Researchers at Lehigh University’s Energy Research Center (ERC) have helped demonstrate a new approach for analyzing refuse-derived fuel as it is fed into gasifiers—technology used to convert materials such as processed municipal solid waste (MSW) into fuels and chemicals.
Because refuse-derived fuel can vary widely in its composition, those differences can affect how efficiently a gasifier operates. The research team combined Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) technology developed by the Energy Research Company (ERCo) with artificial intelligence algorithms developed at Lehigh to characterize the material in near real time. The resulting system can provide 18 feedstock parameters, including heating value, ash characteristics, and elemental concentrations. Testing against industry standards showed that the machine-learning-enhanced technology could accurately and precisely measure key feedstock properties.
The project brought together Lehigh's ERC, ERCo, consulting firm SpG, the University of Toledo, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory. The technology will also be tested in future gasifier research, including work exploring how real-time feedstock data could be incorporated into gasifier control systems.
Read the full story from Lehigh’s Institute for Cyber Physical Infrastructure and Energy.