GOALI: Collaborative Research: Energy harvesting nanorods-enhanced MEMS temperature-insensitive gas sensor for combustion monitoring and control

ECCS-1508711, Zhang, Haifeng, University of North Texas

ECCS-1508139, Wang, Guoan, Univ. of South Carolina

ECCS-1508862, Zuo, Lei, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Title:

GOALI: Collaborative Research: Energy harvesting temperature-insensitive nanorods-enhanced MEMS gas sensor for combustion monitoring and control

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Brief description of project Goals: Solve critical challenges of combustion gas sensing in harsh environments for in-situ monitoring and real-time control of gas turbines

Abstract:

a) Nontechnical Abstract:

The Energy Information Administration estimates that 67% of energy generated in the U.S.is from the fossil fuels including coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The combustion of fossil fuels accounts for 80% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 in the United States and produces other air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and ammonia (NH3). Advanced gas sensors for in situ monitoring and real-time control of combustion dynamics are urgently needed for implementation of high-efficiency and low-emission combustion technologies. In this GOALI project, three universities will collaborate with General Electric, Inc. (GE) to investigate a novel self-powered piezoelectric MEMS gas sensor, which can detect gas concentrations of key emission gas species such as NOx, CO, and NH3 in harsh gas turbine environments. The self-powered MEMS gas sensing system will realize the rapid detection and quantification of gas species in high temperatures and thus revolutionize combustion processes, enabling in situ monitoring and close-loop feedback control in gas turbines. The proposed gas sensing technology will also have broader applications such as emission control of vehicles, sensing and control of coal-fired power plants, and monitoring of chemical production, metal cast and glass manufacturing processes. The interaction between the universities and the world's leading turbine engine manufacturer GE will guide the fundamental research to solve a critical industry need, and enable accelerated implementation of the developed knowledge to generate immediate industry impacts. This project also will significantly benefit three universities through new course development, research mentoring for graduates, undergraduate education, opportunities for minorities and women, and K12 student outreach.

b) Technical Abstract:

The objective of this GOALI proposal is to investigate a novel self-powered wireless nanorods-enhanced MEMS sensor to detect key combustion gases NOx, CO, CO2, and NH3 in harsh gas turbine environments with high temperature, high pressure, and large vibration conditions. Three academic PIs with diverse backgrounds team up together with industry leader GE, conducting fundamental research in gas sensing, energy harvesting, and MEMS fabrication to solve an industry-wide urgent challenge in combustion monitoring for energy efficiency and environment protection. The research objective is achieved through three innovations. The first is to design a temperature-insensitive piezoelectric MEMS resonator for gas sensing in high temperature harsh environment. The second is to fabricate the MEMS resonator and grow ZnO nanorods on the top of the resonator, which is used to selectively attract the gas molecules and to subsequently cause the frequency shifts of the MEMS resonator. The third is to design an energy harvester to harness the intrinsic heat of the gas turbine engine to provide an unlimited and reliable power source for the ZnO-based resonant sensor and wireless transceiver.