Contact

Chair of Operations Management,
School of Business and Economics,
RWTH Aachen University,

Kackertstraße 7
D-52072 Aachen

Tel.: +49 241 80 23830
Mail: email protected

Current Lectures

Theses

Applicaton for theses

If you are interested in a topic (see list below), please contact the corresponding person via e-mail. In an one-on-one interview all detailes will be discussed and questions will be sorted out. Please attach the following information to your e-mail:

a current transcript of records
a current curriculum vitae

List of offered Theses

Type	Title	Contact
BT	Algorithms for pipeline networks	Bogs, S.	+
	This bachelor thesis provides a rough literature review of algorithms and methods used for pipeline network design. The motivation for this study is the upcoming need for the development of CO2 and hydrogen pipelines to meet the growing demand for sustainable energy sources and reduce emissions. The paper starts with an introduction to the importance of pipeline networks for transporting these gases, followed by an overview of the challenges associated with designing pipeline networks for CO2 and hydrogen. Then at least two algorithms from the literature should be implemented and compared. NOTE: Writing this paper requires some programming knowledge!
BT	Analyzing uncertainty sources of renewable supply chains in Africa	Zardoshti, M. Karbassi, V.	+
	The objective of this bachelor’s thesis is to analyze the sources of uncertainty for renewable fuel supply chains in the African continent. The work is focused on identifying significant sources of uncertainty (e.g., regarding the supply and demand side, technology evolution, etc.), assessing their adverse consequences, and proposing measures to hedge against uncertainty. Based on these results, an investigation of uncertain parameters is to be carried out, whereas the detail of this investigation will depend on the availability of data and the challenges in anticipating some of the parameters in the supply chain. The expected outcomes will provide supply chain uncertainty ranges and probabilities.
BT/MT	(Paid: in cooperation with Air Liquide) Analysing/Optimizing a hydrogen production and distribution system in Germany	Abdelshafy, A.
BT/MT	Hidden Champions: A Literature Review of Forgotten Optimization Problems	Stadnichuk, V.	+
	In the modern literature there are many optimization problems, which are analyzed in detail in theoretical articles, but are hardly applied to "real" practical problems. Examples are the Multicommodity Flow Problem or Bin Packing with Conflicts. This topic is intended as a series of bachelor theses, where each thesis deals in detail with an optimization problem. The goal here is not only to give a precise classification of the literature, but also the identification of possible use cases and/or limitations for the considered optimization problem.If necessary, it may also be appropriate to implement some of the algorithms from the literature and compare them. The topic can also be assigned as a master thesis if desired.
BT/MT	Modelling/Analysing steel production and waste streams in North Rhine-Westphalia	Abdelshafy, A.
BT/MT	Techno-ökonomische Bewertung des chemischen Recyclings von Matratzen in Deutschland	Schleier, J.	+
	Matratzen werden in Deutschland nach einer durchschnittlichen Lebensdauer von 10 Jahren entsorgt. Dabei werden wertvolle Ressourcen verschwendet, die durch die Etablierung geeigneter kreislaufwirtschaftlicher Systeme den Bedarf an fossilen Ressourcen in der Matratzenproduktion und anderen Bereichen reduzieren könnten. In Matratzen wird bspw. Styrol-Butadien-Katschuk (SBR) als synthetischer Kautschuk eingesetzt, ein Copolymer aus Styrol und Butadien. Aufgrund der chemischen Struk-tur, Verunreinigungen im Material oder Verbundeigenschaften der Anwendung ist das Recycling unter technischen und ökonomischen Aspekten derzeit noch nicht möglich. Um SBR-haltige Abfälle aus Matratzen stofflich zu verwerten, könnten zukünftig jedoch pyrolytische Verfahren eingesetzt werden und das chemische Recycling ermöglichen. Die Umsetzung chemischer Recyclingverfahren setzt den Aufbau geeigneter Rückführlogistiksysteme voraus, welche die effiziente Sammlung, Sortierung und ggf. Aufbereitung der dezentral anfallenden Abfallmassen beinhalten. Im Rahmen einer techno-ökonomischen Analyse sollen die Umsetzungspotenziale und die ökonomische Effizienz möglicher Systemauslegungen in Deutschland untersucht werden. In einer Voruntersuchung soll daher zunächst eine Prognose der zeitlichen und räumlichen Verteilung zukünftiger Matratzenabfälle erstellt werden. Basierend auf dieser Massenbilanz soll ein geeigneter Modellierungsansatz für die Auslegung und Bewertung von Verwertungsalternativen und notwendigen Netzwerkstrukturen entwickelt werden. Durch Anwendung des Ansatzes auf eine deutsche Fallstudie sollen spezifische Einsichten in die Effizienz des chemischen Recyclings für Matratzen generiert und davon Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet werden. Ausschreibung: https://www.om.rwth-aachen.de/data/uploads/ausschreibung_bama_matratzenrecycling_om_teer.pdf
MT	(Paid: in cooperation with Infineon) Global supply chain and lifecycle of semiconductors	Abdelshafy, A.
MT	Actor modelling of a CCS-network	Bogs, S.	+
	CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technology could be an essential tool in the fight against climate change. It involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes, such as cement or steel production, and storing them underground or in other long-term storage facilities. Getting the CO2 from the industrial plants to the storage sides will probably involve a pipeline network. Building the CO2 pipelines will probably be a joint effort between the different stakeholders based on regulations, policies, and economic values. The cost of a pipeline network will probably be too much effort/investment for a single stakeholder. Actor modelling can simulate different behaviours of the involved parties and the potential outcomes. NOTE: Writing this thesis will need a substantial amount of programming skill!
MT	Analysis for future charging parks – high voltage systems for electric vehicles (external)	Stadnichuk, V.	+
	Externe Arbeit in Kooperation mit der FEV Consulting Batterieelektrisch betriebene PKW und LKW gewinnen im Rahmen der Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrssektors zunehmend an Relevanz. Für die nächsten Jahre haben viele Hersteller neue Modelle angekündigt oder bereits vorgestellt. Dabei werden unter anderem unterschiedliche Hochvolt-Systemspannungen verwendet (z. B. 400V/800V). Im Zuge dessen stellt sich für diverse Stakeholder (z. B. Hersteller, Ladeinfrastrukturbetreiber) die Frage, welche Systemspannung für welchen Anwendungsbereich geeignet ist. Vor diesem Hintergrund besteht das Ziel der Masterarbeit darin, Handlungsempfehlungen für die unterschiedliche Stakeholder, beispielsweise mithilfe einer Nutzwertanalyse/mathematischer Optimierung zu entwickeln und dabei anhand von Szenarien die Profitabilität für diese zu berechnen.
MT	The Hazmat Transportation Problem under Uncertainity	Stadnichuk, V.	+
	The Hazmat Transportation Problem (HTP) is a well known optimization problem from the literature. Here, a city authority wants to prohibit certain road sections in the city center for the transport of hazardous materials in order to minimize the risk in case of an accident for the residents. However, it must be kept in mind that the truck drivers of the hazardous material transporters use the shortest route suggested by the navigation system, which, in the case of ill-considered bans, can lead to other road sections being overloaded, resulting in a higher overall risk for the population. At the same time, the bans must be made in such a way that all hazardous materials can still be transported from their starting point to their destination. Most scientific articles on HTP assume that the number of trucks along with their origin and destination points are known. In practice, however, scenarios are also conceivable where only estimated values or forecasts for this information are available. Thus, the goal of this thesis is to perform a literature analysis of the extent to which uncertainties for the HTP have already been studied in the literature and, if necessary, to design an own optimization model to solve the Hazmat Transportation Problem with uncertainties.
MT	Designing a logistics system for collecting, transporting and storing biomass in NRW	Abdelshafy, A.
MT	Designing a robust supply network for the defossilized transport sector, considering evolving policy frameworks	Zardoshti, M.	+
	A global warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius requires immediate, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society. In this context, various policies and regulations have been developed in Europe and worldwide. Regional and cross-border solutions are needed simultaneously to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Broadly speaking, effective decarbonization policies and climate mitigation pillars must be consistent with regional and/or national ambitions. This policy framework can support the development of roadmaps and measures for net-zero emissions in all energy, industry, transport, and building sectors. Against this background, this master thesis aims to evaluate a robust design of optimal fuel supply chain networks under an evolving policy framework. Policies may affect elements of a supply network, the supply side, the demand side, and the import decision; therefore, designing a flexible and robust network helps to find a transition to a more sustainable transport sector. A case study in European countries with import option from MENA and South America regions will be used to examine the EU's transition to sustainable defossilization, taking into account both the policies already established and those likely to come. The scope of the work should cover passenger cars for transport sector in the EU.
MT	Designing/Analysing circular economy models for construction sector in NRW	Abdelshafy, A.
MT	Effect of economic incentives on renewable fuel supply chain network design	Amiri, M.	+
	Alternative fuels can substitute fossil fuels in transportation without requiring major infrastructure changes since they are compatible with existing vehicles. As such, renewable fuels are important to achieving the Paris agreement goals. It is necessary, however, that the cost of renewable fuels be competitive with the cost of fossil fuels in order to become commercially feasible. Incentives and government actions can help renewable fuel supply chains to become more efficient and sustainable. Against this background, this Master's Thesis seeks to assess the economic impact of incentives based on a supply chain model for renewable fuels. The first step in this analysis is to conduct a literature review of the renewable fuel supply chain, which includes different resources, production methods, transportation methods, and storage technologies. As a next step, incentives and regulations will be reviewed. Here, the emphasis should be on the different incentives that are effective at the various stages of the supply chain. This analysis will be used to develop a renewable fuel supply chain model. Economic metrics should be considered as objective function. The impact of different incentives on this network will be analyzed. If time allows, the model can also be extended to include sustainability aspects. To gain insight into effective incentives, the model should be applied to a case study for the EU or Germany.
MT	Investigating the environmental impact and material intensity of cement products in NRW	Abdelshafy, A.
MT	Does high-tech synthetic paper environmentally friendly?	Walther, G.	+
	In 1969, two Japanese companies, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Oji Paper Co. Ltd., had a shared vision of generating and producing paper entirely out of synthetic raw materials. Using synthetic polymers, they developed papers which are unparalleled for their combination of superior functionality and unique aesthetic appeal. Today the joint-venture business – the YUPO Corporation – ranks among the global market leaders with a product range of more than 50 synthetic papers and annual production capacity of more than 40.000 tons. YUPO paper is 100% recyclable, waterproof, tree-free synthetic paper with attributes and properties that make it the perfect solution for a variety of marketing, design, packaging, and labeling needs. These characteristics make this product environmentally friendly, but only under certain circumstances. Recycling and repurposing, eliminating waste and toxins from the manufacturing process and using revolutionary environmentally sound materials are just a few examples of how YUPO fosters resource saving and reduction of environmental impacts. But plastic has obtained a bad reputation in the last decade. Accordingly, we need science-based evidence whether synthetic paper is an environmentally sound solution for the above-mentioned aims. The results will help decision makers to find environmental improvement options. Master student will get an insight of everyday life of a worldwide top 10 chemical company and learn what decision makers are interested in and how to translate science to sustainable business. The following tasks have to be fulfilled during this master thesis: • Motivation, research challenge and target of the thesis • Literature research regarding production processes of different papers, critical evaluation of state of information (data quality, availability) • Development of an own data inventory together with Tokyo HQ • Model the production system in GaBi software • Scenarios and sensitivity analyses, and robustness check of the model • Evaluation of the environmental impacts, hot-spot analysis, contribution of different system elements • Summary and Outlook
MT	Multi-criteria decision-making for evaluating sustainability in bio-hybrid fuel supply chains under uncertain conditions	Hendiani, S.	+
	In order to reinforce sustainability practices in supply chains, the first step is to determine the current level of developments in three aspects (social, economic, and environment). Bio-hybrid fuels, as a new generation of combinatorial fuels, offer promising and sustainable options for the future transportation systems. The objective of this thesis will be the specification of current level of sustainability in bio-hybrid supply chains, and identification of weak performing factors using multi-criteria decision-making techniques (both outranking and weighting methods). As there are always uncertainties associated with data, especially in the collecting phase, the method will be in a way that can cope with all these vagueness and risks. Previous knowledge about multi-criteria decision making methods and uncertainty modelling as well as good literature searching skills are required.
MT	Upper and lower bounds for the Electric Vehicle Scheduling Problem	Stadnichuk, V.	+
	Many bus operators are currently converting their diesel bus fleet to more sustainable electric buses (E-Bus). However, this transformation increases the complexity of strategic and operational scheduling tasks because E-Buses have, among other things, a high recharging time. In the literature, this new optimization problem is known as the Electric Vehicle Scheduling Problem (E-VSP). Here, a fleet of E-Buses and a list of trips that need to be run during the day are given, and the objective is to find the cost-optimal allocation of E-Bus to trip. In a previous master thesis, a solution algorithm for the EVSP has already been developed. However, the focus was on determining the optimal number of E-buses needed. The goal of this thesis is now to extend the existing algorithm by further aspects from practice, e.g. operational costs per distance or recharging times. Subsequently, the solution approach is to be validated for its practical suitability within the scope of a larger case study. A good knowledge of operations research and the Python programming language is required for this thesis.
MT	Optimal allocation of medium-term production capacities to real orders in the automotive industry under consideration of different objectives	Walther, G.	+
	Externe Arbeit in Kooperation mit der Ford-Werke GmbH, Abteilung Global Data Insight & Analytics (GDIA) Im Kontext von Lieferkettenproblemen und Chipmangel stellt die optimale Allokation von Kundenbestellungen zu Produktionsslots ein reales Problem in der Automobilindustrie dar. Dabei ist nicht nur die kurzfristige Allokation (Scheduling), sondern auch die mittelfristige Allokation von Relevanz, um abschätzen zu können, inwieweit Kundenbestellungen zeitnah realisiert werden können. Vor diesem Hintergrund besteht das Ziel der Abschlussarbeit darin, ein Optimierungsmodel zu erstellen, welches die optimale Allokation von Kundenbestellungen zu Produktionsslots mittelfristig unter Berücksichtigung von Produktionskapazitäten bestimmt. Hierbei soll der Einfluss verschiedener Zielsetzungen (z.B. Alter der Bestellung, Art der Bestellung, …) auf die optimale Lösung untersucht werden und eine geeignete Methode der multikriteriellen Optimierung ausgewählt und implementiert (Python) werden. Neben der Erstellung und Implementierung des Optimierungsmodels werden die Aufbereitung / Beschaffung der Inputdaten in Kooperation mit dem Ford Forschungszentrum sowie die Visualisierung der Ergebnisse ein wesentlicher Bestandteil der Arbeit sein. Ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt besteht im Abgleich der realen Bestellungen mit den Vorhersagen des Verkaufsplans.
MT	Regionale Transformation zur Klimaneutralität – Konzeption und Planung von Klimaneutralitätsszenarien am Beispiel einer Region in Nordrhein-Westfalen	Walther, G.	+
	Die Transformation zur Klimaneutralität stellt für Deutschland die größte Herausforderung der letzten Jahrzehnte dar. Die politischen Ziele hierfür sind vorgegeben und geeignete Technologien mit einem ausreichenden Technology-Readiness-Level (TRL) vorhanden. Notwendig ist nun aber die konkrete Umsetzung, d.h. die Entwicklung konkreter Konzepte zur Klimaneutralität auf regionaler Ebene. Hierbei gilt es zunächst, die regionalen Rahmenbedingungen zu analysieren, zum Beispiel die Potenziale erneuerbarer Energien sowie aktuelle CO2-Quellen und vorhandene bzw. erweiterbare (Pipeline-)Infrastrukturen. Darauf aufbauen müssen für energiebedingte CO2-Quellen geeignete Minderungsmaßnahmen bzw. für prozessbedingte CO2-Emissionen geeignete Maßnahmen zur Abscheidung und Nutzung bzw. Speicherung (CCU/CCS) erarbeitet werden. Diese sind in eine geeignete Logistik und Infrastruktur (CO2-Pipelines, H2-Pipelines) einzubinden. Vor diesem Hintergrund besteht das Ziel dieser Masterarbeit in der Entwicklung eines Konzepts zur Klimaneutralität für eine konkrete Region in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Hierbei erfolgt die Analyse und Bewertung der erneuerbaren Energiepotenziale der Region sowie die Entwicklung und kapazitative Auslegung konkreter Minderungs- und CCU/CCS-Maßnahmen für die regionalen Punktquellen. Die Konzepte und Szenarien werden im Dialog mit den Entscheidungsträgern vor Ort entwickelt. Auf Basis dieser Analysen werden Aussagen zum Einsatz von Technologien für die Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien, zur Minderung von CO2-Emmissionen mit entsprechenden Kapazitäten sowie zu potenziellen H2-/CO2-Infrastrukturen für die betreffende Region erarbeitet und Strategien für die Transformation zur Klimaneutralität für die Region und für die optimale Auslegung von Klimaschutzmaßnehmen abgeleitet. Für die Abschlussarbeit können bestehende Daten von und Kontakte zu den Kommunen und Industriepartnern der Regionen genutzt werden. Die Ergebnisse werden in Kooperation mit dem Verein deutscher Zementwerke (VDZ) erarbeitet und mit den Vertretern des VDZ sowie mit den Entscheidungsträgern vor Ort diskutiert und reflektiert. Im Rahmen der Abschlussarbeit sind somit folgende Arbeitspunkte zu behandeln: • Motivation des Themas, Problemstellung und Zielsetzung • Analyse der regionalen Rahmenbedingungen: Potenzial erneuerbarer Energien, aktuelle energiebedingte und prozessbedingte CO2-Quellen • Analyse, Bewertung und Auslegung von Technologien zur Minderung der regionalen CO2-Emissionen • Entwicklung eines konkreten regionalen Transformationskonzeptes zur Klimaneutralität unter Berücksichtigung von erneuerbaren Energien, Minderungs- und CCU/CCS-Technologien sowie der hierfür erforderlichen Infrastrukturen • Iterative Erarbeitung und Diskussion des Konzeptes mit den Entscheidungsträgern vor Ort • Zusammenfassung, Ausblick und Schlussfolgerung
MT	Renewable fuel supply chain under uncertainty	Amiri, M.	+
	Renewable fuels are promising substitutes for fossil fuels to achieve emission neutrality in the transportation sector by 2050. Thus, many researchers are interested in designing a renewable fuel supply chain that integrates different technologies and resources. In reality, short-term and seasonal fluctuations as well as uncertainties affect supply, demand, and prices. Thus, these un-certainties and fluctuations must be considered when planning a supply chain. Against this background, the target of this Master Thesis is to identify the most critical uncertain-ties and develop a model that optimizes the renewable fuel supply chain. The first step will be to conduct a literature review on uncertainty in renewable fuel supply chains. The focus here should be on specifying uncertainty sources. Afterwards, an overview of the ap-proaches and methods to deal with uncertainty will be presented (sensitivity analysis, robustness, stochasticity, and hybrid method). Furthermore, renewable fuel supply chain classification and un-certainty characteristics should also be discussed and analyzed. Based on these analyses, a sim-ple renewable fuel supply chain model under uncertainty will be developed. An economic metric should be considered as the objective function. In order to gain insights into the model, it should be applied to a case study for the EU or Germany.
MT	Resilient design of pipeline networks	Bogs, S.	+
	Transporting hydrogen through pipelines is a crucial aspect of the hydrogen economy, as it enables the delivery of hydrogen from production facilities to end users. However, transport through pipelines is vulnerable to malicious attacks (see e.g. the destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines). This work explores innovative approaches to pipeline network design that can ensure basic supply even if some parts of the network are attacked. These approaches may include the use of redundancy, diversification and decentralised control strategies. For example, students could formulate the pipeline network as a BI-level problem using game-theoretic approaches.
MT	Success factors and challenges of Product Carbon Footprint calculation including Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions	Adam, K.	+
	What cannot be measured, cannot be minimized – in order to meet sustainability goals, set by the European Green Deal and Paris Agreement, companies need to calculate their carbon emissions. Product Carbon Footprint calculations offer great potentials but suffer from missing standards, lack of abilities and know-how as well as effort needed to set up the systems. More and more software companies offer expensive tools to get calculations done. Yet, it is not researched what exactly the main challenges are, where they occur and how-to success with this LCA analysis. • How does a PCF theoretically need to be calculated? • Which rules do companies need to follow? • What kind of emissions need to be included? • Which challenges come with PCF calculations? The main focus of the thesis will be to find out what needs to be done in order to calculate a product carbon footprint. PCF calculation will be compared to other LCA approaches, company carbon footprint calculation and ISO and GHG standards. After having reviewed the literature and compared the approaches, a business case will be obtained in order to link the analysis to practical implications. Subsequently, transferability to other industries and branches should be discussed. The thesis is offered in cooperation with Circular Tree, for more information please contact Kathrin Adam (kathrin@circulartree.com).
MT	Sustainable supplier selection for construction industry	Hendiani, S.	+
	Sustainable supplier selection is known as a crucial objective of an enterprise due to its impact on profitability, adorability, flexibility, and agility of associated organization. As a result of the transition of traditional supply chains to sustainable supply chains, decision-makers and practitioners who are involved with choosing the best suppliers have to consider sustainability perspectives in their final decision. Moreover, developing methods which tend to integrate sustainable analysis in supplier selection calculations are still a challenging concept. On top of these motivations, the following thesis is aimed to develop new multi-criteria decision-making methods for choosing the most sustainable supplier among different alternatives according to their performance in sustainability criteria.
MT	Techno-economic analysis of different bio-based products	Abdelshafy, A.
MT	Relocation of Energy-Intensive Industries through Carbon Leakage and Renewable Pull - Value Creation and Employment Analysis Using the Example of the Steel Industry	Walther, G.	+
	North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the leading industrial locations in Europe. In the course of the tightening of the EU climate targets, there is a risk of relocation abroad due to mechanisms such as carbon leakage and/or renewable pull, especially for energy-intensive value-added processes, e.g. for steel production processes. The associated relocation of jobs can result in major structural challenges for NRW as an industrial location. Against this background, the objective of the master thesis is to analyze the potential relocation of process stages in the steel value chain and the resulting relocation of employment. For this purpose, a process and value chain analysis is carried out for the individual stages of steel production using the example of a North Rhine-Westphalian steel company. Based on the current state of the art, the investments required in the course of the transformation to climate-neutral steel production in 2045 as well as the future energy requirements and prices and the resulting operating production costs are determined and compared with alternative locations with lower CO2 prices or higher availability of renewable energies. Based on this, the individual process steps are evaluated with regard to the respective labor input. Finally, the results of the process and value creation analysis and the labor analysis are critically discussed with regard to the relocation potentials through carbon leakage and renewable pull as well as the associated employment effects.

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