(6ei) Advancing the Development of Fuel Flexible Combustion, Compact Energy Systems, and the Sustainability Analysis Methods

A. Fuel Flexible Combustion

The purpose of the proposed research is to harness blue whirl combustion as a fuel-flexible means of extracting energy from a wide array of liquid fuels for energy & power applications by the U.S. Army. The PIs will investigate the physics underpinning blue whirl combustion through experiments and modeling. This knowledge will serve as the foundation for understanding the scaling and stability of efficient blue whirl combustion across a broader range of liquid fuels than can be accomplished by existing technology. Consequently, this will extend the range and endurance of autonomous systems in multi-domain operations, improve energy security, and reduce energy logistic costs. The overarching goal of this study is to advance the development of fuel flexible combustion technology by understanding the physical and chemical aspects of the blue whirl phenomenon. One specific task of study include:

(i) The PIs will examine the ability of the blue whirl phenomenon to combust a wide range of model fuels representing biomass and petroleum derived fuels. Additionally, PIs will investigate the role of chemical functionality and molecular structure on the blue whirl combustion efficiency and emission characteristics.

B. Compact Energy Systems

The development of compact energy generation systems that use locally available a low-energy density biomass such as switchgrass and wood can minimize warfighter and robotic autonomous platforms exposure to threats by reducing the reliance on consolidated forward-operating bases and subsequent lines of communication. The intended research project study the potential of production of electrical energy using complex pyrolysis vapors as a fuel source to one type of fuel cell. Further, the possibility of switching between one type of fuel cell to another type of fuel cell to maximize the power density through elimination of coke on the anode will be investigated. To study the performance of fuel cell operating with pyrolysis vapors as a fuel source, the current density versus voltage and current density versus power density curves will be generated. These curves further used to determine optimal operating conditions such as temperature of pyrolysis process as well as fuel cell. The anode surface of the fuel cell will be investigated using any one or more of the following analytical techniques: The scanning electron micrograph (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the In-situ HT-Raman spectroscopy.

C. Sustainability Analysis Methods

The standard techno-economic analysis (TEA) approach in literature for evaluating new biomass upgrading technologies involves estimating the process costs of converting biomass like wood to chemicals and fuels and compare these costs with that of incumbent petroleum technologies. However, the results of TEA can not be used to inform designing of new policies that are aimed to penalize environmentally detrimental technologies as the TEA analysis cannot account social costs/benefits of the production of chemicals and fuels from renewable and non-renewable feedstocks. This shortcoming of the TEA analysis can be overcome by analyzing new biomass conversion technologies with the new proposed method of integrated TEA and ecological life cycle assessment (E-LCA).

The application of the new method of integrated TEA and E-LCA for evaluating renewable energy technologies consists of three steps: First step consists of expanding the process boundary to include eco-system services and apply life cycle assessment framework to determine the marginal change in the quality or quantity of the selected ecosystem services; The second step is to use the ecosystem valuation techniques to quantify the costs/benefits of marginal change in the quality or quantity of the selected ecosystem services; and the final step is to combine the social costs/benefits with process costs. Our research group will study the sustainability of making renewable fuels via algae and pyrolysis technologies using the new integrated TEA and E-LCA method.

Teaching Interests:

I have observed while I was mentoring undergraduate students as well as co-supervising Masters students that students try to memorize scientific concepts. I also noticed among these students that there is a fear of learning new knowledge as well as difficulty with communicating their work properly. Having desire to teach how to learn science has motivated me to purse career as a faculty member. As faculty member, I will help students to develop their creative abilities and critical analysis skills through class assignments. I will put effort to improve student’s communication skills through assigning team projects as well as asking them to give presentations very often. In my lectures, I will include application of engineering concepts in studying other fields of science to encourage students to learn new fields and to promote interdisciplinary understanding.

My course assignments and exams will be a blend of qualitative and quantitative questions. I believe that solving qualitative questions related to scientific concepts will encourage students to deconstruct scientific concepts. Such deconstruction will enable students to understand scientific concepts thoroughly. Solving assigned quantitative problems with the theoretical understanding will provide an opportunity for students to improve their problem solving skills. Such improvement will help students to succeed in their selected career paths. I use classroom chalkboard while I am deriving any equations and solving any quantitative problems, as it will provide enough time for students to think and understand what I am teaching. At other times, I use PowerPoint visuals for teaching course material as it will improve the students focus.

I frequently quiz students during every class to know how well students are interacting with the class material. If I find out students are finding difficult to understand my course material, I will analyze the problem and try to overcome it as soon as possible. Additionally, I will not hesitate to ask advice from the department faculty to improve my teaching. I will consider remarks made by students in their evaluation forms and I will put effort to improve my quality of teaching if needed. I try to understand classroom dynamics in a few weeks after the beginning of a semester and I will adjust my pace accordingly that majority of students in the class will follow my lectures.