Digital Event Horizon
MIT scientist Associate Professor Matteo Bucci has made groundbreaking strides in unraveling the mysteries of boiling, a complex phenomenon with far-reaching implications for various industries. His research could enable more efficient energy production, electronics cooling, water desalination, medical diagnostics, and more.
Matteo Bucci has made significant strides in unraveling the mysteries of boiling, a complex phenomenon with far-reaching implications for various industries. Bucci developed a unifying principle governing the boiling crisis, which could enable more efficient nuclear reactors and prevent catastrophic failures. He applied artificial intelligence (AI) in his field, exploring its potential in improving thermal energy systems. Bucci founded a journal called AI Thermal Fluids to feature AI-driven research advances, aiming to accelerate progress in the field. His research focuses on two-phase immersion cooling, which has significant implications for reducing electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in data centers. Bucci's work aims to develop new diagnostic techniques to study boiling and heat transfer in complex systems like nuclear reactors. He developed a remarkably simple model describing the boiling crisis, using data collected from diagnostics that can collect equivalent of 20 years of experimental work in just one day.
MIT scientist, Associate Professor Matteo Bucci, has made significant strides in unraveling the mysteries of boiling, a complex phenomenon that has long been a challenge in various industrial processes. His research has far-reaching implications for energy production, electronics cooling, water desalination, medical diagnostics, and more.
Bucci's journey into understanding boiling began over a decade ago, when he realized the significance of this seemingly simple process in complex systems like nuclear reactors. The boiling crisis, which occurs when bubbles form too quickly, creating a band of vapor across a surface that prevents further heat transfer, has long been a problem that has hindered energy projects.
In 2023, Bucci and his collaborators developed a unifying principle governing the boiling crisis, known as the "boiling crisis," which could enable more efficient nuclear reactors and prevent catastrophic failures. This breakthrough was made possible by the development of new experimental techniques that shed light on a wide range of boiling and heat transfer phenomena.
One of the most significant contributions of Bucci's research is the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in his field. In 2023, he was a co-recipient of a multi-university research initiative project dedicated solely to machine learning in thermal science. This project aimed to explore the potential of AI in improving thermal energy systems.
Bucci also recently founded a journal called AI Thermal Fluids to feature AI-driven research advances. He believes that integrating computer scientists into his community will accelerate progress and bring new insights to this field.
Another area of focus for Bucci is two-phase immersion cooling, which involves hot server parts bringing liquid to boil, then the resulting vapor condenses on a heat exchanger above to create a constant cycle of cooling. This process has significant implications for reducing electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in data centers.
Data centers emit as much CO2 as the entire aviation industry, with Bucci estimating that by 2040, they will account for over 10 percent of global emissions. His research aims to develop new diagnostic techniques to study boiling and heat transfer in these complex systems, as well as materials and coatings that can enhance efficiency.
Bucci's work has given researchers an unprecedented view into the conditions inside a nuclear reactor, with diagnostics that can collect the equivalent of 20 years of experimental work in just one day. This data led Bucci to develop a remarkably simple model describing the boiling crisis.
"The effectiveness of the boiling process on the surface of nuclear reactor cladding determines the efficiency and safety of the reactor," Bucci explains. "It's like a car that you want to accelerate, but there is an upper limit. For a nuclear reactor, that upper limit is dictated by boiling heat transfer, so we are interested in understanding what that upper limit is and how we can overcome it to enhance the reactor performance."
Bucci's passion for construction and understanding how things work began when he was growing up in a small Italian village with a population of about 1,000. He gained mechanical skills by working in his father's machine shop and disassembling appliances like washing machines and air conditioners.
He chose nuclear engineering as a middle ground between physics and engineering, drawn to the intellectual and practical challenges that this field presented. After completing his PhD at MIT, Bucci worked at a French national lab before returning to MIT in 2013 to continue his research on boiling safety using a method developed by Professor Jacopo Buongiorno.
Bucci's students play a vital role in his work, with the professor emphasizing the importance of giving them independence and confidence. He encourages them to explore new ideas and overcome obstacles, often guiding them during experiments that require zero gravity.
One such experiment involves collecting measurements while free falling in an airplane, where space research is a "big fantasy" for many students. Bucci joins his students on these experiments about twice a year, finding it inspiring and fun to explore the world of zero-gravity research together.
The breakthroughs made by Bucci's research have significant implications for various industries, with potential applications in energy production, electronics cooling, water desalination, medical diagnostics, and more. As Bucci continues his work, he remains committed to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and advancing our understanding of boiling.
Related Information:
https://news.mit.edu/2025/unlocking-hidden-power-boiling-matteo-bucci-0102
Published: Thu Jan 2 00:14:26 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
