Automation on thermal control of blast furnace

Accurate process control through automation is the key to achieving efficient and stable operation of a blast furnace. In this study, we developed an automatic control system of hot metal temperature (HMT). To cope with the slow and complex process dynamics of the blast furnace, we constructed a control algorithm that predicts eight-hour...

Situation Awareness Prompts: Bridging the Gap between Supervisory and Manual Air Traffic Control

To meet increasing safety and performance demands in air traffic control (ATC), more advanced automated systems will be introduced to assist human air traffic controllers. Some even foresee complete automation, with the human as a supervisor only to step-in when automation fails. Literature and empirical evidence suggest that supervising...

Human Performance in Solving Multi-UAV Over-Constrained Dynamic Vehicle Routing Problems

For many logistics applications, such as drone delivery missions, finding an optimized network of routes yields a Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP). Such optimizations are mostly conducted offline prior to actual operations for reasons of computational complexity. In case disturbances arise during operations, for example a sudden loss of a...

Scaling Local Bottom-Up Innovations through Value Co-Creation

Bottom-up initiatives of active citizens are increasingly demonstrating sustainable practices within local ecosystems. Local urban farming, sustainable agri-food systems, circular supply chains, and community fablabs are exemplary ways of tackling global challenges on a local level. Although promising in accelerating towards future-proof...

Automatic Control of Hot Metal Temperature

To achieve the automation of blast furnace operation, an automatic control system for hot metal temperature (HMT) was developed. Nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) which predicts up to ten-hour-ahead HMT and calculates appropriate control actions of pulverized coal rate (PCR) was constructed. Simulation validation showed that the NMPC...

3D surface-wave estimation and separation using a closed-loop approach

Surface waves in seismic data are often dominant in a land or shallow-water environment. Separating them from primaries is of great importance either for removing them as noise for reservoir imaging and characterization or for extracting them as signal for near-surface characterization. However, their complex properties make the surface-wave...

Fractal disperse hydrogen sorption kinetics in spark discharge generated Mg/NbOx and Mg/Pd nanocomposites

Isothermal hydrogen desorption of spark discharge generated Mg/NbOx and Mg/Pd metal hydride nanocomposites is consistently described by a kinetic model based on multiple reaction rates, in contrast to the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov [M. Avrami, J. Phys. Chem. 9, 177 (1941); W. A. Johnson and R. F. Mehl, Trans. Am. Inst. Min., Metal. Eng. 135,...

Rapid enterprise design

Existing methods for redesigning organizations are often not capable of meeting the required rate of change. This applies in particular to development methods for IT applications: the average automation procedure takes around two years to implement. Therefore, there is an urgent need for methods that make it possible to redesign and restructure...