Publications

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The compressive mechanical response of fine sand is experimentally investigated. The strain rate, initial density, stress state, and moisture level are systematically varied. A Kolsky bar was modified to obtain uniaxial and triaxial compressive response at high strain rates. A controlled loading pulse allows the specimen to acquire stress equilibrium and constant strain-rates. The results show that the compressive response of the fine sand is not sensitive to strain rate under the loading conditions in this study, but significantly dependent on the moisture content, initial density and lateral confinement. Partially saturated sand is more compliant than dry sand. Similar trends were reported in the quasi-static regime for experiments conducted at comparable specimen conditions. The sand becomes stiffer as initial density and/or confinement pressure increases. The sand particle size become smaller after hydrostatic pressure and further smaller after dynamic axial loading.

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Innovative energy system optimization models are deployed to evaluate novel fuel cell system (FCS) operating strategies, not typically pursued by commercial industry. Most FCS today are installed according to a 'business-as-usual' approach: (1) stand-alone (unconnected to district heating networks and low-voltage electricity distribution lines), (2) not load following (not producing output equivalent to the instantaneous electrical or thermal demand of surrounding buildings), (3) employing a fairly fixed heat-to-power ratio (producing heat and electricity in a relatively constant ratio to each other), and (4) producing only electricity and no recoverable heat. By contrast, models discussed here consider novel approaches as well. Novel approaches include (1) networking (connecting FCSs to electrical and/or thermal networks), (2) load following (having FCSs produce only the instantaneous electricity or heat demanded by surrounding buildings), (3) employing a variable heat-to-power ratio (such that FCS can vary the ratio of heat and electricity they produce), (4) co-generation (combining the production of electricity and recoverable heat), (5) permutations of these together, and (6) permutations of these combined with more 'business-as-usual' approaches.

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Progress in algal biofuels has been limited by significant knowledge gaps in algal biology, particularly as they relate to scale-up. To address this we are investigating how culture composition dynamics (light as well as biotic and abiotic stressors) describe key biochemical indicators of algal health: growth rate, photosynthetic electron transport, and lipid production. Our approach combines traditional algal physiology with genomics, bioanalytical spectroscopy, chemical imaging, remote sensing, and computational modeling to provide an improved fundamental understanding of algal cell biology across multiple cultures scales. This work spans investigations from the single-cell level to ensemble measurements of algal cell cultures at the laboratory benchtop to large greenhouse scale (175 gal). We will discuss the advantages of this novel, multidisciplinary strategy and emphasize the importance of developing an integrated toolkit to provide sensitive, selective methods for detecting early fluctuations in algal health, productivity, and population diversity. Progress in several areas will be summarized including identification of spectroscopic signatures for algal culture composition, stress level, and lipid production enabled by non-invasive spectroscopic monitoring of the photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments at the single-cell and bulk-culture scales. Early experiments compare and contrast the well-studied green algae chlamydomonas with two potential production strains of microalgae, nannochloropsis and dunnaliella, under optimal and stressed conditions. This integrated approach has the potential for broad impact on algal biofuels and bioenergy and several of these opportunities will be discussed.

The quantification of the production of primary defects via displacement cascades is an important ingredient in the prediction of the influence of radiation on the performance of electronic components in radiation environments. Molecular dynamics simulations of displacement cascades are performed for GaAs The interatomic interactions are described using a recently proposed Bond Order Potential, and a simple model of electronic stopping is incorporated. The production of point defects is quantified as a function of recoil energy and recoil species. Correlations in the point defects are examined. There are a large number of anti-site defects nearest-neighbor pairs as well as di-vacancies and larger order vacancy clusters. Radiation damage and ion implantation in materials have been studied via molecular dynamics for many years. A significant challenge in these simulations is the detailed identification and quantification of the primary defect production. For the present case of a compound semiconductor, GaAs, there are a larger number of possible point defects compared to elemental materials; two types of vacancies, two types of interstitials and antisite defects. This is further complicated by the fact that, in addition to the formation of point defects, amorphous zones may also be created. The goal of the current work is to quantify the production of primary defects in GaAs due to radiation exposures. This information will be used as part of an effort to predict the influence of radiation environments on the performance of electronic components and circuits. The data provide the initial state for continuum-level analysis of the temporal evolution of defect populations. For this initial state, it is important to know both the number of the various point defects that may be produced as well as the initial spatial correlations between the primary defects. The molecular dynamics simulations employ a recently developed Bond Order Potential (BOP) for GaAs. The analysis of the resulting atomic configurations follows a generalization of methods presented previously for elemental Si. The number of point defects of various types, exclusive of the amorphous zones, is predicted as a function of recoil energy. It is also shown that certain primary point defects are initially formed in binary or larger clusters.