Research Facilities
The Division maintains advanced research and test facilities for cooperative and sponsored R&D.
Advanced Windows Test Facility
A multi-room laboratory for testing thermal properties of advanced windows and window systems such as electrochromic windows, and automatically controlled shutters and blinds. The lab simulates real-world office spaces and imbedded instrumentation in the windows records solar gains and losses for specified time periods.
BATT Fabrication Laboratory
The BATT Fab Lab (Batteries for Advanced Transportation Technologies Fabrication Laboratory) conducts battery cell analysis and testing of the performance of new materials in experimental batteries.
Cookstove Efficiency and Emissions Testing Facility
This LBNL facility is used for detailed evaluation of the fuel efficiency and pollutant emissions of cookstoves, including methods traditionally used in developing regions of the world and cookstoves designed for increased efficiency.
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.
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.
Solar Control Thin Films Laboratory
The Solar Control Thin Films lab develops novel thin film coatings, deposition technologies, and device systems for next-generation energy efficient 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.
