Eric Hu

Dr Eric Hu

Associate Professor

School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Biography/ Background:

Dr. Eric Hu received his basic professional degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the Zhejiang University, China in 1984. He was majored in thermal power station technologies. After graduation, he proceeded to Beijing Solar Energy Research Institute for the degree of Master of Engineering (energy technology). Two and a half years later, he started work with the same institute as a research engineer for another three years. In January 1990, Eric was granted a French government scholarship to undertake the Doctor of Engineering program in Energy Technology Division at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok Thailand. He obtained the doctoral degree (D.Eng in Energy Technology) and came to Australia at the end of 1992. Eric worked as a lecturer and senior lecturer in Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics at Gippsland School of Engineering, Monash University until 1999 when he joined the School of Engineering and Technology at Deakin University. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005 at Deakin University. He starts with the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, as Associate Professor in Sustainable Energy Engineering, in Feb 2009.
Dr. Eric Hu has been working in energy engineering areas, including energy efficiencies for industrial process, solar thermal applications eg. heating, cooling and power generation, CO2 emission reduction for power stations and low energy desalination etc. He has won over $2.5m in research grant and published over 100 academic papers in Australia, all in energy (and water) areas. His industrial partners in Australia include Air International, Loy Yang Power, Alcoa (Australia), Ford, Energex, Melbourne Water and Seeley International (SA based).

Google Scholar profile.

Selected projects:

2008-2010              Solar Aided Power Generation Funding $20,000 and RMB120,000 from International Science Links (ISL), DEST and the Nature Science Foundation, China.

2008-09            Short-term visiting fellowship to Mie University Japan (for a month) Funding from the Australian Academy of Science and the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.

2009-2011        Application of a (low energy) Adsorption Desalinator in Water Recycling (Phase II) Funding attracted:  $280,000 from the Smart Water Fund, Victorian government.

2011-2013              Smart Plant Room and IEC air conditioning for Adelaide airport. Funding attracted: $90,000 from the partnership of CET and Adelaide Airport.

2012-2015        Green cool wine: solar powered solid adsorption refrigeration system with ice storage to provide cooling capability for wine industry. Funding attracted: $330,000 from the ARC Linkage scheme and Orlando Wyndham Group Pty Ltd

2013-2014        Solar Vacuum Heat Pipe Collector (SVHPC) to supply hot water for wineries. Funding attracted: $100,000 from SA Clever Green Eco-Innovation Program.

2014-2015        Improving energy efficiency in MLS building, the University of Adelaide. Funding attracted: $30,000 from the UoA Green Project Fund.

2015                 Harvesting waste heat using innovative multiferroic alloys. Funding attracted: $30,000 from the UoA multi-discipline research fund

2013- present   Partnerships with SA wine industries. Funding attracted: $50,000/y from the partnerships.

Undergraduate and postgraduate lecturing:

2009-present     the University of Adelaide:

Air Conditioning

Sustainable Thermal Technologies

Renewable Fluid Technologies

Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics (II)

1999-2009        Deakin University:

            Principle of Engineering Thermodynamics

            Heat transfer

            Mechanics of Fluids

            Dynamics of Machines

            Design of Manufacturing Systems

            Food and beverage Engineering

            Computational Fluid Dynamics (post-graduate level)

            Advanced Thermodynamics and sustainability (Masters level unit)

            Advanced Engineering Topics: Sustainable Development

1993-1999        Monash University:

            Engineering Thermodynamics 1

            Engineering Thermodynamics 2

            Combustion and Heat Transfer

            Fluid dynamics

            Advanced Fluid dynamics

            Hydraulic and Pneumatic controls.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2023 Principal Supervisor Hydrate-based CO2 capture and cooling application Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Masoud Vakili
    2023 Principal Supervisor Dynamic Correlations Between Hydrodynamic & Thermal Characteristics of Indoor Space and Temperature Sensor Readings Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mohammad Foruzan Nia
    2023 Co-Supervisor Nonlinear Biomechanical Behaviour of Diseased Carotid Arteries Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Kaveh Moghadasi Koohi
    2022 Principal Supervisor Thermal Energy Storage ("Heat-bank") Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Amirhossein Banaei
    2021 Principal Supervisor Study on Radiation-enhanced Thermal Diode Tanks (RTDT) for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mingzhen Wang
    2020 Principal Supervisor Applications of Maisotsenko cycle based indirect evaporative air cooling technology in gas turbine power plants Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Samira Pourhedayat
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Real-time Pipeline Burst Detection and Estimation using the Damping of Fluid Transients Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Xiaoxuan Du
    2017 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Investigation of the Maisotsenko Cycle Based Air Conditioning Systems Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Hamed SadighiDizaji
    2016 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Study on Accumulated Performance of a Solar Thermal Powered Adsorption Refrigeration System Master of Philosophy Master Part Time Dr Ji Wang
    2015 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Active Suppression of Aerofoil Flutter via Neural-Network-Based Adaptive Nonlinear Optimal Control Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Difan Tang
    2013 - 2017 Principal Supervisor Study on Configuration and Operation Strategies of Solar Aided Power Generation Plant Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jiyun Qin
    2012 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Intelligent Control System Design for Energy Conservation in Commercial Buildings Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Hao Huang
    2012 - 2018 Principal Supervisor Study of Combined Structure of Geo-Heat Exchangers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Sarwo Edhy Sofyan
    2010 - 2013 Principal Supervisor A technical and economic assessment of geothermal aided power generation Master of Engineering Science Master Full Time Mr Jiyun Qin
    2009 - 2013 Principal Supervisor A Study of Silica Gel Adsorption Desalination System Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Jun Wei Wu
    2009 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Study of Activated Carbon/Methanol Adsorption Refrigeration Tube and System Integration Master of Engineering Science Master Full Time Mr Yongling Zhao
    2009 - 2012 Co-Supervisor Robust Actuator Controller for Active-Truss-Based Morphing Wing Master of Engineering Science Master Full Time Mr Difan Tang
  • Position: Associate Professor
  • Phone: 83130545
  • Email: eric.hu@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 83134367
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering South, floor 1
  • Org Unit: Mechanical Engineering

Connect With Me
External Profiles