TOMORROW TODAY
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE // AIT opens up two new laboratories GAME EXPERIENCE // Game evaluation as a success factor CYBERSECURITY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET // AIT ensures Europe‘s technological edge
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DECARBONISATION
HOLISTIC APPROACH FOR EMISSION-FREE MOBILITY
TOMORROWTODAY 2
AIT Trainee Tamara Thanner drives as often as possible with an e-vehicle. A sustainable energy infrastructure and a corresponding range of charging stations are essential for the future.
Engineer Xue Zhang: Mobility data as the basis of future traffic systems.
E-bikes and e-scooters are already among the most important means of transport in the city. Klemens Schwieger (top left) is researching the integration of small e-vehicles in the E-Walk project. Damian Cupid is an avid user of his e-bike.
Die Ausstellung bot einen Überblick über neueste Technologien „made in Austria“.
DECARBONISATION AT THE FOCUS OF RESEARCH
Photos: PicturePeople
Decarbonisation of mobility is a key challenge. The AIT plays an important role in Europe in the electrification of vehicles and associated system solutions. Today, AIT Ingenious Partners already live the research approaches they work on every day. The implementation of electric mobility on a broad basis places high demands on research and development activities. Electric vehicles must meet the range and safety requirements and require the development of new battery systems, highly optimized electric drives as well as their coupling with lightweight concepts. In the grid integration of e-mobility via charging stations, it is key to simultaneously guarantee a high level of security of supply, network stability and voltage quality. The networking of the competencies of three AIT Centers which deal directly with the topic of the decarbonisation of traffic, trans-
port, logistics and mobility, opens the door to a holistic and systemic consideration of electromobility. At the same time, it offers an innovative environment for the automotive and energy industries and thus creates a competitive edge for Austrian companies in international business. The synergy of the R&D work results from the DNA of the Centers: • The Center for Low-Emission Transport develops innovations for efficient, intelligent and safe vehicle components. The focus is on two key technologies for sustainab-
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The battery is the centrepiece of modern electrical drive concepts. The objective of the battery researchers at AIT is to make electric energy storage units as efficient, powerful, cost-effective, and safe as possible. Not only battery research, but also battery cell production and battery testing are carried out for Matthias Prandtstetter, this purpose. The research focus in the area of Senior Scientist at the Center for Mobility Systems „electric propulsion“ is on innovative technologies and topologies for researching, analysing, and implemenle transport and mobility: powertrain electrification and ting energy-efficient, safe, and low-carbon propulsion compomaterial-based lightweight design. In both areas, material nents and concepts. development, semi-industrial processing technology and component design form the pillars for the integrated By means of simulation methods, the complex interaction betdeployment of innovative vehicle system components. ween individual components and the entire vehicle system can be explored. The AIT expertise ranges from lightweight com• At the Center for Energy, around 220 employees are conponents and electrical machines through to the entire vehicle ducting research of the highest standards of excellence in as well as component integration and monitoring during vehicenergy technologies and systems for the global market and le operation. thus in solutions to the global energy transition. The focus is on three central systems: Sustainable energy infrastrucThe increasing power demand created by electric mobility poture, decarbonisation of industrial processes and plants, ses a new challenge for electric grids. AIT priorities here are as well as innovative technologies and solutions for ursystems integration, power electronics, storage, and charging ban transformation of buildings and cities. The AIT experts infrastructure. work with a high-quality laboratory infrastructure, take an active part in a strong international network and are setting Modern fleet management includes the integration of the pace in various expert committees. In addition, there is e-vehicles so that the most suitable means of transport is strong demand from industry and companies for innovative available for the respective driving purpose. The focus is also and applied research services. on integrating e-mobility into sustainable solutions for freight transport. The optimization of fleet and route planning, elec• More than 100 highly-qualified, specialised and internatitrified automated operating traffic or multimodal sustainable onal experts work at the Center for Mobility Systems. The logistics concepts are priorities here. interdisciplinary team carries out research and development in the fields of mobility data collection and analysis, passenger flow analysis and impact assessment, mobility behavioural research, traffic planning, simulation and predictive models, structural dynamics and „We‘re researching the components acoustics, road safety, road infrastructure, for the next generation electric as well as transport logistics and optimidrive – from near-serial battery cell sation. Thanks to its interdisciplinary team production, power electronics and of experts, the AIT Center for Mobility Sysdrive control to vehicle integration tems has this holistic view with regard to and component testing.“ the mobility ecosystem and every single development in every single project. Helmut Oberguggenberger, Head of Competence Unit Electric Drive Technologies in the Center for Low-Emission Transport
Photos: AIT/Zinner, AIT
„At the Center for Mobility Systems, we are researching the comprehensive integration of e-mobility into the overall transport system, with a particular focus on operational mobility, logistics solutions, everyday usability, and traffic safety issues.“
RESEARCH WITH A HOLISTIC APPROACH
Top-Story
The transport infrastructure forms the basis for an efficient mobility system. The target-oriented planning of charging stations is thus a prerequisite for the successful deployment of e-mobility. AIT offers location optimisation of charging stations as well as load management and integration into the grid. Last but not least, the AIT experts focus on the area of tension between the acceptance of potential users and the supply made available as well as incentive models from the public sector as part of electric mobility. For a comprehensive integration into the entire mobility sys-
tem, topics such as traffic safety, mobility behaviour or adaptation of the infrastructure are being addressed. The integration of new vehicle classes (such as small e-vehicles) is a subject as well.
„Our interface to e-mobility is the charging station. We develop solutions that make simultaneous and super fast loading possible. The growing power demand in the power grid needs to be met and network stability guaranteed – that‘s the challenge.“ Roland Bründlinger, Senior Research Engineer in the Center for Energy
Reference projects ASSURED The aim is to create smart electric fast charging stations for buses and heavy vehicles in urban public transport. AIT is responsible for grid integration, grid stability, and the analysis of battery aging through super fast charging. ECAIMAN The focus here is on the development of an outstanding 5V lithium-ion battery for production in Europe. It is to increase the energy density by at least 20% compared to current products. The development of a module for light vehicles and heavy vehicles as well as passenger cars is also to be driven forward here. EUFAL The aim is to drive forward the electrification of commercial vehicle fleets within the framework of an international consortium around AIT and DLR and to develop an online knowledge platform based on the needs of fleet operators. E-WALK Small e-vehicles can make a significant contribution to sustainable mobility, but they have to be integrated into the overall mobility system. AIT, KFV and Herry Consult
are carrying out field tests and developing a catalogue of measures. PYROBAT Development of a scalable production technology for the production of new high-performance cathode materials by means of a suitable powder process technology (sprayroast pyrolysis). SEAMLESS Development, analysis and demonstration of different operational (e-) fleet concepts under a holistic view of the operational environment as well as integration of innovative multimodal mobility concepts. ORCHESTRATING SMART CHARGING IN MASS DEPLOYMENT (OSCD) Sustainable electric mobility through the integration of renewable energy while maintaining high network stability at the same time; development of tools and network services for the integration of e-vehicles and demonstration of a pilot system with harmonized protocols as well as „smart charging“.
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GAME EXPERIENCE: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM PLAYING
AIT has years of expertise in and around play, gamification, and serious games and possesses the know-how to professionally evaluate the experience. With its interdisciplinary Game Experience Team, AIT delivers tailor-made studies that stand out from typical offerings on the market. The basis for the high quality lies in the broad competence of the Game Experience Team which combines knowledge from the areas of user experience and game design with scientific findings.
The application of state-of-the-art methods thus allows conducting customer-tailored studies and providing more detailed results. The findings from the research results not only benefit the games industry, but also help other industries in the use of playful approaches to improve information security, increase sales figures, or motivate employees.
Photos: AIT/Zinner, SBA Research
The video games industry is by far the most revenue-generating branch of the entertainment industry. The success of a game depends, however, primarily on the experience that is offered to the players. Therefore, an early evaluation of the game experience is essential for economic success.
Industry
„Gamification is an important process to raise motivation and increase interaction – we can still learn a lot from people‘s behaviour while playing.“ Simone Kriglstein, AIT Center for Technology Experience
AIT and says: “The entire user experience test was professionally organized. The close observation of the playtesters by the researchers and the subsequent interview certainly contributed to the high quality of the final report. The suggested changes were very useful and demonstrate a deep understanding of the matter.“
In the AIT Observational Playtesting studies, players are testing games under the watchful eyes of AIT researchers. This reveals problems and misunderstandings that players may not even have noticed.
UNDERSTANDING PLAYERS How did the players play the game? Why did they pick up a particular object? How did they experience a situation? One way to answer these questions is through the Observational Playtesting studies used at AIT. During these studies, players from the respective target group extensively test the games while being closely watched by the researchers. Thus, pro– blems and misunderstandings that players may not even have noticed on their own can be addressed. A game that was evaluated by the AIT experts using this method is „Desperados III“ by THQ Nordic GmbH. THQ Nordic is a world-famous gaming publisher with operational management in Vienna. Jonathan Riedler, producer for Desperados III at THQ Nordic, appreciates the comprehensive expertise of
Furthermore, the Game Experience team offers heuristic evaluations where experts analyse the game in a structured way, as well as with quantitative analysis and the visualization of game data. Particularly in the rapidly growing field of eSports, i.e. professional competitions using video games, a meaningful processing of game data can significantly facilitate the analysis and adaptation of the training strategies for teams and players.
BEYOND GAMES – GAMIFICATION The accumulated knowledge from the game area can ultimately also be transferred to other domains. The associated approach is called gamification and is used in many areas, e.g. to increase productivity and user interactions as well as increase customer loyalty and sales. AIT, for instance, succeeds in achieving measurable success for different clients and projects through gamification processes. Among other things, gamification approaches have been developed that increase cybersecurity awareness, promote physical activity, and encourage people to use sustainable energy.
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„For the first time, safety and security requirements can already be consi‑ dered in the design phase of systems - a considerable advantage for European companies in this critical area of practice.“ Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security
CYBERSECURITY IN THE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET
In February 2019, the EU launched a cybersecurity initiative to advance Europe in this critical field. And already now there is THREATGET, an Austrian product developed jointly by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and LieberLieber. It helps developers identify threats early and quickly assess the associated risks. This is important because vehicle manufacturers must demonstrably verify the cybersecurity of their vehicle systems with the introduction of the new European safety directive according to ECE Level in order to obtain approval of their products. Every three years, manufacturers must demonstrate that they use a certified cybersecurity management system which covers all stations from vehicle engineering to documentation.
ECE COMPLIANCE WITH THREATGET The prerequisite for this cybersecurity check is a tool that enables manufacturers to check their systems in an ECE compliant manner. Peter Lieber, CEO of LieberLieber: „We have been working with AIT on this solution for two years and are proud to be able to enter the market so quickly. THREATGET provides IT system designers with effective support in the safeguarding against potential cyberattacks, known as threats.“ AIT is developing state-of-the-art
AI technologies for use in a critical market segment for this purpose and has perfected the THREATGET technology for years, while LieberLieber brings in profound knowledge of model-based system development with the Enterprise Architect modeling platform. In the context of a rapidly growing security engineering industry, THREATGET addresses the target group of vehicle manufacturers and all companies that analyse vehicle architecture systems in order to be able to issue certificates (e.g. TÜV), as well as addressing individuals in the automotive training environment. The database of threat potential and proposed solutions contained in THREATGET is currently maintained in the course of applied research and development. In the future, KI will help to keep the complexity of the ever-increasing interconnectedness of our systems manageable. THREATGET makes it possible to guarantee the same basic safety principle for all manufacturers in the future. Furthermore, it is also intended to be possible for manufacturers of special vehicles (e.g. for the security sector) to use this basic safety principle and to manually extend certain safety levels and rules in their vehicle system.
More at: https://www.threatget.com
Photos: Alessio Lin/unsplash, PicturePeople
Technological lead for Europe: AIT and LieberLieber Software launch a Cybersecurity Management System for the Vehicle Sector.
Performance & Success
FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE & SUCCESS INFRASTRUCTURE
ENERGY RESEARCH
AIT OPENS UP NEW LABORATORIES
AIT IS A NEW MEMBER OF HYDROGEN EUROPE RESEARCH
The City Intelligence Lab (CIL) will open its doors on 9 th september at Giefinggasse 6. It is an interactive digital platform to explore novel forms and techniques for urban development of the future. „This takes urban planning to a new level – becoming more interactive and therefore closer to people‘s needs,“ says Wolfgang Hribernik, Head of Center for Energy. Already on 18 July 2019, the Center for Low-Emission Transport opened its new battery research pilot line. On this occasion, a battery symposium with international lecturers from industry and science was held at the Giefinggasse location. The symposium was inaugurated by Managing Director Wolfgang Knoll and Senior Research Engineer Marcus Jahn. AIT is one of the few research institutions worldwide that can cover the entire value chain from battery research to battery production under one roof. Thanks to a dry room and a state-of-theart research pilot line, AIT is capable of producing lithium-ion pouch cells with regard to industrially relevant processes.
Battery research and production: AIT bridges the gap between science and
Photos: AIT, AIT/Fabry
market application.
AIT is a leader in the development of digital eHealth solutions.
Hydrogen Europe Research is a public-private association that supports research and technology development interests in hydrogen technologies in Europe. More than 70 research institutes (universities and research centres) work on joint fields of research and create a framework for cooperation between science and industry in Europe. AIT has recently become a member of this groundbreaking platform. More at: https://www.hydrogeneurope.eu
TELEHEALTH
PATIENTS HAVE FEWER HOSPITALIZATIONS For several years, AIT has partnered with health authorities and is developing important future technologies, such as TeleHealth systems, together with healthcare providers. Thanks to the TeleHealth project „HerzMobil Tirol“, significantly fewer patients, suffering from heart failure, have to return to hospital. The mortality rate appears to be lower as well. The project, which has patients routinely transfer their vital data to the care team, was launched six years ago and has become part of standard care in order to support integrated care for patients with cardiac insufficiency since 2017. At the same time, AIT founded the spin-off “telbiomed Medizintechnik und IT Service GmbH” to expand the professional provision of TeleHealth solutions. AIT technology is currently being used in five Tyrolean districts via the telbiomed spin-off and will be expanded to the whole of Tyrol by 2020. This technology will also be used in Styria as part of the „HerzMobil Steiermark“ care programme over the next few years.
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TRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE
ARE OUR STREETS FIT FOR AUTOMATED VEHICLES?
PROJECT ELSAH
NEW STANDARDS IN WEARABLES “The four-year EU project ELSAH (Electronic smart patch system for wireless monitoring of molecular biomarkers for healthcare and well-being), coordinated by AIT, brings together ten partners from five European countries with the aim of developing a new wearable that enables continuous measurement of molecular biomarkers. It will, thus, open up completely new uses of wearables for evidence-based health and lifestyle applications. Two of many application examples are glucose monitoring for dietary control and lactate monitoring for workout optimization. As part of ELSAH, an integrated, wearable sensor system in the form of a patch, the „ELSAH Patch“, is to be developed. It is intended to continuously determine the concentrations of molecular biomarkers in the skin‘s dermal interstitial fluid, and do this in a minimally invasive manner. AIT Scientist and ELSAH project coordinator Joerg Schotter: „ELSAH aims at providing users with an individual evidence-based decision support for a healthy lifestyle. The ELSAH patch technology may help improve the general level of health in the population and enhance the well-being of individuals. Along with this, we expect that major common diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, or type 2 diabetes, will be monitored more closely and treated better in the future.“ More about the project at: www.elsah.researchproject.at
Philippe Nitsche: : “The provision of the digital data required for dy namic route planning in the future requires the synergy between the public sector and commercial data providers.“
Photos: ELSAH Project, Philippe Nitsche
Together with four research partners (Prisma Solutions, Rosinak & Partner, Virtual Vehicle and Wieser Verkehrssicherheit GmbH), AIT has investigated the suitability of the transport infrastructure of the alpine republic for automated vehicles. „Using two standard traffic situations in the virtual simulation, we have investigated what state-of-the-art vehicle sensors are currently able to achieve,“ explains via-AUTONOM project manager Philippe Nitsche. In one situation, the vehicle had to turn left at a T-junction; in the other, it had to merge into the main motorway lane over the distance of a 200 m long acceleration lane as it exists in reality on the A2. Results: Without additional infrastructure measures, the automated vehicles do not handle either situation sufficiently well. Of 800 attempts in the merging experiment, only 52 % were successful; in 600 simulations at the T-junction, only 40 % were successful. Infrastructural measures implemented in the simulation such as an extension of the acceleration lane or an intersection assistant in the case of the T-junction helped to considerably improve the correct merging into traffic. „Automated vehicles have to recognize independently when the Operational Design Domain (ODD) reaches its limits, so that control can be handed over to humans or an emergency stop can be initiated,“ emphasizes Nitsche. The vehicles must know at any moment which routes currently meet or do not meet the ODD conditions. The digital maps which the vehicles use to navigate must be able to access dynamic data in which real-time information about the condition of a route is displayed and, e.g., snow conditions or roadwork zones are taken into account.
Performance & Success
STEREOLOGY AND IMAGE ANALYSIS
INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR AIT SCIENTIST
TECHNOLOGY
Johannes Österreicher wins first prize in the PhD competition 2019 of the International Society for Stereology and Image Analysis (ISSIA). This prize is awarded every two years and honours the best international dissertation in the field of stereology and image analysis. Stereology is the spatial interpretation of sections. In his PhD thesis „Characterization of Al-Mg-Si Alloys for Automotive Safety Parts“, Österreicher worked on quantitative scanning electron microscopy of nanoscale particles distributed in solid media. Such particle-matrix systems are relevant, inter alia, in materials science and biology. Österreicher introduced a method that allows
The Leondingen start-up FRUX Technologies GmbH offers companies in the B2B sector completely new ways of finding suitable customers. The FRUX Sales Acceleration Tools are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies; they are further developed as part of a research collaboration with AIT AI experts and will be continuously integrated into the FRUX product portfolio. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has recognized how smart and trendsetting this approach is which FRUX strongly supports in its concrete research initiatives with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and the Graz Know-Center.
FINDING THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS WITH AI
NGI TALK #3
AI AND BEYOND An essential insight of the third „Next Generation Internet“ talks is that Artificial Intelligence is already a reality, but needs increased social dialogue. Multi-disciplinary speakers from the software industry, from public administration and science explored potential uses of AI in Europe and discussed options for regulating trust-inspiring AI, which was also made comprehensible as a complex ecosystem. It is also clear, however, that: human is part of Artificial Intelligence.
Johannes Österreicher, Scientist at the LKR Leichtmetall
Photos: AIT/Lang, AIT/Raimund Appel
kompetenzzentrum Ranshofen
the reconstruction of the three-dimensional size distribution of such particles from backscattered electron images. In addition, he developed a new preparation method for aluminium alloys which greatly improves the contrast of Mg-Si precipitates and thus significantly increases the achievable resolution. The work was carried out as part of the FFG project AMOREE at AIT and the University of Salzburg in cooperation with Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI). Patrick Ratheiser (Leftshift One), Tünde Fülöp (BMEIA), Christine Bauer (JKU Linz) and Mario Drobics (AIT) are convinced that the future belongs to AI.
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SHOTPROS
VALUABLE HELP FOR POLICE OFFICERS In recent years, the challenges faced by European police have changed as a result of new threat and risk scenarios. Patrol officers are increasingly involved in the role of first responders in threatening and critical scenarios – which brings security forces into extreme stress and performance situations. The ability to make the right decisions is a key
Austria‘s industry keeps its growth course.
EUROPEAN MANUFACTURING SURVEY
Since 2001, the European Manufacturing Survey (EMS) has been organized by a consortium of research institutes and universities from 16 European and non-European countries. EMS captures the use of technological and organizational innovations in production and the resulting performance improvements in terms of productivity, flexibility, and quality. The last round of the EMS in Austria was completed by the AIT experts in December 2018 and, for the first time, enables analyses on the use of Artificial Intelligence, flexible robotics solutions (e.g. mobile, autonomous or collaborative robots) and digital safety and security in Austrian production. You can read up on the results of the latest trends and developments, published in July 2019, here: www.ait.ac.at/ems
TRAIN – DECIDE – ACT: AIT supports European police forces with VR solutions in ta ckling current challenges.
factor in the successful outcome of the scenario in order to solve these critical situations. SHOTPROS takes up this point by developing a training programme and a VR solution to train these scenarios in the future and thus improve the performance of European security authorities. Together with the project partners, i.e. renowned European research institutes, international companies and six police authorities, the AIT Center for Technology Experience will be working towards realising these objectives over the next three years.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
AIT – ESSENTIAL PARTNER OF MEDAUSTRON We appreciate the support from our neighbourhood. MedAustron has many specialists in the field of particle accelerators and AIT has a lot of experience in medical device development. What could be better than tapping this knowledge in a targeted manner for our further development projects in order to plan our measures efficiently and, above all, to meet all regulatory requirements? AIT is not only the largest research institution in Austria, it also enjoys an excellent reputation as a development partner. I am pleased that we are also joining forces as neighbours in the high-tech business park nova city. Alfred Zens, Managing Director of MedAustron
Photos: AIT/Zinner, Shutterstock, Foto Tschank
TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN PRODUCTION
INNOVATION CALENDAR 2–5 SEPTEMBER 2019 // ISSI CONFE RENCE Scientometrics & Informetrics Location: Rome AIT contact: Thomas Scherngell Info: www.issi2019.org/ 10–12 SEPTEMBER 2019 // SCHWEIS SEN 2019 Trade fairs for joining, cutting, sur facing and testing technologies Location: Design Center Linz AIT contact: Stephan Ucsnik Info: www.schweissen.at/ Hannes Androsch, Wolfgang Knoll, Anton Plimon (Editors): „Discussing Technology. Cybersecurity.”
Photo: AIT/Verlag Holzhausen
Verlag Holzhausen 2019.
The Alpbach 2019 Technology Talks Yearbook addresses many aspects of cybersecurity as well as the rela tionship between security and free dom. For, just as in the transition from the agricultural to the indust rial age, the digital age brings about change in all areas of life – but to an even greater extent and at a bre athtaking pace. The transformati on raises many questions that have yet to be solved; ethical and legal as well as ecological, economic, social and political. Added to this are new threats from the cyberworld: Whi le overall crime is declining (2018: decrease by 7.4 percent to 472,981 complaints), the number of cy bercrime offenses is growing (2018: increase by 16.8 percent to 19,627 complaints). Changes and new risks create insecurity, worries and fears. The growing feeling of insecurity is prone to fall victim to being exploited by political factions. Besides current dangers and trends, the wide area of security research is highlighted as a priority. Exciting state-of-the-art top-level reading pleasure!
23–25 SEPTEMBER 2019 // AAL FORUM AIT is presenting solutions from the field of Active and Assisted Living. Location: Denmark AIT contact: Markus Garschall Info: www.aalforum.eu/ 26–27 SEPTEMBER 2019 // BAUDY NAMIK TAGUNG Conference for Building Dynamics Location: Innsbruck AIT contact: Alois Vorwagner Info: www.oge.or.at/files/d-a-ch2019. html 8–10 OCTOBER 2019 // IT-SA Expert event on trends in IT security Location: Nuremberg AIT contact: Michael Mürling Info: www.it-sa.de/en 14–15 OCTOBER 2019 // COMFOREN 2019 Tools for digital network planning Location: Am Kahlenberg / Vienna AIT contact: Friederich Kupzog Info: www.comforen.org/
Location: Basel AIT contact: Angela Sessitsch Info: www.abim.ch 12–14 NOVEMBER 2019 // EUROPEAN UTILITY WEEK Trade fair for the Utilities Industry Location: Paris AIT contact: Antony Zegers Info: www.european-utility-week.com 14–15 NOVEMBER 2019 // A3PS CON FERENCE Concepts for a carbon-neutral future Location: STRABAG Art Forum, Wien AIT contact: Helmut Oberguggenberger Info: www.a3ps.at/konferenz/eco-mobility-2019 18–21 NOVEMBER 2019 // MEDICA Fair for the medical industry Location: Düsseldorf AIT contact: Martin Jung Info: www.medica.de 19–21 NOVEMBER 2019 // SMART CITY EXPO Urban development of the future Location: Barcelona AIT contact: Ghazal Etminan Info: www.smartcityexpo.com 2–5 DECEMBER 2019 // MICROPE Microbe-Assisted Crop Production from basic research to application Location: Schönbrunn Palace/Vienna AIT contact: Angela Sessitsch Info: www.micrope.org
18 OCTOBER 2019 // GIRLS! TECH UP Young women in electrical engineering Location: Haus der Ingenieure, Vienna AIT contact: Michael Mürling Info: www.ove.at
10–11 DECEMBER 2019 // FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION WORLD CONFERENCE AIT is represented with a booth. Location: Vienna AIT contact: Florian Hainz Info: www.thefutureoftransportconference.com/en/
21–23 OCTOBER 2019 // ABIM Platform for the Biocontrol Industry
YOUR CONTACT AT AIT: FIRST NAME.SURNAME@AIT.AC.AT
TOMORROWTODAY 14
WITH SINFONIES TO A DECARBONISED INDUSTRY The objective of the Paris Climate Conference to limit the average increase in global temperature to below 2°C and, at the same time, to minimize greenhouse gas emissions requires ambitious measures. A key point is the drastic reduction of the primary energy requirement in industrial processes. In the course of statutory energy audits, energy flows are recorded in a standardized manner and potentials for improvement are identified. The collected data often makes it possible to indicate room for improvement through the integration of heat exchangers, storage systems for time decoupling, heat pumps (upgrading of waste heat and Power2Heat) or solar thermal energy. Our scientific paper moves within an area of conflict between mathematical optimization models and the depiction of the real operating behaviour of industrial plants. We have developed a model that is able to show both sides in an integrated way, creating a solid basis for decision-making for new investments and adjustments.
MATHEMATICAL OPTIMIZATION MODELS AS A BASIS IN PRODUCTION ANALYSIS The pinch analysis is a commonly used approach for identifying heat recovery potentials and designing heat exchanger networks. It also allows to identify those temperature levels at which heat or cold must be provided. While the necessary energy input is potentially minimized in doing so, the costeffectiveness of the solution found is not directly taken into account. To compensate for this disadvantage, mathematical optimization models and algorithms are used to calculate the cost-optimal solutions. The prerequisite for this is the mathematically precise formulation of a corresponding cost function which is optimized under sensibly selected limitations. However, mathematical optimization models usually only represent one subsystem of a production. A so-called unit com-
Scientific Paper
René Hofmann, Thematic Coordinator Efficiency in Industrial Processes and Systems, AIT Center The approach developed by AIT and TU Wien
for Energy; and TU Wien, Institute
makes it possible to model the real opera-
for Energy Systems and Ther-
ting behaviour of industrial plants.
modynamics, Head of Research Group Industrial Energy Systems
mitment formulation allows for finding e.g. the optimal operation of existing energy supply systems. Technical restrictions such as maximum and minimum power, maximum load change speed, travel times and costs for cold and warm start-up, or minimum run times are taken into account in the course of it. Storage devices and heat pumps are displayed for the optimized design of heat exchanger networks for heat recovery. The integration of thermal energy storage devices has great potential, especially in batch processes, to maximize flexibility as well as to respond to changing market requirements.
Photos: Shutterstock, Foto Wilke
CHALLENGE: ILLUSTRATION OF THE REAL OPERATING BEHAVIOUR The publication [1] is specifically concerned with how operating conditions of existing power supply units (i.e. ramp limitations, fuel efficiencies) can be taken into account in the optimization of heat exchanger networks and thermal storage devices. The approach thus developed makes it possible to take into account the real operating behaviour of industrial plants. Mixed-integer optimization models are used to cost-effectively design the heat exchanger network in the industrial process while integrating thermal storage devices into the system. Technological limits, such as possible load ramps but also partial load operation of steam generators, are integrated into the optimization model as inequality restrictions. The complexity of these optimization model solutions depends on the size and complexity of the industrial process. This is why meaningful linearizations that help to achieve more sensible solutions faster have been used. This combined approach has allowed to demonstrate significant potentials for improvement on an economic and energetic level in comparison to the individual optimization approaches. For example, if heat recovery is first optimized in the process without taking into account any load changes in the steam generator, the recovery potential cannot be fully exploited.
Because excess steam is temporarily produced in the mean– time until steam output is throttled accordingly. If these technological limitations are represented directly in the model, solutions can be found which are more costeffective and thus have shorter payback periods. On the other hand, uncertainties and risks for new investments and adjustments of the process can thus be avoided or at least reduced. The research project SINFONIES stands for Sustainability IN Flexibly Operated reNewable Industrial Energy Systems and focuses exactly on the possibilities of optimizing potentials for heat recovery in industrial processes, flexibilities, and production processes. [1] R. Hofmann, S. Panuschka, A. Beck: „A simultaneous optimization approach for efficiency measures regarding design and operation of industrial energy systems“; Computers & Chemical Engineering (invited), 128 (2019), p. 246–260. SINFONIES - Sustainability IN Flexibly Operated reNewable Industrial Energy Systems, Energy research programme, 5th call for papers, fundamental research project, grant number: 871673, (Lead TU Wien, Partner AIT).
PUBLICATIONS
ALTERNATIVE RUN TIME VERIFICATION
THE DIVERSITY OF USERS DECIDES
BACKSHORING IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF PRICE
Runtime verification (RV) is a pragmatic and scalable, yet rigorous technique, to assess the correctness of complex systems, including cyber-physical systems (CPS). Modern RV tools also allow to measure the distance of a CPS behavior from a given formal requirement, thus, to quantify the robustness of a CPS with respect to perturbations caused by the physical environment. In this paper we propose Algebraic Runtime Verification (ARV), a general, semantic framework for correctness and robustness monitoring. ARV implements an abstract monitoring procedure, in which the specification language can be instantiated with various qualitative and quantitative semantics. This allows us to expose the core aspects of RV, by separating the monitoring algorithm from the concrete choice of the specification language and its semantics.
In terms of human-computer interac– tion (HCI), awareness of the relevance of user diversity is increasing. In this paper, it was analysed whether the articulated demand for more diversity-sensitive research has actually led to a greater emphasis on diversity in HCI research. Based on a comprehensive collection of diversity dimensions, the results of a quantitative content analysis of articles adopted in the Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2006, 2011, and 2016 are being presented. Those dimensions that have received less attention so far are highlighted. The aim is to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of diversity that supports diversitysensitive research in HCI.
This paper examines the backshoring of overseas production activities to the countries of origin of European companies with a data set comprising about 3,300 companies. Between three and seven percent of all companies relocated their production to Austria between 2013 and 2015. The results show that the most common reason for backshoring is the lack of quality of goods produced at foreign sites, followed by loss of flexibility and high transporting costs. Quality concerns are particularly important for companies relocating production from Asia or South America. Backshoring is still rare at the moment, but an increase is expected in the future with the increasing diffusion of Industry 4.0.
S. Jaksic, E. Bartocci, R. Grosu, D. Nickovic: “An Algebraic Framework for Runtime Verification.” IEEE Trans. on CAD of Integrated Circuits and Systems 37(11): 2233–2243 (2018).
J. Himmelsbach, S. Schwarz, C. Gerdenitsch, B. Wais-Zechmann, J. Bobeth, M. Tscheligi: “Do We Care About Diversity in Human Computer Interaction: A Comprehensive Content Analysis on Diversity Dimensions in Research.” CHI 2019, May 4–9, 2019, Glasgow, Scotland UK.
B. Dachs, S. Kinkel, A. Jäger, I. Palcic: „Backshoring of production activities in European manufacturing“; Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, Volume 25, Issue 2 (2019).
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