Research
Current Research
- Thermochemical Conversion of Forestry Thinnings
- Students: Brian Polagye and Boyd Fackler
- Faculty: Philip Malte and Kevin Hodgson
- Dates: Ongoing since September 2003
- Current Sponsor: Royalty Research Fund
- Description: Wildfire in northwest forest poses and significant economic and ecological threat. Improved fire-supression and fire-fighting for the past hundred years has led to a significant build-up of ladder fuels within the forest. Removing these fuels by "thinning" is an attractive approach, but no market exists for these "thinnings" in commercial markets. This study is intended to ascertain if thermochemical upgrading of thinnings might have reasonable economics. Experiments focus on advanced techniques for atomizing pyrolysis oil, which is essential for clean combustion of the oil or the refining of the oil to higher-value fuels.
- Renewable Energy for National Parks
- Current Students: Boyd Fackler and Adam Lewis
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: Ongoing since September 1998
- Current Sponor: UNPEPP
- Description: Energy projects for the National Park Service (NPS) have been conducted since 1998. These have involved solar PV for Crater Lake and North Cascades National Park, alternative fuels and renewable energy for the tour boats at Crater Lake National Park, and building energy conservation for Hawaii Volcanoes and North Cascades National Parks. Recently a 50 kW PV generator augmented by micro-hydro has been designed for Kipahula at Haleakala National Park. Current study is focused on renewable energy for Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Whidbey Island, WA.
- In-stream Tidal Turbine Application
- Current Student: Brian Polagye
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: Ongoing since September 2005
- Current Sponors: Public and private sponsors
- Description: Tidal in-stream energy is an exciting emerging renewable generation option which extracts kinetic energy from fast moving tidal currents. The industry is evolving rapidly, and closely resembles the state of the wind industry in the early 1980's. Research focuses on numercial models of (1) turbines to model wake interactions between individual units and (2) estuaries to explore the implications of large-scale kinetic energy extraction.
Recent Research
- Low-Emission Combustion for Gas Turbines
- Students: Several, including most recently Igor Novosselov and Gwenn Heyer<
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: 1993-2006
- Description: Laboratory and modeling studies are conducted to help gain an improved understanding of combustion and pollutant suppression in power generation gas turbine engines. The focus is on lean-premixed combustion. The laboratory studies involve the use of jet-stirred reactors, at both atmospheric and elevated pressures, for characterizing NOx formation for natural gas and other fuels of interest to the gas turbine industry. Modeling involves the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and chemical reactor networks (CRN) to gain additional insight and develop predictive capability for exhaust emissions. An 8-step global chemical kinetic mechanism has been developed and tested for methane combustion with NOx formation in high-pressure, lean-premixed combustion. The mechanism is extendable to higher order fuels, and runs in both CFD and large-element CRNs. Since 1990, a number of students have received MSME and PhD degrees through the research on low-emission combustion for gas turbines. In addition to the industrial sponsorship, the USDOE supported the research.
- Studies on Emissions Control for Wood-Dust Combustion
- Students: Igor Novosselov, Mark Parish, Teodora Rutar Shuman, David Nicol, and Frank Scharfe
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: 1995-2005
- Description: Starting in 1995, under industrial sponsorship, the Laboratory undertook research on emission control for wood-dust combustion. Field burner emissions data were studied and used to develop simple correlations for NOx emissions as a function of the fuel-bound nitrogen content of the wood, the fuel-air ratio staging, and the percentage of natural gas used. Then, a laboratory wood-dust combustor was built and operated, and data were collected on NOx and CO emissions as a function of the combustion and fuel conditions. Additionally, a chemical kinetic mechanism was assembled for wood-dust combustion with NOx formation, and run in chemical reactor schemes for the burners. During 2000-2003, the USDOE provided funding to examine the wood-dust combustors using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and chemical reactor networks (CRN). Results from the CFD modeling of a cyclonic wood-dust combustor are found in a report to the DOE and in the thesis of Dr. Novosselov.
- Vashon Island Energy Sustainability
- Students: Eron Jacobson, Anna Henson, and Brian Polagye
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: 2004-2006
- Sponors: Vulcan, Inc. and Insitute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE)
- Description: Systems study to determine the best route for bringing Vashon Island, located in Puget Sound, to energy sustainability. Considerations included resource availability, energy economics, policy, and social implications. Systems-level design of low wind speed turbine farm, seasonal thermal sotrage for greenhouses, and biomass resource opportunities.
- Prevaporizing and Premixing Injectors for Gas Turbines and Fuel-Cell
Reformers
- Students: John C. Y. Lee, Steve Campbell, Ryan Edwards, Andrew Campbell Lee, and Andrew C. S. Lee
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: 1997-2003
- Description: A staged prevaporizing-premixing injector (SPP) was developed and patented. This uses two levels of air temperature, and can be used to obtain low-emission combustion of liquid fuels. The development was sponsored by industry and government. The laboratory-scale SPP was coupled to a jet-stirred reactor and used to characterize NOx emissions as a function of fuel type for lean-premixed combustion. Additionally, a systems analysis was conducted on the integration of the SPP into power generation gas turbine combined cycles. During 2000-2002, the USDOE provided funding to further characterize the SPP, using laser diagnostics, and to further examine the SPP for gas turbine application. Also, during 2000-2002, the Washington Technology Center and industry provided funding to develop a prevaporizing-premixing injector for steam-diesel use in fuel cell reformers.
- Related Publications:
Undergraduate Research
- Concentrating Solar Dish
- Students: David Anthony, Boyd Fackler, Jacob Goss, Beren McKay, Nate Miller, and Mikhail Vayner
- Faculty: Philip Malte
- Dates: Summer 2003 - Spring 2004
- Sponor: Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Description: Design, fabrication, and testing of tracking solar concentrator (parabolic dish) coupled to stirling engine.
- Additional Information:
By: B. Polagye