Notice Of Intent To Issue Funding For Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Modular Chemical Process Intensification Institute for Clean Energy Manufacturing”. This public-private partnership will be the fourth Energy Department sponsored facility as part the Network of Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (NNMI) and presents significant opportunities to advance technologies to reduce energy and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in energy-intensive and energy-related manufacturing.
Process intensification is a paradigm shift to chemical process technology that has the potential to bring significant (more than a factor of two) benefits in terms of process productivity and energy efficiency, reduction in capital and operating expenses, improved quality, waste reduction, and process safety. Modular chemical process intensification approaches combine separate unit operation into a single modular pieces of equipment, resulting in more efficient, cleaner, and more economical manufacturing process. Innovations in modular chemical process intensification technologies have the potential to improve process productivity, energy efficiency, quality and waste reduction in energy intensive industries such as chemical manufacturing or fiber, pulp and paper production, but can also provide advantages to a variety of emerging industries that would benefit from this flexible, modular manufacturing.
A proposed Institute would be a global leader in modular chemical process intensification by establishing a public-private partnership for applied research, development, training and application of these new technologies. It would also leverage complementary manufacturing research initiatives such as the use of High Performance Computing (HPC) in manufacturing applications. Similarly, as advanced sensors, process controls and communication platforms are essential to realizing modular chemical process intensification for real-time operations, a proposed Institute might leverage the pending Innovation Institute on Smart Manufacturing and other Institutes in the NNMI. Partnership and engagement with companies (particularly small and medium sized firms), educational institutions, national laboratories and industrial research organizations as well as partnership with other NNMI institutes is expected as a part of the Institute.
