Design and development of an Energy Efficiency Knowledge Center (EEKC)

The Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at West Virginia University has worked with more than 430 manufacturing companies over 17 years to identify energy and productivity saving opportunities for small and medium sized companies. The savings, which keep adding up year after year, are appreciable but do not fully capture the potential impacts of the IAC Program. The implementation rate of the recommendations has been only about 40% on average. This rate was expected to be improved with a knowledge center.;Energy Efficiency Knowledge Center (EEKC) is a regional system which includes the development and deployment of technical resources to assist industrial facilities in energy assessment phases. The EEKC as a repository for information and knowledge is designed to contribute to continuous improvement by incorporating the knowledge of IAC experts and plant personnel. The EEKC provides information to clients on how to obtain baseline energy use for their specific energy systems by fuel type using tools such as Quick Plant Energy Profiler (QuickPEP) by the Department of Energy (DOE).;The EEKC also incorporates access and utilization of the DOE Best Practices tools for enabling sensitivity analysis and estimating energy savings potential at various assessment phases. Moreover, spreadsheet tools are integrated within application software as required enabling clients to analyze the value of energy efficiency measures during the pre-assessment and assessment phases.;In this research thesis, the IAC activities and tasks are studied with respect to information and knowledge flow. The research objectives are presented and potential materials and steps to develop an online knowledge center are reviewed. Then, based on needs identified for continuous improvement, the design of EEKC is planned in which Web 2.0 is mainly used

Operator interfaces for the lifecycle support of component based automation systems

Current manufacturing automation systems (specifically the powertrain sector) have been facing challenges with constant pressures of globalisation, environmental concerns and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) innovations. These challenges instigate new demands for shorter product lifecycles and require customised products to be manufactured as efficiently as possible. Manufacturing systems must therefore be agile to remain competitive by supporting frequent reconfigurations involving distributed engineering activities. [Continues.

Triangulum City Dashboard: An Interactive Data Analytic Platform for Visualizing Smart City Performance

Cities are becoming smarter by incorporating hardware technology, software systems, and network infrastructure that provide Information Technology (IT) systems with real-time awareness of the real world. What makes a “smart city” functional is the combined use of advanced infrastructure technologies to deliver its core services to the public in a remarkably efficient manner. City dashboards have drawn increasing interest from both city operators and citizens. Dashboards can gather, visualize, analyze, and inform regional performance to support the sustainable development of smart cities. They provide useful tools for evaluating and facilitating urban infrastructure components and services. This work proposes an interactive web-based data visualization and data analytics toolkit supported by big data aggregation tools. The system proposed is a cloud-based prototype that supports visualization and real-time monitoring of city trends while processing and displaying large data sets on a standard web browser. However, it is capable of supporting online analysis processing by answering analytical queries and producing graphics from multiple resources. The aim of this platform is to improve communication between users and urban service providers and to give citizens an overall view of the city’s state. The conceptual framework and architecture of the proposed platform are explored, highlighting design challenges and providing insight into the development of smart cities. Moreover, results and the potential statistical analysis of important city services offered by the system are introduced. Finally, we present some challenges and opportunities identified through the development of the city data platform.publishedVersio

e-minesafe Safety and Training Simulator. The integration of knowledge and skills to achieve safe human responses

The Joint Coal Board (JCB) is concerned about the number of accidents and fatalities associated with the operation and maintenance of equipment in the New South Wales coal industry. In the last decade, equipment has become more sophisticated and the manner in which work is organised and performed in the industry has changed significantly. Therefore, through its Health and Safety Trust, the JCB commissioned a consortium comprising Mine Site Technologies and the School of Mining Engineering at the University of New South Wales to research the introduction of equipment training simulators into the industry. The research is planned to be undertaken in four stages. This report presents the outcomes of the first two stages. It recommends the development and testing of an interactive, immersive, virtual reality prototype simulator providing true to life imagery. The simulator will be modular in design such that various items of equipment can be plugged in as required. It is proposed that the evaluation of the prototype simulator be based on a continuous miner and a roof bolter, with the option to add a dump truck. This is because a high accident rate is associated with these items of equipment. Most of the research undertaken on the project to date has focused on these machines. The research has confirmed that JCB Simulators have a huge potential to improve: Mine Safety Productivity Business Performanc

Simple identification tools in FishBase

Simple identification tools for fish species were included in the FishBase information system from its inception. Early tools made use of the relational model and characters like fin ray meristics. Soon pictures and drawings were added as a further help, similar to a field guide. Later came the computerization of existing dichotomous keys, again in combination with pictures and other information, and the ability to restrict possible species by country, area, or taxonomic group. Today, www.FishBase.org offers four different ways to identify species. This paper describes these tools with their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests various options for further development. It explores the possibility of a holistic and integrated computeraided strategy

Plan a dashboard for energy measuring, improve overview of energy consumption, and increase energy recovery​

This thesis is written on behalf of a manufacturing company, focusing on energy consumption, recovery, and management. ​ The energy sector continuously changes through carbon emission targets and laws demanding action from companies in the transition to renewable energy resources. Therefore, companies target more innovative manufacturing solutions by measuring, controlling, and visualising energy consumption. Furthermore, the unstable and fluctuating energy situation, rising energy costs, and customers demanding sustainably produced products have enhanced the interest in energy questions at the company. Accordingly, the desire is to improve the overview of energy consumption, improve energy efficiency, and enable energy recovery through storage. Currently, energy measurements are limited to monthly reports based on historical data. This thesis attempts to overcome this by presenting a system providing all stakeholders access to real-time operational data. The energy management system with a dashboard visualising energy consumption and performance indicators could be used to plan production cycles, adjust product prices, and perform predictive maintenance more accurately. The method used in this thesis is qualitative research through interviews with stakeholders at the company. Based on the interview results, a dashboard design is developed through three different layouts, customised for all stakeholder groups. In addition, the proposed energy management system enables visualising collected real-time data in dashboards. The theoretical framework in this thesis is a literature review of scientific research in energy management, dashboard design, energy recovery, and storage. Previous research in energy management presents several implemented technologies improving efficiency, reliability, and stability in the energy supply. The thesis result includes an interview analysis, an energy management system, a dashboard design, and an energy storage system. The interview gives comprehensive knowledge to identify significant performance measures, experience, and interest from stakeholders in the field. The resulting energy management system is an IoT system with collecting assets, an edge platform, a database, and dashboard visualisation. The proposed energy storage system uses thermal energy storage technology with sand as a storage medium. This solution could be driven by renewable energy resources as primary energy resources and implemented to store recovered energy as secondary energy resources improving energy efficiency. In conclusion, this thesis proves that an energy management system with a dashboard visualising collected energy data could be implemented. Furthermore, this thesis concludes that involved stakeholders effectively provide knowledge and experience in the development process of customised dashboard designs