U.S. Department of Energy Selects Florida International University as Winner in Innovative Fossil Energy Research Competition

WASHINGTON, DC— The Department of Energy has selected Florida International University as one of four institutions chosen in an annual competition for fossil energy research ideas from the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Other Minority Institutions (HBCU/OMI).  The Department of Energy will provide $199,234 to Florida International.

Students and faculty from the chosen universities will investigate projects dealing with computational energy sciences, material sciences, and sensors and controls for use in fossil fuel power systems.

“I want to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition, and thank them for their hard work,” said Charles McConnell, Chief Operating Officer of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy. “Identifying the next generation of leaders and innovators is one of the keys to strengthening our economy and creating the clean energy jobs of tomorrow.”

The proposed work at Florida International will develop an accurate drag correlation for gas-solid multiphase flow with clustered particles in fluidized beds using experimental testing and direct numerical simulations (DNS). The experiments will involve utilization of high-speed imaging to capture instantaneous solid volume fraction and particle velocities.  The Project will last 36 months.

Established in 1984, the HBCU/OMI program was designed to encourage cooperative fossil energy research and development projects between HBCU/OMI  and federal agencies. Carried out by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) under DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, the program gives minority students valuable hands-on experience in developing technologies to promote the efficient and environmentally safe use of fossil fuels.

NETL issued the funding opportunity announcement in November 2010, beginning a new year of collaborative efforts between faculty-student teams and the federal government to develop and execute innovative research ideas.

The remaining selected projects follow.

Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala.—The objective is to address effects of particle rotation in gas-solid flows with the following specific aims: (1) direct impact of particle rotation on the average particle-fluid drag force of a particle suspension at various Reynolds numbers; (2) indirect impact of particle rotation on the drag force through the change in the particle concentration distribution, or the microstructure of a flow; and (3) role of particle rotation in energy dissipation of a particle-fluid system. The Department of Energy will provide $200,000 to Tuskegee.  The  project will last 36 months.

Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.— This project is an integrated method combining high-performance computer (HPC) simulation and experimental validation in material sciences to study the elastic constants, interface bonding, high-temperature microstructures, melting points, diffusion coefficients, and oxidation resistance of the proposed bond coat and top coat of niobium-based alloys. The Department of Energy will provide $200,000 to Southern.  The project  will last 24 months.

University of Texas, El Paso, El Paso, Texas— The objective of the proposed work is to investigate and deliver high-temperature oxygen sensors based on pure and doped gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) nanostructures operating at 800 °C and above in a corrosive atmosphere. The experimental approaches and methods are specifically designated to address the issues and technical barriers related to the growth, microstructure-property relationship, and sensor performance evaluation of Ga₂O₃-based oxygen sensors. The Department of Energy will provide $200,000 to University of Texas, El Paso.  The project will last 36 months.

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