1. |
- Arghand, Taha, 1982, et al.
(author)
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A comparative study on borehole heat exchanger size for direct ground coupled cooling systems using active chilled beams and TABS
- 2021
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In: Energy and Buildings. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7788. ; 240
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Direct ground cooling is a method for cooling buildings whereby free cooling is provided by circulating water through borehole heat exchangers (BHEs). Since no refrigeration cooling is involved, supply water temperature to the building’s cooling system is dependent mainly on BHE sizing. This study investigates the sizing of BHEs for direct ground cooling systems, with a particular focus on the influence of terminal unit types and their operating strategies. Experimental results using a direct ground-coupled active chilled beam (ACB) system are used to develop a simulation model for an office building. The model is also modified for thermally activated building systems (TABS). The simulation results show that using TABS instead of ACBs for a similar BHE reduced the ground peak hourly loads, resulting in a lower borehole outlet temperature. Resizing BHE depth to reach similar maximum borehole outlet temperatures according to the actual heat extraction rate from the cooling systems resulted in a significantly shorter BHE depth with TABS compared to ACBs. However, indoor temperature was generally warmer with TABS, due to their slower heat extraction rate from the room. The findings are practical for analysing the design and operation of BHEs for different types of terminal units.
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2. |
- Arghand, Taha, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Cooling of office buildings in cold climates using direct ground-coupled active chilled beams
- 2021
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In: Renewable Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-1481 .- 1879-0682. ; 164, s. 122-132
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study investigates the use of a direct ground cooling system (DGCS) using active chilled beams for the cooling of office buildings in Sweden. The methodology of the study entails laboratory experiments to develop and validate a simulation model of the cooling system. The sensitivity of the input parameters, such as borehole heat exchanger (BHE) length, internal heat gains and room temperature set point, are studied with respect to BHE outlet fluid temperature and room thermal comfort. The results provide a practical insight into designing DGCSs with regard to borehole outlet fluid temperatures. The results also show that the thermal comfort criteria in the room are met by applying the DGCS even under the most critical design conditions of undisturbed ground temperature and internal heat gains. The sensitivity study quantifies the influence of the room temperature setpoint and internal heat gain intensity on the BHE length. The BHE outlet temperature level is more sensitive in shorter BHEs than in the longer ones, and BHE length and room temperature levels are highly correlated. Thus, the sizing of DGCS can benefit from a control system to allow the room temperature to float within a certain range.
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3. |
- Arghand, Taha, 1982
(author)
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Direct Ground Cooling Systems for Office Buildings
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The solving of crucial global energy challenges hinges on improving energy efficiency in building energy systems. Accomplishing energy-efficiency targets often entails incorporating sustainable energy sources into the energy supply system. Direct ground cooling systems (DGCSs) are among the most sustainable technologies for comfort cooling in office buildings. With this technology, cooling is provided by the circulation of the working fluid through the ground heat exchangers. This technology is mostly used in cold climates where the underground temperature is low, and the building cooling loads are low enough to be offset by the ground cooling. Using only a modest amount of electricity to drive the circulation pumps, this technology is incredibly energy efficient. However, designing DGCSs presents some unique challenges, and only a handful of studies on this subject are available. This work aims to develop knowledge about comfort cooling for office buildings using DGCSs and expand upon design and operation practices for this technology. The findings presented in this work are based on experimental and simulation results. The experimental results build upon existing knowledge for operating cooling systems and substantiate new operation methods for the DGCSs. The experimental results are also used to develop and validate simulations. The simulation results facilitate investigating the short- and long-term thermal and energy performance of the DGCSs for various design circumstances. The borehole system design is usually performed independently from the building energy system design. In view of this work’s findings, considering the whole system (borehole, control system, terminal units) can enhance the design. A sub-system’s input design requirements can be aligned with the corresponding output of other sub-systems in a comprehensive design approach. This work demonstrates and quantifies that terminal units with slow response, such as thermally active building systems (TABS), can smooth out the daily peak heat rejection loads to the ground, resulting in shorter boreholes. Thus, the ground system can be much smaller than required for fast-response terminal units, such as active chilled beams. This work analyses different operation practices for DGCSs. The results suggest that allowing the room temperature to rise somewhat during the “on-peak” cooling loads can reduce the ground heat rejection loads, for which shorter boreholes can be designed. If combined with precooling the space during the “off-peak” cooling loads, a further reduction in the ground loads is yielded. This work also investigates the design and application of the DGCSs in existing office buildings. A systematic approach is provided to evaluate the influence of common renovation parameters on the design and energy performance of a DGCS. The systematic approach includes a step-by-step methodology to explain how sensitive the subsequent system design might be to the variations in the renovation parameters. Furthermore, the results quantify the potential electricity savings by using the DGCS instead of a chiller.
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4. |
- Arghand, Taha, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Energy Renovation Strategies for Office Buildings using Direct Ground Cooling Systems
- 2021
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In: Science and Technology for the Built Environment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2374-474X .- 2374-4731. ; 27:7, s. 874-891
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Direct ground cooling systems (DGCS) can provide comfort cooling to buildings without the use of any refrigeration-based cooling methods. DGCS is an emerging technology, commonly used for new office buildings in cold climates. This study aims at evaluating the energy-saving possibilities of a DGCS compared to a conventional chiller system for an existing office building. A typical Swedish office building with a chiller-based cooling system and in need of an energy renovation is taken as a reference case. A range of possible renovation measures are applied on the building and the cooling system, and the results are evaluated in terms of borehole design and building energy demand. The results show that applying the DGCS substantially reduces the building’s purchased energy, as chiller electricity demand is eliminated. In addition, implementing the renovation measures to reduce the thermal demand of the building could further reduce purchased energy. The results suggest implementing the DGCS after performing the renovation measures. This may lead to a considerable reduction in the required borehole length and hence, the drilling costs. Results from this study provide useful inputs for designing boreholes in ground-coupled systems for new and existing office buildings.
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5. |
- Arghand, Taha, 1982, et al.
(author)
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Influence of system operation on the design and performance of a direct ground-coupled cooling system
- 2021
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In: Energy and Buildings. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7788. ; 234
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sizing of borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) for direct ground cooling systems (DGCSs) is a critical part of the overall system design. This study investigates the thermal performance and sizing of a DGCS with two different operation strategies using experimental and simulation approaches. The traditional on/off operation strategy keeps a constant room temperature. The continuous operation strategy has the potential to reduce the building peak cooling loads by precooling the space and having a variable room temperature measures. The experimental results from the laboratory-scale setup show the differences in the hourly room heat extraction rates and the room temperature pattern for the operation strategies applied. The experimental data is also used to develop a simulation model. The simulation results show that applying the continuous strategy reduces the building peak cooling loads and lowers the heat injection rates to the ground. For new BHEs, applying the continuous strategy can result in shorter BHEs, owing to the significantly lower ground heat injection rates. For existing BHEs, applying the continuous strategy can decrease the borehole outlet fluid temperature and thus, increase the cooling capacity of the building cooling system. The findings of this study have implications for developing the widespread use of DGCSs.
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6. |
- Zhang, Chen, et al.
(author)
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Resilient cooling strategies – A critical review and qualitative assessment
- 2021
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In: Energy and Buildings. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-7788 .- 1872-6178. ; 251
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The global effects of climate change will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as heatwaves and power outages, which have consequences for buildings and their cooling systems. Buildings and their cooling systems should be designed and operated to be resilient under such events to protect occupants from potentially dangerous indoor thermal conditions. This study performed a critical review on the state-of-the-art of cooling strategies, with special attention to their performance under heatwaves and power outages. We proposed a definition of resilient cooling and described four criteria for resilience—absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, restorative capacity, and recovery speed —and used them to qualitatively evaluate the resilience of each strategy. The literature review and qualitative analyses show that to attain resilient cooling, the four resilience criteria should be considered in the design phase of a building or during the planning of retrofits. The building and relevant cooling system characteristics should be considered simultaneously to withstand extreme events. A combination of strategies with different resilience capacities, such as a passive envelope strategy coupled with a low-energy space-cooling solution, may be needed to obtain resilient cooling. Finally, a further direction for a quantitative assessment approach has been pointed out.
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