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HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group

The HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group expands the scientific knowledge of air-conditioning, heat pumping, and refrigeration technology. The Group's focus is to improve the energy efficiency of HVAC&R equipment, which is the predominant end-user of energy in buildings. The research activities include innovative and fundamental heat transfer measurements of refrigerants; experimental and analytical studies of systems and components; development of

The research activities encompass analytical and experimental studies of new-generation refrigerants; experimental and simulation investigations of space-conditioning systems in current and net-zero energy buildings; and research of novel cooling/refrigeration technologies.  The current projects include: 

  • Characterization of the performance potential of novel refrigerants
  • Development of test and predictive methods for characterization of flammability of mildly flammable single-component refrigerants and refrigerant blends
  • Fundamental two-phase heat transfer measurements for new generation single-component refrigerants and refrigerant blends
  • Development of automated fault detection and diagnostic methods for field-assembled air conditioners and heat pumps
  • Development of computational intelligence-based tools for optimization of component and system designs
  • System studies through laboratory measurements and computer simulations

The best-known contributions of the Group are those related to the research of environmentally-acceptable refrigerants, the development of advanced simulation tools, and the formulation of the SEER and HSPF performance descriptors for the test procedures of residential air conditioners and heat pumps.

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