Search results for " Reliability."
showing 10 items of 551 documents
Situation Understanding for Operational Art in Cyber Operations
2016
This paper presents a theoretically motivated framework and methodology that has been designed for finding out the emergent phenomena and information needs for planning and decision-making. The approach is based on complexity thinking, system modeling, communication and cognition philosophy, social system theories and content analysis research technique. It provides results with the analysis of quite small sets of information. The paper demonstrates the approach with a case study. The study was performed in an international cyber experiment of the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (MCDC) 2013-2014. The case study shows that the proposed approach is plausible for increasing under…
Analysis of pipeline accidents in the United States from 1968 to 2009
2014
Pipelines are responsible for the transportation of a significant portion of the U.S. energy supply. Unfortunately, pipeline failures are common and the consequences can be catastrophic. Drawing on data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) that covers approximately 40,000 incidents from 1968 to 2009, this paper explores the trends, causes and consequences of natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline accidents. The analysis indicates that fatalities and injuries from pipeline accidents are generally decreasing over time, while property damage and, in some cases, the numbers of incidents are increasing over time. In five of the ten cases considered in this p…
New Measurement Procedure for Load Flow Evaluation in Medium Voltage Smart Grids
2013
The aim of this paper is to present a new approach for the medium voltage (MV) distribution network load flow analysis, mainly based on power measurement at the low voltage (LV) level of MV/LV distribution substations. This allows to use measurement instruments, usually already installed in the secondary substations, thus achieving an equally reliable measurement system with a lower cost compared to measurements at the MV side. The new approach can be applied using a proper communication system to collect the nodal measurements and an iterative algorithm based on ladder iterative technique (LIT) to compute the load flow. The validity of this method is presented and discussed on the basis of…
A Multi-Objective Approach to Optimize a Periodic Maintenance Policy
2012
The present paper proposes a multi-objective approach to find out an optimal periodic maintenance policy for a repairable and stochastically deteriorating multi-component system over a finite time horizon. The tackled problem concerns the determination of the system elements to replace at each scheduled and periodical system inspection by ensuring the simultaneous minimization of both the expected total maintenance cost and the expected global system unavailability time. It is assumed that in the case of system elements failure they are instantaneously detected and repaired by means of minimal repair actions in order to rapidly restore the system. A nonlinear integer mathematical programmi…
ECONOMIC-STATISTICAL DESIGN APPROACH FOR A VSSI X-BAR CHART CONSIDERING TAGUCHI LOSS FUNCTION AND RANDOM PROCESS SHIFTS
2014
Economic design approaches of control charts are commonly based on the assumption that various cost parameters values and the occurrence risk of assignable causes have to be a priori known with precision. However, in real operative contexts, such parameters can be really difficult to accurately estimate, especially considering costs arising from out-of-control conditions of the process. As consequence, pure economic design approaches can involve chart schemes with low statistical performance. To overcome such limitation, it is herein proposed a multi-objective economic-statistical design approach for an adaptive X-bar chart. In particular, such approach aims at the minimization of both the…
Risk Assessment of a compound feed process based on HAZOP analysis and linguistic terms
2016
[EN] The size and complexity of industrial plants, along with the characteristics of the products used, require a study, analysis and control of the existing risks in every industrial process. In this paper, a methodology for risk assessment in industrial plants, based on the combination of risks identification through the Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) analysis and the risks evaluation through linguistic variables and fuzzy numbers is applied to a case study consisting on a compound feed plant located in the town of Silla (Valencia, Spain). The results from this study show that the main risk in the compound feed production process is the formation of explosive atmospheres (ATEX). Therefore…
Leadership and employees’ perceived safety behaviours in a nuclear power plant: A structural equation model
2011
Leadership is considered an essential element in guaranteeing the safe running of organizations. The purpose of the present study is to find out how leader behaviours influence employees' safety behaviours (perceived safety behaviours) in the nuclear field. In an attempt to answer this question, the authors of this research have considered the way this influence is exercised, taking into consideration some important factors like safety culture and safety climate. To achieve this, the empowerment leadership model, based on a behavioural approach to leadership, was used. The sample was made up of 566 employees from a Spanish nuclear power plant. The results indicated that when safety culture …
Upwards - Vertical extensions of masonry built heritage for sustainable and antifragile urban densification
2021
Abstract Urban densification represents one of the biggest universal challenges of contemporary cities: the increase of urban population requires new spaces to accommodate the growing demand for housing, working and tertiary activities. However, the land available for new constructions in highly urbanized areas is very limited. In this framework, the vertical extension of existing buildings is the most sustainable strategy and fascinating. Masonry structures , constituting a major part of the built stock in the historical city centres of several European countries, are particularly suitable for vertical addition of extra-floors, since they generally exhibit an adequate overstrength for bear…
Product lifecycle management support: a challenge in supporting product design and manufacturing in a networked economy
2005
In this paper, we provide an overview of the changing design and manufacturing landscape in the 21st century that has come about because of IT and the changing global conditions. Based on this overview and a review of the current state of IT for PLM support in the design and manufacturing sector, we identify the areas of need for standards. A review of areas covered by standards leads us to the development of an initial typology of standards and a potential path for bringing convergence of these standards in support of PLM. We make a case throughout the paper that given the nature of the task we need to aspire to create open standards with wide participation. We conclude by arguing that the…
Variation Mode and Effect Analysis: a Practical Tool for Quality Improvement
2006
This paper describes a statistically based engineering method, variation mode and effect analysis (VMEA), that facilitates an understanding of variation and highlights the product/process areas in which improvement efforts should be targeted. An industrial application is also described to illustrate how the VMEA can be used for quality improvement purposes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.