Thermodynamic and Kinematic Modeling of ThermoLift Vuilleumier Natural Gas Heat Pump
Industrial Partner: Unique ThermoLift, Inc
ThermoLift is developing a cold-climate, natural gas air-conditioner and heat pump technology that combines heating, air-conditioning, and water heating into a single appliance.
This project will focus on studying thermodynamic and kinematic performance of the Vuilleumier natural-gas heat pump that developed by ThermoLift, Inc. The advantage of the ThermoLift design is that the same device can be used for both heating and cooling. By using natural gas, the device can take off load from the electrical grid during the summer months. ThermoLift uses expertise of SBU Department of Mechanical Engineering to model kinematic performance of the machine and identify the design improvements.
The improved machine can provide a 30-50% reduction in building HVAC costs as well as associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.