Numerical analysis of a hybrid air photovoltaic panel (PV)

During the photovoltaic conversion of solar panels, a significant amount of heat is generated, which causes an increase in the temperature of photovoltaic cells and decreases their efficiency and reliability. This negative effect of heat is caused by a part of the solar radiation that is not absorbed by the solar panels, which leads to heat and weakens its performance. Many efforts have been made to reduce this heating effect on the performance of the PV system, such as combining PV and thermal systems to form a hybrid PVT complex that produces both electricity and heat. Gambit and Fluent 6.3.26 software were used for geometry construction and numerical simulations. This work aims to improve the electrical performance of PV cells by enhancing the heat recovered from PVT panels. For this purpose, we performed a numerical simulation of three configurations (3) of PVT panels integrated with TFMS. We analyzed and compared a single air PVT module (without fins), an air PVT module with two fins, and an air PVT module with four fins. The obtained results represent the variations of the contours and the temperature profiles as well as the flow velocity as a function of the flow rates, and the results show that the use of air and the integration of fins has a significant effect on the cooling of the PVT panel elements and thus allowing to improve its performance

Three-dimensional analysis of flow characteristics in a heat exchanger equipped with a perforated heat sink

Finning or perforations are frequently used in heat exchange devices to increase the heat exchange between the contact surfaces and the surrounding fluid. Thus, the work undertaken in this paper is in the same context to search for a new design to improve the thermohydrodynamic performance of a heat exchanger.  In this context, the latter considered being equipped with a solid or perforated heat sink to identify the perforations' efficiency in optimizing the heat exchanger's performance. The thermohydrodynamic phenomenon governed by the partial differential equations system derived from the laws of conservation: continuity equation for mass, Navier-Stokes equations for momentum, and the energy equation. For the numerical solution, the finite volume method used, and the problem of pressure-velocity coupling intervening at the level of the Navier-Stokes equations solved using the SIMPLE algorithm. Calculations are made for a perforated deflector with different diameters and an unperforated deflector. For both cases, the inlet velocity was chosen in a range from 0.0018 to 0.009 m/s. The results are presented either as maps for the isothermal fields and velocity contours obtained for the meridian planes shown in the figures or as curves for the axial velocity and heat flow. Finally, a qualitative comparison of the different calculated results made, and it could deduce that a perforated deflector is much more efficient than a solid or solid deflector fixed at the same position. The increase in terms of transfers can go from 1.33% to 12.97%, and an excellent material reduction (from 2.32% to 55.85%) corresponds to a low flow resistance compared to the non-perforated case

Analysis of the surface state's influence on the thermohydraulic behavior of an incompressible fluid in convective laminar flow through a microchannel with corrugated surfaces

Le travail entrepris dans cet article présente une étude numérique thermo-énergétique de l'écoulement convectif laminaire dans un microcanal rectangulaire lisse ou la présence de discontinuités sur ses parois. Les ondulations présentent les discontinuités de la surface du mur. La paroi inférieure du microcanal portée à une température constante et uniforme. Le nombre de Reynolds utilisé, Re, a été choisi dans la gamme (50 à 350). La solution du système d'équations régissant le problème a été réalisée par un schéma de volumes finis associé à l'algorithme SIMPLE (Semi Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equation) pour surmonter le problème de couplage pression-vitesse. L'étude s'est concentrée principalement sur les effets des deux paramètres pertinents : le nombre de Reynolds et la forme géométrique des microcanaux. Les deux champs de vitesse axiale et de température ont été analysés, et le nombre moyen de Nusselt, le coefficient de frottement et la quantité de chaleur évacuée. Les résultats montrent que la structure de l'écoulement est fortement perturbée par la présence de discontinuités sur les parois, et le nombre de Nusselt moyen augmente toujours la fonction du nombre de Reynolds pour les quatre cas étudiés, tandis que l'évolution du coefficient de frottement peut être croissante ou décroissant en fonction du nombre de Reynolds

Numerical Evaluation the Impact of the Inserts Shape on Thermo-Flow Behavior in a Heat Exchanger

The improvement of transfers in a heat exchanger can be achieved either by increasing its coolant thermal conductivity or by modifying its geometrical configuration. In this paper, we will be interested in the latter technique by choosing a three-dimensional configuration represented by a channel of rectangular section, on which solid fins of square, circular, or diamond section (vortex generator) have been transversally mounted, which are moreover adiabatic and non-rotating. A convective and forced airflow traverses the channel, and the study focused in principle on the effects of the shape of the fins on the structure of the flow and the rate of heat transfer. The problem is governed by the Navier-Stokes system, coupled with the energy equation de-scribing the thermal process. The resolution of the equation system governing the hydrodynamic phenomenon is performed numerically in three dimensions. To do this, the governing equations of the thermo-hydrodynamic phenomenon are discretized by a finite volume scheme. As for turbulence, it is modeled using the standard model k-ɛ, and the problem of pressure-velocity coupling is solved by the SIMPLE algorithm (Semi Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equation). The computed results are presented as curves for the Nusselt number, friction factor, thermal enhancement factor, or amount of heat dissipated, and as a map for the contour of the axial velocity norm and the temperature field distribution

Theory of Current-Driven Domain Wall Motion: A Poorman's Approach

A self-contained theory of the domain wall dynamics in ferromagnets under finite electric current is presented. The current is shown to have two effects; one is momentum transfer, which is proportional to the charge current and wall resistivity (\rhow), and the other is spin transfer, proportional to spin current. For thick walls, as in metallic wires, the latter dominates and the threshold current for wall motion is determined by the hard-axis magnetic anisotropy, except for the case of very strong pinning. For thin walls, as in nanocontacts and magnetic semiconductors, the momentum-transfer effect dominates, and the threshold current is proportional to \Vz/\rhow, \Vz being the pinning potential

Phenolic contents and in vitro antioxidant activity of four commonly consumed nuts in Algeria

This study was carried out to determine the phenolic contents and the antioxidant activity of four nuts with different solvent extract. Total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidin were quantified. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by various in vitro tests, including ferric reducing power, phosphomolybdenum method assay, and free radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the total phenolic contents varied between 0.30 g GAE/100 g (peanuts) and 1.65 g GAE/100 g (walnuts); the flavonoid contents varied between 0.17 g QE/100 g (peanuts) and 0.41 g QE/100 g (hazelnut). The phenolic contents of four nut extracts exhibit potent antioxidant activity. Indeed, walnuts were the richest in total phenolic content and demonstrated the highest potential for overall antioxidant capacity using ferric reducing power assay (FRP), phosphomolybdenum method assay, and free radical scavenging activity (FRSA). Phenolic amounts positively correlated with antioxidant activity tested

Impacts and social implications of landuse-environment conflicts in a typical Mediterranean watershed

In coastal watersheds, services and landuse favour coastal tourism and urbanization, depriving rural upstream of infrastructure and attention. This unbalanced management leads to an intensification of socioeconomic changes that generate a structural heterogeneity of the landscape and a reduction in the livelihoods of the rural population. The incessant dissociation between the objectives of the stakeholders triggers landuse-environment-economy conflicts which threaten to mutate large-scale development programs. Here, we used multi-assessment techniques in a Mediterranean watershed from Morocco to evaluate the effects of landuse change on water, vegetation, and perception of the rural population towards environmental issues. We combined complementary vegetation indexes (NDVI and EVI) to study long-term landuse change and phenological statistical pixel-based trends. We assessed the exposure of rural households to the risk of groundwater pollution through a water analysis supplemented by the calculation of an Integrated Water Quality Index. Later, we contrasted the findings with the results of a social survey with a representative sample of 401 households from 7 villages. We found that rapid coastal linear urbanization has resulted in a 12-fold increase in construction over the past 35 years, to the detriment of natural spaces and the lack of equipment and means in rural areas upstream. We show that the worst water qualities are linked to the negative impact of anthropogenic activities on immediately accessible water points. We observe that rural households are aware of the existence and gravity of environmental issues but act confusedly because of their low education level which generates a weak capacity to understand cause and effect relationships. We anticipate the pressing need to improve the well-being and education of the population and synergistically correct management plans to target the watershed as a consolidated system. Broadly, stakeholders should restore lost territorial harmony and reallocate landuse according to a sustainable environment-socioeconomic vision

Distance Learning in Emergencies: Social and Pedagogical Relations in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current study aims to investigate social and pedagogical relations during the experience of distance learning in emergencies, in the context of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study identifies the impact of the transition towards this new system in rebuilding social and pedagogical links between professors and students through a case study at Ajman University, as one of the institutions of higher education in the United Arab Emirates. The study relied on the quantitative approach and the sample of the study consisted of (730) students selected in a simple random manner. The study found that most of the sample members had advanced infrastructure that would enable them to keep up with the transition to the distance learning system, and that the level of access to electronic tools and distance learning platforms and the ability to deal with them were high. The study also found that the distance learning system increases the level of interaction, discussion and communication between students and between students and teachers, which extends beyond the lesson period, as an attempt to replace direct interaction