Comparative Environmental Analysis of Conventional and Hybrid Wheel Loader Technologies

117 Pages·2013·4.43 MB·English

Comparative Environmental

Analysis of Conventional and

Hybrid Wheel Loader

Technologies

- A Life Cycle Perspective

Omer Salman

Yanbin Chen
Master of Science Thesis
Stockholm 2013
Omer Salman & Yanbin Chen
Comparative Environmental Analysis of
Conventional and Hybrid Wheel
Loader Technologies
- A Life Cycle Perspective

Supervisors:
Anna Björklund, Environmental Strategies Research, KTH
Lisbeth Dahllöf, Volvo Group Trucks Technology (VGTT)

Examiner:
Göran Finnveden, Environmental Strategies Research, KTH

Master of Science Thesis
STOCKHOLM 2013
PRESENTED AT
INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
TRITA-IM 2013:02

Industrial Ecology,
Royal Institute of Technology
www.ima.kth.se
Abstract
Volvo Construction Equipment is investigating the potential of hybrid wheel loaders. To
determine if this new hybrid wheel loader concept is preferable from an environmental
point of view to the latest G- series Volvo wheel loader, a comparative life cycle assessment
(LCA) has been performed on the Volvo L150G wheel loader and a hybrid wheel loader
concept.
The complete machines have been studied throughout their life cycle: raw material
extraction, material processing, manufacturing processes, transportation, use phase, and
end of life. In order to quantitatively assess the environmental impact of all lifecycle stages,
five different environmental indicators have been used: global warming potential, abiotic
resource depletion potential, acidification potential, eutrophication potential and ozone
depletion potential. In addition, a sensitivity analysis and two weighting methods are used to
interpret the results.
The results show that a hybrid wheel loader concept reduces environmental impacts
significantly compared to a conventional L150G, except the impact category ADP (element).
Moreover, the use phase has by far the greatest impact within the life cycle, for most impact
categories (90% of the total life cycle impact). A sensitivity analysis on use phase with
impacts also showed the limitations for use in China.
Key words: LCA, wheel loader, hybrid technology, lithium-ion battery

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Sammanfattning
Volvo Construction Equipment undersöker potentialen av hybrid hjullastare. För att avgöra
om ett hybrid hjullastare koncept har fördelar ur miljösynpunkt jämfört med en G-serien
Volvo hjullastare har en jämförande livscykelanalys (LCA) utförts på Volvo L150G hjullastare
och ett hybrid hjullastarkoncept.
De kompletta maskinerna har studerats under hela deras livscykel: utvinning av råmaterial,
materialbearbetning, tillverkningsprocesser, transport, användningsfas och slutet av
skrotningsfasen. För att kvantitativt kunna bedöma miljökonsekvenserna av alla
livscykelnskeden har fem olika miljöindikatorer använts: global uppvärmningspotential,
abiotiska resursutarmningspotential, försurningspotential, övergödningspotential och
ozonnedbrytingspotential. En känslighetsanalys och två viktningsmetoder har tillämpats för
att tolka resultaten.
Resultaten visar att ett hybrid hjullastarkoncept minskar miljöpåverkan avsevärt jämfört
med en konventionell L150G, förutom påverkan från kategorin resursutarmningspotential.
Dessutom har användningsprocessen i särklass störst påverkan inom livscykeln för de flesta
effekt kategorier (90% av den totala livscykelpåverkan). En känslighetsanalys på
användningsprocessen och dess effekter visade också på begränsningar för användning i
Kina.
Nyckelord: LCA, hjullastare, hybridteknik, litiumjonbatteri
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Preface
This project is a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) study conducted as a master’s thesis
jointly by Omer Salman and Yanbin Chen from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) MSc.
Sustainable Technology, Department of Industrial Ecology. Both students participated on
independent and collaborative assignments within the project as per the guidance of their
supervisors.
Lisbeth Dahllöf from Volvo Group Truck Technology (VGTT) and Anna Björklund from KTH
respectively supervised this project, giving expert advice and guidelines on Life Cycle
Assessment, Software Analysis Tools and commercial databases.
Ulf Jonson was coordinator to this project as a representative from Volvo Construction
Equipment (VCE) where the study was carried out.

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Confidentiality
Information used in this project has been declared confidential by Volvo Group Trucks
Technology and Volvo Construction Equipment. For this reason, phase and process specific
data has been left out the public version of this report. Suppliers are not mentioned by name
and manufacturing locations are randomized. However, all data necessary for the LCA
calculations is available for evaluation by all participating parties with the mutual consent of
KTH, VGTT and VCE.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Volvo Group Trucks Technology (VGTT), Volvo Construction
Equipment (VCE), Division of Environmental Strategies Research (FMS) and the department
of Industrial Ecology of the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) for commissioning,
conducting and supervising this study. In particular Lisbeth Dahllöf, Ishtaq Ahmed and Ulf
Josson, Joakim Unnebäck at Volvo have been very helpful. Finally, special thanks to our
supervisor at KTH, Anna Björklund for being helpful and patient, and showing her
commitment to our project.

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Table of Content
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... i
Sammanfattning .......................................................................................................................................ii
Preface ..................................................................................................................................................... iii
Confidentiality ......................................................................................................................................... iv
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................. v
Table of Content ...................................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... ix
List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................. x
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Aim, Goal and Objectives ................................................................................................................ 3
2.1. Aim ........................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2. Goal .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2.3. Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 3
2.4. Reference Models and Methods .............................................................................................. 4
2.5. Report Outline .......................................................................................................................... 4
3. Background and Literature study .................................................................................................... 6
3.1. General Description of Volvo Group and Volvo CE .................................................................. 6
3.2. Construction Equipment .......................................................................................................... 6
3.3. Hybrid Technology and Heavy Vehicles ................................................................................... 7
3.4. Plug-in hybrid Vehicle Technology ........................................................................................... 8
3.5. Lithium-Ion Batteries.............................................................................................................. 10
4. Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 12
4.1. General description of LCA ..................................................................................................... 12
4.2. Goal and Scope definition ...................................................................................................... 13
4.3.1. Screening LCA ................................................................................................................. 14
4.3.2. Accounting LCA ............................................................................................................... 14
4.4. Product System ...................................................................................................................... 14
4.5. Functional Unit ....................................................................................................................... 14
4.6. System Boundaries ................................................................................................................. 15
4.7. Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI) .......................................................................................... 15
4.8. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) ...................................................................................... 15
4.8.1. Impact Categories ........................................................................................................... 16
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