Electrifying Industrial Heat – Pilot System Design

  • Project Year: 2025-26
  • Departments Represented: MEng
  • Industry/Track: Energy & Environment

Calectra has developed a silicon carbide thermal storage material that converts electricity into high-temperature heat that can be used for large industrial processes, targeting a sector responsible for ~20% of global CO₂ emissions. Our project designs a 10 MWh pilot system scaled 100× from an existing prototype, using ANSYS and SolidWorks to simulate heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and mechanical feasibility across varying geometries and insulation configurations. The goal is to validate a constructible, cost-competitive system architecture that bridges the gap between prototype and commercial deployment in order to decarbonize industrial heat.

  • Advisor(s): Nate Weger
  • Team: Griffin Mueller [MSE], Hiba Laghzizal [MSE], Mohannad ElAsad [ME], Qianyu Wang [IEOR]