Effect of MHD and heat generation on natural convection flow in an open square cavity under microgravity condition

Purpose - Thermo-magnetic convection and heat transfer of paramagnetic fluid placed in a micro-gravity condition (g = 0) and under a uniform vertical gradient magnetic field in an open square cavity with three cold sidewalls have been studied numerically. Design/methodology/approach - This magnetic force is proportional to the magnetic susceptibility and the gradient of the square of the magnetic induction. The magnetic susceptibility is inversely proportional to the absolute temperature based on Curie’s law. Thermal convection of a paramagnetic fluid can therefore take place even in zero-gravity environment as a direct consequence of temperature differences occurring within the fluid due to a constant internal heat generation placed within a magnetic field gradient. Findings - Effects of magnetic Rayleigh number, Ra, Prandtl number, Pr, and paramagnetic fluid parameter, m, on the flow pattern and isotherms as well as on the heat absorption are presented graphically. It is found that the heat transfer rate is suppressed in increased of the magnetic Rayleigh number and the paramagnetic fluid parameter for the present investigation. Originality/value - It is possible to control the buoyancy force by using the super conducting magnet. To the best knowledge of the author no literature related to magnetic convection for this configuration is available.

Driving Ge island ordering on nanostructured Si surfaces

Semiconductor epitaxial nanostructures have been recently proposed as the key building blocks of many innovative applications in materials science and technology. To bring their tremendous potential to fruition, a fine control of nanostructure size and placement is necessary. We present a detailed investigation of the self-ordering process in the prototype case of Ge/Si heteroepitaxy. Starting from a bottom-up strategy (step-bunching instabilities), our analysis moves to lithographic techniques (scanning tunneling lithography, nanomechanical stamping, focused ion beam patterning) with the aim of developing a hybrid approach in which the exogenous intervention is specifically designed to suit and harness the natural self-organization dynamics of the system.

Scaling for the Prandtl number of the natural convection boundary layer of an inclined flat plate under uniform surface heat flux

An improved scaling analysis and direct numerical simulations are performed for the unsteady natural convection boundary layer adjacent to a downward facing inclined plate with uniform heat flux. The development of the thermal or viscous boundary layers may be classified into three distinct stages: a start-up stage, a transitional stage and a steady stage, which can be clearly identified in the analytical as well as the numerical results. Previous scaling shows that the existing scaling laws of the boundary layer thickness, velocity and steady state time scale for the natural convection flow on a heated plate of uniform heat flux provide a very poor prediction of the Prandtl number dependency of the flow. However, those scalings perform very well with Rayleigh number and aspect ratio dependency. In this study, a modified Prandtl number scaling is developed using a triple layer integral approach for Pr > 1. It is seen that in comparison to the direct numerical simulations, the modified scaling performs considerably better than the previous scaling.

Bribie Island groundwater resources : challenges in development of conceptual and numerical models

Groundwater is a major resource on Bribie Island and its sustainable management is essential to maintain the natural and modified eco-systems, as well as the human population and the integrity of the island as a sand mass. An effective numerical model is essential to enable predictions, and to test various water use and rainfall/climate scenarios. Such a numerical model must, however, be based on a representative conceptual hydrogeological model to allow incorporation of realistic controls and processes. Here we discuss the various hydrogeological models and parameters, and hydrological properties of the materials forming the island. We discuss the hydrological processes and how they can be incorporated into these models, in an integrated manner. Processes include recharge, discharge to wetlands and along the coastline, abstraction, evapotranspiration and potential seawater intrusion. The types and distributions of groundwater bores and monitoring are considered, as are scenarios for groundwater supply abstraction. Different types of numerical models and their applicability are also considered

Importance of soil ecology in vegetation rehabilitation on a North Stradbroke Island sand mine

Sibelco Australia Limited (SAL), a mineral sand mining operation on North Stradbroke Island, undertakes progressive rehabilitation of mined areas. Initial investigations have found that some areas at SAL’s Yarraman Mine have failed to redevelop towards approved criteria. This study, undertaken in 2010, examined ground cover rehabilitation of different aged plots at the Yarraman Mine to determine if there was a relationship between key soil and vegetation attributes. Vegetation and soil data were collected from five plots rehabilitated in 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and one unmined plot. Cluster (PATN) analysis revealed that vegetation species composition, species richness and ground cover differed between plots. Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted ten soil attributes that were then correlated with vegetation data. The attributes extracted by PCA, in order of most common variance, were: water content, pH, terrolas depth, elevation, slope angle, leaf litter depth, total organic carbon, and counts of macrofauna, fungi and bacteria. All extracted attributes differed between plots, and all except bacteria correlated with at least one vegetation attribute. Water content and pH correlated most strongly with vegetation cover suggesting an increase in soil moisture and a reduction in pH are required in order to improve vegetation rehabilitation at Yarraman Mine. Further study is recommended to confirm these results using controlled experiments and to test potential solutions, such as organic amendments.

Heat reject recovery in solar air conditioning

This study demonstrates the possibility of using an absorption chiller to produce chilled water for air conditioning, and at the same time recover the rejected heat producing domestic hot water. The absorption chiller considered for this application has been sized to suit a standard household and uses a solution of ammonia and water running on hot water at a temperature ranging from 80 - 120°C produced by thermal solar panels. The system consists of five main components: generator, rectifier, condenser, evaporator and absorber, and is divided in two sections at two different pressures. The section at higher pressure includes the generator, rectifier and condenser whereas the section at lower pressure includes the evaporator and the absorber. Heat in this type of system is usually rejected to the environment from the condenser, rectifier and absorber through a cooling tower or air cooler exchanger. In this paper we describe how to recover this heat to create domestic hot water by providing a quantitative evaluation of the amount of energy recovered by the proposed system, if used in the Australian region.

Free convection in a triangular enclosure with fluid-saturated porous medium and internal heat generation

Unsteady natural convection inside a triangular cavity has been studied in this study. The cavity is filled with a saturated porous medium with non-isothermal left inclined wall while the bottom surface is isothermally heated and the right inclined surface is isothermally cooled. An internal heat generation is also considered which is dependent on the fluid temperature. The governing equations are solved numerically by finite volume method. The Prandtl number, Pr of the fluid is considered as 0.7 (air) while the aspect ratio and the Rayleigh number, Ra are considered as 0.5 and 105 respectively. The effect of heat generation on the fluid flow and heat transfer have been presented as a form of streamlines and isotherms. The rate of heat transfer through three surfaces of the enclosure is also presented.

Sourcing and evaluating IT business value in emerging economies : the case of the South Pacific Island Countries

Information Technology (IT) is an important resource that facilitates growth and development in both the developed and emerging economies. The increasing forces of globalization are creating a wider digital divide between the developed and emerging economies. The smaller emerging economies are the most venerable. Intense competition for IT resources means that these emerging economies would need to acquire a deeper understanding of how to source and evaluate their IT-related efforts. This effort would put these economies in a better position to source funding from various stakeholders. This research presents a complementary approach to securing better IT-related business value in organizations in the South Pacific Island countries – a case of emerging economies. Analysis of data collected from six South Pacific Island countries suggests that organizations that invest in IT and related complementaries are able to better their business processes. The data also suggest that improved business processes lead to overall business processes improvements.

Double diffusive magneto-convection fluid flow in a strong cross magnetic field with uniform surface heat and mass flux

In this study, magnetohydrodynamic natural convection boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting and viscous incompressible fluid along a heated vertical flat plate with uniform heat and mass flux in the presence of strong cross magnetic field has been investigated. For smooth integrations the boundary layer equations are transformed in to a convenient dimensionless form by using stream function formulation as well as the free variable formulation. The nonsimilar parabolic partial differential equations are integrated numerically for Pr ≪1 that is appropriate for liquid metals against the local Hartmann parameter ξ . Further, asymptotic solutions are obtained near the leading edge using regular perturbation method for smaller values of ξ . Solutions for values of ξ ≫ 1 are also obtained by employing the matched asymptotic technique. The results obtained for small, large and all ξ regimes are examined in terms of shear stress, τw, rate of heat transfer, qw, and rate of mass transfer, mw, for important physical parameter. Attention has been given to the influence of Schmidt number, Sc, buoyancy ratio parameter, N and local Hartmann parameter, ξ on velocity, temperature and concentration distributions and noted that velocity and temperature of the fluid achieve their asymptotic profiles for Sc ≥ 10:0.

A research framework for assessing the effects of heat stress on construction workers

Hong Kong in summer (June - October) is hot and humid. Construction workers have to undertake physically demanding activities and often in confined spaces. They are vulnerable to heat stress in summer hence health and safety measures associated to heat stress measured by scientific and clinical parameters are urgently needed. This paper provides an initial report of a research project funded by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the HKSAR. The aim of this study is to develop a set of indices measured by clinical and scientific methods to detect impending attacks of heat stress. These indices would be of tremendous value in better safeguarding workers’ health and safety by reducing the occurrences of heat stress on site. This paper firstly reports on the statistics of construction incidents arising from heat stress. Qualitative and quantitative research methods applied in conducting the research are discussed. It is believed that the construction industry and the government would benefit a lot as a result of this study.

Tracking the magmatic evolution of island arc volcanism : insights from a high-precision Pb isotope record of Montserrat, Lesser Antilles

The volcanic succession on Montserrat provides an opportunity to examine the magmatic evolution of island arc volcanism over a ∼2.5 Ma period, extending from the andesites of the Silver Hills center, to the currently active Soufrière Hills volcano (February 2010). Here we present high-precision double-spike Pb isotope data, combined with trace element and Sr-Nd isotope data throughout this period of Montserrat's volcanic evolution. We demonstrate that each volcanic center; South Soufrière Hills, Soufrière Hills, Centre Hills and Silver Hills, can be clearly discriminated using trace element and isotopic parameters. Variations in these parameters suggest there have been systematic and episodic changes in the subduction input. The SSH center, in particular, has a greater slab fluid signature, as indicated by low Ce/Pb, but less sediment addition than the other volcanic centers, which have higher Th/Ce. Pb isotope data from Montserrat fall along two trends, the Silver Hills, Centre Hills and Soufrière Hills lie on a general trend of the Lesser Antilles volcanics, whereas SSH volcanics define a separate trend. The Soufrière Hills and SSH volcanic centers were erupted at approximately the same time, but retain distinctive isotopic signatures, suggesting that the SSH magmas have a different source to the other volcanic centers. We hypothesize that this rapid magmatic source change is controlled by the regional transtensional regime, which allowed the SSH magma to be extracted from a shallower source. The Pb isotopes indicate an interplay between subduction derived components and a MORB-like mantle wedge influenced by a Galapagos plume-like source.

Prandtl number scaling of the unsteady natural convection boundary layer adjacent to a vertical flat plate for Pr > 1 subject to ramp surface heat flux

It is found in the literature that the existing scaling results for the boundary layer thickness, velocity and steady state time for the natural convection flow over an evenly heated plate provide a very poor prediction of the Prandtl number dependency of the flow. However, those scalings provide a good prediction of two other governing parameters’ dependency, the Rayleigh number and the aspect ratio. Therefore, an improved scaling analysis using a triple-layer integral approach and direct numerical simulations have been performed for the natural convection boundary layer along a semi-infinite flat plate with uniform surface heat flux. This heat flux is a ramp function of time, where the temperature gradient on the surface increases with time up to some specific time and then remains constant. The growth of the boundary layer strongly depends on the ramp time. If the ramp time is sufficiently long, the boundary layer reaches a quasi steady mode before the growth of the temperature gradient is completed. In this mode, the thermal boundary layer at first grows in thickness and then contracts with increasing time. However, if the ramp time is sufficiently short, the boundary layer develops differently, but after the wall temperature gradient growth is completed, the boundary layer develops as though the startup had been instantaneous.

Prandtl number scaling of natural convection of the flow on an inclined at plate due to uniform surface heat flux

A new scaling analysis has been performed for the unsteady natural convection boundary layer under a downward facing inclined plate with uniform heat flux. The development of the thermal or viscous boundary layers may be classified into three distinct stages including an early stage, a transitional stage and a steady stage, which can be clearly identified in the analytical as well as numerical results. Earlier scaling shows that the existing scaling laws of the boundary layer thickness, velocity and steady state time scales for the natural convection flow on a heated plate of uniform heat flux provide a very poor prediction of the Prandtl number dependency. However, those scalings performed very well with Rayleigh number and aspect ratio dependency. In this study, a modifed Prandtl number scaling has been developed using a triple-layer integral approach for Pr > 1. It is seen that in comparison to the direct numerical simulations, the new scaling performs considerably better than the previous scaling.