Active Optimization of Chilled Water Pump Running Number: Engineering Practice Validation

Shunian Qiu, Zhenhai Li, Delong Wang, Zhengwei Li and Yinying Tao ()
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Shunian Qiu: School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China
Zhenhai Li: School of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Delong Wang: Shanghai Discovery Energy Services Co., Ltd., Shanghai 201108, China
Zhengwei Li: School of Mechanical Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Yinying Tao: School of Design and Fashion, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: To realize building energy conservation, appropriate operation of building energy systems is necessary. A chilled water pump, an essential component for chilled water transportation in building cooling systems, consumes substantial energy. Hence, its operation should be optimized. Previous studies on optimal pump control mostly focused on pump speed/frequency control, while the control of pump running number is usually too passive to realize energy-saving objectives. Moreover, existing relevant studies have some disadvantages, such as (1) too complex a workflow for maintenance; (2) dependence on accurate system performance models that take substantial data and labor to establish; and (3) high requirements on monitoring and sensors. To tackle those problems, this article proposes a simple, feasible approach to optimize the running number (on/off status) of chilled water pumps for building energy conservation. The proposed method is merely based on similarity/affinity laws and pump performance curves feasible for engineering practices. It has been implemented on a real cooling system in a battery factory. Our results suggest that: (1) based on similarity/affinity laws and pump performance curves, the estimation of potential targeted pump working points is accurate enough for optimal control (the flow rate estimation error is less than 2%, the frequency estimation error is less than 1 Hz); (2) the energy-saving effect of this control method is evident (20% of pump energy is saved by the proposed method compared to the former control logic); (3) the water grid operation condition is maintained well: cooling supply is not sacrificed by the control intervention (compared to the working condition before the intervention, grid pressure difference changed by 1.4%, flow rate changed by 2.6%). Regarding the low preconditions, simple workflow, and acceptable energy-saving performance of the proposed method, it is suitable for energy conservation in building cooling systems.

Keywords: chilled water pump; building cooling system; energy conservation; control practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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