Researchers in mechanical engineering (MECH) at Rice University have won the Outstanding Paper Award at the 17th International Conference on Energy Sustainability of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), held July 10-12 in Washington, D.C.
Shima Soleimani, postdoctoral associate, is the lead author of “ES2023-107445, An Optimization Study of CO2 Heat Pump Water Heaters Using NSGA-II.”
“Our research focuses on optimizing the CO2 heat-pump water heaters which have the potential to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions compared to traditional electric or gas water heaters,” Soleimani said.
The paper was presented at the conference by Kashif Liaqat, a second-year doctoral student in MECH. Co-authors are Laura Schaefer, the Burton J. and Ann M. McMurtry Chair in Engineering and professor of MECH; Aaron Cole, a senior in MECH; and two engineers with Flowserve Corp., a manufacturer of equipment for the oil and gas industry: Heiner Kösters, director of technology development, and Jörg Temming, manager of research and development test field. Flowserve helped fund the research.
“The objective of the study,” Soleimani said, “was to determine the optimal operational parameters for the components through computer simulations and optimization algorithms. We sought to minimize the cost of the components while maximizing the heating capacity and efficiency of the system.”
Pictured at top are Laura Schaefer, left, Aaron Cole, Kashif Liaqat and Shima Soleimani.