Syeda Tasnim

Education and Employment Background 

Dr. Syeda Tasnim received her PhD from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2012. She then held a position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Guelph. Tasnim joined the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph in 2015, where she is now an Assistant Professor.

Research Themes

Tasnim’s research is focused on the development of underlying theories and technologies for efficient energy conversion and storage. She explores novel energy conversion technologies (e.g. porous medium thermoacoustic engine and refrigerator), innovative energy storage (e.g. close-contact latent heat thermal energy storage), and effective thermal management systems (e.g. battery thermal management under harmonic vibration). Other areas of focus include food refrigeration, thermal management, transport in porous media, and transport phenomenon, including nano-materials. Key research themes include:

1. Energy Storage and Conversion. Tasnim’s energy storage research focuses on two energy main methods (i) electrical energy storage and (ii) latent heat thermal energy storage. She and her team have performed experiments on the solidification of Rubitherm RT-18 and melting of a bio-based PCM, coconut oil in a vertical annular space, rectangular space, as well as experimental work on phase change processes of nano-PCM inside porous medium. Her thermodynamic optimization research focuses on analyzing thermodynamically imperfect components, such as thermoacoustic stacks and walls of building envelopes.
2. Clean Energy Conversion. Tasnim uses thermoacoustic devices and biomass to explore clean energy conversion. A thermoacoustic device is extremely reliable, environmentally benign, and inexpensive to construct. However, its lower efficiency compared to its conventional counterparts (e.g., Stirling engines, Thermoelectric Coolers) is a major limitation. Tasnim and her team conducted research to improve the efficiency of thermoacoustic devices. In relation to biomass, Tasnim experimentally examined the optimum input condition at which biomass was torrefied and numerically explored the heat transfer mechanisms during torrefaction in poplar wood and large lignocellulosic biomass samples. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is another promising approach to produce value added products from various biomass feedstocks.
3. Thermal Management. Tasnim has examined battery thermal management systems. She has applied this research toward hybrid and electric vehicle batteries.

Highlights 

• NSERC Discovery Grant & Early Career Supplement, 2019
• NSERC Engage grant, 2018
• Editorial Review Board member, Energy Conversion and Storage, 2019

Media Coverage

Thermal Energy Storage

U of G CEPS: Renewable Heat for Buildings Worldwide