Research Ilya T'Jollyn

Abstract

The challenge consists of drafting a research proposal in the field of two-phase flow and heat transfer for sustainable energy systems. The goal of this proposal is to improve the fundamental understanding of one or multiple of the physical processes occurring in these systems, thereby allowing more efficient and sustainable design and operation. The research has to use a novel method and can either be through simulations (original modelling methods) or experiments (innovative measurement techniques). This proposal (and the candidates full CV) should be submitted through a written paper of maximum two pages, containing a brief context, the main challenges, objectives and short methodology. This document will allow for an evaluation of the candidate's ability to write academic research proposals and will demonstrate whether the candidate has sufficient insight into the latest advancements in the research domain. The limited length of the document will also allow an evaluation of the candidate's ability to clearly and concisely communicate the main ideas and goals of the proposal. After a preselection of the candidates based on the proposal and CV, an interview will be organized for the remaining candidates. During this interview, the candidate will present and defend his research proposal in front of a selection committee consisting of ZAP and postdoc members of the research group. This will allow to evaluate the candidate's language and presentation skills as well as the candidate's ability to defend a research proposal before a critical jury. After the presentation, the candidate will be questioned and challenged both on the project content (methodology, feasibility, risks) and his personal motivation and competences. After the interview, the candidates will be ranked based on the quality of the proposal, the potential added value of the candidate to the research group and the alignment of the project with the research line.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: T'Jollyn Ilya
• Co-promoter: Verhaert Ivan

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

District heating for building applications will need integrated thermal energy storage systems in order to be able to include more renewable energy into their operation. Thermal energy storage models are nowadays lacking accuracy or need too much calculation time, to be able to use them for district heating network topology optimization. They show the same deficiencies when control during operation is considered. This project aims at developing fast and reliable models for thermal energy storage systems and integrate them into district heating models. Secondly the project aims to develop an heuristic topology optimization method which will allow to design quickly and reliably a district heating network with thermal energy storage. In a final phase the thermal models will be used to define control strategies for district heating networks by simulation in Modelica.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: T'Jollyn Ilya

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Heat pumps are an essential part of sustainable building energy systems. New refrigerants are being introduced to reduce the impact of refrigerant leaks on global warming, but the influence of these new refrigerants on the boiling heat transfer in the evaporator is currently impossible to predict without measurements. The goal of this research project is to use numerical CFD simulations to evaluate nucleate pool boiling heat transfer. This has recently become feasible due to the advances in computational power. In this project, a numerical framework will be developed to run these simulations. Using the framework, the effect of new refrigerant fluid properties, but also of the boiling surface material and microgeometry will be analyzed.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: T'Jollyn Ilya
• Fellow: T'Jollyn Ilya

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Heat pumps are an integral part of the future sustainable building energy systems and are already taking up a substantial portion of the (newly) built sector. In the evaporator, a liquid refrigerant flows that is evaporated to a vapour. Although boiling heat transfer has been researched for almost a century, no consensus is yet available in the scientific community on which (fluid) parameters affect boiling heat transfer. As new refrigerants with lower global warming potential are still being introduced, testing is required for each fluid to analyse the heat transfer performance. Using computational fluid dynamics simulations, new insights will be gathered in the behaviour of the boiling process. The goal of this research is to develop a numerical framework to simulate heat transfer during nucleate pool boiling and evaluate the influence of fluid properties and other boundary conditions on the heat transfer rates. With this framework, the heat transfer rates during nucleate pool boiling of different fluids with varying properties can be predicted, as well as the influence of boundary conditions such as the boiling surface material properties and (micro)geometry. This will enable faster and improved design of evaporators, which are essential an part of systems such as heat pump, chillers and power generation through organic Rankine cycles.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: T'Jollyn Ilya
• Fellow: Whiting Mitchell

Research team(s)

• Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings

Project type(s)

• Research Project