Engineering Commons^™

System Analysis Of An Internal Combustion Engine (Ice) – Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Sofc) Hybrid Cycle, Jose Javier Colon Rodriguez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy and the rigid operation of existing coal plants, the need for flexible power generation technology is eminent. Hybrid energy systems have shown potential for flexible, grid following dynamics while maintaining higher efficiencies. The work below focuses on the performance analysis of a proposed 100 kW pressurized Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) hybrid system. The un-utilized fuel from the SOFC stack provided the chemical energy to operate the engine. A turbocharger was used to deliver the necessary air flow for both the stack and engine. An external reformer …

Adapting The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System For Commercial Fishing Vessel Accidents, Peter Zohorsky, Holly Handley, Ronald Boring (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The commercial fishing industry is frequently described as one of the most hazardous occupations in the United States. The objective, to maximize the catch, is routinely challenged by a variety of elements due to the environment, the vessel, the crew, and how they interact with each other. This study developed and evaluated a version of Wiegmann and Shappell’s (2003) Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), specifically for commercial fishing industry vessels (HFACS-FV), using data from ten years of fatal fishing vessel accidents. For this study, the accident investigation information was converted into the HFACS-FV format by independent raters and …

Structural-Parametric Analysis And Synthesis Of Control Systems With Two Degrees Of Freedom, Azizbek Nodirbekovich Yusupbekov, Khurshid Salim Ugli Turayev

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Automatic tuning of the parameters of PID - regulators is proposed by means of a modified experiment that takes into account the influence of elements and circuits in the form of additive uncertainty. The use of a multiply connected control scheme with two degrees of freedom for decoupling is proposed in order to facilitate the implementation of a mechanism for combating the phenomenon of integral saturation. Equations are derived for the transition from a circuit with one degree of freedom to a circuit with two degrees of freedom for the general and special cases of a two-dimensional system, which makes …

Using Systems Archetypes And Generic Structures To Support Water Resource Management Studies : The Case Of Cropping Pattern Change In New Mexico State, Babak Bahaddin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

A wide range of managerial problems are similar in nature, and yet they continuously appear in different forms and in different geographical locations. Compared to other sciences, it seems that in the field of management, managers have a hard time facing these similar problems. Part of this issues is caused by the extreme complexity of the systems and another part is caused by the lack of a universal language with which managers can communicate their lessons. This dissertation offers a set of tools that have been previously manufactured in systems science, and more specifically in System Dynamics.

Labor Conditions Of Locomotive Staff Of Jsc "Uzbekiston Temir Yullari", O.T. Aliev

Journal of Tashkent Institute of Railway Engineers

The paper analyzes the results of certification of jobs for locomotive crew workers at the electric locomotive depot TCH-1, which is part of the structure of JSC “Uzbekistan Temir Yollari”. The working conditions of locomotive drivers and their assistants are determined with the influence of external and internal production factors on them. Trends in the occurrence of occupational diseases, such as sensorineural hearing loss and vibration disease in locomotive crew workers, were identified. Specific proposals for identified deficiencies are identified. According to the results of studies, it was determined that in such circumstances it is possible to provoke durable multifunctional …

Managing Healthcare Data Assets As A Complex Adaptive System, Katie Clifton

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

A major project is underway to develop a shared platform for data and analytics in a highly federated healthcare delivery organization. In the status quo data environment, analysts have integrated information from various domains — medical records, claims, membership — to produce a multitude of reports and analysis. Duplicative, mis-aligned, and siloed datasets were created as an unintended consequence.

One objective of the project is to produce outcomes (reports, analysis) that are more standardized and efficient than the status quo without sacrificing adaptability. Standards and practices are being intentionally developed as a mechanism for this emerging system to achieve more …

Building Indicators Of Sustainable Development With The Use Of Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods., V.B Britkov, R.D Zaitsev, R.A Perelet, G.V Royzenson

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

An approach for analyzing big data is proposed with reference to sustainable development indicators (SDI), based on the application of combinations of various mathematical techniques. In particular, methods of multi-criteria decision-making for developing the SDI are described in the article. Examples of constructing UN SDI are given.

Developing A Risk Assessment Protocol To Quantify Distribution And Uptake Of Persistent Organic Pollutants In Glacial Outflows, Kimberley Rain Miner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollutants released by industrialized nations between 1960 and 2004 have been transported northward through atmospheric processes and deposited into glaciated alpine ecosystems. Many of these chemicals retain their original structure and are absorbed into the biota thousands of miles away from where they were originally utilized. With a warming climate increasing the melt of alpine glaciers, these glaciers may be introducing growing amounts of toxins into the watershed. While studies have demonstrated the existence of resident pollutants within glaciated ecosystems, no one has developed a risk assessment to identify sources and quantity of risk posed by these compounds when released …

Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps To Model Policy Issues In The Face Of Uncertainty And Limited Data, Brian Gregor

PSU Transportation Seminars

Planners and policymakers are often faced with the need to make decisions about issues for which there is uncertainty and limited data. For example, transportation planners are now faced with the prospect that new transportation technologies such as autonomous vehicles could greatly alter future transportation system needs. Decisions about these types of issues are difficult to reason about and consequently are likely to be ignored or made on the basis of simplistic logic. Although modeling could be helpful, especially for issues involving complex systems, it is rarely used because models usually require large amounts of data and and handle uncertainty …

Synchronous Subgraphs In Networks, Navita Jain

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Community detection is a central problem in network analysis. The majority of existing work defines communities as subsets of nodes that are structurally well-connected and isolated from the rest of the network. Apart from their underlying connectivity, nodes in real-world networks exhibit temporal activity: user posts in social networks, browsing activity on web pages and neuron activations in brain networks to name a few. While edges encode potential for community interactions, participation in the community can be quantified by synchronized member activity. Given both the network structure and individual node activity, how can we detect communities that are both well-connected …

Water Resources Systems Analysis - University Of Texas San Antonio, Marcio Giacomoni

All ECSTATIC Materials

Systems Analysis methods use algorithmic and mathematical approaches for problem-solving. These are powerful methods that can be applied to solve complex design and management problems for water resources systems and other engineering areas. This class will focus on optimization methods, such as linear programming, integer programming, nonlinear programming, genetic algorithms, and dynamic programming, and their application to water resources systems. Advanced Systems Analysis methods, including sensitivity analysis, alternatives generation, and multi-objective optimization will be introduced to address the complexities associated with public sector decision-making. Course taught at University of Texas San Antonio.

Water Resources Systems Analysis - Colorado State University, Darrell Fontane

All ECSTATIC Materials

Applications of systems analysis, simulation and optimization techniques in water resources planning and management. Course taught at Colorado State University.

Environmental Engineering Systems, Mark Houck

All ECSTATIC Materials

Introduces the concepts and applications of systems analysis in environmental engineering. Tools and methodologies of systems analysis are applied to improve the understanding and resolution of complex environmental engineering problems related to air, soil, and water quality and pollution. Scientific, engineering, political, social, legal, regulatory, medical, economic, and financial impacts of environmental engineering decisions are considered. Course taught at George Mason University.

Computer Aided Water Management And Control - Colorado State University, John Labadie

All ECSTATIC Materials

Present modern computer-aided tools of systems analysis to planning, design, and operation of water resource systems. Topics covered include: optimal operation of multipurpose reservoir systems; optimal flood control system operations; coordinated unit commitment in hydropower systems; optimal multicrop allocation of seasonal and intraseasonal irrigation water; risk-based design of stochastic reservoir operating policies; economic evaluation of integrated design of water storage and conveyance systems; optimal conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater; optimal reservoir operations for water quality management; and optimal investment timing and selection of water resource projects. Several case studies are presented for river basins in the U.S., Dominican …

Infrastructure Modeling - George Mason University, Mark Houck

All ECSTATIC Materials

To introduce the range of problems encountered in civil, environmental and infrastructure systems engineering. To introduce the concepts of systems analysis and systems engineering. To develop the ability to construct appropriate models of complex systems, including multiple objectives. To use these models to analyze and solve real problems in the field of infrastructure systems engineering. Course taught at George Mason University.

Water Resource Systems Analysis - Colorado State University, John Labadie

All ECSTATIC Materials

The goal of this course is to introduce participants to general concepts of systems analysis and systems engineering as they apply to the planning, design and operation of water resources systems. The course focuses on the use of computer-based mathematical models for analyzing water resources systems. Students are exposed to a variety of example applications of systems analysis to water resources problems. Course taught at Colorado State University.

A Decision Modeling For Phasor Measurement Unit Location Selection In Smart Grid Systems, Seung Yup Lee

Wayne State University Theses

As a key technology for enhancing the smart grid system, Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) provides synchronized phasor measurements of voltages and currents of wide-area electric power grid. With various benefits from its application, one of the critical issues in utilizing PMUs is the optimal site selection of units.

The main aim of this research is to develop a decision support system, which can be used in resource allocation task for smart grid system analysis. As an effort to suggest a robust decision model and standardize the decision modeling process, a harmonized modeling framework, which considers operational circumstances of component, is …

Using System Dynamics To Contribute To Ecological Economics, Takuro Uehara, Yoko Nagase, Wayne Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of the system dynamics approach to the development of ecological economics, the study of the interactions between economic systems and ecological systems. We build and analyze an ecological economic model: an extension of a population–resource dynamics model developed by Brander and Taylor and published in American Economic Review in 1998. The focus of the present paper is on the model building and analysis to contribute to theory building rather than eliciting policy implications from the model. Hence, this is an example of model-based theory building using system dynamics. Our analysis sheds light on several problems …

Systems Analysis For Urban Water Infrastructure Expansion With Global Change Impact Under Uncertainties, Cheng Qi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decades, cost-effectiveness principle or cost-benefit analysis has been employed oftentimes as a typical assessment tool for the expansion of drinking water utility. With changing public awareness of the inherent linkages between climate change, population growth and economic development, the addition of global change impact in the assessment regime has altered the landscape of traditional evaluation matrix. Nowadays, urban drinking water infrastructure requires careful long-term expansion planning to reduce the risk from global change impact with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, economic boom and recession, as well as water demand variation associated with population growth and migration. …

Comparing Discrete Simulation And System Dynamics: Modeling An Anti-Insurgency Influence Operation, Wayne Wakeland, Una E. Medina

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper contrasts the tradeoffs of modeling the same dynamic problem at a micro scale and at a macro scale of analysis: discrete system simulation (DS) versus continuous system simulation or system dynamics (SD). Both are employed to model the influence of entertainment education on terrorist system decay, with implications for field application. Each method optimizes different design, scope/scale, data availability/accuracy, parameter settings, and system sensitivities. Whether the research served by the computer model is applied or theoretical, DS tends to be useful for understand low-level individual unit/step influences on system change over time, whereas SD tends to shine when …

Optimized Market Introduction Of Large Capital Products (Lcp) With Long Development And Learning Cycles, Antje Lembcke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Any product sold is expected to be reliable and available when the customer wants to operate it. Companies that produce large capital products (LCP), such as rockets, satellites, or large gas turbines to generate electrical energy, tend to shy away from extending their testing and validation method above the requirements by law, mainly due to the very high costs of each additional test and the uncertain return on investment. This research shows that today’s state of the art validation methods for LCP, required by law, or suggested in literature, and adapted by these industries, are not capable of capturing all …

Systems Approach For Estimating Field Moisture Content, Thomas M. Petry, Yuh-Puu Han, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper describes a software tool developed for estimation of the field moisture content of subgrade materials. Subgrade behavior is directly related to its moisture content. Unfortunately, some approaches of estimating field moisture content are too complex to be used in routine design. In this paper, the authors attempt to provide an approach that is easy to use. The software presented here was developed using expert system approaches. It is capable of analyzing data entered by the users, and providing estimations to meet different scenarios. The information entered by the user is first examined for its reasonableness and accuracy. Then, …

The Case For Thoroughly Testing Complex System Dynamic Models, Wayne Wakeland, Megan Hoarfrost

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In order to determine whether model testing is as useful as suggested by modeling experts, the full battery of model tests recommended by Forrester, Senge, Sterman, and others was applied retrospectively to a complex previously-published system dynamics model. The time required to carry out each type of test was captured, and the benefits that resulted from applying each test was determined subjectively. The resulting benefit to cost ratios are reported. These ratios suggest that rather than focusing primarily on sensitivity testing, modelers should consider other types of model tests such as extreme condition tests and family member tests. The study …

Nato Code Of Best Practice For C2 Assessment, Dave Alberts, Tim Bailey, Paul Choinard, Andreas Tolk, Gary Wheatley, John Wilder

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Books

This major revision to the Code of Best Practice (COBP) for C² Assessment is the product of a NATO Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) sponsored Research Group (SAS-026). It represents over a decade of work by many of the best analysts from the NATO countries. A symposium (SAS-039) was hosted by the NATO Consultation Command Control Agency (NC3A) that provided the venue for a rigorous peer review of the code. This new version of the COBP for C² assessment builds upon the initial version of the COBP produced by SAS-002. The earlier version focused on the analysis of …

Metamodeling Aspects Of Model Conceptualization, Wayne W. Wakeland

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper suggests a technique for improving the conceptualization of models. The key aspect of this technique is to set aside the main model for a period of time during the model conceptualization process and focus on building a "watchdog" submodel. The primary purpose of the watchdog submodel is to assure that the main model remains internally consistent during its operation. In the experience of this author, such a submodel can help to identify model conceptualization errors and to determine if a model is sufficiently "robust" to adequately replicate the behavior of the system being modeled.

This is not a …

Implementation And Documentation Of Oracls (Optimal Regulator Algorithm For The Control Of Linear Systems) Software Package, Bahram Parvizi

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to mount a software package entitled Optimal Regulator Algorithms for the Control of Linear Systems (ORACLS), on a Control Data Corporation (CDC) Cyber 74 digital computer system at Florida State University so that is can be operated from the University of Central Florida. The software package contains 60 subroutines which can be used for the analysis and design of state variable feedback control alws for time-invariant linear systems. The procedure for using this package is documented. Several examples are presented to illustrate the capability ORACLS in both digital and continuous linear-quadratic-gaussian (LQG) controller design …

Systems Reliability Using The Flow Graph, Kenneth Edward Farrier

Dissertations and Theses

The problem of calculating the reliability of a complex system of interacting elements is delineated to a linear system, no element of the system having a reliability distribution in terms of any other e1ement of the system, where only one path is taken through the system at a time. A precise definition is then developed to specify the reliability of the linear, single path at a time, system. A precise and concise generating function is found that effortlessly produces the reliability of the linear, single path at a time, system directly from the reliability flew graph of the system.