Paraffin wax has been exploited in microactuators because it exhibits a volumetric expansion of ∼15%, at around its melting point. In order to nderstand paraffin wax actuation, for the first time, the melting process has been investigated using a combination of analytical modelling (using tefan’s problem and Neumann’s solution), finite element method (FEM) simulations and actuation data from me...

The considerable computation time of a practical application of sequential algorithms for simulating thermal and flow distribution in fluid flow networked systems (FFNS’s) is the motivating factor to study their parallel implementation. The mathematical model formulated and studied in the paper requires the solution of a set of nonlinear equations, which are solved by the Newton-Raphson method....

The goal of the study was to explore hydraulic traits in a 4-year-old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantation to better understand plasticity of this species to resource availability. The influence of a factorial combination of irrigation (130 mm year 1 versus 494 mm year ) and fertilization (0 kg N ha 1 year 1 versus 80 kg N ha 1 year ) on stand-level transpiration, canopy stomatal conductan...

• Transformers and capacitors • Other electrical equipment including voltage regulators, switches, reclosers, bushings, and electromagnets • Oil used in motors and hydraulic systems • Old electrical devices or appliances containing PCB capacitors • Fluorescent light ballasts • Cable insulation • Thermal insulation material including fiberglass, felt, foam, and cork • Adhesives and tapes • Oilba...

Recent advances in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes along with high performance computing hardware made the codes more useful in many engineering applications. For instance, single-phase CFD codes have long been used to predict the fluid flow in fuel channels of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) [1, 2]. Considering the current affordable number of computation mesh is a little below one ...

This work addresses applications of the classical harmony search (HS), improved harmony search (IHS) and the harmony search with differential mutation based pith adjustment (HSDM) to PWR core reloading pattern optimization problems. Proper loading pattern of fuel assemblies (FAs) depends on both neutronic and thermal–hydraulic aspects; obtaining optimal arrangement of fuel assemblies, FA, in a ...

Knowledge of soil hydraulic and thermal properties is essential for studies involving the combined effects of soil temperature and water input on water flow and redistribution processes under field conditions. The objective of this study was to estimate the parameters characterizing these properties from a transient water flow and heat transport field experiment. Real-time sensors built by the ...

Tlm-rnal-hydraulic analyses play an important role in design and reload analysis of nuclear power plants. These analyses have historical y relied on early generation computational fluid dynamics capabilities, originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s. Over the last twenty years, however, dramatic improvements in both computational fluid dynamics codes in the commercial sector and in computing...