A simulation Study on the System Combined Solar Energy with Biogas Boiler for Floor Radiant Heating and Fuel

A mathematical model was built for simulating an innovative design system combined solar energy with biogas boiler for floor radiant heating and fuel. Effects of the ambient air temperature on the performance of the system had been examined. And the results also support theoretical feasibility of the system.

Experimental investigation on heat transfer characteristics of a new radiant floor system with phase change material

In order to improve the heat transfer characteristics of the traditional phase change material（PCM） floor, a new double-layer radiant floor system with PCM is proposed, which can store thermal or cold energy in the off-peak period and use them in the peak period. An experimental setup was developed to study the heat transfer characteristics of the new system under both cooling and heating modes. The experimental results show that the double-layer radiant floor system with PCM can meet both the cold and thermal requirements of users. Moreover, with the same duration of the thermal energy storage process, the increase of water temperature supplied to the system can improve the heat transfer characteristics of the system but lead to the discomfort of users. On the other hand, if the air temperature at the end of the thermal energy storage process is the same under different conditions, the increase of supplied water temperature will decrease the thermal energy storage time and ensure the comfort of users.

Experimental study of low-temperature electrical radiant floor heating system

To evaluate the thermal performance of a low-temperature electrical radiant floor heating system,an experimental facility equipped with a constant temperature chamber and different specimen floors is designed and built.The heating cable is installed in the floor slab with a unit-rated power of 30 W/m.Twenty-four different schemes are worked out and tested,which include three kinds of composite floor structures and eight kinds of cable distances.The cable distances are 30,40,50,60,80,100,130,150 mm.The main affective factors of the thermal performance and their influencing regularity are discussed.The experimental results show that the system has good stability and reliability,and the ratio of the radiation heat-transfer rate to the gross heat-transfer rate is greater than 50%.When the floor structure and the cable distance are fixed,the gross heat-transfer rate of the upper floor surface has a maximum value at an optimal cable distance.Under the experimental conditions in this paper,the optimal cable distance is 50 mm.

Feasibility Analysis on the Integrated Application of Solar Energy, Biogas, Coal-fired Boiler and Radiant Floor Heating for Rural Residence

The feasibility of adopting a balanced energy mix mode (domestic solar energy, biogas, coal-fired boiler and radiant floor heating) was proposed. Taking a typical rural residence in Zhengzhou City for example, the study through theoretical analysis and calculation showed that such a balanced energy mix is an economic way and efficient in saving energy and reducing air pollution, and elaborated the theoretical feasibility of popularizing such a heat supply mode in rural areas.

Experimental Investigation on System with Combination of Ground-Source Heat Pump and Solar Collector

This paper presents the heating performance and energy distribution of a system with the combination of ground-source heat pump and solar collector or a solar-assisted ground-source heat pump system (SAGSHPS) by calculation and experiment.The results show that the average absolute error is less than 0.6 ℃ and the relative error is less than 5% under the pulse load when the analytical solution to the 2-D solid cylindrical source model is used for the SAGSHPS.The coefficient of performance (COP) of the SAGSHPS is 2.95-4.70.The average fluid temperature in the borehole heat exchanger can increase by 3 ℃ with the assistance of solar collector,which will improve the COP of the heat pump by approximately 10% from the experimental data.The energy contributions to the total heating load of soil,electricity and solar are 56.30%,36.87% and 6.83%,respectively.

Monitoring actual performance of ground source heat pump system using GPRS-based data transmission: A case analysis in Tangshan

The energy efficiency monitoring is an essential precondition for ground source heat pump system's controlling and energy saving operation. Based on the data monitoring applied in the school building, this work is focused on the parameters acquisition and operation analysis of the GSHP system in Tangshan. Results show the average COPs(coefficient of performance) are2.85 and 2.70 in summer and winter, respectively, and heat(cold) unbalance underground existed after whole year operation. The analysis of data also indicates that the direct borehole air-conditioning saved some power consumption obviously in the early stage of summer and energy saving of the GSHP system depended remarkably on its operation and management level. Besides the observation points of ground temperature are laid for a large-scale GSHP system, and the hydraulic balance of the pipes group needs to be concerned specially in safeguarding better reliability.

Heat transfer and temperature evolution in underground mininginduced overburden fracture and ground fissures: Optimal time window of UAV infrared monitoring

Heat transfer and temperature evolution in overburden fracture and ground fissures are one of the essential topics for the identification of ground fissures via unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV) infrared imager. In this study, discrete element software UDEC was employed to investigate the overburden fracture field under different mining conditions. Multiphysics software COMSOL were employed to investigate heat transfer and temperature evolution of overburden fracture and ground fissures under the influence of mining condition, fissure depth, fissure width, and month alternation. The UAV infrared field measurements also provided a calibration for numerical simulation. The results showed that for ground fissures connected to underground goaf(Fissure Ⅰ), the temperature difference increased with larger mining height and shallow buried depth. In addition, Fissure Ⅰ located in the boundary of the goaf have a greater temperature difference and is easier to be identified than fissures located above the mining goaf. For ground fissures having no connection to underground goaf(Fissure Ⅱ), the heat transfer is affected by the internal resistance of the overlying strata fracture when the depth of Fissure Ⅱ is greater than10 m, the temperature of Fissure Ⅱ gradually equals to the ground temperature as the fissures’ depth increases, and the fissures are difficult to be identified. The identification effect is most obvious for fissures larger than 16 cm under the same depth. In spring and summer, UAV infrared identification of mining fissures should be carried out during nighttime. This study provides the basis for the optimal time and season for the UAV infrared identification of different types of mining ground fissures.

Experiments Using Capillary Mat as Ground Heat Exchanger for Ground Source Heat Pump Heating Application

The cooling and heating of spaces are among the largest sources for household’s energy demand. Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) is a promising technology to reduce the energy for cooling and heating purposes. However, the major obstacle hindering the utilization of this technology is the high initial cost, especially for the installation of ground coupled heat exchanger. The horizontal closed-loop system offers lower installation cost, as it requires no vertical borehole construction. Instead, the heat exchangers can be installed in shallow trenches that may be excavated, by small excavator or even by human labor. This paper presents the comparison of two different heat exchangers, namely, the capillary mat and the widely used slinky pipe. Both heat exchangers are connected to a heat pump, where continuous heating tests were carried out for 165 hours (~7 days) for each configuration. The purpose of this research is to show the performance of capillary mat in comparison to slinky pipe. Despite during the entire test for capillary mat required 6% higher electricity consumption, compared to slinky heat exchanger, the results still suggest the potential use of capillary mat as alternative to slinky heat exchanger. Additionally, the results also highlight the high hydraulic resistance of installed capillary mat heat exchangers may become the major disadvantage of the capillary mat.

Crawlspace heating system in detached house with insulated foundation

Two practical crawlspace heating systems introduced in detached houses have been chosen as a field study. One is the crawlspace warm air heating system and the other is the crawlspace hot water circulation system. Based on the field study result, by using the simulation sol, ware, THERB, the effectiveness of the crawlspace warm air heating system has been examined. The effect of the factors, such as the wind amount circulating between crawlspace and indoor space, foundation insulation condition, and heat amount into the crawlspace, on the indoor thermal environment has been analyzed. Based on these analyses, the measured crawlspace heating system can make the average temperature of the living room above 20℃. These two houses have excellent thermal environment. According to the simulating result, heat amount input into crawlspace, which can make comfortable indoor thermal environment, for every month in heating period has been roughly concluded, and they are 600 W in December and March and 800 W in February and January, respectively.

Evaluation of the thermal performance of radiant floor heating system with the influence of unevenly distributed solar radiation based on the theory of discretization

In the building with many transparent envelopes,solar radiation can irradiate on the local surface of floor and cause overheating.The local thermal comfort in the room will be dissatisfactory and the thermal performance of radiant floor will be strongly affected.However,in many current calculation models,solar radiation on the floor surface is assumed to be uniformly distributed,resulting in the inaccurate evaluation of the thermal performance of the radiant floor.In this paper,a calculation model based on the theory of discretization and the RC thermal network is proposed to calculate the dynamic thermal performance of radiant floor with the consideration of unevenly distributed solar radiation.Then,the discretization model is experimentally validated and is used to simulate a radiant floor heating system of an office room in Lhasa.It is found that with the unevenly distributed solar radiation,the maximum surface temperature near the south exterior window can reach up to 35.6℃,which exceeds the comfort temperature limit and is nearly 8.5℃higher than that in the north zone.Meanwhile,the heating capacity of the radiant floor in the irradiated zone can reach up to 171 W/m^(2),while that in the shaded zone is only 79 W/m^(2).The model with the assumption of uniformly distributed solar radiation ignores the differences between the south and north zones and fails to describe local overheating in the irradiated zones.By contrast,the discretization model can more accurately evaluate the thermal performance of radiant floor with the influence of real solar radiation.Based on this discretization model,novel design and control schemes of radiant floor heating system can be proposed to alleviate local overheating and reduce heating capacity in the irradiated zone.

Advances in ground heat exchangers for space heating and cooling:Review and perspectives

As a renewable energy source,geothermal energy has been widely used to provide space heating and cooling for buildings.The thermal performance of ground heat exchanger(GHE)is significant for the operating efficiency of the ground source heat pump(GSHP)systems.This paper presents a comprehensive review of developments and advances of three kinds of GHE,including vertical borehole GHE(VBGHE),Pile GHE(PGHE),and deep borehole GHE(DBGHE)which are currently popular in larger GSHP systems.Firstly,analytical models proposed to ana-lyze heat transfer process of VBGHE with different geological conditions are summarized,such as homogenous or heterogeneous ground,with or without groundwater advection.Numerical and short-time step models and measures to improve GHE thermal performance are also reviewed.Secondly,a summary of research advances in PGHE is provided,which includes the heat transfer models of PGHE,the effects of geometric structure,oper-ation modes,pile spacing,use of phase change material(PCM),thermal properties of PCM,thermo-mechanical behavior and/or thermal performance of PGHE.The effects of groundwater flow direction and velocity on PGHE are also summarized in brief.Lastly,models of three kinds of DBGHEs,i.e.,deep coaxial GHE(DCGHE),deep U-bend GHE(DUGHE)and super-long gravity heat pipe(SLGHP),are reviewed.The physical bases of the dif-ferent analytical models are elaborated and also their advantages and disadvantages are described.Advances in numerical modelling and improving numerical model calculation speed of DCBHE,DCBHE array,and DUBHE are summarized.The review provides a meaningful reference for the further study of GHEs.

Freezing on demand: A new concept for mine safety and energy savings in wet underground mines

The artificial ground freezing(AGF)systems are designed to operate continuously for an extended period of time to control the groundwater seepage and to strengthen the groundwater structure surrounding excavation areas.This mode of operation requires a massive amount of energy to sustain the thickness of the frozen body.Therefore,it is of great interest to propose new concepts to reduce energy consumption while providing sufficient structural stability and safe operation.This paper discusses the principle of the freezing on demand(FoD)by means of experiment and mathematical model.A lab-scale rig that mimics the AGF process is conceived and developed.The setup is equipped with more than 80 thermocouples,flow-meters,and advanced instrumentation system to analyze the performance of the AGF process under the FoD concept.A mathematical model has been derived,validated,and utilized to simulate the transient FoD concept.The results suggest that the overall energy saving notably depends on the coolant’s temperature;the energy saving increases while decreasing the coolant inlet temperature.Moreover,applying the FoD concept in an AGF system leads to a significant drop in energy consumption.

Arrangement Strategy of Ground Heat Exchanger with Groundwater

The orientation strategy of side pipe and the heat transfer performance of six ground heat exchangers(GHEs) were optimized by numerical simulation,with soil being treated as a porous medium.An experiment on the heat transfer of four GHEs was carried out in 2010.Results indicate that the velocity field is disturbed by GHEs.The optimal orientation strategy of side pipe is that the upward pipe is located upstream and the downward pipe downstream.The space between GHEs should be appropriately adjusted,depending on the direction and flow velocity.Groups of GHEs should be installed perpendicular to the mainstream in a single row,but if the acreage does not meet the requirements,GHEs should be installed in staggered multiple rows.Fewer GHEs parallel to the mainstream strengthen the heat transfer.Moreover,numerical results agree well with the test data,with the maximum relative error being less than 7.7%.

Numerical Study on the Impact of Ground Heating and Ambient Wind Speed on Flow Fields in Street Canyons

The impact of ground heating on flow fields in street canyons under different ambient wind speed conditions was studied based on numerical methods. A series of numerical tests were performed, and three factors including height-to-width （H/W） ratio, ambient wind speed and ground heating intensity were taken into account. Three types of street canyon with H/W ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0, respectively, were used in the simulation and seven speed values ranging from 0.0 to 3.0 m s-1 were set for the ambient wind speed. The ground heating intensity, which was defined as the difference b-ween the ground temperature and air temperature, ranged from 10 to 40 K with an increase of 10 K in the tests. The results showed that under calm conditions, ground heating could induce circulation with a wind speed of around 1.0 m s-i, which is enough to disperse pollutants in a street canyon. It was also found that an ambient wind speed threshold may exist for street canyons with a fixed H/W ratio. When ambient wind speed was lower than the threshold identified in this study, the impact of the thermal effect on the flow field was obvious, and there existed a multi-vortex flow pattern in the street canyon. When the ambient wind speed was higher than the threshold, the circulation pattern was basically determined by dynamic effects. The tests on the impact of heating intensity showed that a higher ground heating intensity could strengthen the vortical flow within the street canyon, which would help improve pollutant diffusion capability in street canyons.

On the optimisation of age of the air in the breathing zone of floor heating systems:The role of ventilation design

For a mechanically ventilated space,the nominal age of the air can be obtained by the reciprocal of the air change rate.However,values of the local mean age of the air in practice may differ to some extent from the nominal one since the nominal time constant employs as reference the theoretical optimum model.This discrepancy could become more prominent in spaces conditioning with both ventilation and heating system where the indoor air pattern is affected by turbulent mixed convection flow.Given importance of knowledge on the distribution of age of the air in these spaces,the present study provides insights on how ventilation design in floor heating systems can optimise the delivery of fresh air into the breathing zone.In this context,by establishing a computational fluid dynamic(CFD)model validated against experimental data,the local mean age of the air as well as the indoor air quality(IAQ)indices in the breathing zone of the floor heating system are examined under different ventilation modes.Six different ventilation scenarios are regarded in order to find the optimal ventilation design in terms of the delivery of the fresh air and ventilation effectiveness in occupied space.Furthermore,the integrated effects of the floor temperature and inlet supply temperature along with the ventilation design on the distribution of local age of the air are addressed.The obtained results indicate that the up-supply ventilation strategy is more efficient than down-supply one in the ventilation effectiveness and delivery of fresh air into the breathing zone.Moreover,it is shown that the mean age of the air in the breathing zone of the up-supply ventilation increases with increment of the Ri(Richardson number),whereas an increase in Ri improves the delivery of fresh air in down-supply mode.For a given floor temperature,the similar trend is also observed in the variation of age of the air with the characteristic temperature of supply inlet,namely the temperature difference between inlet supply and surrounding walls.

Simulation of embedded heat exchangers of solar aided ground source heat pump system

Aimed at unbalance of soil temperature field of ground source heat pump system, solar aided energy storage system was established. In solar assisted ground-source heat pump (SAGSHP) system with soil storage, solar energy collected in three seasons was stored in the soil by vertical U type soil exchangers. The heat abstracted by the ground-source heat pump and collected by the solar collector was employed to heating. Some of the soil heat exchangers were used to store solar energy in the soil so as to be used in next winter after this heating period; and the others were used to extract cooling energy directly in the soil by circulation pump for air conditioning in summer. After that solar energy began to be stored in the soil and ended before heating period. Three dimensional dynamic numerical simulations were built for soil and soil heat exchanger through finite element method. Simulation was done in different strata month by month. Variation and restoration of soil temperature were studied. Economy and reliability of long term SAGSHP system were revealed. It can be seen that soil temperature is about 3 ℃ higher than the original one after one year's running. It is beneficial for the system to operate for long period.

Research on single hole heat transfer power of ground source heat pump system

In this paper,the single hole heat transfer power of the ground source heat pump system in Hengshui is compared with data gained from thermal response test.The results show that maximum monitoring data of heat transfer power per meter in summer is 97.1% of the test data,and the average value accounts for 81.8%.The per meter heat power data through on-site thermal response test can provide references for designing engineering project and optimizing ground source heat pump system as these data do not vary greatly from the actual monitoring data.

Potential of GSHP coupled with PV systems for retrofitting urban areas in different European climates based on archetypes definition

According to the recent policies regarding energy use in buildings and the need of retrofit strategies,the aim of this work is to support policies concerning the installation of ground source heat exchangers in urban and historical areas,raising the awareness on the potential energy saving achievable with optimal sizing and limited impact on the urban environment.Archetypes have been developed distinguishing among existing and historic buildings,focusing on single-family terrace houses,which are the typical residential buildings in European historic centres.A methodology for the optimal sizing of ground source heat pumps,eventually considering dual-source system or air system has been developed combining simulations of a photovoltaic system to estimate the self-sufficiency and the self-consumption for five orientations of the building.Extreme results have been obtained for warm cli-mates,with negligible heating energy demand and possibly free cooling systems rather than traditional cooling systems needed in wintertime.Penalty temperature was acceptable despite unbalanced energy demands.With proper inclination,photovoltaic systems could provide up to 40%of self-sufficiency share also in northern cli-mates.An energy-economic analysis was carried out obtaining a variety of cases representing a general overview of the European building stock and the potential benefits achievable in terms of renewable energy share,energy savings and economic investments needed to be extended to simulations at urban scale.

Study on ground source heat pump system zoning and methods in the Northwest of Shandong Province

Based on the basic geology, hydrogeology, engineering geology, geothermal geology and ground source heat pump(GSHP) engineering of the work space, the thesis studies the local shallow geothermal energy. Three conditions of the attribute index for the suitability zoning of the northwest of Shandong are determined, namely, hydrodynamic condition, geological and hydrogeological condition and geological environment condition. The assessment result is that the total area of the suitable zone is 205.88 km^2, that of relative suitable zone, 1 407.76 km^2, and that of unsuitable zone, 286.8 km^2. The result conforms to the real development situation and provides experience for similar regions needed for selecting and assigning a value to suitability zoning of GSHP.

Theoretical and Experimental Study on Ground Coupled Heat Pump with Vertical Spiral Coil

The numeric al simulation study on the temperature distribution of underground field for the ground coupled heat pump (GCHP) with vertical spira l coil was carried out by using finite element. The distribution and recovery of undergroun d field temperature under different operation ratio and the optimal operation ratio were simulated.The performance parameters, i.e. inlet and outlet temperature of the ground spiral coil in heating and cooling modes were tested, the heat extracted or emitted by the heat pump to the ground was calculated, and the coefficients of performance (COP) of GCHP at heat ing and cooling modes were analyzed.