QM Power And Purdue University Share Results From Two-Year Study Of Motor Technology Impact On HVAC System Energy Efficiency

QM Power and Purdue University researchers presented findings from the final phase of a two-part study on the impact of QM Power motor technology on the performance of a residential ducted split-system heat pump at the 2022 Herrick Conference.

The results indicated a compelling SEER2 increase when incorporating high-efficiency motors in the fans and compressor of the system.

low-SEER units

The study showed that with QM Power’s Q-Sync® ultra-high-efficiency motors, the fan power consumption could be reduced significantly by retrofitting low-SEER units, with a reduction of power consumption of 34% for the outdoor unit fan motor and 21% for the indoor unit fan motor in the investigated SEER 14 single-speed unit.

Part one of this study concluded in February of 2021, involved a numerical analysis of a residential heat pump. The findings indicated a significant system SEER increase of 1 of the SEER 14 single-speed heat pump.

actual residential heat pump hardware

Both studies used QM Power’s proprietary Q-Sync® VS Variable Speed motors

Part two concluded in June of 2022 and included actual residential heat pump hardware. The goal of this phase was to quantify how much the SEER2 rating of a single-speed residential ducted split-system heat pump (rated SEER 14) can be increased by using a more efficient indoor unit blower motor and outdoor unit fan motor. Both studies used QM Power’s proprietary Q-Sync® VS Variable Speed motors.

Purdue’s research team included Dr. Eckhard Groll, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering and Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Davide Ziviani, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director of the Center for High-Performance Buildings, and John Brehm, Master’s Degree Candidate.

minimum energy requirements

John Brehm defended his master’s thesis with the results of this study. He states, “Upgrading the fan motors is the easiest way of increasing the system efficiency SEER. No major modifications are necessary, which can save a lot of development costs for heat pump manufacturers. A motor upgrade is a desirable option for reaching minimum energy requirements."

John Brehm adds, "This could be one of the upgrades to meet new minimum ratings, or it could be the missing piece to reaching the last bit of improved SEER that engineers are trying to achieve.”

reduce carbon emissions

Rick Hepperla, Q-Sync® General Manager at QM Power, said “These findings formalize what QM Power’s R&D efforts have consistently shown throughout the product development cycle for the most recent line of variable speed motors."

He adds, "The team is proud to be a part of a solution for OEMs who are tasked with reaching challenging efficiency goals that will ultimately reduce carbon emissions on a global scale.”