Roll No: - 20MMET01

Name: - Akshit P. Trada

Guide Name: - Dr. Darshit S Upadhyay
Title of Project: - Performance Analysis of a Torrefaction System with
Carbonaceous Feedstock
Abstract: -

Indian timber market and agriculture fields are growing rapidly. According to the
2021 ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization) report, the Indian
industry has processed around 50 million m3 in 2020. Moreover, the timber
industry is a major source of sawdust and it is generated in large quantities during
wood processing. Sawdust is derived from a waste product of woodworking
operations such as sawing, sanding, planning, and routing. It is composed of small
chipping of wood. Similarly, India is one of the largest exporters of mango in the
world. Waste mango cells are generated in a huge quantity which is one of the
potential sources to harvest energy. Pyrolysis and torrefaction, thermochemical
conversion techniques are the suitable ways to generate biochar, pyro-oil, and
syngas from such wastes. In both processes, the feedstock is heated in the absence
of oxygen. Torrefaction can be used for preparing biochar from the feedstock
(where chances of oil production are minimum). Experiments were conducted on a
batch-type vacuum pyrolysis reactor with two condenser bottle arrangements. In
the first part of the experiments, sawdust was pyrolyzed at five temperatures
(300°C, 350°C, 400°C, 450°C, and 500°C) with a constant heating rate of 10℃.
The result indicated an increase in process temperature (300°C to 500°C) led to a
decrease in the biochar yield (60.66% to 35.66%), whereas bio-oil yield increased
(27.66% to 40.00%), while the heating value (22.57 MJ/kg to 25.68 MJ/kg), and
carbon (43.77 to 75.57%) in biochar increase with temperatures. The energy
efficiency (83.44- 87.32%) and exergy efficiency (74.24- 87.45%) of the pyrolysis
system increased with process temperature, and the thermodynamic analysis
optimization was achieved at 500°C. At higher temperature in pyrolysis, energy
yield in the products is higher as compared to lower temperature pyrolysis. Biochar
was characterized by SEM and FTIR. According to Fourier transform infrared
(FTIR) analysis biochar at 400°C, 450°C, and 500°C produces less smoke than
biochar at 300°C and 350°C. It was also observed from the biochar analysis that
there were no aromatic components (benzene, phenol, etc.) or nitrogen components
present at the pick point. Additionally, as the temperature increased, the porosity of
the biochar increased. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed that
feedstock has an integrated structure compared to biochar; more pores were
generated, and the size became smaller when the temperature increased. In the
second part of the experiments, mango shell waste was pyrolyzed at interaction
effects of process parameters (temperature (A), heating rate (B), and residence time
(C)) on the fuel properties (char yield, higher heating value, energy yield, and fuel
ratio) were modelled. The optimal condition for enhanced fuel properties were
determined using response surface methodology by employing the central
composite design matrix. A model equation was generated using the data obtained
and the significance of the model was investigated using analysis of variance to
determine if the fit of multiple regressions was significant. The result indicated
optimizing the effects of process parameters on the fuel properties. At the optimum
conditions (A=403°C, B=11.72°C/min, C= 81.68 min), the char yield, higher
heating value of Mango Shell Biochar (MSB), energy yield, and fuel ratio (Fixed
carbon / Volatile matter) of MSB have been found to be 35.57%, 25.81MJ/kg,
47.29% and 3.49 suggesting that biochar is a potential solid fuel in power
generation. Overall, products developed from biomass thorugh pyrolysis process
have many applications and potential to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Keywords: Sawdust, Mango shell waste, Pyrolysis, Torrefaction, Biochar, Energy,
Exergy.
Roll No: - 20MMET03
Name: - Panchal Viraj Gunvantlal
Guide Name: - Dr. Vikas Lakhera and Mr. Lalit Vaishnav
Title of Project: - Analysis and design optimization of heat exchanger in
compressed air dryer
Abstract: -
Compressed air is an industrial requirement. After the compression process, the
water molecules from the air being compressed are required to be separated which
may be achieved by a refrigerant based (VCR cycle) air dryer which cools the air
and condenses the water vapour in a controlled atmosphere. The refrigerant-based
air dryers usually consist of an air-to-air heat exchanger and an air-to-refrigerant
heat exchanger. The compressed air from the compressor first passes into the air-
to-air heat exchanger. In this phase the incoming air (moisture laden compressed
air) is pre-cooled by the outgoing air (dehumidified compressed air) and in turn the
outgoing air gets heated. In the second phase, the pre-cooled compressed air is
passing into the air-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, in which the compressed air is
cooled further down to a temperature of around 3°C. At this temperature the
moisture is condensed, the free water droplets are collected and removed. In the
next step the dehumidified compressed air is heated with the incoming air
(moisture laden compressed air) and finally comes out from the dryer. These heat
exchangers are designed based on the fin bar type compact heat exchanger. In the
present study, design and analysis of compressed air side compact heat exchanger
for a refrigerant-based air dryer is done by numerical simulation using ANSYS
Fluent to evaluate the heat transfer and the pressure drop. The studies for different
types of fin designs are undertaken. The overall pressure drop of existing heat
exchanger was found to be about 0.32 bar from numerical simulation which
matches with the experimental result of 0.30 bar. Numerical experimentation
performed reveal that the V shaped fin geometry in the air-to-air precooler leads to
lower pressure drop by 18.5%.
Keywords: Heat transfer; Offset strip fin, wavy fin, Thermal hydraulic
performance, Compact heat exchanger, Computational fluid dynamics, Pressure
drop
Roll No: - 20MMET05
Name: - Jenil Dashrathbhai Patel
Guide Name: - Dr. Madhusudan Achari and Dr. Vikas Lakhera
Title of Project: - Fluid Flow Control over an Airfoil
Abstract: -

High lift devices have become increasingly significant for airplanes and wind
turbines because they prolong flow separation and improve fuel efficiency.
However, even at a greater attack angle, fluid flow separation is likely to occur,
leading to a loss of lift. Therefore, vortex generators are used to boost the lift even
more. An increase in fuel efficiency can be achieved by simplifying complicated
high lift systems. A simplified high lift system combined with flow separation
control may be able to satisfy today's high lift performance needs.

In the present study, the use of NACA0012 and NREL S809 profiles is
numerically investigated for flow separation control. The computational fluid
dynamics approach employed in this investigation makes use of the Reynolds
averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with Spalart–Allmaras model using
ANSYS Fluent software. The results of the numerical analysis are validated with
the experimental values available in the literature. The flow velocity and angle of
attack are varied and subsequent CFD results of both the profiles are analyzed. The
varying effect of velocity and angle of attack on the flow separation point on the
airfoil profile is observed and corresponding Lift and Drag coefficients are
evaluated. The optimum conditions for fluid flow are also determined. The
numerical analysis results suggest that for maximum L/D ratio, the desired flow
velocity is 12 m/s and the angle of attack is 10° for the NREL S809 profile.

Key Words: High Lift devices, Flow Separation, Vortex Generator, Angle of
Attack, Flow Velocity, Co-efficient of Lift, Co-efficient of Drag
Roll No: - 20MMET09
Name: - Syed Arshad
Guide Name: - Dr. Niraj K. Shah and Mr. Gagan Agarwal
Title of Project: - Simulation and Experimental Studies of Pulse Tube Cryocooler
for Space Applications
Abstract: -

The pulse tube refrigerator system is a cryocooler which is capable reaching

temperature as low as tens of kelvin. Pulse Tube Cryocooler (PTC) is gaining
popularity because of high reliability, and less maintenance requirement. Due to
its long life, it has intense application in space technology. It also has its
applications in cooling system of infrared sensors, night vision equipment. Most
refrigeration systems are working based on VCR cycle but PTC works on Sterling
cycle where oscillatory compression and expansion of gas within a closed volume
achieves desired drop in temperature. Modeling and simulations of the pulse tube
cryocooler helps to understand its performance characteristics under various
conditions and in turn that provides useful input at time of its fabrication. One
way of this approach is to solve governing equations analytically but with the
recent availability of the powerful finite volume based computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) tool, one is capable of simulating the near to actual system. In
present work CFD analysis of Inertance Tube Pulse Tube Cryocooler (ITPTC) has
been carried out to understand fluid flow and heat transfer processes. Helium gas
is used as the working fluid because it offers the lowest critical temperature
compared to other available gases. It has also high thermal conductivity.
Modelling and simulation of the ITPTC is done using ANSYS Design Modeler
and Fluent modules. Reciprocating motion of compressor is modeled using
layering technique of dynamic meshing. A user defined function (UDF) in form of
C code is developed to give sinusoidal pulsating movement to the piston inside
the compressor. To make the compact system and achieve proper cooling effect,
simulations are started with sufficiently higher initial pressure in the system.
Porous modelling method is used for after cooler, regenerator, cold heat
exchanger and hot heat exchanger. Thermal boundary conditions such as adiabatic
and constant temperature is employed on walls of different components. To
achieve steady state temperature, computations are performed for 100 secs. A
standard k-ε model is used for turbulence flow simulation. To understand
modeling and simulation properly, geometry of ITPTC given in Chaudhary et al.
(2021) and Cha et al. (2006) work is used as computation domain and results are
matching with their published results within 20%. The variation in results is due
to difference in meshing, modeling and simulation methodology. Simulation
results shows minimum temperature at Cold Heat Exchanger and that is in tens of
Kelvin. Phase lag is found between mass flow rate and pressure.

Keywords: Pulse tube cryocoolers, CFD, UDF, Dynamic meshing, porous

modelling
Roll No: - 20MMET13
Name: -Upadhyay Devwrat Mayankbhai
Guide Name: - Dr. Absar Lakdawala and Mr. Dilip Sarda
Title of Project: - Freeze concentration process for Dairy products
Abstract: -

Every day in the twenty-first century, the globe evolves. Every area and business is
seeing tremendous technological advancement. The most difficult difficulty in the
food processing industry is managing dairy products with their original test, colors,
fragrance, and so on. Traditionally, evaporation is used for this, but milk, in
particular, loses its individuality. The freeze concentration technique is the solution
to this problem. As a result, I created a prototype freeze concentration technique
for the dairy business (especially milk).
The freeze concentration process equipment with a 5-liter capacity is being
designed. This apparatus is used for two distinct processes: crystallization and
separation. Scrap surface heat exchanger (SSHe) is utilized for crystallization, and
gravity filtration is employed for separation. This equipment is suitable for both
continuous and batch processes. The SSHe has a 0.3 TR refrigeration system
(Refrigerant- R134a) and a scrap RPM of 100. Similarly, the Separation tank
features a rotor and a filtration column, the latter of which is supplied with a 2-
micron stain-free steel filter. The system is made of food-grade materials and is
thermally insulated with nitrated foam.
The experimental work is also carried out, with an Amulet T-special milk serving
as the experimental material. Various milk and water preparations are used in the
experiment (5 litter total milk, 3-litter milk, 2 litter water and 2-litter milk, and 3-
litter water). The qualitative and quantitative analyses are carried out through
experimentation, wherein quantitative we observed, the freeze concentration
process, the density of Chagares in the mother liquid, mass concentration and ice
separation, and so on, and qualitative we observed milk colors, aroma, texture, and
test. Apart from that we use a multi pass technique to get more concentration of
liquid.
Keywords: Freeze concentration process, Scrap surface heat exchanger,
gravitational wash column, milk concentration, Solid-liquid separation.
Roll No: - 20MMET14
Name: - Meet Natvarlal Mistry
Guide Name: - Prof. Balkrushna Shah
Title of Project: An Experimental Investigation of Pool Boiling Heat Transfer over
a micro-finned Cylindrical Surfaces
Abstract: -
Pool boiling heat transfer provides an excellent mechanism for the removal
of heat from the surface being heated. High heat transfer rates are achieved due to
the phase change of liquid to vapour. Pool boiling is used in a variety of
applications, such as power generation, electronic cooling, refrigeration, and air
conditioning heat transfer devices. Over the past few decades, numerous studies
have been conducted on the enhancement of pool boiling using different heat
transfer enhancement techniques. The techniques can be divided into three
categories: passive, active, and compound.
In the present work, passive techniques have been used for the enhancement
of the pool boiling over the cylindrical surfaces. The V-grooved microchannel has
been formed over the cylindrical surface as part of the passive technique, and an
experimental study was conducted on this surface using R123 at different
pressures. The experiments were conducted on three MFCS between the heat flux
ranges of 10 kW/m2 to 110 kW/m2 in decreasing order of heat flux, and the results
of these three MFCS are compared with that of the plain surface. The high density
cartridge heater is used to supply heat to the cylindrical micro-finned surface. To
obtain the wall superheat, the temperature difference of the heating surface and the
working fluid, K type thermocouples and RTD sensors have been used,
respectively. The pressure during experiments were maintained by supplying the
chilled water through the condenser coil. It is a well-known fact that the boiling
heat transfer coefficient depends upon the bubble departure behaviour from the
surface, contact angle and fluid properties. In this work, the bubble departure
diameter over MFCS is also measured. It is measured by Image-J software from
images captured using a Canon EOSI1200D camera at different values of heat
fluxes at various pressures. The result indicates that the BHTC increases with
pressure. There is a significant improvement in MFCSs in BHTC at all pressures.
Out of all three MFCS’s, MFCS-3 with a hydrophobic surface (contact angle of
109.75°C) and having a high depth and low fin thickness gives better performance.

Keywords: Passive technique, MFCS (micro-finned cylindrical surfaces), heat

flux, wall superheat, BHTC (boiling heat transfer coefficient), bubble departure
diameter, R123