Optimization on fresh outdoor air ratio of air conditioning system with stratum ventilation for both targeted indoor air quality and maximal energy saving

Stratum ventilation can energy efficiently provide good inhaled indoor air quality with a proper operation (e.g., fresh outdoor air ratio). However, the non-uniform CO2 distribution in a stratum-ventilated room challenges the provision of targeted indoor air quality. This study proposes an optimization on the fresh outdoor air ratio of stratum ventilation for both the targeted indoor air quality and maximal energy saving. A model of CO2 concentration in the breathing zone is developed by coupling CO2 removal efficiency in the breathing zone and mass conservation laws. With the developed model, the ventilation parameters corresponding to different fresh outdoor air ratios are quantified to achieve the targeted indoor air quality (i.e., targeted CO2 concentration in the breathing zone). Using the fresh outdoor air ratios and corresponding ventilation parameters as inputs, energy performance evaluations of the air conditioning system are conducted by building energy simulations. The fresh outdoor air ratio with the minimal energy consumption is determined as the optimal one. Experiments show that the mean absolute error of the developed model of CO2 concentration in the breathing zone is 1.9%. The effectiveness of the proposed optimization is demonstrated using TRNSYS that the energy consumption of the air conditioning system with stratum ventilation is reduced by 6.4% while achieving the targeted indoor air quality. The proposed optimization is also promising for other ventilation modes for targeted indoor air quality and improved energy efficiency

Heat removal efficiency of stratum ventilation for air-side modulation

Stratum ventilation has significant thermal non-uniformity between the occupied and upper zones. Although the non-uniformity benefits indoor air quality and energy efficiency, it increases complexities and difficulties in the air-side modulation. In this study, a heat removal efficiency (HRE) model is first established and validated, and then used for the air-side modulation. The HRE model proposed is a function of supply air temperature, supply airflow rate and cooling load. The HRE model proposed has been proven to be applicable to stratum ventilation and displacement ventilation for different room geometries and air terminal configurations, with errors generally within ±5% and a mean absolute error less than 4% for thirty-three experimental cases and five simulated cases. Investigations into the air-side modulation with the proposed HRE model reveal that for both the typical stratum-ventilated classroom and office, the variable-air-volume system can serve a wider range of cooling load than the constant-air-volume system. The assumption of a constant HRE used in the conventional method could lead to errors in the room temperature prediction up to ±1.3 °C, thus the proposed HRE model is important to the air-side modulation for thermal comfort. An air-side modulation method is proposed based on the HRE model to maximize the HRE for improving energy efficiency while maintaining thermal comfort. Results show that the HRE model based air-side modulation can improve the energy efficiency of stratum ventilation up to 67.3%. The HRE model based air-side modulation is also promising for displacement ventilation

Scaling optical computing in synthetic frequency dimension using integrated cavity acousto-optics

Optical computing with integrated photonics brings a pivotal paradigm shift to data-intensive computing technologies. However, the scaling of on-chip photonic architectures using spatially distributed schemes faces the challenge imposed by the fundamental limit of integration density. Synthetic dimensions of light offer the opportunity to extend the length of operand vectors within a single photonic component. Here, we show that large-scale, complex-valued matrix-vector multiplications on synthetic frequency lattices can be performed using an ultra-efficient, silicon-based nanophotonic cavity acousto-optic modulator. By harnessing the resonantly enhanced strong electro-optomechanical coupling, we achieve, in a single such modulator, the full-range phase-coherent frequency conversions across the entire synthetic lattice, which constitute a fully connected linear computing layer. Our demonstrations open up the route towards the experimental realizations of frequency-domain integrated optical computing systems simultaneously featuring very large-scale data processing and small device footprints.Comment: 4 figures, 14 pages for main text, 14 pages of supplementary material

Optical absorption in graphene integrated on silicon waveguides

To fully utilize graphene's remarkable optical properties for optoelectronic applications, it needs to be integrated in planar photonic systems. Here, we demonstrate integration of graphene on silicon photonic circuits and precise measurement of the optical absorption coefficient in a graphene/waveguide hybrid structure. A method based on Mach-Zehnder interferometry is employed to achieve high measurement precision and consistency, yielding a maximal value of absorption coefficient of 0.2 dB/{\mu}m when graphene is located directly on top of the waveguide. The results agree with theoretical model utilizing the universal ac conductivity in graphene. Our work provides an important guide for the design and optimization of integrated graphene optoelectronic devices.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure