Energy and Water

 

One of the focal application areas of AVT.SVT is Energy & Water. We utilize process systems engineering methodologies on modeling, design, operation and analysis of sustainable energy and water systems.

Meeting global challenges like climate change, energy security, or scarcity of water resources requires innovative and sustainable technological solutions. Our research aims at improving fundamental understanding and providing systematic solutions on multiple system-scales of energy and water processes. Some examples of our recent work:

 

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)

Low-temperature heat recovery through ORCs is a promising option for utilization of waste heat and low-temperature renewable heat, e.g., geothermal power plants.

 

Concentrated Solar Thermal (CSP)

Solar energy has the potential to cover the energy needs worldwide. One of the promising technologies is to optically concentrate the solar rays and then use the resulting heat to drive power generation and chemical processes. Our focus has been on optimal design and operation.

 

Water Desalination

Increasing demand for the supply of fresh water throughout the world drives rapid technological developments in seawater desalination. Our research activities in this field include: modeling of eletrodialysis and reverse osmosis processes, optimal flowsheet design of seawater desalination systems, design of solar-driven desalination plants and optimal operation of desalination plants under uncertainties.

 

Energy Supply-Oriented Chemicals Production

Flexible operation of energy intensive chemical processes provides a cost-effective and highly efficient option to balance the fragile energy market caused by large-scale penetration of volatile renewables. Our research activities in this field include: conceptual design of flexible (renewables-driven) chemical production processes and multi-scale hierarchical scheduling and control of chemical productions.

 

Impressions

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Copyright: © Elsevier

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)

Figure 1 A schematic of the hybrid geothermal-solar system

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Copyright: © Elsevier

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)

Figure 1 A schematic of the hybrid geothermal-solar system

Concentrated Solar Thermal (CSP) Copyright: © Elsevier

Concentrated Solar Thermal (CSP)

Figure 2 Optimized configuration of the heliostat field

Water Desalination Copyright: © Elsevier

Water Desalination

Figure 3 Generalized superstructure of thermal desalination processes

Energy Supply-Oriented Chemicals Production Copyright: © John Wiley and Sons

Energy Supply-Oriented Chemicals Production

Figure 4 Superstructure of heat-integration distillation columns with vapor recompression

 

References

  1. Ayub, Mohammad and Mitsos, Alexander and Ghasemi, Hadi. Thermo-economic analysis of a hybrid solar-binary geothermal power plant. Elsevier: Energy, 87:326-335, 2015
  2. Noone, Corey J and Torrilhon, Manuel and Mitsos, Alexander. Heliostat field optimization: A new computationally efficient model and biomimetic layout. Elsevier: Solar Energy, 86(2):792-803, 2012
  3. Dahdah, Tawfiq H and Mitsos, Alexander. Structural optimization of seawater desalination: I. A flexible superstructure and novel MED-MSF configurations. Elsevier: Desalination, 344(2):252-265, 2014
  4. Harwardt, Andreas and Marquardt, Wolfgang. Heat-integrated distillation columns: Vapor recompression or internal heat integration? Wiley Online Library: AIChE Journal, 58(12):3740-3750, 2012