Download or read book A Simulation Model for Optimizing Biofuel Distribution Network written by Spyridon Angelis and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research presents a discrete even simulation model to analyze biofuel supply chain and determine the best distribution practices. The increased demand for reducing the amounts of greenhouse gases being expelled into the environment, and the increased demand for reducing the dependency on foreign oil has augmented the US interest in alternative forms of fuels such as biofuels. As our demand for energy continues to increase and the government continues to implement policies to decrease fossil fuel burning, it is foreseeable that the biofuel industry will continue to expand. This will mainly be because biofuel is one of renewable energies that has promising potential to reduce dependency on foreign oil, especially in transportation sector, without replacing the current vehicle fleet. A literature review suggests that the economic viability of biofuels is heavily affected by its logistics. There have been, however minimal attempts to determine the best distribution practices of the biofuel supply chain. In this research, therefore, we present a simple yet practical approach that employs a valid and credible simulation modeling to handle this issue. We considered a finite number of possible future scenarios, which can deal with disruptions caused by unexpected and rare events. The applicability of the proposed model was demonstrated in the case study of the state of Nevada in the United States. The results demonstrate that the proposed model is a practical and flexible tool in analyzing realistic biofuel distribution. We believe that the proposed simulation model will serve as an effective decision support tool in the logistics operations of the biofuel industry.

Download or read book Optimization and Simulation for Designing the Supply Chain of the Cellulosic Biofuel Industry written by Heungjo An and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an effective approach to design the supply chain (SC) of the cellulosic biofuel industry in order that it will support and accelerate the successful commercialization of the cellulosic biofuel industry. The methods of approach to this problem are (1) to assess the state-of-the-art biofuel SC studies, (2) to provide a decision support tool based on a mixed integer programming (MIP) model for the cellulosic biofuel supply chain design problem (BSCP), (3) to devise an exact solution method to solve large-scale instances of BSCP, (4) to evaluate a biomass logistics system based on biomass modules, by using new simulation elements for new machines, and (5) to compare several biomass logistics systems based on biomass module, bale, and silage, using simulation models. The first part of this dissertation broadly reviews the literature on biofuel SCs, analyzing the state-of-the-art biofuel and petroleum-based fuel SC studies as well as relating generic SC models that have been published over the last decade to the biofuel SC (An et al., 2010a). The resulting analysis proposes fertile opportunity for future research to contribute to improving biofuel SC. The second part of this dissertation formulates BSCP as a MIP model, which is a time-staged, multi-commodity flow, network design problem with an objective of maximizing profit (An et al., 2010b). The model prescribes strategic level decisions (i.e., facility locations, capacities, and technology types) as well as plans for transportation routes and material flows (i.e., quantities produced, stored, and transported) in each time period. A case study demonstrates managerial use in application to a region in Central Texas. The third part of this dissertation provides an exact solution method to solve BSCP. An embedded structure can be transformed to a generalized minimum cost flow problem, which is used as a sub-problem in a CG approach. This study proposes a dynamic programming algorithm to solve the sub-problem in O(m), generating improving path-flows. To accelerate branch-and-bound (B & B) search, it develops an inequality, called the partial objective constraint (POC), which is based on the portion of the objective function associated with binary variables. The fourth part of this dissertation evaluates a biomass module system, which is a conceptual logistics system based on large packages of chopped biomass with sufficient size and density to provide maximized legal highway loads and quick load/unload times. The last part of this dissertation evaluates economic benefits of the biomass module system, comparing it to bale and silage systems.

Download or read book Development of an Optimization Model for Biofuel Facility Size and Location and a Simulation Model for Design of a Biofuel Supply Chain written by Fengli Zhang and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book 23 European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering written by Mingyen Yu and published by Elsevier Inc. Chapters. This book was released on 2013-06-10 with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renewable energy, especially biofuels, is seen as a viable solution to replace fossil fuels. Tighter environmental regulations have encouraged countries to develop strategic approaches to utilize alternative resources and new technologies. In retrospect, the performances of supply chains (SCs) are important from economic and environmental perspectives. Current research mainly focuses on the optimization of biofuel SCs in terms of economics, and distribution networks for other products and markets. There has been less work addressing the design of the distribution network for biofuel SC, in centralised/decentralised distribution, covering financial and environmental aspects. In this paper, we propose the optimization framework for biofuel SC with respect to the type of distribution network, and geographical locations of the facilities. Our research focuses on finding the optimal locations of the biofuel plant, considering biomass dispersions and customer locations based on candidate points. We also investigate the effects of using different transportation modes and the environmental effects on the type of distribution network used. A case study of a lignocellulosic plant distributing ethanol to its customers in various cities within UK has been used to validate the above framework. The result shows that the total distances of travel, as well as the unit transportation cost dominate the strategic application of either a centralised or decentralised distribution network. The concept presented in this research can be applied to other distribution design cases in various geographical locations and countries.

Download or read book Optimization of Biofuel Distrubution Networks in the Southwestern United States written by German Reyes and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bio-fuels have gained much attention over the last decade. However, most of the research efforts have been focused on improving the quality and increasing the productivity of bio-fuels, and there have been minimal attempts to develop research on the supply and delivery issues of these sources. We believe that the viability of biofuels is strongly related to the efficiency of the distribution networks. Therefore, in this research we present an optimization model and its application to an infrastructure for bio-fuels distribution network. Unlike other studies on the topic acknowledging the fact that traditional sources of fuel (i.e. petroleum) will not readily disappear from the competitive landscape, we focus on the dynamic nature of how the "new" and "old" energy sources may ultimately co-exist by adjusting their geographic product offerings based on production and transportation costs. To handle the uncertain demands of bio-fuels, we adopt the concept of stochastic programming. The presented model also considers two different modes of transportation with heterogeneous fleet size. The applicability of the optimization model is demonstrated in the case study of Bio-fuels distribution network in the Southwestern United States. The results demonstrate that the model is a practical and flexible tool in solving realistic distribution planning problem of bio-fuels.

Download or read book Handbook of Bioenergy written by Sandra D. Eksioglu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-08-11 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook brings together recent advances in the areas of supply chain optimization, supply chain management, and life-cycle cost analysis of bioenergy. These topics are important for the development and long-term sustainability of the bioenergy industry. The increasing interest in bioenergy has been motivated by its potential to become a key future energy source. The opportunities and challenges that this industry has been facing have been the motivation for a number of optimization-related works on bioenergy. Practitioners and academicians agree that the two major barriers of further investments in this industry are biomass supply uncertainty and costs. The goal of this handbook is to present several cutting-edge developments and tools to help the industry overcome these supply chain and economic challenges. Case studies highlighting the problems faced by investors in the US and Europe illustrate the impact of certain tools in making bioenergy an economically viable energy option.

Download or read book Biomass and Biofuels written by Shibu Jose and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2015-04-22 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten in the twenty-first century. The rise of unconventional oil and gas and of renewables is transforming our economies and improving our understanding of the distribution of the world's energy resources and their impacts. A complete knowledge of the dynamics underpinning energy markets is n

Download or read book Modeling and Optimization of Biomass Supply Chains written by Calliope Panoutsou and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-08-11 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modeling and Optimization of Biomass Supply Chains: Top Down and Bottom Up Assessment for Agricultural, Forest and Waste Feedstock provides scientific evidence for assessing biomass supply and logistics, placing emphasis on methods, modeling capacities, large data collection, processing and storage. The information presented builds on recent relevant research work from the Biomass Futures, Biomass Policies and S2Biom projects. In addition to technical issues, the book covers the economic, social and environmental aspects with direct implications on biomass availability. Its chapters offer an overview of methodologies for assessing and modeling supply, biomass quality and requirements for different conversion processes, logistics and demand for biobased sectors. Case studies from the projects that inspire the book present practical examples of the implementation of these methodologies. The authors also compare methodologies for different regions, including Europe and the U.S. Biomass feedstock-specific chapters address the relevant elements for forest, agriculture, biowastes, post-consumer wood and non-food crops. Engineers in the bioenergy sector, as well as researchers and graduate students will find this book to be a very useful resource when working on optimization and modeling of biomass supply chains. For energy policymakers, analysts and consultants, the book provides consistent and technically sound projections for policy and market development decisions. Provides consistent ratios and indicators for assessing biomass supply and its logistical component Explores assumptions behind the assessment of different types of biomass, including key technical and non-technical factors Presents the existing modeling platforms, their input requirements and possible output projections

Download or read book Multi Objective Optimization of Industrial Power Generation Systems Emerging Research and Opportunities written by Ganesan, Timothy and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-12-27 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The increased complexity of the economy in recent years has led to the advancement of energy generation systems. Engineers in this industrial sector have been compelled to seek contemporary methods to keep pace with the rapid development of these systems. Computational intelligence has risen as a capable method that can effectively resolve complex scenarios within the power generation sector. In-depth research on the various applications of this technology is lacking, as engineering professionals need up-to-date information on how to successfully utilize computational intelligence in industrial systems. Multi-Objective Optimization of Industrial Power Generation Systems: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of the application of intelligent optimization techniques within industrial energy systems. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as swarm intelligence, renewable energy, and predictive modeling, this book is ideally designed for industrialists, engineers, industry professionals, researchers, students, and academics seeking current research on computational intelligence frameworks within the power generation sector.

Download or read book 22nd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering written by David Bogle and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-08-03 with total page 1484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Computer aided process engineering (CAPE) plays a key design and operations role in the process industries. This conference features presentations by CAPE specialists and addresses strategic planning, supply chain issues and the increasingly important area of sustainability audits. Experts collectively highlight the need for CAPE practitioners to embrace the three components of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic progress and the role of systematic and sophisticated CAPE tools in delivering these goals. Contributions from the international community of researchers and engineers using computing-based methods in process engineering Review of the latest developments in process systems engineering Emphasis on a systems approach in tackling industrial and societal grand challenges

Download or read book Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining written by Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen and published by Woodhead Publishing. This book was released on 2016-02-23 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining highlights the emergence of energy generation through the use of biomass and the ways it is becoming more widely used. The supply chains that produce the feedstocks, harvest, transport, store, and prepare them for combustion or refinement into other forms of fuel are long and complex, often differing from feedstock to feedstock. Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy and Biorefining considers every aspect of these supply chains, including their design, management, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts. The first part of the book introduces supply chains, biomass feedstocks, and their analysis, while the second part looks at the harvesting, handling, storage, and transportation of biomass. The third part studies the modeling of supply chains and their management, with the final section discussing, in minute detail, the supply chains involved in the production and usage of individual feedstocks, such as wood and sugar starches, oil crops, industrial biomass wastes, and municipal sewage stocks. Focuses on the complex supply chains of the various potential feedstocks for biomass energy generation Studies a wide range of biomass feedstocks, including woody energy crops, sugar and starch crops, lignocellulosic crops, oil crops, grass crops, algae, and biomass waste Reviews the modeling and optimization, standards, quality control and traceability, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts of supply chains

Download or read book Process Systems Engineering for Biofuels Development written by Adrian Bonilla-Petriciolet and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-07-23 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive overview of current developments and applications in biofuels production Process Systems Engineering for Biofuels Development brings together the latest and most cutting-edge research on the production of biofuels. As the first book specifically devoted to process systems engineering for the production of biofuels, Process Systems Engineering for Biofuels Development covers theoretical, computational and experimental issues in biofuels process engineering. Written for researchers and postgraduate students working on biomass conversion and sustainable process design, as well as industrial practitioners and engineers involved in process design, modeling and optimization, this book is an indispensable guide to the newest developments in areas including: Enzyme-catalyzed biodiesel production Process analysis of biodiesel production (including kinetic modeling, simulation and optimization) The use of ultrasonification in biodiesel production Thermochemical processes for biomass transformation to biofuels Production of alternative biofuels In addition to the comprehensive overview of the subject of biofuels found in the Introduction of the book, the authors of various chapters have provided extensive discussions of the production and separation of biofuels via novel applications and techniques.

Download or read book 21st European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2011-06-10 with total page 2086 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE) series presents the latest innovations and achievements of leading professionals from the industrial and academic communities. The ESCAPE series serves as a forum for engineers, scientists, researchers, managers and students to present and discuss progress being made in the area of computer aided process engineering (CAPE). European industries large and small are bringing innovations into our lives, whether in the form of new technologies to address environmental problems, new products to make our homes more comfortable and energy efficient or new therapies to improve the health and well being of European citizens. Moreover, the European Industry needs to undertake research and technological initiatives in response to humanity's "Grand Challenges," described in the declaration of Lund, namely, Global Warming, Tightening Supplies of Energy, Water and Food, Ageing Societies, Public Health, Pandemics and Security. Thus, the Technical Theme of ESCAPE 21 will be "Process Systems Approaches for Addressing Grand Challenges in Energy, Environment, Health, Bioprocessing & Nanotechnologies."

Download or read book 11th International Symposium on Process Systems Engineering PSE2012 written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-31 with total page 1803 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While the PSE community continues its focus on understanding, synthesizing, modeling, designing, simulating, analyzing, diagnosing, operating, controlling, managing, and optimizing a host of chemical and related industries using the systems approach, the boundaries of PSE research have expanded considerably over the years. While early PSE research was largely concerned with individual units and plants, the current research spans wide ranges of scales in size (molecules to processing units to plants to global multinational enterprises to global supply chain networks; biological cells to ecological webs) and time (instantaneous molecular interactions to months of plant operation to years of strategic planning). The changes and challenges brought about by increasing globalization and the the common global issues of energy, sustainability, and environment provide the motivation for the theme of PSE2012: Process Systems Engineering and Decision Support for the Flat World. Each theme includes an invited chapter based on the plenary presentation by an eminent academic or industrial researcher Reports on the state-of-the-art advances in the various fields of process systems engineering Addresses common global problems and the research being done to solve them

Download or read book Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future written by Jingzheng Ren and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2019-08-20 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future: Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and Multi-criteria Decision Making provides a comprehensive sustainability analysis of biofuels based on life cycle thinking and develops various multi-dimensional decision-making techniques for prioritizing biofuel production technologies. Taking a transversal approach, the book combines life cycle sustainability assessment, life cycle assessment, life cycle costing analysis, social life cycle assessment, sustainability metrics, triple bottom line, operations research methods, and supply chain design for investigating the critical factors and key enablers that influence the sustainable development of biofuel industry. This book will equip researchers and policymakers in the energy sector with the scientific methodology and metrics needed to develop strategies for viable sustainability transition. It will be a key resource for students, researchers and practitioners seeking to deepen their knowledge on energy planning and current and future trends of biofuel as an alternative fuel. Provides an innovative approach to promoting sustainable development in biofuel production by linking supply chain design and decision support with the life cycle perspective Features case studies and examples that illustrate the theory and methods developed Includes material on corporate social responsibility and economic analysis of biofuels that is highly useful to policy-makers and administrators in both government and enterprise sectors

Download or read book Forest Value Chain Optimization and Sustainability written by Sophie D'Amours and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-12-01 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a global perspective on the various issues that the industry has to face as well as to provide some key global strategies that can help coping with those global challenges, such as collaboration, strategic value chain planning, and interdependency analyses. It presents literature reviews, strategic research orientations, assessment of some current key issues, and state-of-the-art methodologies.

Download or read book Renewable Energy Systems from Biomass written by Vladimir Strezov and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-11-16 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New innovations are needed for the invention of more efficient, affordable, sustainable and renewable energy systems, as well as for the mitigation of climate change and global environmental issues. In response to a fast-growing interest in the realm of renewable energy, Renewable Energy Systems: Efficiency, Innovation and Sustainability identifies a need to synthesize relevant and up-to-date information in a single volume. This book describes a systems approach to renewable energy, including technological, political, economic, social and environmental viewpoints, as well as policies and benefits. This unique and concise text, encompassing all aspects of the field in a single source, focuses on truly promising innovative and affordable renewable energy systems. Key Features: Focuses on innovations in renewable energy systems that are affordable and sustainable Collates the most relevant and up-to-date information on renewable energy systems, in a single and unique volume Discusses lifecycle assessment, cost and availability of systems Emphasizes bio-related topics Provides a systems approach to the renewable energy technologies and discusses technological, political, economic, social, and environmental viewpoints as well as policies