Smart windows: Thermal modelling and evaluation

Copyright @ 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article shared under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).A numerical investigation of the performance of a multi paned smart window integrated with water-cooled high efficiency third generation GaAsP/InGaAs QWSC (∼32% efficiency) solar cells illuminated by two-axis tracking solar concentrators at 500× in the inter pane space is presented. Optimising system parameters such as optical concentration ratio and coolant (water) flow rate is essential in order to avoid degradation in system performance due to high cell temperatures and thermal stresses. Detailed modelling of the thermo-fluid characteristics of the smart windows system was undertaken using a finite volume CFD package. Results of this analysis which considered the conductive, convective and radiative heat exchange processes taking place in the interior of the smart window system as well as the heat exchange to the internal and external ambient environment are presented.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Counci

Thermal modelling of Advanced LIGO test masses

High-reflectivity fused silica mirrors are at the epicentre of current advanced gravitational wave detectors. In these detectors, the mirrors interact with high power laser beams. As a result of finite absorption in the high reflectivity coatings the mirrors suffer from a variety of thermal effects that impact on the detectors performance. We propose a model of the Advanced LIGO mirrors that introduces an empirical term to account for the radiative heat transfer between the mirror and its surroundings. The mechanical mode frequency is used as a probe for the overall temperature of the mirror. The thermal transient after power build-up in the optical cavities is used to refine and test the model. The model provides a coating absorption estimate of 1.5 to 2.0 ppm and estimates that 0.3 to 1.3 ppm of the circulating light is scattered on to the ring heater.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

An improved lumped parameter method for building thermal modelling

In this work an improved method for the simplified modelling of the thermal response of building elements has been developed based on a 5-parameter second-order lumped parameter model. Previous methods generate the parameters of these models either analytically or by using single objective function optimisation with respect to a reference model. The analytical methods can be complex and inflexible and the single objective function method lacks generality. In this work, a multiple objective function optimisation method is used with a reference model. Error functions are defined at both internal and external surfaces of the construction element whose model is to be fitted and the resistance and capacitance distributions are adjusted until the error functions reach a minimum. Parametric results for a wide range (45) of construction element types have been presented. Tests have been carried out using a range of both random and periodic excitations in weather and internal heat flux variables resulting in a comparison between the simplified model and the reference model. Results show that the simplified model provides an excellent approximation to the reference model whilst also providing a reduction in computational cost of at least 30%

Transient thermal modelling of substation connectors by means of dimensionality reduction

This paper proposes a simple, fast and accurate simulation approach based on one-dimensional reduction and the application of the finite difference method (FDM) to determine the temperatures rise in substation connectors. The method discretizes the studied three-dimensional geometry in a finite number of one-dimensional elements or regions in which the energy rate balance is calculated. Although a one-dimensional reduction is applied, to ensure the accuracy of the proposed transient method, it takes into account the three-dimensional geometry of the analyzed system to determine for all analyzed elements and at each time step different parameters such as the incremental resistance of each element or the convective coefficient. The proposed approach allows fulfilling both accuracy and low computational burden criteria, providing similar accuracy than the three-dimensional finite element method but with much lower computational requirements. Experimental results conducted in a high-current laboratory validate the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method and its usefulness to design substation connectors and other power devices and components with an optimal thermal behavior.Postprint (published version

Evaluation or perfusion and thermal parameters of skiin tissue using cold provocation and thermographic measurements

Measurement of the perfusion coefficient and thermal parameters of skin tissue using dynamic thermography is presented in this paper. A novel approach based on cold provocation and thermal modelling of skin tissue is presented. The measurement was performed on a person’s forearm using a special cooling device equipped with the Peltier module. The proposed method first cools the skin, and then measures the changes of its temperature matching the measurement results with a heat transfer model to estimate the skin perfusion and other thermal parameters. In order to assess correctness of the proposed approach, the uncertainty analysis was performed

Spectroscopy and thermal modelling of the first interstellar object 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua

During the formation and evolution of the Solar System, significant numbers of cometary and asteroidal bodies were ejected into interstellar space. It is reasonable to expect that the same happened for planetary systems other than our own. Detection of such interstellar objects would allow us to probe the planetesimal formation processes around other stars, possibly together with the effects of long-term exposure to the interstellar medium. 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua is the first known interstellar object, discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in October 2017. The discovery epoch photometry implies a highly elongated body with radii of ~ 200 × 20 m when a comet-like geometric albedo of 0.04 is assumed. The observable interstellar object population is expected to be dominated by comet-like bodies in agreement with our spectra, yet the reported inactivity of 'Oumuamua implies a lack of surface ice. Here, we report spectroscopic characterization of ‘Oumuamua, finding it to be variable with time but similar to organically rich surfaces found in the outer Solar System. We show that this is consistent with predictions of an insulating mantle produced by long-term cosmic ray exposure. An internal icy composition cannot therefore be ruled out by the lack of activity, even though ‘Oumuamua passed within 0.25 au of the Sun

Thermal modelling of electrical insulation system in power transformers

Temperature is one of the limiting factors in the application of power transformers. According to IEC 60076-7 standard, a temperature increase of 6 C doubles the insulation ageing rate, reducing the expected lifetime of the device. Power losses of the transformer behave as a heating source, and the insulating liquids act as a coolant circulating through the windings and dissipating heat. For these reasons, thermal modelling becomes an important fact of transformer design, and both manufacturers and utilities consider it. Different techniques for thermal modelling have been developed and used for determining the hot-spot temperature, which is the highest temperature in the winding, and it is related with the degradation rate of the solid insulation. First modelswere developed as a first estimation for modelling the hot-spot temperature and the top-oil temperature. These models were based on thermal-electric analogy and are known as dynamic models. Other two different kinds of models are widely used for thermal modelling, known as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Thermal Hydraulic Network Models (THNMs). These two techniques determine the temperature and velocity fields in the winding and in the insulating fluid. In this chapter, the different techniques for transformer thermal modelling will be introduced and described

Dynamic thermal modelling using CFD

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Buildings expend vast quantities of energy, which has a detrimental impact on the environment. Buildings systems are often oversized to cope with possible extreme environmental conditions. Building simulation provides an opportunity to improve building thermal design, but the available tools are typically used in combination in order to overcome their individual deficiencies. Two such tools, often used in tandem are computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and dynamic thermal modelling (DTM). DTM provides a coarse analysis, by considering external and internal thermal conditions over a building (including its fabric) over time. CFD is usually used to provide steady state analysis. Boundary conditions typically in the form of surface temperatures are manually input from DTM into CFD. CFD can model buildings dynamically, but is not commonly used, since solving for hugely different time constants of solid and air pose significant limitations, due to data generated and time consumed. A technique is developed in this study to tackle these limitations. There are two main strands to the research. DTM techniques had to be incorporated into CFD, starting from first principles of modelling heat transfer through solid materials. These were developed into employing the use of functions such as the 'freeze flow' function (FEF) and the 'boundary freeze' function (BFF) in combination with a time-varying grid schedule to model solids and air simultaneously. The FFF pauses the solution of all governing equations of fluid flow, except temperature. The BFF can be applied to solid boundaries to lock their temperatures whilst all other equations are solved. After extensive research the established DTM-CFD Procedure eventually used the FEF and BFF with transient periods and steady state updates, respectively. The second strand of research involved the application of the DTM-CFD Procedure to a typical office space over a period of 24-hours. Through inter-model comparisons with a fully transient simulation, the DTM-CFD Procedure proved to be capable of providing dynamic thermal simulations 16.4% more efficiently than a typical CFD code and more accurately than a typical DTM code. Additional research is recommended for the further improvement of the DTM-CFD Procedure.This work is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Coupled Electromagnetic-Thermal Model Applicable for Distribution Transformers

Distribution transformers, with their specific passive cooling mechanism, are investigated in this research. FEM based approach was used for electromagnetic field distribution and losses calculation, following with the methodology for thermal modelling. Detailed temperature measurements using thermocouples and thermal camera were done on 1600 kVA unit, the results of which are compared against calculated values. The aim of this research is to present a viable approach for adequate thermal modelling of distribution transformers applicable for research and design purposes

Coupled Electromagnetic-Thermal Model Applicable for Distribution Transformers

Distribution transformers, with their specific passive cooling mechanism, are investigated in this research. FEM based approach was used for electromagnetic field distribution and losses calculation, following with the methodology for thermal modelling. Detailed temperature measurements using thermocouples and thermal camera were done on 1600 kVA unit, the results of which are compared against calculated values. The aim of this research is to present a viable approach for adequate thermal modelling of distribution transformers applicable for research and design purposes