Total Processing Capacity Research Articles

Modeling favorable locations for biogas plants that generate electricity from dairy and beef cattle manure through mixed integer linear programming

Mixed integer linear programming (MILP) is known as a type of programming that can combine continuous variables, integer variables, and (0-1) variables in the same algorithm and generate fitting results for the data. Using this technique, it is possible to model and solve complex problems in many different fields such as economics, biology, engineering, etc. In the present study, a regional planning model was developed using MILP technique for the conversion of manure from dairy and beef cattle into biogas and electrical energy. For this regional planning study, considering the locations of future facilities, data on dairy and beef cattle in the Isparta province of Türkiye were used. According to the model written and solution outputs, to utilize all manure obtained from dairy and beef cattles in Isparta, 5 biogas plants with a total manure processing capacity of approximately 522,000 tons should be built in different districts. It is possible to produce a total of approximately 21,000,000 m3 of biogas and 38,500 MW of electricity per year in these biogas plants. This electrical energy obtained can meet 3.83% of the annual electricity consumption of Isparta province.

Quality-Aware Transcoding Task Allocation Under Limited Power in Live-Streaming Systems

Transcoding in video live-streaming systems requires a lot of computation and, hence, a lot of power. Putting a limit on the power drawn by each of the transcoding processors in a server reduces the overall power consumption, but it also hinders the efficient allocation of transcoding tasks. We address this with a dynamic programming algorithm, together with a heuristic, which maximizes total processing capacity while limiting power consumption in a server with heterogeneous processors. A further greedy algorithm determines the bitrates, at which content is transcoded for each channel, and allocates transcoding tasks to processors, while taking video quality, popularity, and workload balance into account. The initial assumption is that all contents are transcoded to all bitrates for every channel. Then, the algorithm gradually reduces the number of versions to be produced by transcoding, while minimizing the consequent reduction in popularity-weighted video quality, as well as balancing the workload across processors. Experimental results show that our scheme improves aggregate popularity-weighted video quality under a power constraint by 3.82%–39.12%, compared to benchmark methods.

Application of energy and resource engineering software in cotton fields

This article is devoted to the mechanization of agriculture and is aimed to achieve resource savings through the effective use of machinery and technology in lightening the burden on farmers in field farming. Rainfall or irrigation water tends to melt down the weak bonds between these soils particles and allow those individual particles to lodge closer together. Then, when the soil dries, those same particles form a tight bond that creates a soil crust. We have developed tools for breaking up the soil crust. The structure of the new device will consist of the following. A metal profile with a total length of 3.5 meters (1), 4 handles (2) are welded, one (3) working body is mounted on each handle. This means that when each working body processes cotton seedlings sprouted from one row, it is possible to further increase the number of rows with a total processing capacity of up to 5 rows. We determine the width of the unit depending on the power of the tractor and diameter of the toes. Tractors with 80-100 horsepower can handle up to 8 rows Therefore, on the basis of the above data, it can be said that the diameter of the toes should be in the range of 200-250 mm for quality softening of the layer at the required level with minimal damage to cotton seedlings.

E&P Notes (June 2021)

E&P Notes (June 2021)

Miniaturized application of 3D‐printed large‐flow microreactor in extraction and separation of platinum, palladium and rhodium

AbstractProblems of long extraction time, large footprint, low single‐stage extraction efficiency, and complicated production processes in solvent extraction equipment in recycling of modern industrial precious metal waste liquids are addressed and application of miniaturized equipment to hydrometallurgy is proposed in this study. A 3D‐printed multichannel microfluidic reactor will likely replace traditional extraction equipment. The reactor was applied to experiments concerning tributyl phosphate extraction and separation of platinum, palladium and rhodium precious metal ions in a hydrochloric acid system. Results showed that, under the conditions of a ratio of 1:1 and a flow rate of 192.5 mL min‐1 (processing capacity of 1.5L h‐1), the extraction rates of platinum and palladium are 84.26% and 96%, and the separation coefficient is βPt/Rh and βPd /Rh is 132.35 and 753.5,moreover, the optimized extraction rate of platinum and palladium in the reactor increases by 2% and 1%, respectively. Hence, the extraction effect of this reactor is better than conventional industrial single‐stage extraction (extraction time 12min, platinum extraction rate 87.43%, palladium extraction rate 90.86%, separation coefficients βPd/Rh and βPt/Rh are only 65.3 and 45.7). In summary, compared with conventional extraction, microreactor extraction can increase the separation coefficient, shorten the extraction time, and the total processing capacity can reach the industrial production level. In addition, this study also discussed the influence of microreactor structure optimization on the extraction effect. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry

Constrained Supply Chain Scheduling Model Using Sequential Quadratic Programming Algorithm

Challenges such as advances in technology, demands of the global market, and limited warehouse spaces resort manufacturing industries to subcontracting. Subcontracting has been a considerable alternative in the manufacturing industries and is utilized as a strategic tool to diminish operation costs primarily to address the problem of scarcity when the firm faces a large demand on the commodity it supplies. The present study employed a mathematical model among firms engaging in subcontracting in search of an optimal schedule in the manufacture of the product and distribution of production time involved with an objective of obtaining a maximum profit. The constraints in the mathematical formulation included the total demand, processing capacity, available supply, processing rate, and time. The plausibility and the possible utility of the mathematical model has been explored employing sequential quadratic programming algorithm in the search of the optimal solutions.

Flow Network Models for Online Scheduling Real-Time Tasks on Multiprocessors

We consider the flow network model to solve the multiprocessor real-time task scheduling problems. Using the flow network model or its generic form, linear programming (LP) formulation, for the problems is not new. However, the previous works have limitations, for example, that they are classified as offline scheduling techniques since they establish a flow network model or an LP problem considering a very long time interval. In this study, we propose how to construct the flow network model for online scheduling periodic real-time tasks on multiprocessors. Our key idea is to construct the flow network only for the active instances of tasks at the current scheduling time, while guaranteeing the existence of an optimal schedule for the future instances of the tasks. The optimal scheduling is here defined to ensure that all real-time tasks meet their deadlines when the total utilization demand of the given tasks does not exceed the total processing capacity. We then propose the flow network model-based polynomial-time scheduling algorithms. Advantageously, the flow network model allows the task workload to be collected unfairly within a certain time interval without losing the optimality. It thus leads us to designing three unfair-but-optimal scheduling algorithms on both continuous and discrete-time models. Especially, our unfair-but-optimal scheduling algorithm on a discrete-time model is, to the best of our knowledge, the first in the problem domain. We experimentally demonstrate that it significantly alleviates the scheduling overheads, i.e., the reduced number of preemptions with the comparable number of task migrations across processors, in comparison with an existing algorithm on the discrete-time model.

A novel fluid catalytic cracking process for maximizing iso-paraffins: from fundamentals to commercialization

The maximizing iso-paraffins (MIP) developed by RIPP has improved gasoline quality to meet the demand of motor gasoline specification. A concept that two different reaction zones include cracking zone and conversion zone is proposed as the fundamental of MIP by research on fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) reaction chemistry. Based on the concept, the MIP process is featured by applying a novel sequential two-zone riser in conjunction with proprietary catalyst and engineering technique. The developed MIP process can not only improve gasoline yield or gasoline plus propylene yields but also produce gasoline with a higher content of iso-paraffins and a lower content of sulfur. A minimum octane number loss is achieved when MIP gasoline is treated by downstream desulfurization technology (RSDS/S Zorb). The combination of MIP and RSDS/S Zorb processes creates a very competitive route, which is different from the technical route used by other developed countries, to upgrade the quality of motor gasoline with the lowest economic costs in China. In just one decade, the processing capacity of MIP units has accounted for about 60% of the domestic total processing capacity of FCC units. The MIP process is gradually becoming a new generation of FCC technology.

EKONOMI INDUSTRIKELAPA SAWIT DI INDONESIA SERTA KAITANNYA DENGAN PROGRAM PENELITIAN DAN PENGEMBANGAN

This paper presents the role of oil palm into national economy, especially into Gross Domestic Product, fiscal earnings, employment, and regional development. Thispaper also brings up research and development program of oil palm, in terms of technology and socio-economic, by considering governmental policy, especially Board of Agriculture Research and Development. "2003 oil palm production is Rp39.39 trillion, with the contribution to plantation, agriculture, and entire sector GDP are 84%, 13%, and 2%, respectively. Land tax (PBB) is Rp3.8 billion, income tax (PPh) Rp5.12 trillion, value added tax (PPn) Rp3.94 trillion, and export tax(PE) Rp731.85 billion. In the end of2003, area of oil palm is 5,247,171 hawith labor necessity is 35 people per 100 ha. There are 320 unit of oil mills,with total processing capacity is 13.521 ton fresh fruit bunches per hour.Each oil mill under 30 ton of FFB per hour processing capacity needs 136labor. More labor can be employed by downstream industry which provideraw material for oil palm. Plantation development also cover the development of physical infrastructure, i.e. road, bridge, school building, mosque, church, etc. Furthermore, it is followed by socio-economic development, i.e. commerce center, financial, education, health, sport, entertainment, etc. Technological innovation have been developed by Indonesian Oil Palm Research Institute through research and development program. Some technological package also have been produced, both upstream and downstream industries.

ГЛОБАЛЬНІ ВИКЛИКИ ДЛЯ ОЛІЙНО-ЖИРОВОЇ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ УКРАЇНИ У 2020 РОЦІ

The article deals with the problems of the oil and fat industry in the 2020-2021 marketing year and the main reasons for their occurrence. The strategic importance of the oil and fat industry for the country's economy as a whole has been determined. The performance of this industry, since 1999, when the export duty on sunflower seeds was introduced, annually continues to confirm the advantages of the economy's transition from a raw material type, turning into a raw material appendage for the economies of developed countries, to the creation of a competitive product with high added value within the country. The article pointed out that a 15% drop in the yield of oilseeds in 2020 significantly influenced the formation of a pricing policy for oilseeds and negatively affected the activities of processing enterprises. The necessity of state intervention in case of uncontrolled growth of prices for raw materials and the maximum restriction of export of raw materials from the country are substantiated. The food security of our country and the development of domestic agriculture largely depend on the quality of decisions made at the state level today. For the stable and dynamic development of the agro-industrial complex of Ukraine, and in particular the oil and fat industry, it is necessary to maintain active cooperation between the state and business, which will help to attract foreign investments more actively and produce products with higher added value. It was found that with the total processing capacity of oilseeds at the level of 23 mln tons per year, there is a need to contain exports as much as possible. Since a maximum of 16 million tons of sunflower and about 1 million tons of soybeans and rapeseed are processed, there is a need to increase processing by introducing an export duty on all oilseeds, thus stimulating not the export of raw materials, but the processing and export of final products.

Carbon trading opportunities from tannery solid waste: a case study

The leather industry has gained high socioeconomic relevance in India and contributes significantly to the economy and export growth. Nearly 2000 tanneries operate throughout India, with a total processing capacity of 700,000 t/y of raw hides or skins. In the present study, co-digestion experiments were carried out using fleshings (a tannery process solid waste) along with the primary and secondary sludge generated during treatment of tannery wastewater. The significance of optimization of mix proportion of substrates was ascertained. For the total processing capacity of 700,000 t/a from the Indian tanning industry, the potential for bioenergy generation and greenhouse gas emission reductions was estimated at 52.15 × 106 kWh/y and 0.3 × 106 t CO2-eq/y, respectively. There is a vast scope for the Indian tanning industry to benefit from tapping of bioenergy and carbon credits under the clean development mechanism.

A multi-stage interval-stochastic programming model for planning end-of-life vehicles allocation

The amount of material entering end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) management systems all over the EU has been reduced due to increased export of used vehicles to non-EU countries. According to the latest data, only 6.23 million ELVs were processed in 2012 (e.g., 8.37 million ELVs were processed in 2009). Considering that currently 342 active vehicle recycling factories exist in the EU, as well as that in the last ten years the total processing capacity has been increased several times, it is clear that there is a serious conflict. This paper proposes a multi-stage interval-stochastic programming model for planning end-of-life vehicles allocation. The developed model is able to reflect dynamics in terms of decisions for ELV allocation from a multi-region waste management system to multiple vehicle recycling factories within a multi-period context. It is capable of incorporating multiple policies within the optimization framework. Uncertainties expressed as probability distributions and discrete intervals are effectively handled, based on a multi-layered scenario tree with a finite set of scenarios. A semi-hypothetical case study is conducted in order to demonstrate the potentials and applicability of the proposed model. Influences of parameter uncertainty on model solutions are thoroughly examined. Comprehensive analyses of various policy situations, associated with different levels of economic penalties and system failure risks, are presented. The proposed model is effective for solving difficult ELV allocation problems with uncertainties included as part of the formulation. It can help quantify the relationships between ELV management system profit and disruption risk of the vehicle recycling factories, and thus provide optimal ELV allocation schemes.

A Case for Embedded FPGA-based SoCs in Energy-Efficient Acceleration of Graph Problems

Sparse graph problems are notoriously hard to accelerate on conventional platforms due to irregular memory access patterns resulting in underutilization of memory bandwidth. These bottlenecks on traditional x86-based systems mean that sparse graph problems scale very poorly, both in terms of performance and power efficiency. A cluster of embedded SoCs systems-on-chip with closely-coupled FPGA accelerators can support distributed memory access with better matched low-power processing. We first conduct preliminary experiments across a range of COTS commercial off-the-shelf embedded SoCs to establish promise for energy-efficiency acceleration of sparse problems. We select the Xilinx Zynq SoC with FPGA accelerators to construct a prototype 32 node Beowulf cluster. We develop specialized MPI routines and memory DMA offload engines to support irregular communication efficiently. In this setup, we use the ARM processor as a data marshaller for local DMA traffic as well as remote MPI traffic while the FPGA may be used as a programmable accelerator. Across a set of benchmark graphs, we show that 32-node embedded SoC cluster can exceed the energy efficiency of an Intel E5-2407 by as much as 1.7 at a total graph processing capacity of 91-95 MTEPS for graphs as large as 32 million nodes and edges.

Commentary: Greater addition of neurons to the olfactory bulb than to the cerebral cortex of eulipotyphlans but not rodents, afrotherians or primates.

Commentary: Greater addition of neurons to the olfactory bulb than to the cerebral cortex of eulipotyphlans but not rodents, afrotherians or primates.

Diffusion approximations for large-scale buffered systems

Resource pooling is becoming increasingly common in modern applications of stochastic systems, such as in computer systems, wireless networks, workforce management, call centers, and health care delivery. At the same time, these applications give rise to systems which continue to grow in size. For instance, a traditional web server farm only has a few servers, while cloud data centers have thousands of processors. These two trends pose significant practical restrictions on admission, routing, and scheduling decision rules or algorithms. Scalability and computability are becoming ever more important characteristics of decision rules, and consequently simple decision rules with good performance are of particular interest. An example is the so-called least connection rule implemented in many load balancers in computer clouds, which assigns a task to the server with the least number of active connections; cf. the join-the-shortestqueue routing policy. From a design point of view, the search for desirable algorithmic features often presents trade-offs between system performance, information/communication, and required computational effort. In this paper, we study the trade-off between performance and computational effort in a stylized model of a system with a central server and large number of parallel buffers. We focus on randomized versions of the longest-queue-first scheduling policy. In this scheduling algorithm, the server works on a task from the buffer with the longest queue length among several sampled buffers; it approximates the longestqueue-first scheduling policy, which can be computationally prohibitive. It is our aim to quantify the system performance as a function of the computational effort expended on sampling. In our model, each buffer is fed with an independent stream of tasks, which arrive according to a Poisson process. All n buffers are connected to a single centralized server. Under the randomized longest-queue-first policy, this server selects d(n) buffers uniformly at random (with replacement) and processes a task from the longest queue among the selected buffers; it idles for a random amount of time if all buffers in the sample are empty. Tasks have random processing time requirements. The total processing capacity scales linearly with n and the processing time distribution is independent of n. We work in an underloaded regime, with enough processing capacity to eventually serve all arriving tasks. Note that this scheduling algorithm is agnostic in the

A Historic Review on R&D of China’s FCC Riser Termination Device Technologies

Abstract Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is a dominant refining conversion process in China’s most refineries. After decades of development, China has already become one of the major FCC technology licensors in the world. In this review, the research and development (R&D) activities on FCC riser termination device (RTD) technologies in China are reviewed and discussed. Emphasis is put on the R&D of a series of advanced RTD technologies led by China University of Petroleum, Beijing, which initiated in the early 1990s when more and more China’s FCC units chose to process more residue feedstock. Followed by the guideline of three “quick”s and two “high”s, two early types of RTD systems with coupled zones for gas–solids centrifugal separation and pre-stripping were developed and applied successfully in commercial units. Significantly reduced yields of coke and dry gas due to restrained post-riser reactions and satisfactory particle recovery efficiency were achieved. These were the fender-stripper cyclone and vortex quick separator systems designed for external- and internal-riser FCC units, respectively. Later, further improvement efforts led to the development of another two RTD systems, i.e. the circulating-stripper cyclone system for external-riser units and super vortex quick separator system for internal-riser units. By now, nearly 50 applications were commissioned with a sum FCC capacity of 40.0 Mton/a, nearly one-third of China’s total FCC processing capacity. Besides, other research efforts, such as the geometry optimization efforts on LD2 type separator, the studies on RTD for down-flow riser FCC units, and the idea of non-disengager FCC unit are also discussed in this review. To accommodate to degraded feedstock, more stringent environmental regulations and new FCC process technologies, future R&D efforts on RTD technologies should be put on improvements to further satisfy the three-“quick”s and two-“high”s requirements with changing FCC operating conditions and different process requirements.

Multi-reservoir production optimization

When a large oil or gas field is produced, several reservoirs often share the same processing facility. This facility is typically capable of processing only a limited amount of commodities per unit of time. In order to satisfy these processing limitations, the production needs to be choked, i.e., scaled down by a suitable choke factor. A production strategy is defined as a vector valued function defined for all points of time representing the choke factors applied to reservoirs at any given time. In the present paper we consider the problem of optimizing such production strategies with respect to various types of objective functions. A general framework for handling this problem is developed. A crucial assumption in our approach is that the potential production rate from a reservoir can be expressed as a function of the remaining recoverable volume. The solution to the optimization problem depends on certain key properties, e.g., convexity or concavity, of the objective function and of the potential production rate functions. Using these properties several important special cases can be solved. An admissible production strategy is a strategy where the total processing capacity is fully utilized throughout a plateau phase. This phase lasts until the total potential production rate falls below the processing capacity, and after this all the reservoirs are produced without any choking. Under mild restrictions on the objective function the performance of an admissible strategy is uniquely characterized by the state of the reservoirs at the end of the plateau phase. Thus, finding an optimal admissible production strategy, is essentially equivalent to finding the optimal state at the end of the plateau phase. Given the optimal state a backtracking algorithm can then used to derive an optimal production strategy. We will illustrate this on a specific example.

Petroleum Residue Upgradation via Visbreaking: A Review

World petroleum residue processing capacity has reached about 810 MMTPA. In the present petroleum refining scenario, the viability of a petroleum refinery strongly depends on the flexibility of processing heavy crudes and, in turn, heavy residues. Visbreaking is one of the major residue upgrading processes and constitutes about 33% of the total residue processing capacity. In the present communication, the published literature pertaining to the visbreaking process has been extensively analyzed and a state-of-the-art review has been written that includes the following: (i) the effect of feed properties on fuel oil stability; (ii) reaction pathways, mechanism, and kinetics; (iii) parametric sensitivity of the operating variables such as temperature, pressure, and residence time; (iv) different visbreaker designs, viz. coil visbreaker, coil-soaker visbreaker, soaker with internals, and high conversion soaker; (v) coking and fouling; (vi) estimation of design parameters, viz. gas holdup in high-pressure bubble column (soaker), gas holdup in sectionalized bubble column (soaker with internals), liquid-phase mixing and axial mixing in high-pressure bubble column, liquid-phase mixing and axial mixing in sectionalized bubble column, and weeping; and (vii) mathematical modeling of visbreaker, which mainly includes the coil and the soaker. An attempt has been made to get the aforementioned aspects together in a coherent manner so that the information is available at a glance and is expected to be useful to researchers and practicing refiners.

A schedulable utilization bound for the multiprocessor EPDF Pfair algorithm

The earliest-pseudo-deadline-first (EPDF) Pfair scheduling algorithm is less expensive than some other known Pfair algorithms, but is not optimal for scheduling recurrent real-time tasks on more than two processors. In prior work, sufficient per-task weight (i.e., utilization) restrictions were established for ensuring that tasks either do not miss their deadlines or have bounded tardiness when scheduled under EPDF. Implicit in these restrictions is the assumption that the total system utilization may equal the total available processing capacity (i.e., the total number of processors). This paper considers an orthogonal issue, namely, determining a sufficient restriction on the total utilization of a task set for it to be schedulable (i.e., a schedulable utilization bound) under EPDF, assuming that there are no per-task weight restrictions. We prove that a task set with total utilization at most 3M+1/4 is correctly scheduled under EPDF on M processors, regardless of how large each task's weight is. At present, we do not know whether this value represents the worst-case for EPDF, but we do provide a counterexample that shows that it cannot be improved to exceed 86% of the total processing capacity. The schedulable utilization bound we derive is expressed in terms of the maximum weight of any task, and hence, if this value is known, may be used to schedule task sets with total utilization greater than 3M+1/4.

Visual speechreading and cognitive performance in hearing-impaired and normal hearing children (11-14 years).

Previous research has demonstrated that parts of the variation in adults' speechreading performance can be explained by the characteristics of some cognitive components. However, these results apply to populations of adults and less is known as to how results for populations of adults can be generalised to populations of children. This study aimed to examine cognitive and visual skills in a group of bilaterally, moderately hearing-impaired children and a group of normal hearing children and how these two skills relate to variability in speechreading of context-embedded sentences. Twenty-three hearing-impaired children (mean age: 12.7) and 23 normal hearing children (mean age: 12.5) matched for age, sex, verbal ability and school grades. The mean 'better ear' auditory threshold for the hearing-impaired was 44.8 dB. The hearing-impaired children outperformed the normal hearing children on a sentence-based speechreading task and on a visual-visual word-decoding task, but not on a word-discrimination task. Differing from the case of adults, most cognitive tasks proved to be significantly related to sentence-based speechreading performance, where working memory capacity and visual word-decoding skill proved to be the strongest predictors. Speechreading is more cognitively demanding for children than for adults as they have not developed their cognitive abilities to the same extent as adults. Thus, they have to devote more processing capacity, relative to their total cognitive processing capacity, to the speechreading task. Skilled visual word-decoding and cognitive skills, together with everyday exposure to situations where speechreading is required, are some of the candidates for explanation of the hearing-impaired children's superior speechreading skill.