Research Facilities
The Division maintains advanced research and test facilities for cooperative and sponsored R&D.
Duct Laboratory
The Duct Laboratory is used to study a wide range of thermal-distribution systems. Two complete full-scale, instrumented forced air-distribution systems are available. A custom-built oven and air-circulation/pressurization systems are used to test the longevity of duct sealants. A laser-induced fluorescence indoor air-flow modeling apparatus can produce images of air flow mixing within rooms.
Electrochromic Windows Laboratory
A multi-room laboratory for testing thermal properties of electrochromic windows. The lab simulates real-world office spaces and imbedded instrumentation in the windows records solar gains and losses for specified time periods.
Environmental Measurements
State of the art instrumentation systems for measurement of gaseous and particle-phase pollutants.
The Infrared Thermography Laboratory
The Infrared Thermography Laboratory (IRLab) conducts detailed laboratory experiments on the thermal performance of windows and other insulated systems. Thermography experiments in the IRLab use an infrared imager to produce qualitative thermal images, or thermograms, which help provide a visual interpretation of how heat is flowing through the specimen.
Interior Pollutant Dispersion Experimental Facility
This facility is used to conduct experiments on air pollution dispersion in large indoor spaces such as auditoriums and atriums. The results are used to evaluate and refine complex computational fluid dynamics models of dispersion processes. The facility is also used for experiments to develop new measurement techniques to detect and quantify pollutant concentrations in large enclosed spaces.
MoWiTT: The Mobile Window Thermal Test Facility
MoWITT contains two side-by-side calorimetric test chambers for testing the thermal performance of window and wall elements under actual outdoor conditions.
Single & Multiple Room Environmental Chambers
Controlled indoor environments to study the sources, transport and chemistry of indoor pollutants and to evaluate advanced ventilation and pollutant control technologies.
Thin Films Materials Lab
This facility houses equipment for depositing and analyzing thin-film coatings for more energy-efficient glazings and windows.
Other Instrumentation
Laser and other advanced optical spectroscopies are employed to study the chemical properties of materials, the electrode/electrolyte interface in advanced battery systems, turbulent combustion, and particulate emissions from diesel engines. X-rays from synchrotron light sources and NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) are used in studies of components for advanced batteries and fuel cells. Chemical analysis instrumentation such as high-performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC) assist in analyzing catalytic reactions.
