 |
|
High-performance computing may improve combustion efficiency
August 30, 2005Rising oil prices have revved momentum to develop more efficient combustion systems. But instrumental to this goal is a need to achieve greater understanding of the complex chemical reactions involved in combustion processes.
In one of the largest simulations ever brought to bear on this problem, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory performed quantum chemical calculations to accurately predict the heat of formation of octane, a key component of gasoline.
The calculation-performed using 1,400 parallel processors-took only 23 hours to complete and achieved a sustained effi ciency of 75 percent, compared to the 5 to 10 percent effi ciency of most codes. For comparison, the best one-processor desktop computer would have required a three and a half years and 2.5 terabytes of memory to run the calculation.
These pioneering calculations also helped identify the level of theory needed for subsequent efforts to reliably predict the heat of formation of larger alkanes in diesel fuel, for which there is very little experimental data, and the heat of formation of key reactive intermediates, such as alkyl and alkoxy radicals, for which there is no experimental data.
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
These pioneering calculations also helped identify the level of theory needed for subsequent efforts to reliably predict the heat of formation of larger alkanes in diesel fuel, for which there is very little experimental data, and the heat of formation of key reactive intermediates, such as alkyl and alkoxy radicals, for which there is no experimental data.
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Combustion Current Events and Combustion News RSSOak Ridge supercomputer is the world's fastest for science
A Cray XT high-performance computing system at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is the world's fastest supercomputer for science.
Hydrogen tank lighter than battery
Dutch-sponsored researcher Robin Gremaud has shown that an alloy of the metals magnesium, titanium and nickel is excellent at absorbing hydrogen.
The groundbreaking science behind what aims to be the fastest vehicle of all time
The world record bid again teams Andy, the current record holder and first man to drive a supersonic vehicle on land with Head of the Design Team and former world record holder Richard Noble.
When it comes to forest soil, wildfires pack 1-2 punch
For decades, scientists and resource managers have known that wildfires affect forest soils, evidenced, in part, by the erosion that often occurs after a fire kills vegetation and disrupts soil structure.
Emissions rising faster this decade than last
The latest figures on the global carbon budget to be released in Washington and Paris today indicate a four-fold increase in growth rate of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions since 2000.
Simple device which uses electrical field could boost gas efficiency
With the high cost of gasoline and diesel fuel impacting costs for automobiles, trucks, buses and the overall economy, a Temple University physics professor has developed a simple device which could dramatically improve fuel efficiency as much as 20 percent.
Growth in the global carbon budget
Today the new Global Carbon Budget was launched simultaneously by Global Carbon Project co-chair Michael Raupach in France at the Paris Observatory, and in the USA at Capitol Hill, Washington by GCP Executive Director Pep Canadell.
'Chemical Equator' discovery will aid pollution mapping
Scientists at the University of York have discovered a 'Chemical Equator' that divides the polluted air of the Northern Hemisphere from the largely uncontaminated atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere.
Iowa State engineer works to clean and improve engine performance
The five engines in Song-Charng Kong's Iowa State University laboratory have come a long way since Karl Benz patented a two-stroke internal combustion engine in 1879.
Engineers develop a laser solution to power plants slowed by slagging
Quietly, and with little of the fanfare accompanying the relentless surge in gasoline costs, the price of coal has doubled in less than a year.
More Combustion Current Events and Combustion News Articles
 | Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives by Edwin Black Edwin Black has produced an explosive, eye-opening expose of the corporate forces that have for more than a century sabotaged the creation of alternative energies and vehicles in order to keep us dependent on oil. There is enough truth in this book to revolutionize our way of... |
 | Internal Combustion Engine Fun by John Benjamin Heywood This text, by a leading authority in the field, presents a fundamental and factual development of the science and engineering underlying the design of combustion engines and turbines. An extensive illustration program supports the concepts and theories... |
 | The John Zink Combustion Handbook (Industrial Combustion Series) by Jr., Charles E. Baukal Despite the length of time it has been around, its importance, and vast amounts of research, combustion is still far from being completely understood. Industrial applications of combustion add environmental, cost, and fuel consumption issues to its fundamental complexity, and the process and power generation industries in particular present their own unique challengesThe John Zink Combustion... |
 | Internal Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice: Vol. 2 - 2nd Edition, Revised: Combustion, Fuels, Materials, Design by Charles Fayette Taylor This revised edition of Taylor's classic work on the internal-combustion engine incorporates changes and additions in engine design and control that have been brought on by the world petroleum crisis, the subsequent emphasis on fuel economy, and the legal restraints on air pollution. The fundamentals and the topical organization, however, remain the same. The analytic rather than merely... |
 | Combustion, Fourth Edition by Irvin Glassman, Richard Yetter Combustion Engineering, a topic generally taught at the upper undergraduate and graduate level in most mechanical engineering programs, and many chemical engineering programs, is the study of rapid energy and mass transfer usually through the common physical phenomena of flame oxidation. It covers the physics and chemistry of this process and the engineering applicationsfrom the generation of... |
 | The Handbook of Biomass Combustion and Co-firing Prepared under the auspices of the IEA Bioenergy Research Programme, this unique handbook presents both the theory and applications of biomass combustion and cofiring, from basic principles to industrial combustion and environmental impact, in a clear and comprehensive manner. It offers a solid grounding on biomass combustion and advice on improving combustion systems. Written by leading... |
 | Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines by Richard Stone The most comprehensive, truly introductory text on internal combustion engines. A valuable reference for students studying the internal combustion engine and for engineers needing a practical overview of the subject, this third edition includes new material covering fuel chemistry, additive performance and variable geometry turbocharging. Chapters cover: Thermodynamic principles ... |
 | An Introduction to Combustion by TURNS This second edition retains all the same primary objectives as the original text: first, to present basic combustion concepts using relatively simple and easy-to-understand analyses; and second, to introduce a wide variety of practical applications which motivate or relate to the various theoretical concepts. The overarching goal is to provide a textbook which is useful for both formal... |
 | Principles of Combustion by Kenneth Kuan-yun Kuo Principles of Combustion, Second Edition is a revision of what was the leading book on combustion engineering. The new edition has been revised to include new theoretical results and measurement techniques of non-intrusive diagnostic methods, contains more material on chemical kinetics during ignition; and is expanded to provide more in-depth treatment of sensitivity analysis and methods for... |
 | Internal Combustion Engine Handbook: Basics, Components, Systems, and Perspectives Thorough in its presentation, this essential resource illustrates the latest level of knowledge in engine development, paying particular attention to the presentation of theory and practice in a balanced ratio. Almost 950 pages in length - with 1,250 illustrations and nearly 700 bibliographical references - the Internal Combustion Engine Handbook covers all of this component's complexities,... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |