A fuzzy decision model for the selection of coals for industrial use Online publication date: Fri, 27-Dec-2013
by M. Shamsuzzaman; A.M.M. Sharif Ullah; F.T. Dweiri
International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering (IJISE), Vol. 14, No. 2, 2013
Abstract: This study describes a fuzzy-logic-based multiple-criteria decision-making approach to rank coals for industrial use. Calorific value and chemical compositions (i.e. sulphur, fixed carbon, volatile matter, moisture and ash contents) of coals are considered criteria. The desired values of each criterion are expressed by an appropriate fuzzy number, whereas all possible values of a criterion of a given coal are captured by a numerical range. A mathematical entity called 'range compliance' is used to formally compute the compliance between a given range (i.e. all possible values of a criterion of a given coal) and desired values of a criterion (i.e. a fuzzy number). The max-min operation is used to aggregate the contributions of all criteria to a single score so that the final decision is made based on crisp numerical values. A computerised decision-making tool called CoalExpert is developed to automate the coal ranking process.
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