Defining the location factors of new manufacturing site in chemical industry

The objective of this thesis is to examine the factors that have an impact on the location decision of new manufacturing site and to create the relative order of importance of these factors by analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The decision making process especially related to the location selection and the measurement of the location factors are also examined. In theoretical part the character of decision making process and the relevant methods are introduced. Based on the previous studies of other researchers, the location factors are examined and the main research method, analytic hierarchy process, is also introduced. The empirical part of the study mainly follows the phases of decision making process and is emphasized on the main stages of analytic hierarchy process; building the hierarchy, defining the priorities and analyzing the results. The hierarchy is constructed from seven main criteria which all have several sub criteria. The evaluation of the hierarchy is implemented at the group decision making –laboratory and there can be seen significant differences between the importance of criteria. The final stage in the study is to create the appropriate measurement scales to the chosen criteria.

Planning and ramping up a new SW Testing site

During recent years, mobile phone markets have changed significantly. Asian markets have become vital for the manufacturers with their millions of end users and multiple major mobile network operators. This has resulted in software development as global companies have research and development sites running in multiple locations, including Asia. The reasons behind this are not only in reducing labor costs but also in capitalizing on the local knowledge and knowhow. A ramp-up site has multiple effects in the software development and software release activities. This thesis focuses on representing the importance of software testing as part of software development process and highlighting issues that need to be considered during ramp-up activities. In addition this work tries to emphasize the importance of communication between parties and information gathering prior to setting up the ramp-up site. The output of this thesis was successful software testing site ramp-up within the set time limits. The quality of software testing work was assured and the ramp-up -project requirements were achieved.

The Contribution of Mobile Device Manufacturers’ Site Usage to Brand Satisfaction and Loyalty

Recently most of the mobile phone manufacturer companies started to pay extra attention to their websites. This research investigates the sources of value creation on the mobile phone manufacturers’ website and the affect visiting the manufacturers’ website has on brand loyalty and brand satisfaction. The results show a correlation between positive website usage experience, brand loyalty and brand satisfaction. Moreover there is a relation between Novelty, Efficiency, Lock-in and the perceived usefulness the manufacturers’ website has on the mobile phone device. And finally the main reason behind Finnish student’s mobile phone brand loyalty is its country of origin.

Utilization of a Time Domain Simulator in the Technical and Economic Analysis of a Wind Turbine Electric Drive Train

The amount of installed wind power has been growing exponentially during the past ten years. As wind turbines have become a significant source of electrical energy, the interactions between the turbines and the electric power network need to be studied more thoroughly than before. Especially, the behavior of the turbines in fault situations is of prime importance; simply disconnecting all wind turbines from the network during a voltage drop is no longer acceptable, since this would contribute to a total network collapse. These requirements have been a contributor to the increased role of simulations in the study and design of the electric drive train of a wind turbine. When planning a wind power investment, the selection of the site and the turbine are crucial for the economic feasibility of the installation. Economic feasibility, on the other hand, is the factor that determines whether or not investment in wind power will continue, contributing to green electricity production and reduction of emissions. In the selection of the installation site and the turbine (siting and site matching), the properties of the electric drive train of the planned turbine have so far been generally not been taken into account. Additionally, although the loss minimization of some of the individual components of the drive train has been studied, the drive train as a whole has received less attention. Furthermore, as a wind turbine will typically operate at a power level lower than the nominal most of the time, efficiency analysis in the nominal operating point is not sufficient. This doctoral dissertation attempts to combine the two aforementioned areas of interest by studying the applicability of time domain simulations in the analysis of the economicfeasibility of a wind turbine. The utilization of a general-purpose time domain simulator, otherwise applied to the study of network interactions and control systems, in the economic analysis of the wind energy conversion system is studied. The main benefits of the simulation-based method over traditional methods based on analytic calculation of losses include the ability to reuse and recombine existing models, the ability to analyze interactions between the components and subsystems in the electric drive train (something which is impossible when considering different subsystems as independent blocks, as is commonly done in theanalytical calculation of efficiencies), the ability to analyze in a rather straightforward manner the effect of selections other than physical components, for example control algorithms, and the ability to verify assumptions of the effects of a particular design change on the efficiency of the whole system. Based on the work, it can be concluded that differences between two configurations can be seen in the economic performance with only minor modifications to the simulation models used in the network interaction and control method study. This eliminates the need ofdeveloping analytic expressions for losses and enables the study of the system as a whole instead of modeling it as series connection of independent blocks with no lossinterdependencies. Three example cases (site matching, component selection, control principle selection) are provided to illustrate the usage of the approach and analyze its performance.

Tuotannon tunnuslukujen analysointi ja kehittäminen kourukoneilla

Sisäisen suorituskyvyn tehostaminen on yrityksille jatkuvan kehityksen prosessi. Diplomityön tarkoituksena oli selvittää Paroc Oy Ab:n kourukoneiden suorituskykymittarit sekä analysoida ja kehittää niitä. Lisäksi selvitettiin suorituskykyä kuvaavat raporttimallit eri tuotantopaikkakunnilta ja kehitettiin niitä. Teoriaosuudessa kerrotaan, mitä suorituskyvyllä tarkoitetaan sekä käydään läpi sen eri osa-alueita. Siinä esitetään myös suorituskyvyn mittaamista sekä kuinka mittareita suunnitellaan ja rakennetaan. Työn painopiste on kuitenkin empiirisessä osuudessa, jossa ensin kerrotaan työn kohteena olevien kourukoneiden tuotantoprosessi ja tämän jälkeen paneudutaan suorituskykymittareihin ja niiden analysointiin sekä raporttimalleihin. Lopuksi esitetään työn aikana esille nousseita kehitysehdotuksia. Tunnuslukujen selvittämisen tuloksena havaittiin, että kirjallisuus tukee käytössä olevia mittareita. Työssä kerättiin tuotantodataa kourukoneilta usean vuoden aikajaksolta. Datasta valmisteltiin mallit, joita käytettiin mittarien analysointiin. Analysoinnin tuloksena kävi ilmi, että mittarien tarjoama tieto oli joiltakin osin puutteellista ja näin ollen päätöksentekijälle harhaanjohtavaa. Raporttimallit eivät olleet yhtenäisiä paikkakuntien välillä, mikä toi epävarmuutta tuloksiin laskentaperiaatteiden osalta. Työn lopputuloksena tehtiin käytössä oleville suorituskykymittareille kehitysehdotuksia tarkemman ja laadukkaamman tiedon takaamiseksi. Työssä esitettiin myös uusia mittariehdotuksia. Raporttimallit yhtenäistettiin uuden tuotannonohjausjärjestelmän tuomien mahdollisuuksien myötä.

Membrane emulsification in preparation of single site catalyst

In the theory part the membrane emulsification was studied. Emulsions are used in many industrial areas. Traditionally emulsions are prepared by using high shear in rotor-stator systems or in high pressure homogenizer systems. In membrane emulsification two immiscible liquids are mixed by pressuring one liquid through the membrane into the other liquid. With this technique energy could be saved, more homogeneous droplets could be formed and the amount of surfactant could be decreased. Ziegler-Natta and single-site catalysts are used in olefin polymerization processes. Nowadays, these catalysts are prepared according to traditional mixing emulsification. More homogeneous catalyst particles that have narrower particle size distribution might be prepared with membrane emulsification. The aim of the experimental part was to examine the possibility to prepare single site polypropylene catalyst using membrane emulsification technique. Different membrane materials and solidification techniques of the emulsion were examined. Also the toluene-PFC phase diagram was successfully measured during this thesis work. This phase diagram was used for process optimization. The polytetrafluoroethylene membranes had the largest contact angles with toluene and also the biggest difference between the contact angles measured with PFC and toluene. Despite of the contact angle measurement results no significant difference was noticed between particles prepared using PTFE membrane or metal sinter. The particle size distributions of catalyst prepared in these tests were quite wide. This would probably be fixed by using a membrane with a more homogeneous pore size distribution. It is also possible that the solidification rate has an effect on the particle sizes and particle morphology. When polymeric membranes are compared PTFE is probably still the best material for the process as it had the best chemical durability.

Kokemäenjoen suiston kehitys, maaperämuodostumat ja niiden kemialliset piirteet

Suurelta osin Natura-alueeseen kuuluvan Kokemäenjoen suistoalueen kuivan maan ja suiston edustan vesialueen erityyppisten maaperäkerrostumien kerrosjärjestys ja alueellinen jakautuminen selvitettiin pintamaaperän kartoituksella, tutkimuskaivannoilla ja kairauksella. Suiston kerrostumat luokiteltiin viiteen maaperämuodostumaan. Vanhimmasta nuorimpaan, Toukari, Vainio-Mattila, Hevosluoto, Lanajuopa ja Säikkä muodostumaan. Nämä edustavat vanhoja Itämeren altaan ja nuorempia merelle päin etenevän suiston eri osien kerrostumisympäristöjä. Eri muodostumien fysikaaliset ja kemialliset ominaisuudet kuvattiin ja ne eroavat luonteeltaan ratkaisevasti toisistaan. Suiston etenemistä edustavat Hevosluoto- ja Säikkä-muodostumat ovat kontaminoituneet 1900-luvun alkupuolelta lähtien yhä voimakkaammin ihmistoiminnasta kertyvistä raskasmetallipitoisuuksista ja orgaanisista haitta-aineista. Tämä näkyy erityisesti elohopean, kadmiumin, arseenin, lyijyn, sinkin, nikkelin, dioksiinien ja furaanien kokonaispitoisuuksien kasvuna näissä muodostumissa. Pitoisuudet ovat suurimpia muodostumien nuorimmissa osissa. Kuivalla maalla raskasmetallipitoisuudet ylittävät paikoin valtioneuvoston pilaantuneelle maaperälle asettamat kynnysarvot, jolloin säädökset on huomioitava suiston maaperää muokattaessa. Vesialueella nämä kynnysarvot ylittyvät myös orgaanisten haitta-aineiden osalta. Tietyin osin ovat esimerkiksi arseenin ja nikkelin osalta taustapitoisuudet suistoalueen vanhimmassa Toukari muodostumassa jo luontaisesti kynnysarvoja suuremmat. Tämä pitää osata ottaa huomioon maansiirtotoimenpiteitä suunniteltaessa. Suistoon kerrostuvan maa-aineksen ja nopean maankohoamisen vuoksi suisto etenee nykyisin 30-40 m vuodessa merialueelle päin. Tämä mataloittaa vääjäämättömästi suiston edustan vesialueita kerrostumisen siirtyessä merelle päin. Näin myös Natura-alueen ainutlaatuiset biotoopit vähitellen siirtyvät merelle päin.

Testate amoebae (thecamoebians) as indicators of aquatic mine impact

The environmental impacts of a single mine often remain local, but acidic and metal-rich acid mine drainage (AMD) from the waste materials may pose a serious threat to adjacent surface waters and their ecosystems. Testate amoebae (thecamoebian) analysis was used together with lake sediment geochemistry to study and evaluate the ecological effects of sulphidic metal mines on aquatic environments. Three different mines were included in the study: Luikonlahti Cu-mine in Kaavi, eastern Finland, Haveri Cu-Au mine in Ylöjärvi, southern Finland and Pyhäsalmi Zn-Cu-S mine in Pyhäjärvi, central Finland. Luikonlahti and Haveri are closed mines, but Pyhäsalmi is still operating. The sampling strategy was case specific, and planned to provide a representative sediment sample series to define natural background conditions, to detect spatial and temporal variations in mine impacts, to evaluate the possible recovery after the peak contamination, and to distinguish the effects of other environmental factors from the mining impacts. In the Haveri case, diatom analyses were performed alongside thecamoebian analysis to evaluate the similarities and differences between the two proxies. The results of the analyses were investigated with multivariate methods (direct and indirect ordinations, diversity and distance measure indices). Finally, the results of each case study were harmonized, pooled, and jointly analyzed to summarize the results for this dissertation. Geochemical results showed broadly similar temporal patterns in each case. Concentrations of ions in the pre-disturbance samples defined the natural baseline against which other results were compared. The beginning of the mining activities had only minor impacts on sediment geochemistry, mainly appearing as an increased clastic input into the lakes at Haveri and Pyhäsalmi. The active mining phase was followed by the metallic contamination and, subsequently, by the most recent change towards decreased but still elevated metal concentrations in the sediments. Because of the delay in the oxidation of waste material and formation of AMD, the most intense, but transient metal contamination phase occurred in the post-mining period at Luikonlahti and Haveri. At Pyhäsalmi, the highest metal contamination preceded effluent mitigation actions. Spatial gradients were observed besides the temporal evolution in both the pre-disturbance and mine-impacted samples from Luikonlahti and Pyhäsalmi. The geochemical gradients varied with distance from the main source of contaminants (dispersion and dilution) and with water depth (redox and pH). The spatial extent of the highest metal contamination associated with these mines remained rather limited. At Haveri, the metallic impact was widespread, with the upstream site in another lake basin found to be contaminated. Changes in thecamoebian assemblages corresponded well with the geochemical results. Despite some differences, the general features and ecological responses of the faunal assemblages were rather similar in each lake. Constantly abundant strains of Difflugia oblonga, Difflugia protaeiformis and centropyxids formed the core of these assemblages. Increasing proportions of Cucurbitella tricuspis towards the surface samples were found in all of the cases. The results affirmed the indicator value of some already known indicator forms, but such as C. tricuspis and higher nutrient levels, but also elicited possible new ones such as D. oblonga ‘spinosa’ and clayey substrate, high conductivity and/or alkalinity, D. protaeiformis ‘multicornis’ and pH, water hardness and the amount of clastic material and Centropyxis constricta ‘aerophila’ and high metal and S concentrations. In each case, eutrophication appeared to be the most important environmental factor, masking the effects of other variables. Faunal responses to high metal inputs in sediments remained minor, but were nevertheless detectable. Besides the trophic state of the lake, numerical methods suggested overall geochemical conditions (pH, redox) to be the most important factor at Luikonlahti, whereas the Haveri results showed the clearest connection between metals and amoebae. At Pyhäsalmi, the strongest relationships were found between Ca- and S-rich present loading, redox conditions and substrate composition. Sediment geochemistry and testate amoeba analysis proved to be a suitable combination of methods to detect and describe the aquatic mine impacts in each specific case, to evaluate recovery and to differentiate between the effects of different anthropogenic and natural environmental factors. It was also suggested that aquatic mine impacts can be significantly mitigated by careful design and after-care of the waste facilities, especially by reducing and preventing AMD. The case-specific approach is nevertheless necessary because of the unique characteristics of each mine and variations in the environmental background conditions.

Kompostipiireissä opittua : Eloperäiset jätteet kiertoon -hanke

Kompostien käyttöä on kokeiltu ja tutkittu Kainuun ELY-keskuksen Eloperäiset jätteet kiertoon -hankkeessa. Komposteja on hyödynnetty laskettelurinteen ja kaivosteollisuuden sivukiven läjitysalueen maisemoinnissa, pihanurmen ja energiakasvien kasvattamisessa, metsän lannoittamisessa ja maanviljelyssä. Pihanurmen perustamisen ja energiakasvien kasvattamisen kokeiluista on tehty myös erilliset tutkimukset. Tutkimustyöstä on vastannut MTT (Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus). Tutkimustieto on sisällytetty tähän julkaisuun. Kompostin käyttökokeissa ja tutkimuksissa on hyödynnetty Kainuun kuntien ja Kainuun jätehuollon kuntayhtymän Eko-Kympin komposteja. Kaikki kompostit ovat aumakompostoinnin tuotoksia. Eko-Kympin komposti on valmistettu biojätteistä. Muut kompostit ovat lähtöisin kunnallisten jätevedenpuhdistamoiden lietteistä. Kajaanin kompostia kutsutaan myös A. & E. Juntunen Oy:n valmistamaksi biomullaksi. Saatujen kokemusten ja tutkimusten mukaan aumakompostoinnilla tuotettu komposti soveltuu näihin erilaisiin käyttömuotoihin, etenkin kun esille tulleita kehittämistoimia toteutetaan. Sivukiven läjitysalueiden maisemoinnissa, maanviljelyssä ja metsän lannoittamisessa komposti ei tarvitse kivennäismaata seosaineeksi. Sivukiven läjitysalueilla ne kompostit, joihin oli sekoitettu hiekkaa, eivät pysyneet paikoillaan. Aines valui sadeveden mukana alas rinteeltä. Pelkkää kompostia käytettäessä kompostimassa pysyi aloillaan. Maanviljelyssä ja metsän lannoittamisessa kivennäismaa on tarpeeton. Lisäksi kompostissa oleva kiviaines kuluttaa ja voi vaurioittaa levityslaitteita. Ravinteet vapautuvat kompostista hitaasti kasvien käyttöön. Kemiallisilla lannoitteilla on nopeampi vaikutus. Kompostit soveltuvat erityisen hyvin ympäristöihin, joissa täydennyslannoitusta ei tarvita tai joissa lannoite on vaikeaa levittää. Tällaisia kohteita ovat esimerkiksi kaivosten sivukiven tai rikastushiekan läjitysalueet tai muut vaikeakulkuiset kohteet. Myös metsien lannoittaminen ja maanviljely ovat Kainuussa kompostien hyödyntämisen osalta alihyödynnettyjä. Pöyry Finland Oy on laatinut Kajaaniin kaavaillulle biologiselle jätteiden käsittelylaitokselle teknistaloudelliset suunnitelmat. Yhtiön tekemissä suunnitelmissa tulee ilmi, että kaikkien Kainuun lietteiden aumakompostointi tuottaisi kompostia 13 000 tonnia vuodessa, kun tukiaine seulotaan erilleen. Mädätys- tai biokaasulaitosvaihtoehdoissa lopputuotteen määrä on edellistä pienempi. Pelkkien Kainuun lietteiden mädättäminen tuottaisi kompostia jälkikompostin seulonnan jälkeen 6 600 tonnia. Viherrakentaminen taajamissa on komposteille Kainuussa yleinen käyttömuoto. Sillä on kasvun edellytyksiä etenkin, kun kompostin laatuun panostetaan. Viherrakentaminen Kajaanin seudulla riittäisi kuluttamaan kaiken Kainuussa muodostuvan kompostin, kun kompostimullan kulutuksena pidetään 0,5 tonnia asukasta kohden vuodessa. Tämä vastaa Kajaanin seudulla 27 000 tonnin kompostimäärää. Kompostin muodostumismäärä ei tulevaisuudessa tule olemaan lähellä tätä laskennallista multamenekkiä. Kompostin huono menekki johtuu joidenkin kuntien osalta pikemminkin huonosta kompostin laadusta kuin markkinoiden kyllästymisestä. Tilanne on korjaantumassa suunnitteilla olevan biologisen jätteiden käsittelylaitoksen myötä. Siinä kompostituotteen laatuun voidaan panostaa tehokkaammin kuin erillisillä pienillä kompostointikentillä.

Sorbent characterization for circulating fluidized bed scrubbers

Harmful sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from power plants have increasingly been restricted since the 1970’s. Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) scrubber is a dry flue gas desulfurization method of absorbing SO2 out of the flue gas with sorbent. In current commercial plants, the used sorbent is commercial or on-site hydrated calcium hydroxide. The CFB scrubber process is characterized by a close but adequate approach to the flue gas saturation temperature that is achieved by spraying water to the absorber followed by a particulate control device. Very high SO2 removal is achieved along with a dry byproduct that is continuously recirculated back to the absorber for enhanced sorbent utilization. The aim of this work is to develop a method that would characterize the reactivity of sorbents used in CFB scrubbers and to conclude how different process parameters and sorbent properties affect the sulfur absorption. The developed characterization method is based on a fixed bed of sorbent and inert silica sand, through which an SO2 containing gas mixture is led. The reaction occurs in the bed and the SO2 concentration in the outlet as a function of time, a breakthrough curve, is obtained from the analyzer. Reactivity of the sorbents are evaluated by the absorbed sulfur amount. Results suggest that out of process parameters, lower SO2 concentration, lower temperature and higher moisture content enhance the desulfurization. Between different sorbents, specific surface area seems to be the most significant parameter. Large surface area linearly leads to more efficient desulfurization. Overall, the solid conversion levels in the tests were very low creating uncertainty to the validity of the results. New desing is being planned to overcome the problems of the device.

Map illustrating the site of the harbours for the proposed Obi-railway : the soundings are all calculated in feet and are based upon the data of the Russian Marine Ministry : the underlined figures are soundings taken by the scooner Bakan, 1887

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Developing construction site operations for EPC power plant projects

The purpose of this thesis is to find development areas for site operations in power plant construction projects delivered by Wärtsilä. The inspected operations are subcontractor management, site material management and work scheduling. The contractor's role in EPC project is to respond for engineering, procurement, and construction supervision. Geographical and cultural differences brings challenges for finding development areas as Wärtsilä delivers projects world-wide. Searching for development area is mainly made with survey, which answers were collected from the target company's site personnel. Based on the results, with good planning and preparation various problems would be avoided. An external view for the thesis was collected by an expert interview, which was held to three expe-rienced construction operating executives. Interviewees believed that with the se-lection of right site personnel and clearly defined areas of responsibility will great-ly affect the outcome of the project. Some of the theory has been collected from areas, which have helped to under-stand the inspected operations on site. Improving competence knowledge has been important due to the broad scope of work and the author’s inexperience of the topic. Also generally effective practices from construction projects has been col-lected to the theory part. Functionality of general practices have been reflected together with the results of empirically collected data for Wärtsilä's projects. As a result, a model was generated where development proposals and the benefits from new procedures were presented.

Excavation-drier method of energy-peat extraction reduces long-term climatic impact

Climatic impacts of energy-peat extraction are of increasing concern due to EU emissions trading requirements. A new excavation-drier peat extraction method has been developed to reduce the climatic impact and increase the efficiency of peat extraction. To quantify and compare the soil GHG fluxes of the excavation drier and the traditional milling methods, as well as the areas from which the energy peat is planned to be extracted in the future (extraction reserve area types), soil CO2, CH4 and N2O fluxes were measured during 2006–2007 at three sites in Finland. Within each site, fluxes were measured from drained extraction reserve areas, extraction fields and stockpiles of both methods and additionally from the biomass driers of the excavation-drier method. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), described at a principal level in ISO Standards 14040:2006 and 14044:2006, was used to assess the long-term (100 years) climatic impact from peatland utilisation with respect to land use and energy production chains where utilisation of coal was replaced with peat. Coal was used as a reference since in many cases peat and coal can replace each other in same power plants. According to this study, the peat extraction method used was of lesser significance than the extraction reserve area type in regards to the climatic impact. However, the excavation-drier method seems to cause a slightly reduced climatic impact as compared with the prevailing milling method.