The construction process, right through from planning and design to use and demolition, has a major impact on society. Traditionally, concern has been focused on its environmental impact and the quest for sustainability, but this has now extended into the wider remit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Essentially, this means that businesses must act (voluntarily) in a socially ethical manner by developing a policy that encompasses the core principles enshrined by CSR.

A unique presentation on a topic of emerging importance, Corporate Social Responsibility in the Construction Industry is essential reading for all built environment undergraduate and post-graduate courses, as well as CEOs and senior managers within construction businesses who may be about to embark on developing a CSR strategy.

Focusing on topics of interest to the practicing engineer, this book codifies the many relevant books, papers, and reports written on this hybrid subject into a single, coherent reference. It looks at each topic from a somewhat narrow perspective to see how that topic affects modeling in industrial combustion. Thorough and clearly representing the techniques and issues confronted in industry, Computational Fluid Dynamics in Industrial Combustion will help bring readers quickly up to date on current methods and gain the ability to set up and solve the various types of problems they will encounter.

Water-Energy-Food Nexus Narratives and Resource Securities: A Global South Perspective provides a knowledge synthesis on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, focusing primarily on the global south. By presenting concepts, analytical tools, and case studies, the book serves as a practical resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in sustainability and functional roles across all three sectors. It addresses key issues related to data availability, tools, indices, metrics, and application across multiple scales, beginning with a summary of existing knowledge. Finally, it examines the WEF nexus, presents global insights, and discusses future considerations and implications. This book presents an overview of existing knowledge on the WEF nexus and examines how such research aligns with emerging global WEF nexus perspectives, making it ideal for professionals, government entities, private industry, and the general public.

This book treats dynamic stability of structures under nonconservative forces. it is not a mathematics-based, but rather a dynamics-phenomena-oriented monograph, written with a full experimental background. Starting with fundamentals on stability of columns under nonconservative forces, it then deals with the divergence of Euler's column under a dead (conservative) loading from a view point of dynamic stability. Three experiments with cantilevered columns under a rocket-based follower force are described to present the verifiability of nonconservative problems of structural stability. Dynamic stability of columns under pulsating forces is discussed through analog experiments, and by analytical and experimental procedures together with related theories. Throughout the volume the authors retain a good balance between theory and experiments on dynamic stability of columns under nonconservative loading, offering a new window to dynamic stability of structures, promoting student- and scientist-friendly experiments.

The HAZOP Leader's Handbook is designed specifically to help HAZOP leaders plan and execute successful HAZOP studies, based on the author's many years of experience of participating in, observing and facilitating HAZOP studies, as well as observing, training, mentoring and assessing HAZOP leaders. The book assumes that the reader understands the methodology and has experienced HAZOP meetings and does not seek to explain the methodology itself. Rather, it focuses on the application of the methodology and the responsibilities and skills of the HAZOP leader in the preparation, execution and reporting of the study. Although the principal subject is HAZOP, much of the content equally applies to other facilitated hazard identification techniques such as Hazard Identification (HAZID) or Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA). The prime purpose of this book is to provide guidance specific to HAZOP leaders to help them to maximise the effectiveness of their HAZOP studies, thereby getting the most benefit from the methodology, promoting consistency and rigour in its application and sustaining its well-earned reputation.

Communication within project-based environments presents special challenges. Many of the problems that develop in construction projects are a result of both the temporary and inter-disciplinary nature of project teams. Each player having a different employer complicates the situation further.This book offers practical guidance on possible solutions to communication problems, featuring a number of examples related to the construction industry. Several non-typical perspectives on the process of communication are introduced, to encourage the reader to think about communication in a new way. 'Thinking with diagrams', for example, is useful for those such as architects who work primarily with visual communication media. This can be contrasted with the 'visual perception' approach, which emphasises the rational and scientific aspects of human biology. The combination of different perspectives highlights the diversity of communication problems facing those working within project-based environments.

This book is devoted to resonant energy conversion in power electronics. It is a practical, systematic guide to the analysis and design of various dc-dc resonant inverters, high-frequency rectifiers, and dc-dc resonant converters that are building blocks of many of today's high-frequency energy processors. Designed to function as both a superior senior-to-graduate level textbook for electrical engineering courses and a valuable professional reference for practicing engineers, it provides students and engineers with a solid grasp of existing high-frequency technology, while acquainting them with a number of easy-to-use tools for the analysis and design of resonant power circuits. Resonant power conversion technology is now a very hot area and in the center of the renewable energy and energy harvesting technologies.

India is experiencing an unprecedented construction boom. The country doubled its floorspace between 2001 and 2005 and is expected to add 35 billion m2 of new buildings by 2050. Buildings account for 35% of total final energy consumption in India today, and building energy use is growing at 8% annually. China will account for about half of the new construction globally in the coming decade. Its floorspace doubled from 1996 to 2011, and Chinese rural buildings alone have as much floorspace as all of U.S. residential buildings. Building energy consumption has also grown, increasing by over 40% since 1990. This book discusses the compliance evaluation of energy conservation building code for building energy efficiency in India; and assesses the impact of China's policies on building energy efficiency and on the market for energy efficiency in the future

Many approaches have been undertaken to mitigate global climate change, including the movement away from fossil fuels. Fossil Free Fuels: Trends in Renewable Energy examines several key topics, such as the utilization of biofuels as a sustainable renewable resource, recycling and untapped waste-to-energy products, and other carbon-neutral strategies in various industries, such as the transportation, construction, and manufacturing sectors. It provides recent updates on the latest technologies, modeling, design, and technical aspects, as well as several practical case studies. The current world energy scenario is examined and various solutions to larger environmental problems are outlined in terms of the shift to more alternative energy sources. Features: Minimizes technical jargon in a straightforward style for a wider audience Discusses sustainable options for different industries, such as the use of green materials in the construction sector, biofuels for transportation, and many more Includes numerous illustrations, tables, and figures to aid in understanding This book serves as a practical reference for engineers, researchers, environmental consultants working in renewable energy industries, and students.

Many books on Power System Harmonics only cover certain aspects of the subject. This book is the first to cover Power System Harmonics in depth, including real world case studies engineers can learn from. Written by a well-known author with extensive experience designing harmonic filters, this book is written in a thorough and easy to read way, making it an invaluable resource for practicing engineers as well as students. Coverage includes new harmonic mitigation technologies, detailed step-by-step design of passive filters, interharmonics and flicker, and more. Readers who are new to the field will find this book easy to understand and will be able to grasp the subject easily through the many examples, case studies and illustrations. Readers who are already familiar with Power System Harmonics will be able to learn new insights and the latest developments.

With the proliferation of electronic devices, the world will need to double its energy supply by 2050. This book addresses this challenge and discusses synthesis and characterization of carbon nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage. * Addresses one of the leading challenges facing society today as we steer away from dwindling supplies of fossil fuels and a rising need for electric power due to the proliferation of electronic products * Promotes the use of carbon nanomaterials for energy applications * Systematic coverage: synthesis, characterization, and a wide array of carbon nanomaterials are described * Detailed descriptions of solar cells, electrodes, thermoelectrics, supercapacitors, and lithium-ion-based storage * Discusses special architecture required for energy storage including hydrogen, methane, etc.

Frequency disturbances, transients, grounding, interference...the issues related to power quality are many, and solutions to power quality problems can be complex. However, by combining theory and practice to develop a qualitative analysis of power quality, the issues become relatively straightforward, and one can begin to find solutions to power quality problems confronted in the real world. Power Quality builds the foundation designers, engineers, and technicians need to survive in the current power system environment. It treats power system theory and power quality principles as interdependent entities, and balances these with a wealth of practical examples and data drawn from the author's 30 years of experience in the design, testing, and trouble-shooting of power systems. It compares different power quality measurement instruments and details ways to correctly interpret power quality data. It also presents alternative solutions to power quality problems and compares them for feasibility and economic viability. Power quality problems can have serious consequences, from loss of productivity to loss of life, but they can be easily prevented. You simply need a good understanding of electrical power quality and its impact on the performance of power systems. By changing the domain of power quality from one of theory to one of practice, this book imparts that understanding and will develop your ability to effectively measure, test, and resolve power quality problems.

The contribution of buildings to climate change is widely acknowledged. This book investigates how building regulatory systems are addressing the current and future effects of climate change, and how these systems can be improved. After presenting a comprehensive overview of how the current building regulatory system developed, some of the inadequacies are identified. The largest part of the book examines the potential for innovative policy solutions to address the real world problem of mitigating and adapting buildings to climate change. This publication contributes significantly to our understanding of the complexities of long-term energy efficiency in buildings. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Building Research & Information journal.

This book describes exemplary selected projects carried out in the Trentino-Alto Adige region (Italy) exploring numerous building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) systems (i.e. modules, construction system, energy systems). It presents 18 case studies analyzing three aspects of PV integration: aesthetic, energy and technology, with information on decision-making, design process and lessons learnt given for each, along with several pictures, including of general system and architectural details. Based on interviews with architects and engineers, experts from facade/glass manufacturers, energy consultants, BIPV experts, PV installers, electricians, private and public building owners and real estate companies, the book provides a source of inspiration and technical knowledge for architects and engineers towards an increased use of PV in architecture.

A comprehensive resource to the origin, properties, and analysis of natural gas and its constituents Handbook of Natural Gas Analysis is a comprehensive guide that includes information on the origin and analysis of natural gas, the standard test methods, and procedures that help with the predictability of gas composition and behavior during gas cleaning operations and use. The author--a noted expert on the topic--also explores the properties and behavior of the various components of natural gas and gas condensate. All chapters are written as stand-alone chapters and they cover a wealth of topics including history and uses; origin and production; composition and properties; recovery, storage, and transportation; properties and analysis of gas stream and gas condensate. The text is designed to help with the identification of quality criteria appropriate analysis and testing that fall under the umbrella of ASTM International. ASTM is an organization that is recognized globally across borders, disciplines and industries and works to improve performance in manufacturing and materials and products. This important guide: Contains detailed information on natural gas and its constituents Offers an analysis of methane, gas hydrates, ethane, propane, butane, and gas condensate Includes information on the behavior of natural gas to aid in the planning for recovery, storage, transportation, and use Covers the test methods that are applicable to natural gas and its constituents Written in accessible and easy-to-understand terms Written for scientists, engineers, analytical chemists who work with natural gas as well as other scientists and engineers in the industry, Handbook of Natural Gas Analysis offers a guide to the analysis, standard test methods, and procedures that aid in the predictability of gas composition and behavior during gas cleaning operations and use.

Architecture 2030; BUG; Biophilic Design; BIPV; Circular Economy; LEED; Passive Design; Solar Chimney; Systems Thinking; WELL; Xeriscaping. What does it all mean? The complex and evolving language used in the sustainable design community can be very challenging, particularly to those new to environmentally friendly and resource-efficient design strategies that are needed today. Definitions of over two hundred terms with further sources. Clearly cross-referenced with Sustainaspeak, Theoryspeak, and Archispeak terms. Illustrated throughout with sustainable award-winning buildings by e.g. Behnisch, Brooks + Scarpa, EHDD, KieranTimberlake, Lake|Flato, Leddy Mahtum Stacy, SmithGroup, Perkins+Will, ZGF, VMDO, and McDonough + Partners. Sustainaspeak: A Guide to Sustainable Design Terms provides a current guide to the sustainable design strategies, terms, and practices needed for the next generation of designers, architects, students, and community leaders to design a carbon-neutral world for future generations.

All life on earth is dependent on energy from the sun, but one species has evolved to be especially efficient in tapping that supply. This is the story of the human species and its dedicated effort to sustain and elevate itself by making the earth s stores of energy its own. A story of slow evolutionary change and sharp revolutionary departures, it takes readers from the origins of the species to our current fork in the road.

With a winning blend of wit and insight, Alfred W. Crosby reveals the fundamental ways in which humans have transformed the world and themselves in their quest for energy. When they first started, humans found fuel much like other species in the simple harvesting of wild plants and animals. A major turn in the human career came with the domestication of fire, an unprecedented achievement unique to the species. The greatest advantage from this breakthrough came in its application to food. Cooking vastly increased the store of organic matter our ancestors could tap as food, and the range of places they could live. As they spread over the earth, humans became more complicated harvesters, negotiating alliances with several other species plant and animal leading to the birth of agriculture and civilizations. For millennia these civilizations tapped sun energy through the burning of recently living biomass wood, for instance. But humans again took a revolutionary turn in the last two centuries with the systematic burning of fossilized biomass. Fossil fuels have powered our industrial civilization and in turn multiplied our demand for sun energy. Here we are then, on the verge of exceeding what the available sources of sun energy can conventionally afford us, and suffering the ill effects of our seemingly insatiable energy appetite. A found of the field of global history, Crosby gives a book that glows with illuminating power."

This book presents select peer-reviewed proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Advances in VLSI and Embedded Systems (AVES 2021). This book covers cutting-edge original research in VLSI design, devices and emerging technologies, embedded systems, and CAD for VLSI. To address the demand for complex and high-functionality systems as well as portable consumer electronics, the contents focus on advanced topics of circuit and systems design, fabrication, testing, and standardization. This book is useful for students, researchers as well as industry professionals interested in emerging trends in VLSI and embedded systems.

Air Distribution in Buildings is a concise and practical guide to air distribution system design and managing air conditioning systems in buildings. Making use of 40 years of experience in the design of air conditioning and ventilations systems, and other electromechanical services, this structured reference for built environment engineering offers in-depth coverage of air distribution technology. The text brings together a wide range of information and offers technical guidance on the design, calculation, and efficient operation of air distribution in buildings. The text highlights the special characteristics of air distribution in individual spaces. It presents the basic and fundamental concepts of air distribution as it relates to grilles and outlets, room space, and buildings. It focuses on air distribution systems in large buildings, starting with simple rooms and then moving on to more complex configurations. It also sums up the latest standards and best practices in air conditioning engineering. Includes knowledge of the new trends in buildings' air distribution Provides systematic analyses of the air flow regimes, heat transfer, and relative humidity in a collection of special built environments Presents energy analyses of the air conditioning systems for operating theaters and sporting facilities in unusual and severe climatic conditions Offers a description of flow characteristics in archeological monuments with emphasis on combating excessive moisture Introduces examples of very dense occupancy built environments, moisture sensitive environments, and open space air conditioning Details advanced treatment of flow characterization in large public buildings This text serves as an ideal resource for air conditioning engineers, contractors, and consultants. It also benefits mechanical and architectural engineering students.

Technological advance affects almost all areas of human life. Rapid digitization, increased mobility, new biotechnologies, and nanotechnology deeply influence, amongst others, industrial production, entertainment, work, military affairs, and individual life. Besides overwhelmingly positive effects on wealth, comfort, innovation, and development, this also raises questions of unintended effects, of tensions with democracy, of the role of citizens, and of its sustainability facing environmental issues. Tools and procedures are needed to cope with this challenging situation. Technology assessment (TA) has been developed more than fifty years ago to enable science, the economy, and society to harvest the potential of new technology to the maximum extent possible and to deal responsibly with possible adverse effects. It was developed more than 50 years ago in the U.S. Congress and has diversified considerably in the meantime. Parliamentary TA in many European states and at the international level, participatory TA at the local and regional levels worldwide, and TA as part of engineering processes are the most relevant fields today. Technology assessment is a growing field of interdisciplinary research and scientific policy advice. This volume (a) gives an overview of motivations of TA, its history and its current practices, (b) develops a fresh theoretical perspective on TA rooted in social theory and philosophy, and (c) draws conclusions from the theoretical perspective for the further development of TA's practices. It provides the first comprehensive view on the growing field of TA at the international level.

Energy Efficiency in the Urban Environment is a study of energy crisis, urbanisation, and climate change, as well as a discussion of how to combat these global challenges. With a special focus on Egypt, this book addresses the macroscale of urbanism from the perspective of city dwellers' quality of life, and explores the microscale of buildings and the perspective of ensuring indoor air quality within the boundaries of energy efficiency. Offering an integrated view of energy systems and urban planning supported by extensive data, references, and case studies, this text: Examines the energy efficiency performance of cities following sustainable urbanism principles Investigates how informal areas in developing countries achieve sustainable development Presents energy-efficient urban planning as a tool for improving city energy performance Proposes the development of a common procedure for obtaining an energy performance certificate Calculates the energy performance of buildings, accounting for heating/cooling systems and other variables Energy Efficiency in the Urban Environment demonstrates the importance of implementing an energy performance directive to aid energy savings in large buildings and set regulations for energy-efficient designs based on standard calculation methods. This book provides engineers working with sustainable energy systems, urban planners needing information on energy systems and optimisation, and professors and students of engineering, environmental science, and urban planning with a valuable reference on energy sustainability.

Designed to serve as a comprehensive resource for performing energy audits in commercial facilities, this revised practical desk reference for energy engineers has been updated and expanded. All focal areas of the building energy audit and assessment are covered, with new chapters on water efficiency and feedback and behavior in energy management. Updated topics include compressed air, computer modeling, data center efficiency, measurement and verification, lighting, laundries, HVAC economizer savings and building vacancy along with manufacturing unit operations and calculating savings from automatic controls.

This is a book about the international oil market. It takes a historical perspective on how the market emerged, developed, and became what it is today-the biggest commodity market in the world. It is mature and complex, but far from perfect. Throughout most of its 150-year history, the oil market has been monopolised by companies and governments. For only a fraction of that, oil traded in a relatively free market. As a result, we had to live with 'big oil', economic shocks, high oil prices, instability and wars. Using a simple concept of market power, this book will explain the meaning of 'oil price' and how it is established while offering a valuable lesson for other commodities. Market power is the key to understanding the 'price of oil'. This book uses a simple concept of price-makers and price-takers to examine the evolution of oil markets, their structure, and prices. The early decades of the oil industry were competitive with low barriers to entry. Barely 25 years later, the Standard Oil company created a refining monopoly, buying oil at its own 'posted' price. In the following century, the cartel of major oil companies, helped by their governments, did the same at the international level. OPEC helped producing governments regain control of their own resources, but the organisation was never able to retain a similar level of control. After 1986 price collapse, OPEC abdicated the price-making function in favour of the market. While it never gave up attempts to influence prices, OPEC had to link their official prices to one of the global oil benchmarks. Modern international oil markets function because of oil benchmarks such as Brent, WTI and Dubai. This book showcases: * How oil traders played a prominent role in development of the industry * How policies of consuming nations helped oil cartels * Why and how the US price of oil was negative * How AI has changed the way markets operate and the way in which the markets are likely to change in future This book explores how oil markets grew, functioned, and have occasionally failed to do their job. The ecosystem of derivatives or 'paper barrels' trading in far greater volume than physical oil plays a very important role in mitigating risk. With this core tenant, setting the 'price of oil' is explained in detail.

A timely guide using iterative learning control (ILC) as a solution for multi-agent systems (MAS) challenges, showcasing recent advances and industrially relevant applications * Explores the synergy between the important topics of iterative learning control (ILC) and multi-agent systems (MAS) * Concisely summarizes recent advances and significant applications in ILC methods for power grids, sensor networks and control processes * Covers basic theory, rigorous mathematics as well as engineering practice

Automated vehicles are set to transform the world. Automated driving vehicles are here already and undergoing serious testing in several countries around the world. This book explains the technologies in language that is easy to understand and accessible to all readers. It covers the subject from several angles but in particular shows the links to existing ADAS technologies already in use in all modern vehicles. There is a lot of hype in the media at the moment about autonomous or driverless cars, and while some manufacturers expect to have vehicles available from 2020, they will not soon take over and it will be some time before they are commonplace. However, it is very important to be ready for the huge change of direction that automated driving will take. This is the first book of its type available and complements Tom Denton's other books.