Industrial Assessment Centers
Tennessee Technological University IAC
Sponsored by:
DOE MESC
Tennessee Technological University IAC
Center Established 2007
Tennessee Technological University
Director Dr. Ethan Languri, PE, CEM, CBEP
IAC logo
Tennessee Technological University
Implementation Grant Funding Opportunity Open
IMPORTANT: The grant program operates on a rolling basis and applications may be submitted at any time, with quarterly reviews.
Learn More
Implementation Grant Funding Opportunity Open
Qualifying* small and medium-sized US manufacturers, that received IAC or Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership assessments between 2018 and 2024, can now apply for grants for implementation of assessment recommendations up 50% of qualifying* project costs with a maximum of $300,000 per manufacturer.
IMPORTANT: The grant program now operates on a rolling basis and applications may be submitted at any time through the year, with quarterly reviews.
*See Full Grant Solicitation for full qualification and selection details.
IAC Center of the Year: 2018
Student Research Award Winner: 2022
Student Video Contest Winner: 2015

The Tennessee Technological University Industrial Assessment Center (TT-IAC) provides free energy, productivity, and waste assessments to small and medium-sized industrial facilities through funding provided by the US Department of Energy.

306 Assessments
2,184 Recommendations
5.52 Tbtu Energy Saving*
$47.14 million Cost Savings*
231 Students Trained
*Recommended Savings
Tennessee Technological University also coordinates a Satellite IAC Center at:
University of Memphis
Generic IAC Assessment Activity
Generic IAC Assessment Activity
Generic IAC Assessment Activity
Related Papers & Publications
Miles N., Taylor A., Cunningham G., Languri E., " A Verification of Energy Savings in Air Compressors under Load/Unload Conditions Through Receiver Storage, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Jones S. and Languri E., " Validation of a Dynamic Model for Cooling Tower Energy Efficiency Analysis, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Swiecichowski P. and Languri E., " Energy Efficiency Improvement of Compressed Air Systems through Accurate Leak Flow Measurement Utilizing Acoustic Imaging Technology, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Noteworthy Feedback
"Great program you guys have and is really a great service to the Business Community. You guys should be proud of it!"
- Source: Ricky Woods, TBEI, 12/14/2023
"Thank you TN Tech Team for the excellent report you have produced. I scanned the document and will review, in detail, all the measures and expect that they will be added to our "Roadmap" for the near future to be implemented."
- Source: Mike Skroski, Energy Engineer, Chromalox, 09/06/2022
"Thanks for your help we had a very successful first time Kaizen event on energy. Your assessment approach has helped us capture some great savings."
- Source: Craig Sommers, Division EHS Manager, Parker Hannifin, 03/17/2023
Center Related News
TT-IAC Students
September 4, 2019

Everyone Wins with Tennessee Tech University Industrial Assessment Center Program

Launched in 2006, the TTU-IAC program provides manufacturers in the state with free energy, productivity, and waste assessments – including best practices for compressed air systems, and blowers and vacuum, as well as cooling towers and chillers. The assessments to date have provided manufacturers in the program with $27.48 million in recommended cost savings, equaling 3.82 trillion British thermal units of energy savings.

Assessment - Case Studies
TT | Assessment: TT0052
Electrical Switchgear Manufacturer Realizes Large Savings in VSD
Related Papers & Publications
2022
4 Papers / Publications
Miles N., Taylor A., Cunningham G., Languri E., " A Verification of Energy Savings in Air Compressors under Load/Unload Conditions Through Receiver Storage, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Jones S. and Languri E., " Validation of a Dynamic Model for Cooling Tower Energy Efficiency Analysis, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Swiecichowski P. and Languri E., " Energy Efficiency Improvement of Compressed Air Systems through Accurate Leak Flow Measurement Utilizing Acoustic Imaging Technology, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
Zaro A., Jaladi D., Languri E., " Electric Redesign of Wastewater Evaporators using Porous Carbon Material to Minimize Heat Loss During Evaporation, The 7th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Las Vegas, NV, April, | TT-IAC
2021
3 Papers / Publications
Zaro A., Jaladi D., Languri E., " Electric Redesign of Wastewater Evaporators Using Porous Carbon Material to Minimize Heat Loss During Evaporation, Proceedings of the ASME IMECE 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2021, November, | TT-IAC
Jaladi D., Pearce M., Van Neste C., Languri E., " Near Field Resonant Capacitive Heating of Water, Proceedings of the ASME IMECE 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2021, November, | TT-IAC
Hooper J., Languri E., Cunningham G., Guo W., " A Modeling Tool to Analyze the Performance of Industrial Cooling Towers, Proceedings of the ASME IMECE 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2021, November, | TT-IAC
2020
3 Papers / Publications
Jaladi D., Languri E., Cunningham G., " A Preliminary Study of Combined Heat and Power in a Facility, Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2020, Portland, OR, USA, November, | TT-IAC
Prabhu V., Languri E., Nawaz K., " Experimental Validation of Mushy Zone Constant for Modeling of Solidification/Melting for Thermal Energy Storage Applications, Proceedings of the ASME 2020 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition IMECE 2020, November, | TT-IAC
Mashali F. MS, Languri E., Davidson J., Kerns D., " Diamond Nanofluids: Microstructural Analysis and Heat Transfer Study, Heat Transfer Engineering, Taylor & Francis, Volume 42, Pages 479-491, January 17, | TT-IAC
2019
2 Papers / Publications
Mashali F. MS, Languri E., Mirshekari G., Davidson J., Kerns D., " Nanodiamond nanofluid microstructural and thermo-electrical characterization, International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 101, Pages 82-88, February, | TT-IAC
Ethan Languri and Glenn Cunningham, " Thermal Energy Storage Systems, Advances in Sustainable Energy, Springer, April, | TT-IAC
2018
2 Papers / Publications
Bahraseman H, Languri E., " A Numerical Modeling of Liquid-to-Vapor Phase Change inside a Porous Medium under Heat Localization, Heat Transfer Engineering, Volume 39, Issue 15, | TT-IAC
Babazadehrokni, H., Languri, E., " Flow of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Slurry through Planar Spiral Coil, Heat Transfer Engineering, Volume 39, Issue 11, | TT-IAC
2017
5 Papers / Publications
Taylor, A., Cunningham, G., Languri, E., " Development of a Compressed Air Flow Meter Installed at the Compressor Inlet, The Industrial Energy Technology Conference, New Orleans, LA, June 20-22, | TT-IAC
Patil, P., Languri, E., Cunningham, G., Welch A., Loftis, A., " Role Variable Frequency Drives on Cooling Tower's Energy Saving, Proceedings of the 2nd Thermal and Fluid Engineering Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2-5, | TT-IAC
Esfahani, M., Languri E., " Exergy Analysis of a Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger using Graphene Oxide Nanofluids, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Volume 83, pp. 100-106, | TT-IAC
Bahraseman, H., East, J., Languri, E., " Fast Charging of Thernal Energy Storage Systems Enabled by Phase Change Materials Mixed with Expanded Graphite, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 109, pp 1052-1058, | TT-IAC
Rashidi, S., Akbarzadeh, M., Masoodi, R., Languri E., " Thermal-hydraulic and Entrpy Generation Analysis for Tubulent Flow Inside a Corrugated Channel, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 109, pp 812-823, | TT-IAC
2016
4 Papers / Publications
Ehsan Languri, Pallavi Patil, Glenn Cunningham, Albert Welch, Anthony Loftis, " Dynamic Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Indeced Draft Cooling Tower, ASME Power and Energy Conference June 2016, Charlotte, NC, June, | TT-IAC
M. Esfahani, E. Languri, " Effect of Particle Size and Viscosity on Thermal Conductivity Enhancement of Graphene Oxide Nanofluid, International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol 76, Pages 308-315, August, | TT-IAC
Hamidreza Ghasemi Bahraseman, Ehsan Languri, " Numerical Modeling of Liquid-to-Vapor Phase Change in Porous Medium under Solar Heat Localization, ASME Power and Energy Conference June 2016, Charlotte, NC, June, | TT-IAC
Ehsan Languri, Glenn Cunningham, Jie Cui, Stephen Idem, " Feasibility Study of the Use of Ground-Coupled Condensers in Industrial Thermal Management, ASME Power and Energy Conference June 2016, Charlotte, NC, | TT-IAC
2015
4 Papers / Publications
M. Nunna, E. Languri, " Utilization of Graphene Oxide Nano Particles in the Base Fluid for Enhanced Heat Transfer Fluid - An Experimental Study, Tennessee Tech University Research Day, Cookeville, TN, April, | TT-IAC
V. Prabhu, E. Languri, " Numerical Modeling of Buoyancy-Driven Air Flow inside Irregular Tent Air Gap, Proceedings of the 1st Thermal and Fluid Engineering Summer Conference, TFESC, New York, New York, August, | TT-IAC
H. Rokni, E. Languri, W. Johnson, " Convective Electronic Device Cooling using Microencapsulated Phase Change Material Slurry in Planar Spiral Coil, ASME IMECE, Houston Texas, November, | TT-IAC
H. Bahraseman, E. Languri, " Numerical Modeling of Evaporation in Porous Media Flows, ASME IMECE, Houston Texas, November, | TT-IAC
Noteworthy Feedback
"Great program you guys have and is really a great service to the Business Community. You guys should be proud of it!"
- Source: Ricky Woods, TBEI, 12/14/2023
"Thank you TN Tech Team for the excellent report you have produced. I scanned the document and will review, in detail, all the measures and expect that they will be added to our "Roadmap" for the near future to be implemented."
- Source: Mike Skroski, Energy Engineer, Chromalox, 09/06/2022
"Thanks for your help we had a very successful first time Kaizen event on energy. Your assessment approach has helped us capture some great savings."
- Source: Craig Sommers, Division EHS Manager, Parker Hannifin, 03/17/2023
"Thanks for the report and thanks again to the TTU Team for the assessment, they were a great team to work with!"
- Source: Steve Bullard, Sr. Plant Manager, Geon, 04/21/2022
"This is great! Thank you so much for the efforts of you and your team!"
- Source: Mike Mancour, IS Director, MISA Metal Processing Inc, 01/31/2022
"Please pass along our sincere thanks to the team. We enjoyed hosting them and look forward to digesting the report."
- Source: Chad Morgan, EHS Manager, Exedy America Corporation, 10/25/2021
"On behalf of the Timken Corporation’s Mascot, Tennessee operations team, we greatly appreciate the service provided by the Tennessee Tech Center for Manufacturing Research and the entire team that participated in the Energy Assessment. I have performed a cursory review of the report and will be excited to share with the leadership team. Going forward, we will use the assessment as our guide to help drive down costs associated with energy waste streams and practices. I welcome the thought of a return visit by the IAC in the future to perform another assessment not only to monitor how we are doing, but to provide a platform for other students to further their education while gaining valuable hands-on experience. Please reach out to any of us when that opportunity arises. Respectfully, Dick Moisan"
- Source: Richard (Dick) Moisan, Timken, 06/15/2021
"I wanted to send a quick note as appreciation for the excellent assessment that TTU performed under your leadership. The level of professionalism and willingness that your group demonstrated during the past few months was outstanding. Our company is pleased with the results of the assessment and for the recommendations to improve our energy consumption. It will help our site to achieve targeted cost savings and energy conservation KPI’s. This assessment will be used as a reference to implement similar studies in our sister sites within North America region. Please extend my recognition to the students that participated, they were very professional and supportive."
- Source: Mario Aguilera, Technology Development Sr. Manager, Schott Gemtron, 07/13/2021
"It was a pleasure working with the students during the inspection. Their interest and energy were most appreciated. I have hope for the next generation of Tech engineers."
- Source: Don Haynes, Environmental Manager, Florim USA, 10/08/2020
"This communication is to express our appreciation for making us aware of the assessment help available from the US Department of Energy through your group at the University of Memphis. The free services you provided yielded some great recommendations. Some of these we’ve already working on, some we can enact now, and others we will continue to look at to take advantage. The information provided in the study presented was very informative and was supported well with the data collected and analyzed by your team. While we understand there are thing we must improve to reduce energy cost, it was exciting to hear we are currently in the “Gold Standard” area regarding the air loss/leak portion of the study. Again, we appreciate the time and effort it took for your team to collect, compile and present such a thorough study that will be a benefit to us in our efforts to reduce energy usage."
- Source: 06/11/2020
"The energy assessment went very well. Thank you, to all of you, for your time and attention to detail. The team has already been generating some great ideas, for savings opportunities. This was a great hands-on experience, and it was also a networking opportunity, as we offer internships... We are definitely interested in a Cybersecurity assessment! ... Thank you, Michelle, for your helping coordinate both assessments. We are so excited to partner with you!"
- Source: Jennifer Stockman, HSE Specialist, Mann + Hummel, 02/06/2019
"On behalf of Bridgestone Warren County, thank you so much for the work the Tennessee Tech Industrial Assessment Center did at our facility to identify ways for us to reduce our energy costs. The team was very professional, and it was terrific to get some new perspectives on our processes, with some great ideas! We were happy to be part of getting the students in your program exposed to Industry applications as part of their education. Please pass our gratitude on to everyone involved in the assessment."
- Source: Tamara Martensen, Plant Manager, Bridgestone, 12/07/2018
"Dr. Cunningham: I had very high expectations for this event...they were blown away and were exceeded on the upside in all aspects of this exercise. Thank you and your team for the outstanding work you performed on our behalf. We look forward to receiving your formal report and recommendations as soon as it is completed. ... I am forwarding the D.O.E./IAC program information to our two plants in Dayton and Springfield TN, along with a recommendation that they request the Tennessee Tech team for their site visit. Thanks again for your outstanding work and we look forward to your recommendations! Please forward our high praise to the rest of your team."
- Source: John Mahan, CI Specialist, International Automotive Componenets, 06/03/2016
"Energy Assessment Team, I wanted to take a few moments to thank you all for the opportunity to work with you on the energy assessment at our Clinton, TN plant. The managers and employees here were very impressed with the way your team carried out their assignments. I look forward to seeing how all the data comes out and to using your recommendations as a roadmap to future energy savings."
- Source: John Humler, Maintenance & Tooling Manager, Nelson Global Products, 01/13/2016
"“The benefits we felt by working together with Tennessee Tech’s IAC group have been substantial. Dr. Glenn Cunningham and his team of graduate and undergraduate students brought an opportunistic attitude to our energy assessment, worked in a highly professional manner at all times and delivered a thorough analysis of our current condition, how we could improve and the potential cost savings from implementing their recommendations. We strongly encourage any eligible manufacturing site to take advantage of this program.” "
- Source: Kyle Corbin, EHS Manager, ABC Inoac, 06/11/2015
""They [the team] did an amazing job yesterday. I'm very excited about the possibilities of their analysis.""
- Source: Gavin Mabe, Clayton Homes, 03/13/2015
""I just wanted to note that, that the 10th recommendation, we added 57 total occupancy sensors throughout the plant. The assessment team initially recommended 15 in our warehouse and the project was such a success we added 57 total throughout the plant.""
- Source: Dustin Wallace, Environmental & VPS Coordinator, Volvo Penta, 10/02/2015
"The work you guys helped us with has paid off. Thank you very much. I look forward to working with you guys in our new plant in the near future."
- Source: Chuck Moore, Maintenance Manager, Ficosa, 08/26/2015
""Just to let you know, the Giles facility and our Manufacturing Operations President loved the report. They are excited and are already implementing some of the recommendations and we've forwarded the report to all our Facility General Managers for them to evaluate their own facilities.""
- Source: Gavin Mabe, Engineer, Giles Industries, 07/10/2014
""I reviewed your report with our Board on Friday. They were sufficiently impressed that we would like to engage with IAC at our Monticello AR and Anderson SC plants. Thank you so much for the good work!""
- Source: George McCabe, Board of Directors, Drew Foam, 07/28/2014
"I just want to express my sincere appreciation to you and your team that worked so diligently in our facility this week. I am really pleased with the progress and the recommendations that were proposed. As you saw, we have many opportunities to enhance our energy conservation efforts and we are indebted to your team for bringing those to the forefront for us. The students were really engaged in the process and their presentations supported such. Again, thank you for your efforts and we look forward to continuing our relationship in the future. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you ever need assistance."
- Source: David Whitworth, Plant Manager, 03/13/2014
"Thanks MIchelle and team. This was a great audit, especially given the small amount of time allotted. I believe it was beneficial to everyone involved. I am hopeful that we can move forward with some of the recommendations and get some savings in the near future. Thank you! Mark "
- Source: Mark Rogers, Engineer - Corporate Energy & Reliability, Shaw Industries Group, 03/20/2014
""You guys did an awesome job and I was totally impressed with the energy team." - Tim Brown "I want to thank you again for the effort you and your team displayed yesterday at our facility. It is refreshing to see young minds at work and eager to please. They did an outstanding job and were complimented in our 8:00 am production meeting. I have already began the process to complete the Manufacturing Tax Exempt form for Piedmont Natural Gas Company. I am looking forward to your official report from your assessment team. Please send a compliment to your team from me. Thanks again.""
- Source: Tim Brown, Engineering Leader, 03/11/2014
"Quote from client "Please tell your group that their visit was a very successful one. It gave us the information needed to acquire some capital money to help fund the lighting program we have in place now. We are more aware of our compressed air system and have an air conditioning replacement schedule.""
- Source: Chris Cantrell, Facilities Maintenance, 02/07/2014
"- We just finished our lighting project in the plant. What a difference. More light, less kWh and a rebate from TVA. win, win, win. Professor Cunningham's team did a study in our facility which has been very beneficial. Thank you sir."
- Source: Michael Jackson, Engineer, Thomas and Betts, 02/28/2013
Center Director Dr. Ethan Languri, PE, CEM, CBEP
Email elanguri@tntech.edu
Phone # +19313726790
Fax # +19313726345
Mailing Address 1020 Stadium Drive, Prescott Hall 233
Cookeville, TN 38505
Assistant Director Jeffrey Marchetta, Ph.D.
Other Michelle Davis
Tennessee Technological University has trained 231 students
The following students have participated in IAC assessments with Tennessee Technological University since 2007.
The 98 students (in BOLD) have also been awarded IAC student certificates for exceptional participation.

Aaron Cook
Aaron Thomas Bain
Aaron Willey
Abby M Mink
Adam Cunningham
Aditya Jayanthi
Adrian David McCann Lewis
Albert Wilson
Alejandro Pujol Pradillos
Allison Muraski
Amanda Rushing
Amanda Winter
Andrew Gordy
Andrew Henson
Andrew Rausch
Anthony Freeman
Anthony Griffith
Anthony Taylor
Austin Estes
Avery Stokes
Ben Hassler
Benjamin Runyon
Blake Yancey
Blakely Goans
Bradley Beach
Brandyn Hoffer
Brian Ridley
Brian Traylor
Brianna Sullins
Brodie Metcalf
Brooks Goans
Brooks Hayes
Cameron TIngley
Carl Groover
Carlo Garcia
Carlos Canelo
Carlos Salvatierra
Casey Potts
Casey Tipton
Chad Montgomery
Chandler S Cain
Charles Collier, Jr.
Chase Ray
Chris Loftis
Chris Reedy
Clay Paul
Cody Bateman
Collin Barlow
Dakota Mays
Dalton Bowen
Damon Dowd
Dan Brookshear (ETSU)
Daniel Glover
Daniel Kirkman
Daniel Samoila
David Clifford
David Hinson
David Pumroy
David Rogers
David Sierra
David Ward
David White
Davin Strom
Dean Sewell
Dini Williams
Douglas Uzcategui
Douglas Williams
Dustin Boyett
Dylan Davis
Dylan Mock
Eddie Strickland (Memphis)
Efat Mohammadi
Elijah Gasmen
Emily Hancock
Emma Hughes
Eric Ng
Eric Pillow II
Evan Kixmiller
Garth Ghearing
George Gulas
Ghabros Messiha
Gregory Stanford
Grover Hickman
Hannah Ross
Harley Brown
Henry Joure
Herbert Yau
Hollee Sadler
Ian Brown
Ian Swagerty
Jacob Barbee
Jacob Bilbrey
Jacob Burian
Jake Jordan
Jaladi Divyasusmitha
James Leverette
James Pratt III
Jamie Sharp
Jared Oliver
Jared Thaxton
Jared Zeringue
Jason Fathi
Jason Morgan
Jay Howard
Jayce Fiene
Jeffery Walker
Jeremy Prince
Jeremy Rehbein
Jerry Lucas Crawford
Jerry Thompson
Jessica Shappley
Jimmy Kitchens
Jin Sen Chen
Joel Beretta
John Hamer
John Rampy
Jonathan Seals
Jonathan Stephenson
Jordan Hayes
Josef Bangean
Joseph Meadows
Joseph Richards
Joseph Saucier
Josh Osborne
Joshua Daugherty
Joshua Hooper
Julius Phillips
Justin Dorning
Justin Hall
Justin Tripp
Kade Howard
Katye Graves (Memphis)
Ken Mitchell
Kevin Mainini
Kevin Rumbolt
Kevin Smith
Kyle Bieze
Kyle Huffman
Kyndal Rozelle
Lacy Robbins
Laurie Messerschmidt
Lelyn Masters
Levi Carroll
Luis Rey
Maheshwar Roa Nunna
Makayla Logan
Marcia Turco
Marco Gonzalez
Marcus Bohac
Marina Ayoub
Mark Umbehagen
Maruthi Srinivas
Marvin Mecwan
Matt Beard
Matthew Lewis
Matthew Vela
Matthew Webster
Melissa Moffet
Micah Kassner
Michael James
Michael Sampson
Miguel Fuentes Garcia
Miles Nevills
Mindy Ren
Molly Rachlin
Narendar Mogulla
Nathan Eason
Nathan Garner
Nathan Payne
Nathaniel Taylor
Neil Dries
Nikita Tungar
Noah Small
Pallavi Pandit Patil
Patrick Swiecichowski
Persephone Johnston
Peter DeGloma
Philip Chadwick Bays
Rajendra Tadakhe
Raman Senthil Kumar
Randall Hodges
Rashed Rashidi
Raymond Bowker
Razvan Gavriliuc
Richard Bazar
Riley Collins
Rob Griffin
Ryan Burns
Ryan Henderson
Samantha Blanton
Sara Gordon
Scott Davis
Sebastian Barajas
Seth Leedy
Shane Terry
Spencer Freeman
Spencer Jones
Spencer McKnight
Stephanie Parnell
Stephen Doorley
Stephen Louis
Stephen Mason
Stephen Mirdo
Steven Duong
Suman Acharya
Sung Kyung Lee
Sydney McKinney
Taelen Boyd
Teri Ross
Timothy Avello
Toby Tomlin
Tomas Attalla
Travis Danis
Trey Mallory
Tristian Fenwick
Troy Rudolph
Tyler Cortner
Tyler Coulter
Tyler Huffine
Vanessa Hughes
Wahib Ibrahim
Wilkins Dedwylder
William Alston
William Anderson
William Broyles
William Gaetjens
William Parker
Wyatt Walorinta
Yixing Wang
Zach Demko
Zachary Rose