Gyeongsang National University Research Team Selected for Phase 2 of the 'Alchemist Project' Consortium

Goal to Develop High-Efficiency Heat Pump, Receiving 600 Million KRW Annually for 5 Years

Professor Kim Deokjong, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gyeongsang National University. [Image source=Gyeongsang National University]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] A consortium including the research team from Gyeongsang National University’s 'Mechanical and Aerospace Future Talent Education and Research Group' has been selected as the consortium for Phase 2 of the Alchemist Project, which aims to develop a high-efficiency heat pump.

According to Gyeongsang National University on the 26th, the Alchemist Project, named after the word 'alchemist,' is an R&D initiative led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy that defines important yet challenging problems for humanity and supports innovative and aggressive technology development to solve them.

This project consists of Phase 1, where three consortia conduct exploratory research for two years, and Phase 2, where the most competitive one among the three consortia carries out full-scale research for five years.

Research in the heat pump field has been conducted by three consortia since September 2019 during Phase 1, and after a selection evaluation in July this year, the consortium for Phase 2 was decided.

A heat pump is a device that transfers thermal energy from a low-temperature area to a high-temperature area and is widely used for heating and cooling, but its COP (Coefficient of Performance), which is the ratio of transferred energy to input energy, has remained below 5.

The current project aims to develop heat pump technology with a COP of 10 or higher to contribute to solving energy problems.

The Gyeongsang National University research team is responsible for developing the adsorption-desorption reactor, a core component of the chemical adsorption-type heat pump, and will receive 600 million KRW in research funding annually for the next five years (2021?2025).

Professor Kim Deok-jong, head of the research team and from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, stated, "Through this project, we plan not only to develop core technologies for high-efficiency heat pumps but also to collaborate with participating companies so that the outcomes can be applied in various fields such as energy storage and transfer, as well as residential and industrial air solutions."

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