TexasScholarWorks
    • Login
    • Submit
    View Item 
    •   Repository Home
    • UT Communities
    • Cockrell School of Engineering
    • Center for Electromechanics
    • CEM Publications
    • View Item
    • Repository Home
    • UT Communities
    • Cockrell School of Engineering
    • Center for Electromechanics
    • CEM Publications
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Thermodynamic analysis of algal biocrude production

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    PR_537.pdf (12.17Mb)
    Date
    2012-08
    Author
    Beal, C.M.
    Hebner, R.E.
    Webber, M.E.
    Share
     Facebook
     Twitter
     LinkedIn
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Although algal biofuels possess great potential, profitable production is quite challenging. Much of this challenge is rooted in the thermodynamic constraints associated with producing fuels with high energy, low entropy, and high exergy from dispersed materials. In this study, a preliminary thermodynamic analysis is presented that calculates the energy, entropy, and exergy of the intermediate products for algal biocrude production. These values are also used in an initial attempt to characterize the thermodynamic efficiency of that system. The production pathway is simplified by assuming ideal solutions throughout. Results for the energy and exergy efficiencies, and the first-order energy and exergy return on investment, of the system are given. The summary finding is that the first-order energy return on investment in the best case considered could be as high as 520, as compared to 1.7 × 10?3 in the experimental unit under development. While this analysis shows that significant improvement may be possible, the ultimate thermodynamic efficiency of algal biofuels likely lies closer to the moderate case examined here, which yielded a first-order energy return on investment of 10. For perspective, the first-order energy return on investment for oil and gas production has been estimated in the literature to be ?35.
    Department
    Center for Electromechanics
    Subject
    Bioproducts and Bioenergy
    algae
    biofuel
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/2152/30771
    xmlui.dri2xhtml.METS-1.0.item-citation
    C.M. Beal, R.E. Hebner, and M.E. Webber, “Thermodynamic analysis of algal biocrude production,” Energy, June 2012, Vol. 44, pp. 925-943, 2012.
    Collections
    • CEM Publications

    University of Texas at Austin Libraries
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • youtube
    • CONTACT US
    • MAPS & DIRECTIONS
    • JOB OPPORTUNITIES
    • UT Austin Home
    • Emergency Information
    • Site Policies
    • Web Accessibility Policy
    • Web Privacy Policy
    • Adobe Reader
    Subscribe to our NewsletterGive to the Libraries

    © The University of Texas at Austin

     

     

    Browse

    Entire RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsDate IssuedAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDepartmentsThis CollectionDate IssuedAuthorsTitlesSubjectsDepartments

    My Account

    Login

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Information

    About Contact Policies Getting Started Glossary Help FAQs

    University of Texas at Austin Libraries
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • instagram
    • youtube
    • CONTACT US
    • MAPS & DIRECTIONS
    • JOB OPPORTUNITIES
    • UT Austin Home
    • Emergency Information
    • Site Policies
    • Web Accessibility Policy
    • Web Privacy Policy
    • Adobe Reader
    Subscribe to our NewsletterGive to the Libraries

    © The University of Texas at Austin