Production Flow Research Articles

An integrated steering approach to improve a phosphate supply chain efficiency

ABSTRACT This paper presents and illustrates an original application of the redesign in the real context of a mining supply chain producing phosphate rock. One of the major challenges is to successfully produce the final products required by the customers, from raw materials whose chemical composition and availability depend on the extraction program and method. Redesign of the mining supply chain consists of considering the impact of extraction, processing, and blending stages in achieving target objectives. The proposed approach, based on a mixed integer linear programming model, allows moving from fixed production flows to dynamic ones by adopting a flexible and reactive management mode that fully satisfies customer requirements at minimum production costs. Numerical results obtained using real data, corresponding to the infrastructure and order books, illustrate (i) the flexibility, quality, and horizontal alignment ensured by our approach and (ii) the impact of the extraction method on the ability of the SC to fulfil the orders book with more efficiency.

Study on the applicability of compressed carbon dioxide energy storage in aquifers under different daily and weekly cycles

To study the operational characteristics of the subsurface part of the compressed CO2 energy storage in aquifers under different energy storage cycles, two daily and two weekly cycles for energy storage are designed, respectively. The whole process consisting of a two-year initial filling period and a one-year cyclic injection-production period is simulated. The results show that a total of 1.5552 million tons of CO2 can be stored in the initial filling period under the design condition. Sufficient initial fill can provide continuous pressure support for the subsequent injection and production cycles, and the output pressure and temperature are appropriate for electricity generation for one year in both the two daily and the two weekly cycles. The power generation process of the system in the two daily cycles and weekly cycles has a high production flow rate, and the average mass flow loss of daily and weekly cycles is about 0.3 % and 1 %, respectively. Due to the replenishment effect of geothermal energy, the average energy efficiencies in the whole process in the low- and high-pressure reservoirs under the two cycles are both higher than 100 %. These findings indicate that achieving good performance is possible for various long-duration energy storages.

Has GVC participation exacerbated inequality of the embodied carbon in fossil energy industry export trade?

Introduction: The fossil energy sector is an important part of international trade, and the flow of products between sectors will bring about the flow of embodied carbon. There are relatively few studies on embodied carbon in the fossil energy sector, which are mostly concentrated in other sectors and are not well integrated with GVC. Combining embodied carbon with GVC provides a better view of the allocation of environmental responsibility in trade. At the same time, it can also help different countries to improve the environment with the help of GVC.Methods: This research is based on the World Input–Output Database. First, by using multi-regional input–output, this paper measures fossil energy trade embodied carbon (FEE) data of 39 countries from 2000 to 2014; second, using structural decomposition analysis, we find what factors affect FEE. Finally, we analyze theimpact of global value chain (GVC) on the FEE.Results: This study obtained the following conclusions: 1) different GVCs have different effects on the embodied carbon in trade. Simple forward, complex forward, and simple backward to embedded play a positive role. The complex backward GVC has a negative impact; 2) high-income countries can get greater positive environmental effects through GVC, and middle-income countries cannot obtain or obtain less environmental effects; and 3) the backward GVC affects the FEE by affecting the proportion of fossil energy consumption.Discussion: The results show that the FEE shall be jointly responsible for the world’s countries, and different countries should make different contributions to the world’s environmental protection comprehensively considering factors such as the economic development level of various countries. This proposes relevant policy suggestions in China.

RESTAURAÇÃO DE PAVIMENTO ASFÁLTICO COM CONCRETO BETUMINOSO USINADO A QUENTE (CBUQ): ESTUDO DE CASO

The road network has economic and social importance, through which products flow and people move, which is why it must always be maintained. The objective of this study is to describe the asphalt restoration process using Hot Machined Bituminous Concrete (CBUQ) in the resurfacing of the asphalt road in the Gavião Peixoto - Nova Pauliceia – Nova Europa section. Bibliographic research was carried out with a case study. It was possible to observe the execution activities of repairs located superficially or deeply, with the sealing of cracks and/or hole filling operations, connection painting, and resurfacing with a 5.0 cm layer of Hot Machined Bituminous Concrete (CBUQ ) focus of this study. With this process it was possible to reinforce the coating, offering better rolling comfort conditions for users and at the same time protecting and improving the pavement structure.

Integrated sand management: modeling of sand erosion in a mature oil field in Malaysia

Sand production can lead to various problems, including erosion in production flow lines that may lead to total production loss for extended periods and costly workover operations. The extent of erosive damage is determined by many factors, among which the flow and sand rates are the most significant. Three main issues must be addressed to ensure an efficient production operation: Sand erosion estimation, Sand monitoring (settling and deposition), and maintaining optimum production rates. If sand production exceeds certain levels, i.e., allowable sand rate, the erosion in the production network becomes problematic. Sand production has been problematic in some wells in Reservoir X. Core, and historical production data was used to build a comprehensive model using Schlumberger PIPESIM™ hydraulic modelling. The software allows for detailed modelling of the production network by which erosion rate, erosion hotspots, and deposition of the produced sand can be quantitatively analyzed. Considering an allowable erosion rate of 0.3 mm/year, the model outcomes indicate that sand erosion is critical in wells J-1, J-2, and L-2. The next step was identifying the hotspots where the produced sand is deposited in the abovementioned wells. The modelling results indicated that sand deposition is primarily severe in the teeline between the platforms. Moreover, the gas-oil ratio was identified as the most influential factor in the sand deposition. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the allowable flow rates and maximum (technical) allowable sand production and erosion rates to find optimum production rates from reservoir X.

A primer on brand-name prescription drug reimbursement in the United States.

Branded prescription drug reimbursement in the United States is complex and comprises multiple transactions among the parties involved in the drug supply chain, including manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, health care providers, health plans or insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and patients. This primer provides an overview of the parties involved in the reimbursement of brand-name drugs under both the pharmacy and medical benefits of an insurance policy and the flow of products and payments among them. Prescription drug spending in the United States grew from $30 billion in 1980 to $335 billion in 2018, and 80% of spending is on brand-name drugs.1,2 Pharmaceutical spending and drug prices have been the focus of intense debate in recent years, which has brought attention to the complexity of the drug supply chain. This primer provides a high-level overview of the distribution and reimbursement of brand-name drugs (italicized words are defined in the Glossary) used in the outpatient setting and covered by health plans or insurers in the United States. The focus is on the parties involved and the flow of products and payments among them. The purchase of drug products outside of insurance and differences in drug reimbursement between private and public insurers are outside of the scope of this primer.

Bioinspired approaches for resource-efficient material flow in production – an innovative actuator concept for peristaltic-based transport

In automated material flow, in a wide variety of areas, the primary goal is usually to handle a wide spectrum of components as time- and cost-efficiently as possible. In view of the current and future challenges in industrial production, it is becoming apparent that ecological requirements are becoming increasingly important in automation solutions. For example, in form of resource efficiency, transformability and material efficiency. In this context, especially materials handling technology is subject of various optimization approaches, as no value is added to the part handled. The question: "How does material flow occur in nature?" thus offers biologically inspired approaches to thinking about transport in the industrial sector. This paper first presents a selection of concepts or existing mechanisms that are adaptable in materials- handling technology and have been developed based on a biological model. In the second part of this paper, a new concept is presented that is modeled on peristalsis as a transport mechanism. The approach presented here uses tensegrity-structures for assembly, which are characterized by their high material efficiency and flexibility. The transport movement is achieved by peristaltic typical contraction or relaxation of the respective structure parts.

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ НАПРЯМИ СІЛЬСЬКОГО РОЗВИТКУ В УМОВАХ СТАНОВЛЕННЯ «AGRICULTURE 5.0»

The statistics have examined the problems of forming strategic directions of agricultural development in the minds of the formation of “Agriculture 4.0” and its transformation in “Agriculture 5.0” It is stated that when formulating strategic directions for the development of agricultural enterprises, it is important to highlight the specifics of agricultural production, noting that supply chains in the agricultural state are the flow of products, knowing and information and the involved parties (producers and producers) at the skin stage of production processes, marketing and production. The emphasis is placed on the fact that when forming strategic directions, the development of agro-business is necessary to ensure the influx of agricultural production into the country and the development of rural territories. It is clear that in the agricultural economy of Ukraine there are problems arising from the emergence of differences in size, economic efficiency, innovative readiness and capabilities of economical entities tiv, which will require importance on the national level of strategic directions of agricultural development for the promotion of the current state and the “Agriculture 5.0”. The emphasis is placed on the lack of directness of “Agriculture 4.0” (“Industry 4.0”) in addressing environmental and social problems in the context of the implementation of the goals of the current development. Obviously, the particularities of the agricultural business in Ukraine have been brought to the attention of the need to implement a strategy for the development of farming states as the basis for food security and a rural-saving model of state rule. Meta-research – focusing on strategic directions in the development of farming dominions in the context of the security of minds and the formation of “Agriculture 5.0”. Based on the conducted survey, it was explained that the problem for small agricultural business entities is the lack of knowledge among management and government officials about the directions of innovative strategic development and the presence of a consistent level of digital maturity. The emphasis is placed on the fact that small agricultural enterprises do not have a long-term strategy, which is not suitable for long-term investments, and, consequently, the formation of innovative investment potential lu is problematic for them. It has been proven that promising strategic directions include the development of farmer states in combination with healthcare services, the formation and implementation of a digital strategy and the development of cooperation.

Line Balancing Analysis in Ribbed Smoked Sheet Production Using Heuristics Methods (Study at PT. Wabin Jayatama, Serang, Banten, Indonesia)

Production line balancing is done to increase line efficiency. Product flow between workstations is stated to be better when the percentage of line efficiency is higher. One of the factors that can hinder the smooth running of a line is a bottleneck. The occurrence of a bottleneck at the Ribbed Smoked Sheet production station, namely the milling and sorting station, at PT. Wabin Jayatama caused the production line to become unbalanced. The output that will be generated from this research is the efficiency level of the actual production line and the proposed design of a production line with more optimal efficiency, which will later be used as a consideration for recommendations to improve the performance of the company's production line. This research was carried out using the Kilbridge & Wester Heuristic method and the Ranked Positional Weights Heuristic method. The results of the line balance analysis showed that the production line had a higher line efficiency (LE) of 50.05%, an increase by 25.62% to 75.67%. The initial line balance delay (BD) of 49.55% can be reduced by 25.22% to 24.33%. Then the Smoothest Index (SI) of 447.74 can decrease by 360.51 to 87.23.

Green Gateways: a concept for decisions in Circular-Oriented Economies

Industrial technologies have evolved towards circular-oriented manufacturing. New approaches in the management of production systems are needed to guarantee the success of such a circular approach. This paper identifies three research questions related to the complexities of decision-making within CEs and defines the concept of Green Gateways in the circular economy. A Green Gateway is a type of decision that supports to realizing the full potential of products and materials. Indeed, the potential value of products and materials must be assessed and leveraged and the concept of Green Gateway will be useful to identify common decisions and to define a common framework in the future. The integration of digital information and digital twins of products, processes, and circular value and supply chains emerges as a key factor in guiding decision-makers effectively, especially for Green Gateways where adequate information, tools and methods must be used to manage value retention options, product flows, production and pricing decisions jointly with the multiple objectives of profitability and sustainability. Additionally, this paper explores specific examples of circular economy use cases, drawing attention to their similarities and highlighting key insights.

A non-local traffic flow model for 1-to-1 junctions with buffer

<abstract><p>In this paper, we introduce a non-local PDE-ODE traffic model devoted to the description of a 1-to-1 junction with buffer. We present an existence result in the free flow case as well as a numerical method to approximate weak solutions in the general case. In addition, we show a maximum principle, which is uniform in the non-local interaction range. Further, we exploit the limit models as the support of the kernel tends to zero and to infinity. We compare them with other already existing models for traffic and production flow and presented numerical examples.</p></abstract>

Simulation of simultaneous tablet–emitter surface ignition by a flow of two-phase combustion products and tablet-emitter ejection from a cartridge case

Simulation of simultaneous tablet–emitter surface ignition by a flow of two-phase combustion products and tablet-emitter ejection from a cartridge case

Influence of operating parameters on metal flow and thermal characteristics in an EMBr-single-ruler controlled CSP funnel-shaped mould

Electro-magnetic brake (EMBr), as a necessary technique to adjust the metal flow within the mould, has been extensively applied in the continuous casting (CC) production. The EMBr technique, if appropriately applied, can take the benefit of braking effect to weaken jet impingement effect, suppress fluid disturbance and stabilize surface fluctuation. As a result, to obtain a reasonable flow pattern within the CC mould, the braking performance of EMBr technique needs to be flexibly adjusted according to the variation of operational parameters. In this article, to obtain a braking performance of a commonly used EMBr-single-ruler technique within an optimal range, the effect of operating parameters on the metal liquid flow and thermal characteristics in a compact strip production (CSP) thin slab mould is described through a 3-D mathematical modeling of multi-physical field coupling. The results illustrate that the braking performance of the EMBr-single-ruler device is weakened with the increase of the casting speed or the mould width. For the effect of the casting speed and mould width on the metal flow with the application of an EMBr device, an optimum braking performance of the EMBr-single-ruler device can be obtained under the matching parameters of a magnetic induction intensity of 0.30 T and a casting speed of 4.5 m ∙ min‒1 together with a mould width of 1500 mm. Relative to the absence of the EMBr-single-ruler device, the maximum surface fluctuation height is controlled at 6.2 mm, and the mean surface temperature is raised to 1803.6 K. Based on these findings, we conclude that the proper utilization of the EMBr-single-ruler device can avoid the entrainment of flux powder and improve the melting performance of flux powder.

A U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) overview of Pan American botanicals used in dietary supplements and herbal medicines.

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a nonprofit, scientific, standard-setting organization, and world leader in establishing quality, purity, and testing standards for medicines, foods, and dietary supplements. USP quality standards are used in more than 140 countries and are legally recognized by more than 40 countries. Currently, there is renewed interest in herbal medicines globally, and health policies are being implemented worldwide for the use of complementary and traditional medicine. In response, USP has developed a robust body of monographs that can be used to guide industry and regulators in ensuring the quality and safety of botanical ingredients used in dietary supplements and herbal medicines. Throughout the Pan American regions, there is a strong tradition of using botanicals as herbal medicines and, as in other regions, a growing desire for botanical dietary supplements. This underscores the need for public quality standards to ensure quality, reduce the flow of substandard and adulterated products, and ensure public health and safety. In April 2022, USP launched the Pan America Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Panel, with experts representing 12 different countries. The Expert Panel's work focuses on developing quality control standards for the most important botanical ingredients used in the respective countries, ingredients that are also of global importance. This article provides an overview of the state of botanical dietary supplements and herbal medicines in different Pan American regions with a focus on the regulatory status of herbal products, the development of national quality and research initiatives, and policies related to agriculture conservation and sustainability, among other topics.

Palm Oil Eco-Industrial Park Optimization Model Using Goal Programming Approach

The increasing consumption followed by growth in palm oil production in Indonesia has caused an increase in waste generation, which can harm the environment if disposed of directly. An alternative solution for this problem is to implement the circular economy concept to establish an Agro Eco-Industrial Park (AEIP) to minimize the environmental impact of palm oil production. Little attention has been given to investigating the optimization of material sharing within an AEIP. Implementing the concept of AEIP and based on the material flow of palm oil production, this research attempts to develop a mathematical model using a goal programming approach to optimize waste utilization in the palm oil industry. The mathematical formulation involves creating an objective function to minimize residual material exchange and three constraint functions associated with the material exchange, liquid waste requirements, and demand fulfillment. The simulation result indicates that the model performs better than the existing conditions. The mathematical model developed in this study demonstrated balance in material sharing within the AEIP of the palm oil industry, leading to a closed loop and a 100% waste utilization rate.

Experience of farmers using mobile phone for farming information flow in Boro rice production: A case of Eastern Gangetic Plain

Mobile phones are widely used for personal communication, but their use for agricultural purposes is scarce in the Eastern Gangetic Plain. Given Bangladesh's heavy reliance on rice production, particularly dry season, the study addresses the gap in the literature by investigating farmers' perceptions and examining the factors that influence mobile phone usage and its impact on Boro rice production. The research entailed questionnaire surveys with 150 farmers from highly Boro-intensive regions. A perception index was used to gauge mobile phone acceptance, and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and logit models were employed to analyze the factors affecting mobile phone usage and their influence on production levels. The perception index highlights various benefits, including easy access to farming and market information, prompt responses from extension officers, utilization of mobile apps for disease detection, and participation in online training and seminars. The logit model underscores the significance of educational status, credit access, household income, and extension services on the informative use of mobile phones among Boro rice farmers. The OLS findings showed that the informative use of mobile phones significantly increases Boro rice production by 1.6–4.5%, indicating that farmers with better access to farming information achieve higher production than non-users. Factors such as selling price, rainfall, credit availability, cultivable land, and farming experience significantly influenced Boro rice production. Overall, the study is rooted in the growing significance of mobile technology for disseminating crucial agricultural information. It seeks to thoroughly investigate its potential impact on Boro rice production, contributing to well-informed policy interventions and promoting sustainable agricultural development in the Eastern Gangetic Plain.

ТРАНСПОРТНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОГО ЗЕРНОВОГО ЕКСПОРТУ

The article provides an overview of the current state of the domestic marine transport infrastructure as such, which provides transport services for cargo flows of export grain products. The provided analysis covers both the pre-war period and the wartime. The main mode of transport, which implements foreign trade deliveries of grain products, is maritime, which currently works with adjacent modes of transport that provide transportation of grain to sea ports – rail and road, their participation in grain transportation is analyzed. The volumes and dynamics of handling of export grain by sea ports of Ukraine are presented. The main "grain" ports of Ukraine were identified, which in pre-war times loaded up to 90 % of the total sea grain export to sea vessels. The most powerful grain terminals are located in Mykolaiv, Chornomorsk, Pivdenny and Odesa ports, which contributes to the acquisition and maintenance of leading positions by these ports in the market of handling of grain export. Changes in the transportation of grain export caused by the war, which were the result of the blockade of Ukrainian seaports, were emphasized. Partial restoration of the work of some ports became possible in June 2022 with the signing of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Currently, from the very beginning of the fullscale invasion, the ports of Ukraine located on the Danube, remained unblocked – the main cargo flows of export grain fell to the port of Reni, Ust-Dunaisk and Izmail during the period when the ports of Big Odesa were not working, and their cargo turnover tripled. Today, grain is exported through the ports of Big Odesa (outside the Black Sea Grain Initiative); carriages through the Danube ports remains an alternative route – it is interesting and attractive for grain exporters who invest in technical and technological development and improvement of these ports. Publicly available statistics allow you to operate with indicators for the period until 2022; official statistical data were not made public during the war years.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ТА УПРАВЛІННЯ ІННОВАЦІЙНО-ІНВЕСТИЦІЙНИМ ПОРТФЕЛЕМ В УМОВАХ ПЕРЕТВОРЕННЯ КОМПАНІЇ В ХОЛДИНГОВУ СТРУКТУРУ

The domestic economy, successfully integrated into world market relations, strives to take a leading position in modern world economic relations. The high dynamics of economic and political transformations of the legislative and executive power of our state has a stimulating effect on the activities of economic entities of the national economy. Fast-growing enterprises and companies of various forms of ownership and size are faced with the problem of finding further ways to improve the efficiency of their activities. One of these ways is the transition to innovative development factors. This path involves the development, development and use of a set of product (new products) and process (new technologies) innovations. Creativity of management allows to ensure economic adaptability of the company's management system to rapidly changing conditions of market relations. As a result of changes in the external conditions of business entities, it is the creative team of managers who are able to create a complex of non-standard management solutions for the company and successfully implement these solutions in the process of its development. Such a set of solutions, for example, may contain organizational changes in the company structure or business processes being implemented, redistribution of product and financial flows, development and implementation of investment projects, as well as various combinations of potentially possible elements of a set of management solutions. In order to obtain profit and achieve positive results from investment in innovation, modern organizations create innovation investment portfolios that reduce the risk of losing invested funds. The creation of an innovation-investment portfolio is connected with the selection of the most optimal objects of investment in innovation, that is, the implementation of innovation-investment activities. In order to evaluate the innovation and investment portfolio, various methods are used, in addition, the selection of the optimal option for the creation and regulation of the innovation and investment portfolio is carried out, as well as the analysis of potential risks that the organization will face.

Development and Application of the Large‐Scale Simulation Experimental System for the In Situ Long‐Term Injection and Production of EGS

With the proposal of the double carbon target, the exploration, development, and efficient utilization of geothermal energy is an important field for the energy development. Meanwhile, there also exists a series of challenges. With regard to the injection and production process of enhanced geothermal system, researchers mainly focus on the numerical simulation. As the conceptual model is developed based on several assumptions, the results are unable to truly reflect the heat transfer and seepage process of the fluid. Unfortunately, there are few reports on the large‐scale physical simulation experiments. Considering the present research situation, we have developed a large‐scale physical simulation experiment system in which the in situ long‐term injection and production process of hot dry rock (HDR) can be simulated. The experimental system includes several components: high‐temperature and high‐pressure true triaxial chamber and loading system, multiwell injection system, acoustic emission monitoring system, and flow and temperature monitoring system. By designing the experiments, the performance evaluation of the temperature variation, fluid flow, and heat energy extraction in the long‐term HDR injection and production process can be completed. Taking the granite outcrop rock sample, which is from the Gonghe Basin in Qinghai Province, as an example, we have conducted the long‐term injection and production experiment. The production temperature and flow rate were monitored and discussed. The results showed that the experimental system can simulate the heat transfer and seepage process of the fluid. More working conditions can be designed for the research of the long‐term injection and production process. Hopefully, this will provide an experimental platform for the efficient development of HDR.

The Influence of Product Quality and Online Shopping Experience (OSE) on Consumer Loyalty Through Customer Satisfaction on Local Skincare Products

This study examines the impact of product quality and online shopping experience (OSE) on consumer loyalty through customer satisfaction in the context of local skincare products. Findings reveal that both product quality and OSE significantly influence consumer loyalty, with OSE having the strongest effect. Perceptions of lower prices on e-commerce platforms are crucial. The study integrates Social Presence Theory with product quality, customer satisfaction, and Flow Theory in understanding the OSE. These insights can help businesses enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction in the local skincare industry. Overall, the research objectives of this study are geared toward uncovering the relationship between product quality, OSE, customer satisfaction, and consumer loyalty in the local skincare industry. By achieving these objectives, the study aims to provide valuable insights for businesses to enhance customer loyalty and develop effective strategies for success in the market.