Farms are known for their greenwhen it comes to crops. But what about the green of buildings down on the farm?
With current research focused on enhancing building systems to make them more sustainable, a sometimes overlooked area with potential for an impact is the agricultural industry, according to Chantz Denowh, Montana State University.
Farms and ranches have the potential to become completely energy independent due to available resources and space for their development, Denowh said. The most prominent of these resources is geothermal heating/cooling. Most farms and ranches have a building complex ideally suited for a small district ground source heat pump (GSHP) system. With the addition of a natural gas or biomass cogeneration unit, a hybrid GSHP system is created that can satisfy thermal and electrical needs for farms and ranches.
Denowh is is one of 23 students who will receive a grant through ASHRAE Graduate Student Grant-In-Aid Award Program, which is designed to encourage students to continue their education in preparation for service in the HVAC&R industry. The grants, totaling $230,000, are awarded to full-time graduate students of ASHRAE-related technologies.
With his grant, Denowh plans to investigate and demonstrate the feasibility of an energy independent farm or ranch through the use of a cogenerative hybrid GSHP system, and develop dynamic control strategies to maximize efficiency of the system over its lifespan. The project will focus on the model and control strategy of the proposed system, as well as provide an economic analysis.
Overall, this research fills valuable gaps of knowledge for hybrid GSHP systems and optimal control strategies, he said. The results go beyond creating a more sustainable agricultural industry, and fulfill ASHRAEs mission of promoting a more sustainable world.
Other recipients of ASHRAE grants-in-aid are:
- Gregory Arcangeli, University of Texas Austin, Assessing the Performance of Advanced Glazing with Integrated Shading
- John Bustamante, Georgia Institute of Technology, Investigation of Evaporating Films Falling over Horizontal Rectangular Tube Banks
- Stephen Caskey, Purdue University, Cold Climate Air-Source Heat Pump with Two-Stage Compression and Economizing
- Massimo Cimmino, Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Redevelopment and Experimental Validation of Eskilson’s G-functions
- Christopher Cirone, University of Illinois, Waste Heat Recovery from Public Shower Facility Using a Water Source Heat Pump
- James Cullin, Oklahoma State University, Advancements in Modeling of Ground Heat Exchangers
- Chantz Denowh, Montana State University, A Hybrid Ground Source Heat Pump System for Sustainable Farms and Ranches
- Ranojoy Dutta, Arizona State University, Development of an Automated Building Conceptual Design Methodology
- Harish Ganapathy, University of Maryland, Gas-Liquid Absorption Phenomena in Microchannels Application to Next Generation, High Performance Absorption Refrigeration Systems
- Mingang Jin, Purdue University, Rapid Airflow Modeling Advanced Building Ventilation Systems by Fast Fluid Dynamics
- Deepak Kalaikadal, University of Cincinnati, Additives Induced Enhanced of Refrigerant Evaporative Heat Transfer
- Konstaninos Kapsis, Concordia University, Building Integrated Semi-transparent Photovoltaics: Toward Net-Zero Energy Buildings
- Donghun Kim, Purdue University, Reducing Energy Costs and Improving Thermal Comfort through Model Based Control with Reduced-order Modeling
- Adrienne Little, Georgia Institute of Technology, Two-Phase Flow in Ejectors for Refrigeration Technology; also receives the Grant-In-Aid Life MemberClub grant given to the highest top-rated applicants and supported by a financial contribution from the club
- Zhijun Liu, University California Davis, Simulation and Analysis of Hybrid Indirect Evaporative Compression Cooling Systems
- Jeffrey Milkie, Georgia Institute of Technology, Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop During Condensation and Pure Component Hydrocarbon and refrigerants, and their Binary Mixtures; also receives the Grant-In-Aid Life Member Club grant given to the highest top-rated applicants and supported by a financial contribution from the club
- James Montgomery, University of British Columbia, Energy Efficiency in HVAC Air Filtration
- Elena Nirlo, University of Texas Austin, Evaluation of Energy Consequences of Control Strategies for Classes of Pollutants in Various Built Environments
- Adams Rackes, Drexel University, Design and Optimization of Cost Effective Environmental Sensor Networks for Commercial Buildings
- Thomas Robbins, Georgia Institute of Technology, Micro scale Autonomous Adsorption Refrigeration
- Hanfei Tuo, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Flash Gas Bypass for Residential Air-Conditioning Systems
- Daihong Yu, University of Nebraska Lincoln, A Novel Heat-Pump System using Bio-mass Energy
- Lexuan Zhong, Concordia University, Photocatalytic Oxidation Air Cleaners for Application in Mechanical Ventilatition Systems: Toward the Design of Immune Buildings
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrows built environment today.
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Source: ASHRAE
