Control, Regulation and Command System of Hydronic Radiant Floors Heating by Wireless and Energy Harvesting Sensors and Actuators

Abstract:

This paper presents the development of an innovative control, regulation and command system for hydronic radiant floors, more flexible and efficient that guarantees a better thermal comfort to the user and simultaneously improves the energy efficiency of this type of heating system. The majority of the actual control of hydronic radiant floors is done by thermostats that measure the air temperature and control the actuators (pumps and valves) in order to maintain the room at the specified temperature. These systems requires the frequent adjustment of thermostats set-point in order to obtain thermal comfort as it depends on other factors than just the air temperature, such as, the air humidity, external environmental conditions, radiant temperature, among others. This paper presents a control, regulation and command solution that requires minimum user intervention, as the user only has to choose the desirable thermal comfort level. The control algorithm is based on the calculation of PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) index as defined on Thermal Comfort Standard ISO 7730. Another advantage of the proposed system is related to the wireless and energy harvesting sensors and actuators that provide much more flexibility to the system.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 543)
• Pages: 389-392
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.543.389
• Online since: March 2013
• Authors: Gilberto Batista, Pedro Dinis Gaspar, Pedro D. Silva
• Keywords: Actuator, Energy Harvesting, Hydronic Radiant Floors Heating, Sensor, Wireless

References

[1] L. Fanger, G. Clausen and P.O. Fanger: Impact of temperature and humidity on the perception of indoor air quality. Indoor Air 8(2) (1998), p.80–90.

DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0668.1998.t01-2-00003.x

[2] N.A. Buckley: Application of radiant heating saves energy. ASHRAE Journal 31(9) (1989), p.17–26.

[3] R.K. Strand and C.O. Pedersen: Analytical verfication of heat source transfer functions. First Joint Conference of International Simulation Societies, Zurich, Switzerland (1994).

[4] S.H. Cho and M. Zaheer-uddin: Predictive control of intermittently operated radiant floor heating systems. Energy Conversion and Management 44(8) 2003, pp.1333-1342.

DOI: 10.1016/s0196-8904(02)00116-4

[5] B.C. Ahn and J.Y. Song: Control characteristics and heating performance analysis of automatic thermostatic valves for radiant slab heating system in residential apartments. Energy 35(4) (2010), pp.1615-1624.

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2009.11.007

[6] ISO: ISO 7730, Ergonomics of the thermal environment — Analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria. International Organization for Standardization - ISO (2005).

DOI: 10.3403/30046382

[7] ASHRAE: 2009 ASHRAE Handbook – Fundamentals (SI Edition). American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. - ASHRAE (2009).

DOI: 10.1615/atoz.a.american_society_of_heating_refrigeration_and_air-conditioning_engineers_ashrae_inc

[8] EnOcean: Energy harvesting wireless technology, Available: http: /www. enocean. com/en/energy-harvesting-wireless/ (accessed 2012, April, 11).

[9] EnOcean: EnOcean Modules & Accessories, Available: http: /www. enocean. com/en/enocean_modules/ (accessed 2012, April, 16).

DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800629-0.00076-0

[10] X. Jin, X. Zhang and Y. Luo: A calculation method for the floor surface temperature in radiant floor system. Energy and Buildings 42(10) (2010), p.1753–1758.

DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.05.011