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Articles containing the keyword 'wood chippers'

Category : Research article

article id 1342, category Research article
Blas Mola-Yudego, Gianni Picchi, Dominik Röser, Raffaele Spinelli. (2015). Assessing chipper productivity and operator effects in forest biomass operations. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 5 article id 1342. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1342
Keywords: mixed models; efficiency; comminution; operator effect; raw material supply; wood chippers
Highlights: A model is constructed to assess the productivity in chipping of wood biomass at roadside; The data includes 172 trials and 67 operators in Italy; The operator effect was included in a mixed model approach; The R2 were 0.76 (fixed part) and 0.88 (incl. operator effects).
Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

The present research focuses on the productivity of energy wood chipping operations at several sites in Italy. The aim was to assess the productivity and specifically the effect attributed to the operator in the chipping of wood biomass. The research included 172 trials involving 67 operators across the country that were analysed using a mixed model approach, in order to assess productivity, and to isolate the operator effect from other potential variables. The model was constructed using different predictors aiming to explain the variability due to the machines and the raw-materials. The final model included the average piece weight of raw material chipped as well as the power of the machine. The coefficients of determination (R2) were 0.76 for the fixed part of the model, and 0.88 when the effects due to the operators were included. The operators’ performance compared to their peers was established, and it was compared to a subjective classification based on the operator’s previous experience. The results of this study can help to the planning and logistics of raw material supply for bioenergy, as well as to a more effective training of future forest operators.

  • Mola-Yudego, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland; NIBIO Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, P.O. Box 115, 1431 Ås, Norway ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0286-0170 E-mail: blas.mola@uef.fi (email)
  • Picchi, CNR IVALSA, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy E-mail: picchi@ivalsa.cnr.it
  • Röser, Forest Feedstocks Group, FPInnovations, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada E-mail: dominik.roser@fpinnovations.ca
  • Spinelli, CNR IVALSA, Via Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy E-mail: spinelli@ivalsa.cnr.it

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