Industrial Applications: New Solutions for the New Era

This book reprints articles from the Special Issue "Industrial Applications: New Solutions for the New Age" published online in the open-access journal Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This book consists of twelve published articles. This special edition belongs to the "Mechatronic and Intelligent Machines" section

Demand Reduction and Responsive Strategies for Underground Mining

This thesis presents a demand reduction and responsive strategy for underground mining operations. The thesis starts with a literature review and background research on global energy, coal mining and the energy related issues that the mining industry face everyday. The thesis then goes on to discuss underground mine electrical power systems, data acquisition, load profiling, priority ranking, load shedding and demand side management in mining. Other areas presented in this thesis are existing energy reduction techniques, including: high efficiency motors, motor speed reduction and low energy lighting. During the thesis a data acquisition system was designed and installed at a UK Coal colliery and integrated into the mines existing supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. Design and installation problems were overcome with the construction of a test meter and lab installation and testing. A detailed explanation of the system design and installation along with the data analysis of the data from the installed system. A comprehensive load profile and load characterisation system was developed by the author. The load profiling system is comprehensive allows the definition of any type of load profile. These load profiles are fixed, variable and transient load types. The loads output and electrical demand are all taken into consideration. The load characterisation system developed is also very comprehensive. The LC MATRIX is used with the load profiles and the load characteristics to define off-line schedules. A set of unique real-time decision algorithms are also developed by the author to operate the off-line schedules within the desired objective function. MATLAB Simulation is used to developed and test the systems. Results from these test are presented. Application of the developed load profiling and scheduling systems are applied to the data collected from the mine, the results of this and the cost savings are also presented

NATURAL VENTILATION OF HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS - A Methodology for Planning With Different Analysis Tools and Case-Study Integration

Natural ventilation of buildings has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption related to cooling and fanning. This can be achieved by providing good indoor air quality without any electricity demand and improving thermal comfort in the summer through increased daytime airspeed and high night ventilation rates. In high-rise buildings, however, natural ventilation is still not a widely preferred means of ventilation. The main reason is the lack of information on the required system design. Evaluation tools and instruments are not suitable for complex flow path design. Only few results are available on the performance of naturally ventilated high-rise buildings, especially where energy conservation is considered. The current thesis is predicated on this research gap. The existing barriers for implementing passive technologies can be lowered by creating a quantifiable framework that accounts for all the relevant input parameters in the design process. In order to reach this goal, a planning and simulation approach is developed. Simulations results are compared to those of a reference case-study. The 28-floor ‘Kanyon’ office tower, situated in Istanbul, is selected to demonstrate the applicability. From the energy metering, it is concluded that mechanical cooling and ventilation result in significant electricity consumption. Detailed information on the building and its operation has been made available by the building management. In addition, the impact of different moderate climates is analysed. The primary objectives of the thesis can be stated as the development of a design approach, and the investigation of the feasibility of the proposed design, based on an existing case-study building virtually adapted. The approach is developed in three steps, including conceptual design considerations, the development of a preliminary design tool, and a detailed design development. In the first step, an architectural concept is developed for wide-shaped high-rise buildings where it is impossible to realise simple cross or single-sided ventilation. Conceptual adaptations addressing the flow-path design are a central chimney strategy in respect to the building width, isolated, modular segments in respect to the building height and opposed, wind adapting openings. Other solutions proposed for passive cooling are improved shading devices and activation of the structural mass for night-time ventilation. In the second step, the originally developed ‘HighVent’ planning tool is introduced. Simple electrical circuit analogies, for both ventilation and thermal models, are found to be suitable in supporting the passive system planning. As classic design day conditions are too strict for passive system design, meaningful boundary conditions are provided. Openings can be sized automatically including an optimization process. The program first calculates the flow-path for a given airflow rate with unchanging boundary conditions. These values are then provided to the thermal module, which calculates the dynamic thermal comfort. The procedure is repeated till the system size is sufficient for passive cooling. In the third step, the annual performance is exemplarily modelled with EnergyPlus building energy simulations including airflow networks and controls. This includes the ‘HighVent’ tool preliminary design outputs, the conceptual adaptations made, and the remaining features of the as-built Kanyon building. The design approach is then further evaluated by comparing mechanical operation with an operation based on passive and hybrid control. Indicators proposed to evaluate the functionality are the energy consumption compared to that of mechanical ventilation and cooling systems, and compliance with the thermal comfort limits; additional aspects are the ventilation rates and the indoor air quality reached. Simulation results indicate that properly designed and controlled natural ventilation shows a good functionality. Control over the openings is crucial, as otherwise ventilation rates can get too high and the rooms tend to cool down too much even during summer. It is shown that the ‘Adaptive Temperature Amplifier’ control algorithm developed is very robust. Differences in climate have a varying impact. For example, in the climate of Stuttgart, further adaptations to the preliminary design are not necessary, whereas in Istanbul adaptations might be reasonable. However, to satisfy the comfort expectations in Turin, there is a necessity for adaptations or a hybrid cooling concept. That humidity values meet comfort expectations must be discussed and accepted by all project stakeholders, else hybrid operation might be a good alternative. To systematically study the possible energy conservation while maintaining thermal comfort, the energy consumption of identical buildings with different variants (passive/hybrid/active) is benchmarked against the as-built scenario. Results show that the Kanyon’s primary energy input can be reduced by approximately 30% to 40% for passive operation and by 28% to 34% for hybrid operation. This verifies the initial assumption that energy conservation of passively cooled and ventilated office spaces is significant, especially when compared to highly energy consuming state-of-the-art office towers. The results of this research work are intended, on the one hand, to support building planners in better understanding and implementing passive cooling measures and, on the other hand, to contribute to further development of sustainable building practices

Effect of curing conditions and harvesting stage of maturity on Ethiopian onion bulb drying properties

The study was conducted to investigate the impact of curing conditions and harvesting stageson the drying quality of onion bulbs. The onion bulbs (Bombay Red cultivar) were harvested at three harvesting stages (early, optimum, and late maturity) and cured at three different temperatures (30, 40 and 50 oC) and relative humidity (30, 50 and 70%). The results revealed that curing temperature, RH, and maturity stage had significant effects on all measuredattributesexcept total soluble solids

Control of Naturally Ventilated Buildings: a Model Predictive Control Approach

During operation, buildings consume a large amount of energy, around 40\% of global final energy use. A major challenge is to reduce the amount of energy used while still providing a comfortable environment for building occupants. The use of passive techniques, such as natural ventilation, is promoted in certain climates to provide low energy cooling and ventilation. However, controlling natural ventilation in an effective manner to maintain occupant comfort can be a difficult task, particularly during warm periods. One area which has been identified as having the potential for reducing energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort is the use of more advanced control techniques. A technique which has been much explored in recent years for application in mechanically ventilated buildings is Model Predictive Control (MPC). MPC is a control technique which uses a model of the system dynamics and by solving an optimisation problem is able to determine the optimal control inputs. In this thesis the application of MPC to naturally-ventilated buildings is investigated. The essential component of an MPC strategy is the predictive model of the building's thermal dynamics. An empirical approach to modelling was taken using multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network models. To use empirical data from a building to create a predictive model it is essential to ensure the quality of the data is appropriate. In order to assess the data available from buildings during normal operation four studies were carried out in different buildings. The data collected from these studies represent a range of natural ventilation scenarios and building types in different locations in the UK. To test the impact of identification procedures upon the resulting neural network models, an identification experiment was carried out using dynamic thermal simulation. Neural network models were trained using both the data from real buildings and the simulation data. Results showed that neural network models trained using data from real buildings were capable of good predictions. However, the lack of input excitation during normal operation resulted in models which did not capture the effect of the window opening control. The identification experiment demonstrated that by exciting the control input the resulting neural network models captured the effect of the control, making them suitable for MPC. The main focus of this thesis is the investigation of techniques to develop predictive models which can be utilised as part of an MPC strategy. However, to demonstrate the potential benefits of MPC a controller designed to maintain a suitable internal temperature is demonstrated. The controller utilised the neural network models developed using the data from the system identification experiment and a non-linear optimiser. The MPC method showed the potential to reduce overheating and improve upon the typical control used in the majority of buildings. Findings in this thesis demonstrate that empirical models capable of good predictions can be trained and could be successfully applied to the control of natural ventilation systems. Furthermore, the potential advantages of adopting an MPC approach to natural ventilation control are shown

Green retrofit of existing non-domestic buildings as a multi criteria decision making process

With increased awareness of natural resources depletion, environmental pollution and social issues, the importance of sustainable development has been emphasised. Sustainable development is accepted as a guiding principle to reconcile economic development with limited natural resources and the dangers of environmental degradation. The building industry is a vital element of any economy and can have a significant impact on the environment. By virtue of the large size of existing buildings, green retrofit of existing buildings is an effective approach to improve building sustainability and energy performance. Unlike domestic building retrofit, bound in the research, non-domestic building retrofit lacks a sufficient research and requires a further investigation. Green retrofit of existing buildings is a complex decision making process. With the rise of sustainability agenda in the building sector, it is essential for decision makers to consider sustainability criteria, which address environmental, economic and social performance. Due to the intrinsic characteristic of existing buildings, technical challenges can emerge when integrating green technologies or measures. The qualitative and quantitative nature of these multiple criteria can increase the complexity of the decision making process. In addition, the decision making process may involve stakeholders from varying backgrounds. The conflicting perspectives can be the main barrier in the decision making of green retrofits. This thesis proposes a framework for green retrofit of existing non-domestic buildings as a multi-criteria decision making process. The framework includes multiple phases: Site and Building Survey, Technology Listing and Screening, and Technology Evaluation with Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods. By checking hierarchical information in the Site and Building Survey, basic information can be collected and implications for green technology can be gathered. The Technology Listing and Screening is used to propose potential technologies and further identify the qualified technologies. On top of these phases, technology evaluation with MCDM methods is suggested to conduct in four steps: 1) Criteria development by proposing a multiple criteria tree; 2) Criteria weighting by suggesting the default weights; 3) Technology scoring by presenting a simplified technology scoring approach; 4) Results synthesis. To propose the default weights, a professional survey has been designed to collect the views of experts from different backgrounds in the UK and China. Default weights have been suggested for all the expert group, the architect group, the engineer group, and other expert groups in both countries. The framework has been applied to one UK university building for the retrofit. The main findings are: by using the proposed framework, the possibility of selecting green technologies can be increased; by using the MCDM methods for technology evaluation, the technology ranking can be identified. Scenario analysis and sensitivity analysis have been conducted for technology ranking by applying different sets of default weights. Results show that the changes of criteria weighting for Cost and Payback period can lead to technology ranking changes in all the UK expert scenario. The changes of criteria weighting for all the criteria can lead to a change in technology ranking in the UK architect scenario

BIM-Based Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for Buildings

In recent years, the progress of digitization in the architecture and construction sectors has produced enormous advances in the automation of analysis and evaluation processes. This is the case with environmental analysis systems, such as the life cycle analysis. Methodology practitioners have found a fundamental ally in the building information modeling platforms, which allow tasks that conventionally consume large amounts of energy and time to be carried out more automatically and efficiently. In this publication, the reader will find some of the latest advances in this area

Current Air Quality Issues

Air pollution is thus far one of the key environmental issues in urban areas. Comprehensive air quality plans are required to manage air pollution for a particular area. Consequently, air should be continuously sampled, monitored, and modeled to examine different action plans. Reviews and research papers describe air pollution in five main contexts: Monitoring, Modeling, Risk Assessment, Health, and Indoor Air Pollution. The book is recommended to experts interested in health and air pollution issues