abstracts uae-swiss research day 2012 (pdf)

UAE‐Swiss Research day: Abu Dhabi - Dubai, 11-12 November 2012 Frontiers in Water, Energy and Sustainability

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List of submitted Abstracts

American University of Sharjah (AUS), U.A.E

Title of abstracts

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Potable water by metathesis precipitation in forward osmosis desalination 5 Irrigation Sustainability: Case Study of the American University of Sharjah Green Spaces Water Management

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Catalyzing the Decontamination Process of Water Resources from Organic Pollutants Using Silver Doped Zeolites

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Analysis and Comparison of PEM Fuel Cell Stacks with Different Configurations and Under Different Conditions

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CSEM-UAE Innovation Center L.L.C, Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E

Title of abstracts

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Evaluation of vacuum tube solar collector for solar cooling application

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Design and Validation of Solar Calorimeter

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Design of a prototype solar collector module for the development of Solar Island’s Fresnel modules

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Design of control system for moving mirrors of Linear Fresnel concentrator tracking the sun

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Performance Testing of PV Panels for different tilt

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Development of a low power robot for automatic cleaning of Linear Fresnel concentrator mirrors

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Sustainable Co-production of Drinking Water and Domestic Hot Water using Membrane Distillation Integrated Solar Thermal System

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New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), U.A.E

Title of abstract

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Physical measurements for modeling the flow of currents in the Persian Gulf

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Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT), Sharjah Colleges, U.A.E

Title of abstract

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Design and Fabricate Light Uitility Solar Vehicle 20

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain, U.A.E

Title of abstracts

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Biochemical degradation of wastewater (organic) pollutants

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Apatite nanoparticles for the purification of waste water

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Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E Title of abstracts

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Water From Sun: Solar Energy, the driver of Desalination Technologies

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Biofuels Production from Abu Dhabi Waste

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Effect of Interface States (Dit) on the Performance of Thin Film a-Si/c-Si/c-Si Heterojunction Solar Cells

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Efficient Cooling of the Aluminum Smelting-Electrolytic-Cell after Shutdown

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A Novel Design Approach for Emergency Demand Response

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Towards Accurate Electricity Price Forecasting using Artificial Neural Network

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Sustainable Healthy Living: Sociability and Sleep Quality in Healthy Adults

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Waste Management pathways for Cross-linked Polyethylene via Remolding & Pyrolysis

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Date fruit - dye sensitized Solar Cells

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Evaluation of Aquatic Biomass Native to the UAE for Bioenergy and Biochemical productions

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Sustainable Healthy Living: Social Interactions via embedded sensing techniques and lifestyles choices as early warning markers for Obesity

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Methodology for the Technical Feasibility Assessment of Electric Vehicle (EV) Penetration in Abu Dhabi

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Wind Energy: Low to high fidelity simulation and Masdar Case Study Implementation 36


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Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E

Title of abstracts

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Waste to Energy: Thermochemical Pathways of MSW to syngas

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Second generation bioenergy production from Salicornia bigelovii – a halophyte that shows great promise as an energy crop in UAE

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Impact of Ballast Water Microorganisms in UAE Waters and Study of Inactivation Techniques

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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) – Future Cities Lab., Singapore

Title of abstracts

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Supporting integrated water resource management: a perspective from the Future Cities Laboratory

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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Title of abstracts

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Prediction of power output in a large wind farm

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Waste strategy analysis and water conservation in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

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Characterization of wind turbine wakes with multiple-LiDARs under different conditions of the atmospheric boundary layer

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Wind turbine wakes and wind farm performance: a wind tunnel study

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Performance assessment of pressurized fluid-distribution networks

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Designing in the desert: a bioclimatic approach at the urban scale

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Simultaneous multiple-LIDAR measurements of Wind Turbine Wakes

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Numerical and experimental investigation of wind farm performance

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Economic Energy policy in MENA using a technology-driven approach

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Towards Smart Cities

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Design of a new generation climate adaptive moucharabieh with improved performance and flexibility

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Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Title of abstracts

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EPFL electricity Consumption Optimization Tool

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The power system load flow analysis using an ultra-high speed mixed signal emulator

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Microgrids market opportunities

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Improvement of a power-system mixed-signal emulator by means of dedicated integrated circuits

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An Ultra-High-Speed, Mixed-Signal Emulator for Solving Power System Dynamic Equations

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A mixed-platform Dynamic Stability Assessment framework

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eSMART : an EPFL spin-off company. One click to pilot your home. One glance to get your energy consumption.

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Zayed University, Abu Dhabi – Dubai, U.A.E

Title of abstracts

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The introduction of domestic greywater treatment in Abu Dhabi

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The impact of desalination on marine life

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Identifying pathogenic bacteria in seawater samples using rapid PCR-based assays

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Characterization of bacterial communities associated with phytoplankton species in UAE coastal waters

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Salmonella and Total Coliform in Treated Wastewater used for Irrigation in Public Parks (Dubai & Sharjah)

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Microbiological quality of selected beaches in the UAE

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UAE‐Swiss Research day: Abu Dhabi ‐ Dubai, 11‐12 November 2012 Frontiers in Water, Energy and Sustainability

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Potable water by metathesis precipitation in forward osmosis desalination

R. Al-Naziy, A. Aidan, M. Qasim American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, U.A.E.

Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Potable water is one of the major concerns globally due to water scarcity. A substantial growth of the

desalination market in countries with physical water scarcity is a fact confirmed by a recent state of the

art desalination report. As a result, finding efficient desalination technologies has become an important

concern for the scientific community. Among all desalination technologies, seawater reverse osmosis

(SWRO) is the most internationally widespread technology. However, the inherent problems such as

membrane fouling and high energy consumption in reverse osmosis require innovation of other

energy-efficient alternatives.

Recently, forward osmosis (FO) or direct osmosis (DO) has gained much attention of the researchers

and its application has been studied in various fields such as wastewater treatment, water desalination

and energy generation. FO is a simple natural phenomenon that involves movement of water through a

semipermeable membrane under an osmotic pressure gradient. In FO, the more dilute solution to be

concentrated is the feed solution (FS) while the more concentrated solution is referred to as the draw

solution (DS) or the osmotic agent. The osmotic pressure difference between the feed and the draw

solution is the driving force for the movement of water molecules from the feed solution to the draw

solution across the semipermeable membrane in FO. The diluted draw solution is subsequently treated

to obtain pure water as product.

This research presents an energy-efficient FO system (Figure 1) that utilizes a flat sheet cellulose

acetate (CA) membrane provided by Hydration Technologies Inc. The membrane was tested for high

feed concentrations ranging from typical brackish water concentration to seawater concentration. For

energy-efficient recovery of product water, a 240,000 ppm of MgSO4 draw solution was used. The

membrane achieved an average water flux of 4.06 L/m2 h and 0.60 L/m2 h in case of brackish and

seawater, respectively. Pure product water with a salt content of 350 ppm was recovered from the

diluted MgSO4 draw solution by reaction with stoichiometric amount of barium hydroxide to remove

the soluble draw solute as magnesium hydroxide and barium sulfate precipitates. The use of

magnesium sulfate as draw solute eliminates the need of energy to recover pure product water in the

FO process. continued on the next page…


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Figure 1: Energy-efficient forward osmosis system utilizing MgSO4 draw solute and metathesis precipitation for recovery of pure product water


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Irrigation Sustainability: Case Study of the American University of Sharjah Green Spaces Water Management

M. Maanni, L. Al-Mujadidi, G. T. Parker

American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, U.A.E Corresponding authors: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Sustainability of agricultural irrigation is accomplished through the use of efficient irrigation systems

and effective water management strategies. In arid and semi-arid areas, the climatic variables such as

temperature and humidity in addition to other factors such as evapotranspiration rates can cause

significant water loss from the surface. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a thorough understanding of

these variables effect on spray losses in sprinkler irrigation system, to attain sustainable water

management strategies. This study employs preliminary evaluation of irrigation systems through the

analysis of sprinklers system efficiency, and it accounts for stochastic weather conditions, hydraulic

factors, soil moisture content and other significant factors. For illustration of the study, a green space

sample in the American University of Sharjah located in the UAE was obtained. The study was

conducted in an eight-month time horizon under weather patterns varying from relatively cold and

windy, to very hot and humid, and of course, the gradual weather change in between. Moreover,

irrigation patterns were observed at a regular pace of 3 times a week in random hours of day and night,

presenting a wide range of hydraulic and climatic conditions. This is to obtain total amount of water

required for sustainable irrigation, and compare it with the total amount applied by the water

authorities. From visual observations, the landscapes were often flooded with excess water, and

spillage of water on the sides was constantly occurring. This is a clear indication that the irrigation

system used suffers from inadequate sprinkler systems application and excessive water supply, which

strains both water and energy supplies of the country in the long run. Through the water balance

approach, this study develops simple flexible sustainable irrigation decision rules for water authorities,

which are adaptable to changing climate conditions.


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Catalyzing the Decontamination Process of Water Resources from Organic Pollutants Using Silver Doped Zeolites

Saeed Nusri, Sofian Kanan, Imad Abu-Yousef

Department of Biology & Chemistry, American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, U.A.E.

Abstract

Silver clusters were exchanged into the zeolite framework using normal ion-exchange process. X-ray

fluorescence (XRF), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low-temperature

photoluminescence spectroscopic results indicate the formation of various silver environments in the

zeolite hosts. The modified materials were found to be active in treating water samples from organic

pollutants like pesticides and thus reducing the danger of these pollutants to humans’ health. This

treatment was reached by enhancing the photodecomposition rate of the pollutants or via the

entrapment of the pollutants in the available pore channels. In specific, the modified AgY sample

(silver incorporated in channels of zeolite Y) was found to increase the decomposition rate of phosmet

(a phosphorous-based pesticide) by 40 times compared to the uncatalyzed reaction, when irradiated

with 302 nm UV rays. On the other hand, Ag-Mordenite samples were found to adsorb/absorb most

carbamate pesticides from water solutions.

Figure 1: Synchronous Scan Luminescence spectra of a carbamate pesticide (Naptalam) in the presence of Ag-5A catalyst irradiated at various times under 302nm UV rays


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Analysis and Comparison of PEM Fuel Cell Stacks with Different Configurations and Under Different Conditions

Anzar Anwer Kamdar American University of Sharjah (AUS), Sharjah, U.A.E

Abstract

Fuel cells provide a clean, renewable, and sustainable form of energy, through the use of a fuel such as

hydrogen and its subsequent reaction with an oxidant to provide electricity. In addition to providing

renewable energy fuel cells produce water and heat as by products which can be used in conjunction

with a filter and heat exchanger to provide further energy and resources. PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs) are

the most promising type of fuel cells; nevertheless, further research and development are required in

order to reduce their cost, enhance their durability, and optimize their performance. Extensive cell-

level studies of PEMFCs have been conducted over the past few decades; however, stack-level

investigations have received less attention. As a contribution to the ongoing efforts in order to widely

commercialize fuel cells, this study aims to investigate how different stack-level design parameters

and/or configurations will affect the overall performance of the stack. Theoretical parametric studies

and simulations will be compared to experimental test results.

The parametric studies of the design and performance parameters, using the appropriate software and

tools, will be based on:

1) Mathematical models that capture the effect of trying different types and changing different

parameters in the main stack components on the stack performance. This includes the polymer

electrolyte membrane (PEM), gas diffusion layer (GDL), catalyst layer, and bipolar plate flow fields.

2) Mathematical models that capture the effect of different stack integration options on the stack

performance. This includes the thermal management mechanism, water management mechanism,

clamping pressure, and stack sizing variables.

3) Mathematical models that capture the effect of changing the stack operation conditions on the

stack performance. This includes the stack’s operating pressure, operating temperature, flow rate of

reactants, and humidity of reactants.

The scope of the project includes improving fuel cell performance by controlling and optimizing

parameters such as operating conditions (humidity, temperature, reactant flow rate, and pressure),

choosing the best components, and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of different fuel cell

stack configurations.


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Evaluation of vacuum tube solar collector for solar cooling application

Martin Ssembatya1, Manoj Kumar Pokhrel and Rajesh Reddy

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 MSc thesis Student, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden


Abstract

Evaluation of solar collector and optimization of its tilt is an important aspect of solar cooling

system development from both technical and economic standpoints. Finding the exact behavior

of solar collectors in terms of its efficiency, power output, optimum tilt angle etc is necessary to

enable close prediction and optimization of the solar thermal field in particular and complete

solar cooling system in general. As such, a 35 kW single stage solar absorption cooling system

with heat pipe vacuum tube collectors field of 128 m2 of gross area along with three individual

collector prototypes at different tilts have been developed at the outdoor research facility of

CSEM-UAE at Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Results show that collector tilt of 5-10° lower than the

location’s latitude gives maximum thermal energy gain for solar cooling operation. The collector

at 15° tilt operates with zero loss, heat loss and temperature dependence of heat loss coefficients

of 0.7, 1.05 and 0 respectively with an average collector efficiency of 60% based on aperture

area in summer months from March to October for solar cooling application in UAE region. The

poster will particularly show the study of optimum tilt angle, efficiency and power output of the

vacuum tube collector. All the collectors have been set accordingly for solar cooling research.

Figure 1- Layout of solar cooling research facility with the collectors used for the study (yellow line)


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Design and Validation of Solar Calorimeter

Michael Blanding1, Kyle Hoppe1 and Rajesh Reddy

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 MSc thesis Students, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden


Abstract

One of more efficient and cost effective passive methods for reducing the cooling (heating) load of a

building is with the use of solar insulating materials. CSEM-UAE has performed a theoretical study of

different cost-effective and thermally efficient solutions regarding the solar insulating materials for

buildings. The preliminary laboratory scale calorimetric study on solar insulating materials showed

that energy savings of 20-30% can be obtained with different solar insulating and reflective materials.

To perform a real outdoor test of the savings obtained with solar insulating materials, a solar

calorimetric test facility has been designed. The present design is aimed at determining the energy

savings of different measures with similar indoor conditions, with and without solar insulating

materials for the same ambient conditions. The design and simulation results of the test facility with

various solar insulating materials are presented in this poster.

The layout of test facility is shown in below figure.

Figure 1- Layout of outdoor test facility


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Design of a prototype solar collector module for the development of Solar Island’s Fresnel modules

Muhd Iqbal bin Zakaria and Zaki Iqbal

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1MSc thesis Students,Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Corresponding author : [email protected]

Abstract

Solar Island platform of CSEM-uae is today’s biggest and highest precision solar tracking

available for the development of the concentrated solar power solutions using Fresnel mirrors.

This platform can hold up to 68 modules of around 1.5 tons each. In order to safeguard the

platform; while opening the development of the CSP module to the students from diverse

universities, we developed a prototype consisting of single module representing the solar island

based on its tracking mechanism and high precision ensuring the same dimensions and thermal

conditions as the standard foreseen for the solar island modules.

This mini solar island platform will receive the same set of mirrors and will be used to design,

test and optimize the Fresnel receiver. The conceptual design as shown in Figure 1 has been

developed to reproduce such conditions. This design involves several aspects such as

foundations, structural designs, driving system and basics of control. The design considers

variants which are involved during designing process and takes into account the analysis of the

stability of the structure in terms of bending and deflection and also the calculation for the

required motor for the drive system which are presented in the poster.

Continued on the next page…

Figure 1: Conceptual design of single module platform


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Figure 2: Solar Island platform for 68 modules


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Design of control system for moving mirrors of Linear Fresnel concentrator tracking the sun

Fengtian Zhu 1, Zaki Iqbal

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 MSc Internship Student, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne ( EPFL), Switzerland Corresponding authors : [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Solar power is one of the most potential resources in the world not only because of being a clean,

renewable and sustainable resource but also because that up to now only a small percentage of solar

power received by the earth everyday has been utilised.

The project goal is to design a control system of a Linear Fresnel concentrator to precisely track the

position of the sun during the day time. The Sun position is calculated by the Solar Position

Algorithm (SPA) developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) while the

controlling system includes PC, interface, stepper motor and feedback control (Figure 1). Note that

due to the high accuracy of the SPA, the desiring accuracy of the dual-axis tracking system is 0.02°

(Figure 2 and Figure 3). The initial study was carried out identifying the algorithm, hardware and

the interface to be used to develop this control.

Figure 1 : Close-loop control diagram of the design

Figure 3: Altitude and Azimuth component analysis

Figure 2 : A schematic diagram of the terms "Azimuth" and "Altitude" as they relate to the viewing of celestial


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Performance Testing of PV Panels for different tilt angles

Pranav Patel1 and Rajesh Reddy

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 MSc Internship Student, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne ( EPFL), Switzerland

Corresponding authors: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Performance of photovoltaic (PV) panels vary depending on their location and position. The

performance of PV panels at different tilt angles is compared with POLYSUN simulation and later

verified experimentally. The maximum energy was produced at 25° tilt angle, the local latitude

angle in Ras al Khaimah, compared to other fixed tilt angles as shown in Fig.2. In a system without

tracker, by changing the tilt angles five times a year can further optimize the annual energy yield.

The five changing periods are March, April, May-August, September, October – February keeping

panels at tilt angles of 25°, 15°, 0°, 25°, 35° respectively for current location. The energy yield of

PV panels at different tilt angles is simulated and compared with experimental results and

presented in this article. The location of experimental set up is shown below.

Figure 1: Layout and location of experimental test set up



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Figure 2: PV panel performance at different tilts


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Development of a low power robot for automatic cleaning of Linear Fresnel concentrator mirrors

Chang-Hung Chen 1, Zaki Iqbal

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 MSc Internship Student, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL

Corresponding authors : [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

The reflective efficiency is a crucial issue for the mirrors of concentrated solar power. With time,

because of the dust in the ambient environment, the reflective efficiency of the optical surface

decreases. The project is to design a cleaning system for the Linear Fresnel concentrator mirrors

(LFM) on the CSP module. The cleaning system would follow the rails on both sides of the module

and cleaning the mirrors with different cleaning approaches mounted on it. The objective is to

create a cleaning system with low power consumption, low water consumption, and be able to

move on the rails automatically.

To validate the cleaning efficiency, a prototype is created to clean the mirror area of about 2 m by 1

m, instead of directly cleaning on the module (about 8 m by 4 m). Three stages of cleaning would

be used, including brush, sprayer nozzles, and wipers. These cleaning tools are mounted on the

cleaning platform which the vertical position can be adjusted. The prototype and the rail system

are shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Figure 1 : the prototype of the cleaning robot for CSP module.

Figure 2 : the prototype and the rail system for testing the cleaning mechanism..


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Sustainable Co-production of Drinking Water and Domestic Hot Water using Membrane Distillation Integrated Solar Thermal System

Uday Kumar, Hamid Kayal, Andrew Martin1

CSEM-UAE Innovation Center LLC, Ras al Kamiah, UAE 1 Supervising Professor, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden


Abstract

The UAE consumes more potable water per capita than any other country in the world and the

bottled water industry is growing at unprecedented rate in the country. Bottled water industry

consumes huge amount of energy right from the water treatment (desalination, purification, and

disinfection), bottling process to the delivery of the water to the end user. Therefore, as a small step

towards sustainability, this project investigates the feasibility of integration of MD water purifier with

solar thermal system for in-house pure drinking water production thus reducing bottled water

consumption which in turn saves energy.

Membrane Distillation (MD) is a novel process that could be adapted effectively for many water

purification applications. A difference in partial pressure serves as the driving force, and the presence

of a hydrophobic membrane ensures high water quality regardless of feedstock parameters. Hot-side

temperatures below 90ºC are suitable and this process has been proven ideal for exploiting waste heat

or solar thermal resources. However, a number of issues remain before this technology is fully

deployed commercially. The main objective of the present investigation is to work towards

commercialization of an MD water purifier integrated to a domestic solar hot water system.

A test set up is under development for technical evaluation of the MD modules and solar thermal

collectors suitable for single family application producing 20l/day drinking water. The performance of

the integrated system will be evaluated through dynamic simulations and long term experiments will

be performed to identify optimal process parameters for the application. Finally, a pre-commercial

solar MD system will be designed, developed and analyzed from a techno-economic point of view.

Keywords: Membrane distillation, solar thermal energy, water purification


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Physical measurements for modeling the flow of currents in the Persian Gulf

Andres Fernandez, Masoud Ghandehari New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

Abstract

Desalination plants are utilized in areas where water is scarce; but have a large negative impact on the

environment surrounding them. Desalination plants require large amounts of energy to desalinate the

water and also return water with high amounts of salt back to the sea. When concentrated salt water is

thrown back into the sea, the increased salinity significantly impacts the ecosystem, therefore

compelling monitoring to recognize and prevent irreversible damage.

The different levels of salt that a body of water has changes, as the saline levels of a body of water

changes, the flow of the currents; affecting land and water temperature. This change of temperature

endangers some species. It is therefore important to have live monitoring systems to monitor the

environmental conditions. Until very recently, salinity measurements were done manually with probes

measuring conductivity which took long periods of time before being able to determine salinity in a

large body of water. Recent technology has allowed for monitoring of sea surface salinity (SSS) in

large areas via remote sensing. With the use of microwave radiometers and scatterometers, world

salinity levels can be obtained within seven days. There are limitations to this technology however,

since it can only detect surface salinity and measurements can be easily swayed by noise. Research

has to be done in order to calibrate these remote sensing devices namely, that the results need to be

compared to the results of other methods used to measure SSS with data provided by agencies like

NASA, CONAE and ESA. With our own instruments, we plan on finding accurate monitoring

methods in order to supervise the water near desalination plants in order to take care of our

environment.


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Design and Fabricate Light Utility Solar Vehicle

Mubarak Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Altaf Khan Higher Colleges of Technology (UAE), Sharjah colleges, UAE


Abstract

It is a light utility vehicle which uses rechargeable direct current batteries. The electric power is

genertated by using photovoltaic cells arranged in solar panels. So, the solar energy will be converted

to electric power to charge those batteries. From batteries current will flow to controllers which will

control the motors speed. Furthermore, we can drive the vehicle at night by charging batteries by

conventional source of external power such as domestic electricity or diesel generators. It can be used

for tourist places, exhibition and trade gatherings or in public parks. Such a vehicle will be designed

and fabricated at Sharjah Colleges, HCT employing newer techniques in hub type motors for direct

transfer of torque to the wheels.


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Biochemical degradation of wastewater (organic) pollutants

Prof. Dr. S. Salman Ashraf Chemistry Department

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain, U.A.E. Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Organic compounds, including synthetic dyes are intimately linked to modern life, as they are used

in numerous industries such as food, textile, paper, plastics, pharmaceuticals etc. Upon release to

the environment, the majority of these compounds not only pollute our air, land, and water

resources (even when present in small quantities), but directly impact aquatic and non-aquatic life

due to their carcinogenic nature. Due to ever shrinking water supply, removal of these organic

pollutants from wastewaters has drawn a great deal of attention in the past few years and various

approaches have been developed to address it. Literature survey on this topic has revealed the

importance of biochemical approaches for handling the transformation of these organic compounds

to smaller, and more environmentally friendlier molecules. The various enzymes, microorganisms

and other species studied for this purpose have been isolated from different matrices, such as soil

and plants. This presentation will highlight data from our lab showing the various approaches we

have explored using microbial and enzymatic approaches for the degradation of textile dyes (as

model pollutants). I will also discuss future challenges and issues facing researchers in this exciting

and important field.


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Apatite nanoparticles for the purification of waste water

Hamda Al Ketbi1, Najwa Hamdan2, Mariam Al Hammadi2, Hessa Al Nuaimi2, and Yaser E. Greish2 Greish2

1Abu Dhabi Transmission and Dispatch Company (TRANSCO), Abu Dhabi, UAE 2Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain, UAE


Abstract

Nowadays, waste water treatment is receiving a considerable attention due to increased

concern about the environment and tighter international regulations on water pollution. Toxic

heavy metal ions are often removed from industrial waste water by different methodologies

such as coagulative, precipitation, reverse osmosis or ion exchange. Organic pollutants, such

as dyes, can be also isolated from waste water using adsorptive compounds. Adsorption and

degradation of these dyes is a known procedure in this regard. Recently, there is an increasing

interest in the application of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2; HAp) ceramic nanoparticles in

the removal of heavy metal ions, as well as organic pollutants from aqueous media. This is

mainly attributed to the nature of its crystal structure and chemical composition. HAp has

shown a high capacity for ion exchange with heavy metal ions, both divalent and trivalent. On

the other hand, HAp is known to have both acidic and basic sites in its crystal structure, which

makes it potential candidate to act as both acidic and basic catalysts for the adsorption and

degradation of dyes. Moreover, used Hap nanoparticles in which heavy metal ions are

substituted are of a major importance as potential catalysts in various organic reactions and

for the degradation of organic pollutants of waste water. The current study illustrates our

preliminary results obtained in the removal of Cd, Zn, and Cu ions from simulated waste

water and for the catalysis of a model organic reaction using HAp nanoparticles.


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Water From Sun: Solar Energy, the driver of Desalination Technologies

Prof. Dr. Hassan E.S. Fath Professor of Practice

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Desalination is well proven technology and a main source of fresh water in UAE and GCC countries,

it is, therefore, of strategic importance. The Gulf water high salinity, high temperature, high turbidity

and high marine life (know as Gulf 4 Hs) and the sudden growth of red tides limits the use of

membrane desalination technologies as compared to thermal desalination technologies. The

enhancement of thermal desalination performance of conventional technologies (as MSF and MED) is

needed to reduce its specific power consumption (and specific water cost) and to suit its integration

with (the relatively expensive) Solar Energy sources. On the other hand, solar energy can utilized to

drive other non conventional technologies for water and food production.

(a)

(b)

Figure 1 Water from Sun a- Solar Thermal MED Plant

b- Green House; Grows its Power and Irrigating Water



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This presentation addresses the practical use of solar energy as the driver of desalination technologies.

It covers solar driven large conventional desalination (as MSF, MD and RO), Figure (1a). Other non

conventional water (& food) production processes including novel Agriculture green house (that

grows its power and irrigating water), Figure (1b). and Stand Alone green Complex (for the

production of water, food, energy and by-products) for the sustainable development of small

communities in remote areas, small solar desalination units using Membrane Distillation (MD), Solar

Stills – integrated with Humidification De- Humidification (HDH) will be highlighted.


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Biofuels Production from Abu Dhabi Waste

A. Nwobi, I. Cybulska, M. Thomsen Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

Data from the Waste Statistics 2010 report from the Statistics center in Abu Dhabi show that

approximately 10 million tons of waste is being produced annually in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

This is equivalent to 27,000 tons per day and it is increasing year by year. Municipal solid waste

(MSW) and agricultural waste represent up to 17% of total waste, with only about 60,000 tons

recycled and the rest sent to landfills. This poses environmental issues: contamination of soil and

underground water, distortion of landscape, impact on desert ecosystems and also uncontrolled

production of greenhouse gases. To enable the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to achieve its waste reduction

target of 80 – 90% by 2018, establishing a sustainable waste management system as well as

industrial diversification (from oil production) is a key step.

The wet fraction of MSW can be used in the production of renewable, sustainable fuels and

chemicals and also co-production of several products including a nutrient-rich residue that can be

used to fertilize farmlands. It can be designed for large industrial purposes or for small on-site (e.g.

on-farm, in-factory) units to suit local needs and reduce transportation of raw material and products.

The aim of this study was to examine the composition and amount of residential MSW with focus on

Masdar City and the Abu Dhabi emirate and also its techno-economic potential for biofuel

production. A model waste was prepared based on data from the Masdar city’s waste management

and Masdar Institute canteen. The model waste was composed of 20% carbohydrate (pasta and

bread), 13% oil, 25% protein (meat and fish), 25% vegetables, 15% fruits and 2% paper.

Analysis of the approximately 40% dry matter (DM) Abu Dhabi model waste shows a content of

34.4% glucose per dry biomass after strong acid hydrolysis. The model organic fraction MSW

(OFMSW) was pretreated/sterilized at 80oC for 1hr after which prehydrolysis was carried out at 50oC

for 24 hours using a very low enzyme loading percentage per DM (Amylase 0.25, Cellulase 0.25,

Hemicellulase 0.05, Pectate lyase 0.05, Protease 0.05, Lipase 0.05). Ethanol fermentation

experiments at 30oC were carrried out with Saccharomyces cerevisiae for 3 days. Maximum ethanol

concentration was 49 g/L which was calculated to be a 79% yield with respect to the starting

substrate. This yield was obtained in only 24 hours of the fermentation.


26

Effect of Interface States (Dit) on the Performance of Thin Film a-Si/c-Si/c-Si Heterojunction Solar Cells

Aaesha Alnuaimi and Ammar Nayfeh Masdar Institute of Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

The materials trend for solar cells has been from amorphous-Si, to microcrystalline–Si, and now to

large grain polycrystalline-Si. It appears that eventually, high quality crystalline thin film solar

cells will be the norm due to the higher efficiency they can achieve. One design is a heterojunction

emitter based solar cell (HIT), in which a large bandgap (1.7 eV) amorphous Si (a-Si) emitter is

used to increase the open circuit voltage (Voc). However, interface defects (Dit) at the a-Si/c-Si and

c-Si/Si(Substrate) interfaces could be a major determent to the performance. The effect of interface

states (Dit) at the a-Si/c-Si interface and c-Si/Si(Substrate) on the performance of a-Si(n+)/c-Si(p)/c-

Si(p+) heterojunction solar cells is investigated using Physics Based TCAD simulation. Dit is

simulated as Gaussian distribution with peak ranging from 1x109 cm-2 to 1x1015 cm-2. In addition,

c-Si layers of 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0.5 m are simulated to study the effect of thickness, while the lifetime

of the c-Si layer is varied from 1ns to 1ms. For a 2m c-Si layer with 100s lifetime, the results

show a drop in open-circuit voltage (Voc) from 0.68 V to 0.52 V as Dit increases from 1x109 cm-2 to

1x1015 cm-2. The efficiency drops from 8% to 6%. The short-circuit current (Jsc) does not change

with Dit and is only a function of thickness and lifetime.

-2

Figure 2 : η (%) vs. Dit(top) for a-Si/c-Si/c-

Si heterojunction solar cell with 2m

absorber layer for increasing

Figure 1: Cross-section of the simulated a-Si/c-Si/c-Si heterojunction solar cell


27

Efficient Cooling of the Aluminum Smelting-Electrolytic-Cell after Shutdown

Ayoola T. Brimmo, Youssef Shatilla and Mohamed I. Ali Masdar Institute of Science & Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

Modern aluminum reduction cells are lined with rectangular steel shells (pot-shell). As fabrication of

this shell is expensive, when the electrolytic cell reaches the end of its useful life (failed cell), the pot-

shell is usually retained and used to rebuild a new reduction cell. This necessitates the careful handling

of the pot-shell during and after the life span of the cell. However, there is usually a delay between the

shutdown (electric power cut out) of a failed cell and the start of the actual rebuilding process. The

bath and metal would have to be tapped and the anode would have to be removed from the pot in the

pot room. These take about 20 hours to complete. Thereafter, the pot is transferred to the de-lining

area and left to cool down to a temperature at which the pitting worker can work on it. This cooling

stage may take about 5-7 days if left to cool down in a free convection atmosphere. Reduction of this

time is strongly desirable by the aluminum industry to reduce the cost per product in the alumina

reduction plant.

The overall goal of this research is to design a low cost cooling system for efficient cooling of a

shutdown failed cell. An approach of forced convection cooling from the sides and top of the cell is

being considered as the first approach to this cooling challenge. The proposed cooling system is based

on the absorption refrigeration cycle to be powered by renewable energy sources: solar energy or

recovered heat from the smelter’s reverberatory furnace. To implement this, a CFD model of the cell

is built to simulate this cooling process. The model is validated by onsite measurements from the free

convection cooling of the physical cell. Mechanical stress profiles of the cell during this cooling

process are simulated to understand the effect of the thermal history on the structural properties of the

pot-shell. These models are then used to investigate a cooling configuration of maximum efficiency

and minimum structural damages. As there is also a limitation of the cooling rate by the shell

material’s tendency to undergo microstructural distortion which cannot be captured by the simulation

tools available, this study also includes an investigation on the effect of cooling rates on the

microstructure and mechanical properties of this pot-shell material.


28

A Novel Design Approach for Emergency Demand Response

Fazil Abdul Rahiman, Hatem Zeineldin, V. Ravikumar Pandi Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

Demand Response (DR) is an important ingredient of the emerging smart grid paradigm and a key

element in market design to keep the potential supply market power in check. But exploring the

potential value of the DR in managing power system security constraints under unexpected

disturbances is equally important. Both efficiency and security determine the location, magnitude

and speed of the load reductions of a DR program. This project utilize an event-driven based

emergency DR scheme as a solution to the above need so as to prevent a power system from

experiencing voltage collapse. The project illustrate an improved technique to design/ tune this

proposed scheme and thereby provide key setting parameters such as the amount of demand

reductions at various locations. The validity of this technique has been verified by a standard IEEE

14 bus power system. The common design approaches were analyzed and its disadvantages were

investigated. The new approach clearly indicates a considerable improvement as shown in the

results summary.

Figure 1: The implementation of the Emergency DR Program

Figure 2: Summary of the results comparing various design techniques


29

Towards Accurate Electricity Price Forecasting using Artificial Neural Network

Bijay Neupane, Kasun S Perera, Zeyar Aung and Wei Lee Woon Computing & Information Science


Abstract

In a deregulated electricity market, forecasting electricity prices is essential to helping stakeholders

with the decision making process. Electricity price forecasting is inherently a difficult problem due

to its special characteristics of nonlinearity, dynamicity, and time variant behavior. Due to the

importance of forecasting accurate electricity prices, many researches have based on Artificial

Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, GARCH model, ARIMA model and many more.

None of the research so far is able to achieve the prediction with suffiecient accuracy with less than

5% MAPE value. In our research, we use a standard Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model on

carefully crafted input features for forecasting hourly electricity prices for the next 24 hours. The

input features are selected from a pool of features derived from information such as past electricity

price data, weather data, and calendar data. We use a wrapper method for feature selection, in

which the ANN model is continuously trained and updated in order to select the best feature set.

The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by using New York's, Australia's, and

Spain's electricity market data sets for the years 2004—2006. When comparing with the published

results of the state-of-the-art Pattern Sequence-based Forecasting (PSF) method on the same data

sets, our method is observed to provide superior results. We further validate our method's

performance on the more recent data sets for the years 2008--2012 for New York's and Australia's

electricity markets, and observe that even better results than those on the 2004--2006 data sets are

achieved.


30

Sustainable Healthy Living: Sociability and Sleep Quality in Healthy Adults

Maryam Butt1, Sai Moturu2, Nadav Aharony2, Rahman Oloritun1, Alex Pentland2, Inas Khayal1, 2 1Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi UAE 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA


Abstract

Data from the Waste Statistics 2010 report from the Statistics center in Abu Dhabi show that Several

studies have tried to understand the impact of sleep on both physical and psychological health

including social well-being. Previous studies attempting to understand the effect of social interactions

on sleep have relied on self-reported social information, which is prone to incomplete, inaccurate or

biased data. In this work, quantified face-to-face social interactions were captured using embedded

sensing technology and sleep quality was measured using an in-home sleep monitoring device. The

relationship between sleep quality and an individual’s sociability was explored since sleep quality has

been shown to be a better indicator of health and well-being than sleep quantity.

The study was conducted in a real-world setting and included 20 healthy subjects, 10 couples. All

subjects were provided with android smartphones with sensing software that allowed us to track face-

to-face interactions through Bluetooth proximity detections. Each participant was asked to use a sleep

monitoring device (Zeo Inc.) for 14 nights in order to capture their sleep data over time in a natural

setting. Subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire each day about their perceived sleep quality.

Wilcoxon Rank Sum test and Spearman Rank test were used to understand the relationship between

sleep quality and sociability in the context of reported and device measured sleep quality (ZQ score).

Mean sociability was significantly different after nights with high and low reported sleep quality

(p=0.038), where the mean sociability was higher when good sleep quality was reported for the

previous night. Mean sociability after nights with low ZQ scores and nights with high ZQ scores

showed no significant differences. Reported Sleep Quality was found to be significantly correlated

with normalized ZQ scores (p<0.0001). The correlation with actual ZQ score was lower (p=0.012)

than that with normalized ZQ score. Interestingly, this suggests that sociability is different for high

and low reported but not measured sleep quality, even though reported and measured sleep quality are

significantly correlated. This suggests that it may not be the device defined sleep quality, but our

perceived sleep quality that affects our following day’s sociability.

These interesting insights would not have been possible without the novel use of smartphones to

quantify face-to-face interactions of subjects. Moreover, the ability to capture sleep data in a real

world setting provides us with a more reliable way to study these relationships.


31

Waste Management pathways for Cross-linked Polyethylene via Remolding & Pyrolysis

Mohammed Al Shrah, Isam Janajreh Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Corresponding author: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Plastic waste is continually increasing annually in despite the enthusiastically embraced recycling by

the intellectual communities. Recycling and reusing at the source can reduce their negative

environmental impact.

As plastics is formed from the polymerization of methane, it draws a paramount amount of fossil fuel

and with energy content in solid form nearly equal to diesel fuel (43 MJ/kg). This work in one hand it

explores the reextruding and molding of cross-linked polyethylene waste-plastic and in the other it

explores the pyrolysis of the low density polyethylene waste (LDPE) which constitutes over 60% of

plastic wastes in MSW. It undertakes thermal analysis of the plastic using the Simultaneous Thermal

Analysis (STA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to infer their melting point and molding

conditions. It also undertakes the shredding, sieving, and infusion/mixing ratio of the cross-link

polyethylene waste with virgin polyethylene utilizing the thermo scientific mini extruder and the

HAAKE MiniJet II injected mold. Following the compounding and molding standard test samples,

mechanical compounded products are assessed by conducting uniaxial static test under well controlled

temperature environment. It was observed as the amount of waste infusion is increased the sample

ductility and strength is reduced. This work emphasize the potential usage of the XLPE cable waste as

a filler or even re-compounding it into cable due to smaller variation in mechanical and thermal

properties. Dynamic test resulted in XLPE being more vicious than LDPE with phase shift for XLPE

to be 11.72 compared to LDPE is 10.17o.

The second aspect of this work is focus on nitrogen pyrolysis of Silane Cross-linked Polyethylene

waste (Si-XLPE) carried out in a 2 liters batch autoclave reactor under different process conditions

targeting maximum yield of liquid fuel. The resulted liquid fuel consists mainly of alkanes and alkenes

with high calorific value which is potential energy sources and substitutes for petroleum-based

feedstock in the petrochemical industry.


32

Date fruit - dye sensitized Solar Cells

Muthiah A.* and Pehkonen S. Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE

*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Date fruits are the most widely available, locally grown crops in desert regions. During their

different stages of ripening they have different concentration levels of tannin in addition to a host

of other chemicals. These tannins are known to complex strongly with Ti+4 and have excellent

photochemical stability thereby substantially reducing degradation on exposure to sunlight. This

work seeks to extract a natural organic dye from date fruit, to analyze its composition and

determine its efficiency in dye solar cells (DSC).

The date fruit used was from the Phoenix dactylifera L. specie and more specifically of the Lulu

variety in the late Khalal - early Rutab stage of ripening. This stage was chosen as it contains a

substantial amount of water-soluble tannins thereby giving a significant concentration of the dye.

The tannin along with other organic compounds was extracted using acetone. Then, a basic DSC of

0.36 cm2 was fabricated with the following components; liquid electrolyte – Iodolyte (Solaronix),

dye – extract from date fruit, commercially available sealant and transparent conducting oxide

(TCO) coated glass plates (Solaronix). The cell was compared to the high efficiency N719 dye

under similar conditions.

The Autolab PGSTAT 128N instrument was then utilized to conduct impedance spectroscopy

analysis of the cell over a frequency range of 0.1Hz to 100kHz with a signal amplitude of 10 mV

under varying intensities of light. The DSC sensitized

with dye obtained date fruit gave a significant open

circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.543V compared to the

0.712V of the DSC sensitized with N719 dye. It also

gave a high fill factor of 83.9%. However, the short

circuit current is low but measures are currently being

taken to improve this and thereby increase the overall

efficiency.

Figure 1: Dye solar cells with light mask: Left – N719 dye, Right – Dye extract from Date fruit


33

Evaluation of Aquatic Biomass Native to the UAE for Bioenergy and Biochemical productions

R. Hussain1, I. Cybulska1, M. Thomsen1* 1Chemical Engineering Program

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE *Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

From the beginning of the civilization till present time mankind has always been seeking for sources

of energy to fulfill daily life requirements. Fossil fuel has been the main source of energy for many

countries and regions around the world. Even though alternative sources exist, yet they have not been

proved to compete with fossil fuel efficiency and applicability. However, the champ is not always the

best as the fossil fuel has been blamed for its contribution to climate change and global warming as

well as scarcity in the future. As per IPCC report of 2005, 80% of the global utilization of energy

comes from fossil fuel. Biofuels from aquatic biomass is a promising source of sustainable energy.

Algae and seagrass are considered to be some of the most rapid growing sources of biomass compared

to the terrestrial plants by up to 10 times and their natural habitat make them ideal biomass for biofuel

production as they do not compete with land-based crops in terms of land use and food production.

With more than 2000 km of coast line UAE is home to a large number of marine habitats and with

extreme hot weather dominating in the summer and relatively low temperatures in the winter, the

living organisms in the UAE are adapted to the harshest of the environments.

Two different types of aquatic biomass (macroalgae and seagrass) were isolated from Abu Dhabi’s

costal area. Macroalgae was subjected to the full compositional analysis, which revealed that it

contains 46% glucan and 2% of arabinan in the extractives-free biomass. The water and ethanol

soluble extractives removal was performed using the Soxhlet apparatus and 66% of the original dry

biomass weight was removed during the process. The biomass was found to contain 48% of ash and

no lignin. Due to very high glucan content, macroalgae could be an interesting substrate for bioethanol

production through enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation, giving an opportunity for the aquatic

biomass to become the main feedstock for bioenergy generation in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.


34

Sustainable Healthy Living: Social Interactions via embedded sensing techniques and lifestyles choices as early warning markers for Obesity

Rahman O. Oloritun 1, Taha B.M.J. Ouarda1,2, Sai Moturu.2, Anmol Madan.2, Alex Pentland 2, Inas Khayal1,2

1Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA


Abstract

Studies have suggested that obesity is affected by social ties. However these studies used survey based

data collection techniques that maybe biased toward select only close friends and relatives. The studies

depended on self-reported data collected over prolonged periods of time, and may be subject to

inaccuracies. Gathering data on human interactions utilizing routine or generally accepted techniques,

such as surveys, interviews, is constrained in spatial and time scales by technical difficulties and cost.

Lately, digital traces of human actions are becoming available and are enabling modeling and analysis

of massive amounts of data on human behavior. Monitoring human behavior, choices and outcomes in

an assortment of settings has become feasible at different spatial and time scales. Behavior of humans

such as mobility of individuals can be automatically captured using ubiquitous sensor devices, such as

cell phones. These devices have also made it feasible to study patterns of mobility .

In this study, we used mobile phone sensing techniques to routinely capture social interaction data in

an undergraduate dorm. By automating the capture of social interaction data, we avoided the

limitations of self-reported social exposure data.

This study attempts to understand and develop a model that best describes the change in BMI using

social interaction data captured automatically from mobile phones and survey based health-related

information including stress. Using interaction data from a cohort of 42 college students in a co-

located university dorm, a model, constructed using LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and

Selection), explains change in BMI using social interaction data from mobile phones and survey based

health-related information including stress was developed. The model developed, explains over 60%

of the variation in change in BMI was developed. The model combined social interaction data,

especially from acquaintances, and personal health-related information to explain the change in BMI.

This is the first study taking into account both interactions with different levels of social interaction

and personal health-related information. Social interactions accounted for more than half the variation

in change in BMI. This suggests the importance of not only individual health information but also the

significance of social interactions with all people to whom we are exposed.


35

Methodology for the Technical Feasibility Assessment of Electric Vehicle (EV) Penetration in Abu Dhabi

Reem Al Junaibi


Abstract

EVs have potential to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation in the future; however its adoption

has technical barriers which must be put into consideration. The adoption of EVs requires a great deal

of integration between transportation, power, as well as communication systems. Full functionality is

delivered by multiple entities whose coordination is not typical but required. EV transportation differs

from conventional vehicles as it will impact transportation behavior, requires advanced energy and

traffic management, and needs support by the distribution system. Each of the above-mentioned

barriers has its challenge and therefore will have its own assessment. This project will focus on the

technical feasibility of EVs from following points of view: 1) Transportation behavior, 2) Intelligent

Transportation Systems, 3) and Distribution system. A new methodology of assessment is introduced

that will assess the potential of EV adoption and demonstrate the limitations to the aforementioned

systems. This method of assessment will integrate the three systems in a systems engineering

approach.


36

Wind Energy: Low to high fidelity simulation and Masdar Case Study Implementation

Su Liu, Isam Janajreh* Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

Wind energy is undergoing unmatched growth amongst renewable energy portfolios with over 25%

annual increase in deployment. Since the regional wind pattern has tremendous influence on wind

project development, characterizing the wind at a given site becomes an indispensable step. BEM

based engineering models are still dominating among wind turbine R&D community due to their low

computational requirement and high accuracy. Furthermore, advanced development in computation

power, computational algorithms and memory storage render the migration into high fidelity CFD

wind turbine simulation.

In this work we first, characterize the wind in Masdar City. Both low and high resolution wind data

were collected. Intermittency was identified by initially utilizing FFT then by wavelet analysis to

remedy the shortcomings of FFT by preserving the time-scale information. Then the analysis focused

on the wind power assessment starting by fitting the wind data with Weibull distribution. Two wind

turbines were considered to explore their power generation under the measured Masdar City low

density wind pattern.

Second we develop a BEM based MATLAB code as a low fidelity tool to assess wind turbine

performance. The code was first validated against the NREL phase VI experimental data before

applying it to the 3.5KW Windspot. The power generations under different operational conditions

were obtained and several key parameters, i.e. TSR, Twist angle, and Pitch angle, were genuinely

studied and discussed. Results suggested that designing wind turbine blades with proper twist angle,

operating wind turbine under proper TSR and Pitch angle can lead to a substantial increase in power

generation.

Finally, high fidelity CFD simulation was explored to provide better insight for the flow over the

3.5KW Windspot. The flow domain was discretized using ICEM CFD and the model was comprised

of 4.5 million hexahedral elements. The blade was wrapped with high resolution O-grid mesh to

achieve reasonable y+ value. The model features SRF formulation and RANS based SST k-ω

turbulence model. The results showed good agreement with experimental data and the extended

running cases suggest 3.5KW Windspot has the higher power coefficient at TSR between 4.0 and 6.0.


37

Waste to Energy: Thermochemical Pathways of MSW to syngas

Raza Syed Shabbar, M’d AlShrah, Isam Janajreh* Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

In this work, the magnitude of MSW and landfill problem will be reviewed. The thermochemical

pathway as a solution to different waste streams (Plastic, tire, Biomass, MSW) into an added value

energy source of syngas (CO, H2) through gasification will be presented. In particular, I will show

results on the traditional STA curve (proximate analysis) for few feedstocks that fraction the

feedstock into moisture, volatile, fixed carbon and ash contents. This will be complemented with

ultimate material characterization using the elemental Flash CHNOS analyzer followed by deduction

of a given feedstock unit molecular formula. A pedagogical Analysis of several feedstocks suitability

as a source of energy that cover the whole range of the O/C vs H/C curve (known as Van Krevelen

diagram) will be conducted. Literature based correlation of the chemical stored energy compared to

those conducted experimentally by the Bomb Calorimeter will given. Starting from the inferred

chemical composition a deduction of chemical pathways to predict the reaction species is sought

under different moderator conditions (i.e. H2O and CO2) and using Gibbs free energy minimization

approach. A comparative results on gasification metrics and yield subjected to the parametrical

interplay oxidizer/moderator/temperature for different feedstock will be presented. The condition of

the high fidelity CFD following eddy dissipation/Finite rate Arrhenius species transport modeling will

be presented. Comparison of the species distribution of the high fidelity model to the equilibrium

(Gibbs Free Energy) results for baseline feedstock (i.e. Coal, wood ) is presented. This work show a

progression pathways to assess a given waste feedstock, chose optimal conversion conditions (i.e.,

oxidizer moderator) for optimal metrics, and use the results in the development of new generation

gasifiers.


38

Second generation bioenergy production from Salicornia bigelovii – a halophyte that shows great promise as an energy crop in UAE

T. Chaturvedi 1, I. Cybulska 1, R. M. Baldwin 1, M.H. Thomsen *1

1Chemical Engineering Program Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE


Abstract

ISEAS (Integrated Seawater Energy Agricultural System) is a novel environmentally-friendly sea

water plantation that integrates aquaculture for production of food with agriculture for production

of biomass. The concept offers an opportunity for growing biomass in arid regions that can be the

source of commercially accessible and sustainable biofuels. Terrestrial halophites such as

Salicornia bigelovii have the potential to produce biofuels precursors such as sugars from the

biomass and oils from the seeds, however the high salinity of the plant challenges the existing

methods for production of biofuels.

Under contract to Masdar Institute, S.bigelovii is being grown by the International Center for

Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) at controlled conditions such as soil salinity and application of

fertilizers. Researchers at Masdar Instite are studying pretreatment methods to extract

hemicellulose sugars and mineral salts from the lignocellulosic fraction of this halophyte. Catalytic

systems will also be explored keeping in mind the high salinity of this plant. The resulting fraction

of the biomass will be a fermentable hydrolyzate and a salt free (or reduced salt) lignin/cellulose

fraction. The liquid hydrolyzate can be used as substrate for a variety of industrial fermentation

products (e.g. bioethanol and biogas). The lignin/cellulose fraction can be used either as solid fuel

in pyrolysis or combustion processes or added to the microbial process as a carbohydrate source.

Laboratory experiments at Masdar Institute on removing the salt from the plant has led to some

interesting findings. The liquid fraction obtained after pretreatment contains 2.6 times more ash

than the solid fraction. Preliminary extractives analysis demonstrates that most of the salt can be

removed by controlling two factors; firstly time of the intial washing and secondly, salinity of the

water being used. The effect of temperature has also been studied during these experiments.By

repetitive washing (in Soxhlet apparatus), the ash in the solid fraction is reduced to 6% as

compared to the feed which ranges between 16- 37 %. Results achieved using strong acid

hydrolysis and high performance liquid chromatography analysis confirm 22% glucan, 18% xylan,

16% arabinan, and 13% lignin in the extractives-free biomass. These numbers indicate that

S.bigelovii could be a very suitable feedstock for bioenergy processes such as gasification, BIO-

SPK, or bio-energy fermentation.


39

Impact of Ballast Water Microorganisms in UAE Waters and Study of Inactivation Techniques

Talal Alhajeri Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract

Around 80% of global trade is through shipping and an estimate of 3.7 billion tons of ballast water is

transported around the globe by ships to balance their weight for adequate navigation. As a

consequence, ballast water transfers thousands of different organisms between geographically distant

areas, bringing alien species to coastal waters around harbors. Coastal waters are home to indigenous

microorganisms adapted to the very specific local ecosystems. The introduction of non-indigenous

alien species from far away environments with the ballast water can severely alter the local

environment affecting human and environmental health as well as aquatic biodiversity.

To date, little work has been done to characterize the effect that invasive microorganisms from ballast

water might have on the Arabian Gulf aquatic biodiversity. Despite the fact that the Arabian Gulf

coasts, which are shared by several countries, are one of the most active world trade areas, there is a

lack of regulation regarding ballast water pollution measures and impacts in marine biodiversity.

The proposed work seeks to identify the impact of ballast waters on the Arabian Gulf aquatic

microbial biodiversity and to develop diagnostic tests that can be utilized to monitor the microbial

health of the coastal waters in the United Arab Emirates. In parallel the effectiveness of approved

techniques to treat ballast water will be assessed as well as the developing of novel techniques adapted

for the specific requirements for discharge into the Arabian Gulf. The knowledge gained through the

project will directly inform policies for the UAE and the Gulf regarding ballast water discharge.


40

Supporting integrated water resource management: a perspective from the Future Cities Laboratory

Derek Vollmer Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETHZ), Switzerland

ETHZ - Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The Future Cities Laboratory is a transdisciplinary research centre focused on how cities can be

designed, managed, and maintained to support the aims of global sustainability. Cities are viewed

as complex systems comprising stocks and flows of resources, including energy, water, people and

information. Research is then structured around three spatial scales: the metropolitan region, the

urban district, and the building scale. Researchers supplement a rigorous academic foundation with

workshop-oriented Design Research Studios and practice-oriented case studies of specific locales.

One interdisciplinary research module focuses exclusively on water and sustainability in the

context of a river catchment that bisects Jakarta, Indonesia. Combining backgrounds in landscape

architecture, environmental planning, engineering and eco-hydraulics, this team aims to

demonstrate that a change of paradigm in river rehabilitation is possible. Detailed mathematical

models will provide insight into how future changes in the river and adjacent lands may affect the

quantity and quality dynamics of the water. Advanced 3-D terrain modeling and landscape

visualization will also provide a unique platform to generate, test and analyze possible topographic

and hydrographic changes to the river corridor. Fieldwork at urban, sub-urban, and rural sites will

lead to a more sophisticated understanding of human-environment interactions along the river. To

define a coherent long-term vision, these work streams are integrated through iterative scenarios,

where the mathematical models are used to provide initial outputs that can help set “boundaries”

for planning and design. Feedback from stakeholders (including residents, community

organizations and resource managers) helps to refine the range of possible designs and prompt a

second iteration with the models.


41

Prediction of power output in a large wind farm

Emeline Platel, Yu-Ting Wu, Fernando Porté-Agel

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In this study, an industry-standard wind-farm model and an advanced computational fluid dynamics

(CFD) model were used to predict power outputs at Horns Rev offshore wind farm. A number of cases

including different wind directions and different wind sectors were investigated. In general, the power

output results obtained using the CFD model are in good agreement with the observed data from the

farm, while the results from the simpler wind-farm model tend to underestimate. Besides, the CFD

model is able to account for fundamental characteristics of the multiple turbine wakes (such as

velocity deficit and enhanced turbulence intensity) inside the farm.

.


42

Waste strategy analysis and water conservation in a neighborhood of

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

G. Virard Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland


Abstract

This project is about sanitation issues in the context of informal, poor and very densely populated

areas in developing countries such as Port-au-Prince (Haïti). It focuses on fecal sludge management

and opportunities for municipal waste recycling in the framework of a reconstruction program on the

district scale. This study has been realized at the “development” level of an international office

specialized in the execution of development projects. It shows the overall process from the assessment

of an initial idea from the top management to the development of a suitable proposition. The initial

idea was to set up a local sewer system in order to evacuate the excreta out of the area and sanitize the

district. However, this solution revealed several weaknesses, especially related to water supply issues

in a context of water scarcity in the neighborhood. Eventually, after a global analysis on the district

including social, economic and technical aspects, alternative solutions have been proposed with the

aim of enhancing the living standards of the local population in a sustainable way.


43

Characterization of wind turbine wakes with multiple-LiDARs under different conditions of the atmospheric boundary layer

G.V. Iungo and F. Porté-Agel Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (WIRE)

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland Corresponding author: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Field measurements of the wake flow produced from the interaction between the atmospheric

boundary layer and a 2 MW Enercon E-70 wind turbine were performed with three scanning Doppler

wind LiDARs. The wind and atmospheric conditions were characterized through a sonic anemometer

deployed in proximity of the wind turbine. One LiDAR was placed in a location, at a distance about 12

rotor diameters (d) upstream of the turbine, in order to set the direction LiDAR-wind turbine aligned

with the mean wind direction. This LiDAR measured at a fixed direction with the maximum sampling

frequency in order to produce vertical profiles of the incoming mean wind velocity and of turbulence.

Other two LiDARs were deployed 12 d upstream and downstream of the wind turbine, respectively,

and were generally aligned with the mean wind direction. These two LiDARs performed simultaneous

measurements with different techniques in order to characterize wake flow of the turbine for the

different conditions on the incoming wind. Wake measurements, denoted as RHI scans, were

performed over vertical planes crossing the wake and generally aligned with the mean wind direction.

However, it was difficult to characterize the wake evolution and recovery through this measuring

technique, because the measurements are rarely performed exactly over the vertical symmetry plane of

the wake due to the non-stationary wind direction and the consequent adjustment of the turbine yaw

angle. Therefore, tests were also performed over conical surfaces, i.e. the so-called PPI scans, in order

to characterize the wind velocity over the spanwise direction, at hub height and different downstream

locations. Furthermore, consecutive PPI scans were performed with different elevation angles in order

to retrieve a 3D reconstruction of the wake flow field. The measurements show that the wake

evolution is significantly affected by the turbulence intensity of the incoming wind and the different

stability conditions of the atmospheric boundary layer. In particular, a faster wake recovery is

observed in presence of an increased turbulence of the incoming wind and for more convective

atmospheric flows.

continued on the next page…


44

LiDAR measurements Map of the mean axial velocity obtained as average of 2D snapshots

performed with a single LiDAR.


45

Wind turbine wakes and wind farm performance: a wind tunnel study

G.V. Iungo and F. Porté-Agel Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy Laboratory (WIRE)

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland Corresponding author: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

In this study wind tunnel tests of wind turbine wakes were carried out through hot-wire anemometry

and multi-hole pressure probes in order to analyse the development of wind turbine wakes. Tests were

performed on three-bladed downscaled wind turbine models immersed in uniform flow with different

turbulence levels. Moreover, tests were also performed with wind turbines immersed in boundary

layers characterized by different turbulence profiles and surface aerodynamic roughness. Wind turbine

wake is characterized by a strong velocity defect in the proximity of the rotor and its magnitude and

cross-dimension are strictly dependent on wind turbine performance. The distance of recovery of the

wakes and diffusion of turbulence are found to be strongly affected by turbulence level of the

incoming flow. A higher turbulence level is typically detected downstream of each wind turbine for

heights comparable to the top-tip of the blades, which can produce increased fatigue loads on the

following wind turbines within a wind farm. The effect of the wind farm layout on power production

is also investigated by testing aligned and staggered wind farms with varying streamwise and spanwise

separation distances. These measurements are also being used to test and guide the development of

improved parameterizations of wind turbines in high-resolution numerical models, such as large-eddy

simulations (LES).

Mean axial velocity

Standard deviation of the axial velocity


46

Performance assessment of pressurized fluid-distribution networks

G. Moser, J.-A. Goulet, I. F. C. Smith Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland


Abstract

Pressurized fluid-distribution networks are strategic elements of infrastructure. In the case of fresh-

water distribution networks, advanced sensor-based diagnostic methodologies have the potential to

provide better support for managing such systems than current practice. Since a significant percentage

(up to 40%) of fresh water is lost globally due to leaks in these networks, the challenge to improve

performance is fully compatible with goals of sustainable development.

The scope of this research includes the diagnosis of water-distribution networks and more generally,

pressurized fluid-distribution networks through development of model-based data-interpretation

methods to assess performance. The principle of model falsification is combined with network

reduction techniques to obtain reliable and computationally efficient diagnoses. This method includes

three steps that are illustrated in Figure 1. The first step is the reduction of the network into an

equivalent configuration. The second step is the comparison of measurements with predicted values

obtained from hundreds of leak scenarios. Finally, the third step involves falsification of unlikely

scenarios. Preliminary results show that this falsification methodology has potential to improve

management of water distribution networks. Nevertheless the methodology requires further

development for practical use. Another objective is to develop strategies for measurement-system

design. For example, sensor-placement methodologies will be developed so that efforts to instrument

networks will produce the best possible results. New methodologies are tested on full-scale water

networks, such as the city of Lausanne (Switzerland) and other case studies are sought.


47

Designing in the desert. A bioclimatic approach at the urban scale.

S. Coccolo, J. Kaempf, J.L. Scartezzini, R. Bedrone* EPFL, Politecnico di Torino*

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The increase of the world’s population leads to an urgent need of radical measures to diminish the

energy footprint of humanity. The building sector deserves special attention being one of the major

energy consumers, especially when considering space conditioning in extreme climates.

In the case of subtropical-arid regions, optimizing the performance of air-conditioned shelters may

lead to a drastic reduction in the electrical consumption. With the help of energy modeling tools at the

concept stage, one of the primary objectives for a new architectural and urban project is to improve the

environmental sustainability.

This study considers the realization of an optimal Masterplan in energy terms for the new EPFL

Research Centre in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The work was developed reuniting two aspects: the

archetype of Arab architecture and the bioclimatic analysis. The study of the Arab architecture, from

urban scale to the building level, defines the architectural archetype, as form and materials, history and

human relationship. It was revisited from the bioclimatic point of view, adding a solid scientific base

to the observations.

A hypothetical Masterplan conceptually connected with the Arab Medina, as architectonic symbol of

the Arab architecture and as bioclimatic model, was defined. Several analyses with CitySim, an Urban

Energy Modelling tool, were made to optimize the urban form. The courtyard house was defined as

the best bioclimatic building. The best building orientation and glazing ratios were defined to

guarantee passive solar gains during the winter months, and to reduce overheating risks during the

very hot summer months. The hypothetical Masterplan respects the Minergie standards for

tropical climates; furthermore it ensures a good energy performance of the campus using

renewable energy sources to guarantee a limited carbon footprint.

Figure 1 Render of the Masterplan


48

Simultaneous multiple-LiDAR measurements of Wind Turbine wakes

H. Ziade, F. Porté-Agel, G.V. Iungo Wind Engineering and Renewable Energy laboratory


Abstract

The setting and positioning of turbines in the wind farms has shown an extreme influence on the

efficiency of power generation of each turbine. The wind turbine wake, generated right after the

turbine blades, propagates and the velocity decrease causing the reduction of efficiency of other

turbines. Investigation and monitoring of the wake flow generated from real wind turbine will

optimize the energy production from the wind turbines and wind farms with respect to turbines

positioning and performance.

the project comprise several objectives; the development of the measuring system required to

investigate on the wake flow generated from real wind turbine using two and three LiDARs to

measure wind velocity in 2-D and 3-D where particular attention is paid on the setup and

positioning of the instruments that allow us to measure the wind velocity distribution in the

atmospheric boundary layer. Then, Comparison between Data retrieved from the sonic anemometer

device installed in the same field and the Results of the LiDAR device. An important outcome of

this project is to validate the results of computational fluid dynamics and wind tunnel experiments

Figure 1 : Map of the mean axial velocity obtained as average of 2D snapshots performed with a single LiDAR over a sampling period of 15 minutes


49

Numerical and experimental investigation of wind farm performance

Chang-Hung Chen, Grzegorz Koblanski École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

Corresponding authors: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

To optimize the design of the wind farm, it is crucial to predict the performance by both the numerical

and experimental methods. In this project, the numerical simulation of a periodic wind farm by Large-

eddy simulation (LES) using ANSYS Fluent is presented. From the simulation, many information as

mean wind speed distribution, turbulent intensity and effective roughness can be obtained.

Additionally to the outcome from numerical simulations, series of results from wind tunnel

measurements is presented. Measurements are focused on investigating wind velocity defect and wake

analysis behind the wind turbine together with study of power drop as a function of concentration in

large wind farms.

These works can be used to maximize energy production of the wind turbines and to minimize fatigue

loads in wind farms. Both numerical and experimental investigations provide valuable information for

the wind farm design.

Figure 1 : Contour of the mean wind distribution of the periodic wind farm in the middle vertical plane perpendicular to the turbines.

Figure 2: Streamwise velocity defect along spanwise direction as a function of rotor diameter


50

Energy Policy Making in the Middle East and North Africa Using A Technology-Driven Energy Planning Approach.

Ralf M. Dyllick-Brenzinger, Prof. Hans Björn Püttgen (supervisor) Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Energy Center


Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region comprises the world’s largest hydrocarbon-

resource (i.e., oil and gas) holders. In many MENA regions, the export of oil and gas constitutes a

large proportion of national GDP and is the key pillar of national wealth. In light of decelerating

hydrocarbon production expansion going forward and dramatically surging domestic/regional

energy consumption in the past and the foreseeable future, per capita energy exports from MENA

countries are likely to dwindle and their wealth is consequently at serious risk.

Complacency and a business as usual strategy will continuously drive down domestic wealth. The

preservation of domestic energy resources is instrumental for the retention or even the increase of

local wealth levels. MENA countries must make energy-related policy decisions that reduce local

energy intensities (i.e., energy efficiency) and exploit the regionally available abundant renewable

energy resources. Today’s oil wealth can be used to finance this transition, but these decisions need

to be made sooner rather than later.

This thesis aims at creating an energy planning framework for energy policy analysis in the MENA

region. The framework’s contribution is its design particularly geared to MENA’s distinct social,

economic, and technical characteristics. Being particularly interested in the analysis of the

technological potential, of in particular energy efficiency and renewable energy systems, the

energy planning framework will follow a bottom-up approach. The framework is meant to be a

helpful tool in the hands of MENA based energy policy analysts and modelers in order to analyze

technology-oriented policy options and design efficient policy measures.

Today, energy policy analysis and planning is increasingly practiced in MENA, but regionally in a

rather nascent stage. In order to support the increasing use of integrated energy planning---as well

as to validate the framework---the energy planning framework will be applied to the UAE in a

country case study.


51

Towards Smart Cities

C. Stoenescu, M. Kayal

Electronics Laboratory (ELAB) École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland


Abstract

“Towards Smart Cities” is a project designed by the Electronics Laboratory of the EPFL

(École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and envisions the campus functioning as a micro-grid

integrated in the regional Smart Grid. As a micro-grid, the campus can interact with the network both

as a consumer and as a generator and, at the same time, manage its internal energy consumption. Apart

from functioning in a decentralized way, the micro-grid has the mission of integrating electricity

generated from own renewable sources and managing these resources in a “smart” manner.

The project is structured in sub-projects, each tackling one of the technical or economic

challenges of the implementation of this vision, as well as the interconnections between them. The

master students enrolled in the Energy Management and Sustainability Program approach specific

technical issues in their semester projects, which are then integrated in the more complex doctoral

research of the participating PhD students. Turning successful research into real products is one of

“Towards Smart Cities’” priorities. Projects such as eSmart have already emerged from it as

successful fast-growing start-ups.

Figure 1 : Lausanne seen as a Smart City including the EPFL Micro-grid (modified from http://www.urenio.org/2012/05/17/transition-to-smart-cities/ )


52

Design of a new generation climate adaptive moucharabieh with improved performance and flexibility

Ayda Shafeiminabad, Negin Sohrabkhani, Pranav Patel, Soyumer Gorkem, Yun Feng Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland

Corresponding authors: [email protected]

Abstract

Despite of remarkable progress in green buildings, lighting and cooling of buildings still contribute

enormously to the final energy consumption of Middle Eastern countries. Climate adaptive façade

is one of the solutions to this problem. Moucharabieh is the traditional façade system existing in

Middle Eastern countries. It provides shading and cool air to the occupants while failing to answer

the daylighting problem. A moucharabieh capable of adapting to the environmental conditions is

proposed to exploit daylight as well as provide shading and optimal airflow.

Under the scope of the study, firstly the design of moucharabieh has been reconsidered from

traditional architectural point of view so that it gains flexibility of adapting to the environmental

conditions without the compromise from high aesthetical value. The design of moucharabieh has

been retrofitted to enhance the comfort level and outside view. With the help of probe

measurements and simulations, the optimal quantity and spectrum of daylight have been analyzed.

Based on this, the aspect ratio, opening ratio and number of layers of moucharabieh have been

studied to optimize the day lighting and airflow. Secondly, a solar actuator controlling the

movement of the moucharabieh has been developed. The helio-cybernetic actuator collects solar

radiation and utilizes it to provide a useful mechanical output for the movement of façade. A proof

of concept reveals that solar power can be collected so as to generate a movement of 80 mm with a

20 N force.


53

bbb

Figure 1: Screenshot from EPFL Electricity Consumption Optimization Tool (Users Interface)

EPFL Electricity Consumption Optimization Tool

C. Stoenescu, T. Kyriakidis

Electronics Laboratory (ELAB) École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland


Abstract

The demand side management plays a key role in the smart grid vision, potentially resulting both in

significant cost reductions and congestion avoidance. In a smart grid scenario, the consumer takes up

an active role in the management of its own usage, thus turning into a so called prosumer. With the

incentive of lowering his or her own individual expenses, the prosumer can modulate its electricity

consumption according to the fluctuations of the market price, avoidance which, in a larger framework

can result into social welfare, by the incremental aligning of the demand curve to the cheapest possible

generation curve.

In the frame of this project, a “Building Energy Management” tool has been designed and applied to

one of the laboratory rooms. The algorithm behind the tool envisions each consuming device as an

agent willing to maximize its utility (use of electricity at the times when it is most relevant for its

functioning), while minimizing the resulting costs. By employing its demand flexibility and device

specific storage capabilities, the agent will decide on its optimal daily consumption behavior.

According to the simulations, the tool can result in a 22% reduction in the electricity related costs of

the laboratory room and consequently of the EPFL campus.


54

The power system load flow analysis using an ultra high-speed mixed signal emulator

Fengtian Zhu 1, Guillaume Lanz

Electronics Laboratory (ELAB) École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland


Abstract

With increasingly integration of renewable generations in nowadays power networks, it becomes a

crucial problem to find an effective and fast method to simulate and predict the power flow in such a

system. Traditional ways of simulating power system using software are limited by time-consuming

matrix operations. The load flow implementation presented in this work uses a dedicated analog

hardware to speed up these matrix operations.

Load flow analysis computes the steady state of power systems. Based on the voltage angle and

magnitude analysis of each node and bus of a given load-generator real power condition, the data of

power (including active power and reactive power) and current angle and magnitude is available by

analytical calculations. A five node topology was considered to test the load flow calculation

developed in this project. Depending on the active and reactive power values selected by the user.

Figure 1 : The general idea the project with the power network emulator


55

Microgrids Market Opportunities

Cecilia Andrade Aramayo, Maher Kayal École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland


Abstract

The energy crisis has led energy stakeholders around the world to look for solutions based on the

improvement of the current power system moving towards to the electricity vision of smart grids,

which expects to bring important benefits such as energy efficiency, power security supply, increase

the share of renewable energy sources and tackle climate change. In the intend of integrate DG to the

actual systems, approaches like Microgrids and Virtual Power Plants emerged as smart systems that

behave as small scale smart grid generating, distributing, and regulating the flow of electricity to

consumers with active participation at local level.

The present work aims to contribute in the description of the main features related to technology,

market opportunities and a general overview of market regulatory aspects of microgrids. In addition

this report place the up to now isolated projects of the MES master of EPFL within the smart grid

concept. Different components of this emerging concept were described, such as small wind turbines,

solar PV, small CHP among others. SWOT analysis pointed out a potential that can be still maximized

by disrupting the three main barriers of technology, market and regulation. Ancillary services and

balancing markets were identified as the most promising for certain distributed generation

technologies. Microgrid has a big potential to be part of the transition to the future power systems.

Strength institutions and technology is essential to meet solutions for the present and future energy

challenge.


56

Improvement of a power-system mixed-signal emulator by means of dedicated integrated circuits.

D. Sallin*, L. Fabre*, G. Lanz*, I. Nagel*, R. Cherkaoui†, M. Kayal* Electronics Laboratory* & Power Systems Group†,


Abstract

A mixed-signal power-system emulator has been developed in the electronics lab of the EPFL. This

emulator has been realized using commercial integrated circuits. Therefore, to emulate 96 nodes,

electronics implementation needs 1600 integrated commercial circuits on 4 different PCBs, leading

to a fairly large and complex design. The overall speed of the system is limited by the frequency of

the Digital-to-Analog (DA) conversions (2.5 MSPS). Long analog signal paths imply large

parasitic such as RC delays and coupling capacitances, distorting the signal and impairing the

signal to noise ratio (SNR).

In order to overcome those limitations, a new on-chip implementation of the emulator has been

developed (Fig.1) and is currently under test. Each integrated circuit features a dedicated AD/DA

converter and 6 nodes with their interconnections. Hence, only 16 integrated circuits are needed to

build a 96 nodes emulator. This new dedicated microelectronic implementation reduces the cost of

the system by 75% and decreases its size by one order of magnitude. The novel AD/DA converter

approach (Fig.2) increases the overall speed of the system (5 MSPS) and lifts the speed bottleneck.

Flexibility of the system is also improved, thanks to a denser node connection scheme. Finally, an

inherent advantage of the microelectronics implementation is the matching of the components and

fewer parasitic capacitances, which contribute to a better accuracy for the emulator.

Figure 2: Novel Approach for the Analog-Digital and Digital-Analog Conversion

Figure 1: Microelectronic implementation of the mixed signal emulator


57

An Ultra High-Speed, Mixed-Signal Emulator for Solving Power System Dynamic Equations

G. Lanz*, L. Fabre*, D. Sallin*, Th. Kyriakidis*, R. Cherkaoui‡, M. Kayal* Electronics Laboratory* & Power Systems Group‡,


Abstract

Transient stability analysis is used to predict the behavior of a power network subjected to a

perturbation such as a branch short-circuits to ground. This study is concerned with the ability of

the system to remain in synchronism after a disturbance occurs. Purely digital transient stability

analysis tools preclude on-line analysis, due to their time-consuming way of solving such a

problem.

This work describes a mixed-signal emulator that allows addressing this problem at a speed of

1000 times faster than real-time. This would allow for real-time on-line control and security

analysis, operational planning, optimization of the power network. Moreover, time-consuming

operations such as critical clearing time analysis (CCT) or contingency filtering can be done in a

very competitive way in comparison to conventional purely numerical tools.

General concept of the mixed-signal emulator is presented, focused on the implementation and

operations flow that need to be done in order to analyze the stability of a power network topology.

Examples of time consuming operations such as CCT and contingency filtering are provided.

Comparison in terms of speed with respect to an existing purely digital simulator will also be

covered.

This work covers the abstraction layer seen by the optimization tool described in the poster named

”A mixed-signal platform Dynamic Stability Assessment framework”, which provides additional

information on the software encapsulating the mixed-signal emulator.


58

A mixed-platform Dynamic Stability Assessment framework

Th. Kyriakidis*, G. Lanz*, D. Sallin*, I. Lillis†, L. Fabre*, R. Cherkaoui‡, M. Kayal* Electronics Laboratory (ELAB)* & Power Systems Group‡,

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland Dept. of Electrical Engineering†, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki


Abstract

Dynamic Stability of a power system refers to its ability to retain a state of operating equilibrium after

being subjected to a given set of disturbances. DSA refers to the series of tools used by power system

engineers that are capable of characterizing the dynamic stability of a system. Time domain (TD)

simulation is critical for DSA analysis. From a mathematical point of view, TD simulation involves

the solution of a set of complex non-linear differential-algebraic equations (DAE). This is usually

done by specific algorithms known as TD engines. This work describes a mixed-platform framework

dedicated to the Dynamic Stability Assessment (DSA) of power systems. Operations are shared

between a software platform (PC) and dedicated hardware. The computationally burdensome

operation of TD simulation is handled by an application specific mixed-signal electronics

implementation. User interfacing, configuration, result post-processing and other auxiliary operations

are realized in software. In this hybrid way, flexibility of the software is combined with high-

performance of dedicated hardware. System architecture is presented, focused on the software that

encapsulates the hardware engine. Results regarding a multi-contingency analysis and a critical

clearing time (CCT) determination analysis for sample test cases are presented.

Figure 1: Mixed-platform architecture


59

eSMART : an EPFL spin-off company

One click to pilot your home. One glance to get your energy consumption.

L. Fabre*, F. Lo Conte*, M. Kayal† eSMART technologies sàrl* Electronics Laboratory (ELAB)†,

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Corresponding authors: [email protected]; [email protected]

Abstract

Imagine a system made of modules the size of 3 cubes of sugar that are installed directly behind the

plug outlets in your home. Connected to a touch screen and your smart phone, it gives you the power

to understand, control and reduce your energy consumption.

Simple, Fun and Accessible

- Each module is miniaturized to the size of three cubes of sugar (fitting easily behind plug outlets.)

- No rewiring is necessary because it all happens behind the plug outlets (no walls need to be broken and rebuilt.)

- Each plug is intelligent (if one breaks, the rest of the system still works.)

- Everything is embedded in the system and more (as technology evolves, new functions can be uploaded without having to install new plugs.)

- The plugs communicate with one another through the electrical grid (no additional electromagnetic wave emissions in the house and the communication range isn’t limited to short distances.)

- The system can be controlled by a touch screen, smart phones and from the web. - esmart controls and monitors your energy, heat and hot water consumption.


60

The Introduction of Domestic Greywater Treatment in Abu Dhabi

Mariam Al-Qubaisi Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

Domestic greywater treatment is an advantageous eco-friendly and sustainable process that is currently

not practiced in the United Arab Emirates. The general aim of this study was to determine the social

acceptance and public’s perception of the introduction of domestic greywater treatment in the emirate

of Abu Dhabi. It also aimed to appraise the environmental awareness of the residents of Abu Dhabi. In

the quest to fulfill the aims of the study, the following concepts were extensively discussed both on a

global and local scales; water scarcity, wastewater and domestic greywater treatment. The study was

built on the grounds of the following hypotheses; the residents of Abu Dhabi have an insignificant

level of environmental awareness with regards to greywater; and should domestic greywater treatment

be introduced, it will be well-received and accepted by the residents of Abu Dhabi. Although results

from a survey of 154 residents of Abu Dhabi supported the hypotheses, it was speculated that the

results alone are insufficient to validate the hypotheses properly. Finally, the study presented a set of

recommendations on the basis of health education and promotion


61

The Impact of Desalination on Marine Life

Kholoud Al Ameri Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

As the population continues to grow in UAE, the demand for potable water is rising. According to

the Environment Agency, water demand in Abu Dhabi has increased from approximately 1 billion

liters per day in 2000 to about 3 billion liters per day in 2010 and is projected to increase to 3.6

billion liters per day in 2015. Along with groundwater, desalinated seawater is currently the major

source of drinking water in the UAE. However, desalination plants add to the wastewater

discharges that affect seawater properties, largely due to these plants’ highly saline brine by-

product. This wastewater is released at high temperatures and may also contain trace chemicals

from the pretreatment process or heavy metals from decomposition that can impact water quality,

sediments, and marine life. In this study, seawater samples were collected from several beaches

across the Emirates and tested to determine salinity and pH levels. The results show that, based on

location, salinity varies from 31.6 ppt to 41.4 ppt (normal salinity is at 35 ppt). The salinity in

Shaleelah, Al Bahya, and Ghantoot, is higher than other areas due to the nearby Taweelah

Desalination Plant. In the Northern Emirates, the salinity of seawater is lower because this region

depends mainly on groundwater. The pH levels from several sites were determined to be between

7.5 and 8.5. The high temperature of the wastewater released can also cause a decrease in dissolved

oxygen levels in seawater. The lack of dissolved oxygen, along with the increase in nutrients and

metals (i.e. copper, nickel, iron, chromium, and zinc) resulting from the corrosion of metals in

tubes and flash cavities, can be toxic to marine organisms, such as fish eggs, plankton, and larvae,

found in these coastal waters.


62

Identifying Pathogenic Bacteria in Seawater Samples Using Rapid PCR-Based Assays

Sarra Hisham Mohamed Hussani Al Hasani Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

One of the side-effects of population growth in coastal areas is that a large amount of untreated sewage

ends up in the ocean. This form of pollution is responsible for more human deaths worldwide than

any other type of pollution. In addition, the increasing number of industrial facilities near Abu

Dhabi’s shores adds to the contamination of the beaches. Water monitoring is therefore very

important because it measures the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, giving us

an indication of the water’s overall quality. Measuring the level of disease-causing pathogens is

necessary in order to protect public health and prevent or control the outbreak of diseases such as

cholera and dysentery, which are transmitted by these microbes. Conventional methods of monitoring

microbes in seawater are time-consuming, inaccurate, difficult to perform, and often limited to a small

number of bacteria. This study develops a new test, using the scientific technique known as

polymerase chain reaction, or PCR-based assay, to screen for disease-causing bacteria in seawater that

would be sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective. With the cooperation of Environmental Agency-Abu

Dhabi, seawater samples were collected from public beaches in Abu Dhabi and then subjected to the

PCR analysis. This procedure amplifies target genes in the pathogens and then identifies them by

DNA fingerprinting. Some of the samples collected tested positive for the salmonella and vibrio

bacteria, indicating that more specific microbiological screening should be considered. This is the first

PCR-based assay used to identify these specific pathogenic bacteria in the seawaters of Abu Dhabi.


63

Characterization of bacterial communities associated with phytoplankton species in the UAE coastal waters

Khadija Ghulam Ali Qalandri Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon also known as harmful algal bloom (HAB) caused by

the rapid growth and accumulation of different types of algae. Harmful algal blooms are often linked

to significant economic losses through massive fish killings and shellfish harvest closures and

potential health risks to humans from shellfish poisoning. HABs have been reported in several

countries, however in recent years, a high incidence rate of red tide has been reported in the UAE. The

primary aim of this study is to examine the bacterial communities associated with the phytoplankton

species in the coastal waters of the UAE. Samples were collected from the Umm al Quwain (UAQ)

sea from a depth of about 1.2 meters. The samples were analyzed to determine the kinds of

phytoplankton species and microbes present in the sample. The heterotrophic bacteria count was

performed using a membrane filtration technique. Isolation of the vibrio species was attempted by

enrichment of samples in the nutrient broth for 6-12 hours followed by streaking the enriched sample

on the TCBS agar. Florescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique using six domain/sub-group

/family specific gene probes was performed on the samples fixed by both ethanol and

paraformaldehyde. All the samples (except control) were found to have high bacterial populations.

Furthermore, seven bacteria pure cultures were isolated from the water samples. These pure cultures

were successfully purified and maintained on the TCBS agar. The FISH analysis using oligonucleotide

gene probes specific for 6 different bacterial groups showed that the bacterial community associated

with phytoplankton species is quite diverse. Overall findings of this study showed a high abundance of

bacterial communities in the coastal water samples. The FISH analysis indicated the presence of a

highly diverse bacterial community belonging to five different sub-groups (Alpha, Beta and Gamma

sub-classes of proteobacteria, High and Low G+C sub-groups) and one family (Enterobacteriaceae).

However, their specific role, whether algicidal or favourable against harmful or harmless

phytoplankton species need to be established in future studies.


64

Salmonella and Total Coliform in Treated Wastewater used for Irrigation in Public Parks (Dubai & Sharjah)

Amimi Amna Salem Hazim Khamis Dhahi Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

In recent years the United Arab Emirates (UAE) population has grown very rapidly and as a result

water demand and consumption rate also increased. In the UAE, reuse of tertiary level treated

wastewater is widely practiced for the purpose of irrigation of public parks and many other non-

potable uses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the bacteriological quality of the treated

wastewater (TWW) used for irrigation of selected public parks in Dubai and Sharjah. More

specifically, it focuses on the occurrence of Salmonella and total coliform group members in the

TWW. A total of 30 samples were collected from irrigation water pipes/tanks of selected public parks

in Dubai and Sharjah. Membrane filtration (MF) technique was used for the counting and observation

of colonies formed by bacteria present in the sample. The colonies of Salmonella and total coliform

(TC) group members were counted on the bismuth sulfite agar (BSA) and violet red bile agar (VRBA)

media respectively. The results of this study show a number of different kinds of bacteria present in

the TWW samples. Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Entereobacter aerogenes and other unidentified

bacterial colonies were detected on BSA and VRBA media with different occurrence rates. The

results indicated that 6 of 30 TWW samples had Salmonella which formed black color colonies on the

BSA media and 2 of these 6 samples were found to contain uncountable colonies of Salmonella (i.e.

more than 100 CFU/100 ml of sample). However, Salmonella in the remaining four TWW samples

ranged between 1-3 CFU/100ml. Furthermore, Shigella species was predominantly observed in 19 out

of total 30 samples. Four of these nineteen samples were found to have Shigella in the range of >50

CFU/100ml, whereas 15 out of these 19 samples had Shigella in the range of <50 CFU/100ml of

sample. Whereas, 25 out of 30 samples were found to contain E. coli and 17 of these 25 samples have

shown E. coli colony count of > 100 CFU/100ml. For instance, VRBA media results showed that 12 of

these 30 samples were found to contain total coliform (TC) in the range of <100 CFU/100 ml, while

18 out of 30 samples contained TC range of >100 CFU/100 ml. The results of this study showed a

high occurrence of coliform group bacteria in most of the samples which indicated the poor microbial

quality of recycled water used for irrigation of public parks in Dubai and Sharjah. Further studies are

highly recommended to determine the survival rate of Salmonella and other coliform group members

in the soil or the grass/plants which are irrigated by treated wastewater. In addition, detailed research

should be performed to establish the identity of Salmonella (up to the species and serovar level) and

other unidentified colonies which were present in most of the collected samples.


65

Microbiological Quality of Selected Beaches in the UAE

Sara Ibrahim Abdulaziz Ibrahim Zayed University, U.A.E

Abstract

In United Arab Emirates, recreational areas such as beaches are the most entertaining aspect to the

public as these areas attract tourists from around the world. To ensure that the water is safe for public

use, bathing water quality, especially microbiological quality, is extremely important. Many potential

human pathogens could be present in the bathing water of beaches; therefore continuous evaluation of

beach water microbial quality is critical. This study aims at evaluating the microbiological quality of

selected beaches of the UAE over a period of one month. In total, 33 bathing water samples were

collected from different emirates of the UAE to evaluate the microbial quality of selected beaches in

the UAE. Samples were taken using sterile bottles of 1 litre size. The samples were analyzed in the

laboratory by membrane filtration technique. Three types of culture media such as bismuth sulphite

agar (BSA) for Salmonella & Shigella, violet red bile agar (VRBA) for total coliform group members

and plate count agar (PCA) for heterotrophic bacteria were used for the counting of bacterial colonies

per 100 ml of bathing water sample filtered. The results indicate the occurrence of Salmonella, E coli,

Shigella, Enterobacter aerogenes and other unidentified bacteria in most of the samples. At least 21 of

the 33 bathing water samples were found to contain total coliform count of more than 500 CFU/100

ml. Seven of these 33 samples were found to contain more than 1 colony of Salmonella per 100 ml of

the sample. Furthermore, Shigella species were observed in 23 of 33 samples along with a large

fraction of unidentified bacterial colonies. A comparison of overall results indicates that Dubai

samples had a higher microbial load than other emirates, mainly due to its rapid development and

population growth. The UAE government should improve its efforts to control the microbiological

quality of its beaches to avoid any future public health risks.

abstracts uae-swiss research day 2012 (pdf)

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