Residential Applications Research Articles

Performance Evaluation and Optimization of Solar Water Heater Systems: A Comprehensive Experimental Study

Abstract: Solar water heaters are an efficient and sustainable technology for meeting the growing demand for hot water in residential and commercial applications. This abstract presents a comprehensive overview of the performance evaluation of solar water heater systems through an extensive experimental study. The study aims to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of different solar water heater configurations under varying operating conditions. The experimental investigation involved the measurement and analysis of key performance parameters such as solar collector efficiency, heat transfer efficiency, thermal storage capacity, and overall system efficiency. A range of factors including solar radiation intensity, ambient temperature, water flow rate, and collector tilt angle were systematically varied to examine their impact on system performance.

Performance evaluation of an enhanced self-storing evacuated tube solar collector in residential water heating application

Phase change materials (PCMs) offer higher levels energy storage density than conventional hot water tanks commonly used with solar hot water systems. The present study aims at investigating the integration of a selected PCM within the structure of an evacuated tube solar hot water system to create some compact thermal storage capacity. Then conventional solar water heater is compared with this novel PCM-based self-storing design. The results show that the proposed self-storing design can maintain the collector output temperature at around 63 °C after 15 h of not receiving any sunlight. That is whilst the output temperature of the normal collector drops down to ambient temperature in the same period. The obtained energy storage efficiency is 57 % and 75 %, and overall thermal efficiency is 49 % and 72 %, for the normal and the self-storing collectors, respectively. For the small-scale system used in this study, the proposed design helps reduce the size of the hot water storage tank required to supply the hot water demand by 55 %. The study also shows that the same design can even yield better performance at larger scales used in practical applications.

Benefits of an innovative polygeneration system integrated with salinity gradient solar pond and desalination unit

Solar energy accumulation, low-temperature thermal heat stockpiling, and more sustained performance are the attractive specifications of a salinity-gradient solar pond (SGSP). Extracted low-grade heat from these components can be employed for various residential applications such as electric power, cooling load, and freshwater production. An innovative energy generation system consisting of a flat plate collector (FPC), single-stage absorption chiller (SSAC), thermoelectric generator (TEG), desalination unit, NaClO plant, SGSP, and a wind turbine farm is proposed. The theoretical investigations demonstrate the multidimensional benefits of the system throughout the year. A comprehensive thermodynamic, economic, and exergoenvironmental assessments of the annual operation of the system is conducted. For a comparative evaluation of the system performance, the individual scenarios are outlined. Results from energy and exergy studies show that the associated efficiencies are 27.3 % and 19 %, respectively. Also, the system has the capability to supply a cooling load capacity of 2391 kW, net electricity power of 583.9 kW, hydrogen of 1.48 m3/s, freshwater of 0.01445 m3/s, and sodium hypochlorite of 0.001416 kg/s. Moreover, the payback period and the factor of environmental damage effectiveness for the system are 3.2 years and 2.223, respectively.

A novel framework for machine intelligence aided smarter energy management in residential scenario

Energy management systems can monitor, optimize, and control energy utilization in residential and commercial applications. Different solutions are available for achieving better energy management. Among the different solutions, load forecasting is considered as one of most preferred technique. It is essential for a load forecasting technique to predict the aggregated loads at the residential level. This paper presents a systematic analysis of different load forecasting models considering a hybrid renewable energy based smart home which uses a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, wind system, and battery storage system for energy storage. In this work, the various forecasting techniques such as time-series models, regression models, ARIMA (Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average) models, and neural network models are analyzed for different load cases. Simulation is performed based on the effect of seasonal bias and condition load shifting on energy generation. The obtained results show that both polynomial and SVM regression model achieves better performance in terms of R2 score and adjusted R2 score of 0.73, and RMSE values of 0.84. It can also be inferred from the analysis that, the random forest regression model and a neural network-based-long short-term memory (LSTM) model exhibit superior results in comparison to other models.

Energy Savings for Various Residential Appliances and Distribution Networks in a Malaysian Scenario

This paper presents a detailed study of the energy savings that can be achieved through residential appliances by implementing conservation voltage reduction (CVR). The computed energy savings are derived from the ZIP coefficients of a load model (static) under varying voltage conditions that represent the power consumed by each appliance tested. Multiple studies have shown energy savings at the substation level but not at the level of a specific residence and appliance; hence, the latter is the focus of this analysis. The appliances are determined based on the type of heating and cooling loads, and the daily duration of use for each appliance, which contributes to the total monthly consumption that is billed for a household are included in this study. Energy savings in Malaysia has been a focus of many current studies, and this study is the first attempt to achieve energy savings through the implementation of CVR. No published work has compared individual appliances that truly benefits from CVR, and this is addressed in this study. The main contribution of this study is that it provides very detailed and measured data that are used to analyze and generate energy savings for very specific residential appliances intended to meet every 1% voltage drop. The load model is developed for the common household appliances in Malaysia, and then a voltage reduction study is applied to the appliances as well as the Malaysian distribution networks. Here, we also provide insight for performing voltage reduction at an electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Malaysia. The results of this study should serve as a foundation for all practicing utilities engineers to address the issue of CVR in Malaysia. The CVR factors for residential, commercial, and industrial networks in Malaysia are also published in this paper.

Design of a space cooling plant from residual energy of ORC-GSHP assisted geothermal power plant at Dholera, Gujarat, India

More than 45% of the nations around the world use geothermal energy for a wide range of direct and indirect applications pertaining to its stable nature. This paper explores the use of geothermal energy for the direct application of space cooling in residential and commercial applications. It introduces a low enthalpy geothermal energy utilizing space cooling system, a complimentary system to the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) assisted geothermal power plant. The configuration of the whole system, including the cooling, heating, and common circuits, is discussed. The main components of the space cooling system consist of Plate Type Heat Exchanger (PHE), GSHP, Air Handling Unit (AHU), and ORC. This study also built a mathematical model based on heat transfer for heat exchangers, Coefficient of Performance (COP) of heat pump, and cooling load of the AHU. For system observation and analysis, the experimental data collected over the course of 90 days (March to May) has been used. The results show that geothermal systems can be an effective and efficient way to cool spaces. A room temperature of 18 ℃ is achieved for an outside ambient temperature range from 19 to 46℃ in summer conditions. The system output placed GSHP's COP from 1.6 to 4 and the AHU's average cooling load is 58.29 kWh with a heat exchange effectiveness rate of 0.46. The system with a few modifications can also be utilized for space heating during winter and other direct applications during summer.

A comprehensive study of the thermophysical and rheological properties of ZrO2 based nanofluids as geothermal fluids

Geothermal heat pump systems in residential and commercial applications have become popular in many countries over the past years. The heat transfer performance of the ground heat exchangers in these systems has still room for improvement since they have huge influence on the overall efficiency. Likewise, new heat transfer fluids with enhanced properties, known as nanofluids, have been proposed as a potential solution to substitute the conventional working fluids and to improve the heat transfer processes and performance. A reliable and appropriated proposal of nanofluids for a particular application must include a complete fluid dynamic characterization including thermophysical, rheological, heat transfer coefficients, and pressure drops analysis, as well as physical or chemical characterization of the nanomaterial. In this study, a novel proposal of propylene glycol:water (10:90 vol%)-based zirconium oxide nanofluids of different nanoparticle mass concentrations (0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, and 5.0 wt%) as possible geothermal working fluids and their thermophysical and rheological characterization are performed. Thus, the nanopowder was extensively investigated by means of Transmission Electron Microscopy, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-Ray diffraction, and Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy obtaining the shape, size distribution, d-spacing, electron diffraction pattern, and crystallinity. Then, thermal conductivities, dynamic viscosities, densities, and isobaric heat capacities for base fluid and nanofluids were measured by transient hot wire, rotational rheometry, vibrating tube, and differential scanning calorimetry methods, respectively. Increases in thermal conductivity, dynamic viscosity, and density of the nanofluids up to 2.8%, 13%, and 4.1% were found, respectively, while decreases in heat capacity reached 11% in comparison to the base fluid. Different models and equations were also employed to analyse the experimental data.

Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems types and applications: Comprehensive review, critical analysis, and potential recommendations

One of the most effective ways to deal with the effects of the current global energy crisis is to reduce energy consumption and rely energy management strategies. As a result, waste heat/energy recovery might be a helpful option for decreasing energy costs and environmental effect. It entails finding a practical way to apply any engineering system’s wasted heat where the percentage of wasted heat is too high in global. In this context, waste hot water is a rich source of wasted energy that, if recovered, can significantly cut down on the amount of electricity used worldwide. Within this framework, the present research paper provides a thorough analysis of Waste Water Heat Recovery Systems (WWHRS) in terms of performance, design, tools and applications. In addition, it is highlighting the key elements associated with WWHRS, including the wastewater sources and approaches used in the literature for waste water heat recovery. Moreover, the present paper demonstrates the effect of the heat recovery from the drain waste water on economically and discuss the technical barriers to using WWHRS. It will be demonstrated that the feasibility of recovering heat from waste water could decrease significantly the cost of energy consumption for residential or industrial application. In addition, the main tools that are used for heat recovery systems is the heat exchanger where various types are used and the thermal performance are strongly affected by the choice of heat exchangers. Moreover, based on the literature review, it is shown that the methods of studying the thermal performance of the heat recovery system are experimental and/or numerical and in some cases the study is performed analytically. Finally, all discussed and presented studies demonstrate that the WWHRS has a significant benefits and could be considered for new residential construction.

IDENTIFYING THERMAL COMFORT OF TROPICAL ARCHITECTURAL CONCEPT BUILDING : A CASE STUDY OF EXPANDABLE HOUSE

Tropical architecture is an architectural building concept that focuses on the use of materials and techniques used in an accordance with the environment and climate in the tropical region. Buildings with tropical architectural style have special characteristics in adapting to climate conditions, but currently there are also modern buildings that can be categorized as contemporer tropical buildings. In the context of Batam city, contemporer tropical architectural buildings have not been prominent, especially in residential houses applications. Moreover, few residential houses failed to follow thermal comfort in the objective of Batam climate. This study aims to identify the elements of thermal comfort in residential houses which apply contemporer tropical architectural concepts in the city of Batam. In this case the author examine “Rumah Tambah” as a case study. By conducting a literature review and comparison of case studies as well as direct observation to the location, this research was conducted using an inductive qualitative method using primary and secondary data. Finally, this research produces an identification of thermal comfort that is applied to residential houses with a contemporer tropical architectural concept and provides recommendations for design elements in residential houses with a contemporer tropical architectural concept in the city of Batam.

Platinum nanoparticles prepared by ion implantation exhibit high durability for fuel cell applications

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have attracted considerable attention as distributed power sources for automotive and residential applications. In PEMFCs, platinum (Pt) nanoparticles supported on carbon materials are used as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions. However, improved durability of the electrocatalysts is urgently required for commercialization purposes. We describe an ion implantation technique for the preparation of Pt nanoparticles with superior catalytic properties, suitable for fuel cell applications. The Pt nanoparticles were obtained by implanting a glassy carbon (GC) substrate with 100 keV Pt-ions, followed by electrochemical etching and a heat treatment. Electrochemical measurements of the Pt nanoparticles prepared by the proposed implantation technique demonstrated superior durability when compared to those prepared by the conventional magnetron sputtering method. We suggested that the defective structure of the GC substrate, caused by the Pt-ion implantation, has led to the improved electrochemical stability of the GC substrate and Pt-carbon support interactions, thereby enhancing the durability of our Pt nanoparticles.

Comparison of Thermal Effectiveness and Crevice Corrosion Risk of Fin Geometry on All-Aluminum Microchannel Heat Exchangers

All-aluminum microchannel heat exchangers have recently gained popularity in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry. Despite their attractive thermal performance design, these heat exchangers make coils used in automotive, commercial, and residential applications prone to crevice corrosion. This study uses high-fidelity conjugate heat transfer simulations to model a micro channel heat exchanger system that includes fins and tubes with crossflow to compare their thermal effectiveness to gain insight into potential crevice corrosion of the MCHE alloy. This study considers three fin geometries (louver, step, and saw) with the same tube and circular shape microchannel and identifies the corrosion hot spot and thermal effectiveness. A predicted flow field also identifies crevices between fins and tube surfaces as critical corrosion hot spots often associated with low-velocity regions. The crevice volumes for the louver, step, and saw fin shapes are calculated as respectively. Results also show that the same circular microchannel louver shape fin has higher effectiveness than the step and saw shape fin. The thermal effectiveness for microchannel tubes with louver, step, and saw shape fins are 0.337, 0.20737, and 0.2895, respectively.

Energy and Environmental Analysis of Renewable Energy Systems Focused on Biomass Technologies for Residential Applications: The Life Cycle Energy Analysis Approach

Sustainability and resilience are major challenges for the building sector in order to meet energy efficiency and low carbon emissions goals. Based on the defined and quantified targets of the EU climate change policy, Renewable Energy Systems (RESs) are among the top-priority measures for accomplishing the target of decarbonization in buildings. Nevertheless, the choice of the type of RES is not a one-dimensional problem, and the optimal combination may not be unique. The aim of this paper is the energy and environmental evaluation of renewable energy technologies with emphasis on biomass and solar thermal systems for heating applications in residential buildings. More specifically, and aiming at the maximum possible contribution of renewable energy sources in the total final energy consumption for the needs of zero energy buildings, different scenarios are presented based on a Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA) approach. The methodology is based on quantifying the environmental impacts (midpoint analysis), as well as endpoint analysis, in order to define the impact on human health, ecosystem damage, and resource depletion. The LCEA has been conducted, supported by the SimaPro tool, ensuring the environmental impact assessment result. A combination of RES technologies based on solar and biomass are examined and compared to conventional fossil fuel heating systems according to technical, energy, and environmental criteria. Finally, the energy system technologies were compared in correlation to a building’s thermal insulation level. The first set of simulations fulfilled the minimum thermal insulation requirements, according to the national energy performance regulation, whilst the second set of simulations was based on increased levels of insulation. The point of this analysis was to correlate the impact of thermal insulation to RES technologies’ contribution. The results determined that the best available energy solution, focusing on technical and environmental criteria, is the combination of biomass and solar thermal systems for covering the heating processes in residential buildings. More specifically, the combined biomass–solar system has a lower overall environmental impact, due to the reduction in gaseous pollutant emissions, as well as the reduction in the amount of used fuel. The reduction in the total environmental impact amounts to a percentage of approximately 43%.

Sistem Keamanan Perumahan Menggunakan Face Recognition

The residential environment system is a system that can be used to assist security officers and neighborhood residents to carry out environmental monitoring of crimes both coming from outside the environment and from the environment itself. This residential security system application uses the face recognition method carried out by residential security. The security system is an important point, which makes it the most important goal of researchers. Data collection methods used such as, observation, observation and literature study. The results of this study are to create a security system application using android-based facial recognition. The conclusion of this research is that this residential security system application is designed with simple systems and features to make it easier for users or users, with the Face Recognition method it makes it easier for security guards to carry out security for people who come out of housing, and the security system application is an application designed to help community and security officers so as not to lose the motorized vehicles of residential residents

Review of Hybrid Wind-Solar PV Technology in the Generation of Electricity

Achieving sustainability by utilizing alternative energy sources viable technological possibilities for creating sustainable energy, the sun, biomass, wind, geothermal resources, hydropower, and ocean resources are considered. Despite the fact that the total amount of energy produced by PV cells and wind turbines is still far less than that of fossil fuels, their ability to generate electricity has significantly expanded in recent years. This article provides an overview of the Solar-Wind hybrid power system, which generates electricity by combining the Sun and Wind, two renewable energy sources. Microcontrollers are widely used in the field of system management. We can maximize the utilization of those resources by employing this strategy, which takes into account the distinct production processes of each resource. Furthermore, it increases dependability and decreases reliance on any single input. This hybrid solar-wind power generation system is suitable for both industrial and residential applications.

5E analysis of a novel designed hot water storage header integrated vacuum tube solar water heater

In this study, 5-E analysis of a heat pipe equipped vacuum tube collector system for residential warm water application has been carried out. The issue of overheating in heat pipes and low thermal efficiency is the major key issues associated with heat pipe vacuum tube collector. This design completely removes the problem of overheating. In addition to this copper fins mounting with condensers of heat pipe enhance the heat transmission rate between the condenser & water stored in a manifold. The results of an experimental investigation reveal that thermal and exergy outputs of the proposed system were obtained almost 63–74% and 4–10% respectively. The average energy gain at the end of the days selected for Run-A, B, and C was calculated to be 7505, 6912, and 6619 kJ respectively, whereas the average exergy gain for corresponding runs was found to be 928, 700, and 401 kJ respectively. In addition to this, the proposed system can provide hot water of approximately 125 L, 76 L, and 52 L in temperatures 50 °C, 55 °C, and 60 °C respectively.Concerning to techno-economic investigation, the per liter cost of warm water generation for the proposed & electric geyser was observed to be 0.15 INR/L & 0.47 INR/L respectively. The levelized energy cost, net present worth, and payback time were found to be 5.48 INR/kWh, 55,819 INR, and 4.12 years respectively. The amount of CO2 mitigation by the developed system was found to be 18.76, 17.28, and 16.54 tCO2/lifetime for Run-A, B & C respectively.

A system dynamics model for end-of-life management of electric vehicle batteries in the US: Comparing the cost, carbon, and material requirements of remanufacturing and recycling

End-of-life (EOL) electric vehicle (EV) batteries can be remanufactured into second-life batteries (SLBs) for residential and utility-level stationary storage applications. However, it is important from a sustainability perspective to assess that there is no increase in material requirement, cost, or carbon footprint of lithium-ion batteries by adding a remanufacturing stage before recycling. A system dynamics model is developed to evaluate the changing EOL battery availability, the change in virgin raw material demand, net present economic value, and carbon footprint of EV batteries with the added remanufacturing stage in the US from 2020 to 2050 depending on the battery state-of-health and battery chemistry over time. We find that compared to recycling, remanufacturing can reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of the EV battery by 2–17%, by reducing the virgin raw material mined for new batteries. Extended abstractEnd-of-life (EOL) electric vehicle (EV) batteries can either be recycled or remanufactured into second-life batteries (SLBs) for residential and utility-level stationary storage applications. There is a lot of research and policy efforts to support SLB for storage application based on the assumption that using the remaining battery capacity after the in-vehicle use will be environmentally beneficial. However, remanufacturing could negatively impact new EV battery manufacturing by reducing recycled material availability, thereby increasing mining. It is important from a sustainability perspective to ensure that there is no increase in material requirement, cost, or carbon footprint of lithium-ion batteries by adding a remanufacturing stage before recycling. A system dynamics model is developed to evaluate the changing EOL battery availability, the change in virgin raw material demand, net present economic value, and carbon footprint of EV batteries with the added remanufacturing stage in the US from 2020 to 2050 depending on the battery state-of-health and battery chemistry over time. We find that compared to recycling, remanufacturing can reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of the EV battery by 2–17%, by reducing the virgin raw material mined for new batteries. However, as new battery prices decrease in the long term, the net present economic value of remanufacturing decreases, reducing the overall EOL economic value of the recycling with added remanufacturing stage. This reduction can be compensated for by providing subsidies and incentives for SLBs, which can increase profit.

Experimental Validation and Efficiency Analysis of Sensorless PR based 15PUC (fifteen level Packed U Cell) MLI for Commercial & Residential Applications with Novel Switching Algorithm

Experimental Validation and Efficiency Analysis of Sensorless PR based 15PUC (fifteen level Packed U Cell) MLI for Commercial & Residential Applications with Novel Switching Algorithm

The application of the fuzzy rule-based Bayesian algorithm to determine which residential appliances can be considered for the demand response program

The application of the fuzzy rule-based Bayesian algorithm to determine which residential appliances can be considered for the demand response program

Exergetic analysis and economic analysis method of a solar cooling system for a residential building application

Exergetic analysis and economic analysis method of a solar cooling system for a residential building application

The solar end game: bibliometric analysis, research and development evolution, and patent activity of hybrid photovoltaic/thermal-phase change material.

Solar photovoltaic-thermal hybrid with phase change material (PVT-PCM) emerges as an intelligent game changer to stimulate the clean, reliable, and affordable renewable energy technology. This PVT-PCM technology can be manipulated into generating both electricity and thermal energy that feature its practicality for residential and industrial applications. Hybridized of PCM into PVT design adds value to existing architecture with its capability to store excess heat that can be used during insufficient solar irradiation. Present work gives overview of the PVT-PCM system on technology innovation toward commercialization (viz, solar end game) subjected to bibliometric analysis, research and development evolution, and patent activity. A consolidation of these review articles was decluttered to focus on the performance and efficiency of PVT-PCM technology based on the fact that commercialization is ready once the technology is completed and qualified (at technology readiness level, TRL: 8). Economic review was conducted to understand the feasibility of the existing solar technologies and how it affects the PVT-PCM market price. Based on the contemporary findings, promising performance of PVT-PCM technology has underpinned its feasibility and technology readiness. China has predominant local and international framework and expected to be the PVT-PCM technology trendsetter in the next years through its strong international collaborative projects and pioneer in PVT-PCM patent filing. This present work underscores the solar end-game strategy and recommendation to create a path forward to achieve clean energy transition. Though, as to the date of submission of this article, no industry has found to manufacture/sell this hybrid technology in the market.