Construction Practices of Short Paneled Concrete Pavements (SPCP) for High Volume Roads

The state of research on narrow and non-dowel short jointed paneled concrete pavements (SPCP) is gaining attention on a large scale across the different parts of the world especially in Chile, the USA, and India. The jointed plain concrete pavements (JPCP), which are designed with slab sizes around 3.5 m x 4.5 m results in thicker slabs with a thickness of paving quality concrete (PQC) layer ranging from 280-330 mm depending on load and temperature stresses on Indian highways. In addition to thicker slabs, JPCP requires dowelled joints, which increases the initial cost of pavement. In order to reduce the thickness and initial cost of construction, the use of cast-in-situ SPCP laid on a strong foundation consisting of a dry lean concrete (DLC) base, cement treated sub base (CTSB) and subgrade is being studied. The square short slabs of size: 1 m, 1.5 m and 2 m joint spacing and of thickness 180 to 220 mm were designed and constructed as two full-scale test sections of SPCP on national highways (NH-2 and NH-33) in India. Slabs were constructed by introducing an initial vertical saw-cut of 3 to 5 mm wide and to a depth of 1/4th to 1/3rd of the thickness. The adopted construction practices through field demonstration and implication of SPCP for highways is the main thrust of the paper which helps the practitioners, designers for adopting such projects in the future.

Analysis of different impact rates on the forecasts cost of building project using sensitivity analysis techniques

Over the years, Life Cycle Costing (LCC) has been recognized and used as an important technique for evaluating, forecasting and discounting the future costs of building to the present day value, from conception, design to completion, operation, maintenance, down to decommissioning. This work presents a study of Analysis on different discount rate of the forecasts cost of building project using sensitivity analysis techniques, the case study being Calabar International Conference Center (CICC) building project. Life cycle cost analysis was conducted and forecast for 51 years using Net present value (NPV) with the following discount rates 4%, 5%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12% and 13% respectively. Results showed that the lower the discount rates, the higher the cost value and via vasa. The building had a positive value >0 indicating a significant benefit at the end of the study period. The percentage contribution of the discount rate on the initial cost, salvage value and the life cycle cost indicates that at 4% the initial cost accounted for 85% of the discounted cost, life cycle cost 13% and salvage value 2%. The salvage value recorded 0% at 12% and 13% discount rate The higher the discount rates the higher the discounted initial cost and the lower the life cycle cost.

Feasibility Assessment of Hybrid Solar Photovoltaic-Biogas Generator Based Charging Station: A Case of Easy Bike and Auto Rickshaw Scenario in a Developing Nation

The popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing day by day in the modern world. The charging of EVs from grid-connected charging stations causes a considerable power crisis in the grid. Integrating renewable energy resources (RESs) with conventional energy sources in the power grid is now considered feasible to reduce peak power demand and the inevitable emission effect. Hence, this paper presents an energy solution for EV charging with two RESs, namely, solar photovoltaic (PV) and biogas. HOMER software is utilized to analyze the potency and functionality of solar PV and biogas-based EV charging stations. The proposed system consists of a solar PV system, two biogas engine generators, and a bidirectional converter with battery storage. The variation of different costs, such as net present cost (NPC), initial cost, and cost of energy (COE) for different solar PV systems (3 kW, 4.5 kW, 6 kW, and 9 kW), are analyzed in HOMER software. The 4.5 kW solar PV system is finally selected as the NPC, initial cost, and COE are $93,530, $19,735, and $0.181, respectively, which is efficient. The system’s lifetime is 25 years, where an initial 12 years is required to overcome the system cost, and the remaining 13 years will provide financial benefits. The study also illustrates the effect of solar irradiance, biomass, and the change in the load of the energy management system. The techno–economic analysis shows that the proposed scheme can be an effective energy solution. The emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as CO2, CO, SO2, and NOX, is reduced considerably compared to other existing techniques. The study is expected to be beneficial in renewables-based EV charging systems with techno–economic and environmental feasibility.

Key Success Factors: Application 6D BIM to Reduce Initial Cost, Operational Cost & Maintenance Cost in Project Facade High-rise Office using RII Method

The application of 6D BIM and value engineering in a project is still very rarely studied because BIM is still a new discussion in the project planners' field. The key to the success of implementing BIM 6D is influenced by several factors which will be explained in this study. The purpose of this study was to determine the success factors for applying BIM 6D value engineering to the Façade project of high-rise office buildings in terms of reducing design costs, operating costs, and maintenance costs. Office Building. This factor will be a focus for stakeholders, especially the Office Building Façade project in Indonesia. Keywords: BIM 6D, building façade, Office building, RII.

A Techno-Economic Analysis of Sustainable Material Recovery Facilities: The Case of Al-Karak Solid Waste Sorting Plant, Jordan

Solid waste sorting facilities are constructed and operated to properly manage solid waste for both material and energy recovery. This paper investigates the possible technical and economic performance of the Al-Karak solid waste sorting plant in order to achieve financial sustainability and increase the profits that return on the plant to cover its operating costs. A standard procedure was followed to quantify and characterize the input materials of commercial solid waste by determining the recyclable materials in the sorting products. Thus, possible different equipment and material flows through the plant were proposed. An economic model was used in order to know the feasibility of the proposed options of the plant according to three economic factors, which are net present worth (NPW), return on investment (ROI), and payback period values. The results inferred that the characterization of the input materials contains a high portion of recyclable materials of paper, cardboard, plastic, and metals, which accounted for 63%. In this case, the mass of rejected waste to be landfilled was 9%. Results for the proposed options showed that the economic analysis is feasible when working loads on three and two shifts with ROI values of 4.4 and 3.5 with a payback period of the initial cost in 2 and 3 years, respectively. Working load on one shift was not feasible, which resulted in an ROI value of less than 2 and a payback period larger than 5 years. This paper recommended operating the sorting plant at a higher input feed with a working load on three shifts daily to ensure a maximum profit and to reduce the amount of commercial solid waste prior to landfilling through the concept of sorting and recycling.

Assessment of rooftop rainwater harvesting in Ajloun, Jordan

In response to water scarcity in Ajloun governorate, Jordan, the effectiveness of implementing rooftop rainwater harvesting (RRWH) was investigated. In addition, a structured questionnaire was prepared and distributed to randomly selected residents to assess the status of the current RRWH practices in the governorate and the people's perceptions of this practice. It was found that between 0.39 million cubic meters (MCM) in a dry year (2017) and 0.96 MCM in a wet year (2018) can be harvested, which is equivalent to 7.6% and 16.8% of the domestic water supply for these years, respectively. The analysis of a total of 360 questionnaires revealed that only 14.2% of the households in Ajloun governorate own a RRWH system. However, the majority, 80.6%, of those who do not own a RRWH system showed interest in installing one. An overwhelming majority of the sample, 96.7%, believes that the government should provide incentives to subsidize the construction of RRWH systems, which is attributed to the high initial cost of these systems. The technical and social feasibilities of RRWH, in addition to the high cost of the alternatives, justifies providing incentives, such as cost sharing for the consumers in Ajloun to implement RRWH systems.

Economic and legal aspects of the use of computer programs

Keywords: computer program, economic and legal regulation, taxation, licenseagreement, initial cost, value added tax, royalties The article deals with the economic and legal aspects of using computer programs inbusiness operations. In particular, certain problems of taxation relating to the creationand use of computer programs are considered. There have been consideredways and means of representations in the accounting of the following operations: purchaseof intellectual property rights to a computer program, supply of a computer programfrom a non-resident (resident) to a resident. The principles of the formation ofthe cost of a computer program, depending on the terms of purchase, have been outlined.The has been defined the concept of royalties from the use of a computer programin the economic activity of an enterprise. The article indicates that the supply ofservices (performance of work) related to software products and that introducechanges to the software are deemed to be any updates, changes, additions to expandtheir functionality. Such an operation is referred to as the supply of software productsusing IT benefits. The supply of services that do not introduce changes, namely: installation,configuration, testing, identification and rectification of deficiencies, information,and consulting support is referred to operations that are subject to VAT atthe general rate. The article states that VAT is charged on operations for the supplyof software products from a non-resident (resident) to a resident in the customs territory(customs territory) of Ukraine, which, in turn, is not subject to VAT. At the sametime, if as a result of the provision of technical support services for software products(including software products provided for use under the license agreement) there areno changes in software products (for example, training staff to work with the program,installing the program, configuration of office equipment, etc.), then operationsfor the provision of such services are subject to VAT in the generally established mannerin the amount of 20 percent.There has been determined the need to improve economic and legal regulation ofthe creation and use of computer programs in the economic activities of companies interms of taxation.

Scintillating thermal neutron detectors for cosmic ray soil moisture monitoring

Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) is a powerful technique that allows non-invasive monitoring of soil moisture on length scales well matched for agricultural applications. One factor limiting the use of the technique within industrial agriculture settings is the high initial cost of Helium-3 or BF3 tubes typically used for ground level neutron monitoring. This paper discusses the use of Geant4 to design and optimise an alternative scintillator based epi-thermal neutron detector that may be applicable for challenges where cost is a higher driving factor than temporal resolution.

Evaluating Consumers’ Adoption of Renewable Energy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the consumers’ adoption of renewable energy in Poland. The study focused on finding out the factors that influence the adoption of the technology, considering its importance in conserving the environment. The study was conducted using a quantitative method, with primary data collected from 467 households using renewable energy technology in Poland. The research adopted the TAM model. The independent variables of the study included renewable energy initial cost, environmental concern, risk and trust for renewable energy, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage. The dependent variable was renewable energy adoption. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the study hypotheses. The research found out that environmental concerns, ease of use, financial incentives, and relative advantage have a positive and significant influence on adoption of renewable energy technology in Poland. However, renewable energy initial cost and risk, and trust for renewable energy did not significantly influence renewable energy adoption. The study recommended that the stakeholders should consider the aspects of environmental concern as a key role player in pushing for adoption of renewable energy. The government, non-governmental organizations, and concerned stakeholders should consider giving incentives towards renewable energy adoption. Creating awareness regarding the benefits and strengths of renewable energy should be prioritized to the households.