Carbon Footprint of an Orchard Tractor through a Life-Cycle Assessment Approach

Martelli, Salvatore; Mocera, Francesco; Somà, Aurelio

doi:10.3390/agriculture13061210

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Overall, electrification is being applied to agricultural tractors and there are more possibilities than challenges. More research is needed to evaluate the different use cases, namely duty cycle operations, and, especially, life-cycle energy consumption, emissions, and cost [41]. Available electric power would allow the electrification of many auxiliary devices that could lead to additional savings by reducing the idling losses that are quite important for agricultural tractors [42]; Molari et al (2019) stated that agricultural tractors may remain idle from 10% to 43% of their entire operating time [43].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation-Based Assessment of Energy Consumption of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Tractors

Lajunen,

Kivekäs,

Freyermuth

et al. 2024

WEVJ

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The objectives of this research were to develop simulation models for agricultural tractors with different powertrain technologies and evaluate the energy consumption in typical agricultural operations. Simulation models were developed for conventional, parallel hybrid electric, series hybrid electric, fuel cell hybrid, and battery electric powertrains. Autonomie vehicle simulation software (version 2022) was used for the simulations and the tractor models were simulated in two tilling cycles and in a road transport cycle with a trailer. The alternative powertrains were configured to have at least the same tractive performance as the conventional, diesel engine-powered tractor model. The simulation results showed that the potential of the parallel and series hybrid powertrains to improve energy efficiency depends heavily on the tractor size and the operating cycle conditions. The fuel cell hybrid and battery electric powertrains have a higher potential to reduce energy consumption and emissions but still have inherent technical challenges for practical operation. The battery-powered electric tractor would require improvements in the storage energy density to have a comparable operational performance in comparison to other powertrains. The fuel cell hybrid tractor already provided an adequate operating performance but the availability of hydrogen and refueling infrastructure could be challenging to resolve in the farming context.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation-Based Assessment of Energy Consumption of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Tractors

Lajunen,

Kivekäs,

Freyermuth

et al. 2024

WEVJ

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“…The selection of methods was justified in individual stages of the procedure, the general procedure of which is shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, as part of the development of the procedure, the main assumptions were adopted, which were selected based on a review of the literature on the subject, e.g., [34][35][36] and previous research results [37][38][39][40]. These assumptions were as follows:  the product to be verified is unlimited [38,39];  quality level refers to customer satisfaction with the use of the product [35,36];  the number of product quality criteria according to which the quality level is estimated is approximately 7 ± 2 [34,37];  life-cycle assessment is made on the basis of one criterion, which is considered environmental burden [40,41].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The analysis concerns the current state of the product and its prototype (alternative) design solutions. Furthermore, as part of the development of the procedure, the main assumptions were adopted, which were selected based on a review of the literature on the subject, e.g., [34][35][36] and previous research results [37][38][39][40]. These assumptions were as follows:…”

Section: Selecting a Reference Product And Defining The Research Goalmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Procedure for Aggregating Indicators of Quality and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the Product-Improvement Process

Pacana,

Siwiec

2024

Processes

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Sustainable product development requires combining aspects, including quality and environmental. This is a difficult task to accomplish. Therefore, procedures are being sought to combine these aspects in the process of product improvement. Therefore, the objective of the investigation was to develop a procedure that supports the integration of quality-level indicators and life-cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the direction of product improvement. The procedure involves determining the quality indicators based on the expectations of the customer, which are subsequently processed using the formalised scoring method (PS). A life-cycle assessment index is determined for the main environmental impact criterion. According to the proposed mathematical model, these indicators are aggregated, and this process takes into account their importance in terms of product usefulness and environmental friendliness. Interpretations of the results and the direction of product improvement are from the results obtained from the modified IPA model (importance–performance analysis). The procedure is used in the verification of product prototypes, wherein the proposed approach, and its test, was carried out for a self-cooling beverage can (and its alternatives) with a “chill-on-demand” system, which is a technology supporting rapid cooling on demand. The life-cycle assessment was carried out to assess the carbon footprint, which is crucial for activities to reduce greenhouse gases. The direction of improvement of this product was shown to concern the selection of transport means, the reduction of energy use in the production phase, or the change of the method of opening the can. What is original is the proposal of a procedure for integrating the quality indicator and the life-cycle assessment indicator, taking into account the key environmental burden. The procedure can be used in manufacturing companies when designing and improving products in terms of their sustainable development.

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“…These efforts are supported by policies that will force the introduction of electric and alternatives powertrains as substitutions for their traditional diesel and gasoline counterparts [10]. If this trend already has a clearly visible effect on passenger cars, with several countries experiencing a quick introduction of electric vehicles on the market [11], the sector of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) will still be at an earlier stage of electrification, even if studies have demonstrated that these vehicles have a high impact in terms of life cycle emissions [12,13]. The reason for that is related to the operative requirements that these vehicles must fulfill, with high productivity and endurance that represent a barrier to the development of pure battery electric powertrains [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Footprint Enhancement of an Agricultural Telehandler through the Application of a Fuel Cell Powertrain

Martini,

Mocera,

Somà

2024

WEVJ

Self Cite

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The growing awareness about climate change and environmental pollution is pushing the industrial and academic world to investigate more sustainable solutions to reduce the impact of anthropic activities. As a consequence, a process of electrification is involving all kind of vehicles with a view to gradually substitute traditional powertrains that emit several pollutants in the exhaust due to the combustion process. In this context, fuel cell powertrains are a more promising strategy, with respect to battery electric alternatives where productivity and endurance are crucial. It is important to replace internal combustion engines in those vehicles, such as the those in the sector of Non-Road Mobile Machinery. In the present paper, a preliminary analysis of a fuel cell powertrain for a telehandler is proposed. The analysis focused on performance, fuel economy, durability, applicability and environmental impact of the vehicle. Numerical models were built in MATLAB/Simulink and a simple power follower strategy was developed with the aim of reducing components degradation and to guarantee a charge sustaining operation. Simulations were carried out regarding both peak power conditions and a typical real work scenario. The simulations’ results showed that the fuel cell powertrain was able to achieve almost the same performances without excessive stress on its components. Indeed, a degradation analysis was conducted, showing that the fuel cell system can achieve satisfactory durability. Moreover, a Well-to-Wheel approach was adopted to evaluate the benefits, in terms of greenhouse gases, of adopting the fuel cell system. The results of the analysis demonstrated that, even if considering grey hydrogen to feed the fuel cell system, the proposed powertrain can reduce the equivalent CO2 emissions of 69%. This reduction can be further enhanced using hydrogen from cleaner production processes. The proposed preliminary analysis demonstrated that fuel cell powertrains can be a feasible solution to substitute traditional systems on off-road vehicles, even if a higher investment cost might be required.

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Carbon Footprint of an Orchard Tractor through a Life-Cycle Assessment Approach

Cited by 9 publications

References 51 publications

Simulation-Based Assessment of Energy Consumption of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Tractors

Simulation-Based Assessment of Energy Consumption of Alternative Powertrains in Agricultural Tractors

Procedure for Aggregating Indicators of Quality and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) in the Product-Improvement Process

Carbon Footprint Enhancement of an Agricultural Telehandler through the Application of a Fuel Cell Powertrain

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