Antoine Leconte

Energy Consumption Estimation in Different Climates of a Solar Combisystem Combined with an Absorption Chiller

Currently there is no global approach to model then characterize solar thermal systems for building application. Results of the existing approaches are valid only for specific conditions (climate and thermal building properties). In a previous study a generic methodology to model solar combisystems (SCS) was developed. This methodology was applied to predict the energy consumption of two kinds of systems: SCS combined with a gas boiler and SCS combined with a heat pump. In the current paper, an extension of the methodology to SCS combined with an absorption chiller is presented. The methodology is based on the development of an artificial neural network (ANN) that models the dynamic of the system. The developed neural models were able to predict, with a good precision degree, the annual energy performance of the system in different climates based on a learning sequence of only 12 days. The satisfactory results emphasize the generic character of the methodology and show that it could be used, in the future, as an energy performance evaluation tool. Also, the proposed approach will be helpful in the context of energy performance guarantees.

Towards an Harmonized Whole System Test Method for Combined Renewable Heating Systems for Houses

The objective of this work is the development of harmonized efficiency test methods for combined renewable heating systems for houses, using a hardware-in-the-loop approach. An overview of the principles of the existing whole system test methods used by 3 research institutes involved in the project (MacSheep 2012) is given. Main objectives are realistic dynamic test sequence elaboration for solar and heat pump systems and comparison of results from tests achieved in different institutes. In order to reach these objectives, the first phase of the work aimed to harmonize the boundary conditions that comprise both the physical boundaries of the tested system as well as the climate and heat load definition, and this is presented in the first part of the article. The second part presents two methodologies to elaborate 12-days and 6-days whole system test sequences, validation results for solar and air source heat pump systems (SHP) and a methodology for achieving equal amount of space heat supplied by the tested system while at the same time providing a realistic response of the heat distribution system.

On the Use of the FSAV/FSC Characterization to Monitor and Guarantee the Solar Results of Combisystems

The FSC method enables to characterize combisystems performances thanks to a simple quadratic curve. This characteristic curve could be used to guarantee annual performances of a system and to control its proper functioning. This would raise interest and trust of users in such systems. This paper introduces how to use measured data with the FSC method in order to monitor the combisystem, estimate its annual performance during the system operation, compare the guaranteed and estimated annual performances and finally check the actual performance realized. The proposed algorithm is tested using many detailed yearly simulations of a combisystem. Key-words: Solar Combisystems, Guarantee of Solar Results, Monitoring