Comparison of two solar-assisted underfloor heating systems with Phase Change Materials

Year 2019, Volume: 22 Issue: 3, 138 - 147, 01.09.2019

Maria Plytaria Christos Tzivanidis İoannis Alexopoulos , Evangelos Bellos Kimon Antonopoulos

https://doi.org/10.5541/ijot.495329

Cited By: 3

Abstract

In this work, two underfloor solar assisted heating
systems without and with phase change materials (PCMs) are investigated
energetically for a building of 100 m² floor area, which is situated
in Athens, (Greece). The simulations are conducted with the commercial software
TRNSYS 17. More analytically, flat plate collectors coupled to a storage tank
are used while there is, in the first system, an auxiliary heater and in the
second system, a heat pump, for supplying the extra heating demand when the
solar potential is not sufficient. The PCM layer is situated
below the underfloor heating system in order to increase the storage capacity. Moreover,
this study compares the indoor temperature profiles of the building with and
without a PCM layer on the floor and specifically in different cases by
changing the area of the collectors and the thickness of the insulation layer.
The results showed that the electrical energy consumption decreases on average
70% and 41% for the system with an auxiliary
heater and for the system with heat pump respectively. Moreover, the application
of the PCM layer on the floor in both systems gives an increase of the indoor
temperature about 2^oC into the limits of thermal comfort.

Keywords

Underfloor heating system, auxiliary heater, heat pump, heating loads, phase change materials, TRNSYS

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