Modelling and Experimental Evaluation of an Active Thermal Energy Storage System with Phase-Change Materials for Model-Based Control Vasken Dermardiros A Thesis in the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science (Building Engineering) at Concordia University Montréal, Québec, Canada September 2015 © Vasken Dermardiros 2015 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Vasken Dermardiros Entitled: Modelling and Experimental Evaluation of an Active Thermal Energy Storage System with Phase-Change Materials for Model-Based Control and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Magistrate of Applied Science (Building Engineering) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final Examining Committee: Chair Dr. Fariborz Haghighat Supervisor Dr. Andreas K. Athienitis Examiner Dr. Marius Paraschivoiu External (to program) Examiner Dr. Fariborz Haghighat Examiner Dr. Radu G. Zmeureanu Approved by Dr. Fariborz Haghighat, GPD Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering Dr. Amir Asif, Dean Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering Date AAbstractbstractAbstract Modelling and Experimental Evaluation of an Active Thermal Energy Storage System with Phase-Change Materials for Model-Based Control Vas,en Dermardiros This thesis presents an experimental and numerical investigation o an active thermal energy storage -TES. system utilizing phase-change material -PCM). The PCMTES intended for building integration consists o PCM panels with active air circulation between the panels. Air is drawn through a channel to charge and discharge the PCM enabling the system to be used for both heating and cooling purposes / conditioned air, room air or outdoor air for night cooling can be utilized. This creates the possibility o a low thermal mass building to operate more li,e a high mass building and thereby gaining advantages commonly associated with traditional TES systems such as an ability to incorporate peak load reducing and shifting strategies without the significant weight o a traditional high mass building. A prototype PCMTES is built and tested in an environmental chamber. The experimental data collected is used for model validation. A 01th order non-linear model with varying thermal capacitance 2C-T.3 is developed and compared for fitness to experimental data. A simplified 2nd order model is shown to ade5uately predict the dynamic response o the system for thermal charging6discharging and can be incorporated into model-based control systems, which are effective in pea, load reducing and shifting strategies. Simplified models are easier to implement and calibrate since they contain fewer parameters to ad7ust which could be learned in real time -online calibration) by using measurements from the building automation system to compensate or installation and construction tolerances. The model was extended to investigate the effect o increasing the exposed surface area to the air stream by having more air circulation channels while ,eeping the total air mass low rate and convective heat transfer coefficients constant. Increasing the exposed area resulted in faster responding systems. A case study was simulated to demonstrate the use o the simplified 2nd order non-linear PCMTES model for heating pea, load reduction. The PCMTES was shown to reduce the pea, by at least 91: for the simulated conditions. iii AAcknowledgementscknowledgements First and foremost, I would li,e to than, my supervisor Pro . Andreas K. Athienitis or giving me the privilege to work with him. Throughout these past 2 years, you have granted me innumerable enriching experiences: the ICEBO Workshop, SNEBRN AGM, the Solar Canada Conference in Toronto and the Pivotry Workshop in 2013; the eSim Conference in Ottawa and the PhD Summer School in 2014; the 6th Annual IBPC in Torino Italy in Cune 2015, the CZEBS-iiSBE-APEC Symposium in August 2115 and the Energy Forum on Advanced Building Skins Conference in Bern Switzerland in November 2015. In between these notable events, we had numerous meetings under our CZEBS6SNEBRN Networ, and the NSERC6Hydro-QuEbec Industrial Research Chair. Throughout these meetings, I have met research leaders from around the world, have collaborated with them and have enriched my understanding o the many facets o building physics. Than, you for your supportF I would li,e to than, the late Pro . Paul Fazio. Gou were a pioneer and a visionary. By creating the Building Engineering program in Concordia, you aspired many young students to follow their passions. Our research laboratory, the Paul Fazio Solar Simulator Environmental Chamber facility, bears your name and though you are no longer with us, your legacy lives on. I would li,e to ac,nowledge and than, the financial support received through the Concordia Graduate Scholarship in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research, the Faculty o Engineering and Computer Science Graduate Scholarship, the Concordia University 25th Anniversary Fellowship Entrance Scholarship and the financial support directly from Pro . Athienitis. This work is part o an ongoing research pro7ect at Concordia University funded by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council -NSERC) & Hydro QuEbec Industrial Research Chair. The research program aims to optimize operation and improve energy efficiency in buildings. The chair benefits from a close partnership o Hydro-QuEbec, Concordia University, REgulvar, and Natural Resources Canada CanmetENERGY. I would li,e to than, Ahmed Daoud, Cocelyn Milette, Eric Dumont and the rest o the Hydro-DuEbec IREQ LTE team. I would li,e to than, CosE Candanedo and Vahid Deh,ordi from NRC CanmetENERGY. I would also li,e to than, Gabrielle Mainville, Carlos Mollinedo, Mathieu La7oie and Marc Dugré from REgulvar. iv From the administrative team, I would li,e to than, Jiwu Rao, Gerald Parnis, Cac5ues Payer, Lyne Dee, Cenny Drapeau, Olga Soares, Debbie Wal,er and Linda Swinden. From the technical team, I would li,e to than, Luc Desmers, Jaime Yeargans, Tiberiu Aldea and Joe Hrib. Working at the o fice was enriching because o the great and enthusiastic people I had the opportunity to be surrounded with. I would li,e to especially thank Sam Gip and Costa Kapsis for the hours o conversation we have had about architecture, engineering, and an innumerable other sub7ects. I would li,e to than, Diane Bastien for our symbiotic relationshipF Without you, I would not have had an experiment to work withF Thank you or your hard work on the procurement o the PCM panels, as well as the hours o discussion on the modelling methodologies. Thank you Edvinas Bigaila, Guxiang Chen, William Gagnon, Ana LKpezTerradas, Cames Bambara, Cennifer Date, Stratos Rounis, Tasos Papachritsou, Zissis Ioannidis, Ahmad Kayello, Tingting Gang, Peter Lu,, Sophie Guan, Shahriar Hossain, Ali Saberi, Mathieu Le Cam, Nunzio Cotrufo, Nicholas Zibin, and Andreea Mihai. I would li,e to thank Scott Bucking for the conversations we have had about advanced simulation6optimization6automation studies; I believe there is indeed a great future in the field. I would also li,e to than, Francesco Guarino, Maurizio Cellura, Benoit Delcroix and Katherine D’Avignon for our PCM collaborations and discussions. Finally, I would li,e to than, my friends and family for believing in me -and for not as,ing too many 5uestionsF.. Last, but may perhaps have been irst, I want to than, Elsa Monanteras, my girlfriend whom ILve practically ,nown longer than ILve not ,nown her, for cheering me up during the long hours o wor,, for motivating me to continue and to stay strong. To everyone, a firm, Than, YouF v TTableable of Contents List of Figures x List of Tables xv Nomenclature xvi 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Bac,ground ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Phase-Change Material Thermal Energy Storage ............................................................................................. 0 1.3 Experimental Approach ........................................................................................................................................ A 1.4 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................ 6 1.4.1 Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................................................ 6 1.5 Thesis Outline ......................................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Literature Review 9 2.1 Bac,ground ............................................................................................................................................................. N 2.2 Thermal Energy Storage ..................................................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Phase-Change Materials ....................................................................................................................................... 1A 2.3.1 Characterisation ..........................................................................................................................................