Thermal Conversion Technology
Efficient heat recovery requires the simultaneous optimisation of several parameters. Heat exchangers must combine high efficiency with a low pressure drop. At the same time, material use should be minimised and, where required, the design must meet strict size or integration constraints.
At EnergyVille, we develop software for the detailed simulation and optimisation of flow behaviour and heat transfer in compact heat exchangers. Our software is based on innovative macro-scale modelling techniques that enable rapid evaluation of average flow and temperature distributions in finned heat transfer devices.
Design Validation and Testing
To validate new heat exchanger designs, we combine advanced simulation with extensive experimental testing.
Our facilities include:
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Micro-scale test infrastructure for fin arrays, including flow velocity measurements using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and temperature measurements using Thermographic PIV
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Macro-scale testing of complete heat exchangers in our thermotechnical laboratory
In addition, we collaborate with the additive manufacturing research groups at KU Leuven and VITO to explore new manufacturing techniques.
Heat Pumps
Our research on flexible heat pumps focuses on:
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Assessing the impact of control strategies on the energy flexibility and performance of heat pump systems, including the interaction between control strategies, system design and different energy systems
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Optimising heat pump design and developing compact heat exchangers for environmentally friendly refrigerants
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Evaluating innovative heat pump technologies, such as high-temperature heat pumps for waste heat recovery and solar-driven absorption cooling
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Testing energy-flexible heat pumps using hardware-in-the-loop configurations to validate different control strategies and system configurations
