a b s t r a c tThermodynamically limited processes make waste heat abundant in availability. An Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) steam powered micro system designed to scavenge waste heat from various sources (transportation, industries or solar) is presented. The key boiler component is fabricated and characterized in this work. The system design has been inspired by the various efforts implemented in development of micro heat recovery devices and engines. The complete system consists of three individual micro components (1) boiler, (2) free piston expander and (3) superheater. Specifically, design, fabrication techniques, test setup and results of the miniaturized boiler are presented in this paper. A key design feature of the boiler is the inclusion of capillary channels for fluid flow from the surrounding reservoirs to the heated area. The pressurized steam is created by the boiler as a result of phase transformation of the working fluid. This pressurized steam can be utilized to drive another MEMS device (PZT membranes, turbines, thermoelectric, etc.) to generate power. In this upgraded boiler design, radial capillary channels and a thin film glass steamdome were considered to improve the operating efficiency. These inclusions enhanced capillary flow, energy absorption via phase change, mass flow rate and operating pressure. The power inputs of 1.8 W and 2.7 W were selected to simulate and characterize the boiler performance based on real-world waste heat source temperatures. For these power inputs, the maximum power absorption efficiency demonstrated by the boiler via phase change of the working fluid was approximately 88%. The peak operating pressure demonstrated by the boiler was 8.5 kPa. These thermally efficient characteristics of the boiler make it a potential future device for waste heat scavenging.
The inherent inefficiency of many thermodynamic processes provide ample opportunity to harvest waste energy which would otherwise be released to the surrounding environment. A micro-channel heat exchanger (MHE) is presented that optimizes efficiency of energy transference by taking advantage of high thermal conductivity with copper fabrication and two-phase flow with a working fluid. Increasing the efficiency of the MHE, capillary channels allow fluid flow throughout the MHE, removing the necessity of an external work mechanism. For a power input of 3.44W, the absorbed and transferred energy through the MHE was approximately 95% when working fluid was utilized, compared to 87% for the MHE with no working fluid. In addition to characterizing the MHE experimentally, internal operation was analyzed and reinforced through a lattice Boltzmann method simulation of a single micro-channel. The lattice Boltzmann method is a computationally efficient alternative for multi-phase systems, notoriously difficult systems to
Demand for increased density circuit architecture, micro- and nano-scale devices, and the overall down-scaling of system components has driven research into understanding transport phenomena at reduced scales. One method to enhance transport processes is the utilization of mini-, micro-, or nano-channels which drive uniform temperature and velocity profiles throughout the system. This work specifically examines a unique heat exchanger. The exchanger is developed as a closed system, with 300μm width channels, fabricated entirely with copper. The heat exchanger has been designed for widespread use in varied environments. Further, the exchanger is working fluid non-specific, allowing for different fluids to be specified for various temperature ranges. The system design can be used equally well as a standalone heat exchanger or coupled with another device to provide a thermal energy storage system. Fabricating the heat exchanger with copper for the substrate as well as the channels themselves allows the exchanger to maintain a high thermal conductivity which aides in the fluid energy transference. The exchanger was fabricated to be a closed system removing any excess equipment such as pumps. In testing, the exchanger showed thermal absorption of 2.2kW/m2 given input of 2.63kW/m2 and working fluid amounts of 37μL. The general design and use of copper in the exchanger allowed maximum absorption of 84% of the input with operation below the boiling point of the working fluid.
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