Search Results (2,384)

Hospital layout significantly influences hospital service quality, demanding robust tools for informed decision-making during the layout design stage. This study presents a novel Hospital Configuration Model as the foundational component of a Hospital Design Support System, which utilizes simulation modeling to provide evaluation mechanisms on hospital efficiencies and functionalities. The Hospital Configuration Model integrates four critical data types—geometric, topological, semantic, and operational—into a machine-readable digital twin, enabling comprehensive spatial and procedural analyses. The Hospital Configuration Model facilitates simulation modeling to optimize hospital layouts and predict performance metrics such as crowdingness, patient waiting times, patient walking distance, and difficulty in wayfinding. In conclusion, the Hospital Configuration Model is the core and foundation of developing the Hospital Design Support System for evaluating hospital functionalities and efficiencies, and the potential applications of the model include digital twin development, facility management, and safety enhancement. Future research directions should, in particular, include developing the proposed Hospital Design Support System and establishing a standard way of extracting hospital operational information into an industry-standard data model. Full article

The deposition of asphaltenes in the petroleum industry has been found to be a significant factor affecting the profitability of petroleum production and refining. For this reason, many efforts have been made to clarify the mechanism of deposition formation and to find measures to reduce its harmful impact on the efficiency of oil production and refining. Recent reports on the mechanism of deposit formation by asphaltenes suggest that it is a phase transition phenomenon. Many studies have shown that this process can be slowed by using chemical inhibitors. Different classes of chemical substances (non-polymeric, organic compounds, polymers, ionic liquids and nanomaterials) have been found to be capable of inhibiting asphaltene precipitation. This paper presents a comprehensive review of asphaltene deposition research and makes an attempt to decipher the convoluted asphaltene deposition phenomena and relate the chemistry of asphaltene inhibitors to the nature of treated petroleum oils. The choice of appropriate additives to mitigate asphaltene deposition in commercial oil and gas facilities requires comprehensive knowledge of chemistry of oils, asphaltenes, and the chemical substances, along with the appropriate laboratory techniques that best mimic the commercial operation conditions. Full article

Retrofitting legacy systems provides significant advantages by addressing compatibility issues with new devices and technologies, meeting current process requirements, and increasing security and regulatory compliance. The process starts by collecting requirements and evaluating the legacy system’s attributes and limitations, followed by integrating modern technologies to improve efficiency, streamline processes, and enhancing performance and interoperability while leveraging existing facilities to reduce costs. A systematic approach ensures that updates align with modern technological standards, with performance evaluations conducted via qualitative and quantitative methods and system maturity assessed according to the Reference Architecture Model for Industries 4.0 (RAMI 4.0 model’s) criteria for intelligent factories. By incorporating digital twin (DT) capabilities, which replicate the physical state of systems and provide real-time data updates, the retrofit strategy aligns the physical system with Industry 4.0 contexts, facilitating continuous improvement and seamless integration with modern processes. The goal is to advance the legacy system technologically to ensure seamless integration with contemporary processes, validated through RAMI criteria analysis for smart factories. As part of this process, digital twin architecture was built. This architecture was the basis for building and operating digital twins in the process. The methodology was used to enhance and transform legacy systems, creating the foundation for creating a fully digital twin. Using this method, these systems can be updated to meet the requirements of Industry 4.0. This ensures that they can work with new systems and share data in real time, which improves general operations. Full article

In the current global energy sector where energy storage technology is highly regarded, the development of storage technology is crucial. Utilizing specific underground space for the storage of oil and gas and other energy sources is the direction of future development, and the space formed by deep-salt-mine water dissolution extraction has gradually become the preferred choice. However, in actual operation, multi-layer salt cavities are prone to collapse of interlayer and bending of pipes, seriously affecting the progress, quality, and safety of the entire energy storage space construction. Therefore, based on relevant principles, a targeted experimental platform was established, by taking photos and measurements of the falling process of specific falling objects, simulating the situation of falling objects in actual energy storage spaces and their impact on related components. In-depth research was conducted on the probability of falling objects hitting the inner pipe and the horizontal impact force under different conditions, and the experimental results were verified by rigorous numerical simulation analysis. The research results show that falling objects impacts can cause related components to bend, with the maximum impact probability reaching 5.1% and the maximum horizontal impact force reaching 24.6 N. In addition, the hydraulic fluctuations caused by the suction and drainage of the cavity pipe column have a relatively small impact on the falling object trajectory. The research findings can provide practical and effective guidance for the safe construction of specific energy storage facilities, ensuring that construction can be carried out safely and efficiently, and contribute to the steady development of the energy storage industry as a whole. Full article

This paper presents a proof-of-concept of a versatile Power Quality (PQ) analyser for tracking the voltage supply in industrial and residential sectors. It implements 2D Higher-Order Statistics (HOS) to assess voltage quality, based more on the sinusoidal waveform than on power fluctuations. Beyond the second-order parameters and permissible deviations regulated by the norm, EN 50160, the two-dimensional traces and probability density functions, along with a previously studied differential index, manage to identify different states of the electrical grid. Waveforms were measured in the wall plugs of a public building. In regard to analysing reliability and voltage waveform, the results corroborate that incorporating skewness and kurtosis indicators improves the characterisation, as well as extracting the customers’ supply behaviour under normal and anomalous operations. The instrument showed good behaviour in site characterisation, and the implemented method was considered as a probabilistic approach for the risk assessment of an installation. The prototype was tested in the facilities of a public building of the university, being able to detect deviations in 10 s traces of 3.9% in variance and 0.6% in kurtosis. Full article

The increase in tourism economic benefits is the most common purpose along the Mediterranean coastal regions but, very often, conflicts of interest arise between short-term benefits and long-term conservation goals. This is particularly the case of Albania, a very popular emerging “Sun, Sea and Sand” (3S) destination characterized by massive fluxes of national/international visitors during the summer period. Among beach users’ preferences, global studies show that five parameters of greater importance stand out from the rest, i.e., safety, facilities, water quality, no litter, and scenery, and the latter is the main concern of this study. Albania is well known for its outstanding natural coastal beauty which was assessed at 40 sites by using the Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES) method. Based on the evaluation of 26 physical/human parameters and using weighting matrix parameters and fuzzy logic mathematics, the technique enables one to obtain an Evaluation Index (D) that allows one to classify each investigated site into five scenic classes, from Class I (extremely attractive natural sites; D ≥ 0.85) to Class V (very unattractive developed urban/industrial sites; D < 0.00). Pragmatically, the higher the “D” value is, the better the site scenery is. After a long process of field testing along the whole Albanian coastline (ca. 523 km in length), selected sites were chosen in rural/remote environments (22), villages (6), and urban (4) and resort areas (8) to reflect the Albanian coastal typicity and characterize the scenic impact of human activities. Most sites belonged to Class III (14), Class IV (13), Class II (8), and Class I (1). Several sites could be upgraded to Class I or Class II with slight management efforts, e.g., by carrying out cleaning operations or by reducing intrusive beach facilities. Full article

Conventional ethanol production has limitations, including substrate and product inhibitions, which increase both energy requirements for ethanol recovery and vinasse generation. Extractive fermentation, which removes ethanol as it is produced within the fermentation vat, offers an effective alternative to reducing the inhibitory effects in conventional processes. However, an efficient method for recovering the extracted ethanol is also crucial. Thus, this study investigated an alternative ethanol production process using extractive ethanol fermentation integrated with ethanol recovery by absorption in both open and closed systems, specifically, comparing scenarios with and without CO₂ recirculation produced during fermentation. The recovery system used two absorbers connected in series using monoethylene glycol (MEG) as an absorbent. Under extractive fermentation conditions without CO₂ recirculation, the conversion of 300.0 g L⁻¹ of substrate resulted in a total ethanol concentration of 135.2 g L⁻¹, which is 68% higher than that achieved in conventional fermentation (80.4 g L⁻¹). The absorption recovery efficiency reached 91.6%. In the closed system, with CO₂ recirculation produced by fermentation, 280.0 g L⁻¹ of substrate was consumed, achieving ethanol production of 126.0 g L⁻¹, with an absorption recovery percentage of 98.3%, similar to that of industrial facilities that use a gas scrubber tower. Additionally, the overall process efficiency was close to that of conventional fermentation (0.448 g_ethanol g_substrate⁻¹). These results highlight the potential of this alternative process to reduce vinasse volume and energy consumption for ethanol recovery, lowering total costs and making it a viable option for integrated distilleries that combines ethanol production with other related processing operations. Full article

Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) is the most widely used safety evaluation method because it systematically reviews the causes and results of all abnormal deviations in chemical plant facilities. However, fires and explosions caused by human error occur frequently. This study combined HAZOP and JSA, a chemical plant risk assessment technique, to determine the effectiveness of preventing significant industrial accidents whereby fires and explosions injure workers. The effectiveness of the 96-step distillation container cleaning process was assessed by identifying risk factors, using three different methods: HAZOP, JSA and HAZOP, and HAZOP and JSA. After completing HAZOP, JSA was used to determine the most severe risk factors. Thirty-seven additional recommendations were discovered using the JSA for the storage container cleaning operation, which was not included in the risk factors identified through the HAZOP work process. For additional risks, factors directly related to fires and explosions were identified. It was concluded that HAZOP and JSA must be combined in high-risk processes to minimize the risk of fires and explosions. Full article

With the rapid development of the electric vehicle (EV) industry, various issues, such as the suboptimal deployment of charging facilities and inadequate distribution, hinder improvements in user satisfaction with EVs. Moreover, the interests of multiple stakeholders, including power grid companies and transportation departments, are not sufficiently addressed. To tackle these challenges, this paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation method for EV charging network service quality that integrates user satisfaction. First, considering the coupled dynamics of the EV charging network, we construct a service quality evaluation index system. Then, using a combination of the entropy weight method (EWM) and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with game theory, we determine the composite weights for the index system. Finally, we use the improved R-method evaluation model to theoretically verify the charging network in a particular area. The results show that the evaluation method proposed in this paper realizes differentiated evaluation for different planning schemes, highlights the weak links in the operation process of the charging network, and provides a theoretical reference for decision making about charging station planning. Full article

To improve the operational efficiency of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, this paper proposes a multi-stage hybrid planning method for charging stations (CSs) based on graph auto-encoder (GAE). First, the network topology and dynamic interaction process of the coupled “Vehicle-Station-Network” system are characterized as a graph-structured model. Second, in the first stage, a GAE-based deep neural network is used to learn the graph-structured model and identify and classify different charging station (CS) types for the network nodes of the coupled system topology. The candidate CS set is screened out, including fast-charging stations (FCSs), fast-medium-charging stations, medium-charging stations, and slow-charging stations. Then, in the second stage, the candidate CS set is re-optimized using a traditional swarm intelligence algorithm, considering the interests of multiple parties in CS construction. The optimal CS locations and charging pile configurations are determined. Finally, case studies are conducted within a practical traffic zone in Hong Kong, China. The existing CS planning methods rely on simulation topology, which makes it difficult to realize efficient collaboration of charging networks. However, the proposed scheme is based on the realistic geographical space and large-scale traffic topology. The scheme determines the station and pile configuration through multi-stage planning. With the help of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, the user behavior characteristics are captured adaptively, and the distribution rule of established CSs is extracted to provide support for the planning of new CSs. The research results will help the power and transportation departments to reasonably plan charging facilities and promote the coordinated development of EV industry, energy, and transportation systems. Full article

Catalyzing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a key process in high-efficiency proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) devices. To replace the use of Pt-based HER catalyst, tungsten carbide (W₂C) is one of the most promising non-noble-metal-based catalysts with low cost, replicable catalytic performance, and durability. However, the preparation access to scalable production of W₂C catalysts is inevitable. Herein, we introduced a facile protocol to achieve the tungsten carbide species by plasma treatment under a CH₄ atmosphere from the WO₃ precursor. Moreover, the heterogeneous structure of the tungsten carbide/tungsten oxide nanosheets further enhances the catalytic activity for HER with the enlarged specific surface area and the synergism on the interfaces. The prepared tungsten carbide/tungsten oxide heterostructure nanosheets (WO_3-x-850-P) exhibit exceptional HER catalytic activity and stable longevity in acid electrolytes. This work provides a facile and effective method to construct high-performance and non-precious-metal-based electrocatalysts for industrial-scale water electrolysis. Full article

As the world pivots to a greener paradigm, Shanghai emerges as an archetype in the sustainable urban transit narrative, particularly through the aggressive expansion and refinement of its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. This scholarly article provides a comprehensive examination of the current state of charging infrastructure in Shanghai, highlighting the challenges that the existing infrastructure may face in light of the burgeoning electric vehicle market. This paper delves into the strategic development approaches adopted by Shanghai to address these challenges, particularly emphasizing the expansion of high-power charging infrastructure to meet the anticipated increase in future electric vehicle charging demands. It also discusses the implementation of co-construction and sharing models, the enhancement of interconnectivity and standardized management of charging facilities, and the continuous improvement and strengthening of infrastructure construction and operations. Furthermore, this article explores the implementation of time-of-use electricity pricing policies and the ongoing conduct of demand response activities, which are instrumental in creating conditions for vehicle-to-grid interaction. The aim of our presentation is to foster a keen understanding among policymakers, industry stakeholders, and urban planners of the mechanisms necessary to effectively navigate the emerging electric vehicle market, thereby encouraging harmonious development between metropolises and transportation systems. Future research endeavors should delve into the realms of fast-charging technologies, intelligent operation and maintenance of charging infrastructure, and vehicle-to-grid interaction technologies. These areas of study are pivotal in fostering the harmonious development of electric vehicles (EVs) and their charging infrastructure, thereby aligning with the dual objectives of advancing urban transportation systems and sustainable green city development. The findings presented herein offer valuable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and industry leaders, guiding them in crafting informed strategies that not only address the immediate needs of the EV market but also lay the groundwork for a scalable and resilient charging infrastructure, poised to support the long-term vision of sustainable urban mobility. Full article

Due to significant political and environmental decisions regarding clean energy, rapid adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind power, and hydropower is taking place. In China, policy environmental impact assessment (EIA) plays an important role in pollution prevention, while its practice is relatively limited due to insufficient methodologies and weak legislative enforcement. Taking the clean energy action plan (CEAP) in the Qinghai region as a case study, this study explored the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts imposed by the installment capability of 70,000 MW solar PV in pristine areas. It was found that the CO₂ emissions of solar PV are less than 3% of that of clean coal-fired power, while the emissions of pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter only account for about 18~27% of coal-fired power. Meanwhile, from the full life cycle perspective, 4.61 million tons of solar PV panel waste will be generated, and 4172 square kilometers of land surface area will be occupied. Herein, implications for policy are proposed, including (1) advance planning of local waste disposal capacity and processing facilities, (2) the integration of clean energy planning with legal ecological environment protection schemes, and (3) rational planning of upstream and downstream solar PV industries. Full article

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are fundamental to modern technology, powering everything from portable electronics to electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems. As their use expands across various industries, ensuring the reliability and safety of these batteries becomes paramount. This review explores the multifaceted aspects of LIB reliability, highlighting recent advancements and ongoing challenges. The importance of safety has been underscored by numerous incidents, such as the well-known smartphone battery explosions and more than 10,000 fires a year at facilities throughout Australia, both linked to LIB failures. These events emphasize the need for robust reliability and safety measures to ensure consistent performance and longevity. Factors like battery chemistry, design, manufacturing, and operating conditions can all influence the reliability of LIBs. Despite their widespread use, the mechanisms of failure, failure rates, and consequences of LIB failures are still not well understood, raising significant safety concerns. Current reliability assessment techniques include experimental methods, computational models, and data-driven approaches. Emerging trends, such as advanced characterization techniques and standardized testing protocols, advocate for improved practices to enhance the reliability and safety of LIBs across all applications. Full article

The process of purifying agricultural products, at various food processing plants, generates waste materials that consist of precipitated calcium carbonate, organic debris, and trace amounts of soil and agricultural contaminants. A specific food-processing waste, hereafter referred to as a food industry byproduct, FIBP, is typically stockpiled on land adjacent to the corresponding food processing facilities due to its large volume and chemical composition. The FIBP also contains commercially available unspent lime products, which makes its reuse viable in various applications. An example is construction applications where an organic content of up to 5% by weight is allowed, such as treating expansive clays. Traditionally, lime stabilization has been used for improving the properties of expansive clays, where ground improvement methods are necessary for a large area. However, the process of producing lime is resource- and energy-intensive as it includes crushing and heating limestone in kilns to extract lime. Therefore, one specific doubly sustainable application is the treatment of expansive clays using the FIBP instead of lime. The main application tested here is the treatment of expansive clayey soils underneath a stretch of State Highway 95 near Marsing, ID. Other potential applications are in road and embankment construction. To evaluate the potential of expansive clay stabilization utilizing the FIBP, a series of geotechnical and environmental laboratory testing were conducted to measure the engineering properties (e.g., swell potential, permeability, and strength properties) of expansive clay amended with FIBP. Preliminary testing on blends with an expansive clay suggests benefits such as decreased swelling potential, increased density, and leachate immobilization. Full article