Energy Quest 2016

International Conference on Energy Production and Management in the 21st Century

6 - 8 September 2016

Ancona, Italy

Introduction

The 2nd International Conference on Energy Production and Management in the 21st Century: The Quest for Sustainable Energy follows the very successful meeting held in Ekaterinburg in 2014. The aim of the meeting is to discuss the future of energy production and management in a changing world

The objective is to compare conventional energy sources, particularly hydrocarbons, with a number of other ways of producing energy; emphasising new technological developments, based on renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind and geothermal. A key issue is the conversion of new
sustainable sources of energy into useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel), while finding efficient ways of storage and distribution.

In many cases the challenges lie as much with production of such renewable energy at an acceptable cost, including damage to the environment, as with integration of those resources into the existing infrastructure. The changes required to progress from an economy based mainly on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable energy resources are massive and require considerable scientific research as well as the development of advanced engineering systems. Such progress demands close collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions. 

The Conference will also discuss the energy use of industrial processes, including the imbedded energy contents of materials, such as those in the built environment. Energy production, distribution and usage, result in environmental risks which need to be better understood. They are part of the energy economics and relate to human environmental health as well as ecosystems behaviour.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Energy Quest 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Energy policies
• Energy management
• Energy economics
• Energy production
• Energy efficiency
• Energy and the city
• Energy security
• Energy distribution
• Energy networks
• Processing of oil and Gas
• Emissions
• Pipelines
• Renewable energies
• Biomass and biofuels
• Waste to energy
• Energy use in building, industry and transport
• Energy storage
• Energy conversion
• Environmental impact
• Environmental health risk
• Safety management
• Tight energy fields
• Energy and climate change

Find out more on the conference webpage.

AFM 2016

11th International Conference on Advances in Fluid Mechanics

5 - 7 September 2016

Ancona, Italy

Introduction

AFM 2016 is the 11th International Conference on Advances in Fluid Mechanics. The meeting is reconvened following the success of all previous conferences in the series, the first of which took place in New Orleans (1996), followed by Udine (1998); Montreal (2000); Ghent (2002); Lisboa (2004); Skiathos (2006); the New Forest, UK home of the Wessex Institute (2008); The Algarve (2010); Split (2012) and A Coruña (2014).

The success of the conference continues to attract high quality contributions presenting original results. The evolution of the meeting is reflected in the variety of topics and applications published in the conference book series since its beginnings in 1996. The field of fluid mechanics is vast and has numerous and diverse applications. The conference covers a wide range of topics, including basic formulations and their computer modelling as well as the relationship between experimental and analytical results. The emphasis is on new applications and research currently in progress. 

The papers – like others presented at Wessex Institute conferences – are part of the WIT Transactions in Engineering Sciences series and are archived online in the WIT eLibrary (www.witpress.com/elibrary), where they are immediately and permanently available to the international scientific community.

The object of the meeting is to provide a forum for discussing new work in fluid mechanics and, in particular, for promoting the interchange of new ideas and the presentation on the latest applications in the field.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at AFM 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Computational methods
• Hydrodynamics
• Fluid structure interaction
• Bio-fluids
• Flow in electronic devices
• Environmental fluid mechanics
• Heat and mass transfer
• Industrial applications
• Energy systems
• Nano and micro fluids
• Turbulent flow
• Jets
• Fluidics
• Droplet and spray dynamics
• Bubble dynamics
• Multiphase fluid flow
• Aerodynamics and gas dynamics
• Pumping and fluid transportation
• Experimental measurements

Find out more on the conference webpage.

COMPRAIL 2016

15th International Conference on Railway Engineering Design and Operation

19 - 21 July 2016

Madrid, Spain

Introduction

The 15th International Conference on Railway Engineering Design and Operation (COMPRAIL 2016), is the latest in a series of very successful meetings which started in Frankfurt in 1987 and continued in Rome (1990); Washington (1992); Madrid (1994); Berlin (1996); Lisbon (1998);
Bologna (2000); Lemnos (2002); Dresden (2004); Prague (2006); Toledo (2008); Beijing (2010); the New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute (2012) and Rome in 2014. The meeting is organised by the Wessex Institute and sponsored by WIT Transactions on the Built Environment and the International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning. The Conference aims to update the use of advanced systems, promoting their general awareness throughout the management, design, manufacture and operation of railways and other emerging passenger, freight and transit systems. It emphasises the use of computer systems in advanced railway engineering. 

The meeting attracts a variety of specialists interested in the development of railways, including managers, consultants, railway engineers, designers of advanced train control systems and computer specialists. It provides a forum for researchers, academics and practitioners involved in railway engineering to present and discuss the latest developments. Since 1994 all published papers are archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary (www.witpress. com/elibrary), where they are permanently available to the international community.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at COMPRAIL 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Advanced train control
• Operations quality
• Risk management
• Planning and policy
• Monitoring and maintenance
• Energy supply and consumption
• Communications and signalling
• Train control systems
• Timetable planning
• Rescheduling
• Safety and security
• Railway vehicle dynamics
• Driverless and automatic train operation
• Operational planning
• Interface management
• Systems integration
• Maglev
• High speed technology
• Interoperability
• Passenger flow management
• Computer simulations

Find out more on the conference webpage. 

Eco-Architecture 2016

6th International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature

13 - 15 July 2016

Alicante, Spain

Introduction

The sixth International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature (Eco-Architecture 2016) follows the five successful meetings which started in the New Forest, home of the Wessex Institute of Technology, in 2006; and followed in the Algarve (2008); A Coruna (2010), the island of Kos (2012) and Siena (2014).

Eco-Architecture implies a new approach to the design process intended to harmonise its products with nature. This involves ideas such as minimum use of energy at each stage of the building process, taking into account the amount required during the extraction and transportation of materials, their fabrication, assembly, building erection, maintenance and eventual future recycling. Another important issue is the adaptation of the architectural design to the natural environment, learning from nature and long time honoured samples of traditional constructions. 

The conference will deal with topics such as building technologies, design by passive systems, design with nature, cultural sensitivity, life cycle assessment, resources and rehabilitation and many others including case studies from different places around the world. The list of topics gives an idea of the scope of the meeting, papers on other topics relating to the conference objectives, are welcome. Eco-Architecture is very multi-disciplinary by definition, attracting, in addition to architects, many other professionals. In that regard the conference participants, as well as architects, are expected to be engineers, planners, physical scientists, sociologists and economists, providing all of them an opportunity to share information and ideas with their colleagues from different regions around the world.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Eco-Architecture 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Design with nature
• Energy efficiency
• Building technologies
• Tall buildings and environment
• Ecological impacts of materials
• Biomaterials
• Bioclimatic design
• Water quality
• Green facades
• Ecological and cultural sensitivity
• Education and training
• Case studies
• Design by passive systems
• Adapted reuse
• Life cycle assessment and durability
• Transformative design
• Sustainability indices in architecture
• Bioclimatic design and passive systems
• Recycle, reuse, reduce and recovery
• Mixing it up and building flexibility
• Architectural visualisation
• New techniques: building information modelling

Find out more on the conference webpage. 

Sustainable City 2016

11th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability

12 - 14 July 2016

Alicante, Spain

Introduction

The 11th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability addresses all aspects of the urban environment, aiming to provide solutions leading towards sustainability. The Sustainable City 2016 Conference follows a series of very successful meetings that started in Rio (2000), followed by Segovia (2002), Siena (2004), Tallinn (2006), Skiathos (2008), A Coruña (2010), Ancona (2012), Kuala Lumpur (2013), Siena (2014) and Medellin (2015).

The Conference addresses the multidisciplinary aspects of urban planning; a result of the increasing size of the cities; the amount of resources and services required and the complexity of modern society. Most of earth’s population now lives in cities and the process of urbanisation still continues generating many problems deriving from the drift of the population towards them. These problems can be resolved by cities becoming efficient habitats, saving resources in a way that improves the quality and standard of living. The process however, faces a number of major challenges, related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems. New urban solutions are required to optimise the use of space and energy resources leading to improvements in the environment, ie reduction in air, water and soil pollution as well as efficient ways to deal with waste generation. These challenges contribute to the development of socialand economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions. Large cities are probably the most complex mechanisms to manage. However, despite such complexity they represent a fertile ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists, and other professionals able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements. 

The challenge of planning sustainable cities lies in considering their dynamics, the exchange of energy and matter, and the function and maintenance of ordered structures directly or indirectly, supplied and maintained by natural systems.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at Sustainable City 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Urban strategies
• Urban planning and design
• Urban development and management
• Urban conservation and regeneration
• The community and the city
• Eco-town planning
• Landscape planning and design
• Environmental management
• Sustainable energy and the city
• Transportation
• Quality of life
• Socio-economic and political considerations
• Cultural quarters and interventions
• Waterfront development
• Case studies – sustainable practices
• Architectural issues
• Cultural heritage issues
• Appropriate technologies for smart cities
• Planning for resilience
• Disaster and emergency response
• Urban safety and security
• Waste management
• Urban infrastructure
• Urban metabolism

Find out more on the conference webpage. 

FRIAR 2016

5th International Conference on Flood Risk Management and Response

29 June - 01 July 2016

San Servolo, Venice, Italy

Introduction

FRIAR 2016 is the fifth Conference of this successful series. The conference started at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London in 2008 and was reconvened at the Lombardy Region Headquarters in Milano in 2010, Dubrovnik in 2012 and Poznan in 2014. Flooding is a global phenomenon that claims numerous lives worldwide each year. When flooding occurs in populated areas, it can cause substantial damage to property as well as threatening human life. In addition, many more people must endure the homelessness, upset and disruption that are left in the wake of floods. 

The increased frequency of flooding in the last few years, coupled with climate change predictions and urban development, suggest that these statistics are set to worsen in the future. How we respond and adapt to these challenges is key to developing our long term resilience at the property, community and city scale. Apart from the physical damage to buildings, contents and loss of life, which are the
most obvious, impacts of floods upon households, other more indirect losses are often overlooked. These indirect and intangible impacts are generally associated with disruption to normal life as well as longer term health issues including stress related illness.

Flooding represents a major barrier to the alleviation of poverty in many parts of the developing world, where vulnerable communities are often exposed to sudden and life threatening events. The conference provides a forum for researchers, academics and practitioners actively involved in improving our understanding of flood events and our approaches to response, recovery and resilience. The meeting will bring together social scientists, surveyors, engineers, scientists, and other professionals from many countries involved in research and development activities in a wide range of technical and management topics related to flooding and its impacts on communities, property and people.

Conference Topics

The following list covers some of the topics to be presented at FRIAR 2016. Papers on other subjects related to the objectives of the conference are also welcome.

• Flood management
• Flood warning
• Flood response
• Flood risk adaptation
• Flood protection – products and processes
• Flood impact on health
• Flood risk modelling
• Flood forecasting
• Flood vulnerability
• Urban flood modelling
• Flood risk assessment and recovery
• Storm surge modelling
• Environment assessment
• Climate change impact
• Socio and economic impact
• Innovative approaches
• Flood case studies
• Emergency preparedness
• Critical infrastructure
• Flood damage assessment

Find out more on the conference webpage.