Engineer-To-Order Plant Design: Assessing System Complexity and Hour Use Based on Directed Network Graphs

Christian Alexander Bertram, Georg Otto Mueller, Niels Henrik Mortensen

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingArticle in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

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    Abstract

    For an engineer-to-order case company that produces processing facilities, the complexity of conducted product designs is visualized with network graphs. The graphs represent the primary flow of material between the main functional components of the facilities. The network graphs exposes the design solution space of the analyzed products and the densities of the network graphs are used as measures of system complexities. The densities are compared to hour use in
    the corresponding projects to reveal the impact on hour use based on this complexity measure.

    For a population of facilities with similar and sometimes identical build, the network graphs revealed varying combinations of components connectivity. Comparing graph types to hour use indicated that dense graphs increase the likelihood of spending more hours in the development project – mainly in the later project phases where the financial impact of increased hour use is typically worse. The results raise the questions, whether all solutions are equally profitable and how network graphs could aid design choices early in the projects, in order to limit additional late-phase risk.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication2020 Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SysCon)
    PublisherIEEE
    Publication date2020
    ISBN (Electronic)978-1-7281-5365-0
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2020
    Event14th Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SYSCON2020) - Virtual Conference
    Duration: 24 Aug 202027 Aug 2020

    Conference

    Conference14th Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SYSCON2020)
    LocationVirtual Conference
    Period24/08/202027/08/2020
    SeriesAnnual Ieee Systems Conference
    ISSN2472-9647

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