Abstract: This presentation will focus on the development of a process systems framework to enable the design and operations of modular energy systems. Specifically, a novel operability-based approach for process design and intensification of nonlinear energy processes will be introduced, toward facilitating the realization of the concept of modular manufacturing. The developed operability methods are based on nonlinear optimization and computational geometry concepts and explore the nonlinear process mapping relationships between key input/design and output variables. To address the dimensionality challenge that may arise due to process complexity, the incorporation of bilevel and parallel programming approaches as well as machine learning-based methods into the classical process operability concepts will be discussed.
For the operation of modular systems under uncertainties, the interface between the design and control tasks is analyzed. In particular, a dynamic operability mapping is developed to find a feasible region for advanced control applications. To perform the operability mapping computations, a Python-based open-source software package is introduced. This package opens an avenue for collaborations between process systems engineering researchers and others in communities that would benefit from direct/inverse mapping calculations, such as in computational catalysis and materials science. The implementation of the framework to address modular system candidate examples will be presented, including a catalytic membrane reactor system for the direct methane aromatization conversion to hydrogen and benzene and a cyber-physical power system part of the HYbrid PERformance (HYPER) project at National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).
Bio: Dr. Fernando V. Lima joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU) in 2013. He has been recently promoted to Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering in August 2024. Dr. Lima is also Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). He received his B.S. degree from the University of São Paulo in 2003 and his Ph.D. from Tufts University in 2007, both in Chemical Engineering. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he was a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Minnesota.
His research interests are in the areas of process systems engineering, energy, and sustainability, including process design and intensification, advanced control and dynamic optimization, modular energy systems, and techno-economic and life cycle analyses. Among his awards are the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) Doctoral New Investigator (DNI) Award, the Faculty Early Career Development Program Award from National Science Foundation (NSF-CAREER), the WVU Statler College of Engineering Excellence in Research Awards (2), and the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (I&ECR) Excellence in Review Awards (2). He was elected 2023-2025 Director of the Computing and Systems Technology (CAST) Division of AIChE. He has also served as the Area Chair for the Next-Gen Manufacturing Sessions of AIChE 2021, and 2022 Program Coordinator for CAST 10B Area of AIChE (Systems and Process Control). Dr. Lima has been a guest editor for Special Issues of I&ECR, Frontiers, Processes and Sustainability journals, and he is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Process Control.
