The global energy landscape is evolving towards decentralization and reliance on renewable sources. This rapid adoption underscores the need for energy storage and security of supply to ensure stability amid rising demand. Thermal power plants can provide this flexibility within the future energy mix.

Mesh generation is the cornerstone of numerical simulation. Block-structured meshes, made of large quadrilateral or hexahedral blocks, are bound to dominate the scene as they allow to leverage hyper-efficient numerical methods (high-order finite elements, or GPU-ready finite differences).

In the current evolving distribution grid, microgrids are emerging as valuable tools that can facilitate the integration of renewable energies. In recent years, DC microgrids have garnered interest due to several advantages. These advantages include fewer conversions, the absence of reactive power and frequency, and lower line losses.

The global imperative to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions necessitates adaptive energy transition strategies. This thesis examines uncertainty-aware energy transition pathways, focusing on the Belgian energy system.

With climate change, human societies must phase out fossil fuels. However, fossil fuels are versatile energy sources. They are present everywhere in our energy systems and daily lives. Studying fossil-free energy systems is complex as it must integrate all energy-consuming sectors and consider their synergies.

Nicolas Moës has been appointed as Faculty member within the Institute of Mechanics, Materials, and Civil Engineering of UCLouvain in 2024. He is located in the “Applied mechanics and mathematics” division (MEMA). Prof. Moës is an expert in theoretical and numerical mechanics. His work focuses on the mechanics of cracking, damage, fracture, and contact.

In light of new environmental regulations restricting the use of traditional refrigerants, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is emerging as an environmentally-friendly alternative. However, traditional CO₂ refrigeration systems cannot match the performance of those using synthetic refrigerants.

In recent years, additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic materials has expanded beyond standard structural materials to include functional materials and metamaterials, capitalising on their intriguing potential. However, the adoption of AM requires significant time to develop new materials, process parameters, and post-processing routes to meet performance requirements.

Antisolvent crystallization is a purification step that is widely used for the recovery of heat-sensitive compounds in pharmaceutical or agrochemical applications. An antisolvent like ethanol reduces the solubility of the targeted compound (such as amino acid in water) and allows it to transform into a solid crystalline form when it reaches supersaturation state.

Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are omnipresent in structural applications requiring high stiffness or strength and low weight.  The matrix, typically made from highly cross-linked epoxies, often plays a crucial role in the damage and failure mechanisms dictating the overall strength of the composite.