Design 4 Sustainability

What is meant by Design 4 Sustainability?

Andrea Klumpp: The principle goes far beyond sheer energy efficiency; it includes reparability, modularity, re-usability and recyclability.

,,It refers to the principle whereby, already during the design process, we focus on the entire life cycle, from design to disposal, to make it as sustainable as possible."
Andrea Klumpp
Andrea Klumpp the physicist responsible for sustainability at DESY PETRA IV

Among other things, PETRA IV will require the construction of new buildings, including a large new experimental hall, and existing buildings have to be renovated.  In doing this, our focus is on climate-adapted construction using sustainable materials. We are aiming for a facility that is not only durable, but also easy to reuse or recycle.

What does that mean for PETRA IV?

From the very beginning of the planning stage, we make sure that the facility is energy-efficient and easy to service and maintain. Its technical components are constantly being optimised in consultation with the departments on site and in line with the principles of “Design 4 Sustainability”. This reduces costs and saves resources further down the line. PETRA IV has placed great emphasis on this first phase. This is why we harmonise the requirements of all the different areas, to ensure that the buildings and the technical infrastructure are neither too large nor too small.

Can you give some specific examples?

We have back-up systems to guarantee the reliable operation of the 4000 or so power supply units. A so-called “hot-swap system” ensures that a faulty power supply unit can be quickly replaced by a spare. Until now, each power supply unit has been backed up by a replacement. But we have calculated that a single back-up is sufficient to ensure the stable operation of up to eight power supply units. This reduces standby power consumption and the amount of various critical materials used for the additional equipment.

The temperature can also be tweaked. For the smooth operation of the accelerator, the temperature in the tunnel must remain constant. This consumes a lot of energy. Mathematical modelling and simulations of the air and heat flows have been used to determine the optimum operating parameters, so as to reduce our energy consumption.

Are there other ways of protecting the climate?

The experimental facilities will be used by around 5000 researchers per year to carry out measurements. Travelling to and from the facility generates substantial emissions. At PETRA IV, the experimental stations will provide remote access, with AI-assisted data collection and automatic switching of samples. This means that the need for travel will be significantly reduced.

Thank you very much!

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