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BRAVENT – Storskala branntester (del 1): Brannytelse for ikke-brannklassifiserte ventilasjonskomponenter
Get PDFIn the overall BRAVENT project, the goal is to generate answers and documentation on current issues related to ventilation and fire by examining these with experimental fire tests. The present study aimed to evaluate the fire performance of key non-fire-rated components, mainly DCV dampers and exhaust filters, in a comfort ventilation system by testing the hypothesis that the ventilation components will not be damaged by fire within 30 or 60 minutes. To test the hypothesis, a total of 14 large-scale fire tests with different fuels were carried out. The tests were carried out in a test building with several rooms that are representative of classrooms, offices, and corridors. The fire tests were designed to investigate relevant fire scenarios for school buildings, but the findings from the tests can also be used for other purpose-built buildings. The building was equipped with a full-fledged damper-optimized ventilation system, sized to serve a total of 450 m2 and thus provide a realistic basis for the fire tests.
Currently, there is no documentation on how non-fire-rated dampers are affected by high temperatures that occur during a fire. The temperature specifications given for non-fire rated DCV dampers are intended for normal operation. Two different types of DCV dampers were tested. In one type, the airflow was measured with a measuring cross, and for the other, the airflow was measured with sensors integrated into the damper blade itself.
In several of the conducted tests the non-fire-rated dampers were not able to sustain their function for the required duration of 30 minutes or longer, and failed completely when the temperature inside or outside the dampers reached about 200 ºC. Misreporting of some temperature measurements in the building management system already occurred at lower temperatures, around 120˚C, without significantly affecting the delivered air flow rate.
For the damper type with a measuring cross, the plastic hoses connecting the measuring cross and the measuring transducer for the damper melted when hot smoke was transported through the damper. This failure resulted in the DCV damper measuring too low or no airflow. In several tests, this measurement error meant that the DCV damper opened fully, trying to achieve a large enough airflow. In one of the tests where the supply air damper was placed inside the fire room, such a fault on the supply air damper caused it to close completely. In addition to the damage to the dampers, the power supply to the damper was destroyed, and a fuse for the power supply in the control cabinet was short-circuited. This resulted in the building management system losing contact with all the dampers. This shows that a local error can cause the entire system to fail.
For the other damper type, where the sensors were located in the damper blade, the high temperatures caused the entire damper blade to melt.
It was not observed that soot in the fire smoke led to problems with the dampers' measuring sensors for any of the damper types examined. This indicates that for the performed test series, high temperature and not soot was the greatest challenge for the dampers in the event of a fire.
In addition to examining how dampers are affected by fire, there was also an investigation into how the filter performs during a fire. It was found that the filter could largely capture the soot particles in the smoke. This means that equipment located downstream of the filter is relatively well protected against soot, and the possibility of soot contamination to the supply air side via a rotating heat recovery unit can, therefore, be considered minimal as long as the filter is not damaged. However, when the filter collects so much soot, it shows that the potential for the filter to clog. How quickly this happens depends, among other things, on the materials that burn and the size of the fire in relation to the air handling unit's capacity. This also aligns with results from an earlier BRAVENT project [1]. The air temperature in the unit was in all tests carried out below 60˚C and thus lower than the filters' maximum operating temperature of 70˚C.
The conclusion from the tests is that the extraction principle with non-fire-rated components cannot be considered a safe strategy for 30 or 60 minutes.publishedVersio
Measuring Community Response to Noise—Factors Affecting the Results of Annoyance Surveys
Get PDFSocial surveys are conducted to determine how annoyed people are in a certain noise situation. The results are typically presented as exposure–response curves showing the percentage of the area population that are highly annoyed as a function of the noise exposure level. It is a well-known fact that the survey results are not only dependent on the accumulated noise exposure, DNL, DENL, or similar, but also on various other factors such as maximum levels, exposure patterns, noise spectra, etc. A re-analysis of previously reported surveys shows that the results are also, to a large extent, dependent on survey-specific factors like the wording of the annoyance questions, how the questionnaires are presented, response scales, methods of scoring highly annoyed, etc. This paper discusses and quantifies the influence of such factors and suggests ways of comparing results from surveys that have been conducted according to different protocols and different analysis methods.publishedVersio
Developing hydrogen energy hubs: The role of H2 prices, wind power and infrastructure investments in Northern Norway
Get PDFHydrogen is seen as a key energy carrier to reduce CO2 emissions. Two main production options for hydrogen with low CO2 intensity are water electrolysis and natural gas reforming with Carbon Capture and Storage, known as green and blue hydrogen. Northern Norway has a surplus of renewable energy and natural gas availability from the Barents Sea, which can be used to produce hydrogen. However, exports are challenging due to the large distances to markets and lack of energy infrastructure. This study explores the profitability of hydrogen exports from this Arctic region. It considers necessary investments in hydrogen technology and capacity expansions of wind farms and the power grid. Various scenarios are investigated with different assumptions for investment decisions. The critical question is how exogenous factors shape future regional hydrogen production and export. The results show that production for global export may be profitable above 90 €/MWh, excluding costs for storage and transport, with blue hydrogen being cheaper than green. Depending on the assumptions, a combination of liquid hydrogen and ammonia export might be optimal for seaborne transport. Exports to Sweden can be profitable at prices above 60 €/MWh, transported by pipelines. Expanding power generation capacity can be crucial, and electricity and hydrogen exports are unlikely to co-exist.Developing hydrogen energy hubs: The role of H2 prices, wind power and infrastructure investments in Northern NorwaypublishedVersio
Smart Grid Standardisation: Contributions and Opportunities of EU Horizon 2020 Projects
Get PDFStandards are critically important for smartening the grid because they affect the interoper-ability, compatibility, efficiency, and realisation of new technologies and services. In this paper we assess the contribution of EU funded Horizon 2020 projects to adapting or initiating new Smart Grid standards. We provide a comprehensive overview of the Smart Grid standardisation ecosystem and identify opportunities for researchers and innovators to participate in stan-dardisation activities. We identify 225 Horizon 2020 Smart Grid projects and explore which have contributed to the creation or revision of Smart Grid standards. We identify the type of standardisation activities undertaken and explore the factors that influence engagement. We have found that 21 % of EU Horizon 2020 Smart Grid projects engage in some level of standardisation activities. Of these projects the majority (60 %) are involved in understanding standards, 31 % actively engage in influencing standards, while 8 % successfully participate in elaborating new standards. Our study demonstrates that despite the complexity of the Smart Grid Standardisation ecosystem, EU funded researchers and innovators play an important role in the standardisation process.Smart Grid Standardisation: Contributions and Opportunities of EU Horizon 2020 ProjectspublishedVersio
Perspectives on ambitious goals and collaboration
Get PDFHow can we ensure that buildings/areas are realized as intended? How can we ensure good processes for a zero-emission area? What are the possibilities, limitations, and effects of collaboration in meeting ambitious goals?
Addressing these questions is critical because in many projects something is lost from the early phase, when the client must decide on ambitions for a building/area, until completion. Well-known challenges include weak goals formulation and poor decision-making. Even though they might be characterized as an owner problem, who is unable to clarify goals and follow up on decisions, such an assumption seems like a gross simplification. In the face of the complexity that ZEN projects bring to the picture due to high ambitions and multiple owners involved, we need to examine processes and practices that can help meet the project’s goals, closing the gap between expectations and delivery. This is what the reader can find in this report: literature- and case-studies-based knowledge, with a focus on collaboration, helping us to succeed in building projects and when scaled up to ZEN.
Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Failure is the lack of success. This implies that for success you need to set an aim, goal, or purpose. Goal formulation must follow certain good practices (e.g., clear and concrete, linked to perspectives, organized in a hierarchy, referred to as a final status, and more). Not least, the entire project must understand the goals, and the goals must be followed up during the process as they provide management opportunities. Most research in ZEN focus on success criteria (i.e., criteria and KPIs used to determine if the project is a success), while lesser attention has been given to success factors (i.e., factors that lead to success), which we investigate in this report with a more in-depth look into collaboration.
Multiple aspects contribute to the overall performance of the completed building/district, which, together with the fragmented nature of the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry, calls for an integrated approach to project delivery and innovation, where collaboration is a key element. Most of the literature around collaboration in building projects covers two macro topics: Project Delivery Methods (PDMs) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital tools. A PDM is the way a project is brought from idea to realization. As a complex system of organizational, contractual, and cultural elements, it largely determines the level of collaboration. Among PDMs, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a hot topic in the literature about collaboration. BIM, as a methodology, offers great potential for collaboration.
With such a knowledge basis, three cases located in the Trondheim area (Norway) and characterized by high ambitions and collaborative arrangements were analysed through a qualitative approach (interviews) to learn how they worked with ambitious goals, what the actors recognized as success factors, and what are challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Discussing findings with the theory we can conclude that:
• Clarity in the project mission is a success factors in literature that is also recognized as such by all parties in the project’s organization. Ownership over goals is also mentioned as such.
• Sometimes priorities are unclear, and differences are not only among parties, but also within, which brings more complexity. Aligning the owner’s and project’s goals as well as looking for top management support is crucial.
• The contract must enable collaboration and the ability to solve the clients’ goals. Proper economic frameworks and more communication and transparency are needed to alleviate the differences among parties.
• Locking down alternatives for the project too early and without the proper competences on board leads to suboptimization. Process management is a success factor; to have the right competency at the right time to solve the issues.
• Economics influences the collaboration dynamics, as it should be in balance with ambitions. Letting the project develop with continuous cost control helps the client to make sound decisions and the project develops within the frames.
• Influence in the project, in terms of roles and responsibilities, should be both clarified at the contractual level and backed by a culture of trust, which collaboration allows to build.
• It is important that processes and tools are agreed upon and effectively communicated to all parties in projects, including project plan/schedule, communication, and communication channels. Planning is a success factor in projects. Communication should involve the owner, as they are the main decision-maker.
• The informants mentioned that the collaborative culture that they experienced in the projects did not just happen, it was a point of focus and hard work.
• Trust is a fundamental element of collaboration, which is built on relationships and transparency.
At the end of the report, this and other findings are scaled up into recommendations for ZEN Research Centre’s partners and researchers to be aware of challenges/threats in pursuing ambitious goals and to leverage good practices/success factors when developing a ZEN.publishedVersio
Design for Disassembly: A systematic scoping review and analysis of built structures Designed for Disassembly
Get PDFA systematic scoping review was performed to map literature in the field of Design for Disassembly (DfD) in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry and identify existing built DfD structures to compare the current DfD practice and research front. Online scientific databases and architecture magazines were searched and almost 470 journal and conference articles, grey literature, and online magazine articles were selected for scope mapping and case study analysis. Based on the gathered literature the key research focus areas were identified as follows: analysis (barriers identification, standard development, literature review, feasibility study, ethical issues), frameworks, Building Information Modelling (BIM), tool development (indicator, method, technology), and case study analysis (concepts, structures, connections). Qualitative and quantitative data for 151 built DfD structure examples identified in the literature were collected and analysed to give an overview of the current practices and trends in the AEC industry. The DfD building was found to have various definitions and implementations and 50% of the built DfD structures have area below 300 m
. The structure in 75% of the identified existing DfD buildings is made of timber while research literature into enabling technology is dominated by the development of the connections for reinforced concrete and hybrid concrete–steel structures.publishedVersio
Ethical Design for Data Privacy and User Privacy Awareness in the Metaverse
Get PDFThe significance of the metaverse has been growing rapidly within the online realm. However, several challenges remain, including privacy, ethics, and governance. Extended reality (XR) devices used to access the metaverse are equipped with high-quality sensors that can collect large amounts of sensitive user data, including biometric data and spatial data. Such considerations raise major concerns about the extent and nature of user data that this massive platform could accumulate, the data collection awareness and transparency it will provide to its users, and the ethical nature of the informed user consent it will request. This research aims to document and analyze the privacy challenges that arise from a prevalent metaverse application, align them with the related literature, and present an initial set of ethical design suggestions that can mitigate these privacy challenges. To do so, a case study shapes and informs a set of ethical design suggestions. The user onboarding of a prev alent multi-user/remote working metaverse application, Meta Horizon Workrooms, was documented and modeled through a user journey modeling language, CJML. The walkthrough revealed certain challenges regarding data privacy awareness, such as long, legally worded privacy policies, a hard-to-use user interface that can affect privacy awareness, and ambiguous wording in data-collection notices. Several best practices regarding user privacy were examined to tackle these issues, and certain ethical design solutions (e.g., informed user interface, design privacy icons, anonymization, logging, revising all consent) are suggested.publishedVersio
A comprehensive overview of industrial demand response status in Europe
Get PDFIndustrial demand response (IDR) will play a crucial role in shaping future electricity systems, as it is a key element of a just energy transition and industrial development. The aim of this work is to provide an overview of the current status of IDR in a holistic perspective. First, the main benefits and potential of IDR are reviewed, together with the motivations and challenges for the industrial sector. Most recent advances in European markets and regulations with specific focus on IDR applications are explored. Then, the different resources which are currently available to help industries participate and implement IDR programmes are reviewed. In particular: 1) the (possible) tools for defining energy-aware scheduling and planning of the manufacturing systems are analysed; 2) The role of aggregators (i.e. intermediaries between industries and power markets) for facilitating explicit IDR is examined; 3) the importance of digitalisation to provide better IDR services from the manufacturing industry is highlighted, pointing out that digital twins, cyber-physical systems, Internet of Things sensors, robots, edge computing, artificial intelligence, and big data are promising technologies; and 4) most recent related research projects are reviewed. Finally, it is analysed and discussed how each of those resources can address the different challenges that are still preventing industries to apply IDR programmes.publishedVersio
Oxidation of methane in seawater - Laboratory experiments and the use of models - OC2022 A-114
No full textOxidation of methane was determined in this project by two methods: Stable isotope analyses (13CH4) and by the use of tritium-labelled methane (3H-CH4). The intentions of the project were to obtain methane oxidation rates for the marine water column, which may be of relevance for the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Experimental, sampling, and analytical methods were established for both methods. Relatively few experiments were of a quality considered to be acceptable. The oxidation data determined by the two methods resulted in half-lives of 21.6 ± 6.2 days at 5°C incubation temperature with the stable isotope method, and 5.6 ± 0.7 and 4.6 ± 2.5 days with the tritium method at 5 to 8.5°C incubation temperature, respectively. Based on the comparison to data for field studies, it seemed that the data obtained by the tritium methods represented an overestimation of methane oxidation rates, while the stable isotope data were more in agreement with field data. The oxidation data were used in model simulations to determine atmospheric releases of methane from seeps at different seep depths.Oxidation of methane in seawater - Laboratory experiments and the use of models - OC2022 A-114publishedVersio
The Torsion Handbook, Understanding and addressing torsion in the handling of cables, umbilicals and flexible pipes
Get PDFThis document was a deliverable in the Torsion JIP (Joint Industry Project) carried out by SINTEF from 2018 to 2022 on behalf of Aker Solutions, Equinor, Hellenic Cables, NKT, Petrobras and Ørsted. It will be freely available for download here, from 18th April 2024.
The document gives a comprehensive description of why torsion appears when handling (producing, transferring, loading out, installing, and in some cases operating) power cables, umbilicals and flexible pipes. The document also provides a first generation of approaches to design products and handling operations to prevent torsion related issues