Engineering Commons^™

E2district: Behaviour Demand Response, Julia Blanke, Christian Beder, Emily Twomey, Sezen Aladag Ozdemir, Martin Klepal

NIMBUS Articles

This work describes the Behaviour Demand Response approach proposed in the context of the EU Horizon 2020 E2District project, which aims at achieving energy efficiency in District Heating and Cooling (DHC) systems applied in building blocks. Behaviour Demand Response (BDR) can be understood as the attempt to adjust the demand for power in accordance with supply side constraints, instead of adjusting the supply side alone without considering the potential flexibility of the demand. In contrast to this, typical current energy systems assume a rather strict distinction between a consumer driven demand side behaviour on one end and a matching supply …

A Decision Support Tool For Building Integrated Renewable Energy Microgrids Connected To A Smart Grid, Damilola A. Asaleye, Michael D. Murphy, Michael Breen

Publications

The objective of this study was to create a tool that will enable renewable energy microgrid (REμG) facility users to make informed decisions on the utilization of electrical power output from a building integrated REμG connected to a smart grid. A decision support tool for renewable energy microgrids (DSTREM) capable of predicting photovoltaic array and wind turbine power outputs was developed. The tool simulated users’ daily electricity consumption costs, avoided CO₂ emissions and incurred monetary income relative to the usage of the building integrated REμG connected to the national electricity smart grid. DSTREM forecasted climate variables, which were used …

An Optimal Milk Production Model Selection And Configuration System For Dairy Cows, Fan Zhang

PhDs

Milk production forecasting in the dairy industry has been an independent research topic since the early 20th century. The accurate prediction of milk yield can benefit both the processor (creameries) and the producer (dairy farmer) through developing short-term production schedules, planning long-term road maps, facilitating trade and investment in the dairy industry, improving business operations, optimising the existing infrastructure of the dairy industry, and reducing operating costs. Additionally, due to the innate characteristics of the milk production process, the accurate prediction of milk yield has been a challenging issue in the dairy industry. With the abolishment of EU milk quotas …

Modelling Methane Production Kinetics Of Complex Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastes Using Sigmoidal Growth Functions, Niamh Power, Aidan Ware

Publications

The kinetic evaluation of the methane potential from poultry slaughterhouse waste streams was performed using modified sigmoidal bacterial growth curve equations (Richards, logistic, Gompertz) in order to investigate their suitability to describe the degradation patterns associated with complex substrates, primarily composed of fats. The methane potential and degradation patterns under mesophilic conditions were assessed using Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) assays. A nonlinear least-square regression analysis was performed to fit the sigmoidal functions to the cumulative methane production curves with respect to time generated from the BMP assays. In the cases modelled the Gompertz and logistic, three parameter models, sufficiently …

Reliability Of Micro Mechanical Low Frequency Energy Harvesters For Implanted Cardiac Pacemakers, Sunny Jay

Theses

The aim of this project was to develop methods to assess the suitability and reliability of silicon-based piezoelectric micro-electro-mechanicai systems (MEMS) energy harvesters to capture the kinetic energy of the heartbeat in an implanted cardiac pacemaker. The major challenges of the work were that harvesters for vibration frequencies below 100 Hz have not been widely reported and the system requires reliable operation over a long lifetime. In this work device modelling was used for harvester design assessment. Experimental test methods and equipment were developed to produce data to validate the device models and to assess device reliability. A 2D analytical …

Development & Validation Of An Improved Biomechanical Model For Motion Analysis, Darren Dawson

Theses

Three dimensional motion analysis systems are utilised across a number of different disciplines, including clinical gait analysis, sports performance studies and analysis of tasks of daily living. These systems utilise biomechanical models which define body segment coordinate systems and calculate kinematic and kinetic relationships about the joints between adjacent coordinate systems. In this study, a biomechanical model for general use in motion analysis was developed and validated. It was designed to improve upon the accuracy and capability of currently available models. The newly developed model utilises state of the art techniques to accurately define body segment coordinate systems. Accurate predictive …

Development Of A Novel Kalman Filter Bank Predictor To Optimally Schedule The Renewable Energy Contribution Within A Micro-Grid, Conor Lynch

Theses

This PhD thesis presents a novel Kalman Filter Bank (KFB) methodology. The novel KFB is applied to predict and optimally schedule the operation of micro-grid energy resources with a public fixed-grid connection and an auxiliary battery storage backup facility. This methodology relies on a sliding single time step forecast projection to accurately acquire the anticipated schedule for a range of time dependent parameters, stochastic by nature, that have inherent embedded cyclical patterns. The innovative feature here consists of a novel bank of hourly adjacent Kalman Filter estimators, which operate in synchronism, for accurate parameter prediction over a selected time horizon. …

Semiconductor Materials And Devices For 2 Micron Generation, Dzianis Saladukha

Theses

In the last century, semiconductor research has led to significant changes in the fields of communication, medicine, the environment, and many others. Semiconductor devices provide a relatively simple and effective way to convert electrical energy to light and vice versa. Devices based on semiconductor materials of various kinds provide interaction of an electromagnetic signal in the range of wavelengths with a medium. Examples of such devices are LED lamps, photovoltaic cells, thermometers, gas sensors, cameras, and many others. The study of various semiconductors broadens the range of application of photonics. This work is based on the study of materials which …

Supplying Bio-Compressed Natural Gas To The Transport Industry In Ireland: Is The Current Regulatory Framework Facilitating Or Hindering Development?, Niamh Power, Daniel Goulding, Dan Fitzpatrick, Rodger O'Connor, James D. Browne

Publications

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and biomethane when blended as a transport fuel (bio-CNG) have significant potential in Europe. However, this alternative fuel has not been developed in several European countries. One of the barriers to market penetration is the absence of a coherent regulatory framework to eliminate the disparity between European and national legislation. Using Ireland as a test case, this paper examines how conflicting policies can be aligned to ensure effective bio-CNG market development. A key barrier is the regulatory ambiguity placed on transport fuel suppliers and investors who wish to connect to the network to supply bio-CNG. For …

Tuned Liquid Column Damper Based Reduction Ofic Dynamresponses Of Scaled Offshore Platforms In Different Ocean Wave Basins, Deirdre O’Donnel, Jimmy Murphy, Cian Desmond, Vesna Jaksic, Vikram Pakrashi

Conference Papers

Control of dynamic responses of renewable energy device platforms is important for their performance, safe operation and efficiency over their lifetime under regular and extreme wave conditions. Tuned Liquid Column Dampers (TLCDs) have been recently considered as a viable passive control mechanism in this regard but limited information is available in relation to their experimental performance. This paper compares scaled experiments conducted in two different ocean wave basins where floating offshore platforms were retrofitted with multiple TLCDs (MTLCDs). Performance of such MTLCDs in these scaled ocean wave basins are evaluated and compared considering control of dynamic responses for a specific …

Development Of A Dynamic Cfd Model For Offshore Oscillating Water Columns With Non-Linear Interactions, Ken O'Connell

Theses

This thesis focuses on the development of a state of the art modelling technique for offshore Oscillating Water Column (OWC) type Wave Energy Converters (WEC) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Current literature indicates a limited amount of work has been completed on studying these devices containing non-linear time dependent flow phenomenon. Initially, a 2D Numerical Wave Tank (NWT) is studied to reduce discretisation error in order to reproduce accurately propagating waves. Further development into a 3D domain permits the geometrical requirements of an OWC type spar buoy to be included.

In parallel, a single Degree of Freedom (DOF) model is …

Investigating The Parameters That Influence The Particle Mass Concentration Rates In A Grade C Cleanroom., Nazar H. Baker

Theses

The cleanroom design engineers use the guidelines tables, in which the Air Change Rates (ACHs) are determined based on the room cleanliness class. These guidelines are based on experience and do not fully address many other critical variables that influence the particulate level and particle distribution. These simplified approaches could often cause significant energy waste. In the last five decades, a number of mathematical models were developed to determine the airflow required in cleanrooms. As a consequence of the approximation of many critical variables in these models, these models can only be used as a qualitative indicator of the airflow …

An Investigation Of Service Quality Within Irish Franchised Motor Dealerships, Clive Atkinson

Theses

This study investigates service quality within franchised motor dealerships from the perspective of thirty-eight persons working in the roles of Dealer Principal, After-Sales Manager or Service Manager in dealerships operating under the Volkswagen group of brands in Ireland (VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda). With approximately 2.3 million cars on Irish roads, more than two thirds of the Irish adult population encounter car service experiences on a regular basis. Regardless of brand or dealership type, the quality of vehicle service experience is paramount for customer retention. Despite this, however, service quality within Irish motor dealerships remains an under-explored area. Qualitative analysis …