Analysis of the Energy and Environmental Sustainability of a Built Space System: The Case of Patte d’Oie University Campus in Ouagadougou

The aim of this study was to carry out a dynamic simulation of the energy and environmental performance of a built space system, with a view to assessing its energy and environmental class. The use of a simulation and modeling tool, supported by various methodological references, formed the basis of our approach. Adopting a systemic perspective, we described the structural and functional aspects of the systems making up built spaces, as well as the associated energy flows. Our approach was also based on a typology, taking into account typical days, structural and functional configurations at different scales and angles of observation. The analysis tool we developed in Java was applied to the built space system of the Patte d’Oie university campus in Ouagadougou. Annual electricity consumption was measured at 124387.34 kWh, closely aligned with the average annual electricity bill (125224.31 kWh), with a maximum relative deviation of 1%, followed by a carbon emission balance of 58337.66 kg eq CO2 per year. This validation confirmed the effectiveness of our tool. In addition, following the analysis of electricity consumption using our tool, the university campus was classified in energy class B and environmental class C. These results will be based on the emission factors of the energy mix of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) territory, with particular emphasis on Burkina Faso.

Numerical Modelling of Coupled Heat and Mass Transfer in Porous Materials: Application to Cinder Block Bricks

In this work, we present numerical modelling of coupled heat and mass transfer within porous materials. Our study focuses on cinder block bricks generally used in building construction. The material is assumed to be placed in air. Moisture content and temperature have been chosen as the main transfer drivers and the equations governing these transfer drivers are based on the Luikov model. These equations are solved by an implicit finite difference scheme. A Fortran code associated with the Thomas algorithm was used to solve the equations. The results show that heat and mass transfer depend on the temperature of the air in contact with the material. As this air temperature rises, the temperature within the material increases, and more rapidly at the material surface. Also, thermal conductivity plays a very important role in the thermal conduction of building materials and influences heat and mass transfer in these materials. Materials with higher thermal conductivity diffuse more heat.

Influence of Leachate Recirculation on Landfill Degradation and Biogas Production

Population growth combined with the rising standard of living of people around the world is the reason for the ever-increasing production of waste which management is costing states a lot of money for its disposal. Among available waste treatment techniques, landfill is one of the most promoted waste management techniques with the emergence of the bioreactor concept. However, the control of biodegradation parameters in order to accelerate waste stabilization is an important issue. For environmental and economic reasons, the technique of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste is increasingly used to improve the degradation of landfilled waste. The injection of leachate is possible using vertical boreholes, horizontal pipes, infiltration ponds or a combination of these. Indeed, moisture is the main factor in waste degradation and biogas production. The migration of leachate to the bottom of the landfill creates low moisture in the upper areas of the landfill reducing the growth of microbial populations. This results in low or no biogas production. The main objective of the present work is to develop a numerical model of leachate recirculation by injection into the waste to rewet the waste and restart biological activity. The analysis of the results shows that the diffusion of the wet front increases with time and depth. The lateral widening of the wet front is slow in relation to the progression of the wet front towards the bottom of the waste cell. This indicates the predominance of gravity effects over diffusion phenomena. The results reveal that the distributed re-injection is the best mode of leachate recirculation because the moisture distribution on the whole waste mass is totally satisfactory and the biogas generation is more important. Leachate recirculation campaigns should be done periodically to rewet the waste, boost microbial activity and hope for a quicker stabilization of the landfill.

Modelling of a Two-Phase Thermosyphon Loop for Passive Air-Conditioning of a House in Hot and Dry Climate Countries

The two-phase thermosyphon loop is an efficient solution for space cooling. This paper presents the simulation results of numerical studies on the heat transfer and thermal performance of a two-phase thermosiphon loop for passive air-conditioning of a house. The fluid considered in this study is methanol, which is compatible with copper and is environmentally friendly. These numerical results show that the temperature at the evaporator wall drops from 23°C to 13°C and increases at the condenser. The solar flux density has a strong influence on the condenser temperature. The mass flow rates and masses at the evaporator and condenser increase with temperature. The variation of evaporating and condensing temperature affects the performance of the system. For a constant evaporating and condensing temperature of 2°C and 29°C, the COP is 0.77 and 0.84 respectively. With these results, the use of the two-phase thermosyphon loop in air conditioning is possible to obtain a thermal comfort of the occupants acceptable by the standards but with a large exchange surface of the evaporator.

Study of Habitat’s Thermal Performance Equipped with an Adsorption Cooling Unit by Geothermal Heat Pump

This work concerns a modeling of habitat equipped with an adsorption cooling unit powered by a geothermal heat pump in the context of the climate of the Comoros Islands. Cooling unit is a simple system consisting of an adsorber, condenser and evaporator. The modeling of the habitat-air conditioning system was based on a description of heat and mass transfers. The first law of thermodynamics on the energy conservation using the analogies between heat and electrical transfers is used to establish the equations of the model. Zeolite-methanol pair and Dubinin-Astakhov adsorption model are used to describe the amount of adsorbed mass. The finite difference method applied to a point of the considered exchange surface is used to discretize equations and resolve them. The coupling of the system takes place through a convective transfer between the air inside habitat and the evaporator’s surface. This article presents results for typical November days in Comoros. Different temperatures of habitat with and without a cooling unit show that using the adsorption cooling unit can help lower internal temperatures. We observe a temperature difference of 2.14 K in particular at 2 p.m., if the air conditioning starts at 8 a.m. The influence of the input parameters on the air inside the habitat makes it possible to assess the impact on indoor comfort. The COPth can reach 0.46. However, we can get a high performance if we optimize temperature thresholds. These show that this type of cooling unit can help improve the habitat thermal comfort in a tropical and dry climate.

Modeling and Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfers in a Metallic Pressure Cooker Isolated with Kapok Wool

In this work, a numerical study of heat transfers in a metallic pressure cooker isolated with kapok wool was carried out. This equipment works like a thermos, allowing finishing cooking meals only thanks to the heat stored at the beginning of cooking, which generates energy savings. Cooked meals are also kept hot for long hours. In our previous work, we have highlighted the performances of the pressure cooker when making common dishes in Burkina Faso. Also, the parameters (thickness and density) of the insulating matrix allowing having such performances as well as the influence of the climatic conditions on the pressure cooker operation were analyzed in detail in this present work. The numerical methodology is based on the nodal method and the transfer equations obtained by making an energy balance on each node have been discretized using an implicit scheme with finite differences and resolved by the Gauss algorithm. Numerical results validated experimentally show that the thickness of the kapok wool as well as its density play an important role in the pressure cooker operation. In addition, equipment performances are very little influenced by the weather conditions of the city of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso).

Contribution to the Modeling of a Solar Adsorption Refrigerator under the Climatic Conditions of Burkina Faso

This work concerns a dynamic modeling and a numerical simulation of the operation of an adsorption solar refrigeration system using the zeolite-water couple. For this, a mathematical model representing the evolution of heat and mass transfer at each component of the solar adsorption refrigerator has been developed. We have adopted the Dubinin-Astakhov model for the adsorption kinetics of the zeolite/water pair. This model allows to describe the phenomenon of adsorption and to calculate the rate of adsorbate (water) in the zeolite (adsorbent) as a function of the temperature and the pressure. The equations governing the operation of the solar adsorption refrigerator, deduced from the thermal and mass balances established at the collector adsorber, condenser and evaporator components, were solved by an implicit finite difference scheme and Gauss Seidel’s iterative method. We have validated the model established by applying it to the model of Allouhi et al. 2014. We analyzed the influence of the adsorbate/adsorbent couples, the solar flux, the ambient temperature on the adsorption and desorption process. The temperature profiles obtained representing the temperature evolution of the glass, the absorbent plate, the zeolite-water mixture, the condenser, the evaporator, as well as the pressure and the adsorbed mass allowed us to evaluate the performance of the solar adsorption refrigerator. SCOP is higher the higher the solar flux captured by the collector-adsorber.

Experimental Study of a Metallic Pressure Cooker Insulated with Kapok Wool

This work is devoted to an experimental study of metallic pressure cooker insulated with kapok wool, a vegetal biodegradable fiber. Experiments conducted on the cooling of hot water in the equipment revealed very low heat losses and a time constant of 60 hours on average. As a result, the equipment makes it possible to finish cooking meals only thanks to the heat stored at the beginning of cooking and keeps cooked dishes warm for long hours. The thermal phase shift of the pressure cooker is around 7?h. Cooking tests conducted on some local dishes revealed about 70% butane gas savings for cooking cowpea and white rice, 38% for cooking fatty rice, 75% for pasta and couscous, and 30% for cooking potato stew. These results show that this technology can contribute to minimizing?energy consumption in the restaurant sector.

Modeling Submicron Particles Collection in Laminar Forced Convection Gas Flow by a Rectangular Venturi Scrubber

Venturi scrubbers are usually used for large particles cleaning in turbulent gaseous flow. In this work, submicron particles scrubbing in laminar forced convection dusty air flow in a rectangular venturi scrubber have been numerically simulated. Hydrodynamics effects and scrubbing process are investigated in detail. Results are presented as flow velocity, axial pressure, streamlines pattern, particles and droplets mass fraction profile, and collect efficiency. They show that venturi scrubbers can be efficient for submicron particles scrubbing. In fact, a better collect efficiency is obtained at high particles-droplets residence time, high ratio droplets concentration/particles concentration, low venturi diameter ratioand low Reynolds numbers. There is a critical Reynolds number value for which the collect efficiency becomes very low and tends to be constant.

The effects of step inclination and air injection on the water flow in a stepped spillway:A numerical study

In this work, we perform a numerical study of a water flow over a stepped spillway. This flow is described by the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equation （RANS） associated with the turbulence k - model. These equations are solved using a commercial software based on the finite volume scheme and an unstructured mesh. The air-water flow was modeled using volume of fluid （VOF） and multiphasic methods. The characteristics of the profile, etc.. We analyze the effects on the flow structure of the flow were investigated including the total pressure, the velocity steps and countermarch inclination, the air injection through the countermarch into the water flow and the dynamics water discharges. Results show that the inclination of the countermarch relative to the vertical and the air injection into the water flow increase the total pressure in the neighbourhood of the steps.