Lead Performer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Wilmington, DE
June 22, 2023
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Lead Performer: Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Wilmington, DE
Partners:
-- Baryon Inc.
-- Argonne National Lab
-- University of Illinois at Chicago
DOE Total Funding: $2,849,033
Cost Share: $750,000
Project Term: October 1, 2022 – October 1, 2025
Funding Type: Funding Opportunity
Project Objective
The project team intends to develop a novel air-conditioning system for humid climates that consumes 50% to 85% less energy than traditional air conditioning systems. This Below Dew-point Cooler unit, or BDC Unit, will be developed by Baryon and is based on highly effective energy recovery through water evaporation and vacuum membrane dehumidification system. The key idea behind the technology is the new method of flow arranging, water distribution, and structure of evaporative cooler, which cools the air below its dewpoint (typically impossible to obtain with typical evaporative coolers) through energy recovery from the exhaust air and a dedicated membrane system for dehumidification of the treated air. It uses a three-channel structure of the energy recovery exchanger, which maximizes the energy recovery from exhaust air by initially pre-cooling it. Due to this fact, the unit can cool hot and moist outdoor air below its dew-point and achieve supply temperatures which are similar to the traditional mechanical-compression systems (14°C/57°F).
Project Impact
Due to its unique arrangement, the proposed solution can be highly effective in humid climates and can generate water for its operation (i.e., net-zero water consumption). The proposed unit achieves cooling COPs higher than 12.5 through the whole cooling season, even in very humid climates. The system’s simple structure allows it to have a similar size, or smaller, than typical AC units and its installed cost will not exceed $12/kBtu/h. The primary energy-saving potential of the technology is 2,990 TBtu (average savings of 65% for all residential and commercial cooling equipment).
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Payam Delgoshaei
Lead Performer: Demis Pandelidis