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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #187603
Title: FIRST LAW ANALYSIS OF AN ALGAL ORGANISM

Author
item KOMMAREDDY, ANIL - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item ANDERSON, GARY - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item Rosentrater, Kurt

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/29/2005
Publication Date: 9/29/2005
Citation: Kommareddy, A., Anderson, G.A., Rosentrater, K.A. 2005. First law analysis of an algal organism. 2005 North Central ASABE/CSBE Conference, Brookings, SD, September 29-October 1, 2005.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Photosynthesis requires energy from electromagnetic radiation in the visible light range. The incident energy on an algal organism must fall on the antenna structures of the organism that harvest the electromagnetic radiation for the photosynthetic active reaction centers. Ideally, the antenna would harvest just sufficient energy for the photosynthetic process (activated photosynthetic system). However, it is possible that the incident light has more energy than needed. The excess energy may be stored thermally in the organism by thermal transfer and quenching (saturated photosynthetic system) or lost to the surroundings. The excess energy may also cause photo-inhibition which will require the photosynthetic system to repair itself as well as loose energy. Radiant energy that is not incident on an antenna structure may raise the organism temperature (stored) and then lost to the surroundings by convection, mass transfer (removed with photosynthesis products), or radiation. Thermodynamic First Law principals will be applied to the algal organism to show energy transfer paths. The transfer paths will be treated as linear and first order systems to explore the energy transfer rate. The adequacy of the model developed will be discussed and improvements suggested.