Search

Using fins on the inner and outer surfaces of pipes is one method to improve the heat transfer rate of ground heat exchangers (GHEs), thereby reducing the borehole depth and construction and operation costs. Results of 3D numerical studies of simple and finned U-tubes with outer and inner fins are evaluated for GHEs under similar physical conditions. Dynamic and static simulations show the effects of longitudinal fins on the thermal performance of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) and heat transfer rate between circulating fluid and soil around pipes, while the dynamic tests include short timescale and frequency response tests. The results indicate that the maximum fluid temperature change is about 2.9% in the external finned pipe and 11.3% in the internal finned pipe compared to the finless pipe. The effects of the inlet velocity on temperature profiles, the patterns of the velocity and temperature contours due to the borehole curvature and the response times of the systems under various frequencies are also investigated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a cryogenic turbo-based refrigerator, with high-speed foil gas bearing turboexpander and plate-fin heat exchanger, was presented. For the cooling process of a cryogenic refrigerator is long and complex, the efficient simulation of the dynamic performance is vital for its evaluation and operation. It is difficult to achieve this purpose. Because the cryogenic refrigerator will go through great temperature changes, resulting in dynamic performances of components going to complexity. In this article, the turboexpander was simulated using CFX, and the matching models with expansion works of consumption and utilization were unified and modified. With numerical calculation of heat exchanger, the dynamic simulation model of the refrigerator was improved via MATLAB code. The calculation method of the required input energy of the refrigerator in cooling processes was proposed based on the simulation and integration. The energy efficiency and economy cost of the refrigerator were evaluated under different operation modes. The refrigerator with a motor was more stable than the one with a blower. The refrigerator was tested under different conditions, the results of which agreed well with simulation data. The simulation method is efficient to serve practical applications, improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A physical model and dynamic simulation models of a solar phase-change heat storage heating system with a plate solar collector, phase-change material (PCM) storage tank, plate heat exchanger, and auxiliary heat sources were established. A control strategy and numerical models for each of seven different operation modes that cover the entire heating season of the system were developed for the first time. The seven proposed operation modes are Mode 1: free cooling; Mode 2: reservation of heat absorbed by the solar collector in the PCM storage tank when there is no heating demand; Mode 3: direct supply of the heating demand by the solar collector; Mode 4: use of the heat absorbed by the solar collector to meet the heating demands, with the excess heat stored in the PCM storage tank; Mode 5: use of heat stored in the PCM storage tank to meet the heating demands, Mode 6: combined use of heat stored in the PCM storage tank and the auxiliary heating sources to meet the heating demands; and Mode 7: exclusive use of the auxiliary heat sources in order to meet the heating demands. Mathematical models were established for each of the above seven operation modes, taking into consideration the effects of the outdoor meteorological parameters and terminal load on the heating system. The real-time parameters for the entire heating season of the system with respect to the different operation modes can be obtained by solving the simulation models, and used as reference for the optimal design and operation of the actual system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling and simulation is presented for a finned cross-flow heat exchanger with the aim to heat cold air to be fed to air conditioning batteries for marine purposes. The model employed in this paper is finalized to simulate the dynamic behavior of air and water temperatures fed to the air conditioning batteries operating in cold environments, in order to predict possible troubles owing to the change in input parameters, such as unwanted flow rate variations due to system malfunctions. In the investigated model, heat balance equations are presented and discretized by Laplace transform, which has the advantage to easily account for the different structures of heaters used for the purpose of validation. The model was implemented in the Matlab-Simulink environment for its high capacity of dealing with dynamic systems. The results of the model are satisfactory, as the dynamic behavior of the air stream temperature is correctly reproduced, as compared to experimental data, providing a suitable parameter for malfunctions prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates low-temperature district heating (LTDH) networks with different geothermal heat sources under thermo-economic criteria. In particular, the heat and cold supply of modern neighbourhoods are taken into account in a dynamic simulation model built on the modelling language Modelica. Both horizontal and vertical ground heat exchangers (GHE) were investigated in respect to the load profiles of the consumers, depending on dimension as well as location. The selected base case represents a LTDH network near Stuttgart (Germany). The corresponding results of an annual simulation show that a horizontal GHE is suitable for pure heat supply and can reduce costs by up to 12% compared to a vertical system. This economic advantage remains when the cooling demand is considered. Subsequently, a variation of the system location was carried out. It is shown that horizontal GHEs operate more economically in northern regions, whereas vertical ones are more advantageous in regions with increased cooling demand. For both cases, possible savings of between 3.0% and 4.2% resulted from the simulations. The heating-to-cooling demand ratio was used as a first decision criteria to weigh-up between the two systems. Vertical GHEs were more economical than horizontal systems as soon as the ratio dropped below 1.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotary heat exchangers have been widely used in paint shops, combustion power plants, and in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in buildings. For these processes, many types of heat exchangers are available in the market: Tube-shell heat exchangers, plate heat exchangers, and rotary heat exchangers, among others. For the rotary heat exchangers, the problem is that there is no net present value method and lifecycle assessment method-based optimization found in the literature. In this work, we address this issue: An optimization is carried out with help of an empirically validated simulation model, a life-cycle assessment model, an economical assessment, and an optimization algorithm. The objective function of the optimization simultaneously considers economic and environmental aspects by using different CO2 pricing. Different CO2 pricing scenarios lead to different optimization results. The ambient air empty tube velocity v a ,   2.1 optimum was found at 1.2 m/s, which corresponds to a specific mass flow m s p of 5.4 kg/(m2·h). For the wave angle β , the optimum was found in the range between 58° and 60°. For the wave height h * the optimum values were found to be between 2.64 mm and 2.77 mm. Finally, for the rotary heat exchanger length l , the optimum was found to be between 220 mm and 236 mm. The optimization results show that there is still potential for technical improvements in the design and operation of rotary heat exchangers. In general terms, we recommend that the optimized rotary heat exchanger should cause less pressure drop while resulting in similar heat recovery efficiency. This is because the life cycle assessment shows that the use phase for rotary heat exchangers has the biggest impact on greenhouse gases, specifically by saving on Scope 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of micro-scale renewable energy systems in the residential sector has started to be increasingly diffused in recent years. Among the possible systems, ground heat exchangers coupled with reversible heat pumps are an interesting solution for providing space heating and cooling to households. In this context, a possible hybridization of this technology with other renewable sources may lead to significant benefits in terms of energy performance and reduction of the dependency on conventional energy sources. However, the investigation of hybrid systems is not frequently addressed in the literature. The present paper presents a technical, energy, and economic analysis of a hybrid ground-solar-wind system, proving space heating/cooling, domestic hot water, and electrical energy for a household. The system includes vertical ground heat exchangers, a water–water reversible heat pump, photovoltaic/thermal collectors, and a wind turbine. The system with the building is modeled and dynamically simulated in the Transient System Simulation (TRNSYS) software. Daily dynamic operation of the system and the monthly and yearly results are analyzed. In addition, a parametric analysis is performed varying the solar field area and wind turbine power. The yearly results point out that the hybrid system, compared to a conventional system with natural gas boiler and electrical chiller, allows one to reduce the consumption of primary energy of 66.6%, and the production of electrical energy matches 68.6% of the user demand on a yearly basis. On the other hand, the economic results show that that system is not competitive with the conventional solution, because the simple pay back period is 21.6 years, due to the cost of the system components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]