$14m funding for US acr projects
28th July 2014
USA: Air conditioning and refrigeration projects will share in $14m of research and development funding being offered by the Energy Department.
The funding will contribute to 15 research and development projects across America intended to dramatically reduce energy consumption in commercial and residential buildings.
Amongst the projects earmarked for funding are:
A gas-fired combined water heater, dehumidifier, and cooler that uses membrane-based absorption technology to cool and dehumidify an interior space, and uses water condensed during dehumidification to heat domestic hot water. A project being developed by University of Florida, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Stony Brook University
A high-performance refrigerator that uses a novel rotating heat exchanger that allows for evaporation without the need for a defrost cycle. Oak Ridge National Laboratory with California-based Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Maryland.
A hybrid energy modelling method that combines physics-based simulations with in-situ measured temperature data to create a more robust model for retrofit analysis. California’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with the California Energy Commission.
An ultra-efficient air conditioning and heating system based on an air-bearing rotary heat exchanger for building-scale hvac systems. Sandia National Laboratories with Creative Thermal Solutions of Illinois.
A higher efficiency hvac electric motor with a novel parallel magnetic circuit path that will lower the cost of the motor by reducing the size of the conductor loop and using less powerful magnets. QM Power Inc of Missouri) with United Technologies Research Center, Connecticut.
Transforming ordinary buildings into smart buildings by developing low-cost, user-installable building sensors that are powered without wires or batteries and instead harvest power from vibrational energy in the environment. Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland, Ohio with Intwine Connect LLC of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
Improving energy efficiency in small and medium commercial buildings by non-intrusively monitoring load and equipment health of HVAC systems. Oak Ridge National Laboratory with Richman Surrey LLC of Scottsdale, Arizona and the University of Tennessee.
