Equipment Capacity Research Articles

The Emergence of Community-Driven Platforms in Response to COVID-19

Overview COVID-19 created unprecedented shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), stretching commercial and governmental capacities to respond to frontline healthcare workers’ needs. This article illustrates how GetUsPPE, one of the world’s largest community-driven platforms located in the United States, emerged during the crisis as a response to the PPE shortage and rapidly established an ecosystem that brings together a diverse group of community-based stakeholders to combat the scarcity of medical consumables. We analyze the GetUsPPE case, highlight key lessons, and derive important insights for innovation scholars and practitioners on how to mobilize and leverage diverse actors that come together to provide solutions in emergencies.

Optimal real-time dispatching of chillers and thermal storage tank in a university campus central plant

Recent studies have indicated a great potential for applying predictive methodologies to the operation of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. Particularly for Centralized Chiller Plants with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) used for District Cooling, there is a substantial opportunity for cost savings when responding to variations in electricity price and ambient temperature. The present work addresses the problem of closed-loop scheduling of a large-scale chiller plant with TES tank under a Day-Ahead (DA) electricity price program. The main contributions include: (i) formulating the problem for a real large-scale complex system; (ii) comparing different dispatching policies with varying degrees of optimality, constraint satisfaction and operational complexity; and (iii) designing an optimization-based scheduling tool and describing its implementation and results. The proposed Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation extends existing models by explicitly accounting for the effect of chilled water return temperature on the energy balances, considering real plant features, and performing pre-calculation of bounds on equipment and storage capacity. The study is performed with real process data from the central chiller plant located on the campus of the University of California, Davis. The comparison between different dispatching policies highlights the benefits of adopting an optimization-based operational strategy, indicating a cost reduction of up to 32% compared to other suboptimal policies. The study also demonstrates how additional constraints that reduce operational complexity affect the closed-loop performance of the optimization-based method, serving as a guideline for designing the optimization tool.

A Multi-objective Optimization Framework for Dynamic Planning of Energy Hub Considering Integrated Demand Response Program

The integrated operation of multi-carrier energy systems has attracted special attention due to its increased efficiency, improved flexibility and reduced pollution. It should be noted that accurate and optimal design of these systems will have a high impact on their optimal operation. Hence, this paper presents a multi-objective optimization framework for long-term planning of energy hub, in which equipment degradation and integrated demand response (IDR) programs are considered. The planning problem has been solved for 20 years and all short-term operation constraints have been taken into account. The problem is modeled using the fuzzy max-min method as a three-objective optimization problem, in which the objective functions include total cost, emission and hub losses. The simulation results demonstrate that the IDR program has reduced the total cost by about 9% by reducing equipment capacity and operating costs. In addition, the results illustrate that the reduction of 29% and 31% of losses and emission, led to a 49% increase in total costs. Overall, the results demonstrate that the proposed model, considering the equipment degradation and the annual load growth, leads to the optimal design of the hub structure and guarantees the supply of load until the end of the planning period.

Feasibility of Cloud Based Smart Dual Fuel Switching System (SDFSS) of Hybrid Residential Space Heating Systems for Simultaneous Reduction of Energy Cost and Greenhouse Gas Emission

Through tests conducted at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) Archetype Sustainable Houses, a hybrid residential space heating system with a supervisory controller was monitored and studied to evaluate its performance and effectiveness for the heating season. A high efficiency natural gas furnace (NGF) and an electric air source heat pump (ASHP) were coupled together to meet the space heating demand of the house. This integrated system is called the cloud based Smart Dual Fuel Switching System (SDFSS) that considers time-of-use (TOU) pricing, fuel cost, short-term weather forecast, and equipment efficiencies and capacities. This multi-variable decision-making process defines an optimal schedule for the hybrid system to run more cost effectively. This paper analyses two separate SDFSSs. According to these analyses, the SDFSS systems showed lower operating cost with respect to the furnace or the ASHP system alone with various carbon tax (CT) levels from $0 to $250/tonne of CT with an increment of $10/tonne of CT that were simulated, along with a significant GHG emission reduction relative to the conventional heating systems. Furthermore, with these technologies, Canada’s residential sector could potentially meet Canada’s Paris Agreement goals. The SDFSS technology is a is flexible, user friendly, ubiquitous technology for the smooth transition from today’s natural gas dominated space heating system to the future’s low carbon infrastructure powered by a heat pump and renewable energy.

Equipment size selection for optimizing polygeneration systems with reliability aspects

Polygeneration systems produce multiple energy streams and other useful outputs at high efficiency and lower environmental impact than stand-alone systems. The interdependency among process units can however lead to cascading failures when equipment capacity fails to meet its load requirement. Since process units are commercially available in discrete sizes, the overall reliability of a polygeneration system is dependent on capacity-load ratio of the selected equipment. The conventional definition of reliability, which is based on whether equipment are operational or not, fails to account for the capacity-load ratio. To address this gap, this paper presents a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for the synthesis of an optimal energy system that meets reliability specifications. The system reliability is optimized through selection of equipment capacity considering each process unit's intrinsic reliability profile relative to its capacity-load ratio. The rated capacity of the selected equipment size should exceed the expected load of each process unit by a margin that gives the required reliability. The model is applied to a polygeneration system case study to demonstrate its capabilities. The results emphasize the tradeoff between the total annualized cost and the system reliability.

Modelling of integrated scheduling problem of capacitated equipment systems with a multi-lane road network.

The coordination of different container-handling equipment is an important method for improving the overall efficiency of automated container terminals. In the real terminal, we should consider many real-life issues, such as the equipment capacity, the equipment collision, changing lanes in the multi-lane road, and choosing one of container-handling lanes for each container. This paper proposes the integrated scheduling problem of three container-handling equipment with the capacity constraint and the dual-cycle strategy, for simultaneously solving the equipment scheduling problem, the assignment problem of the container-handling lane and the conflict-free route planning problem of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). With the objective of minimizing the ship’s berth time, we propose a mixed-integer programming model based on the space-time network representation method and two bilevel optimization algorithms based on conflict resolution rules. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and two bilevel optimization algorithms.

Production flexibility of small run-of-river power plants: KWGO smart-storage case study

In the framework of the new Swiss feed-in-tariff system for Small Hydropower Plants (SHP), the aim of the SmallFLEX project, led by HES-SO Valais and performed in collaboration with EPFL, WSL, EAWAG, PVE and FMV, is to show how SHP can provide winter peak energy and ancillary services, whilst remaining eco-compatible. The pilot and demonstrator site selected is the new SHP of Gletsch-Oberwald (KWGO) owned by FMV and commissioned end of 2017. This run-of-river power plant is equipped with two six-jets Pelton turbine units featuring a maximum power of 7.5 MW each while the average annual power is lower than 5 MW, with a maximum of production during the summer. The capacity of infrastructure, equipment, and other adaptation measures to produce in a flexible way is being assessed while measuring the impact of this new operation on the environment, production and revenues. The paper focuses on the two experimental campaigns and the numerical simulations carried out to assess the flexibility of the power plant by means of smart use of existing infrastructure as additional storage volumes: the settling basin, the forebay and the upper part of the headrace tunnel.

Shaking table test on multi-dimensional seismic response of structure and nuclear power equipment coupled system

Structure and nuclear power equipment coupled system in nuclear power plant has complex dynamic interaction under seismic action. In order to study the seismic response of coupled system and assess seismic capacity of nuclear power equipment, shaking table test on coupled system by multi-dimensional seismic action was carried out. The natural frequency and damping ratio of the structure and nuclear power equipment were measured by two dynamic characteristic tests before and after the test. Furthermore, the test also included five operating basis earthquakes and one safe shutdown earthquake by using the artificial seismic waves as seismic inputs. The test results show that the dynamic amplification effect of the coupled system is obvious, and acceleration amplification factor of the equipment in the coupled system is about two times of the equipment directly connected to the shaking table in the X direction, between one and two times in the Y and Z direction. Compared with the structure, the dynamic response of the equipment in the coupled system also has a certain degree of amplification effect. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of structure and equipment change little. The equipment works well under all the test conditions, meeting the seismic requirements.

Research and Application of a Technology Eliminating Restriction of Electrical Equipment Capacity as Clean Electricity Heating Develops Rapidly

Replacing coal by electricity projects is one of the national public welfare projects. In the field of energy conversion, the larger the number of electric heating users is, the more favorable it is to control air pollution, and the more significant benefits of the society, ecological system and environment are. This paper put forward a technology for solving restriction on rapid development of clean electricity heating due to electrical equipment capacity. It is able to enable a large number of users to access the power distribution network without capacity increase or with little capacity increase, which is beneficial to promoting electric heating extensively and accelerating the process of “replacing bulk coal by clean electric energy” project in China.

Multiobjective bilevel optimization algorithm based on preference selection to solve energy hub system planning problems

Energy hub system planning is a large-scale discrete multiobjective problem and it also belongs to a Stackelberg game. It is difficult to obtain a solution to this problem in a limited time through deterministic algorithms. In order to solve the above problems, a multiobjective bilevel optimization algorithm based on preference selection is proposed, which is divided into lower-level optimization and upper-level optimization. The preference selection mechanism can solve the uncertainty of the lower-level decision-making, and the trisection search method can improve the speed of the upper-level optimization. In the energy hub system planning problem, the upper-level optimizes the best capacity of energy equipment, and the lower-level optimizes the best combination of each energy carrier. Compared with other heuristic algorithms, the proposed method saves the computational time required to solve the problem. Compared with the commercial optimizer, the proposed method makes up for the defect that the commercial optimizer cannot solve the nonlinear discrete problem. The proposed method helps to solve the planning, design and operation scheduling problems of complex energy hub systems and multi-energy flow complementary systems. This method provides a theoretical basis for further research on the optimal scheduling of the entire life cycle of the energy hub system.

Investigation of implementing solar energy for groundwater desalination in arid and dry regions: A case study

Desalination is a perfectly viable solution for alleviating the problem of water scarcity in arid and dry regions with access to seawater or brackish groundwater. Yazd province in central desert part of Iran suffers from drinking water for most of the cities, because of the low precipitation. This study aimed at prioritizing the capitals of counties for desalinating water for the first time for this area. Also selected criteria are being used for the first time which could be used for other regions in the world. Five existing water wells from each of nine counties are nominated and ranked. Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution method was used to rank counties in terms of suitability for desalination. Validity of the results is assessed by two different methods, which Marvast found as best location. The maximum capacity of the desalination equipment is 50 m3/h. The project in order to be economically feasible, equipment must operate at least 2 h a day, therefore it would be able to desalinate minimum of 100 cubic meters of water for total of 2 h. By implementing these methods, decision makers can rationally select and rank locations for construction of desalination plants.

Optimized Economic Operation of Microgrid: Combined Cooling and Heating Power and Hybrid Energy Storage Systems

Abstract With the rapid development of clean energy, the combined cooling and heating power (CCHP) and hybrid energy storage system (HESS) have become matured significantly. However, further optimizing the configuration of the energy supply system and adjusting the output of distributed micro-sources and energy storage units are still attractive issues. This paper focuses on the two-stage optimization strategy of the microgrid system, including CCHP and HESS. The details of the operating characteristics and mathematical models of distributed micro-sources in the system are presented. The energy storage architecture is used for mathematical modeling, and the optimization model is analyzed from the two perspectives of energy supply and demand, which explores the feasibility of improving the economic operation of the micro-energy system. The two-stage optimization model in which the first stage is to determine the optimal installation capacity of various equipment and the second stage determines the optimal operation plan of the system by obtaining the system’s capacity configuration. The simulation results show that the CCHP system can reduce the operation cost by 4.61% and 6.48% for winter and summer, respectively, also reduce fuel cost consumption by 3.01% and 3.68% for winter and summer, respectively.

The Comparison of Solar-Powered Hydrogen Closed-Cycle System Capacities for Selected Locations

The exhaustion of fossil fuels causes decarbonized industries to be powered by renewable energy sources and, owing to their intermittent nature, it is important to devise an efficient energy storage method. To make them more sustainable, a storage system is required. Modern electricity storage systems are based on different types of chemical batteries, electromechanical devices, and hydrogen power plants. However, the parameters of power plant components vary from one geographical location to another. The idea of the present research is to compare the composition of a solar-powered hydrogen processing closed-cycle power plant among the selected geographical locations (Russia, India, and Australia), assuming the same power consumption conditions, but different insolation conditions, and thus the hydrogen equipment capacity accordingly. The number of solar modules in an array is different, thus the required hydrogen tank capacity is also different. The comparison of equipment requires building an uninterrupted power supply for the selected geographical locations, which shows that the capacity of the equipment components would be significantly different. These numbers may serve as the base for further economic calculations of energy cost.

Incidence of COVID-19 After Nonelective Hip and Knee Surgery During the Peak of the Pandemic: The New Jersey Experience.

In an attempt to preserve essential equipment and health care system capacity and slow the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, Governor Murphy suspended all elective surgeries performed in New Jersey from March 27, 2020, through May 25, 2020. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of postoperative COVID-19 infection following nonelective hip and knee surgery during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey during this time. A retrospective cohort of 149 patients who underwent nonelective hip and knee surgery from March 27, 2020, through May 25, 2020, at 2 institutions was identified. The cohort was divided into hip fracture and non-fracture patients to compare the postoperative experience of these patient populations. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative COVID-19 infection diagnosed via severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 nasopharyngeal real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, discharge disposition, postoperative complications, and mortality rate. A total of 149 patients underwent nonelective hip and knee surgeries, including 76 hip fracture cases and 73 nonelective hip and knee arthroplasty cases. A postoperative diagnosis of COVID-19 was made for 5 (6.6%) of 76 hip fracture patients, and 2 of the 5 died secondary to COVID-19. There were no infections in the arthroplasty cohort. This study describes a low incidence of COVID-19 infection after nonelective hip and knee surgery during the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey. Patients who underwent hip fracture surgery had an increased incidence of postoperative COVID-19 infection. [Orthopedics. 2021;44(3):180-186.].

Response Options for an Offshore Deepwater Blow-Out, A Generic Evaluation of Individual and Combined Response Strategies

Abstract The low oil recovery rates reported during Macondo (3–5% of the released oil) have caused discussions regarding the efficiency of mechanical recovery compared to other oil spill response options. These low recovery rates have unfortunately been used as reference recovery rates in several later modelling studies and oil spill response analysis. Multiple factors could explain these low rates, such as operational priorities, where dispersants and/or in situ burning are given priority before mechanical recovery; extended safety zones; availability of adequate equipment and storage capacity of collected oil; the number of units available; the level of training and the available remote sensing support to guide operations. This study uses the OSCAR oil spill model to simulate a deep-water oil release to evaluate the effect of different response options both separately and in combination. The evaluated response options are subsea dispersant injection, mechanical recovery, and a combination of these. As expected, Subsea Dispersant Injection (SSDI) was highly effective and resulted in a significant reduction in residual surface oil (8% of released oil volume, versus 28% for the non-response option, NR). However, using large offshore oil recovery systems also reduced residual surface oil with a similar amount (9% of released oil volume). These results deviate significantly from the efficiency numbers reported after the Macondo incident and from later modelling studies scaled after the Macondo recovery rates. The increased efficiency of mechanical reported in this study is mainly due to inclusion of updated descriptions of response capabilities, reduced exclusion zone, a more realistic representation of surface oil distribution and modelling of response units' interactions with oil, (efficient oil recovery only on thick parts of the oil slick). The response capabilities and efficiency numbers for the different response options used in this study are based on equipment specifications from multiple response providers and authorities (Norwegian Clean Seas organisation (NOFO), Oil Spill Response (OSRL), Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA), US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and others). These capabilities are justified by well-established contingency plans, offshore exercises and annual equipment performance testing with oil.

Research on Automatic Control System of Bulk Terminal Based on Application

Due to the wide variety of cargo types, the shape of the cargo has caused great obstacles to the intelligent management of the bulk cargo terminal. Now most bulk cargo terminals operate in the traditional manual warehouse operation mode and data collection, but the traditional manual warehouse operation mode and data collection method have been difficult to meet the fast and accurate requirements of warehouse management. In this study, based on the key technical characteristics and existing problems of the bulk code automatic control system, combined with the requirements of the production site, the intelligent production prototype system of the bulk cargo terminal based on the mobile phone application is designed.Some unnecessary human involvement in the process can be reduced through the mobile phone application, so that the safety of production data is reliably guaranteed. The bulk cargo terminal application can manage inspection operations, maintenance operations, and on-site operations in real time, and can supervise the operations of field personnel in real time. The total capacity of equipment and cargo warehouses, as well as current inventory and cargo owner information can be intuitively applied through the application. This application can achieve intelligent management of the production operations of bulk terminals.

Development of innovative methods of increasing the service life of equipment and pipelines

Knowing the specific technological parameters of water source and piping systems, it is possible to determine the service life of the pipe set, as water source as pipelines, by the offered method. Complex-acting, multifunctional, thermally resistant, bactericidal type new corrosion inhibitor based on naphthenates has been developed; The technology of insulation of the surface of metal pipes with coatings made of non-corrosive, shock-resistant and corrosion-resistant basalt-plastic and glass-plastic materials has been developed. Possibility of application of basalt-plastic and glass-plastic materials in construction and repair of tanks and other capacities was studied; Technologies for the production of protective belts, transport pipes, as well as rods from pure basalt-plastic and fiberglass materials in the highly corrosive environment were developed and their application together with metal pipes and rods was analyzed. Knowing the specific technological parameters of water source and piping systems, it is possible to determine the service life of the pipe set, as water source as pipelines, by the new method. During the research, the physicochemical factors affecting the object were investigated and methods of elimination were developed: Innovative methods of corrosion protection to increase the service life of equipment and transport pipelines, as well as a statistical method to determine the dependence of the capacity of equipment and transport pipelines on mechanical, physical and chemical factors; complex-acting, multifunctional, thermally resistant, bactericidal type new corrosion inhibitor based on naphthenates has been developed.

How Vietnam is saving lives against Covid-19?

It complements Silva (2020b) research, which showed that among 108 well-evaluated countries, the top benchmark nations against Covid-19 are Vietnam, Taiwan, and Thailand. For example, on April 16, 2021 around 3,011,574 lives were officially lost by Covid-19, while Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand reported respectively only 11, 35, and 97 fatal cases (WORLDOMETERS, 2021). So, this article main aim is to investigate the Vietnam performance and the management practices used to save lives against Covid19. The research uses an online questionnaire, is descriptive with documentary and bibliographic approaches to identify management practices, including Non Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) adopted against a pandemic. Also the Fatality Total Index (SILVA, 2020b p. 563) was used to compare Vietnam's performance with 43 semifinalist countries. Some results are: 1) 200 NPIs were identified across the world against coronavirus; 2) Among the 44 countries, Vietnam showed the second best performance, after Taiwan; 3) among 107 respondents living in Vietnam, only 5.61% don´t believe that cultural practices are decisive for the low rate of Covid-19 death, while most (94.39%) believe in that. From the group that believe, the most decisive cultural practices were: wear a mask, wash hands, not shake hands, not hug in public and few religious assembly; 4) for 106 respondents living in Vietnam, the ten main policy measures adopted by the National Government that saved lives against the virus are: international travel control, public information campaigns, schools closures, public event cancellations, integration with mass media, restriction on internal movement, effective public-private collaboration, increase the medical and personal equipment capacity, public transport reduction and combat fake news. At the final, ten golden lessons are provided, from 340 policies, measures, programs, projects, innovative products/services identified, with the majority led by the Public Sector (73.5%), followed by Corporations (8.5%), Others (6.5%), Start ups (6.2%), and Universities (5.3%).

Impacts of Air-Conditioning Equipment Sizing on Energy Performance of US Office Buildings

Abstract The paper summarizes the results of systematic and comprehensive analysis to investigate the impacts of inadequate sizing air-conditioning (AC) systems on the overall energy consumption of medium and large office buildings located in representative US cities. The effects of proper sizing on the overall and disaggregated AC systems are evaluated in terms of energy consumption, peak demand, equipment run-time, and indoor thermal comfort. The presented analysis covers the performance of a wide range of AC equipment components that serve US office buildings including packaged rooftop units as well as central cooling plants. The analysis results indicate that oversizing penalties can be significant on the annual energy consumption and electrical peak demand as well as capital costs for both medium and large office buildings. In particular, the reliance on simplified calculation methods and rules-of-thumb to determine equipment capacities can lead to significantly oversizing AC systems for office buildings in the vast majority of US climates. The analysis results indicate that 50% oversizing of AC systems can result in increases in annual energy consumption of up to 91% for large offices and 39% for medium office. Moreover, oversizing increases capital costs required for air-conditioning office buildings and extends cycling periods and associated structural stresses and failures of AC equipment.

TIME-DRIVEN ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING RELATED TO DIGITAL TWINNING IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Many businesses in the additive manufacturing industry have limited equipment capacity. This method of using time-driven activity-based costing in collaboration with digital twinning will be advantageous to optimise their use of time and their capacity. Optimising the use of time is essential to ensure efficient process flow and to waste less time and money. To optimise, we need to analyse system dynamics and model system responses, to enable us to consider various scenarios iteratively. This paper first considers activity-based costing, driven by its most precious resource, time. Standard time is defined as the base parameter by which cost is calculated. Charge-out rates of elements are based on the actual cost of equipment apportioned to activities, based on the time spent using such equipment. The process chain is broken into elements, each of which incurs full cost when started. The value chain develops accordingly, enabling us to predict the actual cost of production. Second, the use of digital twinning to model standard time is considered. Stochastic variation is evident, but standard time can be allocated to each element in the process chain, given a certain confidence level. Together, a cause — effect prediction model can be developed. The model would predict the time that a process chain, consisting of known elements, would take. However, in the event of an occurrence out of the norm, the updated expected time can be predicted. Using the same rates, the new cost can be determined immediately. We propose that the digital twin can predict production cost, based on a statistically measurable stochastic variation of element duration and the time-varying charge-out rate.