sadegh motahar

This paper examines the role of entrepreneurship in energy engineering education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating entrepreneurial skills into the curriculum. Given the global challenges associated with sustainable energy, entrepreneurship is identified as a crucial driver for developing innovative technologies in the energy sector. The paper addresses the obstacles and challenges of integrating entrepreneurship into energy engineering education programs and highlights the need for curriculum reform, enhanced industry collaboration, and the utilization of appropriate resources to foster entrepreneurship. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of balancing technical and entrepreneurial content within energy engineering courses, and the necessity of providing suitable incentives and opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurial activities. The societal demand for sustainable energy solutions and the pressing global challenges underscore the need for energy engineering students to develop entrepreneurial skills. This development is presented as a vital strategy for driving economic growth and fostering innovation in the energy industry. In conclusion, the paper argues that the integration of entrepreneurship into energy engineering education is essential for preparing students to contribute effectively to the energy sector’s evolution and to address the urgent need for sustainable and innovative energy solutions.

This paper evaluates the performance of a concentrating photo-voltaic thermal (CPVT) hybrid system for space heating, providing hot water, and grid-connected (GC) electricity generation in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The GCCPVT system is a ground-mounted 5.63 kWp rated power system oriented in a north-south direction to achieve the maximum power output. The annual and monthly modeling of the system is performed by Polysun® simulation software. The system specifications are described and the heating and electrical energy demand of the building are determined. The GC-CPVT performance simulation is then conducted based on the meteorological data of the location. The monthly simulation results of the GC-CPVT system in the studied location show that the yield factor varies from 138.8 to 183 kWh/kWp, the reference yield from 170.3 to 253.5 kWh/kWp, and the performance ratio from 70.3 to 82.2%. The maximum annual AC electricity generated is 10752 kWh. Furthermore, the CPVT system generates a considerable amount of heat. The annual solar fraction values for covering domestic hot water and space heating are achieved 78.3% and 35.3%, respectively. The monthly solar fraction covered by the CPVT system also varies from 32 to 100%. The environmental performance of the GC-CPVT system indicates that the contribution of such a system to CO2 emission reductions exceeds 8 tons of CO2 per year.

Unglazed transpired solar collectors (UTCs) are solar air heating collectors that used for preheating air in ventilation systems or producing hot air for drying systems. Thermal performance of UTCs is a function of various parameters including incident solar radiation, air approach velocity, diameter and pitch of perforations. Modeling predicts the thermal performance of UTCs over a wide range of design and operating conditions. This paper presents the details of modeling for UTC using heat transfer expressions for the collector components and energy balances. The effects of key parameters on the performance of a UTC were studied by varying the approach velocity, solar radiation, diameter and pitch of perforations and finding their influence on collector thermal efficiency, heat exchange effectiveness and outlet air temperature. Results showed that the UTC thermal efficiency increases by increase in solar radiation and approach velocity, but the efficiency decreases by increasing plate hole diameters and pitch.

In the present paper, an experimental assessment was performed on the transient thermal performance of a heat sink filled by a phase change material (PCM) and PCM embedded with carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and titania (TiO2) nanoparticles as nanostructured materials. In order to enhance the thermal conductivity of PCM, CNFs and TiO2 nanoparticles at different loadings (0.5wt. % and 2 wt.% of CNFs and 2 wt.% and 4 wt.% TiO2) were dispersed by two-step method in to the molten PCM. The thermal conductivity and viscosity measurements showed an enhancement in composite thermal conductivity as well as an increment in viscosity. The heat sink was filled with PCM, PCM/CNF and PCM/TiO2 and experiments were accomplished by inputting power ranging from 3 W to 8 W. Results showed that filling the heat sink with PCM delayed the time to reach a typical temperature of 35°C by up to 110% for the power level of 8 W, while adding 2 wt.% of CNFs reduced this time by 15% and 4 wt.% of TiO2 nanoparticles improved by 2%. Generally, dispersion of TiO2 led to lower heat sink transient temperatures. However, adding 2 wt.% of CNFs and 4 wt.% TiO2 nanoparticles in to PCM at power level of 8 W raised the steady operation temperature by 11°C and 0.3°C, respectively.