The importance of sustainable energy generation from renewable sources that minimizes environmental impact is now globally recognized, and is a national priority. This project focuses on fundamental scientific understanding of reacting gas-solid flows that is needed to overcome technological barriers for the successful development of one such renewable energy source, namely, the production of biofuels. Predictive computational models of biomass fast pyrolysis are needed for large-scale production of biofuel using fluidized-bed reactors. State-of-the-art computational codes for fluidized-bed reactors use simplistic models for average reaction rates as well as heat and mass transfer correlations developed in the late 1970s, which recent research reveals are problematic. To address this shortcoming, high-fidelity direct numerical simulations will be used in this project to gain fundamental understanding of reacting gas-solid flow. This fundamental understanding will result in physics-based models that will be implemented into a popular open-source multi-fluid code MFIX. The improved and validated model for reacting gas-solid flow can be used by industry to evaluate and optimize fluidized-bed reactors for fast pyrolysis of biomass. These improvements will also result in more accurate simulation of fluidized beds for chemical looping combustion and CO2 capture using dry sorbents. The PI has coordinated a successful recruitment and retention program entitled Women in Mechanical Engineering, and both PIs will continue ongoing efforts to train graduate and undergraduate women and minority students as part of this research project.
