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The utilization of renewable energy to run desalination plants has enormously expanded in the last two decades. In this study, a grid-connected hybrid solar-wind system is proposed to power a small-scale Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination unit. In a case study, the system's performance has been analyzed under the weather conditions of the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. A numerical model has been developed based on a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) approach to design and size the proposed system. The developed model is solved on an hourly basis to capture hourly variations of weather conditions with the aim to obtain an efficient design to operate the RO plant and supply freshwater to a small community living in a remote area at minimum cost. The developed model allows finding the optimal number of wind turbines, the number of photovoltaic (PV) modules, and the energy purchased from the national grid. Since the desalination energy consumption depends on the feed water conditions, two energy consumption rates are considered, namely, 2 and 4 kWh/m3. The results show that brackish water can be purified for the two different energy requirements at a cost varying between 1.72 and 1.84 $/m3, respectively.
Ahmed M. Ghaithan; Ahmad Al-Hanbali; Awsan Mohammed; Ahmed M. Attia; Haitham Saleh; Omar Alsawafy. Optimization of a solar-wind- grid powered desalination system in Saudi Arabia. Renewable Energy 2021, 178, 295 -306.
AMA StyleAhmed M. Ghaithan, Ahmad Al-Hanbali, Awsan Mohammed, Ahmed M. Attia, Haitham Saleh, Omar Alsawafy. Optimization of a solar-wind- grid powered desalination system in Saudi Arabia. Renewable Energy. 2021; 178 ():295-306.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAhmed M. Ghaithan; Ahmad Al-Hanbali; Awsan Mohammed; Ahmed M. Attia; Haitham Saleh; Omar Alsawafy. 2021. "Optimization of a solar-wind- grid powered desalination system in Saudi Arabia." Renewable Energy 178, no. : 295-306.
Hydrocarbon supply chain (HCSC) is a complex network that extends from oil and gas fields to demand nodes. Integrating operation and maintenance activities along this complex network is crucial since the hydrocarbon industry is the most influential sector in the world economy, and any disruptions or variations in hydrocarbon product supply will affect the whole world economy. Therefore, effective and thoughtful maintenance extends the life of an asset and enhances its reliability. To prevent huge losses in production and ultimately satisfy customer needs, the maintenance jobs are preferred to be performed during times of low demand. Thus, operation planning and maintenance scheduling decisions are dependent and should be optimized simultaneously. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop an integrated mathematical model for the operation and maintenance planning of the oil and gas supply chain. The utility of the proposed model has been demonstrated using the Saudi Arabian HCSC. The proposed model effectively produces optimal operation and maintenance schedule decisions. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to study the effect of critical parameters on the obtained results.
Ahmed M. Ghaithan. An Optimization Model for Operational Planning and Turnaround Maintenance Scheduling of Oil and Gas Supply Chain. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 7531 .
AMA StyleAhmed M. Ghaithan. An Optimization Model for Operational Planning and Turnaround Maintenance Scheduling of Oil and Gas Supply Chain. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (21):7531.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAhmed M. Ghaithan. 2020. "An Optimization Model for Operational Planning and Turnaround Maintenance Scheduling of Oil and Gas Supply Chain." Applied Sciences 10, no. 21: 7531.
The unloading of petroleum products is a complex and potentially dangerous operation since the unloading system contains complex interdependency components. Any failures in one of its components lead to a cut in the petroleum supply chain. Therefore, it is important to assess and evaluate the reliability of the unloading system in order to improve its availability. In this context, this paper presents the operation philosophy of the truck unloading system, failure modes of the components within the system, and a bottom-up approach to analyze the reliability of the system. In addition, it provides reliability data, such as failure rates, and mean time between failures of the system components. Furthermore, the reliability of the whole system was calculated and is presented for different time periods. The critical components, which are major contributors towards the system reliability, were identified. To enhance the system reliability, a reliability-based preventive maintenance strategy for the critical components was implemented. In addition, the preventive maintenance scheduling was identified based on the reliability plots of the unloading system. The best schedule for preventive maintenance of the system was determined based on the reliability function to be every 45 days for maintaining the system reliability above 0.9. Findings reveal that the reliability of the unloading system was significantly improved. For instance, the system reliability at one year improved by 80%, and this ratio increased dramatically as the time period increased.
Awsan Mohammed; Ahmed Ghaithan; Mashel Al-Saleh; Khalaf Al-Ofi. Reliability-Based Preventive Maintenance Strategy of Truck Unloading Systems. Applied Sciences 2020, 10, 6957 .
AMA StyleAwsan Mohammed, Ahmed Ghaithan, Mashel Al-Saleh, Khalaf Al-Ofi. Reliability-Based Preventive Maintenance Strategy of Truck Unloading Systems. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10 (19):6957.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAwsan Mohammed; Ahmed Ghaithan; Mashel Al-Saleh; Khalaf Al-Ofi. 2020. "Reliability-Based Preventive Maintenance Strategy of Truck Unloading Systems." Applied Sciences 10, no. 19: 6957.
The need for resilience and an agile waste management system in Saudi Arabia is vital to control safely the rapid growth of its municipal solid waste (MSW) with minimal environment toll. Similarly, the domestic energy production in Saudi Arabia is thriving and putting a tremendous pressure on its huge reserves of fossil oil. Waste to energy (WTE) plants provides a golden opportunity for Saudi Arabia; however, both challenges (MSW mitigation and energy production) are usually looked at in isolation. This paper at first explores the potential of expanding the WTE energy production in the eastern province in Saudi Arabia under two scenarios (complete mass burn with and without recycling). Secondly, this study analyzes the effect of 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) practices implementation in a residential camp (11,000 population) to influence the behavior of the camp’s citizens to reduce their average waste (kg/capita). The results of the 3R-WTE framework show a potential may reach 254 Megawatt (MW) of electricity by year 2030. The 3R system implementation in the camp reduced MSW production from 5,625 tons to 3000 tons of household waste every year, which is considered lower than what the surrounding communities to be produced in the same area.
Laith Hadidi; Ahmed Ghaithan; Awsan Mohammed; Khalaf Al-Ofi. Deploying Municipal Solid Waste Management 3R-WTE Framework in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Future. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5711 .
AMA StyleLaith Hadidi, Ahmed Ghaithan, Awsan Mohammed, Khalaf Al-Ofi. Deploying Municipal Solid Waste Management 3R-WTE Framework in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Future. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (14):5711.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLaith Hadidi; Ahmed Ghaithan; Awsan Mohammed; Khalaf Al-Ofi. 2020. "Deploying Municipal Solid Waste Management 3R-WTE Framework in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and Future." Sustainability 12, no. 14: 5711.
This article provides data related to different activities in the hydrocarbon supply chain (HCSC). HCSC structures from Crude oil and natural gas supply chains. There are three main sectors in the HCSC related to activities in the production areas, processing plants, and demand terminals. The considered activities comprise the upstream sector of the crude oil and all sectors of the natural gas. The data were collected from Saudi Arabia, considering the main production and processing plants. The provided data are useful in tactical planning of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas products of the HCSC. These data support the research article entitled “A Multi-Objective Optimization Model for Tactical Planning of Upstream Oil & Gas Supply Chains” [1].
Ahmed M. Attia; Ahmed M. Ghaithan; Salih O. Duffuaa. Data on upstream segment of a hydrocarbon supply chain in Saudi Arabia. Data in Brief 2019, 27, 104804 .
AMA StyleAhmed M. Attia, Ahmed M. Ghaithan, Salih O. Duffuaa. Data on upstream segment of a hydrocarbon supply chain in Saudi Arabia. Data in Brief. 2019; 27 ():104804.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAhmed M. Attia; Ahmed M. Ghaithan; Salih O. Duffuaa. 2019. "Data on upstream segment of a hydrocarbon supply chain in Saudi Arabia." Data in Brief 27, no. : 104804.
The supply-chain of oil and gas is known as the hydrocarbon supply-chain (HCSC). HCSC constitutes a significant part of the world economy of the energy sector. Consequently, planning the activities of the HCSC is an important and challenging research area. Here we present a multi-objective optimization model for intermediate-term planning of HCSC. The model brings forward sustainability and the environment aspect of planning HCSC operations. Sustainability is considered as an objective by minimizing the depletion rate. The environment is considered as a constraint in the model by restricting CO2 release. In addition, the model includes minimizing the total cost and maximizing revenue as two objectives. The proposed model assists decision makers to study trade-offs among alternative decisions. Decisions have an impact on meeting demand, depletion rate of natural resources, minimizing costs and/or maximizing revenue. A case study based on real data is provided to demonstrate model practicability and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to derive managerial insights. For instance, oil and gas reserves can be sustained for a longer period without the reduction of market share and simultaneously, return covers the total cost.
Ahmed M. Attia; Ahmed M. Ghaithan; Salih O. Duffuaa. A multi-objective optimization model for tactical planning of upstream oil & gas supply chains. Computers & Chemical Engineering 2019, 128, 216 -227.
AMA StyleAhmed M. Attia, Ahmed M. Ghaithan, Salih O. Duffuaa. A multi-objective optimization model for tactical planning of upstream oil & gas supply chains. Computers & Chemical Engineering. 2019; 128 ():216-227.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAhmed M. Attia; Ahmed M. Ghaithan; Salih O. Duffuaa. 2019. "A multi-objective optimization model for tactical planning of upstream oil & gas supply chains." Computers & Chemical Engineering 128, no. : 216-227.
In production-inventory control, economic order quantity (EOQ) and economic production quantity (EPQ) models are used to determine the optimal order quantities for purchasing and manufacturing. Most EOQ and EPQ models are constructed assuming constant costs. Recently, however, EOQ/EPQ models assuming varying costs (i.e., holding, ordering, and purchasing costs) have been receiving considerable attention. The objective of this paper is to review and classify EOQ and EPQ inventory models formulated under the assumption of variable holding costs. The relevant papers are reviewed and classified into three main types: time-dependent holding cost, stock-dependent holding cost, and multiple dependence or other holding cost variability. Additional classification is proposed for the reviewed models according to their objectives, solution methods, and applications. The paper identifies research trends and includes several suggestions for future research directions.
Hesham K. Alfares; Ahmed M. Ghaithan. EOQ and EPQ Production-Inventory Models with Variable Holding Cost: State-of-the-Art Review. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 2018, 44, 1737 -1755.
AMA StyleHesham K. Alfares, Ahmed M. Ghaithan. EOQ and EPQ Production-Inventory Models with Variable Holding Cost: State-of-the-Art Review. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering. 2018; 44 (3):1737-1755.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesham K. Alfares; Ahmed M. Ghaithan. 2018. "EOQ and EPQ Production-Inventory Models with Variable Holding Cost: State-of-the-Art Review." Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 44, no. 3: 1737-1755.
In typical EOQ-based inventory models, the demand rate and the holding cost are assumed to have constant values and the unit purchase cost is assumed constant regardless of the order size. In actual applications, however, the demand rate for a specific item can be affected by many variables such as seasonality, selling price, and availability. Moreover, the unit holding cost tends to be higher for extended storage periods. Additionally, the unit purchase cost is generally lower for larger order sizes due to quantity discounts. The objective of this paper is to simultaneously consider the variability of the demand rate, the unit holding cost, and the unit purchase cost. An inventory model is presented with a selling price-dependent demand rate, a storage time-dependent holding cost, and an order size-dependent purchase cost based on all-units quantity discount. A mathematical model is constructed, and a solution methodology is developed for determining the optimal solution. A numerical example is solved, and sensitivity analysis is conducted to study the effect of various parameters on the optimal solution.
Hesham K. Alfares; Ahmed M. Ghaithan. Inventory and pricing model with price-dependent demand, time-varying holding cost, and quantity discounts. Computers & Industrial Engineering 2016, 94, 170 -177.
AMA StyleHesham K. Alfares, Ahmed M. Ghaithan. Inventory and pricing model with price-dependent demand, time-varying holding cost, and quantity discounts. Computers & Industrial Engineering. 2016; 94 ():170-177.
Chicago/Turabian StyleHesham K. Alfares; Ahmed M. Ghaithan. 2016. "Inventory and pricing model with price-dependent demand, time-varying holding cost, and quantity discounts." Computers & Industrial Engineering 94, no. : 170-177.
Mohammed Almomani; A M Hassan; T Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of process parameters on corrosion rate of friction stir welded aluminium SiC–Gr hybrid composites. Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology 2013, 48, 346 -353.
AMA StyleMohammed Almomani, A M Hassan, T Qasim, Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of process parameters on corrosion rate of friction stir welded aluminium SiC–Gr hybrid composites. Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology. 2013; 48 (5):346-353.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMohammed Almomani; A M Hassan; T Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. 2013. "Effect of process parameters on corrosion rate of friction stir welded aluminium SiC–Gr hybrid composites." Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology 48, no. 5: 346-353.
To clarify the role of pin profile geometry on some properties of friction stir welded of the considered aluminum matrix composites (Al-4 wt% Mg, reinforced with 1 wt% SiC and 1 wt% graphite particles) plates of 8 mm thickness were fabricated by compocasting method then annealed at 400°C for 2 h. Tools with different pin profiles (square, hexagonal, and octagonal) were manufactured to be used for friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminum matrix composites plates at four different levels of welding (transverse) and rotational speeds. The effects of these pin profiles on microstructure and some mechanical properties of the friction stir welded joints were studied. The results show that the plates welded by square head pin have better properties compared to the other pin profiles. This pin seems to cause better grain refinement and redistribution of SiC and graphite particles in the welded nugget zone (NZ) than the other two types. This has led to better improvements in the considered mechanical properties. Also, these properties were improved by increasing welding speed, while increasing the rotational speed has a diverse effect on them.
Adel Mahmood Hassan; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of Pin Profile on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites. Materials and Manufacturing Processes 2012, 27, 1397 -1401.
AMA StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan, Tarek Qasim, Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of Pin Profile on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites. Materials and Manufacturing Processes. 2012; 27 (12):1397-1401.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. 2012. "Effect of Pin Profile on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites." Materials and Manufacturing Processes 27, no. 12: 1397-1401.
In the present work, the aluminum matrix composites reinforced with both SiC and graphite particles are joined using a friction stir welding (FSW) process. The wear characteristics of the welded joints were investigated at constant load of 50 N and a rotational speed of 1,000 rpm using a pin-on-disk wear testing apparatus. This study focuses on the influences of the FSW processing parameters (tool geometry, rotational speed, and welding speed) on the wear characteristics of the welded joint of the considered hybrid aluminum matrix composite under dry sliding conditions. The experimental results indicate that the wear resistance of the joint increases at high welding speeds (>45 mm/min) and/or low value of rotational speeds. Different tool pin profiles (square, octagonal, and hexagonal) are developed to perform the welding process, and the effects of the tool pin profile on the weldments were studied. It is found that joints welded with square pin profile have better wear resistance compared to the other pin profiles. The results demonstrate that the FSW processing parameters greatly affect on the wear resistance of the welded joints due to various microstructural modifications during welding that cause an improvement in the welded zone hardness and wear properties.
Adel Mahmood Hassan; Mohammed Almomani; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of Processing Parameters on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites Wear Behavior. Materials and Manufacturing Processes 2012, 27, 1419 -1423.
AMA StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan, Mohammed Almomani, Tarek Qasim, Ahmed Ghaithan. Effect of Processing Parameters on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites Wear Behavior. Materials and Manufacturing Processes. 2012; 27 (12):1419-1423.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan; Mohammed Almomani; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. 2012. "Effect of Processing Parameters on Friction Stir Welded Aluminum Matrix Composites Wear Behavior." Materials and Manufacturing Processes 27, no. 12: 1419-1423.
In this study, the effect of friction stir welding (FSW) parameters such as rotational speed, welding (transverse) speed, and the type of pin profile tool on some mechanical properties was statistically investigated. Plates of aluminium matrix composites fabricated by stir casting method were joined by friction stir welding process. The statistical analysis has shown that the most important factor affecting hardness and tensile strength is the welding (transverse) speed, while the rotational speed has a second ranking and pin profile tool geometry is the least. The rotational speed has no statistical significant influence on the wear rate. However, the nugget zone, which was welded by square pin profile tool, seemed to exhibit better mechanical properties compared to those obtained by other pin profile tools.
Adel Mahmood Hassan; Mohammed Almomani; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. Statistical analysis of some mechanical properties of friction stir welded aluminium matrix composite. International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation 2012, 3, 91 .
AMA StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan, Mohammed Almomani, Tarek Qasim, Ahmed Ghaithan. Statistical analysis of some mechanical properties of friction stir welded aluminium matrix composite. International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation. 2012; 3 (1):91.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdel Mahmood Hassan; Mohammed Almomani; Tarek Qasim; Ahmed Ghaithan. 2012. "Statistical analysis of some mechanical properties of friction stir welded aluminium matrix composite." International Journal of Experimental Design and Process Optimisation 3, no. 1: 91.