Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair

Terence D. Musho

Committee Member

Edward M. Sabolsky

Committee Member

Konstantinos A. Sierros

Abstract

The calcination of precursor powders is a critical step in the synthesis of solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), where phase purity and microstructural control directly influence electrochemical performance. Conventional calcination methods are energy-intensive and time-consuming, often requiring prolonged high-temperature processing. In this thesis, microwave-assisted calcination is investigated as an alternative approach to enable rapid, energy-efficient processing of SOEC per- ovskite precursor powders. Microwave heating offers distinct advantages, including volumetric and selective heating, reduced processing times, and improved energy utilization compared to con- ventional thermal methods. A multiphysics modeling framework is developed, which integrates electromagnetic wave propagation, governed by Maxwell’s equations, with heat transfer and mate- rial property evolution. Finite element analysis (FEA) is implemented in COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate microwave-frequency electromagnetic fields and volumetric heat distribution, while discrete element method (DEM) simulations are employed to explicitly resolve particle packing and morphology. Simulation results demonstrate that particle attributes strongly influence vol- umetric heating behavior. Larger particle sizes and polydisperse distributions lead to enhanced effective dielectric properties and increased power absorption. In multi-material systems, dielec- tric contrast drives preferential heating, resulting in non-uniform temperature distributions at the particle scale. These findings highlight the importance of tailoring particle morphology and com- position to achieve uniform heating during microwave calcination. This work develops a multi- physics modeling framework for microwave-assisted calcination of SOEC precursor materials and provides critical insights into the relationships between particle-scale properties and macroscopic heating behavior.

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