Optimization Criteria (optimization + criterion)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


OPTIMIZATION CRITERIA FOR BATCH RETORT BATTERY DESIGN AND OPERATION IN FOOD CANNING-PLANTS

JOURNAL OF FOOD PROCESS ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2003
R. SIMPSON
ABSTRACT Optimization of thermal processing in the commercial sterilization of canned foods is of great interest because the canning industry plays an important role within the economy of the food processing sector. Many food canning plants operate in a batch mode with a battery of individual batch retorts. The aim of this study was to propose and analyze several criteria and methodologies for optimum design and operation of such retort systems. Two criteria were proposed in the case of choosing the optimum number of retorts to be installed when designing a new batch-operated canning line. The third criterion dealt with seeking optimum process conditions for maximizing output from a fixed number of retorts when processing small batches of different products and container sizes. In the case of new plant design optimization, one objective was to determine the optimum number of retorts that would minimize on-going processing costs related to labor and energy. Retort scheduling (programming) was studied from which a simple mathematical expression was derived for this purpose. A second objective was to determine the optimum number of retorts that would maximize the net present value of initial investment. Approaches based upon engineering economics were studied from which to develop a mathematical procedure for this purpose. In the case of maximizing output from a fixed number of retorts for different products and container sizes, isolethal processes were identified for various product/containers from which a common set of process conditions could be chosen for simultaneous processing of different product lots in the same retort. [source]


Trajectory optimization involving sloshing media

OPTIMAL CONTROL APPLICATIONS AND METHODS, Issue 1 2002
Harald Leonpacher
Abstract This paper is concerned with the optimization of the transport motion of an open topped fluid filled container within a warehouse environment. In particular, optimal trajectories of the motion of the driver,container system in two-dimensional space will be investigated via numerical solutions of the model equations using sequential quadratic programming. The fluid and the mechanical facility that moves the container are subject to several constraints. The objective of the optimization is the time to transport the container from an initial position to its final destination within the warehouse. Optimization criteria are investigated to control the movement of the fluid within the container. The systems of ordinary and partial differential equations, representing the dynamics of the models are solved numerically using a direct shooting method. The resulting non-linear programming problem is solved using sequential quadratic programming (SQP). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The application of spreadsheets to the analysis and optimization of systems and processes in the teaching of hydraulic and thermal engineering

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 4 2006
A. Rivas
Abstract This article shows the capability of current spreadsheets to define, analyze and optimize models of systems and processes. Specifically, the Microsoft spreadsheet Excel is used, with its built-in solver, to analyze and to optimize systems and processes of medium complexity, whose mathematical models are expressed by means of nonlinear systems of equations. Two hydraulic and thermal engineering-based application examples are presented, respectively: the analysis and optimization of vapor power cycles, and the analysis and design of piping networks. The mathematical models of these examples have been implemented in Excel and have been solved with the solver. For the power cycles, the thermodynamic properties of water have been calculated by means of the add-in TPX (Thermodynamic Properties for Excel). Performance and optimum designs are presented in cases studies, according to the optimization criteria of maximum efficiency for the power cycle and minimum cost for the piping networks. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 14: 256,268, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20085 [source]


A survey on Mesh Segmentation Techniques

COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, Issue 6 2008
Ariel Shamir
Abstract We present a review of the state of the art of segmentation and partitioning techniques of boundary meshes. Recently, these have become a part of many mesh and object manipulation algorithms in computer graphics, geometric modelling and computer aided design. We formulate the segmentation problem as an optimization problem and identify two primarily distinct types of mesh segmentation, namely part segmentation and surface-patch segmentation. We classify previous segmentation solutions according to the different segmentation goals, the optimization criteria and features used, and the various algorithmic techniques employed. We also present some generic algorithms for the major segmentation techniques. [source]


Optimization of structural dynamic behaviour based on effective modal parameters

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2007
S. Besset
Abstract Optimization of complex structures often leads to high calculation costs. Indeed, the structure has to be frequently reanalysed in order to update the optimization criteria. We propose an optimization method based on effective modal parameters. These parameters are close to the modal matrices used for the modal analysis of a structure. Thus, once the structure has been analysed, it becomes very easy to calculate optimization criteria. First, we will explain the modal analysis that we will use in this paper. A modal model will be used to analyse the hollow parts of the structure. The modal analysis of the whole structure will be performed using substructuring and ,double modal synthesis' proposed by Jezequel. Secondly, we will explain how to obtain effective modal parameters and their use for optimization. Finally, we will show the efficiency of these parameters through the optimization of a complex structure, using two types of optimization methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Modeling and simulation of vehicle projection arrival,discharge process in adaptive traffic signal controls

JOURNAL OF ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION, Issue 3 2010
Fang Clara Fang
Abstract Real-time signal control operates as a function of the vehicular arrival and discharge process to satisfy a pre-specified operational performance. This process is often predicted based on loop detectors placed upstream of the signal. In our newly developed signal control for diamond interchanges, a microscopic model is proposed to estimate traffic flows at the stop-line. The model considers the traffic dynamics of vehicular detection, arrivals, and departures, by taking into account varying speeds, length of queues, and signal control. As the signal control is optimized over a rolling horizon that is divided into intervals, the vehicular detection for and projection into the corresponding horizon intervals are also modeled. The signal control algorithm is based on dynamic programming and the optimization of signal policy is performed using a certain performance measure involving delays, queue lengths, and queue storage ratios. The arrival,discharge model is embedded in the optimization algorithm and both are programmed into AIMSUN, a microscopic stochastic simulation program. AIMSUN is then used to simulate the traffic flow and implement the optimal signal control by accessing internal data including detected traffic demand and vehicle speeds. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to study the effect of selecting different optimization criteria on the signal control performance. It is concluded that the queue length and queue storage ratio are the most appropriate performance measures in real-time signal control of interchanges. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


The ED strategy: how species-level surrogates indicate general biodiversity patterns through an ,environmental diversity' perspective

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 8 2004
D. P. Faith
Abstract Biodiversity assessment requires that we use surrogate information in practice to indicate more general biodiversity patterns. ,ED' refers to a surrogates framework that can link species data and environmental information based on a robust relationship of compositional dissimilarities to ordinations that indicate underlying environmental variation. In an example analysis of species and environmental data from Panama, the environmental and spatial variables that correlate with an hybrid multi-dimensional scaling ordination were able to explain 83% of the variation in the corresponding Bray Curtis dissimilarities. The assumptions of ED also provide the rationale for its use of p-median optimization criteria to measure biodiversity patterns among sites in a region. M.B. Araújo, P.J. Densham & P.H. Williams (2004, Journal of Biogeography31, 1) have re-named ED as ,AD' in their evaluation of the surrogacy value of ED based on European species data. Because lessons from previous work on ED options consequently may have been neglected, we use a corroboration framework to investigate the evidence and ,background knowledge' presented in their evaluations of ED. Investigations focus on the possibility that their weak corroboration of ED surrogacy (non-significance of target species recovery relative to a null model) may be a consequence of Araújo et al.'s use of particular evidence and randomizations. We illustrate how their use of discrete ED, and not the recommended continuous ED, may have produced unnecessarily poor species recovery values. Further, possible poor optimization of their MDS ordinations, due to small numbers of simulations and/or low resolution of stress values appears to have provided a possible poor basis for ED application and, consequently, may have unnecessarily favoured non-corroboration results. Consideration of Araújo et al.'s randomizations suggests that acknowledged sampling biases in the European data have not only artefactually promoted the non-significance of ED recovery values, but also artefactually elevated the significance of competing species surrogates recovery values. We conclude that little credence should be given to the comparisons of ED and species-based complementarity sets presented in M.B. Araújo, P.J. Densham & P.H. Williams (2004, Journal of Biogeography31, 1), unless the factors outlined here can be analysed for their effects on results. We discuss the lessons concerning surrogates evaluation emerging from our investigations, calling for better provision in such studies of the background information that can allow (i) critical examination of evidence (both at the initial corroboration and re-evaluation stages), and (ii) greater synthesis of lessons about the pitfalls of different forms of evidence in different contexts. [source]


A framework for sequential multiblock component methods

JOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 6 2003
Age K. Smilde
Abstract Multiblock or multiset methods are starting to be used in chemistry and biology to study complex data sets. In chemometrics, sequential multiblock methods are popular; that is, methods that calculate one component at a time and use deflation for finding the next component. In this paper a framework is provided for sequential multiblock methods, including hierarchical PCA (HPCA; two versions), consensus PCA (CPCA; two versions) and generalized PCA (GPCA). Properties of the methods are derived and characteristics of the methods are discussed. All this is illustrated with a real five-block example from chromatography. The only methods with clear optimization criteria are GPCA and one version of CPCA. Of these, GPCA is shown to give inferior results compared with CPCA. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Targeted mechanical properties for optimal fluid motion inside artificial bone substitutes

JOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 8 2009
L.D. Blecha
Abstract Our goal was to develop a method to identify the optimal elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, porosity, and permeability values for a mechanically stressed bone substitute. We hypothesized that a porous bone substitute that favors the transport of nutriments, wastes, biochemical signals, and cells, while keeping the fluid-induced shear stress within a range that stimulates osteoblasts, would likely promote osteointegration. Two optimization criteria were used: (i) the fluid volume exchange between the artificial bone substitute and its environment must be maximal and (ii) the fluid-induced shear stress must be between 0.03 and 3 Pa. Biot's poroelastic theory was used to compute the fluid motion due to mechanical stresses. The impact of the elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, porosity, and permeability on the fluid motion were determined in general and for three different bone substitute sizes used in high tibial osteotomy. We found that fluid motion was optimized in two independent steps. First, fluid transport was maximized by minimizing the elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and porosity. Second, the fluid-induced shear stress could be adjusted by tuning the bone substitute permeability so that it stayed within the favorable range of 0.03 to 3 Pa. Such method provides clear guidelines to bone substitute developers and to orthopedic surgeons for using bone substitute materials according to their mechanical environment. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 1082,1087, 2009 [source]


Deterministic and stochastic scheduling with teamwork tasks

NAVAL RESEARCH LOGISTICS: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 6 2004
Xiaoqiang Cai
Abstract We study a class of new scheduling problems which involve types of teamwork tasks. Each teamwork task consists of several components, and requires a team of processors to complete, with each team member to process a particular component of the task. Once the processor completes its work on the task, it will be available immediately to work on the next task regardless of whether the other components of the last task have been completed or not. Thus, the processors in a team neither have to start, nor have to finish, at the same time as they process a task. A task is completed only when all of its components have been processed. The problem is to find an optimal schedule to process all tasks, under a given objective measure. We consider both deterministic and stochastic models. For the deterministic model, we find that the optimal schedule exhibits the pattern that all processors must adopt the same sequence to process the tasks, even under a general objective function GC = F(f1(C1), f2(C2), , , fn(Cn)), where fi(Ci) is a general, nondecreasing function of the completion time Ci of task i. We show that the optimal sequence to minimize the maximum cost MC = max fi(Ci) can be derived by a simple rule if there exists an order f1(t) , , , fn(t) for all t between the functions {fi(t)}. We further show that the optimal sequence to minimize the total cost TC = , fi(Ci) can be constructed by a dynamic programming algorithm. For the stochastic model, we study three optimization criteria: (A) almost sure minimization; (B) stochastic ordering; and (C) expected cost minimization. For criterion (A), we show that the results for the corresponding deterministic model can be easily generalized. However, stochastic problems with criteria (B) and (C) become quite difficult. Conditions under which the optimal solutions can be found for these two criteria are derived. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004 [source]


Real-Time Trajectory Planning of the Industrial Robot IRB6400

PROCEEDINGS IN APPLIED MATHEMATICS & MECHANICS, Issue 1 2003
Matthias Knauer
Path planning of industrial robots requires the calculation of trajectories with respect to different optimization criteria, e.g. time optimal, energy optimal or wear and tear optimal solutions. These optimal control problems can be solved numerically, e.g., by direct solvers. In practice, inaccuracies or perturbations in the underlying model can cause the robot to fail in following the calculated path. When deviations of the precalculated trajectory or system parameters are detected an update of the robot trajectory is required in real-time. Therefore, a method based on the parametric sensitivity analysis of the optimal control problem is proposed to calculate admissible approximations for the solution of the perturbed robot trajectory problem in real-time. A model of ABB's common robot IRB 6400 is used to reveal the capabilities of the proposed method. [source]


Optical properties of thin-film silicon solar cells with grating couplers

PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS, Issue 7 2006
C. Haase
Abstract The effect of grating couplers on the optical properties of silicon thin-film solar cells was studied by a comparison of experimental results with numerical simulations. The thin-film solar cells studied are based on microcrystalline silicon (,c-Si:H) absorber layers of thickness in the micrometer range. To investigate the light propagation in these cells, especially in the red wavelength region, three-dimensional power loss profiles are simulated. The influence of different grating parametres,such as period size, groove height, and shape of the grating,was studied to gain more insight into the light propagation within thin-film silicon solar cells and to determine an optimized light trapping scheme. The effect of the TCO front and TCO back side layer thickness was investigated. The calculated quantum efficiencies and short-circuit current densities are in good agreement with the experimental data. The simulations predict further optimization criteria. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


A Genetic Algorithm Hybrid for Constructing Optimal Response Surface Designs

QUALITY AND RELIABILITY ENGINEERING INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2004
David Drain
Abstract Hybrid heuristic optimization methods can discover efficient experiment designs in situations where traditional designs cannot be applied, exchange methods are ineffective, and simple heuristics like simulated annealing fail to find good solutions. One such heuristic hybrid is GASA (genetic algorithm,simulated annealing), developed to take advantage of the exploratory power of the genetic algorithm, while utilizing the local optimum exploitive properties of simulated annealing. The successful application of this method is demonstrated in a difficult design problem with multiple optimization criteria in an irregularly shaped design region. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Simulation and Optimization of an Adiabatic Multi-Bed Catalytic Reactor for the Oxidation of SO2

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (CET), Issue 1 2007
A. Nodehi
Abstract A software package was developed for the simulation and optimization of a multi-bed adiabatic reactor for the catalytic oxidation of SO2, using a heterogeneous plug flow model. The orthogonal collocation (OC) technique with up to eight collocation points was used for the solution of a nonlinear, two-point boundary value differential equation for the catalyst particle, and it was shown that the use of the OC technique with two collocation points can describe the system well. Because of the nonlinear behavior of the effectiveness factor along the bed, optimal catalyst distribution between the beds and corresponding inlet temperatures were determined by two methods, including: the use of (1) intrinsic or (2) actual rate of reaction in the optimization criteria. The results showed that for the second case, the minimum amount of the catalyst can be reached at lower temperatures, the amount of catalyst required is always less, and the number of beds is greater than or equal to that of the first case. [source]