Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Energy Research Center
Registered Professor Engineer

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)
4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154
Phone: (702) 895-4160 || Fax: (702) 895-3936
Mailcode: 4027 || Email: bob.boehm@unlv.edu

 

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Research

 

Research Areas

  • Heat Transfer
  • Thermal Systems Design
  • Renewable Energies (solar, hydrogen, geothermal, building applications)
  • Developments for low-water-regions' opportunities

Active Research

See also the separate listing for the Center of Energy Research here.

1. "Solar Energy Studies"
Projects on several solar-related topics are being pursued. Previous work has been carried out related to system studies of solar power generation in Southern Nevada, and work continues in this area. A facility with a variety of solar water heaters, solar stills, a large number of various types of PV systems and two small instrumented buildings for comparative studies is located on the roof of the Thomas Beam Engineering B building. As part of this facility, a side by side solar water heater evaluation facility is available where two collectors’ performance can be evaluated simultaneously. A large Amonix concentrating PV system and one 100 kW solar dish are available at the UNLV Solar Site on the north part of the campus. The solar dish is outfitted for new thermal receiver designs and high temperature thermodynamic cycle evaluations. In addition, a Facade Evaluation Facility is available there where windows, BIPV systems, and other building façade elements can be experimentally evaluated. Working in collaboration with a local homebuilder, we designed a zero energy house and evaluated performance of it compared to a companion code-built house. We have pursued work on a large DOE contract to UNLV CER (Pulte Homes and NV Energy are subcontractors) to develop an approach that would decrease the peak electrical demand in residential developments by 65%. This involved energy conserving building design, solar PV on each house, a newly developed electrical load control system and analysis of on-site storage batteries on 185 houses. An off-campus facility has been developed as one of the five DOE Regional Test Centers for the evaluation of new PV products. High precision performance evaluation of the products is taking place there. We are part of a large NSF grant working on the nexus between solar energy, water, and the environment.

2. "Minimization of Water Use Solar Power Systems"
Work has been performed assessing the upper limits of dry cooling for thermal power plants, and minimizing water use for cleaning of solar surfaces. A large (nearly full sized) dry cooling experimental apparatus is available where various heat transfer designs can be readily evaluated.

3. "Solar Decathlon House"
We were active in the design and construction of the award winning 2013 UNLV Solar Decathlon house “Desert Sol” zero energy house. The house is now located at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, and it can be used for studies of various types.

4. "International Collaboration"
Work has been performed assessing the upper limits of dry cooling for thermal power plants, as well as identifying some possible approaches for moving in that direction.