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Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions From University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2012 Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial and Manufacturing Sectors Specific tudiesS on HVAC Equipment and Dairy Processing Aik Jong Tan University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Energy Systems Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, and the Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons Recommended Citation Tan, Aik Jong, "Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Commercial and Manufacturing Sectors Specific tudS ies on HVAC Equipment and Dairy Processing" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 416. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/416 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM COMMERCIAL AND MANUFACTURING SECTORS SPECIFIC STUDIES ON HVAC EQUIPMENT AND DAIRY PROCESSING ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM COMMERCIAL AND MANUFACTURING SECTORS SPECIFIC STUDIES ON HVAC EQUIPMENT AND DAIRY PROCESSING A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering By Aik Jong Tan University of Arkansas Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 2007 May 2012 University of Arkansas ABSTRACT Commercial and manufacturing sectors in United States consumed approximately 50% of the total End use energy in 2010. In 2009, 81.5% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted in the United States was energy related. From the broad aspects of commercial and manufacturing sectors; two relatively narrow and specific topics, commercial building’s HVAC equipment and dairy processing were chosen to increase the understanding of the energy use and GHG emission in these two sectors. Few published studies related to these two specific areas are available. The first study in this thesis discussed the energy use and GHG emissions by HVAC equipment in commercial buildings. The second study in this thesis discussed the energy use and GHG emissions of dairy processing plant with 4 production sequences, fluid milk, cream, whey and cottage cheese. The mass and energy balance of each individual unit operation in the sequence were studied and the total GHG emissions per unit of final product were found. Compared to natural gas (NG) use, the GHG emission from electricity use by commercial building’s HVAC equipment is dominant. Furthermore, energy use and GHG emissions were also influenced by these factors, source emission factors, climate, building specifications, HVAC capacity and building location geographical influence. NG based unit operation in dairy processing plant were found to be the largest GHG emitter. The studies found component-level study is critical and necessary to better understand fossil fuel based energy use and GHG emissions impact. GHG emissions due to inefficiencies at the electric power generation origins are magnified at consumer end. This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. Thesis Director: _______________________________________ Dr. Darin Nutter Thesis Committee: _______________________________________ Dr. Rick Couvillion _______________________________________ Dr. Larry Roe THESIS DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this thesis when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed __________________________________________ Aik Jong Tan Refused __________________________________________ Aik Jong Tan TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LIST OF PUBLICATIONS 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 1.1 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................9 2. CO 2E EMISSIONS FROM HVAC EQUIPMENT AND LIFETIME OPERATION FOR COMMON U.S. BUILDING TYPES .....................................................................................11 2.1 ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................11 2.2 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .....................................................................12 2.3 METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH ...........................................................................14 2.4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................................................24 2.5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION .................................................................................36 2.6 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................38 3. GHG EMISSIONS AND ENERGY USE FROM A MULTI-PRODUCT DAIRY PROCESSING PLANT ...........................................................................................................42 3.1 ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................43 3.2 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .....................................................................43 3.3 METHODOLOGY ...........................................................................................................45 3.4 UNIT OPERATION DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................47 3.5 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................................................56 3.6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ...............................................................................62 3.7 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................63 4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ........................................................................................64 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many important individuals have extended their valuable assistance during my endeavor to gain a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineer at my Alma Mater. The most important amongst them is my advisor, Dr. Darin Nutter, who accepted me as his graduate research assistant. Dr. Nutter’s great insights gain from his immense energy systems experience in mechanical engineering, particularly the HVAC field, has imparted me with valuable advice and guidance during my graduate school journey and the development of my thesis. I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of my thesis committee, dearest faculty members and staff of the mechanical engineering department at the University of Arkansas. Last and not least, I wish to express my gratitude to my family for their constant support and prayers. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS Tan, A. J. and Nutter, D.W., 2011, CO 2e emissions from HVAC equipment and lifetime operation for common U.S. building types, International Journal of Energy And Environment, 2(3), pp. 415-426. http://ieefoundation.org/ijee/vol2/issue3/IJEE_03_v2n3.pdf Tan, A. J., Nutter, D.W., Milani, F., GHG emissions and energy use from a multi-product dairy processing plant, ASME 2011 Early Career Technical Conference Proceedings, March 31-April 2, 2011. http://districts.asme.org/DistrictE/ECTCPapers/2011Papers/ECTCpaper-AR-AJTan.pdf 1. INTRODUCTION Greenhouse gas (GHG) is a common household expression these days as the public is becoming increasingly aware of its direct relation to the effects of global warming and possible long term climate change. Since the advent of the industrial revolution, the demand for energy has increased at an alarming pace and the fuel that met these energy demands came largely from fossil fuel sources. The combustion of fossil fuel produces CO 2 which is the primary and significant component of GHG. A reduction in energy consumption is an important factor in GHG emissions reduction. A comprehensive understanding of GHG emissions associated with anthropogenic activities would provide valuable insight into energy consumption behavior, pattern and trends. As the cost of fuel and energy escalates at an alarming pace, the reduction in GHG emissions also translates into a tremendous energy cost savings. Therefore, an understanding of GHG and its relation to energy consumption is a critically important factor to the preservation of the environment, and the competitiveness of the nation’s economy. GHG are a group of several types of naturally occurring and anthropogenically produced gases. As its name implies, its presence in the atmosphere would induce a greenhouse effect in the earth’s atmosphere. GHG have the ability to “capture” and “trap” the heat from sun light that enters the earth’s atmosphere. It is believed that a “cause and effect” relationship exists between the GHG, the greenhouse effect, global warming and possible long term climate change. Not all the gases in the atmosphere are GHG. Only certain gases are classified and inventoried as GHG for the purpose of GHG emissions study. The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers Carbon Dioxide (CO 2), Methane (CH 4), Nitrous Oxide (N 2O), Hydroflurocarbons (HFC), Perfluorocarbons (PFC), Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF 6), Ozone (O 3) and water vapor as 1 major greenhouse gases. Although water vapor and Ozone are classified as GHG, these gases are not included in the GHG inventory
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