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Focusing on aerodynamics of wind turbines, this book presents advanced topics including: Basic Theory for Wind turbine Blade Aerodynamics; Dynamics-Based Health Monitoring and Control of Wind Turbine Rotors; Experimental Testing of Wind Turbines using Wind Tunnels with an Emphasis on Small-Scale Wind Turbines under Low-Reynolds Numbers; Computational Methods; Ice Accretion for Wind Turbines and Influence of some Parameters, and; Special Structural Reinforcement Techniques for Wind Turbine Blades. Consequently, for these reasons, Aerodynamics of Wind Turbines will attract readers not only from the wind energy community but also from the gas turbines heat transfer and fluid mechanics community.

Biomass is a continuously renewed source of energy formed from or by a wide variety of living organisms. Through biochemical and thermochemical processes, it is converted into gaseous, liquid or solid biofuels, which already meet a significant share of the current world energy needs. Because of their contribution to the sustainability of energy supply, reduction of green house gas emissions as well as local employment and energy self-reliance, research interest and activity in enhancing biofuel energy output, efficiency and performance remain strong. The first part of this volume comprises five articles mainly concerned with biomass resource potential and management. More specifically, the reported investigations assess grass and lawn substrates, rapeseed straw and microalgae from Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor effluents as possible sources of biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel, respectively. The emphasis in the subsequent group of eleven articles is on biomass conversion processes, aiming at assessing performance as well as output quality and diversity.Biodiesel, a fluid biofuel produced from biomass with high lipids such as rapeseed oil, sunflowers and soy beans, is the focus of two articles: the first investigates the effect of biodiesel blending with diesel fuel on diesel engine performance and emissions; the second assesses the efficiency of catalytic reforming of biodiesel into a gaseous mixture, used directly as Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) fuel.In the last three articles, the prospects of biofuels as viable sources of energy are examined within European contexts. This volume addresses a significant number of important themes and thus combines subject breadth and density with in-depth study of biomass resourcing and processing as well as the issue of biofuel and renewable energy sustainability.

A marine engineer will need to have a broad background of knowledge within several aspects of marine design and operations. These aspects relate to the design of facilities for offshore applications and evaluation of operational conditions for marine installation and modification/maintenance works. Such needs arise in the marine industries, in the offshore oil and gas industry as well as in the offshore renewable industry. Developed from knowledge gained throughout the author's engineering career, this book covers several of the themes where engineers need knowledge and also serves as a teaser for those who will go into more depth on the different thematic aspects discussed. Details of qualitative risk analysis, which is considered an excellent tool to identify risks in marine operations, are also included. The book is the author's attempt to develop a text for those in marine engineering science who like a practical and solid mathematical approach to marine engineering.It is the intention that the book can serve as an introductory textbook for master degree courses in marine sciences and be of inspiration for teachers who will extend the course into specialisation courses on stability of vessels, higher order wave analysis, nonlinear motions of vessels, arctic offshore engineering, etc.The book could also serve as a handbook for PhD students and researchers who need a handy introduction to solving marine technology related problems.

Recently a renewed emphasis on the benefits of proper use of natural light has focused attention on the need to define a new paradigm - to properly assess the variability of the amount light that can be used not only to enhance the presence of natural light as a instrument to outline expressively the indoor space, but also to reduce the demand for electricity and thermal energy consumption in buildings.This title deals with the many advantages associated to the use of natural light, comparing architectural experiences, technological devices and calculation methods. It explores the spatial qualities of built environments through the use of natural light, involving energy saving strategies and visual comfort definition, although in current architectural practice, daylight is a deeply underexploited natural resource. A proper natural lighting system, tailored to the requirements of architectural form and customized to occupants functional desires is an essential support to modern climate control policies, as well as to energy-saving measures and in reducing thermal loads.An in-depth investigation on the different methods of assessment natural light highlights deficiencies and inaccuracies, showing the need to define a new calculation procedure that merges purely qualitative assessment with the new dynamic approach, involving users' preferences.Primarily intended for architects and designers, this book provides an introduction to the types of problems encountered and current available solutions to enhance and to convey the right dose of daylight inside the buildings, with a deep attention to energy saving strategies and to indoor visual comfort. Written for practitioners whose work is related to design and retrofit actions, the book will also be of interest to postgraduate students and lecturers dealing with indoor design optimization and energy saving issues.

Waste to Energy deals with the very topical subject of converting the calorific content of waste material into useful forms of energy. It complements and, to a certain degree, overlaps with its companion volume, "Biomass to Biofuels", since a significant proportion of biomass converted to energy nowadays originates from various types of waste. The material in the first, more substantial part of the volume has been arranged according to the type of process for energy conversion. Biochemical processes are described in six articles. These relate to the production of methane by anaerobic digestion; reactor conversion efficiencies; investigations on ethanol production from biodegradable municipal solid waste through hydrolysis and fermentation; hydrogen production from glucose through a hybrid anaerobic and photosynthetic process; biodiesel production from used cooking oil through base-catalyzed transesterification. Conversions by thermochemical processes are discussed in the subsequent eleven articles of the volume.These cover combustion, the direct use of heat energy; using the heat produced in thermal power stations for steam and, ultimately, electricity generation; municipal solid waste and refuse-derived fuel.In another article, computational fluid dynamics modelling is applied to assess the influence of process parameters and to perform optimization studies. A group of articles deal with more complex thermochemical processes involving combustion combined with pyrolysis and gasification. Two articles focus on biofuels as feed for fuel cells. In the last six articles, the emphasis is on management and policy rather than technical issues.

Environmental and energy dependency problems derived from high fossil fuels consumption have made necessary the development of new energy models to be renewable and sustainable, efficient, practical and economical, and cost effective, to meet the demand for a sustainable energy supply.Among renewable resources, biomass is destined to play an important role in these new energy models since agricultural and forestry residues are an energy resource that is produced in relatively large amounts throughout the world and regarded as a renewable and environmentally safe way of providing energy.Compiling information on the conversion of energy from biomass, the book focuses on the use of pellets as homogeneous solid biofuels. It describes all the changes that forestry and agricultural biomass undergo to be converted into thermal energy and analyses the inputs and outputs of the process.It has to be noted that the standards used as guidelines and references in all the chapters of the book are there in order to not to forget the thresholds and guidelines established and thus to ensure a proper use.This book guides the reader through the entire biomass-to-energy process, emphasising important aspects and how the quality of the biofuel can be identified.It acts as a starting point for professionals and researchers interested in working with biomass and a guide for those people interested in the implementation of the technologies described.

The interface between land use management and transportation planning represents probably the most important spatial impact in sustainable land use, mobility and transportation development. Prior to this book, only limited attempts have been made to integrate these topics as to enhance smart growth and sustainable development principles within spatial systems.The approach followed differs internationally and specifically between different planning and transportation authorities. The spatial impacts of land use and transportation serve as the main catalyst in urban form, development and its associated problems. These impacts represent severe consequences from a built and environmental development perspective. All of these are covered in the book and its supporting chapters.The focus of the book is the application of best practice principles in managing the interface between land use management and transportation planning. Internationally the practice is the promotion of more sustainable urban and rural forms supported by improved levels of accessibility through the application of smart growth and sustainability principles.The focus however remains to successfully optimise land use and transportation integration.The structuring used within each of the chapters provide the reader with the basic and applicable theory and practical knowledge to attain system wide integration and sustainability within the dynamics of spatial and transportation systems. The inclusion of specific theme related case studies endorses the relevancy of this book's topic.

Covering the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability held in Alicante, Spain, this volume addresses the multidisciplinary aspects of urban planning; a result of the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources and services required and the complexity of modern society.Most of the earth's population live in cities and the process of urbanisation continues generating problems originating from the drift of the population towards them. These problems can be resolved by cities becoming efficient habitats, saving resources in a way that improves the standard of living. The process faces a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions.Large cities are probably the most complex mechanisms to manage, nevertheless they represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.

Covering the topics of architecture and industrial design Creative Design in Industry and Architecture argues that the discourse on design criteria for both professions share many similarities. The book seeks to present a critical assessment of design processes which achieve innovation in the fields of both architectural and industrial disciplines.

The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning is part of a series of biennial conferences on the topic of sustainable regional development which began in Greece in 2003. The papers included in these proceedings report on the latest advances from scientists specialising in the range of subjects included within sustainable development and planning.Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without comprising the ability of future generations.The use of modern technologies in planning gives us new potential to monitor and prevent environmental degradation. Problems related to development and planning, which affect both rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world and accelerated urbanisation has resulted in both the deterioration of the environment and quality of life. Urban development can also intensify problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, which urgently require solutions in order to avoid irreversible damage.The papers in the book cover the following topics: City Planning; Urban Strategies; Sustainability and the Built Environment; Regional Planning; Environmental Planning and Management; Costal Regions; Sustainable Solutions in Emerging Countries; Policies and Planning; Socio Economic Issues; Community Planning; Culture and Heritage; Energy Resources; Transportation; Mobility and Urban Space; Air Quality; Water Management; Waste Water.

The papers contained in this volume were originally presented at the 2015 International Conference on Complex Systems in Business, Administration, Science and Engineering. Included are the latest works of practitioners from a variety of disciplines who have developed new approaches for resolving complex issues that cannot be formulated using conventional, mathematical or software models.Complex Systems occur in an infinite variety of problems, not only in the realm of physical sciences and engineering, but also in such diverse fields as economics, the environment, humanities, and social and political sciences.The papers in the book cover such topics as: Complex ecological systems; Complexity science and urban developments; Complex energy systems; Complex issues in biological and medical sciences; Extreme events: natural and human made disasters; Climate change; Complexity of the internet-based global market; Complex business processes; Supply chain complexity; Transportation complexity; Logistics complexity; Closed and open systems; Attractions and chaotic systems; Complex adaptive software; Complexity of big data; Management of complexity; Global economy as a complex system; Complexity in social systems; Complex political systems; Administrations as complex systems; Complexity in engineering; Complexity and environment; Complexity and evolution; Complexity in linguistics, literature and arts.

A marine engineer will need to have a broad background of knowledge within several aspects of marine design and operations. These aspects relate to the design of facilities for offshore applications and evaluation of operational conditions for marine installation and modification/maintenance works. Such needs arise in the marine industries, in the offshore oil and gas industry as well as in the offshore renewable industry.Developed from knowledge gained throughout the author's engineering career, this book covers several of the themes where engineers need knowledge and also serves as a teaser for those who will go into more depth on the different thematic aspects discussed. Details of qualitative risk analysis, which is considered an excellent tool to identify risks in marine operations, are also included.The book is the author's attempt to develop a text for those in marine engineering science who like a practical and solid mathematical approach to marine engineering.It is the intention that the book can serve as an introductory textbook for master degree courses in marine sciences and be of inspiration for teachers who will extend the course into specialisation courses on stability of vessels, higher order wave analysis, nonlinear motions of vessels, arctic offshore engineering, etc.The book could also serve as a handbook for PhD students and researchers who need a handy introduction to solving marine technology related problems.

Anyone who's called upon to address a problem and the relative sense of confusion associated with it, above all those who do so in a professional capacity, must have at least a basic knowledge of the underlying psychology. In fact, in order to effectively perform one's own institutional role, as well as any unforeseeable tasks that may be imposed by the specific circumstances, it is crucial to have a certain familiarity with the basic principles of this discipline, which marks a borderline between the rigidity of the exact sciences and the flexibility of the social sciences. This book is dedicated at all those working in the field of security, emergency and risk management, including: engineers, psychologists, public authorities, armed forces personnel, para-medical staff and health workers, Civil Protection personnel, Firefighters, etc.

Forming the 23rd addition to a successful series, this book contains papers presented by an extensive selection of international delegates at the 23rd International Conference on Urban Transport and the Environment. Due to its continued success and multiplicity of topics, the series is considered to be a leading source of new research in the area of transport engineering.Transportation in urban areas, with its related environmental and social impacts, is of significant concern for government policymakers and for the urban citizens who need efficient transport systems. Extensive reviews of these systems are required to devise and then safeguard their operational use, maintenance, safety and security.The continuing requirement for better and more efficient urban transport systems and the need for a healthier environment has added to the increasing international desire for new technologies and developments in this essential field.The variety of topics covered reflects the complex interaction of urban transport systems with their environment and the need to establish integrated strategies. These topics include: Urban Strategies; Urban Transport Planning and Management; Public Policies and Governance; Public Transport Systems; Transportation Modelling and Simulation; Mobility and Public Space; Eco-mobility Transport Systems; Infrastructure Development; Innovations in Transport; Environmental Impact; Traffic Control; Human Factor and Railway Safety; Safety and Security; Traffic Accidents; Travel Behaviour Studies; Railway Systems.

This book contains papers presented at the 1st International Conference on Timber Structures, which was held in collaboration with the Technical Centre of Wood Industry in Belgium. It explores the latest developments in wood products and their application as structural components. The focus of the included works is to draw attention to new research and real applications from both researchers and practitioners, and to present new and innovative ideas in this significant field.Rapid advances have recently been made in the development and processing of innovative ecologically friendly wood products. A variation of new structural shapes can now be fabricated and used to construct buildings and bridges that have minimal impact on the environment. Wood is particularly appealing since it is renewable and has no carbon footprint when it is harvested in a sustainable way. Timber structures are ecologically sound and comparatively low cost. The material lends itself to ground-breaking designs and new types of composites offer reliable, robust and safe materials.The content of this book comprises a range of topics: Material properties of wood; Durability aspects, service life modelling; Fire safety of timber structures; Protection against decay; Non-destructive inspection and monitoring; Glued, laminated structures, Xlam and CLT; Timber joints and connections; Vernacular wood and heritage timber structures; Timber housing and eco-architecture; Timber bridges; Large span timber roof structures; Shell structures in timber; Mixed, composite and hybrid structures; Computational analysis and experimental methods; Structural engineering and design; Seismic behaviour of timber structures; Protection of timber; Repaired timber structures; Rapidly assembled and transferable timber structures; Guidelines, codes and regulations; Structural failures; Art and craftsmanship.

Grouping a selection of papers from the 12th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, this book refers to all aspects of urban environment and provides solutions that lead towards sustainability. The series maintains its strong reputation and a substantial number of contributions have been made from a diverse range of transnational delegates, resulting in a variety of topics and experiences.Urban areas face a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions. The challenge is to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment, whilst considering the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today's cities.Large cities represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements. The multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources required and the complexity of modern society are all addressed.The published papers cover the following fields: Urban Strategies; Urban Conservation and Regeneration; Urban Transportation and Planning; Architectural Issues; Spatial Conflicts in the City; Intelligent Environment; Quality of Life; Cultural Heritage Sites; The Community and the City; Environmental Management; Planning, Development and Management; Planning for Risk and Natural Hazards; Waste Management; Water Resources.

Containing papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Energy and Sustainability, this volume includes collaborative research between different disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects.Energy production and distribution matters as well as the need to respond to the modern world's dependency on conventional fuels are topics of growing importance. The use of fossil fuels has generated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies.Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into an existing infrastructure.A range of topics are covered, including: Energy Management; Energy Efficiency; Green Buildings; Energy and Transport; Biomass and Biofuels; Environment and Energy: Connection and Opportunities; Renewable Energy Sources; Waste to Energy; CO2 Capturing and Management; Case Studies; Processing of Oil and Gas.

Formed of presented papers this volume contains research from the 40th International Conference on Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods, recognised as THE international forum for the latest advances in these techniques and their applications in science and engineering. The ongoing success of this series is a result of the strength of research being carried out all over the world and the coverage has continually evolved in line with the latest developments in the field.The books originating from this conference series constitute a record of the development of BEM/MRM, running from the initial successful development of boundary integral techniques into the boundary element method, a technique that eliminates the need for an internal mesh, to the recent and most sophisticated Mesh Reduction and even Meshless Methods. Since these methods are used in many engineering and scientific fields the 2017 book, Boundary Elements and other Mesh Reduction Methods, like the series before, will be of great interest to those working within the areas of numerical analysis, boundary elements and meshless methods. The research papers included in this volume cover: Advanced formulations; Advanced meshless and mesh reduction methods; Structural mechanics applications; Solid mechanics; Heat and mass transfer; Electrical engineering and electromagnetics; Computational methods; Fluid flow modelling; Damage mechanics and fracture; Dynamics and vibrations; Engineering applications; Interfacing with other methods; Coupling with design and manufacturing; Solution of large systems of equations.

Comprising a selection of articles dedicated to disaster management this volume focuses on the challenges arising from extreme natural phenomena and descriptions of methods for assessing their occurrence probability and of measures for mitigating their intensity and detrimental effects.The first group of articles describes general strategies for risk assessment and mitigation, providing examples in the context of various kinds of natural disasters. The economic impact of mitigation measures, communities' differing coping capabilities, human attitudes towards relocation and possible links to climate change are among the topics considered. Natural strategies are outlined in the contexts of Turkey, Brazil and United Arab Emirates.The second part of the book is concerned with disasters from specific natural causes starting with a group of ten articles on floods.The corresponding contributions address flood frequency, vulnerability and resilience of communities, response of small and medium enterprises, risk in terms of financial losses, private investment participation to mitigation measures, assessment of design solutions against flood hazard, sleeper dykes as a means of reducing risk, preparedness of hospitals, causes of highway flooding and their relative importance, and impact of floods on poor communities.The third set of articles are related to earthquake-related hazards describing, in particular, an analysis tool providing integrated risk, coping capacity and management output, a method for assessing vulnerability considering key contributing factors, a technique for urban aftershock management and damage assessment, and neural network modelling to estimate tsunami damage.Finally, a group of three articles address issues related to landslides, namely, slope management as a means of reducing risk and losses, early warning based on rainfall data, and hazard prediction using favourability function modelling and spatial target mapping software.Providing a unique global perspective this volume focuses on recent developments over a wide range of topics that cannot be found in similar, currently available, publications in this field.This is a valuable addition to the relevant literature available to researchers and engineers working on risk assessment and mitigation of natural disaster intensity and consequences. It will appeal of those working in academic and research environments as well as governmental, professional, national and international organisations.

Containing papers presented at the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning this volume brings together the work of academics, policy makers, practitioners and other international stakeholders and discusses new academic findings and their application in planning and development strategies, assessment tools and decision making processes.Problems related to development and planning are present in all areas and regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in both the deterioration of the environment and quality of life. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation, new strategies can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.Energy saving and eco-friendly buildings have become an important part of modern day progress with emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning is a key part in ensuring that these solutions along with new materials and processes are efficiently incorporated. Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers and economists have to work collectively to ensure that present and future needs are met.The papers in the book cover a number of topics, including: City planning; Urban architecture; Regional planning; Sustainability and the built environment; Environmental management; Cultural heritage; Quality of life; Sustainable solutions in emerging countries; Sustainable tourism; Transportation; Community planning; Timber structures; Governance; Socio-economic issues; Mobility in the city; Energy efficiency; Education for sustainable development; Case studies; Sustainable development indicators.