Xiaofeng Zheng

One of the biggest contributors to the world's energy consumption and carbon emissions is the building industry, especially in hot and dry countries where the yearly building energy use is dominated by the need for cooling. Passive cooling techniques that can lessen reliance on traditional air conditioning systems are desperately needed in Iraq due to the country's severe summer heat and ongoing electricity problems. The effectiveness of a thermal thrust-assisted courtyard earth-air heat exchanger (EAHE) as a passive cooling option for residential structures in Baghdad is examined in this study. Using ANSYS Fluent, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was created to simulate heat transfer and airflow in an underground pipe system under typical local soil and climate conditions. The impacts of pipe diameter (0.2–0.4 m), pipe length (30–80 m), pipe burial depth (1–5 m), and inlet air velocity (1–5 m/s) were methodically assessed. According to simulation results, an ideal balance between thermal performance and pressure losses is achieved with a burial depth of roughly 3 m, pipe length of 60 m, and pipe diameter of 0.25 m. At an intake velocity of 1 m/s, the suggested system was able to reduce the air temperature by up to 20.75 °C during the hottest summer months. Passive airflow and cooling performance are greatly improved when thermal buoyancy (stack effect) is integrated with a courtyard-based EAHE. The findings show that the suggested solution can help hot, dry residential buildings lower their cooling energy consumption and related carbon emissions. These results show how low-carbon building design in Iraq and other climates can be supported by combining contemporary passive cooling technologies with traditional courtyard architecture.

The built environment in Iraq has been negatively affected by climate change, with high external temperatures and increased heat transfer into buildings creating greater dependence on mechanical and electrical systems for heating and cooling. While these systems are vital for ensuring thermal comfort and healthy indoor conditions, they also drive-up overall energy consumption—an issue of global concern that increases operational costs and places financial pressure on building occupants. This situation highlights a research gap: the widespread reliance on purely mechanical solutions in Iraq overlooks the potential of climate-responsive design strategies to reduce energy demand. By integrating such approaches and applying modern technologies to cover the remaining energy needs, it is possible to significantly cut energy consumption and ultimately achieve zero-energy buildings. In order to control indoor temperature in hot, dry conditions, this study suggests an integrated passive design approach that incorporates courtyard microclimate, thermal stress-driven airflow, and an earth-air heat exchanger system. The suggested method makes use of natural temperature gradients to produce indoor thermal comfort between 21 and 25°C, in contrast to traditional methods that mostly rely on mechanical devices. The paper addresses the limited application of climate-responsive design solutions in such contexts by presenting a low-energy, context-specific design strategy appropriate for areas like Iraq.

Due to severe cooling requirements and a lack of passive-geothermal system integration in residential design, achieving low-energy buildings in hot, dry climates continues to be a significant issue. Although Earth-Air Heat Exchangers (EAHEs) have shown encouraging cooling potential, there hasn't been enough research done on how to incorporate them into climate-responsive building typologies, especially courtyard housing. By incorporating an under-courtyard EAHE system into a low-energy residential building in Baghdad, Iraq, this study suggests a novel geothermal–passive hybrid cooling framework. The method improves passive cooling efficacy by combining courtyard-induced microclimatic management with subsurface thermal stability. Using ANSYS Fluent, a high-resolution Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was created to assess system performance under harsh summer circumstances (ambient temperature up to 47 °C). Important design factors were methodically optimised, such as pipe length, airflow velocity, diameter, and burial depth. The suggested system may lower the incoming air temperature to 23–28 °C, according to the results, with a maximum cooling potential that surpasses 21 °C during peak conditions. The ideal setup shows a balanced performance between thermal efficiency and pressure losses (3 m burial depth, 0.20 m pipe diameter, 60 m pipe length, and airflow velocity of 1–5 m/s). A transferable design framework for incorporating EAHE systems into courtyard-based residential architecture is presented in the study, emphasising its potential to drastically lower cooling energy use and facilitate the construction of low-energy homes in hot, dry areas. The results help close the gap between climate-responsive architecture design and geothermal technical solutions.

This paper identifies the shortcomings in the current agricultural sector that contribute to a lowered domestic food production – specifically the high cost of operating horticultural practices – as a critical issue affecting the United Kingdom’s food security and sustainability, thus leading to a heavy reliance on vegetable imports. A case study into an allotment in Beeston, Nottingham, provided insights into challenges faced by non-commercial food producers, and thus advocates for an enhancement of local communities’ ability to bolster their own fresh vegetable consumption through the use of small greenhouses. Simulations were run through IES Virtual Environment on a conventional single-span greenhouse as well as one which incorporated various design modifications and management systems – explored for their ability to optimise greenhouse efficiency. The resulting discrepancy in output variables demonstrated an overall improvement in performance between the traditional and modified greenhouses, with the proposed solution increasing heat retention by 30.4% and decreasing heating costs per square meter by 9.5% over the course of a year. Since simulated data is not always accurate to real-world conditions, further study may include building a physical structure to properly analyse the performance increase and feasibility of such a design. Nonetheless, the research proves that the optimisation of greenhouse design is an opportunity for the industry to reduce its reliance on imports as well as promote sustainable practice.

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, companies and organizations need to adopt an integrated approach to ensure cost-effective and optimal asset operation and utilization while minimizing downtime and risk. Asset operations and maintenance (O&M) play a pivotal role in infrastructure and industrial systems’ overall performance and longevity. This chapter provides a concise overview of the key considerations and functions in asset O&M. It first reviews the importance of asset O&M in enhancing the operational efficiency of assets. Second, this chapter discusses five primary functions of O&M, including (1) maintenance and repair; (2) security management; (3) documentation management and control; (4) work order management; and (5) emergency response and management, and their corresponding definitions, key function or elements, potential digitalization benefits, and current challenges. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in asset O&M for university students, scholars, and professionals, enabling them to equip themselves with solid asset O&M knowledge and real-world practice.

Due to the need of good thermal performance, external wall insulation (EWI) is usually made of materials that are not fire resistant and sometimes flammable. That restricts its application to a particular circumstance such as limited building height. Hence, a material with good thermal insulation and fire resistance performance would allow EWI to be more widely applied. This paper introduces a novel material: a silica-based aerogel porous board, which differs itself from mainstream products available in the market because of its outstanding properties, such as low density, high surface area, low thermal conductivity and superhydrophobicity. Herein, its thermal insulation and fire-resistant performance were tested and compared with commercial products. The cone calorimeter analysis results indicated that the aerogel porous board could improve the fire resistance performance. Moreover, the evaluation of thermal insulation performance suggested that the application of an aerogel porous board on the external stone wall of existing buildings can decrease the U-value by 60%. Through the detailed insight into the case-study, it is quite clear that the carbon impact of building stock could be greatly reduced by means of a coherent set of building envelope retrofitting actions based on this innovative heat insulation material, without compromising the fire safety.