Air conditioning cost calculation device for refrigeration facilities, air conditioning cost calculation method, and program

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for calculating air-conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility, a method of calculating air-conditioning costs, and a program therefor which can efficiently and quickly calculate air-conditioning costs required for setting an optimal heat-insulation specification in a refrigeration facility.SOLUTION: An apparatus 10 for calculating air-conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility has a storage unit 103 and an air-conditioning cost calculating unit 101. The storage unit 103 stores basic information data such as a basic heat-insulation specification and basic heat-insulation thickness, room specification information data such as heat-insulation thickness between each room and rooms adjacent to the room at the left and right sides and / or at the upper and lower and left and right sides, heat-insulation specification data such as heat-insulation thickness which represents heat-insulation specifications of plural kinds, and power unit cost data in a plurality of temperature ranges relating to a set temperature. The air-conditioning cost calculating unit 101 calculates annual air-conditioning costs for each room and annual air-conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility based on the basic information data, the room specification information data, the heat-insulation specification data, and the power unit cost data stored in the storage unit 103.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an air conditioning cost calculation device, an air conditioning cost calculation method, and a program for a refrigeration facility. [Background technology]

[0002] When calculating the heat load and air conditioning costs of a building, it is necessary to input building information and air conditioner information using commercially available heat load simulation software, but this input work takes several hours to several days. Since this building information needs to be changed whenever the building plan or specifications are changed, it takes time and effort especially in the early design stage when the design may be changed significantly, and there is a problem that it is difficult to use the heat load simulation software, including the corresponding cost. In addition, commercially available heat load simulation software only outputs the heat load result for the input contents, and does not judge whether it is appropriate in terms of cost. In other words, when a user tries to set the optimal insulation specifications for a refrigeration facility based on the air conditioning costs, a process is performed in which a heat load simulation is performed for each of the multiple insulation specifications available in the options, the cost of each is calculated, and then the insulation specifications are determined, which takes a lot of time and effort to set the insulation specifications.

[0003] If the building is a refrigeration facility, there will be multiple rooms with different set temperatures within the facility, and the performance and efficiency of the air conditioner applied for each set temperature will vary significantly. Therefore, various parameters will be applied when determining whether the insulation specifications are appropriate, and the issue of the time and effort required for heat load simulation will become even more pronounced.

[0004] For the reasons mentioned above, there is a need for the development of an air conditioning cost calculation device and an air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility that can efficiently and as quickly as possible calculate the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications for a refrigeration facility.

[0005] Here, an air conditioning equipment operation system has been proposed that makes it possible to reduce the running cost of an air conditioning equipment by operating the air conditioning equipment using a public line, etc. Specifically, an equipment information database in which equipment characteristic data of equipment constituting the air conditioning equipment is stored, a fuel and electricity rate database in which price and fee data of gas, oil, electricity, etc. is stored, an air conditioning equipment simulator that calculates the running cost using the equipment characteristic and price database and the data of the fuel and electricity rate database, a management server equipped with a communication means for communicating via the network, and an air conditioning equipment management control device that manages and controls the air conditioning equipment equipped with a communication means for communicating via the network are connected to a network, an operation plan is created in the management server, the operation plan is transmitted to the air conditioning equipment management control device that controls the air conditioning equipment via the network, and the air conditioning equipment is controlled and operated according to the operation plan created by the management server (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-120982 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Although the air conditioning equipment operation system described in Patent Document 1 can reduce the running costs of the air conditioning equipment, it does not propose an air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility that can address the above-mentioned problem, i.e., efficiently and as quickly as possible, calculate the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications in a refrigeration facility.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an air conditioning cost calculation device and an air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility that can efficiently and as quickly as possible calculate the air conditioning costs required when setting optimal insulation specifications for a refrigeration facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention is to An air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigeration room, a freezer room, and a handling room, A storage unit and an air conditioning cost calculation unit, The storage unit includes: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; electricity unit price data for each of a plurality of temperature ranges related to the set temperature is stored; The air conditioning cost calculation unit calculates the annual air conditioning cost for each room and the annual air conditioning cost for the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on the basic information data in the storage unit, the room specification information data, the insulation specification data, and the electricity unit price data.

[0010] According to the present embodiment, basic information data, room specification information data, insulation specification data, and electricity unit price data are stored in the storage unit, and the annual air conditioning costs for the multiple rooms that make up the refrigeration facility are calculated based on this data, and further the annual air conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility are calculated, so that the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications for the refrigeration facility can be calculated efficiently and as quickly as possible.

[0011] Here, the phrase "having at least two or more types of rooms among a refrigerator room, a freezer room, and a cargo handling room" means that the freezer facility has all three types of rooms, a refrigerator room, a freezer room, and a cargo handling room, has two types of rooms, a cargo handling room and a refrigerator room, and has two types of rooms, a cargo handling room and a freezer room. The "basic information data" includes "basic insulation specifications," "basic insulation thickness," "room name of each room," and "set temperature, floor area, and ceiling height of each room." The "basic insulation specifications" include insulation panels and urethane foam commercially available from panel manufacturers, and are configured to allow users to select one of them, which increases user convenience. On the other hand, the "basic insulation thickness" sets which standard to be adopted because the recommended insulation thickness based on the set temperature (including the relative temperature with respect to adjacent rooms) may differ depending on the panel manufacturer, the Japan Society of Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE), etc., and is configured to allow users to select one of them, which increases user convenience. On the other hand, the "room name" includes the handling room, refrigeration room, freezer room, etc. that make up the refrigeration facility, and can also be considered a load pattern.

[0012] The "room specification information data" includes "adjacent rooms adjacent to the left and right and / or above, below, left and right of each room", "insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room", "heat load information of each room", "refrigeration unit information of each room", etc. If the refrigeration facility is a single-story building, adjacent rooms may exist on the left and right of each room, and if it is a multi-story building, adjacent rooms may exist on the top, bottom, left and right of each room. Each room may have a wall surface (insulation material) adjacent to the outside or a floor surface (insulation material) adjacent to the attic. Meanwhile, the "insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room" is automatically set to the insulation thickness recommended by the panel manufacturer, etc., which corresponds to the "basic insulation thickness" selected in the basic information data. Furthermore, the "heat load information of each room" includes the working time and number of people in the room, the mechanical load, the lighting load, etc. Meanwhile, the "refrigeration unit information of each room" includes the set temperature range of the room, the rated COP (Coefficient Of Performance), etc.

[0013] The "insulation specification data" includes a plurality of insulation specifications, such as insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, unit price, etc., and insulation panels and urethane foam, etc. each have a plurality of insulation thicknesses, and the thermal conductivity, heat transfer coefficient, unit price, etc. are set for each insulation thickness. The "electricity unit price data" includes electricity unit price data for a plurality of temperature ranges related to the set temperature, and more specifically, since the electricity unit price differs depending on the construction area of ​​the refrigeration facility, it is desirable that when the construction area is entered in the above "basic information data", the electricity unit price according to both the area and the set temperature is automatically set.

[0014] The air conditioning cost calculation section calculates the annual air conditioning cost for each room based on the electricity cost, the annual total heat load of the chiller, the chiller's coefficient of performance, etc., and then calculates the annual air conditioning cost for the chiller facility, which is the sum of these.

[0015] The various data required when calculating air conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility are stored in the storage unit, but when calculations are made by the air conditioning cost calculation unit, rather than the data being stored by the user inputting all of the data anew, options are provided for each parameter, and there are many parameters that are automatically entered into the storage unit when selected by the user, so this type of air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility is particularly suitable for calculating air conditioning costs in the early design stages.

[0016] In another aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention, the air conditioning cost calculation unit calculates the air conditioning costs for each of the specifications, which may differ in the recommended insulation thickness, the insulation panel manufacturer specifications, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specifications, and the life cycle cost specifications that minimize the life cycle cost over a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility.

[0017] According to the present embodiment, by calculating the air conditioning costs for each of the specifications, which may differ in the recommended insulation thickness, such as the insulation panel manufacturer specifications, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specifications, and the life cycle cost specifications that minimize the life cycle cost (LCC) over a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility (e.g., a 10-year LCC specification), it becomes possible to set optimal insulation specifications taking into account the air conditioning costs.

[0018] Another aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention is characterized in that it further has a life cycle cost specification setting unit that calculates the life cycle cost for a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility based on the calculated air conditioning cost, a cooling equipment cost related to the cooling equipment applied to the refrigeration facility, and an insulation material cost related to the insulation material that constitutes the refrigeration facility, and specifies the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost.

[0019] According to this aspect, by further having a life cycle cost specification setting unit, it is possible to calculate the air conditioning cost in the life cycle cost specification that minimizes the life cycle cost in the set number of years of use of the refrigeration facility. Here, there are various LCCs for the number of years of use of the refrigeration facility, such as 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, and 40 years, and the LCC is appropriately selected according to the number of years of use of the refrigeration facility to be designed. Note that the cooling equipment cost related to the cooling equipment and the insulation cost related to the insulation material constituting the refrigeration facility (both are initial costs) increase as the number of years of LCC increases, while the air conditioning cost (an example of running cost) decreases as the number of years of LCC increases, so that when it is desired to suppress the initial cost, an LCC with a short number of years of use, for example, 10 years, can be selected.

[0020] In addition, in another aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention, the basic insulation specification is automatically input as the insulation specification between the room and the adjacent room, The method is characterized in that the basic insulation thickness is automatically input as the insulation thickness between the room and the adjacent room.

[0021] According to this aspect, the basic insulation specification is automatically input as the insulation specification between a room and an adjacent room, and the basic insulation thickness is automatically input as the insulation thickness between a room and an adjacent room, thereby improving user convenience. The automatically input insulation specification and insulation thickness can be changed by the user as necessary.

[0022] In another aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention, the room specification information data further includes information on items stored in each room, The incoming goods information includes the incoming goods type, incoming goods rate, incoming goods amount, incoming goods temperature, and cooling time per day.

[0023] According to the present embodiment, by further including information on the items stored in each room in the room specification information data, it becomes possible to calculate the thermal load with even greater accuracy and to calculate the annual air conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility with greater accuracy based on this thermal load.

[0024] In addition, one aspect of the method for calculating air conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention is to A method for calculating air conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigeration room, a freezer room, and a handling room, comprising: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; The method is characterized by having an air conditioning cost calculation process that calculates the annual air conditioning cost for each room and the annual air conditioning cost for the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on electricity price data for each of a plurality of temperature zones related to the set temperature.

[0025] According to the present embodiment, the annual air conditioning costs for the multiple rooms that make up a refrigeration facility are calculated based on basic information data, room specification information data, insulation specification data, and electricity unit price data, and the annual air conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility are further calculated, so that the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications for the refrigeration facility can be calculated efficiently and as quickly as possible.

[0026] In addition, another aspect of the air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility according to the present invention is to calculate the air conditioning costs for each of the specifications, which may differ in the recommended insulation thickness, the insulation panel manufacturer specification, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specification, and the life cycle cost specification that minimizes the life cycle cost for a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility, In calculating the air conditioning costs for the life cycle cost specifications, the life cycle cost is calculated based on the calculated air conditioning costs, the cooling equipment cost related to the cooling equipment applied to the refrigeration facility, and the insulation cost related to the insulation material that constitutes the refrigeration facility, and the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost is identified.

[0027] According to this aspect, by calculating the air conditioning costs for each specification, which may have different recommended insulation thicknesses, including the insulation panel manufacturer specifications, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specifications, and the life cycle cost specification that minimizes the life cycle cost over a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility, it becomes possible to set optimal insulation specifications taking into account the air conditioning costs.

[0028] Moreover, one aspect of the program according to the present invention is A program for causing a computer to execute the following process in a freezing facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigerator room, a freezer room, and a handling room, which calculates the annual air conditioning cost of each room and the annual air conditioning cost of the freezing facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; The method is characterized by executing an air conditioning cost calculation process that calculates the annual air conditioning cost for each room and the annual air conditioning cost for the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on electricity price data for each of a plurality of temperature zones related to the set temperature.

[0029] According to this aspect, a program installed on a personal computer or the like calculates the annual air conditioning costs for multiple rooms that make up a refrigeration facility based on basic information data, room specification information data, insulation specification data, and electricity unit price data, and further calculates the annual air conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility, making it possible to efficiently and as quickly as possible calculate the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications for the refrigeration facility. Effect of the Invention

[0030] According to the air conditioning cost calculation device, air conditioning cost calculation method, and program for a refrigeration facility of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently and quickly calculate the air conditioning costs required for setting optimal insulation specifications for a refrigeration facility. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal equipped with an air conditioning cost calculation device according to an embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an air conditioning cost calculation device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of a refrigeration facility to be designed. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a basic information data registration screen. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of the insulation thickness recommended by a panel manufacturer, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an example of the insulation thickness recommended by the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an insulation specification data registration screen. [Figure 7] This is a flow chart for considering LCC minimization. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating the insulation performance that minimizes the LCC, where (a) is a diagram showing the relationship between insulation performance and cost, and (b) is a diagram showing the relationship between LCC and cost. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a grid search, which is an example of inverse analysis. [Figure 10]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a portion of an example of a room specification information data registration screen. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another part of the example of the room specification information data registration screen, showing an incoming item information data input field, a load pattern data input field, and a refrigeration unit information data input field. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an annual air conditioning cost calculation result list screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Hereinafter, an example of an air conditioning cost calculation device and an air conditioning cost calculation method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, substantially the same components are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

[0033] [Air conditioning cost calculation device and air conditioning cost calculation method according to the embodiment] An example of an air conditioning cost calculation device and an air conditioning cost calculation method according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 12. Here, Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal equipped with an air conditioning cost calculation device according to an embodiment, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the air conditioning cost calculation device according to an embodiment.

[0034] The user terminal 40 for calculating the annual air conditioning cost of the refrigeration facility is composed of a personal computer and has an air conditioning cost calculation device 10, a communication IF 20, and an input / output IF 30. The annual air conditioning cost of the refrigeration facility calculated by the air conditioning cost calculation device 10 is transmitted to other user terminals, a server device, etc. via the communication IF 20 and a network. For example, a system can be formed in which the annual air conditioning cost of the refrigeration facility calculated by the user terminal 40 owned by a house builder's designer is transmitted to a user terminal (not shown) owned by a customer user via a network, or transmitted to a server device (not shown) via a network, and the user terminal owned by the customer user accesses the server device to obtain the estimated results of the annual air conditioning cost, etc. The network constituting such a system includes a public network such as the Internet, a wireless network such as a mobile phone network, a dedicated network such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a LAN (Local Area Network), etc.

[0035] The input / output IF30 is an interface for inputting and outputting data between devices connected to the user terminal 40. For example, input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a touch panel or a mouse, and a microphone are connected to the input / output IF30. The user terminal 40 receives operation instructions from an operator who operates the input device via the input / output IF30. In addition, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal panel (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL panel (EL: Electroluminescence), a printer, a speaker, and other output devices are connected to the input / output IF30. For example, in the user terminal 40, the annual air conditioning cost of the refrigeration facility calculated by the CPU 11 of the air conditioning cost calculation device 10 is displayed on a display device constituting the input / output IF30.

[0036] The air conditioning cost calculation device 10 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, an NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 14, and an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) 15, etc., and each part is connected via a bus so that data can be sent and received.

[0037] The ROM 14 stores various programs and data used by the programs. The RAM 13 is used as a storage area for loading programs and a work area for the loaded programs. The CPU 11 is a central processing unit that performs overall control of the air conditioning cost calculation device 10, and realizes various functions by processing the programs loaded into the RAM 13. The HDD 15 stores programs and various data used by the programs. The NVRAM 12 stores various setting information and the like.

[0038] 2, the air conditioning cost calculation device 10 provides various functions of at least an air conditioning cost calculation unit 101, a life cycle cost specification setting unit 102, and a storage unit 103 by executing a program by a CPU 11. At least a part of the above processing functions may be provided by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like, and similarly, at least a part of the above processing functions may be a dedicated LSI (large scale integration) such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a numerical calculation processor, an image processing processor, or other digital circuits, or the like.

[0039] Next, with reference to Figs. 3 to 12, various data stored in the storage unit 103, a method for calculating air conditioning costs in the air conditioning cost calculation unit 101, and examples of calculated air conditioning costs will be described along with examples of screen displays on a personal computer including the air conditioning cost calculation device 10. Here, Fig. 3 is a plan view of an example of a refrigeration facility to be designed. Figs. 4, 6, and 10 are diagrams showing an example of a basic information data registration screen, an example of an insulation specification data registration screen, and a part of an example of an room specification information data registration screen, respectively. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another part of an example of a room specification information data registration screen following Fig. 10, and shows an example of input of inventory information data, an example of input of load pattern data, and an example of input of refrigeration unit information data.

[0040] Basic information data, room specification information data, insulation specification data, and electricity unit price data are stored in the storage unit 103 of the air conditioning cost calculation device 10. Here, an example of a refrigeration facility that is the subject of calculation of annual air conditioning costs will be described with reference to Fig. 3.

[0041] The refrigeration facility shown in Figure 3 has four rooms in total: a material handling room 1, refrigeration rooms 1 and 2, and a freezer room 1. Each room has its own set temperature, and in the example shown, material handling room 1 is set to 10°C, refrigeration rooms 1 and 2 are both set to 0°C, and freezer room 1 is set to -25°C.

[0042] In calculating the annual air conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility, the annual air conditioning costs for each room listed above are calculated, and the annual air conditioning costs for the refrigeration facility are calculated by adding up the annual air conditioning costs for each room.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 4, the basic information data registration screen 50 has input sections for property name 51a, inputter name 51b, city 52, electricity unit price 53, basic insulation specification 54, basic insulation thickness 55, and cost optimization 56.

[0044] The name of the refrigeration facility to be designed (including a provisional name) is input in the property name 51a, and the name of the calculator (designer) who calculates the annual air conditioning costs, etc. is input in the inputter name 51b.

[0045] City 52, which indicates the construction area of ​​the freezing facility, is displayed by a pull-down menu of prefectures or prefectural capitals, and one of them can be selected. Although not shown, electricity unit price data information for each region in the country is stored (set) as a list in storage unit 103, and the input information for city 52 is related to the electricity unit price that differs for each region, and is linked to the electricity unit price corresponding to the selected city. Therefore, by inputting city 52, electricity unit price 53 corresponding to city 52 is automatically input.

[0046] The basic insulation specifications 54 display multiple specifications with different recommended insulation thicknesses according to the set temperature (including the relative temperature with respect to the set temperature of the adjacent room) in a pull-down menu, and allow the user to select one of them. These basic insulation specifications include those of panel manufacturers (insulation specifications by the main major panel manufacturers, or insulation specifications by multiple major panel manufacturers), the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (JSRAE), and the like. Here, multiple specifications with different recommended insulation thicknesses will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of the insulation thickness recommended by a panel manufacturer, and FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing an example of the insulation thickness recommended by the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers.

[0047] The example of a freezing facility shown in the figure is equipped with one freezer room with a set temperature of -25°C, two refrigerator rooms with a set temperature of 0°C, and two handling rooms with a set temperature of 15°C. Each room is separated by insulation material, and the insulation thickness (unit: mm) recommended by the panel manufacturer is indicated in the center of each insulation material.

[0048] As is clear from comparing Figures 5(a) and (b), the recommended insulation thickness for both specifications is significantly different for each insulation material. This is because the basis for setting the insulation thickness is different for both specifications, based on factors such as the room's set temperature and the relative temperature to the set temperature of adjacent rooms. According to the example shown in Figure 5, the insulation thickness recommended by JSRAE tends to be thicker than that recommended by the panel manufacturer, and especially for the insulation material around the refrigerator compartment, the panel manufacturer's recommended insulation thickness is 42 mm, while JSRAE's recommended insulation thickness is 100 mm, more than twice as thick.

[0049] As the insulation thickness increases, the insulation performance of the insulation material increases, which leads to a reduction in air conditioning costs (running costs). However, since the initial cost of insulation materials is relatively high, the selection indexes that are emphasized vary depending on the intentions of the client building the refrigeration facility, such as when they want to suppress the initial cost or when they want to minimize the life cycle cost (LCC) (the sum of the initial cost (initial cost of equipment such as air conditioning costs, insulation materials, and refrigeration units) and the running cost). Furthermore, even within the LCC, the life cycle cost changes depending on the number of years the refrigeration facility will be used, such as 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, etc., and the indexes (initial cost, running cost) that minimize the LCC may also change.

[0050] In addition to air conditioning costs, running costs include water, electricity, and maintenance costs. However, in the case of a refrigeration facility, the proportion of air conditioning costs in the running costs is significant, so calculating air conditioning costs and setting the insulation specifications that determine these costs are extremely important elements in the design of the refrigeration facility.

[0051] Returning to Fig. 4, in the basic information data registration screen 50, a plurality of representative insulation materials (insulation specifications) as insulation materials for freezing facilities are displayed in a pull-down menu in the basic insulation thickness 55, and any one of them can be selected. Here, an example of a list of a plurality of insulation specifications is shown with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the insulation specification data registration screen.

[0052] The insulation specification data registration screen 70 shown in Fig. 6 shows that there are insulation panels (including non-combustible and fire-resistant), urethane foam, and polystyrene foam, and that each insulation material has a number of thicknesses, the thermal conductivity differs depending on the insulation material type, and the thermal transmission coefficient, unit price, sales price, etc. differ depending on the thickness for each insulation material type. Here, the insulation panel is a panel in which a surface material such as a steel plate, stainless steel plate, or fluorosteel plate is attached to the surface of a core material made of a hard urethane foam, polyisocyanurate foam, or the like.

[0053] Returning to Fig. 4, by setting the basic insulation specification 54 and basic insulation thickness 55, when inputting room specification information data, which will be described in detail below, the set basic insulation specification is automatically input as the insulation specification between the target room and its adjacent room, and the set basic insulation thickness is also automatically input as the insulation thickness between the target room and its adjacent room, thereby improving user convenience. Note that the automatically input insulation specification and insulation thickness can be changed by the user as necessary.

[0054] In the cost optimization 56 shown in Fig. 4, three types of years of use of the refrigeration facility that minimize the LCC can be set, for example, 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the LCC is set to 10 years. Here, an outline of a calculation method of insulation thickness considering the LCC will be explained with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a consideration flow diagram for minimizing (optimizing) the LCC, Fig. 8 is a diagram explaining a calculation method of insulation performance that minimizes the LCC, Fig. 8(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between insulation performance and cost, and Fig. 8(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between LCC and cost.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7, life cycle cost (LCC) is the sum of air conditioning costs, insulation material costs (insulation cost), and refrigeration equipment costs such as freezers (including air conditioners), which can change depending on the insulation performance of the ceiling, walls, and floor.The method of calculating the LCC each time while changing the insulation specifications with different insulation performance and considering the insulation specifications that minimize the LCC is a series of consideration flows for setting insulation specifications that minimize LCC.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the relationship between each cost and insulation performance, A: insulation cost, B: refrigeration equipment cost, C: running cost (represented by air conditioning costs), shows a curve where A tends to increase as insulation performance improves, while B and C show curves where they tend to decrease. As shown in FIG. 8(b), A+B+C, which indicates the LCC, shows a curve where the cost is minimized for a certain insulation performance, but as described above, the LCC for each insulation performance (insulation specification) is calculated, and the insulation performance where the LCC is minimized is specified. Returning to FIG. 4, by setting an LCC of 10 years in cost optimization 56, the insulation specification that minimizes the LCC of 10 years is set.

[0057] The setting of the insulation specification that minimizes the LCC of 10 years is executed by the life cycle cost specification setting unit 102 shown in Fig. 2. In the life cycle cost specification setting unit 102, the life cycle cost is calculated by the following formula (1).

[0058]

number

[0059] The above method is a method based on forward analysis (a method of obtaining output from input) in which the parameters A (insulation cost), B (refrigeration equipment cost), and C (running cost represented by air conditioning costs) that determine the LCC are set and the LCC is obtained. However, this forward analysis requires time because each parameter is set in sequence and the LCC is obtained each time, and the minimum LCC is identified from the many LCCs obtained. On the other hand, in the refrigeration equipment to be analyzed, the commercial materials and specifications available are limited, so the parameter ranges of the parameters A, B, and C can be limited, and as a result, the insulation performance can be limited to a certain range. Therefore, by using a method based on inverse analysis (a method of obtaining input from output), it is possible to identify the minimum LCC (and each parameter at that time) in as short a time as possible, and the minimum LCC and the corresponding insulation specifications can also be identified by this inverse analysis by the life cycle cost specification setting unit 102.

[0060] The LCC can be calculated using the above formula (1), but since both the LCC (Y) and the insulation performance (X), which is the performance of the insulation specification, are unknown, it is necessary to estimate the unknowns. Methods for estimating the unknowns include Bayesian estimation, which is used when using statistical values, the finite element method (FEM), which calculates an approximate solution using partial differential equations, the adjoint variable method used in CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis, etc., and grid search, which finds a solution by applying possible values. However, when identifying the minimum LCC and each parameter that determines it, the application of grid search is preferable because the parameter range is limited.

[0061] Here, a method of identifying the minimum LCC and the parameters that determine it, that is, a method of identifying a solution, by grid search will be outlined with reference to Fig. 9. Here, Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining grid search, which is an example of inverse analysis.

[0062] LCC(Y) is calculated by the above parameters A (insulation cost), B (refrigeration equipment cost), and C (running cost represented by air conditioning cost), as shown in the figure, for example, Y=t1X 4 +t2X 3 +t3X 2 +t4X+t5. Because the range of heat transmission coefficient that indicates thermal insulation performance is limited, the thermal insulation performance range (X range) in the graph can be set to, for example, the range between points P1 and P7 in the graph.

[0063] Within this set insulation performance range, by arbitrarily applying numerical values ​​to points P2, P3, ... on the graph, it is possible to identify point P4 (Xs, Ys), which is the solution showing the minimum LCC, in the shortest possible time.

[0064] By identifying the parameters A (insulation cost), B (refrigeration equipment cost), and C (running costs represented by air conditioning costs) that determine Xs of point P4, it is possible to identify the parameters A, B, and C that minimize LCC in the shortest possible time.

[0065] The refrigeration facility shown in Figure 3 has four rooms: a material handling room 1, refrigerator rooms 1 and 2, and a freezer room 1. Since insulation is applied to the interfaces of each room, the minimum LCC shown in Figure 9 and the parameters A, B, and C corresponding to this LCC are identified for each interface of each room. The sum of the minimum LCCs at each interface becomes the minimum LCC for the entire refrigeration facility, and the insulation specifications at each interface corresponding to the minimum LCC are identified.

[0066] The method of applying the above-mentioned grid search to identify the minimum LCC and the parameters that determine it can be applied to the selection and placement of insulation thickness and high-efficiency air conditioners, etc.

[0067] Returning to Fig. 4, the basic information data registration screen 50 has a Confirm button 58. By pressing the Confirm button 58, the insulation specifications that minimize the LCC of 10 years are set based on each input data of the basic information data registration screen 50 and each input data of the room specification information data registration screen described in detail below, and the annual air conditioning cost at that time is also calculated. The method of calculating this annual air conditioning cost is described in detail below.

[0068] The basic information data registration screen 50 further inputs the various conditions of each room, such as the room name, temperature (set temperature), floor area, and ceiling height, and has input columns for the four rooms that make up the freezer facility in the illustrated example, an input column 57a ​​for the handling room 1, an input column 57b for the refrigerator room 1, an input column 57c for the refrigerator room 2, and an input column 57d for the freezer room 1. Each input column has a specification information input column 59a, which is linked to a room specification information data registration screen 60 shown in Figure 10, which will be described in detail below, and by pressing the specification information input column 59a for each room, the screen is switched to the room specification information data registration screen 60 corresponding to each room.

[0069] In addition, in the illustrated example, there are a total of four specifications for comparing annual air conditioning costs, specifically, the main specifications 59b are the panel manufacturer specifications, the refrigeration association specifications, and the optimization specifications (e.g., the 10-year LCC minimization specifications), and in addition to these, there are also the designer's own input specifications 59c that the designer has made using these specifications as reference.

[0070] Next, with reference to FIG. 10, of the four rooms that make up the refrigeration facility, the material handling room 1 will be taken up and the room specification information data registration screen for the material handling room 1 will be described.

[0071] In the room specification information data registration screen 60, which is switched to by pressing the specification information input field 59a for the handling room 1 on the basic information data registration screen 50, the room name 61a and temperature 61b (set temperature) are automatically entered, and the basic insulation specifications 62 and basic insulation thickness 63 are also automatically entered.

[0072] As shown in Figure 3, since refrigerator room 2 and freezer room 1 are adjacent to cargo handling room 1, refrigerator room 2 and freezer room 1 are entered in the adjacent room input fields above, below, left, and right, and the various conditions of each adjacent room are entered in input column 64a for refrigerator room 2 and input column 64b for freezer room 1.

[0073] Specifically, the floor area is automatically calculated and entered by inputting the length of each of the short and long sides of each adjacent room. In addition, the basic insulation specification is automatically entered as the default for insulation specification 65, but other insulation specifications (urethane foam, etc.) can also be selected from a pull-down menu.

[0074] Furthermore, the insulation specifications according to the above four specifications are input into each of the input columns 64a and 64b, and the insulation thickness other than the input value (input specification) is automatically input. That is, the panel manufacturer specifications and the Refrigeration Association specifications are set based on their own setting grounds for the insulation thickness between the two compartments (both 50 mm in the illustrated example) according to the set temperature of the handling compartment 1 and the set temperature difference between the handling compartment 1 and the refrigeration compartment 2, and are automatically input.

[0075] In addition, when all data input is completed for the optimized specifications and the Confirm button 67 on the room specification information data registration screen 60 is pressed, the annual air conditioning cost for the LCC 10-year specifications is calculated together with the panel manufacturer specifications and the Refrigeration Association specifications, and the air conditioning cost is displayed in the air conditioning cost calculation result field 68, along with the insulation thickness between the handling room 1 and the refrigerator room 2 at the minimum value for the LCC 10 years (42 mm in the illustrated example). The calculation of the annual air conditioning cost is performed by pressing the Confirm button 67 on the room specification information data registration screen 60, and is also performed by pressing the Confirm button 58 on the basic information data registration screen 50 shown in FIG. 4. The method of calculating the annual air conditioning cost will be described in detail below.

[0076] The room specification information data registration screen 60 further has input fields at the bottom, the contents of which are shown in Fig. 11. Specifically, it further has an incoming goods information data input field 69a, a load pattern data input field 69b, and a chiller information data input field 69c.

[0077] The received goods information data input field 69a displays a number of received goods names in a pull-down menu, allowing the user to select one of them. Examples of received goods include general storage items, as well as beef, pork, lamb, ham, and bacon. In the received goods information data input field 69a, after selecting a received goods, the receiving rate, receiving amount, receiving temperature, and cooling time are input.

[0078] On the other hand, the load pattern data input field 69b displays the load patterns of the room in a pull-down menu, allowing the user to select one of them. The load patterns include items that essentially correspond to the room names, such as handling, storage (refrigerated), storage (frozen), and production line. After selecting a load pattern, the load pattern data input field 69b prompts the user to enter the operation time, number of people in the room, machine load, lighting load, whether mechanical ventilation is enabled, and ventilation volume.

[0079] On the other hand, the chiller information data input field 69c displays the set temperature range of the room as chiller information installed in the room in a pull-down menu, and allows the user to select one of them. Examples of the set temperature range include a range of 15 to 25°C, a range of -5 to 15°C, and a range of -25°C to -5°C. After selecting the set temperature range of the room, the chiller information data input field 69c allows the user to input the rated COP, defrost heater, defrost time, defrost correction, and margin rate.

[0080] After inputting data into the room specification information data registration screen 60 for the material handling room 1 has been completed in the manner described above, data input for the other refrigerator rooms 1, 2 and freezer room 1 is also completed by inputting data into their respective room specification information data registration screens 60, and all input data is stored in the storage unit 103 shown in FIG. 2.

[0081] After all data input has been completed, for example by pressing the Confirm button 67 shown in Fig. 10, the air conditioning cost calculation unit 101 shown in Fig. 2 will calculate the annual air conditioning cost for each specification including the panel manufacturer's specifications. Here, the air conditioning cost calculation unit 101 calculates the annual air conditioning cost for each room using the following formula (2).

[0082]

number

[0083] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a screen listing annual air conditioning cost calculation results. In the screen 80 listing annual air conditioning cost calculation results shown in Fig. 12, the annual air conditioning costs according to the four specifications are displayed for each of the four rooms that make up the refrigeration facility, and the annual air conditioning costs of each specification can be compared on the same screen.

[0084] Furthermore, the annual air conditioning cost calculation result list screen 80 further displays the heat insulation work for each specification (initial cost for the heat insulation specification and its installation work), the chiller (initial cost), and the 10-year LCC for each specification calculated from the calculated annual air conditioning cost, making it possible to compare the 10-year LCC for each specification on the same screen. Note that in the illustrated example, only the 10-year LCC is displayed because only the 10-year LCC was selected, but if an LCC of 20 years, an LCC of 30 years, etc. is further selected, the calculation results for those specifications can also be displayed on the same screen.

[0085] A client building a refrigeration facility can simply look at the screen shown in Figure 12 to compare the annual air conditioning costs and 10-year LCC of multiple specifications and select a refrigeration facility with the insulation specifications he or she desires from various perspectives.

[0086] The above-mentioned series of processing flows executed in the air conditioning cost calculation device 10 is also an air conditioning cost calculation method according to an embodiment having an air conditioning cost calculation process, but the air conditioning cost calculation device 10 may be formed by installing a program including this series of processing flows on a computer.

[0087] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown here, and may be implemented in other embodiments in which other components are combined with the configurations and the like of the above-mentioned embodiment. In this regard, the present invention may be modified within the scope of the gist of the present invention, and may be appropriately determined according to the application form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 10: Air conditioning cost calculation device 20: Communication IF 30: Input / Output IF 40: User terminal 50: Basic information data registration screen 60: Room specification information data registration screen 70:Insulation specification data registration screen 80: Annual air conditioning cost calculation results list screen 101:Air conditioning cost calculation department 102: Life cycle cost specification setting section 103: Storage area

Claims

1. An air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigeration room, a freezer room, and a handling room, A storage unit and an air conditioning cost calculation unit, The storage unit includes: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; electricity unit price data for each of a plurality of temperature ranges related to the set temperature is stored; An air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility, characterized in that the air conditioning cost calculation unit calculates the annual air conditioning cost of each room and the annual air conditioning cost of the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on the basic information data in the storage unit, the room specification information data, the insulation specification data, and the electricity unit price data.

2. The air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility described in claim 1, characterized in that the air conditioning cost calculation unit calculates the air conditioning costs for each of the specifications, which may differ in the recommended insulation thickness, the insulation panel manufacturer specifications, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specifications, and the life cycle cost specifications that minimize the life cycle cost over a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility.

3. The air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility as described in claim 2, further comprising a life cycle cost specification setting unit that calculates the life cycle cost for a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility using the calculated air conditioning cost, a cooling equipment cost related to the cooling equipment applied to the refrigeration facility, and an insulation material cost related to the insulation material that constitutes the refrigeration facility, and identifies the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost.

4. The air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility described in claim 3, characterized in that the life cycle cost specification setting unit performs a grid search to perform combinations of all parameters of the air conditioning cost, the cooling equipment cost, and the insulation material cost, and identifies the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost.

5. The basic insulation specification is automatically input as the insulation specification between the room and the adjacent room, 5. The air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to claim 1, wherein the basic insulation thickness is automatically input as the insulation thickness between the room and the adjacent room.

6. The room specification information data further includes information on items stored in each room, The air conditioning cost calculation device for a refrigeration facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the incoming item information includes incoming item type, incoming item rate, incoming item quantity, incoming item temperature, and cooling time per day.

7. A method for calculating air conditioning costs for a refrigeration facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigeration room, a freezer room, and a handling room, comprising: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; An air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility, comprising an air conditioning cost calculation step of calculating the annual air conditioning cost for each room and the annual air conditioning cost for the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on electricity unit price data for each of a plurality of temperature zones related to the set temperature.

8. Calculate the air conditioning costs for each of the specifications: the insulation panel manufacturer specifications, the Japan Society of Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers specifications, and the life cycle cost specifications that minimize the life cycle cost for a specified number of years of use of the refrigeration facility, which may have different recommended insulation thicknesses; The air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility described in claim 7, wherein in calculating the air conditioning costs of the life cycle cost specification, the life cycle cost is calculated based on the calculated air conditioning costs, the cooling equipment cost related to the cooling equipment applied to the refrigeration facility, and the insulation cost related to the insulation material that constitutes the refrigeration facility, and the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost is identified.

9. The air conditioning cost calculation method for a refrigeration facility described in claim 8, characterized in that a grid search is applied to identify the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost, and the life cycle cost is calculated for combinations of all parameters, including the air conditioning cost, the cooling equipment cost, and the insulation material cost, by the grid search, and the insulation thickness that minimizes the life cycle cost is identified.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute the following process in a freezing facility having at least two or more rooms among a refrigerator room, a freezer room, and a handling room, which calculates the annual air conditioning cost of each room and the annual air conditioning cost of the freezing facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs: Basic information data including basic insulation specifications, basic insulation thickness, room name, set temperature, floor area and ceiling height of each room, Room specification information data including adjacent rooms adjacent to each room on the left and right and / or above, below, left and right, insulation thickness between each room and the adjacent room, heat generation load information of each room, and refrigeration unit information of each room; Insulation specification data including at least insulation thickness, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, and unit price, which are a plurality of types of insulation specifications; The program executes an air conditioning cost calculation process to calculate the annual air conditioning cost for each room and the annual air conditioning cost for the refrigeration facility, which is the total of the air conditioning costs, based on electricity price data for each of a plurality of temperature zones related to the set temperature.

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