Equivalent system gwp full life cycle carbon emission evaluation method and device

Abstract

An equivalent system GWP full life cycle carbon emission evaluation method, comprising the following steps: S1: determining the system carbon emission accounting boundary; S2: determining the evaluation model and the characteristic parameters required by the evaluation model in the characteristic parameter library according to the carbon emission accounting boundary; S3: obtaining the system type of the system to be evaluated and the characteristic data of the corresponding characteristic parameters, and inputting the characteristic data of the system to be evaluated into the characteristic parameters of the evaluation model; S4: calculating and outputting the life cycle carbon emission environmental impact value of the evaluated system through the evaluation model. The evaluation method can be applied to the environmental impact evaluation of all heat cycle systems and derived equipment using cyclic refrigerants for energy conversion or heat transfer, realizing standardized comparison across capacity levels and across refrigerant types, and the application provides a device that can implement the equivalent system GWP full life cycle carbon emission evaluation method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of greenhouse gas accounting and environmental protection assessment technology, specifically to a universal life-cycle assessment method and apparatus that integrates a cycle offset mechanism and couples the climate impacts of material flow with thermodynamic energy efficiency conversion. This invention is applicable to the environmental impact assessment of all thermodynamic cycle systems and their derivative equipment that use refrigerants for energy conversion or heat distribution. Background Technology

[0002] In the global effort to address climate change, refrigerant substitution is crucial for achieving temperature control goals. With the implementation of the Kigali Amendments, the refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump industries are undergoing a transformation from simply pursuing the physicochemical properties of refrigerants to deeply considering the environmental footprint of systems. Currently, the industry typically uses indicators such as Global Warming Potential (GWP), Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI), and Life Cycle Climate Performance (LCCP) to quantify climate impact.

[0003] The inventors discovered significant limitations in current evaluation systems when dealing with complex equipment types and diverse application scenarios. First, GWP, as a static physicochemical parameter, cannot encompass thermodynamic performance compensation during system operation. Furthermore, the vast differences in charge density and leakage rates among different equipment lead to a discrepancy between material-level evaluation indicators and the actual life-cycle environmental impact of the system. Second, while existing indicators such as TEWI integrate direct emissions and indirect emissions from electricity consumption, they fail to consider the carbon offsetting effect of refrigerant at the end of its life (EOL) through recycling, regeneration, and reuse (3Rs). This results in a lack of accurate measurement of the contribution to the circular economy when assessing emission reduction gains in small and large systems. Additionally, although LCCP has a broad evaluation dimension, its calculation process heavily relies on complex raw material chain data, making parameter acquisition difficult and computationally redundant when conducting rapid engineering evaluations of various equipment, thus limiting its widespread adoption as a general-purpose evaluation tool.

[0004] Due to the limited scope of evaluation dimensions, the industry currently tends to over-rely on the Global Power of Refrigerant (GWP) index for refrigerant selection. This tendency ignores the synergistic effects of system charge quantity, service life, leak repair, system energy efficiency, and recycling mechanisms. Especially after considering performance compensation and cycle offsets, some low-GWP alternatives actually have higher life-cycle carbon intensity in specific units than the original system. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive evaluation method and device that can adapt to various equipment types, deeply integrate material and energy flow characteristics, and introduce a cycle offset mechanism. This evaluation method and device can scientifically quantify the environmental contribution of different systems, providing a more closed-loop support for optimizing low-carbon technology pathways and supporting the formulation of relevant industry policies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for evaluating the carbon emissions of an equivalent system's Global Power Plan (GWP) throughout its entire life cycle.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] A method for evaluating the life-cycle carbon emissions of an equivalent system's Global Policy Value (GWP) includes the following steps: S1: Determine the carbon emission accounting boundary of the system; S2: Determine the assessment model and the characteristic parameters required for the assessment model from the characteristic parameter library based on the carbon emission accounting boundary; S3: Obtain the system type and corresponding characteristic data of the system to be assessed, and input the characteristic data of the system to be assessed into the characteristic parameters of the assessment model; S4: Calculate and output the life-cycle carbon emission environmental impact value of the assessed system through the assessment model.

[0008] Furthermore, the accounting boundaries include carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during use, carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during equipment recovery, carbon emissions from electrical energy consumption during system operation, and carbon emissions offset by refrigerant recovery and reuse.

[0009] Furthermore, the parameters in the feature parameter library include refrigerant GWP value, initial system charge, annual leakage rate, proportion of replenished and recovered refrigerant, system cooling / heating capacity, operating energy efficiency COP, annual operating time, electricity carbon emission factor, system lifespan, refrigerant recovery rate at the end of system lifespan, and refrigerant recycling rate. The feature parameters required for the evaluation model are all or some of the parameters in the feature parameter library.

[0010] Furthermore, the carbon emission environmental impact assessment indicators of the evaluation model include direct carbon emission impact items, indirect carbon emission impact items, and carbon emission impact items offset by refrigeration cycle reuse.

[0011] Furthermore, the formula for calculating the direct carbon emission impact item is as follows:

[0012] Where m is the initial refrigerant charge; K m L is a correction factor for the charge volume, used to characterize the nonlinear leakage amplification effect caused by the extension of system piping and the increase in the number of nodes; annual θ represents the average annual refrigerant leakage rate; n represents the system lifespan; θ reu When replenishing refrigerant for system lifecycle maintenance, the percentage of refrigerant sourced from recycled and regenerated refrigerant; η rec The refrigerant recovery rate at the end of the system's lifespan; GWP is the refrigerant's global warming potential value;

[0013] The formula for calculating the indirect carbon emission impact item is as follows:

[0014] Where Q is the system's cooling (heating) capacity; COP is the system's energy efficiency ratio; h is the system's annual operating time; and β is the carbon emission factor generated by electricity.

[0015] The formula for calculating the carbon emission impact deduction for refrigeration cycle reuse is as follows:

[0016] , where η reu This refers to the refrigerant recycling rate.

[0017] Furthermore, the evaluation model includes a baseline, which is calculated using the following formula: .

[0018] Furthermore, the calculation formula for the carbon emission environmental impact assessment index of the evaluation model is as follows:

[0019] .

[0020] The present invention also provides an evaluation device for implementing the above method, including a data acquisition module, an evaluation and calculation module, and a result output module. The data acquisition module is used to acquire the unit type and full life cycle characteristic data of the system to be evaluated. The evaluation and calculation module has a built-in evaluation model as described above, which is used to calculate direct carbon emissions, indirect carbon emissions, and carbon emissions offset by recycling, and generate equivalent system GWP index values. The result output module is used to generate evaluation results and perform cross-system carbon footprint level comparison analysis.

[0021] This invention, by constructing an equivalent system GWP assessment model, can accurately calculate the environmental impact of different refrigeration systems throughout their entire life cycle. It achieves standardized comparisons across capacity levels and refrigerant types, providing support for low-carbon optimization design and refrigerant selection of refrigeration systems. The evaluation device provided by this invention can effectively implement the equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method of this invention. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the equivalent system GWP full life cycle carbon emission assessment method of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the carbon emission accounting boundary for the entire life cycle of this invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a graph showing the percentage of carbon emissions by category over the lifecycle for the first type of assessed system (such as distributed small systems);

[0025] Figure 4 This is a comparison chart of the equivalent system GWP results for the first type of evaluated systems (such as distributed small systems) using different refrigerants;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a graph showing the percentage of carbon emissions by category for the second type of assessed system (such as centralized large-scale units) over its life cycle;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a comparison chart of the equivalent system GWP index of the evaluated system under different refrigerant recycling rates. Detailed Implementation

[0028] This invention provides a method and apparatus for evaluating the life-cycle carbon emissions of an equivalent system's Global Power Plant (GWP). The technical solution of this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0029] Figure 1 This paper illustrates a method for assessing the life-cycle carbon emissions of an equivalent system's Global Potential Resource (GWP), comprising the following steps:

[0030] S1: Determine the accounting boundary for the carbon emissions of an equivalent system's GWP throughout its entire life cycle; the accounting boundary includes carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during use, carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during equipment recovery, carbon emissions from electrical energy consumption during system operation, and carbon emissions offset by refrigerant recovery and reuse.

[0031] An equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission accounting boundary is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, this demonstrates a complete closed loop from initial filling, operational leakage, maintenance replenishment to end-of-life recycling and reuse.

[0032] S2: Based on the accounting boundaries, determine the equivalent system GWP full life cycle carbon emission assessment model and the characteristic parameters required for the assessment model from the characteristic parameter library, and set the baseline values ​​according to the model requirements. The parameters in the characteristic parameter library include refrigerant GWP value, initial system charge, annual leakage rate, proportion of replenished and recovered refrigerant, system cooling / heating capacity, operating energy efficiency COP, annual operating time, electricity carbon emission factor, system lifespan, refrigerant recovery rate at the end of system lifespan, and refrigerant recycling rate. The characteristic parameters required for the assessment model are all or some of the parameters in the characteristic parameter library.

[0033] S3: Based on the established model, obtain the type of the system to be evaluated (including but not limited to various air conditioners, heat pumps, chillers and mobile vehicle thermal management systems) and its corresponding characteristic parameter data, and input the data into the evaluation model.

[0034] S4: Through model calculation, output the life cycle carbon emission environmental impact value of the evaluated system to achieve a comprehensive environmental impact assessment at the system level.

[0035] The assessment model's carbon emission environmental impact indicators include direct carbon emission impact (DE), indirect carbon emission impact (IE), and refrigerant recycling deduction for carbon emission impact (RER).

[0036] The specific calculation formulas for the direct carbon emission impact items, indirect carbon emission impact items, and carbon emission impact items deducted from refrigerant recycling are as follows:

[0037] ;

[0038] ;

[0039] ;

[0040] Where m is the initial refrigerant charge; K m L is a correction factor for the charge volume, used to characterize the nonlinear leakage amplification effect caused by the extension of system piping and the increase in the number of nodes; annual θ represents the average annual refrigerant leakage rate; n represents the system lifespan; θ reu When replenishing refrigerant for system lifecycle maintenance, the percentage of refrigerant sourced from recycled and regenerated refrigerant; η rec The system's refrigerant recovery rate at the end of its lifespan is represented by: GWP (Global Warming Potential) – refrigerant value; Q – system cooling (heating) capacity; COP (Coefficient of Performance) – system energy efficiency ratio; h – system annual operating time; β – carbon emission factor from electricity generation. reu This refers to the refrigerant recycling rate.

[0041] A baseline can be set in the assessment model. The formula for calculating the baseline in the equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment model is as follows:

[0042] .

[0043] Taking into account system power consumption, the specific formula for the equivalent system GWP (Gross Power Wage) of carbon emission environmental impact assessment index is as follows:

[0044] ,

[0045] Further simplify the calculations and reorganize the formulas to make them more accurate.

[0046] ,

[0047] Finally obtained

[0048] .

[0049] The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method described in this invention can be used to quantitatively assess and compare the life-cycle environmental impact of the assessed system. Analysis of the calculation results can identify key influencing factors in system carbon emissions, thereby guiding the replacement of low-GWP refrigerants, system energy efficiency optimization, and the construction of recycling systems. It also enables horizontal comparability of carbon emission environmental impacts across systems of different capacity levels and refrigerant types.

[0050] The following is an example of the specific application of the equivalent system GWP (Global Life Cycle Power) carbon emission assessment method:

[0051] Example of use 1: Small terminal evaluation system

[0052] To further illustrate this, let's take actual data from a certain brand of household air conditioner as an example.

[0053] This air conditioner is a 1-horsepower household split-type air conditioner. The carbon accounting boundary is from the start of system use to the end of its lifespan, including the recycling and reuse of refrigerant. Carbon emissions mainly occur as direct emissions from refrigerant leaks during use, direct emissions from leaks during refrigerant recycling, indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption during operation, and offset carbon emissions from refrigerant recycling and reuse. The required data were obtained from the product manual and literature. The refrigerant is R32, GWP=675, system life n=10 years, refrigerant charge m is 0.7kg, and the annual system leakage rate L is... annual =4%, system cooling / heating capacity Q = 2.5 / 4.25kW, system annual operating time h = 1136 (cooling) + 433 (heating) hours, COP = 3.5. Set the refrigerant recovery rate η at the end of the equipment's lifespan. rec =85%, Refrigerant recycling rate η reu =90%, carbon emission factor β=0.58 (kgCO2eq / kWh). Assuming a charge size correction factor K, the refrigerant replenished due to system leakage... m Given a value of 1, the proportion of recovered refrigerant in the refrigerant replenished due to system leakage is θ=50%, and calculations are performed.

[0054] The calculated values ​​are DE = 165.38 kgCO2eq, IE = 7755.84 kgCO2eq, RER = 361.46 kgCO2eq, S = 46802 kWh, and S*β = 46802*0.58 = 27145 CO2eq.

[0055] Further calculations were performed on the environmental impact of the household split-type air conditioner's life cycle carbon emissions.

[0056] =(165.38+7755.84-361.46) / 27145=0.2785.

[0057] The results were analyzed, and the proportions of carbon emissions from each component of the air conditioning system when the refrigerant recycling rate was 90% are as follows: Figure 3 As shown, it can be seen that for such small terminal systems, carbon emissions mainly come from energy consumption during system operation.

[0058] Calculate the annual leakage rate L for a 1HP household split-type air conditioner using R410A refrigerant, with a GWP of 2088, a system lifespan of n = 10 years, a refrigerant charge m of 1kg. annual =4%, system cooling / heating capacity Q = 2.5 / 4.25kW, annual system operating time h = 1136 (cooling) + 433 (heating) hours, COP = 3.29. Set the refrigerant recovery rate η at the end of the equipment's lifespan. rec =85%, Refrigerant recycling rate η reu =90%, carbon emission factor β=0.58 (kg CO2eq / kWh). Assuming the charge size correction factor Km is 1, the proportion of recovered refrigerant in the refrigerant replenished due to system leakage is θ=50%, calculations are performed.

[0059] The calculated values ​​are DE = 730.80 kgCO2eq, IE = 8250.90 kgCO2eq, RER = 1597.32 kgCO2eq, S = 46802 kWh, and S*β = 46802*0.58 = 27145 CO2eq.

[0060] Further calculations were performed on the environmental impact of the household split-type air conditioner's life cycle carbon emissions.

[0061] =(730.80+8250.90-1597.32) / 27145=0.2720.

[0062] The results were analyzed, and the air conditioning system using R410A was compared with that using R32. Figure 4 As shown, when the refrigerant recycling rate is 90%, the equivalent system GWP carbon emission environmental impact of an R410A air conditioning system is less than that of an R32 air conditioning system. Therefore, it can be concluded that when refrigerant is recycled, even for small-scale terminal systems using high-GWP refrigerants, the life-cycle carbon emission environmental impact may be smaller.

[0063] Example of use 2: Large-scale assessed system unit

[0064] Further explanation will be provided using data from a certain brand of large-scale water chiller units.

[0065] This chiller unit has a cooling capacity of 3516kW. The carbon accounting boundary covers the period from the start of system operation to the end of its lifespan, including refrigerant recovery and reuse. Carbon emissions mainly occur as direct emissions from refrigerant leaks during operation, direct emissions from leaks during refrigerant recovery, indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption during operation, and offset carbon emissions from refrigerant recovery and reuse. The required data were obtained from the product manual and literature. The refrigerant is R134a, GWP=1430, system life n=10 years, charge quantity m is 875kg, and the annual leakage rate L during system operation is... annual =2%, system cooling capacity Q=3516kW, COP=5.36, system annual operating time h=3650h, refrigerant recovery rate η at the end of equipment life. rec =90%, carbon emission factor β=0.58 (kg CO2eq / kWh), refrigerant recycling rate η reu Calculations were performed using 0%, 50%, and 90% refrigerant concentrations. Assuming K is the amount of refrigerant replenished to the system due to leakage... m The calculation is performed with a charge quantity correction factor of 1 and a refrigerant recovery rate of θ = 50% in the refrigerant replenished due to system leakage.

[0066] The calculations yielded: DE = 250250 kgCO2eq, IE = 13886888 kgCO2eq, RER = 0 kgCO2eq (η reu =0%), 563062 kgCO2eq (η reu =50%), 1013512 kgCO2eq (η reu =90%), S=128334000 kWh, S*β=128334000*0.58=74433720 CO2eq.

[0067] The environmental impact of carbon emissions throughout the life cycle of this chiller unit is as follows:

[0068] =(250250+13886888-0) / 74433720=0.190(η reu =0%)

[0069] =(250250+13886888-563062) / 74433720=0.182(η reu =50%)

[0070] =(250250+13886888-1013512) / 74433720=0.176(η reu =90%)

[0071] The results were analyzed, and the proportions of carbon emissions from various components of the chiller system when the refrigerant recycling rate was 90% are as follows: Figure 5 As shown, the emissions from this large unit are also mainly indirect. Figure 6 The results show a comparison of different recycling rates, demonstrating that increasing the refrigerant recycling rate can effectively offset some of the system's carbon emissions. This proves that refrigerant resource utilization is an important way to reduce carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of a thermal cycle system.

[0072] The equivalent system GWP life cycle carbon emission assessment method of the present invention can be implemented by an equivalent system GWP life cycle carbon emission assessment device, which includes a data acquisition module, an assessment and calculation module, and a result output module.

[0073] The data acquisition module is used to acquire unit type and full life cycle characteristic data of the system to be evaluated. The evaluation and calculation module, which incorporates the evaluation model described in this embodiment, is used to calculate direct carbon emissions, indirect carbon emissions, and cyclic carbon emission credits, and generate equivalent system GWP index values. The results output module is used to generate evaluation results and perform cross-system carbon footprint level comparison analysis.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating the life-cycle carbon emissions of an equivalent system's Global Potential Resource (GWP), characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Determine the system's carbon emission accounting boundary; S2: Determine the assessment model and the required characteristic parameters for the assessment model from the characteristic parameter library based on the carbon emission accounting boundary; S3: Obtain the system type and corresponding characteristic data of the system to be evaluated, and input the characteristic data of the system to be evaluated into the characteristic parameters of the evaluation model; S4: Calculate and output the life cycle carbon emission environmental impact value of the evaluated system through the evaluation model.

2. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The accounting boundaries include carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during use, carbon emissions from refrigerant leakage during equipment recovery, carbon emissions from electrical energy consumption during system operation, and carbon emissions offset by refrigerant recovery and reuse.

3. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The parameters in the feature parameter library include refrigerant GWP value, initial system charge, annual leakage rate, proportion of refrigerant replenishment and recovery, system cooling / heating capacity, operating energy efficiency COP, annual operating time, electricity carbon emission factor, system lifespan, refrigerant recovery rate at the end of system lifespan, and refrigerant recycling rate. The feature parameters required for the evaluation model are all or some of the parameters in the feature parameter library.

4. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The assessment model's carbon emission environmental impact evaluation indicators include direct carbon emission impact items, indirect carbon emission impact items, and carbon emission impact items offset by refrigeration cycle reuse.

5. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The formula for calculating the direct carbon emission impacts is as follows: Where m is the initial refrigerant charge; K m L is a correction factor for the charge volume, used to characterize the nonlinear leakage amplification effect caused by the extension of system piping and the increase in the number of nodes; annual θ represents the average annual refrigerant leakage rate; n represents the system lifespan; θ reu When replenishing refrigerant for system lifecycle maintenance, the percentage of refrigerant sourced from recycled and regenerated refrigerant; η rec The refrigerant recovery rate at the end of the system's lifespan; GWP is the refrigerant's global warming potential value; The formula for calculating the indirect carbon emission impact item is as follows: Where Q is the system's cooling (heating) capacity; COP is the system's energy efficiency ratio; h is the system's annual operating time; and β is the carbon emission factor generated by electricity. The formula for calculating the carbon emission impact deduction for refrigeration cycle reuse is as follows: , where η reu This refers to the refrigerant recycling rate.

6. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The evaluation model includes a baseline, which is calculated using the following formula: 。 7. The equivalent system GWP life-cycle carbon emission assessment method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The calculation formulas for the carbon emission environmental impact assessment indicators of the evaluation model are as follows: 。 8. An equivalent system GWP (Global Life Cycle Carbon Emission Assessment) device for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, include: The data acquisition module is used to acquire data on the unit type and full life cycle characteristics of the system to be evaluated; The assessment and accounting module has a built-in assessment model as described in any one of claims 5 and 7, which is used to calculate direct carbon emissions, indirect carbon emissions and carbon emissions offset by recycling, and generate equivalent system GWP index values. The results output module is used to generate evaluation results and perform cross-system carbon footprint level comparison analysis.

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