PhD. Energy Sciences and Materials, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres
B.Eng. & M.Sc. Energy Engineering, National Engineering School of Monastir, Tunisia

• Assistant Professor

Contact Information

Ph: NA
Em: mbhouri@mun.ca
Office: TBA

Expertise

• Solid-State Hydrogen Storage
• Thermal Energy Storage

Research Interests

Heat Transfer, Reactive Porous Media, Solid Hydrogen Storage Systems, Thermochemical Heat Storage Systems, Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Systems, Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Storage and Conversion Processes

Personal Profile

I graduated from the National Engineering School of Monastir (Tunisia) with the degree of bachelor in Energy Engineering in 2005 and a master’s degree in Energy Engineering in 2006. Thereafter, I joined the Hydrogen Research Institute, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres as a PhD scholar and received my PhD degree in Energy and Materials Sciences in 2012. After completing my doctoral studies, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow and a senior researcher at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR-Stuttgart) from 2013 to 2015, and during the period from 2017 through 2018, and at the Lab of Applied Multiphase Thermal Engineering (LAMTE) at Dalhousie University from 2016 to 2020.

My research interests have focused on providing thermal management solutions to optimize the design of solid-state hydrogen storage systems and thermal energy storage systems based on thermochemical materials and phase change materials (PCMs) and investigate their use in renewable and non-renewable energy storage processes. Specifically, I have collaborated with researchers from the Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence (USA) and partners from the European Research Projects SSH2S and TCS-Power to investigate the integration of solid-state hydrogen storage systems in fuel cell electric vehicles and stationary applications, and thermochemical heat storage systems in concentrated solar power plants. My research work in the area of latent heat thermal energy storage has focused on the use of PCMs in electronic and building applications and photovoltaic solar panels.

As part of my postdoctoral appointment at LAMTE, I twice have been awarded a research grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) . I completed a two-phase industrial project in partnership with the C-THERM TECHNOLOGIES company located in New Brunswick to assist on the development of a cutting-edge technology for measuring the thermal properties of materials. My scientific input led to the fabrication of the sensor and contributed to a patent from the company.

During my research appointments at Dalhousie University, I also worked as a sessional instructor and teaching assistant at the departments of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Process Engineering and Applied Science.

In September 2020, I joined the department of Mechanical Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland as Assistant Professor. I am in charge of teaching different courses offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and related to the topics of Thermo-Fluids, Energy and Environment, and Analytical Methods and Integral Transformations. I also contribute to the peer review of scientific work submitted to the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy and Energy Conversion and Management Journal.

Honours/Awards/Accreditation

• DLR-DAAD Research Fellowship in Energy field from German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) - Senior Research Scientist, 2017-2018
• DLR-DAAD Research Fellowship in Energy field from German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – Research Fellow, 2013-2015
• Best Poster Award “Scientific Poster Competition”, University of Quebec at Trois-Rivieres, 2010, 2011
• Doctoral Scholarship "Programme Canadien de Bourses de la Francophonie – ACDI, 2007-2012

Research Highlights

My research findings in the areas of solid-state hydrogen storage and energy storage systems have been published in different peer-reviewed journals such as the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Applied Sciences, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, and International Journal of Thermal Sciences, and they were presented in many national and international conferences. Moreover, I have developed an innovative concept of an adiabatic hydrogen storage system based on the use of a thermochemical material, which has led to a patentable technology.

Other Contacts

Patent