Sugirdhalakshmi (Sugi) Ramaraj joined the Residential Buildings Research Group at NREL in 2020. Her research focuses on building energy modeling and simulation, advanced control and optimization, distributed energy systems, cold-climate heat pumps, and experimental testing and performance analysis of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems.

Prior to joining NREL, Sugi completed her master's and Ph.D. at Purdue University. For her Ph.D. thesis, she developed a hybrid network flow algorithm for optimal control of large-scale distributed energy systems. Her master's thesis was on the development of high-performance, cost-effective, cold-climate vapor compression heat pumps using flooded compression with regeneration and cooled compression with economizing technologies. She has two years of industrial experience in design and manufacturing at Schlumberger.

Research Interests

Cold-climate heat pumps

Heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) modeling and experimental testing

Building energy modeling and simulation

Advanced control and optimization

Education

Ph.D., Civil (Architectural) Engineering, Purdue University

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University

B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Anna University

Featured Work

Econometric and Environmental Optimization of Combined Cooling, Heating and Power Plant Operation, International High Performance Buildings Conference (2018)

Performance Analysis of Liquid Flooded Compression With Regeneration for Cold Climate Heat Pumps, International Journal of Refrigeration (2016)

Experimental Analysis of Oil Flooded R410A Scroll Compressor, International Journal of Refrigeration (2014)