(PRWEB) January 29, 2015 -- Air Innovations announced its participation with Syracuse University, Cornell University, United Technologies Research Center, and Bush Technical LLC, in a research grant aimed at developing localized heating and cooling systems within buildings. This project team led by Syracuse University has been awarded $3.2 million from DOE/ARPA-E ,plus substantial cash and in-kind contributions from Air Innovations, the partners, ESD (Empire State Development) and NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The U.S. Energy Department’s effort is intended to provide funding to 11 different project teams in developing technologies based on regulating temperatures for building occupants instead of regulating the overall building. The localization of thermal management is intended to reduce the energy consumed within a building dramatically, since it would ensure occupant comfort, but allow the remainder of the building to operate in a wider temperature range. The ARPA-E DELTA program will provide $30 million to support this project.
The Syracuse University project team – with support from Air Innovations and other participating organizations – will develop a near-range micro-environmental control system. According to Syracuse University press, this “system will leverage a high-efficiency micro-scroll compressor” within a micro vapor compression system that has an evaporator embedded in phase-change material. The cooling produced by the micro vapor will be stored in the phase-change material at night, then released as a cool breeze during the day, making building occupants more comfortable. The project team is targeting at least a 15 percent reduction in the energy used for heating and cooling a building, when a building implements a micro-environmental control system of this nature.
“Air Innovations is delighted to be part of a research project that can have such a lasting effect on energy consumption in our country” said Michael Wetzel, CEO of Air Innovations. “Air Innovations is constantly looking for efficient ways to maintain critical environments and our participation in this project will allow us to leverage our knowledge to continue to push that envelope.”
Learn more at http://www.eng-cs.syr.edu dated December 16, 2014.
ABOUT AIR INNOVATIONS
Established in 1986, is a leader in specialty air conditioning, refrigeration and environmental control solutions for end users and original equipment manufacturers around the world. AI’s capabilities range from concept development to prototyping to mass production. The company’s systems are standard solutions or custom designs that feature close tolerance control of temperature (to +/-0.01°C), humidity control (to +/-0.5% stability), filtration and pressurization, and can be configured into a variety of packaged spaces.
Examples of AI’s customized applications include solutions for: handling sensitive military equipment on rocket launch pads; controlling humidity for a drug company’s tablet coating machines; maintaining cleanrooms environments in specialty contact lens manufacturing; and, controlling extremely precise temperature and humidity levels for nanomachining requirements. The company also manufactures its own brands of environmental control products that are used by: fine wine collectors (Wine Guardian®); supermarket florists (Floratech®); hospitals (IsolationAir®); and, homeowners for room air purification (HEPAiRx®).
Richard Bailey, Air Innovations, Inc., http://www.airinnovations.com, +1 (315) 452-7482, [email protected]
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