Society's response to climate change - A scenario discovery study using agent-based modelling

This research has been aimed at identifying internally consistent and plausible narratives on the pathways of society’s response to climate change. In this research, society’s response to climate change has been interpreted as the emergence of climate change mitigation action by society. Studying society’s response to climate change is hampered...

Technology Monitor: Design of a Registration Method for Subsidized Energy Innovation Projects in the Netherlands

Policy alignment is a well-known problem when stimulating innovative energy technologies. In this paper policy alignment is approached from a technology perspective. Using a technology classification, based on morphological analysis and design theory, projects are classified looking at the technological function and physical artifacts. The...

Discovering advantageous potential of Economy of Chain supply chains: A concept to extend Industrial Symbiosis

This report provides an analysis of competitive advantages for a new way of producing and supplying chemicals in a concept called Economy of Chain (EoC). By applying this concept existing supply chain architecture is transformed. Economy of Chain is a modular production concept, with the help of process intensified equipment the reactor sizes...

Impact of Asset Management Systems: A Sector Study Among Power and Gas Grid Operators

In the beginning of 2014 the International Standard Organization launched the first version of the ISO 55000 series on asset management, which describes the requirements for an asset management system. The ISO claims important benefits for organizations implementing the ISO 55001, but empirical research to support these claims is lacking. This...

Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Drinking Water Supply System: Vitens & Waternet Company

Climate change is an inevitable undesired phenomenon affecting the water cycle system. High uncertainties exist in the magnitude, speed, and impacts of the adverse consequences of climate change. In the decision-making processes of Water Companies, dealing with uncertainties such as climate change is part of asset management practices. In...

Virtual design and construction in the AEC industry

Quality Control Tools in Asset Management: Applying Six Sigma and Lean Production to improve the Maintenance Process for Pavements

Asset Management has become an important tool for dealing with risks, costs and performance of large infrastructure systems. Rijkswaterstaat, an agency of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, faces the challenge of maintaining the highway and waterway networks and water systems in The Netherlands. This research project focuses on...

A decision model on grid replacement strategies for an energy distribution system operator

Dutch gas infrastructures are aged and need to be replaced in the next decades. Uncertainties surrounding the gas sector make it difficult to determine future requirements of the gas infrastructure. A decision model that analyses the performance of different replacement strategies under different scenarios of demand and supply is constructed....

Asset management of regional flood defenses

This thesis explores what the concept of asset management means for the management of regional flood defenses. The concept is explored by assessing the asset management maturity of regional flood defense management at one water board.

Combining backcasting and value focused thinking to develop pathways towards a sustainable system: The case of the water system on the Isle of San Andres

The utilization of the abundant renewables energy potential in Small Islands is vital in the near future to safeguard the access towards affordable and sufficient water. Growing population, rising tourism numbers and higher welfare causes an enlarging water demand. Meanwhile climate change, the el Nino/la Nina effect and the depletion of the...

Strategic Decision-Making in Asset Management: An Approach to Study Long-Term Strategic Decisions in Water Cycle Infrastructures

Climate change, population growth and increasing consumption patterns of water and increasing urbanisation are challenges and future uncertainties that place stress upon urban water infrastructures. These urban challenges, along with the complexities of asset-intensive systems and socio-economic structures, make the development of efficient long...

A new perspective on usability: Towards a usable gas-desulphurization agent-based model at Shell P&T

While agent-based models (ABM) are increasingly used to study overall system behaviour of various systems, they can also be hard to use by people and organisations that are not familiar with this modelling paradigm. Creating usable agent-based models is thus an important aspect to consider while constructing agent-based models. However, an ABM...

The open source technology agent: An agent concept for the explorative economic evaluation of process technology

Process technology is in development for the long term. This thesis presents an agent concept, part of an agent-based model, specified to the conceptual level, that deals with technical complexity of process technology, and can help to assess the economic value of combinations of connected process technology.