National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Distributed Thermal Energy Technology

Research Staff

NREL has a highly committed and highly qualified team of researchers devoted to the study of distributed thermal energy technologies.

State-of-the-art laminar flow elements and nozzle boxes measure inlet and exhaust flow rates with high accuracy from 100 cfm up to 6,000 cfm on the facility's four airflows.

Steven Slayzak has led NREL's Distributed Thermal Energy Technologies (formerly the Advanced Cooling/Thermal Conversion Project) since 1994, investigating thermally driven indoor environmental control technology. He has worked in the areas of distributed power waste heat utilization, passive solar building design, solar water heating, humidity control, and ventilation/human comfort. He also manages R&D, investigating broad-spectrum indoor air pollutant detection and removal, including building hardening applications for Homeland Security. He is a past Chairman of the ASHRAE Desiccant and Sorption Technology Committee 8.12 and currently serves as its Research Subcommittee Chair.

Dr. Ali Jalalzadeh-Azar is a senior engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where he has led the combined heat and power (CHP) research activities. Since joining NREL in 2001, he has initiated and conducted a number of analytical and field-study projects in this area. Among his recent activities are investigation of heat recovery from various distributed generation (DG) technologies, analytical evaluation of advanced HVAC systems, and involvement in development of CHP test protocols. He received an ASHRAE Best Paper Award in June 2004 for one of his recent technical papers on CHP.

Prior to joining NREL, he was a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU). During his academic career at MSU, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses and played a lead role in DOE/industry-funded R&D projects on desiccant dehumidification and high-temperature thermal energy storage technologies. His experience also includes several years of engineering practice with architectural/engineering firms. Dr. Jalalzadeh is an active member of ASHRAE and ASME. He is currently the chair of the ASHRAE Research Subcommittee for TC 1.10, Cogeneration Systems, and the ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) coordinator for TC 8.12, Desiccant and Sorption Technology.

Dr. Ahmad Pesaran has been actively involved in various aspects of desiccant cooling and dehumidification technology since 1980, first at the University of California, Los Angeles, and then at NREL. He is the author of more than 40 technical papers and reports on various aspects of the technology. He compiled the extensive bibliography on desiccant cooling that is part of this Web site. Dr. Pesaran has contributed to experimental and analytical evaluation of desiccant materials, dehumidifier matrices, desiccant rotors, desiccant systems, desiccant degradation, and design issues. Dr. Pesaran was a voting member of the ASHRAE Standard Committee SPC 139P, "Method of Testing for Rating Desiccant Dehumidifiers Utilizing Heat for Regenerative Process."

Doug Powell is a master technician for the Buildings and Thermal Systems Center. He has worked at NREL since 1979 and has more than 30 years experience in constructing, testing, and evaluating building products and systems.

Ron Judkoff is the director of NREL's Center for Buildings and Thermal Systems, which houses the Advanced Desiccant Cooling and Dehumidification program. He is a long-standing member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) TC-4.7, "Energy Calculations." He chairs SPC-140, "Standard Method of Test for Building Energy Software" and the International Energy Agency Task 22, "Validation Methods for Building Energy Simulation Models." Judkoff has more than 20 years experience in building energy research, design, and construction in both the private sector and at national laboratories.

Mr. Richard DeBlasio joined NREL in 1978 and is currently the Technology Manager for the NREL Distributed Energy Program, which includes distribution and interconnection R&D, thermal systems integration, thermal storage systems, high-temperature super-conductivity, and DER communications programs. These programs support the DOE Distributed Energy Program and office. Mr. DeBlasio has held various senior-level technical positions at NREL for 25 years, which included establishing and managing the NREL/DOE Distributed Power Program and Systems Integration activities from 1998 to 2002 and the Photovoltaics Module and System Performance and Engineering Project from 1978 to 1998. Previous to joining NREL, he was a senior engineer with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, D.C. (1974-1978), a project manager with Underwriters Laboratories (1972-1974), and a member of the technical staff at Stanford University (1965-1972). Mr. DeBlasio is an electrical engineer, a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the IEEE Standards Board, and chairs the Standards Board Coordinating Committee on Fuel Cells, Photovoltaics, Distributed Power, and Energy Storage. He also chairs the IEC TC82 and JCG for international standards development for Renewable Energy Systems and Decentralized Power Systems. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Global Accreditation Program and the PowerMark Corporation.

Eric J. Kozubal has a Master's of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder. His primary responsibilities in Distributed Thermal Energy Technology include test and design of innovative HVAC concepts, as well as the operation of the Advanced Thermal Conversion Laboratory. Eric performs characterization of new technologies, compares them with existing technologies, and provides recommendations for improvement. He also designs and models new concepts that reduce energy consumption of existing HVAC equipment. Eric's experience at NREL since 2002 also includes enhanced air-cooled heat exchangers for geothermal power generators and water-cooled enhancements for efficient peak load operation.