Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida

Bio: Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida is an academic researcher from University of Porto. The author has contributed to research in topics: Thermal comfort & Thermography. The author has an hindex of 17, co-authored 109 publications receiving 1073 citations. Previous affiliations of Ricardo M.S.F. Almeida include Polytechnic Institute of Viseu.

Building information modeling for energy retrofitting – A review

Abstract: Building Information Modeling (BIM), as a rising technology in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, has been applied to various research topics from project planning, structural design, facility management, among others. Furthermore, with the increasing demand for energy efficiency, the AEC industry requires an expeditious energy retrofit of the existing building stock to successfully achieve the 2020 Energy Strategy targets. As such, this article seeks to survey the recent developments in the energy efficiency of buildings, combining energy retrofitting and the technological capabilities of BIM, providing a critical exposition in both engineering and energy domains. The result is a thorough review of the work done by other authors in relevant fields, comprising the entire spectrum from on-site data acquisition, through the generation of Building Energy Models (BEM), data transfer to energy analysis software and, finally, the identification of major issues throughout this process. Additionally, a BIM-based methodology centered on the acquired knowledge is presented. Solutions for as-built data acquisition such as laser scanning and infrared thermography, and on-site energy tests that benefit the acquisition of energy-related data are explored. The most predominant BIM software regarding not only energy analysis but also model development is examined. In addition, interoperability restrictions between BIM and energy analysis software are addressed using the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and Green Building Extensible Markup Language (gbXML) schemes. Lastly, the article argues the future innovations in this subject, predicting future trends and challenges for the industry.

Parametric study of double-skin facades performance in mild climate countries

Abstract: The application of double-skin facades is an interesting technical solution but, at the same time, highly affected by the climatic conditions of the building location Southern European countries are characterized by relevant solar gains that play a major role in the performance of double-skin facades In this work, a parametric study is carried out to systematically assess the impact, in the building performance, of geometry, airflow path, cavity depth, openings area and type of glazing The study is based in numerical simulations using DesignBuilder/EnergyPlus, taking advantage of the available CFD module for a better insight on the relevant energy transfer phenomena It was found that the most important aspect for the efficiency of a double-skin facade is the airflow path and the most efficient geometry was the multi-storey double-skin facade, presenting, in average, 30% less HVAC related energy demands Internal gains proved to be one of the key factors for the building's energy performance and facade orientation can represent a difference of up to 40% in energy demand between north and southern oriented facades

The fluid mechanics of natural ventilation

Abstract: Natural ventilation of buildings is the flow generated by temperature differences and by the wind. The governing feature of this flow is the exchange between an interior space and the external ambient. Although the wind may often appear to be the dominant driving mechanism, in many circumstances temperature variations play a controlling feature on the ventilation since the directional buoyancy force has a large influence on the flow patterns within the space and on the nature of the exchange with the outside. Two forms of ventilation are discussed: mixing ventilation, in which the interior is at an approximately uniform temperature, and displacement ventilation, where there is strong internal stratification. The dynamics of these buoyancy-driven flows are considered, and the effects of wind on them are examined. The aim behind this work is to give designers rules and intuition on how air moves within a building; the research reveals a fascinating branch of fluid mechanics.

A review of uncertainty analysis in building energy assessment

Abstract: Uncertainty analysis in building energy assessment has become an active research field because a number of factors influencing energy use in buildings are inherently uncertain. This paper provides a systematic review on the latest research progress of uncertainty analysis in building energy assessment from four perspectives: uncertainty data sources, forward and inverse methods, application of uncertainty analysis, and available software. First, this paper describes the data sources of uncertainty in building performance analysis to provide a firm foundation for specifying variations of uncertainty factors affecting building energy. The next two sections focus on the forward and inverse methods. Forward uncertainty analysis propagates input uncertainty through building energy models to obtain variations of energy use, whereas inverse uncertainty analysis infers unknown input factors through building energy models based on energy data and prior information. For forward analysis, three types of approaches (Monte Carlo, non-sampling, and non-probabilistic) are discussed to provide sufficient choices of uncertainty methods depending on the purpose and specific application of a building project. For inverse analysis, recent research has concentrated more on Bayesian computation because Bayesian inverse methods can make full use of prior information on unknown variables. Fourth, several applications of uncertainty analysis in building energy assessment are discussed, including building stock analysis, HVAC system sizing, variations of sensitivity indicators, and optimization under uncertainty. Moreover, the software for uncertainty analysis is described to provide flexible computational environments for implementing uncertainty methods described in this review. This paper concludes with the trends and recommendations for further research to provide more convenient and robust uncertainty analysis of building energy. Uncertainty analysis has been ready to become the mainstream approach in building energy assessment although a number of issues still need to be addressed.

Thermal comfort in educational buildings: A review article

Abstract: In modern societies people spend over 90% of their time indoors. Students spending more time at school than any other building except at home highlights the importance of providing comfortable indoor thermal conditions in these buildings. Thermal comfort since has been related to productivity and well-being and energy conservation in schools, has gained importance in recent years. This paper presents an overview of thermal comfort field surveys in educational buildings over the last five decades. The studies are reviewed in two sections; the first covering the field study methodologies including the objective and subjective surveys, and the second reviewing study results based on the climate zone, educational stage, and the applied thermal comfort approach. Confounding parameters have been discussed to outline priorities for the future research agenda in this field. Reviewed studies have assessed the thermal environment in classrooms compared to common thermal comfort standards. Most of the studies concluded that students׳ thermal preferences were not in the comfort range provided in the standards. Ventilation as an essential determinant of indoor air quality and thermal comfort has been highlighted in most studies. The wide disparity in thermal neutralities underlines the need for micro-level thermal comfort studies.

A review on optimization methods applied in energy-efficient building geometry and envelope design

Abstract: Building envelope parameters and geometric configurations can considerably influence the building energy performance. However, determining the best trade-offs of different building shape and envelope configurations to yield near-optimal design alternatives with respect to their energy performance is not a straight-forward task. Consequently, different methods have been utilized to optimize building envelope parameters and geometric configurations to achieve better energy performance. The objective of this paper is to provide an extensive review of the optimization methods and their application in energy-efficient architectural building design to better identify the potentials and applicability of different optimization methods. This paper reviews the optimization research, where building envelope parameters and geometric configurations are considered remarkably as the optimization independent variable(s) and building energy consumption/demand is included as an objective in the optimization process. The associated derivative-free and derivative-based optimization methods and their application in energy-efficient building design are included in this review. In addition, decision-making approaches are discussed for multi-objective optimizations. Current optimization tools are demonstrated. Finally, crucial considerations, including limitations and suggestions for the related future studies are concluded.