Invited Lecture on “Transition to Low-GWP Refrigerants: Options and Tradeoffs” by Dr. Piotr A. Domanski on April 1, 2016 (Friday)

MAIDROC Laboratory Presents an Invited Lecture on

Transition to Low-GWP Refrigerants: Options and Tradeoffs

by

Piotr A. Domanski, Ph.D.

Date: April 1, 2016 (FRIDAY)

Time: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Room:   EC2300 (large conference room)

Map: http://campusmaps.fiu.edu/ (Other campuses/ – Engineering Center)

Brief Vitae of the Invited Speaker:

Dr. Piotr A. Domanski received his MSc (1972) from the Gdansk University of Technology, Poland, and PhD (1982) in Mechanical Engineering from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. In 1983 he joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) where he became the leader of HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group in 1992. He is internationally recognized for his research of alternative refrigerants and work on modeling of air-conditioning equipment. His current interests also include evolutionary computation-based optimization methods, automated commissioning, and fault detection and diagnostics with the goal to improve the performance of air-conditioners and heat pumps for application in both current and net-zero structures. He is an active member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).  Currently, he serves as the President of the IIR Science and Technology Council. He is a past member of ASHRAE Research Administration Committee and ASHRAE Standards Committee. He chaired the 1997 ASHRAE/NIST Refrigerant Conference and co-chaired the 2009 IIR Conference on Thermophysical Properties and Transfer Processes and the 2012 ASHRAE/NIST Refrigerants Conference, and served as a Regional Editor for the Americas for the International Journal of Refrigeration. He is an ASHRAE Fellow, a recipient of the IIR Science and Technology Medal (2003), the 2013/2014 Best Paper Award from Int. Journal of Refrigeration, and the 2014 Best Paper Award from the Int. Journal of HVAC&R Research. He also received ASHRAE Distinguished Service Awards (2007), W.T. Pentzer Awards from the U.S. National Committee of IIR (2012), and several awards from NIST and U.S. Department of Commerce.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are commonly used as refrigerants in air-conditioning equipment, are potent greenhouse gases and will need to be replaced. In search of suitable replacements, a recent study performed a comprehensive screening of a database of molecules with over 100 million entries. By applying filters representing refrigerant selection criteria (e.g., global warming potential (GWP), stability, toxicity, efficiency), the pool of molecules was reduced to less than thirty fluids. The group includes fluids with good efficiency and low toxicity, but all are at least mildly flammable. No new group of chemicals that could serve as a source of a new class of refrigerants was revealed. The major conclusion of the work is that the options for low-GWP refrigerants for air conditioning are very limited. Tradeoffs between different options will be discussed.