内容简介：
【简介】 The Energy Institute at Penn State is a leading research and development organization in the broad area of energy science and engineering.
Carbon Materials: Penn State has a rich 50-year history in carbon materials research. Examples of carbon research activities today include:
Catalytic graphitization of anthracite Development of superior binders for carbon Production of carbon black from tar thru steam pyrolysis of bituminous coal Characterization of pre-baked carbon anodes using x-ray computed tomography Effect of inorganic impurities on graphite oxidation Wetting characteristics of binder pitch on petroleum coke in the presence of surfactant additives Catalytic oxidation of carbon/carbon composite materials Automated image analysis of coke and carbon Thermogravimetric analysis of green carbon artifacts Additives for pitch polymerization
Clean Fuels & Catalysis: Current Research Topics includes
Production of advanced thermally-stable jet fuels using petroleum- and coal-based feedstocks Catalytic reforming of natural gas to produce syngas and hydrogen Deep desulfurization of diesel fuels, jet fuels and gasoline for ultra-clean fuels Tri-reforming of natural gas for conversion and utilization of CO2 with flue gas Reforming of liquid hydrocarbon fuels and alcohols for fuel cell applications New catalytic materials for jet fuel processing including deep desulfurization and hydrogenation Chemistry and stabilizers for advanced thermally stable jet fuels for high-Mach aircraft Capture of CO2 from flue gas of power plants Capture of H2S from reformate of hydrocarbon fuels for fuel cell applications Shape-selective catalysis over molecular sieves for value-added organic chemicals Computational analysis of reaction pathways in catalytic processes Computer simulation of molecular dynamics in pore channels of catalytic materials New catalytic materials for fuel and chemical processing and synthesis of organic chemicals Analytical characterization of catalytic materials and fuels Upgrading of coal, heavy oil, resid and coal-based liquid feedstocks to clean fuel
Petroleum & Natural Gas: Examples of research activities include
Characterization of dispersed organic matter to determine a maturation state and hydrocarbon source rock potential Testing of oil field shaped-charge perforators Study of damage to rock permeability by shaped charges Study of loose sand flow into wells Optimize oil recovery in marginal water flood operations Environmental benign drilling and production techniques Optimize hydrodynamics attendant to well drilling Ultra sonic technology for oil well standardization Characterization of fluid viscosity and surface tension Characterization of reservoir grain structure, porosity, and multiphase relative permeability Study of reservoir formation permeability damage using selective extraction and chemical characterization of soluble species and elemental and x-ray diffraction of remaining mineral phases Disposal/ utilization of produced brine water Development of value-added products from Penn-grade crude oil Fluorometric characterization of asphalt
Sustainable Energy
Pennsylvania is a leader in the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies. Recent construction and operation of the Somerset and Mill Run wind farms, utilizing new green building designs in Commonwealth buildings, growing interest in stimulating a biofuel industry, and developing certification programs for installing photovoltaic systems are only a few exciting initiatives currently being undertaken in Pennsylvania.
Thermal & Electrochemical Systems
Research in thermal systems includes the development of fuels and systems for both mobile transportation systems and stationary power plants. Electrochemical systems research is focused on the electrosynthesis of new materials such as metal alloys or the design of new power generation systems such as fuel cells.
