P. Manoj Kumar

KPR Institute of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, India · Mechanical Engineering

This study investigated the performance optimization of nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co)-coated absorber panels in solar flat plate collectors (SFPCs) using response surface methodology for sustainable operation and optimized performance. Ni-Co coatings, applied through an electroplating process, represent a novel approach by offering superior thermal conduct...

Globally, a significant amount of energy is spent to produce hot water for processing industries, domestic requirements, commercial buildings, and so on. In such cases, the deployment of solar water heating systems has been identified as a competent solution, considering their environment-friendly operation and affordability. In the current work, a...

Globally, a significant amount of energy is spent to produce hot water for processing industries, domestic requirements, commercial buildings, and so on. In such cases, the deployment of solar water heating systems has been identified as a competent solution, considering their environment-friendly operation and affordability. In the current work, a...

The photovoltaic (PV) module extracts and converts solar irradiation energy into electrical power in a sustainable and renewable manner. The substantial upswing in the temperature of the PV panel occurs while conversion predominantly impacts its performance and reduces efficiency. To resolve this issue, three different organic phase‐change material...

Due to the complex geological factors and their causes, it is essential to realize the saltiness and pollution of the groundwater in the arid shoreline aquifer. The intrusion of seawater into coastline aquifers is an increasingly significant issue due to urbanization, the exploitation of groundwater, and the global rise in temperature. The increas...

The efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) panel's solar energy conversion into usable power is significantly influenced by the elevated temperature of the PV cell. The hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) system, on the other hand, is not very efficient overall because the collector profile was not chosen correctly and the PV module temperature changes...

The efficiency of a solar water heater with a flat-plate collector, which had an absorber area of 2 m 2 and utilized a cerium oxide-water nanofluid as the working medium with a fixed volume fraction of 0.01%, was analyzed using a holistic approach. To assess the impact of flow rate on its heat transfer characteristics, the working fluid was systema...

The extensive adoption of photovoltaic arrays and the resulting reduction in carbon pollution depend on the efficiency of PV systems being improved. The photovoltaic panels’ ability to generate electricity is greatly influenced by the air temperature. Therefore, reducing the temperature of the photovoltaic surface can increase its efficiency and pe...

Dear colleagues, The open access journal Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050, IF 3.889) is pleased to announce that we have launched a new Special Issue entitled "Thermal Energy Storage Using Nano Phase Changing Material for Solar Energy Systems." I am serving as Guest Editor for this issue. Papers may be submitted from now until 31 August 2023 as pap...

The quality of underground water is essential for ensuring the long-term, secure use of this resource for any activity, especially drinking, irrigation, and so on. However, the country's rapid urbanization and industrialization have frequently resulted in groundwater contamination as a result of the discharge of unprocessed industrial effluents and...

Hybrid photovoltaic-thermal heat pump (PV/T-HP) solar energy systems are promising since they can achieve a system total efficiency greater than 80%. By maximizing the output of a PV/T system for simultaneous heating and cooling, this strategy can meet over 60% of urban households’ heating needs and around 40% of their cooling needs. In this work,...

Thermal storage with phase changing materials (PCM) has got the attention of the researchers in recent days. Among the PCMs, inorganic salt hydrates are having high potential to act as thermal storing medium due to their large latent content. However, they lack large-degree supercooling and have issues with phase segregation. In the present study,...

A solar photovoltaic (PV) system produces electrical energy from solar energy. This green, sustainable system has low energy conversion efficiency due to the rise in PV temperature throughout the day. In order to keep the temperature of the panels close to ambient, this study examines the usage of hydrated salt (HS36) as a Phase Change Material (PC...

The gradual infiltration of sea water into the ground near coastal regions causes severe damage to the quality of underground water. It will end up with a high level of salinity in the bore wells near the coastal areas. In this study, an assessment has been conducted systematically to analyse the water quality parameters and level of salinity in un...

The efficiency of a solar water heater with a flat-plate collector, which had an absorber area of 2 m² and utilized a cerium oxide-water nanofluid as the working medium with a fixed volume fraction of 0.01%, was analyzed using a holistic approach. To assess the impact of flow rate on its heat transfer characteristics, the working fluid w...

In the past few years, a new passion for the growth of biodegradable polymers based on elements derived from natural sources has been getting much attention. Natural fiber-based polymer matrix composites offer weight loss, reduction in cost and carbon dioxide emission, and recyclability. In addition, natural fiber composites have a minimal impact o...

An evacuated solar water heater (ESWH) has been designed and modelled using a commercial software package, and its performance was analysed using the computational fluid dynamics under the influence of a phase changing material (PCM) and a nano-doped phase changing material (N-DPCM). The computational model was developed using a real-time experimen...

In recent years, the use of solar still has been anticipated to be a feasible solution for desalting the brackish water to alleviate the global water problems. Nonetheless, the productivity of such stills is low and the efforts are endeavoured by the researchers for improving it in possible ways. The current examination has dealt with the performan...

In the current work, the experimentations have been accomplished to assess the impact of diffusing nanosilica particles in epoxy matrix on the mechanical and thermal performance of the luffa fibre reinforced epoxy composite material. The matrix and fibre composition are fixed as 80 : 20 throughout the study, and the nanosilica is disbanded in diver...

FSW (friction stir welding) is a solid-state joining method that attracts interest from all industries. The influence of various tool rotational speeds on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of dissimilar pure Cu-brass joints has been investigated. The travel speed and vertical load were kept constant in the welding trials, at 40 mm/m...

The current work investigates the performance of cylindrical-shaped sintered wick heat pipe at different orientations, numerically. The results are compared and validated with the experimental findings. The study is extended by using a nanofluid (comprising nano-Curo in deionized water) as a working fluid and the thermal performance of heat pipe wi...

The hypoeutectic aluminum alloy (AlSi10Mg) is a well-known candidate material used predominantly for its processability and inherent characteristics in metal-based additive manufacturing. Besides, transition metal carbide, such as niobium carbide (NbC), is added to the AlSi10Mg, enhancing its mechanical properties and preferably its wear resistance...

The most challenging task in the supply chain is selecting the appropriate supplier, and it has a great influence on industry productivity growth. Because of the large budget allotted to raw materials, supplier selection is a critical issue for the industry’s financial status. The right supplier in the industry drastically reduces problems througho...

The mix of two different type of fibres, one is natural and another one is synthetic fibres were employed as reinforcing media in this study, and epoxy based polymer resin was employed as the matrix phase. S-glass and luffa fibres had been bonded with epoxy matrix to create a novel composite by compression moulding and to measure the effect of t...

In composite fabrication process, the usage of natural fibers as reinforcing agent has been steadily grown significantly in the past decade. Such polymeric composite material has a broad spectrum of applications in challenging situations, where it would be subjected to threats including higher wear, and large mechanical stresses. Innovating new sus...

The use of inorganic phase changing materials (PCMs) in thermal energy stowage systems has become widespread due to the remarkable energy saving capabilities of these substances. In the current investigation, the enhancement in energy stowage capability of the calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl2·6H2O) had been attempted with the assistance of nano-...

Thermodynamic performance analysis is carried out on a flat plate solar thermal collector utilizing single and hybrid nanofluids. Fe2O4/water, Zn-Fe2O4/water hybrid nanofluids, and water are used as heat transfer fluids, and their performance is compared based on the energy and exergy transfer rate. The thermo-physical properties are evaluated by r...

The natural fibers have been recognized as the eco-friendly alternative for the synthetic fibers while preparing epoxy based polymer composite materials. Further, the nano-reinforcements have been acknowledged to be the better solution for enhancing the mechanical characteristics of the natural fiber based polymer composites. In this context, the p...

Selecting the right supplier can be one of the most critical decisions for manufacturing firms. Strategic issues often dictate whether a company thrives or fails. When making important decisions, certain people consider the importance of green-friendly criteria before selecting a supplier. Various companies prioritize green suppliers in their selec...

The current work shows the results of an experimental assessment into the performance of a baffled solar based air heater (SAH-BP) with the organic phase changing material (OPCM) backup. The experiments were conducted in two modes of operation during two identical solar days in the month of February 2021 at 11.0168°North, 76.9558°East. They were SA...

The purpose of this research work is to ascertain and prioritize the failure modes affecting the quality of the castings and to practice lean tools to enhance the performance of the foundry. In the foundry industry, the defects in casting motor casings, the root causes, and their effects are identified using the fishbone diagram. Then, FDM is used...

Nanofluids are currently regarded a new growing area of research with numerous advantages over conventional heat transport fluids in heat transfer applications. Because, nanofluids possess a better thermo-physical characteristics. Hence, they can perform better when compared to traditional working fluids. The thermo-physical characteristics of zinc...

The impacts of a phase changing substance (PCM) and a nano-improved phase changing substance (NIPCM) on the thermal performance of a heat sink to be used for an electronic chipset are investigated in this work. The paraffin with suitable melting temperature was utilized as the base PCM, and 1.0% weight fraction of nano-silica (SiO 2) was used with...

In recent days, solar energy has been deliberated to be the predominant source of energy, which extends the hope of satisfying the ever-growing energy demand. Among the different forms of solar energy systems, solar thermal systems such as solar water heaters play a key role in satisfying the hot water demands of households, commercial sectors, and...

The current work examines the enactment of a traditional single sloped type of solar still in the presence of crude wax as an organic phase changing material (PCM) and a low mass of nano-zinc oxide (ZnO) particles disbanded crude wax as NDPCM in terms of daily potable water output. To accomplish this goal, three identical solar stills were planned...

Powder-based additive manufacturing (PAM) is a potential fabrication approach in advancing state-of-the-art research to produce intricate components with high precision and accuracy in near-net form. In PAM, the raw materials are used in powder form, deposited on the surface layer by layer, and fused to produce the final product. PAM composite fabr...

As the price of solar photovoltaic (PV) panel remains to fall owing to the consequence of nation’s energy policy proposals favouring sustainable and renewable energy solutions, conversion of solar radiation into electricity has become increasingly popular. But the PV's efficacy is not impressive, and it's about 15% all the time. The PV's surface te...

Building energy consumption is playing a key role in global energy demand. The previous researches demonstrated that the type and material of the windows influences the building energy consumption. The present study experimentally examines the heat transfer characteristics of a double-glazing window system which is united with a Nano-Disbanded Phas...

The welding of two different kinds of metals has found greater applications and use in several fields of manufacturing in present days. A387 is a sort of grade steel used in the fabrication of pressure vessels that are widely used in applications requiring high thermal stability, such as heat exchangers, boilers, and pressure containers in the petr...

The increased daytime temperature upsurges the energy need of the buildings for space cooling, particularly on days with strong sun exposure. The building's roof adds far more to this reason by allowing a big amount of heat to flow-in during the day. Additionally, single-storey structures with metal roofs allow for increased heat penetration, and s...

Lead time management plays an important role in a company’s success as reduction in lead time augments productivity and profitability. An efficient lead time reduction tool can reduce manufacturing costs, improves customer satisfaction in the longer run. However, ambiguity always lies in selecting a proper tool for lead time reduction based on the...

Vapour Compression Refrigeration (VCR) system with high COP, low input power consumption and minimal exergy losses are of great research hotspot. The current research focuses on analysis of exergy and performance of vapour compression refrigeration (VCR) cycle is in a real-world application. Experiments were carried out in the VCR system using roun...

The drilling process is the most essential in the final assembly of the mechanical parts. Natural fiber based composites replace traditional materials due to their advantages, such as strength to weight ratio, availability, and environmental hazards. In this work, an attempt has been made to find the minimum thrust force produced by the drill tool...

In this work, an effort has taken to improve the thermal storage capacity of the evacuated tube solar water heating (SWH) system by means of a new kind of twin-nano/paraffin as a thermal storage medium. Beforehand, the twin-nano/paraffin has been prepared by amalgamating 1% mass of twin-nanoparticles (comprising an equal quantity of SiO2 and CuO na...

For comparison, the drilling behaviour of abaca fiber reinforced polymer (AFRP) polymer composites and Kevlar reinforced epoxy polymer (KFRP) composites has studied in the specified experimental condition. The different geometrical drilling tools has been used for the investigation, namely candle stick (T1), core (T2), standard twist drill (T3), an...

Thermodynamic performance analysis is carried out on a flat plate solar thermal collector utilizing single and hybrid nanofluids. As heat transfer fluids, Fe 2 O 4 /water, Zn-Fe 2 O 4 /water hybrid nanofluids, and water are used, and its performance are compared based on the energy and exergy transfer rate. The thermo-physical properties are evalua...

There is more demand for natural fiber-reinforced composites in the energy sector, and their impact on the environment is almost zero. Natural fiber has plenty of advantages, such as easy recycling and degrading property, low density, and low price. Natural fiber’s thermal properties and flexural properties are less than conventional fiber. This wo...

In this research, microstructural events and mechanical behaviors in dissimilar friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium (Al) alloy AA6082-AA7075 joints have been evaluated to apply aerospace, defense, and military sectors. FSW parametric effects have a more significant impact on the mechanical performances and microstructure of produced joints. FS...

Energy consumption of glazed window a b s t r a c t Recent research has concentrated on the use of different substances in glazing windows in order to decrease heat transmission through building apertures. In the present work, the thermal performance of a double-glazed window unit coupled with a phase change material (PCM) was examined experimental...

Nano modified concretes have become the attractive research area now-a-days. It was anticipated that the inclusion of appropriate nano-sized particles would enhance the mechanical properties of the concrete. Though the capability of nano-TiO2 particles in improving the mechanical strength of the base material was documented in the earlier studies,...

Reliable thermal storage has become a critical factor for renewable energy-based thermal systems such as solar thermal collectors, because the incoming energy is inconsistent with time and, hence, an efficient energy management mechanism is required. Therefore, the collection of maximum possible energy during their availability and their uniform di...

In this work, the solar water collector flow tube geometry is modified as curved and spiral to enhance the system’s performance. The investigation is carried out experimentally under the meteorological conditions of the Kovilpatti region (9°10′0″N, 77°52′0″E), Tamil Nadu, India. The flow pipes of the solar water heater are made of copper material w...

In recent days, evacuated tube (ETC) solar water heating systems are proposed to be the prominent solution for the residential as well as industrial water heating needs of various capacities, without depending on the electrical grids. They serve hot water economically, and independently. However, the efficiency of the water heater is a main concern...

Solar water heaters have become unavoidable renewable energy systems for the most of the residential, commercial and industrial hot water requirements. Evacuated tube collector (ETC) based solar water heaters are widely used for the aforementioned purposes in recent days due to their relative advantages over other systems. Exclusively, the ETC syst...

The solar dryers are playing a pivotal role in the food industries for preserving edible items such as grains, vegetables, fish, etc., through the removal of moisture content from them. They are having benefit over the open air drying by protecting the food items from dust, insects and other detrimental things. Further, they are attributed to save...

Supply chain management showcases a major role in enhancing organizational efficiency and effectiveness. A proficient supply chain can lead to abridged costs, augmented market shares, improved transactions and sustainable customer relationships. Nevertheless, designing a supply chain alone may be inadequate in bettering the overall performance of a...

Today’s market demands the manufacturing industries to be more agile in production to produce large volumes as well as a large variety of products. The companies must be quickly responsive in order to take the competitive lead. Decision making strategies used by the companies dealt with different criteria considering that the criteria are independe...

The solar water heaters are finding their application in a number of sectors such as, residential buildings, processing industries, commercial establishments. They can be scaled based on the requirements. Among the different kind of solar water heaters, all-glass evacuated tube type (ETC) solar water heaters are considered to be the better choice f...

Solar PV panels are playing a pivotal role in green energy generation, since their diffusion in global renewable energy market is greatly increasing every day owing to their reduced cost. Their efficiency is less and wavering around 15% only. Further, an inherent problem with their performance is the deterioration of their efficiency with the chang...

The energy consumption of the buildings for cooling, especially during the days of high solar exposure is large due to the increased indoor temperature. The roof of the building contributes more for this cause by allowing a large quantity of heat during day hours. Further, the single storey buildings with the metal roof would help to penetrate a gr...

At present, the nanofluids are being considered to be new emerging area of research which has lot of benefits in heat transport applications over traditional heat transport fluids. Since, nanofluids showcases an enhanced thermo-physical properties over the conventional fluids, they give better performance when compared with conventional working flu...

The performance of the solar water heater varies with respect to incident solar radiation, geographical location and components of the solar water heater such as glazing, absorber material and storage tank. In this work, building integrated solar water heating system (BISWHS) is fabricated and its output is evaluated by installing it on the roof an...

Solar still has been proposed as a potential solution to tap potable water from the brackish water in recent times. The absorber of the solar still is playing a pivotal role on the performance of the solar still. This paper presents the outcome of an experimental work, which was carried to improve the performance of a conventional solar still by co...

The evacuated tube type solar collector is used predominantly for water heating application in both residential and industrial scales. They found superior in thermal efficiency compared to other kind of solar collectors. All-glass evacuated solar collector is the simplest form of evacuated collector which found its major applications as passive flo...

Typically, Concrete mixture is firm in Compression yet sickly in Tension and shear. Reason for this examination is to discover the conduct of cement built up with half-breed full-scale strands. By adding Luffa strands in rates like 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%& 2% to the solid, the mechanical properties are researched. The ideal level of Luffa fiber was discover...

Refrigeration is a process of providing and maintaining temperature below the atmosphere. The medium used for refrigeration process is called as refrigerant. In normal refrigeration system, the heat rejected in condenser is getting wasted. We have the potential to utilize the heat rejection from the condenser. This rejected heat can be used for dom...

This paper explores opportunities to know about the optimal setting and influencing parameters of Indoor Air Quality characteristics (IAQ) of the air-conditioned car by response surface methodology (RSM). The trials were designed by the design of experiments and performed to cram the result of input parameters i.e human load, fresh air supply, and...

In this work, an analysis has been done on extended surfaces with various geometries to identify the better heat transfer rate. The geometries of extended surfaces namely-bar fins, stepped fins, stepped fins with indentations have been modelled, investigated and studied. Based on the design identification and numerical analysis the extended surface...