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At least 73 records · Page 4
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DOE OSTI2025

Performance Results from DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge Field Validation

Space conditioning and water heating consume over 40% of the nation’s primary energy use and represent a significant component of many homeowners’ monthly energy bill. However, in cold climates, performance of heat pumps has traditionally suffered as the units have been unable to efficiently transfer heat from colder outdoor air temperatures to warm the interior space of homes. Optimizing heat pumps for cold climates (5 °F and below) requires coordinated effort to ensure heat pump technologies can be enjoyed by Americans living in these regions. The DOE Cold Climate Heat Pump (CCHP) Challenge sought to address this challenge by partnering with industry to develop, test, and validate the performance of new, highly efficient heat pumps in real homes. The Challenge, launched in 2021, brought together leading heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturers to develop prototype units optimized for performance at cold climates. This report summarizes results from the field validation that occurred 2022-2024.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exergy Analysis of a Convective Heat Pump Dryer Integrated with a Membrane Energy Recovery Ventilator

To increase energy efficiency, heat pump dryers and membrane dryers have been proposed to replace conventional fossil fuel dryers. Both conventional and heat pump dryers require substantial energy for condensing and reheating, while “active” membrane systems require vacuum pumps that are insufficiently developed. Lower temperature dehumidification systems make efficient use of membrane energy recovery ventilators (MERVs) that do not need vacuum pumps, but their high heat losses and lack of vapor selectivity have prevented their use in industrial drying. In this work, we propose an insulating membrane energy recovery ventilator for moisture removal from drying exhaust air, thereby reducing sensible heat loss from the dehumidification process and reheating energy. The second law analysis of the proposed system is carried out and compared with a baseline convective heat pump dryer. Irreversibilities in each component under different ambient temperatures (5–35 °C) and relative humidity (5–95%) are identified. At an ambient temperature of 35 °C, the proposed system substantially reduces sensible heat loss (47–60%) in the dehumidification process, resulting in a large reduction in condenser load (45–50%) compared to the baseline system. The evaporator in the proposed system accounts for up to 59% less irreversibility than the baseline system. A maximum of 24.5% reduction in overall exergy input is also observed. The highest exergy efficiency of 10.2% is obtained at an ambient condition of 35 °C and 5% relative humidity, which is more than twice the efficiency of the baseline system under the same operating condition.

Balaraman, Anand (ORCID:0000000218355788)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Magnonic spontaneous oscillation induced by parametric pumping

Spontaneous dynamic systems have attracted significant attention for their rich underlying physics such as phase-locking and synchronization. In this work, we report a new mechanism of generating magnetic spontaneous oscillation via parametric pumping. By applying a pump tone to excite propagating spin waves in a yttrium iron garnet delay line, four-wave mixing converts the pump mode into two phase-autonomous propagating magnon modes, i.e. a spontaneous mode with nearly twice the wavenumber of the pump mode and an idler mode with nearly zero wavenumber. This allows us to reliably generate ultrasharp spin wave dynamics with broad frequency tunability from the pump and magnetic field. We show that the spontaneous mode can be phase-locked to a probe tone, similar to an auto-oscillator. Furthermore, the spontaneous dynamics can be used to implement a high-gain magnonic parametric amplifier with a gain up to 40 dB. Our results open a new avenue for studying nonlinear magnonics and synchronization physics in propagating magnon geometry and for developing new magnonic devices.

Li, Yi↗
DOE OSTI2026

Heat Pump Retrofits for Central Plant Hydronic Heating Systems: A Software Toolkit for Screening and Design

Retrofitting existing central plants with high-efficiency heat pump technologies can play a crucial role in achieving long-term planning goals. Modern heat pump technologies are able to use waste heat recovery to meet a building's heating demand, but there is a lack of accessible tools designed for non-HVAC experts, such as building owners, to quickly and easily conduct what-if analysis, e.g., estimating retrofit costs and payback period for their partial or full equipment replacement. This paper introduces an open-source software toolkit designed to facilitate the initial screening and decision-making of heat pump retrofits in existing central plants using a building's yearly load profile from metered or utility bill data. The toolkit evaluates the technical and economic viability of replacing traditional central plant equipment with various options including water-to-water or air-to-water heat pumps, which can provide efficient and lower-cost heating and cooling. It allows users to compare current central plant configurations with retrofit scenarios, assessing energy consumption, life-cycle costs, and environmental impact. The toolkit offers (1) a web-based tool designed for user-friendly access by a broad audience and (2) Python-based source code for researchers and engineers conducting parametric studies and design parameter optimization. The toolkit compares a typical central plant configuration to a configuration that uses a heat pump to supply hydronic heating and cooling. The output metrics include energy consumption and output of each equipment, life-cycle cost analyses and metrics, and environmental impact of the system.

Excell, L↗
DOE OSTI2024

Multifunctional Heat Pump with Energy Storage Capability

Replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps on a large scale can pose challenges to the electrical grid. It will significantly increase the demand, strain the electrical grid, especially during peak usage times. To ensure that heat pumps contribute to reducing emissions, it's essential to increase the share of renewable energy in the grid. However, the supply of renewable energy is unstable. Large scale of electrification must address the concern of grid resilience to meet necessary heating/cooling demands and shift peak electric load. All these require future heat pumps having energy storage capability. These systems can store excess energy during low-demand periods and release it during high-demand periods, reducing stress on the grid. This paper will introduce an innovative configuration, control, and laboratory investigations of a multifunctional packaged heat pump. In addition to the original indoor and outdoor air coils, the heat pump has a parallel hydronic loop with a brazed plate heat exchanger (BHP). The hydronic loop circulates hot/chilled water to store heating/cooling energy in phase change material (PCM). It is capable of space cooling, space heating, cooling energy storage/defrosting, water heating/heating energy storage with outdoor air source or indoor air source, and cooling/heating energy free discharge. The laboratory studies and breadboard unit are presented. Additionally, building energy simulation demonstrates utility cost reduction potential via charging PCM panels/ceilings during off-peak hours and releasing the energy during peak hours to mitigate the peak power consumption.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2024

Residential Integrated Heat Pump to Meet All the Home Comfort Needs

This paper will introduce development and field trial of a residential air-source integrated heat pump for cold climates. The heat pump is multi-functional to meet all the home comfort demands, including space cooling, space heating, domestic water heating. The integrated heat pump is an ideal solution to decarbonize northern homes via providing efficient space heating and water heating to replace natural gas. It uses a three-stage compressor and a single set of heat exchangers and valves to deliver all the functions, and thus achieve cost reduction. We developed an innovative system configuration and related controls to solve typical charge unbalance, accelerate charge migration and smoothen mode transition in integrated heat pumps. Laboratory investigations were conducted for individual modes and verified the control functions. Laboratory tests demonstrated that the unit delivered outstanding performance. It achieved 17.0 SEER (seasonal cooling energy efficiency rating) and 11.0 HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor). In the most efficient mode (combined space cooling and water heating mode), the unit reached a total energy efficiency > 30.0 EER and required only 25 minutes to heat a 50-gallon tank of water. One heat pump prototype is going through a field trial since April, 2023 in Syracuse, New York. The one-year field test results are summarized.

Shen, Bo↗
DOE OSTI2025

Deployable Element Ultra High Vacuum Pump

Most existing vacuum pump technologies remain stationary, limiting their effectiveness in a molecular environment. In low vacuum environments, molecules move in a particular path towards the source of pumping. As the mean-free-path increases, the system’s ability to capture molecules diminishes and pump-down time increases. To address this, the team explored various designs that would deploy the pump surface closer to the molecules. After several iterations, a “windmill” shape for the final design. This design employs titanium sublimation technology in a deployable configuration, effectively reducing the distance between residual molecules and the pump surfaces, thereby minimizing randomness and improving particle capture.

Etayem, Brandon [Northern Illinois U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

A critical review of electrochemical heat pump technologies: Status, challenges, and perspectives

The development of advanced heat pump technologies is critical for reducing global energy consumption in the building sector, where space heating and cooling account for nearly 50% of energy use. Electrochemical heat pumps (EHPs) offer a promising alternative to vapor compression systems by enabling direct electrochemical-to-thermal energy conversion, often with environmentally benign working fluids that exhibit low or zero global warming potential (GWP). Prior literature has predominantly focused on chemically reactive heat pumps, while comprehensive assessments of electrochemical mechanisms remain limited. Here, this review addresses this gap by systematically evaluating the underlying principles, architectures, and performance metrics of EHP systems. Compared to conventional vapor compression systems, EHPs can achieve 10%-30% higher energy efficiency, with reported cooling coefficients of performance (COP c ) ranging from 3.5 to 14.3 under standard operating conditions. Despite these advantages, widespread adoption is hindered by challenges including membrane degradation, electrode fouling, sluggish redox kinetics, and elevated system-level capital costs. To address these limitations, the review outlines three research priorities: (i) the development of advanced membranes, catalysts, and electrode materials with enhanced chemical and mechanical stability; (ii) the application of molecular-level simulations for the rational design of high-performance redox-active working fluids; and (iii) the integration of advanced diagnostic techniques for real-time monitoring and sustained operation of EHPs. By consolidating recent advances and explicitly identifying technological and scientific gaps, this work uniquely contributes a comprehensive framework for guiding future electrochemical heat pump research and facilitating the transition to sustainable thermal management technologies.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Polarizing 3 He via metastability exchange optical pumping using a 1.2 mbar sealed cell at magnetic fields up to 5 T

Here, we report high nuclear polarization of 1.2 mbar 3 He gas in a sealed cell in magnetic fields up to 5 T using Metastability Exchange Optical Pumping (MEOP). The creation of a highly polarized 3 He gas target for use in the 5 T field of Jefferson Lab’s CLAS12 spectrometer would enable new studies of spin-dependent asymmetries on the neutron. We describe a systematic study which was conducted for the first time up to the full 5 T field required for the final target design to evaluate the effects of discharge intensity, pump laser power, and optical pumping transition schemes on nuclear polarization and pumping rates. Steady-state polarizations up to 86% in magnetic fields between 2 and 5 T were achieved, with a discharge-on relaxation time of 898 s at 5 T. These results underscore the potential of MEOP for high-field applications in nuclear physics experiments.

3He polarization↗
DOE OSTI2024

End-Use Savings Shapes Measure Documentation: Heat Pump Rooftop Units

The heat pump rooftop units (RTUs) measure replaces gas furnace and electric resistance RTUs with high-efficiency heat pump rooftop units (HP-RTUs). The HP-RTUs are intended to be top-of-the line, including high-efficiency fans and heat pump systems. The fans are variable speed, allowing the HP-RTUs to operate as single-zone variable air volume systems. The heat pumps are also variable speed, allowing for high part load performance. All schedules in the existing RTUs are transferred to the new HP-RTUs for consistency. Furthermore, any energy efficiency features in the existing baseline RTUs such as energy recovery or economizers are also transferred to the new HP-RTUs for consistency. This measure is applicable to approximately 45% of the ComStock floor area. The HP-RTU measure demonstrates 10.3% total site energy savings (449 trillion British thermal units [TBtu]) for the U.S. commercial building stock modeled in ComStock.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Self‐Propelling Macroscale Sheets Powered by Enzyme Pumps

Nanoscale enzymes anchored to surfaces act as chemical pumps by converting chemical energy released from enzymatic reactions into spontaneous fluid flow that propels entrained nano‐ and microparticles. Enzymatic pumps are biocompatible, highly selective, and display unique substrate specificity. Utilizing these pumps to trigger self‐propelled motion on the macroscale has, however, constituted a significant challenge and thus prevented their adaptation in macroscopic fluidic devices and soft robotics. Using experiments and simulations, we herein show that enzymatic pumps can drive centimeter‐scale polymer sheets along directed linear paths and rotational trajectories. In these studies, the sheets are confined to the air/water interface. With the addition of appropriate substrate, the asymmetric enzymatic coating on the sheets induces chemically driven, buoyancy flows that controllably propel the sheet's motion on the air/water interface. The directionality and speed of the motion can be tailored by changing the pattern of the enzymatic coating, type of enzyme, and nature and concentration of the substrate. This work highlights the utility of biocompatible enzymes for generating motion in macroscale fluidic devices and robotics and indicates their potential utility for in vivo applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance evaluation of underground thermal storage integrated dual-source heat pump systems

The increasing demand for electricity stresses the existing electric grids. Buildings consume 73% of all U.S. electricity and are responsible for 30% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating thermal energy storage (TES) in building heating/cooling systems, which consume considerable electricity, can mitigate the challenges to electric grids. Here, this study reports on a novel thermal energy storage device integrated heat pump system to reshape the building electricity demand profile while maintaining thermal comfort. The annual performance of the proposed system has been evaluated through a dynamic system simulation with high fidelity in the Modelica platform. The dynamic model of the novel hybrid component named ‘dual purpose underground thermal battery’ was developed and validated. It was then incorporated into the system model. Given a time-of-use tariff, a rule-based control strategy was designed to shift the electric demand and switch the heat pump source for a typical single-family house in different climate zones of the United States. The system performance of the new TES-integrated dual-source heat pump was compared with that of a conventional air-source heat pump system. The results indicate that the proposed system can reduce the annual HVAC electricity cost by up to 52% while saving 45.2% on electricity consumption. In the Northern areas, the annual peak load of the HVAC system can be reduced by 64.9%. However, this reduction is less in the Southern areas as the system’s higher efficiency in winter dominates the overall energy-saving potential.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development and field demonstration of residential air source integrated heat pump using a three-stage compressor

To promote decarbonization and all electrification at residential sectors, it is necessary to use air source heat pumps (ASHPs) to replace natural gas for space heating and water heating. ASHPs are widely utilized for residential space cooling, heating, and water heating due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. However, their performance can be compromised in cold climates, where they may experience reduced heating capacity. A multi-functional heat pump, using a single compressor, to meet all home space conditioning and water heating demands, is an emerging technology. To address this limitation, we have developed and demonstrated an air source integrated heat pump to fulfill comprehensive home comfort requirements. This system employs a three-stage compressor and a single set of heat exchangers and valves, optimizing functionality while minimizing costs. The performance of the developed system was rigorously evaluated in both laboratory and field settings. In laboratory conditions, the system achieved a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio of 17.0 (average COP of 4.98) and a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor of 11.0 (3.22). Additionally, in its most efficient operational mode—combining space cooling and water heating—the unit attained a total energy efficiency exceeding 7.0 seasonal COP in the field and could heat a 189-liter tank of water in just 25 min. The field study corroborated the laboratory findings, validating the system’s performance in real-world conditions. Here, this integrated heat pump represents an ideal solution for decarbonizing homes in northern climates by providing efficient space heating and water heating, thereby replacing the need for natural gas.

Integrated heat pump↗
DOE OSTI2026

Fingerprinting fractons with pump-probe spectroscopy

We demonstrate how pump-probe techniques enable specific spectroscopic diagnostics of fracton phases of matter by studying lineon-planon braiding in the paradigmatic X-cube model. Our discussion builds on previous works probing anyonic exchange statistics in conventional spin liquids, but the extension to fracton phases reveals qualitatively different phenomena due to the restricted mobility of fractionalized excitations. A key feature is that nearby planons can form an emergent bound state by accessing different planes via alternative pairing configurations. We show that this bound state qualitatively modifies the long-time linear and nonlinear responses, leading to an asymptotic linear-in-𝑡 behavior for the pump-probe signal 𝜒 𝑍𝑍𝑋 . By contrast, swapping the pump and probe polarizations produces a nonlinear response 𝜒 𝑋𝑋𝑍 that is asymptotically 𝑡 independent. This asymmetry reflects the fact that the two species of fractionalized excitations live in different spatial dimensions. Thus the pump-probe signals studied here are sensitive to (i) nontrivial braiding statistics in three dimensions, (ii) the existence of bound states among fractionalized excitations, and (iii) the one-dimensional mobility of lineons. Furthermore, our results therefore provide spectroscopic signatures that distinguish fracton phases from conventional topologically ordered spin liquids.

braiding↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Mechanical and Thermomechanical Water Vapor Compression Techniques for Enabling High Temperature Lift Hydration-Based Chemical Heat Pumps

Achieving high temperature lifts (>200 K) via a chemical heat pump based on salt hydration/dehydration reactions requires the transport of water vapor from low to high pressure. Alternative compression approaches require condensing of low-pressure water vapor, pumping of liquid water, and subsequent evaporation when the low-side pressure corresponds to sub-ambient water saturation temperatures. Thus, this study compares four steam compression methods for use within a chemical heat pump system based on a reversible calcium oxide hydration/dehydration reaction with a temperature lift from 350 °C heat to >600 °C. Purely mechanical and thermochemical/mechanical compression technologies are considered. A parametric study of maximum allowable temperature, the isentropic efficiency of mechanical compressors, the effectiveness of heat exchangers, and the assumed allowable heat exchanger pressure drop is conducted to determine the mechanical and thermal energy consumed per kilogram of compressed steam. The system complexity in terms of the number of main system components, maximum pressure ratio, and maximum allowable temperature is estimated. Model results show an absorption-based steam compressor has the highest exergetic efficiency for the required chemical heat pump required conditions. As a result, this system configuration was then experimentally demonstrated to illustrate the impact of system performance on component effectiveness.

Advanced reactors↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Pump and Probe Test on an Intact Westerly Granite Sample

This dataset contains results from a pump and probe experiment conducted on an intact Westerly Granite sample with a diameter of 1 inch and a height of 1 3/8 inches. The experiment was performed within an aluminum triaxial pressure vessel (TEMCO) to investigate the non-linear acoustic parameters of the sample under varying axial pressures. The confining pressure was maintained at 4 MPa, while the axial pressure was incrementally increased from 1 MPa to 17 MPa before being reduced back to 1 MPa. 5 dynamic pressure oscillations of 0.5 MPa were applied over a 10 minute interval. The dataset includes pump controller data, linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) measurements, and acoustic data. The pump controller data tracks the confining and axial pressures, flow rates, and pump volumes. LVDT measurements provide detailed records of the axial displacement of the cell piston. Additionally, acoustic data captured by s-wave transducers is archived in a compressed file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Pump and Probe Test on a Mated Fracture Westerly Granite Sample

This dataset contains results from a pump and probe experiment conducted on a mated fracture Westerly Granite sample with a diameter of 1 inch and a height of 2 7/8 inches. The experiment was performed within an aluminum triaxial pressure vessel (TEMCO) to investigate the non-linear acoustic parameters of the sample under varying axial pressures. The confining pressure was maintained at 4 MPa, while the axial pressure was incrementally reduced from 17 MPa to 1 MPa in 1 MPa steps. 5 dynamic pressure oscillations of 0.5 MPa were applied over a 10 minute interval. The dataset includes pump controller data, linear variable differential transformer (LVDT) measurements, and acoustic data. The pump controller data tracks the confining and axial pressures, flow rates, and pump volumes. LVDT measurements provide detailed records of the axial displacement of the cell piston. Additionally, acoustic data captured by s-wave transducers is archived in a compressed file.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Hybridization Assessment of Trybrid Pumped Storage Hydropower System—Part 1: A Case Study of Corral Summit

This report is a part of the deliverables for technical assistance provided to Cat Creek Energy for the Coral Summit Trybrid (Triple Hybrid-Pumped Storage Hydropower, Battery Energy Storage System, and photovoltaic solar energy) energy project. This report explores the operational benefits and challenges of hybridizing an open loop PSH (200MW) located at Mackay, Custer County, Idaho with solar PV (Ground mount 300MW and floating 40MW) and battery (720MWhr). This document reports two activities performed as a part of the hybridization assessment task 1) optimal resource allocation and energy management strategy, and 2) power quality and reliability assessment. From optimal resource allocation and energy management strategy (activity 1), the following key findings can be observed: • Conventional PSH (CPSH) with two reversible pump turbines and separate penstocks can provide required flexibility equivalent to that from two ternary PSH with separate penstock. With single unit CPSH, upper reservoir head cannot be maintained accurately, the variation of water level is rapid and pump mode flexibility is not available. These disadvantages can be overcome by single unit TPSH. However, using two CPSH units with separate penstocks also overcome these disadvantages with the formation of the hydraulic short circuit between two conventional units. • Flooding of the lower reservoir is a severe concern when considering continuous operation for black start. This limits the duration of continuous operation from PSH alone to around 50 hours. Due to the complementary PV and battery action, the duration of continuous operation and smooth power output can be extended. • An optimization problem is framed that maximizes the power output on an hourly basis while minimizing constraint violations and respecting seasonal variations of solar PV and load profiles . Two value streams, arbitrage and baseload generation are served by this profile. It was uncovered that for smooth power output during regular operation, PV curtailment will be required, or the battery capacity needs to be increased above 90MW to accommodate additional PV. From power quality and reliability assessment (activity 2) the following takeaway points can be observed: • The Trybrid, when integrated at the Lost River bus, and limited to 250MW in generation mode and -150MW in the pump mode, causes no violation of voltage or flow.

13 - HYDRO ENERGY↗