Evaluating Heat Pumps with Thermal Energy Storage in Minnesota

Although heat pumps can perform efficiently and effectively for most heating hours, available products perform poorly below 0 °F and fail to function in the coldest conditions. To ensure resiliency, current practice in Minnesota is to accompany residential heat pumps with a redundant heating system, either combustion or electric resistance. Redundant systems are expensive, technically challenging to integrate properly, and can cause excessive electricity demand, especially during the coldest days of the year.

The project team, led by Minnesota's Center for Energy and Environment, will evaluate at least two different commercially available thermal storage technologies that address many of the shortcomings of cold climate heat pumps for space heating in Minnesota. These technologies integrate heat pumps with thermal storage to enable efficient space heating without the need for combustion backup and without causing excessive electricity demand.

Name of research group, project, or lab
RESIST (Re-envisioning Energy System Infrastructure and Storage Technology) Lab
Why join this research group or lab?

Students interested in this project would be the third cohort in this research group, and have the opportunity to continue to shape the lab culture for their peers to come. The goal of this project, and the group collectively, is to apply engineering principles, social, and ecological ethics to develop decarbonized building energy systems.

Recognizing that the climate crisis disproportionately impacts people with lesser socioeconomic capital, our research portfolio will center energy equity and environmental justice. The other ongoing project in this lab aims to advance heat pump space- and water-heating for multifamily communities in cold climates burdened by high energy costs.

Representative publication
ACEEE2024.pdf
Logistics Information:
Project categories
Engineering
Architecture
Climate Change
Mechanical Engineering
Sustainability
Student ranks applicable
Sophomore
Junior
Student qualifications

This project is best suited for students who have completed E79 (Introduction to Engineering Systems), E80 (Experimental Engineering), and E82 (Chemical and Thermal Processes) by summer. Students should be familiar with modeling, experimentation, analysis, synthesis, and design, with an interest in learning new computational tools, supporting field testing, and deepening their engineering knowledge. This research will involve modeling mass and energy transfers in mechanical components and systems, validating simulation results with data collected in Minnesota, and analyzing thermodynamic performance alongside other critical techno-economic metrics. Regarding physical qualifications, Prof. Helmns is committed to creating research opportunities that support student needs and invites feedback on how to make the experience more accessible for different folks.

Time commitment
Summer - Full Time
Summer - Part Time
Compensation
Paid Research
Number of openings
2
Techniques learned

Students can expect to learn more about space heating technology, particularly heat pumps and thermal energy storage, in cold climates like Minnesota. The research methods include physics-based computational modeling, experimental testing to validate models, and exposure to field testing through collaboration with project partners.

Project start
5/19/2024
Contact Information:
Mentor
Dre Helmns
dhelmns@hmc.edu
Principal Investigator
Name of project director or principal investigator
Dre Helmns
Email address of project director or principal investigator
dhelmns@g.hmc.edu
2 sp. | 0 appl.
Hours per week
Summer - Full Time (+1)
Summer - Full TimeSummer - Part Time
Project categories
Mechanical Engineering (+4)
EngineeringArchitectureClimate ChangeMechanical EngineeringSustainability