João António Esteves Ramos

Computational fluid dynamics: An advanced active tool in environmental management and education

The improvement in the quality of life together with thermal comfort, air quality, health, workplace security and energy conservation measures justify the integral education of environmental (outdoor and/or indoor) phenomena. Environmental education, through the appropriate tool, can play an important and vital role in this domain. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the analysis of systems involving fluid flow, heat transfer and associated phenomena such as distribution of pollutants by means of computer‐based simulation. This technique, allowing the simulation and the visualization of environmental problems, represents a powerful tool to motivate, guide and educate on the environment. The main objective of this paper is to introduce this new advanced active tool in environmental education, directed to indoor‐environment quality, that permits the prediction and visualization of air movement, air temperature and air contaminant (such as tobacco smoke) distribution in rooms. With suitable mathematical models and boundary conditions, a computational code has been developed to predict and visualize these phenomena. In order to demonstrate its applicability, the simulation of air contamination distribution in an office room with a smoker was performed.

Improving occupational health by modelling indoor pollutant distribution

Purpose Indoor environments are characterized by several pollutant sources. Some of these can be sufficiently characterized through the prediction of the airflow and pollutant distribution patterns. The purpose of this study was to simulate, analyze and compare different locations of known pollutant source inside a ventilated room. Design/methodology/approach Computational fluid dynamics modelling approach was used to analyze the prediction of the airflow and pollutant distribution patterns for different locations of known pollutant source inside a ventilated room by mixing ventilation. Findings Distinct areas of poor air quality, perfectly identified by concentration fields, were given. The indoor air quality obtained by the different simulated conditions was analyzed and compared. Research limitations/implications Pollutant concentration was not measured in the validation experiments (qualitative validation based on the velocity fields). Practical implications Once the contaminant concentration fields are calculated based on the source location, the model is very useful to choose the best place to install any pollutant indoor equipment to preserve breathing zones. Originality/value Providing an effective indoor air quality assessment to prevent exposure risk. The results would be useful for making decisions to optimize the design procedure, such as establish the best location to install polluting equipment, occupied areas and their interdependence with ventilation systems. In addition, this tool also helps to choose the best location and correct set point adjustment for the pollutant sensors.

Indoor environment quality: a new challenge for environmental education

Presently, most people are aware that pollution of the external air (atmospheric pollution) is prejudicial to health, but few know that the indoor environment can also have highly noxious effects in human beings. In certain cases indoor pollution even can reach levels higher than about ten times that of external pollution. All over the world there are more and more frequent unpleasant manifestations in relation to indoor Lisboa Codex environment quality. This domain is a new challenge for environmental education, which has a fundamental role in the increment of the quality of life. The main objective of this paper is the relationship among the different environmental parameters, the occupational health and the variety of sensations and states of mind in which satisfaction with the indoor environment is expressed. They are referred to as the several causes of an inadequate indoor environment.

UAV Multiplayer Platform for Real-Time Online Gaming

Real-time online games correspond to a growing market. Besides, the UAV development out of the military context is in a preliminary phase, which opens doors to the development of new solutions in the area. Therefore, a UAV Multiplayer Platform was developed, joining both realities in a single service, which allows to control physical UAV, “anytime, anywhere”, through the Internet. Any user can connect to the proposed service and control a UAV settled in a remote location, for recreational purposes or to test determined conditions (which might be related to the track or the UAV itself). As shown by the results obtained after the implementation of a test scenario, this system is viable and makes a reality with potential and very possible to implement.