Conceptual Design Process Research Articles

Kinetic modeling of methanol-to-olefins process over SAPO-34 catalysts in a dual fluidized bed reactor–regenerator

Based on a lumped methanol-to-olefins (MTO) reaction kinetic model over SAPO-34 catalyst particles, a one-dimensional two-phase model was developed for bubbling fluidized bed reactor and catalyst regenerator. Comparison of the model predictions with literature experimental data showed good agreement over wide ranges of operating conditions both on a bench-scale unsteady-state bubbling fluidized bed reactor as well as pilot and demo-scale steady-state dual fluidized bed reactor–regenerator. The two-phase reactor model was also applied for catalyst coke content combustion with diluted air to design the regenerator of the dual fluidized bed reactor. Finally, the heat duty required for cooling circulating catalyst particles is obtained from overall energy balances. This integrated reactor–regenerator simulation allows for seamless analysis of MTO process. The trade-off between the complexity and applicability of the model makes it a useful choice for conceptual process designs, scale-up, integration with simulation software, optimization, process control and economic analyses.

Optimal Process Design of Hydrogen Production Using Response Surface Methodology

Conceptual process design is a key step to the commercialization of novel technologies, where a network of reaction-separation-recycle processes is synthesized to produce target products from given raw materials. Such design is often realized using commercial process simulators (e.g., Aspen Plus, gPROMS) to calculate mass and energy balances, which can then be used as a basis for the evaluation through, for example, techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment. In such evaluation, the reference design is very important as it forms the foundation for further analysis such as sensitivity analysis. However, it is typically determined heuristically, leading to a design with suboptimal (or even poor) evaluation metrics. To address this problem, in this work, model-free design of experiment methods are implemented to optimize process designs developed using Aspen Plus. Performances of different methods are compared using representative chemical process examples.

Conceptual Design Process for LEO Satellite Constellations Based on System Engineering Disciplines

Satellite design process is an interdisciplinary subject in which the need for collaboration among various science and engineering disciplines is evident. Meanwhile, finding an optimal process for conceptual design of a satellite, which can optimize time and cost, is still an important issue. In this paper, based on system engineering approach, an optimal design process is proposed for LEO satellite constellations. In the proposed method, design process, design sequences, and data flow are established. In this regard, the conceptual design process is divided into two levels of mission (or constellation) and system (or satellite) as well as 15 main activities based on the mission profile, previous experiences of the authors, and existing literature. Then, the relationships between these activities have been determined by considering the importance of relationships according to their priority. Finally, these relations are optimized based on design structure matrix (DSM). By utilizing this approach, system design process of a telecommunication satellite constellation in LEO is formulated in conceptual design phase. Performance and capability of the proposed approach in optimal design process of the satellite constellation are investigated by comparing the outcome with existing results in the literature.

Conceptual Design of Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment Based on a Multi-source Heterogeneous Requirement Mapping Method

Intelligent manufacturing equipment constitutes important prerequisite and foundation for processing and manufacturing. In its conceptual design process, functional determination based on customer needs (CAs), intelligence demands (IDs) and manufacture constraints (MCs) is the prerequisite and basis for subsequent design work. As these various requirement information becomes more complex and mixed, a practical design method will improve the design efficiency of this type of problem. Although research on requirement acquisition and transformation methods has been intensively studied, this problem is still difficult to solve by traditional methods due to the multi-source heterogeneous characteristics of requirement information. To overcome this problem, a requirements mapping methodology is proposed to decompose and transform multi-source heterogeneous requirements and map them to different functional knowledge (FK). Multi-source design requirements are categorized by different objectives such as manufacturing, customer, and intelligence, and these heterogeneous information is analyzed by the decomposition method corresponding to them. The conceptual scheme (CS) is derived through a four-step selection process: requirement set (RS) determination, FK mapping, knowledge combination, and scheme evaluation. The prototype design and an experimental study of a brand-new intelligent folding gantry crane is conducted. The results show that the proposed method can not only improve the design efficiency of intelligent manufacturing equipment, but also reduce the repetitive work in the detailed design stage.

Knowledge and engineering parameter mapping technology supporting product conceptual design

In the fuzzy front stage of product conceptual design, requirements are often expressed briefly as the expectation of product effect. However, the mapping relationship between this kind of effect expectation requirement and product design knowledge is difficult to explore and establish, and it is more difficult to guide designing process objectively. In order to expand product conceptual design ideas, professionally search the design solution space, and improve user satisfaction, this article proposes product design knowledge and engineering parameter mapping technologies that support conceptual design: First, construct a domain knowledge graph based on patent text. Extract entities-such as effect knowledge, functional knowledge, technical knowledge, and structural knowledge-and inter-entity relationships from patent texts through BERT technology to realize the construction of domain knowledge graph; Second, in view of the fuzziness and incompleteness of the front stage design requirements, by introducing General Engineering Parameters (GEPs), construct the domain product-engineering parameter-structure (PGS) mapping relationship library. On the one hand, the library realizes the professional representation and completion of the product design requirements from the engineering perspective; on the other hand, it improves the mapping relationship between the difficult-to-identify relationships between design requirements and their structural solutions in the domain knowledge graph; Third, a product conceptual design process model based on PGS is proposed. The model takes the professional and complete requirements expressed as engineering parameters as input, which matches patent candidate sets through effect knowledge in the domain knowledge graph. Then select and construct a structural solution morphology matrix through computational evaluation methods to support the generation of product design conceptions; Finally, an example of manipulator design verifies the effectiveness of the knowledge library and the technical solution proposed by this research.

Design and Analysis of Interior Permanent Magnet Motor for Electric Vehicle Application Considering Irreversible Demagnetization

The design of permanent magnet motors for the battery-powered electric vehicle has different aspects. In this study, the conceptual design process of an electric machine for Sedan Low car is presented. Based on the vehicle requirements, an interior permanent magnet motor with a maximum power of 120 kW with different slot/pole combinations is designed. To obtain the best slot/pole combination, The New European Driving Cycle in terms of crucial performance characteristics is compared. Given the importance of irreversible demagnetization phenomenon to an electric vehicle application, an accurate approach to determine the irreversible demagnetization rate is first introduced. Design tips are then proposed to reduce the probability of the irreversible demagnetization. Finally, fault-tolerant design in case of irreversible demagnetization withstand capability is carried out using a two-level Taguchi optimization approach. The results obtained from this study indicated that the proposed approach is effective in the fault-tolerant design of the permanent magnet machine for electric vehicle applications.

New Autonomous Vehicle Technologies Effect on Automotive Concept Design Stages

New road transportation systems solutions create significant changes in existing automotive manufacturing industry products and technologies, from design to use. The conveniences within the framework of new approaches brought by autonomous vehicle technologies primarily make individuals transition from driver duty to passenger and high-comfort alternative travel technologies. Therefore, the research: defining the path followed by the autonomous vehicle technologies, which lead to the development of the said new life model and automotive products within the future fiction, in the stages of designing new concept vehicles in practice or measuring the effect on the processes constitute important values for the future prediction of this sector. In addition, the research has focused on the effects of interdisciplinary studies at the automotive concept design stages, which are at the beginning of today’s lean and new product development process, where innovation goals or technologies emerge with more concrete needs. New autonomous vehicle technologies and the main purpose of revealing the interdisciplinary studies created by new disciplines in the current automotive concept design stages make significant contributions to the optimization of the lean product development process and value creation. For this reason, the automotive manufacturing industry, which is on the eve of a major transformation with the said new autonomous vehicle technologies; determining the needs or sustainable position in the flow of digital perception and orientation systems; determining value creation criteria related to the functioning of automotive concept design processes or new acceptance criteria through one-on-one interviews in the field; constitutes the focus of the research. The research has examined the new interdisciplinary studies and effects of new autonomous vehicle technologies in the automotive concept design phase, which is the first step of lean product development, with local and global automotive industry company comparisons in operation. Therefore, the differences and similarities between the concept design stages of global automotive companies that are both co-developers of new autonomous vehicle technologies and manufacturing automotive products and local automotive manufacturing companies that only assemble them determine the future competitive structuring of the industry.

Autonomous Vehicle Technologies Effects the Automotive Concept Design Stages with AHP Method

In the automotive concept design stages, functionally positioning the newly introduced autonomous technologies or remodelling the vehicle accordingly and evaluating the steps or determining the workload together with the collaboration intensity in the current flow is the initial step for the entire process efficiency. Therefore, the main purpose of the research is to reveal the effects of the autonomous technologies, which are newly included in the automotive concept design stages in automotive manufacturing industry companies that continue their lives under heavy competition conditions, according to the order of importance. The objective of this research is to both increase the efficiency of automotive concept design stages and to determine the measurement of the effects of new autonomous vehicle technologies in practice. Under the AHP method used in the research, the automotive concept design stages constitute the alternatives in the order of importance of the working structure, as well as the application variables of autonomous vehicle technologies, the criteria of the mathematical model. In addition, the research method modelled in the study, under the AHP mathematical model, reveals the performances or order of importance of the automotive concept design stages under autonomous technologies. Therefore, the resulting process performances constitute important inputs for efficiency and optimization studies under different research approaches. When the results of the study are examined, due to the high level of influence on the new vehicle concept design performance in automotive industry companies, the adaptation or application steps of autonomous vehicle technologies create new needs in the whole process. The determination of innovation creation clusters in the design process steps or the selection of the density of new technology adaptation in the stages and the order of importance provide a competitive advantage along with optimization in the basic functions of the automotive industry companies. However, the determination of new workload clusters in the mentioned automotive concept design process steps or the effect of autonomous technologies in the design stages, selection, transfer from theory to practice, multiple conflicting criteria and uncertain parameters create a very complex situation. For all these reasons, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is one of the widely used multi-criteria decision-making tools, is considered as a suitable approach for creating such order of importance and solving problems. In this study, an AHP mathematical model was created that determines the workload clusters created by autonomous vehicle technology applications that have just begun to guide the automotive concept design process, which is the main function of automotive manufacturing industry companies. Therefore, in line with the innovations, changes and adequacy criteria created by the current automotive concept design stages in the new autonomous vehicle technology adaptation, a stage order of importance has been selected.

MARINE REQUIREMENTS ELUCIDATION AND THE NATURE OF PRELIMINARY SHIP DESIGN

In 2003 the author produced a paper, entitled “Marine Design – Requirements Elucidation rather than Requirements Engineering”, for the 8th International Marine Design Conference. This was intended to follow on from van Griethuysen’s 2000 IMDC paper “Marine Design – Can Systems Engineering Cope?”, while drawing on the author’s recent experience in, firstly, directing and then being the MoD Future Surface Combatant (FSC) IPT Team Leader in the concept phase for that programme, where the intentions of Smart Procurement were applied. Since leaving the MoD in 2000, the author’s academic endeavours, at UCL, have both refined the ideas in the 2003 paper and, through a diverse range of ship design studies, provided further substantial evidence in favour of that paper’s argument. The current paper was originally presented to the first Institution conference on systems engineering. This is a revised version in the light of the discussion at that conference on the applicability of systems engineering practice to initial ship design and presents the arguments of both papers to a wider audience.
 The current paper looks at the origins of the concept of Requirements Engineering, within systems engineering, when specifically applied to naval engineering acquisition practice. This is contrasted with consideration of the actual nature of the initial design of physically large and complex systems, typified by modern naval vessels. This is followed by drawing specific insights from a series of design studies undertaken by the UCL Design Research Centre, under the direction of the author. These diverse and wide ranging initial design studies can be seen as examples of the sophistication of Requirements Elucidation, exemplifying how systems engineering practice can be applied to the critical early stages of naval ship design. The paper concludes by looking at the characteristics of the initial or concept design process by seeing Requirements Elucidation, as the strategy to tackle the inherently “wicked problem” of determining what is really wanted of a naval vessel and what can be afforded.

Enabling optimization of complex distillation configurations in GAMS with CAPE-OPEN thermodynamic models

Optimization of complex process models, e.g., those, resulting from conceptual design of distillation processes, with optimization environments such as GAMS, AMPL, or AIMMS is still thwarted by the manual implementation necessary for the interface to external thermo engines. In this contribution, we address this issue by automatically generating all code for interfacing GAMS with an external CAPE-OPEN thermodynamic property package. The distillation models in our approach are assembled in a modular way by combining multiple general vapor-liquid equilibrium stage models. A method, where all existing vapor-liquid-equilibria are relaxed is proposed and examined for enhanced model stability. The ability of our optimization approach is shown by the results of two examples that determine an optimum energy-targeted design of a fully thermally coupled dividing wall column for the separation of a zeotropic mixture of n-pentane, n-hexane, and n-heptane and an azeotropic mixture of acetone, methanol, and water.

Realization of user-friendly bioanalytical tools to quantify and monitor critical components in bio-industrial processes through conceptual design.

This minireview suggests a conceptual and user‐oriented approach for the design of process monitoring systems in bioprocessing. Advancement of process analytical techniques for quantification of critical analytes can take advantage of basic conceptual process design to support reasoning, reconsidering and ranking solutions. Issues on analysis in complex bio‐industrial media, sensitivity and selectivity are highlighted from users’ perspectives. Meeting challenging analytical demands for understanding the critical interplay between the emerging bioprocesses, their biomolecular complexity and the needs for user‐friendly analytical tools are discussed. By that, a thorough design approach is suggested based on a holistic design thinking in the quest for better analytical opportunities to solve established and emerging analytical needs.

Conceptual Process Design, Energy and Economic Analysis of Solid Waste to Hydrocarbon Fuels via Thermochemical Processes

Thermochemical processes use heat and series of endothermic chemical reactions that achieve thermal cracking and convert a wide range of solid waste deposits via four thermochemical processes to hydrocarbon gaseous and liquid products such as syngas, gasoline, and diesel. The four thermochemical reactions investigated in this research article are: incineration, pyrolysis, gasification, and integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC). The mentioned thermochemical processes are evaluated for energy recovery pathways and environmental footprint based on conceptual design and Aspen HYSYS energy simulation. This paper also provides conceptual process design for four thermochemical processes as well as process evaluation and techno-economic analysis (TEA) including energy consumption, process optimization, product yield calculations, electricity generation and expected net revenue per tonne of feedstock. The techno-economic analysis provides results for large scale thermochemical process technologies at an industrial level and key performance indicators (KPIs) including greenhouse gaseous emissions, capital and operational costs per tonne, electrical generation per tonne for the four mentioned thermochemical processes.

The application of topological geometry to the architectural concept design process in the flow of digitalization

PurposeThe paper aims to research the applications of topological geometry to the architectural concept design process and their combination with the modern digital technology to find novel architectural spaces and forms which are dynamic, easily adaptable to the context and surroundings.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses the method of studying the existing literature on topological geometry and architectural design theory including design thinking, architectural design methods and architectural compositions to analyze and compare them with architectural practices and suggest new topological design tools and methods. Moreover, the paper tests the proposals with a number of preliminary design research experiments. In addition, graphic design software, parametric design, building information modeling (BIM) and digital development trends in architecture were explored and experienced to reveal the application potential of topological design thinking and methods in the trend of architectural digitization.FindingsThe paper has analyzed, synthesized and systematized the basic theories of topological geometry in order to clarify their applications in the architectural concept design process. On that basis, the paper proposes a novel topological design thinking and method for finding rich diversified architectural ideas and forms based on original invariant design constraints. Finally, the paper clarifies the combination as well as the mutual, motivating relationship between topological geometry and modern digital technologies when applied to architectural design.Originality/valueThe research contributes a novel design thinking and method based on topological geometry combined with modern digital technology to the architectural design theory. It will be a valuable tool capable of suggesting architects how to think and innovate in architecture in the era of industrial revolution 4.0.

CO2 Abatement in the Steel Industry through Carbon Recycle and Electrification by Means of Advanced Polymer Membranes.

The potential of advanced polymer or hybrid polymer membranes to reduce CO2 emissions in steel production was evaluated. For this, a conceptual process design and assessment was performed for a process that is a combination of carbon recycling and electrification of the steel making process. The results indicate a CO2 avoidance of 9%. CO2 emissions were reduced by factor 1.78 when using renewable electricity according to the proposed scheme compared to feeding this renewable electricity to the electrical grid. The CO2 abatement potential of the studied concept is highly dependent on the CO2 conversion in the plasma torch. If CO2 conversion in the plasma torch could be increased from 84.4% to 95.0%, the overall CO2 avoidance could be further increased to 16.5%, which is comparable to the values reported for the top gas recycling blast furnace. In this case, the CO2 emissions reduction achieved when using renewable electricity in the proposed scheme compared to using the same electricity in the electrical grid increases a factor from 1.78 to 3.27.

Study on Compressive Properties of Recycling PETs and CANs for Designing a Smart Waste Management Compactor

Recycling is a key process in any sustainable development strategy. This paper proposes solutions for the increasing waste collection rates by developing an educational model for developing innovative waste management solutions. The focus in this paper will be on making the correlation between experimental studies on compressive properties of recycling waste and designing a smart waste management compactor. Based on previous achievements on developing an innovative compactor system with selective waste collection, actual experimental trials will be analysed for generating compression patterns for different types of common waste containers which will be used in the conceptual design process of a compactor, impacting concept definition of all 3 subsystems: mechanical, electrical and software. A dedicated software module for compression parameters will be developed for importing experimental data trials and based on these to process and identify relevant compression parameters defining compression pattern for different common waste containers. These parameters will be used to assist the wok mode state machines for compacting wastes. This will improve compactor performance by optimization of compactor usage smart adaptability.

A framework for managing conceptual design process

Addressing the conceptual design stage as a significant part of design management, this article introduces a framework for concept generation and development in architectural design. Evolving throughout eleven years of experimentation, the framework is formulated as a graphical template to plot eight methods of concept generation, and multiple figurative and operative models for concept transformation and development. The framework is intended to be flexible and supportive of iterative cycling, while also offering an explicit, structured and systemized approach to broaden the solution scope and enhance creativity in the proposed alternatives. Developing language-based structures, the research addresses knowledge management in the initial stages of designing using interdisciplinary knowledge mapping. The research comprises a research-through-design methodology for framework development, and questionnaire surveys for its testing. The findings indicate that the framework helps designers initiate their designing process, guide them throughout the process, and generate a wide variety of creative concepts. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that the analogy-based method is the most common one in shaping the final design products. Despite its contribution, the framework was criticized for generating too many alternatives that consume time and make decisions more difficult to make.

Design Selection for New In-Flight Food Delivery and Waste Collection System of Commercial Passenger Transport Aircraft using TOPSIS

One of the important airline services that can influence the passengers’ loyalty is the in-flight meal service. In this study, the conceptual design process of new in-flight food delivery and waste collection system is carried out using the standard engineering design method to improve the current system. A critical step in this process is the design concept evaluation and selection where the best alternative design concept solution is chosen for further development. The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method is applied to facilitate the selection process of the best design concept for the new improved in-flight food delivery and waste collection system. The design evaluation criteria for the TOPSIS assessment procedures are taken from previous work done on design requirements analysis for the new in-flight food delivery and waste collection system. Similarly, five alternative design concepts for the new system are taken from the results of the previous research work done. Furthermore, an online public survey is conducted to acquire the assessment rating of all alternative design concepts for each design evaluation criterion. The assessment rating is assigned using a simple Likert rating scale. From the resultant TOPSIS ranking, Concept 3 has emerged as the best design concept with a closeness rating of 0.9589, which is very close to 1. For future research work, this selected final design concept for the new in-flight food delivery and waste collection system will be forwarded to the next engineering design stage for further development.

New application for sketching in a machine tool company

The identification of new applications for sketching and freehand drawing in the field of engineering is a subject of interest for researchers and practitioners, especially after a significant drop in use in the conceptual design processes due to the expansion of CAD systems. A new opportunity for research arose when an industrial company, belonging to the machine tool sector, in the scope of Engineered-To-Order (ETO) production systems, introduced sketching into the first conceptual design stages of a new field: the Order To Delivery (OTD) process of customised manufacturing solutions. A research team carried out a case study, combining both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to evaluate the impact of this innovative application. The results prove the value of sketching to enhance delivery times and reduce reprocessing and correction times. This relatively quick and economical tool enabled the company to work more closely with the customer and to reduce the variability and uncertainty problems linked to ETO systems. Hence, these findings are interesting both for the scientific community and for companies with a similar ETO production type. First of all, to further expand this new application, and also, to give sketching the place it deserves as an operational tool.

A smart knowledge deployment method for the conceptual design of low-carbon products

As the consciousness of the global environment and sustainability has increased, low-carbon products have played a vital role in the transformation to a circular economy. Advanced smart design technology has enabled product designers to fulfill customer requirements by offering tailor-made functions and low-carbon solutions. However, although the existing approaches used in the conceptual design process can help in functional reasoning, knowledge modelling, and scheme evaluation, the smart reuse of knowledge, such as in design model improvement and concept scheme iteration for lower carbon emission, the corresponding process evaluation concerning carbon footprint has not been given sufficient attention. To resolve this, in this work, a smart knowledge deployment method is proposed for reasoning, configuring, and optimizing the conceptual scheme (CS) based on carbon emission evaluation and interaction. First, to match discretized knowledge, sub-function requirements after function decomposition are mapped with granular clustered knowledge into a matrix based on a requirement function knowledge deployment (RFKD) model. Second, the derived candidate concept schemes (CCSs) are selected in three steps: conflict-based primaries, configuration, and carbon footprint ranking. Finally, the initial conceptual scheme (ICS) with the lowest carbon emission is used as input for the interactive genetic algorithm (IGA) to better capture a comprehensive set of user feedback on potential candidate schemes through interactions. Accordingly, improvements are completed as intended. The prototype design and an experimental study of a brand-new friction-wear testing machine are conducted. The results suggest that the proposed approach could effectively reduce the carbon emissions of products obtained through CS and improve the convergence of the schemes produced via genetic operation.

Scalability of resonant motor-driven flapping wing propulsion systems

This work aims to develop an integrated conceptual design process to assess the scalability and performance of propulsion systems of resonant motor-driven flapping wing vehicles. The developed process allows designers to explore the interaction between electrical, mechanical and aerodynamic domains in a single transparent design environment. Wings are modelled based on a quasi-steady treatment that evaluates aerodynamics from geometry and kinematic information. System mechanics is modelled as a damped second-order dynamic system operating at resonance with nonlinear aerodynamic damping. Motors are modelled using standard equations that relate operational parameters and AC voltage input. Design scaling laws are developed using available data based on current levels of technology. The design method provides insights into the effects of changing core design variables such as the actuator size, actuator mass fraction and pitching kinematics on the overall design solution. It is shown that system efficiency achieves peak values of 30–36% at motor masses of 0.5–1 g when a constant angle of attack kinematics is employed. While sinusoidal angle of attack kinematics demands more aerodynamic and electric powers compared with the constant angle of attack case, sinusoidal angle of attack kinematics can lead to a maximum difference of around 15% in peak system efficiency.