Enhancing Spatio-Temporal Resolution of Process-Based Life Cycle Analysis with Model-Based Systems Engineering \& Hetero-functional Graph Theory

TL;DR

This paper integrates process-based life cycle analysis with model-based systems engineering and hetero-functional graph theory, enabling enhanced spatio-temporal resolution and better alignment with system design for sustainability assessment.

Contribution

It formalizes the relationship between LCA, MBSE, and hetero-functional graph theory, and demonstrates their use in improving LCA's resolution within system design.

Findings

Proves that MBSE and hetero-functional graph theory generalize process-based LCA.

Shows how to enhance LCA's spatio-temporal resolution using these methods.

Aligns sustainability analysis with system design objectives.

Abstract

Life cycle analysis (LCA) has emerged as a vital tool for assessing the environmental impacts of products, processes, and systems throughout their entire lifecycle. It provides a systematic approach to quantifying resource consumption, emissions, and waste, enabling industries, researchers, and policymakers to identify hotspots for sustainability improvements. By providing a comprehensive assessment of systems, from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal, LCA facilitates the development of environmentally sound strategies, thereby contributing significantly to sustainable engineering and informed decision-making. Despite its strengths and ubiquitous use, life cycle analysis has not been reconciled with the broader literature in model-based systems engineering and analysis, thus hindering its integration into the design of complex systems more generally. This lack of reconciliation poses a significant problem, as it hinders the seamless integration of environmental sustainability into the design and optimization of complex systems. Without alignment between life cycle analysis (LCA) and model-based systems engineering (MBSE), sustainability remains an isolated consideration rather than an inherent part of the system's architecture and design. The original contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the paper reconciles process-based life cycle analysis with the broader literature and vocabulary of model-based systems engineering and hetero-functional graph theory. It ultimately proves that model-based systems engineering and hetero-functional graph theory are a formal generalization of process-based life cycle analysis. Secondly, the paper demonstrates how model-based systems engineering and hetero-functional graph theory may be used to enhance the spatio-temporal resolution of process-based life cycle analysis in a manner that aligns with system design objectives.