi, Ehsan

2015-06-01

Here we aimed to investigate various droplet formation regimes in a two-dimensional T-junction microchannel geometry using the open source software OpenFOAM. Two incompressible fluids, continuous phase in the main channel and dispersed phase in the lateral channel, have been considered. The interFoam solver was used to simulate laminar flow with two incompressible and isothermal phases. We evaluated the capability of "Compressive Interface Capturing Scheme for Arbitrary Meshes (CICSAM)" volume of fluid (VOF) technique of the OpenFOAM for modeling of the droplet formation and movement in different regimes. The flow behavior in the T-junction microchannel over a wide range of capillary numbers (0.006 to 0.12), volume flow rate ratio (0.125, 0.25, 0.5), and contact angle (130° to 180°) in the squeezing, dripping and jetting regimes were examined.The importance of parameters such as contact angle, capillary number, flow rate ratio, and Reynolds number at the time of separation, as well as the formation of droplets, was investigated in different regimes. We found that droplet detachment time increases by increasing the contact angle in the squeezing regime while increasing the contact angle in the dripping regime results in a decrease in the droplet detachment time. We compare the role of pressure gradient and shear stress forces in the droplet formation process in both dripping and squeezing regimes in details. We also provide a classification of two-phase flow regimes in the investigated T-junction microchannel in terms of three main parameters of, e.g., flow rate ratio, contact angle, and capillary number.

Effect of laser beam conditioning on fabrication of clean micro-channel on stainless steel 316L using second harmonic of Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Sanasam Sunderlal; Baruah, Prahlad Kr; Khare, Alika; Joshi, Shrikrishna N.

2018-02-01

Laser micromachining of metals for fabrication of micro-channels generate ridge formation along the edges accompanied by ripples along the channel bed. The ridge formation is due to the formation of interference pattern formed by back reflections from the beam splitter and other optical components involved before focusing on the work piece. This problem can be curtailed by using a suitable aperture or Iris diaphragm so as to cut the unwanted portion of the laser beam before illuminating the sample. This paper reports an experimental investigation on minimizing this problem by conditioning the laser beam using an Iris diaphragm and using optimum process parameters. In this work, systematic experiments have been carried out using the second harmonic of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser to fabricate micro-channels. Initial experiments revealed that formation of ridges along the sides of micro-channel can easily be minimized with the help of Iris diaphragm. Further it is noted that a clean micro-channel of depth 43.39 μm, width up to 64.49 μm and of good surface quality with average surface roughness (Ra) value of 370 nm can be machined on stainless steel (SS) 316L by employing optimum process condition: laser beam energy of 30 mJ/pulse, 11 number of laser scans and scan speed of 169.54 μm/s with an opening of 4 mm diameter of Iris diaphragm in the path of the laser beam.

Assessing energy and thermal comfort of different low-energy cooling concepts for non-residential buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salvalai, Graziano; Pfafferott, Jens; Sesana, Marta Maria

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Impact of five cooling technologies are simulated in six European climate zones with Trnsys 17. • The ventilation strategies reduce the cooling energy need even in South Europe climate. • Constant ventilation controller can lead to a poor cooling performance. • Comparing radiant strategies with air conditioning scenario, the energy saving is predicted to within 5–35%. - Abstract: Energy consumption for cooling is growing dramatically. In the last years, electricity peak consumption grew significantly, switching from winter to summer in many EU countries. This is endangering the stability of electricity grids. This article outlines a comprehensive analysis of an office building performances in terms of energy consumption and thermal comfort (in accordance with static – ISO 7730:2005 – and adaptive thermal comfort criteria – EN 15251:2007 –) related to different cooling concepts in six different European climate zones. The work is based on a series of dynamic simulations carried out in the Trnsys 17 environment for a typical office building. The simulation study was accomplished for five cooling technologies: natural ventilation (NV), mechanical night ventilation (MV), fan-coils (FC), suspended ceiling panels (SCP), and concrete core conditioning (CCC) applied in Stockholm, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Milan, Rome, and Palermo. Under this premise, the authors propose a methodology for the evaluation of the cooling concepts taking into account both, thermal comfort and energy consumption

Experimental and computational fluid dynamics analysis of a photovoltaic/thermal system with active cooling using aluminum fins

Science.gov (United States)

Ömeroǧlu, Gökhan

2017-10-01

Being the most widespread renewable energy generation system, photovoltaic (PV) systems face major problems, overheating and low overall conversion efficiency. The electrical efficiency of PV systems is adversely affected by significant increases in cell temperature upon exposure to solar irradiation. There have been several ways to remove excess heat and cool down the PV to maintain efficiency at fair levels. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system cooled by forced air circulation blown by a PV-powered fan was set up, and a rectangular control volume with cylindrical ends was built at the back of the PV panel where aluminum fins were placed in different arrangements and numbers. During the experiments, temperature and electrical output parameters were measured for three different air velocities (3.3, 3.9, and 4.5 m/s) and two different fin numbers and arrangements (54 pcs shifted and 108 pcs inline) under a constant radiation value of 1350 W/m2. While the electrical efficiency of the panel was reduced by almost 50% and decreased from 12% to 6.8% without active cooling, at 4.5-m/s air velocity and with 108 fins in inline arrangement, the electrical efficiency could be maintained at 11.5%. To compare and verify the experimental results, a heat transfer simulation model was developed with the ANSYS Fluent, and a good fit between the simulation and the test results was obtained.

Observation of Ultra-Slow Antiprotons using Micro-channel Plate

Science.gov (United States)

Imao, H.; Torii, H. A.; Nagata, Y.; Toyoda, H.; Shimoyama, T.; Enomoto, Y.; Higaki, H.; Kanai, Y.; Mohri, A.; Yamazaki, Y.

2008-08-01

Our group ASACUSA-MUSASHI has succeeded in accumulating several million antiprotons and extracting them as monochromatic ultra-slow antiproton beams (10 eV-1 keV) at CERN AD. We have observed ultra-slow antiprotons using micro-channel plates (MCP). The integrated pulse area of the output signals generated when the MCP was irradiated by ultra-slow antiprotons was 6 times higher than that by electrons. As a long-term effect, we also observed an increase in the background rate presumably due to the radioactivation of the MCP surface. Irradiating the antiproton beams on the MCP induces antiproton-nuclear annihilations only on the first layer of the surface. Low-energy and short-range secondary particles like charged nuclear fragments caused by the "surface nuclear reactions" would be the origin of our observed phenomena.

Comprehensive metabolic panel

Science.gov (United States)

Metabolic panel - comprehensive; Chem-20; SMA20; Sequential multi-channel analysis with computer-20; SMAC20; Metabolic panel 20 ... Chernecky CC, Berger BJ. Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) - blood. In: ... Tests and Diagnostic Procedures . 6th ed. St Louis, MO: ...

A performance evaluation of a microchannel reactor for the production of hydrogen from formic acid for electrochemical energy applications

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Ndlovu, IM

2017-12-01

Full Text Available An experimental evaluation of a microchannel reactor was completed to assess the reactor performance for the catalytic decomposition of vaporised formic acid (FA) for H2 production. Initially, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), elemental mapping using...

Noise Reduction in Double‿Panel Structures by Cavity and Panel Resonance Control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ho, J.; Berkhoff, Arthur P.

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of the cavity and the panel resonance control in a double‿panel structure. The double‿panel structure, which consists of two panels with air in the gap, is widely adopted in many applications such as aerospace due to its light weight and effective

Noise reduction in double-panel structures by cavity and panel resonance control

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ho, J.-H.; Berkhoff, A.P

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of the cavity and the panel resonance control in a double‐panel structure. The double‐panel structure, which consists of two panels with air in the gap, is widely adopted in many applications such as aerospace due to its light weight and effective

PERBANDINGAN UNJUK KERJA ANTARA PANEL SEL SURYA BERPENJEJAK DENGAN PANEL SEL SURYA DIAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syafaruddin Ch

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The ability to produce electrical energy at Solar Power Plant  is highly dependent on the magnitude and duration of sun exposure on the solar cell panels. The movement of the sun from east to west that periodicity in every day is a problem at  the  optimization generation of electricity at  Solar Power Plant   if using solar panel that motionless. This is because the solar cell panel can not catch the maximum sun exposure. To solve the above problem then designed a solar cell panel  tracker  capable of follo-wing the movements of the sun. Then conducted a test to see the performance of solar cell pa-nel  tracker  and compare it with the performance of solar cell panel was motionless. The testing doing along 6 days, with way to irradiate the panel of solar cells  tracker  and panels of solar cell motionless with sun exposure  along a  full day. Then the electric current generated each panel were recorded. The comparison of current then generating comparison of electric power delivery. The result show that the solar cell panel  tracker  produce the average current is 2.19 A whereas solar-cell panel still 1.97 A.  This result   indicate that average power for solar cell panel  tracker  39.41 W while for solar cell panel that motionless is  35.46 W. These results indicate that the performance of solar cell panel  tracker  better than  solar cell panel motionless.

Noise Reduction in Double‿Panel Structures by Cavity and Panel Resonance Control

OpenAIRE

Ho, J.; Berkhoff, Arthur P.

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of the cavity and the panel resonance control in a double‿panel structure. The double‿panel structure, which consists of two panels with air in the gap, is widely adopted in many applications such as aerospace due to its light weight and effective transmission‿loss at high frequency. However, the resonance of the cavity and the poor transmission‿loss at low frequency limit its noise control performance. Applying active control forces on the panels or utili...

Experimental study of gas-liquid flow local characteristics in rectangular microchannel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bartkus German

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Using high-speed video recording and the method of dual laser scanning the gas-liquid flow was investigated in a rectangular microchannel with an aspect ratio of 0.74 (cross section 269×362 μm. The T-mixer was used at the channel’s inlet for the two-phase flow formation. The peculiarity of this work is using a number of liquids (ethanol, distilled water, 40% aqueous ethanol with different physical properties, including surface tension, viscosity, and density, with nitrogen. Experiments were carried out for the vertically upward and horizontal flow. Using laser scanning method the maps of flow patterns were obtained for all mixtures.

Development of time-of-flight RBS system using multi microchannel plates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, N.V.; Abo, S.; Lohner, T.; Sawaragi, H.; Wakaya, F.; Takai, M.

2007-01-01

A new time-of-flight Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (TOF-RBS) system with two circular microchannel plates (MCPs) installed at a distance of 140 mm from a sample holder and a scattering angle of 125 o and a 100 kV focused ion beam column having a liquid metal ion source (LMIS) of AuSiBe alloy has been assembled to obtain high counting rate and enhanced mass resolution. The possible influence of the two MCPs by logical summation of the output signals on the time resolution was investigated by measuring dedicated thin deposited metallic samples. And, the time resolution was found in the range of 1.5-2 ns

Numerical investigation of non-Newtonian nanofluid flow in a converging microchannel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohsenian, S.; Ramiar, A.; Ranjbar, A. A. [Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-01-15

In the present study the flow of non-Newtonian nanofluid through a converging microchannel is investigated numerically. TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles with 10 nm diameter are dispersed in an aqueous solution of 0.5 %.wt Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to produce the nanofluid. Both nanofluid and the base fluid show pseudoplastic behavior. The equations have been solved with finite volume approach using collocated grid. It has been found that by increasing the volume fraction and Reynolds number and the convergence angle, the Nusselt number increases. Also, it has been observed that by increasing convergence angle and decreasing aspect ratio of the channel, the velocity of the channel increases.

A Neutron Sensitive Microchannel Plate Detector with Cross Delay Line Readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, Kevin D.; Bilheux, Hassina Z.; Crow, Lowell; Diawara, Yacouba; Feller, W. Bruce; Iverson, Erik B.; Martin, Adrian; Robertson, J. Lee

2012-01-01

Microchannel plates containing neutron absorbing elements such as boron and gadolinium in the bulk glass are used as the sensing element in high spatial resolution, high rate neutron imaging systems. In this paper we describe one such device, using both 10 B and natural Gd, which employs cross delay line signal readout, with time-of-flight capability. This detector has a measured spatial resolution under 40 m FWHM, thermal neutron efficiency of 19%, and has recorded rates in excess of 500 kHz. A physical and functional description is presented, followed by a discussion of measurements of detector performance and a brief survey of some practical applications.

Steam conversion of liquefied petroleum gas and methane in microchannel reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Dimov, S. V.; Gasenko, O. A.; Fokin, M. I.; Kuznetsov, V. V.

2018-03-01

This study presents experimental results of steam conversion of liquefied petroleum gas and methane in annular catalytic reactor - heat exchanger. The steam reforming was done on the Rh/Al2O3 nanocatalyst with the heat applied through the microchannel gap from the outer wall. Concentrations of the products of chemical reactions in the outlet gas mixture are measured at different temperatures of reactor. The range of channel wall temperatures at which the ratio of hydrogen and carbon oxide in the outlet mixture grows substantially is determined. Data on the composition of liquefied petroleum gas conversion products for the ratio S/C = 5 was received for different GHVS.

Fabrication of open-top microchannel plate using deep X-ray exposure mask made with silicon on insulator substrate

CERN Document Server

Fujimura, T; Etoh, S I; Hattori, R; Kuroki, Y; Chang, S S

2003-01-01

We propose a high-aspect-ratio open-top microchannel plate structure. This type of microchannel plate has many advantages in electrophoresis. The plate was fabricated by deep X-ray lithography using synchrotron radiation (SR) light and the chemical wet etching process. A deep X-ray exposure mask was fabricated with a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate. The patterned Si microstructure was micromachined into a thin Si membrane and a thick Au X-ray absorber was embedded in it by electroplating. A plastic material, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) was used for the plate substrate. For reduction of the exposure time and high-aspect-ratio fast wet development, the fabrication condition was optimized with respect to not the exposure dose but to the PMMA mean molecular weight (M.W.) changing after deep X-ray exposure as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Decrement of the PMMA M.W. and increment of the wet developer temperature accelerated the etching rate. Under optimized fabrication conditions, a microc...

Microbial analysis of meatballs cooled with vacuum and conventional cooling.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Hande Mutlu; Ozturk, Harun Kemal; Koçar, Gunnur

2017-08-01

Vacuum cooling is a rapid evaporative cooling technique and can be used for pre-cooling of leafy vegetables, mushroom, bakery, fishery, sauces, cooked food, meat and particulate foods. The aim of this study was to apply the vacuum cooling and the conventional cooling techniques for the cooling of the meatball and to show the vacuum pressure effect on the cooling time, the temperature decrease and microbial growth rate. The results of the vacuum cooling and the conventional cooling (cooling in the refrigerator) were compared with each other for different temperatures. The study shows that the conventional cooling was much slower than the vacuum cooling. Moreover, the microbial growth rate of the vacuum cooling was extremely low compared with the conventional cooling. Thus, the lowest microbial growth occurred at 0.7 kPa and the highest microbial growth was observed at 1.5 kPa for the vacuum cooling. The mass loss ratio for the conventional cooling and vacuum cooling was about 5 and 9% respectively.

Nanoscale coatings for erosion and corrosion protection of copper microchannel coolers for high powered laser diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Flannery, Matthew; Fan, Angie; Desai, Tapan G.

2014-03-01

High powered laser diodes are used in a wide variety of applications ranging from telecommunications to industrial applications. Copper microchannel coolers (MCCs) utilizing high velocity, de-ionized water coolant are used to maintain diode temperatures in the recommended range to produce stable optical power output and control output wavelength. However, aggressive erosion and corrosion attack from the coolant limits the lifetime of the cooler to only 6 months of operation. Currently, gold plating is the industry standard for corrosion and erosion protection in MCCs. However, this technique cannot perform a pin-hole free coating and furthermore cannot uniformly cover the complex geometries of current MCCs involving small diameter primary and secondary channels. Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc., presents a corrosion and erosion resistant coating (ANCERTM) applied by a vapor phase deposition process for enhanced protection of MCCs. To optimize the coating formation and thickness, coated copper samples were tested in 0.125% NaCl solution and high purity de-ionized (DIW) flow loop. The effects of DIW flow rates and qualities on erosion and corrosion of the ANCERTM coated samples were evaluated in long-term erosion and corrosion testing. The robustness of the coating was also evaluated in thermal cycles between 30°C - 75°C. After 1000 hours flow testing and 30 thermal cycles, the ANCERTM coated copper MCCs showed a corrosion rate 100 times lower than the gold plated ones and furthermore were barely affected by flow rates or temperatures thus demonstrating superior corrosion and erosion protection and long term reliability.

Numerical modeling of annular laminar film condensation in circular and non-circular micro-channels under normal and micro-gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nebuloni, S.

2010-03-01

A theoretical and numerical model to predict film condensation heat transfer in mini, micro and ultra micro-channels of different internal shapes is presented in this thesis. The model is based on a finite volume formulation of the Navier-Stokes and energy equations and it includes the contributions of the unsteady terms, surface tension, axial shear stresses, gravitational forces and wall thermal conduction. Notably, interphase mass transfer and near-to-wall effects (disjoining pressure) are also included. This model has been validated versus various benchmark cases and versus published experimental results from three different laboratories, predicting micro-channel heat transfer data with an average error of 20 % or better. The conjugate heat transfer problem arising from the coupling between the thin film fluid dynamics, the heat transfer in the condensing fluid and the heat conduction in the channel wall has been studied and analyzed. The work has focused on the effects of three external wall boundary conditions: a uniform wall temperature, a non uniform wall heat flux and single-phase convective cooling. The thermal axial and peripheral conduction occurring in the wall of the channel can affect the behavior of the condensate film, not only because it redistributes the heat, but also because the annular laminar film condensation process is dependent on the local saturation to wall temperature difference. When moving from mini to micro and ultra-micro channels, the results shows that the axial conduction effects can become very important in the prediction of the wall temperature profile and they can not be ignored. Under these conditions, the overall performances of the heat exchanger become dependent not only on the fluid properties and the operative conditions but also on the geometry and wall material. Results obtained for steady state conditions are presented for circular, elliptical and flattened shape cross sections for R-134a and ammonia, for hydraulic