Cal Poly Pomona Faculty Collaborate on Thermal Energy Storage for Food Drying
Through a CSU Growth in Undergraduate Innovation, Discovery, and Engagement (GUIDE) Initiative Award, Dr. Reza Lakeh, a professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Belal Hasan, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, will design, build and test a laboratory-scale thermal energy storage system for food processing, with a primary focus on fresh produce dehydration.
The collaboration combines Lakeh’s expertise in energy systems, renewable energy and thermal energy storage with Hasan’s expertise in food processing and bioprocessing. Hasan said bringing the disciplines together could lead to a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in developing the technology.
“In interdisciplinary research, I'm looking beyond the age of the grant and the objectives, because crossing or sharing the knowledge on both sides will give an opportunity for a deeper analysis,” Hasan said.
The project builds on Lakeh’s seven years of research on thermal energy storage, including work exploring desalination salt as a material for storing heat. His previous research included laboratory demonstrations, published papers and collaboration with Los Angeles-area startup companies. The GUIDE project shifts that research toward practical applications, including food drying and data center cooling.
The project has two components: an experimental demonstration of thermal energy storage-assisted food drying and system-level modeling of thermal energy storage-assisted data center cooling.
The thermal energy storage system, or “thermal battery,” is designed to store heat generated from renewable energy and release it when it is needed, providing a consistent source of heat without relying on fossil fuels.
“We generate heat, we provide the heat, but we don't burn any fuels,” Lakeh said.
Food drying is the project’s primary experimental application. Removing moisture from fruits and vegetables requires significant thermal energy, but the process can extend the shelf life of food from days to more than a year. The researchers will evaluate the system’s energy efficiency, energy consumption, drying performance and the quality of dehydrated produce.
The team plans to test high-value fruits and vegetables widely produced in California, including products with different moisture contents and drying characteristics.
Undergraduate students will participate through laboratory demonstrations and modeling. They will help examine how stored thermal energy can supply heat to a drying system and develop models that can inform future designs. Students may also work with produce from CPP’s 168-acre Spadra Farm and visit food manufacturers to observe dehydration processes.
Hasan emphasized that supporting faculty research can create more opportunities for undergraduate students to gain hands-on research experience.
“That, I think, is the goal we all share. The vision and mission is student success and student career success,” Hasan said.
Lakeh said undergraduate research can give students an opportunity to distinguish themselves from their peers as they enter the workforce.
“Being significantly involved and contributing to something significant. That, in my view, makes a student's resume stand out in a pool of other students,” Lakeh said.
The CSU GUIDE award provides seed funding for the researchers to generate preliminary experimental and modeling results that could support larger external research proposals. The technology could ultimately create additional revenue opportunities for California farmers through value-added products.
The researchers hope the project will not only advance their work in thermal energy storage but also create opportunities for future research and collaboration across CPP. Lakeh said the team is open to bringing additional students and faculty into the work.