A unit product energy mapping framework for operation management in manufacturing industries

Abstract

Sustainability has emerged as a primary concern across a wide range of industries, particularly in manufacturing due to its energy-intensive nature. To understand the environmental impact of manufacturing processes and make them less detrimental to the environment users monitor and track energy consumption data. Although this approach is valuable in assessing the overall impact, energy consumption mapping needs to be conducted per product to compare and assess different process strategies. Available research in literature, provides unit process energy consumption models in isolation from manufacturing operations, neglect of machine and operational variations, and limited consideration of detailed data acquisition for indirect energy consumption. This paper presents a comprehensive framework designed to address the existing gaps in the literature on energy consumption mapping within the manufacturing industry. The proposed framework provides a solution by offering a structured approach to data collection, analysis, and utilization within manufacturing processes, aiming to achieve two main outcomes: the calculation of embodied energy per unit product and the provision of systematically analysed data for operation management to enhance energy efficiency. Four key steps constitute the framework: data acquisition, simulation and modelling, impact assessment, and operation management. The data acquisition step involves the identification of manufacturing process flows, equipment specifics, and process parameters, emphasizing machine operation requirements and power readings. These elements are systematically logged into a database providing essential information for both embodied energy calculation and simulation purposes. Results obtained from simulations are subjected to analysis in the impact assessment step to assess embodied carbon and overall environmental impacts. The collective findings from the first three steps are then utilized for operation management.