Aerosol duct sealing system. (News).(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists invent MASIS, an aerosol-based system to seal ducts of large commercial buildings)

BERKELEY, CA -- Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have invented an aerosol-based system called MASIS for sealing the ducts of large commercial buildings.

MASIS, which stands for "mobile aerosol-sealant injection system," is based on the aerosol duct-sealing device developed by Berkeley Lab researchers for sealing ducts and reducing energy loss in residential and small commercial systems. However, it incorporates two new patented technologies that permit effective sealing in the larger, more complicated duct systems of commercial buildings.

Duo Wang, a scientist in Berkeley Lab's Environmental Energy Technologies Division, developed the technology, with assistance from Mark Modera, the scientist who developed the original sealing system for residences. Carrier Aeroseal has licensed the system for exclusive use in sealing ducts in commercial buildings.

The research by Modera and his colleagues also suggested that energy losses in the ducts of large commercial buildings are probably as large in scale as those in homes. Although research continues at Berkeley Lab to quantify the losses in commercial buildings, ...