Energy sustainability in occupied spaces
Eusébio Conceição works at the Centre for Technological Research of the Algarve (CINTAL). His work focuses on developing an experimental chamber with asymmetric, non-uniform environmental conditions, which can be used to simulate occupied indoor spaces, such as those in buildings and passenger transport vehicles like buses and trains.
“This experimental chamber, which is equipped with smart windows used to promote the self-sufficiency of buildings through the localised production of clean energy, uses photovoltaic cells, wind devices, wind turbines and control systems to produce electric, photovoltaic solar, wind and thermal energy, therefore promoting cleaner, healthier indoor spaces,” explains the researcher.
Outside, the chamber is equipped with solar radiation asymmetry on all opaque and transparent surfaces, as well as wind energy.
Inside, it benefits from multiple environmentally friendly heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, specifically personalised ventilation, confluent jets, surface and impact jets, downward jets, cross ventilation and impulse ventilation among others, as well as hydrothermal mannequins used to evaluate comfort and air quality, with biauricular controls used to assess the acoustics. In the future, all buildings should be more self-sufficient.
As Eusébio Conceição explains, “This project aims to contribute to this selfsufficiency by promoting the localised production of clean solar and wind energy, which will help improve the comfort, health and well-being of occupants.”
This project is funded by the Corporate R&D Programme (Co-Promotion), the 2020- 2021 ASHRAE Programme (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Senior Undergraduate Project Grant Programme; by the Regional Operational Programme for Algarve (CRESC Algarve 2020) under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the ERDF, and by the National Science and Technology Foundation (SAICT-ALG/39586/2018).
The project is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as it contributes to the production of “Affordable and Clean Energy” (Goal 7).
Eusébio Conceição has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering Sciences, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Aerodynamics and is a Researcher for the Centre for Technological Research of the Algarve (CINTAL) and the Associated Laboratory for Energy, Transport and Aeronautics (LAETA)
