numerical and experimental performance analysis of evaporative condensers

Abstract The heat rejection of industrial plants is often made with evaporative condensers as their choice meets energy efficiency requirements. In this work some numerical simulations of the evaporative condenser heat and mass transfer processes were carried out at the tube scale: 2D and 3D approaches were performed using the Ansys Fluent R.16.2 (VOF model). The time resolved characteristics of the film flow process were studied and two different types of flow (stable film and drops mode) were investigated, by varying the water-to-air mass flow ratio. The decrease of the water-to-air mass flow ratio was found that led to the film break-up into droplets. An experimental test rig was designed and built up for future validation works and to give designers new relations to quantify heat transfer performance depending on real working conditions

sensitivity analysis of evaporative condensers performance using an experimental approach

Abstract The evaporative condensers operate at lower condensing temperatures with respect to dry condensing units and involve reduced water consumption if compared with water cooled condensers. A test rig to investigate the evaporative condenser at small scale has been designed and built up. The condensing refrigerant has been simulated by electrical heaters and an air handling unit provides air with dry bulb temperature and relative humidity set by the user. All the c affecting the evaporative condenser performance can be monitored and adjusted, in order to carry out either an extensive experimental campaign or a sensitivity analysis. The results, as expected, clearly show that the heat released to air increases with the outer surface temperature of electrical heaters and decreases with relative humidity. An increase of 37.5% of the air flow rate (at constant sprayed water) leads to a maximum reduction of the heat transfer rate of 50%. Different tubes arrangements have been compared, showing as a decrease of the transversal pitch involves worse performance

experimental investigations on evaporative condensers performance

Abstract The evaporative condensers operate at lower condensing temperatures compared with dry heat transfer units when connected to the same refrigeration system, as well as involve less water and reduce the pumping power associated to cooling towers. These characteristics are strictly correlated with the evaporation process. For these reasons they are conveniently used for heat rejection in big industrial plants and recent technological developments have made it possible to exploit their higher efficiency even in smaller air conditioning systems. In this work a test rig for the evaporative condensers performance analysis and the relevant experimental activities are presented. The combined effect of the dry bulb temperature and relative humidity on the system performance has been investigated. The maximum reduction of the heat transfer rate, due to an increase of 6 % of the initial value of relative humidity, results of 30 % for the highest dry bulb temperature. The air processes plot in a psychrometric chart show that the latent to sensible heat transfer ratio decreases with relative humidity

Activation of Jun N-terminal Kinase/Stress-activated Protein Kinase Pathway by Tumor Necrosis Factor α Leads to Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Expression

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous chronic and acute inflammatory conditions. We have previously shown that mouse Sertoli cells respond to TNF-alpha by increasing interleukin-6 production and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression (1). In this cell type TNF-alpha activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways p42/p44 MAPK, JNK/SAPK, and p38, the last of which is responsible for interleukin-6 production (1). To determine which MAPK signaling pathway is required for TNF-alpha induction of ICAM-1 expression, we have utilized the protein kinase inhibitor dimethylaminopurine, demonstrating that treatment of Sertoli cells with such compound significantly reduced ICAM-1 expression and JNK/SAPK activation. Moreover, dimethylaminopurine treatment increased the expression of MAPK phosphatase-2, providing a possible mechanism of action of this compound. By using agonist antibodies to p55 and to p75 TNF-alpha receptors and both human and mouse TNF-alpha, we demonstrate that both TNF receptors are expressed and that only the p55 receptor is involved in ICAM-1 expression. The p55 receptor activates all of the three pathways, whereas p75 failed to activate any of the MAPKs. Altogether our results demonstrate that TNF-alpha up-regulates ICAM-1 expression through the activation of the JNK/SAPK transduction pathway mediated by the p55 receptor

Long telomeric C-rich 5'-tails in human replicating cells.

Telomeres protect the ends of linear chromosomes from abnormal recombination events and buffer them against terminal DNA loss. Models of telomere replication predict that two daughter molecules have one end that is blunt, the product of leading-strand synthesis, and one end with a short G-rich 3′-overhang. However, experimental data from proliferating cells are not completely consistent with this model. For example, telomeres of human chromosomes have long G-rich 3′-overhangs, and the persistence of blunt ends is uncertain. Here we show that the product of leading-strand synthesis is not always blunt but can contain a long C-rich 5′-tail, the incompletely replicated template of the leading strand. We examined the presence of G-rich and C-rich single-strand DNA in fibroblasts and HeLa cells. Although there were no significant changes in the length distribution of the 3′-overhang, the 5′-overhangs were mostly present in S phase. Similar results were obtained using telomerase-negative fibroblasts. The amount and the length distribution of the 5′ C-rich tails strongly correlate with the proliferative rate of the cell cultures. Our results suggest that, contrary to what has commonly been supposed, completion of leading-strand synthesis is inefficient and could well drive telomere shortening

A Critical Review of Experimental Investigations about Convective Heat Transfer Characteristics of Nanofluids under Turbulent and Laminar Regimes with a Focus on the Experimental Setup

In this study, several experimental investigations on the effects of nanofluids on the con- vective heat transfer coefficient in laminar and turbulent conditions were analyzed. The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the thermal performance achieved with the use of nanofluids in various experimental systems. This review covers both forced and natural convection phenomena, with a focus on the different experimental setups used to carry out the experimental campaigns. When possible, a comparison was performed between different experimental campaigns to provide an analysis of the possible common points and differences. A significant increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient was found by using nanofluids instead of traditional heat transfer fluids, in general, even with big data dispersion from one case to another that depended on boundary condi- tions and the particular experimental setup. In particular, a general trend shows that once a critic value of the Reynolds number or nanoparticle concentrations is reached, the heat transfer perfor- mance of the nanofluid decreases or has no appreciable improvement. As a research field still under development, nanofluids are expected to achieve even higher performance and their use will be crucial in many industrial and civil sectors to increase energy efficiency and, thus, mitigate the en- vironmental impact

Endogenous NGF regulates CGRP expression in human monocytes, and affects HLA-DR and CD86 expression and IL-10 production

AbstractOur recent results on autocrine nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis in B lymphocytes, which directly regulates the expression and release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide known to down-regulate immune response, led us to propose an anti-inflammatory action of NGF. In the present work, we investigated whether the endogenous synthesis of NGF can regulate the expression of CGRP in other antigen-presenting cells, such as monocytes, and whether this may have a functional effect. Our data indicate that human monocytes synthesize basal levels of NGF and CGRP and that, following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, NGF and CGRP expression are both up-regulated. When endogenous NGF is neutralized, the up-regulation of CGRP expression induced by LPS is inhibited. The expression of membrane molecules involved in T-cell activation such as human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) and CD86 is affected by endogenous NGF, and similar effects were obtained using a CGRP1 receptor antagonist. In addition, NGF deprivation in LPS-treated monocytes significantly decreases interleukin 10 (IL-10) synthesis. Our findings indicate that endogenous NGF synthesis has a functional role and may represent a physiologic mechanism to down-regulate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and CD86 expression and alter the development of immune responses

Dermoscopy of melanoma according to different body sites: Head and neck, trunk, limbs, nail, mucosal and acral

Effective cancer screening detects early-stage tumours, leading to a lower incidence of late-stage disease over time. Dermoscopy is the gold standard for skin cancer diagnosis as diagnostic accuracy is improved compared to naked eye examinations. As melanoma dermoscopic features are often body site specific, awareness of common features according to their location is imperative for improved melanoma diagnostic accuracy. Several criteria have been identified according to the anatomical location of the melanoma. This review provides a comprehensive and contemporary review of dermoscopic melanoma criteria according to specific body sites, including frequently observed melanoma of the head/neck, trunk and limbs and special site melanomas, located on the nail, mucosal and acral region

Impact of Xerosis in Patients with Cancer Receiving Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor or Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Inhibitors: ATIXI, A Non-Interventional Prospective Pilot Study

Dermatological adverse events are commonly experienced by patients during anticancer treatment [1, 2]. Xerosis is frequently associated with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRi) or mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor (MEKi) treatment [3]. While xerosis is typically mild-to-moderate in intensity, it can significantly impact quality of life [4], especially in patients receiving long-term anticancer therapy