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SBS Lab member Julia Ho successfully passed her Ph.D. comprehensive exam in Architectural Engineering. Her research focuses on utilizing the Modelica modeling language to enhance the design and operation of 5th generation district energy systems, with the goal of helping develop a more sustainable future. We greatly appreciate the support and insight from her committee members including William Bahnfleth, Gregory Pavlak, Jing Wang, and Yan Li. Their feedback and support is invaluable.
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We are proud to announce the new paper titled “Development of near-optimal advanced control sequences for chiller plants with water-side economizers in U.S. Climates (ASHRAE RP-1661)“. This work is part of our ASHRAE Research Project 1661, sponsored by ASHRAE TC 4.7, 1.4, and 7.5.
In the study, we categorized advanced control sequences into condenser water, chilled water, and hybrid controls. Sequences from each category were identified and the plant was optimized for 504 scenarios using various combinations of dynamic Modelica models. The near-optimal sequences showcased energy reductions of up to 15% relative to the baseline depending on configuration, climate, and load profile.
We are extremely grateful to all the current and former lab members (Cary Faulkner, Julia Ho, Chengnan Shi, Chengliang Fan, Nasim Ildiri) who contributed to this work and ASHRAE PMS members (Keith Cockerham, Timothy McDowell, Jeff Stain, and Li Song) for their valuable advice throughout the project. Much appreciation to Penn State University for sponsoring the open-access version of our paper found here.
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Congratulations to SBS lab member Julia Ho on becoming the first Penn State student selected for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Innovation in Buildings (IBUILD) Graduate Research Fellowship. Julia’s research focuses improving modeling and design of low-carbon heating and cooling systems. She will use this fellowship to evaluate the feasibility of low-carbon heating and cooling for rural communities using advanced modeling tools such as Modelica. More information can be found here.
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Congratulations to SBS Lab Ph.D. student Julia Ho on attending the SmartComp 2023 conference with the support of NSF Student Travel Grant. The conference was hosted at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. It focused on cutting-edge computer science topics with presentations ranging from federated learning methods for handling complex computations on devices with limited computing power to optimizing HVAC equipment using machine learning methods. Julia was able to attend panel discussions, workshops, and keynotes, as well as speak with professionals about their motivations and research. This conference was a great opportunity to learn and experience research in a variety of fields and see new and different ways that engineering and scientific problems are approached. Many thanks to the conference organizers and the generous financial support to students.
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Congratulations to Julia Ho on receiving a scholarship from the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of ASHRAE. The $1000 scholarship is given annually to a student studying an HVAC&R-related field in college or graduate school who shows academic promise in the field. Julia’s research focuses on modeling and optimization of district cooling systems to improve energy efficiency and resilience within communities.
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Congratulations to Julia Ho for being selected as one of four students sent to represent Penn State at the 2023 Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) workshop in Washington D.C. This was a two-day workshop, learning about how Congress and the executive branch work, budget and research funding impacts, appropriations, and communicating with policymakers. Julia was able to meet staff from both Pennsylvania senators and a representative, with whom she was able to share our research in energy efficiency and how discretionary research funding supports the research.
Julia has research interests in improving energy grids. She also is interested in sustainable, resilient, connected, and equitable communities and how to minimize disapproval of infrastructure change. We are excited that Julia could get this experience and advocate for science and engineering.
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Congratulations to PhD students Saranya Anbarasu and Julia Ho for receiving Penn State scholarships this year. Saranya received the Keefauver Scholarship in Engineering, and Julia received the Keefauver Scholarship in Engineering and the Max and Joan Schlienger Graduate Scholarship in Engineering.
We thank the Penn State Department of Architectural Engineering and its donors for their generous support. Julia and Saranya are currently developing open source Modelica models for district heating and cooling systems to improve energy efficiency and decrease carbon emissions in the GED project, a joint research project with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, UT Austin, and CU Boulder.