Researchers from theOak Ridge National Laboratoryhave 3D printed a “first-of-its-kind” smart wall called ‘EMPOWER’. The prototype wall was demonstrated at the Department of Energy’s联邦能源管理计划的（FEMP）virtual 2020 Energy Exchangeevent.
Empower旨在突出该技术的功能并设计用于室内的功能，将混凝土添加剂制造和集成电子产品结合在一起，以作为房间的冷却系统。雷电竞充值该项目背后的科学家声称，它可以减少能源利用，减少高峰时间的能源需求，并利用可再生能源，同时保持房间在恒定温度下。
2020年能源交流总监兼FEMP计划经理梅利莎·拉帕（Melissa Lapsa）指出：“ Empower实现了可能性的力量，展示了FEMP与国家实验室合作提供有形能源有效解决方案的能力。”
3D printing the smart wall
Empower仅有五英尺宽，高八英尺，并使用Skybaam混凝土3D打印机（一台低成本，电缆驱动的机器）印刷。它可以在任何建筑工地部署，据报道具有高度适应性。
Oak Ridge的制造研究人员Brian Post解释说：“使Skybaam的独特之处在于，它消除了对大型添加剂制造系统中通常发现的龙门系统的需求。雷电竞充值它可以在数小时内在建筑工地内设置，并以最少的现场准备。”
How does EMPOWER work?
Found within the wall is a thermal storage and insulation system, along with an active chiller that acts as a refrigerator. Pipes that are embedded in the wall carry chilled water over its surface area, decreasing the temperature of the 3D printed concrete inside the wall. The insulation levels can be varied dynamically, meaning the internal coolness of the wall can be transferred to the occupied space inside the room at will.
The smart wall, truly earning its tag here, utilizes an intelligent control method to decide how and when to modify the insulation levels. It does this in a predictive manner, taking into consideration the weather and the user’s past behaviour. If the home already has a separate HVAC system in place, it can also communicate with that system to turn the heating on or off so as to not waste energy.
The chiller and pumps in the wall are powered by a smart inverter, which is connected to an external battery. Using the building’s main power grid during times of low electricity demand, the battery can be charged for later use. The researchers intend to eventually power the battery with a renewable source, omitting the inverter’s dependency on the main grid altogether.
While EMPOWER is still in the prototyping phase, Oak Ridge will be collaborating with FEMP to生产，测试和验证明年的能源交换活动的墙壁。当2021年某个时候建造两个额外的授权墙时，该概念将得到充分验证。
3D混凝土印刷在实验室环境中很少见，但是它开始进入更多商业应用。U.S.-based concrete specialistsQuikreteand轮廓制作公司最近宣布了合作develop a proprietary concreteto be used with Contour’s concrete 3D printing technology. The partners will go on to print residential, commercial, industrial, and government buildings around the U.S. to combat homelessness.
Elsewhere, Texas-based construction firm图标recently partnered with the U.S. government-backed Defense Innovation Unit to3D print military structures彭德尔顿海军基地。最初的图标trained eight Marines to use its concrete 3D printers, who went on to print an entire vehicle hide structure in just 36 hours.
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Featured image shows the 3D printed EMPOWER wall in an office space. Image via ORNL.
