Equipment Maintenance Research Articles

Technology Focus: Drilling Automation and Innovation (February 2024)

In recent years, operators and service companies have optimized drilling activities and reduced operational costs by accelerating the deployment of digital solutions. Among other applications, predictive data analytics are commonly used to estimate rock properties, reduce operational uncertainty, improve equipment maintenance processes, and optimize scarce human resources on specific tasks. Not surprising, then, is the number of initiatives to maximize the value of data and new machine-learning models to understand complex operations and the different levels of drilling automation around the world. The selection of technical papers for this month highlights some interesting examples implemented in diverse geographies. Sustainability appears today as a key driver for innovation. The complex process of decarbonization of our industry can be accelerated with the potential larger-scale application of emerging solutions with proven tangible impact. For instance, rig and equipment automation are a reality, with the capacity to lower emissions in drilling operations and help obtain improved and more-consistent results. Papers SPE 216249 and IPTC 22975 illustrate examples of actual benefits in different projects. The task of collecting, processing, organizing, and making sense of drilling information from multiple sources with minimum time requirements remains an opportunity for improved decision-making in project management. Paper OTC 32978 describes one case with the use of artificial intelligence for automatic classification of daily drilling reports as an enabler for better planning and accurate risk analysis. Worth emphasizing is the importance of extended reality as a growing and promising alternative with untapped potential in well construction, mainly as a resource for active learning and a collaboration tool among multidisciplinary teams. Paper SPE 212532, included in the additional recommended reading, gives an interesting overview of current applications associated with drilling operations and challenges ahead. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 217113 Machine-Learning Techniques for Real-Time Prediction of Essential Rock Properties While Drilling by K.W. Amadi, Australian University, et al. SPE 212532 Extended Reality and Gamification for Drilling by Crispin Chatar, SLB, et al. SPE 213043 Ensemble Machine Learning for Data-Driven Predictive Analytics of Drilling Rate of Penetration Modeling: A Case Study in a Southern Iraqi Oil Field by Dhuha T. Al-Sahlanee, BP, et al.

A hybrid foresight study of the environmental reference laboratory system in Finland: a foresight study for the Government of Finland

This article presents a hybrid foresight study using the Delphi methodology. The study is part of a strategic research project of the Finnish state named “Foresight in Environmental Reference Laboratory Operations.” The main starting point for this study was the Policy Delphi method, which was supplemented with other Delphi variants and decision support methods. In this hybrid foresight application, Delphi methodology was combined with decision-making and strategic planning tools, namely (1) SWOT analysis, (2) Boston Consulting Group Matrix, (3) research infrastructure (RI) analysis, (4) platform analysis, and (5) integrative foresight workshop. This article draws strongly on the hybrid foresight methodology perspective of foresight tool orchestration. The authors argue that the Delphi methodology gains reliability and appeal with hybrid methodological orchestration. The function of reference laboratories includes services for the verification and maintenance of the quality and validity of environmental measurements, such as the maintenance of reference measurement equipment, expertise, and training, and the organization of national reference measurements as well as participation in international reference measurements, method development, and standardization. The study shows the importance of environmental reference laboratories addressing the following challenges by 2030: (1) new measurement targets, such as the diffusion of nanomaterials, microplastics, and drugs in both nature and the food chain and the environmental impact of recycled materials and indoor air issues; (2) automation of measurement activities and transition to technologically advanced measurement systems; (3) citizens’ opportunities to participate in the production of information about their environment through new technologies; (4) preparing for the incorporation and internationalization of laboratory operations; and (5) the concentration of measurement service business.

ASAH: An arc‐surface‐adsorption hexapod robot with a motion control scheme

AbstractMobile robots with the ability to climb provide significant advantages in equipment contact operation and maintenance. In this work, an arc‐surface‐adsorption hexapod (ASAH) robot is designed for a class of internal cavity‐cylindrical‐type electrical equipment (ICCEE). The target of robot reliable movement on the ICCEE surface obtains its priority to be solved. Therefore, a matched‐specific motion control scheme is proposed. First, the mechanisms, adaptability, and motility of the ASAH robot are analyzed from a kinematic point of view. Subsequently, to solve the arc surface movement problem, this study proposes a novel six‐three‐legged composite gait and a “trapezoidal” foot tip trajectory algorithm, which improve safety in robot support phase movements and adsorption accuracy in the swing phase, respectively. In addition, based on the motion gait and trajectory, an active adsorption scheme is added to compensate for the position error. Finally, both virtual and physical prototype are constructed for performance verification. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in facilitating accurate motion on internal and external arc surfaces with different diameters, with an error lower than 5.3 mm/rad and rad/mm for movements in the circumferential and axial directions, respectively. Experimental results and application performance in a nuclear power plant further verify the effectiveness of the gait and trajectory algorithm; an overall success rate of 85% in circumferential movement was achieved with a maximum load weight of 2.63 kg, representing 76% of the robot body weight.

Implementing Security in IOT Systems Via Blockchain

With today’s day and age rapidly going digital, the emergence of Internet of Things has become prominent and IoT systems are now being applied to almost every field. IoT systems can be seen being applied to fields such as healthcare, agriculture, manufacturing and many more. As IoT systems encompass numerous devices, each of these devices becomes a target for attacks and exploitation; thus, IoT systems have long been associated with issues related to security. Hence, making IoT systems secure and safe is of paramount importance. While Internet of Things has become a technology that is extremely widespread today due to the wide range of advantages it provides including scalability, dependence, and ease of access; the shortcomings and possible loopholes should also be accounted for. Currently a client/server model or a centralized model of networking in employed in IoT devices.These devices also use a single gateway to transfer data between them and connect through a cloudserver. This model has lots of shortcomings like high cost of centralized cloud maintenance and network equipment and the cost will continue to rise with the increase in the number of devices and the volume of data. Single gateway is not very secure as it allows gaining access to a whole IoT network by compromisinga single device. To tackle the issue of security, we propose the inclusion of blockchain technology. A Blockchainis a distributed ledger where data is stored across various nodes all over the world, this eliminatesthe single point of failure. This project proposes the plethora of benefits that blockchain technologyoffers and aimsto tackle the security aspect of IoT systems. Keywords: Blockchain, Internet of Things, Security

Pengembangan Aplikasi Pengelolaan Laboratorium Komputer Dengan Menggunakan Metode Conten Based Filtering Berbasis WEB

The computer laboratory management application plays an important role in managing computer laboratory resources, such as scheduling, equipment maintenance, and usage monitoring. In today's digital era, the development of computer laboratory management applications must take into consideration the need for efficiency and effectiveness in management. Therefore, in this research, a computer laboratory management application will be developed using the web based Content Based Filtering method. The Content Based Filtering method will assist in managing the computer laboratory usage schedule by considering the preferences and needs of each user. This application is developed using the PHP programming language and the CodeIgniter framework. The results of this research are expected to help computer laboratory managers improving the efficiency and effectiveness of computer laboratory management.

TOPICAL ASPECTS OF IMPROVING THE ORGANIZATION OF PRODUCTION INVENTORY ACCOUNTING OF ENTERPRISES

The article studies some topical aspects of improving the organization of production inventory accounting, in particular, the issue of identification of this accounting category and the problems of accounting valuation of production inventories. The key components of the identification of the accounting category “production inventories” are determined. The author’s own definition is presented and substantiated, according to which production inventories are stocks (i. e., tangible current assets) held by an enterprise for the purpose of further one-time consumption (which will lead to a change in their natural and material form) in the process of production of products (works, services), maintenance of equipment, organization of management and marketing of products (goods). The article analyzes the issues of valuation of production inventories disposal. A comparison of the results of estimating the disposal of production inventories in the context of inflation using three main alternative methods of evaluation of disposal – the FIFO method, the weighted average cost method with price recalculation once a month and the weighted average cost method with price recalculation for each disposal. It is established that the use of the FIFO method in the context of inflation allows minimizing the accounting valuation of the disposal of production inventories, which in turn leads to maximizing the accounting valuation of the financial results of the reporting period and the value of inventory balances at the end of the period and, accordingly, improves the financial condition, increases the creditworthiness and investment attractiveness of the enterprise according to the financial statements. In terms of taxation, on the contrary, it is more attractive to use the weighted average cost method with prices recalculated once a month, since this method allows for a completely legal temporary optimization of the tax burden in terms of income tax in the conditions of inflation. The weighted average cost method with price recalculation for each disposal is recognized as a compromise option, the consensus of which is achieved by reducing the size of the effect. The issue of organizing the accounting and distribution of transportation and procurement costs by the methods of average percentage and direct distribution is studied. The disadvantages of the method of averaging transportation and procurement costs are identified and the expediency of direct distribution of transportation and procurement costs is substantiated, which allows improving the quality of accounting information on the movement of production inventories and the amount of costs generated as a result of their consumption.

Recursive signal denoising method for predictive maintenance of equipment by using deep learning based temporal masking

In the data driven predictive maintenance, high quality data is the premise of high accuracy diagnosis and prediction. In the industrial practice, reducing the noise is of great significance to ensure data quality. This paper proposes a recursive denoising method for manufacturing equipment signals in the data driven predictive maintenance. First, in signal decomposition method, equipment mixed signal is decomposed by temporal masking with dilated convolution neural network to generate a noise mask, which realizes signal decomposition of using recursive operation of temporal masking model. Second, in signal components recognition method, signal component features similarities are calculated, which act on the parameter regulation of signal recognition meta-learning model. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method effectively solves the noise reduction problem of the equipment signal. Further engineering tests of a chemical winding machine vibration signal decomposition and recognition show that the proposed method has strong adaptive performance for noise reduction.

Organization of a supply chain as a way to improve the quality of technical maintenance and repair of equipment in the agro-industrial complex

In modern conditions of ensuring the competitiveness of agricultural sectors, an important place is occupied by effective management of the process of maintenance and repair of machinery. The effectiveness of actions in this area is determined by the change in the nature of the processes taking place in agricultural commodity production, in connection with the redistribution of the material and technical base, the organization of work and the reorganization of the management structure. In this paper, the ways of improving the quality management process of maintenance and repair of equipment in the agro-industrial complex by organizing a supply chain are considered.

An insight into the clinical learning environment of dental institutes: a study in the twin cities of Pakistan.

To assess the perceptions of dental students regarding their clinical learning environment in an urban setting. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2020 to May 2021 after approval from the ethics review committee of Islamic International Dental College, Islamabad, Pakistan. It comprised of clinical year students, house officers and postgraduate trainees from 6 dental teaching hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Data was collected using a pre-validated instrument assessing the dental clinical learning environment. Data was analysed using SPSS 24. Of the 1030 students approached, 561(54.4%) responded. Of them, 448(80%) were girls, 234(41.7%) were 3rd year students, 110(19.6%) were 4th year students, 120(21.4%) were house officers and 97(17.3%) were postgraduate trainees. Female students had a better patient attitude and were more confident in their abilities to keep up with their peers (p<0.05). The students were content with the performance of their clinical teachers, with a mean score of 70.99+/-16.0, while the lowest score of 54.67+/-22.9 was for clinical infrastructure and materials. Students of Islamabad pointed out the lack of clinical materials and maintenance of equipment but noted better research opportunities compared to their Rawalpindi counterparts (p<0.05). The clinical learning environment for Islamabad and Rawalpindi cities individually was good. Overall, students were satisfied with their clinical teachers, learning and training experience. Dental materials, infrastructure and maintenance factors scored the lowest.

Penerapan Metode Waterfall dalam Pengembangan Aplikasi Schedule Maintenance Alat Produksi

PT. Shiroki Indonesia Cikarang is moving on the field of automotive spare parts manufacturing such as window regulator, seat recliner, sear track as well as floor lock. The activity uses a tool/machine as a support to produce spare parts that have good quality. With so many of these machines, then the company needs to do the maintenance and also the maintenance of the machine well. Scheduling of maintenance and maintenance of machinery production equipment still uses the record on board and requires information from the operator to be submitted to the technician. Therefore, it is necessary to create a web-based maintenance schedule application that can facilitate the performance of the staff in making the maintenance schedule of the production equipment more effective and efficient as well as the availability of reports from the maitenance. The research method used is the waterfall method which has five stages namely needs analysis, design, program code making, testing and support or maintenance. The schedule maintenance application was created using the PHP programming language using the CodeIgniter framework and the MySql database.

A Method for Determining the Requirements of Electronic Equipment Maintenance Personnel Based on FAHP and Queuing Theory

A Method for Determining the Requirements of Electronic Equipment Maintenance Personnel Based on FAHP and Queuing Theory

E-commerce Industry Supply Chain: Status, Problems and Countermeasures

In recent years, the e-commerce industry has been developing rapidly, and at the same time, the quality level of e-commerce industry development is limited by the level of supply chain technology development. As a result, the development of supply chain technology has become the core of the driving force for various enterprises to pursue development. This paper analyses the supply chain status quo of e-commerce industry, finds the problems of excess inventory leading to backlogs, high loss rate of goods leading to waste of resources, and negative impacts caused by failure to deliver on time, and proposes the establishment of perfect supply chain management norms, the establishment of incentives, and the establishment of a research department; the use of cold chain transport, multi-modal transport, the use of automated systems, the establishment of inventory systems, the upgrading of technology, the enhancement of training, regular inspection and maintenance of equipment; the enhancement of management and management of equipment. Regular inspection and maintenance of equipment; strengthening management, improving risk control, establishing a supply network, optimizing routes, and improving service quality are some of the solutions.

How international organizations can support the development of cardio-oncology in the Latin American and the Caribbean region.

Health problems in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region are highly concentrated on non-communicable diseases, being cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer the leading causes of death. Different countries of the region are at different stages of development in addressing CVDs and cancer. Opportunities for training and continuing education in cardio-oncology, as well as active cardio-oncology groups, are primarily limited to large academic institutions in major metropolitan areas. In addition, the development of advanced imaging modalities in LAC faces challenges such as the high cost of equipment, a lack of equipment maintenance and service, as well as insufficient specific training for both imaging specialists and referring clinicians. To contribute to the implementation of actionable strategies ensuring equitable access to care for all, international organizations, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offer support for the regional development of health projects that address educational needs. In this context, a new IAEA regional cooperation project for LAC titled 'Strengthening of regional capacities on the use of Nuclear Medicine techniques in a Cardio-oncology multimodality approach in patients with cancer' will be developed during 2024-2025. The experience of some centres, as well as national experiences in certain countries of the region, that have been previously involved in other regional projects, can be leveraged for the benefit of the entire region. We present a proposed road map for cross-institutional/countries collaboration in the development of cardio-oncology in the LAC region, contributing to decreasing the barriers to the growth of the subspecialty.

Influence of the Implementation of Nigerian University Commission Library Parameters on Accreditation Readiness for Academic Programmes in Federal Universities of South-East, Nigeria

The study investigated the influence of the implementation of Nigerian University Commission library parameters on accreditation readiness for academic programmes in Federal Universities of South-East, Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised 161 academic librarians in the five federal universities located in the South-East zone of Nigeria. These are; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Michael Okpara University, Umudike, Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo. The census sampling technique was adopted for the study since the total number of academic librarians in the five universities was within a manageable size. The sampling method was considered appropriate because it allows statistical enumeration and participation of all members of the population in the study. Data was collected using questionnaire and analysed using regression analysis. Findings show that libraries are under staffed in most universities in the South East of Nigeria and the libraries had information resources to a great extent, but still needed to widen their services given the growing student population and new courses offered. The study therefore concluded that it is imperative for university administrators through the governing councils to employ more library staff in all cadres (professionals and para-professionals) as well as support staff. Also, the academic library environment should be made more conducive to attract clienteles to the library at all times and maintenance of furniture and equipment at libraries should be standardized, while upgrade and expansion services should also be done systematically.

Curriculum Development in Business Education: Challenges in Enhancing the Implementation

Business Education programme in Nigeria requires a proactive and effective assessment that can bridge the gap between theory and practice. This will go a long way in ensuring the correlation between skills and competency displayed by graduates of business education and the certificate they obtain to parade looking for white-collar jobs in the world of competition. This can only be achieved through a well-structured and update of business education curriculum. The curriculum development process include: curriculum content with details of what the teachers are expected to teach and each students expected to learn. Business education graduates should be able to put to practice the skills professed by their certificates. The study examines, concept of curriculum development, types of curriculum development models, principles of curriculum development, trends that will shape curriculum development. Some of the challenges in enhancing the implementation of business education curriculum are; Inadequate funding of business education programme, Poor maintenance of business education equipment, unstructured curriculum in business education and inadequate qualified lecturers. Among others, it was recommended that the university authorities should adequately fund Business education Programmes to enable them have a required facilities for effective teaching and learning and employing adequate qualified teachers to teach in business education programme

Dust contamination of Divertor Remote Handling System in ITER Hot Cell: A novel approach to model complex superficial radiation sources

Activated dust produced by the erosion of plasma-facing components entails a significant radiation source for ITER and, generally, for all tokamaks aiming for operation under high neutron exposure. In-Vessel remote-handling operations will mobilise the dust, which will be deposited on the remote-handling tools used, for which hands-on maintenance is expected. To ensure safe maintenance of the remote-handling equipment, a dedicated decontamination process in the Hot Cell is required. Evaluating the radiation fields produced by the contaminated equipment is central to minimising radiation exposure to personnel. In this study, we present a nuclear analysis of the Divertor Remote Handling System during its transfer and decontamination process. Past computational limitations regarding superficial sources definition and high uncertainties on the dust model have been overcome by implementing a novel methodology and following an alternative approach. Two surface-dependent dust distributions over the complex geometry surfaces were considered to evaluate the dose rates according to the different contamination levels during the process phases. A scoping analysis was performed to determine the amount of dust that would comply with project requirements in each phase of the process. Improvement margins were identified in the quantification of the amount of dust and Hot Cell layout.

Cost Sharing Paid by Social Askes Participants at Pelamonia Hospital Makassar and Faisal Islamic Hospital Makassar

The cost of hospital services in Indonesia in general is a complex problem with many obstacles and we can see that the publication of cost information is often unclear. In Government Hospitals, in particular, budget allocations are still inadequate, this is due, among other things, to the costs that must be borne by the Hospital, especially equipment costs, operational and maintenance costs, which seem to tend to increase following advances in increasingly sophisticated health technology. The aim of the research is to obtain an overview of the cost sharing that will be incurred by Askes Social participants at Pelamonia Hospital and Islamic Faisal Hospital Makassar, reviewed in terms of additional costs incurred/types of patient inpatient treatment in terms of class/rank and linked to Regional Regulations. The type of research used is survey research with a descriptive approach, with the aim of obtaining information about cost sharing costs for health services in the inpatient unit of Pelamonia Hospital Makassar and Islamic Faisal Hospital Makassar. The results of this study and previous research show that patients participating in Askes tend to use nursing classes that are better than those specified. The conclusion is that the Cost Sharing for Social Health Insurance patients based on group/rank in the inpatient unit at Faisal Islamic Hospital is IDR 795,000,- while at Pelamonia Hospital Makassar it is IDR 1,125,000.

Risk-based approach to choosing the production asset management strategy for energy company

RELEVANCE: The possibility of a reasonable choice of an alternative strategy for the organization of maintenance and repair (M&amp;R) of the power company's equipment is a guarantee of the successful implementation of its strategic priorities. The tasks in this direction are quite relevant.PURPOSE: To develop a unified methodology that, from the general standpoint of a risk-based approach, would allow comparing two alternative strategies for managing the assets of an energy company "by periodicity, operating time" and "by technical condition", according to a set of key criteria for the effectiveness of M&amp;R.METHODS: When solving problems, methods of forming and adjusting schedules for repairs of electrical equipment, calculating reliability and probabilities of failure in the power supply system of consumers, taking into account its circuit features, assessing the technical condition of equipment according to non-destructive testing and diagnostics, comparing the costs of maintaining and restoring reliability and damages from its violations were used.RESULTS: A risk-oriented methodology has been developed and verified, which makes it possible to evaluate and select the optimal equipment maintenance strategy for the energy company according to uniform efficiency criteria. An algorithmic implementation of the developed methodology is obtained, which is the basis of a computing complex for choosing and making decisions. The verification of the methodology and algorithm is carried out on the example of a real object – a power supply system for oil production consumers using reliable operational and diagnostic information.CONCLUSION: The results obtained fully compensate for the lack of methodological possibilities in comparing two basic alternative strategies for electrical equipment maintenance based on a single risk-based approach. The developed methodology is a unified decision-making tool at the stage of alternative analysis. The illustration of the methodology by a real numerical example demonstrates the consistency of the solutions obtained with the results of expert assessments and operational experience.

Economic Evaluation of Precise Intelligent Cauliflower Harvester: A Comparative Study with Manual Harvesting

Aim: The traditional harvesting of cauliflower has been done by hand using labor-intensive, expensive, and time-consuming techniques that frequently lead to significant yield losses because immature curds are harvested without selection. A rising number of people are interested in creating selective cauliflower harvesters that can precisely detect and gather healthy, mature heads while reducing damage, waste, and labor-intensive operations in response to these difficulties. The purpose of this research article is to present a thorough analysis of the ownership and operating costs related to this kind of selective harvesting technology.&#x0D; Methodology: Through accurate cost insights, farmers can make well-informed decisions on the purchase of new machinery, the maintenance, and upkeep of current equipment, or the investigation of alternative approaches to improve farm productivity and financial results. The economic assessment was conducted through the computation of operating costs utilizing the straight-line method, coupled with breakeven point analysis and determination of the payback period.&#x0D; Results: The developed selective harvester's ownership and running costs are calculated to be 58.41 and 75.5 rupees per hour, respectively. The selective harvester has several advantages over typical manual harvesting techniques, as demonstrated by a comparative analysis. In particular, the selective harvester shows a remarkable 24.6% cost reduction in addition to saving an astounding 60.6% of the necessary time.&#x0D; Conclusion: These results highlight the efficiency and financial gains that come with using selective cauliflower harvesting technologies. This analysis is further utilized by farmers for decision-making.

Hydrochemical Characteristics and Suitability Assessment of Groundwater Quality for Irrigation

The hydrochemical properties of groundwater play a crucial role in crop growth and soil health, as well as the maintenance of irrigation equipment. To ensure suitable water quality for irrigation, the present study was conducted to evaluate the hydrochemical properties of irrigation groundwater in a typical agricultural region of Serbia. Groundwater was sampled at three monitoring locations in the Srem region in Republic of Serbia between 2011 and 2020. Examined parameters included electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved salts (TDS), pH values, and the concentrations of cations (sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+)) and anions (bicarbonate (HCO3−), chloride (Cl−), sulfate (SO42−), and nitrate (NO3−)). Further assessment was done using three classification systems; Nejgebauer’s, the US USSL, and the FAO classification. To obtain a more detailed assessment, additional indices were included, such as Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Permeability Index (PI), Kelly’s Ratio (KR), Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR), and Total Hardness (TH). The PCA analysis detected that the concentration of K+, Ca2+, and Na+ in the irrigation water were lower in recent years, while the concentration of Cl− was higher. The cluster analysis grouped the parameters into three clusters; I—electroconductivity, II—dry residue and HCO3−, and III—other water parameters for all three monitoring localities. According to the applied classifications, the majority of underground water samples were suitable for irrigation. However, some samples fell out of the range of the first class, indicating the need for regular water quality monitoring. In light of climate changes that influence water deficiency, the urgent need for wise and sustainable water use implies the application of a comprehensive approach to irrigation water quality assessment, as shown in this study.