Heat and solar pumps: How to effectively associate these two technologies?

Batirama.com 09/14/20200

The European Sunhorizon program aims to integrate into buildings, different kinds of innovative heat pumps, using all the energy of the sun, thermal and photovoltaic.

Funded by the European Union as part of its strategy for heating and refreshing buildings, the Sunhorizon program brings together 20 partners, including 8 industrialists, and has aroused the realization of 8 experiments, dispersed through Europe.

Sunhorizon examines three pillars of the development of new technical solutions: optimization of the design, engineering and manufacturing of technologies used in the 8 projects, the implementation of an intelligent measurement solution for each project, theDevelopment of a control/order solution capable of arbitrating between technical choices to guarantee comfort, minimize energy consumption and GHG emissions for each installation.

20 partners and 10 retained industrialists

Among the 20 project participants, the 10 industrial partners selected are:

The coordination of the Sunhorizon program is taken care of by Rina, an Italian engineering and control specialist.Rina recently supervised the design and reconstruction of the Genoa viaduct.

The other partners are either research centers, such as CEA-Liten, Italian Itae or Cartif Spanish, or regional authorities responsible for promoting renewable energy (ENR).The EHPA (European Heatpump Association, a European Association of Heat Pumps) also participates in the Sunhorizon project.

The solar thermal panels vacuum plans of the Swiss TVP Solar produce water from 60 to 200 ° C.They are above all used in industry.The participation of TVP Solar in the Sunhorizon program should allow it to assess the interest of its panels for building applications.© TVP Solar

Several technologies in 8 projects

Sunhorizon has combined various technologies in 8 projects across Europe.David Chèze, from CEA Liten, recently presented them in a webarium devoted to the advancement of the Sunhorizon program.All buildings are first seized and modeled in the "Virtual Environment" software suite.

The first two projects relate to the combination of high temperature solar panels, storage tank and PAC Boostheat.Boostheat PAC operates on natural gas.The Sunhorizon program calls for this TP1 association for Technological Package 1. The program has 3 other technological packages, developed further.

The first project, on a house of 200 m² housing two dwellings in Berlin and dating from the beginning of the 20th century, associates 10 m² of thermal solar collectors Plans of TVP Solar on the roof, a ratiootherm storage ball of 800 l and one20 kW boostheat boiler.The panels warm the storage which preheat cold sanitary water for the production of DHWs and warms the return of the heating circuit.

The PAC Boostheat provides the heat supplement for heating and DHW.In summer, the surplus solar heat is dissipated by the aerorefrigerant (DRY-COOLER) associated with the CAP.The annual building needs are valued at 25.2 MWh for heating and 4.5 MWh for DHW.The installation allowed an energy saving of 36% GHG (greenhouse gas).

The second project is a large tertiary building built in 2,3006 in Verviers in Belgium which houses a municipal sports center.To cover the annual needs of 250 MWh for heating and 9.8 MWh for the DHW, 220 m² of TVP Solar sensors have been set up on the roof, coupled with a 10,000 L ratiootherm heat storage and supported byTwo 20 kW bootsheat PAC of unit power.

The preliminary result is a 26% reduction in GHG emissions compared to the condensing gas boilers installed before.As heat needs are important, existing boilers are maintained and integrated in series with new equipment.Solar panels cover most of the annual needs, supported by the two CAPs when needs exceed the thermal power of solar panels.The existing boilers intervene as a rescue at the height of winter.

The Dualsun hybrid panels received the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label in early 2020. Dualsun inaugurated a new production line for Spring hybrid panels in its Jujurieux factory in the Ain.This investment was partly funded by the future investment program.© Dualsun

Three projects with Dualsun hybrid solar panels

The third project, under the supervision of the Technical University of Riga, relates to two individual houses in Riga built in 2013, of 265.2 and 234.9 m², associates 58 m² of mixed dualsun panels placed on the ground, two balls of400 and 700 L ratiotherm storage and a 20 kW boostheat PAC.This system is baptized TP2.

For annual heat needs evaluated at 34.5 MWh for heating and 2.9 MWh for DHW, as well as annual electricity needs of 4.4 MWh, the reduction in GHG production reaches 41%.The electricity provided by the Dualsun panels is used directly for the production of DHWs in one of the ratiotherm balloons, the surplus is sold to the network.

The fourth project also uses TP2 for a 4,500 m² swimming pool in Verviers in Belgium.For an annual heat request evaluated at 298 MWh for the heating of the pool water, 402 m² of Dualsun hybrid panels (228 kwth and 68 kwel) are installed on the roof, as well as two water storage of 400 and10,000 L and two 20 kW boostheat PAC.Almost all (99.27%) of the electricity produced on site is self-consumed by ventilation, pumps, lighting and, possibly, direct DHW heating.Existing gas boilers are preserved.The reduction of GHG emissions reaches 31%.

The TP2 solution was also implemented in the 5th project, in Nuremberg in Germany, in a collective building, dating from the beginning of the 20th century.The annual needs evaluated at 82.5 MWh for heating, 6.8 MWh for the DHW and 43 MWh of electricity are covered by 75 m² of Dualsun panels on the roof, two ratiotherm balloons of 400 l each and two PAC Boostheat20 kW.The storage temperature in the ratiotherm balloons reaches 85 ° C, only thanks to the thermal part of the Dualsun panels.The electricity produced on site is self -consumed as much as possible.The reduction in GHG emissions reaches 48%.

The Fahrenheit adsorption heat pump produces both heat and cold.It needs a relatively low temperature of 60 to 80 ° C to regenerate its adsorbent and maintain the adsorption/desorption cycle.© Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit adsorption heat pump

The sixth project operates the “TP3” technological scheme: TVP solar thermal solar panels to supply the heat compressor of the adsorption heat pump fahrenheit https://fahrenheit.cool/ used as chiller, with ratiotherm storage.To Sant Cugat del Vallès, near Barcelona in Spain, a civic center saw the installation of 220 m² of solar panels TVP Solar, connected to a ratiotherm storage of 10,000 L and a cold group with adsorption of 50 kw of fahrenheit.This new installation is coupled with an electric compression chiller of 93 kW of cold power.The reduction of GHG emissions reaches 35%.

The cold circuit at 7 ° C from the Fahrenheit PAC is connected to the return of the circuit supplying the CTAs (air treatment plants).The solar panels directly supply the CTAs at 95 ° C, before mixing, in winter.They also produce ECS at 40 ° C.

In a Fahrenheit Adsorption PAC, the adsorbent used is silica gel.The vector is water.Contributed in a tank at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, the water evaporates and is adsorbed by the silica gel.Adsorption produces heat on the adsorbent side and, simultaneously, cold in the water tank.When the adsorbent is saturated with water vapor, adsorption stops.To regenerate the adsorbent, heat from solar panels or a gas burner is applied to it.The water vapor is offset, condenses again by releasing heat, recovered by the CAP.A new cycle can start.

Among the technical patterns tested by the Sunhorizon program, the combination of heat pumps with electrical air/water compression BDR Thermea with Dualsun hybrid panels and Ratiotherm storage has given the best result in terms of reducing gas emissionsSerre, reduction in energy consumption and reduction in operating costs.© Bdr Thermea

TP4: compression heat pumps associated with Dualsun hybrid solar panels

The latest technological scheme or TP4 combines Dualsun hybrid panels with ratiotherm storage and reversible heat pumps with electric BDR Thermea.TP4 was deployed in a collective building of 10 dwellings, renovated in Madrid.The annual needs of 35.5 MWh for heating, 83.8 MWh for refreshment and 5.5 MWh for DHWs are supported by 50 m² of Duasun hybrid panels installed on the roof, two Ratiotherm storage - 10,000L for heating and refreshment, 13,000 L for domestic hot water - and 3 air/water CAP BDR Thermea of 35.3 kW heating and 27 kW cold.

The radiators were replaced by ventiloconvectors to support heating and refreshment.The two ratiotherm balloons play the role of energy storage.The Dualsun panels and PACs feed them directly for both heating and refreshing and for DHW production.The electricity produced on site is self -consumed for domestic apartments and for the supply of the various circulators of the installation and the BDR Thermea PAC.

This TP4 installation is the one whose result is the most spectacular: 69% reduction in GHG emissions.The same TP4 scheme, with a variant, was also installed in a detached house in San Lorenço, near Barcelona.Dualsun's hybrid panels are replaced by separate solar panels - PV and thermal - supplied by BDR Thermea.

The installation of San Lorenço has 9 m² of PV panels and 4 m² of thermal solar panels, two ratiotherm balloons of 200 L for heating and refreshment, 150 L for the DHW and a reversible PAC Air/water BDR Thermea of 11KW.The reduction in greenhouse gases reaches 31% compared to the previous solution made up of a CAP in a fuel oil boiler.

In terms of reducing energy consumption, all of these experimental sites come to decreases of 32 to 70% (Madrid site) and annual operating cost reductions from 21 to 85%.

Source: Batirama.com / Pascal Poggi