| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1279356 | International Journal of Hydrogen Energy | 2011 | 9 Pages |
The LCA is a method enabling the performance of a complete study on the environmental impacts of the product, taking into consideration all its life cycle (“from the cradle to the tomb” or, better “from the cradle to the cradle” when also the maximum recycling/reusing of the materials is provided. There are many procedures to perform an LCA of the consumers’ products. In particular, the SUMMA method (Sustainability Multi-criteria Multi-scale Assessment) allows obtaining a number of indices of efficiency and environmental sustainability which make the LCA assessment much more complete and significant. LCA method often represents the basis for an additional assessment of industrial products and processes, the LCC (Life Cycle Costing) which, allowing the association of economic variables to any phase of the life cycle, represents a useful tool for financial planning and management. The case study analysed in the present work concerns an LCA analysis, using the SUMMA method and the LCC of one small size molten carbonate fuel cell, 2.5 kW, assembled in the Fuel Cells Laboratory within the Educational Pole of Terni at the Università degli Studi di Perugia. For sake of completeness of the results, the methods Ecoindicator99 and Impact2002 + were used in the analysis, as implemented in the used calculation software, the SimaPro 7.1 by PRè Consultants. From the registered results, it emerges that the environmental energy sustainability of the analysed element enables its widespread and in-depth employment in the phase subsequent to the optimisation of the connected economic frame; the scenarios opened by the present work envisage great margins of improvements of said aspects in the future experiments.
► It was carried out a LCA and LCC of a small size molten carbonate fuel cell (2.5 kW). ► The LCA and LCC was carried out examining the three phases, the assembly, operation and the life end scenario of the fuel cell. ► Application of SUMMA method allows to obtain a number of indices of efficiency and environmental sustainability. ► The substantial outcome is the energy consumption mainly concentrated in the operational cell phase, imputable to the activity of extraction and supply of natural gas. ► The return analysis made on the 15-year term has underlined the failed coverage of the investment, precisely evidencing the top criticality in the high cost of the steel components.
