Thermo Group
Labs
Thermo LAB
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer Laboratory
The Thermo Lab is the Thermo Group laboratory, equipped for research and teaching activities.
The laboratory is equipped with advanced instrumentation for the detailed characterisation of thermal, refrigeration, and energy storage systems, covering a wide range of operating conditions and applications.
In particular, a high-versatility test bench is available, equipped with two hydronic circuits with controlled temperature (5–110 °C), capable of supporting tests on heat pumps and refrigeration units up to 30 kW. It allows the evaluation of heat transfer performance under both steady-state and dynamic conditions.
The laboratory also includes an advanced HVAC system, consisting of an air generator with controlled thermo-hygrometric conditions (RH 5–100%, airflow up to 600 m³/h), enabling accurate characterisation of coils, air-handling units, and air-conditioning components.
A dedicated test bench for thermal energy storage systems is operational, including a test cell for thermochemical materials, as well as an advanced didactic bench for the study of isothermobaric transformations.
A state-of-the-art CO₂ test bench has been recently installed, equipped with a Dorin compressor and capable of operating in transcritical cycles with power up to 50 kW at the gas cooler. This facility enables: simulation and testing of refrigeration cycles with ejectors and auxiliary devices; investigation of the thermophysical and performance properties of CO₂-based mixtures; and local and global characterisation of heat transfer under conditions close to the critical point.
The entire laboratory is supported by an extensive set of instruments for temperature, pressure, mass flow rate, and heat flux measurement, in addition to high-resolution thermography systems, ensuring high experimental accuracy and full data traceability.
Via S. Marta 3, 50139, Firenze
Contact: Prof. Andrea Rocchetti
andrea.rocchetti@unifi.it
CFD LAB
Compressible Fluid Dynamics CFD Lab
With a number of 12x2 cores personal workstations, this laboratory enables on site CFD studies about supersonic, single or multiphase flows, cavitation phenomena and other thermo-fluid dynamics problem. optimization approaches coupled with cfd techniques are also used to improve the performance of industrial equipment. The lab has also access to CINECA super-computing facilities for large CFD simulations involving thousands CPU hours.
Via S. Marta 3, 50139, Firenze
Contact: Ing. Nicola Andreini or Ing. Guglielmo Vaccaro
nicola.andreini@unifi.it - guglielmo.vaccaro@unifi.it
