Refrigeration and heat pump technologies
Main activities:
Experimental analysis of the performance of heat pumps and chillers and their components;
Development of physical models for simulating the operation of heat pumps and refrigeration systems.
Available equipment:
Air tunnel for measuring the heat transfer in finned coils;
Test bench for analyzing the performance of water / water heat pumps;
Air tunnel for measuring the heat transfer in finned coils;
Test bench for analyzing the performance of water / water heat pumps.
Other instrumentation:
Resistance thermometers and thermocouples with physical reference at 0 °C;
Mass and volumetric flow meters;
Pressure transducers;
Instruments for the calibration of temperature and pressure sensors;
Electrical power analyzer;
Gas chromatograph for analyzing the composition of refrigerants;
Helium leak detector.
Two-phase heat transfer
Main activities:
Experimentation of heat transfer with fluids during phase change;
Two-phase heat transfer simulations with CFD codes (Fluent, OpenFOAM);
Heat transfer models for the design of heat exchangers.
Available equipment:
Air tunnel for measuring the heat transfer in finned coils;
Test bench for analyzing the performance of water / water heat pumps;
Air tunnel for measuring the heat transfer in finned coils;
Test bench for analyzing the performance of water / water heat pumps.
Other instrumentation:
Resistance thermometers and thermocouples with physical reference at 0 °C;
Mass and volumetric flow meters;
Pressure transducers;
Thermostatic baths;
Instruments for the calibration of temperature and pressure sensors;
Hot-wire anemometer;
IR thermocamera;
High-speed camera;
System for measuring contact angles.
Solar energy conversion
Main activities:
Development and characterization of innovative volumetric receivers that use nano-fluids to absorb solar radiation;
Characterization of the performance of flat solar collectors, evacuated tubes and hybrid thermal-PV devices;
Development and characterization of innovative receivers for linear concentration solar collectors;
Thermal storage systems with phase change materials.
Available equipment:
Rig for tests on flat solar collectors and evacuated tubes;
Linear concentrator with parabolic mirrors, carrying a circuit for testing different types of receivers;
Circuit for tests on volumetric receivers using nanofluids;
Pyranometers and pyrheliometer on sun-tracker for the measurement of global, diffuse and direct normal irradiance;
Device for plotting the I-V curve of PV modules;
Test rig for the study of thermal storage with phase change materials.
Other instrumentation:
Resistance thermometers and thermocouples with physical reference at 0 °C;
Mass and volumetric flow meters;
Pressure transducers;
Instruments for the calibration of temperature and pressure sensors;
Electrical power analyzer;
