Search results for "NEWA"
showing 10 items of 2491 documents
Life cycle assessment of a solar thermal collector: sensitivity analysis, energy and environmental balances
2005
Abstract Starting from the results of a life cycle assessment of solar thermal collector for sanitary warm water, an energy balance between the employed energy during the collector life cycle and the energy saved thanks to the collector use has been investigated. A sensitivity analysis for estimating the effects of the chosen methods and data on the outcome of the study was carried out. Uncertainties due to the eco-profile of input materials and the initial assumptions have been analysed. Since the study is concerned with a renewable energy system, attention has been focused on the energy indexes and in particular the “global energy consumption”. Following the principles of Kyoto Protocol, …
Combining TMD and TLCD: analytical and experimental studies
2017
Abstract In these years several research efforts have been focused on developing efficient and reliable control devices for mitigating the structural response of tall and lightly damped buildings in case of strong dynamic excitations, such as wind and earthquake ones. In this context, Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) represent probably the most common control device due to their high control performances. On the other hand, Tuned Liquid Column Dampers (TLCDs) are increasingly becoming more popular because of some of their attractive features, cost-effectiveness among the others, even though they yield slightly less control performance compared to the classical TMDs. Aiming at combining the benefic…
Energy saving and solar energy use in the University of Valencia (Spain)
2004
Abstract Recent years have seen increasing public interest in issues related to energy saving and concern for the environment. It is important to highlight the work of public institutions in this respect. This was the motive that led the University of Valencia to finance a pilot project with the objective of studying useful initiatives for optimising energy consumption in accordance with the institution’s needs as well as the incorporation of innovative and more efficient technologies. The approach was to consider various aspects ranging from the analysis of the current energy consumption and the state of the installations, through the substitution of some energy inefficient components, to …
A sustainability point of view on sheet metal forming operations: material wasting and energy consumption in incremental forming and stamping process…
2012
Abstract Sustainability and sustainable production is nowadays a wide research field due the urgency of reducing environmental burdens of industrial production. Sustainable manufacturing issues are widely investigated too. In particular, due to the relevance such issues assume for automotive and aeronautical industry, the investigation of sheet metal forming processes sustainability is worth studying and, within this research fields, a certain lack of knowledge is still present. Many studies have been presented concerning the evaluation and reduction of environmental burdens in manufacturing. In this paper, the authors focus on sheet metal forming and aim to investigate both the efficient u…
Assessing the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants: A double-bootstrap approach
2017
Abstract Benchmarking the performance of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is essential for promoting their long-term sustainability. Recent research has applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) models to evaluate the efficiency of WWTPs providing a synthetic index of their performance. However, the traditional DEA is a deterministic method; therefore, regression analysis cannot be used to explore the external factors influencing efficiency scores. To overcome this limitation, in this study, a double bootstrap DEA model was used for the first time to compute the efficiency scores for a sample of WWTPs. The confidence intervals for efficiency scores were estimated for each facility. Results…
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of protected crops: an Italian case study
2012
Abstract In this paper a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of protected crops was carried out. In particular, energy and environmental performances of peppers, melons, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini in different typologies of greenhouses (tunnel and pavilion) were assessed. The study aimed at assessing the ecoprofile of each product and the share of each life-cycle step on the total environmental impacts. The related process flow chart, the relevant mass and energy flows and the key environmental issues were identified for each product. Collection of primary data was conducted by means of a detailed questionnaire distributed to a producer company in southern Italy. The analysis was devel…
Improving eco-efficiency of a swimming hall through customer involvement
2013
Abstract Findings from a project aiming to improve eco-efficiency of a swimming hall in Finland are presented in this article. There are various opportunities for eco-efficiency improvements for a swimming hall, many of which belong to responsibilities of the staff. However, there are aspects where also customers could participate. Consequently, changes in the current behavior of the swimming hall management, staff and customers are required. Results from customer survey and staff interviews suggest that lack of knowledge about the swimming hall-specific environmental impacts and possibilities of the respondent (either staff or customers) to actively engage in pro-environmental work at the …
Life cycle assessment of a solar thermal collector
2005
Abstract The renewable energy sources are often presented as ‘clean’ sources, not considering the environmental impacts related to their manufacture. The production of the renewable plants, like every production process, entails a consumption of energy and raw materials as well as the release of pollutants. Furthermore, the impacts related to some life cycle phases (as maintenance or installation) are sometimes neglected or not adequately investigated. The energy and the environmental performances of one of the most common renewable technologies have been studied: the solar thermal collector for sanitary warm water demand. A life cycle assessment (LCA) has been performed following the inter…
Analysis of the maximization of wind turbine energy yield using a continuously variable transmission system
2017
Abstract In this paper, an analytic study of the subject of mechanical power transmission in HAWT wind turbine has been carried out. For the most part, the study analyzes the use of continuously variable transmission (CVT) in order to allow the turbine and the electric generator to couple, allowing in turn, an unremitting transmission ratio adjustment. In low-wind sites, the design criteria suggest an oversizing of the wind turbine in order to generate adequate electrical power even at low wind speed. The proposed solution enhances the space of operating points since it allows the electric generator to release the rotational speed from the turbine one (limited due to structural integrity). …
An integrated and shared approach to sea of the regional town master plan of Sicily
2006
The work addresses one of the most important problems in contemporary environmental land planning. Already existing procedures, in fact, must now conform to the new requirements imposed by the recent national and international regulations and standards that call for a more conscious approach to the use of natural resources. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), for example, takes into account, the different effects of a plan in various fields such as the environment, the economy and the development. This obviously calls for global analysis tools that could help administrators, stakeholders and technicians in the decision-making process of such complex systems. SEA of the Town Master Pla…