The development of an experimental test rig to evaluate the performance of a new technology for stratified hot water storage - the water snake

The increase in energy prices and the demand to reduce carbon emission is attracting the attention to the implementation and integration of diverse heating technologies such as heat pumps, solar energy, gas boilers, CHP and electric heaters. Heating applications for integrated technologies include district heating, domestic small-scale applications and commercial large-scale buildings. Energy from flooded coalmines and water from other sources could also play an important role in improving energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems. Stratified thermal storage and hot water tanks are likely to become key to energy efficient heating, particularly when implementing a mix of technologies. A stratified hot water tank, and even natural stratified reservoirs, are expected to play an important role in the integration of several heating technologies that operate efficiently at different levels of temperature with reduced implementation cost. This paper discusses the new innovative technology to improve stratification, namely 'the water snake', and an automated test rig to evaluate the new stratification method for energy utilisation using energy storage of hot water. A fully computerised system is used to evaluate the performance. The results clearly indicate that the test rig has been successful for the automated testing of the technology. Moreover, the results show that the water snake as a new technology for stratification is successful in minimising mixing and turbulence inside the thermal energy storage. The results prove that the technology could be implemented for a wide range of applications to enhance the efficiency of heating systems in buildings as well as district heating and cooling applications

Experimental study for evaluating the response of the power take off of a point absorber wave energy generation system using a hydraulic wave simulator

The increase in energy prices and the need to control the rate of climate change are two of the biggest challenges facing the planet. Despite the fact that the wave energy technology is still in its infancy, it is considered one of the most promising renewable energy sources that exhibits a large potential for sustainable growth towards Net Zero. In this paper, a novel design methodology for a new wave energy generation system is presented and the performance of its power take-off (PTO) or drivetrain is analysed. A complete description of the wave energy generation system is presented including the general concept of the power take-off, configuration, mechanical design, electrical system, simulation test-rig, expected power out and the force load on the system. The results from the power take-off system obtained from the simulation process of the test-rig using a hydraulic linear wave simulator, show that the change in the electric load produces different power and force values and consequently a wide range of efficiencies. It has been noticed that increasing the electric load leads to a better efficiency, i.e., high power and force values. However, there is a certain threshold where the system stops behaving in its high performance and its efficiency drops notably. This threshold depends not only on the electric load, but also on the values of the fixed parameters, i.e., wave cycle time, wave height and frequency. The finding will support the complete design of a point absorber system, including the buoy design, to interact with the expected level of wave patterns

An innovative and integrated approach for using energy from the flooded coal mines for pre-warming of a gas engine in standby mode using GSHP

The effort to reduce energy consumption and carbon emission is driving companies to integrate multiple energy technologies to achieve the goal of reducing overall energy consumption, enhancing efficiency and decreasing operational cost. This paper outlines an innovative approach for integrating energy from flooded coal mines via a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) to provide heating to buildings and at the same time to pre-warm a gas engine in standby mode. Once operational, the gas engine will produce significant waste heat that will replace the GSHP in heating the buildings. The results show that this energy integration technology provides much improved overall Coefficient of Performance and reduce carbon emission

Cutting tool tracking and recognition based on infrared and visual imaging systems using principal component analysis (PCA) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) combined with neural networks

The implementation of computerised condition monitoring systems for the detection cutting tools’ correct installation and fault diagnosis is of a high importance in modern manufacturing industries. The primary function of a condition monitoring system is to check the existence of the tool before starting any machining process and ensure its health during operation. The aim of this study is to assess the detection of the existence of the tool in the spindle and its health (i.e. normal or broken) using infrared and vision systems as a non-contact methodology. The application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) combined with neural networks are investigated using both types of data in order to establish an effective and reliable novel software program for tool tracking and health recognition. Infrared and visual cameras are used to locate and track the cutting tool during the machining process using a suitable analysis and image processing algorithms. The capabilities of PCA and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) combined with neural networks are investigated in recognising the tool’s condition by comparing the characteristics of the tool to those of known conditions in the training set. The experimental results have shown high performance when using the infrared data in comparison to visual images for the selected image and signal processing algorithms

Automated people counting by using low-resolution infrared and visual cameras

Non-contact counting of people in a specified area has many applications for safety, security and commercial purposes. Visible sensors have inherent limitations for this task, being sensitive to variations in ambient lighting and colours in the scene. Infrared imaging can overcome many of these problems, but normally hardware costs are prohibitively expensive. A system for counting people in a scene using a combination of low cost, low-resolution visual and infrared cameras is presented in this paper. The aim of this research was to assess the potential accuracy and robustness of systems using low-resolution images. This approach results in considerable savings on hardware costs, enabling the development of systems which may be implemented in a wide range of applications. The results of 18 experiments show that the system can be accurate to within 3% over a wide range of lighting conditions

An investigation into the current utilisation and prospective of renewable energy resources and technologies in Libya

With the increase in energy demand and the international drive to reduce carbon emission from fossil fuel, there has been a drive in many oil-rich countries to diversify their energy portfolio and resources. Libya is currently interested in utilising its renewable energy resources in order to reduce the financial and energy dependency on oil reserves. This paper investigates the current utilisation and the future of renewable energy in Libya. Interviews have been conducted with managers, consultants and decision makers from different government organisations including energy policy makers, energy generation companies and major energy consumers. The results indicate that Libya is rich in renewable energy resources but in urgent need of a more comprehensive energy strategy and detailed implementation including reasonable financial and educational investment in the renewable energy sector

Innovative concept of an educational physical simulation tool for teaching energy consumption in buildings for enhancing public engagement

Buildings consume significant amount of energy for heating or air-conditioning in most countries. Therefore, educating the public and young generations to enhance their engagement and encourage them to reduce carbon emission and energy consumption in their daily life is becoming essential worldwide to drive continuous improvement towards more sustainable future. This paper presents an innovative educational tool to simulate energy performance and its use in educating university students and teaching school children about the subject. The paper outlines the developed educational tool and presents its benefits via two detailed case studies, with wide and diverse level of knowledge and learning outcomes. The educational technology includes a small-scale multi-layered model of buildings where insulation layers can be added to or removed from the building's envelop to influence energy performance. Qualitative and quantitative research has been conducted . The results show that the technology is capable of engaging the young generation and to help them to understand the thermal performance and energy efficiency of buildings

Automated people-counting by using low-resolution infrared and visual cameras

Non-contact counting of people in a specified area has many applications for safety, security and commercial purposes. Visible sensors have inherent limitations for this task, being sensitive to variations in ambient lighting and colours in the scene. Infrared imaging can overcome many of these problems, but normally hardware costs are prohibitively expensive. A system for counting people in a scene using a combination of low cost, low-resolution visual and infrared cameras is presented in this paper. The aim of this research was to assess the potential accuracy and robustness of systems using low-resolution images. This approach results in considerable savings on hardware costs, enabling the development of systems which may be implemented in a wide range of applications. The results of 18 experiments show that the system can be accurate to within 3% over a wide range of lighting conditions

Real-time crowd density mapping using a novel sensory fusion model of infrared and visual systems

Crowd dynamic management research has seen significant attention in recent years in research and industry in an attempt to improve safety level and management of large scale events and in large public places such as stadiums, theatres, railway stations, subways and other places where high flow of people at high densities is expected. Failure to detect the crowd behaviour at the right time could lead to unnecessary injuries and fatalities. Over the past decades there have been many incidents of crowd which caused major injuries and fatalities and lead to physical damages. Examples of crowd disasters occurred in past decades include the tragedy of Hillsborough football stadium at Sheffield where at least 93 football supporters have been killed and 400 injured in 1989 in Britain's worst-ever sporting disaster (BBC, 1989). Recently in Cambodia a pedestrians stampede during the Water Festival celebration resulted in 345 deaths and 400 injuries (BBC, 2010) and in 2011 at least 16 people were killed and 50 others were injured in a stampede in the northern Indian town of Haridwar (BBC, 2011). Such disasters could be avoided or losses reduced by using different technologies. Crowd simulation models have been found effective in the prediction of potential crowd hazards in critical situations and thus help in reducing fatalities. However, there is a need to combine the advancement in simulation with real time crowd characterisation such as the estimation of real time density in order to provide accurate prognosis in crowd behaviour and enhance crowd management and safety, particularly in mega event such as the Hajj. This paper addresses the use of novel sensory technology in order to estimate people’s dynamic density du ring one of the Hajj activities. The ultimate goal is that real time accurate estimation of density in different areas within the crowd could help to improve the decision making process and provide more accurate prediction of the crowd dynamics. This paper investigates the use of infrared and visual cameras supported by auxiliary sensors and artificial intelligence to evaluate the accuracy in estimating crowd density in an open space during Muslims Pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca)