BrainMap

Mrs. Cristiana Verona Croitoru

PhD

UTCB Doctoral School Director - UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI

Researcher | Teaching staff | Scientific reviewer | Consultant

Cristiana Croitoru, Associate Professor and Researcher at the Faculty of Building Services Engineering, Technical University of Constructions in Bucharest, CAMBI Research Center, is actively engaged in the field of sustainable development of the built environment. Working collaboratively with the CAMBI Research Centre team, her scientific accomplishments span various research domains, including thermal comfort, experimental and numerical fluid mechanics, air distribution strategies, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), energy efficiency of buildings, green buildings, renewable energy systems, and urban sustainability. Additionally, Cristiana Croitoru serves as a respected reviewer for esteemed international journals, and she serves as a consultant for various initiatives undertaken by the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme, further highlighting her competences in the field. Her expertise extends to evaluating research projects for the European Commission, showcasing her

Web of Science ResearcherID: not public

Curriculum Vitae (04/05/2024)

Expertise & keywords

Smart buildings adaptable to the climate change effects Call name:
PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0391 -

Role in this project: Partner team leader

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA TIMIŞOARA

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ADVANCED AIR DIFFUSION SYSTEM OF THE CREW QUARTERS FOR THE ISS AND DEEP SPACE HABITATION SYSTEMS Call name:
STAR-CDI-C3-2016-577 -

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI

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ANTIFLUTTER DEMONSTRATOR WITH PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATION Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-2006 2014 - 2017

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE AEROSPATIALA "ELIE CARAFOLI" - I.N.C.A.S. BUCURESTI

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE AEROSPATIALA "ELIE CARAFOLI" - I.N.C.A.S. BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE TURBOMOTOARE - COMOTI (RO); STRAERO-(INSTITUTUL PENTRU CALCULUL SI EXPERIMENTAREA STRUCTURILOR AERO-ASTRONAUTICE) S.A. (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO); INAV S.A. (RO); ENERGOREPARATII SERV SA (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://www.incas.ro/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=384&Itemid=69

Abstract:

This project will develop an advanced system for active flutter and vibration control and gust alleviation for critical aerospace applications. Flutter is a critical phenomenon of unstable structural vibration occurring without warning when a critical flight speed is exceeded and may lead to flight accidents and loss of lives. Gust is a dynamic aeroelastic phenomenon resulting in excessive fatigue and vibration that shortens the aircraft life and may lead to unpredicted failures. Our proposed Antiflutter Demonstrator with Piezoelectric Actuation (AFDPA) system will prevent these critical phenomena by applying advanced control laws and algorithms based on the Maximal Lyapunov Exponent (MLE) methodology. The implementation of this active flutter and vibration control approach will be done through the use of high-bandwidth piezoelectric actuation embedded into a “smart wing” design that will be able to respond with great speed and precision to the MLE controller and thus prevent in flight accidents. The AFDPA team (INCAS, ROMAERO, UPB, COMOTI, STRAERO, UTCB, INAV) is uniquely positioned to perform this research because INCAS technical staff, in collaboration with experts from the other team members, has unmatched expertise and there is no other team in Romania and even South Eastern Europe that could perform this challenging project.

The idea of flutter vibration active control and gust alleviation is not historically new but the technological enablers for implementation have only recently become available through induced-strain actuated smart structures using piezoelectric active materials. The literature reports several concepts of smart-materials active vibration control of helicopter rotor blades, some of them even built and flight tested. However, there are almost no similar results for fixed wing aircraft; this is due to the more difficult challenges posed by the fixed-wing smart-structures aeroelastic applications, i.e., greater torsional wing stiffness, larger aerodynamic forces, and greater required deflections, difficult to overcome with conventional piezoelectric actuators. In this project, we are going to address this challenge by applying the theory of maximum energy extraction from induced-strain actuation in the presence of stroke amplification and kinematic linear-to-rotary conversion. We will aim at achieving efficient stroke conversion from linear to rotary with optimum energy transduction and maximum efficiency through an innovative kinematic analysis and design coupled with advanced modeling of the unsteady aerodynamic forces. In the proposed project, we will utilize the servo-tab concept that uses aerodynamic forces to obtain control surface deflections with fractional actuation force. However, the use of servo-tabs with unsteady aerodynamics requires very fast (high bandwidth) actuation and controller since otherwise the system may go unstable. Our proposed piezo actuation solutions will ensure the required bandwidth whereas the MLE controller will assure avoidance of unstable feedback situations. We will also develop a simpler smart flap solution where the piezoactuation is applied directly to the flap through an adequate linear-to-rotary stroke amplifier. Both solutions will be implemented into a smart wing wind tunnel model that will be extensively tested and analyzed. Essential for the project success are the MLE controller algorithms.

The outcome of the proposed project will be a methodology and experimental confirmation of a smart-wing solution for flutter vibration control and gust alleviation, that will enable aircraft to fly faster and more efficiently in turbulent atmosphere under adverse weather conditions. The effective collaboration of Romanian research institutions, academia, and industry will ensure a high technology readiness level (TRL) of the project results with high chances of industrial implementation and patentable innovation.

Innovative Strategies of HVAC systems for high Indoor Environmental quality in vehicles Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA 2013 - call
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2013-4-0569 2014 - 2017

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA PITESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE AEROSPATIALA "ELIE CARAFOLI" - I.N.C.A.S. BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ - NAPOCA (RO); RENAULT TECHNOLOGIE ROUMANIE SRL (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://inside.utcb.ro/

Abstract:

INSIDE project will allow to join forces of several teams among most productive in research in engineering sciences in Romania, establishing a knowledge pole dedicated to support one of the major industrial player in our country which is Renault Technologie Roumanie. This way teams Technical University of Civil Engineering, the National Institute for Aerospace Research "Elie Carafoli", the University of Pitesti and the Technical University of Cluj Napoca will connect some of the most advanced facilities and measuring techniques in Europe in the fields of air distribution, evaluation of Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ), applied fluid mechanics, automation and control, automotive systems design. A series of objectives that would integrate solutions for high indoor environmental quality in vehicles are proposed:

(1) The first project end-objective will be: Developing an experimental real scale facility for studying IEQ and ventilation strategies in the vehicles. The project end-product: a unique national experimental facility dedicated to thermal comfort assessment in vehicles. The expected results are new possibilities of local research development oriented towards the car models from the national Dacia brand.

(2) The second objective is: Reconsidering thermal comfort theory applied to vehicles in order to deepen the knowledge on thermal comfort and its numerical methods of prediction and on the other hand to analyze the real role played by transient environment parameters. The project end-product: new models and evaluation indexes for thermal comfort assessment in vehicles. The expected results are several scientific articles, indexed in ISI Web of Knowledge data base which will contribute to the national prestige of our academic community, and the starting point of developing new standards in the field.

(3) The third objective will be the Evaluation of the impact of multi-zone ventilation and air conditioning strategies on thermal comfort and IEQ in general, on ergonomics and fuel consumption. Several strategies of ventilation and air conditioning – i.e. one zone, multi-zone, of air distribution will be tested along with an optimized fuzzy logic approach for a semi-automatic climate control using variable air flow. Best scenarios for improved comfort and reduced consumption will be assessed. Project end-products: a data base of numerical and experimental results which will allow extrapolating best case scenarios and optimal configurations. Expected results: a Romanian concept car with multi-zone air distribution and semi-automate climate control.

(4) The fourth objective will focus on implementing innovative air diffusion grilles in a Romanian prototype vehicle. The idea behind this objective is to introduce air diffusers with a special geometry allowing improving mixing between the hot or the cold conditioned air introduced in the cockpit and the ambient. The reduced air mass fluxes being introduced in the occupied zone, should uniformly distribute fresh air and conditioning cooling or heating loads in order to achieve thermal comfort and acceptable air quality. The project end-products will be air diffusers prototypes for vehicles. The expected results are: the integration of these prototypes in a Romanian concept car, along with national and international patents, as well as several scientific articles.

(5) The final objective will be a Good Practice Guide for ventilation strategies vehicles and their associated assessment methods. Based on experimental and numerical data from objectives 3 and 4 a coherent series of strategies for designing ventilation systems for vehicles will be proposed. Project end-products: Good Practice Guide for ventilation strategies and thermal comfort assessment in vehicles. The expected results are: the starting point for a new (at least national) standard.

Advanced strategies for high performance indoor Environmental QUAliTy in Operating Rooms Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA-2011 call, Type 2
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2011-3.2-1212 2012 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE AEROSPATIALA "ELIE CARAFOLI" - I.N.C.A.S. BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DIN CLUJ - NAPOCA (RO); SPITALUL CLINIC DE URGENTA " BAGDASAR-ARSENI " (RO); S_IND PROCESS CONTROL SRL (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://cambi.ro/equator/

Abstract:

The idea of EQUATOR is to join forces of several frontier research institutions with the most advanced facilities and measuring techniques in Europe - CAMBI from UTCB, INCAS, UTCN and their European partners Royal Military Academy and University of La Rochelle - in the fields of air distribution, evaluation of IEQ, applied fluid mechanics, automation and control, together with an important national medical research team from Bagdasar - Arseni Hospital, and an industrial partner willing to help us developing our project S-Ind Process Control SRL. The objectives of the EQUATOR project are the following:(1) Developing a national data base of clinical studies in order to correlate Postoperative Infection Rates (PIR) with the physical state of the hospital building in general and with the air diffusion and ventilation systems from the OR in particular. This data base would be the opportunity of obtaining an evaluation of the real national problem concerning PIR and will allow a multi-criterion assessment considering Organizational Behavior and Ventilation Systems; (2) Establishing a data base of the main international standards in the field of IEQ related to hospitals environment and extracting a coherent strategy of prescriptions as a basis for several studied conditions in the following parts of the project; (3) Developing an experimental real scale facility for studying IEQ and ventilation strategies in the OR. This objective includes the development of the one of the TUCEB prototypes of thermal manikin into a “patient - breathing thermal manikin” with dedicated thermoregulatory system; (4) Conceiving a smart IEQ monitoring instrument; (5) Developing CFD models for the human body and its environment applied to clean rooms allowing the designing, testing and validation of control strategies involved in containing indoor airborne infections; (6) Proposing a Good Practice Guide for ventilation strategies in OR for special condition patients.

Efficient Solar-Thermal Systems with Increased Urban Acceptance Call name: Joint Applied Research Projects - PCCA-2011 call, Type 2
PN-II-PT-PCCA-2011-3.2-0512 2012 - 2016

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA TRANSILVANIA BRASOV

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA TRANSILVANIA BRASOV (RO); UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO); UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO); CENTRUL DE TEHNOLOGII,INVENTICA SI BUSINESS SA (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA TEHNICA DE CONSTRUCTII BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://www.unitbv.ro/estinurba

Abstract:

The EST IN URBA project proposes a complex, highly interdisciplinary approach for extending the implementation of solar-thermal systems in urban areas. The project gradually develops novel solutions for: flat-plate solar thermal collectors (FPSTC) – solar thermal arrays (STA) –solar thermal systems (STS) implemented in buildings (facades, balconies, roofs), architectural objects (fountains, decorative walls), parks, focusing on locations with cold/temperate climate.

Novel solutions in the FPSTC are proposed for: the collector’s shape (case geometry), coloured solar absorber plate, multiple (coloured) glazing, ducts, tracking system, tracking algorithm based on thermal response, to avoid overheating. Testing and standardisation methodologies (saline environments) are proposed for the FPSTC and for the absorber plate, and will be submitted for inclusion in the new standard EN-12976.

The STA will be modelled in various geometries of the implemented area. The inter-connection will be optimised for the FPSTCs with the best thermal efficiency, respecting the built integration restrictions (geometry, colour). Tracking mechanisms optimised for STA and tracking algorithms will be developed. Model implementation projects will be developed for the STS with collectors arrays, as transferrable solutions to the market/users.

The laboratory/virtual prototyping optimised solutions will be manufactured as prototypes and tested on indoor and outdoor testing rigs. Small series production will develop the FPSTCs for the façade integrated array, then installed/operated in a functional STS. Maintenance issues focus on façade integrated STS. Cost-performance analysis of the FPSTC and STS allow benchmarking and possible simplifications.

The partnership involves three universities and one industrial partner with broad and complementary expertise in developing solar energy conversion systems. The results will be disseminated by publications in main stream journals (13),and patenting (5)

INtelligent Air Diffusion for healthy environments: advanced strategies and EVAluation methods - INADEVA Call name: Exploratory Research Projects - PCE-2011 call
PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0835 2011 - 2016

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucuresti

Project partners: Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucuresti (RO)

Affiliation: Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucuresti (RO)

Project website: http://cambi.ro/inadeva/index.html

Abstract:

Our ambitious project aims to extend the research directions already developed at TUCEB in cooperation with the French University of La Rochelle transforming our new created research center CAMBI in a confirmed reference of the international community dedicated to Indoor Ambiental Quality, air diffusion and thermal comfort. One of our objectives is to conceive an advanced thermal breathing manikin prototype which would be able not only to simulate the human body and measure quantities like thermal fluxes exchanged with its environment adapting its thermal response as a function of the environmental stimuli. Once this powerful tool that we want to develop will be functional, we will test several combinations of innovative air diffusers and air diffusion strategies in terms of capability of improving thermal comfort and indoor air quality.

Innovative ventilated envelope elements for solar heat recovery in low energy buildings (SOLAIR) Call name: Postdoctoral Research Projects - PD-2012 call
PN-II-RU-PD-2012-3-0144 2013 - 2015

Role in this project: Project coordinator

Coordinating institution: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI

Project partners: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO)

Affiliation: UNIVERSITATEA POLITEHNICA DIN BUCURESTI (RO)

Project website: http://www.cambi.ro/solair/

Abstract:

During the project the two innovative types of components (Solar Transpired Walls and Ventilated Windows) of ventilated façades will be studied experimentally and numerically. Prototypes of both components developed will be available for the experimental validation of proposed CFD models. The numerical models will serve for parametric studies of the prototypes in order to find the optimal configurations. The first objective is the fundamental study of each elementary flow generated through several lobed geometries that might be included in perforated panels. The second objective of the study will consist in finding the optimal disposal of the lobed orifices on the plate, for the innvovative elements. The third and fourth objective (each objective for each of the two devices) will be dedicated model conception of the Solar Transpired Walls and Solar Ventilated Windows at real scale. This part demanding a lot of numerical resources can be achieved by using the cluster cloud from Politechnica University by running CFD software. An important part will be the experimental validation of these devices in real working conditions. Global velocity fields mapping in both streamwise and transversal fields of the innovative devices flows will be conducted for a global validation of the numerical models on the entire interest region of the flow fields. The final (fifth) objective will be elaboration of two patents of innovative prototypes with applicability on low energy buildings.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects	Download (12.98 kb) 27/09/2019