Evaluation of reed canary grass for different end-uses and in breeding

Selostus: Ruokohelven soveltuvuus non-food-, rehun- ja siementuotantoon

Impingement jet cooling of end windings in a high-speed electric machine

The rotational speed of high-speed electric machines is over 15 000 rpm. These machines are compact in size when compared to the power rate. As a consequence, the heat fluxes are at a high level and the adequacy of cooling becomes an important design criterion. In the high-speed machines, the air gap between the stator and rotor is a narrow flow channel. The cooling air is produced with a fan and the flow is then directed to the air gap. The flow in the gap does not provide sufficient cooling for the stator end windings, and therefore additional cooling is required. This study investigates the heat transfer and flow fields around the coil end windings when cooling jets are used. As a result, an innovative and new assembly is introduced for the cooling jets, with the benefits of a reduced amount of hot spots, a lower pressure drop, and hence a lower power need for the cooling fan. The gained information can also be applied to improve the cooling of electric machines through geometry modifications. The objective of the research is to determine the locations of the hot spots and to find out induced pressure losses with different jet alternatives. Several possibilities to arrange the extra cooling are considered. In the suggested approach cooling is provided by using a row of air jets. The air jets have three main tasks: to cool the coils effectively by direct impingement jets, to increase and cool down the flow that enters the coil end space through the air gap, and to ensure the correct distribution of the flow by forming an air curtain with additional jets. One important aim of this study is the arrangement of cooling jets in such manner that hot spots can be avoided to wide extent. This enables higher power density in high-speed motors. This cooling system can also be applied to the ordinary electric machines when efficient cooling is needed. The numerical calculations have been performed using a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software. Two geometries have been generated: cylindrical for the studied machine and Cartesian for the experimental model. The main parameters include the positions, arrangements and number of jets, the jet diameters, and the jet velocities. The investigated cases have been tested with two widely used turbulence models and using a computational grid of over 500 000 cells. The experimental tests have been made by using a simplified model for the end winding space with cooling jets. In the experiments, an emphasis has been given to flow visualisation. The computational analysis shows good agreement with the experimental results. Modelling of the cooling jet arrangement enables also a better understanding of the complex system of heat transfer at end winding space.

End-to-end Availability ofCritical Applications

Diplomityön tavoitteena on määrittää case-yritykselle IT sovellusten käytettävyyden mittarit ja mittausprosessit, kartoittaa markkinoilla tarjollaolevien mittaustyökalujen mahdollisuuksia ja antaa suositus yrityksen tarpeisiin sopivimmista työkaluista. Aluksi työssä tutustutaan yleisesti sovellusten käytettävyyteen, sekä erityisesti sen mittaamiseen ja hallintaan. Case-yrityksen ulkoistettujen tietotekniikkapalveluiden johdosta tarkastelu keskittyy pääosin sovellusten monitorointiin, käytettävyyden hallintaan palveluntasosopimuksilla ja mittausprosesseihin. Lisäksi tutkitaan eri mittausmenetelmiä, määritetään yrityksen tarpeita ja tehdään vertailu työkaluista keskittyen toiminnallisiin ja teknisiin ominaisuuksiin. Päästä päähän sovellusten käytettävyyden mittauksen aloittaminen on iso projekti, josta tämä diplomityö kattaa vain osan. Lukuisat vaihtoehdot ovat harkittava tarkkaan liiketoiminnan kannalta parhaan hyödyn löytämiseksi.

Stability Evaluation of a Paper Machine Wet End

Työssä analysoidaanprosessin vaikutusta paperikoneen stabiiliuteen. Kaksi modernia sanomalehtipaperikonetta analysoitiin ja sen perusteella molemmista prosesseista rakennettiin fysiikan lakeihin perustuvat simulointimallit APROS Paper simulointiohjelmistolla. Työn tavoitteena on selvittää, miten kyseisten koneiden prosessit eroavat toisistaan ja arvioida, miten havaitut erot vaikuttavat prosessien stabiiliuteen. Työssä tarkastellaan periodisten häiriöiden vaimenemista prosessissa. Simuloinnissa herätteenä käytettiin puhdasta valkoista kohinaa, jonka avulla eri taajuistenperiodisten häiriöiden vaimenemista analysoitiin. Prosessien häiriövasteet esitetään taajuuskoordinaatistossa. Suurimmat erot prosessien välillä löytyivät viirakaivosta ja sen sekoitusdynamiikasta. Perinteisen viirakaivon todettiin muistuttavan käyttäytymiseltään sarjaan kytkettyjä ideaalisekoittimia, kun taas pienempitilavuuksisen fluumin todettiin käyttäytyvän lähes kuin putkiviive. Vaikka erotprosessitilavuudessa sekä viirakaivon sekoitusdynamiikassa olivat hyvin selkeät, havaittiin vain marginaalinen ero prosessin välillä periodisten häiriöiden vaimenemisessa, koska erot viiraretentiotasoissa vaikuttivat eniten simulointituloksia. Matalammalla viiraretentiolla operoivan paperikoneen todettiin vaimentavan tehokkaammin prosessihäiriöitä. Samalla retentiotasolla pienempitilavuuksisen prosessin todettiin vaimentavan hitaita prosessihäiriöitä marginaalisesti paremmin. Tutkituista paperikoneista toisella simuloitiin viiraosan vedenpoistomuutoksenvaikutusta viiraretentioon ja paperin koostumukseen. Lisäksi arvioitiin viiraretention säädön toimivuutta. Viiraosan listakengän vedenpoiston todettiin aiheuttavan merkittäviä sakeus- ja retentiohäiriöitä, mikäli sen avulla poistettavan kiintoaineen virtaus tuplaantuisi. Viiraretention säädön todettiin estävän häiriöiden kierron prosessissa, mutta siirtävän ne suoraan rainaan. Retention säädön eikuitenkaan todettu olevan suoranainen häiriön lähde.

End User Perspective to ERP Implementation

Toiminnanohjausjärjestelmät ovat oleellinen osa yrityksien liiketoimintaa. Järjestelmän päivittäminen uudempaan versioon tai kokonaan uuden järjestelmän käyttöönotto saattavat yrityksen ydintoiminnot ja prosessit hyvin haavoittuvaiseen asemaan. Järjestelmien kokonaisvaltaisuus yhdessä reaaliaikaisen käyttöönoton kanssa tekevät näistä projekteista erityisen haasteellisia. Tämä pro gradu -tutkielman tapaustutkimuskohteena toimi Andritz Oy. Tapaustutkimuksen tavoitteena oli arvioida kesäkuussa 2005 suoritettua toiminnanohjausjärjestelmän käyttöönottoa ja sitä kuinka hyvin tässä onnistuttiin. Tutkimus toteutettiin loppukäyttäjännäkökulmasta. Loppukäyttäjä omalla työllään voi vaikuttaa miten hyvin järjestelmästä tavoitellut hyödyt pystytään lunastamaan. Tutkimus on laadullinen tapaustutkimus. Tutkimuksessa kiinnitetään huomiota erityisestiprojektitiimin, johdon ja käyttäjien eroaviin näkemyksiin käyttöönoton onnistumisesta.

Closed-End Fund Discount -Case: Norvestia & Neomarkka

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli määrittää, kuinka suljettuja sijoitusrahastoja tulisi arvioida, jotta voitaisiin ymmärtää, miksi suljetut sijoitusrahastot arvostetaanalennuksella suhteessa niiden substanssiarvoon. Aiemmat yritykset selittää suljettujen rahastojen substanssialennusilmiö esitettiin kirjallisuuskatsauksessa. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osio suoritettiin aineistotutkimus- ja kyselytutkimusmenetelmin hyödyntäen suomalaisia suljettuja sijoitusrahastoja Norvestia Oyj:tä ja Neomarkka Oyj:tä. Teoriaosiossa esitettiin, kuinka substanssialennus on kausaalisten tekijöiden ja markkinatunnelman funktio. Suljettu sijoitusrahasto arvostetaanyli tai alle substanssiarvonsa riippuen johdon aiheuttamien kustannusten, heikosti informoitujen sijoittajien ja rahaston ulkoisen epälikviditeetin suhteesta johdon suorituskykyyn, rahaston avaamisen mahdollisuuteen ja sisäisiin likviditeettietuihin. Suomalaiset suljetut sijoitusrahastot arvostetaan alle substanssiarvonsa mahdollisesti johdon heikon suorituskyvyn, sopimuseriarvoisuuden, heikosti informoitujen sijoittajien läsnäolon ja rahaston osakkeiden epälikviditeetin takia.

Are Evaluation of ICTs Investment Using Decision Support Systems:Case Applications from Distributor's and End User's Perspective Group Decision

The evaluation of investments in advanced technology is one of the most important decision making tasks. The importance is even more pronounced considering the huge budget concerning the strategic, economic and analytic justification in order to shorten design and development time. Choosing the most appropriate technology requires an accurate and reliable system that can lead the decision makers to obtain such a complicated task. Currently, several Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) manufacturers that design global products are seeking local firms to act as their sales and services representatives (called distributors) to the end user. At the same time, the end user or customer is also searching for the best possible deal for their investment in ICT's projects. Therefore, the objective of this research is to present a holistic decision support system to assist the decision maker in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - working either as individual decision makers or in a group - in the evaluation of the investment to become an ICT's distributor or an ICT's end user. The model is composed of the Delphi/MAH (Maximising Agreement Heuristic) Analysis, a well-known quantitative method in Group Support System (GSS), which is applied to gather the average ranking data from amongst Decision Makers (DMs). After that the Analytic Network Process (ANP) analysis is brought in to analyse holistically: it performs quantitative and qualitative analysis simultaneously. The illustrative data are obtained from industrial entrepreneurs by using the Group Support System (GSS) laboratory facilities at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland and in Thailand. The result of the research, which is currently implemented in Thailand, can provide benefits to the industry in the evaluation of becoming an ICT's distributor or an ICT's end user, particularly in the assessment of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) programme. After the model is put to test with an in-depth collaboration with industrial entrepreneurs in Finland and Thailand, the sensitivity analysis is also performed to validate the robustness of the model. The contribution of this research is in developing a new approach and the Delphi/MAH software to obtain an analysis of the value of becoming an ERP distributor or end user that is flexible and applicable to entrepreneurs, who are looking for the most appropriate investment to become an ERP distributor or end user. The main advantage of this research over others is that the model can deliver the value of becoming an ERP distributor or end user in a single number which makes it easier for DMs to choose the most appropriate ERP vendor. The associated advantage is that the model can include qualitative data as well as quantitative data, as the results from using quantitative data alone can be misleading and inadequate. There is a need to utilise quantitative and qualitative analysis together, as can be seen from the case studies.

Assessment of critical competences required in managing end-user driven businesses in a global forest products compa

Työn pääasiallisena tavoitteena on selvittää ydinosaamista, jota tarvitaan kansainvälisen metsäteollisuusyrityksen loppukäyttäjävetoisessa liiketoiminnassa. Lisäksi tavoitteena on laatia kompetenssimalli, jota voidaan käyttää mm. rekrytoinnissa, koulutuksen ja työnkierron suunnittelussa. Tarkoituksena on tarkastella sekä tällä hetkellä että tulevaisuudessa tarvittavia ydinosaamisia. Työ keskittyy myyntihenkilöiden kompetenssien kuvaamiseen. Kirjallisuuden ja asiantuntijoiden haastattelujen avulla on selvitetty. kompetensseihin liittyviä asioita ja käsitteitä, kuten organisaation oppiminen, innovaatiot sekä asiakaslähtöisyys. Tämän jälkeen on kartoitettu case-yrityksen kartonkiyksikön myyntihenkilökunnan kompetensseja. Kompetenssikartoitus on tehty teemahaastattelujen avulla sekä lisäksi on käytetty työn aikana laadittua kompetenssimatriisia. Saatuja tuloksia on verrattu yhden asiakkaan näkemyksiin. Tulosten mukaan kolme tärkeintä tämän hetken kompetenssia ovat: holistinen näkemys asioista, suhteiden rakentaminen ja kielitaito. Tulevaisuuden tärkeimpiä kompetensseja puolestaan ovat: asiakaslähtöisyys, sähköinen kaupankäynti ja suhteiden rakentaminen. Lopuksi on käsitelty yleisiä metsäteollisuuden tulevaisuuden haasteita sekä annettu joitain kehitysideoita kompetenssien kehittämistä varten.

A Generic Framework Architecture for Portal Front End

A modem software development requires quick results and excellent quality, which leads to high demand for reusability in design and implementation of software components. The purpose of this thesis was to design and implement a reusable framework for portal front ends, including common portal features, such as authentication and authorization. The aim was also to evaluate frameworks as components of reuse and compare them to other reuse techniques. As the result of this thesis, a goo'd picture of framework's life cycle, problem domain and the actual implementation process of the framework, was obtained. It was also found out that frameworks fit well to solve recurrent and similar problems in a restricted problem domain. The outcome of this thesis was a prototype of a generic framework and an example application built on it. The implemented framework offered an abstract base for the portal front ends, using object-oriented methods and wellknown design patterns. The example application demonstrated the speed and ease of the application development based on the application frameworks.

Applying Active Front End To Multilevel Inverter

The aim of this work was to make an active front end from IGBTs for a multilevel inverter. The work was done for Mosart II, a long term still ongoing Vacon Oyj project. The purpose of the AFE is to balance the DC-voltage and to put the returning power back to the grid instead of the breaking chopper and the capacitor. With a diode rectifier the bridge only allows power to pass in one direction and the switching times are not controllable. That means the rectifier always takes the highest phase and the phases are always conducting the same 120◦. With an AFE it is possible to actively change the rectifiers switching pattern. A diode bridge also generates much greater losses than an IGBT bridge. With these arguments it is rational to start researching the possibility of an AFE in a multilevel inverter.

Managing the Front End of Innovation in a Networked Company Environment - Combining Strategy, Processes and Systems of Innovation

The objective of the thesis is to enhance the understanding about the management of the front end phases of the innovation process in a networked environment. The thesis approaches the front end of innovation from three perspectives, including the strategy, processes and systems of innovation. The purpose of the use of different perspectives in the thesis is that of providing an extensive systemic view of the front end, and uncovering the complex nature of innovation management. The context of the research is the networked operating environment of firms. The unit of analysis is the firm itself or its innovation processes, which means that this research approaches the innovation networks from the point of view of a firm. The strategy perspective of the thesis emphasises the importance of purposeful innovation management, the innovation strategy of firms. The role of innovation processes is critical in carrying out innovation strategies in practice, supporting the development of organizational routines for innovation, and driving the strategic renewal of companies. The primary focus of the thesis from systems perspective is on idea management systems, which are defined as a part of innovation management systems, and defined for this thesis as any working combination of methodology and tools (manual or IT-supported) that enhance the management of innovations within their early phases. The main contribution of the thesis are the managerial frameworks developed for managing the front end of innovation, which purposefully “wire” the front end of innovation into the strategy and business processes of a firm. The thesis contributes to modern innovation management by connecting the internal and external collaboration networks as foundational elements for successful management of the early phases of innovation processes in a dynamic environment. The innovation capability of a firm is largely defined by its ability to rely on and make use of internal and external collaboration already during the front end activities, which by definition include opportunity identification and analysis, idea generation, profileration and selection, and concept definition. More specifically, coordination of the interfaces between these activities, and between the internal and external innovation environments of a firm is emphasised. The role of information systems, in particular idea management systems, is to support and delineate the innovation-oriented behaviour and interaction of individuals and organizations during front end activities. The findings and frameworks developed in the thesis can be used by companies for purposeful promotion of their front end processes. The thesis provides a systemic strategy framework for managing the front end of innovation – not as a separate process, but as an elemental bundle ofactivities that is closely linked to the overall innovation process and strategy of a firm in a distributed environment. The theoretical contribution of the thesis relies on the advancement of the open innovation paradigm in the strategic context of a firm within its internal and external innovation environments. This thesis applies the constructive research approach and case study methodology to provide theoretically significant results, which are also practically beneficial.

Variations on "Mein junges Leben hat ein End"

Soitinnus: Urut.

Applying collective intelligence to idea evaluation at the front end of innovation

The study focuses on the front end of innovation process. Due to changes in innovation policies and paradigms customers, users and shopfloor employees are becoming increasingly important sources of knowledge. New methods are needed for processing information and ideas coming from multiple sources more effectively. The aim of this study is to develop an idea evaluation tool suitable for the front end of innovation process and capable of utilizing collective intelligence. The study is carried out as a case study research using constructive research approach. The chosen approach suits well for the purposes of the study. The constructive approach focuses on designing new constructs and testing them in real life applications. In this study a tool for evaluating ideas emerging from the course of everyday work is developed and tested in a case organization. Development of the tool is based on current scientific literature on knowledge creation, innovation management and collective intelligence and it is tested in LUT Lahti School of Innovation. Results are encouraging. The idea evaluation tool manages to improve performance at the front end of innovation process and it is accepted in use in the case organization. This study provides insights on what kind of a tool is required for facilitating collective intelligence at the front end of innovation process.

Environmental policy instruments concerning industrial end-use energy efficiency

Energy efficiency and saving energy are the main question marks when thinking of reducing carbon dioxide emissions or cutting costs. The objective of thesis is to evaluate policy instruments concerning end-use energy efficiency of heavy industry in European Union. These policy instruments may be divided in various ways, but in this thesis the division is to administrative, financial, informative and voluntary instruments. Administrative instruments introduced in this thesis are Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, Directive on Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services, and Climate and Energy Package. Financial means include energy and emission taxation, EU Emission Trading Scheme and diverse support systems. Informative instruments consist of horizontal BAT Reference Document for Energy Efficiency, as well as substantial EU documents including Green Paper on Energy Efficiency, Action Plan for Energy Efficiency and An Energy Policy for Europe. And finally, voluntary instruments include environmental managements systems like ISO 14001 and EMAS, energy auditing and benchmarking. The efficiency of different policy instruments vary quite a lot. Informative instruments lack the commitment from industry and are thus almost ineffective, contrary to EU Emission Trading Scheme, which is said to be the solution to climate problems. The efficiency of administrative means can be placed between those mentioned and voluntary instruments are still quite fresh to be examined fruitfully. However, each instrument has their potential and challenges. Cases from corporate world strengthen the results from theoretical part. Cases were written mainly on the basis of interviews. The interviewees praised the energy efficiency contract of Finnish industry, but the EU ETS takes the leading role of policy instruments. However, for industry the reductions do not come easily.