Experimental tests of solar collectors prototypes systems

Solar thermal collectors represent one of the most widely used technologies for heat production from renewable energy sources. To increase efficiency and to not increase too much cost different type of solar collectors, and in particular of evacuated tube collectors have been realized. In order to compare performance, tests at different conditions and in different configurations have to be performed. The aim of this paper is to establish the performance of a new prototype via an experimental evaluation of the performance in different conditions and configurations of three collectors. The prototype is particular owing to his new head configuration that permits an innovative parallel configuration way. Therefore, parallel and series configurations have been analyzed applying the UNI-EN 12975, in a steady-state regime. The efficiencies of the two configurations have been tested for different flow rates and different inflow water temperatures. The experimental results show that, with the same input flow rate to the single collector, the parallel configuration has higher performance than the series one, reaching 15% higher level of efficiency. Thus, it seems that these prototypes in optimized configuration can lead to a systems improvement, thereby increasing the overall energy production or giving the same energy production with smaller collector area. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Comparison between 1-D and grey-box models of a SOFC

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) have shown unique performance in terms of greater electrical efficiency and thermochemical integrity with the power systems compared to gas turbines and internal combustion engines. Nonetheless, simple and reliable models still must be defined. In this paper, a comparison between a grey-box model and a 1-D model of a SOFC is performed to understand the impact of the heat transfer inside the cell on the internal temperature distribution of the solid electrolyte. Hence, a significant internal temperature peak of the solid electrolyte is observed for a known difference between anode and cathode inlet temperatures. Indeed, it highlights the difference between the 1-D model and the grey-box model regarding the thermal conditioning of the SOFC. Therefore, the results of this study can be used to investigate the reliability of the thermal results of box models in system-level simulations

Rooting empowering reactivating. Rehabilitation of traditional heritage and local development

Can the rehabilitation of traditional heritage through the conservation, transmission, and adaptation of traditional construction techniques, represents an opportunity for the local development of marginal places? Rooting empowering reactivating focuses on the intersection of heritage and local development, delving into the interactions between NGOs, communities, minor heritage recovery and possibilities for inclusive local development and reactivation. The intersection was analysed by adopting a multidisciplinary and multicriterial analysis of the the unconventional practices of community-rooted rehabilitation of some international NGOs invited to the contributed to the series of seminars on the Rehabilitation of traditional heritage and local development (RTHLD, 2019-2022). The NGOs involved in this series of seminars operate mainly in the restoration of minor, diffuse, and non-monumental heritage, that is functional and aimed at satisfying basic needs. The rehabilitated heritage is often located in marginal places, that have experienced strong migratory phenomena in recent decades. Depopulation was often coupled with a radical change in lifestyles, which have altered the rhythms of living, the bonds, and the reciprocity links between villagers that used to allow survival in such contexts. Local society has dissolved, and consequently the collective care and maintenance of heritage and places has faded. Next to this, inhabitants often show a lack of interest in taking care of a heritage, both because it is linked to imaginaries of poverty and backwardness, and as a consequence of a decrease in manual skills and traditional knowledge. Communities are often no longer considered autonomous regarding the technical management of their own heritage and in many instances the intervention by outsiders has been instrumental, if not necessary, to conserve, protect, rehabilitate, and transmit a heritage that would otherwise probably no longer exist today. NGOs however have set themselves the objective of not only preventing the loss of artefacts and the local building knowledge associated with them, but also of traditions, social ties, and ways of living. In this sense, heritage restoration and recovery of traditional practices can represent a strategy to promoting living again in marginal places, as well as reactivating the local community. This requires a holistic approach, an in-depth knowledge of local needs and aspirations, and also a broad and transversal view. The aim of this book is to widen the debate on these topics by providing concrete examples of practices of high human and social quality, and to reinforce the role and consciousness of NGOs, showing how their work can have an impact on the preservation and adaptation of heritage and traditions, on community empowerment, as well as on the overall future of marginal places. The intent behind is to establish a connection and stimulate a dialogue between practitioners and academia, bringing together different forms of knowledge: NGOs offered knowledge based on practical experience, and academics methodological insights and theoretical references. The book is divided into three main parts: a multidisciplinary reading scheme that can support residents, NGOs and institutions involved in community promotion and reactivation processes through actions on their habitat – whether at a practical, academic or institutional level; a collection of heritage recovery and local reactivation actions by the members of NGOs invited to the seminars; the debate between practitioners and academics on fundamental issues such as tourism, empowerment of local communities, multidisciplinarity, innovation, generative potential, to name but a few

Tagging b jets with electrons and muons at CMS

The first results of identification of jets from b quarks with soft-lepton tagging algorithms are presented in this note. Jets are built from the energy deposits in the electromagnetic and hadron calorimeters, with an iterative cone algorithm. Electrons and muons are searched for among the reconstructed charged particle tracks associated to these jets with an angular distance criterion. The muon identification is based on standard muon reconstruction algorithms, exploiting the dedicated muon detectors, while electron identification is based on the extrapolation of charged particle tracks into the calorimeter and a detailed analysis of the calorimeter clusters in the region around the track. Jets from b quarks are identified from the kinematic properties of the leptons relative to the jet and the significance of the three dimensional impact parameter of the lepton with respect to the event vertex. The effect of not incorporating the impact parameter significance, as would be necessary for data collected prior to the installation of the silicon pixel tracking detector, is also studied

Preface. Rehabilitation of Traditional Heritage and Local Development (RTHLD) seminars

Since 2019, the Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST) of the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Turin, in collaboration with the Post-graduate School of Architectural and Landscape Heritage, has organized a series of seminars on the Rehabilitation of Traditional Heritage and Local Development (RTHLD). These events focus on the preservation of lesser-built heritage and its role in fostering local development through community-rooted rehabilitation practices. The seminars emphasize the integration of traditional building techniques with strategies for empowering local communities, preserving living landscapes, and promoting inclusive development. The series brings together NGOs, academics, and practitioners to share knowledge, engage in debates, and explore themes such as community empowerment, tourism, multidisciplinarity, and innovation. Each seminar includes lectures by NGO representatives, roundtable discussions, and collaborative exchanges, facilitating both practical insights and theoretical analysis. Through the seminars, an international network of NGOs has been established, fostering dialogue between practice and academia. This collaboration has contributed to the development of methodologies and strategies for sustainable heritage conservation and community revitalization in marginal areas. This publication extends the discussion, presenting concrete examples of high-quality practices and proposing a multidisciplinary framework to support community-driven initiatives. The work underscores the importance of bridging academic expertise with experiential knowledge, fostering a shared commitment to heritage preservation and community empowerment

An application of the Michaelis–Menten model to analyze the curing process of cold recycled bituminous mixtures

Abstract In this paper the laboratory curing process of two types of cold recycled mixtures manufactured during the construction of an experimental pavement section along an Italian motorway was investigated. Specifically, a cement–bitumen treated material (CBTM) mixture and a cement treated material (CTM) mixture, produced both on site and in laboratory, were tested. Moisture loss by evaporation (DW), indirect tensile stiffness modulus (ITSM) and indirect tensile strength (ITS) were measured in order to evaluate the curing process. The measured data were analyzed using the nonlinear Michaelis–Menten (MM) model with the aim to characterize the rate at which the mixture properties evolve over time and their values at the long-term cured state. The results showed that the adopted curing variables (DW, ITSM and ITS) gave a comparable description of the curing process, when evaporation was allowed and that the MM model gave an appropriate description of the evolutive behavior of CBTMs and CTMs. Finally, the results showed that in the initial curing stage the effect of cement hydration prevailed on that of emulsion breaking

Hydrogen-rich gas production by sorption enhanced steam reforming of woodgas containing TAR over a commercial Ni catalyst and calcined dolomite as CO2 sorbent.

The aim of this work was the evaluation of the catalytic steam reforming of a gaseous fuel obtained by steam biomass gasification to convert topping atmosphere residue (TAR) and CH 4 and to produce pure H 2 by means of a CO 2 sorbent. This experimental work deals with the demonstration of the practical feasibility of such concepts, using a real woodgas obtained from fluidized bed steam gasification of hazelnut shells. This study evaluates the use of a commercial Ni catalyst and calcined dolomite (CaO/MgO). The bed material simultaneously acts as reforming catalyst and CO 2 sorbent. The experimental investigations have been carried out in a fixed bed micro-reactor rig using a slipstream from the gasifier to evaluate gas cleaning and upgrading options. The reforming/sorption tests were carried out at 650 °C while regeneration of the sorbent was carried out at 850 °C in a nitrogen environment. Both combinations of catalyst and sorbent are very effective in TAR and CH 4 removal, with conversions near 100%, while the simultaneous CO 2 sorption effectively enhances the water gas shift reaction producing a gas with a hydrogen volume fraction of over 90%. Multicycle tests of reforming/CO 2 capture and regeneration were performed to verify the stability of the catalysts and sorbents to remove TAR and capture CO 2 during the duty cycle

FIRST experiment: Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy

Nuclear fragmentation processes are relevant in different fields of basic research and applied physics and are of particular interest for tumor therapy and for space radiation protection applications. The FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment at SIS accelerator of GSI laboratory in Darmstadt, has been designed for the measurement of different ions fragmentation cross sections at different energies between 100 and 1000 MeV/nucleon. The experiment is performed by an international collaboration made of institutions from Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The experimental apparatus is partly based on an already existing setup made of the ALADIN magnet, the MUSIC IV TPC, the LAND2 neutron detector and the TOFWALL scintillator TOF system, integrated with newly designed detectors in the interaction Region (IR) around the carbon removable target: a scintillator Start Counter, a Beam Monitor drift chamber, a silicon Vertex Detector and a Proton Tagger for detection of light fragments emitted at large angles (KENTROS). The scientific program of the FIRST experiment started on summer 2011 with the study of the 400 MeV/nucleon 12C beam fragmentation on thin (8mm) carbon targe