• Advances in Computational Design
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.295-307
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• 2023

This paper presents an optimization of the reinforced concrete ribbed slab in terms of minimum CO₂ emissions and an economic justification of the final optimal design. The design variables are six geometry variables including the slab thickness, the ribs spacing, the rib width at the lower and toper end, the depth of the rib and the bar diameter of the reinforcement, and the seventh variable defines the concrete strength. The objective function is considered to be the minimum amount of carbon dioxide gas (CO₂) emission and at the same time, the optimal design is economical. Seven significant design constraints of American Concrete Institute's Standard were considered. A robust metaheuristic optimization method called improved dolphin echolocation and ant colony optimization (IDEACO) has been used to obtain the best possible answer. At optimal design, the three most important sources of CO₂ emissions include concrete, steel reinforcement, and formwork that the contribution of them are 63.72, 32.17, and 4.11 percent respectively. Formwork, concrete, steel reinforcement, and CO₂ are the four most important sources of cost with contributions of 67.56, 19.49, 12.44, and 0.51 percent respectively. Results obtained by IDEACO show that cost and CO₂ emissions are closely related, so the presented method is a practical solution that was able to reduce the cost and CO₂ emissions simultaneously.

• 전기학회논문지
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• 제59권6호
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• pp.1017-1024
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• 2010

Under the Kyoto Protocol many countries have been requested to participate in emissions trading with the assigned $CO_2$ emissions. In this environment, it is inevitable to change the system and market operation in deregulated power systems, and then ensuring safety margin is becoming more important for balancing system security, economy and $CO_2$ emissions. Nowadays, available transfer capability (ATC) is a key index of the remaining capability of a transmission system for future transactions. This paper presents a novel approach to the ATC evaluation with $CO_2$ emissions using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) technique. This technique evolves a multi-objective version of PSO by proposing redefinition of global best and local best individuals in multi-objective optimization domain. The optimal power flow (OPF) method using MOPSO is suggested to solve multi-objective functions including fuel cost and $CO_2$ emissions simultaneously. To show its efficiency and effectiveness, the results of the proposed method is comprehensively realized by a comparison with the ATC which is not including $CO_2$ emissions for the IEEE 30-bus system, and is found to be quite promising.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제50권3호
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• pp.257-273
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• 2014

This paper introduces a novel optimization technique based on gravitational search algorithm (GSA) for numerical optimization and multi-objective optimization of foundation. In the proposed method, a chaotic time varying system is applied into the position updating equation to increase the global exploration ability and accurate local exploitation of the original algorithm. The new algorithm called global-local GSA (GLGSA) is applied for optimization of some well-known mathematical benchmark functions as well as two design examples of spread foundation. In the foundation optimization, two objective functions include total cost and $CO_2$ emissions of the foundation subjected to geotechnical and structural requirements are considered. From environmental point of view, minimization of embedded $CO_2$ emissions that quantifies the total amount of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the use of materials seems necessary to include in the design criteria. The experimental results demonstrate that, the proposed GLGSA remarkably improves the accuracy, stability and efficiency of the original algorithm.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.111-127
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• 2013

In this paper, a new version of gravitational search algorithm based on opposition-based learning (OBGSA) is introduced and applied for optimum design of reinforced concrete retaining walls. The new algorithm employs the opposition-based learning concept to generate initial population and updating agents' position during the optimization process. This algorithm is applied to minimize three objective functions include weight, cost and $CO_2$ emissions of retaining structure subjected to geotechnical and structural requirements. The optimization problem involves five geometric variables and three variables for reinforcement setups. The performance comparison of the new OBGSA and classical GSA algorithms on a suite of five well-known benchmark functions illustrate a faster convergence speed and better search ability of OBGSA for numerical optimization. In addition, the reliability and efficiency of the proposed algorithm for optimization of retaining structures are investigated by considering two design examples of retaining walls. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the new algorithm has high viability, accuracy and stability and significantly outperforms the original algorithm and some other methods in the literature.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제12권6호
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• pp.755-774
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• 2013

Considering the well known environmental issues of cement manufacturing (direct and indirect levels of $CO_2$ emissions), clinker replacement by supplementary cementing materials (SCM) can be a very promising first step in reducing considerably the associated emissions. However, such a reduction is possible up to a particular level of SCM utilization, influenced by the rate of its pozzolanic reaction. In this study a (4-step) structured methodology is proposed in order to be able to further adjust the concrete mix design of a particular SCM, in achieving additional reduction of the associated levels of $CO_2$ emissions and being at the same time accepted from a derived concrete strength and service life point of view. On this note, the aim of this study is twofold. To evaluate the environmental contribution of each concrete component and to provide the best possible mix design configuration, balanced between the principles of sustainability (low environmental cost) and durability (accepted concrete strength and service life ). It is shown that such a balance can be achieved, by utilising SCM by-products in the concrete mix, reducing in this way the fixed environmental emissions without compromising the long-term safety and durability of the structure.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.111-118
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• 2020

The construction field must always explore sustainable ways of using its raw materials. Studying the environmental impact generated by reinforced concrete raw materials during their production and transportation can contribute to reducing this impact. This paper initially presents the carbon dioxide emissions from reinforced concrete raw materials, quantified per kilo of raw material and per cubic meter of concrete with different characteristic strengths, for southern Brazil. Subsequently, reinforced concrete elements were optimized to minimize their environmental impact and cost. It was observed that lower values of carbon dioxide emissions and cost savings are generated for less resistant concrete when the structural element is a beam, and that reductions in the cross section dimensions of the beams, sized based on the use of higher strength concrete, may not compensate for the increased environmental impact and costs. For the columns, the behavior differed, presenting lower values of carbon dioxide emissions and costs for higher concrete strengths. The proposed methodology, as well as the results obtained, can be used to support structural projects that have less impact on the environment.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.809-818
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• 2019

The current trend in shipyard industry is to reduce the weight of ships to support the reduction of CO₂ emissions. In this study, the stiffened plate was optimized that is used for building most of the ship-structure. Further, this study proposed the hybrid Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique, which combines a genetic algorithm and subsequent optimization methods. The design variables included the number and type of stiffeners, stiffener spacing, and plate thickness. The number and type of stiffeners are discrete design variables that were optimized using the genetic algorithm. The stiffener spacing and plate thickness are continuous design variables that were determined by subsequent optimization. The plate deformation was classified into global and local displacement, resulting in accurate estimations of the maximum displacement. The optimization result showed that the proposed hybrid GA is effective for obtaining optimal solutions, for all the design variables.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.443-458
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• 2024

The construction industry, one of the biggest producers of greenhouse emissions, is under a lot of pressure as a result of growing worries about how climate change may affect local communities. Geopolymer concrete (GPC) has emerged as a feasible choice for construction materials as a result of the environmental issues connected to the manufacture of cement. The findings of this study contribute to the development of machine learning methods for estimating the properties of eco-friendly concrete, which might be used in lieu of traditional concrete to reduce CO₂ emissions in the building industry. In the present work, the compressive strength (f_c) of GPC is calculated using random forests regression (RFR) methodology where natural zeolite (NZ) and silica fume (SF) replace ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). From the literature, a thorough set of experimental experiments on GPC samples were compiled, totaling 254 data rows. The considered RFR integrated with artificial hummingbird optimization (AHA), black widow optimization algorithm (BWOA), and chimp optimization algorithm (ChOA), abbreviated as ARFR, BRFR, and CRFR. The outcomes obtained for RFR models demonstrated satisfactory performance across all evaluation metrics in the prediction procedure. For R² metric, the CRFR model gained 0.9988 and 0.9981 in the train and test data set higher than those for BRFR (0.9982 and 0.9969), followed by ARFR (0.9971 and 0.9956). Some other error and distribution metrics depicted a roughly 50% improvement for CRFR respect to ARFR.

• 전기학회논문지
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• 제63권1호
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• pp.18-26
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• 2014

A microgrid can play a significant role for enlargement of renewable energy sources and emission reduction because it is a network of small, distributed electrical power generators operated as a collective unit. In this paper, an application of optimization method to economical operation of a microgrid is studied. The microgrid to be studied here is composed of distributed generation system(DGS), battery systems and loads. The distributed generation systems include combined heat and power(CHP) and small generators such as diesel generators and the renewable energy generators such as photovoltaic(PV) systems, wind power systems. Both of thermal loads and electrical loads are included here as loads. Also the emissions trading scheme to be applied in near future, the cost of unit start-up and the operational characteristics of battery systems are considered as well as the probabilistic characteristics of the renewable energy generation and load. A mathematical equation for optimal operation of this system is modeled based on the mixed integer programming. It is shown that this optimization methodology can be effectively used for economical operation of a microgrid by the case studies.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제51권6호
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• pp.647-659
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• 2024

Given the increased interest in enhancing structural sustainability, the current study sought to apply multiobjective optimization to a footbridge with a steel-concrete composite I-girder structure. It was considered as objectives minimizing the cost for building the structure, the environmental impact assessed by CO2 emissions, and the vertical accelerations created by human-induced vibrations, with the goal of ensuring pedestrian comfort. Spans ranging from 15 to 25 meters were investigated. The resistance of the slab's concrete, the thickness of the slab, the dimensions of the welded steel I-profile, and the composite beam interaction degree were all evaluated as design variables. The optimization problem was handled using the Multiobjective Harmony Search (MOHS) metaheuristic algorithm. The optimization results were used to generate a Pareto front for each span, allowing us to assess the correlations between different objectives. By evaluating the values of design variables in relation to different levels of pedestrian comfort, it was identified optimal values that can be employed as a starting point in predimensioning of the type of structure analyzed. Based on the findings analysis, it is possible to highlight the relationship between the structure's cost and CO2 emission objectives, indicating that cost-effective solutions are also environmentally efficient. Pedestrian comfort improvement is especially feasible in smaller spans and from a medium to a maximum level of comfort, but it becomes expensive for larger spans or for increasing comfort from minimum to medium level.