A BIPV/T System Design Based on Simulation and its Application in Integrated Heating System

AbstractIn order to better master the internal airflow distribution characteristics of photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) collector on air source heat pump (ASHP) system heating performance, CFD software was applied in studying the building-integrated photovoltaic thermal (BIPV/T) sys-tem. A mathematical model of BIPV/T and ASHP integrated heating system was established. Numerical simulation of the system was conducted based on the typical meteorological data in Shenyang area. The influence of the inlet and outlet velocity, internal flow field distribution and temperature field distribution of the BIPV/T system were analyzed on the system thermal efficiency. The relationship between optimal COP and the inlet and outlet velocity of ASHP system was studied. The optimal inlet velocity of the BIPV/T – ASHP integrated system was determined to be 4 m/s, and the COP reached 4.6

Isoglycyrrhizin protects mouse lungs against acute respiratory distress syndrome via regulation of AMPK/Nrf2/ARE pathway

Purpose: To study the effect of isoglycyrrhizin on LPS-mediated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a mouse model, as well as the associated mechanism of action.Methods: Ninety (90) wild-type C57BL/6 male mice were randomly assigned to 3 groups, viz, control, ARDS and isoglycyrrhizin groups. Pathological lesions in mice lungs were determined using H&E staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), heme oxygenase (HO-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), AMP- dependent protein kinase (AMPK), serine/threonine proteinkinase (Akt), glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and Nrf2 were assayed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunoblotting, respectively.Results: The levels of mRNA and protein expressions of INO) and COX-2 were significantly upregulated in ARDS, when compared to control, but were markedly down-regulated by isoglycyrrhizin (p < 0.05). Similarly, exposure of ARDS mice to isoglycyrrhizin led to upregulations of mRNA and proteinlevels of Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1, GCLM, GCLC, p-GSK3, GSK3, p-AMPK, AMPK, p-Akt and AKT (p < 0.05). Moreover, isoglycyrrhizin significantly downregulated p-IκB and Nucl-p65 with respect to protein and mRNA levels, but upregulated IκBα expression. Histopathological examination revealed that pretreatment of ARDS mice with isoglycyrrhizin significantly reduced the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells, edema and ARDS score (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Isoglycyrrhizin protects mouse lungs against ARDS via regulation of AMPK/Nrf2/ARE pathway. Thus, this compound has potential for use in the treatment of ARDS

Molecular cloning and in silico analysis of the duck (Anas platyrhynchos) MEF2A gene cDNA and its expression profile in muscle tissues during fetal development

The role of myogenic enhancer transcription factor 2a (MEF2A) in avian muscle during fetal development is unknown. In this work, we cloned the duck MEF2A cDNA sequence (GenBank accession no. HM460752) and examined its developmental expression profiles in cardiac muscle, non-vascular smooth muscle and skeletal muscle. Duck MEF2A cDNA comprised 1479 bp encoding 492 amino acid residues. In silico analysis showed that MEF2A contained MADS (MCM1, AGAMOUS, DEFICIENS and SRF - serum response factor), MEF2 and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) transcription domains with high homology to related proteins in other species. Modified sites in these domains were conserved among species and several variants were found. Quantitative PCR showed that MEF2A was expressed in all three muscles at each developmental stage examined, with the expression in smooth muscle being higher than in the other muscles. These results indicate that the conserved domains of duck MEF2A, including the MADS and MEF2 domains, are important for MEF2A transcription factor function. The expression of MEF2A in duck smooth muscle and cardiac muscle suggests that MEF2A plays a role in these two tissues

Sustainable and Intelligent Phytoprotection in Photovoltaic Agriculture: New Challenges and Opportunities

Photovoltaic Agriculture (PA) is a new management system combining industry with modern agriculture that can effectively reduce the competition for limited land resource usage between electric power production and agricultural production. However, PA has been facing the challenge of managing plant protection measures because it is difficult to monitor plants grown under the photovoltaic panels by remote sensing satellites and pesticide applications using drones. To overcome this challenge, Solar Insecticidal Lamps (SILs) can be used for phytoprotection in PA. However, to effectively use SILs in PA, it is important to identify a suitable field location to maintain strong wireless communication signals. In this paper, two testbeds were designed and a series of experiments in PA was performed. The results indicate that there is considerable interference exists around the confluence box. A higher interference seriously reduces the Packet Reception Rate (PRR) of the nearby node, which is an important constraint for deploying wireless sensors in PA. Finally, new challenges and future research opportunities are proposed

Macro-Encapsulated PCM Cylinder Module Based on Paraffin and Float Stones

Organic phase change material (PCM) with macro-encapsulation is attractive in energy storage applications as it has relatively low cost. This study focuses on using PET plastic pipes to encapsulate paraffin and using low-cost float stones to increase the thermal conductivity of PCM modules as they have a special structure of high porosity. Float stones were immersed in the liquid PCM and an ultrasonic welding method used to prevent leakage of the PET plastic pipes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to discover the appearance of the composite PCM. The thermal performance of the PCM cylinder module was analyzed through experimental tests of a constant-temperature water bath and numerical simulations. The result indicates that this PCM Ccylinder module is superior in thermal energy storage compared with the reference module even though fewer PCM was contained and the latent heat loss is considerable. The pipe diameter is an important parameter when using this kind of PCM cylinder module in water tanks

Analysis of energy-saving effect of fresh air heat recovery system for residential buildings in severe cold area

In recent years, the tightness of residential buildings has been continuously enhanced, causing the problem of indoor air quality degradation. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce fresh air that meets the air quality requirements from the outside, and the outdoor air temperature in the severe cold area is low, which increases the fresh air load of the building. To save energy consumption, regularly use air heat recovery equipment to recover heat energy. In order to verify the energy-saving effect of the fresh air heat recovery system in residential buildings in severe cold areas, taking an experimental building in Shenyang as an example, the operating performance curve of an air source heat pump equipped with a fresh air heat recovery system was measured, and TRANSYS software was used to simulate and compare two kinds of heat recovery mode, namely the exhaust mixture of outdoor air and pure out door air low temperature heat source. The results show that when the exhaust air is mixed with outdoor air as the low-temperature side heat source, the average COP value reaches 3.24 and increases by 17%, which can save 7.6% of the energy consumption of the air source heat pump throughout the entire heating season

Influencing factors of air volume in kitchen cooking exhaust shaft systems of high-rise residential buildings

This paper uses mathematical model theoretical calculation and experimental verification to study the pressure distribution inside the residential kitchen flue and the flow rate of each user through three aspects: temperature difference, opening rate and hood performance. Based on fluid network theory, the flow equation of oil smoke in the cooking exhaust shaft system is established. The accuracy of the mathematical model model was verified through experiments and applied to the calculation of the flue in the kitchen of a 30-story residential building in Shenyang. The results show that the static pressure decreases continuously with the increase of floor height, and the highest pressure appears at the lower level of the floor. The pressure keeps rising as the opening rate increases, i.e., the more users open, the higher the pressure at the bottom floor. Under the joint action of thermal pressure and flue resistance, the static pressure shows a low-high-low distribution form, with the temperature difference increases, the maximum static pressure in the flue moves to the bottom; the flow rate of users on each floor increases with the height, and decreases with the increasing rate of opening, under the influence of thermal pressure user flow distribution is high-low-high distribution

Performance of a collector-storage solar air heating system for building mechanical ventilation preheating in the cold area

The application of solar thermal energy to preheat cold fresh air for mechanical ventilation could save a lot of energy and ensure the stable operation of the ventilation system. In this paper, a kind of collector-storage solar air heating system (CSSAHS), in which the thermal storage unit (TSU) is characterized by a dual S-channel for heat transfer, is proposed and the mathematical model for the integrated system was established. The model including the TSU, solar air collector, heat recovery device, and the fan was verified by an experimental study set up in a typical cold city in China. The model has been verified by experiments. The simulation results demonstrate that fresh air is the most important factor affecting storage/release efficiency. The increasing rate of heat release efficiency in the range of fresh air temperature -6–18°C is about 1.58%/°C. The solar heat collector area and the size of the TSU suitable for representative cities in cold regions are optimized based on multi-condition simulation analysis. The CSSAHS can preheat fresh air for 5 h after heat storage and the release efficiency is between 52 and 74%. Compared with other systems, the energy-saving rate of the CSSAHS is 26.5–33.3% in cold winter, and the heat supply ratio of the TSU is 24.4–35.1%

Analysis on influencing factors and energy saving potential of photovoltaic curtain wall preheating fresh air system in severe cold area

In the general building air conditioning load, the fresh air load accounts for more than 30%, especially in the severe cold areas in the north, with long winter and large indoor and outdoor temperature difference, the fresh air heat load will account for a larger proportion in the air conditioning system load. Making full use of renewable energy can effectively reduce building energy consumption. In this paper, the air flow field distribution in the ventilation duct of photovoltaic curtain wall is numerically simulated by fluent simulation software, and the air distribution form and temperature field distribution in the system cavity under different ambient temperature, cavity thickness and tuyere position are analyzed and compared, so as to obtain the influence of different influencing factors on the performance of the fresh air preheating system, and combine the photovoltaic curtain wall preheating fresh air system and electric heating system to explore its energy-saving potential. The results show that when the cavity thickness is greater than 400mm, the reduction range of photovoltaic curtain wall temperature becomes smaller, and the overall temperature distribution of the cavity tends to be uniform. When the ambient temperature is different, with the increase of ambient temperature, after the fresh air passes through the photovoltaic curtain wall preheating system, the temperature difference at the inlet and outlet of the air flow channel decreases, and the maximum temperature difference decreases from 4.6k to 3.4K.The combination of photovoltaic curtain wall and electric heating is used to preheat the fresh air. Compared with the traditional method, the same fresh air load is treated, and the energy-saving rate is 60% ∼ 70%. It shows that using photovoltaic curtain wall to preheat the fresh air can achieve better results, which provides guidance for putting forward more appropriate, economic and energy-saving design schemes in the project