NSF Org: |
CBET Div Of Chem, Bioeng, Env, & Transp Sys |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | January 29, 2016 |
Latest Amendment Date: | July 18, 2016 |
Award Number: | 1552037 |
Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
Program Manager: |
Carole Read
cread@nsf.gov (703)292-2418 CBET Div Of Chem, Bioeng, Env, & Transp Sys ENG Directorate For Engineering |
Start Date: | February 1, 2016 |
End Date: | January 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $513,121.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $519,121.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
600 SUFFOLK ST STE 212 LOWELL MA US 01854-3624 (978)934-4170 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
Lowell MA US 01854-2827 |
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | EchemS-Electrochemical Systems |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): |
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Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.041 |
ABSTRACT
The production of fuels and chemicals by sustainable processes is one of key technological challenges of the 21st century. Carbon dioxide gas generated by power generation or industrial processes is a potential source of carbon for fuels and chemicals production. However, carbon dioxide is not very reactive, and no viable technologies for its conversion into fuels and chemicals presently exist. The goal of this product is to convert carbon dioxide and water to fuels and chemical using plasma-enhanced solar energy. In the proposed process, solar energy heats the carbon dioxide gas to the high temperatures needed to increase its reactivity. The heated gas is then converted into plasma, also known as an electrically charged gas, using electrical energy. It is reasoned that the plasma state of the gas will enhance the rate of carbon dioxide conversion. The process is potentially sustainable and has a low carbon footprint because it uses waste carbon dioxide and abundant solar energy, where electricity needed to generate the plasma is provided by solar photovoltaic cells. The project will also develop instructional carts for demonstrating energy and sustainability topics inspired by this research to a broad audience that includes Hispanic K-12 students in the Lowell, Massachusetts area.
The overall goal of the proposed research is to develop a fundamental understanding of a new process for synthesis of chemical and fuels from carbon dioxide and water using concentrated solar energy to drive the reaction thermochemistry and non-equilibrium plasma to enhance the chemical reaction kinetics. Plasma-Enhanced Solar Energy (PESE) combines solar thermochemistry and plasma science principles. The project will experimentally and computationally investigate PESE for carbon dioxide, water, and methane decomposition and reforming. The research will test the hypothesis that the molecular excitation produced by free electrons in plasmas increases solar photon absorption leading to enhanced chemical reaction kinetics. Towards this end, the proposed research will seek to understand non-equilibrium energy transport phenomena characteristic of free electron and photon systems, with particular focus on processes with comparable photon and electron energy fluxes. To support the research plan, new reactor systems equipped with solar energy receivers and non-equilibrium electrical discharge capability to flowing gas will be developed and characterized. Reactor experiments spanning the ratio of solar to electrical energy inputs will be performed at scalable process conditions. New fluid flow and chemical kinetics models for non-equilibrium energy transport will be derived and experimentally validated. The research outcomes seek to reveal the specific pathways of energy conversion during PESE processing and quantify the efficacy of plasma enhancement. Additionally, the research outcomes are relevant to other fields where electron and photon transport have essential roles, such as laser materials processing, semiconductor manufacturing, and combustion enhancement. The educational goal of the project is to engage students, from middle school to graduate level, on global energy sustainability topics. To enable the proposed education program, interactive demonstration carts for the modular teaching and learning of energy engineering & sustainability will be developed and assessed.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The use of renewable energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into higher-value products can help meet the global demand for fuels and chemicals while reducing CO2 emissions. This project is investigating the novel concept of solar-plasma chemical conversion towards more sustainable and potentially more viable CO2 conversion. Solar-plasma processes combine the advantages of concentrated solar thermochemical methods, which directly use of the most abundant form of renewable energy; and of plasmachemical approaches, which use electricity to generate plasma (partially ionized gas composed of free electrons, atoms, ions, and molecules) for high efficiency and continuous-operation processes.
Solar-plasma chemical conversion processes can be classified by the relative magnitudes of input solar and electric power as either Solar-Enhanced Plasmachemical (SEP) or Plasma-Enhanced Solar thermochemical (PES). In this reporting period, a computational study of a SEP process, specifically Solar-Enhanced Microwave Plasma (SEMP), has been completed. The study complements prior efforts that led to the design, fabrication, characterization, and assessment of a novel SEMP reactor.
The computational study is based on a model comprising the description of fluid flow, heat transfer, energy conservation of free electrons and gas species, radiative transport in participating media, and argon-CO2 chemical kinetics through the discharge tube, together with the description of the microwave electromagnetic field through the waveguide and the discharge tube.
Simulation results revealed that the plasma is concentrated near the location of incident microwave energy, which is aligned with the radiation focal point, and that CO2 decomposition is highest in that region. The incident solar radiation flux leads to more uniform and moderately greater gas and electron temperatures throughout most of the discharge tube. Quantitatively, the results show that the efficiency of CO2 conversion increases from 6% to almost 10% with increasing solar power, in good agreement with previously-reported experimental findings. The enhanced process performance appears to be the consequence of the greater power density of the microwave plasma due to the absorption of solar radiation.
During this reporting period, one journal article summarizing the rationale and progress in solar-plasma chemical conversion has been published, and another article describing the computational study of SEMP CO2 conversion is currently under peer-review. Additionally, results from the project have been reported through three more conference presentations. One more doctoral student working in the project has graduated during this reporting period.
Last Modified: 06/01/2022
Modified by: Juan P Trelles
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