Alfonso González

A Quantitative Analysis of Cold Water for Human Consumption in Hospitals in Spain

An estimation of the water used for human consumption in hospitals is essential to determine possible savings and to fix criteria to improve the design of new water consumption models. The present work reports on cold water for human consumption (CWHC) in hospitals in Spain and determines the possible savings. In the period of 2005–2012, 80 Eco-Management and Audit Schemes (EMAS) from 20 hospitals were analysed. The results conclude that the average annual consumption of CWHC is 1.59 m3/m2 (with a standard deviation of 0.48 m3/m2), 195.85 m3/bed (standard deviation 70.07 m3/bed), or 53.69 m3/worker (standard deviation 16.64 m3/worker). The results demonstrate the possibility of saving 5,600,000 m3 of water per year. Assuming the cost of water as approximately 1.22 €/m3, annual savings are estimated as 6,832,000 €. Furthermore, 2,912 MWh of energy could be saved, and the emission of 22,400 annual tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere could be avoided.

Assessment of Energy Consumption in Spanish Hospitals

In this chapter, assessment of energy consumption in Spanish hospitals is analysed. The quantification of energy consumption in hospitals is essential to save energy and establish design criteria. Average energy consumption in hospitals in Spain adds up to about 20% of the total energy consumed in the service sector. The aim of this paper is to analyse and quantify the final average energy consumption in hospitals in Spain according to appropriate parameters, including built surface area, number of bed and number of employees. The results show that the average annual energy consumption in normal operation conditions in the hospitals under study can serve as a starting point for the development of indicators in order to quantify the exact consumption of energy. They can also help to set optimal hospital infrastructure through healthcare engineering.

Reverse Engineering Applied to the Teaching of Computer Aided Manufacturing

One of the main shortcomings of individualized training in the use of computer aided design (CAD), and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) tools is that students lack a sound and broad understanding of the type of tools, and their specific and integrated applications in industrial manufacturing. This study aimed to design an integrated curricular training programme in computer aided tools for the design and manufacture of mechanical components based on reverse engineering techniques. By using real products that students can see and touch, a scanned copy is obtained for subsequent reconstruction into a virtual three-dimensional model using the software for optimizing the point cloud, meshing, and creating both the surface and solid. Once the virtual three-dimensional model has been obtained, it is exported to a solid modelling CAD (3D-CAD) software for modification according to the geometrical requirements. The next step is for students to manufacture a component using rapid prototyping techniques, which allow them to visualize, analyse, and inspect a component to optimize its design. The use of computer aided manufacturing software enables students to design and plan machining operations virtually to obtain a computer numeric control (CNC) program for the manufacture of a component with a CNC machine tool. Finally, students perform a quality control of the component by employing a range of measurement techniques. This training program is integrated into the subjects of the mechanical engineering degree, where students can work with these tools in line with an intergraded curriculum.

Metrology of Surfaces Applied to the Electrochemical Polishing Process

This study presents an integrated approach to the teaching of surface metrology and the regulation of electrochemical polishing process control parameters. The electropolishing processes permits different ranges of surface finish through different combinations of the process parameters of current density (J) and electropolishing time (t), and students must have a sound knowledge of the procedure for selecting filters (λs, λc, λf). Thus, experimental trials are undertaken to establish the influence of current density (J) and electropolishing time (t) on surface finish by measuring the arithmetic average roughness parameter (Ra), and setting the filters and measurement procedure for each range of surface finish. The integrated learning of both disciplines enables students to consolidate their knowledge on the methodology for measuring surface roughness (Ra), and to establish direct correlations between variation in process control parameters and the surface finish obtained by characterizing the behaviour of the process.

A Tool Wear Monitoring System for Steel and Aluminium Alloys Based on the same Sensor Signals and Decision Strategy

This paper presents a tool wear monitoring system that uses the same signals and prediction strategy for monitoring the machining process of different materials, i.e., a steel and an aluminium alloy. It is an important requirement for a monitoring system to be applied in real applications. Experiments have been performed on a lathe over a range of different cutting conditions, and TiN coated tools were used. The monitoring signals used are the AC feed drive motor current and the cutting vibrations. The geometry tool parameters used as inputs are the tool angle and the radius. The performance of the proposed system was validated against different experiments. In particular, different tests were performed using different numbers of experiments obtaining a rmse for tool wear estimation of 17.63 μm and 13.45 μm for steel and aluminium alloys respectively.

Surface Roughness Obtained With And Without The Use Of A Mechanical Spindle Speeder In Milling: A Comparative Study

In this paper a comparative study between the surface roughness obtained in a milling process and in the same process using a mechanical spindle speeder with aluminum workpieces is presented. Mechanical spindle speeders are one of the cheapest solutions to upgrade a conventional machine tool to high‐speed machining. The two machining processes were made under the same cutting conditions, covering a wide range of the cutting conditions with all the experiments. The surface roughness (Ra) is the value measured to obtain the comparative between the two machining operations. It must be noted that when the cutting speed is low (less than 6000 rpm), independently of the feed rate, the surface roughness obtained with the spindle speeder is higher. Nevertheless, the surface roughness is less at higher values of the tool cutting speed when the spindle speeder is used for machining. As result, the optimal cutting conditions for the use of mechanical spindle speeders are determined.