Energy Systems Commons^™

Sustainability Matchmaking: Exploration Into Using Excess Renewable Energy To Deliver ‘Free’ Energy To Fuel Poor Homes – A Preliminary Case Study In Ireland, Ciara Ahern, Ronan Oliver

Articles

The aggregated fuel cost of domestic hot water (DHW) generation in Ireland, in 2022, was €529M with associated emissions/load of 1.3MtCO₂/289GWh. The shadow price of carbon monetises the negative impact of emissions, rising with time; DHW generation has an associated shadow carbon cost of €13M in 2022, rising to €42M in 2030 and €335M in 2050.

In 2020, c12%/€441M of wind was curtailed or wasted as inter alia, there was no demand at times of high wind. Meanwhile, a ‘silent crisis’ is occurring in Ireland wherein one-in-two dwellings were considered in fuel poverty in 2022. Households in …

Addressing Low Heat Pump Heating System Sales In The Uk, Ben Costelloe

Articles

The replacement of existing fossil fuel boilers with heat pumps is seen as a key measure in the decarbonisation of heating systems and addressing climate change. This policy however, is currently failing in many Western European states, particularly in the UK. The many reasons for this situation are examined. However, the age of UK housing stock and particularly the high number of dwellings built prior to the introduction of building insulation regulations in 1980, are key. To maintain the running cost of air source heat pumps competitive with those of the gas boilers they generally replace the heat pump lift …

Development & Validation Of A Piv System For Obtaining Data From A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Gerald Gallagher, David Kennedy, Anthony Reynolds

Conference Papers

Anaerobic digestion processes can generate energy in the form of biogas while treating organic wastewater. The efficiency of the treatment, and thus the generation of biogas, is closely linked to the type and design of the reactor, and the technology used. Granular anaerobic digestion technology offers advantages such as a higher loading rate and reduction of the space needed. However, the hydrodynamics inside this type of reactor can be complex due to the presence of solids (granules) and gas (biogas) phases along with the liquid phase (wastewater). This is one of the reasons why the study and optimization of reactors …

Tidal Current Turbine Blade Optimisation With Improved Blade Element Momentum Theory And A Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm, Eng Jet Yeo, David Kennedy, Fergal O'Rourke

Articles

Tidal current energy has the advantage of predictability over most of the other renewable energy resources. However, due to the harsh operating environment and complicated site conditions, developments in this domain have been gradual. Paramount to these points is device design and optimisation of hydrodynamic performance. Recent developments in the correction models of BEM theory have further improved the accuracy of the prediction model. Using an improved blade element momentum theory model that is capable of accurately capturing the downwash angle and combining it with a well-developed and reliable non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm model, an effective and efficient tidal current …

Building Performance - Societal Drive, Programme And Symposium, Joseph Little, Patrick Daly

Articles

Society is increasingly looking at the construction industry to mitigate the environmental crisis and solve the housing crisis through wholesale embrace of three broad sets of challenges. The MSc in Building Performance (Energy Efficiency in Design) (MSc BP(EED)) was created in 2017 to provide significant upskilling in the knowledge, skills, and software applications of building design professionals so that they can meet these challenges, while creating compliant, sustainable, super-low energy, new and renovated buildings. The delivery of the programme supports upskilling of employed building design professionals at Masters level, encouraging a minority to develop their capacity and interest in research …

The Application Of Evolutionary Algorithms In Multi-Objective Design And Optimization Of Air Cooled Heatsinks, Younis Osama Abdelsalam, Sajad Alimohammadi, Tim Persoons

Articles

Genetic algorithms (GAs) are considered to be one of the main types of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and are being increasingly used in various engineering design applications. To a large extent, plate-fin heatsinks are used in the thermal management of compact electronic equipment and data centers. The shape optimization of the heatsinks is not rigorously investigated during the design process of high power electronics. Any improvements in the effectiveness of the heatsinks impact the energy consumed by large-scale information communication technology (ICT) facilities including data centers and telecommunication systems and promote a more sustainable use of raw materials. This paper investigates …

Carbon-Based Interlayers In Perovskite Solar Cells, Aleksandr P. Litvin, Xiaoyu Zhang, Kevin Berwick, Anatoly V. Fedorov, Weitao Zheng, Alexander V. Baranov

Articles

Perovskites are solution-processed, high-performance semiconductors of interest in low-cost photovoltaics. The interfaces between the perovskite photoactive layers and the top and bottom contacts are crucial for efficient charge transport and minimizing trapping. Control of the collection of charge carriers at these interfaces is decisive to device performance. Here, we review recent progress in the realization of efficient perovskite solar cells using cheap, easily processed, stable, carbon-based interlayers. Interface materials including graphene, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene quantum dots and carbon dots are introduced and their influence on device performance is discussed.

Energy Performance Certification: Misassessment Due To Assuming Default Heat Losses, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are issued when dwellings are constructed, sold or leased in the EU. Where the cost of obtaining the required data is prohibitive, EPC assessors use nationally applicable default-values. To ensure that dwellings are not assigned a wrongly-higher EPC rating, a standardised thermal bridging transmittance coefficient (Y-value) is typically adopted for all existing dwellings while worst-case overall heat loss coefficients (U-values) are used. Default U-values are applied to a specific building element type (roof, wall, floor etc.) based on building codes and regulations applicable at time of construction. Due to significant building fabric upgrades, default U-values are …

A Generalisable Bottom-Up Methodology For Deriving A Residential Stock Model From Large Empirical Databases, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

Specifying representative reference buildings as a prerequisite for calculating cost-optimal energy performance requirements for buildings and building elements. Appropriate characterisation is prerequisite data for an overall national building energy consumption model to produce valid outcomes. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are issued in the EU, for dwellings whenever they are constructed, sold or leased. Where acquiring data for an EPC would be prohibitively costly, nationally applicable default-values are employed for the building envelope thermal transmittance coefficients. Significant levels of retrofits led to the default-values used now being higher than is typical in reality, leading to characterisations of reference dwellings based on …

Thermal Refurbishment Status Of The Irish Housing Stock, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are issued for buildings constructed, sold or leased across the EU. Using a generalizable methodology this work exploits Ireland’s EPC national dwelling stock database to determine the thermal refurbishment status of Ireland’s housing stock. It is estimated in 2014 that; i) 58% of walls were insulated at a mean overall heat loss coefficient or U-value of 0.66 W/m 2 K, ii) 67% of roofs were insulated at a mean U-value 0.37 W/m 2 K, iii) 97% of windows were double-glazed, and iv) 53% of floors were insulated to a mean U-value of 0.59 W/m 2 K. …

A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Current Cooling Techniques In Irish Data Centres, Lee Gibbons, Bryan Coyne, David Kennedy, Sajad Alimohammadi

Articles

This research is part of a comprehensive study to determine reformative actions for cooling regimes within the Irish data centre market. To achieve this goal, preliminary Exergy, Entropy change and operational cost analyses are used. It is determined that there is no clear advantage for using one cooling method over another without knowing the data centres secondary function (e.g. district heating, energy generation). Air cooling technology is a good candidate for a highly reliable system due to the low exhaust temperatures of 30°C. Two-phase immersion is a possibility for economically viable data centres where operational costs are to be minimised, …

A Novel Approach Towards Investigating The Performance Of Different Pvt Configurations Integrated On Test Cells: An Experimental Study, Vivek Tomar, Brian Norton, G. N. Tiwari

Articles

This study elaborates the theoretical and experimental analysis for the effectiveness of different photovoltaic thermal (PVT) configurations along with their building implications. An experiment was performed on especially designed four identical prototype test cells emphasise the building integration photovoltaic thermal (BiPVT) systems. A comparative analysis of four different possible PVT configurations integrated on identical test cells namely; Case 1: Glass-to-glass PV with duct integrated on a test cell, Case 2: Glass-to -glass PV without duct integrated on a test cell, Case 3: Glass to tedlar PV with duct integrated on a test cell and Case 4: Glass to tedlar PV …

Economic Appraisal Of Hybrid Solar-Biomass Thermophotovoltaic Power Generation, C. M. Iftekhar Hussain Cmih, Aidan Duffy, Brian Norton

Conference Papers

The techno-economic parameters that influence the commercial deployment of hybrid thermophotovoltaic (TPV) solar power generation are determined using annual system simulations. It has been found that a TPV cell price of E5/cm2 or less together with a TPV operating temperature under 800°C is required for a hybrid solar–biomass TPV power plant to be economically competitive with the state-of-the-art hybrid solar–biomass Rankine cycle power plants.

Calculation Methods Of Radon-222 Radiological Activity For Norm Plant With Ventilation, Pedro M. Dieguez-Elizondo, Paul G. O'Donohoe, Tomas Gil-Lopez, Juan Castejon-Navas, Miguel A. Gálvez-Huerta

Articles

A procedure is proposed to determine the radiological activity of air present in the working area of a NORM (Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials) plant. This NORM plant is located in the United Arab Emirates and is dedicated to the recycling of material and equipment used in oil extraction facilities. Substantial quantities of NORM waste will be present inside the enclosed plant facilities and will exhale significant amounts of Radon-222 into the working environment. The continued inhalation of this gas and its progeny has been shown to cause lung cancer. In order to reduce the concentration level of the aforementioned gas to …

Evaluation Of Wind Energy Forecasts: The Undervalued Importance Of Data Preparation, Gianni Goretti, Aidan Duffy

Conference papers

The evaluation of wind energy forecasts is a key task for those involved in the wind power sector, and the accurate evaluation of forecasts is fundamental to make informed decisions both in business and research. To evaluate the accuracy of a forecast, observed values must be compared against forecast values over a test period. At times, however, the actual generation of a wind farm can be affected by factors that are outside the scope of the forecast model. Evaluating a forecast using a data set that includes such out-of-scope observations might give a biased or inconsistent assessment. In the data …

The Impact Of Power Curve Estimation On Commercial Wind Power Forecasts - An Empirical Analysis, Gianni Goretti, Aidan Duffy, Tek Tjing Lie

Conference papers

An increasing number of utilities participating in the energy market require short term (i.e. up to 48 hours) power forecasts for renewable generation in order to optimize technical and financial performances. As a result, a large number of forecast providers now operate in the marketplace, each using different methods and offering a wide range of services. This paper assesses five different day-ahead wind power forecasts generated by various service providers currently operating in the market, and compares their performance against the state-of-the-art of short-term wind power forecasting. The work focuses on how power curve estimations can introduce systematic errors that …

Effect Of Sky Conditions On Light Transmission Through A Suspended Particle Device Switchable Glazing, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton, Aidan Duffy

Articles

A suspended particle device (SPD) switchable glazing changes its state from opaque to transparent in the presence of a power supply. SPD glazing's near normal transmission varies with incident angle and clearness index. Due to a lower diffuse component, higher glazing transmission ensues at higher clearness indices. Transmittance values for different azimuthal incident angle for a SPD glazing for its “transparent” and “opaque” states have been determined. In Dublin, below 0.5 clearness index, isotropic diffuse transmittance was prevailed while transmission of direct insolation was dominant above 0.5 clearness index. For south facing vertical plane SPD glazing transmittance in its transparent …

Behaviour Of A Spd Switchable Glazing In An Outdoor Test Cell With Heat Removal Under Varying Weather Conditions, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Suspended particle device (SPD) switchable glazing has potential to control transmission of solar radiation in the visible range by changing its transparency from 55% to 5%. Outdoor test cell characterisation of a SPD switchable glazing offered the dynamic solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) which varied between 0.05 (when opaque) and 0.38 (when transparent). Reduction of maximum temperature rise of 11% and 15% was possible using SPD “transparent” and “opaque” state compared to same area double-glazing. Insulated test cell with water flow heat exchanger was employed to measure the cooling load reduction potential of SPD glazing while its transmission changed from …

The Feasibility Of Utilising Compressed Natural Gas As Part Of A Systematic Approach To Establishing The Necessary Groundwork For The Hydrogen Based Transport Economy, James Brunton, John Howlett, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

One key objective for vehicle manufacturers is to develop technology and infrastructure to facilitate the progression from combustion to conversion by the year 2050. In the short to medium term however, the combustion of fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel, coupled with advanced transmission innovations and emission control technology that are governed by strict Euro VI regulations appears to be the main path forward for the transport sector and the environment. This paper presents the feasibility of utilising the developing compressed natural gas network capabilities as part of a systematic approach to establishing the necessary groundwork for a hydrogen …

A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Wind Generation In Conjunction With Compressed Air Energy In The Integrated Single Electricity Market., Brendan Cleary

Doctoral

The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) is the proposed wholesale electricity market for Ireland and it is intended to replace the current Single Electricity Market (SEM) by 2018. Subsequently, substantial modifications will be required to the SEM and this has led to significant uncertainty for stakeholders. The SEM currently features no forecast risk for renewables such as wind and there is no concept of balance responsibility. Under the I-SEM, wind generation will be exposed to forecast risk and the requirement to be balance responsible. The use of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) could represent a better system configuration which would …

Using Photovoltaics To Power Electrochemical Chloride Extraction From Concrete, Sean Bond, Lynette O'Callaghan, Niall Holmes Dr., Brian Norton

Conference papers

Corrosion of embedded steel in reinforced concrete (RC) is a world-wide problem, that reduces structural performance and lifespan. Chloride attack may be a result of seawater, de-icing salts or contaminated admixtures, brought on by ingress of chlorides into the concrete. Electrochemical Chloride Extraction (ECE) is a non-destructive treatment for contaminated RC structures, that due to uncertainty of treatment times and applied current densities, is only 50% effective. It is often diesel powered has an environmental impact and often very costly due to the long treatment times. To improve the efficiency of ECE the influences of concrete resistance, cement type and …

Solar Photovoltaic System Control Topology Investigation For Power Source Mismatch, Lynette O'Callaghan

Conference papers

An investigation into solar photovoltaic (PV) system control topology selection, when partial shade is anticipated in the solar array, is presented. As available area is maximised in Building Integrated PV (BIPV) systems, shading is an inevitable consequence. The presence of partial shading in a PV array leads to multiple power peaks in the power-voltage curve, due to bypass diode sections being triggered, and an increase in module mismatch losses in the array. A building energy design software, Integrated Environmental Solutions, is used to determine the shadowed area on PV modules throughout the year, incorporating the PV system location and geometrical …

Cultural Change Through Bim: Driving Lean Transformation In Education, Avril Behan, Malachy Mathews, Kevin Furlong, Ciara Ahern, Una Beagon, Peter Brennan, Colin Conway, Lee Corcoran, Pierce Fahy, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley, Trevor Woods

Conference papers

This paper presents a case study of how the adoption of BIM-based practices in the AECO industry is being reflected by cultural change in higher education in Ireland. The silo-mentality that has dominated the AECO sector for more than a century has, despite numerous reorganisations, been replicated in the structures of educational institutions, including in Dublin Institute of Technology since the inception of its founding colleges in the late 1800s. Most AECO programmes must include content that is external to the programme’s specific discipline. Through the School structures of the Institute, delivery of such content is known as "service teaching" …

Thermodynamic Analysis Of Closed Steady Or Cyclic Systems, Jim A. Mcgovern

Articles

Closed, steady or cyclic thermodynamic systems, which have temperature variations over their boundaries, can represent an extremely large range of plants, devices or natural objects, such as combined heating, cooling and power plants, computers and data centres, and planets. Energy transfer rates can occur across the boundary, which are characterized as heat or work. We focus on the finite time thermodynamics aspects, on energy-based performance parameters, on rational efficiency and on the environmental reference temperature. To do this, we examine the net work rate of a closed, steady or cyclic system bounded by thermal resistances linked to isothermal reservoirs in …

An Energy Cube Project For Teaching Engineering Design Process, Fionnuala Farrell, Shannon Chance, Micheal O'Flaherty

Conference papers

This year, the College of Engineering and the Built Environment at our institute inaugurated a new Common First Year design project module that helps inform students in the selection of a specific engineering discipline. Each student, prior to selecting their bachelor’s specialism, completes three group-based design projects: a bridge design project (to familiarise students with civil and structural engineering), a RoboSumo project (involving robotics, programming, electrical and electronics engineering), and an Energy Cube project (introducing fundamentals of mechanical, manufacturing and design, and building services engineering). This paper focuses on how the engineering design process was taught via the Energy Cube. …

Available Work Rate Of A Reversible System Bounded By Constant Thermal Resistances Linked To Isothermal Reservoirs, Jim Mcgovern

Conference Papers

Exergy analysis is based on the concept of an idealized, all-enclosing reference environment that has infinite heat capacity and thermal conductivity, and is in equilibrium. The actual surroundings of a real plant such as a heat engine, a heat pump or a refrigerator may differ significantly from the ideal. First law performance parameters and second law rational efficiency are examined. The concepts of finite time thermodynamics are applied in an attempt to refine the concept of T0, the environmental reference temperature, thereby making exergy analysis more reflective of reality.

Energy Savings Across Eu Domestic Building Stock By Optimizing Hydraulic Distribution In Domestic Space Heating Systems, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

The objective of this work is to quantify the resultant savings across the EU from the optimization of existing system components in domestic space heating distribution systems to maintain comfort levels. Heat energy savings are shown to range from 1% to 19% depending on dwelling type, age, location and initial specific heat energy consumption.

Process Simulation Of Biomass Gasification Integrated With A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack, Wayne Doherty, Anthony Reynolds, David Kennedy

Articles

Biomass gasification-solid oxide fuel cell (BG-SOFC) combined heat and power (CHP) systems are of major interest in the context of climate change mitigation, energy security and increasing energy efficiency. Aspen Plus is employed to simulate various BG-SOFC CHP systems. The aim of the research work is to investigate the technical feasibility of these systems and to study the influence of important operating parameters and examine integration options. Systems based on dual fluidised bed steam gasification and tubular SOFC technologies are modelled. The cathode recycle and electric heater integration options are not attractive in comparison to the base case anode recycle …

Optimised Integration Of Grid-Connected Renewable Energy Technologies For Domestic Application In Ireland, Zhe Li

Doctoral

The utilisation of renewable energy resources for electricity and thermal generation is extremely important in Ireland due to the lack of indigenous fossil fuel resources and the high dependence on imported fossil fuels. The release of environmentally-damaging greenhouse gases in the combustion of fossil fuels in electricity and thermal generation is also a major issue. In Ireland, the domestic dwelling is recognised as one of the biggest energy consumers. The use of renewable energy technologies to provide electricity, heating and hotwater can effectively offset the usage of fossil fuels. The aim of this research study was to develop a novel …

Economic, Energy And Ghg Emissions Performance Evaluation Of A Whispergen Mk Iv Stirling Engine Μ-Chp Unit In A Domestic Dwelling, Gerry Conroy, Aidan Duffy, Lacour Ayompe

Articles

This paper presents an assessment of the energy, economic and greenhouse gas emissions performances of a WhisperGen Mk IV Stirling engine μ-CHP unit for use in a conventional house in the Republic of Ireland. The energy performance data used in this study was obtained from a field trial carried out in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the period June 2004 - July 2005 by Northern Ireland Electricity and Phoenix Gas working in collaboration with Whispertech UK. A comparative performance analysis between the µ-CHP unit and a condensing gas boiler revealed that the µ-CHP unit resulted in an annual cost saving of …