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Professor Aonghus Mc Nabola

Professor in Civil Engineering (Civil Struct & Env. Eng.)
      
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Professor Aonghus Mc Nabola

Professor in Civil Engineering (Civil Struct & Env. Eng.)

 amcnabo@tcd.ie

 


Prof. McNabola is a Professor in Energy and the Environment at the Dept of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, TCD. His research interests lie in the field of Environmental Fluid Dynamics where he has applied this expertise in air pollution, energy efficiency and/or water services sectors. He has been active in this field of research for over 15 years. Prof. McNabola teaches at postgraduate and undergraduate levels in the subject areas of hydraulics, air pollution and renewable energy. He holds a qualification in teaching and learning at third level and has been involved in teaching activities in Italy and India. Prof. McNabola is a Visiting Reader at the Global Centre for Air Research(GCARE), at the Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the University of Surrey, UK. He is also a Colaborador Honorario (Adjunct Professor) at the Hydraulic division of the Agronomy Department at University of Córdoba, Spain. Prof. McNabola is an Associate Editor for the international journal, Transport Research Part D: Transport and the Environment. He is also a regular reviewer for journals such as Renewable Energy, Atmospheric Environment, Water Resources Management, etc. Prof. McNabola has been awarded 38 separate research projects since 2008 amounting to over 7.35 M€ in personal research funding. Prof. McNabola has a h-index of 37 and an i-10 index of 86. He leads a group of 5 PhD students and 5 postdoctoral researchers and is involved, primarily as the lead partner and principal investigator, in a number of national and international collaborative projects, funded by Horizon Europe, Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, INTERREG ERDF,SEAI and the EPA.
  Air pollution monitoring and assessment   Computational Fluid Dynamics   Energy Engineering   Environmental aspects of transportation   Environmental Effects, Fossil Energy   Environmental engineering   Environmental Impacts of Transport   Fluid Physics   Greenhouse gas emission assessment   Hydraulics engineering   Hydro power   Pollution   Pollution Control   Renewable energies   WATER SUPPLY
Project Title
 Towards a More Sustainable System of Water Supply in Ireland and Wales: Exploring Opportunities for Hydropower in Break Pressure Tanks (Hydro-BPT)
From
2011
To
2015
Summary
This project will advance the sustainability of the process of water supply in Ireland and Wales by exploiting the potential for energy recovery that exists at Break Pressure Tanks (BPTs). Water supply is a core service on which civilised society depends and it involves considerable energy consumption and CO2 emissions (water treatment, pumping and monitoring). Treated water is commonly supplied from a central storage reservoir by gravity throughout a catchment and this water must be supplied within satisfactory pressure bands. When the pressure in water flow becomes too high a BPT is commonly installed in the network, whereby the pressure, kinetic & potential energy within the flow is dissipated to the atmosphere. This common feature of water supply networks presents an opportunity to recover this energy wastage by using micro-hydropower technology to transform it into electricity without interfering in the water supply service. The key objectives of this project comprise: 1. Determining the technical/economic feasibility of applying Hydro-BPTs to water infrastructure: using experimental models the energy recoverable from BPTs will be assessed/demonstrated 2. Determining the environmental impact of this new technology: assessments will be made in terms of the CO2 emissions saving, environmental impacts, life cycle analysis 3. A feasibility study for the application of Hydro-BPTs in existing Irish/Welsh BPTs: information on the existing BPTs will be gathered in a GIS database which will be used to demonstrate the untapped energy potential in water supply networks in Ireland/Wales 4. An exploration of the forms of collaboration among the key stakeholders and development of a business model: this section of the project will develop guidelines for the widespread implementation of this technology by industry
Funding Agency
Interreg IV (€975,000)
Programme
Ireland Wales
Project Type
4 year Co-Operative Research
Person Months
150
Project Title
 Activity/Location GIS Personal Exposure Air Pollution Model
From
2008
To
Summary
Project to develop a GIS model of personal exposure to air pollution in Dublin and its environs, dependent on an individual's activities and locations. Funded by the EPA STRIVE Programme the project will comprise the monitoring of the personal exposure, activity and location of a number of different subjects living and working in Dublin and its satellite towns. This data will be used to develop a GIS model of personal exposure allowing individuals or sub-groups of the population to assess their health risks due to air pollution. The model will inform individuals of activities or locations in their daily lives with high personal exposure to air pollution, allowing them to take steps to reduce or avoid these health risks. Collaborators (Prof. B. Broderick & Mr. L. Gill, TCD; Dr. M Byrne NUIG)
Funding Agency
EPA (€350,000)
Programme
STRIVE
Project Title
 Ablative Flash Pyrolysis of Biomass and Waste
From
2008
To
2009
Summary
Development of a New ablative flash pyrolysis reactor for the conversion of biomass/waste to biofuel.
Funding Agency
TCD (€8,200)
Project Title
 Development of a Personal Exposure Reduction Strategy for Pedestrians using Active and Passive Low Boundary Walls
From
2008
To
2012
Summary
Previous investigations at TCD revealed the effect of passive low boundary walls (LBWs) in urban street canyons in reducing the exposure of pedestrians on the footpath. Numerical investigations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) have shown that a LBW may act as a baffle in an urban street canyon, disrupting normal flow patterns and increasing the levels of dispersion/dilution on tailpipe emissions before they reach pedestrians on the footpath. This project will take these new generic findings and develop them further into an implementation strategy for pedestrian exposure reduction. This strategy will the undergo experimental trials at a selected location in Dublin to prove the concept. In addition, active LBWs will also be investigated by incorporating a photcatalyst surface coating to reduce NOx concentrations.
Funding Agency
HEA
Programme
PhD
Person Months
48
Project Title
 The AER project
From
Sept 2009
To
Oct 2010
Summary
Proof of concept of an innovative air pollution remediation device
Funding Agency
Enterprise Ireland (€76,000)
Programme
Commercialisation Fund
Project Type
Post Doctoral Research
Person Months
36

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Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
Dutch Basic Basic Basic
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
German Basic Basic Basic
Details Date From Date To
Member of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate 2014 to date
Member of the International Association of Hydraulics Research (IAHR) 2015 to date
Member of the Environmental Sciences Association of Ireland (ESAI) 2013 to date
Member of the WATEF Network (water efficiency) 2016 to date
Considine B, Liu Y, McNabola A, Determination of the optimum insulation thickness for dormer roof designs: An Irish case study, The 10th International Congress on Architectural Technology (ICAT 24), Sligo Ireland, 19th January, 2024, pp1 - 8, Conference Paper, ACCEPTED
Murali MK, Mancusi-Ungaro E, McNabola A., An Assessment of the Potential for Wastewater Heat Recovery in the Zambian Food Processing Industry, 8th IAHR Europe Conference, Lisbon, 4-7 June, 2024, pp1 - 8, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Merida Garcia A, Gallagher J, Rodriguez Diaz JA, McNabola A, An economic and environmental optimization model for sizing a hybrid renewable energy and battery storage system in off-grid farms Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy, 220, 2024, p1 - 17, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Barwise Y, Kumar P, Abhijith KV, Gallagher J, McNabola A, Watts JF., A trait-based investigation into evergreen woody plants for traffic-related air pollution mitigation over time, Science of the Total Environment, 914, (169713), 2024, p1 - 20, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Considine B, Liu Y, McNabola A, Energy savings potential and life cycle costs of deep energy retrofits in buildings with and without habitable style loft attic conversions: A case study of Irelands residential sector, Energy Policy, 185, (113980), 2024, p1 - 12, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Middela MS, Mahesh S, McNabola A, Smith W, Timoney D, Ekhtiari A, Fowler B, Willis P,Rose R, Jasmine Wareham J, Walker H, Ghosh B, Evaluating real-world emissions from in-use buses and taxis using on-road remote sensing, Environmental Pollution , 2024, Journal Article, ACCEPTED  URL
Bouarour O, McNabola A, Gross B, Considine B, Lai A, Pinna F, Dentoni V., 3D numerical simulation of airflow structure and dust emissions from an open storage pile behind a dynamic solid fence-deflector, Atmospheric Environment X, 2024, p1-34 , Journal Article, ACCEPTED  DOI
Zhang Z, Zhu N, Hou Y, Considine B, McNabola A., Thermal performance of a wooden pipe-embedded building envelope using a low-grade heat source in extreme cold climate conditions, Journal of Building Engineering, 2024, Journal Article, ACCEPTED
Considine B, Gallagher J, Kumar P, McNabola A, Long-term assessment of energy consumption reduction in a building ventilation system with passive particulate matter control technology in the fresh air intake , Energy & Buildings, 2024, Journal Article, ACCEPTED
Stephen C, Basu B, McNabola A, Detection of Cavitation in a Centrifugal Pump-as-Turbine Using Time Domain Based Analysis of Vibration Signals, Energies, 17, (2598), 2024, p1 - 18, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
  

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Novara, D., McNabola, A., Field Demonstration of Pump as Turbines as Micro-hydropower Converters, All Energy Conference & Exhibition , Glasgow, 15-16 May, 2019, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Crespo Chacon M., McNabola, A, Hydropower energy recovery potential from irrigation networks, The 28th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2018), Cork, 26-28 March, 2018, Poster, PUBLISHED
Mitrovic D & McNabola A, Hydropower energy recovery potential of water distribution networks: Assessing the correlation between the potential and geographical data, The 28th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2018), Cork, 26-28 March, 2018, Poster, PUBLISHED
Kougias, I, Moro A, Novara. D, McNabola, A et al., Emerging Technologies in the Hydropower sector, Joint Research Centre: Conference & Workshop Reports, JRC111048, Ispra, European Commission JRC, 2018, p1 - 54, Report, PUBLISHED
Novara, D., McNabola A., Pumps as Turbines technology for energy recovery from Water Supply Systems, The 27th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2017) , Athlone, 10-12 April, 2017, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Gallagher, M., McNabola, A., Kamber, B., Gill, L.W., Ghosh, B., Alam, M.S., Particulate Matter from Diesel Vehicles: Emission & Exposure in Dublin, The 27th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2017) , Athlone, 10-12 April, 2017, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Carravetta, A., Derakhshan, S., Gallagher, J., Malavasi, S., McNabola, A., Ramos H.M., PAT - Pump As Turbines, a reliable and economical solution for energy recovery, World Pumps, 2017, Journal Article, ACCEPTED
Garcia Morillo, J., Camacho, E., Montesisnos, P., Rodriguez-Diaz, J.A., McNabola, A., Exploring hydro potential in a pressurized irrigation network, International Journal of Hydropower & Dams, 24, (5), 2017, p66-73-, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Alam S, Duffy P, Hyde B, McNabola A., Common Air Pollutant Projections from the Irish Road Transport Sector under the Emissions Celling Directive (NECD) and Convention on Long-range Trans boundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP): A preliminary Analysis for 2035, 25th Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (Environ 2015), Sligo, 9th & 10th April, 2015, pp1-2 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Aonghus McNabola, The Air Pollution Impacts of Transport on Health, Strengthening the link between transport policy and public health through transdisciplinary collaboration, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 1st-2nd May, 2014, Prof. M Hatzopoulou, Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

  


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