Francisco Álvarez

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Francisco Alvarez

Mechanical Engineer

Biography

Francisco Alvarez has been at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) since January 2012. Francisco joined SNL’s Renewable Energy Group in November 2019, supporting the Concentrating Solar Technologies Department 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 Group, 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