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 Zero-Carbon Future: The 3rd Seminar on Cutting-Edge Technologies for Carbon Neutralization 

SHANGHAI PUDONG MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC CONFERENCE

June 29 - July 1, 2026, Shanghai Polytechnic University, China

Conference Focus:

An academic conference on carbon neutrality is a key link connecting scientific research theories with industrial practices, with profound significance. It brings together scholars from multiple fields such as environmental science, chemical science, material research and development, and energy engineering, focusing on cutting-edge topics including carbon capture, new energy materials, and carbon accounting models to spark innovative ideas and solve technical bottlenecks. The conference can not only improve the academic system of carbon neutrality, unify the standard paradigms for carbon measurement and carbon footprint assessment, and provide scientific support for policy formulation, but also accelerate the industry-academia-research transformation of low-carbon technologies and cultivate a talent echelon of young scientific researchers. Ultimately, it promotes the transformation of laboratory achievements into industrial applications, laying a solid academic and technical foundation for the global goal of carbon neutrality. 

This seminar serves as a parallel session of the 16th Academic Annual Conference of Pudong New Area, Shanghai. It is co-hosted by the Shanghai Pudong New Area Association for Science and Technology and Shanghai Polytechnic University, and jointly undertaken by the Shanghai Pudong New Area New Materials Society, the School of Energy and Materials of Shanghai Polytechnic University, the Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology and Preparation for Renewable Energy Materials (Ministry of Education), the Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Advanced Thermal Functional Materials, the Shanghai Professional Technical Service Platform for Thermal Property Big Data, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Engineering Materials Application and Evaluation. The seminar aims to promote the development and application of carbon neutrality-related technologies. Specifically, ZTE Corporation and the Integrated Circuit Professional Committee of the Shanghai Industry-University Cooperation Education Association are invited to release technical challenges in the field of integrated circuit thermal management, and promote industry-university-research collaboration through the "open competition to address key challenges" mechanism.

Experts and scholars from a number of authoritative institutions and universities have been invited to attend the seminar. The core topics of the seminar will focus on how to address and resolve key issues restricting the process of carbon neutrality, especially the "bottleneck" problems affecting industrial development. Through in-depth cooperation and collaborative innovation between the academic and industrial sectors, this seminar aims to provide practical solutions for achieving the dual carbon goals and advance China's green development process.

Participation Title:

Thermal properties and performance of glycerol-water-NaCl Phase Change Material (PCM) for cold chain applications

Zakaria OUAOUJA 1,2, Michel HAVET 1*, Abdellah OUSEGUI 2, Olivier ROUAUD 1, Cyril TOUBLANC 1

1 Oniris, Nantes Université, CNRS, GEPEA, UMR 6144, 

F-44000, Nantes, France

2 CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès Maroc

Abstract 

The study characterises key thermal properties of eutectic PCM based on glycerol. Results indicated that increasing glycerol concentration decreased the freezing/melting temperature of the mixture, reaching −7.76 °C to −21.82 °C, at glycerol concentrations ranging between 25 and 45 wt%, respectively. However, a reduction in latent heat is observed, from 147.5 kJ·kg −1 to 73.6 kJ·kg −1 for the respective concentrations. To address this limitation, NaCl was added to the glycerol-water mixture. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimise the mixture formulation. The developed model demonstrated high predictability, with an R2 of 99.20 %. Based on this optimisation, three mixtures were selected for further characterisation, exhibiting suitable phase change temperatures around −20/−18 °C and latent heat ranging from 97 kJ·kg −1 (PCM-M1) to 280 kJ·kg −1 (PCM-M3). The performance of PCM-M3 in terms of the thermal stability of frozen food products was tested numerically through a 1D model. Incorporating the PCM layers significantly improved the thermal control of the perishable product. During standard freezer operation, the product temperature was maintained at −20 °C ± 0.065 °C compared to the reference case (without PCM) at −20 ± 0.81 °C. During defrost cycles, the maximum product temperature reached −19.42 °C, compared to −16.98 °C without PCM.

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 34ème Congrès Annuel de la Société Française de Thermique

Société Française de Thermique

Thermique et Décarbonation de l'industrie

Nancy, France, 2-5 juin 2026

Conference Focus:

Le 34ème Congrès Annuel de la Société Française de Thermique est organisé par le Laboratoire Énergies & Mécanique Théorique et Appliquée (LEMTA), unité mixte de recherche de l'Université de Lorraine et du CNRS.

L’objectif de ce 34ème congrès annuel de la Société Française de Thermique est d’éclairer la communauté des thermiciens sur les défis posés par la décarbonation de l’industrie à moins d’un quart de siècle de l’objectif de neutralité carbone en 2050. Nous invitons tous les chercheur.e.s, industriel.le.s et doctorant.e.s à venir partager leurs travaux récents dans tout domaine de la thermique et de ses applications. Tous les travaux seront présentés sous forme d’affiche lors de sessions dédiées et pourront donner lieu à une communication écrite (avec DOI). Des ateliers thématiques seront aussi programmés en alternance avec des conférences plénières.

Participation Paper:

Étude numérique de l’intégration de matériaux à changement de phase dans les parois des chambres froides pour le stockage des produits alimentaires

Zakaria OUAOUJA 1,2, Michel HAVET 1*, Abdellah OUSEGUI 2, Olivier ROUAUD 1, Cyril TOUBLANC 1

1 Oniris, Nantes Université, CNRS, GEPEA, UMR 6144, 

F-44000, Nantes, France

2 CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès Maroc

Résumé 

Cette étude présente une évaluation numérique de l’intégration de matériaux à changement de phase (MCP) sur la surface intérieure des parois des chambres froides afin d’en améliorer l’efficacité énergétique, la stabilité de la température des produits et la flexibilité énergétique. Un modèle dynamique de stockage frigorifique a été développé à l’aide d’EnergyPlus en co-simulation avec MATLAB pour prendre en compte l’impact sur la température des produits stockés à température positive (produits frais) et négative (produits congelés). L’impact des MCP sur la consommation d’énergie et la fluctuation de la température des produits a été analysé. Les résultats montrent que l’intégration des MCP limite efficacement les variations de température des produits, améliorant ainsi la stabilité thermique dans diverses conditions de fonctionnement. Cependant, dans la plupart des scénarios, les économies d’énergie restent négligeables sans la mise en œuvre d’une stratégie de contrôle de la production de froid. Lorsqu’ils sont associés à une approche de réponse à la demande, les MCP permettent une réduction d’énergie significatifs tout en préservant la qualité des produits. Cela souligne l’importance des stratégies de contrôle actif pour exploiter pleinement le potentiel d’économie d’énergie des PCM dans les applications de stockage frigorifique.

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 9th IIR Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain

ICCC 2026 ISTANBUL

Sustaining Cold Chain and Food for the Future

12-14 April 2026, ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE

Conference Focus:

The ICCC 2026 conference will focus on advancing sustainability and innovation in the cold chain, featuring key discussions on challenges and opportunities shaping the global food supply chain.

Participation Presentation:

Numerical Evaluation of Phase Change Material Integration in Cold Room Walls: Energy and Product Temperature Control for Frozen and Fresh Storage

Zakaria OUAOUJA (a,b), Cyril TOUBLANC (a)*, Abdellah OUSEGUI (b), Olivier ROUAUD (a), Michel HAVET (a)

(a) Oniris, Nantes Université, CNRS, GEPEA, UMR 6144, 

F-44000, Nantes, France

(b) CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès, Maroc

Abstract

This study presents a numerical evaluation of integrating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) into the inner surfaces of cold room walls to enhance energy efficiency, product temperature stability, and energy flexibility. A dynamic cold storage model was developed using EnergyPlus co-simulated with MATLAB, considering both frozen and fresh product storage (e.g., fruits). The impact of PCM in terms of energy consumption and product temperature fluctuation. Results show that PCM integration effectively limits product temperature variations, improving thermal stability under various operating conditions. However, in most scenarios, energy savings remain negligible without implementing a cold production control strategy. When combined with an energy management strategy such as a Demand Response approach, PCMs enable load shifting and energy reduction while preserving product quality. This highlights the importance of active control strategies to unlock the full energy-saving potential of PCMs in cold storage applications.

Keywords: Cold storage, Food application, Simulation, PCM, Latent heat, Energy Efficiency

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 ICCSC 2024 

June 28-29, 2024, Fez, Morocco

Conference Focus:

The ICCC 2026 conference will focus on advancing sustainability and innovation in the cold chain, featuring key discussions on challenges and opportunities shaping the global food supply chain.

Participation Presentation:

 Evaluating the Effectiveness of Phase Change Materials during Power Outage and Defrosting Cycles for a Cold Room Storage

Zakaria OUAOUJA (a,b),  Abdellah OUSEGUI (b), Cyril TOUBLANC (a), Olivier ROUAUD (a), Michel HAVET (a)

(a) Oniris, Nantes Université, CNRS, GEPEA, UMR 6144, 

F-44000, Nantes, France

(b) CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès, Maroc

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 IRASET’2024

May 16-17, 2024, Fez, Morocco 

Conference Focus:

 The International Conference on Innovative Research in Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (IRASET) focusing on the latest researches, developments, advances and new technologies in the fields of Computer Science, Information Technology, Signal Processing, Emerging Technologies, Wireless Communications, Smart Grid and Green Communications. The conference aims to disseminate novel ideas and emerging trends, research results and practical achievements. Original and high quality contributions are solicited, including theories, applications and experiments. The IRASET is an opportunity to network, build up partnerships and exchange ideas with a variety of experienced researchers, developers and practitioners from several universities, research institutes, and academia. 

Participation Presentation:

Inverse Method for Estimating Thermal Properties of Phase Change Material Using Levenberg-Marquardt Method

Zakaria OUAOUJA (a),  Abdellah OUSEGUI (a)

(a) CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès, Maroc

Abstract

This paper investigates the application of the Inverse method to a 1-D semi-infinite melting problem in order to estimate thermal properties of of Phase Change Material (PCM), including the melting point Tm, density ρ, and latent heat capacity L. The problem predicts temperature using an analytical solution based on Stefan’s problem that uses Neumann's similarity solu- tion. It then estimates the unknown parameters using nonlinear inverse method based on the Levenberg-Marquardt Optimization (LMO). Two PCMs, sodium sulfate and water, were used to validate and evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model. Numerical results show that the model is robust as it converges quickly to exact values - 34 iterations for sodium sulfate case and 22 for water - indicating high reliability with negligible error. 

Keywords: Inverse Heat Transfer, Stefan Problem, Inverse Method, Levenberg-Marquardt Method, Phase Change Materials

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ICACTCE - 2021

March 24-26, 2021 CyberSpace 

(Due to COVID-19, this edition is virtually from Morocco)

Conference Focus:

The International Conference on Advances in Communication Technology, Computing and Engineering will be organized from 24 to 26 March 2021 in Morocco. The conference is organized with the objective of bringing together innovative scientists, professors, research scholars, students and industrial experts in the field of Computing, Communication and Engineering to a common forum. ICACTCE'21 is offering a fantastic opportunity to attend a global scientific forum from the convenience of your desktop. No traveling, no hotel expenses, no time away from the office. The conference runs fully online, from paper submission, including reviewing, conference discussion, and post-conference processing. The online conference is a smart and affordable manner of presenting research results. 

Participation Presentation:

Energy efficiency in buildings: Numerical study of the impact of integrating Phase Change Materials into walls

Zakaria OUAOUJA (a),  Abdellah OUSEGUI (a)

(a) CSC, LMIMP, ENSAM, Université Moulay Ismail

Marjane 2, B.P. 15290 Al Mansour, Meknès, Maroc

Abstract

In order to improve the energy efficiency of lightweight envelopes, the solar energy storage using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) integrated into the is suggested as a passive solution, since PCMs are considered one of the most recommended materials for storing or releasing thermal energy in the form of latent heat. For this specific reason a comparative study between structures with and without PCM has been developed to highlight the actual impact of the thickness, location and type of the PCM layer on the thermal behaviour inside buildings and their impact on electricity consumption.

An American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) benchmark cases were chosen to validate the model.This numerical study was performed out using the "EnergyPlus V 9.0.1" building thermal simulation software, which accurately predicts the building's temperature, humidity and energy consumption profiles as well as several other parameters.

Keywords: Phase Change Materials, Building Energy Modeling, Building effeciency, EnergyPlus