Wind Power

• Seismic load calculations and assurance
• Fluid-structure interaction of lightweight composite structures
• Maximizing efficiency of turbines and turbine placement
• Generator design and analysis
• Transmission Systems

• Straightforward linear and non-linear vibration analysis
  • Integration with other standard tools (ASAS integration with Flex5)
• Coupled physics for true virtual prototyping
  • Electromagnetics, thermal/structural, fluid/thermal
• Optimize turbine output and placement
  • Wind speed prediction over complex terrain

Hydro Power

• Turbine design
• Minimizing flow separation in ducts under a wide range of flow rates
• Fish protection
  • Fish friendly turbines
  • Maximizing oxygen levels
  • Aeration
  • Fish ladders
• Dam design
  • Seismic loads
  • Structural stability assessments

• Understand the impact of installation effects before deployment
• Optimize performance by determining inlet and outlet flow angles and separation patterns
• Reduce the number of hardware prototypes needed in the pump design and installation process
• Allows parametric investigation of scale-up effects for these extremely large pumps, which is not possible through testing, but straightforward with simulation.

Solar Power

• Wind loads on panels and resulting vibrations
• The search for lower cost manufacturing methods
• Designing for thermal loads
• Maximizing efficiency

• Design to minimize fluid-structure interaction with virtual prototypes
• Simulate and optimize manufacturing methods
• Predict thermal loads to make necessary design refinements before physical prototyping
• Maximize heat exchanger and power conversion efficiencies for solar-thermal systems
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Biomass

• Understanding the impact of fuel changes
• Slagging, fouling, and corrosion
• Air staging and emissions control
• Grate combustion

• The capability to design furnaces for a variety of fuels
  • Understanding scale-up implications
• Understand air staging implications on emissions, heat transfer and ash
  • Access to biomass combustion models

Fuel Cells

• Channel design that optimizes distribution of oxygen (hydrogen) to the cathode (anode)
• Water management
• Thermal stresses and cooling plate design
• Materials
  • High costs
  • Property variation
• Space limitations

• Probabilistic design in virtual prototypes
  • Design for Six Sigma
• Minimize costly physical prototypes using analysis based on first principle physics (electrochemistry, fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, structural mechanics)