Peter J. Schubert

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https://hdl.handle.net/1805/23991

Peter Schubert translates his research into practical solutions for affordable and reliable energy from renewable sources. The university created the spin-up company Green Fortress Engineering (GFE) to commercialize his intellectual property on waste-to-energy, hydrogen storage, and in-space resource utilization. The biomass gasifier he invented has been funded by the USDA, the Department of Energy, and the Army, and has earned five US patents. Using locally-available low-cost materials such as crop waste, food waste, and utility trimmings, his technology can produce electricity, heat, biochar, and hydrogen gas. The gasifier is called the Stalk Stoker, and is suitable for farms, factories, and facilities which have free or nuisance materials available.

The bio-hydrogen can be stored in a novel solid-state storage media for which Schubert holds four US patents. The research has been funded by the DOE and the National Science Foundation. GFE has received further development funds from private industry, subcontracting the research components to IUPUI while developing commercial applications for fuel cell vehicles and long-duration aerial drones. This approach is eight times better than batteries, and could revolutionize how we generate, store, and transport energy.

Schubert’s most out-of-this-world technology is converting mineral resources from the moon and asteroids into solar power satellites. When placed in a geosynchronous orbit they can beam power to cities on earth around the clock. With abundant clean and inexhaustible power to urban centers, paired with local waste-to-energy in rural and remote locales, this is another practical example of how IUPUI's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.

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Trash to Electricity
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Witte, Drew; Schubert, Peter J.
In 2009, America generated more than 243 million tons of trash, also known as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). That generation rate was 275% greater than in 1960 when Americans generated 88.1 million tons of MSW. Today, landfills near urban areas are reaching their capacity and energy prices are soaring. Even after separating out recyclables from MSW, Americans’ trash still contains 11 MJ per kg. This energy value is stored as chemical energy in carbon based biomass and un-recyclable plastics. Many types of technologies exist that transform this trash energy into usable electrical energy. The status-quo for turning waste-to-energy is by combustion. There are 76 waste-to-energy combustion plants in the U.S. Another common way to transform waste to energy is by burning methane produced by landfills. Pyrolysis and gasification are two emerging technologies in the waste-to-energy field. These technologies are attractive because they are more controlled processes; therefore, pyrolysis and gasification is better for the environment and allows for greater rate of metal recycling after the process. Additionally, these emerging technologies show the potential to convert MSW into liquid fuels for transportation.
Solar Panel Efficacy vs. Altitude in an Urban City Environment
(American Society for Engineering Education, 2015-06) Elkhatib, Wiaam; Schubert, Peter J.; Zusack, Steven; Rosales, Emily; Stanforth, Austin; Department of Engineering Technology, Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, IUPUI
In light of current issues of global warming, pollution, and fossil fuel depletion, alternative and renewable energy sources are increasing in desirability. Among these, solar energy is a popular option. However, it is hypothesized that particulate pollution in urban atmospheres limits photovoltaic (PV) efficacy both in accumulated grime and also in altitude via sunlight attenuation. The objective of this study is to measure photovoltaic power output near solar noon at multiple heights within a city environment to determine the influence of altitude on power output. Building rooftops between 200 and 800 feet were sampled simultaneously with a ground level control within a broad university courtyard. Days having no cloud cover were preferentially chosen. Other factors to consider include the “urban heat island” effect and water vapor in the air, so meteorological parameters were measured simultaneously to reduce confounding errors. Multiple repeated tests were conducted to increase confidence, especially since the effect was anticipated to be small in magnitude. Additionally, students affiliated with the project completed surveys to assess how their involvement impacted their learning of experimental design and procedures. Students who chose not to participate were also surveyed to provide a control group. Comparisons in the data are drawn on a power to ambient light ratio to minimize bias between the PV panels used for testing. Preliminary analysis indicates the effect of altitude is minimal within the parameters of this study. Analysis of our data did not significantly demonstrate an improvement in solar productivity at increased altitudes. However, the rigorous test methodology developed provides a means for quantitative analysis in cities with greater levels of pollution relative to the city tested. The survey of students indicated a positive correlation between participation in the project and the amount students felt they learned during the process.
Bio-Hydrogen Refueling Station
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Schubert, Peter J.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are now available for lease and for sale. Renewable hydrogen fuel can be produced from water via electrolysis, or from biomass via gasification. Electrolysis is powerhungry with high demand from solar or wind power. Gasification, however, can be energy selfsufficient using a recently-patented thermochemical conversion technology known as Indirectly- Heated Pyrolytic Gasification. I-HPG produces a tar-free syngas from non-food woody biomass. This means the balance of plant can be small, so the overall system is economical at modest sizes. This makes it possible to produce renewable hydrogen from local agricultural residues; sufficient to create distributed refueling stations wherever there is feedstock. This work describes the specifics of a novel bio-hydrogen refueling station whereby the syngas produced has much of the hydrogen extracted with the remainder powering a generator to provide the electric power to the I-HPG system. Thus the system runs continuously. When paired with another new technology, moderate-pressure storage of hydrogen in porous silicon, there is the potential to also power the refueling operation. Such systems can be operated independently. It is even possible to design an energy self-sufficient farm where all electric power, heat, and hydrogen fuel is produced from the non-food residues of agricultural operations. No water is required, and the carbon footprint is negative, or at least neutral.
Brownfield remediation powered by renewable energy
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Schubert, Peter J.
Subsurface contaminant plumes are a plague upon the earth. Some 1900 plumes remain after the go-fast atom bomb projects of the Cold War. Countless gasoline station sites dot our cities, leaching heavy metals and chlorinated solvents into drinking water. Superfund-type cleanup is so expensive that many sites languish while toxins continue to spread throughout the ecosystem. Federal funding for remediation research stopped 15 years ago. The only solution now is to move bad soil from one location to another. New advances in stem cell manipulation offer promise to clean up solvent-infused earth with a minimum of excavation at greatly reduced costs. Dielectrophoresis is the means by which polar molecules, in a matrix having a different dielectric constant, can be made to migrate along electric field gradients. A unique configuration called “pills and pillars” facilitates remediation of solvents. Electric field gradients originating in the deeply-driven “pillars” motivate solvents molecules towards the slightly-buried “pill”. When powered by renewable sources, such as solar panels, contaminants within a 1000 m3 volume can be concentrated within a 1 m3 volume at the pill, and then removed for disposal in a certified toxic waste repository. The pills and pillars are easily extracted for removal to a new site every 40 days. The solar panels are man-portable so that a single capital expenditure of a truckmounted kit can serve multiple sites simultaneously, and sequentially. The low labor overhead, the greatly reduced excavation, and the re-use of hardware contribute to make this novel method of brownfield remediation far cheaper than traditional, presently-available methods. Computer simulations including both vadose zone diffusion (natural spreading out) and drift via dielectrophoresis, demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. The next research step is to build a benchtop model to validate the simulation model, followed by field trials with partners in the environmental remediation industry.
Solar power satellite with no moving parts
(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, IUPUI, 2016-04-08) Schubert, Peter J.
The only solution to the global energy mess is sunlight captured in space. No other technology scales as well, and is as clean as Space Solar Power. Best of all, this is baseload power – “always on” – without the intermittency which will always plague ground-based solar and wind. Although invented in 1968, SSP designs have been impractical until now. A novel design architecture, relying on use of materials already in space, enables SSP at costs competitive with existing baseload power sources. And all this without greenhouse gas emissions. This work describes the technology and economics. The “tin can” solar power satellite is comprised of a cylindrical shell of solar panels. This configuration has integral thermal management by using the non-illuminated portions of the shell as a radiating heat shield, maintaining the solar cells within workable temperature ranges. The tethers holding the shell to the central conductor spire present a complex radiative environment which is studied further herein to obtain a more precise measurement of high and low temperature limits. Heat generated by the transmitting antenna and its power electronics is also studied to understand its impact on the requirements imposed on components and subsystems. Achieving a slow rotation of a very large diameter cylindrical shell with minimal internal strength interacts with the assembly process through tradeoffs between propellant, assembly jigs, and construction spacecraft. Vibrations induced in the cylindrical shell are studied including transient behavior during spin-up. The panel-to-panel forces expected during spin-up, and during on-going operations as gravity gradients excite low-frequency modes are studied in order to derive specifications for linkage rotation and strength. Finally, the results of imperfect assembly, lost parts, and meteorite strikes are investigated to assess risk to other spacecraft. Solar wind pressure is evaluated to determine station-keeping requirements. Assembly in an orbit slightly higher than GEO may be selected to minimize collateral damages, and means of adjusting the orbit are studied to derive overall architecture propellant requirements, anticipating a mixture of in situ propellant options versus earth-sourced propellants. This work charts a pathway to the ultimate energy source for all mankind for all time to come.
Analysis of a Novel SPS Configuration Enabled by Lunar ISRU
(2015) Schubert, Peter J.; Pinto, Sheylla Monteiro; Pires, Bruna Caroline; do Nascimento, Moises; Barks, Edward; Nderitu, Jonathan; Goncalves, Gabriel; Tokmo, Fatih; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
Architectures for space-based solar power using in situ resource utilization (ISRU) of space materials can greatly reduce earth launch mass and can enable geometric capacity growth. These two factors allow the potential for low cost power generation after development of an in-space infrastructure. A collection of extraction and processing methods designed for lunar operation provides for large volumes of low cost solar panels. With abundant panels a novel configuration for solar power satellites (SPS) is possible which avoids many of the challenges of existing designs. The so-called "tin can" SPS has no moving parts. It includes integral thermal radiators. Station-keeping requirements are minimal. Structural integrity is designed-in so that balance of plant mass is minimal. In this work the architecture and infrastructure supporting the tin can SPS is developed to support rapid construction and deployment. Performance estimates for the SPS are provided regarding heat and energy balance, and specific mass requirements.
Selection and Re-Selection in Stochastic Democracy
(2015) Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
Self-governance of space habitats using Stochastic Democracy is objective and corruption-resistant. Prior simulation studies compared Stochasticism with elitism, pure communism, and pure capitalism for long-duration ark ships, demonstrating superior outcomes for all individuals. Additional simulations explored resilience to decimation, and to rapid population growth, such as may be experienced by large space settlements. In this study, the initial population of a hierarchical governing structure is simulated, providing a procedure for start-up on Day 1. Furthermore, rules for re-selection are explored to provide a balance of fresh inputs and experienced leadership. A key tenet of Stochastic Democracy is preclusion of career politicians who can be unduly influenced by campaign contributions and unduly favored by redistricting (“gerrymandering”). However, preserving learning within a governmental hierarchy is valuable, so the re-selection process should include a means by which selected leaders either retain office or advance to greater levels of geographic and population responsibility. Staggering of terms is another important means by which some level of continuity of governance is retained. In this work, several alternatives are explored to provide a sense of the impacts of re-selection rules. It is conceivable that individual communities may vote on referenda which capture their preferences for re-selection rules and duration of terms. In this way, Stochastic Democracy becomes adaptable to the community sociology and to possible future changes in lifespan. This work completes earlier AIAA-published theoretical studies of this novel form of habitat self-governance.
Doubly Self-Aligned DMOSFET in SiC for Microgravity Manufacture
(2016-05) Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology
The need exists for power electronics capable of operation at high temperatures in a high radiation environment, such as in deep space. There is a rationale for fabricating such devices from materials already in situ, such as building very large phased array antennas. Device manufacture on human-staffed microgravity platform presents a challenge to the tight lithographic alignment required for traditional fabrication methods. Presented here for the first time is a process sequence to produce high-mobility DMOS FETs with no masking steps requiring critical alignment, yet yielding channel lengths of 0.15 micron. The fabrication process is further designed to utilize and recycle materials expected to be available on certain classes of asteroids and within extinct comets, with minimal need for reagents from earth. One application is manufacture of the tens of millions of MMIC power amplifiers required for wireless power transfer to terrestrial customers from solar power satellites in geostationary earth orbit.
Mentored, Unpaid Design Team Internship Experience
(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-06) Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
An international team of 7 undergraduate interns working pro bono during the summer made significant advances in several areas of Space Solar Power. Distinct from a capstone design effort, this study group revived the practice common in the 1970s and 1980s of considering broad topics of high relevance to public citizens and elected decision-makers. Significant obstacles to success included lack of research experience, lack of motivating paycheck, and a highly-complex system under study. Each student was assigned a mentor from the aerospace industry or academia to guide the creation of a research plan, and to periodically review progress. Team-building exercises were conducted to develop relationships, and weekly team workshops were held to teach interoperability with other subsystems. Student experiences shifted from excitement at the outset to a sense of being overwhelmed with the magnitude and difficulties associated with a space-based project running in the tens of billions of dollars. Yet, each student was able to overcome such mid-term concerns, and to make a meaningful contribution to a key research question. Their results were published at a national space conference with all students listed as co-authors. The present work assesses the formation of such an unpaid team and the management thereof, analyzes the techniques used to encourage desired outcomes, and finishes with post-project follow-up on perceptions and career choices. This approach may find interest among professors with limited funds who seek to develop solid preliminary data to make grant applications more competitive.
Capstone Design Project Experience: Lunar Ice Extraction Design
(American Society for Engineering Education, 2016-01) Zusack, Steven Anthony; Patil, Raveena; Lachenman, Sean; Johnson, Chanel Antoinette; Schubert, Peter J.; Department of Engineering Technology, School of Engineering and Technology
A group of senior undergraduate students came together as part of a non-traditional capstone design project. The assignment was to take part in the NASA RASC-AL competition and required adjustment to the class curriculum. Two examples are that a direct point of contact from the customer would not be possible as there is no specific person at NASA meant to act as the customer and the submission deadline was after the semester concluded. The students were all from the mechanical engineering department and had a fascination with space technology but came from vastly different demographic backgrounds representing multiple spheres of diversity. This diversity brought unique and unexpected approaches to the project. The project required close interaction of the group throughout and after the semester to accomplish a very difficult goal: the design of a full scale lunar ice extraction facility capable of running autonomously and producing at least 100 metric tonnes of ice per year. The operational plan is to be accompanied by a detailed budget and launch plans to begin taking effect in 2025. Having no experience working with one another prior to this project, the group was required to quickly develop a productive team ethos to address such a large challenge. The aim of this study is to assess the outcomes and reactions during a project from a diverse group of students attempting to complete an unusual capstone design. Accompanying this are pre-, intra-, and post-project surveys to assess effectiveness of the group on key project issues. The primary research questions to answer are: does the perception of the group regarding effectiveness positively correlate with the feelings of ownership of the project and feelings that the individual students’ passions are being considered. Further, because the competition is staged and set to go on the full academic year, the students are interviewed regarding plans on continuing the project beyond the current semester when the majority of the team will have graduated.

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