Technology Life Cycle Research Articles

Life cycle of scientific publications in the field of high social impact

In a previous work, we have presented an innovative theoretical model to describe the evolution of the life cycle of a new technology. We have proposed a mathematical approach based on a rate equation, similar to that used to describe quantum level transitions. The model is able to describe the hype curve evolution in many relevant conditions, which can be associated with various external parameters. In this article, we apply this model to describe the evolution of the number of publications in some different research fields that are very current and extremely advanced in terms of social impact. The applications have been chosen in the fields of biomolecular chemistry, genetics and superconducting nanoelectronics.

The life cycle of technical documentation in the smart factory of Industry 4.0

The task is to synthesize all stages of the item designing component technical documentation life cycle in the companies of the Industry 4.0. The companies of the Industry 4.0 is a new type of project and production companies which activity is done with paperless documentation. The traditional designing procedures of construction, program and technological documentation are studied which are available today in the companies of the Industry 3.0. There is a scheme of technological documentation life cycle in the Industry 3.0 companies. It is clear that for the Industry 4.0 companies they need new forms of item designing component technical documentation which could be digital replica, digital shadow and digital twin of the item which is done in different stages of item projection. Also it is clear that new forms of electronic documents require new instrument means for project activity. There is a scheme of item designing component technical documentation life cycle in the Industry 4.0 companies.

Mapping of palm oil technology based on patent information analysis

Patent system has been implemented globally to protect intellectual property in technology. Patent information analysis has been used for various purposes, including technology mapping, technology forecasts, business intelligence, patent portfolios, and others. Indonesia is the largest producer and exporter of palm oil in the world thus palm oil is one of Indonesia’s largest foreign exchange earning commodities, but Indonesia’s palm oil research activities are still lagging behind Malaysia. This study aims to map the conditions and development of palm oil technology in the world and Indonesia based on patent information analysis that expected to be an input for researchers & policy maker (government, university, R&D institution) in structuring of research and development strategic planning to produce applicative researches which suitable to industry needs. Patent information analysis of palm oil in this study includes technology life cycle, technology classification, patent applicants, market size of technology, and experts of palm oil technology. Mapping of palm oil technology based on patent information analysis in this study shows the development of palm oil technology both in the world and Indonesia are in the stage of growth. In the period 1997-2016, technologies that were widely developed were production of oil and fat from palm oil raw materials and enzyme utilization for synthesis of organic compounds, processing of wastewater and fertilizers from palm oil waste, cultivation or nursery of oil palm, herbal preparations, and utilization of oil palm biomass for particle board. Data on patent applicants for palm oil in the world shows that 83% of patent applicants came from companies, where the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is the largest producer of palm oil technology in the world.

The Future of Ex-Ante LCA? Lessons Learned and Practical Recommendations

Every decision-oriented life cycle assessment (LCAs) entails, at least to some extent, a future-oriented feature. However, apart from the ex-ante LCAs, the majority of LCA studies are retrospective in nature and do not explicitly account for possible future effects. In this review a generic theoretical framework is proposed as a guideline for ex-ante LCA. This framework includes the entire technology life cycle, from the early design phase up to continuous improvements of mature technologies, including their market penetration. The compatibility with commonly applied system models yields an additional aspect of the framework. Practical methods and procedures are categorised, based on how they incorporate future-oriented features in LCA. The results indicate that most of the ex-ante LCAs focus on emerging technologies that have already gone through some research cycles within narrowly defined system boundaries. There is a lack of attention given to technologies that are at a very early development stage, when all options are still open and can be explored at a low cost. It is also acknowledged that technological learning impacts the financial and environmental performance of mature production systems. Once technologies are entering the market, shifts in market composition can lead to substantial changes in environmental performance.

A theoretical basis for the equivalence between physical and economic climate metrics and implications for the choice of Global Warming Potential time horizon

The global warming potential (GWP) is widely used in policy analysis, national greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, and technology life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the impact of non-CO2 GHG emissions to the impact of CO2 emissions. While the GWP is simple and versatile, different views about the appropriate choice of time horizon—and the factors that affect that choice—can impede decision-making. If the GWP is viewed as an approximation to a climate metric that more directly measures economic impact—the global damage potential (GDP)—then the time horizon may be viewed as a proxy for the discount rate. However, the validity of this equivalence rests on the theoretical basis used to equate the two metrics. In this paper, we develop a new theoretical basis for relating the GWP time horizon and the economic discount rate that avoids the most restrictive assumptions of prior studies, such as an assumed linear relationship between economic damages and temperature. We validate this approach with an extensive set of numerical experiments using an up-to-date climate emulator that represents state-dependent climate-carbon cycle feedbacks. The numerical results largely confirm the theoretical finding that, under certain reasonable assumptions, time horizons in the GWP of 100 years and 20 years are most consistent with discount rates of approximately 3% and 7% (or greater), respectively.

Forecasting of wind energy technology domains based on the technology life cycle approach

Wind energy technologies are being developed in order to reduce the costs of the generated electricity and increasing technological performance. Therefore, understanding the technological development paths is an important part of the debates among technology developers and policymakers of energy systems. Due to recognize the wind technology orientation, the published patents in wind technology have been analyzed. Five groups of technology have been found, and the result of technological trends and life cycles for each one has been discussed. In order to clarify the main issues in each technology domain, a cluster dendrogram of frequent keywords in each domain through text analysis has been drawn. Text analysis of all published patents illustrated that controlling pitch and larger blade design are the most frequent words in the “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines” domains respectively. Two main domains of technology have been considered a lot in patents, “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines”. In the next step, the technological life cycles of all five domains have been discussed. In spite of the number of published patents in “blades and rotor” and “control of turbines” domains, “nacelle” is in the maturity stage.

Technology life cycle and data quality: Action and triangulation

Where a technology is its life cycle can make a difference in the data generated by or about adopting, using or implementing that technology. As a result, it is arguable that adoption, usage or implementation data generated early in a technology's life cycle is directly comparable to data generated later in the life cycle. In particular, comparisons of early and late data can result in a number of disparate results and limit replicability, because of biases in the data and non-stationary data. This paper suggests that it can be important for information systems researchers to disclose an estimate of the location in the technology's life cycle, as part of their analysis.The data life cycle discussion is then extended to the notion of “data phase triangulation,” which is contrasted with “methodology triangulation” and “data (collection) triangulation.” In addition, we discuss the importance of being able to use the findings from life cycle-based research to “push” a technology from one phase to another phase.

Business objective for the life cycle of aircraft

A structural-parametric analysis of the development of the global aviation market has been done and by the example of the development of the domestic helicopter industry, it was shown that the main revenue in the life cycle of aviation technology lies in the area of aviation service. The graphical model of the business objective in the development and operation of helicopters shows the need to maximize the service life of aircraft and reduce downtime. One of the forms that show these features was leasing with the inclusion of services in affiliated centers. At the request of the lessee, the leasing company may also provide additional services for advertising, recruitment, etc. Wet lease is mainly used by companies that manufacture special equipment or are engaged in wholesale activities in the field of aviation, i.e. in fact, they are monopolists. One of the ways to diversify sources of income is the sale of licenses for the production and maintenance of helicopters in the framework of the product lifecycle. Lost sales of helicopters for a holding company must be replenished through monopolization of the service and regulation of prices in this market. In general, the provision of service is a high-tech and profitable business. It requires constant monitoring and quality control of services at all stages of the life cycle of a helicopter. Income growth will be associated with an increase in the term and area of the business goal.

PROJECT MANAGER JOB DESCRIPTION AS ONE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENTKEY SUCCESS FACTORS

The article discusses the practical aspects of profiling knowledge in project management, taking into account competence and experience for various categories of professionals involved in project management. Very often, project managers are forced to not only manage the project, but also train the project team members or help them develop their best skills to achieve the project goal. It is shown that success of project activities of organizations substantially depends on the professional personnel training and the proper formation of project participants' job descriptions. In addition to the formal responsibilities outlined in the basic project management methodologies the project manager plays an important role in the interaction between the project and the business area.Market pressure on project activities is associated with a rapid reduction in the life cycles of technologies and products, which significantly increases the responsibility of project managers for the ultimate fate of their project outputs. The employees’ knowledge, skills and competencies are the basis for the development and improvement of any organization. In this case, more and more situations arise when, under extremely short deadlines, it is necessary to make a decision on the project team formation and on the selection of the project manager. When executing projects, there is always a need to coordinate the work of managers, staff and project team. To do this, organizations develop the rules of interaction and managers’ responsibilities, as well as determine the managers’ responsibility for various types of work. The responsibilities of managers are fixed in the job descriptions, which serve as the basis for the formation of responsibility matrices. At the same time, the fulfillment of the type of work specified in the instruction must be supported by the performer’s certain competence. A general concept of forming job descriptions is proposed. Each instruction point is formed at the intersection of three coordinates: the performer, the work and the competence. A Markov model for changing the project manager’s states has been developed, which describes the system using homogeneous Markov chains with discrete states and time. Discrete states form a specific structure of communications and interaction of project processes, which take into account the system topology and contextual features of the processes of project activities.

Investment-innovation analysis of interactions between technological and economic aspects of industrial development of mineral resources in the Arctic

The methodological foundations of investment-innovation analysis for the objective determination of innovation-active enterprises are considered. The particular importance of managing the implementation of new technologies for industrial enterprises operating in the Arctic is noted. The main factors that influence the change in the manufacturability level coefficient value which reflects the proportional dependence of the material intensity of the product from the capital intensity of production are identified. The characteristic of each factor is presented. It was determined that the main influence on the change in the values of the coefficient is made by the rate of renewal of the fixed assets active part of enterprises - machines, equipment and vehicles. The sequence of investment-innovation analysis implementation by the retrospective data of enterprises is presented. A method for determining the completion period of each of the six stages of the technological development life cycle is shown. It is determined that the decrease of the manufacturability level coefficient value or the instability of the stages of the production process life cycle are associated with the low efficiency of the enterprise management process what makes it possible to carry out an economic assessment of the damage from increase of production cost price and decrease of profit as a result of poor management at any level of hierarchy.

EXTERNAL EFFECTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS: LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS-BASED APPROACH

Nowadays planning and developing of innovative renewable energy projects across the globe imply calculation and consideration of negative environmental effects not only at the stage of utilization but also at the stage of manufacturing and disposal. Thus, the modern practice of environmental management on a regional level requires the more widespread introduction of life cycle analysis. The aim of the present paper is to develop an environmental effects evaluation methodology based on ecological impact categories through all the stages of lifecycle of renewable energy technologies. We used DEA-based calculation of the efficiency score for each renewable energy technology. EcoInvent database which rests on CML 2001 methodology has been chosen as a source of eco-indicators. We suppose, the efficiency ratio will remain unchanged, when transferring estimates of the life cycle of renewable energy facilities to another territory. This allows us to use data obtained in other regions of the world, to extrapolate comparative assessments and make the choice of the most environmentally preferable technology. The input-oriented DEA modelling has demonstrated geothermal and biogas technologies are the most preferable from an environmental point of view with the highest possible score. The least effective technologies are both modifications of PV with the minimum efficiency score. The results of the presented work might be useful for decision- and policymakers for a more consistent planning and energy strategy deployment.Keywords: renewable projects, external effects, LCA analysis, ecological impactJEL Classifications: O33, Q42, Q47, Q48DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.7959

Modelling techno-sectoral innovation system

Purpose This study aims to scrutiny the performance of the petrochemical sector and the technological innovation life cycle. Also, the stage of the innovation life cycle for the sector is specified. Then, scenarios are designed to improve the speed of the sector development. For this reason, for synchronizing the petrochemical sector, this study tries to combine two innovation systems (technological and sectoral systems) called “techno-sectoral innovation system” under an integrated model. Furthermore, the “functions and driving motors” are expanded in the proposed model. Design/methodology/approach By combining two concepts of the innovation systems, the complexity of the system rises to some extent. Also, to model causal relationships in the sector and non-linear connections between variables, system dynamics approach is applied. During this phase, the flow diagram of the model is translated to a simulation programme using Vensim software. Model validation is investigated using a comparison of the actual with simulated values. Findings The results predict the functions state of the innovation system and detect activation of innovation motors in each stage of the innovation life cycle. Validation shows the acceptable error of the indices. It can be concluded that the sector is relatively in the development state. Four scenarios have been proposed for representing policies that sector uses to motivate its companies. The best scenario is the fourth one that divides resources with different weightings among companies to accelerate switching time between sector’s motors. Finally, the fourth scenario can improve the performance of the petrochemical. Originality/value The hybrid approach shows researchers that performance of an industry can be improved based on sectoral and technological at the same time. Thus, this case-based model can contribute to other researchers, as a base model. Also, it could be customized with parameters and the relationship between players and functions. Furthermore, a dynamic switch among the motors has been presented in the model.

Environmental Effects Evaluation of Innovative Renewable Energy Projects

Developing sustainable renewable energy projects involves complex decision-making processes. At present time planning and developing of renewable energy projects across the globe imply calculation and consideration of negative environmental effects at all stages of energy project life cycle. The aim of the paper is to develop an environmental effects evaluation methodology based on ecological impact categories through all the stages of lifecycle of renewable energy technologies. We used data envelopment analysis to calculate the efficiency score for each renewable energy technology. EcoInvent database has been chosen as a source of eco-indicators. We suppose the efficiency ratio will remain unchanged when transferring estimates of the life cycle of renewable energy facilities to another territory. This allows us to use data obtained in other regions of the world to extrapolate comparative assessments and make the deliberate choice of the most environmentally preferable technology. The input-oriented DEA modelling has demonstrated geothermal and biogas technologies are the most preferable from an environmental point of view with the highest possible score. The least effective technologies are both modifications of PV with the minimum efficiency score. The results of the presented work indicated that DEA showed great promise to be an effective evaluating tool for future analysis on energy policy issues.

Interrelation of technological, ecological and economic aspects of industrial development of Arctic mineral resources

The article studies the directions for expanding the innovative activity of the enterprises working with Arctic minerals and raw materials. It is shown that the influence of the scientific and technological progress on the efficiency of material usage, labour resources and other economic factors, as well as physical capital (fixed assets) of manufacturing enterprises may be reflected in the technological production coefficient. Based on the developed matrix of possible directions for enterprises’ technological development and the graphic model of the technological development life cycle, the foundations of a new direction in the economic analysis - the investment and innovation analysis - are formulated. Prospects of using the technological production coefficient have been identified and the main factors influencing the change in its values have been highlighted. It is shown that the influence of technological development on the enterprises’ activities efficiency is caused not only by objective, but also by subjective factors. The procedure for implementing the retrospective investment and innovation analysis is considered. Requirements for the economic efficiency assessment during the implementation of investment projects at Arctic enterprises working with the extraction and processing of mineral resources are formulated.

Conceptual framework for effective management of mining operations and fuel-and-energy development in the Arctic

Boasting a vast raw material base, the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation is an environment which is extremely vulnerable to environmental pollution. To achieve a significant reduction in toxic emissions into the Arctic environment, it is necessary that the advanced technologies are in place to reduce material consumption, which, however, means higher capital investment. This prerequisite is in line with the national and regional policies, according to which the government is to stimulate the introduction of advanced technologies or to compensate, fully or in part, for overexpenditure (that some of the Russian regions may incur). In order to enhance the efficiency of managing the nation’s mineral and fuel-and-energy resources and, in the first place, the resources of the Arctic, the authors have developed the technology life cycle model. Technological innovations are what reduces businesses’ operating costs: the overall reduction of material consumption leads to lesser environmental load. A new type of economic analysis is suggested – investment-and-innovation analysis (retrospective and predictive analysis) – which ensures the analytical correlation between the targets of the industries’ performance and those of technological innovation performance.

Design requirements on the integration of technology databases

Purpose The effective management and reuse of knowledge in the early product development supports the early identification of high potential technologies, reduces barriers of accessing them and ensures technology leadership. Until now, technology databases were only a means of communicating knowledge on innovations. The purpose of this study is to analyse the design of technology databases with a processual integration into research and development. It is a concept for companies to collaboratively and effectively develop and adapt innovative technologies. Design/methodology/approach In the Design4Energy project, an interdisciplinary, inter-divisional project team, including information and communications technology managers, engineers and energy experts, developed an architectural concept and use cases of a system to integrate the technology life cycle into the building creation process. Eventually, the stakeholders evaluated the system in industrial applications. Findings This research reveals that the developed system supports the collaboration between professionals in the design stage. Along the development and implementation of the system, the main success factors result in four design principles: effective and efficient design, basic functionalities supporting technology adaption, interoperability and integration into the processes and organization. Practical implications The results deal with the interoperability in early phases of product development and guide through the methodological design of technology databases. Transparent design requirements based on real case learnings increase system applicability and data consistency. Originality/value The work guides the methodology, process integration and IT architecture of technology databases, which literature does not provide. Thus, it leads to decision reliability in technology management and implies the success factors for living databases.

Environmental and economic performance evaluation of municipal wastewater treatment plants in India: a life cycle approach.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Moreover, an economic evaluation was also addressed using life cycle cost (LCC) approach. Emissions associated with electricity production for operating the WWTPs, emissions from the treated effluent and hazardous heavy metals emissions have been identified as the main contributors to the overall environmental impact. Among the WWTPs considered, soil biotechnology (SBT) obtained the lowest environmental impact in all the evaluated impact categories, except for eutrophication potential. While the aerated lagoons (AL) system presented the worst results due to the high electricity and chemicals consumption. Moreover, the results obtained from the evaluation of benefit from treated effluent reuse clearly indicate that there is a drop in the toxicity potential when the rate of effluent reuse is increased. On the other hand, the present worth of SBT was estimated to be Rs. 40 million/millions of litres per day (MLD) which is the highest as compared to other technologies. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) is the second highest (Rs. 24.7 million/MLD), which is mainly contributed by civil, electro-mechanical and membrane cost. The results of LCA and LCC provide specific insights about the factors which play a major role during the life cycle of wastewater treatment technology and its associated impacts.

Demand identification model of potential technology based on SAO structure semantic analysis: The case of new energy and energy saving fields

This study proposes an identification model based on subject–action–object (SAO) structure semantic analysis for the potential hotspots of technology demand to address the shortcomings of technology demand mining on the basis of word frequency statistical analysis. The SAO structure is extracted using Python tools to identify the potential hotspots of technology demand, the domain dictionary and professional corpus are introduced, and the clustering of technology demand is realized by applying Word2Vec and HowNet to calculate the semantic similarity among the SAO structures. The layout of the technology demand in the different stages of the technical lifecycle is divided by constructing a technology map. The proposed model is validated as an example of the network technology demand text of the new energy and energy saving fields. Therefore, the hotspots of technology demand are the technology of new energy vehicle motor and its control system, technology of energy efficient and technology of wind power, and the new energy vehicle technology is still in the research and development (R&D) stage. Moreover, solar energy products and production equipment are still in the technical application stage. This study provides an effective method for identifying potential technology demand and based on technology lifecycle to implement the layout and visualization of demand, which will make the decision support for guiding the direction of technology R&D, optimizing the allocation of science and technology resources, and promoting the effective docking of technology supply and demand.

Patent analysis provides insights into the history of cotton molecular breeding worldwide over the last 50 years

Cotton is a globally important natural fiber and oilseed crop of crucial economic significance. Molecular breeding has become a dominant method of cotton cultivation because it allows for a shorter breeding period and directional selection of high quality genes. Patent data are key resources and are the core competitiveness of agricultural development, as the world's largest and most reliable source of technical information. However, little attention has been paid to patent analysis of cotton molecular breeding. This study uses bibliometric analysis methodology and technical classification indexing to reveal global development trends of cotton molecular breeding, based on patents by retrieval methods and expert screening. The annual number of patents, the life-cycle of patent-based technology, patent portfolios of primary countries, and main patentees, as well as technical distribution of patents, were analyzed in this study. In addition, this study put emphasis on the comparative analysis of two important patentees through patent roadmaps based on the relationship among patent citations. Finally, in order to understand the trend of new molecular breeding technology, patents related to clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), RNA interference (RNAi), and gene chip were also analyzed, all of which apply to cotton but also to other crops. Results in this paper can provide references for cotton molecular breeding researchers and relevant management departments.

Length of life cycle assessment of vehicle

In the article the theoretical analysis of methodical approaches to the definition of indicators of the life cycle of the motor transport industry and methods for assessing the status of rolling stock in the MTE (motor transport enterprise). It is determined that in order to ensure a high level of volumetric indicators of the life cycle of the motor transport industry it is necessary to manage the life cycles of technologies, services and means of transport from the position of the complex object Vehicle - transport service. The useful life of a vehicle is influenced by technological improvements, technological progress, reasonable projected economic changes, the movement of business centers, prohibited laws and other reasons. The criteria for establishing a reasonable replacement period for rolling stock of motor transport enterprises are environmentally friendly and safe vehicles. The proposed method of estimating the life cycle of a vehicle on the basis of operational reliability allows for taking into account the majority of operational characteristics and contributes to the acceptance of optimal strategic decisions for the management of the MTE (motor transport enterprise).