[ITSnews] 2nd TE Applications Workshop; Postdoc in Spain

The ITS Website, http://www.its.org, has received a facelift, as well as some bug fixes.

Login and post a comment to let us know what you think of the new look.

2nd Thermoelectric Applications Workshop, January 3 - 6, 2011, Del Coronado, Hotel, Greater San Diego, California

We are Planning a Reception the night of Monday, the 3rd of January then 3 days of presentations starting Tuesday morning, 4 January. All Workshop participants will be eligible for Government Rates at the Del Coronado.

 

There will be no Registration Fee. The key presentations well center on automotive applications. As the EU is imposing limits with major fines on CO2/km emissions and the US is imposing higher CAFÉ standards. The  thermoelectric generators (TEG) operating between engine waste heat and cooling water from either the engine radiator or a dedicated heat exchanger will generate electricity without releasing any additional carbon to the atmosphere. The Department of Energy has competitively awarded contracts to teams headed by GM and Ford to develop automotive thermoelectric air conditioner/heater (TE HVAC).  Thermoelectrics have big advantage in heating with a COP>1.3 and the COP of the resistance heaters have a COP=1.0.

 

In the cooling phase the approach is to take advantage of the design flexibility offered
by the Zonal or Disbursed Unit approach which involves maintaining occupant comfort and not the whole cabin. Analytically it looks like we could cool a vehicle occupant with 630 Watts wherein the current compressed gas air conditioners use 3500 t0 4500 Watts. Also the current refrigerant gas, R134a, has 1300 times the "Greenhouse Gas " Effect as CO2. Roughly 60 percent of the R134a manufactured winds up in the atmosphere. TE HVAC's  and TEG's are in development for the Ford Fusion and the Chevy Volt. ATE HVAC is also being developed for Cadillac SRX. TEG's are in development for the Chevy Suburban, Ford Fusion and the BMW X6 . The trend in vehicles is to plug in Hybrids, All Electric and Fuel Cell powered vehicles. TE HVAC has considerable advantage for these vehicles. There will be several International presentations including 3 from China.

The Workshop will include 7 Sessions.  Abstracts will be accepted  until November 5, for the following Sessions Topics as follows and 2 Panels:

 

John W. Fairbanks
Technology Development Manager - Thermoelectrics Department of Energy
(EE-2G) 1000 Independence Ave SW Washington, DC 20585
john.fairbanks@ee.doe.gov
(v) 202 586-8066
(cell) 301-675 6840

Postdoctoral and Predoctoral positions on ‘Nano-engineered high performance Thermoelectric Energy Conversion devices’ at Instituto de Microelectronica de Madrid IMM-CNM-CSIC – Madrid (Spain):

 

A four-year position is available for Graduate Students to work towards a PhD Thesis on projects related to the fabrication and characterization of thermoelectric nanowire arrays obtain inside alumina and polymers. Or a two years position for postdoctoral researcher. The job is funded by ERC Starting grant from the European Union.

 

More specifically, the work to be developed by the successful candidate will be related to anodization of aluminium, electrodeposition of thermoelectrics, diblock copolymers, and characterization by raman spectroscopy, electrical, thermal measurements, atomic force microscopy, electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, etc.

 

The work will be developed at IMM, a consolidate research center for nanoscience. Located at Tres Cantos (Madrid) connected with the city center by public transport. IMM offers an excellent research environment, with a close interaction with top-level groups working in several areas of nanoscience. Some details of the offer:

 

- Duration: four years maximum.

- Requirements: the candidates must have a University Degree enabling them to enroll into a Master Program at a Spanish University. This degree should be in a scientific area related to the project (physics, chemistry, materials science).

- Aim: To work towards a PhD Thesis

- Starting Date: To be decided, but ASAP.

- Applications: Interested candidates should contact Dra. Marisol Martin Gonzalez (marisol@imm.cnm.csic.es).

 

The application should include:

A full, updated CV

A 'student record' from the University, including marks

Two letters of reference (recommended for candidates from Spain, but mandatory for candidates from abroad)

Any previous knowledge in any of the field will be greatly appreciated.

 

- Deadline: June, 31th, 2010.