Browsing by Author "Parsons, David"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Carbon Brainprint: quantifying the impact of universities on carbon footprint reduction
    (Cranfield University, 2019-02-13 11:37) Parsons, David; Chatterton, Julia; Clements-Croome, Derek; Elmualim, Abbas; Darby, Howard; Yearly, Tom; Davies, Gareth; Wilson, Ian; Ishiyama, Edward
    Universities make tremendous intellectual and technical advances that help other organisations and individuals reduce their own carbon footprints. This is the universities€™ carbon brainprint, and measuring this allows universities to quantify the impact of their research, innovation and knowledge transfer activities on cutting global GHG emissions. It provides further endorsement of the value of investing in universities such as Cranfield to address the challenge of global warming. The initial project developed a set of approaches to estimating the carbon brainprint of an activity, such as research, development, consultancy or training. These were applied to six case studies from Cranfield, Cambridge and Reading Universities, which demonstrated the large impact that higher education institutions can have. A summary of the final report is attached, as well as a summary of each of the six case studies: 1. Ceramic coatings for jet engine turbine blades, Cranfield University and Rolls-Royce. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. 2. Novel offshore vertical axis wind turbines, Cranfield University and Energy Technologies Institute. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. 3. Improved delivery vehicle logistics, Cranfield University and Defra. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. 4. Training for landfill gas inspectors, Cranfield University and Environment Agency. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. 5. Intelligent buildings, University of Reading and HEFCE. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. 6. Optimising defouling schedules for oil-refinery preheat trains, University of Cambridge and EPSRC. Summary pdf attached; read full case study. Additional project outputs are: - The final report at http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/6805. - The guidance on calculating brainprints at http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8236. - The 2015 paper €˜Carbon brainprint €“ An estimate of the intellectual contribution of research institutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions€™ published in Process Safety and Environmental Protection 96, 74€“81. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2015.04.008. - The 5min35 summary video of the project at https://youtu.be/9GSjDaWO9dQ. The Carbon Brainprint project was highly commended at the 2011 Green Gown Awards in the research category.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Development of a Bayesian network based hybrid-decision support process for potable water management in the context of the water framework directive
    (Cranfield University, 2012-09) Jackson, Kate; Howsam, Peter; Parsons, David; Jeffrey, Paul
    Uncertain and complex environmental legislation governing the management of water resources has presented significant challenges to those responsible for identifying investment options to manage potable water supplies. This study aimed to develop a decision support process to enable a UK water company to understand and characterise the complex and uncertain implications of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) on the management of potable water supply. A flexible, exploratory and participatory approach was adopted, and included a central reference group comprised of managers representing different departments within the water company. Semi-structured interviews, informal discussions, focus groups, field visits, water company data, academic and legislative documentation, as well as UK water sector literature and observations by the researcher provided data which informed the criteria for and the population of a new Bayesian Network (BN) based Hybrid-Decision Support Process (Hybrid-DSP). Using BNs as a basis for decision support allowed the integration of diverse variables, as well as identifying and representing the relationships between them. The visual representation that BNs provided of the interrelationships between the variables, facilitated organisational learning in relation to the implications of the WFD for potable water management, which led to clearer identification of potential organisational responses. This study demonstrates the practical implications for the use of BNs within a water company in the UK. Furthermore a new BN based Hybrid-DSP has been developed through this study, which offers a systematic and holistic template to identify and analyse water company responses to the implementation of environmental legislation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A framework for assessing robustness of water networks and computational evaluation of resilience
    (Cranfield University, 2016-04) Al-Ameri, Shehab Ahmed; Parsons, David; Judd, Simon J.
    Arid regions tend to take careful measures to ensure water supplies are secured to consumers, to help provide the basis for further development. The distribution network is the most expensive part of the water supply infrastructure and it must maintain performance during unexpected incidents. Many aspects of performance have previously been discussed separately, including reliability, vulnerability, flexibility and resilience. This study aimed to develop a framework to bring together these aspects as found in the literature and industry practice, and bridge the gap between them. Semi-structured interviews with water industry experts were used to examine the presence and understanding of robustness factors. Thematic analysis was applied to investigate these and inform a conceptual framework including the component and topological levels. Robustness was described by incorporating network reliability and resiliency. The research focused on resiliency as a network-level concept derived from flexibility and vulnerability. To utilise this new framework, the study explored graph theory to formulate metrics for flexibility and vulnerability that combine network topology and hydraulics. The flexibility metric combines hydraulic edge betweenness centrality, representing hydraulic connectivity, and hydraulic edge load, measuring utilised capacity. Vulnerability captures the impact of failures on the ability of the network to supply consumers, and their sensitivity to disruptions, by utilising node characteristics, such as demand, population and alternative supplies. These measures together cover both edge (pipe) centric and node (demand) centric perspectives. The resiliency assessment was applied to several literature benchmark networks prior to using a real case network. The results show the benefits of combining hydraulics with topology in robustness analysis. The assessment helps to identify components or sections of importance for future expansion plans or maintenance purposes. The study provides a novel viewpoint overarching the gap between literature and practice, incorporating different critical factors for robust performance.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A framework for assessing robustness of water networks and computational evaluation of resilience.
    (2016-04) Al-Almeri, Shehab Ahmed; Parsons, David; Jude, Simon
    Arid regions tend to take careful measures to ensure water supplies are secured to consumers, to help provide the basis for further development. Water distribution network is the most expensive part of the water supply infrastructure and it must maintain performance during unexpected incidents. Many aspects of performance have previously been discussed separately, including reliability, vulnerability, flexibility and resilience. This study aimed to develop a framework to bring together these aspects as found in the literature and industry practice, and bridge the gap between them. Semi-structured interviews with water industry experts were used to examine the presence and understanding of robustness factors. Thematic analysis was applied to investigate these and inform a conceptual framework including the component and topological levels. Robustness was described by incorporating network reliability and resiliency. The research focused on resiliency as a network-level concept derived from flexibility and vulnerability. To utilise this new framework, the study explored graph theory to formulate metrics for flexibility and vulnerability that combine network topology and hydraulics. The flexibility metric combines hydraulic edge betweenness centrality, representing hydraulic connectivity, and hydraulic edge load, measuring utilised capacity. Vulnerability captures the impact of failures on the ability of the network to supply consumers, and their sensitivity to disruptions, by utilising node characteristics, such as demand, population and alternative supplies. These measures together cover both edge (pipe) centric and node (demand) centric perspectives. The resiliency assessment was applied to several literature benchmark networks prior to using a real case network. The results show the benefits of combining hydraulics with topology in robustness analysis. The assessment helps to identify components or sections of importance for future expansion plans or maintenance purposes. The study provides a novel viewpoint overarching the gap between literature and practice, incorporating different critical factors for robust performance.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Impacts of irrigation and hydroelectric power developments on the Victoria Nile in Uganda
    (Cranfield University, 2009-11) Mutenyo, Isaac B.; Carter, Richard C.; Parsons, David
    This research aimed at increasing the understanding of the water resources of the Victoria Nile basin and assessing the impact of irrigation and hydropower developments on the Victoria Nile under different rainfall regimes. A Bayesian Network constructed with the HUGIN expert researcher software version 6.9 was used as the decision tool. The Network used a mixture of data, information from previous studies and consultation with experts/stakeholders. A network consisting of 21 nodes was developed and run to determine the impacts of different development scenarios. The Victoria Nile basin in Uganda is the first recipient of the river Nile flow as it leaves Lake Victoria. In this basin, there is potential for 5 large hydroelectric power plants and the basin consists of 70% of the irrigation potential in Uganda and yet it is one of the most lacking in hydrological data in the Nile basin. Further downstream of this basin are two riparian states, Egypt and Sudan which according to the prevailing legislation on the use of the Nile share amongst themselves the entire river flow. The research shows that Irrigation and hydropower developments have modest effects on lake levels and river flows exiting the basin. Rainfall occurrence on the other hand has the largest effect on the lake levels and Victoria Nile river flow exiting the basin. It is shown that in situations of very high water demand, which occurs when annual rainfall is less than 1,200 mm, full irrigation potential is utilized and all 5 hydroelectric power plants are developed, irrigation water need is not more than 7% of the Nile flow from the basin. The effects of hydropower plants are manifested mainly in the socioeconomic impacts in their vicinity, which are found to be large and to increase with the number of plants developed. The current mode of operation of outflows from Lake Victoria which is based on an international agreement between Uganda and Egypt is a satisfactory means of control only during moderate rainfall events and lake levels. However, for extreme conditions of lake levels outside the range of 10.8-11.6 m it is inadequate under increasing demands of hydroelectric power generation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Water Framework Directive Article 7, The Drinking Water Directive and European Pesticide Regulation: impacts on diffuse pesticide pollution, potable water decision making and catchment management strategy
    (Cranfield University, 2013-10) Dolan, Tom; Parsons, David; Howsam, Peter; Whelan, Michael J.; Varga, Liz
    The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) promotes increased awareness of catchment processes and challenges the established dependence on a ‘treatment-led approach’ for the supply of European Drinking Water Directive (DWD) compliant potable water. In particular, WFD Article 7 promotes a ‘prevention-led approach’ to DWD compliance, based on pollution prevention at source to reduce investment in new treatment. In this context the challenge of preventing diffuse pesticide pollution from agricultural sources is significant because metaldehyde (a molluscide) and to a lesser extent the herbicide clopyralid are, despite current treatment, causing DWD non compliance for drinking water in a number of English catchments. Analysis presented here identifies that a successful transition from a ‘treatment-led’ to a ‘prevention-led’ approach will require collective action from, and shared mutual understanding between, a number of stakeholder groups. However, each of these groups has a unique perspective on WFD Article 7 and other elements of the currently uncoordinated legal and voluntary framework for diffuse pesticide pollution prevention. A toolbox of intervention options and a set of criteria to evaluate current catchment management actions are proposed to help the WFD competent authority facilitate WFD Article 7 compliance.Water suppliers need to improve their understanding of the reasons for pesticide use. Through consultation with pesticide agronomists, important drivers of pesticide use, a hierarchy of adaptation options available if a particular pesticide is restricted and key messages for catchment managers and regulators were identified. Based on this foundation a classification system to inform and prioritise water sector decision making for investment in catchment management was developed.Additionally, analysis presented here demonstrates that the DWD standard for pesticides, which determines the level of catchment management required for WFD Article 7 compliance, is not itself consistent with European environmental policy principles, particularly the precautionary principle, and needs to be reviewed.