ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1723-3172
Current Organisation
University of New South Wales
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Fluidisation and Fluid Mechanics | Energy Generation, Conversion and Storage Engineering | Interdisciplinary Engineering | Renewable Power and Energy Systems Engineering (excl. Solar Cells) | Turbulent Flows | Medical Biotechnology | Biomedical Instrumentation | Mechanical Engineering | Membrane and Separation Technologies | Heat and Mass Transfer Operations | Chemical Engineering | Medical Biotechnology Diagnostics (incl. Biosensors) |
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Solar-Thermal Energy | Hydrogen-based Energy Systems (incl. Internal Hydrogen Combustion Engines) | Diagnostic Methods | Expanding Knowledge in the Physical Sciences | Integrated Systems | Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Water Services and Utilities | Expanding Knowledge in Technology
Related Links
Publications
Envisioning advanced solar electricity generation: Parametric studies of CPV/T systems with spectral filtering and high temperature PV
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2015
Hybrid PV/T enhancement using selectively absorbing Ag–SiO 2 /carbon nanofluids
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Analysis of a new compound parabolic concentrator-based solar collector designed for methanol reforming
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 11-06-2014
DOI: 10.1115/1.4027767
Abstract: Methanol reforming is a well-known method of producing hydrogen for hydrogen-based fuel cells. Since methanol reforming is an endothermic process, requiring an energy input, it is possible to use this reaction as a way to store primary energy. In this paper, we propose that this reaction can be driven with a vacuum packaged, nonimaging solar collector which has high overall efficiency. The linear compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collector was designed with a half angle of 27.4 deg and a concentration ratio between 1.5 and 1.75 over this entire cone angle. Furthermore, due to its small size (90 mm × 72.6 mm × 80 mm), the design is portable. Selective surfaces, black chrome and TiNOX, are analyzed for the receiver to absorb solar (short wavelength) radiation while minimizing emission of thermal (long wavelength) radiation. Importantly, this design uses a vacuum layer between the receiver and the frame to minimize the convective heat loss. A ray-tracing optical analysis shows an optical efficiency of 75–80% over the entire half incident angle range. Stagnation tests show that under vacuum conditions, temperature up to 338 °C is achievable. Overall, the proposed design can achieve high temperatures (up to 250 °C) without tracking—which reduces overall cost, operational limitations, and enables a portable design.
Plasmon enhanced selective electronic pathways in TiO2 supported atomically ordered bimetallic Au-Cu alloys
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
Nanoparticle-Assisted Heating Utilizing a Low-Cost White Light Source
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 11-2013
DOI: 10.1115/1.4027643
Abstract: In this experimental study, a filtered white light is used to induce heating in water-based dispersions of 20 nm diameter gold nanospheres (GNSs)—enabling a low-cost form of plasmonic photothermal heating. The resulting temperature fields were measured using an infrared (IR) camera. The effect of incident radiative flux (ranging from 0.38 to 0.77 W·cm−2) and particle concentration (ranging from 0.25–1.0 × 1013 particles per mL) on the solution's temperature were investigated. The experimental results indicate that surface heat treatments via GNSs can be achieved through complementary tuning of GNS solutions and filtered light.
Optimization of tumor ablation volume for nanoparticle-mediated thermal therapy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2020
Characterization of light-induced, volumetric steam generation in nanofluids
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2012
Toward Portable Artificial Kidneys: The Role of Advanced Microfluidics and Membrane Technologies in Implantable Systems
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 2020
Solar energy harvesting using nanofluids-based concentrating solar collector
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 03-03-2012
Abstract: Dispersing trace amounts of nanoparticles into the base-fluid has significant impact on the optical as well as thermo-physical properties of the base-fluid. This characteristic can be utilized in effectively capturing as well as transporting the solar radiant energy. Enhancement of the solar irradiance absorption capacity of the base fluid scales up the heat transfer rate resulting in higher & more efficient heat transfer. This paper attempts to introduce the idea of harvesting the solar radiant energy through usage of nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar collectors. In order to theoretically analyze the nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar collector (NCPSC) it has been mathematically modeled, and the governing equations have been numerically solved using finite difference technique. The results of the model were compared with the experimental results of conventional concentrating parabolic solar collectors under similar conditions. It was observed that while maintaining the same external conditions (such as ambient/inlet temperatures, wind speed, solar insolation, flow rate, concentration ratio etc.) the NCPSC has about 5–10% higher efficiency as compared to the conventional parabolic solar collector. Furthermore, some parametric studies were carried out which reflected the effect of various parameters such as solar insolation, incident angle, convective heat transfer coefficient etc. on the performance indicators such as thermal efficiency etc.
Efficiency, economics, and the urban heat island
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 22-08-2017
Abstract: Economic and societal costs of the urban heat island are considered through the marginal effect of temperature increase on device efficiency and lifespan. Urbanization is virtually synonymous with the mechanization of human comfort systems, and the efficiency of these systems is subject to degradation from the urban heat island. The simplest way to model this degradation is an application of ideal device efficiencies, and the results of such an analysis are presented and considered in this paper. The magnitude of these costs and their avoidance or potential mitigation avenues are the principal topics of the work, and the technical underpinnings of the approach are presented in supplementary material available online. The self-reinforcing nature and economic scale of the urban heat island effect are thus approached from the first principles of thermodynamics and available data on relevant devices and systems. A global perspective on the phenomenon is presented, followed by a case study of the Phoenix, Arizona (US) metropolitan area to demonstrate the scale of these effects. This analysis synthesizes thermodynamic and economic approaches to the health and policy issues of the urban heat island, with particular consideration given to planning for minimization of these effects in low- and middle-income urban areas. This study first estimates the costs borne today by large urban centres, then highlights some of the risks that secondary cities will eventually face – and could potentially mitigate – as they undergo rapid growth and densification.
A new optical concentrator design and analysis for rooftop solar applications
Publisher: SPIE
Date: 25-08-2015
DOI: 10.1117/12.2186477
Experimental characterisation of sub-cooling in hydrated salt phase change materials
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
Design of high-temperature atmospheric and pressurised gas-phase solar receivers: A comprehensive review on numerical modelling and performance parameters
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2020
Evaluating the benefits of using short-term direct normal irradiance forecasts to operate a concentrated solar thermal plant
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
Experimental results for light-induced boiling in water-based graphite nanoparticle suspensions
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1115/HT2009-88176
Abstract: One relatively simple subset of nanotechnology is nanofluids, obtained by the addition of nanoparticles to a conventional base fluid. The promise of nanofluids stems from the fact that at relatively small particle loading (typically & % by volume) significant enhancement in thermal transport may be possible [1–3]. Since there are a wide variety of nanoparticle materials to choose from, nanofluidic systems can be tuned to fit a number of applications. This research focuses on direct thermal collection of light energy using highly absorptive nanofluids. Experimental tests are conducted using a 0.1% by volume graphite/water (30nm nominal particle diameter) nanofluid exposed to a 130 mW, 532 nm, continuous laser. A lens is placed between the laser and the fluid to achieve a high-energy flux (∼ 490 Wcm−2). Since initially over 99.9% of the light is absorbed in a path length of 0.1 mm, the irradiated portion of the base fluid collects enough energy to vaporize. Heuristic methods of analysis demonstrate this situation incorporates several interesting modes of heat transfer and fluid mechanics. These experiments also reveal the possibility for novel solar collectors in which the working fluid directly absorbs energy and undergoes phase change in a single step.
Thermal–economic–environmental analysis and multi-objective optimization of an ice thermal energy storage system for gas turbine cycle inlet air cooling
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2014
Exploring the effects of heat and UV exposure on glycerol-based Ag-SiO2 nanofluids for PV/T applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2018
The potential of hollow fiber vacuum multi-effect membrane distillation for brine treatment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Acoustically driven translation of a single bubble in pulsed traveling ultrasonic waves
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 03-2023
DOI: 10.1063/5.0138484
Abstract: The acoustic radiation force has been proven as an effective mechanism for displacing particles and bubbles, but it has been mainly applied in a standing wave mode in microfluidics. Alternatively, the use of pulsed traveling acoustic waves could enable new options, but its transient dynamic, which entails the additional complexities of pulse timing, reflections, and the type of waveform, has not yet been fully investigated. To better understand these transient effects, a transient numerical solution and an experimental testbed were developed to gain insights into the displacement of microbubbles when exposed to on- and off-periods of pulsed traveling waves. In this study, a practical sinusoid tone burst excitation at a driving frequency of 0.5 MHz is investigated. Our numerical and experimental results were found to be in good agreement, with only a 13% deviation in the acoustically driven velocity. With greater detail from the numerical solution at a s ling rate of 1 GHz, the fundamental mechanism for the bubble translation was revealed. It was found that the added mass force, gained through the on-period of the pulse, continued to drive the bubble throughout the off-period, enabling a large total displacement, even in the case of low duty-cycle (2%) pulsing. In addition, the results showed greater translational velocity is possible with a lower number of cycles for the same input acoustic energy (constant duty cycle and acoustic pressure litude). Overall, this study proposes a new, practical, and scalable approach for the acoustic manipulation of microbubbles for scientific, biomedical, and industrial applications.
Sub-wavelength Al mask apertures for addressing individual InGaN quantum dots
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2004
Estimating allowable energy flux density for the supercritical carbon dioxide solar receiver: A service life approach
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
Liquid sodium versus Hitec as a heat transfer fluid in solar thermal central receiver systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2012
Carbon nanotube heat transfer fluids for solar radiant heating of buildings
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Novel housing designs for nanofiltration and ultrafiltration gravity-driven recycled membrane-based systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Comparison of selective transmitters for solar thermal applications
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 09-05-2016
DOI: 10.1364/AO.55.003829
Manufacturing and wetting low-cost microfluidic cell separation devices
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1063/1.4821315
Abstract: Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a microfluidic size-based particle separation or filter technology with applications in cell separation and enrichment. Currently, there are no cost-effective manufacturing methods for this promising microfluidic technology. In this fabrication paper, however, we develop a simple, yet robust protocol for thermoplastic DLD devices using regulatory-approved materials and biocompatible methods. The final standalone device allowed for volumetric flow rates of 660 μl min−1 while reducing the manufacturing time to & h. Optical profilometry and image analysis were employed to assess manufacturing accuracy and precision the average replicated post height was 0.48% less than the average post height on the master mold and the average replicated array pitch was 1.1% less than the original design with replicated posts heights of 62.1 ± 5.1 μm (mean ± 6 standard deviations) and replicated array pitches of 35.6 ± 0.31 μm.
Spatially Varying Extinction Coefficient for Direct Absorption Solar Thermal Collector Optimization
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 22-03-2012
DOI: 10.1115/1.4003679
Abstract: Direct absorption solar thermal collectors have recently been shown to be a promising technology for photothermal energy conversion but many parameters affecting the overall performance of such systems have not been studied in depth, yet alone optimized. Earlier work has shown that the overall magnitude of the extinction coefficient can play a drastic role, with too high of an extinction coefficient actually reducing the efficiency. This study investigates how the extinction coefficient impacts the collector efficiency and how it can be tuned spatially to optimize the efficiency, and why this presents a unique design over conventional solar thermal collection systems. Three specific extinction profiles are investigated: uniform, linearly increasing, and exponentially increasing with the exponentially increasing profile demonstrating the largest efficiency improvement.
Selective separation of microalgae cells using inertial microfluidics
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2017.12.065
Abstract: Microalgae represent the most promising new source of biomass for the world's growing demands. However, the biomass productivity and quality is significantly decreased by the presence of bacteria or other invading microalgae species in the cultures. We therefore report a low-cost spiral-microchannel that can effectively separate and purify Tetraselmis suecica (lipid-rich microalgae) cultures from Phaeodactylum tricornutum (invasive diatom). Fluorescent polystyrene-microbeads of 6 μm and 10 μm diameters were first used as surrogate particles to optimize the microchannel design by mimicking the microalgae cell behaviour. Using the optimum flowrate, up to 95% of the P. tricornutum cells were separated from the culture without affecting the cell viability. This study shows, for the first time, the potential of inertial microfluidics to sort microalgae species with minimal size difference. Additionally, this approach can also be applied as a pre-sorting technique for water quality analysis.
An adaptive PID control method to improve the power tracking performance of solar photovoltaic air-conditioning systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2019
CFD Simulation of an Intermediate Temperature, Two-phase Loop Thermosiphon for Use as a Linear Focus Solar Receiver
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Performance analysis of a hybrid solar thermoelectric generator
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-10-2016
A Review of Hydrogen Direct Injection for Internal Combustion Engines: Towards Carbon-Free Combustion
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-11-2019
DOI: 10.3390/APP9224842
Abstract: A paradigm shift towards the utilization of carbon-neutral and low emission fuels is necessary in the internal combustion engine industry to fulfil the carbon emission goals and future legislation requirements in many countries. Hydrogen as an energy carrier and main fuel is a promising option due to its carbon-free content, wide flammability limits and fast flame speeds. For spark-ignited internal combustion engines, utilizing hydrogen direct injection has been proven to achieve high engine power output and efficiency with low emissions. This review provides an overview of the current development and understanding of hydrogen use in internal combustion engines that are usually spark ignited, under various engine operation modes and strategies. This paper then proceeds to outline the gaps in current knowledge, along with better potential strategies and technologies that could be adopted for hydrogen direct injection in the context of compression-ignition engine applications—topics that have not yet been extensively explored to date with hydrogen but have shown advantages with compressed natural gas.
Optical and thermal performance analysis of a micro parabolic trough collector for building integration
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Assessment of direct normal irradiance and cloud connections using satellite data over Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2015
Heat Generation in Irradiated Gold Nanoparticle Solutions for Hyperthermia Applications
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-02-2021
DOI: 10.3390/PR9020368
Abstract: Gold nanoparticles (GNP) aided hyperthermia has demonstrated promising results in the treatment of cancer. However, most existing investigations focus only on the extinction spectra of GNP solutions, few reported the actual heat generation capability of these solutions to estimate their real potential in in-situ hyperthermia treatment. In this study, the impact of GNP clustering on the optical properties and heating capability of GNP aggregates in acidic solutions have been investigated. It was found that localized heat generation could be significantly enhanced (to up to 60.0 °C) when acidic solutions were illuminated by a near infrared light source at 1.7 W/cm2. In addition, infrared thermography imaging can only detect the surface temperature during thermal treatment, leaving the localized temperature distribution inside the tissues unknown. To overcome this limitation, in this study, the absorbed energy during NIR irradiation in GNP solutions was obtained computationally by coupling the P1 approximation with the DDA calculation to predict the localized temperature change in the solutions. It was demonstrated that due to the accumulation and dissipation of heat, some local areas showed higher temperature increase with the hot spots being connected and merged over time.
InGaN quantum dots grown by MOVPE via a droplet epitaxy route
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2004
The amplifying effect of natural convection on power generation of thermogalvanic cells
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2014
A Novel Dual Receiver–Storage Design for Concentrating Solar Thermal Plants Using Beam-Down Optics
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-05-2023
DOI: 10.3390/EN16104157
Abstract: Advanced power cycles—such as the supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycle—have the potential to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of concentrated solar thermal power (CST) plants by significantly boosting their overall solar-to-electric efficiency. To successfully integrate these cycles into CST plants, the industry may need to transition away from liquid working fluids (e.g., synthetic oils and molten salts) to solid and/or gaseous heat transfer media, which are more stable at high temperatures. To address this challenge, this study investigates a novel rotating receiver–storage unit that could enable high-temperature CST plants. A validated numerical model is presented for the charging and discharging processes of the proposed design. It was found that with cast steel as the storage medium in the proposed design, it is possible to achieve % receiver efficiency for operation temperatures of 850–1000 K. The overall plant model shows this design is best for relatively small CST systems as modularized units of 10 m diameter (reaching an energy density around 80 kWh/m3), which can be used to drive a 5 MWe sCO2 CST plant. These findings suggest that such a design would have up to 9 h of storage and could be effectively employed as an efficient peaking plant.
Solar Energy Harvesting Using Nanofluids-Based Concentrating Solar Collector
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 08-2012
DOI: 10.1115/1.4007387
Abstract: Dispersing trace amounts of nanoparticles into common base-fluids has a significant impact on the optical as well as thermophysical properties of the base-fluid. This characteristic can be utilized to effectively capture and transport solar radiation. Enhancement of the solar irradiance absorption capacity leads to a higher heat transfer rate resulting in more efficient heat transfer. This paper attempts to introduce the idea of harvesting solar radiant energy through usage of nanofluid-based concentrating parabolic solar collectors (NCPSC). In order to theoretically analyze the NCPSC, it has been mathematically modeled, and the governing equations have been numerically solved using finite difference technique. The results of the model were compared with the experimental results of conventional concentrating parabolic solar collectors under similar conditions. It was observed that while maintaining the same external conditions (such as ambient/inlet temperatures, wind speed, solar insolation, flow rate, concentration ratio, etc.) the NCPSC has about 5–10% higher efficiency as compared to the conventional parabolic solar collector. Furthermore, parametric studies were carried out to discover the influence of various parameters on performance and efficiency. The following parameters were studied in the present study: solar insolation, incident angle, and the convective heat transfer coefficient. The theoretical results clearly indicate that the NCPSC has the potential to harness solar radiant energy more efficiently than a conventional parabolic trough.
A two-step microengineered system for high-density cell retention from bioreactors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2021
Inertial cell sorting of microparticle-laden flows: An innovative OpenFOAM-based arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian numerical approach
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1063/5.0035352
Abstract: The need for cell and particle sorting in human health care and biotechnology applications is undeniable. Inertial microfluidics has proven to be an effective cell and particle sorting technology in many of these applications. Still, only a limited understanding of the underlying physics of particle migration is currently available due to the complex inertial and impact forces arising from particle–particle and particle–wall interactions. Thus, even though it would likely enable significant advances in the field, very few studies have tried to simulate particle-laden flows in inertial microfluidic devices. To address this, this study proposes new codes (solved in OpenFOAM software) that capture all the salient inertial forces, including the four-way coupling between the conveying fluid and the suspended particles traveling a spiral microchannel. Additionally, these simulations are relatively (computationally) inexpensive since the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation allows the fluid elements to be much larger than the particles. In this study, simulations were conducted for two different spiral microchannel cross sections (e.g., rectangular and trapezoidal) for comparison against previously published experimental results. The results indicate good agreement with experiments in terms of (monodisperse) particle focusing positions, and the codes can readily be extended to simulate two different particle types. This new numerical approach is significant because it opens the door to rapid geometric and flow rate optimization in order to improve the efficiency and purity of cell and particle sorting in biotechnology applications.
TRNSYS modeling of a linear Fresnel concentrating collector for solar cooling and hot water applications
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 04-2015
DOI: 10.1115/1.4028868
Abstract: In this paper, simulation of a linear Fresnel rooftop mounted concentrating solar collector is presented. The system is modeled with the transient system (trnsys) simulation program using the typical meteorological year file containing the weather parameters of four different cities in Australia. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to determine the heat transfer mechanism in the microconcentrating (MCT) collector. Ray trace simulations using soltrace (NREL) were used to determine optical efficiency. Heat loss characteristics determined from CFD simulation were utilized in trnsys to assess the annual performance of the solar cooling system using an MCT collector. The effect of the different loads on the system performance was investigated, and from trnsys simulations, we found that the MCT collector achieves a minimum 60% energy saving for both domestic hot water usage and high temperature solar cooling and hot water applications.
A coupled structural-optical analysis of a novel umbrella heliostat
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Socioeconomic impacts of heat transfer research
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2012
High-temperature, point-focus, pressurised gas-phase solar receivers: A comprehensive review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2019
The error of neglecting natural convection in high temperature vertical shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
Multi-objective grey wolf optimization of solar chimneys based on an improved model incorporating a wind turbine power curve
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
A Broad Comparison of Solar Photovoltaic and Thermal Technologies for Industrial Heating Applications
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 14-08-2019
DOI: 10.1115/1.4040840
Abstract: Solar harvesting designs aim to optimize energy output per unit area. When it comes to choosing between rooftop technologies for generating heat and/or electricity from the sun, though, the literature has favored qualitative arguments over quantitative comparisons. In this paper, an agnostic perspective will be used to evaluate several solar collector designs—thermal, photovoltaic (PV), and hybrid (PV/T) systems—which can result in medium temperature heat for industry rooftops. Using annual trnsys simulations in several characteristic global locations, it was found that a maximum solar contribution (for all selected locations) of 79.1% can be achieved for a sterilization process with a solar thermal (ST) system as compared to 40.6% for a PV system. A 43.2%solar contribution can be obtained with a thermally coupled PV/T, while an uncoupled PV/T beam splitting collector can achieve 84.2%. Lastly, PV and ST were compared in a side-by-side configuration, indicating that this scenario is also feasible since it provides a solar contribution of 75.2%. It was found that the location's direct normal incident (DNI) and global horizontal irradiation (GHI) are the dominant factors in determining the best technology for industrial heating applications. Overall, this paper is significant in that it introduces a comparative simulation strategy to analyze a wide variety of solar technologies for global industrial heat applications.
Calculating the financial value of a concentrated solar thermal plant operated using direct normal irradiance forecasts
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Exergetic, economic and environmental analyses and multi-objective optimization of an SOFC-gas turbine hybrid cycle coupled with an MSF desalination system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2014
Low-Temperature Melting of Silver Nanoparticles in Subcooled and Saturated Water
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 27-01-2016
DOI: 10.1115/1.4032310
Abstract: Continuous, laser-heated boiling heat transfer experiments with silver nanofluids were conducted to identify the nonequilibrium melting behavior of silver nanoparticles in de-ionized (DI) water. Experimental results with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) suggest that surface melting of silver nanoparticles (which have a bulk melting point of 961 °C) can occur at ambient pressure when particles are suspended in saturated, and even subcooled (e.g., °C) water due to the localized (volumetric) heat absorption. These findings are supported by calculating a temperature-dependent Hamaker constant of silver nanofluid—i.e., the interaction between interfaces (Ag-melt-water) at the melting temperature. This finding is significant because of the difficulty to identify the melting of silver nanoparticles in water at present, even though it is important to understand such potential melting to use aqueous silver nanofluids in solar applications.
Experimental testing of SiNx /SiO2 thin film filters for a concentrating solar hybrid PV/T collector
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2014
Plasmon-enhanced properties of metallic nanostructures and their application to direct solar absorption receivers
Publisher: ASME
Date: 08-07-2012
DOI: 10.1115/HT2012-58183
Optimization of thermoelectric cooling for microelectronics
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 2006
CFD simulation of an intermediate temperature, two-phase loop thermosiphon for use as a linear solar receiver
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2017
GA-GOA hybrid algorithm and comparative study of different metaheuristic population-based algorithms for solar tower heliostat field design
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
Development of a novel high-temperature, pressurised, indirectly-irradiated cavity receiver
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
Environmental and exergy benefit of nanofluid-based hybrid PV/T systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Photoluminescence Studies of Exciton Recombination and Dephasing in Single InGaN Quantum Dots
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 09-2004
Vapor generation in a nanoparticle liquid suspension using a focused, continuous laser
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 19-10-2009
DOI: 10.1063/1.3250174
Abstract: This letter discusses experimentation with optically induced phase change in nanoparticle liquid suspensions—commonly termed nanofluids. Four different types of nanofluids at five concentrations were exposed to a ∼120 mW, 532 nm laser beam to determine the minimum laser flux needed to create vapor. Laser irradiance was varied between 0–770 W cm−2. While the experiments were simple, they involved many complex, interrelated physical phenomena, including: subcooled boiling, thermal driven particle/bubble motion, nanoparticle radiative absorption/scattering, and nanoparticle clumping. Such phenomena could enable novel solar collectors in which the working fluid directly absorbs energy and undergoes phase change in a single step.
Fabrication and comparison of selective, transparent optics for concentrating solar systems
Publisher: SPIE
Date: 05-09-2015
DOI: 10.1117/12.2185742
A comprehensive experimental characterisation of a novel porous media combustion-based thermophotovoltaic system with controlled emission
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2019
Plasmonic “pump–probe” method to study semi-transparent nanofluids
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 19-08-2013
DOI: 10.1364/AO.52.006041
An investigation of thermal stability of carbon nanofluids for solar thermal applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2016
An improved, generalized effective thermal conductivity method for rapid design of high temperature shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Experimental Results for Tailored Spectrum Splitting Metallic Nanofluids for c-Si, GaAs, and Ge Solar Cells
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 03-2019
Theoretical analysis of a novel, portable, CPC-based solar thermal collector for methanol reforming
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2014
Photovoltaic/thermal system performance utilizing thin film and nanoparticle dispersion based optical filters
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 05-2013
DOI: 10.1063/1.4811095
Abstract: Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors would benefit from the use of fluid based optical filters as a means to separate the useful irradiance for the PV cell from those wavelengths which are more suited to heat generation. Nanoparticle based dispersions within a working fluid can be designed/tuned to serve as optical filters for this purpose. The advantage of this concept is that the thermal part of the system is separated, allowing the photovoltaic and thermal components to operate at significantly different temperatures. Additionally, by using a fluid filter, it is relatively easy to remove heat from the thermal side. This paper theoretically investigates the performance of nanoparticle-based and conventional thin film-based optical fluid filters within a concentrating hybrid PV/T system. General results are presented to demonstrate the impact to overall efficiency when a realistic (i.e., non-ideal) filter is used at a wide-range of operating conditions. The results demonstrate that nanoparticle based filters have a slightly lower overall efficiency compared to the conventional thin film filters due to their lower performance within the window of high transmittance to the PV cell. However, nanoparticle based filters achieve up to 4% higher thermal efficiencies as a result of their significantly reduced filter thickness demonstrating their potential as a favorable compact and lower cost design.
Multi-objective optimization of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal collectors for industrial rooftop applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2019
A novel high-temperature (>700 °C), volumetric receiver with a packed bed of transparent and absorbing spheres
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Assessment of atmospheric aerosols from two reanalysis products over Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
Analysis of a temperature dependent optical window for nanofluid-based spectral splitting in PV/T power generation applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Surface plasmon resonance shifts of a dispersion of core-shell nanoparticles for efficient solar absorption
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 03-03-2012
Abstract: Nanoparticles are known to offer a variety of benefits for thermal transport, and of particular relevance here are the vast changes to the radiative properties due to the large extinction cross section at the corresponding surface plasmon resonance wavelength [1, 2]. Recent papers have indicated that dielectric core metallic shell nanoparticles yielded a plasmon resonance tunable from ultraviolet to infrared by changing the ratio of core radius to the total radius [3–6]. We are interested in developing a dispersion of core-shell multifunctional nanoparticles capable of dynamically changing their volume ratio and thus their spectral radiative properties. This work addresses the plasmon resonance tuning ranges for different metallic shell nanoparticles, and explores the solar-weighted efficiencies of corresponding core-shell nanoparticle dispersions. Through our electrostatic model, we achieve a shift in the plasmon resonance peak from a wavelength of about 500 nm to around 1500 nm for Au-coated silica core nanoparticles. Using core-shell nanoparticles dispersions, we show that it is possible to create efficient spectral solar absorption fluids. We also demonstrate that it is possible to design materials for applications which require variable spectral absorption or scattering.
Spectral beam splitting for efficient conversion of solar energy - A review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2013
Solar-powered absorption chillers: A comprehensive and critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Prospects for solar cooling - An economic and environmental assessment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2012
A systematic parametric study and feasibility assessment of solar-assisted single-effect, double-effect, and triple-effect absorption chillers for heating and cooling applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2016
Linear solar concentrator structural optimization using variable beam cross sections
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 26-06-2018
DOI: 10.1115/1.4040273
Abstract: The design and construction of solar concentrators heavily affects their optical efficiency, heat utilization, and cost. Current trough concentrators use an equivalent uniform beam with a metal grid substructure. In this conventional design, there is surplus stiffness and strength, which unnecessarily increases the overall weight and cost of the structure. This paper describes a variable cross section structural optimization approach (with the EuroTrough design, including safety factors, taken as an ex le) to overcome this issue. The main improvement of this design comes from keeping the beams rigid and strong near the two ends (at the torque box structure) while allowing the middle of the structure to be relatively weak. Reducing the cross-sectional area of the middle beams not only reduces the amount of material needed for the structure but also reduces the deflection of the reflector. In addition, a new connection structure between two neighboring concentrator elements was designed to reinforce the structure. The simulated results show that the concentrator's structural weight (including the torque box, endplates, and cantilever arms) is reduced by 13.5% (i.e., about 133 kg per 12 m long element). This represents a meaningful capital and installation cost savings while at the same time improving the optical efficiency.
Multi-effect Absorption Chillers Powered by the Sun: Reality or Reverie
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2016
Theoretical Analysis and Testing of Nanofluids-Based Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal Hybrid Collector
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1115/1.4030228
Abstract: Solar energy can be harvested via thermal, photovoltaic, and photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid technologies. PV/T systems are advantageous because they utilize more of the solar spectrum and achieve a higher combined efficiency. One approach to PV/T design is to keep the operating temperature of the PV low while achieving a high temperature for the thermal absorber. Various designs of PV/T hybrids (both flat plate and concentrated) have already been proposed which utilize air or water to remove the heat from PV cells in order to enhance the overall efficiency of PV/T hybrid collector. We propose that a nanofluid can be used instead, doubling as both the heat transfer medium and an optical filter, which allows for thermal isolation of the PV and thermal receiver. Thus, unwanted IR and UV light is filtered before it hits the PV cells, which allows for higher overall efficiencies. In this study, a new design of a PV/T hybrid collector was proposed and two nanofluid filters (based on gold and silver nanoparticles) were tested with a silicon (Si) PV cell. The corresponding stagnation temperatures of PV/T hybrid collector were measured and compared with a theoretical model. The experimental measurements validate the theoretical model, giving similar results over the range of parameters tested. The silver nanofluid design achieved the highest thermal, PV and overall efficiency and both nanofluid configurations out-performed an analogous surface absorber PV/T design under similar conditions. Overall, this study shows that nanofluids represent a feasible and viable multifunctional (optical filter and heat transfer) media in PV/T solar systems.
Thermal stability of carbon nanotube-based nanofluids for solar thermal collectors
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2015
Laminar forced convection in a tube with a nano-encapsulated phase change materials: Minimizing exergy losses and maximizing the heat transfer rate
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2023
The influence of tumour blood perfusion variability on thermal damage during nanoparticle-assisted thermal therapy
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 18-05-2015
DOI: 10.3109/02656736.2015.1040470
Abstract: This study investigates the influence of blood perfusion variability within a tumour and the surrounding healthy tissue during nanoparticle-assisted thermal therapy. It seeks to define ideal therapeutic parameters for a wide range of perfusion rates to attain the desired thermal damage. Pennes' bioheat model and the Arrhenius model are used to evaluate the thermal damage for a two-dimensional tumour surrounded by healthy tissue. A wide range of tumour perfusion rates were modelled, ranging from moderate to high perfusion in both a homogenously and a heterogeneously perfused tumour. For low perfusion rates, a temporal variation in blood perfusion does not critically influence the thermal damage. For moderately and highly perfused tumours, temporal variation in blood perfusion extends the thermal damage zone by 25-52% compared to a constant perfusion rate. For the tumour size and perfusion conditions under consideration, the ideal therapeutic parameters were found to be irradiation intensity of 1 W/cm(2), and irradiation duration of 105-150 s, for a nanoparticle volume fraction of 0.001%. It is concluded for low perfusion rates that due to shorter therapeutic duration, nanoparticle-assisted thermal therapy is relatively insensitive to changes in the perfusion rate during the therapy. For moderately and highly perfused tumours, a constant perfusion under-predicts the real thermal damage zone. This study concludes that for moderately and highly perfused tumours the spatial as well as temporal blood perfusion dynamics should be carefully accounted for to get a realistic estimate of thermal damage zone.
Optimization of Cell Configuration for Maximizing Performance of a Cu/Cu2+ Aqueous Thermogalvanic Cell
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 09-11-2012
Abstract: This paper presents experimental results and analysis of a new high-power Cu/Cu2+ thermogalvanic cell and its comparison with previous results. Past researches were mostly focused on finding the best redox couples and electrode materials [1, 2], however, they generally lacked a comparison of power conversion efficiency (η) dependence on cell geometry. This inspired our interest in exploring the relation of η, internal resistance, maximum power, and cell geometry. Based on previous results [3], a low internal resistance, variable orientation thermogalvanic cell was designed to achieve the highest power output. Experimental results of the Seebeck coefficient (α = ∂E/∂T), power density, and η of Cu/Cu2+ electrolytes in various molar concentrations showed that 0.7M CuSO4 electrolyte has maximum α and power output of 0.7196 mV/°C and 3.17 μW/cm2, respectively. Power output of the new cell has significant improvement which is 219 times greater than previous research. This paper also presents economical aspects of Cu/Cu2+ thermogalvanic cells relative to ferri/ferrocyanide cells.
Solid-liquid phase change modelling of metallic sodium for application in solar thermal power plants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2015
Development of a dynamic testing device for predicting the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect of different nanoparticles in tumor vessels
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 04-02-2013
Abstract: A microfluidic device was developed to simulate the dynamic conditions of the transvascular transport of nanoparticles. The device utilizes a microfluidic channel, filter paper, collagen gel—which represent the blood vessel, porous vessel wall, and interstitial matrix of the tumor, respectively. By controlling these components, the fluid-dynamic conditions of the tumor blood vessels can be simulated. For the initial study, Durapore® filters with the nominal diameter of 0.22 μm and 5 mg/ml type 1 collagen gel were used. The transvascular transport parameters of the membrane for a model particle, 20 nm gold spheres, were similar to those of rabbit VX2 carcinoma model. Overall, this design allows for fundamental research into the fluid dynamic transport of particles inside different organs, cancer types and stages. To investigate the physiological conditions of cancer, future studies will include modification of the filter membranes with proteins as well as subsequent culturing of endothelial cells on the filter and tumor cells in the gel matrix. Through this device, we will be able to prescribe nanoparticle fluids for to obtain enhanced permeation and retention.
Experimental and numerical study on the optical properties and agglomeration of nanoparticle suspensions
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-10-2013
Coupling Contraction-expansion Arrays with Spiral Microchannels to Enhance Microfluidic-Based Particle/Cell Separation
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2022
Numerical modeling of a concentrated photovoltaic/thermal system which utilizes a PCM and nanofluid spectral splitting
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2020
A review of nanofluid-based direct absorption solar collectors: Design considerations and experiments with hybrid PV/Thermal and direct steam generation collectors
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
C-C Cleavage by Au/TiO2 during Ethanol Oxidation: Understanding Bandgap Photoexcitation and Plasmonically Mediated Charge Transfer via Quantitative in Situ DRIFTS
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 28-10-2016
The effect of nanoparticle morphology on the specific heat of nanosalts
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2016
Numerical and experimental investigation of a DC-powered RO system for Sri-Lankan villages
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Experimental Testing of Hydrophobic Microchannels, with and without Nanofluids, for Solar PV/T Collectors
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-08-2019
DOI: 10.3390/EN12153036
Abstract: Solar energy can be converted into useful energy via photovoltaic cells or with a photothermal absorber. While these technologies are well-developed and commercially viable, significant benefits can be realised by pulling these two technologies together in photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems which can provide both heat and electricity from a single collector. Emerging configurations in the PV/T field aim to incorporate micro and/or nanotechnology to boost total solar utilisation even further. One ex le of this is the nanofluid-based PV/T collector. This type of solar collector utilises nanofluids—suspensions of nanoparticles in traditional heat transfer fluids—as both an optical filter and as a thermal absorber. This concept seeks to harvest the whole solar spectrum at its highest thermodynamic potential through specially engineered nanofluids which transmit the portion of solar spectrum corresponding to the PV response curve while absorbing the rest as heat. Depending on the nanoparticle concentration, employing nanofluids in a flowing system may come with a price—an efficiency penalty in the form of increased pumping power (due to increased viscosity). Similarly, microchannel-based heat exchangers have been shown to increase heat transfer, but they may also pay the price of high pumping power due to additional wall-shear-related pressure drop (i.e., more no-slip boundary area). To develop a novel PV/T configuration which pulls together the advantages of these micro and nanotechnologies with minimal pumping power requirements, the present study experimentally investigated the use of nanofluids in patterned hydrophobic microchannels. It was found that slip with the walls reduced the impact of the increased viscosity of nanofluids by reducing the pressure drop on average 17% relative to a smooth channel. In addition, flowing a selective Ag/SiO2 core–shell nanofluid over a silicon surface (simulating a PV cell underneath the fluid) provided a 20% increase in solar thermal conversion efficiency and ~3% higher stagnation temperature than using pure water. This demonstrates the potential of this proposed system for extracting more useful energy from the same incident flux. Although no electrical energy was extracted from the underlying patterned silicon, this study highlights potential a new development path for micro and nanotechnology to be integrated into next-generation PV/T solar collectors.
Experimental and theoretical analysis of a hybrid solar thermoelectric generator with forced convection cooling
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 23-11-2201
A ternary system exploiting the full solar spectrum to generate renewable hydrogen from a waste biomass feedstock
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2023
DOI: 10.1039/D3EE00603D
Abstract: A solar-driven system is proposed capable of hydrogen production from waste biomass with low carbon and water footprints.
Analysis and testing of a portable thermal battery
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 31-01-2014
DOI: 10.1115/1.4026092
Abstract: Portable energy storage will be a key challenge if electric vehicles (EVs) become a large part of our future transportation system. A big barrier to market uptake for EVs is driving range. Range can be further limited if heating and air conditioning systems are powered by the EV's batteries. The use of electricity for HVAC can be minimized if a thermal storage system, a “thermal battery,” can be substituted as the energy source to provide sufficient cabin heating and cooling. The aim of this project was to model, design, and fabricate a low-cost, modular thermal battery for EVs. The constructed thermal battery employs a phase change material erythritol (a sugar alcohol commonly used as artificial sweetener) as the storage medium sealed in an insulated, stainless steel container. At a total prototype cost of ∼$311/kW-h, the system is roughly half the price of lithium ion batteries. Heat exchange to the thermal battery is accomplished via water (or low viscosity engine oil), which is pumped through a helical winding of copper tubing. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was used to determine the geometry (winding radius and number of coils) and flow conditions necessary to create adequate heat transfer. Testing of the fabricated design indicates that the prototype thermal battery module can store enough heat and discharge it fast enough to meet the demand of cruising passenger vehicle for up to 1 h on a cold day. The battery is capable of storing nearly 100 W-h/kg and can provide a specific power density of 30 W/kg. The storage density is competitive with lithium ion batteries, but work is needed to improve the power density.
Part load behavior of molten salt cavity receiver solar tower plants under storage mode operational mode
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 26-06-2016
DOI: 10.1115/ES2016-59703
Abstract: The performance of the tower based concentrated solar thermal (CST-tower) plant is very sensitive to the operation strategy of the plant and the incident heat flux on the receiver. To date, most studies have been examined only the design mode characteristics of the cavity receivers, but this paper significantly expands the literature by considering non-design operating conditions of this important sub-component of the CST-tower plants. A feasible non-design operating conditions of the cavity receivers that was considered in this study is the storage mode of operation. Two practical dynamic control strategies were examined then to find the most efficient approach: fixed solar field mass flowrate (Approach “A”) and fixed outlet temperature at receiver (Approach “B”). To evaluate the performance of the cavity receiver, a thermal model is developed to be used for design and non-design analysis. The thermal model has been then validated against available data from the Gemasolar operating solar Tower plant. In non-design conditions, the effects of heat transfer fluid (solar salt) temperature and flowrate are mainly evaluated in terms of the non-dimensional receiver thermal output, non-dimensional power output, receiver energetic efficiency, receiver surface temperature, receiver outlet temperature, and the fraction of solar field usage. The results of this study (e.g. off design receiver efficiency correlations) assist researchers to evaluate cavity receivers without performing detail simulations. They also help investigators to choose an appropriate control strategy and to analyze the viability of other CST-tower subcomponents that have thermal interactions with the receiver (e.g. dynamic control of the phase change storage unit or its boundary conditions).
Filtering light with nanoparticles: A review of optically selective particles and applications
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 02-09-2016
DOI: 10.1364/AOP.8.000541
Carbon-Coated Gold Nanorods: A Facile Route to Biocompatible Materials for Photothermal Applications
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 13-11-2015
Abstract: Gold nanorods and their core-shell nanocomposites have been widely studied because of their well-defined anisotropy and unique optical properties and applications. This study demonstrates a facile hydrothermal synthesis strategy for generating carbon coating on gold nanorods (AuNRs@C) under mild conditions (<200 °C), where the carbon shell is composed of polymerized sugar molecules (glucose). The structure and composition of the produced core-shell nanocomposites were characterized using advanced microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. The functional properties, particularly the photothermal and biocompatibility properties of the produced AuNRs@C, were quantified to assess their potential in photothermal hyperthermia. These AuNRs@C were tested in vitro (under representative treatment conditions) using near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. It was found that the AuNRs produced here exhibit exemplary heat generation capability. Temperature changes of 10.5, 9, and 8 °C for AuNRs@C were observed with carbon shell thicknesses of 10, 17, and 25 nm, respectively, at a concentration of 50 μM, after 600 s of irradiation with a laser power of 0.17 W/cm(2). In addition, the synthesized AuNRs@C also exhibit good biocompatibility toward two soft tissue sarcoma cell lines (HT1080, a fibrosarcoma and GCT, a fibrous histiocytoma). The cell viability study shows that AuNRs@C (at a concentration of <0.1 mg/mL) core-shell particles induce significantly lower cytotoxicity on both HT1080 and GCT cell lines, as compared with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-capped AuNRs. Furthermore, similar to PEG-modified AuNRs, they are also safe to both HT1080 and GCT cell lines. This biocompatibility results from a surface full of -OH or -COH groups, which are suitable for linking and are nontoxic Therefore, the AuNRs@C represent a viable alternative to PEG-coated AuNRs for facile synthesis and improved photothermal conversion. Overall, these findings open up a new class of carbon-coated nanostructures that are biocompatible and could potentially be employed in a wide range of biomedical applications.
Design and indoor testing of a compact optical concentrator
Publisher: SPIE-Intl Soc Optical Eng
Date: 10-01-2017
Enhancing the efficiency of absorption refrigeration cycle by ‘seeding’ nanoparticles directly in the working fluid
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2013
Stability testing of silver nanodisc suspensions for solar applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Comparison of heat transfer between cylindrical and conical vertical shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2018
Limits of Parabolic Flow Theory in Microfluidic Particle Separation: A Computational Study
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 11-12-2013
Abstract: Microfluidic particle separation technologies are useful for enriching rare cell populations for academic and clinical purposes. In order to separate particles based on size, deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) arrays are designed assuming that the flow profile between posts is parabolic or shifted parabolic (depending on post geometry). The design process also assumes the shape of the normalized flow profile is speed-invariant. The work presented here shows flow profile shapes vary, in arrays with circular and triangular posts, from this assumption at practical flow rates (10 Re 100). The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of this assumption in the circular post arrays peaked at 0.144. The RMSE in the triangular post array peaked at 0.136. Flow development occurred more rapidly in circular post arrays when compared to triangular post arrays. Additionally, the changes in critical bumping diameter (DCB) the DLD design metric used to calculate the size-based separation threshold were examined for 10 different row shift fractions (FRS). These errors correspond to a DCB that varies as much as 11.7% in the circular post arrays and 15.1% in the triangular post arrays.
Trends and Opportunities in Direct-Absorption Solar Thermal Collectors
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 17-05-0022
DOI: 10.1115/1.4023930
Abstract: Efficient conversion of sunlight into useful heat or work is of increasing global interest. Solar-to-thermal energy conversion, as opposed to solar-to-electricity, is enabled by solar thermal collectors that convert sunlight into heat at some useful temperature. We review here recent developments in solar thermal energy conversion. Our emphasis is on “direct-absorption” solar thermal collectors, in which incident sunlight is absorbed directly by a working fluid. This contrasts with conventional solar thermal collectors where the sunlight strikes and is absorbed by a solid receiver, which then transfers heat to the working fluid. Both liquid-based and gas-based direct-absorption collectors are described, although liquid-based systems are emphasized. We propose that if “direct-absorption” technologies could be developed further, it would open up a number of emerging opportunities, including applications exploiting thermochemical and photocatalytic reactions and direct absorption of a binary fluid for absorption refrigeration.
Reclaiming water from a direct air capture plant using vacuum membrane distillation – A bench-scale study
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2023
Boosting solar energy conversion with nanofluids
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 12-2017
DOI: 10.1063/PT.3.3790
Abstract: Suspensions of metallic nanoparticles can harvest valuable heat from sunlight that would otherwise go to waste in a photovoltaic cell.
Compact, semi-passive beam steering prism array for solar concentrators
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 09-05-2017
DOI: 10.1364/AO.56.004158
Numerical and experimental study of a solar micro concentrating collector
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2015
Design and analysis of a medium-temperature, concentrated solar thermal collector for air-conditioning applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Energy concentration limits in solar thermal heating applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Role of optical coefficients and healthy tissue-sparing characteristics in gold nanorod-assisted thermal therapy
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-01-2013
DOI: 10.3109/02656736.2012.753162
Abstract: This study seeks to define parameters for gold nanorod assisted thermal therapy, to achieve the thermal ablation temperature (50-60°C) in the tumour region and spare healthy tissue surrounding the tumour. Also, a criterion for size selection of gold nanorods is described based on the role of optical coefficients. In this study a tissue domain (comprising a 3 mm tumour and 7 mm of surrounding healthy tissue) embedded with gold nanorods is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation within the therapeutic wavelength band. Optical interaction is captured using light scattering theory (Mie-electrostatic approach). The resulting temperature field is evaluated using Penne's bioheat model. The effect of key parameters, namely irradiation intensity, irradiation duration and volume fraction, on tissue temperature is also modelled numerically. With increasing nanorod diameter - from 5 nm to 15 nm - the scattering coefficient increases ∼76 times as compared to a 1.7-fold increase in absorption coefficient. Scattering is considerably minimised by having smaller gold nanorods of 5 nm diameter. For this study, gold nanorods of 5 nm diameter and volume fraction 0.001%, irradiated with 50 W/m(2)-nm for 250 s ablated the tumour as well as spare healthy tissue 2 mm beyond the tumour region. Overall it may be concluded that tumour ablation as well as surrounding healthy tissue-sparing (within millimetres immediately adjacent to the tumour) can be achieved through a combination of specified parameters, namely diameter and volume fraction of gold nanorods, irradiation intensity and duration.
Spatiotemporal Temperature in a Tumor During Nanorod Assisted Thermal Therapy
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 04-02-2013
Abstract: Gold nanoparticles, especially nanorods, are emerging as a promising future material to achieve targeted thermal treatment for cancer. The treatment involves nanoparticle-radiation interaction phenomenon to generate the heat confined to a specific region. Obtaining effective treatments requires a more detailed theoretical understanding of this phenomenon. This study evaluates the temperature field in a tumor tissue embedded with gold nanorods, considering a two dimensional domain representing a skin tumor, irradiated with near infrared radiation. The results indicate that it is possible to localize the heat damage to the tumor region while surrounding healthy tissues are spared. The developed numerical model predicts the temperature through various input of the involved process parameters like size, concentration and irradiation intensity.
End losses minimization of linear Fresnel reflectors with a simple, two-axis mechanical tracking system
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2018
Characterization of a Nanofluid Volumetric Solar Absorber / Steam Generator
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2011
DOI: 10.1115/ES2011-54062
Abstract: Solar thermal energy has shown remarkable growth in recent years — incorporating many new technologies into new applications [1]. Nanofluids — suspensions of nanoparticles in conventional fluids — have shown promise to make efficient volumetric-absorption solar collectors [2–4]. It has also been shown that concentrated light energy can efficiently cause localized phase change in a nanofluid [5]. These findings indicate that it may be advantageous to create a ‘direct, volumetric nanofluid steam generator’. That is, a solar collector design which could minimize the number of energy transfer steps, and thus minimize losses in converting sunlight (via thermal energy) to electricity. To study this, we use a testing apparatus where concentrated laser light at 532 nm — a wavelength very near the solar spectrum peak — is incident on a highly absorbing s le. The highly absorbing s les compared in this study are black dyes, black painted surfaces, and silver nanofluids — with de-ionized water as a base fluid. Each of these s les converts light energy to heat — to varying degrees — in a localized region. This region is monitored simultaneously with a digital camera and an infrared camera. The resulting observed temperature profile and bubble dynamics are compared for these fluids. For pure water with a black backing, some very high temperatures ( °C) are observed with a laser input of ∼75 W/cm2. Using a similar absorption potential, we observed higher temperatures in the nanofluids when compared to black dyes. A simplified boiling heat transfer analysis based on these results is also presented. We also noticed differences in bubble size and growth rates for the different s les. Overall, this study represents a proof-of-concept test for a novel volumetric, direct steam generator. These results of this test indicate that it may be possible to efficiently generate steam directly in a controlled, localized volume — i.e. without heating up passive system components.
Effect of surface wettability on carbon nanotube water-based nanofluid droplet impingement heat transfer
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 02-07-2014
Experimental investigation of the latent heat of vaporization in aqueous nanofluids
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 14-04-2014
DOI: 10.1063/1.4872176
Abstract: This paper reports an experimental investigation of the latent heat of vaporization (hfg) in nanofluids. Two different types of nanoparticles, graphite and silver, suspended in deionized water were exposed to a continuous laser beam (130 mW, 532 nm) to generate boiling. The latent heat of vaporization in the nanofluids was determined by the measured vapor mass generation and the heat input. To ensure that the measured hfg values are independent of heating method, the experiments were repeated with an electrically heated hot wire as a primary heat input. These experiments show considerable variation in the hfg of nanofluids. That is, graphite nanofluid exhibits an increased hfg and silver nanofluid shows a decrease in hfg compared to the value for pure water. As such, these results indicate that relatively low mass fractions of nanoparticles can apparently create large changes in hfg.
Specific heat control of nanofluids: A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2016
Comprehensive system-level optimization of thermoelectric devices for electronic cooling applications
Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Date: 03-2008
The effective latent heat of aqueous nanofluids
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 05-06-2015
Temperature measurements of a gold nanosphere solution in response to light-induced hyperthermia
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 15-11-2013
Abstract: Gold nanospheres (GNSs), biocompatible nanoparticles that can be designed to absorb visible and near-infrared light, have shown great potential in induced thermal treatment of cancer cells via Plasmonic Photothermal Therapy (PPTT) [3]. In this study, light induced heating of a water-based dispersion of 20 nm diameter GNSs was investigated at their plasmon resonance wavelength (λ = 520 nm). Temperature changes of the solution at the point of light irradiation were measured experimentally. A heat transfer model was used to verify the experimental data. The effect of two key parameters, light intensity and particle concentration, on the solution’s temperature was investigated. The experimental results showed a significant temperature rise of the GNS solution compared to de-ionized water. The temperature rise of GNS solution was linearly proportional to the concentration of GNS (from 0.25–1.0 C, C = 1×1013 particles per ml) and the light intensity (from 0.25 to 0.5 W cm−2). The experimental data matches the modeling results adequately. Overall, it can be concluded that the hyperthermic ablation of cancer cells via GNS can be achieved by controlled by the light intensity and GNS concentration. A novel component of this study is that a high power l source was used instead of a high power laser. This means that only low cost components were used in the current experimental set-up. Moreover, by using suitable filters and white light from the high power l source, it is possible to obtain light in many wavelength bands for the study of other nanoparticles with different plasmon wavelength ranges. The current results represtent just one ex le in this versatile experimental set-up developed. It should be noted, however, the plasmon resonance wavelength used in this study is not within the therapeutic window (750–1300 nm) [13]. Therefore, the GNSs used in this experiment are only applicable to the surface induced thermal treatment of cancer cells, for instance, in the skin.
Thermoset polyester-based superhydrophobic microchannels for nanofluid heat transfer applications
Publisher: SPIE
Date: 22-12-2015
DOI: 10.1117/12.2202524
Tuning the Extinction Coefficient for Direct Absorption Solar Thermal Collector Optimization
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1115/ES2010-90022
Abstract: Direct-absorption solar thermal collectors have recently been shown to be a promising technology for photothermal energy conversion but many parameters affecting the overall performance of such systems haven’t been studied in depth, yet alone optimized. Earlier work has shown that the overall magnitude of the extinction coefficient can play a drastic role, with too high of an extinction coefficient actually reducing the efficiency. This study investigates how the extinction coefficient impacts the collector efficiency and how it can be tuned as a function of depth to optimize the efficiency, and why this presents a unique design over conventional solar thermal collection systems. Three extinction profiles are investigated: uniform, linearly increasing, and exponentially increasing.
Unlocking the potential of the formate pathway in the photo-assisted Sabatier reaction
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 30-11-2020
Shell-and-tube or packed bed thermal energy storage systems integrated with a concentrated solar power: A techno-economic comparison of sensible and latent heat systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Spectral splitting strategy and optical model for the development of a concentrating hybrid PV/T collector
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2015
Capacity optimization of hybrid renewable energy system considering part-load ratio and resource endowment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Solar energy integration in buildings
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
New insights into the physics of inertial microfluidics in curved microchannels. II. Adding an additive rule to understand complex cross-sections
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1063/1.5109012
Abstract: Curved microchannels allow controllable microparticle focusing, but a full understanding of particle behavior has been limited—even for simple rectangular and trapezoidal shapes. At present, most microfluidic particle separation literature is dedicated to adding “internal” complexity (via sheath flow or obstructions) to relatively simple cross-sectional channel shapes. We propose that, with sufficient understanding of particle behavior, an equally viable pathway for microparticle focusing could utilize complex “external” cross-sectional shapes. By investigating three novel, complex spiral microchannels, we have found that it is possible to passively focus (6, 10, and 13 μm) microparticles in the middle of a convex channel. Also, we found that in concave and jagged channel designs, it is possible to create multiple, tight focusing bands. In addition to these performance benefits, we report an “additive rule” herein, which states that complex channels can be considered as multiple, independent, simple cross-sectional shapes. We show with experimental and numerical analysis that this new additive rule can accurately predict particle behavior in complex cross-sectional shaped channels and that it can help to extract general inertial focusing tendencies for suspended particles in curved channels. Overall, this work provides simple, yet reliable, guidelines for the design of advanced curved microchannel cross sections.
Stable flame limits for optimal radiant performance of porous media reactors for thermophotovoltaic applications using packed beds of alumina
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
Thermal analysis of a micro solar thermal collector designed for methanol reforming
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2015
Urban Heat Island: Mechanisms, Implications, and Possible Remedies
Publisher: Annual Reviews
Date: 04-11-2015
DOI: 10.1146/ANNUREV-ENVIRON-102014-021155
Abstract: Urban heat island (UHI) manifests as the temperature rise in built-up urban areas relative to the surrounding rural countryside, largely because of the relatively greater proportion of incident solar energy that is absorbed and stored by man-made materials. The direct impact of UHI can be significant on both daytime and night-time temperatures, and the indirect impacts include increased air conditioning loads, deteriorated air and water quality, reduced pavement lifetimes, and exacerbated heat waves. Modifying the thermal properties and emissivity of roofs and paved surfaces and increasing the vegetated area within the city are potential mitigation strategies. A quantitative comparison of their efficacies and costs suggests that so-called cool roofs are likely the most cost-effective UHI mitigation strategy. However, additional research is needed on how to modify surface emissivities and dynamically control surface and material properties, as well as on the health and socioeconomic impacts of UHI.
Mitigating the losses in nanofluid-based direct solar absorption receivers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2021
Thermal Stability and Performance Testing of Oil-based CuO Nanofluids for Solar Thermal Applications
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-02-2020
DOI: 10.3390/EN13040876
Abstract: For solar thermal systems, nanofluids have been proposed as working fluids due to their enhanced optical and thermal properties. However, nanoparticles may agglomerate over time, heating and thermal cycles. Even though pristine nanofluids have proven to enhance performance in low-temperature applications, it is still unclear if nanofluids can meet the reliability requirements of solar thermal applications. For this aim, the present study conducted experiments with several formulations of oil-based CuO nanofluids in terms of their maximum operational temperatures and their stabilities upon cyclic heating. In the s les tested, the maximum temperature ranged from 80 to 150 °C, and the number of heating cycles ranged from 5 to 45, with heating times between 5 to 60 min. The results showed that heating temperature, heating cycles, and heating time all exacerbated agglomeration of s les. Following these experiments, orthogonal experiments were designed to improve the preparation process and the resultant thermal-impulse stability. Thermal properties of these s les were characterized, and thermal performance in an “on-sun” linear Fresnel solar collector was measured. All tests revealed that thermal performance of a solar collecting system could be enhanced with nanofluids, but thermal stability still needs to be further improved for industrial applications.
Solar concentrator structural optimization: A variable beam cross section design
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 09-07-2017
DOI: 10.1115/HT2017-5082
Abstract: The design and construction of solar concentrators heavily affects their cost, heat utilization and optical efficiency. Current trough concentrators support the reflector with an equivalent uniform beam configured from a metal grid sub-structure. Under gravity and wind loads, the support-structure stress distribution varies as a function of position of the structure and the tracking angle. In the conventional design, there is le surplus stiffness and strength designed into some beams of the structure, which increases the overall weight and cost of the structure. This paper describes an approach towards structural optimization of trough concentrators (with the Eurotrough design taken as an ex le, that means that the safety factors and structure is similar with Eurotrough design) using a variable cross section beam. The main improvement of this approach comes from keeping the beams rigid and strong near the two ends (at the torque box structure) while allowing the middle of the structure to be relatively weak. Reducing the cross-sectional area of the central beams not only reduces amount of material needed for the structure but also reduces the deflection of the reflector. The simulated results show that the concentrator’s structural weight (including the torque box, endplates and cantilever arms) and the maximum displacement of the reflector are reduced about 15.3% (about 151.2kg per 12-metre long element) and 15.5%, respectively. This represents a meaningful capital and installation cost savings while at the same time improving the optical efficiency.
A hybrid PV/T collector using spectrally selective absorbing nanofluids
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2017
Desing and on-sun testing of a hybrid PVT prototype using a nanofluid-based selective absorption filter
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 05-2015
A comprehensive, multi-objective optimization of solar-powered absorption chiller systems for air-conditioning applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2017
Techno-economic analysis of a concentrating solar collector with built-in shell and tube latent heat thermal energy storage
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2017
Harvesting solar thermal energy through nanofluid-based volumetric absorption systems
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
Single-layer, anti-reflective thin films of porous MgF2 for solar thermal applications
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Date: 28-05-2019
Effect of Nanoparticle Concentration on Thermal Damage in Nanoparticle-Assisted Thermal Therapy
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 04-01-2016
Abstract: Photothermal therapy involving nanoparticles is evolving as a promising targeted treatment for cancer. This paper presents the results for the effect of nanoparticle concentration, within a tumor, to control the thermal damage during nanoparticle assisted thermal therapy. A surface tumor embedded with gold nanoparticles (distributed uniformly) is considered. The thermal damage is evaluated for various nanoparticle concentrations (within the tumor) to identify an optimal concentration of the nanoparticles so as to achieve spatial confinement of the damage to the tumor region. Optical interaction is coupled to the biological heat transfer through Pennes’ bioheat model and Beer’s law. Spatiotemporal thermal damage is simulated through the Arrhenius method. The finite difference implicit method is used to solve the coupled phenomenon. Results show that there is a specific value of nanoparticle concentration at which it is possible to confine thermal damage to the tumor within a spatial scale of less than 1 mm. This way the healthy tissues surrounding a tumor are safe. This optimum value of nanoparticle concentration (irrespective of tumor diameters) is 0.00001%. This concentration along with irradiation intensity of 1 W/cm2 for irradiation duration of 110 seconds is sufficient to thermally ablate the considered tumors. Novelty of this study is that it presents a combination of the controlling parameters for achieving a high ( mm) spatial confinement of the thermal damage. This finding is very much significant from clinical point of view. Clinically it is always desired to attain the therapeutic efficacy with minimal delivery of external agents (nanoparticles in this case) to a patient.
Solar-assisted absorption air-conditioning systems in buildings: Control strategies and operational modes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2016
New insights into the physics of inertial microfluidics in curved microchannels. I. Relaxing the fixed inflection point assumption
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 05-2019
DOI: 10.1063/1.5109004
Abstract: Inertial microfluidics represents a powerful new tool for accurately positioning cells and microparticles within fluids for a variety of biomedical, clinical, and industrial applications. In spite of enormous advancements in the science and design of these devices, particularly in curved microfluidic channels, contradictory experimental results have confounded researchers and limited progress. Thus, at present, a complete theory which describes the underlying physics is lacking. We propose that this bottleneck is due to one simple mistaken assumption—the locations of inflection points of the Dean velocity profile in curved microchannels are not fixed, but can actually shift with the flow rate. Herein, we propose that the dynamic distance (δ) between the real equilibrium positions and their nearest inflection points can clearly explain several (previously) unexplained phenomena in inertial microfluidic systems. More interestingly, we found that this parameter, δ, is a function of several geometric and operational parameters, all of which are investigated (in detail) here with a series of experiments and simulations of different spiral microchannels. This key piece of understanding is expected to open the door for researchers to develop new and more effective inertial microfluidic designs.
Automating microfluidic part verification
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-08-2014
Particle movement and fluid behavior visualization using an optically transparent 3D-printed micro-hydrocyclone
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 11-2020
DOI: 10.1063/5.0025391
Off-design simulation and performance of molten salt cavity receivers in solar tower plants under realistic operational modes and control strategies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
Performance analysis of high temperature sensible heat thermal energy storage systems for concentrated solar thermal power plants
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 09-07-2017
DOI: 10.1115/HT2017-5091
Abstract: Due to their relatively high capital and environmental cost of two-tank molten salt thermal storage systems, a significant amount of research has gone into looking for sensible and latent thermal energy storage alternatives suitable for concentrated solar thermal (CST) plants. Despite a large number of developments in the last decade, comparative studies among promising options have been lacking. In particular, only a few comparative studies are available in which thermal energy storage (TES) systems are integrated as an active subcomponent of CST plant. Therefore, this study compares selected sensible heat thermal energy storage systems based on their integrated performance with other CST components (e.g. a tower -based CST plant with a Rankine cycle) over a year of operation. In the present study, annual performances of single-medium thermocline (SMT), double-medium thermocline (DMT), and shell-and-tube (ST) system were compared with that of a conventional two-tank molten salt storage system. Concrete with porosity of 0.2 (concrete occupies 80% of the system) was selected as a low cost filler material in the DMT and ST systems. The systems were sized for 15 hours of storage capacity and integrated into a validated 19.9 MWe Gemasolar power plant model with solar multiple of 2.5. Before performing annual integrated simulations, an optimum design of each storage system was selected based on a performance analysis of the storage system over a constant 15 hours discharge. A CST plant with a two-tank molten salt system enables the highest amount of electricity generation in a year followed by the SMT and DMT systems, which resulted in 7% and 9% less electricity generation, respectively. For the CST plant with ST system, 20% less electricity was generated over a year. Overall, this study provides a methodology for the comparison of the TES alternatives, and it gives insight the most promising alternative for replacing two-tank molten salt systems.
A cascade nanofluid-based PV/T system with optimized optical and thermal properties
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
Liquid Thermoelectrics: Review of Recent And Limited New Data of Thermogalvanic Cell Experiments
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-2013
Feasibility of nanofluid-based optical filters
Publisher: The Optical Society
Date: 25-02-2013
DOI: 10.1364/AO.52.001413
Solar Selective Volumetric Receivers for Harnessing Solar Thermal Energy
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 11-04-2018
DOI: 10.1115/1.4039214
Abstract: Given the largely untapped solar energy resource, there has been an ongoing international effort to engineer improved solar-harvesting technologies. Toward this, the possibility of engineering a solar selective volumetric receiver (SSVR) has been explored in the present study. Common heat transfer liquids (HTLs) typically have high transmissivity in the visible-near infrared (VIS-NIR) region and high emission in the midinfrared region, due to the presence of intramolecular vibration bands. This precludes them from being solar absorbers. In fact, they have nearly the opposite properties from selective surfaces such as cermet, TiNOX, and black chrome. However, liquid receivers which approach the radiative properties of selective surfaces can be realized through a combination of anisotropic geometries of metal nanoparticles (or broad band absorption multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)) and transparent heat mirrors. SSVRs represent a paradigm shift in the manner in which solar thermal energy is harnessed and promise higher thermal efficiencies (and lower material requirements) than their surface absorption-based counterparts. In the present work, the “effective” solar absorption to infrared emission ratio has been evaluated for a representative SSVR employing copper nanospheroids/MWCNTs and Sn-In2O3 based heat mirrors. It has been found that a solar selectivity comparable to (or even higher than) cermet-based Schott receiver is achievable through control of the cut-off solar selective wavelength. Theoretical calculations show that the thermal efficiency of Sn-In2O3 based SSVR is 6–7% higher than the cermet-based Schott receiver. Furthermore, stagnation temperature experiments have been conducted on a laboratory-scale SSVR to validate the theoretical results. It has been found that higher stagnation temperatures (and hence higher thermal efficiencies) compared to conventional surface absorption-based collectors are achievable through proper control of nanoparticle concentration.
A metric for characterizing the effectiveness of thermal mass in building materials
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
Annual comparative performance and cost analysis of high temperature, sensible thermal energy storage systems integrated with a concentrated solar power plant
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Solar Selective Volumetric Receivers for Harnessing Solar Thermal Energy
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 11-11-2016
Abstract: Given the largely untapped solar energy resource, there has been an ongoing international effort to engineer improved solar-harvesting technologies. Towards this, the possibility of engineering a solar selective volumetric receiver (SSVR) has been explored in the present study. Common heat transfer liquids (HTLs) typically have high transmissivity in the visible-near infrared (NIR) region and high emission in the mid-infrared region, due to the presence of intra-molecular vibration bands. This precludes them from being solar absorbers. In fact, they have nearly the opposite properties from selective surfaces such as cermet, TiNOx, and black chrome. However, liquid receivers which approach the radiative properties of selective surfaces, can be realized through a combination of anisotropic geometries of metal nanoparticles and transparent heat mirrors. Solar selective volumetric receivers represent a paradigm shift in the manner in which solar thermal energy is harnessed and promise higher thermal efficiencies (and lower material requirements) than their surface-absorption based counterparts. In this paper, the ‘effective’ solar absorption to infrared emission ratio has been evaluated for a representative SSVR employing copper nanospheroids and Sn-In2O3 based heat mirrors. It has been found that a solar selectivity comparable to (or even higher than) cermet-based Schott receiver is achievable through control of the cut-off solar selective wavelength. Theoretical calculations show that the thermal efficiency of Sn-In2O3 based SSVR is 6 to 7% higher than the cermet-based Schott receiver. Furthermore, stagnation temperature experiments have been conducted on a lab-scale SSVR to validate the theoretical results. It has been found that higher stagnation temperatures (and hence higher thermal efficiencies) compared to conventional surface absorption-based collectors are achievable through proper control of nanoparticle concentration.
Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage: A Bibliometric Analysis
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 07-05-2022
DOI: 10.3390/EN15093426
Abstract: The high latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) potential of phase change materials (PCMs) has long promised a step-change in the energy density for thermal storage applications. However, the uptake of PCM systems has been limited due to their relatively slow charging response, limited life, and economic considerations. Fortunately, a concerted global research effort is now underway to remove these remaining technical challenges. The bibliometric analysis of this review reveals that a major focus is now on the development of nano-enhanced phase change materials (NePCM), which have the potential to mitigate many of these technical challenges for PCM-based thermal energy storage systems. As such, our bibliometric analysis has zeroed in on research in the field of thermal energy storage using NePCMs since 1977. It was found that journal articles were the most frequently used document type, representing 79% of the records and that the pace of new work in this specific area has increased exponentially over these two decades, with China accounting for the highest number of citations and the most publications (168), followed by India and Iran. China has also played a central role in the collaboration network among the most productive countries, while Saudi Arabia and Vietnam show the highest international collaboration level.
Multipronged Validation of Oxalate C–C Bond Cleavage Driven by Au-TiO2 Interfacial Charge Transfer Using Operando DRIFTS
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-06-2018
On the colloidal and chemical stability of solar nanofluids: From nanoscale interactions to recent advances
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2020
Selective Solar Absorption of Nanofluids for Photovoltaic/Thermal Collector Enhancement
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1557/OPL.2015.724
Abstract: Selectively-absorbing nanofluids were synthesized and evaluated for spectrum splitting PV/T collector applications. Core-shell silver-silica (Ag-SiO 2 ) nanodiscs and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were suspended in water at varying dilutions and then tested as an optical filter placed between a light source and silicon solar cell. A concentrated Ag-SiO 2 solution diluted with an aqueous MWCNT solution yielded higher thermal efficiencies than when diluted by the same volume of water. However, AgSiO 2 -MWCNT mixtures yielded a lower electrical output than aqueous AgSiO 2 dilutions due to the non-selective absorption of MWCNTs. The most concentrated Ag-SiO 2 nanofluid (0.026wt%) yielded a peak thermal efficiency of 65%, to deliver the greatest combined efficiency of ∼72%.
Photothermal energy conversion in liquid nanoparticle suspensions
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1115/FEDSM-ICNMM2010-30172
Abstract: Liquid nanoparticle suspensions, popularly termed “nanofluids,” have been the subject of numerous investigations because of their interesting thermal transport properties. Their propensity to scatter and absorb electromagnetic radiation enables other applications that can take advantage of both their radiative and thermal transport properties. In particular, we are working to develop direct-absorption solar thermal collectors in which nanofluids serve to absorb incident sunlight, thus heating the fluid directly and more efficiently than conventional solar collectors. Our experimental results, in which we irradiate nanofluids with a continuous-wave laser, demonstrate that boiling can be induced at lower incident light fluxes compared to a thin layer of pure water in front of a black absorptive backing. These findings suggest that improved solar energy conversion systems can be developed, including solar-driven direct-steam generators.
Wood surface treatment techniques for enhanced solar steam generation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Experimental and numerical investigation of volumetric versus surface solar absorbers for a concentrated solar thermal collector
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2016
Applicability of Nanofluids in Concentrated Solar Energy Harvesting
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.1115/ES2010-90055
Abstract: Concentrated solar energy is becoming the input for an increasing number of thermal systems [1]. Recent papers have indicated that the addition of nanoparticles to conventional working fluids (i.e. nanofluids) can improve heat transfer and solar collection [2–4]. Thermal models developed herein show that nanofluid collectors can be more efficient than conventional concentrating solar thermal technology. This work indicates that power tower schemes are the best application for taking advantage of potential nanofluid efficiency improvements. This study provides a notional design of how such a nanofluid power tower receiver might be built. Using this type of design, we show a theoretical enhancement in efficiency of up to a 10% by using nanofluids. Further, we compare the energy and revenue generated in a conventional solar thermal plant to a nanofluid one. It was found that a 100MWe capacity solar thermal power tower operating in a solar resource similar to Tucson, AZ could generate ∼$3.5 million more per year by incorporating a nanofluid receiver.
Microfluidic Actuation via 3D-Printed Molds toward Multiplex Biosensing of Cell Apoptosis.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-07-2019
DOI: 10.1021/ACSSENSORS.9B01057
Abstract: Multiplexed analysis of biochemical analytes such as proteins, enzymes, and immune products using a microfluidic device has the potential to cut assay time, reduce s le volume, realize high-throughput, and decrease experimental error without compromising sensitivity. Despite these huge benefits, the need for expensive specialized equipment and the complex photolithography fabrication process for the multiplexed devices have, to date, prevented widespread adoption of microfluidic systems. Here, we present a simple method to fabricate a new microfluidic-based multiplexed biosensing device by taking advantage of 3D-printing. The device is an integration of normally closed (NC) microfluidic valving units which offer superior operational flexibility by using PDMS membrane (
Beam splitting system for the development of a concentrating linear fresnel solar hybrid pv/t collector
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 14-07-2013
DOI: 10.1115/HT2013-17221
Abstract: Investigations are underway around the world to make solar energy more competitive in the energy market [1–3]. One approach is to develop solar hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) technologies which allow for maximal utilization of incident sunlight by integrating a PV cell and a thermal receiver in the same collector [4,5]. In this study, we will present a new PV/T design based on a compact linear Fresnel concentrator (LFC) coupled with a spectral beam-splitter. The beam-splitting approach avoids the efficiency drop in the PV cell while still obtaining high temperature thermal output. The design is analyzed numerically with respect to a worth factor which considers the intrinsically higher economic value of electrical energy at ∼3 times thermal energy. In order to predict optical performance, the geometry of this hybrid concentrating collector, which achieves 10–15 suns concentration, is modeled at various incident angles using the ray tracing software Zemax. Three different PV cells are considered (Si, GaAs and GaInP/GaAs). The reported spectral response of these cells is used to determine the optimal wavelength split for the fraction of the solar spectrum directed to the various PV cells. The results indicate that such designs can achieve 20–51% greater value of the power outputs — PV electrical power plus heat produced — relative to a stand-alone PV system.
Numerical Study of Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal (PV/T) Hybrid Collector Using Nanofluids
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 11-12-2013
Abstract: The commonly used methods to harness solar energy are solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV). A new category photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) hybrid combines these two technologies, and achieves higher combined efficiency. The challenge is to keep the operating temperature of the PV low and at the same time not compromise on the temperature of the thermal cycle. Various designs of PV/T hybrids (both flat plate and concentrated) have already been proposed which utilize air or water to remove the heat from PV cells in order to enhance the overall efficiency of PV/T hybrid collector. Recent papers have showed that nanofluids can be used as an optical filter to filter the required wavelength range (equivalent to the band gap of the PV cell) from solar spectra. Thus, the heating of PV cells can be significantly reduced and higher overall efficiencies can be achieved using selective absorption by nanofluids. In this study, a new design of a PV/T hybrid collector was proposed and two nanofluid filters that can be used with Silicon (Si) PV cells were identified and corresponding thermal and overall efficiencies of PV/T hybrid collector were calculated.
Development of a mobile groundwater desalination system for communities in rural India
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2018
DOI: 10.1016/J.WATRES.2018.08.001
Abstract: The consumption of saline groundwater has contributed to a growing incidence of renal diseases, particularly in coastal communities of India. Although reverse osmosis (RO) is routinely used to remove salt from groundwater, conventional RO systems (i.e. centralized systems using spiral wound RO elements) have limited utility in these communities due to high capital and maintenances costs, and lack of infrastructure to distribute the water. Consequently, there is a need to develop an appropriate solution for groundwater treatment based on small-scale, mobile and community-led systems. In this work, we designed a mobile desalination system to provide a simple platform for water treatment and delivery of goods to rural communities. The system employs tubular RO membranes packed in a single, low-profile vessel which fits below the cargo space. The low-profile enables minimal intrusion on the space available for the transportation of goods. Pressure is delivered by a belt driven clutch pump, powered by the engine. Water is treated locally by connecting the intake to the village well while the vehicle idles. A combined numerical and experimental approach was used to optimise the module/system design, resulting in ∼20% permeate flux enhancement. Experimental results revealed that the system can produce 16 L per square meter of membrane area per hour (LMH) at a salinity level of 80 ppm from a ∼2000 ppm groundwater when it is feed at 1 m
Modeling and testing of a portable thermal battery
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 14-07-2013
DOI: 10.1115/ES2013-18147
Abstract: Portable energy storage will be a key challenge if electric vehicles become a large part of our future transportation system. A big limiting factor is vehicle range. Range can be further limited if heating and air conditioning systems are powered by the electric vehicle’s batteries. The use of electricity for HVAC can be minimized if a thermal battery can be substituted as the energy source to provide sufficient cabin heating and cooling. The aim of this project was to model, design, and fabricate a thermal storage battery for electric vehicles. Since cost and weight are the main considerations for a vehicular application — every attempt was made to minimize them in this design. Thus, the final thermal battery consists of a phase change material Erythritol (a sugar alcohol commonly used as artificial sweetener) as the storage medium sealed in an insulated, stainless steel cooking pot. Heat exchange to the thermal battery is accomplished via water (or low viscosity engine oil) which is pushed through a copper coil winding. A CFD model was used to determine the geometry (winding radius and number of coils) and flow conditions necessary to create adequate heat transfer. Testing of the fabricated design indicates that the prototype thermal battery module losses less than 5% per day and can provide enough heat to meet the demand of cruising passenger vehicle for up to 1 hour of full heating on a cold day. Other metrics, such as $/kJ and kJ/kg, are competitive with Lithium ion batteries for our prototype.
Mesoscale simulations of Australian direct normal irradiance, featuring an extreme dust event
Publisher: American Meteorological Society
Date: 03-2018
Abstract: Direct normal irradiance (DNI) is the main input for concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies—an important component in future energy scenarios. DNI forecast accuracy is sensitive to radiative transfer schemes (RTSs) and microphysics in numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. Additionally, NWP models have large regional aerosol uncertainties. Dust aerosols can significantly attenuate DNI in extreme cases, with marked consequences for applications such as CSP. To date, studies have not compared the skill of different physical parameterization schemes for predicting hourly DNI under varying aerosol conditions over Australia. The authors address this gap by aiming to provide the first Weather and Forecasting (WRF) Model DNI benchmarks for Australia as baselines for assessing future aerosol-assimilated models. Annual and day-ahead simulations against ground measurements at selected sites focusing on an extreme dust event are run. Model biases are assessed for five shortwave RTSs at 30- and 10-km grid resolutions, along with the Thompson aerosol-aware scheme in three different microphysics configurations: no aerosols, fixed optical properties, and monthly climatologies. From the annual simulation, the best schemes were the Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for global climate models (RRTMG), followed by the new Goddard and Dudhia schemes, despite the relative simplicity of the latter. These top three RTSs all had 1.4–70.8 W m −2 lower mean absolute error than persistence. RRTMG with monthly aerosol climatologies was the best combination. The extreme dust event had large DNI mean bias overpredictions (up to 4.6 times), compared to background aerosol results. Dust storm–aware DNI forecasts could benefit from RRTMG with high-resolution aerosol inputs.
Improving the performance of vacuum membrane distillation using a 3D-printed helical baffle and a superhydrophobic nanocomposite membrane
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2020
Electrode Separation and Operating Orientation: Mechanisms for Maximizing Performance of Cu/Cu2+ Aqueous Thermogalvanic Cells
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 15-11-2013
Abstract: Aqueous thermogalvanic cells have been studied since 1825, and have largely been explored in the past two decades because of their potential to convert low-temperature waste heat to electricity [1, 2]. However, even though these cells have long been known in the electrochemistry community, they have not received much attention from the thermal transport community. This is surprising given that their performance is highly dependent on controlling both thermal and mass (ionic) transport.
Optical analysis of a new CPC-based solar collector designed for hydrogen production
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 14-07-2013
DOI: 10.1115/HT2013-17226
Abstract: Methanol reforming to produce hydrogen is an excellent way to provide fuel for hydrogen-based fuel cells. Since methanol reforming is an endothermic process, requiring an energy input, it is possible to use this reaction as a way to store primary energy. In this paper, we propose that this reaction can be driven with a new type of solar collector which has high overall efficiency. The advantage of the proposed design is that it can achieve high temperatures (up to 250°C) without tracking thus reducing capital and running costs. A CPC (compound parabolic concentrator) collector was designed with a half angle of 27.4 degrees and a concentration ratio between 1.5–1.75 over the entire cone angle. Furthermore, due to the small size of the designed type of collector, it would be easy to manually orient it so that the axis is aligned east-west, which would allow it to concentrate all day. The fabricated collector shown later in this paper has the advantage of being portable with a thickness of just 70mm. In this design, we use a vacuum layer between the receiver and the frame to minimize the convective heat loss and to allow for thermal concentration. Selective surfaces, such as TiNOx, are employed in the receiver to absorb solar (short wavelength) radiation while minimizing emission of thermal (long wavelength) radiation. An optical analysis via ray tracing shows an optical efficiency of 80% to 85% in the range of half incident angle. Also, a prototype of the designed CPC collector is manufactured and shown in this paper.
Spectrum splitting using gold and silver nanofluids for photovoltaic/thermal collectors
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 06-2017
Solar-powered absorption chillers for air-conditioning applications: Simulation and techno-economic evaluation
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 28-06-2015
DOI: 10.1115/ES2015-49637
Abstract: This study investigates the techno-economic feasibility of solar-powered absorption cooling and heating systems for a large-sized hotel building in Sydney, Australia. The proposed plant primarily consists of evacuated tube solar collectors, a hot water storage tank, a single-effect absorption chiller, and a backup gas burner. Dynamic simulation of the system has been carried out using the TRNSYS environment. Several control strategies have been implemented in the model to increase the overall efficiency of the system. Solar fraction and levelized total cost of the system have been considered as energetic and economic indicators, respectively. The parametric study results reveal that the optimal values of the storage tank volume and specific collector area are 70 L/m2 and 4 m2 per kW cooling capacity of the chiller, corresponding to the solar fraction of ∼72% and levelized total cost of ∼874,000 AUD/year. Finally, the payback period of the solar equipment is calculated to be 30.8 years, reiterating this technology still needs a great deal of subsidy in order to be economically competitive with conventional air-conditioning systems.
A combined CFD/visualized investigation of two-phase heat and mass transfer inside a horizontal loop thermosiphon
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2017
Nanofluid optical property characterization: towards efficient direct absorption solar collectors
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-03-2011
Abstract: Suspensions of nanoparticles (i.e., particles with diameters 100 nm) in liquids, termed nanofluids, show remarkable thermal and optical property changes from the base liquid at low particle loadings. Recent studies also indicate that selected nanofluids may improve the efficiency of direct absorption solar thermal collectors. To determine the effectiveness of nanofluids in solar applications, their ability to convert light energy to thermal energy must be known. That is, their absorption of the solar spectrum must be established. Accordingly, this study compares model predictions to spectroscopic measurements of extinction coefficients over wavelengths that are important for solar energy (0.25 to 2.5 μm). A simple addition of the base fluid and nanoparticle extinction coefficients is applied as an approximation of the effective nanofluid extinction coefficient. Comparisons with measured extinction coefficients reveal that the approximation works well with water-based nanofluids containing graphite nanoparticles but less well with metallic nanoparticles and/or oil-based fluids. For the materials used in this study, over 95% of incoming sunlight can be absorbed (in a nanofluid thickness ≥10 cm) with extremely low nanoparticle volume fractions - less than 1 × 10 -5 , or 10 parts per million. Thus, nanofluids could be used to absorb sunlight with a negligible amount of viscosity and/or density (read: pumping power) increase.
Performance study of a grid-connected photovoltaic powered central air conditioner in the South China climate
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Multifunctional core-shell nanoparticle suspensions for efficient absorption
Publisher: ASME International
Date: 21-11-2013
DOI: 10.1115/1.4007845
Abstract: Nanoparticle suspensions are known to offer a variety of benefits for thermal transport and energy conversion. Of particular relevance here are the vast changes to the radiative properties due to the plasmonic nanostructures' large extinction cross section at the corresponding surface plasmon resonance (SPR) wavelength. Recent papers have showed that dielectric core/metallic shell nanoparticles yielded a plasmon resonance wavelength tunable from visible to infrared by changing the ratio of core radius to the total radius. Therefore, we are interested in developing a dispersion of core-shell multifunctional nanoparticles capable of dynamically changing their volume ratio and thus their spectral radiative properties. This paper investigates the surface plasmon resonance effect, wavelength tuning ranges for different metallic shell nanoparticles, and explores the solar-weighted efficiencies of corresponding core-shell nanoparticle suspensions. Through our electrostatic model, we estimate a red-shift in the plasmon resonance peak from a wavelength of about 600 nm to around 1400 nm for Au coated silicon core nanoparticles. Using core-shell nanoparticle dispersions, it is possible to create efficient spectral solar absorption fluids and design materials for applications which require variable spectral absorption or scattering.
A spectrally splitting photovoltaic-thermal hybrid receiver utilising direct absorption and wave interference light filtering
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2015
An innovative design of a tri-segmented parabolic trough solar thermoelectric receiver tube for multi-component energy conversion
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 12-2013
Heat Generation in Gold Nanorods Solutions due to Absorption of Near-Infrared Radiation
Publisher: Begellhouse
Date: 2017
Experimental investigation of the thermal performance of a horizontal two-phase loop thermosiphon suitable for solar parabolic trough receivers operating at 200–400 °C
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2017
Transient simulation and parametric study of solar-assisted heating and cooling absorption systems: An energetic, economic and environmental (3E) assessment
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2016
Limits of selectivity of direct volumetric solar absorption
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2015
Small particles, big impacts: A review of the diverse applications of nanofluids
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 02-01-2013
DOI: 10.1063/1.4754271
Abstract: Nanofluids—a simple product of the emerging world of nanotechnology—are suspensions of nanoparticles (nominally 1–100 nm in size) in conventional base fluids such as water, oils, or glycols. Nanofluids have seen enormous growth in popularity since they were proposed by Choi in 1995. In the year 2011 alone, there were nearly 700 research articles where the term nanofluid was used in the title, showing rapid growth from 2006 (175) and 2001 (10). The first decade of nanofluid research was primarily focused on measuring and modeling fundamental thermophysical properties of nanofluids (thermal conductivity, density, viscosity, heat transfer coefficient). Recent research, however, explores the performance of nanofluids in a wide variety of other applications. Analyzing the available body of research to date, this article presents recent trends and future possibilities for nanofluids research and suggests which applications will see the most significant improvement from employing nanofluids.
Multi-effect distillation: a sustainable option to large-scale green hydrogen production using solar energy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2023
Dynamics of single InGaN quantum dots
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2004
Recent advances in thermoelectric materials and solar thermoelectric generators – a critical review
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
Date: 2014
DOI: 10.1039/C4RA05322B
Abstract: Thermoelectric materials have been extensively used in space satellites, automobiles, and, more recently, in solar thermal application as power generators. Solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) have enjoyed rapidly improving efficiency in recent years in both concentrated and non-concentrated systems. However, there is still a critical need for further research and development of their materials and systems design before this technology can deployed for large-scale power generation.
Assessment of solar and wind resource synergy in Australia
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2017
Spectrum splitting using gold and silver nanofluids for photovoltaic/thermal collectors
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 06-2016
Nanopatterned indium tin oxide as a selective coating for solar thermal applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Photovoltaic Thermal Technologies for Medium Temperature Industrial Application A Global TRNSYS Performance Comparison
Publisher: IEEE
Date: 12-2018
Impact of size and scattering mode on the optimal solar absorbing nanofluid
Publisher: ASMEDC
Date: 2009
DOI: 10.1115/ES2009-90066
Abstract: The concept of using a direct absorbing nanofluid, a liquid-nanoparticle suspension, has recently been shown numerically and experimentally to be an efficient method for harvesting solar thermal energy. Studies show that the size and shape of the nanoparticles as well as the scattering mode (e.g. dependent, independent, and multiple) all impact the amount of energy absorbed and emitted by the nanofluid. In order to optimize the efficiency of a direct absorption solar thermal system the optimum nanoparticle-liquid combination needs to be developed. The optimum nanofluid for a direct absorption solar thermal collector is investigated numerically through the variation of particle size, including the impact of size on optical properties, and scattering mode. The study addresses both the absorption of solar energy within the fluid as well as the emission of the fluid.
High temperature solar thermal central-receiver billboard design
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2013
The effect of gold nanorods clustering on near-infrared radiation absorption
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-07-2018
DOI: 10.3390/APP8071132
Abstract: In this paper, the plasmonic resonant absorption of gold nanorods (GNRs) and GNR solutions was studied both numerically and experimentally. The heat generation in clustered GNR solutions with various concentrations was measured by exposing them to Near Infrared (NIR) light in experiment. Correspondingly, calculations based on the discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) revealed the same relationship between the maximum absorption efficiency and the nanorod orientation for the incident radiation. Additionally, both the plasmonic wavelength and the maximum absorption efficiency of a single nanorod were found to increase linearly with increasing aspect ratio (for a fixed nanorod volume). The wavelength of the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR) was found to change when the gold nanorods were closely spaced. Specifically, both a shift and a broadening of the resonance peak were attained when the distance between the nanorods was set to about 50 nm or less. The absorbance spectra of suspended nanorods at various volume fractions also showed that the plasmonic wavelength of the nanorods solution was at 780 ± 10 nm, which was in good agreement with the computational predictions for coupled side-by-side nanorods. When heated by NIR light, the rate of increase for both the temperature of solution and the absorbed light diminished when the volume fraction of suspended nanorods reached a value of 1.24×10−6. This matches with expectations for a partially clustered suspension of nanorods in water. Overall, this study reveals that particle clustering should be considered to accurately gauge the heat generation of the GNR hyperthermia treatments.
Experimental and numerical investigation of heat confinement during nanoparticle-assisted thermal therapy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2015
An integrated, solar-driven membrane distillation system for water purification and energy generation
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2019
Low-temperature melting of silver nanoparticles in subcooled and saturated water
Publisher: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Date: 14-11-2014
Abstract: Continuous, laser-heated boiling experiments with silver nanofluids were conducted to identify the non-equilibrium melting behavior of silver nanoparticles in de-ionized (DI) water. Experimental results with Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) suggest that surface melting of silver nanoparticles (which have a bulk melting point of 961°C) can occur at ambient pressure when particles are suspended in saturated, and even subcooled (e.g. 100 °C) water due to the localized (volumetric) heat absorption. These findings are supported by calculating a temperature-dependent Hamaker constant of silver nanofluid — i.e. the interaction between interfaces (Ag-melt-water) at the melting temperature.
Direct normal irradiance forecasting and its application to concentrated solar thermal output forecasting - A review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2014
Can 3D-printed spacers improve filtration at the microscale?
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2020
Pathways for integrated concentrated solar power - Desalination: A critical review
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2020
Recent advances in modeling and simulation of nanofluid flows—Part II: Applications
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Nanofluid-based direct absorption solar collector
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 05-2010
DOI: 10.1063/1.3429737
Abstract: Solar energy is one of the best sources of renewable energy with minimal environmental impact. Direct absorption solar collectors have been proposed for a variety of applications such as water heating however the efficiency of these collectors is limited by the absorption properties of the working fluid, which is very poor for typical fluids used in solar collectors. It has been shown that mixing nanoparticles in a liquid (nanofluid) has a dramatic effect on the liquid thermophysical properties such as thermal conductivity. Nanoparticles also offer the potential of improving the radiative properties of liquids, leading to an increase in the efficiency of direct absorption solar collectors. Here we report on the experimental results on solar collectors based on nanofluids made from a variety of nanoparticles (carbon nanotubes, graphite, and silver). We demonstrate efficiency improvements of up to 5% in solar thermal collectors by utilizing nanofluids as the absorption mechanism. In addition the experimental data were compared with a numerical model of a solar collector with direct absorption nanofluids. The experimental and numerical results demonstrate an initial rapid increase in efficiency with volume fraction, followed by a leveling off in efficiency as volume fraction continues to increase.
A universal method for performance evaluation of solar photovoltaic air-conditioner
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2018
Recent advances in modeling and simulation of nanofluid flows-Part I: Fundamentals and theory
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Understanding Plasmon and Band Gap Photoexcitation Effects on the Thermal-Catalytic Oxidation of Ethanol by TiO2 -Supported Gold
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 18-02-2016
Jet Formation in Micro Post Arrays
Publisher: Trans Tech Publications, Ltd.
Date: 05-2014
DOI: 10.4028/WWW.SCIENTIFIC.NET/AMM.553.367
Abstract: Micropost arrays serve as a plaform for the next generation of diagnostic devices. These arrays are found in microfluidic devices for peripheral blood-based diagnostics and metastatic cancer management. The function and performance of these devices is determined by the underlying micro-scale fluid mechanics. Typically, these devices operate in the creeping regime ( Re 1) where the viscous forces of the fluids dominate. Recent advances in manufacturing allow for higher Reynolds number flows ( Re 1) where the inertial forces dominate. In this work, we use computational simulations to show there is a transitional region (1 Re 20) in between the laminar and creeping regimes for two different micropost array geometries. Numerical analysis is employed to investigate jet formation both within the array and at the array exit. The peak-to-peak litude of the streamwise normalized velocity profile is used to quantify jet formation within the array the streamwise velocity profile at the end of the array exit is used to determine jet length at the exit of the array. Above the transitional region ( Re 20) significant jets form downstream of the posts, litude scales exponentially and jet length scales with Re according to power law .
Experimental investigation of a nanofluid absorber employed in a low-profile, concentrated solar thermal collector
Publisher: SPIE
Date: 22-12-2015
DOI: 10.1117/12.2202513
Pool boiling of nanofluids: Comprehensive review of existing data and limited new data
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2009
Optical analysis of a semi-transparent packed bed of spheres for next-generation volumetric solar receivers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2022
High-Throughput Particle Concentration Using Complex Cross-Section Microchannels
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 22-04-2020
DOI: 10.3390/MI11040440
Abstract: High throughput particle/cell concentration is crucial for a wide variety of biomedical, clinical, and environmental applications. In this work, we have proposed a passive spiral microfluidic concentrator with a complex cross-sectional shape, i.e., a combination of rectangle and trapezoid, for high separation efficiency and a confinement ratio less than 0.07. Particle focusing in our microfluidic system was observed in a single, tight focusing line, in which higher particle concentration is possible, as compared with simple rectangular or trapezoidal cross-sections with similar flow area. The sharper focusing stems from the confinement of Dean vortices in the trapezoidal region of the complex cross-section. To quantify this effect, we introduce a new parameter, complex focusing number or CFN, which is indicative of the enhancement of inertial focusing of particles in these channels. Three spiral microchannels with various widths of 400 µm, 500 µm, and 600 µm, with the corresponding CFNs of 4.3, 4.5, and 6, respectively, were used. The device with the total width of 600 µm was shown to have a separation efficiency of ~98%, and by recirculating, the output concentration of the s le was 500 times higher than the initial input. Finally, the investigation of results showed that the magnitude of CFN relies entirely on the microchannel geometry, and it is independent of the overall width of the channel cross-section. We envision that this concept of particle focusing through complex cross-sections will prove useful in paving the way towards more efficient inertial microfluidic devices.
Applicability of nanofluids in high flux solar collectors
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 03-2011
DOI: 10.1063/1.3571565
Abstract: Concentrated solar energy has become the input for an increasing number of experimental and commercial thermal systems over the past 10–15 years [M. Thirugnanasambandam et al., Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 14 (2010)]. Recent papers have indicated that the addition of nanoparticles to conventional working fluids (i.e., nanofluids) can improve heat transfer and solar collection [H. Tyagi et al., J. Sol. Energy Eng. 131, 4 (2009) P. E. Phelan et al., Annu. Rev. Heat Transfer 14 (2005)]. This work indicates that power tower solar collectors could benefit from the potential efficiency improvements that arise from using a nanofluid working fluid. A notional design of this type of nanofluid receiver is presented. Using this design, we show a theoretical nanofluid enhancement in efficiency of up to 10% as compared to surface-based collectors when solar concentration ratios are in the range of 100–1000. Furthermore, our analysis shows that graphite nanofluids with volume fractions on the order of 0.001% or less are suitable for 10–100 MWe power plants. Experiments on a laboratory-scale nanofluid dish receiver suggest that up to 10% increase in efficiency is possible (relative to a conventional fluid)—if operating conditions are chosen carefully. Lastly, we use these findings to compare the energy and revenue generated in a conventional solar thermal plant to a nanofluid-based one. It is found that a 100 MWe capacity solar thermal power tower operating in a solar resource similar to Tucson, AZ, could generate ∼$3.5 million more per year by incorporating a nanofluid receiver.
Investigation on nanoparticle distribution for thermal ablation of a tumour subjected to nanoparticle assisted thermal therapy
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2014
DOI: 10.1016/J.JTHERBIO.2014.05.003
Abstract: This study investigates the effect of the distribution of nanoparticles delivered to a skin tumour for the thermal ablation conditions attained during thermal therapy. Ultimate aim is to define a distribution of nanoparticles as well as a combination of other therapeutic parameters to attain thermal ablation temperatures (50-60 °C) within whole of the tumour region. Three different cases of nanoparticle distributions are analysed under controlled conditions for all other parameters viz. irradiation intensity and duration, and volume fraction of nanoparticles. Results show that distribution of nanoparticles into only the periphery of tumour resulted in desired thermal ablation temperature in whole of tumour. For the tumour size considered in this study, an irradiation intensity of 1.25 W/cm(2) for duration of 300 s and a nanoparticle volume fraction of 0.001% was optimal to attain a temperature of ≥53 °C within the whole tumour region. It is concluded that distribution of nanoparticles in peripheral region of tumour, along with a controlled combination of other parameters, seems favourable and provides a promising pathway for thermal ablation of a tumour subjected to nanoparticle assisted thermal therapy.
Cyclic performance of cascaded and multi-layered solid-PCM shell-and-tube thermal energy storage systems: A case study of the 19.9 MWe Gemasolar CSP plant
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2018
Transparent Surfaces Inspired by Nature
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 09-05-2018
Erratum: “Manufacturing and wetting low-cost microfluidic cell separation devices” [Biomicrofluidics 7, 056501 (2013)]
Publisher: AIP Publishing
Date: 09-2013
DOI: 10.1063/1.4827599
Experimental and numerical evaluation of the energy requirement of multi-stage vacuum membrane distillation designs
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
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