Denkenberger Awarded Grant to Commercialize Prototype Heat Exchanger
ACEP researcher David Denkenberger has been awarded a grant to help commercialize a new patented heat exchanger design.
Heat exchangers transfer heat between liquids and gases and are used in many applications,
including power plants, cars and air conditioners. Denkenberger, an assistant professor
of mechanical engineering, created a prototype of his new exchanger using laser welding
and plastic garbage bags. The grant will be used to improve, mass produce and commercialize
the design.
Denkenberger was awarded a $60,000 grant in September from the M.J. Murdock Charitable
Trust. Support from the Alaska Regional Collaboration for Technology Innovation and
Commercialization program, an Office of Naval Research initiative, will provide matching
funds for the effort.
Moses Lee, the Murdock Trust senior director of scientific research and enrichment
programs, said the design is an excellent candidate to pivot from research to commercial
applications. In Alaska, such technology may allow coastal communities to use waste
heat from diesel generators to power large cooling systems at seafood processing plants.
“Successful implementation of the heat exchanger technology will not only impact refrigeration
needs in Alaska, but also worldwide,” Lee said.