Design and Development of an Experimental Apparatus for Hardware-In-Loop Testing of Solar Assisted Heat Pump Systems
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DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS FOR HARDWARE-IN-LOOP TESTING OF SOLAR ASSISTED HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS by George Benzion van Arnold A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science of Applied Energy and Electromechanical Systems Charlotte 2020 Approved by: ___________________ Dr. Weimin Wang ___________________ Dr. Aidan Browne ___________________ Dr. Wesley Williams ©2020 George Benzion van Arnold ALL RIGHT RESERVED ii ABSTRACT GEORGE BENZION VAN ARNOLD. Design and Development of an Experimental Apparatus for Hardware-in-loop Testing of Solar Assisted Heat Pump Systems. (Under the direction of DR. WEIMIN WANG) Growing concerns related to the environmental impacts of rising global energy consumption compel the continued development of low-emission technologies for the building sector. In the United States, space conditioning and domestic hot water generation account for over half of residential energy end use, with natural gas as the predominant fuel source for heating in much of the country. Solar-assisted heat pump (SAHP) systems offer a promising alternative to meet these demands more sustainably. In combination with thermal storage, these systems utilize renewable solar energy to enhance the performance and range of application of heat pump technologies. SAHP systems include a variety of design configurations and functionalities. In this thesis, a concept for a multifunction, indirect, solar-assisted heat pump (MISAHP) system is presented which relies on the utilization of the solar collector array both to absorb and reject thermal energy to deliver both heating and cooling functions for a residential structure. An experimental apparatus is designed and built to facilitate the study of this concept using a hardware-in-loop (HIL) methodology, which combines major advantages of computer simulation and field testing. The apparatus includes an 11.6kW (3.3ton) capacity water-to-water heat pump, 409L (108gal) thermal storage tank, 288L (76gal) domestic hot water tank, two variable speed circulation pumps, and emulation hardware representing a solar collector array and conditioned building space. Each emulator utilizes a pair of brazed-plate heat exchangers, connected to plant heating and chilled water loops, to provide a thermal source and sink for laboratory testing. The salient feature of this design lies in its flexibility. A complex network of piping and electronic diverting iii valves are used to create various energy flow paths to support fifteen different operational modes for space heating, space cooling, domestic hot water generation, and energy storage charging. This design is intended not only as a platform for research of the MISAHP system concept, but also allow for similar testing of less-complex related SAHP configurations. The apparatus is heavily instrumented for temperature and flow measurement, including thermocouple probes installed at the inlets and outlets of all major components, specialized thermocouple probes used to monitor thermal stratification in both tanks, and induction-style flow meters to accompany both circulator pumps and at the discharge outlet on the domestic hot water tank. Control and data acquisition are predominantly managed using National Instruments hardware and LabVIEW software. The experimental apparatus is installed, commissioned, and tested in the E.P.I.C. Solar Lab at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Basic functionality of control and operation is verified for significant elements of the laboratory setup. As demonstrated through testing of four different operational modes and domestic hot water withdrawal emulation, the experimental apparatus is ready to support future research of SAHP systems. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this thesis would not have been achievable without the support and guidance of my family, friends, instructors, and colleagues. To those as follow, I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude: To the AOSmith corporation and Michael Giordano of McKenny’s Inc. for their generous donations of materials for this project. To Bryan Fagan of Murray Supply Co. for his exceptional customer service and patience with returns and exchanges, and to Robin Moose of UNCC for her time and efforts in ordering and receiving equipment. To the faculty at UNCC, particularly Dr. Aidan Browne, Dr. Maciej Noras, Dr. Jerry Dahlberg, and Franklin Greene for their thoughtful instruction, expert advice, and troubleshooting assistance at various stages in this project, and throughout my graduate school experience. To my long-time friend Kyle Jonson for his encouragement (and commiseration), and to my colleague Don Gariepy for his comradery and efforts to include me in industry networking and educational activities. To my parents for raising me to value science and hard work in the pursuit of knowledge. To my advisor, Dr. Weimin Wang, for his compassionate guidance and remarkable dedication to my success, both academically and personally. And finally, to my wife, Jacqueline, for her infallible patience, unconditional love, and unwavering support which, above all else, made this endeavor possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Overview/Energy Outlook .................................................................................................... 12 1.2 Motivation for Research ...................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Scope of Study ..................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................ 16 2.1 SAHP Functionalities and Applications ................................................................................ 16 2.2 Major Components of SAHP Systems .................................................................................. 16 2.2.1 Heat Pumps ................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.3 Thermal Energy Storage ................................................................................................ 23 2.3 SAHP Configurations ............................................................................................................ 27 2.4 Approaches to Study SAHP Systems .................................................................................... 28 2.5 Relevant Experimental Work ............................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER 3: SYSTEM CONCEPT AND EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS DESIGN ....................................... 39 3.1 Functional Analysis and Description of Concept .................................................................. 39 3.2 Experimental Apparatus Components ................................................................................. 42 3.2.1 Heat Pump ................................................................................................................................ 42 3.2.2 Buffer Storage Tank ................................................................................................................. 48 3.2.3 Domestic Hot Water Tank ...................................................................................................... 52 3.2.4 Hydraulic Network and Mechanical Components .............................................................. 54 3.2.5 Electronic Valves ...................................................................................................................... 60 3.2.6 Circulation Pumps .................................................................................................................... 64 3.2.7 Collector Array Emulator ........................................................................................................ 67 3.2.8 Conditioned Space Emulator .................................................................................................. 71 3.2.9 Domestic Hot Water Demand Emulator ............................................................................... 71 3.2.10 Instrumentation ..................................................................................................................... 72 3.2.11 LabVIEW Control and Data Acquisition .............................................................................. 78 3.3 System Integration ............................................................................................................... 82 CHAPTER 4: EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS TESTING AND RESULTS ...................................................... 89 vi 4.1 Commissioning ..................................................................................................................... 89 4.2 Component Testing .............................................................................................................