University of Michigan researchers have won two of 10 recently awarded Department of Energy (DoE) grants that support research on the advanced turbines that are expected to help future power plants supply clean, low-cost electricity.
The awards, which will support approximately $1.2 million in research at the U-M, come through DoE's Office of Fossil Energy – University Turbine Systems Research (UTSR) program, which seeks to develop technologies for use in a new generation of turbines that operate cleanly and efficiently using fuels derived from coal and containing high amounts of hydrogen.
"The Department of Energy is committed to advancing cutting-edge research and development into promising technologies that can help America meet its energy needs, remain competitive in the energy (economy) of tomorrow, and create jobs here in America," said Charles McConnell, chief operating officer of DoE's fossil energy programs. "Projects like this are critical to ensuring the future of clean energy technology right here in America."
Led by Aerospace Engineering Professor Matthias Ihme, a Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute (MMPEI) fellow, the first U-M project will explore the mechanisms that control the burning of high hydrogen fuels. The second project – under the director of Margaret Wooldridge, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering as well as an MMPEI fellow – explores the combustion properties relevant to the operation of gas turbines. DoE's U-M grants total $954,539. The University will match this amount with $251,560.
According to DoE, the USTR program draws on university "talent, expertise, and research and modeling capabilities to further advance fundamental gas turbine technology development in the areas of hydrogen combustion, high temperature materials, heat transfer, and aerodynamics.
Other universities receiving funding through the program include the University of Texas, the University of California–Irvine, Purdue University, Ohio State University, the University of Connecticut, the University of North Dakota, Tennessee Technological University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
Read the DoE release for further information on the USTR program. For further information, contact MMPEI's Paul Gargaro at 734-615-5678 or pgargaro@umich.edu.