Center for Energy and
Environmental Sustainability
Overview of the center
Raghava R. Kommalapati, PhD, PE, BCEE
Director and PI
Interim Dept. Head of Civil & Environmental Eng.
EAB Meeting, April 3, 2012
8/7/2012
EAB Meeting 1
CREST Program Mission
CREST makes resources available to
enhance the research capabilities of
minority-serving institutions through the
establishment of centers that effectively
integrate education and research. CREST
promotes the development of new
knowledge, enhancements of the
research productivity of individual
faculty, and an expanded diverse student
presence in STEM disciplines.
Source: CREST Program Solicitation
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Goals of the Center
Overarching goals of the Center are:
1.
2.
3.
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Research focus on transitional and transformative
technologies for global energy solutions
Develop new national and international partnerships
to form collaborative teams of researchers in three
major areas: Biofuel Productions, Wind Energy, and
Energy and the Environment
Lead the development of “Energy
Engineering Minor” and graduate
a level energy focus at PVAMU
EAB Meeting 3
Center Scope
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Objectives
• Significantly increase productivity in energy
research
• Establish energy research infrastructure (both
shared laboratory facilities and technical
support personnel)
• Increase connections and collaborations
among PVAMU energy research programs
• Strengthen current research collaborations
and build new collaborations
• Provide national visibility for CEES
• Provide well-rounded postdoctoral
experiences
• Integrate CEES research into the curriculum
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Research Need
• The Energy Policy Act of 2005 set a new
imperative for the energy future of this
country
• The act highlighted the needs for further
development of wind, solar, geothermal,
biofuels, wave and tidal power, clean
coal, nuclear and other sources
• Explicit need for improved efficiency and
conservation
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US Energy Supply and Demand for 2009
Current U.S. energy supply is 83% fossil fuels;
demand is broadly distributed among the major sectors
Energy demand
Energy supply
Nuclear
9%
Renewable
8%
Industrial
30%
Petroleum
37%
Coal
21%
Transportation
29%
Electricity –
Industrial
10%
Electricity –
Commercial
15%
Natural Gas
25%
U.S. primary energy consumption
quadrillion Btu per year
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Industrial
(non‐electric)
20%
Electricity –
Residential
15%
Residential &
Commercial
(non‐electric)
11%
Residential & Commercial
42% 7
EAB Meeting 2009 total U.S. energy use
= 94.6 quadrillion Btu Source: EIA Annual Energy Review 2009
Energy Outlook
Shares of total U.S. energy
U.S. primary energy consumption
quadrillion Btu per year
History
Projections
2009
Renewables (excluding liquid biofuels)
125
100
75
10%
7%
Coal
21%
25%
Natural gas
50
24%
3%
1%
25
21%
37%
Liquid biofuels
Oil and other liquid fuels
9%
33%
8%
Nuclear
0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
Renewables grow rapidly, but under current policies fossil fuels still
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8
provide
78% of U.S. energy use EAB Meeting in 2035
Source: EIA, Annual Energy Outlook 2011
CEES Research Team
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EAB Meeting 9
CEES Personnel
• Biofuels:
Ananda Amarasekara, Chemistry
– Lignocellulosic Biomass Hydrolysis (Co-PI and Group
Lead)
Paul Biney, Mechanical Engineering
– Biofuels Pyrolysis (Co-PI and Technical Coordinator)
Michael Gyamerah, Chemical Engineering
– Bioprocess Engineering, Biofuels from Biochemical
Processes
• Collaborators
–
–
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Dr. Robert C. Brown, Iowa State University
Dr. Clyde Munster, Texas A&M University
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CEES Personnel
• Wind Energy:
Ziaul Huque, Mechanical Engineering
– Computational Fluid Dynamics, Design of Turbine
Blades (Co-PI and Group Lead)
Donald Harby, Mechanical Engineering
– Design Optimization, Mechanical Testing and
Stress Analysis
• Collaborators
• Dr. Steve Barson – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
• Dr. Andy Swift – Former Director, Wind Science
and Engineering Research Center, Texas Tech
Univ.
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CEES Personnel
• Energy & Environment:
Raghava Kommalapati, Civil & Environ. Eng.
– Environmental Impacts, Photochemical Modeling (Director, PI
and Group Lead)
Sukesh Aghara, Chemical Engineering
– Nuclear Engineering & Radiological Risk Assessment
– Withdrew from Center Effective March 1, 2012
Latha Vasudevan, Adjunct, Chemical Eng.
– Promoted to an administrative Position at Texas A&M and not
available
• Collaborators
– David Allen, University of Texas, Austin
– Dr. Venkatesh Udamaneni - Texas A&M University, Kingsville.
– Drs. Pavel Tsvetkov & Karen Vierow - Texas A&M University
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CEES Personnel
• Education and Outreach:
Felecia M. Nave, Chemical Engineering,
– Assoc. Provost &Assoc. VP for Academic Affairs
– NSF Education Research Project, HBCU-UP
Kelvin K. Kirby, Electrical Engineering
– NSF STEM Enhancement (HBCU-UP)
– NASA – CRESSE
Raghava R. Kommalapati, Civil & Env. Eng.
– Summer Transportation Institute since 2000
All research team members
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Collaborators
Organization/Institution
Contact/Collaborator
Type of collaboration
CREST Center for Energy and
Sustainability
California State Los Angeles
Crist Khachikian
Collaborative research on biofuels combustion,
combustion products from biofuels,
Grad student exchange, co-advising, Co-host – CREST
Center Annual Conference
CREST Center for Research on
Environmental Sustainability for
semi Arid Coast Areas (RESSAC)
at TAMU Kingsville
Venkatesh Uddameri
Collaboration research on atmospheric modeling,
environmental impact of combustion products, Grad
student exchanges, co-advising, Co-host – CREST
Center Annual Conference
Rocketdyne
(a Division of Pratt & Whitney)
Steven Barson
CFD simulations with wind turbine blades, Student
internship and faculty practicum.
CPS Energy
Ron Brown, Sepulveda Arthur Job Shadow, Invited speaker to seminar series,
internships and job placements
South Texas Project
Will Jump
Job Shadow, Invited projects and student technical
mentoring, Invited speakers to seminar series,
internships and job placements
Texas A&M University
Pavel Tsvetkov and Karen
Vierow (Dept. of Nuclear
Eng.) Christine
Economides
EAB Meeting (Dept. of Chem. Eng.)
Will provide direct assistance an three projects in E&E
and will serve as co-advisor. Christine, PI an two NSF
proposals related to Energy will serve
14 as an advisor to
the Center and also provide internship opportunity
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Collaborators
Organization/Institution
Contact/Collaborator
Type of collaboration
Energy Tribune, Inc.
NSF HBCU RISE
Michael Economides
Provost’s office
Internship, faculty interactions
Minority student engagement in research in STEM field
NSF LSAMP
Dean’s Office
Minority student engagement in research and prepare them for graduate studies
NASA CRESSE R. Wilkins
Joint Recruitment efforts, share graduate student mentoring programs.
Nuclear Power Institute
Dr. Lee Peddicord
Research contacts for nuclear power industry. Also help with outreach to community college and universities for nuclear power
Iowa State University
Robert Brown
Conversion of biomass to bio‐oil, and bio‐oil upgrading, assistance with laboratory development, internship, and PHD program
University of Texas at Austin
Dr. David Allen
Student Exchange, technical assistance in utilizing the existing atmospheric models
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Organizational Structure
External Advisory Board
Internal Steering Committee
Director Dr. Raghava Kommalapati, PE, BCEE
External Assessment
J. Kelly
Program Coordinator/ Admin. Assistant
Lab Technician Technical Coordinator
Dr. Paul Biney
Biofuels
Group Leader
Dr. A. Amarasekara
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Wind Energy
Group Leader
Dr. Z. Huque EAB Meeting Energy & Environment
Group Leader
Dr. R. Kommalapati
Education & Outreach
(K‐12 & Teachers &
Recruitment & Outreach)
16
Role of External Advisory Board
• Consist of Representatives from academic
institutions, industry, national labs and governmental
agencies.
• Provide guidance and Advice
• Review Center Activities and Progress to meet its
vision, goals and objectives
• Make suggestions for possible new strategies or
directions.
• Provide feedback on the needs of the Center’s
stakeholders
• Function as the champions of the center, helping to
increase national visibility
• Working to connect the center with potential
collaborators and stakeholders in academia, industry
and national labs.
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EAB Meeting 17
External Advisory Board
Chair
•
Dr. Kalliat T. Valsaraj, Associate Vice-Chancellor of Research and
Economic Development. Louisiana State University
Members
Dr. Akwasi Boateng, Lead Scientist, Bioenergy and Energy
Alternatives National Program, US Department of Agriculture
• Dr. John Pappas, Vestas Director, Wind Energy Center and Associate
Director, Energy Engineering Institute, Texas A&M University
• Dr. Robert Shepard, Executive Director, Science and Engineering
Alliance
• Dr. Munir Sindhir, Director, Engineering Technical Disciplines, Pratt &
Whitney Rocketdyne
• Dr. Bala Subramaniam, Director, Center for Environmentally
Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC), University of Kansas
• Dr. Timothy Valentine, Director Radiation Safety Information
Computational Center (RSICC),
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EAB Meeting Oak Ridge National Laboratory
18
•
Internal Steering Committee
Chair
• Dr. Willie Trotty, VP for Research and Dean of Graduate School
Members
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dr. E. Joahanne Thomas-Smith, Provost & Sr. VP for Acad. Affairs
Dr. Corey S. Bradford, Sr VP for Business Affairs
Dr. Kendall T. Harris, Dean, Roy. G. Perry College of Engineering
Dr. Danny R. Kelly, Dean, Brailsford College of Arts and Sciences
Dr. Munir Quddus, Dean, College of Business
Dr. Ikhlas Sabouni, Dean, School of Architecture
Dr. Irvine W. Osborne-Lee, Department Head, Chemical Eng.
Dr. Aderemi Oki, Department Head, Chemistry and Physics
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EAB Meeting 19
Integrated Approach
• Our vision is to build a multi-disciplinary
education and research community
around CEES that will provide research
experiences, multi-level mentoring and a
host of professional development
experiences to undergraduate and
graduate students participating in the
Energy Engineering program.
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Energy Engineering Learning
Community
• The Learning Community will incorporate:
– linked, interdisciplinary courses
• through the Energy Engineering minor
– professional development and social activities
• colloquia and seminar series with nationally known
invited speakers
• brown bag lunch series for graduate students
– research experiences
• Multi-level research groups, interdisciplinary miniprojects, internship opportunities
• formal and informal mentoring
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Lab Development
 Development of three major laboratory facilities:
• Biofuels process laboratory;
• Wind turbine testing laboratory and
• Environmental laboratory.
 These facilities, although established primarily
for research, will also be used for training and
outreach demonstration experiments.
 Several Ongoing Lab development activities are
used to leverage equipment for the CEES
• Title III Grant for Civil & Environmental Eng Lab
development (Kommalapati)
• Other sources
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Sustainability
 Many functions of CEES will be
institutionalized, including the Energy
Engineering curricula and new laboratories
developed under NSF CREST funding
 The enhanced research programs,
personnel, infrastructure and collaborations
developed through CEES will enable PVAMU
to compete more effectively for external
research funding and continue Center
activities
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Biofuels Research
 Thermochemical processing of biomass into
bio-oil production through fast pyrolysis
Biochemical processing of biomass into
ethanol through catalytic hydrolysis of
lignocellulose using ionic liquids followed by
fermentation
Bio-oil upgrading into transportation fuels.
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Wind Energy Research
 Determine the optimum design of wind turbine
blades by applying multi-objective techniques
with surrogate models
Major sub tasks
1. Improve understanding of the complex flow field
around wind turbine blades and determine the
relevant aerodynamic loads on the blades using
primarily CFD.
2. Perform structural analysis of the turbine blades
using Finite Element Method (FEM).
3. Study fluid-structure interaction.
4. Develop surrogate models and perform multiobjective optimization of the rotor blades using
surrogate models.
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Energy &Environment Research
 Sustainable Nuclear Energy (SNE) through radiological
safety, spent fuel management and advanced reactors
 Photochemical Modeling (PCM) of Emissions Control
Scenarios to investigate effects on air quality of the
various energy technologies under study by CEES
 Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of Greenhouse Gas
Emissions from conventional (fossil fuels), nuclear, and
renewable (biofuels, wind) energy technologies.
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Student Papers & Presentations
• 12 (5 oral and 7 poster) presentations at the
upcoming TAMU-K CREST center Conference in
April 2012
• Biofuels
– 2 Peer Reviewed Publications
– 4 Undergrad Student Posters
• Wind Energy
– 1 Peer Reviewed Publication and 3 under review
– 5 undergrad student posters and 1 oral presentation
– 2 International Conference presentations
• Energy and Environment
– 4 undergrad student posters
– 4 grad student poster/Presentations
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Other Activities
• Center Team Visited with Texas A&M- Kingsville
to develop collaborations Specifically on Air
Quality Modeling and Wind energy Areas
• Made invited guest presentations at 3 different
engineering institutions in India (November
2011)
• Participated in CEE Industry Advisory Council
Luncheon with Energy Theme on March 27, 2012
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