Quinn Langfitt

Coupled oil analysis trending and life-cycle cost analysis for vessel oil-change interval decisions

ABSTRACT Extending lube oil-drain intervals is a practical way to save money on engine operating costs. At the same time, there may be increased risk of engine damage with increased drain intervals. The risks and benefits can be difficult to weigh and, as a result, starting an oil-drain interval extension programme can be an intimidating endeavour. This paper combines oil-analysis programme data interpretation and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) into a methodology for weighing oil-drain interval options. LCCA has shown decreasing incremental cost savings as oil-drain intervals are further extended, indicating that highly extended drain intervals may not be necessary to reap the majority of available cost benefits. Using oil-analysis property trending with life-cycle cost savings can allow an engine operator to set an hours-based extended drain interval based on projected risks and benefits. This interval is set as the baseline under the protocol, but continual oil analysis is used as a precaution to protect against unpredictable events. This methodology helps to reduce the risk of engine damage and ensure that the most easily attainable cost savings are still captured, making the decision about how to extend oil-drain intervals more approachable.

Entity Normalization in Life Cycle Assessment: Hybrid Schemes Applied to a Transportation Agency Case Study

Summary Government agencies, companies, and other entities are using environmental assessments, like life cycle assessment (LCA), as an input to decision-making processes. Communicating the esoteric results of an LCA to these decision makers can present challenges, and interpretation aids are commonly provided to increase understanding. One such method is normalizing results as a means of providing context for interpreting magnitudes of environmental impacts. Normalization is mostly carried out by relating the environmental impacts of a product (or process) under study to those of another product or a spatial reference area (e.g., the United States). This research is based on the idea that decision makers might also benefit from normalization that considers comparisons to their entitys (agency, company, organization, etc.) total impacts to provide additional meaning and aid in comprehension. Two hybrid normalization schemes have been developed, which include aspects of normalization to both spatially based and entity-based impacts. These have been named entity-overlaid and entity-accentuated normalization, and the schemes allow for performance-based planning or emphasizing environmental impact types that are most relevant to an entitys operational profile, respectively. A hypothetical case study is presented to demonstrate these schemes, which uses environmental data from a U.S. transportation agency as the basis for entity normalization factors. Results of this case study illustrate how entity-related references may be developed, and how this additional information may enhance the presentation of LCA results using the hybrid normalization schemes.

Supporting Social Innovation: Application of InDeate Tool for Sustainable Service Design—Case Study of Community Workshops

Designing systems for sustainability involves satisfying diverse requirements spanning not just of the object of design but also of the designer, the context in which design happens and the design process. Taking an engineering design approach emphasizes the object of design as well as the process, albeit neglecting the designer and the context in which design happens. Taking a Gandhian approach to design necessarily emphasizes the designer and the context in which design happens, while the object of design could take a backstage. In this regard, this article applies the InDeate tool, developed to balance design approaches, for innovating a ‘service design’ for the community workshops of National Innovation Foundation (NIF). NIF is involved in supporting grassroots innovators and leverage their innovation for social and hence national benefit. On observing two comparable student groups conceptualizing for ‘service design’ with and without using the InDeate tool, as the variety of conceptual propositions is higher with the group using the tool, it is proposed that the tool could be a candidate for supporting design for social innovation.

Impacts of a Pervious Concrete Retention System on Neighboring Clay Soils

AbstractThis study evaluated changes in moisture and temperature of clay soils next to an underground aggregate storage bed of a pervious concrete pavement system during the winter in Pullman, Wash...

Application of InDeaTe Design Tool for Designing Sustainable Manufacturing Systems-Case Study of a Micro-hydel Turbine

The InDeaTe design tool was developed to help designers and engineers to innovate by following a methodical process. This paper discusses the application of InDeaTe for designing a manufacturing system for a grassroots innovator who makes and installs small hydel power turbines in southern India. The aim of the design exercise was to help scale up the current manufacturing setup to cater to the high demand, while ensuring its sustainability. Two design teams were involved in solving the problem—one using the tool and the other without. Analysis of the final design outcomes showed that the team using the InDeaTe tool generated a more comprehensive design than the team not using the tool. This study indicates that InDeaTe tool can help in developing more inclusive designs for manufacturing systems. Future work on InDeaTe includes improving its usability and expanding its database.

Application of InDeaTe Design Tool for Designing Sustainable Products-Case Study of a Natural Water Cooler

InDeaTe is a design tool developed to support designers to innovate using a methodical process. It has a process template and a linked database of methods. This paper discusses the application of InDeaTe tool for redesigning a natural water cooler developed by a grassroots innovator in Gujarat in order to make it more sustainable and successful in the market. Two design teams were involved in solving the problem at hand: one used the tool; the other did not. The outcomes of the design activities were compared. Analysis of the design documents and recordings showed that the team using the tool covered more aspects of the design and hence generated better design compared to that the team without the tool. This study indicated that InDeaTe toolbox could help in developing better design outcomes for product design problems. Future work on InDeaTe includes expanding its database and improving its usability.

Supporting Sustainable Product Design: A Case Study with InDeaTe Tool and Template at Washington State University, Pullman, WA

InDeaTe Tool and Template is a sustainable design support, aimed at imbibing and improving the sustainability considerations in any design. This paper presents a case-study on the ‘design of a product’ as a sustainable solution for the problems faced currently while making Wooden-fibre boards at the WSU on-campus facility, where an array of boards are made with wood-based materials, to the specifications of its various applications. The objective was to design a product in which the boards can be formed to completion—from laying, orienting to compressing in the hot press, without moving it from one station to another, ensuring care from damage and preferably with minimum human effort. The case study discussed in this paper, illustrates how the use of InDeaTe Tool improved the considerations of all dimensions of sustainability in a product and could be used for design of more sustainable products.

Incorporating Prerecorded Environmental Lifecycle Assessment Modules in a Classroom Setting

AbstractAddition of sustainability-related material is becoming a point of emphasis in engineering education. Freely available modular lessons are one way to quickly effect this incorporation. This research examines the effectiveness of a class format using short prerecorded software modules on lifecycle assessment (LCA) in the classroom setting with associated discussion, primarily drawing from student perspectives in a graduate-level LCA course at Washington State University. Survey results indicated that students generally agreed that the in-class module-discussion format was an effective teaching method. Advantages included that the format was organized and complete, but still concise, allowed for review of material outside of class, and that discussion components furthered understanding and stimulated further thought about the concepts. Key disadvantages included that the modules can get boring, were sometimes too fast-paced, and that questions usually were held until the end of the presentation. Stu...