Life Cycle Design of a Fuel Tank System. General Motors Demonstration Project

摘要

The design of automotive components is a challenging process due to the complexset of requirements that influence the automobile life cycle. The primary objective of this project was to apply life cycle design tools to guide the improvement of fuel tank systems. two alternative fuel tank systems used in the 1996 GMT 600 vehicle line were investigated; a multi-layer HDPE tank with a steel shield and PVC coated steel straps, and a steel tank with a HDPE shield and painted steel straps. The design analysis of a 31 gallon functionally equivalent fuel tank system included alife cycle inventory (LCI) analysis, performance analysis and preliminary life cycle cost analysis. The scope of the LCI study encompassed materials production, the manufacturing processes for each tank system, the contribution of each tank system to the use phase burdens of the vehicle, and end-of-life management processes based on the current vehicle retirement infrastructure.