Research
Our research in the field of thermal sciences is all-encompassing.
ACRC faculty and their research associates cover a wide range of topics in the ACRC projects related to thermal management and energy conversion systems:
Thermophysical and Transport Properties
Viscosity, conductivity, surface tension, VLE data for pure and blended refrigerants, lubricants and lubricant/refrigerant mixtures.
Processes
- Air and refrigerant-side heat transfer & pressure drop measurements and correlations
- Two-phase flow characterization (heat transfer, pressure drop, void fraction, flow regimes, visualizations)
- Improved refrigerant distribution
- Mass transfer
- High-speed flow visualization and IR thermography, optical and IR microscopy
- Frosting (fundamentals, HX frosting, frost retention & defrosting, …)
- Control systems & algorithm development, capacity modulation strategies
- Tribology
- Oil separation, management & circulation
- Refrigerant charge: modeling, reduction, migration, etc.
- Novel materials
- 3D printed HX
- Acoustics and vibration
- Surfaces (hydrophilic & hydrophobic morphology and coatings, surface enhancements (microgrooves and fins), fouling, corrosion, anti-bacterial coatings
Components
Evaporators, condensers, gas coolers, internal heat exchangers, economizers, RTPF, microchannel, BPHX, passive and active expansion devices, ejectors and their control, work and heat recovery, and insulation.
Systems
Vapor compression-based and not in kind: for refrigeration, air-conditioning, heat pumps with all related system issues (controls, transients, etc.).
Refrigerants
Natural (CO2, HC, air, water, NH3) and synthetic low-GWP HFOs, blends, single-phase heat transfer fluids and indirect (secondary loops), etc.
Applications
- Mobile (automotive HVAC and transport refrigeration)
- Aerospace and naval VCS
- Residential (air-conditioning and heat pump systems)
- Domestic refrigerators and freezers
- Commercial refrigeration
- ORC
- Thermal storage
- Defense HVAC&R
- and more