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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Thermal Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 10518

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Prof. Dr. Yuyang Li

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: carbon-neutral energy and power technologies; low-carbon combustion technologies; combustion kinetics and dynamics; novel combustion technologies, such as flame synthesis and plasma-assisted combustion; spray, atomization and evaporation

Prof. Dr. Zhanjun Cheng

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Interests: biomass energy utilization; combustion reaction kinetics; pyrolysis; combustion; gasification; reaction mechanism; catalytic thermal conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Peng Zhao

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Guest Editor

Space Institute, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Interests: combustion; reacting flow simulation; multiphysics modeling; engine combustion; alternative fuels; low-carbon fuels; thermodynamics and heat transfer in modern energy devices; Li-ion battery thermal runaway
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zhenyuan Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: solar desalination; thermal storage; heat pump

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, entitled “Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering'”, we invite state-of-the-art research work or comprehensive review papers in the field of Thermal Engineering, and all discussions of technologies related to heat transfer, thermal energy conversion and thermal chemistry processes.

All articles published in this Special Issue are subject to careful editorial selection, but also benefit from high visibility. We aim for this Issue to constitute a forum for disseminating excellent research findings, as well as sharing innovative ideas in the field.

Prof. Dr. Yuyang Li
Prof. Dr. Zhanjun Cheng
Dr. Peng Zhao
Dr. Zhenyuan Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

combustion energy and power
low-carbon thermal engineering
heat transfer technologies
engineering thermodynamics
renewable energy
building energy conservation
zero-emission technologies
energy conversion
energy storage and heat storage
hydrogen and ammonia combustion
solar photothermal technology
battery thermal management
thermal management of electronic devices

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1013 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Analysis of a Radiative Thermal Memristor

by Ambali Alade Odebowale, Andergachew Mekonnen Berhe, Haroldo T. Hattori and Andrey E. Miroshnichenko

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 2633; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14062633 - 21 Mar 2024

Viewed by 566

Abstract

This study presents a theoretical framework for a radiative thermal memristor (RTM), utilizing Tungsten-doped vanadium dioxide (WVO) as the phase-change material (PCM) and silicon carbide (SiC) in the far-field regime. The behavior of the RTM is depicted through a Lissajous curve, illustrating the [...] Read more.

Δ

T(t). It is established that temperature variations in the memristance (M) of the RTM form a closed loop, governed by PCM hysteresis. The analysis explores the impact of thermal conductivity contrast (r) and periodic thermal input amplitude (

θ

) on the Q–

Δ

T curve and the M–

Δ

T curve and negative differential thermal resistance (NDTR), revealing notable effects on the curve shapes and the emergence of NDTR. An increasing r leads to changes in the Lissajous curve’s shape and enhances the NDTR influence, while variations in both r and (

θ

) significantly affect the Q values and Lissajous curve amplitudes. In the M–

Δ

T curve, the height is linked to thermal conductivity contrast (r), with increasing r resulting in higher curve heights. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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16 pages, 5767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sound-Absorbing, Thermal-Insulating Material Based on Poly(methylsiloxane) Xerogel and Cellulose Nanofibers

by Daiji Katsura, Tetsuya Maeda, Kazuyoshi Kanamori, Takashi Yamamoto and Joji Ohshita

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(6), 2570; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14062570 - 19 Mar 2024

Viewed by 503

Abstract

The automotive industry needs to improve energy efficiency rapidly to achieve carbon neutrality while creating a safe, secure, and comfortable driving environment for customers. Porous sound-absorbing materials and porous thermal insulators are typically used to satisfy these requirements despite limitations in mass and space. While these porous materials are similar, the microstructures they offer for high performance differ in the size and connectivity of their fluid phases, which enhances the difficulty of achieving excellent sound absorption and thermal insulation in the same material. In this study, a hydrophobic cellulose nanofiber–poly(methylsiloxane) xerogel composite was developed using computational microstructure modeling. This porous material has high porosity and excellent thermal insulation and sound absorption properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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20 pages, 2796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Large-Diameter Earth–Air Heat Exchanger (EAHX) Built for Standalone Office Room Cooling: Monitoring Results for Hot and Dry Summer Conditions

by Rogério Duarte, Maria da Glória Gomes, António Moret Rodrigues and Fernando Pimentel

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(22), 12134; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132212134 - 08 Nov 2023

Viewed by 671

Abstract

Earth–air heat exchangers (EAHX) use the soil thermal capacity to dampen the amplitude of outdoor air temperature oscillations. This effect can be used in hot and dry climates for room cooling, and depending on the EAHX design, this cooling can be achieved with very few resources other than those used during EAHX construction. This is an obvious advantage compared to the significant energy consumption and operational costs of refrigeration machines traditionally used in room cooling. Despite the large number of papers on EAHXs available in the scientific literature, very few deal with large-diameter EAHXs (with pipe diameters larger than 0.30 m), and even fewer present monitoring data gathered from a built and functional large-diameter EAHX. The present paper uses monitoring data and provides a detailed quantitative analysis of the performance of a large-diameter EAHX built for standalone cooling of an existing office building. The field monitoring was carried out during a characteristic hot and dry summer period of the south of Portugal. Results show that outdoor air to EAHX exit air temperature gradients reach 9 K and cooling capacities exceed 27 kW. Moreover, the studied EAHX is capable of standalone cooling for outdoor air temperatures up to 33 °C and meets more than 50% of the room design cooling demand for outdoor air temperatures as high as 37 °C. This evidences that large-diameter EAHXs have the potential to achieve significant reductions in CO

_{2}

emissions and in energy consumption associated with building cooling in hot and dry climates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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16 pages, 11235 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nozzle Design of Plug-and-Play Passive Pre-Chamber Ignition Systems for Natural Gas Engines

by Wei Li, Junfang Ma, Tao Zhu, Haiqiao Wei and Jiaying Pan

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(16), 9468; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13169468 - 21 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1095

Abstract

To evaluate the significance of the geometrical parameters of a passive pre-chamber on engine performance, this study investigated the design of a plug-and-play passive pre-chamber in a 15 L heavy-duty natural gas engine. Multi-dimensional numerical investigations were conducted for parametric studies involving lateral angle, orifice diameter, and vertical angle. A compressive flow solver was employed for Navier–Stoke equations, coupled with detailed sub-models and a chemical kinetic scheme. The combustion model was calibrated and could well predict the engine combustion and operating performance. Seven pre-chamber schemes were evaluated, and four optimal ones were selected for experimental tests. The characteristics of the scavenging process, turbulent jet ignition, and main-chamber combustion were investigated and analyzed. The results show that, considering the trade-off between the ignition energy and the scavenging efficiency, the ratio of the pre-chamber to clearance volume is recommended to be 0.2~0.7%, and the corresponding area–volume ratio is 0.003~0.006 mm⁻¹. Compared with the original natural gas engine, the pre-chamber retrofit can save up to 13.2% of fuel consumption, which presents a significant improvement in fuel economy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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18 pages, 5942 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Radiation-Induced Thermal Runaway Propagation in a Cylindrical Li-Ion Battery Pack: Non-Monotonicity, Chemical Kinetics, and Geometric Considerations

by Liwen Zhang, Yi Chen, Haiwen Ge, Ankur Jain and Peng Zhao

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(14), 8229; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13148229 - 15 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1187

Abstract

Li-ion batteries play a key role in energy storage and conversion in engineering systems such as electric vehicles and grid energy storage, with critical impact on electrification and storage of renewable energy. A key unresolved technological challenge in Li-ion batteries pertains to thermal runaway initiation and propagation in a battery pack, which can lead to subsequent fire and explosion. Despite significant past work, there remains a critical need to understand how thermal runaway propagates in a pack. This work presents a comprehensive investigation of the effect of radiative heat transfer on thermal runaway propagation. Radiation can be important when a battery is exposed to adjacent heat and fire sources, as well as in thermal runaway propagation from one hot cell to another. A theoretical radiative heat transfer model based on view factor theory is developed. Calculations based on this model for a simple 2D cylinder-to-cylinder geometry are found to be in very good agreement with analytical expressions. Radiation-induced thermal runaway propagation between two cylindrical 18650 batteries is evaluated. It is shown that radiation may play a key role in thermal runaway propagation, depending strongly on the triggering temperature. It is found that radiative effects in thermal runaway propagation exhibit both nonlinear and non-monotonic characteristics. At high temperatures, thermal runaway is triggered rapidly in the region close to the battery surface, where the chemical reactions are strongly coupled, and radiation plays a dominant role. In contrast, at lower temperatures, thermal runaway is triggered much more slowly and towards the core of the cell, where some chemical reactions may be decoupled, and pre-runaway chemical heat release plays an increasingly important role. The results presented here suggest that radiation can either facilitate or mitigate thermal runaway. The net radiation heat flux has a cross-over instant, beyond which radiation starts to retard thermal runaway. Additionally, the blocking effect in radiative heat transfer between cells arranged in equal-spacing homogenous or orthogonal arrangements in a battery pack is investigated, along with the effect of the hot spot size. Results from this work help understand the role of radiation in thermal runaway propagation and provide useful insights into the thermal runaway control and design of safe Li-ion battery packs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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27 pages, 4450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Performance Analysis of a Pump-Driven Chip-Level Two-Phase Cooling System in Data Centers

by Leixin Wang, Hao Cheng, Tongzhi Yang, Weixing Yuan and Kexian Ren

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7472; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137472 - 24 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1528

Abstract

As a powerful solution for heat dissipation in data centers, chip-level cooling continues to capture escalating attention in research and application domains. To accurately analyze system performance, identify potential avenues for system optimization, and inform future practical applications, we developed a steady-state, one-dimensional mathematical model for a novel pump-driven chip-level two-phase cooling system (PCTCS). This model was constructed based on our previous study and was confirmed against existing experimental data. Our simulations scrutinized PCTCS performance under default conditions and investigated the effects of key parameters, such as refrigerant type, condenser vertical positioning, and cooling water temperature. Results showed that the system could manage an 80 W power output from each CPU while maintaining CPU temperatures around 79 °C at a cooling water temperature of 45 °C. We discovered the choice of refrigerant had a significant impact on performance, with R32 outperforming R134a and R113. While the vertical position of the condenser influenced the PCTCS’s internal parameters, its overall impact on system performance was negligible. Moreover, provided the chip temperature remained within a safe range, our study found that increasing the cooling water temperature improved the energy efficiency ratio of the refrigerant pump and reduced the temperature difference between the chips and the cold source. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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19 pages, 25505 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterization of Nonlinear Responses of Non-Premixed Flames to Low-Frequency Acoustic Excitations

by Deng Pan, Chenzhen Ji and Tong Zhu

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(10), 6237; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13106237 - 19 May 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 976

Abstract

The response of flames’ heat release to acoustic excitation is a critical factor for understanding combustion instability. In the present work, the nonlinear heat release response of a methane–air non-premixed flame to low-frequency acoustic excitations is experimentally investigated. The flame describing function (FDF) was measured based on the overall CH* chemiluminescence intensity and the velocity fluctuations obtained by the two-microphone method. The CH* chemiluminescence and schlieren images were analyzed for revealing the mechanism of nonlinear response. The excitation frequency ranges from 10 Hz to 120 Hz. The forced relative velocity fluctuation amplitude ranges from 0.10 to 0.50. The corresponding flame Strouhal number (St_f) ranges from 0.43 to 4.67. The study has shown that the flame length responds more sensitively to changes in excitation amplitude when subjected to relatively high-frequency excitations. The normalized flame length (L_f/D) decreases from 3.79 to 2.37 with the increase in excitation amplitude at an excitation frequency of 100 Hz. The number of oscillation zones along the flame increases with increasing excitation frequency, which is consistent with the increase in the St_f. The low-pass filtering characteristic of FDF is caused by the dispersion of multiple oscillation zones, as well as the cancellation effect of the adjacent oscillation zones under relatively high-frequency excitation. The main mechanism for the local gain peak and valley is the cancellation effect of positive and negative oscillation zones with various St_f. When two adjacent oscillation regions have similar amplitudes, the overall phase-lag becomes more sensitive to changes in excitation frequency and amplitude. This sensitivity leads to nonlinear anomalous changes in the phase-lag near the frequency corresponding to the gain valley. The calculated disturbance convection time is consistent with the measured time delay in the short flame scenario. Further research is required to determine whether the identified agreement is a result of the consistent occurrence of the oscillation zone in close proximity to the flame’s center of mass, in conjunction with a precise determination of the average convective velocity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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13 pages, 12600 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characterizing Internal Flow Field in Binary Solution Droplet Combustion with Micro-Particle Image Velocimetry

by Bingyao Huang, Haodong Zhang, Zundi Liu, Xiaoyuan Yang, Wei Li and Yuyang Li

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(9), 5752; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13095752 - 06 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1069

Abstract

Droplet internal flow participates in liquid-phase mass transfer during multicomponent solution droplet combustion. In this work, internal flow fields in the binary droplet combustion of two polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (CH₃O(CH₂O)_nCH₃, n ≥ 1, abbreviated as PODE_n), i.e., PODE₂ and PODE₄, are characterized using micro-particle image velocimetry (Micro-PIV). The buoyancy-driven upward vapor flow around the droplet is found to initiate two opposite radial flows in the droplet, which form two vortex cores near the surface, while the gravitational effect and Marangoni effect resulting from the content and temperature gradients in the binary droplets can induce disturbance to the two flows. The binary droplets have comparable spatially averaged flow velocities at the stable evaporation stage to those of pure droplets, which are around 3 mm/s. The velocity curves are more fluctuant and tend to slightly increase and reach the peak values at around 250 ms, and then decrease until droplet atomization. The flow velocities in the droplet interior are generally higher than those near the droplet surface, forming a parabolic velocity profile along the horizontal radial direction. The peak velocity first increases to 5–9 mm/s as the radial flow and vortex structure start to form and then decreases to around 3 mm/s until droplet atomization. The radial flow with a spatially averaged velocity of 3 mm/s can run around one lap during the stable evaporation stage, which implies that the convection-induced mass transfer is relatively weak, and consequently, the content gradient of the binary droplet is still mainly controlled by mass diffusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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17 pages, 4108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Analysis of Contactless Solar Evaporation for Scalable Application

by Siyang Zheng, Jie Yu and Zhenyuan Xu

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 4052; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13064052 - 22 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1485

Abstract

Zero-liquid discharge wastewater treatment driven by sunlight shows potential to minimize its environmental impact by producing solid-only waste from solar energy. To overcome the key barrier of solar absorber contamination, solar-driven contactless evaporation (SCE) has been proposed. However, only a small-scale laboratory device has been studied, which cannot support its scalable application. To analyze the potential of SCE, it is essential to understand the conjugated heat and mass transfer under a scalable application scenario. In this study, a comprehensive model of SCE is developed, which is validated by the laboratory evaporation test and applied to scalable evaporation scenario. Results showed that the scalable evaporation (0.313 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹) could obtain higher evaporation rate than the laboratory evaporation (0.139 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹) due to suppressed heat losses from the sidewalls. If the design parameters are finely tuned and thermal insulation are properly applied, the evaporation rate could be further enhanced to 0.797 kg·m⁻²·h⁻¹, indicating a 473.3% performance enhancement than the laboratory SCE. The modelling framework and understanding are expected to pave a way for the further improvement and scalable application of SCE. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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Review

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34 pages, 1251 KiB

Open AccessReview

Condensation Flow of Refrigerants Inside Mini and Microchannels: A Review

by Anıl Başaran and Ali Cemal Benim

Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 2988; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14072988 - 02 Apr 2024

Viewed by 387

Abstract

Nowadays, the demand for obtaining high heat flux values in small volumes has increased with the development of technology. Condensing flow inside mini- and microchannels has been becoming a promising solution for refrigeration, HVAC, air-conditioning, heat pumps, heat pipes, and electronic cooling applications. In these applications, employing mini/microchannels in the condenser design results in the working fluid, generally refrigerant, undergoing a phase change inside the mini/microchannels. On the other hand, the reduction in the hydraulic diameter during condensation gives rise to different flow regimes and heat transfer mechanisms in the mini- and microchannels compared to the conventional channels. Therefore, the understanding of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics during condensation of refrigerant inside mini- and microchannels has been gaining importance in terms of condenser design. This study presents a state-of-the-art review of condensation studies on refrigerants inside mini- and microchannels. The review includes experimental studies as well as correlation models, which are developed to predict condensation heat transfer coefficients and pressure drop. The refrigerant type, thermodynamical performance, and compatibility, as well as the environmental effects of refrigerant, play a decisive role in the design of refrigeration systems. Therefore, the environmental impacts of refrigerants and current regulations against them are also discussed in the present review. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Section 'Applied Thermal Engineering')

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