TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Lorenz, Ulf A1 - Pelz, Peter F. A1 - Pöttgen, Philipp ED - Lübbecke, Marco ED - Koster, Arie ED - Letmathe, Peter ED - Madlener, Reihard ED - Peis, Britta ED - Walther, Grit T1 - Experimental validation of an enhanced system synthesis approach JF - Operations Research Proceedings 2014 N2 - Planning the layout and operation of a technical system is a common task for an engineer. Typically, the workflow is divided into consecutive stages: First, the engineer designs the layout of the system, with the help of his experience or of heuristic methods. Secondly, he finds a control strategy which is often optimized by simulation. This usually results in a good operating of an unquestioned sys- tem topology. In contrast, we apply Operations Research (OR) methods to find a cost-optimal solution for both stages simultaneously via mixed integer program- ming (MILP). Technical Operations Research (TOR) allows one to find a provable global optimal solution within the model formulation. However, the modeling error due to the abstraction of physical reality remains unknown. We address this ubiq- uitous problem of OR methods by comparing our computational results with mea- surements in a test rig. For a practical test case we compute a topology and control strategy via MILP and verify that the objectives are met up to a deviation of 8.7%. Y1 - 2014 SN - 978-3-319-28695-2 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28697-6_1 PB - Springer CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pöttgen, Philipp A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Lorenz, Ulf A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Examination and optimization of a heating circuit for energy-efficient buildings JF - Energy Technology N2 - The conference center darmstadtium in Darmstadt is a prominent example of energy efficient buildings. Its heating system consists of different source and consumer circuits connected by a Zortström reservoir. Our goal was to reduce the energy costs of the system as much as possible. Therefore, we analyzed its supply circuits. The first step towards optimization is a complete examination of the system: 1) Compilation of an object list for the system, 2) collection of the characteristic curves of the components, and 3) measurement of the load profiles of the heat and volume-flow demand. Instead of modifying the system manually and testing the solution by simulation, the second step was the creation of a global optimization program. The objective was to minimize the total energy costs for one year. We compare two different topologies and show opportunities for significant savings. KW - energy transfer KW - heating system KW - programming KW - system optimization KW - technical operations research Y1 - 2015 SN - 2194-4296 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ente.201500252 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - 136 EP - 144 PB - WILEY-VCH Verlag CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Pöttgen, Philipp A1 - Lorenz, Ulf A1 - Pelz, Peter F. ED - Pelz, Peter F. ED - Groche, Peter T1 - Multicriterial optimization of technical systems considering multiple load and availability scenarios JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - Cheap does not imply cost-effective -- this is rule number one of zeitgeisty system design. The initial investment accounts only for a small portion of the lifecycle costs of a technical system. In fluid systems, about ninety percent of the total costs are caused by other factors like power consumption and maintenance. With modern optimization methods, it is already possible to plan an optimal technical system considering multiple objectives. In this paper, we focus on an often neglected contribution to the lifecycle costs: downtime costs due to spontaneous failures. Consequently, availability becomes an issue. KW - sustainability KW - availability KW - energy efficiency KW - mixed-integer linear programming KW - system synthesis Y1 - 2015 SN - 1660-9336 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.807.247 VL - 807 SP - 247 EP - 256 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vergé, Angela A1 - Pöttgen, Philipp A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Pelz, Peter F. ED - Greuloch, Ivo ED - Weber, Manfred ED - Meier, Miles T1 - Lebensdauer als Optimierungsziel: Algorithmische Struktursynthese am Beispiel eines hydrostatischen Getriebes JF - O+P – Ölhydraulik und Pneumatik N2 - Verfügbarkeit und Nachhaltigkeit sind wichtige Anforderungen bei der Planung langlebiger technischer Systeme. Meist werden bei Lebensdaueroptimierungen lediglich einzelne Komponenten vordefinierter Systeme untersucht. Ob eine optimale Lebensdauer eine gänzlich andere Systemvariante bedingt, wird nur selten hinterfragt. Technical Operations Research (TOR) erlaubt es, aus Obermengen technischer Systeme automatisiert die lebensdaueroptimale Systemstruktur auszuwählen. Der Artikel zeigt dies am Beispiel eines hydrostatischen Getriebes. Y1 - 2016 SN - 1614-9602 VL - 60 IS - 1-2 SP - 114 EP - 121 PB - Vereinigte Fachverl. CY - Mainz ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rausch, Lea A1 - Friesen, John A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Meck, Marvin A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - A holistic concept to design optimal water supply infrastructures for informal settlements using remote sensing data JF - Remote Sensing N2 - Ensuring access to water and sanitation for all is Goal No. 6 of the 17 UN Sustainability Development Goals to transform our world. As one step towards this goal, we present an approach that leverages remote sensing data to plan optimal water supply networks for informal urban settlements. The concept focuses on slums within large urban areas, which are often characterized by a lack of an appropriate water supply. We apply methods of mathematical optimization aiming to find a network describing the optimal supply infrastructure. Hereby, we choose between different decentral and central approaches combining supply by motorized vehicles with supply by pipe systems. For the purposes of illustration, we apply the approach to two small slum clusters in Dhaka and Dar es Salaam. We show our optimization results, which represent the lowest cost water supply systems possible. Additionally, we compare the optimal solutions of the two clusters (also for varying input parameters, such as population densities and slum size development over time) and describe how the result of the optimization depends on the entered remote sensing data. KW - water supply design KW - mathematical optimization KW - slum classification KW - remote sensing Y1 - 2018 SN - 2072-4292 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs10020216 VL - 10 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 23 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. A1 - Pelz, Peter F. T1 - Maschinelles Design eines optimalen Getriebes JF - ATZ - Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift N2 - Nahezu 100.000 denkbare Strukturen kann ein Getriebe bei gleicher Funktion aufweisen - je nach Ganganzahl und gefordertem Freiheitsgrad. Mit dem traditionellen Ansatz bei der Entwicklung, einzelne vielversprechende Systemkonfigurationen manuell zu identifizieren und zu vergleichen, können leicht innovative und vor allem kostenminimale Lösungen übersehen werden. Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts hat die TU Darmstadt spezielle Optimierungsmethoden angewendet, um auch bei großen Lösungsräumen zielsicher ein für die individuellen Zielstellungen optimales Layout zu finden. Y1 - 2018 SN - 2192-8800 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s35148-018-0131-3 VL - 120 IS - 10 SP - 72 EP - 77 PB - Springer Nature CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Joggerst, Laura A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. A1 - Schmitt, Andreas A1 - Wendt, Janine T1 - On obligations in the development process of resilient systems with algorithmic design methods JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - Advanced computational methods are needed both for the design of large systems and to compute high accuracy solutions. Such methods are efficient in computation, but the validation of results is very complex, and highly skilled auditors are needed to verify them. We investigate legal questions concerning obligations in the development phase, especially for technical systems developed using advanced methods. In particular, we consider methods of resilient and robust optimization. With these techniques, high performance solutions can be found, despite a high variety of input parameters. However, given the novelty of these methods, it is uncertain whether legal obligations are being met. The aim of this paper is to discuss if and how the choice of a specific computational method affects the developer’s product liability. The review of legal obligations in this paper is based on German law and focuses on the requirements that must be met during the design and development process. KW - legal obligations KW - product liability KW - design of technical systems KW - optimization KW - resilience Y1 - 2018 SN - 1662-7482 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.885.240 VL - 885 IS - 885 SP - 240 EP - 252 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Bäch ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sun, Hui A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Pei, Ji A1 - Pelz, Peter F. A1 - Yuan, Shouqi T1 - Optimal booster station design and operation under uncertain load JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - Given industrial applications, the costs for the operation and maintenance of a pump system typically far exceed its purchase price. For finding an optimal pump configuration which minimizes not only investment, but life-cycle costs, methods like Technical Operations Research which is based on Mixed-Integer Programming can be applied. However, during the planning phase, the designer is often faced with uncertain input data, e.g. future load demands can only be estimated. In this work, we deal with this uncertainty by developing a chance-constrained two-stage (CCTS) stochastic program. The design and operation of a booster station working under uncertain load demand are optimized to minimize total cost including purchase price, operation cost incurred by energy consumption and penalty cost resulting from water shortage. We find optimized system layouts using a sample average approximation (SAA) algorithm, and analyze the results for different risk levels of water shortage. By adjusting the risk level, the costs and performance range of the system can be balanced, and thus the system’s resilience can be engineered KW - Stochastic Programming KW - Chance Constraint KW - Engineering Application KW - Pump System KW - Water Distribution Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.885.102 SN - 1662-7482 VL - 885 SP - 102 EP - 115 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Bäch ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Pfetsch, Marc E. A1 - Schmitt, Andreas T1 - Algorithmic design and resilience assessment of energy efficient high-rise water supply systems JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - High-rise water supply systems provide water flow and suitable pressure in all levels of tall buildings. To design such state-of-the-art systems, the consideration of energy efficiency and the anticipation of component failures are mandatory. In this paper, we use Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming to compute an optimal placement of pipes and pumps, as well as an optimal control strategy.Moreover, we consider the resilience of the system to pump failures. A resilient system is able to fulfill a predefined minimum functionality even though components fail or are restricted in their normal usage. We present models to measure and optimize the resilience. To demonstrate our approach, we design and analyze an optimal resilient decentralized water supply system inspired by a real-life hotel building. KW - MINLP KW - Buffering Capacity KW - Uncertainty KW - Water Supply Networks KW - Booster Stations Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.885.211 SN - 1662-7482 VL - 885 SP - 211 EP - 223 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Bäch ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Brötz, Nicolas A1 - Dietrich, Ingo A1 - Gally, Tristan A1 - Geßner, Felix A1 - Kloberdanz, Hermann A1 - Leise, Philipp A1 - Pelz, Peter Franz A1 - Schlemmer, Pia A1 - Schmitt, Andreas T1 - Resilience in mechanical engineering - a concept for controlling uncertainty during design, production and usage phase of load-carrying structures JF - Applied Mechanics and Materials N2 - Resilience as a concept has found its way into different disciplines to describe the ability of an individual or system to withstand and adapt to changes in its environment. In this paper, we provide an overview of the concept in different communities and extend it to the area of mechanical engineering. Furthermore, we present metrics to measure resilience in technical systems and illustrate them by applying them to load-carrying structures. By giving application examples from the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 805, we show how the concept of resilience can be used to control uncertainty during different stages of product life. Y1 - 2018 SN - 1662-7482 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.885.187 VL - 885 SP - 187 EP - 198 PB - Trans Tech Publications CY - Bäch ER -