Residential Gas-Fired Space-Conditioning Research and Development at Brookhaven National Laboratory

摘要

Brookhaven National Laboratory has work on-going involving industrial development of gas- and oil-fired space-heating equipment. An analysis of the energy situation indicates that there are significant opportunities to reduce energy waste. These opportunities involve the elimination or reduction of unnecessary consumption and the development of more-efficient equipment. Various options exist for the development of advanced space-conditioning equipment having improved efficiency. The three basic approaches are (1) to increase the capacity of the heat exchanger, (2) to operate with a reduction in excess air, and (3) to reduce standby and cycling losses. The ideal operation of a conventional boiler or furnace is to allow the heat exchanger to operate in the condensing mode at the temperature where the latent heat of vaporization of water vapor in the flue gas is recovered. The resulting efficiency can reach close to 95%. The gas-fired research and development work presently on-going involve the following: (1) a variable firing rate gas burner, (2) a gas-fired pulse combustion furnace capable of firing 40,000 to 90,000 Btu/hr, (3) a gas-fired pulse combustion boiler with an output of 36,000 Btu/hr, (4) a gas-fired heat pipe furnace firing at 60,000 Btu/hr, and (5) a nonelectric Rankine-cycle gas furnace. A materials program is also underway to identify cost-effective materials for condensing oil- and gas-fired systems, and a study has just been completed that identifies technology for improving the efficiency of heating systems. The method for laboratory and field testing that will assist in commercialization of new, advanced equipment is presented. (ERA citation 05:027311)