Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 92 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-75).

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D. Tech. Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Industrial Design / Heat pump drying (HPD) is a proven efficient method in food drying industries and more efficacious than traditional South African industrial and agricultural drying methods, providing high energy efficiency with controllable temperature, air flow, air humidity and large energy saving potentials. In the last decade the market of heat pump (HP) systems for water heating and space cooling/heating has been well developed in South Africa, but the development of heat pumps (HPs) for industrial and agricultural drying has been very slow. In the case of optimization of HPD systems, most literature studies concentrate on optimization of the drying parameters; however it is important to note that the overall performance of the HPD system, which consists of two subsystems, the HP and drying system, depends on working conditions and the two subsystems interact with each other. It is therefore important that the HP and the dryer should not be examined or optimized separately. Therefore, in this study, an air source heat pump system was designed, constructed, installed and analysed as a single integrated unit for drying fruits. The main objective of the study was to carry out experimental investigations on optimization of an air source heat pump for drying South African fruits.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

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In the present work, investigations are carried out for the ultimate use of the "Bis table Fluid Amplifier" as an alternator to produce intermittent vertical water slugs. The effect of some geometrical and flow variables on the amplifier characteristics used in a vertical position, is studied experimentally. The minimum control flow required to switch the main power jet from one wall to the other is obtained as a function of the main jet flow rate, the splitter angle and its distance from the main nozzle. The efficiency of the amplifier functioning as a pressure recovery device is determined in relation to the output load. Theoretical and experimental results are compared. Some aspects of downwards air water flow in long vertical tubes are investigated. The formation of a spherical-cap air slug in an overflow pipe, and the behaviour and stability of the air-water interface in the tube are studied with the aid of motion picture films. Finally, a theory is appended concerning the transient polytropic compression of a gas in a vertical tube by a high velocity falling liquid slug from a constant flow supply.

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