HDD
System Definition - Goal and scope
Definition
What is it used for?
Save, store and retrieve data
It is permanent storage, unlike volatile memory like RAM.
Can be used in desktops, laptops, servers or for external storage.
Are there different types/technologies?
If different types, what are the differences in terms of materials, process, use consumption?
Is there a generic component that represents a family of components?
How many sub-parts does the system consist of?
Perimeter
What is included?
What is excluded?
Functional unit and reference flows
What is the functional unit?
What are the reference flows?
Life Cycle - Inventory
⇒ Goal: Define state of the art on life cycle stages to be considered.
What are the already existing data (dataset, parametric model, paper, etc.)?
Raw materials
⇒ Goal: List the technical information needed for the LCI.
What is it made of?
Who are the main mining? Where are they located?
Manufacturing
⇒ Goal: List the technical information needed for the LCI.
For each system sub-part:
What are the manufacturing processes?
What are the assembly processes?
For each process, what is the energy consumption?
For each process, what is the yield? Are they co-products and/or losses?
TBR
An HDD is composed of the following elements:
Platters:
One or more
Double-sided
Glass substrates, coated with magnetic material
They are spinning, thanks to the motor.
Motor:
Read-write heads:
Supporting electronics
How the “main” manufacturers can be characterized: by the number of components manufactured, the market share (€), other?
Who are the main manufacturers?
3 main manufacturers:
Seagate
Western Digital
Toshiba
#### Where are they located?
Distribution and packaging
⇒ Goal: List the technical information needed for the LCI.
What are the packaging? Made of which materials?
Which are the transport modes?
What are the transport distances?
Use
⇒ Goal: List the technical information needed for the LCI.
What is the service lifespan? (durée d'utilisation)
Is there a reparation factor?
Is there sub-parts replacement?
Where is it used?
Who are the users?
Which + how much energy does it need?
Is there emissions from use?
End of life
⇒ Goal: List the technical information needed for the LCI.
What is the lifetime? (durée de vie)
Is it different from lifespan and why?
Is it refurbished? + Where?
Is it recyclable? Can it be dismantled? Which material can be separated? + Where and how?
Is it incinerated with energy recovery? Just incinerated? Buried? + Where?
Which part of waste can be considered as mismanaged (neither recycled, nor incinerated, nor buried)?
State of the art
⇒ Goal: Define state of the art on environmental impacts.
For all the existing works, define:
Methodology (LCA/GHG, env. indicators, etc.)
Types of technologies covered (system definition)
Life cycle stages covered
Flux included in the scope
Main results (hot spots, orders of magnitude, etc.)
Limitations
Bibliography
⇒ Goal: Source every data we cited previously
List of our sources
Data origin: bibliographic source / consortium hypothesis / expert opinion - required if a Data Quality Rating (DQR) must be completed
Next steps
⇒ Goal: List challenges and clarify priority areas for action
What do we know we don't know?
What are the identified challenges?
What paths/ideas should be explored?