Papers by Keyword: Thermal Modelling

Abstract: Thermal modeling is one of the approaches used to assess the performance of photovoltaic thermal. The main objective of this study is to validate thermal modeling by using the experimental results to estimate the back surface temperature of a photovoltaic module in hot and humid climate. Several assumptions have been made to simplify the analysis base on energy balance method. Good agreement is observed between the experiment and thermal modeling, with a correlation coefficient (r) and root mean square percent deviation of 0.931 and 12.1% respectively.

Abstract: Static Shoulder Friction Stir Welding (SS-FSW) is a modification to conventional FSW that was originally developed to improve the weldability of titanium alloys by reducing through thickness temperature gradients. Surprisingly, to date, there have been no published systematic studies comparing SS-FSW to FSW for aluminium welding. This may be because the high conductivity of aluminium means the heat input produced by the shoulder is thought to be beneficial. In the work presented when welding a high strength 7050 aluminium alloy, even in a relatively thin 6 mm plate, it is shown that SS-FSW has several advantages; including a reduction in the heat input, a massive improvement in surface quality, and a more uniform through thickness temperature distribution, which leads to narrower welds with a reduced heat affected zone width and more homogeneous through thickness properties. The reasons for these benefits are discussed.

Abstract: Stationary (or Static) Shoulder Friction Stir Welding (SS-FSW) is a variant of FSW that was developed primarily to improve the weldability of titanium alloys by reducing the through thickness temperature gradient. Surprisingly, SS-FSW has been largely ignored by the Al welding community because it is widely supposed a rotating shoulder is an essential aspect of the process and that the higher conductivity means the surface heating effect of the shoulder is generally beneficial. In the work presented it is shown that SS-FSW has major advantages when welding high strength aluminium alloys; including a reduction in the heat input, a massive improvement in surface quality, and a narrower and more symmetric temperature distribution, which leads to narrower welds with a reduced heat affected zone width and lower distortion. The reasons for these benefits are discussed based on a systematic study aimed at directly comparing both processes.

Abstract: Based on the extended heat transfer equations, a 3-dimensional thermal model for the friction stir welding is established to analyze the influence of process parameters such as welding speed and rotational speed on heat transfer in the stir zone. A moving coordinate system is introduced to describe the dynamic thermal problem, thus making the modeling difficulty reduced and transient problem converted to pseudo-steady heat transfer. Numerical simulation results give a better approximation to practical reproduction, successful prediction of weld shape, weld defects and peak temperature.

Abstract: Heat engines convert only approximately 20% to 50% of the supplied energy into mechanical work whereas the remaining energy is lost as rejected heat. Although some of the energy lost is intrinsic to the nature of an engine and cannot be fully overcome (such as energy lost due to friction of moving parts), a large amount of energy can potentially be recovered. This paper presents a heat transfer analysis of a WHE for recovering wasted exhaust energy whilst transferring energy to different organic working fluid used in the OrganicRankine Cycle. The types of considered fluids are R-134a, Propane and Ammonia. The results show that the Ammonia has the highesteffectiveness of 0.25. The maximum heat transferrate of 48.5 kW was recovered using the Ammonia at the exhaust gas temperature of 700°C.

Abstract: Consideration of technologies for the use of concentrated solar power (CSP) leads to the conclusion that there is substantially more energy in the sun’s heat than there is in its light. At present, solar-thermal energy conversion and storage systems using CSP have the shortcomings of the use of high pressures and potential problems with corrosion. In the development of new materials and designs, two of the key issues of consideration are the: (a) thermal properties of the materials and (b) heat transfer within the system. Most current technologies utilise convective heat transfer of liquids but there are none that use conductive heat transfer with solid-state systems. The present work introduces such a system in the form of highly dense and aligned self-assembled graphite, which can be heated in air, provided the hot face temperature is at a temperature sufficiently low to avoid the onset of oxidation. Modelling of a small domestic-scale system, which has no competition in the marketplace, consisting of: (a) 4 m diameter concentrator, (b) block of graphite weighing ~160 kg, and (c) electricity generation system demonstrates that, in only 90 min and at ≤420°C, sufficient heat can be stored to supply 25% more than is required for a typical 24 h, domestic, electricity usage cycle.

Abstract: Additive manufacturing involves creating three-dimensional objects by depositing materials layer-by-layer. The freeform nature of the method permits the production of components with complex geometry. Deposition processes provide one more capability, which is the addition of multiple materials in a discrete manner to create “heterogeneous” objects with locally controlled composition. The result is direct digital manufacturing (DDM) by which dissimilar materials are added voxel-by-voxel (a voxel is volumetric pixel) following a predetermined tool-path. A typical example is functionally-graded material such as a gear with a tough core and a wear resistant surface. The inherent complexity of DDM processes is such that process modeling based on direct physics-based theory is difficult, especially due to a lack of temperature-dependent thermo-physical properties and particularly when dealing with melt-deposition processes. To overcome this difficulty the inverse problem approach is adopted to develop thermal models for multi-material, direct digital melt-deposition. This approach is based on the construction of a numerical-algorithmic framework for modeling anisotropic diffusivity such as that which would occur during energy deposition within a heterogeneous work-piece. This framework consists of path-weighted integral formulations of heat diffusion according to spatial variations in material composition and requires consideration of parameter sensitivity issues.

Abstract: The current application of fluids in grinding processes is discussed, the issues related to the use of both mineral oil and water based fluids and the desire to move towards minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) or even dry grinding. The impact of fluid application strategy on workpiece quality is considered. In particular the importance of reliable thermal modelling and knowledge of the thermal partitioning of heat is essential if robust fluid application strategies are to be developed. Examples are given showing how an understanding of the thermal characteristics of the process can be used to develop different and successful fluid application strategies for various grinding regimes from creep feed through to high efficiency deep grinding (HEDG). The possibility of using solid lubricants is also discussed for particular grinding regimes.

Abstract: This paper gives an insight into the thermal modeling of the i-FLASiC process, which is the flash lamp annealing of a 3C-SiC and silicon multilayer system. The model uses a standard heat flow model combined with an advanced multilayer optical model. Results from the model are consistent with experimentally observed phenomenon and have been used to explain diffusion mechanisms for the LPE of SiC.