abstract: One of the key infrastructures of any community or facility is the energy system which consists of utility power plants, distributed generation technologies, and building heating and cooling systems. In general, there are two dimensions to “sustainability” as it applies to an engineered system. It needs to be designed, operated, and managed such that its environmental impacts and costs are minimal (energy efficient design and operation), and also be designed and configured in a way that it is resilient in confronting disruptions posed by natural, manmade, or random events. In this regard, development of quantitative sustainability metrics in support of decision-making relevant to design, future growth planning, and day-to-day operation of such systems would be of great value. In this study, a pragmatic performance-based sustainability assessment framework and quantitative indices are developed towards this end whereby sustainability goals and concepts can be translated and integrated into engineering practices. New quantitative sustainability indices are proposed to capture the energy system environmental impacts, economic performance, and resilience attributes, characterized by normalized environmental/health externalities, energy costs, and penalty costs respectively. A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment is proposed which includes externalities due to emissions from different supply and demand-side energy systems specific to the regional power generation energy portfolio mix. An approach based on external costs, i.e. the monetized health and environmental impacts, was used to quantify adverse consequences associated with different energy system components. Further, this thesis also proposes a new performance-based method for characterizing and assessing resilience of multi-functional demand-side engineered systems. Through modeling of system response to potential internal and external failures during different operational temporal periods reflective of diurnal variation in loads and services, the proposed methodology quantifies resilience of the system based on imposed penalty costs to the system stakeholders due to undelivered or interrupted services and/or non-optimal system performance. A conceptual diagram called “Sustainability Compass” is also proposed which facilitates communicating the assessment results and allow better decision-analysis through illustration of different system attributes and trade-offs between different alternatives. The proposed methodologies have been illustrated using end-use monitored data for whole year operation of a university campus energy system. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering 2018

Este trabalho trata da logística envolvida em operações de resposta a desastres, com foco na entrega final de suprimentos destinados a ajudar vítimas. Seu propósito é investigar os objetivos pertinentes ao planejamento do transporte da carga e encontrar uma metodologia para definir estratégia que sirva à tomada de decisão em campo. Para tanto, primeiramente identifica-se os objetivos adotados em modelos de Pesquisa Operacional para a tarefa em questão, através da análise de conteúdo das publicações pertinentes. Então, a abordagem do Pensamento Focado em Valores é utilizada para estruturar o problema. Finalmente, o método Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique Exploiting Ranks (SMARTER) é empregado na construção de um modelo de Análise da Decisão Multicritério (ADM), com consulta a um profissional experiente da área humanitária e aproveitando a análise da literatura previamente realizada. Neste processo, são elaboradas e avaliadas seis alternativas para a tomada de decisão condizentes com os valores da comunidade humanitária. Os resultados obtidos mostram que existe incompatibilidade entre os critérios de desempenho identificados nas publicações existentes e os objetivos perseguidos pelo Tomador da Decisão (TD) real. De acordo com o modelo construído, o atendimento de prioridades e a manutenção da sustentabilidade da operação são os objetivos que devem ser levados em conta para planejar a entrega de carga em pós-desastre, sendo que o custo e a equidade da distribuição não devem ser considerados. Conclui-se que o método adotado é útil à definição destes critérios e também ao desenvolvimento de estratégias que resultem em distribuições de ajuda melhores, aos olhos do próprio TD. Desta forma, ressalta-se que este trabalho contribui à área da Logística Humanitária com a investigação dos objetivos, assim como ao campo da ADM pela formalização dos processos de elaboração de alternativas, além da adição de mais uma aplicação possível ao repertório do método SMARTER. / This study concerns the logistics of disaster response operations, with a focus on final delivery of supplies to victims. The objectives here are to investigate what objectives are pertinent to the transportation-planning task and to find a methodology for choosing a strategy that aids decision-making on the field. For achieving these, a content analysis of Operations Research models is done, allowing the identification of such objectives, from which the problem is structured using a Value-Focused Thinking approach. Subsequently, the Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Exploiting Ranks (SMARTER) is employed to build a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) model, consulting an experienced humanitarian professional and taking into account the results from the previous analysis. Throughout this process, six alternatives for making decisions are designed and evaluated based on the objectives defined. Findings are that there is incompatibility between performance criteria identified in the literature and objectives pursued by a real Decision Maker (DM). From the model presented by this thesis, one concludes that satisfying priorities and sustaining the response operation are the objectives to be taken into account when drawing an aid distribution plan. It also follows that the methodology adopted here is useful to defining such performance criteria and to develop strategies that result in better outcomes, as judged by the DM. Therefore, this study contributes to Humanitarian Logistics research area by casting a light on the objectives of a post-disaster task, and to the MCDA field by formalizing the process of designing alternatives for complex problems, besides adding a new application of SMARTER to its repertory.

As estratégias para executar o transporte rodoviário de granéis sólidos agrícolas no Brasil são um desafio à tomada de decisão. Este trabalho emprega a coordenação vertical e a análise da decisão para apresentar uma discussão acerca do processo decisório nas organizações. O método de análise multicritério, baseado em curvas de valor, permite a comparação de arranjos de governança em situações específicas. Para isso, foram definidos os principais objetivos, critérios e variáveis dos problemas de verticalização no transporte, e os resultados obtidos apontaram que o transporte verticalizado apresentou pior desempenho do que alternativas híbridas ou terceirizadas. Tal resultado suporta que em ambientes com alta dependência de custos e com baixa especificidade do ativo há maior tendência de se encontrar estruturas híbridas ou coordenadas via mercado. O levantamento descritivo do transporte rodoviário com empresas embarcadoras de cargas agrícolas bem como o resultado do modelo multicritério aplicado apontaram um mercado de transporte altamente terceirizado, que seria fomentado pela atual incerteza e baixa profissionalização dos transportadores rodoviários. À medida que a diferença de preços entre o modelo terceirizado e verticalizado diminui, há preferência pela estrutura hierárquica, dado o seu melhor desempenho nos benefícios oferecidos. Diante das mudanças no ambiente institucional, tal como a regulamentação dos transportes, os arranjos competitivos podem sofrer alterações. Para os tomadores de decisão, as estruturas verticalizadas poderiam compor com maior escala as estratégias das embarcadoras à medida que os custos da operação própria se aproximem dos valores praticados pelas transportadoras. / The strategies to perform the transportation of agricultural commodities by truck in Brazil are a challenge to decision making. This paper brings together vertical coordination and decision analysis, to present a discussion of decision making in organizations. The Multiple Criterial Decision Analisys (MCDA), method based on value functions, allows comparison of governance arrangements in specific situations. After define the main objectives, criteria and variables found in transport verticalization problems, the results showed worse performance of verticalized arrengements than hybrid or outsourced alternatives. This result supports that in environments with high dependence on low costs and asset low specificity are more likely to meet hybrid or market coordinated structures. However, the descriptive survey of road transport with agricultural shippers and the results of the multicriterial model indicated a highly outsourced transport market, which would be fostered by the current uncertainty and low professionalism of haulers. As the price difference between the outsourced model and vertical decreases there is a preference for hierarchical structure given his best performances in the benefits offered. Given the changes in the institutional environment, such as the transport regulation, competitive arrangements may change. This type of preference by decision makers would compose the vertical structures with more scale strategies by shippers.

The successful energy design of buildings requires that special attention be paid to the conceptual stage. However, it is a difficult task to find the most promising design alternatives satisfying several conflicting criteria. This thesis presents a simple multi-criteria decisions analysis method that could assist designers in green building design. Variables in the model include those alternatives that are common options when a residential building is to be constructed. The individual components that are considered are the building envelope, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, service water heating, power and lighting. The key actors, objectives and methodology of multi-criteria decisions analysis are presented and finally a case study for a residential building in Athens is performed. The criteria by which to evaluate each building component of the newly built construction were identified by the decision-makers. Subsequently, decision frameworks for the selection of roof, walls, windows, heating system, energy source for heating system, power source, lighting and service water heating system were built. The method is followed step-by-step to conclude on the optimal building components based on their score. Due to the equal scoring of the windows and an inapplicable combination of electric underfloor heating with air-to-water heat pump, the method is characterized by low accuracy. The fact that the building components have been treated individually sets the method as a basic one and indicates that a more complex one should be preferred when more trustworthy results are needed.

Extreme weather events have become a common occurrence and coastal communities are adversely affected by it. Studies have shown that the changing climate has increased the frequency and severity of storms, surging sea levels, and floods, as was seen with Hurricane Sandy (2012) and Typhoon Haiyan (2013). The need to be proactive in preparing for these events, as a means of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, is evident. This study focuses on the formal definition, measurement and simulation of coastal community preparedness and response to severe storm events. Preparedness and response requires resources, emergency plans, informed decision making and the ability to cope with unexpected events. A suite of preparedness indicators is developed using a three level hierarchical framework in the construction of a coastal community preparedness index to evaluate resources and plans. Informed decision making for emergency management personnel in the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is evaluated through a table-top exercise using a five-phase approach. Lastly, decision making with risk is introduced with a storm decision making simulation model. This study is applied to the case of the breakwater failure in the coastal community of Little Anse, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

In this thesis I consider possibility to spend my vacation in one of the three countries: Spain, France, Italy. In each country I chose ten cities, which I would like to visit. I will use Travel Salesman Problem to decide the best route inside each country according to three criteria: Cost, Minutes and Transport. There is also a possibility to choose the type of transport: train or combination of train and airplane. Also I will use Weighted goal programming and Chebyshev goal programming to optimize all criteria simultaneously. In the end I will use multiple -- criteria decision analysis to compare results. According to three methods (ORESTE, ELECTRE III, TOPSIS) I will choose one of the states for my vacation. I will make all calculation in program MPL and in Excel using solver SANNA.

The aim of the thesis is to select a suitable heat source for a residential building using simulation modeling and multiple-criteria decision analysis. The market is offering plenty of possibilities, thus the part of this thesis is dedicated to description of main characteristics and pros and cons of most common heat sources (e.g. coal, biomass, natural gas, electricity, heat pumps). There are many ways to decide which source is an optimal solution for a house. In this thesis, there are presented four possible approaches: decision based on the analysis of the total costs of the source and the methods WSA, TOPSIS and ELECTRE III. In the end, the results of these methods are summarized together with the qualitative factors which are also considered in the decision making process.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity generation has the potential to reduce the demand for more traditional fossil and nuclear power generation. Community PV solar installations allow energy users to share the electricity generated by these plants. Optimal siting of community solar installations will allow for maximum electricity generation while avoiding environmental conflicts, as well as, minimizing construction costs. This study identifies opportunities for community solar plants in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, Arizona, of ¼-acre in size. Input parameters fall into economic, physical, and environmental categories. Each of the input parameters were classified from 1 (not suitable) to 9 (highly suitable). Next, the classified rasters in each category were weighed according to importance, and Esri’s Weighted Sum tool was used to generate a combined raster for the category. The three resulting environmental, economic, and physical characteristic rasters were weighed again, and the Weighted Sum tool was used to generate a raster of community solar suitability scores. Next, a mask of locations inappropriate for community-scale solar development was created, including lakes, rivers, streams, and residential rooftops, which are too small to accommodate ¼-acre community solar installations. The masked areas were removed from the suitability raster, and the suitability raster was reclassified using standard deviations to generate a preference map with values ranging from 1 (low preference) to 3 (high preference). The model output reveals 68 percent of the study area is of medium or high preference for community solar installations. Maricopa and Pinal counties provide many opportunities for community solar installations.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-06-01T14:36:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Jose Luiz Rodrigues Junior.pdf: 1816384 bytes, checksum: f83b0cfa9558fadd55f06d3f851584a9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-01T14:36:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jose Luiz Rodrigues Junior.pdf: 1816384 bytes, checksum: f83b0cfa9558fadd55f06d3f851584a9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-17 / In current data centers, processing routines are scheduled to perform in a given period of time and, in case of delay, make it impossible to conduct the activities of everyday life of the various sectors of the company. Even with modern servers, due to the large volume of data to be processed, it is possible that certain computers are overloaded causing a drop in performance, a longer time to implement and consequently delays in the delivery of results. In this case, alternative scenarios can be created to sequence the tasks again. This work aimed to apply the multi-criteria decision analysis method on the results of the simulation of alternative scenarios for sequencing tasks on computers in a datacenter, in order to overload the resolution of problems. To achieve this purpose have been developed simulation models of task sequencing scenarios and replacement of computer overloaded. The analysis of simulation results was made based on three criteria, namely the Total Processing Time (makespan), the Total delay time, and the number of Delayed Tasks. Subsequently, the results were submitted to analysis method of AHP multicriteria decision (Analitycal Hierarchy Process), allowing you to choose the best setting according to established criteria. It was concluded that the modeling and computer simulation, combined with multi-criteria decision analysis method, can aid in decision making, as it enables sequencing to identify the best solution possible alternative scenarios in front of a computer overload situations. / Nos atuais Datacenters, as rotinas de processamento são programadas para executar em determinado período de tempo e, em caso de atraso, impossibilitar a condução das atividades do dia a dia dos diversos setores da empresa. Mesmo com os modernos servidores, devido ao grande volume de dados para serem processados, é possível que determinados computadores sejam sobrecarregados provocando uma queda em seu desempenho, um tempo maior para a execução e, consequentemente, atrasos na entrega dos resultados. Nesse caso, cenários alternativos podem ser criados para sequenciar novamente as tarefas. Assim, este trabalho teve por objetivo aplicar o método de análise de decisão multicritério nos resultados da simulação de cenários alternativos para o sequenciamento de tarefas em computadores de um Datacenter, visando a resolução para problemas de sobrecarga. Para atingir esse propósito, foram desenvolvidos modelos de simulação de cenários de sequenciamento de tarefas e substituição do computador com sobrecarga. A análise dos resultados da simulação foi realizada considerando três critérios, a saber: o Tempo Total de Processamento (makespan), o Tempo Total de Atraso, e o Número de Tarefas Atrasadas. Posteriormente, os resultados foram submetidos ao método de análise de decisão multicritério AHP (Analitycal Hierarchy Process), permitindo escolher o melhor cenário segundo os critérios estabelecidos. Concluiu-se que a modelagem e simulação computacional, aliada ao método de análise de decisão multicritério, pode auxiliar na tomada de decisão, uma vez que possibilita identificar a melhor solução de sequenciamento em cenários alternativos possíveis diante de situações de sobrecarga de um computador.

Global competition is growing for companies everywhere and the demand for new and improved products are rising for each day that passes. The globalization brings new opportunities as well as new challenges since companies need to stay up to date and implement new technologies to stay competitive. Not only do customers want up to date products, they also want high quality, low price and individualized products, customized for their needs. This puts high demand on manufacturing companies to adapt their businesses, increase product diversity and to being able to introduce new variations and new products quickly.  Since the drastic evolution of technology has increased the competitiveness of industrial companies, and the mass customization demands have increased, the necessity to investigate potential system alternatives towards improving production processes, with the help from the new technology, is required. One way of doing this is to revaluate one's assembly layouts since the layout design decision is highly connected to the product portfolio and the production volumes. The specific objective of this thesis is to broaden the case company’s, ABB, knowledge on ways their assembly of large robots can be improved with the focus on potential future assembly solutions. The overall aim of this thesis work is to identify state-of-the-art possible layout design alternatives, evaluate their performances and finding a method of choosing the final layout approach. This is answered by research questions connected to plant layout selection methodology, plant layout options and finally recommendations for the case company. The methodology chosen for deciding the recommended layout is the fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process which is a multi-criteria decision-making tool suitable for decision problems with a hierarchical structure, having main attributes and sub attributes connected to each main attribute. Twenty-four attributes were created and ten layouts based on company observations and a literature study. The layout with the highest score was a layout based on a modernized version of the common fixed position layout. The overall recommendation for the case company was to focus on having a layout in the future with focus on a high technology level as well as high flexibility, for also receiving high performance.