Facing the growing problem of the electric power consumption in Egyptian residential building using building performance simulation program

Egypt has been experiencing recurrent power cuts especially at the summer, with the problem being made worse by the extra demands placed on the electrical grid by the advent of the holy month of Ramadan. Electricity shortages are now a problem in Cairo, Alexandria, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, and Nubia, as well as in the Nile Delta governorates of Beheira and Qalioubiya. The aim of this study is to develop a model for the Egyptian residential building using Building Performance Simulation Program and make sensitivity analysis on some variables effecting the electric power consumption in order to help faceting the growing problem in Egypt. The model was created using the IES-VE 2012 (Integrated Environmental Solution ). The simulation model was verified against the survey data for the Egyptian apartment and same model simulated using energy Plus simulation tool. The results of the program describing different situations for energy using profile for the air conditions, lighting and equipments in respect to building layout and construction climate and pattern of use. This model can be used in the future to help in reducing the electric power consumption in the residential building

Energy and indoor environmental performance of typical Egyptian offices : survey, baseline model and uncertainties

Egyptian electricity demands have increased in recent years and are projected to grow further with significant economic and social impacts. Recently, mandatory and voluntary building codes based on international standards have been increasingly adopted. The performance of existing Egyptian buildings is not well understood making the impact of these new codes uncertain. This paper aims to provide insights into existing Egyptian building performance, and elaborate a process for developing a representative model to assist in future policy. The work presented is for office buildings but intended to be widely replicable. An energy survey was carried out for 59 Egyptian offices, categorised by building service type, it was observed that energy use increases as building services increase, and existing Egyptian offices use less energy than benchmarks. A more detailed investigation for a case study office was carried out, to inform detailed model calibration. This provided insight into energy use, thermal comfort and environmental conditions, and revealed high variability in behaviours. A calibrated model was created for the case study office, then a baseline model and input parameter sets created to represent generalised performance. Future uses including assessment of the impact of codes are discussed, and further replication potentials highlighted

Considering the impact of situation-specific motivations and constraints in the design of naturally ventilated and hybrid buildings

A simple logical model of the interaction between a building and its occupants is presented based on the principle that if free to do so, people will adjust their posture, clothing or available building controls (windows, blinds, doors, fans, and thermostats) with the aim of achieving or restoring comfort and reducing discomfort. These adjustments are related to building design in two ways: first the freedom to adjust depends on the availability and ease-of-use of control options; second the use of controls affects building comfort and energy performance. Hence it is essential that these interactions are considered in the design process. The model captures occupant use of controls in response to thermal stimuli (too warm, too cold etc.) and non-thermal stimuli (e.g. desire for fresh air). The situation-specific motivations and constraints on control use are represented through trigger temperatures at which control actions occur, motivations are included as negative constraints and incorporated into a single constraint value describing the specifics of each situation. The values of constraints are quantified for a range of existing buildings in Europe and Pakistan. The integration of the model within a design flow is proposed and the impact of different levels of constraints demonstrated. It is proposed that to minimise energy use and maximise comfort in naturally ventilated and hybrid buildings the designer should take the following steps: 1. Provide unconstrained low energy adaptive control options where possible, 2. Avoid problems with indoor air quality which provide motivations for excessive ventilation rates, 3. Incorporate situation-specific adaptive behaviour of occupants in design simulations, 4. Analyse the robustness of designs against variations in patterns of use and climate, and 5. Incorporate appropriate comfort standards into the operational building controls (e.g. BEMS)

A superconducting wireless energiser based on electromechanical energy conversion

A superconducting magnet (SM) can produce high magnetic fields up to a dozen times stronger than those generated by an electromagnet made of normal conductors or a permanent magnet (PM), and thus has attracted increasing research efforts in many domains including medical devices, large scientific equipment, transport, energy storage, power systems, and electric machines. Wireless energisers, e.g., high temperature superconducting (HTS) flux pumps, can eliminate the thermal load from current leads and arc erosion of slip rings, and are thus considered a promising energisation tool for SMs. However, the time-averaged DC output voltage in existing HTS flux pumps is generated by dynamic resistance: the dynamic loss is unavoidable, and the total AC loss will become significant at high frequencies. This study introduces a highly efficient superconducting wireless energizer (SWE) designed specifically for SMs. The SWE takes advantage of the inherent properties of a superconducting loop, including flux conservation and zero DC resistivity. Extensive theoretical analysis, numerical modelling exploiting the H-ϕ formulation, and experimental measurements were conducted to demonstrate the efficiency and efficacy of the novel SWE design. The electromechanical performance and loss characteristics of the SWE system have also been investigated. Compared to conventional HTS flux pumps, the proposed SWE has lower excitation loss, in the order of 10−1 mW, and thus can achieve a high system efficiency of no less than 95%. Furthermore, it has a simpler structure with higher reliability, considered ready for further industrial development. In addition to deepening the understating of the intricate electromechanical dynamics between magnetic dipoles and superconducting circuits, this article provides a novel wireless energisation technique for SMs and opens the way to step changes in future electric transport and energy sectors

The energy and indoor environmental performance of Egyptian offices : parameter analysis and future policy

Buildings are a significant contributor to the rapidly increasing electricity demand in Egypt which is straining the existing supply network causing economic and social impacts. There are current initiatives aimed at improved building performance including adoption of international standards. The performance of existing Egyptian buildings is not well understood making the impact of these international standards uncertain. This paper provides insight into performance of current Egyptian office buildings through a multi-building energy survey and a detailed case study. The most common office type in the survey has natural ventilation and local cooling. A process to capture observed performance in a representative model and input parameter set is presented. The model is used to investigate performance impacts of parameters including: location, weather, building envelope, intensity of occupancy, behaviour, and installed systems including the HVAC strategy. HVAC strategy was identified as the most significant factor. Typical Egyptian offices with natural ventilation and local cooling systems under personal control have electricity demand less than 50% of centrally serviced buildings. System efficiencies (HVAC, lights, equipment) and occupant behaviour (e.g. use of systems, temperatures) were also identified as significant factors, each with potential of around 30% saving compared to current typical offices. Possible policy measures to promote energy efficient systems and energy conscious behaviour are proposed which together can reduce the energy demand of typical offices by 50%. Trade-offs between energy use and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) are discussed

Magma transport and olivine crystallization depths in Kīlauea's east rift zone inferred from experimentally rehomogenized melt inclusions

Concentrations of H₂O and CO₂ in olivine-hosted melt inclusions can be used to estimate crystallization depths for the olivine host. However, the original dissolved CO₂ concentration of melt inclusions at the time of trapping can be difficult to measure directly because in many cases substantial CO₂ is transferred to shrinkage bubbles that form during post-entrapment cooling and crystallization. To investigate this problem, we heated olivine from the 1959 Kīlauea Iki and 1960 Kapoho (Hawai‘i) eruptions in a 1-atm furnace to temperatures above the melt inclusion trapping temperature to redissolve the CO₂ in shrinkage bubbles. The measured CO₂ concentrations of the experimentally rehomogenized inclusions (⩽590 ppm for Kīlauea Iki [n = 10]; ⩽880 ppm for Kapoho, with one inclusion at 1863 ppm [n = 38]) overlap with values for naturally quenched inclusions from the same samples, but experimentally rehomogenized inclusions have higher within-sample median CO₂ values than naturally quenched inclusions, indicating at least partial dissolution of CO₂ from the vapor bubble during heating. Comparison of our data with predictions from modeling of vapor bubble formation and published Raman data on the density of CO₂ in the vapor bubbles suggests that 55–85% of the dissolved CO₂ in the melt inclusions at the time of trapping was lost to post-entrapment shrinkage bubbles. Our results combined with the Raman data demonstrate that olivine from the early part of the Kīlauea Iki eruption crystallized at <6 km depth, with the majority of olivine in the 1–3 km depth range. These depths are consistent with the interpretation that the Kīlauea Iki magma was supplied from Kīlauea’s summit magma reservoir (∼2–5 km depth). In contrast, olivine from Kapoho, which was the rift zone extension of the Kīlauea Iki eruption, crystallized over a much wider range of depths (∼1–16 km). The wider depth range requires magma transport during the Kapoho eruption from deep beneath the summit region and/or from deep beneath Kīlauea’s east rift zone. The deeply derived olivine crystals and their host magma mixed with stored, more evolved magma in the rift zone, and the mixture was later erupted at Kapoho.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Elsevier and can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00167037Keywords: Melt inclusions, Kīlauea, Geochemistry, Volcanology, Hawaiian geolog

Metformin and dipeptidase peptidyl-4 inhibitor differentially modulate the intestinal microbiota and plasma metabolome of metabolically dysfunctional mice

Objectives: Recent evidence indicates that gut microbiota is altered considerably by a variety of commonly prescribed medications. This study assessed the impact of 2 antidiabetic therapeutics on gut microbiota and markers of cardiometabolic disease in metabolically dysfunctional mice. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet for 24 weeks while receiving 1 of 2 antidiabetic therapeutics—metformin or dipeptidase peptidyl-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, PKF-275-055—for the final 12 weeks. Mice were assessed for weight gain, glucose and cholesterol metabolism, and adiposity. In addition, cecal microbiota was analyzed by 16S compositional sequencing, and plasma metabolome was analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Results: Both therapeutics had similar metabolic effects, attenuating mesenteric adiposity and improving cholesterol metabolism and insulin sensitivity. However, multivariate analyses of microbiota and metabolomics data revealed clear divergence of the therapeutic groups. Although both metformin and PKF-275-055 mice displayed significantly decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratios, only metformin harboured metabolic health-associated Akkermansia, Parabacteroides and Christensenella. Paradoxically, metformin also reduced α diversity, a metric frequently associated with host metabolic fitness. PKF-275-055 mice displayed elevated levels of butyrate-producing Ruminococcus and acetogen Dorea, with reduced levels of certain plasma sphingomyelin, phosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylcholine entities. In turn, metformin reduced levels of acylcarnitines, a functional group associated with systemic metabolic dysfunction. Finally, several associations were identified between metabolites and altered taxa. Conclusions: This study represents the first direct comparison of the microbiota-modifying effects of metformin and a DPP-4 inhibitor, and proposes several putative microbial targets both in terms of novel therapeutic development and adverse effect prevention

The efficiency and effectiveness of utilizing diagrams in interviews: an assessment of participatory diagramming and graphic elicitation

Abstract Background This paper focuses on measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of two diagramming methods employed in key informant interviews with clinicians and health care administrators. The two methods are 'participatory diagramming', where the respondent creates a diagram that assists in their communication of answers, and 'graphic elicitation', where a researcher-prepared diagram is used to stimulate data collection. Methods These two diagramming methods were applied in key informant interviews and their value in efficiently and effectively gathering data was assessed based on quantitative measures and qualitative observations. Results Assessment of the two diagramming methods suggests that participatory diagramming is an efficient method for collecting data in graphic form, but may not generate the depth of verbal response that many qualitative researchers seek. In contrast, graphic elicitation was more intuitive, better understood and preferred by most respondents, and often provided more contemplative verbal responses, however this was achieved at the expense of more interview time. Conclusion Diagramming methods are important for eliciting interview data that are often difficult to obtain through traditional verbal exchanges. Subject to the methodological limitations of the study, our findings suggest that while participatory diagramming and graphic elicitation have specific strengths and weaknesses, their combined use can provide complementary information that would not likely occur with the application of only one diagramming method. The methodological insights gained by examining the efficiency and effectiveness of these diagramming methods in our study should be helpful to other researchers considering their incorporation into qualitative research designs