Florida International University is responding to the global shift toward increased energy security and cleaner air by building the infrastructure and acquiring the talent necessary to create an applied research program focused on the development and distribution of fossil and renewable energy resources. The Applied Research Center is spearheading research and technology development focused on biomass conversion to energy, fuels, and chemicals and on hydrogen production and fuel cell development.
Capabilities
- Oil and gas exploration and resource planning
- Hydrocarbon handling
- CO2-based enhanced hydrocarbon recovery and CO2 sequestration
- Energy sector regulatory frameworks
- Biomass gasification
- Biomass thermo-chemical conversion to fuels and chemicals
- Combustion kinetics and efficiency
- Hydrogen production and new materials for storage
- Fuel cell testing
- Fuel cell membrane and catalyst development
- Electrochemistry
Hydrogen Production from Renewable Resources.
Biomass is a plentiful renewable source of energy that can support sustainable development. Through research supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Applied Research Center is assessing the quality, quantity, and conversion potential of biomass resources in Florida for local hydrogen production. Hydrogen can serve both as a traditional fuel in internal combustion engines and as a fuel in fuel cell stacks for power generation. Using traditional and advanced surveying systems, including geographic information systems (GIS), and performing technology evaluations, the Center is studying the technical and economic feasibility of biomass conversion to hydrogen. For example, NASA could realize considerable cost savings and environmental benefits by locating sources of hydrogen fuel close to the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral.
Center for Energy and Technology of the Americas (CETA)
CETA is a DOE-funded Program at FIU's Applied Research
Center. Its goals are to promote and facilitate (1)
the development of renewable and fossil energy sources
in the Western Hemisphere; (2) close collaboration
in energy generation, conservation, and efficiency
in the Americas. The program is currently assessing
the potential of Caribbean Basin Countries to utilize
their natural resouces for renewbale energy generation.
We evaluate the wind, solar, and biofuels capabilities
of the Caribbean region and identify commercial US
technologies that can satisfy the growing power demand
in our hemisphere, while reducing dependence on imported
oil.
More information about the CETA program can be
found at: http://ceta.fiu.edu
Fuel Cell Technology.
Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity and heat with high efficiency and very little pollution. Hence, fuel cell technology is viewed as a key component of a hydrogen-based economy. Pursuing both stationary and mobile fuel cell applications, the Center has a multifaceted Fuel Cell Laboratory for researching novel electrode-electrolyte systems, studying transport phenomena and catalyst performance, and evaluating fuel cell stacks for the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). Using standardized testing with state-of-the-art instrumentation, the Applied Research Center provides clients with comparative data on the performance, operational characteristics, and durability of commercial and developmental fuel cells.
Clean and Efficient Combustion.
The Center’s Advanced Combustion Laboratory supports fundamental and applied advanced research aimed at developing clean and efficient combustion systems. Its major capabilities include development of laser diagnostic and measurement techniques for better understanding of fuel-mixing and combustion processes involving renewable and fossil gas, liquid, and solid fuels. Current and recent research conducted in this laboratory includes the study of co-combustion of coal and biomass to reduce emissions, gasification of biomass for hydrogen production, and, more recently, studies in supersonic combustion in aircraft on behalf of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Energy Efficiency in Thermal and Flow Systems.
High-performance computational modeling and simulations, combined with experimental studies conducted in the Center’s Solidification, Laser Doppler Anemometry, and Multiphase Flow laboratories, are expanding the understanding of phase change, heat transfer, thermal management, and flow of liquids, gases, and slurries. The knowledge gained has many engineering applications for the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Navy, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the petrochemical industry, such as the design of efficient heating and cooling systems for residential and industrial use, development of aircraft turbines for more efficient energy use and safer aircraft design, and improved efficiency of fuel transport through pipelines. The Applied Research Center is also performing cutting-edge research in gas and liquid microchannel flows for micropropulsion systems and the advancement of nanotechnology and microsatellite applications.
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