Acumulación geotérmica en la edificación: un prototipo para climatización estacional

la Fundación Europea TSW para desarrollo de la construcción solar, la empresa Geosolmax, el grupo TISE de la ETSA-UPM, el ITECC del CSIC, a las empresas CAMAC, Dragados y Drace y otros muchos centros de investigación y empresas de dentro y fuera de nuestro país a los que agradecemos su trabajo, entusiasmo, ideas y ayuda. En particular al proyecto INVISO de carácter singular y estratégico del MEC que subvenciona una parte del trabajo y a EXPO Zaragoza que ha creído y financiado la continuación de este desarrollo con el prototipo de vivienda para su plaza temática OIKOS.Peer reviewe

Real-Time fusion of visual images and laser data images for safe navigation in outdoor environments

[EN]In recent years, two dimensional laser range finders mounted on vehicles is becoming a fruitful solution to achieve safety and environment recognition requirements (Keicher & Seufert, 2000), (Stentz et al., 2002), (DARPA, 2007). They provide real-time accurate range measurements in large angular fields at a fixed height above the ground plane, and enable robots and vehicles to perform more confidently a variety of tasks by fusing images from visual cameras with range data (Baltzakis et al., 2003). Lasers have normally been used in industrial surveillance applications to detect unexpected objects and persons in indoor environments. In the last decade, laser range finder are moving from indoor to outdoor rural and urban applications for 3D imaging (Yokota et al., 2004), vehicle guidance (Barawid et al., 2007), autonomous navigation (Garcia-Pérez et al., 2008), and objects recognition and classification (Lee & Ehsani, 2008), (Edan & Kondo, 2009), (Katz et al., 2010). Unlike industrial applications, which deal with simple, repetitive and well-defined objects, cameralaser systems on board off-road vehicles require advanced real-time techniques and algorithms to deal with dynamic unexpected objects. Natural environments are complex and loosely structured with great differences among consecutive scenes and scenarios. Vision systems still present severe drawbacks, caused by lighting variability that depends on unpredictable weather conditions. Camera-laser objects feature fusion and classification is still a challenge within the paradigm of artificial perception and mobile robotics in outdoor environments with the presence of dust, dirty, rain, and extreme temperature and humidity. Real time relevant objects perception, task driven, is a main issue for subsequent actions decision in safe unmanned navigation. In comparison with industrial automation systems, the precision required in objects location is usually low, as it is the speed of most rural vehicles that operate in bounded and low structured outdoor environments. To this aim, current work is focused on the development of algorithms and strategies for fusing 2D laser data and visual images, to accomplish real-time detection and classification of unexpected objects close to the vehicle, to guarantee safe navigation. Next, class information can be integrated within the global navigation architecture, in control modules, such as, stop, obstacle avoidance, tracking or mapping.Section 2 includes a description of the commercial vehicle, robot-tractor DEDALO and the vision systems on board. Section 3 addresses some drawbacks in outdoor perception. Section 4 analyses the proposed laser data and visual images fusion method, focused in the reduction of the visual image area to the region of interest wherein objects are detected by the laser. Two methods of segmentation are described in Section 5, to extract the shorter area of the visual image (ROI) resulting from the fusion process. Section 6 displays the colour based classification results of the largest segmented object in the region of interest. Some conclusions are outlined in Section 7, and acknowledgements and references are displayed in Section 8 and Section 9.projects: CICYT- DPI-2006-14497 by the Science and Innovation Ministry, ROBOCITY2030 I y II: Service Robots-PRICIT-CAM-P-DPI-000176- 0505, and SEGVAUTO: Vehicle Safety-PRICIT-CAM-S2009-DPI-1509 by Madrid State Government.Peer reviewe

Estación de ensayos para la caracterización de celdas de combustible de membrana de intercambio protónico con alimentación de H2 (Monocelda) con carga electrónica integrada

Estación de ensayos para la caracterización de celdas de combustible de membrana de intercambio protónico con alimentación de H2 (Monocelda) con carga electrónica integrada. Estación de Ensayos Para la Caracterización de Celdas de Combustible de Membrana de Intercambio Protónico (PEMFC) con alimentación de H2 (Monocelda) con Carga Electrónica integrada es un sistema para la gestión de gases en una PEMFC que simplificar el control, integrando componentes industriales de alta fiabilidad y robustez. Un sistema desarrollado para facilitar el procesamiento de la información, dotado de una arquitectura de medida y control de carácter innovador que permite el uso de dispositivos de elevadas prestaciones a coste competitivo frente a los equipos de laboratorio similares existentes en el mercado, con una arquitectura de tratamiento de datos compuesta por un procesador central y 4 subsistemas.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)A1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Consideraciones acerca del Pliego Oficial Español para la recepción de aglomerantes hidráulicos

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Autosuficiencia energética en la vivienda

Resumen Los edificios, junto al transporte suponen más de la mitad del consumo energético actual de combustible y de la contaminación a este asociada, de difícil solución por la dispersión de los procesos de combustión en poblaciones o carreteras. Esta distribución en la edificación de la demanda favorece el uso de energía solar, el recurso renovable más abundante y de fácil acceso sobre la superficie terrestre, especialmente adecuado en nuestro clima. El uso de tecnología solar requiere procesos de acumulación que garanticen la disponibilidad del calor excesivo del verano durante las frías noches de invierno así como la iluminación o las comunicaciones durante la noche en base a la radiación recibida en las horas de radiación solar. El trabajo describe la posibilidad de captura térmica en la cubierta con almacenamiento selectivo en el subsuelo capaz de satisfacer la demanda de energía para climatización de la vivienda a lo largo del año a un coste ,muy bajo. La energía eléctrica de "alta calidad" se genera y acumulé1localmente en forma de hidrógeno para alimentar según demanda mediante una pila de combustible. Con la tecnología actual, aún en pleno desarrollo, el balance es claramente positivo lo que significa la posibilidad de autosuficiencia energética para una parte considerable de las viviendas.El MEC ha financiado el desarrollo de nuevos dispositivos de hidrógeno en el proyecto "Diseño y realización de una nueva Pila de Combustible polimérica de bajo coste y alta eficacia" MCYT- ENE2005-09124-C04-02/ALT. y el CSIC ha financiado la generación de hidrógeno a partir de residuos orgánicos. El P.S.E. INVISO para industrialización de la vivienda sostenible financia el desarrollo integral de estos sistemas.Peer reviewe

Effect of composition, sonication and pressure on the rate capability of 5 V-LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 composite cathodes

Positive composite electrodes having LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel as active material, a blend of graphite and carbon black for increasing the electrode electrical conductivity and either polyvinyldenefluoride (PVDF) or a blend of PVDF with a small amount of Teflon® (1 wt%) for building up the electrode. They have been processed by tape casting on an aluminum foil as current collector using the doctor blade technique. Additionally, the component blends were either sonicated or not, and the processed electrodes were compacted or not under subsequent cold pressing. Composites electrodes with high weight, up to 17 mg/cm2, were prepared and studied as positive electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. The addition of Teflon® and the application of the sonication treatment lead to uniform electrodes that are well-adhered to the aluminum foil. Both parameters contribute to improve the capacity drained at high rates (5C). Additional compaction of the electrode/aluminum assemblies remarkably enhances the electrode rate capabilities. At 5C rate, remarkable capacity retentions between 80% and 90% are found for electrodes with weights in the range 3–17 mg/cm2, having Teflon® in their formulation, prepared after sonication of their component blends and compacted under 2 tonnes/cm2

Smart Building: Decision Making Architecture for Thermal Energy Management

Smart applications of the Internet of Things are improving the performance of buildings, reducing energy demand. Local and smart networks, soft computing methodologies, machine intelligence algorithms and pervasive sensors are some of the basics of energy optimization strategies developed for the benefit of environmental sustainability and user comfort. This work presents a distributed sensor-processor-communication decision-making architecture to improve the acquisition, storage and transfer of thermal energy in buildings. The developed system is implemented in a near Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) prototype equipped with a built-in thermal solar collector, where optical properties are analysed; a low enthalpy geothermal accumulation system, segmented in different temperature zones; and an envelope that includes a dynamic thermal barrier. An intelligent control of this dynamic thermal barrier is applied to reduce the thermal energy demand (heating and cooling) caused by daily and seasonal weather variations. Simulations and experimental results are presented to highlight the nZEB thermal energy reduction

Chronic renal dysfunction in maintenance heart transplant patients: the ICEBERG study

[Abstract] Chronic renal dysfunction (CRD) is a major complication after heart transplantation. We sought to describe the renal function over time, to assess the risk factors associated with CRD development, and to evaluate the clinical attitudes on diagnosis and treatment of CRD. A retrospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study was conducted in 13 outpatient clinics in Spain. A total of 244 heart recipients who survived more than 2 years after transplantation were included. Post-transplantation follow-up was 7.7 years (range: 2-22 years). CRD was diagnosed in 32.4% of patients at a mean of 3.3 years after transplantation. Serum creatinine increased 0.1 ± 0.2 mg/dL per year in CRD group compared with 0.0 ± 0.2 mg/dL per year in non-CRD group (P = .003) and glomerular filtration rate decreased −1.5 ± 4.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year in CRD group versus −0.1 ± 4.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 per year in non-CRD group (P = .027). After CRD diagnosis, major changes in immunosuppression based on calcineurin inhibitors reduction were instituted in 46.8% of patients. Multivariate model identified recipient age (P < .0001), female sex (P = .0398), and time since transplant (P < .0001) as predictors of CRD. In conclusion, the prevalence of CRD in long-term heart recipient survivors was quite high. CRD was associated with nonmodifiable factors (age, gender, and time since transplant)