The current paper presents the state-of-the-art of the ongoing IDEAS research project, funded under the Horizon 2020 EU framework programme. The project involves fourteen partners from six European countries and proposes a multi-source cost-effective renewable energy system for the decarbonisation of the building envelope. The system features a radiant floor fed by a heat pump for the building thermal management. The heat pump can exploit sun, air, and/or ground as thermal sources through the use of photovoltaic/thermal solar panels, air heat exchangers, and shallow ground flat-panel heat exchangers. Thermal energy storage is achieved by means of phase change materials spread along several system components, such as: radiant floor to increase its thermal inertia, solar panels for cooling purposes, ground to enhance soil thermal capacity. Within the project framework, a small-scale building, featuring a plethora of sensors for test purposes, and two large-scale buildings are meant to be equipped with the renewable energy system proposed. The small-scale building is currently in operation, and the first results are discussed in the present work. Preliminary data suggest that while multi-source systems coupled with heat pumps are particularly effective, it is complex to obtain suitable thermal energy storages on urban scale.
The most widespread defrosting technique adopted by Air-Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) during the heating season is Reverse Cycle Defrosting (RCD). In this paper a dynamic model of RCD, based on performance data provided by the heat pump manufacturer, designed for TRNSYS and with a core-structure suitable for commercial units, is presented. A defrost cycle is divided in three phases. First, the unit heating capacity is reduced as a linear function of the ice layer thickness (Pre-Defrost phase). Subsequently, the reverse cycle operating mode is modelled on the basis of the performance data given by the manufacturer (Defrost phase) and, finally, the heat pump performances are altered taking into account the higher surface temperature of the external coil after the reverse mode (Post-Defrost phase). Then, the influence of defrosting energy losses on the heat pump seasonal performance factor in sites characterized by different climatic conditions has been assessed. Results point out that the ASHP seasonal efficiency decreases of about 5% taking into account defrost energy losses; in addition, the influence of defrost cycles on the internal air temperature is studied by assessing under which conditions the indoor thermal comfort can be guaranteed even in presence of frequent defrost cycles.
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