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Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment

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    Creating eco efficient township infrastructure projects with the use of green engineering solutions and sustainability criteria
    (Institute of Municipal Enginering of South Africa, 2015) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
    Globally, the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming, and other negative consequences (Harvey and Wayne, 20084). As we face significant planetary issues such as global warming, it is clear that the engineering profession has a significant part to play in affecting the future of our planet. In order to stay competitive and to meet upcoming stricter environmental regulations and customer requirements, designers have a key role in designing civil infrastructure so that it is environmentally sustainable. These and other factors have compelled the engineer to design with greater care and in more detail. The changing roles of engineers will be highlighted, in order to react to changes in climate. Mainstreaming environmental aspects and incorporating the eco-efficiency concept into various stages of infrastructure development have not been considered as much as they should have been. Engineers need to look at greener technologies rather than just using traditional engineering solutions. This paper looks at the effects of climate change on infrastructure and the changing role of engineers. It aims to demonstrate the use of sustainability criteria on infrastructure projects. The use of the proposed criteria would ensure a sustainable design for township infrastructure services through the consideration of scare resources, ecological sensitivity in the design and planning of infrastructure projects. This paper focuses on the concept of eco-efficiency in infrastructure design that promotes the use of the greener engineering options, enabling him/her to choose the one likely to yield the best performance with the least environmental impact. It looks at a number of recommended green practices on infrastructure services design, that are environmentally sound placing, fewer burdens on the environment.
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    Towards a more effective and efficient public transport system : a case study
    (1998) Allopi, Dhiren; Sarkar, Ashoke Kumar
    The Government of South Africa has recognised transport as one of its five main priority areas for socia-economic development. One of the Governments strategic objectives, as reflected in the white paper on National Transport Policy, is to promote the use of public transport with the goal of achieving a ratio of 80:20 between public transport and private car usage, as a long term vision. This is no easy task and in order to achieve this goal, an in depth analysis of the current transport situation is required. The structure and land-use patterns of most of the South African cities have forced the residents to be predominantly dependent on private transport, resulting in high car ownerships. Over the years, this has caused the traffic on the major links connecting the suburban areas leading to the city centres to be very high and some of them have already approached forced flow conditions during morning and evening peak periods
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    Comparative analysis and case study to evaluate conventional designs and environmentally sensitive infrastructure design solutions
    (SAICE, 2016-08) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
    Globally the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming and other negative consequences. In the area of sustainability there is an urgent need to apply technologies and methods which deliver more sustainable performance in a way that is cost-effective. Sustainable, adaptive and mitigating approaches to climate change in the design of infrastructure are therefore important steering elements (FIDIC 2009)
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    The use of eco efficient criteria in the design of infrastructure projects
    (WITPRESS, 2016) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
    Globally, the construction industry is one of the main contributors to the depletion of natural resources and a major cause of unwanted side effects such as air and water pollution, solid waste, deforestation, health hazards, global warming and other negative consequences. In the area of sustainability, there is an urgent need to apply technologies and methods that deliver better and more sustainable perfor-mance in a way that is cost-effective. Sustainability, adaptive and mitigative approaches to climate change, in the design of infrastructure, are therefore important steering elements [1]. A systematic and iterative analysis of the environmental impact of various design solutions is commonly suggested for infrastructure projects, but rarely happens. The lack of appropriate tools and skills for sustain-able design was often quoted as a barrier to sustainable design [2]. To stay competitive and to meet upcoming stricter environmental regulations and customer requirements, designers have a key role in designing civil infrastructure so that it is environmentally sustainable. These and other factors have compelled the engineer to design with greater care and in more detail. The changing roles of engineers will be highlighted, to react to changes in climate. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of eco efficient criteria on infrastructure projects. The use of the proposed criteria would ensure a sustainable design for township infrastructure services through the consideration of scare resources, ecological sensitivity in the design and planning of infrastructure projects. This paper also gives an overview of the proposed Green Township Infrastructure Design toolkit and promotes the use of green practices on infrastructure services design that is environmentally sound, placing fewer burdens on the environment.
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    Lighting up the future of ports with LED
    (SAICE, 2016) Naicker, Rowen; Allopi, Dhiren
    Ports and terminals compete fiercely for container traffic. Those with the most efficient operations stand to win the most business and generate the highest profits. Driving down costs is crucial to remaining competitive. Upgrading to the latest light emitting diode (LED) lighting technology contributes to terminal cost control. Light fixtures installed on port container cranes endure constant vibration, moisture and corrosion - elements always present in marine environments. These extreme conditions result in premature lighting fixture failure, demanding constant maintenance and increasing material and labour costs. Installing properly designed LED fixtures on port container cranes can immediately reduce energy usage, reduce crane maintenance costs and increase operator safety, while moving terminal operators closer to the universal goals of safety, sustainability and profitability (Hertel 2009: 70).
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    Concrete overlay versus reconstructing as a repair method to damaged concrete pavement at the Durban Container Terminal
    (IJRDO, 2016-04) Naicker, Rowen; Allopi, Dhiren
    Concrete overlays for concrete pavement have not been used locally, but there is extensive experience of the method abroad and particularly in the USA, where concrete as a paving material in port terminals, airports and highways remains popular. Asphalt overlays have been used more extensively locally, and recently in the Gauteng Freeway improvement programme, where both unreinforced, jointed and continuously reinforced, un-jointed pavements have been overlaid. For container terminals, asphalt overlays are not an option because of the high loading applied, particularly in the container stacks. The method proposed for the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is therefore for a reinforced concrete overlay. Alternatives using steel or polypropylene fibres have been investigated but have not been pursued because of cost and other considerations. Given that the bulk of the terminal paving is intact, and severely stressed areas either have been, or are programmed to be repaired, the construction of an overlay is an option as construction time is minimized, resulting in reduced terminal disruption, the remaining capacity of the existing pavement is utilized, construction cost is lower than reconstruction and this option is more environmentally acceptable.
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    Measuring infrastructure sustainability with the use of eco efficient performance criteria
    (International Association of Scientific Innovation and Research, 2015) Saroop, Shian Hemraj; Allopi, Dhiren
    Civil engineering projects can have significant site-specific and cumulative impacts on our ecological and social systems if not correctly planned, designed and implemented. As we face significant planetary issues such as global warming, it is clear that the engineering profession has a significant part to play in affecting the future of our planet. This paper aims to demonstrate the importance of eco efficient criteria on infrastructure projects. The use of the proposed criteria would ensure a sustainable design for township infrastructure services through the consideration of scare resources, ecological sensitivity in the design and planning of infrastructure projects. This paper also gives an overview of the proposed Green Township Infrastructure Design toolkit and promotes the use of green practices on infrastructure services design, that are environmentally sound, placing fewer burdens on the environment. This paper also compares two case studies that utilises green infrastructure criteria to rate its eco efficiency.
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    Analysis of electric-rubber tyred gantries for a more green Durban Container Terminal
    (International Organization Of Scientific Research (IOSR), 2015-06) Naicker, Rowen; Allopi, Dhiren
    The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is currently the biggest and busiest container terminal in Africa and handles about 2.7-million TEUs a year. DCT handles approx. 70% of South Africa’s containers and generates 60% of South Africa’s revenue (Port of Durban, 2014). The work-horse of the container handling industry is the Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) crane. For over 50 years, these heavy duty cranes have been a staple at ports worldwide. Typically powered by diesel engines, these cranes require constant maintenance and fuel management to remain operational. In addition to costs, ports have begun to feel the pressure to become more “Green” by local authorities and governments.Pier 1, at DCT is currently utilizingRTGs. High energy consumption and high pollution result from RTGs operating around the clock. This entails a high cost burden for terminal operators and causes serious environmental pollution.An investigation into solutions to lessen operating costs, strengthen business competitiveness, and alleviate environmental pollution is presented in this paper. The results were analyzed and conclusions, as well as recommendations were made.
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    Improving performance at the Durban Container Terminal through automation
    (2015-10) Naicker, Rowen; Allopi, Dhiren
    OVERVIEW The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is currently the biggest and busiest container terminal in Africa and handles about 2.7 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) a year. The DCT handles approximately 70% of South Africa's containers and generates 60% of South Africa's revenue (Port of Durban 2014). Increasing the automation level of a terminal with products that automate a single part of the operation or the whole process is recognised as the next step towards improving performance at today's container terminals. The benefits of automation include lower operational costs and improved terminal productivity, capacity, safety and security. Automating an existing straddle carrier terminal is a complex project that requires expertise, careful planning, a capacity for wide-ranging systems integration and the ability to consider numerous factors beyond technical implementation. Besides the actual automated system, there is also extensive change management within the entire organisation of the terminal, as operating an automated terminal requires a thorough change of business processes, as well as different skill sets for the people operating the terminal.
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    Reducing straddle carrier accidents at the Port
    (IOSR Journals, 2015) Naicker, Rowen; Allopi, Dhiren
    Abstract: The Straddle Carrier (SC) is a very popular piece of equipment. These carriers can undertake a variety of handling operations such as loading, unloading, stacking and transport of containers between the landside and waterside. Its popularity is due to its space efficiency and flexibility. Traffic incidents are a serious problem at marine terminals, where heavy equipment is used to load and unload ships and move freight from place to place in the terminal. The work is fast-paced, conducted at any time of the day or year, and often performed in inclement weather. Vehicular traffic endangers any worker walking in a marine terminal In a typical straddle carrier operation, what procedures/methods can be put in place to move towards a zero accident policy? It goes without saying that the operator should be properly trained. But how do you make sure that it is the trained operator that is driving, and what mechanisms can you put in place to monitor and review the safe operation of the equipment. Waiting for the next accident is not an option (Lambert 2009:1).