Energy modeling framework for optimizing heat recovery in a seasonal food processing facility

pre-printSocietal, cultural and economic factors are driving food processors to reduce energy consumed per unit mass of food. This presents a unique problem because time variant batch processing using low to medium grade heat is common in food production facilities. Heat recovery methods may be implemented by food processors to reduce energy consumption; however, temporal variance in the process and utility flow require the development of a robust, easily implemented energy model to accurately determine system effectiveness and economic incentive. A bottom-up modular computational framework is proposed to model the energy consumption of a cannery. The model predicts that the cannery will require 612 kJ gas/kg product produced, which is within the ranges provided in previous literature. Results show that adding a globally optimized indirect heat recovery system will reduce the gas consumption by 6% annually. The proposed framework, used here to represent a cannery, may be adapted to many different types of food processing facilities. With a clear picture of energy consumption by device, and the ability to predict the impact of process modification or heat recovery, plant-level energy usage for food processing may be significantly reduced

A mixed-integer linear programming approach to the optimization of event-bus schedules: a scheduling application in the tourism sector

This paper deals with “The Enchanted Journey,” which is a daily event tour booked by Bollywood-film fans. During the tour, the participants visit original sites of famous Bollywood films at various locations in Switzerland; moreover, the tour includes stops for lunch and shopping. Each day, up to five buses operate the tour. For operational reasons, however, two or more buses cannot stay at the same location simultaneously. Further operative constraints include time windows for all activities and precedence constraints between some activities. The planning problem is how to compute a feasible schedule for each bus. We implement a two-step hierarchical approach. In the first step, we minimize the total waiting time; in the second step, we minimize the total travel time of all buses. We present a basic formulation of this problem as a mixed-integer linear program. We enhance this basic formulation by symmetry-breaking constraints, which reduces the search space without loss of generality. We report on computational results obtained with the Gurobi Solver. Our numerical results show that all relevant problem instances can be solved using the basic formulation within reasonable CPU time, and that the symmetry-breaking constraints reduce that CPU time considerably

A mixed-integer linear programming approach to the optimization of event-bus schedules: a scheduling application in the tourism sector

This paper deals with "The Enchanted Journey,” which is a daily event tour booked by Bollywood-film fans. During the tour, the participants visit original sites of famous Bollywood films at various locations in Switzerland; moreover, the tour includes stops for lunch and shopping. Each day, up to five buses operate the tour. For operational reasons, however, two or more buses cannot stay at the same location simultaneously. Further operative constraints include time windows for all activities and precedence constraints between some activities. The planning problem is how to compute a feasible schedule for each bus. We implement a two-step hierarchical approach. In the first step, we minimize the total waiting time; in the second step, we minimize the total travel time of all buses. We present a basic formulation of this problem as a mixed-integer linear program. We enhance this basic formulation by symmetry-breaking constraints, which reduces the search space without loss of generality. We report on computational results obtained with the Gurobi Solver. Our numerical results show that all relevant problem instances can be solved using the basic formulation within reasonable CPU time, and that the symmetry-breaking constraints reduce that CPU time considerably

ALS-NSCORT 2005 Annual Report

An overview of the ALS-NSCORT projects for the year 2005. 169 pages

Forecasting and planning for a multi-product seasonal production facility

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; in conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-65).With increasing cost pressure on commodity vaccine products, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics is continually looking for ways to improve operating efficiencies and decrease costs. As the largest drug product manufacturing site for Novartis flu vaccine products, Rosia Aseptic Operations experiences dramatic swings in required man-hours throughout the year to accommodate the seasonal nature of flu demand. This challenge is further exasperated by long training lead times for new aseptic operators and substantial severance costs for a permanent employee headcount reduction in Italy. With over 50% of the aseptic operators in Rosia on temporary contracts, management spends at least 25 hours per month reviewing headcount in order to make assessments on contract renewals and expirations. Therefore, this thesis investigates the hypothesis that understanding resource needs can decrease labor costs as well as save management time. A labor resource model based on a demand forecast, operational input data, and a scheduling optimization was developed and validated. The outputs of the model support decisions on overall staffing levels by department as well as provide tools to analyze the appropriate mix of temporary and permanent employee contracts and to understand the time lag associated with staffing decisions. Additionally, sensitivity analysis can be performed to see the effect of changes in policies and shift structures. The model reduces costs and saves management time in the Rosia Aseptic Organization through the longer-term depiction of headcount needs, the cost analysis structure and tools, insights from the production scheduling optimization, and the automatic, pre-crafted graphs and tables. Further discussion of the concepts of aggregate production planning, reveals additional opportunities for Novartis to reduce overall production costs through enabling strategies to match capacity with demand.by Dannielle Sita.S.M.M.B.A

Development, optimization and control of functional bakery products

Dissertation for PhD degree in Chemical and Biological EngineeringOs alimentos funcionais são alimentos que, para além das suas funções nutricionais básicas, têm um efeito fisiológico benéfico ou reduzem o risco de aparecimento de doenças crónicas. Recentemente, o sector agro-alimentar descobriu nos alimentos funcionais uma oportunidade de negócio uma vez que estes produtos têm um elevado valor acrescentado, sendo comercializados a preços muito superiores aos dos produtos similares sem características funcionais (FAO, 2003). Existem, no mercado, diversos alimentos funcionais nos diferentes sectores agroalimentares, nomeadamente lacticínios, bebidas, entre outros. Os produtos tradicionais de panificação e pastelaria são dos alimentos mais consumidos em Portugal, por todas as classes sociais e apresentam, per se, propriedades nutricionais importantes. No entanto, durante o processo de cozedura desencadeia-se um elevado número de reacções químicas complexas, enzimáticas e não enzimáticas, responsáveis pela coloração e aroma final do produto. Estas reacções, principalmente a formação de produtos resultantes da reacção de Maillard, para além de influenciarem as características organolépticas do produto, são responsáveis pela formação de compostos com propriedades fisiológicas de especial relevância. Alguns desses compostos, como a acrilamida e a 3(2H)-furanona, foram classificados como carcinogénicos. Por outro lado, foram já identificados alguns compostos com propriedades antioxidantes capazes de inibir o crescimento de células tumorais humanas (p.ex. proteínas proniladas – pronilated proteins – que parecem possuir importantes propriedades antioxidantes e establilizadoras de reacções químicas adversas). Ainda na área de produtos de grande consumo, em Portugal e por todo o mundo, um dos exemplos mais relevantes é a batata frita. Face a este facto tornou-se pertinente o estudo e determinação de factores que afectam a formação de acrilamida ao longo do processamento de batatas fritas. Associado ao processamento de batatas fritas e intimamente ligado à segurança alimentar está o óleo de fritura utilizado uma vez que a degradação do mesmo leva à produção de compostos polares considerados carcinogénicos. A sua quantificação ao longo do processo de fritura e a limitação da utilização de óleos degradados é, portanto, um tema de elevada importância em matéria de segurança alimentar. Os resultados obtidos permitiram confirmar que as batatas fritas e produtos de panificação e pastelaria, devido à sua composição e condições de processamento, têm potencial para a formação de acrilamida. No caso das batatas fritas, verificou-se que a concentração de acrilamida aumenta com o número de frituras efectuadas com o mesmo óleo, até ao momento em que tende a manter-se constante; atinge-se uma taxa de máxima formação nas 7ª, 5ª e 2ª frituras, para 170, 180 e 190 ºC, respectivamente. Isto permite concluir que há um aumento significativo da velocidade de formação de acrilamida com a temperatura de fritura. A percentagem de compostos polares também aumenta ao longo das frituras e com o aumento de temperatura, sendo que a taxa máxima de formação ocorre nas primeiras frituras. Verificou-se uma relação entre a formação de acrilamida e compostos polares, no entanto esta relação tem diferentes comportamentos com as temperaturas de fritura. Relativamente aos compostos funcionais em estudo, os resultados revelam que existe uma tendência de diminuição da concentração de tocoferóis ao longo do processo de cozedura de produtos de panificação e pastelaria. A garantia sistemática da segurança alimentar tem vindo a assumir, nos últimos anos, uma importância extrema. A inexistência de meios sistematizados de controlo pode potenciar a ocorrência de toxinfecções alimentares podendo traduzir-se num problema de saúde pública com enormes consequências económicas e sociais. A gestão da segurança alimentar, para além da sua obrigatoriedade, traduz-se em inúmeras vantagens competitivas para a empresa uma vez que poderá solucionar áreas críticas de um processo reduzindo as perdas resultantes de desperdícios e de devoluções de produtos. Por outro lado, exige um constante acompanhamento por técnicos qualificados para seguirem o processo e intervirem em situações “anormais” que se possam verificar. Esta disponibilização de recursos em pequenas indústrias alimentares, como é o caso das panificações, é normalmente bastante problemática quer por motivos económicos quer por razões culturais. Assim sendo, torna-se necessário facilitar os processos documentais que permitem, por exemplo, realizar mapas de produção, garantir a rastreabilidade dos produtos atribuindo automaticamente uma identificação de lotes, ou registar não-conformidades que se verifiquem. Desenvolveu-se um software no âmbito da rastreabilidade em indústrias alimentares e em particular na indústria de panificação e pastelaria (PaniGest®) alicerçado na regulamentação Europeia para a rastreabilidade de produtos alimentares. Este software está já em fase de comercialização e a resposta do mercado tem sido extremamente positiva. Por fim, foi desenvolvido um software de gestão de laboratório com o objectivo de dar resposta aos requisitos das normas de acreditação de laboratórios de análises de produtos alimentares. O software desenvolvido, LabGest, está já completamente implementado no LabMaia e em outros clientes da empresa tendo sido já auditado em sede de acreditação dos laboratórios. A avaliação foi extremamente positiva tendo o software dando clara resposta aos requisitos da norma de acreditação de laboratórios NP EN ISO/IEC 17025.Functional foods are foods that, beyond their basic nutritional functions, have a physiological effect or reduce the risk of onset of chronic diseases. Recently, the agri-food sector found in functional foods a business opportunity as these products have high added-value and can therefore be sold at much higher prices than similar products without functional characteristics (FAO, 2003). In the actual global market there are many functional foods in different agro-food industries, including dairy, beverages, among others. The products of traditional baking and pastry are among the most consumed foods in Portugal, by all social classes and have, per se, important nutritional properties. However, during the production process, there are a high number of complex chemical reactions, enzymatic and non-enzymatic, responsible for color and flavor of the final product (Lindenmeier and Hofmann, 2004). These reactions, especially the Maillard reaction, are responsible for the formation of compounds with physiological properties of particular relevance in addition to their influence on the organoleptic characteristics of foods. Some of these compounds, such as acrylamide and 3 (2H)-furanones were classified as carcinogenic (Hiramoto et al., 1996, 1998, Mottram et al., 1998, Stadler et al., 2002, 2003). On the other hand, some compounds with antioxidant properties were already identified, which are able to inhibit the growth of human tumor cells. Some other works (Lindenmeier and Hofmann, 2002, 2004) report the need to assess further information about the functional properties of pronilated proteins since they seem to have important antioxidant and stabilizing properties against adverse chemical reactions. Also in the area of consumer products, in Portugal and throughout the World, one of most consumed products is French fries. Considering this, it was relevant to study and determine the factors affecting acrylamide formation during French fries processing. Associated with French fries processing and closely linked to food safety is the frying oil used. Oil degradation leads to the production of polar compounds, considered to be carcinogenic. Their quantification during the frying process is therefore important in order to a limit the use of degradated oils is a matter of high importance in food safety. The results confirmed that French fries and bakery products, due to their composition and processing conditions, have the potential for acrylamide formation. In addition, in the case of French fries production, it was found that the concentration of acrylamide increases with the number of fryings made with the same oil until a certain maximum level. This level is attained earlier for higher frying temperatures, thus suggesting that for higher temperatures the rate of formation of acrylamide increases significantly. The percentage of polar compounds also increased with the number of fryings and the increase of temperature; the maximum rate of formation occurs in the first frying. A relationship was found between acrylamide and polar compounds formation; this relationship presented different behaviors with frying temperature. In terms of the functional compounds stability in bakery products, results show that there is a decrease of tocopherols concentration during baking. In recent years, the systematic assurance of food safety has been taken to be of an extreme importance. The lack of systematic means of control can enhance the occurrence of food born illness, potentially leading to public health problems with significant economic and social consequences. The management of food safety, in addition to being mandatory, is reflected in numerous competitive advantages for the company since it can address critical areas of a process by reducing the losses by waste generation and products rejection. On the other hand, it requires constant monitoring by skilled technicians who follow the process and intervene in "abnormal" situations that may occur. This availability of resources in small food companies such as bakery industries is usually very problematic, both for economic and cultural reasons. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate documents managing which, for example, includes production maps, ensuring the automatic traceability of products by assigning an identification of lots, or registration of noncompliances. A software for the implementation of traceability in the food industries and particularly in the bakery industry (PaniGest®) has been developed and is already being marketed. This software is based on European regulations for food traceability. The market feedback has been extremely positive. Finally, laboratory management software has been developed in order to meet the requirements for the accreditation of laboratories. This software, LabGest, has now been fully implemented in LabMaia and other customers and it has already been audited for accreditation of laboratories; the obtained feedback is very positive and the software provides a clear response to the requirements of the accreditation of laboratories, including NP EN ISO/IEC 17025.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - Bolsa SFRH/BDE/15509/2004

Defense Technical Information Center thesaurus

This DTIC Thesaurus provides a basic multidisciplinary subject term vocabulary used by DTIC to index and retrieve scientific and technical information from its various data bases and to aid DTIC`s users in their information storage and retrieval operations. It includes an alphabetical posting term display, a hierarchy display, and a Keywork Out of Context (KWOC) display

Multi-objective optimization for Green Supply Chain Management and Design : Application to the orange juice agrofood cluster

Supply chain and operations management has matured from a field that addressed only operational and economic concerns to one that comprehensively considers the broader environmental and social issues that face industrial organizations of today. Adding the term “green” to supply chain activities seeks to incorporate environmentally conscious thinking in all processes in the supply chain. The aim of this work is to develop a Green Supply Chain (GrSC) framework based on a multi-objective optimization approach, with specific emphasis on agrofood supply chain design, planning and operations through the implementation of appropriate green supply chain management and logistics principles. The case study is the orange juice cluster. The research objective is the minimization of the environmental burden and the maximization of economic profitability of the selected product categories. This work focuses on the application of GrSCM to two fundamental strategic issues targeting agro food supply chains. The former is related to the Green Supplier Selection (GSS) problem devoted to the farming production systems and the way they are integrated into the global supply chain network. The latter focuses on the global Green Supply Chain Network Design (GSCND) as a whole. These two complementary and ultimately integrated strategic topics are framed in order to evaluate and exploit the unique characteristics of agro food supply chains in relation to eco-labeling. The methodology is based on the use of Life Cycle Assessment, Multi-objective Optimization via Genetic Algorithms and Multiple-criteria Decision Making tools (TOPSIS type). The approach is illustrated and validated through the development and analysis of an Orange Juice Supply Chain case study modelled as a three echelon GrSC composed of the supplier, manufacturing and market levels that in turn are decomposed into more detailed subcomponents. Methodologically, the work has shown the development of the modelling and optimization GrSCM framework is useful in the context of eco-labeled agro food supply chain and feasible in particular for the orange juice cluster. The proposed framework can help decision makers handle the complexity that characterizes agro food supply chain design decision and that is brought on by the multi-objective and multi-period nature of the problem as well as by the multiple stakeholders, thus preventing to make the decision in a segmented empirical manner. Experimentally, under the assumptions used in the case study, the work highlights that by focusing only on the “organic” eco-label to improve the agricultural aspect, low to no improvement on overall supply chain environmental performance is reached in relative terms. In contrast, the environmental criteria resulting from a full lifecycle approach is a better option for future public and private policies to reach more sustainable agro food supply chains