DEPARTMENT OF THERMAL ENERGY

DEPARTMENT OF THERMAL ENERGY

   The Department of Thermal Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering (formerly known as the Institute of Thermal and Refrigeration Science and Technology) has a history of development closely tied to the growth of thermal energy science and technology, refrigeration engineering, and air conditioning in Vietnam. The department began training Thermal Engineering engineers at Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) in 1960.
Prior to October 2021, the unit comprised four divisions: the Thermal Energy Systems Division (established 1960), the Thermal Engineering Division (established 1967, reorganized from the Thermal Engineering Division founded in 1958 under the joint Faculty of Mechanics and Electrical Engineering), the Thermal Process Systems and Automation Division (established 1973), and the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering Division (established 2000).
    Since its formal establishment as the Department of Thermal Energy on November 18, 2021, under the School of Mechanical Engineering, the department has had 36 faculty members, including 5 Associate Professors and 26 PhDs. The visiting faculties delegation include 5 Professors and 10 Associate Professors. The four former divisions were reorganized into four Specialized Research Groups: (1) Thermal Engineering; (2) Thermal Energy Systems; (3) Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering; and (4) Thermal Process Systems and Automation.
The Department of Thermal Energy has a student body of nearly 1,200 undergraduate and postgraduate students. In 2022, the Thermal Engineering training program (enrollment code HE1) was awarded accreditation by the international quality assurance council AUN/QA, with an annual intake of 250 students.
     The Thermal Engineering program offers three applied specializations: (i) Energy Technology & Thermal Power; (ii) Thermal Systems & Equipment; and (iii) Refrigeration Technology & Air Conditioning (HVAC). The program produces highly qualified professionals serving a broad technical field: from energy production, conversion, transformation, and utilization, to refrigeration and comfort conditioning across all aspects of daily life.
   To meet the demands of clean energy production and efficient energy use in pursuit of sustainable energy development and carbon neutrality, the department has established a key laboratory for clean fuel and energy research (Clean Energy and Fuel Research Laboratory), encompassing research groups in: Sustainable Fuel Conversion; Clean Energy; Primary Energy Conversion Efficiency; Sustainable Monitoring and Control of Energy Systems; Alternative Fuel Combustion Simulation; and Advanced Computational Thermal-hydraulic for Energy Systems, specializing in high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics for nuclear and thermal power plant research. Four independent research groups have also been established: Green Building Technology; Green and Efficient Cooling Technology; Heat and Mass Transfer in Drying Engineering; and Working Fluids in Energy Engineering.
   The department is equipped with relatively comprehensive facilities supporting study, research, laboratory work, and practical training for undergraduates, postgraduates, and doctoral candidates. These facilities are located on floors 4, 5, and 8 of Building C7, as well as the Pressure Processing experimental workshop at 15B Ta Quang Buu Street. Specialized laboratories cover new energy, central air conditioning, clean rooms, advanced heat pump drying equipment, heating systems, boilers, thermal power plants, and a research product testing space — all within an area of approximately 800 m².
   To date, the Department of Thermal Energy has produced over 700 bachelor's graduates, nearly 4,000 engineers, and more than 130 master's and doctoral graduates in Thermal Engineering. Notable achievements are reflected in science and technology activities linked to industry, addressing key national challenges in: thermal power plants, clean energy, oil refineries, industrial and commercial thermal systems, and refrigeration and air conditioning. Between 2000 and 2025, many faculty members have received prestigious science and technology awards, including 1 Ho Chi Minh Prize, 2 First Prizes, 1 Second Prize, and 3 Third Prizes at VIFOTEC. Over the past decade, the department has produced over 200 scientific publications indexed in ISI/SCI/SCIE and Scopus journals.
   The Department of Thermal Energy is committed to continually seeking breakthroughs in improving training quality to meet real-world demands, advancing creative research, and building domestic and international networks for education and research collaboration. The department aims to spearhead cutting-edge research in thermal energy, progressively affirming its position as one of the most reputable training institutions in the country while steadily integrating into regional and international academic communities.

Office: Room M521 – Building C7 – Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi
Website: http://sme.hust.edu.vn
Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/nhietlanhdhbk
Office Hours: Monday–Friday: 8:00–17:00 | Lunch break: 11:30–13:30