JP7658385B2 - Greenhouse gas emission calculation support device and greenhouse gas emission calculation support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology that assists in the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to the manufacture of metal products.

The GHG emissions (environmental load) of each product in the steel and nonferrous metals fields are usually calculated based on the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) method. In recent years, services such as a GHG emission visualization platform based on the LCA method have been provided (see Non-Patent Document 1 below).
Furthermore, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a method in which a plurality of emission unit formats indicating an emission unit for each type of activity amount data (activity content and activity amount for each activity content) are prepared in advance, and at least one emission unit is determined for each activity content of the activity amount data to be derived based on an emission unit format corresponding to the type of activity amount data to be derived selected from among the emission unit formats, and GHG emissions are derived for each of the activity amounts for each activity content indicated in the activity amount data to be derived based on the at least one emission unit.
Furthermore, the following Patent Document 2 discloses that when deriving GHG emissions for target items obtained from a POS system or the like, either the GHG emissions according to the carbon footprint or the GHG emissions according to the life cycle inventory are stored for each item, and an amount multiplied by the carbon offset rate is subtracted from the GHG emissions stored for the target item.

Patent No. 7132580 Patent No. 7114038

"Japan's first platform to visualize greenhouse gas emissions by product in the supply chain, LCA Plus, launches service", [online], August 3, 2022, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. website, Internet <https://www.mitsui.com/jp/ja/topics/2022/1243642_13393.html>

The above-mentioned methods are general methods for calculating GHG emissions that cover a wide range of product sectors.
However, since the manufacturing conditions of each product vary greatly depending on the product field, and the environmental load associated with the manufacturing of those products also varies depending on the manufacturing conditions, the above-mentioned methods tend to be rough calculations, and there is a risk that the calculation accuracy of GHG emissions will decrease. In particular, in the field of metal products, there is a wide range of product types and manufacturing processes in terms of materials, dimensions, heat treatment, surface condition, etc., so there are still issues with the accuracy of calculating GHG emissions using existing methods.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and provides technology to calculate the GHG emissions of metal products with high accuracy.

According to the present invention, there is provided a greenhouse gas emission calculation support device comprising: a first acquisition means for acquiring manufacturing information on a target item of a metal product; a first calculation means for calculating a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission intensity derived from manufacturing-linked energy consumed in conjunction with the manufacturing of the target item based on the acquired manufacturing information; a second calculation means for calculating a GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy that is not directly related to the manufacturing of the target item but is part of common fixed energy incidentally consumed in the manufacturing of metal products and corresponds to the manufacturing of the target item; and a third calculation means for calculating a total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from the manufacturing-linked energy and the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a greenhouse gas emission calculation support method executed by one or more computers, in which the one or more computers execute the following steps: a step of acquiring manufacturing information related to a target item of a metal product; a first calculation step of calculating, based on the acquired manufacturing information, a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission unit derived from manufacturing-linked energy required for manufacturing the target item; a second calculation step of calculating, based on the acquired manufacturing information, a GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy corresponding to the manufacture of the target item, which is part of the fixed energy incidental to the manufacture of the metal product; and a third calculation step of calculating a total GHG emission unit derived from the target item using the GHG emission unit derived from the manufacturing-linked energy and the GHG emission unit derived from the fixed energy.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, there can be provided a computer program for causing one or more computers to execute the greenhouse gas emission calculation support method, and a recording medium having the computer program recorded thereon.

The present invention provides technology that can calculate the GHG emissions of metal products with high accuracy.

1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a GHG emission amount calculation support device (this support device) according to this embodiment. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the software configuration of a GHG emission amount calculation support device (this support device) 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing information table. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a static energy information table. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an emission coefficient table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a GHG emission calculation report. 1 is a flowchart showing a GHG emission calculation support method (this support method) according to the present embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, may be referred to as the present embodiment). Note that the following embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the following embodiment.

First, an overview of a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation support device and a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission calculation support method according to this embodiment will be described.
In this embodiment, manufacturing information regarding the target item of a metal product is obtained, a GHG emission unit derived from manufacturing-related energy is calculated based on the obtained manufacturing information, and a GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy corresponding to the production of the target item is further calculated, and by using these, a total GHG emission unit for the target item is calculated.

Here, "metal products" refers to products made from steel materials or non-ferrous materials, such as steel products, forged and rolled products, die-forged products, strip steel products, pyrolytic products, powder products, functional products, welding wire, hollow steel, etc. Steel materials are iron and alloys whose main component is iron, and non-ferrous materials are metals other than steel materials.
The "item" of a metal product refers to the order unit of the metal product, and is specified, for example, by the customer, steel material, dimensions, heat treatment, surface condition, etc. Items that are the subject of calculation of the total GHG emission intensity are referred to as "target items."
"GHG emission unit" means the amount of GHG emissions estimated to be emitted in association with the production of a unit amount of a metal product item.

"Production-linked energy" refers to energy consumed in conjunction with the production of individual items, and "energy types of production-linked energy" are indicated by the sources of production-linked energy, i.e., electricity, fuel, raw materials, materials, etc. For example, energy types of production-linked energy include electricity consumed in the melting process, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and kerosene as fuels, coke as materials, and diesel and gasoline consumed as fuels for transportation within or between production processes. However, "energy types of production-linked energy" are not limited to these examples and may be any energy type that is directly consumed in the production of individual items.

"Fixed energy" means energy that is not directly linked (unlinked) to the production of individual items, but is part of the common energy (common fixed energy) consumed incidentally in the production of metal products, and corresponds to the production of individual items.
"Energy type of fixed energy" refers to the source of fixed energy, i.e., electricity, fuel, raw materials, materials, etc. For example, energy types of fixed energy include electricity consumed for lighting, etc. used in the entire building of a factory or plant, steam consumed for heating, etc. used in the entire building, and electricity, steam, gas, etc. consumed in common facilities such as a cafeteria or rest area. In other words, fixed energy is a portion of the common fixed energy consumed in the entire building of a factory or plant, etc., or in the common facility, that is allocated to the production of individual items.
However, the "energy type of fixed energy" is not limited to such examples, and may be any energy type that is not directly linked to the production of individual items but is incidentally consumed in the production of metal products.

Existing methods do not take into account the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for the manufacture of each metal product item. In this embodiment, however, the GHG emission intensity from the metal product can be calculated with high accuracy by calculating the total GHG emission intensity for the target items using the manufacturing-linked energy-derived GHG emission intensity and the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity.

The following provides a detailed explanation of the GHG emission calculation support device (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as this support device) and the GHG emission calculation support method (hereinafter, sometimes abbreviated as this support method) according to this embodiment.

<GHG emissions calculation support device>
FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a GHG emission amount calculation support device (this support device) 10 according to this embodiment.
The support device 10 is a so-called computer, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1, a memory 2, an input/output interface (I/F) 3, a communication unit 4, and the like.
The CPU 1 is a so-called processor, and in addition to a general CPU, may also include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the like.
The memory 2 is a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or an auxiliary storage device (such as a hard disk).

The input/output I/F 3 can be connected to user interface devices such as a display device 5 and an input device 6. The display device 5 is a device that displays a screen corresponding to drawing data processed by the CPU 1 or the like, such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display. The input device 6 is a device that accepts input of user operations, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The display device 5 and the input device 6 may be integrated and realized as a touch panel.
The communication unit 4 communicates with other computers via the communication network 11 and exchanges signals with other devices such as a printer. A portable recording medium or the like can also be connected to the communication unit 4. In this embodiment, the communication unit 4 is communicatively connected to a user terminal 13, an ERP system 15, and the like via the communication network 11.

The hardware configuration of the support device 10 is not limited to the example in FIG. 1. The support device 10 may include other hardware elements not shown. Furthermore, the number of each hardware element is not limited to the example in FIG. 1. For example, the support device 10 may have multiple CPUs 1. Furthermore, the support device 10 may be realized by multiple computers consisting of multiple housings.

The communication network 11 is composed of one or more of a public network such as the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless communication network, etc. However, in this embodiment, the form of communication between the support device 10 and the user terminal 13 and the ERP system 15 is not limited.

The user terminal 13 is a so-called computer, and may be a stationary computer or a portable computer.
The user terminal 13 can output information provided by the assistance device 10 by accessing the assistance device 10. As long as such information output is possible, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the user terminal 13 are not limited.
The output format on the user terminal 13 will be described later.

The ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system 15 is a general core business system. In this embodiment, the ERP system 15 is a core business system of the target company, which is a manufacturer of metal products, and has a function of managing cost data for each item of metal products, and other functions, hardware configuration, etc. are not limited in any way.
Furthermore, the ERP system 15 communicates with the support device 10 and provides the support device 10 with manufacturing information to be stored in a manufacturing information table, which will be described later. The details of the content of this manufacturing information will be described later, but the manufacturing information can be generated by a general cost management method for metal products, or the like.

The support device 10 supports the calculation of GHG emissions from metal products.
FIG. 2 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of the software configuration of the GHG emission amount calculation support device (this support device) 10 according to this embodiment.
2, the support device 10 includes an information acquisition unit 21, a first calculation unit 22, a second calculation unit 23, a third calculation unit 24, an output processing unit 25, a database (DB) management unit 26, and a support database (DB) 27. Each of these processing modules is realized, for example, by the CPU 1 executing a computer program stored in the memory 2. This computer program may be installed, for example, from a portable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a memory card, or from another computer on a network, via the input/output I/F 3 or the communication unit 4, and stored in the memory 2.
However, the support DB 27 may be implemented in a device (computer) separate from the support device 10 .

Support DB27 includes various information tables that are referenced when calculating the GHG emissions of metal products. Specifically, support DB27 includes a manufacturing information table, a fixed energy information table, an emission coefficient table, etc.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing information table.
The manufacturing information table is a table that stores manufacturing information for each item of metal product provided by the ERP system 15, and includes information on the item code, factory, process, energy type, yield, and energy intensity for each item of metal product.

The item code is an identifier capable of identifying the item of a metal product, and in the ERP system 15, information such as the customer, steel material, dimensions, heat treatment, surface condition, etc. is managed for each item code (not shown).
The factory and process are information that can identify the manufacturing process of each item and the factory where the manufacturing process is performed. In Fig. 3, the manufacturing process of an item with item code "1H2Q" is illustrated as including the manufacturing processes "melting" and "blooming" performed in factory "A" and the manufacturing processes "transportation" and "product storage" performed in factory "B".
Here, the "transport" of the manufacturing process can be carried out between a previous manufacturing process and a subsequent manufacturing process, or within one manufacturing process. In the former case (transport between manufacturing processes), it is sufficient to associate the transport with the factory where one of the manufacturing processes is performed, and in the latter case (transport within a manufacturing process), it is sufficient to associate the transport with the factory where the manufacturing process is performed.
As most metal products are manufactured through multiple manufacturing processes, the manufacturing information table stores multiple records indicating multiple manufacturing processes for one item code. However, this embodiment does not exclude the case where a record of one manufacturing process is generated for one item code.
In addition, this embodiment does not limit the content of the manufacturing process indicated by the manufacturing information. Other manufacturing processes include, for example, "secondary processing" and "inspection." In addition, when the same manufacturing process is performed in different factories, an energy intensity can be assigned to each factory.

The energy type is information that can identify the energy type of the production-linked energy consumed in the target production process. In Fig. 3, it is illustrated that the production-linked energies of "electricity,""coke," and "LNG (city gas)" are consumed in the production process "melting" of the item with the item code "1H2Q."
In this way, since the manufacturing process of metal products requires one or more types of manufacturing-linked energy, the manufacturing information table stores multiple records indicating multiple energy types for one manufacturing process.
The energy intensity indicates the amount of energy consumed in the production of a target item per unit amount of the target energy type that is a production-linked energy consumed in the target manufacturing process of the target item.

From the above, the manufacturing information stored in the manufacturing information table includes information on the manufacturing process of the target item, and can be described as indicating, for each of the multiple manufacturing processes for producing the target item, one or more energy types of production-linked energy required in each manufacturing process and the energy intensity for each energy type.
In addition, it can be stated that the one or more energy types of production-linked energy indicated in the production information include one or both of transportation energy between production processes and transportation energy within a production process.
In this way, by including transportation between or within manufacturing processes in the calculation of GHG emissions from manufacturing-related energy, it is possible to calculate the GHG emissions of metal products with a high degree of accuracy.

Yield indicates the ratio of the amount of production to the amount of raw materials input in the production of the target item. The yield value (%) is calculated, for example, in the ERP system 15 using a general method from production performance information. When the target item is a new product, the yield value of the target item can be estimated, for example, from information on other items that include the same production process (performance values from existing equipment). The same applies to the energy intensity.
In addition, in this embodiment, as a preferred example, the energy consumption rate is calculated taking the yield rate into consideration, but the energy consumption rate may be determined without taking the yield rate into consideration.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a static energy information table.
The fixed energy information table is a table that stores information regarding fixed energy, and for each item of metal product indicated in the manufacturing information stored in the above-mentioned manufacturing information table, it includes information such as item code, factory, process, energy type, GHG emission category, and GHG emission unit.
The item code, factory, and process information stored in the fixed energy information table is the same as the item code, factory, and process information stored in the manufacturing information table, and, like the manufacturing information table, is reflected based on the manufacturing information provided by the ERP system 15.

The energy type stored in the fixed energy information table is information that can identify the energy type of the fixed energy corresponding to the production of each item. In Fig. 4, for example, the energy types "electricity" and "fuel" of the fixed energy are assigned to the production process "melting" of the item with the item code "1H2Q".
One or more types of fixed energy may be assigned to one manufacturing process, or one or more types may be assigned to the entire manufacturing process including all manufacturing processes, not for each manufacturing process. For example, in a case where multiple manufacturing processes are carried out in one factory, the energy type of common fixed energy incidentally consumed in the manufacturing of metal products in the factory may be assigned to one of the multiple manufacturing processes, or may be divided and assigned to each of the multiple manufacturing processes. In addition, common fixed energy consumed for lighting outside the factory that is not directly connected to the manufacturing process or common facilities outside the factory may be assigned to the entire manufacturing process including all manufacturing processes, not for each manufacturing process, or may be assigned to each manufacturing process. In addition, there may be a manufacturing process to which no fixed energy information is assigned.
4, in a record indicating fixed energy allocated to the entire manufacturing process including all manufacturing processes, not for each manufacturing process, data may not be set in the factory and process fields, or a symbol such as "#" may be set to distinguish from forgotten input. Also, in the fixed energy information table, a record indicating a manufacturing process to which an energy type of fixed energy is not allocated may not be stored.

The GHG emissions category indicates the category of emissions established in the GHG Protocol, which is the international standard for calculating and reporting GHG emissions, and is an identifier that can identify the GHG emissions category to which the energy type targeted by the fixed energy belongs, and is set to either Scope 1, 2, or 3.
Scope 1 is a category that corresponds to direct emissions of GHGs associated with fuel combustion and industrial processes by steel manufacturing companies themselves.
Scope 2 is a category that corresponds to indirect GHG emissions associated with the use of electricity, heat, steam, etc. supplied by other companies.
Scope 3 is a category that corresponds to indirect emissions of GHG other than scopes 1 and 2.
However, only scopes 1 and 2 may be subject to GHG emissions calculation.

The GHG emission unit is the amount of GHG emissions derived from fixed energy that is estimated to be emitted in the manufacture of each unit amount of metal product. The GHG emission unit stored in the fixed energy information table is determined by the second calculation unit 23, which will be described later, so the method for determining the GHG emission unit will be described later.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an emission coefficient table.
The emission coefficient table stores emission coefficients for each energy type of manufacturing-linked energy required for manufacturing metal products. Each record in the emission coefficient table includes a coefficient category, a factory, an energy type, a GHG emission category, and an emission coefficient.
An emission factor is an index that indicates the amount of GHG emissions per unit amount of a target energy type. For example, the emission factor for the energy type "electricity" indicates the amount (kg) of CO2 estimated to be emitted to produce 1 kWh of electricity. The emission factor for the energy type "coke" indicates the amount (kg) of CO2 estimated to be emitted when 1 kg of coke is combusted. The emission factor for the energy type "LNG" indicates the amount (kg) of CO2 estimated to be emitted when 1 ^Nm3 (normal lube) of LNG is combusted.
The GHG emission category is an identifier capable of identifying the GHG emission category to which the target energy type belongs, and the details thereof are as described above.

The coefficient category is identification information that indicates whether the target emission coefficient is an official value or an actual value.
An emission factor stored in a record with the official value set as the factor category indicates that it is an emission factor that has been (publicly) published by a national or local government, or other non-private public institution. The official value of an emission factor is, for example, a value published by the Ministry of the Environment.
The emission coefficient stored in the record with the actual value set as the coefficient category indicates an emission coefficient that reflects the company's GHG emission reduction efforts against the official value. For example, when green electricity generated using natural energy such as solar or wind power is used, an emission coefficient lower than the official value is set as the actual value.
Such efforts to reduce GHG emissions can be carried out for each company's factory and for each type of energy, so each record in the emission coefficient table includes the factory and the type of energy.

The DB management unit 26 manages the information stored in various information tables included in the support DB 27. If the support DB 27 is implemented on a device other than the support device 10, the DB management unit 26 can access the support DB 27 by communicating with the other device.

The DB management unit 26 collects the above-mentioned manufacturing information from the ERP system 15 and reflects it in the manufacturing information table. The timing at which the DB management unit 26 reflects the manufacturing information in the manufacturing information table may be periodic or at a specific timing. Since the yield rate and the energy consumption rate change due to the progress of the manufacturing equipment and manufacturing technology, etc., they may be reflected in the manufacturing information table when the manufacturing information of each item is updated in the ERP system 15. Also, when an order is received for a new item of metal product, the manufacturing information of the new item is added to the manufacturing information table when it is generated in the ERP system 15.
Such manufacturing information to be added or updated may be obtained from the ERP system 15 in response to a request from the DB management unit 26, or may be sent from the ERP system 15 on its own initiative.

The DB management unit 26 also reflects information regarding fixed energy in the fixed energy information table. For example, the DB management unit 26 generates records including item codes, factories, processes, energy types, and GHG emission categories based on manufacturing information obtained from the ERP system 15, and stores the records in the fixed energy information table. The GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy included in each record of the fixed energy information table may be obtained from another system (such as the ERP system 15), or may be calculated by the DB management unit 26 as follows.

The DB management unit 26 acquires the above-mentioned common fixed energy consumption information from other systems (such as the ERP system 15). This information indicates the energy consumed in buildings such as factories and plants that handle one or more manufacturing processes of metal products (corresponding to "factories" in various information tables and sometimes simply referred to as factories), excluding manufacturing-linked energy that is directly linked to the manufacture of individual items, and the energy consumed in common facilities such as cafeterias and rest areas that are not involved in the manufacturing process of metal products.

The DB management unit 26 allocates the amount of common fixed energy consumption to each metal product type and each manufacturing process of each item. Various methods can be used for this allocation. For example, the actual value (last quarter, last year, etc.) of the amount of common fixed energy consumption consumed in a certain factory for a certain period is apportioned according to the ratio of the production volume of each item that passed through the factory during the manufacturing process for the certain period, thereby allocating the unit consumption of fixed energy to the factory or the manufacturing process performed at the factory for each item.
Furthermore, the unit consumption of fixed energy in the common facility for a specified period can be allocated to each item by apportioning it based on the ratio of the production volume of each item for the specified period. However, the allocation of the unit consumption of fixed energy in the common facility can also be allocated for each manufacturing process. For example, the time taken for each manufacturing process (the time spent in that manufacturing process) and the number of staff members attending that manufacturing process can be used as information for apportioning the fixed energy consumption in the common facility for each item.

The DB management unit 26 can obtain the energy intensity by dividing the unit consumption amount of fixed energy allocated to each item and each manufacturing process by the production amount of each item in the specified period, and can calculate the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each item and each manufacturing process by multiplying this energy intensity by an emission coefficient. Furthermore, the DB management unit 26 can calculate the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each item by performing similar calculations for the unit consumption amount of fixed energy that is not allocated to each manufacturing process but is allocated to each item.
Regarding the emission coefficient for calculating the GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy, either the official value or the actual value may be selectively used, as in the processing of the first calculation unit 22 described later, or either one may be fixedly determined.

The DB management unit 26 generates a record including the factory, the energy type, and the GHG emission category based on the manufacturing information obtained from the ERP system 15, and stores the record in the emission coefficient table. The DB management unit 26 may obtain the official values and actual values of the emission coefficients of the target factory and energy type from the ERP system 15 or another system that publishes official values, or may use information input by a user operation using the input device 6.
Since both the official and actual values of the emission coefficients can be updated at any time, the DB management unit 26 acquires the updated official or actual values at a specified interval or at a specified time, and reflects them in the emission coefficient table.

The information acquisition unit 21 acquires manufacturing information related to the target item of the metal product. Therefore, the information acquisition unit 21 corresponds to a first acquisition means.
In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 21 acquires the item code of the target item, searches the production information table using the item code as a key, and extracts a production information record corresponding to the item code from the production information table.
The item code of the target item is input, for example, by a user operation using the input device 6. The user input may be a direct input of the item code, or may be an input selected from an item list of metal products. There is no restriction on the method of acquiring the item code of the target item.

The first calculation unit 22 calculates the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy consumed in conjunction with the production of the target item based on the production information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21. Therefore, the first calculation unit 22 corresponds to a first calculation means.

In this embodiment, as described above, the production information includes, for each of a plurality of production processes for producing the target item, information on one or more energy types of production-linked energy required in each production process and information on the energy intensity for each of the energy types.
The first calculation unit 22 extracts emission coefficients corresponding to one or more energy types of production-linked energy included in the production information from the emission coefficient table, and calculates the GHG emission intensity by multiplying the energy intensity by the emission coefficient for each energy type. The first calculation unit 22 accumulates the calculated GHG emission intensity for each energy type for each production process related to the target item, and adds up the accumulated GHG emission intensity for each production process for multiple production processes to obtain the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy for the target item.

In this way, according to this embodiment, the GHG emission unit of production-linked energy related to the production of the target item is calculated for one or more types of energy required in each production process of the target item, and these are accumulated and added up for each production process. As a result, the GHG emission unit of production-linked energy related to the production of the target item can be calculated with high accuracy.

In extracting the emission coefficient, the first calculation unit 22 searches the emission coefficient table using the factory and energy type included in the manufacturing information as keys, and extracts the record of the emission coefficient including the key from the emission coefficient table. At this time, since the extracted emission coefficient may include the official value and the actual value, the first calculation unit 22 selects either the official value or the actual value to use for calculating the GHG emission intensity.
The selection of such a coefficient category (official value or actual value) of the emission coefficient may be accepted in advance by a user operation using the input device 6 via a menu screen or the like displayed on the display device 5 before starting the calculation process of the GHG emission amount, for example.
The selection may also be performed individually for each factory and energy type. For example, for one target item, an actual value may be selected for the energy type "electricity" of factory "A," and a nominal value may be selected for the energy type "electricity" of factory "B." For emission factors for which both the actual value and the nominal value are set in the emission factor table, the actual value may be selected as a fixed value, and for other emission factors, either the actual value or the nominal value set in the emission factor table may be used.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since it is possible to select either the official value or the actual value as the emission coefficient, it is possible to calculate GHG emissions in accordance with the requests of customers, etc. In addition, since it is possible to use not only the official value but also the actual value, it is possible to calculate GHG emissions using an emission coefficient that reflects the company's GHG emission reduction efforts.

The second calculation unit 23 calculates the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy that is not directly related to the manufacture of the target item but is incidentally consumed in the manufacture of metal products and corresponds to the manufacture of the target item. Therefore, the second calculation unit 23 corresponds to the second calculation means.

In this embodiment, the second calculation unit 23 acquires an item code of the target item in the same manner as the information acquisition unit 21. Then, the second calculation unit 23 searches the static energy information table using the acquired item code as a key, and extracts static energy information corresponding to the item code from the static energy information table. Here, one or more pieces of extracted static energy information may be assigned to one manufacturing process, or one or more pieces of extracted static energy information may be assigned to the entire manufacturing process including all the manufacturing processes, rather than to each manufacturing process.
The second calculation unit 23 obtains a fixed energy-derived GHG emission unit for each of one or more manufacturing processes from the extracted fixed energy information, and adds up the fixed energy-derived GHG emission unit values obtained for each manufacturing process.
Furthermore, the second calculation unit 23 further obtains a GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy corresponding to the production of the target item that is not allocated to each manufacturing process from the extracted fixed energy information, and further adds the obtained GHG emission unit to the total value of the GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy for each manufacturing process.

In this manner, according to the present embodiment, not only the GHG emission intensity derived from production-linked energy, but also the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy that is not directly linked to the production of each item can be calculated for each production process and each energy type from the information on the common fixed energy. Also, the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy can be assigned to the target item without being assigned to each production process.
This makes it possible to calculate with high accuracy GHG emission units for fixed energy sources that are not linked to the production of the target item.

The third calculation unit 24 calculates the total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from production-linked energy calculated by the first calculation unit 22 and the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy calculated by the second calculation unit 23. Therefore, the third calculation unit 24 corresponds to a third calculation means.

The output processing unit 25 outputs a GHG emission calculation report based on the production information acquired by the information acquisition unit 21, the production-linked energy-derived GHG emission intensity calculated by the first calculation unit 22, the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity calculated by the second calculation unit 23, and the total GHG emission intensity calculated by the third calculation unit 24. For this reason, the output processing unit 25 corresponds to an output processing means.
There are no limitations on the manner in which the GHG emission calculation report is output. The output processing unit 25 may display the GHG emission calculation report on the display device 5, may print it on a printer connected via the input/output I/F 3 or the communication unit 4, or may store the GHG emission calculation report in an electronic file, and may store the electronic file in a portable recording medium or transmit it to another computer.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an output of a GHG emission amount calculation report.
In the GHG emission calculation report illustrated in Fig. 6, target item information (item code, customer name, material, dimensions, etc.) is displayed at the top, and a GHG emission calculation table for the target item is displayed below. In the GHG emission calculation table, rows including the factory, manufacturing process, energy type, yield, energy intensity, GHG emission category, emission coefficient, GHG emission intensity derived from manufacturing-linked energy, GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy, and GHG emission intensity derived from manufacturing-linked energy or fixed energy are displayed for each energy type of each manufacturing process. The bottom row of the GHG emission calculation table displays the GHG emission intensity derived from manufacturing-linked energy (cumulative value) calculated by the first calculation unit 22, the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy (cumulative value) calculated by the second calculation unit 23, and the total GHG emission intensity calculated by the third calculation unit 24.

In this way, the GHG emission intensity values derived from production-linked energy and fixed energy and the total GHG emission intensity values included in the GHG emission calculation table are values calculated by the first calculation unit 22, the second calculation unit 23, and the third calculation unit 24, respectively. Therefore, the first calculation unit 22, the second calculation unit 23, and the third calculation unit 24 may store the calculated values in the support DB 27 each time, and the output processing unit 25 may generate data for the GHG emission calculation report using the values stored in this way.

According to this embodiment, by outputting such a GHG emission calculation report, the calculation basis of the final derived total GHG emission intensity can be clearly indicated, and thus the credibility of the derived total GHG emission intensity can be increased.
However, as described above, Fig. 6 is merely an example of a GHG emission calculation report, and therefore the contents of the report are not limited to the example of Fig. 6. For example, columns such as factory, yield, energy intensity, and GHG emission category may be excluded.

<GHG emissions calculation support method>
The GHG emission calculation support method according to this embodiment (hereinafter, may be referred to as this support method) will be described below.
7 is a flowchart showing the GHG emission calculation support method according to this embodiment (the support method). The support method is executed by one or more computers such as the support device 10 described above. The support device 10 can execute the support method by executing a computer program stored in the memory 2 by the CPU 1. It can also be expressed as the support method being executed by the CPU 1 through the execution of the computer program stored in the memory 2. This computer program is installed, for example, from a portable recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a memory card, or from another computer on a network, via the input/output I/F 3 or the communication unit 4, and stored in the memory 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, this support method includes steps (S71) to (S77).
In the following, the support device 10 will be described as the executing entity of each process.
It can also be described as one or more computers or CPUs, or each of the above-mentioned processing modules possessed by the support device 10. Since each process is similar to the processing content of each processing module of the support device 10, details of each process will be omitted as appropriate.

In step (S71), the support device 10 (information acquisition unit 21) acquires manufacturing information related to the target item. In this embodiment, the support device 10 acquires the item code of the target item, searches the manufacturing information table (DB management unit 26) using the item code as a key, and extracts a manufacturing information record corresponding to the item code from the manufacturing information table. There are no limitations on the method for acquiring the item code of the target item.

In step (S72), the support device 10 (first calculation unit 22) calculates the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy for each production process and each energy type for the target item based on the production information acquired in step (S71). In this embodiment, the support device 10 extracts emission coefficients corresponding to one or more energy types of the production-linked energy included in the production information from the emission coefficient table (DB management unit 26), and calculates the GHG emission intensity for each energy type by multiplying the energy intensity by the emission coefficient.
There are cases where both official values and actual values are set as emission coefficients for the same manufacturing process and the same energy type. In this case, the support device 10 selects either the official value or the actual value to use in calculating the GHG emission unit.

In step (S73), the support device 10 (first calculation unit 22) accumulates the GHG emission intensity for each energy type calculated in step (S72) for each manufacturing process related to the target item, and adds up the accumulated GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process for multiple manufacturing processes to calculate the GHG emission intensity derived from manufacturing-linked energy for the target item.

In step (S74), the support device 10 (second calculation unit 23) acquires a fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process and each energy type for the target item. In this embodiment, the support device 10 acquires an item code for the target item, searches the fixed energy information table (DB management unit 26) using the item code as a key, and extracts fixed energy information corresponding to the item code from the fixed energy information table. Then, the support device 10 acquires a fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each energy type for each of one or more manufacturing processes from the extracted fixed energy information.
However, a fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity unit does not have to be assigned to each manufacturing process for the target item, and in that case, a fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity unit does not have to be obtained in step (S74).

In step (S75), the support device 10 (second calculation unit 23) acquires the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy not allocated to each manufacturing process for the target item. In this embodiment, the support device 10 acquires the GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy not allocated to the manufacturing process from the fixed energy information extracted as described above.
However, there may be cases where there is no fixed energy-derived GHG emission unit that is not assigned to the manufacturing process for the target item, in which case the fixed energy-derived GHG emission unit does not need to be obtained in step (S75).

In step (S76), the support device 10 (second calculation unit 23) accumulates the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process and each energy type obtained in step (S74), and further adds it with the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity not assigned to the manufacturing process obtained in step (S75), to calculate the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for the target item.

In step (S77), the support device 10 (third calculation unit 24) calculates the total GHG emission unit for the target item by adding up the GHG emission unit derived from production-linked energy calculated in step (S73) and the GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy calculated in step (S76).

In FIG. 7, multiple steps are shown in sequence, but the order in which each step is performed in this support method is not limited to the example in FIG. 7. For example, steps (S72) to (S73) and steps (S74) to (S76) may be performed in the reverse order, or may be performed in parallel.

[Modification]
The contents of the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and may be partially modified as appropriate.

For example, the fixed energy information table (see FIG. 4) in the above embodiment does not include the energy intensity unit, but may include the energy intensity unit like the manufacturing information table shown in FIG. 3 and not include the GHG emission intensity unit.
In this case, the emission coefficient table may include an emission coefficient related to fixed energy, or the fixed energy information table may further include an emission coefficient.
Then, the second calculation unit 23 may calculate the GHG emission unit derived from the fixed energy, in place of the DB management unit 26, by multiplying the energy intensity and the emission coefficient of the fixed energy together, for example.

Also, although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, the support device 10 may calculate the total GHG emission unit, and another system (such as the ERP system 15) may estimate the manufacturing cost of the target item.
In addition, the support device 10 may accumulate the GHG emission unit values calculated for each item by the first calculation unit 22, the second calculation unit 23, and the third calculation unit 24 in the support DB 27, and when an item for which a performance record has been calculated in the past is set as the target item, the GHG emission unit values accumulated in the support DB 27 may be used.

Some or all of the above-described embodiments and variations may also be specified as follows. However, the above-described embodiments and variations are not limited to the following descriptions.

＜1＞
A first acquisition means for acquiring manufacturing information relating to a target item of a metal product;
A first calculation means for calculating a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission intensity derived from production-related energy consumed in conjunction with the production of the target item based on the acquired production information;
a second calculation means for calculating a GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy that is not directly related to the manufacture of the target item but is incidentally consumed in the manufacture of the metal product and corresponds to the manufacture of the target item;
A third calculation means for calculating a total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy and the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy;
A greenhouse gas emissions calculation support device comprising:
＜2＞
The manufacturing information includes information on a manufacturing process of the target item,
The second calculation means acquires the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each of one or more manufacturing processes related to the target item, and adds up the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity acquired for each manufacturing process.
2. A greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 1.
＜3＞
The second calculation means further acquires the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity corresponding to the production of the target item that is not allocated to each manufacturing process, and further adds the acquired GHG emission intensity to the total value of the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to <2>.
＜4＞
an emission coefficient table that stores emission coefficients for each type of energy of the manufacturing-linked energy required for the manufacturing of metal products;
Further comprising:
The production information indicates, for each of a plurality of production processes for producing the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each production process and an energy intensity for each of the energy types,
the first calculation means extracts from the emission coefficient table the emission coefficients corresponding to the one or more energy types of the production-linked energy indicated in the production information, accumulates the GHG emission intensity values obtained by multiplying the energy intensity values of the one or more energy types by the emission coefficients for each production process related to the target item, and adds up the GHG emission intensity values accumulated for each production process for the multiple production processes to determine the GHG emission intensity value derived from the production-linked energy;
A greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to any one of <1> to <3>.
＜5＞
The emission coefficient table includes, as the emission coefficient of one or more energy types of the production-linked energy, a publicly published official value and an actual value that reflects the company's GHG emission reduction efforts against the official value,
When extracting the emission coefficient from the emission coefficient table for an energy type of the production-linked energy in which the official value and the actual value are set as the emission coefficient, the first calculation means selects and extracts either the official value or the actual value.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to <4>.
＜6＞
The one or more energy types of the manufacturing-linked energy indicated in the manufacturing information include one or both of transportation energy between manufacturing processes or transportation energy within a manufacturing process,
A greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to <4> or <5>.
＜７＞
an output processing means for outputting a GHG emission calculation report based on the production information, the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy calculated by the first calculation means, the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy calculated by the second calculation means, and the total GHG emission intensity calculated by the third calculation means;
Further comprising:
The GHG emission calculation report includes a table showing, for each of a plurality of manufacturing processes for the production of the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each manufacturing process, the energy intensity for each energy type, the emission coefficient for each energy type, and the GHG emission intensity for each energy type, as well as the GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process and each energy type related to the fixed energy,
A greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to any one of <4> to <6>.
＜8＞
A greenhouse gas emission calculation support method executed by one or more computers,
the one or more computers:
obtaining manufacturing information for a target item of metal product;
A first calculation step of calculating a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission intensity derived from production-related energy required for the production of the target item based on the acquired production information;
A second calculation step of calculating a GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy corresponding to the production of the target item, which is a part of the fixed energy incidentally required for the production of the metal product, based on the acquired production information;
A third calculation step of calculating a total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy and the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy;
A method for supporting the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions.
＜9＞
The manufacturing information includes information on a manufacturing process of the target item,
In the second calculation step, the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity is obtained for each of one or more manufacturing processes related to the target item, and the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity obtained for each manufacturing process is added up.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support method according to <8>.
＜10＞
In the second calculation step, a GHG emission intensity unit derived from the fixed energy corresponding to the production of the target item that is not allocated to each production process is further acquired, and the acquired GHG emission intensity unit is further added to the total value of the GHG emission intensity unit derived from the fixed energy for each production process.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support method according to <9>.
<11>
The one or more computers are capable of referring to an emission coefficient table that stores emission coefficients for each type of energy of the production-linked energy required for the production of metal products,
The production information indicates, for each of a plurality of production processes for producing the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each production process and an energy intensity for each of the energy types,
In the first calculation step, the emission coefficients corresponding to the one or more energy types of the production-linked energy indicated in the production information are extracted from the emission coefficient table, the GHG emission intensity units obtained by multiplying the energy intensity units of the one or more energy types by the emission coefficients are accumulated for each production process related to the target item, and the GHG emission intensity units accumulated for each production process are summed up for the multiple production processes to determine the GHG emission intensity unit derived from the production-linked energy.
A greenhouse gas emission calculation support method according to any one of <8> to <10>.
＜12＞
The emission coefficient table includes, as the emission coefficient of one or more energy types of the production-linked energy, a publicly published official value and an actual value that reflects the company's GHG emission reduction efforts against the official value,
In the first calculation step, when extracting the emission coefficient from the emission coefficient table for an energy type of the production-linked energy in which the official value and the actual value are set as the emission coefficient, either the official value or the actual value is selected and extracted.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support method according to <11>.
＜13＞
The one or more energy types of the manufacturing-linked energy indicated in the manufacturing information include one or both of transportation energy between manufacturing processes or transportation energy within a manufacturing process,
A method for supporting calculation of greenhouse gas emissions according to <11> or <12>.
＜14＞
the one or more computers:
a step of outputting a GHG emission calculation report based on the production information, the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy calculated in the first calculation step, the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy calculated in the second calculation step, and the total GHG emission intensity calculated in the third calculation step;
Further execute
The GHG emission calculation report includes a table showing, for each of a plurality of manufacturing processes for the production of the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each manufacturing process, the energy intensity for each energy type, the emission coefficient for each energy type, and the GHG emission intensity for each energy type, as well as the GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process and each energy type related to the fixed energy,
A method for supporting calculation of greenhouse gas emissions according to any one of <11> to <13>.
＜15＞
A computer program that causes one or more computers to execute the greenhouse gas emission calculation support method according to any one of <8> to <14>.

1 CPU
2 Memory 3 Input/Output I/F
4 Communication unit 5 Display device 6 Input device 10 GHG emission calculation support device (this support device)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 11 Communication network 13 User terminal 15 ERP system 21 Information acquisition unit 22 First calculation unit 23 Second calculation unit 24 Third calculation unit 25 Output processing unit 26 Database (DB) management unit 27 Support database (DB)

Claims (9)

A first acquisition means for acquiring manufacturing information relating to a target item of a metal product;
A first calculation means for calculating a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission intensity derived from production-related energy consumed in conjunction with the production of the target item based on the acquired production information;
a second calculation means for calculating a GHG emission intensity derived from fixed energy that is not directly related to the manufacture of the target item but is incidentally consumed in the manufacture of the metal product and corresponds to the manufacture of the target item;
A third calculation means for calculating a total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy and the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy;
A greenhouse gas emissions calculation support device comprising: The manufacturing information includes information on a manufacturing process of the target item,
The second calculation means acquires the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each of one or more manufacturing processes related to the target item, and adds up the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity acquired for each manufacturing process.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 1 . The second calculation means further acquires the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity corresponding to the production of the target item that is not allocated to each manufacturing process, and further adds the acquired GHG emission intensity to the total value of the fixed energy-derived GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 2. an emission coefficient table that stores emission coefficients for each type of energy of the manufacturing-linked energy required for the manufacturing of metal products;
Further comprising:
The production information indicates, for each of a plurality of production processes for producing the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each production process and an energy intensity for each of the energy types,
the first calculation means extracts from the emission coefficient table the emission coefficients corresponding to the one or more energy types of the production-linked energy indicated in the production information, accumulates the GHG emission intensity values obtained by multiplying the energy intensity values of the one or more energy types by the emission coefficients for each production process related to the target item, and adds up the GHG emission intensity values accumulated for each production process for the multiple production processes to determine the GHG emission intensity value derived from the production-linked energy;
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The emission coefficient table includes, as the emission coefficient of one or more energy types of the production-linked energy, a publicly published official value and an actual value that reflects the company's GHG emission reduction efforts against the official value,
When extracting the emission coefficient from the emission coefficient table for an energy type of the production-linked energy in which the official value and the actual value are set as the emission coefficient, the first calculation means selects and extracts either the official value or the actual value.
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 4. The one or more energy types of the manufacturing-linked energy indicated in the manufacturing information include one or both of transportation energy between manufacturing processes or transportation energy within a manufacturing process,
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 4. an output processing means for outputting a GHG emission calculation report based on the production information, the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy calculated by the first calculation means, the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy calculated by the second calculation means, and the total GHG emission intensity calculated by the third calculation means;
Further comprising:
The GHG emission calculation report includes a table showing, for each of a plurality of manufacturing processes for the production of the target item, one or more energy types of the production-linked energy required in each manufacturing process, the energy intensity for each energy type, the emission coefficient for each energy type, and the GHG emission intensity for each energy type, as well as the GHG emission intensity for each manufacturing process and each energy type related to the fixed energy,
The greenhouse gas emission calculation support device according to claim 4. A greenhouse gas emission calculation support method executed by one or more computers,
the one or more computers:
obtaining manufacturing information for a target item of metal product;
A step of calculating a GHG (greenhouse gas) emission intensity derived from production-related energy required for the production of the target item based on the acquired production information;
A step of calculating a GHG emission unit derived from fixed energy corresponding to the production of the target item, which is a part of the fixed energy incidentally required for the production of the metal product, based on the acquired production information;
A step of calculating a total GHG emission intensity of the target item using the GHG emission intensity derived from the production-linked energy and the GHG emission intensity derived from the fixed energy;
A method for supporting the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions. A computer program capable of causing one or more computers to execute the greenhouse gas emission calculation support method described in claim 8.

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