Category Archives: technology

20Jul/17

2017 NORA Technical Workshop Call for Presentations

NORA, Research, technology
The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) will hold a Technical Workshop in coordination with the Southern New England Energy Conference (SNEEC) at Gurney’s Newport, Newport, RI, September, 18-19, 2017.
 
NORA is inviting proposals for presentations at this workshop which will be an open exchange among technical leaders of the oilheat industry.
 
General topic areas to be included are:
  • The direction of renewable heating and cooling in New England
  • Update on NORA-sponsored R&D projects
  • Technical aspects of biodiesel use and new biofuels
  • Advancing oilheat energy efficiency
  • Future directions in controls and diagnostics
  • An open forum on NORA research directions
Those interested should contact or send an abstract to Dr.Tom Butcher, Technical Director, NORA at tbutcher@noraweb.org or 571.234.7756.
04Jun/17

NORA Releases Biodiesel Use Survey

NORA, Research, technology

The National Oilheat Research Alliance has recently released the results of a survey on the usage and potentials benefits and issues associated with the blending of traditional heating oil with renewable biodiesel for home heat use.

Currently, 5% biodiesel blends (B-5) are being used seamlessly across the oilheat market. Some heating oil fuel marketers are delivering B-20 to all of their customers and a few are delivering much higher blends. This blending into the fuel mix in this market leads to concerns about the impact on reliability and service.
 
21Mar/17

Q & A with Dr. Butcher about NORA Research & Education Center

NORA, Research, technology, Uncategorized

In 2016, the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA), in collaboration with the New York Oil Heating Association (NYOHA) and Oil Heat Comfort Corp., opened a research and training facility the—NORA Research & Education Center, in Plainview, NY, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Butcher.

Indoor Comfort Marketing’s publisher, Don Farrell, spoke to Dr. Butcher about the lab, its funding, its staffing, its projects and its goals.

Don Farrell: What is the official name of the research center and what is its mission?

Tom Butcher: The official name is NORA Research & Education Center. The mission of the research part is to support the development of advanced technologies that lead to improved efficiency, increased integration of renewable fuels and enhanced reliability of liquid fuels heating systems. Liquid fuels are traditional petroleum-based fuels and also biofuels such as biodiesel and other wood-derived liquid fuels.

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27Sep/16

Fuel Savings Analysis 2.0 Now Available

NORA, Research, technology

The National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) has released the new version of its Fuel Savings Analysis Calculator, which uses test data on oil-fired boilers to demonstrate the value of equipment upgrades with consumer-friendly metrics.

The FSA calculator can help Oilheat salespeople overcome the limitations of the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) metric. AFUE is a measure of how efficient an appliance is in converting the energy in its fuel to heat over the course of a typical year, and the Federal Trade Commission requires all new furnaces or boilers to display their AFUE for the benefit of consumers.

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15Sep/16

NORA Technical Workshshop

NORA, Research, technology

A varied assembly of 50 industry professionals met in Newport, RI to hear about the latest in oilheat technology advances. The workshop, hosted by the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) and crafted by NORA’s Director of Research, Dr. Thomas Butcher, featured 21 presenters covering topics under four major categories: Advanced Burner Concepts, Ultra Low Sulfur Heating Oil and Premium Fuels, Biofuels and Advanced Equipment. Continue reading →