Seven distributors with different configurations are designed and optimized by constructal approach. Their flow distribution performance and energy dissipation are investigated and compared by computational fluid dyna...Seven distributors with different configurations are designed and optimized by constructal approach. Their flow distribution performance and energy dissipation are investigated and compared by computational fluid dynamics （CFD） simulation. The reliability of CFD simulation is verified by experiments on the distributor that has all distributing rectangle channels on a plate. The results show that the symmetry of the distributing channels has decisive influence on the performance of flow distribution. Increasing the generations of channel branching will improve the flow distribution uniformity, but on the other hand increase the energy dissipation. Among all the seven constructal distributors, the distributor that has dichotomy configuration, Y-type junctions and straight interconnecting channels, is recommended for its better flow distribution performance and less energy dissipation.展开更多
The present work establishes an analytical model for computing the temperature distribution, fin efficiency and optimum design parameters of a constructal T-shaped porous fin operating in fully wet condition. For more...The present work establishes an analytical model for computing the temperature distribution, fin efficiency and optimum design parameters of a constructal T-shaped porous fin operating in fully wet condition. For more practical results, this study considers a cubic polynomial relationship between the humidity ratio of saturated air and the corresponding fin surface temperature. The temperature distribution has been determined by solving the highly non-linear governing equations using a semi-analytical transformation technique called Differential Transform Method. A comparison of the results with that of a numerical model shows that this transformation method is a very efficient and convenient tool for solution of non-linear problems. The effects of various geometric, thermo-physical and psychometric parameters on the temperature distribution, fin efficiency and optimum design condition have been investigated. Also, a comparison has been presented between solid and porous fins and the results point out that by selecting an appropriate value of porosity, the heat transfer rate can be increased than the corresponding solid fin.展开更多
System behavior description using states faces problems like state explosion, lack of clear definition of state, state identification and coordination between multiple agents. The goals of this work are to ease design...System behavior description using states faces problems like state explosion, lack of clear definition of state, state identification and coordination between multiple agents. The goals of this work are to ease design activity, to reduce engineering efforts, and to mitigate project risks. The proposed way is to improve information flow during design by adding definitions and some protocols or rules for communicating a specification or design description. This work presented an objective definition of system status (way of interaction with the rest of the world) along other concepts. This work focused in definitions as mind entities and their importance to rationalize work and mitigate project risks during design. This article presented some simple examples to illustrate the advantages of each aspect of proposed definition of system status and discussed limits and exceptions for such definition. The key finding was the proposed definition which was the simplest while keeping completeness at a given product breakdown level. Such definition of status enforced formal segregation of needs and solutions, and eased the inclusion of behavior definition in specifications.展开更多
This work looked for a unifying theory between physical-biological domain and social sciences. Constructal law unified physical and biological domain by telling the general sense in which flow systems tend to evolve. ...This work looked for a unifying theory between physical-biological domain and social sciences. Constructal law unified physical and biological domain by telling the general sense in which flow systems tend to evolve. Management theory looks for relations between institutions and human agency. Although being state of mind entities, institutions follow constructal law. This work proposed the main organization flows are information and credit. Biologic instincts derived from Darwinian natural selection are the driving or blocking forces of such flows. Once biologic instincts systematically block information and credit flows in large numbers, this work proposed every human organization must have institutions to inhibit some behaviors. Those institutions need to be present, at least partially, in formal rules of social groups. This way it is possible to predict expansion or downfall of human groups using objective and quantifiable data. Therefore, further studies may employ classical history to confirm this theory. This work analyzed some case studies to show qualitatively the application of proposed theory. Concluding, this work gave physically-biologically grounded guidance for institutional changes.展开更多
Constructal law explains the sense of evolution (morphing to get access to flows) of finite size systems, but paradoxes do exist as not all vegetables have a tree form. Also, nature does not improve all animals for di...Constructal law explains the sense of evolution (morphing to get access to flows) of finite size systems, but paradoxes do exist as not all vegetables have a tree form. Also, nature does not improve all animals for displacement. This work aims at creating a model to explain those paradoxes about constructal l<span style="letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">aw. It adopted the system engineering technique of segregation bet</span>ween functions (abstract goals) and solutions (physical entities). Further, this work introduced the assumptions of flow under external threats and imperfect channels (subject to leakages and suboptimal form). Results showed that there are always elements doing four functions in all types of channels: to reduce entropy, to protect channel, to retain integrity and to drive flow. Although the four functions are always present, natural systems typically privilege one function over others, depending on environmental demands. As a solution to improve flows, animal brains also fit in the model of four functions. Human <span style="letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">mind seems to have groups of instincts associated </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">with</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"letter-spacing:-0.05pt;"> each of the fou</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">r channel design functions, leading to four behavior phenotypes and four motivations (prominence, inclusiveness, negativity prevention and tradition). Finally, this</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:""> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">model (channels need to</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:""> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">meet four goals) unified physics and animal psychology and extended applications of Constructal law to the fields of systems engineering methods, management, and psychological science.展开更多
The history of architectural and urban practices reflects humanity’s enduring quest to comprehend and shape its environment,often through the lens of unifying meta-narratives.This paper critiques the tendency to seek...The history of architectural and urban practices reflects humanity’s enduring quest to comprehend and shape its environment,often through the lens of unifying meta-narratives.This paper critiques the tendency to seek cohesive frameworks,drawing from Graham Harman’s speculative realism and Bruno Latour’s“Principle of Irreduction,”which challenge hierarchical structures in understanding reality.These perspectives underscore the irreducibility and multiplicity of existence,advocating for a paradigm shift that resists determinism and embraces open-endedness.In this context,Adrian Bejan’s constructal law offers a compelling alternative for interpreting architectural and urban forms.Constructal theory conceptualizes form and design as evolutionary responses to flow systems,framing architecture as an active participant in the dynamic interplay of environmental,social,and temporal forces.This perspective encourages a reevaluation of architectural practices not as definitive solutions but as iterative processes that engage with complexity and contingency.By integrating constructal theory with contemporary philosophical critiques,this article proposes a polynarrative of architecture and urbanism that aligns with the fluidity and multiplicity of modern existence.It argues for a departure from static frameworks toward adaptive methodologies that acknowledge the interconnectedness of actors,scales,and temporalities.Ultimately,this approach reframes design as a dialogic process,fostering resilience and innovation in confronting the uncertainties of a rapidly evolving world.展开更多
Analogizing with the heat conduction process,the entransy dissipation extremum principle for thermal insulation process can be described as:for a fixed boundary heat flux(heat loss)with certain constraints,the thermal...Analogizing with the heat conduction process,the entransy dissipation extremum principle for thermal insulation process can be described as:for a fixed boundary heat flux(heat loss)with certain constraints,the thermal insulation process is optimized when the entransy dissipation is maximized(maximum average temperature difference),while for a fixed boundary temperature,the thermal insulation process is optimized when the entransy dissipation is minimized(minimum average heat loss rate).Based on the constructal theory,the constructal optimizations of a single plane and cylindrical insulation layers as well as multi-layer insulation layers of the steel rolling reheating furnace walls are carried out for the fixed boundary temperatures and by taking the minimization of entransy dissipation rate as optimization objective.The optimal constructs of these three kinds of insulation structures with distributed thicknesses are obtained.The results show that compared with the insulation layers with uniform thicknesses and the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum heat loss rate,the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum entransy dissipation rate are obviously different from those of the former two insulation layers;the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum entransy dissipation rate can effectively reduce the average heat loss rates of the insulation layers,and can help to improve their global thermal insulation performances.The entransy dissipation extremum principle is applied to the constructal optimizations of insulation systems,which will help to extend the application range of the entransy dissipation extremum principle.展开更多
By taking equivalent thermal resistance, which reflects the average heat conduc- tion effect and is defined based on entransy dissipation, as optimization objective, the "volume to point" constructal problem...By taking equivalent thermal resistance, which reflects the average heat conduc- tion effect and is defined based on entransy dissipation, as optimization objective, the "volume to point" constructal problem of how to discharge the heat generated in a fixed volume to a heat sink on the border through relatively high conductive link is re-analyzed and re-optimized in this paper. The constructal shape of the control volume with the best average heat conduction effect is deduced. For the elemental area and the first order construct assembly, when the thermal current density in the high conductive link is linear with the length, the optimized shapes of assemble based on the minimization of entransy dissipation are the same as those based on minimization of maximum temperature difference, and the mean tem- perature difference is 2/3 of the maximum temperature difference. For the second and higher order construct assemblies, the thermal current densities in the high conductive link are not linear with the length, and the optimized shapes of assem- ble based on the minimization of entransy dissipation are different from those based on minimization of maximum temperature difference. For the same parame- ters, the constructs based on minimization of entransy dissipation and the con- structs based on minimization of maximum temperature difference are compared, and the results show that the constructs based on entransy dissipation can de- crease the mean temperature difference better than the constructs based on mini- mization of maximum temperature difference. But with the increase of the number of the order, the mean temperature difference does not always decrease, and there exist some fluctuations. Because the idea of entransy describes the heat transfer ability more suitably, all of the heat conduction constructal problems may be re-optimized based on it.展开更多
The entransy dissipation extremum principle provides new warranty and criterion for optimization of heat transfer.For two cases(body with heat generation and body heated externally)of a solid conducting wall with an o...The entransy dissipation extremum principle provides new warranty and criterion for optimization of heat transfer.For two cases(body with heat generation and body heated externally)of a solid conducting wall with an open cavity,a dimensionless equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipation definition was taken as the optimization objective to optimize the model constructal ge- ometry.Numerical results validated the necessity and feasibility of the presented method.Comparisons of the numerical results based on minimization of dimensionless maximum thermal resistance and minimization of dimensionless equivalent thermal resistance,respectively,showed that there was no obvious difference between the two results when the volume fractionΦoccupied by cavity was small, but the difference between the two results increased with the increases ofΦand the body aspect ratio H/L for any model.The optimal cavities for bodies heated externally were more slender than those for bodies with heat generation.Heat origin had obvious effect on the global performance of heat transfer. The entransy dissipation of body heated externally increased 2―3 times than that of body with heat generation,indicating that the global performance of heat transfer weakened.The method presented herein provides some guidelines for some relevant thermal design problems.展开更多
The analysis of the “tree-like network” construct method has been repeated. The high effective conduction channel distribution has been optimized again, without the premise that the new order assembly construct must...The analysis of the “tree-like network” construct method has been repeated. The high effective conduction channel distribution has been optimized again, without the premise that the new order assembly construct must be assembled by the optimized last order construct. It is proved that the “tree-like network” construct method is faultiness. A more optimal construct is obtained,; when the thermal conductivity; the proportion of the two heat conduction materials are constant, the limit of the minimum heat resistance is derived. All these conclusions can be used to guide the engineering application.展开更多
Based on entransy dissipation, the mean temperature difference of solenoid (electromagnet) with high thermal conductivity material inserted is deduced, which can be taken as the fundament for heat transfer optimizatio...Based on entransy dissipation, the mean temperature difference of solenoid (electromagnet) with high thermal conductivity material inserted is deduced, which can be taken as the fundament for heat transfer optimization using the extremum principle of entransy dissipation. Then, the electromagnet working at steady state (constant magnetic field, constant heat generating rate per unit volume) is optimized for entransy dissipation minimization (i.e. mean temperature difference minimization) with and without volume constraint. Besides, the effect of high thermal conductivity material on the magnetic field is analyzed, and the minimum mean temperature versus volume and magnetic induction characteristic are also studied.展开更多
The emergence and development of constructal theory,which has been a new discipline branch to research sorts of structures in nature and engineering,are reviewed.The core of the constructal theory is that various shap...The emergence and development of constructal theory,which has been a new discipline branch to research sorts of structures in nature and engineering,are reviewed.The core of the constructal theory is that various shapes and structures of the matters in nature are generated from the tendency to obtain optimal performance.Constructal theory and its application are summarized,from disciplines such as heat,mechanism,fluid flow,electricity,magnetism and chemistry,to life and non-life systems in nature.展开更多
Using constructal entransy dissipation rate minimization method based on discrete variable cross-section conducting path,constructal optimizations of elemental area with variable cross-section conducting path are perf...Using constructal entransy dissipation rate minimization method based on discrete variable cross-section conducting path,constructal optimizations of elemental area with variable cross-section conducting path are performed,and the results are compared with the optimization results of elemental area with the constant cross-section conducting path.The comparison shows that the minimum mean temperature difference based on elemental area with variable cross-section conducting path increases and approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases,but the minimum mean temperature difference based on elemental area with constant cross-section conducting path decreases and approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases.The difference between them is caused by the different dimensionless mean temperature difference of the first order assembly.A universal constructal optimization method by self similar organization to improve heat transfer ability and its corresponding rule are proposed.With the constructal optimization method by self similar organization based on entransy dissipation rate minimization objective,the mean temperature difference approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases.展开更多
Based on constructal theory,a construct of a volume that generates heat at every point and is cooled by the coolant in the constant or tapered channel is optimized by minimizing entransy dissipation rate and flow resi...Based on constructal theory,a construct of a volume that generates heat at every point and is cooled by the coolant in the constant or tapered channel is optimized by minimizing entransy dissipation rate and flow resistance.The optimal constructs of the rectangular elements with dimensionless mean thermal resistance minimization as well as the first-,secondand thirdorder assemblies with dimensionless global flow resistance minimizations are obtained respectively.The results show that both the mean temperature difference and the limiting temperature difference of rectangular elements based on EDR (entransy dissipation rate) and MTD (maximum temperature difference) minimizations respectively are almost equal.Comparing heat transfer performances from the two optimization procedures,the dimensionless global flow resistance is decreased more for the former procedure when the assembly’s order is high.It may create great superiority for constructal optimization to combine the entransy dissipation extreme principle with heat convection.展开更多
Entropy generation minimization for heat and mass transfer process in a solid-gas reactor is carried out based on constructal theory by using triangular elemental area. The aspect ratio of the triangular elemental are...Entropy generation minimization for heat and mass transfer process in a solid-gas reactor is carried out based on constructal theory by using triangular elemental area. The aspect ratio of the triangular elemental area is optimized under constraint conditions. A number of optimal triangular elements are assembled to a new large rectangular area, which is optimised again. The procedure is repeated until the control-volume is covered, and the complete analytical results are obtained. The effects of some parameters on minimum entropy generation are analysed by nu-merical examples. The results show that smaller entropy generation can be ob-tained when the optimization for a given volume is carried out on the basis of tri-angular elements than those obtained on the basis of rectangular elements.展开更多
In this paper,constructal optimization of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins with six freedom degrees (characteristic parameters of geometry) is performed by employing finite element method and taking dimensionless...In this paper,constructal optimization of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins with six freedom degrees (characteristic parameters of geometry) is performed by employing finite element method and taking dimensionless maximum thermal resistance as a performance index,and the heat transfer performance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins under various conditions with different freedom degrees are analyzed. The results show that the twice assemblies can improve the heat transfer performance of Y-shaped fin remarkably,and the minimum maximum thermal resistance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins decreases by 36.37% compared with that of once Y-shaped assembly of fins. It is also proved again that the larger the number of freedom degrees for evolving is,the more perfect the system performance is. The effects of different characteristic parameters of geometry on the performance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins are different,one should pay different attention to these parameters in practical engineering designs. The effects of two angles on the maximum thermal resistance are larger,but the optima of the two angles are robust. The effects of two height ratios on the maximum thermal resistance are more remarkable than those of two thickness ratios.展开更多
For a vertical insulating wall,a product function of heat flow and strength with power weight is introduced as the complex optimization objective to compromise between insulating performance and mechanical performance...For a vertical insulating wall,a product function of heat flow and strength with power weight is introduced as the complex optimization objective to compromise between insulating performance and mechanical performance.Under the global constraints of fixed external dimensions and safety requirements,the constructal optimization of the wall is carried out by taking the complex function maximization as the objective.It is shown that the maximum of the complex-objective function and its corresponding optimal internal structure design under a certain environmental condition can be obtained by allowing the internal structure of the wall to vary(evolve)freely.The validity,effectivity and applicability of the complex function are proved by the results and the power weight parameter in the range from 0.4 to 4 can compromise between the requirements of insulating and strength simultaneously and preferably.The constructal optimization with coequal attention to heat flow and strength and the corresponding results are discussed in detail.The optimal structure design and the corresponding performance analyses under various environmental conditions of application are presented.When the change of environment is greater and the total Rayleigh number is bigger,the insulating wall with large number of cavities should be employed.When the total Rayleigh number is small,the better performance can be obtained by reasonably employing the insulating wall with small number of cavities.The complex function has better selfadaptability,and the results in the recent literature are special cases of this paper.展开更多
The constructal optimizations of T-shaped fin with two-dimensional heat transfer model are carried out by finite element method and taking the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipatio...The constructal optimizations of T-shaped fin with two-dimensional heat transfer model are carried out by finite element method and taking the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipation and the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as optimization objectives, respectively. The effects of the global parameter a (integrating the coefficient of convective heat transfer, the overall area occupied by fin and its thermal conductivity) and the volume fraction ? of fin on the minimums of equivalent thermal resistance and maximum thermal resistance as well as their corresponding optimal configurations are analyzed. The comparison of the results based on the above two optimization objectives is conducted. The results show that the optimal structures based on the two optimization objectives are obviously different from each other. Compared with the optimization result by taking the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as the objective, the optimization result by taking the equivalent thermal resistance minimization as the objective can reduce the average temperature difference in the fin obviously. The increases of a and ? can all improve the working status of local hot spot and the global heat transfer performance of the system. But the improvement effects of the increases of a and ? on the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance are different from those on the minimization of maximum thermal resistance. For either objective, the effect of a is different from that of ?. The T-shaped fin with minimum equivalent thermal resistance is much taller than that with minimum maximum thermal resistance; for either optimization objective, the stem of fin is thicker than the branches of fin, and the stem thickness is relatively close to branch thickness when the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance is taken as the optimization objective. The T-shaped fin with flat stem and slender branches can benefit the reduction of the maximum thermal resistance.展开更多
Umbrella-shaped assembly of cylindrical fins is optimized by adopting analytical method and taking dimensionless mean thermal resistance (MTR) as performance index. The optimal construct of umbrella-shaped assembly is...Umbrella-shaped assembly of cylindrical fins is optimized by adopting analytical method and taking dimensionless mean thermal resistance (MTR) as performance index. The optimal construct of umbrella-shaped assembly is obtained. The results show that the heat conductance performance of the assembly becomes ever worse with ever greater number of elemental cylindrical fins,the umbrella-shaped assembly reduces to cylindrical fin in some values of design parameters,and the diameters’ dependence on design parameters is weak for the optimized assembly. An equivalent thermal resistance defined based on entransy dissipation rate (EDR) reflects an average heat transfer effect of the assembly. The constructal design corresponding to the minimum EDR (or MTR) should be adopted for designing an assembly of fins in engineering at the limit safe condition.展开更多
This review paper summarizes constructal design progress performed by the authors for eight types of heat sinks with ten performance indexes being taken as the optimization objectives,respectively,by combining the met...This review paper summarizes constructal design progress performed by the authors for eight types of heat sinks with ten performance indexes being taken as the optimization objectives,respectively,by combining the methods of theoretical analysis and numerical calculation.The eight types of heat sinks are uniform height rectangular fin heat sink,non-uniform height rectangular fin heat sink,inline cylindrical pin-fin heat sink(ICPHS),plate single-row pin fin heat sink(PSRPHS),plate inline pin fin heat sink(PIPHS),plate staggered pin fin heat sink(PSPHS),single-layered microchannel heat sink(SLMCHS)with rectangular cross sections and double-layered microchannel heat sink(DLMCHS)with rectangular cross sections,respectively.And the ten performance indexes are heat transfer rate maximization,maximum thermal resistance minimization,minimization of equivalent thermal resistance which is defined based on the entransy dissipation rate(equivalent thermal resistance for short),field synergy number maximization,entropy generation rate minimization,operation cost minimization,thermo-economic function value minimization,pressure drop minimization,enhanced heat transfer factor maximization and efficiency evaluation criterion number maximization,respectively.The optimal constructs of the eight types of heat sinks with different constraints and based on the different optimization objectives are compared with each other.The results indicated that the optimal constructs mostly are different based on different optimization objectives under the same boundary condition.The optimization objective should be suitable chosen based on the focus when the constructal design for one heat sink is performed.The results obtained herein have some important theoretical significances and application values,and can provide scientific bases and theoretical guidelines for the thermal design of real heat sinks and their applications.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （20476026）, the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University （05-0416）, the Creative Team Development Project of Ministry of Education （IRT0721）, and the 111 Project of Ministry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs （B08021 ）.
文摘Seven distributors with different configurations are designed and optimized by constructal approach. Their flow distribution performance and energy dissipation are investigated and compared by computational fluid dynamics （CFD） simulation. The reliability of CFD simulation is verified by experiments on the distributor that has all distributing rectangle channels on a plate. The results show that the symmetry of the distributing channels has decisive influence on the performance of flow distribution. Increasing the generations of channel branching will improve the flow distribution uniformity, but on the other hand increase the energy dissipation. Among all the seven constructal distributors, the distributor that has dichotomy configuration, Y-type junctions and straight interconnecting channels, is recommended for its better flow distribution performance and less energy dissipation.
文摘The present work establishes an analytical model for computing the temperature distribution, fin efficiency and optimum design parameters of a constructal T-shaped porous fin operating in fully wet condition. For more practical results, this study considers a cubic polynomial relationship between the humidity ratio of saturated air and the corresponding fin surface temperature. The temperature distribution has been determined by solving the highly non-linear governing equations using a semi-analytical transformation technique called Differential Transform Method. A comparison of the results with that of a numerical model shows that this transformation method is a very efficient and convenient tool for solution of non-linear problems. The effects of various geometric, thermo-physical and psychometric parameters on the temperature distribution, fin efficiency and optimum design condition have been investigated. Also, a comparison has been presented between solid and porous fins and the results point out that by selecting an appropriate value of porosity, the heat transfer rate can be increased than the corresponding solid fin.
文摘System behavior description using states faces problems like state explosion, lack of clear definition of state, state identification and coordination between multiple agents. The goals of this work are to ease design activity, to reduce engineering efforts, and to mitigate project risks. The proposed way is to improve information flow during design by adding definitions and some protocols or rules for communicating a specification or design description. This work presented an objective definition of system status (way of interaction with the rest of the world) along other concepts. This work focused in definitions as mind entities and their importance to rationalize work and mitigate project risks during design. This article presented some simple examples to illustrate the advantages of each aspect of proposed definition of system status and discussed limits and exceptions for such definition. The key finding was the proposed definition which was the simplest while keeping completeness at a given product breakdown level. Such definition of status enforced formal segregation of needs and solutions, and eased the inclusion of behavior definition in specifications.
文摘This work looked for a unifying theory between physical-biological domain and social sciences. Constructal law unified physical and biological domain by telling the general sense in which flow systems tend to evolve. Management theory looks for relations between institutions and human agency. Although being state of mind entities, institutions follow constructal law. This work proposed the main organization flows are information and credit. Biologic instincts derived from Darwinian natural selection are the driving or blocking forces of such flows. Once biologic instincts systematically block information and credit flows in large numbers, this work proposed every human organization must have institutions to inhibit some behaviors. Those institutions need to be present, at least partially, in formal rules of social groups. This way it is possible to predict expansion or downfall of human groups using objective and quantifiable data. Therefore, further studies may employ classical history to confirm this theory. This work analyzed some case studies to show qualitatively the application of proposed theory. Concluding, this work gave physically-biologically grounded guidance for institutional changes.
文摘Constructal law explains the sense of evolution (morphing to get access to flows) of finite size systems, but paradoxes do exist as not all vegetables have a tree form. Also, nature does not improve all animals for displacement. This work aims at creating a model to explain those paradoxes about constructal l<span style="letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">aw. It adopted the system engineering technique of segregation bet</span>ween functions (abstract goals) and solutions (physical entities). Further, this work introduced the assumptions of flow under external threats and imperfect channels (subject to leakages and suboptimal form). Results showed that there are always elements doing four functions in all types of channels: to reduce entropy, to protect channel, to retain integrity and to drive flow. Although the four functions are always present, natural systems typically privilege one function over others, depending on environmental demands. As a solution to improve flows, animal brains also fit in the model of four functions. Human <span style="letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">mind seems to have groups of instincts associated </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"letter-spacing:-0.05pt;">with</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"letter-spacing:-0.05pt;"> each of the fou</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">r channel design functions, leading to four behavior phenotypes and four motivations (prominence, inclusiveness, negativity prevention and tradition). Finally, this</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:""> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">model (channels need to</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:""> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10pt;font-family:"">meet four goals) unified physics and animal psychology and extended applications of Constructal law to the fields of systems engineering methods, management, and psychological science.
文摘The history of architectural and urban practices reflects humanity’s enduring quest to comprehend and shape its environment,often through the lens of unifying meta-narratives.This paper critiques the tendency to seek cohesive frameworks,drawing from Graham Harman’s speculative realism and Bruno Latour’s“Principle of Irreduction,”which challenge hierarchical structures in understanding reality.These perspectives underscore the irreducibility and multiplicity of existence,advocating for a paradigm shift that resists determinism and embraces open-endedness.In this context,Adrian Bejan’s constructal law offers a compelling alternative for interpreting architectural and urban forms.Constructal theory conceptualizes form and design as evolutionary responses to flow systems,framing architecture as an active participant in the dynamic interplay of environmental,social,and temporal forces.This perspective encourages a reevaluation of architectural practices not as definitive solutions but as iterative processes that engage with complexity and contingency.By integrating constructal theory with contemporary philosophical critiques,this article proposes a polynarrative of architecture and urbanism that aligns with the fluidity and multiplicity of modern existence.It argues for a departure from static frameworks toward adaptive methodologies that acknowledge the interconnectedness of actors,scales,and temporalities.Ultimately,this approach reframes design as a dialogic process,fostering resilience and innovation in confronting the uncertainties of a rapidly evolving world.
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China(‘973’Program)(Grant No.2012CB720405)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51176203)the Natural Science Foundation for Youngsters of Naval University of Engineering(Grant No.HGDQNJJ11008)
文摘Analogizing with the heat conduction process,the entransy dissipation extremum principle for thermal insulation process can be described as:for a fixed boundary heat flux(heat loss)with certain constraints,the thermal insulation process is optimized when the entransy dissipation is maximized(maximum average temperature difference),while for a fixed boundary temperature,the thermal insulation process is optimized when the entransy dissipation is minimized(minimum average heat loss rate).Based on the constructal theory,the constructal optimizations of a single plane and cylindrical insulation layers as well as multi-layer insulation layers of the steel rolling reheating furnace walls are carried out for the fixed boundary temperatures and by taking the minimization of entransy dissipation rate as optimization objective.The optimal constructs of these three kinds of insulation structures with distributed thicknesses are obtained.The results show that compared with the insulation layers with uniform thicknesses and the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum heat loss rate,the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum entransy dissipation rate are obviously different from those of the former two insulation layers;the optimal constructs of the insulation layers obtained by minimum entransy dissipation rate can effectively reduce the average heat loss rates of the insulation layers,and can help to improve their global thermal insulation performances.The entransy dissipation extremum principle is applied to the constructal optimizations of insulation systems,which will help to extend the application range of the entransy dissipation extremum principle.
基金Supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of Chinathe Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)
文摘By taking equivalent thermal resistance, which reflects the average heat conduc- tion effect and is defined based on entransy dissipation, as optimization objective, the "volume to point" constructal problem of how to discharge the heat generated in a fixed volume to a heat sink on the border through relatively high conductive link is re-analyzed and re-optimized in this paper. The constructal shape of the control volume with the best average heat conduction effect is deduced. For the elemental area and the first order construct assembly, when the thermal current density in the high conductive link is linear with the length, the optimized shapes of assemble based on the minimization of entransy dissipation are the same as those based on minimization of maximum temperature difference, and the mean tem- perature difference is 2/3 of the maximum temperature difference. For the second and higher order construct assemblies, the thermal current densities in the high conductive link are not linear with the length, and the optimized shapes of assem- ble based on the minimization of entransy dissipation are different from those based on minimization of maximum temperature difference. For the same parame- ters, the constructs based on minimization of entransy dissipation and the con- structs based on minimization of maximum temperature difference are compared, and the results show that the constructs based on entransy dissipation can de- crease the mean temperature difference better than the constructs based on mini- mization of maximum temperature difference. But with the increase of the number of the order, the mean temperature difference does not always decrease, and there exist some fluctuations. Because the idea of entransy describes the heat transfer ability more suitably, all of the heat conduction constructal problems may be re-optimized based on it.
基金Supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of China(Grant No.20041006)the Foundation for the Authors of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China(Grant No.200136)
文摘The entransy dissipation extremum principle provides new warranty and criterion for optimization of heat transfer.For two cases(body with heat generation and body heated externally)of a solid conducting wall with an open cavity,a dimensionless equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipation definition was taken as the optimization objective to optimize the model constructal ge- ometry.Numerical results validated the necessity and feasibility of the presented method.Comparisons of the numerical results based on minimization of dimensionless maximum thermal resistance and minimization of dimensionless equivalent thermal resistance,respectively,showed that there was no obvious difference between the two results when the volume fractionΦoccupied by cavity was small, but the difference between the two results increased with the increases ofΦand the body aspect ratio H/L for any model.The optimal cavities for bodies heated externally were more slender than those for bodies with heat generation.Heat origin had obvious effect on the global performance of heat transfer. The entransy dissipation of body heated externally increased 2―3 times than that of body with heat generation,indicating that the global performance of heat transfer weakened.The method presented herein provides some guidelines for some relevant thermal design problems.
文摘The analysis of the “tree-like network” construct method has been repeated. The high effective conduction channel distribution has been optimized again, without the premise that the new order assembly construct must be assembled by the optimized last order construct. It is proved that the “tree-like network” construct method is faultiness. A more optimal construct is obtained,; when the thermal conductivity; the proportion of the two heat conduction materials are constant, the limit of the minimum heat resistance is derived. All these conclusions can be used to guide the engineering application.
基金Supported by the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No. NCET-04-1006)Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)
文摘Based on entransy dissipation, the mean temperature difference of solenoid (electromagnet) with high thermal conductivity material inserted is deduced, which can be taken as the fundament for heat transfer optimization using the extremum principle of entransy dissipation. Then, the electromagnet working at steady state (constant magnetic field, constant heat generating rate per unit volume) is optimized for entransy dissipation minimization (i.e. mean temperature difference minimization) with and without volume constraint. Besides, the effect of high thermal conductivity material on the magnetic field is analyzed, and the minimum mean temperature versus volume and magnetic induction characteristic are also studied.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51176203)the Natural Science Foundation of Naval University of Engineering(Grant No.HGDYDJJ10011)
文摘The emergence and development of constructal theory,which has been a new discipline branch to research sorts of structures in nature and engineering,are reviewed.The core of the constructal theory is that various shapes and structures of the matters in nature are generated from the tendency to obtain optimal performance.Constructal theory and its application are summarized,from disciplines such as heat,mechanism,fluid flow,electricity,magnetism and chemistry,to life and non-life systems in nature.
基金supported by Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of China and the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)
文摘Using constructal entransy dissipation rate minimization method based on discrete variable cross-section conducting path,constructal optimizations of elemental area with variable cross-section conducting path are performed,and the results are compared with the optimization results of elemental area with the constant cross-section conducting path.The comparison shows that the minimum mean temperature difference based on elemental area with variable cross-section conducting path increases and approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases,but the minimum mean temperature difference based on elemental area with constant cross-section conducting path decreases and approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases.The difference between them is caused by the different dimensionless mean temperature difference of the first order assembly.A universal constructal optimization method by self similar organization to improve heat transfer ability and its corresponding rule are proposed.With the constructal optimization method by self similar organization based on entransy dissipation rate minimization objective,the mean temperature difference approaches a constant as the assembly's order increases.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10905093)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No. NCET-04-1006)the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)
文摘Based on constructal theory,a construct of a volume that generates heat at every point and is cooled by the coolant in the constant or tapered channel is optimized by minimizing entransy dissipation rate and flow resistance.The optimal constructs of the rectangular elements with dimensionless mean thermal resistance minimization as well as the first-,secondand thirdorder assemblies with dimensionless global flow resistance minimizations are obtained respectively.The results show that both the mean temperature difference and the limiting temperature difference of rectangular elements based on EDR (entransy dissipation rate) and MTD (maximum temperature difference) minimizations respectively are almost equal.Comparing heat transfer performances from the two optimization procedures,the dimensionless global flow resistance is decreased more for the former procedure when the assembly’s order is high.It may create great superiority for constructal optimization to combine the entransy dissipation extreme principle with heat convection.
基金the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Universities of China (Grant No. NCET-04-1006)Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)
文摘Entropy generation minimization for heat and mass transfer process in a solid-gas reactor is carried out based on constructal theory by using triangular elemental area. The aspect ratio of the triangular elemental area is optimized under constraint conditions. A number of optimal triangular elements are assembled to a new large rectangular area, which is optimised again. The procedure is repeated until the control-volume is covered, and the complete analytical results are obtained. The effects of some parameters on minimum entropy generation are analysed by nu-merical examples. The results show that smaller entropy generation can be ob-tained when the optimization for a given volume is carried out on the basis of tri-angular elements than those obtained on the basis of rectangular elements.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.10905093)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China(Grant No.NCET-04-1006)the Foun-dation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China(Grant No.200136)
文摘In this paper,constructal optimization of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins with six freedom degrees (characteristic parameters of geometry) is performed by employing finite element method and taking dimensionless maximum thermal resistance as a performance index,and the heat transfer performance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins under various conditions with different freedom degrees are analyzed. The results show that the twice assemblies can improve the heat transfer performance of Y-shaped fin remarkably,and the minimum maximum thermal resistance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins decreases by 36.37% compared with that of once Y-shaped assembly of fins. It is also proved again that the larger the number of freedom degrees for evolving is,the more perfect the system performance is. The effects of different characteristic parameters of geometry on the performance of the twice Y-shaped assemblies of fins are different,one should pay different attention to these parameters in practical engineering designs. The effects of two angles on the maximum thermal resistance are larger,but the optima of the two angles are robust. The effects of two height ratios on the maximum thermal resistance are more remarkable than those of two thickness ratios.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.10905093)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China(Grant No.NCET-04-1006)the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China(Grant No.200136)
文摘For a vertical insulating wall,a product function of heat flow and strength with power weight is introduced as the complex optimization objective to compromise between insulating performance and mechanical performance.Under the global constraints of fixed external dimensions and safety requirements,the constructal optimization of the wall is carried out by taking the complex function maximization as the objective.It is shown that the maximum of the complex-objective function and its corresponding optimal internal structure design under a certain environmental condition can be obtained by allowing the internal structure of the wall to vary(evolve)freely.The validity,effectivity and applicability of the complex function are proved by the results and the power weight parameter in the range from 0.4 to 4 can compromise between the requirements of insulating and strength simultaneously and preferably.The constructal optimization with coequal attention to heat flow and strength and the corresponding results are discussed in detail.The optimal structure design and the corresponding performance analyses under various environmental conditions of application are presented.When the change of environment is greater and the total Rayleigh number is bigger,the insulating wall with large number of cavities should be employed.When the total Rayleigh number is small,the better performance can be obtained by reasonably employing the insulating wall with small number of cavities.The complex function has better selfadaptability,and the results in the recent literature are special cases of this paper.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10905093)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No. NCET-04-1006)+1 种基金the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No. 200136)the Natural Science Foundation for Youngsters of Naval University of Engineering (Grant No. HGDQNJJ10017)
文摘The constructal optimizations of T-shaped fin with two-dimensional heat transfer model are carried out by finite element method and taking the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipation and the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as optimization objectives, respectively. The effects of the global parameter a (integrating the coefficient of convective heat transfer, the overall area occupied by fin and its thermal conductivity) and the volume fraction ? of fin on the minimums of equivalent thermal resistance and maximum thermal resistance as well as their corresponding optimal configurations are analyzed. The comparison of the results based on the above two optimization objectives is conducted. The results show that the optimal structures based on the two optimization objectives are obviously different from each other. Compared with the optimization result by taking the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as the objective, the optimization result by taking the equivalent thermal resistance minimization as the objective can reduce the average temperature difference in the fin obviously. The increases of a and ? can all improve the working status of local hot spot and the global heat transfer performance of the system. But the improvement effects of the increases of a and ? on the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance are different from those on the minimization of maximum thermal resistance. For either objective, the effect of a is different from that of ?. The T-shaped fin with minimum equivalent thermal resistance is much taller than that with minimum maximum thermal resistance; for either optimization objective, the stem of fin is thicker than the branches of fin, and the stem thickness is relatively close to branch thickness when the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance is taken as the optimization objective. The T-shaped fin with flat stem and slender branches can benefit the reduction of the maximum thermal resistance.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.10905093)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No.NCET-04-1006)the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (Grant No.200136)
文摘Umbrella-shaped assembly of cylindrical fins is optimized by adopting analytical method and taking dimensionless mean thermal resistance (MTR) as performance index. The optimal construct of umbrella-shaped assembly is obtained. The results show that the heat conductance performance of the assembly becomes ever worse with ever greater number of elemental cylindrical fins,the umbrella-shaped assembly reduces to cylindrical fin in some values of design parameters,and the diameters’ dependence on design parameters is weak for the optimized assembly. An equivalent thermal resistance defined based on entransy dissipation rate (EDR) reflects an average heat transfer effect of the assembly. The constructal design corresponding to the minimum EDR (or MTR) should be adopted for designing an assembly of fins in engineering at the limit safe condition.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51779262,51506220 and 51579244)。
文摘This review paper summarizes constructal design progress performed by the authors for eight types of heat sinks with ten performance indexes being taken as the optimization objectives,respectively,by combining the methods of theoretical analysis and numerical calculation.The eight types of heat sinks are uniform height rectangular fin heat sink,non-uniform height rectangular fin heat sink,inline cylindrical pin-fin heat sink(ICPHS),plate single-row pin fin heat sink(PSRPHS),plate inline pin fin heat sink(PIPHS),plate staggered pin fin heat sink(PSPHS),single-layered microchannel heat sink(SLMCHS)with rectangular cross sections and double-layered microchannel heat sink(DLMCHS)with rectangular cross sections,respectively.And the ten performance indexes are heat transfer rate maximization,maximum thermal resistance minimization,minimization of equivalent thermal resistance which is defined based on the entransy dissipation rate(equivalent thermal resistance for short),field synergy number maximization,entropy generation rate minimization,operation cost minimization,thermo-economic function value minimization,pressure drop minimization,enhanced heat transfer factor maximization and efficiency evaluation criterion number maximization,respectively.The optimal constructs of the eight types of heat sinks with different constraints and based on the different optimization objectives are compared with each other.The results indicated that the optimal constructs mostly are different based on different optimization objectives under the same boundary condition.The optimization objective should be suitable chosen based on the focus when the constructal design for one heat sink is performed.The results obtained herein have some important theoretical significances and application values,and can provide scientific bases and theoretical guidelines for the thermal design of real heat sinks and their applications.
