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Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2021) | Viewed by 33490

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Takahiko Miyazaki

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga koen, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan
Interests: heat pump and refrigeration; thermally driven heat pump; air conditioning; refrigerant; adsorption; desiccant; optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Koji Enoki

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Guest Editor

Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
Interests: heat pump and refrigeration; phase-change heat transfer; multiphase flow; heat exchanger; heat transfer enhancement; utilization of waste heat; jet flow; deep learning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Joon Ahn

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Interests: heat transfer; gas turbine; air-conditioning; boiler
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of the previous Special Issue “Sciences in Heat Pump and Refrigeration”, which was closed in December 2019, and we wish to attract publications related to heat pump and refrigeration. As heat pump and refrigeration are technologies used in a variety of applications (air conditioning, food preservation, hot water and steam generation, drying, cryogenic storage, etc.), the related research area’s span is very broad and includes both basic science and advanced engineering. Therefore, this new Special Issue welcomes basic scientific studies such as the prediction of refrigerant properties by molecular simulation and new materials for thermally driven heat pumps, as well as applied scientific studies that lead to innovation, such as the application of AI and heat transfer enhancement by nanostructures, amongst others.

Prof. Dr. Takahiko Miyazaki
Prof. Dr. Koji Enoki
Prof. Dr. Joon Ahn
Guest Editors

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Keywords

low-global-warming-potential refrigerants
absorption/adsorption heat pump and refrigeration
desiccant air conditioning
heat and mass transfer enhancement
innovative heat exchangers
application of AI for air conditioning
visualization
system optimization and dynamic control

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 182 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Special Issue on Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II

by Takahiko Miyazaki, Koji Enoki and Joon Ahn

Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(20), 10630; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app122010630 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1023

Abstract

Heat pumps and refrigeration are key technologies to realize carbon neutrality, and active research is being conducted around the world [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

11 pages, 3398 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Subcooled Flow Boiling Heat Flux Enhancement Using High Porosity Sintered Fiber

by Edgar Santiago Galicia, Yusuke Otomo, Toshihiko Saiwai, Kenji Takita, Kenji Orito and Koji Enoki

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5883; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11135883 - 24 Jun 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1651

Abstract

Passive methods to increase the heat flux on the subcooled flow boiling are extremely needed on modern cooling systems. Many methods, including treated surfaces and extended surfaces, have been investigated. Experimental research to enhance the subcooled flow boiling using high sintered fiber attached to the surface was conducted. One bare surface (0 mm) and four porous thickness (0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mm) were compared under three different mass fluxes (200, 400, and 600 kg·m⁻²·s⁻¹) and three different inlet subcooling temperature (70, 50, 30). Deionized water under atmospheric pressure was used as the working fluid. The results confirmed that the porous body can enhance the heat flux and reduce the wall superheat temperature. However, higher porous thickness presented a reduction in the heat flux in comparison with the bare surface. Bubble formation and pattern flow were recorded using a high-speed camera. The bubble size and formation are generally smaller at higher inlet subcooling temperatures. The enhancement in the heat flux and the reduction on the wall superheat is attributed to the increment on the nucleation sites, the increment on the heating surface area, water supply ability through the porous body, and the vapor trap ability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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15 pages, 3894 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Deep Learning Model to Forecast Solar Irradiance Using a Sky Camera

by Rial A. Rajagukguk, Raihan Kamil and Hyun-Jin Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5049; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11115049 - 29 May 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4025

Abstract

Solar irradiance fluctuates mainly due to clouds. A sky camera offers images with high temporal and spatial resolutions for a specific solar photovoltaic plant. The cloud cover from sky images is suitable for forecasting local fluctuations of solar irradiance and thereby solar power. Because no study applied deep learning for forecasting cloud cover using sky images, this study attempted to apply the long short-term memory algorithm in deep learning. Cloud cover data were collected by image processing of sky images and used for developing the deep learning model to forecast cloud cover 10 min ahead. The forecasted cloud cover data were plugged into solar radiation models as input in order to predict global horizontal irradiance. The forecasted results were grouped into three categories based on sky conditions: clear sky, partly cloudy, and overcast sky. By comparison with solar irradiance measurement at a ground station, the proposed model was evaluated. The proposed model outperformed the persistence model under high variability of solar irradiance such as partly cloudy days with relative root mean square differences for 10-min-ahead forecasting are 25.10% and 39.95%, respectively. Eventually, this study demonstrated that deep learning can forecast the cloud cover from sky images and thereby can be useful for forecasting solar irradiance under high variability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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21 pages, 12729 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of Semi-Empirical Models Based on Satellite Images for Estimating Solar Irradiance in Korea

by Pranda M. P. Garniwa, Raden A. A. Ramadhan and Hyun-Jin Lee

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3445; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11083445 - 12 Apr 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2433 | Correction

Abstract

The application of solar energy as a renewable energy source has significantly escalated owing to its abundance and availability worldwide. However, the intermittent behavior of solar irradiance is a serious disadvantage for electricity grids using photovoltaic (PV) systems. Thus, reliable solar irradiance data are vital to achieve consistent energy production. Geostationary satellite images have become a solution to this issue, as they represent a database for solar irradiance on a massive spatiotemporal scale. The estimation of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) using satellite images has been developed based on physical and semi-empirical models, but only a few studies have been dedicated to modeling GHI using semi-empirical models in Korea. Therefore, this study conducted a comparative analysis to determine the most suitable semi-empirical model of GHI in Korea. Considering their applicability, the Beyer, Rigollier, Hammer, and Perez, models were selected to estimate the GHI over Seoul, Korea. After a comparative evaluation, the Hammer model was determined to be the best model. This study also introduced a hybrid model and applied a long short-term memory (LSTM) model in order to improve prediction accuracy. The hybrid model exhibited a smaller root-mean-square error (RMSE), 97.08 W/m², than that of the Hammer model, 103.92 W/m², while producing a comparable mean-bias error. Meanwhile, the LSTM model showed the potential to further reduce the RMSE by 11.2%, compared to the hybrid model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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15 pages, 3815 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Analysis of Hybrid Desiccant Cooling System with Enhanced Dehumidification Capability Using TRNSYS

by Ji Hyeok Kim and Joon Ahn

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3236; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11073236 - 04 Apr 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2785

Abstract

In a field test of a hybrid desiccant cooling system (HDCS) linked to a gas engine cogeneration system (the latter system is hereafter referred to as the combined heat and power (CHP) system), in the cooling operation mode, the exhaust heat remained and the latent heat removal was insufficient. In this study, the performance of an HDCS was simulated at a humidity ratio of 10 g/kg in conditioned spaces and for an increasing dehumidification capacity of the desiccant rotor. Simulation models of the HDCS linked to the CHP system were based on a transient system simulation tool (TRNSYS). Furthermore, TRNBuild (the TRNSYS Building Model) was used to simulate the three-dimensional structure of cooling spaces and solar lighting conditions. According to the simulation results, when the desiccant capacity increased, the thermal comfort conditions in all three conditioned spaces were sufficiently good. The higher the ambient temperature, the higher the evaporative cooling performance was. The variation in the regeneration heat with the outdoor conditions was the most dominant factor that determined the coefficient of performance (COP). Therefore, the COP was higher under high temperature and dry conditions, resulting in less regeneration heat being required. According to the prediction results, when the dehumidification capacity is sufficiently increased for using more exhaust heat, the overall efficiency of the CHP can be increased while ensuring suitable thermal comfort conditions in the cooling space. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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24 pages, 4515 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of an Adsorption Heat Pump System Using MSC-30/R1234yf Pair with the Impact of Thermal Masses

by Sangwon Seo, František Mikšík, Yuta Maeshiro, Kyaw Thu and Takahiko Miyazaki

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2279; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11052279 - 04 Mar 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2244

Abstract

In this study, we evaluated the performance of low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerant R1234yf on the activated carbon (MSC-30) for adsorption heating applications. The adsorption isotherms of MSC-30/R1234yf were measured using a constant-volume–variable-pressure (CVVP) method from very low relative pressure to the practical operating ranges. The data were fitted with several isotherm models using non-linear curve fitting. An improved equilibrium model was employed to investigate the influence of dead thermal masses, i.e., the heat exchanger assembly and the non-adsorbing part of the adsorbent. The model employed the model for the isosteric heat of adsorption where the adsorbed phase volume was accounted for. The performance of the heat pump was compared with MSC-30/R134a pair using the data from the literature. The analysis covered the desorption temperature ranging from 60 °C to 90 °C, with the evaporation temperature at 5 °C and the adsorption temperature and condensation temperature set to 30 °C. It was observed that the adsorption isotherms of R1234yf on MSC-30 were relatively lower than those of R134a by approximately 12%. The coefficient of performance (COP) of the selected pair was found to vary from 0.03 to 0.35 depending on the heat source temperature. We demonstrated that due to lower latent heat, MSC-30/R1234yf pair exhibits slightly lower cycle performance compared to the MSC-30/R134a pair. However, the widespread adaptation of environmentally friendly R1234yf in automobile heat pump systems may call for the implementation of adsorption systems such as the direct hybridization using a single refrigerant. The isotherm and performance data presented in this work will be essential for such applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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16 pages, 5604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Refrigerant Charge Prediction of Vapor Compression Air Conditioner Based on Start-Up Characteristics

by Yechan Yun and Young Soo Chang

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1780; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11041780 - 17 Feb 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3028

Abstract

Refrigerant charge faults, which occur frequently, increase the energy loss and may fatally damage the system. Refrigerant leakage is difficult to detect and diagnose until the fault has reached a severe degree. Various techniques have been developed to predict the refrigerant charge amount based on steady-state operation; however, steady-state experiments used to develop prediction models for the refrigerant charge amount are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, a prediction model was established with dynamic experimental data to overcome these deficiencies. The dynamic models for the condensation temperature, degree of subcooling, compressor discharge temperature, and power consumption were developed with a regression support vector machine (r-SVM) model and start-up experimental data. The dynamic models for the condensation temperature and degree of subcooling can predict the distinct start-up characteristics depending on the refrigerant charge amount. Moreover, the estimated root mean square error (RMSE) of the condensation temperature and degree of subcooling of the test data are 0.53 and 0.84 °C, respectively. The refrigerant charge is one of the predictors that defines the dynamic characteristics. The refrigerant charge can be estimated by minimizing the RMSE of the predicted values of the dynamic models and experimental data. When the dynamic characteristics of the two predictor variables, “condensation temperature” and “degree of subcooling” are used together, the average prediction error of the test data is 2.54%. The proposed method, which uses the dynamic model during start-up operation, is an effective technique for predicting the refrigerant charge amount. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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14 pages, 7593 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancement of Subcooled Flow Boiling Heat Transfer with High Porosity Sintered Fiber Metal

by Yusuke Otomo, Edgar Santiago Galicia and Koji Enoki

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1237; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11031237 - 29 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2453

Abstract

We conducted experimental research using high-porosity sintered fiber attached on the surface, as a passive method to increase the heat flux for subcooled flow boiling. Two different porous thicknesses (1 and 0.5 mm) and one bare surface (0 mm) were compared under three different inlet subcooling temperatures (30, 50 and 70 K) and low mass flux (150–600 kg·m⁻²·s⁻¹) using deionized water as the working fluid under atmospheric pressure. The test section was a rectangular channel, and the hydraulic diameter was 10 mm. The results showed that the heat flux on porous surfaces with a thickness of 1 and 0.5 mm increased by 60% and 40%, respectively, compared to bare surfaces at

Δ T_{sat}

= 40 K at a subcooled temperature of 50 K and mass flux of 300 kg·m⁻²·s⁻¹. An abrupt increase in the wall superheat was avoided, and critical heat flux (CHF) was not reached on the porous surfaces. The flow pattern and bubble were recorded with a high-speed camera, and the bubble dynamics are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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16 pages, 9421 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon from Bagasse Activated with Water Vapor and Its Adsorption Performance for Methylene Blue

by Fitria Rahmawati, Arikasuci Fitonna Ridassepri, Chairunnisa, Agung Tri Wijayanta, Koji Nakabayashi, Jin Miyawaki and Takahiko Miyazaki

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 678; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app11020678 - 12 Jan 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3976

Abstract

This research work reports on the potential of bagasse, a solid waste from sugar factories, to produce activated-carbon (AC) as an adsorbent. The activation was conducted under 500, 600, and 700 °C using steam as the activation agent to produce AC500, AC600, and AC700, respectively. The prepared-materials were characterized to understand their elemental content, surface morphology, thermal properties, functional groups identification, surface area, and pore size. AC700 provided the highest surface area of 592.36 m²/g and indicated the contribution of mesopores distributes along 1.5–8.0 nm of pore size. Therefore, an adsorption test was conducted with AC700 as adsorbent. The results show that methylene blue (MB) adsorption reached equilibrium after 30 min of adsorption time. The adsorption isotherm applied to a monolayer Langmuir isotherm was fitted by linearization, resulting in a constant R² of 0.999. The MB adsorption to AC700 favorably occurred, as proven by the Freundlich parameter 1/n of 0.881, which is less than 1. The Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm confirmed that the adsorption proceeded through physical interaction with adsorption energy of 3.536 kJ/mol. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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15 pages, 5585 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Supply Angle on Thermal Environment of Residential Space with Hybrid Desiccant Cooling System for Multi-Room Control

by Joon Ahn and Ho Yup Choi

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(20), 7271; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10207271 - 17 Oct 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2466

Abstract

In this study, local measurement and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) were employed to evaluate the thermal comfort in a residential environment where desiccant cooling is performed in an outdoor air condition, which is the typical summer weather in Korea. The desiccant cooling system in the present study has been developed for multi-room control with a hybrid air distribution, whereby mixing and displacement ventilation occur simultaneously. Due to this distribution of air flow, the thermal comfort was changed, and the thermal comfort indicators conflicted. The evaluation indicators included the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) comfort zone, predicted mean vote (PMV), and effective draft temperature (EDT). The dry-bulb temperature displayed a distribution of 26.2–26.8 °C in the cooling spaces, i.e., living room, kitchen, and dining room. When determined based on the standard ASHRAE comfort zone, the space where desiccant cooling takes place entered the comfort zone for summer. Due to the influence of solar radiation, the globe temperature was more than 2 °C higher than the dry-bulb temperature at the window. A difference of up to 6% in humidity was observed locally in the cooling space. In the dining room located along the outlet of the desiccant cooling device, the PMV entered the comfort zone, but was slightly above 1 in the rest of the space. Conversely, as for the EDT, its value was lower than −1.7 in the dining room, but was included in the comfort zone in the rest of the space. By adjusting the discharge angle upward, the PMV and EDT were expected to be more uniform in the cooling space. In particular, the optimum discharge angle obtained was 40° upward from the discharge surface. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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18 pages, 9004 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Applicability of Evaporative Cooling Systems for Thermal Comfort of Poultry Birds in Pakistan

by Hafiz M. U. Raza, Hadeed Ashraf, Khawar Shahzad, Muhammad Sultan, Takahiko Miyazaki, Muhammad Usman, Redmond R. Shamshiri, Yuguang Zhou and Riaz Ahmad

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(13), 4445; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app10134445 - 28 Jun 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5978

Abstract

In the 21st century, the poultry sector is a vital concern for the developing economies including Pakistan. The summer conditions of the city of Multan (Pakistan) are not comfortable for poultry birds. Conventionally, swamp coolers are used in the poultry sheds/houses of the city, which are not efficient enough, whereas compressor-based systems are not economical. Therefore, this study is aimed to explore a low-cost air-conditioning (AC) option from the viewpoint of heat stress in poultry birds. In this regard, the study investigates the applicability of three evaporative cooling (EC) options, i.e., direct EC (DEC), indirect EC (IEC), and Maisotsenko-cycle EC (MEC). Performance of the EC systems is investigated using wet-bulb effectiveness (WBE) for the climatic conditions of Multan. Heat stress is investigated as a function of poultry weight. Thermal comfort of the poultry birds is calculated in terms of temperature-humidity index (THI) corresponding to the ambient and output conditions. The heat production from the poultry birds is calculated using the Pederson model (available in the literature) at various temperatures. The results indicate a maximum temperature gradient of 10.2 °C (MEC system), 9 °C (DEC system), and 6.5 °C (IEC systems) is achieved. However, in the monsoon/rainfall season, the performance of the EC systems is significantly reduced due to higher relative humidity in ambient air. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sciences and Innovations in Heat Pump/Refrigeration: Volume II)

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