FCT researcher wins "Eurotherm Young Scientist Prize and Awards"

The doctoral thesis "Modelling and optimization of porous volumetric receivers in point-focus solar concentration systems" by researcher Germilly Barreto, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through a Research Studentship , won the "Eurotherm Young Scientist Prize and Awards".

Germilly Barreto is from Cape Verde and a researcher at the Institute of Earth Sciences and the Chair of Renewable Energies at the University of Évora (CER-UÉ). He completed his doctorate in March 2020 and this was the first time that a doctoral thesis developed at a Portuguese university won this international award.

The award distinguished the originality, the scientific level, the relevance of the results to thermal sciences and heat transfer, the adequacy of the numerical modeling and the experimental methods used in his research work in the area of heat and energy transfer. The work carried out consisted of modelling and optimizing volumetric solar receivers made of SiC ceramic sponges in point focus concentration systems, including the development and application of three-dimensional models of solar radiation absorption, fluid flow and heat transfer in the receiver, as well as the experimental determination of the radiative properties of the porous medium.

The winners will be presented at the 8th European Thermal Sciences conference, which is taking place in Lisbon until September 23, 2021. The prizes are awarded every four years by the Eurotherm committee, and consist of a EUROTHERM prize and two EUROTHERM Awards for Young Scientists who have completed a PhD in the field of heat transfer and thermal sciences.

Photo: University of Évora