Articles tagged with "heat-management"
Thermal camouflage breakthrough achieved with 9x heat scattering tech
The article discusses a significant advancement in thermal camouflage technology through the development of a device that achieves thermal superscattering, making a small object appear thermally as large as one nine times its radius. Traditional heat manipulation methods rely on passive materials and structures that are bulky and limited by thermodynamics, as heat naturally diffuses from warmer to cooler areas and cannot be easily directed or hidden. The breakthrough comes from actively controlling heat flow using a thermal metasurface with heating and cooling elements that inject or remove heat along a designed boundary, effectively forcing heat to flow around the object as if it were much larger. This approach overcomes a longstanding challenge in transformation thermotics, where achieving thermal superscattering requires materials with negative thermal conductivity—impossible to realize passively due to thermodynamic laws. Instead of passive shells, the researchers use an active boundary to impose a precise heat-flux pattern, enabling the manipulation of heat flow beyond physical size constraints. The method involves linking three boundaries mathematically to match the thermal signature
thermal-camouflageheat-managementthermal-superscatteringenergy-managementthermal-metasurfacetransformation-thermoticsthermal-signature-manipulationHow to Keep Subways and Trains Cool in an Ever Hotter World
As global temperatures rise, cooling underground trains and subway systems has become a pressing challenge, with existing infrastructure often exacerbating heat issues. Jonathan Paul, a researcher at Royal Holloway, University of London, highlights that London’s Tube tunnels, carved through dense clay, retain heat generated by trains, sometimes reaching temperatures as high as 42°C (107.6°F). Traditional air-conditioning on trains risks worsening tunnel temperatures by releasing warm air into these confined spaces. To address this, Paul is developing a novel cooling system that leverages groundwater, which remains at a cool 10°C, to absorb and carry away excess heat from underground stations. This approach involves pumping water from subterranean aquifers through heat exchangers installed above platforms, where hot air transfers its heat to the water, which is then gently circulated away. Paul and his team are testing this technology in a chalk quarry near Reading, simulating the conditions of the Tube tunnels. Their prototype has demonstrated the ability to reduce room temperatures by about 10
energycooling-technologypublic-transportationclimate-change-adaptationheat-managementunderground-infrastructuresustainable-cooling'Sweet spot' helps solar device store more energy, thrive in heat
A recent study from Loughborough University reveals that certain emerging solar technologies, specifically photoelectrochemical (PEC) flow cells, perform better at elevated temperatures, challenging the conventional understanding that heat degrades solar device efficiency. Unlike traditional silicon-based photovoltaic panels, which lose 0.3% to 0.5% of their power output per degree Celsius above 25°C due to increased electrical resistance, PEC flow cells benefit from heat. The study found an optimal operating temperature around 45°C (113°F), where the internal electrochemical reactions are accelerated by the heat, enhancing ion movement and conductivity in the liquid electrolyte. This reduces internal resistance and enables faster, more efficient energy storage within the device. This discovery has significant implications for the design and cost of solar-plus-storage systems. Engineers can now develop integrated solar devices that intentionally operate in hotter conditions, eliminating the need for costly and complex active cooling systems such as fans or fluid circulation. By harnessing heat rather than combating it, these systems could
energysolar-energyenergy-storagephotoelectrochemical-cellsrenewable-energysolar-technologyheat-managementBuilding green lasers that last: A story of patents and persistence
The article "Building green lasers that last: A story of patents and persistence" explores the complex engineering challenges behind developing reliable green laser distance meters, despite their clear advantages over traditional red lasers. Green lasers offer significantly better visibility in bright outdoor conditions, making them highly desirable for construction, surveying, and industrial applications. However, the transition from red to green lasers is far from straightforward due to increased power consumption, heat generation, and the lower sensitivity of photodetectors to green light. These factors result in shorter battery life, thermal instability, reduced measurement range, and accuracy issues, especially under harsh outdoor lighting. Beyond the physical and optical challenges, manufacturing green laser modules at scale presents additional hurdles. Green laser components are more difficult and costly to produce consistently, with small variances causing significant performance differences between units. The article emphasizes that engineering a green laser distance meter involves balancing conflicting demands—boosting power to improve range and accuracy increases heat and safety risks, while reducing power compromises performance. Success requires a
materialsenergy-efficiencylaser-technologygreen-laserspower-consumptionheat-managementoptical-engineeringSilica from meteorites may hold key to controlling industrial heat
Researchers at Columbia University have identified a unique form of silicon dioxide called tridymite, originally found in meteorites and also present on Mars, which exhibits hybrid crystal-glass thermal properties. Unlike typical materials where thermal conductivity either decreases (crystals) or increases (glasses) with temperature, tridymite maintains a nearly constant thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range (80 K to 380 K). This discovery was made possible by applying a unified equation for heat conduction in both crystals and glasses, developed by Professor Michele Simoncelli’s team using machine learning to overcome computational challenges. Experimental validation was conducted on a tridymite sample from a 1724 meteorite found in Germany, confirming its intermediate atomic structure and stable heat conduction behavior. This breakthrough has significant implications for industrial heat management, particularly in sectors like electronics, aerospace, and steel manufacturing. For instance, tridymite could form in refractory bricks used in steel furnaces after prolonged thermal aging, potentially enabling more efficient heat control and reducing the
materialsthermal-conductivitysilicon-dioxidetridymiteheat-managementcrystal-glass-hybridaerospace-materialsChina finds a clever way to measure extreme heat drops at nanoscale
Chinese researchers from Peking University have developed a novel method to measure heat flow at the atomic scale, overcoming longstanding challenges in observing interfacial thermal resistance between different materials. Using an advanced electron microscopy technique, they tracked how electrons lose energy when interacting with vibrating atoms (phonons), enabling them to visualize heat transfer across material boundaries with sub-nanometer resolution. Their custom device created a controlled heat flow between aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon carbide (SiC), materials commonly used in high-power electronics, applying a steep temperature gradient of 180 K/μm. The team discovered a sharp temperature drop of 10–20 K occurring over just two nanometers at the interface, indicating thermal resistance 30 to 70 times greater than in the bulk materials. They also found that phonons near the interface were in a nonequilibrium state and did not follow the usual Bose-Einstein distribution, revealing that heat is not merely slowed but scattered and reshaped at these junctions.
materialsnanotechnologythermal-resistanceheat-managementelectron-microscopyhigh-power-electronicsphononsTokamaks could be prevented from overheating with X-point radiator
energyfusiontokamakplasmareactorefficiencyheat-management