Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The theme of the proposed research is energy capture and recovery from solar and waste streams in the interest of reducing energy usage and reducing our reliance on fossil fuel-based resources, thereby also reducing Canada's overall carbon footprint. Within this broad theme, the proposed simulation-focused research program describes initiatives directed towards the long-term goals of understanding heat transfer during phase change in energy storage materials and developing novel technologies to promote heat transfer enhancement for application in energy storage, recovery and utility. The energy derived from solar and waste heat streams is most effective if it can be captured and stored when available, and then utilized when needed-a misalignment issue that has long existed, but can be resolved by the introduction of thermal storage. This can be thought of as a thermal battery, which, much like chemical batteries, can be "charged" with heat energy when the sun shines and "discharged" when heat is required for water or space heating. An effective thermal storage vessel must store a large quantity of energy at a useful temperature, and charge and discharge at rates that are commensurate with availability and utility. The use of phase change materials (PCMs) resolves the capacity and temperature level requirements by taking advantage of latent heat storage and constant-temperature phase-changes, but considerable effort is still required to understand the heat transfer characteristics of solid-to-liquid (charging) and liquid-to-solid (discharging) and how these processes can be controlled and exploited to yield the transfer rates required for effective use. Investigation into detailed heat transfer phenomena requires sophisticated computational tools capable of modelling a conjugate framework comprised of solid, liquid and porous regions, and detailed validation experiments. The proposed research program is developed to provide training pathways for HQP at all levels. Excellent and diverse HQP training has been a hallmark of the applicant's research program resulting in capable and enthusiastic graduates who continue to work in their fields of training. Outcomes of this program are expected to have widespread impact since thermal storage coupled with solar collection can be utilized in all communities, including remote and marginalized communities that do not have ready access to the national energy grids.