Matching Items (3)
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- All Subjects: construction
- All Subjects: Photovoltaic power systems--Corrosion.
- Creators: Ernzen, James
Description
Front end planning (FEP) is an essential and valuable process that helps identify risks early in the capital project planning phases. With effective FEP, risks can potentially be mitigated through development of detailed scope definition and subsequent efficient project resource use. The thesis describes the FEP process that has been developed over the past twenty years by the Construction Industry Institute (CII). Specifically, it details the FEP tools developed for early project planning and the data gathered to analyze the tools used within the CII community. Data from a March 2011 survey are given showing the tools commonly used, how those tools are used and the common barriers faced that prohibit successful FEP implementation. The findings from in-depth interviews are also shared in the thesis. The interviews were used to gather detail responses from organizations on the implementation of their FEP processes. In total, out of the 116 CII organizations, 59 completed the survey and over 75 percent of the respondents used at least one CII tool in their front end planning processes. Of the 59 survey respondents, 12 organizations participated in the in-depth interviews. The thesis concludes that CII organizations continue to find value in CII FEP tools due to the increase tool usage. Also the thesis concludes that organizations must have strong management commitment, smart succession planning and a standardized planning process to increase the likelihood of successful FEP strategies.
ContributorsBosfield, Roberta Patrice (Author) / Gibson, G.Edward (Thesis advisor) / Wiezel, Avi (Committee member) / Ernzen, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Using the Arizona State University chapter of American Concrete Institute (ACI) as my platform, I recently teamed up with several generous companies to donate a new picnic slab and sidewalks to St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School's playground. Material/labor donations from Suntec Concrete, Arizona Materials, Salt River Materials Group, and Dickens Quality Demolition made it possible to complete this project over the course of two Saturdays and at no cost for the school. In addition to the children of St. Vincent de Paul's benefit, this project also gave ASU and MCC students the opportunity to work in the field with industry professionals and gain hands-on experience. Over 20 students were able to witness and participate in demolition, formwork, concrete placement (including a laser screed appearance provided by Suntec), finishing, sawcutting, and more. As for specifics, the project featured a 19' x 40' picnic slab, as well as two 6' wide sidewalks connecting the slab to the playground and the playground to the adjacent access road. Once the second sidewalk reached the access road, it continued to the classrooms with 6' wide ramps on each side for truck accessibility. My role in this project was essentially a superintendent. I served as the primary point of contact for all parties involved, organized the material and labor donations, coordinated the project schedule, and kept all companies informed of the schedule to ensure proper execution and avoid delays. Due to various unavoidable conditions (cold weather, shade on the slab, etc.), I was also forced to make a few critical decisions as the project progressed.
ContributorsTwichell, Bennett (Author) / Ernzen, James (Thesis director) / Standage, Richard (Committee member) / Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The solar energy sector has been growing rapidly over the past decade. Growth in renewable electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) systems is accompanied by an increased awareness of the fault conditions developing during the operational lifetime of these systems. While the annual energy losses caused by faults in PV systems could reach up to 18.9% of their total capacity, emerging technologies and models are driving for greater efficiency to assure the reliability of a product under its actual application. The objectives of this dissertation consist of (1) reviewing the state of the art and practice of prognostics and health management for the Direct Current (DC) side of photovoltaic systems; (2) assessing the corrosion of the driven posts supporting PV structures in utility scale plants; and (3) assessing the probabilistic risk associated with the failure of polymeric materials that are used in tracker and fixed tilt systems.
As photovoltaic systems age under relatively harsh and changing environmental conditions, several potential fault conditions can develop during the operational lifetime including corrosion of supporting structures and failures of polymeric materials. The ability to accurately predict the remaining useful life of photovoltaic systems is critical for plants ‘continuous operation. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of PV systems reliability by: (1) developing a meta-model of the expected service life of mounting structures; (2) creating decision frameworks and tools to support practitioners in mitigating risks; (3) and supporting material selection for fielded and future photovoltaic systems. The newly developed frameworks were validated by a global solar company.
As photovoltaic systems age under relatively harsh and changing environmental conditions, several potential fault conditions can develop during the operational lifetime including corrosion of supporting structures and failures of polymeric materials. The ability to accurately predict the remaining useful life of photovoltaic systems is critical for plants ‘continuous operation. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of PV systems reliability by: (1) developing a meta-model of the expected service life of mounting structures; (2) creating decision frameworks and tools to support practitioners in mitigating risks; (3) and supporting material selection for fielded and future photovoltaic systems. The newly developed frameworks were validated by a global solar company.
ContributorsChokor, Abbas (Author) / El Asmar, Mounir (Thesis advisor) / Chong, Oswald (Committee member) / Ernzen, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017