High Performance Computational Research Activities in Dr. Seay’s Research Group

Heat Transfer Efficiency Analysis in Rocket Stove Powered Pyrolysis Oil Generation

With rising population, ensuring an adequate food supply – especially in developing regions – is a critical challenge. Pyrolysis oil collected from the production of biochar has been shown to be an effective low-cost, non-synthetic pesticide and herbicide. The use of pyrolysis oil, particularly when coupled with biochar, can potentially boost crop yield substantially. This is especially important in regions without access to modern agricultural practices. Dr. Seay’s group has been working with non-governmental organizations (NGO) in sub-Saharan Africa, India and in the United States to develop a low-cost, appropriate technology for collecting pyrolysis oil from various native biomass sources. However due to the need to utilize this technology in rural or developing regions, the uniformity of the pyrolysis oil collection apparatus cannot be guaranteed. To address this potential uncertainty, the group will perform computational fluid dynamics simulations of the heat transfer in the apparatus as well as the reactions occurring during the production of the pyrolysis oil to determine the critical parameters of the process.

Students:

Bradley Butler (PhD)
Chandni Joshi (Undergraduate)

Collaborators:

ACREST (NGO), In-Stove (NGO), ODAM (NGO)

Software:

Computational Fluid Dynamics:
• COMSOL (commercial Software)

Grants

Publications