<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Cities throughout Asia have experienced unprecedented economic development over the past decades. In many cases this has contributed to their rapid and uncontrolled growth, which has resulted in a multiplicity of problems, including rapid population increase, enhanced environmental pollution, collapsing traffic systems, dysfunctional waste management, and rapid increases in the consumption of energy, water and other resources. The significant energy use in cities is not very well perceived in Asian countries. Although a number of studies into energy consumption across various sectors have been conducted, most are from the national point of view. Energy demand analysis is not considered important at the level of the city. The thesis is focused on the dynamics of energy utilization in Asian mega-cities, and ultimately aims at providing strategies for maximizing the use of renewable energy in large urban systems.</p><p>The study aims at providing an in-depth understanding of the complex dynamics of energy utilization in urban mega-centers. An initial general analysis is complemented by a detailed study of the current situation and future outlook for the city of Bangkok, Thailand. An integrated approach applied to the study includes identification of the parameters that affect the utilization of energy in mega-cities and a detailed analysis of energy flows and their various subsystems, including commercial, industrial, residential and that of transportation. The study investigates and evaluates the energy models most commonly used for analyzing and simulating energy utilization. Its purpose is to provide a user-friendly tool suitable for decision-makers in developing an energy model for large cities. In addition, a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) process has been developed to assess whether or not the energy systems meet the sustainability criteria.</p><p>A metabolic approach has been employed to analyze the energy flow and utilization in selected Asian mega-cities, including Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The approach is applied to measure the majority of indirect energy flows or the energy embodied in the flows of goods and services involving the residents of those cities. Since the function of cities is to serve the lives of the residents, indirect energy consumption could be regarded as being of equal importance as that of direct energy use. The essence of embodied energy is that an indirect reflection upon behavior following direct energy consumption. It can illustrate how a city relies on the outside, for example other cities, countries, etc. and provides some interesting information that cannot be easily drawn from the direct energy demand. The study reveals that the indirect energy demand is more significant than the direct energy demand in Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo, while direct energy demand is greater than the indirect energy demand in Beijing. This can be explained by the fact that Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo have a greater reliance upon the outside in terms of energy demand.</p><p>The Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) system has been selected to perform Bangkok energy modeling. In a Bangkok case study a range of policy interventions are selected and how these would change the energy development in Bangkok by the year 2025 is examined. Different policies can be grouped by the sectors analyzed. The only supply-side policy considered meets an existing target of having 10% of electricity generated from renewable sources. The study period for the model started in 2005 and ends in 2025, with the year 2000 taken as the base year. The proposed scenarios were evaluated using the MCDM approach to rate their sustainability. Team members found that this method provided a methodology to help decision-makers to systematically identify management objectives and priorities.</p>

Satellite District Heating and Cooling (DHC) systems offer an alternative structure to conventional, centralized DHC networks. Both use a piping network carrying steam or water to connect disparate building heating and cooling loads together, providing a platform for improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and incorporating alternative means of energy generation. However, satellite DHC networks incorporate thermal production units that are distributed amongst the buildings nodes, which offers greater operational flexibility and reduced capital cost savings for applications using existing building stock. This study was focused on the development of the methodology behind a comprehensive energy model that can assess the practical and financial viability of satellite DHC network scenarios. A detailed scenario application of the model demonstrated significant energy savings and investment potential. Additionally, environmental assessment methods and alternative generation technology were explored in supplementary studies of Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) and building-scale Combined Heat and Power (CHP).

Satellite District Heating and Cooling (DHC) systems offer an alternative structure to conventional, centralized DHC networks. Both use a piping network carrying steam or water to connect disparate building heating and cooling loads together, providing a platform for improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and incorporating alternative means of energy generation. However, satellite DHC networks incorporate thermal production units that are distributed amongst the buildings nodes, which offers greater operational flexibility and reduced capital cost savings for applications using existing building stock. This study was focused on the development of the methodology behind a comprehensive energy model that can assess the practical and financial viability of satellite DHC network scenarios. A detailed scenario application of the model demonstrated significant energy savings and investment potential. Additionally, environmental assessment methods and alternative generation technology were explored in supplementary studies of Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) and building-scale Combined Heat and Power (CHP).

abstract: The building sector is responsible for consuming the largest proportional share of global material and energy resources. Some observers assert that buildings are the problem and the solution to climate change. It appears that in the United States a coherent national energy policy to encourage rapid building performance improvements is not imminent. In this environment, where many climate and ecological scientists believe we are running out of time to reverse the effects of anthropogenic climate change, a local grass-roots effort to create demonstration net zero-energy buildings (ZEB) appears necessary. This paper documents the process of designing a ZEB in a community with no existing documented ZEB precedent. The project will establish a framework for collecting design, performance, and financial data for use by architects, building scientists, and the community at large. This type of information may prove critical in order to foster a near-term local demand for net zero-energy buildings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Appendix M - Simulation and Weather Data / M.S. Built Environment 2014

<div>Machine tools are an important piece of manufacturing equipment that are widely used throughout many industries. Machine tools shape and form raw materials into desired products through processes such as grinding, cutting, bending, and forming, and when they perform these operations, they consume large amounts of energy. Due to the significant energy consumption, machine tools have a large environmental footprint. Addressing the environmental footprint of machine tools through energy reduction is important to addressing manufacturing and industry’s footprint. One strategy with great potential to reduce machine tool energy consumption is lightweighting. Lightweighting is a design strategy that reduces the mass of moving components with a goal of reducing energy consumption. This strategy is effective since a greater mass requires more energy to move. Lightweighting has had great success in the transportation sector where lightweight materials and lightweight design strategies have been implemented. There has been some work to explore the potential benefits of lightweighting machine tools, however an in-depth study relating mass to energy consumption in machine tools along with exploring other potential concerns, i.e., impact on dynamics and cost, is required.</div><div>To explore the lightweighting of machine tools, a lightweighting application along with models are proposed to investigate the connection between mass and energy in machine tools and potential concerns associated with lightweighting, i.e., decreased dynamic performance and increased machine tool cost. First, a method to reduce the mass of a vertical milling machine tool table is proposed. This method will include the implementation of a sandwich panel for the table while optimizing the structure of the table to maximize its strength and minimize its mass. Following, to link mass to energy consumption, an energy model is proposed to quantify the energy required to drive the table throughout the use of the machine, including cutting and non-cutting moves. In addition to modeling energy, this model will explore the role of motor sizing in the energy consumption of the drive system. To address dynamic concerns resulting from lightweighting, a dynamic model is proposed. This model will provide insight into the dynamic performance of the table and explore the impact of lightweighting on machine tool performance. Finally, a cost model of machine tools is proposed to study the impact of lightweighting on cost. Machine tool cost drivers will be explored along with the role that design complexity has on purchase price.</div><div>This dissertation provided a proof of concept for a lightweighting application through the sandwich panel design of the slide table. The energy model built considering the lightweight table provided a link between the mass and energy consumption in the machine tool. It was shown that more than 30% of the drive system energy could be saved by lightweighting the table. A 30% savings is substantial, especially if applied to multiple systems throughout the machine tool. The static and dynamic models showed that designing lightweight components can be accomplished without sacrificing performance. Various design tools, e.g., finite element analysis, can be used to address static and dynamic concerns. The cost model showed how lightweighting will not increase the cost of the machine tool and therefore will not discourage machine builders from implementing lightweighting to reduce energy consumption.</div><div>The contributions of this research are summarized as follows:</div><div>1.A shape optimization method to design the sandwich panel table, accomplished through a genetic algorithm. This provides a lower-cost lightweighting application.</div><div>2.A mechanistic model linking mass to energy consumption. This provides insight into design considerations required to implement lightweighting</div><div>3.Static and dynamic models of the milling machine slide table. These provide understanding of how lightweighting affects the performance machine tools</div><div>4.A cost model of milling machines. This provides insight into how lightweighting affects the machine tool cost</div><div><br></div>

The diploma thesis with research of efficiency of renewable and low-potential energy sources of buildings. It is available on numerical simulations for sharing office and heating and cooling system buildings in DesignBuilder. There are various energy sources and ways of controlling heating and cooling. The results are evaluated in terms of time, after the expected compromises in the building, in terms of energy consumption and its price.

This research work is focused on a conceptual combination of membrane-based energy recovery ventilator (ERV) and phase change material (PCM) to provide energy savings in building heating, ventilation & air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. An ERV can recover thermal energy and moisture between the outside fresh air (OFA) entering into the building and the exhaust air (EA) leaving from the building thus reducing the energy consumption of the HVAC system for cooling and heating the spaces inside the building. The membranes were stacked parallel to each other forming adjacent channels in a counter-flow arrangement for OFA and EA streams. Heat and moisture is diffused through the membrane core. Flat-plate encapsulated PCM is arranged in OFA duct upstream/downstream of the ERV thereby allowing for further reduction in temperature by virtue of free cooling. Paraffin-based PCMs with a melting point of 24°C and 31°C is used in two different configurations where the PCM is added either before or after the ERV. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and heat and mass transfer modeling is employed using COMSOL Multiphysics v5.3 to perform the heat and mass transfer analysis for the membrane-based ERV and flat-plate PCMs. An 8-story office building was considered to perform building energy simulation using eQUEST v3.65 from Department of Energy (DOE). Based on the heat and mass transfer analysis, it is found that the sensible effectiveness (heat recovery) stood in the range of 65%-97% while the latent effectiveness (moisture recovery) stood at 55%-80%. Also, the highest annual energy savings achieved were 72,700 kWh in electricity consumption and 358.45 MBtu in gas consumption.

<p>Soft robotics is concerned with the modeling and designing of devices fabricated from materials with low Young’s moduli—much less than that of metal— that mimic the input/output operation and physical task utility of robotics.  The inherent compliance of soft robots lends these devices an adaptability and a capacity for human-machine interaction beyond that of conventional robotics. Multistable soft robotic grippers are a subset of the technology at the intersection of soft robotics and multistable structures. Multistable structures are continuum systems that exhibit more than one statically stable state, each associated with a strain energy minimum. The existence of these energetic minima allows the structures to adopt different stable configurations that can provide a reference point for open loop control schemes. Multistable soft robotics takes advantage of both the adaptability of soft robotics and the potential for simplified control of multistable structures.</p> <p>Achieving simplified control for soft robotics is a necessary milestone in creating functional and applied soft robots. </p> <p>This work presents a means for simple open-loop control of a multistable soft robotic gripper that is adaptable, controllable, and robust. The behavior is illustrated through a gripper geometry described by specific design parameters resulting in a near infinite design space. An analytical model based on lumped parameter springs is derived, allowing us to search the design space in a tractable fashion. Specifically, we predict the system’s stable states for any given design instance by searching for local minima in the energy landscape formed by a spring lattice representation of our device. The lattice is composed of linear, bistable, and torsional springs—each of which contributes to the energy landscape of the system. We validate our model against Finite Element simulations of our device, showing good agreement with the proposed model. The aptitude of the model sheds light on the fundamental mechanics of our soft robotic gripper topology, laying the foundation for efficient design optimization and simplified control of soft robots.</p>

Climate change is a global phenomenon that strongly affect cities and urban areas. Due to the intensive industrial activities and global population growth leading to more fossil energy demands for the last century, the global warming effect appeared to have been significantly exacerbated. To overcome the issues related to the increase of greenhouse emissions amplifying the global warming, multiple initiatives and engagements have appeared for the last 10 years in order to reduce our global energy demands and reduce the dependency to fossil energy and engage a transition to renewable energy. One way to achieve these objectives is to engage a technological and societal shift in the building industry by reducing energy demands and increasing local energy productions based on renewable energy or, at least, carbon neutral systems. In order to qualify these new types of construction, the concept of positive energy district (PED) has arisen through multiple initiative around the world. This thesis aims to assess the possibility to meet the PED requirements for the new Jakobsgardarna district extension project proposed by Sweco in Borlange, Sweden. This project is based on 144 buildings composed of schools, residentials, retails shop, and offices spread on an 80 ha of land. The Building Energy Modelling (BEM) has been performed on IDA ICE to assess the energy demands and energy production of the entire district following multiple scenarios. These simulations have been performed with either a district heating system or a heat pump as base system. Then, the models have been extended with photovoltaic (PV) panel in multiple configurations in order to find the bes tsolution to meet the PED requirements. First results of the baseline configuration (district heating) shows that the yearly energy demand was around 14,227 MWh which represent almost 69 kWh/m2, mainly dominated up to 75% by the heating demands including domestic hot water (DHW). Moreover, an uncomfortable situation has been met in almost all residential building during summer with temperature reaching up to 31°C. The second configuration considering a heat pump with bore holes in replacement of the district heating shows an overall yearly energy demands of 9,738 MWh representing 47.2kWh/m2 per heated area. This results in a 67% reduction of the energy demands in comparison with the base case. This is due to the high coefficient of performance (COP=4) of the heat pump compared to the district heating system’s (COP=1). In this configuration the heating demands still corresponds to 70% of the overall energy demands. The addition of PV panels compensated the entire electrical needs of the district when combined with district heating and even allowed to reach the positive energy requirements when combined with heat pumps with bore holes. The latter case generates up to 20% of electrical energy in excess of what it produced, even while considering solar panels at a15° of tilt angle in a region where the optimal inclination is defined at 45°. According to the preliminary results obtained in this study, positive energy requirements could be met by the combination of heat pump and PV panels according to our assumptions. This work could then be used to further refine the district design and propose suggestions to improve both the thermal modeling of the district and the design rules for architects and local stakeholders.

In this dissertation, an assessment is conducted of the potential benefits of combined heat and power (CHP) based district energy (DE) grids in energy systems of different scale having significant fossil fuel fired electrical generation capacity. Three studies are included in the research. In the first study, the potential benefits of expanding CHP-based DE grids in a large scale energy system are investigated. The impacts of expanding wind power systems are also investigated and a comparison between these technologies is made with respect to fossil fuel utilization and CO2 emissions. A model is constructed and five scenarios are evaluated with the EnergyPLAN software taking the province of Ontario, Canada as the case study. Results show that reductions in fuel utilization and CO2 emissions of up to 8.5% and 32%, respectively, are possible when switching to an energy system comprising widespread CHP-based DE grids. In the second study, a high temporal resolution numerical model (i.e. the SS-VTD model) is developed that is capable of rapidly calculating distribution losses in small scale variable flow DE grids with low error and computational intensity. The SS-VTD model is validated by comparing simulated temperature data with measured temperature data from an existing network. The Saanich DE grid, located near Victoria, Canada, is used as the case study for validation. In the third study, the potential benefits of integrating high penetrations of renewable energy via a power-to-heat plant in a small scale CHP-based DE grid are investigated. The impacts of switching to a CHP-based DE grid equipped with an electric boiler plant versus a conventional wave power system are compared with respect to fossil fuel utilization and CO2 emissions. The SS-VTD model is used to conduct the study. The energy system of the Hot Springs Cove community, located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada is used as the case study in the analysis. Results show that relative to the conventional wave power system, reductions in fuel utilization and CO2 emissions of up to 47% are possible when switching to a CHP-based DE grid. / Graduate