Systems such as electronics, cars, computers, and robots are assembled from modular components for specific applications. Photovoltaic reverse osmosis (PVRO) systems, which can be custom-tailored for the water demands and solar properties of particular communities, are an important potential application of modular systems. Clearly, to be financially viable, such systems must be assembled from commercially available components and subsystems (modules). Designing a system from modular components for a specific application is not simple. Even for a relatively small inventory of modular components, the number of possible system configurations that exist is extremely large. For a small community, determining the best system configuration is an overwhelming task due to lack of expertise. This paper presents a modular design architecture that can be implemented on a laptop so nonexperts can configure systems from modular components. The method uses a hierarchy of filters, which can be provided from an expert system, to limit the large design space. Optimization methods and detailed models are then used to configure the location-specific system from the reduced design space. The method is applied here to community-scale PVRO systems and example cases demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
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October 2014
Research-Article
A Computer Architecture for the Automatic Design of Modular Systems With Application to Photovoltaic Reverse Osmosis
Amy M. Bilton,
Amy M. Bilton
Department of Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering,
e-mail: bilton@mie.utoronto.ca
and Industrial Engineering,
University of Toronto
,5 King's College Road
,Toronto, ON M5S 3G8
, Canada
e-mail: bilton@mie.utoronto.ca
Search for other works by this author on:
Steven Dubowsky
Steven Dubowsky
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: dubowsky@mit.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
,Room 3-469a
,77 Massachusetts Avenue
,Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: dubowsky@mit.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Amy M. Bilton
Department of Mechanical
and Industrial Engineering,
e-mail: bilton@mie.utoronto.ca
and Industrial Engineering,
University of Toronto
,5 King's College Road
,Toronto, ON M5S 3G8
, Canada
e-mail: bilton@mie.utoronto.ca
Steven Dubowsky
Fellow ASME
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
e-mail: dubowsky@mit.edu
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
,Room 3-469a
,77 Massachusetts Avenue
,Cambridge, MA 02139
e-mail: dubowsky@mit.edu
Contributed by the Design Automation Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL DESIGN. Manuscript received November 13, 2013; final manuscript received June 10, 2014; published online July 21, 2014. Assoc. Editor: Harrison M. Kim.
J. Mech. Des. Oct 2014, 136(10): 101401 (13 pages)
Published Online: July 21, 2014
Article history
Received:
November 13, 2013
Revision Received:
June 10, 2014
Citation
Bilton, A. M., and Dubowsky, S. (July 21, 2014). "A Computer Architecture for the Automatic Design of Modular Systems With Application to Photovoltaic Reverse Osmosis." ASME. J. Mech. Des. October 2014; 136(10): 101401. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4027879
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