An integrated thermal to electrical energy conversion system

This PhD project aims to develop a novel hybrid system that can store all source of heat (e.g. heat generated by renewable energy, fossil fuels, off-peak electricity, and industrial waste heat), convert thermal energy to electro-chemical energy and eventually generate electricity for centralised/decentralised power systems.
With the global population swelling and industrialisation on the rise in developing nations, our demand for energy has reached unprecedented level. Electricity from fossil fuel energy domains more than 50% of the market even it raises serious environmental concerns and endures low efficiency. Controversially, huge amount of electricity generated by renewable energy cannot be used by consumers due to its variability and the high costs to compensate that. Energy storage plays a crucial role in building a sustainable energy system in the future.
Over the last century, the ES industry has continued to evolve and adapt to changing energy requirements. Among all the ES technologies, electrochemical storage becomes main demonstration form due to its high conversion efficiency, low cost, long life time and safety.
In parallel, thermal energy is at the heart of the whole energy chain. It provides a main linkage between the primary and secondary energy sources. 90% of current energy budget centres around heat conversion, transmission and storage. However, key challenges include efficiently converting thermal energy to electricity and transmit it to consumers.
A scalable and compatible energy conversion system is highly desired for both centralised and distributed power grid. A revolutionary step is to develop a highly efficient integrated system combining electrochemical storage with thermal energy storage (TES), whilst the heat can be from different sources e.g. renewable energy, industrial waste heat, fossil fuel burning heat and off-peak electricity.
The proposed PhD project aims to develop such an integrated system. The system comprises TES modules and a thermal-electro converter (TEC). The TES modules consist of different thermal energy stores containing TES materials that can store heat at different temperatures. The stored heat can be from different sources including renewables (solar, wind, tidal and biomass etc), clean fossil fuels, industrial waste heat, and heat generated from off-peak electricity either directly or via heat pumps. The stored heat can be used for either or both of thermal energy consumers and the TEC. The TEC uses chemical looping with perovskite material and charge the batteries thermally. The battery will generate electricity and provide end user through power grid.
The primary objective of the PhD project is to assess the integration of the system, from heat source to the TES, then to TEC. The PhD project will address different levels of scientific and technological challenges of such a novel energy conversion system. Both simulation and experiment will be carried out to study the integration between different components. A series of parameters will be assessed such as round trip efficiency, thermal to electrical converting efficiency, overall energy conversion efficiency etc. In particular, the PhD will focus on the thermal charge unit in the TEC. It could be a chemical reactor e.g. a packed bed or a fluidized bed reactor. CFD simulation will be used to design the reactor with assessment of reacting temperature, pressure, heat and mass transfer between different phases (gas, solid) etc. and also to optimise the chemical reaction rate.
To undertake this research, a motivated candidate is required with a first class degree or upper second or a combination of qualification and professional experience equivalent to that level, in chemical engineering or other related science and engineering disciplines. The candidate has to show evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study and also preliminary knowledge of research techniques. Independent work, self-motivation, good team spirit and excellent communication skills are important assets of the successful candidate. The candidate has to demonstrate proof of proficiency in English if applicable. Candidate with some knowledge and research experience in energy conversion system or bed reactor design will be preferred.
The PhD student will be hosted in Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage (BCES) in the School of Chemical Engineering. BCES consists thermal energy storage centre and cryogenic energy storage centre. It has developed worldwide reputation on energy conversion systems with research expertise from across the University and state-of-the-art equipment/facilities for materials, energy, processes and system research. It will provide an excellent environment for hosting the PhD student.