New plant construction cost and schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akins, M. J.

2009-01-01

The presentation covers the following topics: cost structure; capital costs; variation of capital costs; trends in power plant construction; studies of costs completion; periods and risks. Nuclear plant costs have recently risen so rapidly that vendors are not willing to publicly commit to cost estimates: ∼ $2000/Kw overnight costs in 2006 in the US market > $4000/Kw and in 2008 in the US market > $6000/Kw in 2008 in emerging markets. There is vendors pricing uncertainty. Current contract models may not apply. Current construction projects have problems: Olkiluoto-3 is reported to be 50% over budget and two years behind schedule, increasing perceptions that nuclear costs will continue to increase rapidly; Price of materials is a big volatile unknown, which may decrease Labor could become more available due to limited number of new projects; Lack of debt/credit to finance new project may decrease demand of new construction

Construction Cost Management in Resource Based Economy

OpenAIRE

Elazzazy, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Resource Based Economy tested according to criteria formulated from the construction cost management best practices. A cost management plan modeled to demonstrate the possibility of construction management under a new socio-economic system, which counts the consumed natural resources by construction as the dry cost to the environment.

Factors causing cost variation for constructing wastewater projects in Egypt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Remon Fayek Aziz

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Cost is one of the major considerations throughout the project management life cycle and can be regarded as one of the most important parameters of a project and the driving force of project success. Despite its proven importance, it is common to see a construction project failing to achieve its objectives within the specific cost. Cost variation is a very frequent phenomenon and is almost associated with nearly constructing all wastewater projects. Maintaining steady cost projection on wastewater projects had been recently an issue of serious concern, both to the client and project contractors. Cost deviation from initial cost plan had been prevalent on construction sites. However, little or no effort has been made to curtail the phenomenon, this research work attempts to identify, investigate and rank factors perceived to affect cost variation in the Egyptian wastewater projects with respect to their relative importance so as to proffer possible ways of coping with this phenomenon. To achieve this objective, author invited practitioners and experts, comprising a statistically representative sample, to participate in a structured questionnaire survey. Brain storming was taken into consideration, through which a number of cost variation factors were identified for constructing wastewater projects. Totally 52 factors were short-listed to be made part of the questionnaire survey and the survey was conducted with experts and representatives from private, public and local general construction firms. The data were analyzed using Relative Importance Index, ranking and simple percentages. It was analytically discovered that factors such as: (1 Lowest bidding procurement method; (2 Additional work; (3 Bureaucracy in bidding/tendering method; (4 Wrong method of cost estimation; and (5 Funding problems were critical for causing cost variation, while (1 Inaccurate cost estimation; (2 Mode of financing and payment for completed work; (3 Unexpected ground

Study of relationship between time overrun and productivity on construction sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ameh, Oko John

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The history of the construction industry worldwide is full of projects that were completed with significant time and cost overruns. In an attempt to reverse this trend, this study aims at establishing the relationship between time overrun and labour productivity on construction sites in Lagos, Nigeria. 43 technical and management staff of some medium and large construction firms based in Lagos, Nigeria were sampled and administered a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire contained 18 causes of project time overrun and 14 causes of low labour productivity which had been identified from the literature reviewed. With these a relationship between project time overrun and low labour productivity was established. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in analyzing the data. Results indicate that inadequate funds for the project, inadequate planning before project takeoff, inadequate tools and equipment and delay in delivery of material top the list of major causes of time overrun while the use of wrong construction methods, inadequate construction materials and inaccurate drawing/specification are the key factors causing low labour productivity on construction sites. Significant negative relationship was found between time overrun and labour productivity in construction sites in Nigeria. The study concludes by recommending that early appointment of project managers could ensure proper management of both the human and material resources that could guarantee improved productivity and ultimately save projects from time overrun.

Residential construction cost: An Italian survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Canesi, Rubina; Marella, Giuliano

2017-04-01

This paper reports data describing development projects for new buildings according to construction costs in North-East Italy. A survey was carried out on local companies undertaking new residential development projects in two Italian regions (Veneto and Lombardy). The aim of this survey was to record new real estate construction projects, collecting both technical and socio-economic cost features. It is extremely difficult to collect such data for the Italian real estate construction sector, due to its lack of transparency, so that the novelty for the Italian scenario is the dataset itself. Another interest perspective of this survey is that socio-economic characteristics were also recorded; they are often studied in urban economics, but are usually related to property purchase prices and values, not to construction costs. The data come from an analysis of Canesi and Marella regarding the relationship between the trend of construction costs and the socio-economic conditions of the reference setting, such as the mean years of schooling of the workforce, housing market trends, and average per capita income.

Residential construction cost: An Italian survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubina Canesi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper reports data describing development projects for new buildings according to construction costs in North-East Italy. A survey was carried out on local companies undertaking new residential development projects in two Italian regions (Veneto and Lombardy. The aim of this survey was to record new real estate construction projects, collecting both technical and socio-economic cost features. It is extremely difficult to collect such data for the Italian real estate construction sector, due to its lack of transparency, so that the novelty for the Italian scenario is the dataset itself. Another interest perspective of this survey is that socio-economic characteristics were also recorded; they are often studied in urban economics, but are usually related to property purchase prices and values, not to construction costs. The data come from an analysis of Canesi and Marella regarding the relationship between the trend of construction costs and the socio-economic conditions of the reference setting, such as the mean years of schooling of the workforce, housing market trends, and average per capita income.

Factors influencing cost over-run in Indian construction projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cindrela Devi A.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Construction cost is the most important criteria of project success and hence the construction project performance is generally expressed in terms of cost and its variance from the budget. In spite of having extant literature, cost estimation methods, cost indices etc., construction projects rarely meet the budgeted cost. This research study focuses on the construction cost overrun and to identify the various factors that affects the construction cost performance. Based on an extensive literature review and input from industry experts, sixty eight factors that causes cost overrun were identified for investigation. Further, a structured questionnaire survey was conducted among the industry experts and the collected data has been analysed statistically. It is concluded that the factors namely scope creep, construction delays, rework and practise of awarding the contract to the lowest bidder are most significant factors for construction cost overrun in non-infrastructural Indian projects. The relative importance of the listed factors used to guide the project team in addressing the cost related risks involved in the projects. The findings are expected to bridge the gap in the current construction cost management practices.

Measuring the environmental costs of tidal power plant construction: A choice experiment study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Joo-Suk; Yoo, Seung-Hoon

2009-01-01

Korea is considering the construction of a tidal power plant (TPP) at Garolim Bay. However, as the construction of the Garolim TPP (GTPP) is expected to entail some environmental damage, it has become an increasingly important topic for public debate. Using a choice experiment (CE) approach, this study attempts to measure the economic cost that results from the environmental damage caused by the construction of GTPP. The CE is used to measure the environmental costs of individual attributes, including the reduction in the area of the tidal flat, the degradation of seawater quality, and the destruction of marine life. The results indicate that the annual willingness to pay (WTP) per household for mitigating the environmental damage that results from the worst-possible situation in relation to the present situation is about 96,042 Korean won (USD 101.1) in the seven biggest cities (off-site regions) and 18,584 Korean won (USD 19.6) in Seosan and Taean (on-site regions). This study is expected to provide policy-makers with quantitative information that will be useful to decide whether or not GTPP should be constructed.

Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovering, Jessica R.; Yip, Arthur; Nordhaus, Ted

2016-01-01

The existing literature on the construction costs of nuclear power reactors has focused almost exclusively on trends in construction costs in only two countries, the United States and France, and during two decades, the 1970s and 1980s. These analyses, Koomey and Hultman (2007); Grubler (2010), and Escobar-Rangel and Lévêque (2015), study only 26% of reactors built globally between 1960 and 2010, providing an incomplete picture of the economic evolution of nuclear power construction. This study curates historical reactor-specific overnight construction cost (OCC) data that broaden the scope of study substantially, covering the full cost history for 349 reactors in the US, France, Canada, West Germany, Japan, India, and South Korea, encompassing 58% of all reactors built globally. We find that trends in costs have varied significantly in magnitude and in structure by era, country, and experience. In contrast to the rapid cost escalation that characterized nuclear construction in the United States, we find evidence of much milder cost escalation in many countries, including absolute cost declines in some countries and specific eras. Our new findings suggest that there is no inherent cost escalation trend associated with nuclear technology. - Highlights: •Comprehensive analysis of nuclear power construction cost experience. •Coverage for early and recent reactors in seven countries. •International comparisons and re-evaluation of learning. •Cost trends vary by country and era; some experience cost stability or decline.

Analysis of nuclear-power construction costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansma, G.L.; Borcherding, J.D.

1988-01-01

This paper discusses the use of regression analysis for estimating construction costs. The estimate is based on an historical data base and quantification of key factors considered external to project management. This technique is not intended as a replacement for detailed cost estimates but can provide information useful to the cost-estimating process and to top management interested in evaluating project management. The focus of this paper is the nuclear-power construction industry but the technique is applicable beyond this example. The approach and critical assumptions are also useful in a public-policy situation where utility commissions are evaluating construction in prudence reviews and making comparisons to other nuclear projects. 13 references, 2 figures

Analysis of nuclear power plant construction costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The objective of this report is to present the results of a statistical analysis of nuclear power plant construction costs and lead-times (where lead-time is defined as the duration of the construction period), using a sample of units that entered construction during the 1966-1977 period. For more than a decade, analysts have been attempting to understand the reasons for the divergence between predicted and actual construction costs and lead-times. More importantly, it is rapidly being recognized that the future of the nuclear power industry rests precariously on an improvement in the cost and lead-time situation. Thus, it is important to study the historical information on completed plants, not only to understand what has occurred to also to improve the ability to evaluate the economics of future plants. This requires an examination of the factors that have affected both the realized costs and lead-times and the expectations about these factors that have been formed during the construction process. 5 figs., 22 tabs

Analysis of nuclear power plant construction costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-01-01

The objective of this report is to present the results of a statistical analysis of nuclear power plant construction costs and lead-times (where lead-time is defined as the duration of the construction period), using a sample of units that entered construction during the 1966-1977 period. For more than a decade, analysts have been attempting to understand the reasons for the divergence between predicted and actual construction costs and lead-times. More importantly, it is rapidly being recognized that the future of the nuclear power industry rests precariously on an improvement in the cost and lead-time situation. Thus, it is important to study the historical information on completed plants, not only to understand what has occurred to also to improve the ability to evaluate the economics of future plants. This requires an examination of the factors that have affected both the realized costs and lead-times and the expectations about these factors that have been formed during the construction process. 5 figs., 22 tabs.

874 CONSTRUCTION COST MODELS FOR HIGHRISE OFFICE ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2015-10-28

Oct 28, 2015 ... will not only reduce the stress on estimators but also enhance the accuracy of cost estimates. The resulting 11 ... cost estimating process to work together to ..... construction estimators in Hong. Kong. Construction Management.

Evaluation of Acquisition Strategies for Image-Based Construction Site Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Tuttas, S.; Braun, A.; Borrmann, A.; Stilla, U.

2016-06-01

Construction site monitoring is an essential task for keeping track of the ongoing construction work and providing up-to-date information for a Building Information Model (BIM). The BIM contains the as-planned states (geometry, schedule, costs, ...) of a construction project. For updating, the as-built state has to be acquired repeatedly and compared to the as-planned state. In the approach presented here, a 3D representation of the as-built state is calculated from photogrammetric images using multi-view stereo reconstruction. On construction sites one has to cope with several difficulties like security aspects, limited accessibility, occlusions or construction activity. Different acquisition strategies and techniques, namely (i) terrestrial acquisition with a hand-held camera, (ii) aerial acquisition using a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and (iii) acquisition using a fixed stereo camera pair at the boom of the crane, are tested on three test sites. They are assessed considering the special needs for the monitoring tasks and limitations on construction sites. The three scenarios are evaluated based on the ability of automation, the required effort for acquisition, the necessary equipment and its maintaining, disturbance of the construction works, and on the accuracy and completeness of the resulting point clouds. Based on the experiences during the test cases the following conclusions can be drawn: Terrestrial acquisition has the lowest requirements on the device setup but lacks on automation and coverage. The crane camera shows the lowest flexibility but the highest grade of automation. The UAV approach can provide the best coverage by combining nadir and oblique views, but can be limited by obstacles and security aspects. The accuracy of the point clouds is evaluated based on plane fitting of selected building parts. The RMS errors of the fitted parts range from 1 to a few cm for the UAV and the hand-held scenario. First results show that the crane camera

EVALUATION OF ACQUISITION STRATEGIES FOR IMAGE-BASED CONSTRUCTION SITE MONITORING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Tuttas

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Construction site monitoring is an essential task for keeping track of the ongoing construction work and providing up-to-date information for a Building Information Model (BIM. The BIM contains the as-planned states (geometry, schedule, costs, ... of a construction project. For updating, the as-built state has to be acquired repeatedly and compared to the as-planned state. In the approach presented here, a 3D representation of the as-built state is calculated from photogrammetric images using multi-view stereo reconstruction. On construction sites one has to cope with several difficulties like security aspects, limited accessibility, occlusions or construction activity. Different acquisition strategies and techniques, namely (i terrestrial acquisition with a hand-held camera, (ii aerial acquisition using a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV and (iii acquisition using a fixed stereo camera pair at the boom of the crane, are tested on three test sites. They are assessed considering the special needs for the monitoring tasks and limitations on construction sites. The three scenarios are evaluated based on the ability of automation, the required effort for acquisition, the necessary equipment and its maintaining, disturbance of the construction works, and on the accuracy and completeness of the resulting point clouds. Based on the experiences during the test cases the following conclusions can be drawn: Terrestrial acquisition has the lowest requirements on the device setup but lacks on automation and coverage. The crane camera shows the lowest flexibility but the highest grade of automation. The UAV approach can provide the best coverage by combining nadir and oblique views, but can be limited by obstacles and security aspects. The accuracy of the point clouds is evaluated based on plane fitting of selected building parts. The RMS errors of the fitted parts range from 1 to a few cm for the UAV and the hand-held scenario. First results show that the crane

Evaluation of construction cost of pyro-partitioning plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinoshita, Kensuke; Kurata, Masateru; Inoue, Tadashi

1999-01-01

This study was conducted to evaluate the construction cost of a pyro-partitioning plant. The plant capacity was chosen to accommodate processing of the HLLW generated by PUREX reprocessing of 800 ton of spent LWR fuel. The block flow diagram and mass balance obtained from our previous experimental data were used to produce a detailed process-flow diagram and to design the plant. In this evaluation, the plant was estimated to cover an area of about 90 m x 70 m, and to cost $576 million for construction. This study shows that the cost of process equipments, such as reaction vessels, accountability tanks and so on, is just about 13% of total construction cost. On the other hand, the cost of process robots and the equipments for key measurement point (KMP) is major part in the cost of in-cell equipment. So it is clear that the construction cost can be reduced by reducing the number of material balance area (MBA) and KMP. (author)

Operations Management on The Construction Site

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian

2004-01-01

this as a refreshing renewal and improvement of practical operations management at the site. However this paper will present a first step of development of a new approach to operations management at the building site, which at the same time builds on, and criticize lean construction for missing the point...... of the knowledge economy. This endeavour is carried out in two ways. First by a reading of the operations management literature. Juxtaposing this with lean construction extentions and the critique developed by other scholars. And also drawing on human resource management approaches. Second through a series......” scheme. In both directions it is revealed that the human resource and knowledge element of building processes is largely left untouched by lean construction methods. It is suggested to introduce at least two more dimensions of operations management at the site than the ones offered in lean construction...

29 CFR 1926.752 - Site layout, site-specific erection plan and construction sequence.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 8 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Site layout, site-specific erection plan and construction... Steel Erection § 1926.752 Site layout, site-specific erection plan and construction sequence. (a... strength or sufficient strength to support the loads imposed during steel erection. (c) Site layout. The...

Management of construction safety at RR site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pathak, B.C.; Khatsuriya, J.R.

2016-01-01

Construction industries are one of the most hazardous industries and hence, promotion of safety remains one of the greatest challenges facing construction industry today. According to ILO estimates: Each year at least 60,000 fatal accidents occur on construction sites around the world or one fatal accident every ten minutes. One in six fatal accidents at work occurs on a construction site. In industrialized countries, as many as 25-40 per cent of work related deaths occur on construction sites, even though the sector employs only 6-10 per cent of the workforce. The number of fatalities occurring from construction work in India is also quite disturbing. Though, the fall of person from height and through openings were the major causes for fatal /serious accidents, the risk of fatal accident involving material handling equipment, either during handling or its maintenance is also significantly high due to use of large number of material handling equipments during construction work. (author)

Electric utility power plant construction costs, 1st Edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

New UDI report combines historical construction costs for more than 1,000 coal, oil, gas, nuclear and geothermal units that have entered commercial operation since 1966 and projected power plant construction costs for about 400 utility-owned generating units scheduled to enter commercial operation during the next 20 years. Key design characteristics and equipment suppliers, A/E, constructor and original installed cost data. Direct construction costs without AFUDC are provided where known. Historical construction cost data are also provided for about 130 utility-owned hydroelectric, gas turbine, combined-cycle and diesel units (these data are generally for units entering service after 1980)

DECISION SUPPORT CONCEPT TO MANAGEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS - PROBLEM OF CONSTRUCTION SITE SELECTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikša Jajac

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to present Decision Support Concept (DSC for management of construction projects. Focus of our research is in application of multicritera methods (MCM to decision making in planning phase of construction projects (related to the problem of construction sites selection. The problem is identified as a significant one from many different aspects such as economic aspect, civil engineering aspect, etc. what indicates the necessity for evaluation of multiple sites by several different criteria. Therefore, DSC for construction site selection based on PROMETHEE method is designed. In order to define the appropriate criteria, their weights and preference functions for the concept, three groups of stakeholders are involved (investors, construction experts and experts for real estate market in its design. AHP method has been used for determination of criteria weights. The model has been tested on the problem of site selection for construction of residential-commercial building in four largest cities in Croatia.

Studies on Labour Safety in Construction Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Kanchana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Construction industry has accomplished extensive growth worldwide particularly in past few decades. For a construction project to be successful, safety of the structures as well as that of the personnel is of utmost importance. The safety issues are to be considered right from the design stage till the completion and handing over of the structure. Construction industry employs skilled and unskilled labourers subject to construction site accidents and health risks. A proper coordination between contractors, clients, and workforce is needed for safe work conditions which are very much lacking in Indian construction companies. Though labour safety laws are available, the numerous accidents taking place at construction sites are continuing. Management commitment towards health and safety of the workers is also lagging. A detailed literature study was carried out to understand the causes of accidents, preventive measures, and development of safe work environment. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey, which was distributed among various categories of construction workers in Kerala region. The paper examines and discusses in detail the total working hours, work shifts, nativity of the workers, number of accidents, and type of injuries taking place in small and large construction sites.

Studies on Labour Safety in Construction Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Kanchana, S.; Sivaprakash, P.; Joseph, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Construction industry has accomplished extensive growth worldwide particularly in past few decades. For a construction project to be successful, safety of the structures as well as that of the personnel is of utmost importance. The safety issues are to be considered right from the design stage till the completion and handing over of the structure. Construction industry employs skilled and unskilled labourers subject to construction site accidents and health risks. A proper coordination between contractors, clients, and workforce is needed for safe work conditions which are very much lacking in Indian construction companies. Though labour safety laws are available, the numerous accidents taking place at construction sites are continuing. Management commitment towards health and safety of the workers is also lagging. A detailed literature study was carried out to understand the causes of accidents, preventive measures, and development of safe work environment. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey, which was distributed among various categories of construction workers in Kerala region. The paper examines and discusses in detail the total working hours, work shifts, nativity of the workers, number of accidents, and type of injuries taking place in small and large construction sites. PMID:26839916

Development of a simple estimation tool for LMFBR construction cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Kazuo; Kinoshita, Izumi

1999-01-01

A simple tool for estimating the construction costs of liquid-metal-cooled fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs), 'Simple Cost' was developed in this study. Simple Cost is based on a new estimation formula that can reduce the amount of design data required to estimate construction costs. Consequently, Simple cost can be used to estimate the construction costs of innovative LMFBR concepts for which detailed design has not been carried out. The results of test calculation show that Simple Cost provides cost estimations equivalent to those obtained with conventional methods within the range of plant power from 325 to 1500 MWe. Sensitivity analyses for typical design parameters were conducted using Simple Cost. The effects of four major parameters - reactor vessel diameter, core outlet temperature, sodium handling area and number of secondary loops - on the construction costs of LMFBRs were evaluated quantitatively. The results show that the reduction of sodium handling area is particularly effective in reducing construction costs. (author)

Proposal for the award of a contract for the construction of an on-site hostel at CERN

CERN Document Server

2006-01-01

This document concerns the award of a contract for the construction of an on-site hostel at CERN. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a contract with the consortium BATIFLEX (GB) - BATINEG (CH), the lowest bidder, for the construction of an on-site hostel at CERN for a total amount of 5 290 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision. However, for the reasons explained in this document, the Management wishes to request the Finance Committee to give consideration to the approval of a variant to the original specification to allow use to be made of part of an existing building for the reasons detailed in this document, at an additional cost of 350 000 Swiss francs, not subject to revision, bringing the total construction cost to 5 640 000 Swiss francs.

Modern Methods for Cost Management in Construction Enterprises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mesároš Peter

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Cost management should be seen as an essential function of enterprises which perform their activities in current market environment. One of the main factors affecting the level of achieved profit and favourable market position is cost structure. The company's ability to obtain necessary and reliable information on their own cost, subsequent processing and effective cost management is crucial for achieving success. This study focuses on cost management and the use of modern methods of cost management in construction enterprises. The aim of this paper is to identify approaches to cost management in Slovak construction enterprises, based on own empirical research.

Construction Cost Growth for New Department of Energy Nuclear Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubic, Jr., William L. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-05-25

Cost growth and construction delays are problems that plague many large construction projects including the construction of new Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities. A study was conducted to evaluate cost growth of large DOE construction projects. The purpose of the study was to compile relevant data, consider the possible causes of cost growth, and recommend measures that could be used to avoid extreme cost growth in the future. Both large DOE and non-DOE construction projects were considered in this study. With the exception of Chemical and Metallurgical Research Building Replacement Project (CMRR) and the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF), cost growth for DOE Nuclear facilities is comparable to the growth experienced in other mega construction projects. The largest increase in estimated cost was found to occur between early cost estimates and establishing the project baseline during detailed design. Once the project baseline was established, cost growth for DOE nuclear facilities was modest compared to non-DOE mega projects.

Theoretical framework of the causes of construction time and cost overruns

Science.gov (United States)

Ullah, K.; Abdullah, A. H.; Nagapan, S.; Suhoo, S.; Khan, M. S.

2017-11-01

Any construction practitioner fundamental goal is to complete the projects within estimated duration and budgets, and expected quality targets. However, time and cost overruns are regular and universal phenomenon in construction projects and the construction projects in Malaysia has no exemption from the problems of time overrun and cost overrun. In order to accomplish the successful completion of construction projects on specified time and within planned cost, there are various factors that should be given serious attention so that issues such as time and cost overrun can be addressed. This paper aims to construct a framework for the causes of time overrun and cost overrun in construction projects of Malaysia. Based on the relevant literature review, causative factors of time overrun and cost overrun in Malaysian construction projects are summarized and the theoretical frameworks of the causes of construction time overrun and cost overrun is constructed. The developed frameworks for construction time and cost overruns based on the existing literature will assist the construction practitioners to plan the efficient approaches for achieving successful completion of the projects.

Challenges of UK/Irish Contractors regarding Material Management and Logistics in Confined Site Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spillane, John P

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to identify the various managerial issues encountered by UK/Irish contractors in the management of materials in confined urban construction sites. Through extensive literature review, detailed interviews, case studies, cognitive mapping, causal loop diagrams, questionnaire survey and documenting severity indices, a comprehensive insight into the materials management concerns within a confined construction site environment is envisaged and portrayed. The leading issues highlighted are: that contractors’ material spatial requirements exceed available space, it is difficult to coordinate the storage of materials in line with the programme, location of the site entrance makes delivery of materials particularly difficult, it is difficult to store materials on-site due to the lack of space, and difficult to coordinate the storage requirements of the various sub-contractors. With the continued development of confined urban centres and the increasing high cost of materials, any marginal savings made on-site would translate into significant monetary savings at project completion. Such savings would give developers a distinct competitive advantage in this challenging economic climate. As on-site management professionals successfully identify, acknowledge and counteract the numerous issues illustrated, the successful management of materials on a confined urban construction site becomes attainable.

SITE-2, Power Plant Siting, Cost, Environment, Seismic and Meteorological Effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frigerio, N.A.; Habegger, L.J.; King, R.F.; Hoover, L.J.; Clark, N.A.; Cobian, J.M.

1977-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: SITE2 is designed to (1) screen candidate energy facility sites or areas within an electric utility region, based on the region's physical and socioeconomic attributes, the planned facility's characteristics, and impact assessments, and (2) evaluate the cumulative regional impacts associated with alternate energy supply options and inter-regional energy import/export practices, specifically, comparison of different energy technologies and their regional distribution in clustered or dispersed patterns. 2 - Method of solution: The SITE2 methodology is based on the quantification of three major site-related vectors. A cost vector is determined which identifies site-specific costs, such as transmission costs, cooling costs as related to water availability, and costs of specific controls needed to protect the surrounding environment. An impact vector is also computed for each potential site, using models of health and environmental impacts incurred in areas adjacent to the site. Finally, a site attribute vector is developed which reflects such characteristics as population, seismic conditions, meteorology, land use, and local ecological systems. This vector can be used to eliminate certain sites because of their inability to satisfy specific constraints. These three vectors can be displayed as density maps and combined in a simple overlay approach, similar to that developed by I. L. McHarg in reference 2, to identify candidate sites. Alternatively, the vector elements can be computationally combined into a weighted sum to obtain quantitative indicators of site suitability

SITE-2, Power Plant Siting, Cost, Environment, Seismic and Meteorological Effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frigerio, N A [Environmental Impact Studies, Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Habegger, L J; King, R F; Hoover, L J [Energy and Environmental Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Clark, N A [Applied Mathematics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Cobian, J M [Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60201 (United States)

1977-08-01

1 - Description of problem or function: SITE2 is designed to (1) screen candidate energy facility sites or areas within an electric utility region, based on the region's physical and socioeconomic attributes, the planned facility's characteristics, and impact assessments, and (2) evaluate the cumulative regional impacts associated with alternate energy supply options and inter-regional energy import/export practices, specifically, comparison of different energy technologies and their regional distribution in clustered or dispersed patterns. 2 - Method of solution: The SITE2 methodology is based on the quantification of three major site-related vectors. A cost vector is determined which identifies site-specific costs, such as transmission costs, cooling costs as related to water availability, and costs of specific controls needed to protect the surrounding environment. An impact vector is also computed for each potential site, using models of health and environmental impacts incurred in areas adjacent to the site. Finally, a site attribute vector is developed which reflects such characteristics as population, seismic conditions, meteorology, land use, and local ecological systems. This vector can be used to eliminate certain sites because of their inability to satisfy specific constraints. These three vectors can be displayed as density maps and combined in a simple overlay approach, similar to that developed by I. L. McHarg in reference 2, to identify candidate sites. Alternatively, the vector elements can be computationally combined into a weighted sum to obtain quantitative indicators of site suitability.

Oil and gas pipeline construction cost analysis and developing regression models for cost estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Thaduri, Ravi Kiran

In this study, cost data for 180 pipelines and 136 compressor stations have been analyzed. On the basis of the distribution analysis, regression models have been developed. Material, Labor, ROW and miscellaneous costs make up the total cost of a pipeline construction. The pipelines are analyzed based on different pipeline lengths, diameter, location, pipeline volume and year of completion. In a pipeline construction, labor costs dominate the total costs with a share of about 40%. Multiple non-linear regression models are developed to estimate the component costs of pipelines for various cross-sectional areas, lengths and locations. The Compressor stations are analyzed based on the capacity, year of completion and location. Unlike the pipeline costs, material costs dominate the total costs in the construction of compressor station, with an average share of about 50.6%. Land costs have very little influence on the total costs. Similar regression models are developed to estimate the component costs of compressor station for various capacities and locations.

A new algorithm for construction of coarse-grained sites of large biomolecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Min; Zhang, John Z H; Xia, Fei

2016-04-05

The development of coarse-grained (CG) models for large biomolecules remains a challenge in multiscale simulations, including a rigorous definition of CG representations for them. In this work, we proposed a new stepwise optimization imposed with the boundary-constraint (SOBC) algorithm to construct the CG sites of large biomolecules, based on the s cheme of essential dynamics CG. By means of SOBC, we can rigorously derive the CG representations of biomolecules with less computational cost. The SOBC is particularly efficient for the CG definition of large systems with thousands of residues. The resulted CG sites can be parameterized as a CG model using the normal mode analysis based fluctuation matching method. Through normal mode analysis, the obtained modes of CG model can accurately reflect the functionally related slow motions of biomolecules. The SOBC algorithm can be used for the construction of CG sites of large biomolecules such as F-actin and for the study of mechanical properties of biomaterials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fast-track, low-cost construction starts with the owner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smock, R.

1992-01-01

As we approach the threshold of a new round of ordering of base load generating capacity after a 15-year hiatus, power pant owners are taking a long, hard look at construction. The last round of base load construction was plagued with construction cost overruns and delays. Billions of dollars in cost overruns, many attributable to construction delays, were not allowed to be placed in utilities' rate bases. Those problems will not be tolerated in the next round. During the past few years the construction climate has changed. Non-utility power producers have demonstrated and ability to build small power plants-including many steam plants burning solid fuels-quickly and at surprisingly low costs. In this paper the cost-plus approach traditionally taken by more utilities, who will lead in the base-load construction phase, is being seriously questioned

Recent wet storage solutions and costs at NPS sites in Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salo, J.P.; Tormala, V.P.

1987-01-01

In Finland the power companies have chosen the wet storing method when building the two recent interim spent fuel stores at Olkiluoto and Loviisa NPS sites. These decisions were based on extensive comparison studies of different storing methods and designs. TVO's and IVO's stores started operation F Y 1987 and 1984. One of them was built as an away-from-reactor on the NPS site, the other one as an at-reactor-store, wall-to-wall to the NPS process building. The capacity of the Olkiluoto store will be enough for all the spent fuel arising from the 30 years operation of units TVO I and TVO II, 1270-1400 tHM. The stores are unmanned. The vital process systems of both stores and doubled. The project timetables were kept very well. The investment costs were considerably less than generally mentioned in literature, in spite of the severe climatic conditions of the store sites. The costs of the stores added up to 40 and 50 USD/kgU in 1986 currency, without construction time interest costs. The actual operating and maintenance costs of the Loviisa store have been very low during the first three years of operation. It has been estimated that the operating costs of the independent TVO-KPA-STORE will be less than 1.3 million USD/a

Construction cost forecast model : model documentation and technical notes.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

Construction cost indices are generally estimated with Laspeyres, Paasche, or Fisher indices that allow changes : in the quantities of construction bid items, as well as changes in price to change the cost indices of those items. : These cost indices...

Space construction system analysis. Part 2: Cost and programmatics

Science.gov (United States)

Vonflue, F. W.; Cooper, W.

1980-01-01

Cost and programmatic elements of the space construction systems analysis study are discussed. The programmatic aspects of the ETVP program define a comprehensive plan for the development of a space platform, the construction system, and the space shuttle operations/logistics requirements. The cost analysis identified significant items of cost on ETVP development, ground, and flight segments, and detailed the items of space construction equipment and operations.

Economic and Environmental Evaluation of a Brick Delivery System Based on Multi-Trip Vehicle Loader Routing Problem for Small Construction Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heungjo An

2018-05-01

Full Text Available While large construction sites have on-site loaders to handle heavy and large packages of bricks, small brick manufacturers employ a truck-mounted loader or sometimes deploy a loader truck to accompany normal brick delivery trucks to small construction sites lacking on-site loaders. It may be very challenging for small contractors to manage a sustainable delivery system that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly. To address this issue, this paper proposes to solve a multi-trip vehicle loader routing problem by uniquely planning routes and schedules of several types of vehicles considering their synchronized operations at customer sites and multi trips. This paper also evaluates the sustainability of the developed model from both economic and environmental perspectives. Case studies based on small construction sites in the Middle East demonstrate applications of the proposed model to make the most economical plans for delivering bricks. Compared to the single-trip vehicle loader routing problem, the proposed model reduces, on average, 18.7% of the total delivery cost while increasing CO2 emission negligibly. The economic benefit is mainly achieved by reducing the required number of vehicles. Brick plant managers can use the proposed mathematical model to plan the most cost-effective delivery schedules sustainably while minimizing negative environmental effects.

Efficient on-site construction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thuesen, Christian Langhoff; Hvam, Lars

2011-01-01

selected market – optimising cost and value. Based on the platform, the company has managed to create a high-quality product at low cost. In fact, they have managed to reduce costs by more than 30 per cent, enabling the company to sell houses to people that normally would not be able to afford a house...... from the German platform such as: platform does not imply that “off-site manufacturing” is the most optimal production method, rather it is a matter of handling complexity; strong commitment and loyalty from the whole organization is needed; importance of having a specific customer focus (target...

Costs of occupational injuries in construction in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Waehrer, Geetha M; Dong, Xiuwen S; Miller, Ted; Haile, Elizabeth; Men, Yurong

2007-11-01

This paper presents costs of fatal and nonfatal injuries for the construction industry using 2002 national incidence data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a comprehensive cost model that includes direct medical costs, indirect losses in wage and household productivity, as well as an estimate of the quality of life costs due to injury. Costs are presented at the three-digit industry level, by worker characteristics, and by detailed source and event of injury. The total costs of fatal and nonfatal injuries in the construction industry were estimated at $11.5 billion in 2002, 15% of the costs for all private industry. The average cost per case of fatal or nonfatal injury is $27,000 in construction, almost double the per-case cost of $15,000 for all industry in 2002. Five industries accounted for over half the industry's total fatal and nonfatal injury costs. They were miscellaneous special trade contractors (SIC 179), followed by plumbing, heating and air-conditioning (SIC 171), electrical work (SIC 173), heavy construction except highway (SIC 162), and residential building construction (SIC 152), each with over $1 billion in costs.

Project control integrating cost and schedule in construction

CERN Document Server

Del Pico, Wayne J

2013-01-01

The key to successful project control is the fusing of cost to schedule whereby the management of one helps to manage the other. Project Control: Integrating Cost and Schedule in Construction explores the reasons behind and the methodologies for proper planning, monitoring, and controlling both project costs and schedule. Filling a current void the topic of project control applied to the construction industry, it is essential reading for students and professionals alike.

Analysis of Trends in Housing Construction Cost in Nigeria from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The upward trends in housing construction costs have been a major issue in the economy as a whole. The research uses typical 3 - bedroom bungalow in Lagos to analyze the trends in housing construction cost from 2000 to 2009. The basic question for this research is whether the inflation in housing construction costs ...

Survey dataset on occupational hazards on construction sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patience F. Tunji-Olayeni

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The construction site provides an unfriendly working conditions, exposing workers to one of the harshest environments at a workplace. In this dataset, a structured questionnaire was design directed to thirty-five (35 craftsmen selected through a purposive sampling technique on various construction sites in one of the most populous cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The set of descriptive statistics is presented with tables, stacked bar chats and pie charts. Common occupational health conditions affecting the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems of craftsmen on construction sites were identified. The effects of occupational health hazards on craftsmen and on construction project performance can be determined when the data is analyzed. Moreover, contractors’ commitment to occupational health and safety (OHS can be obtained from the analysis of the survey data. Keywords: Accidents, Construction industry, Craftsmen, Health, Occupational hazards

Virtual Prototyping for Construction Site Co2 Emissions and Hazard Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johnny Kwok Wai Wong

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The need for an efficient means of managing emissions and identifying potential hazard black spots in construction processes effectively and at the lowest cost possible has been highlighted in the construction sector. This study illustrates an integrated 5D model developed for quantifying carbon emissions and simulating the pattern of emissions of construction processes as a whole using virtual prototyping technologies. The predicted construction emissions data for each activity is generated and plotted to visually demonstrate the emission rates alongside the integrated four-dimensional VP framework of the construction project. The model also consists of a pro-active construction management system (PCMS, which assist the project team to detect sources of danger to on-site workers and provide pro-active warnings to them so as to avoid fatal accidents that are often caused by falling from heights and being struck by moving objects. A Hong Kong high-rise housing development project is used to exhibit the application of the carbon emission visualisation and potential accident detection system. This tool aims to encourage construction industry practitioners to become more environmentally conscious and pro-active in carbon mitigation and safety performance.

The occupational safety on the construction sites of the farm production buildings in Finland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hellstedt

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The size of farms has increased considerably during Finland's EU membership. The growth has meant big investments in the new production buildings. The buildings have been switched to big industrialhall- like constructions from small-scale ones which have contained own timber and own work contribution. The objective of the project financed by Farmers' Social Insurance Institution was to improve occupational safety on farm building construction and renovation sites by disseminating current safety practices and by developing ways of action which are better than the prevailing ones. The project consisted of a literature review, statistical analysis, as well as a farmer and designer interviews. In the statistical analysis the MATA occupational injuries insurance claims database on farmers’ claims during construction and renovation work for the years 2005 - 2008 was compared with the register of Federation of Accident Insurance Institutions on the construction workers' injuries. In comparing the reasons of the accidents a clear difference was found; poor scaffoldings and ladders are still the main culprits on farm accidents. Farmer interviews were used to assess occupational safety measures on the construction site, occurred injuries and their types, nearmiss situations and the underlying factors which have led to the injuries. Also construction safety deficiencies as well as the direct and indirect costs caused for instance because of the delay in completion of construction project were discussed. Designer interviews aimed to find out how occupational safety and health considerations are taken into account in farm building planning and counseling, and how this experience of the designers should be utilized in order to improve safety at the construction sites on farms. Farmers knew their obligations on occupational safety poorly. The situation was further worsened by the fact that on the site the supervisor tasks were only nominally executed. The

Construction management at the SP-100 ground engineering system test site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burchell, G.P.; Wilson, L.R.

1991-01-01

Contractors under the U.S. Department of Energy management have implemented a comprehensive approach to the management of design and construction of the complex facility modifications at the SP-100 Ground Engineering System Test Site on the Hanford Reservation. The SP-100 Test Site employs a multi-organizational integrated management approach with clearly defined responsibilities to assure success. This approach allows for thorough planning and analysis before the project kick off, thus minimizing the number and magnitude of problems which arise during the course of the project. When combined with a comprehensive cost and schedule/project management reporting system the problems which do occur are recognized early enough to assure timely intervention and resolution

Construction of a low-cost luximeter

Science.gov (United States)

Pedroso, L. S.; de Macedo, J. A.; de Araújo, M. S. T.; Voelzke, M. R.

2016-04-01

This paper proposes the construction of an electronic instrument called digital luximeter, combining simplicity and low cost, making it simpler and cheaper than those on the market. Its construction tends to facilitate dissemination and access to this type of measuring instrument between high school teachers and educational institutions, making it ideal to be a science lab.

Belowground advantages in construction cost facilitate a cryptic plant invasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Caplan, Joshua S; Wheaton, Christine N; Mozdzer, Thomas J

2014-04-30

The energetic cost of plant organ construction is a functional trait that is useful for understanding carbon investment during growth (e.g. the resource acquisition vs. tissue longevity tradeoff), as well as in response to global change factors like elevated CO2 and N. Despite the enormous importance of roots and rhizomes in acquiring soil resources and responding to global change, construction costs have been studied almost exclusively in leaves. We sought to determine how construction costs of aboveground and belowground organs differed between native and introduced lineages of a geographically widely dispersed wetland plant species (Phragmites australis) under varying levels of CO2 and N. We grew plants under ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2, as well as under two levels of soil nitrogen. We determined construction costs for leaves, stems, rhizomes and roots, as well as for whole plants. Across all treatment conditions, the introduced lineage of Phragmites had a 4.3 % lower mean rhizome construction cost than the native. Whole-plant construction costs were also smaller for the introduced lineage, with the largest difference in sample means (3.3 %) occurring under ambient conditions. In having lower rhizome and plant-scale construction costs, the introduced lineage can recoup its investment in tissue construction more quickly, enabling it to generate additional biomass with the same energetic investment. Our results suggest that introduced Phragmites has had an advantageous tissue investment strategy under historic CO2 and N levels, which has facilitated key rhizome processes, such as clonal spread. We recommend that construction costs for multiple organ types be included in future studies of plant carbon economy, especially those investigating global change. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

Quantifying Construction Site Sediment Discharge Risk and Treatment Potential

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrell, L.; Beighley, R. E.

2006-12-01

Dealing with soil erosion and sediment transport can be a significant challenge during the construction process due to the potentially large spatial and temporal extent and conditions of bare soils. Best Management Practices (BMP) are commonly used to eliminate or reduce offsite discharge of sediment. However, few efforts have investigated the time varying risk of sediment discharge from construction sites, which often have dynamic soil conditions and the potential for less than optimal BMP installations. The goal of this research is to improve the design, implementation and effectiveness of sediment and erosion control at construction sites using site specific, temporal distributions of sediment discharge risk. Sediment risk is determined from individual factors leading to sediment expert, such as rainfall frequency, the adequacy of BMP installations, and the extent and duration of bare soil conditions. This research specifically focuses on quantifying: (a) the effectiveness of temporary sediment and control erosion control BMPs in preventing, containing, and/or treating construction site sediment discharge at varying levels of "proper" installation, and (b) sediment discharge potential from construction sites during different phases of construction, (ex., disturbed earth operations). BMPs are evaluated at selected construction sites in southern California and at the Soil Erosion Research Laboratory (SERL) in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at San Diego State University. SERL experiments are performed on a 3-m by 10-m tilting soil bed with soil depths up to 1 meter, slopes ranging from 0 to 50 percent, and rainfall rates up to 150 mm/hr (6 in/hr). BMP performance is assessed based on experiments where BMPs are installed per manufacture specifications, potential less than optimal installations, and no treatment conditions. Soil conditions are also varied to represent site conditions during different phases of construction (i.e., loose lifts

Cost-derived indices for building design and construction ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Also as multiples of gfi, substructure cost index, sci and roofing cost index, rci could predict componental costs of substructure and roofing for phased development purposes. Keywords: Cost Indices, Building Design, Building Construction Journal of Modeling, Design and Management of Engineering Systems, Vol.

Event-based soil loss models for construction sites

Science.gov (United States)

Trenouth, William R.; Gharabaghi, Bahram

2015-05-01

The elevated rates of soil erosion stemming from land clearing and grading activities during urban development, can result in excessive amounts of eroded sediments entering waterways and causing harm to the biota living therein. However, construction site event-based soil loss simulations - required for reliable design of erosion and sediment controls - are one of the most uncertain types of hydrologic models. This study presents models with improved degree of accuracy to advance the design of erosion and sediment controls for construction sites. The new models are developed using multiple linear regression (MLR) on event-based permutations of the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and artificial neural networks (ANN). These models were developed using surface runoff monitoring datasets obtained from three sites - Greensborough, Cookstown, and Alcona - in Ontario and datasets mined from the literature for three additional sites - Treynor, Iowa, Coshocton, Ohio and Cordoba, Spain. The predictive MLR and ANN models can serve as both diagnostic and design tools for the effective sizing of erosion and sediment controls on active construction sites, and can be used for dynamic scenario forecasting when considering rapidly changing land use conditions during various phases of construction.

Cost diviation in road construction projects: The case of Palestine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Mahamid

2012-02-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the statistical relationship between actual and estimated cost of road construction projects using data from road construction projects awarded in the West Bank in Palestine over the years 2004–2008. The study is based on a sample of 169 road construction projects. Based on this data, regression models are developed. The findings reveal that 100% of projects suffer from cost diverge, it is found that 76% of projects have cost under estimation while 24% have cost over estimation. The discrepancy between estimated and actual cost has an average of 14.6%, ranging from -39% to 98%. The relation between the project size (length and width and the cost diverge is discussed.

Constructing Optimal Coarse-Grained Sites of Huge Biomolecules by Fluctuation Maximization.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Min; Zhang, John Zenghui; Xia, Fei

2016-04-12

Coarse-grained (CG) models are valuable tools for the study of functions of large biomolecules on large length and time scales. The definition of CG representations for huge biomolecules is always a formidable challenge. In this work, we propose a new method called fluctuation maximization coarse-graining (FM-CG) to construct the CG sites of biomolecules. The defined residual in FM-CG converges to a maximal value as the number of CG sites increases, allowing an optimal CG model to be rigorously defined on the basis of the maximum. More importantly, we developed a robust algorithm called stepwise local iterative optimization (SLIO) to accelerate the process of coarse-graining large biomolecules. By means of the efficient SLIO algorithm, the computational cost of coarse-graining large biomolecules is reduced to within the time scale of seconds, which is far lower than that of conventional simulated annealing. The coarse-graining of two huge systems, chaperonin GroEL and lengsin, indicates that our new methods can coarse-grain huge biomolecular systems with up to 10,000 residues within the time scale of minutes. The further parametrization of CG sites derived from FM-CG allows us to construct the corresponding CG models for studies of the functions of huge biomolecular systems.

Using Intelligent Techniques in Construction Project Cost Estimation: 10-Year Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdelrahman Osman Elfaki

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Cost estimation is the most important preliminary process in any construction project. Therefore, construction cost estimation has the lion’s share of the research effort in construction management. In this paper, we have analysed and studied proposals for construction cost estimation for the last 10 years. To implement this survey, we have proposed and applied a methodology that consists of two parts. The first part concerns data collection, for which we have chosen special journals as sources for the surveyed proposals. The second part concerns the analysis of the proposals. To analyse each proposal, the following four questions have been set. Which intelligent technique is used? How have data been collected? How are the results validated? And which construction cost estimation factors have been used? From the results of this survey, two main contributions have been produced. The first contribution is the defining of the research gap in this area, which has not been fully covered by previous proposals of construction cost estimation. The second contribution of this survey is the proposal and highlighting of future directions for forthcoming proposals, aimed ultimately at finding the optimal construction cost estimation. Moreover, we consider the second part of our methodology as one of our contributions in this paper. This methodology has been proposed as a standard benchmark for construction cost estimation proposals.

Practical, cost-effective method for real-time surveillance of widely-separated remote sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braley, R.E.; Olson, A.W.; Rufer, R.P.

1979-01-01

Effective intrusion protection for uninhabited sites scattered widely throughout a large geographic area can be a difficult and expensive proposition. When the sites are important enough to require continuous surveillance, the problem is even worse. Roving patrols are not effective, and conventional alarms don't provide enough information to allow a meaningful response. Television systems have possibilities but also disadvantages: the usual system is both costly and inflexible. This paper describes our solution to the problem: a cost effective instrusion protection system used to simultaneously protect many sites scattered over many square miles, with realtime surveillance from a central point. The system is based on a state-of-the-art FM CATV concept that is capable of providing surveillance for multiple sites, is modular in design for quick setup, flexible, and easily maintained. A electronic motion detector is incorporated for each site under surveillance, with a visual and audible alarm to alert the observer at the central control console. The observer can then bring the intruded site up on a large-screen monitor for detailed assessment. The system is relatively economical as all equipment is commercially available and all installation is straight-forward and follows usual CATV construction practices

Siting, design and cost of shallow land burial facilities in northern New England. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-05-01

This study investigated the technical feasibility and cost of shallow land burial (SLB) as one low-level radioactive waste disposal option for Maine and the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The results are presented in five chapters addressing the licensing process for an SLB facility, the siting process, the engineering design, the cost of disposal, and the cost of transportation. Chapter 2 reviews the Federal and State licensing processes and requirements for development of an SLB facility. Included in this discussion are the stages in the life cycle of SLB facility. Chapter 3 provides site selection criteria for Maine and presents a proposed site selection methodology. The site selection criteria are defined and the reasoning behind their selection is explained. Chapter 4 discusses SLB trench and facility designs and costs. To accommodate different waste volume scenarios, differently sized facilities are discussed, representing Maine going-it-alone and a northern New England compact. Designs and costs of scenarios including nuclear power plant decommissioning wastes are also discussed. Cost estimates of licensing, facility construction, operation, closure, and post closure care are presented for the different waste volume scenarios. Chapter 5 presents estimates of what it would cost LLW generators to dispose of their waste in a Maine-only or a northern New England shallow land burial facility. The reliability of the estimates and their sensitivity to changes in waste volume are also discussed. Chapter 6 examines transportation costs

Turbidity monitoring at select MDOT construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

The objective of this project was to establish baseline turbidity conditions at select construction : sites by establishing a water quality monitoring program and documenting MDOT approved : BMPs on site. In 2009 the United States Environmental Prote...

Risk Consideration and Cost Estimation in Construction Projects Using Monte Carlo Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudius A. Peleskei

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Construction projects usually involve high investments. It is, therefore, a risky adventure for companies as actual costs of construction projects nearly always exceed the planed scenario. This is due to the various risks and the large uncertainty existing within this industry. Determination and quantification of risks and their impact on project costs within the construction industry is described to be one of the most difficult areas. This paper analyses how the cost of construction projects can be estimated using Monte Carlo Simulation. It investigates if the different cost elements in a construction project follow a specific probability distribution. The research examines the effect of correlation between different project costs on the result of the Monte Carlo Simulation. The paper finds out that Monte Carlo Simulation can be a helpful tool for risk managers and can be used for cost estimation of construction projects. The research has shown that cost distributions are positively skewed and cost elements seem to have some interdependent relationships.

PHWR safety: design, siting and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharma, V.K.

2002-01-01

In all activities associated with NPPs viz. siting, design, construction, commissioning and operation, safety is given overriding importance. The safety design principles of PHWRs are based on defence-in-depth approach, physical and functional separation between process and safety systems and also among various safety systems, redundancy to meet single failure criteria and postulation of a number of design basis events for which the plant must be designed. Apart from engineered safety systems, PHWRs have inherent characteristics which contribute to safety. In siting of a NPP, it is required to ensure that the given site does not pose undue radiological hazard to public and the environment both during normal operation as well as during and following an accident condition. For this purpose, all site related external events, both natural and man induced, are assessed for their effect on the plant and are considered as part of the design basis. Possible radiological impact of the NPP on environment and surrounding population is assessed and ensured to be within acceptable limits. During construction phase, it is essential that the NPP be built in accordance with design intent and with required quality of workmanship to ensure that the NPP will remain safe during all states of operation. This is achieved through careful execution and QA activities encompassing all aspects of component fabrication at manufacturer works, civil construction, site erection, assembly, and commissioning. Future trends in nuclear safety will continue to be based on existing principles which have proved to be sound. These will be further strengthened by features such as increasing use of passive means of performing safety functions and a more explicit treatment of severe accidents. (author)

Robust Optimization for Time-Cost Tradeoff Problem in Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Li

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Construction projects are generally subject to uncertainty, which influences the realization of time-cost tradeoff in project management. This paper addresses a time-cost tradeoff problem under uncertainty, in which activities in projects can be executed in different construction modes corresponding to specified time and cost with interval uncertainty. Based on multiobjective robust optimization method, a robust optimization model for time-cost tradeoff problem is developed. In order to illustrate the robust model, nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II is modified to solve the project example. The results show that, by means of adjusting the time and cost robust coefficients, the robust Pareto sets for time-cost tradeoff can be obtained according to different acceptable risk level, from which the decision maker could choose the preferred construction alternative.

Safety cost management in construction companies: A proposal classification.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Alonso, M; Ibarrondo-Dávila, M P; Rubio, M C

2016-06-16

Estimating health and safety costs in the construction industry presents various difficulties, including the complexity of cost allocation, the inadequacy of data available to managers and the absence of an accounting model designed specifically for safety cost management. Very often, the costs arising from accidents in the workplace are not fully identifiable due to the hidden costs involved. This paper reviews some studies of occupational health and safety cost management and proposes a means of classifying these costs. We conducted an empirical study in which the health and safety costs of 40 construction worksites are estimated. A new classification of the health and safety cost and its categories is proposed: Safety and non-safety costs. The costs of the company's health and safety policy should be included in the information provided by the accounting system, as a starting point for analysis and control. From this perspective, a classification of health and safety costs and its categories is put forward.

Prospective safety performance evaluation on construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xianguo; Liu, Qian; Zhang, Limao; Skibniewski, Miroslaw J; Wang, Yanhong

2015-05-01

This paper presents a systematic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based approach for Prospective Safety Performance Evaluation (PSPE) on construction sites, with causal relationships and interactions between enablers and the goals of PSPE taken into account. According to a sample of 450 valid questionnaire surveys from 30 Chinese construction enterprises, a SEM model with 26 items included for PSPE in the context of Chinese construction industry is established and then verified through the goodness-of-fit test. Three typical types of construction enterprises, namely the state-owned enterprise, private enterprise and Sino-foreign joint venture, are selected as samples to measure the level of safety performance given the enterprise scale, ownership and business strategy are different. Results provide a full understanding of safety performance practice in the construction industry, and indicate that the level of overall safety performance situation on working sites is rated at least a level of III (Fair) or above. This phenomenon can be explained that the construction industry has gradually matured with the norms, and construction enterprises should improve the level of safety performance as not to be eliminated from the government-led construction industry. The differences existing in the safety performance practice regarding different construction enterprise categories are compared and analyzed according to evaluation results. This research provides insights into cause-effect relationships among safety performance factors and goals, which, in turn, can facilitate the improvement of high safety performance in the construction industry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust Optimization for Time-Cost Tradeoff Problem in Construction Projects

OpenAIRE

Li, Ming; Wu, Guangdong

2014-01-01

Construction projects are generally subject to uncertainty, which influences the realization of time-cost tradeoff in project management. This paper addresses a time-cost tradeoff problem under uncertainty, in which activities in projects can be executed in different construction modes corresponding to specified time and cost with interval uncertainty. Based on multiobjective robust optimization method, a robust optimization model for time-cost tradeoff problem is developed. In order to illus...

Probabilistic cost estimating of nuclear power plant construction projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, W.C.; Perry, L.W.; Postula, F.D.

1978-01-01

This paper shows how to identify and isolate cost accounts by developing probability trees down to component levels as justified by value and cost uncertainty. Examples are given of the procedure for assessing uncertainty in all areas contributing to cost: design, factory equipment pricing, and field labor and materials. The method of combining these individual uncertainties is presented so that the cost risk can be developed for components, systems and the total plant construction project. Formats which enable management to use the probabilistic cost estimate information for business planning and risk control are illustrated. Topics considered include code estimate performance, cost allocation, uncertainty encoding, probabilistic cost distributions, and interpretation. Effective cost control of nuclear power plant construction projects requires insight into areas of greatest cost uncertainty and a knowledge of the factors which can cause costs to vary from the single value estimates. It is concluded that probabilistic cost estimating can provide the necessary assessment of uncertainties both as to the cause and the consequences

A GIS analysis of suitability for construction aggregate recycling sites using regional transportation network and population density features

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, G.R.; Kapo, K.E.

2004-01-01

Aggregate is used in road and building construction to provide bulk, strength, support, and wear resistance. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and reclaimed Portland cement concrete (RPCC) are abundant and available sources of recycled aggregate. In this paper, current aggregate production operations in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia are used to develop spatial association models for the recycled aggregate industry with regional transportation network and population density features. The cost of construction aggregate to the end user is strongly influenced by the cost of transporting processed aggregate from the production site to the construction site. More than 60% of operations recycling aggregate in the mid-Atlantic study area are located within 4.8 km (3 miles) of an interstate highway. Transportation corridors provide both sites of likely road construction where aggregate is used and an efficient means to move both materials and on-site processing equipment back and forth from various work sites to the recycling operations. Urban and developing areas provide a high market demand for aggregate and a ready source of construction debris that may be processed into recycled aggregate. Most aggregate recycling operators in the study area are sited in counties with population densities exceeding 77 people/km2 (200 people/mile 2). No aggregate recycling operations are sited in counties with less than 19 people/km2 (50 people/mile2), reflecting the lack of sufficient long-term sources of construction debris to be used as an aggregate source, as well as the lack of a sufficient market demand for aggregate in most rural areas to locate a recycling operation there or justify the required investment in the equipment to process and produce recycled aggregate. Weights of evidence analyses (WofE), measuring correlation on an area-normalized basis, and weighted logistic regression (WLR), are used to model the distribution of RAP and RPCC operations relative

Forecasting Canadian nuclear power station construction costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keng, C.W.K.

1985-01-01

Because of the huge volume of capital required to construct a modern electric power generating station, investment decisions have to be made with as complete an understanding of the consequences of the decision as possible. This understanding must be provided by the evaluation of future situations. A key consideration in an evaluation is the financial component. This paper attempts to use an econometric method to forecast the construction costs escalation of a standard Canadian nuclear generating station (NGS). A brief review of the history of Canadian nuclear electric power is provided. The major components of the construction costs of a Canadian NGS are studied and summarized. A database is built and indexes are prepared. Based on these indexes, an econometric forecasting model is constructed using an apparently new econometric methodology of forecasting modelling. Forecasts for a period of 40 years are generated and applications (such as alternative scenario forecasts and range forecasts) to uncertainty assessment and/or decision-making are demonstrated. The indexes, the model, and the forecasts and their applications, to the best of the author's knowledge, are the first for Canadian NGS constructions. (author)

Identifying Contractors’ Planned Quality Costs in Indonesian Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Puti F. Marzuki

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In a very competitive construction industry, quality costs have to be measured to be able to identify potential quality problem areas and to focus attention on work output improvement opportunities. The awareness of contractors on the importance of quality costs could be reflected in the extent of their quality costs planning. This paper presents an identification of planned quality costs in three construction projects executed by two large Indonesian contractors, a state-owned company and a private company in Jakarta. The objective is to enable the contractors to elaborate their quality costs planning and thereby improve their work output based on the findi ngs. Quality costs are first grouped into three categories: prevention, appraisal, and failure costs. Based on the works of previous researchers, a list of quality management activities that should be covered in each quality costs category is then created. The contractors’ planned quality costs data for each category are identified and collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys that refer to the list. Quality costs are expressed as a percentage of contract value. It is revealed that although large contractors already have certain knowledge on quality costs in construction projects, these costs are not planned in a structured way through an analysis of systematic quality costs records. Through cost categorization it is also shown that higher prevention and appraisal costs lead to lower failure costs. It is then concluded that a lot of work is still to be done by the contractors to set up a quality costs recording system which can serve as a basis for their quality improvement planning.

Projections of cost and on-site manual-labor requirements for constructing electric-generating plants, 1980-1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-02-01

This report represents part of a continuing effort by the Federal Government to forecast the capital and labor required for constructing electric generating capacity additions necessary to accommodate projected economic and population growth in the US and its regions. Information is included on anticipated additions to electric generating capacity, labor requirements for these additions, capital cost requirements, and forecasting models. Coal-fired, nuclear, hydro, and pumped storage power plants are considered in these forecasts

Designing to target cost: one approach to design/construction integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Bo

2005-01-01

One approach to a more integrated construction delivery process is the concept of ‘designing to target cost’ of which the first examples of application within a lean construction framework have recently been seen. This paper introduces the main principles of the design to target cost method...... and discusses the applicability of this approach to construction. The low degree of organizational and technical continuity from one construction project to the next limits the applicability of the design for target cost approach when compared to its origin in product development of mass manufactured artefacts....... It can be argued that design to target cost may also provide a frame for developing the supply chain towards better coordination and collaboration. Thus methods of design to target cost may serve to facilitate the development of a more integrated supply chain....

Construction engineering inspection direct cost survey.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

The objective of the study was to provide a rationale to Georgia Department of Transportation : (GDOT) for Direct Costs in terms of salary and wages charged by qualified independent : contractors performing Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) s...

Categorization of potential project cost overrun factors in construction industry

Science.gov (United States)

Karunakaran, P.; Abdullah, A. H.; Nagapan, S.; Sohu, S.; Kasvar, K. K.

2018-04-01

Cost overrun has been severely hit down the economy and reputations for many construction industry around the world. Many project management tools developed to control the budget of a project. However, the cost management is still considered poor as there are many cost overrun issues occurred in the construction industry. Thus, this paper aims to identify and cluster the potential construction project cost overrun factors according to their originating groups using the thematic approach. Basically, through literature review, all the potential factors that may cause cost overrun were screened thoroughly before they were clustered into seven (7) groups of the originating factors, namely project, contract, client, contractor, consultant, labour and external. Each potential factor was explained clearly with some examples based on the Malaysian case studies to illustrate the cost overrun scenario. These findings may aid in the future to highlight on how to mitigate the critical potential factors of cost overrun to reduce or overcome its impact on all the stakeholders involved.

Quality assurance during site construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eymess, K.J.; Haas, R.; Wellnitz, G.

1980-01-01

Quality Assurance for Nuclear Power Plants under consideration of pipe assembling. Flow of Quality Requirements during: - Desing - Construction - Procurement - Prefabrication - Site. Organizational Requirements and Measurements during Erection: - Incoming Control - Material Storage - Surveillance of Tools - Weld Surveillance - Nondestructive Testing - Cleaning - Final Documentation. Qualification and Training of QA Personnel. (orig.)

Occupational health and safety issues in the informal economic segment of Pakistan: a survey of construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Ishfaq; Shaukat, Muhammad Zeeshan; Usman, Ahmad; Nawaz, Muhammad Musarrat; Nazir, Mian Sajid

2018-06-01

This research covers the current status of occupational health and safety (OHS)-related practices in the informal construction segment of Pakistan. Data were collected, through interviews, from 316 construction sites employing 3577 workers. The results of the study reveal that both employers and workers lack knowledge of OHS laws/standards and no practices of this nature are enacted at these construction sites. Alarmingly, work-related accidents, whenever they happen, are not given due attention and there is no formal injury-report system. The informal construction industry employs a huge portion of the informal workforce, and lack of OHS happens at tremendous human cost. These research findings may thus play their role in strengthening the case for reforms in the sector. This study, if properly utilized, may also enable employers of the sector by increasing their knowledge about OHS practices and, as a result, trying to offer safer environments for their workers.

A novel methodology to estimate the evolution of construction waste in construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Amnon; Baum, Hadassa

2011-02-01

This paper focuses on the accumulation of construction waste generated throughout the erection of new residential buildings. A special methodology was developed in order to provide a model that will predict the flow of construction waste. The amount of waste and its constituents, produced on 10 relatively large construction sites (7000-32,000 m(2) of built area) was monitored periodically for a limited time. A model that predicts the accumulation of construction waste was developed based on these field observations. According to the model, waste accumulates in an exponential manner, i.e. smaller amounts are generated during the early stages of construction and increasing amounts are generated towards the end of the project. The total amount of waste from these sites was estimated at 0.2m(3) per 1m(2) floor area. A good correlation was found between the model predictions and actual data from the field survey. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Model of investment appraisal of high-rise construction with account of cost of land resources

Science.gov (United States)

Okolelova, Ella; Shibaeva, Marina; Trukhina, Natalya

2018-03-01

The article considers problems and potential of high-rise construction as a global urbanization. The results of theoretical and practical studies on the appraisal of investments in high-rise construction are provided. High-rise construction has a number of apparent upsides in modern terms of development of megapolises and primarily it is economically efficient. Amid serious lack of construction sites, skyscrapers successfully deal with the need of manufacturing, office and living premises. Nevertheless, there are plenty issues, which are related with high-rise construction, and only thorough scrutiny of them allow to estimate the real economic efficiency of this branch. The article focuses on the question of economic efficiency of high-rise construction. The suggested model allows adjusting the parameters of a facility under construction, setting the tone for market value as well as the coefficient for appreciation of the construction net cost, that depends on the number of storey's, in the form of function or discrete values.

Expedited Site Characterization: A rapid, cost-effective process for preremedial site characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, J.C.; Walker, J.L.; Jennings, T.V.; Aggarwal, P.K.; Hastings, B.; Meyer, W.T.; Rose, C.M.; Rosignolo, C.L.

1993-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory has developed a unique, cost- and time-effective, technically innovative process for preremedial site characterization, referred to as Expedited Site Characterization (ESC). The cost of the ESC field sampling process ranges from 1/10 to 1/5 of the cost of traditional site characterization. The time required for this ESC field activity is approximately 1/30 of that for current methods. Argonne's preremedial site investigations based on this approach have been accepted by the appropriate regulatory agencies. The ESC process is flexible and neither site nor contaminant dependent. The process has been successfully tested and applied in site investigations of multiple contaminated landfills in New Mexico (for the US Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management [BLM]) and at former grain storage facilities in Nebraska and Kansas, contaminated with carbon tetrachloride (for the Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation [CCC/USDA]). A working demonstration of this process was sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Development as a model of the methodology needed to accelerate site characterizations at DOE facilities. This report describes the application of the process in New Mexico, Nebraska and Kansas

23 CFR 140.907 - Overhead and indirect construction costs.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... accounting principles; (2) The costs included in the distribution are limited to costs actually incurred by...), part 31, Contract Cost Principles and Procedures, relating to contracts with commercial organizations... 23 Highways 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Overhead and indirect construction costs. 140.907...

The importance of cleanliness in a proper construction site management in malaysia: a contractor’s perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Shazwan, M. A.; Quintin, J. V.; Osman, N. A.; Suhaida, S. K.; Ma'arof, M. I. N.

2017-11-01

Construction site’s cleanliness and tidiness is one of top main concerns of construction site management. A good site management with adequate planning in regards to housekeeping will ensure safety to both the site’s working personnel and the neighbouring environment. This is especially of priority today due to the rapid growth of construction projects in Malaysia. Nevertheless, to date, statistics had shown that housekeeping related accidents happened repeatedly despite the awareness on site’s cleanliness and tidiness. The objective of this study was to explore constructor’s perspective on site cleanliness and tidiness. A set of questionnaire was distributed to thirty-four (34) Grade 7 CIDB contractors’ firms in Petaling Jaya. Petaling Jaya was chosen since this area are developed area covered with residential area and cleaning management an importance issues. The goals of the survey study were to identify the following items from the perception of the contractors: (i) the hierarchy of importance of several purposes in ensuring construction site’s cleanliness and tidiness, and (ii) the risk factors that influence a construction site’s level of cleanliness and tidiness. It was found that from the contractor’s perspective, ensuring a site cleanliness and tidiness is of importance mainly due to the need in protecting the environment, whilst, the least in cost saving. In addition, poor personnel’s working attitude was found to be the main risk factor that will influences a construction site’s level of cleanliness and tidiness. Conclusively, construction site’s cleanliness and tidiness is highly vital. Even so, for nationwide awareness on the topic matter will requires full cooperation from all related parties.

Quality assurance during site construction. Pt. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarz, N.

1980-01-01

Scope of 'Site Construction concerning Electrical Equipment' (Installation, erection, commissioning, operation): tasks and organization of Siemens-Field Services Division; organization on site; receiving, incoming inspection and storage of material; installation, erection; (drawings, instructions, documents / execution of installation / personnel qualification). Non conformance and corrective actions; quality records; internal audits. (orig.)

Low-cost satellite mechanical design and construction

Science.gov (United States)

Boisjolie-Gair, Nathaniel; Straub, Jeremy

2017-05-01

This paper presents a discussion of techniques for low-cost design and construction of a CubeSat mechanical structure that can serve as a basis for academic programs and a starting point for government, military and commercial large-scale sensing networks, where the cost of each node must be minimized to facilitate system affordability and lower the cost and associated risk of losing any node. Spacecraft Design plays a large role in manufacturability. An intentionally simplified mechanical design is presented which reduces machining costs, as compared to more intricate designs that were considered. Several fabrication approaches are evaluated relative to the low-cost goal.

A Semantics-Based Approach to Construction Cost Estimating

Science.gov (United States)

Niknam, Mehrdad

2015-01-01

A construction project requires collaboration of different organizations such as owner, designer, contractor, and resource suppliers. These organizations need to exchange information to improve their teamwork. Understanding the information created in other organizations requires specialized human resources. Construction cost estimating is one of…

On Decommissioning Costs of the Ranstad Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varley, Geoff (NAC International (United Kingdom))

2010-08-15

The main objective of this study has been to extend the review of the future cost to decommission and dismantling the industrial area at the site of the old uranium mine at Ranstad in Sweden. The feedback of experience and actual costs from a decommissioning project in the United Kingdom (A26 in Springfields) has been used to help in the assessment of the reasonableness of the estimated costs for decommissioning of the old uranium mine in Ranstad. A quantitative (albeit subjective) statement about the accuracy of the Ranstad cost estimate has been developed. Also, the factors relevant to the allocation of costs between the Swedish state and the current owners of the old uranium mine site have been evaluated and presented. The study has developed the following main conclusions: - The importance of thorough characterization/radiological mapping to the selection of the optimum decommissioning approach (technique) has been reinforced very strongly. - Thorough characterization has the related consequence of being able to better define the costs of decommissioning, in terms of equipment needed, labour hours required and, importantly, the volumes of different categories of waste requiring different routes (and associated different unit costs) for ultimate disposition. - Uncertainties in the Ranstad decommissioning cost estimate nevertheless remain, in particular relating to the viability of the proposed approach to dismantling and decontaminating the acid proof bricks that line the pools in the Large Leaching Hall; a method that is acknowledged to be not proven. The outcome could have an impact on actual dismantling and decontamination costs, as well as on the costs of ultimate waste disposition. The KB2010 cost estimate report does not offer an alternative in the event that the base plan proves to be unfeasible. - On balance it would appear that the continued presence of RMA at the Ranstad site ultimately will provide a net cost benefit to the program. The extra costs

On Decommissioning Costs of the Ranstad Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varley, Geoff

2010-08-01

The main objective of this study has been to extend the review of the future cost to decommission and dismantling the industrial area at the site of the old uranium mine at Ranstad in Sweden. The feedback of experience and actual costs from a decommissioning project in the United Kingdom (A26 in Springfields) has been used to help in the assessment of the reasonableness of the estimated costs for decommissioning of the old uranium mine in Ranstad. A quantitative (albeit subjective) statement about the accuracy of the Ranstad cost estimate has been developed. Also, the factors relevant to the allocation of costs between the Swedish state and the current owners of the old uranium mine site have been evaluated and presented. The study has developed the following main conclusions: - The importance of thorough characterization/radiological mapping to the selection of the optimum decommissioning approach (technique) has been reinforced very strongly. - Thorough characterization has the related consequence of being able to better define the costs of decommissioning, in terms of equipment needed, labour hours required and, importantly, the volumes of different categories of waste requiring different routes (and associated different unit costs) for ultimate disposition. - Uncertainties in the Ranstad decommissioning cost estimate nevertheless remain, in particular relating to the viability of the proposed approach to dismantling and decontaminating the acid proof bricks that line the pools in the Large Leaching Hall; a method that is acknowledged to be not proven. The outcome could have an impact on actual dismantling and decontamination costs, as well as on the costs of ultimate waste disposition. The KB2010 cost estimate report does not offer an alternative in the event that the base plan proves to be unfeasible. - On balance it would appear that the continued presence of RMA at the Ranstad site ultimately will provide a net cost benefit to the program. The extra costs

Turbidity monitoring equipment and methodology evaluation at MDOT construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

State Study 261 is a continuation of State study 225, "Turbidity Monitoring at Select : MDOT Construction Sites", which was successful in establishing baseline stream data : at several active construction sites. State Study 261 focused on the equipme...

Quality Cost in the Construction Industry ' Preliminary Findings in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mukhtar Che Ali

2010-06-01

Full Text Available One of the key areas being emphasis in ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS is performance measurement towards continual improvement. Among the primary measuring tools is quality cost approach. Quality cost has been well practice in manufacturing sector but slowly gain its importance in construction industry. In fact Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK has reckoned quality cost as one of the tool and technique in few of its management processes. In view of such circumstances that has prompted an effort to undertake a study to ascertain the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost in Malaysian construction landscape. The targeted group of respondents was the personnel in the project management team. Capitalizing Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB National Electronic Tendering Initiatives (NETI road shows which were held in year 2007 throughout the country, the author was able to garner 263 respondents representing the project management team. Subsequently the data gathered from the completed forms were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS software. General findings indicated that the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost among the project management team were relatively low. One of the main contributing factors was poor knowledge in the area related to quality cost. Despite of such scenario most of the respondents showed their interest in acquiring knowledge in the field of quality cost. Hence quality cost approach is at the infancy stage in Malaysian construction industry.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Excavation on Residential Construction Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perry Forsythe

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Despite considerable research concerning the manifestation of greenhouse gases in the usage of buildings, little has been done concerning emissions arising from the construction process itself. This paper specifically examines emissions arising from cut and fill excavation on residential construction sites. Even though such excavation is often seen as being economical in terms of providing a flat base for concrete raft slab construction, the environmental consequences of this approach need to be considered more fully in terms of impact on the environment. This is particularly important when steeply sloping sites are involved and for different soil types. The paper undertakes a study that quantitatively assesses the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions caused by cut and fill excavation on 52 residential projects in Australia for a range of slope and soil types. The paper presents results from the study and concludes that greenhouse gas emissions increase as site slope increases; the building footprint area (as distinct from Gross Floor Area, exposes the need to reduce the area of the building to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; excavation of rock soils creates higher emissions than other soil types; and cut and fill excavation on steeply slope sites increase emissions. Potential alternative construction includes suspended floor construction systems which involve less excavation.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Excavation on Residential Construction Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perry Forsythe

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Despite considerable research concerning the manifestation of greenhouse gases in the usage of buildings, little has been done concerning emissions arising from the construction process itself. This paper specifically examines emissions arising from cut and fill excavation on residential construction sites. Even though such excavation is often seen as being economical in terms of providing a flat base for concrete raft slab construction, the environmental consequences of this approach need to be considered more fully in terms of impact on the environment. This is particularly important when steeply sloping sites are involved and for different soil types. The paper undertakes a study that quantitatively assesses the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions caused by cut and fill excavation on 52 residential projects in Australia for a range of slope and soil types. The paper presents results from the study and concludes that greenhouse gas emissions increase as site slope increases; the building footprint area (as distinct from Gross Floor Area, exposes the need to reduce the area of the building to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; excavation of rock soils creates higher emissions than other soil types; and cut and fill excavation on steeply slope sites increase emissions. Potential alternative construction includes suspended floor construction systems which involve less excavation. 

Prevailing Wage Regulations and School Construction Costs: Evidence from British Columbia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilginsoy, Cihan; Philips, Peter

2000-01-01

Examines effects of prevailing wage laws on school construction costs, using final cost data from six British Columbia school districts. When controlling for factors such as construction business cycle, number of competitors, and school type, there was no significant unit cost change following the Skill Development and Fair Wage Policy Act.…

Nuclear reactors' construction costs: The role of lead-time, standardization and technological progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berthélemy, Michel; Escobar Rangel, Lina

2015-01-01

This paper provides an econometric analysis of nuclear reactor construction costs in France and the United States based on overnight costs data. We build a simultaneous system of equations for overnight costs and construction time (lead-time) to control for endogeneity, using change in expected electricity demand as instrument. We argue that the construction of nuclear reactors can benefit from standardization gains through two channels. First, short term coordination benefits can arise when the diversity of nuclear reactors' designs under construction is low. Second, long term benefits can occur due to learning spillovers from past constructions of similar reactors. We find that construction costs benefit directly from learning spillovers but that these spillovers are only significant for nuclear models built by the same Architect–Engineer. In addition, we show that the standardization of nuclear reactors under construction has an indirect and positive effect on construction costs through a reduction in lead-time, the latter being one of the main drivers of construction costs. Conversely, we also explore the possibility of learning by searching and find that, contrary to other energy technologies, innovation leads to construction costs increases. -- Highlights: •This paper analyses the determinants of nuclear reactors construction costs and lead-time. •We study short term (coordination gains) and long term (learning by doing) benefits of standardization in France and the US. •Results show that standardization of nuclear programs is a key factor for reducing construction costs. •We also suggest that technological progress has contributed to construction costs escalation

Strategies for effective management of health and safety in confined site construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Spillane

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The overall aim of this research is to identify and catalogue the numerous managerial strategies for effective management of health and safety on a confined, urban, construction site. Design/Methodology/Approach: This is achieved by utilising individual interviews, focus groups discussion on selected case studies of confined construction sites, coupled with a questionnaire survey. Findings: The top five key strategies include (1 Employ safe system of work plans to mitigate personnel health and safety issues; (2 Inform personnel, before starting on-site, of the potential issues using site inductions; (3 Effective communication among site personnel; (4 Draft and implement an effective design site layout prior to starting on-site; and (5 Use of banksman (traffic co-ordinator to segregate personnel from vehicular traffic. Practical Implication: The construction sector is one of the leading industries in accident causation and with the continued development and regeneration of our urban centres, confined site construction is quickly becoming the norm - an environment which only fuels accident creation within the construction sector. Originality/Value: This research aids on-site management that requires direction and assistance in the identification and implementation of key strategies for the management of health and safety, particularly in confined construction site environments.

Effects of organizational complexity and resources on construction site risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Forteza, Francisco J; Carretero-Gómez, Jose M; Sesé, Albert

2017-09-01

Our research is aimed at studying the relationship between risk level and organizational complexity and resources on constructions sites. Our general hypothesis is that site complexity increases risk, whereas more resources of the structure decrease risk. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach was adopted to validate our theoretical model. To develop our study, 957 building sites in Spain were visited and assessed in 2003-2009. All needed data were obtained using a specific tool developed by the authors to assess site risk, structure and resources (Construction Sites Risk Assessment Tool, or CONSRAT). This tool operationalizes the variables to fit our model, specifically, via a site risk index (SRI) and 10 organizational variables. Our random sample is composed largely of small building sites with general high levels of risk, moderate complexity, and low resources on site. The model obtained adequate fit, and results showed empirical evidence that the factors of complexity and resources can be considered predictors of site risk level. Consequently, these results can help companies, managers of construction and regulators to identify which organizational aspects should be improved to prevent risks on sites and consequently accidents. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Critical management practices influencing on-site waste minimization in construction projects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ajayi, Saheed O; Oyedele, Lukumon O; Bilal, Muhammad; Akinade, Olugbenga O; Alaka, Hafiz A; Owolabi, Hakeem A

2017-01-01

As a result of increasing recognition of effective site management as the strategic approach for achieving the required performance in construction projects, this study seeks to identify the key site management practices that are requisite for construction waste minimization. A mixed methods approach, involving field study and survey research were used as means of data collection. After confirmation of construct validity and reliability of scale, data analysis was carried out through a combination of Kruskal-Wallis test, descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. The study suggests that site management functions could significantly reduce waste generation through strict adherence to project drawings, and by ensuring fewer or no design changes during construction process. Provision of waste skips for specific materials and maximisation of on-site reuse of materials are also found to be among the key factors for engendering waste minimization. The result of factor analysis suggests four factors underlying on-site waste management practices with 96.093% of total variance. These measures include contractual provisions for waste minimization, waste segregation, maximisation of materials reuse and effective logistic management. Strategies through which each of the underlying measures could be achieved are further discussed in the paper. Findings of this study would assist construction site managers and other site operatives in reducing waste generated by construction activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental Setup for Evaluation of the Protective Technical Measures Against the Slopes Degradation Along Linear Construction Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Kavka, Petr; Zumr, David; Neumann, Martin; Lidmila, Martin; Dufka, Dušan

2017-04-01

Soil erosion of the slopes along the linear construction sites, such as railroads, roads, pipelines or watercourses, is usually underestimated by the construction companies and controlling authorities. But under certain circumstances, when the construction site is not maintained and protected properly, a large amounts of soil may be transported from the sites to the surrounding environment during the intensive rainfall. Transported sediment, often carrying adsorbed pollutants, may reach watercourses and cause water recipient siltation and pollution. Within the applied research project we investigate ways of low cost, quick and easy technical measures that would help to protect the slopes against the splash erosion, rills development and sliding. The methodology is based on testing of various permeable covers, sheets, anchoring and patchy vegetation on a plot and hillslope scales. In this contribution we will present the experimental plot setup, consisting of large soil blocks encapsulated in the monitored steel containers and nozzle rainfall simulator. The presentation is funded by the Technological Agency of the Czech Republic (research project TH02030428) and an internal student CTU grant.

Analysis of Cost of Rework on Time and Cost Performance of Building Construction Projects in Abuja, Nigeria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Chidiebere Eze

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Rework is a menace that leads to undesired and unnecessary loss of efforts, it degrades project cost and schedule performance of construction projects, both at design and construction phases. This study therefore, analyzed the impact of cost of rework on time and cost performance of building construction projects in Nigerian, using selected commercial building project within the country’s capital. A pro forma was adopted for gathering data on rework cost, project cost and time of selected building projects, while structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the likely measures for reducing rework incidences from construction professionals that were involved in the delivery of the identified projects. Regression analysis, relative importance index and Kruskal-Walis test were employed for data analysis. The study revealed a significant relationship between the cost of rework and initial and final project cost of delivering commercial buildings, as an average of 3.53% impact on the initial project cost, 46.60% contribution to cost overrun, and p-value of 0.000 was observed on all assessed projects. For the project delivery time, a significant relationship between the cost of rework and initial and final project duration, as an average of 7.35% impact on the initial delivery time, extra 19 days and p-value of 0.000 was observed on all assessed projects. Team building and education, management commitment, employee involvement, were some of the best possible measures to minimized rework problems.

New Reactor Siting, Licensing and Construction Experience. Proceedings of the 2. CNRA International Workshop on 'New Reactor Siting, Licensing and Construction Experience'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This report documents the proceedings from the 2. Workshop on New Reactor Siting, Licensing and Construction Experience. A total of 45 specialists from 16 countries and international organisations attended. The meeting was sponsored by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities and hosted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S.NRC). The objectives of the workshop were to provide a forum to exchange information on lessons learned from siting, licensing and constructing new nuclear power plants around the world. Key focus areas included siting practices and regulatory positions that have been enhanced as a result of the Fukushima accident; lessons learned from licensing and design review approaches and challenges, construction experience and recommendations for regulatory oversight; and regulatory cooperation on generic and design specific issues through the MDEP specific working groups. The workshop was structured in 4 technical sessions, each followed by ample time for panel discussions. The first technical session was devoted to regulatory cooperation on generic and design specific issues, MDEP working groups (EPR, AP1000), vendor inspection co-operation, digital I and C, and codes and standards. The second technical session was intended to discuss and share regulatory positions on siting practices and enhancements as a result of lessons learned from Fukushima accident. The third technical session addressed the construction experience and regulatory oversight of new reactor construction activities. And the fourth technical session included presentations on the lessons learned from regulatory licensing reviews of new reactor designs

Nuclear reactors' construction costs: The role of lead-time, standardization and technological progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berthelemy, Michel; Escobar Rangel, Lina

2013-01-01

This paper provides the first comparative analysis of nuclear reactor construction costs in France and the United States. Studying the cost of nuclear power has often been a challenge, owing to the lack of reliable data sources and heterogeneity between countries, as well as the long time horizon which requires controlling for input prices and structural changes. We build a simultaneous system of equations for overnight costs and construction time (lead-time) to control for endogeneity, using expected demand variation as an instrument. We argue that benefits from nuclear reactor program standardization can arise through short term coordination gains, when the diversity of nuclear reactors' technologies under construction is low, or through long term benefits from learning spillovers from past reactor construction experience, if those spillovers are limited to similar reactors. We find that overnight construction costs benefit directly from learning spillovers but that these spillovers are only significant for nuclear models built by the same Architect-Engineer (A- E). In addition, we show that the standardization of nuclear reactors under construction has an indirect and positive effect on construction costs through a reduction in lead-time, the latter being one of the main drivers of construction costs. Conversely, we also explore the possibility of learning by searching and find that, contrary to other energy technologies, innovation leads to construction costs increases. (authors)

Improvement of the cost-benefit analysis algorithm for high-rise construction projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gafurov Andrey

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The specific nature of high-rise investment projects entailing long-term construction, high risks, etc. implies a need to improve the standard algorithm of cost-benefit analysis. An improved algorithm is described in the article. For development of the improved algorithm of cost-benefit analysis for high-rise construction projects, the following methods were used: weighted average cost of capital, dynamic cost-benefit analysis of investment projects, risk mapping, scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis of critical ratios, etc. This comprehensive approach helped to adapt the original algorithm to feasibility objectives in high-rise construction. The authors put together the algorithm of cost-benefit analysis for high-rise construction projects on the basis of risk mapping and sensitivity analysis of critical ratios. The suggested project risk management algorithms greatly expand the standard algorithm of cost-benefit analysis in investment projects, namely: the “Project analysis scenario” flowchart, improving quality and reliability of forecasting reports in investment projects; the main stages of cash flow adjustment based on risk mapping for better cost-benefit project analysis provided the broad range of risks in high-rise construction; analysis of dynamic cost-benefit values considering project sensitivity to crucial variables, improving flexibility in implementation of high-rise projects.

Improvement of the cost-benefit analysis algorithm for high-rise construction projects

Science.gov (United States)

Gafurov, Andrey; Skotarenko, Oksana; Plotnikov, Vladimir

2018-03-01

The specific nature of high-rise investment projects entailing long-term construction, high risks, etc. implies a need to improve the standard algorithm of cost-benefit analysis. An improved algorithm is described in the article. For development of the improved algorithm of cost-benefit analysis for high-rise construction projects, the following methods were used: weighted average cost of capital, dynamic cost-benefit analysis of investment projects, risk mapping, scenario analysis, sensitivity analysis of critical ratios, etc. This comprehensive approach helped to adapt the original algorithm to feasibility objectives in high-rise construction. The authors put together the algorithm of cost-benefit analysis for high-rise construction projects on the basis of risk mapping and sensitivity analysis of critical ratios. The suggested project risk management algorithms greatly expand the standard algorithm of cost-benefit analysis in investment projects, namely: the "Project analysis scenario" flowchart, improving quality and reliability of forecasting reports in investment projects; the main stages of cash flow adjustment based on risk mapping for better cost-benefit project analysis provided the broad range of risks in high-rise construction; analysis of dynamic cost-benefit values considering project sensitivity to crucial variables, improving flexibility in implementation of high-rise projects.

An Environmentally Oriented Constructive Cost Model In Information ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A model was designed to assist software developers in Nigeria to estimate software effort, duration and cost as a result of the difficulties in understanding the parameters of the traditional Constructive Cost Model II (COCOMO II) , which was designed for a specif ic environment, using Source Lines of Code (SLOC) . Results ...

Improvement of Cost Calculation in Constructions – Application of the Standard Cost Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adela Breuer

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Grace to the analysis of several commercial companies effectively performed “on the field”, we could remark the necessity to change the method of cost calculation, our motivation being related to the simplification of calculations and the reduction of the labour volume, but especially the necessity to know in due time the deviations occurred as well as the causes having led to their apparition. The importance of knowing the deviations in due time results from the very basic characteristics of the constructions execution, i.e. the performance of works during several budgetary years, which leads to the modifications of prices and materials, the introduction of new technologies, and to the performance of open air activities, making the execution of constructions works be influenced by the atmospheric condition. But the most important aspect of knowing the deviations is the correct determination of expenses and their inscribing in the corresponding period, in view of determining the result of the budgetary year. Our proposal for the enhancement of the method of cost calculation in constructions is the application of the standard cost method in the variant “single standard cost”.

Permeable treatment wall design and cost analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manz, C.; Quinn, K.

1997-01-01

A permeable treatment wall utilizing the funnel and gate technology has been chosen as the final remedial solution for one industrial site, and is being considered at other contaminated sites, such as a closed municipal landfill. Reactive iron gates will be utilized for treatment of chlorinated VOCs identified in the groundwater. Alternatives for the final remedial solution at each site were evaluated to achieve site closure in the most cost effective manner. This paper presents the remedial alternatives and cost analyses for each site. Several options are available at most sites for the design of a permeable treatment wall. Our analysis demonstrates that the major cost factor's for this technology are the design concept, length, thickness, location and construction methods for the reactive wall. Minimizing the amount of iron by placement in the most effective area and construction by the lowest cost method is critical to achieving a low cost alternative. These costs dictate the design of a permeable treatment wall, including selection of a variety of alternatives (e.g., a continuous wall versus a funnel and gate system, fully penetrating gates versus partially penetrating gates, etc.). Selection of the appropriate construction methods and materials for the site can reduce the overall cost of the wall

Solid construction waste management in large civil construction companies through use of specific software - case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caio Dalla Zanna

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In the current construction market there is a high demand for sustainability. In addition to that the Brazilian government is enacting tougher and tougher legislation on the disposal of solid construction waste. These demands increasingly make the construction company responsible for the entire lifecycle of its waste as well as the accompanying cost and environmental impact of solid waste. A software program was used in the research which allows construction companies gather information about waste. This helps the decision makers, at all different levels of the company improving waste management through better decisions. The software program was used during the construction of two residential buildings, constructed by a large construction company in the South of Brazil. Five key performance indicators were used by the construction company team: Generated Waste Height (cm, cost per built area (R$ m-², Waste Segregation Quality Index (WSQI, Effective Waste Management Index (EWMI and Waste Management Quality Index (WMQI. After four months the total cost of waste management was R$ 83,551.71 for site A and R$ 91,668.02 for site B. About 70% of the waste was raw material waste. The software program provided information not previously available, which made it possible to calculate the cost of material loss, indicating corrective actions, all without losing sight of cost reduction opportunities for the management of Solid construction Waste (SCW.

19 CFR 351.407 - Calculation of constructed value and cost of production.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... ANTIDUMPING AND COUNTERVAILING DUTIES Calculation of Export Price, Constructed Export Price, Fair Value, and Normal Value § 351.407 Calculation of constructed value and cost of production. (a) Introduction. This... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Calculation of constructed value and cost of...

Mapping site-based construction workers’ motivation: Expectancy theory approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parviz Ghoddousi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to apply a recently proposed model of motivation based on expectancy theory to site-based workers in the construction context and confirm the validity of this model for the construction industry. The study drew upon data from 194 site-based construction workers in Iran to test the proposed model of motivation. To this end, the structural equation modelling (SEM approach based on the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA technique was deployed. The study reveals that the proposed model of expectancy theory incorporating five indicators (i.e. intrinsic instrumentality, extrinsic instrumentality, intrinsic valence, extrinsic valence and expectancy is able to map the process of construction workers’ motivation. Nonetheless, the findings posit that intrinsic indicators could be more effective than extrinsic ones. This proffers the necessity of construction managers placing further focus on intrinsic motivators to motivate workers. 

Mapping site-based construction workers’ motivation: Expectancy theory approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parviz Ghoddousi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to apply a recently proposed model of motivation based on expectancy theory to site-based workers in the construction context and confirm the validity of this model for the construction industry. The study drew upon data from 194 site-based construction workers in Iran to test the proposed model of motivation. To this end, the structural equation modelling (SEM approach based on the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA technique was deployed. The study reveals that the proposed model of expectancy theory incorporating five indicators (i.e. intrinsic instrumentality, extrinsic instrumentality, intrinsic valence, extrinsic valence and expectancy is able to map the process of construction workers’ motivation. Nonetheless, the findings posit that intrinsic indicators could be more effective than extrinsic ones. This proffers the necessity of construction managers placing further focus on intrinsic motivators to motivate workers.

Construction experience at the Canonsburg UMTRA site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiers, G.R.; Farnes, L.L.; Wathen, T.R.

1985-01-01

Construction of on-site stabilization for over 225,000 cubic yards of abandoned uranium mill tailings in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, began in October 1983, and is scheduled to be completed in December 1985. This paper describes selected construction experience through October 1984. The following selected events and construction items are discussed in this paper: 1. Construction and operation of a 36,000-square foot, fabric-lined sedimentation basin, including difficulties associated with installation of the liner; 2. Assembly and start-up of the contaminated water treatment plant; 3. Construction of the encapsulation cell test fills, to confirm the performance specification governing the compaction; 4. Excavation, relocation, and placement of contaminated materials, including moisture control and density testing of the radioactive materials; 5. Construction difficulties, including disposition of local leachate from the abandoned industrial complex and an increase in the volume of contaminated material to be encapsulated

ANN Based Approach for Estimation of Construction Costs of Sports Fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Juszczyk

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cost estimates are essential for the success of construction projects. Neural networks, as the tools of artificial intelligence, offer a significant potential in this field. Applying neural networks, however, requires respective studies due to the specifics of different kinds of facilities. This paper presents the proposal of an approach to the estimation of construction costs of sports fields which is based on neural networks. The general applicability of artificial neural networks in the formulated problem with cost estimation is investigated. An applicability of multilayer perceptron networks is confirmed by the results of the initial training of a set of various artificial neural networks. Moreover, one network was tailored for mapping a relationship between the total cost of construction works and the selected cost predictors which are characteristic of sports fields. Its prediction quality and accuracy were assessed positively. The research results legitimatize the proposed approach.

Modeling of Construction Cost of Villas in Oman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MA Al-Mohsin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In this research, a model for estimating construction cost of villas is presented. The model takes into account four major factors affecting villa's cost, namely: built up area, number of toilets, number of bedrooms and the number of stories. A field survey was conducted to collect information required for such model using data collection form designed by the researchers. Information about 150 villas was collected from six well experienced consultants in the field of villa design and supervision in Oman. Collected data was analyzed to develop suggested model which consists of two main levels of estimate. The first level is at the conceptual design stage where the client presents his/her need of space and basic information about the available plot for construction. The second level of cost estimation is carried out after the preliminary design stage where the client has to decide on the finishes and type of structure. At the second level of estimation, the client should be able to decide whether to precede for construction or not, according to his/her budget. The model is general and can be used anywhere and was validated for accepted degree of confidence using the actual cost of the 112 executed villa projects in Oman. The villas included in this study were owned by clients from both high and low income brackets and had different types of finishing material. The developed equations showed good correlation between the selected variables and the actual cost with R2  = 0.79 in the case of conceptual estimate and R2  = 0.601 for preliminary estimate.

A project management quality cost information system for the construction industry

OpenAIRE

Love, PED; Irani, Z

2003-01-01

A prototype Project Management Quality Cost System (PROMQACS) was developed to determine quality costs in construction projects. The structure and information requirements that are needed to provide a classification system of quality costs were identified and discussed. The developed system was tested and implemented in two case study construction projects to determine the information and management issues needed to develop PROMQACS into a software program. In addition, the system was used to...

Canadian nuclear power plant construction cost forecast and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keng, C.W.K.

1985-01-01

Because of the huge volume of capital required to construct a modern electric power generating station, investment decisions have to be made with as complete an understanding of the consequence of the decision as possible. This understanding must be provided by the evaluation of the situation to take place in the future. This paper attempts to use an econometric method to forecast the construction costs escalation of a standard Canadian nuclear generating station (NGS). A review of the history of Canadian nuclear electric power is provided. The major components of the construction costs of a Canadian NGS are studied and summarized. A data base is built and indexes are prepared. Based on these indexes an econometric forecasting model is constructed using an apparently new econometric methodology of forecasting modelling. Forecasts for a period of forty years are generated and applications of alternative scenario forecasts and range forecasts to uncertainty assessment are demonstrated. The indexes, the model, and the forecasts and their applications, to the best of the author's knowledge, are the very first ever done for Canadian NGS constructions

Identifying factors causing cost overrun of the construction projects ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Swapnil P Wanjari

Cost overrun in India; ANOVA; factor analysis; construction projects. 1. Introduction ... gramme Implementation in India [2], projects of public .... case if a respondent never came across of such factor. ..... The co-relation matrix for variables of cost overruns was ..... There are various problems observed due to communication.

Structuring a cost-effective site characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berven, B.A.; Little, C.A.; Swaja, R.E.

1990-01-01

Successful chemical and radiological site characterizations are complex activities which require meticulously detailed planning. Each layer of investigation is based upon previously generated information about the site. Baseline historical, physical, geological, and regulatory information is prerequisite for preliminary studies at a site. Preliminary studies then provide samples and measurements which define the identity of potential contaminants and define boundaries around the area to be investigated. The goal of a full site characterization is to accurately determine the extent and magnitude of contaminants and carefully define the site conditions such that the future movements of site contaminants can be assessed for potential exposure to human occupants and/or environmental impacts. Critical to this process is the selection of appropriate measurement and sampling methodology, selection and use of appropriate instrumentation and management/interpretation of site information. Site investigations require optimization between the need of information to maximize the understanding of site conditions and the cost of acquiring that information. 5 refs., 1 tab

Causes of Fall Hazards in Construction Site Management

OpenAIRE

Liy, Chong Hui; Ibrahim, Siti Halipah; Affandi, Rohaida; Rosli, Nor Azalina; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd

2016-01-01

Statistics from Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 has shown that the number of fatality in the construction industry is 5 times more than in other sectors. The total fatalities in construction are 796 in year 2013 and out of this 796, there were 294 fall fatalities. Hence, there is an urgent need to mitigate this problem. A study has been conducted to investigate the root causes of fall hazards in construction site. Therefore, this paper is intended to identify and highlights the types ...

Construction safety

CERN Document Server

Li, Rita Yi Man

2013-01-01

A close-to-ideal blend of suburb and city, speedy construction of towers of Babylon, the sparkling proportion of glass and steel buildings’ facade at night showcase the wisdom of humans. They also witness the footsteps, sweats and tears of architects and engineers. Unfortunately, these signatures of human civilizations are swathed in towering figures of construction accidents. Fretting about these on sites, different countries adopt different measures on sites. This book firstly sketches the construction accidents on sites, followed by a review on safety measures in some of the developing countries such as Bermuda, Egypt, Kuwait and China; as well as developed countries, for example, the United States, France and Singapore. It also highlights the enormous compensation costs with the courts’ experiences in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Risk, innovation, electricity infrastructure and construction cost overruns: Testing six hypotheses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sovacool, Benjamin K.; Gilbert, Alex; Nugent, Daniel

2014-01-01

This study investigates the frequency and magnitude of cost and time overruns occurring during the construction of 401 electricity projects built between 1936 and 2014 in 57 countries. In aggregate, these projects required approximately $820 billion in investment, and amounted to 325,515 MW of installed capacity and 8495 km of transmission lines. We use this sample of projects to test six hypotheses about construction cost overruns related to (1) diseconomies of scale, (2) project delays, (3) technological learning, (4) regulation and markets, (5) decentralization and modularity, and (6) normalization of results to scale. We find that nuclear reactors are the riskiest technology in terms of mean cost escalation as a percentage of budget and frequency; that hydroelectric dams stand apart for their mean cost escalation in total dollars; that many of the hypotheses grounded in the literature appear wrong; and that financing, partnerships, modularity, and accountability may have more to do with overruns than technology. - Highlights: • Many hypotheses about construction overruns grounded in the literature appear wrong. • Nuclear reactors are the most prone to cost overruns as a percentage of budget and frequency. • Hydroelectric dams stand apart for their mean cost escalation in total dollars. • Solar and wind energy systems are least at risk to cost overruns

Behavior-based safety on construction sites: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhry, Rafiq M

2014-09-01

This work presents the results of a case study and describes an important area within the field of construction safety management, namely behavior-based safety (BBS). This paper adopts and develops a management approach for safety improvements in construction site environments. A rigorous behavioral safety system and its intervention program was implemented and deployed on target construction sites. After taking a few weeks of safety behavior measurements, the project management team implemented the designed intervention and measurements were taken. Goal-setting sessions were arranged on-site with workers' participation to set realistic and attainable targets of performance. Safety performance measurements continued and the levels of performance and the targets were presented on feedback charts. Supervisors were asked to give workers recognition and praise when they acted safely or improved critical behaviors. Observers were requested to have discussions with workers, visit the site, distribute training materials to workers, and provide feedback to crews and display charts. They were required to talk to operatives in the presence of line managers. It was necessary to develop awareness and understanding of what was being measured. In the process, operatives learned how to act safely when conducting site tasks using the designed checklists. Current weekly scores were discussed in the weekly safety meetings and other operational site meetings with emphasis on how to achieve set targets. The reliability of the safety performance measures taken by the company's observers was monitored. A clear increase in safety performance level was achieved across all categories: personal protective equipment; housekeeping; access to heights; plant and equipment, and scaffolding. The research reveals that scores of safety performance at one project improved from 86% (at the end of 3rd week) to 92.9% during the 9th week. The results of intervention demonstrated large decreases in

HITACHI construction CAE system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, M.

1994-01-01

Construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants have important problems such as shortening the construction period and reducing the construction cost. Recently, the problem of insufficient construction labor has arisen, and as drastic strategic development has become a necessary counter-measure. The following four principles are included in the measures to be taken for efficient execution of the construction work within the short construction period: (1) reduction of on-site work and expansion of module block making, (2)improvement of the accuracy of the on-site work process, adjustment and expansion of the work in parallel with the construction process, (3)improvement of efficiency of the on-site work and mechanization and automation of the work, (4)improvement of the accuracy of the management of the construction. A three dimensional simulation system plant construction plan CAE, comprising five modules has been developed. A project management system was also developed to improve the accuracy and efficiency of management work in the field

Quality assurance during site construction. Pt. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, J.

1980-01-01

The first part of the lecture deals with the Quality Assurance system on the construction site in general. Basic site-related problems during contract implementation and the QA system requirements resulting from them are presented. The compilation of these requirements in a QA program and its inclusion in the site manual in written form are explained. Site organization, personnel qualification and procedures are referred to. Whereas the first part shows what is to be done, the second part shows how it can be put into practice on the site. All the essential points for the assurance of quality are addressed. They include, e.g., review of documents, incoming goods control, in-process surveillance, store controls, identification of components and systems, dealing with changes and deviations, documentation control and audits. By means of examples taken form practice the necessity of a well-functioning QA system, and the importance of quality-assuring measures on the site are pointed out. (orig.)

Wilderness Recreation Demand: A Comparison of Travel Cost and On-Site Cost Models

Science.gov (United States)

J.M. Bowker; A. Askew; L. Seymour; J.P. Zhu; D. English; C.M. Starbuck

2009-01-01

This study used travel cost and on-site day cost models, coupled with the Forest Service’s National Visitor Use Monitoring data, to examine the demand for and value of recreation access to designated Wilderness.

Nucleic acid constructs containing orthogonal site selective recombinases (OSSRs)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gilmore, Joshua M.; Anderson, J. Christopher; Dueber, John E.

2017-08-29

The present invention provides for a recombinant nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence comprising a plurality of constructs, wherein each construct independently comprises a nucleotide sequence of interest flanked by a pair of recombinase recognition sequences. Each pair of recombinase recognition sequences is recognized by a distinct recombinase. Optionally, each construct can, independently, further comprise one or more genes encoding a recombinase capable of recognizing the pair of recombinase recognition sequences of the construct. The recombinase can be an orthogonal (non-cross reacting), site-selective recombinase (OSSR).

Construction of VLCC marine oil storage cost index system

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yuan; Li, Yule; Lu, Jinshu; Wu, Wenfeng; Zhu, Faxin; Chen, Tian; Qin, Beichen

2018-04-01

VLCC as the research object, the basic knowledge of VLCC is summarized. According to the phenomenon that VLCC is applied to offshore oil storage gradually, this paper applies the theoretical analysis method to analyze the excess capacity from VLCC, the drop of oil price, the aging VLCC is more suitable for offshore storage The paper analyzes the reason of VLCC offshore oil storage from three aspects, analyzes the cost of VLCC offshore storage from the aspects of manpower cost and shipping cost, and constructs the cost index system of VLCC offshore oil storage.

CONSTRUCTION OF A DIFFERENTIAL ISOTHERMAL CALORIMETER OF HIGH SENSITIVITY AND LOW COST.

OpenAIRE

Trinca, RB; Perles, CE; Volpe, PLO

2009-01-01

CONSTRUCTION OF A DIFFERENTIAL ISOTHERMAL CALORIMETER OF HIGH SENSITIVITY AND LOW COST The high cost of sensitivity commercial calorimeters may represent an obstacle for many calorimetric research groups. This work describes (fie construction and calibration of a batch differential heat conduction calorimeter with sample cells volumes of about 400 mu L. The calorimeter was built using two small high sensibility square Peltier thermoelectric sensors and the total cost was estimated to be about...

Ringhals Site Study 2013 - An assessment of the decommissioning cost for the Ringhals site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansson, Tommy [Ringhals AB, Ringhals (Sweden); Norberg, Thomas [Solvina AB, Goeteborg (Sweden); Knutsson, Andreas; Fors, Patrik; Sandebert, Camilla [Vattenfall AB, Stockholm (Sweden)

2013-03-15

This report presents the decommissioning cost for the Ringhals site as of 2013. The objective has been to make a best estimate of the costs within the uncertainties of a budgetary estimate. To achieve this, the decommissioning costs have been assessed with support from TLG Services Inc., utilizing their knowledge and experience from U.S. decommissioning projects incorporated in their cost estimation platform DECCER. The 2013 estimate has included the development of a Ringhals-specific cost estimation method that allows for successive improvement in the future. In-house experiences have been included and the method is based on the present decommissioning strategy according to Ringhals decommissioning plan. Two basic approaches have been used in the cost assessment; a bottom up approach to develop unit cost factors (UCF) for recurrent work; and a specific analogy approach for cost estimating special items. The basic, activity-dependent, costs have been complemented by period-dependent costs, derived, among other things, from SKB's newly developed reference planning and organizational model for a Swedish decommissioning project. Furthermore, collateral costs based on the experiences of Barsebaeck have been included. As a final point, all costs have been adjusted for industrial standard contingencies, as suggested by TLG, to achieve a best estimate. In order to make the cost intelligible a comprehensive description of the assumptions, boundary conditions and general basis of the estimate is included in this report. All costs have been reported both according to the International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC) of Nuclear Installations published by OECD/NEA and according to the SKB developed EEF structure. Furthermore, common costs have been isolated to a theoretical unit 0 to make the cost for respective unit even more comparable on a national and international scale. The calculations show that the total cost for the decommissioning of the Ringhals

Ringhals Site Study 2013 - An assessment of the decommissioning cost for the Ringhals site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansson, Tommy; Norberg, Thomas; Knutsson, Andreas; Fors, Patrik; Sandebert, Camilla

2013-03-01

This report presents the decommissioning cost for the Ringhals site as of 2013. The objective has been to make a best estimate of the costs within the uncertainties of a budgetary estimate. To achieve this, the decommissioning costs have been assessed with support from TLG Services Inc., utilizing their knowledge and experience from U.S. decommissioning projects incorporated in their cost estimation platform DECCER. The 2013 estimate has included the development of a Ringhals-specific cost estimation method that allows for successive improvement in the future. In-house experiences have been included and the method is based on the present decommissioning strategy according to Ringhals decommissioning plan. Two basic approaches have been used in the cost assessment; a bottom up approach to develop unit cost factors (UCF) for recurrent work; and a specific analogy approach for cost estimating special items. The basic, activity-dependent, costs have been complemented by period-dependent costs, derived, among other things, from SKB's newly developed reference planning and organizational model for a Swedish decommissioning project. Furthermore, collateral costs based on the experiences of Barsebaeck have been included. As a final point, all costs have been adjusted for industrial standard contingencies, as suggested by TLG, to achieve a best estimate. In order to make the cost intelligible a comprehensive description of the assumptions, boundary conditions and general basis of the estimate is included in this report. All costs have been reported both according to the International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC) of Nuclear Installations published by OECD/NEA and according to the SKB developed EEF structure. Furthermore, common costs have been isolated to a theoretical unit 0 to make the cost for respective unit even more comparable on a national and international scale. The calculations show that the total cost for the decommissioning of the Ringhals site is

Improving construction site safety through leader-based verbal safety communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Kines, Pete; Andersen, Lars P S; Spangenberg, Soren; Mikkelsen, Kim L; Dyreborg, Johnny; Zohar, Dov

2010-10-01

The construction industry is one of the most injury-prone industries, in which production is usually prioritized over safety in daily on-site communication. Workers have an informal and oral culture of risk, in which safety is rarely openly expressed. This paper tests the effect of increasing leader-based on-site verbal safety communication on the level of safety and safety climate at construction sites. A pre-post intervention-control design with five construction work gangs is carried out. Foremen in two intervention groups are coached and given bi-weekly feedback about their daily verbal safety communications with their workers. Foremen-worker verbal safety exchanges (experience sampling method, n=1,693 interviews), construction site safety level (correct vs. incorrect, n=22,077 single observations), and safety climate (seven dimensions, n=105 questionnaires) are measured over a period of up to 42 weeks. Baseline measurements in the two intervention and three control groups reveal that foremen speak with their workers several times a day. Workers perceive safety as part of their verbal communication with their foremen in only 6-16% of exchanges, and the levels of safety at the sites range from 70-87% (correct observations). Measurements from baseline to follow-up in the two intervention groups reveal that safety communication between foremen and workers increases significantly in one of the groups (factor 7.1 increase), and a significant yet smaller increase is found when the two intervention groups are combined (factor 4.6). Significant increases in the level of safety are seen in both intervention groups (7% and 12% increases, respectively), particularly in regards to 'access ways' and 'railings and coverings' (39% and 84% increases, respectively). Increases in safety climate are seen in only one of the intervention groups with respect to their 'attention to safety.' No significant trend changes are seen in the three control groups on any of the three measures

Dynamic cost control information system for nuclear power plant construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yongqing; Liu Wei

1998-01-01

The authors first introduce the cost control functions of some overseas popular project management software at present and the specific ways of cost control of nuclear power plant construction in China. Then the authors stress the necessity of cost and schedule control integration and present the concept of dynamic cost control, the design scheme of dynamic cost control information system and the data structure modeling. Based on the above, the authors can develop the system which has the functions of dynamic estimate, cash flow management and cost optimization for nuclear engineering

Application of Boosting Regression Trees to Preliminary Cost Estimation in Building Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoonseok Shin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Among the recent data mining techniques available, the boosting approach has attracted a great deal of attention because of its effective learning algorithm and strong boundaries in terms of its generalization performance. However, the boosting approach has yet to be used in regression problems within the construction domain, including cost estimations, but has been actively utilized in other domains. Therefore, a boosting regression tree (BRT is applied to cost estimations at the early stage of a construction project to examine the applicability of the boosting approach to a regression problem within the construction domain. To evaluate the performance of the BRT model, its performance was compared with that of a neural network (NN model, which has been proven to have a high performance in cost estimation domains. The BRT model has shown results similar to those of NN model using 234 actual cost datasets of a building construction project. In addition, the BRT model can provide additional information such as the importance plot and structure model, which can support estimators in comprehending the decision making process. Consequently, the boosting approach has potential applicability in preliminary cost estimations in a building construction project.

Planning Costs in Certain Stage of the Life Cycle of Investment Activity of Construction Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iakymchuk Iryna M.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the issues related to planning costs in certain stages of the life-cycle of investment activity of construction organization. It has been specified that cost management based on the life-cycle model of the investment project, which is being implemented by a construction organization, allows for a consistent improvement in the efficiency of the innovation process on the basis of a clear planning, as well as cost forecasting. This approach allows for the long-term effectiveness of innovation project by providing cost-management services at all stages of investment project, identifying opportunities for reducing them, thereby contributing to sustainable development of construction organization over time. It has been concluded that the more specific the program of activities of construction organization, the more accurate the process of identification of costs becomes, the more efficient is the management of costs, targeted at saving resources, reducing the self cost of construction works.

Construction costs, payback times, and the leaf economics of carnivorous plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Karagatzides, Jim D; Ellison, Aaron M

2009-09-01

Understanding how different plant species and functional types "invest" carbon and nutrients is a major goal of plant ecologists. Two measures of such investments are "construction costs" (carbon needed to produce each gram of tissue) and associated "payback times" for photosynthesis to recover construction costs. These measurements integrate among traits used to assess leaf-trait scaling relationships. Carnivorous plants are model systems for examining mechanisms of leaf-trait coordination, but no studies have measured simultaneously construction costs of carnivorous traps and their photosynthetic rates to determine payback times of traps. We measured mass-based construction costs (CC(mass)) and photosynthesis (A(mass)) for traps, leaves, roots, and rhizomes of 15 carnivorous plant species grown under greenhouse conditions. There were highly significant differences among species in CC(mass) for each structure. Mean CC(mass) of carnivorous traps (1.14 ± 0.24 g glucose/g dry mass) was significantly lower than CC(mass) of leaves of 267 noncarnivorous plant species (1.47 ± 0.17), but all carnivorous plants examined had very low A(mass) and thus, long payback times (495-1551 h). Our results provide the first clear estimates of the marginal benefits of botanical carnivory and place carnivorous plants at the "slow and tough" end of the universal spectrum of leaf traits.

10 CFR 435.6 - Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction. [Reserved

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction. [Reserved] 435.6 Section 435.6 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS...-Rise Residential Buildings. § 435.6 Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction...

10 CFR 433.6 - Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction. [Reserved

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction. [Reserved] 433.6 Section 433.6 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS... BUILDINGS § 433.6 Sustainable principles for siting, design and construction. [Reserved] ...

Cost effectiveness of risk-based closures at UST sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scruton, K.M.; Baker, J.N.

1995-01-01

Risk-based closures have been achieved at Underground Storage Tank (UST) sites throughout the country for a major transportation company. The risk-based closures were cost-effective because a streamlined risk-based approach was used instead of the generic baseline risk assessment approach. USEPA has recently provided guidance encouraging the use of risk-based methodology for achieving closure at UST sites. The risk-based approach used in achieving the site closures involved an identification of potential human and ecological receptors and exposure pathways, and a comparison of maximum onsite chemical concentrations to applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs). The ARARs used in the evaluation included Federal and/or State Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for groundwater and risk-based screening levels for soils. If the maximum concentrations were above the screening levels, a baseline risk assessment was recommended. In several instances, however, the risk-based approach resulted in a regulatory agency acceptance of a ''no further action'' alternative at UST sites which did not pose a significant threat to human health and the environment. The cost of the streamlined risk-based approach is approximately $3,500, while a baseline risk assessment for the same UST site could cost up to $10,000 or more. The use of the streamlined risk-based approach has proven to be successful for achieving a ''no further action'' outcome for the client at a reasonable cost

REDUCTION OF COST AND TIME CONSUMPTION IN WELL-CONSTRUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mladen Zelenika

1998-12-01

Full Text Available A Contractor usually utilizes the available drilling equipment when constructing just one single well. Drilling cost and time consumption in constructing the well MB-1, using the percussion method, and the well MB-2, using the conventional rotary drilling method, call for a separate analysis in order to justify the investment cost for the acquisition of additional equipment for a single well only. The wells, located in a karst vrtača close to an estavelle near Tomislavgrad, with a diameter of 500 mm and approximately 80 m deep, have been accomplished with a low rate of penetration using the conventional Cable tool and resp. Rotary Drilling Method. In this paper results of analyses for the given circumstances are shown: both the efficiency and cost of the mentioned drilling methods performed by the crews of »Geotehnika d.d.« Zagreb, as well as the justifiability of investments in new equipment are evaluated.

Safety in construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.M.

1979-01-01

Causative factors of accidents in construction industry in the context of experience of construction work of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project are enumerated. The aspect of accident cost - direct and indirect - is discussed briefly. Setting up of a safety set-up at construction sites is emphasized and principles which should guide the accident prevention programme are spelt out. (M.G.B.)

A Refined Basket of Goods Approach for Comparing Construction Costs between Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rick Best

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Most comparisons of construction industry performance requirethat construction costs be converted to a common base. Existingmechanisms for such conversions produce unreliable results.A proposed method for producing industry-specifi c conversionfactors was tested using a single building type. A basket ofmaterials and labour was identifi ed and weighted to refl ect the costshare of each item in a completed project. Prices for the basketwere gathered in three cities and simple construction specifi cconversion indices were calculated based on the constructionpurchasing power of each currency. The construction purchasingpower parities (CPPPs showed marked differences from otheravailable conversion mechanisms such as exchange rates andgeneral purchasing power parities (PPPs that have been used inprevious international comparison studies. While the study waslimited in scope, and is only the fi rst stage of a longer process, thesubstantial differences in comparative costs based on purchasingpower illustrate the problems inherent in international costcomparisons. For example, comparing Singapore and Sydney,Singapore costs appear to be only 40% of those in Sydney (basedon exchange rates about two-thirds the cost of Sydney (usinggeneral PPPs or almost the same (using the preliminary CPPPs.These results illustrate the problems of converting costs fromlocal currencies to a single base currency and suggest that furtherdevelopment is needed to improve the reliability of outcomes.

Prefabrication in Building Construction: A Perspective of Pakistan Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nafees Ahmed Memon

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Construction industry is facing many problems in terms of construction waste, quality, environment, durability, safety and higher construction cost. Adoption of prefabrication is a possible solution to such problems. Accordingly, there is a need to study the prospects that would stimulate the appropriate discussion of the suitability of prefabrication and other construction methods for concrete buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of advantages in adopting prefabrication along with hindrances through questionnaire survey. The data has been analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight method as a MCDM approach. The results depict that main advantages of prefabrication are ?Shorter construction time? and ?Less construction site waste?. The top hindrances in adopting prefabrication as identified in this study are: ?Higher initial construction cost? and ?Inflexible for design changes?. Based on the survey results and apparent progress in the adoption of prefabrication around the world, it is concluded that the use of prefabrication is likely to increase in developing countries like Pakistan

Prefabrication in building construction: a perspective of pakistan construction industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, N.A.; Memon, F.A.; Khehro, S.H.

2014-01-01

Construction industry is facing many problems in terms of construction waste, quality, environment, durability, safety and higher construction cost. Adoption of prefabrication is a possible solution to such problems. Accordingly, there is a need to study the prospects that would stimulate the appropriate discussion of the suitability of prefabrication and other construction methods for concrete buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of advantages in adopting prefabrication along with hindrances through questionnaire survey. The data has been analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight) method as a MCDM approach. The results depict that main advantages of prefabrication are Shorter construction time and Less construction site waste. The top hindrances in adopting prefabrication as identified in this study are: Higher initial construction cost and Inflexible for design changes. Based on the survey results and apparent progress in the adoption of prefabrication around the world, it is concluded that the use of prefabrication is likely to increase in developing countries like Pakistan. (author)

Costs of construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants - determinant factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, R.A. da

1981-01-01

A study about the construction costs of the Angra-1 nuclear power plant, including direct costs, equipment costs, installation and indirect costs such as: engineering, job-training and administration is presented. The operation and maintenance costs of the Angra-1 nuclear power plant and costs of energy generation are still studied. (E.G.) [pt

Green Infrastructure Siting and Cost Effectiveness Analysis

Data.gov (United States)

Allegheny County / City of Pittsburgh / Western PA Regional Data Center — Parcel scale green infrastructure siting and cost effectiveness analysis. You can find more details at the project's website.

CANDU 9 - reducing capital costs through advanced construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedges, K.; Yu, S.; Hopwood, J.

1996-01-01

Reducing costs is a clear priority in nuclear markets where capital reaches billions and financing is hard-won. To address that priority, AECL introduced the use of advanced construction techniques. This has been one of the key thrusts behind its development of CANDU 9. (author)

Activities on the site during construction phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fickel, O.F.

1977-01-01

A survey is given of the work done on the site from site-opening till turn over of the plant to the client. After a short introduction to time schedules, manpower on site, site facilities and civil work and constructions, the commissioning and trial operation phase is discussed in detail. This phase begins with finishing the assembly of individual systems and components and ends with the trial operation and the acceptance measurement. During this period the subsystems are started-up in a useful sequence, first from cold, then from hot conditions and are finally operated as a total with nuclear energy. The single steps are: a) commissioning of indivudal systems; b) hot functional test 1 (without fuels) c) baseline inspection at the reactor pressure vessel; d) hot functional test 2 (with fuels); e) preparation for first criticality; f) postcriticality test program; g) trial operation: h) acceptance measurement. (HP) [de

Construction costs of nuclear power stations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandel, H

1976-03-01

It is assumed that the demand for electrical energy will continue to rise and that nuclear power will increasingly supply the base-load of electricity generation in the industrialized world. The author identifies areas where techniques and practices to control costs can be improved. Nuclear power offers an alternative to liquid and gaseous fossil fuels and contributes to a relative stability in the price of electric energy. Nuclear power plants can now generate power more cheaply than other thermal power plants down into the upper middle load sector, as indicated in calculations based on a construction time of six years for nuclear plants and four years for others. Special legal provisions, different conditions of financing and taxation, varying methods of power generation cost accounting, and the nonuniform layout of the plant in the various countries make it difficult to compare power generation costs. The author uses mostly experiences gained in the Federal Republic of Germany for some calculations for comparison; he cites lack of standardization and over-long licensing times as major factors in the recent rapid escalation of nuclear power costs and suggests that adoption of standard reactor designs, encouragement of a vigorous and competitive European nuclear industry, and streamlining of licensing procedures to improve the situation. (MCW)

External risk factors affecting construction costs

Science.gov (United States)

Mubarak, Husin, Saiful; Oktaviati, Mutia

2017-11-01

Some risk factors can have impacts on the cost, time, and performance. Results of previous studies indicated that the external conditions are among the factors which give effect to the contractor in the completion of the project. The analysis in the study carried out by considering the conditions of the project in the last 15 years in Aceh province, divided into military conflict phase (2000-2004), post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction phase (2005-2009), and post-rehabilitation and reconstruction phase (2010-present). This study intended to analyze the impact of external risk factors, primarily related to the impact on project costs and to investigate the influence of the risk factors and construction phases impacted the project cost. Data was collected by using a questionnaire distributed in 15 large companies qualification contractors in Aceh province. Factors analyzed consisted of socio-political, government policies, natural disasters, and monetary conditions. Data were analyzed using statistical application of severity index to measure the level of risk impact. The analysis results presented the tendency of impact on cost can generally be classified as low. There is only one variable classified as high-impact, variable `fuel price increases', which appear on the military conflict and post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction periods. The risk impact on costs from the factors and variables classified with high intensity needs a serious attention, especially when the high level impact is followed by the high frequency of occurrences.

Forecasting Construction Cost Index based on visibility graph: A network approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rong; Ashuri, Baabak; Shyr, Yu; Deng, Yong

2018-03-01

Engineering News-Record (ENR), a professional magazine in the field of global construction engineering, publishes Construction Cost Index (CCI) every month. Cost estimators and contractors assess projects, arrange budgets and prepare bids by forecasting CCI. However, fluctuations and uncertainties of CCI cause irrational estimations now and then. This paper aims at achieving more accurate predictions of CCI based on a network approach in which time series is firstly converted into a visibility graph and future values are forecasted relied on link prediction. According to the experimental results, the proposed method shows satisfactory performance since the error measures are acceptable. Compared with other methods, the proposed method is easier to implement and is able to forecast CCI with less errors. It is convinced that the proposed method is efficient to provide considerably accurate CCI predictions, which will make contributions to the construction engineering by assisting individuals and organizations in reducing costs and making project schedules.

Evaluation of ways and procedures to reduce construction cost and increase competition.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Construction cost inflation is affecting many state highway agencies including the Texas Department of : Transportation While some of this increase can be attributed to factors such as soaring cost of energy, : reports of large variations in cost of ...

On-site Labour Productivity of New Zealand Construction Industry: Key Constraints and Improvement Measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serdar Durdyev

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Productivity is key to the survival and growth of any organisation, industry or nation. Some factors constrain the achievement of the set project objectives in the New Zealand building and construction industry and are responsible for the reported steady decline of productivity and performance. This study aims to identify the key constraints to on-site labour productivity and improvement measures. Using the descriptive survey method, views of some project managers, contractors and subcontractors in New Zealand were canvassed via pilot interviews and questionnaire surveys at the qualitative and quantity data gathering stages, respectively. Multi-attribute technique was used to analyse the quantitative data. Results showed that the key external constraints to on-site labour productivity comprise, in order of decreasing impact, statutory compliance, unforeseen events and wider external dynamics. The internal constraints, which contribute 67 percent of the onsite productivity issues, comprise reworks, level of skill and experience of the workforce, adequacy of method of construction, buildability issues, and inadequate supervision and coordination. . The factors underlying each broad category of external and internal constraints are reported. The relative levels of impact of the identified constraints are expected to guide the project team in addressing the constraints in a cost-effective manner.

Construction of Basic Evaluation Criteria for Candidate HLW Repository Sites (1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koh, Yong Kwon; Bae, Dae Seok; Kim, Kyung Su; Kim, Geon Young; Park, Kyung Woo; Ji, Sung Hoon; Ryu, Ji Hun

2009-08-01

We constructed the preliminary site assessment system for selection of proper site as high level radioactive disposal repository with consideration of Korean geological characteristics and underground environments. And, site assessment factor and standard as a point of geologic aspect were suggested for decision of candidate radioactive disposal site in Korea. The results can be used to develop the geological information system for assessment of candidate disposal site

ITER towards the construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimomura, Y.

2005-01-01

The ITER Project has been significantly developed in the last few years in preparation for its construction. The ITER Participant's Negotiators have developed the Joint Implementation Agreement (JIA), ready for finalisation following selection of the construction site and nomination of the project's Director General. The ITER International Team and Participant Teams have continued technical and organisational preparations. Construction will be able to start immediately after the international ITER organisation is established, following signature of the JIA. The Project is strongly supported by the governments of the Participants as well as by the scientific community. The real negotiations, including siting and the final details of cost sharing, started in December 2003. The EU, with Cadarache, and Japan, with Rokkasho, have both promised large contributions to the project to strongly support their construction site proposals. Their wish to host ITER construction is too strong to allow convergence to a single site considering the ITER device in isolation. A broader collaboration among the Parties is therefore being contemplated, covering complementary activities to help accelerate fusion development towards a viable power source, and allow the Participants to reach a conclusion on ITER siting. This report reviews these preparations, and the status of negotiations

Improvements in SMR Modular Construction through Supply Chain Optimization and Lessons Learned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White III, Chelsea C. [Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (United States); Petrovic, Bojan [Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (United States)

2017-03-30

Affordable energy is a critical societal need. Capital construction cost is a significant portion of nuclear energy cost. By controlling and reducing cost, companies can build more competitive nuclear power plants and hence provide access to more affordable energy. Modular construction provides an opportunity to reduce the cost of construction, and as projects scale up in number, the cost of each unit can be further reduced. The objective of this project was to advance design and construction methods for manufacturing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and in particular to improve modular construction techniques and develop best practices for designing and operating supply chains that take advantage of these techniques. The overarching objectives were to accelerate the construction schedule and reduce its variability, reduce the cost of construction, reduce interest costs accrued during construction (IDC), and thus enhance the economic attractiveness of SMRs. Our fundamental measure of merit was total capital investment cost (TCIC). To achieve these objectives, this project developed a decision support system, EVAL, to support identifying, addressing, and resolving or ameliorating challenges and deficiencies in the current modular construction approach. The results of this effort were consistent with the facts that the cost of a construction activity is often smallest when accomplished in the factory, greatest when accomplished at the construction site, and at an intermediate level when accomplished at an assembly area close to the construction site. Further, EVAL can aid in providing insight into ways to reduce waste, improve quality, efficiency, and throughput and reflects the fact that the more done early in the construction process, i.e., in the factory, the more upfront funding is required and hence the more IDC will be accrued. The analysis has lead to a better understanding of circumstances under which modular construction performed mainly in the factory will

Unit soil loss rate from various construction sites during a storm.

Science.gov (United States)

Maniquiz, Marla C; Lee, Soyoung; Lee, Eunju; Kong, Dong-Soo; Kim, Lee-Hyung

2009-01-01

The Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) opts to establish an ordinance having a standard specifying an allowable soil loss rate applicable to construction projects. The predicted amount of soil loss from a construction site exceeding the standard can be used to calculate the percent reduction necessary to comply with the ordinance. This research was conducted to provide a basis to establish a standard by investigating the unit soil loss rates in the three phases of development: pre-construction, active construction and post construction based from 1,036 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports within the six-year period (2000-2005). Based on the findings, several factors affect the magnitude of soil loss rates particularly storm characteristics, site slope, soil type, location from rivers, as well as the type of construction activity. In general, the unit soil loss rates during the active construction phase are extremely higher in comparison to undisturbed areas; in magnitude of 7 to 80 times larger in urban areas and 18 to 585 times in rural areas. Only between 20 to 40 percent of the soil loss rates was contributed at pre- and post- construction phases indicating that the active construction phase is the most important phase to control.

ANAEROBIC COMPOST CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY - SITE ITER

Science.gov (United States)

In Fall 1994, anaerobic compost wetlands in both upflow and downflow configurations were constructed adjacent to and received drainage from the Burleigh Tunnel, which forms part of the Clear Creek/Central City Superfund site. The systems were operated over a 3 year period. The e...

LHC Civil Engineering Construction Contracts Cost Monitoring and Budget Forecasting

CERN Document Server

Skelton, K

2000-01-01

The Civil Engineering project for the LHC is estimated at 350 MCHF, of which about 316 MCHF is for the construction contracts. These contracts are based on a system of remeasurement whereby the consultant estimates the quantities required for the construction of each structure and the contractor commits himself to the unit price, which define the initial tender price. There are many factors that affect the final price for these contracts, from increases or decreases in quantities of the estimated amounts in the original bill of quantities to variations to the contract. This paper will look at how these factors change costs at the individual level of a structure to the overall costs of the contract. It will look at how the Civil Engineering Group monitors these changes to calculate cash flows and final costs and how this information is used as a basis for budget forecasts.

Cost Effectiveness of On-site versus Off-site Depression Collaborative Care in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers

Science.gov (United States)

Pyne, Jeffrey M.; Fortney, John C.; Mouden, Sip; Lu, Liya; Hudson, Teresa J; Mittal, Dinesh

2018-01-01

Objective Collaborative care for depression is effective and cost-effective in primary care settings. However, there is minimal evidence to inform the choice of on-site versus off-site models. This study examined the cost-effectiveness of on-site practice-based collaborative care (PBCC) versus off-site telemedicine-based collaborative care (TBCC) for depression in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Methods Multi-site randomized pragmatic comparative cost-effectiveness trial. 19,285 patients were screened for depression, 14.8% (n=2,863) screened positive (PHQ9 ≥10) and 364 were enrolled. Telephone interview data were collected at baseline, 6-, 12-, and 18-months. Base case analysis used Arkansas FQHC healthcare costs and secondary analysis used national cost estimates. Effectiveness measures were depression-free days and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) derived from depression-free days, Medical Outcomes Study SF-12, and Quality of Well Being scale (QWB). Nonparametric bootstrap with replacement methods were used to generate an empirical joint distribution of incremental costs and QALYs and acceptability curves. Results Mean base case FQHC incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) using depression-free days was $10.78/depression-free day. Mean base case ICERs using QALYs ranged from $14,754/QALY (depression-free day QALY) to $37,261/QALY (QWB QALY). Mean secondary national ICER using depression-free days was $8.43/depression-free day and using QALYs ranged from $11,532/QALY (depression-free day QALY) to $29,234/QALY (QWB QALY). Conclusions These results support the cost-effectiveness of the TBCC intervention in medically underserved primary care settings. Results can inform the decision about whether to insource (make) or outsource (buy) depression care management in the FQHC setting within the current context of Patient-Centered Medical Home, value-based purchasing, and potential bundled payments for depression care. The www.clinicaltrials.gov # for

Use of cost-effective construction technologies in India to mitigate climate change

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sengupta, N. [Forum of Scientists, Engineers and Technologists, Kolkata (India)

2008-01-10

Concentration of greenhouse gases plays a major role in raising the earth's temperature. Carbon dioxide, produced from burning of fossil fuels, is the principle greenhouse gas and efforts are being made at international level to reduce its emission through adoption of energy-efficient technologies. The UN Conference on Environment and Development, 1992 made a significant development in this field by initiating the discussion on sustainable development under the Agenda 21. Cost-effective construction technologies can bring down the embodied energy level associated with production of building materials by lowering use of energy-consuming materials. This embodied energy is a crucial factor for sustainable construction practices and effective reduction of the same would contribute in mitigating global warming. The cost-effective construction technologies would emerge as the most acceptable case of sustainable technologies in India both in terms of cost and environment.

Construction quality assurance for Pit 6 landfill closure, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Site 300

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-10-30

Golder Construction Services, Inc. (GCS), under contract to the Regents of the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), provided the construction quality assurance (CQA) observation and testing during the construction of the Site 300, Pit 6 landfill closure cover. The cap construction was performed as a CERCLA non-time-critical removal action from June 2 to August 29, 1997. the project site is located 18 miles east of Livermore on Tesla Road and approximately 10 miles southwest of Tracy on Corral Hollow Road in San Joaquin County, California. This report certifies that the LLNL, Site 300, Pit 6, Landfill Closure was constructed in accordance with the construction specifications and design drawings. This report documents construction activities and CQA monitoring and testing for construction of the Pit 6 Landfill Closure. Golder Associates, Inc. of Oakland, California was the design engineering firm responsible for preparation of the drawings and specifications. CQA services were provided by GCS, of Roseville, California, under supervision of a California registered civil Engineer.

Development of MCESC software for selecting the best stormwater erosion and sediment control measure in Malaysian construction sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Hadu, Ibrahiem Abdul Razak; Sidek, Lariyah Mohd [Civil Engineering Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajan, Selangor (Malaysia); Desa, Mohamed Nor Mohamed; Basri, Noor Ezlin Ahmad [Civil and Structural Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2012-07-01

Malaysia located in a tropical region which is interested with a heavy rainfall through the whole seasons of the year. Construction stages usually associated with soil disturbing due to land clearing and grading activities, this combined with the tropical climate in Malaysia, will generate an enormous amount of soil to be eroded and then deposited into the adjacent water bodies. There are many kinds of mitigation measures used so as to reduce the impact of erosion and sedimentation that are generated due to the stormwater in construction sites. This paper aims to develop and apply Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) software called Multi Criteria Erosion and Sediment Control (MCESC) software in which it can be applied in selecting the best stormwater control measure by depending on specified criteria and criterion weight. Visual Basic 6 was adopted as a development tool. This software can help the engineers, contractors on site and decision makers to find the best stormwater control measure in any construction site in Malaysia. Users of the MCESC software are given the opportunity to select the best stormwater control measure via expert's judgments that are built in the system or via their own expertise. MCESC software has many benefits since the experts are not always available and the consultancy is a costly issue which add further financial allocations to the project.

Construction of Site Risk Model using Individual Unit Risk Model in a NPP Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Ho Gon; Han, Sang Hoon [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

Since Fukushima accident, strong needs to estimate site risk has been increased to identify the possibility of re-occurrence of such a tremendous disaster and prevent such a disaster. Especially, in a site which has large fleet of nuclear power plants, reliable site risk assessment is very emergent to confirm the safety. In Korea, there are several nuclear power plant site which have more than 6 NPPs. In general, risk model of a NPP in terms of PSA is very complicated and furthermore, it is expected that the site risk model is more complex than that. In this paper, the method for constructing site risk model is proposed by using individual unit risk model. Procedure for the development of site damage (risk) model was proposed in the present paper. Since the site damage model is complicated in the sense of the scale of the system and dependency of the components of the system, conventional method may not be applicable in many side of the problem.

Cost-effectiveness of reduction of off-site dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGrath, J.J.; Macphee, R.; Arbeau, N.; Miskin, J.; Scott, C.K.; Winters, E.

1988-03-01

Since the early 1970's, nuclear power plants have been designed and operated with a target of not releasing more than one percent of the licensed limits (derived emission limits) in liquid and gaseous effluents. The AECB initiated this study of the cost-effectiveness of the reduction of off-site doses as part of a review to determine if further measures to reduce off-site doses might be reasonably achievable. Atlantic Nuclear has estimated the cost of existing technology options that can be applied for a further reduction of radioactive effluents from future CANDU nuclear power plants. Detritiation, filtration, ion exchange and evaporation are included in the assessment. The costs are presented in 1987 Canadian dollars, and include capital and operating costs for a reference 50 year plant life. Darlington NGS and Point Lepreau NGS are the reference nuclear power plant types and locations. The effect resulting from the hypothetical application of each technology has been calculated as the resulting reduction in world collective radiation dose detriment. The CSA N288.1 procedure was used for local pathway analysis and the global dispersion model developed by the NEA (OECD) group of experts was used for dose calculations. The reduction in the 'collective effective dose equivalent commitment' was assumed to exist for 10,000 years, the expected life-span of solid waste repositories. No attempt was made to model world population dynamics. The collective dose reductions were calculated for a nominal world population of 10 billion persons. The estimated cost and effect of applying the technology options are summarized in a tabular form for input to further consideration of 'reasonably achievable off-site dose levels'

Main summaries of construction of the Rovno NPP third unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smoktij, I.P.; Tsetsenko, I.K.

1987-01-01

The main technical and economic indices attained at the Rovno and Zaporozhe NPPs are considered. The estimated costs of the main installations of the building site, organizations participating in construction, labor forces at different building sections, duration of different stages of construction, actual labor costs associated with the reactor unit, volumes of construction and installation work, the construction schedule for the Rovno Unit-3 are given

Probabilistic prediction of expected ground condition and construction time and costs in road tunnels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Mahmoodzadeh

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Ground condition and construction (excavation and support time and costs are the key factors in decision-making during planning and design phases of a tunnel project. An innovative methodology for probabilistic estimation of ground condition and construction time and costs is proposed, which is an integration of the ground prediction approach based on Markov process, and the time and cost variance analysis based on Monte-Carlo (MC simulation. The former provides the probabilistic description of ground classification along tunnel alignment according to the geological information revealed from geological profile and boreholes. The latter provides the probabilistic description of the expected construction time and costs for each operation according to the survey feedbacks from experts. Then an engineering application to Hamro tunnel is presented to demonstrate how the ground condition and the construction time and costs are estimated in a probabilistic way. In most items, in order to estimate the data needed for this methodology, a number of questionnaires are distributed among the tunneling experts and finally the mean values of the respondents are applied. These facilitate both the owners and the contractors to be aware of the risk that they should carry before construction, and are useful for both tendering and bidding.

Low cost construction technologies and materials - case study Mozambuique

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kuchena, JC

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Low cost or affordable construction technologies and materials are often touted as a panacea in meeting the ever growing demand for rapid housing delivery in developing economies. Mozambique as with most of the developing world, from both historical...

Relationship between degree of risk, cost and level of compliance to occupational health and safety regulations in construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abimbola Olukemi Windapo

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the role of statutory health and safety (H&S regulations in managing construction project risks. The study examines whether the decision made by contractors to comply with the regulations, the cost of compliance and savings of H&S regulatory requirements is influenced by the degree or level of risk, which the regulations are trying to prevent. The rationale for the examination stems from previous studies which establish that building designers and contractors perceive the cost of complying with regulations as additional burdens, which they have to conform to, and which are in some cases unnecessary, and also the fact that construction related injuries and fatalities are on the increase. Qualitative and quantitative data obtained from a descriptive survey and H&S site audit by the Master Builder Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC were used as the measurements of risk, level of compliance to regulations, cost of compliance and savings. By correlating the quantitative and qualitative data, there is empirical evidence to support a negative relationship between the degree of risk, level and cost of compliance and cost savings. Based on the study’s findings, this paper concludes that the decision made by contractors to comply with H&S regulatory requirements is influenced by the perceived cost saving on account of compliance and that cost savings are influenced by the probability of accident occurrence which is an element of the degree of risk which the regulation is trying to prevent or control. 

Relationship between degree of risk, cost and level of compliance to occupational health and safety regulations in construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abimbola Olukemi Windapo

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the role of statutory health and safety (H&S regulations in managing construction project risks. The study examines whether the decision made by contractors to comply with the regulations, the cost of compliance and savings of H&S regulatory requirements is influenced by the degree or level of risk, which the regulations are trying to prevent. The rationale for the examination stems from previous studies which establish that building designers and contractors perceive the cost of complying with regulations as additional burdens, which they have to conform to, and which are in some cases unnecessary, and also the fact that construction related injuries and fatalities are on the increase. Qualitative and quantitative data obtained from a descriptive survey and H&S site audit by the Master Builder Association of the Western Cape (MBAWC were used as the measurements of risk, level of compliance to regulations, cost of compliance and savings. By correlating the quantitative and qualitative data, there is empirical evidence to support a negative relationship between the degree of risk, level and cost of compliance and cost savings. Based on the study’s findings, this paper concludes that the decision made by contractors to comply with H&S regulatory requirements is influenced by the perceived cost saving on account of compliance and that cost savings are influenced by the probability of accident occurrence which is an element of the degree of risk which the regulation is trying to prevent or control.

Proposed genetic algorithms for construction site lay out

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mawdesley, Michael J.; Al-Jibouri, Saad H.S.

2003-01-01

The positioning of temporary facilities on a construction site is an area of research which has been recognised as important but which has received relatively little attention. In this paper, a genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the problem in which m facilities are to be positioned to n

Insights into Architects’ Future Roles in Off-Site Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jianing Luo

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Today’s construction industry is overflowing with new ideas about its future. Off-Site Manufacture and Construction (OSCM is at the heart of the modern construction industry. Much has been written about the state and context of OSCM in different countries regarding its perceived benefits and barriers to implementation. Off-site production (OSP plays an important role in improving fragmented construction processes. Although most OSP research targets the attitudes and practices of OSP adoption, there is limited understanding of the philosophical issues underpinning OSP-related architecture. The roles of the architects’ personal philosophies are neglected and this hampers their implementation of OSCM (which has had a largely technical focus. This paper explores the traditional thinking patterns of architects in China and predicts possible future roles for them. It then conceptualizes an “architectural work” mode and a “building product” mode of design and construction and identifies the shortcomings of architects in an OSCM environment. The arguments made are based on practitioners’ perceptions and the first author’s practical experiences of leading several real-life projects in recent years. The findings reveal the implications and significance of the transformation from an “architectural work” mode to a “building product” mode. We foresee a study approach that focuses on the order and rules for OSCM, resulting in architects’ existing mindsets being changed to thinking patterns and design methodologies better suited to OSCM.

Appendix VI: KHNP staffing plan of construction site office: ULCHIN 5 and 6 construction project (ROK)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

KHNP, as an owner/operator organization, is responsible for all project activities including design, procurement, construction, and commissioning, for Korea's nuclear power plant (NPP) construction projects. Four separate functional offices of KHNP are set up to complete the construction management work. These offices are (1) home office, (2) field construction office, (3) field quality assurance office, and (4) field startup/commissioning office. This paper presents a staffing plan for the field construction office starting initial project implementation to final turnover to operations stages. It is recognized that the plan may not be applicable to other utility situations in terms of project management of site activity depending upon how the overall project contract is structured

New concept of siting in the 21st century

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, Katsuma; Otsubo, Fumiharu; Kumagai, Shigeru

1995-01-01

The New Concept of Siting in the 21st Century -- the theme of this paper -- is the concept of a new siting technology which combines the application of man - made islands (offshore), underground (steep mountains along the sea), and quaternary ground with the symbiosis with local communities. It is intended not only for promotion of the construction of nuclear power plants but also for the development of a 'new community', including the inducement of enterprises to the construction site and the promotion of new industries at the site. In studying the new concept, it is necessary to select model areas, discuss design and construction methods, and make a rough calculation of construction cost. In addition, we plan to estimate economic effects of the new concept on the construction site area. During 1993, we discussed appropriate physical conditions (topographic feature, geological structure, etc.) and geographical conditions (population density, national parks, fishing right, etc.) for the application of the siting technology giving consideration to the concept symbiosis with local communities. At present, the estimations of construction cost and future effects of new siting technology on local communities are carried on to study the new concept of siting in the 21st century. (author)

DECISION ANALYSIS OF INCINERATION COSTS IN SUPERFUND SITE REMEDIATION

Science.gov (United States)

This study examines the decision-making process of the remedial design (RD) phase of on-site incineration projects conducted at Superfund sites. Decisions made during RD affect the cost and schedule of remedial action (RA). Decision analysis techniques are used to determine the...

Mechanisation and automation technologies development in work at construction sites

Science.gov (United States)

Sobotka, A.; Pacewicz, K.

2017-10-01

Implementing construction work that creates buildings is a very complicated and laborious task and requires the use of various types of machines and equipment. For years there has been a desire for designers and technologists to introduce devices that replace people’s work on machine construction, automation and even robots. Technologies for building construction are still being developed and implemented to limit people’s hard work and improve work efficiency and quality in innovative architectonical and construction solutions. New opportunities for improving work on the construction site include computerisation of technological processes and construction management for projects and processes. The aim of the paper was to analyse the development of mechanisation, automation and computerisation of construction processes and selected building technologies, with special attention paid to 3D printing technology. The state of mechanisation of construction works in Poland and trends in its development in construction technologies are presented. These studies were conducted on the basis of the available literature and a survey of Polish construction companies.

Utilisation of employee assistance programme to reduce absenteeism on construction sites

OpenAIRE

2013-01-01

M.Tech (Construction Management) Many construction companies are beginning to realize the value of their employees. Employees are to a large extent the engine of the organisation. Todays employees are under a lot of pressure and stress from home and at the construction sites. The construction industry just like any other industry, is faced with the challenges of dealing with personal as well as work related problems. These problems they have effect on job performance. An Employee assistanc...

Confined Site Construction: A qualitative investigation of critical issues affecting management of Health and Safety

OpenAIRE

Spillane, John P.; Oyedele, Lukumon O.; Von Meding, Jason; Konanahalli, Ashwini; Jaiyeoba, Babatunde E.; Tijani, Iyabo K.

2011-01-01

The construction industry is inherently risky, with a significant number of accidents and disasters occurring, particularly on confined construction sites. This research investigates and identifies the various issues affecting successful management of health and safety in confined construction sites. The rationale is that identifying the issues would assist the management of health and safety particularly in inner city centres which are mostly confined sites. Using empiricism epistemology, th...

Effectiveness of Practicing Supply Chain Management in Construction Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamter S.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Construction Supply chain management comprised of the network of organization involved in the different processes and activities which produce the material, components and services that come together to design, procurement and deliver a building. It also consists of different organizations involved in the construction process including client/owner, designer, contractor, subcontractor and suppliers. This paper shall present on the implementation of supply chain management in construction and the effectiveness of practicing SCM in construction site. A field study is done from the viewpoint of contractor and consultant then analysed by using average index methods and presented in a statistical analysis. From the analysis, it reveals that effectiveness of practicing the SCM give a lot of good performances and granted benefits to contractor. The statistical analysis produced first ranking effectiveness of SCM is can minimize waste of material and labor for construction project.

The integration of price/cost modelling and construction planning - the automated generation of construc­tion operation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Bowen

1997-07-01

Full Text Available The fact that traditional price/cost models are unrelated to the construction process renders them largely unsuited to the provision of meaningful price/cost advice. The nature and lengthiness of the construction planning process has precluded its incorporation into price/cost modelling during the pre-tender phase of the traditional building procurement process. The nub of the modelling problem has been how to integrate the complex process of construction planning into the pre-tender price/cost modelling process. In this paper the authors propose the synthesis of artificial intelligence techniques and construction planning techniques, resulting in a conceptual framework for a network-based cost modelling system for use by quantity surveyors in the cost modelling of buildings.

Construction of road network vulnerability evaluation index based on general travel cost

Science.gov (United States)

Leng, Jun-qiang; Zhai, Jing; Li, Qian-wen; Zhao, Lin

2018-03-01

With the development of China's economy and the continuous improvement of her urban road network, the vulnerability of the urban road network has attracted increasing attention. Based on general travel cost, this work constructs the vulnerability evaluation index for the urban road network, and evaluates the vulnerability of the urban road network from the perspective of user generalised travel cost. Firstly, the generalised travel cost model is constructed based on vehicle cost, travel time, and traveller comfort. Then, the network efficiency index is selected as an evaluation index of vulnerability: the network efficiency index is composed of the traffic volume and the generalised travel cost, which are obtained from the equilibrium state of the network. In addition, the research analyses the influence of traffic capacity decrease, road section attribute value, and location of road section, on vulnerability. Finally, the vulnerability index is used to analyse the local area network of Harbin and verify its applicability.

Technical Site Information: Planning group of the Directorate and Conventional Construction Division

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This document presents the technical site information for the Superconducting Super Collider project. The Ellis County, Texas site was selected by the Department of Energy in 1989. After assembling the initial staff at temporary facilities in Dallas, the SSC Laboratory began site-specific design work. The resulting design for the SSC accelerators, experimental areas, and laboratory facilities were described in the Site-Specific Conceptual Design Report of July 1990. Since then, design specifications for the technical components and conventional facilities have been formulated. In fact, a very significant amount of surface and underground construction has been initiated and many buildings have been completed. Testing of prototypes for most technical components is advanced. The construction phase of the SSC project is approximately 20% complete. At this time, it is appropriate to capture the conventional design work which has taken place since 1990. This documents records regional and physical information used in site studies, summarizes the site studies for conventional facilities, and presents site layouts for buildings and utilities as they would have been at the end of the construction project. As such, this documents summarizes and complements the work of many groups in the SSC laboratory, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission (TNRLC), and several subcontractors to the SSC project. The document contains extensive references to their work contained in other drafts and final reports. In particular, it borrows heavily from the Site Development Plan (released in draft form in January, 1992) which has, to date, guided aspects of site development

Technical Site Information: Planning group of the Directorate and Conventional Construction Division

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1993-11-01

This document presents the technical site information for the Superconducting Super Collider project. The Ellis County, Texas site was selected by the Department of Energy in 1989. After assembling the initial staff at temporary facilities in Dallas, the SSC Laboratory began site-specific design work. The resulting design for the SSC accelerators, experimental areas, and laboratory facilities were described in the Site-Specific Conceptual Design Report of July 1990. Since then, design specifications for the technical components and conventional facilities have been formulated. In fact, a very significant amount of surface and underground construction has been initiated and many buildings have been completed. Testing of prototypes for most technical components is advanced. The construction phase of the SSC project is approximately 20% complete. At this time, it is appropriate to capture the conventional design work which has taken place since 1990. This documents records regional and physical information used in site studies, summarizes the site studies for conventional facilities, and presents site layouts for buildings and utilities as they would have been at the end of the construction project. As such, this documents summarizes and complements the work of many groups in the SSC laboratory, the Texas National Research Laboratory Commission (TNRLC), and several subcontractors to the SSC project. The document contains extensive references to their work contained in other drafts and final reports. In particular, it borrows heavily from the Site Development Plan (released in draft form in January, 1992) which has, to date, guided aspects of site development.

Assessing the costs attributed to project delay during project pre-construction stages.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

This project for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) developed a simple but sound : methodology for estimating the cost of delaying most types of highway projects. Researchers considered the : cost of delays during the pre-construction pha...

Site infrastructure as required during the construction and erection of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haas, K.F.; Wagner, H.

1978-01-01

In general, in an exchange of experience on constructing nuclear power plants priority is given to design and lay-out, financing, quality assurance etc., but in this paper an attempt has been made to describe range and type of site infrastructure required during construction and erection. Site infrastructure will make considerable demands on the planning, supply of material and maintenance that may result from the frequently very isolated location of power plant sites. Examples for specific values and experiences are given for a nuclear power plant with two units on the 1300-MW type at present under construction of the Persian Gulf in Iran. Data concerning the site infrastructure, including examples, are given and explained on the basis of graphs. The site is split up into a technical and a social infrastructure. The main concern of the technical site infrastructure is the timely provision and continuous availability of electric energy, water, communication grids, workshops, warehouses, offices, transport and handling facilities, as well as the provision of heavy load roads, harbour facilities, etc. The social site infrastructure in general comprises accommodation, food supplies and the care and welfare of all site personnel, which includes a hospital, school, self-service shop, and sport and recreation facilities. (author)

Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pechmann, J.H.K.; Scott, D.E.; McGregor, J.H.; Estes, R.A.; Chazal, A.C.

1993-02-01

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) was built on the Savannah River Site (SRS) during the mid-1980's. The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) has completed 12 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the DWPF complex. Prior to construction, the 600-acre site (S-Area) contained a Carolina bay and the headwaters of a stream. Research conducted by the SREL has focused primarily on four questions related to these wetlands: (1) Prior to construction, what fauna and flora were present at the DWPF site and at similar, yet undisturbed, alternative sites (2) By comparing the Carolina bay at the DWPF site (Sun Bay) with an undisturbed control Carolina bay (Rainbow Bay), what effect is construction having on the organisms that inhabited the DWPF site (3) By comparing control streams with streams on the periphery of the DWPF site, what effect is construction having on the peripheral streams (4) How effective have efforts been to lessen the impacts of construction, both with respect to erosion control measures and the construction of refuge ponds'' as alternative breeding sites for amphibians that formerly bred at Sun Bay Through the long-term census-taking of biota at the DWPF site and Rainbow Bay, SREL has begun to evaluate the impact of construction on the biota and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. Similarly, the effects of erosion from the DWPF site on the water quality of S-Area peripheral streams are being assessed. This research provides supporting data relevant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Executive Orders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and United States Department of Energy (DOE) Guidelines for Compliance with Floodplain/Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10CFR1022).

Investigation and demonstration of turbidity reduction in stormwater runoff for Oklahoma highway construction sites : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-01

The Environmental protection Agency (USEPA) has issued new requirements on the construction industry to control the discharge of pollutants from the sites. The construction effluent guidelines or ELGs require construction sites to reduce the pollu...

Cost estimation using ministerial regulation of public work no. 11/2013 in construction projects

Science.gov (United States)

Arumsari, Putri; Juliastuti; Khalifah Al'farisi, Muhammad

2017-12-01

One of the first tasks in starting a construction project is to estimate the total cost of building a project. In Indonesia there are several standards that are used to calculate the cost estimation of a project. One of the standards used in based on the Ministerial Regulation of Public Work No. 11/2013. However in a construction project, contractor often has their own cost estimation based on their own calculation. This research aimed to compare the construction project total cost using calculation based on the Ministerial Regulation of Public Work No. 11/2013 against the contractor’s calculation. Two projects were used as case study to compare the results. The projects were a 4 storey building located in Pantai Indah Kapuk area (West Jakarta) and a warehouse located in Sentul (West Java) which was built by 2 different contractors. The cost estimation from both contractors’ calculation were compared to the one based on the Ministerial Regulation of Public Work No. 11/2013. It is found that there were differences between the two calculation around 1.80 % - 3.03% in total cost, in which the cost estimation based on Ministerial Regulation was higher than the contractors’ calculations.

Smooth Operator - Mobile Information Technology for Improved Flow at the Construction Site

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tambo, Torben

2010-01-01

is used; mobility is classified as remote, local or micro. Furthermore an extensive literature study is employed along with both market screening for systems and case studies of companies adopting as well as rejecting the technology. Both within research communities, software manufacturers......Mobile information technology (IT) seems an ideal innovation to promote effectiveness of the construction process, particularly at the construction site; research has over the last 15 years focused on solutions, potentials and barriers with this field. This paper aim at the duality between research...... and industry for an updated and forward looking comprehension, and view of tendencies, of the roles and potentials of mobile IT at the construction site including potential for further research. Qualitative and interpretive methodology inspired by information systems and sociology of research and construction...

A cost summary applicable to seismic construction and maintenance of nuclear safety related piping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, J.D.

1995-01-01

This paper presents a summary of costs applicable to nuclear power plant piping for an earthquake defined as 0.2 SSE-PGA as a function of three eras of initial construction: 1967--1974, 1974--1981 and 1981--1990. Costs have been presented for both new construction and maintenance in operating plants using both the original PSAR-FSAR design criteria and current SRP requirements. It is recommended that the cost information contained in this report be considered in evaluating the cost benefit relationships associated with current and proposed future changes in seismic design procedures applicable to safety-related piping systems

Sustainable construction - the standard for all public building?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Handyside, R. [Richard Handyside Construction Resources (United Kingdom)

2002-01-01

This article argues for the need for foresight and planning to achieve sustainable development in the construction of public buildings. Reasons why sustainable development fails are highlighted, and the key factors that go to make a development sustainable are listed and involve the choice and layout of the site, site services, the fitting of spaces to the required purpose, the arrangement of rooms to achieve maximum use of natural light, heat and air, and the choice of construction materials and finishes. The balancing of short and long-term costs, and the use of life-cycle costs in every project are discussed.

A study on air pollution concentration at Desa parkcity construction site

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study assesses the effect of construction workers exposure towards the air pollution to the correlation between meteorological factor with the particulate matter and other gases concentration at a construction site in DesaParkcity. The concentration of PM was collected by using low volume sampler meanwhile CO, CO2, ...

Construction Costs Assessment of Structural Systems for Low-Rise and Social Welfare Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carrillo Julián

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A comparative analysis of the costs related to the construction of low-rise, low-cost and social welfare housing was carried out. The study included three of the most commonly used structural systems for low-rise housing in Latin America, such as the traditional system of confined masonry walls, concrete walls conventionally reinforced with welded-wire meshes and concrete walls reinforced with steel fiber. The cost comparison was carried out by budgets analysis, which were performed based on construction quantities, unit prices and particular items for each structural system. It was found in the study that, from an economic point of view, the systems of concrete walls reinforced with welded-wire meshes or steel fibers are more advantageous than confined masonry systems. In addition, the integral comparison of the three structural systems demonstrates that the industrialized system of steel fiber reinforced concrete walls allows obtaining greater advantages of cleaning and sustainability, faster construction, lower cost and a more attractive scenario for builders investing in such projects.

AES, Automated Construction Cost Estimation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holder, D.A.

1995-01-01

A - Description of program or function: AES (Automated Estimating System) enters and updates the detailed cost, schedule, contingency, and escalation information contained in a typical construction or other project cost estimates. It combines this information to calculate both un-escalated and escalated and cash flow values for the project. These costs can be reported at varying levels of detail. AES differs from previous versions in at least the following ways: The schedule is entered at the WBS-Participant, Activity level - multiple activities can be assigned to each WBS-Participant combination; the spending curve is defined at the schedule activity level and a weighing factor is defined which determines percentage of cost for the WBS-Participant applied to the schedule activity; Schedule by days instead of Fiscal Year/Quarter; Sales Tax is applied at the Line Item Level- a sales tax codes is selected to indicate Material, Large Single Item, or Professional Services; a 'data filter' has been added to allow user to define data the report is to be generated for. B - Method of solution: Average Escalation Rate: The average escalation for a Bill of is calculated in three steps. 1. A table of quarterly escalation factors is calculated based on the base fiscal year and quarter of the project entered in the estimate record and the annual escalation rates entered in the Standard Value File. 2. The percentage distribution of costs by quarter for the Bill of Material is calculated based on the schedule entered and the curve type. 3. The percent in each fiscal year and quarter in the distribution is multiplied by the escalation factor for the fiscal year and quarter. The sum of these results is the average escalation rate for that Bill of Material. Schedule by curve: The allocation of costs to specific time periods is dependent on three inputs, starting schedule date, ending schedule date, and the percentage of costs allocated to each quarter. Contingency Analysis: The

Law no. 10.308 of 20th November, 2001 on radioactive waste repositories siting, construction, licensing, operation, inspection, costs, indemnity, civil liability and guarantees concerning to the radioactive wastes repositories and other provisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This Act was published on November 20, 2001 and set forth regulations on the final disposal of radioactive wastes produced in Brazil, including siting, construction, licensing, operation, inspection, costs, indemnities, civil liability and guarantees concerning to the radioactive wastes repositories. This act allows for installation and operation of initial, intermediary and final repositories in accordance with the criteria established by the Brazilian Nuclear Energy National Commission - CNEN. The person or organization granted with CNEN authorization for operation of the initial repositories shall be liable for personal, patrimony and environmental radiological damages. The civil liability of CNEN is concerned to the radioactive waste intermediary and final disposals and transportation

Quality assurance during site construction of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

This Safety Guide provides requirements and recommendations related to the establishment and implementation of a quality assurance programme for the site construction activities at nuclear power plants. These include activities such as fabricating, erecting, installing, handling, storing, cleaning, flushing, inspecting, testing, modifying, repairing, and maintaining

ANAEROBIC COMPOST CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY - SITE TECHNOLOGY CAPSULE

Science.gov (United States)

In fall 1994, anaerobic compost wetlands in both upflow and down flow configurations were constructed adjacent to and received drainage from the Burleigh tunnel, which forms part of the Clear Creek/Central City Superfund site. The systems were operated over a 3 year period. The ...

Assumption and program of the earlier stage construction of L/ILW disposal site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xuequn; Chen Shi; Li Xinbang

1993-01-01

The authors analysed the production and treatment of low- and intermediate-level radwastes (L/ILW) in China. Some problems and situation in this field are introduced. Over the past ten years, preliminary efforts have been made by CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation) in policy, law and rules, developing program, management system, siting, engineering techniques, and safety assessment for radwaste disposal. The investment of the earlier stage work of L/ILW disposal site construction is estimated, the program and assumption to disposal site construction of the L/ILW are reviewed

Engineered surface barriers for waste disposal sites: lysimeter facility design and construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, S.J.; Ruben, M.S.; Kirkham, R.R.

1988-01-01

A facility to evaluate performance of engineered surface carriers for confinement of buried wastes has been designed, constructed, and operations initiated. The Field Lysimeter Test Facility is located at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Richland, Washington. The facility consists of 18 one-dimensional drainage and weighing lysimeters used to evaluate 7 replicated barrier treatments. Distinct layers of natural earth materials were used to construct layered soil and rock barriers in each lysimeter. These barrier designs are capable in principal of significantly reducing or precluding infiltration of meteoric water through barriers into underlying contaminated zones. This paper summarizes salient facility design and construction features used in testing of the Hanford Site's engineered surface barriers

Construction of cost effective homebuilt spin coater for coating ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We report the construction of a cost effective and low power consumption spin coater from a direct current (DC) brushless motor. The DC mechanical component is widdely available in the central processing unit (CPU) cooler. This set up permits simple operation where the DC voltage can be controlled manually in order to ...

Cost effectiveness of below-threshold waste disposal at DOE sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wickham, L.E.; Smith, C.F.; Cohen, J.J.

1986-01-01

Previous study has indicated the feasibility of establishing a threshold of concentration below which certain low-level (radioactive wastes) (LLW) could be safely handled and disposed of by conventional means such as landfills. Such below-threshold wastes have been synonymously termed de minimis or below regulatory concern (BRC) and can be deemed appropriate for management according to their nonradiological characteristics. The objective of this study was to determine the cost effectiveness for management and disposal of below-threshold waste at certain US Department of Energy sites. The sites selected for this study were the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and Savannah River Laboratory. Cost-benefit analysis was used to determine the impacts, benefits, and potential cost advantages of establishing and implementing a threshold limit

Historical development of the seismic requirements for construction of nuclear power plants in the U.S. and worldwide and their current impact on cost and safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, J.D.

2003-01-01

The following topics are described and discussed: Historical development of NPP seismic design requirements: Peak ground acceleration; Response spectra and damping; Floor or amplified response spectra; Effective high frequency response spectra; Seismic modeling procedures; Impact on cost (site preparation and foundations; site seismic response and generation of site dependent spectra). Potential use of indirect earthquake experience data in design and construction of NPP. Seismic contribution to safety. The following facts are summarized in two Appendices: Seismic intensity scales, and GRS safety codes and guides. (P.A.)

Pattern of accidents in building construction sites in Obio Akpor ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Building construction workers are engaged in a dangerous job, exposing them ... The leading cause building site accidents include falls from unsafe working ... Data collected in Excel spread sheet were analyzed and presented in ...

Ecological studies related to the construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, D.E.; Chazel, A.C.; Pechmann, J.H.K.; Estes, R.A.

1993-06-01

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) was built on the Savannah River Site (SRS) during the mid-1980's. The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) has completed 14 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the DWPF complex. Prior to construction, the 600-acre site (S-Area) contained a Carolina bay and the headwaters of a stream. Research conducted by the SREL has focused primarily on four questions related to these wetlands: (1) Prior to construction, what fauna and flora were present at the DWPF site and at similar, yet undisturbed, alternative sites? (2) By comparing the Carolina bay at the DWPF site (Sun Bay) with an undisturbed control Carolina bay (Rainbow Bay), what effect is construction having on the organisms that inhabited the DWPF site? (3) By comparing control streams with streams on the periphery of the DWPF site, what effect is construction having on the peripheral streams? (4) How effective have efforts been to lessen the impacts of construction, both with respect to erosion control measures and the construction of ''refuge ponds'' as alternative breeding sites for amphibians that formerly bred at Sun Bay? Through the long-term census-taking of biota at the DWPF site and Rainbow Bay, SREL has begun to evaluate the impact of construction on the biota and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. Similarly, the effects of erosion from the DWPF site on the water quality of S-Area peripheral streams are being assessed. This research provides supporting data relevant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Executive Orders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and United States Department of Energy (DOE) Guidelines for Compliance with Floodplain/Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10 CFR 1022)

Childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma near large rural construction sites, with a comparison with Sellafield nuclear site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kinlen, L.J.; Dickson, M.; Stiller, C.A.

1995-01-01

The objective was to determine whether population mixing produced by large, non-nuclear construction projects in rural areas is associated with an increase in childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A study was undertaken of the incidence of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among children living near large construction projects in Britain since 1945, situated more than 20 km from a population centre, involving a workforce of more than 1000, and built over three or more calendar years. A 37% excess of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at 0-14 years of age was recorded during construction and the following calendar year. The excesses were greater at times when construction workers and operating staff overlapped (72%), particularly in areas of relatively high social class. For several sites the excesses were similar to or greater than that near the nuclear site of Sellafield (67%), which is distinctive in its large workforce with many construction workers. Seascale, near Sellafield, with a ninefold increase had an unusually high proportion of residents in social class I. The findings support the infection hypothesis and reinforce the view that the excess of childhood leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma near Sellafield has a similar explanation. (author)

Planning Costs in Certain Stage of the Life Cycle of Investment Activity of Construction Organization

OpenAIRE

Iakymchuk Iryna M.

2017-01-01

The article discusses the issues related to planning costs in certain stages of the life-cycle of investment activity of construction organization. It has been specified that cost management based on the life-cycle model of the investment project, which is being implemented by a construction organization, allows for a consistent improvement in the efficiency of the innovation process on the basis of a clear planning, as well as cost forecasting. This approach allows for the long-term effectiv...

Off-site consequences of radiological accidents: methods, costs and schedules for decontamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawil, J.J.; Bold, F.C.; Harrer, B.J.; Currie, J.W.

1985-08-01

This report documents a data base and a computer program for conducting a decontamination analysis of a large, radiologically contaminated area. The data base, which was compiled largely through interviews with knowledgeable persons both in the public and private sectors, consists of the costs, physical inputs, rates and contaminant removal efficiencies of a large number of decontamination procedures. The computer program utilizes this data base along with information specific to the contaminated site to provide detailed information that includes the least costly method for effectively decontaminating each surface at the site, various types of property losses associated with the contamination, the time at which each subarea within the site should be decontaminated to minimize these property losses, the quantity of various types of labor and equipment necessary to complete the decontamination, dose to radiation workers, the costs for surveying and monitoring activities, and the disposal costs associated with radiological waste generated during cleanup. The program and data base are demonstrated with a decontamination analysis of a hypothetical site. 39 refs., 24 figs., 155 tabs

Off-site consequences of radiological accidents: methods, costs and schedules for decontamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tawil, J.J.; Bold, F.C.; Harrer, B.J.; Currie, J.W.

1985-08-01

This report documents a data base and a computer program for conducting a decontamination analysis of a large, radiologically contaminated area. The data base, which was compiled largely through interviews with knowledgeable persons both in the public and private sectors, consists of the costs, physical inputs, rates and contaminant removal efficiencies of a large number of decontamination procedures. The computer program utilizes this data base along with information specific to the contaminated site to provide detailed information that includes the least costly method for effectively decontaminating each surface at the site, various types of property losses associated with the contamination, the time at which each subarea within the site should be decontaminated to minimize these property losses, the quantity of various types of labor and equipment necessary to complete the decontamination, dose to radiation workers, the costs for surveying and monitoring activities, and the disposal costs associated with radiological waste generated during cleanup. The program and data base are demonstrated with a decontamination analysis of a hypothetical site. 39 refs., 24 figs., 155 tabs.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL GEOFILTRATIONAL MODEL OF THE ROGUN HYDRO POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION SITE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khokhotva Sergey Nikolaevich

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The article deals with technique of creation and results of calculations of the three-dimensional geofiltrational model of the Rogun HPP construction site. When performing works on creation of the Rogun HPP three-dimensional geofiltration model, geological and hydrogeological conditions of the Rogun HPP construction site were analyzed. They showed that the construction site consists mostly of fractured rocks of various weathering degrees. In terms of preservation, four preservation zones were identified in the rock mass. These zones define the features of hydrogeological conditions that have emerged in the area of construction. Calculation results illustrated the absence of seepage areas on the lower slope of dam; this is the indication of normal operation of the dam impervious circuit. The drainage system of the underground hydropower plant has a high efficiency. Operation of the drainage galleries complex leads to a significant reduction of piezometric pressure on roofs of the machine and transformer halls. Above the underground structures a completely drained area is formed. Completed forecast calculations on geofiltration model of the Rogun hydropower plant determine the hydrostatic pressure and piezometric pressure at any point of the modeled area. These data can be used as loads while designing of lining of underground workings.

Estimating remediation costs for the Montclair radium superfund sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, M.J.

1995-01-01

The Montclair/West Orange and Glen Ridge Superfund Sites, located in Essex County, NJ, are contaminated to varying degrees with radioactive materials. The waste originated from radium processing facilities prevalent in the area during the early 1900s. The design for remediation of these sites is managed by Bechtel National, Inc. on behalf of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, which administers the project through an interagency agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Design efforts for the project began in 1990. A portion of the scope, which is the topic of this article, was preparing the remediation costs estimates. These estimates were to be prepared from the detailed design packages; the Corps of Engineers required that the estimates were prepared using the Micro Computer-Aided Cost Estimating System (MCACES). This article discusses the design methods used, provides an overview of MCACES, and discusses the structure and preparation of the cost estimate and its uses. However, the main focus of the article is the methods used to generate the required project-specific cost estimate format for this project. 6 figs

Effect of construction time, interest rate, and inflation on the capital cost of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abel, P.S.; Greybeck, E.M.; Omberg, R.P.

1981-09-01

Cost estimates for nuclear power plants currently under construction are on the order of four billion dollars. It will be shown, in this paper, that this is a direct consequence of relatively high inflation rates and relatively long construction times. If either inflation rates or construction times, or a combination thereof, should decrease significantly, cost estimates for nuclear power plants could return to approximately two billion dollars

SSC [Superconducting Super Collider] site evaluations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-11-01

With this report, the SSC Site Task Force forwards to the Director, Office of Energy Research, US Department of Energy (DOE), its evaluation of the technical criteria and life-cycle costs for the proposed SSC sites judged to be the best qualified. The criteria against which each site was evaluated are those set forth in the Invitation for Site Proposals for the Superconducting Super Collider (DOE/ER-0315) (Invitation) which was prepared by the Task Force and issued in April 1987. The methodology followed by the Task Force in this report and in all other phases of the proposal evaluation has been consistent with the SSC site selection process approved by DOE's Energy System Acquisition Advisory Board (ESAAB). The goal of the site selection process is to identify a site that will permit the highest level of research productivity and overall effectiveness of the SSC at a reasonable cost of construction and operation and with minimial impact on the environment. The Task Force acknowledges that all seven sites are, indeed, highly qualified locations for the construction and operation of the SSC on the basis of technical and cost considerations. In performing its evaluation, which is presented in this paper, the Task Force took an in-depth look at each site on the basis of site visits and extensive technical analyses. A consensus rating for each technical evaluation criterion and subcriterion was developed for each site

Design, construction and testing of a low-cost flat plate solar energy ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A low-cost flat plate solar energy collector has been designed and constructed with locally available materials such as mild steel and black paint of absorptance 0.94. On testing, an average daily efficiency of 55.6% was obtained. The methods are simple and illustrate the fact that construction of efficient collectors are ...

Differences among Job Positions Related to Communication Errors at Construction Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Akiko; Ishida, Toshiro

In a previous study, we classified the communicatio n errors at construction sites as faulty intention and message pattern, inadequate channel pattern, and faulty comprehension pattern. This study seeks to evaluate the degree of risk of communication errors and to investigate differences among people in various job positions in perception of communication error risk . Questionnaires based on the previous study were a dministered to construction workers (n=811; 149 adminis trators, 208 foremen and 454 workers). Administrators evaluated all patterns of communication error risk equally. However, foremen and workers evaluated communication error risk differently in each pattern. The common contributing factors to all patterns wer e inadequate arrangements before work and inadequate confirmation. Some factors were common among patterns but other factors were particular to a specific pattern. To help prevent future accidents at construction sites, administrators should understand how people in various job positions perceive communication errors and propose human factors measures to prevent such errors.

FACTORS AFFECTING COST PERFORMANCE IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WITHIN KELANTAN STATE IN MALAYSIA

OpenAIRE

ABDELNASER OMRAN; SITI NORHYDAYATON BINTI MAMAT

2011-01-01

This study investigates the factors affecting cost performance of construction projects in Kelantan State located in the east-coast part of Malaysia. It draws on relevant previous research in the theory of work on cost performance. Thirty-three contractors companies with different working grades in the state of Kelantan were participated in the study. Data were collected from the contractors using a questionnaire survey. The results indicated that the success factors affecting the cost perfor...

Construction cost impacts related to manpower, material, and equipment factors in contractor firms perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Husin, Saiful; Abdullah, Riza, Medyan; Afifuddin, Mochammad

2017-11-01

Risk can be defined as consequences which possible happened inscrutably. Although an activity has planned as good as possible, but it keep contains uncertainty. Implementation of construction project was encountering various risk impacts from a number of risk factors. This study was intended to analyze the impacts of construction cost to for contractor firms as construction project executor related to the factors of manpower, material and equipment. The study was using data obtained from questionnaires distributed to 15 large qualification contractor firms. The period of study classified into conflict period (2000-2004), post tsunami disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction period (2005-2009), and post rehabilitation and reconstruction period (2010-present). The statistical analysis of severity index and variance used to analyze the data. The three risk factors reviewed generally affected the cost in a medium impact. The high impact occurred in minor variables, which are `increase in material prices', `theft of materials', and `the fuel scarcity'. In overall, the three risk factors and the observed period contributed significant impact on construction costs.

Building Construction Progress Monitoring Using Unmanned Aerial System (uas), Low-Cost Photogrammetry, and Geographic Information System (gis)

Science.gov (United States)

Bognot, J. R.; Candido, C. G.; Blanco, A. C.; Montelibano, J. R. Y.

2018-05-01

Monitoring the progress of building's construction is critical in construction management. However, measuring the building construction's progress are still manual, time consuming, error prone, and impose tedious process of analysis leading to delays, additional costings and effort. The main goal of this research is to develop a methodology for building construction progress monitoring based on 3D as-built model of the building from unmanned aerial system (UAS) images, 4D as-planned model (with construction schedule integrated) and, GIS analysis. Monitoring was done by capturing videos of the building with a camera-equipped UAS. Still images were extracted, filtered, bundle-adjusted, and 3D as-built model was generated using open source photogrammetric software. The as-planned model was generated from digitized CAD drawings using GIS. The 3D as-built model was aligned with the 4D as-planned model of building formed from extrusion of building elements, and integration of the construction's planned schedule. The construction progress is visualized via color-coding the building elements in the 3D model. The developed methodology was conducted and applied from the data obtained from an actual construction site. Accuracy in detecting `built' or `not built' building elements ranges from 82-84 % and precision of 50-72 %. Quantified progress in terms of the number of building elements are 21.31% (November 2016), 26.84 % (January 2017) and 44.19 % (March 2017). The results can be used as an input for progress monitoring performance of construction projects and improving related decision-making process.

Investor's experience with keeping fixed costs during the construction of the Temelin nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cecil, P.

1990-01-01

The introduction of fixed costs in the construction of the Temelin nuclear power plant should secure stabilization of budget cost and prevent its increase. The differences between the fixed costs method and the procedure used so far are briefly described. The introduction of fixed costs was to be followed by the corresponding legal regulations; however, the legal adjustment has not been carried out in the desired completeness. The reason is the difference in understanding the notion of fixed costs by the investor, the contractor and the designer. Another problem is the difference in the level and the detail of the initial project design and of the Soviet implementation designs. The investor believes that the introduction of fixed costs has not yet met with the desired response by organizations participating in the construction. (J.P.)

AUTOCAD IN THE OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT OF THE CONSTRUCTION SITE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsareva Marina Vladimirovna

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Operational management of the construction is usually based on information analysis systems, which are aimed at the monitoring of working schedule and volumes as consistent with predicated schedules. The result of such systems’ operation is traditional information graphics (diagrams, charts, etc., which provides idea on the current state of the construction site and deviations from the planned settings. The author considers the visualization technology of construction of objects using an image of the situation on the AutoCAD drawings, converted into an interactive format. The article focuses on imperfections of the existing technologies of information support of the managers. The creation of unified IT platform is offered on the basis of CAD for creating an integrated information storage and visualization of the environment using electronic drawings and diagrams. Using interactive methods it is possible to illustrate the condition of almost any part of the construction project using these drawings and diagrams. E-drawings contain the basic information resources - estimates, plans, sections, specifications, technology, construction, etc. necessary for the calculation of indicators. The author proved that implementation of visualization is most efficient in case of electronic drawings in 3D format.

Safety leadership at construction sites: the importance of rule-oriented and participative leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Grill, Martin; Pousette, Anders; Nielsen, Kent; Grytnes, Regine; Törner, Marianne

2017-07-01

Objectives The construction industry accounted for >20% of all fatal occupational accidents in Europe in 2014. Leadership is an essential antecedent to occupational safety. The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of transformational, active transactional, rule-oriented, participative, and laissez-faire leadership on safety climate, safety behavior, and accidents in the Swedish and Danish construction industry. Sweden and Denmark are similar countries but have a large difference in occupational accidents rates. Methods A questionnaire study was conducted among a random sample of construction workers in both countries: 811 construction workers from 85 sites responded, resulting in site and individual response rates of 73% and 64%, respectively. Results The results indicated that transformational, active transactional, rule-oriented and participative leadership predict positive safety outcomes, and laissez-faire leadership predict negative safety outcomes. For example, rule-oriented leadership predicts a superior safety climate (β=0.40, Pleadership on workers' safety behavior was moderated by the level of participative leadership (β=0.10, Pleadership behaviors on safety outcomes were largely similar in Sweden and Denmark. Rule-oriented and participative leadership were more common in the Swedish than Danish construction industry, which may partly explain the difference in occupational accident rates. Conclusions Applying less laissez-faire leadership and more transformational, active transactional, participative and rule-oriented leadership appears to be an effective way for construction site managers to improve occupational safety in the industry.

Challenges of UK/Irish Contractors regarding Material Management and Logistics in Confined Site Construction

OpenAIRE

Spillane, John P; Oyedele, Lukumon O; Von Meding, Jason; Konanahalli, Ashwini; Jaiyeoba, Babatunde E; Tijani, Iyabo K

2011-01-01

The aim of this paper is to identify the various managerial issues encountered by UK/Irish contractors in the management of materials in confined urban construction sites. Through extensive literature review, detailed interviews, case studies, cognitive mapping, causal loop diagrams, questionnaire survey and documenting severity indices, a comprehensive insight into the materials management concerns within a confined construction site environment is envisaged and portrayed. The leading issues...

Basic repository environment assessment design basis, Cypress Creek Dome Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

This study examines the engineering factors and costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a high-level nuclear waste repository in salt in the Gulf Interior Region at Cypress Creek Cone, Mississippi. The study assumes a repository capacity of 36,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of unreprocessed spent fuel and 36,000 MTHM of commercial high-level reprocessing waste, along with 7020 canisters of defense high-level reprocessing waste and associated quantities of remote- and contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU). With the exception of TRU, all the waste forms are placed in 300- to 1000-year-life carbon-steel waste packages in a collocated waste handling and packaging facility (WHPF), which is also described. The construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed repository is estimated to cost approximately $4.66 billion. Costs include those for the collocated WHPF, engineering, and contingency, but exclude waste from assembly and shipment to the site and waste package fabrication and shipment to the site. These costs reflect the relatively easy access to the site. Construction would require an estimated 7 years. Engineering factors and costs are not strongly influenced by environmental considerations. 53 refs., 24 figs., 10 tabs

Wind farm balance of plant costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craig, L.; Liebmann, C.

1992-01-01

The study consisted of a detailed investigation of the infrastructure required for the construction and operation of a windfarm in the UK. Costing of the equipment and installation was carried out for three UK sites, with different physical characteristics. A literature survey was carried out to determine current practice in the siting of turbines within windfarms in Europe and the USA. Wind turbines were then laid out on the sites selected for study. Requirements and costs for roads, foundations and site buildings, site electrical system and grid connection, the supervisory control and data acquisition system were discussed and evaluated. A comparison between the balance of plant costs for the 33-metre MS-3 400 kW wind turbine and the 50-metre LS-2 1 MW wind turbine was made for each area of study. Overall balance of plant costs was reviewed, with an investigation of the cost components which are most sensitive to variations. The balance of plant costs averaged over the three sites were 13.0 p/kWh/annum for the MS3 windfarms and 10.6 p/kWh/annum for the LS-2 windfarms. Maps of the sites under investigation, design drawings and tables of costs are included to give supporting information to the text. (author)

Preliminary access routes and cost study analyses for seven potentially acceptable salt sites: Final report, October 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-02-01

This report analyzes highway and railroad access to seven potentially acceptable salt repository sites: Richton Dome and Cypress Creek Dome in Mississippi, Vacherie Dome in Louisiana, Swisher County and Deaf Smith County in Texas, and Davis Canyon and Lavender Canyon in utah. The objectives of the study were to investigate the routing of reasonable access corridors to the sites, describe major characteristics of each route, and estimate the costs for constructing or upgrading highways and railroads. The routes used in the analysis are not necessarily recommended or preferred over other routes, nor do they represent an implied final selection. Detailed engineering studies must be performed for the Davis Canyon and Lavender Canyon highway access before the analyzed routes can be considered to be viable. 20 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs

Accounting for the inaccuracies in demand forecasts and construction cost estimations in transport project evaluation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salling, Kim Bang; Leleur, Steen

2014-01-01

For decades researchers have claimedthat particularly demand forecasts and construction cost estimations are assigned with/affected by a large degree of uncertainty. Massively, articles,research documents and reports agree that there exists a tendencytowards underestimating the costs...... in demand and cost estimations and hence the evaluation of transport infrastructure projects. Currently, research within this area is scarce and scattered with no commonagreement on how to embed and operationalise the huge amount of empiricaldata that exist within the frame of Optimism Bias. Therefore...... convertingdeterministic benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) into stochasticinterval results. A new data collection (2009–2013) forms the empirical basis for any risk simulation embeddedwithin the so-calledUP database (UNITE project database),revealing the inaccuracy of both construction costs and demandforecasts. Accordingly...

Cost Consideration and a Possible Construction Timeline of the CEPC-SPPC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chou, Weiren [Fermilab

2015-04-01

This paper discusses the cost consideration and a possible construction timeline of the CEPC-SPPC study based on a preliminary conceptual design that is being carried out at the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in China.

Cost estimate of the Yucca Mountain repository based on the site characterization plan conceptual design: Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruer, E.R.; Fowler, M.E.; Rocha, G.A.

1987-06-01

This report of the life-cycle costs of a mined repository in tuff is based on the site characterization conceptual design and contains estimates of two methods of waste emplacement - vertical and horizontal. The life cycle of the repository progresses from design and construction to emplacement operations that last 25 years. When emplacement has ended, a caretaker period begins and continues until 50 years from emplacement of the first waste. The life of the repository concludes with closure and decommissioning, which includes backfilling and sealing the repository, decontaminating and razing the surface facilities, restoring the land to as near its original condition as possible, and marking the site. The estimates, developed for each phase of the life cycle of the repository, are based on January 1986 constant (unescalated) dollars and include an allowance for contingency. This report mainly comprises explanations of design and operating assumptions, estimating methods, exclusions, definition of cost accounts, calculating procedures, data sources, staffing and other qualifying remarks. Cost estimates are approximations of value and should not be construed as exact. The cost and staffing detail provided in this estimate is commensurate with the detail in the conceptual design

Selection of nest-site habitat by interior least terns in relation to sandbar construction

Science.gov (United States)

Sherfy, Mark H.; Stucker, Jennifer H.; Buhl, Deborah A.

2012-01-01

Federally endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum) nest on bare or sparsely vegetated sandbars on midcontinent river systems. Loss of nesting habitat has been implicated as a cause of population declines, and managing these habitats is a major initiative in population recovery. One such initiative involves construction of mid-channel sandbars on the Missouri River, where natural sandbar habitat has declined in quantity and quality since the late 1990s. We evaluated nest-site habitat selection by least terns on constructed and natural sandbars by comparing vegetation, substrate, and debris variables at nest sites (n = 798) and random points (n = 1,113) in bare or sparsely vegetated habitats. Our logistic regression models revealed that a broader suite of habitat features was important in nest-site selection on constructed than on natural sandbars. Odds ratios for habitat variables indicated that avoidance of habitat features was the dominant nest-site selection process on both sandbar types, with nesting terns being attracted to nest-site habitat features (gravel and debris) and avoiding vegetation only on constructed sandbars, and avoiding silt and leaf litter on both sandbar types. Despite the seemingly uniform nature of these habitats, our results suggest that a complex suite of habitat features influences nest-site choice by least terns. However, nest-site selection in this social, colonially nesting species may be influenced by other factors, including spatial arrangement of bare sand habitat, proximity to other least terns, and prior habitat occupancy by piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). We found that nest-site selection was sensitive to subtle variation in habitat features, suggesting that rigor in maintaining habitat condition will be necessary in managing sandbars for the benefit of least terns. Further, management strategies that reduce habitat features that are avoided by least terns may be the most beneficial to nesting least terns.

Payroll costs not identified by phase in construction work done with no third subcontracted

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubén Antonio González Franco

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The Social Insurance Regulations applicable to the construction companies with regard to meeting high work requires the owner to generate high for each construction phase and thus to check the amounts of materials, machinery and equipment, as well as labor applied at the same stage, all in order to validate that it complies 100% with the payment of worker-employer contributions by the employer, guidelines in the specific case of SMEs practice becomes more complex, controls as these companies have no proof phased costs in two areas in particular, as are exercised costs of materials and workmanship for housing, which is why this research aims to solve the problem of generating clear guidelines to comply with the verification of payment of contributions in the field of labor when it is exerciseddirectly, and through the application of direct interviews and questionnaires to the units of analysis consists of businessmen, representatives, directors or business accountants SMEs construction, staff of the National Chamber of construction Industry and the Mexican Social Security Institute head of the Department of construction, who will answer questions the same instrument provides, and with this it was determined that in fact the perception of these SMEs is required to leave a standard criterion for testing and would be more appropriate apportionment of costs proportionately based on hire dates and termination dates of the work keeping track of costs identifying overall, leaving an identification number in the working papers for further review by the authority.

Basic repository environmental assessment design basis, Richton Dome site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This study examines the engineering factors and costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a high-level nuclear waste repository in salt in the Gulf Interior Region at Richton Dome in Perry County, Mississippi. The study assumes a repository capacity of 36,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of unreprocessed spent fuel and 36,000 MTHM of commercial high-level reprocessing waste, along with 7,020 canisters of defense high-level reprocessing waste and associated quantities of remote-and contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU). With the exception of TRU, all the waste forms are placed in 300- to 1,000-year-life carbon-steel waste packages in a collocated waste handling and packaging facility (WHPF), which is also described. The construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed repository is estimated to cost approximately $4.49 billion. Costs include those for the WHPF, engineering, and contingency, but exclude waste form assembly and shipment to the site and waste package fabrication and shipment to the site. These costs reflect the relative average wage rates of the region and the relatively easy access to the site. Construction would require an estimated 6.25 years. Engineering factors and costs are not strongly influenced by environmental considerations. 52 refs., 24 figs., 20 tabs

Basic repository environmental assessment design basis, Davis Canyon site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

This study examines the engineering factors and costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a high-level nuclear waste repository in salt in the Paradox Basin in Davis Canyon, Utah. The study assumes a repository capacity of 36,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of unreprocessed spent fuel and 36,000 MTHM of commercial high-level reprocessing waste, along with 7,020 canisters of defense high-level reprocessing waste and associated quantities of remote- and contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU). With the exception of TRU, all the waste forms are placed in 300- to 1,000-year-life carbon-steel waste packages in a collected waste handling and packaging facility (WHPF), which is also described. The construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed repository is estimated to cost approximately $5.49 billion. Costs include those for the collocated WHPF, engineering, and contingency, but exclude waste form assembly and shipment to the site and waste package fabrication and shipment to the site. These costs reflect the relative average wage rates of the region and the relatively sound nature of the salt at this site. Construction would require an estimated 7.75 years. Engineering factors and costs are not strongly influenced by environmental considerations. 50 refs., 24 figs., 20 tabs

Basic repository environmental assessment design basis, Lavender Canyon site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This study examines the engineering factors and costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a high-level nuclear waste repository in salt in the Paradox Basin in Lavender Canyon, Utah. The study assumes a repository capacity of 36,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of unreprocessed spent fuel and 36,000 MTHM of commercial high-level reprocessing waste, along with 7020 canisters of defense high-level reprocessing waste and associated quantities of remote- and contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU). With the exception of TRU, all the waste forms are placed in 300- to 1000-year-life carbon-steel waste packages in a collocated waste handling and packaging facility (WHPF), which is also described. The construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed repository is estimated to cost approximately $5.51 billion. Costs include those for the collocated WHPP, engineering, and contingency, but exclude waste form assembly and shipment to the site and waste package fabrication and shipment to the site. These costs reflect the relative average wage rates of the region and the relatively sound nature of the salt at this site. Construction would require an estimated 7.75 years. Engineering factors and costs are not strongly influenced by environmental considerations. 51 refs., 24 figs., 20 tabs

New technologies for lower-cost design and construction of new nuclear power plants. Annex 20

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritterbusch, S.E.; Bryan, R.E.; Harmon, D.L.

2002-01-01

Electric Power Research Institute studies indicate that in order to be competitive with gas-fired electric power plant capital costs, new nuclear plant capital cost in the USA must be decreased by at least 35% to 40% relative to costs of some Advanced Light Water Reactors designed in the early 1990s. To address this need, the U. S. Department of Energy is sponsoring three separate projects under its Nuclear Energy Research Initiative. These projects are the Risk-Informed Assessment of Regulatory and Design Requirements for Future Nuclear Power Plants, the Smart Equipment Nuclear Power Plant Program, and the Design, Procure, Construct, Install and Test Program. The goal of the Design-Construction program is reduction of the complete nuclear plant design-procure-construct-install-test cycle schedule and cost. A 3D plant model was combined with a construction schedule to produce a 4D visualization of plant construction, which was then used to analyze plant construction methods. Insights include the need for concurrent engineering, a plant-wide central database, and use of the World-Wide WEB. The goal of Smart Equipment program is to design, develop, and evaluate the methods for implementing smart equipment and predictive maintenance technology. 'Smart' equipment means components and systems that are instrumented and monitored to detect incipient failures in order to improve their reliability. The resulting smart equipment methods will be combined with a more risk-informed regulatory approach to allow plant designers to (1) simplify designs without compromising overall reliability and safety and (2) maintain more reliable plants at lower cost. Initial results show that rotating equipment such as charging pumps would benefit most from smart instrumentation and that the technique of Bayesian Belief Networks would be most appropriate for providing input to a health monitoring system. (author)

Construction Performance Optimization toward Green Building Premium Cost Based on Greenship Rating Tools Assessment with Value Engineering Method

Science.gov (United States)

Latief, Yusuf; Berawi, Mohammed Ali; Basten, Van; Riswanto; Budiman, Rachmat

2017-07-01

Green building concept becomes important in current building life cycle to mitigate environment issues. The purpose of this paper is to optimize building construction performance towards green building premium cost, achieving green building rating tools with optimizing life cycle cost. Therefore, this study helps building stakeholder determining building fixture to achieve green building certification target. Empirically the paper collects data of green building in the Indonesian construction industry such as green building fixture, initial cost, operational and maintenance cost, and certification score achievement. After that, using value engineering method optimized green building fixture based on building function and cost aspects. Findings indicate that construction performance optimization affected green building achievement with increasing energy and water efficiency factors and life cycle cost effectively especially chosen green building fixture.

Basic repository environmental assessment design basis: Deaf Smith County site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

This study examines the engineering factors and costs associated with the construction, operation, and decommissioning of a high-level nuclear waste repository in salt in the Palo Duro Basin in Deaf Smith County, Texas. The study assumes a repository capacity of 36,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of unreprocessed spent fuel and 36,000 MTHM of commercial high-level reprocessing waste, along with 7,020 canisters of defense high-level reprocessing waste and associated quantities or remote- and contact-handled transuranic waste (TRU). With the exception of TRU, all the waste forms are placed in 300- to 1000-year-life carbon-steel waste packages in a collocated waste handling and packaging facility (WHPF), which is also described. The construction, operation, and decommissioning of the proposed repository is estimated to cost approximately $4.64 billion. Costs include those for the collocate WHPF, engineering, and contingency, but exclude waste form assembly and shipment to the site and waste package fabrication and shipment to the site. These costs reflect the relative average wage rates of the region, the relatively easy access to the site, and the relatively weak nature of the salt at this site. Construction would require an estimated 7 to 7.5 years. Engineering factors and costs are not strongly influenced by environmental considerations. 62 refs., 24 figs., 20 tabs

Cost reductions on a site producing soap and detergents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clayton, R.W. (UKAEA Harwell Lab. (UK). Energy Technology Div.)

1986-05-01

The company, which is a subsidiary of the multinational Procter and Gamble Company, manufactures soap and detergent products at two UK sites. A process integration study of the West Thurrock site was undertaken with the help of the Energy and Process Integration Service (EPI). This organisation offers a specialist process integration consultancy service. The study cost around Pound 45,000, including consultancy fees and Procter and Gamble staff time. It was completed in 12 months. The study established that the consumption of process energy could be reduced by around 25% if the site was fully integrated. (author).

Risk management study for the Hanford Site facilities: Risk reduction cost comparison for the retired Hanford Site facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coles, G.A.; Egge, R.G.; Senger, E.; Shultz, M.W.; Taylor, W.E.

1994-02-01

This document provides a cost-comparison evaluation for implementing certain risk-reduction measures and their effect on the overall risk of the 100 and 200 Area retired, surplus facilities. The evaluation is based on conditions that existed at the time the risk evaluation team performed facility investigations, and does not acknowledge risk-reduction measures that occurred soon after risk identification. This evaluation is one part of an overall risk management study for these facilities. The retired facilities investigated for this evaluation are located in the 100 and 200 Areas of the 1450-km 2 Hanford Site. The Hanford Site is a semiarid tract of land in southeastern Washington State. The nearest population center is Richland, Washington, (population 32,000) 30 km southeast of the 200 Area. This cost-comparison evaluation (1) determines relative costs for reducing risk to acceptable levels; (2) compares the cost of reducing risk using different risk-reduction options; and (3) compares the cost of reducing risks at different facilities. The result is an identification of the cost effective risk-reduction measures. Supporting information required to develop costs of the various risk-reduction options also is included

Feasibility of perpetual pavement stage construction in China: A life cycle cost analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongyin Guo

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of pavement design and management is to build sustainable pavement structure with minimum costs during its whole life. There are many uncertainties in the process of pavement design pertaining many of its variables, such as future traffic estimation, long time behavior of materials, future weights and types of traveling vehicles, availability of funds etc. Therefore, it is important to apply pavement stage construction technique during the process of pavement design and management to minimize the risk associated with these uncertainties. From the beginning of 2000, the research and application of perpetual asphalt pavement (PP technology has been deployed in China. The semi rigid base for asphalt pavement has been normally considered as typical component of high class highways in the design according to the Chinese experience since 1997. The research objective is to apply pavement stage construction for the evaluation of life cycle costs of Chinese perpetual and traditional semi rigid pavements using operational pavement management system in addition to examine its suitability for design and construction of more economical and durable flexible pavements. It has been found that the stage construction of asphalt layers in PP over semi rigid pavement foundation will create more sustainable and trusted pavement structures in spite of 2–5% increase in present total cost.

Reducing Building HVAC Costs with Site-Recovery Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Pargeter, Stephen J.

2012-01-01

Building owners are caught between two powerful forces--the need to lower energy costs and the need to meet or exceed outdoor air ventilation regulations for occupant health and comfort. Large amounts of energy are wasted each day from commercial, institutional, and government building sites as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)…

Construction and calibration of a low cost and fully automated vibrating sample magnetometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Alaily, T.M.; El-Nimr, M.K.; Saafan, S.A.; Kamel, M.M.; Meaz, T.M.; Assar, S.T.

2015-01-01

A low cost vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) has been constructed by using an electromagnet and an audio loud speaker; where both are controlled by a data acquisition device. The constructed VSM records the magnetic hysteresis loop up to 8.3 KG at room temperature. The apparatus has been calibrated and tested by using magnetic hysteresis data of some ferrite samples measured by two scientifically calibrated magnetometers; model (Lake Shore 7410) and model (LDJ Electronics Inc. Troy, MI). Our VSM lab-built new design proved success and reliability. - Highlights: • A low cost automated vibrating sample magnetometer VSM has been constructed. • The VSM records the magnetic hysteresis loop up to 8.3 KG at room temperature. • The VSM has been calibrated and tested by using some measured ferrite samples. • Our VSM lab-built new design proved success and reliability

Construction and calibration of a low cost and fully automated vibrating sample magnetometer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Alaily, T.M., E-mail: toson_alaily@yahoo.com [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta (Egypt); El-Nimr, M.K.; Saafan, S.A.; Kamel, M.M.; Meaz, T.M. [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta (Egypt); Assar, S.T. [Engineering Physics and Mathematics Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tanta University, Tanta (Egypt)

2015-07-15

A low cost vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) has been constructed by using an electromagnet and an audio loud speaker; where both are controlled by a data acquisition device. The constructed VSM records the magnetic hysteresis loop up to 8.3 KG at room temperature. The apparatus has been calibrated and tested by using magnetic hysteresis data of some ferrite samples measured by two scientifically calibrated magnetometers; model (Lake Shore 7410) and model (LDJ Electronics Inc. Troy, MI). Our VSM lab-built new design proved success and reliability. - Highlights: • A low cost automated vibrating sample magnetometer VSM has been constructed. • The VSM records the magnetic hysteresis loop up to 8.3 KG at room temperature. • The VSM has been calibrated and tested by using some measured ferrite samples. • Our VSM lab-built new design proved success and reliability.

DSEM, Radioactive Waste Disposal Site Economic Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.R.

2005-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: The Disposal Site Economic Model calculates the average generator price, or average price per cubic foot charged by a disposal facility to a waste generator, one measure of comparing the economic attractiveness of different waste disposal site and disposal technology combinations. The generator price is calculated to recover all costs necessary to develop, construct, operate, close, and care for a site through the end of the institutional care period and to provide the necessary financial returns to the site developer and lender (when used). Six alternative disposal technologies, based on either private or public financing, can be considered - shallow land disposal, intermediate depth disposal, above or below ground vaults, modular concrete canister disposal, and earth mounded concrete bunkers - based on either private or public development. 2 - Method of solution: The economic models incorporate default cost data from the Conceptual Design Report (DOE/LLW-60T, June 1987), a study by Rodgers Associates Engineering Corporation. Because all costs are in constant 1986 dollars, the figures must be modified to account for inflation. Interest during construction is either capitalized for the private developer or rolled into the loan for the public developer. All capital costs during construction are depreciated over the operation life of the site using straight-line depreciation for the private sector. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Maxima of - 100 years post-operating period, 30 years operating period, 15 years pre-operating period. The model should be used with caution outside the range of 1.8 to 10.5 million cubic feet of total volume. Depreciation is not recognized with public development

Early cost estimating for road construction projects using multiple regression techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Mahamid

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to develop early cost estimating models for road construction projects using multiple regression techniques, based on 131 sets of data collected in the West Bank in Palestine. As the cost estimates are required at early stages of a project, considerations were given to the fact that the input data for the required regression model could be easily extracted from sketches or scope definition of the project. 11 regression models are developed to estimate the total cost of road construction project in US dollar; 5 of them include bid quantities as input variables and 6 include road length and road width. The coefficient of determination r2 for the developed models is ranging from 0.92 to 0.98 which indicate that the predicted values from a forecast models fit with the real-life data. The values of the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE of the developed regression models are ranging from 13% to 31%, the results compare favorably with past researches which have shown that the estimate accuracy in the early stages of a project is between ±25% and ±50%.

Lean Construction Supply Chain : A Literature Review

OpenAIRE

Ren, Jiamei

2012-01-01

The aim of this thesis is to enhance the management of supply systems in construction industry using lean principles. This study is an attempt to identify what kind of activities causes’ construction process delay and how to perform lean concept into supply chain in practice. The objective is to assure on-time delivery of information and materials to construction sites at lowest cost and maximum value for the customer. These study problems have been analysed from a lean construction supply ch...

Design and implementation of an identification system in construction site safety for proactive accident prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Huanjia; Chew, David A S; Wu, Weiwei; Zhou, Zhipeng; Li, Qiming

2012-09-01

Identifying accident precursors using real-time identity information has great potential to improve safety performance in construction industry, which is still suffering from day to day records of accident fatality and injury. Based on the requirements analysis for identifying precursor and the discussion of enabling technology solutions for acquiring and sharing real-time automatic identification information on construction site, this paper proposes an identification system design for proactive accident prevention to improve construction site safety. Firstly, a case study is conducted to analyze the automatic identification requirements for identifying accident precursors in construction site. Results show that it mainly consists of three aspects, namely access control, training and inspection information and operation authority. The system is then designed to fulfill these requirements based on ZigBee enabled wireless sensor network (WSN), radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and an integrated ZigBee RFID sensor network structure. At the same time, an information database is also designed and implemented, which includes 15 tables, 54 queries and several reports and forms. In the end, a demonstration system based on the proposed system design is developed as a proof of concept prototype. The contributions of this study include the requirement analysis and technical design of a real-time identity information tracking solution for proactive accident prevention on construction sites. The technical solution proposed in this paper has a significant importance in improving safety performance on construction sites. Moreover, this study can serve as a reference design for future system integrations where more functions, such as environment monitoring and location tracking, can be added. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental Assessment for the construction and operation of the Health Physics Site Support Facility on the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-07-01

DOE has prepared an environmental assessment for the proposed construction and operation of the Health Physics Site Support Facility on the Savannah River Site. This (new) facility would meet requirements of the site radiological protection program and would ensure site compliance with regulations. It was determined that the proposed action is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the environment within the meaning of NEPA. Therefore, a finding of no significant impact is made, and no environmental impact statement is needed

Horizon Dam design, construction, and quality management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patrick, B. [EBA Engineering Consultants Ltd., Nanaimo, BC (Canada); Sisson, R. [Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Fort McMurray, AB (Canada)

2010-07-01

This paper discussed the design and construction of the Tar River Diversion Dam and the quality management system (QMS) used during construction. The project was unusual in that the company constructed the project using its own workforce, without contractors, under challenging schedule and site conditions. The topography, geology and geotechnical aspects of the site were discussed along with the embankment design, seepage control measures and construction execution. The QMS was designed to fit the needs of the unique construction execution strategy and meet safety, reliability, performance, and operation requirements, comply with all regulations and approval conditions, and identify and communicate risk to the appropriate entity. Specifications and construction procedures had to be modified to accommodate equipment operators trained with the skills and techniques of mine operations, not those associated with conventional civil construction projects. Foundation movement identified during construction required mid-build design changes, construction rescheduling, and additional deformation analyses to determine long-term stability. The QMS allowed changes in the understanding of site conditions to be quickly addressed and risks to be identified and cost-effectively mitigated. Design consultants were used to modify designs and appropriately identify and mitigate risks. The approach to embankment construction was successful because the QMS included processes for change management, issue resolution, and risk-benefit assessment, and because experienced personnel had a regular presence on the construction site and worked collaboratively. The effective QMS was deemed to be integral to the success of the construction project. 1 tab., 7 figs.

Writing for the web composing, coding, and constructing web sites

CERN Document Server

Applen, JD

2013-01-01

Writing for the Web unites theory, technology, and practice to explore writing and hypertext for website creation. It integrates such key topics as XHTML/CSS coding, writing (prose) for the Web, the rhetorical needs of the audience, theories of hypertext, usability and architecture, and the basics of web site design and technology. Presenting information in digestible parts, this text enables students to write and construct realistic and manageable Web sites with a strong theoretical understanding of how online texts communicate to audiences. Key features of the book

Decision-making on reverse logistics in the construction industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanwadee Chinda

2016-02-01

Full Text Available With the growing competition, many construction organizations attempt to improve their productivity, quality, and efficiency. Construction waste management, by means of reverse logistics, becomes a key issue to improve the productivity, and raise the company’s green image. In this study, four reverse logistics methods-direct reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and landfill-are considered to manage construction and demolition (C&D waste. Two factors (economic and site-specific with their 15 sub-factors affecting the decisions to implement the reverse logistics are examined. The hierarchy model of reverse logistics decisions, developed through the analytic hierarchy process, reveal the importance of the economic factor over the site-specific factor. It is suggested that the transportation cost, the processing cost, the specific sorting technology, and the limited project time must be first considered before making decisions on reverse logistics plans. The construction company can utilize the developed hierarchy model to decide on the most appropriate reverse logistics plan to achieve the best benefits.

Modeling injury rates as a function of industrialized versus on-site construction techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubio-Romero, J C; Suárez-Cebador, M; Abad, Jesús

2014-05-01

It is often predicted that the industrialization of building activities will lead to a reduction of accident rates in the construction sector, particularly as a result of switching activities from building sites to factories. However, to date no scientific research has provided objective quantitative results to back up this claim. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how industrialization affects the accident rate in different industrialized building systems in Spain. Our results revealed that the industrialized steel modular system presents the lowest accident rate, while the highest accident rate was recorded in the construction method with cast-in-place concrete. The lightweight construction system also presents a high accident rate. Accordingly, industrialized building systems cannot claim to be safer than traditional ones. The different types of "on-site work" seem to be the main variable which would explain the accident rates recorded in industrialized construction systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the living and workplace health and safety conditions of site-resident construction workers in Tehran, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohseni, Peyman Hossein; Farshad, Ali Asghar; Mirkazemi, Roksana; Orak, Rouhangiz Jamshidi

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess living and workplace safety conditions of construction workers in Tehran, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 construction sites in a municipal area of Tehran whose municipal building permits were issued in 2011. Data on ventilation, workplace safety and hygiene were collected by direct observation and interviews with site foremen. Noise levels were estimated from 10 sound-level-meter stations in the municipality area. Lack of ventilation in the workers' rooms was abundant. Bathrooms were unhygienic and minimum requirements such as lighting and ventilation did not exist in 80% of the cases. In nearly 50% of large construction sites, sewage and garbage disposal were inappropriate. Elevator safety was poor at all sites and no measures for fall prevention were present in over 88% of active construction sites. This study showed that the mean 24-h equivalent continuous sound level Leq was over 70 dB in 80% of the sites during weekdays. The results of this study revealed poor health and safety living and working conditions of construction workers in Tehran.

Development of subcontractor indirect cost and other direct cost at the DOE Fernald Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cossman, R.L.

1994-01-01

The Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corporation (FERMCO) took great strides in the development of cost estimates at Fernald. There have been many opportunities to improve on how the policies and procedures pertaining to cost estimates were to be implemented. As FERMCO took over the existing Fernald facility, the Project Controls Division began to format the estimating procedures and tools to do business at Fernald. The Estimating Department looked at the problems that pre-existed at the site. One of the key problems that FERMCO encountered was how to summarized the direct and indirect accounts of each subcontracted estimate. Direct costs were broken down by prime and sub-prime accounts. This presented a level of detail that had not been experienced at the site before; it also created many issues concerning accounts and definitions to be applied to ''all other accounts associated with a project.'' Existing subcontract indirect cost accounts were reviewed from existing historical estimates. It was found that some were very detailed and some were not. The Estimating Department was given the task of standardizing the accounts and percentages for each of the subcontractor indirect costs. Then, as the project progressed, the percentages could be revised with actual estimates, subcontract comparisons, or with level of effort (LOE) accounts, which would represent qualified people assigned a task for the completion of each project. The approach is to assign particular employees to perform a specific task within a project from start to finish, and then to reassign the individual(s) to a new project (if it was available) integrating the expertise available with the skills required by the other operable units

Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, D.E.; Pechmann, J.H.K.; Knox, J.N.; Estes, R.A.; McGregor, J.H.; Bailey, K.

1988-12-01

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory has completed 10 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) on the Savannah River Site. This progress report examines water quality studies on streams peripheral to the DWPF construction site and examines the effectiveness of ''refuge ponds'' in ameliorating the effects of construction on local amphibians. Individual papers on these topics are indexed separately. 93 refs., 15 figs., 15 tabs

Investigation on the Factors Influencing Construction Time and Cost Overrun for High-Rise Building Projects In Penang

Science.gov (United States)

Nor Haslinda, A.; Xian, T. Wei; Norfarahayu, K.; Muhamad Hanafi, R.; Fikri, H. Muhammad

2018-04-01

Time and cost overruns have become one prominent issue for most construction projects around the world. Project costing and timeframe extension had been causing a lot of wastage and loss of opportunity for many parties involved. Therefore, this research was carried out to investigate the factors influencing time and cost overruns for high-rise construction projects in Penang, Malaysia. A set of questionnaires survey was distributed to the project managers who had been or currently involved in the high-rise building projects in Penang to get their input and perceptions for each factor identified as well as its frequency of occurrence. In order to rank all the factors gathered, the mean index of the most distinguishing factors and its frequency of occurrence were multiplied to get the severity index. The results revealed that for time overrun, the most predominant causes were due to design changes, inadequate planning and scheduling and poor labor productivity. Meanwhile, the predominant causes of cost overrun were poor pre-construction budget and material cost planning, inaccurate quantity take-off and materials cost increased by inflation. The significance of establishing the issues related to time and cost overruns for the high-rise building construction project is to provide a greater insight and understanding on the causes of delays, particularly among the main project players: contractors, client, and consultants.

Knowledge based expert system to minimise environmental pollution in Malaysian construction sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Hadu, Ibrahiem Abdul Razak; Sidek, Lariyah Mohd; Desa, Mohamad Nor Mohamad [Civil Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Basri, Noor Ezlin Ahmad [Civil Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia)

2011-07-01

Construction activities generate enormous amount of erosion and sediments sediments that is the result of soil disturbance during construction activities, thus, will pollute the adjacent water bodies and make it unfeasible for different uses. This paper aimed to develop and create the main features of an expert system prototype (ESCES) for minimising erosion and sedimentation due to stormwater generated from the construction activities by recommending a feasible BMPs. Multi criteria Analysis (MCA) technique has been integrated so as to select the best control measure among many stormwater control alternatives. A questionnaire has been distributed to the relevant experts so as to rank the stormwater control measures to be used in the MCA technique. Using Visual Basic 6, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) were developed. The knowledge and experience were acquired from various textural sources (i.e. guidelines, manuals, literature, and human expert). Results from this study showed that the Best Management Practices (BMPs) reommended have good suited the site characteristics. As a conclusion from this study, the ESCES can be considered as part of the 'Green Technology Tool' since it helps in protecting the environment and preserve good quality of water adjacent to the construction sites in Malaysia.

Development of new construction technologies for nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawamata, Susumu; Itoh, Daisuke; Ichizono, Katsuyuki

1995-01-01

In order to proceed rationally with the construction of a nuclear power station, the followings are the subject to solve beside reducing the construction cost: shortening the construction period, improving the quality, and securing safety in the construction work. As a measure to solve the matters, we correctly construct the plant mainly applying 'all-weather proof construction method' and 'pre-assembled large-block construction method'. Furthermore, as the plant construction control system, we perform a construction work applying the design change management system, pre-assessment for safety, and the whole facility check. As a result of our effort, it was attained that when we compare the matured plant with the first unit, the construction cost is reduced by 30%, the construction period is shortened by 12 months, site manpower is decreased by 30%, and the plant had no sudden shutdowns even during the trial operation period. (author)

On-site vs off-site management of environmental restoration waste: A cost effectiveness analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morse, M.A.; Aamodt, P.L.; Cox, W.B.

1996-01-01

The Sandia National Laboratories Environmental Restoration Project is expected to generate relatively large volumes of hazardous waste as a result of cleanup operations. These volumes will exceed the Laboratories existing waste management capacity. This paper presents four options for managing remediation wastes, including three alternatives for on-site waste management utilizing a corrective action management unit (CAMU). Costs are estimated for each of the four options based on current volumetric estimates of hazardous waste. Cost equations are derived for each of the options with the variables being waste volumes, the major unknowns in the analysis. These equations provide a means to update cost estimates as volume estimates change. This approach may be helpful to others facing similar waste management decisions

Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, D.E.; Pechmann, J.H.K.; Knox, J.N.; Estes, R.A.; McGregor, J.H.; Bailey, K. (ed.)

1988-12-01

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory has completed 10 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) on the Savannah River Site. This progress report examines water quality studies on streams peripheral to the DWPF construction site and examines the effectiveness of refuge ponds'' in ameliorating the effects of construction on local amphibians. Individual papers on these topics are indexed separately. 93 refs., 15 figs., 15 tabs. (MHB)

A comparative analysis of methods to represent uncertainty in estimating the cost of constructing wastewater treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ho-Wen; Chang, Ni-Bin

2002-08-01

Prediction of construction cost of wastewater treatment facilities could be influential for the economic feasibility of various levels of water pollution control programs. However, construction cost estimation is difficult to precisely evaluate in an uncertain environment and measured quantities are always burdened with different types of cost structures. Therefore, an understanding of the previous development of wastewater treatment plants and of the related construction cost structures of those facilities becomes essential for dealing with an effective regional water pollution control program. But deviations between the observed values and the estimated values are supposed to be due to measurement errors only in the conventional regression models. The inherent uncertainties of the underlying cost structure, where the human estimation is influential, are rarely explored. This paper is designed to recast a well-known problem of construction cost estimation for both domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants via a comparative framework. Comparisons were made for three technologies of regression analyses, including the conventional least squares regression method, the fuzzy linear regression method, and the newly derived fuzzy goal regression method. The case study, incorporating a complete database with 48 domestic wastewater treatment plants and 29 industrial wastewater treatment plants being collected in Taiwan, implements such a cost estimation procedure in an uncertain environment. Given that the fuzzy structure in regression estimation may account for the inherent human complexity in cost estimation, the fuzzy goal regression method does exhibit more robust results in terms of some criteria. Moderate economy of scale exists in constructing both the domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants. Findings indicate that the optimal size of a domestic wastewater treatment plant is approximately equivalent to 15,000 m3/day (CMD) and higher in Taiwan

Evaluating the cost of adult voluntary medical male circumcision in a mixed (surgical and PrePex site compared to a hypothetical PrePex-only site in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hae-Young Kim

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Several circumcision devices have been evaluated for a safe and simplified male circumcision among adults. The PrePex device was prequalified for voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC in May 2013 by the World Health Organization and is expected to simplify the procedure safely while reducing cost. South Africa is scaling up VMMC. Objective: To evaluate the overall unit cost of VMMC at a mixed site vs. a hypothetical PrePex-only site in South Africa. Design: We evaluated the overall unit cost of VMMC at a mixed site where PrePex VMMC procedure was added to routine forceps-guided scalpel-based VMMC in Soweto, South Africa. We abstracted costs and then modeled these costs for a hypothetical PrePex-only site, at which 9,600 PrePex circumcisions per year could be done. We examined cost drivers and modeled costs, varying the price of the PrePex device. The healthcare system perspective was used. Results: In both sites, the main contributors of cost were personnel and consumables. If 10% of all VMMC were by PrePex at the mixed site, the overall costs of the surgical method and PrePex were similar – US$59.62 and $59.53, respectively. At the hypothetical PrePex-only site, the unit cost was US$51.10 with PrePex circumcisions having markedly lower personnel and biohazardous waste management costs. In sensitivity analysis with the cost of PrePex kit reduced to US$10 and $2, the cost of VMMC was further reduced. Conclusions: Adding PrePex to an existing site did not necessarily reduce the overall costs of VMMC. However, starting a new PrePex-only site is feasible and may significantly reduce the overall cost by lowering both personnel and capital costs, thus being cost-effective in the long term. Achieving a lower cost for PrePex will be an important contributor to the scale-up of VMMC.

Robust Segmentation of Planar and Linear Features of Terrestrial Laser Scanner Point Clouds Acquired from Construction Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Maalek, Reza; Lichti, Derek D; Ruwanpura, Janaka Y

2018-01-01

Automated segmentation of planar and linear features of point clouds acquired from construction sites is essential for the automatic extraction of building construction elements such as columns, beams and slabs. However, many planar and linear segmentation methods use scene-dependent similarity thresholds that may not provide generalizable solutions for all environments. In addition, outliers exist in construction site point clouds due to data artefacts caused by moving objects, occlusions and dust. To address these concerns, a novel method for robust classification and segmentation of planar and linear features is proposed. First, coplanar and collinear points are classified through a robust principal components analysis procedure. The classified points are then grouped using a new robust clustering method, the robust complete linkage method. A robust method is also proposed to extract the points of flat-slab floors and/or ceilings independent of the aforementioned stages to improve computational efficiency. The applicability of the proposed method is evaluated in eight datasets acquired from a complex laboratory environment and two construction sites at the University of Calgary. The precision, recall, and accuracy of the segmentation at both construction sites were 96.8%, 97.7% and 95%, respectively. These results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed method for robust segmentation of planar and linear features of contaminated datasets, such as those collected from construction sites. PMID:29518062

Construction labor productivity during nuclear power plant construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, W.B.

1980-01-01

This paper discusses the three different types of productivity programs used at the Wm. H. Zimmer Nuclear Power Station construction site. The Standard Cost Estimate as Productivity Measurement compares actual units installed to estimated units. The Manpower and Equipment Utilization Study measures the present utilization level of the construction work force, identifies opportunities for productivity improvement, and establishes a data base against which future improvements could be made. The special productivity program is a specialized and detailed study of first line supervision. Productivity is defined as the degree of efficiency attained in the use of labor, professional and management skills and knowledge, materials and equipment, and time and money to produce an end result. It is concluded that a more consistent system of productivity measurements needs to be developed and promoted for general use in the construction industry

Construction of hexahedral elements mesh capturing realistic geometries of Bayou Choctaw SPR site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Byoung Yoon [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Roberts, Barry L. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-09-01

The three-dimensional finite element mesh capturing realistic geometries of Bayou Choctaw site has been constructed using the sonar and seismic survey data obtained from the field. The mesh is consisting of hexahedral elements because the salt constitutive model is coded using hexahedral elements. Various ideas and techniques to construct finite element mesh capturing artificially and naturally formed geometries are provided. The techniques to reduce the number of elements as much as possible to save on computer run time with maintaining the computational accuracy is also introduced. The steps and methodologies could be applied to construct the meshes of Big Hill, Bryan Mound, and West Hackberry strategic petroleum reserve sites. The methodology could be applied to the complicated shape masses for not only various civil and geological structures but also biological applications such as artificial limbs.

Pyramiding tumuli waste disposal site and method of construction thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Golden, Martin P.

1989-01-01

An improved waste disposal site for the above-ground disposal of low-level nuclear waste as disclosed herein. The disposal site is formed from at least three individual waste-containing tumuli, wherein each tumuli includes a central raised portion bordered by a sloping side portion. Two of the tumuli are constructed at ground level with adjoining side portions, and a third above-ground tumulus is constructed over the mutually adjoining side portions of the ground-level tumuli. Both the floor and the roof of each tumulus includes a layer of water-shedding material such as compacted clay, and the clay layer in the roofs of the two ground-level tumuli form the compacted clay layer of the floor of the third above-ground tumulus. Each tumulus further includes a shield wall, preferably formed from a solid array of low-level handleable nuclear wate packages. The provision of such a shield wall protects workers from potentially harmful radiation when higher-level, non-handleable packages of nuclear waste are stacked in the center of the tumulus.

Climatic and psychosocial risks of heat illness incidents on construction site.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yunyan Andrea; Rowlinson, Steve; Ciccarelli, Marina

2016-03-01

The study presented in this paper aims to identify prominent risks leading to heat illness in summer among construction workers that can be prioritised for developing effective interventions. Samples are 216 construction workers' cases at the individual level and 26 construction projects cases at the organisation level. A grounded theory is generated to define the climatic heat and psychosocial risks and the relationships between risks, timing and effectiveness of interventions. The theoretical framework is then used to guide content analysis of 36 individual onsite heat illness cases to identify prominent risks. The results suggest that heat stress risks on construction site are socially constructed and can be effectively managed through elimination at supply chain level, effective engineering control, proactive control of the risks through individual interventions and reactive control through mindful recognition and response to early symptoms. The role of management infrastructure as a base for effective interventions is discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Private-Sector Cleanup Expenditures and Transaction Costs at 18 Superfund Sites (1993)

Science.gov (United States)

Superfund allows the government either to clean up a site and recover its cost from the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) or to require the PRPs to undertake the cleanup themselves. This study examines private-sector expenditures and transaction-costs

Simulation of value stream mapping and discrete optimization of energy consumption in modular construction

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, Md Mukul

With the increased practice of modularization and prefabrication, the construction industry gained the benefits of quality management, improved completion time, reduced site disruption and vehicular traffic, and improved overall safety and security. Whereas industrialized construction methods, such as modular and manufactured buildings, have evolved over decades, core techniques used in prefabrication plants vary only slightly from those employed in traditional site-built construction. With a focus on energy and cost efficient modular construction, this research presents the development of a simulation, measurement and optimization system for energy consumption in the manufacturing process of modular construction. The system is based on Lean Six Sigma principles and loosely coupled system operation to identify the non-value adding tasks and possible causes of low energy efficiency. The proposed system will also include visualization functions for demonstration of energy consumption in modular construction. The benefits of implementing this system include a reduction in the energy consumption in production cost, decrease of energy cost in the production of lean-modular construction, and increase profit. In addition, the visualization functions will provide detailed information about energy efficiency and operation flexibility in modular construction. A case study is presented to validate the reliability of the system.

Siting and constructing very deep monitoring wells on the US Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullen, J.J.; Jacobson, R.L.; Russell, C.E.

1991-01-01

Many aspects of the Nevada Test Site's (NTS) hydrogeologic setting restrict the use of traditional methods for the siting and construction of ground-water characterization and monitoring wells. The size of the NTS precludes establishing high-density networks of characterization wells, as are typically used at smaller sites. The geologic complexity and variability of the NTS requires that the wells be criticality situated. The hydrogeologic complexity requires that each well provide access to many aquifers. Depths to ground water on the NTS require the construction of wells averaging approximately 1000 meters in depth. Wells meeting these criteria are uncommon in the ground-water industry, therefore techniques used by petroleum engineers are being employed to solve certain siting-, design- and installation-related problems. To date, one focus has been on developing completion strings that facilitate routine and efficient ground-water sampling from multiple intervals in a single well. The method currently advocated employs a new design of sliding side door sleeve that is actuated by an electrically operated hydraulic shifting tool. Stemming of the wells is being accomplished with standard materials (cement based grouts and sands); however, new stemming methods are being developed, to accommodate the greater depths, to minimize pH-related problems caused by the use of cements, to enhance the integrity of the inter-zone seals, and to improve the representativeness of radionuclide analyses performed on ground-water samples. Bench-scale experiments have been used to investigate the properties of more than a dozen epoxy-aggregate grout mixtures -- materials that are commonly used in underwater sealing applications

Remediation of polluted sites. The risks, liabilities and costs; Rehabilitation de sites pollues. Quels risques? Quelles responsabilites? Quels couts?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paquot, A. [Ministere de l' Ecologie et du Developpement Durable 75 - Paris (France); Darmendrail, D. [BRGM, 75 - Paris (France); Mensah, J. [Etablissement public foncier Nord Pas de Calais, 59 - Lille (France); Costil, J. [BURGEAP, 69 - Lyon (France); Carbon, S. [Gaz de France (GDF), 75 - Paris (France); Gervaise, Y. [SGS Multilab, 51 - Rouen (France); Bonin, H. [GRS Valtech, 69 - Rilleux-la-Pape (France); Delfaud, L. [Projenor, 59 - Lille (France); Croze, V. [ICF Environnement, 92 - Gennevilliers (France); Ricour, J. [ANTEA, des solutions globales, durables et rentables, 45 - Orleans (France); Langlois, P.

2003-10-01

This conference deals with the following topics: the mastery of the economic, regulation, juridical and contractual framework; liabilities and financing distribution between the intervenors; the diagnostic cost; the financial security in the sites acquisition and social right transfer; the efficient technologies of sites remediation; the communication near the site in remediation. (A.L.B.)

DISPOSALSITE, Low-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Cost Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.R.

1990-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: The Disposal Site Economic Model calculates the average generator price, or average price per cubic foot charged by a disposal facility to a waste generator, one measure of comparing the economic attractiveness of different waste disposal site and disposal technology combinations. The generator price is calculated to recover all costs necessary to develop, construct, operate, close, and care for a site through the end of the institutional care period and to provide the necessary financial returns to the site developer and lender (when used). Six alternative disposal technologies, based on either private or public financing, can be considered - shallow land disposal, intermediate depth disposal, above or below ground vaults, modular concrete canister disposal, and earth mounded concrete bunkers - based on either private or public development. 2 - Method of solution: The economic models incorporate default cost data from the Conceptual Design Report (DOE/LLW-60T, June 1987), a study by Rodgers Associated Engineering Corporation. Because all costs are in constant 1986 dollars, the figures must be modified to account for inflation. Interest during construction is either capitalized for the private developer or rolled into the loan for the public developer. All capital costs during construction are depreciated over the operating life of the site using straight-line depreciation for the private sector. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem - Maxima of: 100 years post-operating period, 30 years operating period, 15 years pre-operating period. The model should be used with caution outside the range of 1.8 to 10.5 million cubic feet of total volume. Depreciation is not recognized with public development

The Discursive Construction of Teachers’ Desirable Identity on a Social Networking Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radzuwan Ab Rashid

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study is situated in the broader identity-construction literature. Bringing discourse community theory to examine teachers’ postings on Facebook Timelines, we explored how teachers discursively construct socially desirable identities to fit into the Timeline community. Data were gathered from the Status updates and Comments on 29 Timelines belonged to Malaysian English language teachers who were purposively chosen as they often posted and commented on teaching-related issues on their Timelines. The analysis shows that the commonest form of identity construction on the teachers’ Timelines was as an engager which had been carefully constructed to portray positive self-image. This paper concludes that when participating on a public networking site, the teachers were being strategic as not to construct identities which could tarnish their professional image.

A reply to “Historical construction costs of global nuclear power reactors”

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koomey, Jonathan; Hultman, Nathan E.; Grubler, Arnulf

2017-01-01

present data on the overnight costs of more than half of nuclear reactors built worldwide since the beginning of the nuclear age. The authors claim that this consolidated data set offers more accurate insights than previous country-level assessments. Unfortunately, the authors make analytical choices that mask nuclear power's real construction costs, cherry pick data, and include misleading data on early experimental and demonstration reactors. For those reasons, serious students of such issues should look elsewhere for guidance about understanding the true costs of nuclear power. - Highlights: • claim to accurately assess nuclear plant costs over time. • The authors err by relying on overnight costs, which exclude interest. • The authors cherry pick data (e.g, ignoring problems with French nuclear data). • The article's cherry picked data don’t even support the article's own conclusions. • Lovering et al. is not a reliable source for costs of nuclear power.

Prevalence and correlates of nicotine dependence among construction site workers: A cross-sectional study in Delhi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mamta Parashar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Workers represent half the world′s population and are major contributors to economic and social development. Tobacco consumption in construction site workers has been considered a big challenge. Objectives: (1 To assess the prevalence of nicotine dependence among tobacco users. (2 To study the correlates of nicotine dependence among the construction site workers. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted using a predesigned and pretested structured proforma. The study was conducted among all construction site workers aged 18yrs and above in campus of Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research and associated HAH centenary hospital, New Delhi.Karl Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Questionnaire was used to assess dependence on nicotine. Results: The mean age of construction site workers was 32.04±11.6 years. Among the workers, majority (91% were tobacco user. Among the users, 60% found it difficult to refrain from smoking/chewing in places where use of tobacco is not allowed (e.g. hospitals, government offices, cinemas, Libraries etc. 55% of the users smoked or chewed tobacco during the first hours after waking than during the rest of the day. On multivariate analysis, the factors which were found to be significantly associated with nicotine dependence were lower income group (OR 2.57, CI:1.66-3.99, smokeless tobacco use (OR 2.36,CI:1.30-4.27 and lower education (OR = 2.86 (95% CI 1.97-4.16 for illiterate. Discussion: The prevalence of tobacco use (91% among construction workers is very high compared to that in the general population. Recognition of construction sites as work places and proper implementation of law is needed.

Validation of generic cost estimates for construction-related activities at nuclear power plants: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simion, G.; Sciacca, F.; Claiborne, E.; Watlington, B.; Riordan, B.; McLaughlin, M.

1988-05-01

This report represents a validation study of the cost methodologies and quantitative factors derived in Labor Productivity Adjustment Factors and Generic Methodology for Estimating the Labor Cost Associated with the Removal of Hardware, Materials, and Structures From Nuclear Power Plants. This cost methodology was developed to support NRC analysts in determining generic estimates of removal, installation, and total labor costs for construction-related activities at nuclear generating stations. In addition to the validation discussion, this report reviews the generic cost analysis methodology employed. It also discusses each of the individual cost factors used in estimating the costs of physical modifications at nuclear power plants. The generic estimating approach presented uses the /open quotes/greenfield/close quotes/ or new plant construction installation costs compiled in the Energy Economic Data Base (EEDB) as a baseline. These baseline costs are then adjusted to account for labor productivity, radiation fields, learning curve effects, and impacts on ancillary systems or components. For comparisons of estimated vs actual labor costs, approximately four dozen actual cost data points (as reported by 14 nuclear utilities) were obtained. Detailed background information was collected on each individual data point to give the best understanding possible so that the labor productivity factors, removal factors, etc., could judiciously be chosen. This study concludes that cost estimates that are typically within 40% of the actual values can be generated by prudently using the methodologies and cost factors investigated herein

E-COCOMO: The Extended COst Constructive MOdel for Cleanroom Software Engineering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hitesh KUMAR SHARMA

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Mistakes create rework. Rework takes time and increases costs. The traditional software engineering methodology defines the ratio of Design:Code:Test as 40:20:40. As we can easily see that 40% time and efforts are used in testing phase in traditional approach, that means we have to perform rework again if we found some bugs in testing phase. This rework is being performed after Design and code phase. This rework will increase the cost exponentially. The cleanroom software engineering methodology controls the exponential growth in cost by removing this rework. It says that "do the work correct in first attempt and move to next phase after getting the proof of correctness". This new approach minimized the rework and reduces the cost in the exponential ratio. Due to the removal of testing phase, the COCOMO (COst COnstructive MOdel used for the traditional engineering is not directly applicable in cleanroom software engineering. The traditional cost drivers used for traditional COCOMO needs to be revised. We have proposed the Extended version of COCOMO (i.e. E-COCOMO in which we have incorporated some new cost drivers. This paper explains the proposed E-COCOMO and the detailed description of proposed new cost driver.

Construction cost estimation of spherical storage tanks: artificial neural networks and hybrid regression—GA algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Arabzadeh, Vida; Niaki, S. T. A.; Arabzadeh, Vahid

2017-10-01

One of the most important processes in the early stages of construction projects is to estimate the cost involved. This process involves a wide range of uncertainties, which make it a challenging task. Because of unknown issues, using the experience of the experts or looking for similar cases are the conventional methods to deal with cost estimation. The current study presents data-driven methods for cost estimation based on the application of artificial neural network (ANN) and regression models. The learning algorithms of the ANN are the Levenberg-Marquardt and the Bayesian regulated. Moreover, regression models are hybridized with a genetic algorithm to obtain better estimates of the coefficients. The methods are applied in a real case, where the input parameters of the models are assigned based on the key issues involved in a spherical tank construction. The results reveal that while a high correlation between the estimated cost and the real cost exists; both ANNs could perform better than the hybridized regression models. In addition, the ANN with the Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm (LMNN) obtains a better estimation than the ANN with the Bayesian-regulated learning algorithm (BRNN). The correlation between real data and estimated values is over 90%, while the mean square error is achieved around 0.4. The proposed LMNN model can be effective to reduce uncertainty and complexity in the early stages of the construction project.

Toward construction of ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimomura, Yasuo

2005-01-01

The ITER Project has been significantly developed in the past years in preparation for its construction. The ITER Negotiators have developed a draft Joint Implementation Agreement (JIA), ready for completion following the nomination of the Project's Director General (DG). The ITER International Team and Participant Teams have continued technical and organizational preparations. The actual construction will be able to start immediately after the international ITER organization will be established, following signature of the JIA. The Project is now strongly supported by all the participants as well as by the scientific community with the final high-level negotiations, focused on siting and the concluding details of cost sharing, started in December 2003. The EU, with Cadarache, and Japan, with Rokkasho, have both promised large contributions to the project to strongly support their construction site proposals. The extent to which they both wish to host the ITER facility is such that large contributions to a broader collaboration among the Parties are also proposed by them. This covers complementary activities to help accelerate fusion development towards a viable power source, as well as may allow the Participants to reach a conclusion on ITER siting. (author)

Development of geological disposal system; localization of element cost data and cost evaluation on the HLW repository

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Byung Sik; Kim, Kil Jung; Yang, Young Jin; Kim, Sung Chun [KOPEC, Taejeon (Korea)

2002-03-01

To estimate Total Life Cycle Cost (TSLCC) for Korea HLW Repository through localization of element cost data, we review and re-organize each basic element cost data for reference repository system, localize various element cost and finally estimate TSLCC considering economic parameters. As results of the study, TSLCC is estimated as 17,167,689 million won, which includes costs for site preparation, surface facilities, underground facilities and management/integration. Since HLW repository Project is an early stage of pre-conceptual design at present, the information of design and project information are not enough to perform cost estimate and cost localization for the Project. However, project cost structure is re-organized based on the local condition and Total System Life Cycle Cost is estimated using the previous cost data gathered from construction experience of the local nuclear power plant. Project results can be used as basic reference data to assume total construction cost for the local HLW repository and should be revised to more reliable cost data with incorporating detail project design information into the cost estimate in a future. 20 refs. (Author)

Quantifying and modeling soil erosion and sediment export from construction sites in southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Wernet, A. K.; Beighley, R. E.

2006-12-01

Soil erosion is a power process that continuously alters the Earth's landscape. Human activities, such as construction and agricultural practices, and natural events, such as forest fires and landslides, disturb the landscape and intensify erosion processes leading to sudden increases in runoff sediment concentrations and degraded stream water quality. Understanding soil erosion and sediment transport processes is of great importance to researchers and practicing engineers, who routinely use models to predict soil erosion and sediment movement for varied land use and climate change scenarios. However, existing erosion models are limited in their applicability to constructions sites which have highly variable soil conditions (density, moisture, surface roughness, and best management practices) that change often in both space and time. The goal of this research is to improve the understanding, predictive capabilities and integration of treatment methodologies for controlling soil erosion and sediment export from construction sites. This research combines modeling with field monitoring and laboratory experiments to quantify: (a) spatial and temporal distribution of soil conditions on construction sites, (b) soil erosion due to event rainfall, and (c) potential offsite discharge of sediment with and without treatment practices. Field sites in southern California were selected to monitor the effects of common construction activities (ex., cut/fill, grading, foundations, roads) on soil conditions and sediment discharge. Laboratory experiments were performed in the Soil Erosion Research Laboratory (SERL), part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at San Diego State University, to quantify the impact of individual factors leading to sediment export. SERL experiments utilize a 3-m by 10-m tilting soil bed with soil depths up to 1 m, slopes ranging from 0 to 50 percent, and rainfall rates up to 150 mm/hr (6 in/hr). Preliminary modeling, field and laboratory

Plastic freezer bags: a cost-effective method to protect extraction sites in laparoscopic colorectal procedures?

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, Hai P; Musselman, Reilly P; Trottier, Daniel C; Soto, Claudia M; Poulin, Eric C; Mamazza, Joseph; Boushey, Robin P; Auer, Rebecca C; Moloo, Husein

2013-10-01

To review surgical-site infection (SSI) and retrieval-site tumor recurrence rates in laparoscopic colorectal procedures when using a plastic freezer bag as a wound protector. Laparoscopic colorectal procedures where a plastic freezer bag used as a wound protector at the extraction site were reviewed between 1991 and 2008 from a prospectively collected database. χ test was used to compare SSI and tumor recurrence rates between groups. Costing data were obtained from the operating room supplies department. A total of 936 cases with 51 (5.45%) surgical-site infections were identified. SSI rates did not differ when comparing groups based on demographic factors, diagnosis, or location of procedure. Retrieval-site tumor recurrence rate was 0.21% (1/474). Cost of plastic freezer bags including sterilization ranged from $0.25 to $3. Plastic freezer bags as wound protectors in laparoscopic colorectal procedures are cost effective and have SSI and retrieval-site tumor recurrence rates that compare favorably to published data.

2007 Effect of Changes in Layout Shape on Unit Construction Cost

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ezra

The shape of a building layout is the spatial attribute that defines the outline of the building. ... The results of this study indicate that perimeter-to-floor ratio, unit construction ... Design variables have been defined as the .... The objective of this paper is to explore the effect ... preparation of cost estimate, changing of design.

Multi-Site Project Management A Program for Reducing the Cost of Technology Deployment at Department of Energy Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, N.R.; Selden, E.R.; Little, D.B.; Coleman, M.C.; Bennett, J.T.

2009-01-01

Retrieval and processing of High Level Waste (HLW) stored in Department of Energy (DOE) waste tanks is performed to support closure of the tanks as required by site specific regulatory agreements. Currently, there are four sites in the DOE Complex that have HLW tanks and must process and disposition HLW. As such, there is an opportunity to achieve an economy of scale and reduce duplication of efforts. Two or more sites typically have similar technology development and deployment needs. Technology development is already executed at the national level. As the technology is matured, the next step is to commission a design/build project. Typically each site performs this separately due to differences in waste type, tank design, site specific considerations such as proximity to the water table or to the site boundary. The focus of the individual sites tends to be on the differences between sites versus on the similarities thus there is an opportunity to minimize the cost for similar deployments. A team of engineers and project management professionals from the Savannah River Site has evaluated technology needs at the four HLW sites and determined that there is an economy of scale that can be achieved by specific technology deployments in the area of waste retrieval, waste pretreatment and waste disposition. As an example, the Waste on Wheels tank retrieval system (presented in the 2006 Waste Management Symposium) was designed and fabricated in portable modules that could be installed in HLW tanks at Hanford, Savannah River or Idaho. This same concept could be used for modular in-tank cesium removal process and equipment, tank cleaning mechanical equipment, and chemical tank cleaning process and equipment. The purpose of this paper is to present a multi-site project management approach that will reduce deployment costs and be consistent with DOE Order 413.3 project management principles. The approach will describe how projects can be managed by a lead site with

Factors influencing unsafe behaviors and accidents on construction sites: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Khosravi, Yahya; Asilian-Mahabadi, Hassan; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Hassanzadeh-Rangi, Narmin; Bastani, Hamid; Behzadan, Amir H

2014-01-01

Construction is a hazardous occupation due to the unique nature of activities involved and the repetitiveness of several field behaviors. The aim of this methodological and theoretical review is to explore the empirical factors influencing unsafe behaviors and accidents on construction sites. In this work, results and findings from 56 related previous studies were investigated. These studies were categorized based on their design, type, methods of data collection, analytical methods, variables, and key findings. A qualitative content analysis procedure was used to extract variables, themes, and factors. In addition, all studies were reviewed to determine the quality rating and to evaluate the strength of provided evidence. The content analysis identified 8 main categories: (a) society, (b) organization, (c) project management, (d) supervision, (e) contractor, (f) site condition, (g) work group, and (h) individual characteristics. The review highlighted the importance of more distal factors, e.g., society and organization, and project management, that may contribute to reducing the likelihood of unsafe behaviors and accidents through the promotion of site condition and individual features (as proximal factors). Further research is necessary to provide a better understanding of the links between unsafe behavior theories and empirical findings, challenge theoretical assumptions, develop new applied theories, and make stronger recommendations.

Sites of Memory and the Construction of Democracy: Spain and Chile

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Chiara Bianchini

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This article compares the histories of two sites of memory located in the capital cities of Spain and Chile. Both sites are considered outstanding symbols of the last military dictatorship and their evolution over the past decade reflects the difficult construction of public discourses on dictatorial violence. Both processes take place at the end of two transitions to democracies that have followed similar patterns and have interacted with each other in many ways. Still, these two societies have handled very differently the dictatorial past and its representations.

AN ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS AFFECTING MATERIAL STOCK CONTROL PRACTICE ON SELECTED CONSTRUCTION SITES IN NIGERIA

OpenAIRE

Adafin, Johnson Kayode; Ayodele, Elijah Olusegun; Daramola, Olufemi

2011-01-01

This research examines the stock control methods utilized by construction firms on construction sites with a view to assessing the factors affecting material stock control practice by construction firms as well as determining the impact of factors affecting material stock control on building project performance. Data were collected with the aid of well-structured questionnaire administered on a number of construction professionals and technicians in some randomly selected building constructio...

Risk management study for the Hanford Site facilities: Risk reduction cost comparison for the retired Hanford Site facilities. Volume 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coles, G.A.; Egge, R.G.; Senger, E.; Shultz, M.W.; Taylor, W.E.

1994-02-01

This document provides a cost-comparison evaluation for implementing certain risk-reduction measures and their effect on the overall risk of the 100 and 200 Area retired, surplus facilities. The evaluation is based on conditions that existed at the time the risk evaluation team performed facility investigations, and does not acknowledge risk-reduction measures that occurred soon after risk identification. This evaluation is one part of an overall risk management study for these facilities. The retired facilities investigated for this evaluation are located in the 100 and 200 Areas of the 1450-km{sup 2} Hanford Site. The Hanford Site is a semiarid tract of land in southeastern Washington State. The nearest population center is Richland, Washington, (population 32,000) 30 km southeast of the 200 Area. This cost-comparison evaluation (1) determines relative costs for reducing risk to acceptable levels; (2) compares the cost of reducing risk using different risk-reduction options; and (3) compares the cost of reducing risks at different facilities. The result is an identification of the cost effective risk-reduction measures. Supporting information required to develop costs of the various risk-reduction options also is included.

Construction cost prediction model for conventional and sustainable college buildings in North America

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Othman Subhi Alshamrani

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The literature lacks in initial cost prediction models for college buildings, especially comparing costs of sustainable and conventional buildings. A multi-regression model was developed for conceptual initial cost estimation of conventional and sustainable college buildings in North America. RS Means was used to estimate the national average of construction costs for 2014, which was subsequently utilized to develop the model. The model could predict the initial cost per square feet with two structure types made of steel and concrete. The other predictor variables were building area, number of floors and floor height. The model was developed in three major stages, such as preliminary diagnostics on data quality, model development and validation. The developed model was successfully tested and validated with real-time data.

Marketing Research of Construction Sites based on ABC-XYZ Analysis and Relational Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konikov Aleksandr

2017-01-01

Full Text Available ABC-XYZ analysis is well known in marketing. It allows identifying sites that yield maximum profits when sold, sites that enjoy stable demand, or sites have both qualities specified above. However, the methods are quite abstract and are not designed to study specific factors that impact the results of ABC-XYZ analysis. Meanwhile, for some applications, particularly for marketing research of construction sites, it is critical not only to identify high-profit and stable sites but also to find out what combination of technical parameters, factors related to their location, transport accessibility, etc. are typical of them. This work suggests an approach to address the issue.

Development of econometric models for cost and time over-runs: an empirical study of major road construction projects in pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.; Chaudhary, M.A.

2016-01-01

The construction industry is flourishing worldwide and contributes about 10% to the GDP of the world i.e. up to the tune of 4.6 Trillion US dollars. It employs almost 7% of the total employee dpersons and, consumes around 40% of the total energy. The Pakistani construction sector has displayed impressive growth in recent past years. The efficient road network is a key part of construction business and plays a significant role in the economic uplift of country. The overruns in costs and delays in completion of projects are very common phenomena and it has also been observed that the projects involving construction of roads also face problems of delays and cost over runs especially in developing countries. The causes of cost overruns and delays in road projects being undertaken by the premier road construction organization of Pakistan National Highway Authority (NHA) have been considered in this study. It has been done specifically in the context of impact of cause(s) determined from project report of a total of one hundred and thirty one (131) projects. The ten causative factors which we recognize as Design, Planning and Scheduling Related problems, Financial Constraint Related reasons, Social Problem Related reasons, Technical Reasons, Administrative Reasons, Scope Increase, Specification Changes, Cost Escalation Related reasons, Non-Availability of Equipment or Material and Force Majeure play a commanding role in determination of the cost and time over runs. It has also been observed that among these identified causes, the factors of Administrative Reason, Design, Planning and Scheduling Related, Technical Reasons and Force Majeure are the most significant reasons in cost and time overruns. Whereas, the Cost Escalation related reasons has the least impact on cost increase and delays. The NHA possesses a financial worth of around Rs. 36 billion and with an annual turn over amounting to Rs. 22 billion is responsible to perform road construction project in entire

Development of Innovative Construction Technologies for ABWRs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, T.; Fukuda, T.; Masuda, N.

2002-01-01

This paper describes an effort by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to shorten the construction time in a drastic manner for the Advanced Boiling Water Reactors (ABWR), thereby aiming at reducing construction costs. First an outline of the actual construction records for the five BWR Units and the two ABWR Units at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa site is introduced along with the construction methods employed for these units. There is a continued trend in the reduction of construction time from Unit 1 to 7 owing to a number of improvements made to these units, and in particular it is noteworthy that the drastic reduction was accomplished due to the change in reactor type from BWR to ABWR. Explained next is an on-going effort for the next ABWR and the following next generation of ABWRs to further shorten construction time. In this effort an emphasis is laid on the development of innovative construction methods by the adoption of steel plate/concrete composite structures (SC Structure), and the application of those structures even to containment vessel (so-called SCCV). This work is being conducted as part of TEPCO's research and development for the next generation ABWRs (ABWR II). Presently it is expected that the construction time from bedrock inspection to fuel loading could be shortened in a stepwise fashion to 38 and 31.5 months for the next ABWR and finally to 23 months for the next generation ABWR II, thus enabling a greatly reduced power generating cost and enhanced safety during construction. In addition to the above effort, a preliminary study has been performed concerning the application of base isolation systems to ABWR plants. From this study which is aimed at standardization, lowered cost and mitigation of engineering work, it was found that base isolation system effectively reduces seismic response and is instrumental in achieving the above-mentioned objectives. Therefore it can be said that the use of this system gives more freedom in selecting sites

Radioactive waste on-site storage alternative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufrane, K.H.

1983-01-01

The first, most frequently evaluated approach for the large producer is the construction of a relatively expensive storage building. However, with the likely possibility that at least one disposal site will remain available and the building never used, such expenditures are difficult to justify. A low cost, but effective alternative, is the use of ''On-Site Storage Containers'' (OSSC) when and if required. Radwaste is only stored in the OSSC if a disposal site is not available. A small number of OSSC's would be purchased initially just to assure immediate access to storage. Only in the unlikely event of total disposal sites closure would additional OSSC's have to be obtained and even this is cost effective. With two or three months of storage available on site, production lead time is sufficient for the delivery of additional units at a rate faster than the waste can be produced. The recommended OSSC design would be sized and shielding optimized to meet the needs of the waste generator. Normally, this would duplicate the shipping containers (casks or vans) currently in use. The reinforced concrete design presented is suitable for outside storage, contains a leakproof polyethylene liner and has remote sampling capability. Licensing would be under 10CFR50.59 for interim storage with long-term storage under 10CFR30 not an impossibility. Cost comparisons of this approach vs. building construction show that for a typical reactor plant installation, the OSSC offers direct savings even under the worst case assumption that no disposal sites are available and the time value of money is zero

Workers’ Age and the Impact of Psychological Factors on the Perception of Safety at Construction Sites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Dawood Idrees

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The safety of construction workers is always a major concern at construction sites as the construction industry is inherently dangerous with many factors influencing worker safety. Several studies concluded that psychological factors such as workload, organizational relationships, mental stress, job security, and job satisfaction have significant effects on workers’ safety. However, research on psychological factors that are characteristic of different age groups have been limited. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of psychological factors on the perception of worker safety for two different age groups. After an extensive literature review, different psychological factors were identified, and a hypothetical research model was developed based on psychological factors that could affect workers’ perception of safety. A survey instrument was developed, and data were collected from seven different construction sites in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling (SEM was employed to test the hypothetical model for both age groups. The results revealed that workload and job satisfaction are significantly dominant factors on workers’ perception of safety in older workers, whereas organizational relationships, mental stress, and job security are dominant factors for younger workers at construction sites.

Integrated construction management technology for power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, Hisako; Miura, Jun; Nishitani, Yasuhiko

2003-01-01

The improvement and rationalization of the plant construction technology has been promoted in order to shorten the construction period, to improve the quality and reliability, and especially to reduce construction costs. With the recent remarkable advances of computer technology, it is necessary to introduce an electronic information technology (IT) into the construction field, and to develop a business process. In such a situation, Hitachi has developed and applied integrated construction support system, which is consistent among design, production and construction. This system has design information and schedule information made electronically as a basic database, and characterizes with project management function based on that information. By introduction of this system, electronic processing of information and reduction of paperwork has enabled high efficiency and standardization of on-site indirect work. Furthermore, by collaboration with the civil company, electrical data exchange has been carried out and developed techniques to improve the interface between mechanical and civil work. High accuracy of construction planning and unification of schedule data have been achieved, and consequently, rework and adjustment at the job site have been greatly reduced. (author)

Comparative evaluation of low cost materials as constructed wetland filling media

Science.gov (United States)

Pinho, Henrique J. O.; Vaz, Mafalda M.; Mateus, Dina M. R.

2017-11-01

Three waste materials from civil construction activities were assessed as low cost alternative filling materials used in Constructed Wetlands (CW). CW are green processes for wastewater treatment, whose design includes an appropriate selection of vegetation and filling material. The sustainability of such processes may be incremented using recovered wastes as filling materials. The abilities of the materials to support plant growth and to contribute to pollutants removal from wastewater were assessed and compared to expanded clay, a filling usually used in CW design. Statistical analysis, using one-way ANOVA and Welch's ANOVA, demonstrate that limestone fragments are a better choice of filling material than brick fragments and basalt gravel.

Estimating the demand for drop-off recycling sites: a random utility travel cost approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidique, Shaufique F; Lupi, Frank; Joshi, Satish V

2013-09-30

Drop-off recycling is one of the most widely adopted recycling programs in the United States. Despite its wide implementation, relatively little literature addresses the demand for drop-off recycling. This study examines the demand for drop-off recycling sites as a function of travel costs and various site characteristics using the random utility model (RUM). The findings of this study indicate that increased travel costs significantly reduce the frequency of visits to drop-off sites implying that the usage pattern of a site is influenced by its location relative to where people live. This study also demonstrates that site specific characteristics such as hours of operation, the number of recyclables accepted, acceptance of commingled recyclables, and acceptance of yard-waste affect the frequency of visits to drop-off sites. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of noise on construction sites of high-rise buildings.

Science.gov (United States)

Barkokébas, Béda; Vasconcelos, Bianca M; Lago, Eliane Maria G; Alcoforador, Aline Fabiana P

2012-01-01

In the civil construction industry sector, it has been observed that the increasing use of machines has made tasks noisier and consequently caused hearing loss and had other adverse effects on workers. The objective of this study was to identify and assess the physical risks of noise present in activities undertaken in a construction company in order to propose control measures which will contribute to the management of health and safety within the company's organization. The methodology applied was based on verifying the characteristics of exposure to noise on construction sites, from an observation of sources which generated noise and making measurements of sound pressure levels emitted by these sources. The data was then analyzed and compared with the recommended performance levels established in control measures. As a result, it was found that some machines and equipment used in civil construction often generate noise above the acceptable levels and as such, in these cases, various control measures have been proposed. It is believed that the use of management techniques is the most effective way to assess risk and to implement the preventive and corrective actions proposed, and allows for the analysis of sound pressure levels on an ongoing basis.

Cost benefit of caustic recycle for tank waste remediation at the Hanford and Savannah River Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeMuth, S.

1998-01-01

The potential cost savings due to the use of caustic recycle used in conjunction with remediation of radioactive underground storage tank waste, is shown in a figure for the Hanford and Savannah River sites. Two cost savings estimates for each case have been made for Hanford, and one cost savings estimate for each case have been made for Hanford, and one cost savings estimate for each case has been made for the Savannah River site. This is due to the Hanford site remediation effort being less mature than that of Savannah River; and consequently, a range of cost savings being more appropriate for Hanford. This range of cost savings (rather than a ingle value) for each case at Hanford is due to cost uncertainties related to the LAW immobilization operation. Caustic recycle Case-1 has been defined as the sodium required to meet al identified caustic needs for the entire Site. Case-2 has been defined as the maximum sodium which can be separated from the low activity waste without precipitation of Al(OH) 3 . It has been determined that the potential cost savings at Hanford ranges from $194 M to $215 M for Case-1, and $293 M to $324 M for Case-2. The potential cost savings at Savannah River are $186 M for Case-1 and $281 M for Case-2. A discussion of the uncertainty associated with these cost savings estimates can be found in the Discussion and Conclusions section

Applying Interpretive Structural Modeling to Cost Overruns in Construction Projects in the Sultanate of Oman

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Alzebdeh

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Cost overruns in construction projects are a problem faced by project managers, engineers, and clients throughout the Middle East.  Globally, several studies in the literature have focused on identifying the causes of these overruns and used statistical methods to rank them according to their impacts. None of these studies have considered the interactions among these factors. This paper examines interpretive structural modelling (ISM as a viable technique for modelling complex interactions among factors responsible for cost overruns in construction projects in the Sultanate of Oman. In particular, thirteen interrelated factors associated with cost overruns were identified, along with their contextual interrelationships. Application of ISM leads to organizing these factors in a hierarchical structure which effectively demonstrates their interactions in a simple way. Four factors were found to be at the root of cost overruns: instability of the US dollar, changes in governmental regulations, faulty cost estimation, and poor coordination among projects’ parties. Taking appropriate actions to minimize the influence of these factors can ultimately lead to better control of future project costs. Thisstudy is of value to managers and decision makers because it provides a powerful yet very easy to apply approach for investigating the problem of cost overruns and other similar issues.

Facile Site-Directed Mutagenesis of Large Constructs Using Gibson Isothermal DNA Assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Yonemoto, Isaac T; Weyman, Philip D

2017-01-01

Site-directed mutagenesis is a commonly used molecular biology technique to manipulate biological sequences, and is especially useful for studying sequence determinants of enzyme function or designing proteins with improved activity. We describe a strategy using Gibson Isothermal DNA Assembly to perform site-directed mutagenesis on large (>~20 kbp) constructs that are outside the effective range of standard techniques such as QuikChange II (Agilent Technologies), but more reliable than traditional cloning using restriction enzymes and ligation.

Cost-Sharing of Ecological Construction Based on Trapezoidal Intuitionistic Fuzzy Cooperative Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiacai Liu

2016-11-01

Full Text Available There exist some fuzziness and uncertainty in the process of ecological construction. The aim of this paper is to develop a direct and an effective simplified method for obtaining the cost-sharing scheme when some interested parties form a cooperative coalition to improve the ecological environment of Min River together. Firstly, we propose the solution concept of the least square prenucleolus of cooperative games with coalition values expressed by trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Then, based on the square of the distance in the numerical value between two trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, we establish a corresponding quadratic programming model to obtain the least square prenucleolus, which can effectively avoid the information distortion and uncertainty enlargement brought about by the subtraction of trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Finally, we give a numerical example about the cost-sharing of ecological construction in Fujian Province in China to show the validity, applicability, and advantages of the proposed model and method.

Cost-Sharing of Ecological Construction Based on Trapezoidal Intuitionistic Fuzzy Cooperative Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiacai; Zhao, Wenjian

2016-11-08

There exist some fuzziness and uncertainty in the process of ecological construction. The aim of this paper is to develop a direct and an effective simplified method for obtaining the cost-sharing scheme when some interested parties form a cooperative coalition to improve the ecological environment of Min River together. Firstly, we propose the solution concept of the least square prenucleolus of cooperative games with coalition values expressed by trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Then, based on the square of the distance in the numerical value between two trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, we establish a corresponding quadratic programming model to obtain the least square prenucleolus, which can effectively avoid the information distortion and uncertainty enlargement brought about by the subtraction of trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. Finally, we give a numerical example about the cost-sharing of ecological construction in Fujian Province in China to show the validity, applicability, and advantages of the proposed model and method.

Enhanced On-Site Waste Management of Plasterboard in Construction Works: A Case Study in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Jiménez-Rivero

2017-03-01

Full Text Available On-site management of construction waste commonly determines its destination. In the case of plasterboard (PB, on-site segregation becomes crucial for closed-loop recycling. However, PB is commonly mixed with other wastes in Spain. In this context, the involvement of stakeholders that can contribute to reversing this current situation is needed. This paper analyzes on-site waste management of PB in Spain through a pilot study of a construction site, with the main objective of identifying best practices to increase waste prevention, waste minimization, and the recyclability of the waste. On-site visits and structured interviews were conducted. The results show five management stages: PB distribution (I; PB installation (II; Construction waste storage at the installation area (III; PB waste segregation at the installation area (IV and PB waste transfer to the PB container and storage (V. The proposed practices refer to each stage and include the merging of Stages III and IV. This measure would avoid the mixing of waste fractions in Stage III, maximizing the recyclability of PB. In addition, two requisites for achieving enhanced management are analyzed: ‘Training and commitment’ and ‘fulfilling the requirements established by the current regulation’. The results show that foremen adopted a more pessimistic attitude than installers towards a joint commitment for waste management. Moreover, not all supervisors valued the importance of a site waste management plan, regulated by the Royal Decree 105/2008 in Spain.

An Analysis of Cost Premiums and Losses Associated with USAF Military Construction (MILCON)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

construction firms ( Molenaar et al. 1999). The design-build+ method is a form of DB which brings the contractor into the planning phase early to help...of firm fixed prices requires the contractor to commit to a set price early in the design process ( Molenaar et al. 1999). Both firm fixed and cost...Research The performance of MILCON projects based on execution method has been investigated in terms of cost, performance, and schedule. Molenaar

A Study Identifying Causes of Construction Waste Production and Applying Safety Management on Construction Site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Asghar Najafpoor

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background and purpose: In a recent century, the amount of construction waste has increased significantly. Although the building industry has a considerable role in the development of a society, it is regarded as an environmentally destructive. Source reduction is the highest goal in the waste management hierarchy and is in priority. It also has economic benefits by reducing costs associated with transportation, disposal or recycling of wastes. The present study is aimed to identify activities generating the wastes in design, transportation and storage and procurement of building materials. Materials and Methods: This was questionnaire survey. A total of 94 professionals in the construction industry were attended in this study. To determine the validity and reliability of the instrument, content validity method and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.79 were used. Data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. Frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation were determined in this research. Results: The results showed that handling and storage have been chosen as the most causative factor of waste production in construction activity. Improper material storage was identified major factor in producing waste in handling and storage phase. Usage of low-quality material in design stage and material price changes in procurement were recognized as major causes of waste production in these stages. Conclusion: All studied phases in this research were identified as causative factors in producing of waste. Identifying causes of construction waste production will help us decide better how to control this sort of wastes.

Ecological studies related to construction of the Defense Waste Processing Facility on the Savannah River Site. FY 1989--1990 annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pechmann, J.H.K.; Scott, D.E.; McGregor, J.H.; Estes, R.A.; Chazal, A.C.

1993-02-01

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) was built on the Savannah River Site (SRS) during the mid-1980`s. The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) has completed 12 years of ecological studies related to the construction of the DWPF complex. Prior to construction, the 600-acre site (S-Area) contained a Carolina bay and the headwaters of a stream. Research conducted by the SREL has focused primarily on four questions related to these wetlands: (1) Prior to construction, what fauna and flora were present at the DWPF site and at similar, yet undisturbed, alternative sites? (2) By comparing the Carolina bay at the DWPF site (Sun Bay) with an undisturbed control Carolina bay (Rainbow Bay), what effect is construction having on the organisms that inhabited the DWPF site? (3) By comparing control streams with streams on the periphery of the DWPF site, what effect is construction having on the peripheral streams? (4) How effective have efforts been to lessen the impacts of construction, both with respect to erosion control measures and the construction of ``refuge ponds`` as alternative breeding sites for amphibians that formerly bred at Sun Bay? Through the long-term census-taking of biota at the DWPF site and Rainbow Bay, SREL has begun to evaluate the impact of construction on the biota and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. Similarly, the effects of erosion from the DWPF site on the water quality of S-Area peripheral streams are being assessed. This research provides supporting data relevant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Executive Orders 11988 (Floodplain Management) and 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), and United States Department of Energy (DOE) Guidelines for Compliance with Floodplain/Wetland Environmental Review Requirements (10CFR1022).

Case study of the effects of public safety regulation on the construction costs of coal-fired and nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, C.D.

1987-01-01

Regulations intended to reduce the number of accidents at nuclear plants and the discharge of sulfur and particulate wastes at coal-fired power plants have become an important cause of construction cost escalation. Measuring the costs of these regulatory interventions is a difficult research task. The three-unit Bruce Mansfield coal-fired plant and the two-unit Beaver Valley nuclear power station located in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, provide a unique opportunity for a case study of the costs of regulation in the construction of both kinds of plants. The units of each plant were built sequentially over a period of intensifying regulation. The method used to measure the costs of public safety regulation in the construction of each kind of plant is to determine the connections between the issuances of the regulatory agencies (EPA and NRC) and cost escalations of succeeding units. The small cost escalations of the Mansfield 3 unit, in comparison to the massive costs of the Beaver Valley 2 unit, suggest that the design and construction of new coal-fired plants are not disrupted by regulatory interventions nearly as extensively as are nuclear units. Certain technical features of Beaver Valley 2, especially its small size and a design that is identical to the first unit's, further contribute to its cost escalations

Impact of Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme on work practices at construction sites in Hong Kong.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ann T W; Poon, C S; Wong, Agnes; Yip, Robin; Jaillon, Lara

2013-01-01

Waste management in the building industry in Hong Kong has become an important environmental issue. Particularly, an increasing amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is being disposed at landfill sites. In order to reduce waste generation and encourage reuse and recycling, the Hong Kong Government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme (CWDCS) to levy charges on C&D waste disposal to landfills. In order to provide information on the changes in reducing waste generation practice among construction participants in various work trades, a study was conducted after 3 years of implementation of the CWDCS via a structured questionnaire survey in the building industry in Hong Kong. The study result has revealed changes with work flows of the major trades as well as differentiating the levels of waste reduced. Three building projects in the public and private sectors were selected as case studies to demonstrate the changes in work flows and the reduction of waste achieved. The research findings reveal that a significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years (2006-2008) of CWDCS implementation. However, the reduction cannot be sustained. The major trades have been influenced to a certain extent by the implementation of the CWDCS. Slight improvement in waste management practices was observed, but reduction of construction waste in the wet-finishing and dry-finishing trades has undergone little improvement. Implementation of the CWDCS has not yet motivated subcontractors to change their methods of construction so as to reduce C&D waste. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Usability evaluation of mobile ICT support used at the building construction site

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansson, Per; Svidt, Kjeld

2006-01-01

The paper summarizes findings from field evaluations and controlled laboratory usability evaluations of new mobile Information and Communication Technology, ICT, support used by craftsmen at construction sites as well as a discussion of methodologies for user centred ICT tools design. The finding...

76 FR 51029 - Proposed CERCLA Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; Carpenter Avenue Mercury Site, Iron...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-17

... Settlement; Carpenter Avenue Mercury Site, Iron Mountain, Dickenson County, MI AGENCY: Environmental... of past response costs concerning the Carpenter Avenue Mercury site in Iron Mountain, Dickenson...., mail code: C-14J, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Comments should reference the Carpenter Avenue Mercury site...

Cost effectiveness of below-threshold waste disposal at DOE sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.F.; Cohen, J.J.

1987-01-01

A minimal health and environmental risk, limitations on disposal capacity, and the relatively high costs of low level waste (LLW) disposal are basic driving forces that lead to consideration of less restrictive disposal of wastes with very low levels of radiological contamination. The term threshold limit describes radioactive wastes that have sufficiently low-levels of radiological content to be managed according to their nonradiological properties. Given the efforts described elsewhere to provide guidance on the definition of below threshold (BT) doses and concentration levels, the purpose of this study was to quantify the resultant quantities, costs and cost effectiveness of BT disposal. For purposes of consistency with the previous demonstrations of the application of the threshold concept, available data for waste streams at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and the Savannah River Plant (SRP) sites were collected and analyzed with regard to volumes, radionuclide concentrations, and disposal costs. From this information, quantities of BT waste, potential cost savings and cost effectiveness values were estimated. 1 reference, 5 tables

Berlin Brandenburg International (BER: planning and implementation of a concrete supply chain for the airport construction site

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guido Riedel

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Background: With the decision to extend the airport Berlin-Schönefeld to the new airport Berlin Brandenburg International (BER in 2006, a construction of superlatives has emerged. One of the biggest challenges was the supply of around 2.5 million cubic meters of high quality concrete that had to be produced for the construction of the airport. Due to the scale of this enterprise as well as its environment, the logistic solution of raw material supply has to be found.       Method: The planning of the concrete supply chain for the airport construction site BER had to be carried out with two major goals: the stability of the supply chain to assure that the demands of the construction site are met and delays are prevented, as well as assurance of the high quality standards of the concrete production and to avoid an alkali silica reaction and the resulting unavoidable disaggregation of the concrete. External effects, such as the carbon dioxide emission and the effect of the supply chain on adjoining residents were key factors that had to be integrated in a holistic supply chain concept.  The principle underlying method is an analysis of limiting conditions for two approaches: a centralized supply chain with on-site concrete factory and upstream transport of raw materials versus a decentralized supply chain with off-site factories and downstream transport of ready-mixed concrete. Results: The analysis of constraints and the effects on key requirements of the concrete supply chain for the BER airport construction site lead to the installation of the most modern concrete plant in Europe. The benefits of a centralized supply chain are significant. On one hand, the high quality standards can be met with the on-site mixture of the concrete and centralized quality assurance, on the other hand, the majority of the supply traffic for the construction site was moved from the road to train-bound logistics, meeting the emission requirements of the

Study of site layout in the Rokkasho site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Kazuyoshi; Tamura, Kousaku; Yagenji, Akira; Sekiya, Shigeki; Takahashi, Hideo; Neyatani, Yuzuru; Uehara, Masaharu; Motohashi, Keiichi; Hashimoto, Masayoshi; Ogino, Shunji; Nagamatsu, Nobuhide

2006-03-01

The Final Design Report (FDR) of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) was published on July 2001 as a summary of the Engineering Design Activity (EDA). After the EDA, site dependent design has been investigated for the invitation of ITER toward Rokkasho Site (Iyasakadai area) in Aomori prefecture. This report describes the results of site layout of major buildings and structures of ITER in the Rokkasho-Site. The data of the ground near the site and the results of site dependent design in Japan were applied to this study. Through this study, the most appropriate site layout has been constructed with satisfaction of following conditions. (1) Bedrock level at the tokamak complex building is relatively high and it can be reduced the cost of excavation and foundation work. (2) Total amount of excavation soil for site preparation is minimized and the flexibility of the layout is ensured with flat ground level. (3) Accessibility of human and equipments, reduction of noise and vibration to the environment can be obtained. Total length of ducts and piping between buildings in site is minimized. (author)

Status of the Texas low-level radioactive waste disposal site - construction sequencing and staffing patterns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobi, L.R. Jr.

1996-01-01

The Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority, an agency of the State of Texas, has been attempting to develop a site for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in Texas for more than fourteen years. Since 1991, the agency has been evaluating a site near Sierra Blanca, in far west Texas. Site characterization was completed in 1992, and a license application was filed that year. Construction plans were completed in 1993. In April 1996, the licensing agency, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, completed its review and proposed to issue a license. The administrative hearings on the proposed license should be completed by July 1997. The Authority is prepared to begin construction and operations as soon as a final license can be issued

Comparison and Evaluation of Large-Scale and On-Site Recycling Systems for Food Waste via Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoung Hee Lee

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost-benefit of on-site food waste recycling system using Life-Cycle Cost analysis, and to compare with large-scale treatment system. For accurate evaluation, the cost-benefit analysis was conducted with respect to local governments and residents, and qualitative environmental improvement effects were quantified. As for the local governments, analysis results showed that, when large-scale treatment system was replaced with on-site recycling system, there was significant cost reduction from the initial stage depending on reduction of investment, maintenance, and food wastewater treatment costs. As for the residents, it was found that the cost incurred from using the on-site recycling system was larger than the cost of using large-scale treatment system due to the cost of producing and installing the on-site treatment facilities at the initial stage. However, analysis showed that with continuous benefits such as greenhouse gas emission reduction, compost utilization, and food wastewater reduction, cost reduction would be obtained after 6 years of operating the on-site recycling system. Therefore, it was recommended for local governments and residents to consider introducing an on-site food waste recycling system if they are to replace an old treatment system or need to establish a new one.

Management for Construction Materials and Control of Construction Waste in Construction Industry: A Review

OpenAIRE

A. A. Gulghane; Prof P. V. Khandve

2015-01-01

In recent treads a wide range of building materials is available for the construction of civil engineering structures. The total cost of materials may be up to 60% or more of the total cost incurred in construction project dependent upon the type of project. Effective construction materials management is a key to success for a construction project. Construction waste is another serious problem in construction industry. A large and various types of construction waste with different...

An assessment of potential hydrologic and ecologic impacts of constructing mitigation wetlands, Rifle, Colorado, UMTRA project sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-04-01

This-assessment examines the consequences and risks that could result from the proposed construction of mitigation wetlands at the New and Old Rifle Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project sites near Rifle, Colorado. Remediation of surface contamination at those sites is now under way. Preexisting wetlands at or near the Old and New Rifle sites have been cleaned up, resulting in the loss of 0.7 and 10.5 wetland acres (ac) (0.28 and 4.2 hectares [ha]) respectively. Another 9.9 ac (4.0 ha) of wetlands are in the area of windblown contamination west of the New Rifle site. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has jurisdiction over the remediated wetlands. Before remedial action began, and before any wetlands were eliminated, the USACE issued a Section 404 Permit that included a mitigation plan for the wetlands to be lost. The mitigation plan calls for 34.2 ac (1 3.8 ha) of wetlands to be constructed at the south end and to the west of the New Rifle site. The mitigation wetlands would be constructed over and in the contaminated alluvial aquifer at the New Rifle site. As a result of the hydrologic characteristics of this aquifer, contaminated ground water would be expected to enter the environment through the proposed wetlands. A preliminary assessment was therefore required to assess any potential ecological risks associated with constructing the mitigation wetlands at the proposed location

Final audit report of remedial action construction at the UMTRA Project Falls City, Texas, site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

This final audit report for the Falls City, Texas, Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project site summarizes the radiological audits and the quality assurance (QA) in-process surveillances, audits, and final close-out inspection performed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Technical Assistance Contractor (TAC). It also summarizes U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) surveillances. One radiological audit and three radiological surveillances were performed at the Falls City site. These surveillances and audit, which resulted in 31 observations, focused primarily on processing site activities and were performed on the following dates: 3-6 August 1992, 29-30 October 1992, 22-26 March 1993, and 1-3 November 1993. All outstanding radiological issues were closed out at the completion of the construction activities. Six QA in-process surveillances, which resulted in 71 observations, were performed at the Falls City site on the following dates: 22-24 July 1992, 23-25 November 1992, 17-19 May 1993, 16-18 August 1993, 13-15 October 1993, and 2-4 February 1994. All outstanding issues were closed out with the February surveillance on 3 March 1994. The DOE/TAC remedial action close-out inspections of the Falls City site, which resulted in 56 observations, were conducted 9-10 June 1994 and 26 July 1994. The inspections were closed out on 26 January 1995. The NRC performed three on-site construction reviews (OSCR), resulting in seven observations of remedial action construction activities that occurred during site visits. The OSCRs were performed 9 December 1992, 12 May 1993, and 25 October 1993. Since all audit and surveillance observations and recommendations have been closed out, this final audit report segment of the site certification process is complete

Making Hay When It Rains: The Effect Prevailing Wage Regulations, Scale Economies, Seasonal, Cyclical and Local Business Patterns Have On School Construction Costs.

Science.gov (United States)

Azari-Rad, Hamid; Philips, Peter; Prus, Mark

2002-01-01

Examines several alternative ways for school districts to reduce the construction costs of new facilities. Finds that spacing out the start of facility construction projects and building during economic downturns in the construction industry offer the best options for construction cost savings. (PKP)

Methodology for reducing energy and resource costs in construction of trenchless crossover of pipelines

Science.gov (United States)

Toropov, V. S.

2018-05-01

The paper suggests a set of measures to select the equipment and its components in order to reduce energy costs in the process of pulling the pipeline into the well in the constructing the trenchless pipeline crossings of various materials using horizontal directional drilling technology. A methodology for reducing energy costs has been developed by regulating the operation modes of equipment during the process of pulling the working pipeline into a drilled and pre-expanded well. Since the power of the drilling rig is the most important criterion in the selection of equipment for the construction of a trenchless crossover, an algorithm is proposed for calculating the required capacity of the rig when operating in different modes in the process of pulling the pipeline into the well.

Impact of Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme on work practices at construction sites in Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Ann T.W.; Poon, C.S.; Wong, Agnes; Yip, Robin; Jaillon, Lara

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years of CWDCS implementation. ► However, the reduction cannot be sustained. ► Implementation of the CWDCS has generated positive effects in waste reduction by all main trades. - Abstract: Waste management in the building industry in Hong Kong has become an important environmental issue. Particularly, an increasing amount of construction and demolition (C and D) waste is being disposed at landfill sites. In order to reduce waste generation and encourage reuse and recycling, the Hong Kong Government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme (CWDCS) to levy charges on C and D waste disposal to landfills. In order to provide information on the changes in reducing waste generation practice among construction participants in various work trades, a study was conducted after 3 years of implementation of the CWDCS via a structured questionnaire survey in the building industry in Hong Kong. The study result has revealed changes with work flows of the major trades as well as differentiating the levels of waste reduced. Three building projects in the public and private sectors were selected as case studies to demonstrate the changes in work flows and the reduction of waste achieved. The research findings reveal that a significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years (2006–2008) of CWDCS implementation. However, the reduction cannot be sustained. The major trades have been influenced to a certain extent by the implementation of the CWDCS. Slight improvement in waste management practices was observed, but reduction of construction waste in the wet-finishing and dry-finishing trades has undergone little improvement. Implementation of the CWDCS has not yet motivated subcontractors to change their methods of construction so as to reduce C and D waste.

Impact of Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme on work practices at construction sites in Hong Kong

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Ann T.W., E-mail: bsannyu@polyu.edu.hk [Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Poon, C.S.; Wong, Agnes; Yip, Robin; Jaillon, Lara [Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong)

2013-01-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years of CWDCS implementation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer However, the reduction cannot be sustained. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Implementation of the CWDCS has generated positive effects in waste reduction by all main trades. - Abstract: Waste management in the building industry in Hong Kong has become an important environmental issue. Particularly, an increasing amount of construction and demolition (C and D) waste is being disposed at landfill sites. In order to reduce waste generation and encourage reuse and recycling, the Hong Kong Government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme (CWDCS) to levy charges on C and D waste disposal to landfills. In order to provide information on the changes in reducing waste generation practice among construction participants in various work trades, a study was conducted after 3 years of implementation of the CWDCS via a structured questionnaire survey in the building industry in Hong Kong. The study result has revealed changes with work flows of the major trades as well as differentiating the levels of waste reduced. Three building projects in the public and private sectors were selected as case studies to demonstrate the changes in work flows and the reduction of waste achieved. The research findings reveal that a significant reduction of construction waste was achieved at the first 3 years (2006-2008) of CWDCS implementation. However, the reduction cannot be sustained. The major trades have been influenced to a certain extent by the implementation of the CWDCS. Slight improvement in waste management practices was observed, but reduction of construction waste in the wet-finishing and dry-finishing trades has undergone little improvement. Implementation of the CWDCS has not yet motivated subcontractors to change their methods of construction so as to reduce C and D waste.

Development of concepts for low-cost energy storage assemblies for annual cycle energy system applications

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, G. H.; Cooper, D. L.; Cummings, C. A.; Reiber, E. E.

1981-10-01

Low cost energy storage assemblies were developed. In the search for low overall cost assemblies, many diverse concepts and materials were postulated and briefly evaluated. Cost rankings, descriptions, and discussions of the concepts were presented from which ORNL selected the following three concepts for the Phase 2 development: (1) a site constructed tank with reinforced concrete walls formed with specialized modular blocks which eliminates most concrete form work and provides integral R-20 insulation designated ORNLFF; (2) a site constructed tank with earth supported walls that are formed from elements common to residential, in-ground swimming pools, designated SWPL; (3) and a site assembled tank used in underground utility vaults, designated UTLBX. Detailed designs of free standing versions of the three concepts are presented.

Labor productivity adjustment factors. A method for estimating labor construction costs associated with physical modifications to nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riordan, B.J.

1986-03-01

This report develops quantitative labor productivity adjustment factors for the performance of regulatory impact analyses (RIAs). These factors will allow analysts to modify ''new construction'' labor costs to account for changes in labor productivity due to differing work environments at operating reactors and at reactors with construction in progress. The technique developed in this paper relies on the Energy Economic Data Base (EEDB) for baseline estimates of the direct labor hours and/or labor costs required to perform specific tasks in a new construction environment. The labor productivity cost factors adjust for constraining conditions such as working in a radiation environment, poor access, congestion and interference, etc., which typically occur on construction tasks at operating reactors and can occur under certain circumstances at reactors under construction. While the results do not portray all aspects of labor productivity, they encompass the major work place conditions generally discernible by the NRC analysts and assign values that appear to be reasonable within the context of industry experience. 18 refs

Cost estimate guidelines for advanced nuclear power technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delene, J.G.; Hudson, C.R. II.

1993-05-01

Several advanced power plant concepts are currently under development. These include the Modular High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors, the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor and the Advanced Light Water Reactors. One measure of the attractiveness of a new concept is its cost. Invariably, the cost of a new type of power plant will be compared with other alternative forms of electrical generation. This report provides a common starting point, whereby the cost estimates for the various power plants to be considered are developed with common assumptions and ground rules. Comparisons can then be made on a consistent basis. This is the second update of these cost estimate guidelines. Changes have been made to make the guidelines more current (January 1, 1992) and in response to suggestions made as a result of the use of the previous report. The principal changes are that the reference site has been changed from a generic Northeast (Middletown) site to a more central site (EPRI's East/West Central site) and that reference bulk commodity prices and labor productivity rates have been added. This report is designed to provide a framework for the preparation and reporting of costs. The cost estimates will consist of the overnight construction cost, the total plant capital cost, the operation and maintenance costs, the fuel costs, decommissioning costs and the power production or busbar generation cost

SUBSTANTIATION OF THE COST OF HOUSING CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING THE FACTOR OF INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS OF TERRITORIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZAIATS Yi. I.

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Problem statement. For planning and organization of urban construction is necessary to analyze the use of areas. Territorial resources of the city, being used for construction and other urban purposes, consists of plots of land: disposable, reserved and undeveloped in previous years of construction in progress; residential districts and blocks of obsolete housing fund; industrial and municipal and warehouse enterprises being used irrationally or stopped to work; the defence department, where the amortized warehouses and other main funds are that are not used by purpose; agricultural enterprises where the obsolete industrial funds, haying, nurseries, greenhouses. The number of free areas suitable for future urban development is extremely limited. However a considerable part of the territories of almost all functional zones is used inefficiently. Purpose. Formalization of a factor of investment attractiveness of territories for the further identification and research of the connection between it and the cost of housing construction is necessary. Conclusion. The identification of regularities of influence of the factor of investment attractiveness of territories on the cost of construction of high-rise buildings allow to obtain a quantitative estimate of this effect and can be used in the development of the methodology of substantiation of the expediency and effectiveness of the implementation of highrise construction projects, based on organizational and technological aspects.

Design cost scoping studies. Nevada Test Site Terminal Waste Storage Program, Subtask 1.3: facility hardening studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanev, P.I.; Owen, G.N.

1978-04-01

As part of a program being conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office, to determine the feasibility of establishing a terminal waste storage repository at the Nevada Test Site, URS/John A. Blume and Associates, Engineers, made approximate determinations of the additional costs required to provide protection of structures against seismic forces. A preliminary estimate is presented of the added costs required to harden the surface structures, underground tunnels and storage rooms, and vertical shafts of the repository against ground motion caused by earthquakes and underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). The conceptual design of all of the structures was adapted from proposed bedded-salt waste-isolation repositories. Added costs for hardening were calculated for repositories in three candidate geological materials (Eleana argillite, Climax Stock granite, and Jackass Flats tuff) for several assumed peak ground accelerations caused by earthquakes (0.3g, 0.5g, and 0.7g) and by UNEs (0.5g, 0.7g, and 1.0g). Hardening procedures to protect the tunnels, storage rooms, and shafts against incremental seismic loadings were developed from (1) qualitative considerations of analytically determined seismic stresses and (2) engineering evaluations of the dynamic response of the rock mass and the tunnel support systems. The added costs for seismic hardening of the surface structures were found to be less than 1% of the estimated construction cost of the surface structures. For the underground structures, essentially no hardening was required for peak ground accelerations up to 0.3g; however, added costs became significant at 0.5g, with a possible increase in structural costs for the underground facilities of as much as 35% at 1.0g

Real-time safety risk assessment based on a real-time location system for hydropower construction sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Hanchen; Lin, Peng; Fan, Qixiang; Qiang, Maoshan

2014-01-01

The concern for workers' safety in construction industry is reflected in many studies focusing on static safety risk identification and assessment. However, studies on real-time safety risk assessment aimed at reducing uncertainty and supporting quick response are rare. A method for real-time safety risk assessment (RTSRA) to implement a dynamic evaluation of worker safety states on construction site has been proposed in this paper. The method provides construction managers who are in charge of safety with more abundant information to reduce the uncertainty of the site. A quantitative calculation formula, integrating the influence of static and dynamic hazards and that of safety supervisors, is established to link the safety risk of workers with the locations of on-site assets. By employing the hidden Markov model (HMM), the RTSRA provides a mechanism for processing location data provided by the real-time location system (RTLS) and analyzing the probability distributions of different states in terms of false positives and negatives. Simulation analysis demonstrated the logic of the proposed method and how it works. Application case shows that the proposed RTSRA is both feasible and effective in managing construction project safety concerns.

Construction of a high-density genetic map for grape using next generation restriction-site associated DNA sequencing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Nian

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genetic mapping and QTL detection are powerful methodologies in plant improvement and breeding. Construction of a high-density and high-quality genetic map would be of great benefit in the production of superior grapes to meet human demand. High throughput and low cost of the recently developed next generation sequencing (NGS technology have resulted in its wide application in genome research. Sequencing restriction-site associated DNA (RAD might be an efficient strategy to simplify genotyping. Combining NGS with RAD has proven to be powerful for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP marker development. Results An F1 population of 100 individual plants was developed. In-silico digestion-site prediction was used to select an appropriate restriction enzyme for construction of a RAD sequencing library. Next generation RAD sequencing was applied to genotype the F1 population and its parents. Applying a cluster strategy for SNP modulation, a total of 1,814 high-quality SNP markers were developed: 1,121 of these were mapped to the female genetic map, 759 to the male map, and 1,646 to the integrated map. A comparison of the genetic maps to the published Vitis vinifera genome revealed both conservation and variations. Conclusions The applicability of next generation RAD sequencing for genotyping a grape F1 population was demonstrated, leading to the successful development of a genetic map with high density and quality using our designed SNP markers. Detailed analysis revealed that this newly developed genetic map can be used for a variety of genome investigations, such as QTL detection, sequence assembly and genome comparison.

Energy from trash is costly says California study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1977-06-17

An evaluation by South California Edison Company of marketing, siting, environmental, technical and economic factors for three leading waste-to-fuel systems, concludes that it is a useful fuel conservation and waste 'treatment method', but it would be costly. The systems considered are: gasification of solid waste by pyrolysis with steam or electricity production; oil production by pyrolysis; or low Btu gas production. System disposal costs range from $13 to 31/ton (1983 $) depending on system and site; the three systems appear technically feasible; air emissions are low; the capacity of such plants could be 1000 tpd with a construction cost of $50 to $70 million.

Construction and calibration of a low cost and fully automated vibrating sample magnetometer

Science.gov (United States)

El-Alaily, T. M.; El-Nimr, M. K.; Saafan, S. A.; Kamel, M. M.; Meaz, T. M.; Assar, S. T.

2015-07-01

A low cost vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) has been constructed by using an electromagnet and an audio loud speaker; where both are controlled by a data acquisition device. The constructed VSM records the magnetic hysteresis loop up to 8.3 KG at room temperature. The apparatus has been calibrated and tested by using magnetic hysteresis data of some ferrite samples measured by two scientifically calibrated magnetometers; model (Lake Shore 7410) and model (LDJ Electronics Inc. Troy, MI). Our VSM lab-built new design proved success and reliability.

The measurement of radon concentration of soil in a civil construction site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanbin; Fan Guang

2004-01-01

Radon is one of radioactive resources which do harm to human body. Therefore, its concentration in the soil should be measured before the civil construction works. Code for Indoor Environmental Pollution Control of Civil Building Engineering (GB50325-2001) is the main norm used for soil radon concentration measurement. By using FD-3017 RaA radon measuring equipment, the soil radon concentration in a civil building engineering site has been measured, the result shows that the concentration is lower than the regional average value, radon protective measures should not be installed in that site. (authors)

Cleanup procedures at the Nevada Test Site and at other radioactively contaminated sites including representative costs of cleanup and treatment of contaminated areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talmage, S.S.; Chilton, B.D.

1987-09-01

This review summarizes available information on cleanup procedures at the Nevada Test Site and at other radioactively contaminated sites. Radionuclide distribution and inventory, size of the contaminated areas, equipment, and cleanup procedures and results are included. Information about the cost of cleanup and treatment for contaminated land is presented. Selected measures that could be useful in estimating the costs of cleaning up radioactively contaminated areas are described. 76 refs., 16 tabs

Considering Materials Management in Construction: An Exploratory Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Dakhli

2018-03-01

Full Text Available While materials count for a considerable amount of construction costs, the way materials are managed seems to be improvised rather than approached methodically. This study investigates the practice of novel techniques used to manage materials in the construction industry. Techniques that have already proven themselves to be efficient ways to manage the production pace within the industry include the pull system, Just-In-Time, Kitting and off-site fabrication. These are explained and assessed in the context of the French construction industry through an exploratory study, supported by a questionnaire completed by contractors. The results reveal that a clear plan to manage materials on-site is lacking among the respondents, creating common inventory problems. This research provides evidence to support the central role played by an efficient management of material flow on-site. It also highlights the obstacles that hinder the adoption of innovative techniques, such as sub-contractor coordination.

Safety inspections in construction sites: A systems thinking perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Saurin, Tarcisio Abreu

2016-08-01

Although safety inspections carried out by government officers are important for the prevention of accidents, there is little in-depth knowledge on their outcomes and processes leading to these. This research deals with this gap by using systems thinking (ST) as a lens for obtaining insights into safety inspections in construction sites. Thirteen case studies of sites with prohibited works were carried out, discussing how four attributes of ST were used in the inspections. The studies were undertaken over 6 years, and sources of evidence involved participant observation, direct observations, analysis of documents and interviews. Two complementary ways for obtaining insights into inspections, based on ST, were identified: (i) the design of the study itself needs to be in line with ST; and (ii) data collection and analysis should focus on the agents involved in the inspections, the interactions between agents, the constraints and opportunities faced by agents, the outcomes of interactions, and the recommendations for influencing interactions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost Control Strategies for Zero Energy Buildings: High-Performance Design and Construction on a Budget (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2014-09-01

There is mounting evidence that zero energy can, in many cases, be achieved within typical construction budgets. To ensure that the momentum behind zero energy buildings and other low-energy buildings will continue to grow, this guide assembles recommendations for replicating specific successes of early adopters who have met their energy goals while controlling costs. Contents include: discussion of recommended cost control strategies, which are grouped by project phase (acquisition and delivery, design, and construction) and accompanied by industry examples; recommendations for balancing key decision-making factors; and quick reference tables that can help teams apply strategies to specific projects.

Siting study for small platform-mounted industrial energy reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-07-01

Utilizing an existing 313 MW(t) ship propulsion reactor design, a concept has been formulated for a floating platform-mounted nuclear plant and an evaluation has been made to determine reductions in construction time and cost achievable by repetitive platform construction in a shipyard. Concepts and estimates are presented for siting platform-mounted nuclear plants at the location of industrial facilities where the nuclear plants would furnish industrial process heat and/or electrical power. The representative industrial site designated for this study is considered typical of sites that might be used along the extensive network of navigable canals adjacent to the ocean and is similar to potential sites along the inland waterways of the United States

Unique Construction and Social Experiences in Residential Remediation Sites - 13423

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Paul; Scarborough, Rebecca [Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc. 2749 Lockport Road, Niagara Falls, NY 14305 (United States)

2013-07-01

Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc., (Sevenson) has performed several radiological remediation projects located in residential urban areas. Over the course of these projects, there has been a wide variety of experiences encountered from construction related issues to unique social situations. Some of the construction related issues included the remediation of interior basements where contaminated material was located under the footers of the structure or was used in the mortar between cinder block or field stone foundations. Other issues included site security, maintaining furnaces or other utilities, underpinning, backfilling and restoration. In addition to the radiological hazards associated with this work there were occupational safety and industrial hygiene issues that had to be addressed to ensure the safety and health of neighboring properties and residents. The unique social situations at these job sites have included arson, theft/stolen property, assault/battery, prostitution, execution of arrest warrants for residents, discovery of drugs and paraphernalia, blood borne pathogens, and unexploded ordnance. Some of these situations have become a sort of comical urban legend throughout the organization. One situation had historical significance, involving the demolition of a house to save a tree older than the Declaration of Independence. All of these projects typically involve the excavation of early 20. century items such as advertisement signs, various old bottles (milk, Listerine, perfume, whisky) and other miscellaneous common trash items. (authors)

Unique Construction and Social Experiences in Residential Remediation Sites - 13423

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, Paul; Scarborough, Rebecca

2013-01-01

Sevenson Environmental Services, Inc., (Sevenson) has performed several radiological remediation projects located in residential urban areas. Over the course of these projects, there has been a wide variety of experiences encountered from construction related issues to unique social situations. Some of the construction related issues included the remediation of interior basements where contaminated material was located under the footers of the structure or was used in the mortar between cinder block or field stone foundations. Other issues included site security, maintaining furnaces or other utilities, underpinning, backfilling and restoration. In addition to the radiological hazards associated with this work there were occupational safety and industrial hygiene issues that had to be addressed to ensure the safety and health of neighboring properties and residents. The unique social situations at these job sites have included arson, theft/stolen property, assault/battery, prostitution, execution of arrest warrants for residents, discovery of drugs and paraphernalia, blood borne pathogens, and unexploded ordnance. Some of these situations have become a sort of comical urban legend throughout the organization. One situation had historical significance, involving the demolition of a house to save a tree older than the Declaration of Independence. All of these projects typically involve the excavation of early 20. century items such as advertisement signs, various old bottles (milk, Listerine, perfume, whisky) and other miscellaneous common trash items. (authors)

Review of underground siting of nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1974-01-01

A review of the potential for the underground siting of nuclear power generating plants has been undertaken. The review comprised a survey and assessment of relevant published documents currently available, together with discussions with Government sponsored agencies and other bodies, to evaluate the current status of technology related to the design and construction of underground nuclear power plants. It includes a review of previous work related to the underground siting of power plants and other facilities; a preliminary evaluation of the relative merits of the various concepts of undergrounding which have been proposed or constructed; a review of current technology as it relates to the requirements for the design, construction and operation of underground nuclear power plants; an examination of the safety and environmental aspects; and the identification of areas of further study which will be required if the underground is to be established as a fully viable alternative to surface siting. No attempt has been made to draw final conclusions at this stage. Nothing has been found to suggest that the underground siting concept could not provide a viable alternative to the surface concept. It is also apparent that no major technological developments are required. It is not clear, however, whether the improvements in safety and containment postulated for the underground can be realized at an economic cost; or even whether any additional cost is in fact involved. The problem is essentially site dependent and requires further study for which recommendations are made. (auth)

Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project exploratory studies facilities construction status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allan, J.N.; Leonard, T.M.

1993-01-01

This paper discusses the progress to date on the construction planning and development of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP) Exploratory Studies Facilities (ESF). The purpose of the ESF is to determine early site suitability and to characterize the subsurface of the Yucca Mountain site to assess its suitability for a potential high level nuclear waste repository. The present ESF configuration concept is for two main ramps to be excavated by tunnel boring machines (TBM) from the surface to the Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff Formation. From the main ramps, slightly above Topopah Spring level, supplemental ramps will be penetrated to the Calico Hills formation below the potential repository. There will be exploratory development drifts driven on both levels with the Main Test Area being located on the Topopah Spring level, which is the level of the proposed repository. The Calico Hills formation lies below the Topopah Spring member and is expected to provide the main geo-hydrologic barrier between the potential repository and the underlying saturated zones in the Crater Flat Tuff

A Construction Management Framework for Mass Customisation in Traditional Construction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Dolores Andújar-Montoya

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A Mass Customisation model is discussed as a competitive positioning strategy in the marketplace adding value to the customer’s end-use. It includes the user as part of the construction process responding to the customer’s demands and wishes. To the present day, almost all proposals for Mass Customisation have been focused on the design phase and single family houses. The reality is that the processes carried out in the work execution are so inefficient that the costs of the Mass Customisation models are assumed by the customer and they do not offer solutions that support the change management. Furthermore, this inefficiency often makes Mass Customisation unfeasible in terms of deadlines and site management. Therefore, the present proposal focuses on achieving the paradigm of Mass Customisation in the traditional residential construction complementary to the existing proposals in the design phase. All this through the proposal of a framework for the integral management in the work execution, which will address change management introduced by the users offering an efficient and productive model that reduces costs in the process. This model will focus on the synergy between different strategies, techniques and technologies currently used in the construction management (such as Lean Construction or Six Sigma, together with, other strategies and technologies that have proven to be valid solutions in other fields (such as Business Process Management, Service Oriented Architecture, etc..

Investigation of Industrialised Building System Performance in Comparison to Conventional Construction Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Othuman Mydin M.A.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Conventional construction methods are still widely practised, although many researches have indicated that this method is less effective compared to the IBS construction method. The existence of the IBS has added to the many techniques within the construction industry. This study is aimed at making comparisons between the two construction approaches. Case studies were conducted at four sites in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Two projects were IBS-based while the remaining two deployed the conventional method of construction. Based on an analysis of the results, it can be concluded that the IBS approach has more to offer compared to the conventional method. Among these advantages are shorter construction periods, reduced overall costs, less labour needs, better site conditions and the production of higher quality components.

Drainage filters and constructed wetlands to mitigate site-specific nutrient losses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjærgaard, Charlotte; Hoffmann, Carl Christian; Iversen, Bo Vangsø

Despite substantial efforts, the leaching of nutrients from agricultural land is still a serious and costly environmental problem in Denmark and elsewhere. The quality goals of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) for the aquatic environment require a substantial reduction of diffuse nutr...... drainage. The project studies different approaches of implementing the filter technologies including drainage well or drainage pipe filters as well as surface-flow and sub-surface flow constructed wetlands....

Prototype Environmental Assessment of the impacts of siting and construction of an SPS ground receiving station

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, J.

1980-01-01

A prototype assessment of the environmental impacts of siting and constructing a Satellite Power System (SPS) Ground Receiving Station (GRS) is reported. The objectives of the study were: (1) to develop an assessment of the nonmicrowave related impacts of the reference system SPS GRS on the natural environment; (2) to assess the impacts of GRS construction and operations in the context of actual baseline data for a site in the California desert; and (3) to identify critical GRS characteristics or parameters that are most significant in terms of the natural environment.

Open-source digital technologies for low-cost monitoring of historical constructions

OpenAIRE

Basto, Camilo; Pelà, Luca; Chacón Flores, Rolando Antonio

2017-01-01

This paper shows new possibilities of using novel, open-source, low-cost platforms for the structural health monitoring of heritage structures. The objective of the study is to present an assessment of increasingly available open-source digital modeling and fabrication technologies in order to identify the suitable counterparts of the typical components of a continuous static monitoring system for a historical construction. The results of the research include a simple case-study, which is pre...

Data Flow in Relation to Life-Cycle Costing of Construction Projects in the Czech Republic

Science.gov (United States)

Biolek, Vojtěch; Hanák, Tomáš; Marović, Ivan

2017-10-01

Life-cycle costing is an important part of every construction project, as it makes it possible to take into consideration future costs relating to the operation and demolition phase of a built structure. In this way, investors can optimize the project design to minimize the total project costs. Even though there have already been some attempts to implement BIM software in the Czech Republic, the current state of affairs does not support automated data flow between the bill of costs and applications that support building facility management. The main aim of this study is to critically evaluate the current situation and outline a future framework that should allow for the use of the data contained in the bill of costs to manage building operating costs.

Unit Price and Cost Estimation Equations through Items Percentage of Construction Works in a Desert Area

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kadhim Raheem

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This research will cover different aspects of estimating process of construction work in a desert area. The inherent difficulties which accompany the cost estimating of the construction works in desert environment in a developing country, will stem from the limited information available, resources scarcity, low level of skilled workers, the prevailing severe weather conditions and many others, which definitely don't provide a fair, reliable and accurate estimation. This study tries to present unit price to estimate the cost in preliminary phase of a project. Estimations are supported by developing mathematical equations based on the historical data of maintenance, new construction of managerial and school projects. Meanwhile, the research has determined the percentage of project items, in such a remote environment. Estimation equations suitable for remote areas have been formulated. Moreover, a procedure for unite price calculation is concluded.

Changes in Cleanup Strategies and Long-Term Monitoring Costs for DOE FUSRAP Sites-17241

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castillo, Darina [U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management; Carpenter, Cliff [U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Legacy Management; Roberts, Rebecca [Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc.; Young, Carl [Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc.

2017-03-05

LM is preparing for the transfer of 11 new FUSRAP sites within the next 10 years from USACE, many of which will have substantially greater LTSM requirements than the current Completed sites. LM is analyzing the estimates for the level of effort required to monitor the new sites in order to make more customized and accurate predictions of future life cycle costs and environmental liabilities of these sites.

Influential Factors Affecting Materials Management in Construction Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jusoh Zairra Mat

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Construction projects are more often than not plagued by poor performances such as delays, cost overrun, low productivity, construction wastes and compromised quality. Amongst the critical contributory factors of poor project performances, is the ineffectiveness of materials management occurring in the construction sites. Indeed, materials management is a very important component for construction projects. However, there are only limited numbers of research available regarding this topic. Thus, this research focuses its study on materials management, specifically in identifying the influential factors that affect materials management in the construction project activities. Literatures from books, journal articles and conference papers related to poor project performances and materials management have been reviewed. Consequently, this study sorted the salient influential factors and categorized them based on their specific group. Out of 47 factors identified, they are classified into 8 groups. They are (1 site condition; (2 planning and handling on site; (3 management; (4 materials; (5 supplier and manufacturer default; (6 transportation; (7 contractual; and (8 governmental interferences. In conclusion, this study contends that by identifying the influential factors affecting materials management, it will help construction players to avoid the occurrence of those factors and will minimize the negative impacts on the overall performance of construction projects. Hence, the handling-over of project will be according to schedule and not delayed by materials mismanagement.

Proceedings of the CNRA Workshop on New Reactor Siting, Licensing and Construction Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This report documents the proceedings from the 'Workshop on New Reactor Siting, Licensing and Construction Experience', held in Prague, Czech Republic on 15-17 September 2010. A total of 59 specialists from 16 countries and international organisations attended. The Meeting was sponsored by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities and hosted by the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SUJB) in Czech Republic. The objectives of the workshop were to review and discuss recent and past construction experience lessons learned including perspectives from regulatory authorities, as well as vendors, and licensee. The workshop addressed issues associated with project management resources including: a) overall human resources, expertise, experience and organisation available to the licensee, b) capability of each potential vendor (in-house knowledge and skills versus planned subcontracting and subcontractor management). The workshop also discussed the lessons learned in the regulation of site selection, evaluation and site preparation as well as the review of regulatory practices for the licensing of new reactors, including the regulatory body infrastructure, staffing and expertise needed. The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to communicate recent experience on these topics to a wider audience, including participants from OECD member countries as well as New Entrants from non-OECD member countries. The workshop allowed the WGRNR group to introduce and discuss the current programme of work and products under development in order to gain insights from workshop participants on each of the programme of work areas, and get feedback on additional focus areas. The workshop was structured in 4 technical sessions, each followed by ample time for panel discussions. The first technical session was devoted to presentations of the licensing process for new reactors followed by different member countries. The second technical session was

A construction process model for implementing constructability in construction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Langkemper, J.; Al-Jibouri, S.; Reymen, I.M.M.J.; Maas, G.J.; Gassel, van F.

2003-01-01

In construction, failure of design professionals to consider how a builder will implement the design can result in scheduling problems, cost escalation, delays and disputes during the construction process. The integration of construction knowledge and experience during planning and design is termed

Site restoration: Estimation of attributable costs from plutonium-dispersal accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chanin, D.I.; Murfin, W.B.

1996-05-01

A nuclear weapons accident is an extremely unlikely event due to the extensive care taken in operations. However, under some hypothetical accident conditions, plutonium might be dispersed to the environment. This would result in costs being incurred by the government to remediate the site and compensate for losses. This study is a multi-disciplinary evaluation of the potential scope of the post-accident response that includes technical factors, current and proposed legal requirements and constraints, as well as social/political factors that could influence decision making. The study provides parameters that can be used to assess economic costs for accidents postulated to occur in urban areas, Midwest farmland, Western rangeland, and forest. Per-area remediation costs have been estimated, using industry-standard methods, for both expedited and extended remediation. Expedited remediation costs have been evaluated for highways, airports, and urban areas. Extended remediation costs have been evaluated for all land uses except highways and airports. The inclusion of cost estimates in risk assessments, together with the conventional estimation of doses and health effects, allows a fuller understanding of the post-accident environment. The insights obtained can be used to minimize economic risks by evaluation of operational and design alternatives, and through development of improved capabilities for accident response

Site restoration: Estimation of attributable costs from plutonium-dispersal accidents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chanin, D.I.; Murfin, W.B. [Technadyne Engineering Consultants, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-05-01

A nuclear weapons accident is an extremely unlikely event due to the extensive care taken in operations. However, under some hypothetical accident conditions, plutonium might be dispersed to the environment. This would result in costs being incurred by the government to remediate the site and compensate for losses. This study is a multi-disciplinary evaluation of the potential scope of the post-accident response that includes technical factors, current and proposed legal requirements and constraints, as well as social/political factors that could influence decision making. The study provides parameters that can be used to assess economic costs for accidents postulated to occur in urban areas, Midwest farmland, Western rangeland, and forest. Per-area remediation costs have been estimated, using industry-standard methods, for both expedited and extended remediation. Expedited remediation costs have been evaluated for highways, airports, and urban areas. Extended remediation costs have been evaluated for all land uses except highways and airports. The inclusion of cost estimates in risk assessments, together with the conventional estimation of doses and health effects, allows a fuller understanding of the post-accident environment. The insights obtained can be used to minimize economic risks by evaluation of operational and design alternatives, and through development of improved capabilities for accident response.

76 FR 71342 - Proposed CERCLA Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-17

... Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River Forest, Cook County, IL AGENCY: Environmental Protection... response costs concerning the River Forest Dry Cleaners site in River Forest, Cook County, Illinois with... code: C-14J, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Comments should reference the River Forest Dry Cleaners Site...

BIM for Construction Site Logistics Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Whitlock

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Emerging Building Information Modelling (BIM has been hailed as a revolutionary technology and information management process that facilitates collaboration and more efficient design and construction processes through innovative 3D modelling software, open access to information and multidisciplinary integration. The deadline of compliance to BIM level 2 on all public sector centrally procured construction projects has expired leaving many construction firms anxious to adopt BIM. Most common documented applications of BIM have been in the areas of architectural and structural design, quantity surveying, construction project management, and sustainability with very limited peer-reviewed studies on construction logistics management. The aim of this study is to investigate how BIM can be applied to construction logistics management. This study adopts a desk-top approach, with articles sources from renowned scientific databases such as ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and Emerald. The study culminated in the identification of benefits and barriers of adopting BIM for construction logistics management. Given only a desk-top approach has been used, the recommendation for future study is to build on this to conduct an empirical study using both qualitative and quantitative data. This will provide an in-depth understanding of the use of BIM for construction logistics management and open opportunities for further research.

Argonne's Expedited Site Characterization: An integrated approach to cost- and time-effective remedial investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burton, J.C.; Walker, J.L.; Aggarwal, P.K.; Meyer, W.T.

1995-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory has developed a methodology for remedial site investigation that has proven to be both technically superior to and more cost- and time-effective than traditional methods. This methodology is referred to as the Argonne Expedited Site Characterization (ESC). Quality is the driving force within the process. The Argonne ESC process is abbreviated only in time and cost and never in terms of quality. More usable data are produced with the Argonne ESC process than with traditional site characterization methods that are based on statistical-grid sampling and multiple monitoring wells. This paper given an overview of the Argonne ESC process and compares it with traditional methods for site characterization. Two examples of implementation of the Argonne ESC process are discussed to illustrate the effectiveness of the process in CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) and RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) programs

Siting, design and construction of underground repositories for radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The objectives of the Symposium were to provide a forum for exchange of information internationally on the various scientific, technological, engineering and safety bases for the siting, design and construction of underground repositories, and to highlight current important issues and identify possible approaches. Forty-nine papers were presented, covering general approaches and regulatory aspects, disposal in shallow ground and rock cavities, disposal in deep geological formations and safety assessments related to the subject of the Symposium. Separate abstracts were prepared for each of these papers

Characterisation of Beaver Habitat Parameters That Promote the Use of Culverts as Dam Construction Sites: Can We Limit the Damage to Forest Roads?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geneviève Tremblay

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The use of forest roads as foundations for dam construction by beavers is a recurrent problem in the management of forest road networks. In order to limit the damage to forest roads, our goal was to calculate the probability of beaver dam installation on culverts, according to surrounding habitat parameters, which could allow for improvement in the spatial design of new roads that minimise conflicts with beavers. Comparisons of culverts with (n = 77 and without (n = 51 dams in northwestern Quebec showed that catchment surface, cumulate length of all local streams within a 2-km radius, and road embankment height had a negative effect on the probability of dam construction on culverts, while flow level and culvert diameter ratio had a positive effect. Nevertheless, predicted probabilities of dam construction on culverts generally exceeded 50%, even on sites that were less favourable to beavers. We suggest that it would be more reasonable to take their probable subsequent presence into account at the earliest steps of road conception. Installing mitigation measures such as pre-dams during road construction would probably reduce the occurrence of conflicts with beavers and thus reduce the maintenance costs of forest roads.

Modularization Technology in Power Plant Construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kenji Akagi; Kouichi Murayama; Miki Yoshida; Junichi Kawahata

2002-01-01

Since the early 1980's, Hitachi has been developing and applying modularization technology to domestic nuclear power plant construction, and has achieved great rationalization. Modularization is one of the plant construction techniques which enables us to reduce site labor by pre-assembling components like equipment, pipes, valves and platforms in congested areas and installing them using large capacity cranes for cost reduction, better quality, safety improvement and shortening of construction time. In this paper, Hitachi's modularization technologies are described especially from with respect to their sophisticated design capabilities. The application of 3D-CAD at the detailed layout design stage, concurrent design environment achieved by the computer network, module design quantity control and the management system are described. (authors)

Application Of The Work Breakdown Structure In Determining Cost Buffers In Construction Schedules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Połoński M.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents methods of determining the location of cost buffers and corresponding contingency costs in the CPM schedule based on its work breakdown structure. Application of correctly located cost buffers with appropriately established reserve costs is justified by the common overrunning of scheduled costs in construction projects. Interpolated cost buffers (CB as separate tasks have been combined with relevant summary tasks by the start–to–start (SS relationship, whereas the time of their execution has been dynamically connected with the time of accomplishment of particular summary tasks using the “paste connection” option. Besides cost buffers linked with the group of tasks assigned to summary tasks, a definition of the cost buffer for the entire project (PCB has been proposed, i.e. as one initial task of the entire project. Contingency costs corresponding to these buffers, depending on the data that the planner has at his disposal, can be determined using different methods, but always depend on the costs of all tasks protected by each buffer. The paper presents an exemplary schedule for a facility and the method of determining locations and cost for buffers CB and PCB, as well as their influence on the course of the curve illustrating the budgeted cost of work scheduled (BCWS. The proposed solution has been adjusted and presented with consideration of the possibilities created by the scheduling software MS Project, though its general assumptions may be implemented with application of other similar specialist tools.

76 FR 64943 - Proposed Cercla Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located...

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