Browsing University of Galway Theses (PhD Theses) by Subject "Civil engineering"
Now showing items 1-20 of 21
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Assessment of environmental compliance of waterbodies through integration of monitoring and modelling
(2016-09-30)Design of water quality monitoring networks in estuarine and coastal waters is hampered by a lack of a clear methodology. Monitoring networks are designed on an ad-hoc basis supported by experts in the area. Guidance on ... -
Biodiversity and performance of constructed wetlands; a comparison with natural wetlands
(NUI Galway, 2018-07-03)Natural wetlands (NWs) are one of the most economically and ecologically important habitats on Earth, currently comprising about 6% of the world’s surface area. They provide many ecosystem services including the supply of ... -
Building envelope thermal bridging heat loss assessment using infrared thermography
(NUI Galway, 2018-07-25)Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use is necessary to stop the progress of climate warming, which may have a serious impact on the human environment and the ecosystem. To achieve this reduction, it is essential ... -
Characterisation and testing of carbon fibre PEEK for linerless composite cryogenic storage tanks
(NUI Galway, 2020-05-07)Cryogenic storage tanks, also known ’cryotanks’, are an important component of space launch vehicles. Cryotanks can form an integral part of the overall structure of the launch vehicle and also represent a significant ... -
Combined zeolite and chemical amendments mixed with agricultural wastes to reduce surface and leaching losses of nutrients and greenhouse gas emissions, and biofilter treatment of dairy soiled water
(2017-05-08)Agricultural activity is a major source of nutrient emissions to surface and ground waters and a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Despite legislation to improve terrestrial water quality, prescribed ... -
Design of fibre-reinforced polymer composite blades for wind and tidal turbines
(2017-09)There is substantial opportunity in the development of wind and tidal current turbines to help decarbonise national energy systems and to expand the economic potential of the European Union. However, well-documented cases ... -
Development of a nested 3D hydrodynamic model for tidal turbine impact assessment
(2016-05-12)Tidal current energy resources have the potential to provide a sizable proportion of our future energy requirements. However, significant questions still exist on the impacts of tidal turbines on the hydrodynamic environment. ... -
Development of a tidal flow model for optimisation of tidal turbine arrays
(2018-02-19)Tidal current turbines have the potential to provide a proportion of global energy requirements. Installations to date have been singular test devices but commercial application will involve multiple devices deployed in ... -
Development of filtration technologies for effective, cost-efficient and robust water treatment
(2016-08-12)The provision of high quality, potable water in a sustainable and effective manner is a key challenge for water engineers, scientists, and policy makers. Urbanisation and industrial development, along with population ... -
Development of new benchmarking systems for wastewater treatment facilities
(2017-06-30)In the European Union, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) of 1991 sets out the requirements for the collection, treatment and discharge of wastewater, to protect the environment from the adverse effects of ... -
An investigation of the viscoelastic and mechano-sorptive creep behaviour of reinforced timber elements
(2016-12-15)The reinforcement of timber using fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) rods or plates is widely accepted as an effective method of increasing the strength and stiffness of members. Across Europe, this technology has been used, ... -
Investigations into assimilating high-frequency radar data into a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of a wind-dominated coastal water body
(2015-10)Accurate forecasting of surface currents in coastal waters is of great importance for operations such as search and rescue operations and marine energy extraction. Numerical models and measurements are two powerful ... -
Novel methods for the planning and design of greenways for cycling
(2016-05-12)There is a crisis in transport internationally as the continuing proliferation of car-use undermines environment, society and economy. Cycling has gained considerable attention in policy and academia in recent years as one ... -
A numerical modelling investigation of the wave resource at Ireland's wave energy test sites
(2017-09)Ocean wave energy harvesting research and development has grown in recent years and wave energy conversion to electricity using wave energy converters (WECs) on a commercial scale is also becoming more realistic. This ... -
Operational and economic perspectives of pig manure and food waste anaerobic co-digestion
(2017-05-21)On-farm anaerobic co-digestion of pig manure (PM) and food waste (FW) is practiced at commercial scale across the world. However, there is a paucity of information regarding how to optimise such co-digestion systems in ... -
Predicting the long-term performance of low-cost phosphorus-sorbing materials using small-scale adsorption column experiments
(2017-07-31)Anthropogenic phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) inputs to aquatic environments have rapidly increased in magnitude since the middle of the twentieth century, and nutrient pollution has become the primary threat to global ... -
Self-aware buildings: an evaluation framework and implementation technologies for improving building operations
(2015-05-22)Significant advances have been made in developing national and international policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings that address both new construction and retrofitting activities in buildings. ... -
Small-scale and decentralised wastewater treatment plant optimisation through real-time control
(2018-01-15)There is increasing (and sometimes contradictory) demand on operators of small and decentralised wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to improve biological nutrient removal and energy efficiency. However such WWTPs can be ... -
A study of carbonation in stabilised peat
(2016-09-02)In addition to the traditional drivers of cost and timely delivery, embodied energy (EE) and embodied carbon (EC) have emerged as major considerations in all aspects of large construction projects. This is due to stricter ... -
A toolkit for assessing unsaturated soil time lag with respect to Water Framework Directive deadlines
(2016-02-09)Time lag is the delay between the implementation of water quality mitigation measures and observed effects on water quality. This delay arises as a result of the long hydrological/hydrogeological pathways between nutrient ...