The recently developed entransy theory is introduced in this paper to tackle the heat transfer processes in building central chilled water systems so as to improve their energy efficiency. We first divide the irreversible heat transfer processes into four categories: (1) air mixing processes;...

A thermodynamic cycle usually consists of heat transfer processes in heat exchangers and heat-work conversion processes in compressors, expanders and/or turbines. This paper presents a new optimization method for effective improvement of thermodynamic cycle performance with the combination of...

Electrical circuit analogy is an effective method for the performance analysis of various heat transfer processes, whereas there is no equivalent thermal circuit for heat exchanger networks (HENs). In view of this limitation, and based on the concept of entransy-dissipation-based thermal...

Varying water/air volume (VWV/VAV) favors the performance improvement of central chiller systems. However, due to the lack of an intrinsic relation connecting these design parameters to the requirements, both the operating parameters of variable speed pumps/fans (VSP/VSF) and the structural...

On May 12, 2008, an Ms 8.0 earthquake occurred on the Longmen Mountain Fault in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China. Based on the reported earthquake intensity and surface displacement distributions in the affected areas, the damages to buildings in high-intensity areas were investigated....

On May 12, 2008, a massive earthquake occurred along the Longmen Mountain Central Fault in Sichuan Province, China, causing serious damages to buildings near the fault. As the Longmen Mountain Central Fault and the Anterior Fault both traversed Dujiangyan and Pengzhou cities, the seismic...

Rectified transport of self-propelled particles in an asymmetric period potential is numerically investigated by employing a feedback control protocol. The feedback control is switched on and off depending on the direction of the self-propelled speed. It is found that the direction of the...