Aerospace Engineering Seminar - Novel Applications of Thermophotovoltaics

Monday, June 27, 2016
2:00 p.m.
AE Conference room, 3164 Glenn Martin Hall
Tom Hurst
thurst@umd.edu

Title: Novel Applications of Thermophotovoltaics
Presenter: Anand Veeraragavan

Date: Monday, June 27th
Time: 2:00p.m.
Location: AE Conference room, 3164 Glenn Martin Hall

Abstract:
This presentation will discuss novel applications of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) technology for niche power generation applications. TPV systems are similar to roof-top PV systems, except that the sun is replaced by a suitable “hot” source emitter. This allows for engineering a baseload power supply system in which power generation can be suitably engineered. The work undertaken in my group focuses on using both conventional (fossil fuels) and renewable (solar thermal) energy for power conversion using TPV systems. The talk will focus on the basics of TPV technology, and the thermal options to power it: namely microcombustion and concentrated solar thermal energy. The applications include remote area power generation and advanced power systems for UAVs, MAVs and satellite power systems. Our results demonstrate that TPV systems can be engineered to have very high efficiencies and run times (for solar thermal) and therefore, become a viable option for these applications and replace low energy density batteries. Towards the end of the talk, I will also briefly describe some of my group’s on-going work on high-speed scramjet engines.

About the speaker: 
Dr. Anand Veeraragavan graduated with a B.Tech in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) in 2002. He obtained his MS (2006) and PhD (2009) degrees in aerospace engineering (working with Prof. Chris Cadou) from the University of Maryland. His PhD research focused on understanding flame stabilization in microscale combustors by developing a non-intrusive diagnostic technique based on FT-IR spectroscopy to make temperature measurements inside a silicon walled combustor. He also created a detailed analytical model that accounted for conjugate heat transfer to predict flame speeds in a channel. After his research appointment on solar energy as a postdoctoral associate in the Device Research Lab at MIT (with Prof. Evelyn Wang), he worked as a combustion technologist for GE Energy in Greenville, SC. At GE, he worked primarily on designing the next generation, land based, heavy duty, gas turbine engine combustors focusing on cost, operability, reliability and emissions and also completed his lean Six Sigma Greenbelt certification. He is currently a tenured academic at the University of Queensland (Australia), where his work spans both propulsion (scramjets) and energy conversion (solar thermal/thermophotovoltaic and microcombustion).

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