On the design of a solar heat storage tank at 120°C

This work presents the materials selection process, the design and the dimensioning process of a latent heat storage tank that works between a high temperature heat pump and an Organic Rankine Cycle unit. The selected heat storage material is the S117 Phase Change Material that has a melting point at 117 & DEG;C matches the operational temperature of the system at approximately 120 & DEG;C. The tank configuration is selected for optimised heat transfer process, resulted from practical experience of the project partners and it is described in details in the document. The simulation results from the Computational Fluid Dynamic study of the tank are also presented here. This work should be useful for engineers designing compact heat storage tanks for medium temperature applications

Phthalates and fetal growth velocity: tracking down the suspected links

Fetuses that have not achieved their full growth potential are associated with adverse perinatal and long-term outcomes; thus, it is essential to identify environmental factors that can potentially impair normal intrauterine development. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs), substances capable of altering the homeostasis of the endocrine system, are thought to play a role in restriction of growth velocity, with phthalates being among the most common EDCs to which pregnant women are exposed. Such exposure can potentially lead to changes to the epigenome, placental structure, and hormone function and trigger oxidative stress. Given that these pathways have been linked to fetal growth restriction, we reviewed the literature on the relationship between phthalates and fetal growth. The majority of the studies, which used birth weight as an indicator of intrauterine development, showed contradictory results, the main reason being the EDCs’ rapid metabolism. However, we can draw more consistent conclusions when phthalates are quantified at more than one time point during pregnancy. In this narrative review, we present current data indicating the role of phthalates, and especially di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), in abnormal fetal growth velocity. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Solar-powered hybrid energy storage system with phase change materials

Solar energy's growing role in the green energy landscape underscores the importance of effective energy storage solutions, particularly within concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. Latent thermal energy storage (LTES) and leveraging phase change materials (PCMs) offer promise but face challenges due to low thermal conductivity. This work comprehensively investigates LTES integration into solar-thermal systems, emphasizing medium-temperature applications. It introduces an innovative LTES tank design with encapsulating tubes modeled through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The system employs a novel hybrid thermal storage approach, enhancing thermal output through a high-temperature heat pump (HTHP) before storage. This approach aligns with future energy systems, emphasizing energy vector integration. The study offers realistic LTES modeling, accounting for natural convection effects, and integrates LTES within solar thermal systems by taking advantage of time dependent CFD results. Real-world solar irradiance data for an Italian city is integrated into the investigation, providing insights into LTES performance and its role in sustainable solar energy solutions. A multi-objective optimization process follows the year-round simulations to maximize the amount of stored heat and minimize the electric input. This approach facilitates better system sizing and performance evaluation, contributing to the advancement of solar thermal technology

A modeling system for the evaluation of water resources management strategies in thessaly, greece

A modeling system was developed to evaluate the sustainability of water resources management strategies in the two major basins of Thessaly Region in Greece, namely the Pinios River and the Lake Karla basins. The intense and extensive agriculture of water demanding crops, such as cotton, and the absence of reasonable water resources management have lead to a remarkable water demand increase, which is usually fulfilled by the over-exploitation of groundwater resources. This unsustainable practice has deteriorated the already disturbed water balance and accelerated water resources degradation. The modeling system consists of a hydrological model, a reservoir operation model and methods for the estimation of water demands. The study area was sub-divided into sub-basins and water balance analyses were performed for each sub-basin and each control node of the system for a number of water resources management strategies. Four strategies of hydro-technical project development were coupled with two strategies of groundwater withdrawal and three water demand strategies. In total, more than 24 water management strategies were evaluated. The results showed that, under the existing water resources management, the water deficit of the Pinios River and Lake Karla basins is very large. However, the development of proposed hydro-technical projects in the Pinios River basin coupled with water demand management measures, like improvement of existing water distribution systems, change of irrigation methods, and changes of crop cultivation could alleviate the problem and lead to sustainable and ecological use of water resources in the study area