摘要:
A storage heater for storing heat and for heating a fluid, such as water, has an enclosure defining a chamber therein. The chamber has a lower portion and an upper portion with a heating element being disposed within the enclosure. A tube through which the fluid flows has an inlet and an outlet, both being disposed outside of the enclosure, and has a portion interconnecting the inlet and the outlet that passes through the enclosure. A densely packed bed of phase change material pellets is disposed within the enclosure and is surrounded by a viscous liquid, such as propylene glycol. The viscous liquid is in thermal communication with the heating element, the phase change material pellets, and the tube and transfers heat from the heating element to the pellets and from the pellets to the tube. The viscous fluid has a viscosity so that the frictional pressure drop of the fluid in contact with the phase change material pellets substantially reduces vertical thermal convection in the fluid. As the fluid flows through the tube heat is transferred from the viscous liquid to the fluid flowing through the tube, thereby heating the fluid.
摘要:
A method and system for generating power from low- and mid-temperature heat sources using a zeotropic mixture as a working fluid. The zeotropic mixture working fluid is compressed to pressures above critical and heated to a supercritical state. The zeotropic mixture working fluid is then expanded to extract power. The zeotropic mixture working fluid is then condensed, subcooled, and collected for recirculation and recompression.
摘要:
A method for disinfecting an air stream containing microorganisms including the steps of providing an air stream containing microorganisms having a relative humidity greater than about 40%; and contacting the air stream with a photocatalyst having a predetermined band gap energy in the presence of a source of photons having a wavelength corresponding to the band gap energy of the photocatalyst, so that at least a portion of the microorganisms in the air stream are destroyed by photocatalyfic oxidation. Devices embodying the method of the invention are disclosed, such as stand-alone devices and devices incorporated into the HVAC systems of buildings, including the air supply registers. Photocatalyst-coated filter media capable of trapping bioaerosols are also disclosed.
摘要:
In one embodiment, a chromatic device includes an active layer and an electrolyte layer in contact with the active layer, the electrolyte comprising an oxidant and a salt, wherein the active layer has a color that blocks light when metal is not in electrical contact with the active layer but changes to a translucent color that transmits light when metal is placed in electrical contact with the active layer, wherein the active layer changes color without applying electrical energy to the active layer.
摘要:
An antenna apparatus and method for the interception of randomly polarized electromagnetic waves utilizing a dual polarized antenna which is excited through a cross-slot aperture using two well-isolated orthogonal feeds.
摘要:
A storage fluid heater for heating a fluid, employs a heat storage unit, a heating element thermally coupled to the heat storage unit, and a heat recovery tube thermally coupled to the heat storage unit. The recovery tube is made from a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion so that as the average temperature of the heat storage unit near the heat recovery tube increases, the surface area of gaps between the heat recovery tube and the storage unit increases, causing the contact resistance between the heat storage unit and the heat recovery tube to increase. The temperature of the fluid flowing within the heat recovery tube is thereby limited to a predetermined maximum. A structure that relieves excess pressure when the flow of fluid through the tube is stopped has an expansion tank connected to the fluid inlet of the tube.
摘要:
In one embodiment, a method for depositing metal on a polymer surface, the method includes coating the polymer surface with a binding metal to render the polymer surface solvophillic and/or hydrophilic and depositing a further metal on the binding metal-coated polymer surface.
摘要:
In one embodiment, a chromatic device includes an active layer and an electrolyte layer in contact with the active layer, wherein the active layer has an opaque color that blocks light but changes to a translucent color that transmits light when a metal object is placed in electrical contact with the active layer in the presence of the electrolyte layer.
摘要:
A rectenna is a combination of an antenna and a rectifier (diode). Because of limitations in nanotechnology fabrication, it has not been possible to develop rectennas that can operate in the visible frequency range. Current work has gone to producing rectennas that operate in the far infrared (thermal emission) frequency range. To harvest solar energy with rectennas to produce electric power and since rectennas cannot operate at such high frequencies, the present invention provides rectenna configurations to overcome this problem.
摘要:
A process and device to capture of CO2 at its originating source, such as a power plant, is disclosed. Absorbent material is recharged by desorbing CO2, so that it may be sequestered or used in another application. Continual recharging results in loss of absorbent surface area, due to pore plugging and sintering of particles. Calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide was immobilized to a fibrous ceramic-based fabric substrate as a thin film and sintered, creating an absorbent material. The samples were characterized, showing continuous cyclic carbonation conversions between about 62% and 75% under mild calcination conditions at 750° C. and no CO2 in N2. Under the more severe calcination condition at 850° C. and 20 wt % CO2 in N2, yttria fabric was superior to alumina as a substrate for carbon dioxide capture and the reactivity of the calcium oxide absorbent immobilized to yttria was maintained at the same level in the 12 cycles.