DCU-Final-Year-Projects-Booklet-2025

54 66. Building Footprint Extraction for Ray Tracing This project involved accessing open-source building information fromdatabases such as Microsoft’s building footprints and converting it into a format compatible with the DCU ray tracer code, which performs ray tracing simulations based on the building footprint data. The overall goal of the project was to automate the process of extracting the building footprint data and running the simulations while also being able to develop ways to visualise the output of the ray tracer. The results from this project would help improve wireless communication in urban areas. It could also be used to generate a large amount of data that could be used to train machine learningmodels on this data. Student Programme Electronic and Computer Engineering (Year 4) Project Area Environmental Mapping, GPS/GIS, Software Development Project Technology C/C++, Matlab, Python Student Name(s) Dylan Sheridan Email dylan.sheridan44@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Prof Conor Brennan 67. Investigation into the Effect of Biofouling on Hydordynamics of Mooring Cables Used for FloatingOffshoreWind Platforms The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of biofouling—that is, the settlement and growth of marine life—on the hydrodynamic performance of mooring cables used for offshore floating wind platforms, through the use of fluidmodelling software. A literature reviewwas conducted to identify typical mooring designs used for offshore floating wind platforms, and an analysis of flow characteristics related tomooring cables and selected biofouling types was performed. Appropriate simulations were developed following a review of current CFDmethodologies. These simulations were used to predict how the surface stresses and overall load on mooring cables change due to biofouling. Student Programme Mechanical andManufacturing Engineering (Year 4) Project Area FluidMechanics Project Technology ANSYSWorkbench, Solidworks, ANSYS Fluent with Fluent Meshing Student Name(s) David Brennan Email david.brennan66@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr Yan Delaure 68. Design, Build and Test of a Gravity Battery System Gravity batteries utilise gravitational force to store and release energy, offering a sustainable and scalable solution to energy storage challenges. Renewable energy is used to power amotor to lift a heavy mass through a long depth. The liftedmass is then locked in place to be stored as potential energy. To re-output the stored energy, the mass is released, gravity pulls it downwards, and the motor re-spins in the opposite direction to produce electricity. However, as the mass descends, it begins to accelerate due to gravity, becoming increasingly dangerous when scaling up the project to a real-life application. Therefore, this project investigates the design and effectiveness of an ideal control system that can control the descent of the mass in a gravity battery system. Student Programme Mechatronic Engineering (Year 4) Project Area 3-DModelling, Arduino, Circuit Modeling, Control Systems, Electric Generation, Energy Conservation, Mechanical Design andManufacture, Mechatronic Systems, Renewable Energy Technology, Sustainability Project Technology C/C++, Solidworks Student Name(s) Majed Al Mansour Amin Email majed.amin2@mail.dcu.ie Supervisor Dr GregMcNamara