Double-Layer Micro Porous Media Burner from Lean to Rich Fuel Mixture: Analysis of Entropy Generation and Exergy Efficiency.

Porous media burner (PMB) is widely used in a variety of practical systems, including heat exchangers, gas propulsion, reactors, and radiant burner combustion. However, thorough evaluations of the performance of the PMB based on the usefulness of entropy generation, thermal and exergy efficiency aspects are still lacking. In this work, the concept of a double-layer micro PMB with a 23 mm cylindrical shape burner was experimentally demonstrated. The PMB was constructed based on the utilization of premixed butane-air combustion which consists of an alumina and porcelain foam. The tests were designed to cover lean to rich combustion with equivalence ratios ranging from ϕ = 0.6 to ϕ = 1.2. It was found that the maximum thermal and exergy efficiency was obtained at ϕ = 1.2 while the lowest thermal and exergy efficiency was found at ϕ = 0.8. Furthermore, the findings also indicated that the total entropy generation, energy loss, and exergy destroyed yield the lowest values at ϕ = 1.0 with 0.0048 W/K, 98.084 W, and 1.456 W, respectively. These values can be stated to be the suitable operating conditions of the PMB. The findings provided useful information on the design and operation in a double-layer PMB.

Thermophysical Properties of Vegetable Oil-Based Hybrid Nanofluids Containing Al2O3-TiO2 Nanoparticles as Insulation Oil for Power Transformers.

The massive demand in the electrical power sector has resulted in a large demand for reliable, cost efficient, and environmentally friendly insulation oil to reduce the dependency on mineral oil. The hybridization of nanoparticles in vegetable oil is a novel method to enhance the thermal properties of vegetable oil. This study focuses on the experimental investigation of the thermophysical properties of coconut oil, soybean oil, and palm oil-based hybrid nanofluids suspended with Al2O3-TiO2 nanoparticles at a mass concentration of 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6%. The ratio between Al2O3 and TiO2 nanoparticles was maintained constant at 50:50. The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the thermal conductivity, dynamic viscosity, and density of different vegetable base oils suspended with Al2O3-TiO2 in the temperature range of 30 to 60 °C. The influence of temperature on the augmentation of thermophysical properties for different vegetable oil-based hybrid nanofluids is investigated experimentally. The experimental results for thermal conductivity for the three types of base fluids show that the effect of nanoparticle mass concentration in thermal conductivity enhancement is less significant for temperatures more than 50 °C. The palm oil with a 0.6% Al2O3-TiO2 nanoparticle concentration exhibited the highest thermal conductivity with a 27.5% thermal conductivity enhancement relative to the base oil. The effect of nanofluid temperature on density and viscosity augmentation is more distinct compared with the impact of Al2O3-TiO2 nanoparticles concentrations. Among all three types of hybrid nanofluids, palm oil based nanofluids were found to have superior thermophysical properties compared with coconut oil and soybean oil, with the highest thermal conductivity of 0.628 W/m·k and lowest viscosity of 17.772 mPa·s.

Influence of Nanoparticles on Thermophysical Properties of Hybrid Nanofluids of Different Volume Fractions.

Nanofluids are frequently employed in numerous heat transfer applications due to their improved thermophysical properties compared to a base fluid. By selecting suitable combinations of nanoparticles, hybrid nanofluids can have better thermophysical properties than mono nanofluids. Thus, this study examines the effect of volume fractions of hybrid nanofluids on different thermophysical properties, such as density, thermal conductivity, specific heat, and dynamic viscosity. Thermophysical properties of copper-nickel (Cu-Ni) water-based hybrid nanofluids are determined using molecular dynamic (MD) simulation for different volume fractions of 0.1-0.3%. Results show that the density, thermal conductivity, and viscosity of Cu-Ni hybrid nanofluids increase with volume fraction, whereas the specific heat capacity at a constant pressure decreases with volume fraction. These properties are validated for the base fluid, mono nanofluids, and hybrid nanofluids. Results are in good agreement with previous findings. The thermophysical properties of Cu-Ni hybrid nanofluids significantly improve and have better characteristics for cooling fluids than the base fluid.

Recent Advances on Thermally Conductive Adhesive in Electronic Packaging: A Review.

The application of epoxy adhesive is widespread in electronic packaging. Epoxy adhesives can be integrated with various types of nanoparticles for enhancing thermal conductivity. The joints with thermally conductive adhesive (TCA) are preferred for research and advances in thermal management. Many studies have been conducted to increase the thermal conductivity of epoxy-based TCAs by conductive fillers. This paper reviews and summarizes recent advances of these available fillers in TCAs that contribute to electronic packaging. It also covers the challenges of using the filler as a nano-composite. Moreover, the review reveals a broad scope for future research, particularly on thermal management by nanoparticles and improving bonding strength in electronic packaging.

Enhancement in Cathodic Redox Reactions of Single-Chambered Microbial Fuel Cells with Castor Oil-Emitted Powder as Cathode Material.

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) would be a standalone solution for clean, sustainable energy and rural electrification. It can be used in addition to wastewater treatment for bioelectricity generation. Materials chosen for the membrane and electrodes are of low cost with suitable conducting ions and electrical properties. The prime objective of the present work is to enhance redox reactions by using novel and low-cost cathode catalysts synthesized from waste castor oil. Synthesized graphene has been used as an anode, castor oil-emitted carbon powder serves as a cathode, and clay material acts as a membrane. Three single-chambered MFC modules developed were used in the current study, and continuous readings were recorded. The maximum voltage achieved was 0.36 V for a 100 mL mixture of domestic wastewater and cow dung for an anodic chamber of 200 mL. The maximum power density obtained was 7280 mW/m2. In addition, a performance test was evaluated for another MFC with inoculums slurry, and a maximum voltage of 0.78 V and power density of 34.4093 mW/m2 with an anodic chamber of 50 mL was reported. The present study's findings show that such cathode catalysts can be a suitable option for practical applications of microbial fuel cells.

Piezoresistive effects in controllable defective HFTCVD graphene-based flexible pressure sensor.

In this work, the piezoresistive effects of defective graphene used on a flexible pressure sensor are demonstrated. The graphene used was deposited at substrate temperatures of 750, 850 and 1000 °C using the hot-filament thermal chemical vapor deposition method in which the resultant graphene had different defect densities. Incorporation of the graphene as the sensing materials in sensor device showed that a linear variation in the resistance change with the applied gas pressure was obtained in the range of 0 to 50 kPa. The deposition temperature of the graphene deposited on copper foil using this technique was shown to be capable of tuning the sensitivity of the flexible graphene-based pressure sensor. We found that the sensor performance is strongly dominated by the defect density in the graphene, where graphene with the highest defect density deposited at 750 °C exhibited an almost four-fold sensitivity as compared to that deposited at 1000 °C. This effect is believed to have been contributed by the scattering of charge carriers in the graphene networks through various forms such as from the defects in the graphene lattice itself, tunneling between graphene islands, and tunneling between defect-like structures.

Standardization of Malaysian adult female nasal cavity.

This research focuses on creating a standardized nasal cavity model of adult Malaysian females. The methodology implemented in this research is a new approach compared to other methods used by previous researchers. This study involves 26 females who represent the test subjects for this preliminary study. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis was carried out to better understand the characteristics of the standardized model and to compare it to the available standardized Caucasian model. This comparison includes cross-sectional areas for both half-models as well as velocity contours along the nasal cavities. The Malaysian female standardized model is larger in cross-sectional area compared to the standardized Caucasian model thus leading to lower average velocity magnitudes. The standardized model was further evaluated with four more Malaysian female test subjects based on its cross-sectional areas and average velocity magnitudes along the nasal cavities. This evaluation shows that the generated model represents an averaged and standardized model of adult Malaysian females.