Experimental Study on Transient Behavior of Water and Nanofluid in Multiport Slab Minichannel Heat Exchangers

Heat exchangers are essential components of many systems and their use is extended to include various industrial, chemical, and automotive applications. A dynamic response study of a heat exchanger is essential for better representation of its design, selection, and analysis as it operates in conjunction with other process equipment. This study aims to experimentally investigate the transient performance of compact heat exchangers. A wide-range well prepared experimental setup is designed and assembled to examine the transient behavior of various types of cross-flow liquid to air heat exchangers. This set up is capable of stepping up or down the temperatures and flow rates for both hot and cold fluids covering a broad range of perturbations that occur in transient scenarios. A step function is a close approximation of a transient variation in heat exchangers, therefore, this work examines the transient response of both fluids under hot liquid side step changes in mass flow from 0.5 to 2.5, and inlet temperature from 1.5 to 3.5 while air inlet conditions are kept constant. Results are presented in terms of transient dimensional and non-dimensional outlet responses of fluids temperatures, heat transfer rates, heat balance, normalized outlet temperatures, and effectiveness. The current experimental findings provide an overview of the characteristic behavior of specific parameters such as response time, initial delay and time constant of both fluids. A comparison of the results obtained is made with the limited experimental work found in the literature. It is observed that the response time is faster for both fluids with the increase of the mass and temperature perturbations and it is higher for the hot liquid than the cold air side. An adverse trend is found between the hot and cold fluids’ effectiveness in temperature step changes, while the same trend is found in mass flow steps. Mass flow step changes for positive and negative steps exhibit an asymmetric trend of both fluids. This work also examines the transient effect of using an engineered fluid, such as Al2O3/water nanofluid, in heat exchangers due to their improved thermophysical properties. The nanofluid is analyzed in terms of its particle size distribution, chemical characterization, and agglomeration of suspensions using the Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy- Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS). Experimental results show that the response time of the nanofluid for the temperature and mass flow steps are faster compared to water. An increase of up to 19% in heat transfer rate is observed when using nanofluid. A comparison of the dynamic performance of a minichannel heat exchanger and a conventional radiator using step variations in inlet liquid temperature and mass flow rate is investigated. Results show longer response time for the conventional radiator compared to the minichannel heat exchanger. In addition, the analytical model for transient heat exchanger response is assessed with the non-dimensional outlet temperature response of a traditional tube and fin heat exchanger subjected to mass flow step changes. A more than 20% overestimate prediction is found for the transient temperature responses using the analytical model. The Empirical correlations developed for temperature and mass flow rate steps are found in a good agreement with the experimental data. The conclusion reached in this study provides an insight on the transient behavior of conventional and minichannel heat exchangers under liquid mass flow and temperatures steps. This experimental work is used to further establish and enrich a database for future advances on the dynamic response of heat exchangers subjected to step changes in liquid inlet conditions

Wireless neural/EMG telemetry system for freely moving insects

Journal ArticleWe have developed a miniature telemetry system that captures neural, EMG, and acceleration signals from a freely moving insect and transmits the data wirelessly to a remote digital receiver. The system is based on a custom low-power integrated circuit that amplifies and digitizes four biopotential signals as well as three acceleration signals from an off-chip MEMS accelerometer, and transmits this information over a wireless 920-MHz telemetry link. The unit weighs 0.79 g and runs for two hours on two small batteries. We have used this system to monitor neural and EMG signals in jumping and flying locusts

Thermal Performance Study of a Prototype Multiport Heat Exchanger

Great efforts have been made to investigate the thermal performance and fluid flow behaviour in Minichannel Heat Exchangers (MICHX), however, the examination of air side in a multiport serpentine slab heat exchanger is rare. In the current investigation, experiments were conducted on air heating via a prototype multiport MICHX. Hot DI-water at different mass flow rates and a constant inlet temperature of 70░C was passed through the channels. The water side Reynolds numbers were varied from 255 to 411. The airside Reynolds numbers were calculated based on the free mean stream velocity and varied from 1750 to 5250, while, the air inlet temperatures were in the range of 22.5░C to 34.5░C. The effects of dimensional parameters, such as Reynolds number, Nusselt number, Prandtl number, Brinkman number, and Dean number on the heat transfer performance were investigated. The effect of the serpentine on the enhancement of DI water thermal performance behaviour was studied. Heat transfer correlations were established and compared to the results in the open literature

A Simple Vision-Based Algorithm for Decision Making in Flying Drosophila

Animals must quickly recognize objects in their environment and act accordingly. Previous studies indicate that looming visual objects trigger avoidance reflexes in many species 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; however, such reflexes operate over a close range and might not detect a threatening stimulus at a safe distance. We analyzed how fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) respond to simple visual stimuli both in free flight and in a tethered-flight simulator. Whereas Drosophila, like many other insects, are attracted toward long vertical objects 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, we found that smaller visual stimuli elicit not weak attraction but rather strong repulsion. Because aversion to small spots depends on the vertical size of a moving object, and not on looming, it can function at a much greater distance than expansion-dependent reflexes. The opposing responses to long stripes and small spots reflect a simple but effective object classification system. Attraction toward long stripes would lead flies toward vegetative perches or feeding sites, whereas repulsion from small spots would help them avoid aerial predators or collisions with other insects. The motion of flying Drosophila depends on a balance of these two systems, providing a foundation for studying the neural basis of behavioral choice in a genetic model organism

Responses of Drosophila giant descending neurons to visual and mechanical stimuli

In Drosophila, the paired giant descending neurons (GDNs), also known as giant fibers, and the paired giant antennal mechanosensory descending neurons (GAMDNs), are supplied by visual and mechanosensory inputs. Both neurons have the largest cell bodies in the brain and both supply slender axons to the neck connective. The GDN axon thereafter widens to become the largest axon in the thoracic ganglia, supplying information to leg extensor and wing depressor muscles. The GAMDN axon remains slender, interacting with other descending neuron axons medially. GDN and GAMDN dendrites are partitioned to receive inputs from antennal mechanosensory afferents and inputs from the optic lobes. Although GDN anatomy has been well studied in Musca domestica, less is known about the Drosophila homolog, including electrophysiological responses to sensory stimuli. Here we provide detailed anatomical comparisons of the GDN and the GAMDN, characterizing their sensory inputs. The GDN showed responses to light-on and light-off stimuli, expanding stimuli that result in luminance decrease, mechanical stimulation of the antennae, and combined mechanical and visual stimulation. We show that ensembles of lobula columnar neurons (type Col A) and mechanosensory antennal afferents are likely responsible for these responses. The reluctance of the GDN to spike in response to stimulation confirms observations of the Musca GDN. That this reluctance may be a unique property of the GDN is suggested by comparisons with the GAMDN, in which action potentials are readily elicited by mechanical and visual stimuli. The results are discussed in the context of descending pathways involved in multimodal integration and escape responses

Reactive direction control for a mobile robot: A locust-like control of escape direction emerges when a bilateral pair of model locust visual neurons are integrated

Locusts possess a bilateral pair of uniquely identifiable visual neurons that respond vigorously to the image of an approaching object. These neurons are called the lobula giant movement detectors (LGMDs). The locust LGMDs have been extensively studied and this has lead to the development of an LGMD model for use as an artificial collision detector in robotic applications. To date, robots have been equipped with only a single, central artificial LGMD sensor, and this triggers a non-directional stop or rotation when a potentially colliding object is detected. Clearly, for a robot to behave autonomously, it must react differently to stimuli approaching from different directions. In this study, we implement a bilateral pair of LGMD models in Khepera robots equipped with normal and panoramic cameras. We integrate the responses of these LGMD models using methodologies inspired by research on escape direction control in cockroaches. Using ‘randomised winner-take-all’ or ‘steering wheel’ algorithms for LGMD model integration, the khepera robots could escape an approaching threat in real time and with a similar distribution of escape directions as real locusts. We also found that by optimising these algorithms, we could use them to integrate the left and right DCMD responses of real jumping locusts offline and reproduce the actual escape directions that the locusts took in a particular trial. Our results significantly advance the development of an artificial collision detection and evasion system based on the locust LGMD by allowing it reactive control over robot behaviour. The success of this approach may also indicate some important areas to be pursued in future biological research

A fast and flexible panoramic virtual reality system for behavioural and electrophysiological experiments

Ideally, neuronal functions would be studied by performing experiments with unconstrained animals whilst they behave in their natural environment. Although this is not feasible currently for most animal models, one can mimic the natural environment in the laboratory by using a virtual reality (VR) environment. Here we present a novel VR system based upon a spherical projection of computer generated images using a modified commercial data projector with an add-on fish-eye lens. This system provides equidistant visual stimulation with extensive coverage of the visual field, high spatio-temporal resolution and flexible stimulus generation using a standard computer. It also includes a track-ball system for closed-loop behavioural experiments with walking animals. We present a detailed description of the system and characterize it thoroughly. Finally, we demonstrate the VR system’s performance whilst operating in closed-loop conditions by showing the movement trajectories of the cockroaches during exploratory behaviour in a VR forest

Non-Linear Neuronal Responses as an Emergent Property of Afferent Networks: A Case Study of the Locust Lobula Giant Movement Detector

In principle it appears advantageous for single neurons to perform non-linear operations. Indeed it has been reported that some neurons show signatures of such operations in their electrophysiological response. A particular case in point is the Lobula Giant Movement Detector (LGMD) neuron of the locust, which is reported to locally perform a functional multiplication. Given the wide ramifications of this suggestion with respect to our understanding of neuronal computations, it is essential that this interpretation of the LGMD as a local multiplication unit is thoroughly tested. Here we evaluate an alternative model that tests the hypothesis that the non-linear responses of the LGMD neuron emerge from the interactions of many neurons in the opto-motor processing structure of the locust. We show, by exposing our model to standard LGMD stimulation protocols, that the properties of the LGMD that were seen as a hallmark of local non-linear operations can be explained as emerging from the dynamics of the pre-synaptic network. Moreover, we demonstrate that these properties strongly depend on the details of the synaptic projections from the medulla to the LGMD. From these observations we deduce a number of testable predictions. To assess the real-time properties of our model we applied it to a high-speed robot. These robot results show that our model of the locust opto-motor system is able to reliably stabilize the movement trajectory of the robot and can robustly support collision avoidance. In addition, these behavioural experiments suggest that the emergent non-linear responses of the LGMD neuron enhance the system's collision detection acuity. We show how all reported properties of this neuron are consistently reproduced by this alternative model, and how they emerge from the overall opto-motor processing structure of the locust. Hence, our results propose an alternative view on neuronal computation that emphasizes the network properties as opposed to the local transformations that can be performed by single neurons

An Alternative Theoretical Approach to Escape Decision-Making: The Role of Visual Cues

Escape enables prey to avoid an approaching predator. The escape decision-making process has traditionally been interpreted using theoretical models that consider ultimate explanations based on the cost/benefit paradigm. Ultimate approaches, however, suffer from inseparable extra-assumptions due to an inability to accurately parameterize the model's variables and their interactive relationships. In this study, we propose a mathematical model that uses intensity of predator-mediated visual stimuli as a basic cue for the escape response. We consider looming stimuli (i.e. expanding retinal image of the moving predator) as a cue to flight initiation distance (FID; distance at which escape begins) of incubating Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos). We then examine the relationship between FID, vegetation cover and directness of predator trajectory, and fit the resultant model to experimental data. As predicted by the model, vegetation concealment and directness of predator trajectory interact, with FID decreasing with increased concealment during a direct approach toward prey, but not during a tangential approach. Thus, we show that a simple proximate expectation, which involves only visual processing of a moving predator, may explain interactive effects of environmental and predator-induced variables on an escape response. We assume that our proximate approach, which offers a plausible and parsimonious explanation for variation in FID, may serve as an evolutionary background for traditional, ultimate explanations and should be incorporated into interpretation of escape behavior