Search results for "Heat transfer"
showing 10 items of 442 documents
Reliable TDC position determination: a comparison of different thermodynamic methods through experimental data and simulations
2008
It is known to internal combustion researcher that the correct determination of the crank position when the piston is at Top Dead Centre (TDC) is very important, since an error of 1 crank angle degree (CAD) can cause up to a 10% evaluation error on indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and a 25% error on the heat released by the combustion: the TDC position should be then known within a precision of 0.1 CAD. This task can be accomplished by means of a dedicated capacitive sensor, which allows a measurement within the required 0.1 degrees precision. Such a sensor has a substantial cost and its use is not really fast; a different approach can be followed using a thermodynamic method, whose…
Irrigation water intensity and climate variability: an agricultural crops analysis of Italian regions
2020
This paper examines the relationship between the requirement of water resources for irrigation and climate variability and analyses the ranking of the best and worst performance of irrigation water intensity for each Italian region. To measure water resources demanded by agriculture, the irrigation water intensity (IWI) indicator has been computed as the ratio between volumes of irrigation water and total crop harvested. By applying panel data methodologies to a regional dataset spanning from 2000 to 2009, we may address heterogeneity and omitted variable issues. By merging meteo-climatic with agricultural variables, we may confirm that water precipitations, maximum temperature, irrigation …
Eulerian-Eulerian modelling and computational fluid dynamics simulation of wire mesh demisters in MSF plants
2014
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to focus on simulation of wire mesh demisters in multistage flash desalination (MSF) plants. The simulation is made by the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. Design/methodology/approach – A steady state and two-dimensional (2D) model was developed to simulate the demister. The model employs an Eulerian-Eulerian approach to simulate the flow of water vapor and brine droplets in the demister. The computational domain included three zones, which are the vapor space above and below the demister and the demister. The demister zone was modeled as a tube bank arrange or as a porous media. Findings – Sensitivity analysis of the model showed t…
Experimental results on adsorption beds for air dehumidification
2016
Desiccant rotors are commonly used in large scale solar cooling open cycle applications. As is well known, adsorption heat sensibly reduces the dehumidification capacity of the desiccant material and results in lower system performance. The aim of this work is to describe an innovative solution that permits simultaneous mass and heat transfer. In particular, two components working with silica gel fixed beds were studied and compared. The first component is a simple packed bed containing silica gel grains. The second component is a fin and tube heat exchanger commonly used in several air conditioning applications wherein the spaces between the fins are filled with silica gel grains. In this …
Improved technique for quantitative EDXRF analysis of powdered plant samples
1998
An improved technique for energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis of powdered plant samples is presented. It is based on the use of a special rotating and moveable sample holder (RMSH). This sample holder provides both controlled rotation and lateral transfer movements of the sample while a measurement is carried out, consequently simulating homogeneous excitation conditions over the sample. In this way it compensates for effects caused by the typical inhomogeneous distribution of intensity within the x-ray beam exciting the elements in the sample. The sample consists of powdered dry plant material deposited in an easy way on an adhesive tape, providing a stable layer of plant particl…
Femtosecond laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of air–methane mixtures
2013
Abstract Femtosecond laser pulses are used in order to induce dielectric breakdown in gaseous mixtures, namely in some reactive air–methane mixtures. The light emitted from the laser induced plasma was analyzed while the main emission features are identified and assigned. From the analysis of the emission spectra, a linear relationship was found to hold between the intensity of some spectral features and methane content. Finally, the use of femtosecond laser induced breakdown as a tool for the in situ determination of the composition of gaseous mixtures (e.g., equivalence ratio) is also discussed.
Ambient-temperature high-pressure-induced ferroelectric phase transition in CaMnTi2O6
2017
The ferroelectric to paraelectric phase transition of multiferroic ${\mathrm{CaMnTi}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ has been investigated at high pressures and ambient temperature by second-harmonic generation (SHG), Raman spectroscopy, and powder and single-crystal x-ray diffraction. We have found that ${\mathrm{CaMnTi}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ undergoes a pressure-induced structural phase transition ($P{4}_{2}mc\ensuremath{\rightarrow}P{4}_{2}/nmc$) at $\ensuremath{\sim}7\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{GPa}$ to the same paraelectric structure found at ambient pressure and ${T}_{c}=630\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. The continuous linear decrease of the SHG intensity that disappears at 7 …
Investigation of mechanically activated field-activated pressure-assisted synthesis processing parameters for producing dense nanostructured FeAl
2003
The parameters of the mechanically activated field-activated pressure-assisted synthesis (MAFAPAS) process, which were recently developed and patented for producing dense nanostructured materials, were studied in the case of the B2-FeAl intermetallic. Based on x-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments, residual stresses XRD analysis, relative density measurement, and secondary-electron microscopic observations, the optimal synthesis conditions (time, current intensity, and pressure) were studied. Fe + Al powders were comilled in a specially designed planetary mill to obtain a mixture of reactants at the nanoscale without the formation of any product. The milled mixtures were then subjected to a h…
Water vapor sensors based on the swelling of relief gelatin gratings
2015
We report on a novel device to measure relative humidity. The sensor is based on surface diffraction gratings made of gelatin. This material swells and shrinks according to the content of water vapor in air. By sending a light beam to the grating, diffracted orders appear. Due to the gelatin swelling or shrinking, first order intensity changes according to the relative humidity. Calibration curves relating intensity versus relative humidity have been found. The fabrication process of diffraction gratings and the testing of the prototype sensing devices are described.
Water Vapor Sensors Based on the Swelling of Relief Gelatin Gratings: Recent Advances and Development
2021
We report on a novel device to measure relative humidity. Materials used in the measurement of relative humidity are of different kinds. The sensor is based on surface diffraction gratings made of gelatin. This material swells and shrinks according to the content of water vapor in air. By sending a light beam to the grating, diffracted orders appear. Due to the gelatin swelling or shrinking, first order intensity changes according to the relative humidity. Calibration curves relating intensity versus relative humidity have been found. The fabrication process of diffraction gratings and the testing of the prototype sensing devices are described.