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Categories: Chemistry: Thermodynamics, Geoscience: Volcanoes
Published Researchers engineer new approach for controlling thermal emission
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source If a material absorbs light, it will heat up. That heat must go somewhere, and the ability to control where and how much heat is emitted can protect or even hide such devices as satellites. An international team of researchers has published a novel method for controlling this thermal emission in Science.
Published Newly developed material logs and stores stress information of infrastructure
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new material may be the key to quickly flag damaged infrastructure. This material offers a way to reduce the manpower required to regularly monitor structures that undergo daily use such as bridges. Compared to previous methods, this environmentally friendly material boasts the ability to operate without a power supply, and store information about previous incidents of mechanical stress. The application of this mechanoluminescent material is expected to make it easier and less costly to assess the safety of structures we may use in our everyday lives.
Published Pushing an information engine to its limits
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The molecules that make up the matter around us are in constant motion. What if we could harness that energy and put it to use? Over 150 years ago Maxwell theorized that if molecules' motion could be measured accurately, this information could be used to power an engine. Until recently this was a thought experiment, but technological breakthroughs have made it possible to build working information engines in the lab. Researchers have now teamed up to build an information engine and test its limits.
Published Mapping lava flows with groundbreaking field instrument
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers develop a tool for measuring the viscosity of lava that could increase our understanding of molten rock as well as better improve models of its movement, giving authorities crucial guidance for keeping people safe. They attached a metal rod to a force gauge for accurate measurements and coupled it with a second rod to measure displacement. The entire instrument is designed to be both lightweight enough to be hand-held and durable enough to hold up in a volcanic environment.
Published Overcoming barriers to heat pump adoption in cold climates and avoiding the 'energy poverty trap'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Converting home heating systems from natural gas furnaces to electric heat pumps is seen as a way to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Published Researchers create materials with unique combo of stiffness, thermal insulation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have demonstrated the ability to engineer materials that are both stiff and capable of insulating against heat. This combination of properties is extremely unusual and holds promise for a range of applications, such as the development of new thermal insulation coatings for electronic devices.
Published Performance of eco-friendly cooling applications enhanced
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a sustainable and controllable strategy to manipulate interfacial heat transfer, paving the way for improving the performance of eco-friendly cooling in various applications such as electronics, buildings and solar panels.
Published Earth scientists describe a new kind of volcanic eruption
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source By analyzing the dynamics of 12 back-to-back explosions that happened in 2018, researchers describe a new type of volcanic eruption mechanism. The explosions were driven by sudden pressure increases as the ground collapsed, which blasted plumes of rock fragments and hot gas into the air, much like a classic stomp-rocket toy.
Published Breakthrough discovery uses engineered surfaces to shed heat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Splash a few drops of water on a hot pan and if the pan is hot enough, the water will sizzle and the droplets of water seem to roll and float, hovering above the surface. The temperature at which this phenomenon, called the Leidenfrost effect, occurs is predictable, usually happening above 230 degrees Celsius. A team has now discovered a method to create the aquatic levitation at a much lower temperature.
Published Renewable grid: Recovering electricity from heat storage hits 44% efficiency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Closing in on the theoretical maximum efficiency, devices for turning heat into electricity are edging closer to being practical for use on the grid, according to new research.
Published Strings that can vibrate forever (kind of)
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object -- approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures. Their study pushes the edge of nanotechnology and machine learning to make some of the world's most sensitive mechanical sensors.
Published New polystyrene recycling process could be world's first to be both economical and energy-efficient
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have modeled a new way to recycle polystyrene that could become the first viable way of making the material reusable.
Published Highly sensitive fiber optic gyroscope senses rotational ground motion around active volcano
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have built a prototype fiber optic gyroscope for high resolution, real-time monitoring of ground rotations caused by earthquakes in the active volcanic area of Campi Flegrei in Naples, Italy. A better understanding of the seismic activity in this highly populated area could improve risk assessment and might lead to improved early warning systems.
Published Powering wearable devices with high-performing carbon nanotube yarns
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are promising for flexible and fabric-type wearable materials that can convert waste heat into thermoelectricity. To improve the thermoelectric properties of CNT yarns, researchers dispersed CNT filaments in a highly viscous glycerol, enabling the production of CNT yarn with highly aligned bundles together with surfactants that prevent increased thermal conductivity. This innovative approach can significantly improve carbon nanotube-based thermoelectric materials, making it possible to power wearable devices using just body heat.
Published A powerful tool speeds success in achieving highly efficient thermoelectric materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Thermoelectric materials could play an important role in the clean energy transition, as they can produce electricity from sources of heat that would otherwise go to waste. Researchers report a new approach to efficiently predict when thermoelectric materials will have improved performance in converting heat into electricity.
Published Using AI to improve building energy use and comfort
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new method that can lead to significant energy savings in buildings. The team identified 28 major heat loss regions in a multi-unit residential building with the most severe ones being at wall intersections and around windows. A potential energy savings of 25 per cent is expected if 70 per cent of the discovered regions are fixed.
Published Scientists generate heat over 1,000 degrees Celsius with solar power instead of fossil fuel
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Instead of burning fossil fuels to smelt steel and cook cement, researchers in Switzerland want to use heat from the sun. The proof-of-concept study uses synthetic quartz to trap solar energy at temperatures over 1,000 C (1,832 F), demonstrating the method's potential role in providing clean energy for carbon-intensive industries.
Published Using artificial intelligence to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers are using artificial intelligence to perfect the design of the vessels surrounding the super-hot plasma, optimize heating methods and maintain stable control of the reaction for increasingly long periods. A new article explains how a researcher team used machine learning to avoid magnetic perturbations, or disruptions, which destabilize fusion plasma.
Published Exceptionally large transverse thermoelectric effect produced by combining thermoelectric and magnetic materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect -- energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to each other within it -- than existing magnetic materials capable of exhibiting the anomalous Nernst effect. This mechanism may be used to develop new types of thermoelectric devices useful in energy harvesting and heat flux sensing.
Published New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Physicists and computer scientists have recently expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum predicted energy cost of computational processes that depend on randomness, which is a powerful tool in modern computers.