WorldWideScience

Sample records for estimating freight flows

  1. Forecasting freight flows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lyk-Jensen, Stéphanie

    2011-01-01

    Trade patterns and transport markets are changing as a result of the growth and globalization of international trade, and forecasting future freight flow has to rely on trade forecasts. Forecasting freight flows is critical for matching infrastructure supply to demand and for assessing investment...... constitute a valuable input to freight models for forecasting future capacity problems.......Trade patterns and transport markets are changing as a result of the growth and globalization of international trade, and forecasting future freight flow has to rely on trade forecasts. Forecasting freight flows is critical for matching infrastructure supply to demand and for assessing investment...

  2. The freight landscape : using secondary data sources to describe metropolitan freight flows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Metropolitan areas around the world are seeking to better manage freight flows and reduce negative impacts on local populations. A major challenge to better urban freight management is the lack of data; little is known about freight movements at the ...

  3. The freight landscape : using secondary data sources to describe metropolitan freight flows : final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    Metropolitan areas around the world are seeking to better manage freight flows and reduce negative impacts on local populations. A major challenge to better urban freight management is the lack of data; little is known about freight movements at the ...

  4. Shared Freight Transportation and Energy Commodities Phase One: Coal, Crude Petroleum, & Natural Gas Flows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chin, Shih-Miao [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hwang, Ho-Ling [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Davidson, Diane [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

    2016-07-01

    The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) integrates data from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive picture of nationwide freight movements among states and major metropolitan areas for all modes of transportation. It provides a national picture of current freight flows to, from, and within the United States, assigns selected flows to the transportation network, and projects freight flow patterns into the future. The latest release of FAF is known as FAF4 with a base year of 2012. The FAF4 origin-destination-commodity-mode (ODCM) matrix is provided at national, state, major metropolitan areas, and major gateways with significant freight activities (e.g., El Paso, Texas). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is interested in using FAF4 database for its strategic planning and policy analysis, particularly in association with the transportation of energy commodities. However, the geographic specification that DOE requires is a county-level ODCM matrix. Unfortunately, the geographic regions in the FAF4 database were not available at the DOE desired detail. Due to this limitation, DOE tasked Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to assist in generating estimates of county-level flows for selected energy commodities by mode of transportation.

  5. Modeling Freight Ocean Rail and Truck Transportation Flows to Support Policy Analyses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gearhart, Jared Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Wang, Hao [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Nozick, Linda Karen [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States); Xu, Ningxiong [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)

    2017-11-01

    Freight transportation represents about 9.5% of GDP, is responsible for about 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and supports the import and export of about 3.6 trillion in international trade; hence it is important that our national freight transportation system is designed and operated efficiently and embodies user fees and other policies that balance costs and environmental consequences. Hence, this paper develops a mathematical model to estimate international and domestic freight flows across ocean, rail and truck modes which can be used to study the impacts of changes in our infrastructure as well as the imposition of new user fees and changes in operating policies. This model is applied to two case studies: (1) a disruption of the maritime ports at Los Angeles/Long Beach similar to the impacts that would be felt in an earthquake; and (2) implementation of new user fees at the California ports.

  6. The Freight Analysis Framework Verson 4 (FAF4) - Building the FAF4 Regional Database: Data Sources and Estimation Methodologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Ho-Ling [ORNL; Hargrove, Stephanie [ORNL; Chin, Shih-Miao [ORNL; Wilson, Daniel W [ORNL; Taylor, Rob D [ORNL; Davidson, Diane [ORNL

    2016-09-01

    The Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) integrates data from a variety of sources to create a comprehensive national picture of freight movements among states and major metropolitan areas by all modes of transportation. It provides a national picture of current freight flows to, from, and within the United States, assigns the flows to the transportation network, and projects freight flow patterns into the future. The FAF4 is the fourth database of its kind, FAF1 provided estimates for truck, rail, and water tonnage for calendar year 1998, FAF2 provided a more complete picture based on the 2002 Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) and FAF3 made further improvements building on the 2007 CFS. Since the first FAF effort, a number of changes in both data sources and products have taken place. The FAF4 flow matrix described in this report is used as the base-year data to forecast future freight activities, projecting shipment weights and values from year 2020 to 2045 in five-year intervals. It also provides the basis for annual estimates to the FAF4 flow matrix, aiming to provide users with the timeliest data. Furthermore, FAF4 truck freight is routed on the national highway network to produce the FAF4 network database and flow assignments for truck. This report details the data sources and methodologies applied to develop the base year 2012 FAF4 database. An overview of the FAF4 components is briefly discussed in Section 2. Effects on FAF4 from the changes in the 2012 CFS are highlighted in Section 3. Section 4 provides a general discussion on the process used in filling data gaps within the domestic CFS matrix, specifically on the estimation of CFS suppressed/unpublished cells. Over a dozen CFS OOS components of FAF4 are then addressed in Section 5 through Section 11 of this report. This includes discussions of farm-based agricultural shipments in Section 5, shipments from fishery and logging sectors in Section 6. Shipments of municipal solid wastes and debris from construction

  7. Extending freight flow modelling to sub-Saharan Africa to inform infrastructure investments - trade data issues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Havenga

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper highlights the first attempt by researchers at Stellenbosch University to model freight flows between and for 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA. The model will be informed by and linked to the South African surface Freight Demand Model (FDM given these dimensions. By analysing and collating available datasets and developing a freight flow model, a better understanding of freight movements between countries can be obtained and then used for long-term planning efforts. A simple methodology is envisaged that will entail a high-level corridor classification that links a major district in the country with a similar district in another country. Existing trade data will be used to corroborate new base-year economic demand and supply volumetric data that will be generated from social accounting matrices for each country. The trade data will also provide initial flow dynamics between countries that will be refined according to the new volumes. The model can then generate commodity-level corridor flows between SSA countries, and between SSA countries and the rest of the world, as well as intra-country rural and metropolitan flows, using a gravity-based modelling approach. This article outlines efforts to harmonise trade data between the 17 countries identified, as well as between these countries and the rest of the world as a first step towards developing a freight demand model for sub-Saharan Africa.

  8. Maritime oil freight flows to 2050: Delphi perceptions of maritime specialists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinwoodie, John; Tuck, Sarah; Rigot-Müller, Patrick

    2013-01-01

    This paper aims to synthesise maritime specialists' perceptions of changing patterns of maritime oil freight flows to 2050. Debate spans published maritime oil flows globally, diverse drivers of future flows including economic growth, shipping market changes and haul lengths. A classic Delphi study to explore the perceptions of likely trends and flows to 2050 recruited a panel of early career and established maritime specialists, many with long term career commitments to this industry. Underpinned by market volatility and legislative uncertainty, the perceptions of both groups coincided and were conservative. Local sourcing, new Arctic seaways and fossil fuel intolerance will tend to reduce oil freight work but perceptions of ship re-routing to avoid for example Emission Control Areas and piracy would tend to lengthen hauls. In advanced industrial nations, reducing energy intensities and diminishing social tolerance of fossil fuels imply gradually reducing maritime oil shipments. However, to achieve radical national commitments to carbon emissions reductions will necessitate specialist education for naturally conservative maritime professionals and vigorous oil import reduction policies to curtail domestic demand for oil shipments. - Highlights: • Local sourcing, Arctic seaways and fossil fuel intolerance lessen oil freight work. • Oil hauls lengthen if ships re-route to avoid Emission Control Areas and piracy. • Conservative perceptions of established specialists match early career views. • Carbon emission reduction policies imply significantly reduced oil shipments. • Attitude change in maritime professionals will require education and marketing

  9. Estimation of warehouse throughput in freight transport demand model for the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Davydenko, I.; Tavasszy, L.

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents an extension of the classical four-step freight modeling framework with a logistics chain model. Modeling logistics at the regional level establishes a link between trade flow and transport flow, allows the warehouse and distribution center locations and throughput volumes to be

  10. Consolidation and coordination in urban freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Heeswijk, W.J.A.

    2017-01-01

    Due to growing urbanization, fragmentation of freight flows, and increasingly strict delivery conditions, cities around the world have to deal with a vastly increasing number of freight transport flows. Carriers are unable to efficiently bundle these flows, resulting in inefficient urban transport.

  11. Calculation of freight externality costs for South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefaan Swarts

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to quantify the marginal external costs associated with freight transport in South Africa. Six cost elements are included as externality cost items, namely, costs related to accidents, emissions, roadway land availability, policing, noise and congestion. Inputs in the calculations were a gravity-oriented freight flow model, a road transport cost model, actual transport costs for other modes, a warehousing cost survey, an inventory delay calculation and various national sources of information such as accident statistics and government budgets. Estimation techniques resulted in advances for externality cost measurement in South Africa. The quantification of the cost elements will be used to update the South African Freight Demand Model. The results show that the cost of transportation would have been 20% more if external factors were taken into account. The marginal rates of externalities can be used to develop scenarios based on alternative choices for South Africa's freight transport infrastructure configuration.

  12. Formulation of optimal international freight transport objective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Jarašūnienė

    2002-10-01

    Full Text Available To increase the attraction of Lithuania as a transit country striving to promote carriers' border crossing activities and facilitate customs clearance procedures as well as freight delivery to clients it is necessary to identify the main obstacles, to analyse them and to select adequate measures and means for their elimination. Therefore, on the basis of the formulation of transport freight management objective, as well as basing on the assessment of indeterminacy of external impacts, it would be possible to deduce the main causes of idle time of transport means in customs, to estimate the dependence of service time in proportion to transport flow.

  13. The North American Transborder Freight Database

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Transportation — The North American Transborder Freight Database, available since April 1993, contains freight flow data by commodity type and by mode of transportation (rail, truck,...

  14. The importance of disaggregated freight flow forecasts to inform transport infrastructure investments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan H. Havenga

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the results of a comprehensive disaggregated commodity flow model for South Africa. The wealth of data available enables a segmented analysis of future freight transportation demand in order to assist with the prioritisation of transportation investments, the development of transport policy and the growth of the logistics service provider industry. In 2011, economic demand for commodities in South Africa’s competitive surface-freight transport market amounted to 622 million tons and is predicted to increase to 1834m tons by 2041, which is a compound annual growth rate of 3.67%. Fifty percent of corridor freight constitutes break bulk; intermodal solutions are therefore critical in South Africa. Scenario analysis indicates that 80%of corridor break-bulk tons can by serviced by four intermodal facilities – in Gauteng, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. This would allow for the development of an investment planning hierarchy, enable industry targeting (through commodity visibility, ensure capacity development ahead of demand and lower the cost of logistics in South Africa.

  15. South Africa’s freight rail reform: A demand-driven perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan H. Havenga

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available During the 20th century, freight transport in South Africa was employed to attain politicoeconomic ideals, resulting in the overprotection of rail and overregulation of road transport. Increasing industry pressure, combined with the international deregulation trend, led to deregulation in 1988. Myopia resulted in a rail investment hiatus and exponential growth in high-value, long-distance road transport, causing excessive logistics and externality costs for the country. The aim of this study was to propose a freight rail reform agenda based on, (1 lessons from past freight transport policy efforts and (2 the results of freight transport market segmentation driven by models developed over the past two decades. For the study, freight flows were modelled by disaggregating the national input–output model into 372 origin–destination pairs and 71 commodity groups, followed by distance decay gravitymodelling. Logistics costs were calculated by relating commodity-level freight flows to the costs of fulfilling associated logistical functions. The standard management approach of founding strategy development on market-driven segmentation provides a neutral input to steer rail reform discussions in South Africa. Market segmentation points to a dualistic rail reform agenda, enabling both a profit-driven core and a development-driven branch line network. Freight flow insights are steering the policy reform debate towards long-term freight strategy development and optimal freight logistics network design.

  16. Application of an Intelligent Fuzzy Regression Algorithm in Road Freight Transportation Modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pooya Najaf

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Road freight transportation between provinces of a country has an important effect on the traffic flow of intercity transportation networks. Therefore, an accurate estimation of the road freight transportation for provinces of a country is so crucial to improve the rural traffic operation in a large scale management. Accordingly, the focused case study database in this research is the information related to Iran’s provinces in the year 2008. Correlation between road freight transportation with variables such as transport cost and distance, population, average household income and Gross Domestic Product (GDP of each province is calculated. Results clarify that the population is the most effective factor in the prediction of provinces’ transported freight. Linear Regression Model (LRM is calibrated based on the population variable, and afterwards Fuzzy Regression Algorithm (FRA is generated on the basis of the LRM. The proposed FRA is an intelligent modified algorithm with an accurate prediction and fitting ability. This methodology can be significantly useful in macro-level planning problems where decreasing prediction error values is one of the most important concerns for decision makers. In addition, Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN is developed to evaluate the prediction capability of the models and to be compared with FRA. According to the final results, the modified FRA estimates road freight transportation values more accurately than the BPNN and LRM. Finally, in order to predict the road freight transportation values, the reliability of the calibrated models is analyzed using the information of the year 2009. Results show higher reliability for the proposed modified FRA.

  17. Assessing public benefits and costs of freight transportation projects : measuring shippers' value of delay on the freight system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-01

    Freight delay is detrimental to the national economy. In an effort to gauge the economic impact of freight delay due : to highway congestion, this project focuses on estimating shippers value of delay (VOD). We have accomplished : this through thr...

  18. A simulation model for intermodal freight transportation in Louisiana.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    With increased emphasis on intermodal transportation development, the issue of how to evaluate an intermodal freight transportation system and provide intermodal solutions has been receiving intensive attention. In order to improve freight flow effic...

  19. Freight from Space: Evaluating Freight Activity and Emissions Trends from Satellite Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bickford, E.; Holloway, T.; Oberman, J.; Janssen, M.

    2012-12-01

    Heavy duty diesel freight trucks are the fastest growing source of highway emissions in the U.S., with domestic freight tonnage projected to double by 2050. Highway diesel vehicles currently account for 42% of on-road emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), 58% of on-road fine particulate (PM2.5) emissions, and 21% of on-road carbon dioxide emissions. Because most surface air quality monitors are located in densely populated areas and not rural highways, it is difficult to use ground-based observations to validate spatial trends in transportation emissions. Therefore, we have employed satellite retrievals from the OMI instrument to inform surface freight transportation inventory estimates by validating modeled tropospheric vertical column total nitrogen dioxide (NO2) against satellite observations. For this research we built a roadway-by-roadway bottom-up diesel truck emissions inventory using GIS, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration's Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) activity dataset, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's MOVES emissions model. We use freight rail emissions from the Eastern Regional Technical Advisory Committee (ERTAC), inventory emissions from the Lake Michigan's Air Directors Consortium (LADCO) and the EPA's Community Multiscale Air Qualiy (CMAQ) model to simulate ground-level and tropospheric column concentrations of NO2. We also use the combination of models and satellite data to evaluate weekday-weekend patterns of NO2 concentrations and the relative contributions of highway diesel vehicles, highway gasoline vehicles, and freight rail to transportation-related pollution. This research presents the first evaluation of surface freight transport from space-based observations. We find satellite retrievals of surface pollutants provide a useful data tool for evaluating air quality models and constraining emissions sources.

  20. New approaches to enhancing efficiency of freight railway stations performance within industrial enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ваагн Емілійович Парунакян

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available At present time freight stations operation is complicated by raised dynamics of production and transport processes. Under the given handling capacity, this circumstance affects duration of processing of inbound and internal flow of freight cars. In connection with the abovementioned, the article covers new approaches to the analysis and evaluation of operating characteristics, and designing of railway freight stations within industrial enterprises. These approaches base on the system adaptation of the railway freight stations structural layouts and parameters of technical facilities to new working conditions and production demands. As the criterion of optimization of freight station operation, the index of “transportation work” (freight car-hour was offered. It allows differentiating the elemental flows of freight cars from the overall flow of freight cars at the freight station. It also allows identifying structure, volumes and other parameters of train operation (duration of processing measured in freight car-hours, interpretational and technological idle time denoting the location and the reason for their occurrence. Moreover, the analysis and evaluation of yard operation is offered to be carried out via handling capacity balance, which illustrates the relation between the overall volume of transportation work and the amount of trains handled at the station. This allows establishing additional transportation work and makes it possible to evaluate the real (objective necessity in throughput and handling capacity of station facilities in particular, and the station in general. The operating characteristics that have been examined determine the new methodical approaches to designing of composition-and-structural layouts and parameters of industrial freight stations. As the basis for optimization of the station, the certain method of morphological analysis and synthesis of technical decisions can be accepted, with its modification due to the

  1. The Logistical Aspects of Freight Transportation and Forwarding

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zimina Anna I.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The article substantiates the theoretical and practical aspects of freight transportation and forwarding services based on the principles of logistics. The indicators of dynamics of freight transportation in Ukraine compared to last year and the structure by types of transport have been provided. The indicators of the foreign trade performance of Ukraine have been presented, including the counter-current export and import flows, as well as the external trade balance, which directly impacts the volume and dynamics of freight transportation and forwarding services. The main parameters of the transportation and forwarding logistics system were systematized, taking into consideration the technical and operational characteristics of the rolling stock, the route of communication, and the terminals. The role and features of the functions of the inter/multimodal transportation operators – freight forwarders of the «tonnage customers» have been considered. The article determines principles for the organization of work of freight forwarders, as well as the terms of agreement of the parties when the freight forwarding contract is concluded. The conditions for developing a logistics approach to the implementation of freight transportation and forwarding services have been generalized.

  2. A Retro-Analysis of I-40 Bridge Collapse on Freight Movement in the U.S. Highway Network using GIS and Assignment Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saniye Gizem Aydin, Ph.D.

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Bridges are critical but vulnerable elements of a highway transportation system. A bridge collapse not only affects the freight movement on the bridge but also the flow in the entire network, posing negative impacts on local, regional, and national economy. This study examines the spatial and economic impact of the 2002 I-40 Bridge collapse in Oklahoma on freight flow movement in the U.S. highway network. Freight Analysis Framework (FAF databases, TransCADTM software, and two assignment models (All-or-Nothing and User Equilibrium are used to analyze the freight flow changes before and after the bridge collapse along with two different freight assignment approaches. The first approach assigns the origin-destination freight flow to the network with the collapsed bridge removed. The second involves two successive assignments - first by excluding the pre-hazard freight flow on the bridge and assigning the rest of the flow to the post-disaster network, and second, by assigning the freight flow on the bridge in pre-disaster conditions to the post-disaster-network. The research showed that the bridge collapse did not only impact the freight flows on nearby highway network links, but also affected flows on links further away from the bridge. This finding casts doubts on the conventional models relying on gravity-based spatial distance decay effects, which often overestimate the nearby but underestimate the further-out freight flow changes in the network.

  3. Modelling freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tavasszy, L.A.; Jong, G. de

    2014-01-01

    Freight Transport Modelling is a unique new reference book that provides insight into the state-of-the-art of freight modelling. Focusing on models used to support public transport policy analysis, Freight Transport Modelling systematically introduces the latest freight transport modelling

  4. Decomposing road freight energy use in the United Kingdom

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorrell, Steve; Lehtonen, Markku; Stapleton, Lee; Pujol, Javier; Champion, Toby

    2009-01-01

    Applying the techniques of decomposition analysis we estimate the relative contribution of ten variables (termed 'key ratios') plus GDP to the change in UK road freight energy use over the period 1989-2004 inclusive. The results are best interpreted as an estimate of the percentage growth in energy consumption that would have resulted from the change in the relevant factor (e.g. length of haul) had the other factors remained unchanged. The results demonstrate that the main factor contributing to the decoupling of UK road freight energy consumption from GDP was the decline in the value of domestically manufactured goods relative to GDP. Over the period 1989-2004 this largely offset the effect of increases in GDP on road freight energy consumption. While the decline in domestic manufacturing was to some extent displaced by increases in imports, the net effect of these supply factors, together with shifts in the commodity mix, has been to reduce UK road freight energy consumption by 30.1%. The net effect on global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions is likely to be somewhat less beneficial, since many freight movements associated with the manufacture of imported goods have simply been displaced to other countries.

  5. Assessment of multimodal freight bottlenecks and alleviation strategies for upper Midwest region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-01

    The freight that passes through the Mississippi Valley Region is high volume and has a substantial impact on the economy of the : region. According to the BTS-sponsored Commodity Flow Survey, trucks carried almost 2.5 billion tons of freight across t...

  6. Ontario freight movement study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1995-11-01

    The freight (cargo) transportation sector accounts for a major use of fossil fuels and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. A study was conducted to estimate and forecast emissions from transportation in Ontario, by mode, over the next 15 years, and to examine ways in which those emissions could be reduced. Published data of freight transportation industries was used to examine the fuel consumption characteristics of each mode, followed by a review of emission rates. It was determined that truck transportation accounts for most CO 2 emissions (about 70%). Rail follows with 21% and the marine and air modes contribute relatively small shares (6% and 2%). New intermodal technologies being introduced by the railways were discussed. They have been designed to make intermodal transport more accessible to a wider segment of the freight market. A recommendation was made which would require all truck shipments over 500 km, accounting for fully one half of truck tonne-km, to have their line-haul component diverted to this new more fuel-efficient mode (i.e., from truck to rail). refs., tabs., figs

  7. Sustainable freight transport in South Africa:Domestic intermodal solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan H. Havenga

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Due to the rapid deregulation of freight transport in South Africa two decades ago, and low historical investment in rail (with resultant poor service delivery, an integrated alternative to road and rail competition was never developed. High national freight logistics costs, significant road infrastructure challenges and environmental impact concerns of a road-dominated freight transport market have, however, fuelled renewed interest in intermodal transport solutions. In this article, a high-level business case for domestic intermodal solutions in South Africa is presented. The results demonstrate that building three intermodal terminals to connect the three major industrial hubs (i.e. Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town through an intermodal solution could reduce transport costs (including externalities for the identified 11.5 million tons of intermodalfriendly freight flows on the Cape and Natal corridors by 42% (including externalities.

  8. Analysis of Freight Transport Strategies and Methodologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    Transportation agencies are often blind to freight flows at the last mile level of truck movements. New strategies, data sources, and analytics have the potential to provide an empirical understanding of last mile truck movements and their impa...

  9. Estimating the direct rebound effect for on-road freight transportation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winebrake, James J.; Green, Erin H.; Comer, Bryan; Corbett, James J.; Froman, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    Energy and environmental concerns have spawned new policies aimed at reducing emissions and fuel consumption of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) worldwide. While such policies intend to reduce HDV energy consumption and emissions, energy savings that reduce transportation costs may lead to increased demand for HDV transportation services. Increased HDV transportation, in turn, can result in increased energy use and emissions—i.e., a direct “rebound effect.” This paper provides a critical review of the literature related to the HDV rebound effect. Results of this review demonstrate that the lack of focused studies in this area combined with the variability and heterogeneity of the trucking sector limit general understanding of the HDV rebound effect. Currently, the studies that do exist often create biased or erroneous rebound effect estimates by inappropriately relying on freight elasticities or applying metrics that omit important elements of fuel consumption. Research following a more transparent and coherent approach can improve estimates of the rebound effect from policy measures to improve HDV energy efficiency. - Highlights: ► Provides a critical review of HDV rebound effect literature. ► Demonstrates limitations of HDV rebound effect estimates. ► Provides framework for considering more complete HDV rebound effect.

  10. Measuring the economic contribution of the freight industry to the Maryland economy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-05-01

    Economic impacts of freight movement to Marylands economy were estimated by input-output analysis : using the 2010 IMPLAN data. A freight economic output (FECO) index was also developed based on the : historical payroll data and gross domestic pro...

  11. Emissions and Air Quality Impacts of Freight Transportation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bickford, Erica

    Diesel freight vehicles (trucks + trains) are responsible for 20% of all U.S. nitrogen oxide (NOx) and 3% of fine particulate (PM2.5) emissions - pollutants that are harmful to human health. Freight tonnage is also projected to double over the next several decades, reaching 30 billion tons by 2050, increasing freight transport activity. Air quality impacts from increased activity, trade-offs between activity and vehicle technology improvements, as well as where to make infrastructure investments that encourage sustainable freight growth, are important considerations for transportation and air quality managers. To address these questions, we build a bottom-up roadway-by-roadway freight truck inventory (WIFE) and employ it to quantify emissions impacts of swapping biodiesel blends into the Midwest diesel freight truck fleet, and investigate emissions and air quality impacts of truck-to-rail freight modal shifts in the Midwest. We also evaluate the spatial and seasonal freight performance of WIFE modeled in a regional photochemical model (CMAQ) against satellite retrievals of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Results show that spatial and seasonal distribution of biodiesel affects regional emissions impacts. Summer high-blend deployment yields a larger annual emissions reduction than year-round low-blend deployment, however, technological improvements in vehicle emissions controls between 2009 and 2018 dwarf the impacts of biodiesel. Truck-to-rail modal shift analysis found 40% of daily freight truck VMT could be shifted to rail freight, causing a 26% net reduction in NOx emissions, and 31% less carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Despite significant emissions impacts, air quality modeling results showed mostly localized near roadway air quality improvements, with small regional net changes; yet, federal regulation of CO2 emissions and/or rising costs of diesel fuel could motivate shifting freight to more fuel efficient rail. Evaluation of

  12. Trends in road freight transportation carbon dioxide emissions and policies in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Hongqi; Lu, Yue; Zhang, Jun; Wang, Tianyi

    2013-01-01

    We adopted the simple average Divisia index approach to explore the impacts of factors on the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from road freight transportation in China from 1985 to 2007. CO 2 emissions were investigated using the following as influencing factors: the emission coefficient, vehicle fuel intensity, working vehicle stock per freight transport operator, market concentration level, freight transportation distance, market share of road freight transportation, ton-kilometer per value added of industry, industrialization level and economic growth. Building on the results, we suggest that economic growth is the most important factor in increasing CO 2 emissions, whereas the ton-kilometer per value added of industry and the market concentration level contribute significantly to decreasing CO 2 emissions. We also discussed some recent important policies concerning factors contained in the decomposition model. - Highlights: ► We estimated road freight fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions in China. ► Factors implying features of road freight were considered in decomposition model. ► Some policies were discussed to affect CO 2 emissions from road freight

  13. Inventory theory, mode choice and network structure in freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Combes, F.; Tavasszy, L.A.

    2016-01-01

    In passenger transport, hub-and-spoke networks allow the transportation of small passenger flows with competitive frequencies, in a way that direct line networks cannot. Equivalently, in freight transport, it can be expected that small shipper-receiver flows of high added value commodities transit

  14. Analysis of Freight Transport Strategies and Methodologies [summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    Transportation planners constantly examine traffic flows to see if current roadway layouts are serving traffic needs. For freight hauling, this presents one issue on the open road, but a much different issue as these large vehicles approach their des...

  15. Urban freight distribution: council warehouses & freight by rail

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksander SŁADKOWSKI

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Rail is the one of the highly underused form of freight transportation in the European Union. Majority of the freightage are distributed by trucks and HGVs. With new regulations and socio-environmental concerns urban logistics is facing a new challenge which can be tackled using innovative transport mechanisms and streamline operations. This article sheds light on a system which integrates freight distribution via metro lines in the closest vicinity of the customer, use of council warehouses and further innovative transport mechanisms for final delivery. This system uses existing infrastructure effectively without impacting its surroundings and triggers the reduction of polluting carriers. This system offers the option of immediate implementation which will enable EU to compete with a global freight distribution market.

  16. Economic Analysis Framework for Freight Transportation Based on Florida Statewide Multi-Modal Freight Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-02-01

    Freight transportation plays a vital role in local and regional economy. The markets and businesses from different regions and locations can be connected through freight movements. But it is difficult to quantify the economic contribution of freight ...

  17. Intermodal Freight Transport on the Right Track? Environmental and economic performances and their trade-off

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Nam Seok

    2010-01-01

    This dissertation aims to evaluate environmental and economic performances of an intermodal freight transport system and to estimate the trade-off between CO2 emissions, which is presented as an indicator of environmental performance, and freight costs, which indicate the economic performance of the intermodal freight system. The truck-only system is always regarded as the counterpart of the intermodal freight system in this dissertation. To examine the environmental performance of the intermodal freight system, CO2 emissions generated from all the processes in the intermodal chain, such as pre-haulage and post-haulage, long distance haulage, and transshipment, are estimated considering different sources that generate electricity and transmission loss of electricity (Chapters 3 and 4). To examine the economic performance of the system, two approaches are considered: (1) finding the intermodal breakeven distance for which the intermodal system is more competitive than the truck-only system (Chapter 5); (2) examining the economies of scale in the intermodal network and finding the route/system choice that minimizes the total freight transportation costs (Chapter 6). Finally, this dissertation attempts to find the trade-off between CO2 emissions (representing the environmental performance) and freight transportation cost (representing the economic performance) (Chapter 7)

  18. Freight from space : evaluating freight activity and emissions from satellite data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-01

    In this report, the authors investigate the current state of knowledge of freight transport emissions, the importance of freight emissions relative to other sources, and what tools are available, or can be developed to answer these questions and impr...

  19. Simulation-Based Approach to Operating Costs Analysis of Freight Trucking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ozernova Natalja

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of costs uncertainty in road freight transportation services. The article introduces the statistical approach, based on Monte Carlo simulation on spreadsheets, to the analysis of operating costs. The developed model gives an opportunity to estimate operating freight trucking costs under different configuration of cost factors. Important conclusions can be made after running simulations regarding sensitivity to different factors, optimal decisions and variability of operating costs.

  20. Freight Transportation Energy Use : Volume 1. Summary and Baseline Results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-07-01

    The overall design of the TSC Freight Energy Model is presented. A hierarchical modeling strategy is used, in which detailed modal simulators estimate the performance characteristics of transportation network elements, and the estimates are input to ...

  1. Freight transport and intermodality

    OpenAIRE

    Barbero Mañanes, Eduardo

    2010-01-01

    During recent decades, there has been very substantial growth in the freight transport sector. Freight transport is increasing faster than the economy or passenger transport. Demand is increasing more rapidly than supply and is resulting in environmental and social problems. Increasing congestion, too, is affecting efficient and reliable freight distribution, and consequently having a deleterious effect on local economies. Intermodality is therefore needed to make better use of alternative mo...

  2. Could Expanded Freight Rail Reduce Air Pollution from Trucks?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bickford, E. E.; Holloway, T.; Johnston, M.

    2010-12-01

    Cars, trucks and trains are a significant source of emissions that impact both climate and air quality on regional to global scales. Diesel vehicles, most used for freight transport, account for 42% of on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, 58% of on-road fine particulate emissions, and 21% of on-road carbon dioxide emissions. With freight tonnage projected to increase 28% by 2018, and freight trucks the fastest growing source of transportation emissions, we evaluate the potential for increased rail capacity to reduce the environmental impacts of trucks. Most widely available mobile source emissions inventories contain insufficient spatial detail to quantify realistic emission scenario options, and none to date have been linked with commodity flow information in a manner appropriate to consider the true potential of rail substitution. To support a truck-to-rail analysis, and other policy assessments requiring roadway-by-roadway analysis, we have developed a freight emissions inventory for the Upper Midwest based on the Federal Highway Administration’s Freight Analysis Framework version 2.2 and the Environmental Protection Agency’s on-road emissions model, Mobile6.2. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS), we developed emissions scenarios for truck-to-rail modal shifts where 95% of freight tonnage on trips longer than 400 miles is shifted off of trucks and onto railways. Scenarios will be analyzed with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) regional model to assess air quality impacts of associated changes. By using well-respected transportation data and realistic assumptions, results from this study have the potential to inform decisions on transportation sustainability, carbon management, public health, and air quality.

  3. Short-term forecasting of intermodal freight using ANNs and SVR: Case of the Port of Algeciras Bay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moscoso Lopez, J.A.

    2016-07-01

    Forecasting of future intermodal traffic demand is very important for decision making in ports operations management. The use of accurate prediction tools is an issue that awakens a lot of interest among transport researchers. Intermodal freight forecasting plays an important role in ports management and in the planning of the principal port activities. Hence, the study is carried out under the motivation of knowing that modeling the freight transport flows could facilitate the management of the infrastructure and optimize the resources of the ports facilities. The use of advanced models for freight forecasting is essential to improve the port level-service and competitiveness. In this paper, two forecasting-models are presented and compared to predict the freight volume. The models developed and tested are based on Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines. Both techniques are based in a historical data and these methods forecast the daily weight of the freight with one week in advance. The performance of the models is evaluated on real data from Ro-Ro freight transport in the Port of Algeciras Bay. This work proposes and compares different approaches to determine the best prediction. In order to select the best model a multicomparison procedure is developed using several statistical test. The results of the assessed models show a promising tool to predict Ro-Ro transport flows with accuracy. (Author)

  4. Multimodal freight investment criteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    Literature was reviewed on multi-modal investment criteria for freight projects, examining measures and techniques for quantifying project benefits and costs, as well as ways to describe the economic importance of freight transportation. : A limited ...

  5. Assessing sustainable freight policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-01

    The main aim of the study was to examine transportation demand management strategies related to long haul freight. It investigates freight : movements and truck vehicle miles traveled (TVMT) changes in response to certain transportation policies, inc...

  6. Backcasting sustainable freight transport systems for Europe in 2050

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mattila, Tuomas; Antikainen, Riina

    2011-01-01

    European freight transport emissions and fuel consumption are projected to increase. This study focuses on long distance freight transport (LDFT) and explores possible sustainable futures through quantitative modeling. The evaluation was part of European foresight process between researchers, policy makers and freight companies (FREIGHTVISION). Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy demand of road, rail and inland waterways were estimated for an EU-27 in 2005. Development was extrapolated to 2050 based on technology and freight performance forecasts. Stakeholders found the forecasted GHG emissions and fossil fuel share unsustainable, so alternative futures were developed with backcasting. The developed emission model was run with random parameter combinations to screen a set of sustainable futures, with an 80% reduction of GHG emissions and fossil fuel share. Freight transport performance was not controlled in the backcasts, but several sustainable futures were found if significant changes in transport efficiency and energy mix are implemented. In spite of agreeing on the importance of reducing emissions, stakeholders had difficulties in choosing a preferred technological future. Simple models were found to be an effective tool for communicating the influence of various measures. Further research is recommended to screen preferable technological roadmaps from the broad range of available futures. - Research highlights: → Sustainable transport systems were explored with modeling and stakeholder workshops. → Backcasting identified technological options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80%. → Improving road vehicle efficiency, engine efficiency and fuel mix showed the greatest potential.

  7. International Passenger and Freight Report

    Data.gov (United States)

    Department of Transportation — The International Passenger and Freight report is a summarization of all passengers and all freight transported between the U.S. and foreign countries combined, with...

  8. Study of Freight Transport Trip Chains

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Kaj

    1999-01-01

    Investigation of energy use and emissions (CO2, NOx, THC, CO, SO2, PM) of freight trains and lorries. The report documents the establishment of energy and emission factors, and in particularly the issue of energy use of freight train is treated in detail.......Investigation of energy use and emissions (CO2, NOx, THC, CO, SO2, PM) of freight trains and lorries. The report documents the establishment of energy and emission factors, and in particularly the issue of energy use of freight train is treated in detail....

  9. Participation for Sustainable Urban Freight Transport Systems : A Case Study of Freight Receivers in the City of Gothenburg

    OpenAIRE

    Lindkvist, Hannes

    2017-01-01

    This thesis is a case study research that look into the difficulty in engaging freight receivers in initiatives related to urban freight transport. The aim of the paper is to investigate how participatory processes could be formed for more successful outcomes and how the freight receivers could become more engaged in the processes. By conducting a qualitative research where primarily interviews with freight receivers and other concerned stakeholder were made, it was possible to distinguish di...

  10. 49 CFR 215.119 - Defective freight car truck.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Defective freight car truck. 215.119 Section 215... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Freight Car Components Suspension System § 215.119 Defective freight car truck. A railroad may not place or continue in service a...

  11. The rebound effect on road freight transport: Empirical evidence from Portugal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matos, Fernando J.F.; Silva, Francisco J.F.

    2011-01-01

    Because a large proportion of total operating costs for transportation companies goes towards energy, a reduction in energy operating costs, brought about by an increase in fleet fuel efficiency, or an increase in operational efficiency, results in a change in the relative cost of road freight transportation. This fact could result in an increase in the demand for such services. If this is true, the result would be an increase in total fuel consumption. Consequently, that part of the energy savings obtained through the increased energy efficiency would be lost. The existence of a 'Rebound Effect' is especially important in the road freight transportation sector and is crucial for the definition of a national energy policy. In this study, data from the road freight transportation sector in Portugal for the years of 1987 through 2006 was analyzed. It was determined that an increase in energy efficiency did not cause a backfire, but did cause a total direct rebound effect of 24.1%. In addition, fleet operators were more inclined to adopt operational efficiencies than technological fuel efficiencies as a means of increasing the total operational efficiency. - Research highlights: → We estimate a direct rebound effect for road freight transportation in Portugal. → The functional form chosen was a log-log model and the estimation method used was the two stage least squares model. → Increasing energy efficiency by 1% results in a reduction of 0.759% in energy consumption (a direct rebound effect of about 24.1%). → Estimates of reduced fuel consumption without considering the direct rebound effect may be overestimated by about 0.87 million liters of diesel per year for each percentage point increase in energy efficiency.

  12. White papers on freight efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-05-31

    A number of stakeholders met with the ultimate goal of identifying inefficiencies faced by the freight system and putting forward a set of : strategies to achieve a more efficient freight system. In doing so, a key first step was to provide insight a...

  13. Measurement of CO2 emissions from road freight transport: A review of UK experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKinnon, A.C.; Piecyk, M.I.

    2009-01-01

    It is possible to estimate CO 2 emissions from road freight transport in different ways, depending on the definition of trucking activity, the degree of reliance on survey, vehicle test-cycle and traffic count data and the geographical scope of the calculation. The emergence of differing road freight-related CO 2 estimates from official sources and revisions to statistical series can frustrate the policy-making process and erode the confidence of industry stakeholders in the validity of the figures. Using UK data, this paper examines the various methods of carbon auditing road freight transport at the national level and compares the results both for a single year (2006) and over a time period. It highlights a series of statistical anomalies and approximations and tries to explain discrepancies that have arisen in the UK data sets. A concluding section considers the general lessons that can be learned from the recent UK experience in this field.

  14. Analysis of the interaction of participants freight forwarding system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavlo Popovych

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Main goal of this work is the analysis of the interaction of participants of freight forwarding activities. Research methods included analysis of scientific literature, theory of systems and systems analysis, methods of induction and deduction. As sources of information used and applied work of fundamental importance known foreign and local scientists and regulatory and legislative documents of Ukraine for the state transport policy. In the article the basic interactions of participants of freight forwarding activities. Classified components freight forwarding services. Assign the concept freight forwarding system and its aim. Established element and forms of cooperation in the freight forwarding system. The main task of forwarding companies are organizing, coordinating and ensuring the delivery from shipper to consignee. Freight forwarding company responsible for the timely delivery of the goods on the condition of preservation of the quantity and quality specified time conditions. Currently used methods are uneffective decision-making, leading to losses. These circumstances require improvement methodology management of freight forwarding companies. This is possible only using modern mathematical methods and information technologies that will improve the operation of freight forwarding companies. The article presents a theoretical exposition of the basic processes of interaction between participants in freight forwarding system. The article may be of interest to specialists of freight forwarding companies.

  15. Future of energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of Finnish road freight transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liimatainen, H.

    2013-05-15

    The targets to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate climate change are as much applicable to the road freight transport sector as they are to all other sectors of society. The aim of this research is to support the initiatives of the Finnish government for improving the energy efficiency and reducing the CO{sub 2} emissions of road freight transport. This is done by forecasting the future development and giving the policy makers guidance on effective measures for promoting road freight energy efficiency and CO{sub 2} reduction. In the study a new method was introduced for connecting the fuel consumption data and goods transport data gathered from the official Finnish road statistics. This method enabled a detailed analysis of the interrelations between the economy, road freight transport, energy consumption and emissions. This analysis was conducted for the years 1995-2010 and the results were used as background information in the Delphi panel of experts. The experts estimated the development of the Finnish road freight sector to the year 2030. Furthermore, a web-based survey was conducted among Finnish road freight hauliers and shippers in order to explore the attitudes and measures related to the energy efficiency. Expert panel workshops were also organised to identify obstacles for the development of the energy efficiency of road freight transport as well as a wide selection of measures to overcome them. The results indicate that the economic development of different branches has a great effect on the energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions of road freight transport. Reaching the carbon emission target for the year 2030 is possible in the light of the scenarios which were formed based on expert forecasts. However, the target can be achieved with very different development paths, e.g. the structure of the national economy and the volume of transport seem to vary widely in the different scenarios. In the proposed recommendations on the measures

  16. Energy Consumption and Freight Transport Demand in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Salling, Kim Bang; Bonilla, David

    2008-01-01

    Considering the externalities of freight transport activity (energy use, accidents, congestion, its related GHG emissions, and lost oil revenues) this article reviews trends from 1990-2005 in truck freight fuel intensity (energy use per tonne-km moved), on road truck fuel economy (L/ 100 km driven......). We review changes in decoupling truck freight activity from GDP. We examine separately five manufacturing sectors using data from Statistics Denmark on vehicle performance for 1980-2006. Our four major findings are: (1) truck freight energy intensity (mj/tonne-km) continues to grow as well as CO2...... emissions; (2) decoupling has not been large enough to reduce overall energy use of truck; (3) because of the absence of fuel economy regulations, a low average vehicle load, increased hauling distance, overall energy use of truck freight will continue to expand; (4) results show that standard freight...

  17. ABOUT WAVEFORM OF BRAKING CYLINDER FILLING IN FREIGHT CARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. V. Ursuliak

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. As part of the scientific paper it is necessary to study the waveform impact of the braking cylinders filling on longitudinal train dynamics at different modes of braking. At this one should estimate the level of maximum longitudinal forces and braking distance size in freight cars of various lengths. Methodology. In this paper we attempt to approximate the actual diagram of braking cylinders filling with rational functions of varying degrees. In selection of coefficients in the required functions the highest values of the longitudinal forces and braking distances were used as controlled parameters. They were compared with similar values obtained as a result of experimental rides. The level of longitudinal forces and braking distances amount were evaluated by means of mathematical modeling of train longitudinal vibrations, caused by different braking modes. Findings. At mathematical modeling was assumed that the train consists of 60 uniform four-axle gondola cars, weight of 80 tons, equipped with air dispenser No. 483 included in the median operation, composite braking blocks, and one locomotive VL-8. Train before braking has been pre-stretched. Various types of pneumatic braking (emergency, full service and adjusting braking of the freight train on the horizontal section of the track were simulated. As the calculation results were obtained values of the longitudinal forces, braking distances amounts and reduction time in speed at various braking modes. Originality. Waveform impact of the braking cylinders filling on the longitudinal forces level and braking distances amount in freight trains were investigated. Also the longitudinal loading of freight trains at various pneumatic braking was investigated. Practical value. Obtained results can be used to assess the level of largest longitudinal forces and braking distances in the freight trains of different lengths by mathematical modeling of different braking modes.

  18. Understanding and Modeling Freight Stakeholder Behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-01

    This project developed a conceptual model of private-sector freight stakeholder decisions and interactions for : forecasting freight demands in response to key policy variables. Using East Central Wisconsin as a study area, empirical : models were de...

  19. Multimodal schedule design for synchromodal freight transport systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    B. Behdani (Behzad); Y. Fan (Yun); B.W. Wiegmans (Bart); R.A. Zuidwijk (Rob)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractIntermodal freight transport has been discussed for decades as an alternative to unimodal road transport. However, it still does not represent a significant portion of the total freight market. A new and promising possibility to improve the performance of freight systems is the

  20. Multimodal schedule design for synchromodal freight transport systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Behdani, Behzad; Fan, Yun; Wiegmans, Bart; Zuidwijk, Rob

    2016-01-01

    Intermodal freight transport has been discussed for decades as an alternative to unimodal road transport. However, it still does not represent a significant portion of the total freight market. A new and promising possibility to improve the performance of freight systems is the synchromodal

  1. Improving Urban Freight Governance and Stakeholder Management

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gammelgaard, Britta; Bech Godskesen Andersen, Christina; Figueroa, Maria J.

    2017-01-01

    Urban freight transport is a complex field characterised by many actors and stakeholders and thus many rationalities are at stake. This paper contributes to literature on urban freight governance by approaching the field with social system theory combined with the concepts of relationship platforms...... and value co-creation. This approach facilitates an improved process to foster implementation of innovative urban freight solutions that is illustrated by means of an analysis of the Copenhagen Citylogistik-kbh demonstration project. The results of this analysis indicate that attaining a shared sense...... of value creation among stakeholders through this process is key to implementation of new urban freight solutions....

  2. A neural flow estimator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Ivan Harald Holger; Bogason, Gudmundur; Bruun, Erik

    1995-01-01

    This paper proposes a new way to estimate the flow in a micromechanical flow channel. A neural network is used to estimate the delay of random temperature fluctuations induced in a fluid. The design and implementation of a hardware efficient neural flow estimator is described. The system...... is implemented using switched-current technique and is capable of estimating flow in the μl/s range. The neural estimator is built around a multiplierless neural network, containing 96 synaptic weights which are updated using the LMS1-algorithm. An experimental chip has been designed that operates at 5 V...

  3. Management Accounting in freight-forwarding companies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jens Ocksen; Lynggaard, Peter

    2002-01-01

    The article describes the internal business management processes in a freight forwarding compagny on the operative/tactical level. This is done as an explorative study of how these processes are organized in two medium-sized Danish freight-forwarding compagnies....

  4. An Overview of Problems and Solutions for Urban Freight Transport in Brazilian Cities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leise K. Oliveira

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Urban freight transport is a challenge for Brazilian cities due to the lack of adequate planning for freight flow movement. Public managers also show negligence and a lack of awareness when dealing with urban logistics. Decision-support data on urban freight transport are still scarce, despite being of fundamental value to economic development. With this in mind, this paper presents problems and solutions regarding urban freight transport in Brazilian cities. Data were obtained through a survey conducted in nine cities and analysed by means of descriptive statistics and the successive intervals method. Additionally, a cluster analysis was performed to identify patterns regarding the typical characteristics of each city in order to compare and generalise the perception of retailers regarding problems and solutions at the national level. The results indicate divergent opinions among retailers from different cities, even from cities with similar socioeconomic profiles and urban dynamics. The municipalities which demonstrated the most similarities were (i Betim and Niteroi, in the Southeast of Brazil; (ii Palmas and Quixada, in the North and Northeast, respectively; and (iii Palmas and Caruaru, also in the North and Northeast. The results reinforce the importance of studying the local context and involving stakeholders in the process of planning urban logistics solutions.

  5. A methodology for evaluating environmental impacts of railway freight transportation policies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, Ignacio; Rodriguez, Javier; Buron, Jose Manuel; Garcia, Alberto

    2009-01-01

    Railway freight transportation presents a degree of complexity which frequently makes impossible to model it with sufficient precision. Currently, energetic and environmental impacts of freight transportation are usually modelled following average data, which do not reflect the characteristics of specific lines. These models allow qualitative approximations which may be used as criteria for designing high-level transportation policies: road-train modal shift, regional energetic planning or environmental policies. This paper proposes a methodology for estimating railway consumption associated to a specific railway line which yields a new degree of precision. It is based on estimating different contributions to railway consumption by a collection of factors, mobility, operation, or infrastructure-related. This procedure also allows applying the methodology for designing transportation policies in detail: evaluating impact of modal shift, consumption and pollutant emissions on a specific line, as well as the effect of building tunnels, reducing slopes, improving traffic control, etc. A comparison of the estimations given by the conventional approach and the proposed methodology is offered, as well as further comments on the results.

  6. 78 FR 75442 - Designation of the Primary Freight Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-11

    ...] Designation of the Primary Freight Network AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice... period for the Designation of the highway Primary Freight Network (PFN) notice, which was published on... the complete National Freight Network (NFN), and to solicit comments on aspects of the NFN. The five...

  7. US Advanced Freight and Passenger MAGLEV System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morena, John J.; Danby, Gordon; Powell, James

    1996-01-01

    Japan and Germany will operate first generation Maglev passenger systems commercially shortly after 2000 A.D. The United States Maglev systems will require sophisticated freight and passenger carrying capability. The U.S. freight market is larger than passenger transport. A proposed advanced freight and passenger Maglev Project in Brevard County Florida is described. Present Maglev systems cost 30 million dollars or more per mile. Described is an advanced third generation Maglev system with technology improvements that will result in a cost of 10 million dollars per mile.

  8. DETERMINATION OF OBJECTIVES FOR URBAN FREIGHT POLICY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Kaszubowski

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Decisions regarding strategic planning of urban freight transport very often are based on superficial assumptions inadequately reflecting the actual character of encountered challenges. The trend may be observed to adapt isolated solutions without supporting measures and verification of expected outcomes. Selected urban freight solutions have a significant potential to alleviate transport related problems, but they require unorthodox approach beyond standard traffic planning and road management. City's current planning experience must be taken into account to plan an optimized sequence of actions. Method: Due to complexity of the problem and specific decision making factors the analytic network process ANP was selected to determine relevant objective of the urban freight policy. Gdynia was selected as the subject for modeling with a review of the current freight planning practice as a first step. Then, classification of policy objective and their prerequisites were identified supported with descriptive feasibility assessment. This allowed for a development of the ANP decision-making model. Results: Considered objectives for urban freight policy were identified were optimization, reduction and transfer. After verifying relevant decision factors optimization was selected as the most feasible option for Gdynia. Other alternatives were rated around four times lower with a slight prevalence of reduction over transfer. Such ranking reflects current planning practice and availability of transferable experiences. Despite the indicative results, it must be stressed that urban freight planning should be based on the long term methodical approach not to exclude any emerging possibilities. 

  9. 78 FR 11727 - National Freight Advisory Committee

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-19

    ... performance in freight transportation; (6) development of freight transportation investment, data, and...; (3) availability and willingness to serve; and (4) relevant experience in working in committees and... minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Please note, however, that federally registered lobbyists...

  10. Model of informational system for freight insurance automation based on digital signature

    OpenAIRE

    Maxim E. SLOBODYANYUK

    2009-01-01

    In the article considered a model of informational system for freight insurance automation based on digital signature, showed architecture, macro flowchart of information flow in model, components (modules) and their functions. Described calculation method of costs on interactive cargo insurance via proposed system, represented main characteristics and options of existing transport management systems, conceptual cost models.

  11. Model of informational system for freight insurance automation based on digital signature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maxim E. SLOBODYANYUK

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In the article considered a model of informational system for freight insurance automation based on digital signature, showed architecture, macro flowchart of information flow in model, components (modules and their functions. Described calculation method of costs on interactive cargo insurance via proposed system, represented main characteristics and options of existing transport management systems, conceptual cost models.

  12. Urban freight transportation : challenges, failures and successes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kant, G.; Quak, H.; Peeters, R.; van Woensel, T.; Zijm, H.; Klumpp, M.; Clausen, U.; ten Hompel, M.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we present the challenges, failures and successes on urban freight transportation. We first identify the various involved stakeholders with their interests. Then we evaluate a large number of urban freight transport initiatives and identify lessons learned, which are distinguished in

  13. Urban freight transportation : Challenges, failure, and successes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kant, Goos; Quak, H.; Peeters, Rene; Woensel van, T.; Zijm, H.; Klumpp, M.; Clausen, U.; Ten Hompel, M.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we present the challenges, failures and successes on urban freight transportation. We first identify the various involved stakeholders with their interests. Then we evaluate a large number of urban freight transport initiatives and identify lessons learned, which are distinguished in

  14. 49 CFR 216.11 - Special notice for repairs-railroad freight car.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Special notice for repairs-railroad freight car...—railroad freight car. (a) When an FRA Motive Power and Equipment Inspector or a State Equipment Inspector determines that a railroad freight car is not in conformity with the requirements of the FRA Freight Car...

  15. Developing corridor-level truck travel time estimates and other freight performance measures from archived ITS data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-08-01

    The objectives of this research were to retrospectively study the feasibility for using truck transponder data to produce freight corridor performance measures (travel times) and real-time traveler information. To support this analysis, weigh-in-moti...

  16. Location Analysis of Freight Distribution Terminal of Jakarta City, Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahry Nahry

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Currently Jakarta has two freight terminals, namely Pulo Gebang and Tanah Merdeka. But, both terminals are just functioned for parking and have not been utilized properly yet, e.g. for consolidation. Goods consolidation, which is usually performed in distribution terminal, may reduce number of freight flow within the city. This paper is aimed to determine the best location of distribution terminal in Jakarta among those two terminals and two additional alternative sites, namely Lodan and Rawa Buaya. It is initialized by the identification of important factors that affect the location selection. It is carried out by Likert analysis through the questionnaires distributed to logistics firms. The best location is determined by applying Overlay Analysis using ArcGIS 9.2. Four grid maps are produced to represent the accessibility, cost, time, and environment factors as the important factors of location. The result shows that the ranking from the best is; Lodan, Tanah Merdeka, Pulo Gebang, and Rawa Buaya.

  17. A disaggregate freight transport model of transport chain and shipment size choice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Windisch, E.; De Jong, G.C.; Van Nes, R.; Hoogendoorn, S.P.

    2010-01-01

    The field of freight transport modelling is relatively young compared to passenger transport modelling. However, some key issues in freight policy, like growing freight shares on the road, advanced logistics concepts or emerging strict freight transport regulations, have been creating increasing

  18. Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 2: Enablers for multimodal rail freight transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. The part 2 of the paper is dedicated to recommend some concrete steps and actions as enablers to remove the barriers identified in the part 1 to develop multimodal rail freight transport. The enablers for multimodal rail freight transport include: •\tEuropean rail freight transport market needs full liberalisation so that incumbent and new entrants can compete freely. •\tThe rail operators need to acquire service (e.g. customer tailored services, door to door service quality offered by road freight operators. •\tThey need to conduct a combination of ‘terminal-to-terminal’ and door-to-door operations, as and when needed; •\tThey must build partnership with freight forwarder or 3PLs to include all types of customers

  19. 48 CFR 52.247-7 - Freight Excluded.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Freight Excluded. 52.247-7... AND FORMS SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 52.247-7 Freight... contracts for transportation or for transportation-related services when any commodities or types of...

  20. Freight Calculation Model: A Case Study of Coal Distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yunianto, I. T.; Lazuardi, S. D.; Hadi, F.

    2018-03-01

    Coal has been known as one of energy alternatives that has been used as energy source for several power plants in Indonesia. During its transportation from coal sites to power plant locations is required the eligible shipping line services that are able to provide the best freight rate. Therefore, this study aims to obtain the standardized formulations for determining the ocean freight especially for coal distribution based on the theoretical concept. The freight calculation model considers three alternative transport modes commonly used in coal distribution: tug-barge, vessel and self-propelled barge. The result shows there are two cost components very dominant in determining the value of freight with the proportion reaching 90% or even more, namely: time charter hire and fuel cost. Moreover, there are three main factors that have significant impacts on the freight calculation, which are waiting time at ports, time charter rate and fuel oil price.

  1. Sensor network design for multimodal freight transportation systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-15

    The agricultural and manufacturing industries in the US Midwest region rely heavily on the efficiency of freight transportation systems. While the growth of freight movement far outpaces that of the transportation infrastructure, ensuring the efficie...

  2. Influence of the freight transnational rail liner service on the train scheduling in case of major corridors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela POPA

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we discuss several consequences of the freight transnational rail liner service on the rail corridor capacity. The Northern part of the IVth TEN-T corridor on Romanian territory has specific feature related to the passenger flows connecting important Romanian demographic and economic clusters, on one side, and on the other side, to its diagonal crossing aspect, from the Western border to the Constanta port, connecting the Central Europe countries to the Black Sea regions, which means that there are a lot of expectation in terms of this corridor rail capacity: this corridor will, be for a long time further, the single and first completed continuous upgraded and modernised rail corridor. Its utilization will necessarily be heterogeneously planned (meaning for passengers rapid trains and freight rapid trains, from domestic/internal market, but especially for external market of Romania. In this paper, we consider a simple mathematical model for the calculus of capacity in two different cases: for a homogeneous utilization, meaning that all trains have the same running speeds and for heterogeneous utilization, when the passenger trains have the higher speed and hence, the higher priority over the freight trains, even if some of them are freight transnational liner service. Special feature of liner rail service has to be considered (fixed schedule, no stops for passenger train advance. We draw several useful possible solutions to be considered in order to preserve the active corridor capacity, and to assure a smooth flow for the transnational liner services, which ultimately will enhance the rail attractiveness.

  3. 22 CFR 201.67 - Maximum freight charges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., commodity rate classification, quantity, vessel flag category (U.S.-or foreign-flag), choice of ports, and... the United States. (2) Maximum charter rates. (i) USAID will not finance ocean freight under any... owner(s). (4) Maximum liner rates. USAID will not finance ocean freight for a cargo liner shipment at a...

  4. Developing a performance measurement approach to benefit/cost freight project prioritization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-10-01

    Future reauthorizations of the federal transportation bill will require a comprehensive and quantitative analysis of the freight benefits : of proposed freight system projects. To prioritize public investments in freight systems and to insure conside...

  5. Feasibility of freight villages in the NYMTC region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-23

    This report summarizes the work conducted to analyze the site impact of freight villages. The analysis included assessing traffic, : logistics and economic impacts, which are then used to determine the extent to which freight village development has ...

  6. Trends of energy efficiency in Finnish road freight transport 1995-2009 and forecast to 2016

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liimatainen, Heikki; Poellaenen, Markus [Department of Business Information Management and Logistics, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, 33101 Tampere (Finland)

    2010-12-15

    A framework for modeling and analyzing the energy efficiency of road freight transport is presented in this paper. This framework is tested by using the data from the Finnish Goods Transport by Road statistics. The data was enhanced by calculating the fuel consumption for each trip in the data. To calculate this, weight-fuel consumption functions were estimated for each Euro-class vehicles and road type. This is a new method for analyzing the energy efficiency of road freight transport and it could be applied also in other countries gathering freight transport data with continuous company surveys. The analysis show that the energy efficiency of road freight transport in Finland improved during 1995-2002, but has declined since. The major drivers in the development have been the changes in the level of empty running and vehicle fuel efficiency. Extrapolating current statistical trends of factors that influence the energy efficiency show that the target set by the Finnish government for improving energy efficiency by 9% until 2016 will not be achieved. However, the target is possible to be achieved by a combination of small changes to some determinants. (author)

  7. 78 FR 8686 - Establishment of the National Freight Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-06

    ... includes the National Highway System, freight intermodal connectors, and aerotropolis \\1\\ transportation systems. \\1\\ Aerotropolis transportation systems means a planned and coordinated multimodal freight and...

  8. TOPICAL PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES OF INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT TRANSPORT

    OpenAIRE

    Sulce, Anastasija

    2014-01-01

    The title of thesis is Typical Problems and Development Perspectives of International Freight Transport. This work is dedicated to different modes of international transportation, freight and logistics their advantages and disadvantages. Another essential part of the work related to different way for transport development and its efficient usage The objective is to explore modes of freight transport and logistics in details and, thereof, reveal advantages and disadvantages. On the basis ...

  9. 49 CFR 1248.1 - Freight commodity statistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Freight commodity statistics. 1248.1 Section 1248... STATISTICS § 1248.1 Freight commodity statistics. All class I railroads, as described in § 1240.1 of this... statistics on the basis of the commodity codes named in § 1248.101. Carriers shall report quarterly on the...

  10. Freight Shuttle System: Cross-Border Movement of Goods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Levien, Mary

    2011-05-31

    The Freight Shuttle System (FSS) is designed to provide freight transportation services between those short and intermediate distance locations (within 600 miles) that are currently handling large volumes of freight traffic. Much like trucks, the FSS's transporters are autonomous: each transporter has its own propulsion and travels independently of other transporters. Inspired by railroads, each FSS transporter has steel wheels operating on a steel running surface and can carry either a standardsize freight container or an over-the-road truck trailer. However, unlike either rail or trucks, the FSS runs on an elevated, dedicated guideway to avoid the interference of other transportation systems. The objective of this report is to examine the potential viability for an alternative transportation system for trailers and containers in a multi-national, cross-border setting. The El Paso-Ciudad Juarez region serves as the environment of this analysis.

  11. An Investigation into the Non-bulk Rail Freight Transport in Australia

    OpenAIRE

    Hadi Ghaderi; Stephen Cahoon; Hong-Oanh Nguyen

    2015-01-01

    In the last decade freight transport has gained further momentum in Australia, partly through significant demand growth at both domestic and international levels and partly as the result of Australia's long term need for infrastructure decision making. Amongst the freight task, non-bulk freight is the fastest growing freight task in Australia and is forecast to grow much faster than the rate of population growth and the average national GDP growth. However, rail's share in the non-bulk market...

  12. FREIGHTVISION. Sustainable European freight transport 2050. Forecast, vision and policy recommendation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Helmreich, Stephan [AustriaTech Federal Agency for Technological Measurements Ltd., Wien (Austria). Future of Transport; Keller, Hartmut (eds.) [TransVer GmbH-Transport Research and Consultancy, Muenchen (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    This book has been written on the basis of the research done between 2008 and 2010 as part of the European Commission funded FREIGHTVISION project. The ''FREIGHTVISION - Freight Transport 2050 Foresight'' project was funded by the Directorate General MOVE to design a long term vision for European freight transport in 2050 and to identify actions and research to progress appropriate freight transport measures in Europe. The project was carried out as a foresight process encompassing four conferences in which the project team identified and developed with the aid of more than 100 experts an action plan for securing long term freight transport in Europe. The book provides insights into the freight transport visions and Backcasts identified for 2035 and 2050, issues which need to be addressed and measures which were assessed to be part of future paths to assure an economical, environmental, and social freight transport system. (orig.)

  13. Designing Light Electric Vehicles for urban freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Balm, S.H.; Hogt, Roeland

    2017-01-01

    The number of light commercial vehicles (LCV) in cities is growing, which puts increasing pressure on the livability of cities. Freight vehicles are large contributors to polluting air and CO2 emissions and generate problems in terms of safety, noise and loss of public space. Small electric freight

  14. Ontario freight movement study: component two

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hackston, D.; Lake, R.; Schwier, C.; Tardif, L.P.; English, G.; Bunting, M.

    1995-11-01

    The freight (cargo) transportation sector accounts for a major use of fossil fuels and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. A study was conducted to assess the prospects, in terms of CO 2 emission reduction, of alternatives to present freight distribution, especially alternatives involving the use of rail instead of truck. Statistical data for Ontario freight transportation were analyzed for fuel consumption, CO 2 emission and cost consequences. Railway fuel consumption was calculated for detailed routing descriptions using a model that computed route and service specific fuel use. The information was compared directly with truck fuel consumption. It was determined that shippers who needed quick, accurately timed shipments preferred trucking over rail, while price conscious shippers, or those with heavy loading commodities preferred rail. An important goal of the study was to identify the enormity of the challenges involved, and clarify the potential tradeoffs by showing different strategies, with respect to CO 2 reduction and related economic impacts. refs., tabs., figs

  15. Intermodal Logistics Centres and Freight Corridors – Concepts and Trends

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norbert Wagener

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available . Background: The development of international freight corridors, as the Trans European Network and new rail and inland shipping corridors in Asia and Africa, require efficient logistics centres along these corridors which serve as intermodal interfaces and provide a variety of different logistics service functions. The definition of the term logistics centre differs between countries and implies different functionalities. Locations are often selected randomly and business models are opportunity driven, especially in highly dynamic and less regulated new emerging economies. In particular Freight Villages as a special form of logistics centres have a high impact on regional development and serve as cargo generator for freight corridors. Consideration of general principles how to establish Freight Villages could improve the effectiveness of these logistics centres along freight corridors. Methods: Based on a literature review a comprehensive and hierarchical definition of logistics centres will be discussed and applied. From experiences in the development of logistics centres in several countries, especially in Germany and Lithuania, challenges and concepts concerning regulatory framework, determination of location and business and financing models are discussed. Results: Concerning the definition of logistics centres a hierarchical definition is applied which comprises different levels of logistics centres depending on the scope of the value adding and the functionality. As general principles for the development of Freight Villages the active role of the state, master planning, objective location finding, participation and co-operation of different stakeholders in the business model and a stepwise scheme for financing are introduced. Major trends for the future development of Freight Villages are the digitalization of supply chains, the application of new intermodal technologies and of innovative telematics systems, solutions for low emission and

  16. IMPROVEMENT OF FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION PROCESS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT MECHANISM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. V. Martsenyuk

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. For Ukraine as for a post-socialist state there is an objective need of reforming on railway transport. In order to meet the requirements of consumers both within the country and outside of it, it is necessary to solve transport problems in time and to introduce new technologies, without lagging behind the developed European states. The purpose of this article is identification of problems in the process of freight transportations and development of ways of their overcoming, formation of the principles of economic efficiency increase for the use of freight cars using the improvement of management mechanism of freight transportations in the conditions of reforming. Methodology. Methods of strategic planning, system approach for research on improvement of the management mechanism of freight transportations, as well as the organizational-administrative method for structure of management construction were used in this research. Findings. Authors have explored the problems arising in the process of transportation of goods and measures, which will increase the efficiency of goods transportation. Advanced mechanism of freight transportation management for its application in the conditions of the railway transport reforming was developed. It is based on management centralization. Originality. The major factors, which slow down process of cargo transportations, are investigated in the article. The principles of management mechanism improvement of freight transportations are stated. They are based on association of commercial and car-repair activity of depots. All this will allow reducing considerably a car turn by decrease in duration of idle times on railway transport, increasing the speed of freight delivery and cutting down a transport component in the price of delivered production. Practical value. The offered measures will improve the efficiency of rolling stock use and increase cargo volumes turnover, promote links of Ukraine with

  17. Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 1: Barriers to multimodal rail freight transport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. Examining and identifying the barriers in the part 1 (with the pan-Pacific examples of rail freight transports, the part 2 of the paper focuses on recommending clear actions and steps as enablers for the rail freight industry in general and operators in particular. The research in part 1 of the paper finds that: •\tIn many European countries, the rail freight market is not fully liberalised. In such market segment, infrastructure managers do act independently for incumbents and new entrant operators that hamper the progress of building a competitive market; •\tThe rail operators have not yet achieved the service quality (e.g. customer tailored service needed for the modern supply chains; •\tThey operate

  18. Trends of energy efficiency in Finnish road freight transport 1995-2009 and forecast to 2016

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liimatainen, Heikki; Poellaenen, Markus

    2010-01-01

    A framework for modeling and analyzing the energy efficiency of road freight transport is presented in this paper. This framework is tested by using the data from the Finnish Goods Transport by Road statistics. The data was enhanced by calculating the fuel consumption for each trip in the data. To calculate this, weight-fuel consumption functions were estimated for each Euro-class vehicles and road type. This is a new method for analyzing the energy efficiency of road freight transport and it could be applied also in other countries gathering freight transport data with continuous company surveys. The analysis show that the energy efficiency of road freight transport in Finland improved during 1995-2002, but has declined since. The major drivers in the development have been the changes in the level of empty running and vehicle fuel efficiency. Extrapolating current statistical trends of factors that influence the energy efficiency show that the target set by the Finnish government for improving energy efficiency by 9% until 2016 will not be achieved. However, the target is possible to be achieved by a combination of small changes to some determinants. - Research highlights: →A new method for analyzing energy efficiency by adding fuel data to national freight statistics. →Energy efficiency improved in Finland from 1995 to 2002 but has declined since. →Energy efficiency in Finland is still on a good level internationally. →Target of the Finnish energy efficiency agreement was quantified for the first time in this study. →The target will not be achieved if the past trends continue.

  19. SKF Freight Transports and CO{sub 2} emissions. A Study in Environmental Management Accounting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindblom, Helen; Stenqvist, Christian

    2007-11-15

    In this study of CO{sub 2} emissions accounting, freight transports of the SKF company are examined. The identification of emission sources, the handling of transport activity data, the application of proper calculation methodologies, organizational aspects and questions of liability are all integrated parts of the study. Emission calculations are carried out for two specific logistics systems managed by SKF Logistics Services; the Daily Transport System (DTS) and the Global Air Freight Program. The DTS, which is based on road freight transports, operates the European distribution of finished products. It is estimated to contribute with 9 700 tonnes CO{sub 2} during 2007. Since the system is optimized to a reasonable degree, the CO{sub 2} impact per tonne-km is relatively low. Over the same period the air freight's estimated emissions are 40 000 tonnes. Together these transport activities contributes to about ten percent of the SKF total CO{sub 2} equivalents based on the reporting of 2006. Adding the emissions from the remaining transport activities that SKF utilizes will make this share increase considerably, particularly if also inbound transports are accounted for. The potential for CO{sub 2} reductions is covered by two change-oriented case studies. It can be concluded that short-sea transportation seldom is an alternative to road transports. Intermodal transports combining road and rail can, depending on the circumstances, reduce the CO{sub 2} impact considerably compared to only using road transports. Reducing transportation work by optimizing a transport activity is seen as the best option for CO{sub 2} reductions. Efforts should be put into reducing the need for air freight transports, considering the high emission levels per tonne-km. Monitoring emissions for all transport activities that falls under SKF responsibility will reduce the risk of sub optimization. Introducing system changes in order to decrease CO{sub 2} emissions will have a range of

  20. An Investigation into the Non-bulk Rail Freight Transport in Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hadi Ghaderi

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In the last decade freight transport has gained further momentum in Australia, partly through significant demand growth at both domestic and international levels and partly as the result of Australia's long term need for infrastructure decision making. Amongst the freight task, non-bulk freight is the fastest growing freight task in Australia and is forecast to grow much faster than the rate of population growth and the average national GDP growth. However, rail's share in the non-bulk market has declined significantly in the last four decades. This study therefore provides an insight into the efficiency and operational management issues facing by the Australian non-bulk rail sector by focusing on three areas; the level of track compatibility and the relevant operational issues, the demographics of non-bulk freight in Australia and the current status of intermodal terminals in relation to rail connectivity and location. As the result, a more detailed understanding of the current shortages in the Australian non-bulk rail freight sector is achieved and managerial implications are provided.

  1. Integrating passenger and freight transportation : model formulation and insights

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ghilas, V.; Demir, E.; Woensel, van T.

    2013-01-01

    Integrating passenger and freight ows creates attractive business opportunities because the same transportation needs can be met with fewer vehicles and emissions. This paper seeks an integrated solution for the transportation of passenger and freight simultaneously, so that fewer vehicles are

  2. FREIGHT CONTAINER LIFTING STANDARD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    POWERS DJ; SCOTT MA; MACKEY TC

    2010-01-13

    This standard details the correct methods of lifting and handling Series 1 freight containers following ISO-3874 and ISO-1496. The changes within RPP-40736 will allow better reading comprehension, as well as correcting editorial errors.

  3. On structural inelasticity of modal substitution in freight transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rich, Jeppe; Kveiborg, Ole; Overgård, Christian Hansen

    2011-01-01

    alternative available. The paper investigates the magnitude of this ‘‘structural inelasticity” of modal substitution in freight transport due to a sparser layout of rail and ship-based freight networks compared to road. In the analysis we use a recent Scandinavian freight demand model covering more than 800...... zones. We find that the structural inelasticity is very significant – in particular for transportation over less than 500 km. Moreover, the inelasticity varies greatly with commodity groups and between OD pairs, and it depends strongly on the port and rail infrastructure. The results suggest that pure...

  4. Modelling the rebound effect with network theory: An insight into the European freight transport sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruzzenenti, Franco; Basosi, Riccardo

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a two pronged approach to the study of the rebound effect, with the aim of assessing the magnitude of the effect in the European freight transport sector and proposing a new modelling framework based on network theory. The (direct) rebound effect is assessed with: 1) an econometric regression; 2) a model based on network theory and statistical mechanics. According to the econometric model the European road freight transport sector undergone a negative rebound between of −74% between 1998 and 2007 and −146% between 1998 and 2011. The network analysis delivers an estimation of network rebound ranging between −29.37% and −7.25. Overall, these results indicate that energy efficiency in Europe, between 1998 and 2011, succeed in reducing the energy consumptions amid an increasing demand for transports. Results on rebound estimation depend on the decision of using GDP as an exogenous variable, an assumption that leaves questions open about the causality chain between growth and transports. Furthermore, the network analysis highlights a structural change –a migration of production factors offshore, that might partially explain this negative effect. In this view, rebound effect analysis on a local or regional scale is becoming more and more uncertain in a globally interconnected economic context. - Highlights: • An evaluation of direct rebound effect in the freight transports with an econometric model is performed. • A new concept of rebound effect based on network theory is presented and implemented. • A comparative analysis of the two different approaches is developed. • Both models indicate that the there was a negative rebound effect in European freight transports. • Network theory proved to be a promising approach to energy systems and rebound effect modelling.

  5. 49 CFR 1242.23 - Shop buildings-freight cars (account XX-13-25).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Shop buildings-freight cars (account XX-13-25). 1242.23 Section 1242.23 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE... Structures § 1242.23 Shop buildings—freight cars (account XX-13-25). These accounts pertain solely to freight...

  6. Implementation of advanced technologies and other means in dangerous freight transportation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Batarlienė

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This article examines types of modern technologies application possibilities in dangerous freight transportation. It is noted that the solution to transport technology problems is based on the improvement of technological supply, the rational usage of informational modeling methodology of the whole transportation process. The aspects of mobile solution of public information and transport are named in this paper. The article presents concrete vehicles and freight tracking on their trips analysis, the principles and methods of their operation. Tracking and localization systems are playing a great role in the transportation of dangerous freight. The newly developed remote identification system for transport facilities and freight are presented.

  7. THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY ON ROAD FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryuichi YOSHIMOTO

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Surveying the recent trend toward e-commerce and computerization in the trucking industry, this paper establishes a framework for analyzing the impact of information and communication technology on road freight transportation in terms of commerce, logistics and fleet management, and proposes hypothetical mechanisms of influence. The authors note that the rapid growth of e-commerce and freight fleet management systems make it difficult to arrive at firm, statistics-based conclusions about their impact on road freight transportation, but suggest that more sophisticated government management of transportation demand as well as freight fleet management systems could cancel out the negative impact of e-commerce on road transportation.

  8. ORGANIZATION OF FREIGHT TRANSPORTATION IN UKRAINE IN THE REFORMATION CONDTIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. V. Martseniuk

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Each country of the former Soviet Union carries out railroad industry reformation according to different models depending on orienting points and the goals it establishes. All railway administrations have faced the problem of considerable reduction of freight and passenger transportation volumes, aging of main assets, lack of investments for their renovation. The purpose of the paper is the development of optimal management structure of freight cars in conditions of railway transport reformation. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis for research is a systematic analysis of problems of providing the competitiveness of the transport industry in the field of freight railway transportations, theoretical principles of economics in the production efficiency, market economics transformation and management of the national economy. Findings. The author has developed an improved mechanism for freight traffic management, which differs from the existing one by its adaptation to the conditions of industry being reformed and the organization of management companies. These companies together with the Ukrainian transport and logistics center centralize management of all freight cars of both domestic and foreign operating companies. Originality. Author presents the theoretical generalization and new solution of the scientific problem. It appears in the development of theoretical and methodological approaches to the management structure of the freight cars by operating companies in conditions of railway transport reforming through the management companies organization in Ukraine. The above mentioned companies will combine two types of activity – the commercial one and the cars repair of different property, it will reduce car turnover, stay time of rolling stock in the inoperative park and thereby improve the efficiency of freight transportations. Particularly, they will lease and have the right to dispose universal cars of domestic

  9. Basic freight forwarding and transport
 documentation in freight forwarder’s work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Salomon

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the article is to present the basic documentation in international freight forwarder’s work, in particular, insurance documents and transport documents in various modes of transport. An additional goal is to identify sources of the paper, which can be used to properly completing the individual documents.

  10. Development of a Freight Demand Model with an Application to California

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Lim

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the disaggregation of the Federal Highway Administration's Freight Analysis Framework (FAF database (version 3.0 on freight origin-destination data and the development of linear regression equations to describe the relationships between commodity-based freight trip productions/attractions to specific economic variables. Instead of generating a production/attraction equation for each commodity, commodities are grouped in certain ways to simplify model development and application. We consider three grouping methods and two model selection criteria (with and without intercepts, which are compared in terms of goodness of fit with two data sets (FAF versions 2.0 and 3.0. Furthermore, the freight generation models are validated using county-level economic data in California and applied to predict year 2015 commodity outputs. The results of this study can help city, county, metropolitan and state level planning agencies develop their own customized freight demand generation models without performing costly large-scale surveys.

  11. Uncovering Document Fraud in Maritime Freight Transport Based on Probabilistic Classification

    OpenAIRE

    Triepels , Ron; Feelders , Ad; Daniels , Hennie

    2015-01-01

    Part 4: Data Analysis and Information Retrieval; International audience; Deficient visibility in global supply chains causes significant risks for the customs brokerage practices of freight forwarders. One of the risks that freight forwarders face is that shipping documentation might contain document fraud and is used to declare a shipment. Traditional risk controls are ineffective in this regard since the creation of shipping documentation is uncontrollable by freight forwarders. In this pap...

  12. Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grenzeback, L. R. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Brown, A. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Fischer, M. J. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Hutson, N. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Lamm, C. R. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Pei, Y. L. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Vimmerstedt, L. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Vyas, A. D. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Winebrake, J. J. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Freight transportation demand is projected to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040, and by extrapolation, to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050, requiring ever-greater amounts of energy. This report describes the current and future demand for freight transportation in terms of tons and ton-miles of commodities moved by truck, rail, water, pipeline, and air freight carriers. It outlines the economic, logistics, transportation, and policy and regulatory factors that shape freight demand; the possible trends and 2050 outlook for these factors, and their anticipated effect on freight demand and related energy use. After describing federal policy actions that could influence freight demand, the report then summarizes the available analytical models for forecasting freight demand, and identifies possible areas for future action.

  13. Characterization of road freight transportation and its impact on the national emission inventory in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, X. F.; Liu, H.; Man, H. Y.; He, K. B.

    2014-06-01

    Mobile source emission inventories serve as critical input for atmospheric chemical transport models, which are used to simulate air quality and understand the role of mobile source emissions. The significance of mobile sources is even more important in China because the country has the largest vehicle population in the world, and that population continues to grow rapidly. Estimating emissions from diesel trucks is a critical work in mobile source emission inventories due to the importance and difficulties associated with estimating emissions from diesel trucks. Although diesel trucks are major contributors of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and primary particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), there are still more obstacles on the existing estimation of diesel truck emissions compared with that of cars; long-range freight transportation activities are complicated, and much of the basic data remain unclear. Most of existing inventories were based on local registration number. However, according to our research, a large number of trucks are conducting long-distance inter-city or inter province transportation. Instead of the local registration number based approach, a road emission intensity-based (REIB) approach is introduced in this research. To provide efficient data for the REIB approach, 1060 questionnaire responses and approximately 1.7 million valid seconds of onboard GPS monitoring data were collected. Both the questionnaire answers and GPS monitoring results indicated that the driving conditions on different types of road have significant impacts on the emission levels of freight trucks. We present estimated emissions of NOx and primary PM2.5 from diesel freight trucks for China in 2011. Using the REIB approach, the activity level and distribution data are obtained from the questionnaire answers. Emission factors are calculated with the International Vehicle Emission (IVE) model that interpolated local on-board measurement results in China according to the GPS

  14. A proposed regulatory framework for road and rail freight transport in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wessel Pienaar

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available The increase in the number of freight vehicles on South Africa’s rural road network has received substantial attention. Insinuations persist that long-distance road freight haulage is of a somewhat unsavoury economic nature, and that strict economic re-regulation of the land freight transport is necessary. During the 1970s road transport replaced rail carriage as the dominant form of long-distance freight transport (excluding minerals and ore in South Africa. On long hauls road freight carriers transport certain primary products of an organic nature (such as timber, fish and agricultural produce, some semi-finished goods, many finished goods and most consumer goods. Road freight carriers are continuously gaining market share on long-distance links where rail transport is the more cost efficient mode. The greater value added by road freight carriers in comparison with rail transport through service effectiveness is often more than the cost premium paid for utilising their service rather than making use of rail transport. Throughout history, governments have involved themselves in transport. A diverse range of arguments have been advanced for this involvement in transport, including the following:Control of excessive competition, co-ordination of transport, integration of transport with economic policy, maintenance of safety, security, and order, provision of costly infrastructure, provision of public goods, recovery of the true resource cost of transport inputs, regulation of harmful conduct and externalities, restraint of monopoly power, and social support. A set of nine instruments can be identified that governments apply to influence the performance of the freight transport industry: Legislation, direct supply, fiscal measures, monetary measures, moral appeal and persuasion, policies relating to strategic commodities, procurement policy, provision of information, and research and development. The best prospects for a sound development of

  15. Sustainable freight infrastructure to meet climate and air quality goals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-01

    This report examines the potential for freight modal shift from truck-to-rail in the upper Midwestern U.S. : to improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions. Two scenarios were generated, one focusing on : intra-regional freight movements within the ...

  16. Feasibility study for the introduction of synchromodal freight transportation concept

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Agbo, Aaron Agbenyegah; Li, Wenfeng; Atombo, Charles; Lodewijks, G.; Zheng, Lanbo

    2017-01-01

    The current weaknesses of the conventional intermodal freight transportation system have led to the development of the synchromodal freight transportation concept introduced and piloted in the Netherlands. The innovative concept has the advantage of adding flexibility, cost reduction, and

  17. Why is energy use rising in the freight sector?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mintz, M.; Vyas, A.D.

    1991-01-01

    Trends in transportation sector energy use and carbon dioxide emissions are analyzed with an emphasis on three freight modes -- rail, truck, and marine. A recent set of energy use projections is presented and freight mode energy characteristics are discussed. Transportation sector energy use, which nearly doubled between 1960 and 1985, is projected to grow more slowly during the period 1985 endash 2010. Most of the growth is projected to come from non-personal modes (freight and commercial air). Trends in freight mode energy intensities are discussed and a variety of factors behind these trends are analyzed. Rail and marine modes improved their energy intensities during sudden fuel price rises of the 1970s. Though there is room for further technological improvement, long power plant life cycles preclude rapid penetration of new technologies. Thus, energy intensities in these modes are more likely to improve through operational changes. Because of relatively stable fuel prices, the energy share of truck operating expenses is likely to remain low. Coupled with increasing labor costs, this portends only modest improvements in truck energy efficiency over the next two decades

  18. Measuring the economic contribution of the freight industry to the Maryland economy : [research summary].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-05-01

    The primary objective was to measure the economic contributions of the freight : industry to the Maryland economy and to develop a freight economic output (FECO) : index that tracks the economic performance of the freight industry over time.

  19. Transportation Energy Futures: Freight Transportation Modal Shares: Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brogan, J. J. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Aeppli, A. E. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Brown, D. F. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Fischer, M. J. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Grenzeback, L. R. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); McKenzie, E. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Vimmerstedt, L. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Vyas, A. D. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States); Witzke, E. [Cambridge Systematics Inc., Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2013-03-01

    Freight transportation modes—truck, rail, water, air, and pipeline—each serve a distinct share of the freight transportation market. A variety of factors influence the modes chosen by shippers, carriers, and others involved in freight supply chains. Analytical methods can be used to project future modal shares, and federal policy actions could influence future freight mode choices. This report considers how these topics have been addressed in existing literature and offers insights on federal policy decisions with the potential to prompt mode choices that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

  20. Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grenzeback, L. R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M. J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C. R.; Pei, Y. L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A. D.; Winebrake, J. J.

    2013-03-01

    Freight transportation demand is projected to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040, and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050. This report describes the current and future demand for freight transportation in terms of tons and ton-miles of commodities moved by truck, rail, water, pipeline, and air freight carriers. It outlines the economic, logistics, transportation, and policy and regulatory factors that shape freight demand, the trends and 2050 outlook for these factors, and their anticipated effect on freight demand. After describing federal policy actions that could influence future freight demand, the report then summarizes the capabilities of available analytical models for forecasting freight demand. This is one in a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency effort to pinpoint underexplored strategies for reducing GHGs and petroleum dependence related to transportation.

  1. Goods movement study in Illinois : application to freight transportation and logistics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    This report details the results generated by a recently completed nationwide online freight establishment study. : The survey was assembled with the intention of allowing the formulation or enhancement of new or existing : freight-demand microsimulat...

  2. Electronic Freight Management (EFM) Governance

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-01

    The Electronic Freight Management (EFM) initiative is a USDOT-sponsored project that applies web technologies to improve data and message transmissions between supply chain partners. This report describes a new EFM Governance Model and the necessary ...

  3. Road freight and the environment

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Makamo, N

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available freight transport are categorised as direct or secondary impacts. Externalities are an economic concept that refers to activities that have unintended consequences, positive or negative consequences. This review considers the different environmental links...

  4. Urban distribution centers : a means to reducing freight vehicle miles traveled.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-01

    The present study examines the model of freight consolidation platforms, and urban distribution centers (UDCs) in particular, as a means to solve the last mile problem of urban freight while reducing vehicle miles traveled and associated environmenta...

  5. Price Analysis of Railway Freight Transport under Marketing Mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Ying; Fang, Xiaoping; Chen, Zhiya

    Regarding the problems in the reform of the railway tariff system and the pricing of the transport, by means of assaying the influence of the price elasticity on the artifice used for price, this article proposed multiple regressive model which analyzed price elasticity quantitatively. This model conclude multi-factors which influences on the price elasticity, such as the averagely railway freight charge, the averagely freight haulage of proximate supersede transportation mode, the GDP per capita in the point of origin, and a series of dummy variable which can reflect the features of some productive and consume demesne. It can calculate the price elasticity of different classes in different domains, and predict the freight traffic volume on different rate levels. It can calculate confidence-level, and evaluate the relevance of each parameter to get rid of irrelevant or little relevant variables. It supplied a good theoretical basis for directing the pricing of transport enterprises in market economic conditions, which is suitable for railway freight, passenger traffic and other transportation manner as well. SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science) software was used to calculate and analysis the example. This article realized the calculation by HYFX system(Ministry of Railways fund).

  6. Improving freight crash incident management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the most effective way to mitigate the effect of freight : crash incidents on Louisiana freeways. Candidate incident management strategies were reviewed from : practice in other states and from those publi...

  7. 49 CFR 231.31 - Drawbars for freight cars; standard height.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Drawbars for freight cars; standard height. 231.31... cars; standard height. (a) Except on cars specified in paragraph (b) of this section— (1) On standard gage (561/2-inch gage) railroads, the maximum height of drawbars for freight cars (measured...

  8. Sustainable practices in urban freight distribution in Bilbao

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Alvarez

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The objective of the present study is to select some feasible and sustainable logistic practices in order to improve the urban freight distribution in Bilbao city. Design/methodology/approach: After a thorough literature review and a benchmarking, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP techniques were used in order to support the decision making processes in order to select the most interesting practices. The criteria used for this selection were based on four factors: (1 improvement of the city freight distribution, (2 implementation possibility, (3 short and medium term applicability and (4 impact on the citizens of Bilbao. Findings: The paper identifies some specific problems that must be faced during the last stage of the logistics chain, where products are usually delivered to final customers in the urban environment. Research limitations/implications: Not all good urban freight distribution practices can be applied universally to all types of towns. Therefore, it is necessary to design some practices specifically to each particular city according to the physical characteristics of the city, the companies’ motivation and the citizens’ habits. Practical implications: All the agents involved in the city freight distribution should be aware of the benefits and problems that their actions cause. Originality/value: This study was carried out from a wide perspective that included researchers, logistics operators and local authorities.

  9. Railway and road discrete choice model for foreign trade freight between Antioquia and the Port of Cartagena

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. D. Pineda-Jaramillo

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Most Colombian freight is transported on roads with barely acceptable conditions, and although there is a speculation about the need for a railway for freight transportation, there is not a study in Colombia showing the variables that influence the modal choice by the companies that generate freight transportation. This article presents the calculation of demand for a hypothetical railway through a discrete choice model. It begins with a qualitative research through focus group techniques to identify the variables that influence the choice of persons responsible for the transportation of large commercial companies in Antioquia (Colombia. The influential variables in the election were the cost and service frequency, and these variables were used to apply a Stated Preference (SP and Revealed Preference (RP survey, then to calibrate a Multinomial Logit Model (MNL, and to estimate the influence of each of them. We show that the probability of railway choice by the studied companies varies between 67% and 93%, depending on differences in these variables.

  10. Freight performance measures : approach analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-01

    This report reviews the existing state of the art and also the state of the practice of freight performance measurement. Most performance measures at the state level have aimed at evaluating highway or transit infrastructure performance with an empha...

  11. Inbound freight: an untapped resource for saving money.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuehn, Kurt

    2007-12-01

    With all the responsibilities placed on materials managers, it is not surprising that some processes such as shipping are overlooked when it comes to cutting costs. But by taking a closer look at inbound freight costs, materials managers might discover an untapped resource for saving thousands, and in some cases millions, of dollars. Finding out how costs vary among vendors for shipping the same type of item can eliminate unnecessary freight charges. Initially, the process takes time, but the bottom line will be better for it.

  12. ON OPERATION OF 740 M LONG FREIGHT TRAINS ON CZECH TEN-T RAILWAY NETWORK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michal Drábek

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Regulation (EU No 1315/2013 defines actual scope of core and comprehensive TEN-T network, including both networks for railway freight transport. For the core network, possibility to operate 740 m long freight trains is required. The aim of this paper is to analyse availability of appropriate overtaking tracks for 740 m long freight trains. Due to ETCS braking curves and odometry, such trains, after ETCS implementation, will require 780-800 m long overtaking tracks. For practical reasons (e.g. bypass lines, whole Czech railway TEN-T network is analysed. The overtaking track, whose occupation means influence on scheduled traffic or threat to boarding passengers, are excluded. The data was collected from station schemes from Collection of Official Requisites for 2015/16 Timetable, issued by SŽDC, Czech state Infrastructure Manager. Most of appropriate tracks are over 800 m long, but their density in the network and in particular directions varies considerably. For freight traffic, gradient of the line is important, so in the resulting figure, there are marked significant peaks for particular lines as well. Czech TEN-T lines are further segmented on the basis of number of tracks and their traffic character. Then, specific issues on overtaking or crossing of 740 m long freight trains are discussed. As a conclusion, for long-term development of Czech TEN-T lines, targeted investment is recommended not only for passenger railway, but also for freight railway. An attractive capacity offer for railway undertakings, which can stimulate freight traffic on European Rail freight corridors, can be represented by network-bound periodic freight train paths with suitable long overtaking tracks outside bottlenecks. After the overtaking by passenger trains, a freight train should run without stop through large node station or a bottleneck area. Before the sections with high gradients, coupling of additional locomotives should be connected with the overtaking

  13. Uncovering document fraud in maritime freight transport based on probabilistic classification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Triepels, Ron; Feelders, A. F.; Daniels, Hennie

    2015-01-01

    Deficient visibility in global supply chains causes significant risks for the customs brokerage practices of freight forwarders. One of the risks that freight forwarders face is that shipping documentation might contain document fraud and is used to declare a shipment. Traditional risk controls are

  14. Uncovering Document Fraud in Maritime Freight Transport Based on Probabilistic Classification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Triepels, Ron; Feelders, A.J.; Daniels, Hennie

    2015-01-01

    Deficient visibility in global supply chains causes significant risks for the customs brokerage practices of freight forwarders. One of the risks that freight forwarders face is that shipping documentation might contain document fraud and is used to declare a shipment. Traditional risk controls are

  15. The Critical Factors for Korean Freight Forwarders’ Purchasing Negotiation in International Logistics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soo Yong Shin

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The roles of freight forwarders as intermediaries continue to expand and become significant in international logistics. Purchasing negotiation is considered an important business process for freight forwarders and achieving a successful negotiation outcome should help forwarders to manage their business more effectively. This study used the analytical hierarchy process (AHP approach to identify the critical factors for successful purchasing negotiation for freight forwarders in Korea. A three-level AHP structure was constructed to examine the successful purchasing negotiation. The findings indicate that information (specifically quality of information is the most critical factor for a successful negotiation outcome for freight forwarders. This result turned out to be the same as the result found from the literature review. Literature review also indicated information as the most important factor.

  16. Analysis of the transport flows service time of the vehicles and the assessment of the ideterminancy of external impact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Jarašūnienė

    2003-10-01

    Full Text Available To increase the attraction of Lithuania as a transit country striving to promote carriers' border crossing activities and facilitate customs clearance procedures as well as freight delivery to clients it is necessary to identify the main obstacles, to analyse them and to select adequate measures and means for their elimination. Therefore, on the basis of the analysis of the transport flows service time, as well as basing on the assessment of indeterminacy of external impacts, it would be possible to deduce the main causes of idle time of transport means at customs, to estimate the dependence of service time in proportion to transport flows. Basing on theoretical estimation in this article the estimation of service time of international transport and the management of transport flows are described.

  17. America's container ports : freight hubs that connect our nation to global markets

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-06-01

    The U.S. marine transportation system continues to handle large volumes of domestic and international freight in support of the nations economic activities. The demand for freight transportation responds to trends in global economic activity and m...

  18. A comparative analysis of several vehicle emission models for road freight transportation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Demir, E.; Bektas, T.; Laporte, G.

    2011-01-01

    Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in freight transportation requires using appropriate emission models in the planning process. This paper reviews and numerically compares several available freight transportation vehicle emission models and also considers their outputs in relations to field studies.

  19. Examining the value of travel time reliability for freight transportation to support freight planning and decision-making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    This report presents the findings of a valuation study recently conducted in Florida to quantify the : freight users willingness to pay (WTP) for the improvement of transportation-related attributes, : particularly reliability. A stated preference...

  20. Private–public partnerships: A mechanism for freight transport infrastructure delivery?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans W. Ittmann

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Freight transport infrastructure is an indispensable requirement for economic growth, development and prosperity. Public–private partnerships (PPPs, as a mechanism to fund and construct freight transport infrastructure, have been suggested by many in private and public sectors. Objectives: The concept of PPPs is dealt with, and the relevance of this mechanism is expanded upon. It is clear that PPPs in the rail environment present huge challenges and complexities. The objective was to determine whether PPPs are a viable mechanism to fund freight transport infrastructure in South Africa. Method: Experiences with rail PPPs worldwide have shown that many failures occurred implementing these. The challenges and complexities of PPPs, in the freight rail environment, are highlighted together with the benefits, risks and best practices of PPPs. It is shown that suitable policies, legislation and regulations concerning PPPs are in place in South Africa. Results: A proper framework and methodology to proceed should be in place. PPPs take time and are complex. Government involvement remains essential. Firm contractual agreements between parties are essential. Risk handling, risk sharing and the magnitude of risks should be clarified with agreement on where the risks reside. Financial viability, with value for money (VfM and financial benefits for private sector role players are non-negotiable. Conclusion: Appropriate legislation for implementing PPPs must be in place while two further important elements are economic circumstances and proper project execution. Taking all these factors into consideration, the freight transport sector can only benefit from successfully negotiated and implemented PPPs.

  1. The Migration of Railway Freight Transport from Command Economy to Market Economy: The Case of China.

    OpenAIRE

    Xie, R.; Chen, H.; Nash, C.

    2000-01-01

    In recent years, the Chinese railways freight transport has been facing great challenges from the transport market and economic expansion. The total freight volume has been increasing. But the market share of railway freight has decreased greatly, especially since the beginning of migration from command economy to market economy. In this paper, we make some insight into five aspects. Firstly, the historical and current situation of freight transport in China and the relationship between econo...

  2. European intermodal freight transport network

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saeedi, Hamid; Wiegmans, Bart; Behdani, Behzad; Zuidwijk, Rob

    2017-01-01

    The analysis of market structure and concentration measures for the Intermodal Freight Transport (IFT) market is important to avoid market failure and to find the areas for policy making to promote IFT market share. This analysis can be performed for separate segments, for example, the market for

  3. Rail industry job analysis : freight conductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    This document describes the results from a job analysis that was conducted for the position of Freight Conductor. Key aspects of the position were identified, including main tasks and knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) ne...

  4. The development of ISO freight containers as IP-2 packagings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janicki, M.C.; Vaughan, R.A.

    1993-01-01

    Design specifications were developed for ISO freight containers to meet the requirements of the transport regulations in the 1985 Edition of IAEA SS6, and to maximize the technical and commercial benefits offered to consignors by this type of container for the transport and handling of bulk LSA/SCO materials. A range of IP-2 ISO freight containers have been designed and built to these specifications and are in use in the UK. This paper discusses the regulatory considerations which had to be reviewed and interpreted in developing freight containers as Industrial Package Type 2 (IP-2) packagings and the development of performance standards to meet the regulatory requirements. Outline details of the packages developed are indicated together with examples of handling equipment developed to facilitate loading and unloading. (J.P.N.)

  5. Operations Research Approaches to Asset Management in Freight Rail

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gorman, Michael F.; Harrod, Steven

    2011-01-01

    This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail.......This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail....

  6. 49 CFR 174.82 - General requirements for the handling of placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers, and bulk packages. 174.82 Section 174.82... Placarded Rail Cars, Transport Vehicles and Freight Containers § 174.82 General requirements for the handling of placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers, and bulk packages. (a) Unless...

  7. Automation of calculation of fastening of non-standard freights on sea vessels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Андрій Валерійович Пархотько

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Correct positioning and fastening of freights are important safety conditions of navigation. Unreliable positioning and fastening of freights results in shipwreck and is the reason for injuries and losses of human lives both in the sea and during loading and unloading. To solve the above-mentioned problems, the International Maritime Organization publishes manuals in the form of either the Assembly resolutions, or the circulars approved by Maritime Safety Committee. The correct definition of necessary quantity of lashings and their positioning has the greatest impact on safe fastening of freights. The sea being rough, the vessel is accelerated both in longitudinal, and vertical and prevailing cross directions. The forces created by these accelerations generate the majority of the problems in fastening. The order of calculations of the force moments and forces acting upon the freights being shipped by sea vessels has been shown in the article. To know the proper number of lashings the calculations of the forces acting upon the freights being shipped as compared with the forces holding the freights and taking into account the strength, the number and the fastening angle of the lashings must be made. Оption of realization of algorithm of calculation with use of the а computer program to make these calculations has been offered. Some recommendations so that the program could be used by the management of the vessel, the surveyor companies and technologists of the port have been given as well as an example of such a calculation

  8. Preliminary evaluation of vector flow and spectral velocity estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Mads Møller; Pihl, Michael Johannes; Haugaard, Per

    Spectral estimation is considered as the golden standard in ultrasound velocity estimation. For spectral velocity estimation the blood flow angle is set by the ultrasound operator. Vector flow provides temporal and spatial estimates of the blood flow angle and velocity. A comparison of vector flow...... line covering the vessel diameter. A commercial ultrasound scanner (ProFocus 2202, BK Medical, Denmark) and a 7.6 MHz linear transducer was used (8670, BK Medical). The mean vector blood flow angle estimations were calculated {52(18);55(23);60(16)}°. For comparison the fixed angles for spectral...... estimation were obtained {52;56;52}°. The mean vector velocity estimates at PS {76(15);95(17);77(16)}cm/s and at end diastole (ED) {17(6);18(6);24(6)}cm/s were calculated. For comparison spectral velocity estimates at PS {77;110;76}cm/s and ED {18;18;20}cm/s were obtained. The mean vector angle estimates...

  9. We keep on truckin': Trends in freight energy use and carbon emissions in 11 IEA countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eom, Jiyong; Schipper, Lee; Thompson, Lou

    2012-01-01

    Based on detailed national and international data on freight transportation, we analyze trends in freight CO 2 emissions in 11 IEA countries from the earliest year of data availability to 2007–2010. The cross-country comparison of the freight transportation sector indicates that per capita CO 2 emissions span a wide range and are mostly determined by local needs without full knowledge or coordination with policies and practices in other countries. Over the last several decades, while many developed countries have experienced decreased coupling between total freight activity (measured in tonne-km) and income, no major indication of decreased coupling between trucking and income was found. Rather, the coupling has been strengthened in many countries due to a continued increase in the share of trucking in total freight activity. The energy intensity of trucking has exhibited very large variation among the countries, and its recent international trends are mixed, providing greater challenges to reduce freight CO 2 emissions. Modal shift toward rail away from truck presents a sizeable opportunity to reduce freight CO 2 emissions, although the potential gain varies widely among the countries. - Highlights: ► We analyze trends in freight CO 2 emissions in 11 IEA countries. ► Many of them experienced decreased coupling between freight and income. ► No major indication of decoupling was found between trucking and income. ► The energy intensity of trucking exhibited very large variation. ► The trends of trucking energy intensity are mixed. ► There is a huge opportunity of reducing emissions by shifting toward rail.

  10. Examining the value of travel time reliability for freight transportation to support freight planning and decision-Making [summary].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    As consumers demand greater choice and availability of products, suppliers have responded with more just-in-time delivery and less centralized inventories. Keeping this supply chain working efficiently requires reliable freight transportation. Delays...

  11. Dense Descriptors for Optical Flow Estimation: A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmadreza Baghaie

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Estimating the displacements of intensity patterns between sequential frames is a very well-studied problem, which is usually referred to as optical flow estimation. The first assumption among many of the methods in the field is the brightness constancy during movements of pixels between frames. This assumption is proven to be not true in general, and therefore, the use of photometric invariant constraints has been studied in the past. One other solution can be sought by use of structural descriptors rather than pixels for estimating the optical flow. Unlike sparse feature detection/description techniques and since the problem of optical flow estimation tries to find a dense flow field, a dense structural representation of individual pixels and their neighbors is computed and then used for matching and optical flow estimation. Here, a comparative study is carried out by extending the framework of SIFT-flow to include more dense descriptors, and comprehensive comparisons are given. Overall, the work can be considered as a baseline for stimulating more interest in the use of dense descriptors for optical flow estimation.

  12. 49 CFR 385.14 - Motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders delinquent in paying civil penalties: prohibition...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders....14 Motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders delinquent in paying civil penalties: prohibition... commerce under 49 CFR 386.83. (b) A broker, freight forwarder, or for-hire motor carrier that has failed to...

  13. 19 CFR 351.515 - Internal transport and freight charges for export shipments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... shipments. 351.515 Section 351.515 Customs Duties INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE... Internal transport and freight charges for export shipments. (a) Benefit—(1) In general. In the case of internal transport and freight charges on export shipments, a benefit exists to the extent that the charges...

  14. Estimation of Dense Image Flow Fields in Fluids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Rasmus; Conradsen, Knut; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

    or an estimate there-of is known. Estimated flow fields in weather satellite imagery might also be used on an operational basis as inputs to short-term weather prediction. In this article we describe a method for the estimation of dense flow fields. Local measurements of motion are obtained by analysis...

  15. Estimation of Dense Image Flow Fields in Fluids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Rasmus; Conradsen, Knut; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

    1998-01-01

    or an estimate there-of is known. Estimated flow fields in weather satellite imagery might also be used on an operational basis as inputs to short-term weather prediction. In this article we describe a method for the estimation of dense flow fields. Local measurements of motion are obtained by analysis...

  16. Energy intensity in road freight transport of heavy goods vehicles in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrés, Lidia; Padilla, Emilio

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the factors that have influenced the energy intensity trend of the Spanish road freight transport of heavy goods vehicles over the period 1996–2012. This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of these factors and to inform the design of measures to improve energy efficiency in road freight transport. The paper uses both annual single-period and chained multi-period multiplicative LMDI-II decomposition analysis. The results suggest that the decrease in the energy intensity of Spanish road freight in the period is explained by the change in the real energy intensity index (lower energy consumption per tonne-kilometre transported), which is partially offset by the behaviour of the structural index (greater share in freight transport of those commodities the transportation of which is more energy intensive). The change in energy intensity is analysed in more depth by quantifying the contribution of each commodity through the attribution of changes in Divisia indices. -- Highlights: •We examine energy intensity of Spanish road freight transport over 1996–2012. •We employ single-period and chained multi-period multiplicative LMDI-II decomposition. •Energy intensity reduction is explained by the change in real energy intensity index. •This is partially offset by the behaviour of the structural index. •The attribution of Divisia indices changes gives the contribution of each commodity

  17. Rural freight rail and multimodal transportation improvements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-05-18

    In this time of globalization, urbanization, congestions and increasing fuel prices, the growing importance of both freight and passenger transportation has been widely acknowledged. However, the importance of competitive transportation for rural Ame...

  18. Why does the energy intensity of freight transport rise?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Scheele, D [Scientific Council for Government Policy (Netherlands)

    1996-12-01

    In advanced economies it is normal to observe declining energy intensities. Both improvements in conversion efficiency and in organisational efficiency of energy use cause energy demand to grow at a slower pace than the economy. In this context it is somewhat particular that in the vital sector of freight transport the energy intensity does not decline, but instead increases. The energy demand of this sector only takes a small share of the total energy demand. According to the World Energy Council the transport sector takes 30 percent of world energy demand and freight transport again takes 30 percent of the transport sector share, maritime transport excluded. Despite this small share some explanation is needed why the increase in energy demand form the volume growth of freight demand is not at least partly countered by a decline in the energy intensity. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the explanations that are given in the literature and to support these explanations with empirical evidence on the case of the Netherlands. (EG)

  19. [Coping strategy and its effect on occupational stress among rail freight dispatchers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Gui-zhen; Yu, Shan-fa; Li, Kui-rong; Jiang, Kai-you

    2010-08-01

    To analyse the relationship between coping strategy and occupational stress in rail freight dispatchers. 115 rail freight dispatchers were investigated by using group sampling method, investigation contents included coping strategies, occupational stressors, strains and personalities. The proportion of using coping strategy in rail freight dispatchers is lower. The scores of job future ambiguity, type A behavior and work locus of control in workers with insufficient coping strategy were higher than those in workers with sufficient strategy (P family balance, job involvement coping factors of coping strategy were remarkable significant (P 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that risk of being job dissatisfaction and daily life stress in workers with insufficient social support coping was three or four times than those with sufficient coping (OR = 3.06 or 4.38, respectively), risk of being daily life stress in workers with insufficient job involvement coping was three times than those with sufficient coping (OR = 3.26). The proportion of using coping strategy in rail freight dispatchers is lower. Coping strategy has influence on the individual's perception of occuaptional stressors, strains and personalities.

  20. 49 CFR 174.85 - Position in train of placarded cars, transport vehicles, freight containers, and bulk packagings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Vehicles and Freight Containers § 174.85 Position in train of placarded cars, transport vehicles, freight... position in a train of each loaded placarded car, transport vehicle, freight container, and bulk packaging..., and other specially equipped cars with tie-down devices for securing vehicles. Permanent bulk head...

  1. Transport of solid commodities via freight pipeline: freight pipeline technology. Volume II. First year final report. [Slurry, pneumatic, pneumo-capsule, and hydro-capsule

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zandi, I.; Gimm, K.K.

    1976-07-01

    In order to determine the feasibility of pipeline as an intercity freight transportation mode, it was necessary to examine its technological feasibility and reliability. This report describes the technology of the major generic freight pipelines in terms of both historical and current trends and operations. Additionally, it presents a state-of-the-art review of calculating energy requirements of various generic freight pipelines. It was concluded that slurry and pneumatic pipelines are technologically feasible and reliable. There are many commercial installations of both types operating around the world. Based on European experience with pneumo-capsule pipelines for mail delivery and Russian gravel- and sand-transport installations, it appears that a pneumo-capsule pipeline is a technologically feasible and operationally reliable mode for transport of solids. Since no commercial pneumo-capsule pipeline installations yet exist in the U.S., it seems desirable that a service demonstration of the advantages and feasibility of this mode of transport be undertaken to attract the shippers' confidence. Hydro-capsule pipelines are technologically feasible, but its reliability within a commercial environment remains to be tested.

  2. Methods for estimating low-flow statistics for Massachusetts streams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ries, Kernell G.; Friesz, Paul J.

    2000-01-01

    Methods and computer software are described in this report for determining flow duration, low-flow frequency statistics, and August median flows. These low-flow statistics can be estimated for unregulated streams in Massachusetts using different methods depending on whether the location of interest is at a streamgaging station, a low-flow partial-record station, or an ungaged site where no data are available. Low-flow statistics for streamgaging stations can be estimated using standard U.S. Geological Survey methods described in the report. The MOVE.1 mathematical method and a graphical correlation method can be used to estimate low-flow statistics for low-flow partial-record stations. The MOVE.1 method is recommended when the relation between measured flows at a partial-record station and daily mean flows at a nearby, hydrologically similar streamgaging station is linear, and the graphical method is recommended when the relation is curved. Equations are presented for computing the variance and equivalent years of record for estimates of low-flow statistics for low-flow partial-record stations when either a single or multiple index stations are used to determine the estimates. The drainage-area ratio method or regression equations can be used to estimate low-flow statistics for ungaged sites where no data are available. The drainage-area ratio method is generally as accurate as or more accurate than regression estimates when the drainage-area ratio for an ungaged site is between 0.3 and 1.5 times the drainage area of the index data-collection site. Regression equations were developed to estimate the natural, long-term 99-, 98-, 95-, 90-, 85-, 80-, 75-, 70-, 60-, and 50-percent duration flows; the 7-day, 2-year and the 7-day, 10-year low flows; and the August median flow for ungaged sites in Massachusetts. Streamflow statistics and basin characteristics for 87 to 133 streamgaging stations and low-flow partial-record stations were used to develop the equations. The

  3. Macro scale models for freight railroad terminals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-02

    The project has developed a yard capacity model for macro-level analysis. The study considers the detailed sequence and scheduling in classification yards and their impacts on yard capacities simulate typical freight railroad terminals, and statistic...

  4. Analysis of the Connectivity and Centralization of Regional Air Freight Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-08-01

    economic efficiency. Pegrum char- acterized the CAB’s ratemaking policy as thirty years of in- decision. In surveys comparing regulated and unregulated b...cipants in the air freight system are basically the shippers, the surface carriers, and the air carriers. Air freight forwarders are "indirect carriers...aircraft characteristics which I will raise the break-even load factor are its shape and design density. Aircraft fuselages are basically cylindrical

  5. A cointegration approach to forecasting freight rates in the dry bulk shipping sector

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ph.H.B.F. Franses (Philip Hans); A.W. Veenstra (Albert)

    1997-01-01

    textabstractIn this paper, a vector autoregressive model is developed for a sample of ocean dry bulk freight rates. Although the series of freight rates are themselves found to be non-stationary, thus precluding the use of many modelling methodologies, evidence provided by cointegration tests points

  6. Freight transport in 2010 : An exploration of future prices and quality of freight transport in three scenarios

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Runhaar, H.A.C.; Kuipers, Bart; Heijden, R.E.C.M. van der; Melody, W.H.

    2001-01-01

    Background Central to this report is the question what effects government policy can have on rates, transit times, and the reliability of freight transport. In this context, two policy scenarios were examined: one scenario where all social costs that are currently ‘external’, are passed on to

  7. 3-D Vector Flow Estimation With Row-Column-Addressed Arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holbek, Simon; Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Beers, Christopher; Thomsen, Erik Vilain; Jensen, Jorgen Arendt

    2016-11-01

    Simulation and experimental results from 3-D vector flow estimations for a 62 + 62 2-D row-column (RC) array with integrated apodization are presented. A method for implementing a 3-D transverse oscillation (TO) velocity estimator on a 3-MHz RC array is developed and validated. First, a parametric simulation study is conducted, where flow direction, ensemble length, number of pulse cycles, steering angles, transmit/receive apodization, and TO apodization profiles and spacing are varied, to find the optimal parameter configuration. The performance of the estimator is evaluated with respect to relative mean bias ~B and mean standard deviation ~σ . Second, the optimal parameter configuration is implemented on the prototype RC probe connected to the experimental ultrasound scanner SARUS. Results from measurements conducted in a flow-rig system containing a constant laminar flow and a straight-vessel phantom with a pulsating flow are presented. Both an M-mode and a steered transmit sequence are applied. The 3-D vector flow is estimated in the flow rig for four representative flow directions. In the setup with 90° beam-to-flow angle, the relative mean bias across the entire velocity profile is (-4.7, -0.9, 0.4)% with a relative standard deviation of (8.7, 5.1, 0.8)% for ( v x , v y , v z ). The estimated peak velocity is 48.5 ± 3 cm/s giving a -3% bias. The out-of-plane velocity component perpendicular to the cross section is used to estimate volumetric flow rates in the flow rig at a 90° beam-to-flow angle. The estimated mean flow rate in this setup is 91.2 ± 3.1 L/h corresponding to a bias of -11.1%. In a pulsating flow setup, flow rate measured during five cycles is 2.3 ± 0.1 mL/stroke giving a negative 9.7% bias. It is concluded that accurate 3-D vector flow estimation can be obtained using a 2-D RC-addressed array.

  8. Freight corridor performance measurement system: A framework for South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan H. Havenga

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: On a national level, South Africa’s freight logistics industry is inefficient. The country ranks 36th out of 40 countries in terms of transport productivity (tonne kilometres as a ratio of gross domestic product, or GDP; the ratio of freight logistics costs to GDP measured 11.1% in 2013, compared to that of developed regions which measures in the order of 9%; and rail tonne-km market share on the two most dense long-distance corridors, namely, GautengDurban and Gauteng-Cape Town, is only 12.8% and 4.4%, respectively, whereas rail is globally acknowledged as a more efficient provider of long-distance freight solutions, given appropriate investments and service commitments. Objectives: A cornerstone of improved national freight logistics performance is the availability of reliable indicators to quantify the efficiency and capacity of the logistics network over the intermediate and long term, thereby enabling an evidence-based policy and investment environment. The objective of this article is to describe the foundation framework (i.e. phase 1 for South Africa’s freight corridor performance measurement system (CPMS. Once populated, the CPMS will be a key generator of indicators to facilitate the systemic management of corridors as a national production factor and thereby contributing to South Africa’s competitiveness. Method: The design of South Africa’s CPMS was informed by desktop research and refined through an extensive stakeholder consultation process. A distinction was made between South Africa’s dedicated bulk corridors and the multi-modal corridors. Results: Facilitating both stakeholder involvement and agreement on key indicators, as well as the eventual development of a system supporting the population, aggregation and dissemination of the CPMS are critical outcomes for the management of corridors as a national production factor. Three overarching corridor indicators were defined, relating to increased throughput

  9. 2007 Estimated International Energy Flows

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, C A; Belles, R D; Simon, A J

    2011-03-10

    An energy flow chart or 'atlas' for 136 countries has been constructed from data maintained by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and estimates of energy use patterns for the year 2007. Approximately 490 exajoules (460 quadrillion BTU) of primary energy are used in aggregate by these countries each year. While the basic structure of the energy system is consistent from country to country, patterns of resource use and consumption vary. Energy can be visualized as it flows from resources (i.e. coal, petroleum, natural gas) through transformations such as electricity generation to end uses (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial, transportation). These flow patterns are visualized in this atlas of 136 country-level energy flow charts.

  10. Freight advanced traveler information system : functional requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    This report describes the System Requirement Specifications (SyRS) for a Freight Advanced Traveler Information System : (FRATIS). The SyRS is based on user needs described in the FRATIS Concept of Operations (ConOps), which cover the essential : func...

  11. Safeguarding Schiphol Airports accessibility for freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Heijden, Matthijs C.; van Harten, Aart; Ebben, Mark; Saanen, Y.A.; Valentin, E.C.; Verbraeck, A.

    2001-01-01

    Automated, underground freight transport should enable sustainable economic growth in the Amsterdam area in the Netherlands. An innovative transport system, which guarantees reliable logistics and which avoids congestion problems, is currently being developed. This logistics system will be highly

  12. Recent progress in 3-D imaging of sea freight containers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fuchs, Theobald; Schön, Tobias; Sukowski, Frank; Dittmann, Jonas; Hanke, Randolf

    2015-01-01

    The inspection of very large objects like sea freight containers with X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) is an emerging technology. A complete 3-D CT scan of a see-freight container takes several hours. Of course, this is too slow to apply it to a large number of containers. However, the benefits of a 3-D CT for sealed freight are obvious: detection of potential threats or illicit cargo without being confronted with legal complications or high time consumption and risks for the security personnel during a manual inspection. Recently distinct progress was made in the field of reconstruction of projections with only a relatively low number of angular positions. Instead of today’s 500 to 1000 rotational steps, as needed for conventional CT reconstruction techniques, this new class of algorithms provides the potential to reduce the number of projection angles approximately by a factor of 10. The main drawback of these advanced iterative methods is the high consumption for numerical processing. But as computational power is getting steadily cheaper, there will be practical applications of these complex algorithms in a foreseeable future. In this paper, we discuss the properties of iterative image reconstruction algorithms and show results of their application to CT of extremely large objects scanning a sea-freight container. A specific test specimen is used to quantitatively evaluate the image quality in terms of spatial and contrast resolution and depending on different number of projections

  13. Analyzing competition in intermodal freight transport networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saeedi, Hamid; Wiegmans, Bart; Behdani, Behzad; Zuidwijk, Rob

    2017-01-01

    To cope with an intense and competitive environment, intermodal freight transport operators have increasingly adopted business practices —like horizontal and vertical business integration—which aim to reduce the operational costs, increase the profit margins, and improve their competitive position

  14. A Literature Review On Multimodal Freight Transportation Planning Under Disruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosyida, E. E.; Santosa, B.; Pujawan, I. N.

    2018-04-01

    This paper reviews publication that focuses on multimodal freight transportation planning under disruptions. In this paper, disruptions are specified by the level of the disruptions occurs and the scope of its effect. This becomes an important distinction since the cause and effect that may occur at different levels. The failure to make this distinction has implications for how we understand and manage. The reviewed papers include those that develop framework, model, and technical procedure for freight transportation. Finally, we provide an outlook of future research directions on the domain of transportation planning.

  15. Determination of dynamic performance of freight cars taking into account technical condition of side bearers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S.Myamlin

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The railway transport plays an important role in social and economic life of the country and carries out the large containment of transportation activities. The transport industry should migrate towards innovation changes and increase its significance as an important transit subsystem on the way of renovation of both the infrastructure and the strategy of all transportation process components including the interaction with other transport modes. At present the life sets strategic challenges for the railway branch, and the basic goals among them are as follows: high-speed train traffic development, increase of the weight of freight trains, new rolling stock development etc. Due to the urgency of this subject, the researchers should cope with the task devoted to one of aspects of improving the freight transportation efficiency, namely to the study of effects of various factors and characteristics of technical conditions of the freight cars running gears (which are unavoidable to arise during operation on their basic dynamic indices. The deviations of technical conditions of running gears from the normal state of the wedge system of bogie swing suspension also play an important role among them. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of different factors of the technical conditions of freight car running gears (size deviation in both the bearers and the wedge system during operation on their basic indices – coefficients of horizontal and vertical dynamics, vehicle body acceleration, frame strength, and derailment stability coefficient. Methodology. The study was conducted by numerical integration and mathematical modeling of the freight car dynamic loading using the software package “Dynamics of Rail Vehicles” (“DYNRAIL”. Findings. As a result of the research for freight car dynamic coefficients determination taking into account technical conditions of the side bearers, the dependencies of the basic freight cars

  16. Incorporating Logistics in Freight Transport Demand Models: State-of-the-Art and Research Opportunities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tavasszy, L.A.; Ruijgrok, K.; Davydenko, I.

    2012-01-01

    Freight transport demand is a demand derived from all the activities needed to move goods between locations of production to locations of consumption, including trade, logistics and transportation. A good representation of logistics in freight transport demand models allows us to predict the effects

  17. Experimental investigation of transverse flow estimation using transverse oscillation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Udesen, Jesper; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2003-01-01

    Conventional ultrasound scanners can only display the blood velocity component parallel to the ultrasound beam. Introducing a laterally oscillating field gives signals from which the transverse velocity component can be estimated using 2:1 parallel receive beamformers. To yield the performance...... perpendicular to the ultrasound beam. The velocity profile of the blood is parabolic, and the speed of the blood in the center of the vessel is 1.1 m/s. An extended autocorrelation algorithm is used for velocity estimation for 310 trials, each containing 32 beamformed signals. The velocity can be estimated.......0% and the relative mean standard deviation is found to be 9.8%. With the Compuflow 1000 programmable flow pump a color flow mode image is produced of the experimental setup for a parabolic flow. Also the flow of the human femoralis is reproduced and it is found that the characteristics of the flow can be estimated....

  18. Profile parameters of wheelset detection for high speed freight train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Kai; Ma, Li; Gao, Xiaorong; Wang, Li

    2012-04-01

    Because of freight train, in China, transports goods on railway freight line throughout the country, it does not depart from or return to engine shed during a long phase, thus we cannot monitor the quality of wheel set effectively. This paper provides a system which uses leaser and high speed camera, applies no-contact light section technology to get precise wheel set profile parameters. The paper employs clamping-track method to avoid complex railway ballast modification project. And detailed descript an improved image-tracking algorithm to extract central line from profile curve. For getting one pixel width and continuous line of the profile curve, uses local gray maximum points as direction control points to direct tracking direction. The results based on practical experiment show the system adapted to detection environment of high speed and high vibration, and it can effectively detect the wheelset geometric parameters with high accuracy. The system fills the gaps in wheel set detection for freight train in main line and has an enlightening function on monitoring the quality of wheel set.

  19. Reforming the road freight transportation system using systems thinking: An investigation of Coronial inquests in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newnam, Sharon; Goode, Natassia; Salmon, Paul; Stevenson, Mark

    2017-04-01

    Road freight transport is considered to be one of the most dangerous industries in Australia, accounting for over 30% of all work fatalities. Whilst system reform (i.e., change to policy and practice) is needed, it is not clear what this reform should be, or what approaches should be used to drive it. This article argues that road freight transportation reform should be underpinned by a systems thinking approach. Efforts to understand crash causation should be focused beyond the driver and identify contributing factors at other levels with the road freight system. Accordingly, we present the findings from a study that examined whether Australian Coronial investigations into road freight crashes reflect support appropriate system reform. Content analysis was used to identify the contributing factors and interrelations implicated in the road freight crashes described in publicly available Australian Coroner's inquest reports from the last 10 years (2004-2014; n=21). The results found evidence to suggest that the Coronial inquests provide some understanding of the complex system of factors influencing road freight transportation crashes in Australia. However, there was a lack of evidence to suggest an understanding of system-based reform based on the identification of reductionist-focused recommendations. It is concluded that researchers and practitioners (ie., government and industry) need to work together to develop prevention efforts focused on system reforms. Systems thinking based data collection and analysis frameworks are urgently required to help develop this understanding in road freight transportation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Intensification of Development of Mixed Transportation of Freight in Ukraine through Formation of the Network of Transportation and Logistic Centres and Transportation and Logistic Clusters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karpenko Oksana O.

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Development of mixed transportation is a prospective direction of development of the transportation system of Ukraine. The article analyses the modern state of development of mixed transportation of freight in Ukraine. The most popular types of combined transportation (refers to multi-modal are container and contrailer trains, which are formed both in Ukraine (Viking and Yaroslav and in other countries, first of all, Belarus (Zubr. One of the reasons of underdevelopment of mixed transportation of freight in Ukraine is absence of a developed network of transportation and logistic centres. The article offers to form a network of transportation and logistic centres in Ukraine as a way of intensification of development of mixed transportations of freight, since they facilitate co-ordination of use of various types of transport and support integrated management of material flows. Transportation and logistic centres should become a start-up complex, around which transportation and logistic clusters would be gradually formed. Transportation and logistic clusters is a new efficient form of network organisation and management of transportation and logistic services and they also ensure growth of efficiency of use of the regional transportation and logistic potential of Ukraine. The article shows prospective supporting transportation and logistic centres and centres of formation of transportation and logistic clusters in the territory of Ukraine. Formation of efficient transportation and logistic system of Ukraine on the basis of a network of transportation and logistic clusters would facilitate entering of Ukraine into the world transportation environment and would allow acceleration of introduction of efficient logistic schemes of freight delivery, in particular, mixed transportation of freight.

  1. Emissions of CO2 from road freight transport in London: Trends and policies for long run reductions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zanni, Alberto M.; Bristow, Abigail L.

    2010-01-01

    Freight transport has been receiving increasing attention in both literature and practice following the growing recognition of its importance in urban transport planning. This paper analyses historical and projected road freight CO 2 emissions in the city of London and explores the potential mitigation effect of a set of freight transport policies and logistics solutions. Findings indicate a range of policies with potential to reduce emissions in the period up to 2050. However, this reduction would appear to only be capable of partly counterbalancing the projected increase in freight traffic. More profound behavioural measures therefore appear to be necessary for London's CO 2 emissions reduction targets to be met.

  2. A simulation approach to reconciling customs and trade risk associated with cross-border freight movements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoffman, Alwyn J.

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Southern Africa critically depends on increased exports to enable economic growth and job creation. Logistical inefficiencies, however, are hampering exports, with cross-border freight delays a key contributor that adds cost and unpredictability to the supply chain, making South Africa an unattractive participant in global just-in-time value chains. The detention of cargo consignments at border posts is intended to reduce the risk of customs duties not being paid and to prevent the smuggling of illegal contraband. These risks must be weighed against the risk to trade caused by unpredictable time delays, and the resulting harmful impact on the economy. The increased use of ICT technologies has been proposed to enable a more attractive compromise between customs and trade risks. This study investigates the impact of the proposed new measures, including the use of technology, on the efficiency of cross-border freight movements. The research approach will combine the analysis of historical electronic transaction data exchanged between customs and consignors, with the simulation of different scenarios for the ICT support of customs processes. The expected impact of the proposed measures on exports within and from the SADC region, and the direct impact on corridor users, are estimated and compared against the estimated cost of the proposed measures. It is shown that implementing the proposed improvements should represent an attractive investment for the regional economy.

  3. The impact of fracking on freight distribution patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-11-01

    The increasing production of domestic energy through the use of fracking will likely alter local/regional/national economies and corresponding freight distribution patterns (highway, rail, marine, pipeline) in the United States. The proposed project ...

  4. Nuclear critical safety analysis for UX-30 transport of freight package

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quan Yanhui; Zhou Qi; Yin Shenggui

    2014-01-01

    The nuclear critical safety analysis and evaluation for UX-30 transport freight package in the natural condition and accident condition were carried out with MONK-9A code and MCNP code. Firstly, the critical benchmark experiment data of public in international were selected, and the deflection and subcritical limiting value with MONK-9A code and MCNP code in calculating same material form were validated and confirmed. Secondly, the neutron efficiency multiplication factors in the natural condition and accident condition were calculated and analyzed, and the safety in transport process was evaluated by taking conservative suppose of nuclear critical safety. The calculation results show that the max value of k eff for UX-30 transport freight package is less than the subcritical limiting value, and the UX-30 transport freight package is in the state of subcritical safety. Moreover, the critical safety index (CSI) for UX-30 package can define zero based on the definition of critical safety index. (authors)

  5. Guidance for Developing a Freight Transportation Data Architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Public and private decision makers must understand the freight transportation system, its use, its role in economic development, its environmental impact, as well as other consequences in order to respond effectively to growing logistical requirement...

  6. Zero emission city logistics: current practices in freight electromobility and feasibility in the near future

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quak, H.J.; Nesterova, N.N.; Rooijen, T. van; Deng, Y.

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines the feasibility of using electric powered vehicles in urban freight transport from a carrier’s perspective, including their attitudes towards electric freight vehicles (EFVs) and all relevant elements affecting this business case, such as: technological features, existing

  7. The Extended Generalized Cost Concept and its Application in Freight Transport and General Equilibrium Modeling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tavasszy, L.; Davydenko, I.; Ruijgrok, K.

    2009-01-01

    The integration of Spatial Equilibrium models and Freight transport network models is important to produce consistent scenarios for future freight transport demand. At various spatial scales, we see the changes in production, trade, logistics networking and transportation, being driven by

  8. The current state of the rail freight market in Russia: new forms of governance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koncipko Natal'ja Vladimirovna

    2015-10-01

    Unsolved problems of the industry and the availability of infrastructure limited movements in the context of a sharp increase in the number of car Park led to the violation of a reasonable balance of rolling stock, the growth which outpaced the increase in transportation. This led to the reduction of hodnoty freight and has led to the simultaneous increase in the share of empty run freight car, and technological losses, including growth time of its turnover. The study showed that to improve the competitiveness of freight operators and increase their profits, you need to pass empty flights in centralized case management of JSC "RZD".

  9. Methods for estimating flow-duration and annual mean-flow statistics for ungaged streams in Oklahoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esralew, Rachel A.; Smith, S. Jerrod

    2010-01-01

    Flow statistics can be used to provide decision makers with surface-water information needed for activities such as water-supply permitting, flow regulation, and other water rights issues. Flow statistics could be needed at any location along a stream. Most often, streamflow statistics are needed at ungaged sites, where no flow data are available to compute the statistics. Methods are presented in this report for estimating flow-duration and annual mean-flow statistics for ungaged streams in Oklahoma. Flow statistics included the (1) annual (period of record), (2) seasonal (summer-autumn and winter-spring), and (3) 12 monthly duration statistics, including the 20th, 50th, 80th, 90th, and 95th percentile flow exceedances, and the annual mean-flow (mean of daily flows for the period of record). Flow statistics were calculated from daily streamflow information collected from 235 streamflow-gaging stations throughout Oklahoma and areas in adjacent states. A drainage-area ratio method is the preferred method for estimating flow statistics at an ungaged location that is on a stream near a gage. The method generally is reliable only if the drainage-area ratio of the two sites is between 0.5 and 1.5. Regression equations that relate flow statistics to drainage-basin characteristics were developed for the purpose of estimating selected flow-duration and annual mean-flow statistics for ungaged streams that are not near gaging stations on the same stream. Regression equations were developed from flow statistics and drainage-basin characteristics for 113 unregulated gaging stations. Separate regression equations were developed by using U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging stations in regions with similar drainage-basin characteristics. These equations can increase the accuracy of regression equations used for estimating flow-duration and annual mean-flow statistics at ungaged stream locations in Oklahoma. Streamflow-gaging stations were grouped by selected drainage

  10. Resisting momentum in the abutment to rotating of freight car bogie

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavels GAVRILOVS

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available On the Latvian railway, derailments of freight cars take place in the course of shunting work on marshalling yards. A number of factors during shunting work on marshalling yards may contribute to the derailments of rolling stock: longitudinal dynamics during braking of cars with the turned off brakes by locomotive, hauling down cars from a marshalling hill with braking position controlled by an operator, dry internal rails in curves, absence of greasing in the pivot unit of freight bogies. At present, measures allowing elimination of the car derailments during shunting work are developed.During the period between repairs, the abutment unit of freight car often works in conditions of dry friction. Our observations suggest that at the time of taking a car into repair, there is often an absence of greasing between trail bearing and center plate of the abutment, and a presence of sandy dust. It increases a friction and, together with high contact pressures and dynamic influence, hinders the turn of bogie at motion of car.In this paper, the results of studying the resisting moment in the abutment to turning of bogie is reported. The study was conducted on the basis of freight bogie of type 18-100; the body was leant on the center plate unit of the abutment, on the center plate unit, and on the sliders. Experiments were conducted, with the use of greasing and at the dry friction of center plate unit.

  11. 49 CFR 173.9 - Transport vehicles or freight containers containing lading which has been fumigated.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Transport vehicles or freight containers... MATERIALS REGULATIONS SHIPPERS-GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SHIPMENTS AND PACKAGINGS General § 173.9 Transport... hazardous material. (b) No person may offer for transportation or transport a rail car, freight container...

  12. Data adaptive estimation of transversal blood flow velocities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pirnia, E.; Jakobsson, A.; Gudmundson, E.

    2014-01-01

    the transversal blood flow. In this paper, we propose a novel data-adaptive blood flow estimator exploiting this modulation scheme. Using realistic Field II simulations, the proposed estimator is shown to achieve a notable performance improvement as compared to current state-of-the-art techniques.......The examination of blood flow inside the body may yield important information about vascular anomalies, such as possible indications of, for example, stenosis. Current Medical ultrasound systems suffer from only allowing for measuring the blood flow velocity along the direction of irradiation......, posing natural difficulties due to the complex behaviour of blood flow, and due to the natural orientation of most blood vessels. Recently, a transversal modulation scheme was introduced to induce also an oscillation along the transversal direction, thereby allowing for the measurement of also...

  13. The Energy-Efficient Operation Problem of a Freight Train Considering Long-Distance Steep Downhill Sections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan Lin

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available With the energy consumption rising in rail transport, the railway sector is showing increasing interest in the energy-efficient operation of freight trains. Freight trains require more complicated driving strategies than ordinary passenger trains do due to their heavy loads, especially in the long-distance steep downhill (LDSD sections that are very common in freight rail lines in China. This paper studies the energy-efficient operation of a freight train considering LDSD sections. An optimal control model including regenerative and pneumatic braking is developed for the freight train. Then, when a train leaves/enters the LDSD section, we verify the uniqueness of control transitions and discuss the speed profile linkage between LDSD and its adjacent sections, which indicates that the periodic braking should be applied on LDSD sections for optimality. Additionally, given the same running time for the entire journey, our analysis shows that electrical braking-full braking strategy is more energy-efficient than coasting-full braking strategy on LDSD sections. Finally, a numerical algorithm for the optimal driving solution is proposed. The simulation results demonstrate that the driving strategies generated by the proposed algorithm performs better than those from fuzzy predictive control and field operation regarding energy saving.

  14. Climate change, productivity shocks and demand for freight ground transportation in Atlantic Canada

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yevdokimov, Y. |; New Brunswick Univ., Fredericton, NB; Byelyayev, O.

    2005-01-01

    A study was conducted to determine the impacts of climate change on the transportation sector in a regional context. The purpose was to analyze potential climate change impacts on demand for freight transportation in Atlantic Canada through its association with other sectors of the regional economy. Freight transportation is designed to meet transportation demands of commodity producers who must deliver their goods to final users. Since it is a by-product of profit maximization and cost minimization by producers of all types of commodities in various sectors of the economy, this study modelled climate change impacts as productivity shocks in relevant sectors of the economy. A computerized simulation was then used to determine how the consequences of these shocks influence the demand for freight transportation. This was accomplished by collecting climate related data in Atlantic Canada as well as aggregate economic data that reflects the economic performance of the regional economy. A growth model that links regional economy to freight transportation was then developed and different scenarios for future developments associated with climate change impacts were evaluated. Computer simulation with Mathcad-8 showed that the conditions specified in the best-case scenario, expected-case scenario and worst-case scenario resulted in a cumulative loss in demand for ground freight transportation of 7.213, 582.127 and 610.92 billion tonne-kilometers respectively, over the 2001-2100 period. In general, the results of the computer simulation demonstrated a considerable decrease in the demand for ground freight transportation in Atlantic Canada resulting from climate change impacts. The loss in demand was found to occur mostly in the first half of this century, with some recovery in the second half because the economic system would adapt to new climate conditions. It was recommended that policy instruments such as regulations or taxes, should be put in place to reduce the impacts

  15. Development of a type IP-2 freight container and leak testing during the longitudinal and transverse racking tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holden, G.V.

    2002-01-01

    The leak performance of freight containers has never been particularly well defined within the UK and up to the publication of 'A DETR guide to the approval of freight containers as IP-2 and IP-3 packages' freight containers with twin rear doors were acceptable as IP-2/3 packages. The containment argument has usually been based on providing adequate load securing and transport under exclusive use (with no transhipment between modes). Hence the likelihood for dropping the freight container during transhipment is eliminated. These arguments are less acceptable to competent authorities and the document above requires that leak integrity is determined during the standard freight container tests. This paper outlines the methodology used to determine the acceptable leak rate from the container (in terms of a pressure drop); the justification for conducting leak testing during racking only; the results of tests and difficulties that were overcome during design. (author)

  16. Energy usage optimisation of heavy haul freight trains

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Bogaers, Alfred

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available tonnage and long distances an enormous amount of energy is required. Using classical mechanics, an energy usage model for typical freight trains based on available tractive power and typical rolling stock resistances (curvature, friction, gravity etc...

  17. THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF SPINE BEAM OF FREIGHT CARS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. O. Neduzha

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the results of theoretical and experimental studies of the strength properties of rolling stock; search for design tools, modeling, selection, justification of the service life extension of freight cars and their elements. Methodology. The article is based on the finite element method (FEM. It makes possible to completely automate the calculation of mechanical systems, although, as a rule, it requires a much larger number of computational operations than the classical methods of mechanics. The modern level of development of computer technology opens wide opportunities for the introduction of FEM into engineering practice. FEM is implemented in many well-known and widely distributed software products that provide strength analysis of models of machines, mechanisms, structures, including the rolling stock of railways. Findings. The article presents an analysis of the theoretical and experimental studies of the strength properties of rolling stock elements on the example of the spine beam of freight cars; calculations were performed using a modern application program package. The presented example of use of the offered approach has shown its operation capacity and efficiency, as well as correctness of the research direction. The offered approach can be used when solving similar optimization tasks in research and developmental practice of transport mechanical engineering. Originality. The authors proposed me-thod of determining the reliability indicators and solving scientific and applied problem of calculating the elements of freight cars, taking into account the operation features and the loading mode impact. This allows determining their durability at the design stage. There were developed and investigated the models of the spine beam of a freight car, on the basis of which the dependences characterizing the stress-strain state of its elements were obtained. Scientifically substantiated results of

  18. Estimation of Centers and Stagnation points in optical flow fields

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Rasmus

    1997-01-01

    In a topological sense fluid flows are characterised by their stagnation points. Given a temporal sequence of images of fluids we will consider the application of local polynomials to the estimation of smooth fluid flow fields. The normal flow at intensity contours is estimated from the local dis...

  19. Intermodel freight terminals: marketing channels and telecommunication networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiegmans, B.W.; Nijkamp, P.; Masurel, E.

    2001-01-01

    This paper seeks to highlight the importance of modern telecommunications networks in combined transport marketing channels deployed for intermodal terminals. To develop a customer-based and broadly applicable framework for studying combined freight transport in Europe, the use of the marketing

  20. Broad economic benefits of freight transportation infrastructure improvement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-01

    This project strives to introduce a novel way to quantify the broad re-organization benefits associated with an : improvement in the freight infrastructure. Using the approach based on 1) the technique known as Field of Influence, and : 2) RAS adjust...

  1. Unintended environmental impacts of nighttime freight logistics activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    In recent years, the reduction of freight vehicle trips during peak hours has been a common : policy goal. To this end, policies have been implemented to shift logistics operations to : nighttime hours. The purpose of such policies has generally been...

  2. An Analysis of International Air Freight Forwarding Support for the United States Navy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1985-06-01

    2. The Role of IATA in Ratemaking ... ...... 23 3. Current Environment ..... ........... 24 III. BURLINGTON-NORTHERN AIR FREIGHT, INCORPORATED . . 28...carrier is permitted access [Ref. 16]. 2. The Role of IATA in Ratemaking Factors other than shipper demand and carrier costs affect international freight...capability of the Air Force and Navy into one transport organization called the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). The mission of MATS was basically that

  3. Research on Price of Railway Freight Based on Low-Carbon Economy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fenling Feng

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Transportation is one of the major energy consumption and carbon emission industries. Railway transport is a typical low-carbon transport. To accelerate the green low-carbon transportation development and improve the railway market share, this paper defines the concept of carbon saving profit to study the price of railway freight after the government functions were separated from railway enterprise management. First, taking full account of market factors and on the principle of utility maximization and maximum likelihood method, the sharing ratio model of transportation modes is established. Then consideration is given to both the profit of railway enterprises and social benefits, and income maximization model of railway freight based on low-carbon economy is established. The model can scientifically guide the transportation users who prefer to use resource-saving and environmental-friendly transportation modes, optimize transportation structure, and comprehensively improve the efficiency of transportation system. Finally, case analysis is conducted to verify the rationality and validity of the model, and reference for the rail freight pricing is provided.

  4. The Impact of the Airline Freight Transportation on GDP in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Okşan Kibritçi Artar

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The demand of passenger and freight transportation has been increasing tremendously each day due to the globalization process. Therefore, the acceleration in the transportation demand has a natural impact on the distances that the freights have been carried through in overall. In this prospect, international logistics provides an economic utility from the sustainability viewpoint in the global competition arena. World-wide supply and distribution channels have become so sophisticated, resulting in having vitality in the field therefore boosting its share in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP. High impact of liberalization in the air transportation markets has been affecting the market of Turkey as well as USA and EU. Moreover, it is one of the industries that have survived from the global financial crises which is also critical from the competition based strategies. In this study, the relation between the GDP and the air freight traffic of Turkey has been analyzed by using an econometric model. As a result, it has been found that there is a statistically significant relationship between those parameters.

  5. Comparative economic efficiency, operating costs and fuel consumption rates of freight transport modes between the largest industrial cities and seaports in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W J (Wessel Pienaar

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with aspects of efficiency within the five modes of freight transport, with special reference to the operating cost and fuel consumption rates between South Africa’s largest industrial cities and seaports. In particular, the paper deals with (a the opportunities that exist for the achievement of efficiency in freight transport; (b the subgroups of economies that can enhance efficiency attainment in the freight transport industry; (c prevailing cost structures, operating cost and fuel consumption rates within the five modes of freight transport; and (d the salient economic features of the freight transport market. The research approach and methodology combine (a a literature survey; (b empiric research, (c an analysis of the cost structures of freight transport operators from different modes of transport; and (d interviews conducted with specialists in the freight transport industry.

  6. The outlook for the freight market in 2002

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cherrett, D. [H. Clarkson (United Kingdom)

    2001-07-01

    A series of charts (presented as overheads/slides) show the trends in the Capesize (Richards Bay to Rotterdam), Panamax (Richards Bay to Spain/Mediterranean) and Handymax (Newcastle, Australia to Japan) markets from 1992 to date. Factors affecting the freight rates are discussed.

  7. Emissions of CO{sub 2} from road freight transport in London: Trends and policies for long run reductions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zanni, Alberto M., E-mail: a.m.zanni@lboro.ac.u [Transport Studies Group, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU Loughborough (United Kingdom); Bristow, Abigail L., E-mail: a.l.bristow@lboro.ac.u [Transport Studies Group, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU Loughborough (United Kingdom)

    2010-04-15

    Freight transport has been receiving increasing attention in both literature and practice following the growing recognition of its importance in urban transport planning. This paper analyses historical and projected road freight CO{sub 2} emissions in the city of London and explores the potential mitigation effect of a set of freight transport policies and logistics solutions. Findings indicate a range of policies with potential to reduce emissions in the period up to 2050. However, this reduction would appear to only be capable of partly counterbalancing the projected increase in freight traffic. More profound behavioural measures therefore appear to be necessary for London's CO{sub 2} emissions reduction targets to be met.

  8. Emissions of CO{sub 2} from road freight transport in London. Trends and policies for long run reductions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zanni, Alberto M.; Bristow, Abigail L. [Transport Studies Group, Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, LE11 3TU Loughborough (United Kingdom)

    2010-04-15

    Freight transport has been receiving increasing attention in both literature and practice following the growing recognition of its importance in urban transport planning. This paper analyses historical and projected road freight CO{sub 2} emissions in the city of London and explores the potential mitigation effect of a set of freight transport policies and logistics solutions. Findings indicate a range of policies with potential to reduce emissions in the period up to 2050. However, this reduction would appear to only be capable of partly counterbalancing the projected increase in freight traffic. More profound behavioural measures therefore appear to be necessary for London's CO{sub 2} emissions reduction targets to be met. (author)

  9. Electric Road Systems: Strategic Stepping Stone on the Way towards Sustainable Freight Transport?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesko Schulte

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Electrification of the transport sector has been pointed out as a key factor for tackling some of today’s main challenges, such as global warming, air pollution, and eco-system degradation. While numerous studies have investigated the potential of electrifying passenger transport, less focus has been on how road freight transport could be powered in a sustainable future. This study looks at Electric Road Systems (ERS in comparison to the current diesel system. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development was used to assess whether ERS could be a stepping stone on the way towards sustainability. Strategic life-cycle assessment was applied, scanning each life-cycle phase for violations against basic sustainability principles. Resulting sustainability “hot spots” were quantified with traditional life-cycle assessment. The results show that, if powered by renewable energy, ERS have a potential to decrease the environmental impact of freight transport considerably. Environmental payback times of less than five years are achievable if freight traffic volumes are sufficiently high. However, some severe violations against sustainability principles were identified. Still, ERS could prove to be a valuable part of the solution, as they drastically decrease the need for large batteries with high cost and sustainability impact, thereby catalyzing electrification and the transition towards sustainable freight transport.

  10. Estimating truck operating costs for domestic trips – case studies from Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sdoukopoulos Eleftherios

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The transport sector represents a vital component of national economies and has significant impacts on productivity and social welfare. In 2012, the transport sector in Europe was estimated to account for 3.7% of the European Gross Domestic Product (GDP and 5.1% for employment. Road transport proves to be the predominant mode for moving goods within Europe holding a share of approximately 45.8% in 2012 (in ton-kms. In Greece, the share of road freight transport is significantly higher (98% indicating the importance of this sector for the Greek economy. To this end and considering the existing needs of road freight transport operators in Greece, the objective of this research is to establish an analytical and documented basis for estimating the operating cost of a truck on specific urban or national freight transport routes. To achieve this goal, an extended literature review has been conducted resulting in the identification of the main components comprising the total truck operating cost, which were then updated and validated through a series of personal interviews with selected road freight transport professionals. An excel-based application tool was also developed in order to facilitate operating cost estimates for different cases, through selection of the proper values of the relevant parameters. The resulting tool was used to analyse four test cases, which demonstrate the tool’s usability and applicability. Results from this analysis have been also validated by industry experts and they reflect real-world transport scenarios.

  11. Microsphere estimates of blood flow: Methodological considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    von Ritter, C.; Hinder, R.A.; Womack, W.; Bauerfeind, P.; Fimmel, C.J.; Kvietys, P.R.; Granger, D.N.; Blum, A.L.

    1988-01-01

    The microsphere technique is a standard method for measuring blood flow in experimental animals. Sporadic reports have appeared outlining the limitations of this method. In this study the authors have systematically assessed the effect of blood withdrawals for reference sampling, microsphere numbers, and anesthesia on blood flow estimates using radioactive microspheres in dogs. Experiments were performed on 18 conscious and 12 anesthetized dogs. Four blood flow estimates were performed over 120 min using 1 x 10 6 microspheres each time. The effects of excessive numbers of microspheres pentobarbital sodium anesthesia, and replacement of volume loss for reference samples with dextran 70 were assessed. In both conscious and anesthetized dogs a progressive decrease in gastric mucosal blood flow and cardiac output was observed over 120 min. This was also observed in the pancreas in conscious dogs. The major factor responsible for these changes was the volume loss due to the reference sample withdrawals. Replacement of the withdrawn blood with dextran 70 led to stable blood flows to all organs. The injection of excessive numbers of microspheres did not modify hemodynamics to a greater extent than did the injection of 4 million microspheres. Anesthesia exerted no influence on blood flow other than raising coronary flow. The authors conclude that although blood flow to the gastric mucosa and the pancreas is sensitive to the minor hemodynamic changes associated with the microsphere technique, replacement of volume loss for reference samples ensures stable blood flow to all organs over a 120-min period

  12. 3-D Vector Flow Estimation With Row–Column-Addressed Arrays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holbek, Simon; Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Stuart, Matthias Bo

    2016-01-01

    Simulation and experimental results from 3-D vector flow estimations for a 62 + 62 2-D row–column (RC) array with integrated apodization are presented. A method for implementing a 3-D transverse oscillation (TO) velocity estimator on a 3-MHz RC array is developed and validated. First, a parametric...... mean bias B˜ and mean standard deviation σ˜ . Second, the optimal parameter configuration is implemented on the prototype RC probe connected to the experimental ultrasound scanner SARUS. Results from measurements conducted in a flow-rig system containing a constant laminar flow and a straight.......7, −0.9, 0.4)% with a relative standard deviation of (8.7, 5.1, 0.8)% for (vx , vy, vz). The estimated peak velocity is 48.5 ± 3 cm/s giving a −3% bias. The out-of-plane velocity component perpendicular to the cross section is used to estimate volumetric flow rates in the flow rig at a 90° beam...

  13. Energy efficiency of road freight hauliers - A Nordic comparison

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liimatainen, Heikki; Nykanen, Lasse; Arvidsson, Niklas

    2014-01-01

    In order to promote policy targets for decarbonising road freight, it is important to gain knowledge on the current energy efficiency practices of hauliers in various countries. This research aimed to provide such knowledge to enable international comparison of the energy efficiency practices...... of road freight hauliers. This was achieved by replicating the Finnish haulier survey in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Energy efficiency index was developed to provide a simple metric for international comparison. The EEL covers various aspects of energy efficiency to provide a comprehensive outlook...... efficiency actions is rather similar between the four countries. The simple and inexpensive actions, like choosing the lorry according to the cargo and idling avoidance, are most widely implemented. The energy efficiency index developed in this research proved to be a very useful tool for comparing...

  14. Ultrasonic 3-D Vector Flow Method for Quantitative In Vivo Peak Velocity and Flow Rate Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holbek, Simon; Ewertsen, Caroline; Bouzari, Hamed

    2017-01-01

    Current clinical ultrasound (US) systems are limited to show blood flow movement in either 1-D or 2-D. In this paper, a method for estimating 3-D vector velocities in a plane using the transverse oscillation method, a 32×32 element matrix array, and the experimental US scanner SARUS is presented...... is validated in two phantom studies, where flow rates are measured in a flow-rig, providing a constant parabolic flow, and in a straight-vessel phantom ( ∅=8 mm) connected to a flow pump capable of generating time varying waveforms. Flow rates are estimated to be 82.1 ± 2.8 L/min in the flow-rig compared...

  15. 76 FR 27366 - CEVA Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Prologistix...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-11

    ... Logistics Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Prologistix, Including Workers Whose Unemployment..., applicable to workers of CEVA Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division, including on-site leased workers from... workers employed at CEVA Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division, Winston-Salem, North Carolina who were...

  16. Electronic Freight Management Case Studies : a Summary of Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-01

    The Electronic Freight Management (EFM) initiative is a USDOT-sponsored project that applies Web technologies that improve data and message transmissions between supply chain partners. The EFM implementation case studies contained in this document ex...

  17. Columbus electronic freight management evaluation final report : June 2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-06-01

    This document provides the independent evaluation of the USDOT-sponsored Columbus Electronic Freight Management (CEFM) Operational Test, which occurred from late May 2007 until December 2007. The Evaluation report includes descriptions of the CEFM sy...

  18. Defining freight rates as a contribution to the successful operation of container shipping companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renato Oblak

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The globalization of the world market and the flexibility of containerization to adjust to the constant changes in supply and demand of the international goods market, has led to a continuous increase in the portion of the container transport within the international maritime cargo transport. By the increase of the container transport level, the impact and importance of container freight rates have been growing, the variability of which directly reflects on the world economy. The aim of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of actual methods in establishing the container freight rates according to the problems which appear in the container shipping operation and refer to large differences in the weights of the actual transported cargo and the declared cargo in containers. The consequence of is lower freight rates and higher costs of the vessels exploitation, concerning the increase of the bunker oil consumption. The conducted research is based on actual data that have been collected and analyzed from particular container vessel liner services within period of 90 days and casting off from 16 container ports. The proposed measures could increase the level of usability of the transporting ships capacities and enable a more accurate and correct account of sea freight rates. The results of the research have shown that by increasing the control of accuracy of the cargo weight in containers and by improving the model of accounting, the freight rates can increase the incomes of shipping companies maintaining the same level of container traffic, which can have a direct influence on the efficiency of their successful operation.

  19. Implementing the Freight Transportation Data Architecture : Data Element Dictionary

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    NCFRP Report 9: Guidance for Developing a Freight Data Architecture articulates the value of establishing architecture for linking data across modes, subjects, and levels of geography to obtain essential information for decision making. Central to th...

  20. Air cargo in the Mid-America Freight Coalition region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    This report contains a contextual review of air cargo transportation in the 10-state Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) region including the industrys recent history, security implications, and integration within the greater MAFC economy. The re...

  1. Toward an enhanced Bayesian estimation framework for multiphase flow soft-sensing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Xiaodong; Lorentzen, Rolf J; Stordal, Andreas S; Nævdal, Geir

    2014-01-01

    In this work the authors study the multiphase flow soft-sensing problem based on a previously established framework. There are three functional modules in this framework, namely, a transient well flow model that describes the response of certain physical variables in a well, for instance, temperature, velocity and pressure, to the flow rates entering and leaving the well zones; a Markov jump process that is designed to capture the potential abrupt changes in the flow rates; and an estimation method that is adopted to estimate the underlying flow rates based on the measurements from the physical sensors installed in the well. In the previous studies, the variances of the flow rates in the Markov jump process are chosen manually. To fill this gap, in the current work two automatic approaches are proposed in order to optimize the variance estimation. Through a numerical example, we show that, when the estimation framework is used in conjunction with these two proposed variance-estimation approaches, it can achieve reasonable performance in terms of matching both the measurements of the physical sensors and the true underlying flow rates. (paper)

  2. Intermodal freight terminals : marketing channels and transport networks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nijkamp, Peter; Wiegmans, Bart

    1999-01-01

    The goal of this paper is to combine the current theory about marketing channels withcombined transport and logistics in order to develop a customer-based and broadly applicable approach to the study of combined freight transport inEurope. Furthermore, this paper seeks to provide an analytical

  3. Operational freight carrier planning basic concepts, optimization models and advanced memetic algorithms

    CERN Document Server

    Schönberger, Jörn

    2005-01-01

    The modern freight carrier business requires a sophisticated automatic decision support in order to ensure the efficiency and reliability and therefore the survival of transport service providers. This book addresses these challenges and provides generic decision models for the short-term operations planning as well as advanced metaheuristics to obtain efficient operation plans. After a thorough analysis of the operations planning in the freight carrier business, decision models are derived. Their suitability is proven within a large number of numerical experiments, in which a new class of hybrid genetic search approaches demonstrate their appropriateness.

  4. Affordable Freight Logistics Transport Information Management Optimisation and Asset Tracking Solution Using Smartphone GPS Capabilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muna, Joseph T.; Prescott, Kevin

    2011-08-01

    Traditionally, freight transport and telematics solutions that exploit the GPS capabilities of in- vehicle devices to provide innovative Location Based Services (LBS) including track and trace transport systems have been the preserve of a select cluster of transport operators and organisations with the financial resources to develop the requisite custom software and hardware on which they are deployed. The average cost of outfitting a typical transport vehicle or truck with the latest Intelligent Transport System (ITS) increases the cost of the vehicle by anything from a couple to several thousand Euros, depending on the complexity and completeness of the solution. Though this does not generally deter large fleet transport owners since they typically get Return on Investment (ROI) based on economies of scale, it presents a barrier for the smaller independent entities that constitute the majority of freight transport operators [1].The North Sea Freight Intelligent Transport Solution (NS FRITS), a project co-funded by the European Commission Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme, aims to make acquisition of such transport solutions easier for those organisations that cannot afford the expensive, bespoke systems used by their larger competitors.The project addresses transport security threats by developing a system capable of informing major actors along the freight logistics supply chain, of changing circumstances within the region's major transport corridors and between transport modes. The project also addresses issues of freight volumes, inter-modality, congestion and eco-mobility [2].

  5. Estimating the consequences of significant fracture flow at Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gauthier, J.H.; Wilson, M.L.; Lauffer, F.C.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper a simple model is proposed for investigating the possibility of significant fracture flow at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The model allows an estimate of the number of flowing fractures at Yucca Mountain based on the size of the fractures and the yearly volume of infiltrating water. Given the number of flowing fractures, the number of waste containers they contact is estimated by a geometric argument. Preliminary results indicate that the larger the flowing fractures, the lower the releases of radionuclides. Also, even with significant fracture flow, releases could be well below the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency

  6. Estimating the consequences of significant fracture flow at Yucca Mountain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gauthier, J.H.; Wilson, M.L.; Lauffer, F.C.

    1991-01-01

    A simple model is proposed for investigating the possibility of significant fracture flow at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The model allows an estimate of the number of flowing fractures at Yucca Mountain based on the size of the fractures and the yearly volume of infiltrating water. Given the number of flowing fractures, the number of waste containers they contact is estimated by a geometric argument. Preliminary results indicate that the larger the flowing fractures, the lower the releases of radionuclides. Also, even with significant fracture flow, releases could be well below the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency

  7. Harmonizing carbon footprint calculation for freight transport chains

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lewis, A.; Ehrler, V.; Auvinen, H.; Maurer, H.; Davydenko, I.; Burmeister, A.; Seidel, S.; Lischke, A.; Kiel, J.

    2016-01-01

    The European Commission has set as a target a reduction of 60% in transport greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 [EC 11]. This includes freight transport emissions, which present a particular challenge due to the forecast increase in goods transport linked to future economic growth, the current trend of

  8. Designing Light Electric Vehicles for urban freight transport

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hogt, Roeland; Balm, S.H.; Warmerdam, J.M.

    2017-01-01

    The number of light commercial vehicles (LCV) in cities is growing, which puts increasing pressure on the liveability of cities. Small electric freight vehicles and cargo bikes can offer a solution, as they take less space, can manoeuvre easily and free from polluting emissions. Within the two-year

  9. 77 FR 24561 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment of Freight Easement Exemption-in Alameda and Santa...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-24

    ... Authority--Abandonment of Residual Common Carrier Obligation Exemption--in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties... freight operating easement on, and for VTA, the owner of the line, to abandon its residual common carrier... abandoned for freight rail service, but will be retained and rebuilt for future inclusion in the Bay Area...

  10. 75 FR 38128 - Ceva Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Prologistix and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... Logistics Division, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Prologistix and Employment Staffing Solutions... 19, 2010, applicable to workers of CEVA Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division, including on-site..., North Carolina location of CEVA Freight, LLC, Dell Logistics Division. The Department has determined...

  11. An estimation of vehicle kilometer traveled and on-road emissions using the traffic volume and travel speed on road links in Incheon City.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Sungwoon; Kim, Jounghwa; Kim, Jeongsoo; Hong, Dahee; Park, Dongjoo

    2017-04-01

    The objective of this study is to estimate the vehicle kilometer traveled (VKT) and on-road emissions using the traffic volume in urban. We estimated two VKT; one is based on registered vehicles and the other is based on traffic volumes. VKT for registered vehicles was 2.11 times greater than that of the applied traffic volumes because each VKT estimation method is different. Therefore, we had to define the inner VKT is moved VKT inner in urban to compare two values. Also, we focused on freight modes because these are discharged much air pollutant emissions. From analysis results, we found middle and large trucks registered in other regions traveled to target city in order to carry freight, target city has included many industrial and logistics areas. Freight is transferred through the harbors, large logistics centers, or via locations before being moved to the final destination. During this process, most freight is moved by middle and large trucks, and trailers rather than small trucks for freight import and export. Therefore, these trucks from other areas are inflow more than registered vehicles. Most emissions from diesel trucks had been overestimated in comparison to VKT from applied traffic volumes in target city. From these findings, VKT is essential based on traffic volume and travel speed on road links in order to estimate accurately the emissions of diesel trucks in target city. Our findings support the estimation of the effect of on-road emissions on urban air quality in Korea. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  12. Cash flows: The Gap Between Reported and Estimated Operating Cash Flow Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Hughes

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The FASB and the IASB recently released a joint Discussion Paper “Preliminary Views on FinancialStatement Presentation” (International Accounting Standards Board 2008, which contains a major proposalrequiring companies to report operating cash flows using the direct method and it also requires that theindirect method of calculating operating cash flows be disclosed in the notes. This is a departure from currentrules and has generated considerable debate among respondents’ comment letters on the Discussion Paper.This paper adds to this debate by providing some evidence as to the size of the gap users confront when usingthe indirect method to estimate the major operating cash flow elements, such as cash collected fromcustomers and cash paid to suppliers. Using a sample of Australian companies which reported operating cashflows using the direct method, and presented the indirect method in the notes, we find significant differencesbetween reported and estimated figures for both cash collected from customers and cash paid to suppliers.These findings support the discussion paper’s proposal that companies be required to report cash flows usingboth the direct and indirect methods.

  13. A model for development of freight transport; En model for godstransportens udvikling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kveiborg, O. [National Environmental Res., Systems Analysis Dept. Roskilde (Denmark)

    2001-01-01

    This report describes the results of a large project conducted in a corporation between Statistics Denmark and the Danish National Environmental Research Institute. The main objective of the project has been to analyse the possibilities of prescribing the development in the Danish freight transport in a more appropriate and precise way than it is done by existing models. A secondary objective of the project was to develop a model based on the findings of the analysis. The intention was to be able to describe all areas of freight transport. The analysis has proven it impossible to improve the existing calculations in some areas of transport. Hence, the project has been narrowed down to focus exclusively on road freight transport. The developed model distinguishes itself from existing models by a much higher level of detail in the calculations. This enables the model to describe the structural relations between transport and economic activity, which has previously been subsumed in the aggregate calculations of existing models. The work carried out in the process of developing a model for the freight transport has encountered many difficulties. The findings described in this report are merely one step towards a better understanding of the relation between economic development and transport. The descriptions on the following pages will describe some of the difficulties we have had in achieving an appropriate statistical description of the different linkages. Furthermore, the calculations carried out with the model point at other unsolved problems. There is an indication that the model tends to overestimate the developments in freight transport. In this respect, the very disaggregate calculations of the model can be seen as both an advantage and as a disadvantage because each extra calculation gives rise to further uncertainties in the overall result. Even though we have had great difficulties finding adequate descriptions of the development in the factors in the model

  14. Optimum ratio of main mechanized operations for direct-flow fertilizers introduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. P. Uvarov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Use of transport and technological means is carried out according to the direct-flow scheme and includes stage-by-stage performance as the main standard-setting operations (fertilizers transportation, movement and their distribution across a field, and auxiliary (return from a field and loading of fertilizers. The method of comparison of main types of operations at fertilizers application is given. An estimation criterion is a ratio of cargo movements on a road and across a field, proportionality coefficient between movement of freight and a fertilizers distribution area across the field. These indicators depend on transportation distances and doses of fertilizers application, and also on technology factor that is freight moving frequency across the field. The last characteristic is taken as the optimized parameter. An extremum of this indicator was searched due to a classical method. Optimum values of estimated indicators with the accounting of a variation of a ratio of load capacity and operating width of technical means are received. Concrete combinations of transportation distances and doses of fertilizers application are specified. The authors defined conditions of effective use of tractor and perspective automobile transport and technological means. They recommended to use the automeans allowing to change operating width. Realization of the stated methodological approach will make it possible to select an optimum ratio of the mechanized operations at direct-flow fertilizers application, to exclude additional cargo movements across the field, to cut fuel consumption, to increase productivity. Productivity of transport and technological means increases by 2.0; 1.3 and 1.15 times respectively to length of furrow 3; 9 and 27 km at fertilizers application by a dose of 0.06 kg per sq.m.

  15. EU road freight transport sector : work and employment conditions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Houtman, I.L.D.; Klein Hesselink, D.J.; Bossche, S.N.J. van den; Berg, R. van der; Heuvel, F. van den

    2004-01-01

    International competition and technological developments have had both positive and negative effects on the road freight transport sector. These changes have significantly influenced work and employment conditions in the sector. As this report highlights, creating more and better jobs while

  16. Robust optimization model and algorithm for railway freight center location problem in uncertain environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xing-Cai; He, Shi-Wei; Song, Rui; Sun, Yang; Li, Hao-Dong

    2014-01-01

    Railway freight center location problem is an important issue in railway freight transport programming. This paper focuses on the railway freight center location problem in uncertain environment. Seeing that the expected value model ignores the negative influence of disadvantageous scenarios, a robust optimization model was proposed. The robust optimization model takes expected cost and deviation value of the scenarios as the objective. A cloud adaptive clonal selection algorithm (C-ACSA) was presented. It combines adaptive clonal selection algorithm with Cloud Model which can improve the convergence rate. Design of the code and progress of the algorithm were proposed. Result of the example demonstrates the model and algorithm are effective. Compared with the expected value cases, the amount of disadvantageous scenarios in robust model reduces from 163 to 21, which prove the result of robust model is more reliable.

  17. Robust Optimization Model and Algorithm for Railway Freight Center Location Problem in Uncertain Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing-cai Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Railway freight center location problem is an important issue in railway freight transport programming. This paper focuses on the railway freight center location problem in uncertain environment. Seeing that the expected value model ignores the negative influence of disadvantageous scenarios, a robust optimization model was proposed. The robust optimization model takes expected cost and deviation value of the scenarios as the objective. A cloud adaptive clonal selection algorithm (C-ACSA was presented. It combines adaptive clonal selection algorithm with Cloud Model which can improve the convergence rate. Design of the code and progress of the algorithm were proposed. Result of the example demonstrates the model and algorithm are effective. Compared with the expected value cases, the amount of disadvantageous scenarios in robust model reduces from 163 to 21, which prove the result of robust model is more reliable.

  18. Trends in truck freight energy use and carbon emissions in selected OECD countries from 1973 to 2005

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamakate, Fatumata; Schipper, Lee

    2009-01-01

    Trends in truck freight energy use and carbon emissions: In the age of global supply chains and 'just in time' logistics, fast and efficient goods movement is often seen as an economic imperative. Growth in global goods movement not only translates into growth in commercial trucking activity but also into growth in the share of trucking compared to other modes of in-country freight transportation. These trends have a significant impact on the energy intensity of freight transport. Using a bottom-up approach relying on national data, this study compares the energy intensity of truck freight in Australia, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States from 1973 to the present. The analysis builds on previous work by and decomposing energy use for freight. Intensity is expressed in terms of vehicle intensity (megajoules/vehicle-kilometer), modal energy intensity (megajoules/tonne-kilometer), and carbon intensity (grams/tonne-km). The cross-country comparison highlights in part the influence of geography, transportation infrastructure, and truck utilization patterns on energy and carbon intensity from this sector. While improving fuel economy of individual vehicles is very important, large reductions in trucking energy use and emissions will also come from better logistics and driving, higher load factors, and better matching of truck capacity to load.

  19. CargoCBM – Feature Generation and Classification for a Condition Monitoring System for Freight Wagons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gericke, C; Hecht, M

    2012-01-01

    Despite the fact that rail freight transport is one of the most environmentally friendly matters of transport, its growth has been far behind the growth of freight transport in general. Studies showed that a competitive disadvantage is caused by a low availability of rolling stock, especially freight wagons. Changing from a time based to a condition based maintenance strategy is believed to decrease down times by at least one third. To make condition based maintenance for freight wagons possible the TU Berlin and five industry partners started the research project CargoCBM. One task in this project is to develop algorithms for the automatic on-board diagnosis of wheel flats. The focus of the work is on the process of feature generation and feature selection as well as the application of different classifiers to automatically evaluate the data. Based on the results of measured data, features were selected and tested with different classifiers. Thought advanced classifiers such as neural networks have been analysed in accordance to their classification accuracy. It can be shown that with carefully constructed and selected features comparatively simple classifiers can lead to excellent results.

  20. On the stick-slip vibration in the suspension of a freight wagon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mazilu Traian

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Damping based on the dry friction is frequently in suspensions of the freight wagons. The paper presents some aspects of vertical vibration of freight wagons. It uses a simple model considering that the vehicle was reduced to a mass suspended on a wheel, moving at constant speed on a rigid track with harmonic irregularity. Stick-slip vibration can occur due to the friction and it is characterized by sudden changes in the wheel acceleration affecting the ride quality. The paper shows the influence of stick-slip vibration on the wheel-rail dynamic force.

  1. Involving Freight Transport Actors in Production of Knowledge - Experience with Future Workshop Methodology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jespersen, Per Homann; Drewes, Lise

    2005-01-01

    the experience and knowledge of actors in the freight transport sector are included directly in a scientific process in order to develop future and strategic studies. Future research is often produced as desktop research and presented as the results of scientists’ forecasting and scenario building...... in the format of a future workshop included freight transport stakeholders in the research process in order to produce knowledge meeting scientific quality criteria and at the same time in a form suitable for improving the problem solving capabilities of the participants....

  2. Local scattering property scales flow speed estimation in laser speckle contrast imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miao, Peng; Chao, Zhen; Feng, Shihan; Ji, Yuanyuan; Yu, Hang; Thakor, Nitish V; Li, Nan

    2015-01-01

    Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has been widely used in in vivo blood flow imaging. However, the effect of local scattering property (scattering coefficient µ s ) on blood flow speed estimation has not been well investigated. In this study, such an effect was quantified and involved in relation between speckle autocorrelation time τ c and flow speed v based on simulation flow experiments. For in vivo blood flow imaging, an improved estimation strategy was developed to eliminate the estimation bias due to the inhomogeneous distribution of the scattering property. Compared to traditional LSCI, a new estimation method significantly suppressed the imaging noise and improves the imaging contrast of vasculatures. Furthermore, the new method successfully captured the blood flow changes and vascular constriction patterns in rats’ cerebral cortex from normothermia to mild and moderate hypothermia. (letter)

  3. Modeling of hyaluronan clearance with application to estimation of lymph flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rössler, Andreas; Goswami, Nandu; Fink, Martin; Batzel, Jerry J

    2011-01-01

    One of the important factors in blood pressure regulation is the maintenance of the level of blood volume, which depends on several factors including the rate of lymph flow. Lymph flow can be measured directly using cannulation of lymphatic vessels, which is not clinically feasible, or indirectly by the tracer appearance rate, which is the rate at which macromolecules appear into the blood from the peritoneal cavity. However, indirect lymph flow measurements do not always provide consistent results. Through its contribution to osmotic pressure and resistance to flow, the macromolecule hyaluronan takes part in the regulation of tissue hydration and the maintenance of water and protein homeostasis. It arrives in blood plasma through lymph flow. Lymphatic hyaluronic acid (HA, hyaluronan) concentration is several times higher than that in plasma, suggesting that the lymphatic route may account for the majority of HA found in plasma. Furthermore, circulating levels of HA reflect the dynamic state between delivery to—and removal from—the bloodstream. To develop an accurate estimation of the fluid volume distribution and dynamics, the rate of lymph flow needs to be taken into account and hyaluronan could be used as a marker in estimating this flow. To examine the HA distribution and system fluid dynamics, a six-compartment model, which could reflect both the steady-state relationships and qualitative characteristics of the dynamics, was developed. This was then applied to estimate fluid shifts from the interstitial space via the lymphatic system to the plasma during different physiological stresses (orthostatic stress and the stress of ultrafiltration during dialysis). Sensitivity analysis shows that during ultrafiltration, lymph flow is a key parameter influencing the total HA level, thus suggesting that the model may find applications in addressing the problem of estimating lymph flow. Since the fluid balance between interstitium and plasma is maintained by lymph

  4. Flexibility of Freight Transport Sectors : An Exploration of Carriers’ Responses to External Pressure on Prices and Service

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Runhaar, H.A.C.; Heijden, R. van der; Kuipers, Bart

    2002-01-01

    In this paper, we explore how government policies in the field of transport may affect future freight rates, transit times, and delivery reliability. In particular, attention is paid to the ‘absorptive capacity’ of freight carriers, i.e. the extent to which they can reduce the effects of such

  5. Optical flow estimation on image sequences with differently exposed frames

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bengtsson, Tomas; McKelvey, Tomas; Lindström, Konstantin

    2015-09-01

    Optical flow (OF) methods are used to estimate dense motion information between consecutive frames in image sequences. In addition to the specific OF estimation method itself, the quality of the input image sequence is of crucial importance to the quality of the resulting flow estimates. For instance, lack of texture in image frames caused by saturation of the camera sensor during exposure can significantly deteriorate the performance. An approach to avoid this negative effect is to use different camera settings when capturing the individual frames. We provide a framework for OF estimation on such sequences that contain differently exposed frames. Information from multiple frames are combined into a total cost functional such that the lack of an active data term for saturated image areas is avoided. Experimental results demonstrate that using alternate camera settings to capture the full dynamic range of an underlying scene can clearly improve the quality of flow estimates. When saturation of image data is significant, the proposed methods show superior performance in terms of lower endpoint errors of the flow vectors compared to a set of baseline methods. Furthermore, we provide some qualitative examples of how and when our method should be used.

  6. Forecasting Container Shipping Freight Rates for the Far East-Northern Europe Trade Lane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munim, Ziaul Haque; Schramm, Hans-Joachim

    2016-01-01

    econometric and time series modelling have been rather limited. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss contemporary container freight rate dynamics in an attempt to forecast for the Far East to Northern Europe trade lane. Methodology-wise, we employ autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) as well......This study introduces a state-of-the-art volatility forecasting method for container shipping freight rates. Over the last decade, the container shipping industry has become very unpredictable. The demolition of the shipping conferences system in 2008 for all trades calling a port in the European...

  7. Improving Urban Freight Transport Sustainability by Carriers : Best Practices from The Netherlands and the EU Project CityLog

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quak, H.J.

    2012-01-01

    ers face serious challenges in making their urban freight transport efficient and sustainable. Local authorities claim that many carriers are not innovative and do not cooperate in improving their city logistics operations. There are three solution directions to make urban freight transport more

  8. Assessment of biodiesel scenarios for Midwest freight transport emission reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    There are trade-offs when attempting to reduce both greenhouse gas and criteria air pollutants for freight transport, as the control : strategies are not necessarily complimentary. While emission controls can remove ozone precursors and particulate f...

  9. Promoting intermodal freight transport through the development of dry ports in Asia: An environmental perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shinya Hanaoka

    2011-07-01

    This study reviews the status of intermodal freight transport in Asia from an environmental perspective. It examines intermodal transport opportunities presented by the development of inland dry ports in hinterland locations. This paper also reviews selected case studies of dry port development in Asia. Finally, we present the lessons to be learned for the promotion of intermodal freight transport from selected Asian countries as well as the policy options available.

  10. Self Calibrating Flow Estimation in Waste Water Pumping Stations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kallesøe, Carsten Skovmose; Knudsen, Torben

    2016-01-01

    Knowledge about where waste water is flowing in waste water networks is essential to optimize the operation of the network pumping stations. However, installation of flow sensors is expensive and requires regular maintenance. This paper proposes an alternative approach where the pumps and the waste...... water pit are used for estimating both the inflow and the pump flow of the pumping station. Due to the nature of waste water, the waste water pumps are heavily affected by wear and tear. To compensate for the wear of the pumps, the pump parameters, used for the flow estimation, are automatically...... calibrated. This calibration is done based on data batches stored at each pump cycle, hence makes the approach a self calibrating system. The approach is tested on a pumping station operating in a real waste water network....

  11. Volatility Spillovers in Capesize Forward Freight Agreement Markets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoxing Gong

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is to investigate spillovers in the Capesize forward freight agreements (FFAs markets before and after the global financial crisis. The paper chooses four Capesize voyage routes FFAs (C3, C4, C5, and C7, two time-charter routes FFAs (BCIT/C average, BPI T/C average, and spot rates as research subjects, covering the periods 3 January 2006 to 24 December 2015. This paper applies Volatility Spillover Multivariate Stochastic Volatility (VS-MSV model to analyze volatility spillover effects and estimates the parameters via software of Bayesian inference using Gibbs Sampling (BUGS, the deviance information criterion (DIC used for goodness-of-fit model. The results suggest that there are volatility spillover effects in certain Capesize FFAs routes, and the effects from spot rates to FFAs take place before crisis, yet they are bilateral after crisis. With the development of shipping markets, the correlations between FFAs and spot rate are enhanced, and it seems that the effects depend on market information and traders’ behavior. So practitioners could make decisions according to the spillovers.

  12. 78 FR 69520 - Designation of the Primary Freight Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-19

    ... NFN may fit into a multimodal National Freight System; and (5) suggestions for an urban-area route... achieve a contiguous network, and to ensure sufficient connections to Mexico and Canada, requires the... whether the resulting network would meet future public planning and investment needs. Each individual...

  13. Velocity estimation using synthetic aperture imaging [blood flow

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nikolov, Svetoslav; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2001-01-01

    Presented an approach for synthetic aperture blood flow ultrasound imaging. Estimates with a low bias and standard deviation can be obtained with as few as eight emissions. The performance of the new estimator is verified using both simulations and measurements. The results demonstrate that a fully...

  14. Coded Ultrasound for Blood Flow Estimation Using Subband Processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gran, Fredrik; Udesen, Jesper; Nielsen, Michael Bachamnn

    2008-01-01

    the excitation signal is broadband and has good spatial resolution after pulse compression. This means that time can be saved by using the same data for B-mode imaging and blood flow estimation. Two different coding schemes are used in this paper, Barker codes and Golay codes. The performance of the codes......This paper investigates the use of coded excitation for blood flow estimation in medical ultrasound. Traditional autocorrelation estimators use narrow-band excitation signals to provide sufficient signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and velocity estimation performance. In this paper, broadband coded...... signals are used to increase SNR, followed by subband processing. The received broadband signal is filtered using a set of narrow-band filters. Estimating the velocity in each of the bands and averaging the results yields better performance compared with what would be possible when transmitting a narrow...

  15. Freight-train derailment rates for railroad safety and risk analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiang; Rapik Saat, M; Barkan, Christopher P L

    2017-01-01

    Derailments are the most common type of train accident in the United States. They cause damage to infrastructure, rolling stock and lading, disrupt service, and have the potential to cause casualties, and harm the environment. Train safety and risk analysis relies on accurate assessment of derailment likelihood. Derailment rate - the number of derailments normalized by traffic exposure - is a useful statistic to estimate the likelihood of a derailment. Despite its importance, derailment rate analysis using multiple factors has not been previously developed. In this paper, we present an analysis of derailment rates on Class I railroad mainlines based on data from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration and the major freight railroads. The point estimator and confidence interval of train and car derailment rates are developed by FRA track class, method of operation and annual traffic density. The analysis shows that signaled track with higher FRA track class and higher traffic density is associated with a lower derailment rate. The new accident rates have important implications for safety and risk management decisions, such as the routing of hazardous materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. A Novel Approach to Forecasting the Bulk Freight Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vangelis Tsioumas

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The fast-paced and ever changing freight market compels maritime executives to use sound forecasting tools. This paper aims to enhance the forecasting accuracy of the Baltic Dry Index (BDI by means of developing a multivariate Vector Autoregressive model with exogenous variables (VARX. The proposed model incorporates the Chinese steel production, the dry bulk fleet development and a new composite indicator, the Dry Bulk Economic Climate Index (DBECI. The predictive power of this approach is evaluated against a univariate ARIMA framework, which serves as a benchmark model. The selection of explanatory variables and the model specification are validated using a series of pertinent tests. The results demonstrate that the VARX model outperforms the ARIMA approach, suggesting that the selected independent variables can substantially improve the accuracy of BDI forecasts. The present study is of interest to maritime practitioners, as it provides useful insights into the direction of the freight market and allows them to make informed decisions.

  17. Evaluating service quality in the Durban freight transportation industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeevarathnam P. Govender

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper evaluates service quality in the Durban freight transportation industry, in which a high degree of competition exists. Previous measurements of service quality in the industry have been casual gauges, rather than a formalised process. This paper makes a contribution by examining the level of service quality, specifically from a tangibles, reliability and responsiveness perspective, thereby identifying service quality gaps which need to be closed, with a view to raising service quality levels in the industry. The SERVQUAL instrument has been used to measure service quality levels administered to 500 of the industry’s active customers, i.e. organisations utilising the services of the freight transportation industry. The targeted respondents were managers responsible for logistics in their organisations. It was found that gaps existed between expectations and perceptions of service quality on 14 of the 15 measured items. Recommendations are made as to how the industry can improve its service quality levels.

  18. Congestion Tolling for Mixed Urban Freight and Passenger Traffic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xie Chaoda

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the welfare effects of optimal tolling on urban traffic congestion, in a bottleneck model, with mixed freight and passenger users. The users’ marginal utility of time is considered to be varying with time. Under both no-toll equilibrium and socially optimal tolling, the users are found to sort their arrival time according to the increasing rates of marginal utility at the destination. The optimal toll that maximizes social welfare does not change each user's indirect utilit y relative to the no-toll equilibrium, but completely removes the queue, which also removes the barrier of freight carriers to accept congestion pricing by relating their marginal utilities directly to the toll. When the toll is equally rebated, the proposed social optimal tolling is a Pareto improvement relative to the no-toll equilibrium. Those more productive users also suffer more in both no-toll equilibrium and optimal tolling, which indicates that a differentiated redistribution of toll revenues could be an incentive to improve productivity.

  19. Freight railway transport: Critical variables to improve the transport applied to infrastructure costs and its associated traffic flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zakowska, L.; Pulawska-Obiedowska, S.

    2016-07-01

    The developed societies have as challenge, among others, to achieve a mobility development based on economic models of low carbon and energy efficient, making it accessible to the entire population. In this context, the sustainable mobility seems to meet the economic, social and environmental needs, minimizing their negative impact. There are three factors that are relevant: (1) infrastructures; (2) modes of transport more ecological and safe, and (3) operations and services for passengers and freights.The objective of this research is to provide guidance to investment in sustainable transport infrastructures that are truly useful and effective. In particular we have studied the case of the railway, using the following information: details of the infrastructure; cost of construction (per kilometre); maintenance cost, and life cycle. This information may be relevant to consider their possible business models.The methodology of this research was focused in the detailed analysis of the infrastructure use and maintenance criteria, the market opportunities for freight development and the available data to validate the obtained results from the software tool reached in this work. Our research includes the different following aspects:• Evaluation of the supported traffic by the rail line.• Relevant items to be considered in the rail infrastructure. Defining the track, we can group items in two sets: civil and rail installations.• Rolling stock available. Locomotives and wagons are modelled to introduce the data as convenience for the user.Besides our research includes the development of software, Decision System Tool (DST), for studying the construction and maintenance cost of railway infrastructure. It is developed in a common and open source program, providing the user the interaction with the critical variable of the line. It has been adjusted using the following references: MOM PlanCargorail; EcoTransIT, and Projects funded by Framework Program of EU (New

  20. Towards Global De-Carbonization: Examining the Role of Freight Forwarders in Green Logistics in Ghana

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kofi Wireko, Joseph; Owusu, Mavis

    2015-01-01

    The problem of carbon emission is a global phenomenon and cross-border in nature. There is almost a dearth of literature on the practice of green logistics by freight forwarders in Ghana and for that matter in most countries within the West African sub-region. This paper examines the role...... of freight forwarders in reducing carbon emissions by adopting “green logistics” as part of the global efforts in addressing global warming. The study employs a pre-test and case study method, to ensure sufficient collection of relevant material, taking into account the lack of research in this subject...... in Ghana. Materials obtained from the interviews and the questionnaires were used to explore the knowledge of employees regarding green logistics, examine the challenges in implementing green logistics, and assess the internal and external pressures that impact on freight forwarders and the needed...

  1. An In-vivo investigation of transverse flow estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Udesen, Jesper; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2004-01-01

    , and 1.4 seconds of data is acquired. Using 2 parallel receive beamformers a transverse oscillation is introduced with an oscillation period 1.2 mm. The velocity estimation is performed using an extended autocorrelation algorithm. The volume flow can be estimated with a relative standard deviation of 13...

  2. Valuing long-haul and metropolitan freight travel time and reliability

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-12-01

    Most evaluations and economic assessments of transportation proposal and policies in Australia omit a valuation of time spent in transit for individual items or loads of freight. Knowledge of delays and the practical value of reliability can be usefu...

  3. Recovery Act--Class 8 Truck Freight Efficiency Improvement Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trucks, Daimler [Daimler Trucks North America Llc, Portland, OR (United States)

    2015-07-26

    Daimler Trucks North America completed a five year, $79.6M project to develop and demonstrate a concept vehicle with at least 50% freight efficiency improvement over a weighted average of several drive cycles relative to a 2009 best-in-class baseline vehicle. DTNA chose a very fuel efficient baseline vehicle, the 2009 Freightliner Cascadia with a DD15 engine, yet successfully demonstrated a 115% freight efficiency improvement. DTNA learned a great deal about the various technologies that were incorporated into Super Truck and those that, through down-selection, were discarded. Some of the technologies competed with each other for efficiency, and notably some of the technologies complemented each other. For example, we found that Super Truck’s improved aerodynamic drag resulted in improved fuel savings from eCoast, relative to a similar vehicle with worse aerodynamic drag. However, some technologies were in direct competition with each other, namely the predictive technologies which use GPS and 3D digital maps to efficiently manage the vehicles kinetic energy through controls and software, versus hybrid which is a much costlier technology that essentially targets the same inefficiency. Furthermore, the benefits of a comprehensive, integrated powertrain/vehicle approach was proven, in which vast improvements in vehicle efficiency (e.g. lower aero drag and driveline losses) enabled engine strategies such as downrating and downspeeding. The joint engine and vehicle developments proved to be a multiplier-effect which resulted in large freight efficiency improvements. Although a large number of technologies made the selection process and were used on the Super Truck demonstrator vehicle, some of the technologies proved not feasible for series production.

  4. Directional Transverse Oscillation Vector Flow Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2017-01-01

    A method for estimating vector velocities using transverse oscillation (TO) combined with directional beamforming is presented. In Directional Transverse Oscillation (DTO) a normal focused field is emitted and the received signals are beamformed in the lateral direction transverse to the ultrasound...... beam to increase the amount of data for vector velocity estimation. The approach is self-calibrating as the lateral oscillation period is estimated from the directional signal through a Fourier transform to yield quantitative velocity results over a large range of depths. The approach was extensively...... simulated using Field IIpro and implemented on the experimental SARUS scanner in connection with a BK Medical 8820e convex array transducer. Velocity estimates for DTO are found for beam-to-flow angles of 60, 75, and 90, and vessel depths from 24 to 156 mm. Using 16 emissions the Standard Deviation (SD...

  5. Optic Flow Based State Estimation for an Indoor Micro Air Vehicle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verveld, M.J.; Chu, Q.P.; De Wagter, C.; Mulder, J.A.

    2010-01-01

    This work addresses the problem of indoor state estimation for autonomous flying vehicles with an optic flow approach. The paper discusses a sensor configuration using six optic flow sensors of the computer mouse type augmented by a three-axis accelerometer to estimate velocity, rotation, attitude

  6. 49 CFR 174.84 - Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers or bulk...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... CARRIAGE BY RAIL Handling of Placarded Rail Cars, Transport Vehicles and Freight Containers § 174.84 Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars, transport vehicles, freight containers or bulk packagings... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Position in train of loaded placarded rail cars...

  7. Electronic intermodal supply chain manifest freight ITS operational test evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    This report presents the results of a 2.5 year freight Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) evaluation of an air cargo security and logistics system which was deployed at O'Hare and JFK international airports. In September 1999, the Federal Highwa...

  8. A review of recent research on green road freight transportation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Demir, E.; Bektas, T.; Laporte, G.

    2013-01-01

    Road freight transportation is a major contributor to carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Reducing these emissions in transportation route planning requires an understanding of vehicle emission models and their inclusion into the existing optimization methods. This paper provides a review of recent

  9. Challenges and future research needs towards international freight transport modelling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meersman, H.; Ehrler, C.C.; Bruckmann, D.; Chen, T.M.; Francke, J.; Hill, P.; Jackson, C.; Klauenberg, J.; Kurowski, M.; Seidel, S.; Vierth, I.

    2016-01-01

    The advanced internationalisation of markets and production processes continuously adds to the complexity of supply chains. At the same time improving the sustainability of the related international freight transport processes and optimising their efficiency is becoming a topic of central relevance.

  10. The Freight Transportation Services Index as a leading economic indicator

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-09-01

    The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) showed a decline a full year and a half prior to the start of the current recession. This downturn suggests the TSI may prove particularly useful as an indic...

  11. Methods for estimating flow-duration curve and low-flow frequency statistics for ungaged locations on small streams in Minnesota

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziegeweid, Jeffrey R.; Lorenz, David L.; Sanocki, Chris A.; Czuba, Christiana R.

    2015-12-24

    Knowledge of the magnitude and frequency of low flows in streams, which are flows in a stream during prolonged dry weather, is fundamental for water-supply planning and design; waste-load allocation; reservoir storage design; and maintenance of water quality and quantity for irrigation, recreation, and wildlife conservation. This report presents the results of a statewide study for which regional regression equations were developed for estimating 13 flow-duration curve statistics and 10 low-flow frequency statistics at ungaged stream locations in Minnesota. The 13 flow-duration curve statistics estimated by regression equations include the 0.0001, 0.001, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 0.9, 0.95, 0.99, 0.999, and 0.9999 exceedance-probability quantiles. The low-flow frequency statistics include annual and seasonal (spring, summer, fall, winter) 7-day mean low flows, seasonal 30-day mean low flows, and summer 122-day mean low flows for a recurrence interval of 10 years. Estimates of the 13 flow-duration curve statistics and the 10 low-flow frequency statistics are provided for 196 U.S. Geological Survey continuous-record streamgages using streamflow data collected through September 30, 2012.

  12. A long hard road? Urban freight transport challenges facing South Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Ittmann, HW

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available shown very little interest in the increasingly severe freight transport problems facing urban areas, there is now growing interest in the logistics of collection and delivery services in towns and city centres....

  13. Columbus electronic freight management evaluation : achieving business benefits with EFM technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-03-01

    Effective innovation in information technology (IT) may be the most important tool for the private and public sectors to respond to international supply chain capacity constraints and congestion. Electronic Freight Management (EFM) technologies are m...

  14. Evaluation assessment of Rail Freight Transportation Research and Development Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1983-02-01

    This report presents an evaluation assessment of the Canadian Rail Freight Transportation Research and Development (R and D) Program. The assessment was to assist in preparing for an evaluation of the Program and to stimulate a better understanding of the broader issues and problems of evaluating R and D programs. In general, the objectives of the program are aimed at improving rail freight productivity, capacity, safety, cost, and the domestic and foreign competitive position of railway suppliers. This is to be acccomplished by stimulating a stronger industry commitment to R and D and inducing investment in new technology through joint federal-industry funding and participation in rail freight R and D projects. In view of the low funding levels of the Program, it is unlikely that it will have a significant direct impact upon these ultimate objectives. Impacts will likely only be achieved through the Program's ability to stimulate increased industrial R and D and investment in new technology. A model of the Program developed in the report shows that the critical linkages between the activities and objectives of the Program are the leadership or advocacy functions performed by the Program's managers and of the results of projects supported under the Program; and the processes of program planning and project selection. An assessment of the Program's structure indicates that there are no significant issues that would make the evaluation of the Program or its major components inadvisable. Twelve potential evaluation questions and the basic approaches required to address each of them are presented in the report. 5 figs., 10 tabs.

  15. Trends in passenger transport and freight energy use in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mendiluce, Maria; Schipper, Lee

    2011-01-01

    This paper provides for the first time a complete analysis of recent trends in activity, carbon emissions, modal shares, energy intensities, vehicle use and fuels in the Spanish transport system from 1990 to 2008 and discusses policy options. Passenger and freight activities have increased in Spain and are projected to continue, presenting a challenge for sustainable mobility efforts; emissions have increased, mainly fueled by the rise in activity; modal shares have pulled away from public transport, with a decrease in bus and rail, towards an increase in car and air travel; energy intensities, though initially decreasing, are currently increasing; and fuel use has taken over 37% of Spanish final energy consumption. To target these issues the Spanish government has focused its efforts in targeting energy efficiency through dieselization, which has not led to positive results. More recently policies and measures have been directed towards redirecting modal shares and diversifying the fuel mix. Little has been done to reduce activity besides some anecdotic public awareness campaigns. Activity reduction may be achieved with regulations, restrictions and mobility plans; by increasing high speed rail and rail freight transport; by improving intermodality and tying the Spanish rail network with the EU; and with more urban transport planning at local level. - Highlights: → Complete analysis of recent trends in Spanish transport system from 1990 to 2008. → Passenger and freight activities have driven GHG emissions increase. → Modal shares have pulled away from public transport. → Policy efforts targeted energy efficiency and redirecting modal shares and diversifying the fuel mix. → Little has been done to reduce activity.

  16. Multiphase flow parameter estimation based on laser scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vendruscolo, Tiago P.; Fischer, Robert; Martelli, Cicero; Rodrigues, Rômulo L. P.; Morales, Rigoberto E. M.; da Silva, Marco J.

    2015-07-01

    The flow of multiple constituents inside a pipe or vessel, known as multiphase flow, is commonly found in many industry branches. The measurement of the individual flow rates in such flow is still a challenge, which usually requires a combination of several sensor types. However, in many applications, especially in industrial process control, it is not necessary to know the absolute flow rate of the respective phases, but rather to continuously monitor flow conditions in order to quickly detect deviations from the desired parameters. Here we show how a simple and low-cost sensor design can achieve this, by using machine-learning techniques to distinguishing the characteristic patterns of oblique laser light scattered at the phase interfaces. The sensor is capable of estimating individual phase fluxes (as well as their changes) in multiphase flows and may be applied to safety applications due to its quick response time.

  17. Multiphase flow parameter estimation based on laser scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vendruscolo, Tiago P; Fischer, Robert; Martelli, Cicero; Da Silva, Marco J; Rodrigues, Rômulo L P; Morales, Rigoberto E M

    2015-01-01

    The flow of multiple constituents inside a pipe or vessel, known as multiphase flow, is commonly found in many industry branches. The measurement of the individual flow rates in such flow is still a challenge, which usually requires a combination of several sensor types. However, in many applications, especially in industrial process control, it is not necessary to know the absolute flow rate of the respective phases, but rather to continuously monitor flow conditions in order to quickly detect deviations from the desired parameters. Here we show how a simple and low-cost sensor design can achieve this, by using machine-learning techniques to distinguishing the characteristic patterns of oblique laser light scattered at the phase interfaces. The sensor is capable of estimating individual phase fluxes (as well as their changes) in multiphase flows and may be applied to safety applications due to its quick response time. (paper)

  18. OECD Trilog Plenary Symposium : public policy issues in global freight logistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    This is the fifth plenary symposium on public policy issues in global freight logistics conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). OECD's Trilateral Logistics Project, Trilog Project, is aimed at clarifying the pub...

  19. Evaluation of Urban Freight Deliveries using Microsimulation and Surrogate Safety Measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-02-01

    Freight deliveries on signalized urban streets are known to cause lane blockages during deliveries. When delivery vehicles block lanes of traffic near signalized intersections, the capacity of the intersection is affected. Current practice is for tra...

  20. Freight Transportation Information Systems and Their Implications for R&D Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    1974-03-01

    The current use of computerized management information and control systems in intercity freight transportation are examined. Each of the four modes (railroad, motor carrier, maritime and air cargo industries) is investigated. In each case, computer i...

  1. Purging of working atmospheres inside freight containers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braconnier, Robert; Keller, François-Xavier

    2015-06-01

    This article focuses on prevention of possible exposure to chemical agents, when opening, entering, and stripping freight containers. The container purging process is investigated using tracer gas measurements and numerical airflow simulations. Three different container ventilation conditions are studied, namely natural, mixed mode, and forced ventilation. The tests conducted allow purging time variations to be quantified in relation to various factors such as container size, degree of filling, or type of load. Natural ventilation performance characteristics prove to be highly variable, depending on environmental conditions. Use of a mechanically supplied or extracted airflow under mixed mode and forced ventilation conditions enables purging to be significantly accelerated. Under mixed mode ventilation, extracting air from the end of the container furthest from the door ensures quicker purging than supplying fresh air to this area. Under forced ventilation, purging rate is proportional to the applied ventilation flow. Moreover, purging rate depends mainly on the location at which air is introduced: the most favourable position being above the container loading level. Many of the results obtained during this study can be generalized to other cases of purging air in a confined space by general ventilation, e.g. the significance of air inlet positioning or the advantage of generating high air velocities to maximize stirring within the volume. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

  2. EVALUATION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT INFLUENCE ON SUBURBAN TRAFFIC FLOW DENSITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Horbachov

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Study results of the human settlement influence on the traffic flow density in suburban service of international, national and regional roads of Ukraine are presented. The possibility of an adequate description of suburban traffic flows in the vicinity of large cities is established, depending on the city population and link remoteness from the city center. The possibility is determined on the basis of obtained models to define the prognosis value of the intensity and specific maintenance of freight and passenger transport flows.

  3. Transportation Energy Futures Series: Freight Transportation Modal Shares: Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brogan, J. J.; Aeppli, A. E.; Beagan, D. F.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M. J.; Grenzeback, L. R.; McKenzie, E.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A. D.; Witzke, E.

    2013-03-01

    Truck, rail, water, air, and pipeline modes each serve a distinct share of the freight transportation market. The current allocation of freight by mode is the product of technologic, economic, and regulatory frameworks, and a variety of factors -- price, speed, reliability, accessibility, visibility, security, and safety -- influence mode. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this report considers how analytical methods can be used to project future modal shares and offers insights on federal policy decisions with the potential to prompt shifts to energy-efficient, low-emission modes. There are substantial opportunities to reduce the energy used for freight transportation, but it will be difficult to shift large volumes from one mode to another without imposing considerable additional costs on businesses and consumers. This report explores federal government actions that could help trigger the shifts in modal shares needed to reduce energy consumption and emissions. This is one in a series of reports produced as a result of the Transportation Energy Futures project, a Department of Energy-sponsored multi-agency effort to pinpoint underexplored strategies for reducing GHGs and petroleum dependence related to transportation.

  4. Wireless sensor node for detection of freight train derailment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Andrea; Milani, Damiano; Resta, Ferruccio; Tomasini, Gisella

    2016-04-01

    The target of the research activity presented in this paper is to design, to realize and to test an autonomous sensor node able to measure the accelerations in correspondence of the axle box of a freight train. The final goal of the sensor is to identify the derailment conditions by observing the variations in the spectra of the box accelerations, around the frequencies associated to the wheel revolution and its multiples. The sensor node embeds an accelerometer, a microprocessor, a transmission system, a piezoelectric bimorph energy harvester and an integrated circuit for managing the power distribution to each component of the node. In particular, a mechanical filter to be applied to the node was specifically designed to increment the energy recovered by the harvester and to filter out the high frequency components of the axle-box acceleration, allowing the use of a more sensitive accelerometer. The harvesting system was setup by means of laboratory tests carried out with an electromechanical shaker and the sensor node was finally tested through field tests on freight trains.

  5. Open access for freight railroads : worthwhile or wasteful disruption, final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    This study compares the experience of the freight railroads in North America, Europe and : Australia with required access. Europe and Australia have pursued very different network access : strategies than the United States and Canada. Both the Europe...

  6. 77 FR 73455 - Change to the Military Freight Carrier Registration Program (FCRP)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-10

    ... (common, contract, logistics, freight forwarders, and brokers). This does not apply to registration of air, rail, ocean, pipeline, barge, international, and household goods TSPs. This update will be included in...

  7. Passenger and freight transport perspectives for 2035. Background report for transport policy discussion; Henkiloe- ja tavaraliikenteen kehityskuva 2035. Taustaraportti liikennepoliittiseen keskusteluun

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luukkonen, T.; Maekelae, T.; Pollanen, M.; Kalenoja, H.; Mantynen, J.; Rantala, J.

    2012-07-01

    This study aims to image the perspectives for future transport on the basis of existing estimates and expert views. The results of this study offer a justified perception of how Finnish passenger and freight transport will develop up to year 2035. The study also includes six 'what if' analysis which address how six individual and important changes could affect transports. The development of population and the economy are key factors in the operating environment of passenger and freight transport. To a large extent, they determine the development of the demand for passenger and freight transport. Earlier population forecasts have underestimated population growth in Finland. Uncertainty also surrounds regional demographic development, which is connected both to the development of community structure and land use, and to time use and consumption habits associated with travel preferences. The development of the economy, which also involves considerable uncertainty, is connected to population through developments in employment and income levels, among others, while growing workplace areas also attract people and increase commuting, for example. Changing travel habits and ageing of the population influence the overall demand for passenger transport. Efforts are being made to promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport. In the future these means of transport will be supported by factors such as increased awareness of the environment and health, and concentration of population in cities. While the aim is to constrain the growth of passenger car traffic, rising income levels and travel distances in the operating environment will serve to increase passenger car traffic and the demand for long-distance train, flight and bus traffic. The supply of different transport methods and the costs of their use will, for their part, affect transport mode distribution. The development of the economy and various sectors will determine the demand for freight

  8. Quantitative research regarding performance measures for intermodal freight transportation : executive summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-10-01

    The primary objective of this study is to provide information relative to the development of a set of performance measures for intermodal freight transportation. To accomplish this objective, data was collected, processed, and analyzed on the basis o...

  9. Designing container shipping network under changing demand and freight rates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Chen

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the optimization of container shipping network and its operations under changing cargo demand and freight rates. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer non-linear programming problem (MINP with an objective of maximizing the average unit ship-slot profit at three stages using analytical methodology. The issues such as empty container repositioning, ship-slot allocating, ship sizing, and container configuration are simultaneously considered based on a series of the matrices of demand for a year. To solve the model, a bi-level genetic algorithm based method is proposed. Finally, numerical experiments are provided to illustrate the validity of the proposed model and algorithms. The obtained results show that the suggested model can provide a more realistic solution to the issues on the basis of changing demand and freight rates and arrange a more effective approach to the optimization of container shipping network structures and operations than does the model based on the average demand.

  10. Radar rainfall estimation for the identification of debris-flow precipitation thresholds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marra, Francesco; Nikolopoulos, Efthymios I.; Creutin, Jean-Dominique; Borga, Marco

    2014-05-01

    Identification of rainfall thresholds for the prediction of debris-flow occurrence is a common approach for warning procedures. Traditionally the debris-flow triggering rainfall is derived from the closest available raingauge. However, the spatial and temporal variability of intense rainfall on mountainous areas, where debris flows take place, may lead to large uncertainty in point-based estimates. Nikolopoulos et al. (2014) have shown that this uncertainty translates into a systematic underestimation of the rainfall thresholds, leading to a step degradation of the performances of the rainfall threshold for identification of debris flows occurrence under operational conditions. A potential solution to this limitation lies on use of rainfall estimates from weather radar. Thanks to their high spatial and temporal resolutions, these estimates offer the advantage of providing rainfall information over the actual debris flow location. The aim of this study is to analyze the value of radar precipitation estimations for the identification of debris flow precipitation thresholds. Seven rainfall events that triggered debris flows in the Adige river basin (Eastern Italian Alps) are analyzed using data from a dense raingauge network and a C-Band weather radar. Radar data are elaborated by using a set of correction algorithms specifically developed for weather radar rainfall application in mountainous areas. Rainfall thresholds for the triggering of debris flows are identified in the form of average intensity-duration power law curves using a frequentist approach by using both radar rainfall estimates and raingauge data. Sampling uncertainty associated to the derivation of the thresholds is assessed by using a bootstrap technique (Peruccacci et al. 2012). Results show that radar-based rainfall thresholds are largely exceeding those obtained by using raingauge data. Moreover, the differences between the two thresholds may be related to the spatial characteristics (i.e., spatial

  11. Interstate 80 freight corridor analysis : current freight traffic, trends and projections in special consideration of Wyoming policy-makers in planning, engineering, highway safety and enforcement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-12-01

    "This report is the result of a two-part study intended to provide input to WYDOTs long-term planning process for the I-80 facility. The first phase of the study involved an on-the-ground freight survey of over 2,000 truckers traveling eastbound a...

  12. Nuclear powered freight ships - safe and reliable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schafstall, H.C.

    1978-12-01

    The five nuclear-powered ships built in the world so far have entered over 100 ports in 14 countries about 1000 times in 15 years, during which there were no accidents endangering the safety of a ship. However, for the expansion of freight shipping with nuclear power, comprehensive international regulations for safety requirements, responsibility etc., are necessary. Although the NEA/IAEO symposium excluded economic questions on the safety of nuclear powered ships, the trends regarding further development in individual countries became clear

  13. Scheduling freight trains in rail-rail transshipment yards

    OpenAIRE

    Nils Boysen; Erwin Pesch

    2008-01-01

    Transshipment yards, where gantry cranes allow for an effcient transshipment of containers between different freight trains, are important entities in modern railway systems and facilitate the general shift from point-to-point transport to hub-and-spoke railway systems. Modern rail-rail transshipment yards accelerate container handling, so that multiple smaller trains with equal destination can be consolidated to a reduced number of trains without jeopardizing on time deliveries. An important...

  14. OPTICAL FLOW FOR GLACIER MOTION ESTIMATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Vogel

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Quantitative measurements of glacier flow over time are an important ingredient for glaciological research, for example to determine the mass balances and the evolution of glaciers. Measuring glacier flow in multi-temporal images involves the estimation of a dense set of corresponding points, which in turn define the flow vectors. Furthermore glaciers exhibit rather difficult radiometry, since their surface usually contains homogeneous areas as well as weak texture and contrast. To date glacier flow is usually observed by manually measuring a sparse set of correspondences, which is labor-intensive and often yields rather irregular point distributions, with the associated problems of interpolating over large areas. In the present work we propose to densely compute motion vectors at every pixel, by using recent robust methods for optic flow computation. Determining the optic flow, i.e. the dense deformation field between two images of a dynamic scene, has been a classic, long-standing research problem in computer vision and image processing. Sophisticated methods exist to optimally balance data fidelity with smoothness of the motion field. Depending on the strength of the local image gradients these methods yield a smooth trade-off between matching and interpolation, thereby avoiding the somewhat arbitrary decision which discrete anchor points to measure, while at the same time mitigating the problem of gross matching errors. We evaluate our method by comparing with manually measured point wise ground truth.

  15. Freight transportation and the potential for invasions of exotic insects in urban and periurban forests of the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manuel Colunga-Garcia; Robert A. Haack; Adesoji O. Adelaja

    2009-01-01

    Freight transportation is an important pathway for the introduction and dissemination of exotic forest insects (EFI). Identifying the final destination of imports is critical in determining the likelihood of EFI establishment. We analyzed the use of regional freight transport information to characterize risk of urban and periurban areas to EFI introductions. Specifc...

  16. Assessing links between energy consumption, freight transport, and economic growth: evidence from dynamic simultaneous equation models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasreen, Samia; Saidi, Samir; Ozturk, Ilhan

    2018-06-01

    We investigate this study to examine the relationship between economic growth, freight transport, and energy consumption for 63 developing countries over the period of 1990-2016. In order to make the panel data analysis more homogeneous, we apply the income level of countries to divide the global panel into three sub-panels, namely, lower-middle income countries (LMIC), upper-middle income countries (UMIC), and high-income countries (HIC). Using the generalized method of moments (GMM), the results prove evidence of bidirectional causal relationship between economic growth and freight transport for all selected panels and between economic growth and energy consumption for the high- and upper-middle income panels. For the lower-middle income panel, the causality is unidirectional running from energy consumption to economic growth. Also, the results indicate that the relationship between freight transport and energy use is bidirectional for the high-income countries and unidirectional from freight transport to energy consumption for the upper-middle and lower-middle income countries. Empirical evidence demonstrates the importance of energy for economic activity and rejects the neo-classical assumption that energy is neutral for growth. An important policy recommendation is that there is need of advancements in vehicle technology which can reduce energy intensity from transport sector and improve the energy efficiency in transport activity which in turn allows a greater positive role of transport in global economic activity.

  17. Freight data architecture business process, logical data model, and physical data model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-09-01

    This document summarizes the study teams efforts to establish data-sharing partnerships : and relay the lessons learned. In addition, it provides information on a prototype freight data : architecture and supporting description and specifications ...

  18. Estimation of inhalation flow profile using audio-based methods to assess inhaler medication adherence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lacalle Muls, Helena; Costello, Richard W.; Reilly, Richard B.

    2018-01-01

    Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are required to inhale forcefully and deeply to receive medication when using a dry powder inhaler (DPI). There is a clinical need to objectively monitor the inhalation flow profile of DPIs in order to remotely monitor patient inhalation technique. Audio-based methods have been previously employed to accurately estimate flow parameters such as the peak inspiratory flow rate of inhalations, however, these methods required multiple calibration inhalation audio recordings. In this study, an audio-based method is presented that accurately estimates inhalation flow profile using only one calibration inhalation audio recording. Twenty healthy participants were asked to perform 15 inhalations through a placebo Ellipta™ DPI at a range of inspiratory flow rates. Inhalation flow signals were recorded using a pneumotachograph spirometer while inhalation audio signals were recorded simultaneously using the Inhaler Compliance Assessment device attached to the inhaler. The acoustic (amplitude) envelope was estimated from each inhalation audio signal. Using only one recording, linear and power law regression models were employed to determine which model best described the relationship between the inhalation acoustic envelope and flow signal. Each model was then employed to estimate the flow signals of the remaining 14 inhalation audio recordings. This process repeated until each of the 15 recordings were employed to calibrate single models while testing on the remaining 14 recordings. It was observed that power law models generated the highest average flow estimation accuracy across all participants (90.89±0.9% for power law models and 76.63±2.38% for linear models). The method also generated sufficient accuracy in estimating inhalation parameters such as peak inspiratory flow rate and inspiratory capacity within the presence of noise. Estimating inhaler inhalation flow profiles using audio based methods may be

  19. DETERMINATION OF FRICTION PERFORMANCE INFLUENCE IN THE SYSTEM "BODY–BOGIE" ON THE FREIGHT CAR DYNAMICS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. V. Myamlin

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The main requirements for the design of a new generation of cars, according to the Program of rolling stock renovation, are the requirements reducing the operating costs and increasing the cost-effectiveness of their use, taking into account the achievements of scientific and technical thought. Due to the urgency of this subject the paper is devoted to the study of the friction coefficient influence in the bearing connection «center plate – center bowl – bearers»of freight cars on their main dynamic parameters – coefficients of horizontal and vertical dynamics, body acceleration, frame strength, derailment stability factor. Methodology. The study was conducted by numerical integration and mathematical modeling of the freight car dynamic loading using the software package «Dynamics of Rail Vehicles» («DYNRAIL». Findings. Investigations have shown that the safety movement parameters are influenced by both the friction parameters in bearing connection «center plate – center bowl – bearers» of freight cars in empty and loaded state with bogies TSNII-X3 (model 18-100. Effect have other components of freight car dynamics, namely: radii of curved track sections, height of outer rail, etc. Originality. The author investigated the friction influence on the car dynamic loading using new approaches to solving the problem of predicting the rolling stock dynamics. Prediction was carried out on the basis of significantly updated theoretical material that covers all history of the friction theory and includes the results of recent experimental studies because of the speed on the straights and curves of small-and medium-range sections of the road.Practical value. The obtained results have practical orientation. During the research and after modeling with the improved method of accounting of friction processes dependencies of main dynamic parameters of a four-freight gondola on the value of the friction coefficient in the "body

  20. Estimation of Flow Channel Parameters for Flowing Gas Mixed with Air in Atmospheric-pressure Plasma Jets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yambe, Kiyoyuki; Saito, Hidetoshi

    2017-12-01

    When the working gas of an atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium (cold) plasma flows into free space, the diameter of the resulting flow channel changes continuously. The shape of the channel is observed through the light emitted by the working gas of the atmospheric-pressure plasma. When the plasma jet forms a conical shape, the diameter of the cylindrical shape, which approximates the conical shape, defines the diameter of the flow channel. When the working gas flows into the atmosphere from the inside of a quartz tube, the gas mixes with air. The molar ratio of the working gas and air is estimated from the corresponding volume ratio through the relationship between the diameter of the cylindrical plasma channel and the inner diameter of the quartz tube. The Reynolds number is calculated from the kinematic viscosity of the mixed gas and the molar ratio. The gas flow rates for the upper limit of laminar flow and the lower limit of turbulent flow are determined by the corresponding Reynolds numbers estimated from the molar ratio. It is confirmed that the plasma jet length and the internal plasma length associated with strong light emission increase with the increasing gas flow rate until the rate for the upper limit of laminar flow and the lower limit of turbulent flow, respectively. Thus, we are able to explain the increasing trend in the plasma lengths with the diameter of the flow channel and the molar ratio by using the cylindrical approximation.

  1. Correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among construction laborers and motor freight workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagler, Eve M; Viswanath, K; Ebbeling, Cara B; Stoddard, Anne M; Sorensen, Glorian

    2013-04-01

    The aim of this study was to compare and contrast correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption in two blue-collar populations: construction laborers and motor freight workers. Cross-sectional data were collected from two groups of male workers: (1) construction laborers (n = 1,013; response rate = 44 %) randomly selected from a national sample, as part of a diet and smoking cessation study; and (2) motor freight workers (n = 542; response rate = 78 %) employed in eight trucking terminals, as part of a tobacco cessation and weight management study. Data were analyzed using linear regression modeling methods. For both groups, higher income and believing it was important to eat right because of work were positively associated with fruit and vegetable consumption; conversely, being white was associated with lower intake. Construction laborers who reported eating junk food due to workplace stress and fatigue had lower fruit and vegetable intake. For motor freight workers, perceiving fast food to be the only choice at work and lack of time to eat right were associated with lower consumption. Comparing occupational groups illustrates how work experiences may be related to fruit and vegetable consumption in different ways as well as facilitates the development of interventions that can be used across groups.

  2. Designing Sustainable Systems for Urban Freight Distribution through techniques of Multicriteria Decision Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muerza, V.; Larrode, E.; Moreno- Jimenez, J.M.

    2016-07-01

    This paper focuses on the analysis and selection of the parameters that have a major influence on the optimization of the urban freight distribution system by using sustainable means of transport, such as electric vehicles. In addition, a procedure has been be studied to identify the alternatives that may exist to establish the best system for urban freight distribution, which suits the stage that is considered using the most appropriate means of transportation available. To do this, it has been used the Analytic Hierarchy Process, one of the tools of multicriteria decision analysis. In order to establish an adequate planning of an urban freight distribution system using electric vehicles three hypotheses are necessary: (i) it is necessary to establish the strategic planning of the distribution process by defining the relative importance of the strategic objectives of the process of distribution of goods in the urban environment, both economically and technically and in social and environmental terms; (ii) it must be established the operational planning that allows the achievement of the strategic objectives with the most optimized allocation of available resources; and (iii) to determine the optimal architecture of the vehicle that best suits the operating conditions in which it will work and ensures optimum energy efficiency in operation. (Author)

  3. A mathematical model of functioning of channels of distribution of freight traffic

    OpenAIRE

    Shramenko, N.

    2006-01-01

    The mathematical model of functioning of channels of distribution of freight traffics is developed at international transportations which allows to optimize technological parameters of separate parts and to minimize expenses along the logistical chain.

  4. Dual states estimation of a subsurface flow-transport coupled model using ensemble Kalman filtering

    KAUST Repository

    El Gharamti, Mohamad

    2013-10-01

    Modeling the spread of subsurface contaminants requires coupling a groundwater flow model with a contaminant transport model. Such coupling may provide accurate estimates of future subsurface hydrologic states if essential flow and contaminant data are assimilated in the model. Assuming perfect flow, an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) can be used for direct data assimilation into the transport model. This is, however, a crude assumption as flow models can be subject to many sources of uncertainty. If the flow is not accurately simulated, contaminant predictions will likely be inaccurate even after successive Kalman updates of the contaminant model with the data. The problem is better handled when both flow and contaminant states are concurrently estimated using the traditional joint state augmentation approach. In this paper, we introduce a dual estimation strategy for data assimilation into a one-way coupled system by treating the flow and the contaminant models separately while intertwining a pair of distinct EnKFs, one for each model. The presented strategy only deals with the estimation of state variables but it can also be used for state and parameter estimation problems. This EnKF-based dual state-state estimation procedure presents a number of novel features: (i) it allows for simultaneous estimation of both flow and contaminant states in parallel; (ii) it provides a time consistent sequential updating scheme between the two models (first flow, then transport); (iii) it simplifies the implementation of the filtering system; and (iv) it yields more stable and accurate solutions than does the standard joint approach. We conducted synthetic numerical experiments based on various time stepping and observation strategies to evaluate the dual EnKF approach and compare its performance with the joint state augmentation approach. Experimental results show that on average, the dual strategy could reduce the estimation error of the coupled states by 15% compared with the

  5. Estimation of flow rates through intergranular stress corrosion cracks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Collier, R.P.; Norris, D.M.

    1984-01-01

    Experimental studies of critical two-phase water flow, through simulated and actual intergranular stress corrosion cracks, were performed to obtain data to evaluate a leak flow rate model and investigate acoustic transducer effectiveness in detecting and sizing leaks. The experimental program included a parametric study of the effects of crack geometry, fluid stagnation pressure and temperature, and crack surface roughness on leak flow rate. In addition, leak detection, location, and leak size estimation capabilities of several different acoustic transducers were evaluated as functions of leak rate and transducer position. This paper presents flow rate data for several different cracks and fluid conditions. It also presents the minimum flow rate detected with the acoustic sensors and a relationship between acoustic signal strength and leak flow rate

  6. Dynamics of two-axle railway freight wagons with UIC standard suspension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hoffmann, Mark; True, Hans

    2006-01-01

    The dynamics of two different two-axle railway freight wagons is investigated theoretically and compared. Fully nonlinear models are considered. The hysteresis from dry friction and the effect of impacts between elements of the suspension are included. Bifurcation diagrams are shown in order...

  7. Station Stopping of Freight Trains with Pneumatic Braking

    OpenAIRE

    Yun Bai; Baohua Mao; Tinkin Ho; Yu Feng; Shaokuan Chen

    2014-01-01

    In Chinese mainline railway, freight trains need to stop within passenger stations at times because of the delayed passenger trains. Without any decision-support system, it is very difficult for drivers to stop trains within stations with consistency in one braking action. The reasons are that braking performance of train changes with the conditions of braking equipment and the drivers’ subjective evaluations of track profiles and braking distance are vague and imprecise. This paper presents ...

  8. Reliability assessment of a multistate freight network for perishable merchandise with multiple suppliers and buyers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yi-Kuei; Yeh, Cheng-Ta; Huang, Cheng-Fu

    2017-01-01

    This study develops a multistate freight network for single and perishable merchandise to assess the freight performance, where a node denotes a supplier, a distribution centre, or a buyer, while a logistics company providing a freight traffic service is denoted by an edge. For each logistics company, carrying capacity should be multistate since partial capacity may be reserved by some customers. The merchandise may perish or be perished during conveyance because of disadvantageous weather or collision in carrying such that the number of intact cargoes may be insufficient for the buyers. Hence, according to the perspective of supply chain management, the reliability, a probability of the network to successfully deliver the cargoes from the suppliers to the buyers subject to a budget, is proposed to be a performance index, where the suppliers and buyers are not the previous customers. An algorithm in terms of minimal paths to assess the reliability is developed. A fruit logistics case is adopted to explore the managerial implications of the reliability using sensitivity analysis.

  9. Effect of consecutive driving on accident risk: a comparison between passenger and freight train driving.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Hsin-Li; Ju, Lai-Shun

    2008-11-01

    This study combined driver-responsible accidents with on-board driving hours to examine the effect of consecutive driving on the accident risk of train operations. The data collected from the Taiwan Railway Administration for the period 1996-2006 was used to compute accident rates for varied accumulated driving hours for passenger and freight trains. The results showed that accident risk grew with increased consecutive driving hours for both passenger and freight trains, and doubled that of the first hour after four consecutive hours of driving. Additional accident risk was found for freight trains during the first hour due to required shunting in the marshalling yards where there are complex track layouts and semi-automatic traffic controls. Also, accident risk for train driving increased more quickly over consecutive driving hours than for automobile driving, and accumulated fatigue caused by high working pressure and monotony of the working environment are considered to be the part of the reason. To prevent human errors accidents, enhancing safety equipment, driver training programs, and establishing a sound auditing system are suggested and discussed.

  10. Navigating through torpedo attacks and enemy raiders: Merchant shipping and freight rates during World War I

    OpenAIRE

    Klovland, Jan Tore

    2017-01-01

    During World War I ocean freight rates rose to extraordinary levels. Using a new monthly dataset it is shown that freight rates can be well explained by economic activity, commodity prices, war risk and world tonnage in the period 1912 to 1916. In the first two years of the war part of the British merchant eet was directly controlled by the Government but neutral shipping was basically free to operate as normal. In this period neutral shipping accounted for about one third of British impo...

  11. Development of an operationally efficient PTC braking enforcement algorithm for freight trains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    Software algorithms used in positive train control (PTC) systems designed to predict freight train stopping distance and enforce a penalty brake application have been shown to be overly conservative, which can lead to operational inefficiencies by in...

  12. Freight railway operator timetabling and engine scheduling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bach, Lukas; Gendreau, M.; Wøhlk, Sanne

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we consider timetable design at a European freight railway operator. The timetable is designed by choosing the time of service for customer unit train demands among a set of discrete points. These discrete points are all found within the a time-window. The objective of the model...... is to minimize cost while adhering to constraints regarding infrastructure usage, demand coverage, and engine availability. The model is solved by a column generation scheme where feasible engine schedules are designed in a label setting algorithm with time-dependent cost and service times....

  13. Using Improved Entropy-Cloud Model to Select High-Speed Railway Express Freight Train Service Sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wencheng Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available High-speed railway (HSR express freight train service sites selection is critical to the development of China’s Third Party Logistics market. In this paper, we formulate an improved entropy-cloud model based approach to solve the HSR express sites selection problem for the first time. The basic data of the indicators, for example, existing railway network conditions, traffic environment, express freight market demand, and policy, will be used as the inputs. We apply improved entropy method to obtain each subindicator’s weight. The cloud model will be used to select and classify each station under evaluation.

  14. How shift scheduling practices contribute to fatigue amongst freight rail operating employees: Findings from Canadian accident investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudin-Brown, Christina M; Harris, Sarah; Rosberg, Ari

    2018-02-01

    Canada's freight rail system moves 70% of the country's surface goods and almost half of all exports (RAC, 2016). These include dangerous goods. Anonymous survey of freight rail operating employees conducted by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC, 2014) revealed that many do not report getting enough sleep because of their work schedules, and that fatigue may be affecting their performance at work. Besides general impairments in attention and cognitive functioning, fatigue in railway operating employees slows reaction time to safety alarms and impairs conformance to train operating requirements. Shift scheduling practices can contribute to sleep-related fatigue by restricting sleep opportunities, requiring extended periods of wakefulness and by disrupting daily (circadian) rhythms. The primary goal of accident investigation is to identify causal and contributing factors so that similar occurrences can be prevented. A database search of Transportation Safety Board (TSB) rail investigation reports published in the 21-year period from 1995 to 2015 identified 18 that cited sleep-related fatigue of freight rail operating employees as a causal, contributing, or risk finding. This number represents about 20% of TSB rail investigations from the same period in which a human factors aspect of freight train activities was a primary cause. Exploration of accident themes suggests that management of fatigue and shift scheduling in the freight rail industry is a complex issue that is often not conducive to employee circadian rhythms and sleep requirements. It also suggests that current shift scheduling and fatigue management practices may be insufficient to mitigate the associated safety risk. Railway fatigue management systems that are based on the principles of modern sleep science are needed to improve scheduling practices and mitigate the ongoing safety risk. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Sustainable practices in urban freight distribution in Bilbao

    OpenAIRE

    Esther Alvarez; Alberto de la Calle

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The objective of the present study is to select some feasible and sustainable logistic practices in order to improve the urban freight distribution in Bilbao city. Design/methodology/approach: After a thorough literature review and a benchmarking, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques were used in order to support the decision making processes in order to select the most interesting practices. The criteria used for this selection were based on four factors: (1) improvement of t...

  16. Recent developments in national and international freight transport models within Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jong, G. de; Vierth, I.; Tavasszy, L.; Ben-Akiva, M.

    2013-01-01

    The past decade has seen many new freight transport models for use in transport planning by public authorities. Some of these models have developed new concepts, such as logistics modules, inclusion of transshipments, storage and sourcing and the determination of shipment size. This paper provides a

  17. Assessing the Contribution of Urban Freight Terminals in Last Mile Operations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathanail Eftihia

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a multi-stakeholder multi-criteria evaluation framework, which can be used for the assessment of the last mile distribution performance of urban freight terminals. To this end, a comparative analysis is conducted addressing two Greek urban intermodal freight terminals located at the port of Thessaloniki (ThPA and Kuehne+Nagel (K+N’s premises. The assessment of the terminals’ performance relies on a tailored multi-criteria Key Performance Indicator (KPI-based evaluation framework, whereas the selection and significance of the incorporated criteria and KPIs is predetermined by the relevant responsible stakeholders, who imposed their viewpoint through an analytic hierarchy process. Results showed that ThPA was ranked first according to its performance pertaining to the role of an intermodal interchange; still, K+N’s performance index was only 8.5% lower than ThPA’s, while in specific KPIs it seems that it performs in a better way.

  18. Potentials for Platooning in U.S. Highway Freight Transport: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muratori, Matteo; Holden, Jacob; Lammert, Michael; Duran, Adam; Young, Stanley; Gonder, Jeffrey

    2017-03-15

    Smart technologies enabling connection among vehicles and between vehicles and infrastructure as well as vehicle automation to assist human operators are receiving significant attention as means for improving road transportation systems by reducing fuel consumption - and related emissions - while also providing additional benefits through improving overall traffic safety and efficiency. For truck applications, currently responsible for nearly three-quarters of the total U.S. freight energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, platooning has been identified as an early feature for connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) that could provide significant fuel savings and improved traffic safety and efficiency without radical design or technology changes compared to existing vehicles. A statistical analysis was performed based on a large collection of real-world U.S. truck usage data to estimate the fraction of total miles that are technically suitable for platooning. In particular, our analysis focuses on estimating 'platoonable' mileage based on overall highway vehicle use and prolonged high-velocity traveling, establishing that about 65% of the total miles driven by combination trucks could be driven in platoon formation, leading to a 4% reduction in total truck fuel consumption. This technical potential for 'platoonable' miles in the U.S. provides an upper bound for scenario analysis considering fleet willingness to platoon as an estimate of overall benefits of early adoption of CAV technologies. A benefit analysis is proposed to assess the overall potential for energy savings and emissions mitigation by widespread implementation of highway platooning for trucks.

  19. EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH OF DYNAMIC QUALITIES OF FREIGHT CARS WITH BOGIES OF DIFFERENT DESIGNS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. V. Myamlin

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. With the advent of new designs of freright cars the task of designing the more modern bogies, assessment of their dynamic properties depending on the type and structure of pecularities, accounting the axle loadings, providing the dynamic and running characteristics, meeting the conditions of impact on the track, stability, and frame forces intensity etc. becomes especially important. In order to launch the new production into manufacture and to assess the dynamic properties using different designs of bogies the running testes were conducted. They allowed one to compare the dynamic performance of the new bogie with the existing models. Methodology. The study was conducted using the method of numerical integration and mathematical modeling of dynamic loading of freight cars using the software package «Dynamics of Rail Vehicles» («DYNRAIL». Findings. The results of studies of dynamic characteristics of open cars with new and worn wheels of bogie models 18-9771, 18-9770 and 18-578 in graphical and tabular form are presented. All figures are within the normative values and do not exceed the maximum admissible ones. Originality. When designing the bogie for loading 23.5 t/axle almost all available technical solutions to improve the characteristics of the freight car bogies (elastic bearers, cassette bearing in axle boxes, axle boxe adapter of original design, bilinear central spring suspension, etc. were used. Practical value. As a result of the engineering works on projecting and manufacturing of the improved designs of freight car bogies a new design was received. It is highly competitive with the dynamic qualities of the best ones. Made choice of rational values of elastic-dissipative parameters of the bogie allows one to create standard series of running gears for freight cars for promising operating conditions.The results are of practical importance. They have found reflection in the number of author’spublications in special and

  20. Estimating the system price of redox flow batteries for grid storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Seungbum; Gallagher, Kevin G.

    2015-11-01

    Low-cost energy storage systems are required to support extensive deployment of intermittent renewable energy on the electricity grid. Redox flow batteries have potential advantages to meet the stringent cost target for grid applications as compared to more traditional batteries based on an enclosed architecture. However, the manufacturing process and therefore potential high-volume production price of redox flow batteries is largely unquantified. We present a comprehensive assessment of a prospective production process for aqueous all vanadium flow battery and nonaqueous lithium polysulfide flow battery. The estimated investment and variable costs are translated to fixed expenses, profit, and warranty as a function of production volume. When compared to lithium-ion batteries, redox flow batteries are estimated to exhibit lower costs of manufacture, here calculated as the unit price less materials costs, owing to their simpler reactor (cell) design, lower required area, and thus simpler manufacturing process. Redox flow batteries are also projected to achieve the majority of manufacturing scale benefits at lower production volumes as compared to lithium-ion. However, this advantage is offset due to the dramatically lower present production volume of flow batteries compared to competitive technologies such as lithium-ion.

  1. Parameter estimation techniques and uncertainty in ground water flow model predictions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zimmerman, D.A.; Davis, P.A.

    1990-01-01

    Quantification of uncertainty in predictions of nuclear waste repository performance is a requirement of Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations governing the licensing of proposed geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste disposal. One of the major uncertainties in these predictions is in estimating the ground-water travel time of radionuclides migrating from the repository to the accessible environment. The cause of much of this uncertainty has been attributed to a lack of knowledge about the hydrogeologic properties that control the movement of radionuclides through the aquifers. A major reason for this lack of knowledge is the paucity of data that is typically available for characterizing complex ground-water flow systems. Because of this, considerable effort has been put into developing parameter estimation techniques that infer property values in regions where no measurements exist. Currently, no single technique has been shown to be superior or even consistently conservative with respect to predictions of ground-water travel time. This work was undertaken to compare a number of parameter estimation techniques and to evaluate how differences in the parameter estimates and the estimation errors are reflected in the behavior of the flow model predictions. That is, we wished to determine to what degree uncertainties in flow model predictions may be affected simply by the choice of parameter estimation technique used. 3 refs., 2 figs

  2. Energy efficiency practices among road freight hauliers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liimatainen, Heikki; Stenholm, Pekka; Tapio, Petri; McKinnon, Alan

    2012-01-01

    The reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG) is a highly prevalent public policy goal among European Union member countries. In the new White Paper on transport, the role of road freight transports in this is strongly emphasized. This far, however, the efficiency practices utilised in logistics firms are less studied. Drawing from policy goals and new survey data on 295 road transport firms our results show that hauliers are aware of the possible energy efficiency actions but lack the knowledge and resources to fully utilize them. Energy efficiency seems also to be unimportant for many shippers, so there are no incentives for hauliers to improve it. Examples from various countries show that clear energy efficiency improvements can be achieved with active cooperation between hauliers, shippers and policy makers. Such cooperation can be developed in Finland through the sectoral energy efficiency agreements. The novelty and the utility of these results allow scholars to answer important open questions in the national-level determinants of enhancing energy efficiency practices among road freight hauliers, and contribute to our understanding of how these can be fostered in public policies. - Highlights: ► Hauliers still monitor their fuel consumption with unsophisticated methods. ► Larger hauliers are more active in energy efficiency related issues than smaller ones. ► Hauliers are aware of energy efficiency actions, but lack knowledge of implementation. ► Finnish energy efficiency agreement provides a good framework for public policies. ► Companies that monitor and improve energy efficiency may gain competitive advantage.

  3. 78 FR 78470 - Registration and Financial Security Requirements for Freight Forwarders; International...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-26

    ...). See, e.g., Motor Carrier Financial Information Reporting Requirements-Request for Public Comments, 68...] Registration and Financial Security Requirements for Freight Forwarders; International Association of Movers... FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Thomas Yager, Chief of Driver and Carrier Operations, (202) 366-4001 or...

  4. Streamlining Transportation Corridor Planning Processess: Freight and Traffic Information

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Franzese, Oscar [ORNL

    2010-08-01

    The traffic investigation is one of the most important parts of an Environmental Impact Statement of projects involving the construction of new roadway facilities and/or the improvement of existing ones. The focus of the traffic analysis is on the determination of anticipated traffic flow characteristics of the proposed project, by the application of analytical methods that can be grouped under the umbrella of capacity analysis methodologies. In general, the main traffic parameter used in EISs to describe the quality of traffic flow is the Level of Service (LOS). The current state of the practice in terms of the traffic investigations for EISs has two main shortcomings. The first one is related to the information that is necessary to conduct the traffic analysis, and specifically to the lack of integration among the different transportation models and the sources of information that, in general, reside in GIS databases. A discussion of the benefits of integrating CRS&SI technologies and the transportation models used in the EIS traffic investigation is included. The second shortcoming is in the presentation of the results, both in terms of the appearance and formatting, as well as content. The presentation of traffic results (current and proposed) is discussed. This chapter also addresses the need of additional data, in terms of content and coverage. Regarding the former, other traffic parameters (e.g., delays) that are more meaningful to non-transportation experts than LOS, as well as additional information (e.g., freight flows) that can impact traffic conditions and safety are discussed. Spatial information technologies can decrease the negative effects of, and even eliminate, these shortcomings by making the relevant information that is input to the models more complete and readily available, and by providing the means to communicate the results in a more clear and efficient manner. The benefits that the application and use of CRS&SI technologies can provide to

  5. Use of a Phase Transition Concept for Traffic Flow Condition Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larin Oleg N.

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The article covers the main models of traffic flow conditions, analyzes the condition estimation criteria, and provides the classification of models. The article provides the grounds for the use of the phase transition concept for traffic flow condition estimation. The models of the aggregate condition of free and congested traffic have been developed, the phase boundaries between free and congested traffic have been defined. Applicability conditions for the models of the aggregate condition of have been analyzed.

  6. Dynamic Phase Boundary Estimation in Two-phase Flows Based on Electrical Impedance Tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jeong Seong; Muhammada, Nauman Malik; Kim, Kyung Youn; Kim, Sin

    2008-01-01

    For the dynamic visualization of the phase boundary in two-phase flows, the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) technique is introduced. In EIT, a set of predetermined electrical currents is injected through the electrodes placed on the boundary of the flow passage and the induced electrical potentials are measured on the electrodes. With the relationship between the injected currents and the induced voltages, the electrical conductivity distribution across the flow domain is estimated through the image reconstruction algorithm where the conductivity distribution corresponds to the phase distribution. In the application of EIT to two-phase flows where there are only two conductivity values, the conductivity distribution estimation problem can be transformed into the boundary estimation problem. This paper considers phase boundary estimation with EIT in annular two-phase flows. As the image reconstruction algorithm, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is adopted since from the control theory it is reported that the UKF shows better performance than the extended Kalman filter (EKF) that has been commonly used. For the present problem, the formulation of UKF algorithm involved its incorporation in the adopted image reconstruction algorithm. Also, phantom experiments have been conducted to evaluate the improvement reported by UKF

  7. Modeling, Identification, Estimation, and Simulation of Urban Traffic Flow in Jakarta and Bandung

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Herman Y. Sutarto

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an overview of urban traffic flow from the perspective of system theory and stochastic control. The topics of modeling, identification, estimation and simulation techniques are evaluated and validated using actual traffic flow data from the city of Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia, and synthetic data generated from traffic micro-simulator VISSIM. The results on particle filter (PF based state estimation and Expectation-Maximization (EM based parameter estimation (identification confirm the proposed model gives satisfactory results that capture the variation of urban traffic flow. The combination of the technique and the simulator platform assembles possibility to develop a real-time traffic light controller.  

  8. A data library management system for midwest FreightView and its data repository.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-01

    Midwest FreightView (MWFV) and its associated data repository is part of a large multifaceted : effort to promote regional economic development throughout the Great Lakes : system. The main objective for the system is to promote sustainable maritime ...

  9. Operations Research for Freight Train Routing and Scheduling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harrod, Steven; Gorman, Michael F.

    2011-01-01

    This article describes the service design activities that plan and implement the rail freight operating plan. Elements of strategic service design include the setting of train frequency, the routing of cars among trains, and the consolidation of cars, called blocking. At the operational level......, trains are dispatched either according to train paths configured in advance, called timetables, or according to priority rules. We describe the North American and European practice along with selected modeling and problem solving methodologies appropriate for each of the operating conditions described...

  10. Do analysts disclose cash flow forecasts with earnings estimates when earnings quality is low?

    OpenAIRE

    Bilinski, P.

    2014-01-01

    Cash flows are incrementally useful to earnings in security valuation mainly when earnings quality is low. This suggests that when earnings quality decreases, analysts will be more likely to supplement their earnings forecasts with cash flow estimates. Contrary to this prediction, we find that analysts do not disclose cash flow forecasts when the quality of earnings is low. This is because cash flow forecast accuracy depends on the accuracy of the accrual estimates and the precision of accrua...

  11. Identification of key target markets for intermodal freight transport solutions in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joubert van Eeden

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA identified South Africa's freight logistics challenges as among the key binding constraints on the country's growth aspirations. The research presented here points to the structural imbalance between road and rail freight transport as one of the key contributors to this state of affairs. Most long-distance corridor transport has been captured by road. However, long-distance transport is a market segment that is very suitable for intermodal transportation : rail is utilised for the high-density, long-distance component and road for the feeder and distribution services at the corridor end points. A market segmentation approach is developed to identify the corridors and industries that are natural candidates for such solutions, thereby paving the way for role-players and stakeholders to initiate a dialogue on the development of appropriate solutions.

  12. Simulation Study of the Effect of Decreasing Truck Traffic Flow on Safety on Almeria-Barcelona Corridor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dadashova, B.

    2016-07-01

    In this paper the effect of truck traffic on road safety has been analyzed through simulation study. The main objective of the study is to quantify the effect of the decreasing average annual daily traffic of heavy duty vehicles (trucks) on road safety. As the road safety indicators the frequency road accidents is considered. The data used in the study were collected from one of the most crowded routes in Spain which connects Almeria (south-east) with Barcelona (northeast). The observed data covers year 2010 and were classified into 2 road types: dual carriageways and toll roads. The estimation was carried out using negative binomial model and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation. Using the estimation results new traffic scenarios were proposed where the traffic flow is assumed to change its values. A total of 33 scenarios were proposed and new accidents data were generated through MCMC sampling. The comparison of the simulated and observed accident data shows that the effect of decreasing truck traffic flow could meliorate road safety in the route. The simulation tool could be applied to evaluate the effects of freight modal shift from road to rail. (Author)

  13. Optic flow estimation on trajectories generated by bio-inspired closed-loop flight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shoemaker, Patrick A; Hyslop, Andrew M; Humbert, J Sean

    2011-05-01

    We generated panoramic imagery by simulating a fly-like robot carrying an imaging sensor, moving in free flight through a virtual arena bounded by walls, and containing obstructions. Flight was conducted under closed-loop control by a bio-inspired algorithm for visual guidance with feedback signals corresponding to the true optic flow that would be induced on an imager (computed by known kinematics and position of the robot relative to the environment). The robot had dynamics representative of a housefly-sized organism, although simplified to two-degree-of-freedom flight to generate uniaxial (azimuthal) optic flow on the retina in the plane of travel. Surfaces in the environment contained images of natural and man-made scenes that were captured by the moving sensor. Two bio-inspired motion detection algorithms and two computational optic flow estimation algorithms were applied to sequences of image data, and their performance as optic flow estimators was evaluated by estimating the mutual information between outputs and true optic flow in an equatorial section of the visual field. Mutual information for individual estimators at particular locations within the visual field was surprisingly low (less than 1 bit in all cases) and considerably poorer for the bio-inspired algorithms that the man-made computational algorithms. However, mutual information between weighted sums of these signals and comparable sums of the true optic flow showed significant increases for the bio-inspired algorithms, whereas such improvement did not occur for the computational algorithms. Such summation is representative of the spatial integration performed by wide-field motion-sensitive neurons in the third optic ganglia of flies.

  14. Characterization of the near-source population around five candidate ports on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast using a multi-modal freight transport perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Many ports are currently preparing for increased freight traffic, which may result in elevated local air pollution in areas near the port and freight transportation corridors. In this study, a geographical information system (GIS) analysis of areas surrounding five ports – Port o...

  15. 49 CFR 1242.73 - Cleaning car interiors and freight lost and damaged-all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 9 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Cleaning car interiors and freight lost and damaged-all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00). 1242.73 Section 1242.73 Transportation Other... freight lost and damaged—all other (accounts XX-53-70 and 51-53-00). Separate common expenses on basis of...

  16. Estimating Jupiter’s Gravity Field Using Juno Measurements, Trajectory Estimation Analysis, and a Flow Model Optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galanti, Eli; Kaspi, Yohai; Durante, Daniele; Finocchiaro, Stefano; Iess, Luciano

    2017-01-01

    The upcoming Juno spacecraft measurements have the potential of improving our knowledge of Jupiter’s gravity field. The analysis of the Juno Doppler data will provide a very accurate reconstruction of spatial gravity variations, but these measurements will be very accurate only over a limited latitudinal range. In order to deduce the full gravity field of Jupiter, additional information needs to be incorporated into the analysis, especially regarding the Jovian flow structure and its depth, which can influence the measured gravity field. In this study we propose a new iterative method for the estimation of the Jupiter gravity field, using a simulated Juno trajectory, a trajectory estimation model, and an adjoint-based inverse model for the flow dynamics. We test this method both for zonal harmonics only and with a full gravity field including tesseral harmonics. The results show that this method can fit some of the gravitational harmonics better to the “measured” harmonics, mainly because of the added information from the dynamical model, which includes the flow structure. Thus, it is suggested that the method presented here has the potential of improving the accuracy of the expected gravity harmonics estimated from the Juno and Cassini radio science experiments.

  17. Estimating Jupiter’s Gravity Field Using Juno Measurements, Trajectory Estimation Analysis, and a Flow Model Optimization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galanti, Eli; Kaspi, Yohai [Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot (Israel); Durante, Daniele; Finocchiaro, Stefano; Iess, Luciano, E-mail: eli.galanti@weizmann.ac.il [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Aerospaziale, Sapienza Universita di Roma, Rome (Italy)

    2017-07-01

    The upcoming Juno spacecraft measurements have the potential of improving our knowledge of Jupiter’s gravity field. The analysis of the Juno Doppler data will provide a very accurate reconstruction of spatial gravity variations, but these measurements will be very accurate only over a limited latitudinal range. In order to deduce the full gravity field of Jupiter, additional information needs to be incorporated into the analysis, especially regarding the Jovian flow structure and its depth, which can influence the measured gravity field. In this study we propose a new iterative method for the estimation of the Jupiter gravity field, using a simulated Juno trajectory, a trajectory estimation model, and an adjoint-based inverse model for the flow dynamics. We test this method both for zonal harmonics only and with a full gravity field including tesseral harmonics. The results show that this method can fit some of the gravitational harmonics better to the “measured” harmonics, mainly because of the added information from the dynamical model, which includes the flow structure. Thus, it is suggested that the method presented here has the potential of improving the accuracy of the expected gravity harmonics estimated from the Juno and Cassini radio science experiments.

  18. Real-Time Aerodynamic Parameter Estimation without Air Flow Angle Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morelli, Eugene A.

    2010-01-01

    A technique for estimating aerodynamic parameters in real time from flight data without air flow angle measurements is described and demonstrated. The method is applied to simulated F-16 data, and to flight data from a subscale jet transport aircraft. Modeling results obtained with the new approach using flight data without air flow angle measurements were compared to modeling results computed conventionally using flight data that included air flow angle measurements. Comparisons demonstrated that the new technique can provide accurate aerodynamic modeling results without air flow angle measurements, which are often difficult and expensive to obtain. Implications for efficient flight testing and flight safety are discussed.

  19. Estimation of local and regional components of drain - flow from an irrigated field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eching, S.O.; Hopmans, J.W.; Wallender, W.W.; Macyntyre, J.L.; Peters, D.

    1995-01-01

    The contribution of regional ground water and deep percolation from a furrow irrigated field to total drain flow was estimated using salt load analysis. It was found that 64% of the drain flow comes from regional ground water flow. The electrical conductivity of the drain water was highly correlated with the drain flow rate. From the field water balance with deep percolation as estimated from the salt load analysis, using yield function derived evapotranspiration, and measured changes in root zone water storage, it was shown that 14% of the crop evapotranspiration comes from ground water during the study period. 8 figs; 5 tabs; 15 refs ( Author )

  20. 49 CFR 174.61 - Transport vehicles and freight containers on flat cars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... cars. 174.61 Section 174.61 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation PIPELINE AND... containers on flat cars. (a) A transport vehicle, freight container, or package containing a hazardous... has fuel or any article classed as a hazardous material may be loaded and transported on a flat car as...

  1. Freight transport in towns. [Denmark]. Godstransport i byer; Hovedrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-10-01

    The aim was to evaluate a number of possibilities for reducing energy consumption and thus air pollution caused by freight transport in urban areas. The Danish towns of Vejle and Roskilde were taken as examples and the two towns were compared with regard to the town plan, use of land area, the road network, amount of traffic and commercial structure. Economical aspects and the most important initiatives for improvements, including a decrease in traffic accidents, are discussed. These initiatives are coordination of transportation by firms, more drivers using the same vehicles, less frequent deliveries, optimazation of route planning, car sharing, special routes for lorries, traffic and speed control, better siting of new transport functions, re-siting of firms dependent on freight transport, the use of smaller vehicles where possible, no transport of people in trucks or vans, less use of bicycles for transporting messages, more use of underground pipes for transport of materials, lifting equipment for smaller vans and trucks, lifting equipment that is more flexible, motors turned off when loading and loading, reduction of emballage volume, and a more careful way of driving which can help to reduce energy consumption. A computer programme was constructed in order to calculate energy consumption in these relations, emission of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particles, transportation costs and number of traffic accidents. Results are presented in detail and discussed. (AB) (78 refs.).

  2. Simulating nailfold capillaroscopy sequences to evaluate algorithms for blood flow estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tresadern, P A; Berks, M; Murray, A K; Dinsdale, G; Taylor, C J; Herrick, A L

    2013-01-01

    The effects of systemic sclerosis (SSc)--a disease of the connective tissue causing blood flow problems that can require amputation of the fingers--can be observed indirectly by imaging the capillaries at the nailfold, though taking quantitative measures such as blood flow to diagnose the disease and monitor its progression is not easy. Optical flow algorithms may be applied, though without ground truth (i.e. known blood flow) it is hard to evaluate their accuracy. We propose an image model that generates realistic capillaroscopy videos with known flow, and use this model to quantify the effect of flow rate, cell density and contrast (among others) on estimated flow. This resource will help researchers to design systems that are robust under real-world conditions.

  3. SOME ASPECTS OF THE DEFINITION OF EMPTY CARS STABILITY FROM SQUEEZING THEIR LONGITUDINAL FORCES IN THE FREIGHT TRAIN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. O. Shvets

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Despite of the implementation various programs to improve the safety of train traffic problem of reducing gatherings rolling stock off the rails is still relevant. The study aims to clarify the existing method of determining the factor of stability from the tire longitudinal forces to ensure the sustainability of cars with increasing speeds of the rolling stock. Methodology. Research was conducted by the method of mathematical modeling of loading freight car when driving at different speeds on straight and curved track sections. Findings. Analysis of the results shows that, for all selected freight cars for the calculation, the value of the safety factor by squeezing is smaller than the formulas of Standards. Corrections made to the formula for determining the safety factor by squeezing longitudinal forces, would achieve: 1 a higher safety factor of lightweight cars, excluding them squeezing longitudinal forces in the entire range of speeds of freight trains; 2 to develop and implement measures to prevent squeezing of cars in the entire range of motion; 3 to determine the degree of stability of the empty car in the head, middle and tail laden trains; 4 to offer optimal scheme of mixed trains formation. Originality. The analysis of existing methods for determining stability coefficient cars in freight trains from squeezing their longitudinal forces is presented in studies. Proposals are developed for the refinement of the design phase, construction and operation. Practical value. This study clarifies the existing method of determining the safety factor of stability from the squeezing longitudinal forces, as well as the influence on the magnitude of the coefficient of speed of movement of the rolling stock. Developed proposals for the refinement of existing methods for determining stability coefficient of longitudinal forces squeezing cars in a train, can reduce the number of retirements cars derailed by taking into account in the

  4. The dynamics of European two-axle railway freight wagons with UIC standard suspension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hoffmann, Mark; True, Hans

    2008-01-01

    The dynamics of two-axle railway freight wagons with the UIC standard Suspension is investigated theoretically and the dynamic behaviour is explained. Fully nonlinear models are considered. The hysteresis from dry friction and the effect of impacts between elements of the suspension are included...

  5. Rail freight vibration impact sleep and community response: An overview of CargoVibes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Persson Waye, K.; Janssen, S.A.; Waddington, D.; Groll, W.; Croy, I.; Hammar, O.; Koopman, A.; Moorhouse, A.; Peris, E.; Sharp, C.; Sica, G.; Smith, M.G.; Vos, H.; Woodcock, J.; Ogren, M.

    2014-01-01

    The European Union funded project: CargoVibes involving ten partners from eight nations has aimed to examine ground-borne vibration affecting residents close to freight railway lines. The paper presents an overview of the work package investigating human response to vibration, with particular focus

  6. IN-CYLINDER MASS FLOW ESTIMATION AND MANIFOLD PRESSURE DYNAMICS FOR STATE PREDICTION IN SI ENGINES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojnar Sławomir

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present a simple model of the intake manifold dynamics of a spark ignition (SI engine and its possible application for estimation and control purposes. We focus on pressure dynamics, which may be regarded as the foundation for estimating future states and for designing model predictive control strategies suitable for maintaining the desired air fuel ratio (AFR. The flow rate measured at the inlet of the intake manifold and the in-cylinder flow estimation are considered as parts of the proposed model. In-cylinder flow estimation is crucial for engine control, where an accurate amount of aspired air forms the basis for computing the manipulated variables. The solutions presented here are based on the mean value engine model (MVEM approach, using the speed-density method. The proposed in-cylinder flow estimation method is compared to measured values in an experimental setting, while one-step-ahead prediction is illustrated using simulation results.

  7. Evaluation of life-cycle air emission factors of freight transportation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Facanha, Cristiano; Horvath, Arpad

    2007-10-15

    Life-cycle air emission factors associated with road, rail, and air transportation of freight in the United States are analyzed. All life-cycle phases of vehicles, infrastructure, and fuels are accounted for in a hybrid life-cycle assessment (LCA). It includes not only fuel combustion, but also emissions from vehicle manufacturing, maintenance, and end of life, infrastructure construction, operation, maintenance, and end of life, and petroleum exploration, refining, and fuel distribution. Results indicate that total life-cycle emissions of freight transportation modes are underestimated if only tailpipe emissions are accounted for. In the case of CO2 and NOx, tailpipe emissions underestimate total emissions by up to 38%, depending on the mode. Total life-cycle emissions of CO and SO2 are up to seven times higher than tailpipe emissions. Sensitivity analysis considers the effects of vehicle type, geography, and mode efficiency on the final results. Policy implications of this analysis are also discussed. For example, while it is widely assumed that currently proposed regulations will result in substantial reductions in emissions, we find that this is true for NOx, emissions, because fuel combustion is the main cause, and to a lesser extent for SO2, but not for PM10 emissions, which are significantly affected by the other life-cycle phases.

  8. Online state of charge and model parameter co-estimation based on a novel multi-timescale estimator for vanadium redox flow battery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Zhongbao; Lim, Tuti Mariana; Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria; Wai, Nyunt; Tseng, King Jet

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Battery model parameters and SOC co-estimation is investigated. • The model parameters and OCV are decoupled and estimated independently. • Multiple timescales are adopted to improve precision and stability. • SOC is online estimated without using the open-circuit cell. • The method is robust to aging levels, flow rates, and battery chemistries. - Abstract: A key function of battery management system (BMS) is to provide accurate information of the state of charge (SOC) in real time, and this depends directly on the precise model parameterization. In this paper, a novel multi-timescale estimator is proposed to estimate the model parameters and SOC for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) in real time. The model parameters and OCV are decoupled and estimated independently, effectively avoiding the possibility of cross interference between them. The analysis of model sensitivity, stability, and precision suggests the necessity of adopting different timescales for each estimator independently. Experiments are conducted to assess the performance of the proposed method. Results reveal that the model parameters are online adapted accurately thus the periodical calibration on them can be avoided. The online estimated terminal voltage and SOC are both benchmarked with the reference values. The proposed multi-timescale estimator has the merits of fast convergence, high precision, and good robustness against the initialization uncertainty, aging states, flow rates, and also battery chemistries.

  9. Getting the goods without the bads : freight transportation demand management strategies to reduce urban impacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-01

    This project identifies and evaluatesstrategies to reduce the social costs associated with goods movement in urban areas by managing : transportation demand. Information about various freight transportation demand management (TDM) strategies was gath...

  10. Discharge estimation combining flow routing and occasional measurements of velocity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Corato

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available A new procedure is proposed for estimating river discharge hydrographs during flood events, using only water level data at a single gauged site, as well as 1-D shallow water modelling and occasional maximum surface flow velocity measurements. One-dimensional diffusive hydraulic model is used for routing the recorded stage hydrograph in the channel reach considering zero-diffusion downstream boundary condition. Based on synthetic tests concerning a broad prismatic channel, the "suitable" reach length is chosen in order to minimize the effect of the approximated downstream boundary condition on the estimation of the upstream discharge hydrograph. The Manning's roughness coefficient is calibrated by using occasional instantaneous surface velocity measurements during the rising limb of flood that are used to estimate instantaneous discharges by adopting, in the flow area, a two-dimensional velocity distribution model. Several historical events recorded in three gauged sites along the upper Tiber River, wherein reliable rating curves are available, have been used for the validation. The outcomes of the analysis can be summarized as follows: (1 the criterion adopted for selecting the "suitable" channel length based on synthetic test studies has proved to be reliable for field applications to three gauged sites. Indeed, for each event a downstream reach length not more than 500 m is found to be sufficient, for a good performances of the hydraulic model, thereby enabling the drastic reduction of river cross-sections data; (2 the procedure for Manning's roughness coefficient calibration allowed for high performance in discharge estimation just considering the observed water levels and occasional measurements of maximum surface flow velocity during the rising limb of flood. Indeed, errors in the peak discharge magnitude, for the optimal calibration, were found not exceeding 5% for all events observed in the three investigated gauged sections, while the

  11. Association of HeartMate II left ventricular assist device flow estimate with thermodilution cardiac output.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasin, Tal; Huebner, Marianne; Li, Zhuo; Brown, Daniel; Stulak, John M; Boilson, Barry A; Joyce, Lyle; Pereira, Naveen L; Kushwaha, Sudhir S; Park, Soon J

    2014-01-01

    Cardiac output (CO) assessment is important in treating patients with heart failure. Durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) provide essentially all CO. In currently used LVADs, estimated device flow is generated by a computerized algorithm. However, LVAD flow estimate may be inaccurate in tracking true CO. We correlated LVAD (HeartMate II) flow with thermodilution CO during postoperative care (day 2-10 after implant) in 81 patients (5,616 paired measurements). Left ventricular assist device flow and CO correlated with a low correlation coefficient (r = 0.42). Left ventricular assist device readings were lower than CO measurements by approximately 0.36 L/min, trending for larger difference with higher values. Left ventricular assist device flow measurements showed less temporal variability compared with CO. Grouping for simultaneous measured blood pressure (BP device flow generally trends with measured CO, but large variability exists, hence flow measures should not be assumed to equal with CO. Clinicians should take into account variables such as high CO, BP, and opening of the aortic valve when interpreting LVAD flow readout. Direct flow sensors incorporated in the LVAD system may allow for better estimation.

  12. Commodity-based Approach for Evaluating the Value of Freight Moving on Texas’ Roadway Network

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-10

    The researchers took a commodity-based approach to evaluate the value of a list of selected commodities moved on the Texas freight network. This approach takes advantage of commodity-specific data sources and modeling processes. It provides a unique ...

  13. Opportunities for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Multi-Modal Intra-City Freight Movement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walkowicz, Kevin; Duran, Adam

    2017-07-06

    This poster focuses on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's analysis of opportunities for freight movement energy savings via optimization and integration of existing/emerging intra-city goods delivery modes as well as an assessment of the efficacy and energy consumption impact of new technologies.

  14. 49 CFR 176.170 - Transport of Class 1 (explosive) materials in freight containers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Transport of Class 1 (explosive) materials in... REGULATIONS CARRIAGE BY VESSEL Detailed Requirements for Class 1 (Explosive) Materials Cargo Transport Units and Shipborne Barges § 176.170 Transport of Class 1 (explosive) materials in freight containers. (a...

  15. RESEARCH OF IMPACT OF THE LOADING ON ENDURANCE OF THE FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE ENGINES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergejus LEBEDEVAS

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The publication reflects the research results of the rationalization of the rolling stock use of JSC LG Lithuanian railways to increase the reliability indicators of the freight diesel locomotive exploitation reliability. The comparative evaluation of the exploited freight diesel locomotive work duration, according to the technical documentation, by using comparative test results and indirect diesel reliability criteria approved in practice. An algorithm of work duration forecasting methodology has been created, as well as a programme complex of mathematic modelling. The differences of the results indicated in the experiment and modelled by computer do not exceed 5 ÷ 7%. The proposed and described methodology of the diesel locomotive exploitation load cycle dynamic indicator reduction, by the use of which the following is achieved: increase of the diesel work duration by 7÷10%, reduction of fuel consumption up to 10%, reduction of the load cycle dynamic indicators (increasing the fatigue stress of parts and units of the diesel by 15÷20%.

  16. Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Identify the Most Suitable Lessor of Freight Car Finance Leasing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Lei

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Finance leasing (also “equipment leasing” saves the cost, improves the efficiency and benefit, larger the manufacture supply channels, which is an optimal solution for equipment supply with uncertain freight demand. The article collects the definitions of Finance Leasing based on the four pillars theory of finance leasing, also divides the lessors in Freight Car finance leasing into three categories according to their major business: manufacturers, banks as the representative financial institutions, firms that specialized in finance leasing. To identify the most suitable lessor for each railway department, an indicator system is built and operated by Yaahp (a software based on Analytic Hierarchy Process.

  17. Erosion estimation of guide vane end clearance in hydraulic turbines with sediment water flow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Wei; Kang, Jingbo; Wang, Jie; Peng, Guoyi; Li, Lianyuan; Su, Min

    2018-04-01

    The end surface of guide vane or head cover is one of the most serious parts of sediment erosion for high-head hydraulic turbines. In order to investigate the relationship between erosion depth of wall surface and the characteristic parameter of erosion, an estimative method including a simplified flow model and a modificatory erosion calculative function is proposed in this paper. The flow between the end surfaces of guide vane and head cover is simplified as a clearance flow around a circular cylinder with a backward facing step. Erosion characteristic parameter of csws3 is calculated with the mixture model for multiphase flow and the renormalization group (RNG) k-𝜀 turbulence model under the actual working conditions, based on which, erosion depths of guide vane and head cover end surfaces are estimated with a modification of erosion coefficient K. The estimation results agree well with the actual situation. It is shown that the estimative method is reasonable for erosion prediction of guide vane and can provide a significant reference to determine the optimal maintenance cycle for hydraulic turbine in the future.

  18. Freight transportation and the potential for invasions of exotic insects in urban and periurban forests of the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colunga-Garcia, Manuel; Haack, Robert A; Adelaja, Adesoji O

    2009-02-01

    Freight transportation is an important pathway for the introduction and dissemination of exotic forest insects (EFI). Identifying the final destination of imports is critical in determining the likelihood of EFI establishment. We analyzed the use of regional freight transport information to characterize risk of urban and periurban areas to EFI introductions. Specific objectives were to 1) approximate the final distribution of selected imports among urban areas of the United States, 2) characterize the final distribution of imports in terms of their spatial aggregation and dominant world region of origin, and 3) assess the effect of the final distribution of imports on the level of risk to urban and periurban forests from EFI. Freight pattern analyses were conducted for three categories of imports whose products or packaging materials are associated with EFI: wood products, nonmetallic mineral products, and machinery. The final distribution of wood products was the most evenly distributed of the three selected imports, whereas machinery was most spatially concentrated. We found that the type of import and the world region of origin greatly influence the final distribution of imported products. Risk assessment models were built based on the amount of forestland and imports for each urban area The model indicated that 84-88% of the imported tonnage went to only 4-6% of the urban areas in the contiguous United States. We concluded that freight movement information is critical for proper risk assessment of EFI. Implications of our findings and future research needs are discussed.

  19. The economic performance of supply chain(s) served by the mega freight transport vehicles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Janic, M.

    2014-01-01

    This paper deals with the economic performances of supply chain(s) served by different including the mega freight transport vehicles. These performances are considered as a dimension of the supply chain’s sustainability together with the infrastructural, technical/technological, operational,

  20. Economic benefits of productivity increases through truck-to-rail mode shift in freight transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-29

    Although the study of economic benefits of improving (or not improving) the efficiency of freight movement has been recognized as one of the critical research topic by the decision makers and researchers alike, there remains a dearth of transparent a...

  1. Bubble boundary estimation in an annulus two-phase flow using electrical impedance tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jeong Seong

    2008-02-01

    For the visualization of the phase boundary in an annulus two-phase flows, the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) technique is introduced. In EIT, a set of predetermined electrical currents is injected trough the electrodes placed on the boundary of the flow passage and the induced electrical potentials are measured on the electrode. With the relationship between the injected currents and the induced voltages, the electrical conductivity distribution across the flow domain is estimated through the image reconstruction algorithm. In this, the conductivity distribution corresponds to the phase distribution. In the application of EIT to two-phase flows where there are only two conductivity values, the conductivity distribution estimation problem can be transformed into the boundary estimation problem. This paper considers a bubble boundary estimation with EIT in an annulus two-phase flows. And in many industrial cases there are a priori known internal structures inside the vessels which could be used as internal electrodes in tomographical imaging. In this paper internal electrodes were considered in electrical impedance tomography. As the image reconstruction algorithm, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is adopted since from the control theory it is reported that the UKF shows better performance than the extended Kalman filter (EKF) that has been commonly used. The UKF algorithm was formulated to be incorporate into the image reconstruction algorithm for the present problem. Also, phantom experiments have been conducted to evaluate the improvement by UKF

  2. Methods for estimating wake flow and effluent dispersion near simple block-like buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosker, R.P. Jr.

    1981-05-01

    This report is intended as an interim guide for those who routinely face air quality problems associated with near-building exhaust stack placement and height, and the resulting concentration patterns. Available data and methods for estimating wake flow and effluent dispersion near isolated block-like structures are consolidated. The near-building and wake flows are described, and quantitative estimates for frontal eddy size, height and extent of roof and wake cavities, and far wake behavior are provided. Concentration calculation methods for upwind, near-building, and downwind pollutant sources are given. For an upwind source, it is possible to estimate the required stack height, and to place upper limits on the likely near-building concentration. The influences of near-building source location and characteristics relative to the building geometry and orientation are considered. Methods to estimate effective stack height, upper limits for concentration due to flush roof vents, and the effect of changes in rooftop stack height are summarized. Current wake and wake cavity models are presented. Numerous graphs of important expressions have been prepared to facilitate computations and quick estimates of flow patterns and concentration levels for specific simple buildings. Detailed recommendations for additional work are given

  3. Influence of Flow Velocity on Tsunami Loss Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Song

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Inundation depth is commonly used as an intensity measure in tsunami fragility analysis. However, inundation depth cannot be taken as the sole representation of tsunami impact on structures, especially when structural damage is caused by hydrodynamic and debris impact forces that are mainly determined by flow velocity. To reflect the influence of flow velocity in addition to inundation depth in tsunami risk assessment, a tsunami loss estimation method that adopts both inundation depth and flow velocity (i.e., bivariate intensity measures in evaluating tsunami damage is developed. To consider a wide range of possible tsunami inundation scenarios, Monte Carlo-based tsunami simulations are performed using stochastic earthquake slip distributions derived from a spectral synthesis method and probabilistic scaling relationships of earthquake source parameters. By focusing on Sendai (plain coast and Onagawa (ria coast in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan in a case study, the stochastic tsunami loss is evaluated by total economic loss and its spatial distribution at different scales. The results indicate that tsunami loss prediction is highly sensitive to modelling resolution and inclusion of flow velocity for buildings located less than 1 km from the sea for Sendai and Onagawa of Miyagi Prefecture.

  4. Assessment of possible usages of fuels alternatives to diesel by maritime, road and river freight transport professionals. Gas-based motorizations, strategic investments for the energy transition of road and maritime freight transport companies within the frame of the 2014/94/EU directive of 22 October 2014

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erhardt, Jean-Bernard; Maler, Philippe

    2017-05-01

    As the 2014/94/EU directive defines alternative fuels (electric power, natural gas under its gaseous and liquefied form, biofuels, liquefied petrol gas or LPG, hydrogen, synthetic fuels, and paraffinic fuels), and states the obligation for member states to develop distribution infrastructures for these fuels, this report addresses fuels which cannot be mixed with diesel fuel and thus require the modification of transport equipment and the development of a new distribution infrastructure, technically different from that for oil-derived fuels. It describes technical and economic characteristics of French freight transport companies, public policies aimed at an energy transition of these companies, and alternate fuels defined by the European directive. Then, it proposes an overview of the status of perspectives of development of alternative motorizations for four types of equipment used in freight transport: freight transport ships, industrial vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and inland vessels

  5. Estimation of natural historical flows for the Manitowish River near Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juckem, Paul F.; Reneau, Paul C.; Robertson, Dale M.

    2012-01-01

    The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is charged with oversight of dam operations throughout Wisconsin and is considering modifications to the operating orders for the Rest Lake Dam in Vilas County, Wisconsin. State law requires that the operation orders be tied to natural low flows at the dam. Because the presence of the dam confounds measurement of natural flows, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, installed streamflow-gaging stations and developed two statistical methods to improve estimates of natural flows at the Rest Lake Dam. Two independent methods were used to estimate daily natural flow for the Manitowish River approximately 1 mile downstream of the Rest Lake Dam. The first method was an adjusted drainage-area ratio method, which used a regression analysis that related measured water yield (flow divided by watershed area) from short-term (2009–11) gaging stations upstream of the Manitowish Chain of Lakes to the water yield from two nearby long-term gaging stations in order to extend the flow record (1991–2011). In this approach, the computed flows into the Chain of Lakes at the upstream gaging stations were multiplied by a coefficient to account for the monthly hydrologic contributions (precipitation, evaporation, groundwater, and runoff) associated with the additional watershed area between the upstream gaging stations and the dam at the outlet of the Chain of Lakes (Rest Lake Dam). The second method used to estimate daily natural flow at the Rest Lake Dam was a water-budget approach, which used lake stage and dam outflow data provided by the dam operator. A water-budget model was constructed and then calibrated with an automated parameter-estimation program by matching simulated flow-duration statistics with measured flow-duration statistics at the upstream gaging stations. After calibration of the water-budget model, the model was used to compute natural flow at the dam from 1973 to

  6. Estimating Probable Maximum Precipitation by Considering Combined Effect of Typhoon and Southwesterly Air Flow

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Chin Liu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Typhoon Morakot hit southern Taiwan in 2009, bringing 48-hr of heavy rainfall [close to the Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP] to the Tsengwen Reservoir catchment. This extreme rainfall event resulted from the combined (co-movement effect of two climate systems (i.e., typhoon and southwesterly air flow. Based on the traditional PMP estimation method (i.e., the storm transposition method, STM, two PMP estimation approaches, i.e., Amplification Index (AI and Independent System (IS approaches, which consider the combined effect are proposed in this work. The AI approach assumes that the southwesterly air flow precipitation in a typhoon event could reach its maximum value. The IS approach assumes that the typhoon and southwesterly air flow are independent weather systems. Based on these assumptions, calculation procedures for the two approaches were constructed for a case study on the Tsengwen Reservoir catchment. The results show that the PMP estimates for 6- to 60-hr durations using the two approaches are approximately 30% larger than the PMP estimates using the traditional STM without considering the combined effect. This work is a pioneer PMP estimation method that considers the combined effect of a typhoon and southwesterly air flow. Further studies on this issue are essential and encouraged.

  7. Flow modelling to estimate suspended sediment travel times for two Canadian Deltas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. R. Fassnacht

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available The approximate travel times for suspended sediment transport through two multi-channel networks are estimated using flow modelling. The focus is on the movement of high sediment concentrations that travel rapidly downstream. Since suspended sediment transport through river confluences and bifurcation movement is poorly understood, it is assumed that the sediment moves at approximately the average channel velocity during periods of high sediment load movement. Calibration of the flow model is discussed, with an emphasis on the incorporation of cross-section data, that are not referenced to a datum, using a continuous water surface profile. Various flow regimes are examined for the Mackenzie and the Slave River Deltas in the Northwest Territories, Canada, and a significant variation in travel times is illustrated. One set of continuous daily sediment measurements throughout the Mackenzie Delta is used to demonstrate that the travel time estimates are reasonable. Keywords: suspended sediment; multi-channel river systems; flow modelling; sediment transport

  8. Methodology for Mode Selection in Corridor Analysis of Freight Transportation

    OpenAIRE

    Kanafani, Adib

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of tins report is to outline a methodology for the analysis of mode selection in freight transportation. This methodology is intended to partake of transportation corridor analysts, a component of demand analysis that is part of a national transportation process. The methodological framework presented here provides a basis on which specific models and calculation procedures might be developed. It also provides a basis for the development of a data management system suitable for co...

  9. Efficiency Analysis of European Freight Villages-Three Peers for Benchmarking

    OpenAIRE

    Yang, Congcong; Taudes, Alfred; Dong, Guozhi

    2015-01-01

    Measuring the performance of Freight Villages (FVs) has important implications for logistics companies and other related companies as well as governments. In this paper we apply Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the performance of European FVs in a purely data-driven way incorporating the nature of FVs as complex operations that use multiple inputs and produce several outputs. We employ several DEA models and perform a complete sensitivity analysis of the appropriateness of the chose...

  10. Air Freight Service Development Plan : Case: CMA CGM Logistics Vietnam

    OpenAIRE

    Nguyen, Giang

    2014-01-01

    Being one of the fastest-growing nations in the world, Vietnam is trading across the border actively and at the same time attracting multiple foreign investments. Import and export activities are occurring vigorously which leads to a huge potential for international transportation sectors, particularly for aviation industry. Hence, the ultimate goal of this thesis is to establish a development plan of air freight service for the case company – CMA CGM Logistics Vietnam (CCLOG VN). The stu...

  11. Monocular distance estimation from optic flow during active landing maneuvers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Breugel, Floris; Morgansen, Kristi; Dickinson, Michael H

    2014-01-01

    Vision is arguably the most widely used sensor for position and velocity estimation in animals, and it is increasingly used in robotic systems as well. Many animals use stereopsis and object recognition in order to make a true estimate of distance. For a tiny insect such as a fruit fly or honeybee, however, these methods fall short. Instead, an insect must rely on calculations of optic flow, which can provide a measure of the ratio of velocity to distance, but not either parameter independently. Nevertheless, flies and other insects are adept at landing on a variety of substrates, a behavior that inherently requires some form of distance estimation in order to trigger distance-appropriate motor actions such as deceleration or leg extension. Previous studies have shown that these behaviors are indeed under visual control, raising the question: how does an insect estimate distance solely using optic flow? In this paper we use a nonlinear control theoretic approach to propose a solution for this problem. Our algorithm takes advantage of visually controlled landing trajectories that have been observed in flies and honeybees. Finally, we implement our algorithm, which we term dynamic peering, using a camera mounted to a linear stage to demonstrate its real-world feasibility. (paper)

  12. New SP-values of time and reliability for freight transport in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jong, G. de; Kouwenhoven, M.; Bates, J.; Koster, P.; Verhoef, E.; Tavasszy, L.; Warffemius, P.

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses the methods used in a study on the values of time and reliability in freight transport in the Netherlands. SP surveys were carried out among more than 800 shippers and carriers. A novel feature is that both for the value of time and reliability two additive components are

  13. The impact of interpreted flow regimes during constant head injection tests on the estimated transmissivity from injection tests and difference flow logging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hjerne, Calle; Ludvigsson, Jan-Erik; Harrstroem, Johan [Geosigma AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

    2013-04-15

    A large number of constant head injection tests were carried out in the site investigation at Forsmark using the Pipe String System, PSS3. During the original evaluation of the tests the dominating transient flow regimes during both the injection and recovery period were interpreted together with estimation of hydraulic parameters. The flow regimes represent different flow and boundary conditions during the tests. Different boreholes or borehole intervals may display different distributions of flow regimes. In some boreholes good agreement was obtained between the results of the injection tests and difference flow logging with Posiva flow log (PFL) but in other boreholes significant discrepancies were found. The main objective of this project is to study the correlation between transient flow regimes from the injection tests and other borehole features such as transmissivity, depth, geology, fracturing etc. Another subject studied is whether observed discrepancies between estimated transmissivity from difference flow logging and injection tests can be correlated to interpreted flow regimes. Finally, a detailed comparison between transient and stationary evaluation of transmissivity from the injection tests in relation to estimated transmissivity from PFL tests in corresponding sections is made. Results from previous injection tests in 5 m sections in boreholes KFM04, KFM08A and KFM10A were used. Only injection tests above the (test-specific) measurement limit regarding flow rate are included in the analyses. For all of these tests transient flow regimes were interpreted. In addition, results from difference flow logging in the corresponding 5 m test sections were used. Finally, geological data of fractures together with rock and fracture zone properties have been used in the correlations. Flow regimes interpreted from the injection period of the tests are generally used in the correlations but deviations between the interpreted flow regimes from the injection and

  14. Analysis of Indicators of Corporate Responsibility in Road Freight Transport: Results of Transport Companies and FMCG Retailers in Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragan Đuranović

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is the analysis of indicators of corporate responsibility in road freight transport, with special emphasis on freight transport and delivery to Fast Moving Consumers Goods (FMCG retailers and final consumer. The main task is to rank the importance of corporate responsibility indicators in freight transport from the perspective of the management of transport companies, as well as management of retail stores. In this context, empirical research was conducted on a sample of 124 managers of transport enterprises and 181 managers of FMCG retailers in Serbia. The results showed that the impact of indicators does not depend on the region, transport company and retail store. The indicators show a statistically significant dependence on FMCG type that is being transported. The conducted analysis and achieved results are important in practice as they show to the management of transport companies which indicators should be developed, so that customers (retailers, and thus the users of final products are satisfied. Disadvantages of the existing research and suggestions for future studies are provided in the paper.

  15. A joint model of mode and shipment size choice using the first generation of Commodity Flow Survey Public Use Microdata

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monique Stinson

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A behavior-based supply chain and freight transportation model was developed and implemented for the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG and Pima Association of Governments (PAG. This innovative, data-driven modeling system simulates commodity flows to, from and within Phoenix and Tucson Megaregion and is used for regional planning purposes. This paper details the logistics choice component of the system and describes the position and functioning of this component in the overall framework. The logistics choice model uses a nested logit formulation to evaluate mode choice and shipment size jointly. Modeling decisions related to integrating this component within the overall framework are discussed. This paper also describes practical insights gained from using the 2012 Commodity Flow Survey Public Use Microdata (released in 2015, which was the principal data source used to estimate the joint shipment size-mode choice nested logit model. Finally, the validation effort and related lessons learned are described.

  16. Coded ultrasound for blood flow estimation using subband processing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gran, Fredrik; Udesen, Jesper; Nielsen, Michael bachmann

    2007-01-01

    This paper further investigates the use of coded excitation for blood flow estimation in medical ultrasound. Traditional autocorrelation estimators use narrow-band excitation signals to provide sufficient signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and velocity estimation performance. In this paper, broadband...... coded signals are used to increase SNR, followed by sub-band processing. The received broadband signal, is filtered using a set of narrow-band filters. Estimating the velocity in each of the bands and averaging the results yields better performance compared to what would be possible when transmitting...... a narrow-band pulse directly. Also, the spatial resolution of the narrow-band pulse would be too poor for brightness-mode (B-mode) imaging and additional transmissions would be required to update the B-mode image. In the described approach, there is no need for additional transmissions, because...

  17. Freight on a Low-Carbon Diet: Accessibility, Freightsheds, and Commodities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taptich, Michael N; Horvath, Arpad

    2015-10-06

    The freight infrastructure network (e.g., roads, railways, waterways, etc.) is the backbone of nearly all trade partnerships in the United States and abroad. The manner in which the individual portions of its constituent parts are interrelated or arranged plays an important role for determining the environmental footprint of goods moved within the network. Herein, we compare the spatial distribution of potential consumer-producer exchanges (i.e., accessibility) under varying greenhouse gas (GHG) budgets or preferences for minimal transportation-related GHG emissions. We conduct case studies using two freight modes (truck and intermodal rail) for two representative commodities: meat/seafood and paper articles. Results across all counties in the United States indicate that the geographic area in which trade is possible, given a GHG budget, varies by transportation mode, location, and commodity. Our results suggest that intermodal terminal availability is an important determinant of low-GHG accessibility. Since only a fraction of road-to-rail terminals accommodate meat/seafood (4.9%) and paper (0.7%), the United States could increase its expected GHG savings associated with truck-to-rail mode-switching policies by 70% (+20 kg CO2,e/ton for meat/seafood) and 310% (+30 kg CO2,e/ton for paper) by upgrading current terminals to allow the exchange of all types of goods.

  18. Application of Artificial Intelligence in Prediction of Road Freight Transportation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogna Mrowczynska

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Road freight transport often requires the prediction of volume. Such knowledge is necessary to capture trends in the industry and support decision making by large and small trucking companies. The aim of the presented work is to demonstrate that application of some artificial intelligence methods can improve the accuracy of the forecasts. The first method employed was double exponential smoothing. The modification of this method has been proposed. Not only the parameters but also the initial values were set in order to minimize the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE using the artificial immune system. This change resulted in a marked improvement in the effects of minimization, and suggests that the variability of the initial value of S2 has an impact on this result. Then, the forecasting Bayesian networks method was applied. The Bayesian network approach is able to take into account not only the historical data concerning the volume of freight, but also the data related to the overall state of the national economy. This significantly improves the quality of forecasting. The application of this approach can also help in predicting the trend changes caused by overall state of economy, which is rather impossible when analysing only the historical data.

  19. Freight transport in towns. Main report; Godstransport i byer. Hovedrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1992-10-01

    The aim was to evaluate a number of possibilities for reducing energy consumption and thus air pollution caused by freight transport in urban areas. The Danish towns of Vejle and Roskilde were taken as examples and the two towns were compared with regard to the town plan, use of land area, the road network, amount of traffic and commercial structure. Economical aspects and the most important initiatives for improvements, including a decrease in traffic accidents, are discussed. These initiatives are coordination of transportation by firms, more drivers using the same vehicles, less frequent deliveries, optimazation of route planning, car sharing, special routes for lorries, traffic and speed control, better siting of new transport functions, re-siting of firms dependent on freight transport, the use of smaller vehicles where possible, no transport of people in trucks or vans, less use of bicycles for transporting messages, more use of underground pipes for transport of materials, lifting equipment for smaller vans and trucks, lifting equipment that is more flexible, motors turned off when loading and loading, reduction of emballage volume, and a more careful way of driving which can help to reduce energy consumption. A computer programme was constructed in order to calculate energy consumption in these relations, emission of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particles, transportation costs and number of traffic accidents. Results are presented in detail and discussed. (AB) (78 refs.).

  20. Estimation of groundwater flow rate using the decay of 222Rn in a well

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Hiromasa

    1999-01-01

    A method of estimating groundwater flow rate using the decay of 222 Rn in a well was investigated. Field application revealed that infiltrated water (i.e., precipitation, pond water and irrigation water) accelerated groundwater flow. In addition, the depth at which groundwater was influenced by surface water was determined. The velocity of groundwater in a test well was estimated to be of the order of 10 -6 cm s -1 , based on the ratio of 222 Rn concentration in groundwater before and after it flowed into the well. This method is applicable for monitoring of groundwater flow rate where the velocity in a well is from 10 -5 to 10 -6 cm s -1

  1. Rail security : some actions taken to enhance passenger and freight rail security, but significant challenges remain : testimony before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-03-23

    Passenger and freight rail services are important links in the nation's transportation system. Terrorist attacks on passenger and/or freight rail services have the potential to cause widespread injury, loss of life, and economic disruption. The recen...

  2. The impact of Pulpwood Rail Freight Costs on the Minnesota-Wisconsin Pulpwood Market

    Science.gov (United States)

    David C. Lothner

    1976-01-01

    Transportation costs affect the marketing and utilization of pulpwood. Their impact on the procurement and utilization of pulpwood often prove difficult to measure because deriving an average annual measure of the transportation cost is difficult. This note, by means of a simple index method for measuring regional interstate pulpwood rail freight costs, illustrates...

  3. An iterative stochastic ensemble method for parameter estimation of subsurface flow models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elsheikh, Ahmed H.; Wheeler, Mary F.; Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2013-01-01

    Parameter estimation for subsurface flow models is an essential step for maximizing the value of numerical simulations for future prediction and the development of effective control strategies. We propose the iterative stochastic ensemble method (ISEM) as a general method for parameter estimation based on stochastic estimation of gradients using an ensemble of directional derivatives. ISEM eliminates the need for adjoint coding and deals with the numerical simulator as a blackbox. The proposed method employs directional derivatives within a Gauss–Newton iteration. The update equation in ISEM resembles the update step in ensemble Kalman filter, however the inverse of the output covariance matrix in ISEM is regularized using standard truncated singular value decomposition or Tikhonov regularization. We also investigate the performance of a set of shrinkage based covariance estimators within ISEM. The proposed method is successfully applied on several nonlinear parameter estimation problems for subsurface flow models. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by the small size of utilized ensembles and in terms of error convergence rates

  4. An iterative stochastic ensemble method for parameter estimation of subsurface flow models

    KAUST Repository

    Elsheikh, Ahmed H.

    2013-06-01

    Parameter estimation for subsurface flow models is an essential step for maximizing the value of numerical simulations for future prediction and the development of effective control strategies. We propose the iterative stochastic ensemble method (ISEM) as a general method for parameter estimation based on stochastic estimation of gradients using an ensemble of directional derivatives. ISEM eliminates the need for adjoint coding and deals with the numerical simulator as a blackbox. The proposed method employs directional derivatives within a Gauss-Newton iteration. The update equation in ISEM resembles the update step in ensemble Kalman filter, however the inverse of the output covariance matrix in ISEM is regularized using standard truncated singular value decomposition or Tikhonov regularization. We also investigate the performance of a set of shrinkage based covariance estimators within ISEM. The proposed method is successfully applied on several nonlinear parameter estimation problems for subsurface flow models. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by the small size of utilized ensembles and in terms of error convergence rates. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

  5. The Impact of Delays of Freight Trains in JIT System on Example One Track Line

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dlugoš Matúš

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes the problem between freight trains operated by Metrans Danube, a.s. and passenger trains operated by Regiojet, a.s on the line Bratislava – Dunajská Streda - Komárno. It is very important to emphasize this problem because, nowadays, mostly freight trains across the Europe drive in just in time system, it means, that shipments are delivered at exact time and place on time. At this line there are many problems not only this track line is single track, so it is necessary to cross the trains very often in traffic points which maximum 2 traffic tracks but also organizing of transport is more complicated which is provided by Railway infrastructure manager – this case is very important example when railway traffic technology slows down all processes in the logistic chain.

  6. Estimation of roughness lengths and flow separation over compound bedforms in a natural-tidal inlet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lefebvre, Alice; Ernstsen, Verner Brandbyge; Winter, Christian

    2013-01-01

    was found to underestimate the length of the flow separation zone of the primary bedforms. A better estimation of the presence and shape of the flow separation zone over complex bedforms in a tidal environment still needs to be determined; in particular the relationship between flow separation zone......The hydraulic effect of asymmetric compound bedforms on tidal currents was assessed from field measurements of flow velocity in the Knudedyb tidal inlet, Denmark. Large asymmetric bedforms with smaller superimposed ones are a common feature of sandy shallow water environments and are known to act...... as hydraulic roughness elements in dependence with flow direction. The presence of a flow separation zone on the bedform lee was estimated through analysis of the measured velocity directions and the calculation of the flow separation line. The Law of the Wall was used to calculate roughness lengths and shear...

  7. Simulation of longitudinal dynamics of long freight trains in positioning operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Zhaohui; Huang, Zhihao; Kong, Xianchao

    2012-09-01

    Positioning operations are performed in a railway goods yard, in which the freight train is pulled precisely at a specific point by a positioner. The positioner moves strictly according to the predesigned speed and provides all the traction and braking forces which are highly dependent on the longitudinal dynamic response. In order to improve the efficiency and protect the wagons from damage during positioning operations, the design speed of the positioner has to be optimised based on the simulation of longitudinal train dynamics. However, traditional models of longitudinal train dynamics are not accurate enough in some aspects. In this study, we make some changes in the traditional theory to make it suitable for the study of long freight trains in positioning operations. In the proposed method, instead of the traction force on the train, the motion of the positioner is assumed to be known; more importantly, the traditional draft gear model with nonlinear spring and linear damping is replaced by a more detailed model based on the achievement of contact and impact mechanics; the switching effects of the resistance and the coupler slack are also taken into consideration. Numerical examples that deal with positioning operations on the straight lines, slope lines and curving lines are given.

  8. 49 CFR 176.76 - Transport vehicles, freight containers, and portable tanks containing hazardous materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Transport vehicles, freight containers, and... TRANSPORTATION HAZARDOUS MATERIALS REGULATIONS CARRIAGE BY VESSEL General Handling and Stowage § 176.76 Transport... paragraphs (b) through (f) of this section, hazardous materials authorized to be transported by vessel may be...

  9. Source Estimation for the Damped Wave Equation Using Modulating Functions Method: Application to the Estimation of the Cerebral Blood Flow

    KAUST Repository

    Asiri, Sharefa M.; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, a method based on modulating functions is proposed to estimate the Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF). The problem is written in an input estimation problem for a damped wave equation which is used to model the spatiotemporal variations

  10. Integrated strategies to address emerging freight and delivery challenges in New York City : final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    This report has three critical objectives. First, to highlight the changing nature of freight deliveries even as zoning policy for off-street loading has changed little over the last 65 years. Second, to consider policy and physical approaches to add...

  11. Online Systems for Oversize and Overweight Freight Permitting and Motor Carrier Credentialing : Transportation Research Synthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    MnDOT uses two online systems implemented in the 1990s to issue and manage permits for oversize/overweight (OS/OW) freight and motor carrier credentials: - RouteBuilder, an OS/OW permitting system with a routing component. - Motor Carrier Information...

  12. Accurate Angle Estimator for High-Frame-rate 2-D Vector Flow Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Villagómez Hoyos, Carlos Armando; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Lindskov Hansen, Kristoffer

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a novel approach for estimating 2-D flow angles using a high-frame-rate ultrasound method. The angle estimator features high accuracy and low standard deviation (SD) over the full 360° range. The method is validated on Field II simulations and phantom measurements using...

  13. Maximum Likelihood Blood Velocity Estimator Incorporating Properties of Flow Physics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schlaikjer, Malene; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2004-01-01

    )-data under investigation. The flow physic properties are exploited in the second term, as the range of velocity values investigated in the cross-correlation analysis are compared to the velocity estimates in the temporal and spatial neighborhood of the signal segment under investigation. The new estimator...... has been compared to the cross-correlation (CC) estimator and the previously developed maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The results show that the CMLE can handle a larger velocity search range and is capable of estimating even low velocity levels from tissue motion. The CC and the MLE produce...... for the CC and the MLE. When the velocity search range is set to twice the limit of the CC and the MLE, the number of incorrect velocity estimates are 0, 19.1, and 7.2% for the CMLE, CC, and MLE, respectively. The ability to handle a larger search range and estimating low velocity levels was confirmed...

  14. Analysis on logistic company action toward the access restriction policy on freight vehicle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nur, Muhammad; Hadiwardoyo, Sigit P.; Nahry, Nahdalina

    2017-06-01

    The high volume of freight vehicles that enters, leaves or passes through the urban areas, especially Jakarta, has caused traffic congestion. Local authority plans to perform the access restriction on freight vehicles on the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) to reduce the congestion on that toll road. The study aims to analyze the alternative solutions of the logistics companies to overcome the impact of such policy. The data collection is done by interviewing 102 truck drivers and 7 staffs of logistic companies that use JORR. The results show that the most preferred action is shifting the operating time. Based on the open test, access restriction policy on JORR may cause a significant impact on the operational costs of delivery. Shifting the operational time will increase the operating cost by 1.71%, while turning the route will increase the operating costs by 4.35%. Moreover, changing the mode will reduce the operating expenses by 50%, and the combination action of shifting the route and the time will increase the operating costs by 5.39%.

  15. Improvements in BTS estimation of ton-miles

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-08-01

    Ton-miles (one ton of freight shipped one mile) is the primary physical measure of freight transportation output. This paper describes improved measurements of ton-miles for air, truck, rail, water, and pipeline modes. Each modal measure contains a d...

  16. Use of instantaneous streamflow measurements to improve regression estimates of index flow for the summer month of lowest streamflow in Michigan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holtschlag, David J.

    2011-01-01

    In Michigan, index flow Q50 is a streamflow characteristic defined as the minimum of median flows for July, August, and September. The state of Michigan uses index flow estimates to help regulate large (greater than 100,000 gallons per day) water withdrawals to prevent adverse effects on characteristic fish populations. At sites where long-term streamgages are located, index flows are computed directly from continuous streamflow records as GageQ50. In an earlier study, a multiple-regression equation was developed to estimate index flows IndxQ50 at ungaged sites. The index equation explains about 94 percent of the variability of index flows at 147 (index) streamgages by use of six explanatory variables describing soil type, aquifer transmissivity, land cover, and precipitation characteristics. This report extends the results of the previous study, by use of Monte Carlo simulations, to evaluate alternative flow estimators, DiscQ50, IntgQ50, SiteQ50, and AugmQ50. The Monte Carlo simulations treated each of the available index streamgages, in turn, as a miscellaneous site where streamflow conditions are described by one or more instantaneous measurements of flow. In the simulations, instantaneous flows were approximated by daily mean flows at the corresponding site. All estimators use information that can be obtained from instantaneous flow measurements and contemporaneous daily mean flow data from nearby long-term streamgages. The efficacy of these estimators was evaluated over a set of measurement intensities in which the number of simulated instantaneous flow measurements ranged from 1 to 100 at a site. The discrete measurement estimator DiscQ50 is based on a simple linear regression developed between information on daily mean flows at five or more streamgages near the miscellaneous site and their corresponding GageQ50 index flows. The regression relation then was used to compute a DiscQ50 estimate at the miscellaneous site by use of the simulated instantaneous flow

  17. Robust Non-Local TV-L1 Optical Flow Estimation with Occlusion Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Congxuan; Chen, Zhen; Wang, Mingrun; Li, Ming; Jiang, Shaofeng

    2017-06-05

    In this paper, we propose a robust non-local TV-L1 optical flow method with occlusion detection to address the problem of weak robustness of optical flow estimation with motion occlusion. Firstly, a TV-L1 form for flow estimation is defined using a combination of the brightness constancy and gradient constancy assumptions in the data term and by varying the weight under the Charbonnier function in the smoothing term. Secondly, to handle the potential risk of the outlier in the flow field, a general non-local term is added in the TV-L1 optical flow model to engender the typical non-local TV-L1 form. Thirdly, an occlusion detection method based on triangulation is presented to detect the occlusion regions of the sequence. The proposed non-local TV-L1 optical flow model is performed in a linearizing iterative scheme using improved median filtering and a coarse-to-fine computing strategy. The results of the complex experiment indicate that the proposed method can overcome the significant influence of non-rigid motion, motion occlusion, and large displacement motion. Results of experiments comparing the proposed method and existing state-of-the-art methods by respectively using Middlebury and MPI Sintel database test sequences show that the proposed method has higher accuracy and better robustness.

  18. Evaluation of the energy efficiency evolution in the European road freight transport sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruzzenenti, F.; Basosi, R.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we evaluate energy efficiency in the European freight transport sector over three decades, according to a variety of indicators, methodologies and databases. The aim is, on the one hand, of determining major drawbacks in energy efficiency metrics, on the other hand, identifying a possible trend in the sector. The present analysis shows that energy efficiency evaluation is generally subject to misinterpretation and distortion with regard to the methods and data source adopted. Two different indicators (energy intensity and fuel economy) were initially taken into account to select the most suitable for evaluating vehicles' efficiency. Fuel economy was then adopted and measured according to two different methodologies (top-down and bottom-up). We then considered all the possible sources of distortion (data sources employed, methods of data detection, speed of detection, power enhancement, size factor) with the aim of accomplishing a sound estimation. Fuel economy was eventually divided with the maximum power available (adjusted fuel economy), to account for the power shift of vehicles, that represents a further efficiency improvement.

  19. Energy flow models for the estimation of technical losses in distribution network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Au, Mau Teng; Tan, Chin Hooi

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents energy flow models developed to estimate technical losses in distribution network. Energy flow models applied in this paper is based on input energy and peak demand of distribution network, feeder length and peak demand, transformer loading capacity, and load factor. Two case studies, an urban distribution network and a rural distribution network are used to illustrate application of the energy flow models. Results on technical losses obtained for the two distribution networks are consistent and comparable to network of similar types and characteristics. Hence, the energy flow models are suitable for practical application.

  20. Effect of region assignment on relative renal blood flow estimates using radionuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harris, C.C.; Ford, K.K.; Coleman, R.E.; Dunnick, N.R.

    1984-01-01

    To determine the value of the initial phase of the Tc-99m DTPA renogram in the direct estimation of relative renal blood flow in dogs, the ratios of the slopes of renal time-activity curves were compared with the ratios of measured blood flow. Radionuclide results were dependent on region-of-interest (ROI) and background ROI assignment, and correlated well with measured relative flow only with a maximum renal outline region. Curve slope ratios correlated well with measured flow ratios with and without background correction, while 1- to 2-minute uptake ratios correlated well only when corrected for background

  1. Accuracy and Sources of Error for an Angle Independent Volume Flow Estimator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jonas; Olesen, Jacob Bjerring; Hansen, Peter Møller

    2014-01-01

    This paper investigates sources of error for a vector velocity volume flow estimator. Quantification of the estima tor’s accuracy is performed theoretically and investigated in vivo . Womersley’s model for pulsatile flow is used to simulate velo city profiles and calculate volume flow errors....... A BK Medical UltraView 800 ultrasound scanner with a 9 MHz linear array transducer is used to obtain Vector Flow Imaging sequences of a superficial part of the fistulas. Cross-sectional diameters of each fistu la are measured on B-mode images by rotating the scan plane 90 degrees. The major axis...

  2. Application of Artificial Intelligence in Prediction of Road Freight Transportation

    OpenAIRE

    Bogna Mrowczynska; Maria Ciesla; Aleksander Krol; Aleksander Sladkowski

    2017-01-01

    Road freight transport often requires the prediction of volume. Such knowledge is necessary to capture trends in the industry and support decision making by large and small trucking companies. The aim of the presented work is to demonstrate that application of some artificial intelligence methods can improve the accuracy of the forecasts. The first method employed was double exponential smoothing. The modification of this method has been proposed. Not only the parameters but also the initial ...

  3. Improving marketing strategies of sea freight forwarding services - Thien Hong Joint Stock company

    OpenAIRE

    Pham, Thanh Huyen

    2015-01-01

    Analyzing and improving marketing strategies of Thien Hong Joint Stock company - a newborn company in the field of sea freight forwarding service in Vietnam. This thesis focused on the 4Ps (product, price, placement, promotion) in marketing strategy, how to apply the theory of services marketing in a business to business company and a special industry effectively.

  4. A review of some critical assumptions in the relationship between economic activity and freight transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgerau, Mogens; Kveiborg, Ole

    2004-01-01

    A number of conversion factors are often needed when projecting freight transport growth, depending on the level of detail of the projection. Here we investigate conversion factors that convert production in fixed prices in different industries into production of different commodities and further...

  5. A Review of some Critical Assumptions in the Relationship between Economic Activity and Freight Transport

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgerau, Mogens; Kveiborg, Ole

    2004-01-01

    A number of conversion factors are often needed when projecting freight transport growth, depending on the level of detail of the projection. Here we investigate conversion factors that convert production in fixed prices in different industries into production of different commodities and further...

  6. Estimating annual high-flow statistics and monthly and seasonal low-flow statistics for ungaged sites on streams in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiley, Jeffrey B.; Curran, Janet H.

    2003-01-01

    Methods for estimating daily mean flow-duration statistics for seven regions in Alaska and low-flow frequencies for one region, southeastern Alaska, were developed from daily mean discharges for streamflow-gaging stations in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada. The 15-, 10-, 9-, 8-, 7-, 6-, 5-, 4-, 3-, 2-, and 1-percent duration flows were computed for the October-through-September water year for 222 stations in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada. The 98-, 95-, 90-, 85-, 80-, 70-, 60-, and 50-percent duration flows were computed for the individual months of July, August, and September for 226 stations in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada. The 98-, 95-, 90-, 85-, 80-, 70-, 60-, and 50-percent duration flows were computed for the season July-through-September for 65 stations in southeastern Alaska. The 7-day, 10-year and 7-day, 2-year low-flow frequencies for the season July-through-September were computed for 65 stations for most of southeastern Alaska. Low-flow analyses were limited to particular months or seasons in order to omit winter low flows, when ice effects reduce the quality of the records and validity of statistical assumptions. Regression equations for estimating the selected high-flow and low-flow statistics for the selected months and seasons for ungaged sites were developed from an ordinary-least-squares regression model using basin characteristics as independent variables. Drainage area and precipitation were significant explanatory variables for high flows, and drainage area, precipitation, mean basin elevation, and area of glaciers were significant explanatory variables for low flows. The estimating equations can be used at ungaged sites in Alaska and conterminous basins in Canada where streamflow regulation, streamflow diversion, urbanization, and natural damming and releasing of water do not affect the streamflow data for the given month or season. Standard errors of estimate ranged from 15 to 56 percent for high-duration flow

  7. Modelling production-consumption flows of goods in Europe: the trade model within Transtools3

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de Jong, Gerard; Tanner, Reto; Rich, Jeppe

    2017-01-01

    on disaggregated micro data and then used as an input variable in the trade model. Using Logsums in a trade model is new in applied large-scale freight models, where previous models have simply relied on the distance (e.g. crow-fly) between zones. This linkage of accessibility to the trade model makes it possible......The paper presents a new model for trade flows in Europe that is integrated with a logistics model for transport chain choice through Logsum variables. Logsums measures accessibility across an entire multi-modal logistical chain, and are calculated from a logistics model that has been estimated...... to evaluate how changes in policies on transport costs and changes in multi-modal networks will influence trade patterns. As an example the paper presents outcomes for a European-wide truck tolling scenario, which showcases to which extent trade is influenced by such a policy. The paper discusses how...

  8. Study of traction rolling-stock using in Lithuanian sector of railway line “Rail Baltica”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gintautas BUREIKA

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The article analyses the current traction rolling-stock used by „Lietuvos geležinkeliai“ Plc. for freight transportation. The technical data of the above mentioned rolling-stock is explored and compared, and operation costs are estimated in the article. After the assessment of the forecasts of freight flows on the constructed railway „Rail Baltica“, the algorithm for selection of freight locomotives was proposed. The efficiency of the locomotives operated on the railway is determined by three multicriteria evaluation methods: the sum of ratings, simple additive weighting, and the geometric mean method. Locomotives are valued in accordance with technical, economic and ecological parameters. The results of possible effective performance of the rolling stock have been determined by changing coefficient values of the criteria. Finally, basic conclusions are given.

  9. Computational Fluid Dynamic Pressure Drop Estimation of Flow between Parallel Plates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Son, Hyung Min; Yang, Soo Hyung; Park, Jong Hark [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-10-15

    Many pool type reactors have forced downward flows inside the core during normal operation; there is a chance of flow inversion when transients occur. During this phase, the flow undergo transition between turbulent and laminar regions where drastic changes take place in terms of momentum and heat transfer, and the decrease in safety margin is usually observed. Additionally, for high Prandtl number fluids such as water, an effect of the velocity profile inside the channel on the temperature distribution is more pronounced over the low Prandtl number ones. This makes the checking of its pressure drop estimation accuracy less important, assuming the code verification is complete. With an advent of powerful computer hardware, engineering applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods have become quite common these days. Especially for a fully-turbulent and single phase convective heat transfer, the predictability of the commercial codes has matured enough so that many well-known companies adopt those to accelerate a product development cycle and to realize an increased profitability. In contrast to the above, the transition models for the CFD code are still under development, and the most of the models show limited generality and prediction accuracy. Unlike the system codes, the CFD codes estimate the pressure drop from the velocity profile which is obtained by solving momentum conservation equations, and the resulting friction factor can be a representative parameter for a constant cross section channel flow. In addition, the flow inside a rectangular channel with a high span to gap ratio can be approximated by flow inside parallel plates. The computational fluid dynamics simulation on the flow between parallel plates showed reasonable prediction capability for the laminar and the turbulent regime.

  10. Fatigue test of a fiberglass based composite panel. Increasing the lifetime of freight wagon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobek, M.; Baier, A.; Grabowski, Ł.; Majzner, M.

    2016-08-01

    In the XXI century transportation of goods plays a key role in the economy. Due to a good logistics the economy is able to grow fluently. Although land transportation is carried out mainly through trucks for the last several years there has been noted an increase in the percentage share of rail transport in the freight transport. The main goods transported by railways are mineral fuels, mining and quarrying products. They constitute the greater part of 70% of total transported goods. Transportation of material of such high weight, high hardness and with different shapes involves increased and accelerated wear and tear of the cargo space of the wagon. This process is also magnified by substances used to prevent overheating or goods theft. Usually they are in the form of chemical compounds powder, eg. Calcium. A very large impact on the wear of the freight wagons hull is made because of mechanical damage. Their source comes mostly from loading cargo with impetus and using heavy machines during unloading. A large number of cycles of loading and unloading during the working period causes abrasion of body and as a result after several years a wagon car qualifies for a major maintenance. Possibility of application composite panels in the process of renovating the wagons body could reduce the weight of whole train and prolong the service life between mandatory technical inspection. The Paper "Fatigue test of a fiberglass based composite panel. Increasing the lifetime of freight wagon" presents the research process and the results of the endurance test of the composite panel samples fixed to a metal plate. As a fixing method a stainless steel rivet nut and a stainless steel button head socket screws were chosen. Cyclic and multiple load were applied to test samples using a pneumatic cylinder. Such a methodology simulated the forces resulting from loading and unloading of the wagon and movement of the cargo during transport. In the study a dedicated stand equipped with a

  11. Satellite Angular Velocity Estimation Based on Star Images and Optical Flow Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giancarmine Fasano

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available An optical flow-based technique is proposed to estimate spacecraft angular velocity based on sequences of star-field images. It does not require star identification and can be thus used to also deliver angular rate information when attitude determination is not possible, as during platform de tumbling or slewing. Region-based optical flow calculation is carried out on successive star images preprocessed to remove background. Sensor calibration parameters, Poisson equation, and a least-squares method are then used to estimate the angular velocity vector components in the sensor rotating frame. A theoretical error budget is developed to estimate the expected angular rate accuracy as a function of camera parameters and star distribution in the field of view. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is tested by using star field scenes generated by a hardware-in-the-loop testing facility and acquired by a commercial-off-the shelf camera sensor. Simulated cases comprise rotations at different rates. Experimental results are presented which are consistent with theoretical estimates. In particular, very accurate angular velocity estimates are generated at lower slew rates, while in all cases the achievable accuracy in the estimation of the angular velocity component along boresight is about one order of magnitude worse than the other two components.

  12. Dual states estimation of a subsurface flow-transport coupled model using ensemble Kalman filtering

    KAUST Repository

    El Gharamti, Mohamad; Hoteit, Ibrahim; Valstar, Johan R.

    2013-01-01

    Modeling the spread of subsurface contaminants requires coupling a groundwater flow model with a contaminant transport model. Such coupling may provide accurate estimates of future subsurface hydrologic states if essential flow and contaminant data

  13. WHAT WAY DETERMINE THE CORRECT ALLOCATION AND LAYOUT FOR THE NEEDS OF PARKING FREIGHT DESIGN IN CONCRETE REGION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Straka

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In terms of building a network parking strategies for freight transport may be considered two variants: a building (completing car parks on abandoned of border crossings, respectively building a whole new network of parks. Creating a network of parks for freight is in the interest of the Slovak Republic as well as the European Union. The subsequent optimization is dependent on the quality of road infrastructure and the traffic intensity in the monitored sections. It is therefore important selection of suitable candidates, administrators and their subsequent assessment of the appropriateness and services provided in selected locations. Identification of parking in the SR enables to choose the effective solution for intelligent networking and secure parking.

  14. Vector velocity volume flow estimation: Sources of error and corrections applied for arteriovenous fistulas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jonas; Olesen, Jacob Bjerring; Stuart, Matthias Bo

    2016-01-01

    radius. The error sources were also studied in vivo under realistic clinical conditions, and the theoretical results were applied for correcting the volume flow errors. Twenty dialysis patients with arteriovenous fistulas were scanned to obtain vector flow maps of fistulas. When fitting an ellipsis......A method for vector velocity volume flow estimation is presented, along with an investigation of its sources of error and correction of actual volume flow measurements. Volume flow errors are quantified theoretically by numerical modeling, through flow phantom measurements, and studied in vivo...

  15. Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin; Li Tong; Ma Qinghai

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

  16. Research on Linear Wireless Sensor Networks Used for Online Monitoring of Rolling Bearing in Freight Train

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Nan; Meng Qingfeng; Zheng Bin [Theory of Lubrication and Bearing Institute, Xi' an Jiaotong University Xi' an, 710049 (China); Li Tong; Ma Qinghai, E-mail: heroyoyu.2009@stu.xjtu.edu.cn [Xi' an Rail Bureau, Xi' an, 710054 (China)

    2011-07-19

    This paper presents a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) technique for the purpose of on-line monitoring of rolling bearing in freight train. A new technical scheme including the arrangements of sensors, the design of sensor nodes and base station, routing protocols, signal acquirement, processing and transmission is described, and an on-line monitoring system is established. Considering the approximately linear arrangements of cars and the running state of freight train, a linear topology structure of WSNs is adopted and five linear routing protocols are discussed in detail as to obtain the desired minimum energy consumption of WSNs. By analysing the simulation results, an optimal multi-hop routing protocol named sub-section routing protocol according to equal distance is adopted, in which all sensor nodes are divided into different groups according to the equal transmission distance, the optimal transmission distance and number of hops of routing protocol are also studied. We know that the communication consumes significant power in WSNs, so, in order to save the limit power supply of WSNs, the data compression and coding scheme based on lifting integer wavelet and embedded zerotree wavelet (EZW) algorithms is studied to reduce the amounts of data transmitted. The experimental results of rolling bearing have been given at last to verify the effectiveness of data compression algorithm. The on-line monitoring system of rolling bearing in freight train will be applied to actual application in the near future.

  17. Developing a sustainable freight transportation framework with the consideration of improving safety and minimizing carbon emissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    Despite the difficulties of the American economy in recent years the transportation sector continues to expand. Freight transportation alone has been projected to increase enormously even if the economy as a whole only manages a very moderate growth....

  18. An empirical analysis of freight rate and vessel price volatility transmission in global dry bulk shipping market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei Dai

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Global dry bulk shipping market is an important element of global economy and trade. Since newbuilding and secondhand vessels are often traded as assets and the freight rate is the key determinant of vessel price, it is important for shipping market participants to understand the market dynamics and price transmission mechanism over time to make suitable strategic decisions. To address this issue, a multi-variate GARCH model was applied in this paper to explore the volatility spillover effects across the vessel markets (including newbuilding and secondhand vessel markets and freight market. Specifically, the BEKK parameterization of the multi-variate GARCH model (BEKK GARCH was proposed to capture the volatility transmission effect from the freight market, newbuilding and secondhand vessel markets in the global dry bulk shipping industry. Empirical results reveal that significant volatility transmission effects exist in each market sector, i.e. capesize, panamax, handymax and handysize. Besides, the market volatility transmission mechanism varies among different vessel types. Moreover, some bilateral effects are found in the dry bulk shipping market, showing that lagged variances could affect the current variance in a counterpart market, regardless of the volatility transmission. A simple ratio is proposed to guide investors optimizing their portfolio allocations. The findings in this paper could provide unique insights for investors to understand the market and hedge their portfolios well.

  19. Use of flow cytometry for high-throughput cell population estimates in fixed brain tissue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole A Young

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The numbers and types of cells in an area of cortex define its function. Therefore it is essential to characterize the numbers and distributions of total cells in areas of the cortex, as well as to identify numbers of subclasses of neurons and glial cells. To date, the large size of the primate brain and the lack of innovation in cell counting methods have been a roadblock to obtaining high-resolution maps of cell and neuron density across the cortex in humans and non-human primates. Stereological counting methods and the isotropic fractionator are valuable tools for estimating cell numbers, but are better suited to smaller, well-defined brain structures or to cortex as a whole. In the present study, we have extended our flow-cytometry based counting method, the flow fractionator (Collins et al., 2010a, to include high-throughput total cell population estimates in homogenized cortical samples. We demonstrate that our method produces consistent, accurate and repeatable cell estimates quickly. The estimates we report are in excellent agreement with estimates for the same samples obtained using a Neubauer chamber and a fluorescence microscope. We show that our flow cytometry-based method for total cell estimation in homogenized brain tissue is more efficient and more precise than manual counting methods. The addition of automated nuclei counting to our flow fractionator method allows for a fully automated, rapid characterization of total cells and neuronal and non-neuronal populations in human and non-human primate brains, providing valuable data to further our understanding of the functional organization of normal, aging and diseased brains.

  20. Analysis of methods to estimate spring flows in a karst aquifer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sepúlveda, Nicasio

    2009-01-01

    Hydraulically and statistically based methods were analyzed to identify the most reliable method to predict spring flows in a karst aquifer. Measured water levels at nearby observation wells, measured spring pool altitudes, and the distance between observation wells and the spring pool were the parameters used to match measured spring flows. Measured spring flows at six Upper Floridan aquifer springs in central Florida were used to assess the reliability of these methods to predict spring flows. Hydraulically based methods involved the application of the Theis, Hantush-Jacob, and Darcy-Weisbach equations, whereas the statistically based methods were the multiple linear regressions and the technology of artificial neural networks (ANNs). Root mean square errors between measured and predicted spring flows using the Darcy-Weisbach method ranged between 5% and 15% of the measured flows, lower than the 7% to 27% range for the Theis or Hantush-Jacob methods. Flows at all springs were estimated to be turbulent based on the Reynolds number derived from the Darcy-Weisbach equation for conduit flow. The multiple linear regression and the Darcy-Weisbach methods had similar spring flow prediction capabilities. The ANNs provided the lowest residuals between measured and predicted spring flows, ranging from 1.6% to 5.3% of the measured flows. The model prediction efficiency criteria also indicated that the ANNs were the most accurate method predicting spring flows in a karst aquifer.

  1. Error estimation for CFD aeroheating prediction under rarefied flow condition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Yazhong; Gao, Zhenxun; Jiang, Chongwen; Lee, Chunhian

    2014-12-01

    Both direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods have become widely used for aerodynamic prediction when reentry vehicles experience different flow regimes during flight. The implementation of slip boundary conditions in the traditional CFD method under Navier-Stokes-Fourier (NSF) framework can extend the validity of this approach further into transitional regime, with the benefit that much less computational cost is demanded compared to DSMC simulation. Correspondingly, an increasing error arises in aeroheating calculation as the flow becomes more rarefied. To estimate the relative error of heat flux when applying this method for a rarefied flow in transitional regime, theoretical derivation is conducted and a dimensionless parameter ɛ is proposed by approximately analyzing the ratio of the second order term to first order term in the heat flux expression in Burnett equation. DSMC simulation for hypersonic flow over a cylinder in transitional regime is performed to test the performance of parameter ɛ, compared with two other parameters, Knρ and MaṡKnρ.

  2. Estimating the Natural Flow Regime of Rivers With Long-Standing Development: The Northern Branch of the Rio Grande

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blythe, Todd L.; Schmidt, John C.

    2018-02-01

    An estimate of a river's natural flow regime is useful for water resource planning and ecosystem rehabilitation by providing insight into the predisturbance form and function of a river. The natural flow regime of most rivers has been perturbed by development during the 20th century and in some cases, before stream gaging began. The temporal resolution of natural flows estimated using traditional methods is typically not sufficient to evaluate cues that drive native ecosystem function. Additionally, these traditional methods are watershed specific and require large amounts of data to produce accurate results. We present a mass balance method that estimates natural flows at daily time step resolution for the northern branch of the Rio Grande, upstream from the Rio Conchos, that relies only on easily obtained streamflow data. Using an analytical change point method, we identified periods of the measured flow regime during the 20th century for comparison with the estimated natural flows. Our results highlight the significant deviation from natural conditions that occurred during the 20th century. The total annual flow of the northern branch is 95% lower than it would be in the absence of human use. The current 2 year flood has decreased by more than 60%, is shorter in duration, and peaks later in the year. When compared to unregulated flows estimated using traditional mass balance accounting methods, our approach provides similar results.

  3. Improving chemical species tomography of turbulent flows using covariance estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grauer, Samuel J; Hadwin, Paul J; Daun, Kyle J

    2017-05-01

    Chemical species tomography (CST) experiments can be divided into limited-data and full-rank cases. Both require solving ill-posed inverse problems, and thus the measurement data must be supplemented with prior information to carry out reconstructions. The Bayesian framework formalizes the role of additive information, expressed as the mean and covariance of a joint-normal prior probability density function. We present techniques for estimating the spatial covariance of a flow under limited-data and full-rank conditions. Our results show that incorporating a covariance estimate into CST reconstruction via a Bayesian prior increases the accuracy of instantaneous estimates. Improvements are especially dramatic in real-time limited-data CST, which is directly applicable to many industrially relevant experiments.

  4. A thermodynamic, environmental and material flow analysis of the Italian highway and railway transport systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Federici, M.; Ulgiati, S.; Basosi, R.

    2008-01-01

    The goal of this work is to provide a multi-method multi-scale comparative picture of selected terrestrial transport modalities. This is achieved by investigating the Italian transportation system by means of four different evaluation methods: material flow accounting (MFA), embodied energy analysis (EEA), exergy analysis (EXA) and emergy synthesis (ES). The case study is the main Italian transportation infrastructure, composed by highways, railways, and high-speed railways (high-speed trains, HST) sub-systems supporting both passengers and freight transport. All the analyses have been performed based on a common database of material, labor, energy and fuel input flows used in the construction, maintenance and yearly use of roads, railways and vehicles. Specific matter and energy intensities of both passenger and freight transportation services were calculated factors affecting results as well as strength and weakness points of each transportation modality were also stressed. Results pointed out that the most important factors in determining the acceptability of a transportation system are not only the specific fuel consumption and the energy and material costs of vehicles, as it is common belief, but also the energy and material costs for infrastructure construction as well as its intensity of use (with special focus on load factor of vehicles). The latter become the dominant factors in HST modality, due to technological and safety reasons that require high energy-cost materials and low intensity of traffic. This translates into very high thermodynamic and environmental costs for passenger and freight transported, among which an embodied energy demand up to 1.44 MJ/p-km and 3.09 MJ/t-km, respectively

  5. Coopetition in Intermodal Freight Transport Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Liu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper studies the coopetition of the downstream different carriers by providing complementary transport services in intermodal freight transport chain. Considering different information structure, a two-stage dynamic game model with simultaneous actions on investment and price is first formulated. Equilibria show both parties have motivation to select coopetition even if the agreement for cooperation investment is reached in advance. When both firms agree on the specific allocation, the new coopetition with higher efficiency would be emerged. Moreover, we analyze the complexity and evolution of coopetition by repeated pricing game with finitely and infinitely time horizon. In the finitely repeated pricing game, both firms have incentive to reach a tacit understanding to alternate choosing price cooperation and competition after setting suitable allocation scheme; the repeated periods t are then going to be an issue. In the infinitely repeated pricing game, the perfect cooperation is realized by designing the suitable trigger strategy.

  6. The need for holding tracks at major intersections for synchronizing freight-train movements with fixed-headway passenger services; Wartegleisbedarf in Grossknoten fuer Synchronisation von Gueterverkehr mit vertaktetem Reiseverkehr

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mutschink, K. [DB Netz AG, Leipzig (Germany)

    2005-05-01

    Nearly all the big railway interesections have some facilities for passenger trains and others for freight trains. Most passenger trains today run according to fixed-headway timetables. Freight movements, on the other hand, are still basically need-driven with fluctuations in both timing and volumes. Handling both types of train as harmoniously as possible on shared lines calls for a combination of the meticulous planning of timetables and the correct dimensioning of the infrastructure. It is particularly in the vicinity of major intersections, where long-distance and local passenger trains (both with their fixed headways) converge within certain time windows, that approaching freight trains can only be effectively routed from their arrival lines to their departure lines if timing is properly synchronized. This may require the provision of a number of holding tracks for freight trains, and the essence of this article is how to compute that number using a procedure based on recognized scientific-management methods as applied to railways. This approach is centred on concepts such as certain 'no go' times for freight trains and the precise matching of train paths with the infrastructure. It does, however, take other parameters into account too, and these include the performance characteristics of each line (such as minimum headways), trains approaching ahead of their scheduled time and service constraints (such as ensuring connections and maintaining balanced intervals between passenger trains). The statistical appraisal, which is performed analytically, is designed to make sure that any results that are worked out are not slavishly dependent on the timetable, since (as mentioned above) freight movements in future will continue to be subject to fluctuations in volumes and timing. (orig.)

  7. Directional velocity estimation using focusing along the flow direction - I: Theory and simulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2003-01-01

    A new method for directional velocity estimation is presented. The method uses beamformation along the flow direction to generate data in which the correct velocity magnitude can be directly estimated from the shift in position of the received consecutive signals. The shift is found by cross-corr...

  8. Load estimation from planar PIV measurement in vortex dominated flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClure, Jeffrey; Yarusevych, Serhiy

    2017-11-01

    Control volume-based loading estimates are employed on experimental and synthetic numerical planar Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) data of a stationary cylinder and a cylinder undergoing one degree-of-freedom (1DOF) Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV). The results reveal the necessity of including out of plane terms, identified from a general formulation of the control volume momentum balance, when evaluating loads from planar measurements in three-dimensional flows. Reynolds stresses from out of plane fluctuations are shown to be significant for both instantaneous and mean force estimates when the control volume encompasses vortex dominated regions. For planar measurement, invoking a divergence-free assumption allows accurate estimation of half the identified terms. Towards evaluating the fidelity of PIV-based loading estimates for obtaining the forcing function unobtrusively in VIV experiments, the accuracy of the control volume-based loading methodology is evaluated using the numerical data with synthetically generated experimental PIV error, and a comparison is made between experimental PIV-based estimates and simultaneous force balance measurements.

  9. An inverse method to estimate the flow through a levee breach

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Oria, Marco; Mignosa, Paolo; Tanda, Maria Giovanna

    2015-08-01

    We propose a procedure to estimate the flow through a levee breach based on water levels recorded in river stations downstream and/or upstream of the failure site. The inverse problem is solved using a Bayesian approach and requires the execution of several forward unsteady flow simulations. For this purpose, we have used the well-known 1-D HEC-RAS model, but any unsteady flow model could be adopted in the same way. The procedure has been tested using four synthetic examples. Levee breaches with different characteristics (free flow, flow with tailwater effects, etc.) have been simulated to collect the synthetic level data used at a later stage in the inverse procedure. The method was able to accurately reproduce the flow through the breach in all cases. The practicability of the procedure was then confirmed applying it to the inundation of the Polesine Region (Northern Italy) which occurred in 1951 and was caused by three contiguous and almost simultaneous breaches on the left embankment of the Po River.

  10. A real-time visual inspection method of fastening bolts in freight car operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nan, Guo; Yao, JunEn

    2015-10-01

    A real-time inspection of the key components is necessary for ensuring safe operation of freight car. While traditional inspection depends on the trained human inspectors, which is time-consuming and lower efficient. With the development of machine vision, vision-based inspection methods get more railway on-spot applications. The cross rod end fastening bolts are important components on both sides of the train body that fixing locking plates together with the freight car main structure. In our experiment, we get the images containing fastening bolt components, and accurately locate the locking plate position using a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) locating model trained with Histograms of Oriented Gradients (HOG) features. Then we extract the straight line segment using the Line Segment Detector (LSD) and encoding them in a range, which constitute a straight line segment dataset. Lastly we determine the locking plate's working state by the linear pattern. The experiment result shows that the localization accurate rate is over 99%, the fault detection rate is over 95%, and the module implementation time is 2f/s. The overall performance can completely meet the practical railway safety assurance application.

  11. Non-invasive estimation of pulsatile flow and differential pressure in an implantable rotary blood pump for heart failure patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AlOmari, A H; Savkin, A V; Karantonis, D M; Lim, E; Lovell, N H

    2009-01-01

    We propose dynamical models for pulsatile flow and head estimation in an implantable rotary blood pump. Pulsatile flow and head data were obtained using a circulatory mock loop where fluid solutions with different values of viscosities were used as a blood analogue with varying haematocrit (HCT). Noninvasive measurements of power and pump speed were used with HCT values as inputs to the flow model while the estimated flow was used with the speed as inputs to a head estimation model. Linear regression analysis between estimated and measured flows obtained from a mock loop resulted in a highly significant correlation (R 2 = 0.982) and a mean absolute error (e) of 0.323 L min −1 , while for head, R 2 = 0.933 and e = 7.682 mmHg were obtained. R 2 = 0.849 and e = 0.584 L min −1 were obtained when the same model derived in the mock loop was used for flow estimation in ex vivo porcine data (N = 6). Furthermore, in the steady state, the solution of the presented flow model can be described by a previously designed and verified static model. The models developed herein will play a vital role in developing a robust control system of the pump flow coping with changing physiological demands

  12. On the rail-based freight corridor between CE and SEE regions and the main obstacles on Romanian territory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela POPA

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The project “Freight and Logistics Advancement in Central/South-EastEurope - Validation of trade and transport processes, Implementation of improvementactions, Application of co-coordinated structures” (in short - FLAVIA is carried outunder the Central Europe – Cooperation for Success Programme, cofunded by theEuropean Regional Development Fund. One of the main objectives of FLAVIA project isto consolidate a logistic corridor from Central Europe (CE to the South-East Europe(SEE and the Black Sea Region, based on rail and inland waterways intermodaltransport. In this paper we discuss the partial outputs of FLAVIA project, mainly relatedto the identified actual status of rail-based intermodal transport and trade obstacles of thefreight flows on the Romanian territory and the used methodology. Several operationaland long-term measures to improve the trade and intermodal transport are listed,considering the advantages of the geo-strategic potential of Romania location, connectedwith the several improvement directions already considered into the new releasedintermodal strategy.

  13. Review of flow rate estimates of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

    OpenAIRE

    McNutt, Marcia K.; Camilli, Rich; Crone, Timothy J.; Guthrie, George D.; Hsieh, Paul A.; Ryerson, Thomas B.; Savas, Omer; Shaffer, Frank

    2011-01-01

    The unprecedented nature of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill required the application of research methods to estimate the rate at which oil was escaping from the well in the deep sea, its disposition after it entered the ocean, and total reservoir depletion. Here, we review what advances were made in scientific understanding of quantification of flow rates during deep sea oil well blowouts. We assess the degree to which a consensus was reached on the flow rate of the well by comparing in situ ...

  14. Report on a Six-Year versus Eight-Year Textbook Adoption Cycle and Prepaid Freight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Texas Education Agency, Austin.

    This report, submitted to the 71st Texas Legislature in fulfillment of the mandates contained in House Concurrent Resolution 84, summarizes a study of the feasibility of an 8-year cycle for the adoption of certain textbooks and considers the feasibility of contracting with textbook publishers on a freight prepaid basis. First, 6-year versus 8-year…

  15. Improvement of Estimation method for two-phase flow in a large-diameter pipe. Pt. 4. Effect of the inlet boundary condition of the upward flow section on flow characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneda, Kimitoshi; Okawa, Tomio; Zhou, Shirong

    1999-01-01

    In nuclear power plants, many large-diameter pipes are subject to gas-liquid two-phase flow. For rational design and performance estimation, the flow in the pipes should be predicted accurately. With the correlation used at present, however, the flow analysis can not reach desirable precision. This is partly due to the lack of understanding of the two-phase flow characteristics in large-diameter pipes. Therefore, steam-water two-phase flow in a vertical pipe (155 mm i.d.) was investigated empirically. Lateral distribution data of phase volume fraction, gas velocity and bubble diameter were obtained. The effects of the inlet boundary condition were also observed. The drift velocity in the developing region was considerably affected by the inlet boundary condition. By deriving the correlation of mean bubble diameter as a function of void fraction and pressure, the empirical data was predicted with high accuracy compared with the existing correlation used in best-estimate codes of nuclear reactor safety analysis. (author)

  16. Estimation of the flow resistances exerted in coronary arteries using a vessel length-based method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyung Eun; Kwon, Soon-Sung; Ji, Yoon Cheol; Shin, Eun-Seok; Choi, Jin-Ho; Kim, Sung Joon; Shim, Eun Bo

    2016-08-01

    Flow resistances exerted in the coronary arteries are the key parameters for the image-based computer simulation of coronary hemodynamics. The resistances depend on the anatomical characteristics of the coronary system. A simple and reliable estimation of the resistances is a compulsory procedure to compute the fractional flow reserve (FFR) of stenosed coronary arteries, an important clinical index of coronary artery disease. The cardiac muscle volume reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) images has been used to assess the resistance of the feeding coronary artery (muscle volume-based method). In this study, we estimate the flow resistances exerted in coronary arteries by using a novel method. Based on a physiological observation that longer coronary arteries have more daughter branches feeding a larger mass of cardiac muscle, the method measures the vessel lengths from coronary angiogram or CT images (vessel length-based method) and predicts the coronary flow resistances. The underlying equations are derived from the physiological relation among flow rate, resistance, and vessel length. To validate the present estimation method, we calculate the coronary flow division over coronary major arteries for 50 patients using the vessel length-based method as well as the muscle volume-based one. These results are compared with the direct measurements in a clinical study. Further proving the usefulness of the present method, we compute the coronary FFR from the images of optical coherence tomography.

  17. Estimating the vibration level of an L-shaped beam using power flow techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuschieri, J. M.; Mccollum, M.; Rassineux, J. L.; Gilbert, T.

    1986-01-01

    The response of one component of an L-shaped beam, with point force excitation on the other component, is estimated using the power flow method. The transmitted power from the source component to the receiver component is expressed in terms of the transfer and input mobilities at the excitation point and the joint. The response is estimated both in narrow frequency bands, using the exact geometry of the beams, and as a frequency averaged response using infinite beam models. The results using this power flow technique are compared to the results obtained using finite element analysis (FEA) of the L-shaped beam for the low frequency response and to results obtained using statistical energy analysis (SEA) for the high frequencies. The agreement between the FEA results and the power flow method results at low frequencies is very good. SEA results are in terms of frequency averaged levels and these are in perfect agreement with the results obtained using the infinite beam models in the power flow method. The narrow frequency band results from the power flow method also converge to the SEA results at high frequencies. The advantage of the power flow method is that detail of the response can be retained while reducing computation time, which will allow the narrow frequency band analysis of the response to be extended to higher frequencies.

  18. Interpretation of Flow Logs from Nevada Test Site Boreholes to Estimate Hydraulic Conductivity Using Numerical Simulations Constrained by Single-Well Aquifer Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, C. Amanda; Halford, Keith J.; Laczniak, Randell J.

    2010-01-01

    Hydraulic conductivities of volcanic and carbonate lithologic units at the Nevada Test Site were estimated from flow logs and aquifer-test data. Borehole flow and drawdown were integrated and interpreted using a radial, axisymmetric flow model, AnalyzeHOLE. This integrated approach is used because complex well completions and heterogeneous aquifers and confining units produce vertical flow in the annular space and aquifers adjacent to the wellbore. AnalyzeHOLE simulates vertical flow, in addition to horizontal flow, which accounts for converging flow toward screen ends and diverging flow toward transmissive intervals. Simulated aquifers and confining units uniformly are subdivided by depth into intervals in which the hydraulic conductivity is estimated with the Parameter ESTimation (PEST) software. Between 50 and 150 hydraulic-conductivity parameters were estimated by minimizing weighted differences between simulated and measured flow and drawdown. Transmissivity estimates from single-well or multiple-well aquifer tests were used to constrain estimates of hydraulic conductivity. The distribution of hydraulic conductivity within each lithology had a minimum variance because estimates were constrained with Tikhonov regularization. AnalyzeHOLE simulated hydraulic-conductivity estimates for lithologic units across screened and cased intervals are as much as 100 times less than those estimated using proportional flow-log analyses applied across screened intervals only. Smaller estimates of hydraulic conductivity for individual lithologic units are simulated because sections of the unit behind cased intervals of the wellbore are not assumed to be impermeable, and therefore, can contribute flow to the wellbore. Simulated hydraulic-conductivity estimates vary by more than three orders of magnitude across a lithologic unit, indicating a high degree of heterogeneity in volcanic and carbonate-rock units. The higher water transmitting potential of carbonate-rock units relative

  19. Interpretation of Flow Logs from Nevada Test Site Boreholes to Estimate Hydraulic conductivity Using Numerical Simulations Constrained by Single-Well Aquifer Tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, C. Amanda; Halford, Keith J.; Laczniak, Randell J.

    2010-02-12

    Hydraulic conductivities of volcanic and carbonate lithologic units at the Nevada Test Site were estimated from flow logs and aquifer-test data. Borehole flow and drawdown were integrated and interpreted using a radial, axisymmetric flow model, AnalyzeHOLE. This integrated approach is used because complex well completions and heterogeneous aquifers and confining units produce vertical flow in the annular space and aquifers adjacent to the wellbore. AnalyzeHOLE simulates vertical flow, in addition to horizontal flow, which accounts for converging flow toward screen ends and diverging flow toward transmissive intervals. Simulated aquifers and confining units uniformly are subdivided by depth into intervals in which the hydraulic conductivity is estimated with the Parameter ESTimation (PEST) software. Between 50 and 150 hydraulic-conductivity parameters were estimated by minimizing weighted differences between simulated and measured flow and drawdown. Transmissivity estimates from single-well or multiple-well aquifer tests were used to constrain estimates of hydraulic conductivity. The distribution of hydraulic conductivity within each lithology had a minimum variance because estimates were constrained with Tikhonov regularization. AnalyzeHOLE simulated hydraulic-conductivity estimates for lithologic units across screened and cased intervals are as much as 100 times less than those estimated using proportional flow-log analyses applied across screened intervals only. Smaller estimates of hydraulic conductivity for individual lithologic units are simulated because sections of the unit behind cased intervals of the wellbore are not assumed to be impermeable, and therefore, can contribute flow to the wellbore. Simulated hydraulic-conductivity estimates vary by more than three orders of magnitude across a lithologic unit, indicating a high degree of heterogeneity in volcanic and carbonate-rock units. The higher water transmitting potential of carbonate-rock units relative

  20. Rail freight transportation concerns of developing economies: A Namibian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fanny Saruchera

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Although rail transport appears to be well established and outperforming other transport modes in Europe and beyond, in the majority of developing economies it was observed that firms and travellers were, on the contrary, shunning from the rail. Despite considerable infrastructural investments in the African rail systems, the sector has been deteriorating over the years. Objectives: This study identifies the freight rail transportation problems faced by African developing economies, focusing on Namibia, and examines the potential actions and factors for minimising such problems, drawing lessons from some of the developed world’s success stories. Method: The objectives of this study are achieved through a survey of Windhoek-based industrial and logistics firms operating in Namibia. Self-administered survey questionnaires were distributed through the aid of trained research assistants. Results: The study’s results show that some of the reasons of shunning rail transport are a matter of attitude, whereas some are related to operational challenges. The study confirms that the transport mode used and ownership of the freight transport services used can affect the degree of satisfaction for the transportation of goods in Namibia. Conclusion: Namibian industrial and logistics firms avoid using rail, owing to its low level of satisfaction obtained from its use. Besides engaging in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs in rail transport operations, the study contends that rail transport should receive attention similar to that given to other transport modes for African economies such as Namibia to overcome the costs associated with the increasing road congestion.

  1. 76 FR 59119 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-23

    ... Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military... Publication and Rules Manager, Strategic Business Directorate, Business Services, 1 Soldier Way, Building...: Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publications (MFTURP) No. 1. Background: The MFTURP No. 1 governs...

  2. An estimation of reactor thermal power uncertainty using UFM-based feedwater flow rate in nuclear power plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Byung Ryul Jung; Ho Cheol Jang; Byung Jin Lee; Se Jin Baik; Woo Hyun Jang

    2005-01-01

    Most of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) utilize the venturi meters (VMs) to measure the feedwater (FW) flow rate to the steam generator in the calorimetric measurement, which is used in the reactor thermal power (RTP) estimation. However, measurement drifts have been experienced due to some anomalies on the venturi meter (generally called the venturi meter fouling). The VM's fouling tends to increase the measured pressure drop across the meter, which results in indication of increased feedwater flow rate. Finally, the reactor thermal power is overestimated and the actual reactor power is to be reduced to remain within the regulatory limits. To overcome this VM's fouling problem, the Ultrasonic Flow Meter (UFM) has recently been gaining attention in the measurement of the feedwater flow rate. This paper presents the applicability of a UFM based feedwater flow rate in the estimation of reactor thermal power uncertainty. The FW and RTP uncertainties are compared in terms of sensitivities between the VM- and UFM-based feedwater flow rates. Data from typical Optimized Power Reactor 1000 (OPR1000) plants are used to estimate the uncertainty. (authors)

  3. Velocity vector estimation in synthetic aperture flow and B-mode imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2004-01-01

    A method for determining both velocity magnitude and angle in a synthetic aperture ultrasound system is described. The approach uses directional beamforming along the flow direction and cross-correlation to determine velocity magnitude. The angle of the flow is determined from the maximum normali...... with a precision of 0.36 % (60°) and 1.2 % (90°), respectively. The 60° angle is estimated with a bias of 0.54° and a standard deviation of 2.1°. For 90° the bias is 0.0003° and standard deviation 1.32°....

  4. Case Study: On Objective Functions for the Peak Flow Calibration and for the Representative Parameter Estimation of the Basin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jungwook Kim

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available The objective function is usually used for verification of the optimization process between observed and simulated flows for the parameter estimation of rainfall–runoff model. However, it does not focus on peak flow and on representative parameter for various rain storm events of the basin, but it can estimate the optimal parameters by minimizing the overall error of observed and simulated flows. Therefore, the aim of this study is to suggest the objective functions that can fit peak flow in hydrograph and estimate the representative parameter of the basin for the events. The Streamflow Synthesis And Reservoir Regulation (SSARR model was employed to perform flood runoff simulation for the Mihocheon stream basin in Geum River, Korea. Optimization was conducted using three calibration methods: genetic algorithm, pattern search, and the Shuffled Complex Evolution method developed at the University of Arizona (SCE-UA. Two objective functions of the Sum of Squared of Residual (SSR and the Weighted Sum of Squared of Residual (WSSR suggested in this study for peak flow optimization were applied. Since the parameters estimated using a single rain storm event do not represent the parameters for various rain storms in the basin, we used the representative objective function that can minimize the sum of objective functions of the events. Six rain storm events were used for the parameter estimation. Four events were used for the calibration and the other two for validation; then, the results by SSR and WSSR were compared. Flow runoff simulation was carried out based on the proposed objective functions, and the objective function of WSSR was found to be more useful than that of SSR in the simulation of peak flow runoff. Representative parameters that minimize the objective function for each of the four rain storm events were estimated. The calibrated observed and simulated flow runoff hydrographs obtained from applying the estimated representative

  5. Distributed flow estimation and closed-loop control of an underwater vehicle with a multi-modal artificial lateral line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeVries, Levi; Lagor, Francis D; Lei, Hong; Tan, Xiaobo; Paley, Derek A

    2015-03-25

    Bio-inspired sensing modalities enhance the ability of autonomous vehicles to characterize and respond to their environment. This paper concerns the lateral line of cartilaginous and bony fish, which is sensitive to fluid motion and allows fish to sense oncoming flow and the presence of walls or obstacles. The lateral line consists of two types of sensing modalities: canal neuromasts measure approximate pressure gradients, whereas superficial neuromasts measure local flow velocities. By employing an artificial lateral line, the performance of underwater sensing and navigation strategies is improved in dark, cluttered, or murky environments where traditional sensing modalities may be hindered. This paper presents estimation and control strategies enabling an airfoil-shaped unmanned underwater vehicle to assimilate measurements from a bio-inspired, multi-modal artificial lateral line and estimate flow properties for feedback control. We utilize potential flow theory to model the fluid flow past a foil in a uniform flow and in the presence of an upstream obstacle. We derive theoretically justified nonlinear estimation strategies to estimate the free stream flowspeed, angle of attack, and the relative position of an upstream obstacle. The feedback control strategy uses the estimated flow properties to execute bio-inspired behaviors including rheotaxis (the tendency of fish to orient upstream) and station-holding (the tendency of fish to position behind an upstream obstacle). A robotic prototype outfitted with a multi-modal artificial lateral line composed of ionic polymer metal composite and embedded pressure sensors experimentally demonstrates the distributed flow sensing and closed-loop control strategies.

  6. Comparison of thermal, salt and dye tracing to estimate shallow flow velocities: Novel triple-tracer approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abrantes, João R. C. B.; Moruzzi, Rodrigo B.; Silveira, Alexandre; de Lima, João L. M. P.

    2018-02-01

    The accurate measurement of shallow flow velocities is crucial to understand and model the dynamics of sediment and pollutant transport by overland flow. In this study, a novel triple-tracer approach was used to re-evaluate and compare the traditional and well established dye and salt tracer techniques with the more recent thermal tracer technique in estimating shallow flow velocities. For this purpose a triple tracer (i.e. dyed-salted-heated water) was used. Optical and infrared video cameras and an electrical conductivity sensor were used to detect the tracers in the flow. Leading edge and centroid velocities of the tracers were measured and the correction factors used to determine the actual mean flow velocities from tracer measured velocities were compared and investigated. Experiments were carried out for different flow discharges (32-1813 ml s-1) on smooth acrylic, sand, stones and synthetic grass bed surfaces with 0.8, 4.4 and 13.2% slopes. The results showed that thermal tracers can be used to estimate shallow flow velocities, since the three techniques yielded very similar results without significant differences between them. The main advantages of the thermal tracer were that the movement of the tracer along the measuring section was more easily visible than it was in the real image videos and that it was possible to measure space-averaged flow velocities instead of only one velocity value, with the salt tracer. The correction factors used to determine the actual mean velocity of overland flow varied directly with Reynolds and Froude numbers, flow velocity and slope and inversely with flow depth and bed roughness. In shallow flows, velocity estimation using tracers entails considerable uncertainty and caution must be taken with these measurements, especially in field studies where these variables vary appreciably in space and time.

  7. Estimating Bus Loads and OD Flows Using Location-Stamped Farebox and Wi-Fi Signal Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuxiong Ji

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Electronic fareboxes integrated with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL systems can provide location-stamped records to infer passenger boarding at individual stops. However, bus loads and Origin-Destination (OD flows, which are useful for route planning, design, and real-time controls, cannot be derived directly from farebox data. Recently, Wi-Fi sensors have been used to collect passenger OD flow information. But the data are insufficient to capture the variation of passenger demand across bus trips. In this study, we propose a hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate trip-level OD flow matrices and a period-level OD flow matrix using sampled OD flow data collected by Wi-Fi sensors and boarding data provided by fareboxes. Bus loads on each bus trip are derived directly from the estimated trip-level OD flow matrices. The proposed method is evaluated empirically on an operational bus route and the results demonstrate that it provides good and detailed transit route-level passenger demand information by combining farebox and Wi-Fi signal data.

  8. Estimation of permafrost thawing rates in a sub-arctic catchment using recession flow analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. W. Lyon

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Permafrost thawing is likely to change the flow pathways taken by water as it moves through arctic and sub-arctic landscapes. The location and distribution of these pathways directly influence the carbon and other biogeochemical cycling in northern latitude catchments. While permafrost thawing due to climate change has been observed in the arctic and sub-arctic, direct observations of permafrost depth are difficult to perform at scales larger than a local scale. Using recession flow analysis, it may be possible to detect and estimate the rate of permafrost thawing based on a long-term streamflow record. We demonstrate the application of this approach to the sub-arctic Abiskojokken catchment in northern Sweden. Based on recession flow analysis, we estimate that permafrost in this catchment may be thawing at an average rate of about 0.9 cm/yr during the past 90 years. This estimated thawing rate is consistent with direct observations of permafrost thawing rates, ranging from 0.7 to 1.3 cm/yr over the past 30 years in the region.

  9. Estimation of Rheological Properties of Viscous Debris Flow Using a Belt Conveyor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hübl, J.; Steinwendtner, H.

    2000-09-01

    Rheological parameters of viscous debris flows are influenced by a great amount of factors and are therefore extremely difficult to estimate. Because of this uncertainties a belt conveyor (conveyor channel) was constructed to measure flow behaviour and rheological properties of natural debris flow material. The upward movement of the smooth rubberised belt between fixed lateral plastic walls causes a stationary wave relative to these bends. This special experimental design enables to study behaviour of viscous ebris flow material with maximum grain diameters up to 20 mm within several minutes and to hold measuring equipment very simple. The conveyor channel was calibrated first with Xanthan, a natural polysaccharide used as thickener in food technology, whose rheological properties are similar to viscous debris flow material. In a second step natural debris flow material was investigated. Velocities and rheological parameters were measured with varying solid concentration and slope of the channel. In cases where concentration of coarse particles exceed around 15% by volume the conveyor channel obtains an alternative to expensive commercial viscometers for determination of rheological parameters of viscous debris flows.

  10. Viscosity estimation utilizing flow velocity field measurements in a rotating magnetized plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshimura, Shinji; Tanaka, Masayoshi Y.

    2008-01-01

    The importance of viscosity in determining plasma flow structures has been widely recognized. In laboratory plasmas, however, viscosity measurements have been seldom performed so far. In this paper we present and discuss an estimation method of effective plasma kinematic viscosity utilizing flow velocity field measurements. Imposing steady and axisymmetric conditions, we derive the expression for radial flow velocity from the azimuthal component of the ion fluid equation. The expression contains kinematic viscosity, vorticity of azimuthal rotation and its derivative, collision frequency, azimuthal flow velocity and ion cyclotron frequency. Therefore all quantities except the viscosity are given provided that the flow field can be measured. We applied this method to a rotating magnetized argon plasma produced by the Hyper-I device. The flow velocity field measurements were carried out using a directional Langmuir probe installed in a tilting motor drive unit. The inward ion flow in radial direction, which is not driven in collisionless inviscid plasmas, was clearly observed. As a result, we found the anomalous viscosity, the value of which is two orders of magnitude larger than the classical one. (author)

  11. Estimation of friction loss under forced flow pulsations in a channel with discrete roughness elements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davletshin, I. A.; Dushina, O. A.; Mikheev, N. I.; Kolchin, S. A.

    2017-11-01

    The pulsating flow in a circular channel with semicircular annular ribs as discrete roughness elements has been studied experimentally. Air flow under atmospheric conditions at the channel inlet has been considered. Steady and pulsating air flow has been studied under different frequencies and amplitudes of forced pulsations generated by periodic blockage of the channel cross section by a rotating flap. Flow resistance in pulsating regimes has been estimated from the average static pressure drop. The resistance values attained twice the steady flow ones.

  12. Parameter estimation of an ARMA model for river flow forecasting using goal programming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Kourosh; Eslami, H. R.; Kahawita, Rene

    2006-11-01

    SummaryRiver flow forecasting constitutes one of the most important applications in hydrology. Several methods have been developed for this purpose and one of the most famous techniques is the Auto regressive moving average (ARMA) model. In the research reported here, the goal was to minimize the error for a specific season of the year as well as for the complete series. Goal programming (GP) was used to estimate the ARMA model parameters. Shaloo Bridge station on the Karun River with 68 years of observed stream flow data was selected to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results when compared with the usual method of maximum likelihood estimation were favorable with respect to the new proposed algorithm.

  13. 75 FR 10476 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-08

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military... Eustis, VA 23604-1644. Request for additional information may be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]us...

  14. Longitudinal review of state-level accident statistics for carriers of interstate freight

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saricks, C.; Kvitek, T.

    1994-03-01

    State-level accident rates by mode of freight transport have been developed and refined for application to the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) environmental mitigation program, which may involve large-quantity shipments of hazardous and mixed wastes from DOE facilities. These rates reflect multi-year data for interstate-registered highway earners, American Association of Railroads member carriers, and coastal and internal waterway barge traffic. Adjustments have been made to account for the share of highway combination-truck traffic actually attributable to interstate-registered carriers and for duplicate or otherwise inaccurate entries in the public-use accident data files used. State-to-state variation in rates is discussed, as is the stability of rates over time. Computed highway rates have been verified with actual carriers of high- and low-level nuclear materials, and the most recent truck accident data have been used, to ensure that the results are of the correct order of magnitude. Study conclusions suggest that DOE use the computed rates for the three modes until (1) improved estimation techniques for highway combination-truck miles by state become available; (2) continued evolution of the railroad industry significantly increases the consolidation of interstate rail traffic onto fewer high-capacity trunk lines; or (3) a large-scale off-site waste shipment campaign is imminent

  15. Influence of Switches and Crossings on Wheel Wear of a Freight Vehicle

    OpenAIRE

    Doulgerakis, Emmanouil

    2013-01-01

    Turnouts (Switches & Crossings) are important components in railway networks, as they provide the necessary flexibility for train operations by allowing trains to change among the tracks. But the turnout’s geometry with discontinuity in rail profiles and lack of transition curve causes additional wear both on track and on vehicle. The main goal of this MSc thesis is to investigate the influence of turnouts on wheel wear of a freight vehicle. This will be obtained by simulations in the com...

  16. Estimation of the Heat Flow Variation in the Chad Basin Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Wireline logs from 14 oil wells from the Nigerian sector of the Chad Basin were analyzed and interpreted to estimate the heat flow trend in the basin. Geothermal gradients were computed from corrected bottom hole temperatures while the bulk effective thermal conductivity for the different stratigraphic units encountered in ...

  17. Wavelet denoising method; application to the flow rate estimation for water level control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Gee Young; Park, Jin Ho; Lee, Jung Han; Kim, Bong Soo; Seong, Poong Hyun

    2003-01-01

    The wavelet transform decomposes a signal into time- and frequency-domain signals and it is well known that a noise-corrupted signal could be reconstructed or estimated when a proper denoising method is involved in the wavelet transform. Among the wavelet denoising methods proposed up to now, the wavelets by Mallat and Zhong can reconstruct best the pure transient signal from a highly corrupted signal. But there has been no systematic way of discriminating the original signal from the noise in a dyadic wavelet transform. In this paper, a systematic method is proposed for noise discrimination, which could be implemented easily into a digital system. For demonstrating the potential role of the wavelet denoising method in the nuclear field, this method is applied to the steam or feedwater flow rate estimation of the secondary loop. And the configuration of the S/G water level control system is proposed for incorporating the wavelet denoising method in estimating the flow rate value at low operating powers

  18. Robust Optical Flow Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Sánchez Pérez

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available n this work, we describe an implementation of the variational method proposed by Brox etal. in 2004, which yields accurate optical flows with low running times. It has several benefitswith respect to the method of Horn and Schunck: it is more robust to the presence of outliers,produces piecewise-smooth flow fields and can cope with constant brightness changes. Thismethod relies on the brightness and gradient constancy assumptions, using the information ofthe image intensities and the image gradients to find correspondences. It also generalizes theuse of continuous L1 functionals, which help mitigate the effect of outliers and create a TotalVariation (TV regularization. Additionally, it introduces a simple temporal regularizationscheme that enforces a continuous temporal coherence of the flow fields.

  19. 76 FR 17841 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-31

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military..., Scott AFB 62225. Request for additional information may be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]us.army.mil...

  20. 75 FR 36643 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The...-mail to: [email protected]us.army.mil or [email protected]us.army.mil . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr...

  1. An analysis of how developments in the packaging industry will influence the dimensions of freight carriers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Niels Meijer; Stef Weijers; Reinder Pieters; Jan Jansen; Allan Woodburn

    2011-01-01

    To what extent will trends in the packaging industry determine or influence the future dimensions of freight carriers? In this study we have identified these trends and studied the possible impact on the sizes of the truck of the future. It was part of a dissertation for the MSc programme in

  2. Towards zero emission urban logistics: Challenges and issues for implementation of electric freight vehicles in city logistics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quak, H.; Nesterova, N.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Electric freight vehicles (EFVs) are one of the solutions to improve city logistics’ sustainability. EFVs, that are electric powered light and heavy vehicles with a number plate, have the potential to make zero emission city logistics possible within the urban area. However, although trials

  3. Comparison of blood flow models and acquisitions for quantitative myocardial perfusion estimation from dynamic CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bindschadler, Michael; Alessio, Adam M; Modgil, Dimple; La Riviere, Patrick J; Branch, Kelley R

    2014-01-01

    Myocardial blood flow (MBF) can be estimated from dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) cardiac CT acquisitions, leading to quantitative assessment of regional perfusion. The need for low radiation dose and the lack of consensus on MBF estimation methods motivates this study to refine the selection of acquisition protocols and models for CT-derived MBF. DCE cardiac CT acquisitions were simulated for a range of flow states (MBF = 0.5, 1, 2, 3 ml (min g) −1 , cardiac output = 3, 5, 8 L min −1 ). Patient kinetics were generated by a mathematical model of iodine exchange incorporating numerous physiological features including heterogenenous microvascular flow, permeability and capillary contrast gradients. CT acquisitions were simulated for multiple realizations of realistic x-ray flux levels. CT acquisitions that reduce radiation exposure were implemented by varying both temporal sampling (1, 2, and 3 s sampling intervals) and tube currents (140, 70, and 25 mAs). For all acquisitions, we compared three quantitative MBF estimation methods (two-compartment model, an axially-distributed model, and the adiabatic approximation to the tissue homogeneous model) and a qualitative slope-based method. In total, over 11 000 time attenuation curves were used to evaluate MBF estimation in multiple patient and imaging scenarios. After iodine-based beam hardening correction, the slope method consistently underestimated flow by on average 47.5% and the quantitative models provided estimates with less than 6.5% average bias and increasing variance with increasing dose reductions. The three quantitative models performed equally well, offering estimates with essentially identical root mean squared error (RMSE) for matched acquisitions. MBF estimates using the qualitative slope method were inferior in terms of bias and RMSE compared to the quantitative methods. MBF estimate error was equal at matched dose reductions for all quantitative methods and range of techniques evaluated. This

  4. Risk and size estimation of debris flow caused by storm rainfall in mountain regions

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    CHENG; Genwei

    2003-01-01

    Debris flow is a common disaster in mountain regions. The valley slope, storm rainfall and amassed sand-rock materials in a watershed may influence the types of debris flow. The bursting of debris flow is not a pure random event. Field investigations show the periodicity of its burst, but no directive evidence has been found yet. A risk definition of debris flow is proposed here based upon the accumulation and the starting conditions of loose material in channel. According to this definition, the risk of debris flow is of quasi-periodicity. A formula of risk estimation is derived. Analysis of relative factors reveals the relationship between frequency and size of debris flow. For a debris flow creek, the longer the time interval between two occurrences of debris flows is, the bigger the bursting event will be.

  5. Freight distribution problems in congested urban areas : fast and effective solution procedures to time-dependent vehicle routing problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Congestion is a common phenomenon in all medium to large cities of the world. Reliability of freight movement in urban areas is an important : issue to manufacturing or service companies whose operation is based in just-in-time approaches. These comp...

  6. Storm related closures of I-5 and I-90 : freight transportation economic impact assessment report, winter 2007-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-09-01

    This report documents the economic impact analysis undertaken by WSDOTs Freight Systems Division in response to the : storm-related closures of I-5 and I-90 in the winter 2007-2008. The closures were the result of severe weather that : overwhelmed...

  7. Source Estimation for the Damped Wave Equation Using Modulating Functions Method: Application to the Estimation of the Cerebral Blood Flow

    KAUST Repository

    Asiri, Sharefa M.

    2017-10-19

    In this paper, a method based on modulating functions is proposed to estimate the Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF). The problem is written in an input estimation problem for a damped wave equation which is used to model the spatiotemporal variations of blood mass density. The method is described and its performance is assessed through some numerical simulations. The robustness of the method in presence of noise is also studied.

  8. 75 FR 60436 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military.... Request for additional information may be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]us.army.mil or [email protected]us...

  9. 75 FR 24667 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) No. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military... information may be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]us.army.mil or [email protected]us.army.mil . FOR FURTHER...

  10. 76 FR 776 - Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) NO. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Interim Change to the Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) NO. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: The Military.... Request for additional information may be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]us.army.mil or [email protected]us...

  11. Endothelial shear stress estimation in the human carotid artery based on Womersley versus Poiseuille flow

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schwarz, Janina C. V.; Duivenvoorden, Raphaël; Nederveen, Aart J.; Stroes, Erik S. G.; VanBavel, Ed

    2015-01-01

    Endothelial shear stress (ESS) dynamics are a major determinant of atherosclerosis development. The frequently used Poiseuille method to estimate ESS dynamics has important limitations. Therefore, we investigated whether Womersley flow may provide a better alternative for estimation of ESS while

  12. Who gains? allocation of freight transport user benefits from international infrastructure projects in multicountry cost-benefit analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fosgerau, Mogens; Kristensen, Niels Buus

    2005-01-01

    A public decision by several countries on whether to cofinance an international infrastructure project is the subject of a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The CBA elements are broken out and analyzed for each country. The issue of freight user benefits is discussed, and results are derived from...

  13. A residual-based a posteriori error estimator for single-phase Darcy flow in fractured porous media

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Huangxin

    2016-12-09

    In this paper we develop an a posteriori error estimator for a mixed finite element method for single-phase Darcy flow in a two-dimensional fractured porous media. The discrete fracture model is applied to model the fractures by one-dimensional fractures in a two-dimensional domain. We consider Raviart–Thomas mixed finite element method for the approximation of the coupled Darcy flows in the fractures and the surrounding porous media. We derive a robust residual-based a posteriori error estimator for the problem with non-intersecting fractures. The reliability and efficiency of the a posteriori error estimator are established for the error measured in an energy norm. Numerical results verifying the robustness of the proposed a posteriori error estimator are given. Moreover, our numerical results indicate that the a posteriori error estimator also works well for the problem with intersecting fractures.

  14. A Real-Time Method to Estimate Speed of Object Based on Object Detection and Optical Flow Calculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kaizhan; Ye, Yunming; Li, Xutao; Li, Yan

    2018-04-01

    In recent years Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has been widely used in computer vision field and makes great progress in lots of contents like object detection and classification. Even so, combining Convolutional Neural Network, which means making multiple CNN frameworks working synchronously and sharing their output information, could figure out useful message that each of them cannot provide singly. Here we introduce a method to real-time estimate speed of object by combining two CNN: YOLOv2 and FlowNet. In every frame, YOLOv2 provides object size; object location and object type while FlowNet providing the optical flow of whole image. On one hand, object size and object location help to select out the object part of optical flow image thus calculating out the average optical flow of every object. On the other hand, object type and object size help to figure out the relationship between optical flow and true speed by means of optics theory and priori knowledge. Therefore, with these two key information, speed of object can be estimated. This method manages to estimate multiple objects at real-time speed by only using a normal camera even in moving status, whose error is acceptable in most application fields like manless driving or robot vision.

  15. Estimation of Engine Intake Air Mass Flow using a generic Speed-Density method

    OpenAIRE

    Vojtíšek Michal; Kotek Martin

    2014-01-01

    Measurement of real driving emissions (RDE) from internal combustion engines under real-world operation using portable, onboard monitoring systems (PEMS) is becoming an increasingly important tool aiding the assessment of the effects of new fuels and technologies on environment and human health. The knowledge of exhaust flow is one of the prerequisites for successful RDE measurement with PEMS. One of the simplest approaches for estimating the exhaust flow from virtually any engine is its comp...

  16. Method of distributing of freight transportations on paralell to motions on the electrified areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.O. Logvinova

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available As compared to transportation of loads on tariff distance, it is economic grounded on occasion, it is advantageous to send trains on parallel directions which have more simple type, but longer tariff. With the staring-up of wholesale market of electric power for a railway it is economic advantageous to execute freight transportations in a night-time, that will provide the decline of prime price

  17. Identifying dominant stakeholder perspectives on urban freight policies : a Q-analysis on urban consolidation centres in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Duin, Ron; Slabbekoorn, Marijn; Tavasszy, L.A.; Quak, H

    2017-01-01

    Cities’ sustainability strategies seem to aim at the reduction of the negative impacts of urban freight transport.In the past decades, many public and private initiatives have struggled to gain broad stakeholder support and thus remain viable. Researchers and practitioners have only recently

  18. 77 FR 77183 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment of Freight Easement Exemption-in Alameda County, Cal...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-31

    ...--Abandonment of Residual Common Carrier Obligation Exemption--in Alameda County, Cal. (San Jose Industrial Lead... easement on, and for SCVTA, the owner of the line, to abandon its residual common carrier obligation for, a portion of the San Jose Industrial Lead between mileposts 5.38 and 7.35 near the Warm Springs freight rail...

  19. Freight planning and regional cooperation in the Piedmont Atlantic megaregion : a regional models of cooperation peer exchange summary report

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-08

    This report highlights key themes identified at the Freight Planning and Regional Cooperation in the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion Peer Exchange held on January 31, 2017 and February 1, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Regional Models of Cooperatio...

  20. Formulation of Equations of Motion for a Simply Supported Bridge under a Moving Railway Freight Vehicle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Lou

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Based on energy approach, the equations of motion in matrix form for the railway freight vehicle-bridge interaction system are derived, in which the dynamic contact forces between vehicle and bridge are considered as internal forces. The freight vehicle is modelled as a multi-rigid-body system, which comprises one car body, two bogie frames and four wheelsets. The bogie frame is linked with the car body through spring-dashpot suspension systems, and the bogie frame is rigidly linked with wheelsets. The bridge deck, together with railway track resting on bridge, is modelled as a simply supported Bernoulli-Euler beam and its deflection is described by superimposing modes. The direct time integration method is applied to obtain the dynamic response of the vehicle-bridge interaction system at each time step. A computer program has been developed for analyzing this system. The correctness of the proposed procedure is confirmed by one numerical example. The effect of different beam mode numbers and various surface irregularities of beam on the dynamic responses of the vehicle-bridge interaction system are investigated.

  1. A job analysis design for the rail industry : description and model analysis of the job of freight conductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-01

    This document provides a step-by-step description of the design and execution of a strategic job analysis, using the position of Freight Conductor as an example. This document was created to be useful for many different needs, and can be used as an e...

  2. Estimation of Truck Trips on Large-Scale Irrigation Project: A Combinatory Input-Output Commodity-Based Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ackchai Sirikijpanichkul

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available For the agricultural-based countries, the requirement on transportation infrastructure should not only be limited to accommodate general traffic but also the transportation of crop and agricultural products during the harvest seasons. Most of the past researches focus on the development of truck trip estimation techniques for urban, statewide, or nationwide freight movement but neglect the importance of rural freight movement which contributes to pavement deterioration on rural roads especially during harvest seasons. Recently, the Thai Government initiated a plan to construct a network of reservoirs within the northeastern region, aiming at improving existing irrigation system particularly in the areas where a more effective irrigation system is needed. It is expected to bring in new opportunities on expanding the cultivation areas, increasing the economy of scale and enlarging the extent market of area. As a consequence, its effects on truck trip generation needed to be investigated to assure the service quality of related transportation infrastructure. This paper proposes a combinatory input-output commodity-based approach to estimate truck trips on rural highway infrastructure network. The large-scale irrigation project for the northeastern of Thailand is demonstrated as a case study.

  3. Estimation of regional-scale groundwater flow properties in the Bengal Basin of India and Bangladesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michael, H.A.; Voss, C.I.

    2009-01-01

    Quantitative evaluation of management strategies for long-term supply of safe groundwater for drinking from the Bengal Basin aquifer (India and Bangladesh) requires estimation of the large-scale hydrogeologic properties that control flow. The Basin consists of a stratified, heterogeneous sequence of sediments with aquitards that may separate aquifers locally, but evidence does not support existence of regional confining units. Considered at a large scale, the Basin may be aptly described as a single aquifer with higher horizontal than vertical hydraulic conductivity. Though data are sparse, estimation of regional-scale aquifer properties is possible from three existing data types: hydraulic heads, 14C concentrations, and driller logs. Estimation is carried out with inverse groundwater modeling using measured heads, by model calibration using estimated water ages based on 14C, and by statistical analysis of driller logs. Similar estimates of hydraulic conductivities result from all three data types; a resulting typical value of vertical anisotropy (ratio of horizontal to vertical conductivity) is 104. The vertical anisotropy estimate is supported by simulation of flow through geostatistical fields consistent with driller log data. The high estimated value of vertical anisotropy in hydraulic conductivity indicates that even disconnected aquitards, if numerous, can strongly control the equivalent hydraulic parameters of an aquifer system. ?? US Government 2009.

  4. How to Park Freight Trains on Rail-Rail Transshipment Yards: The Train Location Problem

    OpenAIRE

    Michael Kellner; Nils Boysen; Malte Fliedner

    2010-01-01

    In modern rail-rail transshipment yards huge gantry cranes spanning all railway tracks allow for an efficent transshipment of containers between different freight trains. This way, multiple trains loaded with cargo for varying destinations can be consolidated to a reduced number of homogeneous trains, which is an essential requirement of hub-and-spoke railway systems. An important problem during the daily operations of such a transshipment yard is the train location problem, which assigns eac...

  5. Estimation of groundwater flow from temperature monitoring in a borehole heat exchanger during a thermal response test

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshioka, Mayumi; Takakura, Shinichi; Uchida, Youhei

    2018-05-01

    To estimate the groundwater flow around a borehole heat exchanger (BHE), thermal properties of geological core samples were measured and a thermal response test (TRT) was performed in the Tsukuba upland, Japan. The thermal properties were measured at 57 points along a 50-m-long geological core, consisting predominantly of sand, silt, and clay, drilled near the BHE. In this TRT, the vertical temperature in the BHE was also monitored during and after the test. Results for the thermal properties of the core samples and from the monitoring indicated that groundwater flow enhanced thermal transfers, especially at shallow depths. The groundwater velocities around the BHE were estimated using a two-dimensional numerical model with monitoring data on temperature changes. According to the results, the estimated groundwater velocity was generally consistent with hydrogeological data from previous studies, except for the data collected at shallow depths consisting of a clay layer. The reasons for this discrepancy at shallow depths were predicted to be preferential flow and the occurrence of vertical flow through the BHE grout, induced by the hydrogeological conditions.

  6. The 2055 freight transportation system and the impact of near term rail improvements on TXDOT planning project management plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-01

    The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the sponsor of the project. The : project goals are to: (1) produce a framework for Texas freight transportation system in : 2055 and (2) develop a set of rail planning recommendations that will be...

  7. Determination of the equation parameters of carbon flow curves and estimated carbon flow and CO2 emissions from broiler production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henn, J D; Bockor, L; Borille, R; Coldebella, A; Ribeiro, A M L; Kessler, A M

    2015-09-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the equation parameters of carbon (i.e., C) flow curves and to estimate C flow and carbon dioxide (i.e., CO2) emissions from the production of 1- to 49-day-old broilers from different genetic strains. In total, 384 1-day-old chicks were used, distributed into 4 groups: high-performance males (Cobb-M) and females (Cobb-F), and intermediate-performance males (C44-M) and females (C44-F), with 6 replicates/treatment according to a completely randomized study design. Carbon intake and retention were calculated based on diet and body C composition, and expired C was stoichiometrically estimated as digestible C intake-C retention-C in the urine. Litter C emission was estimated as initial litter C+C in the excreta-final litter C. Carbon flow curves were determined fitting data by nonlinear regression using the Gompertz function. Expired CO2 was calculated based on expired C. The applied nonlinear model presented goodness-of-fit for all responses (R2>0.99). Carbon dioxide production was highly correlated with growth rate. At 42 d age, CO2 expiration (g/bird) was 3,384.4 for Cobb-M, 2,947.9 for Cobb-F, 2,512.5 for C44-M, and 2185.1 for C44-F. Age also significantly affected CO2 production: to achieve 2.0 kg BW, CO2 expiration (g/bird) was 1,794.3 for Cobb-M, 2,016.5 for Cobb-F, 2617.7 for C44-M, and 3,092.3 for C44-F. The obtained equations present high predictability to estimate individual CO2 emissions in strains of Cobb and C44 broilers of any weight, or age, reared between 1 and 49 d age. © 2015 Poultry Science Association Inc.

  8. 77 FR 50090 - Update to the 26 September 2011 Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) NO. 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-20

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Update to the 26 September 2011 Military Freight Traffic Unified Rules Publication (MFTURP) NO. 1 AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. SUMMARY: [email protected]us.army.mil . FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chad Privett, (618) 220-6901...

  9. Estimating drain flow from measured water table depth in layered soils under free and controlled drainage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saadat, Samaneh; Bowling, Laura; Frankenberger, Jane; Kladivko, Eileen

    2018-01-01

    Long records of continuous drain flow are important for quantifying annual and seasonal changes in the subsurface drainage flow from drained agricultural land. Missing data due to equipment malfunction and other challenges have limited conclusions that can be made about annual flow and thus nutrient loads from field studies, including assessments of the effect of controlled drainage. Water table depth data may be available during gaps in flow data, providing a basis for filling missing drain flow data; therefore, the overall goal of this study was to examine the potential to estimate drain flow using water table observations. The objectives were to evaluate how the shape of the relationship between drain flow and water table height above drain varies depending on the soil hydraulic conductivity profile, to quantify how well the Hooghoudt equation represented the water table-drain flow relationship in five years of measured data at the Davis Purdue Agricultural Center (DPAC), and to determine the impact of controlled drainage on drain flow using the filled dataset. The shape of the drain flow-water table height relationship was found to depend on the selected hydraulic conductivity profile. Estimated drain flow using the Hooghoudt equation with measured water table height for both free draining and controlled periods compared well to observed flow with Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency values above 0.7 and 0.8 for calibration and validation periods, respectively. Using this method, together with linear regression for the remaining gaps, a long-term drain flow record for a controlled drainage experiment at the DPAC was used to evaluate the impacts of controlled drainage on drain flow. In the controlled drainage sites, annual flow was 14-49% lower than free drainage.

  10. A thermal analysis computer programme package for the estimation of KANUPP coolant channel flows and outlet header temperature distribution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddiqui, M.S.

    1992-06-01

    COFTAN is a computer code for actual estimation of flows and temperatures in the coolant channels of a pressure tube heavy water reactor. The code is being used for Candu type reactor with coolant flowing 208 channels. The simulation model first performs the detailed calculation of flux and power distribution based on two groups diffusion theory treatment on a three dimensional mesh and then channel powers, resulting from the summation of eleven bundle powers in each of the 208 channels, are employed to make actual estimation of coolant flows using channel powers and channel outlet temperature monitored by digital computers. The code by using the design flows in individual channels and applying a correction factor based on control room monitored flows in eight selected channels, can also provide a reserve computational tool of estimating individual channel outlet temperatures, thus providing an alternate arrangements for checking Rads performance. 42 figs. (Orig./A.B.)

  11. South Africa’s rising logistics costs: An uncertain future

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan H. Havenga

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available A country’s competitiveness can be severely hampered by an uncompetitive freight logistics system. During the first decade of the 21st century, two in-depth models were developed for South Africa which provide a framework for measuring and improving the country’s freight logistics system – the cost of logistics survey and the freight demand model. These models also allow for the development of scenarios for key identified risks. The objectives of this study were to provide an overview of South Africa’s surface freight transport industry,identify key risks to national competitiveness and suggest ways in which these risks could be mitigated. Freight flows were modelled by disaggregating the national input–output model into 372 origin–destination pairs and 71 commodity groups, followed by distance decay gravity-modelling. Logistics costs were calculated by relating commodity-level freight flows to the costs of fulfilling associated logistical functions. South Africa’s economy is highly transport intensive. Excessive dependence on road freight transport exacerbates this situation. Furthermore, the road freight transport’s key cost driver is fuel, driven in turn by the oil price. Scenario analysis indicated the risk posed by this rising and volatile input and should provide impetus for policy instruments to reduce transport intensity. As such, this study concluded that a reduction in freight transport intensity is required to reduce exposure to volatile international oil prices.

  12. Estimation of Particle Material And Dissolved Flows During Floods In The Inaouene Watershed. (Northeast Of Morocco)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sibari, Hayat; Haida, Souad; Foutlane, Mohamed

    2018-05-01

    This work aims to estimate the contributions of the Inaouene River during the floods. It is in this context that the dissolved and particulate matter flows were measured during the flood periods followed by the 1996/97 study year at the two hydrological stations Bab Marzouka (upstream) and El Kouchat (downstream). The specific flows of dissolved materials calculated upstream and downstream of the Inaouene watershed correspond respectively to 257 t/ km2/year and 117 t/ km2/year. Chlorides represent 30% and 41% respectively of the total dissolved transport upstream and downstream. The potential mechanical degradation affecting the Inaouene watershed can deliver a solid load estimated at 6.106 t/year corresponding to a specific flow of 2142 t/km2/year.

  13. Coupling System Design Optimization : A Survey and Assessment of Automatic Coupling Concepts for Rail Freight Cars : Volume 1. Executive Summary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide an independent identification, classification, and analysis of significant freight car coupling systems concepts offering potential for improved safety and operating costs over the present system. The basic met...

  14. Estimation of water flow velocity in small plants using cold neutron imaging with D 2O tracer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsushima, U.; Herppich, W. B.; Kardjilov, N.; Graf, W.; Hilger, A.; Manke, I.

    2009-06-01

    Water flow imaging may help to better understand various problems related to water stress of plants. It may help to fully understand the water relations of plants. The objective of this research was to estimate the velocity of water flow in plant samples. Cut roses ( Rosa hybrida, var. 'Milva') were used as samples. Cold neutron radiography (CNR) was conducted at CONRAD, Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy, Berlin, Germany. D 2O and H 2O were interchangeably injected into the water feeding system of the sample. After the uptake of D 2O, the neutron transmission increased due to the smaller attenuation coefficient of D 2O compared to H 2O. Replacement of D 2O in the rose peduncle was clearly observed. Three different optical flow algorithms, Block Matching, Horn-Schunck and Lucas-Kanade, were used to calculate the vector of D 2O tracer flow. The quality of sequential images providing sufficient spatial and temporal resolution allowed to estimate flow vector.

  15. Water desalting plants' exploitation experience on the nuclear powered icebreakers and the nuclear-powered freight-carrier ''Sevmorput''

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovalenko, V.K.; Pavlov, E.A.

    1997-01-01

    The experience from water desalting plants M4C-1 on nuclear-powered icebreakers and M3C on the nuclear-powered freight-carrier ''Sevmorput'' are discussed. The specific design features, including those for maintaining distillate quality, to be considered under conditions of roll, heel and hull impact loading are highlighted. (author). 3 figs

  16. The 2055 freight transportation system and the impact of near term rail improvements on TxDOT planning : project management plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-01

    The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the sponsor of the project. The : project goals are to: (1) produce a framework for Texas freight transportation system in : 2055 and (2) develop a set of rail planning recommendations that will be...

  17. A pilot study of a simple screening technique for estimation of salivary flow.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanehira, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Tomotaka; Takehara, Junji; Kashiwazaki, Haruhiko; Abe, Takae; Morita, Manabu; Asano, Kouzo; Fujii, Yoshinori; Sakamoto, Wataru

    2009-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a simple screening technique for estimation of salivary flow and to test the usefulness of the method for determining decreased salivary flow. A novel assay system comprising 3 spots containing 30 microg starch and 49.6 microg potassium iodide per spot on filter paper and a coloring reagent, based on the color reaction of iodine-starch and theory of paper chromatography, was designed. We investigated the relationship between resting whole salivary rates and the number of colored spots on the filter produced by 41 hospitalized subjects. A significant negative correlation was observed between the number of colored spots and the resting salivary flow rate (n = 41; r = -0.803; P bedridden and disabled elderly people.

  18. Coupling System Design Optimization : A Survey and Assessment of Automatic Coupling Concepts for Rail Freight Cars : Volume 2. Text and Appendices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1978-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide an independent identification, classification, and analysis of significant freight car coupling system concepts offering potential for improved safety and operating costs over the present system. The basic meth...

  19. Air freight in the Stockholm region with focus on Eskilstuna Airport

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kjell-Åke Allan Brorsson

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The purpose of this article is to analyse the conditions for commencing air freight operations at the regional Eskilstuna Airport in Sweden, which require investments in airport infrastructure of at least SEK 140 –180 million. Design/ methodology: The qualitative data collection for the study was carried out through open-ended interviews with representatives of airport management, staff, representatives of residents, and actors and stakeholders in the field. In addition, much written material was collected from different authorities. Document analysis was used to systematically evaluate and review the collected documents. Content analysis was applied to organize collected data into categories. Based on the reports, decisions, environmental scanning and interviews, the data have been coded and categorized in tables via thematic analysis. Findings: The major findings of the study are that Eskilstuna Airport lacks cargo facilities and has limited apron space, and that there is strong competition from four other airports in the Stockholm region. The prospects for permanent air freight operations at Eskilstuna Airport are therefore not favourable in the current situation. However, if the development of Eskilstuna Logistics Park and the concept of inter modal highway-rail transportation are successful, they could serve as a major driving force for the development of air cargo. Furthermore, with sustainable development as a guiding principle, there is great potential to develop an airport with a high standard of environmental profile. Originality/ value: My findings are of great value to managers of airports and cargo airlines, as they highlight some of the competition aspects associated with engaging in air cargo at regional airports. The study fills a gap in existing research whose main focus is environmental issues concerning airports in general.

  20. Estimation of gas wall shear stress in horizontal stratified gas-liquid pipe flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newton, C.H.; Behnia, M.

    1996-01-01

    Two-phase pipe flows occur in many industrial applications, such as condensers and evaporators, chemical processing equipment, nuclear reactors, and oil pipelines. A variety of basic mechanistic flow models for predicting the pressure gradient and liquid loading characteristics of these types of flows to assist in design calculations has emerged over the past two decades, especially for the stratified and slug flow regimes. These models generally rely on a number of basic assumptions and empirical closure equations. Possibly the most notable of these relates to the evaluation of interfacial shear stresses. However, one of the most important yet least discussed assumptions used in most of these models is that the phase wall shear stresses can be accurately estimated from correlations developed for single-phase pipe flows. The object of this article is to present measurements of gas wall shear up to locations in close proximity to the gas-liquid interface for a variety of interface conditions in developed flow, and to determine the effects of the interface on average gas wall friction factors. In this context the interface may be smooth, rippled or wavy