Environmental impacts of electric motor technologies: Life cycle approach based on EuP Eco-Report

IF 9.8 1区社会学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environmental Impact Assessment Review Pub Date : 2024-11-26 DOI:10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107741

Danilo Ferreira de Souza , João Fong , Carlos Hernandez , Carlos Eduardo Mendes do Carmo , João Luis Lourenço , Ildo Luis Sauer , Hédio Tatizawa , Aníbal Traça de Almeida

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Abstract

The industrial sector's need for efficient electric motors is paramount for both energy conservation and climate change mitigation. This study evaluates the environmental impacts of three motor technologies—Squirrel Cage Induction Motors (SCIM) at IE3, Synchronous Reluctance Motors (SynRM), and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) at IE5—using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach with the EuP Eco-Report tool. The focus is on 11 kW, 4-pole motors, representing typical industrial applications. Results show that IE5 SynRMs and PMSMs offer significantly higher operational efficiency, with PMSMs reaching 95 % efficiency compared to 92.7 % for SCIMs. However, the environmental trade-offs are notable: SynRMs require 156.9 kg of materials, including 80.5 kg of electrical steel, while PMSMs demand 1.8 kg of rare earth materials, contributing to higher manufacturing impacts. Total energy consumption over 15 years in the operational phase reveals a consumption of 3.88 TJ for SCIM, 3.83 TJ for SynRM, and 3.79 TJ for PMSM, indicating substantial savings from higher efficiency motors. Despite their efficiency, PMSMs exhibit higher impacts in water use (1172 l in manufacturing) and heavy metal emissions, primarily due to challenges in recycling rare earth components. This analysis highlights the environmental cost-benefit trade-offs between improving operational efficiency and managing the resource-intense production of higher-efficiency motors. As electric motor technology evolves, careful consideration of life cycle impacts, especially in manufacturing and end-of-life phases, is essential to achieve sustainable energy solutions.

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电机技术对环境的影响：基于 EuP 生态报告的生命周期方法

工业领域对高效电机的需求对于节约能源和减缓气候变化都至关重要。本研究利用 EuP Eco-Report 工具，采用生命周期评估 (LCA) 方法，评估了三种电机技术对环境的影响：IE3 级鼠笼感应电机 (SCIM)、SynRM 级同步电感电机 (SynRM) 和 IE5 级永磁同步电机 (PMSM)。重点是代表典型工业应用的 11 千瓦 4 极电机。结果表明，IE5 SynRM 和 PMSM 的运行效率明显更高，PMSM 的效率达到 95%，而 SCIM 的效率为 92.7%。然而，在环境方面的权衡也很明显：同步电机需要 156.9 千克的材料，其中包括 80.5 千克的电工钢，而 PMSM 需要 1.8 千克的稀土材料，对生产造成的影响更大。运行阶段 15 年的总能耗显示，SCIM 的能耗为 3.88 太焦耳，SynRM 为 3.83 太焦耳，PMSM 为 3.79 太焦耳，这表明效率更高的电机可节省大量能源。尽管效率较高，但 PMSM 在用水量（制造过程中为 1172 升）和重金属排放方面的影响较大，这主要是由于稀土组件的回收利用面临挑战。这项分析强调了提高运行效率与管理资源密集型高效电机生产之间的环境成本效益权衡。随着电机技术的发展，仔细考虑生命周期的影响，尤其是在制造和报废阶段的影响，对于实现可持续能源解决方案至关重要。

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来源期刊

Environmental Impact Assessment Review ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-

CiteScore

12.60

自引率

10.10%

发文量

200

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： Environmental Impact Assessment Review is an interdisciplinary journal that serves a global audience of practitioners, policymakers, and academics involved in assessing the environmental impact of policies, projects, processes, and products. The journal focuses on innovative theory and practice in environmental impact assessment (EIA). Papers are expected to present innovative ideas, be topical, and coherent. The journal emphasizes concepts, methods, techniques, approaches, and systems related to EIA theory and practice.