Integrated Production System Research Articles

A human-oriented design process for collaborative robotics

ABSTRACT The potential of collaborative robotics often does not materialize in an efficient design of the human-robot collaboration. Technology-oriented approaches are no longer enough in the Industry 4.0 era. This work proposes a set of methods to support manufacturing engineers in the human-oriented design process of integrated production systems to obtain satisfactory performance in the mass customization paradigm, without impacting the safety and health of workers. It founds the design criteria definition on five main pillars (safety, ergonomics, effectiveness, flexibility, and costs), favors the consideration of different design alternatives, and leads their selection. The dynamic impact of the design choices on the various elements of the system prevails over the static design constraints. The method has been experimented in collaboration with the major kitchen manufacturer in Italy, which introduced a collaborative robotics cell in the drawers’ assembly line. It resulted in a more balanced production line (10% more), a verified risk minimization (RULA score reduced from 5 to 3 and OCRA score from 13.30 to 5.70), and a greater allocation of operators to high added value activities.

Thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen utilization as alternative fuel in cement production

Growing attention to the environmental aspect has urged the effort to reduce CO2 emission as one of the greenhouse gases. The cement industry is one of the biggest CO2 emitters in this world. Alternative fuel is one of the challenging issues in cement production due to the limited fossil fuel resources and environmental concerns. Meanwhile, hydrogen (H2) has been reported as a promising non-carbon fuel, with ammonia (NH3) as the main candidate for chemical storage methods. In this work, an integrated system of cement production with an alternative H2-based fuel is proposed, consisting of the dehydrogenation process of NH3 and the H2 combustion to provide the required thermal energy for clinker production. Different catalysts are employed and evaluated to analyze the specific energy input (SEI). The result shows that the conversion rate strongly determines the SEI, with minimum SEI (3829.8 MJ t-clinker−1) achieved by Ni-Pt-based catalyst at a reaction temperature of 600 ºC. Compared to the conventional fuel of coal, the H2-based integrated cement production system shows a significant decrease of 44% in CO2 emission due to carbon-free combustion using H2 as the fuel. The current study on the proposed integrated system of H2-based cement production also provides an initial thermodynamic analysis and basic observation for the adoption of non-carbon-based H2, including the storage system of NH3, in the cement production process.

Integrated Production System on Social Manufacturing: A Simulation Study

Abstract Today, the manufacturing industry must adapt to dynamic customer needs, changing from time to time following market trends. So that the production process in manufacturing requires adjustments, one of which is by forming social manufacturing. This study aims to create an integrated production system model based on social manufacturing, which involves several Socialized Manufacturing Resources (SMR) as manufacturing resources that are socialized to produce a product. The methods used are field observation, literature study, design of a social manufacturing-based production system model, model simulation using ProModel software, and analysis of model simulation results. In this study, the simulation involves four SMRs, each of which makes a part that has been given specifications by the manufacturer based on customer requests. The product produced is the Sanitation Chamber, which is equipped with a control system to monitor reading data via the internet. The model simulation uses the Pro Model software and analyzes resource use, location utilization, and resource costs.

New technologies in pasture and grazing management in the face of climate change perspectives

The search for sustainable livestock farming has been the focus of several researches in Brazil and worldwide, in face of climate change. Livestock production is mostly explored in pastures in Brazil. It is estimated that a large part of these pastures presents some kind of degradation, as a result of its incorrect management. With this degradation, besides reducing productivity, there is loss of soil organic matter and CO2 emission to the atmosphere, with a reduction in carbon sequestration by the pasture. Consequently, there is the release of excess enteric methane, which occurs in the digestive process of ruminants, by fermentation of fibrous and poor quality food ingested by these animals from this pasture. Several studies propose new technologies to mitigate greenhouse gases, with intensive pasture management, processing and conservation of forage to reduce particle size and increase digestibility. Recovery and renovation of pastures, using integrated production systems with grain, forest, and forage production. Implementation of pasture with forage in suitable environments and use of grasses with better leaf/stem ratio. Use of rotational grazing with height control of animals entering and leaving each forage species in order to produce a better and more digestible forage. With this, reduce the precursors of greenhouse gases to mitigate the possible effects on climate change.

Productive characteristics and economic analysis of tropical forage grasses cultivated under different sowing methods in intercropping production systems

This study aimed to evaluate sowing methods of different tropical grasses in integrated production systems on morphogenic and structural characteristics, chemical composition, and corn yield. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with a 3 x 3 + 1 factorial arrangement, with three forages: andropogon grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth cv. Planaltina), massai grass (Megathyrsus maximum cv. Massai) and ruziziensis grass (Urochloa ruziziensis), three ways of sowing intercropped with corn (one row, two rows and broadcast) with four replications and corn in monoculture. Soil preparation, corrective practices and monitoring were carried out as recommended by the species. The results revealed that the sowing methods did not interfere with the interaction for morphogenic and structural characteristics of the grasses. Leaf elongation rate (LER) did not differ among grasses and sowing forms for Andropogon, Massai, and Ruziziensis grasses. There was an interaction effect (P<0.05) for leaf production (LP); the massai grass exhibited higher production compared to other grasses. The spread sowing method produced less leaf availability for the massai grass. There was no effect (P>0.05) of interaction for the variables of the chemical composition of grasses. Maize production was not altered due to the different consortia; however, a much lower value was found when producing corn in monoculture. The average production of intercropped corn was 3420 kg and ha-1, against 1680 kg of single cultivated corn. Massai grass and Ruziziensis grass is an attractive alternative for intercropping with corn in integrated systems

Analysis of Apple Fruit (Malus × domestica Borkh.) Quality Attributes Obtained from Organic and Integrated Production Systems

The aim of this study was to compare total phenolic content (TPC), radical-scavenging activity (RSA), total anthocyanin content (TAC), sugar and polyphenolic profiles of two apple cultivars (‘Discovery’ and ‘Red Aroma Orelind’) from organic and integrated production systems in climatic conditions of Western Norway. Sixteen sugars and four sugar alcohols and 19 polyphenols were found in the peel, but less polyphenols were detected in the pulp. The peel of both apples and in both production systems had significantly higher TPC and RSA than the pulp. The peel from integrated apples had higher TPC than the peel from organic apples, while organic apples had higher TAC than the integrated. Sucrose and glucose levels were higher in organic apples; fructose was cultivar dependent while minor sugars were higher in integrated fruits. The most abundant polyphenolic compound in the peel of the tested cultivars was quercetin 3-O-galactoside, while chlorogenic acid was most abundant in the pulp. Regarding polyphenols, phloretin, phloridzin, protocatechuic acid, baicalein and naringenin were higher in organic apple, while quercetin 3-O-galactoside, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside, chlorogenic acid and syringic acid was higher in integrated fruits. In conclusion, organic ‘Discovery’ and integrated ‘Red Aroma Orelind’ had higher bioavailability of health related compounds from the peel and the pulp.

Optimization and Power Management of Solar PV-based Integrated Energy System for Distributed Green Hydrogen Production

Photovoltaic-based integrated energy systems act as a possible modern technological solution for clean and affordable green hydrogen production. However, research attempts are required from the scientific community to develop power management, control, optimization algorithms, and new techniques for these integrated energy systems effective and economical operation. The integrated energy system considered in this work consists of a solar photovoltaic, battery, grid and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. PEM electrolyzer with a power rating of 100 kW is modelled as a controlled current sink to interfere with the DC bus directly. This work proposes a power management and control algorithm for the photovoltaic-based integrated energy system considering different parameters like availability of solar photovoltaic power, DC link voltage, battery state of charge (SOC), tariff and availability of grid power. Effective power-sharing among the different power sources increases system reliability and stability. Optimization is performed for optimal sizing and costing to achieve economical operation such that these photovoltaic-based integrated energy systems become affordable and are encouraged for wide use. The photovoltaic system operates at the maximum power point through a neural network-based control strategy; in addition to this, stacking in neural network topologies is also discussed for improving system accuracy in tracking the reference voltage for MPPT operation. The DC link voltage is controlled by interfacing the battery with the DC link via a bidirectional buck-boost power converter. The contribution of the work is to highlight the role of renewable energy sources for continuous green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen will be a critical driving force for the future transportation system, fuel cell-based power generation, and industries utilizing hydrogen in direct or indirect forms-that will help transition towards a carbon-free society. Optimization and time-domain simulation results indicated the economic and technical feasibility of the proposed photovoltaic-based integrated energy system for green hydrogen production with the best optimal configuration producing hydrogen at the cost of $ 4.806/kg and total net present cost of $749904.

Influence of Crops and Different Production Systems on Soil Carbon Fractions and Carbon Sequestration in Rainfed Areas of Semiarid Tropics in India

Organic agriculture’s economic benefits and widespread adoption are well documented, but its impact on soil C dynamics in rainfed regions of semiarid tropics is less understood. The use of organic amendments in organic farming not only supply nutrients but also have the potential to contribute to soil carbon sequestration. Carbon storage and various soil organic pools are affected differently by various crops and production systems. A study was conducted with three crops (sunflower, pigeonpea, and greengram) under three production systems (control, organic and integrated) to assess the effect on soil C stocks, carbon sequestration potential, and crop yield. After seven years of experiment, pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan L.) cultivation improved soil bulk density, porosity and water holding capacity compared to greengram [Vigna radiata (L) Wilczek] and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Furthermore, plots under pigeonpea cultivation being on par with greengram had 15.6% higher total C (113.52 Mg C ha−1), 14% higher easily oxidizable organic C (17.5 Mg C ha−1) and C sequestration rate of 1.22 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 compared to sunflower. Among the three production systems, plots under organic management had significantly lower bulk density and higher water holding capacity and porosity at all of the profile depths compared to integrated production system and control. Similarly, organic production system being on par with integrated production system improved the easily oxidizable, oxidizable and weakly oxidizable organic C fractions at different soil depths compared to control. The C sequestration rate ranged from 0.21 to 0.85 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 in organic production systems compared to negligible rate (0.01–0.04 Mg ha−1 yr−1) in the plots under control. On average, integrated production system being on par with organic management recorded significantly higher pigeonpea equivalent seed yield (886 kg ha−1) compared to control (792 kg ha−1). These results suggest the potential of organic production system in improving soil properties, C sequestration, and crop yields in semiarid rainfed areas.

The Nexus between FDI, Per Capita Income, Energy Consumption, Trade Openness, and Carbon Dioxide Emissions: Panel Data Analysis of ASEAN Plus Six

ASEAN and ASEAN Plus countries’ commitment in following the Paris Agreement requires them to utilize trade and investment to balance economic growth and improve environment quality. Using observational data from eleven ASEAN Plus countries from 1979–2018, this study aims to assess how income, energy consumption, FDI, and trade openness jointly cause CO2 emissions in ASEAN Plus countries using panel data estimates. This research proves the existence of the Inverted-U Environmental Kuznets Curve phenomenon in ASEAN Plus countries. In addition, a significant increase in energy consumption explains the increase in CO2 emissions levels in this region. FDI inflows have been found to have a negative relationship with the level of CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, trade openness has been found to positively influence the level of CO2 emissions. This FDI and trade relationship with CO2 emissions shows the need for a new harmonization of a more environmental-friendly integrated production system in the region.

Integrated production systems in a Plinthosol: greenhouse gas emissions and soil quality

Integrated systems (crops, livestock, and forest) are tools to avoid increases in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such as CO2, CH4, and N2O. The objective of this study was to evaluate the GHG emissions and soil biological and chemical characteristics in an integrated system. The experiment was carried out in an area with crop-livestock-forest integration systems (CLFI), in Pindaré-Mirim, state of Maranhão, Brazil. The treatments consisted of maize (Zea mays) intercropped with forage (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandú) between eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus tereticornis) (S1); maize intercropped with forage (Megathyrsus maximus cv. Massai) (S2); and degraded pasture areas with no soil or forage management for more than 14 years (S3), which was used as reference treatment. The experiment was conducted with four replications of four trenches for soil collection or four static chambers for gas flow assessments. The GHG emissions were collected by static chambers and analyzed by gas chromatography, and the soil quality was determined by chemical analysis. The interaction between GHG emissions and soil characteristics was assessed for each treatment, using multivariate analysis and PCA. The soil of the degraded pasture presented higher GHG emissions. The integrated systems presented negative methane fluxes, which denote their mitigating effect on GHG emissions. The CLFI system with eucalyptus and maize intercropped with U. brizantha cv. Marandú was the best option to improve the soil biological characteristics and mitigate GHG emissions. Crop-livestock-forest integration with Eucalyptus, maize, and U. brizantha cv. Marandú is indicated to improve soil biological characteristics and mitigate GHG emissions in the Amazonian region of the state of Maranhão, Brazil.

A new circular economy approach for integrated production of tomatoes and mushrooms

Spent mushroom Substrate is the by-product generated at the end of the mushroom growing cycle. It can be used in agriculture for different purposes, including seedling production, soil conditioning or application as an organic fertilizer. Tomato is one of the world́s most important crops, requiring considerable care, in terms of both nutrition and disease control. The objective of this study was to investigate the viability of spent mushroom substrate as a nutrient source for tomato seedlings and develop an integrated tomato and mushroom co-production system. For seedling production, different compositions were evaluated with spent mushroom substrate from Pleurotus ostreatus or substrate colonized with Agaricus bisporus. The parameters evaluated comprised germination rate, seedling quality and physicochemical analysis. A tomato and mushroom integrated production system was developed using a 40-liter pot divided into upper (spent mushroom substrate and soil), middle (spent mushroom substrate from P. ostreatus) and lower (gravel) layers. For seedlings production, plants treated with the substrate colonized with A. bisporus presented a superior root length (10.1 cm) and aerial part length (6.6 cm). Co-production of tomato and mushrooms was also shown to be viable. In this co-cultivation system between tomato and mushroom, the treatment with the substrate colonized with A. bisporus differed from others, with this treatment presenting high yields of tomato (2.35 kg/plant pot) and mushrooms (1.33 kg/plant pot) within the same bucket. With this co-production system, the tomato production time was reduced by 60 days and prolonged continuous mushroom production by 120 days. These findings show a sustainable approach to manage different agroindustrial residues, encouraging the use of these residues for olericulture and fungiculture production.

A review of Brazilian agro-industrial pig farming systems: environmental impacts and applied anaerobic digestion processes with mineral additives

The agro-industrial systems comprise activities which transform raw materials of agricultural, aquacultural, livestock and forestry industries from primary production stages to consumption. Pig farming stands out in national and international markets for agro-industrial processes such as slaughtering and meat processing. Although this sector positively contributes to the economies of several countries, the high flow of waste resulting from implementing integrated production systems has led to serious environmental consequences (e.g., polluted water bodies and Greenhouse Gases - GHGs emissions). Among the treatment methods, anaerobic digestion reduces the organic load of biomass in the absence of oxygen, generating biogas and organic fertilizer. However, there are limitations associated with high CH4 variability and low yield, resulting a minimal and slow implementation in Brazil. Some research has reported the use of mineral additives to optimize the digestion process. This study comprises a bibliographic review of pig farming systems and production models, followed by an analysis on a global scale and environmental consequences. It is also discussed the use of additive minerals which have been applied in anaerobic digestion of swine manure as well as some prospects for global advances with opportunities to mitigate GHGs and bottlenecks. Despite being a promising technology, detailed evaluations of the use of these additives and their implementation in treatment plants must still be carried out in such a way to understand the optimization of such process.

Analysis of behavioral topography of workers working with industrial robots

As technology advances rapidly nowadays, integrated production systems in manufacturing and/or construction sites so on and collaborative robots have been introduced to the field, and work styles have undergone major changes. Such introduction of new technologies to worksites such as robots and ICT devices expects to advantage improvement of work efficiency, elimination of unnecessary movements, and reduction of stress of workers are mentioned. However, the evaluations for feeling such as comfortability, workload, safety feeling and happiness of workers working at work sites introducing new technologies, so far are quite limited and the most are subjective using questionnaires. Now we have been trying to propose a systematic and scientific procedure of measurement and evaluation of safety behavior analysis expressing "two kinds" of well-being, Subjective well-being and Psychological well-being of workers at work from the standpoint of occupational safety. In this presentation, we show the results of recent experiments and outline the importance of 1) dividing well-being into two kinds and 2) evaluating well-being with objective indicators.

Диверсификация предприятия как инструмент влияния на ценообразование в молочном скотоводстве

The existing system of price relations between partners in the agro-industrial complex in the domestic milk market has a number of negative trends. The high cost of production and the inability to influence the selling price of raw milk have led to low profitability of agricultural producers. The diversification transformation in the form of the organization of a vertically integrated production system, including the processing of raw milk, will allow the dairy enterprise to reduce costs, manage pricing and receive additional profit, which contributes to the further development and capacity building of the enterprise.

Challenges in Automated Commercial Aircraft Production

Civil Aircraft development and production are facing significant challenges in future. On the one hand, the flight-path to carbon neutral aviation, like using liquid hydrogen, will require game changing technologies. Simultaneously, competition, especially on the single aisle market, is evolving fast and puts pressure on market shares and margins. The necessity of an adaptable and highly efficient production becomes more evident than ever. One contribution to achieve this goal is the research project “Intelligent Modular Robotics and Integrated Production System Design for Aircraft Manufacturing” (iMOD). Namely, it will analyze challenges regarding (1) an integrated and Digital Twin-based system design approach, (2) flexible and modular robotics to support workers with unergonomic tasks and (3) a flexible intralogistics based on Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Those three aspects will be integrated into an approach that uses semantic technologies to connect the different components across different levels of functionality and different life cycle phases.

Design and Implementation of Integrated Production System for Large Aviation Parts

Design and Implementation of Integrated Production System for Large Aviation Parts

Low-carbon biomass-fueled integrated system for power, methane and methanol production

A novel near zero-CO2 emission system based on gasification of municipal solid waste (MSW) is proposed and analyzed for waste-to-power and power-to-fuel purposes. The integrated system includes an externally fired gas turbine (EFGT), a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), a Rankine cycle and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), methane and methanol synthesis units and proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEME). Three different scenarios for synthetic fuel production (methane-only, methanol-only and dual-production) are investigated considering different operating loads of PEME, as green hydrogen route. For the case that 10% of produced power is consumed by PEME to generate the required hydrogen for methane and methanol synthesis, overall energy and exergy efficiencies are obtained 41 and 36%, respectively. In this case, the system consumes 1012 ton/yr of CO2 to produce 179 ton/yr methane and 393 ton/yr methanol with sustainability index of 1.57. The exergy analysis revealed that the employed EFGT unit is the main source of irreversibility with gasifier as the most exergy destructive component. In addition, the results of sensitivity analysis showed that increasing gas turbine inlet temperature improves both thermodynamic performance of the system and rate of synthetic fuel.

Multivariate Statistical Modeling of Crude Oil Viscosity and Mole Percent Components for Reservoir Fluids

This study presents multivariate statistical modeling of PVT properties in a Hydrocarbon Reservoir. Traditionally, these properties are modeled by correlating them with the changes in pressure and temperature associated with them. However, these changes are often a direct corollary of the changing composition as each component’s presence and/or absence contributes to the overall property of the fluid system. In this work, Multiple Linear and Multiple Nonlinear regression models were used to develop a correlation for the crude oil viscosity and the mole percent of the components as they change with pressure and temperature. A fluid system was modelled using the PVT Package of Integrated Production System Modelling (IPM) Suite. The model was then used to perform a differential liberation test simulation to predict the changes in composition of the crude oil. The composition included three lumped crude oil fractions. After the PVT modelling, the generated PVT Composition was used to perform the Multivariate statistical analysis (MVA) and modelling.Two MVA techniques were compared – the Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Multiple Non-Linear Regression (MLNR).Analysis of residuals generated from the prediction run based on both techniques showed that the multiple linear regression method had trending residuals, contrary to the law of parametric estimation upon which it is based. However, the multiple nonlinear regression yielded 100% correlation with adequate residual trend and is thus recommended for adaptation to distinct fluid systems. It is imperative to note that the accuracy of this adaptive PVT modeling and prediction is hinged primarily on the accuracy of the PVT model used to estimate the compositional variation.

IMPROVEMENT OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS BASED ON VISUAL CONTROL

The subject of research in the article is the use of adaptive visual control in flexible integrated robotic systems. The goal of the work is the integration of visual control facilities into automated control systems for transport and handling operations of flexible integrated production. The article solves the following tasks: analyze the application of visual control methods in robotics, consider methods for improving adaptive visual work control systems, formulate the basic requirements for adaptive visual control systems, and develop a control model for a mobile robot in the space of a flexible integrated production systems and computer vision systems. To solve the set tasks, the methods of set theory, methods of automatic control theory, and methods of the theory of image processing were used. The following results were obtained: the analysis of visual control systems was carried out from the point of view of solving the problems of flexible integrated systems of modern production; the adaptive visual control scheme was improved by introducing a declarative workspace model and a functional model of a flexible integrated system; the main requirements and tasks of adaptive visual control systems are formulated; considered the main stages of processing visual information and their practical implementation, including multi-zone workspaces; a model of visual control of a mobile robot in a flexible integrated production workspace has been developed; the practical tasks of managing mobile platforms have been solved. Conclusions: the use of adaptive visual control in a production environment will allow combining the elements of flexible integrated production distributed in space, providing monitoring, control and refinement of control processes in real time, the functioning of intelligent control tools, which will improve the quality of control processes.

Proposal and investigation of a novel hybrid hydrogen production and liquefaction process using solid oxide electrolyzer, solar energy, and thermoelectric generator

In this research, an integrated system of large-scale hydrogen production and liquefaction has been introduced. Conceptual configurations for the hydrogen liquefaction cycle are designed, modeled, simulated, optimized, and analyzed for energy, and the most appropriate ones are selected for use in system. A combination of several units is provided together to produce and then liquefy hydrogen utilizing solar energy. The designed system uses linear Fresnel collectors in combination with a solid oxide electrolyzer set, thermoelectric generator, and Rankine cycle to form the hydrogen production section. The proposed system has a production capacity of 6400 kg of liquid hydrogen each hour. The specific energy consumption and coefficient of performance of the proposed refrigeration cycle were calculated for mass flows rates of 1 kg/s, 1.5 kg/s, and 1.77 kg/s. These values at best were 5.72Kwh/KgLH2 and 0.1804, respectively. Declared values are significantly better than the corresponding values of similar and reference liquefaction cycles. The energy efficiencies of the electrolyzer, LFR, Rankine cycle, and thermoelectric generator were calculated as 71.18%, 21.42%, 46.64%, and 12.4% respectively. Also, the effect of operational parameters of each subsystem, including temperature and pressure of the input current to the electrolyzer and the total area of the solar reflector on the overall proficiency of the system was researched and the results are presented. The energy efficiency of the hydrogen production sector was 15.98% and the system's total solar fraction was 0.86.