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An investigation into the keying behaviour and the capacity of plate anchors in sand
Get PDFThis thesis considers the potential of plate anchors as an anchoring option for offshore renewable energy devices such as wave energy converters and floating offshore wind turbines. In this study the performance of a plate anchor vertically installed in sand and subjected to vertical loading has been investigated experimentally. Particular focus was placed on the unrecoverable loss of embedment during the keying process, where the orientation of the plate evolves from vertical to perpendicular to the direction of loading. This is particularly significant for offshore plate anchors as an unrecoverable loss in anchor embedment corresponds with a loss in potential anchor capacity. The loss in embedment during keying was examined for six anchors, all with the same plate geometry, but with anchor padeyes (or load attachment points) that were at differing eccentricities from the plate.\ud
The experiments were conducted at model scale using the geotechnical centrifuge at the Institute of Technology Sligo. To facilitate observation of the anchor orientation and quantification of the loss in embedment during the test, anchor tests were conducted adjacent to a Perspex panel on the centrifuge strongbox. Vertical loading was achieved by pulling a mooring line attached to the anchor padeye at a constant velocity. The location and orientation of the anchor during each anchor test was captured using a high resolution digital camera mounted directly in front of the Perspex panel.\ud
The experimental data show that the loss in embedment of the plate anchor during keying is inversely proportional to the padeye eccentricity, with a padeye eccentricity equal to at least the breadth of the anchor plate giving minimal loss in embedment and hence highest potential anchor capacity. The magnitude of the loss in embedment is very similar to previous findings for clay.\ud
The peak anchor capacity was observed before the end of keying, at a plate orientation between 50 and 80 degrees to the horizontal. Particle image velocimetry was employed to reveal the failure mechanisms during the keying process. These analyses showed that the peak load corresponds with a sudden transition from a deep localised failure mechanism to a shallow mechanism that extends to the soil surface.\ud
The anchor capacity, expressed in terms of a dimensionless capacity factor, was shown to be in good agreement with previously reported experimental data on pipelines and strip anchors, but only after the peak anchor capacity is exceeded and the anchor behaves like a horizontally oriented anchor subjected to vertical loading. The particle image velocimetry analyses show that the inclination of the slip planes in the shallow failure mechanism are at an angle that is much lower than would be reasonable for a mobilised friction angle. This clearly shows that the normality condition, in which the dilation angle and the friction angle are equal, was not met in these tests and explains why the experimental data are in good agreement with predictions from a limit equilibrium method based on similar principles
New insights into the mechanism of visible light photocatalysis
Get PDFIn recent years, the area of developing visible-lightactive\ud
photocatalysts based on titanium dioxide has been\ud
enormously investigated due to its wide range of applications in\ud
energy and environment related fields. Various strategies have\ud
been designed to efficiently utilize the solar radiation and to\ud
enhance the efficiency of photocatalytic processes. Building on\ud
the fundamental strategies to improve the visible light activity of\ud
TiO2-based photocatalysts, this Perspective aims to give an\ud
insight into many contemporary developments in the field of\ud
visible-light-active photocatalysis. Various examples of advanced\ud
TiO2 composites have been discussed in relation to their visible\ud
light induced photoconversion efficiency, dynamics of electron−\ud
hole separation, and decomposition of organic and inorganic\ud
pollutants, which suggest the critical need for further development of these types of materials for energy conversion and\ud
environmental remediation purposes
A review of the evolution of marketing practice in the web 2.0 era has marketing education remained relevant? Observations from practitioners, academics and students.
Get PDFWeb 2.0 technologies have transformed the marketing industry and the more closely consumers become connected to digital technologies, the greater the power of the information channel for marketers. When the immediacy and accessibility of digital media is combined with metrics, analysis and customer profiling / segmentation, the online world becomes even more powerful for marketing purposes. Exploratory research was used to generate ideas/hypotheses about this research topic, initially through secondary data analysis, and subsequently through qualitative research, namely in depth, semi-structured interviews with marketing practitioners. The final phase of the primary research, the survey, used descriptive research to describe, uncover and compare the opinions of marketing practitioners, marketing academics and post-graduate marketing students on the evolution of marketing practice in the web 2.0 era and the relevance of marketing education through quantitative research. As the digital revolution charges on and the number of smart devices and machines connecting to mobile networks rise dramatically, companies need expertise in social media and community management, content marketing, mobile marketing/apps development, search engine optimisation and web analytics. This research discovers recruiters find that top talent in these areas is difficult to obtain and demand for these skills will only increase in the future. As employment in marketing jobs becomes increasingly technical and data-driven, this work recommends marketing education evolves correspondingly
Innovative online vocational training of renewable energy technologies (INNOVRET)
No full textHeat pump systems are very important at a European level as they help meet the 20-20-20 targets of the EU policy. In recent years, the European market for these technologies has increased constantly. In addition to having insufficient numbers qualified in heat pump systems installation, current training has been recognised to have limitations. If high quality, standardised training in heat pump systems is not provided, it could result in a drawing back of the market development of heat pump systems in the EU. Furthermore, the low efficiency, poor reliability and increased cost of heat pump system installation and maintenance, which has resulted from poor training has also resulted in disillusionment on the part of the purchaser, notwithstanding the obstacles of time, cost and distance on the part of the installer with regard to training. INNOVRET (Innovative Online Vocational Training of Renewable Energy Technologies), a Leonardo da Vinci funded project, aims to address the need for training sufficient numbers in heat pump system installation throughout the EU. The innovative online training solution developed by the INNOVRET team will overcome the time, cost and distance constraints of learners through the delivery of the training in a flexible and accessible way. The methodological approach to training delivery is based on the Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory (CbKST). CbKST is a framework for representing the conceptual organisation of a given body of competences, which supports self-regulated learning. By developing competencies in the installation and maintenance of heat pump systems, installers and maintenance personnel all over Europe will be able to leverage these capabilities in order to increase their employability in the emergent heat pump system sector
A study of the biological treatment of biodegradable waste from mixed municipal solid waste and the use of compost-like outputs in Ireland
Get PDFIreland is seeking to eliminate the landfilling of municipal waste, and to achieve maximum recovery of resources from waste, including from mixed municipal solid waste. This dissertation tries to investigate how biodegradable waste from mixed municipal solid waste is biologically treated to produce compost-like outputs in Ireland. The dissertation examines the quantity and quality of compost-like outputs produced in Ireland and what they are used for.\ud
The amount of compost-like outputs produced in 2011 was slightly below 20 000 tonnes, indicating that the treatment of biodegradable waste from mixed municipal solid waste is still low in Ireland.\ud
The study revealed that compost-like outputs cannot be used as a resource in Ireland. Waste regulations in Ireland do not permit compost-like outputs to be used for any other purpose other than disposal by landfill. The results of the analysis of compost-like outputs produced in Ireland indicate that their quality would meet the quality requirements of the United Kingdom standard for the end-use of compost-like outputs for land restoration. The analytical results show that compost-like outputs are a source of plant nutrients and organic matter. The results also show that compost-like outputs are a source of harmful substances that can cause a risk to the environment and human health
CAPTURE - Cooperatively Applied Positioning Techniques Utilizing Range Extensions
Get PDFThe most commonly implemented Indoor Location\ud
Based Solution uses existing Wi-Fi network components to locate\ud
devices within its range. While this technique offers obvious\ud
economic rewards by utilizing a preinstalled infrastructure, these\ud
network topologies were typically designed to provide network\ud
coverage to mobile devices rather than deliver an Indoor\ud
Location Based Solution. Large areas without coverage are\ud
common in these networks because network designers were not\ud
typically concerned about providing 100% coverage for mobile\ud
data. Hallways, toilet areas or other general purpose areas that\ud
ordinarily would not require network coverage did not get\ud
dedicated WAPs installed. Transient users navigating these areas\ud
of the network were un-locatable using this infrastructure.\ud
Furthermore the indoor arena is an especially noisy atmosphere,\ud
being home to other wireless devices such as Bluetooth Headsets,\ud
Cordless Phones and Microwave Ovens. Considering users spend\ud
more time in an indoor environment, over 88%, the need for a\ud
solution is obvious. Therefore, we propose a solution to resolve\ud
the issue of restricted coverage of Indoor Location Based\ud
solutions, using a cooperative localization technique -\ud
Cooperatively Applied Positioning Techniques Utilizing Range\ud
Extension (CAPTURE). CAPTURE offers a method of locating\ud
devices that are beyond the range of the current in-house location\ud
based solution. It presents a unique contribution to research in\ud
this field by offering the ability to utilize devices that know their\ud
location within a Location Based Solution (LBS), to evaluate the\ud
position of unknown devices beyond the range capacity of the\ud
LBS. This effectively extends the locating distances of an Indoor\ud
LBS by utilizing the existing mobile infrastructure without the\ud
need for any additional hardware. The proliferation of smart\ud
phones and the tablet form factor, bundled with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth\ud
and gyroscopes – technologies currently used to track position,\ud
provide a fertile community for CAPTURE to cooperatively\ud
deliver a location solution
Designing the interactive society: naturally speaking
Get PDFOutlines the benefits of ‘Wizard of Oz’ systems, where hidden human operators replace automated agents in order to experimentally investigate the usability of a system
Short note: the first confirmed successful refloat of a stranded bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Ireland and subsequent resighting with a neonate
Get PDFThe article presents a study which discusses the refloating of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the subsequent resighting with a neonate in Ireland. Topics include the live-stranding events of a bottlenose dolphin, the function of the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation (SDWF), and the significant impact of the stranding events
A longitudinal study of humpback whales in Irish waters
Get PDFKnowledge on the ecology of humpback whales in the eastern North Atlantic is lacking by comparison with most other ocean basins. Humpback whales were historically over-exploited in the region and are still found in low relative abundances. This, coupled with their large range makes them difficult to study. With the aim of informing more effective conservation measures in Ireland, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group began recording sightings and images suitable for photo-identification of humpback whales from Irish waters in 1999. Validated records submitted by members of the public and data from dedicated surveys were analysed to form a longitudinal study of individually recognizable humpback whales. The distribution, relative abundance and seasonality of humpback whale sighting records are presented, revealing discrete important areas for humpback whales in Irish coastal waters. An annual easterly movement of humpback whales along the southern coast of Ireland is documented, mirroring that of their preferred prey: herring and sprat. Photo-identification images were compared with others collected throughout the North Atlantic (N ¼ 8016), resulting in matches of two individuals between Ireland and Iceland, Norway and the Netherlands but no matches to known breeding grounds (Cape Verde and West Indies). This study demonstrates that combining public records with dedicated survey data is an effective approach to studying low-density, threatened migratory species over temporal and spatial scales that are relevant to conservation and management