Flowing solid particles are used in a variety of concentrating solar applications. However, the physics of how these particles interact with collimated light sources is still not well understood. In this project, several experiments approximate various flow regimes of solid particles, including a "solid", "liquid" and "gas" flow regime. Temperature measurements are compared with results from commercial modeling codes to validate newly developed radiative heat transfer models.

Hypersonic vehicles experience significant heating on vehicle surfaces. This heat can be captured and transitioned into electrical energy. We are exploring the optimization and design of waste heat conversion technologies on hypersonic platforms.

Commercial desalination technologies are costly and energy-intensive, typically requiring thermal or electrical inputs produced from fossil-fuel resources. As an alternative, solar-thermal energy inputs have been proposed for desalination systems. Solar-thermal desalination includes three stages: (1) absorption of solar radiation, (2) utilization of absorbed heat for vapor production from a saline source, and (3) condensation of the vapor to water distillate and brine rejection. Research in the DaTA Lab seeks to develop novel deployable, solar-thermal desalination systems. These are promising technologies for promoting water security and sustainable community development in remote or storm-damaged coastal regions.

Spacecraft experience large fluctuations in on-board waste heat generation. We are developing spacecraft radiators which adjust their geometry in real time in response to current spacecraft needs. This behavior eliminates the need for additional battery storage currently used to power spacecraft survival heaters. This project incorporates elements of dynamics, origami and heat transfer to explore a truly unique solution to a problem experienced by many spacecraft, with a goal of developing and launching a Cubesat prototype.

In 2018, the global biochar market size was $1.3 billion with 395.3 kilo tons of demand for biochar products. With U.S. demand predicted to grow rapidly in the next decade, there is significant potential for a biochar boom in the U.S. agronomic sector. Solar-thermal pyrolysis systems in biochar production would supply local soil-amendment products to and provide new economic opportunities for rural communities in the Midwest. Research is currently ongoing regarding biochar tuning and the design, fabrication, and optimization of controlled solar-thermochemical biochar reactors. These reactors are to be tested in-house using the DaTA Lab high-flux solar simulator.

Current practice states that PV panels should be set at a tilt angle (phi in the image on the left) equivalent to the latitude angle of their geographic location. However, this advice neglects the influence of real-time weather effects on a PV panel. For example, in Ohio the cloudy winters prevents PV panel operation in the winter. As such, PV panels tilted to favor the summer months (as shown in the image to the left) gather more energy when compared against a PV panel using current practice. In this project, we aim to determine the optimal tilt angle for a variety of PV panels in every county in the United States.

PV panels on building rooftops provide shade to the building, altering its energy consumption. During the summer, the PV panels provide shade and prevent unwanted heat gain from solar irradiation. During this same winter, the shade prevents solar heat gain which increases the energy consumption. Using a heat transfer model, we predict the impact of PV shading on building energy profiles, quantifying the impact of the panel for different locations throughout the United States.

While in space, solar energy can be concentrated into a reactor which heats propellant. The propellant is expanded through a nozzle, producing thrust. By using the solar resource to heat the propellant, it is not necessary to carry fuel. A spacecraft such as this might be used to achieve sustained flights between Earth and the Moon as a supply chain for a human presence on other planets.