Problem 1 (Elkem AS, Kristiansand, Norway)

Reactor optimisation in novel CO2 free Silicon process

Elkem is developing a new concept for silicon production where all direct CO2 emissions from the production process will be eliminated. The concept is based on carbon looping, where carbon oxides in the process off gases are captured, converted to solid carbon, and reused in the process. When successful, this will become a game changer for the global silicon industry. Elkem will give a problem related to optimising/scale up of raw material properties and reactor dimensions in this new concept.

Problem 2 (Ålesund Biomechanics Lab, Helse MR)

Soft Tissue Modelling for Orthopedic Surgery

Vision

Simulator training for surgeons is increasingly important. While simulators for basic skill training have already been deployed, they have insufficient fidelity to train experienced surgeons in particular and advanced procedures.

Problem

One of the problems to solve is dynamic modelling of soft tissue to allow simulation of deformation, tear, and cutting as will arise in surgical procedures.

Challenge

Soft-tissue deformation is readily simulated in mesh models, governed by differential equations which are solluble by finite element modelling. However, tear (cutting) introduces discrete events, changing the topology of the mesh. This is known to be computationally hard.

There are potential side issues, such as the interaction between soft tissue (muscles and fat) and rigid bodies (skeleton). Some surgical procedures require bending of the joint during surgery, giving two simultaneous sources of dynamics.

Problem 3 (Ålesund Municipality)

Dynamically calculated response time for civil defence and urban planning

The local authorities are responsible for organising and maintaining the fire station and ambulance networks in such a way that the response time does not exceed 10 minutes.

The goal is to calculate the time for first responders to reach the various places in a city (based on Open Street Map network with max speed) for various alternatives. The algorithm and online service should be preferably handled dynamically: giving the urban planners and fire station officers the possibility of moving the stations dynamically.

The service should be running in real-time and would provide a heatmap of response time based on the location of the service providers (fire station, ambulance) Reversely, the service could also be used for distance from homes to hospitals and schools.

Problem 4 (Furuno Norge AS)

Estimation of salmon biomass and behaviour

Furuno Norge AS is developing a solution for the Norwegian aquaculture industry were salmon biomass and behaviour are estimated with the aid of hydroacoustic sensors. In order to give the aquaculture industry a reliable tool for surveillance of large densities of fish several factors need to be considered.

The aim of the project is to combine data from different sources and to build mathematical models that use this information to describe the biological system under survey. Furuno Norge AS will give several problems related to data treatment and modelling with the aim of explaining salmon densities and behaviour.