Sustainable design of sprocket using CAD and Design Optimisation

The contemporary manufacturing organisations recognise sustainability as a vital concept for survival in the competitive scenario. The modern design engineers are in need of approaches for creating environmentally friendlier products. In this context, this project reports a case study carried out in an Indian sprocket manufacturing organisation. The existing sprocket has been created using Computer Aided Design (CAD). Then, the sustainability analysis has been performed for determining the environmental impact. This is followed by the optimisation of sprocket design using Design Optimisation. The environmental impact has been measured in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air/water impacts. It has been found that the optimised sprocket design possess minimal environmental impact. The results of the case study indicated that CAD and Design Optimisation could lead to the development of sustainable design with minimal impact to the environment.     

A system view of solvent selection in the pharmaceutical industry: towards a sustainable choice

This paper presents a review of approaches that may be useful for the selection of solvents in the early stages of process development for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Characteristics of the methodologies and their applicability in early stages are explored. Early stages of development are recognised as ideal for detecting benefits and issues regarding the use of solvents. The ??system?? concept is introduced for the evaluation and selection of solvents in pharmaceutical processes; this concept does not yet seem to be widely utilised within the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. System analysis is considered an important tool for viewing solvent selection from a holistic perspective. Hence, approaches suitable for the early stages of development and considering a holistic perspective might deliver more sustainable processes. The evolution of the synthesis of Ibuprofen API is used to illustrate this concept.     

CAD and DFM: enablers of sustainable product design

Sustainability has been regarded as an important concept for survival in the contemporary scenario. Modern design engineers are in need of approaches for creating sustainable products. In this context, this paper reports a case study carried out in an Indian modular switches manufacturing organisation. The existing handle of the switch has been modelled using computer-aided design (CAD). Then, the sustainability analysis has been carried out for determining the environmental impact. This is followed by the redesign of the handle using design for manufacturability (DFM) principles. The sustainability has been measured in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air–water impacts. It has been found that the redesigned handle possesses minimal environmental impact. It could be inferred from the results of the case study that CAD and DFM could lead to the development of sustainable product design with minimal impact on the environment.     

Integration of DFE and DFMA for the sustainable development of an automotive component

The recent developments in manufacturing organizations recognize sustainability as an important value addition for survival in the competitive scenario. The design engineers are in search of approaches for creating environmental conscious products. The purpose of this paper is to report a research carried out for ensuring sustainable product design by the integration of Design for Environment (DFE) and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) methodologies. In this context, this paper reports a case study carried out in an automotive component. The candidate product is the charge alternator pulley. The existing pulley has been created using Computer Aided Design. Then sustainability analysis was conducted on the existing component for determining environmental impact. This is followed by the engineering analysis of the component using ANSYS. Then conceptual design changes were developed in the proposed product using DFMA concept. Then the environmental impact has been evaluated in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air/water impacts on proposed product. It has been found that the optimized pulley design possesses minimal environmental impact. The result of the case study indicated that the integration of DFE and DFMA concept could initiate new developments in sustainable designs with minimal impact to the environment and it also reduces the product cost.     

Green energy clusters and socio-technical transitions: analysis of a sustainable energy cluster for regional economic development in Central Massachusetts,USA

As the societal benefits associated with transitioning to more sustainable, less fossil fuel-reliant energy systems are increasingly recognized by communities throughout the world, the potential of creating ‘green jobs’ within a ‘green economy’ is attracting much attention. Green energy clusters are increasingly promoted throughout the world as a strategy to simultaneously promote economic vitality and stimulate a sustainable energy transition. In spite of their emerging role in regional-scale sustainability planning efforts, such initiatives have not been considered within the sustainability transitions literature. This paper explores the development of one such regional sustainable energy cluster initiative in Central Massachusetts in Northeastern USA to consider the potential for such cluster initiatives to contribute to socio-technical transition in the energy system. Since 2008, a diverse set of stakeholders in Central Massachusetts, including politicians, universities, businesses, local citizens, and activists, have been working toward facilitating the emergence of an integrated cluster of activity focused on sustainable energy. Through interviews with key actors, participant observation, and document review, this research assesses the potential of this cluster initiative to contribute to a regional socio-technical transition. The empirical details of this case demonstrate that sustainable energy cluster initiatives can potentially accelerate change in entrenched energy regimes by promoting institutional thickness, generating regional ‘buzz’ around sustainable energy activities, and building trust between multiple and diverse stakeholders in the region. This research also contributes to emerging efforts to better ground socio-technical transitions in geographic space.     

Towards practice-oriented design for sustainability: the compatibility with selected design fields

Design scholars are currently exploring the potential role of design in fostering sustainable consumption. The social practice has been put forward as a relevant unit of analysis for capturing the dynamics of consumption, and, as a possible unit of intervention for design. This article sets out to explore the extent to which existing design resources may come to use in the development of practice-oriented design. To do that, it takes social practice theory as a starting point, and outlines some implications for design. Based on that, their compatibility with key principles and approaches from the design fields concerned with environmental issues and the relationships between humans and technologies is discussed, and tensions and promising resources are identified. By doing that, the aim is to contribute to the ongoing inquiry into what practice-oriented design may be, and more specifically, to discussions on the characteristics of design and innovation activities that may help foster transitions in less environmentally impacting directions.     

Investigating the use of green design parameters in UAE construction projects

Construction practices tend to have an adverse impact on the environment through their contribution to CO₂ emission, increased waste and energy consumption. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched many initiatives to encourage green design over the past years and to work towards a sustainable community. Nonetheless, such initiatives require a considerable amount of time to penetrate the professional psyche and showcase real results that are easily utilised by the construction community. The aim of this research was to study the current degree of use of Green Design Parameters (GDPs) in the UAE construction projects and to identify the main constraints that hinder their application. To achieve the study's objective, a survey was designed and distributed to engineering design professionals in different consulting and contracting companies in the seven emirates of the UAE. Feedback from 112 projects was examined and statistically analysed. The analysis showed a degree of awareness and use of some key GDPs. Moreover, the data showed no correlation between the degree of using GDPs in a project and its cost and schedule. Not surprisingly, the lack of knowledge about green parameters and the lack of trust in recycled materials are the main constraints that featured in the responses.     

A biophysically anchored production function

The first part presents a conceptual model of the economic system in its ecological and social context. It is developed via an integration of basic concepts in physical resource theory, animal and human physiology, economic theory and systems ecology. The capacity of the model to support analysis of such complex systems where life is a key system characteristic is high. The conceptual model shows the dependency of the human economy on support by non-renewable and renewable resources from Nature (i.e. ecological source restrictions), as well as the capacity of ecosystems to assimilate wastes (ecological sink restrictions). The analysis focuses general principles; thus, the high level of abstraction results in an apparent simplicity. In the second part, we integrate traditional economic production functions and the conceptual model, which results in the formulation of a biophysically anchored production function (BAPF). The BAPF by itself, and through the system of ecological economic accounts that can be derived from it, represent a toolbox that supports the operationalisation of a sustainable development from micro to macro level. It is coherent with Impredicative Loop Analysis, existing management systems within agricultural sciences, OECD’s principles for sustainable development and the approach of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Compared to analytical approaches used in the formulation of sustainability policies in the private and public sphere, based on conceptual models ignoring the complexity when life (bios) is a defining system characteristic, its relevance for the operationalisation of sustainable development approaches infinity. The third part presents results from statistical analysis of relations between gross domestic product and energy supply and some emissions, respectively, for different nations and time periods, delivering values on levels and trends for parameters in the BAPF as well as a first test of the relevance of the BAPF proposed. The paper is ended by a theoretical analysis of the costs of provoking an economic system working under ecological source and sink restrictions to follow exponential growth: The need to decouple economic growth from natural resource use and emissions is highlighted. Otherwise, the erosion of the ecological foundation of the economy with regard to source as well as sink aspects will be a function of exponential growth.     

Sustainable product design using CAD: a case study in an Indian rotary switches manufacturing organisation

Sustainability is gaining importance in contemporary manufacturing organisations. Modern design engineers need approaches for creating environmentally friendly products. In this context, this paper reports a case study carried out in an Indian rotary switches manufacturing organisation. A component of the rotary switch has been modelled using computer-aided design. Then, the sustainability analysis has been carried out for determining the environmental impact. The environmental impact has been measured in terms of carbon footprint, energy consumption and air/water impacts. The handle design has been modified to minimise the environmental impact. The results of this case study indicate that appropriate modifications in design could lead to the development of sustainable design with minimal environmental impact.     

The role of integrated performance model in sustainable envelope design and assessment

The issue of sustainable design and assessment of the residential building envelope is a complex process that requires considering many factors including life cycle performance. As such, in an effort to develop an integrated approach that combines relevant sustainable development factors and life cycle concepts for sustainable designs, an integrated performance model (IPM) was developed. The IPM is an essential tool to aid the sustainable design of the residential building envelope, reduce the carbon emission and the whole residential building energy consumption, thereby ensuring sustainable performance of the building envelope and building sustainability. The IPM application indicates that sustainable performance of the building envelope in extreme weather and climatic condition is significantly influenced by the energy efficiency performance of the development.     

The energy consumption of Paris and its supply areas from the eighteenth century to the present

Since the eighteenth century and the industrial revolution, cities have experienced great changes in their metabolism, and particularly in their energy consumption: transitions from one energy source to another, growing per capita consumption, and total consumption to cite but a few. These changes also impact urban energy supply areas and supply distance. This paper estimates Paris??s energy demand in both final and primary terms since the eighteenth century and gives an illustration of long-term socio-ecological interactions in an interdisciplinary perspective, connecting energy flow analysis, and historical research. It gives an overview of energy supply areas and assesses the distance between supply sites and the city. Paris??s annual total energy requirement (TER) was about 19?GJ per capita at the beginning of the eighteenth century and reached 30?GJ per capita in 1800; the supply area remained nearly the same with an average supply distance (D_avg) of 200?km. During the nineteenth century, Paris??s population increased fivefold, and energy transitioned from biomass to fossil fuel. Per capita TER remained stable, whereas Paris??s supply area moved progressively toward coal basins, in connection with the tremendous change in transport systems. As a consequence, the D_avg grew to 270?km around 1870. During the twentieth century, and especially since the Interwar period, per capita TER increased considerably (to 26?GJ/cap/year in 1910, 47?GJ/cap/year in 1946 and 126?GJ/cap/year in 2006). The internationalization of the energy supply and the shift to petroleum and natural gas also increased the remoteness of the supply sites: the D_avg equaled 3850?km in 2006.     

Multiobjective optimisation method for life-cycle design of mechanical products

Manufacturing that minimises the exhaustion of natural resources, energy used and deleterious environmental impact is increasingly demanded by societies that seek to protect global environments as much as possible. To achieve this, life-cycle design (LCD) is an essential component of product design scenarios; however, LCD approaches have not been well integrated in optimal design methods that support quantitative decision-making. This study presents a method that yields quantitative solutions through optimisation analysis of a basic product design incorporating life-cycle considerations. We consider two types of optimisation approaches that have different aims, namely, (1) to reduce the use of raw materials and energy consumption and (2) to facilitate the reuse of the product or its parts when it reaches the end of its useful life. We also focus on how the optimisation results differ according to the approach used, from the viewpoint of the 3R concept (Reduce, Reuse and Recycling). Our method obtains optimum solutions by evaluating objectives fitted to each of these two optimisation approaches with respect to the product's life-cycle stages, which are manufacturing, use, maintenance, disposal, reuse and recycling. As an applied example, a simple linear robot model is presented, and Pareto optimum solutions are obtained for the multiobjective optimisation problem whose evaluated objectives are the operating accuracy of the robot and the different life-cycle costs for the two approaches. The characteristics of the evaluated objectives and design variables, as well as the effects of using material characteristics as design parameters, are also examined.     

Community engagement in the sustainable management of rivers: Barekese catchment,Kumasi, Ghana

The Barekese Reservoir is a facility for reserving water for treatment and subsequent consumption by the populace of the Kumasi conurbation and its environs. The reservoir provides over 80% of the total public water supply to the Kumasi locale and is plagued by persistent degradation through human activities throughout the catchment. This situation raises concern on the regional deterioration of water quality and quantity. We present the attitudes of local communities towards their involvement in river water management and the sustainable exploitation of natural resources. We administered both open ended and closed structured questionnaires in seven communities in the reservoir catchment. The results revealed that individual residents in these communities have not been involved in the management of the reservoir, adversely affecting goals of sustainable management. Our study concludes with direct policy recommendations and applications in four specific areas to arrive at sustainable management of the facility by involving affected communities through their inclusion in: ongoing and proposed project development as shareholders; the review of existing environmental legislation; adopting of indigenous knowledge in management institutions; and the re-introduction of norms and traditions within the communities.     

Limits of ecodesign: the case for open source product development

Abstract

In pursuit of coping mechanisms for the challenges of sustainable manufacturing, systematic methods have been developed to allow engineers to improve the ratio between products’ utility and environmental impact. These necessary efforts remain however limited if the surrounding production and consumption practices are not called into question at the same time. This article introduces open source product development as a potential approach for unlocking the limits of existing sustainable product design practices and to lead towards alternative and eco-efficient production and consumption practices termed as participative production. First, it discusses the potential advantages of this emerging practice in terms of environmental sustainability. Second, it provides a screened qualitative environmental analysis of 18 exemplary open source hardware products. Specific sustainable design principles implemented by these products are highlighted and discussed in order to identify challenges for further common research in the field of open source and sustainable product development.     

Transforming systems of consumption and production for achieving the sustainable development goals: moving beyond efficiency

The United Nations formulated the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2015 as a comprehensive global policy framework for addressing the most pressing social and environmental challenges currently facing humanity. In this paper, we analyse SDG 12, which aims to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” Despite long-standing political recognition of this objective, and ample scientific evidence both on its importance and on the efficacy of various ways of promoting it, the SDGs do not provide clear goals or effective guidance on how to accomplish this urgently needed transformation. Drawing from the growing body of research on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), the paper identifies two dominant vantage points—one focused on promoting more efficient production methods and products (mainly through technological improvement and informed consumer choice) and the other stressing the need to consider also overall volumes of consumption, distributional issues, and related social and institutional changes. We label these two approaches efficiency and systemic. Research shows that while the efficiency approach contains essential elements of a transition to sustainability, it is by itself highly unlikely to bring about sustainable outcomes. Concomitantly, research also finds that volumes of consumption and production are closely associated with environmental impacts, indicating a need to curtail these volumes in ways that safeguard social sustainability, which is unlikely to be possible without a restructuring of existing socioeconomic arrangements. Analysing how these two perspectives are reflected in the SDGs framework, we find that in its current conception, it mainly relies on the efficiency approach. On the basis of this assessment, we conclude that the SDGs represent a partial and inadequate conceptualisation of SCP which will hamper implementation. Based on this determination, this paper provides some suggestions on how governments and other actors involved in SDGs operationalisation could more effectively pursue SCP from a systemic standpoint and use the transformation of systems of consumption and production as a lever for achieving multiple sustainability objectives.     

Exploring the need for more radical sustainable innovation: what does it look like and why?

It has been argued in recent years that Western economies need to increase their resource productivity by 90% over the next 50 years. This is a radical aim. This paper draws on design for sustainability (DfS) thinking to scope interventions that encourage greater levels of resource productivity through reconfiguring concepts of growth and well‐being within organisational strategies, structures, systems, processes and outputs. Based on research from a UK EPSRC funded project Design Dialogues (2005–2008), this paper links together sustainable design and innovation literatures and dialogue‐based primary research that together inform the development of an approach to innovation for sustainability. The emphasis on sustainable innovation is to understand what is designed (the outputs of business) and why (the inputs: the values, beliefs, visions and objectives) within a context of ecological limits. The foundations of this approach are introduced here in order to demonstrate the potential to provoke a new way of thinking about longer‐term organisational innovation through making explicit the intrinsic connections between natural and human capitals. This paper explores the need to think differently in order to create sustainability and presents the outcome of this research: a methodology for innovation for sustainability.     

Personal Metabolism (PM) coupled with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model: Danish Case Study

Sustainable and informed resource consumption is the key to make everyday living sustainable for entire populations. An intelligent and strategic way of addressing the challenges related with sustainable development of the everyday living of consumers is to identify consumption-determined hotspots in terms of environmental and health burdens, as well as resource consumptions. Analyzing consumer life styles in terms of consumption patterns in order to identify hotspots is hence the focus of this study. This is achieved by taking into account the entire value chain of the commodities consumed in the context of environmental and human health burdens, as well as resource consumptions. A systematic commodity consumption, commodity disposal, and life style survey of 1281 persons living in urbanized Danish areas was conducted. The findings of the survey showed new impact dimensions in terms of Personal Metabolism (PM) patterns of residents living in urbanized areas of Denmark. Extending the PM analysis with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provided a clear picture of the per capita environmental and human health burdens, as well as resource consumptions, and the exact origin hereof.A generic PM-LCA Model for all the 1281 persons was set-up in Gabi 6. The assessment results obtained applying the model on all 1281 personal consumption scenarios yielded the 1281 Personal Impact Profiles (PIPs). Consumption of food and energy (electricity and thermal energy) proved to be the primary impact sources of PM, followed by transport. The PIPs further revealed that behavioral factors (e.g. different diets, use of cars, household size) affect the profiles. Hence, behavioral changes are one means out of many that humanity will most likely have to rely on during the sustainable development process. The results of this study will help the Danish and other comparable populations to identify and prioritize the steps towards reducing their environmental, human health, and resource consumption burdens.     

Computational energy estimation tools for machining operations during preliminary design

The aim of this paper is to develop computational machining energy estimation tools during the early design stage of product development. In the preliminary or embodiment design, a product's shape and materials are determined. At this stage, it is crucial for a designer to be able to compare alternative designs and materials based on many different criteria, such as cost, functionality, energy, etc. Automated tools for estimating energy consumption that could later be used to integrate with CAD/CAM systems are in demand. This study presents computational tools for estimating the energy consumption of machining operations during the early design phase. The computational tools utilize a preliminary computer representation of a product (CAD model), its material and candidate machining operations to automatically analyse and estimate a range of energy consumption during machining operations. Detailed steps for computing turning and milling energy consumption are presented. Case studies of both parts and assemblies were conducted to test the validity of the tools and to evaluate the performance of the tools. Environmental impacts such as carbon weight will also be estimated. The computation tools will assist users with little knowledge about energy computations to estimate energy consumption during the design stage. Such energy estimation can be used to redesign parts and assemblies, leading to the development of products with reduced machining energy. The computation tools are part of a larger research on estimating energy consumption throughout a product's life cycle.     

Analysis of availability and accessibility of hydrogen production: An approach to a sustainable energy system using methane hydrate resources

It is considered that use of hydrogen as an energy source may contribute to environmental improvement and provide an alternative energy system. Moreover, it is anticipated that hydrogen will be in great demand in the near future for use in such vehicles as fuel cell-based cars. Research and development of a number of advanced methods of hydrogen production (OTEC, water photolysis using a semiconductor, a municipal waste gasification—smelting system, etc.) is currently under way.A comparison of different hydrogen-rich fuels in this paper shows that methane is advantageous for hydrogen production from the viewpoint of energy efficiency as measured by thermodynamic analysis. This paper therefore proposes combining existing technology for hydrogen production with an unconventional methane source in order to facilitate the realization of a hydrogen energy system: i.e., this paper proposes combining the process of steam reforming, which is commercialized worldwide, with use of untouched natural gas hydrate (NGH) resources. Gas hydrate deposits, which are distributed worldwide, hold great amounts of methane gas and have hardly been touched. This paper presents the economic parameters of NGH development and discusses the concept of devising useful applications of NGHs, with consideration given to (1) independence from current fossil fuels; (2) energy transport using the hydrate system; (3) CO₂ sequestration — replacement of methane hydrate with CO₂ hydrate in the submarine layer and (4) improvement of current steam reforming of methane by CO₂ reuse and zeolite application. This paper thus proposes a new solution that will make a key contribution to the systematic development of a new sustainable energy structure.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.     

可持续能源转型:模型构建与分析

为研究可持续能源系统转型路径,以转型理论为概念框架,从宏观、中观和微观多层次对能源系统进行分析,建立了基于代理的系统动力学转型模型。模型选取当前能源消费结构中占较大比重的煤炭、石油、天然气、风能、水电、光伏和核能作为复杂代理,选取消费者作为简单代理,根据中国能源数据对其进行参数化,并模拟运行了能源系统从2016—2050年间各种类型能源消费比重变动的情形。研究结果显示:①外部景观信号的输入对于能源系统的可持续转型有着至关重要的作用。随着景观信号的输入,各类能源的相对比重发生复杂的相互作用,景观信号持续时间越长、强度越大,向可持续能源系统转型的速度越快、规模越大。②到2050年,可持续能源将占一次能源消费比重的60%左右,实现能源系统的可持续转型,其中,水电将在能源系统的可持续化转型中发挥重要的作用。③2030年以前,石油和天然气将是能源系统中煤炭消费比重下降的主要替代品,因为它们的应用技术已经发展成熟,而且它们更适应当前的基础设施,从短期来看相比可持续能源石油和天然气更有优势,在这种情形下,仍然需要继续支持可持续能源的发展,否则能源系统的可持续转型将不会发生。该研究主要探索通过当前能源系统的景观压力强度以及转型的进度,来量化未来需要输入的景观压力强度;通过模拟转型发生的具体情景,对转型的进展进行更清楚的界定,借此来评估二氧化碳的排放路径;模拟模型也可以评估各类能源在不同时间点上的各种可能性,以及探索各类可持续能源的发展潜力。