On the impact of urban climate on the energy consumption of buildings

Climatic measurements from almost 30 urban and suburban stations as well as specific measurements performed in 10 urban canyons in Athens, Greece, have been used to assess the impact of the urban climate on the energy consumption of buildings. It is found that for the city of Athens, where the mean heat island intensity exceeds 10°C, the cooling load of urban buildings may be doubled, the peak electricity load for cooling purposes may be tripled especially for higher set point temperatures, while the minimum COP value of air conditioners may be decreased up to 25% because of the higher ambient temperatures. During the winter period, the heating load of centrally located urban buildings is found to be reduced up to 30%. Regarding the potential of natural ventilation techniques when applied to buildings located in urban canyons, it is found that, mainly during the day, this is seriously reduced because of the important decrease of the wind speed inside the canyon. Air flow reduction may be up to 10 times the flow that corresponds to undisturbed ambient wind conditions.     

A dynamic model for the efficiency optimization of an oscillatory low grade heat engine

A simple approach is presented for the modeling of complex oscillatory thermal-fluid systems capable of converting low grade heat into useful work. This approach is applied to the NIFTE, a novel low temperature difference heat utilization technology currently under development. Starting from a first-order linear dynamic model of the NIFTE that consists of a network of interconnected spatially lumped components, the effects of various device parameters (geometric and other) on the thermodynamic efficiencies of the device are investigated parametrically. Critical components are highlighted that require careful design for the optimization of the device, namely the feedback valve, the power cylinder, the adiabatic volume and the thermal resistance in the heat exchangers. An efficient NIFTE design would feature a lower feedback valve resistance, with a shorter connection length and larger connection diameter; a smaller diameter but taller power cylinder; a larger (time-mean) combined vapor volume at the top part of the device; as well as improved heat transfer behavior (i.e. reduced thermal resistance) in the hot and cold heat exchanger blocks. These modifications have the potential of increasing the relevant form of the second law efficiency of the device by 50% points, corresponding to a 3.8% point increase in thermal efficiency.     

Dynamic modelling of a two-phase thermofluidic oscillator for efficient low grade heat utilization: Effect of fluid inertia

In this paper, a promising heat engine technology capable of utilizing low grade heat is examined. Based on a two-phase thermofluidic oscillator concept, the novelty and advantage of this particular system lie in its use of phase change and its lack of reliance on inertia to sustain oscillations, though it is recognized that inertia will always be present in any physical manifestation of the engine. The system is analysed using lumped linearized one-dimensional network models, both with and without inertia, based on thermoacoustic principles and extending these to account for phase change. The gain (temperature difference between source and sink heat exchangers) and frequency at which marginal stability (desirable continuous oscillations) can be achieved is calculated. The effects of the load resistance (fluid drag) and fluid inertia, as well as of the flow resistance due the feedback valve on the marginal stability gain, frequency and exergetic efficiency of the system are investigated. It is found that an increase in feedback resistance leads to a need for a higher gain for oscillatory behaviour to be achieved. In addition, even though an increase in either the resistance or inertia in the load, or the feedback resistance at low values of these variables has almost no effect on the required gain and the oscillation frequency of the system, an increase in these variables can lead at higher values to increased gains and reduced frequencies. A reduced feedback resistance and greater load inertia can also lead to considerably higher efficiencies, while increasing the load resistance allows for an increase in efficiency until a maximum is reached, after which the efficiency decreases again. The validity of certain approximations made previously is considered, and it is shown that these must be made with care. The results from this study can be used for the improved design and optimization of such oscillators, and similar systems.     

Electrochemical destruction of chlorophenoxy herbicides by anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton using a boron-doped diamond electrode

The degradation of herbicides 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-CPA), 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) in aqueous medium of pH 3.0 has been comparatively studied by anodic oxidation and electro-Fenton using a boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode. All solutions are totally mineralized by electro-Fenton, even at low current, being the process more efficient with 1 mM Fe²⁺ as catalyst. This is due to the production of large amounts of oxidant hydroxyl radical (OH) on the BDD surface by water oxidation and from Fenton’s reaction between added Fe²⁺ and H₂O₂ electrogenerated at the O₂-diffusion cathode. The herbicide solutions are also completely depolluted by anodic oxidation. Although a quicker degradation is found at the first stages of electro-Fenton, similar times are required for achieving overall mineralization in both methods. The decay kinetics of all herbicides always follows a pseudo first-order reaction. Reversed-phase chromatography allows detecting 4-chlorophenol, 4-chloro-o-cresol, 2,4-dichlorophenol and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol as primary aromatic intermediates of 4-CPA, MCPA, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, respectively. Dechlorination of these products gives Cl⁻, which is slowly oxidized on BDD. Ion-exclusion chromatography reveals the presence of persistent oxalic acid in electro-Fenton by formation of Fe³⁺-oxalato complexes, which are slowly destroyed by OH adsorbed on BDD. In anodic oxidation, oxalic acid is mineralized practically at the same rate as generated.     

Life time prediction of self-supporting flame-sprayed alumina-rich coatings

Main objective of the presented research is the life time prediction of self-supporting flame-sprayed Al₂O₃- and Al₂O₃ -ZrO₂ -TiO₂-materials under constant load. The characteristic life time and its scatter were derived from stable crack growth tests and Weibull-statistics including the four-point-bending and ball-on-three-balls method. The potential life time was estimated in order to assess room-temperature handling and long term storage of self-supporting flame-sprayed alumina components. In terms of flexural strength, energy release, and subcritical crack growth parameters, distinct differences between both materials were shown. In turn, the characteristic life times only barely deviated from each other. From that the conclusion was drawn that life time performance under constant load application is governed by the characteristic flame-spray microstructure. However, advantages in the flame-spray processing of Al₂O₃ - ZrO₂ -TiO₂ are still given, attributed to its lower melting temperature.     

Meeting the challenge of water sustainability: The role of process systems engineering

This white paper is the result of discussions during the FIPSE-4 conference ( http://fi-in-pse.org ) in June 2018. It aims to highlight open problems and provide directions for future research in the area of water with emphasis on its agricultural usages. Some of the open problems discussed are: (a) the use of ecosystems as unit operations to understand their role in providing freshwater and in cleaning polluted water; (b) consideration of interactions and independencies between flows of water and other resources, such as food, energy, materials, ecosystem services, and environmental emissions; (c) challenges in modeling, sensing, and closed-loop control in precision irrigation. In particular, the development of agro-hydrological models that balance computing speed versus solution details and accuracy: (d) The use of state and parameter estimation approaches, through field measurements, to obtain soil moisture levels accurately; and (e) decision support systems to administer water and nutrient needs for optimum yields of agricultural products.     

Nitrogen dynamics during the seed-filling period in safflower under dryland Mediterranean conditions

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Precise knowledge of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) nitrogen (N) dynamics is essential to optimize crop nutrition and minimize environmental impacts of...     

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Pharmacogenetic Studies in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important global public health problem due to its high prevalence and morbidity. Although the treatment of nephrology patients has changed considerably, ineffectiveness and side effects of medications represent a major issue. In an effort to elucidate the contribution of genetic variants located in several genes in the response to treatment of patients with CKD, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all available pharmacogenetics studies. The association between genotype distribution and response to medication was examined using the dominant, recessive, and additive inheritance models. Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity was also performed. In total, 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis, which examined the association of 11 genes (16 polymorphisms) with the response to treatment regarding CKD. Among the 29 studies, 18 studies included patients with renal transplantation, 8 involved patients with nephrotic syndrome, and 3 studies included patients with lupus nephritis. The present meta-analysis provides strong evidence for the contribution of variants harbored in the ABCB1, IL-10, ITPA, MIF, and TNF genes that creates some genetic predisposition that reduces effectiveness or is associated with adverse events of medications used in CKD.     

Detailed transient numerical simulation of H2/air hetero-/homogeneous combustion in platinum-coated channels with conjugate heat transfer

Transient two-dimensional simulations of fuel-lean H₂/air combustion were performed in a 2-mm-height planar channel coated with platinum, using detailed hetero-/homogeneous chemistry and transport as well as heat conduction in the solid wall. The developed model resolved, for the first time, all relevant spatiotemporal scales in a practical channel-flow reactor configuration. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the effects of wall material, inlet velocity, and inlet temperature on the fundamental catalytic and gas-phase combustion processes. Computational singular perturbation (CSP) analysis identified the key catalytic reactions affecting light-off and homogeneous ignition. Homogeneous ignition crucially depended on the OH desorbing fluxes from the catalyst, while flame propagation and stabilization involved time scales of a few milliseconds. During the short duration of the light-off event, the ensuing Stefan velocity appreciably altered the flow field. Predictions of time accurate numerical simulations were further compared against those of a code relying on the quasisteady state assumption, and the specific conditions under which the latter was invalidated were identified. Finally, CSP analysis unraveled the reasons for the high computational cost of the fully transient 2-D simulations. The surface reaction mechanism exhibited a high stiffness with fastest time scales of the order of 10^-12${10}^{-12}$ s, pertaining to the hydrogen adsorption and to the H(s) + O(s) = OH(s) + Pt(s) reactions. These time scales were in turn six orders of magnitude shorter than the ones associated with gas-phase chemistry or with a simplified single-step catalytic reaction.