It's sometimes hard to pinpoint when experiments in government labs impact our everyday lives.
But a project being worked on at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory could soon help to regulate the temperature where we live and work, if the thermochemical research documented in a news release proves fruitful.
It's an important topic, as the U.S. Energy Department reported that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning account for up to 35% of a building's energy use. Reducing that number can both cut power bills and reduce production of heat-trapping air pollution, linked by NASA to increased risks for severe weather events, which are becoming increasingly devastating.
The research team includes scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. They are determining if thermochemical materials, or TCMs, like salt-hydrates can be incorporated into HVAC systems by leveraging chemical reactions, per the summary.
"This … could allow for reduced electrical requirements for the heating system or load shifting to times when electricity is less expensive and/or cleaner," the report stated.
It works by using hydration and dehydration, strangely serving as a charge/discharge cycle for the TCM. Hydrating the substance releases heat that can be used to warm the building. Additional warm air from a heat pump is used to dehydrate, or in this case charge, the salt.
"This means the reactor needs to interact with water vapor. This water vapor could come directly from the ambient air, in which case the TCM is an open system. Or the TCM could be in an isolated chamber … which is known as a closed system. In this case, the water vapor comes from evaporating liquid water from a second chamber," the experts explained in the summary.
Cold climates present a challenge for open systems during the winter. Pulling in ambient water vapor can reduce a building's humidity to a static-zapping, uncomfortable level.
Integration was key to the government team's success in overcoming this problem.
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"The way we integrated the reactor into the building, we're able to do that without drying out the house," senior research engineer Jason Woods, who co-authored a paper on the topic, said in the summary. "It's important to think about where the moisture comes from, because performance can be significantly impacted based on how it's integrated."
The scientists harnessed computer modeling to help them gauge the effectiveness of strontium chloride as the TCM. It generates heat when it contacts water vapor. A heat exchanger was used to ensure the process returned warm air inside without acting like a dehumidifier. An exhaust air vent needs to be located near the incoming ventilation port for this setup to work, according to the summary.
"In addition to offsetting the energy required to heat the necessary ventilation air, the air can be heated above the indoor temperature, reducing the energy required by a furnace or heat pump to maintain the indoor temperature," the experts wrote, adding that the system isn't meant to replace a heat pump or furnace, as it stores the energy for later use.
Other innovations geared to regulate building temperatures include a design from Israel's Nostromo. The company developed IceBrick, a contraption that uses renewable energy and ice to cool buildings, with the goal of cutting power use.
Importantly, simply unplugging unused chargers and devices can save you around $165 a year in electricity costs, as well — no government research needed.
The TCM team modeled its system's performance in four cities with unique climates. It would work well in humid Seattle, but not as well in dry Minneapolis, per the report.
The experts plan to continue their analysis with the goal of bringing the tech to commercialization.
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