CEEE February Newsletter: Remembering Reinhard Radermacher; Multi-Stage Compression Could Improve Heat Pump Performance

CEEE Director and Co-Founder Leaves a Legacy in Developing Sustainable HVAC&R Solutions

With great sadness, we share the news of the sudden passing on January 24 of Reinhard Radermacher, director of the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering (CEEE) and Minta Martin Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. This is a huge loss to the CEEE, University of Maryland, and HVAC&R and heat pump communities.

Professor Radermacher was an internationally recognized expert in energy conversion systems, specializing in heat pumps, air conditioners, refrigeration, and integrated cooling, heating, and power systems. His scholarship generated over 600 publications, including three books, more than 200 invention records and 17 U.S. patents. He consistently ranked in the top 2% of researchers worldwide based on the number of career-long citations of his work.

Multi-Stage Compression Could Improve Heat Pumps

A new CEEE study in Applied Thermal Engineering finds that heat pump performance could be significantly improved in cold climates by breaking the compression process into multiple stages. This game-changing design could help CEEE researchers as they work to develop an efficient rooftop cold climate heat pump.

Learn more and download the paper →

Researchers to Develop a System to Cool Chip Stacks

A CEEE research team has been selected for a new multi-institution project, led by HRL Laboratories, to develop an effective system to cool stacks of microelectronic chips. CEEE Co-Founder Michael Ohadi leads a team focused on improving heat flow in microchannels, using a patented method developed in his lab.

Learn more →

Sustainable Cooling Named a Technology to Watch

Nature has identified sustainable urban cooling – including UMD’s research on eco-friendly solid-state cooling – as one of seven technologies to watch in 2025. The journal highlights UMD’s research on elastocaloric cooling, a promising technology that relies on metals rather than traditional refrigerants.

Learn more →

Join Us for the HVAC&R and Heat Pumps Career Fair

Mark your calendars for the HVAC&R and Heat Pumps Career Fair on March 12, 2025, at 1:00-3:00 p.m., at UMD's Kim Engineering Building. Employers: Come meet engineering undergraduate and graduate students seeking jobs in the HVAC&R sector. Registration is free for CEEE sponsors.

Employer Registration →

Early Bird Registration Now Open

CEEE is honored to host the 7th IIR Conference on Thermophysical Properties and Transfer Processes of Refrigerants (TPTPR) at the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA, June 15-18, 2025.

Come find out about the latest research on thermophysical properties and heat transfer characteristics of lower-GWP refrigerants. This conference aims to outline the field's future perspectives and challenges as we move toward solutions that minimize the impact of refrigerants on the global environment.

🗓️ Get an early bird discount through March 30.

From Turmoil to Triumph: A CEEE Staffer’s Journey

CEEE faculty assistant Shwe Htet Htet Aung escaped danger in Myanmar – after a military coup overtook the Southeast Asian country – and she went on to earn a master of engineering degree at UMD’s Clark School of Engineering this past December.

Black History Month Profile:

Tamoy Seabourne

Meet CEEE graduate research assistant Tamoy Seabourne, whose research focuses on environmentally friendly, energy-efficient heat pumps. UMD's Clark School of Engineering spotlights him as part of its celebration of Black History Month.

MARCH

10-12

Consortium Meetings

CEEE will host its Spring 2025 Consortium Meetings, March 10-12. These research updates are open to consortium members only. Get the details and register. If your company is interested in becoming a consortium member, contact Program Manager Leanne Poteet.

MARCH

12

HVAC&R and Heat Pumps Career Fair

CEEE is excited to host a career fair for undergraduate and graduate engineering students interested in a career in HVAC&R. See information for employers and students.

JUNE

15-18

7th IIR Conference on Thermophysical Properties and Transfer Processes of Refrigerants

CEEE will host this globally important conference. Early bird registration is open! See the details.

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