Our projects
Digital Twin for Building Energy and HVAC&R Research
This project aims to create a comprehensive digital twin for a testbed consisting of two identical modular houses, each 1200 square feet, located on the Texas A&M RELLIS campus. This setup allows for an apple-to-apple comparison of various smart building technologies and their impact on the power grid. The houses are designed with high-performance building envelopes, including Phase Change Material (PCM) and advanced windows/glazing (EC & TC). They are equipped with dynamic HVAC systems (heat pump, VRF, AC, ventilation, smart thermostat, water heater, etc.) and smart appliances, enabling smart and connected home features with Demand Side Management (DSM). Each house is powered by a 7.900kW solar panel system, comprising 20 all-black JA Solar panels (10 per building) and an off-grid battery backup using HomeGrid batteries with a total storage of 19.2 kWh. The energy generated is managed by Sol-Ark inverters with a total rating of 30 kW. The project incorporates a real Building Automation System (BAS) with local arcnet, dynamic HVAC equipment, and building envelope models to test and evaluate the performance of an Integrated Building Energy and Control System (IBECS). It also focuses on network cybersecurity, model predictive controls for energy efficiency, demand flexibility, resilience, and learning-based controls, ensuring a robust and adaptive smart building ecosystem.
Texas A&M Detonation Research Test Facility (DRTF)
The DRTF's mission is to delve into the complex interactions between flammable gases and materials, investigating the conditions under which these substances can lead to massive detonations.A remarkable feature of the DRTF is its extensive infrastructure, highlighted by a steel tube that measures 150 meters in length and 2 meters in diameter, with walls 3/4 inch thick. This robust construction is critical for safely conducting experiments on a scale that truly captures the enormity of detonation phenomena.Further enhancing the capabilities of the DRTF is to develop a digital twin of the facility at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus. This digital twin aims to be a virtual counterpart of the DRTF, providing capabilities for near real-time simulation, prediction, and optimization of the facility's operations. Such technological advancements promise to revolutionize the way researchers understand and manipulate the variables at play in detonation processes.
Disaster City
This project focuses on creating a digital-twin-enabled testbed designed to revolutionize the way first responders and emergency managers train and prepare for real-world scenarios. The digital twin is modeled after Disaster City®, a 52-acre training facility managed by TEEX, known for delivering comprehensive training to emergency response professionals.
