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In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and environmental crises, ventilation plays a critical role in the removal of infectious pathogens. A building ventilation paradigm results in excessive energy consumption to ensure indoor air quality. At the time of writing this paper, several studies have been conducted regarding COVID-19 and ventilation; however, the energy challenges of ventilation operation under the pandemic condition has not been fully addressed by previous studies. This paper is based on a literature review of publications, using an internet-based search in different scientific databases. A data-driven keyword analysis on bibliographic data was performed based on English-language textual data of more than 267 publications downloaded from Dimensions website and using VOSviewer, a freely available software tool for analysing bibliographic data. Via analysis of co-occurrence of the specific terms in the field of COVID-19 ventilation, the trends in research publications were illustrated. The study aims to review the scientific literature of the indoor spread of SARS-CoV-2; clarify the effect of ventilation systems on airborne transmission of the virus; identify the impacts of COVID-19 mitigation measures on the energy consumption of mechanical ventilation systems; define the research gaps and future challenges. This investigation reveals a strong need for more scientific studies in reduction of the transmission risks of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through ventilation systems without compromising buildings’ energy performance. The implications of this study will establish a foundation for engineering control strategies and future energy-targeted investigations for virus transmission reduction and the enhancement of indoor air quality., CLIMA 2022 conference, 2022: CLIMA 2022 The 14th REHVA HVAC World Congress

Carbon neutral operations are becoming important owing to tightening of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions restrictions and increasing social corporate responsibility. Circular economy and total site integration are current hot topics, requiring resource-efficient industrial processes; this can be achieved with waste heat transfer and process integration. This study comprises a systematic mapping of research into waste heat transfer across total sites, with the goal of providing a structured overview of the research area to identify and quantify existing research. Fiive research questions are used to determine the publication landscape; the distribution of research categories, themes, modelling methodologies (Pinch, mathematical optimisation, hybrid); and the quantifiable benefits of waste heat transfer in terms of utility reduction, based on case studies. This work is expected to benefit researchers in understanding the research patterns and directions of total site heat integration, and in identifying the research gaps. Future work includes using the identified popular graphical modelling method of Pinch analysis for process integration of a medical device manufacturing site.

The exponential increase in data produced in recent times has had a profound impact in all areas of society. In the field of industrial engineering, the knowledge produced by this newly obtained data is driving business forward. Automating the process of capturing data from industrial machines, analyzing it and using the knowledge gained to make better decisions for the machines is the crux of the digital twin. Digital twins uncover a wealth of knowledge about the physical asset they duplicate. Sensor technology, Internet of Things platforms, information and communication technology and smart analytics allow the digital twin to transform a physical asset into a connected smart item that is now part of a cyber physical system and that is far more valuable than when it existed in isolation. The digital twin can be adopted by the maintenance engineering industry to aid in the prediction of issues before they occur thus creating value for the business. This thesis discusses the introduction of a maintenance digital twin to a large-scale manufacturing facility. Issues that hamper such work are discovered and categorized to highlight the difficulty of the practical installation of this concept. The work here highlights the difficulties when working on digital systems in manufacturing facilities and how this isn’t discussed in journal articles and the disconnect between academia and industry on this topic. To aid in the installation, a digital twin framework is created that simplifies the digital twin development process into steps that can be completed independently. Work on implementing this framework is commenced and early successes highlight the benefit of sensoring critical assets. The payback of the initial practical work is immediate, and it presents a promising outlook for the iterative development of a maintenance digital twin using the framework. The thesis’ work highlights the benefit in reducing project scale and complexity and hence risk for digital systems in manufacturing facilities by following the framework developed. The later part of the thesis discusses machine learning and how this AI topic can be integrated into the digital twin to allow the digital asset to fulfill its potential.

In recent years manufacturing industries have moved towards Smart Manufacturing, to achieve improved efficiency and production targets. Part of this innovation of current processes includes digitisation and improving access to machine information, usually through the introduction of new technology to assist with this transition. In order to maintain smooth processes and uninterrupted production, various information sources must be available on the factory floor. This project aims to provide a proof of concept for digitisation and access to necessary information during Pulse Walks. The methodology used to develop this tool is discussed. Observations during Pulse Walks were used to highlight the areas that this could be applied to, and a survey was used to determine the most useful information sources to include. Another aspect of this project is to introduce a method of digitally storing issues discussed during the Pulse Walk, to highlight recurring issues and problematic areas. This was developed to be used as part of the tool during Pulse Walks. This research will present a proof of concept for an app that will act as a digital information hub for accessing information and logging issues from the Pulse Walks. The use cases for this tool have been deliberated and the benefits clearly identified. This tool can assist with tracking recurring issues, using previously logged issues to create a historical database. The issue logging dashboard can be used for investigating reasons for machine downtime. This tool aims to improve production efficiency for a manufacturing line in a factory through issue tracking.