{"id":216102,"date":"2026-05-04T11:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T15:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hajim.rochester.edu\/senior-design-day\/?p=216102"},"modified":"2026-05-06T14:47:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T18:47:42","slug":"microera-power-optimizing-flow-for-thermal-energy-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hajim.rochester.edu\/senior-design-day\/microera-power-optimizing-flow-for-thermal-energy-storage\/","title":{"rendered":"MicroEra Power: Optimizing Flow for Thermal Energy Storage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From left to right: LloydAnthony Blackwood, Marcela G. Hinojosa Almaraz, Boris Lokossou, Abdulwahab Sayes<\/p>\n

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Team Members:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LloydAnthony Blackwood
Marcela G. Hinojosa Almaraz
Boris Lokossou
Abdulwahab Sayes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sponsor:<\/p>\n\n\n

Molly Over<\/h5>\n\n\n

Project Description:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global transition toward cleaner energy systems requires technologies that reduce building energy demand and improve the efficiency of heating and cooling infrastructure. MicroEra Power\u2019s THERMAplus system addresses this need through thermal energy storage, but its manifold heat exchanger can experience nonuniform flow and pressure losses that increase pumping power. This project aimed to optimize the manifold orifice configuration while maintaining the existing panel geometry. Four half-scale manifold assemblies were developed and evaluated: baseline-baseline, optimized-baseline, optimized-optimized, and optimized-open. Computational fluid dynamics were used before manufacturing to compare pressure drop and flow uniformity, while physical testing measured pressure drop, flow output, leakage, and thermal distribution across the panels. The optimized designs all reduced pressure drop by more than 5% relative to the baseline, with the optimized-baseline configuration producing the largest pumping power reduction of 40.47%. However, because the operating system may reverse flow direction, the optimized-optimized configuration was recommended as the most practical final design. The results show that targeted changes to orifice spacing can improve manifold performance, reduce pumping energy, and support the broader implementation of efficient thermal energy storage systems<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requirements & Specifications:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requirements<\/td>Specifications<\/td><\/tr>
1) Reduce Pressure Drop across the fluid flow manifold.
2) Improve flow uniformity across the panel.
3) Keep materials and dimensions untouched.
4) Modify only the spacing, sizing, and number of orifices.<\/td>		1) Improve the pressure drop of the designed component by 5%.
2) Stress on the component designed must not exceed 80% of the customer\u2019s allowable stress.
3) Have a return on investment of three years<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CFD Analysis:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Materials<\/td><\/tr>
\u2022Polypropylene Panel (42 x 50 x 0.25 in)
\u2022Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes (1.25 in D, 2 ft Long)
\u2022PVC Sheets (12 x 24 x 0.125 in)
\u2022RTV Silicone Sealant
\u2022PLA
\u2022PTFE tape (Polytetrafluoroethylene)
\u2022Husky Water Hose<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First, a vertical bandsaw was used to cut the panel into four equal pieces and trim the excess PVC pipe length. Next, a milling machine was utilized to drill precise holes into the manifolds, while a hand drill was used to create openings on the water hoses for the pressure gauges. A 1-1\/4 inch steel brush was then used to clean the interior of the manifolds to ensure they were free of debris. A sheet metal shear was employed to cut the PVC sheets to the required dimensions. For sealing, a glue gun was used to apply RTV silicone with precision into any empty spaces. All necessary caps were produced using a Hopeman 3D printer. Finally, pressure gauges were installed to measure the pressure drop across the panel during operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing Plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The testing phase for this project involves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n