Currently, many efforts have been made to improve the approach to build kinetic models. Based on mathematical algorithms, a novel method (named DIM method) of kinetic analysis was introduced in detail. A formula combining differential and integral was deduced and applied to the determination of the mechanism function f(α). Subsequently, multivariable linear regression was conducted to simultaneously obtain the apparent activation energy E, pre-exponential factor A, and oxygen concentration exponent n. In the application of pulverized coal combustion under different oxygen concentrations (3%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 21%), E, A, and n were calculated as 258,164 J/mol, 6.660 × 10¹⁷ s⁻¹, and 3.326, respectively, and the mechanism function f(α) was determined as the Avrami-Erofeev equation. A validation was performed under a 7% oxygen concentration, which shows that the DIM method has a higher accuracy. This work can provide a reference for the study of kinetic analysis.

To strengthen the heat dissipating capacity of a heat pipe used for integrated insulated gate bipolar transistors, as an extension of our earlier work, the effect of micro-groove dimension on the thermal performance of flat micro-grooved gravity heat pipe was studied. Nine pipes with different depths (0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.2 mm) and widths (0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.2 mm) were fabricated and tested under a heating load range from 80 W to 180 W. The start-up time, temperature difference, relative thermal resistance and equivalent thermal conductivity were presented as performance indicators by comparison of flat gravity heat pipes with and without micro-grooves. Results reveal that the highest equivalent thermal conductivity of the flat micro-grooved gravity heat pipes is 2.55 times as that of the flat gravity heat pipe without micro-grooves. The flat gravity heat pipes with deeper and narrower micro-grooves show better thermal performance and the optimal rectangular micro-groove dimension among the selected options is determined to be 1.2 mm (depth) × 0.4 mm (width). Furthermore, the liquid–vapor phase behaviors were observed to verify the heat transfer effects and analyze the heat transfer mechanism of the flat micro-grooved heat pipes.

A household dual source heat pump water heater is proposed to utilize the energy of wastewater and air heat in a bathroom. The heat pump system integrates a wastewater source heat pump (WSHP), air source heat pump (ASHP), and a preheater. This aims at energy saving through recovering the heat of wastewater and ventilation air during the bathing process. The experiment was conducted to verify the feasibility of a dual heat source heat pump water heater system in a bath unit. It is found that the system can achieve an average coefficient of performance (COP) of 4.80 and 4.38 with and without preheater, respectively. At a bath water temperature of 40 °C, a flow rate of 6 L/min, and a room temperature of 26.5 °C, the COP of system can reach 6.08, which shows a significantly promising method for energy saving in-house.