Mathematics in Engineering Sciences

Novel Theories, Technologies, and Applications

Mangey Ram

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781138577671
• eBook ISBN: 9781351266307
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Mathematics
• Subtopic: Applied Mathematics
• Index: Mathematics

This book includes research studies, novel theory, as well as new methodology and applications in mathematics and management sciences. The book will provide a comprehensive range of mathematics applied to engineering areas for different tasks. It will offer an international perspective and a bridge between classical theory and new methodology in many areas, along with real-life applications.

Features

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• Offers solutions to multi-objective transportation problem under cost reliability using utility function

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• Presents optimization techniques to support eco-efficiency assessment in manufacturing processes

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• Covers distance-based function approach for optimal design of engineering processes with multiple quality characteristics

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• Provides discrete time sliding mode control for non-linear networked control systems

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• Discusses second law of thermodynamics as instruments for optimizing fluid dynamic systems and aerodynamic systems

1

Application of Optimization Techniques to Support Eco-Efficiency Assessment in Manufacturing Processes

Paulo Peças and Ana Rita Alves

IDMEC, Instituto Superior Técnico Universidade de Lisboa

Diogo Pina Jorge

Efficiency Rising (Erising), Lisboa

CONTENTS

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Problem Statement and Solution

1.3 Case Study

1.3.1 Metaheuristics Selection

1.3.1.1 Evolutionary Algorithms

1.3.1.2 Swarm Intelligence

1.4 Solution Development—Modeling and Integration

1.4.1 Modeling—PBM

1.4.2 Methodology—Fine-Tuning Metaheuristics

1.4.3 User Guide for Fine-Tuning PSO and GA

1.5 Results and Discussion

1.5.1 Finding the Fine-Tuning Parameters

1.5.2 Finding the Best(s) Alternative(s)

1.6 Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References

1.1 Introduction

The last two decades have shown an increase in awareness of sustainability, which has been reflected in the establishment of stringent environment-related demands from governmental bodies and needs of resources efficiency increasing, fostering the design and manufacture of greener products to satisfy customers’ needs and keep competitiveness.

The manufacturing industry, in general, and the decision makers of those companies, in particular, play an important role towards sustainability, since their activity and decisions influence the resource consumption efficiency and effectiveness and the type and intensity of emissions (Ingarao, 2016; Sproedt, Plehn, Schönsleben, & Herrmann, 2015; Duflou et al., 2012). This influence is (i) direct by the production system, i.e., the type of processes and its energy consumption, the type and level of wastes and disposals as well as the kind and intensity of emissions from manufacturing processes and materials used, and is also (ii) indirect by the product produced, namely the ones related with product design decisions, i.e., the materials used in the product, and the energy and resources consumed by products across their life cycle (Duflou et al., 2012).

Towards a sustainable development, three main pillars have to be taken into account: economic growth, environmental protection, and social equality. Two of those three are the focus of eco-efficiency, a management philosophy that encourages business to search for environmental improvements that yield parallel economic benefits (Lyubomirsky, Kurtz, & Lyubomirsky, 2009).

From there comes the necessity of developing general and proper metrics to enable designers, engineers, and managers to guide their decision processes, from the factory planning to operations, management, and control. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) proposed an appropriate platform or evaluation method that exactly agrees with the original definition of eco-efficiency: create more value with less impact, Eq. (1.1) (Verfaillie & Bidwell, 2000).

$\text{Eco-efficiency}\text{ratio}={\displaystyle \frac{\text{Production}\text{or}\text{service}\text{value}}{\text{Environmental}\text{influence}}}(1.1)$

Conceptually, eco-efficiency is well established and easily understood. Yet the number of potential indicators for the two sides of the eco-efficiency ratio is very high, e.g., monetary, volume, lifetime related to the numerator and material-, energy-, emission-related, and/or lifetime related for the denominator (Peças, Götze, Bravo, Richter, & Ribeiro, 2018; Lourenço et al., 2018). In addition, there are several techniques to measure the economic and environmental impact for each type of indicator (Passetti & Tenucci, 2016). Therefore, a great amount of combination can be used, meaning that there are several available combinations of eco-efficiency ratios, which may lead to different interpretations and a loss of accuracy on tracing eco-efficiency (Peças et al., 2018; Lourenço et al., 2018). In Table 1.1, a few examples are given, where it is also evident that the ratios are different depending on the focus of assessment. At company level, the eco-efficiency ratios must account for a macroquantification of the company activities’ value and environmental impacts for a specific period. At the product level, the ratios should account for the value generated by the specific product and the respective specific environmental impact, using a fixed period or the product life cycle time spam.

TABLE 1.1
Examples of Eco-Efficiency Ratios

Despite this abundance of possible eco-efficiency ratios, WBCSD (Lehni, 2000; WBCSD, 2000a,b) proposes guidelines to select a set of value- and environmental-related indicators that represent the behavior of the product, system, or company: they should change with the variation of design parameters of the object under analysis. Following WBCSD, understandable and coherent eco-efficiency ratios should be used, namely using indicators for the same time period and for the same functional unit that represent some meaning for the decision makers, e.g., added value in euros per megajoules of energy, units produced per each ton of CO_2eq. emitted.

Following a continuous improvement strategy fostered by WBCSD (2000a,b) and other normative documents on eco-efficiency (ISO, 2012; Jasch, 2000), the aim is to increase the eco-efficiency by increasing the figures of the selected eco-efficiency ratios, i.e., increase value more (keeping or decreasing environmental influence) or decrease environmental influence (keeping or increasing value). But, as stated in Table 1.1, the coexistence of several eco-efficiency ratios to improve might cause a mismatch of design combinations regarding the different eco-efficiency ratios that come to blur and complicate decision making (Peças et al., 2018; Lourenço et al., 2018). In other words, one solution may be good for one ratio but unfavorable for the others. This defines eco-efficiency as a complex multiobjective problem (MOP) with multidimensional external performances (An, Cui, & Qi, 2010), where the designer has a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) to handle (Miettinen, 2008). The MOP approaches are used to find an optimal solution for a large or infinite set of alternatives, being usually used to support decision making in problems associated with network design, transportation planning, scheduling, and with allocation problems (Banasik, Bloemhof-Ruwaard, Kanellopoulos, Claassen, & van der Vorst, 2016; Arbiza et al., 2008; Zohal & Soleimani, 2016).

Therefore, this book presents a novel approach for optimizing eco-efficiency of manufacturing processes and products. As an MOP, characterized by many eco-efficiency ratios whose solutions are predictably clashing, the main contribution of this work comprehends the application of optimization methods to support the decision making in early design phases. It also contributes for the eco-efficiency assessment by analyzing and comparing different metaheuristics, considering different design variables and different eco-efficiency indicators, while accounting for the trade-offs that come along with them. Furthermore, the need to fine-tune the metaheuristic parameters applied resulted in a user guide for future applications and for a better understanding of metaheuristic dynamics. The approach is applied to the injection molding process, aiming to identify the mold design characteristics and injection molding parameters that maximize eco-efficiency ratios. This application allows an understanding of how the approach can be applied, contributing to its application in other injection molding cases and also in other types of processes/products.

1.2 Problem Statement and Solution

The proposed approach aims to find the combinations of process or design parameters that optimize eco-efficiency performance, being the eco-efficiency measured in (one or more) ratios between value and environmental performance indicators. The case study selected to demonstrate the benefits of applying the proposed approach can be specifically described as identification of the combination(s) of mold design and injection molding process characteristics that optimize a set of eco-efficiency ratios found relevant by the user (decision maker). Eco-efficiency, as an M...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Editor
• Contributors
• 1. Application of Optimization Techniques to Support Eco-Efficiency Assessment in Manufacturing Processes
• 2. Distance-Based Function Approach for Optimal Design of Engineering Processes with Multiple Quality Characteristics
• 3. Application of Finite Element Method in Enhancing the Performance of Biomedical Implants
• 4. Magnetic Nanofluids—A Novel Concept of Smart Fluids
• 5. An Exposition on Mathematical Models Involving Various Types of Differential Equations
• 6. Modeling of Thermal Radiation and Magnetic Effects on Cu–Water Nanofluid Flow Embedded in Porous Medium Nearby a Stagnation Point Past a Stretching/Shrinking Plate with Suction/Blowing and Heat Source/Sink Using Keller-Box Method
• 7. Thermal Radiation Effects on the Fundamental Flows of a Ree–Eyring Hydromagnetic Fluid through Porous Medium with Slip Boundary Conditions
• 8. The Minimum Spanning Tree with Node Index ≤ 2 Is Equivalent to the Minimum Traveling Salesman Tour
• 9. Pattern Formation Dynamics of Predator–Prey System with Hunting Cooperation in Predators
• 10. Solving Multi-objective Transportation Problem under Cost Reliability Using Utility Function
• 11. Effect of Environmental Pollutants on Rain due to Stakeholders
• 12. Sliding Mode Control Approaches for Robust Control of Quadruple Tank System
• 13. Discrete-Time Sliding Mode Control for Nonlinear System Adulterated by Network Irregularities
• Index