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HVAC&R Laboratory

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) Laboratory

The HVAC&R laboratory includes an environmental control chamber, a temperature-controlled water loop, and multiple nozzle airflow chambers for performance evaluation of residential and light commercial forced-air heating and cooling systems and components, such as air conditioners, heat pumps, water heaters, heat exchangers, compressors, and novel technologies. In addition to laboratory testing, we are capable of conducting field testing and data analysis using a variety of handheld tools and data loggers.
 

Environmental control chamber

The HVAC&R laboratory has an environmental control chamber for testing heat exchangers and heating/cooling systems. The experimental setup can be modified to accommodate different research and development needs. The testing capabilities of the environmental control chamber are as follows:

  • Chamber size: 15’ ×15’ ×15’
  • Temperature control: 30°F to 100°F (-1.1°C to 37.8°C)
  • Relative humidity control: 20% to 90%
  • Up to 7.5 ton (90 kBtu/h or 26.4 kW) system capacity

Nozzle airflow chamber

The HVAC&R laboratory has two nozzle airflow chambers for performance evaluation of air movement devices. Each nozzle chamber is equipped with an assist blower controlled by a variable frequency drive (VFD), a data acquisition system, and a power analyzer. The testing capabilities of nozzle chambers are as follows:

  • Small chamber: one 3.5” (89 mm) and three 4” (102 mm) nozzles
  • Large chamber: one 4” (102 mm), two 6” (152 mm), and one 8” (203 mm)nozzles
  • Measurement range: up to 2000 ft3/min (0.94 m3/s) for the small chamber and up to 5500 ft3/min (2.60 m3/s) for the large chamber

Temperature-controlled water loop

The temperature-controlled water loop consists of a 75-gallon water tank, a three-way control valve, multiple inline heaters and temperature/pressure sensors, and a Coriolis-type flow meter. This water loop is used for the performance evaluation of water-cooled heat exchangers and convective heat transfer research. The testing capabilities of the water loop are as follows:

  • Flow range: 0.1 gpm (0.4 L/min) to 14.5 gpm (54.9 L/min)
  • Temperature range: 40°F to 75°F (4.4°C to 23.9°C)

Field testing capabilities

The HVAC&R laboratory has a variety of handheld tools and data loggers for field testing and energy assessment. The testing capabilities are as follows:

  • Electrical measurement: power analyzer and data loggers with current probes
  • Temperature and pressure measurement: infrared cameras, hygrometers, manometers, and data loggers
  • Flow measurement: ultrasonic flow meter, vane anemometer, capture hood, and pitot tubes

Contact Dr. Peng “Solomon” Yin to discuss your laboratory and/or field testing needs:

Peng “Solomon” Yin, Ph.D.
Assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Email: Peng.yin@louisiana.edu
Office: (337) 482-5822