Search results for "technical"
showing 10 items of 955 documents
Early-stage thermal performance design of thermo-active walls implemented in underground infrastructures
2022
Abstract Energy geostructures (EGs) represent an innovative technology in the sustainable energy agenda and are useful for satisfying the energy needs of the built environment. They are usually involving geostructures such as piles, walls, tunnels, shafts, and sewers. The application of such technology to infrastructure projects may have considerable thermal potential because of the large surfaces that can be thermally activated. This study focuses on thermo-active walls (energy walls, EWs), which are retaining structures used to sustain the sides of excavations. Key features related to their thermal design are examined, and a design methodology is proposed. The heat-exchange modes involvin…
Experimental analysis of a thermoactive underground railway station
2022
Little is known about the real energy potential of thermoactive underground infrastructures, such as railway stations, that can act as a heating/cooling provider for the built environment. This study presents the results of thermomechanical full-scale in situ testing and numerical analysis of a thermoactive underground train station. The thermal performance and related geostructural impact of a portion of the new underground energy infrastructure (UEI) installed at the Lancy-Bachet train station in Geneva (Switzerland) are analyzed. Heating and cooling tests simulating real operative geothermal conditions are considered. Particular attention is given to ((i) the monitored wall-tunnel hydrot…
Technical-economical evaluation for distributed storage applications. An Italian case study for a medium-scale public facility
2014
Time-of-use energy cost management involves the use of storage by customers to reduce their electricity bills. This can be accomplished by charging the storage during off-peak time periods, when electricity energy prices are low, and discharging it during times when on-peak energy prices are applied. This article addresses the question whether it is economically viable to install medium-scale distributed storage devices in the power system designed to lower the electricity cost for a customer-side application, assuming flexible electricity tariffs. The technical/economical evaluation is carried out referring to Lithium ion (Li-ion), Sodium Sulphur (NaS) and Vanadium Redox Battery (VRB) tech…
Augmented Reality Aided 3D Modelling
2014
The purpose of the article is to introduce possibilities of using Augmented Reality instructions in order to better understand technical drawings. The aim of these instructions based on 3D models is to create AR training applications and analyze their impact on the users. These instructions consist in a 3D model, superimposed over the technical drawing. The AR application also offers step by step instructions for 3D modelling in CAD software, which are very useful in creating the 3D model starting from a technical drawing. The AR application was tested by students from the Faculty of Engineering in Sibiu, obtaining great improvements in their 3D modelling times. The results of a survey that…
Climate Change Education in the Curricula of Technical and Classical Universities
2010
Climate change education is becoming an integral part of the education in study programs at universities in Latvia offering environmental education study programs. In this article, a comparison of approaches of climate change education in classical (University of Latvia) and technical (Riga Technical University) are discussed. Requirements of the labour market are the key factors influencing study content and study methods. Therefore, consultations with major stakeholders and with academics involved in environmental education (e.g. the Council of Environmental Education and Science), may be some of the main tools to implement new concepts.
Motivation and Job Satisfaction among Information Systems Developers — Perspectives from Finland, Nigeria and Estonia: A Preliminary Study
2006
Information Systems (IS) have become one of the most important assets in organisations over the past decades. Adopting and using IS bestows a variety of advantages to organisations that are adept at it (Senker and Senker, 1992). Developing IS within organisations, unarguably serves the objectives of management. To that end, information systems development (ISD) professionals are pivotal in the implementations of such systems and their motivation and job satisfaction equally paramount. Some researchers have also commented on economic value of IS professionals to organisations (Niederman and Crosetto, 1996) Apparently, there is a growing body of literature on the issue of motivation and job s…
Increasing understanding and confidence in THM simulations of engineered barrier systems
2020
Previous studies on the modelling of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in bentonite-based engineered barrier systems (EBSs) showed the sensitivity of the output quantities to changes in the input parameters. To investigate the effects of uncertainties on the modelling results, to improve the understanding of the coupled processes active in the repository near field and to gain in-depth understanding of model uncertainties of different codes, a sensitivity analysis and code comparison of EBS simulations was performed within the Task Force on Engineered Barrier Systems. The analysis included variations in material parameter values, boundary and initial conditions, considered phy…
Hydraulic Models and Finite Elements for Monitoring of an Earth Dam, by Using GNSS Techniques
2016
This work gives a comparison between different mathematicalmodels for the evaluation of the movements of an earthendam situated between Bivona and Alessandria della Rocca, inthe province of Agrigento (AG), Italy. The models selected areof a hydraulic nature, already tested on concrete dams, andfinite elements models which, on the contrary, exploit geotechnicalparameters. The results obtained from the comparisonof the displacement planimetric components and the relativetime series of data over a period of two years appear to befully satisfactory, in fact using both models of a hydraulic andgeotechnical nature, we reach residues of just mm. To supportthis work, a monitoring procedure using GN…
Dimensional analysis and stage-discharge relationship for weirs: a review
2017
Deducing the weir flow stage-discharge relationship is a classical hydraulic problem. In this regard Buckingham’s theorem of dimensional analysis can be used to find simple and accurate formulas to obtain the rating curves of different weir types. At first, in this review paper the rectangular weir that is a very common hydraulic structure is studied. It is indicated that the crest shape, approach channel width, obliquity (angle between the weir crest and the direction normal to the flow motion) and vertical inclination (pivot weir) are the key-parameters affecting the flow over the rectangular weirs. The flow over the triangular, labyrinth, parabolic, circular, elliptical, and W-weirs are …
TERRE project: interplay between unsaturated soil mechanics and low-carbon geotechnical engineering
2020
The geotechnical construction industry is a major component of the overall construction sector and is strategically important in infrastructure development (transportation, flood and landslide protection, building foundations, waste disposal). Although industry and research in the overall construction sector have been investing significantly in recent years to produce innovative low-carbon technologies, little innovation has been created in geotechnical construction industry, which is lagging behind other construction industry sectors. This paper discusses the interplay between low-carbon geotechnical engineering and unsaturated soil mechanics based on the research carried out within the pr…