In the modern times, thermal engineering is not limited to only machines, it encompasses innovative inventions to tackle modern day problems like fuel conservation, reducing carbon footprint, creating better energy harnessing systems and thermal systems that ultimately conserve energy. With everyone turning sustainable, modern engineering also focuses on creating sustainable solutions for the world we live in.
Below are the top 3 innovative ideas with thermal sciences at its core that can change the way machines and our surroundings are interacted with.
Unit exergy cost and specific CO2 emissions
Exergy and environmental analyses have been developed to determine the performance of the electricity generation. An exergoeconomy methodology is used to properly allocate the renewable and non-renewable exergy costs and specific CO2 emissions among the various products of the polygeneration energy systems. The results may help to identify sustainable energy planning strategies and fairly comparing electricity generation and end-use processing stages with other types of energy resources, such as fuels used in transportation, residential and industrial sectors.
The invention of nature friendly refrigerant
Compressors and chloro fluro carbon are partially responsible for greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution currently being addressed globally. The current climate models predict that global temperatures will rise by a further 1.4 to 5.8 K by the end of the 21st century. Therefore, the use of nature friendly refrigerant like R-134A when the driving power comes from renewable or low-grade waste heat sources may lessen global warming and ozone layer depletion.
Bio based material for insulation
Bio-based insulation materials, such as wood or hemp are emerging as a promising alternative in building envelope applications, aiming at improving in-use energy efficiency. When compared to common insulation materials bio-based materials present the advantage of being renewable, with a low embodied energy and CO2 neutral or negative.
These recent innovations in thermal energy and its management create a balance between needs of man and nature together to create better solutions that do not compromise with our standard of living while creating a better future for our nature.
