Search results for " Sensitivity analysis"
showing 10 items of 53 documents
Optimization of trigeneration systems by Mathematical Programming: influence of plant scheme and boundary conditions
2014
The large potential for energy saving by cogeneration and trigeneration in the building sector is scarcely exploited due to a number of obstacles in making the investment attractive. The analyst often encounters difficulties in identifying optimal design and operation strategies, since a number of factors, either endogenous (i.e. related with the energy load profiles) and exogenous (i.e. related with external conditions like energy prices and support mechanisms), influence the economic viability. In this paper a decision tool is presented, that simultaneously optimizes the plant lay-out, the sizes of the main components and their operation strategy. For a specific building in the hotel sect…
ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA BASS FARMS ACCORDING TO MARKET TYPOLOGY
2014
Italy represents one of the main production countries of European sea bass and, in this context, Sicilian fish farms play a key role. Since in the last years the economic development has led to an increasingly globalized market, in this paper it has been carried out an economic evaluation of two Sicilian European sea bass farms according to the market typology in which their product is allocated: competitive and oligopolistic market. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis allows to understand how market prices could influence farm economic performances. Results showed higher profit for farm that sold product in oligopolistic market, even if sensitivity analysis highlighted that both farms were ve…
Global Sensitivity Analysis of Leaf-Canopy-Atmosphere RTMs: Implications for Biophysical Variables Retrieval from Top-of-Atmosphere Radiance Data.
2019
Knowledge of key variables driving the top of the atmosphere (TOA) radiance over a vegetated surface is an important step to derive biophysical variables from TOA radiance data, e.g., as observed by an optical satellite. Coupled leaf-canopy-atmosphere Radiative Transfer Models (RTMs) allow linking vegetation variables directly to the at-sensor TOA radiance measured. Global Sensitivity Analysis (GSA) of RTMs enables the computation of the total contribution of each input variable to the output variance. We determined the impacts of the leaf-canopy-atmosphere variables into TOA radiance using the GSA to gain insights into retrievable variables. The leaf and canopy RTM PROSAIL was coupled with…
Global sensitivity analysis in wastewater treatment modelling
2019
Global sensitivity analysis (GSA) is a valuable tool to support the use of mathematical models. GSA allows the identifcation of the effect of model and input factor uncertainty on the model response, also considering the effect due to the interactions among factors. During recent years, the wastewater modelling feld has embraced the use of GSA. Wastewater modellers have tried to transfer the knowledge and experience from other disciplines and other water modelling felds.
Sensitivity analysis to quantify uncertainty in Life Cycle Assessment: The case study of an Italian tile
2011
Abstract The results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study can be affected by several uncertainty sources, mainly due to the methodological choices, the initial assumptions, i.e. allocation rules, system boundaries and impact assessment methods, and the quality of the available data. Then, the experts should estimate the extent of the above-mentioned sources of uncertainty for improving the reliability and the representativeness of the obtained eco-profiles. To estimate the uncertainty is necessary to obtain reliable, transparent and representative LCA results and to correctly support decision-makers in the selection of different product or process options. The following paper starts from …
Multiple stressors facilitate the spread of a non-indigenous bivalve in the Mediterranean Sea
2018
Aim The introduction of non‐indigenous species (NIS) via man‐made corridors connecting previously disparate oceanic regions is increasing globally. However, the environmental and anthropogenic factors facilitating invasion dynamics and their interactions are still largely unknown. This study compiles and inputs available data for the NIS bivalve Brachidontes pharaonis across the invaded biogeographic range in the Mediterranean basin into a species distribution model to predict future spread under a range of marine scenarios. Location Mediterranean Sea. Methods A systematic review produced the largest presence database ever assembled to inform the selection of biological, chemical and physic…
Sensitivity analysis: fundamentals
2015
Sensitivity analysis (SA) is a valuable tool to support the use of mathematical models for environmental systems. Local or global SA (namely, LSA and GSA) are performed in order to better understand processes and to select the most influential factors affecting processes. The main objective of this extended abstract is to provide an informed problem statement of the issues surrounding LSA and GSA applications in the environmental water quality modelling field. Specifically, this paper aims at identifying, for the most popular methods, their potential use, the critical issues to be solved and the limits identified in a comprehensive literature review.
A practical methodology to perform global sensitivity analysis for 2D hydrodynamic computationally intensive simulations
2021
Sensitivity analysis is a commonly used technique in hydrological modeling for different purposes, including identifying the influential parameters and ranking them. This paper proposes a simplified sensitivity analysis approach by applying the Taguchi design and the ANOVA technique to 2D hydrodynamic flood simulations, which are computationally intensive. This approach offers an effective and practical way to rank the influencing parameters, quantify the contribution of each parameter to the variability of the outputs, and investigate the possible interaction between the input parameters. A number of 2D flood simulations have been carried out using the proposed combinations by Taguchi (L27…
Power sensitivity analysis of multi-frequency, multi-polarized, multi-temporal SAR data for soil-vegetation system variables characterization
2017
Abstract: The knowledge of spatial and temporal variability of soil water content and others soil-vegetation variables (leaf area index, fractional cover) assumes high importance in crop management. Where and when the cloudiness limits the use of optical and thermal remote sensing techniques, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery has proven to have several advantages (cloud penetration, day/night acquisitions and high spatial resolution). However, measured backscattering is controlled by several factors including SAR configuration (acquisition geometry, frequency and polarization), and target dielectric and geometric properties. Thus, uncertainties arise about the more suitable configurati…
Optimal design of an electro-hydraulic valve for heavy-duty vehicle clutch actuator with certain constraints
2016
Abstract The main objective of this paper is to investigate the sensitivity analysis and optimal design of a proportional solenoid valve (PSV) operated pressure reducing valve (PRV) for heavy-duty automatic transmission clutch actuators. The nonlinear electro-hydraulic valve model is developed based on fluid dynamics. In order to implement the sensitivity analysis and optimization for the PRV, the PSV model is validated by comparing the results with data obtained from a real test-bench. The sensitivity of the PSV pressure response with regard to the structural parameters is investigated by using Sobol׳s method. Finally, simulations and experimental investigations are performed on the optimi…