From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H2O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis

Díaz-Flórez, Germán; Villagrana-Barraza, Santiago; Araiza-Esquivel, Ma. Auxiliadora; Vázquez-Reyes, Sodel; Velasco-Elizondo, Perla; Bañuelos-García, Luis E.; Molina-Almaraz, Mario; Díaz-Flórez, Genis

doi:10.3390/inventions11040077

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From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis

by

Germán Díaz-Flórez

^1,*,†

,

Santiago Villagrana-Barraza

²,

Ma. Auxiliadora Araiza-Esquivel

²

,

Sodel Vázquez-Reyes

³

,

Perla Velasco-Elizondo

³,

Luis E. Bañuelos-García

⁴

,

Mario Molina-Almaraz

⁴

and

Genis Díaz-Flórez

^1,*,†

¹

Laboratorio de Diseño y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico

²

Maestría en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico

³

Ingeniería de Software, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98160, Mexico

⁴

Laboratorio de Sistemas Electrónicos Inteligentes (LSEI), Posgrado en Ingeniería y Tecnología Aplicada, Unidad Académica de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Zacatecas 98000, Mexico

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Inventions 2026, 11(4), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040077

Submission received: 19 June 2026 / Revised: 16 July 2026 / Accepted: 23 July 2026 / Published: 26 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Inventions)

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Abstract

This manuscript presents a patent-based engineering case study of a compact LiBr–H₂O evaporator–absorber unit, tracing its progression from conceptual embodiment to laboratory validation through contextualized technology-readiness assessment and bounded data-driven analysis. The study reconstructs three successive prototypes, applies the international Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework together with the Mexican TRL guideline, and includes an exploratory artificial neural network (ANN) analysis of the validated Prototype III. The results show a maturation pathway: Prototype I corresponded to conceptual embodiment, Prototype II provided proof-of-concept evidence through observable cooling, and Prototype III was a protected, instrumented, and experimentally validated laboratory prototype, conservatively assigned to TRL 4 as the highest level supported by the evidence. The auxiliary ANN gave only a limited approximation of the thermal response (mean test R² = 0.41, dispersion ±0.32), consistent with a single-run laboratory-scale dataset rather than robust predictive modeling. Overall, the study integrates prototype trajectory, intellectual-property protection, TRL assessment, and bounded analysis into a rigorous evaluation of a protected pre-commercial thermal subsystem. Beyond this device, the framework offers inventors, designers, and research groups a transferable reference, letting them build on a documented pathway rather than restarting from the lowest readiness levels and identifying the evidence needed for each TRL transition.

Keywords: technology readiness level (TRL); utility model; LiBr–H₂O absorption cooling; evaporator–absorber unit; prototype development; technological maturity assessment; artificial neural network

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MDPI and ACS Style

Díaz-Flórez, G.; Villagrana-Barraza, S.; Araiza-Esquivel, M.A.; Vázquez-Reyes, S.; Velasco-Elizondo, P.; Bañuelos-García, L.E.; Molina-Almaraz, M.; Díaz-Flórez, G. From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis. Inventions 2026, 11, 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040077

AMA Style

Díaz-Flórez G, Villagrana-Barraza S, Araiza-Esquivel MA, Vázquez-Reyes S, Velasco-Elizondo P, Bañuelos-García LE, Molina-Almaraz M, Díaz-Flórez G. From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis. Inventions. 2026; 11(4):77. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040077

Chicago/Turabian Style

Díaz-Flórez, Germán, Santiago Villagrana-Barraza, Ma. Auxiliadora Araiza-Esquivel, Sodel Vázquez-Reyes, Perla Velasco-Elizondo, Luis E. Bañuelos-García, Mario Molina-Almaraz, and Genis Díaz-Flórez. 2026. "From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis" Inventions 11, no. 4: 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040077

APA Style

Díaz-Flórez, G., Villagrana-Barraza, S., Araiza-Esquivel, M. A., Vázquez-Reyes, S., Velasco-Elizondo, P., Bañuelos-García, L. E., Molina-Almaraz, M., & Díaz-Flórez, G. (2026). From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis. Inventions, 11(4), 77. https://doi.org/10.3390/inventions11040077

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From Protected Concept to Validated Prototype: TRL Assessment of a Utility-Model Protected Compact LiBr–H₂O Evaporator–Absorber Subsystem with Exploratory Neural Network Analysis

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