Location: GLO - Global
This dataset represents the operation of construction/industrial/light commercial machines (see list in Synonyms field). The U.S. EPA NONROAD2008 model for off-road machines has been used as basis for this dataset, it refers to engine power in units of horsepower (hp), the engine power range for the dataset is then >= 25 hp and < 100 hp. The fuel consumption and emission factors from the model have been kept in the original units of kg/hp.hour for transparency reasons. However the engine power parameter used as input data for the dataset is quantified in the SI power unit of kilowatt (kW).
As cited in the U.S. EPA NONROAD2008 model documentation (Median Life, Annual Activity, and Load Factor Values for Nonroad engine Emissions Modeling, NR-005d, 47 pp, EPA-420-R-10-016, July 2010, http://www.epa.gov/oms/models/nonrdmdl/nonrdmdl2010/420r10016.pdf), "Each diesel nonroad equipment type was assigned one of three composite load factors (High load factor, Low load factor, or 7-cycle average, i.e. steady-state). To apply these load factors, we matched nonroad applications with the test cycle that most closely represents the nonroad activity for the application". The functional unit is 1 hour of operation.
The fuel consumption and basic emission factors are generated by the U.S. EPA NONROAD2008 model. Supplementary emissions are provided by the U.S. EPA NMIM model and copied directly from the ecoinvent v3.0 dataset "diesel burned in building machine, GLO 2001". The building machine infrastructure and lubricating oil input and waste output have been copied from the same ecoinvent dataset.
This dataset is a template dataset and has been parameterized for the machine power (in kW), emission standard (referred to as "tier" by the U.S EPA, the European equivalents would be the Stage I to IV standards published by the European Commission) and load factor to enable the creation of specific instances. To do so, the tier fraction (e.g. T0) and power (e.g. T0_kW), and the load factor parameters could be changed to reflect a specific situation/machine. The diesel fuel sulfur content (see Exchange Properties) could also be changed (the ultra-low sulfur nonroad diesel sulfur content of 0,0015% or 15 ppm, effective June 2010 in the United States of America is used as default).
Undefined unit processes (UPRs) are the unlinked, multi-product activity datasets that form the basis for all of the system models available in the ecoinvent database. This is the way the datasets are obtained and entered into the database by the data providers. These activity datasets are useful for investigating the environmental impacts of a specific activity (gate-to-gate), without regard to its upstream or downstream impacts.