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The forest industry tends to plan, and model transportation costs based on the potential payload benefits of increased legal gross vehicle weight (GVW) by deploying different configurations, while payload benefits of a configuration can be significantly influenced by the vehicle design tare weight. Through this research the relative benefit of increased legal GVW of different configurations is compared across Australia over a 13-year period from 2006 to 2019, by examining data collected post operation across multiple operations. This approach is intended to offer realistic insight to real operations not influenced by observation and thus reflect long-term operating behaviour. The inclusion of the three most common configuration classes in Australian forestry over a 13-year period has also allowed the exploration of load management between configurations and potential trends over time. When considering the legal GVW and the tare weight impacts across the fleets, the semi-trailer has an 8 t payload disadvantage compared to B-Doubles and 19.6 t disadvantage compared to road trains.
Mark Brown. Evaluation of the Impact of Timber Truck Configuration and Tare Weight on Payload Efficiency: An Australian Case Study. Forests 2021, 12, 855 .
AMA StyleMark Brown. Evaluation of the Impact of Timber Truck Configuration and Tare Weight on Payload Efficiency: An Australian Case Study. Forests. 2021; 12 (7):855.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMark Brown. 2021. "Evaluation of the Impact of Timber Truck Configuration and Tare Weight on Payload Efficiency: An Australian Case Study." Forests 12, no. 7: 855.
Research Highlights: A set of 128 potential bioenergy facility locations is established and evaluated based on the transport cost to select optimal locations. Background and Objectives: The identification of optimal facility locations to process recovered forest biomass is an important decision in designing a bioenergy supply chain at the strategic planning level. The result of this analysis can affect supply chain costs and the overall efficiency of the network, due to the low density and dispersed nature of forest biomass and the high costs associated with its logistics operations. In this study, we develop a two-stage decision support system to identify the optimal site locations for forest biomass conversion based on biomass availability, transport distance and cost. Materials and Methods: In the first stage, a GIS-based analysis is designed to identify strategic locations of potential bioenergy sites. The second stage evaluates the most cost-effective locations individually using a transportation cost model, based on the results from stage one. The sensitivity of inputs, such as maximum allowable transport cost, the distance of transport and their relations to the profit balance, and changes in fuel price are tested. The method is applied to a real case study in the state of Queensland, Australia. Results and Conclusions: The GIS analysis resulted in 128 strategic candidate locations being suggested for bioenergy conversion sites. The logistics analysis estimated the optimal cost and transportation distance of each one of the locations and ranked them according to the overall performance between capacities of 5 and 100 MW.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Sättar Ezzati; Dominik Röser; Mark Brown. A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities. Forests 2020, 11, 968 .
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Sättar Ezzati, Dominik Röser, Mark Brown. A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities. Forests. 2020; 11 (9):968.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Sättar Ezzati; Dominik Röser; Mark Brown. 2020. "A Two-Stage DSS to Evaluate Optimal Locations for Bioenergy Facilities." Forests 11, no. 9: 968.
As the global population increases and becomes more affluent, biomass demands for food and biomaterials will increase. Demand growth is further accelerated by the implementation of climate policies and strategies to replace fossil resources with biomass. There are, however, concerns about the size of the prospective biomass demand and the environmental and social consequences of the corresponding resource mobilization, especially concerning impacts from the associated land‐use change. Strategically integrating perennials into landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture can, for example, improve biodiversity, reduce soil erosion and nutrient emissions to water, increase soil carbon, enhance pollination, and avoid or mitigate flooding events. Such “multifunctional perennial production systems” can thus contribute to improving overall land‐use sustainability, while maintaining or increasing overall biomass productivity in the landscape. Seven different cases in different world regions are here reviewed to exemplify and evaluate (a) multifunctional production systems that have been established to meet emerging bioenergy demands, and (b) efforts to identify locations where the establishment of perennial crops will be particularly beneficial. An important barrier towards wider implementation of multifunctional systems is the lack of markets, or policies, compensating producers for enhanced ecosystem services and other environmental benefits. This deficiency is particularly important since prices for fossil‐based fuels are low relative to bioenergy production costs. Without such compensation, multifunctional perennial production systems will be unlikely to contribute to the development of a sustainable bioeconomy. This article is categorized under: Bioenergy > Systems and Infrastructure Bioenergy > Climate and Environment Energy Policy and Planning > Climate and Environment
Oskar Englund; Ioannis Dimitriou; Virginia H. Dale; Keith L. Kline; Blas Mola‐Yudego; Fionnuala Murphy; Burton English; John McGrath; Gerald Busch; Maria Cristina Negri; Mark Brown; Kevin Goss; Sam Jackson; Esther S. Parish; Jules Cacho; Colleen Zumpf; John Quinn; Shruti K. Mishra. Multifunctional perennial production systems for bioenergy: performance and progress. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment 2020, 9, 1 .
AMA StyleOskar Englund, Ioannis Dimitriou, Virginia H. Dale, Keith L. Kline, Blas Mola‐Yudego, Fionnuala Murphy, Burton English, John McGrath, Gerald Busch, Maria Cristina Negri, Mark Brown, Kevin Goss, Sam Jackson, Esther S. Parish, Jules Cacho, Colleen Zumpf, John Quinn, Shruti K. Mishra. Multifunctional perennial production systems for bioenergy: performance and progress. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment. 2020; 9 (5):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleOskar Englund; Ioannis Dimitriou; Virginia H. Dale; Keith L. Kline; Blas Mola‐Yudego; Fionnuala Murphy; Burton English; John McGrath; Gerald Busch; Maria Cristina Negri; Mark Brown; Kevin Goss; Sam Jackson; Esther S. Parish; Jules Cacho; Colleen Zumpf; John Quinn; Shruti K. Mishra. 2020. "Multifunctional perennial production systems for bioenergy: performance and progress." Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment 9, no. 5: 1.
The use of forest biomass for bioenergy in Australia represents only 1% of total energy production but is being recognized for having the potential to deliver low-cost and low-emission, renewable energy solutions. This review addresses the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production in Australia relative to the amount of biomass energy measures available for production, harvest and transport, conversion, distribution and emission. Thirty-Five Australian studies on forest biomass for bioenergy are reviewed and categorized under five hierarchical terms delimiting the level of assessment on the biomass potential. Most of these studies assess the amount of biomass at a production level using measures such as the allometric volume equation and form factor assumptions linked to forest inventory data or applied in-field weighing of samples to predict the theoretical potential of forest biomass across an area or region. However, when estimating the potential of forest biomass for bioenergy production, it is essential to consider the entire supply chain that includes many limitations and reductions on the recovery of the forest biomass from production in the field to distribution to the network. This review reiterated definitions for theoretical, available, technological, economic and environmental biomass potential and identified missing links between them in the Australian literature. There is a need for further research on the forest biomass potential to explore lower cost and lowest net emission solutions as a replacement to fossil resources for energy production in Australia but methods the could provide promising solutions are available and can be applied to address this gap.
Sam Van Holsbeeck; Mark Brown; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia. Energies 2020, 13, 1147 .
AMA StyleSam Van Holsbeeck, Mark Brown, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia. Energies. 2020; 13 (5):1147.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSam Van Holsbeeck; Mark Brown; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan. 2020. "A Review on the Potential of Forest Biomass for Bioenergy in Australia." Energies 13, no. 5: 1147.
M. Brown; M. R. Ghaffariyan; M. Berry; M. Acuna; M. Strandgard; R. Mitchell. The progression of forest operations technology and innovation. Australian Forestry 2020, 83, 1 -3.
AMA StyleM. Brown, M. R. Ghaffariyan, M. Berry, M. Acuna, M. Strandgard, R. Mitchell. The progression of forest operations technology and innovation. Australian Forestry. 2020; 83 (1):1-3.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Brown; M. R. Ghaffariyan; M. Berry; M. Acuna; M. Strandgard; R. Mitchell. 2020. "The progression of forest operations technology and innovation." Australian Forestry 83, no. 1: 1-3.
A chain-flail delimber-debarker-chipper (CFDDC) was adapted for treating smaller trees than normal by replacing the standard flails with lighter ones, and by reducing flail drum rotation speed. The machine produced 16 full containers (24 t each) for the standard configuration and 24 full containers for the innovative one. For each container the researchers measured: original tree mass, chip mass, time consumption and fuel use. Results indicated that the innovative setting accrued a 12% improvement on fiber recovery compared with the standard setting (control). At the same time, productivity increased by 20% and fuel consumption was reduced by 30%. Product quality was largely unaffected, with bark content remaining below the 1% threshold specification. If at all, product quality was improved through the reduction of fine particles, possibly derived from less diffused fraying. These results have triggered the real scale adoption of the new setting by contractors who participated in the study. The success of the innovative treatment is likely explained by its better alignment with the weaker structure of small trees from low-yielding stands.
Raffaele Spinelli; Rick Mitchell; Mark Brown; Natascia Magagnotti; Andrew McEwan. Manipulating Chain Type and Flail Drum Speed for Better Fibre Recovery in Chain-Flail Delimber-Debarker-Chipper Operations. Croatian journal of forest engineering 2019, 41, 137 -147.
AMA StyleRaffaele Spinelli, Rick Mitchell, Mark Brown, Natascia Magagnotti, Andrew McEwan. Manipulating Chain Type and Flail Drum Speed for Better Fibre Recovery in Chain-Flail Delimber-Debarker-Chipper Operations. Croatian journal of forest engineering. 2019; 41 (1):137-147.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRaffaele Spinelli; Rick Mitchell; Mark Brown; Natascia Magagnotti; Andrew McEwan. 2019. "Manipulating Chain Type and Flail Drum Speed for Better Fibre Recovery in Chain-Flail Delimber-Debarker-Chipper Operations." Croatian journal of forest engineering 41, no. 1: 137-147.
Steep country harvesting has been identified as the main bottleneck to achieving greater profitability in the forestry sector of New Zealand and Australia. An improvement of efficiency, work safety and environmental sustainability should be realized by developing an advanced steep terrain timber harvesting system based on innovative Austrian technology. To identify the best suitable configuration of a cable yarder for steep terrain harvesting, user preferences based on an online survey (conjoint analysis) have been evaluated to answer the following questions: (1) What attributes of a new yarder design are most important to consumers? (2) Which criteria do stakeholders consider when selecting a cable yarder? (3) What are the weights representing the relative importance of criteria? Using eight specific design scenarios a fourth question, being which cable yarder concept is the best, was also answered. This case study shows that conjoint analyses is an effective tool to assess, rate and subsequently integrate design characteristics. Based on the results of the analysis, a cable yarder prototype will be manufactured in Austria and transferred to New Zealand for testing and demonstration.
Martin Kühmaier; Hunter Harrill; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Manfred Hofer; Karl Stampfer; Mark Brown; Rien Visser. Using Conjoint Analyses to Improve Cable Yarder Design Characteristics: An Austrian Yarder Case Study to Advance Cost-Effective Extraction. Forests 2019, 10, 165 .
AMA StyleMartin Kühmaier, Hunter Harrill, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan, Manfred Hofer, Karl Stampfer, Mark Brown, Rien Visser. Using Conjoint Analyses to Improve Cable Yarder Design Characteristics: An Austrian Yarder Case Study to Advance Cost-Effective Extraction. Forests. 2019; 10 (2):165.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMartin Kühmaier; Hunter Harrill; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Manfred Hofer; Karl Stampfer; Mark Brown; Rien Visser. 2019. "Using Conjoint Analyses to Improve Cable Yarder Design Characteristics: An Austrian Yarder Case Study to Advance Cost-Effective Extraction." Forests 10, no. 2: 165.
In Australia the use of forest biomass has been developing in recent years and initial efforts are built on adopting and trialling imported European technology. Using a linear programming-based tool, BIOPLAN, this study investigated the impact of five operational factors: energy demand, moisture mass fraction, interest rate, transport distance, and truck payload on total forest residues supply chain cost in Western Australia. The supply chain consisted four phases: extraction of residues from the clear felled area to roadside by forwarders, storage at roadside, chipping of materials by mobile chippers, and transport of chips to an energy plant. For an average monthly energy demand of 5 GWh, the minimum wood supply chain cost was about 29.4 $ t−1, which is lower than the maximum target supply cost of 30–40 $ t−1, reported by many industry stakeholders as the breakeven point for economically viable bioenergy production in Australia. The suggested volume available for chipping in the second year was larger than in the first year indicating that the optimisation model proposed storing more materials in the first year to be chipped in the second year. The sensitivity analysis showed no strong correlation between energy demand and supply chain cost per m3. For higher interest rates, the total storage cost increased which resulted in larger operational cost per m3. Longer transport distances and lower truck payloads resulted in higher transport cost per unit of delivered chips. In addition, the highest supply chain costs occurred when moisture mass fraction ranged between 20% and 30%.
Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Mauricio Acuna; Mark Brown. Analysing the effect of five operational factors on forest residue supply chain costs: A case study in Western Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy 2013, 59, 486 -493.
AMA StyleMohammad Reza Ghaffariyan, Mauricio Acuna, Mark Brown. Analysing the effect of five operational factors on forest residue supply chain costs: A case study in Western Australia. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2013; 59 ():486-493.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Mauricio Acuna; Mark Brown. 2013. "Analysing the effect of five operational factors on forest residue supply chain costs: A case study in Western Australia." Biomass and Bioenergy 59, no. : 486-493.
This paper examines the optimisation of the transport scheduling of woodchips for in-field chipping operations whose efficiency depends on a range of factors. It illustrates the advantages of optimising trucking efficiency and cost in the context of the Australian forest industry. The study was enabled using an adapted version of Simulated Annealing and a forestry domain model, and a simulator based on them, called Fast Truck, was implemented for experimental use. Insights arising from the simulator results are discussed in the context of the Australian industry. The factors worth noting are truck payload and chipper utilisation, which by optimisation, account for 52% and 29% of the total cost savings obtained, respectively. These savings arise when better transport control and management occur in chipping operations. Further work will consider ways to implement these optimisations, primarily, by adapting Fast Truck as an optimiser of daily dispatch schedules.
Mauricio Acuna; Luke Mirowski; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Mark Brown. Optimising transport efficiency and costs in Australian wood chipping operations. Biomass and Bioenergy 2012, 46, 291 -300.
AMA StyleMauricio Acuna, Luke Mirowski, Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan, Mark Brown. Optimising transport efficiency and costs in Australian wood chipping operations. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2012; 46 ():291-300.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauricio Acuna; Luke Mirowski; Mohammad Reza Ghaffariyan; Mark Brown. 2012. "Optimising transport efficiency and costs in Australian wood chipping operations." Biomass and Bioenergy 46, no. : 291-300.