Enhancing the quality and breadth of carbon reduction project ideation and roadmapping for corporations

This thesis seeks to demonstrate the benefits of a systems approach to the ideation and complexity analysis of carbon reduction projects (CRP) for heavy-industry corporations (HICs), which is critical for HICs to adapt to a lower-carbon world. The thesis uses a systems approach to improve the breadth of ideation and robustness of complexity analy-sis such that sustainability teams (STs) and technical framing teams (TFTs) have a more robust queue of CRPs and options for decarbonization pathways. A steamflood operation is used as an example to demonstrate the application of system architecting tools and is decomposed into its formal and functional components, which are then recombined to gen-erate an operand-process diagram (OPD). System boundaries are drawn within and around the OPD to ideate unique CRPs to reduce the emissions intensity for a steamflood oper-ation, ranging from tactical solutions to alternative recovery mechanisms. The range of solution-neutral concepts (SNCs) improves a HICs ability to brainstorm more "disruptive" architectures of their operations that will reduce the emissions intensity of their operations. The CRPs are then translated into a design structure matrix (DSM) and inputted into a change-propagation model to forecast how complexity differences enhance or hinder a sys-tem’s ability to adapt to future technological changes. The tools demonstrated in this thesis equip STs and TFTs with insights and comparative analysis to develop near-term solutions and redesign operations for the future. Overall, this research contributes to enhancing CRP ideation and operability of complex industrial systems in the future by applying systems architecting tools and principles.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

System Design and Management Program.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Tainter, Stephen M.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rubin, Joan S.

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Copyright retained by author(s)

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/152709

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/152709