course-details-portlet

TEP4223 - Life Cycle Assessment

About

Examination arrangement

Examination arrangement: Written examination and Work
Grade: Letters

Evaluation Weighting Duration Grade deviation Examination aids
Arbeider 30/100
Skriftlig eksamen 70/100 4 timer

Course content

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is the prevailing framework for evaluation of the environmental consequences of products, services and energy systems to mention a few. LCA allows for consistent comparisons of alternate system designs with respect their environmental performance. This involves assessment of multiple environmental impact categories: From climate change via acidification to toxic impacts to mention some. A wide perspective is central to ensure that our efforts to mitigate climate change do not cause other adverse environmental problems. Further, consistent choice of system boundaries is essential. For example, car manufacture and fuel chain emissions account for a quarter of the total life cycle climate impacts for a conventional car today. Consistent assessments of future transportation systems therefore evidently warrants system boundaries extending well beyond the tailpipe. LCA is designed to deal with such issues.
This course provides a master level introduction to life cycle assessment. The course is divided in two main sections: The first section deals with the methodological essentials of LCA. This involves the mathematical structure of LCA, modeling of production systems and methods for environmental impact assessment. The final part presents applications LCA to a variety of systems including on- and offshore wind, photovoltaic systems, bio-energy, bio-fuels, conventional cars and electric vehicles among others. The students will be guided to analyze a selection of these cases themselves through the provided problem sets.

Learning outcome

This course aims to provide the students with an understanding and capability of mastering the basic essentials of LCA. The objective is that the students having completed this course are capable operforming a moderately complex LCA, including programming the required operations, under supervision.

Learning methods and activities

The course is taught using a combination approaches. The first part is mainly taught on the board. Throughout this sections some of the lectures involve in-class solving of problem sets using matlab. For the final part of the course a series of case studies are presented, mainly using slides, and a selection of these will be assessed also by the students using provided software tools. The lectures and exam are given in English. If there is a re-sit examination, the examination form may be changed from written to oral.

Compulsory assignments

  • Exercises

Course materials

All material will be distributed via it's learning.

More on the course

Facts

Version: 1
Credits:  7.5 SP
Study level: Second degree level

Coursework

Term no.: 1
Teaching semester:  AUTUMN 2011

Language of instruction: English

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Subject area(s)
  • Energy and Process Engineering
  • Industrial Ecology
  • Technological subjects
  • Economics and Administration
Contact information
Course coordinator: Lecturer(s):

Department with academic responsibility
Department of Energy and Process Engineering

Examination

Examination arrangement: Written examination and Work

Term Status code Evaluation Weighting Examination aids Date Time Examination system Room *
Autumn ORD Arbeider 30/100
Room Building Number of candidates
Autumn ORD Skriftlig eksamen 70/100 2011-12-02 09:00
Room Building Number of candidates
  • * The location (room) for a written examination is published 3 days before examination date. If more than one room is listed, you will find your room at Studentweb.
Examination

For more information regarding registration for examination and examination procedures, see "Innsida - Exams"

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