On-line energy services for smart homes

The EC funded 'Smart Homes' project commenced in 2001 as a 3 year programme. The primary objective is to establish Internet-based energy services and test these within field trials in Sweden, Greece, the Czech Republic and the UK. The tasks include the prototyping and testing of energy services for citizens and professionals, and the establishment of cable and wireless approaches to Internet connection. The implementations are based on residential gateway, or 'e-box', technology. Users, for example utilities, citizens, local authority energy managers and health care providers, can access the information through standard Web browsers and, depending on the particular energy service, may transmit information or control requests back to the originating homes. This paper sets out the overall structure of the SmartHomes system and reports on progress to date

Case studies of outdoor testing and analysis of building components

The construction and development of the PASSYS/PASLINK outdoor test cells were funded by the European Commission, with the objective of providing high-quality test environments for quantifying the performance of passive solar building components. Over the years since the original test cells were commissioned, the initial concept for outdoor testing has been extended to include other test cell types. Significant improvements have been made to the experimental procedures and analysis techniques, and a broad range of components has been tested. This paper describes representative experiments that have been conducted using these highly controlled outdoor test environments, indicates some of the related analysis, and shows the type of information that can be obtained from such tests. It demonstrates the way in which component performance can be ascertained in the realistic external environment. The case studies chosen range from building component tests within EC research projects to commercial tests, and from conventional building components to novel integrated facade systems. They also include a large range of passive and active components. Each case study summarises the test component, the purpose of the test, details of the test configuration (period of test, instrumentation, etc.), results and analysis, and associated modelling and monitoring where appropriate. The paper concludes with an appraisal of the advantages and limitations of the test cells for the various component types

Effect of Irrigation with Diluted Winery Wastewater on Cations and pH in Four Differently Textured Soils

Environmental legislation requires the South African wine industry to find solutions for winery wastewatertreatment or reuse. The feasibility of irrigation with diluted winery wastewater was assessed in a potexperiment under a rain shelter over four simulated irrigation seasons. Four soils varying in clay contentwere irrigated with winery wastewater diluted to 3 000 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD), whereas thecontrol received municipal water. The rate of K+ increase in the soil containing 20% clay was higher thanin soils containing 13% clay or less. This suggests that heavy soils will aggravate the risk of high K+ levels.The risk of Na+ accumulation increased linearly with clay content. Low Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations inthe diluted wastewater had no effect on the soil, irrespective of clay content. Irrigation with diluted winerywastewater increased soil pH(KCl) substantially in all the soils over the four simulated seasons. The soil pHincrease was attributed to the addition of organic/bicarbonate salts to the soil. It must be noted that theresults represent a worst case scenario, i.e. in the absence of rainfall or crops

Are observer ratings influenced by prescription? A comparison of Free Choice Profiling and Fixed List methods of Qualitative Behavioural Assessment

Qualitative methods of behavioural assessment use observer rating scales to score the overall demeanour or body language of animals. Establishing the reliability of such holistic approaches requires test and validation of the methods used. Here, we compare two methodologies used in Qualitative Behavioural Assessment (QBA): Fixed-Lists (FL) and Free-Choice Profiling (FCP). A laboratory class of 27 students was separated into two groups of 17 and 10 students (FL and FCP respectively). The FL group were given a list of 20 descriptive terms (used by the European Union's Welfare Quality ® program), shown videos of group-housed sows, and as a group discussed how they would apply the descriptive terms in an assessment. The FCP group were shown the same footage but individually generated their own descriptive terms to describe body language of the animals. Both groups were then shown 18 video clips of group-housed sows and scored each clip using a visual analogue scale (VAS) system. We analysed the VAS scores using Generalised Procrustes Analysis (GPA) for each observer group separately, which indicated high inter-observer reliability for both groups (FL: 71.1% of scoring variation explained, and FCP: 63.5%). There were significant correlations between FL and FCP scores (GPA dimension 1: r 16 =0.946, P 0.7 is usually accepted to show strong agreement). This study demonstrates that, regardless of whether they are given their terms or are allowed to generate their own, observers score sow body language in a similar way. Strengths and weaknesses within the two methods were identified, which highlight the importance of providing thorough and consistent training of observers, including providing good quality training footage so that the full repertoire of demeanours can be identifie

Response of Soil Chemical Properties to Irrigation with Winery Wastewater on a Well-drained Sandy Soil

Most wineries in South Africa dispose of their wastewater through land application. This is carried out by irrigating small areas of cultivated pasture with the wastewater or ponding, with the former being the more general practice. Land application of winery wastewater results in the accumulation of potassium (K+) andsodium (Na+) in the soil and leaching of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium  (Mg2+).This could lead to long term instability of soil structure. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of irrigation with winery wastewater on chemical soil properties and potential environmental impacts. Therefore, an existinggrazing paddock at a winery near Rawsonville was selected where wastewater had been applied for many years. Due to the high volumes of wastewater irrigation plus rainfall, the inevitable over-irrigation leached large amounts of cations, particular K+ and Na+, beyond 90 cm soil depth at the selected study site. These leached elements are likely to end up in natural water resources in the long run. Irrigation with winery wastewater did not have a pronounced effect on soil pH(KCl). This was probably due to the decomposition of organic matter, and the fact that the applied salts were leached beyond 90 cm depth. The study confirmed that disposal of winery wastewater through land application can only be recommended where wastewaterapplication will not exceed the water requirement of the crop as well as the water holding capacity of the soil which is being irrigated

Vulnerability of Selected Soils in the Different Rainfall Areas to Degradation and Excessive Leaching after Winery Wastewater Application

A pot trial was conducted to assess the effect of simulated rainfall on six soils with different textures, irrigated with winery wastewater diluted to a chemical oxygen demand (COD) level of 3000 mg/L over one simulated irrigation season. Thereafter, simulated winter rainfall was applied to the pots. The rainfall was simulated according to the long term averages of the regions where the soils originated. Leaching of cations, particularly K+ and Na+ occurred only from four of the six soils when winter rainfall was simulated.  In one of the sandy soils, the simulated rainfall was too low to allow leaching. In another soil, high clay content of 35% in combination with low rainfall prevented leaching. In three soils that received the sameamount of rainfall, more cations leached from the duplex sandy soil compared to the two other soils. These trends indicated that leaching of cations was a function of soil texture and rainfall. The study showedthat in regions with low rainfall, irrigation with winery wastewater would lead to the accumulation of cations thereby increasing soil salinity. The study confirmed that for sustainable use of winery wastewaterirrigation in agriculture, different soil types will require individual management in order to avoid or minimize the negative environmental impact on natural resources by wastewater irrigation

Annual Dynamics of Winery Wastewater Volumes and Quality and the Impact of Disposal on Poorly Drained Duplex Soils

The composition and volume of winery wastewater change throughout the year. Quality is usually at its worst when vintage operations are dominated by the production of red wines. The objective of this study was to investigate the annual dynamics of winery wastewater volumes and quality, as well as the effect of winery wastewater irrigation on the chemical soil properties of a poorly drained duplex soil. The study was conducted over two and half years. The wastewater contained a high concentration of potassium (K+) and low levels of sodium (Na+). The results of the study confirmed that winery wastewater did not complywith South African national legislation for wastewater irrigation with regard to chemical oxygen demand (COD) and pH throughout the study period, while some prominent spikes were observed in sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) and electrical conductivity (EC). Land application of winery wastewater resulted in the accumulation of high levels of K+ in the soil. It is important to note that this study represents the worst-case scenario, i.e. large amounts of wastewater were disposed of on a small surface, particularly during harvest and in winter. Due to the high volumes of wastewater irrigation plus rainfall, the inevitable over-irrigation leached large amounts of K+ beyond 90 cm soil depth. Unfortunately, the leached elements are bound to end up in natural water resources, resulting in the pollution of the environment

Effect of Irrigation with Diluted Winery Wastewater on Phosphorus in Four Differently Textured Soils

The wine industry needs solutions for wastewater treatment, as environmental legislation for its disposal isincreasingly being enforced due to non-compliance. The feasibility of re-using diluted winery wastewaterwas assessed in a pot experiment under a rain shelter over four simulated irrigation seasons. Four soilsvarying in parent material and clay content, viz. aeolic sand from Lutzville containing 0.4% clay, alluvialsand from Rawsonville containing 3.3% clay, granite-derived soil from Stellenbosch containing 13% clay,and shale-derived soil from Stellenbosch containing 20% clay, were irrigated with wastewater diluted to3 000 mg/L COD (chemical oxygen demand), whereas the control received municipal water. Irrigation withdiluted winery wastewater increased the pH(KCl) in the shale- and granite-derived soils into the optimumrange for P availability. Although pH(KCl) in the aeolic sand was initially above the optimum range, relativelyhigh Na+ levels also caused available P to increase as the pH(KCl) increased. The pH(KCl) in the alluvial sandincreased beyond the optimum range, thereby causing a reduction in the available P. This indicates thatirrigation with diluted winery wastewater may only enhance P absorption if the pH(KCl) shift is towards theoptimum. It must be noted that the results represent a worst-case scenario, i.e. in the absence of rainfallor crops

Simulation-assisted control in building energy management systems

Technological advances in real-time data collection, data transfer and ever-increasing computational power are bringing simulation-assisted control and on-line fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) closer to reality than was imagined when building energy management systems (BEMSs) were introduced in the 1970s. This paper describes the development and testing of a prototype simulation-assisted controller, in which a detailed simulation program is embedded in real-time control decision making. Results from an experiment in a full-scale environmental test facility demonstrate the feasibility of predictive control using a physically-based thermal simulation program

A study in the determination of quality/value relationships in rice (NRI Bulletin 55)

Econometric approaches to the valuation of a food product based on the implicit values of its individual quality attributes are a relatively recent development. Whilst such approaches have been used to explain and quantify consumer preferences at different market levels and in different countries, they offer considerable potential for storage enterprises. Armed with a knowledge of the financial significance of individual quality attribute changes over predicted storage periods, the enterprise can select a technology package which minimizes the most significant of those changes for a given commodity. A methodology for such an approach, based on a Natural Resources Institute case study in Indonesia, is described