Potential use of cold thermal energy storage systems for better efficiency and cost effectiveness

The present article deals with the employment of combined heat and power (CHP) micro gas turbines using natural gas and cold thermal energy storage system (CTES) in Tehran (with mild climate), Bandarabas (with hot and humid climate) and Kerman (with semi-hot climate). A micro CHP produces electricity to meet the electrical energy needs of the building, and it is also considered to meet part of the heating, cooling and domestic hot water energy needs through a heat pump and refrigeration system. A detailed study considering the effect of CTES system on the selection of micro gas turbines of a residential building located in Tehran is performed. The results show that since the number of micro gas turbines is dependent on the maximum cooling load required in the summer using CTES system reduces the CHP micro gas turbine units from 21 to 11 and costs from US$ 1,133,221 to US$ 799,061 (29.5% economical) for the residential building which is located in Tehran. Also, using this system in Kerman and Bandarabas reduces the micro CHP gas turbine units from 21.75 to 11.40, respectively.     

Energy, economic and environmental (3E) analysis of a micro gas turbine employed for on-site combined heat and power production

This paper studies the optimization of micro turbine application to meet the electrical, heating and cooling loads of a building by energy, economics and environmental analysis. In this study following three cases are considered: 1: A simple micro gas turbine to meet the electrical power of the building. 2: A simple micro gas turbine to meet the electrical power of the building as well as the power required by heat pump and mechanical refrigerator needed for heating, cooling and domestic hot water (DHW) systems. 3: A CHP micro gas turbine to meet the electrical power of the building as well as part of the power required by heat pump and mechanical refrigerator needed for heating, cooling and DHW systems. The remaining part of the power for heat pump and mechanical refrigerator is provided by the exhaust gases.The research shows that the initial investment is a considerable portion of electricity cost. For an annual interest rate of 10% this portion ranges from 31 to 40% depending on system design configurations, and the lower interest rates results in the smaller portions. It is also concluded that the number of turbine units and electricity cost are highly depended on electricity consumption management.     

Micro wind turbines in the UK domestic sector

The micro-scale wind turbine industry is expanding in the UK with institutional support and UK legislation encouraging the development of numerous companies with a profusion of design options. The application of micro wind turbines in urban environment is encouraged in the UK via a grant scheme which provides a proportion of the initial capital costs. This development is predicated on the assumption that micro wind turbines have the potential to reduce built environment CO₂ emissions. Current methods of estimating the wind speed are reported to over predict by approximately 2.0 m/s. The energy yields of a range of typical micro wind turbines (in the 0.4–2.5 kW size range) were estimated here using two wind speed datasets sited within 1 km of each other recorded with a temporal precision of 10 min. The annual energy yield of a 1.5 kW turbine was found to be 277 kWh and 2541 kWh for the two sites analysed indicating the problem with the current method of yield estimation. Between 33 and 55% of the electricity generated would be exported dependant on the dwelling's electrical demand. For the high yield site, the simple economic payback of this turbine was found to be 26.8 years i.e. beyond the likely life time of the turbine with CO₂ savings of 1093 kg CO₂. The research suggests that this technology does represent a possible route for reducing CO₂ emissions but this is unlikely to be realised unless an adequate method is found for more accurately predicting energy yield at a specific site.     

Solar integrated energy system for a green building

Shanghai is characteristic of subtropical monsoonal climate with the mean annual temperature of 17.6 °C, and receives annual total radiation above 4470 MJ/m² with approximately 2000 h of sunshine. A solar energy system capable of heating, cooling, natural ventilation and hot water supply has been built in Shanghai Research Institute of Building Science. The system mainly contains 150 m² solar collector arrays, two adsorption chillers, floor radiation heating pipes, finned tube heat exchangers and a hot water storage tank of 2.5 m³ in volume. It is used for heating in winter, cooling in summer, natural ventilation in spring and autumn, hot water supply in all the year for 460 m² building area. The whole system is controlled by an industrial control computer and operates automatically. Under typical weather condition of Shanghai, it is found that the average heating capacity is up to 25.04 kW in winter, the average refrigerating output reaches 15.31 kW in summer and the solar-enhanced natural ventilation air flow rate doubles in transitional seasons. The experimental investigation validated the practical effective operation of the adsorption cooling-based air-conditioning system. After 1-year operation, it is confirmed that the solar system contributes 70% total energy of the involved space for the weather conditions of Shanghai.     

A new methodology for renewable and rational use of energy policy in building sector: Case study for the island of Crete

This paper discusses the future development of efficient energy policies with respect to building sector, using a new simulation computer model called INVERT. The building sector incorporates supply side systems (heating, domestic hot water (DHW) and cooling systems) and Demand Side Management (DSM) measures. Simulation runs have been carried out up to 2020 for the Greek island of Crete based on sensitivity analyses for different building types, heating/cooling technologies and DHW systems. Promotion schemes for renewable energy sources (RES) and rational use of energy (RUE) are also implemented in the simulation model, since they have a strong impact on long-term financial investment strategies. Transfer costs and CO₂ emissions of various hypothesis scenarios about new or additional promotion schemes for energy conservation in residential buildings have been compared with a reference scenario for the island of Crete. The outcome of this case study is presented and discussed in this paper.     

Performance analysis of an innovative small-scale trigeneration plant with liquid desiccant cooling system

The paper deals with an innovative natural gas combined heat, cooling and power (CHCP) system with electrical, heating and cooling capacities of 126/220/210 kW, respectively. The trigeneration plant is composed of a cogenerator which uses an automotive derived gas fired internal combustion engine (ICE), coupled to a liquid LiCl-water desiccant cooling system which recovers heat from the flue gases and from the ICE cooling water. The paper describes the energetic and economic analyses of the plant and it makes some evaluations of the effects of fuel and electric prices and of the subsides and plant costs on the economic indices of the system.     

Optimum insulation thicknesses for building walls with respect to cooling and heating degree-hours in the warmest zone of Turkey

Thermal insulation is one of the most effective energy conservation measures for cooling and heating in buildings. Therefore, determining and selecting the optimum thickness of insulation is the main subject of many engineering investigations. In this study, the determination of optimum insulation thickness on external walls of buildings is comparatively analyzed based on annual heating and cooling loads. The transmission loads, calculated by using measured long-term meteorological data for selected cities, are fed into an economic model (P₁−P₂ method) in order to determine the optimum insulation thickness. The degree-hours method that is the simplest and most intuitive way of estimating the annual energy consumption of a building is used in this study. The results show that the use of insulation in building walls with respect to cooling degree-hours is more significant for energy savings compared to heating degree-hours in Turkey's warmest zone. The optimum insulation thickness varies between 3.2 and 3.8 cm; the energy savings varies between 8.47 and 12.19 $/m²; and the payback period varies between 3.39 and 3.81 years depending on the cooling degree-hours. On the other hand, for heating load, insulation thickness varies between 1.6 and 2.7 cm, energy savings varies between 2.2 and 6.6 $/m², and payback periods vary between 4.15 and 5.47 years.     

Energy conservation in honey storage building using Trombe wall

This paper investigates energy conservation, mitigation of CO₂ emissions and economics of retrofitting for a honey storage building with Trombe wall for winter heating application. The passive heating potential of Trombe wall for a honey storage building was estimated using TRNSYS building simulation software. This honey storage building is located at Gwalior (latitude: 26°14′N) in India. During winter months, the room air temperature of building falls below the required temperature range of 18–27 °C which is suitable for honey storage. So, the room air temperature range is maintained in the building using a 2.3 kW capacity electrical oil filled radiator (or room air heater) which accounts for the major energy consumption of the building on an annual basis. On account of which there are significant CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere from the honey storage building. Hence, this case study was conducted to recommend the passive heating concept to the stakeholders of the building so as to conserve the energy requirement for room air heating. The investigation showed that the room air temperature can be easily maintained in the range suitable for honey storage using a vented Trombe wall. The experimental work was carried out for the existing building on a typical clear day of harsh winter month of January to validate the results of TRNSYS model of the present building. The statistical error analysis showed a good agreement between model and experimental results. This investigation concludes that there is potential of energy conservation up to 3312 kWh/year and associated reduction in CO₂ emissions (∼33 tonne/year) using a Trombe wall. Also, the retrofitting of building is economically viable as the simple payback period is only about 7 months.     

Analysis of domestic hot water energy consumption in large buildings under standard conditions in Senegal

This paper presents an investigation of the energy consumption due to domestic hot water (DHW) production in large buildings. We have studied three types of reference buildings: one office, one residence and a 3-star hotel located in Senegal. The DOE2.1E (the building energy program of the Department of Energy Version 2.1E) has been used. One of its main advantage is that it allows to take into account both energy end use categories and a great number of parameters of the building energy performance. Four climatic regions have been identified and their equivalent “standard” conditions are all defined. Those conditions are the same as the current design and operating conditions of each type of building. The DHW energy consumption is calculated and compared with the total energy generated by all end uses (lighting, cooling/ventilation, DHW, and other equipment). Before we carry out wide and systematic simulations of the three buildings energy performance, we pay special attention to check and validate the DHW part of the DOE2.1E model. There was an agreement between the recorded monthly DHW energy load on the one hand, and on the other the computed results. We end up finding results that could open new perspectives for building a strategic methodology to provide guidelines for DHW energy saving measures in large buildings in West Africa. Furthermore, it is expected that energy researchers concerned about energy and environmental efficiency would consider this study for promoting CO₂ emission reduction in relation with DHW production in large buildings.     

Passive cooling effects of courtyards

The passive cooling effects of a courtyard of a small building were determined numerically, employing an energy-analysis software developed for that purpose. The passive cooling features considered were the shading effects of courtyard walls and two large trees (of various shapes) planted immediately next to the south wall of the building, the presence of a pool, a lawn and flowers in the yard, and the wind shading effects of the walls and trees. It was found that these features alone cannot maintain thermal comfort during the hot summer hours in Tehran, but reduce the cooling energy requirements of the building to some extent. They have an adverse effect of increasing the heating energy requirements of the building slightly. The same savings in cooling energy needs of the building can be obtained through many features such as wall and roof insulation, double-glazed windows, Persian Blinds, and special sealing tapes to reduce infiltration. They all save on heating energy requirements as well.     

Estimating the effect of using cool coatings on energy loads and thermal comfort in residential buildings in various climatic conditions

The impact from using cool roof coatings on the cooling and heating loads and the indoor thermal comfort conditions of residential buildings for various climatic conditions is estimated. The energy cooling loads and peak cooling demands are estimated for different values of roof solar reflectance and roof U-value. The results show that increasing the roof solar reflectance reduces cooling loads by 18–93% and peak cooling demand in air-conditioned buildings by 11–27%. The indoor thermal comfort conditions were improved by decreasing the hours of discomfort by 9–100% and the maximum temperatures in non air-conditioned residential buildings by 1.2–3.3 °C. These reductions were found to be more important for poorly or non-insulated buildings. For the locations studied, the heating penalty (0.2–17 kWh/m² year) was less important than the cooling load reduction (9–48 kWh/m² year). The application of cool roof coatings is an effective, minimal cost and easy to use technique that contributes to the energy efficiency and the thermal comfort of buildings.     

建筑环境设计模拟分析软件DeST第9讲冷热源与水系统模拟分析(下)

冷热源系统是整个集中空调系统的核心,它决定了系统能否保障用户的冷热需求,是投资的主要部分,也是能源消耗的主要部分。同时冷热源产生的冷热量主要依靠水系统输配到各末端用户中去。因此冷热源与水系统的联合优化设计是整个空调系统设计过程中至关重要的环节。综述了目前冷热源与水系统联合模拟的现状,详细阐述了DeST模拟软件中冷源和水系统模拟所采用的的模型与模拟方法。通过介绍一个设计实例,指出了冷热源与水系统全工况模拟的应用范围和实际意义。     

别墅建筑的几种空调设计方案

介绍了可用于别墅建筑的风冷式盛大热泵空调机组系统，风冷热泵冷水机组系统、等方案，指出应根据不同的能源和气候条件，     

Impact of adaptive thermal comfort criteria on building energy use and cooling equipment size using a multi-objective optimization scheme

Recently adaptive thermal-comfort criteria have been introduced in the international indoor-climate standards to reduce the heating/cooling energy requirements. In 2008, the Finnish Society of Indoor Air Quality (FiSIAQ) developed the national adaptive thermal-comfort criteria of Finland. The current study evaluates the impact of the Finnish Criteria on energy performance in an office building. Two fully mechanically air-conditioned single offices are taken as representative zones. A simulation-based optimization scheme (a combination of IDA-ICE 4.0 and a multi-objective genetic-algorithm from MATLAB-2008a) is employed to determine the minimum primary energy use and the minimum room cooling-equipment size required for different thermal comfort levels. The applicability of implementing energy-saving measures such as night ventilation, night set-back temperature, day lighting as well as optimal building envelope and optimal HVAC settings are addressed by investigating 24 design variables. The results show that, on average, an additional 10 kWh/(m² a) primary energy demand and a larger 10 W/m² room cooling-equipment size are required to improve the thermal comfort from medium (S2) to high-quality (S1) class; higher thermal comfort levels limit the use of night ventilation and water radiator night-set back options. Compared with the ISO EN 7730-2005 standard, the Finnish criterion could slightly decrease the heating/cooling equipment size. However, it significantly increases both the heating and cooling energy demand; the results show 32.8% increase in the primary energy demand. It is concluded that the Finnish criterion-2008 is strict and does not allow for energy-efficient solutions in standard office buildings.     

Experimental investigation of adsorption chiller for Micro-scale BCHP system application

Building cooling, heating and power (BCHP), is an attracting cogeneration system for its economic and environmental friendly qualities. Therefore, it is meaningful to develop Micro-scale BCHP (MBCHP) system based on adsorption chiller and internal combustion gas engine for the use of residential and light commercial buildings. To guide the optimum matching and operation of adsorption chiller in MBCHP system correctly, this paper deals with the performance of adsorption chiller under varying heating conditions. Experimental results show that the value of COP is high in the operation mode of varying hot water inlet temperature with mass recovery in no heating pattern (VTNH). With the hot water inlet temperature of 65 °C, the value of COP is as high as 0.40 in VTNH mode. Under electricity output conditions from 6.0 to 8.3 kW in MBCHP system, VTNH mode is especially preferred when cooling demand is with priority.     

Occupant related household energy consumption in Canada: Estimation using a bottom-up neural-network technique

A national model of residential energy consumption requires consideration of the following end-uses: space heating, space cooling, appliances and lighting (AL), and domestic hot water (DHW). The space heating and space cooling end-use energy consumption is strongly affected by the climatic conditions and the house thermal envelope. In contrast, both AL and DHW energy consumption are primarily a function of occupant behaviour, appliance ownership, demographic conditions, and occupancy rate. Because of these characteristics, a bottom-up statistical model is a candidate for estimating AL and DHW energy consumption. This article presents the detailed methodology and results of the application of a previously developed set of neural network models, as the statistical method of the Canadian Hybrid Residential End-Use Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Model (CHREM). The CHREM estimates the national AL and DHW secondary energy consumption of Canadian single-detached and double/row houses to be 248 PJ and 201 PJ, respectively. The energy consumption values translate to per household values of 27.8 GJ and 22.5 GJ, and per capita values of 9.0 GJ and 7.3 GJ, respectively.     

Power consumption benchmark for a semiconductor cleanroom facility system

Benchmarking is an important step in implementing energy conservation in a semiconductor fabrication plant (hereafter referred to as “fab”). A semiconductor cleanroom facility system is complicated, usually comprised of several sub-systems, such as a chilled water system, a make-up system, an exhaust air system, a compressed air system, a process cooling water (PCW) system, a nitrogen system, a vacuum system, and an ultra-pure water (UPW) system. It is a daunting task to allocate energy consumption and determine an optimum benchmark. This study aims to establish the energy benchmark of a typical 8-in. DRAM semiconductor fab through field measurement data. Results of the measured energy consumption index were: chilled water system (including chiller, chilled water pump and cooling tower): 0.257 kW/kW (=0.9 kW/RT) in summer and 0.245 kW/kW (=0.86 kW/RT) in winter air recirculation air system: 0.00018 kWh/m³ make-up air system: 0.0042 kWh/m³ general exhaust air system: 0.0007 kWh/m³ solvent exhaust air system: 0.0021 kWh/m³ acid exhaust air system: 0.0009 kWh/m³ alkaline exhaust air system: 0.0025 kWh/m³ nitrogen system: 0.2209 kWh/m³ compressed dry air system: 0.2250 kWh/m³ process cooling water system: 1.3535 kWh/m³ and ultra-pure water system: 9.5502 kWh/m³. These data can be used to assess the efficiency of different energy-saving schemes and as a good reference for factory authorities. The PCW system's status before and after implementing energy conservation is discussed.     

Feasibility of solar absorption air conditioning in Tunisia

Due to the high cost of fossil fuels and the environmental problems caused by the extensive use of air-conditioning systems for both residential and industrial buildings, the use of solar energy to drive cooling cycles becomes attractive since the cooling load is roughly in phase with solar energy availability particularly in Tunisia. In this paper, we present a research project aiming at assessing the feasibility of solar-powered absorption cooling technology under Tunisian conditions. Simulations using the TRNSYS and EES programs with a meteorological year data file containing the weather parameters of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, were carried out in order to select and size the different components of the solar system to be installed. The optimized system for a typical building of 150 m² is composed of a water lithium bromide absorption chiller of a capacity of 11 kW, a 30 m² flat plate solar collector area tilted 35° from the horizontal and a 0.8 m³ hot water storage tank.     

遮阳系数对供暖与空调能耗影响差异的逐时解析

以中国福州为例,从当地逐时气象数据入手,分析了建筑空调负荷及供暖负荷的所有时刻对应的逐时太阳辐射,用特征温度法研究当遮阳系数减小时各时刻建筑的空调与供暖能耗及相对变化(节能率)情况。研究发现,由于冬季有太阳辐射各时刻的供暖能耗相对于无太阳辐射各时刻能耗比例很小,故遮阳措施对供暖总能耗的影响不显著,从而证明DOE-2关于冬季遮阳系数减小对供暖能耗影响的结论值得商榷;由于夏季有太阳辐射各时刻空调能耗远大于无太阳辐射各时刻空调能耗,故遮阳措施对空调总能耗及节能率的影响非常显著,DOP2软件与特征温度法的结果是正确的;通过对福州全年各时刻空调供暖能耗、建筑负荷及节能率进行解析,揭示了看起来很分散的各时刻能耗及节能率差异数据总体上遵循的某种共性规律,供同行参考。     

Primary energy and comfort performance of ventilation assisted thermo-active building systems in continental climates

This article presents a simulation study comparing the primary energy and comfort performance of ventilation assisted thermo-active building systems (TABS) relative to a conventional all-air (VAV) system in a compact office building featuring good thermal envelope performance, heat recovery, and solar gain control for the continental climate of Omaha, Nebraska with pronounced heating and cooling periods. TABS heating is accomplished using a geothermal heat pump and TABS cooling using a geothermal heat exchanger without an additional vapor compression cycle required. It was found that the coordination of the TABS and VAV systems is crucial, i.e., supply air temperature and active layer temperature setpoints and reset schedules greatly affect the performance of the overall system. The small contribution of TABS in the heating case shows the need for the adaptation of the ventilation system configuration to the TABS system. Annual cooling energy demand for the ventilation assisted TABS is higher than for the pure VAV system, which is due to lower occupied period room operative temperatures and thus a higher comfort provided. While a 4% useful energy penalty for the combined TABS/VAV was recorded, the VAV case requires 20% more delivered energy than the TABS case because of the displacement of compressor driven coil loads with low-exergy cooling through the ground heat exchanger in the TABS case. A primary energy intensity of 189 kWh/m² a was recorded for the TABS case; in contrast, the conventional all-air (VAV) equipped building incurs a primary energy intensity of 229 kWh/m²a, which represents a penalty of 20%. Clear advantages of the TABS approach can be observed with respect to thermal comfort: during summer cooling periods, the mean radiant temperature of the TABS case is on average 2 K below that of the VAV case. Moreover, the VAV system is associated with a fairly constant predicted mean vote (PMV) value of 0.75, which is quite warm, while the TABS equipped system reveals an average of 0.56, which results in only 12% instead of 17% of people dissatisfied. Based on these results, ventilation assisted thermo-active cooling systems appear to be a very promising alternative to conventional all-air systems offering both significant primary energy as well as thermal comfort advantages provided the TABS is mated with low-exergy heating and cooling sources.