Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Domenic Santavicca and Advanced Power Generation
In the Fall 2006 edition of The IRON, we highlighted the economic development efforts at The Navy Yard in Philadelphia. In that article, we mentioned the initiative of creating a Center for Advanced Power Generation (CAPG), an initiative that Dr. Dom Santavicca is moving forward.
Santavicca, Director of the CAPG, is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State. According to Santavicca, “Electric power represents approximately 40% of the energy consumed in the United States and as such is an area of strategic national importance. Since greater than 50% of electric power is produced from coal, and Pennsylvania is ranked 8th in coal reserves, power generation is an area of significant economic importance to the Commonwealth.”
The development of future power generation systems is being driven by several well-known factors including increased demand, the need for cleaner fuels, concerns over global warming and the need for reduced dependence on foreign energy sources. These demands will be met through a mix of zero-carbon power generation technologies including renewable power, nuclear power and advanced coal-based power systems. The CAPG brings together researchers in coal gasification, air separation, gas cleanup, CO2 capture, CO2 sequestration, advanced combustion systems, advanced turbine cooling, high temperature materials and coatings, probabilistic design and communication-information technologies.
The CAPG facilitates collaborative efforts involving Penn State, industry and government in support of the national effort to develop and commercialize zero-carbon power generation technologies. The technology focus of the CAPG is the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) advanced power generation system. The IGCC power plant employs coal gasification, CO2 capture and CO2 sequestration technology integrated with combined cycle electricity generation, and when successfully developed will be the world’s first zero emissions fossil fuel power plant.
The Center will be co-located at Penn State University Park and The Navy Yard in Philadelphia. The R & D activities at the University Park campus will initially be based on a number of on-going projects in the areas of high temperature materials and coatings, aero-thermal heat transfer, hydrogen combustion, high temperature analysis and design, CO2 capture, advanced modeling and health monitoring. The objective of this research is to obtain fundamental understanding of critical processes which affect the performance of IGCC power generation systems. This research will complement activities that are planned for The Navy Yard, which involve the study and testing of full-scale IGCC components operating at realistic operating conditions. The first facilities to be built at The Navy Yard include a full-scale coal gasifier test rig and single nozzle combustor test rig. It is expected that these facilities will be operational by the end of 2009.
Industry involvement is critical to the success of the CAPG. The relationship between the Center and companies involved in the field of advanced power generation will take many forms including funded research, writing joint proposals, identifying critical research needs, internships and co-ops for Penn State students, continuing education programs for company employees, identifying small business-large business teaming opportunities, and recruiting graduating students to work in the advanced power generation field.
There are already a number of companies in the advanced power generation field that are working with Center faculty who will be the Center’s first industrial partners. These companies include GE Energy, Pratt & Whitney, Siemens Power Generation and Solar Turbines. It is expected that more than $1,000,000 in research funding will be provided by these companies during 2007. One of the primary objectives for 2007 is to expand the number of companies that are involved with the Center, creating new members and research sponsors. Upcoming events include the 2007-2008 CAPG Seminar Series which begins in September 2007, and the 1st Annual CAPG Symposium tentatively scheduled for April 2008. Visit the Center’s website at www.capg.psu.edu for updated details.