Francisco Álvarez

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Francisco Alvarez

Mechanical Engineer

Biography

Francisco Alvarez has been at Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) since January 2012. Francisco joined Sandia’s Renewable Energy Program in November 2019, supporting the Concentrating Solar Technologies Program and the National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, NM. Francisco supports the development and integration of advanced power cycles for integration with concentrating solar systems. Previously, Francisco supported the Advanced Mechanical Design Program, where he supported design and integration of mechanisms.

Education

  • Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 2008
  • Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 2009
  • Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, 2011
  • Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering, The University of New Mexico, Currently Pursuing

Research Interests

  • Concentrated Solar Power Advanced Power Cycles
  • In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU)
  • Thermochemical Cycles
  • Thermal Solar Desalination
  • Systems Engineering and Integration
  • Mechanism Design

Key Publications

  • Álvarez, F., A. Delgado, J. Frias, M. Rubio, C. White, A. K. Narayana Swamy, & E. Shafirovich. “Combustion of thermites in reduced gravity for space applications,” Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer, 27, no. 3 (2013): 576–583. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.T3876
  • Álvarez, F., C. White, A. K. Narayana Swamy, & E. Shafirovich. “Combustion wave propagation in mixtures of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant with magnesium,” Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 34 no. 2 (2013): 2245–2252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proci.2012.06.109
  • Álvarez, F., C. White, A. Delgado, J. Frias, A. K. N. Swamy, & E. Shafirovich. “Combustion of JSC-1A lunar regolith simulant mixed with magnesium.” Proceedings in 48th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc., 2012. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2012-4092