Automotive Waste Heat Recovery by Thermoelectric Generator Technology

Automotive exhaust thermoelectric generators (AETEG) are gaining significant importance wherein a direct conversion of exhaust waste heat into electricity allows for a reduction in fuel consumption. Over the past two decades, extensive progress has been made in materials research, modules and thermoelectric generator (TEG) system. Many prototypes using BiTe, CoSb3 and half Heusler materials have been developed and tested for efficiency in different engines. The role of exhaust flow rate, temperature and heat exchanger type on the performance of AETEG is investigated deeply. This chapter reviews the progress made so far in the AETEG technology. Section 1 gives a brief introduction; section 2 gives a description of the technology and section 3, the construction details of a typical AETEG. The performance evaluation of AETEG is discussed in Section 4, application of TEG using engine coolant heat is discussed in Section 5 and TEGs for hybrid vehicles are described in Section 6. The parasitic losses due to AETEG and the conditioning of the power produced for practical applications using the maximum power point tracking technique are discussed in Sections 7 and 8, respectively. Finally, in Section 9, cost analysis and the challenges associated with the commercialization of AETEG is presented

COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF SIC HALIDE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT Halide CVD (HCVD) is recently employed to grow SiC epitaxial layers using SiCl 4 /C 3 H 8 /H 2 mixtures in an effort to achieve high deposition rates. The introduction of the chlorinated species allows the formation of more stable species SiCl 2 while maintaining high surface reactivity, thus avoiding the silicon gas phase nucleation that has been widely reported in conventional CVD process using SiH 4 /C 3 H 8 /H 2 . However, the difficulties in reducing defect density and controlling the electrical properties of the material present a significant technical obstacle for HCVD of SiC. In experimental growth, the electrical properties, defect densities and the growth rate of as-deposited SiC epitaxial films are, to a large extent, determined by processing parameters including temperature, pressure, flow rates of precursors and carrier gas. Optimization of growth conditions provides the opportunity to engineer films with desired film properties and qualities at high deposition rate but requires in-depth understanding the deposition process. In this study, we performed computational study to investigate the effects of main processing parameters in HCVD process on film growth. Numerical experiments were performed over a wide range of operational parameters to provide information on distributions of gas velocity, temperature, and chemical species' concentrations in the reactor as well as the deposition rates on the substrate surface. Simulations were also carried out to address hot zone design and operational conditions

Mindfulness and Traditional Training: A 16 – Week Study on Their Combined Effect on Shooting Accuracy and Anxiety in Football Players

Background and Purpose This study explores the combined impact of traditional training and post-training mindfulness on shooting accuracy and anxiety among football players. While the benefits of traditional training are well-documented, the role of mindfulness in athletic performance remains short in studies. This study aims to address this gap by examining whether mindfulness can improve shooting consistency by reduce anxiety under pressure. Materials and Methods A total of 60 male football players (ages 18-23, mean age: 20.55 ± 1.69 years; Height 174.1 ± 7.14; Wight 69.98 ± 6.30) were enlisted and randomly assigned to one of three groups: Experimental Group I, which received traditional football training followed by a mindfulness session; Experimental Group II, which underwent traditional training alone; and a Control Group, which did not receive any intervention. Both experimental groups underwent a structured 16-week training program focused on developing technical, tactical awareness, and fitness. In addition, Experimental Group I engaged in a 20 minute mindfulness session at the end of each training day. Shooting accuracy was assessed using the Mor Christian Shooting Test, while anxiety levels were measured using the Sports Anxiety Scale-2. To find out the effect of intervention paired sample t test was applied and Analyses of Covariance was used to find out the significant difference between the groups. In all case the level of significance was fixed at 0.05. Results The Traditional Training with Meditation group showed significant improvements in shooting performance, with an 8.47% increase (p = 0.000*) and 4.07% reduction in anxiety (p = 0.003*). The Traditional Training group also improved, increasing by 3.97% (p = 0.001*) in shooting performance, but had negligible changes in anxiety 0.31%, (p = 0.803). The Control Group showed minimal changes in both measures. Conclusion The findings suggest that combining mindfulness with traditional football training is an effective strategy for improving shooting accuracy and mental well-being among football players. The reduction in anxiety observed in the group I highlights the role of mindfulness practices in enhancing mental resilience, focus, and consistency during high-pressure situations

A novel Laccase biosensor based on laccase immobilized graphene-cellulose microfiber composite modified screen-printed carbon electrode for sensitive determination of catechol

© The Author(s) 2017. In the present work, we demonstrate the fabrication of laccase biosensor to detect the catechol (CC) using laccase immobilized on graphene-cellulose microfibers (GR-CMF) composite modified screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The direct electrochemical behavior of laccase was investigated using laccase immobilized different modified SPCEs, such as GR/SPCE, CMF/SPCE and GR-CMF/SPCE. Compared with laccase immobilized GR and CMF modified SPCEs, a well-defined redox couple of CuI/CuIIfor laccase was observed at laccase immobilized GR-CMF composite modified SPCE. Cyclic voltammetry results show that the as-prepared biosensor has 7 folds higher catalytic activity with lower oxidation potential towards CC than SPCE modified with GR-CMF composite. Under optimized conditions, amperometric i-t method was used for the quantification of CC, and the amperometric response of the biosensor was linear over the concertation of CC ranging from 0.2 to 209.7 μM. The sensitivity, response time and the detection limit of the biosensor for CC is 0.932 μMμA-1 cm-2, 2 s and 0.085 μM, respectively. The biosensor has high selectivity towards CC in the presence of potentially active biomolecules and phenolic compounds. The biosensor also accessed for the detection of CC in different water samples and shows good practicality with an appropriate repea

Metal Nanocomposites Based Electrochemical Sensor Platform for Few Emerging Biomarkers

: Design of high-performance electrochemical sensor and biosensor platforms has attracted much devotion for the sensitive and selective detection of emergent biomarkers. Electrochemical sensor offers numerous advantageous features include cost-effective and ease of miniaturization, rapid and online monitoring, simultaneous detection ability, etc., which have captivated the potential interdisciplinary research. In this review, the advances and challenges towards the electrochemical detection of emergent biomarkers such as hydrogen peroxide, nitric oxide, β-nicotinamide adenine acetaminophen, dinucleotide (NADH) in biofluids are highlighted based on the recent research outcomes. In fact, the effective utility and benefits of transition metal nanocomposites without the utilization of biological materials, including enzymes, antibodies, etc. as electrode materials towards the detection of selected biomarkers in practical biofluids, monitoring early-stage and diagnosis of disease related biomarkers, are also described. These promising metal nanomaterials based electrochemical sensor platforms concrete the tactic for a new generation of sensing devices. </jats:sec