Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Optimizing The Valorization Of Industrial By-Products For The Induction Healing Of Asphalt Mixtures, Amir Tabakovic, Marta Vila-Cortavitarte, Daniel Jato-Espino, Daniel Castro-Fresno

Articles

Self-healing within asphalt pavements is the process whereby road cracks can be repaired automatically when thermal and mechanical conditions are met. To accelerate and improve this healing process, metal particles are added to asphalt mixtures. However, thisapproach is costly both in economic and environmental terms due to the use of virgin metallic particles. So, even though the self-healing of asphalt mixtures has been widely addressed in experimental terms over the years, there is a lack of research aimed at modelling this phenomenon, especially with the purpose of optimizing the use of metal particles through the valorization of industrial by-products. As …

Hydcem: A New Cement Hydration Model, Niall Holmes, Denis Kelliher, Mark Tyrer

Conference papers

Hydration models are useful to predict, understand and describe the behaviour of different cementitious-based systems. They are indispensable for undertaking long-term performance and service life predictions for existing and new products for generating quantitative data in the move towards more sustainable cements while optimising natural resources. One such application is the development of cement-based thermoelectric applications.

HYDCEM is a new model to predict the phase assemblage, degree of hydration, heat release and changes in pore solution chemistry over time for cements undergoing hydration for any w/c ratio and curing temperatures up to 450C. HYDCEM, written in MATLAB, is aimed at …

The Knowledge Development Box: An Overview, Kevin Delaney, Bernard Doherty, James Mc Mahon, William Coffey, Ger Nangle

Other resources

Finance Act 2015 introduced the Knowledge Development Box (KDB). The broad objective of the KDB is to promote innovation and provide an incentive whereby profits arising from patented inventions, copyrighted software and certain other specific asset classes can effectively be taxed at a reduced rate of 6.25%.

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Framework To Support The Effective Adoption Of Bim In The Public Sector: Lessons For Ireland, Shiyao Kuang, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley, Roger West

Conference papers

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been formally adopted by many countries with the promise of creating greater economic, social and sustainability benefits. Several authors and institutions have presented alternative BIM policies and tactics which have been adopted by developed countries. However, there is evidence to indicate that BIM adoption theories are not well established and, in particular, the linkage between BIM public sector adoption strategy outcomes and their contribution to achieving Government policy objectives are underdeveloped. This paper will present the outcome of the first phase of a systematic literature review of published studies (including journal papers and noteworthy international …

Bs News May/June

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Findings Of A Phenomenographic Research Study Into Academic Conceptions Of The Term Professional Skills, Una Beagon, Brian Bowe

Other resources

This presentation outlines preliminary findings of a phenomenographic study of academic conceptions of the term professional skills.

Microwave Self-Healing Technology As Airfield Porous Asphalt Friction Course Repair And Maintenance System, Amir Tabakovic, Declan O'Prey, Drew Mckenna, David Woodward

Research and Innovation - Articles

A problem increasingly faced by airport authorities is the maintenance of runways. Due to their large aircraft loadings associated with take-off and landing operations, runways experience surface deterioration. Poor quality runway surfaces cannot be tolerated in such an environment. Maintenance issues must be carried out to maximise safety and minimise the risk of aircraft damage. A recent development has been the introduction of self-healing technologies such as rejuvenator encapsulation, induction and microwave heating to address these issues. This paper summarises a laboratory investigation to determine the effectiveness of microwave self-healing for crack repair of Porous Friction Course (PFC) used for …

Bs News March/April

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Asphalt Ageing On Induction Healing Effect On Porous Asphalt Concrete, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Induction healing is a proven technology which is able to improve the self‐healing capacity of asphalt concrete. Healing is achieved via electromagnetic current produced by passing induction machine, where steel asphalt constituents heat up which in turn soften the bitumen in the asphalt layer, allowing it to flow and close cracks, repairing the damage. This paper reports on the study which investigated the influence of ageing on the healing capacity of Porous Asphalt (PA) concrete. Porous Asphalt concrete mix was prepared first, then subjected to an accelerated (laboratory) ageing process using a ventilated oven. In order to further evaluate the …

Discussion: Effect Of Bentonite Slurry Pressure On Interface Friction Of Pipe Jacking, Ciaran Reilly, Trevor Orr

Articles

Pipe jacking is a technique used to construct tunnels by pushing prefabricated pipes through the ground from an entrance shaft to an exit shaft. This technique is referred as microtunneling in U.S. terminology, therefore, in the rest of the text, pipejacking and microtunneling will be used as having the same meaning. Pipe jacking is a more economical alternative to segmental lined tunnels. However, the main limitation of pipe jacking is the jacking distance, which is directly dependent on the friction between the pipe and the soil. Therefore, reducing the friction between the pipe and soil is a critical issue in …

Optimization Of The Calcium Alginate Capsules For Self-Healing Asphalt, Shi Xu, Amir Tabakovic, Xueyan Liu, Damian Palin, Erik Schlangen

Research and Innovation - Articles

Featured Application: This self-healing technology for asphalt pavements has the potential to greatly disrupt asphalt production methods (which have been stable over the past 100 years).This paper presents a development process of ‘calcium-alginate microcapsules encapsulating an asphalt bitumen rejuvenator’. The encapsulated rejuvenator is released when required (on demand) which rejuvenates the aged binder. Once crack is initiated and starts propagating it encounters a microcapsule, energy at tip of the crack opens the microcapsule, releasing the rejuvenator (healing agent). The rejuvenator will infuse into the aged binder soften it, allowing to flow, two broken edges to get into a contact and …

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 …

Coastal Dune Vegetation Mapping Using A Multispectral Sensor Mounted On An Uas, Chen Suo, Eugene Mcgovern, Alan Gilmer

Articles

Vegetation mapping, identifying the type and distribution of plant species, is important for analysing vegetation dynamics, quantifying spatial patterns of vegetation evolution, analysing the effectsof environmental changes and predicting spatial patterns of species diversity. Such analysis can contribute to the development of targeted land management actions that maintain biodiversity and ecological functions. This paper presents a methodology for 3D vegetation mapping of a coastal dune complex using a multispectral camera mounted on an unmanned aerial system with particular reference to the Buckroney dune complex in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or …

Research & Development Tax Credit, Kevin Delaney, Bernard Doherty, James Mc Mahon, William Coffey, Ger Nagle

Other resources

Ireland’s R&D tax credit system is ofmajor benefit to both multinational companies and SMEs operating in Ireland. The R&D tax credit was first introduced in Finance Act 2004 and offers a company undertaking R&D in Ireland a significant tax break, representing a potential 25% refund of costs incurred.This expenditure is also allowable as a Corporation Tax deduction, giving an effective deduction of 37.5% in a company’s tax liability.

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 …

Air Diffusion System Design In Large Assembly Halls. Case Study Of The Congress Of Deputies Parliament Building, Madrid, Spain, Paul G. O'Donohoe, Miguel A. Gálvez-Huerta, Tomas Gil-Lopez, Pedro M. Dieguez-Elizondo, Juan Castejon-Navas

Articles

The paper describes and analyses the air distribution solution adopted in the refurbishment of the Spanish Congress of Deputies assembly hall. A new approach is proposed for the design of displacement ventilation systems. The system performance is methodically validated both with laboratory tests, computational fluid dynamics analysis and experimental field measurements related to the environmental performance of the built environment. In assembly halls, microclimate and displacement ventilation systems, which supply air by means of floor mounted outlets, have been shown to perform adequately. In this case study floor air supply is not feasible. The solution adapted uses parapet mounted diffusers, …

Evaluation Of Hydrometric Network Efficacy And User Requirements In The Republic Of Ireland Via Expert Opinion And Statistical Analysis, Paul Hynds, Ahmed Nasr, Jean O'Dwyer

Articles

Decreased funding and shifting governmental priorities have resulted in a contraction of hydrometric measurement in many regions over the past two decades. Moreover, concerns exist with respect to appropriate data usage and (transboundary) exchange, in addition to the compatibility and extent of existing hydrometric datasets. These issues are undoubtedly magnified due to enhanced data demands and increased financial pressures on network managers, thus requiring new approaches to optimising the societal benefits and overall efficacy of hydrometric information for future socio-hydrological resilience. The current study employed a quantitative cross-sectional expert elicitation of 203 respondents to collate, analyse and assess hydrometric network …

Public Private Partnership (Ppp): Sustainability In The Context Of Ppp Educational Building Projects, Renuka Rajput

Doctoral

This PhD research focuses on and examines the relationship between PPP procurement and sustainability and further aims to establish whether PPP projects can be sustainable with regards to social, enviornmnetal and economic sustainability. The scope of the research is primarily confined to the implementation of construction related sustainability practices within PPPs. It introduces various PPP concepts and critiques the underlying principles for the utilisation of PPP in education sector. This discussion leads to the identification of the core factors common to Sustainability and PPPs and the challenges facing the public and private partners in implementing sustainability in its entirety. In …

Development Of Poly-Vinyl Alcohol Stabilized Silver Nanofluids For Solar Thermal Applications, James Walshe, George Amarandei, Hind Ahmed, Sarah Mccormack, John Doran

Articles

Nanofluids offer the potential to address the low thermal conductivities found in conventional heat transfer fluids, through their unique electrical, optical and thermal properties, but their implementation remains restricted due to absorption and stability limitations. Here, we characterize and exploit the distinctive plasmonic properties exhibited by polyvinyl-alcohol stabilized silver nanostructures by tuning their absorption and thermal properties through controlling the nanoparticle size, morphology and particle-size distribution configuration at the synthesis stage. The photo-thermal efficiency of different water-based silver nanofluids under a standard AM1.5G weighted solar spectrum were explored, the influence of each of these components on the resulting fluids performance …

Influence Of Limit Equilibrium Methods In The Design Of Contiguous Cantilever Sheet Pile Walls Through Reliability-Based Analysis, Alvaro J. Mattos, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

In geotechnical engineering the design of bored- pile walls is commonly performed in terms of the embedment length (D) defined according to the limit equilibrium methods (also known as balance methods) formulated by Krey, Blum, Rowe, Hansen and the empirical method of Look in sandy soils. The limit equilibrium methods are calculations associated with the shape of the earth pressures distributions in the shaft, earth pressures theories, geotechnical properties and safety factors, while the empirical criteria establish that the relationship between embedment and the free height (H) is of the order of D/H = 1.5. These design methods are complemented …

Reliability Issues Caused By The Retirement Of Large Thermal Generation Facilities: An Irish Case Study, Kyle Lawson, Jane Courtney

Conference papers

Like all developed countries Ireland faces increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. Part of the governments plans include the scaling back of fossil fuel generation facilities and increasing renewable resources. Moneypoint is Irelands only coal fired generation station. In 2025 Moneypoint is due to reach the end of its life cycle. At this point the Irish government will have to make a decission on the future of the generation facility. Currently Moneypoint is responsible for the generation of approximately 10 % of Irelands energy needs. In this paper, the removal of Moneypoint from the Irish generation portfolio will be …

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.

Assessment Of Physicochemical Characteristics, Thermal Stability And Release Profile Of Ascorbic Acid Microcapsules Obtained By Complex Coacervation, Michele Cristina Rodrigues Da Cruz, João Luiz Andreotti Dagostin, Camila Augusto Perussello, Maria Lúcia Masson

Articles

The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical characteristics, thermal stability and release profile of ascorbic acid (AA) microcapsules obtained by complex coacervation. Gelatin and gum arabic were used as wall materials in concentrations of 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5 g% (w/v). The coacervate microcapsules were freeze-dried and assessed for physicochemical characteristics, thermal behavior and stability during 60 days of storage. The release profile was evaluated at different pH values (1.1, 2.2, 5.4, 7.4, 9.6 and 12). The encapsulation efficiency ranged from 27.3 to 93.8%. The microcapsules of AA presented good characteristics for application in food matrices, such as …

Harnessing Smart Technology For Private Well Risk Assessment And Communication, Tanner Hoffman, Paul Hynds, Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Sarah Dickson-Anderson, Anna Majury

Articles

Unregulated, privately owned water supplies, including groundwater wells, are relied upon extensively, particularly in rural and remote regions. While adequate stewardship behaviors (water testing, treatment, and maintenance) have been shown to decrease the incidence and frequency of faecal indicator organism (FIO) presence and, by extension, the risk of pathogenic ingress, contaminated private water supplies continue to constitute a significant public health risk. Recognizing that innovative approaches are needed to bolster well stewardship, this paper identifies and assesses 35 tools (smartphone and web-based applications) to better understand components, functionality, strengths, and weaknesses. Applications for both data collection and risk communication were …

What Is A Bim Design Model?, James Peters, Malachy Mathews

Conference papers

The recent report into Building Information Management or BIM, by construction law experts May Winfield and Sarah Rock entitled “Winfield Rock Report” [1] gives reason to state that the UK architectural, engineering and construction industry or AEC, is hindered by the absence of a clear definition of Level 2 BIM. The ISO 19650-2 standard published in 2019, is based upon PAS1192-2:2013. The intent of ISO 19650-2 is to provide a road map to facilitate the standardisation of BIM process in a uniformed fashion. A key pillar of ISO 19650 is the “information cycle” and central to this is a federated …

Daylight: What Makes A Difference, M. Knoop, O. Stefani, B. Bueno, B. Matusiak, R. Hobday, A. Wirz-Justice, K. Martiny, T. Kantermann, M. Aarts, N. Zemmouri, S. Appelt, Brian Norton

Articles

Light is necessary for vision; it enables us to sense and perceive our surroundings and in many direct and indirect ways, via eye and skin, affects our physiological and psychological health. The use of light in built environments has comfort, behavioural, economic and environmental consequences. Daylight has many particular benefits including excellent visual performance, permitting good eyesight, effective entrainment of the circadian system as well as a number of acute non-image forming effects and the important role of vitamin D production. Some human responses to daylight seem to be well defined whilst others require more research to be adequately understood. …

Optimization Of Pv Powered Spd Switchable Glazing To Minimise Probability Of Loss Of Power Supply, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton

Articles

Suspended particle device (SPD) glazing is an electrically actuated switchable glazing. It requires alternate current (AC) power supply to switch from opaque to transparent state. To power this glazing using PV device requires inverter. Optimization of AC powered switchable SPD glazing using photovoltaic (PV) device has been evaluated using loss of power supply probability (LPSP). Electrically switchable direct current (DC) powered electrochromic glazing was also considered in this investigation as it doesn't need any inverter to couple with PV. It is concluded that behaviour of these glazings is the dominant factor in performance optimization outweighting than azimuthal orientation and inclination …

Adapting The Surveying Curriculum To New Dimensions Of The Profession, Fahria Masum, Reinfried Mansberger, Audrey Martin, Gerhard Navratil, Anthony Mushinge

Articles

Today the surveying profession is very different from what it was twenty years ago. Recent technological innovations, globalization, and global land-related challenges have allowed a wide range of advances in the surveying profession. The vision is to promote surveying practices that can enhance the quality of services in a variety of tracks in the land profession. According to the new adjacent professional areas and the needs of the labor market, academic courses for surveyors have to be adapted to meet the broader scope of the surveying profession and to supply highly qualified land professionals. This paper outlines the new challenges …