This study investigates the performance of an optimal indoor environment in a campus classroom. The control system is able to regulate and balance the needs for illuminance, thermal comfort, air quality, and energy saving. By incorporating with Machine Learning and illumination algorithm associated with Internet of Things, wireless communication and adapted control, optimal energy saving and environment control can be achieved. Additionally, by using Video Image Detection to analyze the number of occupants and distribution in the classroom offers better energy optimization. In this study, the split-type air conditioning system has been used which is different from that in most literatures. About 30 tests are conducted and the occupant numbers range from 1 to 2 hours and each hour is 50 minutes. The class types include normal lecture and examination which shows completely different characteristics. The proposed AI agent contains the benefits not only for small or medium indoor space, but also for residences. In order to adjust the indoor illuminance, wireless and adjustable illuminance level LED were installed. Under the control of the illumination algorithm, the illuminance of each area of the classroom can be optimized according to the occupant distribution. The test results indicate that, by maintaining thermal comfort and air quality, when comparing with fixed setting point control 25 degrees, the average energy saving is 19%, and the average CO 2 concentration is decreased by 21.3%. When comparing with setting point temperature of 26 degrees, the average energy saving is 15% the average CO 2 is decreased by 12.9%.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) studies the air quality inside different types of environments and relates it to the health and comfort of occupants. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help in decreasing effects and the risks associated with these pollutants. Unhealthy indoor environment could lead to serious problems in people health and productivity. According to ASHRAE, 80–90% of personal time is spent indoors. As a result, indoor air pollution has gained a lot of interest and the number of studies on occupant health inside buildings grew very significantly in the last decades. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of indoor air quality inside an educational buildings on occupants’ comfort and performance. Various indoor pollutant such as, Carbon dioxide, Carbon monoxide, Volatile organic compounds, Particulates, and formaldehyde, are measured. The indoor air contaminants will be detected using IAQ measurement devices. The value of the pollutants is compared to maximum allowed values in ASHRAE standard 62.1. In addition, the occupant thermal comfort is reported using two indices which are Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD). The relationship between the performance and the indoor air quality is also discussed. The results will discover the sources of the indoor air pollutants and accordingly suggestions will be given toward improving the indoor air quality. The final results showed that the IAQ is generally in a good condition for the majority of classrooms except for the TVOC which was always at high concentrations. Also, for some classrooms, the CO2 level and the relative humidity were exceeding the maximum limit. Regarding the thermal comfort, all the classrooms do not comply with ASHRAE Standard 55-2013. Therefore, they are not thermally comfortable.

Air pollution is a leading public health concern that needs to be tackled. About 30% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO, HC and NOx are due to automobiles. By 2030, the US Department of Transportation aims to reduce light duty vehicle emissions by 18%. This can be achieved by public policy approaches such as implementing emission control norms and performance improvements such as exhaust system design. In this work, the implementation of a pure Zeolite catalyst to reduce the exhaust CO 2 emission of a SI engine is studied theoretically and experimentally. The complete exhaust system including the catalytic converter, muffler, and pipes is modeled in a 3D CAD modeling software, using the engine specifications. Current expensive precious metals in the catalytic converter are replaced with a binding agent along with Zeolite catalyst. The exhaust system is fabricated and the experimental tests are performed at the maximum engine RPM to obtain threshold emission reduction values. The results showed obtaining an emission reduction of CO 2 at a lower cost. Furthermore, it is found that employing Zeolite sieves can further reduce the pollutant emission at a similar cost.

Data center cooling systems have long been burdened by high levels of redundancy requirements, resulting in inefficient system designs to satisfy a risk-adverse operating environment. As attitudes, technologies, and sustainability awareness change within the industry, data centers are beginning to realize higher levels of energy efficiency without sacrificing operational security. By exploiting the increased temperature and humidity tolerances of the information technology equipment (ITE), data center mechanical systems can leverage ambient conditions to operate in economization mode for increased times during the year. Economization provides one of the largest methodologies for data centers to reduce their energy consumption and carbon footprint. As outside air temperatures and conditions become more favorable for cooling the data center, mechanical cooling through vapor-compression cycles is reduced or entirely eliminated. One favorable method for utilizing low outside air temperatures without sacrificing indoor air quality is through deploying rotary heat wheels to transfer heat between the data center return air and outside air without introducing outside air into the white space. A metal corrugated wheel is rotated through two opposing airstreams with varying thermal gradients to provide a net cooling effect at significantly reduced electrical energy over traditional mechanical cooling topologies. To further extend the impacts of economization, data centers are also able to significantly raise operating temperatures beyond what is traditionally found in comfort cooling applications. The increase in the dry bulb temperature provided to the inlet of the information technology equipment, as well as an elevated temperature rise across the equipment significantly reduces the energy use within a data center.

The massive use of fossil fuel has caused huge carbon emission and serious air pollution in China. Now all kinds of alternative energy technology are developing rapidly to solve such problem in China. Electricity produced by non-fossil fuel energy is continued to increase sharply in China. But it’s hard for regular alternative energy, such as wind power, solar power, hydroelectricity power, nuclear power and so on, to easily provide process heat for industry, especially high temperature steam. High temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR, sometimes also called HTR) is a kind of nuclear reactor, which are demonstrated very high efficiencies, safety and availability features by American and German power plant. HTR differs from water nuclear reactors by offering a high thermal efficiency for electricity generation and a high level of passive safety features. Now HTR-PM project is built in Shidao Bay of China. Moreover, HTR is the only nuclear reactor, which can provide high temperature steam comparing with other water nuclear reactors. So HTR can provide a versatile cogeneration solution for industry. In this paper, a case was studied, how to provide heat for a refinery and petro-chemical plant with HTR. Firstly, the energy need of a typical large chemical plant in china was investigated. Steam supply diagram of an oil refinery plant, which produced 10 million tons oil products and 1 million tons ethylene in China, was calculated. Secondly, technical feasibility of energy providing by HTR cogeneration plant was discussed. Extraction steam from HTR system was designed for the chemical plant. It would meet the requirement of steam supply for chemical plant and would replace the captive power plant, where coal was burning. The balance of steam, enthalpy and temperature was calculated. At last, economic evaluation for such cogeneration plants was carried out. The steam supply cost from captive coal power plant and HTR cogeneration plant was compared. Some economical conclusion was made from the discussion.

The understanding of atmospheric flows is crucial in the analysis of dispersion of a contaminant or pollutant, wind energy and air-quality assessment to name a few. Additionally, the effects of complex terrain and associated orographic forcing are crucial in wind energy production. Furthermore, the use of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations in the analysis of complex terrain is still considered the “workhorse” since millions of mesh points are required to accurately capture the details of the surface. On the other hand, solving the same problem by means of the instantaneous governing equations of the flow (i.e., in a suite of DNS or LES) would imply almost prohibitive computational resources. In this study, numerical predictions of atmospheric boundary layers are performed over a complex topography located in Nygårdsfjell, Norway. The Nygårdsfjell wind farm is located in a valley at approximately 420 meters above sea level surrounded by mountains in the north and south near the Swedish border. Majority of the winds are believed to be originated from Torneträsk lake in the east which is covered with ice during the winter time. The air closest to the surface on surrounding mountains gets colder and denser. The air then slides down the hill and accumulates over the lake. Later, the air spills out westward towards Ofotfjord through the broader channel that directs and transforms it into highly accelerated winds. Consequently, one of the objectives of the present article is to study the influence of local terrain on shaping these winds over the wind farm. It is worth mentioning that we are not considering any wind turbine model in the present investigation, being the main purpose to understand the influence of the local surface topography and roughness on the wind flow. Nevertheless, future research will include modeling the presence of a wind turbine and will be published elsewhere. The governing equations of the flow are solved by using a RANS approach and by considering three different two-equation turbulence models: k-omega ( k –ω), k-epsilon ( k –ε) and shear stress transport ( SST ). Furthermore, the real topographical characteristics of the terrain have been modeled by extracting the required area from the larger digital elevation model (DEM) spanning over 100 km square. The geometry is then extruded using Rhino and meshed in ANSYS Fluent. The terrain dimensions are approximately 2000×1000 meter square.

Cross ventilation is a more effective ventilation strategy in comparison to single-sided ventilation. In the NSW Residential Flat Design Code 1 (RFDC) the majority of apartments are required to adopt cross ventilation. However, in the case of studio and one-bedroom apartments, it is acknowledged that single-sided ventilation may prevail. Deep plan studio and one-bedroom apartments may achieve lower amenity of summer thermal comfort and indoor air quality where mechanical ventilation is not provided by air conditioning. Since compliance with the code may allow up to 40% of apartments in a development in Sydney to be single sided, it is important to understand the natural ventilation performance of such apartments. The objective of this paper is to investigate the natural ventilation potential in single-sided ventilated apartments to improve indoor air quality and thermal comfort. This investigation includes simulating various facade treatments involving multiple opening and balcony configurations. Balcony configurations are included in this study because, in Sydney, a balcony is a compulsory architectural element in any apartment building. The study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate and predict the ventilation performance of each apartment configuration. This study suggests that properly configured balconies and openings can significantly improve indoor ventilation performance for enhanced indoor air quality and thermal comfort, by optimizing the available prevailing wind. However, it is important to note that inappropriately designed fac¸ade treatments also could diminish natural ventilation performance.

In this report, a theoretical implementation of vehicle-to-grid power in the New York Metropolitan Area was evaluated with the goal of reducing peaking unit NOx emissions to comply with upcoming emissions limits on high energy demand days. In addition, the net cost of implementing this program was estimated using cost and revenue models based on available electricity rates and approximate battery cost. Finally, the improvement of air quality in some of the most populated areas of the NYMA was evaluated using the AERMOD air quality model from the EPA. By selectively offsetting the peaking units with the highest emissions rates, the average daily reduction was .25 tons at 1% penetration, 1.2 tons at 5% penetration, and 2.13 tons at 10% penetration. The implementation cost ranged from $315,000 to $9.5 million with different electricity rate structures and different penetration scenarios. Reduction of ambient particulate matter concentration was highly variable: the average reduction of all five population centers was negligible at 1% penetration, .83% at 5% penetration, and 1.42% at 10% penetration.

The conventional techniques, which are being used to clean the flue gases such as catalytic reduction method for NO removal, wet and dry scrubbers for SO 2 removal and ESP for particulate removal, are becoming more expensive and less suitable for small plants and mobile emission sources. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) techniques utilizing electrical discharges give an innovative approach for economical solution of gas cleaning. The studies present recent work on applying the electrical discharge plasma technology for treating gaseous pollutants, in general, and nitric oxide, in particular, as this is one of the major contributors to air pollution. The present works focuses attention on dielectric barrier discharge technique for nitric oxide removal from simulated gas compositions and investigate the effect of various operating parameters on the NO removal efficiencies at room temperature. The effects of various parameters, viz. discharge power, gas velocity, initial NO concentration (ppm), gas mixture composition, etc., on NO removal efficiency are discussed. Studies are divided into two parts: in the nitrogen atmosphere and argon atmosphere respectively, in order to investigate the effect of various operating parameters on the NO removal efficiencies at room temperature. The results in nitrogen atmosphere indicate that the influence of the discharge power, oxygen content and different initial concentration on NO removal efficiency are also studied. Conclusion that increasing discharge power is in favor of the NO removal. Adding oxygen reduce the NO removal efficiency significantly, and changing the NO initial concentration effected on NO removal efficiency but nor as good as the factors of discharge power, oxygen content. In the argon atmosphere, the dielectric barrier discharge require lower voltage level. The effect of the discharge power, gas velocity and oxygen content on NO removal efficiencies are studied and some conclusions be obtained, increasing discharge power and lowing flue gas velocity would conducive to removal, adding oxygen would hinder the removal of NO. Further result and comparative study of various cases be presented in this paper.

An experimental study on the effects of secondary combustion on efficiencies and emission reduction in the Diesel engine boiler system has been undertaken. The co-generation concept is utilized in that the electric power is produced by the generator connected to the Diesel engine, and heat is recovered from both combustion exhaust gases and the engine by the fin-and-tube and shell-and-tube heat exchangers, respectively. A specially designed secondary combustor is installed at the engine outlet in order to reburn the unburned fuel from the Diesel engine, thereby improving the system’s efficiency as well as reducing air pollution caused by exhaust gases. The main components of the secondary combustor are coiled Nichrome wires heated by the electric current and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) housed inside a well insulated stainless steel shell. The performance tests were conducted at four water flow rates of 5, 10, 15 and 20 L/min and five electric power outputs of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 kW. The results show that at a water flow of 20 L/min and a power output of 9 kW, the total efficiency (thermal efficiency plus electric power generation efficiency) of this system reaches a maximum 94.4% which is approximately 20% higher than that of the typical Diesel engine boiler system. Besides, the use of the secondary combustor and heat exchangers results in 80%, 35%, and 90% reduction of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO x ) and particulate matter (PM), respectively.

Per British thermal unit (BTU), in the United States, gasoline currently costs about 7.6 times as much as coal. Due to the prevalence of coal fired electricity generating stations in the country, electrically powered vehicles may provide a fuel cost savings over similar gasoline powered vehicles. Fuel costs for electric vehicles have been reported to cost about $0.045 per mile to operate. Higher efficiency, gasoline operated automobiles such as the Toyota Corolla have reported fuel costs of about $0.093 per mile. This paper provides a first glance examination of electrically powered and gasoline powered vehicles in the United States. While gasoline costs continue to rise, a cheap, environmentally safe transportation alternative is needed to maintain the flexible lifestyle currently enjoyed by Americans. The cycle energy efficiency of coal produced electricity for personal transportation is much lower than the energy efficiency of gasoline, but the large cost differences between these two forms of fossil fuels may provide a temporary fix to a looming transportation crisis in the United States. The long-term environmental effects of an electrically powered, private transportation fleet could prove catastrophic due to increased use of coal and accompanying combustion product air pollution, but clean, renewable, electricity producing technologies may support more prolific long-term use of electrically powered transportation modes.

As concerns over the rapid depletion of our natural resources, air quality, and the environment continue to grow, so do the technologies being developed to address those issues. Thus it’s essential that government agencies and educational institutions alike become leaders in the promotion of “green” technologies and “green” design as they are becoming more than ever before concrete solutions to our environmental concerns. This report describes the project undertaken by a multi-disciplinary group of Engineering and Technology students at California State University, Los Angeles. This project looked into a sustainable approach to reduce the overall campus energy use and its environmental impact. Over the course of the project, a detailed investigation of the campus energy demand was conducted and solutions to improve the aging campus energy infrastructure were drafted. Some of thee short term solutions included Energy Conservation Measures (ECM) that focused on the operation and management of our energy with respect to lighting, air conditioning, and building envelope. Some mid-range solutions included the increase in capacity of the TES and an overall design of a hydrogen generation station was developed for future consideration.

Efficient energy use is critical for the success of any industrial facility since reduced energy consumption through energy conservation/saving programs can benefit not only consumers and utilities, but society in general as well. In particular, reduced energy consumption generally leads to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants into the environment. It also helps reduce the operational costs in the facility. There is a strong need to take some energy saving measures in every plant/ facility. Although these may be quite diverse, some of these measures include thermal insulation, use of more efficient equipment, heat recovery systems, high efficiency lighting, changing the fuel, reducing the cost of compressed air, and enhancing productivity. In this study, some certain energy conservation measures are considered for assessing a packaging film manufacturing facility in Gaziantep, Turkey. Taking advantage of dry and hot climates of the city, cooling compressor inlet air by evaporative cooling technique is also assessed. Our investigation shows that there is a huge room for energy conservation measures. The total savings potential are expected to be 869,350 YTL (about $725,000) representing about 16% of the total energy consumption. The payback periods for the identified measures are justified. We believe that the results are typical rather than exceptional for the industrial sector in Turkey.

Building a zero energy home requires several major considerations: site selection for the home; considerations to use less; conservation of what you produce; and evaluation the best choices of renewable resources. This paper discusses the use of climate data collection software, heat loss and heat gain considerations and software; how to achieve a zero energy building and qualifying as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Platinum home. Site selection is the first step. This first step can be taken after you have identified your goals. What alternative energy systems do you want to use? Do you want to use more than one alternative source? What other site considerations are important? In my case, I wanted to use solar energy as my primary alternative energy source. Why? I want comfort, reliability and ease of use. Other alternatives may require more maintenance. Wind power will be a second source that will be incorporated to produce electricity when the PV system can not produce. The site selected is a south facing mountain that has a steady breeze most of the time. Another consideration for me is the ability to use earth-sheltering as a measure of high efficiency construction. The south-facing mountain also provides the opportunity to “nestle” into the mountainside. Calculations and basis of design are presented. Using less is a key mindset that we all need to move toward. Using less does not mean that you suffer. This house will be comfortable year round with little effort because the house uses passive solar design for lighting and space heating, active solar hot water for additional heating of the floor and domestic hot water, and PV/wind/biodiesel generator backup to generate electricity for lighting and other typical electrical loads. The construction materials provide high R-values and green products that contribute to excellent indoor air quality. SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) will be used as the structural components for the walls and roof. All electrical appliances, refrigerator, lighting, and washer/dryer were selected to use less electricity and water. Data describing the energy requirements are provided. Reuse all that you can. I am incorporating a masonry heater, also known as a Russian Fireplace. The combustion efficiency of the masonry fireplace is typically 92–94 percent with very low emissions. The masonry fireplace will provide passive mass for passive release of the woodburning energy during the evening and heat hot water coils in the fireplace as well (as the hot water backup system). The use of hard woods from the land will provide heat overnight, heat for cooking and supply additional BTUs for domestic hot water and radiant heat. Many of the building materials that are selected for construction are from the land; stone and whole cut wood from the land will be used for esthetic appeal and thermal mass thereby reducing harmful manufacturer’s emissions. My site is an excellent site for a hybrid solar and wind power (with a biodiesel generator as backup) system. The orientation and wind profile of the land is optimal for solar and wind energy applications. Site specific data and optimization of active solar, passive solar and PV/wind systems are presented. Life cycle costs are presented to show the cost comparison using Years-to-Payback and Return on Investment approaches for the energy systems and LEED certification costs for new construction.

Laboratories are usually equipment intensive. The supply flow rates required to cool these laboratories are generally higher than in a less equipment intensive zone of the building. The thermal comfort of occupants in laboratories can be controlled by the choice of ventilation strategy. This study employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation to assess the performance of active chilled beams in a general laboratory layout with some equipment intensive areas and the removal effectiveness of such a system. The chilled beam performance is also compared with at of ceiling diffusers. The results from this study show that the chilled beams improve thermal comfort, and they can be operated at as low as 4 ACH while maintaining very satisfactory average PPD (around 10%) in the occupied zones. The chilled beam system also improves removal effectiveness because of the inherent higher total supply flow rate that results in a better mixing in the room than ceiling diffusers. The chilled beams in the cases studied are seen to have an insignificant effect on the hood containment. As satisfactory thermal comfort and air quality can be achieved at a lower flow rate in comparison with all-air ceiling diffusers, a 14% saving is estimated in annual energy cost for cooling and ventilating a typical lab in the Washington DC area.

In an effort to make buildings healthier and more energy efficient, architects are increasingly incorporating natural ventilation into their design strategies in order to take advantage of free, available wind power. The extent to which natural ventilation can replace forced ventilation in a given building depends on the local climate and specific site utilization. The ASHRAE Standards 55 and 62.1 that cover natural ventilation establish minimal requirements for climate and building openings but also concede that the ultimate responsibility for proving the effectiveness of this technique lies with the design team and the specific requirements of local codes. But how does a design team prove that air is flowing according to plan without actually creating the structure and taking measurements? Only two possibilities exist — regard each room as a very large ratio conduit and apply conventional equations to those spaces, or do a 3-dimensional numerical analysis of the flow path. Numerical analysis, known as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), is now being recognized as the only reliable way to predict natural airflow through a building and assure that adequate air quality and comfort is provided at all points of each room before construction begins. CFD computer programs allow designers to divide a volume into a large number of small regions and calculate the air and heat transfer between each region, minimizing the assumption-related errors that would otherwise occur. Minimizing computational error at the beginning of the design process reduces the risk of costly post-construction order changes that can occur as substandard air quality is discovered. CFD software can vary in its level of sophistication. While the most basic Navier-Stokes heat and mass transfer equations are essential and can be of great use, a proper natural ventilation analysis tool should include calculations for buoyancy, turbulent convection, and the ability to do open boundary modeling. Other features such as local solar loading and transient analysis are also desirable. A comprehensive CFD package can be particularly useful for modeling the complex airflow found in mixed-mode designs and identifying regions of stagnant air, high heat loss or gain, short-circuited airflow, and other conditions that inhibit good building performance and limit the potential for sustainability.

Terminal boxes control space conditions in variable air volume (VAV) air-handling unit (AHU) systems. Terminal boxes either modulate airflow with a control damper or adjust discharge air temperature with a reheat coil. Terminal boxes will have a significant amount of simultaneous heating and cooling and AHUs will consume more fan power if the minimum airflow is higher than required. On the other hand, conditioned space will have indoor air quality (IAQ) problems with less air circulation if the minimum airflow is less than required. The objective of this study is to optimize the minimum airflow ratio to improve thermal environment and save energy consumption. In this study, the problem of current fixed minimum airflow ratio of terminal box is analyzed and variable minimum airflow ratio as an alternative is suggested. The results of this study show that variable minimum airflow ratio can stably maintain the set room air temperature and reduce energy consumption for varying heating loads compared to the conventional fixed minimum airflow ratio.