Making Biofuel A Costeffective, Renewable Source of Energy
公司规模
Large Corporate
地区
- America
国家
- United States
产品
- COMSOL Multiphysics®
技术栈
- High-Performance Computing (HPC)
- COMSOL Multiphysics®
- Intel® Xeon® Ivy Bridge processors
实施规模
- Pilot projects
影响指标
- Cost Savings
- Environmental Impact Reduction
- Innovation Output
技术
- 分析与建模 - 数字孪生/模拟
- 分析与建模 - 预测分析
- 分析与建模 - 实时分析
适用行业
- 可再生能源
- 运输
适用功能
- 流程制造
- 产品研发
用例
- 数字孪生
- 质量预测分析
- 过程控制与优化
服务
- 软件设计与工程服务
- 系统集成
关于客户
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a leading research institution focused on advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, NREL conducts cutting-edge research in various fields, including biofuels, solar energy, wind energy, and energy systems integration. The laboratory collaborates with industry, government, and academia to develop innovative solutions that address the world's energy challenges. NREL's research in biofuels aims to make renewable energy sources more cost-effective and competitive with traditional fossil fuels, contributing to a sustainable energy future.
挑战
The production process of biofuels from plant-based materials poses significant economic barriers to widespread use. Despite the benefits of biofuels being renewable, clean-burning, and carbon-neutral, their availability is limited, particularly for vehicle use. As of 2014, only 2% of retail fueling stations in the U.S. offered ethanol-based fuel E85. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) aims to overcome these barriers by gaining a better understanding of the physical processes behind biofuel conversion. Supported by the Computational Pyrolysis Consortium, NREL is developing computational models that accurately represent biomass particle geometry to improve reactor design and operation for mass production of biofuel.
解决方案
NREL researchers are using multiphysics simulation to optimize the biofuel conversion process, specifically focusing on fast pyrolysis, a thermochemical process that breaks down biomass particles at high temperatures. By developing a model in COMSOL Multiphysics® that takes into account the internal microstructure of biomass particles, the team aims to improve heat and mass transfer during pyrolysis. This involves characterizing the external morphology and internal microstructure of biomass using imaging methods and generating 3D models for simulation. The simulations, run on a high-performance computing (HPC) cluster, evaluate heat transfer and mass transport in biomass particles, providing insights into optimizing biofuel production processes.
运营影响
数量效益
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