Fachbereich Energietechnik
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The 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquake, that mainly struck the homonymous Italian region provoking 28 casualties and damage to thousands of structures and infrastructures, is an exceptional source of information to question, investigate, and challenge the validity of seismic fragility functions and loss curves from an empirical standpoint. Among the most recent seismic events taking place in Europe, that of Emilia-Romagna is quite likely one of the best documented, not only in terms of experienced damages, but also for what concerns occurred losses and necessary reconstruction costs. In fact, in order to manage the compensations in a fair way both to citizens and business owners, soon after the seismic sequence, the regional administrative authority started (1) collecting damage and consequence-related data, (2) evaluating information sources and (3) taking care of the cross-checking of various reports. A specific database—so-called Sistema Informativo Gestione Europa (SFINGE)—was devoted to damaged business activities. As a result, 7 years after the seismic events, scientists can rely on a one-of-a-kind, vast and consistent database, containing information about (among other things): (1) buildings’ location and dimensions, (2) occurred structural damages, (3) experienced direct economic losses and (4) related reconstruction costs. The present work is focused on a specific data subset of SFINGE, whose elements are Long-Span-Beam buildings (mostly precast) deployed for business activities in industry, trade or agriculture. With the available set of data, empirical fragility functions, cost and loss ratio curves are elaborated, that may be included within existing Performance Based Earthquake Engineering assessment toolkits.
Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is a search technique that in the last decade emerged as a major breakthrough for Artificial Intelligence applications regarding board- and video-games. In 2016, AlphaGo, an MCTS-based software agent, outperformed the human world champion of the board game Go. This game was for long considered almost infeasible for machines, due to its immense search space and the need for a long-term strategy. Since this historical success, MCTS is considered as an effective new approach for many other scientific and technical problems. Interestingly, civil structural engineering, as a discipline, offers many tasks whose solution may benefit from intelligent search and in particular from adopting MCTS as a search tool. In this work, we show how MCTS can be adapted to search for suitable solutions of a structural engineering design problem. The problem consists of choosing the load-bearing elements in a reference reinforced concrete structure, so to achieve a set of specific dynamic characteristics. In the paper, we report the results obtained by applying both a plain and a hybrid version of single-agent MCTS. The hybrid approach consists of an integration of both MCTS and classic Genetic Algorithm (GA), the latter also serving as a term of comparison for the results. The study’s outcomes may open new perspectives for the adoption of MCTS as a design tool for civil engineers.
The 2nd edition of the lightning risk management
standard (IEC 62305-2) considers structures, which may
endanger environment. In these cases, the loss is not limited to
the structure itself, which is valid for usual structures. In the past
(Edition 1) this danger was simply taken into account by a special
hazard factor, multiplying the existing risk for the structure with
a number. Now, in the edition 2, we add to the risk for the
structure itself a “second risk” due to the losses outside the
structure. The losses outside can be treated independently from
what occurs inside. This is a major advantage to analyze the risk
for sensitive structures, like chemical plants, nuclear plants, or
structures containing explosives, etc. In this paper, the existing
procedure given by the European version EN 62305-2 Ed.2 is
further developed and applied to a few structures.
In Anbetracht weltweit zunehmend strengerer klimapolitischer
Ziele steigt auch der Druck für Nutzfahrzeughersteller, effizientere und umweltfreundlichere
Technologien zu entwickeln. Den Blick bei der Bewertung dieser
ausschließlich auf die Fahrzeugnutzung zu richten, ist längst nicht mehr zufriedenstellend.
Im Rahmen dieser Analyse wird ein gegenwärtig auf dem Markt erwerblicher
und in deutschen Städten bereits seit Jahren betriebener Hybridbus
energetisch und ökologisch mit einem konventionell angetriebenen, nahezu baugleichen
Modell entlang des Lebensweges bewertet.
Nach Definition von Ziel und Untersuchungsrahmen wird ein Überblick auf bereits
durchgeführte Lebenszyklusanalysen zu Hybridbussen im Stadtverkehr gegeben
und Schlussfolgerungen für die anschließende Analyse abgeleitet. Diese
wird im Rahmen einer energetischen und ökologischen Bewertung beider Produktsysteme
anhand der Parameter "Primärenergieeinsatz" und "CO2äq Emissionen"
praktiziert. Der Fahrzeugrumpf beider Fahrzeuge des gleichen Modells
wird dabei als einheitlich angenommen, sodass bei dem Vergleich der Herstellung
vereinfacht nur die sich unterscheidenden Komponenten des Antriebstranges
berücksichtigt werden. Die Resultate der Wirkungsabschätzung werden als
Differenz des Hybridbusses gegenüber dem Referenzfahrzeug über die einzelnen
Lebenszyklusphasen dargestellt. Schließlich werden Prognosen getroffen, ab
welcher Strecke die bei der Herstellung erzeugten höheren CO2äq Emissionen
des Hybridantriebstranges gegenüber dem Referenzmodell ausgeglichen werden.
In many cities, diesel buses are being replaced by electric buses with the aim of reducing local emissions and thus improving air quality. The protection of the environment and the health of the population is the highest priority of our society. For the transport companies that operate these buses, not only ecological issues but also economic issues are of great importance. Due to the high purchase costs of electric buses compared to conventional buses, operators are forced to use electric vehicles in a targeted manner in order to ensure amortization over the service life of the vehicles. A compromise between ecology and economy must be found in order to both protect the environment and ensure economical operation of the buses.
In this study, we present a new methodology for optimizing the vehicles’ charging time as a function of the parameters CO₂eq emissions and electricity costs. Based on recorded driving profiles in daily bus operation, the energy demands of conventional and electric buses are calculated for the passenger transportation in the city of Aachen in 2017. Different charging scenarios are defined to analyze the influence of the temporal variability of CO₂eq intensity and electricity price on the environmental impact and economy of the bus. For every individual day of a year, charging periods with the lowest and highest costs and emissions are identified and recommendations for daily bus operation are made. To enable both the ecological and economical operation of the bus, the parameters of electricity price and CO₂ are weighted differently, and several charging periods are proposed, taking into account the priorities previously set. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to evaluate the influence of selected parameters and to derive recommendations for improving the ecological and economic balance of the battery-powered electric vehicle.
In all scenarios, the optimization of the charging period results in energy cost savings of a maximum of 13.6% compared to charging at a fixed electricity price. The savings potential of CO₂eq emissions is similar, at 14.9%. From an economic point of view, charging between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. results in the lowest energy costs on average. The CO₂eq intensity is also low in this period, but midday charging leads to the largest savings in CO₂eq emissions. From a life cycle perspective, the electric bus is not economically competitive with the conventional bus. However, from an ecological point of view, the electric bus saves on average 37.5% CO₂eq emissions over its service life compared to the diesel bus. The reduction potential is maximized if the electric vehicle exclusively consumes electricity from solar and wind power.
This work presents a basic forecast tool for predicting direct normal irradiance (DNI) in hourly resolution, which the Solar-Institut Jülich (SIJ) is developing within a research project. The DNI forecast data shall be used for a parabolic trough collector (PTC) system with a concrete thermal energy storage (C-TES) located at the company KEAN Soft Drinks Ltd in Limassol, Cyprus. On a daily basis, 24-hour DNI prediction data in hourly resolution shall be automatically produced using free or very low-cost weather forecast data as input. The purpose of the DNI forecast tool is to automatically transfer the DNI forecast data on a daily basis to a main control unit (MCU). The MCU automatically makes a smart decision on the operation mode of the PTC system such as steam production mode and/or C-TES charging mode. The DNI forecast tool was evaluated using historical data of measured DNI from an on-site weather station, which was compared to the DNI forecast data. The DNI forecast tool was tested using data from 56 days between January and March 2022, which included days with a strong variation in DNI due to cloud passages. For the evaluation of the DNI forecast reliability, three categories were created and the forecast data was sorted accordingly. The result was that the DNI forecast tool has a reliability of 71.4 % based on the tested days. The result fulfils SIJ’s aim to achieve a reliability of around 70 %, but SIJ aims to still improve the DNI forecast quality.
As part of the transnational research project EDITOR, a parabolic trough collector system (PTC) with concrete thermal energy storage (C-TES) was installed and commissioned in Limassol, Cyprus. The system is located on the premises of the beverage manufacturer KEAN Soft Drinks Ltd. and its function is to supply process steam for the factory's pasteurisation process [1]. Depending on the factory's seasonally varying capacity for beverage production, the solar system delivers between 5 and 25 % of the total steam demand. In combination with the C-TES, the solar plant can supply process steam on demand before sunrise or after sunset. Furthermore, the C-TES compensates the PTC during the day in fluctuating weather conditions. The parabolic trough collector as well as the control and oil handling unit is designed and manufactured by Protarget AG, Germany. The C-TES is designed and produced by CADE Soluciones de Ingeniería, S.L., Spain. In the focus of this paper is the description of the operational experience with the PTC, C-TES and boiler during the commissioning and operation phase. Additionally, innovative optimisation measures are presented.
Large scale central receiver systems typically deploy between thousands to more than a hundred thousand heliostats. During solar operation, each heliostat is aligned individually in such a way that the overall surface normal bisects the angle between the sun’s position and the aim point coordinate on the receiver. Due to various tracking error sources, achieving accurate alignment ≤1 mrad for all the heliostats with respect to the aim points on the receiver without a calibration system can be regarded as unrealistic. Therefore, a calibration system is necessary not only to improve the aiming accuracy for achieving desired flux distributions but also to reduce or eliminate spillage. An overview of current larger-scale central receiver systems (CRS), tracking error sources and the basic requirements of an ideal calibration system is presented. Leading up to the main topic, a description of general and specific terms on the topics heliostat calibration and tracking control clarifies the terminology used in this work. Various figures illustrate the signal flows along various typical components as well as the corresponding monitoring or measuring devices that indicate or measure along the signal (or effect) chain. The numerous calibration systems are described in detail and classified in groups. Two tables allow the juxtaposition of the calibration methods for a better comparison. In an assessment, the advantages and disadvantages of individual calibration methods are presented.
In this work, three patent pending calibration methods for heliostat fields of central receiver systems (CRS) developed by the Solar-Institut Jülich (SIJ) of the FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences are presented. The calibration methods can either operate in a combined mode or in stand-alone mode. The first calibration method, method A, foresees that a camera matrix is placed into the receiver plane where it is subjected to concentrated solar irradiance during a measurement process. The second calibration method, method B, uses an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) such as a quadrocopter to automatically fly into the reflected solar irradiance cross-section of one or more heliostats (two variants of method B were tested). The third calibration method, method C, foresees a stereo central camera or multiple stereo cameras installed e.g. on the solar tower whereby the orientations of the heliostats are calculated from the location detection of spherical red markers attached to the heliostats. The most accurate method is method A which has a mean accuracy of 0.17 mrad. The mean accuracy of method B variant 1 is 1.36 mrad and of variant 2 is 1.73 mrad. Method C has a mean accuracy of 15.07 mrad. For method B there is great potential regarding improving the measurement accuracy. For method C the collected data was not sufficient for determining whether or not there is potential for improving the accuracy.
Seismic design of buried pipeline systems for energy and water supply is not only important for plant and operational safety but also for the maintenance of the supply infrastructure after an earthquake. The present paper shows special issues of the seismic wave impacts on buried pipelines, describes calculation methods, proposes approaches and gives calculation examples. This paper regards the effects of transient displacement differences and resulting tensions within the pipeline due to the wave propagation of the earthquake. However, the presented model can also be used to calculate fault rupture induced displacements. Based on a three-dimensional Finite Element Model parameter studies are performed to show the influence of several parameters such as incoming wave angle, wave velocity, backfill height and synthetic displacement time histories. The interaction between the pipeline and the surrounding soil is modeled with non-linear soil springs and the propagating wave is simulated affecting the pipeline punctually, independently in time and space. Special attention is given to long-distance heat pipeline systems. Here, in regular distances expansion bends are arranged to ensure movements of the pipeline due to high temperature. Such expansion bends are usually designed with small bending radii, which during the earthquake lead to high bending stresses in the cross-section of the pipeline. Finally, an interpretation of the results and recommendations are given for the most critical parameters.
Plans for investigations of subthreshold K+ production in p+A collisions / O. W. B. Schult [u.a.]
(1995)
A promising approach to reduce the system costs of molten salt solar receivers is to enable the irradiation of the absorber tubes on both sides. The star design is an innovative receiver design, pursuing this approach. The unconventional design leads to new challenges in controlling the system. This paper presents a control concept for a molten salt receiver system in star design. The control parameters are optimized in a defined test cycle by minimizing a cost function. The control concept is tested in realistic cloud passage scenarios based on real weather data. During these tests, the control system showed no sign of unstable behavior, but to perform sufficiently in every scenario further research and development like integrating Model Predictive Controls (MPCs) need to be done. The presented concept is a starting point to do so.
The integration of high temperature thermal energy storages into existing conventional power plants can help to reduce the CO2 emissions of those plants and lead to lower capital expenditures for building energy storage systems, due to the use of synergy effects [1]. One possibility to implement that, is a molten salt storage system with a powerful power-to-heat unit. This paper presents two possible control concepts for the startup of the charging system of such a facility. The procedures are implemented in a detailed dynamic process model. The performance and safety regarding the film temperatures at heat transmitting surfaces are investigated in the process simulations. To improve the accuracy in predicting the film temperatures, CFD simulations of the electrical heater are carried out and the results are merged with the dynamic model. The results show that both investigated control concepts are safe regarding the temperature limits. The gradient controlled startup performed better than the temperature-controlled startup. Nevertheless, there are several uncertainties that need to be investigated further.
Concerning current efforts to improve operational efficiency and to lower overall costs of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with prediction-based algorithms, this study investigates the quality and uncertainty of nowcasting data regarding the implications for process predictions. DNI (direct normal irradiation) maps from an all-sky imager-based nowcasting system are applied to a dynamic prediction model coupled with ray tracing. The results underline the need for high-resolution DNI maps in order to predict net yield and receiver outlet temperature realistically. Furthermore, based on a statistical uncertainty analysis, a correlation is developed, which allows for predicting the uncertainty of the net power prediction based on the corresponding DNI forecast uncertainty. However, the study reveals significant prediction errors and the demand for further improvement in the accuracy at which local shadings are forecasted.
Despite the challenges of pioneering molten salt towers (MST), it remains the leading technology in central receiver power plants today, thanks to cost effective storage integration and high cost reduction potential. The limited controllability in volatile solar conditions can cause significant losses, which are difficult to estimate without comprehensive modeling [1]. This paper presents a Methodology to generate predictions of the dynamic behavior of the receiver system as part of an operating assistance system (OAS). Based on this, it delivers proposals if and when to drain and refill the receiver during a cloudy period in order maximize the net yield and quantifies the amount of net electricity gained by this. After prior analysis with a detailed dynamic two-phase model of the entire receiver system, two different reduced modeling approaches where developed and implemented in the OAS. A tailored decision algorithm utilizes both models to deliver the desired predictions efficiently and with appropriate accuracy.
In order to realistically predict and optimize the actual performance of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant sophisticated simulation models and methods are required. This paper presents a detailed dynamic simulation model for a Molten Salt Solar Tower (MST) system, which is capable of simulating transient operation including detailed startup and shutdown procedures including drainage and refill. For appropriate representation of the transient behavior of the receiver as well as replication of local bulk and surface temperatures a discretized receiver model based on a novel homogeneous two-phase (2P) flow modelling approach is implemented in Modelica Dymola®. This allows for reasonable representation of the very different hydraulic and thermal properties of molten salt versus air as well as the transition between both. This dynamic 2P receiver model is embedded in a comprehensive one-dimensional model of a commercial scale MST system and coupled with a transient receiver flux density distribution from raytracing based heliostat field simulation. This enables for detailed process prediction with reasonable computational effort, while providing data such as local salt film and wall temperatures, realistic control behavior as well as net performance of the overall system. Besides a model description, this paper presents some results of a validation as well as the simulation of a complete startup procedure. Finally, a study on numerical simulation performance and grid dependencies is presented and discussed.
Solares Kochen
(1990)
A new solar desalination system with heat recovery for decentralised drinking water production
(2009)
Entwicklung von Kollektoren und Speicher für solare Prozesswärmesysteme / B. Hafner ; K. Schwarzer
(1996)
We study the possibility to fabricate an arbitrary phase mask in a one-step laser-writing process inside the volume of an optical glass substrate. We derive the phase mask from a Gerchberg–Saxton-type algorithm as an array and create each individual phase shift using a refractive index modification of variable axial length. We realize the variable axial length by superimposing refractive index modifications induced by an ultra-short pulsed laser at different focusing depth. Each single modification is created by applying 1000 pulses with 15 μJ pulse energy at 100 kHz to a fixed spot of 25 μm diameter and the focus is then shifted axially in steps of 10 μm. With several proof-of-principle examples, we show the feasibility of our method. In particular, we identify the induced refractive index change to about a value of Δn=1.5⋅10−3. We also determine our current limitations by calculating the overlap in the form of a scalar product and we discuss possible future improvements.
In collaborative research projects, both researchers and practitioners work together solving business-critical challenges. These projects often deal with ETL processes, in which humans extract information from non-machine-readable documents by hand. AI-based machine learning models can help to solve this problem.
Since machine learning approaches are not deterministic, their quality of output may decrease over time. This fact leads to an overall quality loss of the application which embeds machine learning models. Hence, the software qualities in development and production may differ.
Machine learning models are black boxes. That makes practitioners skeptical and increases the inhibition threshold for early productive use of research prototypes. Continuous monitoring of software quality in production offers an early response capability on quality loss and encourages the use of machine learning approaches. Furthermore, experts have to ensure that they integrate possible new inputs into the model training as quickly as possible.
In this paper, we introduce an architecture pattern with a reference implementation that extends the concept of Metrics Driven Research Collaboration with an automated software quality monitoring in productive use and a possibility to auto-generate new test data coming from processed documents in production.
Through automated monitoring of the software quality and auto-generated test data, this approach ensures that the software quality meets and keeps requested thresholds in productive use, even during further continuous deployment and changing input data.
Comparison of solar hot water systems in solar settlements - decentralized or centralized systems?
(2004)
Lately there has been an increasing concern about uranium toxicity in some districts of Punjab State located in the North Western part of India after the publication of a report (Blaurock-Busch et al. 2010) which showed that the concentration of uranium in hair and urine of children suffering from physical deformities, neurological and mental disorder from Malwa region (Fig. 1) of Punjab State was manifold higher than the reference ranges. A train which connects the affected region with the nearby city of Bikaner which has a Cancer Hospital has been nicknamed as Cancer Express due to the frenzy generated on account of uranium related toxicity.
Unsere unternehmerische Umwelt befindet sich in einem zunehmend dynamischen Wandel. Dies führt dazu, dass Herausforderungen, denen sich Unternehmen stellen müssen, immer komplexer werden. Hier gilt es zunehmend, eine Balance zwischen verschiedenen Spannungsfeldern zu erreichen. Sogenannte Megatrends stellen die Treiber dieses Wandels dar. Als Megatrend werden nach dem Zukunftsinstitut (2010a) richtungsweisende Veränderungstendenzen aufgefasst, die alle Bereiche des Lebens sowohl individuell als auch gesellschaftlich beeinflussen und langfristige Auswirkungen haben.
Laut Zukunftsinstitut (2010) stellt die Individualisierung eine langfristige und nachhaltige Veränderung dar, die die gesamte Gesellschaft (den einzelnen Menschen, Unternehmen, den Staat) betrifft und Auswirkungen auf nahezu alle Lebensbereiche (z. B. Arbeit, Wohnen, Partnerschaft) hat. Die Individualisierung beschreibt dabei die Entwicklung hin zur Fokussierung persönlicher Interessen und Lebensentscheidungen der einzelnen Person (Kunze, Individualisierung, 2011). Der Grund für diese Entwicklung sind laut Kunze (Individualisierung, 2011) Treiber wie steigendes Vermögen, Bildung und Mobilität, was die einzelne Person unabhängiger von größeren Gemeinschaften macht und mehr Freiheit zur Selbstverwirklichung bietet. Als eine Konsequenz daraus werden Wertevorstellungen nicht mehr einfach hingenommen, sondern für die eigene Person überprüft und individualisiert (Kunze, Individualisierung, 2011). So wies Beck bereits 1996 darauf hin, dass Individualisierung meint „erstens die Auflösung und zweitens die Ablösung industriegesellschaftlicher Lebensformen durch andere, in denen die Einzelnen ihre Biographie selbst herstellen, inszenieren, zusammenflickschustern müssen“ (Beck, Die Erfindung des Politischen, 1996, S. 150).
Ausblick: Der individualitätsbezogene Diversity Management-Ansatz als Antwort auf Individualisierung
(2015)
Der Megatrend Individualisierung fordert von Unternehmen, ihre Strategien und Prozessabläufe bei zunehmender Globalisierung grundlegend zu überdenken. Während Strategien und Prozessabläufe im Unternehmen Standards unterliegen, entwickelt sich unsere Gesellschaft immer stärker zu einem individuumszentrierten System, in dem es gilt, Werte und Lebensstile der Individuen zu berücksichtigen und derart wertzuschätzen, dass Mitarbeitende motiviert und mit hoher Bindung an das Unternehmen die anstehenden Leistungen für das Unternehmen erbringen. Im Konzept DiM sind Standardisierung und Individualisierung keine gegensätzlichen Aspekte, da bei DiM neben der Betrachtung des betriebswirtschaftlichen Nutzens dieses Konzepts für Unternehmen die Wertschätzung des Individuums als genuines Merkmal betont wird.
The complex questions of today for a world of tomorrow are characterized by their global impact. Solutions must therefore not only be sustainable in the sense of the three pillars of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social) but must also function globally. This goes hand in hand with the need for intercultural acceptance of developed services and products. To achieve this, engineers, as the problem solvers of the future, must be able to work in intercultural teams on appropriate solutions, and be sensitive to intercultural perspectives. To equip the engineers of the future with the so-called future skills, teaching concepts are needed in which students can acquire these methods and competencies in application-oriented formats. The presented course "Applying Design Thinking - Sustainability, Innovation and Interculturality" was developed to teach future skills from the competency areas Digital Key Competencies, Classical Competencies and Transformative Competencies. The CDIO Standard 3.0, in particular the standards 5, 6, 7 and 8, was used as a guideline. The course aims to prepare engineering students from different disciplines and cultures for their future work in an international environment by combining a digital teaching format with an interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and intercultural setting for solving sustainability challenges. The innovative moment lies in the digital application of design thinking and the inclusion of intercultural as well as trans- and interdisciplinary perspectives in innovation development processes. In this paper, the concept of the course will be presented in detail and the particularities of a digital implementation of design thinking will be addressed. Subsequently, the potentials and challenges will be reflected and practical advice for integrating design thinking in engineering education will be given.
Insbesondere im wirtschaftlichen Kontext wird die Diversität von Belegschaften zunehmend als ein kritischer Erfolgsfaktor gesehen. Neben dem Potenzial, welches sich laut Studien aus einem vielfältigen Team ergibt, werden jedoch ebenfalls die aus menschlicher Diversität resultierenden Herausforderungen thematisiert und wissenschaftlich untersucht. Sowohl aus dem Potenzial als auch aus den Herausforderungen ergibt sich dabei die Notwendigkeit der Implementierung eines organisationsspezifischen Diversity Managements, welches die Gewinnung neuer Mitarbeiter*innen einerseits und das Management der vorhandenen Vielfalt andererseits gleichermaßen unterstützt. In der psychologischen, sozial- und wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Literatur gibt es unterschiedliche Definitionen von Diversität, woraus sich verschiedene Perspektiven auf das Vorgehen bei der Gestaltung und Umsetzung eines Diversity Management Ansatzes ergeben. Insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Komplexität des Organisationsumfeldes und der steigenden Anforderungen an die organisationsinterne Agilität besteht die Notwendigkeit, Diversität in Organisationen stärker zu reflektieren und systemspezifische Ansätze zu entwickeln. Dies erfordert die Berücksichtigung organisationsspezifischer Strukturen und Prozesse sowie die Reflexion des Wandels der Organisationskultur durch die Umsetzung eines Diversity Management Ansatzes, der die gegebene Komplexität aufgreift und bewältigen kann. Darüber hinaus sind die psychologischen Auswirkungen solcher Veränderungen auf die Mitarbeiter*innen zu berücksichtigen, um Reaktanzen zu vermeiden und eine nachhaltige Umsetzung von Diversity Management zu ermöglichen. In Ermangelung entsprechender Ansätze im Rahmen öffentlich finanzierter, komplexer Forschungsorganisationen, ist das Ziel dieser Dissertation die Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Forschungsdesigns, welches die Ansätze des Diversity- und Change Managements mit der Organisationskultur verknüpft, indem es eine systemtheoretische Perspektive einnimmt. Dabei wird das Forschungsdesign auf eine komplexe wissenschaftliche Organisation angewendet. Als Basis dient die in Teil A durchgeführte Betrachtung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes aus einer interdisziplinären Perspektive und die damit einhergehende umfassende Einführung in das Forschungsfeld. Im Zuge dessen wird detailliert auf die begriffliche Definition von Diversität eingegangen, bevor dann die psychologischen Konzepte im Diversitätskontext den Übergang zu einer differenzierten Auseinandersetzung mit dem Konzept des Diversity Managements bilden. Auf dieser Grundlage werden das Forschungsdesign sowie die daraus resultierenden Forschungsphasen abgeleitet. Teil A stellt somit die theoretische Grundlage für die in Teil B präsentierten Fachaufsätze dar. Jeder Fachaufsatz beleuchtet dabei in chronologischer Reihenfolge die unterschiedlichen Forschungsphasen. Fachaufsatz I präsentiert den sechsstufigen Forschungsansatz und beleuchtet die besonderen Rahmenbedingungen des Forschungsobjektes aus einer theoretischen Perspektive. Im Anschluss werden die Ergebnisse der Organisationsanalyse, welche zugleich Phase I und II des Forschungskonzeptes darstellen, vorgestellt. Aufbauend auf diesen Forschungsergebnissen fokussiert Forschungsaufsatz II die Darlegung der Ergebnisse aus Forschungsphase III, der Befragung der Führungsebene. Die Befragung thematisierte dabei die Wahrnehmung von Diversity und Diversity Management auf Führungsebene, die Verknüpfung von Diversität mit Innovation sowie die Reflexion des eigenen Führungsstils. Als Ergebnis der Befragung konnten sechs Typen identifiziert werden, die das Führungsverständnis im Diversitätskontext widerspiegeln und somit den Ansatzpunkt für eine top-down gerichtete Diversity Management Strategie darstellen. Darauf aufbauend wird in Forschungsphase IV die Mitarbeiter*innenebene beforscht. Im Zentrum der quantitativen Befragung standen die vorherrschenden Einstellungen zum Themenkomplex Diversity und Diversity Management, die Wahrnehmung von Diversität sowie die Untersuchung des Einflusses der Führungsebene auf die Mitarbeiter*innenebene. Forschungsaufsatz III präsentiert erste Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung. Die Analyse weist auf eine unterschiedliche Gewichtung der verschiedenen Diversitätskategorien hinsichtlich der Verknüpfung mit Innovationen und somit der Reflexion des Kontextes zwischen Diversität und Innovationen hin. Vergleichbar mit den identifizierten Typen auf der Führungsebene, deutet die Analyse auf die Existenz unterschiedlicher Reflexionsgrade auf Mitarbeiter*innenebene hin. Auf Basis dessen wird im Rahmen von Forschungsaufsatz IV eine nähere Untersuchung des Reflexionsgrades auf Mitarbeiter*innenebene präsentiert und der Diversity Management Ansatz mit Elementen des Change Managements kombiniert. Besondere Berücksichtigung findet als Schlussfolgerung einer theoretischen Analyse die Organisationskultur als zentrales Element bei der Entwicklung und Einführung eines Diversity Management Ansatzes in eine komplexe Forschungsorganisation in Deutschland. Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Wahrnehmung von Diversität heterogen aber zunächst losgelöst vom individuellen Hintergrund ist (im Rahmen dieser Analyse lag der Fokus auf den Diversitätskategorien Gender und Herkunft). Hinsichtlich der Wertschätzung von Diversität zeigt sich dabei ebenfalls ein heterogenes Bild. In der Gesamtbetrachtung stimmen lediglich 17% der Mitarbeiter*innen zu, dass Diversitätskategorien wie Gender, Herkunft oder auch Alter einen Mehrwert darstellen können. Zugleich bewertet diese Gruppe die dem Thema beigemessene Wichtigkeit im CoE als ausreichend. Zusammengefasst lassen sich folgende Erkenntnisse im Rahmen dieser Dissertation ableiten und dienen somit als Grundlage für die Entwicklung eines Diversity Management Ansatzes: (1) Die Entwicklung eines bedarfsorientierten Diversity Management Ansatzes erfordert einen systemtheoretischen Prozess, der sowohl organisationsinterne als auch externe Einflussfaktoren berücksichtigt. Der im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes entwickelte sechsstufige Forschungsprozess hat sich dabei als geeignetes Instrument erwiesen. (2)Im Rahmen öffentlicher Forschungseinrichtungen lassen sich dabei drei zentrale Faktoren identifizieren: die individuelle Reflexionsebene, die Organisationskultur sowie extern beeinflusste Organisationsstrukturen, Prozesse und Systeme.(3)Vergleichbar mit privatwirtschaftlichen Unternehmen hat auch in wissenschaftlichen Organisationen die Führungsebene einen maßgeblichen Einfluss auf die Wahrnehmung von Diversität und somit einen Einfluss auf die Umsetzung einer Diversity Management Strategie. Daher ist auch im wissenschaftlichen Kontext, bedingt durch die rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen des Hochschulsystems, ein top-down Ansatz für eine nachhaltige Implementierung erforderlich. (4) Diversity Management steht in einem engen Zusammenhang mit einem organisationalen Wandel, was die Reflexion von Veränderungsprozesse aus einer psychologischen Perspektive erfordert und eine Verknüpfung von Diversity und Change Management bedingt. Aufbauend auf den im Rahmen des entwickelten Forschungskonzeptes gewonnenen zentralen Erkenntnissen wird ein Ansatz entwickelt, der die Ableitung theoretischer Implikationen sowie Implikationen für das Management ermöglicht. Insbesondere vor dem Hintergrund der Reflexion der besonderen Rahmenbedingungen öffentlich finanzierter Forschungsorganisationen werden darüber hinaus politische Implikationen abgeleitet, die auf die Veränderung struktureller Dimensionen abzielen.
Within the framework of the project a genderand diversity-oriented teaching evaluation and modern, media-supported blended learning approaches were used in order to achieve the intended goals. First research results of the literature and status quo analysis were already implemented and tested in newly designed teaching approaches, for example in a multidisciplinary introductory lecture of civil engineering at RWTH Aachen University.
Anti-bias trainings are increasingly demanded and practiced in academia and industry to increase employees’ sensitivity to discrimination, racism, and diversity. Under the heading of “Diversity Management”, anti-bias trainings are mainly offered as one-off workshops intending to raise awareness of unconscious biases, create a diversity-affirming corporate culture, awake awareness of the potential of diversity, and ultimately enable the reflection of diversity in development processes. However, coming from childhood education, research and scientific articles on the sustainable effectiveness of anti-bias in adulthood, especially in academia, are very scarce. In order to fill this research gap, the paper explores how sustainable the effects of individual anti-bias trainings on the behavior of participants are. In order to investigate this, participant observation in a qualitative pre-post setting was conducted, analyzing anti-bias trainings in an academic context. Two observers actively participated in the training sessions and documented the activities and reflection processes of the participants. Overall, the results question the effectiveness of single anti-bias trainings and show that a target-group adaptive approach is mandatory due to the background of the approach in early childhood education. Therefore, it can be concluded that anti-bias work needs to be adapted to the target group’s needs and reality of life. Furthermore, the study reveals that single anti-bias trainings must be embedded in a holistic diversity management approach to stimulate sustainable reflection processes among the target group. This paper is one of the first to scientifically evaluate anti-bias training effectiveness, especially in engineering sciences and the university context.
Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role. Not least due to the definition of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the framework of the agenda 2030 by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 (United Nations, n.d.), it has become clear that the cooperation of different actors is needed to achieve the defined 17 goals. Industry, as a global actor, has a special role to play in this. In the course of sustainable production processes and chains, the industry is confronted with the responsibility of reflecting on the consequences of its own trade on an ecological, economic, and also social level and deriving measures that, according to the definition of sustainability (Hauff, 1987), will also enable future generations to satisfy their needs. While the ecological pillar of sustainability is already being addressed by different industrial initiatives (Deloitte, 2021), it is questionable to what extent the economic and, above all, the social pillars of sustainability also play a decisive role. Accordingly, it is questionable to what extent sustainability in its triad of social, ecological, and economic aspects is taken into account holistically at all, and thus to what extent the industry contributes to achieving the 17 goals defined by the UN.
This paper presents a qualitative study that explores these questions. Interviewing 31 representatives from the manufacturing industry in Germany, results indicate a Paradox of Sustainable Production expressed by a theoretical reflection of the need for focusing on people in production processes on the one hand and a lack of addressing the social pillar of sustainability in concepts on the other hand. However, while it is a troublesome finding given the striking need for sustainable development (The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022; Kropp 2019; von Hauff 2021; Roy and Singh 2017), the paradox directly lays out a path of resolving it. This is because, given its nature, we can see that we could resolve it via the implementation of strong educational efforts trying to help the respective people of the manufacturing industry to understand the holistic and interdependent character of sustainable development (The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2022).
Engineers and therefore engineering education are challenged by the increasing complexity of questions to be answered globally. The education of future engineers therefore has to answer with curriculums that build up relevant skills. This chapter will give an example how to bring engineering and social responsibility successful together to build engineers of tomorrow. Through the integration of gender and diversity perspectives, engineering research and teaching is expanded with new perspectives and contents providing an important potential for innovation. Aiming on the enhancement of engineering education with distinctive competencies beyond technical expertise, the teaching approach introduced in the chapter represents key factors to ensure that coming generations of engineers will be able to meet the requirements and challenges a changing globalized world holds for them. The chapter will describe how this approach successfully has been implemented in the curriculum in engineering of a leading technical university in Germany.
The link between diversity and innovation is broadly discussed in the context of research and innovation processes. Many institutions and enterprises, specifically in commerce, have already tried to establish sustainable diversity management concepts, in order to increase the diversity of their workforce in addition to establishing a corporate culture of openness. Alongside the creation of a working place where different experiences and skills are valued equally, the entrepreneurial intention is to transfer diversity into economically relevant advantages. Taking into account the potential of diversity in research and innovation processes, the project “Diversity- and Innovation Management” was incorporated within a large interdisciplinary research Cluster. The project’s purpose was to study the context between diversity and innovation in research associations and to later develop a customised management concept into an interdisciplinary research Cluster on integrative production technology with full integration. The challenge of such research associations lays in an organisational structure which is often described as being decentralised. Researchers coming from different academic disciplines, while having diverse habits, conduct research on large scientific issues and challenges. In addition, these researchers are socialised in different institutions and university chairs. Theses differences in leadership styles, business cultures and organisational strategies, follow into their research team work. Taking a closer look into the management of human resources suggests that decentral organised recruitment processes, as well as allocation of human resources, lead to a lacking overview in regard to missing competencies, perspectives and backgrounds in research networks. These circumstances are comparable to big corporate groups. While developing a management concept for research associations, these characteristics must be considered. To ensure this, the project follows a human-centred approach, which considers top-down, as well as bottom-up perspectives. This paper presents the applied mixed-method approach in the scientific issue described above. In the frame of the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technology for High-Wage Countries” research results based on quantitative, as well as qualitative studies, were presented as an application example. This paper provides a new perspective on the innovation and diversity context. Against the background of complex research organisations, the development approach of a management concept is particularly interesting.
Engineers are of particular importance for the societies of tomorrow. The big social challenges society has to cope with in future, can only be mastered, if engineers link the development and innovation process closely with the requirements of people. As a result, in the frame of the innovation process engineers have to design and develop products for diverse users. Therefore, the consideration of diversity in this process is a core competence engineers should have. Implementing the consideration of diverse requirements into product design is also linked to the development of sustainable products and thus leads to social responsible research and development, the core concept formulated by the EU.
For this reason, future engineers should be educated to look at the technical perspectives of a problem embedded in the related questions within societies they are developing their artefacts for. As a result, the aim of teaching engineering should be to prepare engineers for these requirements and to draw attention to the diverse needs in a globalized world.
To match the competence profiles of future engineers to the global challenges and the resulting social responsibility, RWTH Aachen University, one of the leading technical universities in Germany, has established the bridging professorship “Gender and Diversity in Engineering” (GDI) which educates engineers with an interdisciplinary approach to expand engineering limits. The interdisciplinary teaching concept of the research group pursues an approach which imparts an application oriented Gender and Diversity expertise to future engineers. In the frame of an established teaching concept, which is a result of experiences and expertise of the research group, students gain theoretical knowledge about Gender and Diversity and learn how to transfer their knowledge into their later field of action.
In the frame of the conference the institutional approach will be presented as well as the teaching concept which will be introduced by concrete course examples.
Diversity is increasingly being addressed as an innovation-promoting factor. For this reason, companies and institutions tackle the integration of a diversity management approach that enables a heterogenic perspective on innovation development. However, system-theoretical frameworks state that the implementation of diversity measures that are not tailored to the needs of the organization often leads to a rejection or reactivity with regard to the management approach. In this context, especially organizations, which are characterized by a specific hierarchical structure, a dominant habitus or specialist culture, must face the challenge of realizing a sustainable change of the corporate culture that sets the basis for implementing diversity management approaches. The presented research project focuses on analyzing the situation in a huge scientific collaborative project - so called Cluster of Excellence (CoE) - with the aim to implement a diversity - and innovation management strategy. Considering the influencing determinants, the CoE is characterized by its embeddedness in the scientific system, a complex organizational structure, and a high fluctuation rate. The paper presents a systemic approach of reflecting these factors in order to develop a diversity- and innovation management strategy. In this frame, the results of a quantitative survey of CoE employees and derived mindset-types are presented. The results show a need for taking different mindset-types into account, to be able to develop a tailored management strategy. The aim of the project is to give recommendations for developing a sustainable management concept that promotes both diversity and innovation by drawing on the persisting mindsets of organization members while reflecting top down as well as bottom up factors of implementation processes as well as the psychology of change. This paper addresses all who are concerned with the management of human resources in innovation processes and are striving for a cultural change within the framework of complex organizations.