Small Modular Infrastructure

Dahlgren, Eric; Göçmen, Caner; Lackner, Klaus S.; Ryzin, Garrett van

doi:10.1080/0013791x.2013.825038

Cited by 73 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…As a consequence, the same product produced at different locations could have a significantly different environmental impact. DMSs could allow and foster the development of on‐side or close‐to‐side renewable energy generation using small units (e.g., photovoltaic, wind turbines) as discussed, for example, in Dahlgren and colleagues (). Powering DMSs with renewable energy sources offers therefore a possibility to further decrease the amount of environmental impact embodied in a printed product.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment of 3D Printed Products in a Distributed Manufacturing System

Cerdas

Juraschek

Thiede

et al. 2017

J of Industrial Ecology

130

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SummaryMotivated by the rising costs of doing business overseas and the rise and implementation of digital technologies in production, new strategies are being explored to bring production and demand closer. While concepts like cloud computing, internet of things, and digital manufacturing increasingly gain relevance within the production activities of manufacturing companies, significant advances in three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies offer the possibility for companies to accelerate product development and to consider new supply chain models. Under this production scheme, material supply chains are redefined and energy consumption hotspots are relocated throughout the life cycle of a product. This implies a diversification of energy mixes and raw material sources that poses a risk of shifting problems between life cycle phases and areas of protection. This study compares a conventional mass scale centralized manufacturing system against a 3D printing-supported distributed manufacturing system on the basis of the production of one frame for eyeglasses using the life cycle assessment methodology. The study indicates clearly that the optimization potential is concentrated mainly in the energy consumption at the unit process level and exposes a close link to the printing material employed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Cycle Assessment of 3D Printed Products in a Distributed Manufacturing System

Cerdas

Juraschek

Thiede

et al. 2017

J of Industrial Ecology

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…On the other hand, it is not always clear how important these effects are. For instance, a statistical analysis on the size-dependency of cost in four different electricity generating technologies showed that once labor cost is removed, unit size is not a significant factor affecting total operational cost (Dahlgren et al, 2013).…”

Section: Critical Investment Costmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This calls for a re-examination of the current "bigger-is-better" paradigm. Indeed, abandoning economies of unit scale in favor of economies of mass-production presents several opportunities, as discussed in Dahlgren et al (2013). In contrast to the very long lifetimes of 25 years or more for typical large-scale capital, small and mass-produced equipment might be endowed with a much shorter physical lifespan.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

An optimal multiple stopping approach to infrastructure investment decisions

Dahlgren

Leung

2015

Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control

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a b s t r a c tThe energy and material processing industries are traditionally characterized by very large-scale physical capital that is custom-built with long lead times and long lifetimes. However, recent technological advancement in low-cost automation has made possible the parallel operation of large numbers of small-scale and modular production units. Amenable to mass-production, these units can be more rapidly deployed but they are also likely to have a much quicker turnover. Such a paradigm shift motivates the analysis of the combined effect of lead time and lifetime on infrastructure investment decisions. In order to value the underlying real option, we introduce an optimal multiple stopping approach that accounts for operational flexibility, delay induced by lead time, and multiple (finite/ infinite) future investment opportunities. We provide an analytical characterization of the firm's value function and optimal stopping rule. This leads us to develop an iterative numerical scheme, and examine how the investment decisions depend on lead time and lifetime, as well as other parameters. Furthermore, our model can be used to analyze the critical investment cost that makes small-scale (short lead time, short lifetime) alternatives competitive with traditional large-scale infrastructure.

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“…Using appropriate application of advanced manufacturing technologies is one approach, since the study of advanced manufacturing technologies and its relationship with business' strategy is currently receiving significant scholarly attention (Kotha & Swamidass, 2000). In addition, thinking small in design and manufacturing perceptions is another approach that could be followed (Dahlgren, Göçmen, Lackner, & van Ryzin, 2013). The combination of these two approaches could also be effective in reducing capital, production, and equipment costs.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This requirement is the annual investment requirement including the maintenance cost of the facility. This helps to think about the available advantages of maintenance cost for the medium unit's size and how it could be implemented in the smallest unit's size by encouraging engineers to think small in design and manufacturing perceptions as Dahlgren et al (2013) recommended.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stakeholders' Requirements Assessment for Biofuel Production

2015

IJSR

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Biofuel is one of the alternatives transportation fuel to substitute petroleum in the United States. Fast pyrolysis, as one of the most promising thermochemical based advanced biofuel production techniques, has been brought to the forefront of biofuel industry. With limited information about the manufacturing of fast pyrolysis units, a thorough understanding of stakeholders' requirements is timely and necessary. This study develops a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders' requirements. Subject matter experts were interviewed to rank, review, and evaluate a set of requirements for a variety of fast pyrolysis unit sizes. The requirements with the evaluations were then used to determine the most effective unit size. The analysis showed that the smallest unit size (process an average of 50 tons biomass per day) is the best alternative based on 50% of the high-prioritized requirements. However, 37.5% of the highprioritized requirements recommended the unit which process at least 2000 tons per day as the best alternative.

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Small Modular Infrastructure

Cited by 73 publications

References 40 publications

Life Cycle Assessment of 3D Printed Products in a Distributed Manufacturing System

Life Cycle Assessment of 3D Printed Products in a Distributed Manufacturing System

An optimal multiple stopping approach to infrastructure investment decisions

Stakeholders' Requirements Assessment for Biofuel Production

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