Reversible Heat Pump Control for Balanced District Heating and Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional building heating and cooling systems rely on primary high-grade energy sources like electricity and fossil fuels, converting this energy into low-grade waste heat with high entropy, leading to inefficiencies and a need for improved thermal energy distribution methods.
Innovation Solution
A method for controlling a district thermal energy distribution system using reversible heat pump assemblies, which can be selectively set in either a heating mode or a cooling mode, optimizing the outtake of heat and cold by determining sets of heat pumps to operate in each mode based on future time periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional building heating and cooling systems use primary high grade energy sources such as electricity and fossil fuels, then space heating and cooling can be provided, but energy efficiency deteriorates due to conversion into low grade waste heat with high entropy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by capturing the waste heat that would normally be discarded and converting it into a useful resource. The heat recovery unit intercepts waste heat from exhaust gases and uses it to preheat incoming fresh air or provide space heating, thereby converting what was previously harmful energy loss into a beneficial thermal resource that reduces the need for primary energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers thermal energy that would otherwise be discarded to the environment. The heat recovery unit captures waste heat from exhaust air and transfers it to the fresh air stream or heating system, preventing the loss of this thermal energy and enabling its reuse for productive purposes
2Productivity
If reversible heat pump assemblies are controlled to optimize heat and cold outtake, then thermal energy distribution efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases due to mode determination and control mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pump assembly incorporates self-service control mechanisms that automatically determine the optimal operating mode based on real-time temperature measurements. The control unit compares temperatures between the distribution network and local circuits, and autonomously selects heating or cooling mode without requiring complex external control systems, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control by continuously measuring temperatures in the distribution network and local heating/cooling circuits, then using this feedback information to automatically adjust the heat pump operating mode. This closed-loop control enables efficient thermal energy distribution while keeping the control mechanism relatively simple through direct temperature-based decision logic
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 allows for the optimization of heat and cold outtake from the district thermal energy distribution system, balancing heating and cooling demands within sub-portions of the system, and providing a smooth and optimized operation by setting modes for predetermined time periods.
Implementation Method 1
a heat pump having a first side and a second side, the heat pump being configured to transfer heat from the first side to the second side or vice versa
Implementation Method 2
a distribution grid for a liquid based distribution of heating and cooling, the distribution grid comprising a hot conduit configured to allow heat transfer liquid of a first temperature to flow therethrough and a cold conduit configured to allow heat transfer liquid of a second temperature to flow therethrough
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for controlling setting of reversible heat pump assemblies (100) of a district thermal energy distribution system (1) in either a heating mode or a cooling mode. The method comprises: determining, at a control server, a first set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100) to be set in the heating mode during a future time period; determining, at the control server, a second set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100) to be set in the cooling mode during the future time period, wherein the second set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100) is separate from the first set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100); sending, from the control server (200) to the reversible heat pump assemblies (100) of the first set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100), a respective control message to set the respective reversible heat pump assembly (100) in the heating mode for the future time period; sending, from the control server (200) to the reversible heat pump assemblies (100) of the second set of the reversible heat pump assemblies (100), a respective control message to set the respective reversible heat pump assembly (100) in the cooling mode for the future time period; and setting the respective reversible heat pump assembly (100) in either the heating mode or the cooling mode for the future time period.