Our partners University of Lleida (GREiA Research Group) and Almatret contributed to the 2021 European Researchers’ Night (24-25 September 2021).
La Nit Europea de la Recerca
European Researchers’ Nights are public events dedicated to bringing researchers closer to the public. They showcase the diversity of research and highlight the impact of research on our daily lives. The aim is also to motivate young people to embark on research careers. The events promote how researchers contribute to our society by displaying their work in an interactive and engaging forum.
Our HYBUILD project will be present at the R-EVOLUTION event organised by our partner NOBATEK-INEF4.
After two editions to discuss the design-construction links in 2018 and the Low-tech / High-tech opposition in 2019, R-EVOLUTION returns in 2021 with a new scale: zoom on energy systems, artificial intelligence and high-performance envelopes, these shadow heroes, who are now preparing their R-EVOLUTION of the invisible.
More information and detailed programme available at: https://www.r-evolution.tech/
A new MDPI Applied Sciences paper presenting HYBUILD outcomes led by our partner CNR ITAE has just been published.
In the present paper, the numerical modeling of an innovative latent thermal energy storage unit, suitable for direct integration into the condenser or evaporator of a heat pump is presented. The Modelica language, in the Dymola environment, and TIL libraries were used for the development of a modular model, which is easily re-usable and adaptable to different configurations. Validation of the model was carried out using experimental data under different operating modes and it was subsequently used for the optimization of a design for charging and discharge. In particular, since the storage unit is made up of parallel channels for the heat transfer fluid, refrigerant, and phase change material, their number and distribution were changed to evaluate the effect on heat transfer performance.
Channel distribution in the latent storage. Coolant indicates the HTF.
Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.3390/app11198972
A new journal article presenting HYBUILD outcomes has just been released in Applied Energy. This paper is led by our partner AIT, the Austrian Institute of Technology.
Heat pumps with a three-media refrigerant/phase change material (PCM) water heat exchanger (RPW-HEX), integrated in the hot superheated section after the compressor, have a promising potential for electric energy savings. The RPW-HEX operates as a desuperheater that stores the sensible energy provided by the hot gas during heating and cooling operation for later heat transfer to domestic hot water (DHW) storage devices. So far, such a system has not yet been implemented and analysed in an overall system suitable for heating, cooling and DHW generation. In the present work, the operation of a prototypical heat pump with integrated RPW-HEX connected to three artificial apartments, was demonstrated in the laboratory under controlled ambient conditions. For this purpose, two RPW-HEX modules with a total storage capacity of about 5 kWh were integrated into an R32 air-source heat pump with a heating power of about 7.7 kW at −10 ∘C ambient temperature and a feed water temperature of 45 ∘C. Technical feasibility and operation with rule-based control strategies have been successfully demonstrated for realistic use cases. Besides individual tests, the heat pump was operated over 48 hours with and without RPW-HEX at an ambient temperature of −2 ∘C, a feed water temperature for the heating system of 40 ∘C. Both systems, achieved the same average COP, but the system with RPW-HEX was able to provide a 10 K higher average feed water temperature for DHW generation compared to the system without RPW-HEX. For the same feed water temperatures for DHW generation, an enhancement of about 3.1% of the average COP can be expected with the current system. This is about 60% of the theoretically possible value. Furthermore, for a low feed water temperature for heating of about 32 ∘C at −2 ∘C, an enhancement of the average COP up to 9.4% can be expected for the analysed heating and DHW scenario with an improved design.
Read the full paper at : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117890
Phase change materials and slurries are becoming key components in the energy mix of the future. Transitioning from a society relying on carbon-based energy to one relying on renewable energies will require coordinating energy demand with source availability.
A viable option to achieve this result is through thermal energy storage, as it is one of the most efficient ways to store energy, and phase change materials can help make thermal energy storage better adapted and more financially competitive.
The 13th IIR Conference on Phase-Change Materials and Slurries for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning provided an open international forum where academics and stakeholders from across the globe presented and discussed the latest research findings, developments and trends in the field.
Our partner University of Lleida, GREiA Research Group, Prof. Luisa F. Cabeza gave a keynote speech which allowed the project to gain visibility amongst the participants showing the effective use of phase change materials in the HYBUILD systems to support thermal energy storage integration with electric storage for improving the share of renewables and overall system efficiency.
Our partner CNR ITAE, Valeria Palomba, also presented a paper at the event entitled “Experimental evaluation of a heat pump-latent storage system for increasing renewable share of the residential stock“. Available here for download.
The Sustainable Places International conference is taking place in Rome, Italy and online (hybrid format) this year. HYBUILD will contribute to it through its Renewable Heating and Cooling workshop, involving several other collaborative EU research and innovation projects.
More information about the conference and registration at https://www.sustainableplaces.eu/
We are making great progress with the installation of the HYBUILD mediterranean system in our Almatret pilot in Spain !
You can learn further about the ambition of Almatret to become a benchmark in the use of renewable energies on the Almia Energy website.
And you can follow the progress of the installations of the HYBUILD system at our three demonstrations through the Google Photos albums accessible from the Pilot sites page of our website.
On July 8th 2021, our partner R2M Solution contributed to the 1st French Riviera Energy Transition Forum (“1ères Assises Azuréennes de la Transition Energétique”) which was organised in Nice (France) at the Allianz Riviera stadium.
1st French Riviera Energy Transition Forum
This new event organised by the ‘Energy cluster’ of the French Riviera Chamber of Commerce was aiming at stimulating networking and business opportunities between local industrial stakeholders and public authorities committed to the development of innovations to tackle energy transition challenges.
R2M Solution French team exhibiting research results from its innovative Energy-transition EU funded projects
The French branch of R2M Solution, headquartered on the Côte d’Azur in Roquefort-les-Pins, contributed to the event by exhibiting cutting-edge innovations from its portfolio of EU R&I projects including HYBUILD. The R2M French team also participated to one-to-one business meetings to further present these innovations with interested local stakeholders and discuss potential future partnerships.
This event should be organised every year, further details can be found on the event website.
HYBUILD hybrid innovative solution in featured in an article authored by our partner NOBATEK INEF4. This publication (in French) is part of a series of articles focused on renewables energies, from buildings to cities, published on the Construction 21 web portal, the social network on sustainable buildings and cities.
Read the summary of all articles here, and the HYBUILD specific article here.
