No description available.

In this investigation, a single phase fluid is used to study the coupling between natural convection heat transfer within an enclosure and forced convection through computer covering case to cool the electronic chip. Two working fluids are used (water and air) within a rectangular enclosure and the air flow through the computer case is created by an exhaust fan installed at the back of the computer case. The optimum enclosure size configuration that keeps a maximum temperature of the heat source at a safe temperature level (85℃) is determined. The cooling system is tested for varying values of applied power in the range of 15−40𝑊. The study is based on both numerical models and experimental observations. The numerical work was developed using the commercial software (ANSYS-Icepak) to simulate the flow and temperature fields for the desktop computer and the cooling system. The numerical simulation has the same physical geometry as those used in the experimental investigations. The experimental work was aimed to gather the details for temperature field and use them in the validation of the numerical prediction. The results showed that, the cavity size variations influence both the heat transfer process and the maximum temperature. Furthermore, the experimental results ii compared favourably with those obtained numerically, where the maximum deviation in terms of the maximum system temperature, is within 3.5%. Moreover, it is seen that using water as the working fluid within the enclosure is capable of keeping the maximum temperature under 77℃ for a heat source of 40𝑊, which is below the recommended electronic chips temperature of not exceeding 85℃. As a result, the noise and vibration level is reduced. In addition, the proposed cooling system saved about 65% of the CPU fan power.

No description available.

<p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p>Concentrator photovoltaics have demonstrated greater solar energy production efficiency than previous solar electric technologies.  However, recent research reveals that heat management is a significant difficulty in CPV systems, and if left unaddressed, it can have a severe influence on system efficiency and lifetime. Traditional CPV cooling relies on active methods such as forced air convection, or liquid cooling, which might lead to an extremely large parasitic power use. In addition, the moving parts of a cooling system result in a shorter lifespan and higher maintenance expenses. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CPV systems can boost their efficiency and lifespan by adopting passive cooling solutions. This work employed radiative cooling and natural convection to construct an efficient and cost-effective cooling system. The excess heat of a solar cell can be dispersed into space via electromagnetic waves via radiative cooling. Due to the fact that the radiative cooling power is related to the difference between the fourth powers of the solar cell and the ambient temperature, much greater cooling powers can be obtained at higher temperatures. Heat pipes were installed to act as a heat pump by transferring excessive heat from solar cells within a system to the exterior, where it can be dissipated via natural air cooling and thermal radiation. Experiments conducted in this study demonstrate that a temperature reduction of 21 ◦C was accomplished through radiative cooling and natural convection, resulting in an increase of 64 mV, or 17% in the open-circuit voltage of a GaSb solar cell.</p>

Le but de ce mémoire de recherche est d'étudier les convections naturelle et mixte d'écoulements fluides, et de développer et valider des méthodes numériques pour le suivi d'interfaces afin de traiter plus tard des écoulements incompressibles de fluides immiscibles. Dans une première étape, une méthode numérique originale, basée sur des discrétisations Volumes Finis, est développée pour modéliser les écoulements à faible nombre de Mach et grands écarts de température. Trois applications physiques, portant sur l'écoulement d'air à travers des plaques verticales parallèles chauffées, sont étudiées. Nous avons montré que l'espacement optimal, correspondant au pic de flux de chaleur transféré d'un réseau de plaques parallèles isothermes refroidies par convection mixte, est plus faible que ceux obtenus en convections naturelle ou forcée lorsque la chute de pression à la sortie est constante. Nous avons également prouvé que les écoulements de convection mixte à débit imposé peuvent présenter des solutions physiques inattendues ; un modèle alternatif basé sur une pression totale imposée à l'entrée et une pression fixée à la sortie donne de meilleurs résultats. Pour des canaux soumis un flux de chaleur sur une paroi seule, le rayonnement de surface tend à supprimer l'apparition des recirculations à la sortie et à uniformiser les températures des parois. Dans une seconde étape, le modèle mathématique couplant les équations de Navier-Stokes incompressibles et la méthode Level-Set pour le suivi d'interfaces est développé. Des améliorations de la conservation du volume fluide par l'utilisation de schémas de discrétisation d'ordres élevés (ENO-WENO) pour l'équation de transport et des variantes de l'équation de la distance signée sont discutées / The aim of this research dissertation is at studying natural and mixed convections of fluid flows, and to develop and validate numerical schemes for interface tracking in order to treat incompressible and immiscible fluid flows, later. In a first step, an original numerical method, based on Finite Volume discretizations, is developed for modeling low Mach number flows with large temperature gaps. Three physical applications on air flowing through vertical heated parallel plates were investigated. We showed that the optimum spacing corresponding to the peak heat flux transferred from an array of isothermal parallel plates cooled by mixed convection is smaller than those for natural or forced convections when the pressure drop at the outlet keeps constant. We also proved that mixed convection flows resulting from an imposed flow rate may exhibit unexpected physical solutions; alternative model based on prescribed total pressure at inlet and fixed pressure at outlet sections gives more realistic results. For channels heated by heat flux on one wall only, surface radiation tends to suppress the onset of recirculations at the outlet and to unify the walls temperature. In a second step, the mathematical model coupling the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the Level-Set method for interface tracking is derived. Improvements in fluid volume conservation by using high order discretization (ENO-WENO) schemes for the transport equation and variants of the signed distance equation are discussed

Le modèle numérique que nous avons développé au cours de cette thèse présente deux caractéristiques principales : un modèle dilatable pour l'eau et la prise en compte de domaines ouverts. Les difficultés associées au premier aspect concernent l'adaptation de la loi d'état de l’eau au modèle dilatable sous l’approximation à faibles nombres de Mach, tandis que celles associées au second sont relatives à la mise en œuvre de conditions aux limites numériques de sortie compatibles avec l'algorithme de projection utilisé. Les résultats de simulations d'écoulement de convection mixte en canal horizontal chauffé par le bas ont été confrontés à celles utilisant l'approximation de Boussinesq et aux expériences. / The 3D numerical model which we developed in this thesis presents two main features: a Low-Mach-Number approximation for water along with an open boundary condition formulation. Indeed, the difficulties related to the former point stand in a computationally efficient adaptation of the water equation of state in the framework of Low Mach number approximation, whereas the difficulties related to the latter concern the introduction of Open Boundary Conditions in the projection algorithm used. We have computed a mixed convection flow in a horizontal channel uniformly heated from below and compared the results obtained with both the Boussinesq approximation and experimental results.

En plus des aspects électrique, magnétique, vibro-acoustique et mécanique, les considérations thermiques doivent être prises en compte lors des phases de conception et d’optimisation des machines électriques. Ce mémoire se porte sur l’analyse et la simulation du comportement thermique des machines électriques Totalement Fermées et Non Ventilées (TFNV) et plus particulièrement sur le cas de la machine Synchro-réluctante (Synchrel), utilisée comme actionneur d’embrayage. Un modèle thermique détaillé (MTD), décrivant le comportement thermique de la machine Synchrel est conçu. Ce MTD proposé est construit grâce à une combinaison de la méthode à Constantes Localisées (CL) et d’une technique numérique de type Mécanique des Fluides Numériques (MFN). La première méthode est dédiée à la modélisation des transferts conductifs et radiatifs. La seconde permet de modéliser le mécanisme de refroidissement par convection naturelle autour de la machine Synchrel. Compte-tenu de l’importance du mode de refroidissement sur l’évolution des températures critiques, l’approche MFN peut apporter plus de précision. Par contre, elle nécessite des temps de calcul importants ce qui freine son utilisation. Afin de surmonter cette problématique, les résultats numériques obtenus pour des points de fonctionnement particuliers sont utilisés afin de définir des relations de corrélation analytiques. Cette analyse numérique est accompagnée d’une démarche expérimentale afin d’élaborer les corrélations expérimentales correspondantes. L’étude montre que les solutions numériques peuvent converger vers des solutions plus précises si l’on tient compte des données d’incertitudes introduites par cette approche. La deuxième problématique traitée est la détermination des Résistances Thermiques de Contact (RTCs) des machines électriques. Elles constituent des paramètres clefs dans la définition du MTD complet. La démarche de détermination des RTCs est basée sur deux approches d’identification paramétrique. La première est basée sur des observations expérimentales du comportement thermique de la machine. La seconde est basée sur une approche mathématique de réduction de modèle. Les valeurs déterminées sont cohérentes avec la littérature, bien que la machine Synchrel diffère en topologie, taille et puissance. En utilisant la corrélation d’origine numérique du phénomène de convection externe, le MTD complet est alors utilisé afin d’évaluer la variation de température due à l’erreur introduite par la MFN. En utilisant la corrélation expérimentale, le MTD complet est validé. Les approches d’identification paramétrique conduisent à la construction de deux modèles thermiques de second ordre de la machine. Ces modèles permettent la surveillance du comportement thermique du bobinage et du carter. Ces deux modèles simplifiés font montre d’une prédictibilité satisfaisante au regard de leur simplicité. / In addition to electrical, magnetic, vibro-acoustic and mechanical aspects, thermal considerations must be taken into account during the design and optimization of electrical machines. This study focuses on the analysis and the simulation of the thermal behavior of Totally Enclosed Non Ventilated (TENV) electric machines, specifically a Synchro-reluctant motor (Synchrel) in the context of an automotive application : a clutch actuator. A detailed thermal model (MTD) describing the thermal behavior of the Synchrel machine is designed. This proposed MTD is based on a combination of the Lumped Parameter Thermal Network method (LPTN) and the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods. The first method is dedicated to model the conductive and radiative heat transfers. CFD techniques are dedicated to model the cooling mechanism based on the natural convection around the Synchrel machine. Since the critical temperature is very sensitive to the cooling mode, the CFD approach is used in this study to provide more accurate results. On the other hand, it requires considerable computing time, which prevents its use in design studies based on optimization methods. In order to overcome this problem, only some numerical results obtained for particular operating points are used to define an analytical correlation based on the numerical calculation relations. This numerical analysis goes with an experimental approach in order to elaborate the corresponding experimental correlations. This study shows that numerical solutions can present a good accuracy, if uncertainty data introduced by this approach are taken into account. The second research problem addressed in this study is the determination of the Contact Thermal Resistances (RTCs), which are key parameters in the definition of the MTD. The determination procedure of the RTCs is based on two parametric identification approaches. The first one is experimental and based on some observations of the thermal behavior of the machine. The second one is based on a mathematical model reduction approach. The determined values are consistent with results from literature, although the Synchrel machine differs in topology, size and power. Using the numerical correlations, the MTD is used to evaluate the temperature deviation due to error terms introduced by the CFD approach. Then, using these experimental correlations, the MTD’s quality can be checked and approved. Parametric identification approaches lead to the construction of two secondorder thermal models of the machine. These models allow monitoring the thermal behavior of the winding and the casing. Both simplified models show satisfactory predictability with respect to their great simplicity.

Cette thèse vise à étudier l'exploitation du rayonnement solaire grâce à un nouveau concept de mur capteur passif. Dans ce contexte, le comportement thermique d’un mur solaire semi-transparent a été étudié. Le mur fournit un éclairage naturel et est composé d’une couche d’aérogel de silice assurant une isolation thermique et acoustique, et d’un MCP. Ce dernier est contenu dans des briques de verre assurant l’absorption, le stockage et la restitution de chaleur. Ce mur a été caractérisé expérimentalement au centre PERSEE à Sophia. Il a été remarqué que la performance thermique du mur est élevée en hiver, tandis qu’une surchauffe estivale a été rencontrée. Un modèle numérique simplifié a été développé pour modéliser la convection naturelle et le rayonnement pendant la fusion du MCP. Ce modèle est validé à l’aide d’un modèle CFD, et des résultats de Benchmark. Pour optimiser la performance du mur en été, un modèle numérique du transfert de chaleur à travers le mur a été développé sous MATLAB. Ce modèle a été couplé à TRNSYS afin d’évaluer la performance thermique de l'ensemble du bâtiment. Le modèle couplé a été validé expérimentalement. Le comportement thermique du mur est testé dans des différents climats, et des solutions passives sont proposées pour assurer le confort thermique. Enfin, ce modèle a permis d'étudier le comportement thermique annuel d’un bâtiment intégrant un mur MCP- aérogel dans son enveloppe et une étude économique a été réalisée. Ces études ont confirmé l'intérêt du mur vis-à-vis de l'amélioration des performances énergétiques du bâtiment. La faisabilité économique de l'application du mur dépend du climat, du coût d’énergie, et du coût d'investissement. / This thesis aims to study the exploitation of solar radiation thanks to a new concept of passive sensor wall. In this context, the thermal behavior of a novel semi-transparent solar wall has been studied. The wall is composed of glazing, silica aerogel (TIM) and glass bricks filled with fatty acids (PCM). This wall provides storage and restitution of heat, thermal-acoustic insulation and daylighting. The thermal performance of the TIM-PCM wall is tested in a full-sized test cell located in Sophia, PERSEE center. In winter, particularly in sunny cold days, the PCM absorbs solar radiation, melts, and then releases the stored heat to the building at night. During summer, overheating is encountered, the PCM remains in its liquid state and is unable to release the stored heat. A simplified model for PCM melting in presence of natural convection and radiation is developed and validated using a CFD model, and benchmark solutions. Then, a numerical model describing the heat transfer mechanisms through the wall is developed. This model is linked to TRNSYS to assess the thermal performance of the whole building. The MATLAB-TRNSYS model is then validated experimentally. The thermal behavior of the wall is tested under different climates, and passive solutions are proposed to ensure thermal comfort in summer. Finally, the validated model is used to study the annual thermal behavior of a building integrating TIM-PCM wall and an economic study is conducted. These studies confirm the interest of the wall vis-à-vis the improvement of energy performance of the building. The economic feasibility of applying the TIM-PCM wall depends mainly on climate, energy costs, and investment cost.

The problem of laminar and turbulent conjugate mixed convection flow and heat transfer in shallow enclosures with a series of block-like heat generating components is studied numerically for a Reynolds number range of zero (pure natural convection) to typically 106, Grashof number range of zero (pure forced convection) to 1015 and various block-to-fluid thermal conductivity ratios, with air as the working medium. The shallow enclosure has modules consisting of heat generating elements, air admission and exhaust slots. Two problems are considered. In the first problem, the enclosure has free boundaries between the modules and in the second problem, there are partitioning walls between the different modules. The flow and temperature distributions are taken to be two-dimensional. Regions with the same velocity and temperature distributions can be identified assuming repeated placement of the blocks and fluid entry and exit openings at regular distances, neglecting end wall effects. One half of such rectangular region is chosen as the computational domain taking into account the symmetry about the vertical centreline. On the basis of the assumption that mixed convection flow is a superposition of forced convection flow with finite pressure drop and a natural convection flow with negligible pressure drop, the individual flow components are delineated. The Reynolds number is based on forced convection velocity, which can be determined in practice from the fan characteristics. This is believed to be more meaningful unlike the frequently used total velocity based Reynolds number, which does not vanish even in pure natural convection and which makes the fan selection difficult. Present analysis uses three models of turbulence, namely, standard k-ε (referred to as Model-1), low Reynolds number k-ε (referred to as Model-2) and an SGS kinetic energy based one equation model (referred to as Model-3). Results are obtained for aiding and opposing mixed convection, considering also the pure natural and pure forced convection limiting cases. The results show that higher Reynolds numbers tend to create a recirculation region of increasing strength at the core region and that the ranges of Reynolds number beyond which the effect of buoyancy becomes insignificant are identified. For instance, in laminar aiding mixed convection, the buoyancy effects become insignificant beyond a Reynolds number of 500. Results are presented for a number of quantities of interest such as the flow and temperature distributions, local and average Nusselt numbers and the maximum dimensionless temperature in the block. Correlations are constructed from the computed results for the maximum dimensionless temperature, pressure drop across the enclosure and the Nusselt numbers.

Numerical studies of two-dimensional laminar conjugate natural convection flow and heat transfer in horizontal annuli formed between inner heat generating solid cylinders and outer isothermal circular boundary are performed with and without the effect of surface radiation. The two configurations of the concentrically placed inner cylinder are a circular cylinder (CC configuration) and a square cylinder (SOS, i.e., Square-On-Side, configuration). The mathematical formulation consists of the continuity equation, momentum equations with Boussinesq approximation and the solid and fluid energy equations. Numerical solutions are obtained by discretising the governing equations on a collocated mesh (non-staggered mesh) and the pressure-velocity coupling is taken into account via the SIMPLE (Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations) algorithm. A cylindrical polar coordinate system is employed for CC configuration and a Cartesian coordinate system is used for the SOS configuration. The convective terms are discretised with donor-cell differencing scheme and the diffusion terms, with central differencing scheme. The algebraic equations resulting from the discretisation of the governing equations are solved using the line by line TDMA (Tri-Diagonal Matrix Algorithm). A global iteration scheme over each time step is used for better coupling of temperature and the flow variables and steady-state solutions are obtained by time-marching. Steady-state results of conjugate pure natural convection are obtained for the volumetric heat generation and outer radius based Grashof number ranging from 104 to 1010, for solid-to-fluid thermal conductivity ratios of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100, and for the aspect ratios of 0.2 and 0.4, with air as the working medium (Pr=0.708) for the CC and SOS configurations. The flow and temperature distributions are presented in terms of isotherms and streamline maps. Results are presented for several quantities of interest such as local and average Nusselt numbers on the inner and outer boundaries, dimensionless local temperatures on the inner boundary and dimensionless maximum and average solid cylinder temperatures. The results show that the flow in the annulus is characterized by double or quadruple vortex patterns. Of the dimensionless maximum solid temperature, average solid temperature and average inner boundary temperature, the first two are much sensitive to solid-to-fluid thermal conductivity ratio. Surface radiation effects are studied numerically in conjugation with natural convection. The coupling with surface radiation arises through the solid-fluid interface thermal condition. To account for the radiation effects, configuration factors among the subsurfaces of the inner and outer boundaries formed by the computational mesh are determined. Results are obtained for CC and SOS configurations for emissivities ranging from 0.2-0.8, with the other parameters as in pure natural convection case. It is found that even at low surface emissivity, radiation plays a significant role in bringing down the convective component and enhancing the total Nusselt numbers across the annulus. The presence of radiation is found to reduce the dimensionless temperatures inside the solid and homogenise the temperature distribution in the fluid. The radiative Nusselt number is about 50-70 % of the total Nusselt number depending on the radiative parameters chosen. This factor emphasizes the need for taking into account the coupling of radiation and natural convection for the accurate prediction of the flow and heat transfer characteristics in the annulus. The solution of the conjugate problem facilitates the determination of the solid temperature distribution, which is important in connection with the safety aspects of various thermal energy systems. Correlations as functions of Grashof number and thermal conductivity ratio are constructed for the estimation of various quantities of interest for the two configurations and aspect ratios for pure natural convection and for combined natural convection and radiation cases. The results are expected to be useful in the design of thermal systems such as spent nuclear fuel casks during transportation and storage, underground transmission cables and cooling of electrical and electronic components.