Trace: intro_hdd

HDD

HDD

System Definition - Goal and scope

  • HDD = Hard Disk Drive
  • Storage device that uses magnetic storage to save, store and retrieve data

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?

Interface:

  • SATA = Serial ATA
  • PATA = Parallel ATA
  • SCSI = Small Computer System Interface

Form factor:

  • 2.5 inch
  • 3.4 inch

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.

Database and tools

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?

Is there mining processes information available?

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 are the inputs (water, chemicals, etc.) ?

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:

  • Spindle with motor

Read-write heads:

  • Positioned by actuators
  • It is flying 3 nm above the disk surface

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?

Discussion

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