Edited by Mary C. Gannon,
Senior associate editor
University of Minnesota Professor Perry Li, CCEFP Deputy Co-Director, has been awarded a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a “Novel Compressed Air Approach for Off-Shore Wind Energy Storage.” The four-year, $2 million award is made through the Emerging Frontier in Research and Innovation (EFRI) and the Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) programs.
In addition to Li, the investigators of the research are Terry Simon (Co-PI) at the University of Minnesota, Eric Loth at the University of Virginia, James Van de Ven at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Oakland, Calif. based industry partner, Lightsail Energy.
The research proposes to develop a localized method for storing off-shore wind energy in high-pressure compressed air vessels before conversion to electricity.In addition to allowingthe storage of wind energy during periods of low demand, the concept will achieve load leveling so that components can be downsized for average, rather than peak, power.
The concept uses the comparative advantages of hydraulics and pneumatics in an “Open Accumulator” architecture and an isothermal air compressor/expander design.The interdisciplinary research involves fluid flow, heat transfer, machine design, and systems control.
In other news, five of the eight papers recognized as “outstanding” at the 6th annual FPNI PhD symposium at Purdue University were funded or associated projects of the Center, including:
• Aaron Enes (Georgia Tech), “Toward Shared Control of Hydraulic Excavators,”
• Richard Klop (Purdue University), “Validation of a Coupled Pump-Motor-Line Model to Predict Noise Sources of Hydraulic Transmissions,”
• Jonathan Meyer (University of Minnesota), “Energy Management Strategy for a Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicle Using Stochastic Dynamic Programming,”
• Christopher Williamson (Purdue University), “Stability and Motion Control of Inertial Loads with Displacement Controlled Hydraulic Actuators,” and
• Joshua Zimmermann (Purdue University), “Reduction of Engine and Cooling Power by Displacement Control.”
For more information, visit www.ccefp.org.
AEM plans off-road conference
“Critical Ignition” is the theme of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ 2010 annual conference of member companies, slated for Nov. 7-9, at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country in San Antonio.
Leadership, innovation, politics, the transatlantic economy, global regulatory issues, customer service, energy opportunities, and sustainable development are on the program agenda. Panel discussions on construction and agriculture, with a focus on geographic areas and rental patterns, will highlight changing trends and offer new growth strategies.
Key speakers will include Douglas Oberhelman, CEO and chairman-elect of Caterpillar Inc.; Dr. J. Don Brock, chairman and CEO of Astec Industries; Dr. Georg Sick, president and CEO of Wacker Neuson; and Peter Holt, a fourth-generation leader of the HOLT CAT dealership.
The association will conduct its Annual Business Meeting during the conference, with election of directors, recognition of longtime “milestone member” companies, and progress reports on AEM’s business-development and advocacy programs that benefit members and the industry.
Visit www.aem.org/education/conferences/annual/ for details and registration information.
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