Experimentation and Representation in Architecture: analyzing one’s own design activity

Architects materialize ideas on physical supports to register their thoughts and to discover new possibilities from hints and suggestions in their own drawings. Uncertainty is inherent to creative processes encouraging the production of different ideas through testing. This research brings to light that the re-examination of artefacts from new points of view allows for the review and generation of design ideas and decisions, capacitating students to make yet new discoveries from what they have done so far. Tacit knowledge aids specific decisions. Student reports become analytical records of their material registers (sketches, physical and virtual models) making it explicit that which is implicit in those artefacts. This apparently confirms previous studies that suggest that knowledge per se not always triggers or controls decisions in design. Many physical as well as perceptive actions actually lead the initial steps and play a crucial role in the whole course of production. Besides serving as external representations, sketches and models provide visual hints that will be checked later, favouring the upcoming of the unexpected, stimulating creativity. The intent here is to point out how these different means of representation and expression contribute in a peculiar manner to the whole process of discovery and solution to problems in architecture. The authors propose here a reflection on the process of design and its uncertainties in its initial phase, concentrating on sketches and real models as experimentations. They consider these means not from a graphic and physical register stand point, but in terms of conception and concepts they embody, as records of students thinking and knowledge. Keywords: Experimentation; Uncertainty; Representation; Design Process; Cognition; Education</p

Using a Statistical-Numerical Procedure for the Selection of Pumps running as Turbines to be applied in Water Pipelines: Study Cases

A combined method using statistical and numerical models has been developed by the authors for selecting a pump running as turbine to be applied in micro-hydro plants. The data of the hydrological site chosen for the installation (head and capacity) allow the calculation of two conversion factors which identify the pump to use successfully as turbine in that place. Then, a one-dimensional model, starting from data available on the pumps manufacturers catalogues, reconstructs a virtual geometry of the pump running as turbine, and calculates the performances curves, head vs. capacity, efficiency vs. capacity, useful for identifying the operating point. Two study cases are presented to apply the proposed methodology, concerning the feasibility of the installation of a pump running as turbine in the purifier water plants of Casali and Sersale, located at 1,000 m above sea level (Calabria, South Italy).The assessment of the annual energy yield gives a confirmation of the effectiveness and convenience of using pumps running as turbines

The influence of rotary valve distribution systems on the energetic efficiency of regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTO)

On–off valve systems, commonly used in regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) plants, generate, during the opening time, a mass flow rate (MFR) which is constant. On the contrary, rotary valve systems, which are increasingly adopted in RTO plants, are characterized by variable MFR profiles. In this work, the energy requirements of two RTO systems, equipped with on–off or rotary valves, were determined using a home-developed numerical code. Energy performances were evaluated by calculating the thermal efficiency and pressure drop within structured or random packed bed RTO systems, at the same mean MFR. The results demonstrated that thermal efficiency was only moderately influenced by the valve system, and is slightly lower for the RTO with on–off valve. On the other hand, the study revealed that energy requirements of all RTO systems were basically unaffected by cycle duration, allowing valve rotational velocity to be freely set to maximize for other technical requirements. On the contrary, pressure drop was greatly influenced by the valve type and increased as variability in MFR function augmented. Moreover, the type of regenerator, structured or random packed bed, affected differently the total energy requirements (basically pumping energy plus auxiliary fuel). Energy requirements of structured and random regenerators were comparable only when volatile organic compounds concentration was lower than typical values encountered in the industrial practise. In other cases, structured regenerators RTO were more competitive. Finally, structured regenerators are usually the best choice when rotating valve distribution systems are adopted. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

innovative on shore system recovering energy from tidal currents

Abstract An innovative system for the recovering of energy from tidal currents is proposed. The system is composed of a blade submerged in sea waters and connected to a vertical bar which, moving up and down through the tide action, transfers energy to a double effect piston pump. The latter feeds a pressurized reservoir able to provide water flow rate, at a suitable pressure level, to a hydraulic turbine. The basic configuration involves a four-bar linkage connecting the vertical bar and the piston pump. The system can be easily employed in all those sites whose seabed quickly deepens and whose tidal currents are parallel to the coast. The proposed system is a valid alternative to the current tidal energy converters: its big dimensions are necessary to balance the low efficiencies of the overall energy conversion. At any rate, during the working the seabed is not altered, neither is the aquatic fauna damaged

Design and analysis of a new wave energy converter based on a point absorber and a hydraulic system harvesting energy from waves near the shore in calm seas

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Physics-Informed Extreme Theory of Functional Connections Applied to Data-Driven Parameters Discovery of Epidemiological Compartmental Models

In this work we apply a novel, accurate, fast, and robust physics-informed neural network framework for data-driven parameters discovery of problems modeled via parametric ordinary differential equations (ODEs) called the Extreme Theory of Functional Connections (X-TFC). The proposed method merges two recently developed frameworks for solving problems involving parametric DEs, 1) the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC) and 2) the Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINN). In particular, this work focuses on the capability of X-TFC in solving inverse problems to estimate the parameters governing the epidemiological compartmental models via a deterministic approach. The epidemiological compartmental models treated in this work are Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR), Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered (SEIR), and Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Recovered-Susceptible (SEIR). The results show the low computational times, the high accuracy and effectiveness of the X-TFC method in performing data-driven parameters discovery of systems modeled via parametric ODEs using unperturbed and perturbed data

hydraulic on shore system recovering energy from sea waves

Abstract The authors propose a new system for recovering energy from sea waves. The system is composed of a large-sized buoy (point absorber), directly connected to a piston pump. The piping, developed underground, allows the water to be moved into a pressurized reservoir, which feeds a hydraulic turbine. The latter discharges the flow in a tank where the hydraulic circuit closes. A sizing methodology developed in the present work, demonstrates the possibility of designing miniaturized components by leaving the possibility of providing an acceptable energy output with low installation costs. A preliminary study demonstrates that a 4.5 m buoy, associated with a small 17 cm diameter Pelton, could be able to recover more than 35,000 kWh/year

Using a Statistical-Numerical Procedure for the Selection of Pumps running as Turbines to be applied in Water Pipelines: Study Cases

A combined method using statistical and numerical models has been developed by the authors for selecting a pump running as turbine to be applied in micro-hydro plants. The data of the hydrological site chosen for the installation (head and capacity) allow the calculation of two conversion factors which identify the pump to use successfully as turbine in that place. Then, a one-dimensional model, starting from data available on the pumps manufacturers catalogues, reconstructs a virtual geometry of the pump running as turbine, and calculates the performances curves, head vs. capacity, efficiency vs. capacity, useful for identifying the operating point. Two study cases are presented to apply the proposed methodology, concerning the feasibility of the installation of a pump running as turbine in the purifier water plants of Casali and Sersale, located at 1,000 m above sea level (Calabria, South Italy).The assessment of the annual energy yield gives a confirmation of the effectiveness and convenience of using pumps running as turbines

Levelized Cost of Energy: A First Evaluation for a Self Balancing Kinetic Turbine

Abstract Since 2009, the team DIMEG Unical and SintEnergy srl have been developing an innovative kinetic turbine able to produce energy form tidal currents. The machine is able to maintain the frontal position to the flow only thanks to its geometry and technical solutions. This turbine doesn't need any concrete structure, nor pylons or floating devices; in terms of energy conversion, it doesn't use any nacelle, gearbox, external generator, but only a little stabilizer, a permanent magnetic generator and a coast anchoring system able to retain the machine during the working operations. A first cost evaluation has been performed in this work, together with an approximate LCOE calculation, in order to compare this device to the other ones in the pre commercialization phase. The project is in an early stage of the development, but quite ready for a prototype realization