This work describes the analysis of the thermal performance of an outdoor telecommunication cabinet (OTC) using the computational tool DesignBuilder. The simulation results are compared to the experimental data collected in real cabinet under normal operating conditions. The simulation results show that the air temperature predicted by the model is closer to the temperature measured experimentally inside the cabinet particularly when the weather data files of the computational model have a similar behavior to the actual weather data. Numerical studies show that the use of mechanical ventilation is effective in the extraction of heat generated inside the cabinet.

The growing use of telecommunication technologies has led the industry to develop infrastructure to support this progress. The outer telecommunications cabinets are part of the Base Transceiver Station allowing to accommodate and protect from outer adverse conditions a set of electronic equipment needed to operate the mobile communication network. This kind of cabinets should have a proper thermal performance to ensure indoor air temperature below 55°C to avoid exceeding the maximum operating temperature of the electronic equipment. This work describes the analysis of the thermal performance of an outdoor telecommunication cabinet using the computational tool DesignBuilder. The simulation results are compared to the experimental data collected in real cabinet under normal operating conditions. The simulation results show that the air temperature predicted by the model is closer to the temperature measured experimentally inside the cabinet particularly when the weather data files of the computational model have a similar behavior to the actual weather data. Numerical studies show that the use of mechanical ventilation is effective in the extraction of heat generated inside the cabinet. However, there is a limit beyond which increasing the air flow rate does not result in a significant decrease of the cabinet air temperature. The studies also show the importance of the radiant properties and the geographical location of the cabinet. High values of the outer surface cabinet emissivity impair the thermal performance of the cabinet during the day and for some locations, an operational mechanical ventilation system may not be enough to maintain the indoor air temperature below 55°C. Overall, the use of DesignBuilder proved to be very effective for characterizing the thermal performance of telecommunications outdoor cabinets.

The growing use of telecommunication technologies by society has led the industry to develop infrastructure to support this growth. The telecommunications outdoor cabinets are an important element in the telecommunications network, allowing host and protect the equipment needed to run the network in adverse conditions. The enclosure must have a proper thermal performance to ensure a temperature below 55 ° C, limit for the operation of equipment, and avoid an excessive consumption of electricity. This study aims to characterize the thermal performance of the cabinet using numerical studies with DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus. The development of the numerical model is followed by experimental studies using a real cabinet in operation, to ensure that the model is valid and allows to obtain reliable results. Results allowed to elaborate, quantitatively, a thermal characterization of the cabinet and improve the utilization profile.

In this paper a parametric optimization of the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator is con ducted in order to achieve better ice sensing and deicing performance. For this purpose, different DBD plasma actuators were tested by changing the main geometrical dimension of the DBD plasma actuator and dielectric material. Both the ice sensing and thermal characteristics of the DBD plasma actuator were analyzed and compared. The results reveal that there exists two separate set of optimum parameters that lead to best ice sensing and thermal behavior. For both the sensing and thermal characteristics, the thinnest DBD showed the best performance. Kapton DBD plasma actuator showed the highest surface temperature while PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) had the best performance for ice sensing. In the end, the deicing performance of a DBD actuator that had in average better thermal and ice sensing performance was tested for deicing an ice layer and a frost layer. The progress of the deicing process and the ice sensing measure on the surface were recorded and analyzed.

Cold climate regions have great potential for wind power generation. The available wind energy in these regions is about 10% higher than in other regions due to higher wind speeds and increased air density. However, these regions usually have favorable icing conditions that lead to ice accumulation on the wind turbine blades, which in turn increases the weight of the blades and disrupts local airflow, resulting in a reduction in wind turbine performance. Considering this problem, plasma actuators have been proposed as devices for simultaneous flow control and deicing. These devices transfer momentum to the local airflow, improving the aerodynamic performances of the turbine blades while producing significant thermal effects that can be used to prevent ice formation. Considering the potential application of plasma actuators for simultaneous flow control and deicing, it is very important to investigate the thermal effects induced by these devices. However, due to the significant electromagnetic interference generated by the operation of these devices, there is a lack of experimental techniques that can be used to analyze them. In the current work, a background-oriented Schlieren system was developed and is presented as a new experimental technique for the thermal characterization of the plasma-induced flow. For the first time, the induced flow temperatures are characterized for plasma actuators with different dielectric materials and different dielectric thicknesses. The results demonstrate that, due to the plasma discharge, the temperature of the plasma-induced flow increases with the increase of the applied voltage and may achieve temperatures five times higher than the room temperature, which proves the potential of plasma actuators for deicing applications. The results are presented and discussed with respect to the potential application of plasma actuators for simultaneous flow control and deicing of wind turbine blades.

Neste trabalho foi proposta uma nova metodologia de caracterização térmica de coberturas verdes, a qual se baseia na análise dos perfis de temperatura, através de uma nova abordagem de Resistência Térmica Equivalente. Foram realizadas medições de temperatura em dois módulos com telhas de amianto: um com cobertura verde e outro com material isolante. No novo método, chamado de Método de Resistências Equivalentes, são utilizadas camadas de material isolante, com condutividade térmica conhecida, de forma a se alcançar perfis de temperatura equivalentes para ambos os módulos, com e sem cobertura verde. Com isso, é possível obter o coeficiente de condutividade equivalente (k) do material estrutural com a planta. Vale salientar que a literatura é carente quanto a métodos e/ou técnicas com tal objetivo. No estudo de caracterização, os coeficientes térmicos dos substratos foram obtidos da literatura, porém no caso das plantas, são escassos métodos e/ou dados de propriedades térmicas destes materiais. Este método consiste, basicamente, em chegar numa equivalência da resistência térmica da cobertura verde com o material isolante de condutividade térmica conhecida variando, para isso, a sua espessura. Com o estudo foi possível chegar numa base estrutural flexível (Greenflex) para construção de telhados verdes, a qual foi patenteada devido à novidade e originalidade do novo material [1]. Foram feitos experimentos de caracterização térmica do material Greenflex, com plantas do gênero Commelina, sendo possível obter a condutividade térmica equivalente, o calor específico e a densidade, os quais são, respectivamente, iguais a: 0,159 W/mK, 2,96 kJ/kgK e 875,3 kg/m³.

Adhesives provide a needle-free method of wound closure and do not require local anaesthetics. Polymeric adhesives have been used for about 3 decades for joining several tissues of the organism. Also, they can accomplish other tasks, such as haemostasis and the ability to seal air leakages and have the potential to serve as delivery systems.

In the North of Portugal several traditional fermented meat products are produced. One of these is the alheira that is a smoked sausage, made from the meat of pig, regional wheat bread and olive oil, seasoned with salt, garlic and paprika. This product must be subjected to a thermal process before consumption in order to garantee its safety and reducing the occurrence of foodborne diseases. The aim of the present work was to characterize this product in relation to the chemical composition and thermal behaviour. Alheiras were bought to local producers. pH, water activity, fat and protein contents were determined. In order to obtain the heating curves, alheiras were roasted at different temperatures, ranging from 120 to 240 ºC, in a forced convection oven. The center temperature, as well as the temperature of the sourrounding medium, were monitored along the heating. Alheiras presented a pH value of 6.07±0.26, a water activity of 0.92±0.01, a fat content of 6.60±0.68% and a protein content of 9.78±0.92. After a certain period of time, the temperature at the center of the product remained almost constant, around 100 ºC, eventhough higher temperatures of heating were used. At 240 ºC the heating process was around three times faster than at 120 ºC. For reaching 100 ºC, 13.0±0.5 min were necessary at 240 ºC instead 42.5±2.5 min at 120 ºC.

Suberin samples, obtained by alkaline methanolysis from cork (Quercus suber L.), were submitted to various physical characterizations; DSC, TGA, optical microscopy, density and rheological properties. A sub stantial proportion of these oligomers possessed a microcrystalline character with a melting range between 0 and 50°C. The amorphous part was liquid at room temperature and did not display a detectable glass transition upon cooling because of its wide molecular weight distribution. The viscous behaviour of suberin at room temperature was both plastic and thixotropic because of the structuring role of the microcrystals.

The paper presents a brief review of the main experimental and numerical techniques and standards to investigate and quantify the structural, mechanical, thermal, and acoustic properties of cellular metals. The potential of non-destructive techniques, such as X-ray computed tomography and infrared thermography are also presented.