How to deal with transport of freight with a low density in standard software like Simapro and Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES)?
In most of the standard software packages, the data on transport are only given in the unit “ton.km”. The reason is that all standard LCI databases (like Ecoinvent) only supply data on the basis of tonnes x km. It is, however, good to realise that the LCIs are calculated on the basis of a full load of the truck (or vessel, or plane) and an empty trip back, divided by the maximum load of the transport vehicle. When the density of the freight is relatively low, the truck is full at a maximum volume instead of a maximum weight. In such a case, a correction factor has to be applied, since the energy required for long distance transport is dependant on distance, shape and velocity, and hardly dependant on the weight. The correction factor must be applied when the density is lower than: – 160 kg/m3 for airfreight – 320 kg/m3 for freight in a European standard truck + trailer – 414 kg/m3 for freight in a standard truck + container (40 ft) – 843 kg/m3 for freight in a standard 20 ft sea contai
In most of the standard software packages, the data on transport are only given in the unit “tkm”. The reason is that all standard LCI databases (like Ecoinvent) only supply data on the basis of tonnes x km. It is, however, good to realise that the LCIs are calculated on the basis of a full load of the truck (or vessel, or plane) and an empty trip back, divided by the maximum load of the transport vehicle. When the density of the freight is relatively low, the truck is full at a maximum volume instead of a maximum weight. In such a case, a correction factor has to be applied, since the energy required for long distance transport is dependant on distance, shape and velocity, and hardly dependant on the weight. The correction factor must be applied when the density is lower than: – 160 kg/m3 for airfreight – 320 kg/m3 for freight in a European standard truck + trailer – 414 kg/m3 for freight in a standard truck + container (40 ft) – 843 kg/m3 for freight in a standard 20 ft sea container
