Analysis and Computation

  • Discrete Event Modeling

    Overview A biorefinery is a combination of discrete operations (e.g. feedstock shipments, fermentation, maintenance) and continuous operations (e.g. distillation, drying). Discrete operations are often stochastic in nature as are equipment failures. An accurate representation of a biorefinery requires consideration discrete operations, the interface between discrete… Read More

  • Economic Decision Support

    Overview Decisions involve choices. Economic decision support involves using economic measures to compare alternatives. The process makes use of process modeling and cost estimates, but it involves more than determining whether a process meets a target cost goal. Economic decisions also consider parametric uncertainty and… Read More

  • Technical and Project Risk Assessment

    Overview Research and deployment of new technologies, like all human endeavors, involves the possibility of failure. Different degrees of failure such as failure to demonstrate the concept in a research program or failure to complete the project on time. Risk analysis is a systematic method… Read More

  • Techno-Economic Analysis

    Overview Techno-economic analysis (TEA) is a critical tool in separation process development. TEA calculates the separation costs using a process model and an economic model. The former solves mass and energy balances, and the latter estimates capital and operating costs and the overall separation and… Read More

  • The GREET® Model: Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy used in Technologies

    Overview The GREET model is a publicly available life-cycle analysis tool for consistently examining life-cycle energy and environmental effects of a wide range of technologies in transportation, power, and material products. It takes a holistic approach to model energy and environmental effects over the entire… Read More

  • Thermodynamic Property Analysis and Modeling

    Overview Separation processes, both old and new, depend on mixture physical properties. Accurate and practical physical property models are required to accurately model and compare separation processes. Data from bio-relevant compounds and mixtures are often scant, unreliable, or unavailable. In general, reliance on property estimation… Read More