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- Low Temperature Psychrometric Chamber
- Water fouling test facility
- Air Flow Wind Tunnel
- Building Airflow and Contaminant Transport Laboratory
- Hybrid Ground Source Heat Pump Laboratory
- Thermal Pile
- Building Heat Transfer Laboratory
- Medium-Scale Bridge Deck
- Laboratory Snow-Making Machine
- The Pond
- Surface Heat Rejecters
- Guarded Hot Box
- Heat Pump Test Loop
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Graduate Program
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and the Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering degrees are earned by completing both formal coursework and a thesis or dissertation based on a research project. Usually, the thesis/dissertation research project is closely related to one of the Buildings and Environmental Thermal Systems Group (BETSRG) research projects.
Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Systems
In recent years energy conscious design of building HVAC systems has become a priority in many countries. Engineering research and design tools capable of developing prototypical systems and evaluating emerging technologies are becoming increasingly important. Development of computer based engineering and research tools is an important aspect of the overall thermal systems research effort at OSU.
Building Energy and Thermal Load Calculations
Calculation of building heating and cooling loads is a critical task in the design of HVAC systems. It is now also common practice to use energy simulation techniques in the design of new buildings and assessment of energy saving measures and life cycle costs. There is an ongoing research effort in the school of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at OSU in the testing and development of load calculation and energy simulation methods.
Ground Heat Transfer and Ground Source Heat Pump Systems
Ground source heat pumps are a highly efficient and low maintenance technology for air conditioning of residential, institutional and small commercial buildings. The department has had a program of research into this technology for a number of years and has been actively involved in the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (headquartered at OSU).
Refrigeration
This program will enable to progress the career of HVAC engineers through upgrading of their skills to a specialized graduate qualification in refrigeration systems. Refrigeration-based technologies are employed in a wide range of applications from food preservation and controlled-atmosphere environments to cooling of aerospace and electronics devices. In this program at OSU, modern refrigeration systems are analyzed by using both numerical tools and experimental techniques. The research efforts lead to improved energy efficiency, promote a rational utilization of energy and economic resources, and contribute to protect the natural environment.