Mechanical Cooling Profiles for Building Thermal Lag Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial buildings often have oversized heating and cooling plants that operate inefficiently due to over-sizing and poor control strategies, leading to excessive energy consumption and discomfort issues like overheating and over-cooling.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses natural thermal lag and thermal profiles to optimize the operation of cooling systems by determining the mechanical space cool-down rate and day-time natural heat-up rate, allowing for improved regulation of the building management system to reduce energy usage and enhance occupant comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cooling systems are oversized and operated continuously, then occupant comfort is maintained, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts cooling system operation based on real-time thermal lag measurements and environmental conditions. Instead of continuous operation, the cooling system is activated only when thermal lag analysis indicates it will effectively reduce temperature, creating a dynamic control strategy that adapts to changing building thermal characteristics and external conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the control parameter from simple temperature-based on/off control to a more complex parameter set including thermal lag, heat-up rates, cool-down rates, and environmental factors. This multi-parameter approach allows for more precise control that accounts for the building's thermal inertia and predicts future temperature trends, enabling energy-saving shutdowns without compromising comfort.
2Use of energy by moving object
If cooling systems are turned off to save energy, then energy consumption decreases, but overheating occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary thermal lag analysis and heat-up rate calculations to predict future temperature trends before making control decisions. By understanding the building's thermal inertia and how quickly temperatures will change after system shutdown, the control algorithm can confidently turn off cooling earlier than traditional methods, knowing that thermal mass will maintain comfortable temperatures during the off-period.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements a feedback mechanism that continuously monitors actual temperature responses to cooling cycles and updates thermal lag and heat-up rate parameters accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures that the system learns the building's actual thermal behavior and adjusts shutdown timing to prevent overheating while maximizing energy savings.
3Use of energy by moving object
If complex thermal modeling is used to optimize cooling, then energy efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-characterization by automatically measuring thermal lag, heat-up rates, and cool-down rates through controlled cooling cycles and monitoring temperature responses. Instead of requiring manual building audits or complex pre-programmed models, the system learns the building's thermal properties autonomously during initial operation and continuously refines its understanding, eliminating the need for complex external modeling tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces complex mechanical thermal modeling and manual building audits with automated electronic sensing and computational analysis. Temperature sensors, microprocessors, and algorithms substitute for manual measurement devices and complex analytical models, simplifying the implementation while maintaining high energy efficiency through automated thermal characteristic extraction.
4Stability of the object's composition
If cooling systems operate during unoccupied periods, then temperature stability is maintained, but unnecessary energy is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial cooling action during unoccupied periods by using only the thermal mass of the building structure to maintain temperature stability, rather than running the full cooling system. The thermal lag analysis determines that the building's thermal inertia alone can maintain acceptable temperature ranges during unoccupied periods, allowing complete or partial shutdown of active cooling while preserving temperature stability through the building's inherent thermal properties.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach results in significant energy savings, with a 54% reduction in total energy consumption over three years in a test building, while maintaining desirable comfort levels by optimizing cooling system start times and reducing unnecessary heating and cooling.
Implementation Method 1
where buildings are over-cooled in summer, buildings are very effective in absorbing heat from the external environment to compensate
Implementation Method 2
Where the common problem of overheating occurs, the building envelope is quite efficient in dumping excess heat by radiation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention teaches a system and method for reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings. The invention provides development of certain mechanical cooling profiles and use of such profiles in an automated optimization method. Outputs communicate with the building management system of the commercial building, and regulate the cooling system during a season when the building activates the cooling system. Various embodiments are taught.