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Thermal Energy Storage, Heat Transfer and Sustainable Energy Technologies

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2023) | Viewed by 8105

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Turkey
Interests: nanofluid technology applications; thermal energy storage; ferrofluid; MHD flow; thermoacoustics; aeroacoustics; thermoelectricity; heat transfer enhancement; fluid–structure interaction; solar energy applications; computational fluid mechanics
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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technology Faculty, Fırat University, Elazig, Turkey
Interests: CFD; sustainable energy; solar energy; nanofluids; phase change materials; heat transfer enhancement; drying
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the cost and demand of energy rise with increasing population growth and industrialization, strict regulations for energy-related products to curb their environmental impact are needed. Therefore,  a deep understanding of the physical mechanisms of the transport processes in heat transfer equipment and novel methods to improve thermal performance are needed. The development of sustainable energy technologies and energy storage techniques in thermal energy systems is crucial to producing compact energy-efficient products with less impact on the environment. Application areas for such technology include solar power, refrigeration, electronic cooling, building energy, drying, waste heat recovery, battery thermal management and many others. Material selection, operating point and geometric optimization of thermal devices are critical for achieving a high performance. A typical example of this is thermal systems equipped with  phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) systems.

Although phase change materials are used for thermal management and energy storage in many thermal applications, their low thermal conductivity still presents a challenge in practice. Therefore, for their application in heat transfer equipment, novel techniques, such as new fin configurations, are used; alternatively, their material properties are altered using new technologies, such as nanotechnology. Nanosized particles can be used with PCMs and other heat transfer fluids, and the effectiveness of nanofluid technologies has been shown in many applications, such as in solar power, heat exchangers, battery thermal management, jet impingement cooling and many more. However, still more efforts are needed towards the development of new nanomaterials for use in thermal engineering systems, characterization/modeling of their thermo-physical properties and new methods for predicting their behavior in energy systems.

This Special Issue will act as a forum, allowing researchers to present their latest theoretical, experimental or computational results in the field of energy storage, heat transfer, porous media, mass transfer and sustainable energy system technologies. This Issue aims to give researchers the opportunity to share their original work on novel technologies and methods in this unique collection, which will provide a useful guideline for engineers and researchers working to develop future technologies for a better world.

Prof. Dr. Fatih Selimefendigil
Prof. Dr. Hakan F. Öztop
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. Sustainability 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

  • PCMs in thermal engineering
  • new PCM materials and applications
  • PCMs in renewable energy
  • PCM-packed bed systems and applications
  • nanofluid technology application
  • hybrid nanofluid technology
  • rheological behavior of nanofluids
  • non-Newtonian aspects of nanofluids
  • modeling approaches of nanofluid in thermal systems
  • machine learning approaches in thermal systems
  • optimization methods in heat transfer devices
  • active cooling methods with impinging jets
  • battery thermal management
  • porous media and applications in convective heat transfer
  • convective drying
  • PV thermal management
  • entropy generation analysis in heat transfer devices
  • advanced modeling and optimization tools in thermal science

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

29 pages, 9723 KiB  
Article
Photovoltaic Thermal Management by Combined Utilization of Thermoelectric Generator and Power-Law-Nanofluid-Assisted Cooling Channel
by Fatih Selimefendigil, Damla Okulu and Hakan F. Öztop
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5424; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065424 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1606
Abstract
In this study, two different cooling systems for the thermal management of a photovoltaic (PV) module were developed. A PV/thermoelectric generator (TEG) and PV/TEG-mini-channel cooling systems were considered; in the later system, water and water-based Al2O3 nanofluids were used [...] Read more.
In this study, two different cooling systems for the thermal management of a photovoltaic (PV) module were developed. A PV/thermoelectric generator (TEG) and PV/TEG-mini-channel cooling systems were considered; in the later system, water and water-based Al2O3 nanofluids were used in the cooling channel. The effective cooling of the PV module was achieved by using higher-loading nanoparticles in the base fluid, while the nanofluid exhibited a non-Newtonian behavior. The PV/TEG with a cooling channel system was numerically assessed with respect to various values of Reynolds numbers (between 5 and 250), inlet nanofluid temperatures (between 288.15 K and 303.15 K), and nanoparticle volume fractions in the base fluid (between 1% and 5%). Variations in average cell temperature, PV power, TEG power, and efficiencies were computed by varying the pertinent parameters of interest with Galerkin’s weighted residual finite element method. The most favorable case for cooling was obtained with TEG-cooling channel at φ = 5% and Re = 250. In this case, PV electrical power increased by about 8.1% and 49.2% compared to the PV/TEG and PV system without cooling, respectively. The TEG output power almost doubled when compared to the PV/TEG system for all channel models at Re = 250. The inlet temperature of the nanofluid has a profound impact on the overall efficiency and power increment of the PV module. The use of the PV/TEG-cooling channel with the lowest fluid inlet temperature (288.15 K) and nanofluid at the highest particle loading (φ = 5%) resulted in a PV efficiency increment of about 52% and 10% compared to the conventional PV system without cooling and the PV/TEG system. In this case, the TEG efficiency rises by about 51% in the PV/TEG nanofluid model compared to the PV/TEG model. Full article
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21 pages, 8482 KiB  
Article
Performance Evaluation of an Indirect-Mode Forced Convection Solar Dryer Equipped with a PV/T Air Collector for Drying Tomato Slices
by Houssam Chouikhi and Baher M. A. Amer
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5070; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065070 - 13 Mar 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2668
Abstract
This paper proposes an indirect-mode forced convection solar dryer equipped with a PV/T air collector. The PV/T air collector generates both heated air and electrical energy, which are used to force convection in the solar dryer. Experiments were carried out on selected tomato [...] Read more.
This paper proposes an indirect-mode forced convection solar dryer equipped with a PV/T air collector. The PV/T air collector generates both heated air and electrical energy, which are used to force convection in the solar dryer. Experiments were carried out on selected tomato slices for which the temperature and humidity readings as well as the masses of the dried samples were instantaneously recorded for two days. A thermal analysis was performed on the solar drying system to investigate its performance. The PV/T dryer’s air temperature and velocity simulation using CFD modeling were validated by the experimental results for which the drying chamber was empty, without tomato slices. The experimental and numerical results were in good agreement. The difference between the CFD model and the experimental results for air temperature was around 1 °C (3%) and 2 °C (5%) for the solar collector and drying chamber, respectively. The average daily efficiencies of the collector, dryer, and PV panel for the solar drying system were estimated to be 30.9%, 15.2%, and 8.7%, respectively. Full article
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27 pages, 8165 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis and Identification of an Indirect Photovoltaic Thermal Dryer with Aluminum Oxide Nano-Embedded Thermal Energy Storage Modification
by Ceylin Şirin, Fatih Selimefendigil and Hakan Fehmi Öztop
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2422; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032422 - 29 Jan 2023
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 1931
Abstract
In the current paper, different thermal energy storage unit-integrated photovoltaic thermal (PVT) air collectors with and without nanoparticles have been designed, fabricated and tested. Aluminum oxide nanoparticles have been integrated into the thermal storage unit to increase the performance of the PVT collector. [...] Read more.
In the current paper, different thermal energy storage unit-integrated photovoltaic thermal (PVT) air collectors with and without nanoparticles have been designed, fabricated and tested. Aluminum oxide nanoparticles have been integrated into the thermal storage unit to increase the performance of the PVT collector. The developed collectors have been tested in a drying application at two different mass flow rates. The major goals of this work are upgrading the performance of the PVT air collector by employing a nano-embedded thermal energy storage unit and analyzing the impacts of using nanoparticles in the latent heat storage unit in the PVT collector on the drying performance of the system. The drying time was reduced by approximately 15–22% by employing nanoparticles in the thermal storage unit. Moreover, overall exergy efficiency values were obtained in ranges of 12.49–14.67% and 13.64–16.06%, respectively, for modified and unmodified PVT air collectors. It should be indicated that the overall energy and exergy efficiencies of the PVT air collectors were improved in the ranges of 6.91–6.97% and 9.20–9.47%, respectively, by using nanoparticles in the thermal energy storage unit. The combination of increasing the flow rate and integrating nanoparticles into the storage unit improved the overall exergetic efficiency of the PVT air collector by 28.58%. The mean exergetic efficiency of the drying room was between 48.33 and 54.26%. In addition to the experimental analysis, dynamic models for thermal and exergy efficiencies of developed collectors were constructed by employing the system identification method. Full article
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16 pages, 7233 KiB  
Article
Effect of Dimpled Rib with Arc Pattern on Hydrothermal Characteristics of Al2O3-H2O Nanofluid Flow in a Square Duct
by Anil Kumar, Rajesh Maithani, Sachin Sharma, Sunil Kumar, Mohsen Sharifpur, Tabish Alam, Naveen Kumar Gupta and Sayed M. Eldin
Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14675; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214675 - 8 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1066
Abstract
The present work is concerned with the experimental analysis of the thermal and hydraulic performance of Al2O3H2O nanofluid flow in dimpled rib with arc pattern in a square duct. The Alumina nanofluid consists of nanoparticles [...] Read more.
The present work is concerned with the experimental analysis of the thermal and hydraulic performance of Al2O3H2O nanofluid flow in dimpled rib with arc pattern in a square duct. The Alumina nanofluid consists of nanoparticles having a size of 30 nm. Reynolds number Renum studied in the square duct range from 5000 to 26,000. The nanoparticle volume fraction (ϕnp) ranges from 1.5% to 4.5%, the ratio of dimpled-arc-rib-height to print-diameter HAD/Pd ranges from 0.533 to 1.133, the ratio of the dimpled-rib-pitch to rib height PAD/HAD range from 3.71 to 6.71 and dimpled arc angle (αAD) range from 35° to 65°. The Al2O3H2O-based nanofluid flow values of Nusselt number Nurs and friction factor frs are higher in comparison to pure water. The dimpled ribs in the arc pattern significantly improved the thermal-hydraulic performance of the investigated test section. The nanoparticle concentration of 4.5%, the ratio of dimpled arc rib height to print diameter of 0.933, the relative dimpled arc rib height of 4.64 and the dimpled arc angle of 55° deliver the maximum magnitude of the heat transfer rate. The maximum value of the thermal-hydraulic performance parameters was found to be 1.23 for Al2O3H2O-based nanofluid flow in a dimpled rib with arc pattern square duct for the range of parameters investigated. Correlations of Nurs, frs and ηrs have been developed for the selected range of operating and geometric parameters. Full article
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