High capacity heat pump development for sanitary hot water production

Heat pumps have been identified as an efficient alternative to traditional boilers for the production of sanitary hot water (SHW). The high water temperature lift (usually from 10ºC to 60ºC) involved in this application has conditioned the type of used solutions. On the one hand, transcritical cycles have been considered as one of the most suitable solutions to overcome the high water temperature lift. Nevertheless, the performance of the transcritical CO2 heat pump is quite dependent on the water inlet temperature, which in many cases is above 10ºC. Furthermore, performance highly depends on the rejection pressure, which needs to be controlled to work at the optimum point in any condition. On the other hand, for the subcritical systems, subcooling seems to be critical for the heat pump performance when working at high temperature lifts, but there is not any published work that optimizes subcooling in the SHW application for these systems. Therefore, the subcritical cycle should require a systematic study on the subcooling that optimizes COP depending on the external conditions, in the same way as it has been done for the rejection pressure in the transcritical cycle. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the role of subcooling in the performance of a Propane water-to-water heat pump for SHW production, in the application of heat recovery from any water source. Two different approaches to overcome the high degree of subcooling were designed and built to test them in the laboratory: 1) Subcooling is made at the condenser: The active refrigerant charge of the system is controlled by a throttling valve. Subcooling is controlled independently at any external condition. 2) Subcooling is made in a separate heat exchanger, the subcooler. Subcooling is not controlled, it depends on the external condition and the heat transfer at the subcooler. The heat pumps were tested at different water temperatures at the evaporator inlet (10ºC to 35ºC) and condenser inlet (10ºC to 55ºC), while the water production temperature was usually fixed to 60¿C. The obtained results have shown that COP depends strongly on subcooling. In the nominal condition (20¿C/15¿C for the inlet/outlet water temperature at the evaporator and 10ºC/60ºC for the inlet/outlet water temperature in the heat sink), the optimum subcooling was about 43 K with a heating COP of 5.61, which is about 31% higher than the same cycle working without subcooling. Furthermore, the system with subcooling has been proved experimentally as being capable of producing water up to 90¿C and has shown a higher COP than some CO2 commercial products (catalog data reference).Las bombas de calor han sido identificadas como una alternativa eficaz a las calderas tradicionales para la producción de agua caliente sanitaria (ACS). El elevado salto de temperatura del agua que normalmente tiene lugar en esta aplicación (por lo general de 10ºC a 60ºC) ha condicionado el tipo de soluciones que se utilizan. Por un lado, los ciclos transcríticos han sido considerados como una de las mejores soluciones para trabajar con los elevados saltos de temperatura del agua. Sin embargo, el rendimiento de la bomba de calor transcrítica con CO2 es bastante dependiente de la temperatura de entrada del agua, que en muchos casos está por encima de los 10¿C. Además, el rendimiento depende en gran medida de la presión de descarga, la cual necesita ser controlada con el fin de trabajar en el punto óptimo en cualquier condición externa. Por otra parte, para los sistemas subcríticos, el subenfriamiento parece ser crítico para el buen funcionamiento de la bomba de calor cuando se trabaja con elevados saltos de temperatura del agua, pero no hay ningún trabajo publicado en el que optimicen el subenfriamiento para la aplicación de ACS en estos sistemas. Por lo tanto, los sistemas subcríticos requieren de un estudio sistemático para buscar el subcooling óptimo y maximizar el COP en función de las condiciones externas, de la misma forma que se ha hecho para la presión de descarga en los ciclos transcríticos. El objetivo de esta tesis es investigar el papel del subenfriamiento en el rendimiento de una bomba de calor trabajando con Propano para la producción de ACS, en la aplicación de recuperación de calor de cualquier fuente de agua (agua- agua). Dos enfoques diferentes para superar el alto grado de subenfriamiento fueron diseñados y construidos para ponerlos a prueba en el laboratorio: 1) El subenfriamiento se hace en el condensador: La carga activa de refrigerante del sistema se controla con una válvula de estrangulación. De esta manera, el subenfriamiento puede ser controlado de forma independiente a cualquier condición externa. 2) El subenfriamiento se hace en un intercambiador de calor separado, el subenfriadador. El subenfriamiento no se controla, este depende de la condición externa y de la transferencia de calor en el subenfriadador. Las bombas de calor se ensayaron a diferentes temperaturas del agua a la entrada del evaporador (10ºC a 35ºC) y entrada del condensador (10ºC a 55ºC), mientras que la temperatura de producción de agua, normalmente, se fija a 60¿C. Los resultados obtenidos han demostrado que el COP depende mucho del subenfriamiento. En las condiciones nominales (20ºC/15ºC para la temperatura del agua de entrada/salida en el evaporador y 10ºC/60ºC para la temperatura del agua de entrada/salida en el condensador), el subenfriamiento óptimo fue aproximadamente de 43 K con un COP de calentamiento de 5,61, que es alrededor del 31% más alto que el mismo ciclo trabajando sin subenfriamiento. Además, el sistema con subenfriamiento ha probado de forma experimental, que es capaz de producir agua hasta los 90ºC, y ha mostrado un COP más alto que algunos productos comerciales que trabajan con CO2 (datos de referencia del catálogo).Les bombes de calor han estat identificades com una alternativa eficaç a les calderes tradicionals per a la producció d'aigua calenta sanitària (ACS). L'elevat salt de temperatura de l'aigua que normalment té lloc en aquesta aplicació (en general de 10ºC a 60ºC) ha condicionat el tipus de solucions que s'utilitzen. Per una banda, els cicles transcrítics s'han considerat com una de les millors solucions per tal de treballar amb els elevats salts de temperatura de l'aigua. No obstant això, el rendiment de la bomba de calor transcrítica amb CO2 és bastant dependent de la temperatura d'entrada de l'aigua, que en molts casos està per damunt de 10¿C. A més, el rendiment depèn en gran mesura de la pressió de descarrega, la qual necessita ser controlada per tal de treballar en el punt òptim a qualsevol condició externa. Per altra banda, per als sistemes subcrítics, el sub-refredament sembla ser crític per al funcionament de la bomba de calor quan es treballa amb elevats salts de temperatura de l'aigua, però no hi ha cap treball publicat en el qual optimitzen el sub-refredament per a l'aplicació d'ACS en aquests sistemes. Per tant, els sistemes subcrítics requereixen d'un estudi sistemàtic per tal de buscar el subcooling òptim i maximitzar el COP en funció de les condicions externes, en la mateixa forma que s'ha fet per la pressió de descarrega en els cicles transcrítics. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és investigar el paper del sub-refredament en el rendiment d'una bomba de calor treballant amb Propà per a la producció d'ACS, en l'aplicació de recuperació de calor de qualsevol font d'aigua (aigua-aigua). Dos enfocaments diferents per tal de superar l'alt grau de sub-refredament van ser dissenyats i construïts per posar-los a prova en el laboratori: 1) El sub-refredament es fa en el condensador: La càrrega activa de refrigerant del sistema es controla amb una vàlvula d'estrangulació. D'aquesta manera, el sub-refredament pot ser controlat de forma independent en qualsevol condició externa. 2) El sub-refredament es fa en un intercanviador de calor separat, el sub-refredador. El sub-refredament no es controla, este depèn de la condició externa i de la transferència de calor al sub-refredador. Les bombes de calor es van assajar a diferents temperatures de l'aigua a l'entrada de l'evaporador (10ºC a 35ºC) i a l'entrada del condensador (10ºC a 55ºC), mentre que la temperatura de producció d'aigua, normalment, es fixa a 60¿C. Els resultats obtinguts han demostrat que el COP depèn molt del sub-refredament. En les condicions nominals (20ºC/15ºC per a la temperatura de l'aigua d'entrada/eixida a l'evaporador i 10ºC/60ºC per a la temperatura de l'aigua d'entrada/eixida en el condensador), el sub-refredament òptim és aproximadament de 43 K amb un COP d'escalfament de 5,61, que és al voltant del 31% més alt que el mateix cicle treballant sense sub-refredament. A més, el sistema amb sub-refredament ha provat de forma experimental, que és capaç de produir aigua fins als 90ºC, i ha mostrat un COP més alt que alguns productes comercials que treballen amb CO2 (dades de referència del catàleg).Pitarch I Mocholí, M. (2017). High capacity heat pump development for sanitary hot water production [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/81858TESI

Study of different subcooling control strategies in order to enhance the performance of a heat pump

[EN] The performance of vapor-compression systems working with subcritical refrigerants varies with the degree of subcooling. There is an optimal subcooling that maximizes efficiency. However, it depends on the operating conditions and the control of the system needs to be adapted. Most of the works available in literature are able to operate in optimal conditions only at the design point or if a system is designed to be able to adapt its subcooling, only complex control algorithms that usually are difficult to set and time-costly, are used. This work focuses on the study of the main variables influencing the optimal subcooling and analyzes two different control methodologies from the theoretical point of view. Based on the theoretical study a final control strategy is selected and tested experimentally. The reliability, stability and robustness of the selected strategy are experimentally demonstrated for a wide set of operating conditions. (c) 2018 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.Part of the work presented was carried by Estefania Hervas Blasco with the financial support of a PhD scholarship from the Spanish government SFPI1500 x 074478XV0. The authors would like also to acknowledge the Spanish 'MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD', through the project. "MAXIMIZACION DE LA EFICIENCIA Y MINIMIZACION DEL IMPACTO AMBIENTAL DE BOMBAS DE CALOR PARA LA DESCARBONIZACION DE LA CALEFACCION/ACS EN LOS EDIFICIOS DECONSUMO CASI NULO" with the reference ENE2017-83665-C2-1-P for the given support.Hervas-Blasco, E.; Pitarch, M.; Navarro-Peris, E.; Corberán, JM. (2018). Study of different subcooling control strategies in order to enhance the performance of a heat pump. International Journal of Refrigeration. 88:324-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2018.02.003S3243368

High Efficiency Heat Pump with Subcooling for Sanitary Hot Water Production Working with Propane

In the last decades the use of heat pumps are in increased due to its potential for high efficiency. They are considered an environmentally friendly technology, where a portion of the energy captured by a heat pump having an estimated average seasonal performance factor (SPF) higher than a reference value is considered as if it were obtained from renewable energy sources. For the specific case of domestic hot water production, where the water temperature lift is considerably high, e.g. 50K, transcritical cycles working with CO2 have focus most of the attention from the scientific community due to its high performance when working with high water temperature lift. The reason of this high performance, is the heat rejection process at gas cooler, which entails a high temperature glide in the refrigerant side, hence the temperature profile between the refrigerant and water side fits better for the transcritical CO2 than the cases where a two phase process takes place. The temperature profile of the refrigerant in a subcritical system can be modified by adding subcooling in order to obtain a similar effect that the CO2 transcritical cycles. In this way, the refrigerant temperature profile can be adapted to water temperature profile by means of subcooling, which will be higher for higher water temperature lift. Hence subcooling is a way to enhance the effectiveness of the condenser in a subcritical cycle. This paper presents the experimental results of a water to water heat pump for sanitary hot water production specially designed to work with large amount of subcooling, where the working fluid, is the natural refrigerant, propane. The results have shown a performance improvement up to 31% in heating COP, when working with subcooling compared with the same heat pump without subcooling.

Evaluation of different heat pump systems for sanitary hot water production using natural refrigerants

[EN] Heat pumps that work with a high degree of subcooling in subcritical systems have shown a significant margin of improvement when working with sanitary hot water applications. Recently, two different approaches to overcome the high degree of subcooling have been presented in the literature: with a subcooler (separate from the condenser) and by making all the subcooling in the condenser. In this paper, a comparative evaluation between both alternatives is presented, and the obtained results are compared with a representative solution already available on the market using natural refrigerants for this application. The results of this analysis have shown that in a system with subcooling in the condenser, it is possible to obtain a COP comparable to that of transcritical CO2 heat pump water heaters. Furthermore, the system with subcooling has been demonstrated experimentally as being capable of producing water up to 90ºC and has shown a COP up to 20% higher than some CO2 commercial products (catalogue data reference).This work has been developed in the Seventh Framework Program of the European Union by the project, Next Generation of Heat Pump Technologies (NEXTGHP), grant agreement 307169. The authors thank the support given. Part of the work presented was carried by Miquel Pitarch-Mocholí with the financial support of a PhD scholarship from the Universitat Politècnica de València. The authors would like also to acknowledge the Spanish ‘MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA Y COMPETITIVIDAD’, through the project ref-ENE2014-53311-C2-1-P-AR ‘‘Aprovechamiento del calor residual a baja temperatura mediante bombas de calor para la produccion de agua caliente” for the given supportPitarch, M.; Navarro-Peris, E.; Gonzálvez-Maciá, J.; Corberán, JM. (2017). Evaluation of different heat pump systems for sanitary hot water production using natural refrigerants. Applied Energy. 190:911-919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.12.166S91191919

Bacterial lysis through interference with peptidoglycan synthesis increases biofilm formation by nontypeable haemophilus influenzae

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an opportunistic pathogen that mainly causes otitis media in children and community-acquired pneumonia or exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. A large variety of studies suggest that biofilm formation by NTHi may be an important step in the pathogenesis of this bacterium. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in this process are poorly elucidated. In this study, we used a transposon mutant library to identify bacterial genes involved in biofilm formation. The growth and biofilm formation of 4,172 transposon mutants were determined, and the involvement of the identified genes in biofilm formation was validated in in vitro experiments. Here, we present experimental data showing that increased bacterial lysis, through interference with peptidoglycan synthesis, results in elevated levels of extracellular DNA, which increased biofilm formation. Interestingly, similar results were obtained with subinhibitory concentrations of β-lactam antibiotics, known to interfere with peptidoglycan synthesis, but such an effect does not appear with other classes of antibiotics. These results indicate that treatment with β-lactam antibiotics, especially for β-lactam-resistant NTHi isolates, might increase resistance to antibiotics by increasing biofilm formation

The incidence of clinical fractures in adults aged 50 years and older in Spain

Objective. The aim of this study was to quantify the incidence of all clinical fractures, including traumatic and fragility fractures, in patients aged 50 years and older, and to describe their distribution by fracture location, sex and age. Methods. The incidence of clinical fractures at 10 hospitals in Catalonia, with a reference population of 3 155 000 inhabitants, was studied. For 1 week, from 30 May to 5 June 2016, we reviewed the discharge reports of the Traumatology section of the Emergency Department to identify all fractures diagnosed in patients ≥50 years of age. As a validation technique, data collection was carried out for 1 year at one of the centres, from 1 December 2015 to 30 November 2016. The fracture incidence, including the 95% CI, was estimated for the entire sample and grouped by fracture type, location, sex and age. Results. A total of 283 fractures were identified. Seventy per cent were in women, with a mean age of 72 years. The overall fracture incidence was 11.28 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 11.10, 11.46), with an incidence of traumatic and fragility fractures of 4.15 (95% CI: 4.04, 4.26) and 7.13 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 6.99, 7.28), respectively. The incidence of fractures observed in the validation sample coincided with that estimated for the whole of Catalonia. The most common fragility fractures were of the hip, forearm, humerus and vertebrae. Conclusion. The results of this study are the first to estimate the incidence of clinical fragility fractures in Spain, grouped by location, age and sex

Withdrawal of infliximab therapy in ankylosing spondylitis in persistent clinical remission, results from the REMINEA study

Altres ajuts: This work is conducted under the umbrella of the Rheumatology Society of Catalonia and supported by Merck Research Laboratories.Background: Recent data suggest that anti-TNF doses can be reduced in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Some authors even propose withdrawing treatment in patients in clinical remission; however, at present there is no evidence to support this. Objective: To assess how long AS patients with persistent clinical remission remained free of flares after anti-TNF withdrawal and to evaluate the effects of treatment reintroduction. We also analyze the characteristics of patients who did not present clinical relapse. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, observational study of a cohort of patients with active AS who had received infliximab as a first anti-TNF treatment and who presented persistent remission (more than 6 months). We recorded at baseline and every 6-8 weeks over the 12-month period the age, gender, disease duration, peripheral arthritis or enthesitis, HLA-B27 status, BASDAI, CRP, ESR, BASFI, and three visual analogue scales, spine global pain, spinal night time pain, and patient's global assessment. Results: Thirty-six out of 107 patients (34%) presented persistent remission and were included in our study. After treatment withdrawal, 21 of these 36 patients (58%) presented clinical relapse during follow-up. Infliximab therapy was reintroduced and only 52% achieved clinical remission, as they had before the discontinuation of infliximab; in an additional 10%, reintroduction of infliximab was ineffective, obliging us to change the anti-TNF therapy. No clinical or biological factors were associated with the occurrence of relapse during the follow-up. Conclusions: Two thirds of patients in clinical remission presented clinical relapse shortly after infliximab withdrawal. Although the reintroduction of infliximab treatment was safe, half of the patients did not present the same clinical response that they had achieved prior to treatment withdrawal

Reference intervals for bone turnover markers in Spanish premenopausal women

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to establish robust reference intervals and to investigate the factors influencing bone turnover markers (BTMs) in healthy premenopausal Spanish women. METHODS: A total of 184 women (35-45 years) from 13 centers in Catalonia were analyzed. Blood and second void urine samples were collected between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. after an overnight fast. Serum procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP) and serum cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I) were measured by two automated assays (Roche and IDS), bone alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP) by ELISA, osteocalcin (OC) by IRMA and urinary NTX-I by ELISA. PTH and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were measured. All participants completed a questionnaire on lifestyle factors. RESULTS: Reference intervals were: PINP: 22.7-63.1 and 21.8-65.5 μg/L, bone ALP: 6.0-13.6 μg/L, OC: 8.0-23.0 μg/L, CTX-I: 137-484 and 109-544 ng/L and NTX-I: 19.6-68.9 nM/mM. Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) influenced PINP (p=0.007), and low body mass index (BMI) was associated with higher BTMs except for bone ALP. Women under 40 had higher median values of most BTMs. CTX-I was influenced by calcium intake (p=0.010) and PTH (p=0.007). 25OHD levels did not influence BTMs. Concordance between the two automated assays for PINP and particularly CTX-I was poor. CONCLUSIONS: Robust reference intervals for BTMs in a Southern European country are provided. The effects of OCPs and BMI on their levels are significant, whilst serum 25OHD levels did not influence BTMs. Age, calcium intake, BMI and PTH influenced CTX-I. The two automated assays for measuring PINP and CTX-I are not interchangeable

DVINO: A RISC-V vector processor implemented in 65nm technology

This paper describes the design, verification, implementation and fabrication of the Drac Vector IN-Order (DVINO) processor, a RISC-V vector processor capable of booting Linux jointly developed by BSC, CIC-IPN, IMB-CNM (CSIC), and UPC. The DVINO processor includes an internally developed two-lane vector processor unit as well as a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) and an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC). The paper summarizes the design from architectural as well as logic synthesis and physical design in CMOS 65nm technology.The DRAC project is co-financed by the European Union Regional Development Fund within the framework of the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014-2020 with a grant of 50% of total eligible cost. The authors are part of RedRISCV which promotes activities around open hardware. The Lagarto Project is supported by the Research and Graduate Secretary (SIP) of the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN) from Mexico, and by the CONACyT scholarship for Center for Research in Computing (CIC-IPN).Peer ReviewedArticle signat per 43 autors/es: Guillem Cabo∗, Gerard Candón∗, Xavier Carril∗, Max Doblas∗, Marc Domínguez∗, Alberto González∗, Cesar Hernández†, Víctor Jiménez∗, Vatistas Kostalampros∗, Rubén Langarita∗, Neiel Leyva†, Guillem López-Paradís∗, Jonnatan Mendoza∗, Francesco Minervini∗, Julian Pavón∗, Cristobal Ramírez∗, Narcís Rodas∗, Enrico Reggiani∗, Mario Rodríguez∗, Carlos Rojas∗, Abraham Ruiz∗, Víctor Soria∗, Alejandro Suanes‡, Iván Vargas∗, Roger Figueras∗, Pau Fontova∗, Joan Marimon∗, Víctor Montabes∗, Adrián Cristal∗, Carles Hernández∗, Ricardo Martínez‡, Miquel Moretó∗§, Francesc Moll∗§, Oscar Palomar∗§, Marco A. Ramírez†, Antonio Rubio§, Jordi Sacristán‡, Francesc Serra-Graells‡, Nehir Sonmez∗, Lluís Terés‡, Osman Unsal∗, Mateo Valero∗§, Luís Villa† // ∗Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain. Email: [email protected]; †Centro de Investigación en Computación, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CIC-IPN), Mexico City, Mexico; ‡ Institut de Microelectronica de Barcelona, IMB-CNM (CSIC), Spain. Email: [email protected]; §Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC), Barcelona, Spain. Email: [email protected] (author's final draft

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio