Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemThe carbon footprint of treating patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit(College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand, 2018-12-01)OBJECTIVE: To use life cycle assessment to determine the environmental footprint of the care of patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective, observational life cycle assessment examining the use of energy for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; lighting; machines; and all consumables and waste associated with treating ten patients with septic shock in the ICU at BarnesJewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO, United States (US-ICU) and ten patients at Footscray Hospital, Melbourne, Vic, Australia (Aus-ICU). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Environmental footprint, particularly greenhouse gas emissions. RESULTS: Energy use per patient averaged 272 kWh/day for the US-ICU and 143 kWh/day for the Aus-ICU. The average daily amount of single-use materials per patient was 3.4 kg (range, 1.0-6.3 kg) for the US-ICU and 3.4 kg (range, 1.2-8.7 kg) for the Aus-ICU. The average daily particularly greenhouse gas emissions arising from treating patients in the US-ICU was 178 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) emissions (range, 165-228 kg CO2-e), while for the Aus-ICU the carbon footprint was 88 kg CO2-e (range, 77-107 kg CO2-e). Energy accounted for 155 kg CO2-e in the US-ICU (87%) and 67 kg CO2-e in the Aus-ICU (76%). The daily treatment of one patient with septic shock in the US-ICU was equivalent to the total daily carbon footprint of 3.5 Americans' CO2-e emissions, and for the Aus-ICU, it was equivalent to the emissions of 1.5 Australians. CONCLUSION: The carbon footprints of the ICUs were dominated by the energy use for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; consumables were relatively less important, with limited effect of intensity of patient care. There is large opportunity for reducing the ICUs' carbon footprint by improving the energy efficiency of buildings and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.
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ItemOpening the door on refrigerator energy consumption: quantifying the key drivers in the home(SPRINGER, 2018-08)There is little concrete understanding of the energy consumption of refrigerating appliances during normal use or the main influences on their energy consumption. To date, no widely accepted method to disaggregate measured energy consumption measured in the home into its key components has been demonstrated. This paper examines the main external factors that impact on the energy consumption of existing refrigerating appliances in the home and how they respond to changing conditions, namely: room air temperature, defrosting behaviour and user interactions. Analysis of field data from 235 homes in Australia demonstrates that room air temperature is by far the largest factor accounting for typically around 75% of total energy consumption. Where present, energy used for defrosting is relatively small at around 10%, but this does vary by household and the type of defrost controller. User interactions typically account for 15% of total energy consumed by main household refrigerating appliances, but this varies from a few percent to as much as 45% in large households. The method set out in this paper provides a basis for more in depth analysis and a better understanding of energy consumption of household refrigerators in different regions.
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ItemOccupational stress and workplace design(MDPI AG, 2018-09-23)The World Green Building Council (WGBC) advocates improvements in employee health, wellbeing, and productivity in buildings as people are about 90% of an organisation’s expense and well exceed building costs and energy costs. It was reported that earlier research on workplace design primarily focused on physical arrangement of employees’ immediate work area, and ambient environmental qualities of the work area. Building organisation, exterior amenities, and site-planning have been given less attention. Therefore, we examine more closely the health relevance of both proximal and remote aspects of workplace design. Occupational stress is a complex phenomenon that is dynamic and evolving over time. This investigation reviews the existing fundamental conceptual models of occupational stress, workplace design, and connection to nature. It aims to develop an improved model relevant to work place design and occupational stress linked with connection to nature. The proposed improved model is presented with an appropriate causal loop diagram to assist in visualizing how different variables in a system are interrelated. The developed model highlights how connection to nature in workspaces can function as a work resource with a dual effect of improving physical wellbeing and psychological wellbeing.
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ItemApplications of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP) for industrial site selections in Isfahan, Iran(Springer, 2018-07-13)Industrial sites are key factors in urban and regional land use planning. Therefore, determining the location of industrial areas is a critical and complex process for development and success. Industrial site selection aims in identifying the most suitable sites for industry creation, considering a set of influential criteria. Therefore, site selection generally and industrial site selection specifically can be categorised as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that requires detailed evaluation of various dimensions. This study developed a set of clusters containing 10 selection criteria for industrial site selection in Isfahan metropolitan area, Iran. The relationships between the criteria and clusters were modelled and analysed using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and analytical network process (ANP). AHP and ANP agree in finding distance to water bodies and distance to other industries as the most and least important selection criteria. Four patches have been identified as suitable alternatives for industrial construction. While AHP found Borkhar Patch 1 as the most appropriate alternative, ANP demonstrated the superiority of Ardestan Patch over others. Conducting a sensitivity analysis for the models confirmed both models robustness in industrial site selection decisions.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe proposed heating and cooling system in the CH2 building and its impact on occupant productivity(Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, 2005-12-31)Melbourne's climatic conditions demand that its buildings require both heating and cooling systems. In a multi-storey office building , however, cooling requirements will dominate. How the internal space is cooled and ventilation air is delivered will significantly impact on occupant comfort. This paper discusses the heating and cooling systems proposed for the CH2building. The paper critiques the proposed systems against previous experience, both internationally and in Australia. While the heating system employs proven technologies, less established techniques are proposed for the cooling system. Air movement in the shower towers, for example, is to be naturally induced and this has not always been successful elsewhere. Phase change material for storage of "coolth" does not appear to have been demonstrated previously in a commercial building, so the effectiveness of the proposed system is uncertain. A conventional absorption chiller backs up the untried elements of the cooling system, so that ultimately occupant comfort should not be compromised.
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ItemModeling Australian road transport emissions till 2025(The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, 2006)The contribution of the road transport sector to local air pollutants is significant in urban areas. Also, road transport has been a major source of greenhouse gases in OECD countries. In Australia, road transport was responsible for 12.9% of total national greenhouse gas emissions in 2000. This paper aims at determining the criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions from the road transport sector in Australia. Transport activities are projected from a bottom-up approach for a modeling period from 2000 to 2025. Instead of using standard drive cycle emission factors, attempts have been made to quantify real-world on-road emissions. Results have been compared with the findings from existing studies. It was found that the emission of local air pollutants would be decreasing because of the new vehicle emission standards to be adopted and by 2025. CO, HC, NOx and PM10 emissions would be significantly lower than the current level. Among the greenhouse gases, CH4 and N2O emissions are expected to decrease. The tailpipe CO2 emission would stabilize or increase at a very slow rate, because of the expected increase in fuel efficiency. The equivalent CO2 emission considering the global warming potential of CH4 and N2O is also predicted to stabilize.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableAccuracy of satellite measured wave heights in the Australian region for wave power applications(SAGE Publications, 2008-06-01)This article focuses on the accuracy of satellite data, which may then be used in wave power applications. The satellite data are compared to data from wave buoys, which are currently considered to be the most accurate of the devices available for measuring wave characteristics. This article presents an analysis of satellite- (Topex/Poseidon) and buoy-measured significant wave heights for a 1-year period at Cape Sorell and Rottnest Island, off the Australian coast. The analysis found that the satellite-measured wave heights showed a slight positive bias. This is contrary to the findings of most other authors, who have analyzed data from the Northern Hemisphere and generally found a negative bias in the satellite-measured wave heights. The implication is that calibration functions to improve the correlation between the buoy and satellite data may vary for different hemispheres or even regions within these.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableTechnical and financial feasibility of a stand-alone photovoltaic system for rural electrification in the Andean South region of Peru(Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2012-10-25)The Andean South is one of the poorest regions of Peru. Only 44% of the rural inhabitants of this area have electricity. This paper describes an investigation into the technical and financial feasibility of stand-alone photovoltaic systems in this region. The feasibility study was undertaken for a typical village of Andean South. The village of Churrubamba Alta in the province of Andahuaylas, departamento de Apurimac (department of Apurimac) was selected. The TRNSYS software tool was used for performance analysis and identifying the optimal size of the system. The feasibility study showed that the best option is a 13.7 kW PV array and 180 kWh battery bank for the daily supply of 42.2 kWh electricity to 62 households and a community centre. The financial analysis demonstrated a net present value of US$186 918, internal rate of return of 28%, payback period of 4.3 years and levelised cost of electricity of US$0.30 per kWhe.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableWater-Energy-GHG emissions accounting for urban water supply: A case study on an urban redevelopment in Melbourne(E.W. Publications, 2013-07-01)This paper presents a conceptual accounting framework to quantify the life cycle energy use and GHG emissions of alternative urban water supply strategies. The framework enables the comparative analysis of alternative strategies to design a fit-for-purpose water supply system that takes into account water supply, energy use and GHG emissions and has been tested on the Fisherman’s Bend development site in Melbourne Metropolitan region and results are presented. This study does not include the environmental and social benefits incurred from deploying multiple water sources, which must be considered before making strategic decision about implementation of alternative sources of water supply.
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ItemDesign lessons from three Australian dementia support facilities(MDPI AG, 2018-05-24)There is a significant increase in the number of people with dementia, and the demand for residential support facilities is expected to increase. Providing an appropriate living environment for residents with dementia, which can cater for their specific needs is crucial. Residential aged care design can impact the quality of life and wellbeing of the residents. In this investigation, three recently constructed dementia support facilities in Victoria, Australia are selected for evaluation. Through fieldwork observation, design evaluation and space syntax analysis, the aim of this investigation is to consider the design of these three facilities in the context of current evidence on how the built environment can best accommodate residents with dementia.