GLOBAL WARMING IN THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING OF THERMODYNAMICS
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Ozer ARNAS, Ph.D., P.E. (I) |
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Objective: Thermodynamics is a fundamental subject that is in every mechanical engineering curriculum if not in all engineering. It is considered to be a required course for all engineering students in the United States since it is an integral part of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination – FEE. As such it should be taught precisely and its ramifications to daily life should be emphasized to create a society of learned people who do understand the issues that relate to energy and its intelligent use. To better appreciate the outcomes of energy use, thermodynamics must be taught with an emphasis on the second law, and particularly in the context of the concept of exergy. Only then will global warming that occurs as a result of power generation can be better understood and appreciated. The second law emphasizes that energy use is taxed by nature and there is nothing we can do about it. However, as engineers we do have options in the use of sources of energy, whether it is fossil, nuclear or renewable. The footprint each leaves behind is different and it is that we should be concerned with and attempt through concerned engineering reduce it. In this session, we will attempt to further discuss these issues to increase awareness of the participants in this important topic through precise Teaching of Thermodynamics. |
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EDUCATION, AWARENESS AND TRAINING ON CLIMATE CHANGE |
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Prof. Walter Leal (BSc, PhD, DSc, DL) |
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Objective: This session will consist of papers which will explore the links between education, awareness and training and climate change. The session will be organized in cooperation with the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCP) and the “International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management”. It will congregate climate experts, educators and university personnel performing activities which aim at fostering awareness on climate change to different groups and audiences. A special focus will be given to pilot and demonstration projects, curricular activities and to research which aim to catalyze a better understanding of global warming, climate change and of the factors which are associated with it. |
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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND GLOBAL WARMING |
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Marc A. Rosen, Ph.D., P.Eng. |
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Biographical Sketch: Marc A. Rosen is a Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Oshawa, Canada. He served as founding dean from of the Faculty from 2002-08. Dr. Rosen became President of the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2008. He served as President of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering from 2002 to 2004, and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario. With over 50 research grants and contracts and 400 technical publications, Dr. Rosen is an active teacher and researcher in thermodynamics, energy technology (including cogeneration, district energy, thermal storage and renewable energy), and the environmental impact of energy and industrial systems. Much of his research has been carried out for industry. Earlier, Dr. Rosen was a professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Industrial Engineering at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. While there, he served as department Chair and Director of the School of Aerospace Engineering. He has also worked for such organizations as Imatra Power Company in Finland, Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, and the Institute for Hydrogen Systems near Toronto. Dr. Rosen has received numerous awards and honours, including an Award of Excellence in Research and Technology Development from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy, the Engineering Institute of Canada’s Smith Medal for achievement in the development of Canada, and the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering’s Angus Medal for outstanding contributions to the management and practice of mechanical engineering. He is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the International Energy Foundation. |
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Special talk: "Energy Sustainability" |
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GLOBAL WARMING: RIVER BASIN ECOLOGY
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Wade Bowers, Ph.D. |
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Biographical Sketch: Wade Bowers is Associate Vice-Principal of Research at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College at Memorial University in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. He is a faculty member of the Environmental Science Unit at Grenfell and the Principal Investigator of the Humber Basin River project, a joint-venture research project established to monitor and assess the long-term ecological health of the Humber River Basin. Research interests include forest entomology, estuarine ecology, biodiversity, and the link between science and policy. As a co-discoverer of novel insect pheromones Dr. Bowers received a patent and a National Merit Award for outstanding scientific contribution. Prior to his tenure at Memorial, Dr. Bowers served as a research scientist and as Science Director, Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service. In 1997-98 he served as the Deputy Coordinator of the Special Program for Developing Countries at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations Secretariat in Vienna, Austria. While at Natural Resources Canada he also served as Coordinator for the CFS Forest Health and Biodiversity networks, Ottawa, Canada. |
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| Objective: This session will consist primarily of papers highlighting research progress under the Humber River Basin project, a joint research initiative underway in Newfoundland, Canada. The session is organized by Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of Memorial University in cooperation with Natural Resources Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The session is intended to report findings, seek input and discuss best practices for future development of the Humber Basin initiative. In particular, it aims to foster collaboration at an international level and build a stronger network of researchers with an interest in basin ecology and related fields. | |
Abstracts and Biographical Information
Humber River Basin Research
Dean Strickland and Wade Bowers1
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University, 1 University Avenue, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada A2H 6P9
1Moderator of HRB session
The Humber River Basin (HRB) project was initiated by Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of Memorial University and its partners to heighten research collaboration in response to critical issues facing decision-makers concerning the sustainability of the Humber River Basin and its environs. The basin and its component watersheds represent an excellent platform for developing and integrating science. The research identified by SWGC and its partners is considered an important prerequisite to developing a more scientifically sound and ecosystem-based strategy for management of the HRB ecosystem(s). It is recognized by both scientists and policy makers in our province that our most vital natural resources are directly or indirectly linked to water in the form of marine, fresh, and estuarine systems. This session, organized by Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of Memorial University in cooperation with Natural Resources Canada and the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, will present an overview of the project and consist primarily of papers highlighting research progress under the project. Our paper will report preliminary activities, seek input and discuss best practices for future development of the Humber Basin initiative. In particular, we seek to foster collaboration at an international level and build a stronger network of researchers with an interest in basin ecology and related fields.
Biography:
Wade Bowers is Associate Vice-Principal of Research at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College at Memorial University in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. He is a faculty member of the Environmental Science Unit at Grenfell and the Principal Investigator of the Humber Basin River project, a joint-venture research project established to monitor and assess the long-term ecological health of the Humber River Basin. Research interests include forest entomology, estuarine ecology, biodiversity, and the link between science and policy. As a co-discoverer of novel insect pheromones Dr. Bowers received a patent and a National Merit Award for outstanding scientific contribution. Prior to his tenure at Memorial, Dr. Bowers served as a research scientist and as Science Director, Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service. In 1997-98 he served as the Deputy Coordinator of the Special Program for Developing Countries at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations Secretariat in Vienna, Austria. While at Natural Resources Canada he also served as Coordinator for the CFS Forest Health and Biodiversity networks, Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Bowers graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Ph.D. in Forest Entomology. He is an avid hockey player and has an interest in ecotheology, and in the life and poetic works of Jalaluddin Rumi.
Biography:
Dean W. Strickland is the Project Manager for the Humber River Basin Project. He is currently on secondment to the SWGC Research Office from the Department of Chemistry. Dean is a synthetic organic chemist and has served as a laboratory instructor and lecturer with the Chemistry Department since 1994. Dean holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours), a Master of Science degree in organic chemistry, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the York University Schulich School of Business. Dean’s research interests encompass “green” synthetic methods including solventless and microwave-catalyzed organic synthesis, water chemistry, digital teaching method development, and methodology development for complex, multi-partner research projects. Dean has published in numerous international journals and is a member of both the Chemical Institute of Canada and the Project Management Institute.
Monitoring changes in land cover and forest type for the Humber River Basin using satellite imagery and GIS
Joan E. Luther1, Olivier R. van Lier2 and Doug Piercey1
1Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, P.O. Box 960, Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6P3
2Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University, 1 University Drive, Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6P9
The development of ecosystem monitoring methods combining satellite remote sensing imagery with geographic information systems (GIS) is important for assessing the impacts of human activities on ecosystem sustainability and to support global change science. In particular, there is a requirement to define indicators to monitor changes and predict trends in land cover and forest characteristics which influence climate change, biodiversity, net primary productivity and other ecosystem values and services. In this study, we employed mapping and updating procedures to a combination of Landsat Multispectral Scanner and Thematic Mapper images to monitor land cover and forest type changes for the Humber River Basin in western Newfoundland, Canada. We generated a historical time series of land cover representing four time periods from 1976 and 2007. From the land cover products, we mapped forest type transitions and quantified several change indicators including net percent forest depletion and regeneration including annual rates of change. We validated the mapping and updating procedures through ground survey and accuracy assessments of i) the 2007 land cover product (72.8% overall accuracy for 9 land cover classes) and ii) change classes observed from 2001 to 2007 (84.7% overall accuracy; and user accuracies of 90.5% for depletion, 83.0% for regeneration). The integration of spatially explicit maps of land cover and related forest change indicators within ecosystem-based decision support systems can provide decision-makers with an early warning system linked to human activities and environmental changes.
Biography: Joan Luther
Joan Luther is a Research Scientist with Natural Resources Canada – Canadian Forest Service and an Adjunct Professor with the Département de géomatique appliquée at the Université de Sherbrooke. She specializes in the application of earth observation data and geospatial information for sustainable resource management. Prior to joining Natural Resources Canada in 1993, she completed an undergraduate degree (1987) and a Master of Science degree (1989) at the Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and worked as a Remote Sensing Specialist at the Newfoundland Oceans Research and Development Corporation and as a Staff Scientist at Memorial of University. Ms. Luther distinguished herself early as a scientist winning the Governor General's Gold Medal from Memorial University and the Canadian Remote Sensing Society Thesis Award for advancing the science of terrain classification using remote sensing. She subsequently received a Canadian Institute of Forestry Award recognizing her contributions to the forest sector and two National Merit Awards for collaborative research in remote sensing across Canada. She served as the Atlantic Region Chair of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society from 2001-2006. Her current research interests include the development of remote sensing and geospatial methods for modeling and mapping forest inventory parameters, monitoring landscape changes and associated impacts on ecosystem goods and services, and providing information products to support ecosystem-based management.
Management and delivery of geospatial data and tools in support of integrated land management within the Humber River Basin
Doug Piercey1, Joan E. Luther1, and Brian Hearn1
1 Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, P.O. Box 960, Corner Brook, NL, A2H 6J3
Integrated land management (ILM) is an approach critical to ensuring sustainability of an ecosystem. Sustainability must occur from multiple perspectives (economic, social, and ecological) and at multiple spatial and temporal scales. To make informed decisions regarding sustainability, a detailed understanding of ecosystem components is necessary. Geospatial data is vital in this regard. It can provide location- and time-specific information on ecosystem components and allows for analysis in a spatial and integrated fashion. This is not without challenges. Geospatial data is often in multiple formats and projections, variable in quality and description, and stored at numerous locations by a host of owners under different data sharing constraints. Within the Humber River Basin Project (HRBP) in western Newfoundland, Canada, these challenges are being addressed by bringing all available geospatial data for the project area together into an integrated format. The data is being collected from a variety of sources, assessed for quality, converted to a common geographic projection and study area, and ingested into a single geodatabase. Metadata compilation for all data within the geodatabase includes data source, restrictions, quality and other information as required by industry standards. Sharing of geospatial data is accomplished through the use of web-based technologies allowing users to access the geodatabase from their desktop via the internet, browse and query available data, and download information as required. This presentation will elaborate on progress made in the development of a web-based integrated geodatabase for the HRBP as well as discuss future plans for the integration of analysis and assessment models via the internet. These technologies can help decision-makers obtain a complete picture of the ecosystem and forecast the impacts of changes to the system.
Biography: Douglas Piercey
Douglas Piercey is a GeoInformatics Analyst with the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada. Douglas graduated from Memorial University with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Geography supplemented by a specialized diploma program in GIS from Nortech College. He began work as a programmer with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper in 1997 before moving on to work with the Canadian Forest Service-Natural Resources Canada in 1999 where currently working as a GeoInformatics Analyst. His research includes the use of GIS and remotely sensed data for the analysis of eastern boreal forests in Canada. Currently his work addresses visual quality mapping, development of web-based technologies for sharing of geospatial data and models, integrated land management, and visual analytics (geovisualization).
Documenting the Natural and Human Environment of the Humber River Basin of Western Newfoundland: A Case Study of Micro- and Macro-Environmental History
Rainer Baehre
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University, 1 University Avenue, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada A2H 6P9
My academic background is primarily “history.” However, my approach is interdisciplinary and encompasses a number of subfields including social, economic, ethnic, immigration, legal, and aboriginal history. This paper illustrates how these disparate subfields have a direct application in the study and interpretation of the many human dimensions of the Humber River Basin region. It reviews the interconnectedness of these various dimensions and explores what historical geographers and anthropologists have termed “the invisible landscape,” that is the underlying history and “stories” which give a “living” meaning to the everyday micro-level in which people live. It also illustrates how one can apply this often overlooked “local knowledge” of the past to illustrate the wider themes of macro-history, including the human impact on the natural environment of the nineteenth and twentieth century such as fishing, logging, settlement, the building of transportation infrastructures, and the growth of secondary manufacturing.
Biography: Dr. Rainer Baehre
Rainer Baehre received his doctorate in Canadian history from York University (Toronto) in 1985. Before coming to Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in 1989, he held term appointments at several Canadian universities including the University of New Brunswick, Mount Saint Vincent University, the University of Victoria, the University of Saskatchewan, and Brock University. He teaches undergraduate courses in western civilization, Canadian and European history, comparative social and cultural history (including gender and ethno-history), and twentieth-century history. He served as chair of the Historical Studies program, 2000-08, in addition to holding a cross-listed appointment in the Social/Cultural Studies program.
His recent publications include an edited book Outrageous Seas: Shipwreck and Survival in the Waters off Newfoundland, 1583-1893 (McGill-Queen's University Press, 1999), as well as two studies in edited collections which include the nature of political and judicial reactions to American invaders during the Rebellion of Upper Canada, 1837-38 in Canadian State Trials, Vol. II (The Osgoode Society and University of Toronto Press, 2002), and important questions of diplomacy, international law, and foreign fishing in early nineteenth-century Newfoundland in Essays in Canadian Legal History, Vol. 10 (The Osgoode Society and University of Toronto Press, 2008). He also has two studies in press which constitute post-colonial analyses of nineteenth-century ethnological and anthropological constructions of race as illustrated in the case of the Labrador Inuit.
His continuing interests in the environmental history of Newfoundland which have led him to study the social and cultural impact of shipwreck, folk art and the forest, and the history of Newfoundland’s forest industries, have led him in recent years to conduct a series of interrelated studies on the micro- and macro-histories of the Humber River Basin region of western Newfoundland; his main focus has been to explore the linkages between natural and human worlds and their “invisible landscape.”
Humber River Basin - Environmental Planning
Nick Novakowski
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University, 1 University Avenue, Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada A2H 6P9
The overall research objective of the undertaking is to improve the environmental planning capacity of the municipalities (e.g., Corner Brook, Steady Brook, Pasadena and Deer Lake) and jurisdictions (e.g., Humber Valley Resort) of the Humber River Basin. The first objective is generating the theoretical planning capacity involving the entire spectrum of tools and strategies available for accomplishing the goals of environmental planning. The second objective is figure out which of the tools and strategies of the theoretical planning capacity can actually be practical for Western Newfoundland in terms of existing legislation, the dominant planning issues of the area, the availability of resources, and the political culture. The third objective is to determine the actual range of planning tools that currently exist and to speculate on how that range can be enlarged in order to improve the planning capacity of representative municipalities and jurisdictions in the basin.
Biography: Dr. Nick Novakowski
Nick Novakowski is an urban and environmental planner by education and training, and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. He is currently an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Geography at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland. His research interests focus on the following: improving planning capacity, environmental planning, planning for knowledge cities, and using planning strategies to improve touristic capacity.
Evaluation of Artvin-Murgul black locust plantations in terms of biomass production, carbon storage,
soil quality improvement and erosion control compared to adjacent grassland areas
Aydin Tufekcioglu, Sinan Guner, Mustafa Fehmi Turker
Artvin Coruh University, Depertment of Forestry, 08000 Artvin, Turkey
In this study, black locust plantations in Artvin-Murgul (established in 1996) have been investigated for the purposes of: 1) wood production, 2) above- and belowground biomass, 3) carbon storage, 4) soil quality improvement, 5) erosion control. For these purposes, soil samples were taken from black locust planted and control areas, and soil respiration, soil infiltration, surface runoff, sediment removal, water holding capacity, soil organic matter, texture, pH, N, P, K, Ca, Mg contents were determined in both areas. Sample trees were cut to determine aboveground biomass and carbon storage. Root samples were taken to determine root biomass and root carbon storage. Surface runoff and erosion were five-fold lower in black locust stands compared to controls (grasslands). Soil quality improvement in black locust areas were not significantly higher than grasslands. Grasslands had higher soil respiration rates compared to black locust areas. Soil organic matter did not differ significantly between grasslands and black locust areas. Above- and belowground carbon storage were higher in black locust areas than in grasslands.
Incorporating water production into forest management planning: a case study in Yalnizçam planning unit
Emin Zeki BASKENT and Derya MUMCU KUCUKER
Karadeniz Technical University
Faculty of Forestry, 61080, Trabzon, Turkey
Tel: +90-462-3772863; fax:+90-462-3257499
Email: baskent@ktu.edu.tr
The excessive growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere with industrialization has brought to climate change. One of the most important problems created by the climate change is the water scarcity. Countries having less than 1000 m3/capita/year water potential are known as "water poor". Turkey has 3690 m3 available water potential per person and among the countries that have water shortages though is not water poor counter. Recent years, however, negative developments arising as a result of degradation in the natural resources sparkled the "Sustainable Water Management" concept, and forced the use of water resources more rationally, economically and effectively. From this perspective, hydrological value of forests must be taken into consideration because of services such as regulation of water economy, sustainability of water production and increasing of quality and quantity of drinking water in forest management planning.
This research initiative aimed to integrate water values into forest management plan and explain their effects on forest dynamics. Alternative management strategies with a mix of management objectives maximizing the amount or NPV (Net Present Value) of timber and water production subject to some constraints such as area and volume control were developed. A linear programming (LP) model with a planning horizon of 100 years and periods of 10 years was developed. Model outputs as NPV and amounts of timber and water were used as performance indicators to discuss forest dynamics under various management strategies. The results of forest planning scenarios showed that water production aimed strategies (*W) provided minimum timber production and maximum water production. Besides, timber production aimed strategies (*T) obtained maximum timber production and minimum water production as expected. Results also showed that reforestation of forest openings provide high timber production and low water production.
HYDROGEN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Greg F. Naterer, PhD, PEng, FCSME, FASME, |
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Special talk: "Recent Canadian Advances in Sustainable Hydrogen Production" |
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FUEL CELLS: ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR CLEANER ENVIRONMENT |
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Date: To be announced |
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Chair: Fatih Dogan, Ph.D. Professor and Co-Director, NSF-I/UCRC Center for Dielectric Studies |
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Biographical Sketch: Dr. Dogan is a Professor of Ceramic Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He has received his M.S. (1984) and Ph.D. (1989) in Materials Science and Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in Germany, and held research and faculty positions at the University of Washington and Princeton University before joining of the Missouri S&T in 2002. His research interest encompasses Multifunctional Materials and Composites, Nanoscale Science and Engineering of Ceramics, Solidification and Crystal Growth; Energy Materials: High Energy Density Capacitors, Nanostructured Dielectrics, High Temperature Superconductors, and Fuel Cells. Dr. Dogan published over 150 scientific and technical papers including the articles in the Nature and Science journals which received over 2500 citations. He serves as Co-Director of the Center of Dielectric Studies, a National Science Foundation Multi-University Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, and as Associate Editor of the Science and Technology of Advanced Materials journal. Dr. Dogan is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society. |
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Objective: Fuel cells as are promising energy conversion devices which are foreseen to play an important role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to the global warming. Energy security, global environmental concerns, and increased need for efficient stationary and mobile power generation technologies drive the development and deployment of advanced fuel cell power generation systems such as solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC), direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), and others. Fuel cells offer significantly higher chemical to electrical conversion efficiency, negligible or no or low exhaust pollutants, and multi-fuel capability, depending on the types of fuel cells. Successful development and deployment of cost effective fuel cell systems require in-depth understanding of the fundamental electrochemical processes, development of novel materials, thermodynamics, and kinetics, knowledge of materials science principles, identification and development of cost effective large scale manufacturing processes, engineering design and integration of the systems. Focus will be on recent developments in electrode processes, materials synthesis and characterization of various components, long term electrochemical performance and performance stability, first principles calculations and computational modeling, cost effective manufacturing, balance of plant, field demonstration, and commercialization. Topics: |
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Fatih Dogan and Scott Grasman In its review of the Department of Energy’s RD&D plan for hydrogen, the National Academies recommended that the Department of Energy (DOE) conduct a study of lessons learned from technologies developed for stationary fuel cell systems, as well as opportunities for hydrogen in stationary applications, and to make recommendations related to an RD&D strategy. This strategy should define the various trade-offs and opportunities by systematically incorporating considerations of both transportation, portable, and stationary sectors. Thus, the motivation for this project is to identify the lessons learned from prior programs, including the most significant obstacles, how these obstacles have been approached, outcomes of the programs, and how this information can be used by the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program to meet program objectives primarily related to hydrogen pathway technologies (production, delivery, and storage) and implementation of fuel cell technologies. In addition, the lessons learned with address environmental and safety concerns, including codes and standards, and education of key stakeholders. The lessons learned from a preliminary survey are being used in order to establish best practices and provide recommendations for a hydrogen strategy that addresses opportunities for early market applications. |
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