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A Study of Power Generation From a Low-cost Hydrokinetic Energy SystemDavila Vilchis, Juana Mariel 08 1900 (has links)
The kinetic energy in river streams, tidal currents, or other artificial water channels has been used as a feasible source of renewable power through different conversion systems. Thus, hydrokinetic energy conversion systems are attracting worldwide interest as another form of distributed alternative energy. Because these systems are still in early stages of development, the basic approaches need significant research. The main challenges are not only to have efficient systems, but also to convert energy more economically so that the cost-benefit analysis drives the growth of this alternative energy form. One way to view this analysis is in terms of the energy conversion efficiency per unit cost. This study presents a detailed assessment of a prototype hydrokinetic energy system along with power output costs. This experimental study was performed using commercial low-cost blades of 20 in diameter inside a tank with water flow speed up to 1.3 m/s. The work was divided into two stages: (a) a fixed-pitch blade configuration, using a radial permanent magnet generator (PMG), and (b) the same hydrokinetic turbine, with a variable-pitch blade and an axial-flux PMG. The results indicate that even though the efficiency of a simple blade configuration is not high, the power coefficient is in the range of other, more complicated designs/prototypes. Additionally, the low manufacturing and operation costs of this system offer an option for low-cost distributed power applications.
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Roulement du personnel, efficience et performance organisationnellesVranckx, Geoffroy January 2009 (has links)
Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.
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A Computational Study of Axial Compressor Rotor Casing Treatments and Stator Land SealsCates, Charles C. 01 January 2006 (has links)
As fuel prices soar ever higher, aircraft manufacturers and their airline customers demand that the next generation of engines used on their aircraft push the limits of efficiency and capability. This study consists of a computational examination of two currently accepted methods of axial compressor performance improvement in terms of surge margin and efficiency, rotor casing treatments and stator land seals.ADPAC and Fluent CFD solvers were used in the analysis of circumferential groove casing treatments and two types of stator seals, one typical of a front stage stator and one typical of a rear stage stator. The computational solutions and visualizations allowed for greater understanding of the complex flows inherent in each of these features. It was found that rotor tip vortex control plays a large part in the surge margin gains from a circumferential groove casing treatment. The efficiency gains of knife seals were dependent primarily on the gap size of the seals.
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How does the life insurance business perform and behave : the case of the UK industryAlmezweq, Muhammad January 2015 (has links)
This thesis reviews the UK life insurance industry comprehensively in terms of performance and business behaviour. One major contribution of the thesis is to challenge the conventional view on evaluation of investment funds from a shareholders’ perspective. The accounting valuation techniques to evaluate investment from the policyholder’s perspective have not been advanced to the same extent as methods designed to evaluate investment from the shareholder’s perspective, due partly to the accounting complexity of the investment management. Against this context, the thesis develops a valuation method on the basis that policyholders’ basic expectation that their saved funds shall be invested with value growth higher than inflation in the real goods market, and the thesis takes this as the benchmark to assess the reported value of policyholders’ assets. The thesis employs this valuation to assess the performance of different life assurance products (conventional vs. modern) and examine whether the transformation (from conventional to modern) has any impact on insurer performance and behaviour. The thesis also examines whether product diversification impacts realised and unrealised investment income homogenously; the result suggests that the effect of product diversification on performance varies across different measurements of realised and unrealised gain. The second major contribution of the thesis is to test the validity of different output proxies and compare efficiency scores based ranking for competitive firms to the value creation based ranking. Overall, the thesis suggests that different output proxies give consistently similar ranking for competitive firms, and cost efficiency based on different proxies are closely related to conventional measurers of firm performance and value creation in terms of value and ranking.
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A Managerial Assessment of a Local Tucson BusinessMoore, Robert E. January 2006 (has links)
Class of 2006 Abstract / Every organization strives towards excellence. Excellence is often achieved through sound management practices. In this analysis, a local Tucson business was assessed to determine its organizational efficiency. Interviews were conducted in order to assess a broad range of managerial issues including cultural and ethical issues, communication issues, staffing issues and leadership and motivation. Recommendations were provided for potential improvements. Cultural and ethical issues included indifference, a lack of discipline, and unethical behavior. Communication issues included a lack of upward communication, lack of appraisals, proper training and teamwork. Staffing issues included an informal selection process, high turnover and a lack of external sales support. Leadership and motivational issues included no incentives to work harder, lack of upward mobility, no recognition to boost moral, poor attitude and constant tardiness. Recommendations for cultural and ethical issues included standardized meetings, strict discipline and proper enforcement. Recommendations for communication issues included an appropriate training manual, an officially recognized party, one-on-one status checks and an opinion box. Recommendations for staffing issues included a formal hiring process and performance rewards. Recommendations for leadership and motivational issues included creating a team leader, best customer service employee awards, a Stuart Smalley annual ‘feel-good’ meeting and strict tardiness policies. Implementing these recommendations is one possible step in the direction of solving the problems identified.
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Improvement of Automotive Article Placement and Workload Distribution in WarehousingBerggren, Erik January 2016 (has links)
Purpose – The purpose is to: Improve the efficiency of warehouses operations as well as reduce its workload imbalances by altering the warehouse layout and work zones at a storage area. This was done by answering the following research questions: What is the current state of the sites efficiency and workload imbalances? How can the warehouse layout be designed to increase the efficiency? How can warehouse work zones be altered to reduce workload imbalances? Method – The purpose was achieved through a case study at a vehicle manufacturing facility. By studying established methods of efficiency, layout designs and workload imbalances, ways of improving the operations was discovered. The effects of these methods were then tested through the case. Findings –There are two categories improving efficiency, namely increasing output or decreasing input. The study also provides examples of ways to do both, and verifies them at the case company. The focus of both methods is a decrease in travel distance which proved to be a reliable way of increasing efficiency. Workload imbalances can be decreased by sharing workload between the resources. The case shows the result of two different resources with unequal workload and discusses the trade-off between efficiency and workload equality. Implications – The practical implications of the study is guidelines for how efficiency can be increased and how workload imbalances can be decreased. The academic implications are verifications of the used theories. Limitations – This study focuses on a restricted part of the storage process, namely traveling. There are more processes which could be included to further benefit the overall efficiency, these have however been excluded to limit the scope. The study also uses a heuristic approach based on prior research which means that the optimal solution might still be unknown. Keywords – Efficiency, workload imbalances, storage management, family grouping
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Analýza dopadu dotačního programu na životní prostředí / Analysis of environmental subsidy and its environmental impactAlferiová, Diana January 2009 (has links)
Efficiency of subsidies which aim at improving of environment quality in Czech Republic we evaluate through the use of regressive analysis and we pursue dependence between environmental protection government expenditures in Euro per capita and % of GDP in years 1996 -- 2008 and total greenhouse gas emissions of selected countries of EU in years 1998 -- 2008. The results show us that expenditures of GDP are better index for efficiency evaluation of subsidies, which confirms the importance of economic performance, though I supposed that expenditures in Euro per capita have more significant part.
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Sustainable irrigation agriculture for food security and poverty reduction among smallholder farmers in Northern NigeriaAdeniyi, Daniel Adeoluwa Seun January 2019 (has links)
Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Nigeria, like many African countries is caught up in the uncertainty of the effectiveness of
agricultural intervention in achieving food security, poverty reduction and improved quality of
life. This ambiguity is more pronounced especially in rural areas where majority of the poor and
those involved in agriculture reside. Indeed, issues relating to resource utilization and productivity
in the agricultural sector and how they affect livelihoods and food security of smallholder
households remain underexplored. The study examines the contribution of small-scale irrigation
agriculture towards ensuring food security and poverty alleviation among smallholder households.
It assesses the productivity, food security and livelihoods status of smallholder households in the
Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project, North West Nigeria, the relationship that exist between the
phenomena, as well as factors influencing them. It also explores smallholder households’
differentials on the basis of their efficiency, food security and income status, and what other factors
determine the smallholder typologies.
The research was situated within three bodies of theoretical work; political ecology, political
economy of food and agriculture, and sustainable livelihoods. This was done with a view to
providing a nuanced understanding of both the micro and macro processes and factors influencing
agricultural production, food security and livelihoods of smallholder households. A concurrent
triangulation mixed methods research design was adopted for the study. This involves the use of
both quantitative and qualitative methods of research to drive the research agenda. Systematic
random sampling technique was used to collect data for the quantitative aspect and purposive
sampling was used to select participants for semi-structured interviews for the qualitative research.
A total of 370 questionnaires were administered but 306 questionnaires were successfully
completed and returned, representing an 83% response rate. Also eight respondents were
interviewed for the study. While thematic content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data,
quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.
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A path towards high efficiency using Argon in an HCCI engineMohammed, Abdulrahman 11 1900 (has links)
Argon replacing nitrogen has been examined as a new engine cycle to reach high efficiency. Experiments were carried out under Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) conditions using a single cylinder variable compression ratio Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine. Isooctane has been used as the fuel for this study. All the parameters were kept fixed but the compression ratio to make the combustion phasing constant. Typical engine outputs and emissions were compared to conventional cycles with both air and synthetic air. It has been found that the compression ratio of the engine must be significantly reduced while using argon due to its higher specific heat ratio. The resulting in-cylinder pressure was lower but combustion remains aggressive. However, greater in-cylinder temperatures were reached. To an end, argon allows gains in fuel efficiency, in unburned hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide, as well as in indicated efficiency. A higher nitrogen oxide concentration while replacing nitrogen by argon was observed but the origin remains to be identified. The concept should therefore be able to reach zero-NOx emissions as no nitrogen should be present.
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Cost and profit efficiency of South African banksSiyaka, Nokuthula 23 May 2008 (has links)
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to analyse the cost and profit efficiency of banks
in South Africa. The cost-to-income ratio has always been used in the South
African banking sector in measuring efficiency. However this approach is very
simplistic and does not provide enough insight on real profit efficiency.
This research uses a stochastic frontier model to determine both cost and
profit efficiency of four large and four small, South African-based banks. The
results of the study show that South African banks have significantly improved
their cost efficiencies between 2000 and 2005. However efficiency gains on
profitability, over the same time period, have not been significant. No bank
was found to be superior to another in terms of achieving efficiency gains in
cost reduction and profitability.
A weak positive correlation was found to exist between the cost and profit
efficiencies, with the most cost efficient banks also being most profit efficient.
With regard to bank size, cost efficiency declined with increasing bank size.
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