B40DC: Energy Generation Block 3: Impact Unit 1: LCA, EPD and GHG Footprint

Alan Harper Spring Semester 2013

Life Cycle Analysis

UNEP 2003

Nuclear Fuel Cycle

MECE10003 PGEE10014

LCA Concepts

LCA Scope
Scope may vary depending on PURPOSE Start Point End Point
Gate to Gate Cradle to Grave Circle of Life - GULLWEIG

Limit analysis Limit characterisation

Stages of an LCA
1. Goal and Scope
clarification of objectives Analysing process or service Gathering information

2. Inventory Analysis

3.

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

evaluate impact of parameters found in IA

4. Life cycle Interpretation

relate impacts to principles established in goal and scope consider recycle and redefinition

Goal and Scope

Goal definition (what, why, who?)
defined together with the customer defined and understood before starting work (!)
Intended application reasons for carrying out the study Intended audience

Scope definition (what, how, (where, when)?)

functional unit and reference flows boundaries
processes (definition/inclusion/exclusion) materials outputs data generation

data quality
sources/reliability de minimis

methodologies report and review

who is report aimed at what quality need for external/expert review

Functional Unit and Reference Flows

Quantification of object or service
eg Transport: tonne-km, passenger-km Fuel: litre, kg Cars: lifetime-miles; passenger-miles in lifetime Bulbs: lifetime-hours

When comparing things of different lifetime and/or size need to be careful

Disposable bags: kg carried in lifetime Containers: litres in lifetime

For services or utilities should adjust for availability

eg electricity 450 g/kWh @ 100% availability

Inventory Analysis
determination of the reference quantity (e.g. functional unit, reference flow), description of system in flow diagrams, identification of unit processes
model separately in LCI model,

qualitative determination of inputs and outputs, quantitative determination of inputs and outputs, documentation of the type of data inventory data collection , calculation of the inventory
including:
allocations inventories of the background data sets.

Impact Assessment
Selection of impact categories describe environmental impacts on different levels
the effect on nature (mid-point effects)
acidification eutrophication global warming stratospheric ozone depletion tropospheric ozone creation

resource depletion radioactive waste

alternatively use consequences (end-point effects)

lessen biodiversity shorten length of life of humans

Impact Assessment
Classification
substances on inventory are assigned to an impact category
some contribute to one exclusive impact category others might contribute to two or more

parallel effects (either/or)

flows of the substances must be allocated between the different impact categories: eg SOx contributes to both impairment of health and acidification impact categories are parallel mechanisms, so flow should be allocated between the two impact categories

serial mechanisms (and)

eg NOx emissions contribute to both acidification and groundlevel ozone formation in turn total flow should be assigned to both categories.

Impact Assessment
Characterisation
characterisation evaluates how strong the effect is from a certain input or output severity of the impact varies for equal amounts of different substances.
work requires scientific knowledge, time and resources may need knowledge of local conditions must be thoroughly documented to maintain reliability.

example:
CH4 is a worse green house gas than CO2 impact category global warming has kg of CO2 as common unit characterisation factor for CO2 is hence1 CH4 has 21 so 1 kg of CH4 has the same impact as 21 kg of CO2.

units must be referenced to functional unit of the whole study

Life Cycle Interpretation

Relates results from Inventory analysis and Impact Assessment with Goal and Scope Examine areas and intensities of impacts Highlight need for:
other studies change in scope change in impact categories change in data quality requirements, triviality normalisation, weighting

Suitability for external review Ability to draw sensible conclusions within specified goals and scope

Current ISO14040 Cohort

ISO 14040:2006
Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment -- Principles and framework

ISO 14044:2006
Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment -- Requirements and guidelines

ISO/TR 14047:2003
Life cycle impact assessment -- Examples of application of ISO 14042

ISO/TS 14048:2002
Life cycle assessment -- Data documentation format

ISO/TR 14049:2000
Life cycle assessment -- Examples of application of ISO 14041 to goal and scope definition and inventory analysis

LCI: Comparative Assertion

public comparisons of products or technologies stricter requirements are required by ISO 14040 should be documented in the goal definition. a uniform process of working is needed for data collection and calculation independent review by panel is required for such studies see also EPD

Environmental Product Declarations

Ranges from product labels to serious projects many concerning electricity Examples:
BE- Torness, Sizewell B, Eggborough EPD Vattenfall EPD for nuclear, hydro and wind power

Emerging for basic industrial materials

Aluminium Steel

Building products ISO standards and European guidelines

EPD in a Business Sector

groups of products differ in their inherent environmental performance need common rules for product group, Product Category Rules (PCR)
complementary to general requirements of EPD

International Trade of products and services

need to harmonise the PCR documents
prepared in various countries different companies and organisations independent bodies operating or implementing EPD programmes

see www.envirodec.com (Swedish Environmental Management Council)

Environmental Product Declaration Standards

Note that the EPDs that we will be interested in are the Type III declarations covered by ISO114025:2006
ISO 14020:2000 Environmental labels and declarations -- General principles ISO 14021:1999 Environmental labels and declarations -- Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling) ISO 14024:1999 Environmental labels and declarations -- Type I environmental labelling -- Principles and procedures ISO 14025:2006 Environmental labels and declarations -- Type III environmental declarations -- Principles and procedures

BE EPDs
BE/EDF have conducted four EPDs
Torness (plus an addendum) Sizewell B Eggborough (Coal) Gas Engine Power.

Prepared by AEA Technology and subjected to a peer review process.

MECE10003 PGEE10014

19

Vattenfall EPDs
Two nuclear Hydro Coal CHP Wind

Produced by EnvironDec SA

MECE10003 PGEE10014

20

Torness vs Forsmark GHG

GHG Uranium basket 5.05 g/kWh (15% ore) GHG Olympic Dam 6.85 g/kWh (0.02% ore)

MECE10003 PGEE10014

21

Vattenfall Wind

MECE10003 PGEE10014

22

Vattenfall Nuclear

MECE10003 PGEE10014

23