Dr. Marta Laporte Azcué

Contact information:

Office: 1.1.D09

Email: mlaporte@ing.uc3m.es

Possition: Associate Professor

Research profiles: ResearchGate · ORCID · Scopus · LinkedIn

Research profile

Marta Laporte Azcué is an Associate Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, where she obtained her PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Organization in 2021. Her research combines numerical modelling and experiments to improve the performance and durability of thermal energy systems. Her work on concentrating solar power focuses on the thermomechanical behaviour, design and lifetime assessment of solar tower receivers, including creep-fatigue damage, transient operation and advanced materials.

She currently co-leads CalorIA-ZErOCARBON, developing a research line on zeotropic refrigerants and pillow-plate heat exchangers for efficient heat pumps and thermal decarbonisation. This work integrates phase-change heat transfer, structural and fluid-flow simulations, experimental characterisation and artificial intelligence for heat exchanger design.

Research interests

  • Solar tower receivers: thermomechanical modelling, transient operation, damage and lifetime assessment.
  • Heat exchangers and thermal energy storage for renewable energy systems.
  • Zeotropic mixtures and phase-change heat transfer.
  • Pillow-plate hydroforming and thermal-hydraulic performance.

Education and awards

  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Organization, UC3M, 2021. Thesis: “Thermo-Mechanical Modelling to Evaluate Solar Receiver Damage”. Cum laude and Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award.
  • Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, UC3M, 2017.
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Technologies Engineering, University of Cantabria, 2015. Outstanding Graduate Award.

Teaching activities

  • Thermal Engineering
  • Heat Transfer
  • Solar energy and Thermal Storage

Research stays

Postdoctoral research stay at Boise State University, Idaho, USA, May-August 2022.

Research projects

Projects led as principal investigator

CalorIA-ZErOCARBON-CM-UC3M | 2024-2026 | Web

AI-assisted optimal design of pillow-plate heat exchangers and characterisation of zeotropic refrigerants for decarbonisation. Co-principal investigator with Daniel Moreno Boza. Funded by the Community of Madrid through the CM-UC3M multiannual agreement, under the Emerging Doctors Programme for interdisciplinary AI research. Funding: €74,916.12.

The project investigates CO2-acetone mixtures and pillow-plate heat exchangers for efficient heat pumps. It combines experiments, FEM/CFD modelling and artificial intelligence to characterise the channel geometry and phase-change heat transfer and to optimise exchanger design.

Experimental characterisation of heat transfer of zeotropic refrigerants in pillow-plate heat exchangers | 2025

Principal investigator. Competitive research project funded by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Funding: €10,000. Focused on experimental characterisation of phase-change heat transfer in pillow-plate heat exchangers.

Selected projects as a team member

  • P3-H4 Solar – Intercambiados de placas almohadilladas para receptores de torre solares. PID2024-156915OB-I00. Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 2025-2028.
  • Highly reliable thermomechanical designs for flexible solar tower plants. PID2021-122895OB-I00. Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 2022-2025.
  • Design of once-through helical steam generators for solar tower plants. TED2021-129326B-I00. Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 2022-2024.
  • Safe operation of tubular receivers using thermoelastic inverse analysis methods. RTI2018-096664-B-C21. Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 2019-2022.

Industry collaboration

Participation in 4 research contracts with Airbus on heat exchangers design, from 2021 to 2026.

Patents

  • Heat exchanger. US 2025/0027723 A1, 2025. Airbus Operations S.L.U. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20250027723A1/en
  • Receptor solar de torre exterior. ES2735303, 2020. Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
  • Mango ergonómico y sistema para instrumento de cirugía endoscópica o laparoscópica. ES2562350 B2, 2016. University of Cantabria and Cantabrian Health Service. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/a5/d9/c2/837c081540b3b2/ES2562350B2.pdf

Publications

Journal publications

  1. Laporte-Azcué M., Pardillos-Pobo D., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Santana D. (2026). Thermo-mechanical life assessment of solar central receivers: Comparison of coarse and fine grid discretisations. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 70, 104491.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104491
  2. Berbey-Burgos M., Pardillos-Pobo D., Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Santana D. (2026). Optimal solar tower configuration and thermal storage management under alternative policy schemes. Journal of Energy Storage, 149, 119978.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2025.119978
  3. Pardillos-Pobo D., González-Gómez P.A., Laporte-Azcué M., Cholette M.E., Santana D. (2025). Design of coil-wound heat exchangers for molten chloride salt TES in CSP with sodium receiver and sCO2 cycle. Journal of Energy Storage, 128, 117210.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2025.117210
  4. Laporte-Azcué M., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R. (2024). Thermal efficiency and endurance enhancement of tubular solar receivers using functionally graded materials. Applied Energy, 360, 122842.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.122842
  5. Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Santana D. (2024). Solar receiver endurance assessment under non-conventional operation modes. Renewable Energy, 231, 120939.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.120939
  6. Laporte-Azcué M., Acosta-Iborra A., Santana D. (2024). Estimation of solar receiver corrosion conditions during operation to aid in the design of receiver-corrosion lab tests. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 266, 112701.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2024.112701
  7. Pardillos-Pobo D., González-Gómez P.A., Laporte-Azcué M., Santana D. (2023). Thermo-economic design of an electric heater to store renewable curtailment in solar power tower plants. Energy Conversion and Management, 297, 117710.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2023.117710
  8. Laporte-Azcué M., Acosta-Iborra A., Otanicar T.P., Santana D. (2023). Real-time estimation of the transient thermomechanical behaviour of solar central receivers. Thermal Science and Engineering Progress, 41, 101834.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tsep.2023.101834
  9. Zuzelski M., Laporte-Azcué M., Cordeiro J., Dhakal S., Daghigh V., Keller M., Ramsurn H., Otanicar T. (2023). Design of a novel carbon/carbon composite microvascular solar receiver. Solar Energy, 262, 111794.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2023.111794
  10. Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Laporte-Azcué M., Montoya A., Hernández-Jiménez F. (2022). Non-conventional tube shapes for lifetime extend of solar external receivers. Renewable Energy, 186, 535–546.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.01.015
  11. González-Gómez P.A., Laporte-Azcué M., Fernández-Torrijos M., Santana D. (2022). Hybrid storage solution steam-accumulator combined to concrete-block to save energy during startups of combined cycles. Energy Conversion and Management, 253, 115168.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enconman.2021.115168
  12. González-Gómez P.A., Laporte-Azcué M., Fernández-Torrijos M., Santana D. (2022). Design optimization and structural assessment of a header and coil steam generator for load-following solar tower plants. Renewable Energy, 192, 456–471.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2022.04.130
  13. Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Santana D. (2022). A procedure to predict solar receiver damage during transient conditions. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 154, 111905.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2021.111905
  14. Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Santana D. (2021). Material selection for solar central receiver tubes. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 231, 111317.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111317
  15. González-Gómez P.A., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Laporte-Azcué M., Santana D. (2021). Calculating molten-salt central-receiver lifetime under creep-fatigue damage. Solar Energy, 213, 180–197.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2020.11.033
  16. Laporte-Azcué M., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., González-Gómez P.A., Santana D. (2021). Assessment of the time resolution used to estimate the central solar receiver lifetime. Applied Energy, 301, 117451.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117451
  17. Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Santana D. (2020). Exergy analysis of solar central receivers. Solar Energy, 207, 957–973.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2020.07.033
  18. Laporte-Azcué M., González-Gómez P.A., Rodríguez-Sánchez M.R., Santana D. (2020). Deflection and stresses in solar central receivers. Solar Energy, 195, 355–368.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2019.11.066

Conference proceedings

Numerical Study of Acetone-CO2 Zeotropic Mixture Condensation in a Pillow Plate Heat Exchanger under Different Heat Flux Conditions
S. Aguilar-Vega, D. Moreno-Boza, M. Laporte-Azcué.
13th International Conference of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow (HTFF). London, United Kingdom, 18–20 August 2026.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of the 13th International Conference of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow (HTFF), 2026.

Numerical Study of Acetone-CO2 Zeotropic Mixture in Pillow Plate Heat Exchanger Geometries
S. Aguilar-Vega, D. Moreno-Boza, M. Laporte-Azcué.
XIII Congreso Ibérico y XI Congreso Iberoamericano de Ciencias y Técnicas del Frío (CYTEF). Málaga, Spain, 24–26 June 2026.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of the XIII Congreso Ibérico y XI Congreso Iberoamericano de Ciencias y Técnicas del Frío (CYTEF), 2026.

Experimental and numerical study of induction heating solar simulator for different tube materials
M. Laporte-Azcué, R. H. Khrishi, M. Fernández-Torrijos, E. Cano-Pleite, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
14 Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Termodinámica (CNIT). Zaragoza, Spain, 4–6 June 2025.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.

Preliminary analysis of low-cost trough solar simulator
M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
30th SolarPACES Conference. Rome, Italy, 8–11 October 2024.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of SolarPACES 2024.

Experimental and Numerical Study of the Thermal Behavior of Clips in Concentrated Solar Tower Receivers
M. Laporte-Azcué, M. Fernández-Torrijos, C. Sobrino, C. Marugán-Cruz, D. Santana.
30th SolarPACES Conference. Rome, Italy, 8–11 October 2024.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of SolarPACES 2024.

Estimación del ingreso económico de las centrales termosolares en el mercado eléctrico ante la futura situación PNIEC 2030
M. Berbey-Burgos, D. Pardillos-Pobo, M. Laporte-Azcué, P. A. González-Gómez, D. Santana.
XIX Congreso Ibérico y XV Congreso Iberoamericano de Energía Solar. Évora, Portugal, 19–21 June 2024.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.

Diseño de intercambiadores de calor helicoidales para el almacenamiento de energía en una central termosolar con receptor de sodio y ciclo de CO2 supercrítico
D. Pardillos-Pobo, M. Laporte-Azcué, M. S. Yousef, D. Santana.
XIX Congreso Ibérico y XV Congreso Iberoamericano de Energía Solar. Évora, Portugal, 19–21 June 2024.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.

Impact of Price Cap Policy on Concentrating Solar Power Plant Revenue in Electricity Markets
M. Berbey-Burgos, D. Pardillos-Pobo, M. Laporte-Azcué, P. A. González-Gómez, D. Santana.
20th International Conference on the European Energy Market (EEM). Istanbul, Türkiye, 10–12 June 2024.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on the European Energy Market, 2024. DOI: 10.1109/EEM60825.2024.10608926

Analysis of Functionally Graded Materials in the context of tubular solar central receivers
M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. Castellón, Spain, 29 November–1 December 2023.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings book of the XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. ISBN 978-84-09-52403-7.

Characterization of an Induction Heating System Used as Solar Simulator
R. H. Khraishi, M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. Castellón, Spain, 29 November–1 December 2023.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings book of the XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. ISBN 978-84-09-52403-7.

Experimental measurements of clip temperatures in concentrated solar tower receivers
M. Fernández-Torrijos, M. Laporte-Azcué, C. Sobrino, C. Marugán-Cruz, D. Santana.
XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. Castellón, Spain, 29 November–1 December 2023.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings book of the XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. ISBN 978-84-09-52403-7.

Leveraging renewable curtailments through concentrating solar power plants
D. Pardillos-Pobo, P. A. González-Gómez, M. Laporte-Azcué, D. Santana.
XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. Castellón, Spain, 29 November–1 December 2023.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings book of the XIII National and IV International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. ISBN 978-84-09-52403-7.

Characterization of an Induction Heating System Used as Solar Simulator: Analysis of Thermal Performance, Experimental Challenges, and Enhancements
R. H. Khraishi, M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
29th SolarPACES Conference. Sydney, Australia, 10–13 October 2023.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: SolarPACES Conference Proceedings, 2 (2024). DOI: 10.52825/solarpaces.v2i.758

Creep and fatigue damage assessment for molten-salt central receivers
M. Laporte-Azcué, P. A. González-Gómez, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, D. Santana.
ISES Solar World Congress. Online, 25–29 October 2021.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings – ISES Solar World Congress 2021, pp. 211–218. ISBN 978-3-9820408-7-5. DOI: 10.18086/swc.2021.13.02

Superheater Design Assessment for Flexible Solar Tower Plants
T. Rodríguez-Reviejo, P. A. González-Gómez, M. Laporte-Azcué, D. Santana.
ISES Solar World Congress. Online, 25–29 October 2021.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings – ISES Solar World Congress 2021, pp. 202–210. ISBN 978-3-9820408-7-5. DOI: 10.18086/swc.2021.13.01

Functionally Graded Materials Application in Solar Central Receivers
A. Montoya, M. Laporte-Azcué, Á. Vaz-Romero, J. A. Artero-Guerrero, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez.
27th SolarPACES Conference. Online, 2021.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: AIP Conference Proceedings, 2815(1), 020009 (2023). DOI: 10.1063/5.0148682

A novel storage system to recover energy during fast startups of combined cycle power plants
J. Pastor-Peña, P. A. González-Gómez, M. Laporte-Azcué, D. Santana.
15th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics. Online, 26–28 July 2021.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics. ISBN 978-1-77592-216-2.

Lifecycle estimation for different solar central receiver configurations
M. Laporte-Azcué, P. A. González-Gómez, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, D. Santana.
26th SolarPACES Conference. Online, 2020.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: AIP Conference Proceedings, 2445, 120015 (2022). DOI: 10.1063/5.0085742

Asymmetric tubes to increase the lifetime of solar receivers
M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, M. Laporte-Azcué, J. A. Artero-Guerrero, D. Santana.
26th SolarPACES Conference. Online, 2020.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings of SolarPACES 2020.

Solar Power Tower Plants Receiver Design Studying the Entropy of the Receiver’s Tubes
M. Laporte-Azcué, J. Gómez-Hernández, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, D. Santana.
XI National and II International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. Albacete, Spain, 12–14 June 2019.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: Proceedings book of the XI National and II International Engineering Thermodynamics Congress. ISBN 978-84-09-11635-5.

Elliptical tubes receivers’ efficiency analysis in solar power towers
M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, D. Santana.
SolarPACES Conference. Casablanca, Morocco, 2–5 October 2018.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: AIP Conference Proceedings, 2126, 030031 (2019). DOI: 10.1063/1.5117543

Effect of eccentricity on the thermal stresses in a bayonet tube for solar power tower receivers
R. Pérez-Álvarez, M. Laporte-Azcué, A. Acosta-Iborra, D. Santana.
SolarPACES Conference. Casablanca, Morocco, 2–5 October 2018.
Presentation type: Oral presentation.
Proceedings: AIP Conference Proceedings, 2126, 030041 (2019). DOI: 10.1063/1.5117553

Análisis de la eficiencia del receptor con nuevos tubos de geometría elíptica en centrales termosolares tipo torre
M. Laporte-Azcué, M. R. Rodríguez-Sánchez, D. Santana.
XVI Congreso Ibérico y XII Congreso Iberoamericano de Energía Solar. Madrid, Spain, 20–22 June 2018.
Presentation type: Poster presentation.
Proceedings: Libro de actas del XVI Congreso Ibérico y XII Congreso Iberoamericano de Energía Solar. ISBN 978-84-86913-14-4.