Reducing emissions through speed optimization in supply vessel operations

This paper examines how optimizing sailing speeds can reduce supply vessels emissions in the upstream supply chain to offshore installations. We introduce several speed optimization strategies to be used in construction of periodic vessel schedules. The strategies consider vessel waiting times before the start of service at installations and at supply base. Tests carried out on real instances from Statoil’s activities on the Norwegian continental shelf indicate that a 25% emissions and fuel cost reductions can be achieved without fleet size increase.     

Why new technologies cannot radically improve the quality of urban transportation

In recent years a great deal of time and effort has been expended on the development of new modes of transport for cities. It is argued in this paper that this work is unlikely to be very productive because the major remaining flaw in the provision of transportation services—the inability of one mode to provide a good service to concentrated and dispersed trip ends—seems unavoidable. To make the required breakthrough a new mode must be frugal in its demands for space, flexible in its operation and fast. But an analysis of the performance of existing and prototype modes suggest that there is a fundamental technological barrier that precludes any one mode from performing well in more than two out of these three ways. This implies that any further improvements in travel for the urbanite must be made through existing modes and their derivatives and will be quite limited. It also suggests that the only possible way of substantially improving urban transportation is to build or rebuild towns so that one of the important mode attributes mentioned above is rendered superfluous.     

Life cycle assessment of High Speed Rail in China

China has built the world’s largest High Speed Rail (HSR) network. Its environmental impacts have been examined by the means of life cycle assessment (LCA) which describes the whole picture of the HSR system instead of single stages, with a case study for the high-speed railway that links Beijing and Shanghai. The research employs the China-specific life cycle inventory database Chinese Core Life Cycle Database (CLCD). Vehicle operation dominates most impact categories, while vehicle manufacturing/maintenance/disposal and infrastructure construction contribute mostly to mineral consumption (43% and 38%) and organic compounds in water (54% for infrastructure construction). Several scenarios are developed to explore effects of changes in HSR development, utilization, electricity mix, and infrastructure planning and construction. Suggestions are provided for improving the life cycle environmental performance of China’s HSR systems.     

On two speed optimization problems for ships that sail in and out of emission control areas

This paper deals with two speed optimization problems for ships that sail in and out of Emission Control Areas (ECAs) with strict limits on sulfur emissions. For ships crossing in and out of ECAs, such as deep-sea vessels, one of the common options for complying with these limits is to burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) outside the ECA and switch to low-sulfur fuel such as marine gas oil (MGO) inside the ECA. As the prices of these two fuels are generally very different, so may be the speeds that the ship will sail at outside and inside the ECA. The first optimization problem examined by the paper considers an extension of the model of Ronen (1982) in which ship speeds both inside and outside the ECA are optimized. The second problem is called the ECA refraction problem, due to its conceptual similarity with the refraction problem when light travels across two different media, and also involves optimizing the point at which the ship crosses the ECA boundary. In both cases the objective of the problem is to maximize daily profit. In addition to mathematical formulations, examples and sensitivity analyses are presented for both problems.     

Effectiveness of graphic-aided portable changeable message signs in reducing vehicle speeds in highway work zones

Portable changeable message signs (PCMSs) have been employed in highway work zones as a temporary traffic control device for decades in the United States. Results of previous research showed that the traditional text-based PCMS had several limitations, such as having a short range of legibility and being difficult to read by elderly and non-English-speaking drivers. A few simulation studies indicated that using graphic-aided PCMSs could likely overcome these limitations. This paper presents the results of field experiments that were conducted to determine the effectiveness of graphic-aided PCMS in reducing vehicle speeds in the upstream of highway work zones. In field experiment Phase I, a full-matrix PCMS was programmed to display a work zone graphic and a flagger graphic, which were similar to the W21-1 sign and W20-7 sign, respectively, specified by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. In field experiment Phase II, the PCMS was programmed to display two alternative work zone graphics along with the original work zone graphic. 1115 and 1600 valid vehicle speed data were collected during field experiments Phase I and Phase II, respectively. The results of data analysis suggested that graphic-aided PCMSs reduced mean vehicle speeds between 13% and 17% in the upstream of a work zone. This study provided valuable knowledge to government agencies and the transportation industry on how to regulate and implement graphic-aided PCMS in highway work zones.     

基于中观仿真的城市快速路速度诱导控制模型研究

利用中观交通流模型对城市快速路瞬时交通量进行预测,并在此基础上对车辆进行速度诱导控制,建立了以车辆总行程时间为目标函数的诱导优化模型,并利用C++实现了该模型.最后以上海南北高架南段西线为例建立了仿真场景,进行模型的参数标定与校验.通过统计分析与物理特性分析:速度诱导控制后,速度方差与均方差均有显著下降,说明速度诱导控制后,降低了路段上交通流的整体速度差异,提高了交通安全性.     

Light duty gasoline vehicle emission factors at high transient and constant speeds for short road segments

Vehicle emissions estimates are needed at high spatial and temporal resolution to estimate near-roadway air quality and human exposures. The MOBILE6 emission factor model is based on transient test cycles of less than 65 mph. Correction factors for high speed and constant speed are developed based on vehicle-specific power-based modal models for light duty gasoline vehicles, using data from portable emission measurement systems. At 80 mph versus 65 mph, the estimated average emission rates are greater by 30%, 20%, 80%, and 10% for NO_x, HC, CO, and CO₂. The ratio of constant to average of transient speed emission rates range from 0.49 to 0.94 for NO_x at speeds of 20 mph and 80 mph. The high speed and constant speed correction factors are applied to estimate vehicle emissions for a freeway segment that includes vehicle cruising speeds between 65 and 80 mph. The potential error for not accounting for constant speed operation on a short segment of highway could be 49% at moderate speed and 24% at high speed.     

基于试验场道路的变速器台架载荷谱研究

通过实车采集试验样车在试验场道路上行驶时的CAN BUS数据,可直接获得发动机转速、扭矩和档位等信号;把传统的载荷-时间频次关系,转变为载荷-发动机飞轮旋转频次关系,同时记录各载荷等级对应的各个挡位的频次,这样可获得在各个档位下,不同载荷等级对应转速区间内的飞轮旋转频次,根据齿轮材料的S-N曲线和疲劳累积Miner理论,计算出各档位的疲劳强度,然后基本疲劳损伤等效原理选取各档位下产生较大疲劳强度的扭矩和转速,作为台架试验输入的载荷和转速,可有效避免载荷和转速选取的盲目性,为科学的制定台架试验载荷谱提供了依据。     

多工况机械的复合调速系统

以高位垃圾车后部进料机构为例,阐述了一种复合调速系统,此系统与多工况机械之间具有良好的匹配性和自动跟随性,机械在多种工况变化过程中可以自动实现"要快即快、要慢即慢"的作业效果。该系统体积小、集成度高、可靠性好,通过速度可变量调节,实现宽调速范围特性,系统拓展应用性好,为专用汽车多工况机械装置的设计提供了一种调速控制方法的技术借鉴。     

京九线南昌西至南昌站间信号显示方案及限速的建议

针对京九线南昌西至南昌站间距较短、相邻信号机间距不满足相应制动距离的要求,现通过计算提出其信号显示方案及限速的建议。