Indian Institute of Technology Ropar

About: Indian Institute of Technology Ropar is a education organization based out in Ropar, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Computer science. The organization has 1014 authors who have published 2878 publications receiving 35715 citations.

Environmental coupling in ecosystems: From oscillation quenching to rhythmogenesis.

Abstract: How landscape fragmentation affects ecosystems diversity and stability is an important and complex question in ecology with no simple answer, as spatially separated habitats where species live are highly dynamic rather than just static. Taking into account the species dispersal among nearby connected habitats (or patches) through a common dynamic environment, we model the consumer-resource interactions with a ring type coupled network. By characterizing the dynamics of consumer-resource interactions in a coupled ecological system with three fundamental mechanisms such as the interaction within the patch, the interaction between the patches, and the interaction through a common dynamic environment, we report the occurrence of various collective behaviors. We show that the interplay between the dynamic environment and the dispersal among connected patches exhibits the mechanism of generation of oscillations, i.e., rhythmogenesis, as well as suppression of oscillations, i.e., amplitude death and oscillation death. Also, the transition from homogeneous steady state to inhomogeneous steady state occurs through a codimension-2 bifurcation. Emphasizing a network of a spatially extended system, the coupled model exposes the collective behavior of a synchrony-stability relationship with various synchronization occurrences such as in-phase and out-of-phase.

Technological Advances to Maximize Solar Collector Energy Output: A Review

Abstract: Since it is highly correlated with quality of life, the demand for energy continues to increase as the global population grows and modernizes. Although there has been significant impetus to move away from reliance on fossil fuels for decades (e.g., localized pollution and climate change), solar energy has only recently taken on a non-negligible role in the global production of energy. The photovoltaics (PV) industry has many of the same electronics packaging challenges as the semiconductor industry, because in both cases, high temperatures lead to lowering of the system performance. Also, there are several technologies, which can harvest solar energy solely as heat. Advances in these technologies (e.g., solar selective coatings, design optimizations, and improvement in materials) have also kept the solar thermal market growing in recent years (albeit not nearly as rapidly as PV). This paper presents a review on how heat is managed in solar thermal and PV systems, with a focus on the recent developments for technologies, which can harvest heat to meet global energy demands. It also briefs about possible ways to resolve the challenges or difficulties existing in solar collectors like solar selectivity, thermal stability, etc. As a key enabling technology for reducing radiation heat losses in these devices, the focus of this paper is to discuss the ongoing advances in solar selective coatings and working fluids, which could potentially be used in tandem to filter out or recover the heat that is wasted from PVs. Among the reviewed solar selective coatings, recent advances in selective coating categories like dielectric-metal-dielectric (DMD), multilayered, and cermet-based coatings are considered. In addition, the effects of characteristic changes in glazing, absorber geometry, and solar tracking systems on the performance of solar collectors are also reviewed. A discussion of how these fundamental technological advances could be incorporated with PVs is included as well.

Combined effect of ether and siloxane substituents on imidazolium ionic liquids

Abstract: Ionic liquids (ILs) in combination with ether and siloxane substituents on the imidazolium cation, comprising of bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (NTf2) anions, have been synthesized due to their low viscosities, high thermal stabilities and low melting or glass transition temperatures(Tg). The structural flexibility of the ether and siloxane substituents on the imidazolium center overcomes the effect of van der Waals forces and gives them desirable and unique physical properties. These novel ILs show low viscosities (∼72 mPa s at 25 °C), high thermal stabilities up to 430 °C, and a wide liquid range over 500 °C. In addition, these ILs exhibit only an amorphous glassy state on cooling at Tg below −74 °C and cannot order properly to afford crystallization. The detailed thermal stability, phase transitions and heat capacity were studied by TGA, DSC and temperature-modulated DSC analysis. More importantly, we have also reported the large-scale (one kilogram) microwave-assisted synthesis of ILs [BMIM]Br and [1O2O2-Im-2O1]I as efficient and greener processes.