Results for "Experimental" : Scipedia

Collection of Energy Science & Engineering

Performance testing of thermal and photovoltaic thermal solar collectors

Abstract

This work details a methodology to characterize the performance of solar thermal and photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors using an indoor solar simulator. In this study, several cases have been compared to show that the methodology can be used to extract fundamental performance characteristics from a solar collector. In the first case, a serpentine collector was compared against a header riser collector using the same mass flow rate. It was found that the header riser was less efficient, with a 34% increase in the overall loss coefficient. The experimental results were compared with commonly used empirical models and showed a close agreement. In the second case, the impact on performance of using a polycarbonate cover is presented. The results show that the optical efficiency of the collector is reduced by 12% when using a cover, however, because the loss coefficient is reduced by 53%, the covered collector performs better when there is a large temperature difference between the absorber and the ambient. The third case investigates the combined performance of a PVT collector, that produces both heat and electricity from a single device. By placing photovoltaic (PV) laminates on top of the serpentine absorber, the thermal efficiency is reduced by 15%. When electricity is generated by laminates, the thermal efficiency is reduced by a further 3.5%, this drop in thermal efficiency is a result of the incident radiation producing electricity before reaching the thermal absorber. The combined efficiency of the PVT collectors was compared at controlled inlet temperatures. The serpentine design had the highest combined efficiency of 61% with 8% electricity at the lowest inlet temperature (21°C). The dominant form of loss in the PVT system is temperature driven, as the thermal efficiency decreases, electricity generation makes up a larger percentage of the combined output. This study highlights the potential for manufacturers of bespoke thermal absorbers and PV devices to combine their products into a single PVT device that could achieve improved efficiency over a given roof area.

Abstract

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Collection of open articles in transport research

Experimental and numerical modeling of horizontally-bent buried pipelines crossing fault slip

Abstract

The behavior and response of pipelines subjected to slip fault movement is studied by numerical simulations as well as experimental setup. A finite element modeling is also developed via ABAQUS software. In this study, an artificial accelerogram is applied to the system and matched [...]

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12th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (SAHC)

Experimental Data for the Calibration of a Non-Linear Numerical Model for Describing the Response of Masonry Constructions under Cyclic Loading

Abstract

One of the crucial issues in the still open problem of seismic analyses of masonry constructions is the study of the structural capacity for cyclic loadings; the difficulties are even more pronounced when constructions embedding curved elements like arches, vaults and [...]

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Revista de Materiales Compuestos

Experimental observations of interface cracks associated with compression matrix failure in composite laminates

Abstract

Matrix/Inter-fibre failure is characterized by the appearance at the fiber-matrix interfaces of small debonds that can progress along them until reaching a certain extension, then, changing their orientation kinking towards the matrix and finally growing through it. The particular [...]

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Revista de Materiales Compuestos

Micromechanical experimental study on the inter-fibre failure under tension: Microscopical observations

Abstract

The study of the matrix/inter-fibre failure at micromechanical level by means of numerical methods predicts the appearance of differents stages in the development of this mechanism of damage; these numerical studies have also allowed the main features of each stage (such as the [...]

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