The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment has awarded funding for two research projects through the Addy/ISN North American Low Carbon Emission Energy Self-Sufficiency Fund. The recipients will receive up to $100,000 for a year-long research project. Research topics include energy storage and energy systems analysis related to carbon sequestration.

Lynn Loo

Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Associate Director for External Partnerships, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment

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Michael Celia

Theodora Shelton Pitney Professor of Environmental Studies
Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Eric Larson

Research Engineer, Princeton Environmental Institute
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Design and Cost Analysis of Low-Carbon Transportation Fuel and Electricity Coproduction that Includes Carbon Capture and Storage in Shale Gas Formations

Abstract: This project examines the prospects for CO₂ storage in shale formations as a means for decarbonizing transportation fuels and electricity made from a co-feed of natural gas and renewable biomass.  Shale formations are receiving increased attention not only as sources of natural gas, but also as potential CO₂ storage reservoirs.  CO₂ injection into hydraulically fractured shales is projected to displace adsorbed methane, increasing methane production while storing CO₂.  The Marcellus shale formation alone has an estimated theoretical CO₂storage capacity equivalent to more than 78 times the 2012 level of CO₂ emissions from all U.S. power plants.  However, potential CO₂ injectivity into shales is not well understood.  This interdisciplinary project, spanning CBE, CEE, and PEI, will (i) evaluate the feasibility of CO₂ storage in shale formations by developing predictive models of fluid flow in fractured shales, (ii) extend existing gas and biomass conversion process models to include advanced small modular Fischer-Tropsch reactor technology, and (iii) build an energy systems analysis that evaluates the economic and climate implications of such gas/biomass conversion with CO₂ storage in shale formations accompanying enhanced methane recovery.

Jean-Herve Prevost

Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering

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Craig Arnold

Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Director, Program in Materials Science and Engineering

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Microstructural Modeling of the Mechanical Evolution of Li-ion Batteries

Abstract: The environmental problems associated with high carbon emission from energy generation have stimulated the development of cleaner renewable energy sources for the grid (wind, solar, etc.) as well as cleaner ways to power vehicles.  In both cases, there is a critical need for reliable and economical energy storage with high capacity and long lifetime.  Currently the leading contenders are lithium-ion batteries which provide the highest energy and power per unit mass.  However, the prices of large-scale Li-ion batteries remain too high given their short lifetime.  Therefore, one of the most challenging problems is to increase the batteries life; it would enable a reduction in cost and wider acceptance of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources.  The processes causing batteries degradation are of chemical and mechanical nature. While the former have been extensively studied, the latter attracted much less attention.  During charge/discharge of a battery, the lithium ions intercalate into the particulate electrodes, causing noticeable deformation of the particles.  The overall goal of the current project is to develop a particulate model of a lithium-ion battery electrode and study its mechanical responses to charge and discharge using finite element methods.  We will simulate the rearrangement of the electrode particles and deformation of the electrode as a function of time and the number of charge/discharge cycles.  We will also compute the evolution of void spaces between the particles determining the ion transport in the electrode and therefore the battery performance.  Developing such a model is a step forward towards understanding the mechanical mechanisms of batteries ageing and mitigating them.