Mass and Heat Transfer Enhancement During 3D Vibrating Drying of a Clay Porous Brick

A three dimensional coupled heat and moisture transfer model for vibrating convective drying process of unsaturated porous medium was established. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of vibration on the drying of whole brick. A Three-dimensional unstructured Control Volume Finite Element Method (CVFEM) is developed. In order to simulate 3-D complex geometries, as application here the drying of whole brick, we developed Fortran modules to build the polygonal CVFEM mesh based on 3-D unstructured meshes generated by the free mesh generator Gmsh. The temperature, the liquid saturation and pressure distributions for whole brick were presented and analyzed for both cases namely with and without vibration. The results obtained state that the drying process is highly enhanced by vibration and the drying time is reduced by 20%

Numerical analysis of the energy-storage performance of a PCM-based triplex-tube containment system equipped with arc-shaped fins

This study numerically intends to evaluate the effects of arc-shaped fins on the melting capability of a triplex-tube confinement system filled with phase-change materials (PCMs). In contrast to situations with no fins, where PCM exhibits relatively poor heat response, in this study, the thermal performance is modified using novel arc-shaped fins with various circular angles and orientations compared with traditional rectangular fins. Several inline and staggered layouts are also assessed to maximize the fin’s efficacy. The effect of the nearby natural convection is further investigated by adding a fin to the bottom of the heat-storage domain. Additionally, the Reynolds number and temperature of the heat-transfer fluid (HTF) are evaluated. The outcomes showed that the arc-shaped fins could greatly enhance the PCMs’ melting rate and the associated heat-storage properties. The melting rate is 17% and 93.1% greater for the case fitted with an inline distribution of the fins with a circular angle of 90° and an upward direction, respectively, than the cases with uniform rectangular fins and no fins, which corresponded to the shorter melting time of 14.5% and 50.4%. For the case with arc-shaped fins with a 90° circular angle, the melting rate increases by 9% using a staggered distribution. Compared to the staggered fin distribution, adding an extra fin to the bottom of the domain indicates adverse effects. The charging time reduces by 5.8% and 9.2% when the Reynolds number (Re) rises from 500 to 1000 and 1500, respectively, while the heat-storage rate increases by 6.3% and 10.3%. When the fluid inlet temperature is 55°C or 50°C, compared with 45°C, the overall charging time increases by 98% and 47%, respectively

Effect of non-identical magnetic fields on thermomagnetic convective flow of a nanoliquid using Buongiorno’s model

Energy transport intensification is a major challenge in various technical applications including heat exchangers, solar collectors, electronics, and others. Simultaneously, the control of energy transport and liquid motion allows one to predict the development of the thermal process. The present work deals with the computational investigation of nanoliquid thermogravitational energy transport in a square region with hot cylinders along walls under non-uniform magnetic influences. Two current-carrying wires as non-identical magnetic sources are set in the centers of two heated half-cylinders mounted on the bottom and left borders, while the upper wall is kept at a constant low temperature. Buongiorno’s model was employed with the impact of Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis. Governing equations considering magnetohydrodynamic and ferrohydrodynamic theories were solved by the finite element technique. The effects of the magnetic sources strengths ratio, Lewis number, Hartmann number, magnetic number, buoyancy ratio, Brownian motion characteristic, and thermophoresis feature on circulation structures and heat transport performance were examined. For growth of magnetism number between 0 and 103 one can find an increment of heat transfer rate for the half-cylinder mounted on the bottom wall and a reduction of heat transfer rate for the half-cylinder mounted on the left wall, while for an increase in magnetism number between 103 and 104, the opposite effects occur. Moreover, a rise in the Lewis number characterizes the energy transport degradation. Additionally, an intensification of energy transport could be achieved by a reduction of the thermophoresis parameter, while the Brownian diffusion factor and buoyancy ratio have a negligible influence on energy transport. Furthermore, the heat transfer rate through the half-cylinder mounted on the bottom wall declines with an increase in the magnetic sources strengths ratio

Study of tree-shaped optimized fins in a heat sink filled by solid-solid nanocomposite phase change material

The aim of this work is to comprehensively study the effect of the material of the simple plate and tree-shaped optimized fins on the thermal behavior of an enclosed medium filled with a nanocomposite of neopentyl glycol/ CuO solid-solid PCM. Increasing the heat transfer rate using a fixed amount of material is an important task that improves the fin performance. The tree-shaped fin is optimized based upon the density-based structure optimization method. A transient model based upon the enthalpy method is employed to numerically study the thermal behavior of the enclosed medium containing the SS-PCM. The thermal performance of the heat sink with the tree-shaped optimized and simple plate fins made of different materials are explored. Results show that the aluminum and copper fins have the highest melting rate compared to the examined materials. Their melting rate is 50% higher than steel 302 in the case of flat plates, and 25% in the case of a tree structure. Also, the tree- shaped optimized fins outperform the plate structure fins by reaching the lowest temperature of the concentrated heat source and temperature non-uniformity under the condition that the two strucutures have the same height. When the two heights are different, the temperature distribution was optimized for materials with the lowest thermal conductivity. For steel materials, a 10% decrease in the maximum temperature was observed in the tree structure compared to the flat plates. Finally, it was shown that the nanoparticle fraction played a negligible role in heat transfer, as less than 1% change in melting rate and temperature parameters was obtained

A multi-stage SEIR model to predict the potential of a new COVID-19 wave in KSA after lifting all travel restrictions

The complete lifting of travel restrictions to KSA takes place after 3rd of January 2021. There are fears that KSA will confront a new COVID-19 wave, especially when the most of countries that resumed the international flights are suffering now from the second surge. Fortunately, more than one Covid-19 Vaccine have been rolled out. However, herd immunity could be reached only through widespread vaccination. COVID-19 vaccines need more time to be properly protective, especially in front of people refusing to get vaccinated. A modified multi-stage SEIR model, with distinct reproductive numbers corresponding to before and after lockdown is employed to predict the potential of a new pandemic wave. First, the two-stage model employed to find the best fitting for the reproductive numbers. Then, the model is extended to three-stage one to investigate the relaxation. However, the modified model detects a second wave in early stage from 28th May to 17th June 2020 before even succeeding controlling the first outbreak. Subsequently, the four-stage SEIR model is used to predict the end of the second wave. Moreover, the model is employed to test the potential of a new pandemic surge after the international flights are resumed

Is the entropy-weighted water quality index a suitable index for evaluating the groundwater quality in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia?

This study examined the groundwater quality in Ha'il according to World Health Organization (WHO) standards using the entropy-weighted water quality index (EWQI) more accurately. The study investigated several parameters in groundwater quality and found that more than 75% of the changes in Ha'il can be attributed to four main factors (MF1, MF2, MF3, and MF4). The MF1 was found to have the biggest role in controlling more than 33% of the changes in the water quality. Due to the entropy calculations for each parameter, zinc was found to have the highest rate of influence on groundwater quality. The results of the EWQI showed that the highest number of samples (76%) had Rank 2 and good quality. Also, it was tried to couple EWQI with machine-learning techniques to improve the model performance and survey the related results in this study. The results showed that the efficiency criteria are improved noticeably. Root-mean-square error decreases by 25%, and the determination coefficient (R2) increases by 27.94%. HIGHLIGHTS The study evaluates the groundwater quality in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia, utilizing entropy-weighted water quality index to provide a more accurate evaluation of water quality according to the WHO standards.; The study examines 12 parameters in groundwater quality and uses factor analysis to identify the four most important factors affecting water quality in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia.

Effect of Thermal Radiation and Variable Viscosity on Bioconvective and Thermal Stability of Non-Newtonian Nanofluids under Bidirectional Porous Oscillating Regime

The bioconvective flow of a Jeffrey fluid conveying tiny particles under the effect of an oscillating stretched bidirectional surface is considered in this paper. The effects of thermal radiation and a porous medium are also investigated. The Cattaneo–Christov diffusion theories are used to analyze the heat and mass transfer phenomena. The activation energy effects are included in the concentration equation. The solved dimensionless equations system is established, based on non-dimensional variables. The analytical findings are evaluated using the homotopic analysis technique. The convergence of solutions is ensured. The results are validated by already available published findings and a good concordance is encountered. The fundamental physical aspect of flow parameters is graphically evaluated. The main results reveal that the velocity is reduced by increasing the permeability of the porous medium. An increase in the temperature occurs when the viscosity of the fluid is varied. The obtained results can be useful in thermal systems, energy production, heat transfer devices, solar systems, biofuels, fertilizers, etc