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Thermal Control Engineering Lab (1)
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A lab that studies thermal energy management spanning from Earth to space.
AboutAbout the lab
Mastering heat to open up the future of Earth and space
The lab (Nagano Lab) studies thermal energy management spanning Earth and space.
Its work covers research on heat and energy aimed at achieving decarbonization, energy-saving and highly efficient thermal control for next-generation spacecraft, measurement and visualization of the movement of gases and liquids inside porous media, and measurement techniques for the thermophysical properties of advanced materials.
The lab takes on a wide range of work, from building the fundamental science underlying thermal engineering to applied research.
Faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduates from diverse backgrounds, including people who want to start a company and people aiming to become researchers, work together on research.
Key terms
- Regolith
- Sand on the Moon. This lab studies how to use its super-insulating and heat-storing properties
- Loop heat pipe
- A heat transport technology that moves heat without electric power, using capillary action in a porous medium called a wick
- Thermophysical properties
- Information describing a material's thermal characteristics, such as thermal conductivity and emissivity
- Spin current
- A flow of magnetism. It interacts with heat flow and electric current to produce new physical phenomena
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab conducts research on heat and energy aimed at realizing a decarbonized society. Its research covers thermal energy management spanning Earth and space, including energy-saving, highly efficient thermal control for next-generation spacecraft and measurements to elucidate new heat transfer phenomena.
*Illustrative imageThermal Control for Next-Generation Spacecraft
Spacecraft are exposed to thermal environments very different from those on the ground: cryogenic temperatures, high vacuum, and microgravity. The lab studies thermal control methods that work actively without electric power using advanced functional materials, and methods for long-term stays on the Moon that use the super-insulating and heat-storing properties of lunar regolith.
*Illustrative imageThermofluid Flow in Porous Media and Heat Transport Devices
The lab studies loop heat pipes (LHPs), which can transport heat efficiently without electric power. The technology uses capillary action in a porous medium as its driving force and has so far been developed mainly for space applications. For use on the ground, the lab is working on longer transport distances, larger heat transport capacity, operation against gravity, and thinner designs.
*Illustrative imageMeasurement Techniques for the Thermophysical Properties of Advanced Materials
Conventional measurement methods could not measure the distribution or anisotropy of thermophysical properties. Using techniques such as lock-in thermography, the lab develops non-contact, non-destructive methods for mapping thermophysical properties, methods for identifying fiber orientation inside composite materials, and in situ degradation diagnosis methods.
*Illustrative imageApplying Spin and Heat Phenomena to Thermal Engineering
The lab aims to apply new physical phenomena arising from the interaction of spin current (a flow of magnetism), heat flow, and electric current to thermal engineering. Its work ranges from methods for measuring the properties of a group of energy materials that control heat with magnetism (called "jisei netsudotai" in Japanese), to measurement of dynamic thermal properties and device applications.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Thermal Control Engineering Lab are faculty members, project faculty members, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, technical assistants, and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorHosei Nagano
- Associate ProfessorAi Ueno
- Project Associate ProfessorNorishi Watanabe
- Project LecturerShin Kamada
- Project LecturerRyohei Fujita
- Project Assistant ProfessorHaonan Chen
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “NASA’s Pandora Mission Closer To Probing Alien Atmospheres (SVS14754)” NASA/Weston Maughan, BCT / Public domain (cropped)
- Thermal Control for Next-Generation Spacecraft: “Thermal testing of the solar array cooling system for the Parker Solar Probe” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Thermofluid Flow in Porous Media and Heat Transport Devices: “Bent part of a heat exchanger in a cracking tower” W.carter / CC0 (cropped)
- Measurement Techniques for the Thermophysical Properties of Advanced Materials: “" 13 Fiat-Chrysler - Safety - Carbon Fiber Composite Roof Assembly SRT Viper capote” spe.automotive / CC BY 2.0 it (cropped)
- Applying Spin and Heat Phenomena to Thermal Engineering: “Neodimijski magneti, (Neodymium magnets)” Suradnik50 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (熱制御工学研究グループ(2)): “Iss071e582160 (Sept. 3, 2024) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps replaces and cleans research components inside the Destiny laboratory module's Combustion Integrated Rack” NASA Johnson Space Center / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (流体システム工学研究グループ): “Microfluidic Chip iX-factory” IX-factory STK / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (複雑流体工学研究グループ): “Rheometer” Olivier Cleynen / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (構造力学研究グループ): “" 13 Fiat-Chrysler - Safety - Body Exterior Carbon Fiber Composite Roof Assembly SRT Viper” spe.automotive / CC BY 2.0 it (cropped)
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