ENERGY SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Web site: http://meche.mit.edu/research/energy/

Energy Science and Engineering focuses on technologies for efficient and clean energy conversion and
utilization. We aim to meet the challenges of rising energy demands and prices, and the concomitant
environmental impact. Our program encompasses existing and emerging technologies at the systems,
engineering and scientific levels. Besides engines and combustion, our research covers thermoelectricity, fuel
cells and batteries, solar energy and wind power systems, energy efficient buildings, carbon capture, hydrogen
and alternative fuels, and water purification and desalination. Our efforts in technology are grounded in
fundamental research in thermodynamics of coupled processes; thermochemical and electrochemical reaction
and transport processes; heat and mass transfer; solid-state phenomena including photo, thermal, and electrical
aspects; nanosciences; surface interactions; and fluid dynamics. Tools we develop and apply include
computation, diagnostics, experimentation, and analysis.

Offshore Wind Energy

Wind is the fastest growing renewable energy source, increasing at an annual rate
of 25%. Wind energy generated from floating offshore wind farms is the next
frontier. Innovative and economical wind turbine floaters are being developed for
deployment in large-scale offshore wind farms in water depths up to several
hundred meters.

Faculty: Sclavounos, Slocum.

Subjects 2.23 and 2.24.

Engines, Transportation, Combustion and Control

The internal combustion engine is the main prime mover for vehicles. The
technology is facing intense challenges because of fuel shortage, emissions
regulations and greenhouse gas constraints. The Sloan Automotive Lab is one of
the leading research centers in the world specializing in engine performance.
Significant opportunities are sought in formulating new fuels, developing novel
combustion processes, improving lubrication, advancing exhaust aftertreatment
systems and hybridization.

Combustion modeling is a prerequisite for developing control technology to

optimize energy and propulsion systems’ performance: including stability,
emissions, efficiency and power density. Our work covers the development and
application of advanced simulation for reactive flows focusing on dynamics,
control-oriented models, and implementation of adaptive control algorithms
including sensing and actuation.
Faculty and Senior Scientists: Annaswamy, Cheng, Heywood, Ghoniem, Wang.
Subjects: 2.28, 2.61.

Energy Conservation
Substantial opportunities exist in reducing energy consumption in buildings. Our
research programs include optimal control for mixed-mode cooling, ventilation
control strategies, HVAC performance simulations, equipment for power
signature analysis, rooftop cooling fault detection, and study of natural ventilation.

Faculty: Glicksman and faculty of the Building Technology Program.

Subjects: 2.66, 2.67.
Transport Phenomena and Water Desalination
Our faculty are engaged in fundamental research on transport phenomena at the macroscale and microscale,
including enhanced heat transfer, high heat flux heat transfer, micro and nanoscale heat and mass transport, with
applications to a range of problems including advanced water purification and desalination through thermal and
membrane based processes. Today’s clean water production technologies require orders of magnitude more
energy than theoretically required; we aim to significantly improve their efficiency and economics.

Faculty: Chen, Kazimi, Lienhard, Mikic, Wang.

Subjects: 2.50, 2.57

Energy Storage and Fuel Cells

Our faculty are involved in developing fundamental knowledge for efficient and
higher energy density lithium ion batteries. We work on investigating mechanisms
governing the performance of fuel cells for transportation and electricity
generation. Research includes catalysis of small molecules such as oxygen
reduction and water splitting, polymeric materials for ion transport, simulation of
transport-electrochemistry interactions, electrolytic and photoelectrochemical cells.
Faculty: Barbastathis, Boyce, Chen, Cravalho, Ghoniem, Shao-Horn, Slocum.
Classes: 2.57, 2.62, 2.625.

Carbon Capture and Hydrogen Research

85% of our energy comes from fossil fuels, a percentage unlikely to change soon. Capture
and storage of carbon dioxide from power plants and fuel production facilities is necessary for
mitigating global warming. Major challenges remain before this technology can be deployed
at scale. Our program’s objective is to provide the necessary knowledge for enabling CO2
capture, including research on gasification of solid fuels including biomass, oxy-combustion,
system’s integration and optimization, syngas utilization, and novel gas separation
technologies. We work on the production of hydrogen and its liquefaction and storage.

Faculty: Brisson, Chen, Ghoniem, Kazimi.

Subjects: 2.28, 2.62

Solar Energy and Photovoltaics

Our goal is to accelerate the widespread adoption of solar energy technologies. In
photovoltaics, emphasis is on the next generation of photovoltaic materials and
devices, engineering low-cost, naturally abundant and manufacturable materials
into defect-tolerant, high-efficiency devices. We work on nanostructured
thermophotovoltaic materials and devices, and combined heat and power in
concentrated solar thermal electric conversion, and optimal system design.

Faculty: Buonassisi, Chen, Dubowsky, Ghoniem, Sachs.

Subjects: 2.57, 2.62, 2.626

Subjects offered in energy, also serving our 2A-E program, include:

2.005 Thermal-Fluids Engineering I 2.006 Thermal-Fluids Engineering II
2.25 Advanced Fluid Mechanics 2.26 Compressible Fluid Dynamics
2.28 Fundamentals and Applications of Combustion 2.41 Advanced Thermal Fluids Engineering
2.42 General Thermodynamics 2.500 Desalination and Water Purification
2.51 Intermediate Heat and Mass Transfer 2.52 Modeling of Thermal Processes
2.55 Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer 2.56 Conduction and Phase Change
2.57 Nano-to-Macro Transport Processes 2.60/2 Fundamentals of Energy Conversion
2.61 Internal Combustion Engines 2.625 Electrochemical Systems.
2.626 Fundamentals of Photovoltaics 2.65 Sustainable Energy