Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 10 of 14
-
ItemUtilizing a Building Information Modelling Environment to Communicate the Legal Ownership of Internet of Things-Generated Data in Multi-Owned Buildings(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute ( M D P I AG), 2019-11-01)In multi-owned buildings, a community of residents live in their private properties while they use and share communal spaces and facilities. Proper management of multi-owned buildings is underpinned by rules related to health, safety, and security of the residents and visitors. Utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) devices to collect information about the livable space has become a significant trend since the introduction of first smart home appliances back in 2000. The question about who owns the IoT generated data and under what terms it can be shared with others is still unclear. IoT devices, such as security camera and occupancy sensors, can provide safety for their owners, while these devices may capture private data from the neighborhood. In fact, the residents are sometimes not aware of regulations that can prevent them from installing and collecting data from shared spaces that could breach other individuals’ privacy. On the other hand, Building Information Modelling (BIM) provides a rich 3D digital data environment to manage the physical, functional, and ownership aspects of buildings over their entire lifecycle. This study aims to propose a methodology to utilize BIM for defining the legal ownership of the IoT generated data. A case study has been used to discuss key challenges related to the ownership of IoT data in a multi-owned building. This study confirmed that BIM environment can facilitate the understanding of legal ownership of IoT datasets and supports the interpretation of who has the entitlement to use the IoT datasets in multi-owned buildings
-
ItemNumerical simulation of single-sided natural ventilation: Impacts of balconies opening and depth scale on indoor environment (IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (EES), 2019)Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), including, Mechanical ventilation (MV) in the building sector accounts for around 40% of electricity consumption and a large percentage of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Natural ventilation (NV), as an alternative method, assist in decreasing energy consumption as well as harmful emissions. Balconies, a common architectural element in high rise residential buildings, could enhance NV and reduce reliance on mechanical ventilation in cooling dominant climates. Indoor air velocity (IAV) and distribution due to NV is less predictable than MV, and the impacts of balcony geometry on IAV and distribution profile have not yet been classified. This study, focusing on single-sided ventilation apartments, seeks to determine to what extent balcony depth and door opening area impacts on the indoor environment of the attached living area. For this, 3D – steady-state Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent. The simulation results were validated against measured data in a full-scale experimental study in a residential building in subtropical Brisbane, Australia. Five different openings and nine depth scenarios were modelled, with results showing variances in indoor mean air velocity and temperature. The outcomes suggest that further research on the indoor distribution of temperature and air velocity may provide further clarity on the impact of balcony geometry on occupant comfort through NV.
-
ItemNumerical simulation of single-sided natural ventilation: Impacts of balconies opening and depth scale on indoor environment (SEGT 2019, 2019)Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), including, Mechanical ventilation (MV) in the building sector accounts for around 40% of electricity consumption and a large percentage of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Natural ventilation (NV), as an alternative method, assist in decreasing energy consumption as well as harmful emissions. Balconies, a common architectural element in high rise residential buildings, could enhance NV and reduce reliance on mechanical ventilation in cooling dominant climates. Indoor air velocity (IAV) and distribution due to NV is less predictable than MV, and the impacts of balcony geometry on IAV and distribution profile have not yet been classified. This study, focusing on single-sided ventilation apartments, seeks to determine to what extent balcony depth and door opening area impacts on the indoor environment of the attached living area. For this, 3D – steady-state Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent. The simulation results were validated against measured data in a full-scale experimental study in a residential building in subtropical Brisbane, Australia. Five different openings and nine depth scenarios were modelled, with results showing variances in indoor mean air velocity and temperature. The outcomes suggest that further research on the indoor distribution of temperature and air velocity may provide further clarity on the impact of balcony geometry on occupant comfort through NV.
-
ItemUndisturbed ground temperature in Melbourne(AIP Publishing, 2019-07-18)The ground surface temperature changes with the diurnal cycle of solar radiation and ambient air temperature. However, the amplitude of the ground temperature variation diminishes with the increase of the depth of the ground and after a certain depth of the ground, it becomes almost constant, where is termed "undisturbed ground temperature (UGT)". At this depth, the seasonal changes of solar radiation and ambient air temperature changes will no longer affect onground temperature. It is one of the important parameters for designing of the ground heat exchangers and building energy analyses. In this study ground temperatures at various depths in Melbourne were investigated using a 40 m deep borehole instrumented with thermistors. The ground temperatures at various depths (0 m to 40 m) in Melbourne were also simulated by using three methods: Kasuda formula method, simulation (TRNSYS, Type 77), and simplified correlation (developed by Ouzzane et al. in 2015) and the results were compared with the measured data. Root mean square error (RMSE) and mean bias error (MBE)were used to validate and verify the methods. It was found that the estimated ground temperatures at 2, 21, and 40 m depths by Kasuda formula method and simulation (TRNSYS)have the same trends as that of the measured data. The measured annual temperatures of ground at 2 m depth were between 14.7°C and 19.8°C, while the temperature at 21 m and 40 m depths remained almost constant. RMSE and MBE of the simulation (TRNSYS, Type 77) were found to be 1.39°C, and -1.39°C respectively compared to measured data at 21 m depth. Based on these values, we conclude that simulation (TRNSYS, Type 77) can reliably predict the ground temperature for the selected site in Melbourne.
-
ItemControl Strategies in Multi-Zone Air Conditioning Systems(MDPI AG, 2019-02-01)In a commercial building, a significant amount of energy is used by the ventilation systems to condition the air for the indoor environments to satisfy the required quantity (temperature and humidity) and quality (amount of fresh air). For many years, Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems have been considered as the most efficient solutions by balancing the airflow volume based on the demand making them energy efficient when compared with the traditional Constant Air Volume (CAV) systems. However, the setpoints in VAV systems are often misread by the sensors due to stratification and formation of pollutant pockets and responding to design levels that overestimate the real-time demand conditions, which result in waste of energy, thermal discomfort and unhealthy air. In general, VAV devices are expensive, complicated and prone to failures and they are used only in medium and large projects. More recently, new technologies have evolved to solve this issue. In one of the new solutions, VAV motors terminals are replaced with flaps which are simpler and less expensive thus, they can be implemented in a wider range of projects. In systems, balancing and supplying the optimal airflow to reduce the energy consumption while delivering ideal thermal and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) levels are the main challenges. In this paper, a comparison of the recent technologies with traditional VAV systems is presented to be used as a guild line for researchers and designers in the field of Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC)
-
ItemEffective use of offsite manufacturing for public infrastructure projects in Australia(ICE Publishing, 2019)Prefabrication and offsite manufacturing have featured in various forms in an in-situ based construction industry for many decades. Scarcity of both human and material resources is challenging the future of traditional construction practices. Due to its many benefits such as speed of project delivery, minimum work on site, minimised construction waste and higher quality assurance, offsite manufacturing is gradually evolving into an essential technology in the construction industry. As a result of re-cent government initiatives, Australia is seeing a considerable increase in the use of offsite manufacturing and prefabricated modular technologies in delivering public infrastructure projects such as schools, healthcare facilities, and public transport facilities. Such projects are ably supported by academic research collaborating with the industry to ensure that the outcomes keep improving to achieve the highest quality and functionality. This paper discusses how multidisciplinary research addresses issues such as structural performance, construction technology, design for manufacturing and assembly and indoor environ-mental quality for the delivery of such public infrastructure projects. These projects have set an example in how offsite manufacturing supported by academic research can be beneficial for effectively delivering the greater good to the society.
-
ItemOptimisation of a seasonal thermal energy storage system for space heating in cold climate zones(AAEE - Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC), 2018-10-04)The parameter optimised for a seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) system based on life cycle cost (LCC) is a unique investigation. Although STES with ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) and solar collector system have been verified and validated in other countries, the result cannot be used for particular cold climates because the performance of the system is highly climate sensitive. Therefore, this study intends to fill the knowledge gap by identifying optimum sets of system variables for four selected cities in cold climate zones.
-
ItemNo Preview AvailableSeasonal solar energy storage system for space heating in cold climate(Australian PV institute, 2017-12-05)A seasonal solar energy storage system for space heating in cold climates is proposed. The system includes evacuated tube solar collectors integrated with double U-tube vertical borehole thermal storage coupled with a heat pump. The performance of the system is evaluated by computer simulations for a cluster of typical houses in four Asia-pacific cities: Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), Harbin (China), Dras (India) and Lukla (Nepal). TRNSYS, a transient systems simulation program, was used to simulate the system. The typical detached house model for each city was developed based on the type of dwelling. The initial sizes of the system components were determined for the four cities. The average ground temperatures and energy balance of the system during charging and discharging modes were investigated. The seasonal heating coefficient of performance of the system in each city has been presented. The simple payback period (SPBP) of the proposed system was investigated by comparing convention system. It was found that the proposed system has the potential for fulfilling the space heating demand in cold climate cities of Asia-Pacific region.
-
ItemNet zero fossil energy for heating detached houses in Harbin(ZEMCH Network, 2018-01-29)Following the recognition of the zero energy building concept, the zero energy mass customised houses have received more attention recently. This paper investigates the application of solar energy to achieve net zero on-site energy for space heating in a cold climate. As a case study, a cluster of 30 typical houses in Harbin, China was considered. Harbin is known for its coldest weather and longest winter among major Chinese cities. This study used TRNbuild software to model the house and consequently TRNSYS to determine the total heating load of the cluster of houses. The study focused on fulfilling the heating demand by using a ground source heat pump (GSHP) system. The total electricity consumed by the GSHP is covered by a grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) array. The required area of PV array to meet 100% of the annual electricity consumed by the GSHP was calculated. The results show the peak GSHP electric load required for the cluster of houses to be 99 kWhe with the total PV array area of 1961 m2. The levelised cost of electricity (LCoE) generated by the PV array was found to be US$ 0.067 (RMB 0.44) per kWhe for 30-year project life. The cost of heat distribution network, the annualised life cycle cost (ALCC), and the unit heating cost (UHC) were also estimated for the system investigated.
-
ItemLow energy building retrofit: A review of objectives and solutions(ZEMCH Network, 2018-01-29)Worldwide, the building sector is accountable for one-third of final energy consumption. This is expected to increase in the future. It is due to the continuing growth in demand for new buildings and the poor energy efficiency of the existing building stock. In developed countries, the ratio of new to old buildings is around 1% per year. According to the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive Recast (Directive 2010/31/EU), optimal solutions towards low and near-Zero Energy Building (near ZEB) retrofit is of critical importance in order to achieve European Union (EU) climate and energy objectives. This has led to a large number of projects on deep building retrofit during the last 20 years. Each project has specific objective functions, depending on the adopted stakeholder’s perspective and the selected retrofit strategies are dictated by the objective functions set. This study investigates stakeholders (legislators, investors, owners and users), objectives and optimal retrofit strategies and their interrelationships. The focus is on residential buildings due to the significant opportunity for reducing their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. A matrix has been developed to classify information in order to facilitate comparison and apparent correlations to be identified. The expected outcome is the better understanding of stakeholders’ perspectives on financial, energy, GHG emissions, thermal comfort and the resulted optimal strategies.