Dynamic criticality assessment as a supporting tool for knowledge retention to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance

Digitalisation offers industrial companies a multitude of opportunities and new technologies (e.g. Big Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things), but it still poses a great challenge for them. Especially the choice of the maintenance strategy, the increasing complexity and level of automation of assets and asset components have a decisive influence. Due to technological progress and the new possibilities offered by industry 4.0, the interaction of different systems and assets is essential to increase the efficiency of the maintenance processes within the value-added chain and to guarantee flexibility permanently. These factors lead to an increased importance of a process methodology for a dynamic evaluation of the asset’s condition over the entire life cycle and under changing framework and production conditions. Therefore, legal and environmentally relevant requirements are considered, based on the procedure of HAZOP (IEC 61882), and ensure the traceability of the results and systematically record the asset’s knowledge gained this way so that it is not tied to individual employees, as it is currently the case. The criticality assessment as a basic component of Lean Smart Maintenance, the dynamic learning, and knowledge-oriented maintenance, offers such a holistic, value-added oriented approach. A targeted optimization of the maintenance strategy is possible through automated evaluation of the assets and identification of the most critical ones based on company-specific criteria derived from the success factors of the company and considering all three management levels normative, strategic and operational. By considering the resource knowledge in the maintenance-strategy optimization process and using suitable methodologies of knowledge management based on the prevailing data quality for it, the efficiency and effectiveness are permanently guaranteed in the sense of continuous improvement

Decision making models embedded into a web-based tool for assessing pest infestation risk

Current practices in agricultural management involve the application of rules and techniques to ensure high quality and environmentally friendly production. Based on their experience, agricultural technicians and farmers make critical decisions affecting crop growth while considering several interwoven agricultural, technological, environmental, legal and economic factors. In this context, decision support systems and the knowledge models that support them, enable the incorporation of valuable experience into software systems providing support to agricultural technicians to make rapid and effective decisions for efficient crop growth. Pest control is an important issue in agricultural management due to crop yield reductions caused by pests and it involves expert knowledge. This paper presents a formalisation of the pest control problem and the workflow followed by agricultural technicians and farmers in integrated pest management, the crop production strategy that combines different practices for growing healthy crops whilst minimising pesticide use. A generic decision schema for estimating infestation risk of a given pest on a given crop is defined and it acts as a metamodel for the maintenance and extension of the knowledge embedded in a pest management decision support system which is also presented. This software tool has been implemented by integrating a rule-based tool into web-based architecture. Evaluation from validity and usability perspectives concluded that both agricultural technicians and farmers considered it a useful tool in pest control, particularly for training new technicians and inexperienced farmers

Knowledge Representation Concepts for Automated SLA Management

Outsourcing of complex IT infrastructure to IT service providers has increased substantially during the past years. IT service providers must be able to fulfil their service-quality commitments based upon predefined Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with the service customer. They need to manage, execute and maintain thousands of SLAs for different customers and different types of services, which needs new levels of flexibility and automation not available with the current technology. The complexity of contractual logic in SLAs requires new forms of knowledge representation to automatically draw inferences and execute contractual agreements. A logic-based approach provides several advantages including automated rule chaining allowing for compact knowledge representation as well as flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing business requirements. We suggest adequate logical formalisms for representation and enforcement of SLA rules and describe a proof-of-concept implementation. The article describes selected formalisms of the ContractLog KR and their adequacy for automated SLA management and presents results of experiments to demonstrate flexibility and scalability of the approach.Comment: Paschke, A. and Bichler, M.: Knowledge Representation Concepts for Automated SLA Management, Int. Journal of Decision Support Systems (DSS), submitted 19th March 200

Strategic development of the built environment through international construction, quality and productivity management

This thesis presents a coherent, sustained and substantial contribution to the advancement of knowledge or application of knowledge or both in the field of construction management and economics. More specifically, this thesis outlines the strategic development of the built environment through lessons from international construction, quality and productivity management. The strategic role of construction in economic development is emphasized. It describes the contributions transnational construction firms made towards modern-day construction project management practices globally. It establishes the relationship between construction quality and economic development and fosters a better understanding of total quality management and quality management systems in enhancing construction industry performance. Additionally, it prescribes lessons from the manufacturing industry for construction productivity and identifies the amount of carbon emissions reduced through lean construction management practices to alleviate the generally adverse effects of the built environment on global climate change. It highlights the need for integrated management systems to enhance quality and productivity for sustainable development in the built environment. The thesis is an account of how the built environment has evolved, leveraging on lessons from international construction, quality and productivity management for improvements over the past two decades

Study on thermal model for calculating transformer hot Spot temperature

A power transformer is a static piece of apparatus with two or more windings which, by electromagnetic induction, transforms a system of alternating voltage and current into another system of voltage and current usually of different values and at same frequency for the purpose of transmitting electrical power. The hot spot temperature depends on instantaneous load and ambient temperature, winding design and also cooling model. There are two possible methods for hotspot temperature determination. The first method is to measure the hot spot temperature using a fiber optic, and other is to calculation the hotspot temperature using transformer thermal models. It was noticed that the hot spot temperature rise over top oil temperature due to load changes is a function depending on time as well as the transformer loading (overshoot time dependent function). It has also been noticed that the top oil temperature time constant is shorter than the time constant suggested by the present IEC loading guide, especially in cases where the oil is guided through the windings in a zigzag pattern for the ONAN and ONAF cooling modes. This results in winding hottest spot temperatures higher than those predicted by the loading guides during transient states after the load current increases, before the corresponding steady states have been reached. This thesis presents more accurate temperature calculation methods taking into account the findings mentioned above. The models are based on heat transfer theory, application of the lumped capacitance method, the thermal-electrical analogy and definition of nonlinear thermal resistances at different locations within a power transformer. The methods presented in this thesis take into account all oil physical parameters change and loss variation with temperature. In addition, the proposed equations are used to estimate the equivalent thermal capacitances of the transformer oil for different transformer designs and winding-oil circulations. The models are validated using experimental results, which have been obtained from the normal heat run test performed by the transformer manufacturer at varying load current on a 250-MVA-ONAFcooled unit, a 400-MVA-ONAF-cooled unit and a 2500-KVA-ONAN-cooled unit. The results are also compared with the IEC 60076-7:2005 loading guide method. Keywords: power transformers, hot spot temperature, top oil temperature, non-linear therma

Synthesis of the Gambia-un Country Team Development Forum 2003

This compendium highlights the activities of the Gambia-United Nations Country Team Development Forum in sharing experiences and examinations of the complexities of the development process. It advocates for volunteerism and CSR as key drivers of sustainable development

Using Eco-schemes in the new CAP: a guide for managing authorities

This guide has been developed primarily for policy makers and Member State officials involved in the national and regional programming processes of the CAP Strategic Plans (CSPs). This process might involve different administrative levels (national, regional, local), different political fields (agriculture, environmental, food and health ministries), different public bodies (paying agencies, environmental agencies, rural development offices) depending on the administrative setting of each MS. In addition, the guide provides support to other stakeholders and practitioners from the public and private sectors and civil society (including agricultural, environmental, food, health and consumer NGOs), with a direct or indirect involvement in the programming and evaluation process of the CSPs. Since these new plans will have a strong impact on MS environments, agricultural sectors, rural areas, etc., the engagement of all stakeholders will be an important asset for supporting an effective implementation of the CSP objectives. There are many others with potential interests in the contents of this guide. EU citizens have demonstrated their increasing interest in the contents of the CAP objectives and policy framework, as demonstrated both by civil society initiatives and consumption decisions. The contents of this guide may therefore also be of interest to other societal actors with interests in agricultural and environmental policies, such as researchers, journalists, trade unions, and civil society organizations. However, the guide is intentionally more focused on the technical needs of those involved in CSP development and implementation

Solicitors' CPD: time to change from regulatory stick to regulatory carrot?

Summary: The legal professions are agreed on the need for some form of continuing professional development (“CPD”) after qualification. What is less clear is the intention of such frameworks and in contrast to other forms of more diffuse learning in the workplace. I will explore two areas of tension in the current solicitors‟ CPD system which will bear attention before any of these three related objectives can be achieved: Between a didactic form of delivery focussing on technical updating of knowledge of law and procedure and more “difficult” participative CPD activity; Between accountability, regulation and personal development as drivers behind the CPD scheme dear to different stakeholders. The paper will conclude that, whilst the paradigm shift apparent in the regulators and the professional body is to be welcomed, a change of culture in the profession as a whole is required. This requires CPD, in partnership with other forms of learning, to be viewed in terms of outputs and benefits: the carrots of the title. It is not only a negligence-avoiding maintenance of a static level of competence but a mechanism to address the change which will inevitably result from the full implementation of the Legal Services Act 2007