Global Sustainability Initiative at Purdue Jay P. Gore

Vincent P. Reilly Professor and Director of Energy Center in Discovery Park

Presented at the CCTR Advisory Panel Meeting December 3, 2009

Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Abstract

The Global Sustainability Initiative at Purdue explores the intersection space between energy,

environment and climate change, socioeconomics and policy, and education. We focus primarily on

research and discovery but connect with delivery through technology transfer relationships. We

recognize that Agriculture, Consumer and Family Sciences, Engineering, Liberal Arts, Management,

Science, and Technology must work in synergy to address the global grand challenge of sustainability.

We conduct research in advanced combustion, fuel synthesis, building materials, information

technology applications for energy savings, ground and air vehicle transportation efficiencies, smart grid,

and the impact of nano, bio and informational sciences on addressing the energy grand challenge. We

humbly recognize that the world have recognized sustainability as a grand challenge and seek to make

Purdue’s modest contributions to addressing this challenge. We recognize that collaborations across

continents and hemispheres are vital.

Humanity’s Top Grand Challenges for Next 50 YearsModified from Nobel Laureate Richard Smalley: 1943-2005

1. ENERGY

2. WATER

3. FOOD

4. ENVIRONMENT

5. POVERTY

6. TERRORISM & WAR

7. DISEASE

8. EDUCATION

9. DEMOCRACY

10. POPULATION

2004 6.5 Billion People

2050 ~ 10 Billion People

Purdue Climate Change Research Center

• Chartered in 2004 to create a world-class

multidisciplinary research center focused on

interrelated aspects of climate change, its

impacts, and mitigation

– Over $15M in grants awarded

– More than 50 faculty from 5 colleges and 13

departments

– Nationally recognized Hestia Project is a

featured research program

“Hestia” Program at Purdue

Quantify greenhouse gas emissions:

• at the smallest relevant scale, coast to coast

• with complete process drivers

• in a rich, photorealistic, virtual environment

• for science, policy, industry, public

Vulcan

The Hestia vision

Pre-Vulcan

Climate Change: A Challenge to Sustainable Energy

Slide modified from original by: Kevin Gurney, Purdue

Center for the Environment

• Established August 2005

– Over $20M in grants awarded

– More than 150 faculty from 31 departments, 10

colleges, and 3 Purdue campuses

– Launched the Ecological Sciences &

Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate Program;

currently enrollment 23 PhD and MS students

– A broad based approach to environmental

challenges

Sustainability of Environment: Land and Water

Assessing Environmental Costs and Benefits

Impact of biofuel cropping systems on soil, water, and air quality

Carbon sequestration potential of agricultural and forest lands

Mimicking Ecological Systems for Energy Production

Using an industrial ecology approach to enhance economic and environmental performance of the coal to liquid fuels process including flexible feed stock optimization

Ecological Sciences & Engineering Interdisciplinary

Graduate Program

Preparing new scientists and engineers for careers in sustainable energy generation through education and research experiences that integrate engineering, science, and ecology conceptsSlide Courtesy Linda Lee, Professor of Agronomy

Energy Center in Discovery Park

• Established August 2005

– Over $44M in grants awarded

– ~200 researchers from 9 colleges and 34

departments system-wide and some across the

State

– 5 companies launched by EC affiliated faculty:

NanoG LLC, AlGalCo LLC, GreenTech America

Inc., Mascoma, and Sorian Wind***

– A comprehensive, portfolio approach to the

energy challenge

***Hot off the press.

Purdue Global Sustainable Energy ApproachTransportation Fuels as an Example Energy Consumption Sector

Similar sustainable approaches to manufacturing, commercial, residential, IT, and other

Energy demands can be constructed and analyzed with a sustainable systems approach.

Bindley Biosciences

Center, Ag, Science:

X-ray crystallography,

Cell wall genomics,

Microbial genomics.

Center for Coal Tech.

Res., Chemical Eng.,

Chemistry, Mech. Eng.,

Geology.

Birck Nanotechnology

Center, Solar Energy

Utilization Laboratory;

Wind Turbine Blades

Prognostic and

Diagnostics;

School of Nuclear

Engineering.

Center for Research Energy Systems and

Policy (CRESP- IU, Purdue collaboration.

Chemical Eng., Industrial

Engineering.

NSF ERC in Hydraulic Power-

UMN lead, UIUC, Purdue.

Rolls Royce UTRC,

USAF alternate fuels,

USDOD fuels MURI.

GM Hydrogen Lab.;

Cummins Power Train

Lab.; Cummins Chair

Professorship.

Agrawal et al., PNAS.

Purdue University Student Energy Clubs

Purdue Energy Club | Boiler Green initiative | Purdue Solar Racing

Engineers for a Sustainable World

https://globalhub.org/groups/eswpurdue

Partnering with the State of

IndianaCenter for Coal Technology Research (CCTR)

CCTR is an Indiana state agency located in Purdue’s

Energy Center at Discovery Park, whose legislated

objective is to promote the use of Indiana coal in an

economically and environmentally sound manner.

State Utility Forecasting Group (SUFG)

SUFG has been in existence since 1985 when the

Indiana Regulatory Commission (IURC) (see Indiana

Code 8-1-8.5). SUFG provides IURC with analysis of

various energy related issues, including annual demand

forecasts, impact of policy proposals, electricity related

infrastructure needs, and an annual study of renewable

energy resources.

More Details at: http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/CCTR/

http://www.purdue.edu/dp/energy/SUFG/

Green Buildings: Architectural Engineering at Purdue

• Collaboration of Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering/

Consumer & Family Sciences and College of Technology

• Multidisciplinary Research Topics Include:

– Design of energy-efficient buildings

• Residential/commercial/office/industrial

– Improve building energy performance/operation

• HVAC systems

• Building envelope and facades

• Lighting and day-lighting

– Indoor environment and human comfort

– Sustainable and green technologies

– Renewable energy systems (solar/wind)

– Building energy modeling/simulation

Hydrogen Systems

A new, safe, scalable,

on-demand, economically

viable technology to make

hydrogen using aluminum.

Boranes: a great way to

store Hydrogen

High-pressure mixed metal hydrides

Greg

Shaver (ME)

Engine modeling

& control, alt.

fuels

Monika Ivantysynova (ME)Fluid power; hydraulic hybrids

Steve

Pekarek (ECE)

Motor & generator

design, power

electronics

John

Starkey (ME)

Powertrain &

CVT design

Andrew Hsu (ME)Fuel cell technology & H2 generation

Yaobin Chen (ECE)Modeling & control of adv. vehicle systems

Jian

Xie (ME)

Nano and energy

materials for

electrical storage

& conversion

Rongrong Chen (ME)Novel catalysts for fuel cells

Advanced Research in Hybrid and

Alternative-Fuel Vehicles

Goals:

1. Reduce dependence on foreign oil,

2. reduce emissions & fuel consumption,

3. provide consumers flexible fuel options ,

4. develop next generation of engineers

Approach:

Complimentary, multi-disciplinary teaming between

IUPUI, PUWL, and industry partners

• All energy comes from the Sun or the core of the Earth

• Solar economy challenges are in the manufacturing,

efficiency, cost, reliability, and capacity arenas

• Multiband gap, Painted solar cells, Solar Thermal, and

Bio-solar initiatives are active at Purdue

Selected Topics from Agrawal, Hillhouse, et al (Chemical Engineering)

New Low-Cost 2nd Generation Thin Film Solar Cells: Fabrication Technology

based on Nanocrystal Inks

1. Guo, Agrawal, Hillhouse, “Rapid Synthesis of Ternary Chalcogenide

Nanoparticles,” USPTO No. 60/801,963 (2007).

2. Guo, Kim, Kar, Shafarman, Birkmire, Stach, Agrawal, Hillhouse, “Development of a

CuInSe2 Nanocrystal Ink for Low-Cost Solar Cells,” Submitted (2007).

©2008 R. Agrawal & H.W. Hillhouse

High band gap top cell in multi-

junction stack needed to achieve

50% (the DARPA target

efficiency)

SOA: 4 different

non-tandem cells

gives 43% efficiency

with 20 x optical

concentration

High Efficiency GaP Solar Cells: the Key to a 50%

Multi-junction Solar Cell Concentrator System Efficiency

• InGaN does not work

• InGaAlP Voc only 1.5V

New rules:

• no dichroic mirrors

• stack is optically in

series and electrically

in parallel

GaP:• could add 17% to

SOA eff., Voc=1.85 V

• PU GaP: Voc=1.56 V

(world’s record) Slide Courtesy Jerry Woodall, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Wind Turbines (Sorian - just launched)

- $9B and 5,244 MW of wind turbines installed in US in 2007.

- Accounted for 30% of all new energy resources.

- Maintenance costs are as high as $80k for 650 kW turbine.

- “80%” of blade failures occur prior to installation.

- Noise is an issue, even for very large, low speed turbines

Composite blade test facility:

Embedded sensors in development;

ultimate goal is to “fly” the blades,

predict failures and maximize uptime

Pattern re-cognition technology

applied to planetary gearbox to

monitor health and predict

failure mode

Magnetic Fusion (ITER) work at Purdue

Be first wall

Carbon high

heat flux

plates

W domes

Plasma-Material Inter.

–Material response under

plasma instabilities

–Tritium behavior in walls

–MHD effects

Surface effects

–Mixed-material models

predictions

–Eroded material migration

from wall to diverter

PRIME Experiments

–Mixed-materials testing in

IMPACT (benchmark

surface codes) and

multiple-beam experiments

–High-heat flux materials

testing (benchmark

HEIGHTS)

–Liquid metal behavior

Center for Materials Under

Extreme Environment Team

• System Level Analysis

– Plant Energy System

– Energy Supply Chain

– National Energy System

– World Energy System

• Identify high-leverage research opportunities

• Inform policy making process

Global Energy Economics and Policy

A Conservative Conservation Conversation

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Energy Frontier Research Center

Center for the Catalytic Conversion

of Biomass to Bioenergy (C3Bio)

• $15.1 million from US DOE

• PI: Maureen McCann, Biological Sciences,

• Co-PI: Mahdi Abu Omar, Chemistry

• Participants from Purdue Colleges of Agriculture,

Engineering, and Science

• Partners Include NREL, University of Tennessee,

and Argonne National Laboratory

PRISM: Center for Prediction of

Reliability, Integrity and Survivability

of Microsystems

• Jayathi Murthy, Mechanical Engineering

• US DOE

• $17 million

Spray & Combustion of

Gelled Hypergolic Propellants

• Stephen Heister, AAE

• Army Research Office

• $6.25 million

NSF IGERT: The Solar Economy

• Rakesh Agrawal, Chemical Engineering

• National Science Foundation

• $3.1 million

Purdue Hydrogen Technologies

Program

• Jay Gore, Mechanical Engineering

• US DOE

• $2.0 million

Further Improvement of the Robust

Recombinant Saccharomyces

• Nancy Ho, Chemical Engineering

• USDOE

• $5 million

Experimental Studies of Coal and

Biomass Fuel Synthesis

• Rakesh Agrawal, Chemical Engineering

• Air Force Office Of Scientific Research

• $1 million

• Define the Space

• Execute Mutually Beneficial Research Projects

• Establish Education Roadmap

NEXT STEPS:

Launch Global Sustainability Initiative

with C4E, Energy Center and PCCRC as

initial partners