Publications
Showing 46 results for Author: Steve P. Kowalski
Apr, 2026
Conference Paper
Zero-CO Residential Natural Gas Furnace
Residential natural gas furnaces are widely used in the US homes. Manufacturers dedicate significant design and testing resources to meet requirements of design standards. One area of these standards is controlling flue gas carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. To more effectively reduce CO emissions at the flue, we developed a novel catalyst-assisted approach that integrated a…
Apr, 2026
Journal
Review of the potential and challenges of MOF-based adsorption heat pumps for sustainable cooling and heating in the buildings
Heat pumps are regarded as the most suitable means to meet the future demand of heating and cooling in the building, as they require small input of electrical energy and output high thermal energy. Vapor compression heat pump (VCHP) and transcritical-CO2 heat pump are the two major heat pump technologies currently dominating the market. However, VCHP system suffers from it…
Apr, 2026
Conference Paper
Performance Evaluation of Low-Cost Condensers Immersed in the Water Tank of a Heat Pump Water Heater
This paper reports the effect of low-cost immersed condensers on the performance of a heat pump water heater (HPWH) that does not require a water-circulating pump. The proposed design is based on the immersion of an L-style condenser coil through an opening in the top of the water tank. The novel design aims to eliminate the need for the water-circulating pumps, thereby su…
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
Technology Feasibility of High-Temperature Heat Pumps for Industrial Drying Process in the US
High-temperature heat pumps are a prospective technology for electrifying and decarbonizing industrial drying processes. This study investigates the technological potential of HTHPs in replacing fossil-fuel burners or steam boilers in industrial spray dryers. The performance of HTHPs with three configurations was investigated, including high high-temperature heat pump boos…
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
An Affordable, Minimum-carbon Hybrid Heat Pump with a Grid Responsive Retrofittable Controller
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
PINCH POINT ANALYSIS OF GAS COOLERS IN TRANSCRITICAL R1336mzz(Z) HIGH-TEMPERATURE HEAT PUMPS
The majority of high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) operate subcritical vapor compression cycles, where the maximum sink temperature is limited by the critical temperature of refrigerants. In HTHPs with a sink temperature of ≥ 150°C, transcritical cycles overcome this limitation by rejecting heat in the supercritical regions of refrigerant. Supercritical refrigerants in ga…
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
High Temperature Heat Pumps and Their Roles in the Decarbonization of Building and Industry
Heat pumps have been sought as a promising technology for air and water heating processes in buildings. Several OEMs have been commercializing heat pumps with varying capacities; However, the application has been limited to lower temperatures (less than 70℃). With the recently growing interest in replacing gas-fired equipment for buildings and industrial processes, a new c…
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
Numerical Study of Liquid Piston Compression Using Large-Eddy Simulation and Volume-of-Fluid Approach
Efforts to increase the efficiency of residential and commercial air conditioners and heat pumps have demonstrated that the compressor accounts for most of the system’s electrical energy usage. Therefore, the efficiency of this component should be improved to reduce its energy usage. The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a near-isothermal li…
Mar, 2026
Conference Paper
RENEWABLE MARINE-SOURCE INTEGRATED HEAT PUMP FOR SPACE CONDITIONING, WATER HEATING, AND FRESH WATER HARVESTING IN REMOTE COASTAL AND ISLAND COMMUNITIES
US coastal and island communities have vulnerable energy infrastructure and high energy costs, which are exacerbated by climate change. A unique opportunity exists to use thermal energy from year-round mild temperature variations to satisfy the broad energy needs of these communities. The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory designed a small-scale marine…