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  Since almost 50% of the energy used in homes is for heating and cooling, by moving your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer, you could save almost 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Samuel Paolucci

• Professor
• Dept. of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering
• (574) 631-8110
• FAX (574) 631-8341
• Email: paolucci@nd.edu
• Website

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Drexel University, 5/75
• Ph.D., Theoretical & Applied Mechanics, Cornell University, 5/79

Samuel Paolucci's research is primarily focused on theoretical and computational aspects of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and thermodynamics, with particular interest in complex fluids and ionic liquids. In one project, his research group is examining the effect of heat transfer and fluid flow in a CVI/CVD reactor used for the production of carbon brakes. The project involves the development of a model that involves fluid mechanics, conduction, convection and radiative heat transfer, and detailed reaction chemistry. The solution of the model is obtained computationally. The project's goal is optimization of the brakes' production process to reduce energy usage and densification times. In collaboration with other researchers in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, as well as in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, his group is also examining ionic liquid systems for more energy efficient absorption refrigeration.

Current Energy Related Research Grants

• National Science Foundation, " Slow Invariant Manifolds for Spatially Homogeneous and Inhomogeneous Combustion Systems with Detailed Kinetics," with J. M. Powers, A. Sommese, and C. Wampler, 5/1/07-4/30/10, $299,998.