A mathematical model able to deal with high temperature gas effects in hypersonic flow fields is presented. In order to assess this model, four typical hypersonic applications are considered. The numerical results are presented and compared with experimental data. The effects of the catalyticity...

Heat transfer in phase change materials (PCMs) contained in spherical encapsulations can be modelled more simply if an effective thermal conductivity can be determined to represent the natural convection occurring within the PCMs. Previous research has shown that natural convection in PCM can be...

The paper reports on the prediction of flow in a reach of the Sacramento River with focus on a part of the river’s bank where serious erosion has occurred. The simulations were obtained using a three-dimensional Navier–Stokes solver which utilized body-fitted coordinates to represent the...

A particle model for calculating turbine wake flow during the optimization of wind farm micro-siting is presented. This model treats the wake flow as virtual particles generated by the turbine rotor. Based on the pre-calculated flow field of empty wind farm, the motions of the particles are...

A renewed interest in vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) has been seen recently. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is regarded as a promising technique for aerodynamic studies of VAWTs. In particular, 2D unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) is commonly adopted, although past...

The present study is aimed to explore the potential to improve Vertical Axis Tidal Turbine (VATT) energy harnessing efficiency by using modified blades with fixed and oscillating flap. The fixed flap concept is borrowed from its application in aerodynamics area for reaching a high lift force at...

Applications of parabolic collectors for solar heating and solar thermal power plant increased in the recent years. Most of the solar power plants installed with parabolic collectors are on flat terrain and they may be subjected to some environmental problems. One of problems for large parabolic...

Low head Pico hydro resources have considerable potentials in many regions of the world and with increasing demand of energy, use of such capacities is quite necessary. Pico hydro plants are usually isolated and installed in remote areas. One of the main problems of utilizing these potentials...

Serpentine flow-fields are widely used for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells due to effective water removal. In this study, the effects of serpentine flow-field designs on the performance of a commercial-scale PEM fuel cell stack for micro-CHP (Combined Heat & Power) systems, which...

Wind turbines operate under various wind conditions in which turbulence virtually always exists. Therefore, unsteady wind turbine simulation methods to estimate wind loading in turbulent inflow conditions are very important for developing optimally designed wind turbines. Several methods have...