Optimized Modular Design for Energy Efficiency: The Case of an Innovative Electric Hybrid Vehicle Design

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Trancossi ◽  
Jose C. Pascoa
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Alternative Theory ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Industrial Grade ◽  
Over Time

Modular Design has made an important contribution to the industrial evolution, increase of quality of products and goods and to economic development. It has produced an important evolution in design (technical modularity), in the organization of production and of companies. It allowed going beyond vertical integration, by fostering vertical specialization in both manufacturing and innovation. Several authors are appointing important question on the modular approach. They move observations of different nature concluding that the enthusiasm for modularity has gone too far. One of the critical positions sustains that modular design has imposed technical choices that conflicts with energy efficiency in vehicle design such as a gradual increase of weight over time and the consequent reduction of potential gains in terms of energy consumption and environmental footprint of vehicles. This paper agrees with some arguments of the revisionist literature in cautioning against errors that can be produced by a pervasive modularity. But it moves from an energetic analysis and has not the objective of defining an alternative theory. More modestly, it aims to present a possible way for coupling modular design with energy optimization in the case of an electric vehicle. The initial inspiration can be of this case study is Bejan’s preliminary modular definition of constructal optimization, which can fit perfectly with industrial modular design. Even if this modular optimization does not have the ambition of defining the best possible solution to a complex design problem, such as Multidisciplinary Design Optimization has, it allows defining configuration that can simply evolve over time by mean of a step by step optimization of the critical components that influences the behavior of a complex industrial system. It reveals then to be applicable to the concept of vehicle platform that is today widely in use. The specific test case is the design of an electric city vehicle which has been optimized by a step applying this modular optimization approach. This paper has also a romantic value because it ha taken the move from the emotion that has been caused by the stop to the production of an extraordinary myth, such as Land Rover Defender. 70 years of production without important changes means that Defender has been not only the most successful British vehicle, but also that it has been a fundamental part of our way of living. This extraordinary longevity is an extraordinary technical and cultural heritage to our time. This decision forces the authors to try to analyze the conceptual modular design of a vehicle that can compete with Defender in terms of use and performances. Results have been surprising demonstrating that the use of industrial grade components and their accurate choice will allow defining new vehicle platforms that can radically improve energy efficiency of vehicles.

Unmanned Ground Vehicle Energy Efficiency Validation in Territory Surveillance Mission

2016 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 164-170
Author(s):  
Eero Väljaots ◽  
Raivo Sell ◽  
Marius Rimasauskas
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Vehicle Design ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Unmanned Ground Vehicle ◽  
Design Validation ◽  
Ground Vehicle ◽  
And Control

This paper describes test case of an energy efficiency validation method. Test case is selected as surveillance mission which is simple and common case for universal unmanned ground vehicle where environment dynamics has major influence. The prototype UGV platform is equipped with combined measurement system providing data about dynamic parameters of platform physical movement as well as real-time energy consumption. Platform energy efficiency is evaluated on several stages, enabling to evaluate both mechanical design and control system algorithms. In addition, environment interaction with the vehicle is measured also for analyzing the vehicle limitations and scope of use. Real-condition missions are used for vehicle design validation purposes.

On the Robustness of Solution Strategy Classifications

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Contreras ◽  
Víctor J. Rubio ◽  
Daniel Peña ◽  
José Santacreu
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Solution Strategy ◽  
Specific Test ◽  
Spatial Tasks ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Strategy Changes ◽  
Over Time

Individual differences in performance when solving spatial tasks can be partly explained by differences in the strategies used. Two main difficulties arise when studying such strategies: the identification of the strategy itself and the stability of the strategy over time. In the present study strategies were separated into three categories: segmented (analytic), holistic-feedback dependent, and holistic-planned, according to the procedure described by Peña, Contreras, Shih, and Santacreu (2008) . A group of individuals were evaluated twice on a 1-year test-retest basis. During the 1-year interval between tests, the participants were not able to prepare for the specific test used in this study or similar ones. It was found that 60% of the individuals kept the same strategy throughout the tests. When strategy changes did occur, they were usually due to a better strategy. These results prove the robustness of using strategy-based procedures for studying individual differences in spatial tasks.

scholarly journals Are Cross-Border Classes Feasible for Students to Collaborate in the Analysis of Energy Efficiency Strategies for Socioeconomic Development While Keeping CO2 Concentration Controlled?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1584
Author(s):  
Roberto Araya ◽  
Pedro Collanqui
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
School Students ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
Science Classes

Education is critical for improving energy efficiency and reducing CO2 concentration, but collaboration between countries is also critical. It is a global problem in which we cannot isolate ourselves. Our students must learn to collaborate in seeking solutions together with others from other countries. Thus, the research question of this study is whether interactive cross-border science classes with energy experiments are feasible and can increase awareness of energy efficiency among middle school students. We designed and tested an interactive cross-border class between Chilean and Peruvian eighth-grade classes. The classes were synchronously connected and all students did experiments and answered open-ended questions on an online platform. Some of the questions were designed to check conceptual understanding whereas others asked for suggestions of how to develop their economies while keeping CO2 air concentration at acceptable levels. In real time, the teacher reviewed the students’ written answers and the concept maps that were automatically generated based on their responses. Students peer-reviewed their classmates’ suggestions. This is part of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) education project on energy efficiency using APEC databases. We found high levels of student engagement, where students discussed not only the cross-cutting nature of energy, but also its relation to socioeconomic development and CO2 emissions, and the need to work together to improve energy efficiency. In conclusion, interactive cross-border science classes are a feasible educational alternative, with potential as a scalable public policy strategy for improving awareness of energy efficiency among the population.

scholarly journals Improving Energy Efficiency Fairness of Wireless Networks: A Deep Learning Approach

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 4300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoon Lee ◽  
Han Seung Jang ◽  
Bang Chul Jung
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Wireless Networks ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Power Control ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Maximization Problem ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Conventional Optimization

Achieving energy efficiency (EE) fairness among heterogeneous mobile devices will become a crucial issue in future wireless networks. This paper investigates a deep learning (DL) approach for improving EE fairness performance in interference channels (IFCs) where multiple transmitters simultaneously convey data to their corresponding receivers. To improve the EE fairness, we aim to maximize the minimum EE among multiple transmitter–receiver pairs by optimizing the transmit power levels. Due to fractional and max-min formulation, the problem is shown to be non-convex, and, thus, it is difficult to identify the optimal power control policy. Although the EE fairness maximization problem has been recently addressed by the successive convex approximation framework, it requires intensive computations for iterative optimizations and suffers from the sub-optimality incurred by the non-convexity. To tackle these issues, we propose a deep neural network (DNN) where the procedure of optimal solution calculation, which is unknown in general, is accurately approximated by well-designed DNNs. The target of the DNN is to yield an efficient power control solution for the EE fairness maximization problem by accepting the channel state information as an input feature. An unsupervised training algorithm is presented where the DNN learns an effective mapping from the channel to the EE maximizing power control strategy by itself. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed DNN-based power control method performs better than a conventional optimization approach with much-reduced execution time. This work opens a new possibility of using DL as an alternative optimization tool for the EE maximizing design of the next-generation wireless networks.

scholarly journals Dimensionless Analysis on the Characteristics of Pneumatic Booster Valve with Energy Recovery

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Fan Yang ◽  
Kotaro Tadano ◽  
Gangyan Li ◽  
Toshiharu Kagawa
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Recovery ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Local Pressure ◽  
Air Power ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Dimensionless Analysis ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Save Energy

Factories are increasingly reducing their air supply pressures in order to save energy. Hence, there is a growing demand for pneumatic booster valves to overcome the local pressure deficits in modern pneumatic systems. To further improve energy efficiency, a new type of booster valve with energy recovery (BVER) is proposed. The BVER principle is presented in detail, and a dimensionless mathematical model is established based on flow rate, gas state, and energy conservation. The mathematics model was transformed into a dimensionless model by accurately selecting the reference values. Subsequently the dimensionless characteristics of BVER were found. BVER energy efficiency is calculated based on air power. The boost ratio is found to be mainly affected by the operational parameters. Among the structural ones, the recovery/boost chamber area ratio and the sonic conductance of the chambers are the most influential. The boost ratio improves by 15%–25% compared to that of a booster valve without an energy recovery chamber. The efficiency increases by 5%–10% depending on the supply pressure. A mathematical model is validated by experiment, and this research provides a reference for booster valve optimisation and energy saving.

scholarly journals Technological Energy Efficiency Improvements in Cement Industries

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3810
Author(s):  
Alessandra Cantini ◽  
Leonardo Leoni ◽  
Filippo De Carlo ◽  
Marcello Salvio ◽  
Chiara Martini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Cement Industry ◽  
Cement Plant ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
Industrial Energy ◽  
Industrial Energy Consumption ◽  
Alternative Solutions

The cement industry is highly energy-intensive, consuming approximately 7% of global industrial energy consumption each year. Improving production technology is a good strategy to reduce the energy needs of a cement plant. The market offers a wide variety of alternative solutions; besides, the literature already provides reviews of opportunities to improve energy efficiency in a cement plant. However, the technology is constantly developing, so the available alternatives may change within a few years. To keep the knowledge updated, investigating the current attractiveness of each solution is pivotal to analyze real companies. This article aims at describing the recent application in the Italian cement industry and the future perspectives of technologies. A sample of plant was investigated through the analysis of mandatory energy audit considering the type of interventions they have recently implemented, or they intend to implement. The outcome is a descriptive analysis, useful for companies willing to improve their sustainability. Results prove that solutions to reduce the energy consumption of auxiliary systems such as compressors, engines, and pumps are currently the most attractive opportunities. Moreover, the results prove that consulting sector experts enables the collection of updated ideas for improving technologies, thus giving valuable inputs to the scientific research.

scholarly journals Energy-Efficient Hybrid Routing Protocol for IoT Communication Systems in 5G and Beyond

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 537
Author(s):  
Mohammad Baniata ◽  
Haftu Tasew Reda ◽  
Naveen Chilamkurti ◽  
Alsharif Abuadbba
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Network Lifetime ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Multiple Input Multiple Output ◽  
Sensor Nodes ◽  
Clustering Methods ◽  
Mimo Antenna ◽  
Improve Energy Efficiency ◽  
Art Research

One of the major concerns in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is most of the sensor nodes are powered through limited lifetime of energy-constrained batteries, which majorly affects the performance, quality, and lifetime of the network. Therefore, diverse clustering methods are proposed to improve energy efficiency of the WSNs. In the meantime, fifth-generation (5G) communications require that several Internet of Things (IoT) applications need to adopt the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems to provide an improved capacity over multi-path channel environment. In this paper, we study a clustering technique for MIMO-based IoT communication systems to achieve energy efficiency. In particular, a novel MIMO-based energy-efficient unequal hybrid clustering (MIMO-HC) protocol is proposed for applications on the IoT in the 5G environment and beyond. Experimental analysis is conducted to assess the effectiveness of the suggested MIMO-HC protocol and compared with existing state-of-the-art research. The proposed MIMO-HC scheme achieves less energy consumption and better network lifetime compared to existing techniques. Specifically, the proposed MIMO-HC improves the network lifetime by approximately 3× as long as the first node and the final node dies as compared with the existing protocol. Moreover, the energy that cluster heads consume on the proposed MIMO-HC is 40% less than that expended in the existing protocol.

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