Dissertations

The Research and Implementation of Maintenance Excellence on Clean Utility Systems in the Pharmaceutical Indusry

Padraig Liggan — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 05:15:45 PDT

Maintenance Excellence is the implementation of best maintenance practices within industry; it is the balance of performance, risk, and cost to achieve an optimal solution. This thesis has been structured around the 5 main areas of maintenance excellence; it has documented all the important functions of the maintenance department that contributes towards maintenance excellence. Demonstrating maintenance excellence is a big achievement however demonstrating it on pharmaceutical clean utility systems with strict regulatory controls is a major challenge. Pharmaceutical production is one of the most heavily regulated industries. With such an emphasis on product quality in the pharmaceutical industry, and with such economical and health consequences of machine failure, the maintenance team plays a critical role in the success of the product. It is the maintenance department‟s responsibility to ensure the equipment is kept to a maximum operating condition. It must predict and prevent failures and repair any problems, which may already have led to a failure, while adhering to the rules and procedures set out by their respective regulatory bodies This thesis has explored the regulatory aspects of the business in-dept and presented a number of practical approaches to building in a world-class maintenance program whilst still ensuring the utmost of safety and quality to the patient.

The Effects of Interface Protection Requirements on the Stability of Embedded Generation Connected to the Irish Distribution System

Damien Glennon (Thesis) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:24:04 PDT

The electricity sector in Ireland has undergone a number of changes in the last 20 years. In the early 90’s the fuel mix was predominantly fossil fuel based with a very small percentage of renewables on the system. The electricity generation portfolio was dominated by coal/gas/peat fired power stations which used large synchronous machines to generate electricity. These synchronous machines provided the necessary system inertia and kept the system frequency stable. However, rising fuel costs, dwindling fossil fuel supplies, climate change etc. has driven the growth of renewable energy especially in the electricity sector. Current targets for renewable energy in the electricity sector are set at 40% by 2020. This is outlined in detail in the RES-E targets. As of July 2011, approximately 1700MW of renewable generation capacity was connected to the Irish power system with wind been the largest contributor. Furthermore, in April 2011 wind generation output reached 1323MW. With current projections indicating somewhere between 3000-5000MW of wind energy on the system by 2020, serious concerns are beginning to be raised especially in the area of system stability. With the percentage of electricity generated from wind turbines increasing, it is vital to ensure that this wind generation is not needlessly disconnected from the system. This project focuses on the interface protection requirements to determine if a loosing of the protection requirements could aid system stability. The project will also look at international practice in regards to interface protection requirements with a view to determining if certain international practices could be adopted on the Irish power system. This project will focus mainly on the Doubly Fed Induction Generator wind turbine as this is the predominant turbine on the system. This project will be carried out in PSS/E simulation software.

Development of a Tool for Windfarm Site Analysis in Electrical Networks with High Levels of Wind Power Generation

Edward Carroll et al. — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:52:35 PDT

Controlling electrical networks that contain high levels of wind power will be a challenge facing many System Operators in the coming years. The intermittency and uncertainty of the power supplied by wind turbines create difficulties surrounding scheduling of plant, operating reserve and grid integration. The current process for windfarm selection is carried out by an individual stakeholder and lacks the consideration for all other stakeholders involved, which can create problems in the long term when the levels of wind power increase on the network. This paper proposes a collective approach to analysing potential windfarm sites using the key factors which influence the windfarm output and integration into the network. The wind resource and generation outputs are examined using state of the art analysis software to discover and rate the values of the factors which influence these variables. A spreadsheet incorporating these factors is developed and evaluated, which allows site comparisons to be undertaken from a number of stakeholder perspectives, so that the most suitable site may be chosen for development.

Simulation of Reverse Flow Heat Recovery for Pharmaceutical Clean Rooms in Colombia

Sandra Juliana Olaya Pineda et al. — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:34:25 PDT

This dissertation examines, analyses, implements, and evaluates an innovative software heat transfer model for predicting air-to-air heat (energy) recovered in pharmaceutical drying clean rooms in Colombia. The approach provides a synergy between Reverse Flow Heat Recovery technology and activities for the consumption of this energy, not solely within the process, but throughout the whole pharmaceutical complex (e.g. warehouse, office and alternative processes). This novel integrated modelling tool developed using off the shelf software application such as MS Excel combined with MS Visual programming to calculate psychometric points, mass and enthalpy balances for analysing the operation of heat recovery systems. This makes the tool inexpensive and immediately useful “as is”. A case study of a drying operation at a pharmaceutical company in Colombia is used to aid in a critical review of the tool from a pragmatic real-world perspective. Results show dryers are potentially large emission sources of heat in the pharmaceutical industry, not solely within the process, but throughout the whole pharmaceutical complex (e.g. warehouse, office and alternative processes). The project also illustrates that as weather variations are not rapid, when compared to control systems such as ABS breaking on a car or other millisecond control systems, use of MS Excel derived models, which have a greater user friendly interface, can be valid inexpensive tools with immediate energy saving potential. Mathematical models based on these input output relationships were developed. The assumptions and equations used to arrive to the heat recovered are given in a clear Human Model Interface.

Performance Analysis of Batch Reactor Temperature Control Systems

Michael Healy et al. — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:27:09 PDT

The aim of this project was to investigate the performance of a number of key control strategies in the temperature control of batch reactors. A bench scale model was built and a batch production system was then implemented on this model. As there was no a priori knowledge of the system a number of common system identification methods were investigated. The system was controlled using a Mitsubishi FX(2)N Programmable Logic Controller which was interfaced with a PC running ICONICS, a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition software package. The system identification methods produced two different models for the system and these models were examined against the actual system using Matlab/SIMULINK, a software package used for technical computing. Then a number of tuning rules were investigated and implemented on both models with the results compared and contrasted. The standard Industry criteria were used to compare the performance of the servo response for each controller. The PI controller using Zeigler-Nichols tuning rules was set as the bench mark. The Cascaded control strategy offered no increase in performance in the servo response in either the actual process or the SIMULINK models. However the regulatory response of the Cascaded strategy would offer an improvement on the performance of the PI controller. The performance of the Smith Predictor was limited due to the minimal time delay relative to the time constant. The Integrating method proved to offer an improvement on the two point method in terms of system performance and in the time required to identify the initial controller. Also the Smith Predictor offered a slight improvement in both the laboratory model and in the Matlab/SIMULINK simulations.

Developing Anaerobic Digestion Cooperatives in Ireland

Aoife Ni Ruanaigh et al. — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 06:54:59 PST

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is a natural process of decomposition and decay that takes place in the absence of oxygen and by which organic matter is broken down to its simpler chemical components. AD plants could help Ireland meet its requirements under a number of EU Directives as landfills release far more greenhouse gas emissions than other forms of waste treatment. It is estimated that 37 million tonnes per year of animal manure are stored on farms before disposal. There are also 676,000 tonnes of municipal food and garden waste produced annually. This waste could be used in AD plants to produce electricity which would be considered to be a renewable technology. The objective of this study is to determine if cooperatives for anaerobic digestion (AD) could be developed. The study will address the feasibility of an anaerobic digestion cooperative using the following influencing factors: economical, financial, logistical, participation of farmers and local communities, sizing perspective, waste material required, assistance from government and related agencies and national and EU legal requirements. The impact anaerobic digestion plants could have on the rural domestic electricity network will be discussed. A model will be proposed addressing the above. There is no cooperative such as this in Ireland; therefore the ideas behind cooperatives for AD in Europe will be examined.

The Integration of Smart Meters Into Electrical Grids to Ensure Maximum Benefit for Consumers, Generators and Network Operators.

Tom Bean et al. — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:51:57 PST

The term “smart metering” has been used in many project descriptions and publications produced by utility companies (e.g. gas, water and electricity), conference papers and journal papers, but the true meaning of the term has been fudged. Does smart metering signify rapid recording of data (i.e. data logger) or does it give totals (e.g. maximum, minimum and average), as neither of these are truly “Smart” or “Intelligent” virtues in themselves, or is there some additional role that needs to be explored. This dissertation examines the “smart metering” idiom jointly from energy supplier, grid manager and consumer perspectives and formulates a detailed model of the interfaces that are currently being touted as necessary for realising a smart system. Other aspects such as infrastructure, networking of data, ownership, location etc are also explored. Using a base model of the existing approach, this research shows where true “Smart” or “Intelligent” virtues could be incorporated. The proposed model alterations are verified using scenarios, thereby stress-testing the use of the components employed and illustrates limitations of the approach. This research highlights the necessity for a Home Area Network (HAN), to manage the use of energy in the home, and for a Consolation Entity, to fairly distribute and manage in a collaborative way the available energy on the grid. Not only are the needs for these shown but functional definitions for the HAN and consolation entity are also introduced. These two aspects have a particular importance as we, as a nation, introduce more renewable resources (e.g. wind, wave, solar), that are variable in their availability.

The Application of Fuzzy Logic in Determining Linguistic Rules and Associative Membership Functions for the Control of a Manufacturing Process

Marcus Foley et al. — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:45:25 PST

Fuzzy logic is a form of multi-valued logic derived from fuzzy set theory. Its methodology aims to provide a definitive solution from information that may be construed as ambiguous, imprecise or noisy. Classical set theory studies the properties of sets, while fuzzy set theory investigates the degree to which an element can be related to a set. The aim of this project is to develop a control strategy for a specific technical challenge relating to the food processing sector based on the deployment of fuzzy logic control concepts. Specifically, in this paper the author is concerned with the ability to control the density input of a variable feed product stream by automatically adjusting the „thermo pressure‟ & „feed flow‟ within desired limits. For the purpose of this study, the expert knowledge of both senior automation engineers and process operators was procured in order to develop an understanding of the dynamics and the limitations of the manufacturing process. The focus of this study is the development of a fuzzy logic control system for the production of “Whey Permeate Concentrate” in the production facilities of Glanbia plc. in Ballyragget, County Kilkenny.

The Estimation and Control of a Laboratory Heating and Ventilation System

Robin P. Mooney — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 03:09:06 PST

This dissertation is concerned with the estimation and control of a laboratory heating and ventilation system (Instrutek VVS-400). The system is a 2x2 multi-input multi-output process (MIMO). It has been shown that simple techniques such as the ultimate cycle method do not provide adequate control of the process. The system was interfaced with a PC using Matlab/Simulink via a data acquisition package (Humusoft). Continuous time process identification techniques were applied to the flow and temperature processes. The alternative tangent and point method was used to model the processes, and their interaction, using a first order lag plus delay model. Models were obtained for a range of operating conditions. The accuracy of the flow and temperature measurement transducers were investigated ¾ some inaccuracies were determined. Tests revealed that both processes were continuously non-linear. This pointed toward adaptive control as appropriate. PI/PID controllers were used because both processes displayed a low time delay to time constant ratio. Tuning rules were selected on the basis of minimising the integral of absolute error. A strong interaction effect between the output temperature and input flow rate was reduced considerably using a static decoupler. A gain scheduler was designed, using look-up tables, to continuously interpolate for the most suitable controller settings and decoupler gain, as process operating conditions varied. The design was compared to an average model controller. Validation tests showed that the overall difference in performance was slim. It was concluded that discrete time identification methods would yield more appealing results for the gain scheduler, and that the design could be applied to other MIMO processes with relative ease.

Analysis of Transformer Ratings in a Wind Farm Environment

John McCarthy — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:08:30 PST

The grid connection transformer is one of the most expensive components of a wind farm development. If a transformer is under-utilised, this indicates that the initial capital outlay on the transformer was excessive. Overloading can lead to accelerated aging and increased losses. This project will investigate whether it is possible, by understanding the load profiles and stress conditions in a wind farm environment, to overload a transformer above its nameplate rating, thus reducing the capital outlay costs in developing a wind farm. The paper will investigate a specific wind farm overloading scenario and examine whether it is feasible, and financially viable, to overload the transformer beyond its nameplate rating.

Energy Storage:Maximising Irelands Wind Energy Potential

Damien Kelly — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:08:27 PST

Ireland plan's to generate up to 40% of its electricity from wind generation by 2020. This thesis outlines the problems that may be faced by the electricity system and illustrates the benefits that large scale energy storage can bring to the electricity system when trying to integrate large amounts of wind energy. Energy storage is currently a topical subject in Ireland as wind penetration increases and problems such as curtailment loom. This thesis outlines the storage capacities required to sufficiently aid the integration of wind energy in Ireland and outlines the value that large scale energy storage can bring to the Irish electricity system. Models of the system load and wind generation profile are devised and wind penetration scenarios representing 13%, 20%, 40% and 60% wind penetration are developed. These wind penetration scenarios are analysed and the curtailment levels associated with them are calculated. Storage is then introduced to the system models and these are analysed. The improvements in system operation are outlined and the reduction in curtailment and required conventional generation are calculated. Popular generation adequacy assessment techniques are investigated and a generation adequacy assessment is carried out on the system models. Finally the value introduced to the system by adding the energy storage system is quantified by estimating the amount of conventional generation that has been offset by its introduction. The analysis shows that energy storage adds little or no value to the Irish electricity system when penetration levels of wind generation are under 20%. At penetration levels of 40% and 60%, energy storage significantly increases the amount of wind energy that is absorbed by the system and reduces the levels of curtailment and required conventional generation.

Gate 3 Grid Connection Group Processing Approach:an Analysis

John Leahy — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 05:13:59 PST

The aim of this project is to analyse the Group Processing Approach (the “GPA”) to renewable generator grid connections, and in particular the Gate 3 process which is the latest round of the GPA that is currently being implemented in the Republic of Ireland, to determine if it is the most effective approach for connecting new renewable generation. Gate 3 is the third series of the GPA for connecting renewable generation to the Irish Electricity grid where applications are processed in groups or batches. The size of the Gate 3 has bee capped at 3,900MW with applicants being selected based on application date order and applicants will be granted firm access to the grid in order of the anticipated speed with which the required deep transmission reinforcement works can be completed.

The author firstly provides a high-level overview of the technical considerations for connecting vast amounts of dispersed wind energy to the national grid, the development of wind energy in Ireland and the developments of wind energy in other jurisdictions. Then the Gate 3 and GPA processes including the various options considered by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) are analysed along with submissions by various stakeholders such as wind farm developers, the Irish Wind Energy Association and consultants to determine if the GPA is the most effective approach.

The author then evaluates the findings against a set of defined criteria and discusses the results of the research while also making recommendations.

The Impact of Electric Vehicles on the Facilitation of Intermittent Renewable Generation on the Irish Electricity System

Aine Dorran — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 01:26:42 PST

This project examines some of the advantages the introduction of Electric Vehicles (EV) could have to the Irish electricity system. In particular the ability of EVs to complement high levels of intermittent wind generation in Ireland in 2020 is investigated. Firstly, the implications the additional night time EV charging load has on the facilitation of increased wind generation at night is analysed. Next, the use of the EVs in a storage capacity to provide a back-up generation source to fluctuating wind generation through the use of Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology is considered. Finally carbon emission and system cost savings achieved through the use of EVs are quantified.