MAE Candidate Seminar – Solar-thermal Energy Harnessing and Management for Water-energy-climate Nexus

Details

Solar-thermal Energy Harnessing and Management for Water-energy-climate Nexus

Thursday, March 2, 2023, at 12:50 pm
Location: In-Person MAE-A, Room 303

Jian Zeng, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher in the Energy Technologies Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley

Abstract
About 90% of today’s energy flow centers around thermal energy, implying the significance of effective harnessing and management of heat towards an energy-efficient world. Recently, capturing solar-thermal energy as a ubiquitous and cheap heat source has attracted extensive attention under the context of the water-energy-climate nexus. In the first part, I will introduce our recent efforts in harnessing high-grade solar heat (> 700℃) for concentrating solar power (CSP). We probed into the critical high-temperature thermal transport problems in granular-based CSP using our unique in-situ photothermal methodology. Our operando technique provided new insight into the particle-wall interfacial thermal resistance under the framework of granular diffusion theory. In the second part, I will introduce our research on passive thermal management of high-power electronics using hydrogels. We developed a moisture thermal battery (MTB) using hydrogel for passive electronics cooling by autonomous water harvesting in off-peak hours and evaporative cooling in peak hours. The MTB shows a broad application envelope for communication, computing, power battery, and optoelectronics, etc.

Biography
Dr. Jian Zeng is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Energy Technologies Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California Berkeley working with Dr. Ravi Prasher and Dr. Jeffrey Long. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of California San Diego working with Dr. Renkun Chen, and B.S&M.Sc degrees from China. His research interests lie in advanced thermal energy materials and systems for the water-energy-climate nexus, with an emphasis on carbon capture, water harvesting, desalination, building/electronics/personal moisture-thermal regulation, and thermal energy storage. He has published 30 peer-reviewed papers in reputable journals, e.g., Adv. Energy Mater., Desalination and Nanoscale, etc., book chapters, and conference talks. He is the recipient of the 2022 Chinses Government Award for Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad and UCSD Fellowship.

MAE Faculty Host: James Trainham