Targoff
Beckett to evaluate biodiesel and component compatibility.
Most of the work was preliminary and Beckett indicated
further analytics were required.
Roger Marran, Energy Kinetics Inc., Lebanon, NJ,
presented two recent company innovations that were
supported through the NORA R&D program. The first is
a “combi” oil-fired boiler that produces both heat and hot
water. Unlike traditional tankless coil boilers, the new
Ascent uses an external plate heat exchanger and novel
controls. Advantages include, increased hot water delivery
capacity and improved efficiency. Maran also reviewed
their technology for dilution venting, which enable high
efficiency, non-condensing boilers to use low cost plastic
vent materials.
Following Marran, Dr. Butcher reviewed a NORA
project to develop a “Best Practices” guide for achieving
high-efficiency with tankless coil boilers. This project
is co-funded by the New York State Energy Research &
Development Authority (NYSERDA). The work includes
in-lab testing of the actual performance of different types
of tankless coil boilers under simulated use conditions. For
conventional tankless coil boilers, the hot water heating
efficiency is low—on the order of 40%. Testing of the new
combi boiler from Energy Kinetics is underway.
Mike Gilibrand, Stone Mountain Technologies, Inc.
(SMTI), Johnson City, TN, made a presentation on their
work to develop an oil-fired absorption heat pump. This
is an extension of their work on gas-fired heat pumps and
will use the Babington oil burner in a modulating mode.
The fuel-to-heat efficiency of this system under nominal
outdoor conditions is projected to be 145%, offering the
potential for a dramatic heating efficiency improvement.
Bob O’Brien of Technical Heating, Mt. Sinai, NY
and Rich Simons of Laars Heating Systems, Rochester,
NH, both spoke on advancing controls and connectivity
of heating systems in the current era of increasing use
of wi-fi as well as other tools to enhance home system
efficiency, comfort and reliability. O’Brien talked about
the challenges associated with the current generation of
improved controls, which includes local displays of some
operating information. He made a case that there is a
need to provide to the technician more interpretation
of the data, including diagnostic guidance along with
steps to take and not just the raw data, which can be
overwhelming. Simons reviewed the many web-based
communication tools currently available and the options
for getting the information to service organizations.
The full agenda for the Workshop and many of the
presentations can be found at noraweb.org/nora-technicalworkshop
2017. ICM
ICM November/December 2017 23