WVU researcher focuses on coalApr 7 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
In an effort to keep the lights on for one of the state's major energy exports, one WVU researcher is working on a few different research projects. Xingbo Liu, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, researches ways to better use coal -- which is abundant in the state. One of the projects is working with the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory on a new type of coal power plant. The plant uses fuel cells to capture carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the process. He is also researching a new method that makes connection among fuel cells more efficient. Liu said the DOE is interested in finding out how fuel cells can make coal more efficient. He added that it will allow coal to be part of the country's future energy plan. The researchers have already secured a few patents for the work, Liu said. But, it's still a couple of years before they have a real-world model to put in place. The fuel cells could use coal or natural gas, which are both found in the state, Liu said. Liu is also working on a project to make the country's energy grid more efficient. Recently, Liu became part of a WVU research team that received a $1.3 million grant to work on a new generation of batteries that could help keep the lights on even after natural disasters. Currently, the only way to manage the supply and demand of electricity is by controlling an increase or decrease in generators' production. The batteries would allow the storing of electricity and continuous flow. The research could also create a bridge between fossil fuel and renewable energy sources. Liu said there are slightly more than a dozen people who are part of his research group. They includes faculty, post-doctoral students, and graduate and undergraduate students. He added the students are vital to the research process. "They are the people doing the real work," he said. The students are the ones doing the hands-on research, Liu said. He added that many think education is only occurring in the classroom, but it's also happening with real -world research. http://www.energycentral.com/functional/news/news_detail.cfm?did=28160140 |