The Department of Thermodynamics and Thermal and Process Engineering comprises two chairs and four laboratories: Chair of Technical Thermodynamics and Chair of Thermal and Process Engineering, Thermodynamics Laboratory, Process Measurement Laboratory, Applied Thermodynamics
Laboratory and Energy Efficiency Laboratory.

Website: https://www.fsb.unizg.hr?ztermo

The teaching covers a range of topics in the theoretical and applied thermodynamics, including heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems, heat pumps, mechanical and thermal process engineering, design of thermal apparatuses, compressors and vacuum technology, renewable energy
sources, thermal and process measurements, and applied computational methods. In addition to lectures and exercises, the teachers work with students in laboratories and on design projects.

The research at the Department is carried out mainly within scientific projects dealing with rational energy usage, renewable energy sources, process variable measurement, smart buildings and smart grids. The titles of the running research and technological projects reveal their content and relevance:

MM Energy analysis in the processes of combustion and gasification of
wood biomass
MM Heat pumps using soil as renewable thermal storage
MM Rational energy management by optimizing HVAC systems
MM Heat and mass transfer in fluidized beds
MM Thermal apparatuses for renewable energy sources – biomass and
solar
MM The development of the national temperature, pressure and
humidity standards
MM International intercomparisons in the field of process variable
measurement
MM Research and promotion of shallow geothermal resources
MM Model-predictive control for building heating and cooling systems
MM The integration of buildings in smart grids
MM Thermal energy (heating/cooling) storage in buildings

The members of the Department provide expert services in several areasranging from system conceptual design, engineering design, measurements and testing, and design of thermal and process devices to consulting, organizing seminars and other forms of training.

The Laboratories have a significant role in teaching, research and expert work of the Department.

The Applied Thermodynamics Laboratory is focused on the thermal testing of products and systems, such as hot water boilers, heat exchangers, air-conditioning chambers, radiators, solar collectors, etc.

The R&D activities in the Laboratory include the measurements of environmental conditions and testing of HVAC systems in residential, business and industrial premises. The Laboratory is accredited to HRN EN ISO/IEC 17025 for testing space heaters, cookers,air-conditioning systems and microclimate assessment as well as temperature sensor calibration.

A special part of the Laboratory activities refers to the field of infrared thermography for R&D projects and the energy performance certification of buildings and industrial plants.

The highly specialized Process Measurement Laboratory carries out the measurement of thermal and process variables (temperature, pressure, flow, humidity, thermal properties). The primary task of the Laboratory is to sustain these measurement units by applying scientific methods and to ensure the traceability according to international SI standards. The laboratory equipment guarantees the achievement of measuring capabilities as specified in the key comparison data base of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). The Laboratory has been accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, the international standard for temperature, pressure and humidity.

The Thermodynamics Laboratory has recently been founded primarily with the task of performing basic laboratory testing in the field of technical thermodynamics with a special focus on heat and mass transfer aiming to improve and upgrade laboratory training, R&D work as well as collaboration with industry. In keeping with that goal, the measurement rigs for the investigation of heat and mass transfer in fluidized beds and heat transfer through radiation have been set-up.

The Energy Efficiency Laboratory, the youngest among the four laboratories, is equipped with the state-of-the-art computer simulation software that provides the analysis of building dynamics, optimization of heating, cooling, ventilation system, air quality and management as well as the development of algorithms for advanced analysis. Among the most important on-going projects of the Laboratory are the model-predictive control for building heating and cooling systems, the integration of buildings in smart grids, the experimental measurements and data processing in buildings
and passive heating and cooling strategies.