IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/inecol/v27y2023i3p693-706.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Extending effectiveness to efficiency: Comparing energy and environmental assessment methods for a wet cooling tower

Author

Listed:
  • Paula M. Wenzel
  • Peter Radgen

Abstract

Improving the environmental performance and energy efficiency of cooling towers requires systematic evaluation. However, methodological challenges emerge when applying typical environmental assessment methods to cooling towers. Hence, this paper compares the methods, analyzes their strengths and weaknesses, and proposes adaptions for evaluating cooling towers. As a case study, we applied five methods for assessing the wet cooling system of the high‐performance data center in Stuttgart. These are material flow analysis (MFA), life cycle inventory, life cycle assessment (LCA), exergy analysis, and life cycle exergy analysis (LCEA). The comparison highlights that the LCA provides the most comprehensive environmental evaluation of cooling systems by considering several environmental impact dimensions. In the case of the wet cooling tower, however, electricity and water consumption cause more than 97% of the environmental impacts in all considered impact categories. Therefore, MFA containing energy flows suffices in many cases. Using exergy efficiency is controversially debated because exergy destruction is part of the technical principle applied in cooling towers and, therefore, difficult to interpret. The LCEA appears inappropriate because construction and disposal barely affect the exergy balance and are associated with transiting exergy. The method comparison demonstrates the need for further methodological development, such as dynamic extensions or the efficiency definition of cooling towers. The paper highlights that the methodological needs depend on the specific application.

Suggested Citation

  • Paula M. Wenzel & Peter Radgen, 2023. "Extending effectiveness to efficiency: Comparing energy and environmental assessment methods for a wet cooling tower," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(3), pages 693-706, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:3:p:693-706
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13396
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13396
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jiec.13396?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Joris Baars & Mohammad Ali Rajaeifar & Oliver Heidrich, 2022. "Quo vadis MFA? Integrated material flow analysis to support material efficiency," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(4), pages 1487-1503, August.
    2. Charalampos Michalakakis & Jeremy Fouillou & Richard C. Lupton & Ana Gonzalez Hernandez & Jonathan M. Cullen, 2021. "Calculating the chemical exergy of materials," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(2), pages 274-287, April.
    3. Zerrin Günkaya & Alp Özdemir & Aysun Özkan & Müfide Banar, 2016. "Environmental Performance of Electricity Generation Based on Resources: A Life Cycle Assessment Case Study in Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-14, October.
    4. Morris, David R. & Szargut, Jan, 1986. "Standard chemical exergy of some elements and compounds on the planet earth," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 11(8), pages 733-755.
    5. Farmahini-Farahani, Moien & Delfani, Shahram & Esmaeelian, Jafar, 2012. "Exergy analysis of evaporative cooling to select the optimum system in diverse climates," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 250-257.
    6. Sun, Yubiao & Guan, Zhiqiang & Gurgenci, Hal & Wang, Jianyong & Dong, Peixin & Hooman, Kamel, 2019. "Spray cooling system design and optimization for cooling performance enhancement of natural draft dry cooling tower in concentrated solar power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 273-284.
    7. Ness, Barry & Urbel-Piirsalu, Evelin & Anderberg, Stefan & Olsson, Lennart, 2007. "Categorising tools for sustainability assessment," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 498-508, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paula M. Wenzel & Eva Fensterle & Peter Radgen, 2023. "Catalyzing Cooling Tower Efficiency: A Novel Energy Performance Indicator and Functional Unit including Climate and Cooling Demand Normalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-24, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yilan, Gülşah & Kadirgan, M.A. Neşet & Çiftçioğlu, Gökçen A., 2020. "Analysis of electricity generation options for sustainable energy decision making: The case of Turkey," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 519-529.
    2. Busola D. Akintayo & Oluwafemi E. Ige & Olubayo M. Babatunde & Oludolapo A. Olanrewaju, 2023. "Evaluation and Prioritization of Power-Generating Systems Using a Life Cycle Assessment and a Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Olusegun David Samuel & Peter A. Aigba & Thien Khanh Tran & H. Fayaz & Carlo Pastore & Oguzhan Der & Ali Erçetin & Christopher C. Enweremadu & Ahmad Mustafa, 2023. "Comparison of the Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessment of Hydrodynamic Cavitation and Mechanical Stirring Reactors for the Production of Sustainable Hevea brasiliensis Ethyl Ester," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-27, November.
    4. Rubio Rodríguez, M.A. & Ruyck, J. De & Díaz, P. Roque & Verma, V.K. & Bram, S., 2011. "An LCA based indicator for evaluation of alternative energy routes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 630-635, March.
    5. Bejan, Adrian, 2018. "Thermodynamics today," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1208-1219.
    6. Figge, Frank & Hahn, Tobias & Barkemeyer, Ralf, 2014. "The If, How and Where of assessing sustainable resource use," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 274-283.
    7. L. Hay & A. H. B. Duffy & R. I. Whitfield, 2017. "The S‐Cycle Performance Matrix: Supporting Comprehensive Sustainability Performance Evaluation of Technical Systems," Systems Engineering, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(1), pages 45-70, January.
    8. Jean-Marc Douguet & Pierre Failler & Gianluca Ferraro, 2022. "Sustainability Assessment of the Societal Costs of Fishing Activities in a Deliberative Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-21, May.
    9. Diana Tuomasjukka & Staffan Berg & Marcus Lindner, 2013. "Managing Sustainability of Fennoscandian Forests and Their Use by Law and/or Agreement: For Whom and Which Purpose?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-32, December.
    10. Georgiadou, Maria Christina & Hacking, Theophilus & Guthrie, Peter, 2012. "A conceptual framework for future-proofing the energy performance of buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 145-155.
    11. Chen, B. & Chen, G.Q., 2007. "Modified ecological footprint accounting and analysis based on embodied exergy--a case study of the Chinese society 1981-2001," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2-3), pages 355-376, March.
    12. Mostafa Shaaban & Jürgen Scheffran & Jürgen Böhner & Mohamed S. Elsobki, 2018. "Sustainability Assessment of Electricity Generation Technologies in Egypt Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-25, May.
    13. Ngoc-Ninh Ho & Truong Lam Do & Dinh-Thao Tran & Trung Thanh Nguyen, 2022. "Indigenous pig production and welfare of ultra-poor ethnic minority households in the Northern mountains of Vietnam," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 156-179, January.
    14. Hao, Xiaoqing & An, Haizhong & Qi, Hai & Gao, Xiangyun, 2016. "Evolution of the exergy flow network embodied in the global fossil energy trade: Based on complex network," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1515-1522.
    15. Schilling, Markus & Chiang, Lichun, 2011. "The effect of natural resources on a sustainable development policy: The approach of non-sustainable externalities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 990-998, February.
    16. Tera, Ibrahim & Zhang, Shengan & Liu, Guilian, 2024. "A conceptual hydrogen, heat and power polygeneration system based on biomass gasification, SOFC and waste heat recovery units: Energy, exergy, economic and emergy (4E) assessment," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 295(C).
    17. Chen, G.Q. & Qi, Z.H., 2007. "Systems account of societal exergy utilization: China 2003," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 208(2), pages 102-118.
    18. Wang, Yunjie & Yang, Huihan & Chen, Haifei & Yu, Bendong & Zhang, Haohua & Zou, Rui & Ren, Shaoyang, 2023. "A review: The development of crucial solar systems and corresponding cooling technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    19. Alexandra Doernberg & Annette Piorr & Ingo Zasada & Dirk Wascher & Ulrich Schmutz, 2022. "Sustainability assessment of short food supply chains (SFSC): developing and testing a rapid assessment tool in one African and three European city regions," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(3), pages 885-904, September.
    20. Simone Di Leo & Marta Chicca & Cinzia Daraio & Andrea Guerrini & Stefano Scarcella, 2022. "A Framework for the Analysis of the Sustainability of the Energy Retail Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:27:y:2023:i:3:p:693-706. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1088-1980 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.