Laboratory

Our Laboratory is equipped with several outstanding pieces of equipments to test thermal systems.

Electrical oil boiler

This boiler has been used to feed a R245fa/R1233zd ORC system to test several expansion machines.

Characteristics:

• Maximum power: 150 kWe

  • Maximum delivered oil temperature: 300°C

Organic Rankine cycle system #1

This ORC system is designed to test expansion machines, whose sizes are compatible with Waste Heat Recovery on Trucks.

Characteristics:

• • Fluid: R245fa or R1233zd

  • Oil-heated evaporator (30 kW thermal)

  • Water cooled condenser

Organic Rankine cycle system #2

This test bench has been originally designed to characterize expansion machines for waste heat recovery from trucks engines by means of R245fa ORC systems. The ORC has also been used with R1233zd.

Characteristics:

• • Fluid: R245fa or R1233zd

  • Oil-heated evaporator (150 kW thermal)

  • Water cooled condenser

  • Maximum pump mass flow rate: 500 g/s

Field of solar collectors

This field of cylindro-parabolic trough collectors has been designed to be connected to a small-scale ORC power plant.

Characteristics:

• Nominal thermal power: 30 kWth

• Tubes fed by hot oil (temperature up to 160°C)

Steam Rankine cycle

This Steam Rankine Cycle system is representative of an application of Waste Heat Recovery on passenger cars.

Characteristics:

• • 1.6 litter gasoline engine

  • 115 kW brake power

  • Exhaust gas mass flow rate: 25 - 112 kg/h

  • Exhaust gas temperature: 300 - 600°C

Hot air generator #1

This electrical hot air generator is designed to provide hot air at high pressures. It can be used to test turbines, heat exchangers, or air engines.

Characteristics:

• • Maximum power: 198 kW

  • Maximum pressure: 12 bar

  • Maximum temperature: 500°C

Hot gas generator #2

This hot gas generator is made of a gas burner and a duct with a section to test heat exchangers. This duct is equipped with temperature and pressure sensors (pressure drop measurement) and with nozzles (gas flow rate measurement). It could be used to simulate the exhaust gases of a long-haul truck.

Characteristics:

• • Hot gas mass flow rate: 1 - 4.2 kg/s

  • Hot gas temperature: 60 - 450°C

  • Gas burner nominal power: 464 kW

  • Gas burner modulation range: 1 - 20

  • Duct fan power: 75 kW

Climatic room

This climatic room is composed of an indoor and outdoor units. It is used to test domestic heat pumps, room air-conditioners and ventilation waste heat recovery units.

Characteristics:

• • Unit 1: 24 m3 and unit 2: 35 m3

  • Temperature range: -20 to 60°C

  • Humidity control available (vapor production system of 17 kW)

Mobile air conditioning test bench

This test bench is dedicated to the experimental characterization of passenger cars air conditioners and heat pumps. A wind tunnel is able to reproduce the conditions at the vehicle front end module in terms of air temperature, humidity and speed.

Exhaust ventilation heat pump

This test bench allows for the characterization of residential exhaust air heat pumps.

Characteristics:

• • Ventilation air flow rate: 100 to 400 m3/h

  • Control of air inlet state in terms of temperature and humidity