Ben nakhi's Presentation at Kuwait District Cooling Summit - 2011

Prof. Abdullatif Ben-NakhiDepartment of Power and Refrigeration

College of Technological Studies - Kuwait

The Prospective of District Cooling for

Residential Sector in Kuwait

OutlineCurrent status of DC in KuwaitHVAC market for residential buildings in

KuwaitGeneral benefits of DC systemsThe need for DC in Residential Suburbs in

Kuwait (RSK)The feasibility of DC in RSKThe barriers against utilizing DC in RSKSuggestions for tackling those barriers

Prof. A. Ben-Nakhi2 Kuwait District Cooling Summit - 2011

DC Projects in KuwaitProject

Cooling Capacity (RT)

Sector Type

Kuwait University(Shuwaikh Campus)

12,000 Campus Private

Kuwait Oil Company

8,400 Suburb Private

The Avenues 7,200 Shopping Mall PrivatePAAET 6,000 Campus Private

Bayan Palace 5,000 Offices and Convention

Center

Private

Ministries Complex 3,600 Offices PrivateKuwait

International Airport

3,250 Airport Private

Kuwait University (Shdadiya Campus)

112,000 Campus PrivateProf. A. Ben-Nakhi4 Kuwait District Cooling Summit - 2011

Shuwaikh Campuses

Prof. A. Ben-NakhiKuwait District Cooling Summit - 20115

Current Status of DC in KuwaitThe concept of district cooling in Kuwait is not new, as it

has one of the pioneer district cooling plants installed over 50 years ago.

Private, such as a multi-building campus, district cooling is common for new projects in Kuwait. Because of the advantages of DC over DX option, MEW code of practice (R-6 and R-7) encourages employing

chillers by allowing higher W/m2 (e.g., for shopping mall the W/m2 = 70 for DX and 82 for air cooled chiller)

However, no district cooling system in Kuwait was installed as a public utility system.

This is because public utility district cooling system requires: Beside the economic and environmental benefits required

by private DC systems,Community support, andPolitical backup.


Community resistancePolitical ignorance

Projected HVAC Market for Residential Buildings in Kuwiat

Residential buildings consume about 60% of national power (DC Consortium Report 2009).


Buildings’ air conditioning accounts for 70 % of Kuwait's peak power demand and over 50 % of the annual energy consumption (MEW, 2009).

Over 70,000 residential buildings are projected to be built in Kuwait over five cities by year 2015 (DC Consortium Report 2009).

General Benefits of District Cooling Systems


Benefit from district cooling systems in a community can be grouped into:building owners,municipality, and society at large

Benefits to Building OwnersWithin the owner’s building:

No on-site HVAC refrigeration cycle. Expected frequency of replacement of refrigerants (and

subsequently HVAC units) due to environmental commitments.Significantly reduce cost of on-site HVAC operation and

maintenance.FCU and AHU Induction units

Less space occupied by HVAC system (on roof swimming pool and garden).

Better for on-site utilization of sustainable or renewable energy sources.

Outside the owner’s buildingLower cooling cost

Higher operation efficiency for the refrigeration cycleCooler local micro-climates (no on-site condensers)Utilization of inexpensive or waste energy sources

Greater HVAC reliability (back up and stand by)Prof. A. Ben-Nakhi11 Kuwait District Cooling Summit - 2011

Benefits to MunicipalityAdded infrastructure to the community

(added value to involved buildings)Opportunities of using local energy sources

Al-Qurain city can employ gases (mainly methane) emission from the landfill site as a source of heat for absorption DC cycle

Better management of local wasteJaber Al-Ahmad city can utilize waste heat from

Doha power plants as a heat source for absorption DC systems


Benefits to Society at LargeConsiderably higher potential to protect our

environment.reduce atmospheric emissions (energy efficiency and

practice), decrease global warming (refrigerants and practice), and cut the release of ozone depleting gases (refrigerants

and practice)Superior energy conservation prospective.

higher components’ efficienciesadvanced design and operation approaches

Layout of piping network (optimization by AI)Configuration of cool production plantAdaptive control (use of NN)Employment of thermal storage for peak power shaving and

replace part-load chiller operationIntegrated life-cycle design of DC system


The need for DC in RSKThe HVAC related problem:

Extremely high electricity capacity and power are required for cooling the projected residential cities (i.e., five cities).

Significant direct and indirect environmental impacts will be associated with HVAC systems operation in the new cities.

The DC-based solution:Literature: DC is a matured technology for reducing

electricity requirements and environmental impacts of HVAC systems:Efficient refrigeration cycle much better monitored by qualified

techniciansRemote refrigeration cycle allows utilizing toxic and flammable but

environment friendly refrigerants.Proof: in other GCC countries, DC is a proven approach for:

Energy conservation, and GHG emissions reduction (e.g., CDM).


DC for Residential Areas


DC systems consist of three primary components:Central plantDistribution (or piping) networkConsumer systems (direct or energy transfer stations

ETS).Transmission and distribution system usually

constitutes most of the capital cost for the overall DC system

Feasibility is inversely related to the size of the distribution network.

Accordingly, DC systems are most attractive in serving high-density building clusters with high thermal loads.

Low-density residential areas are usually not attractive markets for DC systems

Three of the Major Factors for Feasibility of DCHigh thermal load density: high cooling capacity is

needed to cover the capital investment for the transmission and distribution system (up to 70% of total cost for DC system)

High annual load factor: is defined as the ratio of the average load throughout the year on an energy system to the maximum load on the system during that year. It is a measure of thermal load annual profile.

High load diversity: diversity factor is the ratio of the actual maximum demand of a facility to the sum of the maximum demands of the individual parts of a facility


Evaluation of the Factors for Feasibility of DC in Residential Suburbs in Kuwait (RSK)

High thermal load density:Harsh summer weather (DBT goes beyond 50 C).Residential houses in Kuwait are huge (400 m2 plot area

with over 800 [up to 1280] m2 built-up area). It is allowed to build 4 levels over a basement.

Residential suburbs in Kuwait are densely built-up (marginal green areas).

High annual load factor:Very long cooling season (about 10 months)High internal heat sources:

Over lighting even with no occupancyCirculating warm water throughout the building constructionsNumber of occupants (above 8)Style of life (e.g., cooking, use of appliances)

High diversity factor:Diversity in building types in residential suburbs in Kuwait


Assessing DC for Residential Sector in KuwaitA consortium was established to conduct a

comprehensive feasibility study for the National Housing Authority (NHA) and MEW about the use of DC system for residential and inner city application in Kuwait.

The consortium was sponsored by Kharafi National (KN) and Kazema Engineering Projects (KEP), and it consisted of the following parties: Dar SSH International Consultants,Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait University (KU) and National Environmental Services Co. (NES).


Comprehensive Feasibility StudyWaterCAD software was used in configuring DC

piping network.Hevacomp software was employed to estimate the

cooling load for the buildings and the overall load for the DC system.KISR reviewed DC design, and calculations of power and

energy for the conventional air-cooled and DC systems.KISR estimated the saving in the cost of electricity for DCKU verified thermal load profiles for the buildings and DC

system.KU calculated the amount of heat gain by the distribution

networkKU analyzed piping stresses due to thermal contraction.

Wataniya Environmental Service Co. (WES) performed the environmental impact assessment (EIA).KU evaluated the EIA report.


Study Outcome


The use of DC system for residential buildings in sectors A5 and B of Jaber Al-Ahmad City can reduce peak power demand by 46 % (26.9 MW), andannual electricity consumption by 44 % (80.3

GWh) compared to the conventional air–cooled system.

power station construction cost by 12 M KDpower transmission cost by 1.5 M KDyearly carbon emissions by 50,000 metric ton

(based on crude oil primary fuel usage)

More Studies?While DC is proven, there are some advanced

technologies that can improve efficiency and operational benefits (e.g., integrating DC with CHP).

Kuwait-specific research could be conducted to:adopt the advanced technologiesprevent inefficiencies in operation (e.g., poor

dehumidification)Advanced integrated dynamic year-round simulation

environment can be used to better assess thermal performance of DC in RSK.

Energy auditing for existing DC systems.Pilot DC project applied to a residential suburb or

district.Many more.However,


Our Appeal

“Let’s take this chance!”“Let’s start now”


The Current Status for DC in RSK


There is an urgent need for DC in residential suburbs in Kuwait

DC feasibility is theoretically proven for residential suburbs in Kuwait

DC effectiveness is demonstrated in GCC countries with conditions similar to that in Kuwait

However, DC is not employed yet for residential suburbs in Kuwait?

“What are the major obstacles ?”

Major BarriersBarriers related to non-governmental DC Investors for

RSK:Starting DC for RSK is Risky

Long payback period exceeding 10 yearsNo political supportThere is no legislation for DC market (e.g., protect the investor)Overall billing and collection of several and different types of

customersRequires access to municipal property

Resistance from unitary AC (installation and maintenance) companies

Barriers related to the government:Absence of political support

There is no formal DC related strategyThere is no policy supporting DC industry

Barriers related to the community (hence, Kuwait Parliament):Fear from inefficiencies due to misuse by other linked usersLack of trust in charging and billing processesIgnorance of service quality control mechanismsAvoid monopoly in an essential service.


The Government Should Initiate the DC Boost in RSKInitiate involvement of government bodies, especially:

MEW, NHA, and EPADevelop national vision and strategy for encouraging

DC:Voluntary GHG mitigation targetCope with refrigerants phase-out commitments

Employ DC related technology transfer via environmental treaties.UNFCCC has published an updated version of the

handbook on conducting technology needs assessment for climate change (November 2010)

Utilize CDM for DC in RSK. Tabreed is closely working with Masdar to get CDM credits

for projects including the Dubai MetroPublish code of best practice for DC in RSK.

Optimization of design and operation of DC system is a complicated task due to the almost infinite number of decisions through the life-cycle of the system


The Government Should Initiate the DC Boost in RSK - ConcludedProduce DC supportive policies:

Incentives for DC usersReduced financing costs for DC investorsCheap rental for the DC plants roomIntroduction of off-peak electricity rates

Legislate the DC market:Protect participants Control cost and quality

Design and build DC piping network and infrastructure (free for the community)

Sponsor further application-oriented studies.There is an on-going research project (Annex IX 2008

- 2011) by International Energy Agency DHC/CHP under the title “Fundamental Benefits of District Heating and Cooling to Society and a Model to Quantify and Evaluate the Benefits”


DC Services Supply Code - 2009Energy Market Authority of Singapore

The process by which the code can be modified is clarified.The supply and return temperature ranges are specified.Supply availability (99.5 % annually) and reliability are

controlled .The DC service shall be measured by metering equipment

with accuracy no less than 3% at the normal flow of chilled water.

The accuracy of the metering equipment shall be verified at first installation and subsequently at intervals not exceeding 5 years by an independent testing laboratory

The Licensee shall invoice its customers at least once a month in accordance to its published tariffs approved by the Authority.


Thank you

Prof. Abdullatif [email protected]


Ben nakhi's Presentation at Kuwait District Cooling Summit - 2011

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