Search results for " Structural"
showing 10 items of 1751 documents
Present-day uplift of the European Alps: Evaluating mechanisms and models of their relative contributions
2019
Abstract Recent measurements of surface vertical displacements of the European Alps show a correlation between vertical velocities and topographic features, with widespread uplift at rates of up to ~2–2.5 mm/a in the North-Western and Central Alps, and ~1 mm/a across a continuous region from the Eastern to the South-Western Alps. Such a rock uplift rate pattern is at odds with the horizontal velocity field, characterized by shortening and crustal thickening in the Eastern Alps and very limited deformation in the Central and Western Alps. Proposed mechanisms of rock uplift rate include isostatic response to the last deglaciation, long-term erosion, detachment of the Western Alpine slab, as w…
A new approach to exergoeconomic analysis and design of variable demand energy systems
2006
Exergoeconomics is an attractive research field regarding the optimisation of design and operability where complex energy systems are concerned. The different approaches to thermoeconomics can easily achieve optimal or near-optimal solutions for the design of energy systems in industrial applications, characterised by regular energy demand profiles; for applications in buildings, however, the great number of components operating at unsteady conditions due to the demand variability make these methodologies hard to use. Furthermore, in project phases of complex plants such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) or Combined Heat Cooling and Power (CHCP), energy demand can be satisfied with different…
Exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis of a renewable polygeneration system and viability study for small isolated communities
2015
Abstract A great interest has recently arisen for the sustainable supply of energy and fresh water, due to the growing demand from developing countries. Facing this demand by traditional technologies implies evident risks related with the high cost of fossil fuels and their environmental impact. Then, alternative solutions based on the use of renewable sources and innovative technologies must be considered. In this paper a renewable polygeneration system is examined, which includes a solar field based on parabolic trough photovoltaic/thermal collectors, a biomass heater, an absorption chiller and a Multiple Effect Distillation desalination unit. Plant operation under dynamic conditions has …
A methodology for selecting a sustainable development strategy for connecting low heat density consumers to a district heating system by cascading of…
2021
Abstract The paper presents a methodology for supporting the decision making on how to sustainably develop an existing district heating system when consumers located in a remote, low-heat consumption density area are connected to the system. Several scenarios are proposed where a multi-generative system is assessed by implementation of industrial heat pumps (HP), solar photovoltaic (PV) system, and low-temperature regime into an existing district heating system in various combinations. The methodology is based on multi-criteria analysis allowing for energy, economic, exergy, and environmental (4E) assessment. The research is based on a case study of an autonomous district heating system in …
User acceptance of automated public transport
2020
Abstract Autonomous driving is receiving increasing attention in the automotive industry as well as in public transport. However, it is still unclear whether users are willing to use automated public transportation at all. In order to answer this and other questions, the transport company of the city of Mainz, Germany, tested the autonomous minibus EMMA (Elektro-Mobilitat Mainz Autonom) on a 600-meter-long test track in public space. The study presented here was conducted with the aim of exploring crucial determinants for the use of an autonomous minibus. On the basis of established acceptance models, a questionnaire was developed, which was completed in a field survey by a total of 942 par…
Smartphone-based bridge monitoring through vehicle-bridge interaction: analysis and experimental assessment
2022
AbstractIn this study, the results of a vast experimental campaign on the applicability of a smartphone-based technique for bridge monitoring are presented. Specifically, the vehicle–bridge interaction (VBI)-based approach is exploited as a cost-effective means to estimate the natural frequencies of bridges, with the final aim of possibly developing low-cost and diffused infrastructure monitoring system. The analysis is performed using a common hybrid vehicle, fully equipped with classical piezoelectric accelerometers and a smartphone MEMS accelerometer, to record its vertical accelerations while passing over the bridge. In this regard, the experimental campaign is carried out considering t…
On the effects of the Double-Walled Tubes lay-out on the DEMO WCLL breeding blanket module thermal behavior
2019
Abstract The EU-DEMO Water-Cooled Lithium Lead Breeding Blanket (WCLL BB) concept foresees liquid Pb-15.7Li eutectic alloy as breeder and neutron multiplier, whereas pressurized subcooled water as coolant, with operative conditions typical of the PWR fission reactors (temperature in the range of 295–328 °C and pressure of 15.5 MPa). The cooling down of the BB is guaranteed by means of two separated cooling circuits: the one consisted in square channels housed within the complex of Side Walls and First Wall, and the one composed of a set of Double-Walled Tubes (DWTs) submerged in the Breeding Zone (BZ) and deputed to remove heat power therein generated. A parametric thermal study has been ca…
A new ESO-based method to find the optimal topology of structures subject to multiple load conditions
2014
In the field of topology optimization problems, the Evolutionary Structural Optimization (ESO) method is one of the most popular and easy to use. When dealing with problems of reasonable difficulty, the ESO method is able to give very good results in reduced times and with a limited request of computational resources. Generally, main applications of this method are addressed to the definition of the optimal topology of a component subjected to a single load condition.In this work, a new methodology, based on the ESO approach, is introduced for the study of the optimal topology of a component subjected to multiple load conditions. The new procedure, entirely developed in the APDL programming…
Parametric study of the influence of double-walled tubes layout on the DEMO WCLL breeding blanket thermal performances
2020
Abstract Within the framework of the EUROfusion activities regarding the EU-DEMO Breeding Blanket (BB) concept, the University of Palermo is long-time involved, in close cooperation with ENEA, in the design of the Water Cooled Lithium Lead (WCLL) BB, that is one of the two concepts under consideration for the DEMO reactor. It is mainly characterized by a liquid lithium-lead eutectic alloy acting as breeder and neutron multiplier, as well as by subcooled pressurized water flowing as coolant under PWR-like conditions (pressure of 15.5 MPa and inlet/outlet temperatures of 295 °C/328 °C). A research campaign has been recently carried out to study the potential influence of the Breeding Zone coo…
Fractional Spectral Moments for Digital Simulation of Multivariate Wind Velocity Fields
2012
In this paper, a method for the digital simulation of wind velocity fields by Fractional Spectral Moment function is proposed. It is shown that by constructing a digital filter whose coefficients are the fractional spectral moments, it is possible to simulate samples of the target process as superposition of Riesz fractional derivatives of a Gaussian white noise processes. The key of this simulation technique is the generalized Taylor expansion proposed by the authors. The method is extended to multivariate processes and practical issues on the implementation of the method are reported.