(Press-News.org) CHICAGO—October 31, 2023—Researchers at Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) have been recognized by Peoples Gas with the Innovation Strategies and Technologies Award for their Battery-Operated Radiator Control (BORC) system, a groundbreaking solution to optimize the efficiency of manually operated radiators.
The researchers, Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering Mohammad Heidarinejad and Arthur W. Hill Endowed Chair in Sustainability Brent Stephens, had the insight that traditional steam radiators are not easily replaced, but they can still be modernized.
Legacy steam radiators “often operate when they aren’t needed, and they can be difficult to control for comfort,” said Heidarinejad. “We have developed a way to automate the control of manual legacy steam radiator valves to manage radiator output in a way that is more similar to modern buildings and can be connected to building automation systems.”
According to the United States Department of Energy, over 70% of U.S. buildings constructed before 1945 are equipped with radiators, and space heating is the largest building energy consumer, so the potential energy savings are enormous. Recent studies by the team, as documented in Energy and Buildings, show that BORC can achieve up to 63% radiator use savings.
Cheap and easy to install, BORC uses a remotely controlled motor to operate a radiator’s manual valve. BORC contains sensors that monitor room temperature and occupancy, and this information is used as part of the feedback system that determines if the radiator should be turned up or down.
“In existing buildings where replacing older space heating systems with modern ones is financially and practically unfeasible, retrofitting them with custom automatic controls has the potential to considerably reduce energy consumption while maintaining or even improving thermal comfort,” said Stephens.
Since 2017 many students have contributed to the project through sponsor Franklin Energy’s support, as well as through both the Armour R&D and Interprofessional Projects (IPRO) Program.
“We are impressed with the BORC technology, which holds real promise in substantially reducing the energy consumption in customers’ older buildings,” said Allen Dusault, manager of emerging technology for Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas at Franklin Energy.
The team set up the BORC system on radiators at Illinois Tech’s Alumni Memorial Hall and is currently working on the extension of the project to develop an automated fault detection and diagnostics steam trap system.
“We are working with the Illinois Tech technology office and Kaplan Institute for a potential research to market translation, and this news would be very helpful to support this effort,” said Heidarinejad. “We have a great transition team that we are confident can take us to the next level.”
END
Illinois Tech researchers receive award from peoples gas for solution optimizing efficiency of legacy steam radiators
With over 70% of US buildings constructed before 1940 equipped with radiators, the Battery-Operated Radiator Control (BORC) system can achieve significant savings without replacing units
2023-10-31
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Next-generation influenza B vaccines provide broad and long-lasting protection against flu viruses in preclinical tests
2023-10-31
Recent preclinical results indicate novel next-generation vaccine candidates developed at Cleveland Clinic protect against multiple strains of influenza and last longer than vaccines currently in use.
The vaccines are part of Cleveland Clinic's global vaccine research program, led by Ted Ross, PhD, Global Director of Vaccine Development at Cleveland Clinic. Published in Scientific Reports, the study credits the preclinical success of the influenza B vaccines to novel technology called Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive ...
Digitizing books can spur demand for physical copies
2023-10-31
ITHACA, N.Y. – Book publishers cried foul – in the form of numerous legal challenges – nearly two decades ago when the Google Books project digitized and freely distributed more than 25 million works.
The publishers argued that free digital distribution undermines the market for physical books, but new research from Cornell University’s Imke Reimers and a collaborator reveals that the opposite – increased demand for physical books, through online discovery – could be true.
Reimers, an associate professor in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and Abhishek Nagaraj, assistant professor ...
New database shines spotlight on decades of solar mirror research
2023-10-31
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is preparing to unveil a database containing the results of exposure experiments on solar reflectors conducted over more than four decades. The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.
Typically used for concentrating solar-thermal power, these mirrors were installed and tested in Phoenix, ...
Human input boosts citizens’ acceptance of AI and perceptions of fairness, study shows
2023-10-31
Increasing human input when AI is used for public services boosts acceptance of the technology, a new study shows.
The research shows citizens are not only concerned about AI fairness but also about potential human biases. They are in favour of AI being used in cases when administrative discretion is perceived as too large.
Researchers found citizens' knowledge about AI does not alter their acceptance of the technology. More accurate systems and lower cost systems also increased their acceptance. Cost and accuracy of technology ...
Sharper images: A breakthrough in microscopy resolution
2023-10-31
Obtaining high-resolution images in the world of microscopy has long been a challenge. Deconvolution, a method to enhance image clarity, often amplifies noise between the sample and the image. Researchers at Boston University recently developed a novel deblurring algorithm that avoids these issues, improving the resolution of images with photon intensity conservation and local linearity.
As reported in the Gold Open Access journal Advanced Photonics, the innovative deblurring algorithm is adaptable to various fluorescence microscopes, requiring minimal assumptions about the emission point spread function (PSF). It works on both a sequence of raw images and even a single image, enabling ...
FSU-led research shows shifting nesting timing not enough to prevent fewer sea turtle hatchlings
2023-10-31
New research led by a Florida State University professor shows that potential adaptive responses by sea turtles, such as shifting the timing of when they nest, may not be enough to counteract the projected impacts from climate change on hatchling production.
Warmer temperatures cause lower hatchling success and a greater percentage of female turtles, both of which can disrupt the viability of a species. Sand temperatures at sea turtle nesting sites globally are projected to increase by about 0.6 degrees Celsius to ...
Study aims to remove barriers to veterans seeking mental health services
2023-10-31
Suicide and mental health distress disproportionately affect veterans in the United States. According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than 5 million veterans suffered from these adverse behavioral health issues in 2020. That same year, after adjusting for age and sex differences in the population, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimated that veterans were 57.3 percent more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans.
While the Veterans ...
The first ‘birder’s guide’ to meteor showers
2023-10-31
The First ‘Birder’s Guide’ to Meteor Showers
Peter Jenniskens new comprehensive guide describes over 500 meteor showers that appear in our night skies.
October 31, 2023, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute is proud to announce a new book by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens. Called “Atlas of Earth’s Meteor Showers,” this comprehensive guide describes over 500 meteor showers that appear in our night skies and adds a wealth of detail to the tapestry of our solar system.
“Just as in a birder’s guide, the book describes the outward appearance, ...
Better access to diagnostic tests raises incidence of thyroid cancer in more affluent areas
2023-10-31
The incidence of thyroid cancer in São Paulo State, part of Brazil’s relatively developed Southeast region, varies considerably according to socioeconomic status (education, poverty, wealth, income, segregation, mobility, and access to resources and services) and access to screening, but is highest in higher-income areas and the state capital. Mortality rates are similar across regions and income groups, however.
These are the main findings of a study reported in the journal Endocrine Practice by researchers ...
Combining cell types may lead to improved cardiac cell therapy following heart attack
2023-10-31
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Academia Sinica of Taiwan have harnessed a combination of lab-grown cells to regenerate damaged heart muscle.
The study, published in Circulation — which addresses major challenges of using heart muscle cells, called cardiomyocytes, grown from stem cells — takes a crucial step toward future clinical applications.
Previous research has shown that transplanting cardiomyocytes made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can replace muscle in the hearts of mammals. Researchers have struggled to bring the treatment to the clinic, in part because the implanted cells haven’t developed enough ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Despite overall progress, low birthweight rates still high in certain Indian states
Train teachers on how to get parents involved in children’s learning, say researchers
Evolution made us cheats, now free-riders run the world and we need to change, new book warns
Report outlines blueprint to grow Australia’s bioeconomy
Medicaid cuts in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" could undermine the coverage, financial well-being, medical care, and health of low-income Americans, and lead to more than 16,500 medically-preventab
Groundbreaking TACIT algorithm offers new promise in diagnosing, treating cancer
Long-term study reveals Native seeding controls annual, but not perennial, invasive plants in sand grassland restoration
Printed energy storage charges into the future with MXene inks
Exposure to low levels of arsenic in public drinking water linked to lower birthweight, preterm birth, study finds
AMS Science Preview: Gun violence & weather; NOAA flights improve hurricane forecasts; atmospheric rivers and radio waves
New strategy for the treatment of severe childhood cancer
Krill fishing in the Antarctic: overlaps with consequences
Link found between mitochondria and MS brain damage
More family doctors near retirement, raising concern about future of primary care
Feeding smarter: mannanase improves broiler growth even with less soy and energy
Sports arenas — the importance of politics, fan response and public money
Mapping the genetic landscape of yellow catfish for sustainable aquaculture
Effect of respiratory phase on three-dimensional quantitative parameters of pulmonary subsolid nodules in low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer
USC-led team sheds light on dark matter by simulating twins of our Milky Way galaxy
Researchers identify previously uncharacterized gene necessary for DNA repair
Clearing out the clutter: how people retain important information from memories
High blood pressure in pregnancy linked to increased risk of seizure in children
SwRI’s Angel Wileman named one of Women in Hydrogen 50 for 2025
XXIX Brazilian Congress of Nutrology
Life expectancy of American Indian and Alaska Native persons and underreporting of mortality in vital statistics
Official US records underestimate Native Americans deaths and life expectancy
Father’s mental health plays key role in child development, research shows
Public water arsenic and birth outcomes in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort
Paternal perinatal depression, anxiety, and stress and child development
Exposure to low levels of arsenic in public drinking water linked to lower birthweight, preterm birth
[Press-News.org] Illinois Tech researchers receive award from peoples gas for solution optimizing efficiency of legacy steam radiatorsWith over 70% of US buildings constructed before 1940 equipped with radiators, the Battery-Operated Radiator Control (BORC) system can achieve significant savings without replacing units