The Ohio State University

Abstract:

Solar thermochemical processes for the production of hydrogen, syngas, metals, and other synthetic fuels and materials make use of concentrated solar radiation as the energy source of high-temperature process heat. Considered are water-splitting thermochemical cycles based on metal oxide redox reactions at 2000 K, and reforming/gasification/decomposition processes for the thermal decarbonization of fossil fuels at 1500 K. R&D work encompasses fundamental studies on thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, heat/mass transfer, and chemical reactor engineering. Solar reactor prototypes are designed, fabricated, modeled, and tested in a high-flux solar furnace, further optimized for maximum solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency, and finally scaled-up for (MW) industrial applications using concentrating solar tower technology.

Bio:

Aldo Steinfeld is Full Professor at the Dept. of Mechanical and Process Engineering of ETH Zurich. He further leads the Solar Technology Laboratory of the Paul Scherrer Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1989. Prior to joining PSI and ETH, he was Research Fellow at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

His research program is aimed at the advancement of the thermal, thermochemical, and electrochemical engineering sciences applied to the field of renewable energy technology. The research is focused on radiation heat transfer in multi-phase reacting flows and high-temperature chemical reactor engineering, with applications in solar fuels production (e.g. hydrogen), fossil fuel decarbonization processes, CO₂ mitigation technologies, and sustainable energy conversion and utilization. Prof. Steinfeld is the Editor of the ASME Journal of Solar Energy Engineering and has authored over 150 research articles in refereed journals.

http://www.pre.ethz.ch/

Hosted by: Professor Cheena Srinivasan, 242-0503, srinivasan.3@osu.edu

For information on ME 888 seminars contact Professor Walter Lempert at 292-2736 or lempert.1@osu.edu.

The seminar will be held in E001 Scott Laboratory.