Robert Braun, Assistant Professor

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ph.D.

Dr. Braun's primary research interests are in SOFC systems modeling, simulation, and optimization; biofuels production, utilization, and plant simulation; advanced power generation systems, and techno-economic and life cycle analyses.

Homepage - http://inside.mines.edu/~rbraun/
Dr. Braun received B.S. and M.S. degrees from Marquette University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he specialized in SOFC system design, analysis, and optimization. He subsequently worked as a senior engineer at UTC Fuel Cells on both PEM- and PAFC-based power plant technologies. In 2004, Dr. Braun joined the United Technologies Research Center where he most recently served as project leader for UTC's mobile SOFC power system development program. He has also led design studies on commercial-scale SOFC-CHP systems, hybrid SOFC-Gas Turbine systems operating on coal gas, and SOFCs for aircraft power applications. While at UTRC, Dr. Braun co-led the successful development of a CO2-based refrigeration system for bottle cooling applications and worked on residential HVAC system diagnostics. He was a visiting researcher at the Technical University of Munich in Germany in 2001 and prior to his Ph.D. work, Dr. Braun worked in the commercial boiler industry as an R&D engineer at Cleaver-Brooks in Milwaukee.

Dr. Braun has multi-disciplinary background in mechanical and chemical engineering and his research focuses on numerical simulation of transport phenomena and chemical processes occurring within fuel cell and alternative energy systems, and systems integration. Current research projects include Systems Analyses of Bio-refineries, Dynamic Modeling of Bio-fueled SOFC systems, and Design and Optimization of IGCC/IGFC System Architectures that employ advanced air separation and hot gas cleanup technology.

Current Courses - Fall 2009
EGGN371B - Thermodynamics I
EGGN371C - Thermodynamics I