The REST group’s research centre around thermal energy storage, conversion, and management. The research covers a wide spectrum, including composite thermal energy materials formulation (e.g. microencapsulation, cold sintering), fluid flow and phase transition, and process integration and optimization, to address engineering challenges and to translate into real applications.
The focus of the REST research group is directed towards both:
- fundamental research on manipulating heat-fluid-interface interactions
- applied research on devices and systems for decarbonising heating and cooling, and thermal management.
This research can be applied to sectors reliant on thermal storage, including, decarbonising heating, transport, refrigeration and air conditioning.
Through their research, the REST group strives to be a pioneer in the development and translation of engineering science into thermal energy technologies that will lead to much more efficient and cost-effective processes.
Observation of heptane-PUF microcapsule (0.01 wt%GEL) deformation-restoration during one thermal cycle between 25 °C to −140 °C under optical microscopy within a cooling-chamber
Figure : A newly developed concept of bestowing capsules with sensing abilities for fast-tracking the encapsulation quality and differentiating genuine capsules from other camouflage forms
Simulation comparison of the flow boiling pattern of different concentration ammonia solutions in the microchannel