Natural Cooling Techniques For Buildings

Modern development in many Third World countries in the hot regions of the world,, have been accompanied by the construction of highly energy-wasteful buildings. The interiors of these buildings have to be mechanically airconditioned in order to achieve thermal-comfort conditions. The consequence of this, has been the rapid increase in electricity-generating plant capacity to match demand (of which, for example at present in Oman, more than 70% nationally is used for air-conditioning modern, energyinefficient buildings). The aim of this work was to find the most suitable way of stabilising or even reducing the electricity demand in a country like Oman. The first step taken to achieve this aim, was to study and draw out lessons from the vernacular architecture of the different climatic regions in Oman. This has been followed by a literature survey that looks at passive and active natural cooling techniques for buildings in hot climates. Mathematical models were then developed to analyze and compare those passive techniques that are most suitable for an environment like that of Oman. Different ways of reducing the heat gain through the roof were investigated and compared. These include the addition of insulation, shading, air-cooling of the roof when the ambient air temperature is lower than that of the roof, and roof ponds. Roof ponds were found to be the most effective of those techniques analyzed. An improved design of the roof pond (the Water Diode roof pond) that eliminates the need for covering the roof pond during the day and uncovering it at night, was suggested and analyzed. The analysis showed promising results. Mathematical models were also developed to analyze and compare dif f erent ways of reducing the heat gain through the walls. These included the use of closed cavities, naturally ventilated cavities, the addition of insulation, and the effect of using brick as compared to concrete block. The analysis suggested that the combination of a Water Diode roof pond and insulated brick wall construction will reduce the heat gain through the envelope of a single room by more than 90%, when compared to a room with un-insulated roof and single-leaf concrete block walls. An empirical validation of the mathematical models was conducted. The results showed a good agreement between the actual and predicted values. An economical analysis of the commonly used roof and wall constructions in Oman, was also conducted. This compared the life-cycle cost of nine different construction techniques, with eight different airconditioning schedules. The result of this analysis showed a clear advantage of using roof insulation, reflective double glazing, and insulated walls with brick outer-leaf and concrete block inner-leaf

Commercialisation of biosciences research in Oman: the entrepreneurial challenge

This research examines the process of knowledge commercialisation in a fledging national innovation ecosystem. The thesis investigates the Omani biosciences sector and its attempts to leverage its contribution to the national economy through knowledge-based activities. It focuses on the commercialisation actors and the transformation to the entrepreneurial paradigm since mid-1990s. More specifically, it seeks to understand the knowledge commercialisation in the context of the national systems of innovation and considers three main components: actors and institutions, networks, and the national support mechanisms. Theoretically, this study draws on three strands of theory, which are the National Innovation Systems (NIS), the Triple Helix (TH) model of innovation and Network Theory (NT). These theories are advanced by considering the institutional setting of the bio-sector and the social and cultural dimensions of the actors. Empirically the thesis is informed by mixed methods of questionnaire, semi-structured interviews that were conducted in Muscat in 2014, and the analysis of policy documents. This thesis indicates that the Omani bio-sector represents a significant emerging setting for knowledge commercialisation process that involves the connection and co-development of actors, knowledge, and networks between the existing domains of practice (academia, government and industry). It contributes to understanding the extent of the influence of the entrepreneurial culture and the social dimension of the actors. It shows that the locus of innovation and knowledge production is the academic sphere and knowledge exchange between the actors is phase-dependent. The thesis suggests that geographic co-location is not the key prerequisite for effective interaction whereas innovation intermediaries play an important role based on their position and situation. Within the embryonic setting of knowledge entrepreneurship in the bio-sector, small-scale government initiatives have proven to be more efficient. Finally, the thesis concludes that the actors for commercialisation should develop a more sophisticated understanding of the concept and settings in which technical and tacit knowledge is formed, and of the means and mechanisms through which commercialisation practices might be enhanced

Numerical evaluation of hydrogen production by steam reforming of natural gas

Industry-scale hydrogen is mainly produced by steam methane reforming (SMR), which uses natural gas as the feedstock and fuel and co-produces CO2. This study aims to numerically evaluate hydrogen production by SMR under various reacting conditions. Unlike the previous studies with limited scenarios, the performance of SMR is continuously evaluated in a high-dimensional input-parameter space. The SMR plant including a combustor, a reformer, and a water-gas shifter is modeled in Aspen HYSYS software. The four key parameters, including methane fraction of the feedstock, reformer pressure and temperature, and shifter temperature, are treated uncertain and 50 samples are drawn from a four-dimensional parameter space defined by their ranges. Each sample is input to HYSYS model and mass ratio of each component in product streams is obtained as the output variables. Based on the 50 pairs of input-output data, response surfaces of the outputs are developed to surrogate HYSYS models. The fast response surface models are then used to calculate global sensitivity indices and evaluate SMR processes. Results show the reformer performance is controlled by temperature rather than pressure, and a temperature higher than 900 °C can maximize the reaction rate. The water-gas shifting reaction is inhibited in the reformer but significantly enhanced in the shifter. Hydrogen is mainly produced in the reformer while the major function of the shifter is to convert CO to nontoxic CO2.Cited as: Chen, M., Al-Subhi, K., Al-Rajhi, A., Al-Maktoumi, A., Izady, A. Al-Hinai, A. Numerical evaluation of hydrogen production by steam reforming of natural gas. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 7(3): 141-151. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.03.0

Direct Gas Thickener

Direct gas thickening technique has been developed to control the gas mobility in the miscible gas injection process for enhanced oil recovery. This technique involves increasing the viscosity of the injected gas by adding chemicals that exhibit good solubility in common gasses, such as CO2 or hydrocarbon (HC) solvents. This chapter presents a review of the latest attempts to thicken CO2 and/or hydrocarbon gases using various chemical additives, which can be broadly categorised into polymeric, conventional oligomers, and small-molecule self-interacting compounds. In an ideal situation, chemical compounds must be soluble in the dense CO2 or hydrocarbon solvents and insoluble in both crude oil and brine at reservoir conditions. However, it has been recognised that the use of additives with extraordinary molecular weights for the above purpose would be quite challenging since most of the supercritical fluids are very stable with reduced properties as solvents due to the very low dielectric constant, lack of dipole momentum, and low density. Therefore, one way to attain adequate solubility is to elevate the system pressure and temperature because such conditions give rise to the intermolecular forces between segments or introduce functional groups that undergo self-interacting or intermolecular interactions in the oligomer molecular chains to form a viscosity-enhancing supramolecular network structure in the solution. According to this review, some of the polymers tested to date, such as polydimethylsiloxane, polyfluoroacrylate styrene, and poly(1,1-dihydroperfluorooctyl acrylate), may induce a significant increase of the solvent viscosity at high concentrations. However, the cost and environmental constraints of these materials have made the field application of these thickeners unfeasible. Until now, thickeners composed of small molecules have shown little success to thicken CO2, because CO2 is a weak solvent due to its ionic and polar characteristics. However, these thickeners have resulted in promising outcomes when used in light alkane solvents

The association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Complex with Type 1 Diabetes in Omanis

Background: Identifying the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) high risk alleles, genotypes and haplotypes in different populations is beneficial for understanding their roles in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis and intervention practices. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify T1D associated HLA gene alleles in the Omani population. Methods: Our case-control study included 73 diabetic seropositive children (mean age 9.08±3.27 years) and 110 healthy controls. HLA–A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 genes were genotyped using sequence specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR). Results: Two HLA class I alleles (B*08, B*58) and three class II alleles (DQB1*02, DRB1*03 and DRB1*04) were associated with T1D susceptibility, while one class I (B*51) and three class II (DQB1*05, DQB1*06, and DRB1*16) alleles were associated with T1D protection. HLA- DRB1*03 and DQB1*02 alleles showed the strongest risk association among all alleles. Six DRB1 residues (E9, S11, S13, Y30, V70 and K71) were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility. Heterozygous genotypes, HLA-DRB1*03/*04 and DQB1*02/*03 were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility (P=4.29E-07, OR=63.2 and P=0.02, OR=3.6, respectively). Furthermore, we detected a significant combined action of DRB1*03-DQB1*02 haplotype in T1D risk (P=1.76E-05, OR=15), and DRB1*16-DQB1*05 haplotype in protection (P=3.12E-2, OR=0.48). Conclusion: Known HLA class II gene alleles are associated with T1D in Omani children. Keywords: Type 1 diabetes; human leukocytes antigens; zygosity; alleles; residues; haplotypes, case-control study; Oma

دلالة السياق القرآني في تفسير سورة الفاتحة عند المحقق سعيد بن خلفان الخليلي = The significance of the Qur’anic context in the interpretation of Surat Al-Fatiha according to the investigator Saeed bin Khalfan Al-Khalili

يهدف هذا البحث إلى التعريف بمنهجية المحقق سعيد بن خلفان الخليلي العالم الفقيه الأصولي العماني حيث يعد من الشخصيات المهمة في دراسة علوم القرآن خلال القرن الثالث عشر الهجري، حيث تميز باهتمامه البالغ بعلوم القرآن وتفسيره، وقدم جهدًا كبيرًا في تفسير سورة الفاتحة والتي تعتبر من أعظم السور في القرآن الكريم. ومن معالم منهجية المحقق الخليلي في تفسير سورة الفاتحة استخدام أسلوب الدلالة اللغوية واعتمد على السياق والأسلوب الإشاري، وبهذا قدم تفسيرًا شاملًا يستخلص منه مضامين إيمانية توجه المسلمين في أداء واجباتهم الدينية. وقد كتب رسالة في تفسير سورة الفاتحة موجودة ضمن الجزء الثالث عشر من كتابه "تمهيد قواعد الإيمان وتقييد شوارد مسائل الأحكام والأديان"، مستخلصاً مضامين إيمانية حيوية. وقد ارتأى الباحثان توظيف المنهج الاستقرائي والمنهج التحليلي للوصول إلى منهجية المحقق الخليلي في تفسير سورة الفاتحة التي حوت مضامين القرآن كله، ومما توصلا إليه على سبيل المثال: أن للفظ القرآني أثر على السياق، كما للسياق السابق واللاحق أثر في الوصول للهدايات القرآنية التي تُتخذ منهجاً لحياة إيمانية كما أرادها المولى عز وجل. وهكذا ظهر جلياً أن للمحقق سعيد بن خلفان الخليلي رؤية تكاملية تضم عدة دلالات في آن واحد لإيصال فحوى معنى الآيات الكريمة لتالي كتاب الله الحكيم. ***** The investigator Saeed bin Khalafan Al-Khalili is a scholar, jurist, and Omani fundamentalist. He paid great attention to the sciences of the Qur’an in the thirteenth century AH, and interpreted many Qur’anic verses and wrote a treatise on the interpretation of Surat AlFatihah, which is found in the thirteenth part of his book “Tamheed: Qawaeid Al'iiman”. He interpreted the mother of the book in a linguistic, contextual, and indicative way, extracting faith contents from what the verses guide to in the greatest surah that a Muslim needs to perform his five duties daily. And because of the nature of the research, the two researchers decided to employ the inductive analytical approach to reach the methodology of the investigator Al-Khalili in interpreting Surat Al-Fatihah, which contained the contents of the entire Qur’an. For example, they reached: That the Qur’anic word influences the context, as well as for the previous and subsequent context, an effect in reaching the Qur’anic guidance that adopts a methodology for a life of faith as God Almighty wanted. And so, it became clear that the investigator Saeed bin Khalafan Al-Khalili has an integrative vision that includes several connotations at one time to convey the essence of the meaning of the noble verses to the follower of the book of God Almighty

The historical approach to the "Ibn Soula" novel by Ali Al-Mamari = المقاربة التاريخية لرواية "بن سولع" للكاتب علي المعمري

تناقش هذه الدراسة التحليلية رواية "بن سولع" للأديب العُماني علي المعمري، التي تبين حقيقة التاريخ الدفين الذي شهدته منطقة شبه الجزيرة العربية، الذي لم تذكره كتب المؤرخين من قبل، وصراع أبنائها فيما بينهم، وتكالب الأطماع الخارجية على خيراتها النفطية والاستراتيجية، وأثره على المجتمع الخليجي. وظف المعمري آلية التاريخ في روايته، حين يجنح إلى الخيال والعاطفة التي قلما نجدها في كتب التاريخ؛ لكي يقود إلى معرفة حقيقة الأوضاع التي عاشتها المنطقة، وكشف الغموض العالق في صراع الواحات العربية. تهدف الدراسة: التعريف بالكاتب وماهية الرواية، وعلاقة عنوان بمضمونها التاريخي العميق. وبيان أهمية الرواية التاريخية، ودور النص التاريخي في الأحداث التاريخية والوقائع. ومناقشة الأحداث التاريخية وتأثر الخليج بالشركات النفطية الغربية. اعتمد الباحث؛ المنهج التحليلي، والمنهج الاستقرائي الوصفي. بينتْ نتائج الدراسة: استطاع قلم المعمري أنْ يصهر العبث الجغرافي والشاهد التاريخي في واحات البريمي، حين تحرّى الدقة والأمانة في توظيفه التاريخ في الرواية. فاستطاع أن يوثق الأحداث والوقائع التاريخية، بطريقة عجز عنها المؤرخون ورواة التاريخ، بل أحجموا عنها خوفا من الطغيان أو مجاملة للشيخ أو للسلطان. تميز المعمري في سرد أحداث التاريخ، باتخاذ التاريخ مادة للسرد، وإعمال الخيال في تقديم المادة التاريخية، بهدف خلق المتعة والتشويق، وشد القارئ إلى متابعة الرواية. فاستطاع أن ينجو من أصعب مزالق "الرواية التاريخية" وهو الانسياق لا شعوريا إلى العواطف الجامحة التي تُمليها الوقائعُ التاريخية الحقيقية. كلمات مفتاحية: المعمري، الرواية التاريخية، بن سولع. *************************************************************************** This analytical study discusses the novel "bn Soula" by the Omani writer Ali Al-Maamari, which shows the truth of the hidden history witnessed in the Arabian Peninsula, which was not mentioned by the books of historians before, the struggle inside it, the demands of external ambitions over its oil and its impact on the Gulf society. Al-Maamari used the history in his novel, when he strives to the imagination and passion that we rarely find in the history books. In order to lead to know the reality of the conditions experienced by the region, and to reveal the mystery lingering in the struggle of Arab oases. The study aims to introduce the author and what the novel is, the relationship of a title to its deep historical content. Explaining the importance of the historical novel, and the role of the historical text in historical events and facts. And discuss the historical events and the Gulf's influence on Western oil companies. The researcher adopted; The analytical method, and the descriptive inductive approach. The findings revealed: Al-Maamari was able to melt the geographical absurdity and the historical witness in Al-Buraimi oases, when the history was employed in a careful and honest way in the novel. He was able to document historical events and facts, in a way that historians and narrators of history were unable to do, but rather refrained from them for fear of tyranny or courtesy of the Sheikh or the Sultan. Al-Maamari has distinguished himself in narrating the events of history, by taking history as a material for narration, and the realization of imagination in presenting historical material, with the aim of creating fun and suspense, and drawing the reader to follow the novel. He managed to escape the most difficult pitfalls of the "historical narration", which is subconsciously drifting into the wild passions dictated by the real historical facts. Key words: Al-Maamari, Historical Novel, Bin Sulaa