All articles tagged with #heat transfer
Modern winter jackets utilize centuries-old physics principles—conduction, convection, and radiation—enhanced by innovative materials like breathable membranes, reflective layers, and ultralight insulations to effectively trap heat, block wind, and manage moisture, resulting in lighter, warmer, and more comfortable winter wear.
Researchers at Japan's NIFS have observed unexpected roles of plasma turbulence inside fusion reactors, acting as both a mediator that rapidly connects different plasma regions and a carrier that transports heat, challenging existing theories and opening new avenues for improving fusion efficiency.
A European experiment on the ISS studies how condensation behaves in microgravity using fin-shaped metal surfaces to improve understanding of heat transfer, with potential applications in space technology and Earth-based cooling systems.
Recent research has identified a mysterious 'ghost plume' beneath Oman, a column of hot rock rising from Earth's lower mantle without surface volcanic activity, suggesting that heat from the Earth's core may be venting through hidden pathways, potentially altering our understanding of Earth's internal heat distribution and geological processes.
Scientists at MIT have captured the first direct images of 'second sound,' a wave-like movement of heat in superfluids, revealing heat bouncing like sound, which could advance understanding of heat flow in high-temperature superconductors and neutron stars.
Scientists have for the first time directly observed 'second sound,' a wave-like heat transfer phenomenon in superfluids, using a novel heat-mapping technique on ultracold lithium-6 atoms. This breakthrough could advance understanding of heat flow in extreme environments like neutron stars and improve high-temperature superconductor designs.
Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a method to achieve the Leidenfrost effect, where water droplets hover on a vapor layer, at significantly lower temperatures using surfaces covered with micropillars. This discovery, published in Nature Physics, has potential applications in cooling industrial machines and nuclear reactors, as well as in surface cleaning. The new method could help prevent damage and disasters in nuclear machinery by improving heat transfer efficiency.
Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a textured surface with micropillars that can induce the Leidenfrost effect at significantly lower temperatures, potentially revolutionizing cooling systems in nuclear reactors and other industrial applications by preventing vapor explosions and enhancing safety.
Researchers have discovered that the 200-year-old Fourier's Law of heat transfer might have exceptions when it comes to transparent and translucent materials. By testing translucent polymers and inorganic glasses in a vacuum, they found that heat can transfer through radiation in addition to conduction, which Fourier's Law alone cannot explain. This research provides a new understanding of heat transmission and could lead to new strategies for designing heat circuits.
Scientists have discovered an exception to Fourier's law, a 200-year-old scientific law governing heat diffusion through solid materials. Researchers found that in translucent materials, heat can also travel through thermal radiation in addition to diffusion, challenging traditional understanding. The study suggests that structural imperfections in these materials act as heat absorbers and sources, allowing heat to propagate internally. This discovery could lead to new strategies for heat management in translucent materials and expands our understanding of heat transmission in solids.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have discovered an exception to Fourier's Law, a 200-year-old scientific law governing heat transfer. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that pure electromagnetic radiation plays a role in heat diffusion through common materials like plastics and glasses, challenging the traditional understanding of heat transmission. The team's findings suggest that translucent materials allow energy to radiate internally, interacting with structural imperfections and becoming secondary heat sources, expanding our understanding of heat transmission and offering new strategies for designing heat circuits.
Researchers at Purdue University are exploring the use of hybrid quasiparticles called "polaritons" to improve heat transfer in nanoscale semiconductors. While thermal energy is typically transferred through quantum particles called phonons, they are not efficient enough at the nanoscale. Polaritons, which are a combination of photons and phonons, offer a new approach to heat transfer. The researchers have found that polaritons become significant in heat transfer on surfaces thinner than 10 nanometers, making them particularly relevant for shrinking semiconductors. The study highlights the potential for incorporating polariton-based heat transfer principles into the design of future chips.
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and UCL have found that heat transferring from the surface to the deep ocean in the North Atlantic has helped reduce climate swings over the past 1,000 years. By analyzing sediment cores, the team discovered that the deep North Atlantic consistently transferred surface climate changes to the deep ocean, preventing climate changes from being more severe. This process, known as the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation (AMOC), acts as a conveyor belt carrying warm surface water north and cool deep water south. The study highlights the importance of the ocean in mitigating climate change and raises concerns about the potential impact of a weakening AMOC on heat absorption in the future.
Hurricanes, while destructive, play a crucial role in maintaining Earth's energy balance by transferring heat from the tropics to higher latitudes. The planet's inherent energy imbalance, caused by uneven heating between land and water, induces circulation and creates disturbances necessary for hurricanes to form. These storms redistribute heat through precipitation and leave behind a "cold wake" in the ocean. While most tropical waves do not develop into hurricanes, the path of the storm is influenced by the surrounding atmosphere. Ultimately, tropical cyclones help rebalance order on Earth.
Purdue University has sent an experiment to the International Space Station to study how reduced gravity affects condensation, with the aim of enabling heat and air conditioning systems for long-term space habitats. The experiment, called the Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE), will investigate the behavior of condensation in a reduced-gravity environment. The research could have implications for future space exploration, including living on the moon or Mars, as well as improving spacecraft capabilities for longer journeys and refueling in orbit.