Life cycle assessment of a large-scale centrifugal compressor: A case study in China

A comprehensive assessment of the environmental performance of products in heavy industries is indispensable in unraveling the environmental pollution and resource shortage in the manufacturing industry of China. To quantify the environmental emissions and resource consumption in the holistic life cycle and identify the hotspots, this study applies the life cycle assessment to an 18.4 MW class domestic large-scale centrifugal compressor and compares the environmental impacts of the overall milled impeller and the welded impeller. Six environmental indicators-, namely, primary energy demand (PED), global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), ozone layer depletion potential (ODP), and photochemical ozone creation potential (POCP) are considered in this case study. Usage, raw material production, and manufacture are the top three contributors to the entire emissions and resource utilization. The environmental impacts comparison of impellers reveals that welded impeller is more environmentally favorable in terms of PED, GWP, AP, EP and ODP. Results of this study can provide a scientific basis for compressor manufacturers to minimize the environmental burdens from the life cycle perspective.