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E. Boucher and I. Beausoleil-Morrison Carleton University, 1125 Colonel by Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
E. Boucher and I. Beausoleil-Morrison Carleton University, 1125 Colonel by Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
ABSTRACT
A heavily instrumented and highly flexible primary energy demand and associated
hydraulic test facility has been commissioned to emissions [1,2]. The potential for reduction
characterise the performance of micro- depends on a number of factors including the
cogeneration systems. The facility has the thermal energy demand and buffering for heat
ability to reproduce typical house space heating and domestic hot water, electricity demand
loads and domestic hot water demands suitable profile, and the local electricity mix [3]. In order
to investigate the operation of units under to inform policy makers and to support the
realistic operating conditions. It can also be design and deployment of micro-cogeneration,
configured to create and sustain controlled continued research must be undertaken to
thermal boundary conditions required to determine how best to integrate these
generate data suitable for model calibration or technologies into homes. Initiatives including
performance mapping. The facility provides a field trials, experimental testing and simulation
platform to experimentally investigate must be carried out to characterise system
appropriate configurations to integrate micro- level performance. Although field trials can be
cogeneration units into residences through extremely informative, they are often costly,
variations in the balance of plant components time consuming and can be logistically difficult
and control strategies. to execute. Models such as those created as
part of the International Energy Agency’s
The test bench consists of a number of fluid
Annex 42 program provide much simpler
circuits allowing heat transfer between a
implementation and greater flexibility;
cogeneration device, variable volume thermal
however, they require device specific
buffers, supplementary heating systems, and
calibration [4]. To this end, there remains a
thermal loads. Heat addition to the system can
need to build and commission facilities in order
be supplemented by either a 57 kW
to generate data suitable for model calibration
instantaneous condensing hot water heater
and validation of individual units, and to
rated at 98% percent efficiency (relative to the
experimentally study complete systems.
HHV), or through a variable 20 kW electric in-
line resistance heater. Thermal load simulation
is realized through flat plate heat exchangers
connected to a dedicated roof-top chiller unit. TEST BENCH CONFIGURATION
Heat transfer can be measured across 11 key A flexible hydraulic test bench was built to
locations through the use of positive explore suitable balance of plant configurations
displacement oval gear meters and a and to provide realistic, controlled thermal
combination of thermocouples and 5 junction loading to micro-cogeneration units. The
thermopiles. Then embedded temperature facility is comprised of 2 auxiliary heaters, 2
sensors were designed, built and calibrated in- thermal stores, 3 flat-plate heat exchangers,
house to reduce overall measurement and 4 centrifugal pumps. Figure 1 shows the
uncertainty. possible thermal energy flows between
components while Figure 8 shows the
Keywords: micro-cogeneration, experimental, complete hydraulic layout of the facility. Heat
thermal storage, measurement uncertainty transfer can be measured across 11 key
locations spanning all plant components.
Temperature Accuracy
Manufacturer
Sensor (°C)
Type T
Omega 0.5
Thermocouple
5 Junction
Built In-house 0.1
Thermopile
REFERENCES
[1] I. Beausoleil-Morrison and H. Ribberink,
The Potential for Reducing
Figure 6: Dynamic tank thermal loading EnergyConsumption and Greenhouse
Gas Emissions in the Ontario (Canada)
Under conditions where the storage tank is Housing Sector with Solid-Oxide Fuel-Cell
unable to meet the given load, the natural gas Micro-Cogeneration, Micro-Cogeneration
heater can be used to supplement the heating 2008, (Ottawa, Canada), 2008.
demand. User defined load profiles can be
produced using time intervals as small as 5 [2] Denny Beyer and Nick Kelly, Modeling the
minutes. Experiments ranging in length from Behaviour of Domestic Micro-
several hours to several weeks are possible Cogeneration under Different Operating
and can be run autonomously. The total heat Regimes and with Variable Thermal
rejection through the exchanger is limited by Buffering,Energy Systmes Research Unit,
the upper temperature limit of the storage University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
tanks and the flow rate of the pump. The 2008.
hydraulic test bench is well suited to evaluate
the performance of micro-cogeneration [3] Hajo Ribberink and I. Beausoleil-Morrison,
systems operating under typical conditions Realistic Performance Forecast for Stirling
over the course of a single day or several Engine Residential Cogeneration Systems
weeks. Applied in Single Detached Houses in
Canada. CANMET Energy Technology
Centre, Natural Recourses Canada,
Canada, Ontario. 2008.