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Self-organized industrial symbiosis (IS) starts with one actor's decision to invest in a waste recovery plant and the other actors' decision to buy the recovered flow. Technical and institutional conditions of the cluster influence actors' decisions. This paper explores the emergence of IS collaborations in industrial clusters under different techno-economic conditions in the long term. We propose a mixed-integer linear programming model that incorporates costs and constraints associated with waste recovery and exchange to study actors' investment decisions and investigate shaped symbiotic exchanges under rising energy prices and limited electricity supply. The approach is implemented in Iran's Persian Gulf Mining and Metals Special Economic Zone as a case study. The results revealed that changes in internal or external condition simultaneously influence the industrial and waste recovery plants. For instance, increasing energy prices without raising product prices significantly decreased the production level of industrial plants and, consequently, heat recovery potential. Furthermore, the waste heat recovery plants' contribution to improving the cluster's economic and environmental performance was not the same. Electricity recovery from a power plant's waste heat can result in 55 PJ grid electricity intake reduction and 720 M€ cluster cash flow increase. Recovered cooling or electricity from the steelmaking plant waste heat was consumed internally rather than shaping IS. These model outcomes show its capability to study IS within the socio-technical structure of the cluster, not a standalone phenomenon. Implemented conceptualization offers a novel system-level approach, which could be adjusted to assess other industrial development strategies., Energie and Industrie

The Netherlands is known for its high penetration of natural gas use in households and industry, but the threat of climate change and earthquakes in the province of Groningen, caused by natural gas production, stimulate the search for alternatives, such as hydrogen gas. Various ways of producing and supplying hydrogen have the attention of scientists, companies and policy makers. This study compares the following three ways of green hydrogen production: 1) a photovoltaic system in Africa is used to produce hydrogen from sea water, followed by pipeline transport to Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2) electricity generated by the offshore Borssele 1&2 wind farm in the Netherlands is used for the offshore production of hydrogen from sea water followed by pipeline transport to Rotterdam, or 3) the electricity generated by this offshore wind farm is transmitted to Rotterdam where it is used for onshore production of hydrogen from sea water. The sustainability of the three systems is assessed from a life cycle point of view. The environmental LCA resulted in ReCiPe 2016 endpoint indicators and the midpoint indicators GWP, land use and water consumption. The exergetic sustainability assessment applied the Total Cumulative Exergy Loss (TCExL) method. The preferred system according to the results of the environmental LCA and the exergetic sustainability assessment is the wind energy system including offshore hydrogen production. The results are not unanimous as to which system is the second-best. The three systems need to be investigated in more detail before firm conclusions can be drawn. It is recommended that attention also be paid to the economic and social pillars of sustainability, and to the exergetic sustainability of technological systems in general, as exergetic assessment results are independent of changing and subjective models, weighting factors and other variables., Energie and Industrie

Renewable energy sources are currently presented as an economically viable and environmentally safe option in the near future. A major constraint to the incorporation of wind and solar generation at large scale is the increase of variability in the power system. To assure the perpetual balance between power production and gross consumption a significant improvement on power systems flexibility is required. Such flexibility in the power system can be achieved by two options on the demand side through demand response obtained through industrial processes: Storage and Substitution. The power system model in study contemplates the purchase of electricity from the Dutch Balancing Market. The electricity prices of the Balancing Market are considered unpredictable. The storage system is characterized by the size of the storage tank and by ramp up/down rates, reflecting the changing speed of the production levels. The substitution system is characterized by the ramp rate of substitution between electricity and an alternative energy carrier as input. The impact of the parameters on the Power System Flexibility when connected to the balancing market under several scenarios was analyzed by Linny-R, a software tool that applies Linear Programming optimization. For the storage system a bigger tank size, a higher ramp rate and a high level of predictability will increase the flexibility of the system. As the actual predictability of the balancing market is limited, the flexibility is limited too, which makes the storage system a questionable option. For the substitution system flexibility is increased by a higher ramp. The effect of the predictability is less dominant, which makes substitution a suitable flexibility enabler for the current Dutch market system. In this context, a restructure of the energy markets, considering the prices predictability, is suggested, as a way of easing the penetration of renewable energy sources., Energy & Industry

Renewable energy sources are currently presented as an economically viable and environmentally safe option in the near future. A major constraint to the incorporation of wind and solar generation at large scale is the increase of variability in the power system. To assure the perpetual balance between power production and gross consumption a significant improvement on power systems flexibility is required. Such flexibility in the power system can be achieved by two options on the demand side through demand response obtained through industrial processes: Storage and Substitution. The power system model in study contemplates the purchase of electricity from the Dutch Balancing Market. The electricity prices of the Balancing Market are considered unpredictable. The storage system is characterized by the size of the storage tank and by ramp up/down rates, reflecting the changing speed of the production levels. The substitution system is characterized by the ramp rate of substitution between electricity and an alternative energy carrier as input. The impact of the parameters on the Power System Flexibility when connected to the balancing market under several scenarios was analyzed by Linny-R, a software tool that applies Linear Programming optimization. For the storage system a bigger tank size, a higher ramp rate and a high level of predictability will increase the flexibility of the system. As the actual predictability of the balancing market is limited, the flexibility is limited too, which makes the storage system a questionable option. For the substitution system flexibility is increased by a higher ramp. The effect of the predictability is less dominant, which makes substitution a suitable flexibility enabler for the current Dutch market system. In this context, a restructure of the energy markets, considering the prices predictability, is suggested, as a way of easing the penetration of renewable energy sources., Energie and Industrie

Energy and industrial networks such as pipeline-based carbon capture and storage infrastructures and (bio)gas infrastructures are designed and developed in the presence of major uncertainties. Conventional design methods are based on deterministic forecasts of most likely scenarios and produce networks that are optimal under those scenarios. However, future design requirements and operational environments are uncertain and networks designed based on deterministic forecasts provide sub-optimal performance. This study introduces a method based on the flexible design approach and the concept of real options to deal with uncertainties during conceptual design of networks. The proposed method uses a graph theoretical network model and Monte Carlo simulations to explore candidate designs, and identify and integrate flexibility enablers to pro-actively deal with uncertainties. Applying the method on a hypothetical network, it is found that integrating flexibility enablers (real options) such as redundant capacity and length can help to enhance the long term performance of networks. When compared to deterministic rigid designs, the flexible design enables cost effective expansions as uncertainty unfolds in the future., Energy & Industry

Energy and industrial networks such as pipeline-based carbon capture and storage infrastructures and (bio)gas infrastructures are designed and developed in the presence of major uncertainties. Conventional design methods are based on deterministic forecasts of most likely scenarios and produce networks that are optimal under those scenarios. However, future design requirements and operational environments are uncertain and networks designed based on deterministic forecasts provide sub-optimal performance. This study introduces a method based on the flexible design approach and the concept of real options to deal with uncertainties during conceptual design of networks. The proposed method uses a graph theoretical network model and Monte Carlo simulations to explore candidate designs, and identify and integrate flexibility enablers to pro-actively deal with uncertainties. Applying the method on a hypothetical network, it is found that integrating flexibility enablers (real options) such as redundant capacity and length can help to enhance the long term performance of networks. When compared to deterministic rigid designs, the flexible design enables cost effective expansions as uncertainty unfolds in the future., Energie and Industrie

Development of networked energy infrastructures (like gas pipe networks), generally requires a significant amount of capital investment under resources, market and institutional uncertainties. Several independent suppliers and consumers are to be connected into these networks. However, the actual commitment of these parties and the capacities they require from the network can remain uncertain for a long time. This is a challenging task for development co-owners because decisions, such as network architectures, have to be made while uncertainty exists. In order to effectively explore through the design space and identify architecturally flexible designs addressing a view of capacity uncertainty, a simulation framework based on a combination of Monte Carlo simulation and Graph Theory is proposed. It integrates a stochastic capacity demand model and network design heuristic algorithm. The framework will be able to evaluate architectural design options and show that architectural flexibility can significantly improve the value of the infrastructure project by reducing downside risks and benefiting from upside gains compared to the deterministic design approach., Engineering, Systems and Services, Technology, Policy and Management

Development of networked energy infrastructures (like gas pipe networks), generally requires a significant amount of capital investment under resources, market and institutional uncertainties. Several independent suppliers and consumers are to be connected into these networks. However, the actual commitment of these parties and the capacities they require from the network can remain uncertain for a long time. This is a challenging task for development co-owners because decisions, such as network architectures, have to be made while uncertainty exists. In order to effectively explore through the design space and identify architecturally flexible designs addressing a view of capacity uncertainty, a simulation framework based on a combination of Monte Carlo simulation and Graph Theory is proposed. It integrates a stochastic capacity demand model and network design heuristic algorithm. The framework will be able to evaluate architectural design options and show that architectural flexibility can significantly improve the value of the infrastructure project by reducing downside risks and benefiting from upside gains compared to the deterministic design approach., Engineering, Systems and Services, Technology, Policy and Management

Infrastructures, Systems and Service, Technology, Policy and Management

The international agreements, made by International Maritime Organization in 2008 are an encouraging start to reduce the SO2 emissions caused by the use of bunker oil. Port authorities are confronted with a dilemma. From an environmental point of view, a proactive attitude is preferred. However, a unilateral initiative may jeopardize their bunker oil market share. In this article, we study the benefits and drawbacks of collaboration on emissions reduction between the ports of Rotterdam and Singapore. Many options for reducing SO2 emissions and several policies strategies are discussed. Collaboration instead of competition may give a strategic financial advantage as compared to other would-be bunker harbors on the route Europe-Asia. Without a group of dedicated and critical actors, both port authorities do not have the power to enforce policies or options. The Rotterdam system can be regarded as a decentralized multi-actor network. The Singaporean situation may be characterized as a centralized authority. The process design towards cooperation should take into account these differences. Overall, it can be concluded that cooperation between the port authorities of Singapore and Rotterdam has extra benefits compared to a situation without cooperation., Infrastructures, Systems and Services, Technology, Policy and Management

This paper describes the translation of concepts of cooperation into an agent-based model of an industrial network. It first addresses the concept of cooperation and how this could be captured as heuristical rules within agents. Then it describes tests using these heuristics in an abstract model of an industrial network. The discussion addresses the question whether the right level of abstraction is chosen and preliminary findings., Infrastructure Systems & Services, Technology, Policy and Management

This paper describes the translation of concepts of cooperation into an agent-based model of an industrial network. It first addresses the concept of cooperation and how this could be captured as heuristical rules within agents. Then it describes tests using these heuristics in an abstract model of an industrial network. The discussion addresses the question whether the right level of abstraction is chosen and preliminary findings., Infrastructure Systems & Services, Technology, Policy and Management

Produceert u een visceuze lijm of een donkere kleurstof die zelfs in geringe hoeveelheid een ander produkt van specificatie brengt? Of een amine- en een epoxyverbinding die doorreageren tot een ongewenste produkt? Als planner van produktieruns heeft u handen vol werk om een optimale volgorde vast te stellen. Vooral als u maar een beperkt aantal reactoren ter beschikking heeft en een groot aantal produkten onder tijdsdruk moet maken. In dit verhaal presenteren wij u Batch Planner: een computerprogramma dat in staat is de optimale produktievolgorde te bepalen in een fabriek met meerdere multi-product reactoren., Applied Sciences

Produceert u een visceuze lijm of een donkere kleurstof die zelfs in geringe hoeveelheid een ander produkt van specificatie brengt? Of een amine- en een epoxyverbinding die doorreageren tot een ongewenste produkt? Als planner van produktieruns heeft u handen vol werk om een optimale volgorde vast te stellen. Vooral als u maar een beperkt aantal reactoren ter beschikking heeft en een groot aantal produkten onder tijdsdruk moet maken. In dit verhaal presenteren wij u Batch Planner: een computerprogramma dat in staat is de optimale produktievolgorde te bepalen in een fabriek met meerdere multi-product reactoren., Applied Sciences

Applied Sciences