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We report on an investigation of student thinking about steady-state pipe flow of an incompressible fluid. About 250 undergraduate engineering students were given a test consisting of two hydrodynamics questions, combining multiple-choice format with subsequent open-ended explanations. There is substantial evidence that students have difficulty applying and prioritizing the two basic principles of mass conservation (expressed in the continuity equation) and energy conservation (i.e., Bernoulli’s equation). When faced with questions that involve gravity, dissipative effects (“friction”), or a visible pressure drop, a considerable number of students did not invoke the continuity equation in situations where applying it is a necessary step for arriving at the correct answer. Instead, even after lecture instruction on this topic, many of the first-year students based their answers on ill-supported assumptions about local pressures. Some of them used formal arguments from a simplified Bernoulli equation (“lower pressure means higher velocity”), while others based their answer on intuitive arguments (“higher pressure leads to higher velocity”). We also found reasoning based on analogies to single-particle motion (“flow velocity decreases when flowing upwards or friction is present”). Contrary to other researchers, we did not see any evidence for the hypothesis that students think of water as a compressible fluid. Instead, students’ answers often indicate a lack of understanding of the conservation of mass or its implications for incompressible fluids or of the role that this principle plays in the context of fluid flow. In addition, our data indicate that some students have more general difficulties in describing and reasoning about technical situations, such as applying equations containing multiple variables, distinguishing spatial differences in a quantity from its changes with respect to time, or realizing the meaning of idealizations. We also present some evidence that different levels of activation of students during instruction influence the prevalence of these difficulties and discuss some implications for instruction.
A quantitative physical model for potential induced degradation of the shunting type (PID-s) in solar modules is introduced. Based on a drift and diffusion approach for sodium ions and atoms, it gives insight into the kinetics of degradation and the corresponding regeneration. A simple drift/source term is used to describe the time-dependent flux of Na-ions towards stacking faults at the surface of the solar cell. The assumed transport mechanism for Na+ ions through the SiN-layer uses the modified Stern-Eyring rate theory but our approach can also be adapted to other mechanisms. Several PID-s and regeneration curves of one-cell solar modules at T = 49°C and T = 90°C with 1000V potential difference between modul frame and cell were measured and least-square fits of the in-situ measured parallel resistance Rsh to the model were performed giving very good accordance.
Based on a few measurements, the model can predict PID-s and regeneration characteristics of solar modules under different conditions.
Faults in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems affect the energy efficiency of buildings. To date, there rarely exist methods to detect and diagnose faults during the operation of buildings that are both cost-effective and sufficient accurate. This study presents a method that uses artificial intelligence to automate the detection of faults in HVAC systems. The automated fault detection is based on a residual analysis of the predicted total heating power and the actual total heating power using an algorithm that aims to find an optimal decision rule for the determination of faults. The data for this study was provided by a detailed simulation of a residential case study house. A machine learning model and an ARX model predict the building operation. The model for fault detection is trained on a fault-free data set and then tested with a faulty operation. The algorithm for an optimal decision rule uses various statistical tests of residual properties such as the Sign Test, the Turning Point Test, the Box-Pierce Test and the Bartels-Rank Test. The results show that it is possible to predict faults for both known faults and unknown faults. The challenge is to find the optimal algorithm to determine the best decision rules. In the outlook of this study, further methods are presented that aim to solve this challenge.
The applications for occupancy detection range from controlling building automation and systems, determining heat transfer coefficients and even assessing the risk of infection in rooms. Studies in the literature use various statistical models, physical models and machine learning techniques to detect occupancy. All these methods require data for training the occupancy detection models. However, data generation is time-consuming and expensive. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using simulated learning data. Using three different data sources, we tested the suitability of different methods for generating learning data. We conducted two experiments in two office spaces with a real user and an artificial user, and we generated a third data set using a building simulation model. In addition, this study compares two different machine learning approaches (Random Forest and LASSO) using environmental parameters. Both machine learning approaches could develop models with a sensitivity of at least 83 % and a specificity of at least 97 % with both training data sets. This work shows that it is possible to determine the presence in rooms using simulated data. The results compared to measured data were just slightly less accurate, and the added value due to the lower effort was considerable
A high-order finite element model for vibration analysis of cross-laminated timber assemblies
(2017)
The vibration behavior of cross-laminated timber components in the low-frequency range can be predicted with high accuracy by the finite element method. However, the modeling of assembled cross-laminated timber components has been studied only scarcely. The three-dimensional p-version of the finite element method, which is characterized by hierarchic high-order shape functions, is well suited to consider coupling and support conditions. Furthermore, a small number of degrees of freedom can be obtained in case of thin-walled structures using p-elements with high aspect ratios and anisotropic ansatz spaces. In this article, a model for cross-laminated timber assemblies made of volumetric high-order finite elements is presented. Two representative types of connections are investigated, one with an elastomer between the cross-laminated timber components and the other without. The model is validated, and suitable ranges for the stiffness parameters of the finite elements which represent the junctions are identified.
In der Diskussion um bezahlbares Bauen werden aktuell die Standards im Wohnungsbau hinterfragt, darunter auch die Schallschutzanforderungen. Die Wahrnehmung von Schallschutz ist subjektiv und wird von verschiedenen Faktoren wie Alter und individuellen Empfindlichkeiten beeinflusst. Nachbarschaftslärm kann zu Schlafstörungen und Belästigungen führen, während Verkehrslärm nachweislich Gesundheitsprobleme verursacht. Das Konzept „Einfach Bauen“ zielt darauf ab, das Bauen zu vereinfachen und nachhaltiger zu gestalten. Drei Forschungshäuser, die diesem Konzept folgen, wurden auf Schallschutz überprüft. Dabei erfüllten Wohnungstrennwände und -decken die Anforderungen. Die Untersuchung der Bewohnerzufriedenheit durch Befragungen in diesen Häusern zeigt, dass die Wahrnehmung von Lärm stark variiert. Die Zufriedenheit wird durch die Kommunikation mit den Nachbarn beeinflusst. Das Fallbeispiel verdeutlicht, dass Schallschutzanforderungen oft nicht den individuellen Lärmempfinden gerecht werden, da nicht-akustische Faktoren eine starke Rolle spielen. Die Erwartung eines reduzierten Schallschutzes bei „Einfach Bauen“ kann zu Fehlvorstellungen führen, wie der Auszug von Bewohnern aus Schallschutzgründen zeigt. Die derzeitigen Mindestanforderungen an den Schallschutz erweisen sich für sehr empfindsame Menschen als unzureichend. Es ist wichtig, dass die Bewohner über den zu erwartenden Schallschutz informiert werden, um ein harmonisches Zusammenleben zu ermöglichen.
Zielsetzung
In den letzten Jahren konnte eine Steigerung der Anzahl privater Krankenhäuser und Betten festgestellt werden. Die Probleme der Investitionsfinanzierung deutscher Krankenhäuser in Kombination mit verstärkenden Faktoren wie der Einführung der DRGs, aber auch die Erwartung einer höheren Effizienz nach der Privatisierung einer Klinik können als Hauptgründe bei Privatisierungsentscheidungen genannt werden. Es soll untersucht werden, wie ehemalige öffentliche Krankenhausträger den Erfolg der Privatisierung einschätzen.
Methodik
Alle 99 identifizierten ehemaligen öffentlichen Träger, die ihr Krankenhaus in den Jahren 2003–2013 an einen privaten Eigentümer verkauft hatten, wurden hinsichtlich ihrer Einschätzung von Zielen sowie Befürchtungen vor und nach der Privatisierung anonym und schriftlich befragt.
Ergebnisse und Schlussfolgerung
Zusammenfassend lässt sich feststellen, dass bei einer ausreichenden Finanzierung der Krankenhäuser aus Krankenkassenbeiträgen (Betriebsmittel) und Ländermittel (Investitionskosten) der Privatisierungsdruck rapide sinken würde. Wenn jedoch privatisiert wurde, hatte dies aus Sicht der ehemaligen Träger weder einen negativen Einfluss auf die medizinische Versorgung in der Region, noch auf die Qualität der medizinischen Behandlung und auf den Umgang mit den Mitarbeitern.
Die Einschätzungen der ehemaligen Träger weisen eine statistisch überprüfte Übereinstimmung auf. Die mit einer Privatisierung verbundenen Erwartungen und Ziele werden prinzipiell als erfüllt wahrgenommen
Single equivalent approximation for multiple contact structure-borne sound sources in buildings
(2012)
The work reported in the paper addresses structure-borne sound transmission between multiple contact sources and non homogeneous plate receiver structures. This study concentrates on a practical method of predicting the installed structure-borne sound power from mechanical installations in lightweight buildings. The structure-borne sound power is a function of source activity, source mobility and receiver mobility, and all three quantities must be known to some degree. It is rarely practical to consider all transmission paths individually and in detail, and therefore, reduced data sets and less computationally demanding procedures are proposed. The paper examines how source data can be used to assemble single equivalent values, using spatial averages and magnitudes. Single equivalent values of receiver mobility also are proposed for lightweight, point-connected ribbed plate constructions. In case studies, the single equivalent values are used for predicting the structure-borne power in the installed condition.
Building Energy Simulation (BES) tools play a key role in the optimization of the building system during the different phases, from pre-design through commissioning to operation. BES tools are increasingly used in research as well as in companies. New BES tools and updated versions are continuously being released. Each tool follows an independent validation process but rarely all the tools are compared against each other using a common case study. In this work, the modelling approaches of widespread dynamic simulation tools (i.e. EnergyPlus, TRNSYS, Simulink libraries CarnotUIBK and ALMABuild, IDA ICE, Modelica/Dymola and DALEC), as well as PHPP (a well-known quasi-steady-state tool), are described and the results of all the tools modelling the same characteristic office cell, defined within the IEA SHC Task 56, are compared on a monthly and hourly basis for the climates of Stockholm, Stuttgart and Rome. Unfortunately, different tools require different levels of input detail, which are often not matching with available data, hence the parametrization process highly influences the quality of the simulation results. In the current study to evaluate the deviation between the tools, frequently used statistical indices and normalization methods are analysed and the problems related to their application, in a cross-comparison of different tools, are investigated. In this regard, the deviation thresholds indicated by ASHRAE Guideline 14-2014 are used as a basis to identify results that suggest an acceptable level of disagreement between the predictions of a particular model and the outcomes of all models. The process of reaching a good agreement between all tools required several iterations and great effort on behalf of the modellers. To aid the definition of building component descriptions and future references for inter-model comparison a short history of the executed steps is presented in this work. Together with the comparison of the results of the tools, their computational cost is evaluated and an overview of the modelling approaches supported by the different tools for this case study is provided aiming to support the users in choosing a fit-for-purpose simulation tool.
The objective of this research project is to develop a solar-powered refrigerator in the lower capacity range of up to 5 kW of cooling power. With the use of liquid pistons and one of the most efficient thermodynamic cycles known, the Stirling cycle, this product has the potential to outperform rival solar cooling technologies while providing inexpensive, reliable, quiet, environmentally-friendly, and efficient solar cooling for residential use, due to its straightforward manufacturing, simple design and inert working gas. Presented in this paper are the newest results of the theoretical and experimental investigation into deducing the key design parameters and system configuration of the so-called Liquid Piston Stirling Cooler (LPSC), which will help lead to optimal performance. Computer models of the complex unconstrained system have been constructed and validated using the modelling software Sage and shown to replicate system behavior with reasonable accuracy in experiments. The models have been used to predict system improvements and identify limitations imposed by the use of liquid pistons. The results to date provide a unique insight into a relatively little studied area in Stirling cycle research.