When developing a material handling system (MHS) it is crucial to master the various aspects for each developing step to increase the efficiency of the MHS. This Master’s thesis is aimed to identify conceptual solutions of a MHS and analyse the advantages and challenges for each of the developed concepts. Automation and implementation into a factory setting has taken into great consideration for this study. Two research questions (RQ) and three goals were formulated: RQ1: Which conceptual solutions of a material handling system for a high-pressure processing machine can be developed? RQ2: What are the challenges and advantages of each designed concept in terms of automation and implementation? Goal1: Develop three conceptual solutions of a material handling system. Goal2: Identify target specifications and determine their margin and ideal values for evaluation of the three conceptual solutions. Goal3: Analyse each developed material handling system and determine which concept is best out of the three in relation to the target specifications Automation has proven to be a key cause for achieving an effective MHS on the market and the two main reasons for this are, one: the elimination of ongoing labour cost and second; an increase of the overall safety factor for the system. The thesis, using the design research methodology (DRM) type two, consisting of an in-depth literature review and case study that contributed to evaluation and comparison of developed concepts. The literature review contributed to identifying the necessary steps of the structure of the MHS and required tools for the development phase. For the case study, the projects developing phase were taken from Ulrich, Eppinger and Yang (2020) ´s developing method. Identified tools and knowledge from the literature was used throughout the entire case study such as multi criteria decision making (MCDM), computer aided design (CAD), material flow patterns, automation and high-pressure processing (HPP). The findings of the case study showed that there are multiple concepts that can be developed. However, fully automated MHS are preferred when analysing the advantages and challenges for each fully developed MHS concept. The study resulted in three MHS concepts. Two fully automated ones and one semi-automated. The two fully automated MHS concepts showed more promising results than the semi-automated one. This was based on the MCDM-matrix which evaluated every MHS concept in relation to multiple criteria and failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) which investigated safety factors such as human safety and risk of MHS failure. Calculations such as capital cost and operational cost was also considered when analysing the differences between the MHS concepts. A fully automated MHS is not necessarily more costly in capital investment compared to semi-automated systems for the same HPP machine. Human labourers are, in semi-automated systems however, more precise in packaging operations, but also raises the operational costs substantially.

Predictive maintenance is an automated technique that analyses sensor data from industrial systems to enable downtime planning. Available for this study is unlabelled data from sensors placed in proximity to hydraulic system outlets of a cold isostatic press. There is limited knowledge about degradation processes because of their rarity, but it is still of high importance to minimise them. One approach to overcome this obstacle is by implementing machine learning to recognise deviations from normal behaviour and potentially learn about them. The state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms for situations with little to no knowledge about anomalies in different machines are deep learning variants using unsupervised learning and transfer learning. With the foundation of such research, this study analyses the available data and proposes three deep learning methods. The testing of these algorithms is made by presenting an equal amount of healthy and simulated unhealthy data as input. The output measurement threshold is adjusted to minimise false negatives because of safety reasons. Consequently, the best method (denoising autoencoder) results in 94% accuracy for separating the data and 74% when also identifying the source of error. However, the results should be taken with caution as the simulated faulty data is not fully representative of a real scenario. These algorithms indicate to what extent they are capable of separating deviations from normal data. This thesis provides knowledge about predictive maintenance and lays a foundation for implementing automatic anomaly detection with deep learning in a high-pressure system.

High pressure processing (HPP) and gamma irradiation were applied to inactivate <i>Vibrio vulnificus</i> (MO624) and <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> (O3:K6 TX2103) in pure culture and in inoculated live oysters. <i>Vibrio</i> pure culture and inoculated oysters were exposed to pressures of 207 MPa (30 kpsi) to 552 MPa (80 kpsi) for 0 min to maximum of 20 min. More than 5.4 log reductions of <i>V. vulnificus</i> occurred at 345 MPa for 0 min in oysters; 345 MPa for 2 min can achieve 4 log reductions on <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>. Dosage of 1 kGy gamma-irradiation was proved to be effective in producing <i>Vibrio</i> free oysters with comparable organoleptic quality to raw oysters. Thermal conductivity of shucked oysters was measured to be 0.58 to 0.68 W/m°C, as temperature increased from 0 to 50 °C, using a line heat source probe. The specific heat was measured by differential scanning calorimeter methods. It increased from 3.80 to 4.05 kJ/kg °C, when temperature rose from 10 to 50 °C. The thermal diffusivity was calculated employing the data of thermal conductivity, specific heat and density of shucked oysters. The results showed that, under the tested temperature range, thermal properties did not change significantly with temperature. The dielectric constant and loss factor of oysters were determined by an open-ended coaxial line probe connected to a network analyzer at frequency of 30 MHz to 3000 MHz from 1 to 55 °C. The penetration depth of dielectric heating was calculated to be 1.1 cm with the dielectric constant of 55 and loss factor of 14. A two-dimensional mathematical model was established to simulate the heat transfer of microwave heating using a fish gel. Finite difference method was utilized to solve partial differential heat transfer equations. The model was able to predict the temperature distribution in heated fish gel with an accuracy of ± 8°C. Applying the developed mathematical model, the lethality of <i>Vibrio</i> spp., artificially inoculated in live oysters, was estimated collectively by integrating the individual localized lethality of designated heating units. The predicted lethality was compared with microwave enumeration data on Vibrios in oysters. The observed maximum log reductions by microbial enumeration were 4.4 and 3.4 for <i>V. vulnificus</i> and <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>, respectively. The lethality calculated by integrating temperature profiles was acceptable. The discrepancy between the estimated lethality and microbial test was attributed to the simplified model construction. The quality of processed oysters, including color, aroma and texture properties, was evaluated instrumentally by a digital image system, an electronic nose and universal testing machine. The performance of two electronic nose systems on their abilities to detect oyster aroma and classify the aroma data into distinct groups was evaluated using a trained sensory panel and microbial tests. Cyranose 320 system has demonstrated potential as a quality assessment tool due to its sound correlation with microbial quality data and sensory evaluation scores. According to the quality measurement results, high pressure processing conditions were recommended to be at 345 MPa for less than 3 min and 379 MPa for less than 1.5 min. Deterioration of the quality was distinct for oyster meats exposed to 60 °C or above by thermal processing. The critical thermal processing condition was identified to be 55 °C for 2 min. With careful control, microwave processing could be considered as a candidate for seafood processing to reduce potential bacterial hazard but still retain the quality of the product. / Ph. D.

Control Method for Invasive Aquatic Species introduced via Ballast Water: Effects of Carbon Dioxide Supersaturation on Survivorship of Digesia tigrina (Planaria: Maculata) and Lirceus brachyurus (Isopoda: Crustacea) Survivorship of an aquatic species of planaria (Digesia tigrina) and isopods (Lirceus barchyurus) to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂) was determined. Both planaria and isopods were exposed to levels of freshwater supersaturated with carbon dioxide, and percent mortality was calculated for various exposure durations, and at various pressure levels. The data collected were graphically analyzed to determine the time necessary to produce mortality in 50% (LT50) of any given sample of specimens tested at a certain pressure level. At 38.6 kPa, 103.4 kPa and 172.4 kPa, the LT50 for planaria was calculated to be 150.3 ± 10.1, 58.6 ± 11.1, and 27.8 ± 6.2 minutes, respectively. At 38.6 kPa, 103.4 kPa and 172.4 kPa , the LT50 for isopods was calculated to be 181.1 ± 52.5, 79.7 ± 21.9, and 40.5 ± 17.0 minutes, respectively. These results suggest that CO₂ supersaturation may be an easily applied, efficient method that would end the unwanted introduction of nonnative aquatic species to habitats via ballast water released from shipping vessels. Effect of High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing on Freely Suspended and Shellfish Associated T7 Bacteriophage The effectiveness of hydrostatic pressure processing (HPP) for inactivating viruses has only been evaluated in a limited number of studies and most of the work has been performed with freely suspended viruses. In this work, the inactivation of freely suspended, as well as shellfish associated bacteriophage T7, by HPP was studied. T7 was selected in hopes that it could potentially serve as a model for animal virus behavior. Both clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) and oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were homogeneously blended separately and inoculated with bacteriophage T7. The inoculated shellfish meat, as well as freely suspended virus samples, were subjected to HPP under the following conditions: 2, 4 and 6 min durations; 241.3, 275.8 and 344.7 Megapascals (MPa) pressure levels; and temperature ranges of 29.4 – 35, 37.8 – 43.3 and 46.1 – 51.7Ë C. Plaque forming unit (PFU) reductions of 7.8 log10 (100% inactivation) were achieved for freely suspended T7 at 344.7 MPa, 2 min and 37.8 – 43.3Ë C. At 46.1 – 51.7Ë C, T7 associated with either clams or oysters was inactivated at nearly 100% (> 4 log10) at all pressure levels and durations tested. The results indicated that T7 is readily inactivated by HPP under the proper conditions, may be protected or made more susceptible by shellfish meat, and may serve as a viable model for the response of several animal viruses to HPP. / Master of Science

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