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Modelling effective thermal properties is crucial for optimizing the thermal performance of materials such as new green insulating fibrous media. In this study, a numerical model is proposed to calculate the effective thermal conductivity of these materials. The fibers are considered to be non-overlapping and randomly oriented in space. The numerical model is based on the finite element method. Particular attention is paid to the accuracy of the results and the influence of the choice of the representative elementary volume (REV) for calculation (cubic or rectangular parallelepiped slice). The calculated effective thermal conductivity of fibrous media under different boundary conditions is also investigated. A set of usual mixed boundary conditions is considered, alongside the uniform temperature gradient conditions. The REV rectangular slice and uniform temperature gradient boundary conditions provide a more accurate estimate of the effective thermal conductivity and are therefore recommended for use in place of the usual cubic representative elementary volume and the usual mixed boundary conditions. This robust model represents a principal novelty of the work. The results are compared with experimental and analytical data previously obtained in the literature for juncus maritimus fibrous media, for different fiber volume fractions, with small relative deviations of 7%. Analytical laws are generally based on simplified assumptions such as infinitely long fibers, and may neglect heat transfer between different phases. Both short and long fiber cases are considered in numerical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change materials (PCMs) could be used in envelopes to moderate indoor temperature while hygroscopic materials could be used in envelopes to moderate indoor humidity. However, it remains unsolved whether these two materials are mixed to generate a better effect than single materials. Therefore, a transient model for coupled heat and moisture transfer through hygroscopic PCMs (HPCMs) was presented. The numerical cases of periodic boundary conditions and realistic weather conditions were conducted to investigate the heat and moisture transfer characteristics of three gypsum-based HPCMs containing different mass ratios of microencapsulated PCMs. Quantitative analyses were conducted to capture the effects of hygrothermal properties on heat and moisture transfer characteristics of HPCMs. The numerical results show that the mixing of PCMs and hygroscopic materials could generate a better temperature-humidity controlling effect than pure hygroscopic material, and the condensation risks inside the envelopes could also be reduced. Both the studied cases indicate that the HPCMs could be applied in building envelopes to passively moderate the indoor temperature and humidity simultaneously, reducing the building energy consumption and condensation risks inside the envelopes. The effects of hygroscopic and moisture transfer properties on temperature-control performance of HPCMs are relatively small, while the thermal properties play an important role in the improvement of temperature-humidity controlling performance of HPCMs with the increase of PCM concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronics in logging tools are susceptible to thermal failure due to the extreme thermal environment. Passive thermal management system (PTMS) has been proven to protect the electronics for several hours. In this paper, a numerical model based on the equivalent thermal conductivity method was developed to determine the transient temperature of downhole electronics. Compared with the traditional analytical model or numerical model considering only one single heat transfer process, the complex heat transfer in the logging tool were comprehensively considered through the proposed model. Briefly, the heat transfer processes in the vacuum bottle were theoretically calculated rather than empirically acquired, and the convective and radiative heat transfer inside the vacuum bottle was equated to the temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of air. In addition, the proposed numerical model was compared with experiments and previous numerical models to verify the accuracy of the model, and the temperature deviation of the electronics was within 5 °C. Moreover, the computational time was greatly reduced compared with the traditional three-dimensional numerical simulation process while ensuring the accuracy of calculation. Therefore, the proposed numerical model achieved both computational accuracy and efficiency, which was expected to be widely used in the development of PTMS for logging tools. • A numerical model based on equivalent thermal conductivity method was proposed. • The complex heat transfer processes in PTMS were comprehensively considered. • The proposed model possessed high computational accuracy and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U-bend deep borehole heat exchanger (DBHE) is a new promising kind of ground heat exchanger, but nowadays there are lack of accurate efficient models to simulate U-bend DBHE. This paper has developed a semi-analytical model of U-bend DBHE, which considers the unsteady heat transfer of borehole, heterogenous soil thermal properties and geothermal gradient. A 2D numerical model and an analytical model based on infinite line-source theory are also developed, and the three models are compared with experimental data for different boundary conditions. Based on the soil thermal properties estimated by logging data and rock identification, the three models have large errors when compared with experimental data. Based on a soil thermal conductivity λ s estimated by matching experimental data, the three models match better with experimental data, and it is inferred that λ s should be measured by thermal response test instead of rock identification. The semi-analytical model and 2D numerical model match very well for all the time, but the analytical model has large differences with 2D numerical model, which is because the analytical model ignores borehole heat capacity and time-varying heat flows at the borehole wall. This paper could provide a cost-effective semi-analytical model and some advices for U-bend DBHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U-bend deep borehole heat exchanger (DBHE) is a new promising kind of ground heat exchanger, but nowadays there are lack of accurate efficient models to simulate U-bend DBHE. This paper has developed a semi-analytical model of U-bend DBHE, which considers the unsteady heat transfer of borehole, heterogenous soil thermal properties and geothermal gradient. A 2D numerical model and an analytical model based on infinite line-source theory are also developed, and the three models are compared with experimental data for different boundary conditions. Based on the soil thermal properties estimated by logging data and rock identification, the three models have large errors when compared with experimental data. Based on a soil thermal conductivity λ s estimated by matching experimental data, the three models match better with experimental data, and it is inferred that λ s should be measured by thermal response test instead of rock identification. The semi-analytical model and 2D numerical model match very well for all the time, but the analytical model has large differences with 2D numerical model, which is because the analytical model ignores borehole heat capacity and time-varying heat flows at the borehole wall. This paper could provide a cost-effective semi-analytical model and some advices for U-bend DBHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Seepage can promote the temperature field around GHEs to reach the steady faster. • Seepage effects on temperature field around GHEs increases with seepage velocity. • Seepage will reduce the accumulation of heat around the heat exchangers. • Ground stratification effects on temperature field around GHEs depends on the thermal property of adjacent stratum. Heat transfer between the ground heat exchanger and surrounding stratum under the action of groundwater seepage is a potential problem in karst areas, few systematic studies on it have been carried out yet. A model test apparatus was built to experimentally investigate the effects of karst groundwater seepage and ground stratification on the heat transfer characteristics of ground heat exchangers. The heat and seepage transfer coupling model for ground heat exchangers was established, and verified with the measured data from the model test. Base on the model, the influence of seepage velocity and direction on the heat transfer of ground heat exchangers was analyzed and discussed. Test results show that the seepage can promote the temperature field around the heat exchanger to reach the steady state faster, and the influence of seepage on the soil temperature field around the heat exchanger increases with increasing the seepage velocity. The seepage will carry the heat released by the heat exchanger from the upstream side to the downstream, which effectively reduce the accumulation of heat around the heat exchanger. Soil boundary exists the sudden change of temperature when there are great differences in thermal properties between adjacent soil layers, which can be attributed to the influence of ground stratification. The numerical model proposed in this study can well predict the distribution of soil temperature field around heat exchangers in the model test. Simulation results show that the temperature of soil around the heat exchanger will change along the seepage direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]