Academic literature on the topic 'Conect AB'

Komputer membutuhkan kecerdasan buatan/artificial intelligence agar dapat bermain selayaknya manusia pada Connect Four/Connect4. Terdapat beberapa algoritma yang dapat diterapkan pada Connect4, namun tidak diketahui mana yang cocok. Algoritma yang cocok berarti optimal dalam memilih langkah sekaligus waktu eksekusinya tidak lambat pada kedalaman pencarian/depth yang cukup dalam. Pada penelitian ini, akan dilakukan analisis dan perbandingan antara alpha beta (AB) Pruning dan MTD(f) pada prototipe Connect4, dalam hal keoptimalan (persentase kemenangan) dan kecepatan (waktu eksekusi dan jumlah simpul daun). Pengujian dilakukan dengan menjalankan mode komputer melawan komputer dengan kondisi berbeda. Persentase yang diraih MTD(f) berdasarkan pengujian adalah menang 41,67%, kalah 41,67% dan seri 16,66%. Pada pengujian dengan depth 8, waktu eksekusi MTD(f) 35,19% lebih cepat dan mengevaluasi simpul daun 66,2% lebih sedikit dibandingkan AB Pruning. Hasil dari penelitian ini adalah MTD(f) sama optimalnya dengan AB Pruning pada prototipe Connect4, namun MTD(f) secara rata-rata lebih cepat dan mengevaluasi simpul daun lebih sedikit dibandingkan AB Pruning. Waktu eksekusi MTD(f) tidak lambat dan jauh lebih cepat dibandingkan AB Pruning pada depth yang cukup dalam.

AbstractTo understand the origin of protein/nucleic acid based life as we know it on Earth, we must “follow” the nitrogen. Because of its unique hydrogen bonding characteristics, nitrogen is the key element in catalytic and/or informational proteins and nucleic acids essential to cell function and reproduction. We present evidence that HCN is the original source of prebiotic protein and nucleobase nitrogen. We also present chemically rational models supporting the radical hypothesis that the polymerization of HCN yields ab initio mundi prebiotic protein and polynucleobase macromolecules of sufficient size and complexity to allow the spontaneous generation of pre-RNA World biopolymers capable of catalysis and information transfer.

The asymmetric unit of the title thiazole derivative containing a sulfonylhydrazinic moiety, C9H8ClN3O3S2·H2O, consists of two independent molecules and two water molecules. The central parts of the molecules are twisted as both the molecules are bent at both the S and N atoms. In the crystal, N—H...N, N—H...O, C—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen-bonding interactions connect the molecules, forming layers parallel to the ab plane. Two-dimensional fingerprint plots associated with the Hirshfeld surface show that the largest contributions to the crystal packing come from O...H/H...O (32.9%) and H...H (22.6%) interactions.

Let A be a finite commutative ring with unity (ring for short). Define a mapping ? : A2 ? A2 by (a, b) 7? (a + b, ab). One can interpret this mapping as a finite directed graph (digraph) G = G(A) with vertices A2 and arrows defined by ?. The main idea is to connect ring properties of A to graph properties of G. Particularly interesting are rings A = Z/nZ. Their graphs should reflect number-theoretic properties of integers. The first few graphs Gn = G(Z/nZ) are drawn and their numerical parameters calculated. From this list, some interesting properties concerning degrees of vertices and presence of loops are noticed and proved.

Die Berufsbildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung zielt darauf ab, die Bereitschaft und die Kompetenzen für nachhaltigkeitsorientiertes berufliches Handeln zu fördern. Bedingung dafür ist ein handlungswirksames Wissen. Der Beitrag beleuchtet vor diesem Hintergrund die Potenziale von Concept Maps zum Wissenserwerb und zur -strukturierung und in diesem Zuge Ergebnisse der Zusatzqualifikation für nachhaltiges Wirtschaften im Lebensmittelhandwerk „mach.werk“.

Conect AB wants to know how they can use ITIL in their organization. Right now their company is in an expansive phase and needs a more structured way to work. They have been thinking of improving their way of work for several years but haven’t had the time to do so. Now they have realized they need to work more efficiently to able to grow further. ITIL is a collection of best practices. ITIL’s purpose is to help IT organizations to get more organized to de able to benefit the business in a better way. ITIL is developed by OGC (Office Goverment of Commerce) in England. With the help

ITIL you can structure your work better and there by increase the efficiency of the IT process. ITIL is divided I several processes and each one of them have their own purpose. That makes everyone’s duties clear. The central parts of ITIL are Service Support and Service Delivery that gives an overview of how to work in an

IT organization. The information about ITIL that has been acquired through previous courses at School of Engineering in Jönköping. Some books about ITIL were used to furthermore gather information. The information about how Conect AB work has been put together through several interviews with the supervisor at the company. A survey was sent to several of their customers, which of three of them replied.

This provided a good idea about how Conect AB works today. At the moment the company doesn’t have a helpdesk system to handle incoming

incidents. This is considered as the weakest part for the moment. A helpdesk system could improve the efficiency of their work a lot. To handle the incoming incidents in a correct way Conect AB will need to build a helpdesk, instead of letting the customers call the technicians directly. If they choose to implement the advices given to improve them, they will probably be able to expand even more. The time saved by the improvements can be used more efficient. This will allow the costumer relations to increase.

Conect AB vill veta hur de kan använda ITIL i deras organisation. De befinner sig just nu i en expansiv fas och behöver ett mer strukturerat arbetssätt. De har funderat i flera år på att förbättra sitt arbetssätt men har inte haft tid att göra detta. De har nu insett att de måste effektivisera sitt arbetssätt om de skall kunna växa. ITIL är samling av de så kallade ”best practices” som betyder ungefär bra erfarenheter. ITIL ska hjälpa IT–organisationer med att bli mer organiserade och att öka sin nytta för affärsverksamheten. ITIL är framtaget av OGC (Office Goverment of Commerce) i England. Med hjälp av ITIL kan man strukturera sitt arbetssätt bättre och därmed öka effektiviteten på IT-processen. ITIL är indelat i

flera processer, var och en med sina speciella uppgifter så att alla vet vad de ska göra. De centrala delarna i ITIL är Service Support och Service Delivery som på ett övergripande sätt beskriver hur man kan jobba i en IT-organisation. Informationen om ITIL till det här arbetet har införskaffats genom tidigare kurser på Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping. Dessutom har böcker använts med

anknytning till ITIL. Informationen om Conect AB:s arbetssätt har sammanställts genom återkommande besök och samtal med handledaren hos uppdragsgivaren. Dessutom gjordes en enkättundersökning mot företagets kunder varav tre svarade.

Genom detta skapades det en bra bild över hur Conect AB arbetar.

För närvarande har firman inte något ärendehanteringssystem för inkommande ärenden. Detta ses som den största bristen idag. Ett ärendehanteringssystem skulle effektivisera deras arbetssätt väsentligt. För att kunna hantera ärendehanteringen

på ett korrekt sätt måste en helpdesk upprättas istället för att tekniker har hand om kundkontakten. Om företaget kommer att implementera förbättringsförslagen kommer de förmodligen att kunna få utrymme för att expandera. Vinsterna består i tidsbesparingar som kan användas mer effektivt. Dessutom kan man öka kundnöjdheten mot företaget.

As the communication deficit in the Arctic region is enormous especially above 75 [Deg] N latitude, the concern and opportunity of providing reliable & efficient connectivity in the Arctic region has beenduly noted & understood by N66 Connect AB (N66). This case study documents a comprehensive research which implements system engineering approach for establishment of a Ground Station (GS) at Svalbard, Norway with sole focus of connecting the inaccessible geographical region lying in the Arctic with rest of the world. Several GS system & subsystem are studied and comparative analysis is made on how the communication can be established with the N66 Connect AB (N66)’s potential clients and its satellites that are to be deployed in September, 2018.The case study resulted in analysis of several risks involved during development & operation of the GS,the hardware, software & operational architecture, the features of GS’s system capable of meeting N66’s objectives and the market potential of the service after GS operations.

Strategiska allianser eller förvärv är idag ett populärt sätt för företag att öka sina marknadsandelar och säkra den framtida utvecklingen för företagen. Detta är dock ingen enkel lösning och många strategiska allianser och förvärv misslyckas. För att undvika detta måste företagen vara medvetna om de risker som finns med denna sorts samarbeten. Strategiska allianser och förvärv innebär även förändringar i företagets försörjningskedja. Detta är den problematik som ITAB Shop Concept står inför då de nyligen har förvärvat och inlett ett samarbete med två fabriker i Tjeckien, dit de skall flytta sin produktion av IKEA:s kassadiskar. Vårt syfte är därför att påvisa vilka risker som uppstår vid samordningen av en förändring i försörjningskedjan, samt att studera hur de kulturella skillnaderna som finns kommer att påverka densamma. Med utgångspunkt i detta kommer olika designförslag på försörjningskedjor att ges.

Vår ansats i uppsatsen har varit en fallstudie av kvalitativ karaktär. Detta för att få en djupare förståelse i ITAB Shop Concept och de risker som deras försörjningskedja utsätts för när produktionen flyttas till Tjeckien. Vi har valt att arbeta efter det analytiska synsättet då detta passar vårt syfte bra. Vi har utfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med berörda parter både i Sverige och Tjeckien, samt utfört observationer och samlat in data på ITAB Shop Concept Jönköping AB. Intervjuerna och den insamlade informationen har sedan bearbetats och analyserats utifrån vårt syfte med hjälp av referensramen.

Slutsatserna med vår uppsats är att vid en förändring i en försörjningskedja finns det många risker att ta hänsyn till. Dessa risker påverkas av kulturella skillnader och svårigheter i informationsutbytet. För att minska inflytandet av riskerna är det viktigt att vara medveten om att de finns samt att kartlägga dem. Viktigt att notera är att risk management är en ständigt pågående process som kräver ständigt arbete. Vi anser att i ITAB:s fall är en självstyrande produktion i Tjeckien att föredra eftersom försörjningskedjan förenklar flödet av information samt att kommunikationssvårigheterna blir mindre.

Our purpose with this report is to create a structural basis over how to improve handling with international freight at ITAB Shop Concept (further mentioned as ITAB). We have through interviews with employees at ITAB and observations identified problems that have caused difficulties at handling with international freight, from the time when an order is placed to when it’s delivered to the customer. We have also interviewed shipping companies.

We have in the theory chapter written about shipping conditions for international freight and a main part of our theory is about NSAB 2000, which describes the obligations and rights shippers and consignee has.

In order to improve the efficiency ITAB has to be aware of the problems in the company and try to solve them.

The problems we have identified are described in the result chapter. One of the problems is that employees at the warehouse don’t know when gods is supposed to be shipped. This may result into gods being left over in the warehouse. We have in the analyze chapter listed our solutions to solve this problem and it has first priority in our classification table which are discussed further below. The classification table consist of problems that we have identified and each problem has a priority. The priority is based from two criteria’s, how difficult it’s to solve and how important it’s to solve the problem. We have thereafter multiplied these two criteria’s to get a priority list. The problems with the lowest points are the ones we suggest ITAB should solve first.

The Swedish branch of the WILO Group and the daughter of the WILO AG, which is one of the biggest producer of pumps worldwide, is going to introduce a new business organization concept in Sweden and evolve the present company's structure into a more customer-oriented one (Project-Oriented-Service-Organization) based on the experiences of the parental company in Germany – WILO AG.

A new service approach is going to be introduced by a company, which deals with business-to-business customers. Although manufacturers of industrial goods and equipment turn their interest from single transactions to doing business on the long-term scale with their customers, but still not many companies are in this process

Examensarbete 30 hp, Civilekonomprogrammet, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet, Controller, 4FE18E, VT 2017 Titel: Prestationsmätning i en global koncern - En fallstudie på ITAB Shop Concept Nässjö AB Författare: Sofie Engelbrekt and Susanna SvenssonExaminator: Fredrik KarlssonHandledare: Elin Funck Bakgrund: Globala organisationer står inför utmaningen att lyckas behålla flexibilitet och anpassning till lokala förutsättningar. Samtidigt som de behöver ena och hålla samman olika bolag till en enhet för att kunna nå globala konkurrensfördelar. Ett dotterbolag inom en global koncern behöver integrera koncernens strategier och mål, samtidigt som de anpassar sig utefter sin verksamhets förutsättningar. Prestationsmätningssystem kan hjälpa företag att styra verksamheten i rätt riktning. Alla organisationer har dock olika förutsättningar och strukturer, vilket gör att “ett bästa sätt” inte går att finna för hur ett prestationsmätningssystem bör utformas. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att utforma ett väl fungerande prestationsmätningssystem för ITAB Nässjö, genom att utvärdera den nuvarande prestationsmätning och identifiera förbättringsmöjligheter. Utvärderingen kommer ligga till grund för att utforma ett förbättrat prestationsmätningssystem som fångar lokala förutsättningar och fångar helheten i verksamheten såväl som integrationen till koncernen. Studien bidrar med kunskap inom prestationsmätning kopplat till ett företags lokala förutsättningar och komplexiteten i att integrera och koordinera en stor global koncern. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte behövs god insyn och djupgående information om ITAB Nässjö, vilket gör fallstudie till en lämplig metod. Datainsamling har framförallt skett genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, företagsdokument samt årsredovisningar. Slutsats: Studien identifierar ITAB Nässjös kritiska framgångsfaktorer, utefter vad som är strategiskt viktigt på lång sikt. Baserat på detta har förbättringsmöjligheter i den befintliga prestationsmätningen identifierats, vilket resulterar i ett förslag på hur ett förbättrat prestationsmätningssystem kan se ut som är utformat efter lokala förutsättningar, fångar helheten i verksamheten och bättre integrerar koncernens styrning.

ITAB Shop Concept Nässjö AB is a major actor in the shop interior decoration market. ITAB has during several years, seen their inventory levels increase and has experienced efficiency problems in their purchasing. Part of ITAB's problems is their customers’ very unsteady demand and their inability to give ITAB good information on when and where they will open or refurbish their stores. In ITAB’s efforts to improve their purchasing they have decided to move from a system where they exchange single orders with their suppliers, with a given, fixed delivery time, to a system of sending block orders and exchange forecasts. The block order system means that ITAB places an order for the full amount of an article needed during a set period. The suppliers will then deliver the amount needed by ITAB at several occasions specified by ITAB. Delivery schedules and forecast will give the supplier the information as to how much and when to deliver. However, this change has yet to be implemented. The purpose of this study is thus to analyse what effects such a change might have on ITAB and their suppliers.

The study made is based on a qualitative approach. The information used to analyse the problem was acquired through several semi-structured interviews with different managers within ITAB as well as two people within each of the supplier organisations. Five of ITAB’s suppliers were interviewed. The people interviewed in the supplier organisations all belonged to sales, or order department or production planning or vice president. Mapping was used to illustrate the current order flow, purchasing flow, and production flow within ITAB as well as the order flow in the supplier organisations.

The outcome of the interviews was that several of the suppliers showed a very positive attitude to the implementation of the block order system. The cooperation between them and ITAB seemed, according to both parties, to be working well. A good relationship is a good basis to introduce new routines and deepen the relationship. The suppliers believed that a forecast would give them the possibility to improve their production planning as well as their capacity use. However, each supplier set terms for its implementation. One being that the information sharing between the two companies must improve. ITAB also have to take the responsibility as well as ownership of everything they purchase. If this is the case, most suppliers aired a certain promise to be able to store ITAB’s products before delivering and to be able to implement the block order system. However, there need to be further negotiations between ITAB and the suppliers to discuss and settle the exact terms of contract.

It is the authors’ belief that some prerequisites must be fulfilled before ITAB implements the block order system. The information sharing between the two companies must improve. If the forecast shall give the suppliers some benefits, they need to be as accurate as possible. The communication about orders has to be timelier and fit the suppliers lead times better. Today, the suppliers often receive order information from ITAB too late, which causes difficulties. If the suppliers are to trust the forecasts, they must be as accurate as possible. It is the author’s belief that if this is not so the suppliers will increase their inventory costs as well as continue to have difficulties delivering. It is also the author’s belief that the communication between sales and purchasing in ITAB needs to improve so that the forecast can be updated in a timely fashion as well as correctly. More involvement of suppliers as well as purchasing and production within ITAB’s product development phase could help them prepare for changes, and prevent mishaps.

Acquisitions for a value of approximately $2 trillion are conducted globally every year with the motives of i.e., enhanced market power and increased shareholder value. Despite the interest in acquisitions the failure rate on acquisitions in 2011 was estimated to 70-90 %. Thus researchers have called for further examination on acquisitions and especially on the acquisition process, and strategic fit and organizational fit, which is believed to facilitate the outcome of the acquisitions. The acquisition process is described as a linear process con- sisting of two sub processes, pre-acquisition and post-acquisition, that acquiring organiza- tions progress through step-wise. The purpose of this study is to examine how the acquisition process and strategic fit and organizational fit can be handled to facilitate successful acquisitions. In order to get a deep and comprehensive understanding of the acquisitions process, the authors of this thesis have conducted a case study. The company, ITAB Shop Concept AB, has a background of 20 successful acquisitions, which have contributed to a steady growth in both turnover and share price. ITAB Shop Concept AB has been researched through in- depth interviews with key persons in the management, responsible for the acquisitions conducted. By adopting a dynamic approach to the acquisition process and taking an overall view of the strategic fit and organizational fit in each phase of the acquisition process, organiza- tions can understand and prevent the possible issues leading to failure. Furthermore organ- izations might benefit from having an acquisition process adapted for each acquisition tar- get. For example it is found that by conducting due-diligence in the post-acquisition pro- cess instead of the pre-acquisition process, and keeping the same persons in the acquisition team, more efficient use of resources and prior experience is facilitated.

This article describes the properties of molecular nanowires as electrical conductors. It begins by defining a molecular nanowire and describing a specific example of a molecular nanowire, along with the concept of molecular nanowire self-assembly. It then considers how molecular nanowires are realized in the laboratory as well as the relationships between these methodologies, the systems that are produced and some experiments being performed on them. It also looks at the different kinds of molecules, electrodes and linkers out of which molecular nanowires are being or may be constructed; the Landauer approach to electrical conduction in molecular nanowires; the principles and limitations of ab-initio and semi-empirical modelling of molecular nanowires in the context of electrical conduction; and four specific experimental systems and the extent to which their observed behavior has been understood theoretically. The article concludes with a summary of key issues for the future development of the field.

This chapter focuses on political life within the city commune. Although each political group tended to represent itself as ‘the whole’, division in the political body not only existed but was in fact a constituent part of communal experience, where a variety of different social groups and sectors confronted one another in increasingly regulated and disciplined forms. To see how the ideologies of unity came to terms with the theme of plurality means, therefore, investigating phenomena in the context of political culture, such as the organization of assemblies, the decision-making process, and the mediation of councils. In this respect the chapter casts light on the development of new civic values, such as aequalitas, and fresh legal principles, such as quod omnes tangit ab omnibus comprobetur—what affects everybody must be agreed upon by everybody—which succeeded not only in justifying collective decision-making but also in establishing the principle of representation.

The main view promoted by this book is that underlying many different aspects of reality is some form of information processing. The theory of information started rather innocently, as the result of a very specific question that Shannon considered, which was how to maximize the capacity of communication between two users. Shannon showed that all we need is to associate a probability to an event, and defined a metric that allowed you to quantify the information content of that event. Interestingly, because of its simplicity and intuitiveness, Shannon’s views have been successfully applied to many other problems. We can view biological information through Shannon’s theory as a communication in time (where the objective of natural selection is to propagate the gene pool into the future). But it is not only that communications and biology are trying to optimize information. In physics, systems arrange themselves so that entropy is maximized, and this entropy is quantified in the same way as Shannon’s information. We encounter the same form of information in other phenomena. Financial speculation is also governed by the same concept of entropy, and optimizing your profit is the same problem as optimizing your channel capacity. In social theory, society is governed by its interconnectedness or correlation and this correlation itself is quantified by Shannon’s entropy. Underlying all these phenomena was the classical Boolean logic where events had clear outcomes, either yes or no, on or off, and so on. In our most accurate description of reality, given by quantum theory, we know that bits of information are an approximation to a much more precise concept of qubits. Qubits, unlike bits, can exist in a multitude of states, any combination of yes and no, on and off. Shannon’s information theory has been extended to account for quantum theory and the resulting framework, quantum information theory, has already shown a number of advantages. The greater power of quantum information theory is manifested in more secure cryptographic protocols, a completely new order of computing, quantum teleportation, and a number of other applications that were simply not possible according to Shannon’s view.

Since the introduction of classical and semiclassical molecular dynamics (MD) methods in the 1960s and Gaussian procedures to conduct electronic structure calculations in the 1970s, a principal objective of theoretical chemistry has been to combine the two methods so that MD and quantum mechanical studies can be conducted on ab initio potential surfaces. Although numerous procedures have been attempted, the goal of first principles, ab initio dynamics calculations has proven to be elusive when the system contains five or more atoms moving in unrestricted three-dimensional space. For many years, the conventional wisdom has been that ab initio MD calculations for complex systems containing five or more atoms with several open reaction channels are presently beyond our computational capabilities. The rationale for this view are (a) the inherent difficulty of high level ab initio quantum calculations on complex systems that may take numerous, large-scale computations impossible, (b) the large dimensionality of the configuration space for such systems that makes it necessary to examine prohibitively large numbers of nuclear configurations, and (c) the extreme difficulty associated with obtaining sufficiently converged results to permit accurate interpolation of numerical data obtained from electronic structure calculations when the dimensionality of the system is nine or greater. Neural networks (NN) derive their name from the fact that their interlocking structure superficially resembles the neural network of a human brain and from the fact that NNs can sense the underlying correlations that exist in a database and properly map them in a manner analogous to the way a human brain can execute pattern recognition. Artificial neurons were first proposed in 1943 by Warren McCulloch, a neurophysiologist, and Walter Pitts, an MIT logician. NNs have been employed by engineers for decades to assist in the solution of a multitude of problems. Nevertheless, the power of NNs to assist in the solution of numerous problems that occur in chemical reaction dynamics is just now being realized by the chemistry community.

This study was carried out to examine the production of liquid fertilizer made from goat feces (LFGF) as well as the potency of LFGF for increasing plant growth and yield of vegetables. The study was conducted through 3 studies. The first study was begun with compiling a formulation for LFGF. The selected-raw-material was goat feces added with sugar and ZA, as well as EM (Lactobacillus sp., Actinomycetes sp., Streptomyces sp. and Yeast). The experimental results indicated that an increase in the concentration of ZA resulted in an increase in the total N and S content, as well as an increase EC of LFGF. Increased sugar concentration results in a decrease in pH and an increase in lactic acid content, whereas an increase in ZA decreases the formation of acetic acid. The use of sugar 25 g L−1 water and ZA 50 g L−1 water could produce the best quality of LFGF. The second study was to examine the selected LFGF combined with AB-Mix nutrient solution on the growth and yield of three types of leaf vegetables which were cultivated hydroponically. The results indicated that LFGF can potentially replace AB-Mix fertilizer by up to 50% in hydroponic vegetable cultivation. The third study was to examine the selected LFGF as nutrients availability of mustard that was cultivated in pots, given through planting media with a concentration of 1:40 L−1 water (EC 2300 μS cm−1). It shows that LFGF has the potential to increase the growth and yield of mustard plants in pots.

Chapter 3 discusses how the categories set up in his preface – vita et mores – played a key role throughout the narrative of the history of Rome in his Ab Urbe Condita. The numerous uses of virtus in relation to martial bravery in Livy’s accounts of the wars, the link between virtus and the history of the gradual acquisition of libertas by the Roman people, and the ways in which virtus is put at risk are addressed here to explain Livy’s interpretation of the concept. Parallels and references to Augustus’ virtus-language or virtus-image are given to place Livy within the broader picture of his time.

This chapter focuses on the prospective symbols and labels introduced by William Oughtred, whose Clavis mathematicae, completed in 1631, used for the first time the St. Andrews cross x as a symbol of multiplication. Before that, multiplication was signified by juxtaposition; ab meant a times b. That was fine, as long as the multiplicands were symbols themselves. When it came to definite numbers, however, there was ambiguity. The use of juxtaposition was not a symbol; it was a concept of notation that tempted confusion. The chapter considers how most rhetorical mathematics writing shifted to symbolic writing and how algebra became heavily symbolic by the seventeenth century.

The challenge for every multinational manufacturing company with the ambition to implement the lean production concept is how to implement it worldwide within its global manufacturing footprint. There are many decisions that need to be taken from a company group perspective when planning and implementing a lean program. These concern the level of standardization on principles and tools, how to structure and organize additional resources, how to share experiences within the organization, and how to sustain the effort. These factors are elaborated in this chapter from a factory perspective based on the presentation of the lean journey of Gyproc AB, a process industry company within the Gypsum part of the large Saint Gobain group. The company has worked for about ten years with implementing world-class manufacturing and has extensive experience of the issues of starting-up and sustaining the lean-based concept.

This chapter discusses the concepts underlying the Hartree-Fock (HF) electronic structure method. First, it is shown how the energy expectation value is calculated for a Slater determinant (SD) wavefunction in the case of orthonormal orbitals. This leads to the definition of the electron repulsion integrals (ERIs). Next, the energy is minimized subject to the orthonormality constraints. This leads to the HF equation for the orbitals. The HF orbital energies are Langrange multipliers representing the constraints. An unknown set of orbitals can be determined from an initial guess via a self-consistent field (SCF) cycle. The HF scheme is discussed for closed-shell versus open shell systems, leading to the distinction between spin restricted and unrestricted HF (RHF, UHF). Kohn-Sham density functional theory (DFT) is introduced and its approximate version is placed in the context of ab-initio versus semi-empirical quantum chemistry methods.

A sodium-cooled MOX-fueled FBR core concept to improve nuclear proliferation resistance was proposed. First, we set an index for the nuclear proliferation resistance. In a previous study, reactor-grade Pu was defined such that the Pu-240 isotopic ratio was larger than 18%. Another study defined nuclear proliferation resistance with the Pu-238 isotopic ratio considering its higher spontaneous fission rate and decay heat. We tentatively use the total isotope composition ratio of Pu-238 and Pu-240 as a proliferation resistance index in line with the earlier studies. Next, we designed the sodium-cooled mixed-oxide (MOX)-fueled core concept with the breeding ratio (BR) of over 1.1 without a radial blanket. To attain the index for nuclear proliferation resistance, we added minor actinides (MAs) to the axial blanket fuel (AB). Contents of MAs in the AB to achieve the proliferation resistance index were evaluated. For the case of Np as a representative MA, the minimum content of Np to achieve the index was 3%. And, for the case of loading all MAs, the minimum content of MAs was 10.5%.

Abstract 1/2X forward whirl repeatedly occurred after a test rotor spinning at 5,800 rpm was dropped onto ball bearing type auxiliary bearings AB, utilized as a backup for magnetic bearings. The measured contact forces that occurred between the rotor and the auxiliary bearing during the ½X subsynchronous vibration were about thirteen times larger than the static reaction force. The vibration frequency coincided with the rotor-support system natural frequency with the rotor at rest on the auxiliary bearing AB, an occurred at ½ of the rotor spin speed when dropped. The test rig provided measurements of rotor-bearing contact force, rotor orbit (vibrations), and rotational speed during rotor drop events. A simulation model was also developed and demonstrated that parametric excitation in the form of a Mathieu Hill model replicated the measured 1/2X forward whirl vibrations. The simulation model included a nonlinear, elastic-thermal coupled, ball bearing type auxiliary bearing model. The transient model successfully predicted the 1/2X vibration when the rotor was passing 5800RPM as well, and the simulation results quantitatively agreed well with the test results in the frequency domain. Several approaches for mitigating the 1/2X forward whirl were presented such as adding an elastomer O-ring or waviness spring in the AB support system. Measurements confirmed that adding AB dampers effectively mitigated the ½ subsynchronous forward whirl and significantly reduced the contact forces.

For ships operating in combat situations, estimating the response of the bottom and side shells subjected to non-contact underwater blast load is of paramount importance. The damage severity in underwater explosion (UNDEX) depends not only on the shock factor but also on the type of fluid behind the structure (air or water). The response of a free-standing air-backed (AB) and water-backed (WB) plate has already been studied analytically by Liu and Young [1]. However, analysis for AB or WB conditions for fixed flexible plate structures has not been given due importance. In the present study, the equation of motion for the generalized single degree of freedom (SDOF) model for AB or WB plate, which accounts for its flexibility, is formulated from the principle of virtual work. However, since this model is constructed to have a global overview of the present problem without taking account of its inherent complexities, a detailed numerical investigation using MSC.DYTRAN solver is carried out for bare and stiffened plates. The results obtained from both the analytical model and numerical simulations clearly show significant reduction in displacement in case of WB condition compared to AB condition for equal shock factors. This study emphasizes the fact that WB condition can be used to our advantage in order to reduce damage associated with UNDEX in case of doublebottom or double-hull naval vessels.

Recent research on biofuels for power generation has typically focused on biodiesel because the biodiesel feedstrock, e.g., vegetable oil, poses significant combustion problems related to poor atomization. Existing injectors cannot effectively atomize high viscosity fuels such as vegetable oil. However, a new, novel flow-blurring (FB) injector concept has shown promise in overcoming the atomization problems. In this study, a FB injector is compared to a commercial air-blast (AB) injector operated with water at ambient conditions of temperature and pressure. Laser sheet visualization and Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) systems are used to obtain the spray characteristics for a range of air to liquid (ALR) ratios. Results show significant difference in distributions of Sauter Mean Diameters (SMDs), and mean and root-mean square axial velocity for the two injectors operated at a fixed ALR. In comparison to the AB injector, the FB injector produced spray with smaller SMDs, a smaller SMD range over the spray volume, higher RMS and mean axial velocities in the center region, and a compact spray with spray angle nearly independent of ALR. Results show that the FB injector is an effective way of atomizing liquids at relatively low ALRs compared to a traditional AB injector, without the additional pressure drop penalty.

Swedish Exergy AB commercialised Super-Heated Steam Drying (SHSD) technology – an invention from Chalmers University of Technology. New application for drying and valorisation of Distillers Wet Grain and Soluble (DWGS) has been sucessfully developed and deployed at one of the sites in Europe. The SHSD technology has been adapted to this application. Key development includes novel and innovative concept of back-mixing in pressurised loop. Keywords: Super-heated steam drying; DWGS, DDGS, Back-mixing

Crushed animal waste, given the trade name Biomal, has successfully been combusted in Fluidized Bed Boilers with low emission data. About 500 tons of Biomal were co-combusted in full scale tests in commercial boilers with wood chips, peat and sorted municipal waste. The mixing ratios varied between 30% and 65% depending on the fuel mix. In order to minimize the spread of BSE-infection among cattle a new EU legislation became effective in October 2000. This regulation stipulates that animal waste such as carcasses and SRM (Specific Risk Material) from slaughterhouses has to be destroyed by combustion. The company Konvex AB, which in Sweden is responsible for taking care of this type of animal waste, has together with S.E.P. (Scandinavian Energy Project AB) developed a cost effective concept for using animal waste as a fuel without first processing it into fat and meat meal. The Biomal fuel has been continuously co-combusted for 7 days in a 12 MWth bubbling fluidized bed boiler and for 3 days in a 40 MWth circulating fluidized bed boiler with very good operating performance. During the test periods ordinary emission data such as CO, SO2, NOx, TOC etc. as well as specific compounds such as Dioxins and heavy metals were measured recorded. All data including operating parameters in the EU regulation for co-combustion of waste, EU 2000/76/EG, were met. The CO-levels were below 50 mg/m3n and the TOC-levels were most of the time undetectable and well below 10 mg/m3n. • Despite a much higher nitrogen content in the Biomal fuel compared to wood chips the NOx-emissions were unaffected or in some chases reduced by up to 50% while firing Biomal. • No increased Dioxin emission where measured.

The thermal conversion of biomass fuels using different combustion technologies has increased worldwidely in the latest years due to the energetic exploitation potential of wastes as well as to the strong increase of environmental consciousness in the industrial sector. In this work the bagasse obtained from the apple juice industry (AB) was characterized and the gaseous emissions resulting from its combustion in a pilot scale cyclone combustor were measured and compared to limits imposed by Brazilian and international current legislations. Wood and wood-based materials are extensively used as fuel for thermal energy generation particularly in the Brazilian food industry, which demands large amounts of steam. Considering that, sawdust (SD) was also characterized, burned in the same conditions and the gaseous emissions analyzed for comparison purposes. Sampling for the volatile organic compounds benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene (BTEX, expressed as total organic carbon, TOC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were performed and the samples analyzed by gaseous chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Chemical properties showed that the volatile matter value of AB is high (85.36 wt%, daf) what indicates that the solid burn rapidly. The absence of sulfur in its composition represents an advantage in relation to fossil fuels because its combustion does not release sulfur derived compounds. The lower heating value is 21.09 MJ.kg−1 (daf), 26.9% higher than the heating value of SD (16.62 MJ.kg−1). The effect of the N fuel content found in AB composition was clearly noticed through the high NOx concentration in the flue gas resulted from its burning. Comparing the properties and the burning profiles of SD and AB, it can be stated that this industrial waste obtained from the apple juice industry is suitable for direct combustion, constituting a renewable energy source for this industrial sector, however, measures as air staging and staged addition of fuel, or flue gas cleaning technologies would be required for reducing the NOx emission. Concerning the presence of toxic compounds as PAH, they were not detected once the operation conditions applied resulted in controlled gaseous emissions and temperature profile. Also, TOC concentrations remained below the regulations limits considered.

Associated gases at oil wells are often rich in heavy hydrocarbons (HHC, here denoting hydrocarbons heavier than propane). HHC cause handling difficulties and the combustion properties are quite different from standard natural gas. For this and other reasons HHC rich associated gases are often flared or vented. This is an enormous waste of useable energy and a significant contribution to emissions of pollutants, global CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB in Finspong (SIT AB) recently tested a standard DLE 25 MW SGT-600 gas turbine and a standard 31 MW SGT-700 gas turbine with HHC rich natural gas. Pentane was chosen as a model substance for HHC. The tested gases had up to 30% of the fuel heating value from pentane. The unmodified standard DLE gas turbines proved to be very tolerant to the tested pentane rich gases. CO emissions were reduced with increasing pentane content in the fuel for the same power output. NOx was observed to increase linearly with the pentane content. Combustion dynamics was affected mildly, but noticeably by the pentane rich fuel. This result, together with earlier presented results for the same DLE engines on nitrogen rich natural gases, gives an accepted and tested total LHV range of 25–50 MJ/kg and Wobbe index range of 25–55 MJ/Nm3. No special adaptation of the gas turbines was necessary for allowing this wide fuel range. The benefit of increased and proven fuel flexibility is obvious as it allows the gas turbine owner to make full use of opportunity fuels and to supply power at low fuel cost.