It is well known that sound absorption and sound transmission properties of open porous materials are highly dependent on their airflow resistance values. Low values of airflow resistance indicate little resistance for air streaming through the porous material and high values are a sign that most of the pores inside the material are closed. The laboratory procedures for measuring airflow resistance have been stan- dardized by several organizations, including ISO and ASTM for both alternate flow and continuous flow. However, practical implementation of these standardized methods could be both complex and expensive. In this work, two indirect alternative measurement procedures were compared against the alternate flow standardized technique. The techniques were tested using three families of eco-friendly sound absorbent materials: recycled polyurethane foams, coconut natural fibres, and recycled polyester fibres. It is found that the values of airflow resistance measured using both alternative methods are very similar. There is also a good correlation between the values obtained through alternative and standardized methods.

Implementing energy transformation through the goal of the more extensive use of renewable energy sources is one of the key tasks on the road to slowing adverse climate change. The pace of this transformation is dependent on both the political decisions and social support for the implemented changes. The indicator of the aforementioned support is the Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy Sources (WTP) declared by residents. The increase of the WTP value influences a more rapid and wider substitution of non-renewable energy sources with renewable energy sources. The goal of this paper is to analyze the determinants of the WTP indicator on the example of residents of Kraków and their perception of the actions aimed at reducing the level of environmental pollution. Research is based on a survey performed on a representative sample of 393 residents of Kraków, Poland. In the surveyed group of residents, the average monthly willingness to pay more for renewable energy was PLN 83.7, i.e. approx. USD 21.47. The WTP differs in a statistically significant manner depending on the type of housing in which the respondents reside. On average, the residents of detached houses or terraced housing declared the WTP value twice as high as the WTP value declared by the residents of apartment buildings or tenement houses.

Fouling is inevitable on the surfaces of industrial equipment, especially on heat-exchanging surfaces in contact with fluids, which causes water pollution and destroys the ecological environment. In this paper, a novel fouling-removal methodology for plate structure based on cavitation by multi-frequency ultrasonic guided waves is proposed, which can remove fouling on stainless steel plates. A numerical simulation method has been developed to study the acoustic pressure distribution on a steel plate. According to the simulation results, the distribution of sound pressure on the plate under triple-frequency excitation is denser and more prone to cavitation than in single-frequency cases and dual-frequency cases, which improves fouling removal rate. The stainless steel plate is immersed in water for the descaling experiment, and the results show that the fouling removal rates of three water-loaded stainless steel plates under different single-frequency excitation seem unsatisfactory. However, the multi-frequency excitation improves the descaling performance and the removal rate of fouling reaches 80%. This new method can be applied to the surface descaling of large equipment plates, which is of great significance for purifying water quality and protecting the ecological environment.

Performance assessment of ejector-expansion vapor compression refrigeration system with eco-friendly R134a alternative refrigerants (R152a, R1234yf, R600a, R600, R290, R161, R32, and propylene) is presented for air-conditioning application. Ejector has been modeled by considering experimental data based correlations of component efficiencies to take care of all irreversibilities. Ejector area ratio has been optimized based on maximum coefficient of performance (COP) for typical air-conditioner operating temperatures. Selected refrigerants have been compared based on area ratio, pressure lift ratio, entrainment ratio, COP, COP improvement and volumetric cooling capacity. Effects of normal boiling point and critical point on the performances have been studied as well. Using ejector as an expansion device, maximum improvement in COP is noted in R1234yf (10.1%), which reduces the COP deviation with R134a (4.5% less in basic cycle and 2.5% less in ejector cycle). Hence, R1234yf seems to be best alternative for ejector expansion system due to its mild flammability and comparable volumetric capacity and cooling COP. refrigerant R161 is superior to R134a in terms of both COP and volumetric cooling capacity, although may be restricted for low capacity application due to its flammability.

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This study provides a comparative analysis of natural nanosilica (NSn), which is an extract of natural silica sand processed into nanosilica with commercial nanosilica (NSc) derived from semiconductor industrial waste, in 80 MPa high performance concrete (HPC). The percentage of using nanosilica is (3%, 5%, 10%, 15%) by weight of cement used directly and combined with 5% silica fume. Analysis was carried out through compressive strength test, durability through permeability test, rapid chloride penetration test (RCPT), and microstructure test through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results of the analysis show that natural nanosilica is equivalent to commercial nanosilica, in applications it is better to use silica fume incorporation. The optimum percentage of using NSn10% and (SF) 5%, while 5% NSc and 5% SF, in these proportions shows the best compressive strength and durability. It’s just that the use of natural nanosilika is 5% more than commercial nanosilika. The benefit of this research is that natural materials such as silica sand with high SiO2 content, can be processed into nanosilica as an advanced material, which can be used as an eco-friendly construction material.