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The industrial control and automation sector has invested in the development and standardization of new wireless (WirelessHART, ISA 100.11a, and WIA-PA) and wired (Profibus/Profinet, Modbus, and LonWORK) solutions aimed at automating processes to support standard monitoring and control functions from the perspective of addressing critical applications, as well as those integrated within the Building Internet of Things (BIoT) concept. Distributed data acquisition and control systems allow modern installations to monitor and control devices remotely. Various network protocols have been proposed to specify communication formats between a client/gateway and server devices, with Modbus being an example that has been widely implemented in the latest industrial electrical installations. The main contribution made in this paper concerns the completion of the Modbus Extension (ModbusE) specifications for the server station in the classical Modbus communication architecture, as well as their implementation and testing in an STM32F4 kit. A general-purpose control architecture is proposed for BIoT sector, comprising both intelligent touch switches and communication protocols of which the Modbus protocol is used extensively for the monitoring and control part, especially between clients, smart switches, and devices. The specific contributions concern the presentation of a scientific and practical implementation of improved specifications and their integration as software modules on ModbusE protocol server stations. A client station with a VirtualComm USB PC connection is also implemented in the lab to test the operation of the proposed server with specific Modbus applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia synthesis by the Haber–Bosch method is a typical and effective implementation of the chemical process in the large-scale fertiliser industry. Due to the growing demand for fertilisers and food, it is desirable to study this process thoroughly using modern numerical methods to improve the operation of existing devices and facilitate the design of new devices in industrial installations. This manuscript focuses on the influence of the catalyst bed parameters on the ammonia synthesis process. Variants with different sizes of catalyst particles and modifications of the geometry of catalytic beds were considered. The axial-radial Topsoe converter with magnetite as a catalyst, commonly used in modern fertiliser industry beds, was investigated using Computational Fluid Dynamics. As a result, contours of velocity, pressure, concentration, and rate of ammonia formation were obtained. The analysis of the obtained results made it possible to determine the gradient of ammonia production rate in the catalyst bed and designate zones with negligible reaction rates. The authors also proposed possible bed geometry modifications to reduce bed volumes without affecting the converter's performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil refineries are among industrial installations that are vulnerable to climate extreme events, whose frequency and intensity have been increasing over the last decades. Building resilience in resources to withstand climate-related hazards and to recover fast at low human and material cost, for changing climate conditions, is required. In this paper, we present an action research effort for the design of a viable decentralized climate-resilience-providing virtual organization in an oil refinery in Greece using the Viable System Model. The VIPLAN method was employed for the methodological design of a distributed Climate Resilience Providing Organisation for the case of a refinery facility in Greece. The paper presents the process and the results of this effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalised dimensionless temporal patterns of rainfall were developed using 17 yr-long hourly rainfall records from Tarapur, on the west coast of India, in conventional approach and without any synthetic tweaking of observed rainstorms. Higher percentile curves (higher intensity rainstorms), as well as lower duration rainstorms, produced steeper initial segments, reflecting site-specific rainstorm characteristics, typical for southwest monsoon rainfall occurring at Tarapur. Patterns derived at Tarapur differed from NRCS Type-III curves for tropical rainfall in US, which has the steepest segment in the middle. Compared to regional studies applicable for Tarapur, site-specific curves were conservative. A proposed risk metric indicated that local infrastructure and hydraulic elements might get underdesigned, if generic rainfall pattern is adopted. The curves thus generated would be inputs for development/augmentation of local infrastructure facilities, accommodating climate change scenarios, especially for important industrial or nuclear installations at and around Tarapur. This is the first study to analyse the departures of site-specific temporal distribution from generic rainfall curves available in literature, for tropical rainfall in the Indian subcontinent. Research highlights: Site-specific temporal patterns of rainfall were generated and compared to generic curves for the first time in India, for Tarapur, a location on west coast of India. When compared to the generic temporal patterns of rainfall applicable for Tarapur, the developed curves were usually conservative. The generic temporal patterns were closer to 95 percentile of site-specific pattern till around first 20% duration of storm, and were closer to the 85 percentile pattern subsequently. A risk metric is proposed for evaluation of the flooding risk of earlier designs based on generic temporal distribution of rainfall from literature or earlier site-specific distributions as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals on industrial electrical power quality improvement using an active power filter (APF) based on fuzzy logic controller. The studied system is a PV conversion chain used to supply linear and non-linear industrial loads of 200 kw plant. The PV station is modeled then simulated under Matlab Simulink, with standard conditions consideration in the first time then under real irradiation and sun power variation during the day hours, to obtain the true parameters design of the PV station to be able to give the needed power during the climatic conditions changing. APF parameters design and control loop structure are well studied to have an optimal control. MPPT technique is used in PV station control with the P&O algorithm. Also PV panel fault diagnosis has been done by using alarm for fault indicator and protection over under power. Simulation results are analyzed and discussed comparison with real signals, produced by the FLUK 6001B reference source with the use of the PRS 600 and the Teledyne 3,5 GHz-40Gs/s oscilloscope as measurement instrument, to improve the effectiveness of APF on electrical power quality, THD, amelioration and harmonic minimization in the industrial installation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The business expansion installation can only simply record the most basic business information, which leads to the problems of complex power supply procedures and low efficiency. Therefore, a study on the optimal power supply parameters of the business expansion installation based on grey correlation degree and fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the grey correlation degree is used to process the optimal power supply parameter data of industrial expansion and installation, and the parameters of fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm are set. On this basis, an intelligent management system for the optimal power supply process of industrial expansion and installation is constructed, and the system development conditions are set up; According to the four business links of project reserve, business acceptance, collaborative operation and performance evaluation, the customer business expansion and installation function module is constructed, so as to realize the calculation of the optimal power supply line of the business expansion and installation and complete the research on the optimal power supply parameters. The experimental results show that the output stability, output throughput performance and parameter optimization ability of this method for the line impedance characteristic control of the power supply of the industrial expansion device are good and are always on the rise. At 3 cm, the output throughput reaches 1.9%, and the parameter analysis ability can reach 350 pixels, which has certain application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the second quarter of 2021, the companies at the Capuava Petrochemical Complex (CPC, Santo André, Brazil) carried out a 50-day scheduled shutdown for the maintenance and installation of new industrial equipment. This process resulted in severe uncontrolled emissions of particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a densely populated residential area (~3400 inhabitants/km2). VOCs can be emitted directly into the atmosphere in urban areas by vehicle exhausts, fuel evaporation, solvent use, emissions of natural gas, and industrial processes. PM is emitted by vehicle exhausts, mainly those powered by diesel, industrial processes, and re-suspended soil dust, in addition to that produced in the atmosphere by photochemical reactions. Our statistical analyses compared the previous (2017–2020) and subsequent (2021–2022) periods from this episode (April–May 2021) from the official air quality monitoring network of the PM10, benzene, and toluene hourly data to improve the proportion of this period of uncontrolled emissions. Near-field simulations were also performed to evaluate the dispersion of pollutants of industrial origin, applying the Gaussian plume model AERMOD (steady-state plume model), estimating the concentrations of VOC and particulate matter (PM10) in which the population was exposed in the region surrounding the CPC. The results comparing the four previous years showed an increase in the mean concentrations by a factor of 2 for PM10, benzene, and toluene, reaching maximum values during the episode of 174 µg m−3 (PM10), 79.1 µg m−3 (benzene), and 58.7 µg m−3 (toluene). Meanwhile, these higher concentrations continued to be observed after the episode, but their variation cannot be fully explained yet. However, it is worth highlighting that this corresponds to the post-pandemic period and the 2022 data also correspond to the period from January to June, that is, they do not represent the annual variation. A linear correlation indicated that CPC could have been responsible for more than 60% of benzene measured at the Capuava Air Quality Station (AQS). However, the PM10 behavior was not fully explained by the model. AERMOD showed that the VOC plume had the potential to reach a large part of Mauá and Santo André municipalities, with the potential to affect the health of more than 1 million inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some mathematical models are developed for a Photovoltaic Solar Park (PSFV) applying different identification techniques, considering the behavior of the solar irradiation and panel temperature as input variables and the generated active power as out put variable. These models will be used to study a behavior and as reference in forecasting systems of generated power predictions in this PSFV, contributing to the decision making concerning the logistics of the national electro-energy system(SEN).The methodology exposed in this work can be used to obtain the model of any PSFV that is of interest. The PSFV models area warded and validated with measurements extracted directly from an industrial PSFV installation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This model describes the heat equation in 3D domains, and this problem is reduced to a hybrid dimension problem, keeping the initial dimension only in some parts and reducing it to one-dimensional equation within the domains in some distance from the base regions. Such mathematical models are typical in industrial installations such as pipelines. Our aim is to add two additional improvements into this methodology. First, the economical ADI type finite volume scheme is constructed to solve the non-classical heat conduction problem. Special interface conditions are defined between 3D and 1D parts. It is proved that the ADI scheme is unconditionally stable. Second, the parallel factorization algorithm is proposed to solve the obtained systems of discrete equations. Due to both modifications the run-time of computations is reduced essentially. Results of computational experiments confirm the theoretical error analysis and scalability estimates of the parallel algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the energetic, economic, and environmental performances of small-scale concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) power systems under 107 African climatic and financial zones with different energy mixes. The proposed concept focuses on small-scale installations for small- or medium-scale industrial premises as such devices are involved in the international strategy about micro-grids. Yearly average electric productions, capacity factors, economic and environmental considerations, and sensitivity were all analysed. The mathematical methodology for calculating the power of a concentrated triple-junction solar cell, the annual energy conversion of a CPV plant, the costs, and the CO 2 mitigation were assessed. The parametric study shows that the capacity factor becomes highest for a cell area of 5.5 cm2 or if the concentration ratio reaches the value of 2400. Furthermore, LCOE is lowest for Errachidia in Morocco with 15.88 c$/kWh followed by Fada in Chad with 16.82 c$/kWh, while it is highest in Wad Hajm in Sudan as 5.23 × 1016 c$/kWh. Moreover, South Africa allows the highest reduction of indirect CO 2 emissions. Furthermore, energy produced is greatest in Errachidia in Morocco (606.27 GWh), Tiaret in Tunisia (601.11 GWh), and Upington in South Africa (598.11 GWh). Results are shown on innovative GIS maps of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sugar industry plays an important role in the national economy, which is why the efficiency of the operation of the main parameters of the different equipment and facilities that comprise it has a considerable impact on sugar production, one of the causes that accentuate this behavior, is constituted by the advanced degree of aging of the industrial installations and the existence of a minimum automation of the processes. This work is developed in the context of the Base Business Unit (UEB) Central Azucarero "Argeo Martínez" in the Manuel Tames municipality, Guantánamo province, in the Steam Generation area, with the objective of designing an automation system for the control of the combustion of bagasse in the steam generator of the Central Azucarero. The permanent oscillations method was used to design the pressure controller and the airflow controller. The defined control strategy is conducive to combustion control by the calorimetric method, which was verified by simulation. With the use of identification tools, the mathematical models that describe the processes of variation of steam pressure, steam flow and air flow of the bagasse boiler were obtained; vapor pressure and airflow behave as a second-order lagging model for both cases and vapor flow as a second-order lagging model with a zero. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to prevent the formation or suppress the development of defects in strand-cast steel, such as center porosity, pipe segregation, and the developed dendritic structure of an ingot, and to obtain blanks and rolled metal having high-quality macrostructure, it is necessary to control the crystallization process of the continuously cast ingot. For this purpose, various external physical actions are used in the section of billet crystallization [2]. Among the most efficient and technological methods is the forced, controlled motion of a liquid phase in the crystallizing ingot, in particular, by means of electromagnetic stirring. In the article, the magnetohydrodynamic processes occurring during electromagnetic stirring of steel melt were investigated using mathematical modeling and experimental methods at laboratory installations and industrial facilities. On the basis of the research results, a comprehensive method for the design and testing of electromagnetic stirring systems for billet and bloom casters was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing worldwide costs of energy produced as a result of conventional fuel combustion, the limited capacity of the distribution grid, and the growing number of unstable installations based on renewable energy sources increase the need to implement systems of stabilization and regulate loads for end users. The battery energy storage system (BESS) that operates in the internal microgrid of an enterprise enables the management of the accumulated energy in any time zone of the day. Using a price arbitrage strategy with an electricity storage facility, we can reduce the cost of high electricity prices during peak demand periods. This study aims to determine the most effective method of setting up the capacity and electrical power of an energy storage system operating in a microgrid, in an enterprise to implement a price arbitration strategy. Such a method should include consideration of the characteristics of the demand profile of consumer systems, the charges related to electricity, and electricity storage costs. The proposed deterministic method is based on the use of a defined parameter, "marginal income elasticity". In this study, the size of energy storage refers to the power and electric capacity of BESS that are used for the implementation of the price arbitrage strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart factories in harsh large-scale environments are achieved by installation of group-based industrial wireless sensor networks (GIWSNs), in which a group of sensors are deployed on each machine target, for security and saving deployment time. In GIWSNs, enormous data for production (e.g., 3D digital twin and automated optical inspection images) and surveillance is transmitted frequently among multiple machines, and consumes huge energy. Furthermore, a real-world factory whose radio environment is interfered by mobile devices is dynamic and uncertain. Therefore, this paper investigates reliable energy-efficient routing for surveillance in dynamic uncertain GIWSNs, and further proposes a fuzzy improved global-best harmony search approach, where improved operators are integrated to efficiently explore the search space locally and globally; and a fuzzy evaluation scheme is employed to address uncertain factors. Through simulation under various parameter settings, this approach can find reliable routing in dynamic environments, and shows high performance as compared with other approaches. In addition, this approach can always find the reliable surveillance routing under various data amounts, while activating fewer crucial sensors to effectively reduce energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of contemporary industrial pipeline installation, most pipelines must be cleaned before being put into use due to production and operation process requirements. This paper takes the offline trough cleaning of pipelines as the research object, and explores the evolution process of the metal microstructure under this cleaning method and the best cleaning conditions under the influence of the three factors of concentration, temperature and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This model describes the heat equation in 3D domains, and this problem is reduced to a hybrid dimension problem, keeping the initial dimension only in some parts and reducing it to one-dimensional equation within the domains in some distance from the base regions. Such mathematical models are typical in industrial installations such as pipelines. Our aim is to add two additional improvements into this methodology. First, the economical ADI type finite volume scheme is constructed to solve the non-classical heat conduction problem. Special interface conditions are defined between 3D and 1D parts. It is proved that the ADI scheme is unconditionally stable. Second, the parallel factorization algorithm is proposed to solve the obtained systems of discrete equations. Due to both modifications the run-time of computations is reduced essentially. Results of computational experiments confirm the theoretical error analysis and scalability estimates of the parallel algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper proposed an innovative predictive maintenance system, designated to monitor and diagnose critical electrical equipment (generally large power electric motors) within industrial electrical installations. A smart and minimally invasive system is designed and developed. Its scope is to evaluate continuously the essential operating parameters (electrical, thermal, and mechanical) of the investigated equipment. It manages to report the deviations of inspected machine operating parameters values from the rated ones. The system also suggests the potential cause of these abnormal variations along with possible means (if the defect is identified in a database, constantly updated with each appearance of a malfunction). The developed maintenance device generates an operating report of the analyzed equipment, in which the values of power quality and energy indicators are computed and interpreted. Additionally, real-time remote transmission of analyzed data is facilitated, making them accessible from any location. The proposed maintenance system is a low-cost device that is easy to install and use in comparison with similar existing devices and equipment. The designed maintenance system was tested on dedicated to low-voltage equipment up to 100 kW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of the research was limestone hydromixture consisting of particles of a mean size of 45.5 μm conveyed by water in a pipeline of a total length of 632 m. In the paper, the results of rheological measurements of tested hydromixtures after the application of deflocculant consisting of waste product from the lime production process in the form of mineral particles and commonly known dispersant were presented. Calculations of pressure drop including hydromixtures with volume concentrations in the range of 21.30–50.00%, and density ranging from 1140–1410 kg/m3 in a pipeline of 200 mm diameter are presented. A decrease in friction losses in the flow in the pipeline of hydromixtures with different mass concentrations after the addition of deflocculant was observed. The study revealed that the addition of deflocculant resulted in a reduction of friction in the pipeline, enabling the pumping of hydromixtures with twice higher solids concentrations than originated from industrial installation, with a lower volumetric flow rate. This resulted in a decrease of the power consumption of the motor driving the pump, and obtained significant energy savings in the hydromixture transport process. The maximum energy saving achieved was equal to 58%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high-power industrial installations, instead of a single shunt active harmonic filter (SAHF), parallel-connected multiple modular units of SAHF having lower current rating are generally preferred. In order to ensure that these modules share the compensating current in proportion to their individual current ratings, an intermodular communication network is generally being employed. This intermodular communication network reduces the overall reliability of the system, and it can be avoided if every individual module can autonomously estimate the compensating current to be shared by it. In case of voltage-source inverters operating in parallel, a droop-based current control scheme is generally employed to achieve the aforesaid requirement. However, in the SAHF, the inverters are operated in the current control mode, and hence, the existing droop-based control scheme needs appropriate modification. In this article, a modified droop-based scheme is proposed for a multimodular SAHF operating in the current control mode. The principle of operation of the proposed control scheme and its detailed mathematical analysis are presented. The feasibility of the scheme is verified by performing detailed simulation studies. A laboratory prototype having two SAHF modules, each having a VA rating of 30 kVA, is fabricated. Detailed experimental studies are carried out utilizing the laboratory prototype to confirm the viability of the proposed scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine tool have traditionally been developed for the manufacture of new parts and to be operated in workshop environments. With a remit of addressing clearly defined tasks, the concepts/configurations of these are nowadays, somehow, standard. This perspective intends to flag up to the community the relatively unexplored topic of portable Robotised Machine (RoboMach) tools that address the need for in-situ maintenance and repair of industrial installations. By the immense variety of tasks that RoboMach are designed to fulfil, there is an open ground for exploring, at the confluence with other complementary research disciplines, novel machine tool configurations that could open fresh academic challenges. [Display omitted] • A niche topic of Robotised Machine tools (RoboMach) for in-situ repair and maintenance of high-value industrial installations has been identified. • RoboMach systems provide a wide scope for both engineering and scientific advancements. • Mid-term research challenges for RoboMach systems along with ground-breaking ideas for future research topics are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a magnetic field on the crystallisation and morphology of CaCO3 in solution was investigated in the 25–80 °C temperature range. The samples were analysed using X-ray diffraction, FTIR, SEM analysis and quantitative analysis based on the Rietveld method. It was demonstrated that the magnetic field, which varied from 50 to 175 mT, had an impact on the polymorphs selectivity and their proportions and on the morphology and the sizes of the CaCO3 particles. It also reduced the overall precipitation rate of CaCO3 minerals in the solution. SEM images showed that the magnetic field modifies the shape of the rhombs of calcite as reflected by the destruction of the particles at 25 and 50 °C with a considerable decrease in their size at 80 °C. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of a magnetic field in reducing the adhesion of calcite to surfaces and thus its possible application in limiting the formation of scale in industrial installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serious consequences of the accidents that have occurred in industrial or service installations in recent years (leaks of toxic or flammable substances, fires, and explosions) have established that people, material and environment close to the vicinity of an establishment where hazardous substances are used, processed, transported or stored are subject to greater risks of accidents. The most important aspect is to decide what type and level of risk one is willing to accept in exchange for the economic and social benefits that these facilities represent, for which it is first necessary to identify and evaluate the risks that these facilities represent for the vulnerable elements located in their interior and exterior environment, and based on this, to define the preventive and mitigation protection (safety) measures that must be implemented or reinforced so that the risk levels correspond to those accepted by society. The objective of this work is to describe the main characteristics and limitations of the most commonly used predictive study methods in any of the life stages of the installation under study: design, construction, modification, or operation. It is recommended to use in risk studies the qualitative HAZOP method in processes of any level of complexity, the quantitative ACAF method for complex processes, and the Bow-Tie method when the analysis is focused on determining the efficiency and inadequacy of the control barriers. At the same time, the need for the multidisciplinary team performing the risk assessment to include people with knowledge of both the study methods to be used and the processes to be studied is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induction machines (IMs) are essential components of many industrial installations and, therefore, their faults must be detected early. Fault detection using current spectrum analysis is attracting an increasing interest as a condition-based monitoring (CBM) technique. However, its use to detect rotor asymmetries in high-power IMs, which operate at very low slip, is particularly challenging, due to the closeness of the characteristic fault harmonics to the fundamental component, separated only a few MHz. Their reliable detection in harsh industrial environments requires a very high spectral resolution, that is, long acquisition times and a huge number of current samples, which hinders its implementation on embedded, online devices with limited computing resources. To address this problem, this article presents a novel combination of diagnostic techniques, the use of the rectified current as diagnostic signal, and the Goertzel algorithm as signal processing tool. This unique combination allows for an optimized implementation of the Goertzel algorithm, which provides a high spectral resolution in the full load range of the machine, with a low computational cost and a negligible memory footprint. This proposal is validated experimentally with the fault diagnosis of a high-power medium-voltage industrial motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The front-end hydrogenation of acetylene catalyst PEC-21 independently developed by PetroChina has been operated in the 460 X 10³ t/a unit of the Lanzhou Petrochemical Plant for 11 months. The effects of complex cracking materials, high C4 's content and fluctuations in space velocity on the performance of the catalyst were analyzed. Industrial application results showed that PEC-21 catalyst had good space velocity adaptability and C4 es adaptability, and could fully meet the operation conditions of the industrial installation. The acetylene average conversion rate, ethylene selectivity, MAPD conversion rate, and propylene selectivity reached 52.3%, 90.4%, 12.9% and 95.2%. respectively after it had been operating continuously for 11 months. And for one year of operation, the temperature increased from 61-63 t to 68.8 t, with the temperature rising of about 6.6 t. The performance of the catalyst was much better than that of the imported catalyst in the same period and could meet the requirements of stable operation of the unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the stages of the preparation of porous granular corundum prior to its use in an installation for the industrial production of monocrystalline sapphire (type NIKA-M60) is high-temperature vacuum cleaning. The characteristics of the cleaning process are evaluated with mathematical models based on solid-state diffusion and Knudsen diffusion from porous particles and through a layer of porous particles. The solid-state diffusion of impurity atoms and the Knudsen flow of impurity vapors through the granule pores are described by analytical expressions with fitting coefficients identified with the use of numerical solutions. The model of the Knudsen flow through a layer of granular powder makes it possible to take into account blowing with a neutral gas (argon) in order to intensify the process. Cleaning times on the order of several hours were obtained in the presence of argon blowing at a flow rate of 10–5 kg/(m2 s). Based on the NIKA-M60 unit, the flow rate is 7 × 10–7 kg/s or 2.5 g/h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfire occurrence frequency is increasing worldwide, generating more and more concern, especially in Wildland-Urban interfaces (WUI) and Wildland-Industrial Interfaces (WII) areas. Wildfires approaching WII can cause severe damage to people and industrial assets. In these scenarios, storage tanks present in industrial installations are among the most vulnerable pieces of equipment, since they are usually located in the proximity of the plant boundary. If hazardous substances are stored, tank damage caused by the fire can lead to loss of containment and trigger technological accident scenarios, escalating the consequences. Preserving the integrity of this type of equipment in case of wildfires is of paramount importance. The present study proposes a stepwise methodology for the evaluation of safety distances between storage tanks and vegetation that may be affected by a wildfire. According to the available data on the wildfire, on the lay-out and on the tanks that are likely to be affected, the methodology provides safety distances that may be applied to design fuel-reduced fringes around the industrial facility. The methodology proposed represents a quantitative tool for the calculation of safety distances that can guide industrial managers and assist regulators in the definition of more reliable standards. The comparison of the safety distances resulting from the present study with regulations and guidelines currently in use in different countries rises concern about the possible underestimation of required safety distances in the case of severe wildfires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern awareness of workplace hazards has created a range of safety standards and best practices now accepted and implemented in the design and construction of many types of industrial and commercial installations. Prevention through Design (PtD) concepts are well understood and commonly applied in the design of many facilities where dangerous chemicals or dangerous concentrations of energy are a required part of the process.  Heightened awareness of electrical hazards over the last two decades has resulted in a greater understanding of the arc flash hazard and shock hazard and in many methods and tools to control the associated risks. However, the PtD concepts well understood and implemented in other aspects of industrial facility design may not be well understood or are often not implemented at the electrical infrastructure's design and construction stage within industrial or large commercial facilities. This article will discuss the correlation between PtD and industrial accidents and how PtD concepts applied to electrical infrastructure can improve modern facilities' safety and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hierarchical Beta zeolite has been successfully mass‐prepared hydrothermally and dynamically in a pilot‐scale autoclave by an economical and simple process with low‐cost raw materials. The characterization results indicated that the pilot‐scale hierarchical Beta zeolite has the same textural, structural, and acidic properties like the bench‐scale sample. Moreover, the catalyst composed of the pilot‐scale hierarchical H‐Beta zeolite showed higher activity and selectivity to the middle distillate than that containing microporous Beta zeolite in catalytic hydrocracking of vacuum gas oil (VGO) evaluated by an industrial pilot installation in running of 3000 h, due to the increased accessibility and the reduction of diffusion constraint of large molecules to acid sites in the Beta zeolite framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work carried out in this article concerns on the implementation off a diagnostic procedure for hybrid dynamic systems (HDS) whose objective is to guarantee the proper functioning of industrial installations. In this context, the main contributions of this work are summarized into three parts: The first part is oriented to the modeling approach dedicated to HDS. The aim is to find an adequate model combining both aspects (continuous and discrete dynamics). The use of Neuro-fuzzy networks makes it possible to build a model of the system and to follow all the modes without it being necessary to identify or discern them. The second part concerns the synthesis of a fault diagnostic technique based on a fuzzy inference system. A Neuro-Fuzzy network based is used for residual generation, while for the residual evaluation, a fuzzy reasoning model is used which can mainly introduce heuristic information into the analysis scheme and takes the appropriate decision regarding the actual behaviour of the process. The proposed approach is successfully applied to monitoring faults of a non-linear three-tank system and the results confirm the effectiveness of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industries nowadays try their best to remain competitive in a manufacturing world that undergoes a digital transformation driven by smart technology and connected devices. Profit margins quickly shift from products to services, and thus the manufacturing sector industries try to shift from offering products to offering industrial product service systems (IPSS) in order to keep up to date and ensure their market position and economic success. IPSS is a well-rounded solution consisting of the tangible part which is the product and an intangible one being the service. IPSS are efficient and beneficiary not only for the provider but also for the user and even the environment. IPSS is not a simple process of adding services to traditional products but a rather more complex integration process of the mechanical product, sensors, and IoT and software, which are coupled with supportive systems (resources and infrastructures) and the involvement of heterogeneous stakeholders. Due to the high complexity involved in the development and production process of IPSS, tools for IPSS production planning and installation in a dynamic and collaborative environment are extremely essential for manufacturing firms, but they are however absent. In this paper, a methodology for conducting resource planning for the production and installation of IPSS is proposed, and according to this, the architecture of a cloud-based tool is developed. A real-life pilot case from a laser and sheet metal machinery production industry is presented where the developed tool was tested and validated upon its results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main problems facing utilities is the unauthorized consumption of drinking water, commonly called clandestine appropriation or water theft. One of the most common forms of water theft occurs through illegal installations, which until recently have been difficult to detect and locate. This article compares the different technologies currently available for locating illegal installations, designed for clandestine appropriation of drinking water. To this end, it exposes the advantages, disadvantages, scope and limits of each of the identified technologies, so that the utilities can choose the most appropriate for their local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study presents the results of the performed analyzes and the comparison of the effects of additives of different types of compost on the soil properties. Three different compost types were obtained using different methods of production - "home" composting method for the production of two of the composts was applied and the industrial composting installation from "tunnel" type for the third one was used. Also two different types of soil (a and b) with characteristics allowing a clear traceability of the changes in observed parameters of the prepared mixtures were used. Various mixtures from three types (aA, aB and bC) with different ratio between the raw materials (composts and soils) were used. The mixtures were tested for the following parameters: active acidity (pH), conductivity, potential acidity (exchange and hydrolytic), relative and bulk density, porosity, cation-exchange capacity, carbon content, phosphorus (P2O5) - total and available. The obtained results for influence of composts on the soil properties are presented. It has been established that the most significant influence of the composts additives is on pH, porosity and carbon content. There are also direct ratio dependencies of changes of some of the indicators depending on the quantity of the compost used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A comparison is performed between two modelling approaches, the homogenisation approach (macro-modelling) and the micro-modelling approach. • Both modelling approaches provide a reliable prediction of masonry response at the ambient and high temperatures. • These modelling approaches can be used in combination. Refractory masonry with dry joints is widely employed as a protective lining in industrial applications requiring high-temperature treatments. The thermal and mechanical behaviour of alumina spinel refractory masonry is investigated for a wide range of mechanical loading conditions at ambient and high temperature up to 1500 °C within the framework of the ATHOR project. This paper discusses the different numerical analysis approaches for the simulation of the experimental results. Micro and macro modelling approaches show good agreement with the large scale uniaxial and biaxial compression tests for loading and unloading at the ambient temperature. Simulations carried out for large scale uniaxial and biaxial creep tests as well as biaxial relaxation tests at 1500 °C show good agreement. The numerical results indicate the ability of these modelling approaches to represent the complex thermomechanical behaviour of the refractory masonry. Both methods demonstrate an orthotropic and highly nonlinear behaviour of the refractory masonry as observed in the experimental campaign. The numerical outcome, validated with experimental results demonstrate compatibility between micro and macro modelling approach that can be employed to evaluate local and global behaviour of large industrial installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The staggered arrangement of plates has an optimal bubble-breaking effect. • The lower installation position of the plate facilitates the breaking of bubbles. • The bubble motion and liquid phase shear forces cause liquid velocity fluctuations. • The radial distribution of dimensionless ε g and u L are predicted. The bubble-breaking plate is a crucial internal component in the scrubbing-cooling chamber. The study of hydrodynamics under its influence is the basis for designing and scaling up industrial installations. Experimental measurements of characteristic bubble parameters and liquid phase structure parameters at local locations were carried out using a conductivity probe and a pitot tube, respectively, to investigate the effects of five types of bubble-breaking plate installation on the hydrodynamic properties of the annular gap bubble bed. The experimental results show that the staggered placement of two plates is the most favorable for increasing the gas holdup, reducing the bubble size, increasing the gas–liquid interface area, improving the liquid velocity distribution and suppressing the turbulence fluctuations. In addition, a dimensionless mathematical model predicted the radial distribution of local gas holdup and axial time-averaged liquid velocity, and the expected results agreed with the experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The programmatic sale of behavioural advertising involves, in almost all cases, the installation of tracking tools (including cookies) in order to create profiles of users based on their tastes and preferences. Subsequently, these profiles are transferred to advertisers and intermediaries so that they can place -automatically- advertisements adjusted to each user's profile. Given that this process entails personal data processing, this article will analyse, from a data protection and information society services laws point of view, the requirements that companies have to take into account in order to participate in the complex system of programmatically selling behavioural advertising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la dependencia sectorial de insumos importados de la industria brasileña entre 2000 y 2014. Para ello se utilizó el análisis de insumo-producto, se calculó la demanda directa e indirecta de insumos importados de los sectores y se los clasificó de acuerdo con esta. Se constató que los sectores que presentan una baja demanda de insumos importados son aquellos ligados a las industrias de alimentos, madera, productos de madera y corcho y reparación e instalación de máquinas y equipos. Los demás sectores industriales resultaron dependientes de la importación de insumos para realizar sus actividades productivas. La creciente incorporación de insumos importados en el proceso productivo brasileño dio lugar a la apropiación de una parte del dinamismo del sector por el sector externo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract PowerWindow is a Linear Cascade Wind Turbine (LCWT) capable of generating electricity in very low blade speed ratios, which makes it a safe power generator in built environments. The power generation mechanism and aerodynamic performance of PowerWindow were investigated using experimental prototyping and computational fluid dynamic simulations in a previous study. Due to the limited suitable locations for installing the device in grounded configuration, this study investigates elevated and ducted installation configurations. In the elevated configuration PowerWindow is installed on a tower or in between two tall buildings. In ducted configuration it is installed inside a ducted area such as a through-building opening. Aerodynamic performances of the elevated and ducted PowerWindow are investigated and compared, using computational fluid dynamic simulations. It is shown that the coefficient of performance of the ducted PowerWindow with 12% is about 50% higher than the elevated one with 8%. The effect of solidity is also investigated on the flow mechanism and power generation. The results show that increasing solidity results in greater increase in power generation of the ducted configuration compared to the elevated one. This study also investigates effect of increasing solidity on the required pressure gradient and recommends an efficient solidity for each configuration based on the installation circumstances. Highlights • PowerWindow is a modular linear cascade wind turbine which can be a safe power generator for built environments. • PowerWindow can operate in two alternative installation configurations: elevated and ducted configurations. • Front and rear blades show different contributions in the power generation in elevated and ducted configurations. • Increasing solidity results in greater coefficient of performance in both configurations. • There is an optimum solidity for PowerWindow in each configuration which further increase will decrease the power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tokamak complex building construction is progressing on the ITER site. This consists of the Tokamak building hosting the machine, the Tritium building and the Diagnostic building, together with a wide range of auxiliary buildings, such as those for the heating systems, cryoplant, power supply, or the assembly of the Tokamak machine. The ITER project applies a staged approach, with the first plasma phase scheduled end of 2025, followed by the Prefusion power operation phase I and II, and finally the Tritium phase scheduled in 2035. As a consequence of the staged approach, the schedule of the building construction and plant systems installation has to be organized accordingly, and the plant configuration for each phase has to be defined. While the manufacture of the long lead items for the Tokamak machine is currently ongoing, the plant systems are completing the final design and manufacturing design, in order to start the manufacture of the components to be ready on time for the start of the installation works in the buildings. This paper gives an overview of the building overall integration and design process, and the construction status of each building. This paper further highlights the definition freeze and control of the physical and functional interfaces which are needed, in order to decouple the plant systems design and reducing the risk of possible changes propagated to the more advanced and mature interfacing systems. The newly introduced staged approach is described with the requirements on the four plasma phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework integrating QRA and layout optimisation is presented. • Stochastic risk assessment technique is described for uncertainty propagation. • An approach for reducing escalation event risk is discussed. • Global optimality is induced by a MILP formulation. • Optimised layout is influenced by the designer's risk tolerance. Facility siting and layout configuration are essential factors during design and expansion of any industrial installation. In the recent past, cost-driven layout arrangements and the proximity of chemical facilities to densely populated areas, among other factors, have also contributed to the severity and propagation of various chemical incidents. Although several studies have been reported to address such problems, there is still a need for incorporating safety into the facility layout problem (FLP); especially for a method combining quantitative risk assessment (QRA) and layout reformulation. Based on that, the objective of this study is to develop a framework integrating layout formulation with a quantitative risk assessment method to support risk-based decisions throughout the lifecycle of process facilities. The proposed methodology is divided into three steps: risk calculation, determination of safety distances, and layout optimisation. In the first stage, an in-house code has been developed to quantify risks associated with loss of human life and structural damage stochastically. Subsequently, minimum separation distances between process units are obtained to prevent escalation events. In the last stage, risk maps and safety distances are accounted in a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) for layout optimisation. The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through a case study. Sensitivity analysis is performed by varying risk values, safe distances, and risk acceptance criteria. Even though different layout options are generated, a trend is observed towards placing the equipment by its type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refrigeration installations are one of the biggest electricity consumers in the Food Industry companies. When choosing the refrigerant we have to consider its thermodynamic properties, as well as its impact on the environment. According to Regulation (EU) 517/2014 great part of the currently used refrigerants are going to be limited and put out of use. This article covers the factors that influence the energy efficiency of refrigeration installations. We compare two refrigerating installations - direct and indirect with refrigerant R134a. A comparison of two refrigeration installations, direct and indirect, with refrigerant R134a, has been made. The energy and environmental efficiency have been defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cable models for high-frequency studies require the calculation of per-unit-length parameters in a wide frequency range. Analytical methods, such as the ones implemented in traditional electromagnetic transient simulators, are frequently used for this purpose. However, they are accurate only for cable systems in which the cables are sufficiently apart from each other, and for specific geometries in which the presence of other wired systems and metallic structures is neglected. This hampers their application to calculate the parameters of cable systems assembled in trays or pipes, which are frequently used in industrial installations. In this context, this paper presents a methodology based on finite element analysis to overcome these limitations. This methodology is used to investigate the influence of proximity effects on parameters associated with three different installation methods often found in the industry: cables laid on or above the earth surface, cables in an enclosing pipe, and cables in a tray. The results indicate the importance of considering proximity effects in the calculation of cable parameters in practical conditions, especially for high-frequency studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium (or carbonate) looping (CaL) is a high-temperature process to capture CO 2 from industrial installation using CaO-based materials as the sorbent. A large number of natural and synthetic CaO-based sorbents for CO 2 capture have been developed and investigated in the laboratory by cycling the material between a low-temperature carbonation stage and a high-temperature calcination stage. We demonstrate the importance of the exact experimental protocol chosen to transition from the carbonation to the calcination step by varying the CO 2 concentration and the heating rate while keeping the conditions during the actual carbonation (650 °C, 15 vol.% CO 2 ) and calcination (950 °C, 80 vol.% CO 2 ) stages constant. The experiments were performed in a thermogravimetric analyser, the equipment most frequently used in investigations of the cyclic CO 2 uptake, using a natural limestone as the sorbent. Our results show that the reaction conditions under which the CaCO 3 is decomposed to CaO determines the cyclic performance of the sorbent, whereas the effect of the CO 2 concentration during the set calcination stage (which usually begins after most of the CaCO 3 has been converted to CaO) appears to be insignificant. Higher heating rates facilitate a higher cyclic CO 2 uptake because the carbonate phase, known to be prone to sintering, is exposed to higher temperatures for a shorter time. The reaction conditions during the transition period crucially affect the CO 2 uptake determined in laboratory tests and hence need to be reported in full detail, yet this is currently hardly the case. Otherwise it is unclear whether differences in the CO 2 uptake of different CO 2 sorbents are due to modifications of the material or variations in the testing protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a methodology for the analysis of power quality in industrial electrical installations. Initially, a multipoint measurement is performed, then the phenomena that most affect the industry are identified and analyzed, then the system is modelled and adjusted to the real behavior, and some solutions are proposed and simulated. Subsequently, a case study is selected and the power quality study is carried out on the basis of the proposed methodology and according to the parameters of the NTC 5001 standard. Finally, the advantages of using multipoint measurement and modeling in power quality studies are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]