Browsing by Author "Brown, Neil"
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Item Metadata only An advanced energy management framework to promote energy awareness(Elsevier, 2013) Vikhorev, K.; Greenough, R. M.; Brown, NeilItem Metadata only Advanced Occupancy Sensing for Energy Efficiency in Office Buildings(Sage, 2016-02-02) Ekwevugbe, Tobore; Brown, Neil; Pakka, V. H.; Fan, DenisControl systems for Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) in non-domestic buildings often operate to fixed schedules, assuming maximum occupancy during business hours. Since lower occupancies usually mean less demand for HVAC, energy savings could be made. Air quality sensing, often combined with temperature sensing, has performed sufficiently in the past for this if maintained properly, although sensor and control failures may increase energy use by as much as 50%. As energy costs increase, building controls must meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements, increases in building services complexity, and reduced commissioning time, all placing ever higher demands on sensing, with a standing requirement to improve reliability. Sensor fusion offers performance and resilience to meet these demands, while cost and privacy are key factors which are also met. This paper describes a neural network approach to sensor fusion for occupancy estimation. Feature selection was carried out using symmetrical uncertainty analysis, while fusion of sensor features used a back-propagation neural network, with occupant count accuracy exceeding 74%.Item Metadata only Airconditioning surveys in the UK retail sector, or Keeping the Cold in.(2006) Brown, Neil; Caiero, J.; Wright, A. J.; Bruhns, H.; Summerfield, A.; Oreszczyn, T.Item Metadata only Analysing the use of waste factory heat through exergy analysis(2014) Khattak, Sanober; Greenough, R. M.; Brown, NeilItem Metadata only The analysis and interpretation of half hourly utility data in UK buildings.(2008) Wright, A. J.; Brown, NeilItem Open Access Assessing the efficacy of passive measures for the tropical context of Mauritius through parametric simulations and in-situ measurement(Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineering (CIBSE), 2021-07-13) GOOROOCHURN, MAHENDRA; Coret, Jonathan Yannick; Brown, Neil; Santaram, Venkannah; Wright, A. J.The transition from the traditional creole typology to the modern concrete vernacular structures has taken place progressively over the past few decades in Mauritius, motivated by the need for cyclone resistant buildings. However, the lack of consideration for thermal properties of the wall, glazing and roof construction has resulted in interior space conditions generally uncomfortable during summer conditions, evidenced by the increasing installation and use of air conditioning systems. With summers projected to become warmer due to climate change, passive design measures should be re-incorporated into existing and new constructions to decouple active cooling and urbanisation. This paper describes the parametric analyses carried out to generate cooling load (peak and coincident) for wall, glazing and roof components and temperature (operative, radiative and air) variations for a test building model made up of nine rooms, of which eight were peripheral and one central (with no external walls). The simulations were undertaken in Designbuilder® for a base case with no passive measures and for various low cost passive measures – overhang of various depths, external vertical shading and curtains, roof shading and planting tall trees around the building, incrementally rotated. The results allowed to assess the efficacy of each passive measure, validated against experimental data collected in actual buildings. The study also provided much needed quantitative data on surface and air temperatures prevailing inside buildings, which are key to bringing about the needed shift in mindset and the construction market.Item Metadata only Automatic gravure print feature determination at production speeds.(Sage, 2003) Brown, Neil; Jackson, M. R.; Parkin, R. M.Item Metadata only CO2 laser processing of multilayer packaging films.(Sage, 2005) Brown, Neil; Shi, F.; Kerr, D.; Jackson, M. R.; Parkin, R. M.Item Metadata only CO2 laser processing of packaging films including multi-layer laminates containing silicon oxide and ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier layers.(Professional Engineering Publishing, 2003) Brown, Neil; Shi, F.; Kerr, D.; Jackson, M. R.; Parkin, R. M.Item Metadata only Computer simulation of a hydraulic servo valve.(1995) Brown, Neil; Parkin, R. M.Item Open Access Data gathering and architecture aspects of a major EU wide energy efficiency project for SMEs(2016-03-18) Brown, Neil; Fleming, P. D.; Favaretto, Nicoletta; Snadford, Niall“Support and Training for an Excellent Energy Efficiency Performance” is a 3-year European project helping over 600 European cross-sector small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to reduce their energy use and become more energy-efficient. Companies participating in STEEEP benefit from tailored training and guidance on effective energy management tools and best practices provided by an established network of energy advisors from Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCIs) in 10 different countries. SMEs in many EU countries employ over 90% of the workforce, so improving the energy efficiency of EU SMEs is therefore compelling, with clear advantages for the European economy. Energy efficiency in SMEs previously received less attention than in larger companies, the public sector and dwellings. Previously, policymakers had little energy (and related) data for SMEs, making prioritising ways to support energy conservation difficult. In addition staffing resources and knowledge levels within SMEs frequently determine the level of commitment to energy efficiency and implementing EU energy and climate policy, with a dedicated or even part time energy manager for many SMEs a rarity. The STEEEP project aims to help this by introducing training to SMEs via CCIs, and monitoring savings and providing feedback to SMEs. Crucial to this is the benchmarking of energy use: Basic data about the SMEs, the SME’s energy consumption, and information about the SME policies and procedures relating to energy were gathered form each of the over 600 participants. Managing these data is a considerable task, notably in several languages, using combinations of numeric, free text and other data, gathered through questionnaires. It is not merely fiscal metering data, and supporting information that are gathered, we ask for from occupancy, to building types, and to complete the energy management matrix. We describe how this is done; the data processing . survey design, initial data gathering, benchmarking, and database architecture. Energy use is gathered as the project progresses , with interventions and changes captured. This paper describes the methods used and presents lessons learnt. This include the process of collecting , storing and analyzing the data from over 600 SMEs in 10 different countries. It identifies how barriers were overcome and how information from the data collection is being used by Chambers of Commerce and Industry to help reduce energy use of SMEsItem Open Access Demonstration of Controllable Electricity Production via Biogas Plants(Wiley, 2016-10-19) Haring, Georg; Sonnleitner, Matthias; Bär, Katharina; Brown, Neil; Zörner, WilfredWith the expansion of renewable, but fluctuating power generation from wind and solar energy, the demand placed on the security and reliability of supply is increasing. To ensure grid stability in the future, controllable power production via biogas plants has great technical and economic potential. In order to demonstrate the operation of controllable electricity production, an existing industrial-scale biogas plant was modified to produce electricity in accordance to the demands of the electricity market. In the course of scientific monitoring, extensive instrumentation was installed at the demonstration plant, which allows detailed evaluation of the operation of the limited gas storage volume and the behavior of the combined heat and power units (CHPs) during flexible operation.Item Metadata only A design model for a mechatronic approach to novel woodworking machinery.(1996) Brown, Neil; Parkin, R. M.Item Metadata only A design model for building occupancy detection using sensor fusion(IEEE, 2012) Ekwevugbe, Tobore; Brown, Neil; Fan, D.Item Open Access Dispatchable hydrogen production by multiple electrolysers to provide clean fuel and responsive demand in Libya(IEEE, 2018-05-24) Rahil, Abdulla; Gammon, Rupert; Brown, NeilThe use of hydrogen as a fuel carries major environmental advantages because there are a number of ways of producing it by low-carbon methods. When electrolysis is used, additional benefits are obtained by flexible operation that offers the opportunity to reduce the cost of hydrogen production by absorbing electricity during off-peak hours, and stopping operation during peak hours. This can also act as a tool in support of balancing electrical systems. In this research, off-peak electricity is used to produce hydrogen via electrolysis, which is sold as a fuel at six garage forecourts in Darna, a small city on the east coast of Libya. In addition to the six forecourt electrolysers, a centralised electrolyser plant will be included in the system to consume the surplus energy and to satisfy any deficiency in hydrogen production at the forecourt. The capital cost of both forecourt and centralised electrolyser systems, plus fixed costs, were financed by bank loans at a 5% rate of interest over seven years. A MATLAB model with optimisation tools was used to formulate this problem. This research shows that forecourt hydrogen production at off-peak times (and without the centralised electrolyser) can satisfy nearly 53.93% of the fuel demand. This represents 59.82% of the total surplus renewable energy. The average hydrogen sale price at the forecourts is between £10.82-11.71/kg. After adding the centralised electrolyser, nearly 78.83 % of the total surplus power was absorbed and the average hydrogen selling prices were between £15.04-19.80/kg The centralised electrolyser can meet 43%, 49%, 50%, 42%, 57% and 53% of the deficit in consumption for stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively.Item Metadata only Domestic information, communication and entertainment (ICE) appliance monitoring: A practical perspective and implications for inter-disciplinary research(2009) Coleman, Michael; Wright, A. J.; Brown, Neil; Firth, S. K.Item Metadata only Emerging Perspectives on Diverse Nature-Oriented Sustainability Strategies(MDPI, 2024-01-19) Tiwary, Abhishek; Brown, NeilIncreasing levels of nature-oriented sustainability strategies (NOSSs) are being recognized as offering solutions to combat climate change at scale, both through transformative infrastructure and autonomous technology innovations. This paper presents a synopsis of the mainstream literature covering the emerging trends from the last two decades across two broad trajectories of NOSS initiatives—“nature-inspired” (NI)- and “nature-based solution” (NBS)-oriented approaches. The specific scopes of these two approaches have been categorized into disciplinary fields, highlighting their peculiarities and commonalities, followed by an appreciation of their evolutionary trends based on the literature abundance over three distinct time-horizons—pre 2000, 2000–2010, and 2011–2021. We find ambitious levels of sustainability-led developments are driving NOSS initiatives beyond 2010; in particular, the increased level of NI approaches in the field of chemical processing, material structure, and renewable energy. Likewise, there has been rapid growth in NBS approaches in the last decade from a systems perspective, reducing the level of grey infrastructure by offering sustainable alternatives to the ecologically destructive technologies. However, we identify some crucial red herrings to the main-streaming of NOSSs as a ‘true sustainability solution’, such as the inherent challenges in their scaling-up, operation and management, and in ensuring ecologically and culturally adaptive interventions across different global contexts.Item Metadata only Engaging the Owner Occupier towards a Net Zero future via a Persona Modelling Framework(BECC Conference series (UC Berkeley, ACEEE, Stanford University), 2022-11) Rowlatt, John; Reeves, Andrew; Brown, Neil; Morton, AshleyThe U.K. government commissions an annual English Housing Survey and then uses Acorn consumer classification software to produce 5 personae to plan policy around. However, they do not create tailored engagement plans to enact them, rather they follow the Shared Value model originating from the Harvard Business School. At present Owner Occupiers make up 64% of the U.K. housing market, therefore voter backlash from unpopular policies is a key government concern when considering regulation. Therefore, without appropriate governance we need to understand what would motivate this group to take action for themselves. However, before you can make any appropriate engagement strategy to support policy roll out, knowledge is needed of their drivers or barriers, opinions and beliefs. Building upon a 2021 ECEEE presentation, using both quantitative and qualitative data capture this work currently engages a specific, focused group, of approximately 2000 participants chosen due to close demographic matching with the typical Household Representative Person. Via survey and then focus groups it challenges assumptions around who makes decisions on energy efficiency, their motivations and barriers, and provides data on who are their trusted messengers – current survey results indicate that 82.1% of respondents do not trust that the government regularly puts voter interests above their own… Persona modelling, cognitive theory and behavioural insights will be used to create a flexible, end user driven, framework that facilitates and motivates participants to feel engaged and then empowered to make decisions around behavioural changes resulting in increased installation rates of energy efficiency retro-fit measures. The ultimate aim of the work is to create the equivalent of the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter that can listen to their needs via an interactive api. This then matches them to positive role model stories containing embedded support links that match their tailored profile, consequently creating agency and motivation.Item Metadata only Enhancing banana fibre to concrete adhesion through an optimised wood ash treatment process(Springer, 2023-07-06) Raghoo, Yashy; Ramasawmy, Hareenanden; Mahendra, Gooroochurn; Seeboo, Asish; Brown, NeilThe adhesion of high strength natural fibres with concrete matrix has often been put into question. In this perspective, natural fibre treatment serves as the ultimate approach to increase surface roughness and subsequently the bonding ability of the fibre. The aim of this study was therefore, to analyse the treatment effects of different wood ash concentrations on musa acuminata banana fibre. The peculiarity of using wasted wood ash for the treatment of waste-derived banana fibre was a key highlight of this research; fostering biomass valorization. Contact angle analysis gave favourable results for 16% wood ash treated fibre and the Young Dupre wettability method was adopted to determine the interfacial adhesion, represented as the ‘work of adhesion’. At the same fibre treatment, an increase of 50% was noted for the work of adhesion as compared to untreated fibres. This finding was indeed beneficial for adhesion of the treated fibre in concrete for the fibre had undergone much surface roughening as observed from the SEM image. A zero slump and highest VeBe time were obtained as in-situ parameters of the fresh treated fibre-based concrete. The crucial finding to validate the use of treated fibre in concrete, confirmed that indeed more physical adhesion was present between the interface of the treated fibre and concrete as compared with the untreated fibre. Such a statement revealed true with an increase of 27.1% in the compressive strength result of the treated fibre-reinforced concrete in comparison with the untreated fibre-based concrete. Thus, the effectiveness of treating banana fibres with wood ash solution was evidenced by the increase in adhesion ability of the fibre to the concrete for which an increase in compressive strength supported the results.Item Metadata only Evaluation of sensors for post-occupancy building monitoring.(2010) Painter, B.; Brown, Neil; Cook, M.