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In this paper, a numerical model describing the heat transfer and air flow inside and outside the casing of the permanent magnet brushless direct current (PM BLDC) motor is presented. In the model, a conjugate heat transfer including the heat conduction with heat sources in windings, magnets, bearings, natural and forced convection and radiation phenomena within internal and external air domain were analysed. The complex geometrical model included windings, a magnet circuit, a rotor with neodymium magnets, a PCB electronic plate, plastic covers, internal air between solid parts as well as a portion of the external air. The validation process of the developed model was realised on the basis of the velocity and temperature fields. The experimental data were recorded by 7 constant temperature anemometers at 4 levels above the motor housing, Laser Doppler Anemometry sensors in two axes inside the rear portion of the motor and 25 thermocouples fixed inside and outside the motor. The experimental and numerical tests were performed for 4 motor loadings and 3 rotational speeds. The average temperature error for the internal point was of 9 K, while that of the external points was of 2 K. The velocity field was very well predicted close to the housing wall in terms of horizontal and vertical components. A slightly worse agreement was found for the vertical component, especially in the vicinity of the shaft. The results were consistent for all the considered motor loadings and rotational speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a methodology for the modeling and simulation of a pulsed thermography inspection of carbon fiber-reinforced composites. A thermal–numerical model based on the 3D transient heat conduction equation for heterogeneous media is proposed to model the thermal response of the composite medium when a thermal pulse is applied to its surface. The solution of the model is developed using the finite volume method, in which the approximated equations are obtained by performing energy balances for each elementary volume. The experimental validation of the thermal–numerical model consisted of a comparison of the thermal decay curves for defective areas obtained through numerical simulation and with a pulsed thermography inspection of a laminated composite specimen with simulated defects (Teflon inserts). A parametric study was carried out in order to analyze the influence of the irradiation power density, non-uniform heating and characteristics associated with the defects on quantitative variables such as the onset time and thermal contrast. Numerical results showed that the variable thermal contrast is highly sensitivity to changes in the defect thickness, aspect ratio and parameters related to the external stimulation. Furthermore, an increase in the detectability of defects – especially those with lower aspect ratios – can be achieved by increasing the irradiation power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Active pipe-embedded building envelope is a new building envelope, which is an external wall or roof with pipes embedded in it. This structure has the advantages to utilize directly low-grade energy sources for reducing building cooling/heating load and improving indoor thermal comfort. This structure may also use some phase change materials (PCM) to be pasted as a thin layer for further enhancing these benefits. This paper presents a dynamic simplified thermal model of this structure with the thermal network structure of lumped thermal mass, and the parameter identification of the simplified model based on frequency characteristic analysis. These resistances and capacitances are identified in frequency domain by using generic algorithm (GA) by comparing the frequency characteristics of the simplified model with the theoretical frequency characteristics of this structure obtained with Frequency-Domain Finite Difference (FDFD) method. Firstly, the FDFD model of this structure is established, and the theoretical frequency characteristics under various disturbances are calculated for the reference of parameter identification. Then, an equivalent dynamic simplified thermal model with lump thermal network structure is developed, and its frequency characteristics are also deduced and calculated. Finally, GA estimator is used to identify these parameters of the simplified model for allowing the frequency responses of the simplified model to match the theoretical frequency responses by using FDFD method. Various case studies are presented to validate the accuracy of the simplified models and the effectiveness of the parameter identification for the model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a high breaking capacity fuse with improved cooling. The fuse is equipped with only heat sinks or heat sink and fan, an idea derived from the power semiconductor devices field. Some 3D thermal models are proposed for every analysed case of natural and forced cooling. The best solution was the fuse with three aluminium identical heat sinks mounted on the ceramic body. The influence of the fin length, base plate thickness of the heat sink, number of fins and the shape of the fin cross-section, has been investigated. There is a good correlation between experimental and simulation results. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As we know, the mean temperature difference approach perfectly solves the problem of thermal design of a two-fluid heat exchanger. However, so far, the equivalent method has not been found for that of three-fluid heat exchanger. In this paper, a mean temperature difference method called IMTD (integral-mean temperature difference) is developed in detail for a parallel stream three-fluid heat exchanger with two communications. It includes the derivation of IMTD formulae, the illustration of design and simulation procedures of IMTD thermal model, the corresponding exemplary calculations and discussion, and the validation of IMTD thermal model. The research shows that the derived IMTD formulae and accelerated method proposed in the present IMTD model significantly improve the design process in the past analytical models. It realizes a fast convergence which is usually within 10 steps for all parallel stream flow arrangements. Moreover, the present model has the same accuracy as past exact analytical models and simultaneously can be comparable to past approximate analytical models in simplicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a numerical investigation for examining the secondary vortex motion and associated heat transfer process in fluid flow through curved passages. Overcoming current modelling limitations, the study formulates an improved simulation model based on 3-dimensional vortex structures for describing secondary flow and its thermal characteristics. For developing laminar fluid flow through curved rectangular ducts, the analysis performs a detailed parametric study involving the contours of helicity and outer duct wall pressure gradient for a range of flow rates, duct aspect ratios, duct flow curvatures and external wall heat fluxes. The flow conditions leading to hydrodynamic instability and Dean vortex generation in curved passages are carefully analysed, identifying the flow and geometrical parametric influences. Active interaction of buoyancy force on fluid motion arising from wall heating is considered where aspects of boundary layer separation is used in recognising thermal enhancement due to secondary flow. The simulated results are validated with the available experimental data. Surpassing precision and reliability of current practise, the study develops two numerical approaches offering improved capabilities for capturing the onset of hydrodynamic instability and resulting Dean vortices. These techniques are compared and assessed for their merits of application in determining the onset of secondary flow hydrodynamic instability with and without external wall heating. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, an attempt has been made to study the thermal and fluid flow behavior of Al2O3–water nanofluid, independent of any external surface influences due to conventional surface heating methods. This has been achieved through natural convection flow induced by volumetric heat generation through microwave heating. Both experimental and numerical investigations were carried out and the numerical results were validated with the experimental data. Numerical simulations were carried out by single-phase and two-phase (Eulerian–Lagrangian) modeling approaches. The effects of nanoparticles in the base fluid, various particle forces and concentration dependence on the hydrodynamics and thermal behavior are presented through isotherms, stream function and time evolution of the fluid flow. The present studies demonstrate that additional fluid flow behavior in nanofluids is induced by the heated nanoparticles due to particle migration effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is concerned with the exact solutions for thermal diffusion in a straight fin with varying exponential shape when the thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficients are temperature dependent. The conduction and heat transfer terms constitute the strong nonlinearity given by power laws. Explicit analytical solutions are derived for the relevant parameters in terms of special functions of advanced mathematics. The effects of parameters of physical interest such as the fin tip temperature, the fin efficiency and the fin base heat transfer rate can be better captured from the presented formulas. Moreover, with the help of the analysis here, the best shape of the straight fin is identified under a variety of operating conditions. Analysis further shows that the efficiency and base heat transfer rate of the exponential profiles are higher than those of the rectangular fin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The wave-finned flat tube heat exchangers are widely used in air-cooled condensers of a power plant. Due to the oblique arrangement of the wavy fins on the A-frame tube bundles of the air-cooled condenser, the finned tube is prone to fouling thus the thermo-flow performances of air-cooled condensers are likely to become deteriorated. A new configuration of wave-finned flat tube, in which the fin surface rotates to be perpendicular, is proposed in this paper to prevent the fouling from gathering on the finned tube. The physical and mathematical models for the fluid and heat flows of the cooling air through the present and proposed wave-finned flat tube bundles are setup, and the thermo-flow characteristics are compared. For the proposed finned tube, the influences of the fin pitch, height and the Reynolds number on the flow and heat transfer performances are investigated, and the correlations of the friction factor and Nusselt number are recommended. The results show that the buoyancy effect should be taken into account for the correlation of the friction factor at low Reynolds numbers, but this buoyancy force can be ignored for the Nusselt number. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thermal performance in oil-immersed power transformers is governed by the flow of oil, acting both as an electrical insulator and a medium for the transfer of heat generated in the core and windings toward the tank and the surrounding air. This paper presents the development of an advanced three-dimensional (3D) finite element model for the coupled solution of heat transfer and fluid flow equations governing transformer thermal performance. The main advantages of the proposed method are: (i) no need to predefine the convection coefficients at the interfaces between the active part/tank walls and the circulating oil, (ii) detailed representation of specific transformer parts that play an important role in the accurate representation of oil flow and heat dissipation (such as winding cooling ducts and corrugated tank panels) through an automated design process, enhancing the model accuracy with the least possible computational effort and (iii) accurate definition of the transformer heat sources (core and windings loss). The proposed methodology provides an integrated tool for thermal simulation, able to predict detailed thermal distribution in a specific transformer, without requiring prior knowledge of nodal temperature or temperature gradient values. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This article analyzes parallel flow microchannel heat exchangers with non-adiabatic thermal condition imposed on the wall separating the fluids and the ambient. For purposes of analysis, a thermal model comprising of two governing equations, one for each of the fluids, is developed and analytically solved to obtain equations for calculating the axial temperature and thereby the effectiveness of both fluids. Provision is provided in these equations for the temperature of the ambient interacting with the hot fluid to be different from that associated with the cold fluid. Analytical equations for determining the heat transfer between the individual fluids and the respective ambient as well as that between the fluids are also developed in this paper. The temperatures/effectiveness of the fluids depend on parameters such as NTU, fluid heat capacities, thermal resistance between the individual fluid and the respective ambient and ambient temperatures. In addition, under certain operating conditions the phenomenon of temperature-cross is observed. Depending on the ambient temperatures, increase in NTU will continuously improve the effectiveness of one the fluids; the effectiveness of the other fluid over the same NTU range increases before peaking and subsequent decrease. Equations for determining the NTU at which this peak value in effectiveness occurs are also provided. An unbalanced flow microchannel heat exchanger with the hot fluid having the lowest heat capacity has better effectiveness than when the cold fluid has the lowest heat capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One of the major challenges in the study of thermal transport and its analysis, based on the hyperbolic model associated with Cattaneo equation, is the fact that it is necessary to determine the thermal relaxation time for the analyzed materials. This parameter has been an elusive physical quantity to be determined experimentally even though it is of crucial importance in heat transport. In this paper a system formed by a semi-infinite layer in contact with a finite one, that is excited by a modulated heat source is studied. It is shown that a frequency range can be found in which the amplitude and phase of the spatial component of the oscillatory surface temperature show strong oscillations when the thermal relaxation time of the finite layer is close to its thermalization time. When the thermal effusivities of the layers are quite different or their thermal relaxation times are similar, it is shown that simple analytical expressions for the values of the maxima and minima of the oscillations as well as for the frequencies, at which they occur, are obtained. These results were used to establish a methodology to determine the thermal relaxation time as well as additional thermal properties of the finite layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a method developed for determining temperature distribution in a semi-analytical way within tri-dimensional solid-state circuits and packaged devices in steady state conditions. The method is an efficient route to investigate large ranging sized structures with an arbitrary complex layout composed of multiple material layers and localized heat sources. The method, called the Discrete Boundary Resistance (DBR), consists in decomposing the structure into layers of different sizes to develop the temperature solution as a Double Fourier Series after subdividing the contact boundaries into discrete elements. The solution is expressed as a function of thermal resistance attached to the contact boundaries connected to a temperature reference. The performance of the method has been studied in regards with a three-dimensional device involving a non-uniform distribution of voids between layers. Computational time was found to be shorter than ones achieved with the Finite Element method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]