Numerical analyses of concrete thermal energy storage systems: effect of the modules' arrangement

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3D CFD Simulation of a New Ventilated Roof

In the last decades, energy management and saving have become challenging issues. Considering the building sector (residential or industrial), different technologies have been developed in order to realize tangible energy savings, such as: ventilated roof, double facades, glazed surfaces, etc. Nonetheless, it is important for these new technologies to contemporary assure the human thermal comfort. Passive cooling (or heating) technologies are of actual interest. Low or near-zero energy buildings can only be realized as a result of the good design of all their components; specifically, the roofs call for particular attention as they take large parts of a building’s total surface area. This paper presents a comparison between an innovative ventilated roof, based on an original design of the support and a traditional one. A 3D numerical model is developed to analyze the air flow and to compute the achievable benefits in terms of reduction of the summer heating gains. The simulations were performed by varying the solar irradiance from 600 to 1000 W m2. The investigation is conducted comparing a ventilated roof assembly to the same traditional structure, assuming buoyancy-driven airflow. Two roof types are studied: an insulated roof and a non-insulated one. The results reveal that the ventilated roof leads to a great reduction of the total amount of solar heat gains for all the simulated scenarios

R134a Flow Boiling Heat transfer on an Electrically Heated Carbon/Carbon Surface

With the increase of heat flux densities following the Moore’s law, electronic cooling challenge is focused on the high heat flux to be dissipated by the operating fluid and more and more efficient heat spreaders, dissipators, and compact heat exchangers are in great demand for various applications. Considering the device efficiency, the boiling heat transfer ensures very high heat transfer coefficients, which can even be improved via specific surface treatments that have been shown to be very effective. In particular, several authors, experimentally demonstrated the interesting enhancement capabilities of microparticles coatings on the Critical Heat Flux. Furthermore, the recent work on nanoscale domain has led to new concepts for surface modification. In the last decade, nano-structured materials (i.e. nanowires coatings, nanoporous layers, Carbon Nano Tube arrays, etc.) have been proved to enhance the boiling heat transfer. Unfortunately, almost all of this kind of surface treatments fail when scaled up to industrial implementation because of the relatively high costs and complex operations involved. Furthermore, compactness and lightness of cooling systems are becoming even more challenging design constraints leading the research efforts towards new light and efficient materials. In this scenario, the Carbon/Carbon material appears to be a viable option for future thermal management devices because it exploits interesting properties having a low density and a high thermal conductivity; moreover, it is already used in many industrial applications where it is shaped in various forms even complex. This paper presents the experimental measurements carried out during flow boiling heat transfer of R134a on a Carbon/Carbon surface. The test section with the Carbon/Carbon sample, is electrically heated from the bottom and it is instrumented with 18 wall thermocouples to monitor the temperature distribution at an imposed heat fluxes of 50 kW m-2, and refrigerant mass flow rates from 50 to 200 kg m-2 s-1, at constant saturation temperature of 30 °C. The sample is tested in a new experimental facility built at the Nano Heat Transfer Lab of the Department of Management and Engineering of the University of Padova especially designed to study the flow boiling heat transfer process on innovative materials and enhanced micro- and nano-structured surfaces.

Saturated R134a flow boiling inside a 4.3 mm inner diameter microfin tube

The refrigerant charge minimization in refrigerating and air-conditioning systems represents a challenging issue due to the new environmental national and international regulations. The use of smaller smooth tubes, such as with the outer diameter around 5 mm, is becoming more and more common in many applications. More recently, the microfin tubes have also started to be reduced in size to cope with the continuously increasing demand of new, efficient, and compact heat exchangers for air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment. This work investigates the performance of R134a during saturated flow boiling inside a microfin tube with internal diameter at the fin tip of 4.3 mm. Boiling heat transfer coefficients, frictional pressure drops, and critical vapor qualities were measured at 30\ub0C of saturation temperature, by varying the refrigerant mass velocity between 100 and 800 kg m 122 s 121 and the vapor quality from 0.1 to 0.95 at four different heat fluxes: 15, 30, 60, and 90 kW m 122. Moreover, the reliability of several models for flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop estimations was assessed by comparing the experimental results with the calculations

R134a Flow Boiling inside a 4.3 mm ID Microfin Tube

The energy and environmental performance of refrigeration and air conditioning machines are commonly described by their Total Equivalent Warming Impact, so called TEWI, which is defined as the sum of the indirect and direct emissions. The direct emissions are related to charge inventory of the system and to the type of refrigerant used, while the indirect emissions basically depend on the system energy performance. Even if there is a strong interest in the new low-GWP refrigerants, the traditional HFC fluids, with huge GWPs, are still widely used in the refrigeration and air conditioning equipment. For this reason, there is a still strong demand of innovative solutions which can be implemented with the current fluids and then applied to the new ones, when there will be the final phase-out of the HFCs. From this standpoint, looking at the TEWI index, the charge minimization and the system performance optimization represent the main targets of the innovation to cope with the environmental challenges. Since the early 1970s, traditional microfin tubes have been widely used in air and water heat exchangers for heat pump and refrigerating applications because they have been demonstrated to significantly improve the heat transfer performance during both in-tube condensation and boiling. The possible downsizing of microfin tubes could lead to more efficient and compact heat exchangers and thus to a reduction of the refrigerant charge of the systems and to an overall improving of their performance. Nowadays, large manufacturers are exploring the possible use of mini microfin tubes and there is a strong interest in understanding the heat transfer and pressure drop behaviours of this enhanced tube. This paper presents the R134a flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop measurements inside a mini microfin tube with internal diameter at the fin tip of 4.3 mm. This study is carried out in a new experimental facility built at the Dept. of Management and Engineering of the University of Padova. The microfin tube was brazed inside a copper plate and electrically heated from the bottom. Sixteen T-type thermocouples are located in the copper plate to monitor the temperature distribution during the heat transfer process. In particular, the experimental measurements were carried out at constant mean saturation temperature of 30 °C, by varying the refrigerant mass velocity between 200 kg m-2 s-1 and 800 kg m-2 s-1, the vapour quality from 0.1 to 0.95, at four different heat fluxes: 15, 30, 60, and 90 kW m-2. The experimental results are presented in terms of two-phase heat transfer coefficient, onset dryout vapour quality, and frictional pressure drop as a function of the operative test conditions

KEYNOTE PAPER UPDATE ON CONDENSATION HEAT TRANSFER AND PRESSURE DROP INSIDE MINICHANNELS

ABSTRACT The present paper reviews published experimental work focusing on condensation flow regimes, heat transfer and pressure drop in minichannels. New experimental data are available with high pressure (R410A), medium (R134a) and low pressure (R236ea) refrigerants in minichannels of different cross section geometry and with hydraulic diameters ranging from 0.4 to 3 mm. Because of the influence of flow regimes on heat transfer and pressure drop, a literature review is presented to discuss flow regimes transitions. The available experimental frictional pressure gradients and heat transfer coefficients are compared with semi empirical and theoretical models developed for conventional channels and with models specifically created for minichannels. Starting from the results of the comparison between experimental data and models, the paper will discuss and evaluate the opportunity for a new heat transfer model for condensation in minichannels; the new model attempts to take into account the effect of the entrainment rate of droplets from the liquid film

Effect of transport length and genotype on tonic immobility, blood parameters and carcass contamination of free-range reared chickens

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of transport on welfare traits, several haematological parameters and carcase hygiene in two different chicken genotypes (fast- and slow-growing strains) reared under free-range conditions. For this aim, two hundred male chicks, 100 from fast-growing (Ross 308, R) and 100 from slow-growing (Naked Neck, NN) strain were farmed. At the end of the rearing period, at 81 days of age, 56 birds/strain were randomly selected for slaughtering and submitted to two different pre-slaughter conditions: no transport (0h) or 4 hours of transport (4h). Tonic immobility (TI), blood parameters and carcase hygiene traits were determined. Strain and transport significantly affected TI of birds. Both experimental factors and their interaction significantly affected plasma creatine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Cholesterol and triglycerides were not different between the experimental groups, whereas glucose decreased after 4 hours of transport in both strains. A significant difference between groups for the heterophils/lymphocytes ratio after transport was also observed, with NN being higher than Ross. Concerning the oxidative stress, we observed a higher ROS production in NN chickens. The carcase microbial characteristics showed a higher level of contamination after the transport (total viable counts), but not concerning the Enterobacteriaceae counts

Colchicine treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: safety, biological and clinical effects in a randomized clinical trial

: In preclinical studies, the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine, which has never been tested in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, enhanced the expression of autophagy factors and inhibited accumulation of transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa, a known histopathological marker of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This multicentre, randomized, double-blind trial enrolled patients with probable or definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis who experienced symptom onset within the past 18 months. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive colchicine at a dose of 0.005 mg/kg/day, 0.01 mg/kg/day or placebo for a treatment period of 30 weeks. The number of positive responders, defined as patients with a decrease lesser than 4 points in the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised total score during the 30-week treatment period, was the primary outcome. Disease progression, survival, safety and quality of life at the end of treatment were the secondary clinical outcomes. Secondary biological outcomes included changes from baseline to treatment end of stress granule and autophagy responses, transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa, neurofilament accumulation and extracellular vesicle secretion, between the colchicine and placebo groups. Fifty-four patients were randomized to receive colchicine (n = 18 for each colchicine arm) or placebo (n = 18). The number of positive responders did not differ between the placebo and colchicine groups: 2 out of 18 patients (11.1%) in the placebo group, 5 out of 18 patients (27.8%) in the colchicine 0.005 mg/kg/day group (odds ratio = 3.1, 97.5% confidence interval 0.4-37.2, P = 0.22) and 1 out of 18 patients (5.6%) in the colchicine 0.01 mg/kg/day group (odds ratio = 0.5, 97.5% confidence interval 0.01-10.2, P = 0.55). During treatment, a slower Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised decline was detected in patients receiving colchicine 0.005 mg/kg/day (mean difference = 0.53, 97.5% confidence interval 0.07-0.99, P = 0.011). Eight patients experienced adverse events in placebo arm (44.4%), three in colchicine 0.005 mg/kg/day (16.7%) and seven in colchicine 0.01 mg/kg/day arm (35.9%). The differences in adverse events were not statistically significant. In conclusion, colchicine treatment was safe for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Further studies are required to better understand mechanisms of action and clinical effects of colchicine in this condition

The impact of upper motor neuron involvement on clinical features, disease progression and prognosis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ObjectivesIn amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) both upper (UMNs) and lower motor neurons (LMNs) are involved in the process of neurodegeneration, accounting for the great disease heterogeneity. We evaluated the associations of the burden of UMN impairment, assessed through the Penn Upper Motor Neuron Score (PUMNS), with demographic and clinical features of ALS patients to define the independent role of UMN involvement in generating disease heterogeneity, predicting disease progression and prognosis.MethodsWe collected the following clinical parameters on a cohort of 875 ALS patients: age and site of onset, survival, MRC scale, lower motor neuron score (LMNS), PUMNS, ALSFRS-R, change in ALSFRS-R over time (DFS), MITOS and King’s staging systems (KSS). Transcranial magnetic stimulation was performed on a subgroup of patients and central motor conduction time (CMCT) and cortical silent period (CSP) were calculated.ResultsWe observed that patients with an earlier age at onset and bulbar onset had higher PUMNS values. Higher values were also associated to lower ALSFRS-R and to higher DFS scores, as well as to higher MITOS and KSS, indicating that a greater UMN burden correlates with disease severity. Conversely, we did not appreciate any association between UMN involvement and survival or markers of LMN impairment. Moreover, PUMNS values showed a positive association with CMCT and a negative one with CSP values.InterpretationOur results suggest that the burden of UMN pathology, assessed through PUMNS, has an important independent role in defining clinical characteristics, functional disability, disease progression and prognosis in ALS patients. We also support the role of TMS in defining severity of UMN involvement