Letteratura scientifica selezionata sul tema "Heterogeneous production processes"

As a promising renewable fuel, biodiesel has gained worldwide attention to replace fossil-derived mineral diesel due to the threats concerning the depletion of fossil reserves and ecological constraints. Biodiesel production via transesterification involves using homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzymatic catalysts to speed up the reaction. The usage of heterogeneous catalysts over homogeneous catalysts are considered more advantageous and cost-effective. Therefore, several heterogeneous catalysts have been developed from variable sources to make the overall production process economical. After achieving optimum performance of these catalysts and chemical processes, the research has been directed in other perspectives, such as the application of non-conventional methods such as microwave, ultrasonic, plasma heating etc, aiming to enhance the efficiency of the overall process. This mini review is targeted to focus on the research carried out up to this date on microwave-supported heterogeneously catalysed biodiesel production. It discusses the phenomenon of microwave heating, synthesis techniques for heterogeneous catalysts, microwave mediated transesterification reaction using solid catalysts, special thermal effects of microwaves and parametric optimisation under microwave heating. The review shows that using microwave technology on the heterogeneously catalysed transesterification process greatly decreases reaction times (5–60 min) while maintaining or improving catalytic activity (>90%) when compared to traditional heating.

The opacity of machine learning data is a significant threat to ethical data work and intelligible systems. Previous research has addressed this issue by proposing standardized checklists to document datasets. This paper expands that field of inquiry by proposing a shift of perspective: from documenting datasets towards documenting data production. We draw on participatory design and collaborate with data workers at two companies located in Bulgaria and Argentina, where the collection and annotation of data for machine learning are outsourced. Our investigation comprises 2.5 years of research, including 33 semi-structured interviews, five co-design workshops, the development of prototypes, and several feedback instances with participants. We identify key challenges and requirements related to the integration of documentation practices in real-world data production scenarios. Our findings comprise important design considerations and highlight the value of designing data documentation based on the needs of data workers. We argue that a view of documentation as a boundary object, i.e., an object that can be used differently across organizations and teams but holds enough immutable content to maintain integrity, can be useful when designing documentation to retrieve heterogeneous, often distributed, contexts of data production.

Nowadays there are important problems of increasing efficiency of development and exploitation of gas deposits. There are problems associated with the growth of gas production in heterogeneous anisotropic reservoirs, increasing gas recovery, achieving economic efficiency and so on. In this situation, there are popular methods of computer modeling of gas productive reservoirs, because they allow getting information of the structure and characteristics of the gas reservoir, the distribution parameters of permeability and other important factors in it. They also allow evaluating and calculating uncertainty arising from the lack of information about the gas reservoir properties outside the well. Currently there are many methods of computer modeling, allowing solving various practical problems. From another hand there are some problems related to the accuracy and adequacy of simulation of heterogeneous anisotropic permeable collector systems in real conditions of gas deposits exploitation. On the base of combined finite-element-difference method for solving the nonstationary anisotropic piezoconductivity Lebenson problem, with calculating of heterogeneous distribution of permeable characteristics of the gas reservoir, we carried out modeling of filtration processes between production and injection wells. The results of computer modeling show that intensity of the filtration process between production and injection wells depends essentially on their location both in a shifting-isotropic and anisotropic gas reservoir. Therefore, for the effective using of poorly permeable shifting-isotropic gas-bearing reservoirs, it is necessary to place production and injection wells along the main anisotropy axes of the gas-bearing layers. At the placing production and injection well systems in low-permeable anisotropic reservoirs of a gas field, the most effective exchange between them will take place when the direction of increased permeability of the reservoirs coincides with the direction of the location of the wells. Obviously, the best conditions for gas production processes in any practical case can be achieved due to optimal selection of all anisotropic filtration parameters of the gas reservoir. One can use obtained results for practical geophysical works with a purpose optimizing of gas production activity in low-permeable heterogeneous anisotropic reservoirs. Presented method for more detailed investigation of low-permeable heterogeneous anisotropic gas-bearing deposits can be used.

Synchronizing heterogeneous processes remains a difficult issue in Scheduling area. Related ILP models are in trouble, because of large gaps induced by rational relaxation. We choose here to deal with it while emulating the interactions which take place between the various players of such heterogeneous processes, and propose a pipe-line decomposition of a dynamic programming process designed in order to schedule energy production and energy consumption

Abstract. We analyzed measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors made at rural/suburban sites downwind of four large Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou, to elucidate their pollution characteristics, regional transport, in situ production, and impacts of heterogeneous processes. The same measurement techniques and observation-based model were used to minimize uncertainties in comparison of the results due to difference in methodologies. All four cities suffered from serious O3 pollution but showed different precursor distributions. The model-calculated in situ O3 production rates were compared with the observed change rates to infer the relative contributions of on-site photochemistry and transport. At the rural site of Beijing, export of the well-processed urban plumes contributed to the extremely high O3 levels (up to an hourly value of 286 ppbv), while the O3 pollution observed at suburban sites of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou was dominated by intense in-situ production. The O3 production was in a VOCs-limited regime in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a NOx-controlled regime in Lanzhou. The key VOC precursors are aromatics and alkenes in Shanghai, and aromatics in Guangzhou. The potential impacts on O3 production of several heterogeneous processes, namely, hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), uptake of hydro peroxy radical (HO2) on particles and surface reactions of NO2 forming nitrous acid (HONO), were assessed. The analyses indicate the varying and considerable impacts of these processes in different areas of China depending on the atmospheric abundances of aerosol and NOx, and suggest the urgent need to better understand these processes and represent them in photochemical models.

Biodiesel, an environmentally friendly biomass-based fuel, is gaining popularity globally as a cost-effective way to meet rising fuel demand. However, the high cost of raw materials and catalysts continues to drive up biodiesel production. An alternative feedstock with a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction could be the most cost-effective way to stabilize industrial biodiesel growth. Understanding these issues led to the idea of using waste palm oil as a feedstock for biodiesel production. While using waste materials as feedstock for biodiesel is an elegant solution, converting high free fatty acids (FFA) directly into methyl esters has some drawbacks. High FFA processes (acid esterification, then base transesterification) are costly. The commercial processes currently use a homogeneous system with sulfuric acid to catalyze both esterification and transesterification. However, heterogeneous solid acid catalysts are preferred over hazardous mineral acids for high FFA esterification because they are less corrosive, produce less waste, and are easier to separate from reactants and products by filtration, recovery, and reusability. Heterogeneous acid catalysts can also simultaneously catalyze transesterification and esterification reactions. Thus, new waste-based support for heterogeneous catalysts (solid acid catalysts) is required to convert waste oils into biodiesel.

Abstract. We analyzed the measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors made at rural/suburban sites downwind of four large Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou, to elucidate their pollution characteristics, regional transport, in situ production, and impacts of heterogeneous processes. The same measurement techniques and observation-based model were used to minimize uncertainties in comparison of the results due to difference in methodologies. All four cities suffered from serious O3 pollution but showed different precursor distributions. The model-calculated in situ O3 production rates were compared with the observed change rates to infer the relative contributions of on-site photochemistry and transport. At the rural site downwind of Beijing, export of the well-processed urban plumes contributed to the extremely high O3 levels (up to an hourly value of 286 ppbv), while the O3 pollution observed at suburban sites of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou was dominated by intense in situ production. The O3 production was in a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a NOx-limited regime in Lanzhou. The key VOC precursors are aromatics and alkenes in Shanghai, and aromatics in Guangzhou. The potential impacts on O3 production of several heterogeneous processes, namely, hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), uptake of hydro peroxy radical (HO2) on particles and surface reactions of NO2 forming nitrous acid (HONO), were assessed. The analyses indicate the varying and considerable impacts of these processes in different areas of China depending on the atmospheric abundances of aerosol and NOx, and suggest the urgent need to better understand these processes and represent them in photochemical models.

Energy security and environmental concerns, related to the increasing carbon emissions, have prompted in the last years the search for renewable and sustainable fuels. Biodiesel, a mixture of fatty acids alkyl esters shows properties, which make it a feasible substitute for fossil diesel. Biodiesel can be produced using different processes and different raw materials. The most common, first generation, biodiesel is produced by methanolysis of vegetable oils using basic or acid homogeneous catalysts. The use of vegetable oils for biodiesel production raises serious questions about biodiesel sustainability. Used cooking oils and animal fats can replace the vegetable oils in biodiesel production thus allowing to produce a more sustainable biofuel. Moreover, methanol can be replaced by ethanol being totally renewable since it can be produced by biomass fermentation. The substitution of homogeneous catalyzed processes, nowadays used in the biodiesel industry, by heterogeneous ones can contribute to improve the biodiesel sustainability with simultaneous cost reduction. From the existing literature on biodiesel production, it stands out that several strategies can be adopted to improve the sustainability of biodiesel. A literature review is presented to underline the strategies allowing to improve the biodiesel sustainability.

Presently, the use of fossil fuels is not ecologically sustainable, which results in the need for new alternative energies such as biodiesel. This work presents a review of the classification of the lipidic feedstocks and the catalysts for biodiesel production. It also presents the pros and cons of the different processes and feedstocks through which biodiesel is obtained. In this context, cooking oil (WCO) has emerged as an alternative with a high potential for making the process sustainable. A detected limitation to achieving this is the high content of free fatty acids (FFA) and existing problems related to homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. To overcome this, the use of bifunctional catalysts is being evaluated by the scientific community. Thus, this work also explores the advances in the study of bifunctional catalysts, which are capable of simultaneously carrying out the esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) and the triglycerides present in the WCO. For the sake of an improved understanding of biodiesel production, flow diagrams and the mechanisms implied by each type of process (enzymatic, homogenous, and heterogeneous) are provided. This article also highlights some of the challenges in catalyst development for sustainable biodiesel production from low-grade raw materials.

Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le contexte de la maintenance prévisionnelle des processus de production hétérogènes, en ciblant trois problématiques scientifiques : la détection des dérives sans besoin de données étiquetées, le diagnostic des dérives à l’aide de méthodes hybrides, et l’intégration de ces activités dans une approche méthodologique adaptable. La première contribution propose, via un logigramme décisionnel, une méthode guidée pour sélectionner les algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique les mieux adaptés aux données via le calcul d’indicateurs. La deuxième contribution présente un diagnostic hybride, combinant classificateurs binaires et arbres de décision enrichis par des connaissances expertes, pour identifier les causes racine des dérives. Enfin, la troisième contribution élabore une approche méthodologique intégrée de détection et diagnostic des dérives de processus intégrant des étapes d’apprentissage continu, pour permettre l’adaptation aux évolutions des processus. Validée sur un processus industriel chez SEW USOCOME, cette approche montre des résultats prometteurs et confirme la pertinence des contributions
This thesis is set in the context of predictive maintenance for heterogeneous production processes, targeting three scientific issues: drift detection without the need for labeled data, drift diagnosis using hybrid methods, and the integration of these activities into an adaptable methodological approach. The first contribution proposes, via a decision logigram, a guided method for selecting the machine learning algorithms best suited to the data via the calculation of indicators. The second contribution presents a hybrid diagnosis, combining binary classifiers and decision trees enriched with expert knowledge, to identify the root causes of drift. Finally, the third contribution develops an integrated methodological approach to process drift detection and diagnosis, incorporating continuous learning steps to enable adaptation to process evolutions. Validated on an industrial process at SEW USOCOME, this approach shows promising results and confirms the relevance of the contributions

L’oxydation catalytique du propylène en acroléine en phase gazeuse est un procédé complexe et fortement exothermique, faisant intervenir de nombreuses réactions consécutives et compétitives. Une des clés pour maximiser le rendement en acroléine est le contrôle rigoureux de la température du mélange réactionnel ; il s’agit de lever les limitations aux transferts thermiques, afin d’évacuer l’importante chaleur de réaction. Un échangeur-réacteur milli-structuré a ainsi été retenu pour intensifier le procédé. En effet, de par la taille millimétrique de ses canaux ainsi que le choix d’un dépôt du catalyseur industriel sur les parois internes de ceux-ci, les transferts de chaleur et de matière sont améliorés. Afin de réaliser ce dimensionnement, une étude préliminaire de la cinétique des réactions a été réalisée et un modèle cinétique a été déterminé. Ce dernier a été utilisé afin de dégager les conditions optimales de fonctionnement d’un canal réactif (température, nombre de canaux composition), et afin d’extrapoler ces conditions sur un agencement structuré des canaux réactifs. La forme des chambres de distribution et de collecte du réacteur-échangeur ainsi que sa structure ont été déterminées et optimisées afin d’atteindre un rendement élevé par un contrôle optimal de la température, de minimiser la maldistribution des fluides et d’assurer la sécurité du procédé. Ce réacteur-échangeur intensifié, à la géométrie complexe, a finalement été fabriqué par impression 3D, au sein du projet français FAIR (Fabrication Additive pour l’Intensification des Réacteurs)
The catalytic oxidation of propylene to acrolein is a complex and highly exothermic process carried out in the gas phase, involving consecutive and competitive reactions. To maximize the efficiency of this process, the temperature needs to be rigorously controlled and the thermal transfers must be maximized, in order to evacuate the heat released by the reactions. A millistructured reactor-exchanger has thus been chosen to intensify this process. Indeed, millimetric channels washcoated with an industrial catalyst provide intensified heat and mass transfer. To carry out this design, a preliminary study of the kinetics of these reactions was carried out and a kinetic model was determined. This model was then used to identify the optimal operating conditions of a single reactive channel (temperature, number of channels, composition), and to extrapolate these conditions for the design of an intensified reactor exchanger. The shape of the distribution and collect chambers of these reactive channels were then optimized to minimize maldistribution, maximize the acrolein yield with an optimal control of the temperature, and to ensure the safety of the process. This intensified reactor-exchanger with complex geometry was finally manufactured by 3D printing, within the French project FAIR (Additive Manufacturing for the Intensification of Reactors)

L’oxydation catalytique du propylène en acroléine en phase gazeuse est un procédé complexe et fortement exothermique, faisant intervenir de nombreuses réactions consécutives et compétitives. Une des clés pour maximiser le rendement en acroléine est le contrôle rigoureux de la température du mélange réactionnel ; il s’agit de lever les limitations aux transferts thermiques, afin d’évacuer l’importante chaleur de réaction. Un échangeur-réacteur milli-structuré a ainsi été retenu pour intensifier le procédé. En effet, de par la taille millimétrique de ses canaux ainsi que le choix d’un dépôt du catalyseur industriel sur les parois internes de ceux-ci, les transferts de chaleur et de matière sont améliorés. Afin de réaliser ce dimensionnement, une étude préliminaire de la cinétique des réactions a été réalisée et un modèle cinétique a été déterminé. Ce dernier a été utilisé afin de dégager les conditions optimales de fonctionnement d’un canal réactif (température, nombre de canaux composition), et afin d’extrapoler ces conditions sur un agencement structuré des canaux réactifs. La forme des chambres de distribution et de collecte du réacteur-échangeur ainsi que sa structure ont été déterminées et optimisées afin d’atteindre un rendement élevé par un contrôle optimal de la température, de minimiser la maldistribution des fluides et d’assurer la sécurité du procédé. Ce réacteur-échangeur intensifié, à la géométrie complexe, a finalement été fabriqué par impression 3D, au sein du projet français FAIR (Fabrication Additive pour l’Intensification des Réacteurs)
The catalytic oxidation of propylene to acrolein is a complex and highly exothermic process carried out in the gas phase, involving consecutive and competitive reactions. To maximize the efficiency of this process, the temperature needs to be rigorously controlled and the thermal transfers must be maximized, in order to evacuate the heat released by the reactions. A millistructured reactor-exchanger has thus been chosen to intensify this process. Indeed, millimetric channels washcoated with an industrial catalyst provide intensified heat and mass transfer. To carry out this design, a preliminary study of the kinetics of these reactions was carried out and a kinetic model was determined. This model was then used to identify the optimal operating conditions of a single reactive channel (temperature, number of channels, composition), and to extrapolate these conditions for the design of an intensified reactor exchanger. The shape of the distribution and collect chambers of these reactive channels were then optimized to minimize maldistribution, maximize the acrolein yield with an optimal control of the temperature, and to ensure the safety of the process. This intensified reactor-exchanger with complex geometry was finally manufactured by 3D printing, within the French project FAIR (Additive Manufacturing for the Intensification of Reactors)

La distillation réactive est un exemple emblématique de l’intensification de procédés. Cependant, le couplage réaction/séparation génère des complexités importantes en termes de dynamique, de contrôle et de supervision qui constituent une barrière pour leur mise en œuvre industrielle. Ces aspects doivent être considérés dès la phase de conception sous peine de concevoir une colonne difficilement contrôlable. Une méthodologie existante est étendue afin d’y intégrer les aspects de contrôlabilité et de diagnosticabilité. L’étape de conception étudie les courbes de résidu et extractives réactives, identifie les paramètres opérationnels et propose des configurations de colonne respectant les spécifications. La meilleure configuration est choisie sur des critères de contrôlabilité par l’analyse de différents indicateurs quantitatifs et qualitatifs identifiés à l’aide de simulations en régime permanent et dynamique. La méthodologie est appliquée à la production industrielle d’acétate d’éthyle. Deux campagnes expérimentales ont permis de fiabiliser le modèle de simulation de la colonne. La méthodologie permet d’identifier les sensibilités et montre que il est possible d’agir sur les trois degrés de liberté de la colonne double alimentation pour atteindre les spécifications industrielles ; les variables contrôlées sont sélectionnées dans des sections spécifiques, similaires pour différentes configurations de colonne. Concernant le diagnostic, l’utilisation de capteurs de composition semble la plus pertinente mais la complexité de leur utilisation industrielle (cout) peut être contournée par la sélection d’un nombre plus important de capteurs de température judicieusement positionnés. Les résultats de contrôlabilité et de diagnosticabilité sont en cohérence et bien intégrés dans la conception des colonnes réactives
Reactive distillation involves complexities on process dynamics, control and supervision. This work proposes a methodology integrating controllability and diagnosability as from conceptual design. The choice of the most appropriate feasible configuration is conducted though an indices-based method, regarding steady-state and dynamic simulations, for the ethyl acetate production. Experimental campaigns were performed to acquire reliable models. The methodology highlights the process sensitivities and shows that three degrees of freedom of the double-feed column can be manipulated to ensure the industrial specifications; the controlled variables are selected at similar specific locations for all column configurations. Concerning diagnosis, the use of composition sensors seems to be the most appropriate solution, but the same performances can be reached with more temperature sensors judiciously placed

Tesis por compendio
[ES] Algunos productos se caracterizan por su falta de homogeneidad, lo que significa que productos con diferentes características pueden ser obtenidos de un mismo proceso de producción debido a factores incontrolables como la naturaleza de las materias primas o las condiciones ambientales durante la producción. Hay cuatro aspectos que caracterizan la falta de homogeneidad en el producto: los subtipos homogéneos que se obtienen de un mismo lote de producción, la cantidad de productos que componen cada subtipo, el valor de cada uno de los subtipos, y el estado de los productos. La falta de homogeneidad en el producto dificulta la gestión de los procesos de las empresas y cadenas de suministro en el momento en el que los clientes requieren homogeneidad entre las unidades de producto que adquieren. Un ejemplo de esto se produce en el sector de la cerámica, en el que los clientes requieren que todas las unidades que van a ser ensambladas juntas tengan el mismo color, espesor y calidad por razones estéticas y de seguridad. Otro ejemplo es el extraído del sector agroalimentario, en el que el mercado final requiere productos que cumplan con un tamaño mínimo, un color particular, o sabor en el caso de las frutas. Además, el sector agroalimentario tiene la complejidad añadida producida por el deterioro de los productos a lo largo del tiempo, y la necesidad de los mercados de ofrecer a los clientes productos con una mínima duración tras su venta. En esta Tesis, se define como productos heterogéneos a aquellos productos que se pueden clasificar en subtipos homogéneos con una cantidad variable, mientras que los productos perecederos son aquellos que, además de ser heterogéneos, tienen falta de homogeneidad en su estado. De acuerdo con estos conceptos, el sector cerámico comercializa productos heterogéneos mientras que el sector agroalimentario comercializa productos perecederos. Esta Tesis propone marcos conceptuales y modelos de Investigación Operativa que soporten la gestión de cadenas de suministro con productos heterogéneos y perecederos en la toma de decisiones centralizada y distribuidas relacionadas con los niveles de decisión estratégica, táctica y operativa. El objetivo es mejorar la competitividad, sostenibilidad y flexibilidad de la cadena de suministro para adaptarse a los requerimientos del mercado bajo condiciones de incertidumbre. Para esto, se han propuesto modelos de Investigación Operativa deterministas e inciertos, cuyos resultados se comparan concluyendo que los resultados obtenidos con los modelos inciertos se adaptan mejor al comportamiento real de las cadenas de suministros.Los modelos de Investigación Operativa propuestos han contribuido a tres áreas de investigación: problemas operativos en el sector cerámico, problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario y problemas de planificación en el sector agroalimentario. Las principales novedades en los problemas operativos en el sector cerámico son el modelado de las características de las baldosas cerámicas, la consideración de los requerimientos de homogeneidad entre unidades de diferentes líneas de pedido, y la posibilidad de realizar entregas parciales y entregas con retraso. Esta Tesis contribuye a los problemas estratégicos en el sector agroalimentario al diseñar una cadena de suministro completa de productos agroalimentarios frescos considerando el aspecto perecedero de los productos e integrando decisiones tácticas, y determinando el impacto real que tiene considerar el aspecto perecedero de los productos durante el diseño de la cadena de suministro ...
[CA] Alguns productes es caracteritzen per la seua falta d'homogeneïtat, el que significa que productes amb diferents característiques poden ser obtinguts d'un mateix procés de producció degut a factors incontrolables com la naturalesa de les matèries primeres o les condicions ambientals durant la producció. Hi ha quatre aspectes que caracteritzen la falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte: els subtipus homogenis que s'obtenen d'un mateix lot de producció, la quantitat de productes que componen cada subtipus, el valor de cada un dels subtipus, i l'estat dels productes. La falta d'homogeneïtat en el producte dificulta la gestió dels processos de les empreses i cadenes de subministrament en el moment en què els clients requerixen homogeneïtat entre les unitats de producte que adquirixen. Un exemple d'açò es produïx en el sector de la ceràmica, en el que els clients requerixen que totes les unitats que seran acoblades juntes tinguen el mateix color, grossària i qualitat per raons estètiques i de seguretat. Un altre exemple és l'extret del sector agroalimentari, en el que el mercat final requerix productes que complisquen amb una grandària mínima, un color particular, o sabor en el cas de les fruites. A més, el sector agroalimentari té la complexitat afegida produïda pel deteriorament dels productes al llarg del temps, i la necessitat dels mercats d'oferir als clients productes amb una mínima duració després de la seua venda. En aquesta Tesi, es definix com a productes heterogenis a aquells productes que es poden classificar en subtipus homogenis amb una quantitat variable, mentres que els productes peribles són aquells que, a més de ser heterogenis, tenen falta d'homogeneïtat en el seu estat. D'acord amb aquests conceptes, el sector ceràmic comercialitza productes heterogenis mentres que el sector agroalimentari comercialitza productes peribles. Aquesta Tesi proposa marcs conceptuals i models d'Investigació Operativa que suporten la gestió de cadenes de subministrament amb productes heterogenis i peribles en la presa de decisions centralitzada i distribuïdes relacionades amb els nivells de decisió estratègica, tàctica i operativa. L'objectiu és millorar la competitivitat, sostenibilitat i flexibilitat de la cadena de subministrament per adaptar-se als requeriments del mercat sota condicions d'incertesa. Per a açò, s'han proposat models d'Investigació Operativa deterministes i incerts, els resultats es comparen concloent que els resultats obtinguts amb els models incerts s'adapten millor al comportament real de les cadenes de subministraments. Els models d'Investigació Operativa proposats han contribuït a tres àrees d'investigació: problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic, problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari i problemes de planificació en el sector agroalimentari. Les principals novetats en els problemes operatius en el sector ceràmic són el modelatge de les característiques de les rajoles ceràmiques, la consideració dels requeriments d'homogeneïtat entre unitats de diferents línies de comanda, i la possibilitat de realitzar lliuraments parcials i lliuraments amb retard. Aquesta Tesi contribueix als problemes estratègics en el sector agroalimentari al dissenyar una cadena de subministrament completa de productes agroalimentaris frescos considerant l'aspecte perible dels productes, integrant decisions tàctiques, i determinant l'impacte real que té considerar l'aspecte perible dels productes durant el disseny de la cadena de subministrament ...
[EN] Some products are characterised by their lack of homogeneity, what means that products with different characteristics can be obtained from the same production process due to uncontrollable factors such as the nature of raw materials or the environmental conditions during production. There are four aspects that characterize the lack of homogeneity in the product: the homogeneous subtypes to be obtained from a production lot, the quantity of products that belong to each subtype, the value related to each of the subtypes and the state of the products. The lack of homogeneity in the product hinders the management of the supply chain or company's processes at the time customers require the homogeneity among the acquired units of product. An example of this is produced in the ceramic tile sector, in which customers need all acquired ceramic tiles that are going to be jointly assembled to have the same colour, thickness and quality for aesthetic and safety reasons. Another example is the extracted from the agri-food sector, in which final markets require products that meet some characteristics such as a minimum size, a particular colour or flavour in the case of fruits. In addition, the agri-food sector has the added complexity produced by the deterioration of products over time, and the need of markets to offer to end consumers products with a minimum durability after sale. In this Thesis, heterogeneous products are defined as products for which different subtypes can be obtained in a variable quantity while perishable products are those that, apart from being heterogeneous, have a lack of homogeneity in their state. According to these concepts, ceramic sectors would commercialize heterogeneous products while the agri-food sector would do so with perishable products. This Thesis proposes conceptual frameworks and Operations Research models to support the management of supply chains with heterogeneous and perishable products in centralized and distributed decision-making processes related to strategic, tactical and operative decisional levels. The objective is to improve the supply chain competitiveness, sustainability and flexibility to adapt to market requirements under uncertain conditions. For this, both deterministic and uncertain Operations Research models have been proposed, whose results are compared concluding that results obtained with uncertain models better fit with the behaviour of real supply chains. The proposed Operations Research models have contributed to three research areas: operational problems in the ceramic sector, strategic problems in the agri-food sector and planning problems in the agri-food sector. Main novelties in the ceramic operational problems are the modelling of the characteristics of ceramic tile products, the consideration of homogeneity requirements between units from different order lines, and the possibility of making partial deliveries and delayed deliveries. This Thesis contributes to strategic problems in agri-food products by designing an entire fresh agri-food supply chain considering the perishability of products and integrating tactical decisions, and by determining the real impact that considering the products' perishability has on the supply chain design process ...
This Thesis has been developed in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP, for its acronym in Spanish “Centro de Investigación en Gestión e Ingeniería de Producción”) of the Universitat Politècnica de València with the support of the predoctoral grant Programme of Formation of University Professors (FPU, for its acronym in Spanish “Formación de Profesorado Universitario”) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Ref. FPU15/03595). The supervisors of this Thesis are Dr. Angel Ortiz, and Dra. María del Mar Alemany Diaz that are Professors in the Research Centre of Management and Production Engineering (CIGIP) of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The FPU grant has been endorsed by the supervisor Dr. Ángel Ortiz. This Thesis has also been supported by the project ‘RUC-APS: Enhancing and implementing Knowledge based ICT solutions within high Risk and Uncertain Conditions for Agriculture Production Systems’ (Ref. 691249) funded by the EU under its funding scheme H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015, the project ‘Methods and models for operations planning and order management in supply chains characterised by uncertainty in production due to the lack of product uniformity’ (PLANGES-FHP) (Ref. DPI2011- 23597) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The projects RUC-APS and PLANGES-FHP have been led by the one of the supervisors of this Thesis Dr. María del Mar Eva Alemany. In order to obtain the international mention for this Thesis, three months of research stages have been made in the research agency Agenzia Lucana di Sviluppo e di Innovazione in Agricoltora, located in Metaponto (Italy)
Esteso Álvarez, A. (2020). Operations research models for the management of supply chains of perishable and heterogeneous products in uncertain contexts. Application to the agri-food and ceramic sectors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/141099
TESIS
Compendio

Cette thèse porte sur l'étude de la réaction d'hydrogénation du dioxyde de carbone vers des hydrocarbures gazeux et liquides sur un catalyseur supporté K-Fe/Al2O3. Le sujet s'inscrit dans le cadre des technologies Power-to-X qui visent à stocker les excès d’énergie électrique issue des énergies renouvelables sous forme de composés chimiques gazeux et liquides. En particulier, l'électricité est utilisée pour produire de l'hydrogène via l’électrolyse de l'eau, puis l'hydrogène obtenu est utilisé pour convertir le dioxyde de carbone en hydrocarbures. Ces hydrocarbures peuvent avoir des applications comme matière première dans l'industrie chimique ou comme carburants dans le domaine des transports. L'hydrogénation du dioxyde de carbone est une réaction catalytique, généralement réalisée sur des catalyseurs à base de fer, et s’effectue en deux étapes : d'abord, le dioxyde de carbone est converti en monoxyde de carbone via la réaction inverse de conversion eau-gaz (RWGS), puis le monoxyde de carbone est transformé en hydrocarbures via la synthèse Fischer-Tropsch (FT). L'une des principales contraintes de cette réaction est sa faible sélectivité, car une grande variété d'hydrocarbures peut être obtenue. Pour une éventuelle application de ce procédé à l'échelle industrielle, il est nécessaire de comprendre comment la sélectivité de la réaction pourrait être orientée vers la formation des produits visés. Dans ce travail, une étude expérimentale à l'échelle du laboratoire a été réalisée dans un lit fixe continu et un protocole analytique qui permet la quantification de tous les produits obtenus a été développé. De plus, nous avons développé un modèle macro-cinétique qui décrit avec une approche semi-empirique la formation de tous les produits considérés ; et un modèle micro-cinétique, qui contribue à apporter un éclairage sur les mécanismes de réaction possibles. Enfin, nous avons modélisé un réacteur à plus grande échelle avec des approches hétérogène et pseudo-homogène et nous avons simulé le procédé global pour estimer son bilan carbone et son efficacité énergétique
This thesis is focused on the study of the carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction towards gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons over a supported K-Fe/Al2O3 catalyst. The subject is part of the framework of the Power-to-X technologies that aim at storing surplus electric power derived from renewable energy into the form of gaseous and liquid chemical compounds. In particular, the electricity is used to perform the water electrolysis to produce hydrogen, then the obtained hydrogen is used to convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons can have applications as feedstock in the chemical industry or as fuels in the transport field. The carbon dioxide hydrogenation is a catalytic reaction, generally performed over Fe-based catalysts, consisting in two steps: first, carbon dioxide is converted into carbon monoxide via the reverse water-gas shift reaction (RWGS), and then it is further transformed into hydrocarbons via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FT). One of the main constraints of this reaction is its low selectivity, as a variety of hydrocarbons can be obtained. For an eventual application of this process at the industrial scale, it is necessary to deeper understand and better describe the selectivity of the reaction to optimize the productivity of the desired products. In this work, we have carried out an experimental study of the reaction in a lab-scale fixed bed reactor and developed an analytic protocol that allows the quantification of all the products obtained. Moreover, we have developed a macro-kinetic model that describes with a semi-empirical approach the formation of all the products considered; and a micro-kinetic model, that contributes to give insights about the reaction mechanism. Finally, we have modelled a scaled-up reactor with a heterogeneous and a pseudo-homogeneous approach and we have simulated the global process to estimate its carbon and energy efficiencies

L'industrie sucriere, basee sur la betterave a sucre, donne une quantite importante de pulpe, un dechet dont il n'a pas encore ete trouve d'utilisation en tant que source de materiaux. Cette pulpe de betterave est compose essentiellement de polysaccharides et est particulierement riche en fonctions hydroxyles. Alors que l'oxypropylation de la cellulose, de la lignine et plus recemment du chitosane, aient ete etudiees, aucune investigation equivalente sur la pulpe de betterave n'a ete conduite avant ce travail. Le but de cette etude a ete de transformer un solide insoluble dans tous les solvants en un polyol liquide visqueux adapte a l'elaboration de polyurethanes apres melange avec des polyisocyanates. La premiere etape de ce travail consistait a examiner la faisabilite puis a optimiser la reaction d'oxypropylation de la pulpe de betterave a sucre. La reaction a ete menee en suspendant la pulpe dans de l'oxyde de propylene (op) en presence de differents catalyseurs basiques et en chauffant ce melange sous pression. En faisant varier differents parametres, on obtient des polyols possedants des viscosites et des indice d'oh differents. Il s'avere que ces liquides visqueux sont en fait des melanges homogenes de pulpe oxypropylee et d'homopolymeres de op. Ces polyols ont ete utilises seuls ou en combinaison avec des extenseurs de chaines (diols d'origines diverses) pour l'elaboration de polyurethanes a la fois sous forme de materiaux pleins (en utilisant le procede rim) et de mousses. Les cinetiques de ces polymerisations ainsi que la caracterisation des materiaux obtenus ont ete correlees avec la composition du melange reactionnel. Les proprietes de ces nouveaux polyurethanes suggerent que la pulpe de betterave a sucre peut constituer un dechet agroindustriel viable, base sur l'exploitation agricole d'une ressource renouvelable, pour l'elaboration de materiaux polymeres originaux.

The monograph examines the historical and economic aspects of state regulation of the economy, and concludes that the national results of identical economic policies pursued by individual countries at different stages of development are heterogeneous. The necessity of improving the mechanism of centralized influence on economic activity in the Russian Federation by finding the optimal combination of various tools, taking into account the specifics of state regulation of the oil and gas complex as a structural element of the national economy, is proved. The article examines the world experience of oil-producing countries with a developed market structure, analyzes the cause-and-effect relationships between global processes on the world energy market and the internal economic specifics that arose during the modernization of production and the reform of the regulatory mechanism of the Russian oil and gas complex. It is recommended to everyone who is interested in the issues of state regulation of the economy and the development of the domestic oil and gas sector: state civil servants working in the fuel and energy sector, managers and employees of oil and gas enterprises, teachers, doctoral students, postgraduates and students.

This book will formally launch "organic synthesis engineering" as a distinctive field in the armory of the reaction engineer. Its main theme revolves around two developments: catalysis and the role of process intensification in enhancing overall productivity. Each of these two subjects are becoming increasingly useful in organic synthesis engineering, especially in the production of medium and small volume chemicals and enhancing reaction rates by extending laboratory techniques, such as ultrasound, phase transfer catalysts, membrane reactor, and microwaves, to industrial scale production. This volume describes the applications of catalysis in organic synthesis and outlines different techniques of reaction rate and/or selectivity enhancement against a background of reaction engineering principles for both homogeneous and heterogeneous systems.

The turn of the 20th and 21st centuries has been a very dynamic period of change in Poland and around the world; also a period of change in thinking about the economy and agriculture. The present work is a study of the decline, divestments and development of agriculture in the areas of fragmented farming structure. The reflections presented herein, upon the processes of the remodelling of agrarian structures, of divestments in farming, and disagrarisation, are mostly anchored in the achievements of the theory of spatial economy (land management), and the microeconomic theories of choice, including the theory of an agricultural holding (farm) and land rent theories. The work focuses on the economic issues of remodelling the agrarian structure, but due to the nature of the issues discussed herein, specifically in relation to family-owned farms, the social and environmental aspects also needed to be taken into account – in response to the need for a heterogeneous approach, which is increasingly stressed in economic sciences today. The main objective of the research was to diagnose and assess the scale and scope of the mechanisms and processes that inform the decline and growth of agricultural holdings in the areas with fragmented farming structure. The study covered the area comprising four regions (provinces) of south-eastern Poland, which – according to the FADN nomenclature – form the macro region of Małopolska and Pogórze. The study of subject literature has been enriched with an analysis of available statistics; data from the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN); information obtained from the Department of Programming and Reporting at the Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture; and author’s own research conducted among farm owners. The information thus obtained made it possible to: • Determine the theoretical premises for the spatial diversity of agriculture, and the role of small farms in the shaping of agrarian structure. • Adapt the concept of “divestment” for the description and analysis of the phenomena occurring in agriculture. • Indicate the role and importance of the processes of divestment and disagrarisation in the restructuring of agriculture. • Assess the natural, social and economic determinants of the process of restructuring agriculture in areas with fragmented farming structure. • Assess selected aspects of economic efficiency of agriculture in areas with fragmented farming structure, with the focus on small and micro farms. • Carry out an ex ante evaluation of the impact of agricultural policy instruments on the process of restructuring of agriculture in the macro region of Małopolska and Pogórze. • Identify the indicators of decline and fall, and barriers to the liquidation of farms. • Assess the relationship between the level of socio-economic development, the structure of farming, and the quality of agricultural production space in a given territorial unit, versus the intensity of the economic and production disagrarisation processes in agricultural holdings. • Propose targeted solutions conducive to the improvement of the farming structure in areas with a high framentation of agriculture. Observation of the processes occurring in agriculture, and the scientific theories created on the basis thereof, have shown that even the smallest farms have a chance to continue in existence, provided that we are able to positively verify their adaptation to the changing conditions in the environment. Carrying out farming activity is a prerequisite for implementing the economic, social and environmental functions associated with family farms. At the same time, based on the analyses performed, we need to assume that the advanced processes of the production and economic disagrarisation of agricultural holdings are to a greater extent determined by the anatomical features of agriculture, and by the natural conditions, than by the level of socio-economic development of the given territorial unit. In the current economic climate, the remodelling of the agrarian structure is only possible with the active participation of the institutions responsible for the creation of economic growth and agricultural policy development. It is extremely important from the point of view of environmental protection, and the viability of rural areas, to support small farms engaged in agricultural activities, and to introduce such instruments that will enable the replacement of an economic collapse with divestments, carried out in a planned manner, and allowing for thus released agricultural resources to find alternative application in units with a higher development potential. The area of theoretical research requiring further exploration includes the issues such as transactional costs of the liquidation of agricultural holdings, and the assessment of the economic effectiveness of conducting divestments.

AbstractThe main objectives in production technology are quality assurance, cost reduction, and guaranteed process safety and stability. Digital shadows enable a more comprehensive understanding and monitoring of processes on shop floor level. Thus, process information becomes available between decision levels, and the aforementioned criteria regarding quality, cost, or safety can be included in control decisions for production processes. The contextual data for digital shadows typically arises from heterogeneous sources. At shop floor level, the proximity to the process requires usage of available data as well as domain knowledge. Data sources need to be selected, synchronized, and processed. Especially high-frequency data requires algorithms for intelligent distribution and efficient filtering of the main information using real-time devices and in-network computing. Real-time data is enriched by simulations, metadata from product planning, and information across the whole process chain. Well-established analytical and empirical models serve as the base for new hybrid, gray box approaches. These models are then applied to optimize production process control by maximizing the productivity under given quality and safety constraints. To store and reuse the developed models, ontologies are developed and a data lake infrastructure is utilized and constantly enlarged laying the basis for a World Wide Lab (WWL). Finally, closing the control loop requires efficient quality assessment, immediately after the process and directly on the machine. This chapter addresses works in a connected job shop to acquire data, identify and optimize models, and automate systems and their deployment in the Internet of Production (IoP).

AbstractThe main objectives in production technology are quality assurance, cost reduction, and guaranteed process safety and stability. Digital shadows enable a more comprehensive understanding and monitoring of processes on shop floor level. Thus, process information becomes available between decision levels, and the aforementioned criteria regarding quality, cost, or safety can be included in control decisions for production processes. The contextual data for digital shadows typically arises from heterogeneous sources. At shop floor level, the proximity to the process requires usage of available data as well as domain knowledge. Data sources need to be selected, synchronized, and processed. Especially high-frequency data requires algorithms for intelligent distribution and efficient filtering of the main information using real-time devices and in-network computing. Real-time data is enriched by simulations, metadata from product planning, and information across the whole process chain. Well-established analytical and empirical models serve as the base for new hybrid, gray box approaches. These models are then applied to optimize production process control by maximizing the productivity under given quality and safety constraints. To store and reuse the developed models, ontologies are developed and a data lake infrastructure is utilized and constantly enlarged laying the basis for a World Wide Lab (WWL). Finally, closing the control loop requires efficient quality assessment, immediately after the process and directly on the machine. This chapter addresses works in a connected job shop to acquire data, identify and optimize models, and automate systems and their deployment in the Internet of Production (IoP).

AbstractThe main objectives in production technology are quality assurance, cost reduction, and guaranteed process safety and stability. Digital shadows enable a more comprehensive understanding and monitoring of processes on shop floor level. Thus, process information becomes available between decision levels, and the aforementioned criteria regarding quality, cost, or safety can be included in control decisions for production processes. The contextual data for digital shadows typically arises from heterogeneous sources. At shop floor level, the proximity to the process requires usage of available data as well as domain knowledge. Data sources need to be selected, synchronized, and processed. Especially high-frequency data requires algorithms for intelligent distribution and efficient filtering of the main information using real-time devices and in-network computing. Real-time data is enriched by simulations, metadata from product planning, and information across the whole process chain. Well-established analytical and empirical models serve as the base for new hybrid, gray box approaches. These models are then applied to optimize production process control by maximizing the productivity under given quality and safety constraints. To store and reuse the developed models, ontologies are developed and a data lake infrastructure is utilized and constantly enlarged laying the basis for a World Wide Lab (WWL). Finally, closing the control loop requires efficient quality assessment, immediately after the process and directly on the machine. This chapter addresses works in a connected job shop to acquire data, identify and optimize models, and automate systems and their deployment in the Internet of Production (IoP).

Classical and industrial archaeologies are a complex cultural field where singularity and uniqueness are expressed through past memory evidence and identity recognition. In order to obtain these values acknowledgement, it is compelling to highlight the material and intangible knowledge by using suitable ICT tools capable of handling complexity and managing large sets of heterogeneous data usually subjected to changes, different interpretations, inconsistencies and sometimes uncertainty. Although the HBIM method has been largely used in the past years, it shows significant limits when dealing with large and heterogeneous information requiring the introduction of advanced methods and tools. In this context, this study presents an approach to the architectural heritage and historical manufacturing activity representation based on integrating the HBIM process with a structured knowledge base, demonstrated through its application to the Sanctuary of Hercules and the former Segrè Papermill case study. The work develops an ontology-based system using existing ontologies for the three domains of interest: architectural artefact, cultural heritage and industrial processes directly connected with the informative model. The intent is to give an overall support system for the complex semantics formalization of these assets to aid the interpretation, intervention and valorization activities

Classical and industrial archaeologies are a complex cultural field where singularity and uniqueness are expressed through past memory evidence and identity recognition. In order to obtain these values acknowledgement, it is compelling to highlight the material and intangible knowledge by using suitable ICT tools capable of handling complexity and managing large sets of heterogeneous data usually subjected to changes, different interpretations, inconsistencies and sometimes uncertainty. Although the HBIM method has been largely used in the past years, it shows significant limits when dealing with large and heterogeneous information requiring the introduction of advanced methods and tools. In this context, this study presents an approach to the architectural heritage and historical manufacturing activity representation based on integrating the HBIM process with a structured knowledge base, demonstrated through its application to the Sanctuary of Hercules and the former Segrè Papermill case study. The work develops an ontology-based system using existing ontologies for the three domains of interest: architectural artefact, cultural heritage and industrial processes directly connected with the informative model. The intent is to give an overall support system for the complex semantics formalization of these assets to aid the interpretation, intervention and valorization activities

AbstractSpecies continuity under the harsh climatic conditions of the boreal forest requires trees to ensure the functioning of two main life processes, namely growth and reproduction. However, species survival becomes a challenge when environmental conditions become unstable and reach the taxa’s ecological tolerance limit. Survival in an unstable environment is possible through the concurring processes of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation; each process has its advantages and shortcomings. Local adaptation allows attaining the best possible fitness under conditions of limited gene flow and strong directional selection, leading to specific adaptations to the local environment; however, there is a risk of maladaptation when conditions suddenly change. In turn, phenotypic plasticity provides trees an advantage when weather events change rapidly and enables a response expressed by the production of different phenotypes by the same genotype. However, this process is expensive in terms of costs in maintenance and causes developmental instability within the individual. Boreal trees utilize both processes as reflected in variations in their functional traits within the same species. In this chapter, we address the main life processes, presenting the variability of functional traits of flowering and seed production, xylem conductivity, bud and cambium phenology, as well as transpiration and photosynthesis, as a consequence of the interaction of genotype and environment. We describe the practical consequences of a variation in functional traits, as expressed in chemical and mechanical wood properties. Finally, we outline applications and perspectives for managing boreal forests in a context of heterogeneous and changing environmental conditions.

AbstractIndustry and research are seeking answers to current demands in industrial value creation, like resilience of production, sufficient product quality and sustainability of products and processes. A novel line of thought, seeking the accomplishment of those is the Biological Transformation (BT). BT describes the interweaving of biological modes of action, materials and organisms with engineering and information sciences. The conflation of disciplines from natural, technical and social sciences yields in a heterogeneous field of activities with ambiguous technical terms. An ascertainment of principles of BT is required to classify yet undifferentiated patterns in nature-based production, facilitating their systematic implementation in aiming for sustained solutions on current challenges. With increasing research in biomimetic, attempts arise to capture nature‑based activities in manufacturing through schematic classifications. Yet, basic semantics representing the effective principles of BT in the manufacturing industry is lacking.The goal of this publication is to introduce a taxonomy of Biological Transformation in manufacturing based on its core principles Bio Inspiration, Bio Integration and Bio Interaction. Within the research project BioFusion 4.0, the taxonomy was developed and applied to classify technology innovations. The paper presents the taxonomy, its development and application in use cases.

AbstractThe manufacturing industry, especially in high-wage countries, faces new challenges in recent times. The environment of development projects gets more dynamic and uncertain and is characterized by fast-paced changes of technological and economical aspects as well as heterogeneous customer requirements and volatile markets. In combination with an increasing complexity of cyber-physical products, the challenges within product development are constantly growing. Furthermore, companies need to be more flexible and be able to adjust to changing conditions (Schuh & Dölle 2021, S. 11). To increase flexibility, enablers (i.e., advanced manufacturing technologies) and tools (i.e., data-based automated design tools) are presented, whose further development and integration into the product development process reduce development times. Agile product development for cyber-physical products has become a significant research focus in order to meet the challenges described and to ensure the future competitiveness of manufacturing companies. The following paper and respective sections will describe the vision and main research activities within the Cluster of Excellence “Internet of Production” (IoP) in the context of agile product development for cyber-physical products.

Abstract Production forecasting is crucial for field development. Machine Learning models have shown the potential to overcome limitations of the conventional methods like Numerical simulations, reduced-order modeling, and decline curve analysis. The paper presents a newly developed machine-learning-assisted rapid production forecasting method, involving massive geomodel compression (18000 times) followed by neural-network-based regression. The method first compresses the large, heterogeneous shale geomodel to a low-dimensional representation. Then, a neural network processes the low-dimensional representation along with completions and production parameters to predict the condensate and gas production rates of a hydraulically fractured shale well for a period of 5 years. In our study, the forecasting model is trained and tested on a heterogeneous dataset containing 3000 distinct realizations. Each realization is a condensate shale reservoir comprising 88,200 grid cells with spatially heterogeneous distribution of porosity, permeability, and connate water saturation. Subsequently, the generalization capability of the forecasting model is evaluated on a holdout dataset. Furthermore, we explored the impact of adding the early-time production history, spanning two to six months as additional input features to the forecasting model. Our objective was to assess how this inclusion might potentially reduce the required size of the training dataset while still achieving satisfactory forecasting performance. The performance of our newly developed production forecasting method was assessed using the well-established metric, the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). The forecasting model achieved a MAPE of 3.2% for gas rate and 3% for condensate rate on the testing dataset. As for its performance on the holdout testing set, the model achieved a MAPE of 5.8% for gas rate and 4.4% for condensate rate. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that incorporating early-time production data, especially spanning over six months, significantly enhances the predictive accuracy, especially in scenarios with limited training instances. Inclusion of even a two-month production history provides substantial benefits compared to models devoid of early-time production data. When an early-time production data is included in the forecasting model, there is a significant reduction in computational time of up to 85% in generating the training datasets. Our research introduces a distinctive approach that combines advanced geomodel compression techniques with a multi-layer neural network model for production forecasting. The newly developed geomodel compression followed by neural-network-based rapid production forecasting reduces the computation time to generate a 5-year forecast per realization by an order of 6. Overall, the newly developed rapid production forecasting per realization takes approximately 0.0003 seconds as compared to 1037 secs or 17 minutes per realization for a traditional simulator.

Coal is the fuel most able to cover world deficiencies in oil and natural gas. This motivates the development of new and more effective technologies for coal conversion into other fuels. Such technologies are focused on coal gasification with production of syngas or gaseous hydrocarbon fuels, as well as on direct coal liquefaction with production of liquid fuels. The benefits of plasma application in these technologies is based on the high selectivity of the plasma chemical processes, the high efficiency of conversion of different types of coal including those of low quality, relative simplicity of the process control, and significant reduction in the production of ashes, sulphur, and nitrogen oxides. In the coal gasifier, two-phase turbulent flow is coupled with heating and evaporation of coal particles, devolatilization of volatile material, the char combustion (heterogeneous/porous oxidation) or gasification, the gas phase reaction/oxidation (homogeneous oxidation) of gaseous products from coal particles. The present work reviews literature data concerning modelling of coal gasification. Current state of related kinetic models for coal particle gasification, plasma chemistry and CFD tools is reviewed.

Improvement of the Earth remote sensing technology has led to an active implementation of its results in many areas of human activity with a significant expansion of both the number of industries using remote sensing data and the range of problems to be solved. Agriculture is perhaps the only industry where there is a symbiosis of this data obtained from both spacecraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ground vehicles with a significant intersection of information used in many sectors of economy, such as cartography, ecology, land management, logistics, construction, weather and climate, etc. Such an integrated use of heterogeneous information from various sources requires developing a digital decryption tool (standard) in the form of a unified geographic information system and a unified conceptual information model of crop production. From such a geographic information system, users could obtain unified digitized images, which would be ready for use and entering into their databases, whereas a unified conceptual information model of crop production, integrating all the knowledge of this industry, should turn into a kind of a publicly available technology. On the other hand, digitalization of the economy has significantly expanded the range of problems to be solved not only in production, but also in science, allowing for purely theoretical scientific research to actively penetrate into production. This also requires appropriate digital standards and managerial structures.

ABSTRACT Accurate production forecasting is essential for effective field development. Conventional techniques such as numerical simulations, reduced-order modeling, and decline curve analysis often require complex physics, detailed calibration, and significant parameter assignments, resulting in time-consuming and computationally challenging processes, especially for large, high-resolution geomodels. To address these limitations, we present a novel machine-learning-assisted modeling technique for rapid and accurate production forecasting. Our approach involves extreme geomodel compression, reducing the size by a factor of 20000, followed by machine-learning-based forecasting. We developed a multi-attribute, multi-layer shale geomodel compression technique utilizing dimensionality reduction. This method efficiently compresses large, heterogeneous shale geomodels into low-dimensional representations. Subsequently, a neural network model is trained to process the compressed representations along with completions and production parameters, enabling simultaneous prediction of monthly condensate and gas production rates over a 5-year decline period for hydraulically fractured shale wells. The forecasting workflow is evaluated on 3000 realizations of hydraulically fractured horizontal well placed in a complex heterogeneous shale reservoir. Each realization represents a condensate shale reservoir consisting of 88200 grid cells with spatially heterogeneous distributions of porosity, permeability, and connate water saturation. Our production forecasting method is evaluated using well-known metrics, including mean absolute error (MAE) normalized with respect to the target range (NMAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Production forecast achieved an average NMAE and MAPE of 0.008 and 3.75%, respectively for the gas rate, in addition to NMAE and MAPE of 0.007 and 2.84% respectively for the condensate rate, confirming accurate predictions throughout the 5-year decline period. Furthermore, our workflow demonstrated significant efficiency gains, with forecast generation taking a mere 0.1 seconds after model training compared to over 10 minutes using commercial software. The model-building stage, including geomodel compression and hyperparameter tuning, required approximately one hour, depending on data complexity. Our methodology offers a valuable tool for economic evaluation, history matching, and production forecasting of both conventional and unconventional assets.

ABSTRACT The continuous and alternation injection-production operation modes through three injection wells and three production wells towards the single fracture was considered numerically to evaluate its effect on flow patterns and thermal performance, including aperture evolution, flow rates, production temperature. The anisotropic fracture aperture distributions studied were generated follow a log-normal distribution. The results show that, when fluid is injected into a fracture zone, the local fracture permeability will be enhanced, which in turn promotes the migration of fluid along the fracture. Initial heterogeneous fracture aperture attracts more fluid and promotes directional development of the fracture aperture during the thermal extraction process. The continuous injection is associated with a more pronounced directional aperture increase within the heterogeneous fracture, which generally exacerbates flow channeling and causes decreases in production temperature with the injection time. By contrast, the alternation operation avoiding the formation of concentrated channeling flow and effectively promote fluid migration across the entire fracture surface and achieve a larger heat exchange area compared to continuous operation. The average of the temperature and production heat of the three production wells during alternation operation is found to be overall larger than that of the continuous operation. The results of this study suggest that alternation operation through multi-wells is helpful to result in favorable thermal performance. INTRODUCTION Geothermal energy is widely regarded as a sustainable and fully renewable energy(Tester et al. 2006). The efficient extraction of thermal energy from subsurface geothermal reservoirs necessitates the creation or access of an interconnected fracture system, often achieved through hydraulic fracturing or shearing(Park et al. 2020). The fluid circulation within the fractures or faults, which is heated upon contact with hot rocks, carries the heat to the surface(Detournay et al. 2022). The flow pattern and evolution of the fluid within individual fractures and the resulting heat exchange between the fluid and the surrounding rock are key factors in heat production(Guo et al. 2016). Understanding and optimizing these processes are crucial for efficient and sustainable geothermal energy production.

The Montney Formation is a highly productive hydrocarbon reservoir that is of great economic importance to Canada, however production is often dogged by the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a highly toxic and corrosive gas. Mapping H2S distribution across the Montney basin in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) is fundamental to understanding the processes responsible for its occurrence. We derive a Montney-specific dataset of well gas and water geochemistry from the publically available archives of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC) conducting quality assurance and control procedure before spatial interpolation. Empirical Bayesian Kriging is used to interpolate H2S across the whole Montney basin resulting in maps of H2S from hydrocarbon gas, condensates, and water; along with maps of sulfate and chloride ions in water. These interpolations illustrate the heterogeneous distribution of H2S across the basin with the highest concentrations in the Grande Prairie area along with several other isolated regions. Maps of H2S in gas, condensates, and water exhibit similar trends in H2S concentrations, which with future research may help elucidate the origin of H2S in the Montney.

The employment impact of innovation in the heterogeneous universe of services was studied using data from the 2004-2009 Uruguayan service innovation surveys. The empirical evidence shows that the impact of product innovation on employment is positive, while process innovation appears to have no effect. The effect varies according to the skill level of the labor force, across sectors, and the type of innovation strategy pursued by firms. Process innovation activities tend to substitute low-skilled jobs with higher-skilled jobs, while product innovation allows for more gains in efficiency in the production of new products with unskilled labor and no gains with the skilled labor force. Producing technology in-house has in most cases no impact on employment, while the combined strategy of acquiring technology outside the firm and producing it in-house has strong positive effects. The results found for knowledge-intensive business services and small firms, with some exceptions, are similar to the ones found for whole sample.

The Montney Formation is a highly productive hydrocarbon reservoir with significant reserves of hydrocarbon gases and liquids making it of great economic importance to Canada. However, high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have been encountered during exploration and development that have detrimental effects on environmental, health, and economics of production. H2S is a highly toxic and corrosive gas and therefore it is essential to understand the distribution of H2S within the basin in order to enhance identification of areas with a high risk of encountering elevated H2S concentrations in order to mitigate against potential negative impacts. Gas composition data from Montney wells is routinely collected by operators for submission to provincial regulators and is publicly available. We have combined data from Alberta (AB) and British Columbia (BC) to create a basin-wide database of Montney H2S concentrations. We then used an iterative quality control and quality assurance process to produce a dataset that best represents gas composition in reservoir fluids. This included: 1) designating gas source formation based on directional surveys using a newly developed basin-wide 3D model incorporating AGS's Montney model of Alberta with a model in BC, which removes errors associated with reported formations; 2) removed injection and disposal wells; 3) assessed wells with the 50 highest H2S concentrations to determine if gas composition data is accurate and reflective of reservoir fluid chemistry; and 4) evaluated spatially isolated extreme values to ensure data accuracy and prevent isolated highs from negatively impacting data interpolation. The resulting dataset was then used to calculate statistics for each x, y location to input into the interpolation process. Three interpolations were constructed based on the associated phase classification: H2S in gas, H2S in liquid (C7+), and aqueous H2S. We used Empirical Bayesian Kriging interpolation to generate H2S distribution maps along with a series of model uncertainty maps. These interpolations illustrate that H2S is heterogeneously distributed across the Montney basin. In general, higher concentrations are found in AB compared with BC with the highest concentrations in the Grande Prairie region along with several other isolated region in the southeastern portion of the basin. The interpolations of H2S associated with different phases show broad similarities. Future mapping research will focus on subdividing intra-Montney sub-members plus under- and overlying strata to further our understanding of the role migration plays in H2S distribution within the Montney basin.

As part of a Regional Public Good (BPR), 20,200 Latin Americans from 18 countries were interviewed on issues of integration, democracy, equity, environment, technology, and innovation. In a world where globalization is being strongly questioned, particularly among developed countries, it is concluded that Latin Americans are very committed to regional integration. The integration process is challenged by the complexity implied by a heterogeneous regional structure with important differences between countries and within them. The differences are many, ranging from income distribution, productive specialization, the weight of their economies in the regional GDP, belonging to different trade blocs, the preference for certain partners at the time of closer ties, exposure and vulnerability to climate change, to the degree of penetration of ICTs. However, this study shows that there is a common agenda that must be addressed and that can set the pace of regional integration. Social convergence is observed not only in the high support for regional integration and in the existence of an unsatisfied demand for integration, but also in the desire of people to live in a more equitable society, responsible in the use of their natural resources, committed to the fight against climate change and the free movement of people, connected through ICTs and universal access to the Internet, with better quality of democratic institutions, and with greater citizen participation in the decision making process of government and justice. Since this is the agenda for development and regional integration, the opportunity offered by ICTs cannot be overlooked, both in the construction of a subject with a critical conscience, capable of visualizing the problems that afflict it, as well as in its powerful potential to strengthen trade links between countries, strengthen democracy and enhance the development of the region.