Proposal Number: 1430001 P.I.: Eric G. Eddings
This workshop is targeted to identify high-priority specific research objectives that can be pursued significantly better by collaborative U.S. - China research teams than by U.S. researchers and China researchers working separately without U.S. - China collaboration. In this workshop, U.S. and China researchers will define high-priority research objectives on combustion related to sustainable energy and identify related collaborative research project areas that are potentially fundable jointly by the U.S. NSF and the China NSF. The workshop is designed for broad and in-depth discussions of challenges, opportunities, and collaborations in critical areas of combustion related to sustainable energy. Participants from each country are leading/active scholars in the general area of combustion (which includes combustion, gasification, pyrolysis and related thermal processes). The workshop will include the following 4 themes: 1) global climate change considerations, such as reducing the emissions of greenhouse gas emissions through carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), and switching to lower carbon or more carbon-neutral fuels; 2) sustainable fuel supply, which includes a transition to more renewable resources, but also new fossil-based resources (e.g. shale gas) and new approaches for using fossil resources in a more climate-friendly manner; 3) other environmental impacts beyond climate change (Hg, NOx, SOx, PM2.5, air toxics emission, solid/liquid waste streams); and 4) energy efficiency considerations, which would impact each of the 3 previous items. China and the US are the top two generators of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion. Consequently, US-China collaboration on combustion and sustainable energy are essential for addressing a variety of global energy-related challenges, ranging from sustainable fuel supply to air quality, solid waste management and global warming. The participants will gain a broader perspective on global combustion and sustainable energy challenges, which they can incorporate into their teaching and research programs. The workshop will develop a network of collaborators well versed in key energy research questions for each of the participant countries. In addition, one US graduate student from an under-represented group will participate in the meeting, allowing her to broaden her perspective on US-China sustainable energy challenges, global collaboration, and promising future research directions. Finally, the proposed project will disseminate the workshop's results and key findings through a final report that will be provided to the U.S. NSF as a key deliverable and which will also be made available on the website for the Institute of Clean and Secure Energy at the University of Utah. This award is co-funded by the Global Venture Fund (GVF) of NSF's International Science and Engineering section (ISE) as well as the CBET division of NSF's Engineering Directorate.
Intellectual Merit The workshop’s results and key findings were published in a final report, and it led to the development of a NSF solicitation, NSF14-102. The workshop’s key findings are also being submitted for publication in Combustion Science and Technology. This workshop was a forum where key researchers from the U.S. and China identified critical needs in combustion research, with an emphasis on three themes: Fundamental mechanisms related to combustion and carbon (CO2) capture technologies, such as oxy-fuel combustion processes and chemical looping combustion Fundamental mechanisms for gasification including coal, biomass, and coal/biomass mixtures. Increased understanding of fundamental combustion reaction mechanisms for pollutant emissions (e.g., particulates, NOx), with efforts focused on reduction of such emissions from combustion systems (e.g., coal, internal combustion engines) Broader Impacts The US and China have the world’s largest economies and are the largest producers of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel combustion. Combustion processes provide over 80% of the energy for electricity generation in these two countries. In addition to useful energy, combustion also results in pollution, such as soot, which contributes to poor visibility and numerous adverse health effects. Combustion also generates greenhouse gases (e.g., CO2) that drive global warming and climate change. Fundamental research is needed to decrease the adverse environmental impacts of combustion processes. Consequently, US-China collaboration on combustion and sustainable energy are essential for addressing a variety of global energy-related challenges, ranging from sustainable fuel supply to air quality, solid waste management and global warming. The workshop participants gained a broader perspective on global combustion and sustainable energy challenges, which they are incorporating into their teaching and research programs. The workshop also fostered the development of a network of collaborators well versed in key energy research questions for each of the participant countries. This was demonstrated by the number of US-China joint proposals in response to NSF14-102. In addition, one US graduate student from an under-represented group, Kerry Kelly, participated in the meeting, allowing her to broaden her perspective on US-China sustainable energy challenges, improve her professional network to include global collaborators, and help her develop future research directions. After the meeting, she was invited back to China to visit North China Electric Power University, which further fostered her network of potential collaborators. Finally, she is co-authoring the contribution to Combustion Science and Technology.
