Control Parameters of a Wall Heating and Cooling Module with Heat Pipes—An Experimental Study

Bernard Zawada, Karolina Durczak () and Zenon Spik
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Bernard Zawada: Department of Air Conditioning and Heating, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
Karolina Durczak: Department of Air Conditioning and Heating, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
Zenon Spik: Department of Air Conditioning and Heating, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-28

Abstract: Heat pipes filled with a thermodynamic medium are energy-saving and stable heat exchangers that have been used for years in various fields of science and technology, including building heating and cooling installations. This article presents the results of research on the energy efficiency of wall-mounted concrete heating and cooling modules with heat pipes, which can be a structural element of external and internal walls of buildings for various purposes. A series of measurement tests were performed, which allowed the determination of how the thermal power and control parameters of the module (amplification factor and time constants) change under operating conditions. A first- and second-order inertial model was used to describe the control properties of the module. The measurements were performed in heating and cooling mode for three different values of supply water flow, both when increasing the supply temperature and when decreasing it. Based on the results of the measurements, calculations and analysis, it was found that the thermal power and control parameters of the module change significantly; these changes result from both the design features of the module (the type of thermodynamic medium in the heat pipe and the technical aspects of the execution and assembly of the connections between the collector and the heat pipe) and the operating conditions (the value of the direction of temperature change and the flow of the supply water). It was shown that the supply temperature has a much greater impact on the values of the module’s control parameters than the flow rate of the supply water. The tested module is characterized by slow changes in temperature on its surface (high values of time constants). The time of stabilization of the temperature on the module’s surface, after step forcing, is 8–10 h. This can cause greater fluctuations in the indoor air temperature, lower thermal comfort in the room and lower energy efficiency of the process. These issues can be prevented by using complex algorithms for thermal comfort control, which in turn increase the cost of the control system.

Keywords: heat pipes; surface heating; surface cooling; heat exchanger; energy efficiency; low emission; identification of heat exchanger control parameters (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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