Engineering Commons^™

Optimal Maintenance Crew Composition And Enhancement Of Crew Productivity, Robert Schober

All Theses

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) dedicates a large portion of its budget and other resources to the maintenance of the State's transportation infrastructure. In order to maximize the efficiency and productivity of the State's highway maintenance workforce, the SCDOT partnered with Clemson University to research the performance of these maintenance crews. The goal of this research is to identify optimal crew compositions, if possible, and to suggest potential crew productivity enhancement methods.
Data was collected from the SCDOT Highway Maintenance Management System (HMMS) and crew rankings were developed based on several pre-determined performance criteria. These rankings were then …

Drilling, Alternative Fuels And Efficiency: Can The United States Wean Itself From Imported Oil?, Florida Solar Energy Center, Philip Fairey

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Perhaps the most daunting challenge the next generation of Americans will face is what President Bush called our "addiction to oil." The challenge is to find the means to provide for our transportation needs in the face of declining world oil production. Perhaps the central question is whether we will export the great wealth of America to foreign countries in payment for oil before we tackle the grand challenge of creating a new transportation future that does not rely completely on oil.

This article presents the historical facts relative to America's oil demand and domestic and world oil production resources. …

Median Crossover Crashes In The Vicinity Of Interchanges On Utah Interstates, Katherine Elaine Winters

Theses and Dissertations

While not accounting for a significant proportion of overall crashes, median crossover crashes in the state of Utah do account for a significant proportion of interstate fatalities. Due to the seriousness of median crossover crashes in the state of Utah, the need exists to evaluate the impact of median crossover crashes in the state, to identify locations where median crossover crashes may be occurring at particularly high rates, and to identify methods to help mitigate these crashes. Previous research has noted that median crossover crash rates appear to increase in the vicinity of interchanges. The purpose of this research, therefore, …

Utilization And Effect Of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles In The United States Power Grid, Steven D. Jenkins, John R. Rossmaier, Mehdi Ferdowsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are uniquely capable of providing both transportation and battery storage interconnection to the electric power grid. This ability allows PHEVs the possibility of serving the power grid in the capacity of a mobile energy storage unit, providing the grid with additional stability, reliability, costeffectiveness, and efficiency. Additionally, with the higher fuel efficiency of PHEVs, the transportation and power generation sectors can collectively reduce their ecologically harmful emissions and increase their reliance on environmentally friendly energy sources. These concepts are still new and under development; in this paper, the viability of the PHEV as a mobile …

Dynamic Allocation Of Airline Check-In Counters: A Queueing Optimisation Approach, Mahmut Parlar, Sharafali Moosa

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper was motivated by an observation in an international airport with regard to allocation of resources for check-in counters. In an exclusive check-in counter system, each flight has a dedicated number of counters that will be open until at least a half-hour before the scheduled departure of that flight. Currently, in many of the airports around the world, the decision to open or close check-in counters is done on an ad hoc basis by human schedulers. In doing so, the schedulers are almost always forced to perform a balancing act in meeting the quality of service stipulated by the …

Nuclear Energy, Steve Kraft

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Why Nuclear Energy?

-The lesson of the last 20 years in U.S. electricity policy:

– Diversified fuel and technology portfolio is essential

– All fuels and technologies (nuclear, coal, natural gas, renewables, efficiency) have a legitimate role

-The challenge for the future:

– Preserving/restoring diversified portfolio

– Ensuring resource adequacy, particularly in competitive markets

-Expanded use of nuclear energy is part of the answer

– Integrated used fuel management supports nuclear competitiveness