•The postharvest kiwifruit was modeled as a multiscale body of flesh and skin.•A finite element model was developed to simulate the drop case process.•The stress, force, energy, and bruise behavior ...of kiwifruit were described by FEM.•The compared results showed the low-level errors between simulation and experiment.
Bruising is one of the most common mechanical damages of fruit, but it is difficult to detect quantitatively. In this study, the finite element method (FEM) was utilized to predict the bruise susceptibility of harvested kiwifruit. The elastic-plastic material properties of fruit flesh at different ripening times, including Young’s modulus, bio-yield stress and tangent modulus, were measured using the compression test. Then the fruit were modeled as a multiscale body of flesh and skin, and a finite element model was developed for dropped fruit. The drop scenarios were successfully simulated by FEM, and the results showed simultaneous activities of the simulation and high speed camera recordings. Results of FEM-based simulation showed that the bruise susceptibility increased with ripening time, but that different drop heights resulted in similar levels of bruise susceptibility. In addition, the horizontal orientation would cause higher bruise susceptibility than the vertical orientation. Results of accuracy analysis showed that the hourglass energy in any of the simulation scenarios kept in a very low level (<5%). The maximum errors between simulation and high speed camera recordings were 5.0%, 19.0% and 11.9% for initial velocity, maximum deformed length and contact time, respectively. Compared with experimental measurement, the maximum errors of simulation were 17.1% for bruise volume and 18.3% for bruise susceptibility. The results confirmed the FEM was reliable for prediction of bruise susceptibility of the fruit, and would be an effective approach to further investigate the bruise damage.
•Measuring system for normal spectral emissivity of low thermal conductivity materials.•Method for simultaneously measuring normal spectral emissivity and temperature.•Temperature homogeneity ...simulation of the materials heated by the synergistic heating method.•Measurement of normal spectral emissivity of alumina ceramic fiber at high temperatures.
This study develops a measurement system and a method for measuring the normal spectral emissivity and temperature of low thermal conductivity materials at high temperatures. A self-design heating device using a synergistic heating treatment including a high-power laser and a radiation heating cavity is introduced, and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer is utilized to measure the radiation signal of sample. Based on the temperature hypothesis model, which considers normal spectral emissivity keeps constant within small temperature difference less than 10.0 K, a method is proposed for realizing the inversion of normal spectral emissivity and temperature with the multispectral radiation signal. A genetic algorithm-based technique with big mutations is used to estimate the normal spectral emissivity and temperature of sample at high temperatures. The variation of blackbody radiation signals with the blackbody radiance is analyzed to verify the linearity for the detector of FTIR spectrometer. The apparent normal spectral emissivity of an alumina ceramic fiber is determined in the spectral range of 2.5–25.0 μm at 673–1273 K. Furthermore, the uniformity of temperature distribution on the sample surface and inside the sample is numerically evaluated. The standard uncertainty in the experiment at 1273 K is less than 4.0 % in the investigated bands.
In the most case, the manufacturer measure electrical or thermal parameters under environment conditions that are artificial in the laboratory scale and rarely occur in reality outside. Therefore, ...the characterization of photovoltaic modules under dynamic environmental conditions will be an essential phase to go forward with renewable energy technology. In this study an experimental setup, uses sensors (current, voltage and temperature) interfaced with a MicroLab data acquisition card, was developed with low-cost to measure current-voltage and power-voltage curves of the PV modules under dynamic environmental conditions. In addition to on-site measurement of meteorological parameters like solar irradiance, temperature, humidity and wind speed, spatial modeling of the conditions was performed using the WRF weather model. A performance-based experimental method for PV module characterization under dynamic conditions was presented along with suitable modeling tools. The obtained results indicate that the evolutionary algorithms proved effective for parameter extraction of the three common electrical models single diode, double diode and triple diode, from experimental module test data and MLBSA algorithm successfully modeled the experimental I–V curves, showing good agreement with measured current, voltage and power values based on statistical metrics.
The development of space technology brings about an increasing demand for electric thrusters. Iodine has been considered a feasible alternative to resource-critical xenon. Numerical and experimental ...methods are used to study the performance of the iodine-fed Hall thruster. The ionization and acceleration characteristics are investigated in the simulation with a particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision model. Different from previous simulations of noble gas, the dissociation equation of molecular iodine is added to the code for propulsive performance evaluation. A dissociation region in the discharge chamber is presented and described in detail. The propulsive performances of the iodine-fed Hall thruster are calculated by the plasma parameters. Meanwhile, the experimental measurements are finished for model verification and performance comparison at nominal conditions. The measured data is slightly lower than the simulated data. The error between them is about 1.65%. The reasons are analyzed and discussed. Then, the performance is predicted and measured using this simulated and experimental method within 20% mass flow rate and 10% anode voltage fluctuations relative to the nominal condition. Further optimizations of the simulation and experiment are in progress.
•A 2D model of an iodine-fed Hall thruster is built to investigate the spatial axial profiles of important plasma parameters. Different from traditional PIC/MCC simulation for noble gas, the iodine molecular dissociation process is added to the codes. Based on the simulated results, the discharge chamber of the thruster can be divided into four regions: the near-anode region, dissociation region, ionization region, and acceleration region.•The experimental platform and equipment are built. The iodine ignition experiment of the thruster is finished. The performance parameter measurement has been conducted to verify the model.•Considering the influence of input parameter changes on thruster performance, thrust and anode-specific impulse with ±20% iodine propellant mass flow rate fluctuation and ±10% anode voltage fluctuation are calculated and measured, respectively. The simulated result is in good agreement with the experimental data.
Centrifugal compressor is seen as the predominant choice in turbocharging and natural gas transportation. The energy loss measurement in centrifugal compressor is of great essence, especially under ...instability conditions. Based on one-dimensional model and simulations, each energy loss mechanism in diffuser was evaluated by defining the weight coefficient representing the influence of energy loss on compressor performance. The thermodynamics in the diffuser was investigated under design and stall inception conditions. Vortex transportation and synergy angle analysis was realized to identify the correlation between energy losses and stall identification. The results indicate that the skin friction loss accounts for 75.06% of the total energy loss in diffuser, while 16.96% and 7.98% for diffusion and secondary loss near stall condition, respectively. The determination of stall in vanless diffuser may be confirmed according to the combination of secondary vorticity coefficient and synergy angle. Due to small inflow angle and large width ratio of the diffuser, stall inception is the results of secondary flow sweep and momentum loss induced by diffusion. The weight function was originally modelled to quantize the influence of energy loss on flow aerodynamics. The present work may shed lights on stall identification and energy loss reduction in industrial compressor.
•A highly accurate and dynamic isothermal calorimeter is developed.•Heat generation rate at different operation conditions is measured.•Total heat generation and energy efficiency are analyzed and ...compared.•A new calorimetric method is developed to characterize heat source terms.
Fundamental understanding of heat generation of lithium-ion batteries during operations is crucial to the cost-effective and efficient design of a thermal management system (TMS) in electric vehicles. Accurate characterization of the heat requires a calorimeter that meets inherent dynamics of the heat with accuracy. Therefore, we have developed an isothermal calorimeter using the thermoelectric assemblies (TEAs) along with the temperature control and Kalman filter, which is used to measure the heat generation rate (HGR) of large format pouch type lithium-ion batteries as an example. The measured HGR is a function of charge and discharge rates, state-of-charge (SOC), and temperatures. Analysis has shown that both the HGR and the ratio of the total heat generation to the total energy stored or released (pheat) of the tested cells increase as the current increases or the temperature decreases. In addition, a new calorimetric method is developed which enables a simultaneous determination of the entropy coefficient and internal resistance in the reversible and irreversible heat source terms in the frequency domain. The method can reduce the testing time about 92% compared with those by the conventional potentiometric method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis, respectively, and the determined parameters are in good accordance with the reference values. Moreover, the calculated reversible and irreversible heat sources terms are compared with the experimental measurement and matched each other.
This paper presents the behavior of thick thermoplastic composite tubes made by an automated fiber placement machine, and subjected to four-point bending load. The mechanical behavior includes ...flexural stiffness, and strains. Methods for the determination of these behaviors include strength of material, analytical solution, finite element method and experimental measurement. The correlation between the different methods provides validation of some methods and indication of the degree of accuracy of some other methods. The accuracy of some calculating methods provides the ability to predict the performance of other thick composite tubes subjected to similar loading and support conditions.
The literature cites many factors that influence a nurse's decision when choosing their workplace. However, it is unclear which attributes matter the most to newly graduated nurses. The study aimed ...to identify the relative importance of workplace preference attributes among newly graduated nurses.
A cross-sectional study.
We conducted an online survey and data were collected in June 2022. A total of 1111 newly graduated nurses in South Korea participated. The study employed best-worst scaling to quantify the relative importance of nine workplace preferences and also included questions about participants' willingness to pay for each workplace preferences. The relationships between the relative importance of the workplace attribute and the willingness to pay were determined using a quadrant analysis.
The order according to the relative importance of workplace preferences is as follows: salary, working conditions, organizational climate, welfare program, hospital location, hospital level, hospital reputation, professional development, and the chance of promotion. The most important factor, salary, was 16.67 times more important than the least important factor, the chance of promotion, in terms of choosing workplace. In addition, working conditions and organizational climate were recognized as high economic value indicators.
Newly graduated nurses nominated better salaries, working conditions, and organizational climate as having a more important role in choosing their workplace.
The findings of this study have important implications for institutions and administrators in recruiting and retaining newly graduated nurses.
•Thermophysical properties of different nanofluids were measured.•New correlations were extracted using regression, NN and ANFIS for nanofluids.•Numerical simulation was performed to optimize a ...double-pipe heat exchanger.•Some nanofluids present good results as working fluids in refrigeration systems.
This work is concerned with a comparison of measured and theoretical thermophysical properties of different nanofluids and using the properties to evaluate their suitability as a secondary working fluid in refrigeration systems, aiming at the external thermodynamic losses. Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNT) and silver nanoparticles were dispersed in distilled water to produce the nanofluid samples. After that and by using the regression, a neural network (NN), an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and through obtained experimental data, new correlations were extracted to determine the thermophysical properties of nanofluids. Then, a numerical simulation was performed taking into account a mathematical model for thermodynamic optimization of a double-pipe heat exchanger. A comparison between the results obtained by the measured data or those which is obtained by soft-computing techniques and those evaluated theoretically by previous available models were carried out, showing a notable difference among the results. The results obtained with the experimental or soft-computing data show that in the case that the heat exchanger is optimized to minimize the external entropy generation, silver nanofluids (at any volumetric concentration) and the SWCNT nanofluids (at lower concentrations) presented positive results, whereas using the former existing theoretical data indicated that silver nanofluids showed negative results and SWCNT nanofluids presented positive results in all volumetric concentrations.
The outwardly propagating spherical flame method was used to measure the laminar burning velocity of a Chinese commercial gasoline and gasoline surrogates. Measurements were conducted at different ...equivalence ratios of 0.8 to 1.5, initial temperatures of 358 K, 403 K, and 448 K and initial pressures of 1 atm, 2 atm and 5 atm in a constant volume bomb. The primary reference fuel (PRF-92, vol. %: 92% iso-octane + 8% n-heptane) and toluene reference fuel (TRF-92, vol. %: 16.69% iso-octane + 22.65% n-heptane + 60.66% toluene) surrogates were proposed to predict the laminar burning velocity of commercial gasoline. It was found that the TRF-92 was able to successfully reproduce the laminar burning velocity of commercial gasoline under various experimental conditions. The chemical kinetic model of Park et al. was validated and used to simulate the laminar burning velocity. The simulated laminar flame speeds showed good agreement with the experimental values.