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University of Wollongong

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2016

Science and Technology Studies

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials For Improved Building Performance, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel Jan 2016

Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Materials For Improved Building Performance, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Nano-enhanced phase change materials (PCMs) have attracted increasing attention to address one of the key barriers (i.e. low thermal conductivity) to the wide adoption of PCMs in many industrial applications. This paper discusses the generic problem and key issues associated with appropriately using this new class of materials in buildings for effective thermal management and improved energy performance. An overview on major recent development and application of nano-enhanced PCMs as thermal energy storage media is provided. A case study based on a PCM ceiling ventilation system integrated with solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors is then performed to evaluate the potential …


Predictive Inference For Big, Spatial, Non-Gaussian Data: Modis Cloud Data And Its Change-Of-Support, Aritra Sengupta, Noel A. Cressie, Brian H. Kahn, Richard Frey Jan 2016

Predictive Inference For Big, Spatial, Non-Gaussian Data: Modis Cloud Data And Its Change-Of-Support, Aritra Sengupta, Noel A. Cressie, Brian H. Kahn, Richard Frey

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Remote sensing of the earth with satellites yields datasets that can be massive in size, nonstationary in space, and non-Gaussian in distribution. To overcome computational challenges, we use the reduced-rank spatial random effects (SRE) model in a statistical analysis of cloud-mask data from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on board NASA's Terra satellite. Parameterisations of cloud processes are the biggest source of uncertainty and sensitivity in different climate models' future projections of Earth's climate. An accurate quantification of the spatial distribution of clouds, as well as a rigorously estimated pixel-scale clear-sky-probability process, is needed to establish reliable estimates …


The Social Phenomenon Of Body-Modifying In A World Of Technological Change: Past, Present, Future, Sharon Bradley-Munn, Katina Michael, M G. Michael Jan 2016

The Social Phenomenon Of Body-Modifying In A World Of Technological Change: Past, Present, Future, Sharon Bradley-Munn, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

The current level of uncritical adoption in bodymodifying devices, and the propensity for remaking the human body through the aid of technology, is moving society closer to a human-machine fusion. We are at the brink of postmodernity in all its fullness. This paper speculates on the pros and cons of such a reality and insists on the right of the individual to be able to self-govern his/her own body, maintaining the right to choose. How individual choice is limited is also discussed, as industry innovation cycles get faster, and the need for continuous disruption means that the consumer is often …


Optimization Of A Ceiling Ventilation System With Integrated Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors And Phase Change Materials, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel Jan 2016

Optimization Of A Ceiling Ventilation System With Integrated Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors And Phase Change Materials, Zhenjun Ma, Wenye Lin, Mohammed I. Sohel

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper presents the performance evaluation and design optimization of a ceiling ventilation system with integrated solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors and phase change materials (PCMs) by using a hybrid Particle Swarm Optimization and Hooke-Jeeves Pattern search (PSO-HJ) algorithm. In this novel ceiling ventilation system, the PVT collectors are used to generate electricity and provide the low-grade heating energy for buildings by using the winter daytime solar radiation, while the PCM is integrated into the building ceiling as part of the ceiling insulation and at the same time, as a centralized thermal energy storage unit to temporally store the low-grade …


Thermal Performance Evaluation And Optimal Design Of Buildings With Integrated Air-Based Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors And Phase Change Materials Using The Hooke-Jeeves Pattern Search Method, Wenye Lin, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper Jan 2016

Thermal Performance Evaluation And Optimal Design Of Buildings With Integrated Air-Based Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors And Phase Change Materials Using The Hooke-Jeeves Pattern Search Method, Wenye Lin, Zhenjun Ma, Paul Cooper

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Over the last several decades, many low energy technologies have been developed and deployed to reduce building energy consumption. Among various solutions, solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors and phase change materials (PCMs) are among the most promising methods receiving increasing attention. This paper presents a thermal performance evaluation and optimal design of buildings integrated with air-based solar PVT collectors and PCMs embedded in the building envelope by using The Hooke-Jeeves pattern search method. The Hooke-Jeeves generalized pattern search is used to search for optimal solutions of the optimization problem. The variables optimized include the PVT air flow rate, additional wall …


Development Of A Novel Phase Change Material Emulsion For Cooling Systems, Jingjing Shao, Jo Darkwa, Georgios Kokogiannakis Jan 2016

Development Of A Novel Phase Change Material Emulsion For Cooling Systems, Jingjing Shao, Jo Darkwa, Georgios Kokogiannakis

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In this paper, a novel phase change material emulsion (PCE-10) consisting of an organic PCM (RT10) and water has been developed. Its thermophysical properties such as heat of fusion, viscosity and sub-cooling temperature have been established. The chemical stability during both storage and discharge periods have also been evaluated. The results indicate low sub-cooling temperature and relatively long period of stability without any sign of segregation but the viscosity was found to be much higher than that of water.Further improvement and experimental studies into its flow characteristics are therefore being encouraged.