Local Costs Of Material Research Articles

Effects of plant location on cost of CO2 capture

Most economic assessments addressing the application of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) applications to fossil fuel fired power plants reported in literature are either focused on a specific country or consider a hypothetical site in the U.S. or The Netherlands. Although these may be regions where large-scale power plants with CCS will be built, there is greater potential for CCS in regions where coal consumption is greater and expected to increase or where emission reduction targets would imply CCS to be considered also in gas fired power stations. The main objective of this paper is to investigate and quantify how the costs of CO2 capture are likely to vary for different locations, summarizing the results of a dedicated IEAGHG study developed by Amec Foster Wheeler Italiana. The paper focuses on supercritical pulverised coal (SC PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. Post combustion capture based on solvent scrubbing only has been considered, being currently the commercially leading option for capture.Variations in the performance and costs of plants have been quantified, according to local and site-specific conditions. The main parameters that have been identified as affecting plant performance and costs are technical differences between the sites (mainly ambient conditions and fuel analysis) and economic parameters (mainly fuel price, labour costs and productivity and local costs of material).

Effects of Plant Location on Cost of CO2 Capture

Most economic assessments addressing the application of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) applications to fossil fuel fired power plants reported in literature are either focused on a specific country or consider a hypothetical site in the U.S. or The Netherlands. Although these may be regions where large-scale power plants with CCS will be built, there is greater potential for CCS in regions where coal consumption is greater and expected to increase or where emission reduction targets would imply CCS to be considered also in gas fired power stations. The main objective of this paper is to investigate and quantify how the costs of CO2 capture are likely to vary for different locations, summarizing the results of a dedicated IEAGHG study developed by Amec Foster Wheeler Italiana. The paper focuses on supercritical pulverised coal (SC PC) and natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) power plants. Post combustion capture based on solvent scrubbing only has been considered, being currently the commercially leading option for capture. Variations in the performance and costs of plants have been quantified, according to local and site-specific conditions. The main parameters that have been identified as affecting plant performance and costs are technical differences between the sites (mainly ambient conditions and fuel analysis) and economic parameters (mainly fuel price, labour costs and productivity and local costs of material).

Total factor productivity of the Latin-American industry: large shipbuilding in Peru

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose and analyze a model to obtain a total factor productivity of an industry through quantitative empirical analysis in order to determine the joint contribution of the production and technology function, and the change and technical progress. The case of the Peruvian large shipbuilding industry between the years 1969 and 1990 was considered for the analysis of the proposed model. The large shipbuilding in Peru finished in 1992 and has restarted in 2014. The importance of the study lies in the fact that the analysis is focused on an industry which is resurfacing, and in this regards, the study of the first production period will yield more and accurate information to make decisions regarding its future development.Design/methodology/approachOne way of considering the several effects of technical progress, in line with Sato (1970) such as growth and bias, is to specify a production function maintaining the linear homogeneity property, such as: Y(t)=F [A(t)K(t), B(t)L(t)], where Y(t) is the aggregate product over a period of time (t); K(t) is the capital; L(t) is the labor; and A(t) and B(t) are the efficiencies or augmentations of K(t) and L(t), respectively. Based on the regression analysis data, the value of σ can be estimated to a residual growth rate (Kennedy and Thirlwall, 1972) that allows assessing the technical knowledge that is not attributable to the factors’ efficiency grains: . This last expression measures the residual technological growth rate (TCTR, by its Spanish acronym).FindingsThe results of the analysis of the large shipbuilding at SIMA-Callao during the given period (22 years of operation, between 1969 and 1990) show that the necessary installed capacity and the technological knowledge was available in order to develop a complex industrial process in the South Pacific region, thus, contributing to the sector’s growth in the country. The evolution of the shipbuilding activities coincides with the GDP expansion and decline periods in Peru. According to the results, the total factor productivity increased during 1969-1976, 1979-1982, and 1986-1987 periods and it has been confirmed that the contribution of the efficiencies of the production factors were inversely related to the economies of scale and output growth.Practical implicationsThe analysis is based on the activities carried out throughout 22 years of operations in SIMA-Callao shipyards (1969-1990). The data regarding the product, labor, imported materials costs, local material costs, direct expenses, wages, and man-day costs was obtained from several sources within the shipyard. Direct expenses correspond to classification, inspections, administrative expenses (dock, quality control, equipment rental, etc.), drawings, technical data, insurance, and materials freight. Additionally, the sources of information are project construction contracts, annual expenses reports, and man-day cost quarterly reports of the shipbuilding area. The man-day cost includes salary, social benefits, and the company’s functional cost.Originality/valueThere are different ways to obtain productivity index. In this case, the authors used the stated model. In addition, based on this experience, this can be applied to other industries.

A Method for Assessing Costs Associated with Conversion/Reconversion of Low-Volume Roadways

This paper presents an explanation of the methods used to evaluate the costs associated with the conversion of low-volume roads to gravel and asphalt, as well as the potential reconversion to the original surface type, for the purpose of maintenance cost savings. Across the country, agencies are converting lesser-used surfaced roads into un-surfaced (gravel-type) roads in order to curtail present maintenance spending. But the conversion costs money, and there is the possibility that growth may occur that would necessitate the reconversion of the roadway, an expensive task that could negate any potential savings from the initial conversion. The conversion and maintenance costs are dependent on local material costs and road standards. The feasibility of this practice requires a more in-depth look at the costs involved with both conversion and maintenance of both surface types, as well as potential for growth in the area. This paper presents the minimum costs associated with conversion and reconversion of low-volume roads in Texas as an example of one way to assess costs for decision-making purposes.

Composite Dowels in Bridges - Efficient Solution

The bridges are vital structures for the transport infrastructure; it is a fact that, in the last decades, composite bridges became a well-liked solution in many European countries as a cost-effective and aesthetic alternative to concrete bridges. Their competitiveness depends on several circumstances such as site conditions, local costs of material and staff and the contractors experience. Beside the classical solution, the new ones with efficient design and construction improve and consolidate the market position of the steel construction and steel producing industry. These bridge solutions combine many important aspects: reduced costs, fast and simple erection, durability and robustness, low maintenance costs and an appealing aesthetical aspect. Another feature is the robustness of composite bridges. The robustness of a structure has to be defined as being the capacity of the system to keep its structural integrity for any kind of action that may occur during its service life. The present tendency in composite bridges consists in simplifying the structure as much as possible. Continuous shear connection using a cut steel strip is a solution for composite beams. With the introduction of the composite dowel the possibility is given to develop new construction methods for bridges. The paper will include interesting aspects regarding the dimensioning of the structure and technological features and also aspects related to the efficiency, robustness and fatigue behavior of the joints with composite dowels in bridges. The behavior of the dowels has a theoretical background based on laboratory investigations. The Romanian railway and highway infrastructure is presently involved in a large operation of renewal and modernization. The solution was recently introduced in Romania for three highway bridges of medium spans.

Innovative Prefabricated Composite Bridges

The competitiveness of composite bridges depends on different circumstances such as site conditions, local costs of material and staff, and the experience of the contractor. Two major advantages of composite bridges compared to concrete bridges are the ability of the steel girders to carry the weight of the formwork and the fresh concrete, and the shorter construction time which not only saves money for the contractor but even more for the road users. A further step is to prefabricate not only the steel girders, but also the concrete deck. In this paper, a new concept for composite bridges is described, with dry joints between the prefabricated concrete elements. The principal of the technique is presented, as well as some laboratory test simulating the load situation at an internal support in a multi-span bridge. Also, some experiences from an already built single span composite bridge with dry joints are presented.