Hybrid Energy Recovery, Storage and Utilization in Buildings and Industrial Applications

A special issue of Thermo (ISSN 2673-7264).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (17 October 2022) | Viewed by 12761

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Council of Research, Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies (CNR ITAE), 98126 Messina, Italy
Interests: thermal energy conversion and storage; renewable energy; renewables system integration; HVAC systems; sorption systems; heat pumps; thermal energy storage; hybrid systems; polygeneration systems; energy system simulation
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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering, Fluids Section, National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Zografou, 15771 Athens, Greece
Interests: design; optimization; techno-economic and experimental investigation of solar thermal; geothermal; bioenergy and waste heat utilization technologies; hybrid cogeneration/polygeneration systems; advanced power and cooling cycles; energy storage processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue will focus on the energetic, exergetic and economic assessment of hybrid energy systems for the combined recovery, storage and utilization of diverse renewable (solar, biomass, geothermal) and waste heat sources in buildings and industrial applications. Different energy conversion pathways will be encompassed, such as heat to electricity/power, heat to heat (i.e. for space heating and domestic hot water production) and heat to cooling and refrigeration, as well as combined heat and power (CHP) and combined cooling heat and power (CCHP). These conversion pathways will be based on the implementation of various technologies, such as vapor compression cycle (VCC) heat pumps, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems, Stirling engines, micro-gas turbines, internal combustion engines, photovoltaics, and thermally-activated chillers (absorption, adsorption, and ejectors, desiccant). Furthermore, the integration of thermal and electrical energy storage (electrical as well as sensible-latent heat storage, power-to-Χ including batteries, PCMs, thermal storage tanks, concrete thermal storage systems, and cooling storage) into the aforementioned technologies is a means of enhancing their performance. A primary focus will be the comparative evaluation of these systems concerning their thermodynamic and techno-economic performance and their contribution to the reduction of their carbon footprint versus conventional energy systems.

Dr. Valeria Palomba
Dr. Konstantinos Braimakis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • hybrid systems
  • energy recovery
  • energy storage
  • buildings
  • industrial applications

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 6518 KiB  
Article
Simplified Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Combi-Storage Distribution Tank for Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage Systems
by Tryfon C. Roumpedakis, Aris-Dimitrios Leontaritis, Prokopios Vlachogiannis, Efstratios Varvagiannis, Antonios Charalampidis and Sotirios Karellas
Thermo 2023, 3(4), 657-681; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo3040038 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1345
Abstract
This study regards the evaluation of the performance of a thermally stratified tank as an intermediate combi-storage tank for a solar-driven residential thermal system coupled to a seasonal energy storage system. In such applications, the efficient operation of this intermediate tank is crucial [...] Read more.
This study regards the evaluation of the performance of a thermally stratified tank as an intermediate combi-storage tank for a solar-driven residential thermal system coupled to a seasonal energy storage system. In such applications, the efficient operation of this intermediate tank is crucial to the enhanced exploitation of the harvested solar energy and the minimization of heat losses. In this perspective, the development of a dedicated model in TRNSYS software and its validation with experimental results are investigated. With respect to the simulation model’s discretization, it was found that beyond 60 nodes, the benefits to the model’s accuracy are almost negligible. Comparing the experimental data with the simulation’s results, the predicted temperature profile converges accurately to the measured values under steady-state conditions (threshold stabilization period of 1000 s after charging/discharging has occurred). However, the response of the model deviates considerably under transient conditions due to the lack of detailed inertia modeling of both the tank and the rest of the system components. Conclusively, the developed 1D simulation model is adequate for on- and off-design models where transient phenomena are of reduced importance, whereas for dynamic and semi-dynamic simulations, more detailed models are needed. Full article
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24 pages, 5910 KiB  
Article
Optimal Location of the Active Thermal Insulation Layer in the Building Envelope
by Barbara Król and Krzysztof Kupiec
Thermo 2023, 3(1), 176-199; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo3010011 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2042
Abstract
One of the modern methods of protecting against building heat losses is active thermal insulation (ATI). In winter conditions, ATI works by supplying heat into the envelope, which increases the temperature in the ATI layer. A low-temperature renewable energy medium feeds the active [...] Read more.
One of the modern methods of protecting against building heat losses is active thermal insulation (ATI). In winter conditions, ATI works by supplying heat into the envelope, which increases the temperature in the ATI layer. A low-temperature renewable energy medium feeds the active insulation layer directly, e.g., through solar or geothermal energy. A model for heat transfer through the building envelope with an ATI layer was developed. The numerical simulations verified the simplifying assumptions in the model. A relationship was derived to determine the optimal location of the ATI layer in the envelope. The objective function of the summed costs of the thermal energy supplied to the internal space and the envelope was assumed. We took into account the fact that the unit price of energy supplied to the ATI layer is lower than the price of the energy supplied to the internal space. Based on the results of the measurements carried out in a building facility with the ATI layer installed, the actual savings effects due to the ATI layer were compared to the calculated values. Full article
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18 pages, 1994 KiB  
Article
Forecasting Installation Capacity for the Top 10 Countries Utilizing Geothermal Energy by 2030
by Khaled Salhein, C. J. Kobus and Mohamed Zohdy
Thermo 2022, 2(4), 334-351; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo2040023 - 9 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3427
Abstract
Foresight of geothermal energy installation is valuable for energy decision-makers, allowing them to readily identify new capacity units, improve existing energy policies and plans, expand future infrastructure, and fulfill consumer load needs. Therefore, in this paper, an improved grey prediction model (IGM (1,1)) [...] Read more.
Foresight of geothermal energy installation is valuable for energy decision-makers, allowing them to readily identify new capacity units, improve existing energy policies and plans, expand future infrastructure, and fulfill consumer load needs. Therefore, in this paper, an improved grey prediction model (IGM (1,1)) was applied to perform the annual geothermal energy installation capacity prediction for the top 10 countries based on installed power generation capacity evaluated at the end of 2021, namely the United States, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, New Zealand, Mexico, Italy, Kenya, Iceland, and Japan, for the next nine years for the period from 2022 through 2030. These data can be used by future researchers in the field. Separately, datasets from 2000 to 2021 were collected for each country’s geothermal energy installation capacity to build a model which can accurately predict the annually geothermal energy installation capacity by 2030. The IGM (1,1) model used a small dataset of 22 data points, with one point denoting one year (i.e., 22 years), to predict the capacity of geothermal energy installations for the next nine years. Following that, the model was implemented for each dataset in MATLAB, where appropriate, and the model accuracy was evaluated. Ten separate geothermal energy installation capacity datasets were used to validate the improved model, and these datasets further demonstrated the overall improved model’s accuracy. The results prove that the prediction accuracy of the IGM (1,1) model outperforms the benchmark conventional GM (1,1) model, thereby enhancing the overall accuracy of the GM (1,1) model. The IGM (1,1) model ensures error reduction, suggesting that it is an effective and promising tool for accurate short-term prediction. The results reveal the 2030 geothermal energy installation capacity rankings. Full article
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29 pages, 5701 KiB  
Article
Techno-Economic Optimization of Medium Temperature Solar-Driven Subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle
by Tryfon C. Roumpedakis, Nikolaos Fostieris, Konstantinos Braimakis, Evropi Monokrousou, Antonios Charalampidis and Sotirios Karellas
Thermo 2021, 1(1), 77-105; https://doi.org/10.3390/thermo1010007 - 21 May 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4670
Abstract
The present work focuses on the techno-economic assessment and multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization of small-scale (40 kWth input), solar Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems driven by medium-to-high temperature (up to 210 °C) parabolic dish (PDC) and trough (PTC) collectors. The ORCs are [...] Read more.
The present work focuses on the techno-economic assessment and multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization of small-scale (40 kWth input), solar Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems driven by medium-to-high temperature (up to 210 °C) parabolic dish (PDC) and trough (PTC) collectors. The ORCs are designed to maximize their nominal thermal efficiency for several natural hydrocarbon working fluids. The optimization variables are the solar field area and storage tank capacity, with the goal of minimizing the levelized cost of produced electricity (LCoE) and maximizing the annual solar conversion efficiency. The lowest LCOE (0.34 €/kWh) was obtained in Athens for a high solar field area and low storage tank capacity. Meanwhile, the maximum annual solar conversion efficiencies (10.5–11%) were obtained in northern cities (e.g., Brussels) at lower solar field locations. While PTCs and PDCs result in similar efficiencies, the use of PTCs is more cost-effective. Among the working fluids, Cyclopentane and Cyclohexane exhibited the best performance, owing to their high critical temperatures. Notably, the systems could be more profitable at higher system sizes, as indicated by the 6% LCoE decrease of the solar ORC in Athens when the nominal heat input was increased to 80 kWth. Full article
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