Micro and Miniature Technologies of Advanced Energy and Thermal Systems

Amir FaghriUnited Technologies Endowed Chair Professor in
Thermal-Fluids EngineeringUniversity of ConnecticutAbstract:The 21st century will see the development of a wide range of active miniaturized energy devices with application in energy management and power sources, electronic cooling, energy storage and bioengineering. Although these active devices are effective, they are often cumbersome and inefficient considering the auxiliary supporting devices such as pumps, fans, and other moving parts they require for operation. A more efficient and novel approach involves use of passive small energy and thermal devices with no moving parts. Two research thrusts will be presented in this talk. We propose a new miniature passive direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that includes a fuel cell stack and ancillary systems with no moving parts. This system uses passive approaches for fuel storage and delivery, air breathing, water management, CO2 release, and thermal management. The performance characteristics of the passive miniature DMFC system will be presented.Increasing component densities of the integrated circuit (IC) and packaging level have led to serious challenges in thermal management problems in electric cooling. Micro heat pipes are one of the promising cooling devices because of their high efficiency, reliability and cost effectiveness. Theoretical and experimental analysis performed on micro and miniature heat pipe arrays reveals a 300% improvement in effective thermal conductivity at high heat fluxes over conventional approaches.BiographyDr. Faghri is currently the United Technologies Endowed Chair Professor in Thermal-Fluids Engineering. He was the Dean of the School of Engineering from 1998-2006, and the Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department from 1994-1998 at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Faghri developed major initiatives and incentives to promote quality research and graduate education, including establishing the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center with significant support from the federal and state governments, as well as the private sector. Dr. Faghri has authored seven books and edited volumes, more than 260 archival technical publications (including 160 journal papers), and 11 U.S. patents. His latest textbook, Transport Phenomena in Multiphase Systems, was published by Elsevier in 2006. He has served as a consultant to several major research centers and corporations, including Los Alamos and Oak Ridge national laboratories, ExxonMobil, and Intel Corporation as well as serving on the boards of directors of both publicly-traded and private companies. Dr. Faghri has served as a principal investigator conducting research in the area of thermal management and multiphase transport phenomena for applications ranging from advanced cooling systems to alternative energy systems including fuel cells, solar energy systems and thermal energy storage devices. Dr. Faghri has received numerous external research contracts and grants from the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and various industries. Dr. Faghri has received many honors and awards, including the 1998 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA) Thermophysics Award, the 1998 American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) Heat Transfer Memorial Award and the 2005 ASME James Harry Potter Gold Medal.Dr. Faghri received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.S. with highest honors from Oregon State University.Friday, Mar. 14, 2008KAP14412:00 pm
Lunch will be servedPlease RSVP to: amundy@usc.edu

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 144

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: April Mundy