A finite line source simulation model for geothermal systems with series- and parallel-connected boreholes and independent fluid loops

A model for the simulation of geothermal systems with parallel- and series-connected boreholes is presented. Mass and heat balance problems are formulated for each component in the system and are assembled into system-level problems. A third problem is formulated to account for heat transfer in the bore field, using the finite line source solution. This third problem is coupled to the system-level heat balance problem by an analytical solution of the heat transfer inside boreholes with multiple U-tubes. The simulation model allows for any number of independent fluid loops within the bore field or within individual boreholes and allows for combinations of specified inlet fluid temperatures and heat extraction rates in independent fluid loops. The model accounts for the axial variation of the fluid and borehole wall temperatures and heat extraction rates. The capabilities of the model are demonstrated through three example simulations.     

Domestic demand-side response with heat pumps: controls and tariffs

ABSTRACT

Electric heat pumps feature prominently in projected energy transitions in the UK and elsewhere. Owing to their high electricity consumption, heat pumps are viewed as important targets for demand-side response (DSR). Findings are presented from a field trial of a new control system that aims to optimize heat pump performance, including under time-varying tariff conditions. The trial involved monitoring 76 properties with heat pumps, but without dedicated heat storage; 31 of these received the control system. Interviews were conducted with a subsample of 12 participants. The controller successfully evened out electricity demand over the day (reducing the evening peak), but this was associated with increased late night and daytime temperatures. Interview participants reported some disturbance owing to overnight heating and noise, as well as usability issues with the controller interface and hardware. These issues present risks to the future acceptability of such systems. While the system delivered short-term demand reductions successfully, longer-term demand shifting risked causing unacceptable disturbance to occupants. Future control systems could overcome some of the issues identified in this pioneering trial through more effective zoning, using temperature caps or installing dedicated heat storage, but these may either limit the available flexibility or be challenging to achieve.     

Microstructure evolution during thermomechanical processing in 3Mn-0.1C medium-Mn steel

ABSTRACT

Medium-Mn steels are energetically investigated as a candidate of the third generation advanced high strength steels (AHSSs). However, their phase transformation and microstructaure evolution during various heat treatments and thermomechanical processing are still unclear. The present study first confirmed the kinetics of static phase transformation behaviour in a 3Mn-0.1C medium-Mn steel. Hot compression tests were also carried out to investigate the influence of high-temperature deformation of austenite on subsequent microstructure evolution. It was found that static ferrite transformation was quite slow in this steel, but ferrite transformation was greatly accelerated by the hot deformation in austenite and ferrite two-phase regions. Characteristic dual-phase microstructures composed of martensite and fine-grained ferrite were obtained, which exhibited superior mechanical properties.

This paper is part of a Thematic Issue on Medium Manganese Steels.     

基于(火用)效率目标的环冷机余热回收系统操作参数优化

摘要：针对烧结环冷机余热回收利用率不高的难题，采用分析法建立了评价某钢铁厂烧结环冷机余热回收系统运行效率的效率模型。基于多孔介质模型、局部非热平衡方程、真实气体SRK方程建立环冷机内气固两相换热模型。通过CFD仿真模拟，探究料层高度、循环风机输入烟气温度、烧结矿底部入口风速三项可控环冷机运行工艺参数对系统效率的影响规律。结果表明，料层厚度在1～1.5 m区间每增加0.1 m，效率增加0.8%～1.1%；循环风温在100～140℃之间每增加10℃，效率增加1.4%～1.5%；烧结矿底部入口风速在0.9～1.9 m/s之间每增加0.1 m/s，效率降低0.18%～0.24%。在此基础上，基于工业运行数据建立效率正交试验优化模型，提高了该余热回收系统3.42%的效率。     

Unique crystal structures and their applications as materials for Li1+x-yM1-x-3yTix+4yO3 (M = Nb or Ta, 0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.33, 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.175)

In the Li₂O–M₂O₅–TiO₂ (M = Nb or Ta) system, Li_1+x-yM_1-x-3yTi_x+4yO₃ (LMT) forms with a superstructure known as the M-phase, in which the periodical intergrowth layers are inserted in a matrix having a trigonal structure of LiMO₃. We have been investigating this unique material focusing on its crystal structure, photoluminescence, and electrical properties.First, the formation area of the superstructure was compared between Nb- and Ta- systems and the difference was accurately analyzed.Second, to apply this unique material as a host material of phosphor, we synthesized new phosphors with various emission colors. Red phosphor, having a high PL intensity with an internal quantum efficiency of 98%, was successfully synthesized and used as a host material of the solid solution for the Ta system. Its high value was the result of the large centroid-to-cation distance of the Eu³⁺ position in the [(Li, Eu)O₁₂] polyhedral.Further still, toward application of the unique qualities of an electro-ceramic, we successfully fabricated oriented balk ceramics for the Nb system by slip casting in a strong magnetic field of 12 T. As a result, anisotropic electric properties were found along the c-axis, which were caused by the superstructure. We first clarified the mechanism showing that the anisotropic Qf value was due to anisotropic electron conductivity and anisotropic bonding strength within the superstructure.     

废脱硫剂在铁矿烧结中的应用

钢厂煤气脱硫工序排放的废脱硫剂是一种难以利用的有害固体废弃物，含一定量的铁及较高的钙和硫等元素。对废脱硫剂配入铁矿粉中进行了烧结杯的试验研究，结果表明，当废脱硫剂配比超过01%后，随着废脱硫剂配比的升高，烧结矿转鼓强度下降，利用系数下降，烧结烟气中SO2与NOx浓度增加，烧结矿的还原度有所下降，但烧结矿的低温还原粉化性能有所改善。烧结矿的矿相研究发现，废脱硫剂配比偏大时，磁铁矿体积分数增大，铁酸钙体积分数减少，并由针状结构向柱状、板状演变，烧结矿的气孔率上升。主要原因在于其粒度偏粗，含硫高，不利于成矿。当废脱硫剂粒度为-63mm及其配比控制在01%时，烧结矿的产量和质量有所改善，烟气中SO2、NOx较基准试验变化不大。工业试验表明，在烧结混匀矿中配入废脱硫剂配比小于012%时，烧结矿产量和质量没有明显变化，烧结烟气脱硫脱硝效果也没有受到影响。废脱硫剂掺入铁矿中进行烧结是一种资源化利用的有效方法，不仅解决了有害固体废弃物对环境的影响，而且使二次资源得到综合利用。     

高强度大桥缆索用盘条生产现状分析

最近5年，大桥缆索用镀锌钢丝抗拉强度有了大幅提高，从1 770 MPa级、1 860 MPa级、1 960 MPa级到目前的2 000 MPa及以上级别，扭转指标有了颠覆性的改变，从之前的几转到目前的十几转、二十几转。论述了国内外钢铁企业生产大桥缆索镀锌钢丝用盘条的不同现状。从成分设计、生产工艺流程、盘条韧化处理方式和组织特点等方面进行阐述，讨论了国内外不同生产工艺特点及发展趋势，为中国大桥缆索镀锌钢丝用盘条的生产提供理论支持。     

Thermodiffusion‐Assisted Pyroelectrics—Enabling Rapid and Stable Heat and Radiation Sensing

Sensors for monitoring temperature, heat flux, and thermal radiation are essential for applications such as electronic skin. While pyroelectric and thermoelectric effects are suitable candidates as functional elements in such devices, both concepts show individual drawbacks in terms of zero equilibrium signals for pyroelectric materials and small or slow response of thermoelectric materials. Here, these drawbacks are overcome by introducing the concept of thermodiffusion‐assisted pyroelectrics, which combines and enhances the performance of pyroelectric and ionic thermoelectric materials. The presented integrated concept provides both rapid initial response upon heating and stable synergistically enhanced signals upon prolonged exposure to heat stimuli. Likewise, incorporation of plasmonic metasurfaces enables the concept to provide both rapid and stable signals for radiation‐induced heating. The performance of the concept and its working mechanism can be explained by ion–electron interactions at the interface between the pyroelectric and ionic thermoelectric materials.     

Hydrolysis-resistant polyurethane elastomers synthesized from hydrophobic bio-based polyfarnesene diol

Hydrolytic stability is an essential requirement for polyurethanes (PUs) that are used in highly humid and aqueous environments. In this study, hydrolysis-resistant PU elastomers (PUEs) are synthesized based on hydrophobic bio-based polyfarnesene diol (PFD), which contains unique “bottle brushes” structure (with long branched hydrocarbon side chains). The effect of hard segment (HS) content, ranging from 30 to 50%, on the morphology and properties of PUEs is investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, tensile, water absorption, and contact angle measurements. The results show that there are prominent phase separations in the synthesized PUEs. The PUEs show a three-stage degradation process and two T_g, one is at about −66 °C and the other 61 °C, which are related to the soft segment and HS, respectively. Water contact angles of PUEs increase from 98.6 to 105.2° with the increasing of PFD structural unit fraction. After being immersed in deionized water for 30 days, PUEs show no significant degradation of both tensile strength and elongation at break, and mass changes of all samples are less than 0.5%. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47673.     

Improving the luminescence properties and powder morphologies of red-emitting Sr0.8Ca0.19AlSiN3:0.01Eu2+ phosphors for high CRIs white LEDs by adding fluxes

Red-emitting Sr_0.8Ca_0.19AlSiN₃:0.01Eu²⁺ phosphor with halide fluxes for use in the production of white light-emitting diodes (white LEDs) with high-colour rendering indices (CRIs) was prepared through the high-temperature solid-state method. Fluoride (NaF, SrF₂, BaF₂, CaF₂, AlF₃·3H₂O and CeF₃), chloride (NH₄Cl, BaCl₂, MgCl₂, NaCl and LiCl) and composite fluxes (NaF + SrF₂, SrF₂+NH₄Cl and NaF + NH₄Cl) were applied in the phosphors. NaF, SrF₂, NH₄Cl and NaF + SrF₂ fluxes had prominent effects on the characteristics of Sr_0.8Ca_0.19AlSiN₃:0.01Eu²⁺ phosphors. Sr_0.8Ca_0.19AlSiN₃:0.01Eu²⁺ phosphors with various powder morphologies can be obtained through the addition of fluxes, which are conducive for phosphor formation. The powder morphologies of phosphors incorporated with NaF + SrF₂ were preferable to those of powders incorporated with other fluxes. This result indicated that the incorporation of NaF + SrF₂ into Sr_0.8Ca_0.19AlSiN₃:0.01Eu²⁺ yielded phosphors with high luminescent intensity and quantum efficiency, excellent thermal stability, narrow full widths at half-maximum (FWHM, 75.2 nm), uniform rod-like morphologies with large particle sizes (D₅₀ = 16.99 μm) and good particle dispersion. White LEDs with high CRIs were obtained by combining prepared phosphors (NaF + SrF₂ additive) with the commercial green-emitting phosphors Y₃(Al,Ga)₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ and (Sr,Ba)₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺. White LEDs with Y₃(Al,Ga)₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ and (Sr,Ba)₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺ phosphors had correlated colour temperatures (CCTs) of 3064 and 3023 K, respectively, and CRIs of 81.8 and 92.4, respectively. Therefore, NaF + SrF₂ can be used as a favourable flux for the production of Sr_0.8Ca_0.19AlSiN₃:0.01Eu²⁺.