MGT300

MONASH UNIVERSITY SUNWAY CAMPUS, MALAYSIA

Recycling energy offers huge potential savings

21 August 2008

Each day, energy worth millions is literally blown away as cool air vented out from building air conditioning systems.

Monash researcher Associate Professor Dr Ong Kok Seng and his team are working with one of world's leading producers of air conditioners to produce a system that will harvest some of this energy back into the air conditioning system, saving money and the environment over the long term.

Dr Ong, an expert on heat pipes, says the system could translate into huge savings for corporations with large air conditioning bills.

It uses a very efficient heat pipe to harvest the colder temperature from air being let out of the air conditioning system to reduce the temperature of air going into the air intake outlet.

Heat pipes are highly efficient heat exchangers. The consists of a metal pipe vaccumed and filled with conducting liquid or gas. They are also used in laptops and satellites for cooling electrical components.

Dr Ong says the experimental heat pipe assisted air conditioning system has been fabricated with the assistance from OYL Research and Development Centre and is currently undergoing testing at Monash University’s Sunway campus.

Aside from the project developed by Associate Professor Ong, other uses and technologies related to heat pipes will also be showcased at the 9th International Heat Pipe Symposium hosted by the School of Engineering later this year at the Sunway campus.

The international symposium, scheduled from17th to 20th November, is an international event that brings together academics and industry people involved in heat pipe development and use to discuss current issues and applications of the field.

It is held once every 2/3 years and alternating with the International Heat Pipe Conference (IHPC). It will bring together engineers, scientists and industry working in the field of Heat and Mass Transfer especially in heat pipes, heat pipe heat exchangers and semi-conductor cooling.

Participants of the symposium will get the opportunity to exchange latest in scientific R & D information as well as the technologies developed for commercial development of heat pipes.

A total of six internationally well-known researchers from universities will present keynote papers, and organisers expect to see about 50 papers presented during thee event.

During the symposium, participants would have the opportunity to discuss and see some commercial products which would be on exhibition at the venue. - Jasbir Singh