Increase In Throughput Capacity Research Articles

An Approach to Enhancing Manufacturing Throughput Capability through System Design

<div>This article presents a new approach that integrates and balances cycle time and reliability considerations during system design to enhance manufacturing system capability, with direct applicability to automotive and high-volume manufacturing. The method addresses system throughput capability in three steps without complex mathematical modeling. The steps are: (1) managing workload cycle times, (2) considering real-world operational availability, and (3) achieving capability balance. Through analytical estimation and discrete event simulation of an example manufacturing system, this approach’s application shows a substantial increase in throughput capacity compared to a traditional workload-based design. This throughput-centric design approach, serving as a valuable tool for manufacturing system synthesis aimed at maximizing throughput, can apply to volume production systems to enhance throughput capacity through system design.</div>

Upscaling Plasma-Based CO2 Conversion: Case Study of a Multi-Reactor Gliding Arc Plasmatron.

Atmospheric pressure plasmas have shifted in recent years from being a burgeoning research field in the academic setting to an actively investigated technology in the chemical, oil, and environmental industries. This is largely driven by the climate change mitigation efforts, as well as the evident pathways of value creation by converting greenhouse gases (such as CO2) into useful chemical feedstock. Currently, most high technology readiness level (TRL) plasma-based technologies are based on volumetric and power-based scaling of thermal plasma systems, which results in large capital investment and regular maintenance costs. This work investigates bringing a quasi-thermal (so-called "warm") plasma setup, namely, a gliding arc plasmatron, from a lab-scale to a pilot-scale capacity with an increase in throughput capacity by a factor of 10. The method of scaling is the parallelization of plasmatron reactors within a single housing, with the aim of maintaining a warm plasma regime while simultaneously improving build cost and efficiency (compared to separate reactors operating in parallel). Special attention is also given to the safety and control features implemented in the setup, a key component required for integration into industrial systems. The performance of the multi-reactor gliding arc plasmatron (MRGAP) reactor is investigated, focusing on the influence of flow rate and the number of active reactors. The location of active reactors was deemed to have a negligible effect on the monitored metrics of conversion, energy efficiency, and energy cost. The optimum operating conditions were found to be with the most active reactors (five) at the highest investigated flow rate (80 L/min). Analysis of results suggests that an optimum conversion (9%) and plug power-based energy efficiency (19%) can be maintained at a specific energy input (SEI) around 5.3 kJ/L (or 1 eV/molecule). The concept of parallelization of plasmatron reactors within a singular housing was demonstrated to be a viable method for scaling up from a lab-scale to a prototype-scale device, with performance analysis suggesting that increasing the power (through adding more reactor channels) and total flow rate, while maintaining an SEI around 5.3 or 4.2 kJ/L, i.e., 1.3 or 1 eV/molecule (based on plug power and plasma-deposited power, respectively), can result in increased conversion rate without sacrificing absolute conversion or energy efficiency.

Improving Efficiency of Corn Seed Separation and Calibration Process

Abstract The paper analyzes the existing theoretical research of corn seed separation and calibration processes. The machines, tools and equipment that implement the process were studied. An innovative sieve with openings in the Cassini oval shape was proposed for the economical separation and calibration of corn seeds. The results of operation of the proposed sieve in the operating conditions of Kharkiv Feed Mill on BSH-100 serial separators were considered. The study of the effectiveness of sifting corn seeds through the holes of the sieves was carried out in partnership with the State University “Ukrainian Research Institute of Forecasting and Testing of Agricultural Production Techniques and Technologies named after Leonid Pohorily” (Kharkiv Branch). The use of sieves with openings in the Cassini oval shape, instead of classic circular base openings, was found to result in an increase in throughput capacity of the sieve and open area of up to 20%.

A review of mechanical cassava peeling and its adoption by processors

Cassava has rapidly gained recognition as a very useful crop in Africa and other parts of the world, not just for its consumption domestically, but most importantly for its industrial use. Due to the rapid rate of deterioration, cassava needs to be processed almost immediately after harvest, and peeling is one of the first operations in cassava processing for human consumption. This has led to the development of several mechanical peeling equipment and processes. Therefore, the study reviews mechanical peeling of cassava and efforts at enhancing the adoption of the developed peelers. The review considered some cassava peeling equipment developed by researchers globally within the past decade. From the review, abrasive peeling is the most employed mechanism of peeling. The peelers were operated at peeling speeds in the range of 40 - 3000 rpm and had peeling efficiencies of 12.7 - 100 %, percentage flesh losses of 0 - 44 % and throughput capacities of 6.2 - 1440 kg/h. Generally, an increase in peeling drum speed resulted in a corresponding increase in throughput capacity in all the equipment. Additionally, peeling efficiency and percentage flesh loss in most of the peeling equipment also increased with an increase in peeling drum speed. Unsatisfactory performance and lack of understanding of the operation of the mechanical peeler were identified as possible hindrances to its adoption by processors. Further research is recommended to enhance the adoption and diffusion of mechanical peelers since it has the potential to boost cassava production and enhance industrial cassava processing.

Economic connectivity of international transport corridor projects and the trans-Siberian railway

The development of Russia’s foreign economic potential in the current conditions of globalization is inextricably linked with the assessment of the prospects for implementing the country’s transport and infrastructure potential. The importance of transport in the conditions of increasing instability of the world economy is a factor in the sustainability of the national economy. Implementing a cluster approach to the development of an efficient and modern transport and logistics infrastructure will help to accelerate the movement of goods and reduce costs in international trade, as well as the consistent integration of the country’s transport system into the global network of international transport corridors. Hence, the Trans-Siberian Railway occupies a leading place in the Russian state policy on the formation of international transport corridors of latitudinal striking. The Trans-Siberian Railway’s ability to provide international transit container transportation as an alternative to the traditional sea route is being considered. In this regard, consideration of the prospects for integrating the projects of international transport corridors with the participation of the Trans-Siberian Railway is most relevant. This article discusses both economic, technological and political factors that influence the potential effectiveness of this project. The prospect for the development and integration of the Trans-Siberian Railway with the Trans-Korean Railway leads to the creation of an effective transport corridor for the foreign trade of the countries of Southeast Asia and Europe, primarily the Republic of Korea with the EU countries, as well as with Russia. Analysis of the foreign trade turnover of these participants of economic cooperation shows the perspective of dynamics and the huge potential of foreign trade. Attention is focused, on the one hand, on the competitive advantages of the Trans-Siberian Railway, including an increase in throughput capacity, which is largely due to the use of the polygon management model.

РАЗВИТИЕ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРЫ И ЛОГИСТИЧЕСКОГО ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЯ ЭКСПОРТНЫХ ПОСТАВОК РОССИЙСКОГО ЗЕРНА

The article reveals the main reasons that hinder the development of infrastructure and logistics of Russian grain exports. These include, first of all, the underdevelopment of production, transport and market infrastructure; traditional discrepancy between the placement of grain production volumes and the capacities of elevators and granaries; significant stretching of rail and road communications, as well as shortcomings in the use of vehicles; the imperfection of the logistics schemes for the promotion of grain cargo and the relatively high cost of the services provided during their storage and transshipment. Therefore, the accelerated development of infrastructure and transport and logistics support for grain export deliveries in the country should include: an increase of almost one and a half times the nominal grain transshipment capacity; priority development of port infrastructure in the Baltic and Azov-Black Sea basins; increase in throughput capacity of port railway stations, access roads and highways; improving the management of grain commodity flows, the basis of which should be the introduction and development of the principles, forms and methods of logistics, the development and implementation of logistics schemes; reduction of infrastructure and logistics costs within the vertical grain supply chain.