Prof. Jacob "Jack" Brouwer
Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering; Associate Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) and the Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP)
Jack Brouwer received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering degrees from UCI, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1993.
At the NFCRC, Professor Brouwer conducts research projects in:
- high temperature electrochemical dynamics
- hydrogen, electricity, and heat tri-generation
- fuel cell systems analyses
- novel solid oxide fuel cell materials science
- air quality and greenhouse gas impacts of future energy technologies
He also directs and conducts NFCRC development and demonstration activities in fuel cell, fuel cell hybrid, fuel cell systems and components, micro-turbine, and advanced power generation technology research. He leads the development of experimental and simulation capabilities for investigation of fuel cells and other advanced power and energy technologies and has overall responsibility for the operations of the NFCRC including external relations, project management, faculty liaison, and supervision of technical and administrative staff.
As professor, he develops curricula and instructs students in the fundamental science and technology of fuel cells. He also works to develop the NFCRC concept in cooperation with the insight and leadership of Professor Scott Samuelsen and works cooperatively with other colleagues in Engineering and other departments, demonstrating technical expertise in fields related to fuel cells and advanced alternative energy conversion devices.
In August, 2011, the NFCRC team developed an exciting and unique fuel cell generator in conjunction with the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley, California. Other private sector collaborators on the project were FuelCell Energy, Inc. and Air Products. The apparatus simultaneously and continuously converts gases that are created in wastewater digesters into hydrogen, which is then used for zero-emission vehicle fuel, electricity, and heat. This is an important breakthrough in clean energy technology that promises to lead to cleaner air and less reliance on fossil fuels.
Science and engineering of energy conversion with coupled mass, energy and momentum conservation, chemical and electrochemical reaction and heat transfer; steady-state and dynamic modeling of fundamental processes that govern energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and gas turbine engines; solid state ionics and electrochemistry; fuel processing; synthesis and experimental investigation of novel fuel cell materials sets; analyses of integrated energy systems comprising fuel cells, photovoltaics, fuel processing, gas turbines, and wind turbines; experimental analyses and model validation; renewable energy; life cycle analyses of energy conversion technologies.
