2019 6th International Conference on Models and Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems (MT-ITS), 2019
This paper presents a novel approach consisting of a two-stage optimization system to solve the p... more This paper presents a novel approach consisting of a two-stage optimization system to solve the problem of the last mile distribution of goods in the context of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). In particular, we deal with the Vehicle Routing Problem with Simultaneous Pickup and Delivery in conjunction with Door-to-Door operations (VRPSPD-D2D) to use vehicles travelling in the urban network to serve point-to-point shipping requests. The optimization problem is subject to some real-life constraints like vehicles’ capacity, urban traffic flows, pickup and delivery sequences. The proposed optimization algorithm is based on two honey bee-inspired metaheuristics: Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) at the first stage; Bee Colony Optimization (BCO) at the second stage. This approach proposes an efficient way in achieving the main objective of this research work: the minimization of the global transportation cost, subject to the demands of the customers and operational constraints. To test our approach, new instances of the VRPSPD-D2D are proposed, based on the Sioux-Falls City network. Results of the proposed Bee System are compared with two Genetic Algorithm-based approaches.
This paper elucidates some of the main operational and safety requirements for a commercial Space... more This paper elucidates some of the main operational and safety requirements for a commercial Spaceport with special emphasis to potential suitable sites in the Italian territory. The identification of the potential sites will be based on several factors, of which the safety is the first one. After the identification of the site/s, specific approach will be applied to assess what is needed to certify that specific site as a Spaceport, for supporting manned suborbital parabolic flights for both professional applications, like crew training or microgravity experimentation, and space tourism. Space tourism, in particular, seems to be quite promising in the future, due to the specific geographic location and climate characteristics of Italy. An initial set of Spaceport services will be analysed too, aimed at the definition of a general functional model that can be applied to specific cases. Also, the approach to build up a regulatory framework to license a Spaceport and a Spaceplane in It...
In this work we describe a path choice model in which costs are represented by fuzzy numbers in o... more In this work we describe a path choice model in which costs are represented by fuzzy numbers in order to consider uncertainty of users and trying to overcome some limits of well know logit based choice models. Users’ estimation costs in order to choice a route over a road network is made in a real uncertain, imprecise and ambiguous environment. As suggested by research in this field, fuzzy numbers is a suitable framework to model such choice context. In this paper, we analyse path costs represented by Fuzzy Numbers. For the fuzzification of the crisp value of the cost we introduce a parameter, that aims at representing the imprecision of users in path cost perception. We assume that users associate a preference index to the paths according to the estimated costs and that the probability of choice of a path is proportional to the preference index. Moreover, we introduce an index for evaluating the overlapping degree of each path with the others. In this way, we overcome the problem d...
In this paper a methodology to analyze Bike Sharing system efficiency is proposed focusing on the... more In this paper a methodology to analyze Bike Sharing system efficiency is proposed focusing on the service availability at bike stations. The fundamental requirements and the main features of the system are outlined. In order to describe the state of the system, a synthetic indicator has been defined and its value derives from the solution of an optimization problem that minimizes the total amount of the distance travelled by bike transferring vehicles among stations. The proposed method is applied to a test case created by selecting a set of stations of the system operating in Barcelona.
2021 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2021 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe), 2021
Recent statistics shows that CO2 emissions from road transport have been increasing. In addition,... more Recent statistics shows that CO2 emissions from road transport have been increasing. In addition, the paradigm of “more electric vehicles” does not seem to be positive from the environmental point of view. In fact, assuming the current energy mix system, studies focusing on Life Cycle Assessment and Well-To-Wheels analysis demonstrate that electric vehicles are less eco-friendly than traditional internal combustion-based engines. Then, it is mandatory to shift toward renewable energy sources to produce electricity with less CO2 emission. In this work, it is proposed to use a new e-vehicles charging system based on Pumps used as Turbine (PATs). This system uses the pressure in excess that could be available in a water distribution network (WDN). Such an excess of pressure is usually destroyed by pressure-reducing valves with the aim to reduce water leaks. PATs are also able to reduce water pressure and produce electrical energy that can be supplied to e-vehicles charging stations. Th...
Abstract Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are becoming an attractive area of application for sm... more Abstract Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are becoming an attractive area of application for small hydropower, which can contribute to the development of distributed energy generation from renewable sources. Indeed, WDNs experience considerable water leakages due to their age and water management authorities often divide the WDNs by inserting Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs), which waste a potentially recoverable hydraulic head. The replacement of PRVs with Pump as Turbines (PaTs) can be considered as an economically feasible solution to achieve both an effective pressure control and a throttling energy recovery. The selection, installation and control strategy of a PaT in a WDN must consider the variability of the pressure and the flow rate demand. Starting from the evaluation of the available head and the water demand, in this work, we describe a methodology to select from pump catalogues the most suitable PaT and the best control criteria for a specific WDN. Then, knowing the pump geometry, it is possible to predict the characteristic curve of the pump operating as a turbine by using a 1-D performance prediction model. The WDN of a town in the Apulia region (Southern Italy) has been used as a case study. Finally, a techno-economic evaluation has been carried out by considering both economic and environmental benefits.
The 4th EWaS International Conference: Valuing the Water, Carbon, Ecological Footprints of Human Activities, 2020
This paper expands on the results of the technical and economic feasibility analysis of substitut... more This paper expands on the results of the technical and economic feasibility analysis of substituting existing pressure reduction valves (PRVs) with pumps used as turbines (PaTs) in two real Italian water distribution networks (WDN), chosen as case studies, aiming at effective energy recovery. Water demand variability makes complex the selection of the right pump to be used as a turbine in a WDN maximizing its annual electric energy yield. Hence, this study describes an effective approach that permits us to identify the most suitable pumps, starting from the definition of the best efficiency points at which they should operate in reverse mode.
Since bicycles and bike-sharing systems are becoming increasingly important in modern transportat... more Since bicycles and bike-sharing systems are becoming increasingly important in modern transportation contexts, we suggest in this paper an alternative method to incorporate cycling among the freight transport alternatives within urban areas. We propose pursuing a sustainable initiative of crowdsourced delivery where some of the urban good deliveries may be voluntarily undertaken by users of the free-floating bike-sharing systems while following their prefixed route in exchange for some kind of reward. We believe that a network design model that allows properly allocating the resources of the bike-shared mobility service could improve the potential of crowdshipping, making it a viable support and supplement for the local postal services, and more easily accepted and adopted in urban contexts. An application to a case study has been embodied to show the effectiveness and advantages of our proposal.
2019 6th International Conference on Models and Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems (MT-ITS), 2019
This paper presents a novel approach consisting of a two-stage optimization system to solve the p... more This paper presents a novel approach consisting of a two-stage optimization system to solve the problem of the last mile distribution of goods in the context of an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). In particular, we deal with the Vehicle Routing Problem with Simultaneous Pickup and Delivery in conjunction with Door-to-Door operations (VRPSPD-D2D) to use vehicles travelling in the urban network to serve point-to-point shipping requests. The optimization problem is subject to some real-life constraints like vehicles’ capacity, urban traffic flows, pickup and delivery sequences. The proposed optimization algorithm is based on two honey bee-inspired metaheuristics: Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) at the first stage; Bee Colony Optimization (BCO) at the second stage. This approach proposes an efficient way in achieving the main objective of this research work: the minimization of the global transportation cost, subject to the demands of the customers and operational constraints. To test our approach, new instances of the VRPSPD-D2D are proposed, based on the Sioux-Falls City network. Results of the proposed Bee System are compared with two Genetic Algorithm-based approaches.
This paper elucidates some of the main operational and safety requirements for a commercial Space... more This paper elucidates some of the main operational and safety requirements for a commercial Spaceport with special emphasis to potential suitable sites in the Italian territory. The identification of the potential sites will be based on several factors, of which the safety is the first one. After the identification of the site/s, specific approach will be applied to assess what is needed to certify that specific site as a Spaceport, for supporting manned suborbital parabolic flights for both professional applications, like crew training or microgravity experimentation, and space tourism. Space tourism, in particular, seems to be quite promising in the future, due to the specific geographic location and climate characteristics of Italy. An initial set of Spaceport services will be analysed too, aimed at the definition of a general functional model that can be applied to specific cases. Also, the approach to build up a regulatory framework to license a Spaceport and a Spaceplane in It...
In this work we describe a path choice model in which costs are represented by fuzzy numbers in o... more In this work we describe a path choice model in which costs are represented by fuzzy numbers in order to consider uncertainty of users and trying to overcome some limits of well know logit based choice models. Users’ estimation costs in order to choice a route over a road network is made in a real uncertain, imprecise and ambiguous environment. As suggested by research in this field, fuzzy numbers is a suitable framework to model such choice context. In this paper, we analyse path costs represented by Fuzzy Numbers. For the fuzzification of the crisp value of the cost we introduce a parameter, that aims at representing the imprecision of users in path cost perception. We assume that users associate a preference index to the paths according to the estimated costs and that the probability of choice of a path is proportional to the preference index. Moreover, we introduce an index for evaluating the overlapping degree of each path with the others. In this way, we overcome the problem d...
In this paper a methodology to analyze Bike Sharing system efficiency is proposed focusing on the... more In this paper a methodology to analyze Bike Sharing system efficiency is proposed focusing on the service availability at bike stations. The fundamental requirements and the main features of the system are outlined. In order to describe the state of the system, a synthetic indicator has been defined and its value derives from the solution of an optimization problem that minimizes the total amount of the distance travelled by bike transferring vehicles among stations. The proposed method is applied to a test case created by selecting a set of stations of the system operating in Barcelona.
2021 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2021 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe), 2021
Recent statistics shows that CO2 emissions from road transport have been increasing. In addition,... more Recent statistics shows that CO2 emissions from road transport have been increasing. In addition, the paradigm of “more electric vehicles” does not seem to be positive from the environmental point of view. In fact, assuming the current energy mix system, studies focusing on Life Cycle Assessment and Well-To-Wheels analysis demonstrate that electric vehicles are less eco-friendly than traditional internal combustion-based engines. Then, it is mandatory to shift toward renewable energy sources to produce electricity with less CO2 emission. In this work, it is proposed to use a new e-vehicles charging system based on Pumps used as Turbine (PATs). This system uses the pressure in excess that could be available in a water distribution network (WDN). Such an excess of pressure is usually destroyed by pressure-reducing valves with the aim to reduce water leaks. PATs are also able to reduce water pressure and produce electrical energy that can be supplied to e-vehicles charging stations. Th...
Abstract Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are becoming an attractive area of application for sm... more Abstract Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are becoming an attractive area of application for small hydropower, which can contribute to the development of distributed energy generation from renewable sources. Indeed, WDNs experience considerable water leakages due to their age and water management authorities often divide the WDNs by inserting Pressure Reducing Valves (PRVs), which waste a potentially recoverable hydraulic head. The replacement of PRVs with Pump as Turbines (PaTs) can be considered as an economically feasible solution to achieve both an effective pressure control and a throttling energy recovery. The selection, installation and control strategy of a PaT in a WDN must consider the variability of the pressure and the flow rate demand. Starting from the evaluation of the available head and the water demand, in this work, we describe a methodology to select from pump catalogues the most suitable PaT and the best control criteria for a specific WDN. Then, knowing the pump geometry, it is possible to predict the characteristic curve of the pump operating as a turbine by using a 1-D performance prediction model. The WDN of a town in the Apulia region (Southern Italy) has been used as a case study. Finally, a techno-economic evaluation has been carried out by considering both economic and environmental benefits.
The 4th EWaS International Conference: Valuing the Water, Carbon, Ecological Footprints of Human Activities, 2020
This paper expands on the results of the technical and economic feasibility analysis of substitut... more This paper expands on the results of the technical and economic feasibility analysis of substituting existing pressure reduction valves (PRVs) with pumps used as turbines (PaTs) in two real Italian water distribution networks (WDN), chosen as case studies, aiming at effective energy recovery. Water demand variability makes complex the selection of the right pump to be used as a turbine in a WDN maximizing its annual electric energy yield. Hence, this study describes an effective approach that permits us to identify the most suitable pumps, starting from the definition of the best efficiency points at which they should operate in reverse mode.
Since bicycles and bike-sharing systems are becoming increasingly important in modern transportat... more Since bicycles and bike-sharing systems are becoming increasingly important in modern transportation contexts, we suggest in this paper an alternative method to incorporate cycling among the freight transport alternatives within urban areas. We propose pursuing a sustainable initiative of crowdsourced delivery where some of the urban good deliveries may be voluntarily undertaken by users of the free-floating bike-sharing systems while following their prefixed route in exchange for some kind of reward. We believe that a network design model that allows properly allocating the resources of the bike-shared mobility service could improve the potential of crowdshipping, making it a viable support and supplement for the local postal services, and more easily accepted and adopted in urban contexts. An application to a case study has been embodied to show the effectiveness and advantages of our proposal.
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Papers by mario binetti