Federal and Not-for-Profit Grant Projects
The Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center is engaged in a variety of projects with our federal and non-profit partners partners, including The U.S Department of Energy, National Grid Ventures, and NYSERDA
View our federal and non-profit grant projects below:
Principal Investigator: Dr. David Hwang (SBU) This project aims to improve the laser chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process as
a promising route to the production of high-quality SiC feedstocks and, thereby, high-quality
SiC wafers. This work is in collaboration with Free Form Fibers (FFF), a small business
located in Saratoga Springs, New York, in response to the U.S. Department of Energy's
(DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Critical Materials
Accelerator. AERTC/SBU leverage existing laboratory facilities, equipment, and expertise
to conduct experiments designed to raise the technical readiness of the FFF's process. Principal Investigator: Dr. Peter Donnelly (SBU) The Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC), in partnership with the
Center for Integrated Electric Energy Systems (CIEES), proposes to design and fabricate
a modular platform for conducting research related to the generation of green hydrogen
and development of novel applications. The proposed system will provide a flexible,
lab-scale platform for evaluating a wide range of technologies including wind energy
generation, solar power, electrolyzing technology, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, battery
storage, sustainable fuel combustion, and process integration. This system will address
the need for university researchers and industry experts to have access to a facility
that can deliver green hydrogen. These capabilities will enable new hydrogen technology
research, development of emerging products, and performance optimization for system
configuration. The lab-scale system will be designed to integrate with the existing
research facilities and equipment located at AERTC. New state of the art components
will include one or more small scale wind turbines, an electrolyzer, hydrogen storage,
and SCADA system. Multiple connection points, and space, will be provided for connection
of ancillary equipment as part of separately funded research projects. This system will serve as a flexible testbed for research and development of various
combinations of technologies to optimize the generation, storage and use of hydrogen
as an energy carrier, carbon free chemical and fuel. Through collaborative projects
with AERTC and CIEES, both start-up and established companies can gain access to the
equipment. Research associated with this system will accelerate the inception and
development of products and services offered by existing and future companies, ultimately
creating significant economic benefit for NY State. Principal Investigator: Dr. Dimitris Assanis (SBU) The goal of this project is for the Advanced Combustion and Energy Systems (ACES)
Laboratory to assist National Grid Ventures (NGV) in their evaluation of the Mainspring
Energy novel architecture, linear free piston alternator for power generation using
hydrogen. PI Assanis and the ACES laboratory will draw on their extensive combustion
performance and emission characterization knowledge base to assist NGV in the deployment,
instrumentation, characterization, and analysis of this novel reactor system. Specifically
ACES laboratory will develop a portable, standalone National Instruments based Data
Acquisition System (DAQ) (hardware and software interface) to non-invasively monitor
key thermodynamic quantities (system temperatures, system pressures, power generation,
etc.) as well as key input and out stream flow rates and compositional constituents.
Of key interest on the input flow stream will be non-invasive measurement of incoming
airflow as well as volumetric flow rate of hydrogen fuel supplied to the unit. Additionally,
the output stream will be non-invasively monitored for emissions characterization
and evaluated for acceptable limit compliance using continuous emissions monitoring
equipment that will be recorded in a synchronized time-resolved manner with the SBU
developed DAQ system. Specific species including unburned hydrogen (H2), nitrogen
oxide (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N2O) will be evaluated. N2O is of significant recent
interest as it has a long-life span (>100 years) in the atmosphere and also has a
very high global warming potential (GWP) that is 273 times that of CO2 for a 100-year
timescale. The Mainspring Energy reactor is expected to produce near zero NOx (0-5ppm)
during operation. A 0-5ppm/ high range ppb ambient analyzer will be procured to measure
the company-stated single digit NOx species. Additionally, a HORIBA HyEVO unit has
been selected for unburned hydrogen concentration measurements, HORIBA VA5000 analyzers
and sample conditioners have been selected for in-line measurements of O2, N2O, NO,
NH3. Traditional CO2, CO, and unburned CH4 (GWP that is 25-30 times that of CO2 for
a 100-year time scale) will also be measured to deterministically show that the 100%
hydrogen linear generator differs from traditional architecture/design fossil fuel
counterparts as it produces zero carbon-based emissions. This project is a real-world validation of the emissions and performance of Mainspring’s
linear generator operating on 100% hydrogen fuel in a commercial deployment, with
the goal of validating that linear generator are a viable alternative to fuel cells
for early hydrogen-fueled emissions-free peaking capacity.
Funding Source: US Department of Energy and Free Form Fibers LLC
Funding Source: US Department of EnergyCommercial Application/Potential
Funding Source: NYSERDA / National Grid Ventures
Commercial Application/Potential