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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Solar Irradiance Forecasting And Implications For Domestic Electric Water Heating, Christopher Nutter Jan 2017

Solar Irradiance Forecasting And Implications For Domestic Electric Water Heating, Christopher Nutter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the effects of burning fossil fuels continues to present its prevalence, the interests in alternative forms of energy is expanding. Within the home, the domestic electrical water heater accounts for approximately 17% of its energy consumption. Reducing the amount of energy required to produce hot water from this thermal system alone can have a significant effect on reducing its carbon footprint. In this presented work, a modeled domestic electrical water heater was supplied photovoltaic and on-grid electrical power to increase its energy efficiency. As photovoltaic (PV) energy is directly related to solar irradiation, it is important to receive accurate …


Natural Convection Heat Transfer Of Inclined Sierpinski Carpet Fractal Fins, Luke A. Fussell Jan 2017

Natural Convection Heat Transfer Of Inclined Sierpinski Carpet Fractal Fins, Luke A. Fussell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When designing extended surfaces for the thermal management of electronic devices in aerospace applications it is critically important to minimize mass. However, this can be difficult to achieve as the rate of heat dissipated is directly proportional to the surface area. Fortunately, when certain fractal geometries, like the Sierpinski carpet, are utilized in the design of extended surfaces an increase in surface area and simultaneous decrease in mass can be achieved. The thermal performance of fins inspired by the first four fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet pattern was experimentally examined in a natural convection environment. The fractal fins were …