Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Experimental Methods for Investigation of Shape Memory Based Elastocaloric Cooling Processes and Model Validation
Published on: May 2, 2016
Towards thermal design optimization of tubular digesters in cold climates: a heat transfer model
Thibault Perrigault1, Vergil Weatherford, Jaime Martí-Herrero
1Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numèrics en Enginyeria (CIMNE), Building Energy and Environment Group, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
A cold climate, low cost, tubular digester is monitored and temperatures from different parts of the slurry, greenhouse, and adobe walls are presented, discussing the thermal performance of the digester. The slurry exhibits a vertical gradient of 6°C, with a mean value of 24.5°C, while the ambient temperature varies from 10°C to 30°C, showing the efficiency of the system as a solar heat collector with thermal inertia. A simple time-dependent thermal model is developed using inputs of solar radiation, wind velocity, ambient temperature, and digester geometry. The model outputs include temperatures of the slurry, the biogas, its holding membrane and the greenhouse air, wall and cover. Radiative, convective and conductive heat transfer phenomena are considered between all system elements. The model has 0.47°C (2%) standard error for the average slurry temperature. This model can be used to predict the influence of geometry and materials on the performance of the digester.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer II
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant heat.
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer I
Mechanism of heat transfer
Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Thermal expansion and Thermal stress: Problem Solving
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55 °C.

