The University of Michigan Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences has received USD 5.1M funding for three projects to advance nuclear technology . The department is also collaborating on three more of the 74 projects that the U . S . Department of Energy is supporting with a total of USD 61M . The biggest project U-M leads — funded with USD 4M from the Integrated Research Projects program — is focused on compact heat exchangers , which would transfer heat from a nuclear reactor to the systems that use the heat directly or convert it to electricity . They are much smaller and thus less expensive than traditional designs . |
Diffusion bonding , the process used to create compact heat exchangers , involves stacking grooved plates and pressing them together , causing the grooves to form channels . This new manufacturing technique creates a large number of small channels , which maximize the contact between the metal and the heated fluid , allowing more heat to pass through than in conventional heat exchangers . However , high temperatures weaken the bonds between plates , limiting the heat exchangers to a lower temperature and eliminating the gains made by making them small . This project ’ s goal is to improve the knowledge of the bonding process to enable strong bonds at high temperatures . |
NORESCO , a part of Carrier Global Corporation ( CARR ) has been awarded a new , three-year contract to help the California Energy Commission ( CEC ) develop and adopt the state ’ s building energy code for 2025 . California ’ s Building Energy Efficiency Standards are updated every three years to guide the construction of new and existing buildings toward the state ’ s clean energy goals . NORESCO has worked with the CEC to advance one of the nation ’ s most efficient building energy standards , Title 24 , Part 6 of the California Code of Regulations , for more than 15 years . The upcoming code cycle will enable the CEC to drive continued progress toward the goals in California ’ s Integrated Energy Policy Report ( IEPR ). |
The 2021 IEPR recommends the acceleration of building decarbonization and the installation of 6 million heat pumps by 2030 . California ’ s building energy code will play a key role in achieving these objectives , and the NORESCO team will support the CEC in developing and implementing strategies to meet these goals in both new construction and alterations . NORESCO will also help develop energy accounting methodologies for the 2025 cycle , including development of prototype building models , weather files , metrics and life-cycle cost methodology . The team will review national model codes , assess new measures and code structure ideas , and support the research and development of new code requirements . |