MULTI-OBJECTIVE THERMO-ECONOMIC AND SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMIZATION MODELING FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY INTEGRATION IN SMART FACTORIES

Abstract

This study examines how multi-objective thermo-economic and supply chain optimization capabilities influence hydrogen energy integration in smart factories operating within Industry 4.0 environments. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, case-study–based design, the research surveyed 120 respondents across energy, production, maintenance, and supply-chain roles in hydrogen-relevant smart factories. Key constructs measured on Likert’s five-point scale indicate that smart factory digitalization (mean 3.65), thermo-economic optimization capability (mean 3.48), and hydrogen supply chain optimization (mean 3.36) are present at moderate-to-high maturity levels, while hydrogen integration performance (mean 3.72) and overall operational/economic performance (mean 3.68) reflect favorable perceived outcomes. Reliability analyses demonstrate strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.84 to 0.89). Correlation coefficients show statistically significant positive relationships across all constructs, with the strongest association between hydrogen integration performance and operational/economic performance (r = 0.71, p < .01). Regression modeling confirms that thermo-economic optimization (β = 0.32, p < .01) and supply chain optimization (β = 0.29, p < .01) significantly predict hydrogen integration performance (Adj. R² = .54), while both capabilities jointly explain substantial variance in operational and economic performance (Adj. R² = .61). A supporting multi-objective optimization model generates Pareto-optimal scenarios illustrating trade-offs among cost, efficiency, and reliability: a cost-focused configuration achieves 46% exergy efficiency with a disruption risk index of 0.42 at +12% CAPEX, whereas a reliability-focused configuration achieves 55.8% efficiency with risk reduced to 0.17, requiring +31% CAPEX. These quantitative findings reinforce that hydrogen integration success in smart factories depends not only on digital infrastructure but on the coordinated development of exergy-aware thermo-economic routines and resilient hydrogen supply chains. The study thus provides a validated theoretical, empirical, and optimization-based foundation for guiding hydrogen-enabled smart manufacturing and industrial decarbonization strategies.