Dr Adriano Sciacovelli PhD

School of Chemical Engineering
Associate Professor

Contact details

Telephone: +44 121 414 8747
Email: a.sciacovelli@bham.ac.uk
Twitter: @Sciacovelli_UoB

Address: School of Chemical Engineering
Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Adriano Sciacovelli is an Associate Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage where he leads his MODES research group. His research is in the field Energy Process Engineering and Process Intensification; he is specialist in in thermal, thermo-mechanical and thermo-chemical processes and systems for storage, generation and upgrade of zero-carbon thermal energy (heat and cold). The ability to undertake combined thermo-fluid computational modelling and heat transfer experimental research is a distinct feature of Dr Sciacovelli’s research and of the capabilities in his team. He has been supported by EPSRC, EU, Royal Society, Innovate UK and industry.

Qualifications

PG Cert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Birmingham, 2019
PhD In Energy Engineering, Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino (Italy), 2010
MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino (Italy), 2006

Biography

Dr Adriano Sciacovelli is Lecturer in the School of Chemical Engineering of the University of Birmingham, and member of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage where he leads his MODES research group. He was awarded a First Class Master degree in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD in Energy Engineering from the Politecnico I Torino (Italy). After post-doctoral activity he moved to the University of Birmingham where he was appointed in 2017.

Dr Adriano Sciacovelli has been working on thermal energy processes since 2007. His key competencies and research areas are: high-performance thermal energy storage technologies and associated heat and mass transfer intensification strategies, Thermo-mechanical energy storage processes with and optimization of their thermodynamic optimization, Digital Twin modelling for optimal process integration and operation of heating/cooling technologies and heat networks; As PI or Co-I Dr Sciacovelli has been awarded >12 grants and contracts to support his research activities, with support from EPSRC, EU, Innovate UK, Royal Society and Industry. He has been also awarded by the Royal Society. He develop international collaborations, including with China, Italy, South Africa and Australia. He has published >100 papers in peer-reviewed journals and peer-reviewed conference proceedings (h index of 24, Google Scholar). His work on thermal energy systems has been awarded at international conferences, including, HEFAT 2019 and HEFAT 2021. He received the Edward F. Obert Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME). He is also Associate Editor for Applied Thermal Engineering (Elsevier).

Teaching

Advanced transport phenomena
Energy Systems Modelling
Chemical Engineering Design Project
MSc Final Year Research Project

Postgraduate supervision

Adriano Sciacovelli is always happy to consider inquiries and applications from prospective PhD students. If you have interested in a topics in energy engineering, energy storage, thermal systems as well as modelling; please contact Dr Sciacovelli.

Dr Sciacovelli is particularly interested in International PhD Scholarship schemes or bilateral PhD Schemes, such as Priestley Scholarship (UK-Australia), China Scholarship Council (UK-China), IsDB Scholarship (Iran-UK and more), and others. please contact Dr Sciacovelli in such instance.

If interested please send your CV and a research statement (max 2 pages) indicating:

Show reasonable understanding of existing work in the research field of interest: what is the state of the art?
Area for new work: what is worth pursuing?
Have concrete goals
Indicate that you know how to achieve them: What are your specific skills and experiences that make you suitable person for a PhD?

Research

His research is in the field Energy Process Engineering and Process Intensification; he is specialist in in thermal, thermo-mechanical and thermo-chemical processes and systems for storage, generation and upgrade of zero-carbon thermal energy (heat and cold). The ability to undertake combined thermo-fluid computational modelling and heat transfer experimental research is a distinct feature of Dr Sciacovelli’s research and of the capabilities in his team.

Overarching research interest 1: processes, devices, technologies, systems for storage, production valorization of thermal energy (heat/cold) heating and recovery of wasted thermal energy

Specific interest in this theme are:

Thermal energy storage and thermochemical energy storage
Large scale thermo-mechanical-chemical processes
Recovery and valorization of Waste heat and waste cold
Digital twin modelling and optimization of low-carbon energy processes, with specific focus on optimal integration and operation

Overarching research interest 2: transport phenomena, heat transfer, mass transfer and fluid flow in energy devices and technologies

Heat and mass transfer intensification strategies for high-performance thermal energy technologies,
Topological optimization methods for energy technologies
Hybrid experimental-modelling analysis of thermodynamic and heat/fluid flows effects in thermal energy technologies

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Wronski, T & Sciacovelli, A 2024, 'Analysis of the potential of four reactive metals as zero‑carbon energy carriers for energy storage and conversion', Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 100, no. A, 113514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.113514

Humbert, G & Sciacovelli, A 2024, 'Design of effective heat transfer structures for performance maximization of a closed thermochemical energy storage reactor through topology optimization', Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 239, 122146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.122146

Fisher, R, Ciappi, L, Niknam, P, Braimakis, K, Karellas, S, Frazzica, A & Sciacovelli, A 2024, 'Innovative waste heat valorisation technologies for zero-carbon ships − A review', Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 253, 123740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.123740

Niknam, PH, Fisher, R, Ciappi, L & Sciacovelli, A 2024, 'Optimally integrated waste heat recovery through combined emerging thermal technologies: Modelling, optimization and assessment for onboard multi-energy systems', Applied Energy, vol. 366, 123298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123298

Wang, Y, Lu, T, Yang, R, Sciacovelli, A, Ding, Y & Li, Y 2023, 'Heat transfer characteristics of near-pseudocritical nitrogen in vertical small tubes—a new empirical correlation', International Journal of Thermal Sciences, vol. 184, 108001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2022.108001

Niknam, PH & Sciacovelli, A 2023, 'Hybrid PCM-steam thermal energy storage for industrial processes: Link between thermal phenomena and techno-economic performance through dynamic modelling', Applied Energy, vol. 331, 120358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120358

Vecchi, A & Sciacovelli, A 2023, 'Long-duration thermo-mechanical energy storage: - Present and future techno-economic competitiveness', Applied Energy, vol. 334, 120628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120628

Castellani, B, Kaur, P, Sciacovelli, A, Rossi, F & Ding, Y 2023, 'Microgrid application of liquefied air energy storage (LAES) systems', Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 2509, no. 1, 012021. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2509/1/012021

Humbert, G & Sciacovelli, A 2023, 'Topology optimization for mass transfer enhancement in open thermochemical energy storage reactors', Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 64, 107132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2023.107132

Manente, G, Ding, Y & Sciacovelli, A 2022, 'A structured procedure for the selection of thermal energy storage options for utilization and conversion of industrial waste heat', Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 51, 104411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2022.104411

Vecchi, A, Knobloch, K, Liang, T, Kildahl, H, Sciacovelli, A, Engelbrecht, K, Li, Y & Ding, Y 2022, 'Carnot Battery development: A review on system performance, applications and commercial state-of-the-art', Journal of Energy Storage, vol. 55, no. D, 105782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2022.105782

Humbert, G, Roosendaal, C, Swanepoel, JK, Navarro, HM, Le Roux, WG & Sciacovelli, A 2022, 'Development of a latent heat thermal energy storage unit for the exhaust of a recuperated solar-dish Brayton cycle', Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 216, 118994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.118994

Wang, Y, Lu, T, Liu, X, Sciacovelli, A & Li, Y 2022, 'Heat Transfer of Near Pseudocritical Nitrogen in Helically Coiled Tube for Cryogenic Energy Storage', Energies, vol. 15, no. 8, 2752. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15082752

Hua, N, Lu, T, Yang, L, Mckeown, A, Yu, Z, Xu, B, Sciacovelli, A, Ding, Y & Li, Y 2022, 'Thermodynamic analysis and economic assessment of a carbon dioxide hydrate-based vapor compression refrigeration system using load shifting controls in summer', Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 251, 114901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2021.114901

Review article

Borri, E, Hua, N, Sciacovelli, A, Wu, D, Ding, Y, Li, Y, Brancato, V, Zhang, Y, Frazzica, A, Li, W, Yu, Z, Milian, YE, Ushak, S, Grageda, M & Cabeza, LF 2022, 'Phase Change Slurries for Cooling and Storage: An Overview of Research Trends and Gaps', Energies, vol. 15, no. 19, 6873. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15196873

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