Roofing Systems to Environment and Sustainability

 

General Overview

Sika has developed solutions which can  help ensure that the roof creates minimal impact on the environment whilst meeting the functional requirements of clients, specifiers, contractors and nature. Roofing membranes/ products are not only manufactured in an ISO 14001:2000  accredited production facility they have a low embodied energy and long life expectancies.

The following important environmental and  sustainability aspects are always taken into account in Sika roofing systems:

• Recycling
• Embodied Energy
• Durability
• Sun light reflectivity

Recycling

Sika has proactively recycled factory waste  back into production since 1960. Wherever  possible, higher quantities of production and  post-consumer membrane are recycled into  new products, such as Roof Protection Sheets and Walkway Pads.  Today walkway pads, manufactured in Europe  since 2000, provide tough, durable solution  for pedestrian access on exposed roofs and at the same time they are produced from almost 100% recycled material. The only non-recycled product being less than 1% carbon black that is added for colour consistency. Sika recyclate is also sourced from existing membrane roofs when they are removed  to enable the client to thermally upgrade the building, a common practice in Western Europe. This process is managed through the company’s involvement with the Roof Collect  scheme operated by Vynyl 2010.

Embodied Energy

Embodied energy is the measurement of the  amount of energy required to produce a tonne or square metre of a product, it can also be used to measure the carbon embodied within a product. Generally the lower the embodied energy and carbon levels, the better a product is for the environment. All Sika roofing membranes have low embodied energy, contributing less to global warming than many alternative roofing technologies.

Sun Reflectivity

The benefits of solar reflective materials and colours are well known and understood in warm climates around the world. With urban density increasing, the “heat island” (Albedo) affect is impacting on cities at an ever-increasing rate. A significant contribution to reducing the  Albedo affect can be made by simply replacing dark roof surfaces with a lighter colour, ideally white – Sika roofing systems include solutions which allow the reflection of  up to 83% of the heat in sunlight.

Ronnen Levinson & Hashem Akbari’s December 2007 report “Potential Energy Savings and Environmental Benefits of Cool Roofs on Commercial Buildings” demonstrated that by changing from a relatively low solar reflectivity light grey membrane, to a higher reflectivity white membrane, large energy cost savings could be made. Therefore significantly reducing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and mercury (Hg).

Durability

Long service life is a key element of sustainability, the longer something lasts the less damage it should do to the environment in use. Sika roofing systems has been tested for aging and life expectancy by different institutes and organizations with outstanding results. As an example the British Board of Agrément (BBA) certifies a standard 1.2mm thick Sarnafil G/S membrane to have a life expectancy “in excess of 35 years”.

Cost effective and favourable technology solutions for high-head Francis Turbines

For high head turbines there is often a choice between Francis and Pelton. The main advantages of Francis turbines are that the dimensions will be smaller and the speed higher. Due to this the cost will be lower, both for the electro-mechanical equipment and for the powerhouse civil works. By further utilizing the most efficient solutions available, the construction of modern high-head Francis turbines give a more easy to use and less maintenance demanding result than previously.

This presented technology has been used in a several of the world’s high-head Francis turbines. It traces its roots back to the 1950s, when already Francis turbines with heads above 400 m were routinely delivered. One example is Holen 3 in Norway with a rated net head of 610 m and a maximum gross head of 660 m. In Asia, it has recently been used in more than a dozen high head Francis turbine projects in China. Recently, it was also being used for the Nam Theun 2 project in the Republic of Laos, which will have 4 of 247 MW Francis turbines at a rated head of 350 m. This paper gives an introduction to several important solutions of the high head Francis turbine design. It includes some of the important design details on runners, guide bearings, shaft seal, shaft couplings, guide vane friction device and the principle of equalized loads utilized on stationary part embedment. Implementation of these design features will have positive impact on construction cost, maintenance program and the general operation of the turbine. Following are descriptions of each design solution with its listed advantages for making the turbine more reliable, stabile and flexible to operate.

Most recent, several  features are being incorporated in the Nam Theun 2, High-head Francis turbines. It uses a X-Blade runner but without splitter vanes, vertical shaft guide bearing with fixed pads, non-contact seal and guide vane friction device. And the bottom cover is together with the draft tube cone not embedded, making them available to be dismantled downwards and sideways with good access for runner inspection and

Effect of Silica Fume to Water Permeability of Concrete

 

Water permeability of concrete can be reduced by up to 100 times through the use of Silica fume.

Test by some independence authorities indicates that so called waterproofing admixtures had no effect on water permeability of concrete. Rather that supervision and improved mix designs associated with such systems can lead to a more impermeable concrete. It should be noted that permeability of concrete is not a simple function of its porosity but depends also on size, distribution and continuity of the pores.

Pores in concrete are reduced significantly with the inclusion of silica fume and illaries reduced through reduced bleeding and production of denser paste. The permeability is lower the higher the cement content of the paste i.e. the lower the water/cement ratio. Values obtained for pastes in which 93% of cement has hydrated. It is the permeability of the paste that has the greatest effect on the permeability of the concrete. Water vapor transmission of concrete is reduced by a decrease in the water cement ratio. A decrease in water cement ratio from 0.8 to 0.4 decreases  the  vapour permeability by 50-65%.

Vapour permeability, however, decreases as the relative humidity decreases, an increase in relative humidity decreases the airfilled pore space available for diffusion. It follows the that if the moist side is for instance saturated an increase in the relative humidity of the  dry side reduces the vapor permeability.

The permeability of concrete is reduced by the use of silica fume in combination with superplasticizers which reduce the water cement ratio up to 30%.

Home Building Information – Learn from very basic things

 

Do you love to stay in your home? Many people do, because they think that their home is perfect. In order to have this feeling, they actually spent a lot of time and effort to create a quality house indeed. This article is just a brush up about home building, not really an advice, just some important notes for your consideration.

You would find that there are plenty of people who are experienced with home building nowadays. Since there are more and more people who have a house, they would spend the time to read books and study information about home building. Gradually, they would have the techniques for this and they would be experienced by working on their own house.

If you want to learn home building, you should first try to learn about how to match the color of the furniture and the wall. Usually, some people would not know this. If you want to have a simple style in your house, you can consider using white wall and purchasing wooden furniture. Black furniture can also work but black leather furniture would be preferred to the plastic ones.

During the work of home building, you should also remember that the best home would be the home which can be built within budget, instead of the home which is built with millions of dollars. As long as you find it comfortable to stay in the house, you would regard it as the best house and there is not a need for you to make everything grand in your house indeed.

You can try to check the license of the contractor and also the bond status. You would be able to ask the experience of some customers who have tried the service before. They would be able to give their personal experience as the objective review of the quality of services from those contractors. Therefore, you can consider trusting them.

In conclusion, home building can be something tiring if you do not have the experience before. You would find that it is not something easy at all for you to get the right direction of home building if you are new to this. Therefore, you should try to consult someone who is experienced or professional. If you do not want to hire someone because of the budget concerns, you can try to search online because there are people who are experienced with home building and they would possibly give you suitable pieces of information about home building which can give you insights.

What is Civil Engineering?

This definition of Civil Engineering is found at Answer.com. The tasks of civil engineering now come larger and larger.

Civil Engineering is a branch of engineering that encompasses the conception, design, construction, and management of residential and commercial buildings and structures, water supply facilities, and transportation systems for goods and people, as well as control of the environment for the maintenance and improvement of the quality of life. Civil engineering includes planning and design professionals in both the public and private sectors, contractors, builders, educators, and researchers.

The civil engineer holds the safety, health, and welfare of the public paramount. Civil engineering projects and systems should conform to governmental regulations and statutes; should be built economically to function properly with a minimum of maintenance and repair while withstanding anticipated usage and weather; and should conserve energy and allow hazard-free construction while providing healthful, safe, and environmentally sound utilization by society.

Civil engineers play a major role in developing workable solutions to construct, renovate, repair, maintain, and upgrade infrastructure. The infrastructure includes roads, mass transit, railroads, bridges, airports, storage buildings, terminals, communication and control towers, water supply and treatment systems, storm water control systems, wastewater collection, treatment and disposal systems, as well as living and working areas, recreational buildings, and ancillary structures for civil and civic needs. Without a well-maintained and functioning infrastructure, the urban area cannot stay healthy, grow, and prosper.

Because the desired objectives are so broad and encompass an orderly progression of interrelated components and information to arrive at the visually pleasing, environmentally satisfactory, and energy-frugal end point, civil engineering projects are actually systems requiring the skills and inputs of many diverse technical specialties, all of which are subsets of the overall civil engineering profession.

Some of the subsets that civil engineers can specialize in include photogrammetry, surveying, mapping, community and urban planning, and waste management and risk assessment. Various engineering areas that civil engineers can specialize in include geotechnical, construction, structural, environmental, water resources, and transportation engineering.

Construction accidents

 

Construction accidents are one of the most common work related personal injuries. Construction injuries may be the result of machinery failure involving fork lifts, cranes, front end loaders and any other piece of construction machinery found on the job site. They may also involve faulty safety equipment, falling debris, lack of proper training for construction workers, improperly assembled scaffolding, structural collapse, electrical fires, electrocution and a slew of other job site violations.

Under the U.S. Department of Labor, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must protect those who work in the construction industry. OSHA guarantees a certain level of safety for any construction worker who works on high risk job sites and is exposed to hazardous conditions. In addition, the State of Oregon protects construction workers under the Oregon’s Employer Liability Law. This law requires all construction companies engaged in dangerous work to take every necessary precaution in order to prevent worker injury on the job site.

Construction is a dangerous profession and there are many hazards in the construction workplace. While these state and federal regulations are necessary, they offer only a small amount of comfort to construction workers and their families. In many cases, construction workers are victims of irresponsible employers and are exposed to unnecessary risk while at work. It is also common for third party members, such as contractors and subcontractors, to be present on the job site, creating hazardous and chaotic conditions for the workers.

No matter what construction company you work for, it is the responsibility of the construction company to educate their workers on proper safety precautions and to make sure the job site meets all safety regulations. The Department of Labor and Industries examined construction injuries over a four year period. They found the following seven injuries to be the most common (they also accounted for 92 percent of all compensable claims):

• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, back and upper extremities
• Workers struck by heavy machinery or falling objects
• Workers pinned up against a wall by machinery or motor vehicles
• Workers caught inside or underneath a piece of machinery
• Slips or falls on ground level of the construction site
• Falls from an elevated height of the construction site
• General motor vehicle injuries

If you or someone you know has been injured on a construction site, contact a personal injury lawyer to help you with your case. An experienced personal injury attorney will know how to deal with multiple insurance policies, identify all parties involved in the construction process and help you figure out who is responsible for the construction injury.

Mud engineer job on offshore oil rigs

 

What is a mud engineer

The mud engineer (correctly called a Drilling Fluids Engineer, but sometimes referred to as the “Mud Man”, though women also do this job today) is the person responsible for fluids that are being used for the drilling process on oil well drilling rigs.

Mud engineer’s duty

The mud engineer’s duties are to stay on the rig site (usually) and constantly monitor and readjust the properties and weight of the drilling fluid or “mud”.

The mud or drilling fluid is what lubricates the drill bit, keeps it cool, flushes cuttings from the hole being drilled and holds back underground pressure from dangerous zones that contain natural gas.

If the mud weight is not heavy enough or is “underbalanced” a blowout can occur, burning down the rig and casing an out of control wild well and loss of life.

If the mud or drilling fluid is too heavy it can flush out into the formation causing a “lost circulation” situation which can ruin the well being drilled.

The mud engineer adds weight to the drilling fluid or mud by means of adding the mineral barite. Barite is a heavy mineral that mixes with oil and water based muds. The weight of the drilling fluid is measured in PPG or pounds per gallon. Ten pound mud would weight ten pounds to the gallon.

The mud enginner uses a set of scales to constantly weight the mud and make sure that it is heavy enough for the pressures that are expected at a certain depth.

An influx of gas or water, mixing with the drilling mud can cause it to suddenly get light, causing an under-balanced situation so the process of monitoring the weight of the mud is constant during the drilling of the well.

Mud engineer’s salary

The position of mud engineer carries a salary of around $72,500 and involves setting up a ‘mud program’ according to the geology of the project.

Mud engineer’s qualification

The Mud Engineer is likely to have a degree in chemistry or some secondary chemistry qualification and an excellent understanding of the drilling procedures. The Mud Engineer should be good at math and science.

Before taking up the position, a special training course needs to be completed.

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