Instructors from TU Delft

 

Carlos Infante Ferreira

Carlos Infante Ferreira is an Associate Professor (Guest) at the Energy, Flow, and Process Technology department at TU Delft. With a career of almost 40 years, Carlos is an expert on heat pumps, turbines, refrigerators, heat exchangers, and various other heat systems. He has now retired from full-time teaching but is associated with the department in a guest role.

Carlos obtained his Ph.D. in 1985 at TU Delft in the Kramers laboratory. After a brief career in the industry, Carlos has been associated with teaching and research for a little more than 30 years. He has guided several doctoral students and post-graduate research scholars in diverse fields. He is the recipient of numerous awards and has several editorial responsibilities.

Areas of Expertise:

• Heat pumps
• Refrigeration
• Heat exchangers
• Thermodynamics

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Eric van den Ham

Eric van den Ham is a lecturer of Climate Design and Building Physics with the Faculty of Architecture & the Built Environment at TU Delft. Eric has worked for more than 30 years as a climate design consultant and is specialized in energy performance assessment of buildings.

Eric van den Ham is also one of the winners of the 2020 edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions in Online Teaching and Learning, with his online course “Zero-Energy Design: an approach to make your building sustainable”.

Areas of Expertise:

• Urban area
• Sustainability and climate change
• Architecture and Built environment
• Energy in architecture

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Ivo Pothof

Ivo Pothof is a part-time associate professor of Smart Thermal Grids at Delft University of Technology and chair of the TU Delft Thermal Energy Platform (Thermo-X). He identifies system innovations and has initiated multiple strategic R&D projects in the cross-over between water, renewable energy, and smart control of water and energy infrastructure. Ivo Pothof wants to contribute to the development of future-proof district heating grids and their integration into future smart energy systems.

Ivo has a background as an industrial hydrodynamics specialist at Deltares. Joining Deltares in 1997, he became a specialist in fluid transients, optimal control of pipeline systems and air-water pipe flows. His book chapter on Transients in water supply systems is used worldwide as a hydraulic design guideline.

Areas of Expertise:

• Heating and cooling grids
• Water pipeline systems
• Smart heating and cooling
• Renewable energy

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Martin Bloemendal

Martin Bloemendal is a specialist in geothermal energy storage and works on various studies on the utilization of sustainable heat by means of seasonal storage in the subsurface. Martin always considers the system as a whole, which means not only the source of heat or cooling capacity but also consumers and the required facilities to utilize the available heat. That is why he also has extensive knowledge of related and complementary techniques. His focus is on technical aspects of heating and cooling and also on organizational and policy-based issues concerning sustainable heating and cooling. Martin has a clear vision for using the subsurface with geothermal energy.

Martin obtained his Ph.D. degree in Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) via part-time research and is now involved in further research and education on ATES. He combines two part-time jobs at KWR and Delft University of Technology that allows him to identify and come up with the proof of concept of new solutions, and also implement them in pilot projects.

Areas of Expertise:

• Thermal energy storage
• Sustainable heating and cooling
• Geothermal energy
• ATES

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Phil Vardon

Phil Vardon is an Associate Professor in the Section of Geo-Engineering at TU Delft. He leads the department theme in Geothermal Science and Engineering. His research is into complex coupled processes in the geotechnical arena. He focuses on the impacts on soils/geomaterials of various processes including heat, moisture, and contaminant movement, including practical applications such as geothermal energy, slope stability, and radioactive waste disposal.

Phil graduated in 2005 with a First Class (Hons) MEng degree in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University and was awarded the Lloyds Shipping Register Prize for Structural Engineering. Phil then spent time working with contractor Costain Ltd. working on water treatment projects for Thames Water and then within the Water Group of Arup (consulting engineers). He then returned to Cardiff University and joined the Geoenvironmental Research Centre in January 2006 to study for a Ph.D. in Geoenvironmental Engineering which he completed in July 2009. As part of his Ph.D. studies, Phil traveled to Mississippi State University to work in collaboration with experts in their High-Performance Computing Collaboratory (HPC²). Phil then went on to become the UNESCO Research Fellow in the Geoenvironmental Research Centre continuing to work on coupled processes in geomaterials including radioactive waste disposal and geo-energy.

Areas of Expertise:

• Geothermal energy
• Waste disposal
• Geomaterials and processes
• Geotechnical modelling

Instructors from the Industry

 

Marc Pijnenborg

Marc Pijnenborg is a Project Developer of Geothermal Energy at Engie Ventures Integrated Solutions. Marc is in close collaboration with TU Delft for the design planning, installation, and experimentation of the underground geothermal well at TU Delft and the integrated heating network of the campus. Previously, Marc also has experience with projects relevant to the underground storage of chemicals and production of brine through his stint at Akzo Nobel Speciality Chemicals.

Marc obtained his Master’s degree in Mineral processing from TU Delft in 2003.

Areas of Expertise:

• Geothermal energy
• District heating and cooling network
• Thermal sources, storage and management