Scheduling a three-machine no-wait flowshop with separated setup time

In many practical flowshop production environments, there is no intermediate storage space available to keep partially completed jobs between any two machines. The workflow has to be continuous, implying that the no-wait conditions must be abided, which is typical in steel and plastic production. We discuss the three-machine no-wait flowshop scheduling problem where the setup times are considered as separated from processing times and sequence independent. The scheduling goal is to minimize the total flowtime. An optimal property and two heuristic algorithms for this problem are proposed. Evaluated over a large number of problems, the proposed heuristics are found that they can yield good solutions effectively with low computational complexity, and have more obvious advantage for the large size problem compared with the existing one.

Effect of aspect ratio of elliptical stirred vessel on mixing time and flow field characteristics in the absence of baffles

Elliptical tanks were used as an alternative to circular tanks in order to improve mixing efficiency and reduce mixing time in unbaffled stirred tanks(USTs). Five different aspect ratios of elliptical vessels were designed to compare their mixing time and flow field. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations were performed using the k–ε model to calculate the mixing time and simulate turbulent flow field features, such as streamline shape, velocity distribution, vortex core region distribution, and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) transfer. Visualization was also carried out to track the tinctorial evolution of the liquid phase. Results reveal that elliptical stirred tanks can significantly improve mixing performance in USTs. Specifically, the mixing time at an aspect ratio of 2.00 is only 45.3% of the one of a circular stirred tank. Furthermore, the secondary flow is strengthened and the vortex core region increases with the increase of aspect ratio. The axial velocity is more sensitive to the aspect ratio than the circumferential and radial velocity. Additionally, the TKE transfer in elliptical vessels is altered. These findings suggest that elliptical vessels offer a promising alternative to circular vessels for enhancing mixing performance in USTs.

Impact of well placement and flow rate on production efficiency and stress field in the fractured geothermal reservoirs

Geothermal energy has gained wide attention as a renewable alternative for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.The advancements in enhanced geothermal system technology have enabled the exploitation of previously inaccessible geothermal resources.However,the extraction of geothermal energy from deep reservoirs poses many challenges due to high‐temperature and high‐geostress conditions.These factors can significantly impact the surrounding rock and its fracture formation.A comprehensive understanding of the thermal–hydraulic–mechanical(THM)coupling effect is crucial to the safe and efficient exploitation of geothermal resources.This study presented a THM coupling numerical model for the geothermal reservoir of the Yangbajing geothermal system.This proposed model investigated the geothermal exploitation performance and the stress distribution within the reservoir under various combinations of geothermal wells and mass flow rates.The geothermal system performance was evaluated by the criteria of outlet temperature and geothermal productivity.The results indicate that the longer distance between wells can increase the outlet temperature of production wells and improve extraction efficiency in the short term.In contrast,the shorter distance between wells can reduce the heat exchange area and thus mitigate the impact on the reservoir stress.A larger mass flow rate is conducive to the production capacity enhancement of the geothermal system and,in turn causes a wider range of stress disturbance.These findings provide valuable insights into the optimization of geothermal energy extraction while considering reservoir safety and long‐term sustainability.This study deepens the understanding of the THM coupling effects in geothermal systems and provides an efficient and environmentally friendly strategy for a geothermal energy system.

Comparison of the precision of glacier flow rates derived from offset-tracking using Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/9 imagery

Offset-tracking is an essential method for deriving glacier flow rates using optical imagery.Sentinel-2(S2)and Landsat-8/9(L8/9)are popular optical satellites or constellations for polar studies,offering high spatial resolution with relatively short revisit time,wide swath width,and free accessibility.To evaluate and compare the precision of offset-tracking results yielded with these two kinds of data,in this study S2 and L8/9 imagery observed in Petermann Glacier in Greenland,Karakoram in High-Mountains Asia,and Amery Ice Shelf in the Antarctic are analyzed.Outliers and various systematic error sources in the offset-tracking results including orbital and strip errors were analyzed and eliminated at the pre-process stage.Precision at the off-glacier(bare rock)region was evaluated by presuming that no deformation occurred;then for both glacierized and the off-glacier regions,precision of velocity time series was evaluated based on error propagation theory.The least squares method based on connected components was used to solve flow rates time series based on multi-pair images offset-tracking.The results indicated that S2 achieved slightly higher precision than L8/9 in terms of both single-pair derived displacements and least square solved daily flow rates time series.Generally,the RMSE of daily velocity is 26%lower for S2 than L8/9.Moreover,S2 provided higher temporal resolution for monitoring glacier flow rates.

Flow Rate Measurement of Gravity Infusion Set and Functional Evaluation of Drop Counter: A Pilot Study

Developing a novel drop counter by introducing the Internet of Things concept has been vigorously conducted in recent years. Understanding the newly introduced drop counter’s flow rate control accuracy and flow rate count feature is essential for improving safety in infusion management. This study aimed to verify if the new drop counters could secure accurate flow rate and drip count by conducting actual flow rate measurements using gravimetry and functional evaluation. A drop counter was attached to each drip chamber of the infusion set, and an IV drip was conducted at the 100 ml/h flow rate. The weight of discharged physiological saline was measured to plot trumpet curves. Next, three different types of drop counters were evaluated to determine if they maintained drip count accuracy according to the changes in their position angles. The flow rate errors in all conditions indicated trumpet-like curves, exhibiting an overall error range within ±10% in all observation windows. Although every drop counter successfully detected and measured dripping, it was challenging in some counters to detect dripping when the drip chamber was tilted. In comparing adult and pediatric IV sets, the adult IV set was found to be less likely to detect dripping in the angled position. No significant differences in results were confirmed between high and low flow rates, suggesting that the drop count function would not be affected by the flow rate in the ranges of typical infusion practices. Doppler sensors have a wide range of measurements and high sensitivity;the dripping was detected successfully even when the drip chamber was tilted, probably due to the advantages of these sensors. In contrast, miscounts occurred in those equipped with infrared sensors, which could not detect light intensity changes in tilted positions. Understanding the tendencies in flow rate errors in infusion can be valuable information for infusion management.

Application of Random Search Methods in the Determination of Learning Rate for Training Container Dwell Time Data Using Artificial Neural Networks

Purpose: This study aimed to enhance the prediction of container dwell time, a crucial factor for optimizing port operations, resource allocation, and supply chain efficiency. Determining an optimal learning rate for training Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) has remained a challenging task due to the diverse sizes, complexity, and types of data involved. Design/Method/Approach: This research used a RandomizedSearchCV algorithm, a random search approach, to bridge this knowledge gap. The algorithm was applied to container dwell time data from the TOS system of the Port of Tema, which included 307,594 container records from 2014 to 2022. Findings: The RandomizedSearchCV method outperformed standard training methods both in terms of reducing training time and improving prediction accuracy, highlighting the significant role of the constant learning rate as a hyperparameter. Research Limitations and Implications: Although the study provides promising outcomes, the results are limited to the data extracted from the Port of Tema and may differ in other contexts. Further research is needed to generalize these findings across various port systems. Originality/Value: This research underscores the potential of RandomizedSearchCV as a valuable tool for optimizing ANN training in container dwell time prediction. It also accentuates the significance of automated learning rate selection, offering novel insights into the optimization of container dwell time prediction, with implications for improving port efficiency and supply chain operations.

Development of a Novel Parallel-spool Pilot Operated High-pressure Solenoid Valve with High Flow Rate and High Speed

High-pressure solenoid valve with high flow rate and high speed is a key component in an underwater driving system.However,traditional single spool pilot operated valve cannot meet the demands of both high flow rate and high speed simultaneously.A new structure for a high pressure solenoid valve is needed to meet the demand of the underwater driving system.A novel parallel-spool pilot operated high-pressure solenoid valve is proposed to overcome the drawback of the current single spool design.Mathematical models of the opening process and flow rate of the valve are established.Opening response time of the valve is subdivided into 4 parts to analyze the properties of the opening response.Corresponding formulas to solve 4 parts of the response time are derived.Key factors that influence the opening response time are analyzed.According to the mathematical model of the valve,a simulation of the opening process is carried out by MATLAB.Parameters are chosen based on theoretical analysis to design the test prototype of the new type of valve.Opening response time of the designed valve is tested by verifying response of the current in the coil and displacement of the main valve spool.The experimental results are in agreement with the simulated results,therefore the validity of the theoretical analysis is verified.Experimental opening response time of the valve is 48.3 ms at working pressure of 10 MPa.The flow capacity test shows that the largest effective area is 126 mm2 and the largest air flow rate is 2320 L/s.According to the result of the load driving test,the valve can meet the demands of the driving system.The proposed valve with parallel spools provides a new method for the design of a high-pressure valve with fast response and large flow rate.

Decay rates and time lags of heat conduction in building construction under field conditions

The field measurements of decay rates and time lags of heat conduction in a building construction taken in Nanjing during the summer of 2001 are presented.The decay rates and time lags are calculated according to the frequency responses of the heat absorbed by the room＇s internal surfaces,inside surface temperature,indoor air temperature and outdoor synthetic temperature.The measured results match very well with the theoretical results of the zeroth and the first order values of the decay rates and time lags of heat conduction in the building construction,but the difference between the measured values and the theoretical values for the second order is too great to be accepted.It is therefore difficult to accurately test the second order value.However,it is still advisable to complete the analysis using the zeroth-and the first-orders values of the decay rates and time lags of heat conduction in building construction under field conditions,because in these cases the decay rates of heat conduction reach twenty which meets the requirements of engineering plans.

Lagrangian time scales and its relationship to Eulerian equivalents in turbulent channel flow

Lagrangian and Eulerian time scales were obtained from the direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow at two Reynolds numbers based on the friction velocity and channel half-height, Rer= 80, 100. The Lagrangian integral time scales and time microscales were compared to their Eulerian equivalents. It is found that the ratio of Lagrangian to TL Eulerian integral time scales is given by TE/TiE= 1 ＋ 0.1y＋ for y＋ ≤ 10, and that the ratios between the Lagrangian to theEulerian time microscales are almost the same irrespective of the components. Those increase with y＋ are approximated by ≈ 2.75 - 1.75 exp （-v＋/a） . These results also show that these expressions are independent of the Reynolds number.

Residence time distribution of high viscosity fluids falling film flow down outside of industrial-scale vertical wavy wall: Experimental investigation and CFD prediction

The flow behavior of gravity-driven falling film of non-conductive high viscosity polymer fluids on an industrial-scale vertical wavy wall was investigated in terms of film thickness and residence time distribution by numerical simulation and experiment.Falling film flow of high viscosity fluids was found to be steady on a vertical wavy wall in the presence of the large film thickness.The comparison between numerical simulation and experiment for the film thickness both in crest and trough of wavy wall showed good agreement.The simulation results of average residence time of falling film flow with different viscous fluids were also consistent with the experimental results.This work provides the initial insights of how to evaluate and optimize the falling film flow system of polymer fluid.

Binary ABR flow control over ATM networks with uncertainty using discrete-time variable structure controller

A binary available bit rate （ABR） scheme based on discrete-time variable structure control （DVSC） theory is proposed to solve the problem of asynchronous transfer mode （ATM） networks congestion in this paper. A discrete-time system model with uncertainty is introduced to depict the time-varying ATM networks. Based on the system model, an asymptotically stable sliding surface is designed by linear matrix inequality （LMI）. In addition, a novel discrete-time reaching law that can obviously reduce chatter is also put forward. The proposed discrete-time variable structure controller can effectively constrain the oscillation of allowed cell rate （ACR） and the queue length in a router. Moreover, the controller is self-adaptive against the uncertainty in the system. Simulations are done in different scenarios. The results demonstrate that the controller has better stability and robustness than the traditional binary flow controller, so it is good for adequately exerting the simplicity of binary flow control mechanisms.

Monitoring models for base flow effect and daily variation of dam seepage elements considering time lag effect

Affected by external environmental factors and evolution of dam performance, dam seepage behavior shows nonlinear time-varying characteristics. In this study, to predict and evaluate the long-term development trend and short-term fluctuation of the dam seepage behavior, two monitoring models were developed, one for the base flow effect and one for daily variation of dam seepage elements. In the first model, to avoid the influence of the time lag effect on the evaluation of seepage variation with the time effect component of seepage elements, the base values of the seepage element and the reservoir water level were extracted using the wavelet multi-resolution analysis method, and the time effect component was separated by the established base flow effect monitoring model. For the development of the daily variation monitoring model for dam seepage elements, all the previous factors, of which the measured time series prior to the dam seepage element monitoring time may have certain influence on the monitored results, were considered. Those factors that were positively correlated with the analyzed seepage element were initially considered to be the support vector machine(SVM) model input factors, and then the SVM kernel function-based sensitivity analysis was performed to optimize the input factor set and establish the optimized daily variation SVM model. The efficiency and rationality of the two models were verified by case studies of the water level of two piezometric tubes buried under the slope of a concrete gravity dam.Sensitivity analysis of the optimized SVM model shows that the influences of the daily variation of the upstream reservoir water level and rainfall on the daily variation of piezometric tube water level are processes subject to normal distribution.

Influences of gas flow rates on melting of particles of HVOF sprayed CoCrW coating and coating properties

This paper discussed influences of flow rates of O_2, C_3H_8, and compressedair on the melting degree of particles during HVOF (high velocity oxy-fuel) sprayed CoCrW coating.The O_2 flow rate has the maximal effect on the melting of particles, the C_3H_8 flow rate has thesecond, and the compressed air flow rate has the minimal effect. The bond strength of the HVOFsprayed CoCrW coating is over 54 MPa. The porosity ratio of the HVOF sprayed CoCrW coating afteroptimization of gas flow rates is less than 2%. The average microhardness of the coating is up toHV_(0.1) 545. The oxidation amount per unit area of the HVOF sprayed CoCrW coating increases withthe holding time increasing at 800℃. In the same way, the oxidation amount of the coating increasesas the temperature increases. Particularly, the oxidation of the coating drastically increases over850℃.

Is Minimizing Flow Completion Time the Optimal Way in Meeting Flow's Deadline in Datacenter Networks

In modern datacenters, the most common method to solve the network latency problem is to minimize flow completion time during the transmission process. Following the soft real-time nature, the optimization of transport latency is relaxed to meet a flow's deadline in deadline-sensitive services. However, none of existing deadline-sensitive protocols consider deadline as a constraint condition of transmission.They can only simplify the objective of meeting a flow's deadline as a deadline-aware mechanism by assigning a higher priority for tight-deadline constrained flows to finish the transmission as soon as possible, which results in an unsatisfactory effect in the condition of high fan-in degree. It drives us to take a step back and rethink whether minimizing flow completion time is the optimal way in meeting flow's deadline. In this paper, we focus on the design of a soft real-time transport protocol with deadline constraint in datacenters and present a flow-based deadline scheduling scheme for datacenter networks(FBDS).FBDS makes the unilateral deadline-aware flow transmission with priority transform into a compound centralized single-machine deadlinebased flow scheduling decision. In addition, FBDS blocks the flow sets and postpones some flows with extra time until their deadlines to make room for the new arriving flows in order to improve the deadline meeting rate. Our simulation resultson flow completion time and deadline meeting rate reveal the potential of FBDS in terms of a considerable deadline-sensitive transport protocol for deadline-sensitive interactive services.

Bifurcation and stability of an improved time-delayed fluid flow model in internet congestion control

Based on the fluid flow time-delayed model proposed by Misra et al in internet congestion control, one modified time-delayed model is presented, where the influence of the communication delay on the router queue length is investigated in detail. The main advantage of the new model is that its stability domain is larger even without an extra controller. By linear stability analysis and numerical simulation, tbe effectiveness and feasibility of the novel model in internet congestion control are verified.

A Discrete Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm for Minimizing the Total Flow Time in the Blocking Flow Shop Scheduling

A discrete artificial bee colony algorithm is proposed for solving the blocking flow shop scheduling problem with total flow time criterion. Firstly, the solution in the algorithm is represented as job permutation. Secondly, an initialization scheme based on a variant of the NEH (Nawaz-Enscore-Ham) heuristic and a local search is designed to construct the initial population with both quality and diversity. Thirdly, based on the idea of iterated greedy algorithm, some newly designed schemes for employed bee, onlooker bee and scout bee are presented. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested on the well-known Taillard benchmark set, and the computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the discrete artificial bee colony algorithm. In addition, the best known solutions of the benchmark set are provided for the blocking flow shop scheduling problem with total flow time criterion.

Impact of time lags on diurnal estimates of canopy transpiration and canopy conductance from sap-flow measurements of Populus cathayana in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Recently, canopy transpiration （Ec） has been often estimated by xylem sap-flow measurements. However, there is a significant time lag between sap flow measured at the base of the stem and canopy transpiration due to the capacitive exchange between the transpiration stream and stem water storage. Significant errors will be introduced in canopy conductance （gc） and canopy transpiration estimation if the time lag is neglected. In this study, a cross-correlation analysis was used to quantify the time lag, and the sap flowbased transpiration was measured to pararneterize Jarvistype models of gc and thus to simulate Ec of Populus cathayana using the Penman-Monteith equation. The results indicate that solar radiation （Rs） and vapor pressure deficit （VPD） are not fully coincident with sap flow and have an obvious lag effect; the sap flow lags behind Rs and precedes VPD, and there is a 1-h time shift between Eo and sap flow in the 30-min interval data set. A parameterized Jarvis-type gc model is suitable to predict P. cathayana transpiration and explains more than 80% of the variation observed in go, and the relative error was less than 25%, which shows a preferable simulation effect. The root mean square error （RMSEs） between the predicted and measured Ec were 1.91×10^-3 （with the time lag） and 3.12×10^-3cm h^-1 （without the time lag）. More importantly, Ec simulation precision that incorporates time lag is improved by 6% compared to the results without the time lag, with the mean relative error （MRE） of only 8.32% and the mean absolute error （MAE） of 1.48 × 10^-3 cm h^-1.

Investigation of oil-air two-phase mass flow rate measurement using Venturi and void fraction sensor

Oil-air two-phase flow measurement was investigated with a Venturi and void fraction meters in this work. This paper proposes a new flow rate measurement correlation in which the effect of the velocity ratio between gas and liquid was considered. With the pressure drop across the Venturi and the void fraction that was measured by electrical capacitance tomography apparatus, both mixture flow rate and oil flow rate could be obtained by the correlation. Experiments included bubble-, slug-, wave and annular flow with the void fraction ranging from 15% to 83%, the oil flow rate ranging from 0.97 kg/s to 1.78 kg/s, the gas flow rate ranging up to 0.018 kg/s and quality ranging nearly up to 2.0%. The root-mean-square errors of mixture mass flow rate and that of oil mass flow rate were less than 5%. Furthermore, coefficients of the correlation were modified based on flow regimes, with the results showing reduced root-mean-square errors.

Relationship between Formation Water Rate,Equivalent Penetration Rate and Volume Flow Rate of Air in Air Drilling

Formation water invasion is the most troublesome problem associated with air drilling. However, it is not economical to apply mist drilling when only a small amount of water flows into wellbore from formation during air drilling. Formation water could be circulated out of the wellbore through increasing the gas injection rate. In this paper, the Angel model was modified by introducing Nikurade friction factor for the flow in coarse open holes and translating formation water rate into equivalent penetration rate. Thus the distribution of annular pressure and the relationship between minimum air injection rate and formation water rate were obtained. Real data verification indicated that the modified model is more accurate than the Angel model and can provide useful information for air drilling.

Transit time ultrasound perivascular flow probe technology is superior to MR imaging on hepatic blood flow measurement in a porcine model

Background: The hepatic hemodynamics is an essential parameter in surgical planning as well as in various disease processes. The transit time ultrasound(TTUS) perivascular flow probe technology is widely used in clinical practice to evaluate the hepatic inflow, yet invasive. The phase-contrast-MRI(PC-MRI) is not invasive and potentially applicable in assessing the hepatic blood flow. In the present study, we compared the hepatic inflow rates using the PC-MRI and the TTUS probe, and evaluated their predictive value of post-hepatectomy adverse events. Methods: Eighteen large white pigs were anaesthetized for PC-MRI and approximately 75% hepatic resection was performed under a unified protocol. The blood flow was measured in the hepatic artery(Qha), the portal vein(Qpv), and the aorta above the celiac trunk(Qca) using PC-MRI, and was compared to the TTUS probe. The Bland-Altman method was conducted and a partial least squares regression(PLS) model was implemented. Results: The mean Qpv measured in PC-MRI was 0.55 ± 0.12 L/min, and in the TTUS probe was 0.74 ± 0.17 L/min. Qca was 1.40 ± 0.47 L/min in the PC-MRI and 2.00 ± 0.60 L/min in the TTUS probe. Qha was 0.17 ± 0.10 L/min in the PC-MRI, and 0.13 ± 0.06 L/min in the TTUS probe. The Bland-Altman method revealed that the estimated bias of Qca in the PC-MRI was 32%(95% CI:-49% to 15%); Qha 17%(95% CI:-15% to 51%); and Qpv 40%(95% CI:-62% to 18%). The TTUS probe had a higher weight in predicting adverse outcomes after 75% resection compared to the PC-MRI( β= 0.35 and 0.43 vs β = 0.22 and 0.07, for tissue changes and premature death, respectively). Conclusions: There is a tendency of the PC-MRI to underestimate the flow measured by the TTUS probes. The TTUS probe measures are more predictive of relevant post-hepatectomy outcomes.