Björn Laumert

My foremost motivation in my professional life as an academic is the opportunity to foster and prepare young pre- and post-graduate students towards their professional careers as engineers, managers, researchers or which ever career they choose. It is a great pleasure to be able to contribute to the students' personal growth and to see graduate students becoming my peers.

Background

After my own PhD graduation, I joined Volvo Aero Corporation where I was quickly involved in Volvo's R&D for ESA Ariane Space components comprising rocket engine nozzles and fuel pump turbines. I got the opportunity to lead the aerodynamic team for the Vulcain 2 Nozzle Extension in the recovery program of the Ariane 517 flight failure. After that I moved on to become the design leader of the upper stage Vinci engine turbines and later the turbines of the Ariane Future Launcher Preparatory Program main engine.

At KTH

In 2010 I received an offer from my former PhD supervisor Prof. Torsten Fransson to join his division and build a research group in the field of Concentrated Solar Power. We have built up a state-of-the-art software toolbox for techno-economic analysis and optimization of power plants and grid integration strategies called DYESOPT and EDGESIM. Furthermore, we have built a 100kW solar laboratory facility for testing concentrating solar power components in relevant environments. In the laboratory, the light can be concentrated to high flux levels exceeding 5MW/m2, simulating the conditions in the focal spot of solar dish concentrating mirrors. This laboratory enables research and development of solar receivers, solar reactors, high temperature materials and concentrating photovoltaic elements.

From 2014 on I have been increasingly involved in research concerning energy infrastructure in cities. Through the involvement in the ERANET project IntegrCity and the SELECT+ Erasmus Mundus project we have built energy infrastructure co-simulation software as well as an energy hub modelling approach for simulating all energy flows, combining electricity, heat, cold and gas. This allows for analysis of interactive energy vectors, identification of bottle-necks as well as optimization and control of energy resourcers within a city network. This work has opened the door to support utilities, city and district councils as well as local citizens in choices, their technoogy roadmaps for sustainability and climate action. Today, our team supports decision makers in the city of Stockholm, Örebro and Helsingborg through Viable City Climate Contracts and Swedish Energy Authority projects in their technology roadmaps and implementation projects for energy infrastructure and transition.