UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Our

Research

Our Research​

Advanced Heat Exchangers

Innovative Heat Transfer Solutions

Process Intensification & Control

Advanced Materials & Manufacturing

A Novel Low-Cost Thermal Energy Storage for Building Equipment Peak Load Shifting

Advanced Cooling Solutions for High-Density Data Centers

Efficient and Compact Data Center Cooling

Compact, Lightweight, and Low-Cost Metal-Polymer Composite Heat Exchangers

Additively Manufactured High-Temperature Manifold-Microchannel Heat Exchangers

Thermal Management of High-Flux Electronics Using FEEDS Cooling Technology

A Novel Heat Sink for Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems

HX

Design and Characterization of Highly Compact Metallic Heat Exchangers

Energy Audit

Energy Audit

Building Energy Performance Analysis

Sustainable Energy Solutions & Optimization

Regulatory Compliance & Cost Savings

Energy Audit and Analytics of Commercial Buildings Using Rapid Energy Auditor

Machine Learning Enabled Projection of Renewable Energy Generation in Buildings

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Machine Learning for Predicting Energy Consumption and GHG Emissions in Buildings

Equipment & Facilities

Environmental Chamber

The environmental chamber at AHXPI can go from as low as -10 °C to +50 °C. We perform PCM characterization studies in the chamber, allowing us to analyze thermal performance under a wide range of controlled temperature conditions.

Additive Manufacturing of Heat Exchangers

We are equipped with two custom 3D printers which can 3D print polymer-metal composite heat exchangers. Our Gen3 3D printer has a large build plate area of 4 ft×2ft. Gen 4 printer is an enclosed printer which can 3D print all kinds of thermoplastics.

TES Testing

AHXPI is equipped with a dedicated test section for the characterization of cross-media thermal energy storage devices. The facility includes an 80-gallon reservoir for maintaining a constant inlet temperature to the TES and a ⅓ HP centrifugal pump capable of delivering a heat transfer fluid flow rate of 20 GPM.

PCM Cyclic Testing

AHXPI features a cyclic tester capable of cycling 12 PCM samples simultaneously. The test section consists of four individual cyclers, each accommodating up to three samples. Each cycler operates within a temperature range of +5 °C to 90 °C, ensuring precise thermal cycling for material characterization.

High-Temperature Heat Exchanger Testing

We are equipped with a test loop to perform isothermal pressure testing and thermal performance testing on various additively manufactured heat exchangers. The loop utilizes chilled air for the cold side of the heat exchanger and hot compressed nitrogen for the hot side.

sCO₂ HX Testing

Our sCO₂ test loop is designed to characterize additively manufactured heat exchangers (HX) by utilizing liquid CO₂ at the HX cold inlet and supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) at the HX hot inlet. The system operates at a maximum test temperature of 150°C and a pressure of 80 bar.

NanoCenter FabLab

The NanoCenter at UMD is a shared equipment facility staffed by highly experienced personnel, offering a range of microfabrication services, including 3D printing, annealing, deposition, etching, lithography, and metrology. Our lab extensively utilizes the NanoCenter’s nanofabrication facilities to develop microelectronics cooling devices for various projects. Most recently, after completing the necessary training, S2TS lab members have employed advanced fabrication techniques such as maskless lithography, deep reactive-ion etching, and e-beam evaporation to create a device designed for cooling computer chips.

Terrapin Works

Founded in 2014, Terrapin Works is a division of Engineering Information Technology within the A. James Clark School of Engineering. It offers rapid prototyping, advanced manufacturing, and digital design services to the S2TS lab and the broader campus community. The center provides access to over 100 consumer, research, and industrial-grade 3D printers, as well as high-end subtractive manufacturing systems capable of producing complex parts in a variety of materials. Additional resources include 3D scanning systems, CNC machining, laser cutting, powder coating, and an array of power tools.

Single- and Two-Phase Heat Transfer Testing

We are equipped with a testing setup for testing cooling devices (cold plates), which is used for cooling high-performance processors in data centers. The setup used to emulate the processor’s heat is called TTV (Thermal Testing Vehicle) and has the capacity to deliver 100W of heat. The cold plates, which use either a single-phase or two-phase cooling approach, can be attached to the TTV to have their performance evaluated.

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A Novel Low-Cost Thermal Energy Storage for Building Equipment Peak Load Shifting

Goal: Develop a durable and cost-effective thermal energy storage (TES) system using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) to optimize peak load shifting in building equipment.

Material Characterization: Developed a T-history setup to analyze low-cost salt hydrate PCMs for TES applications.

Long-Term Stability: Designed a cyclic stability tester to evaluate PCM durability over 10+ years of charge-discharge cycles.

Optimized Performance: Created a first-order Python model for TES-integrated heat pumps, enhancing energy efficiency and load shifting.

Advanced Cooling Solutions for High-Density Data Centers​

Goal: Develop innovative, high-performance, and high-reliability cooling systems for computational electronics to enhance energy efficiency and reliability.

Energy Efficiency: Targets cooling power consumption at or below 5% of IT load for high-density computing systems in any U.S. location, year-round.

Thermal Management: Focuses on new materials, thermal interface solutions, and advanced heat transfer methods to improve heat dissipation in chipsets.

Scalability & Performance: Supports the development of modular, scalable data center systems with highly efficient cooling, enabling low-latency applications across various environments.

Efficient and Compact Data Center Cooling

Goal: Develop a 1.5 MW thermal management system (TMS) under ARPA‐E/DOE that uses hybrid cooling (cold plates + immersion) and consumes only 5% of dissipated heat in power, aided by a novel cross‐media polymer heat exchanger/dry cooler.

High Power Density: Achieves 22 kW/m³ (vs. the 3–5 kW/m³ baseline) through efficient heat sinks and compact system design.

Ultra‐Low Power Consumption: Requires <5% of cooling load (compared to 25–65% industry average) by leveraging dry cooling techniques.

Zero Water Usage: Eliminates up to 3.9 million gallons per MW annually with an air‐cooled dry cooler, reducing infrastructure demands.

Compact, Lightweight, and Low-Cost Metal-Polymer Composite Heat Exchangers

Goal: Develop an additively manufactured (AM) metal-polymer composite heat exchanger (HX) with high thermal performance, reduced weight, and lower fabrication costs for efficient cooling
and thermal storage.

High Thermal Conductivity: Achieved 130 W/m-K, over 10× higher than typical polymer HXs, using a patented cross-media thermal exchange approach.

Optimized Design: Developed a 3D CFD model for HX optimization in air-conditioning (5–40 kW) and electronic cooling (250 W), with validation showing <17% deviation.

Advanced Thermal Storage: Created a 1D PCM model optimizing a 1.44 MJ TES unit and a 19.2 kJ HX, validated within 10% of CFD tools, and proposed a hybrid TES design with PCMs and shape memory alloys.

Additively Manufactured High-Temperature Manifold-Microchannel Heat Exchangers

Goal: Develop a high-temperature gas-to-gas manifold-microchannel heat exchanger using additive manufacturing (AM) for improved efficiency, reduced weight, and scalability in aerospace and industrial applications.

Innovative Fabrication: Designed and fabricated a 30% lighter heat exchanger using DMLS, with a minimum microchannel fin thickness of 165 μm.

High-Temperature Performance: Tested up to 600°C and ~450 kPa, achieving 2.78 kW heat duty, ~10 kW/kg heat transfer density (25% improvement), and a coefficient of
performance of 62.

Validated Modeling: Experimental results confirmed the accuracy of the computational model for thermal and pressure drop predictions.

Thermal Management of High-Flux Electronics Using FEEDS Cooling Technology

Goal: Develop a high-performance cooling solution using Enhanced Fluid Delivery Systems (FEEDS) to manage high heat fluxes in compact, 3D-integrated electronics.

Efficient Cooling Design: Developed a FEEDS cooling system that dissipates heat fluxes over 1 kW/cm² while maintaining low-pressure drops.

Validated Performance: A first-generation iFEEDS cooler (100W) achieved ~700 W/cm² heat flux with a 45°C rise, while a second-generation multi-stack design (200W & 500W) demonstrated scalability.

Innovative Characterization: Conducted the first study on multi-stack manifold-microchannel heat sinks, advancing cooling for high-performance electronics.

A Novel Heat Sink for Advanced Electric Propulsion Systems

Goal: Develop an efficient air-cooled heat sink with minimal pressure drop for electric propulsion systems in narrow-body aircraft to support emission reduction efforts.

Optimized Design: Developed and tested multiple heat sink iterations, achieving optimal thermal and hydrodynamic performance.
Experimental Validation: Evaluated sand fouling effects, showing a modest impact on performance.
Sustainable Aviation: Contributed to electrification efforts in aviation by addressing thermal management challenges.
HX

Design and Characterization of Highly Compact Metallic Heat Exchangers for Extreme Environments

Goal: Develop a low-cost, high-performance, and compact heat exchanger (HX) for extreme environments using advanced manufacturing and thermal optimization techniques.

Optimized Design: Developed a manifold-microchannel HX with uniform flow distribution and high heat transfer efficiency.

High-Performance Testing: Constructed a sCO₂ test loop operating at up to 100 bar and 200°C to evaluate HX performance.

Advanced Fabrication: Used additive manufacturing and topology optimization
(TO) to enhance efficiency and reliability.

Energy Audit and Analytics of Commercial Buildings Using Rapid Energy Auditor

Rapid Energy Auditor (REA) is a custom-built software for fast and reliable virtual energy audits, calculating metrics like Energy Use Intensity (EUI), on-site GHG emissions, and potential savings using validated utility data and energy benchmarking from CBECS and EnergyCAP.
Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act of 2022 mandates a 60% reduction in GHG emissions by 2031, 100% clean electricity by 2035, and net-zero emissions by 2045.
REA identified 17 underperforming state-owned buildings (1.8 million sq. ft.) with high fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions, prioritizing them for decarbonization.
Hands-on audits include Site Visits, Energy Consumption Analysis, and Energy Savings Analysis (ESA) Reports, providing tailored recommendations for decarbonization, electrification, and energy efficiency improvements.
A ranking method prioritizes facilities based on EUI, CO₂ emissions per sq. ft., and dollar savings potential, supporting Maryland's path to achieving its ambitious climate goals.

Rigorous software testing ensures REA’s accuracy, quality, and functionality, facilitating effective energy audit processes for optimized building performance.

Machine Learning Enabled Projection of Renewable Energy Generation in Buildings

Goal: Develop a machine learning-based model to predict the impact of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on CO₂ emissions reduction and energy generation.

Data Integration: Collected and preprocessed data from PV Watts and the National Solar Radiation Database.

Optimized Predictions: Developed a flexible ensemble learning method for AC energy forecasting, selecting the best model for each data point.

Accurate Projections: Provided reliable estimates of solar PV’s role in CO₂ reduction and future energy generation.

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Machine Learning for Predicting Energy Consumption and GHG Emissions in Buildings

Goal: Develop a machine learning model to predict building energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while optimizing efficiency and compliance.

Data-Driven Forecasting: Utilized historical weather and energy data to predict energy consumption and emissions trends.

Regulatory Compliance: Assessed the cost of non-compliance with energy regulations and associated penalties.

Optimized Performance: Developed dynamic algorithms and fine-tuned model hyperparameters for accurate monthly forecasts, enabling predictive maintenance and fault detection.