Background
Daniel received his Bachelor Mechanical Engineer from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, Daniel has always had an interest in thermodynamics, heat transfer and energy systems. After obtaining his degree in late 2016, Mr. Pottie started researching Hydraulic Compressed Air Energy Storage in the following year, and in early 2018, began his MSc in the subject at the same university.
In his thesis, he developed and analysed the thermodynamic performance of a novel Pumped Hydraulic Compressed Air Energy Storage (PHCAES), having the degree awarded in September 2019. A month later, he began his PhD at Loughborough University, in which he will develop an Isobaric Adiabatic CAES, utilising a volatile fluid.
Title of thesis: Volatile fluid based Isobaric Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (IACAES) system
The research conducted in the PhD consists on the development, modelling and experimental studies of a novel Adiabatic Isobaric Compressed Air Energy Storage (IACAES) system. Through rigorous thermodynamic analysis utilising classical and contemporary concepts, the project will aim to exploit the excellent compressible characteristics of volatile fluids (e.g., CO2), close to ambient temperature as a mean to prevent pressure changes in high pressure air storage.
This way, it should be possible to cost-effectively store energy as compressed air at large and profitable scales, a major step in the decarbonisation Britain aim to reach.