Solar thermal energy plays a vital role in the transition toward sustainable and energy-efficient heating solutions. Among the available technologies, flat plate collectors (FPCs) remain one of the most widely adopted systems for low-temperature applications (≤120℃), including residential water heating, industrial process heat, and district heating. Enhancing the thermal performance of large-scale FPCs is essential to improve efficiency, reduce energy losses, and ensure adaptability across diverse climatic conditions. This study presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) thermo-hydraulic analysis of riser tubes in a large-scale flat plate collector (FPC) using ANSYS Fluent. Three riser lengths (4.45 m, 5.45 m and 6.45 m) are examined with regard to temperature distribution, hydraulic behavior, and energy and exergy performance. An aqueous solution of 50% (w/w) glycol enters the risers at 15 °C with a velocity of 0.4 m/s, while non-uniform heat fluxes of 750 and 100 W/m2 are considered on the sun-facing and shaded sides. For riser lengths of 4.45 m, 5.45 m and 6.45 m, the CFD simulations indicate outlet temperatures of 89.63 °C, 96.81 °C and 103.61 °C, corresponding to thermal efficiencies of 74.1%, 77.0% and 79.4% and exergy efficiencies of 8.0%, 9.6% and 11.1%, respectively. Fully developed laminar flow is observed, with pressure drops (2.7–3.56 kPa) and low pumping power demands. To ensure numerical reliability, a mesh-independence study was carried out for the 5.45 m riser. Refining the grid from 6.5 × 105 to 7.43 × 105 cells changed the outlet temperature by less than 0.2%; therefore, Mesh 2 was adopted for all simulations. Taken together, the mesh-independence analysis and the comparison with monitoring data support the reliability of the numerical model. Overall, the longest riser provides the highest energy and exergy performance but operates close to the stagnation temperature range (100–120 °C), reducing safety margins. The intermediate 5.45 m riser emerges as the most balanced configuration, combining high thermal and exergy efficiencies with more moderate outlet temperatures and hydraulic losses; it is therefore recommended for real-world deployment in large-scale FPC systems.
A comprehensive metal loss [1] assessment model was developed in a multiyear effort that enables more accurate assessment of metal loss as detected and sized using the current in-line and in-the-ditch tools as compared to existing in-line inspection assessment methods. The performance of the assessment model produced by this work was validated against 140 full-scale burst tests. Improved accuracy was achieved with reduced scatter and demonstrated regarding the burst pressure predictions over a wide range of metal loss feature geometries and pipe attributes, compared to several prevalent assessment models. The model was implemented as a Python-based software with built-in support for typical NDT data formats. The software and this report constitute the deliverables of this effort. This accurate and precise metal loss assessment model will help pipeline operators: (1) make informed decisions about maintenance and mitigation work, which targets anomalies that pose the greatest risk and (2) save time and cost of the integrity management of metal loss anomalies through reducing unnecessary digs and repairs. The formulation of this model facilitates its use with current technology ILI metal-loss tools that rely on boxing features, as well as with future generation tools that will characterize a digital-twin of the metal-loss. [1] Metal loss in this report refers to metal loss due to corrosion. The terms "metal loss" and "corrosion" are used interchangeably. Within this zipped package is a zipped folder "PR350-203605-S01 Metal Loss Assessment Software Tool.zip" containing the following files related to the python implementation of the EC-2-10 metal loss assessment procedures: - "PRCI Software EULA.pdf": PRCI Software End User License Agreement - "PR350-203605-M01 Development of Comprehensive Metal Loss Assessment Methodologies - Software Manual.pdf": user instructions file - "PR350-203605-S01-EC-2-10-MLAssessment.py": Python script file of the tool - "requirements.txt": dependency file compatible with the Python package installer (pip) - "Single_feature_matrix_coef_v3.csv": tabulated stress model parameters required by the tool - "check_case_list.csv": list of check case input files; also serves as template for batch processing - "check_case_files": folder containing input files for check cases; the check case files also serve as input templates - "check_case_results.csv": expected output file for check cases, including -- "13-2015-16-6.CSV" -- "benjamin2016-IDTS13.CSV" -- "benjamin2016-IDTS21.CSV"
When the Kingdom of Portugal revolted on December 1, 1640, the linguistic situation was characterized by bilingualism or diglossia, with Castilian being the language most used for publications during the dual monarchy (1580-1640). If, from 1640 onward, the publications legitimizing D. João IV's claim to the throne were written in Castilian (or Latin), wartime propaganda during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668) was published mostly in Portuguese. However, some documents were written in Castilian, which raises several questions: Who were they addressed to? What events did they refer to? During which phase(s) of the Restoration War were they produced? Where were they published? In order to provide some answers, the relevance of Castilian within the context of Portuguese wartime propaganda during that period can be highlighted.
This project is intended to facilitate the technology transfer from PRCI research results and other published work to the fitness-for-service (FFS) standard API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. The covered PRCI research results include: (1) crack/flaw interaction rules and (2) fatigue crack growth rates as expressed by Paris law constants for axially oriented flaws/cracks. The other published work includes: (1) incorporation of weld strength mismatch into stress-based FFS assessment and (2) guidance on performing Level 3 FFS assessment for pipelines subjected to high longitudinal/axial strains. The primary target audience is the API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 committee, whose actions would be needed to adopt the recommendations in this report into the API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 standard.
