scholarly journals Coupling a sunspace to a hyper insulated building: Field tests of different configurations to optimize the energy and comfort performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118
Author(s):  
Giulia Ulpiani ◽  
Costanzo di Perna ◽  
Alessandra Romagnoli ◽  
Serena Summa

An experimental study was conducted on a hyper insulated building coupled with a sunspace, to investigate the role of the major design parameters (depth, glass percentage and typology, etc.) and mechanically controlled convective transfer (VMC) on the energy performance. Based on 132 dynamic simulations, a modifiable sunspace was built on the sun-exposed side of a nZEB mock-up in Central Italy and monitored via an extensive sensor network. The conditioning system tracked the seasonal set point via a bang-bang controller, while the VMC was governed by a bespoke temperature-driven logic. In a previous run, irradiative and combined irradiative-convective modes were tested on a 30% glazed sunspace: VMC was found to dump the daily energy consumption to -27%. Then; a second monitoring campaign compared the 30% and 50% configurations. The former guaranteed very stable indoor conditions (20.1±0.3°C), yet the latter still preserved global comfort at a remarkably lower (-40%) energy expenditure.

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elena Menconi ◽  
Massimo Chiappini ◽  
Jan L.M. Hensen ◽  
David Grohmann

An adequate retrofitting of traditional rural buildings requires to preserve their formal characteristics and to understand the constructive elements that compose them and which are different in different geographical areas. This paper analyses the typical farmhouses in central Italy. Starting from the definition of a vernacular building model, the paper analyses its performance in terms of thermal comfort and energy efficiency. The methodology involves the use of energy dynamic simulations coupled with optimisation techniques aimed to identify the best combinations of insulating materials in terms of choice of material and its optimal location in the envelope. The paper demonstrates the good thermal and energy performance of farmhouses in central Italy. The results of the optimisation process showed that in these buildings, with the addition of insulation materials with low conductivity the perceived discomfort in the inhabited areas of the building can be reduced by 79% and the energy consumption related to heating can be reduced by 77%. The level of insulation of the pavement that separates the ground and first floor needs to be more moderate to promote the heat flow between floors during summer. The sensitivity analysis shows that the most influential component for thermal comfort is the roof insulation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Hachem-Vermette

This paper presents design considerations for an integrated design of solar communities highlighting the interactive nature of various design parameters to improve the energy performance of these neighborhoods. These considerations are illustrated through practical design examples of different neighborhood scenarios and individual buildings, based on extensive studies and analysis of energy performance of a wide spectrum of buildings and neighborhoods. The examples fall under two general categories – design at the neighborhood level, and design at the individual building level. Neighborhood design is illustrated by examples of homogeneous residential neighborhoods consisting of 2-storied housing units and of a mixed-rise neighborhood. Design of individual buildings focuses primarily on design of the envelope – consisting of roof and façades – for maximizing energy generation potential, as a function of height and relative position to adjacent buildings. In addition to examples of application of the design considerations, the paper outlines the process of design of solar communities and the role of simulations in the design process.


Author(s):  
B. M. Shustov

During the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, space hazards multiplied, the most urgent of which is space debris. Professionals working in space are exposed to this hazard daily and are aware of it as a problem. Furthermore, increasing attention is being paid to the unpredictable behavior of the Sun, which produces the so-called space weather. The asteroid-comet hazard is considered as potentially having the most catastrophic consequences. No manifestations of biological hazard have yet been observed, although as space activities develop, it is becoming increasingly important. The appropriate time scale for astrophysical hazards is many millions of years, so from a practical perspective, they have no importance. This article briefly describes the main types of space hazards. The author analyzes the results of research and practical work in the field, both worldwide and specifically in Russia. Comparative analysis leads to the clear conclusion that a national program must be developed for the study of space hazards and to respond to space threats. This article is based on a report made by the author at the meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) on January 15, 2019.


Author(s):  
E. M. Ratnikov ◽  
D. O. Milko

Annotation Purpose. Development of a program and methods for conducting experimental studies of the extrusion process with the definition of parameters and modes of operation of the extruder to improve its energy performance. Methods. Methods of mathematical statistics, synthesis, analysis, description and modeling were used. Results. The application of mathematical methods, in particular mathematical planning, reduces the number of experiments several times, and allows to evaluate the role of influencing factors, obtain a mathematical model of the process and determine the optimal conditions for its parameters and modes, etc. Conclusions. The methodology for experimental studies of a screw extruder is presented with the necessary equipment and methodology for processing the obtained experimental data. A mathematical method of planning, which reduces the number of experiments several times, allows us to evaluate the role of factors affecting productivity and energy intensity is presented. Keywords: extruder, auger, nutrients, research methodology, extrusion, processing, feed.


Author(s):  
Andrew Payne
Keyword(s):  

This chapter discusses the premise that understanding the Form of the Good is the unintended end or purpose of philosophic inquiry in the sense of Plato’s functional teleology of action. It begins the presentation of this theme by introducing the three images that Socrates uses to convey his beliefs about the Form of the Good: the Sun, the Divided Line, and the Cave. A motif common to these images is the role of vision as an analogue to knowledge. Plato’s theory of vision in the Timaeus is examined in detail. The image of the Divided Line in particular conveys the thought that we exercise vision for the sake of directing our thought toward intelligible objects. The present chapter concludes with an overview of the comparison Plato frequently employs between vision and knowledge.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1499
Author(s):  
Davide Fronzi ◽  
Francesco Mirabella ◽  
Carlo Cardellini ◽  
Stefano Caliro ◽  
Stefano Palpacelli ◽  
...  

The interaction between fluids and tectonic structures such as fault systems is a much-discussed issue. Many scientific works are aimed at understanding what the role of fault systems in the displacement of deep fluids is, by investigating the interaction between the upper mantle, the lower crustal portion and the upraising of gasses carried by liquids. Many other scientific works try to explore the interaction between the recharge processes, i.e., precipitation, and the fault zones, aiming to recognize the function of the abovementioned structures and their capability to direct groundwater flow towards preferential drainage areas. Understanding the role of faults in the recharge processes of punctual and linear springs, meant as gaining streams, is a key point in hydrogeology, as it is known that faults can act either as flow barriers or as preferential flow paths. In this work an investigation of a fault system located in the Nera River catchment (Italy), based on geo-structural investigations, tracer tests, geochemical and isotopic recharge modelling, allows to identify the role of the normal fault system before and after the 2016–2017 central Italy seismic sequence (Mmax = 6.5). The outcome was achieved by an integrated approach consisting of a structural geology field work, combined with GIS-based analysis, and of a hydrogeological investigation based on artificial tracer tests and geochemical and isotopic analyses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 003685042199848
Author(s):  
Antonio Minni ◽  
Francesco Pilolli ◽  
Massimo Ralli ◽  
Niccolò Mevio ◽  
Luca Roncoroni ◽  
...  

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic had a significant impact on the Italian healthcare system, although geographical differences were present; regions in northern Italy have been the most severely affected while regions in the south of the country were relatively spared. Otolaryngologists were actively involved in the management of the pandemic. In this work, we analyzed and compared the otolaryngology surgical activity performed during the pandemic in two large public hospitals located in different Italian regions. In northern Italy, otolaryngologists were mainly involved in performing surgical tracheotomies in COVID-19 positive patients and contributed to the management of these patients in intensive care units. In central Italy, where the burden of the infection was significantly lower, otolaryngologists focused on diagnosis and treatment of emergency and oncology patients. This analysis confirms the important role of the otolaryngology specialists during the pandemic, but also highlights specific differences between two large hospitals in different Italian regions.


Rural History ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
STUART OGLETHORPE

Abstract:This article focuses on the mechanisation of agriculture in central Italy in the thirty years or so after 1945. This provides a particular way of examining the major changes in the rural landscape in this period, especially the end of the sharecropping system. Land in these regions had for centuries been predominantly farmed under sharecropping contracts, but for political, economic, and demographic reasons this system, which had inhibited modernisation, entered a rapid decline. Whereas labour supply had previously exceeded demand, the reverse became the case, allowing sharecropping families more freedom in how they operated. Mechanisation was not a ‘push’ factor, but as the agricultural labour force contracted it was a necessary response. The article uses individual testimony to illustrate how tenant farmers started to work outside the sharecropping contract, some becoming outside contractors with other farms and supplying tractor hire. The mechanisation of agriculture was slow and uneven, but marked an irreversible change in the relationship between farming families and their land.


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