TY - JOUR A1 - Rupp, Matthias A1 - Rieke, Christian A1 - Handschuh, Nils A1 - Kuperjans, Isabel T1 - Economic and ecological optimization of electric bus charging considering variable electricity prices and CO₂eq intensities JF - Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment N2 - In many cities, diesel buses are being replaced by electric buses with the aim of reducing local emissions and thus improving air quality. The protection of the environment and the health of the population is the highest priority of our society. For the transport companies that operate these buses, not only ecological issues but also economic issues are of great importance. Due to the high purchase costs of electric buses compared to conventional buses, operators are forced to use electric vehicles in a targeted manner in order to ensure amortization over the service life of the vehicles. A compromise between ecology and economy must be found in order to both protect the environment and ensure economical operation of the buses. In this study, we present a new methodology for optimizing the vehicles’ charging time as a function of the parameters CO₂eq emissions and electricity costs. Based on recorded driving profiles in daily bus operation, the energy demands of conventional and electric buses are calculated for the passenger transportation in the city of Aachen in 2017. Different charging scenarios are defined to analyze the influence of the temporal variability of CO₂eq intensity and electricity price on the environmental impact and economy of the bus. For every individual day of a year, charging periods with the lowest and highest costs and emissions are identified and recommendations for daily bus operation are made. To enable both the ecological and economical operation of the bus, the parameters of electricity price and CO₂ are weighted differently, and several charging periods are proposed, taking into account the priorities previously set. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the influence of selected parameters and to derive recommendations for improving the ecological and economic balance of the battery-powered electric vehicle. In all scenarios, the optimization of the charging period results in energy cost savings of a maximum of 13.6% compared to charging at a fixed electricity price. The savings potential of CO₂eq emissions is similar, at 14.9%. From an economic point of view, charging between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. results in the lowest energy costs on average. The CO₂eq intensity is also low in this period, but midday charging leads to the largest savings in CO₂eq emissions. From a life cycle perspective, the electric bus is not economically competitive with the conventional bus. However, from an ecological point of view, the electric bus saves on average 37.5% CO₂eq emissions over its service life compared to the diesel bus. The reduction potential is maximized if the electric vehicle exclusively consumes electricity from solar and wind power. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2020.102293 SN - 1361-9209 VL - 81 IS - Article 102293 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cheenakula, Dheeraja A1 - Hoffstadt, Kevin A1 - Krafft, Simone A1 - Reinecke, Diana A1 - Klose, Holger A1 - Kuperjans, Isabel A1 - Grömping, Markus T1 - Anaerobic digestion of algal–bacterial biomass of an Algal Turf Scrubber system JF - Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery N2 - This study investigated the anaerobic digestion of an algal–bacterial biofilm grown in artificial wastewater in an Algal Turf Scrubber (ATS). The ATS system was located in a greenhouse (50°54′19ʺN, 6°24′55ʺE, Germany) and was exposed to seasonal conditions during the experiment period. The methane (CH4) potential of untreated algal–bacterial biofilm (UAB) and thermally pretreated biofilm (PAB) using different microbial inocula was determined by anaerobic batch fermentation. Methane productivity of UAB differed significantly between microbial inocula of digested wastepaper, a mixture of manure and maize silage, anaerobic sewage sludge, and percolated green waste. UAB using sewage sludge as inoculum showed the highest methane productivity. The share of methane in biogas was dependent on inoculum. Using PAB, a strong positive impact on methane productivity was identified for the digested wastepaper (116.4%) and a mixture of manure and maize silage (107.4%) inocula. By contrast, the methane yield was significantly reduced for the digested anaerobic sewage sludge (50.6%) and percolated green waste (43.5%) inocula. To further evaluate the potential of algal–bacterial biofilm for biogas production in wastewater treatment and biogas plants in a circular bioeconomy, scale-up calculations were conducted. It was found that a 0.116 km2 ATS would be required in an average municipal wastewater treatment plant which can be viewed as problematic in terms of space consumption. However, a substantial amount of energy surplus (4.7–12.5 MWh a−1) can be gained through the addition of algal–bacterial biomass to the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater treatment and subsequent energy production through algae show dominancy over conventional technologies. KW - Biogas KW - Methane KW - Algal Turf Scrubber KW - Algal–bacterial bioflm KW - Circular bioeconomy Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-022-03236-z SN - 2190-6823 N1 - Corresponding author: Dheeraja Cheenakula VL - 13 SP - 15 Seiten PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schüller-Ruhl, Aaron A1 - Dinstühler, Leonard A1 - Senger, Thorsten A1 - Bergfeld, Stefan A1 - Ingenhag, Christian A1 - Fleischhaker, Robert ED - Mackenzie, Jacob T1 - Direct fabrication of arbitrary phase masks in optical glass via ultra-short pulsed laser writing of refractive index modifications JF - Applied Physics B N2 - We study the possibility to fabricate an arbitrary phase mask in a one-step laser-writing process inside the volume of an optical glass substrate. We derive the phase mask from a Gerchberg–Saxton-type algorithm as an array and create each individual phase shift using a refractive index modification of variable axial length. We realize the variable axial length by superimposing refractive index modifications induced by an ultra-short pulsed laser at different focusing depth. Each single modification is created by applying 1000 pulses with 15 μJ pulse energy at 100 kHz to a fixed spot of 25 μm diameter and the focus is then shifted axially in steps of 10 μm. With several proof-of-principle examples, we show the feasibility of our method. In particular, we identify the induced refractive index change to about a value of Δn=1.5⋅10−3. We also determine our current limitations by calculating the overlap in the form of a scalar product and we discuss possible future improvements. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-022-07928-2 SN - 1432-0649 (Online) SN - 0946-2171 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Robert Fleischhaker VL - 128 IS - Article number: 208 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steuer-Dankert, Linda A1 - Sharma, Mamta Rameshwarlal A1 - Bleck, Wolfgang A1 - Leicht-Scholten, Carmen T1 - Diversity and innovation management in large research groups JF - International Journal of Innovation Management N2 - Contemporary research appreciates a diverse workforce as a potential source of innovation. Researchers explore the fine details of why diversity management is central for generating innovations in heterogeneous research groups and how it could be effectively implemented into organizations. Complex research associations that discuss topics with a high impact on society increasingly address the necessity of establishing a diverse workforce to confront the challenges of tomorrow. Characterized by complex management structures as well as hierarchies, research associations have not been a subject of investigation until now. For this reason, the presented research project aims to develop a diversity and innovation management strategy with the ultimate goal of inducing change in the corporate culture. The proposed approach consisted of six phases; the first two phases investigated the status quo of diversity in the existing organizational structures of member institutes and the variety of particular working cultures within the research association. The third and the fourth phases utilized qualitative and quantitative studies. The third phase focused on the connection of management level to diversity and innovation, and the need for diversity and innovation management, and tailor-made methods of implementing them. The first three phases have been accomplished successfully; preliminary results are already available. The fourth phase will mainly focus on exploring the mind-set of the employees. The fifth phase will consolidate the findings in the first four phases into an implementable strategy. The final phase will address the implementation of this strategy into the organization. Phases 4 to 6 have not yet been undertaken KW - diversity management KW - innovation management KW - research association KW - change management KW - engineering Y1 - 2017 SN - 1757-5877 VL - 5 IS - 2 SP - 49 EP - 72 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steuer-Dankert, Linda A1 - Gilmartin, Shannon K. A1 - Muller, Carol B. A1 - Dungs, Carolin A1 - Sheppard, Sheri A1 - Leicht-Scholten, Carmen T1 - Expanding engineering limits : a concept for socially responsible education of engineers JF - The international journal of engineering education Y1 - 2019 SN - 0949-149X VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 658 EP - 673 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Srivastava, A. A1 - Chahar, V. A1 - Sharma, V. A1 - Sun, Y. A1 - Bol, R. A1 - Knolle, F. A1 - Schnug, E. A1 - Hoyler, Friedrich A1 - Naskar, N. A1 - Lahiri, S. A1 - Patnaik, R. T1 - Study of uranium toxicity using low-background gamma-ray spectrometry JF - Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-017-5466-9 SN - 1588-2780 IS - Online first SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Springer CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph A1 - Röger, Marc A1 - Schwarzbözl, Peter A1 - Buck, Reiner A1 - Macke, Ansgar A1 - Raeder, Christian A1 - Göttsche, Joachim T1 - Review of heliostat calibration and tracking control methods JF - Solar Energy N2 - Large scale central receiver systems typically deploy between thousands to more than a hundred thousand heliostats. During solar operation, each heliostat is aligned individually in such a way that the overall surface normal bisects the angle between the sun’s position and the aim point coordinate on the receiver. Due to various tracking error sources, achieving accurate alignment ≤1 mrad for all the heliostats with respect to the aim points on the receiver without a calibration system can be regarded as unrealistic. Therefore, a calibration system is necessary not only to improve the aiming accuracy for achieving desired flux distributions but also to reduce or eliminate spillage. An overview of current larger-scale central receiver systems (CRS), tracking error sources and the basic requirements of an ideal calibration system is presented. Leading up to the main topic, a description of general and specific terms on the topics heliostat calibration and tracking control clarifies the terminology used in this work. Various figures illustrate the signal flows along various typical components as well as the corresponding monitoring or measuring devices that indicate or measure along the signal (or effect) chain. The numerous calibration systems are described in detail and classified in groups. Two tables allow the juxtaposition of the calibration methods for a better comparison. In an assessment, the advantages and disadvantages of individual calibration methods are presented. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.06.030 VL - 207 SP - 110 EP - 132 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Keller, Johannes A1 - Rath, Volker A1 - Bruckmann, Johanna A1 - Mottaghy, Darius A1 - Clauser, Christoph A1 - Wolf, Andreas A1 - Seidler, Ralf A1 - Bücker, H. Martin A1 - Klitzsch, Norbert T1 - SHEMAT-Suite: An open-source code for simulating flow, heat and species transport in porous media JF - SoftwareX N2 - SHEMAT-Suite is a finite-difference open-source code for simulating coupled flow, heat and species transport in porous media. The code, written in Fortran-95, originates from geoscientific research in the fields of geothermics and hydrogeology. It comprises: (1) a versatile handling of input and output, (2) a modular framework for subsurface parameter modeling, (3) a multi-level OpenMP parallelization, (4) parameter estimation and data assimilation by stochastic approaches (Monte Carlo, Ensemble Kalman filter) and by deterministic Bayesian approaches based on automatic differentiation for calculating exact (truncation error-free) derivatives of the forward code. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2020.100533 SN - 2352-7110 VL - 12 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nobis, Moritz A1 - Schmitt, Carlo A1 - Schemm, Ralf A1 - Schnettler, Armin T1 - Pan-European CVAR-constrained stochastic unit commitment in day-ahead and intraday electricity markets JF - Energies N2 - The fundamental modeling of energy systems through individual unit commitment decisions is crucial for energy system planning. However, current large-scale models are not capable of including uncertainties or even risk-averse behavior arising from forecasting errors of variable renewable energies. However, risks associated with uncertain forecasting errors have become increasingly relevant within the process of decarbonization. The intraday market serves to compensate for these forecasting errors. Thus, the uncertainty of forecasting errors results in uncertain intraday prices and quantities. Therefore, this paper proposes a two-stage risk-constrained stochastic optimization approach to fundamentally model unit commitment decisions facing an uncertain intraday market. By the nesting of Lagrangian relaxation and an extended Benders decomposition, this model can be applied to large-scale, e.g., pan-European, power systems. The approach is applied to scenarios for 2023—considering a full nuclear phase-out in Germany—and 2035—considering a full coal phase-out in Germany. First, the influence of the risk factors is evaluated. Furthermore, an evaluation of the market prices shows an increase in price levels as well as an increasing day-ahead-intraday spread in 2023 and in 2035. Finally, it is shown that intraday cross-border trading has a significant influence on trading volumes and prices and ensures a more efficient allocation of resources. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/en13092339 SN - 1996-1073 N1 - Special Issue Uncertainties and Risk Management in Competitive Energy Markets VL - 13 IS - Art. 2339 SP - 1 EP - 35 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoffstadt, Kevin A1 - Pohen, Gino D. A1 - Dicke, Max D. A1 - Paulsen, Svea A1 - Krafft, Simone A1 - Zang, Joachim W. A1 - Fonseca-Zang, Warde A. da A1 - Leite, Athaydes A1 - Kuperjans, Isabel T1 - Challenges and prospects of biogas from energy cane as supplement to bioethanol production JF - Agronomy N2 - Innovative breeds of sugar cane yield up to 2.5 times as much organic matter as conventional breeds, resulting in a great potential for biogas production. The use of biogas production as a complementary solution to conventional and second-generation ethanol production in Brazil may increase the energy produced per hectare in the sugarcane sector. Herein, it was demonstrated that through ensiling, energy cane can be conserved for six months; the stored cane can then be fed into a continuous biogas process. This approach is necessary to achieve year-round biogas production at an industrial scale. Batch tests revealed specific biogas potentials between 400 and 600 LN/kgVS for both the ensiled and non-ensiled energy cane, and the specific biogas potential of a continuous biogas process fed with ensiled energy cane was in the same range. Peak biogas losses through ensiling of up to 27% after six months were observed. Finally, compared with second-generation ethanol production using energy cane, the results indicated that biogas production from energy cane may lead to higher energy yields per hectare, with an average energy yield of up to 162 MWh/ha. Finally, the Farm²CBG concept is introduced, showing an approach for decentralized biogas production. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060821 SN - 2073-4395 VL - 10 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heel, Mareike van A1 - Dikta, Gerhard A1 - Braekers, Roel T1 - Bootstrap based goodness‑of‑fit tests for binary multivariate regression models JF - Journal of the Korean Statistical Society N2 - We consider a binary multivariate regression model where the conditional expectation of a binary variable given a higher-dimensional input variable belongs to a parametric family. Based on this, we introduce a model-based bootstrap (MBB) for higher-dimensional input variables. This test can be used to check whether a sequence of independent and identically distributed observations belongs to such a parametric family. The approach is based on the empirical residual process introduced by Stute (Ann Statist 25:613–641, 1997). In contrast to Stute and Zhu’s approach (2002) Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), a transformation is not required. Thus, any problems associated with non-parametric regression estimation are avoided. As a result, the MBB method is much easier for users to implement. To illustrate the power of the MBB based tests, a small simulation study is performed. Compared to the approach of Stute & Zhu (Scandinavian J Statist 29:535–545, 2002), the simulations indicate a slightly improved power of the MBB based method. Finally, both methods are applied to a real data set. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s42952-021-00142-4 SN - 2005-2863 (Online) SN - 1226-3192 (Print) N1 - Corresponding author: Mareike van Heel VL - 51 PB - Springer Nature CY - Singapur ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard T1 - Advances in solar tower technology JF - Wiley interdisciplinary reviews : Energy and Environment : WIREs Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/wene.217 SN - 2041-840X VL - 6 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 19 PB - Wiley CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rupp, Matthias A1 - Handschuh, Nils A1 - Rieke, Christian A1 - Kuperjans, Isabel T1 - Contribution of country-specific electricity mix and charging time to environmental impact of battery electric vehicles: A case study of electric buses in Germany JF - Applied Energy Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.01.059 SN - 0306-2619 VL - 237 SP - 618 EP - 634 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Göttsche, Joachim A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Dümmler, Andreas A1 - Maddineni, S. K. T1 - Multi-Mirror Array Calculations With Optical Error N2 - The optical performance of a 2-axis solar concentrator was simulated with the COMSOL Multiphysics® software. The concentrator consists of a mirror array, which was created using the application builder. The mirror facets are preconfigured to form a focal point. During tracking all mirrors are moved simultaneously in a coupled mode by 2 motors in two axes, in order to keep the system in focus with the moving sun. Optical errors on each reflecting surface were implemented in combination with the solar angular cone of ± 4.65 mrad. As a result, the intercept factor of solar radiation that is available to the receiver was calculated as a function of the transversal and longitudinal angles of incidence. In addition, the intensity distribution on the receiver plane was calculated as a function of the incidence angles. KW - solar process heat KW - concentrating collector KW - raytracing KW - point-focussing system Y1 - 2019 SP - 1 EP - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Butenweg, Christoph A1 - Bursi, Oreste S. A1 - Paolacci, Fabrizio A1 - Marinković, Marko A1 - Lanese, Igor A1 - Nardin, Chiara A1 - Quinci, Gianluca ED - Yang, J. T1 - Seismic performance of an industrial multi-storey frame structure with process equipment subjected to shake table testing JF - Engineering Structures N2 - Past earthquakes demonstrated the high vulnerability of industrial facilities equipped with complex process technologies leading to serious damage of process equipment and multiple and simultaneous release of hazardous substances. Nonetheless, current standards for seismic design of industrial facilities are considered inadequate to guarantee proper safety conditions against exceptional events entailing loss of containment and related consequences. On these premises, the SPIF project -Seismic Performance of Multi-Component Systems in Special Risk Industrial Facilities- was proposed within the framework of the European H2020 SERA funding scheme. In detail, the objective of the SPIF project is the investigation of the seismic behaviour of a representative industrial multi-storey frame structure equipped with complex process components by means of shaking table tests. Along this main vein and in a performance-based design perspective, the issues investigated in depth are the interaction between a primary moment resisting frame (MRF) steel structure and secondary process components that influence the performance of the whole system; and a proper check of floor spectra predictions. The evaluation of experimental data clearly shows a favourable performance of the MRF structure, some weaknesses of local details due to the interaction between floor crossbeams and process components and, finally, the overconservatism of current design standards w.r.t. floor spectra predictions. KW - Multi-storey KW - Frame structure KW - Earthquake KW - Tank KW - Piping Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.112681 SN - 0141-0296 VL - 243 IS - 15 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rossi, Leonardo A1 - Winands, Mark H. M. A1 - Butenweg, Christoph ED - Zhang, Jessica T1 - Monte Carlo Tree Search as an intelligent search tool in structural design problems JF - Engineering with Computers : An International Journal for Simulation-Based Engineering N2 - Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a search technique that in the last decade emerged as a major breakthrough for Artificial Intelligence applications regarding board- and video-games. In 2016, AlphaGo, an MCTS-based software agent, outperformed the human world champion of the board game Go. This game was for long considered almost infeasible for machines, due to its immense search space and the need for a long-term strategy. Since this historical success, MCTS is considered as an effective new approach for many other scientific and technical problems. Interestingly, civil structural engineering, as a discipline, offers many tasks whose solution may benefit from intelligent search and in particular from adopting MCTS as a search tool. In this work, we show how MCTS can be adapted to search for suitable solutions of a structural engineering design problem. The problem consists of choosing the load-bearing elements in a reference reinforced concrete structure, so to achieve a set of specific dynamic characteristics. In the paper, we report the results obtained by applying both a plain and a hybrid version of single-agent MCTS. The hybrid approach consists of an integration of both MCTS and classic Genetic Algorithm (GA), the latter also serving as a term of comparison for the results. The study’s outcomes may open new perspectives for the adoption of MCTS as a design tool for civil engineers. KW - Monte Carlo Tree Search KW - Structural design KW - Artificial intelligence KW - Civil engineering KW - Genetic algorithm Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-021-01338-2 SN - 1435-5663 SN - 0177-0667 VL - 38 IS - 4 SP - 3219 EP - 3236 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Marinković, Marko A1 - Butenweg, Christoph ED - Ford, Michael C. T1 - Experimental testing of decoupled masonry infills with steel anchors for out-of-plane support under combined in-plane and out-of-plane seismic loading JF - Construction and Building Materials N2 - Because of simple construction process, high energy efficiency, significant fire resistance and excellent sound isolation, masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures are very popular in most of the countries in the world, as well as in seismic active areas. However, many RC frame structures with masonry infills were seriously damaged during earthquake events, as the traditional infills are generally constructed with direct contact to the RC frame which brings undesirable infill/frame interaction. This interaction leads to the activation of the equivalent diagonal strut in the infill panel, due to the RC frame deformation, and combined with seismically induced loads perpendicular to the infill panel often causes total collapses of the masonry infills and heavy damages to the RC frames. This fact was the motivation for developing different approaches for improving the behaviour of masonry infills, where infill isolation (decoupling) from the frame has been more intensively studied in the last decade. In-plane isolation of the infill wall reduces infill activation, but causes the need for additional measures to restrain out-of-plane movements. This can be provided by installing steel anchors, as proposed by some researchers. Within the framework of European research project INSYSME (Innovative Systems for Earthquake Resistant Masonry Enclosures in Reinforced Concrete Buildings) the system based on a use of elastomers for in-plane decoupling and steel anchors for out-of-plane restrain was tested. This constructive solution was tested and deeply investigated during the experimental campaign where traditional and decoupled masonry infilled RC frames with anchors were subjected to separate and combined in-plane ‬and out-of-plane loading. Based on a detailed evaluation and comparison of the test results, the performance and effectiveness of the developed system are illustrated. KW - Masonry infill KW - Reinforced concrete frame KW - Earthquake KW - INSYSME KW - Decoupling Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.126041 SN - 1879-0526 SN - 0950-0618 VL - 318 IS - 1 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maurer, Florian A1 - Rieke, Christian A1 - Schemm, Ralf A1 - Stollenwerk, Dominik T1 - Analysis of an urban grid with high photovoltaic and e-mobility penetration JF - Energies N2 - This study analyses the expected utilization of an urban distribution grid under high penetration of photovoltaic and e-mobility with charging infrastructure on a residential level. The grid utilization and the corresponding power flow are evaluated, while varying the control strategies and photovoltaic installed capacity in different scenarios. Four scenarios are used to analyze the impact of e-mobility. The individual mobility demand is modelled based on the largest German studies on mobility “Mobilität in Deutschland”, which is carried out every 5 years. To estimate the ramp-up of photovoltaic generation, a potential analysis of the roof surfaces in the supply area is carried out via an evaluation of an open solar potential study. The photovoltaic feed-in time series is derived individually for each installed system in a resolution of 15 min. The residential consumption is estimated using historical smart meter data, which are collected in London between 2012 and 2014. For a realistic charging demand, each residential household decides daily on the state of charge if their vehicle requires to be charged. The resulting charging time series depends on the underlying behavior scenario. Market prices and mobility demand are therefore used as scenario input parameters for a utility function based on the current state of charge to model individual behavior. The aggregated electricity demand is the starting point of the power flow calculation. The evaluation is carried out for an urban region with approximately 3100 residents. The analysis shows that increased penetration of photovoltaics combined with a flexible and adaptive charging strategy can maximize PV usage and reduce the need for congestion-related intervention by the grid operator by reducing the amount of kWh charged from the grid by 30% which reduces the average price of a charged kWh by 35% to 14 ct/kWh from 21.8 ct/kWh without PV optimization. The resulting grid congestions are managed by implementing an intelligent price or control signal. The analysis took place using data from a real German grid with 10 subgrids. The entire software can be adapted for the analysis of different distribution grids and is publicly available as an open-source software library on GitHub. KW - distribution grid simulation KW - smart-charging KW - e-mobility Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083380 SN - 1996-1073 N1 - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Advanced Solutions for the Efficient Integration of Electric Vehicles in Electricity Grids" N1 - Corresponding author: Florian Maurer VL - 16 IS - 8 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Morandi, Paolo A1 - Butenweg, Christoph A1 - Breis, Khaled A1 - Beyer, Katrin A1 - Magenes, Guido ED - Ansal, Atilla T1 - Latest findings on the behaviour factor q for the seismic design of URM buildings JF - Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering N2 - Recent earthquakes as the 2012 Emilia earthquake sequence showed that recently built unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings behaved much better than expected and sustained, despite the maximum PGA values ranged between 0.20–0.30 g, either minor damage or structural damage that is deemed repairable. Especially low-rise residential and commercial masonry buildings with a code-conforming seismic design and detailing behaved in general very well without substantial damages. The low damage grades of modern masonry buildings that was observed during this earthquake series highlighted again that codified design procedures based on linear analysis can be rather conservative. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. These q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms which represent recent construction practise in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. Furthermore, considerations on the behaviour factor component due to other sources of overstrength in masonry buildings are presented. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0–3.0 are proposed. KW - Unreinforced masonry buildings KW - Modern constructions KW - Seismic design KW - Linear elastic analysis KW - Behaviour factor q Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-022-01419-7 SN - 1573-1456 SN - 1570-761X VL - 20 IS - 11 SP - 5797 EP - 5848 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Šakić, Bogdan A1 - Marinković, Marko A1 - Butenweg, Christoph A1 - Klinkel, Sven ED - Yang, J. T1 - Influence of slab deflection on the out-of-plane capacity of unreinforced masonry partition walls JF - Engineering Structures N2 - Severe damage of non-structural elements is noticed in previous earthquakes, causing high economic losses and posing a life threat for the people. Masonry partition walls are one of the most commonly used non-structural elements. Therefore, their behaviour under earthquake loading in out-of-plane (OOP) direction is investigated by several researches in the past years. However, none of the existing experimental campaigns or analytical approaches consider the influence of prior slab deflection on OOP response of partition walls. Moreover, none of the existing construction techniques for the connection of partition walls with surrounding reinforced concrete (RC) is investigated for the combined slab deflection and OOP loading. However, the inevitable time-dependent behaviour of RC slabs leads to high values of final slab deflections which can further influence boundary conditions of partition walls. Therefore, a comprehensive study on the influence of slab deflection on the OOP capacity of masonry partitions is conducted. In the first step, experimental tests are carried out. Results of experimental tests are further used for the calibration of the numerical model employed for a parametric study. Based on the results, behaviour under combined loading for different construction techniques is explained. The results show that slab deflection leads either to severe damage or to a high reduction of OOP capacity. Existing practical solutions do not account for these effects. In this contribution, recommendations to overcome the problems of combined slab deflection and OOP loading on masonry partition walls are given. Possible interaction of in-plane (IP) loading, with the combined slab deflection and OOP loading on partition walls, is not investigated in this study. KW - Masonry partition walls KW - Earthquake KW - Out-of-plane capacity KW - Slab deflection Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2022.115342 SN - 0141-0296 VL - 276 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -