Analysis of retrofit air source heat pump performance : results from detailed simulations and comparison to field trial data

In the UK, gas boilers are the predominant energy source for heating in housing, due primarily to the ready availability of natural gas. The take-up of heat pumps has lagged far behind Europe and North America. However, with the development of standards for low and zero-carbon housing, gas price rises and the depletion of the UK's natural gas reserves, interest in heat pump technology is growing. Heat pumps, particularly air source heat pumps (ASHP), have the potential to be a direct, low-carbon replacement for gas boiler systems in housing. In this paper, monitored data and simulations were used to assess the performance of ASHP when retro-fitted into a dwelling. This required the development and calibration of a model of an ASHP device and its integration into a whole-building, dynamic simulation environment. The predictions of the whole-building model were compared to field trial data, indicating that it provided a suitable test bed for energy performance assessment. Annual simulations indicated that the ASHP produced 12% less carbon that an equivalent condensing gas boiler system, but was around 10% more expensive to run. However, the proposed UK renewable heat incentive transforms this situation, with income from ASHP heat generation exceeding the fuel costs

Performance analysis of air source heat pumps using detailed simulations and comparison to field trial data

The take-up of heat pump technologies in the UK domestic sector has lagged far behind other countries in Europe and North America due primarily to the ready availability of cheap natural gas; this has led to the predominance of gas central heating systems in UK housing. However, with recent gas price volatility along with the depletion of the UK's natural gas reserves interest in heat pump technology, particularly Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) is growing as they have the potential to be a direct, low-carbon replacement for existing gas boiler systems. However, to-date there have been few detailed, simulation-based performance studies of ASHP systems. In this paper a robust, dynamic simulation model of an ASHP device is described. The ASHP model has been integrated into a whole-building model and used to analyse the performance of a retro-fit domestic ASHP heating system. The simulation results were then compared to field trial data

Simulation-assisted control in building energy management systems

Technological advances in real-time data collection, data transfer and ever-increasing computational power are bringing simulation-assisted control and on-line fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) closer to reality than was imagined when building energy management systems (BEMSs) were introduced in the 1970s. This paper describes the development and testing of a prototype simulation-assisted controller, in which a detailed simulation program is embedded in real-time control decision making. Results from an experiment in a full-scale environmental test facility demonstrate the feasibility of predictive control using a physically-based thermal simulation program

Potential energy savings achievable by zoned control of individual rooms in UK housing compared to standard central heating controls

Energy is wasted in domestic buildings when rooms that are heated are not occupied. Allowing those rooms to cool reduces the inside – outside temperature difference and therefore rate of heat loss, resulting in an energy saving. This suggests a cost effective way to upgrade an existing modern heating system, especially in older properties where other energy saving possibilities are limited. Assessing the savings achievable requires an analysis of a range of influencing factors, such as house type and age, location and occupancy patterns. Door opening has a major influence due to the impact on air exchange between heated and unheated zones in a house, so this was also considered. Annual simulations were carried out on dynamic models of the thermal and air flow interactions, for all combinations of influencing factors, to compare the potential energy savings of zoned versus non-zoned control. Savings of between 12% and 31% were obtained in the case of a semi-detached house model, and between 8% and 37% for a single storey bungalow. The largest percentage savings occurred in older properties, with interconnecting doors kept closed, and for the more intermittent types of occupancy. The average saving obtained for both house types was around 20%

Upconversion processes in Yb-sensitized Tm:ZBLAN

A spectroscopic study of 22 rare-earth-ion doped ZBLAN (fluorozirconate) glass was done to study feasibility of sensitizing Tm:ZBLAN with Yb to facilitate development of an efficient, conveniently pumped blue upconversion fiber laser. it was found that, under single-color pumping, 480 nm emission from Tm{sup 3+} was strongest when Yb,Tm:ZBLAN is excited at 975 nm; the strongest blue blue emission was obtained from a glass sample with 2.0 wt% Yb + 0.3 wt% Tm. Also, for weak 975 nm pump intensities, strength of blue upconversion emission can be greatly enhanced by simultaneously pumping at 785 nm. This increased upconversion efficiency is due to reduced number of energy transfer steps needed to populate the Tm{sup 3+} {sup 1}G{sub 4} energy level. Measurements of fluorescence lifetimes vs dopant concentration were also made for Yb{sup 3+}, Tm{sup 3+}, and Pr{sup 3+} transitions in ZBLAN in order to better characterize concentration quenching effects. Energy transfer between Tm{sup 3+} and Pr{sup 3+} in ZBLAN is also described