2003 EETD News #14, Vol. 4, No. 3
Table of Contents

Understanding the Indoor Concentrations of Outdoor Aerosols in Residences

In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued new National Ambient Air Quality Standards for airborne particles less than 2.5 mm in diameter (PM2.5). These standards are based on evidence of associations between outdoor PM2.5 concentrations and adverse health effects. However, the relationship between indoor and outdoor concentrations of these fine particles is poorly understood and has important implications for public health.
 

EETD Develops New Commercial Duct-Sealing Technology

Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) researchers have invented an aerosol-based system for sealing ducts in large commercial buildings. The mobile aerosol-sealant injection system (MASIS) is based on an aerosol sealing device previously developed by EETD researchers for reducing energy losses through leaky ducts in residential and small commercial systems. MASIS incorporates two new, patented technologies that permit effective sealing in the larger, more complicated duct systems of commercial buildings: a series of compact aerosol injectors and a new atomizer that uses high-velocity heated gas to prevent clogging of the injection nozzle.
 

Ultraclean Low-swirl Combustion Will Help Clear the Air

A unique type of clean-burning combustion technology called ultra-clean low-swirl combustion (UCLSC), developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researcher Robert Cheng, is entering the marketplace after years of research and development. UCLSC emits 10 to 100 times less nitrogen oxide (NO_x) than conventional burners do. This new technology will reduce air pollution and allow industry to meet clean air requirements easily and economically. Because conventional combustion theory does not account for the features of the new technology, UCLSC has prompted advances in theoretical studies to explain its underlying principles.
 

Functional Testing Guide Aids Buildings Teams

Commissioning complex commercial buildings—understanding the many test procedures involved and the energy use that they assess—requires an in-depth understanding of building heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in particular. To communicate this understanding to the building commissioning industry, scientists and researchers in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) have developed the Functional Testing Guide and Model Functional Test for Air-Handling Systems (FT Guide). The guide presents a series of model functional tests that describe many common air-handling system configurations. It was developed as part of a large building-commissioning research project currently under way (see EETD News, Vol. 2, No. 4, Summer 2001).
 

Motor System Optimization in China: Building a Model for Industrial Energy Efficiency

Industrial electric motor systems in China consume more than 600 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) annually, accounting for more than 50 percent of that nation's electricity use. If these systems were optimized, their efficiency could be improved by 20 percent or more. Responding to this opportunity in late 2001, the Chinese government established the China Motor Systems Energy Conservation Program, in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Energy Foundation.
 

Capturing and Tracking Energy-Savings Project Goals with the Design Intent Tool

There is an increasing understanding in the buildings community that it is necessary but not sufficient to specify technologies or design features that can effectively realize energy savings in buildings. Successful implementation of energy-saving features is often thwarted by the absence of explicit direction from the building's owner, misunderstandings or inconsistent visions among design team members, and ambiguously defined energy-performance targets. The lack of clarity created by these problems hampers the post-construction processes of commissioning and measurement and verification. Robust documentation of the design intent for a building's energy performance can result in a comprehensive and holistic design process that achieves its energy-savings goals. A new computer-based Design Intent Tool developed by Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) researchers addresses these needs by documenting key building design information in a centralized, accessible format, increasing the likelihood that a building will be constructed and perform as designed.
 

Microgrids: Reliable Power in a Small Package

In 1996, a sagging power line in Oregon brushed against a tree; within minutes, 12 million customers in eight states lost power. Such is the vulnerability of today's electricity grid, in which a disturbance can propagate instantly through large portions of the system.
 

Research Highlights
 

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