Building-Integrated Thermal Energy Systems (BITES)

Professors: Cynthia CruickshankJean DuquetteJohn Gaydos

Industry Partner: Chris Weissflog

• Canada is the fifth largest energy producer in the world and the eighth largest consumer of energy

• Buildings account for 28% of secondary energy use in Canada and represent a large source of GHGs

• Approximately 80% of residential use is attributed to space heating and hot water demands

• Current strategies to reduce building loads typically consider heating, cooling and hot water needs separately

HydroNuclearCoal

Non-hydro renewables

Natural gas and oil

Nuclear15%

Hydro59%

Coal9%

Natural gas and oil

10%

Non-hydro renewables

7%

Canada’s Energy Mix

• Project focus is on an integrated approach for heating, cooling, ventilation, dehumidification, and domestic hot water heating for low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs)

• Design and optimization is required:

• Passive solar architecture

• High-performance envelope

• Multi-function heat pumps

• Heat recovery

• Geothermal storage

• Control strategies

• Goal is to design a building integrated thermal energy system (BITES) that is replicable and delivers net-zero-energy-ready levels of performance for a 10-year payback

• Year 1 (2018-19):

• Analyze performance of BITES prototype (single-family residential scale) and identify opportunities for improving design

• Size key components (heat pumps, thermal storage, hydronic floor, geothermal field, thermal mass, windows) using simplified models and develop recommendations for MURB

• Develop detailed design of heat pump prototype

• Year 2 (2019-20):

• Fabricate and measure performance of a CO2 heat pump prototype in laboratory setting

• Optimize heat pump design based on preliminary results; optimize design to balance performance with cost

• Develop detailed heat transfer model using building simulation tool representing functioning of complete MURB/BITES

• Develop control strategies to optimize energy use and thermal comfort

• Develop detailed design for HRV for fabrication in Year 3

Ground Heat Exchanger Glycol

LoopMain Heat Pump

Effluent Heat Reclamation

System

Domestic Hot Water Tank

Thermal Energy Storage

TanksExcess Heat

Dumped to Ground

Reclaimed Hot Water from Drains

Hot Water to Consumers

Secondary Heat Source for TES Tank

Primary Heat Source for TES Tank

Cooling for TES Tank

Primary Heating for Heat Pump

Fan Coil Unit

Heating for Fan Coil Units

Heating and Cooling for Hydronics Flooring

Dehumidification for Fan Coil Units

Fresh Air in, Exhaust Air out

Hydronics Flooring Coils in the MURB

BITES Concept

Illustration courtesy of K. Firempong-Boakye

Heat Pump Expansion Valves and Pumps

Ground Loop

Fan Coil Unit# 1

To the MURBExhaust Air

from MURB

Exhaust Air to Outside

Fresh Air from Outside

Domestic Hot Water Tank

Thermal Energy Storage Tanks

Mains Water

Recirculatory Loop

From Hydronics loop

To Hydronics Loop

Injection of hydronics water into the loop

To Consumers

Heat Pump #2

Effluent heat pump with Evaporator and

Condenser inside

Effluent Water in Effluent Water out

23℃ Water

5℃ Water

Heat Pump #1

ERV #1

55℃ Water

8℃ Water

Temperature to be kept at about 50℃

24℃ for Heating19.5℃ for Cooling

60℃ Water

24℃ to -5℃ Temperature RangeGlycol

P#1

HX#1 (Water to Glycol HX)

P#2

P#3P#4

P#11 HX#4 (Glycol to Water HX)

HX#2HX#3

P#7

P#10

P#8

P#5

P#6

P#9

V#1

V#2

V#3

V#4

V#5

V#6

V#7

V#8

V#9

V#10

V#11

V#12 V#13

V#14

V#15

V#16V#17

V#18

V#19 V#20

HX# - Heat Exchanger

P#- Pump

V#- Valves

SE#- Sensor

SE#1

SE#2

SE#3

SE#4

SE#5

SE#6

SE#7

SE#8

SE#9

SE#10

SE#11

SE#12

SE#13

SE#14

SE#15

SE#16

SE#17

SE#18 SE#19

SE#20

SE#21

Condensor

Evaporators

BITES Design

Illustration courtesy of K. Firempong-Boakye

TRNSYS Model Revit Model

Illustration courtesy of T. Walker

Illustration courtesy of B. Legault

EnergyPlus Model SketchUp ModelIllustrations courtesy of M. Katukurunda

Illustration courtesy of J. Aalab

SolidWorks Model

• Year 1 (2018-19):

• Analyze performance of BITES prototype (single-family residential scale) and identify opportunities for improving design

• Size key components (heat pumps, thermal storage, hydronic floor, geothermal field, thermal mass, windows) using simplified models and develop recommendations for MURB

• Develop detailed design of heat pump prototype

• Year 2 (2019-20):

• Fabricate and measure performance of a CO2 heat pump prototype in laboratory setting

• Optimize heat pump design based on preliminary results; optimize design to balance performance with cost

• Develop detailed heat transfer model using building simulation tool representing functioning of complete MURB/BITES

• Develop control strategies to optimize energy use and thermal comfort

• Develop detailed design for HRV for fabrication in Year 3

2018-19 Class

Thank you for your interest in BITES!