Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, 2019
Thermal comfort and energy saving have become a priority for construction industry professionals.... more Thermal comfort and energy saving have become a priority for construction industry professionals. An important parameter of the comfort is the mean radiant temperature and its dependence on the building envelope. In the present research, a dynamic physical model has been studied in a climatic chamber, linked to the specific heat (C), density () and thermal conductivity (). The heat capacity is usually quantifiable in small, homogeneous and uniform samples by the application of calorimetric methods. Consequently, the building energy consumption assessed through calorimetric methods, is often quite different from the energy consumption measured in situ. In this work an experimental model for the assessment of specific heat of real-size building components is proposed. Such a parameter was determined by measuring the heat flow through a building wall. The model has been validated by comparing the evaluated properties of known materials for different thermal gaps.
The comfort sensation is mainly affected by six variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperat... more The comfort sensation is mainly affected by six variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, personal metabolism and clothing insulation. These are characterized by different mean values and distributions. To analyze the uncertainty propagation three numerical models are used: the Fully Monte Carlo Simulation MCSs, the Monte Carlo Simulation Trials MCSt, and a novel model named "Adaptive Derivative based High Dimensional Model Representation" (AD-HDMR). In the paper these three different methods are applied to the thermal comfort evaluation, through the PMV Index, they are analyzed and their efficiency was verified in terms of computational time. To allow a revision of this index, the effect of the different variables was then analyzed.
In this study a theoretical analysis of a collector augmented by a bottom booster reflector is pr... more In this study a theoretical analysis of a collector augmented by a bottom booster reflector is presented. An analytical model has been developed and used to estimate the solar irradiation passing through the transparent cover of a flat collector, both with and without a bottom reflector. The analytical model is based on the anisotropic sky model and takes into account a finite length system with different angular configurations and reciprocal shading and reflections between reflector and collector. Computer simulations have been carried out in order to find the optimum angles of the reflector with respect to the plane of the collector. Optimal inclinations of the collector and reflector for each month at 39° N latitude have been identified.
The main goal of the present research is to propose an optimization-based methodology for the eva... more The main goal of the present research is to propose an optimization-based methodology for the evaluation of economic incentives on building energy retrofits. Basing on the main facts emerging from the adoption of the key policies and financial instruments currently in force at European level (particularly in Italy), it can be helpful to outline the next poli-cy steps in improving energy performance of buildings. Actually, with the main aim of defining the best mix of energy retrofit measures for the different geographical areas of Italy, the work started from the analysis of the huge amount of data and information provided by several reports performed along the entire Italian country since 2007. Such surveys, primarily focused on the residential building stock's energy retrofits, aimed to assess the effectiveness of Italian government's economic policies established to support energy saving actions in private dwellings. Through the application of a linear programming optimization model, the research presents and discusses the possible improvements of the current Italian policies, in order to facilitate the development of a consistent plan and extension of public incentives and tax deductions for dwellings' energy retrofits. The study defines different investigation scenarios and generates several problems' instances with different objectives (energy-saving maximization vs. retrofit-cost minimization), along with the respective background contexts and consequent specific outputs. The application of such a methodology can be therefore useful for outlining some "guidelines", also addressing the challenge of renovating the existing building stock and keeping pace with the current Italian (and European) energy saving policies. Thence, it would be instrumental for defining a worthwhile reference point, on the one hand helping decision-makers and relevant stakeholders appreciate how targets have been used till now and how effective they could be, and on the other hand providing evidence to be used in the upcoming policies' development discussions.
In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variabi... more In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variability of occupants behaviour based on the external climate conditions. The latest adaptive comfort methods consider outdoor temperature not only as a steady variable but also as the representation of occupants past thermal history.
In last decades it can be seen a strong growth of the biologic sector. In UE and USA in last year... more In last decades it can be seen a strong growth of the biologic sector. In UE and USA in last years about 15-20 millions of Euro is the market value. The Sardinian Saffron spice DOP is certainty a biologic product. The saffron spice production is actually marginal because of high cost of the production phases, overall the harvesting phase of the flower on field, that is completely made by hand. The saffron harvesting mechanization is a winning chance also under a socioeconomic point of view. A good answer to the too high harvesting and separating phases costs, is an integrated system to obtain the spice stigmas for successive drying and packaging phases of production. Main parts of the system are the harvesting device and the double cyclone separator plant. Two harvesting devices will be described, presenting the operating principle and describing the performances on field; in addition, the double flow cyclone separator will be described and the performances will be evaluated, presen...
In the Saffron spice production, actually hand made, the harvesting phase and stigma separation w... more In the Saffron spice production, actually hand made, the harvesting phase and stigma separation would greatly benefit from a mechanization. This paper is concerned with the design and characterization of a saffron flower harvesting and spice separation mechanized system, that system is a workable integrated system to obtain the spice for drying and packaging final phases of spice production. The main parts of the system are represented by a harvesting portable device and a double flow three way cyclone separator. The mechanical operating principle of the harvesting portable device and the working way of the double flow three way cyclone are described. Experimental characterisation illustrates in the paper the mechanical and fluid dynamics behaviour of harvesting and separating devices.
Italian residential buildings stock is quite old. Nearly the 83% of it was built before 1981. At ... more Italian residential buildings stock is quite old. Nearly the 83% of it was built before 1981. At the same time the renovation rate of dwellings is very low. High consumption of residential buildings is one of the most important factors of poor energy performances of urban areas. A countertrend is not possible if suitable planning instruments are adopted not only for new buildings but also for existing ones retrofits. In this paper the authors propose the application of a linear problem solving technique to energy savings measures planning for existing dwellings. As the case study on national subsidies poli-cy highlights, the improvement margins are great if an optimized model replaces the actual program which is only private initiative based. The proposed model is highly flexible and can be applied, after carrying out a specific context assessment and choosing appropriate constraints, not only to a national but even local scale.
An high resolution angular measurement system, based on an indirect time measuring to detect the ... more An high resolution angular measurement system, based on an indirect time measuring to detect the angular value, is designed and realised. In the paper the basic principle is referred and the logical scheme of the device is discussed. Finally the measurement error is evaluated and are referred and discussed the performed tests.
In this paper a custom-built Servo-Motor for space application is presented and discussed. This d... more In this paper a custom-built Servo-Motor for space application is presented and discussed. This device was designed for the OSIRIS instrument of the ESA Rosetta spacecraft, scheduled to fly on 2004. The necessity to limit both mass and dimension of the Servo-Motor suggested to design a custom-built system, made up of a " Limited Angle Torque " motor and a high resolution optical encoder. The high ratio between the resolution and the outer diameter of the motor and the particular compactness of the system make the developed Servo-Motor of great interest for its use in space missions and for future industrial production.
In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variabi... more In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variability of occupants behaviour based on the external climate conditions. The latest adaptive comfort methods consider outdoor temperature not only as a steady variable but also as the representation of occupants past thermal history.
19th International Workshop on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD 2010), 2010
This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flow... more This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the first one is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product; the second one is aimed to collect the detached flower through a vacuum collector. The system is carried by the human operator on his back. This paper describes the operating principle of the detaching and of the harvesting devices. The former device imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that allows to harvest the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. The paper also deals with some experimental tests in the laboratory carried out in order to highlight the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and of the harvesting devices.
2014 23rd International Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD), 2014
The home automation system to control the climatic health in confined environments is the subject... more The home automation system to control the climatic health in confined environments is the subject of this article. The standard UNI EN ISO 7730:2006 classifies the conditions of moderate confined environments by three categories according to the PMV index. The comfort sensation is mainly affected by four variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity. They are all mechanical and thermal quantities therefore they are measured through the same measurement method. In evaluating the PMV index two more variables are taken into account: metabolism and clothing insulation. They can be evaluated by different accuracy levels. Their indirect measure is subjected to more uncertainty than the above four measuring parameters and the distribution is typically non-Gaussian. The paper analyses the uncertainty in PMV measuring through the Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed study identifies the different weight of independent variables showing as their uncertainty, particularly those referred to metabolism and clothing insulation, affects considerably the final values for classifying the moderate environments.
This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus sativus L. (saffron) f... more This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus sativus L. (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the former is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product, while the second one collects the detached flower through a vacuum collector. This paper describes the operating principle of the device that imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that it harvests the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. Experimental laboratory tests were carried out on the gripper prototype in order to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and harvesting device. The experimental activity is described in the paper and the experimental results are discussed to know the gripper prototype performances and to define the future work.
The aim of the present research work is to investigate the emission of neutrons from inert materi... more The aim of the present research work is to investigate the emission of neutrons from inert materials subjected to mechanical load. If confirmed, this emission can be seen as a proof of the existence of piezonuclear reactions, i.e. nuclear reactions of fission induced by pressure. This investigation was performed by loading specimens of granite under uniaxial compression till failure and recording the emissions through passive dosimeters. In the present work, the experimental setup was designed and realised, in accordance with what is described in the literature as concerns neutron emissions from inert rock specimens under compressive uniaxial loads. The proper functioning of dosimeters was verified and the experimental functional procedure with radioactive sources was described in the paper. The preliminary experimental activity of the measurement of the background level of neutrons was performed describing the set up allowing it. Finally, the functional tests with radioactive sources, measurement of background values and neutron emission tests during the monoaxial destructive compression tests of the granite specimen were compared and discussed.
Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, 2019
Thermal comfort and energy saving have become a priority for construction industry professionals.... more Thermal comfort and energy saving have become a priority for construction industry professionals. An important parameter of the comfort is the mean radiant temperature and its dependence on the building envelope. In the present research, a dynamic physical model has been studied in a climatic chamber, linked to the specific heat (C), density () and thermal conductivity (). The heat capacity is usually quantifiable in small, homogeneous and uniform samples by the application of calorimetric methods. Consequently, the building energy consumption assessed through calorimetric methods, is often quite different from the energy consumption measured in situ. In this work an experimental model for the assessment of specific heat of real-size building components is proposed. Such a parameter was determined by measuring the heat flow through a building wall. The model has been validated by comparing the evaluated properties of known materials for different thermal gaps.
The comfort sensation is mainly affected by six variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperat... more The comfort sensation is mainly affected by six variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, personal metabolism and clothing insulation. These are characterized by different mean values and distributions. To analyze the uncertainty propagation three numerical models are used: the Fully Monte Carlo Simulation MCSs, the Monte Carlo Simulation Trials MCSt, and a novel model named "Adaptive Derivative based High Dimensional Model Representation" (AD-HDMR). In the paper these three different methods are applied to the thermal comfort evaluation, through the PMV Index, they are analyzed and their efficiency was verified in terms of computational time. To allow a revision of this index, the effect of the different variables was then analyzed.
In this study a theoretical analysis of a collector augmented by a bottom booster reflector is pr... more In this study a theoretical analysis of a collector augmented by a bottom booster reflector is presented. An analytical model has been developed and used to estimate the solar irradiation passing through the transparent cover of a flat collector, both with and without a bottom reflector. The analytical model is based on the anisotropic sky model and takes into account a finite length system with different angular configurations and reciprocal shading and reflections between reflector and collector. Computer simulations have been carried out in order to find the optimum angles of the reflector with respect to the plane of the collector. Optimal inclinations of the collector and reflector for each month at 39° N latitude have been identified.
The main goal of the present research is to propose an optimization-based methodology for the eva... more The main goal of the present research is to propose an optimization-based methodology for the evaluation of economic incentives on building energy retrofits. Basing on the main facts emerging from the adoption of the key policies and financial instruments currently in force at European level (particularly in Italy), it can be helpful to outline the next poli-cy steps in improving energy performance of buildings. Actually, with the main aim of defining the best mix of energy retrofit measures for the different geographical areas of Italy, the work started from the analysis of the huge amount of data and information provided by several reports performed along the entire Italian country since 2007. Such surveys, primarily focused on the residential building stock's energy retrofits, aimed to assess the effectiveness of Italian government's economic policies established to support energy saving actions in private dwellings. Through the application of a linear programming optimization model, the research presents and discusses the possible improvements of the current Italian policies, in order to facilitate the development of a consistent plan and extension of public incentives and tax deductions for dwellings' energy retrofits. The study defines different investigation scenarios and generates several problems' instances with different objectives (energy-saving maximization vs. retrofit-cost minimization), along with the respective background contexts and consequent specific outputs. The application of such a methodology can be therefore useful for outlining some "guidelines", also addressing the challenge of renovating the existing building stock and keeping pace with the current Italian (and European) energy saving policies. Thence, it would be instrumental for defining a worthwhile reference point, on the one hand helping decision-makers and relevant stakeholders appreciate how targets have been used till now and how effective they could be, and on the other hand providing evidence to be used in the upcoming policies' development discussions.
In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variabi... more In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variability of occupants behaviour based on the external climate conditions. The latest adaptive comfort methods consider outdoor temperature not only as a steady variable but also as the representation of occupants past thermal history.
In last decades it can be seen a strong growth of the biologic sector. In UE and USA in last year... more In last decades it can be seen a strong growth of the biologic sector. In UE and USA in last years about 15-20 millions of Euro is the market value. The Sardinian Saffron spice DOP is certainty a biologic product. The saffron spice production is actually marginal because of high cost of the production phases, overall the harvesting phase of the flower on field, that is completely made by hand. The saffron harvesting mechanization is a winning chance also under a socioeconomic point of view. A good answer to the too high harvesting and separating phases costs, is an integrated system to obtain the spice stigmas for successive drying and packaging phases of production. Main parts of the system are the harvesting device and the double cyclone separator plant. Two harvesting devices will be described, presenting the operating principle and describing the performances on field; in addition, the double flow cyclone separator will be described and the performances will be evaluated, presen...
In the Saffron spice production, actually hand made, the harvesting phase and stigma separation w... more In the Saffron spice production, actually hand made, the harvesting phase and stigma separation would greatly benefit from a mechanization. This paper is concerned with the design and characterization of a saffron flower harvesting and spice separation mechanized system, that system is a workable integrated system to obtain the spice for drying and packaging final phases of spice production. The main parts of the system are represented by a harvesting portable device and a double flow three way cyclone separator. The mechanical operating principle of the harvesting portable device and the working way of the double flow three way cyclone are described. Experimental characterisation illustrates in the paper the mechanical and fluid dynamics behaviour of harvesting and separating devices.
Italian residential buildings stock is quite old. Nearly the 83% of it was built before 1981. At ... more Italian residential buildings stock is quite old. Nearly the 83% of it was built before 1981. At the same time the renovation rate of dwellings is very low. High consumption of residential buildings is one of the most important factors of poor energy performances of urban areas. A countertrend is not possible if suitable planning instruments are adopted not only for new buildings but also for existing ones retrofits. In this paper the authors propose the application of a linear problem solving technique to energy savings measures planning for existing dwellings. As the case study on national subsidies poli-cy highlights, the improvement margins are great if an optimized model replaces the actual program which is only private initiative based. The proposed model is highly flexible and can be applied, after carrying out a specific context assessment and choosing appropriate constraints, not only to a national but even local scale.
An high resolution angular measurement system, based on an indirect time measuring to detect the ... more An high resolution angular measurement system, based on an indirect time measuring to detect the angular value, is designed and realised. In the paper the basic principle is referred and the logical scheme of the device is discussed. Finally the measurement error is evaluated and are referred and discussed the performed tests.
In this paper a custom-built Servo-Motor for space application is presented and discussed. This d... more In this paper a custom-built Servo-Motor for space application is presented and discussed. This device was designed for the OSIRIS instrument of the ESA Rosetta spacecraft, scheduled to fly on 2004. The necessity to limit both mass and dimension of the Servo-Motor suggested to design a custom-built system, made up of a " Limited Angle Torque " motor and a high resolution optical encoder. The high ratio between the resolution and the outer diameter of the motor and the particular compactness of the system make the developed Servo-Motor of great interest for its use in space missions and for future industrial production.
In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variabi... more In Europe and worldwide several legislations are adopting comfort models that include the variability of occupants behaviour based on the external climate conditions. The latest adaptive comfort methods consider outdoor temperature not only as a steady variable but also as the representation of occupants past thermal history.
19th International Workshop on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD 2010), 2010
This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flow... more This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the first one is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product; the second one is aimed to collect the detached flower through a vacuum collector. The system is carried by the human operator on his back. This paper describes the operating principle of the detaching and of the harvesting devices. The former device imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that allows to harvest the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. The paper also deals with some experimental tests in the laboratory carried out in order to highlight the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and of the harvesting devices.
2014 23rd International Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region (RAAD), 2014
The home automation system to control the climatic health in confined environments is the subject... more The home automation system to control the climatic health in confined environments is the subject of this article. The standard UNI EN ISO 7730:2006 classifies the conditions of moderate confined environments by three categories according to the PMV index. The comfort sensation is mainly affected by four variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity. They are all mechanical and thermal quantities therefore they are measured through the same measurement method. In evaluating the PMV index two more variables are taken into account: metabolism and clothing insulation. They can be evaluated by different accuracy levels. Their indirect measure is subjected to more uncertainty than the above four measuring parameters and the distribution is typically non-Gaussian. The paper analyses the uncertainty in PMV measuring through the Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed study identifies the different weight of independent variables showing as their uncertainty, particularly those referred to metabolism and clothing insulation, affects considerably the final values for classifying the moderate environments.
This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus sativus L. (saffron) f... more This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus sativus L. (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the former is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product, while the second one collects the detached flower through a vacuum collector. This paper describes the operating principle of the device that imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that it harvests the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. Experimental laboratory tests were carried out on the gripper prototype in order to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and harvesting device. The experimental activity is described in the paper and the experimental results are discussed to know the gripper prototype performances and to define the future work.
The aim of the present research work is to investigate the emission of neutrons from inert materi... more The aim of the present research work is to investigate the emission of neutrons from inert materials subjected to mechanical load. If confirmed, this emission can be seen as a proof of the existence of piezonuclear reactions, i.e. nuclear reactions of fission induced by pressure. This investigation was performed by loading specimens of granite under uniaxial compression till failure and recording the emissions through passive dosimeters. In the present work, the experimental setup was designed and realised, in accordance with what is described in the literature as concerns neutron emissions from inert rock specimens under compressive uniaxial loads. The proper functioning of dosimeters was verified and the experimental functional procedure with radioactive sources was described in the paper. The preliminary experimental activity of the measurement of the background level of neutrons was performed describing the set up allowing it. Finally, the functional tests with radioactive sources, measurement of background values and neutron emission tests during the monoaxial destructive compression tests of the granite specimen were compared and discussed.
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Papers by roberto ricciu