Desarrollo de una unidad de control electrónico (ECU) dedicada al gobierno de motores de combustión interna

La legislació vigent en matèria de contaminació juntament amb la major conscienciació per part de la societat i l'augment del preu del combustible, motiven la recerca d'una gestió d'injecció i encès (entre altres paràmetres) que permeti que els motors de combustió siguin més nets i eficients. En aquest sentit, l'electrònica està cada vegada més present en els motors tèrmics deixant enrere el control realitzat de forma mecànica que s’utilitzava en el passat, disminuint l'emissió de contaminants i maximitzant el rendiment. Amb la finalitat d'aconseguir major rendiment en el funcionament d'un motor de combustió interna i, d'aquesta manera, reduir els contaminants produïts, els fabricants els apliquen la gestió electrònica. Aquest és un mètode estès a tots els models de cotxes, però no en les motocicletes, per les quals fins ara no n'existia legislació sobre la seva contaminació. En aquest projecte es presenten les bases necessàries per a la realització d'una centraleta electrònica de control d'un motor monocilíndric de quatre temps, permetent modificar amb facilitat els paràmetres que ens ajudin a trobar el punt òptim de treball. El resultat final serà una centraleta formada per uns microxips que, executant un programa, regulin el funcionament dels diferents actuadors. Aquesta regulació variarà en funció de les diferents variables mostrejadas per ajustar-se el màxim possible al punt de major rendiment i menor contaminació

On the design of a RF schottky diode rectifier for energy harvesting applications

This paper reports on the use of Advanced Design System software (ADS) to simulate a radio frequency rectifier for energy harvesting purposes. Experimental small signal S-parameters measurements at different DC levels from a Schottky diode are used to extract the actual electrical parameters and a numerical optimization method is employed to characterize the large-signal diode equivalent circuit. The method consists of canceling the diode's parasitic components and isolate both non-linear capacitance and resistance which are described by the I-V and C-V characteristics curves respectively...Este documento informa sobre el uso del software Advanced Design System (ADS) para simular un rectificador de radiofrecuencia con el objetivo de obtener energía. Se utilizan mediciones de parámetros S de pequeña señal experimental a diferentes niveles de CC de un diodo Schottky para extraer los parámetros eléctricos reales y se emplea un método de optimización numérica para caracterizar el circuito equivalente de diodos de gran señal. El método consiste en cancelar los componentes parásitos del diodo y aislar tanto la capacitancia como la resistencia no lineales que se describen mediante las curvas de características I-V y C-V, respectivamente..

Lessons, narratives, and research directions for a sustainable circular economy

The current enthusiasm for the circular economy (CE) offers a unique opportunity to advance the impact of research on sustainability transitions. Diverse interpretations of CE by scholars, however, produce partly opposing assessments of its potential benefits, which can hinder progress. Here, we synthesize policy-relevant lessons and research directions for a sustainable CE and identify three narratives—optimist, reformist, and skeptical—that underpin the ambiguity in CE assessments. Based on 54 key CE scholars’ insights, we identify three research needs: the articulation and discussion of ontologically distinct CE narratives; bridging of technical, managerial, socio-economic, environmental, and political CE perspectives; and critical assessment of opportunities and limits of CE science–policy interactions. Our findings offer practical guidance for scholars to engage reflexively with the rapid expansion of CE knowledge, identify and pursue high-impact research directions, and communicate more effectively with practitioners and policymakers

Life cycle cost analysis of tomato production in innovative urban agriculture systems

The construction of innovative urban agriculture systems in cities has increased due to food and environmental concerns. While the environmental performance of urban agriculture has been extensively studied, research on the life cycle costs of urban agriculture systems is still limited, which constraints sustainability-oriented decision-making processes. This paper analyses the economic viability of tomato production cycle in an innovative building with an integrated urban agriculture system in rooftop by applying the life cycle cost methodology. The data was collected from direct measurements and internal and external sources. To calculate labour costs, a customised data collection sheet was created. The results are presented by life cycle stage, cost category and type of cost (fixed & variable). Results indicate that the main cost drivers for tomato production are labour (24.7%), the rooftop greenhouse structure (15%), external pest control (12.6%), and rainwater consumption (9.5%), accounting altogether for 61.8% of the total costs. Accordingly, cost reduction solutions are evaluated through the development of sensitivity scenarios (rooftop greenhouse structure design, tap water use and rainwater tank size), including the consideration of another relevant aspect, such as the role of the production level output, as it can greatly influence the economic viability and profitability. Finally, the main environmental and social aspects of these urban production systems are also included

Circular economy business models and technology management strategies in the wind industry: Sustainability potential, industrial challenges and opportunities

Circular business models, aimed at narrowing, slowing, and closing resource loops, can potentially generate significant economic and social benefits, promote resource security and improve environmental performance. However, within the wind power industry, sustainability research, including life cycle assessments, has been focused mostly on technology innovation at the material (e.g. permanent magnets), components (e.g. blades) or product level (e.g. new assets). Research analysing the implementation of circular business models in the wind industry is scarce. Such information could, however, support more robust decision-making in the development of system-level innovations for the deployment of more resource-efficient and sustainable wind energy infrastructure. Building upon practical methods for the identification, categorisation and characterisation of business models, 14 circular business models with application to the wind industry were comprehensively evaluated through the revision of 125 documents, including 56 journal papers, 46 industrial business cases and 23 wind technology management reports. Each circular business model is examined according to i) business offering and drivers, ii) value creation, delivery and capture mechanisms, iii) sustainability benefits and trade-offs, and iv) industrial challenges and opportunities. Accordingly, comprehensive guidelines to drive political (legislation design and implementation), industrial (technology and business innovation) and academic (further research) actions, are provided. Though the results are focussed on the wind industry, the general findings and recommendations are relevant across the renewable and low-carbon energy sector

Labwaste. 12: Herramienta de cálculo para el diseño de vertederos de residuos con valorización de residuos inertes

Departament d' Enginyeria Mecànica i de Construcció. Assignatura: SIVO14, SIVO1

Mecanismo de cierre para una cubierta de piscina

Se realizará todo el diseño de un mecanismo que permita el cierre y apertura de la cubierta de esta, dejando así una superficie totalmente cerrada o abierta

Circularity and life cycle environmental impact assessment of batteries for electric vehicles: Industrial challenges, best practices and research guidelines

Circular economy (CE) strategies, aimed at reducing resource consumption and waste generation, can help mitigate the environmental impacts of battery electric vehicles (BEV), thereby providing a more efficient alternative to petrol-fuelled vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are commonly used in BEV because of their higher performance than that of the benchmarks. However, how to analyse the CE innovations through life-cycle assessment (LCA) and how environmental savings relate to different CE strategies remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to i) identify and characterise the CE strategies most studied thus far in LCA studies on electric vehicle batteries, ii) evaluate the reasons behind the variability in the environmental impacts and savings between LIB with different chemistries, and iii) provide guidelines for the development of robust LCA studies for LIB by integrating CE management scenarios. The results showed that LCA-supported CE strategies have not been sufficiently explored in the literature, causing variability in methodological choices and research outcomes. While battery recycling was a dominant topic contemplated in 80% of the analysed LCA studies, other CE strategies, such as battery upgrading or remanufacturing, received little attention. The normalised impacts for LIB varied from 4400 kg CO2 eq. to 55,000 kg CO2 eq. based on several factors subject to the practitioners’ choices, such as the battery chemistry considered, impact assessment method applied, available inventories used, and the CE scenario analysed. LCA methodological guidelines for determining the environmental sustainability of the CE strategies for electric vehicle batteries were provided based on the findings

Exploring the applicability of circular design criteria for electric vehicle batteries

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represent a promising solution to mitigate carbon emissions by road transportation. However, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on BEVs have demonstrated that batteries are responsible for around 30% of the vehicle’s environmental impacts. Therefore, the integration of circular economy (CE) criteria in battery design and life cycle management is key to improve resource efficiency and environmental sustainability. Nevertheless, literature analysing the implementation of CE design criteria in BEVs´ battery development is scarce. Focusing on Li-ion batteries (LIB) for BEVs, this paper examines the potential for implementation of life cycle-based CE design criteria. Accordingly, a CE design assessment tool, including a list of 53 relevant design criteria gathered from the literature, industrial practice and EU legislation, with application to BEVs´ batteries, was shared with industrial stakeholders from the H2020 LIBERTY project (LC-BAT-10-2020 No. 963522) to receive feedback. The industrial stakeholders were asked to evaluate the potential implementation of each CE design criteria based on the relationship between importance and viability by providing scores from 0% to 94%.The results indicate that the most important CE design criteria are related to the manufacturing stage of LIBs, including innovations oriented to increase the performance and quality of the final product by anticipating to new legislation requirements, including resource and environmental aspects, for BEVs. On the other hand, design criteria related to the end of life (EOL) management of LIBs show low implementation potential due to low viability scores. The benefits of considering CE design criteria in LIB development are discussed as well as the potential trade-offs in order to support well-informed decision-making. This includes an analysis of the causes for the low score for some CE design criteria and the opportunities to improve their implementation potential to increase the resource efficiency and environmental performance of BEVs´ LIBs