Applications In Engineering Systems Research Articles

An Overview of Finite/Fixed-Time Control and Its Application in Engineering Systems

The finite/fixed-time stabilization and tracking control is currently a hot field in various systems since the faster convergence can be obtained. By contrast to the asymptotic stability, the finite-time stability possesses the better control performance and disturbance rejection property. Different from the finite-time stability, the fixed-time stability has a faster convergence speed and the upper bound of the settling time can be estimated. Moreover, the convergent time does not rely on the initial information. This work aims at presenting an overview of the finite/fixed-time stabilization and tracking control and its applications in engineering systems. Firstly, several fundamental definitions on the finite/fixed-time stability are recalled. Then, the research results on the finite/fixed-time stabilization and tracking control are reviewed in detail and categorized via diverse input signal structures and engineering applications. Finally, some challenging problems needed to be solved are presented.

Lubrication Performance and Mechanism of Water-Based TiO2 Nanolubricants in Micro Deep Drawing of Pure Titanium Foils

Micro deep drawing (MDD) is a fundamental process in microforming which has wide applications in micro electromechanical system (MEMS) and biological engineering. Titanium possesses excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility, which makes it a preferred material in micromanufacturing. In this study, eco-friendly and low-cost water-based TiO2 nanolubricants were developed and applied in the MDD with 40 μm-thick pure titanium foils. The lubricants consisting of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), 10 wt% glycerol, 0.1 wt% sodium dodecyl-benzene sulfonate (SDBS) and balanced water were synthesised in a facile process. The MDD with 40 μm-thick pure titanium was carried out using the lubricants with varying concentrations of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt%. The results show that the formability of micro cups could be significantly improved when the nanolubricants are applied. Especially, the use of 1.0 wt% TiO2 nanolubricant demonstrates the best lubrication performance by significantly reducing the final drawing forces, and surface roughness, and the wrinkles by up to 24.2%, 12.55% and 4.82%, respectively. The lubrication mechanisms including the ball bearing and mending effects of NPs on open lubricant pockets (OLPs) and close lubricant pockets (CLPs) areas were then revealed through microstructure observation.

Special Issue “Bioprocess Systems Engineering Applications in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing”

Biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturing are strongly influenced by the process analytical technology initiative (PAT) and quality by design (QbD) methodologies, which are designed to enhance the understanding of more integrated processes [...]

Diode model of nonuniform irradiation treatment to predict multiscale solar-electrical conversion for the concentrating plasmonic photovoltaic system

Optical concentrators and plasmonic nanostructured surfaces are promising methods to increase the solar irradiation density and enhance light absorption. The combined application of these two methods for solar cells faces challenges of multiscale solar-electrical conversions, especially the treatment of nonuniform irradiation. A multiscale multiphysics method is proposed to predict the electrical outputs of a concentrating plasmonic photovoltaic (CPV) system. In the model, a series-connected diode global model for concentrating-plasmonic-electrical conversion combined with a local one-unit diode for fully coupled optical-thermal-electrical conversion is employed to treat nonuniform concentrating irradiation. The one-unit diode model is calibrated by J-V curve fitting with the local fully coupled optical-thermal-electrical model to characterize the wavelength-dependent light absorption and charge carrier behaviors. An explicit formula is proposed to consider the influences of concentrating irradiation and plasmonic nanostructures. The feasibility of the calibrated one-unit diode under concentration ratios is validated with the maximum power compared to an experimental GaAs-based solar cell under concentrated sunlight. The electrical outputs of the plasmonic solar cell under nonuniform irradiation is obtained by the equivalent circuit with series-connected diodes. Each of the diodes yields a photogenerated current in its individual state, whereas the equivalent series-connected circuit has a reformulated homogeneous current. The cross current of the series-connected circuit is mainly determined by the solar cell zone with the lowest concentration ratio. The method with a uniform one-sun irradiation assumption in the entire solar cell surface can overestimate its working current before the declining point and can underestimate the open-circuit voltage. The concentration enhances the photogenerated current but induces auxiliary series resistance. The maximum power is a trade-off of the improved photogenerated current and unfavorable series resistance. This work provides theoretical guidance for large-scale engineering applications of CPV systems with nanostructured solar cells.

Engineering Complicated Systems Still Needs Systems Engineering and Thinking

AbstractIn recent years there has been a totally valid move in Systems Engineering circles to consider and focus on capability / complex systems (of systems). This is important as the world is getting more inter‐connected and the consequences of undesired emergence more significant. Unfortunately this has led to a “marginalization” of (simply) complicated systems, which were the bedrock of Systems Engineering practice. Whilst practice obviously needs to adjust when the system of interest is complex, the fundamental principles still apply and the Systems Engineering profession must not simply abandon consideration of complicated systems. This paper is intended to act as a reminder of how important the application of Systems Engineering is to complicated systems.

Investigating Systems Engineering Approaches in the Norwegian Construction Industry: A Multi‐Case Study

AbstractThere is an increasing application of Systems Engineering in the Norwegian construction industry. This paper investigates the effects of a Systems Engineering approach on project management performance, prerequisites for success, and which elements contribute to effectiveness from a technical contractor perspective. First, we find a positive perception of Systems Engineering's effect on time, cost, and quality. Second, we provide and rank a list of 12 prerequisites for success. Third, we quantify the perceived importance of five elements of the systems engineering process. Finally, we find a disconnect between what seems to be essential processes and prerequisites and what gets done in practice. To improve Systems Engineering performance, we recommend improving Systems Engineering competence and capabilities, increasing the formality of requirements analysis and documentation, and front‐loading the effort and allocation of resources in projects.

Failure Detection within Composite Materials in System Engineering Applications

This paper introduces essential key attributes of composite materials with a focus on carbon fibre (CF), followed by a description of common failure modes and proceeds to an investigation of stiffness of continuous CF laminates of 4-ply and 7-ply epoxy resin in pre-preg and wet layup. The three-point flexural test was performed with a Zwick Z010 machine, and the findings are presented. Continuing to real world failure scenarios and moving onto novel concept methods of live failure detection including scope for wood composites. Showing that early design considerations and further research can lead to advantages for system engineering.

Identification and Assessment of Obsolescence in the Early Stages of System Design

Obsolescence is the fact that an entity (physical or logical) is becoming outdated or no longer possesses the required level of performance. The objectives of this article are twofold. First, it is intended to contribute to the understanding of obsolescence propagation. Secondly, two supporting approaches for the Identification and Assessment phases are proposed: the House of Obsolescence and the System Obsolescence Criticality Analysis. The former allows the mapping of obsolescence propagation via dependencies, whether imposed changes are desired or imposed, by external actors to the system architecture. Whereas, the objective of the latter is to assign an obsolescence criticality index to the identified risks in order to prioritize them for solution or mitigation determination during the analysis phase. The tools make extensive use of the modeled system knowledge through the application of Systems Engineering. The application of these approaches is presented through an illustrative study.

Adomian Decomposition, Dynamic Analysis and Circuit Implementation of a 5D Fractional-Order Hyperchaotic System

In this paper, a class of fractional-order symmetric hyperchaotic systems is studied based on the Adomian decomposition method. Starting from the definition of Adomian, the nonlinear term of a fractional-order five-dimensional chaotic system is decomposed. At the same time, the dynamic behavior of a fractional-order hyperchaotic system is analyzed by using bifurcation diagrams, Lyapunov exponent spectrum, complexity and attractor phase diagrams. The simulation results show that with the decrease of fractional order q, the complexity of the hyperchaotic system increases. Finally, based on the fractional-order circuit design principle, a circuit diagram of the system is designed, and the circuit is simulated by Multisim. The results are consistent with the numerical simulation results, which show that the system can be realized, which provides a foundation for the engineering applications of fractional-order hyperchaotic systems.

Machine Learning-Based Dynamic Modeling for Process Engineering Applications: A Guideline for Simulation and Prediction from Perceptron to Deep Learning

A misusage of machine learning (ML) strategies is usually observed in the process systems engineering literature. This issue is even more evident when dynamic identification is performed. The root of this problem is the gradient explode and vanishing issue related to the recurrent neural networks training. However, after the advent of deep learning, these issues were mitigated. Furthermore, the problem of data structuration is often overlooked during the machine learning model identification in this field. In this scenario, this work proposes a guideline for identifying ML models for the different applications in process systems engineering, which are usually for simulation or prediction purposes. While using the proposed guideline, the work also identifies a virtual analyzer for a pressure swing adsorption unit. In these types of adsorption separations, it is usual that the measurement of the main properties is not done online. Therefore, the virtual analyzer is another contribution of this manuscript. The overall results demonstrate that even though the test provides good performance during the ML model identification, its quality might degenerate over the application domain if the model application is overlooked.

Intravascular Fluorescence Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis.

Optical molecular imaging using near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) light is an emerging high-resolution imaging approach to image a wide range of molecular and cellular species in vivo. Imaging using NIR wavelengths (650-900nm) enables deeper photon penetration into tissue and reduced tissue autofluorescence, resulting in higher sensitivity to detect exogenously administered NIR fluorophores (injectable molecular imaging agents). Greater imaging depth of several centimeters is further achievable in the NIR window as blood absorption is as an order of magnitude lower than in the visible range. Furthermore, as optical imaging is routinely performed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory (e.g., optical coherence tomography), intravascular NIRF offers a promising translational approach for clinical coronary and peripheral arterial imaging. To this point, the first human intravascular NIRF imaging study recently demonstrated the ability to detect NIR autofluorescence in patients with coronary atherosclerosis. This study provides a foundation for targeted intravascular NIRF molecular imaging studies in coronary patients. In this chapter, we detail system engineering, imaging agents and translational applications of intravascular NIRF molecular imaging.

Operation performance study and prediction of photovoltaic thermal heat pump system engineering in winter

An array arrangement strategy of photovoltaic thermal modules and a connection form of refrigerant pipeline were innovatively proposed by author’s research group. Subsequently, the photovoltaic thermal heat pump system engineering was designed and constructed, and then the performance study of system heating in continuous operation and stage operation in winter was carried out in January 2021. During the system operation, the average coefficient of heating performance of the system was 2.95 in daytime stage operating, 2.55 in nighttime stage operating and 2.07 in continuous operating. To conduct the application simulation of photovoltaic thermal heat pump system, first the prediction model of system heating performance based on back propagation neural network was established and verified according to the operational parameters, then 12 cities of typical climate zone in China were selected to conduct operation simulation and performance prediction to analyze the regional applicability of the system, finally the performance prediction of system heating under variable working conditions was carried out to guide the design calculation of engineering application of photovoltaic thermal heat pump system engineering. It can be concluded that the system was more suitable for engineering application in cities of cold zone and hot summer and cold winter zone than that in severe cold zone. Besides that, the integration and operation optimization of system should be carried out to reduce the average temperature of the circulating hot water tank so that the energy efficiency of hot water system can be improved by 42%.

Demonstrating the Value of Systems Engineering as the Professional Standard of Care

AbstractOne of the most difficult challenges systems engineers face when attempting to introduce or expand the application of systems engineering (SE) is the demonstration of the systems engineering value. As SE is an upfront investment that may not pay dividends before sometime in the possibly distant future, business leaders unfamiliar with the process can be skeptical about the value of SE, especially in industries where SE is still an emerging discipline without a proven track record.Sometimes, however, the value of systems engineering can be demonstrated by the increased risk of NOT applying systems engineering, for example the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), commonly known as the Big‐Dig. Designed and built between 1982 and 2007, it was the most expensive highway project in the US at the time (approx. $21 billion in 2020 dollars), and was plagued by thousands of water leaks, design flaws, charges of poor execution, use of substandard materials and other issues, which eventually led to the death of a motorist and criminal arrests (Wiki, 2020, NTSB, 2006). The project managing consortium agreed to pay $407 million in restitution and several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined sum of approximately $51 million (AP, 2008). The settlement agreement included a statement of facts as the basis for liability, specifically addressing several areas of construction management oversight failures, including the use of non‐specified material, the use of substandard materials, as well as ignored observations of failing epoxy bolt load tests (AP, 2008). The consortium was paid more than $2 billion in fees (AP, 2008) that would have resulted in approximately $160M in profit (applying an 8% profit target). Looking at this project purely from an ROI perspective, however, the consortium not only lost all profit, but faced an additional $247M ($407M ‐ $160M) in losses.The issues identified above are typically addressed in construction specifications describing in detail the scope of work, materials, installation, and quality of workmanship. The Big Dig example should provide a cautionary tale of the risks associated with managing and overseeing construction projects, such as infrastructure, transportation, water, energy, or other projects.This paper describes the application of systems engineering principles to construction specifications in a large infrastructure project using a case study approach. The paper demonstrates the systematic exercise of a reasonable level of care, diligence, and skill, commonly described as the professional standard of care, thereby demonstrating the value of systems engineering as a successful liability protection and risk mitigation strategy.

Application of Systems Engineering and Sustainable Development Goals towards Sustainable Management of Fishing Gear Resources in Norway

Commercial fishing is a critical economic sector for Norway, yet deficiency of scientific information, regulatory instruments, inadequate implementation, and lack of management infrastructure are among the significant causes of mismanagement of fishing gear (FG) resources. Mismanagement of FGs results in leakage of plastics through abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gears (ALDFG), which is the most threatening litter fraction for marine wildlife. In EU-EEA states, the management of ALDFG is prioritized through a dedicated circular economy (CE) action plan. Historically, systems engineering (SE) methods are successfully applied for resource management studies. This study adopts and applies the SPADE method to evaluate sustainable management for the system of FG resources in Norway. SPADE comprises five problem-solving activities covering stakeholders, problem formulation, analysis, decision-making, and continuous evaluation. Each activity is accomplished by data collected through stakeholder interviews and literature analysis to establish an initial structure of problems and associated management strategies across FG’s life cycle phases. The application of SPADE spanned across four years (2017–2020) and resulted in scientific outcomes aimed at the common goal of improving the system of FG resources in Norway within the framework of sustainable development goals and CE. SPADE’s practice to integrate stakeholders at each step and provision for continual systems evaluation proved effective in building a holistic understanding of the complex system.

Advanced Mathematics and Computational Applications in Control Systems Engineering

Control-systems engineering is a multidisciplinary subject that applies automatic-control theory to design systems with desired behaviors in control environments [...]

Cleaning Up Our Act: Systems Engineering to Promote Business Model Innovation for the Offshore Exploration and Production Supply Chain Operations

Oil and gas offshore exploration and production (E & P) will remain necessary to meet increasing global energy demands. However, appraising and exploring these resources has a major impact on sustainability and faces many challenges. Improving the supply chain operations that support E&P activities presents opportunities to contribute to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but relies on organizations being able to adopt new strategies and technology and, innovate their current business models. Business model innovation (BMI) has not been actively pursued in this industry, partially due to the traditional operation management and due to the complexity in changing established models or adopting full-fledged archetypes. Thus, the present study proposes a more flexible and granular approach to BMI by defining elements to be adopted rather than proposing business models archetypes. To define the elements, an application of systems engineering (SE) is adopted through a morphological analysis (MA). They are presented in morphological boxes in three dimensions—technology, organization, and the human element—inspired by sustainable business model (SBM) literature. The elements are proposed as “bricks” for BMI where they can be adopted and re-arranged as necessary, providing granularity and flexibility to facilitate BMI for organizations of varying sizes.

Application of Systems Engineering to design the architecture of an enterprise of wind turbines inspection

Application of Systems Engineering to design the architecture of an enterprise of wind turbines inspection

Towards a theoretical framework of autonomous systems underpinned by intelligence and systems sciences

Autonomous systems are an emerging AI technology functioning without human intervention underpinned by the latest advances in intelligence, cognition, computer, and systems sciences. This paper explores the intelligent and mathematical foundations of autonomous systems. It focuses on structural and behavioral properties that constitute the intelligent power of autonomous systems. It explains how system intelligence aggregates from reflexive, imperative, adaptive intelligence to autonomous and cognitive intelligence. A hierarchical intelligence model &#x0028 HIM &#x0029 is introduced to elaborate the evolution of human and system intelligence as an inductive process. The properties of system autonomy are formally analyzed towards a wide range of applications in computational intelligence and systems engineering. Emerging paradigms of autonomous systems including brain-inspired systems, cognitive robots, and autonomous knowledge learning systems are described. Advances in autonomous systems will pave a way towards highly intelligent machines for augmenting human capabilities.

Detection of mycobacteria in paraffin-embedded Ziehl–Neelsen-Stained tissues using digital pathology

IntroductionEarly diagnosis of paucibacillary tuberculosis represents a challenge, even with direct tissue examination. Digital pathology allows the digital analysis of tissues to identify microorganisms. We aim to develop a program to detect and quantify typical and atypical mycobacteria in paraffin-embedded Ziehl–Neelsen-stained tissues. Material and methodsProgram development: The building of the program, named Pat-Scan, included pathology, systems engineering, and scientific applications. The iScan Coreo Au scanner® was used, and 9 variables were adjusted. Ten Ziehl–Neelsen-stained samples were fragmented into 2000 images and analyzed to validate the reproducibility of the bacilli images in the tissue, as detected by the software. ResultsPat-Scan included software and a scanner that were used to detect and quantify bacilli in paraffin-embedded Ziehl–Neelsen-stained tissues. All samples containing mycobacteria were successfully analyzed by the scanner, and the bacilli could be detected; these results were validated by expert pathologists by microscopy examination, and the presence of bacilli was confirmed in all cases. ConclusionsPat-Scan allowed the identification and quantification of mycobacteria in paraffin-embedded Ziehl–Neelsen-stained tissues, offering a reproducible diagnostic method that reduces the time for diagnosis and does not affect precision. Further validation is needed for application in the clinical setting.

GPU-based Parallel Algorithm for Super-Quadric Discrete Element Method and Its Applications for Non-Spherical Granular Flows

GPU-based parallel algorithms for large-scale DEM simulations of spherical elements have been well established. However, complex systems composed of non-spherical elements are common in nature and industry. The dynamic behavior and mechanical properties of non-spherical elements are significantly different from those of spheres on the macroscopic and microscopic scales. Considering the construction of non-spherical elements and the computational requirements of large-scale engineering applications, a CUDA-GPU parallel algorithm based on super-quadric elements is developed. In this method, the parallel-vector concept of spheres is employed, and the bounding box list and the Newton iterative list are added. To examine the applicability of the GPU parallel approach, four tests are performed. The first involves the generation of a large-scale non-spherical granular bed. The second consists of comparisons against the experimental flow processes of the non-spherical granular column. In the third, the influences of the particle shape on the calculation efficiency and the speedup ratio of the GPU to the CPU during the discharging process are investigated. The last test consists of the evaluating the mixing behaviors of large-scale non-spherical systems within a horizontally rotating drum. These studies demonstrate that the proposed CUDA-GPU parallel algorithms are applicable and reliable for the large-scale engineering applications of non-spherical granular systems.