Lecture 16: Sustainable Engineeringmech350/Lectures/MECH350...The life-cycle of a “product” from...

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MECH 350Engineering Design I

University of VictoriaDept. of Mechanical Engineering

Lecture 16: Sustainable Engineering

© N. Dechev, University of Victoria

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INTRODUCTIONSUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING & DESIGNPRODUCT LIFE CYCLELIFE CYCLE DESIGNCLASS DISCUSSIONLIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA)

Outline:


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The term ‘sustainability’ generally means:

The ability to sustain something for an indefinite period of time, without depleting the resources used to sustain it, and such that it does not damage the surroundings (environment) in which it resides.

Sustainability

© N. Dechev, University of VictoriaVenn Diagram for Sustainability,[Pittsburg State Univ.]

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The term “sustainable” is used for many different areas such as:sustainable designsustainable developmentsustainable livingsustainable energyetc....

Sustainability


Sustainable Development [Aedus Architects]

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If we apply the previous definition to engineering, we could say that ‘sustainable engineering’ strives to maintain sustainable principles in engineering activities such as:

Using methods that minimize environmental damage to provide sufficient food, water, shelter, and mobility for a growing world population [1].

Designing products and processes so that wastes from one are used as inputs to another [1].

Sustainable Engineering


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. . . ‘sustainable engineering’ such as:

Incorporating environmental and social constraints as well as economic considerations into engineering decisions [1].

Sustainable engineering is the process of using energy and resources at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. [2]

Sustainable Engineering (Con’t)


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Building on the definition of “sustainable engineering”, we can define “sustainable engineering design” activities such as:

Product Design: where the resources used to make a product should not be depleted, and the usage and eventual disposal of the product should not damage the environment in which it operates.

Process Design: where the input resources processed by it should not be depleted, and the output materials should not damage the environment into which they go.

Sustainable Engineering Design


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Consider the “structured design process” of this MECH350 course. We are learning to apply the following design process:

Needs/Goal StatementsMission StatementInformation GatheringObjectives/ConstraintsConcept Generation ProcessSelection Method for ConceptsDetailed DesignPrototype ConstructionTesting and Evaluation (and Re-Design as required)Documentation & Communication of Final Design



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The Question: How can I incorporate “sustainable” principles and concepts, into an engineering design?

Answer: Given our “structured design process”, we can easily incorporate “sustainability”, by implementing those principles and concepts into our design process.

This is simply done by adding/including the desired “Sustainable Concepts” at the following stages of our design process:

Goal StatementsObjectives/ConstraintsSelection Method for Concepts



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Consideration of sustainable concepts at an early stage in the design process is key.

By placing SED ideals your “goal statement”, its importance will trickle down throughout various aspects of your design.

By listing key SED Objectives, the design will be “altered/skewed” towards those objectives.

Also, by using SED ideals during concept selection activities.

NOTE: SED will significantly alter your otherwise “ideal design”. However, ideal designs may be environmentally damaging, energy intensive, or otherwise unsustainable. Hence you must find a balance between the ideal design and a sustainable design.


Sustainable Engineering Design (SED)

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Some typical SED Objectives to consider for designs include:Materials (i.e. resource depleted or sustained?)__________________________________Energy to Build/Construct (Watts)__________________________________Energy Required for Use (Watts), and Energy Type__________________________________Service Life (Years), Time between maintenance (Years)__________________________________Environmental Impact to Build/Use__________________________________Other:__________________________________ __________________________________


Typical SED Objectives

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SED in the “goal statement”:______________________________________________________________________________________________________

SED Objectives:______________________________________________________________________________________________________

SED in the concept selection process:______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example: SED for a Portable Drill


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In order to incorporate sustainable concepts into Engineering Design activities, we will explore the following concepts:

Product Life CycleLife Cycle Design

Design for Assembly (Lecture 13)Design for Recyclability

Life Cycle AssessmentEnergy BudgetResource Budget

Sustainable Engineering Design (SED)


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The life-cycle of a “product” from its conception and design, to manufacture, to service and finally to disposal, is depicted below.At each stage there are labour, energy and material inputs, and waste outputs that create environmental and social impacts [4].

Product Life Cycle


Typical Product Life Cycle, [Adapted from Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, U. of Mass. Lowell]

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In a more ideal product life cycle: resources and waste are managed in a closed-loop cycle, with products being reused, recycled and remanufactured.

Sustainable Product Life Cycle


Global Product’s Lifecycle[Wikipedia, Product Lifecycle Management ]

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All products have a “Life Cycle”, that is, a start, use, and disposal.

How long should that be?____________________

Should cell-phones be designed to last 80 years? or 1 month?

Should cars be designed to last 600 years? or 1 year?

What are the issues?________________________________________

See example of 10,000 year clock project [6].

Product Life: How Long Should a Product Last?


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A classic diagram showing the sales volume (or production) vs. time for a given product during it’s life-cycle, is shown here:

Product Life Cycle


Global Product’s Lifecycle[Wikipedia, Product Lifecycle Management ]

Generally, most products that are developed follow this curve, where each stage has specific characteristics.

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Product Life Cycle


Table Describing Product Lifecycle[Wikipedia, Product Lifecycle Management ]

Stage Characteristics

Market introduction stage

1. costs reduced due to economies of scale 2. sales volume increases significantly 3. profitability begins to rise 4. public awareness increases 5. competition begins to increase with a few new players in establishing market 6. increased competition leads to price decreases

Growth stage

1. costs reduced due to economies of scale 2. sales volume increases significantly 3. profitability begins to rise 4. public awareness increases 5. competition begins to increase with a few new players in establishing market 6. increased competition leads to price decreases

Mature stage

1. costs are lowered as a result of production volumes increasing and experience 2. sales volume peaks and market saturation is reached 3. increase in competitors entering the market 4. prices tend to drop due to the proliferation of competing products 5. brand differentiation and feature diversification is emphasized to maintain or increase

market share 6. Industrial profits go down

Saturation and decline stage

1. costs become counter-optimal 2. sales volume decline or stabilize 3. prices, profitability diminish 4. profit becomes more a challenge of production/distribution efficiency than increased sales

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Life Cycle Design, is an activity whereby the designer recognizes and takes into account the various phases of a a product’s life cycle, during the design of that product.

If all phases of a product’s life are recognized and considered during the design phase, the final product is likely to ‘integrate better’ into our environment, and be produced, used and disposed of in a more sustainable manner.

In other words, we should strive to consider life-cycle-based criteria during our concept generation and design selection activities. For example, for design selection, we can assign appropriate weighting to life-cycle based criteria for decision making purposes.

Life Cycle Design


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Some Life Cycle “Design Objectives” that could be used during the design process include:

TransportationUsageEnergy consumptionSafetyRecyclability________________________________________________________________________

Life Cycle Design


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The Question: How can I incorporate “Recyclability” principles, into an engineering design?

Answer: Given our “structured design process”, we can easily incorporate “Recyclability”, by implementing those principles and concepts into our design process, at the following stages:

Goal StatementsObjectives/ConstraintsSelection Method for Concepts


Design for Recyclability

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Some typical Recyclability Objectives to consider include:Materials (% Reusable/Recyclable)__________________________________Energy to Recycle (Watts)__________________________________Byproducts of Recycle process__________________________________Disassembly/Separation Effort/Energy (Watts, or Work hours)__________________________________Other:__________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________


Typical Objectives for Design for Recyclability

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We are all familiar with Nutritional Labels for food, and Ingredient Lists for food.

Class Discussion: Sustainability Labels for Products???

© N. Dechev, University of VictoriaNutritional Label for Food

List of Ingredients for Oreo Cookie

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Would it be possible to create an analogy for Products?

Can we create quantifiable labels to list/breakdown Products?

For Example:“Energy to Manufacture” Label__________________________________“Environmental Impact” Label__________________________________“Sustainable Aspects” Label__________________________________Other:__________________________________



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Would sustainability labels be useful to you when purchasing? Consider the “list of ingredients” of the Oreo cookie on the previous page. Do you still want to buy/eat it, after reading ingredients?_____________________________

Would sustainability labels be helpful to manufacturers? _____________________________

What are possible problems to implement sustainability labels?_____________________________



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A “Life Cycle Assessment” (LCA), also known as “life cycle analysis”, or “eco-balance”, or “cradle to grave analysis”, etc... is the investigation and evaluation of the environmental impacts of a given product or service caused or necessitated by its existence. [3]

The purpose of LCA is to assess the full range of environmental and social impacts assignable to products or services, to be able to choose the one with the most beneficial outcome, or least impact.

LCA can be a great tool for making decisions based on quantifiable information.

However, LCA can be controversial depending on its use. Since the scores assigned and the ‘scope’ of assignment can vary, some factors may be difficult to quantify and subject to interpretation.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)


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A LCA can be used for [5]:Assistance to regulators/government to formulate legislationAssist manufacturers to analyze and improve their process or productsEnable consumers to make informed choices

Issues with LCA:There are no “accepted standards” to perform an LCA, hence the question arrises: “Who has conducted the LCA, what is their bias, and for what purpose was it conducted?”Due to “lack of accepted standards”, government or consumers

-are unsure of accuracy of LCA-cannot compare LCAs done by two different parties-hence, difficult to make choices based on LCA



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Hence, for the present time, LCA analysis should be performed by the particular individual/organization, “for their own analysis”.

Example A: for a manufacturer to conduct their own LCA, for their own product, to improve their own production process or product.

Example B: for a consumer to conduct their own LCA, for each product they are considering to purchase, to reach their own conclusion and make their choice.

Issue: Who has the time to do this?Issue: Will all the necessary info be available to consumer?

Be wary of comparing “other group’s” LCA with each other. What were their assumptions, scope, bias, etc... I.E. Is it a comparison between apples and oranges, or apples and apples?



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A typical LCA consists of four phases:Goals and ScopeLife Cycle Inventory

Data CollectionModeling of System

Life Cycle Impact AssessmentCharacterizationNormalizationWeighting

Interpretation



Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)[Wikipedia, Life Cycle Assessment [3] ]

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(1) Define the goal(s) of the project (2) Determine what type of information is needed to inform the decision-makers (3) Determine the required specificity (4) Determine how the data should be organized and the results displayed (5) Define the scope of the study (6) Determine the ground rules for performing the work

Performing Life Cycle AssessmentGoals and Scope


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Life Cycle InventoryData CollectionModeling of System

Life Cycle Impact AssessmentCharacterizationNormalizationWeighting

Performing Life Cycle AssessmentLife Cycle Impact/Life Cycle Inventory


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Interpretation is a key step. “What do all the numbers mean”?

You may consider a “Sensitivity Analysis”, or “Uncertainty Analysis” to valid your “model” against variations in the results.

Questions to ask:“Has the Goal and Scope been met?”

Performing Life Cycle AssessmentInterpretation


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An Energy Budget or a Resource Budget can be within the scope of a LCA.

An Energy/Resource Budget can also be done on its own. To create one, you can consider:

Material usageMaterial sourceTransportationRenewable?Manufacturing of ProductUse of ProductDisposal of Product.________________

In all these budgets, selection of the ‘scope’ can have a large impact.

Energy Budget/Resource Budget


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There are many well established techniques for incorporation of ‘sustainable concepts’.

Seek out, learn and use these concepts and tools.

Otherwise, you can develop your own, following the simple principle/definition of sustainability.

Conclusion


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References:


[1] Center for Sustainable Engineering, <http://www.csengin.org/>[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_engineering[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_cycle_assessment[4] “Sustainable Products Initiative”, by Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, U. of Mass. Lowell, cited online, Mar 15, 2013 at: http://www.sustainableproduction.org/proj.sustprod.ProductLifeCycle.php[5] “Life Cycle Analysis and Assessment”, by Global Development Research Center, cited online, Mar 15, 2011 at: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/lca/life-cycle.html[6] The Long Now Foundation, http://longnow.org/clock/

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Lecture 16: Sustainable Engineeringmech350/Lectures/MECH350...The life-cycle of a “product” from...

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