About

Dr. Vikrant C. Aute is a Research Professor and Director at the Center for Environmental Energy Engineering at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on environmental energy engineering, with an emphasis on sustainable energy conversion and heat pump technologies. As a faculty member, he contributes to advancing knowledge in energy efficiency, heat exchangers, and process intensification, supporting the development of innovative solutions for energy challenges.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Thermodynamics
• Automotive engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Composite material
• Mechanics
• Engineering
• Meteorology
• Environmental science
• Materials science
• Simulation
• Physics

Selected publications

• An Analysis of Heat Exchangers for Minimizing Refrigerant Charge in Heat Pumps

  Lecture notes in civil engineering · 2026-01-01

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Influence of Phase-Change Materials and Operating Periods on Load Shifting for Thermal Storage Heat Pumps in European Climate Zones

  Lecture notes in civil engineering · 2026-01-01

  book-chapterCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Dual Purpose – Heating & Cooling – Thermal Battery for Flexible and Energy-Efficient Heat Pump Systems

  2026-03-05

  report

  The integration of heat pumps with thermal energy storage (HP-TES) systems is gaining attention as a viable solution for managing peak building demand driven by immense cooling and heating loads. With growing reliance on renewable energy sources, thermal energy storage offers an excellent opportunity to mitigate mismatches in thermal load between energy supply and demand. The use of phase-change material (PCM) TES is especially promising, as PCMs offer significant latent energy storage capacity with smaller temperature glides in smaller volumes compared to other TES technologies. However, challenges arise because current HP-TES architectures can load-shift only cooling or heating, not both, requiring two systems and thus doubling cost, weight, and footprint. Furthermore, current research efforts lack specific tools and techniques to advance integrated systems from concept design to end-user application, focusing on only discharge performance. To address these challenges, this research proposes a dual-mode (heating and cooling) integrated HP-TES system that uses room-temperature PCM-TES as a high-temperature heat source in heating mode and a low-temperature heat sink in cooling mode, thereby reducing temperature lifts and compressor power. Design criteria for PCM-TES heat exchangers were developed, balancing thermal-hydraulic performance with practical constraints such as available building space and weight requirements along with PCM selection considerations such as shipping conditions, moisture exposure, and number of available cycles. A detailed transient model for HP-TES systems was developed to enable rapid annual performance assessments in any US climate zone. Detailed comparisons of HP-TES performance versus a state-of-the-art base heat pump were conducted for all US ASHRAE climate zones. In cooling mode, overall cooling demand reductions in California were around 20%, while Honolulu's tropical climate led to 14% reductions. Heating mode demand reductions were notably higher, especially in very cold-climate regions, ranging from 40% to 65% for Chicago, IL, to Fairbanks, AK, primarily because the new HP-TES system does not require additional backup heating during peak hours. A laboratory-scale HP-TES system was prototyped and tested using a novel test matrix designed to cover a wide range of possible operating modes, e.g., continuous and cyclic heating and cooling modes. Experimental testing showed demand reductions of 0.6%-30% in cooling mode and 40%-60% in heating mode, with the larger reductions observed under more extreme ambient conditions. The experimental data were utilized to validate the transient HP-TES model, which demonstrated excellent agreement in capacity (<4%), power draw (<1%), and compressor suction / discharge conditions. The highest deviations were reported during startup conditions. Finally, a commercialization plan for HP-TES was presented, highlighting key insights on capital expenses and expected location-specific operating cost savings, along with opportunities for California-specific markets. The work presented here provides design guides and procedures to turn such a system from concept to an off-the-shelf product for consumers.

  PublisherDOI

• Review of the state of the art in modeling and optimization of plate fin type heat exchangers

  Case Studies in Thermal Engineering · 2026-01-24

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Plate-fin heat exchangers (PFHX) have a very high surface area to volume ratio (>1000 m 2 /m 3 ), which falls under the class of compact heat exchangers. Due to their high compactness, flexibility, and low cost, they are used in a wide variety of applications, including but not limited to the process industry, cryogenics, heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R), and aviation. This paper reviews the state of the art in the modeling and design of plate-fin heat exchangers. We first describe recent advances in performance enhancement techniques for PFHX, which are largely passive in nature, by means of novel fin structures and/or vortex generators. A systematic analysis of the physical phenomena associated with PFHXs was conducted using the Phenomenon Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) approach, which is commonly used for modeling critical devices across a wide array of applications and can also be used to guide PFHX model development. Modeling approaches used in the literature have been summarized and categorized into 4 types: (i) Lumped, (ii) Layer stacking, (iii) Distributed and (iv) CFD. Verification, validation and uncertainty quantification of these modeling approaches are also discussed. The models available in the literature are often used to optimize PFHXs, which is a complex problem containing both continuous and discrete design variables and the existence of multiple objectives and constraints depending on the design requirements. This is an interesting area of active research, and we have reviewed the latest developments thereof. Finally, research gaps and future directions for research are discussed. We hope that this review will serve as a guide for future researchers in the modeling and optimization of PFHX. • A comprehensive review of the state of the art in plate-fin heat exchangers (PFHXs) • Summary of the latest PFHX modeling & optimization efforts in open literature • Systematic review and determination of critical physical phenomena in PFHXs for low & high temperature applications • Clear lack of models that can handle arbitrary flow directions for HVAC&R applications

  PublisherDOI

• Design and performance assessment of a dual-mode latent thermal storage integrated heat pump across multiple climate zones

  Energy and Buildings · 2026-03-10

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  • Proposed and evaluated a dual-mode thermal storage integrated heat pump system. • System uses a single phase-change material, reducing size, cost, and weight. • Proposed performance evaluation approach is 10 7 times faster than traditional methods. • Demonstrates peak energy demand reduction by 15–60% depending on operating mode. The electrification of space cooling and heating systems risks overloading the existing electrical grid during peak hours. Heat pumps integrated with thermal energy storage (HP-TES) offer a promising solution by shifting peak loads to off-peak hours, reducing grid strains. This work presents the design and assessment of a dual-mode HP-TES that uses a single 22°C phase-change material (PCM) as a heat source or sink in heating and cooling modes, respectively. Performance assessment was conducted using Modelica-based transient models, and full-year simulations were conducted across eight US climate zones using typical weather data. Two HP-TES performance metrics: peak energy reduction and recharge energy increases, were defined by comparing HP-TES energy consumption with base HP peak consumptions. Annual heating demand reductions (40–65%) exceeded cooling demand reductions (15–20%) due to the elimination of peak-hour backup heating. Cooling mode recharge energy requirements (0–10%) were reduced in locations with lower summer nighttime temperatures, while heating recharge requirements were lower than the high base-peak energy demand from backup heating. Simplified rapid methods that were 10 7 times faster than annual simulations were developed to predict seasonal cooling and heating energy reductions, and recharge energy requirements, with maximum deviations of ±2.5% and ±3.5% points. These methods enabled rapid parametric studies that identified optimal location-specific PCM temperatures between 22°C and 27°C, highlighting the need to consider both discharge and recharge energy requirements to achieve sustainable, energy-efficient peak load shifting across various climate zones.

  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic modeling of near isothermal compressor for Transcritical carbon dioxide cycle to support efficiency improvement

  Applied Thermal Engineering · 2026-04-03

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Prof. Reinhard Radermacher, 1952-2025

  Science and Technology for the Built Environment · 2025-06-26

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic Modeling Methodology for Near Isothermal Compressor

  Linköping electronic conference proceedings · 2025-01-16

  articleOpen access

  Compressors are the vital component of the vapor compression systems and account for the majority of energy consumption. Developing appropriate controllers or optimizing compressor design can significantly reduce the carbon emissions. The isothermal compressor combines the compressor chamber and gas cooler, using the liquid piston to compress the working fluid for nearisothermal compression. This methodology can reach up to 30% energy saving compared to the traditional isentropic compression work. This paper leverages the CEEE Modelica Library (CML) to demonstrate a detailed isothermal compressor model that captures the nearisothermal compression process of transcritical carbon dioxide (CO2) cycle. The model uses the real experimental data as the boundary conditions, and the relevant component-level experimental validation was carried out by using a prototype with 1-ton nominal capacity. The results proved the accuracy of the dynamic model (7.5% relative error for chamber pressure and 0.74 K deviation for chamber temperature), and provide a guideline for designing the isothermal compressor chamber. Finally, the modeling for the isothermal compression cycle is ongoing and the field is still in its infancy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Design and Performance Assessment of a Dual-Mode Latent Thermal Storage Integrated Heat Pump Across Multiple Climate Zones

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Design, optimization, and validation of a triply periodic minimal surface based heat exchanger for extreme temperature applications

  International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · 2025-02-17 · 15 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  • Development of a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) air-to-sCO 2 heat exchanger for extremely high temperature (900 °C) and pressure (25 MPa) applications. • Calibrated CFD simulations validated within ±5 % and ±10 % for heat transfer and pressure drop using an additively manufactured prototype with water as the working fluid. • Multi-scale model coupled with nonlinear optimization to yield a 10x increase in volumetric power density compared to the initial design. • Non-rectangular TPMS unit cell rotated 45 ° off its primary axis to enable trifurcating flow effect and significant heat transfer enhancement . Heat exchanger (HX) innovation offers potential for significant improvements in energy efficiency for a host of applications including but not limited to aviation and power generation cycles. Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) have received significant attention in recent years due to their incredibly high surface area density, which makes them very attractive from a heat transfer point of view. Recent efforts have largely focused on thermal-hydraulic characterization of the many available TPMS and the testing of small-scale HX prototypes. However, practical implementation remains largely unexplored, partially due to the extreme computational cost associated with accurately simulating these complex structures. In this work, we present the design, simulation, and optimization of a TPMS-HX for high temperature (900 °C) and pressure (25 MPa) applications. Detailed analysis of HX sub-sections is conducted to define the smallest repeatable section which may be used to characterize the thermal-hydraulic performance of the entire HX, enabling rapid design and iteration with significantly reduced computational cost. Compared to preliminary results for a water-to-water experiment, calibrated heat transfer and pressure drop predictions were within ±5 % and ±10 %, respectively. Optimization results show a 10x increase in volumetric power density over the initial design, which is verified against a parametric exhaustive search of the HX design space. It was found that reducing the unit cell hydraulic diameter cell plays the largest role in increasing heat transfer, increasing the surface area density and enabling a more compact and efficient HX.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Reinhard Radermacher

  163 shared

• Jiazhen Ling

  National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  62 shared

• Yunho Hwang

  38 shared

• Daniel Bacellar

  35 shared

• Rohit Dhumane

  University of Maryland, College Park

  22 shared

• Long Huang

  Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

  19 shared

• James Tancabel

  University of Maryland, College Park

  17 shared

• Hongtao Qiao

  16 shared

Labs

• Center for Environmental Energy EngineeringPI

  Not provided

Awards & honors

• Dean's Outstanding Performance Award for PTK Faculty (2024)
• Fellow, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-C…
• Exceptional Service Award, ASHRAE (2023)
• Best Session Paper, Experimental Methods, ATE-HEFAT Conferen…
• Peter Ritter von Rittinger International Heat Pump Team Awar…