Heat Transfer 2016
14th International Conference on Simulation and Experiments in Heat Transfer and its Applications
7 - 9 September, 2016
Ancona, Italy
Overview
The 14th International Conference on Simulation and Experiments in Heat Transfer and its Applications took place in Portonovo, in the Conero National Park in Italy. The conference was co-organised by Lund University of Sweden, represented by Professor Bengt Sunden, and Wessex Institute, represented by Professor Carlos A Brebbia.
The meeting has a long and distinguished history, ie the first meeting was held in Portsmouth in 1988.
Heat Transfer topics and related phenomena are commonly of a complex nature, and different mechanisms of heat conduction, convection, turbulence, thermal radiation and phase change, as well as chemical reactions may take place simultaneously. Typical applications are found in heat exchangers, gas turbine cooling, batteries, micro- and mini-channels, electronics cooling, melting and solidification, chemical processing, aerospace engineering and many others.
The objective of the conference series is to provide a forum for presentation and discussion of shared topics, new approaches and application of innovative advanced computational methods and experimental measurements to heat and mass transfer problems.
Opening of the Conference
The conference opened with a special session that took place in the Aula Magna of the University of La Marche, in the historical centre of Ancona. The delegates were taken there by bus from Portonovo and welcomed by Professor Fabio Polonara in the name of that University and was especially pleased to see Wessex Institute conferences back in Ancona.
He referred to the importance of presenting scientific facts in energy related matters and not to have uninformed decisions in the hands of politicians.
Carlos then expressed his appreciation to the University of La Marche with which the Wessex Institute has numerous links in the form of projects as well as conferences and various research activities.
Carlos explained that his Institute tries to build bridges across different disciplines by originating new projects, something WIT has been successfully doing for over thirty years. The Institute is aware that it depends on the goodwill of the community for its success.
Professor Giorgio Passerini also welcomed the delegates in the name of his University of La Marche and hoped that they would have time to see some of the sights in Ancona, a very old and strategic city that has attracted many tradesmen as well as invaders over its long history.
The sessions at the Aula Magna of the University of La Marche in Ancona, comprised of the following presentations:
Dr Rock Boothroyd
The first keynote address was by Dr Rock Boothroyd, independent consultant, lately from the University of Queensland, Australia, who in his own words is trying to pay back to the world some of the benefits received earlier in his career. His talk on “Integrated Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor Systems for base-load power plants” was a reflection of his experience in the nuclear industry. He discussed the advantages of this type of reactor which can supply the background power for further integrated energy systems.
Professor Hussain Al-Kayiem
The next keynote address was given by Professor Hussain Al-Kayiem from Petronas University in Malaysia. Hussain has considerable experience in the field of energy systems, ranging from conventional sources to renewable energies; with expertise in the development of technical equipment. His presentation described a normal renewable energy system based on the use of solar energy, using the updraft from a tall chimney where air is heated by the sun. The system ensures a continuous delivery of energy by being able to store the heat in a water pipe network underneath the heat absorbing surface surrounding the chimney. Some updraft power plants have been built in Australia, Spain and Namibia, amongst others. Hussain proposed a new version based on vortex induced flow.
Dr Elena Cristina Rada
Dr Elena Cristina Rada from the University of Trento gave another keynote address with the topic of Environment Pollution from waste and biomass energy generation. She referred to the challenge that population growth and use of energy present regarding the increase in emissions.
Elena investigated the local impact of waste to energy plants, solid waste and the use of wood combustion. Her research indicates that all these technologies can be environmentally friendly if they are carried out properly. Even wood combustion can use very clean technologies.
The analysis made by Elena will help to understand better the different systems available to provide clean waste and biomass processing, leading to an improvement in Air Quality.
Professor Yogesh Jaluria
The keynote address by Professor Yogesh Jaluria of Rutgers University, USA was entitled “Simulation of thermal transport processes to reduce environmental impact and improve output”. He went over a series of industrial applications in which the process has been optimised to minimise the adverse effects on the environment. Yogesh also referred to the damaging environmental effects of air contamination in soil and water.
It is essential to combine the experimental, analytical and computational methods to obtain the best possible results and validate the simulation in order to reduce energy emissions and optimise the use of energy. The research needs to focus more on environmental impact.
Professor Bengt Sunden
The last invited presentation in the Special Session was by Professor Bengt Sunden from Lund University in Sweden, on the topic “On modelling of transport phenomena in thermoelectric systems for trigeneration”. His talk discussed how to change a thermoelectric generator module. The analysis requires a multiscale and multiphase approach. The research demonstrates that the best strategy for making the thermoelastic devices efficient is to choose the right materials.
The presentations were all well received and followed by productive discussions.
At the end of the talks, Carlos awarded the keynote speakers an Eminent Scientist Award from the Wessex Institute. This was a medal depicting the New Forest Dragon based on a legend dating back from the time of the Saxons. The dragon is part of the ancient flag of Wessex (ie the West Saxon country). The standard was raised for the last time during the Battle of Hastings which marked the end of the Saxon kingdom and the invasion of England by the Normans. The New Forest then became the hunting ground of the new King, William the Conqueror.
The medals were an appreciation to the speakers for their scientific achievements, as well as for their support of the Wessex Institute activities.
Invited Presentations
There were a series of invited presentations in addition to those in the special sessions, ie
- “Modelling mixed convection in laminar pipe flow”, by Matthias Buschmann, Dresden Technical University, Germany.
- “Superposition method for multi rows of film cooling hole on a turbine stationary vane surface”, by Kenichiro Takeishi, Tokushima Bunri University, Japan.
- “Numerical investigation of superheater tube failure”, by Hussain Al-Kayiem, Petronas University Malaysia.
- “Numerical methods for large length-to diameter ratio problems – ground heat exchangers and oil wells”, by John Chai, University of Huddersfield, UK.
Social Occasions
The delegates had ample opportunity to interact with each other during coffee and lunch breaks, as well as outside the formal sessions in the hotel facilities and gardens where they resided. The meeting, as most WIT conferences, was characterised by its friendliness.
A piano recital took place at the end of the second day of the conference. The performer was Pier Paolo Strona who graduated at the Bologna Philharmonic Academy while studying civil engineering at the Politecnico di Torino. During his successful scientific career Pier Paolo championed the use of boundary elements at Fiat R&D, while continuing his studies and recitals as a piano and organ virtuoso.
After leaving Fiat, Pier Paolo was able to concentrate his talents in music performances and photography, his other passion. He is the author of several books on music and photography.
His recital included pieces by Bach, Mozart and Chopin, as well as short pieces by Piazzolla. The audience was most appreciative of his performance, all the more because he also had a successful scientific career.
The Conference Dinner took place in the idyllic site of the Fortino Napoleonico, now a hotel and excellent restaurant.
The Fortino was built at the time of Napoleon to protect the Adriatic Coast against possible invasion from England and other nations opposed to the Napoleonic rule. It has a commanding position of the coastline which the delegates could appreciate during the pre-dinner drinks on the terrace.
Dinner was served in one of the old bastions where the delegates had an opportunity to taste some of the local fish dishes accompanied by the excellent white wines for which La Marche is renowned throughout the world.
Giorgio Passerini said a few words at the beginning of the banquet and offered a toast to the continuous success of the conferences, stating how nice it was to see so many nationalities represented at the meeting. The success of this and other WIT meetings – Giorgio said – is in great part due to the friendly atmosphere created at WIT conferences.
The night was most pleasant and helped to strengthen the links between delegates. This was one more opportunity for them, in addition to lunches and coffee breaks, to become better acquainted with each other.
Panel Discussion
The conference included an interesting panel discussion in which senior researchers offered their views on what are the most pressing engineering problems in Heat Transfer. The panel covered a wide range of issues and was comprised of Professor Yogesh Jaluria from Rutgers University (USA), Professor John Choi from Huddersfield University (UK), Professor Matthias Buschmann from Dresden Technical University (Germany) and Professor Bengt Sunden from Lund University (Sweden). Their views were followed by a general question and answer session.
Close of the Conference
The meeting was closed by Carlos and Bengt who expressed their appreciation to all participants for their contributions. The success of the meeting was really due to the active collaboration of all participants and the reviewing work of the members of the International Scientific Advisory Committee and other colleagues who collaborated in the review process.
Associated Meetings
CMEM 2017
Sustainable City 2017
Energy and Sustainability 2017
Wessex Institute