Alternative Technologies
Building a Reservoir Proxy Model to Predict Dynamic CO2 Storage Performance in Saline Aquifers
CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is a key technology to decarbonise carbon-intensive industries. As the final destination of CCS, storage performance needs to be fully understood. Variation in reservoir properties and injection development strategies affect the storage capacity. As there are various scenarios, accurate and reliable tools such as reservoir simulation are needed. However, reservoir simulation requires a lot of time and resources. Thus, proxy models are developed to substitute reservoir simulation with a shorter runtime. This research aims to create a variable rate proxy model with reservoir multi-realisations that can accurately predict reservoir performance in short time.
Supervisors:
- Dr Ji-Quan Shi, Department of Earth Science & Engineering
- Professor Sevket Durucan, Department of Earth Science & Engineering
- Professor Anna Korre, Department of Earth Science & Engineering
Low Temperature Photoluminescence on NFAs Materials for Organic Solar Photovoltaic Cells
In recent years, bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (BHJ OPV) have been breaking world-record power conversion efficiencies (PCE) with the advent of Non-Fullerene Acceptors (NFA). Despite the advantages brought by these NFA materials, they have also introduced a potential energy loss pathway that comes from the higher likelihood of non-radiative recombination occurring at the acceptor material itself. In this project, this potential loss pathway is explored by studying the temperature-dependent photoluminescence on eight popular NFA materials. Their experimentally measured emission spectra were used to reverse engineer and uncover the NFA material's underlying electronic state properties.
Supervisors:
- Professor Jenny Nelson, Department of Physics
- Dr Flurin Eisner, Department of Physics
Offshore wind and SOEC based Power-to-X (P2X) production optimisation
Demand for hydrogen is expected to increase markedly in the future, particularly in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize. Green Hydrogen, the hydrogen produced using electricity from renewable energy and electrolyser known as Power-to-X (P2X) technology, has been attracting attention, with not a few controversies around the cost and technical challenges. This research focuses on producing Green Hydrogen using offshore wind and Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) and proposes the optimized system capacity and configuration, electric power connection, heat management, and operation strategies from technical and economic perspectives.
Supervisors:
- Anthony Wang, CTO, ETFuels
- Dr Catalina Pino-Munoz, Earth Science & Engineering
Techno-Economic Analysis of Geothermal Power to Green Ammonia Production in Indonesia
Ammonia is an important component in the fertiliser industry which produce a portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. The production of ammonia using renewable energy sources has been investigated in some countries since 2016, but no study has been conducted on the utilisation of geothermal power. Star Energy Geothermal Salak, Ltd., as one of the biggest geothermal producers in Indonesia, has a huge opportunity to start producing green ammonia utilising their produced process water and electricity. This research will conduct a techno-economic analysis of ammonia production using geothermal power and identify appropriate wastewater disposal methods during the hydrogen production process.
Supervisors:
- Anthony Wang, CTO, ETFuels
- Dr Catalina A. Pino-Munoz, Department of Earth Science & Engineering
Next-generation Concentrated Solar Photovoltaic-thermal Technologies for Zero Carbon Power and Heat
Concentrated solar photovoltaic-thermal (CPVT) technologies have drawn increasing attention recently. The conventional design is to place a thermal absorber at the rear side of the solar cell, which leads to high operating temperature and consequently reduces the electrical efficiency. This study investigates spectral-splitting-based CPVT collectors using COMSOL Multiphysics. Several liquid materials are chosen to control the wavelength window and spectral irradiance that reach the PV surface. Thermal and electrical generation could be divided into two parallel processes, enabling engineers to utilize high-quality thermal energy without causing adverse effects on the solar cells.
Supervisors:
- Professor Christos Markides, Chemical Engineering
- Dr Chandan Pandey, Chemical Engineering
Solar organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems for domestic applications
The solar ORC system demonstrates compatibility with solar energy harvesting, making it a promising technology. However, higher electricity production costs pose challenges. Recent reports from IRENA indicate declining costs for solar thermal systems with increased capacity. This project analyzes the techno-economic competitiveness of solar-ORC compared to solar PV. Through system optimization and consideration of realistic weather conditions, valuable insights will be gained for selecting suitable configurations, components, and working fluids, facilitating market penetration in domestic applications.
Supervisors:
- Dr Jian Song, Chemical Engineering
- Professor Christos N.Markides, Chemical Engineering