Search

Workload fluctuation is one of the challenges facing contracting organizations. Previous studies balanced this fluctuation using capacity adjustment. Most of these studies ignored the simultaneous effect between the direct and indirect variables and the nondeterministic nature of these variables. Moreover, local decisions, i.e. project-based decisions, receive the most attention from contractors. Contrarily, its long-term effect on the organization and its influence on the future project's success receives little attention. This study utilizes a system dynamics approach to holistically address the workload fluctuation of contracting organizations. The model links the pre-award and after-award project phases at the portfolio level. The model is validated through extreme case analysis, units' consistency test, sensitivity analysis test, and industry experts. Results from model analysis inform that the internal behavior and mental model (soft logic) are significantly affecting the long-term performance of contractors more than the external (hard) factors. For instance, the quality level is more important than the initial cash. Also, overhead and markup percent have a significant impact on long-term behavior. Overheads have a relatively more effect on short-term behavior than the markup percent. This research is limited to representing the contracting organization in the execution phase and could be enhanced in the future by incorporating other phases such as design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation and repair of locomotives is characterized by indicators that assess the quality of the repair and maintenance work performed. The article considers a new indicator that characterizes the quality of work of locomotive repair enterprises of service companies. The components of the equation are investigated and the procedure for calculating the coefficient of technical readiness is analyzed. It has been established that there is a time that is taken into account separately for the responsibility of the repair and maintenance company and is Administrative costs. In order to obtain a tool to increase the time spent by locomotives in working condition, it is offered to use simulation dynamic models. The main stages and results of constructing a simulation model of a typical technical inspection point for locomotives are considered. Dependent events were identified and the degree of influence was assessed. The conclusions are drawn that the current version of the simulation dynamic model can be considered a digital twin, because it is a digital copy of the existing physical process for loading the production section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant developers of parabolic trough collector (PTC) systems for industrial steam generation face various challenges. Some of the main challenges are availability of land, buildings in the vicinity of the plant that cast shadows on the collectors as well as land restrictions. The typical north-south collector axis alignment in many cases may not be possible due to limits of available ground. These were challenges that were faced in the planning phase for installing a PTC plant on the premises of the KEAN Soft Drinks Ltd factory in Limassol, Cyprus. As these issues cannot be avoided they must be accounted for by the plant developer, especially when a performance guarantee is given. This work presents, amongst other things, factors that should be analysed in order to predict the energy yield in the planning phase as best as possible by using a simulation model. In the sensitivity study presented in this paper, several effects on the energy yield were investigated theoretically. These effects include: Tracking inaccuracy, non-parallel collector row axis orientations as well as north-south vs. east-west collector alignment. A dynamic simulation model developed by the Solar-Institut Jülich (SIJ) [1] was further developed and used for the analysis. The simulation model features a deviation between the measured and simulated oil temperature at the collector outlet of only 1.5 K (rms). The findings are presented in this paper and give an insight into the effectiveness of mid-sized PTC systems for the industry sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parabolic trough collector (PTC) systems are commercially available concentrating solar power plants widely known for their application to generate electrical power. To further reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, such systems can also be deployed for producing process heat for industrial purposes. In combination with a thermal energy storage system, this technology has the ability to reliably supply on-demand process heat. This paper gives details on a fully automated PTC system with concrete thermal energy storage (C-TES) and kettle-type boiler that supplies saturated steam for a beverage factory in Limassol, Cyprus. In the focus is the validation of a dynamic simulation model in Modelica® that physically describes the entire PTC system. The simulation model uses various plant data as inputs including mirror reflectivity and weather data from on-site measurements. The validation was carried out in three steps. First, the PTC was validated as a stand-alone component. A time-dependent inlet oil temperature vector was given as input and the outlet oil temperature was computed. The root mean square (rms) error between the measured to simulated outlet oil temperature values results in 3.86% (equivalent to about 1.9 K). The second part of the validation then considered a complete PTC oil cycle in PTC-and-boiler operation mode (without C-TES). In the simulation, both the PTC inlet and outlet oil temperatures were computed. The result is a deviation < 4.25 % (rms) between measured to simulated values. Finally, in the third step, the C-TES model was validated as a stand-alone component. The deviation between measurement and simulated values is < 5% compared to the design point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the evaluation of functional material developments in the EU-project RAISELIFE, a tool chain of ray tracing, thermal FEM simulation and dynamic system simulation has been created. Multi-year simulations allow considering degradation of optical parameters. With this tool chain, the thermal energy output of a reference plant with one non-selective and one generic selective coating was simulated. The LCOE (Levelized Cost of Electricity) was calculated based on these results. The LCOE of the selective coating is 2.6 % lower, if the same costs are assumed. Furthermore, the ideal recoating interval for the reference system was identified. Finally, it was demonstrated that dynamic system simulation shows benefits to evaluate in-service performance of functional materials as dynamic behavior of solar thermal power plants can change quite significantly, if another coating is used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the control optimization of a 4.5 K refrigerator used in the cryogenic system of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. First, the compressor station with the cold-box have been modeled and simulated under PROCOS (Process and Control Simulator), a simulation environment developed at CERN. Next, an appropriate parameter identification has been performed on the simulator to obtain a simplified model of the system in order to design an Internal Model Control (IMC) enhancing the regulation of the high pressure. Finally, a floating high pressure control is proposed using a cascade control to reduce operational costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]