Research Testbeds
Lead
Circularity Testbed
The Circularity Testbed includes a coordinated set of pilot‑scale separation modules that allow researchers to study realistic operating conditions for recovering and upgrading waste refrigerants. These physical units support experimentation with advanced solvents, sorbents, and process configurations while producing engineering data that informs future scale‑up. In parallel, the Testbed incorporates a digital system of systems model that connects separation performance, energy use, equipment behavior, and complete process layouts within one analytical environment. This modeling capability helps evaluate how individual components function as part of a full circularity pathway, identify performance improvements, and compare technology options. Together, the pilot equipment and digital modeling tools form an integrated platform that supports the development of efficient and environmentally responsible approaches for separating and reclaiming refrigerants from complex waste streams.
Lead
Digital Vapor-Compression Testbed
The Digital Vapor Compression Testbed (DVCT) uses digital models to evaluate vapor‑compression refrigeration systems and to rapidly screen novel refrigerants. The DVCT relies on metrics such as capacity, vapor pressure, and toxicity to determine when a refrigerant is ready for evaluation. It can optimize system performance and currently includes seven refrigerants. The DVCT focuses on early‑stage design using open‑source tools that support rapid exploration and broad accessibility, while advanced assessments can later be performed using more detailed industrial or academic software.
Lead
Experimental HVAC Testbed
The Experimental HVACR Testbed enables component‑ and system‑level evaluation of emerging cooling technologies, including elastocaloric cooling, thermoelectric and vapor compression hybrid systems, dehumidification concepts, and electrochemical refrigeration. The facility supports experimental validation of prototypes and comparison of measured performance with modeling results to guide design improvements. The University of Maryland has established environmental chambers and elastocaloric Testbeds capable of testing a wide range of operating conditions and refrigerants, including flammable classes that are rarely supported elsewhere. Recent work includes installation of environmental chambers and development of hydraulic and servo‑driven elastocaloric systems designed for multiple shape memory alloy geometries and materials.
Lead
Social Behavior Testbed
The Social Behavior Testbed provides primary data on how producers, service providers, households, and businesses make decisions within the HVACR circular economy. It supports every EARTH Project by supplying empirical evidence on how new technologies are manufactured, adopted, and used. The Testbed collects information on product attributes and their values, then analyzes how these factors shape choices across the supply chain. Current work includes drafting interview and focus group protocols, establishing industry associations as recruitment partners, identifying key equipment attributes, and developing surveys and online experiments. These data are used to assess barriers and drivers of adoption, inform system‑of‑systems modeling, and support future field experiments that evaluate how real users and companies respond to EARTH‑developed technologies.