Devido aos enormes impactos socioeconômicos e ambientais que a indústria da construção civil tem na sociedade, existe a necessidade de se aumentar a eficiência do processo construtivo. O comissionamento surgiu nos Estados Unidos no final do século XX e serve para verificar e controlar a aderência do sistema construtivo considerado ao seu propósito em todas as etapas de sua vida útil, tendo como objetivo principal atender aos requisitos do proprietário e às normas legais.O objetivo deste trabalho é propor um processo de comissionamento para sistemas hidráulicos prediais, e por meio desta proposta difundir o uso do comissionamento. A norma americana sobre o assunto dá o subsídio necessário e, a partir de suas determinações, é proposta uma rotina de execução do comissionamento, para garantir que todos os aspectos relevantes do sistema construtivo em questão sejam respeitados. As normas brasileiras aplicáveis aos sistemas prediais de água servem de base para a adaptação do processo ao mercado brasileiro. Uma aplicação piloto foi feita para exemplificar parte da aplicação do processo proposto, em um empreendimento na cidade de São Paulo. O resultado esperado é uma rotina de uso do comissionamento para os sistemas construtivos hidráulicos. / In light of the huge economic and socio-environmental impacts produced by the construction industry in society, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of the construction process. The commissioning process has emerged in the United States in the late twentieth century and proposes planning and control for building system considering all stages of the lifetime of the project, with the main objective to meet the owner\'s requirements and legal standards. This work intends to study the application of the commissioning in hydraulic building systems of multipavimentos buildings.The objective is to develop a specific commissioning process for hydraulic systems to demonstrate the applicability to all systems and through this knowledge spread the use of commissioning.This work also deals with the commissioning process of building systems and its place in the production chain of Construction.In the absence of a specific brazilian standard, the american standard on the matter will be investigated and, from the stand-point of its determinations, a routine of commissioning will be shown to ensure that all relevant aspects of the construction system in question are respected. The applicable Brazilian lawson hidraulic sistems will be researched insearch of an adaptation of the process to the Brazilian market. A pilot program will be conducted to check the adhesion of the process during the implementation of one project in the city of São Paulo.The expected result is a routine to the use of commissioning for hydraulic building systems.

Le but de cette thèse est d'évaluer le potentiel de découverte par le détecteur ATLAS au Large Hadron Collider (LHC) du boson de Higgs du modèle standard. Le mode de production etudié est défini par la fusion de bosons vecteurs (VBF) suivie de la désintégration en une paire de leptons τ (H → τ ^+ τ ^−). C'est l'un des canaux de découverte les plus prometteurs pour un boson de Higgs de basse masse, qui est favorisé par les mesures de précision dans le secteur électro-faible. Deux modes de désintégration ont été étudiés: celui où les deux leptons τ se d´esintègrent en lepton et celui où un lepton τ se désintègre en lepton et l'autre en hadron. La topologie caractéristique de fusion de bosons vecteurs, qui est constituée des deux jets vers l'avant du détecteur et des produits de désintégration de boson de Higgs dans la région centrale, fournit une signature unique permettant la suppression du bruit de fond. En outre, puisque la fusion des bosons vecteurs est un processus purement électro-faible, aucune activité de QCD n'est prévue et donc aucun jet central n'est attendu pour des événements de signal. Ceci permet l'application de la coupure de “central jet veto” pour encore réduire le bruit de fond. Une analyse basée sur des coupures a été utilisée, se concentrant sur l'optimisation de la coupure de “central jet veto”. L'objectif principal était d'étudier le potentiel de découverte du boson de Higgs avec ATLAS, sous une luminosité intégrée de 30 fb^−1 dans la gamme de masse 115 GeV≤ m_H ≤140 GeV, pour une énergie au centre de la masse √s=14 TeV. Après l'application des coupures, un excès au-dessus de 5σ de signal significance a été trouvé pour la gamme de masse 115 GeV ≤ m_H ≤125 GeV. Dans le canal de désintégration H → τ^ + τ ^ −, la résolution de l'énergie transverse manquante ( E_T ) est importante puisqu'elle affecte directement la résolution sur la masse du boson de Higgs. Cela a été la motivation initiale pour réaliser et présenter dans cette thèse une étude de “commissioning” calorimétrique basé sur les quantités E_T , plus particulièrement sur la contribution du bruit de l'électronique, mesurée dans des événements cosmiques enregistrés pendant l'automne 2008. Un comportement gaussien de bruit dans tous les calorimètres de l'argon liquide a été trouvé, tandis qu'un comportement non-gaussien dans une partie du calorimètre à tuile scintillante a été observé. Pour ce dernier, un nouveau modèle de bruit a été examiné utilisant une paramétrisation de double gaussienne ayant pour résultat une description plus réaliste. En conclusion, cette analyse a fourni un outil de “commissioning” du calorimètre, qui a permis l'observation et la correction de plusieurs effets dans le comportement des calorimètres d'ATLAS.

The aim of this thesis was to develop a methodology to systematically investigate the effect of different procurement options on the outcome of a construction project. This methodology combined the qualitative analysis based on experts' performance assessment of each procurement option with quantitative analyses of generic process models for each option, in order to perform a comprehensive analysis of different procurement alternatives. This methodology was further applied to the specific problem of this research which was to assess the performance of Commissioning Delivery Systems (CDS). The goal was to use the findings from the study to provide a comparison between CDS, and assist Construction Owners in identifying the appropriate commissioning delivery option for their project. The process of each CDS was modeled, and systematic differences between different options were analyzed. Five major internal performance aspects of the commissioning process were identified based on literature: PAi1: Communication; PAi2: Validation; PAi3: Collaboration; PAi4: Integration; and PAi5: Integrity. These performance aspects were used as a basis for a Delphi study to obtain commissioning experts assessment of each CDS. Fourteen experts, representing different disciplines in the construction industry, participated in three phases of the Delphi study. A statistical measure was used to validate the expert performance assessments by measuring their level of consensus. Experts did not show any agreement on two performance aspects of Communication and Integration. These aspects were further investigated through quantitative analyses of process models. The developed methodology proved to be a valuable technique in analyzing the effect of procurement options on the outcome of a construction project. Based on the findings of the study, Owner-led Commissioning presented a higher performance rating than Designer-led Commissioning in four out of five performance aspects. Hence, Owner-led Commissioning is identified as a better alternative for procuring commissioning services on construction projects. Designer-led Commissioning presented a higher Communication performance than Owner-led Commissioning. At the same time, the Communication performance of both delivery options was very poor, which further indicates communication difficulties in current commissioning practices. Therefore, this study suggests a more-thorough investigation of the Communication aspect of commissioning process as a follow-up investigation.

Current global efforts for energy conservation and optimization are focused on improvements in energy supply and production systems, and on encouraging the adoption of energy-efficient devices and equipment. However, systematic assessments of economic and technical implications when adopting energy-efficient alternative systems in buildings have not yet been explored thoroughly. The uncertainty about the consequences of investing in alternative energy-efficient systems has led to a prolonged utilization of obsolete building systems (underperforming HVAC systems, inefficient lighting systems, badly maintained and equipment, and so forth). This has led to overall poor energy efficiency, creating considerable burden on the building operation budget. This research discusses the procedure for formulating an investment strategy to improve existing building energy performance. The approach is suitable for large building portfolios where a plethora of potential refurbishment interventions can be considered. This makes our approach especially suited for use on university campuses and most of this report will focus on that particular application utilization protocols especially for use on campuses. This investment model only looks at the energy related savings versus investments; it is well understood that the ultimate selection of the optimal set of improvement options of a portfolio will be determined by additional considerations, such as overall value, occupant satisfaction, productivity improvements, aesthetics, etc. Nevertheless, many campus managers are confronted with the question how much energy they can save with a given investment amount. This is exactly what our approach helps to answer. The investment optimization strategy is implemented in software "InvEnergy," which systematically calculates the costs and benefits of all possible building-technology pairings, taking uncertainties in the saving/investment calculations and estimates into account. This tool empowers decision makers in facility management to make complex investment decisions during continuous building commissioning.

In preliminary building energy assessments, it is often desired to estimate a motor's input power. Motor power estimates in this context should be rapid, safe, and noninvasive. Existing methods for motor input power estimation, such as direct measurement (wattmeter), Current Method, and Slip Method were evaluated. If installed equipment displays input power or average current, then using such readings are preferred. If installed equipment does not display input power or current, the application of wattmeters or current clamps is too time-consuming and invasive for the preliminary energy audit. In that case, if a shaft speed measurement is readily available, then the Slip Method is a satisfactory method for estimating motor input power. An analysis of performance data for 459 motors suggests comparable performance for predicting normalized (to the nominal motor input power) motor input power with the Current and Slip Methods: 10.0% and 9.9% RMSE, respectively. Both of these methods may be improved by applying regression on the predicted variable and/or nameplate parameters. For example, the Slip Method could be improved by applying a second-order regression, thereby reducing the predicted load factor residual RMSE of the data set from 9.0% to 8.2%. The Current and Slip Methods were also evaluated on two real motors. The normalized (to the nominal motor input power) predicted input power RMSE for the Current Method was on average 15% for the two motors; for the Slip Method the corresponding average was 17.5%. In some cases, shaft speed measurements may not be available. A temperature-based approach for estimating motor input power was investigated. Other required parameters include ambient temperature, motor efficiency, and a motor thermal constant. The temperature approach offers quick, safe, and non-invasive motor power estimation. However, thermal coefficients may vary significantly across motors and a model to predict the thermal coefficients has yet to be developed. Furthermore, the temperature approach has a very strong dependence on motor efficiency uncertainty. Experiments were performed on two motors to determine their motor thermal constants. If a motor's thermal constants and running efficiency are known, then this method gave motor input power estimates with a RMSE (normalized to the nominal input power) on the order of 4% for the studied motors.

Re-commissioning, retro-commissioning, Continuous Commissioning® (CC®) are examples of successful systematic processes implemented in buildings to reduce overall building energy consumption, and improve efficiency of systems and their operations and control. The impact of the Continuous Commissioning® Process on the Energy Star® Rating (ESR) of office buildings and hospitals is examined in this thesis. The improvement in performance of a building, and subsequently its ESR, is found to be influenced by its initial ESR, while its location has no impact on improvement. The improvement in ESR is observed to be almost linearly proportional to the percentage of energy saved. For 10% - 20% reductions in energy use typical of the CC® process, the ESR is increased by 10-19 ESR ranks for office buildings and by 13 - 26 ESR ranks for hospitals. The CC® process is found to potentially enable an office building of average initial ESR of 62 and a hospital of average initial ESR of 55, located anywhere in the US, to be eligible to achieve ESR of 75 and consequently the Energy Star recognition. The improvement of ESR is a function of the initial ESR and the building type; hence it is observed to be different for hospitals and office buildings in the study. For hospital and office building models occupying 100,000 ft² of floor area each, a difference of about 30% in the ESR improvement (greater for hospitals) is observed. The energy intensities may be different for buildings with same ESRs that have different location and/or type. An averaged maximum difference of energy intensity of approximately 10% is observed to exist for identical buildings and of the same type but located at different locations. Hospitals are observed to be more than twice as energy intensive as office buildings for the same location and equal ESRs. ESR plotted against % energy savings at site reveals the stepped nature of ESR system. At specific initial ESR and corresponding % savings a reduction of up to approximately 1% for office buildings and up to 1.5% for hospitals does not change the respective ESRs for the model set of buildings in the study.

The flow distribution in the primary circuit of the pressurized water reactor was studied with experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The main focus was on the flow field and mixing in the downcomer of the pressure vessel: how the different factors like the orientation of operating loops, the total loop flow rate and the asymmetry of the loop flow rates affect the outcome. In addition to the flow field studies the overall applicability of CFD methods for primary circuit thermal-hydraulic analysis was evaluated based on the CFD simulations of the mixing experiments of the ROCOM (Rossendorf Coolant Mixing Model) test facility and the mixing experiments of the Paks NPP. The experimental part of the work in work package 3 included series of steady state mixing experiments with the ROCOM test facility and the publication of results of Paks VVER-440 NPP thermal mixing experiments. The ROCOM test facility models a 4-loop KONVOI type reactor. In the steady-state mixing experiments the velocity field in the downcomer was measured using laser Doppler anemometry and the concentration of the tracer solution fed from one loop was measured at the downcomer and at the core inlet plane. The varied parameters were the number and orientation of the operating loops, the total flow rate and the (asymmetric) flow rate of individual loops. The Paks NPP thermal mixing experiments took place during commissioning tests of replaced steam generator safety valves in 1987-1989. It was assumed that in the reactor vessels of Paks VVER-440 NPP equipped with six loops the mixing of the coolant is not ideal. For the realistic determination of the active core inlet temperature field for the transients and accidents associated with different level temperature asymmetry a set of mixing factors were determined. Based on data from the online core monitoring system and a separate mathematical model the mixing factors for loop flows at the core inlet were determined. In the numerical simulation part of the work package 3 the detailed measurements of ROCOM tests were used for the validation of CFD methods for primary circuit studies. The selected steady state mixing experiments were simulated with CFD codes CFX-4, CFX-5 and FLUENT. The velocity field in the downcomer and the mixing of the scalar were compared between CFD simulations and experiments. The CFD simulations of full scale PWR included the simulation of Paks VVER-440 mixing experiment and the simulation of Loviisa VVER-440 downcomer flow field. In the simulations of Paks experiments the experimental and simulated concentration field at the core inlet were compared and conclusions made concerning the results overall and the VVER-440 specific geometry modelling aspects like how to model the perforated elliptic bottom plate and what is the effect of the cold leg bends to the flow field entering to the downcomer. With Loviisa simulations the qualitative comparison was made against the original commissioning experiments but the emphasis was on the CFD method validation and testing. The overall conclusion concerning the CFD modelling of the flow field and mixing in the PWR primary circuit could be that the current computation capacity and physical models also in commercial codes is beginning to be sufficient for simulations giving reliable and useful results for many real primary circuit applications. However the misuse of CFD methods is easy, and the general as well as the nuclear power specific modelling guidelines should be followed when the CFD simulations are made.

A International Comission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) recomenda que a incerteza total de um tratamento radioterápico não deva ultrapassar de 5%, ou seja, cada etapa do processo de entrega da dose absorvida ao volume alvo do paciente tenha incerteza menor que esse valor (ICRU 50, 1993; ICRU 62, 1999). O cuidado com essas incertezas inicia-se na instalação da máquina (neste caso, de um Acelerador Linear Clínico), passando pela sua aceitação, pelo comissionamento, perdurando nos controles de qualidade posteriores e até em novos comissionamentos, se necessários. Os parâmetros físicos dosimétricos mínimos necessários a serem comissionados para feixes de fótons e elétrons são: Porcentagem de Dose em Profundidade (PDD), Perfis de Campos abertos e filtrados, Fatores de Espalhamento Total (Scp), Cone (Fcone) e de Transmissão (de Filtros em cunha FF, Bandeja FB, e de Transmissão intra FMLC,intra e de fuga inter lâminas FMLC,inter), além da Determinação da Posição Virtual da Fonte de Elétrons através da SSD efetiva (SSDeff). Para tal, a American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), através do seu protocolo mais recente, apresenta objetos simuladores, tipos e tamanhos de detectores, arranjos e procedimentos experimentais específicos, através dos quais é possível inferir os parâmetros dosimétricos de feixes de fótons e elétrons, usando varredura destes com câmara de ionização (CI), considerando o erro total das medidas menor do que 1% (AAPM TG 106, 2008). Entretanto este mesmo protocolo cita de maneira sucinta ou pouco detalhada, a possibilidade da utilização de dosímetros tipo gel para o citado comissionamento, já que possuem diversas vantagens a serem consideradas na Radioterapia, como equivalência ao tecido mole (Z e ), independência energética num amplo intervalo de energia de fótons e elétrons, além da alta resolução espacial. Desta forma, o objetivo geral deste trabalho é apresentar de forma inédita, o comissionamento dos parâmetros físicos dosimétricos de aceleradores lineares clínicos (PFDALC), especificamente através do dosímetro Fricke Xilenol Gel (FXG), como método alternativo e/ou complementar aos internacionais vigentes. Para tal, neste trabalho foram desenvolvidos dispositivos e procedimentos que proporcionassem aos usuários uma forma prática, eficiente e de baixo custo para obtenção dos parâmetros citados através do FXG, em relação aqueles obtidos com a CI (método padrão). Todos os resultados dos parâmetros físicos dosimétricos obtidos com o dosímetro citado foram validados com a CI, considerando a incerteza preconizada para a mesma. Esses resultados sugerem que o FXG efetivamente poderá ser utilizado para o comissionamento de aceleradores lineares clínicos e que um protocolo específico para este dosímetro poderá ser gerado. / The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) recommends that the total radiotherapy treatment uncertainty should not exceeds 5%, in other words, considering that each step involved in the absorbed dose delivery process should not surpass the cited value (ICRU 50, 1993; ICRU 62, 1999). The uncertainties considered are those involved with, the machine installation (in this work, a Clinical Linear Accelerator), its acceptance, commissioning, followed by those related to subsequent quality controls and even new commissioning, if necessary. The minimum required physical dosimetric parameters to be commissioned for electron or photon beams are: the Percentage Depth Dose (PDD), the filtered and open Field Profiles, Total Scatter Factors (Scp), Cone Factor (Fcone), Transmission Factors: Wedge Filter (FF), Tray (FB), intra Leaf (FMLC,intra) and inter Leaf Leakage (FMLC,inter), besides the Virtual Source Position Determination (SSDeff). For this purpose, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), through its last protocol, provides guidelines on phantom and detector selections, setting up of phantom for data acquisition (for scanning and no-scanning data), procedures for acquiring the cited beam parameters with ionizing chambers (CI) and methods to reduce the total measurement error lower than 1% (AAPM TG 106, 2008). However, this protocol does not present any information or details about the physical dosimetric parameters for clinical linear accelerators (PFDALC), through gel dosimeters once they present several useful advantages for Radiotherapy, such as: soft tissue equivalence (Z and ), wide energy independence range for photons or electrons beams and high spatial resolution. The scope of this work is to present an innovative way for physical dosimetric parameters commissioning, specifically using the Fricke Xylenol Gel (FXG) dosimeter, like an alternative and/or complementary method to that employed internationally. Devices and procedures have been developed for this work in order to infer the cited parameters, in a practical, efficient and low cost way, compared to that used with CI (standard method). All the FXG results obtained were validated with the CI, considering the uncertainty recommended for the last one. The results suggest that the FXG effectively can be used for physical dosimetric parameters commissioning for clinical linear accelerators and a new specific protocol can be generated.

Genom att använda sig utav en virtuell kopia utav en produktionscell kan programmering och funktionstester av olika paneler testas i ett tidigt stadie. En virtuell kopia bidrar också till enklare felsökning och minskning av kostnader vid idrifttagning. Tanken med projektet är att undersöka i vilken utsträckning som emuleringsmodellen kan ersätta den riktiga cellen vid ett funktionstest för leverantören. Det som också undersöks är i vilken utsträckning riktiga CAD-ritningar kan användas och vilka krav som ställs på ritningarna för att underlätta emulering. Projektet hade flera utmaningar och en av dem som uppkom under projektets gång var problemet med att det inte gick att emulera säkerhetssystemen. Detta löstes genom att bygla alla säkerhetskretsar i PLC-programmet. En viktig del i emulering är kommunikation mellan de olika programvarorna i systemet. I projektets visade det sig fördelaktigt att dela upp programmen i emuleringssystemet för att fördela resurserna över tre datorer. Att använda sig utav en emuleringsmodell istället för en riktig produktionscell är fortfarande i forskningsstadiet men genom projektet har många användningsområden identifierats och skulle kunna förändra idrifttagning i framtiden. / Using a virtual twin of a production cell, makes it possible for programming and different functional testing of panels to be performed in early stages of development. A virtual twin contributes to a simpler debugging and to identify problems and minimize cost in commissioning of the production cell. The aim for the project is to investigate how well an emulated cell will perform compared to the real production cell in a factory acceptance test. Another objective is to investigate how you can use real CAD models in the emulation and what type of criteria the models should meet. The project had a lot of challenges and one of them was the difficulty to emulate the safety systems. This was solved by bypassing the safety in the PLC program. One important thing about emulation is communication between the different software used in the system. In this project, it proved successful to distribute the software on three computers to ease the workload of the programs used in the emulation. To use the emulated model instead of the real system is still in the research phase but in this project a lot of useful applications could be identified that could change commissioning in the future.

Principal-Agent Theory has been used by researchers to understand relationships among different professional groups and explain contractual arrangements and performance management between organisations. Use of principal-agent theory in research within primary care is limited. This study uses the principal-agent theoretical framework to attain a better understanding of performance management in primary care. The relationship between managers and primary care clinicians is explored. The study uses the main theoretical assumptions of information asymmetry and goal alignment to explain the findings. Case study methodology was used to explore the research question. Purposive sampling techniques using the following datasets were used to select participants: practice size; percentage South Asian population; levels of deprivation; and relative performance on selected national productivity performance indicators. Managers were selected based on their corporate responsibility for organisational performance or role in performance management within the organisation. Twenty six formal recorded interviews were carried out with various directors, managers and clinicians across NHS East Lancashire and NHS North West. Interviews were transcribed and organised using NVIVO 8 software and analysed using matrix analysis techniques. There is confusion between performance measurement and performance management. The terms are often used interchangeably. The NHS tends to focus on things that are easy to measure at the risk of omitting important aspects of care that are more difficult to capture. Soft performance intelligence such as: training, multidisciplinary teamwork, communication and shared vision are just as important as tangible metrics. Three primary care performance management systems emerged from the findings: The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), the Practice Development Framework (PDF) and the Better Care Better Value (BCBV) Productivity Performance Framework. Performance indicators do not always reflect quality outcomes. This can lead to poorer outcomes for patients especially if dependent on incentives. The study addresses the research question through analysis of the following themes: Understanding performance management; Use of performance management systems; and Barriers to performance management in primary care. A common understanding of performance management is required across all stakeholders. Clear, strategic direction and consistent interpretation of organisational objectives at all levels is essential to achieve goal alignment. Soft intelligence and qualitative measures need to be considered as well as tangible metrics. Clinical engagement and ownership are key factors to achieving goal alignment. Trust between principal and agent affects the degree to which information asymmetry is overcome. Appropriate use of incentives, good communication and strategies to overcome the problem of information asymmetry and address ‘professional superiority’ improves goal alignment. Achieving the right balance between accountability and clinical autonomy is important to ensure governance and financial balance without stifling innovation. Goal alignment depends on quality and accuracy of information and robust targets to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation of information and inadvertent use of incentives. Principal-agent theory suggests goal alignment is achieved by applying the underlying assumptions of the theoretical framework. In complex systems like the English NHS, it is likely that only partial goal alignment will be achieved. The degree of achievement depends on the number and level of alignment of individual factors.