Search results for "Sensitivity analysis"
showing 10 items of 95 documents
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of an integrated membrane bioreactor model
2015
Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis, although can be of primarily importance in mathematical modelling approaches, are scarcely applied in the field of membrane bioreactor (MBR). An integrated mathematical model for MBR is applied with the final aim to pin down sources of uncertainty in MBR modelling. The uncertainty analysis has been performed combining global sensitivity analysis (GSA) with the generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE). The model and methodology were applied to a University Cape Town pilot plant. Results show that the complexity of the modelled processes and the propagation effect from the influent to the effluent increase the uncertainty of the model predicti…
Application of the Morris method for screening the influential parameters of fuzzy controllers applied to wastewater treatment plants
2011
In this paper,we evaluate the application of a sensitivity analysis to help fine-tuning a fuzzy controller for a biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal (BNPR) plant. TheMorris Screeningmethod is proposed and evaluated as a prior step to obtain the parameter significance ranking. First, an iterative procedure has been performed in order to find out the proper repetition number of the elementary effects (r) of the method. The optimal repetition number found in this study (r = 60) is in direct contrast to previous applications of the Morris method, which usually use low repetition number, e.g. r = 10 ~ 20. Working with a non-proper repetition number (r) could lead to Type I error (identify…
A comprehensive tool for efficient design and operation of polygeneration-based energy μgrids serving a cluster of buildings. Part II: Analysis of th…
2013
Abstract The potential of polygeneration systems, in terms of profitability, energy saving and pollutant emissions reduction, highly depends on several factors such as plant efficiency, local normative and tariff conditions and reference technologies adopted to compare the results. In Part I of this paper a reliable tool was described, capable of optimizing the lay-out, design and operation of an integrated polygeneration system serving a cluster of buildings with their heat, cooling and power demand; the tool represents an excellent instrument to perform sensitivity analyses, thus enabling the analyst to formulate general design criteria and predict the effects of any change in the boundar…
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 …
Post Feed-in Scheme Photovoltaic System Feasibility Evaluation in Italy: Sicilian Case Studies
2014
: Thanks to national energy policies, over recent years the Italian photovoltaic (PV) sector has undergone an extraordinary growth, also affecting the primary sector. In this context, Mediterranean greenhouses are well-adapted to photovoltaic systems because they represent one of the most energy-intensive sectors in agriculture. The Italian feed-in scheme ended at the beginning of 2013, making it necessary to investigate the feasibility of photovoltaic systems devoid of any electricity production-related incentives. In this paper, production cost and profitability analyses of photovoltaic electricity have been conducted, considering Mediterranean solar greenhouses in which, thanks to net me…
Epistemic uncertainty in fault tree analysis approached by the evidence theory
2012
Abstract Process plants may be subjected to dangerous events. Different methodologies are nowadays employed to identify failure events, that can lead to severe accidents, and to assess the relative probability of occurrence. As for rare events reliability data are generally poor, leading to a partial or incomplete knowledge of the process, the classical probabilistic approach can not be successfully used. Such an uncertainty, called epistemic uncertainty, can be treated by means of different methodologies, alternative to the probabilistic one. In this work, the Evidence Theory or Dempster–Shafer theory (DST) is proposed to deal with this kind of uncertainty. In particular, the classical Fau…
Using SMAA-2 method with dependent uncertainties for strategic forest planning
2006
Abstract Uncertainty included in forest variables is normally ignored in forest management planning. When the uncertainty is accounted for, it is typically assumed to be independently distributed for the criteria measurements of different alternatives. In forest management planning, the factors introducing the uncertainty can be classified into three main sources: the errors in the basic forestry data, the uncertainty of the (relative) future prices of timber, and the uncertainty in predicting the forest development. Due to the nature of these error sources, most of the involved uncertainties can be assumed to be positively correlated across the alternative management plans and/or criteria.…
Identification and Robust Control of a Quadratic DC/DC Boost Converter by Hammerstein Model
2015
This paper deals with the theoretical framework definition and the experimental application of the Hammerstein (HM) identification and related robust control technique to a quadratic dc/dc single-switch boost (Q-boost) converter. A set of fourth-order transfer functions (TFs) has been identified with the Hammerstein approach, on the basis of a pseudorandom-binary-sequence (PRBS) excitation signal. The set of identified TFs has been then used to design a suitable robust control technique, able to properly deal with the converter parameter uncertainty and load variations. The proposed approach has been tested in numerical simulation and validated experimentally on a suitably developed test se…
Parameter identification for heterogeneous materials by optimal control approach with flux cost functionals
2021
The paper deals with the identification of material parameters characterizing components in heterogeneous geocomposites provided that the interfaces separating different materials are known. We use the optimal control approach with flux type cost functionals. Since solutions to the respective state problems are not regular, in general, the original cost functionals are expressed in terms of integrals over the computational domain using the Green formula. We prove the existence of solutions to the optimal control problem and establish convergence results for appropriately defined discretizations. The rest of the paper is devoted to computational aspects, in particular how to handle high sens…
Bayesian correlated models for assessing the prevalence of viruses in organic and non-organic agroecosystems
2017
Cultivation of horticultural species under organic management has increased in importance in recent years. However, the sustainability of this new production method needs to be supported by scientific research, especially in the field of virology. We studied the prevalence of three important virus diseases in agroecosystems with regard to its management system: organic versus non-organic, with and without greenhouse. Prevalence was assessed by means of a Bayesian correlated binary model which connects the risk of infection of each virus within the same plot and was defined in terms of a logit generalized linear mixed model (GLMM). Model robustness was checked through a sensitivity analysis …