How to Meet Decarbonization Targets with Simulation
Table of contents
What is decarbonization?
Decarbonization is the process of lowering carbon dioxide emissions by using low-carbon energy sources and releasing less greenhouse gases into the environment. This process aims to achieve a carbon-free global economy by reducing emissions throughout value chains in a planned and technologically enabled manner. Alternative fuels, electrification, renewable energy, carbon-offset initiatives, LCA (lifecycle assessment) methods, and sustainable working practices are all examples of decarbonization approaches.
How does decarbonization affect your business?
Consumers and regulatory organizations are calling for manufacturers to meet sustainability targets under a demanding schedule. However, doing so should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a cost. Reduced whole-chain carbon emissions enable your business to gain from making a positive difference in a number of ways, from accelerating the development of new business models to making more sustainable products.
The challenges of decarbonization
Decarbonizing your business cannot be solved with a single stroke. It is a broad, multifaceted challenge that involves changing multiple processes and collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders. It consequently requires solutions that can provide a holistic and realistic view of company-wide operations, allowing businesses to understand the nature of the challenges and coordinate, test, and implement effective responses.
Five ways simulation-driven design helps to make sustainable products
Simulation-driven design is a data-driven, collaborative, and concurrent approach to product development. Taking this approach enables organizations to improve sustainability throughout their products’ lifecycles. Here are our top five opportunities for reducing carbon emissions using simulation tools:
- Materials engineering
- Reducing waste
- Increasing durability
- Efficient energy use
- Design optimization
Materials engineering
Materials engineering focuses on creating new materials with potentially unique physical features to solve a spectrum of design problems, replacing existing materials to lessen the environmental impact, and lightweighting materials to withstand a predicted load. Biomaterials are a promising area for sustainability efforts with the aim of reducing a product’s environmental impact.
Non-linear FEA (finite element analysis) can be used to help guide engineers toward the best material attributes and application choices. Non-linear FEA systems, such as Abaqus, have an edge in this industry since they can accurately simulate severe usage cases like high heat and stress.
Reducing waste
Most businesses now realize the financial advantages of minimizing waste in their manufacturing process and developing more efficient designs. The simulation of lean manufacturing processes can reveal options for material reuse, productivity optimization, work ergonomics, and reduction of transportation paths.
Simulation can also improve manufacturing efficiency by iterating processes to reduce failure rates and increase yield percentages. A similar method can also be used to reduce waste from prototype failures by creating more design iterations in a virtual environment.
Increasing durability
FEA is typically an analytical approach to solving a system of partial differential equations that allows for mechanical stress and structural analysis. Employing structural analysis early in the design phase of product development enables engineers to optimize for durability, creating products with longer lifecycles and reducing the cost of prototyping.
Efficient energy use
CFD (computational fluid dynamics) is used for simulating fluid flow. Fluid movement (for example, air and water) is a major source of energy loss in many systems owing to drag. Simulation helps to reduce these losses, resulting in less energy being used to power the system, as well as reduced emissions from energy production. System simulations can also be used to optimize energy use. For example, carbon-intensive energy resources can be minimized at peak loads through analysis of heat distribution system simulations.
Design and process optimization
In certain situations, such as aircraft electrification, commercial designs are not yet commercially viable. In these areas, reduction of CO2 emissions during manufacture and use can be achieved through design and process optimization. CFD and FEA analysis can help engineers to optimize aerodynamics and identify opportunities for lightweighting, ultimately improving in-use product sustainability.
How can TECHNIA help?
As businesses strive to meet decarbonization targets, integrating advanced simulation into early design phases can significantly enhance product sustainability, boost revenues, and improve resource efficiency. However, this transition presents several challenges.
Our simulation and engineering services can help you overcome these hurdles through conceptual exploration, detailed design refinement, materials expertise, or engineering validation, or by predicting and analyzing product designs under various stresses and dynamic effects.
