Engineering Commons^™

Electric Vehicles: Design, Development And Growth Directions, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

The transition from Petrol/Diesel and LPG powered vehicles to electric types and hydrogen powered is in progress. The world demand, from China to UK and Tokyo to New York is growing and includes new brands to established companies. Toyota has developed Hybrids on almost all of its Petrol/Diesel models during this transition. The scale of the industry is enormous with experts arguing for and against the performance, sustainability, ethical reasoning, costs and reliability of the technology for now and the future, providing logical answers to support or reject their arguments for success or failure. One in 12 cars sold across …

Transferring Studies Across Embodiments: A Case Study In Confusion Detection, Na Li, Robert J. Ross

Articles

Human-robot studies are expensive to conduct and difficult to control, and as such researchers sometimes turn to human-avatar interaction in the hope of faster and cheaper data collection that can be transferred to the robot domain. In terms of our work, we are particularly interested in the challenge of detecting and modelling user confusion in interaction, and as part of this research programme, we conducted situated dialogue studies to investigate users' reactions in confusing scenarios that we give in both physical and virtual environments. In this paper, we present a combined review of these studies and the results that we …

A Systematic Review Of How Cloud Infrastructure And Gdpr Have Affected Digital Investigations In A Multinational Business Context, Stuart Fraser, A.Omar Portillo-Dominguez

Other

With cloud infrastructure becoming an ever more popular platform for business network implementations, and with ever-tightening data protection regulation, the ability to carry out digital investigations has become more difficult. This has led to areas of research that have looked to restore the balance to digital investigations in this environment. These areas include the use of blockchain, data tracing, and digital forensics as a service. With so many methods to consider, this article looks at how each method aims to return the balance and make it possible to carry out an investigation that complies with new privacy regulations (e.g., the …

A Systematic Literature Review Exploring The Barriers To Innovative Modular Construction Methods For The International Hyper-Scale Data Centre Sector, Peter E. Lonergan, A.Omar Portillo-Dominguez

Other

Data centres form the essential global infrastructure relied upon for multiple industries such as the internet, financial services, and telecommunications. Consequently, data centre construction has developed into a buoyant business sector, leveraging increasing global investment. However, traditional means of data centre procurement do not match stakeholder’s ambitions or current delivery demands. Thus, there is a need for the adoption of new and innovative construction methodologies in the sector to introduce improvements for the delivery of this essential infrastructure. As a step in that direction, this paper presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that investigates the barriers preventing the implementation of …

Advancing Competency In Managing Risk And Knowledge: Steps Toward Operationalisation Of The Risk-Knowledge Infinity Cycle (Rki Cycle) Part 3: Uncovering Knowledge For Qrm Through Knowledge Mapping At Node 1, Martin Lipa, Valerie Mulholland, Anne Greene

Articles

To date, literature on the Risk-Knowledge Infinity Cycle (RKI Cycle) has mainly been theoretical. This paper series intent is to focus on the operationalisation of the RKI Cycle by describing a series of steps – the “How to” – for RKI Cycle deployment, to help move the RKI Cycle from theory to practice. The third paper in this series focuses on ensuring the best available knowledge flows into QRM through a case study demonstrating knowledge mapping to support effective quality risk assessment during commissioning and qualification activities.

Carbon Nanotube Coated Fibrous Tubes For Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors Having High Linearity, Chenchen Li, Bangze Zhou, Yanfen Zhou, Jianwei Ma, Fenglei Zhou, Shaojuan Chen, Stephen Jerrams, Liang Jiang

Articles

Strain sensors are currently limited by an inability to operate over large deformations or to exhibit linear responses to strain. Producing strain sensors meeting these criteria remains a particularly difficult challenge. In this work, the fabrication of a highly flexible strain sensor based on electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibrous tubes comprising wavy and oriented fibers coated with carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is described. By combining spraying and ultrasonic-assisted deposition, the number of CNTs deposited on the electrospun TPU fibrous tube could reach 12 wt%, which can potentially lead to the formation of an excellent conductive network with high conductivity …

Os-Walk-Eu: An Open-Source Tool To Assess Health-Promoting Residential Walkability Of European City Structures, Stefan Fina, Christian Gerten, Brian Pondi, Lorraine D'Arcy, Niamh O' Reilly, David Sousa Vale, Mauro Pereira, Samuele Zilio

Articles

Introduction This paper introduces OS-WALK-EU, a new open-source walkability assessment tool developed specifically for urban neighbourhoods and using open-source spatial data. A free and open-source tool, OS-WALK-EU is accessible to the general public. It uses open data available worldwide and free online services to compute accessibility, while at the same time allowing users to integrate local datasets if available. Based on a review of existing measurement concepts, the paper adopts dimensions of walkability that were tested in European city environments and explains their conceptualization for software development. We invite the research community to collaboratively test, adopt and use the tool …

Dominant Frequency Component Tracking Of Noisy Time-Varying Signals Using The Linear Predictive Coding Pole Processing Method, Jin Xu, Mark Davis, Ruairí De Fréin

Articles

The linear predictive coding pole processing (LPCPP) method proposed in our previous work overcomes the shortcomings of the LPC method, especially its sensitivity to noise and the filter order. The LPCPP method is a parameterised method that involves processing the LPC poles to produce a series of reduced-order filter transfer functions to estimate the dominant frequency components of a signal. This paper analyses the ability of the LPCPP method to track the frequency changes of noisy, time-varying signals in real-time. Linear chirped frequency modulation signals are used in a series of experiments to simulate signals with different rates of frequency …

Formation Of Gold Nanoparticle Self-Assembling Films In Various Polymer Matrices For Sers Substrates, Ksenia A. Maleeva, Ilia E. Kaliya, Anton P. Tkach, Anton A. Babaev, Michail Baranov, Kevin Berwick, Tatiana S. Perova, Alexander V. Baranov, Kirill V. Bogdanov

Articles

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is regarded as a versatile tool for studying the composition and structure of matter. This work has studied the preparation of a SERS substrate based on a self-assembling plasmonic nanoparticle film (SPF) in a polymer matrix. Several synthesis parameters for the SPF are investigated, including the size of the particles making up the film and the concentration and type of the self-assembling agent. The result of testing systems with different characteristics is discussed using a model substance (pseudo isocyaniniodide). These models can be useful in the study of biology and chemistry. Research results contain the optimal …

Development And Characterisation Of A Whole Hybrid Sol-Gel Optofluidic Platform For Biosensing Applications, Emma Mchugh, Graceson Antony, Arun Kumar Mallik, Alicja Kaworek, Declan Mccormack, Brendan Duffy, Mohamed Oubaha

Articles

This work outlines, for the first time, the fabrication of a whole hybrid sol-gel optofluidic platform by integrating a microfluidic biosensor platform with optical waveguides employing a standard photolithography process. To demonstrate the suitability of this new hybrid sol-gel optofluidic platform, optical and bio-sensing proof-of-concepts are proposed. A photoreactive hybrid sol-gel material composed of a photopolymerisable organically modified silicon alkoxide and a transition metal complex was prepared and used as the fabrication material for the entire optofluidic platform, including the optical waveguides, the sensing areas, and the microfluidic device. The most suitable sol-gel materials chosen for the fabrication of the …

Passage Tombs And Wind Turbines—A Contested Relationship?, Frank Prendergast, Muiris O'Sullivan Prof

Articles

Geospatial and archaeoastronomical analysis of the proposed location of large-scale wind turbines showed a significant negative visual impact on two National Monuments (Knockroe and Kilkieran) and on a hilltop passage tomb at Baunfree. These places straddle county boundaries and their constituent monuments are components of a rare and internationally important prehistoric landscape. Tipperary County Council gave considerable weight to the findings described in this paper in making their decision to refuse planning permission.

Quantum Mechanics And Control Using Fractional Calculus: A Study Of The Shutter Problem For Fractional Quantum Fields, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

The ‘diffraction in space’ and the ‘diffraction in time’ phenomena are considered in regard to a continuously open, and a closed shutter that is opened at an instant in time, respectively. The purpose of this is to provide a background to the principal theme of this article, which is to extend the ‘quantum shutter problem’ for the case when the wave function is determined by the fundamental solution to a partial differential equation with a fractional derivative of space or of time. This involves the development of Green’s function solutions for the space- and time-fractional Schrödinger equation and the time-fractional …

Measurement Of Orientation And Distance Change Using Circularly Polarized Uwb Signals, Janusz Przewocki, Max Ammann, Adam Narbudowicz

Articles

The article proposes methodology to use circularly polarized (CP) ultra-wideband (UWB) signals for simultaneous measurement of orientation and distance changes between transmitter and receiver. The proposed technique uses the rotational Doppler effect on CP pulsed communication. The amplitude of a CP signal is immune to polarization misalignment in the presence of rotation; however, the phase is subjected to a frequency-invariant shift proportional to the rotation angle. This significantly distorts the pulse shape in the time domain and can be used for the measurement of the rotated angle. By combining the technique with the well-known localization capability of UWB systems, one …

Determining Realistic U-Values To Substitute Default U-Values In Epc Database To Make More Representative; A Case-Study In Ireland., Kumar Raushan, Ciara Ahern, Brian Norton

Articles

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are the foremost source of information on the energy performance of the EU’s building stock. Inherent in all EPC methodologies are trade-offs between reproducibility, accuracy, assessor expertise and costs. During an assessment, where accurate building data acquisition would be excessively invasive or costly, nationally specified default values are used.

Default values are necessarily pessimistic to; avoid a better-than-merited rating, enable homeowners to know the advantage of energetic refurbishment, encourage homeowners to record upgrades informing EPCs, and propel assessors to seek-out information to provide an accurate rating.

This work reviews default U-value use across Europe and the …

Preparing Engineering Students For The Challenges Of The Sdgs: What Competences Are Required?, Una Beagon, Klara Kövesi, Brad Tabas, Bente Nørgaard, Riitta Lehtinen, Brian Bowe, Christiane Gillet, Claus Monrad Spliid

Articles

Despite the emerging discussions about the growing role of engineers in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a lack of agreement on which competences should be prioritised to prepare engineering students to resolve future sustainability challenges. This study examined and compared the views of key stakeholders of engineering education (Academics, Employers and Students) using twelve focus groups in Denmark, Finland, France and Ireland. The findings were mapped against competences identified in previous studies to highlight gaps and opportunities for development. The results confirm the strong emphasis on normative, strategic and systems thinking competences in engineering. However, the outcomes …

Development Of An Explainability Scale To Evaluate Explainable Artificial Intelligence (Xai) Methods, Stephen Mccarthy

Dissertations

Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) is an area of research that develops methods and techniques to make the results of artificial intelligence understood by humans. In recent years, there has been an increased demand for XAI methods to be developed due to model architectures getting more complicated and government regulations requiring transparency in machine learning models. With this increased demand has come an increased need for instruments to evaluate XAI methods. However, there are few, if none, valid and reliable instruments that take into account human opinion and cover all aspects of explainability. Therefore, this study developed an objective, human-centred questionnaire …

Wideband Array For Bgan Portable Terminals, Jakub Przepiorowski, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann, Xiulong Bao

Conference papers

With the increasing demand for global internet connectivity [1], services like INMARSAT’s Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) are becoming more widely used. BGAN terminals are portable devices that can be plugged into a laptop or a network in a remote location and provide access to the internet via INMARSAT’s I-4 and the emerging I-6 geostationary satellites. BGAN terminals operate in the L-band with the receive band (Rx) of 1518-1559 MHz and the transmit band (Tx) of 1626.5-1675 MHz.

Evaluation Of Automated Eye Blink Artefact Removal Using Stacked Dense Autoencoder, Matthew Rigney

Dissertations

The presence of artefacts in Electroencephalograph (EEG) signals can have a considerable impact on the information they portray. In this comparative study, the automated removal of eye blink artefacts using the constrained latent representation of a stacked dense autoencoders (SDAE) and comparing its ability to that of the manual independent component analysis (ICA) approach was evaluated. A comparative evaluation of 5 stacked dense autoencoder architectures lead to a chosen architecture for which the ability to automatically detect and remove eye blink artefacts were both statistically and humanistically evaluated. The ability of the stacked dense autoencoder was statistically evaluated with the …

Scrolling Vs Paging: Reading Performance And Preference Of Reading Modes In Long-Form Online News, Richard Herlihy

Dissertations

This study explores the impact of scrolling and dynamic pagination in long-form online documents on reader performance and reader experience. Previous research has produced mixed results, indicating no difference between modes, or a positive effect favouring scrolling. Recent advances in web standards have enabled simpler, dynamic, performant methods of pagination to tailor content responsively to any screen, meriting renewed study in this area. This paper uses one such method to load subsequent online news pages instantly without buffering. In an online browser experiment with 38 participants, an increase in reading speed in the scrolling mode was found at a level …

Home Energy Management System Considering Effective Demand Response Strategies And Uncertainties, Marcos Tostado-Véliz, Paul Arévalo, Salah Kamel, Hossam Zawbaa, Francisco Jurado

Articles

Nowadays, load serving entities require more active participation from consumers. In this context, demand response programs and home energy management systems play a crucial role in achieving multiple goals such as peak clipping. However, the adoption of demand response initiatives typically has a negative impact on the monetary expenditures of the users. This way, a demand response program should be as effective as possible to make the different goals more easily achievable without compromising the financial requirements of the users. This paper develops a home energy management system that incorporates three novel effective demand response strategies. The effectiveness of the …

Improvement Of Active Distribution Systems With High Penetration Capacities Of Shunt Reactive Compensators And Distributed Generators Using Bald Eagle Search, Ahmad Eid, Salah Kamel, Dr Hossam Zawbaa, Mostafa Dardeer

Articles

This work proposes an intelligent allocation of distributed generation (DG) units and shunt reactive compensators (SRC) with high penetration capacities into distribution systems for power loss mitigation using the Bald Eagle Search (BES) optimization algorithm. The intelligent allocation causes a reduction in voltage variations and enhances the voltage stability of the systems. The SRC units include shunt capacitors (SC), Static Var Compensators (SVC), and Distribution Static Compensators (DSTATCOM), which are determined according to their capacities. The optimization study includes the 33-bus and the 118-bus distribution systems as medium to large systems. Performance parameters, including the reactive power loss, Total Voltage …

Performance Of An Adaptive Aggregation Mechanism In A Noisy Wlan Downlink Mu-Mimo Channel, Lemlem Kassa, Mark Davis, Jianhua Deng, Jingye Cai

Articles

This paper investigates an adaptive frame aggregation technique in the medium access control (MAC) layer for the Wireless Local Area Network (WALN) downlink Multi-User–Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MU-MIMO) channel. In tackling the challenges of heterogeneous traffic demand among spatial streams, we proposed a new adaptive aggregation algorithm which has a superior performance over the baseline First-in–First-Out (FIFO) scheme in terms of system throughput performance and channel utilization. However, this earlier work does not consider the effects of wireless channel error. In addressing the limitations of this work, this study contributes an enhanced version of the earlier model considering the effect of channel …

Rss-Based Indoor Localization System With Single Base Station, Samir Salem Al-Bawri, Mohammad Tariqul Islam, Mandeep Jit Singh, Mohd Faizal Jamlos, Adam Narbudowicz, Max Ammann, Dominique M.M.P. Schreurs

Articles

The paper proposes an Indoor Localization System (ILS) which uses only one fixed Base Station (BS) with simple non-reconfigurable antennas. The proposed algorithm measures Received Signal Strength (RSS) and maps it to the location in the room by estimating signal strength of a direct line of sight (LOS) signal and signal of the first order reflection from the wall. The algorithm is evaluated through both simulations and empirical measurements in a furnished open space office, sampling 21 different locations in the room. It is demonstrated the system can identify user’s real-time location with a maximum estimation error below 0.7 m …

Information Modelling For Urban Building Energy Simulation—A Taxonomic Review, Avichal Malhotra, Julian Bischof, Alexandru Nichersu, Karl-Heinz Häfele, Johannes Exenberger, Divyanshu Sood, James Allan, Jérôme Frisch, Christoph Van Treeck, James O'Donnell, Gerald Schweiger

Articles

Climate change, increasing emissions and rising global temperatures have gradually affected the way we think about the future of our planet. Urban areas possess significant potential for reducing the energy consumption of the overall energy system. In recent years, there is an increasing number of research initiatives related to Urban Building Energy Modelling (UBEM) that focus on simulation processes and validation techniques. Although input data are crucial for the modelling process as well as for the validity of the results, the availability of input data and associated data formats were not analysed in detail. This paper closes the identified knowledge …

Designing A Robust Decentralized Energy Transactions Framework For Active Prosumers In Peer-To-Peer Local Electricity Markets, Mehdi Mehdinejad, Heidar Ali Shayanfar, Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo, Hamed Nafisi

Articles

In this paper, a fully decentralized local energy market based on peer-to-peer(P2P) trading is proposed for small-scale prosumers. In the proposed market, the prosumers are classified as buyers and sellers and can bilaterally engage in energy trading (P2P) with each other. The buyer prosumers are equipped with electrical storage and can participate in a demand response (DR) program while protecting their privacy. In addition to bilateral negotiating with the local sellers, these players can compensate for their energy deficiency from the upstream market as the retail market at hours without local generation. In this paper, the retail market price is …

Heat Transfer And Friction Factor Correlations Development For Double Pass Solar Air Heater Artificially Roughened With Perforated Multi-V Ribs, Varun Pratap Singh, Siddharth Jain, Ashish Karn, Gaurav Dwivedi, Ashwani Kumar, Sachin Mishra, Naveen Kumar Sharma, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

Articles

Thermo-hydraulic performance of a Double Pass Parallel Flow Solar Air Heater (DPPFSAH) roughened with perforated multi-V ribs has been studied experimentally in a prior study and the effect of variation in open area ratio and change in relative roughness width has been analysed and reported. The current work builds upon the aforementioned earlier study by discussing in detail the methodology and various steps involved in the development of a correlation for variable parameters with Nusselt number and friction factor for DPPFSAH. The outcomes show that perforations in the multi-V ribs lead to a considerable rise in the Nusselt number, a …

Electrooptic, Pyroelectric And Dielectric Spectroscopic Studies Of Nematic And Twist Bend Nematic Phases Of Achiral Hockey-Shaped Bent-Core Liquid Crystal, Sithara P. Sreenilayam, Neelam Yadav, Yuri Panarin, G. Shanker, J.K. Vij

Articles

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase in liquid crystals have recently received significant attention for reasons of unusual and interesting characteristics of the NTB. Though NTB was predicted to exist for rigid bent-core LCs by Ivan Dozov in 2001, nevertheless it has unambiguously been proven to exist only in a few bent-core systems so far. Here the characteristics of both the nematic (N) and NTB phases are investigated for a hockey shaped achiral rigid bent-core LC, called BCI, in planar and homeotropic aligned cells, using polarizing optical microscopy, electro-optics, pyroelectricity and wide band dielectric spectroscopy. Spontaneous …

Optimal Design Of Photovoltaic, Biomass, Fuel Cell, Hydrogen Tank Units And Electrolyzer Hybrid System For A Remote Area In Egypt, Abd El-Sattar Abd El-Sattar, Salah Kamel, Hamdy M. Sultan, Hossam Zawbaa, Francisco Jurado

Articles

In this paper, a new isolated hybrid system is simulated and analyzed to obtain the optimal sizing and meet the electricity demand with cost improvement for servicing a small remote area with a peak load of 420 kW. The major configuration of this hybrid system is Photovoltaic (PV) modules, Biomass gasifier (BG), Electrolyzer units, Hydrogen Tank units (HT), and Fuel Cell (FC) system. A recent optimization algorithm, namely Mayfly Optimization Algorithm (MOA) is utilized to ensure that all load demand is met at the lowest energy cost (EC) and minimize the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the proposed system. The …

Human Mental Workload: A Survey And A Novel Inclusive Definition, Luca Longo, Christopher D. Wickens, Gabriella Hancock, P.A. Hancock

Articles

Human mental workload is arguably the most invoked multidimensional construct in Human Factors and Ergonomics, getting momentum also in Neuroscience and Neuroergonomics. Uncertainties exist in its characterization, motivating the design and development of computational models, thus recently and actively receiving support from the discipline of Computer Science. However, its role in human performance prediction is assured. This work is aimed at providing a synthesis of the current state of the art in human mental workload assessment through considerations, definitions, measurement techniques as well as applications, Findings suggest that, despite an increasing number of associated research works, a single, reliable and …

Life-Cycle Assessment Of Non-Domestic Building Stocks: A Meta-Analysis Of Current Modelling Methods, Julian Bischoff, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Building stock models (BSMs) are essential for simulating the contributions of regional and national building sectors to climate change under different policy scenarios, and for identifying pathways to climate change mitigation. To date, BSMs have focused on the operational life-cycle impacts of domestic dwellings; there has been less emphasis either on non-domestic buildings (NDBs) or full life-cycle analysis. This paper provides a first review of the theory and practice of NDB stock modelling which considers life-cycle energy, emissions and costs. A meta-analysis of the literature was undertaken involving a structured search of relevant articles in key scientific repositories. 98 in-scope …