Exploration and exploitation of exotic physical phenomena for the efficient harvesting, storage, release and transformation of thermal solar energy
details
Description: Except for nuclear technology based approaches, basically all existing energy harvesting techniques exploit the abundant energy supplied by the sun. The synthesis millions of years ago by natural processes of highly energetic complex molecules in biological materials and fuels that are combusted today was directly or indirectly based on solar energy. Nowadays, photovoltaic solar cells are converting a fraction of all available solar energy directly into electric power. A major obstacle with respect to the exploitation of solar energy is that, contrary to electric energy, it’s most abundant form, i.e. solar heat, is often not available at the right place (close to the user) on the right time. Also, the temperature of most naturally heated objects lies below 80C, making it not efficient to convert their thermal energy into e.g. mechanical energy. This project puts focus on the physics behind and efficiency improvement of heat harvesting, heat storage and heat release, and of the use of advanced thermal conductivity switches for improved magnetocaloric heat pumping and thermoelectric and pyroelectric energy harvesting. The research involves the design and implementation of physics experiments, theoretical and modelling and numerical simulation of the physical phenomena involved, and data processing.
Key words: thermal energy, thermoelectric, pyroelectric, energy harvesting, phase change materials, thermal conductivity switches,
Latest application date: 2009-12-31
Financing: iro-scholarship
Type of Position: scholarship
Source of Funding: K.U. Leuven IRO funding
Duration of the Project : 4 years
Research group: Department of Physics and Astronomy
Remarks: Candidates should hold a diploma of Master Physics. Their application must contain a detailed overview of all courses, contents (e.g. book and list of contents) taken during the Bachelor and Master Physics years, as well of the marks received for those courses. Based on this list, the contents of a possible pre-doctoral study year (courses + pre-doc thesis) will be decided.
Candidates should fluently speak English, have a fresh and thorough knowledge of physics and mathematical physics, and have excellent (Matlab) programming skills.
علاقه مندی ها (Bookmarks)