Open Source Models

The Petroleum Refinery Life Cycle Inventory Model (PRELIM) is a mass and energy-based process unit-level tool for the estimation of energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with processing a variety of crude oils within a range of configurations in a refinery. PRELIM aims to inform policy analysis by providing a transparent model including data, assumptions, and detailed results. The PRELIM model was built using Microsoft Excel to ensure transparency and maximum accessibility.

The LCA Estimate Model for CCU is an Excel-based life cycle assessment (LCA) tool that estimates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with carbon capture and utilization (CCU) pathways. Five different pathways are shown as examples.

This model provides a life cycle framework to help evaluate diverse categories of CCU technologies and their useful products in a consistent, “apples-to-apples” manner. This is useful for decision makers to identify CCU technologies with the greatest potential to reduce GHG emissions and for CCU technology practitioners to evaluate their technologies and make necessary improvements at an early stage of development.

The model focuses on evaluating CCU pathways using four different functional units to provide a comprehensive view of the potential for different categories and pathways for the purposes of understanding the relative competitiveness from different perspectives including per kg of CO2 converted, per kg of CO2 avoided, per kg or MJ or product and the total global emissions reduction potential.