Sreenivas Jayanti

Bio: Sreenivas Jayanti is an academic researcher from Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The author has contributed to research in topics: Pressure drop & Combustion. The author has an hindex of 37, co-authored 142 publications receiving 3884 citations. Previous affiliations of Sreenivas Jayanti include Ohio State University & Imperial College London.

Comparative Study of Kilowatt-Scale Vanadium Redox Flow Battery Stacks Designed with Serpentine Flow Fields and Split Manifolds

Abstract: A low-pressure drop stack design with minimal shunt losses was explored for vanadium redox flow batteries, which, due to their low energy density, are used invariably in stationary applications. Three kilowatt-scale stacks, having cell sizes in the range of 400 to 1500 cm2, were built with thick graphite plates grooved with serpentine flow fields and external split manifolds for electrolyte circulation, and they were tested over a range of current densities and flow rates. The results show that stacks of different cell sizes have different optimal flow rate conditions, but under their individual optimal flow conditions, all three cell sizes exhibit similar electrochemical performance including stack resistivity. Stacks having larger cell sizes can be operated at lower stoichiometric factors, resulting in lower parasitic pumping losses. Further, these can be operated at a fixed flow rate for power variations of ±25% without any significant changes in discharge capacity and efficiency; this is attributed to the use of serpentine flow fields, which ensure uniform distribution of the electrolyte over a range of flow rates and cell sizes.

A numerical study of bifurcation in laminar flow in curved ducts

Abstract: SUMMARY The bifurcation phenomenon whereby multiple-vortex secondary flow occurs in place of the normal twovortex flow in laminar flow in curved ducts has previously been studied numerically by several researchers. However, the various results have been conflicting on many points. The present paper describes a set of numerical experiments conducted to study the effect of numerical accuracy on the solution. The results show that the transition from two- to four-vortex structure depends strongly on the differencing scheme and to a lesser extent on the grid size. The study also shows that as the Reynolds number of the flow increases, a twovortex structure is re-established via a path which involves strongly asymmetric secondary flow patterns. These results are in agreement, at least qualitatively, with recent experimental theoretical and numerical results.

Investigation of postflooding conditions in countercurrent gas–liquid flow

Abstract: Systematic experiments were conducted to study the postflooding situation in air–water countercurrent flow in a tube of 0.025 m internal diameter with smooth inlet and outlet conditions for the two phases. The downflow rate of water and the pressure gradient were measured over a range of flow rates for test-section lengths of 0.6, 1.2 and 2.0 m. Additional experiments were conducted with increasing and decreasing water flow rates at a constant air flow rate. The length of the test section or the way the flooding point was approached did not significantly affect the onset of flooding. The data show that, as the gas flow rate is increased, the pressure gradient can fall significantly in the postflooding situation due to depleting the downflow rate of liquid. Dimensionless correlations are proposed to calculate the downflow rate and the pressure gradient given for overall flow parameters.

Burning Profile of High Ash Indian Coals in Oxy-Fuel Environment

Abstract: Oxy-fuel combustion is one of the emerging technologies to capture and store CO2 emissions generated from thermal power plants. Research programs are in full swing to find out the possibility of retrofitting existing coal fired power plants with oxy-fuel mode combustion. Most of the Indian thermal power plants are pulverized coal based and use sub-bituminous Indian coals. These coals differ from the foreign coals in respect of maceral composition, ash content and combustion kinetics. It is imperative to understand the burning characteristics of Indian coals in oxy-fuel environment to evolve the suitable design for the retrofit of Indian boilers with oxy-fuel mode for the efficient and economic carbon capture without losing thermal efficiency. The present study involves the assessment of the kinetics of pyrolysis and char oxidation of three different Indian coals with varying ash contents viz. 33 to 44% in normal air and in oxy-fuel environment with three different CO2 /O2 concentrations (60:40, 70:30 and 80:20) by Thermo Gravimetric method (TGA). The results are compared in respect of weight loss pattern, peaking temperatures and weighted mean activation energy. The results have shown that the combustion kinetics of the selected high ash Indian coals in normal air combustion is more comparable with 70:30 and 80:20 than 60:40 CO2 /O2 concentrations. The methodology adopted in the present study is found useful for comparing the combustion kinetics of various types of coals in normal air and oxy-fuel environment.Copyright © 2008 by ASME

Ammonia as a possible element in an energy infrastructure: catalysts for ammonia decomposition

Abstract: The possible role of ammonia in a future energy infrastructure is discussed. The review is focused on the catalytic decomposition of ammonia as a key step. Other aspects, such as the catalytic removal of ammonia from gasification product gas or direct ammonia fuel cells, are highlighted as well. The more general question of the integration of ammonia in an infrastructure is also covered.

A review of flow and heat transfer characteristics in curved tubes

Abstract: The performance of heat exchangers can be improved to perform a certain heat-transfer duty by heat transfer enhancement techniques. In general, these techniques can be divided into two groups: active and passive techniques. The active techniques require external forces, e.g. electric field, acoustic or surface vibration, etc. The passive techniques require fluid additives or special surface geometries. Curved tubes have been used as one of the passive heat transfer enhancement techniques and are the most widely used tubes in several heat transfer applications. This article provides a literature review on heat transfer and flow characteristics of single-phase and two-phase flow in curved tubes. Three main categories of curved tubes; helically coiled tubes, spirally coiled tubes, and other coiled tubes, are described. A review of published relevant correlations of single-phase heat transfer coefficients and single-phase, two-phase friction factors are presented.