Another Upcoming Event!

Hello everyone,

We're going to try something new this week and attend a mechanical engineering lecture on “Heat Transfer Aspects of Thermal Energy Storage and Biomass Growth for Sustainable Energy Applications” by Thomas Bergman. This lecture is on Thursday, February 17th from 3:00 to 4:15pm in Anderson 112. After, at around 6:30, we'll gather and have a pizza dinner and discussion about the lecture and how the information presented in the lecture is related to the energy world. Even if you can't make the lecture, or if engineering is not your thing, stop by 155 College Ave, Somerville (across from Ellis Oval) to have some food and hang out!
We hope to see you on Thursday!

Here's some more information about the lecture:

Heat Transfer Aspects of Thermal Energy Storage and Biomass Growth for Sustainable Energy Applications

Theodore L. Bergman

Department of Mechanical Engineering

University of Connecticut

Thursday, February 17, 2011

3:00PM – 4:15PM

Anderson Hall – 112

Abstract: The challenge of providing sufficient amounts of energy for humankind is well known. Adequate supplies of energy are needed not only to fuel industrial productivity, but to supply safe drinking water and food for much of the world’s population, and to provide the sanitation necessary to control life-threatening diseases. This presentation will focus on two research topics pertinent to enabling broader use of sustainable energy sources. Specifically, current research dealing with (a) thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power electricity generation and (b) heat and mass transfer pertinent to the growth of biomass in high carbon dioxide environments, will be presented and discussed. The thermal energy storage focus is on the potential utilization of heat pipe or thermosyphon technology to promote efficient heat transfer in large-scale latent heat thermal energy storage systems. Experimental and analytical results will be presented. Experimental results that reveal the role of elevated carbon dioxide levels in promoting plant growth and affecting plant heat transfer will also be touched upon.

Bio: Theodore L. (Ted) Bergman received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas and Purdue University, respectively. After working in the power industry early in his career, Dr. Bergman has been a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin (1985 - 1996) and the University of Connecticut (1996 - present). From 2008 to 2010 he served as Director of the Thermal Transport Processes Program at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Bergman has also served on the editorial boards of three journals, is a member of the International Center for Heat and Mass Transfer, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Beyond these and other research activities, Dr. Bergman is a co-author of a leading undergraduate text in heat and mass transfer that is used worldwide, has served as Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Connecticut, and as the Associate Dean for Research and Outreach, also in the School of Engineering at UConn. He has also held a number of administrative positions on an interim basis, both at the University of Connecticut and at NSF.