Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of the world energy usage. Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems consume more than 60% of the total energy use of buildings. Clearly any technology that reduces HVAC consumption will have a dramatic effect on the energy performance of the building. Natural ventilation offers the opportunity to eliminate the mechanical requirements of HVAC systems by using the natural driving forces of external wind and buoyancy effect. One technology, which incorporates both wind and buoyancy driven forces, is the wind catcher. Wind catchers are natural ventilation systems based on the design of traditional architecture. Though the movement of air caused by the wind catcher will lead to a cooling sensation for occupants, the high air temperature in hot climates will result in little cooling to occupants. In order to maximise the properties of cooling by wind catchers, heat transfer devices were incorporated into the design to reduce the supply air temperature. The aim of this work was to investigate the performance of a wind catcher integrated with heat transfer devices using numerical modelling and wind tunnel experiment. The wind catcher model was incorporated to a building, representing a small room of 15 people. Care was taken to generate a high-quality CFD grid and specify consistent boundary conditions. An experimental model was created using 3D printing and tested in a wind tunnel. Qualitative and quantitative wind tunnel measurements were compared with the CFD data and good correlation was observed. The study highlighted the potential of the proposed wind catcher in reducing the air temperature by up to 12 K and supplying the required fresh air rates.

The aim of this work was to investigate the performance of a multi-directional wind tower integrated with heat transfer devices (HTD) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel analysis. An experimental scale model was created using 3D printing. The scale model was tested in a closed-loop wind tunnel to validate the CFD data. Numerical results of the supply airflow were compared with experimental data. Good agreement was observed between both methods of analysis. Smoke visualisation test was conducted to analyse the air flow pattern in the test room attached underneath it. Results have indicated that the achieved indoor air speed was reduced by up to 17% following the integration of the cylindrical HTD. The effect of varying the number of HTD on the system's thermal performance were investigated. The work highlighted the potential of integrating HTD into wind towers in reducing the air temperature. The technology presented here is subject to a UK patent application (PCT/GB2014/052263).

The aim of this study was to conduct numerical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental analysis of the performance of a wind catcher with Horizontally-arranged Heat Transfer Devices (HHTD) for hot climate conditions. A detailed experimental prototype was created using 3D printing and tested in a closed-loop low speed wind tunnel. An accurate geometrical representation of the wind tunnel test setup was recreated in the numerical modeling. The airflow supply velocity was measured and compared with the numerical data and good correlation was observed. Flow visualisation testing was conducted to analyse the airflow within the device and also inside the ventilated space. The results of the numerical analysis showed that the wind catcher with HHTD was capable of reducing the air temperature by up to 12 K within the micro-climate depending on the outdoor conditions. The technology presented here is subject to a UK patent application (1321709.6).

A three-dimensional, multispecies, multiphase polymer electrolyte (PEM) fuel cell model was developed in order to investigate the effect of the flow-field geometry on the steady-state and transient performances of the cell under an automotive operation. The two most commonly used designs, parallel and single-serpentine flow fields, were selected as they offer distinctive species transport modes of diffusion-dominant and convection-dominant flows in the porous layers, respectively. It was found that this difference in flow mode significantly effects membrane hydration, the key parameter in determining a successful operation. In a steady run, a serpentine flow field increased the averaged current density under the wet condition due to superior water removal, but this had a negative effect on the cell in the way that it caused membrane dry-out if dry reactant gases were used. The transient operation, on the other hand, seemed to favor the combination of a serpentine flow field and dry reactant gases, as it helped in the removal of product water and speeded up the transport of reacting species to the reactive site to find equilibrium at the new state with minimum time delay and current overshoot or undershoot, which is the most important aspect of a dynamic system.

Two office layouts with high and low levels of thermal control were compared, respectively Norwegian cellular and British open plan offices. The Norwegian practice provided every user with control over a window, blinds, door, and the ability to adjust heating and cooling. Occupants were expected to control their thermal environment to find their own comfort, while air conditioning was operatingin the background to ensure the indoor air quality. In contrast, in the British office, limited thermal control was provided through openable windows and blinds only for occupants seated around the perimeter of the building. Centrally operated displacement ventilation was the main thermal control system. Users’ perception of thermal environment was recorded through survey questionnaires, empirical building performance through environmental measurements and thermal control through semi-structured interviews. The Norwegian office had35% higher user satisfaction and 20% higher user comfort compared to the British open plan office. However, the energy consumption in the British practice was within the benchmark and much lower than the Norwegian office. Overall, a balance between thermal comfort and energy efficiency is required, as either extreme poses difficulties for the other.

This article reviews recent policy in career guidance in the context of the 2015 election.

Knowledge of research methods is regarded as crucial for the UK economy and workforce. However, research methods teaching is viewed as a challenging area for lecturers and students. The pedagogy of research methods teaching within universities has been noted as underdeveloped, with undergraduate students regularly expressing negative dispositions to the subject. These are challenges documented in university-based higher education (HE), yet little is known of the practices and pedagogies of research methods teaching in the college-based HE setting, where the delivery of HE has grown in prominence in recent years. Because college-based HE is widely regarded as primarily vocational, incorporating research methods into curricula may be seen as an additional level of complexity for staff to negotiate. In this article, we report on the data collected within a study to examine research methods teaching in social science disciplines on HE programmes taught in college-based settings in England. Drawing on data obtained from college-based HE lecturers and students, we discuss features of research methods teaching and how these may be applied with a diverse student body, within vocationally focused institutions. Issues of institutional culture, resourcing and staff development are also considered as these are identified as integral to the successful embedding of research methods teaching.

A piezoelectric ultrasonic actuator with multidegree of freedom for autonomous vehicle guidance industrial applications is presented in this paper. The actuator is aiming to increase the visual spotlight angle of digital visual data capture transducer. It consists of three main parts, the stator, rotor and housing unit. The stator is a piezoelectric ring made from S42 piezoelectric ceramics material, bonded to three electrodes made from a material that has a close Characteristics to the S42. The rotor is a ball made from stainless steel materials. The actuator working principles is based on creating micro elliptical motions of surface points, generated by superposition of longitudinal and bending vibration modes, of oscillating structures. Transferring this motion from flexible ring transducer through the three electrodes, to the attached rotor, create 3D motions. The actuator Design, structures, working principles and finite element analysis are discussed in this paper. A prototype of the actuator was fabricated and its characteristics measured. Experimental tests showed the ability of the developed prototype to provide multidegree of freedom with typical speed of movement equal to 35 rpm, a resolution of less than 5μm and maximum load of 3.5 Newton. These characteristics illustrated the potential of the developed smart actuator, to gear the spotlight angle of digital visual data capture transducers and possible improvement that such micro-actuator technology could bring to the autonomous vehicle guidance and machine vision industrial applications. Furthermore research are still undertaken to develop a universal control prototype, integrate the actuator with an infrared sensor, visual data capture digital transducers and obtain the trajectory of motion control algorithm.

The aim of this work was to investigate the performance of a multi-directional wind tower integrated with heat transfer devices (HTD) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel analysis. An experimental scale model was created using 3D printing. The scale model was tested in a closed-loop wind tunnel to validate the CFD data. Numerical results of the supply airflow were compared with experimental data. Good agreement was observed between both methods of analysis. Smoke visualisation test was conducted to analyse the air flow pattern in the test room attached underneath it. Results have indicated that the achieved indoor air speed was reduced by up to 17% following the integration of the cylindrical HTD. The effect of varying the number of HTD on the system's thermal performance were investigated. The work highlighted the potential of integrating HTD into wind towers in reducing the air temperature. The technology presented here is subject to a UK patent application (PCT/GB2014/052263).