Energy sustainable development through energy efficient heating devices and buildings
Energy devices and buildings are sustainable if, when they operate, they use sustainable (renewable and refuse) energy and generate nega-energy. This paper covers three research examples of this type of sustainability: (1) use of air-to-earth heat exchangers, (2) computer control of heating and cooling of the building (via heat pumps and heat-recovery devices), and (3) design control of energy consumption in a house.
Designing Estates for Good Cross-Ventilation in High-Rise Residential Buildings in Hong Kong
A habitable dwelling should be safe, comfortable, and adequately ventilated. In many densely populated cities, the housing demand of citizens is met by clusters of high-rise residential towers. When buildings are closely sited, the influence of adjacent buildings on the availability of cross-ventilation becomes a critical building design consideration. This paper reports on the results of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation studies on such effects based on estate models that comprised an array of building blocks. The result shows that cross-ventilation in buildings downstream of other buildings would be much reduced, especially when the buildings were aligned facing the wind direction and when the spaces between buildings were small. Shortening the upstream buildings and laying out the buildings in a staggered pattern would significantly improve cross-ventilation in the downstream buildings.
Students as promoters of rural extension in aquaculture in the Marajó archipelago, Pará, Brazil
Aquaculture is the creation of aquatic organisms. An expanding activity, being of great importance its approach in rural extension. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the contribution of extension activities in aquaculture in the professional training of students in Marajó, Amazon, Brazil. The project “Technology transfer through training and technical assistance for tambaqui breeders, Colossoma macropomum, in the archipelago of Marajó/PA” was developed by 10 technician and under graduate students from rural education course and the technical course in aquaculture from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pará (IFPA) Campus Breves, in the city of Curralinho. They participated in the stages of data collection in aquaculture enterprises, training for producers and monitoring of aquaculture production, acting as researchers, instructors and extension workers, respectively. The duration of the project was from August 2019 to March 2020. At the end of the project, a questionnaire was applied to the students involved. The results showed that the aquaculture extension activities developed were relevant and significant, for the construction of knowledge in a mutual way between those involved (students and aquaculture producers). The acquired experiences will substantiate and subsidize the professional practice of these students in a concrete and effective way. In conclusion, the extension project represents an excellent tool in the teaching-learning process for students.