What is it about?
A controlled environmental chamber is vital to conduct diverse heat and mass transfer experiments, chemical engineering applications, and long-term reliability checks related to corrosion. Here, we propose a novel strategy to control temperature and relative humidity and maintain a quiescent environment in a test section. We also investigated the effect of different ambient conditions on interfacial vapor generation using a two-phase closed thermosyphon for the first time. We clarify the critical role of dark evaporation in the performance of such systems. Ultimately, we present the effectiveness of using existing correlations to predict the natural evaporative mass transfer for such systems.
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Why is it important?
Dark evaporation is critical for interfacial vapor generation using low-grade energy like solar energy. Previously, theoretical and numerical studies showed the relevance of dark evaporation and presented a range of input heat-flux conditions beyond which its effect becomes irrelevant. However, no dedicated experimental study has confirmed this claim in the literature. Knowledge about the effectiveness and shortcomings of the existing correlations to predict the evaporative mass transfer for interfacial vapor generation from porous structures is rare. The findings reported in this article will help researchers better understand the heat and mass transfer process in solar-based interfacial vapor generation and identify a new way to control temperature and relative humidity using principles of psychometry.
Perspectives
We faced several challenges while designing and fabricating the controlled environmental chamber. For an experimentalist, having control over the boundary conditions with repeatability is critical. This investigation allowed us to learn to do that in reality. This article is one of my last works with my PhD supervisor, Prof. Sameer Khandekar, who passed away on 22nd December 2023. Prof. Sameer Khandekar is a world-renowned researcher in the field of 'Phase Change Heat Transfer' and was considered an authority on topics related to 'Heat Pipes,' 'Boiling,' and 'Condensation.' I dedicate this article to his memory and pledge to follow in his footsteps as a researcher, teacher, and, more importantly, as a responsible human being in the future.
Mr. DEBARTHA CHATTERJEE
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effect of far-field ambient conditions on interfacial solar vapor generation using a two-phase closed thermosyphon, Experimental and Computational Multiphase Flow, April 2024, Tsinghua University Press,
DOI: 10.1007/s42757-023-0186-6.
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