Framework for Evaluating Financial Impacts of Technical Risks Related to Energy-Efficient Renovation of Commercial Office Buildings

Energy efficiency in the building sector is a priority of the EU Commission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Renovation of the existing buildings, which are currently responsible for approximately 40% of EU energy consumption and 36% of the greenhouse gas emissions can lead to significant energy savings. This paper presents the EEnvest calculation method for evaluating the financial impacts of technical risks related to energy-efficient renovation of commercial office buildings. The evaluation method aims to increase investors’ confidence and boost investments in the renovation of the existing building. Through a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), the technical and financial risks impact is evaluated. The results are strictly connected to building features, climatic conditions, solution sets and mitigation measures specific to the building energy efficiency project.

Geometallurgical Characterisation with Portable FTIR: Application to Sediment-Hosted Cu-Co Ores

Cobalt (Co) mine production primarily originates from the sediment-hosted copper (Cu) deposits of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These deposits usually consist of three ore zones with a supergene oxide ore blanket overlying a transition zone which grades into a sulphide zone at depth. Each of these zones display a mineral assemblage with varying gangue mineralogy and, most importantly, a distinct state of oxidation of the mineralisation. This has direct implications for Cu and Co extraction during mineral processing as it dictates which processing method is to be used (i.e., leaching vs. flotation) and affects the performance of these. To optimise resource efficiency, reduce technical risks and environmental impacts, comprehensive understanding of variation of ore mineralogy and texture in the deposit is essential. By defining geometallurgical ore types according to their inferred metallurgical behaviour, this information can serve to classify the resources and improve resource management. To obtain insight into the spatial distribution of mineral grades, it is necessary to develop techniques that have the potential to measure rapidly and, preferably, within the mine at relatively low-cost. In this study, the application of portable Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is investigated to measure the mineralogy of drill core samples. A set of samples from a sediment-hosted Cu-Co deposit in DRC was selected to test this approach. Results were validated using automated mineralogy (QEMSCAN). Prediction of gangue and target mineral grades from the FTIR spectra was achieved through partial least squares regression (PLS-R) combined with competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS). It is shown that the modal mineralogy obtained from FTIR can be used to classify the ore according to type of mineralisation and gangue mineralogy into geometallurgical ore types. This classification supports selection of a suitable processing route and is likely to affect the overall process performance.

Improving the analysis of technical risk factors using the integrated FLDS model on the example of the construction of multi-storey residential buildings

Introduction. This study is aimed at developing a model of the life cycle of a multi-storey residential building, taking into account the factors of technical risks. This model makes it possible to identify the main factors of technical risks at different stages of a project’s life and predict its behavior. After examining an extensive list of both domestic and foreign literature, it is clear that the systematization and classification of the elements of the life cycle of a construction object in conditions of technical risk factors is an urgent task in the construction industry. The purpose of the study is to develop the most effective mathematical model for determining and predicting the influence of technical risk factors on the life cycle of a multi-storey residential building. Materials and methods. The study is based not only on an extensive review of scientific literature, whose attention is focused on technical risks, but also analyzed the stages of the life cycle of buildings and structures, used the method of analogies and the method of diagrams, based on the theory of fuzzy set and the Dempster-Schafer theory, a mathematical model of FLDS is formed, so an expert survey was conducted with leading experts in the construction industry, on the basis of which the selection of the main factors of technical risks is formed. Results. The problem of analyzing technical risks in the construction industry plays a significant role, this is due to the construction of a significant number of modern structures that are unique in their kind, both from an architectural point of view, and from the point of view of the originality of design and technological solutions. Conclusions. Due to the uncertainty of experts’ opinions regarding the likelihood of occurrence and the degree of impact of risk factors, a demonstrative mathematical model of FLDS based on two theories is proposed, which allows numerically determining and distributing the influence of a risk factor by ranks. The result of the study shows that the application of the FLDS mathematical model will significantly increase the success of the project, allowing you to see the critical factors of technical risks at the initial stage of the life cycle of a construction project.

Analysis of basic concepts of advanced engines for supersonic civil aircraft on the basis of foreign designers’ experience

The work contains the results of a study of the basic design concepts of advanced engines for supersonic civil aircraft, carried out in order to make a forecast for the development of aviation technology, taking into account the experience of foreign designers. Engine designs are presented that are considered to be the most rational ones from the point of view of achieving high technical and economic parameters in the range of cruise Mach numbers from 1.2 to 5. Advantages and disadvantages of various engine designs, as well as issues of engine regulation at different flight modes, are discussed. The parameters of some engines being developed and studied at present for supersonic civil aircraft are presented. The analysis of the designs shows that an increase in the cruise Mach number leads to a complication of engine designs in the direction of an increase in the number of controlled elements, the number of working fluid flow paths, a complication of the architecture of turbomachines, as well as in the direction of using combined schemes and alternative fuels. The aspiration to meet new reinforced ecological requirements through the use of new, complex engine designs that differ significantly from traditional gas turbine engines will inevitably entail additional technical risks due to the insufficient level of technological readiness of most of the new controlled units.

SOFTWARE CODE ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR RISK ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY ASSURANCE OF SOFTWARE

The paper presents the results of research of various standards, rules and methods of writing software code and analysis of their impact on software quality and the likelihood of technical risks associated with information processes within the system. Most of the risks that arise while developing software products are due to errors in building the system architecture or writing code. As a solution for such problems, it is proposed to apply the developed set of rules and methods to build the system architecture and assess the quality of writing software objects. Metrics have been developed to estimate the size and complexity of the module by combining elements of Halsted and Chepin metrics. Also, a set of principles for optimizing the structure of the system, also known as SOLID principles, was presented. The application of these principles for system construction and analysis was substantiated in order to minimize risks, ensure the quality of the software system and provide opportunities for easy extensibility of the project. Using these methods will optimize the project both for use and for further development. The need for such optimization processes in terms of risk management is that the clearer the system and the easier it is to expand, the less likely it is that errors will occur in the future when adding new functionality.

A forest-fire model for technology risk transfer

Based on the transmission characteristics of networks and the systematization of technical risks in national major science and technology projects, the risk transmission mechanism of national major science and technology projects is deeply discussed herein. Firstly, the system of systems (SoS) engineering process model of national major science and technology projects is constructed, including two levels and three stages. Secondly, the hierarchical structure of national major science and technology projects is analyzed, and the risks are divided into different levels, such as SoS, system, subsystem, equipment, module, and components. Finally, we describe the risk transfer mechanism using the forest-fire model and outline a risk control strategy. The results show that the findings are helpful for recognizing the essence and transmission mechanism of technical risks of national major science and technology projects and for reducing the risk from the source. The research results can be applied to project management in the transportation field.

Risk Reduction Framework for Blue-Green Roofs

As climate change in the Nordic region brings an increase in extreme precipitation events, blue-green roofs have emerged as a solution for stormwater management, hereafter referred to as “blue-green roofs”. The addition of blue-green layers on a conventional compact roof represents several multi-disciplinary technical challenges and quality risks that must be managed. This paper aims to list and address the key building technical challenges associated with blue-green roofs and to present a framework for managing these risks. Literature and document studies as well as qualitative interviews and expert meetings have been conducted to collect research data on defects in blue-green roofs and causes thereof. A list of nine key challenges has been extracted along with recommendations on how to address them. The recommendations are structured around a framework developed for practical use in building projects. For ease of use, the nine key challenges are presented on a general level, with references to detailed recommendations. The framework is intended to be used to reduce the building technical risks of blue-green roofs, by addressing the most important quality risk elements.