Increase In Operating Costs Research Articles

Significantly reducing energy consumption during nanolignin production via high-solid content grinding

The production of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) has garnered significant attention in recent decades, particularly due to its emerging industrial applications. In the context of particle size reduction during ultrafine friction grinding (UFG), energy consumption refers to the amount of energy required to break down or reduce the size of particles to a desired level. This energy is an important parameter to consider in industrial processes, as it can have significant economic and environmental implications. High energy consumption can lead to increased operating costs and may also contribute to environmental concerns, especially if the energy source is non-renewable. However, traditional UFG, used for the production of nanolignin production, usually performs at low solid concentrations of 1–2 wt%, resulting in high energy consumption and water usage. Achieving such fine particle sizes often requires high-energy input, and the efficiency of the grinding process is closely related to the energy consumption. In this study, we investigated the energy efficiency and particle size reduction of lignin at four different concentrations (1, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) during UFG. Our results show that the 20 wt% solid loading has the best energy efficiency for achieving the same lignin particle size (∼150 nm) as the 1 wt% loading; total energy consumption was reduced from ∼30 kWh per kg LNPs at 1 wt% solid loading to 3.1 kWh per kg of LNPs at 20 wt% loading. Despite the increased number of grinding cycles, higher concentrations required lower amount of energy per kg of LNPs produced. The results suggest that when the concentration of lignin particles exceeded 20 wt%, they tended to overlap, resulting in less effective size reduction during UFG. This study's significance lies in discovering concentration limits for grinding, and improving water and energy use efficiency, such that UFG could emerge as a feasible mechanical treatment and an asset for the industrialization of LNPs.

Decision Analysis to Find Best Solution of Operation and Maintenance Management System in Central Processing Plant (CPP) Gundih Using The SMART Method at PT. Pertamina EP

Central Processing Plant (CPP) Gundih is a gas field owned by PT. Pertamina EP Cepu Field area which is located in Blora Regency, Central Java. The gas produced by the CPP Gundih is channelled to the Tambak Lorok Gas and Steam Power Plant (PLTGU) with a capacity of 1,469MW in the Semarang City area, Central Java. Therefore, the CPP Gundih is a vital national object that supports national energy security, especially for the Central Java area. CPP Gundih first operated in 2013 with the operation and maintenance management system being fully handled by a third party with a contract term of one decade. In the coming year, the contract system will approach the end of the collaboration so that PT. Pertamina EP needs more efficient management schemes and strategies and more agile business processes. In the past decade, there have been several evaluations that have become a concern for companies in implementing contract systems with third parties. These obstacles mean that several aspects are not managed well and result in problems that reduce the level of customer satisfaction, decrease profits, and increase operational and maintenance costs. So that PT. Pertamina EP is considering several options for better management of the CPP Gundih in the future, namely the option of detailing third party contracts in the future, the option of transferring management by PT. Pertamina EP partially, full management transfer option by PT. Pertamina EP without any third-party involvement. From several proposed options, the author will use the Simple Multi Attribute Rating Technique (SMART) method to select the best option by considering aspects of Cost, Durability and Plant Availability, Manpower Competency Management, Remuneration, Communication Flow, and Integrated Work Procedure. The research results obtained from this method will become a reference for the PT management team. Pertamina EP for decision making related to the operation and maintenance implementation system at the Central Processing Plant (CPP) Gundih gas field.

Oil price uncertainty, oil pricing reform, and corporate profitability: The case of China.

This study investigates the impact of oil price uncertainty (OPU) on corporate profitability in China, the world's largest crude oil consumer. Most importantly, we examine how the Chinese government's oil price reform affects this relationship. Using the yearly data of Chinese-listed companies, we find that the uncertainty of oil prices negatively affects corporate profitability but positively impacts operating expenses from 2007 to 2020. This finding holds after robust tests, including alternative profitability metrics and endogeneity model. Most interestingly, implementing the 2013 market-oriented oil pricing reform amplifies the adverse impact of OPU on corporate profitability owing to increased operating costs in the post-2013 period. Moreover, the detrimental effect of uncertain oil prices on corporate profitability is less prominent for large-capitalized companies. This research adds to the body of knowledge on the factors affecting corporate profitability by highlighting the volatility effect of oil prices and government pricing mechanisms. The results offer grounds for legislators and corporate managers to consider how to control the uncertainty surrounding oil price matters to ensure stable corporate profitability.

Flexible Synthetic Inertia Optimization in Modern Power Systems

Increasing the replacement of conventional synchronous machines by non-synchronous renewable machines reduces the conventional synchronous generator (SG) inertia in the modern network. Synthetic inertia (SI) control topologies to provide frequency support are becoming a new frequency control tactic in new networks. However, the participation of SI in the market of RES-rich networks to provide instant frequency support when required proposes an increase in the overall marginal operation cost of contemporary networks. Consequently, depreciation of operation costs by optimizing the required SI in the network is inevitable. Therefore, this paper proposes a flexible SI optimization method. The algorithm developed in the proposed method minimizes the operation cost of the network by giving flexible SI at a given SG inertia and different sizes of contingency events. The proposed method uses Box’s evolutionary optimizer with a self-tuning capability of the SI control parameters. The proposed method is validated using the modified New England 39-bus network. The results show that provided SIs support the available SG inertia to reduce the RoCoF values and maintain them within acceptable limits to increase the network’s resilience.

Fuel savings on missed approach through aircraft reinjection

PurposeIn the aerial transportation area, fuel costs are critical to the economic viability of companies, and so urgent measures should be adopted to avoid any unnecessary increase in operational costs. In particular, this paper addresses the case of missed approach manouevres, showing that it is still possible to optimize the usual procedure.Design/methodology/approachThe costs involved in a standard procedure following a missed approach are analysed through a simulation model, and they are compared with the improvements achieved with a fast reinjection scheme proposed in a prior work.FindingsExperimental results show that, for a standard A320 aircraft, fuel savings ranging from 55% to 90% can be achieved through the reinjection method.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first study in the literature addressing the fuel savings benefits obtained by applying a reinjection technique for missed approach manoeuvres.

Electrochemical silica removal from carbon nanotube surfaces: Energy consumption and removal mechanisms

Inorganic fouling, or scaling, is a major challenge for engineered systems exposed to aqueous environments, particularly in water treatment, desalination, or thermal systems where the high salinity and temperature conditions favor surface scaling. Silica, in particular, is hard to remove once a scaling layer forms on the surface. Current scaling mitigation strategies include the addition of antiscalants, physical cleaning by flushing or backwashing, and pretreatment of the feed water. These mitigation strategies increase operation costs due to increased chemical use and system downtime, as well increase the complexity of the process. In this work, we investigated the ability of carbon nanotube (CNT) coatings to disperse silica from the surface via electrochemical reactions, providing a chemical-free approach to scaling control. Silica scaling was induced and then dispersed from CNT coupons upon the application of a potential difference across the experimental set up, with the CNT coupon acting as a cathode or anode. Scale removal was measured using optical coherence tomography at different applied current densities. In this study, a cathodic current of 2.5 A/m2 was found to achieve the highest silica removal: > 75% after 30 min. Control experiments conducted using pH-buffered solutions and pH-insensitive gypsum as the scaling mineral suggest that silica dispersion from the CNT surface was due to a combination of gas evolution and interfacial pH change. These results provide a better understanding of the potential of using electrochemical coatings for the removal of inorganic fouling from surfaces.

Analysis of the Forces Driving Public Hospitals’ Operating Costs Using LMDI Decomposition: The Case of Japan

The sustainable management of public hospitals is usually threatened by long-term operating deficit, which was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to quantitatively decompose the historical changes in the annual operating costs of public hospitals in Japan to identify the main driving forces responsible for a worsening imbalance between operating costs and income over the past two decades. A dataset of the annual operating costs of public hospitals in Japan was compiled, in which influencing factors were redefined to make the data amenable to the application of a decomposition method referred to as the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). Using the LMDI method, the contribution of each influencing factor to the changes in public hospital operating costs was quantitatively determined. The results indicate that, on average, there is an annual reduction in operating costs by JPY 9 million per hospital, arising out of the national reform of public hospitals, but the rapid increase in the prices and worsened structure of costs in recent years resulted in an annual increment of JPY 127 million per hospital to the increasing operating costs. The pandemic revealed damage to the financial balance of public hospitals, but epidemic prevention policies brought an offset to the increased operating cost. A more resilient domestic medical supply chain, the introduction of new technologies, and continuous endeavors in system reform and pricing policies are required to achieve financial sustainability in public hospitals in Japan.

Model Based Optimization of Energy Consumption in Milk Evaporators

This work explores five falling film evaporator (FFE) simulation approaches combined with energy consumption minimization strategies, namely Mechanical Vapor Recompression and Thermal Vapor Recompression (MVR and TVR, respectively). Global system analysis and advanced dynamic optimization strategies are then investigated to minimize steam consumption, the cost of steam, and the total annualized cost and to maximize product yield. The results indicate that higher TVR discharge pressures, or MVR compression ratios, along with higher feed temperatures, enhance evaporation but increase operational costs. The most economical option includes three evaporator effects with TVR to achieve 50% product dry mass content. However, for a 35% dry mass content, MVR becomes cost-effective with an 11% reduction in unit electricity prices or a simultaneous 7% drop in electricity prices and a 5% increase in gas-based steam prices. Furthermore, switching from milk powder production to milk concentrates leads to an annual cost reduction ranging from 10.8 to 44%. Additionally, a forecasted 20% (or more) reduction in biomass-based steam cost can lead to lower annual expenditure compared with the nominal NG-based steam case. Regarding the total annualized cost, for a new plant design, optimization strategies lead to a 9–45% reduction in the total cost depending on the case under consideration.

Does carbon emission trading policy induce financialization of non-financial firms? Evidence from China

The carbon emission trading scheme influences firms’ operation costs, which may induce resource diversion to financial investments. By using a sample of Chinese A-share non-financial listed firms that are subject to carbon emission trading pilot programs in China, this paper employs a differences-in-differences analysis to test the impact of carbon emission trading on firms’ financial asset allocation. We find that carbon emission trading significantly increases corporate financialization, especially long-term financial assets. The effect is stronger in firms with stronger profit-seeking incentives and weaker governance, suggesting the mechanism of capital profit-seeking and management opportunism under increased operation costs and risk. Further heterogeneity analysis indicates that the positive association between carbon emission trading and corporate financialization is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises, carbon-intensive firms, and firms in regions with developed financial markets or more volatile carbon markets.

ANALISIS LAPORAN KEUANGAN DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN METODE TREND UNTUK MENGUKUR KINERJA KEUANGAN PADA PT NETKROM SOLUSINDO PERIODE 2017 - 2021

ABSTRACT
 This study aims to determine the analysis of financial statements in measuring financial performance at PT Netkrom Solusindo for the period 2017 – 2021 using trend analysis, at PT Netkrom Solusindo. The analysis technique in this study uses observation techniques where data collection comes from ratio data which includes balance sheet statements and income statements. The method used in this study is quantitative method with descriptive statistical data analysis. Based on the results of the research obtained, it is stated that the financial performance of PT Netkrom Solusindo in 2020 still experienced an increase in the company's revenue and net profit, but there was a very significant increase in operational costs caused by immature planning so that in 2021 there was a decrease in revenue and in the company's net profit. To overcome these problems, PT Netkrom Solusindo has efforts to reduce operational costs which include setting targets that must be achieved by the sales team, punishment for sales that are not achive targets, increasing the variety of retail products, training carried out online and approaches with SIMRS clients via zoom.
 
 Keywords: financial statement, finanacial performance, trend indeks

Decision-Making Processes Used by Florida Hospital Administrators to Reduce 30-Day Readmission

Hospital administrators face a complex decision-making process in addressing 30-day readmission. This qualitative descriptive study used purposive sampling with criteria to identify and interview 12 study hospital administrators in Florida. Semi-structured interviews and 15 secondary-archival data sources were analyzed to determine themes. Ten themes emerged from the thematic data analysis, revealing that hospital administrator decision-making is multi-faceted and involves knowledge of systems, complexity, past experiences, and available data. Internal and external factors can influence hospital behavior and, if not managed correctly, can lead to chaotic readmission processes with increased operating costs, poorer patient outcomes, and unwanted attention from regulators. This study provides new knowledge to enhance hospital administration decision-making.

Rapid and clean dewatering of dredged sediment via coupling of a two-step flocculation and geotextile filtration

The use of flocculation processes coupled with geotextile technology for dredged sediment dewatering is promising in recent years. However, two main issues are encountered: firstly, the occurrence of clogging resulting in reduced dewatering rate, and secondly, contamination of the residual water, necessitating additional treatment, consequently leading to an increase in operational costs. Therefore, this study proposed an innovative approach employing a two-step flocculation combined with geotextile filtration method to achieve rapid and clean dewatering of dredged sediment. The jar test implementation of a two-step flocculation process at the optimal flocculation dosages resulted in a dewatering rate that was about 16.7 times compared to commercial flocculant (APAM) conditioning. The increased dewatering rate is mainly attributed to the formation of large and compact flocs aggregates (d50 > 160 μm) formed through the two-step flocculation. These aggregates facilitate the formation of a filter cake with a high porosity of 45 %, a low tortuosity of 1.53, a uniform pore-throat structure, and excellent connectivity of pore space. Compared with APAM, the value of turbidity, COD, NH4+-N, and phosphorus in the residual water can be decreased from 36.4 to 3.8 NTU, 28.6 to 8.3 mg/L, 2.3 to 1.6 mg/L, 0.15 to 0.04 mg/L, respectively, which meet the environmental quality standards for surface water (type V) in China. In addition, the technology is proven to be economical as the cost of flocculants is less than half the cost of other reported flocculants. Overall, this work presents a new and cost-effective approach for achieving both rapid and clean dewatering of dredged sediments, which is very promising for practical applications.

Ecological solutions for freight trains

The article presents the potential of freight railway transport in terms of saving of emissions and maximizing the efficiency of operation. Attention is paid to the transport of freight trains on electrified lines with higher gradients (up to 25‰), alternatively with the possibility of a trip to non-electrified lines and sidings, which generate significant extra costs in the operation of trains and are often a reason for the carrier to deploy a locomotive of independent traction (diesel-electric) even in electrified line sections, even at the cost of increased operating costs and increased emissions. There are many such lines and possibilities of use within the Central European region and the Czech Republic.In the first part of the article, the basic categorisation of dual-mode freight locomotives and their suitability for individual operating programmes is presented. This part also describes current situation on the rolling stock market in general and directions of development taken by various locomotive manufacturers.Case studies of deployment of real freight locomotives on chosen Czech railway lines are used in the next part to present the possibilities for energy and cost savings when replacing a vehicle with independent traction by an electric or dual-mode locomotive, at least in sections equipped with overhead catenary. The pros and cons of using several possible solutions are described in detail. Further considerable savings can be achieved by, among other things, using regenerative braking and returning the generated electricity back to the catenary system when driving downhill. In this respect, however, it is also necessary to cooperate with the infrastructure manager, who must also adapt the railway lines to the operation of these vehicles.Finally, general rules for operational deployments on which the replacement of a conventional vehicle by a dual or pure electric vehicle can be considered are formulated.

Development and Analysis of Optimization Algorithm for Demand-Side Management Considering Optimal Generation Scheduling and Power Flow in Grid-Connected AC/DC Microgrid

The world energy sector is experiencing many challenges, such as maintaining a demand–supply balance with continuous increases in demand, reliability issues, and environmental concerns. Distributed energy resources (DERs) that use renewable energy sources (RESs) have become more prevalent due to environmental challenges and the depletion of fossil fuel reserves. An increased penetration of RESs in a microgrid system facilitates the establishment of a local independent system. However, these systems, due to the uncertainties of RESs, still encounter major issues, like increased operating costs or operating constraint violations, optimal power management, etc. To solve these issues, this paper proposes a stochastic programming model to minimize the total operating cost and emissions and improve the operational reliability with the help of a generalized normal distribution optimization (GNDO). A day-ahead demand response is scheduled, aiming to shift loads to enhance RES utilization efficiency. Demand-side management (DSM) with RESs is utilized, and battery energy storage systems in low-voltage and medium-voltage microgrids are shown. Mathematical formulations of each element in the microgrids were performed. Optimal and consumer-friendly solutions were found for all the cases. Environmental concerns based on the amount of harmful emissions were also analyzed. The importance of demand response is demonstrated vividly. The aim is to optimize energy consumption and achieve optimum cost of operation via DSM, considering several security constraints. A comparative analysis of operating costs, emission values, and the voltage deviation was carried out to prove and justify their potential to solve the optimal scheduling and power flow problem in AC/DC microgrids.

Trading Off Delay and Energy Saving Through Advanced Sleep Modes in 5G RANs

While designed for being energy efficient, the deployment of 5G networks will further increase Radio Access Networks (RANs) energy consumption with the twofold effect to raise sustainability issues and increase operational costs for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). However, the energy waste occurring during low traffic periods can be mitigated through Advanced Sleep Modes (ASMs) that make the BSs enter into progressively deeper and less consuming sleep modes. Deep sleep modes, unfortunately, have longer reactivation times, and may jeopardize service quality. In this paper, focusing on 5G latency requirements in low traffic periods, we propose a framework to dynamically adapt the ASM configuration settings to the actual traffic load so as to meet a desired constraint on the average BS reactivation delay.

Identifying the influence of basalt fiber reinforcement on the deformation and strength characteristics of cement stone

The object of the research is the quality of cementing oil and gas wells with increasing the strength and deformation capacity of cement stone using basalt fibers. Cement slurry used in cementing oil and gas wells faces the problem of failure under the influence of hydraulic fracturing and perforation procedures. This failure leads to the formation of cracks and may require remedial cementing, which increases operating costs and complicates the process of oil and gas production. Moreover, this problem can lead to premature well water breakthrough and cause serious damage such as oil and gas shows and blowouts, which poses a threat to the environment and safety. To solve the problem of the destruction of cement stone under external influences, the study proposed the approach of reinforcing with basalt fiber. During the study, a cementing material based on Portland cement, reinforced with various concentrations of basalt fibers (0.1 %, 0.5 %, 1 % and 2 %), was developed and tested. Cement strength tests at 2, 7, and 14 days, along with deformation monitoring under load, were performed. The addition of basalt fibers to cement stone significantly improved its strength characteristics. The most successful results were achieved with the addition of 0.5 % basalt fibers, resulting in an 11 % increase in compressive and flexural strength. Basalt fibers complement the structure of cement stone, increasing its ability to deform. One of the key features of the obtained results is the possibility of improving the strength of the cement stone without losing its fluidity as a cement slurry. The results obtained are applicable in the development and production of cement materials based on basalt fibers. This will improve the quality of well cementing and reduce the risks of complications

Journey Toward Digital Transformation in the Age of COVID-19

A tertiary, non-profit academic medical center in California encountered the demands of a rapidly evolving set of COVID-19-related guidelines in 2020. Several outdated structures and processes were identified as operational inefficiencies compounded by siloed manual work, lack of role clarity, and increased operation costs. Thus, the department of nursing education began identifying opportunities for digital transformation to improve operational efficiency, streamline the scope of work, improve team collaboration, and reduce operating costs. Using Kotter’s eight-step process for leading change, implementing digital transformation decreased excessive costs. This was achieved by reducing nursing professional development practitioners’ time spent on task-related work by 63%, allowing them to practice at the highest level of their scope and training. Additionally, leadership support, innovation, conformity to experiment, visibility and accessibility of work, interdepartmental collaboration, and communication transparency were key factors for the success of digital transformation.

Assessment of Electricity Consumption Characteristic: Textile Factory Case Study

Currently, electrical energy tariffs are a crucial factor in the electricity market, as they significantly impact the decisions made by end users. They play a vital role in the effectiveness of energy management systems (EMS). Tariffs are not solely considered a fixed component of expenditure calculations. Instead, they are indirectly linked to the costs of power generation, electricity transmission, and electricity distribution, as well as other determinants such as government taxation. In certain regions, improper tariff calculation methodologies have resulted in substantial power losses, superluous investments, increased operating costs, and environmental pollution because of the underutilization of available renewable energy sources. This study examined the electrical energy consumption values and characteristics of an integrated textile factory. Additionally, analyses were conducted on the electricity tariffs published by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) Electricity Energy Market management, in order to decrease the electrical energy consumption costs of the textile factory. Based on the findings of the analyses, suggestions were put forward for regulating the electrical energy consumption characteristics and reducing the electrical energy consumption costs.

Optimization Model and Application for Agricultural Machinery Systems Based on Timeliness Losses of Multiple Operations

Present agricultural practices confront issues such as mismatches between tractors and implements, imprecise machinery allocation, and excessive machinery investment. Optimization of agricultural machinery systems was a potent remedy for these concerns. To address inaccuracies in calculating objective functions and the incompleteness of constraints in existing models for agricultural machinery system optimization, a comprehensive mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINP) model for agricultural machinery system optimization was established. The model introduced timeliness loss costs for multiple key operations across various crops into the objective function, and constraints were enhanced by including operation sequence constraints and boundary constraints on initiation and completion dates of those key operations. Taking corn and soybeans as examples, timeliness loss functions of sowing and harvesting operations were derived through experiments. Solving the MINP model by Lingo (V.14.0) software, improvements in total power, workload per unit power, and total operational costs were shown when comparing the optimized machinery system through the MINP model against current systems. When the model omitted considerations for timeliness loss functions and operation sequence constraints, issues arose including an increase in total operational costs and an inversion of operation sequence. The model’s application in devising machinery allocation plans for production units of various operational scales revealed a gradual decrease in total power and costs per unit area with expanding scale, approaching stability when scale exceeded 1600 hm2. This study enriches theory and methodology for optimizing agricultural machinery systems, provides theoretical and technological underpinnings for rational machinery acquisition, and promotes the high-quality progression of comprehensive agricultural mechanization.

Optimal risk-driven operation of renewable-penetrated distribution network during natural-disasters: A resiliency-oriented analysis

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources in distribution networks has brought new challenges in ensuring reliable and resilient operation during natural disasters. The proposed approach considers the uncertainties associated with renewable energy sources, natural disasters, and demand using scenario-based stochastic programming to minimize the expected operational cost of the distribution network. Due to the huge uncertainties related to renewable resources, an efficient risk analysis is applied to obtain a sense of the worst realizations of uncertainties using the downside risk constraints method. Besides, two types of demand response schemes (DRSs) are considered to prevent widespread blackouts in the distribution network. This study provides insights into the integration of renewable energy sources in distribution networks and highlights the importance of considering resiliency optimization of this networks. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through simulations on a 33-bus test distribution system, and the results show successful ride-through of the islanding hours with 100% risk reduction by only 2.91% increase in operation cost over the considered scenarios, while risks may still be present in other set of scenarios. Overall, this research contributes to the investigate the uncertainty-driven operational risks of renewable energy integration of resilient distribution network.