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The development of electric gerotor pumps is a complex multiphysical optimization problem. To develop optimal systems, accurate simulation models are required to increase digital reliability. An important challenge is the accurate prediction of the pump behavior for extreme temperatures in automotive applications from −40 °C to 110 °C, where the viscosity of the fluid changes significantly. Therefore, simulation-based methods (numerical methods for calculating viscous friction) were developed and validated by measurements, including climatic chamber tests. The results show a strong correlation between simulated and measured performance characteristics, especially in terms of volumetric flow rate (<5%), pump torque and efficiency (<7%) at different temperature and viscosity conditions over a wide speed range (1000–5000 rpm) and different system pressures (0.5–5 bar). A novel method for simulating the cold start behavior of pumps (journal bearing approach for outer gear in pump housing) was introduced and validated by measurements. The methods presented significantly reduce the need for physical testing and accelerate the development process, as the pump behavior at each operating point can be accurately predicted before a hardware prototype is built. This improves the understanding of gerotor pump characteristics and provides insights to further improve the model-based development of electric oil pumps for the automotive industry.

Today, design engineers engaged in the development of a high-performance electrical drive-train are challenged by the multitude of possible topological choices and numerous mutually interconnected physical phenomena. Development teams around the globe struggle with this challenge; usually they employ several tools for simulation and topology optimization and transfer multiple versions of their product models in a mainly manual process. The research presented in this paper aims to explore a holistic possibility to realize a sensible analysis-synthesis cycle that takes into consideration current developments in design, simulation and optimization processes. This kind of process can enhance the transparency of design decisions, can reduce the risk of design and process flaws and can support the approach toward a holistic optimum. The investigation starts with the development of the topological concept of the drive-train and continues over the interconnected simulation of several decisive properties of the drive-train. Obviously, these properties concern several domains (mechanical, electrical, thermal and the control domain). The optimization of the drive-train takes into consideration the main requirement—in the investigated example, which is a formula student drive-train—the lap time. The result is a holistic concept for a design, simulation and optimization approach that considers topological variety, interconnected multi-domain simulation and a continuous connection to the decisive requirements.

Graph-based design languages have received increasing attention in the research community, because they offer a promising approach to address several major issues in engineering, e.g., the frequent manual data transfer between computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems. Currently, these issues prevent the realization of machine executable digital design processes of complex systems such as vehicles. Promising scenarios for urban transportation include an interconnection of mass transportation systems such as buses and subways with individual vehicles for the so-called “last mile” transport. For several reasons, these vehicles should be as small and light as possible. A considerable reduction in weight and size can be achieved, if such vehicles are tailored to the individual size, weight and proportion of the individual user. However, tailoring vehicles for the individual characteristics of each user go beyond a simple building set and require a continuous digital design process. Consequently, the topic of this paper is a digital design process of a self-balanced scooter, which can be used as an individual last-mile means of transport. This process is based on graph-based design languages, because in these languages, a digital system model is generated, which contains all relevant information about a design and can be fed into any simulation tool which is needed to evaluate the impact of a possible design variation on the resulting product performance. As this process can be automated by digital compilers, it is possible to perform systematic design variations for an almost infinite amount of parameters and topological variants. Consequently, these kinds of graph-based languages are a powerful means to generate viable design alternatives and thus permit fast evaluations. The paper demonstrates the design process, focusing on the drive system of the respective balanced two-wheel scooter and highlights the advantages (data integration and possibility for machine execution).

The main focus of this paper is the integration of an integrated function modeling (IFM) framework in an engineering framework based on graph-based design languages (GBDLs). Over the last decade, GBDLs have received increasing attention as they offer a promising approach for addressing several important challenges in engineering, such as the frequent and time-consuming transfer of data between different computer aided engineering (CAE) tools. This absorbs significant amounts of manual labor in engineering design projects. GBDLs create digital system models at a meta level, encompassing all relevant information concerning a certain product design and feeding this into the relevant simulation tools needed for evaluating the impact of possible design variations on the performance of the resulting products/parts. It is possible to automate this process using digital compilers. Because of this, it is also possible to realize systematic design variations for a very large number of parameters and topological variants. Therefore, these kinds of graph-based languages are a powerful means for creating a large number of viable design alternatives and for permitting fast evaluation processes against the given specifications. While, thus far, such analyses tend to be based on a more or less fully defined system, this paper proposes an expansion of the applicability of GBDLs into the domain of product functions to cohesively link conceptual with embodiment design stages. This will also help with early systematic, automated generation and the validation of design alternatives through relevant simulation tools during embodiment design. Further, it will permit the automated exploration of function paths and enable extended analysis possibilities, such as the detection of functional bottlenecks, while enhancing the traceability of the design over the development process. For these extended analysis possibilities, a function analysis tool was developed that adopts core ideas of the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). In this, the functional distinction between function carriers and function-related processes allows the goal-directed assessment of component reliabilities and the detectability and importance of processes in a technical system. In the paper, the graph-based modeling of functions and the function analysis tools are demonstrated on the example of a multicopter.

For several decades, a wide-spread consensus concerning the enormous importance of an in-depth clarification of the specifications of a product has been observed. A weak clarification of specifications is repeatedly listed as a main cause for the failure of product development projects. Requirements, which can be defined as the purpose, goals, constraints, and criteria associated with a product development project, play a central role in the clarification of specifications. The collection of activities which ensure that requirements are identified, documented, maintained, communicated, and traced throughout the life cycle of a system, product, or service can be referred to as “requirements engineering”. These activities can be supported by a collection and combination of strategies, methods, and tools which are appropriate for the clarification of specifications. Numerous publications describe the strategy and the components of requirements management. Furthermore, recent research investigates its industrial application. Simultaneously, promising developments of graph-based design languages for a holistic digital representation of the product life cycle are presented. Current developments realize graph-based languages by the diagrams of the Unified Modelling Language (UML), and allow the automatic generation and evaluation of multiple product variants. The research presented in this paper seeks to present a method in order to combine the advantages of a conscious requirements management process and graph-based design languages. Consequently, the main objective of this paper is the investigation of a model-based integration of requirements in a product development process by means of graph-based design languages. The research method is based on an in-depth analysis of an exemplary industrial product development, a gear system for so-called “Electrical Multiple Units” (EMU). Important requirements were abstracted from a gear system specification list and were analyzed in detail. As a second basis, the research method uses a conscious expansion of graph-based design languages towards their applicability for requirements management. This expansion allows the handling of requirements through a graph-based design language model. The first two results of the presented research consist of a model of the gear system and a detailed model of requirements, both modelled in a graph-based design language. Further results are generated by a combination of the two models into one holistic model.

Marine aquaculture has grown enormously in recent decades, and with it the competition for space suitable for aquaculture. These developments have limited the areas available for aquaculture and, in some cases, have become a barrier to expansion. In response, aquaculture operations have moved further away from the coast. This development has created a need for clearer and more robust approaches to more comprehensively describe and secure sites for aquaculture. This article reviews the law governing the siting of aquaculture operations. In particular, it assesses the role of the widely used term "offshore" in the Law of the Sea to see if there are any legal aspects that need to be considered in moving towards the use of more specific concepts. It also aims to inform scientific discussions and political and administrative processes on the law governing the identification, description, and siting of aquaculture operations. This will hopefully contribute to more sustainable and less conflicted long-term aquaculture development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terms "offshore" and "open ocean" have been used to describe aquaculture sites that are further from the coast or in higher energy environments. Neither term has been clearly defined in the scientific literature nor in a legal context, and the terms are often used interchangeably. These and other related terms (for example "exposed", "high-energy") variously refer to aspects of a site such as the geographic distance from shore or infrastructure, the level of exposure to large waves and strong currents, the geographic fetch, the water depth, or some combination of these parameters. The ICES Working Group (ICES, 2024) on Open Ocean Aquaculture (WGOOA) therefore identified a need to define the terminology to reduce ambiguity for these types of aquaculture sites or more precisely, to: (1) promote a common understanding and avoid misuse for different classifications; (2) enable regulators to identify the characteristics of a marine site; (3) allow farmers to be able to assess or quantitatively compare sites for development; (4) equip developers and producers to identify operational parameters in which the equipment and vessels will need to operate; (5) provide insurers and investors with the terminology to consistently assess risk and premiums; and (6) circumvent the emergence of narratives that root in different cognitive interpretations of the terminology in public discourse. This paper describes the evolution of the use of the term "offshore aquaculture" and define the most relevant parameters to shift to a more definitive and robust term "exposed aquaculture" that can inherently relay clearer information. Adoption of this more definitive definition of "exposed" will allow the user to define a site with more than just distance from shore. Key differences and the importance of these terms are discussed that affect various interest groups. Follow-up articles in this compilation from scientific members of the WGOOA as well as other scientists outside ICES are incorporated that develop a set of definitions and a rigorous exposure index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reach their net‐zero targets, countries will have to compensate hard‐to‐abate CO2 emissions through carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Yet, current assessments rarely include socio‐cultural or institutional aspects or fail to contextualize CDR options for implementation. Here we present a context‐specific feasibility assessment of CDR options for the example of Germany. We assess 14 CDR options, including three chemical carbon capture options, six options for bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and five options that aim to increase ecosystem carbon uptake. The assessment addresses technological, economic, environmental, institutional, social‐cultural and systemic considerations using a traffic‐light system to evaluate implementation opportunities and hurdles. We find that in Germany CDR options like cover crops or seagrass restoration currently face comparably low implementation hurdles in terms of technological, economic, or environmental feasibility and low institutional or social opposition but show comparably small CO2 removal potentials. In contrast, some BECCS options that show high CDR potentials face significant techno‐economic, societal and institutional hurdles when it comes to the geological storage of CO2. While a combination of CDR options is likely required to meet the net‐zero target in Germany, the current climate protection law includes a limited set of options. Our analysis aims to provide comprehensive information on CDR hurdles and possibilities for Germany for use in further research on CDR options, climate, and energy scenario development, as well as an effective decision support basis for various actors. Plain Language Summary: Countries aiming to achieve net‐zero emissions will have to remove the remaining carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, current assessments of CDR options rarely consider socio‐cultural or institutional aspects or set the CDR options in the specific context of their implementation. In this study, researchers conducted the first context‐specific feasibility assessment of CDR options in Germany, considering six dimensions, including technological, economic, environmental, institutional, and social‐cultural aspects. The study assessed 14 CDR options, including chemical carbon capture options, bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage, and options to increase ecosystem carbon uptake. The study found that CDR options like cover crops or seagrass restoration face low implementation hurdles but have small CO2 removal potentials, while options like woody‐biomass combustion or mixed‐feedstock biogas production have high CDR potentials but face large economic and institutional hurdles. The analysis aims to provide comprehensive information on CDR options for use in further research and as an effective decision support basis for a range of actors. Key Points: More context‐specific assessments of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) options are needed to guide national net‐zero decision makingEcosystem‐based CDR options with comparably low implementation hurdles in Germany show relatively small CO2 removal potentialsHigh CDR potential options in Germany face high institutional, technological and societal hurdles linked in many ways to geological storage [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is considered the root cause of climate change. However, in the future atmospheric CO2 could play a strategic role towards a renewable energy transition due to its use as a carbon source for the production of goods. Notably, direct air capture (DAC) technology, by removing CO2 from the atmosphere, could support and improve the carbon footprint of the transport and building sector, both of which are responsible for a large part of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Once the CO2 is removed, it can be used to produce synthetic fuels for the transport sector, where there are few low‐carbon alternatives, such as aviation and shipping. In this article, we examine European Union legislation, focusing on the Renewable Energy Directive, and conclude that DAC fuels can be considered as renewable energy for the transport sector. Moreover, we highlight that the Directive does not yet regulate the methodology that defines the renewable character of DAC fuels and examine relevant criteria to be considered. In addition, because DAC can possibly be operated in buildings, we examine whether the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a legal instrument to be considered for deploying this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germany 2050: For the first time Germany reached a balance between its sources of anthropogenic CO2 to the atmosphere and newly created anthropogenic sinks. This backcasting study presents a fictional future in which this goal was achieved by avoiding (∼645 Mt CO2), reducing (∼50 Mt CO2) and removing (∼60 Mt CO2) carbon emissions. This meant substantial transformation of the energy system, increasing energy efficiency, sector coupling, and electrification, energy storage solutions including synthetic energy carriers, sector‐specific solutions for industry, transport, and agriculture, as well as natural‐sink enhancement and technological carbon dioxide options. All of the above was necessary to achieve a net‐zero CO2 system for Germany by 2050. Plain Language Summary: Here a net‐zero‐2050 Germany is envisioned by combining analysis from an energy‐system model with insights into approaches that allow for a higher carbon circularity in the German system, and first results from assessments of national carbon dioxide removal potentials. A back‐casting perspective is applied on how net‐zero Germany could look like in 2050. We are looking back from 2050, and analyzing how Germany for the first time reached a balance between its sources of CO2 to the atmosphere and the anthropogenic sinks created. This would consider full decarbonization in the entire energy sector and being entirely emission‐free by 2050 within three priorities identified as being the most useful strategies for achieving net‐zero: (a) Avoiding‐ (b) Reducing‐ (c) Removing emissions. This work is a collaboration of interdisciplinary scientists with the Net‐Zero‐2050 cluster of the Helmholtz Climate Initiative HI‐CAM. Key Points: The net‐zero system shows that for countries like Germany, avoiding CO2 emissions was the largest contribution to achieve net‐zero CO2With the three strategies of emissions avoidance, reduction, and removal, Germany has achieved its net‐zero CO2 goal for the first timeIn addition, to natural sink enhancement carbon dioxide removal (CDR) options, technological CDR measures combined with geological CO2 storage were necessary to reach net‐zero CO2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandam Wildlife Park is an important wildlife conservation area in Nigeria. This study assessed the socio-economic status and activities of neighboring communities in the park using structured questionnaires. The dominant monthly income level per family was

The article focuses on the challenges to regulate ship-generated noise as a new form of vessel-source pollution and noise in the marine environment resulting from regular vessel operations and technology-based activities carried out from vessels. It mentions anthropogenic noise introduced into the marine environment has gained increased attention from scientific bodies, the media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It also mentions underwater noise pollution may burden marine environment.

Deep‐sea mining refers to the retrieval of marine mineral resources such as Mn nodules, FeMn crusts, and seafloor massive sulfide deposits, which contain a variety of metals that serve as crucial raw materials for a range of applications, from electronic devices to renewable energy technologies to construction materials. With the intent of decreasing dependence on imports, supporting the economy, and potentially even overcoming the environmental problems related to conventional terrestrial mining, a number of public and private institutions have rediscovered their interest in exploring the prospects of deep‐sea mining, which had been deemed economically and technically unfeasible in the early 1980s. To date, many national and international research projects are grappling to understand the economic environmental, social, and legal implications of potential commercial deep‐sea mining operations: a challenging endeavor due to the complexity of direct impacts and spillover effects. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in the aforementioned fields as well as a comparison of the impacts associated with conventional terrestrial mining. Furthermore, we identify knowledge gaps that should be urgently addressed to ensure that the world at large benefits from safe, efficient, and environmentally sound mining procedures. We conclude by highlighting the need for interdisciplinary research and international cooperation. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:672–691. © 2018 SETAC Key Points: The article presents a review of economic, environmental, societal and legal implications of deep‐sea mining (and identifies knowledge gaps).A comparison to terrestrial mining impacts is shown.Deep‐sea mining is a complex issue touching upon natural and social science, economics, and law.Transdisciplinary research and cooperation is required to make deep‐sea mining sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events and trends in international relations are making it necessary for scientists to design their projects in ways that can integrate disciplinary perspectives and learn how to communicate their results in governance processes. Some examples of settings in which such skills would be needed are the debates about the political and legal relevance of the "Anthropocene" as a concept, the establishment and implementation of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the recent International Court of Justice's decision on what constitutes "scientific purpose" under the Whaling Convention, and the ongoing international efforts to regulate deep seabed mining activities. These events reveal an acceleration of growing environmental, distributional, and geostrategic conflicts over ocean resources which are changing the character of marine research. For some time now marine sciences have recognized the interdependence of social and ecological systems and the cumulative effects of multiple environmental pressures. In addition, we observe that the relationship between science and policymaking is rapidly changing in a process which we refer to here as the internationalization of knowledge, and that scientific research activities and results are progressively being internationally contested. Altogether these developments constitute extrinsic constraints that render transcending disciplinary boundaries a conditio sine qua non for future marine research. Better comprehension of these trends and their implications may help us to understand marine science's functioning in the near future, particularly the relationship between disciplines involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article expounds a Buddhist perspective on the rapidly emerging topic of Climate Engineering, i.e. the deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the environment as a proposed means to counteract anthropogenic climate change or some of its specific aspects like global mean temperature increase. It sets the stage with two orthogonal aspects: an overview of the topic of Climate Engineering, and a broader analysis of the Buddhist perspective on mankind's relationship with nature. Linking these together, we show that as one of the world's major faiths, Buddhism can provide valuable insights and perspectives for the evolving global discourse on Climate Engineering methods, and that it advocates some basic requirements concerning their further development and possible future deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 14 July 2016, the International Seabed Authority ( ISA) issued the 'Working Draft Regulations and Standard Contract Terms on Exploitation for Mineral Resources in the Area'. Once finalized, this will form part of the Mining Code, which would govern all aspects of respective deep seabed mining activities. The development of this legal framework does not take place within a legal and conceptual vacuum but in a complex, contested and dynamically developing political and regulatory environment. Numerous rules exist for various mining activities, other uses of the deep seabed and with regard to the conservation of the marine environment. Consequently, the arduous task at hand is to promote consistency between the ISA's developing regime and the existing and emerging international law related to the deep seabed. In this article, we highlight four pertinent issues and two mechanisms which must be addressed and developed in the drafting process of the Exploitation Code to promote consistency. As reliance on the deep seabed increases, promoting consistency is a continuing process in which the ISA would invariably have to participate in and possibly even take charge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: EU ocean policies increasingly incorporate regional measures. Under the long standing Common Fisheries Policy, such measures aim at improving and reforming existing policy, either by taking into account region specific social or ecologic requirements or by establishing procedures and institutions to achieve a regional fit. By contrast, the EU’s emerging integrated Marine Environmental Policy was designed to draw heavily on regional procedural and institutional mechanisms from the outset. The developing regional measures raise the question whether they contribute to improving institutional structures governing the use and conservation of EU waters. This article analyzes the existing and future regional measures of the two policies and their varying purposes and scopes. It develops a typology for categorizing the regional aspects and examines the effects of regional measures on EU institutions and the theoretical EU integration debate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is one of the longest standing, most integrated, and at the same time one of the most criticised of the European Union's policies. Despite continued efforts to improve the CFP, its failure to manage stocks at economically and environmentally sustainable levels continues to threaten the functioning and legitimacy of EU fisheries legislation. All branches of the CFP have recently been or are currently put under revision. In particular, in July 2011, the European Commission issued a reform package consisting of a proposal for new basic regulation, a reformed market organisation, and a discussion of perspectives on the EU's external fisheries policies. This article uses the central failings of the CFP as reference points for inquiring into the potential of the reform proposals to improve EU fisheries governance. Pertinent political and legal aspects of the CFP are explained, analysed, and aligned with steps necessary to achieve sustainable fisheries management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal states increasingly recognise the need to consider the interplay between different exploitation and use activities and their effects on the marine environment. Some states have adopted programmes to establish 'integrated ocean policies' which aim at promoting a coordinated governance of the different activities and interests related to the seas. This article describes the hurdles and challenges the European Union faces in developing and implementing its 'Integrated Maritime Policy', particularly focussing on its most developed branch, the 'Marine Strategy Framework Directive'. By providing a detailed insight into this supranational ocean management framework, including an elucidation of its strengths and weaknesses, this analysis will contribute to the world-wide legal discourse on integrated ocean policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss the need for a sea-floor management regime for intact coastlines and healthy marine ecosystems. They contend that a more coherent management approach is important to guarantee intact sea floors that can support productive and healthy marine ecosystems. They mention that the legal regimes that govern sea floors are moving to more comprehensive management of bigger marine areas where intact sea floors are regarded a significant aspect of a healthy marine environment.

An introduction is presented in which the status of legislation that governs the coastal use, development and protection in Indian is discussed.