Multiphysics Simulation for Clean Energy Innovation

Multiphysics Simulation Methods for Clean Energy Innovation

Research Synopsis

The ever-growing energy demands, increasingly serious global warming threats, and the eager needs for sustainable economy development of our nation compel us to urgently transit the energy sources from "dirty" fossil fuels such as oil and gas to cleaner, carbon-free energies such as hydrogen (H2). However, the existing hydrogen production technology either is too costly or emits too much greenhouse gas.

In this research initiative, my collaborators and I are committed to expediting the energy transition by optimizing the process and repurposing subsurface petroleum resources for clean hydrogen production. Our objectives are twofold: (1) to comprehend the intricate couplings among EM radiation, heat transfer, fluid flow, and reactant-catalyst interactions during hydrogen generation under microwave/radiofrequency (RF) heating; and (2) to develop a computational tool for optimizing the fossil fuel-to-hydrogen conversion process, aiming for enhanced efficiency, yield, and reduced cost and carbon footprint. In pursuit of these goals, my group has developed a nodal discontinuous Galerkin (NDG) method for modeling and simulating multiphysics problems. This method, based on a novel finite element formulation stable at all frequencies, facilitates accurate representation across various scales.