Bayesian based Diagnostic Model for Condition based Maintenance of Offshore Wind Farms

Operation and maintenance costs are a major contributor to the Levelized Cost of Energy for electricity produced by offshore wind and can be significantly reduced if existing corrective actions are performed as efficiently as possible and if future corrective actions are avoided by performing sufficient preventive actions. This paper presents an applied and generic diagnostic model for fault detection and condition based maintenance of offshore wind components. The diagnostic model is based on two probabilistic matrices; first, a confidence matrix, representing the probability of detection using each fault detection method, and second, a diagnosis matrix, representing the individual outcome of each fault detection method. Once the confidence and diagnosis matrices of a component are defined, the individual diagnoses of each fault detection method are combined into a final verdict on the fault state of that component. Furthermore, this paper introduces a Bayesian updating model based on observations collected by inspections to decrease the uncertainty of initial confidence matrix. The framework and implementation of the presented diagnostic model are further explained within a case study for a wind turbine component based on vibration, temperature, and oil particle fault detection methods. The last part of the paper will have a discussion of the case study results and present conclusions

Mediating effects of customer satisfaction and customer delight on perceived value and customer loyality in Iran's hotel industry

Creating and maintaining customer loyalty is an important strategy to maintain a competitive advantage. Customers decide to purchase services based on perceived value or the degree of satisfaction of their needs and expectations about service quality and perceived price as value components. The main objective of this research is to identify and analyze factors that affect customer loyalty in hotel industry. This research is conducted to offer an integrated model, a continuum from value components to customer loyalty. A conceptual model was developed to examine the effect of service quality and perceived price on customer perceived value directly and on customer satisfaction, customer delight and customer loyalty indirectly. Quantitative method was applied. This study focuses on hotel sector in Esfahan city in Iran. 414 guests from nine hotels (3 and 4-star) participated in the survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to examine the research hypotheses by the aid of SmartPLS application. The results indicated that customer perceived value, customer satisfaction and customer delight are significant antecedents of customer loyalty. Furthermore, service quality and perceived price have significant impact on customer perceived value. In addition, customer delight has a key role as a mediator between customer perceived value and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. The results provide practitioners with a more integrated model in understanding customer loyalty, especially in hotel sector. The results offer factors which help to create a seamless relationship with customers in order to gain customer loyalty, specifically for the hotel industry

Towards a responsive infrastructure

Infrastructure administrators' physical networks face a substantial investment surge due to functional or technical aging of assets. Making those investments requires considering future technological and societal developments. Simultaneously, interdependencies between infrastructure networks offer investment opportunities. In the Next Generation Infrastructures research project RITRI (Responsive Infrastructure through Responsive Institutions), opportunities for collective investments for responsive infrastructures are traced, and the institutional frameworks are adapted that allow for seizing of these opportunitie