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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2023) | Viewed by 20490

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosenberg J. Romero

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Guest Editor

Applied Thermal Engineering Laboratory at Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62209, Mexico
Interests: thermals process; sustainable process; renewable energy

Dr. Jesus Cerezo

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Guest Editor

Sustainability Energy Sistems Laboratory at Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62209, Mexico
Interests: heat and mass transfer; absorption heat pump; latent heat storage; TRNSYS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Global changes force societies to adapt to continue with life. Technology is the means of such adapting processes. There are two main parts to the analysis of thermal processes: computer-assisted simulation and experimental evaluation of prototypes.

Recently, there has been a series of works, in both aspects of theoretical and experimental in thermal processes, that show improvements in the performance, efficiency, operating coefficients, exergetic indices and other comparative parameters that confirm the adaptation of technology to reduce emissions of carbon. The economic, social and environmental impacts are related to these parameters. Thermal processes are as diverse as the production cycles to which they are added, adapted or expanded.

Advances in thermal processes undoubtedly have relevance in terms of sustainability and guarantee local energy security for the benefit of the society in which they are involved.

This Special Issue on "Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation" seeks high-quality simulated or experimentally evaluated papers focused on novel advances in technology that solve local problems that may eventually serve as a framework for similar thermal processes elsewhere and may include approaches to thermal models of particular processes, basic science studies, studies of transport properties or energy storage, sensitivity studies of parameters in already known models but with novel applications, thermodynamic cycles of heating or cooling, studies with either conventional energies or renewable energies, innovative applications of existing cycles, energy evaluations, environmental impacts, educational impacts, social impacts and economic impacts associated to thermal processes in current conditions and defined locations.

Dr. Rosenberg J. Romero
Dr. Jesús Cerezo Román
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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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

thermal process modelling
transport properties or energy storage in thermal process
sensitivity studies for novel applications
thermodynamic cycles of heating or cooling
conventional energies or renewable energies
energy, environmental, social and economic impacts

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 173 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation

by Rosenberg J. Romero and Jesús Cerezo

Processes 2024, 12(3), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12030470 - 26 Feb 2024

Viewed by 458

Abstract

The integration of theoretical insights and current findings in the articles included in this Special Issue holds the potential to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world challenges in enhancing physical–chemical processes [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

18 pages, 4423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Torrefaction under Different Reaction Atmospheres to Improve the Fuel Properties of Wheat Straw

by Ricardo Torres Ramos, Benjamín Valdez Salas, Gisela Montero Alpírez, Marcos A. Coronado Ortega, Mario A. Curiel Álvarez, Olivia Tzintzun Camacho and Mary Triny Beleño Cabarcas

Processes 2023, 11(7), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11071971 - 29 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1378

Abstract

This study aimed to produce biochar with an energy value in the range of sub-bituminous carbon by investigating the effect of oxidative and non-oxidative torrefaction on the torrefaction yield and fuel properties of wheat straw. Three independent variables were considered at different levels: temperature (230, 255, 280, 305 °C), residence time (20, 40, 60 min), and reaction atmosphere (0, 3, 6 vol% O₂; N₂ balance); and three dependent variables: mass yield, energy yield, and percentage increase in higher heating value (HHV). The results showed that it is possible to produce a sub-bituminous carbon type C biochar using oxidative torrefaction, significantly reducing time and temperature compared with non-oxidative torrefaction. The optimum torrefaction conditions were 287 °C–20 min–6.0% O₂, which increased the HHV of wheat straw from 13.86 to 19.41 MJ kg⁻¹. The mass and energy yields were 44.11 and 61.78%, respectively. The physicochemical and fuel properties of the obtained biochar were improved compared with the raw biomass. The atomic O/C ratio was reduced from 1.38 to 0.86. In addition, the hydroxyl groups in the lignocellulosic structure decreased and the hemicellulose content decreased from 26.08% to 1.61%. This improved grindability, thermal stability, porosity, and hydrophobicity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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27 pages, 6588 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of a Nanofluid-Cooled Segmented Thermoelectric Generator: Hollow/Filled Leg Structures and Segmentation Effects

by Cristian Francisco Ramos-Castañeda, Miguel Angel Olivares-Robles, Ana Elisabeth Olivares-Hernandez and Leobardo Hernandez-Gonzalez

Processes 2023, 11(6), 1728; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061728 - 06 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1060

Abstract

A thermoelectric generator (TEG) is studied by considering different leg structures of hollow/filled legs, using new cooling nanofluids, and analyzing the segmentation effect. TEG performance is characterized by power output, conversion efficiency, and exergy efficiency. This study shows the impact of different cooling nanofluids (TiO₂, graphene, and Al₂O₃) on the performance of the thermoelectric generator. Furthermore, in the comparative analysis of nanofluid cooling enhancement for TEG, different hollow/filled thermoelectric legs recently proposed in the literature are considered. Likewise, three segmentation types are used, 2n-2p, 1n-2p, and 2n-1p, thus will be compared with the results of the unsegmented legs. This study calculates the performance of thermoelectric leg structures through a validated numerical simulation on the ANSYS Workbench (modeling, design, and simulation). In addition, the optimal working conditions are evaluated. This study found that quenching of nanofluids can improve TEG performance by up to 17% compared to distilled water. However, the performance improvement of the TEG for each nanofluid is small between them. Furthermore, segmentation of n-type thermocouples improves efficiency and exergy, whereas segmentation of p-type thermocouples improves output power. The segmentation enhances performance by up to twice that of non-segmented leg structures; hollow structures are better performers. In the results, it is reported that the 2n-1p segmentation is the one with the best performance, reaching a maximum energy efficiency of 38%. The triangular leg structure improves performance by up to 75% compared to the rectangular and square leg structures. Likewise, using TiO₂ is the best cooling option with nanofluids since it improves performance by 17% compared to distilled water. Furthermore, the results of cooling nanofluids for TEG performance are useful for the design of thermoelectric leg structures and stimulate further research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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24 pages, 11700 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Control Strategy Based on Artificial Intelligence for a Double-Stage Absorption Heat Transformer

by Suset Vázquez-Aveledo, Rosenberg J. Romero, Moisés Montiel-González and Jesús Cerezo

Processes 2023, 11(6), 1632; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061632 - 26 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1215

Abstract

Thermal energy recovery systems have different candidates to mitigate CO₂ emissions as recommended by the UN in its list of SDGs. One of these promising systems is thermal absorption transformers, which generally use lithium-water bromide as the working fluid. A Double Stage Heat Transformer (DSHT) is a thermal machine that allows the recovery of thermal energy at a higher temperature than it is supplied through the effect of steam absorption in a concentrated solution of lithium bromide. There are very precise thermodynamic models which allow us to calculate all the possible operating conditions of the DSHT. To perform the control of these systems, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is proposed with two computational techniques—Fuzzy Logic (FL) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN)—to calculate in real-time the set of variables that maximize the product’s Gross Temperature Lift (GTL) and Coefficient of Performance (COP) in a DSHT. The values for Coefficient of Determination (R²), Mean Square Error Root (MRSE), and Mean Error Bias (MBE) for the two types of computational techniques were analyzed and compared with the purpose of identifying which of them may be more accurate to calculate the operating conditions (temperatures, pressures, concentration and flows) with the highest COP for an interval of the value of the temperature absorption entered by the user. The result of the analysis of the evaluated techniques concluded that the control strategy of a DSHT in real-time will be based on the precise calculation of the refrigerant flow in the second evaporator with a Neural Network of 30 neurons, 300 weights and 40 bias, as it is more accurate than the Fuzzy Logic technique. The goodness-of-fit for two computational techniques was evaluated as having an R² higher than 0.98 for the provided data. Future AI controllers must be based on evaporator flow values with evaporator power at 3.9⁻⁰⁴ kg/KJ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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28 pages, 10728 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Objective Optimization Design and Experimental Investigation for a Prismatic Lithium-Ion Battery Integrated with a Multi-Stage Tesla Valve-Based Cold Plate

by Yiwei Fan, Zhaohui Wang, Xiao Xiong, Satyam Panchal, Roydon Fraser and Michael Fowler

Processes 2023, 11(6), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061618 - 25 May 2023

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 1875

Abstract

High current rate charging causes inevitable severe heat generation, thermal inconsistency, and even thermal runaway of lithium-ion batteries. Concerning this, a liquid cooling plate comprising a multi-stage Tesla valve (MSTV) configuration with high recognition in microfluidic applications was proposed to provide a safer temperature range for a prismatic-type lithium-ion battery. Meanwhile, a surrogate model with the objectives of the cooling performance and energy cost was constructed, and the impact of some influential design parameters was explored through the robustness analysis of the model. On this basis, the multi-objective optimization design of the neighborhood cultivation genetic algorithm (NCGA) was carried out. The obtained results demonstrated that if the MSTV channel was four channels, the valve-to-valve distance was 14.79 mm, and the thickness was 0.94 mm, the cold plate had the most effective cooling performance and a lower pumping power consumption. Finally, the optimization results were verified by a numerical simulation and an experiment, and the performance evaluation was compared with the traditional serpentine channel. The results reported that the optimized design reduced the maximum temperature and standard surface standard deviation of the cold plate by 26% and 35%, respectively. The additional pump power consumption was 17.3%. This research guides the design of battery thermal management systems to improve efficiency and energy costs, especially under the high current rate charging conditions of lithium-ion batteries. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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11 pages, 1694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Junction Temperature Prediction Model for GaAs HBT Devices Based on ASO-ELM

by Xiaohong Sun, Yijun Yang and Chaoran Zhang

Processes 2023, 11(5), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11051346 - 27 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1118

Abstract

In this study, an accurate temperature prediction model is proposed for GaAs HBT, which considers both the bias voltage and current rather than power consumption only. The increase in temperature is closely related to the heat source property, which leads to a complex interaction between the lattice vibration and the uneven distribution of the electric field and current density. To improve the accuracy and stability of the temperature prediction model, a machine learning method of Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) optimized with an Atomic Search Algorithm (ASO) is introduced. The validity of the model is verified by comparing it with experimental observations by the QFI InfraScope TM temperature mapping system. The predicted temperatures for an 8 × 8 HBT power cell fabricated with 2 μm GaAs technology show good agreement with the measurement results, with a ±2 °C error and a relative error deviation below 3%. This demonstrates the superior performance of the proposed model in accurately predicting the temperature of GaAs HBT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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14 pages, 3508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intake Valve Profile Optimization for a Piston-Type Expander Based on Load

by Yan Shi, Qihui Yu, Guoxin Sun and Xiaodong Li

Processes 2023, 11(3), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030843 - 11 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1314

Abstract

Intake valve parameters significantly affect the performance of the piston-type expander (PTE). To improve compressed energy utilization efficiency, intake valve parameters need to be regulated according to load. In this paper, an electro-pneumatic variable valve actuation (EPVVA) system was proposed for independent control distributing valve parameters. The trajectory planning for the intake valve was proposed to obtain good mechanical properties. Then, the intake valve duration angle was optimized, and the optimum intake valve lift curves were obtained at different rotational speeds. Results show that the energy efficiency decreased with the intake valve duration angle increasing. The output power ascended sharply with increasing intake valve duration angle, but the amplitude of power growth decreased. The output power had a maximum value at a specific intake valve duration angle. The gray relation analysis (GRA) method was applied to obtain the optimum intake duration angle based on output power and energy efficiency. Finally, the optimum intake valve trajectories were presented under different rotational speeds. Results are helpful for the future control of the piston-type expander. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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13 pages, 2275 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Computing the Thermal Efficiency of Autoclaves during Steaming of Frozen Prisms for Veneer Production at Changing Operational Conditions

by Nencho Deliiski, Peter Niemz, Dimitar Angelski, Pavlin Vitchev and Natalia Tumbarkova

Processes 2023, 11(3), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030822 - 09 Mar 2023

Viewed by 971

Abstract

A methodology for the computation of the thermal energy efficiency of modes for the heat treatment of frozen wooden prisms in an autoclave with saturated water vapor at changing operational conditions has been proposed. The methodology includes computer simulations with two own-coupled unsteady models: one to calculate the 2D temperature distribution in the cross-section of prismatic wood materials during their heat treatment, and the second to determine the heat balance of industrial autoclaves for such wood treatment. Simulations were carried out in order to determine the duration, energy consumption, and thermal efficiency of different modes, caused by changed operational conditions, for the autoclave steaming of frozen beech prisms with industrial parameters in the absence and presence of dispatcher intervention. The influence of nine combinations between the time of dispatcher intervention and the degree of reduction of the constant maximum temperature from the 130 °C of the basic mode on the thermal efficiency of the autoclave was investigated. The results show that all studied dispatching interventions cause an increase in both the duration and the thermal efficiency of the modes. This efficiency in the modes at changing operational conditions has values between 68.7% and 74.6%, while the efficiency in the basic steaming mode is equal to 68.0%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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30 pages, 7010 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Modeling of an Organic Rankine Cycle Integrated into a Double-Effect Absorption System for the Simultaneous Production of Power and Cooling

by José C. Jiménez-García, Isaías Moreno-Cruz and Wilfrido Rivera

Processes 2023, 11(3), 667; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030667 - 22 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1326

Abstract

Climate change is one of the main problems that humanity is currently facing due to carbon dioxide emissions caused by fossil fuel consumption. Organic Rankine cycles may play an important role in reducing these emissions since they can use industrial waste heat or renewable energies. This study presents the proposal and modeling of an organic Rankine cycle integrated into a double-effect absorption cooling system for the simultaneous production of power and cooling. The working fluids utilized were the ammonia–lithium nitrate mixture for the absorption system and benzene, cyclohexane, methanol, and toluene for the organic Rankine cycle. The influence of the primary operating parameters on the system performance was analyzed and discussed in terms of cooling load, turbine power, energy utilization factor, and exergy efficiency for a wide range of operating conditions. It was found that, for all cases, the cooling load was dominant over the turbine power since the minimum cooling load obtained was above 50 kW, while the maximum turbine power was under 12.8 kW. For all the operative conditions analyzed, the highest performance parameters were obtained for benzene, achieving an energy utilization factor of 0.854 and an exergy efficiency as high as 0.3982. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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15 pages, 8330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of Scenarios for the Mexican Electricity System for 2050 Energy Transition Law Objectives—Pre COVID-19 Analysis

by Diocelina Toledo-Vázquez, Gabriela Hernández-Luna, Rosenberg J. Romero and Jesús Cerezo

Processes 2023, 11(2), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11020410 - 30 Jan 2023

Viewed by 2138

Abstract

In recent years, the reports presented on climate change and its consequences highlight the need to create public policy agendas that address the problem of adaptation and mitigation of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Globally, the energy sector is responsible for a significant percentage of GHG emissions, while it is one of the most important sector for economic growth. In particular, the electricity sector in Mexico relies heavily on fossil fuels for electricity generation. This problem has made it essential to design plans and policies that contribute to GHG mitigation. The General Law on Climate Change, whose objective is to determine the guidelines towards a low-carbon economy, has established a goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2050 concerning the baseline from the year 2000 and proposes to produce 50% of electricity with clean energy by 2050 following the Mexican Energy Transition Law. For this reason, the challenge is to design and develop an environmentally sustainable energy model for the National Electric System (NES). Different scenarios are defined and evaluated considering six probable growing electricity demands, as well as mature technologies considering the potential of renewable resources in Mexico, fossil fuel reserves, efficiencies of each technology, investment costs, operation costs, and maintenance costs along with the price of the fuels. The results showed that it is possible to reduce about 50% of the emissions from the electricity sector by 2050 considering a scenario of low population growth and a yearly per capita consumption of 2.0 MWh, as well as a diversification of the electricity generation matrix. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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16 pages, 596 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Spatial Effect and Threshold Characteristics of Green Technological Innovation on the Environmental Pollution of Thermal Power, etc., Air Pollution-Intensive Industrial Agglomeration in China

by Jingkun Zhou, Yating Li, Juan Tian and Zhifei Ma

Processes 2023, 11(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11010043 - 25 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1130

Abstract

Serious air pollution has occurred in China since 2012. With the increasing investment in technological innovation in China, the role of green technological innovation in reducing air pollution has attracted more and more attention. By constructing the spatial Durbin model and threshold regression model and using the statistical data of China’s provinces, this study explores the spatial effects and threshold characteristics of China’s green technology innovation on the environmental pollution of China’s air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration. The research objective is to find out the spatial effects and threshold characteristics of green technology innovation on the environmental pollution of China’s air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration. The results show that thermal power, etc., air pollution-intensive industrial are important sources of sulfur dioxide emissions; however, their degree of concentration is gradually increasing, resulting in rising sulfur dioxide emissions in these areas. When the level of green technological innovation is greater than 8.0523, its inhibition effect on sulfur dioxide emissions in these industries is significantly increased. Improving green technology innovation ability in thermal power, etc., air pollution-intensive industrial agglomeration areas can effectively reduce pollution in the atmosphere. The level of green technology innovation in key zones must be increased to adjust the concentration of pollution-intensive industries, improve China’s industrial structure, and reduce atmospheric environment pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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17 pages, 5033 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical-Experimental Analysis of the Performance of Geothermal Heat Pumps for Air Conditioning Greenhouses in Arid Zones

by Jesús Octavio Rubalcaba Velasco, Alexis Acuña Ramírez, Jammin Abdi Quintal López, Abelardo Mercado Herrera, José Alejandro Suástegui Macías, Adolfo Heriberto Ruelas Puente, Fernando Lara Chávez, Pedro Francisco Rosales Escobedo and José Armando Corona Sánchez

Processes 2022, 10(9), 1682; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10091682 - 25 Aug 2022

Viewed by 1403

Abstract

This study shows the results of a simulation tool using the TRNSyS 2017 simulator, validated with experimental data from a greenhouse in an arid zone in northwestern Mexico. Additionally, experimental data on the performance of geothermal heat pumps are shown during the year 2020 in heating and cooling mode. With this information, an average deviation of the simulator for the outlet fluid temperature of the geothermal heat exchanger (GHE) of 2.77% and an average deviation of the coefficient of performance in cooling mode (EER) of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) of 3.7% was obtained. In the experimental study, it was observed that in the last 2 weeks of July and the first 2 weeks of August, the subsoil is saturated, which causes a decrease in the thermal inertia of the GHE. During the experimental study, it was possible to determine that the flow indicated in the GHE to obtain the highest performance of the GHP system in greenhouses in arid zones corresponds to 1 GPM, obtaining an EER of 3.24. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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14 pages, 444 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analytical Solutions Formulated in the Time Domain for Three-Dimensional Heat Diffusion Equation

by Alan Cruz Rojas

Processes 2022, 10(8), 1472; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081472 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1847

Abstract

Two different strategies are provided to generate solutions to the three-dimensional heat diffusion equation. The first strategy is inspired by the well-known one-dimensional heat polynomial, which consists of an infinite set of polynomials, which are solutions to the one-dimensional heat diffusion equation. The second strategy is based on an exponential type function. None of the solutions presented here can be obtained by the method of separation of variables. The mathematical developments proving that, indeed, the particular solutions generated with both strategies satisfy the three-dimensional heat diffusion equation are presented. The analytical solutions are validated by generating the corresponding numerical solutions with the method of finite differences. When comparing both analytical and numerical solutions, it is found that they are identical. In addition, as part of the results, it is found that there are exponential solutions that reproduce the behavior of polynomial solutions. Finally, an example of the use of heat polynomials in engineering applications is provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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16 pages, 3169 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Analysis of a Latent Heat Storage Using Plate Heat Exchanger for Absorption System Conditions

by Jesús Cerezo, Fernando Lara, Rosenberg J. Romero, Gabriela Hernández-Luna and Moisés Montiel-González

Processes 2022, 10(5), 815; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10050815 - 21 Apr 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1477

Abstract

The use of the phase change material (PCM) as a storage medium represents an important advance to store energy for the absorption cooling systems when solar energy is not available; however, the temperature of the storage tank is a key parameter for the adequate operation of the cooling system. This paper presents a parametric analysis of a flat and a commercial plate heat exchangers with MgCl₂·6H₂O as the PCM at absorption cooling conditions. The plate heat exchanger (PHE) is a chevron type with an angle of 45° and a plate area of 0.04 m². The governing equation was solved using the method of finite difference. The results showed that the corrugated plate improved the heat transfer than the flat plate; however, the flat plate obtained a higher operation time than the corrugated plate for the absorption cooling condition in the discharge process because the output temperature of the PHE was much higher than the operating conditions. Finally, the decrement of the PCM thickness and the increment of the input temperature and flowrate of the heating fluid improved the heat transfer of the PHE; however, the main thermal resistance was still in the PCM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Thermal Process Engineering and Simulation)

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