Keynote Speakers
Monday 23rd, June
Adriano
Sciacovelli
Full Professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and an international leader in Sustainable Thermal Energy Conversion and Storage.
The science & technology of longer duration energy storage by thermo-mechanical strategies
Decarbonizing thermal energy is critical for achieving climate neutrality, yet industries, cities, and the transport sector still heavily rely on high-CO₂, fossil-fuel-based systems due to limited thermal energy flexibility. This dependency hinders the transition to electrified and renewable energy sources, posing a significant challenge to heat decarbonization. To address this, advanced thermal energy storage (TES) and thermo-mechanical energy storage (TMES) solutions must evolve with compact, modular, and cost-effective solutions. Such innovations are essential to achieve a step-change in performance, enhance technology adoption, and improve value. Conventional TES and TMES systems, dominated by bulky, standardized designs, often fail to meet such spatial, economic, and performance needs. This keynote presents advancements in TMES concepts combining fundamental insights into phase-change phenomena, topological optimization, and thermo-fluid engineering. These strategies unlock enhanced performance, overcoming limitations inherent in traditional systems. The talk will explore the distinct characteristics of latent heat TES, thermochemical energy storage, and TMES, emphasizing engineered structures that intensify heat and mass transfer to improve charge/discharge rates and economic feasibility. The presentation will highlight future research directions, unresolved challenges, and the potential role of emerging thermo-fluid techniques in driving innovation in TES solutions.
Tuesday 24th, June
Alfonso William
Mauro
Full Professor at the University of Naples Federico II and an international leader in Applied Thermodynamics and Refrigeration.
Thermal-hydraulic characterization of flow-boiling in the AI era: challenges and opportunities
The integration of machine learning models into the thermal-hydraulic predictions of flow boiling represents an area of increasing interest in engineering research. The application of such methodologies raises questions regarding their reliability and generalizability. This keynote will present a comparative analysis between empirical correlations, mechanistic models, and artificial intelligence algorithms, critically evaluating their performance across a broad spectrum of operating conditions. Challenges associated with machine learning models will be discussed, with the aim of outlining key considerations for a rigorous and conscious use of AI in the study of flow boiling, fostering discussion on future developments in this field of research for both AI and empirical methods.
Wednesday 25th, June
Matteo
Bucci
Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and CTO of Ferveret, recognized as an international leader in Boiling Heat Transfer.
High resolution investigations of nucleate boiling, from single bubbles to boiling crisis, from cryogenic fluids to high-pressure water
In every field of science, the possibility of discovering and understanding new phenomena or testing new hypotheses is strongly related to and limited by the capability of observation. Here, we will discuss recent advances in experimental boiling heat transfer research made possible by unique experimental facilities and non-intrusive high-resolution optical diagnostics. We will analyze the capabilities and limitations of these techniques in supporting the understanding of fundamental two-phase heat transfer problems, with a focus on extreme boiling conditions such as the boiling of water at high pressure and temperature, close to nuclear reactor conditions, the boiling of dielectric fluids for electronic cooling applications, or the boiling of cryogenic fluids relevant to space propulsion and energy storage. The use of these diagnostics has been instrumental in providing answers to long-standing fundamental questions on the fluid dynamics and heat transfer nature of these processes.