Title: Designing an expert system for industrial energy management in Tanzania

Authors: Adam Mwangaila; Ismail W.R. Taifa; Victoria Mahabi

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract: This study designed an expert system (ES) to assist energy management (EM) in manufacturing industries. The EM system optimises energy to maximise profits. One of the best approaches to managing energy is letting every individual in the industry be responsible. Lack of knowledge by most workers challenges this, and it is expensive to train every staff who operates in silo form. This study thus designed an ES that assists managers in manufacturing industries in performing EM. The system's target is to overcome the existing knowledge barriers and lack of expertise in EM in industries. The designed system is web-based software and acts as an expert in EM using knowledge base and artificial intelligence as an inference engine to mimic human behaviour of reasoning and decision making. The ES would thus ensure the availability of EM expertise in industries and the process of managing energy to be performed by qualified industrial workers.

Keywords: expert system; energy management; machine learning model; artificial intelligence; knowledgebase development; industrial energy management; inference engine development; Tanzania.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMDM.2023.131744

International Journal of Management and Decision Making, 2023 Vol.22 No.3, pp.334 - 365

Received: 26 Apr 2022
Accepted: 10 Jul 2022
Published online: 30 Jun 2023 *

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