Project: Modular Cold Climate Heat Pump |
Background:Changes in the cost of energy are forcing American, and in particular Mainers, to reevaluate how they heat and cool their houses. For many living in big houses with inefficient heating systems the era of maintain the same temperature in the entire house with a central heater may no longer be the best model. This project focuses on the development of a modular cold climate heat pump system, which could be used in retrofit applications. The unit would be mounted between the studs of a wall in an existing construction and be used to take the chill off of a room on a cool morning and to cool the room during the few days in the summer when the house cannot be naturally cooled to a comfortable level. The ideal applications would be in situations where a wood stove could be the primary source of heating on the coldest days of the year and this system would take the chill off on the cool mornings. The unit will be designed to be retrofit to the wall with ducting between the studs of the house. Intelligent controls will be used to diagnose and adapt to the conditions of operation. A physical system has been built and preliminary tests have been performed. However the system is far from complete and integration into an existing housing unit is the biggest challenge of the project. The project for 2009-10 would focus on completing the electronics and controls for the unit and installi8ng the unit in a university owned building. The unit would be installed, and tested over the course of the years and a redesign would focus on the features of the unit which were found to be needed. At the end of the year a fully functional unit will have been completed which can then be commercialized. The ideal team for this project is interested in ringing this unit into production for use in Maine and across the country. Deliverables for the project are an operational heat pump system which can be demonstrated as a part of the larger system design for more efficient student housing. |
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Draft Milestones # Project Team Selection Complete: September 4, 2009 # First Revised Milestones Submitted: September 11, 2009 # Design Notebook Initial sign-off: September 16, 2009 # Report on the operation and design of the prototype unit September 16, 2009 # First web page goes live with introductory page and menu on left. Page must include resumes, individual photos and milestones: October 14, 2009, 2 pm. # Schematic of the improved physical system for the revised system # Milestone review: November 4th , 2009 # Complete drawing package and parts list for the modular cold climate heat pump # Draft Midterm Report: December 9th , 2009 # Midterm Report due as a PDF posted as a completed web page: December 18th, 11:30 am # First operational test of the system with proper instrumentation for performance evaluation. # Final drawing package for the testing and operation of the modular cold climate heat pump # Lab Cleanup & Infrastructure Project Completed: Maine Day, April 29, 2009 # Open House -- Review of Projects, April 30, 2009, Afternoon # Final Web Page submitted, for review during final exam period: Monday May 6th, 2009 Noon, |