Entransy and its utilization in problems of thermodynamics and heat transfer

The concept of entransy was recently proposed in terms of the analogy to the electric energy stored in a capacitor. The entransy of a system describes its heat transfer ability, as the exergy of a system quantifies its work production potential. Hence, the concept of entransy can be useful in problems where the heat transfer is the main objective, as for example, in systems collecting solar energy. This concept is quite recent and there are only a few works related to this topic. It is expected, however, that this approach will soon be used more often in the analysis of problems in thermodynamics and heat transfer. The objective of this work is to present a review of the concept of entransy in a systematic way, beginning with its definition, balance equations and a few examples of simple applications. It is hoped that this concept of entransy becomes a useful tool in the analysis and design of more efficient thermal systems. © 2012 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l.- All rights reserved.

Equivalence between the application of entransy and entropy generation

Recently, a group of researchers proposed the concept of entransy by analogy with the electrical energy stored in a capacitor, the entransy being a measure of the ability of a body or a system to transfer heat. In comparative terms, the entransy dissipation rate is related with the loss of heat transfer ability just like the exergy destruction rate is proportional to the loss of work ability, being these losses caused by the irreversibilities related to the thermodynamic processes. Some authors have questioned the need for the concept of entransy, claiming that this concept is only an extension of a well established theory of heat transfer. The objective of this work is show the equivalence between the application of the concepts of entransy and entropy generation rate, which can be verified using various application examples. The application examples used here are the thermodynamic modeling of three physical models of solar energy collectors and a physical model of a sensible heat storage system. Analytical results are shown and compared. The results showed that the application of the concept of entransy provided identical expressions obtained by the concept of entropy generation, indicating a duplication of concepts. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of a new cross flow heat exchanger flow arrangement - Extension to several rows

The present paper presents a theoretical analysis of a cross flow heat exchanger with a new flow arrangement comprehending several tube rows. The thermal performance of the proposed flow arrangement is compared with the thermal performance of a typical counter cross flow arrangement that is used in chemical, refrigeration, automotive and air conditioning industries. The thermal performance comparison has been performed in terms of the following parameters: heat exchanger effectiveness and efficiency, dimensionless entropy generation, entransy dissipation number, and dimensionless local temperature differences. It is also shown that the uniformity of the temperature difference field leads to a higher thermal performance of the heat exchanger. In the present case this is accomplished thorough a different organization of the in-tube fluid circuits in the heat exchanger. The relation between the recently introduced "entransy dissipation number" and the conventional thermal effectiveness has been obtained in terms of the "number of transfer units". A case study has been solved to quantitatively to obtain the temperature difference distribution over two rows units involving the proposed arrangement and the counter cross flow one. It has been shown that the proposed arrangement presents better thermal performance regardless the comparison parameter. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.