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Distributed service infrastructure for monitoring, management and simulation in Smart Cities
No full textWorld's energy consumption concentrates within our cities, due to an irreversible urbanisation process. At the same time, insufficient and uncoordinated efforts try to cope with the challenges of urban energy efficiency optimisation. New tailored control policies should be designed for our energy distribution networks. However, to address this task it is necessary to model different entities of our cities (e.g. buildings and energy distribution networks). For instance, in the case of district heating optimisation, the physical model of the district thermal behaviour takes as inputs building energy profiles and signatures, together with information about the district heating network (i.e. network topology and structural attributes). A good description of the actual district entities is instrumental to correctly design and simulate new energy optimisation policies. In addition, novel policies can only be monitored and validated by retrieving information on the actual district energy consumption. This information is extracted by deploying distributed online technologies directly on the eld, to sense and actuate control commands on energy network endpoints. Recently, the introduction of Internet-of-Things technologies generated new business opportunities for the different competitors in the Smart City market. Following the patterns described in the Adjacent Possible theory for innovation, they enabled the deployment of fine-grained monitoring and control policies for public and private spaces (e.g. buildings). The pervasive nature of IoT technologies allows for a new vision of computing, where devices collect data and fade in the background of our environments, and ambient intelligence unifies user awareness on energy consumption and comfort impact of energy optimisation policies. IoT technologies are increasingly adopted because they are versatile and cheap. Thanks to their network capabilities they can be integrated into comprehensive infrastructures. In the last decades, the Smart City community presented different solutions to provide smart environments, mostly used to build energy-aware houses. Some of the challenges which need to be addressed are related to technology interoperability. Indeed, most of the technologies that have been introduced in the market are difficult to integrate due to proprietary communication protocols and data formats. In addition, the extension of current solutions to the district level is not feasible, because they do not consider additional data sources (e.g. Geographical Information Systems) which are needed for the optimal modelling of city districts. Recent literature approaches the definition of an infrastructure for energy management at the district level. Currently, state-of-art does not include such an infrastructure. This work proposes a city district IoT-enabled software infrastructure for energy monitoring, management and simulation. Its purpose is to collect, process and analyse heterogeneous kinds of data. This infrastructure integrates and correlates historical energy consumption with structural features of the different entities of the district (e.g. buildings or energy distribution networks). IoT devices are first-class citizens and they are integrated by using open standards of the Web (i.e. Web Services). The different information models, of the entities which belong to the district, are exposed as a single and consistent District Information Model (DIM). The main challenges addressed by this infrastructure are: • The transparent integration of heterogeneous IoT devices and district level information sources; • The definition of a uniform Web Service-oriented interface across all components of the infrastructure. The contribution of this infrastructure to the state-of-art consists of: • A single platform to integrate and correlate all the different components be- tween each other and with environmental sensors of a city district information model; • A framework for district energy management and optimisation policies simulation. To assess the relevance of the presented infrastructure, two applications which exploit the transparent integration of district information are presented. These two applications retrieve structural and parametric data from the different information models (e.g. geographical maps or building models). Information is then presented to different stakeholders for building benchmarking or energy consumption monitoring of the district. In addition, we designed a case study to test the simulation capabilities of the infrastructure. In this case study, it is depicted how to develop a novel energy peak smoothing policy for a district heating network, and how to validate it both at the district and at the building level. At the district level, it is possible to estimate the reduction of primary energy usage for the energy provider, while at building level the simulation framework assesses the comfort impact for the building's inhabitants
Design and characterization of a miniature free-swimming robotic fish based on multi-material 3D printing
No full textDemonstration of a Partially Integrated Silicon Photonics ONU in a Self-Coherent Reflective FDMA PON
No full textWe report about the final results of the FABULOUS European project, demonstrating the feasibility of real-time Ethernet transmission on a self-coherent reflective passive optical network, using an optical network unit (ONU) whose main optical functions are performed by a silicon-photonics device; 500 Mbps per user with a power budget of 24 dB in offline processing and 21 dB in real time is shown. We also report details about the packaging process and the special technique developed for the flipchipping of a CMOS electrical driver, used for driving the ONU with low voltage, onto a silicon Mach-Zehnder modulato
Living Wall Systems: A Technical Standard Proposal
No full textGreenery is recognized as strategic element for the design and the regeneration of sustainable cities and buildings. Building integrated vegetation (BIV) offers many ecological benefits and an increasing number of local authorities, urban planners and architects are aware of these. Living Wall Systems (LWSs) can be classified as a BIV. LWSs can be assumed as self-sufficient vertical gardens that are attached to the exterior or interior of a building. Their environmental properties are remarkable, for these cities encouraging architects to use them. Nevertheless technical standards dealing with design, construction and maintenance of LWSs are rarely available. The objective of the research is to stimulate the LWSs development providing a technical standard proposal with information, and specifications. It tackles some aspects that should be considered significant in a standard such as: design guidelines; maintenance procedures; requirements and indicators for assessing the expected performances. The outcome of the paper can be used a first framework to make available harmonized information to stakeholders engaged in design, off-site and on-site production, as well as in operation and repair. The standard proposal encourages innovative and responsible LWS development, with a focus on ecological requirements. The proposal standard was implemented in consistency to an Italian standard (UNI 11235:2015). The UNI 11235 contains the instructions for designing, building up, monitoring and maintaining the green roofs. Although UNI 11235 is not an international standard it is based on a robust framework that can be applied at global scale and most importantly to LWS
Physico-Chemical properties of hybrid organic/inorganic nanotubes of imogolite type
No full textIn the beginning of 1950s [1, 2], the usage of microscopic and spectroscopic methods allowed the identification of nanosized tubular clay minerals, such as halloysite, chrysotile and imogolite. However, the concept of nanosized tubular clay minerals was not so popular and a few papers were only published on this topic. After the first observation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in 1991 [3], the interest for nanosized tubular clay minerals, which could be synthesized besides being present in nature, was renewed. Nanosized tubular clay minerals, as their name implied, are tubular nanostructures clay minerals with dimensions in the 1 - 100 nm range [4, 5] and a hollow tubular structure. So far, among all clay minerals, both halloysite and imogolite have attracted more attention for their applications in the fabrication of clay polymer [6] nanocomposites [7], catalysis and adsorption [8, 9]. The reason for their popularity is attributed to their unique, one-dimensional tubular structure and properties, which are modifiable by altering the internal and external surfaces [9-11]. Proper imogolite is a hydrous aluminum silicate with chemical formula (OH)3Al2O3SiOH [2, 12], occurring as single walled nanotubes (NTs) with Al(OH)Al and Al-O-Al groups at the outer surface, and silanols (SiOH) at the inner one. This thesis is aimed at assessing the catalytic behavior of the hybrid organic/inorganic analogue of imogolite, i.e. methyl-imogolite (MeIMO, (OH)3Al2O3SiCH3), with an inner surface lined by Si-CH3 groups (hydrophobic) and an outer surface resembling that of imogolite (hydrophilic). The special structure of MeIMO leads to enhanced adsorption properties that render it suitable for gas separation/storage [9]. Furthermore, MeIMO NTs have higher degree of long range order [13], higher production yield, larger pores (> 0.2 nm) and surface area (~ 600 m2.g-1) with respect to proper imogolite [9]. Modification of the outer surface of MeIMO NTs includes either formation of covalent bonding or electrostatic interaction. The former is achieved by the reaction of MeIMO with organosilanes [11], whereas the latter is possible due to the protonation of outer surface of NTs in water, which leads to charge matching between a proper counter-ion and the outer surface of NTs [14]. These specific properties may be exploited in several applications, mainly for removal of organic pollutant from water by the electrostatic interaction of anion/cations with the charged surface of NTs [15-19]. The second topic of this work concerns another modification of the outer surface by isomorphic substitution (IS) of octahedral Al3+ in the outer surface by Fe3+. Fe-doped MeIMO was obtained by both ionic exchange (IE) and direct synthesis (DS) method with two Fe contents, i.e. 0.70 wt.% (Fe-0.70-MeIMO) and 1.4 wt% (Fe-1.4-MeIMO). Although IS of Al3+ by Fe3+ is a common process in almost all natural alumino-silicates, little is known about Fe doped imogolite NTs. Several studies have been recently performed dealing with the synthesis, surface characterization and applications of Fe doped imogolite NTs. So far, no specific study has been devoted to the surface properties of Fe-doped MeIMO NTs, nor to their application as the heterogeneous catalyst. The presence of Fe3+ in the structure of NTs induces new chemical and solid state properties. Based on theoretical calculations on Fe-doped imogolite NTs, IS of Fe for Al may create "defective sites" both inside and outside NTs, and reduce the band gap of imogolite (an electrical insulator) from 4.7 eV to 2.0-1.4 eV [20]. On the other hand, the first experimental studies, mainly due to Ookawa and later to Shafia et al., indicate that NTs are preserved up to 1 wt % Fe isomorphically substituted in the NTs. Higher Fe contents lead to the unavoidable formation of iron oxo-hydroxides particles/clusters [21-24]. This study confirms that in Fe-doped MeIMO as obtained by both IE and DS methods, Fe3+ species in the NTs structure decrease the band gap of MeIMO from 4.9 to 2.4 eV. Moreover, with 1.4 wt % Fe, some FexOy oligomeric clusters and Fe2O3 particles are forming. Decreasing the Fe content to 0.7 wt % shows that isolated Fe3+ species are more abundant by DS method, whereas by ionic exchange Fe tends to form more oligomeric iron oxo/hydroxide clusters or Fe2O3 particles. This particular behavior of Fe-doped MeIMO could help one to choose the proper method for specific application. The thermal stability of MeIMO and Fe-doped MeIMO NTs has also been studied. Mechanisms of collapse of NTs (at T > 300 °C dehydroxylation and NTs deformation result in collapse of structure) have been investigated with samples at different Fe loading and also in the different heating environment (either in air or in the vacuum). According to the obtained results, thermal treatment in air results in the faster cleavage of MeIMO NTs by burning the inner methyl groups to CO2. Whereas, thermal treatment in vacuum, triggers the cleavage of NTs from another route which is detectable by more positive chemical shift in 29Si MAS NMR analysis. Although the wall structure of collapsed samples is partially damaged or disordered, and finally collapsed at around 400 °C, the phases stemming by the thermal collapse of NTs show considerably high surface area and high porosity, due to residual microporous regions likely derived from unaffected pristine NTs within the layers [25]. Furthermore, the analysis of IR spectra of pyridine adsorption on collapsed samples show the presence of strong Lewis/Brønsted acidic sites. Another interesting aspect is the deformation of NTs due to dehydroxylation, which may lead to the alteration of light adsorption capacity and to the reduction of band gap in deformed NT with respect to original one. This has been investigated by theoretical calculation (SCC-DFTB) of dehydroxylated imogolite NTs [26]: in the literature, it has been observed by practical band gap evaluation obtained by UV-Vis spectroscopy on MeIMO NTs. Therefore, the dehydroxylated imogolite or MeIMO NTs is considered as a semiconductor and controlling the degree of dehydroxylation in the heat treatment process may open the possibility to adjust and control the electronic and mechanical properties of NTs. All these observations trigger the future investigations on the different structural phases arrived from thermal treatment of NTs. In order to investigate the photocatalytic application of Fe-doped MeIMO NTs, the samples obtained by IE method have been studied for the photo-Fenton oxidation of tartrazine dye, an important pollutant of both wastewater and groundwater. The obtained results imply that IS of Al3+/Fe3+ at low Fe content (i.e. 0.7 wt. % Fe) starts the photo-Fenton process and provides total discoloration and mineralization of tartrazine dye. Whereas, at higher Fe content (i.e. 1.4 wt. % Fe) the higher amount of Fe oxo-hydroxide clusters play a detrimental effect on tartrazine mineralization, due to both a lower photo-Fenton activity of the clusters with respect to isolated Fe3+ species and their ability to catalyze the (undesired) decomposition of H2O2 to oxygen and water. Remarkably, Al-OOH groups at the outer surface of bare MeIMO also enhance the photocatalytic activity towards the dye mineralization.Tartrazine removal was studied also in the presence of the buckled phases stemming from NTs thermal collapse. The results were interesting and show the high dye adsorption and degradation in the presence of collapsed phase, mainly due to new coordination environments for both Al and Fe sites, leading an active site towards the photo-Fenton reaction
Single Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolytes Based On Versatile Polyurethanes
No full textSingle-ion polymer electrolytes are expected to play an important role in the development of next-generation lithium metal batteries. In this paper, the synthesis and characterization of single-ion conducting polyurethanes (SIPUs) based on PEG and a specifically designed ionic liquid monomer (bis-MPTFSI) is presented. Exploiting the flexible chemistry of polyurethanes, it was possible to tailor the composition and chemical structure of SIPE, obtaining both segmented and crosslinked lithium ion-conductive (σ = 10−8−10−4 S cm−1) and free-standing films with the lithium transference number close to unity. Finally, the performances of gel polymer electrolytes based on SIPUs for lithium metal batteries operating at room temperature were investigated (80 cycles at C/10 with nearly 100% efficiency). To the best of our knowledge, these SIPUs represent one of the first examples of polyurethane-based poly(ionic liquid)s for application in the field of battery science
Quaderni di Topografia
No full textLa Topografia è una scienza applicata che si prefigge la determinazione e la rappresentazione metrica della superficie fisica terrestre, nasce e si inserisce nella geodesia. Allo scopo questo testo fornisce nozioni aggiornate di geodesia fisica, nozioni sui nuovi sistemi di riferimento e elementi di geodesia dell'ellissoide. Per quanto riguarda la rappresentazione sono descritte le rappresentazioni cartografiche, in particolare la cartografia italiana moderna. Per determinare forma e dimensioni della Terra e di quanto vi sia sopra sono necessarie le misure. Perciò nel testo vi è una parte inerente il trattamento statistico delle misure
Free Vibration Analysis of Beams with Piezo-Patches Using a One-Dimensional Model with Node-Dependent Kinematic
No full textThe electro-mechanical analysis of beams with piezo-patches requires accurate models to be used. The interface between the beam and the patch has to be modeled properly to provide accurate results. The use of refined one-dimensional models may lead to a high accuracy in the solution when an appropriate kinematic model is used, as shown by Miglioretti and Carrera [1]. Nevertheless, refined kinematic models require a high number of degrees of freedoms that increase the computational cost of the analyses. The use of advanced models only in the portion of the structure where high accuracy is required, e.g. the patch area, could reduce the computational cost preserving the results accuracy. Biscani et al. [2] proposed the use of the Arlequin method to study the two-dimensional structures with piezopatches coupling models with different kinematics. This paper presents a new class of advanced one-dimensional models with nodedependent kinematics for the dynamic analysis of beam structures with piezopatches. ESL (Equivalent Single-layer) models and LW (Layer-wise) models have been taken into account. The Carrera Unified Formulation [3], has been used to derive the model in a compact and general form. The Finite Elements Method has been used to solve the one-dimensional problem. The cross-sectional kinematic approximation has been considered as a function of the one-dimensional element node [4], that is, no ad-hoc techniques have been used to derive the nodedependent kinematic model. Governing equations for beam models with nodedependent kinematics accounting for electromechanical effects are derived from the Principle of Virtual Displacement (PVD). The free vibration analysis of various beams structures with piezo-patches has been performed. The results obtained have been compared with solutions taken from literature. When used in the analysis of structures with local components or effects to be accounted for, the proposed advanced models can bridge the locally refined model to the global model and reduce the computational costs significantly while guarantying accuracy without employing special global-local coupling method