Specifications of Cloth Dryer - Essay Example

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF CLOTH DRYERS SUMMARY Sustainable development priorities emphasise the importance of enhanced eco-efficiency to help compensate for growth; describe the key elements of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that allow for the identification of opportunities to improve resource efficiency . CONTENTS 1. Summary 2. Contents 3. Specifications of Cloth dryer 4. Application tool for Eco-indicator 5. Life Cycle assessment 6. Limitation 7. Criticism 8. Conclusion 9. Reference SPECIFICATIONS OF CLOTHES DRYER The item I selected is Clothes dryer. In order to assess the LCA, I have chosen Cloth dryer in a general sense. For quantify materials and process I have entered the data of the machine as per ECO-it. DATA OF CLOTH DRYER 1. Waste Water is allowed to go to the plastic container fitted with the dryer used as centrifugal equipment. 2. Weight: 25 lbs. 3. Capacity: 10 lbs. 4. Size of Spin dryer: 13 1/2” X 25” high 5. It can be connected to the outlet, 120 volt. 6. It Spins at 3,300 R.P.M., and produces 1,340 G’ forces. 7. Cost: $539.95 + $39.95 8. Carton size: 16” X 16” X 25” 9. The cloth dryer takes less time by 1/3 of hard to dry clothes. 10. According to the latest research, it shows that the SPIN-X Spin dryer reduced Electricity costs by $1,104.96 during a 3 year period, at an average of $368.32 per year electricity savings. 11. For the Air Conditioner to cool, the clothes dryer only operates for 1/2 the time or less. As a result of it, generating less heat and ensures the lasting life of both the Air Conditioner and the dryer. It is greatly reducing drying time. 12. Perfumes, detergents, soap, & chemicals etc. are removed by the spin dryer so effectively. It all effectively disposed to the Quart vessel. The chemical detergents that you used previously may accumulate in your dress and may cause skin problems. 13. Normally while using cloth dryers all customers commented that there is less chance for skin irritation. Application tools for Eco-indicator 1. Eco-indicator and its Calculation Description on the product or product component that is being analysed here .It is cloth dryer an inevitable thing in all households. It is defined that the LCA is to be carried out by considering the other factors. It is there fore compare with the new design with an existing one (http://www.pre.nl/eco-indicator99/ei99-reports.htm) 2. Life Cycle of Cloth dryer The life cycle can be estimated by assessing the following criteria. Cloth dryers are equally used as any other house hold equipment in the market. Their existence and ability to sustain are also noted here in the table. Sl Number Quality General feature of a Cloth dryer 1 Time taken 90% 2 Power consumption Low 3 Efficiency High 4 Waste disposal High 5 Average life 10-15years From the data it can be seen that the machine is much better than any other equipment for home use. The time taken to dry the clothes is much lower. Efficiency, power consumption, Waste disposal are also far better as per the existing standards of a cloth dryer. The average life of a machine is very much lasting. It can be seen that performance and power consumption can be illustrated as following. Here we can see the difference after the use of Eco-indicators. In general, the performance is comparatively better and it can be shown here as: Figure 1 GRAPH SHOWS THE PERFORMANCE AND POWER CONSUMPTION OF A CLOTH DRYER APPLYING WITH ECO-INDICATORS. Figure 2-Simplified process tree for the life cycle of a cloth dryer 1-Clothes 2-Detergent 3-Plastics 4-Foam 5-Sheet steel 6 -Polystyrene 7-Wasing 8-Foam production 9-Rotation 10-centrifuging 11-Pressing 12-Condensing 13-Assembly + transport 14- Drying 15-Use 16-Electricity 17- Water Step 3: Quantification of materials We can quantify all relevant processes from the process tree given here. We will be able to determine a Functional unit of the cloth dryer. Making assumptions for any missing data considered to be very significant here. The product description, performance and life cycle is termed the functional unit in the LCA method. For each process a quantity can now be determined in the process tree on the basis of this functional unit. This can also be done with the help of the given data of the product. Even if we are not able to gather all product details, there should be a number of estimates. The estimate results can be given as follows: 1. A component’s omission. Compared with the rest, this is only acceptable in case the contribution is minor. 2. A quantity is estimated by a user himself. A number of estimates have to be given at first in general and then if this turns out to be necessary, seek more accurate data. Functional unit and its examples 1. Cloth dryer machine’s functional unit can be determined as follows. What is the purpose of the cloth dryer machine? To make cloth dry within 10 minutes after it’s washing. What is its life cycle? The cloth dryer machine needs to last for 15 years at least 10 pieces of dress materials is once in a day and it uses new paper filter each time. The functional unit is then: A cloth dryer machine which dries clothes once in a day. 2. A washable nappy can be compared with a disposable nappy. What is main purpose of nappies? It is to absorb urine and faeces before the infant is well rained in potty. While considering all ECO indicators, it can be quantified that the changes effected on the equipment has significantly boost up the image of the product in the market and through which the company can make consumer behaviourism among the customers. Step 4: Enter the data in ECO-it. Figure 3 Example of a completed form in which the cloth dryer machine is subdivided We have defined the components; the use processes etc. if an indicator value for a material or process is missing this causes a missing indicator/material problem that can be resolved as follows: By checking all factors, we could analyse that whether the missing indicator could make a significant contribution to the total environmental impact. By substituting a known indicator for the unknown one it can be seen that the Indicator values for plastics are always in the same range. Now it is possible to estimate a value for the missing plastic that is within this range can b done based on this. A new indicator value can be calculated by an environmental expert. Because of no indicator value is available and is only admissible, the omission of a material if it is clear that the anticipated contribution of this part is very small. Than to omit, it is generally better to estimate. From all these very vital points, the features of the machine can be incorporated with the given Eco indicators and can find that the above cloth dryer machine is exceptionally good with regard to the points of its performance, power consumption and lasting life. Step 5: Interpret the results The data analysis shows that the house hold consumption is increasing day by day and the LCA also has to be coping up with the standards. Here in this study, it can be seen that, Cloth dryer machine excels in the field as other house hold equipments. (Please check out the machine specifications).More over it is sticking on to the mandatory standards of waste disposal very effectively. There is no indication that the waste materials are not being properly disposed off. Unlike other household equipments, it ensures the speedy dry and effective disposal. Life cycle assessment Life Cycle Assessment is known as life cycle analysis. Rather than monetary flows, it is a variant of input-output analysis and focusing more on physical aspect. It is the investigation and valuation of the environmental impacts of a given product necessitated by its existence. LCA and Environmental damages The main goal of LCA? The main goal is to compare the full range of environmental damages. One can choose the best one by assigning to products and services. Why the term life cycle? A fair, LCA requires the assessment of all levels of production and waste disposal. This is inevitable for the product’s sustenance. The life cycle of the product is the totality of all these steps. A business organisation can optimize their environmental performance by using this concept. The cloth dry machine here is very significantly managing the waste disposal in an effective manner. Since the wastes are nominal its disposal can effectively done by the machine. Sl Number Waste Disposal General feature of a Cloth dryer 1 Contaminated water 90% 2 Fibres 100% 3 Colour High 4 Chemicals High 5 Exhaust gas High From the given data sheet one can reach to the notion that a cloth dryer is eco friendly and very effective in the waste disposal. Besides, it doesn’t make any environmental hazards too. LCA and its various phases LCA can be done as per ISO 14044 and 14040 standards. 1. Goal and Scope In relation to the intended application there is a study on goal and scope of the same. Unit processes are included in the LCA with regard to the system boundary. Apart from describing the functional unit, this phase includes a description of the method applied for evaluating potential environmental impacts. Here we stated our Goal in detail in the early part. 2.LC Inventory Data collection Product system modelling, description and data verification are the major phases included in this phase. This implies data for inputs and outputs especially for all affected unit processes. Such as radiation or land use should also be included. The inventory gives the result LCI. All details from input and out put and from environment are also taken for this study. The LCI is very much desirable as per the standard conditions. 3.Life Cycle‘s impact Assessment Impact Assessment of Life Cycle is for assessing its role of impact categories, such as desertification, acid rain, green house effect etc. Characterization is the calculation of impact potentials based on the LCI results in the first step. Further steps are weighting, normalization etc. which are voluntary as per the ISO standard. Here the Cloth dryer equipment is having very well supra standard as far as a good customer is concerned. 4.Interpretation This is very significant stage. If the ambitions can meet, the uncertainty analysis and the sensitivity analysis are leads to the inference. (Russell, A., Ekvall, T. and Baumann H. (2005) Editorial: Life Cycle Assessment – An Introduction and Overview, Journal of Cleaner Production, 13 (13-14): 1207-1210.) What lessons do LCA give? That is more important. All conclusions are drafted during this phase. Sometimes a free critical review is necessary as the comparisons are made which are used in the public domain. Comparing the data given above, one can get the notion that this dryer equipment is the best one available in the market and without making any environmental problems. 5.LC and Energy analysis To produce components, direct energy inputs and all energy inputs are needed in the product manufacture. Services needed for the manufacturing process and all energy inputs for a product are accounted for materials where Energy analysis is used. The LCEA of the machine is much standardised one with regard to the in put- out put ratio. Energy production It is observed that much energy is lost in the production of energy items themselves rather than the utilisation. What is Net energy content? Product Energy content - Energy input used in the extraction process = Net Energy Content It was a debatable issue when the point came as the manufacturing dryer machine needs rather energy level recovered in using dryer machine. Ecological indicators as the public or government policy maker’s, they are used to communicate information about ecosystems. The impact human activity has on ecosystems to group like Ecosystems are complex and ecological indicators. They can help describe them in simpler terms that can be understood and used by non-scientists to make management decisions. In fact, while considering all the very detailed factors, one can see the cost efficiency, energy consumption and time period are much better than all other equipments. (Curran, M.A. (1996) Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, McGraw-Hill, London Pre Consultants (2000) CONCLUSION From the detailed study on the data specifications, mandatory standard of LCA, as a customer we can see that most of the equipments are meeting with the stipulated parameters of good standard. But in the study of various technical aspects, one can see that the performance level of all cloth dryer machines are exceptionally well since they meet with all the key factors Eco-indicators to a great extent. REFERENCE 1. Curran, M.A. (1996) Environmental Life Cycle Assessment, McGraw-Hill, London Pre Consultants (2000) 2. Eco-indicator 99: Manual for Designers, Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment Communications Directorate, The Netherlands [online] 3. http://www.pre.nl/eco-indicator99/ei99-reports.htm 4. Russell, A., Ekvall, T. and Baumann H. (2005) Editorial: Life Cycle Assessment – An Introduction and Overview, Journal of Cleaner Production, 13 (13-14): 1207-1210. 5. Wellford, R. and Starkey, R. (Eds) (1996) The Earth scan Reader in Business and the Environment, Earth scan. London. Especially Chapter 9 by Roland Clift and Anita Longley - introduction to Clean Technology'. 6. Schimel D., (1996) Radiating Force of Climate Change, in J.T Houghton, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 7. SETAC, Cowan C.E, Mackay D., The Multimedia Fate model: A Vital Tool for Predicting the fate of chemicals, Pensacola 1995. 8. Tol RSJ. (1999b)New Estimates of Damage Costs of Climate Change.Part-2, Dynamic Estimates, Draft to be published by IVEM, University of Amsterdam 1999. 9. Recycling 10. A resource recovery method involving the collection and treatment of a waste product for use as raw material in the manufacture of the same or a similar product. (2) The EU waste strategy distinguishes between: reuse meant as a material reuse without any structural changes in materials; recycling meant as a material recycling, only, and with a reference to structural changes in products; and recovery meant as an energy recovery only. Read More