This project develops a personalized occupant-driven HVAC system primarily focusing on indoor environmental quality (IEQ). The project aims to leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create adaptable dynamic building solutions for individual user preferences and changing environmental conditions. We utilized data from the Canadian Human Activity Pattern Survey (CHAPS) to ensure accurate customization, aligning time activity patterns with specific activities and building space functions. This approach not only enhances occupant comfort but could also significantly reduce energy consumption, aligning with sustainability objectives and addressing the diverse needs of occupants that vary across income levels and demographics. Additionally, the AI application is investigated beyond initial predictive analytics that identifies trends and predicts risk factors and discomfort levels in buildings. Using deep learning, the anticipated trends based on real-time data can override and reprogram the HVAC system operation to reach specific targets, such as standard comfort levels, occupant-driven programs, or energy-conscious levels. 

The control of the airflow in the operating room (OR) environment is a critical challenge in managing patients with infectious diseases in acute healthcare environments.  In general, positive pressurization (a common standard) is ideal for wound infection prevention and negative pressure is desired for protecting the rest of the hospital environment from airborne infectious diseases.  Several critical parameters, including the total flow rate of air (the air exchange rate), the nature of the flow (e.g., laminar flow over the operating surface), the balance between filtration and ventilation, and the presence of an anteroom have important impacts on the risk of healthcare worker (HCW) infection, the required floor area for and configuration of the OR, and the energy use and capacity of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that serves the OR.  The COVID-19 pandemic has driven the need for new requirements within the CSA Z317.2, Special requirements for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in health care facilities (HCFs) standards on OR ventilation that consider both the current status of operating rooms in Canada (which have been built to a variety of different standards) and develops new knowledge on operating room performance for the treatment of respiratory aerosols.

The use of nanophase change material in thermal energy storage applications appears promising, but the often-poor performance and the lack of understanding of the heat transfer mechanisms interconnectedness remains a challenge and hinders their widespread integration. The existing numerical work has unveiled numerous impediments in predicting the actual melting behaviour. They rarely combine the effects of conduction enhancement, convection degradation, and latent heat reduction, due to inaccurate characterization of the thermophysical properties and the limitations of their model assumptions. In the present study, an enhanced numerical approach was developed to investigate the melting performance of xGnP-octadecane filled in a vertical cylindrical enclosure at different weight concentrations. The model results for the pure phase change material were compared and validated against the experimental data. The progression of the melting front, temperature probes, energy storage capacity and heat transfer rate of the nanophase change material were thoroughly evaluated 

Radiant floor systems have the potential to reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint of buildings. This study analyzed a novel radiant panel configuration comprising a metal plate with small spikes that can be pressed into cement board or wood. The behaviour of this configuration was simulated for different materials for the metal plate, spike dimensions, and varying spacing between spikes. An annual energy simulation model compared the radiant panel configuration with the traditional concrete-based system. Simulations were run under heating dominant, cooling dominant, and neutral conditions; significant cost savings and greenhouse gas emission reduction were seen across all scenarios. 

A solar direct absorption parabolic trough collector is prepared for studying the efficiency enhancement methods. The trough collector was manufactured with a width of 0.7 m and a height of 2 m steel mirror reflector. The main issue in this collector is its absorber tube which is made of borosilicate glass. The glass-glass tube has high transmissivity for longwave radiation and increases the performance of the collector. The outlet temperature and the thermal efficiency were compared by using  various nanofluids 

Thermophysical properties of the thermal storage medium have a significant impact on the thermal performance of a TES system. Adding nanoparticles can improve these properties due to their high thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity. The proposed nano-enhanced PCM is a promising solution that addresses the barriers which play a critical role in TES systems. The main goals of the proposed project are to characterize various types of eco-friendly nano-PCMs, optimization of the system’s performance, and TES medium selection for different building types. A constructive framework will be generated towards appropriate development and optimization of nano-enhanced PCMs for building applications 

The main focus of this study is technological characterization for a PCM-enhanced underground thermal storage medium (TSM) for use with GSHPs, via detailed experimentation and numerical analysis. A concrete tank experiment was developed, and a numerical model was created and validated in order to study a concrete-based thermal storage system. The concrete tank is 1 m in depth and 0.5 m in diameter. The simulations consisted of a finite element representation of the TSM and flow throughout the apparatus. The numerical model is based on the finite element method. The experimental data for the heat exchanger’s outlet temperature as a function of time was used to validate the model within ~0.2ºC. The model was then used to study the heat transfer storage potential of a concrete TSM with and without PCM, and with both co-axial and u-loop heat exchangers. The total heat transfer capacity of the concrete tank was increased by 27.3% when PCM was used (compared to no PCM). Two types of heat exchangers were studied in this experiment, a coaxial and a U-loop heat exchanger. The effects of laminar and turbulent fluid flow for the co-axial heat exchanger were investigated.