Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Tarka, Thomas.
This poster for Foundations of Computer Aided Process Design (FOCAPD 2024) outlines how process systems engineering (PSE) ideas can be applied to critical mineral processing. Specifically, the poster focuses on how PSE can enhance process intensification with membranes to accelerate the development of a circular economy for critical minerals.
Critical minerals are essential to the future of clean energy, especially energy storage, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. In this paper, we argue that process systems engineering (PSE) paradigms provide essential frameworks for enhancing the sustainability and efficiency of critical mineral processing pathways. As a concrete example, we review challenges and opportu-nities across material-to-infrastructure scales for process intensification (PI) with membranes. Within critical mineral processing, there is a need to reduce environmental impact, especially con-cerning chemical reagent usage. Feed concentrations and product demand variability require flex-ible, intensified processes. Further, unique feedstocks require unique processes (i.e., no one-size-fits-all recycling or refining system exists). Membrane materials span a vast design space that allows significant optimization. Therefore, there is a need to rapidly identify the best opportunities for membrane implementation, thus informing materials optimization with process and infrastructure scale performance targets. Finally, scale-up must be accelerated and de-risked across the materials-to-process levels to fully realize the opportunity presented by membranes, thereby fostering the development of a circular economy for critical minerals. Tackling these challenges requires integrating efforts across diverse disciplines. We advocate for a holistic molecular-to-systems perspective for fully realizing PI with membranes to address sustainability challenges in critical mineral processing. The opportunities for PI with membranes are excellent applications for emerging research in machine learning, data science, automation, and optimization.
Resource Sustainability Project Review Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, October 25-27, 2022
The Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)—with the Allegheny County Airport Authority (which manages PIT)—has established itself as a leader in resiliency by becoming the first major United States (U.S.) airport to have a self-sustaining microgrid, providing electricity, heating, and cooling for airport operations. The microgrid is powered by natural gas and solar power produced on the airport property and was completed in Summer 2021. This study examines the feasibility of producing jet fuel at the airport to provide a secure supply of aviation fuel, furthering PIT’s ability to weather supply disruptions and operate self-sufficiently. Gas-to-liquids (GTL) is a commercially available technology that converts natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons, including synthetic jet fuel. A GTL facility at PIT could convert natural gas from onsite wells to jet fuel, effectively doubling the onsite fuel stores in the event of a supply disruption. Moreover, GTL provides a pathway to renewable jet fuel production and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the aviation sector, particularly if renewable natural gas (RNG) is used as a feedstock or other renewable energy sources are used for energy inputs. This study has found that it would be technically feasible to construct and operate a GTL facility on PIT’s property. The approximately 6,000-barrel per day (BPD) facility evaluated would produce nearly 70 million (MM) gallons (gal) of synthetic jet fuel per year, which could supplant nearly all (85 percent) current jet fuel consumption at PIT. Given the current blend limitation of 50 percent Fischer-Tropsch fuels by volume, the plant would have excess production capacity available for the United States Air Force (USAF) Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station and the USAF 171st Air Refueling Wing co-located at the airport.
The workshop identified how modeling and analysis can be used for energy system design, optimization, and planning to help identify opportunities to enhance the performance and potential of current and future energy systems, with a specific focus on integrated, hybrid energy systems. Comprehensive understanding of these systems requires models at different scales (from market to grid to process system to energy device). As discussed within the context of three detailed case studies, there is a need to develop useful datasets for a variety of purposes and to extend and connect existing models and analysis tools across scales and across domains to address the challenges associated with developing technologies to enable the integrated energy systems of the future.
This report was developed by a team of national laboratory analysts over the period October 2015 to May 2016 and is part of a series of studies that provide background material to inform development of the second installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER 1.2). The report focuses specifically on U.S. power sector generation. The report limits itself to the generation sector and does not address in detail parallel issues in electricity end use, transmission and distribution, markets and policy design, and other important segments. The report lists 15 key findings about energy system needs of the future.
Presented by NETL at Energy, Utility, & Environment Conference 2016, 02/16