Life Cycle Cost Analysis Research Articles

Estimating the Management of Crystal Coconut Sugar Production with Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Eco-Efficiency Indicator

Estimating the Management of Crystal Coconut Sugar Production with Life Cycle Cost Analysis and Eco-Efficiency Indicator

Advanced Decision- Making Framework for Sustainable Energy Retrofit of Existing Commercial Office Buildings

In the background of rising global initiatives to combat climate change and promote better energy management, retrofitting of current structures has become a major strategy. This abstract and literature review aims at presenting a full review of a decision-making approach that can be used in choosing sustainable options for energy retrofitting. This particular framework is designed to help guide retrofit decision-making due to the many issues that surround the process by providing an economic as well as an environmental and social context. Energy retrofitting means improving the existing structure or complex to decrease its energy intensity and have a negative impact on the environment. As stated earlier, it is a critical process for attaining sustainability goals and advancing the performance of buildings. But the decision on which retrofit measures should be implemented can be rather difficult because of the availability of a vast number of technologies and because more factors must be considered, such as cost and energy savings. The decision-making framework provided in this article aims at categorizing retrofit selection into this list of features and views the current article as a way of making the process more efficient. It encompasses the life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA), the economic valuation, and the multi-criteria decision analysis tools and criteria. These tools facilitate the evaluation of financial viability, the advantages of climatically retrofitting, and the environmental effects of distinct retrofitting choices. The above-mentioned framework is exemplified with a case study of an office building retrofit project. The following case includes an example of the application of the mentioned framework and illustrates the explanation of how it helps to make decisions. Due to the consideration of costs, energy, and environmental performance, the framework enables the stakeholders to choose appropriate retrofit measures. Other than the case study, the framework also focuses on the need to establish a sustainable energy retrofit DSS. Thus, the DSS supplements collected data on building performance, retrofit technologies, and economic aspects, which can be accessed by the stakeholders in real-time and with built-in facilities for scenario analysis. This system improves decision-making since retrofit results can be monitored and evaluated frequently. Both tools and strategies for the decision-making of sustainable energy retrofits bring a logical and systematic approach aimed at neutralizing the decision-making challenges related to retrofit selection. By applying economic, environmental, and social factors in the decision-making process, the framework assists the stakeholders in reaching energy efficiency and sustainability goals. The development of another strong decision-support system also improves the working of the framework and checks that retrofit projects are done efficiently and are strategic to the general goal of sustainable development.

The catalytic deoxygenation reaction temperature and N2 gas flow rate influence the conversion of soybean fatty acids into Green Diesel

BackgroundGreen diesel is a promising alternative as a petroleum replacement given the worldwide demand for petroleum fuel. Environmental issues have drawn public attention and concerns towards advancing renewable energy development. A catalytic deoxygenation (deCOx) was carried out to produce green diesel from soybean oil (SO) using a low-cost NiO-doped calcined dolomite (NiOCD) catalyst. MethodThe structure, chemical composition and morphology of NiOCD were comprehensively characterized by XRF, BET, TPD-CO2, SEM and TEM. In this study, the effect of two operating parameters, reaction temperature and flow rate of nitrogen, was discovered using a one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) optimisation study. In addition, the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of stepwise catalyst preparation and green diesel production has been performed. Significant findingsAn optimal reaction temperature of 420 °C was found to provide the highest yield of green diesel (47.13 wt.%) with an 83.51% hydrocarbon composition. The ideal nitrogen flow rate, however, was found to be 50 cm3/min, which produced 41.80 wt.% of green diesel with an 88.63% hydrocarbon composition. The deoxygenation reaction was significantly impacted by both reaction temperature and nitrogen flow rate. According to LCCA, NiOCD catalyst has potential to lower the overall cost of producing green diesel compared to commercial zeolite catalysts.

Optimizing the cost of the STEP programme.

The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme is a world-leading fusion power plant programme that has embedded a cost conscience in its design from the early phases. This firmly addresses the attitude of cost complacency of which many major infrastructure projects have historically been accused. While a detailed and highly accurate whole life cycle cost analysis is not possible, or even valuable, during the conceptual design stage, this early design phase is still the most critical programme phase where a focus on costs can drive longer term reductions and impact whole life cycle costs at the high level. Consequently, appropriate estimating methods for these early-stage designs and lessons learned from other industries are used to inform design decisions and ensure cost is part of the overall option analysis. Hence, while the overall programme cost estimate is too immature to be a reliable indicator for the final programme costs, significant effort has been undertaken to understand the major cost drivers and take action to make the STEP design as cost-effective as possible. This article is part of the theme issue 'Delivering Fusion Energy - The Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)'.

Life cycle-based multi-objective model for optimal gaseous fuel generation and portfolio allocation in gas grids: A strategic decarbonization

Biomethane and hydrogen are acknowledged as transformative opportunities for decarbonizing the conventional gas grid. Essential to this transformation is the modeling of the gaseous fuel supply chain, particularly with hydrogen and biomethane, offering crucial insights for decision-makers. This study introduces a life cycle thinking-based multi-objective optimization model for the integrated design of biomethane and hydrogen gaseous fuel supply chain networks. The model determines optimal resource allocation for the production of the two fuels, integrating them into the conventional gas network. Moreover, it allocates conventional natural gas, biomethane, and hydrogen optimally across building, industry, and transport sectors, considering the life cycle environmental and economic performance of fuel integration paths. Objective functions include minimization of life cycle emissions and levelized cost of energy while maximizing revenue from fuel sales. Integrating life cycle assessment and cost analysis tools, the optimization model quantifies emissions and life cycle costs for biomethane and hydrogen paths. Results identify Pareto-optimal fuel production paths and portfolios, revealing that integrating the alternative fuels into the current gas grid can significantly reduce emissions (up to 250 tonCO2eq/year) and generate substantial carbon tax savings (up to $16,250/year). This model is useful for gaseous fuel industry stakeholders, offering a comprehensive view of supply chain costs and detailed insights into emission benefits when integrating alternative fuels into existing gas networks.

Greenhouse gas, water, and economic implications of permeable pavements: Quantification for pilot sponge cities in China

Climate change has exacerbated the occurrence of extreme storms, resulting in urban flooding. However, rainwater is a potential source of water for various end uses of municipal water. In this context, permeable pavements are promising for mitigating floods and alleviating water stress in cities. Herein, a process-based life-cycle inventory modeling approach was used to quantify the life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) and water footprints of different road pavements in 28 pilot sponge cities in China. Three asphalt pavements were considered in this study: permeable-surface, permeable-base, and conventional nonpermeable pavements. Moreover, life-cycle cost analyses were performed to reveal the cost-effectiveness of these pavements. Results showed that permeable-base pavements exhibited the highest levelized GHG emissions (5.9 kg CO2e/m2/yr), followed by nonpermeable (5.5 kg CO2e/m2/yr) and permeable-surface pavements (3.8 kg CO2e/m2/yr). In terms of levelized water footprint, permeable-base and permeable-surface pavements enabled water savings (433.8 and 304.1 kg/m2/yr, respectively), while nonpermeable pavements consumed 30.6 kg/m2/yr of water. The levelized life-cycle costs of permeable-surface, permeable-base, and nonpermeable pavements were 32.8, 35.4, and 40.5 yuan/m2/yr, respectively. With regard to transitioning from nonpermeable to permeable pavements in urban road construction, Chongqing and Shenzhen presented favorable potential for GHG mitigation (22 and 26 kt CO2e/yr, respectively) and water savings (196 and 187 Mt/yr, respectively). Contrarily, Hebi, Yuxi, Sanya, Qianan, Chizhou, and Xining were not cost-effective in terms of GHG emission reduction. Moreover, in this study, GHG–water–cost tradeoffs were identified among different pavements, highlighting directions for unlocking the green benefits of installing permeable asphalt pavements in China.

Assessment, quantification and propagation of uncertainty in seismic life-cycle cost analysis

Seismic life-cycle cost analysis (SLCCA) is a comprehensive tool to estimate the expected lifetime economic losses due to seismic events in terms of present-day value and aids in lifetime investment planning and design decision-making. The state-of-the-art framework for SLCCA incorporates three essential components: seismic hazard analysis, seismic fragility curves and damage cost estimates. Due to different sources of uncertainty prevailing in each component, the SLCC estimates may vary substantially. However, most of the existing literature primarily focuses on the expected value of the SLCC, and uncertainties stemming from multiple sources are unaccounted for. To address this drawback, this study proposes a comprehensive approach to quantify and propagate multiple uncertainties and offers a visualization of the shape and nature of SLCC distribution. Furthermore, the application of the framework is demonstrated using a case study example of the reinforced concrete (RC) frame building. Results reveal that the SLCC distribution is multimodal due to multiple uncertainty sources and the expected SLCC values also shift significantly compared to the state-of-the-art approaches, highlighting the criticality of the uncertainty propagation. Lastly, a novel framework is proposed to rank uncertainty sources based on their relative influence that will aid stakeholders in informed decision-making under uncertainty.

Constructing 2D Polyphenols-Based Crosslinked Networks for Ultrafast and Selective Uranium Extraction from Seawater.

The role of tannins (TA), a well-known abundant and ecologically friendly chelating ligand, in metal capture has long been studied. Different kinds of TA-containing adsorbents are synthesized for uranium capture, while most adsorbents suffer from unfavorable adsorption kinetics. Herein, the design and preparation of a TA-containing 2D crosslinked network adsorbent (TANP) is reported. The ≈1.8-nanometer-thick TANP films curl up into micrometer-scale pores, which contribute to fast mass transfer and full exposure of active sites. The coordination environment of uranyl (UO2 2+) ions is explored by integrated analysis of U L3-edge XANES and EXAFS. Density functional theory calculations indicate the energetically favorable UO2 2+ binding. Consequently, TANP with excellent adsorption kinetics presents a high uranium capture capacity (14.62mg-Ug-Ads-1) and a high adsorption rate (0.97mgg-1day-1) together with excellent selectivity and biofouling resistance. Life cycle assessment and cost analysis demonstrate that TANP has tremendous potential for application in industrial-scale uranium extraction from seawater.

DESIGN AND OPTIMIZATION OF A COST-EFFECTIVE NET-ZERO ENERGY MOSQUE LOCATED IN A HOT AND DRY CLIMATE

ABSTRACT This research paper presents a comprehensive analysis to develop an energy-efficient and net-zero-energy (NZE) model for a proposed hypothetical mosque model located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study employs a sequential optimization analysis using BEopt software (Building Energy Optimization Tool) to explore various energy conservation measures (ECMs) from three main categories: HVAC, lighting, and building envelope. The ECMs are evaluated based on energy savings and life-cycle cost, with the most cost-effective options selected for the proposed energy-efficient design package. Furthermore, a passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) system is introduced as a passive cooling strategy to further reduce the cooling energy consumption. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is utilized to optimize the airflow around the building and PDEC tower, determining the optimal PDEC dimensions for enhanced ventilation performance. The PDEC system is found to contribute 12% to cooling energy savings, which further enhances the energy efficiency of the proposed mosque. A rooftop solar PV system is incorporated into the optimal energy-efficient design to achieve a NZE mosque. The results demonstrate that the NZE model achieves 80% energy savings, with the remaining 20% offset by the solar PV system. Moreover, life-cycle cost analysis reveals that the NZE model offers the lowest cost, making it the most cost-effective design option. This research provides valuable insights into designing sustainable mosques in hot and dry climates, such as Riyadh, offering a comprehensive solution to significantly reduce energy end-use and promote sustainable building practices.

Retroreflectivity-Based Service Life and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Airfield Pavement Markings

Airfield pavement marking plays a critical role in the efficient and safe operation of airport. Glass beads are embedded in the paints to refract and reflect light and enhance brightness and contrast for improving the visibility of markings. This study aims to investigate service life and cost-effectiveness of airfield pavement markings using Type I and Type III glass beads based on measured retroreflectivity data. The study employs a three-step approach: descriptive statistical analysis, survival analysis of service life, and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA). The results show that the painting material is the most influential factor affecting marking performance, followed by the type of glass bead. Among markings with Type I glass beads, those using waterborne Type III and waterborne Type II painting materials show substantial survival time, followed by structural methyl methacrylate (SMMA), while methyl methacrylate (MMA) and waterborne Type I show shortest survival time. For markings with Type III glass beads, SMMA shows the longest lifetime, followed by waterborne Type III, MMA waterborne Type II, and waterborne Type I. With respect to LCCA, waterborne Type III and SMMA with Type III glass beads is found to be the most cost-effective option, while waterborne Type I and MMA with Type I glass beads is identified as the least cost-effective choice.

Optimal Multiple Wind Power Transmission Schemes Based on a Life Cycle Cost Analysis Model

Due to the high cost and complex challenges faced by offshore wind power transmission, economic research into offshore wind power transmission can provide a scientific basis for optimal decision-making on offshore wind power projects. Based on the analysis of the topology structure and characteristics of typical wind power transmission schemes, this paper compares the economic benefits of five different transmission schemes with a 3.6 GW sizeable onshore wind farm as the primary case. Research includes traditional high voltage alternating current (HVAC), voltage source converter high voltage direct current transmission (VSC-HVDC), a fractional frequency transmission system (FFTS), and two hybrid DC (MMC-LCC and DR-MMC) transmission scenarios. The entire life cycle cost analysis model (LCCA) is employed to thoroughly assess the cumulative impact of initial investment costs, operational expenses, and eventual scrap costs on top of the overall transmission scheme’s total cost. This comprehensive evaluation ensures a nuanced understanding of the financial implications across the project’s entire lifespan. In this example, HVAC has an economic advantage over VSC-HVDC in the transmission distance range of 78 km, and the financial range of a FFTS is 78–117 km. DR-MMC is better than the flexible DC delivery scheme in terms of transmission capacity, scalability, and offshore working platform construction costs in the DC delivery scheme. Therefore, the hybrid DC delivery scheme of offshore wind power composed of multi-type converters has excellent application prospects.

LCC-based approach for design and requirement specification for railway track system

AbstractLife cycle cost (LCC) analysis is an important tool for effective infrastructure management. It is an essential decision support methodology for selection, design, development, construction, maintenance and renewal of railway infrastructure system. Effective implementation of LCC analysis will assure cost-effective operation of railways from both investment and life-cycle perspectives. A major setback in the successful implementation of LCC analysis by infrastructure managers is the availability of relevant, reliable, and structured data. Different cost estimation methods and prediction models have been developed to deal with this challenge. However, there is a need to include condition degradation models as an integral part of LCC model to account for possible changes in the model variables. This article presents an approach for integrating degradation models with LCC model to study the impact of change in design speed on key decision criteria such as track possession time, service life of track system, and LCC. The methodology is applied to an ongoing railway investment project in Sweden to investigate and quantify the impact of design speed change from 250 to 320 km/h. The results of the studied degradation models show that the intended change in speed corresponds to correction factor values between 0.79 and 0.96. Using this correction factor to compensate for changes in design speed, the service life of ballasted track system is estimated to decrease by an average of 15%. Further, the expected value of LCC for the route under consideration will increase by 30%. The outcome of this study will be used to support the design and requirement specification of railway track system for the project under consideration.

Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis of Mid-Rise Mass Timber vs. Concrete Buildings in Australia

Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis of Mid-Rise Mass Timber vs. Concrete Buildings in Australia

Seismic performance of steel braced frames equipped with dissipative replaceable components

The structural performance of steel braced frames equipped with a new typology of dissipative replaceable components (called DRBrC) is analyzed and compared to the one of a traditional Concentrically Braced Frame (CBF) with diagonal-tension-only braces, highlighting pros and cons of the different solutions. The main benefit of the proposed system lies in the easy replacement of the damaged dissipative components after the earthquake, allowing to speed up retrofit operations without stopping the activities inside the building. The results of low-cycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis performed in the framework of the European research project DISSIPABLE confirmed the economic and environmental convenience of the system for repairing operations after seismic events. In the present work, two case study buildings, owing the same geometry and designed for the same loads with and without DRBrC devices, are analyzed and compared in terms of overall seismic performance, relevant parameters versus Intensity Measure (IM) indicators and fragility curves. An in-depth dissertation about design criteria, numerical modelling techniques and analysis procedures in the nonlinear field to be used for the DRBrC frames is provided.

Economic Optimization of Thermal Insulation Thickness for Insulated and Electrically Traced Pipelines in Drilling Applications

This study presents an economic optimization model for determining the optimal insulation thickness for both thermal insulation and electric tracing pipelines. Using Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis, optimization research was conducted under various working conditions to identify the most cost-effective insulation thickness. Factors such as pipe diameter, operational duration, drilling fluid temperature, and heat cost were analyzed to assess their impact on the economic thickness of the insulation layer, specifically within the unique environment of drilling sites. The results provide the economic thickness and total cost for both insulated and electrically traced pipelines under different scenarios. For instance, for a DN100 pipe with rock wool insulation operating for 3600 h, the economic thickness of the electrically traced pipe insulation was determined to be 5.18 cm greater per unit length compared to the non-electrically traced pipe, resulting in an additional cost of 19.36 CNY/m. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing pipeline insulation in drilling applications.

Effect of rice husk ash and coconut coir fiber on cement mortar: Enhancing sustainability and efficiency in buildings

This research investigated energy efficiency, insulation properties together with strength properties and cost-effectiveness, focusing on developing a sustainable mortar. Cement: sand of 1: 2.25 (by weight) mortar with varying rice husk ash (RHA) and coconut coir (CC) fiber contents were prepared. Physical, microstructure, strength, durability, and thermal performances were experimentally examined. Life cycle assessment and cost analysis were numerically examined. Adding CC fiber reduced the longer final setting time found with the RHA-based mortar. With 20 % RHA and 0.5 % CC fiber, weight was reduced by 9.2 % (compared to the conventional mortar), promising a lightweight mortar. Flexural strength was increased by 8.6 % with 0.5 % CC fiber addition, this was further increased to 13.6 % with 10 % RHA in the mixture. 20 % RHA and 0.5 % CC fiber mortar exhibits a temperature difference of 8.7°C, whereas the conventional mortar exhibits a temperature difference of 2.5°C, indicating a reduced thermal conductivity of the RHA-CC fiber mortar. This mortar reduced the CO2 emission, energy consumption, and manufacturing cost by 17.7 %, 13.6 % and 7.0 %, respectively, indicating the sustainability. A cost-effective and energy-efficient lightweight mortar with enhanced thermal insulation and flexural strength was achieved by reinforcing the conventional mortar with 20 % RHA and 0.5 % CC fiber for the applications of dwellings.

Design of sustainable bituminous concrete pavement with cement–treated granular layers constructed on stabilized subgrade

Purpose Designing a sustainable bituminous concrete with long-term performance is a challenging problem. In addition, strength of the subgrade has a crucial impact on pavement design. This paper aims to concentrate on subgrade soil stabilization with granite dust powder (GDP) and crumb rubber powder (CRP) to improve the engineering properties of the soil. Further design of bituminous concrete pavement with cement-treated layers in base and subbase course layers was carried out with life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment for 1 km of a four-lane national highway. Design/methodology/approach Subgrade soil stabilized with GDP and CRP is characterized as per Indian Standards (IS)-2720 to determine the optimum dosage. Further, the mechanistic-empirical pavement design was carried out using Indian Road Congress-37 (2018), analyzed using IITPAVE software and validated with ANSYS software. The life cycle cost analysis is carried out using the net present value method, and the life cycle assessment is performed according to the cradle-to-grave approach. Findings A soil mix comprising 10% GDP and 2.5% CRP yielded a soaked California bearing ratio value of 6.58%. In addition, the design of bituminous concrete pavement with cement-treated granular layers showed a 26.9% reduction in life cycle cost and 59.4% reduction in total carbon footprint per kilometer compared to the pavement with traditional aggregate layers. Originality/value The research on subgrade stabilization with sustainable materials like GDP and CRP incorporating mechanistic empirical pavement design, life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment is limited. Overall, the study recommends the use of GDP and CRP to stabilize soil for subgrade application and incorporate cement-treated granular layers, which offer economic and environmental benefits compared to traditional pavement construction.

Life cycle cost analysis at scale: a reference architecture-based approach

PurposeThis research demonstrates the theoretical merit of a reference architecture-based approach to life cycle cost (LCC) analysis system provision in the built environment. LCC insight is considered fundamental to sustainable decision making by asset managers; however, the current capabilities in practice do not align with the political ambition and the scale of competencies required to realise sectoral emissions–reduction targets.Design/methodology/approachIn pursuing practical outcomes, the study employs a custom design science research-inspired methodology. Domain requirements are gathered via literature research as an initial top-down software reference architecture which is refined, bottom-up, through testing and implementation in a representative case study. A prototype IT system and reference architecture artefact are developed and used to evaluate the concept qualitatively through broad practitioner focus groups.FindingsSentiment analysis of the expert opinions is broadly positive and helps to substantiate the proposal’s theoretical suitability in addressing the scalability challenge. Additionally, constructive feedback provides guidance towards this trajectory, highlighting the importance of aligning with existing communities and standards, broadening future research scope to consider further scenarios and prioritisation of efforts to build trust around contracts and data quality.Originality/valueThe novelty of the work is the provision of the reusable LCC reference architecture development methodology.Practical implicationsThe concept has the potential to provide LCC capabilities to industry at scale while the artefacts developed herein can be appended to existing LCC standards as implementation guidance to support IT system developers. Furthermore, the developed methodology can be employed in harmonisation efforts between policy and practice.

Lifetime cost analysis of concrete barriers and steel guardrails

This study investigates the lifetime costs associated with concrete barriers and steel guardrails. We introduce a cost analysis methodology that incorporates critical factors such as construction costs, maintenance costs, exposure risks during maintenance activities, and the costs imposed to traveling public through the increased traffic and the crash outcomes. We integrate various parameters including economic factors, road geometry, general weather condition, and traffic mix to estimate a location-dependent cost for each type of barrier accurately. A software tool, named CalBarrier, was developed during this study to carry out the calculations and the comparison of lifetime cost of aforementioned barriers. An inherent strength of this research is its reliance on recent real data extracted from various databases of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), ensuring precision and relevance in accounting for various influential factors. Drawing insights from Caltrans practices and interviews with their personnel, this study emphasizes the intricate decision-making process involved in mitigating safety risks and reducing operational expenses. Although our data originates from California, the methodology for life cycle cost analysis, and our software are applicable for regions with different socio-economic conditions by deploying user input costs, making our findings a valuable resource for other areas facing comparable challenges.

Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to Evaluate the Economic Benefits of Designing Aging-In-Place Homes at the Conceptual Stage

Integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to Evaluate the Economic Benefits of Designing Aging-In-Place Homes at the Conceptual Stage