Optimizing Location of CO2 Recovery Units

In line with ADNOC Sustainability policy, reduction of GHG emissions, AGP has initiated projects for recovery of CO2 from existing plants. The extracted CO2 is planned to be used for Enhanced Oil Recovery. The current paper highlights method used for evaluation of various location and technology options for implementation of the new CO2 recovery units, considering existing plants flow schemes along with their interfaces and associated challenges. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were identified based on Inherent Safety, Economics, Technology Maturity, Product Quality, Operability / Flexibility, Constructability. Identified options were further developed and subsequently evaluated based on preliminary economic analysis and available technical information. Accordingly, weighted scores of the KPIs developed for option selection. Major criteria used for ranking were unit cost of CO2 product, adherence to required H2S and COS specifications, technology maturity and deployment in industry.For one location, the options considered included installation of new Acid Gas Removal Unit (AGRU) upstream of existing AGRU, revamp of existing Acid Gas Enrichment Unit (AGEU), new AGEU, and direct feed of Acid gas to new CO2 recovery unit to supplement falling upstream reservoir profile.For another location, the options included new CO2 recovery plant upstream of existing Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) or downstream of existing Tail Gas Treatment Unit (TGTU), compression of TGTU gases upstream of proposed CO2 recovery unit, installation of new unit downstream of existing incinerators, combination of CO2 recovery units of both plants, were also assessed.In addition, new CO2 Dehydration and Compression units considered to meet CO2 product specifications and B/L requirements. Based on project requirements, physical methods of CO2 removal like membranes and molecular sieves deemed unsuitable. Further to discussions with various licensors, emphasis remained on chemical and physical solvent technologies. Based on assessment, solvent swap for AGEU (upstream of existing SRUs) with reduced lean solvent temperature at one location, solvent swap in TGTU followed by a new polishing unit at another location combined with common high pressure compression facility, was selected for engineering development.

An analysis of usability evaluation practices and contexts of use in wearable robotics

Background User-centered design approaches have gained attention over the past decade, aiming to tackle the technology acceptance issues of wearable robotic devices to assist, support or augment human capabilities. While there is a consensus that usability is key to user-centered design, dedicated usability evaluation studies are scarce and clear evaluation guidelines are missing. However, the careful consideration and integration of user needs appears to be essential to successfully develop an effective, efficient, and satisfactory human-robot interaction. It is primarily the responsibility of the developer, to ensure that this users involvement takes place throughout the design process. Methods Through an online survey for developers of wearable robotics, we wanted to understand how the design and evaluation in actual daily practice compares to what is reported in literature. With a total of 31 questions, we analyzed the most common wearable robotic device applications and their technology maturity, and how these influence usability evaluation practices. Results A total of 158 responses from a heterogeneous population were collected and analyzed. The dataset representing contexts of use for augmentation (16.5%), assistance (38.0%), therapy (39.8%), as well as few other specific applications (5.7%), allowed for an insightful analysis of the influence of technology maturity on user involvement and usability evaluation. We identified functionality, ease of use, and performance as the most evaluated usability attributes and could specify which measures are used to assess them. Also, we could underline the frequent use of qualitative measures alongside the expected high prevalence of performance-metrics. In conclusion of the analysis, we derived evaluation recommendations to foster user-centered design and usability evaluation. Conclusion This analysis might serve as state-of-the-art comparison and recommendation for usability studies in wearable robotics. We believe that by motivating for more balanced, comparable and user-oriented evaluation practices, we may support the wearable robotics field in tackling the technology acceptance limitations.

An Analysis of Usability Evaluation Practices And Contexts of Use In Wearable Robotics

Background : User-centered design approaches have gained attention over the past decade, aiming to tackle the technology acceptance issues of wearable robotic devices to assist, support or augment human capabilities. While there is a consensus that usability is key to user-centered design, dedicated usability evaluation studies are scarce and clear evaluation guidelines are missing. However, the careful consideration and integration of user needs appears to be essential to successfully develop an effective, efficient, and satisfactory human-robot interaction. Methods : Through an online survey for developers of wearable robotics, we wanted to understand how the design and evaluation in actual daily practice compares to what is reported in literature. With a total of 31 questions, we analyzed the most common wearable robotic device applications and their technology maturity, and how these influence usability evaluation practices. Results : A total of 158 responses from a heterogeneous population were collected and analyzed. The dataset representing contexts of use for augmentation (16.5%), assistance (38.0%), therapy (39.8%), as well as few other specifc applications (5.7%), allowed for an insightful analysis of the influence of technology maturity on user involvement and usability evaluation. We identifed functionality, ease of use, and performance as the most evaluated usability attributes and could specify which measures are used to assess them. Also, we could underline the frequent use of qualitative measures alongside the expected high prevalence of performance-metrics. In conclusion of the analysis, we derived evaluation recommendations to foster user-centered design and usability evaluation. Conclusion : This analysis might serve as state-of-the-art comparison and recommendation for usability studies in wearable robotics. We believe that by motivating for more balanced, comparable and user-oriented evaluation practices, we may support the wearable robotics field in tackling the technology acceptance limitations.

CARDINAL WTRL: TECHNOLOGY MATURITY, SCHEDULE SLIPPAGE AND TREND FORECASTING.

Maturity assessments of technology is a crucial process to identify and acquire compatible technologies for a system’s development. However, being a complex and highly subjective process, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported cost overruns and schedule slippages through the years. This study provides a unique Weighted Technology Readiness Level (WTRL) framework which utilizes cardinal factors to ascertain the maturity, schedule and trend of NASA’s 7 Technologies based on their maturity time. The framework utilizes MCDM methods to determine the cardinal complexity of each TRL. It allows the assimilation of other cardinal factors using a simple, open structure to track the overall technology maturity and readiness. Furthermore, this study highlights the importance of tailored TRL frameworks to determine the accurate cardinal coefficient of the said technology and the inferences derived otherwise. It eliminates several limitations of previous frameworks and compares against their performance using a verified statistical representation of processed data.

Impact of public R&D as market matures: Evidence from solar PV industry

Our study concentrates on the impact of public research and development (R&D) as solar PV market matures. This paper tried to distinguish the concepts of market maturity and technology maturity and to approach them measurably. Considering the concept of cost reduction rate and number of patent change rate, we estimates maturity indicator respectively. Next, we estimate how market and technology maturity interact with public R&D. Finally, we examine whether the R&D effect varies depending on market maturity. This study suggests the implications of the R&D policy of renewable energy technologies at various maturity levels by making the concept of market maturity which is commonly used and measuring the R&D effect according to market maturity.

Exploration of Influential Determinants for the Adoption of Business Intelligence System in the Textile and Apparel Industry

The textile and apparel industry is prone to digitization with business intelligence systems (BIS) and big data concepts to contribute the global sustainability. BIS, an impactful and leading technology, is being implemented in many industrial sectors but almost 80% of BIS fail to give expected results due to unknown reasons. Although many scholars put effort into finding the influential determinants for the BIS implementation, they neglect the BIS adoption context, especially in the textile and apparel industry. A purposive and proportionate choice of potential determinants in the context of adoption would contribute significantly to the success of BIS. Multi-stage research is employed to identify and prioritize the significant determinants. In the first stage, twenty-two semi-structured in-depth interviews are conducted with seventeen textile and apparel companies. Ten significant determinants emerged after thematic analysis of interview data. The determinants are sustainability, competitive pressure, market trends, compatibility, technology maturity, leadership commitment and support, satisfaction with existing systems, sustainable data quality and integrity, users’ traits, and interpersonal communications that influence the adoption of BIS. In the second stage, the Best Worst Method (BWM) is used to calculate the weights for prioritizing the determinants based on experts’ opinion. These weights are then used to evaluate and rank the determinants. The findings of this research show that the leadership commitment and support, sustainability, users’ traits, and technology maturity, are the top-ranked determinants that influence the practitioners’ choice to adopt the BIS in the textile and apparel industry. The results of this study enable the BIS stakeholders to holistically comprehend the significant determinants that would drive or impede the success of BIS projects in the sustainable textile and apparel industry.

Studying Acquisition Strategy Formulation of Incremental Development Approaches

This is a study of the challenges that acquisition professionals confront in formulating the Department of Defense’s preferred acquisition–incremental development. The research surveys acquisition professionals to recommend the components of an acquisition strategy associated with a typical acquisition program undergoing program/project milestone review and approval. This work provides insights into how program managers use typical programmatic decision inputs (requirements, technology maturity, risk, urgency, and funding) to formulate the components of an acquisition strategy. The results suggest that acquisition policy should perhaps require a justification for most programs of record if an incremental development approach is not planned. Adoption of the recommended acquisition policy changes would make the defense acquisition system more responsive to the warfighter by fielding improved capability as quickly as possible and reducing risk of the eventual delivery of the full required capability.

IDENTIFYING GAPS IN AUTOMATING THE ASSESSMENT OF TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVELS

Crucial in the design process, Technology Readiness Levels are a common form of technology maturity assessment. Studies suggest that the TRL scale can be subjective and biased. Automating the assessment can reduce human bias. This paper highlights important challenges of automation by presenting data collected on 15 technologies from the nanotechnology sector. Our findings show that, contrary to claims from the literature, patent data exists for low maturity technologies and may be useful for automation. We also found that there exists unexpected trends in data publications at TRL 2, 3 and 4.