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    A rigorous optimization method for long-term multi-stage investment planning: Integration of hydrogen into a decentralized multi-energy system
    (Elsevier, 2025-06) ; ;
    Thoroughly assessing future energy systems requires examining both their end states and the paths leading to them. Employing dynamic investment or multi-stage optimization models is crucial for this analysis. However, solving these optimization problems becomes increasingly challenging due to their long time horizons – often spanning several decades – and their dynamic nature. While simplifications like aggregations are often used to expedite solving procedures, they introduce higher uncertainty into the results and might lead to suboptimal solutions compared to non-simplified models. Against this background, this paper presents a rigorous optimization method tailored for multi-stage optimization problems in long-term energy system planning. By dividing the solution algorithm into a design and operational optimization step, the proposed method efficiently finds feasible solutions for the non-simplified optimization problem with simultaneous quality proof. Applied to a real-life energy system of a waste treatment plant in Germany, the method significantly outperforms a benchmark solver by reducing the computational time to find the first feasible solution from more than two weeks to less than one hour. Furthermore, it exhibits greater robustness compared to a conventional long-term optimization approach and yields solutions closer to the optimum. Overall, this method offers decision-makers computationally efficient and reliable information for planning investment decisions in energy systems.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      47  34
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    Strategic improvement of Shewanella oneidensis for biocatalysis: approach to media refinement and scalable application in a microbial electrochemical system
    Microbial electrochemical systems offer a sustainable method for the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy or hydrogen and the production of valuable compounds, contributing to the development of a bio-based economy. This study aimed to enhance the performance of anodic bioelectrochemical systems by improving the current density of Shewanella oneidensis as a biocatalyst through strain modification and medium refinement. The genetic modification, combining the prophage deletion and overexpression of the speC gene, resulted in a 4.2-fold increase in current density compared to the wild type. Furthermore, medium refinement and incorporating riboflavin, led to an additional 5.7-fold increase in current density. The application of the modified strain and medium in a scalable microbial electrolysis cell resulted in a current density of 1.2 A m-², similar to what was achieved previously with an S. oneidensis and Geobacter sulfurreducens co-culture, substantiating the substantial performance increase for a pure culture of S. oneidensis. Furthermore, S. oneidensis was shown to grow in medium containing up to 500 mM sodium chloride and increasing the salt concentration to 400 mM had a minor influence on growth but significantly lowered the cell voltage of the MEC system.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      19  10
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    Unpacking Performance Factors of Innovation Systems and Studying Germany’s Attempt to Foster the Role of the Patient Through a Market Access Pathway for Digital Health Applications (DiGAs): Exploratory Mixed Methods Study
    (JMIR Publications, 2025-01-06) ;
    Background: Health care innovation faces significant challenges, including system inertia and diverse stakeholders, making regulated market access pathways essential for facilitating the adoption of new technologies. The German Digital Healthcare Act, introduced in 2019, offers a model by enabling digital health applications (DiGAs) to be reimbursed by statutory health insurance, improving market access and patient empowerment. However, the factors influencing the success of these pathways in driving innovation remain unclear. Objective: This study aims to identify the key performance factors of the innovation system shaped by the patient-relevant structural and procedural improvement (pSVV) pathway within the DiGA model. By examining how this pathway supports the entry of innovative digital health technologies, we seek to uncover the systemic dynamics that influence its effectiveness in fostering patient-centered digital health solutions. Methods: This study, conducted from May 2023 to November 2024, used a mixed methods approach. A descriptive analysis assessed how DiGA manufacturers use positive health care effects, giving a market overview of the pSVV technology. A qualitative analysis using grounded theory and Gioia methodology provided insights into stakeholder perspectives, focusing on manufacturers and regulatory bodies. A functional-structural analysis examined how components of the innovation system, such as actors, institutions, interactions, and infrastructure, interact and impact the effectiveness of the pathway. Results: The descriptive analysis showed that only 11 (20%) of the 56 DiGAs available in Germany used the pSVV pathway, with only 1 (2%) provisionally listed DiGA using pSVV as a primary end point; 6 of 9 (67%) pSVV key areas were used. The qualitative analysis revealed that manufacturers prioritize demonstrating medical benefits over pSVV due to evidence requirements and uncertainties around pSVV cceptance. Operational barriers hindered the adoption of pSVV , despite a positive reception among stakeholders. The systemic analysis identified key issues, including a lack of entrepreneurial focus on pSVV , limited regulatory experience, inadequate measurement methods, and entrenched practices prioritizing medical benefits, that hinder market formation and legitimacy. Conclusions: This study identifies key factors for effectively implementing innovation systems through regulated market access pathways, including content and format security, clearer framework specification, active innovation process management, and market formation stimulation. Addressing these factors can reduce uncertainties and promote wider adoption of digital health technologies. The findings highlight the need for future research on patient empowerment and the development of methodologies beyond traditional therapeutic outcomes.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      36  34
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    Graph-based information management for retrofitting long-living assets
    (Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2024-12-20) ; ; ;
    Many documents are produced over the years of managing assets, particularly those with long lifespans. However, during this time, the assets may deviate from their original as-designed or as-built state. This presents a significant challenge for tasks that occur in later life phases but require precise knowledge of the asset, such as retrofit, where the assets are equipped with new components. For a third party who is neither the original manufacturer nor the operator, obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the asset can be a tedious process, as this requires going through all available but often fragmented information and documents. While common knowledge regarding the domain or general type of asset can be helpful, it is often based on the experiences of engineers and is, therefore, only implicitly available. This article presents a graph-based information management system that complements traditional PLM systems and helps connect fragments by utilizing generic information about assets. To achieve this, techniques from systems engineering and data science are used. The overarching management platform also includes geometric analyses and operations that can be performed with geometric and product information extracted from STEP files. While the management itself is first described generically, it is also later applied to cabin retrofit in aviation. A mock-up of an Airbus A320 is utilized as the case study to demonstrate further how the platform can provide benefits for retrofitting such long-living assets.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      29  29
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    A filter calibration method for laser-scanned weld toe geometries
    (Elsevier, 2024-12-01) ; ; ;
    The scanning of weld seams can be used to evaluate the local weld toe geometry for fatigue assessments. Laser scanned weld seam profiles often contain noise which complicates the accurate measurement of the weld toe geometry. For that reason, filtering of the scanned data is necessary. The issue at hand is that a filtering method can significantly affect the measurement results. Therefore, a calibration of the filter input parameters is needed. In this study, a calibration method for filtered laser-scanned weld profiles is presented by using artificial weld toe geometries. The adjustment of different filter functions is achieved by using an optimization method on predefined weld toes with an artificial noise. The resulting input data for the filter functions is tested on a real specimen to verify the method. Through the calibration method it is possible to achieve satisfactory measurement results with precisely set input parameters for the filter functions. The most suitable filter functions for the measurement of the weld toe are the Gaussian and the Lowpass filter. Both functions are adequate as a universally applicable filter. For the evaluation of the measurement results of the radii and angles, a tolerance range is introduced, which is defined by the theoretically minimum measurable radii and angles. Using an adjusted Lowpass filter and a point distance of 0.07 mm set by the laser scanner, a measurement within the tolerance range of 0.2 mm is achievable for the weld toe radius. For the weld toe angle, the tolerance range of 1.5° is achieved for the majority of measurements.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      11  18
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    Overlooked Impact of Moisture on the Stability of Printing Ink and Its Impact on Recycled Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Quality
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-11-21) ; ; ; ;
    Printing inks, composed of binders, pigments, and additives, are essential components in plastic packaging but complicate recycling due to plastic contamination and degradation. While polyolefins are resistant to hydrolytic degradation, moisture generated from upstream cleaning processes, which is often ignored, can accelerate the degradation of ink binders, affecting the recyclate quality. This study has examined the impact of 3 wt.% moisture, introduced before extrusion, on the degradation of nitrocellulose (NC), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) binders mixed with virgin, low-density polyethylene (LDPE) at varying concentrations to simulate contamination levels. Control samples were prepared by extrusion under dry conditions and using p-xylene to compare with degradation-free conditions. Analyses, including the measurement of the melt–flow index (MFI), tensile testing, FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), TGA (thermogravimetry analysis), and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) have established that NC is fully degraded, causing discoloration and altering the MFI. Moreover, PU degrades mainly in the presence of moisture, contrary to previous findings. In contrast, PVB does not degrade but exhibits modified mechanical properties; whereas, CAP shows minimal impact. The findings of this research demonstrate the critical role of moisture in determining recyclability, informing strategies for ink selection and recycling processes to facilitate plastic packaging circularity.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      43  25
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    Novel sparging strategies to enhance dissolved carbon dioxide stripping in industrial scale stirred tank reactors
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-11-15) ; ; ; ;
    Schulz, Torsten W.
    Aerated stirred tank reactors are widely used in bio-process engineering and pharmaceutical industries. To supply the organisms with oxygen and control the pH value, oxygen is transferred from air bubbles into the liquid phase, and, at the same time, carbon dioxide is stripped from the liquid phase with the same gas bubbles. The volumetric mass transfer coefficients for oxygen and carbon dioxide are, therefore, of crucial importance for the design and scale-up of aerated stirred tank reactors. In this experimental work, the volumetric mass transfer coefficients for oxygen and carbon dioxide are investigated simultaneously to study their mutual influence. The mass transfer performance for oxygen and carbon dioxide is conducted in stirred tank reactors on the 3 L laboratory scale, 30 L pilot scale, and 15,000 L production scale. First, the influence of dissolved carbon dioxide on the oxygen mass transfer performance is investigated in a 30 L pilot scale stirred tank reactor. The results show that the volumetric mass transfer coefficient of oxygen is not affected by the concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide, but the total mass flux of oxygen decreases with increasing carbon dioxide concentration due to the decreasing partial pressure difference. With rising gassing rate and volumetric power input, both mass transfer coefficients for oxygen and carbon dioxide show the same increasing trend. Although this trend can also be observed when scaling down to the 3 L laboratory scale reactor, a significantly different effect must be considered for the scale-up to the 15,000 L industrial scale reactor. The limited absorption capacity for carbon dioxide of the gas bubbles during the long residence time in the industrial scale reactor is noticeable here, which is why the specific interfacial area is of negligible importance. This effect is used to develop a method for independent control of oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer performance on an industrial scale and to increase the mass transfer performance for carbon dioxide by up to 25%.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      35  21
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    Quantifying salt crystallization impact on evaporation dynamics from porous surfaces
    We investigated the effects of salt crystallization on the dynamics of saline water evaporation in porous media. Water mass loss rates from sand columns supplied with NaCl solutions at three concentrations were monitored under controlled ambient conditions. The formation and evolution of salt crystals over sand surfaces were synchronously imaged optically and thermally. Despite identical experimental and ambient conditions, we observed distinct crystallization dynamics that affected evaporative mass loss rates for similar salt concentrations, highlighting high variability of crystallization and its impact on evaporation. We observed the enhancement of maximum evaporation rates by factors of 3 to 14 under our experimental conditions and attributed this enhancement to the formation and evolution of porous crystalized salts at the surface. Additionally, visible intermittent temperature fluctuations of the salt crust were quantified using thermal imagery attributed to the dynamic processes of crystallization, dissolution and evaporation occurring simultaneously at the surface.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
      22  38
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    Product family engineering along the life cycle – research aspects to cope with variability in advanced systems
    (Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2024-10-31) ; ; ;
    The evolutionary development of advanced systems (AS) leads to a necessary rethinking of how they can be supported methodically and in terms of processes in product development. Advanced systems engineering (ASE) offers a novel and holistically adaptive approach to facing such challenges in a structured way. However, many of the ASE use cases relate to the development of systems as products, product networks or individual projects. The additional consideration of entire modular product families within AS offers a further decisive advantage for companies, organisations and the people in ASE. By considering modular product families along the entire life cycle in a product family engineering (PFE), the approaches of ASE can bring their impact and potential to additional system levels occurring when considering product families. The systems, which become complex through variety and collaboration, are broken down into their system elements in a structured way and prepared for a common interdisciplinary understanding, as conveyed by ASE. In this paper, the PFE is presented in excerpts using examples of various aspects and points in time of the product’s life as a complementary approach for ASE.
    Publicationtype: Journal Article
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