Industry Mix Research Articles

DEM study of mixing behaviours of cohesive particles in a U-shaped ribbon mixer

Cohesive particles handling is frequently encountered in particle-mixing processes, especially in food industries, but the mixing mechanism of cohesive particles in large-scale mixers is not well understood. In this work, the influence of different liquid properties (i.e., water and honey) on the mixing performance of cohesive particles in an industrial-scale U-shaped ribbon mixer is explored using discrete element simulation (DEM). The results show that the cohesive force performs a significant influence on the particle behaviours during the mixing process. The wet mixture presents a faster mixing rate and higher final mixing degree than the dry mixture at low impeller speeds. With the increase of impeller speeds, the mixing rates for both wet and dry mixtures increase but the overall final mixing degrees decrease. Meanwhile, the influence of cohesive force becomes more insignificant at higher impeller speeds. For industrial mixing processes, the addition of a certain liquid helps improve the final mixing quality. For both dry and wet mixtures, a low impeller speed (50– 100 rpm) is recommended to realise a high final mixing quality, but a high impeller speed can increase the processing capacity per unit time. A suitable impeller speed should be selected in practical industrial mixing processes with a promise between the product quality and handling capacity. This study sheds light on the detailed mixing behaviour of the U-shaped ribbon mixer for cohesive particle mixing and provides an operation guide for the practical food mixing process.

SEGMENTATION, TARGETING, AND MARKETING MIX STRATEGIES OF PALM SUGAR INDUSTRIES IN BANYUMAS REGENCY, INDONESIA

Palm sugar is one of the potential commodities in Indonesia, especially in the Banyumas Regency. This commodity has been marketed domestically and also exported to various countries. Its success cannot be separated from the marketing strategy carried out by the palm sugar industries. The purpose of this study was to determine the strategy of segmentation, targeting, and marketing mix of the palm sugar industries in Banyumas Regency. The method used is a qualitative research which is analyzed with an interactive model. The results of this study indicate that there are similarities in marketing strategies in segmentation strategies, targeting between industries and slight differences in marketing mix strategies.

A new approach for the friction and wear characterisation of polymer fibres under dry, mixed and hydrodynamic sliding

A new approach for the friction and wear characterisation of polymer fibres under dry, mixed, and hydrodynamic sliding conditions is developed. The production process of the tested polymer fibres is described and an introduction in fibre-reinforced concrete is given. Tribotesting is done on an optimised tribometer capable of measuring the friction and wear behaviour of polymer fibres with diameters of a few 100 µm under lubricated conditions. Three extruded polypropylene macro fibres with varying diameters are characterised under tribological conditions found in an industrial concrete mixing process. It is shown that detailed friction and wear data of polymer fibres can be gathered.

Анализ структурных сдвигов: обзор пространственных версий

The article presents the genesis of spatial shift-share analysis. The author focuses on the links of spatial versions of shift-share analysis with the classical one, which is not just a starting point for them from a historical point of view, but retains the status of their constituent element. The author describes spatial versions that integrate spatially lagged variables into the classical version and keep the national economy as a reference, and a version that is used in conjunction with the classical one in terms of content and defines the economy of the neighborhood of the region as a reference. For each spatial version, the total number of alternative structural decompositions and the number of decompositions that provide estimates of only simple industry mix and competitive effects with a transparent interpretation are defined. It’s shown that the development of a spatial shift-share analysis is driven by the idea of using multi-contextual framework (national, neighborhood and regional) for studying models of regional economic growth. The author describes the logic of the shift-share analysis, carried out in accordance with the spatial version, which introduces an autonomous identity for each level of the spatial hierarchy. A brief review of papers devoted to the study of economic growth models of Russian regions based on the shift-share analysis, including its spatial versions, is given, and a prospect for developing the results obtained in these papers is proposed

Efficient Authentication Protocol and Its Application in Resonant Inductive Coupling Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Chaos theory and its extension into cryptography has generated significant applications in industrial mixing, pulse width modulation and in electric compaction. Likewise, it has merited applications in authentication mechanisms for wireless power transfer systems. Wireless power transfer (WPT) via resonant inductive coupling mechanism enables the charging of electronic devices devoid of cords and wires. In practice, the key to certified charging requires the use of an authentication protocol between a transmitter (charger) and receiver (smartphone/some device). Via the protocol, a safe level and appropriate charging power can be harvested from a charger. Devoid of an efficient authentication protocol, a malicious charger may fry the circuit board of a receiver or cause a permanent damage to the device. In this regard, we first propose a chaos-based key exchange authentication protocol and analyze its robustness in terms of security and computational performance. Secondly, we theoretically demonstrate how the protocol can be applied to WPT systems for the purposes of charger to receiver authentication. Finally, we present insightful research problems that are relevant for future research in this paradigm.

Au revoir Paris! Spanish regions closer to the EU average and further away from the leaders

AbstractThis paper confirms that Spanish regions in 2015 were closer to the EU average in labour productivity than in 2000, but further away from the richest regions such as Île de France. A dynamic shift‐share analysis at a 10‐industry level of disaggregation shows that the main driver of convergence with the EU average is catch‐up in labour productivity within the same industry, while disparities with the top regions (especially Île de France) mainly involve differences in patterns of specialization (between‐industry divergence) followed by technological divergence (within‐industry effect). The industry mix of the regions reveals that a new pattern of specialization is taking shape in Europe, driven by those services more likely to benefit from information and communications technologies. The location of such services in the wealthiest regions is a growing source of regional disparities that needs to be considered in the design of regional policies. Within Spain, these sources are also present in the pattern of specialization seen in the most advanced regions.

Comparative Analysis of the Growth Factors of Regional Tourism Industry by Shift-Share Analysis in Japan

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the differences in growth factors between the regions with the highest growth rate and the regions with the lowest growth rate on the tourism industry by shift-share analysis in Japan. Research design, data, and methodology: In this study, the index of the industrial sectors used the “Tourist Entry Statistics” based on the Japan Tourism Agency’s “Common Standards for Tourist Entry Statistics”. The analysis period is from 2014 to 2017 considering the lack of time series data. The selection of region is based on the growth rate of tourists during the analysis period, Ibaraki and Shiga Prefecture which are the highest growth rate, and Shimane and Tottori Prefecture which are negative growth rate in Japan. Results: As the results of the empirical analysis, first, there are differences in the competitiveness of regions and factors that is closely related to the external economy on the tourism industry by regional effect (RSE). Second, it was found that although the effects of each region were different in terms of industrial mix effect (IME), they did not have enough to influence the overall growth effect of the regional tourism industry. Third, the magnitude of the total change effect (TCE) in the regional tourism industry revealed that the economies of scale exist in a comprehensive sense from the perspective of regional tourism policy and tourism strategy. Implications: The implication of this study lies in that it used a traditional shift-share analysis model to compare and analyze four regions in Japan to present regional growth factors and competitive advantages. And the limitations of the shift-share analysis model in the causes of regional competitive factors was supplemented by specifically analyzing the regional characteristics.

Strategi Marketing Mix Home Industry Pengrajin Gula Kelapa Sebagai Pengembangan Produk Lokal di Kecamatan Jeruklegi

Research objectives: 1) Identify internal factors (strengths-weaknesses) and external (opportunities-threats) that affect the home marketing mix of coconut sugar industry in Jeruklegi District. 2) Analyzing alternative marketing mix strategies for the coconut sugar home industry in Jeruklegi District. 3) Analyzing the best marketing mix strategies that are priorities to be applied to the coconut sugar home industry in Jeruklegi District. The method used is a descriptive method with the research location in Jeruklegi District which was determined intentionally (Purposive Sampling) with certain selection considerations. Involving 25 respondents of coconut sugar craftsmen. The formulation of the home marketing mix strategy for the coconut sugar industry was analyzed by SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). (Rangkuti, 2006). The results showed that internal factors were the availability of coconut trees, coconut sugar production activities were carried out continuously, the location of the coconut sugar processing business was quite strategic, the price of coconut sugar products was able to compete, the availability of experienced workers in the coconut sugar processing business, ownership of business capital. craftsmen independently, limited number of coconut trees, product quality does not yet have uniformity (taste, color and shape), lack of marketing information sources, level of production and packaging technology is still traditional, limited working capital of craftsmen, craftsmen have not done bookkeeping management and there is no group / cooperative. The position of the coconut sugar home industry in the Jeruklegi District, Cilacap Regency is in the Aggressive Region with the main strategy being the SO strategy, namely 1) Optimizing geographical conditions that support the agroclimate of natural resources and human resources of craftsmen in producing coconut sugar products continuously with competitive prices for coconut sugar products, 2) Optimizing production activities continuously in order to capture high market share opportunities both domestically and internationally with competitive prices as substitute products through partnership relationships between coconut sugar producers.

Factors influencing (health-promoting) telework during COVID-19: A company sample in Austria

Abstract Background Many companies had to switch to teleworking (TW) due to COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. However, TW conditions (home office) are not always health promoting. The question was: To what extent companies enabled TW before, during and after the first lockdown (time points t1-t3) and what is the role of workplace health promotion (WHP) in the establishment of health-promoting TW? Methods Using TAM, hypotheses were operationalised using a standardised questionnaire. At the beginning of 2020, a selection of 1858 Austrian companies were asked to participate in an online survey. The n = 192 responses from company representatives cover a broad mix of different sectors, industries, company sizes and regions in Austria. The analysis was carried out using structural equation models. Results Both the extent of TW implemented (means: mt1=3.7, mt2=18.4, mt3=8.6 days per month/employee) and the proportion of the workforce that could make use of TW (mt1=17.3%, mt2=58.6%, mt3=40.1%) increased significantly during the 1st lockdown and did not return to the pre-lockdown level afterwards. The degree of TW depended on how well the companies were prepared for it (β = 0.271). The (a) experience with TW and the (b) willingness to continue offering TW depended on the preparation (a: 0.243; b: 0.453) and on the actual degree of implementation of TW (a: 0.228; b: 0.193). For the intention to implement health-promoting TW in the company, the general willingness for TW (0.415) but also the existing WHP structures are central requirements (0.446; all p < 0.050). Conclusions Far more than before COVID-19, TW is of central interest for public health and WHP. In terms of a holistic health understanding of TW, companies have to adapt to the changing conditions (eg technical, communication) and to establish comprehensive WHP structures and processes. Support for companies can come from training or further education to raise awareness and develop an appropriate health-promoting company culture. Key messages Health promoting telework conditions need to be assessed and developed further. Companies need to be supported when implementing health-promoting telework, eg with guidelines, further education.

Enhancement of turbulent liquid-liquid dispersions in a round-bottom stirred tank equipped by a flexible impeller

Stirred tanks have been widely used for liquid-liquid mixing in the chemical industry. In the present work, the influences of flexible impeller on the hydrodynamic characteristics and droplet size distribution of oil in water dispersions were investigated using experimental and numerical approaches. The one-way Fluid Structural Interaction (FSI) analysis was carried out to model the geometry of the flexible impeller used in CFD simulations. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was coupled with the population balance model (PBM) to simulate the liquid-liquid dispersion process in the stirred tank. The numerical model was validated by the experimental results. Compared with the rigid impeller, the flexible impeller generates a more uniform distribution of turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent dissipate rate in the stirred tank. Compared with the case of rigid impeller, the region indicating the trailing vortices behind the impeller blades was significantly reduced by the flexible impeller. It was found the flexible impeller with a smaller elastic modulus can result in narrower droplet size distributions in turbulent dispersion process. Its peak value of the number fraction frequency was in the range of 244-308μm while that was 308-388μm for the case of rigid impeller. It was found that most of the dispersed phase droplets occur in the turbulent inertial subrange regime. Related correlations between the Sauter mean diameter and local turbulent field were also obtained. The shape factor accounting for the effects of the impeller shape on the Sauter mean diameter was found to be dependent on the material property of the impeller blades, such as the Poisson's ratio and elastic modulus.

Major Reforms in Electricity Pricing: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment

Abstract The global energy mix and cost structure of the power industry are experiencing a redefinition. Many countries are revamping electricity-pricing systems to guarantee fixed-cost recovery, often by raising the fixed charge of two-part tariff schemes. However, a key assumption of two-part tariff schemes and associated fixed-cost recoveries is that consumers discriminate fixed from marginal costs. We conduct a quasi-experiment with data from a major electricity price reform recently implemented in Spain and find robust evidence indicating that consumers fail to distinguish between fixed and marginal costs. As a result, policymakers are not achieving the goal of cost recovery.

Advanced DEM simulation on powder mixing for ellipsoidal particles in an industrial mixer

Tons of products are facilitated through powder mixing processes. The quality of the final products is highly influenced by the mixing state. Hence, detailed information about the mixing state is necessary to improve the quality. Recent remarkable advancements in computer hardware enable the evaluation of the mixing state via numerical simulation. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is frequently used in numerical simulations, where computational particle shapes are typically modeled by a spherical body. On the other hand, not all particle shapes in industries are spherical, and the structure of industrial mixers is generally complex. Thus, when the DEM is applied to an industrial mixer, modeling of particle shape and the complex structure of the mixers may be taken into consideration. In the present study, an innovative model is newly developed to simulate the powder mixing of non-spherical particles in an industrial mixer. Here, a non-spherical particle is modeled by the ellipsoidal equation, and an industrial mixer is modeled using the Signed Distance Function (SDF), where the wall boundary shape is flexibly modeled by a scalar field. This approach is referred to as the ellipsoidal DEM/SDF. In the current study, the adequacy and applicability of the ellipsoidal DEM/SDF are demonstrated by the following steps. First, the compatibility of the ellipsoidal DEM with the SDF wall boundary model and the applicability of a soft linear spring in the ellipsoidal DEM/SDF are demonstrated through validation tests. Subsequently, the effect of particle shape on mixing progress in a ribbon mixer is examined. Through computations, the effect of the non-spherical shape is shown to be insignificant on powder mixing progress in the ribbon mixer. Consequently, the ellipsoidal DEM/SDF is shown to be applicable to the industrial powder mixing, and therefore, will contribute to optimization of the mixer design and the operational conditions in chemical, food, and pharmaceutical engineering fields.

PERUBAHAN PEKERJAAN DI KABUPATEN KAMPAR SELAMA WABAH COVID-19: ANALISIS DEKOMPOSISI SEKTORAL

The purpose of this study is to analyze the changes in employment that occurred due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Kampar Regency. The data used in this study is the State of the Workforce in Riau Province in August 2019 and 2020. Observations during that period were in accordance with the circumstances, where 6 (six) months before and after the Covid-19 outbreak entered Riau. Shift-share analysis is used to describe the shift in the employment structure of Kampar. Kampar Regency is still experiencing job growth during the Covid-19 outbreak, especially in the information and communication, services, trade and construction business fields. During the Covid-19 outbreak, the information and communication sector and other services had a positive industry mix and regional share. The agricultural and mining sector, although the regional share is minus, are helped by the positive industry mix. The trade, manufacturing, construction and educational services sectors have a negative industry mix but local factors are very helpful in increasing the number of local workers

Provinces with transitions in industrial structure and energy mix performed best in climate change mitigation in China

China has announced its goal of reaching carbon neutrality before 2060, which will be challenging because the country is still on a path towards peak carbon emissions in approximately 2030. Carbon emissions in China did decline from 2013 to 2016, following a continuous increase since the turn of the century. Here we evaluate regional efforts and motivations in promoting carbon emission reduction during this period. Based on a climate change mitigation index, we pinpoint the leading and lagging provinces in emission reduction. The results show that achievements in industrial transition and non-fossil fuel development determined the leading provinces. Thus, the recommended solution for carbon neutrality in China is to promote the transformation of industrial structure and energy mix. In addition, policymakers should be alert to the path of energy outsourcing to reduce carbon emissions. Consumption-based emissions accounting and interregional cooperation are suggested to motivate developed regions to take more responsibility for climate change mitigation.

Architecture for Plateaus and Valleys: The Marketability of Industrial Mixing

AbstractTokyo‐based international practice Kengo Kuma & Associates has in recent years been commissioned for two projects that mix the uses of café/roastery/shop on the one hand and printworks/museum on the other. Kengo Kuma tells the story of how these innovative projects have evolved – a mixture of cultural and social drift, planning zoning in the city of Tokyo and the architectural joy of combining functionally disparate building typologies.

Spatiotemporal Changes in Vertical Heterogeneity: High-Rise Office Building Floor Space in Sydney, Australia

Mixed-use development is increasingly popular in land use planning and zoning, fostering a combination of residential, commercial, and cultural uses into one space. However, there is a lack of understanding of the vertical mix office space within a high-rise commercial building and the dynamics of the industry mix between buildings. This paper examines the spatiotemporal patterns of industry mix between and within office buildings in Sydney CBD from 2006 to 2017, using the data obtained from the City of Sydney floor space and employment surveys. This is the first study that identifies the dynamics of an industrial ecosystem in central Sydney, which has transformed to homophily land blocks, with increasing vertically heterogeneous office buildings, over the past decade. In addition, the study found that the significant clustering of anchor tenants, such as finances, hospitalities, and knowledge-based industries, are apparent.

Development of a mathematical relationship for prediction of mixing quality in industrial convective batch mixers

This study focuses on the effects of bed-height and number of revolutions on the granular mixing performance with an objective to derive a mathematical relationship between mixing performance and number of revolutions. The simulations were carried out in a rectangular box in which three fill-levels and up to 15 blade revolutions were used. Blade forces were observed to have a direct relationship with the fill-level while mixing performance had an inverse relation and decreased with the increase in fill-level or bed-height. Mixing performance increased with the increase in the number of revolutions almost exponentially in the beginning. After around 12 blade-passes, the change in mixing performance was not significant, i.e., the mixing index value reached an asymptotic value. A mathematical relationship was derived for a quick estimate of mixing performance after given number of revolutions. The findings are significant and have direct industrial applications as they can best predict the mixing efficiency and residence times for the mixer. The proposed mathematical relationship can be effectively used for any industrial batch mixer employing blade movement or rotation and reduce the mixing costs by a significant factor.

Regime changes of industrial powder mixing in a stirred vessel

Granular mixing was investigated as a representative of powder mixing in a stirred vessel using the discrete element method. A wide variety of changes in relevant parameters were examined, which revealed four distinct mixing modes: bulk rotation, shear band-driven mixing, fluidized mixing, and fluidized mixing with a vertical split. Based on dimensional analyses and physical arguments, the transitions in mixing modes were described using four dimensionless variables: the friction coefficient, dimensionless height, Froude number, and dimensionless elastic modulus. The friction coefficient was seen to have an important role in determining the mixing mode as well as dimensionless height. The regime plots for mixing modes were then constructed in the two-dimensional friction coefficient–dimensionless height space for a given Froude number and dimensionless elastic modulus. To the best of the author's knowledge, this study is the first to unveil the regime changes of granular mixing in a stirred vessel; therefore this study will improve the physical understanding of this problem and provide practical guidelines for designing powder mixing for industrial applications.

Committee standards battles in the era of convergence: Implications for smart systems

By now, there have been many standards battles fought within the same industry or by multiple industries in the market-based standardization. In these battles, incompatible standards compete to win market dominance. While there is some research on standards battles found within a single committee, competitions in the committee-based standardization between standards from different committees or SDOs are underexplored. This paper categorizes the types of standards battles by the mode of standardization and the heterogeneity of actors. A new type referred to as ‘committee standards battles for converging systems’ is introduced and the dynamics of such battles is explored with two cases. The battle between the electric vehicle charging and the smart meter communication standard and the battle between two different vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication standards are analyzed. The failure in achieving compatibility between different committee standards on the same frequency bands results in communication interference that adversely affects the operation of smart systems. Social incompatibilities between actors and alliances from a mix of industries with vested interests towards a particular standard complicate the battling scene. The findings provide implications in terms of heterogeneity, actors, and government role in standards battles.

Thermo‐mechanical, rheological and morphology properties of polypropylene composites: Residual CaCO3 as a sustainable by‐product

AbstractThis research looked into the possibility of using residual calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as a by‐product of the cane sugar production process combined with polypropylene (PP) to replace commercial CaCO3. Using a co‐rotating twin‐screw extruder, the CaCO3/PP composites were made in the following ratios: 10:90, 20:80, 30:70, 40:60, and 50:50, with the addition of maleic anhydride polypropylene at 5 wt% of CaCO3. In terms of mechanical properties, thermal properties, rheological properties, and morphology, the effect of the residual CaCO3 filler reinforced in PP matrix was compared to commercial CaCO3/PP composites. The findings showed that residual CaCO3 from the sugar production process can replace the use of industrial CaCO3 mixing in plastic and can add value to the residual CaCO3. The residual CaCO3/PP composites had better tensile modulus, flexural strength, flexural modulus, impact resistance, and thermal stability than commercial CaCO3/PP composites, according to the findings. The composites' tensile modulus, flexural modulus, hardness, thermal stability, and rheological properties improved as the CaCO3 loading increased.