Life Cycle Management of Infrastructures

By definition, life cycle management (LCM) is a framework “of concepts, techniques, and procedures to address environmental, economic, technological, and social aspects of products and organizations in order to achieve continuous ‘sustainable’ improvement from a life cycle perspective” (Hunkeler et al.\ua02001). Thus, LCM theoretically integrates all sustainability dimensions, and strives to provide a holistic perspective. It also assists in the efficient and effective use of constrained natural and financial resources to reduce negative impacts on society (Sonnemann and Leeuw\ua02006; Adibi et al.\ua02015). The LCM of infrastructures is the adaptation of product life cycle management (PLM) as techniques to the design, construction, and management of infrastructures. Infrastructure life cycle management requires accurate and extensive information that might be generated through different kinds of intelligent and connected information workflows, such as building information modeling (BIM)

Drying of cable backfill by vapour diffusion balanced by capillary water suction: a laboratory experiment with altered groundwater levels

The performance of underground infrastructures, such as an electrical transmission cable, is strongly affected by transmission-induced high temperatures, which have an impact on the properties of the cable and the electric load. Therefore, it is essential to determine if a high load will cause a dry out of a sandy thermal backfill close to the cable. This paper aims at describing processes and establishing criteria for when a dry out can occur. Processes that are addressed are e.g., vapour diffusion and capillary water transport. Criteria of interest are e.g., groundwater levels and capillarity of soil. A new pilot laboratory experiment, with varying groundwater levels, was developed to investigate the dry out of the cable sand in close proximity to an operating cable. The experimental results show that a thermal backfill can withstand a dry out, at a high current load in a cable, if there is a capillary contact to a groundwater level 2 m below the backfill material

A multi-objective optimization framework for designing climate-resilient building forms in urban areas

With the increasing global awareness about the impacts of climate change on the built environments, the need for improving the climate resilience of buildings is being more acknowledged. Despite the high number of relevant studies, there is a lack of frameworks to assess the resiliency of buildings and urban areas. This study presents a multi-objective framework to optimize the form of buildings against its energy performance and thermal comfort considering its resiliency to the uncertainties of climate change during three thirty-years periods (2010-2099) of a warm region. Three performance sections related to building's form are identified and categorized for the impact assessment including (1) urban form, (2) orientation, and (3) transparency with ten influencing parameters. The analysis of non-dominated solutions out of the optimization process showed that the annual energy performance (cooling and heating demand) of the urban areas can improve about 34% in both typical and extreme weather conditions whilst maintaining thermal comfort by optimizing the overall form of the buildings with similar built density and heights. Moreover, Buildings with 15 to 30-degree rotations and 33% glazing ratio showed the highest energy performance. Finally, the top 20 resilient building forms with the highest energy performance and climate resiliency were selected out of the database of results to derive design suggestions

Assessment method of numerical prediction models for combined heat, air and moisture transfer in building components: benchmarks for one-dimensional cases

The standardised Glaser method for calculation, prediction and evaluation of moisture performance is considered as rarely applicable. The present state of knowledge, analytical as well as experimental, concerning heat, air and moisture demands updating of standards. This paper presents five numerical benchmark cases for the quality assessment of simulation models for one-dimensional heat, air and moisture (HAM) transfer. In one case, the analytical solution is known and excellent agreement between several solutions from different universities and institutes is obtained. In the remaining four cases, consensus solutions have been found, with good agreement between different HAM models. The work presented here is an outcome of the EU-initiated project for standardisation of HAM calculation methods (HAMSTAD WP2)

Assessment method of numerical prediction models for combined heat, air and moisture transfer in building components: benchmarks for one-dimensional cases

The standardised Glaser method for calculation, prediction and evaluation of moisture performance is considered as rarely applicable. The present state of knowledge, analytical as well as experimental, concerning heat, air and moisture demands updating of standards. This paper presents five numerical benchmark cases for the quality assessment of simulation models for one-dimensional heat, air and moisture (HAM) transfer. In one case, the analytical solution is known and excellent agreement between several solutions from different universities and institutes is obtained. In the remaining four cases, consensus solutions have been found, with good agreement between different HAM models. The work presented here is an outcome of the EU-initiated project for standardisation of HAM calculation methods (HAMSTAD WP2)

Assessment Method of Numerical Prediction Models for Combined Heat, Air and Moisture Transfer in Building Components: Benchmarks for One-Dimensional Cases

European Community Project HAMSTAD Technology Implementation Plan: Also published in Journal of Thermal Envelope and Building Science, v. 27, no. 4, April 2004, pp. 327-352Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

Assessment Method of Numerical Prediction Models for Combined Heat, Air and Moisture Transfer in Building Components: Benchmarks for One-Dimensional Cases

European Community Project HAMSTAD Technology Implementation Plan: Also published in Journal of Thermal Envelope and Building Science, v. 27, no. 4, April 2004, pp. 327-352Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye