This research project discusses the life-cycle analysis of wind turbines through the processing of operational data from two modern European wind farms. A methodology for SCADA data processing has been developed combining previous research findings and in-house experience followed by statistical analysis of the results. The analysis was performed by dividing the wind turbine into assemblies and the failures events in severity categories. Depending on the failure severity category a different statistical methodology was applied, examining the reliability growth and the applicability of the “bathtub curve” concept for wind turbine reliability analysis. Finally, a methodology for adapting the results of the statistical analysis to site-specific environmental conditions is proposed.

"The operation and maintenance of a constructed facility takes place after the construction is finished. It is usually the longest phase in the lifecycle of the facility and the one that substantially contributes to its lifecycle cost. To efficiently manage the operation and maintenance of a facility, the staff in charge needs reliable and timely information to support decision making throughout the facility’s lifecycle. The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is gradually but steadily changing the way constructed facilities are designed and built. As a result of its use a significant amount of coordinated information is generated during this process and stored in the digital model. However, once the project is completed the owner does not necessarily receive full benefits from the model for future operation and maintenance of the facility. This research explores the information that in the context of educational facilities has value to the owner/operator and that can be delivered at the end of the construction stage through a BIM-enabled digital handover process. It discusses the importance of the Information Delivery Manual and Model and proposes an open standard approach for the creation of a Model View Definition that combines Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) with COBie standards or with Owner defined standards. The research conducted an extensive literature review and an in-depth case study of an academic institution examining in the detail its current practices and needs for the handover of information, operation and maintenance and space management requirements as well as of the future needs of the facilities management department information system generated by the use of BIM technology. The proposed approach is validated in two parts. The first part is conducted through an online survey distributed to academic institutions across the nation and through selected interviews with facilities management staff in the local area. The second part creates a proof of concept by applying the proposed approach to an existing BIM model and then creates the model version for the handover. "

With wind energy becoming a major source of energy, there is a pressing need to reduce all associated costs to be competitive in a market that might be fully subsidy-free in the near future. Before thousands of wind turbines were installed all over the world, research in e.g. understanding aerodynamics, developing new materials, designing better gearboxes, improving power electronics etc., helped to cut down wind turbine manufacturing costs. It might be assumed, that this would be sufficient to reduce the costs of wind energy as the resource, the wind itself, is free of costs. However, it has become clear that the operation and maintenance of wind turbines contributes significantly to the overall cost of energy. Harsh environmental conditions and the frequently remote locations of the turbines makes maintenance of wind turbines challenging. Just recently, the industry realised that a move from reactive and scheduled maintenance towards preventative or condition-based maintenance will be crucial to further reduce costs. Knowing the condition of the wind turbine is key for any optimisation of operation and maintenance. There are various possibilities to install advanced sensors and monitoring systems developed in recent years. However, these will inevitably incur new costs that need to be worthwhile and retro-fits to existing turbines might not always be feasible. In contrast, this work focuses on ways to use operational data as recorded by the turbine's Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, which is installed in all modern wind turbines for operating purposes -- without additional costs. SCADA data usually contain information about the environmental conditions (e.g. wind speed, ambient temperature), the operation of the turbine (power production, rotational speed, pitch angle) and potentially the system's health status (temperatures, vibration). These measurements are commonly recorded in ten-minutely averages and might be seen as indirect and top-level information about the turbine's condition. Firstly, this thesis discusses the use of operational data to monitor the power performance to assess the overall efficiency of wind turbines and to analyse and optimise maintenance. In a sensitivity study, the financial consequences of imperfect maintenance are evaluated based on case study data and compared with environmental effects such as blade icing. It is shown how decision-making of wind farm operators could be supported with detailed `what-if' scenario analyses. Secondly, model-based monitoring of SCADA temperatures is investigated. This approach tries to identify hidden changes in the load-dependent fluctuations of drivetrain temperatures that can potentially reveal increased degradation and possible imminent failure. A detailed comparison of machine learning regression techniques and model configurations is conducted based on data from four wind farms with varying properties. The results indicate that the detailed setup of the model is very important while the selection of the modelling technique might be less relevant than expected. Ways to establish reliable failure detection are discussed and a condition index is developed based on an ensemble of different models and anomaly measures. However, the findings also highlight that better documentation of maintenance is required to further improve data-driven condition monitoring approaches. In the next part, the capabilities of operational data are explored in a study with data from both the SCADA system and a Condition Monitoring System (CMS) based on drivetrain vibrations. Analyses of signal similarity and data clusters reveal signal relationships and potential for synergistic effects of the different data sources. An application of machine learning techniques demonstrates that the alarms of the commercial CMS can be predicted in certain cases with SCADA data alone. Finally, the benefits of having wind turbines in farms are investigated in the context of condition monitoring. Several approaches are developed to improve failure detection based on operational statistics, CMS vibrations or SCADA temperatures. It is demonstrated that utilising comparisons with neighbouring turbines might be beneficial to get earlier and more reliable warnings of imminent failures. This work has been part of the Advanced Wind Energy Systems Operation and Maintenance Expertise (AWESOME) project, a European consortium with companies, universities and research centres in the wind energy sector from Spain, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway and UK. Parts of this work were developed in collaboration with other fellows in the project (as marked and explained in footnotes).

Wind energy industry has been growing fast during last years, and the demand for operation and maintenance (O&M) services has been increasing rapidly. As wind turbine manufacturing companies have been focusing more on selling rather than after sales services, this created problems in O&M, which started to influence the overall profitability of wind energy projects. In the current conditions, business model innovation in O&M services is needed. While initial step in business model innovation is identifying what is valuable for customer (customer value), it is not clear what is of customer value in B2B context, how to identify it and what is valuable for industrial customers in O&M overall and in wind energy industry in particular. Therefore, the purpose of our research was to explore customer value as an input in the process of business model innovation in B2B context. In order to reach the goal of our research, inductively based approach was used for multiple case study of O&M services customers in wind energy industry in Sweden. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a representative from each company. The parts of their business models connected to wind turbine O&M were mapped, as well as customer value was outlined. The connection between customer value and business model components was analyzed within each case and then the results were compared across the cases. The main findings of our study are as follows. Business model in B2B context serves as the frame of reference for customer value formation. Characteristics of business model components, in particular key activities and key resources, as well as the intentions for further business model development become more specific underlying criteria of value proposition assessment. In wind energy industry in Sweden there is a core customer value to get the highest possible energy production, shared by all studied cases. Differences in customer value among O&M customers were identified in their perceptions of customer value of O&M service (contracts, SCADA system, reports, and education) and relationship with service providers. Such business model related criteria as competence, characteristics of fleet, involvement in O&M activities, and intention for development of O&M involvement explain why customer value differs among the studied customers of O&M services in wind energy industry in Sweden. Customer business model should be used by managers in both wind energy industry and other contexts for understanding customer value in a holistic way. Further customer segmentation should be done based on customer business model related criteria, and in the context of wind energy industry the criteria identified in this study can be used. What is more, O&M service providers should allow more flexibility in contracts and give additional attention to customer relational mechanisms in their business models as the source of customer value. / Business model innovation: A case study of maintenance services for the wind power industry

Degradation of the nation's waters continues to be a problem and urban runoff is a large contributor to it. New stormwater management policies stress the importance of using stormwater control practices that reduce the quantity and improve the quality of stormwater runoff. The new approaches tend to emphasize small-scale, on-site practices over large scale. Yet to achieve water quality benefits, stormwater control practices must be maintained over time. Maintenance costs of these facilities, however, are poorly understood. A case study of five municipalities around the United States is used to estimate inspection and enforcement costs for each case site. Maintenance activities and costs were collected at the case sites for the following stormwater controls: dry ponds, wet ponds, wetlands, bioretention facilities, sand filters, and infiltration trenches. Cost estimates indicate that inspection and enforcement is not influenced by type. Maintenance cost estimates change depending on the BMP type. Estimated annual post-construction costs applied to a hypothetical 1,000-acre indicate that moving from large-scale to small-scale stormwater controls has a large impact in terms of financial obligation. / Ph. D.

The construction industry's traditional resistance to incorporate change has prevented benefits from technological advancements to accrue. One area in which technology shows potential to benefit the industry is in addressing the existing communication gaps between the designer, builder, and owner. This gap is more evident in the operation and maintenance of a building. At project completion, an owner also receives information of the building. This information is comprised of as-built drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, warranties, and other documents. However, there is additional and valuable information for the owner generated throughout the design and construction process that goes unrecorded or is not passed unto the owner at project completion. The Building Information Model (BIM) is a digital collection of well coordinated information about the design and construction of a building in the form of an integrated database, where information is generated as the digital model is produced. The intent of the research is to explore how the BIM could be used to provide continuity in the flow of information in a coordinated and comprehensive manner from the design and construction of the building to its occupation and operation by the owner. Through literature review, a case study, and interviews with facilities management personnel of four Worcester area universities, it was found that use of the BIM is perceived of modest value because of their current preference for paper submittals, resistance to learning new software, and accessibility by people of all levels in the organization. The Internet is considered to be a tool that could greatly contribute to overcome the resistance of using information generated and coordinated through BIM. Therefore, a prototype website was developed using information about the design and construction of the recently completed WPI Bartlett Center. This information was partially generated by BIM and it also contains digitized information about other aspects of the building. The website contains a BIM-generated 3D model and samples of the operation and maintenance manuals, warranties, and submittals. The implementation of a website was found to be promising because of increased access to information, high usability, and variety of content.

Urbanisation is increasing and more sustainable transport modes are promoted, in both the sustainable development goals and the national goals. Sweden has developed a national cycling strategy, with the purpose to improve cycling infrastructure and make more people chose the bike. While cycling is good for both environment, reduced congestion and personal health, the traffic mode comes with high risk of accidents. Insufficient operation and maintenance is one of the main causes of single accidents involving cyclists. To improve the road quality on existing paths, this study has in collaboration with NCC, developed a concept for reporting issues on paths for cyclists directly to the road manager. The aim is to increase the efficiency of inspections on cycling paths and to cover more risk related aspects. A pilot area was chosen, due to variations in contracts for NCC’s operational areas in Sweden. The choice of pilot area was Borås, based on type of contract, local initiatives and sufficient information available. The methodology of this project consisted of a general literature review, followed with a deeper study of contracts and seminars in Borås. The seminars provided local insight from the NCC workers and cyclists familiar in the area. A grading system for the reports was obtained through a multi-criteria analysis in which criteria was combined with weights based on risk factor to demonstrate the urgency from more sides than just the contact. An analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats was made to evaluate the concept. The result is in the form of a reporting system where cyclists can register errands about problems on their cycling paths in a mobile application. An NCC administrator at the main local office will organise the reports into the relevant criterion and score it according to urgency. The errand is then graded based on the score combined with a weight for that criterion to represent the risk factor. Colour coded symbols will appear on a digital map, giving NCC a good overview of the cycling path that can help them prioritise and schedule maintenance more efficiently. It is expected that some of the reports will concern problems outside of NCC contract boarders, these will be handled separately in a Grey Zone. Either the errand will be forwarded to responsible road manager, or it will be used in action proposals to the contract holder. For this system to work, it is important that the users stay engaged. This is attained with a feedback mechanism allowing the user to follow the report throughout the process. It will be possible to receive notifications when the status of an errand is updated. During a seminar with local cyclists, personalised feedback was preferred. A suggestion to meet this request is given in the form of a gamification feature, where points and achievements illustrate the importance of the cyclist’s reports. To attract users, different incentives such as discounts or service might be necessary. A final recommendation from this project is to create a system with the intention to collaborate with local initiatives and stakeholders. The value of this concept lay in increased efficiency and quality of operation and maintenance of cycling path that will lead to a safer environment for the citizens. / Då befolkningsmängden i städerna ökar blir kravet på hållbarare transportmedel allt mer påtagligt. Sverige har utvecklat en nationell cykelstrategi med målet att öka cykelinfrastrukturen och få fler att välja cykeln. Att cykla har många fördelar, förutom att den är mer platseffektiv i trafiken och kan minska trafikstockningar, är den också bra för miljön och den personliga hälsan. En av de främsta nackdelarna är dock risken för olyckor, och bristande drift och underhåll av cykelvägarna är en av huvudorsakerna till singelolyckor med cyklister. För att förbättra vägkvalitén på de befintliga vägarna har den här studien, i samarbete med NCC, tagit fram ett koncept där cyklister kan rapportera in fel direkt till väghållaren. Målet är att effektivisera kontrollerna av cykelvägarna och integrera riskfaktorer i prioritering av arbetet. Borås valdes som pilotområde för denna studie då kontrakt för drift och underhåll varierar mellan olika områden. Valet av pilotområde baserades på lokala engagemang, medlemskap i Svenska Cykelstäder och kontraktsmodellen. NCC har ett regionalt kontrakt med Trafikverket för Boråsområdet vilket är fördelaktigt då dessa kontrakt är mer generella än lokala kontrakt. Arbetet började med en generell litteraturstudie i ämnet, efterföljt av en djupare studie av Boråskontraktet och seminarier för att fånga lokala förhållanden och önskemål. Utifrån detta utvecklades ett betygssystem med hjälp av en multikriterieanalys där kriterier från kontraktet vägs samman med en riskfaktor för att öka insikten hos väghållaren om vikten av ett problem på cykelvägen och göra det lättare att prioritera arbeten. Slutligen utfördes en analys av styrkor, svagheter, möjligheter och hot för att utvärdera konceptet. Ett konceptuellt rapporteringssystem där cyklister kan anmäla fel på cykelvägarna de använder dagligen via en mobil applikation är resultatet av denna studie. Ärendet hanteras via det lokala driftkontoret av en administratör som kategoriserar problemet och registrerar hur allvarligt det är. Via betygssystemet erhåller ärendet en prioriteringsordning och färgkodade symboler på en digital karta ger en bra överblick av cykelvägarnas kvalité som kan användas vid planering av underhållsarbetet. Det är också förväntat att detta system kommer ta emot rapporter som berör problem utanför NCC:s kontraktsramar, dessa hanteras i en så kallad Gråzon. Ärendena här kan antingen vidarebefordras till ansvarig väghållare eller användas för att skapa åtgärdsförslag till den aktuella kontraktshållaren. Det är viktigt att bibehålla cyklisternas intresse för rapporteringssystemet. Detta är tänkt att uppnås med hjälp av ett kontinuerligt återkopplingssystem där rapporterna kan följas genom hela hanteringsprocessen. Det ska också finnas en möjlighet för cyklisten att få notiser när ärendets status uppdaterats. Intresset för personlig återkoppling var stor, enligt deltagare i ett av seminarierna. Då det är tidskrävande för väghållaren att hantera ärenden på en personlig nivå föreslogs därför ett typ av personligt poängsystem med utmärkelser som ska illustrera vikten av rapporterna. Olika typer av belöningssystem i form av rabatterade erbjudanden eller cykelservice skulle ytterligare fånga cyklisters intresse för applikationen. En slutlig rekommendation är att skapa ett system i nära samarbete med de olika intressenterna. Värdet av det här konceptet ligger i den ökade effektiviteten och kvalitén av drift och underhåll på cykelvägar som leder till en säkrare miljö för medborgarna.

<p>Although the access to adequate safe drinking water is taken for granted in developed countries and urban settlements in some developing countries at the end of 2002 it was estimated that globally, some 1.1 billion people still rely on unsafe drinking water sources particularly in the developing regions of India and Africa. Malawi is one of the developing countries located in the arid-semiarid Sub-Saharan African region with only 62% of its people having access to safe drinking water. Boreholes and dug wells equipped with hand pumps is the technology that has assisted the country to increase the proportion of people having access to safe drinking water.</p><p>The underlying objectives of the study were to critically characterise the existing rural water facilities management systems, and to assess the status of the water facilities that were provided to rural communities by different organisations and individuals. The aim is to form an information base upon which rural water development efforts will be advanced and to expose points of intervention for sustainable rural water supply.</p><p>A survey was conducted in two traditional authorities of Kapeni and Lundu in Blantyre rural district where 94 water users were interviewed in their households. Physical inspection survey of the water facilities in the area under study was done. Focus group discussions and informal key informants’ interviews were also done.</p><p>A majority (54%) of the respondents indicated that they participated in various stages of their water supply project. The actual responsibility for the management of all water points which were visited lies with a representative group of local community known as water points committee (WPC). 97% of the water facilities that were surveyed had WPCs of which 67% received training in management, operation and maintenance (O&M) of the water facilities. There are two types of hand pumps that were found in the area, Malda and Afridev. 83% of the water facilities were still in order. The downtimes of the water facilities ranged from 1 to 360 days depending on the kind of fault.</p><p>The traditional leaders, Health Surveillance Assistants (HSAs) from government and mission clinics, water facility providers and the local communities themselves are the key players at community level. The trust that the communities have in their local leadership, the approach used in provision of the water facilities, the benefits that accrued to the local communities, and the length of time the WPCs serve the communities are the major factors that influence the communities’ participation in O&M activities. Inadequate number of qualified area technicians, theft of hand pump parts and high prices of some spare parts are some of the problems that impede effective O&M of the water facilities. To improve management, O&M of the water supply systems in the area communities have additional number of the water points, and training and refresher courses for WPCs and caretakers as some of their immediate needs. The common technical problems are hand pump related in water facilities equipped with Afridev hand pump and well drying for Malda hand pump equipped water facilities. The WPCs that are not active are those whose water facilities have been out of order for a long time. Recommendations are made regarding; planning phase, construction and operation phase, and government regulation.</p>

<p>The study seeks to establish the state of infrastructure management system, pertaining to electricity distribution, as an example of policy implementation.</p>

A tidal current turbine is a device functioning in a manner similar to wind turbine for harnessing energy from tidal currents, a group of which is called a farm. The existing approaches used to predict power from tidal current turbine farms oversimplify the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, which significantly affects the results. The major focus of this dissertation is to study the relationship between turbine distribution (the relative position of the turbines) and the hydrodynamic interactions between turbines, and its impact on the power from a farm. A new formulation of the discrete vortex method (DVM-UBC) is proposed to describe the behavior of turbines and unsteady flow mathematically, and a numerical model is developed to predict the performance, the unsteady wake and acoustic emission of a stand-alone turbine using DVM-UBC. Good agreement is obtained between the results obtained with DVM-UBC and published numerical and experimental results. Then, another numerical model is developed to predict the performance, wake and acoustic emission of a two-turbine system using DVM-UBC. The results show that the power of a two-turbine system with optimal relative position is about 25% more than two times that of a stand-alone turbine under the same conditions. The torque such a system may fluctuate 50% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. The acoustic emission of such a system may be 35% less than that of a stand-alone turbine. As an extension, a numerical procedure is developed to estimate the efficiency of an N-turbine system by using a linear theory together with the two-turbine system model. By integrating above hydrodynamic models for predicting power and a newly-developed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) model for predicting the cost, a system model is framed to estimate the energy cost using a scenario-based cost-effectiveness analysis. This model can estimate the energy cost more accurately than the previous models because it breaks down turbine’s components and O&M strategies in much greater detail when studying the hydrodynamics and reliability of the turbine. This dissertation provides a design tool for farm planners, and shed light on other disciplines such as environmental sciences and oceanography.