Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2014.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Cary, Victor E
Other Authors: Elsa Olivetti.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2014
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89964
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author Cary, Victor E
author2 Elsa Olivetti.
author_facet Elsa Olivetti.
Cary, Victor E
author_sort Cary, Victor E
collection MIT
description Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2014.
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spelling mit-1721.1/899642019-04-10T12:30:24Z Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment Cary, Victor E Elsa Olivetti. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Materials Science and Engineering. Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2014. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 34-35). Concerns over global warming potential and environmental degradation have created a demand for accurate assessment of the impact of various products and processes. Life cycle assessment (LCA), a quantitative assessment method, has been employed primarily to products, analyzing the energy inputs and environmental consequences for the manufacture and use of specific goods. While it has not seen widespread use in assessment of industrial processes, its methodology can be adapted for such purposes; indeed, LCA may be a powerful tool for analyzing processes. This thesis aims to explore the viability of LCA as applied to the process industry. Building on previous research designed to provide high-quality assessment despite varying levels of uncertainty associated with material inputs, this research constructs a system which classifies processes into a hierarchy based on their degree of underspecification. Simulations are performed using Oracle's Crystal Ball software to assess the usefulness and accuracy of the classification system. The system and its components are modified and tested again to achieve better results. Owing to time constraints and fundamental differences between energy inputs for processing different types of materials, the classification system presented herein concerns itself only with metals. Nonetheless, this system seeks to provide a logical approach to process underspecification, and lays the foundation for similar systems for other processes and other types of materials. by Victor E. Cary. S.B. 2014-09-19T21:31:31Z 2014-09-19T21:31:31Z 2014 2014 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89964 890129287 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 51 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Materials Science and Engineering.
Cary, Victor E
Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title_full Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title_fullStr Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title_full_unstemmed Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title_short Construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life-cycle assessment
title_sort construction of a classification hierarchy for process underspecification to streamline life cycle assessment
topic Materials Science and Engineering.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89964
work_keys_str_mv AT caryvictore constructionofaclassificationhierarchyforprocessunderspecificationtostreamlinelifecycleassessment