A Lifecycle Simulation Method for Global Reuse

Abstract

Reuse is an effective method of circulating resources in terms of environmental benefits because it requires fewer resources and less energy than manufacturing new products from virgin materials. In global reuse, a used component or module is reused in a different application. To evaluate a system of multiple product lifecycle systems (PLSs), the lifecycle simulation methodology LCS4SoS has been proposed. LCS4SoS comprises three elements, namely, individual PLSs, interactions among them, and their evolution over time. This paper proposes a lifecycle simulation method for global reuse based on the LCS4SoS framework. Flow control rules are developed for global reuse to control the directions and quantities of material flow among the PLSs. The usefulness of this method is verified by a case study of automobile and stationary battery PLSs.