<p>  </p> <p>Thermal energy storage (TES) is used to reduce the operating costs of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems by shifting loads away from on-peak periods, to reduce the maximum heating or cooling capacity needed from the HVAC system, and to store excess energy generated by on-site solar power. The most commonly-used form of TES is ice storage with air conditioning (A/C) systems in commercial buildings. There has been extensive research into many other forms of TES for use with HVAC systems, both in commercial and residential buildings. However, this research is often limited to use with either heating or cooling systems.</p> <p>Year-round, high-density storage for both heating and cooling would yield significantly larger cost savings than existing TES systems, particularly for residential buildings, where heating loads are often larger than cooling loads. This dissertation examines the feasibility of using metal hydrides for year-round storage, as well as analyzing the potential of variable-temperature energy storage for optimizing system performance beyond allowing for year-round use.</p> <p>Metal hydrides are metals that exothermically absorb and endothermically desorb hydrogen. Since the temperature this reaction occurs at depends on the hydrogen pressure, hydrides can be used for energy storage at varying temperatures. System architecture for using metal hydrides with an HVAC system is developed. A thermodynamic model which combines a dynamic model of the hydride reactors with a static model of the HVAC system is used to calculate operating costs, compared to a conventional HVAC system, for different utility rates and locations. The payback period of the system is unacceptably high, due to the high initial cost of metal hydrides and the operating costs of compressing hydrogen to move it between hydride reactors.</p> <p>In addition to the metal hydride system model, a generalized model of a variable-temperature TES system is used to determine the potential cost savings from dynamically altering the storage temperature to achieve optimal cost savings. Dynamic tuning does result in cost savings but is most effective for storage tank sizes significantly smaller than the optimal tank size. An alternate system design where the storage tank is charged with the outlet flow from the house achieves larger cost savings even for the optimally-sized tanks. Payback periods calculated for optimal sizing show that year-round storage has a lower payback period than separate cold and heat storage if the year-round storage system is not more expensive than two separate storage tanks. </p>

Un niveau important d’isolation des parois de bâtiments peut diminuer le refroidissement du bâtiment en été, quand les conditions extérieures sont favorables. Dans cette thèse, le concept d’isolations commutable, est développé : pendant les périodes de refroidissement, l’isolation commutable peut être désactivée pour refroidir la masse du bâtiment pendant la nuit. Pendant les périodes de chauffage, ce concept peut être utilisé pour utiliser les gains solaires. Dans cette thèse, le potentiel des isolations commutables est étudié pour des bureaux dans un climat continental européen. En outre, deux nouveaux concepts d'isolations commutables sont introduits et développés et caractérisés expérimentalement. Un modèle nodal détaillé a été mis en place, validé et utilisé pour conduire une étude paramétrique. Le potentiel des isolations commutables a été étudié à l’aide de simulations énergétiques dynamiques du bâtiment qui ont montré que des réductions importantes des besoins de chauffage et de refroidissement ainsi que des heures d'inconfort en été peuvent être atteintes. Plusieurs stratégies de contrôle ont été mises au point, introduites et comparées. L'influence de la masse thermique a également été étudiée, ainsi que l'influence de l'orientation ou du cadre des éléments. / Important thermal insulation levels can prevent the building to cool down during the cooling period, when the external conditions are favorable. In this thesis, the concept of switchable insulation is developed: during the cooling period, the insulation can be deactivated during the night to let the heat flow out. During the heating period, the switchable insulation can be deactivated whenever solar gains can be used. In this thesis the potential of switchable insulation for an European continental climate and for office buildings is investigated. Also, two new concepts of switchable insulation are introduced, developed and characterized experimentally. A detailed thermal model has been introduced, validated and used for a parametric analysis. The potential of switchable insulation is investigated on a building level, showing that important reductions of the heating and cooling load as well as summer discomfort hours can be achieved. Several control strategies have been developed, introduced and compared. The influence of thermal mass was also investigated, as well as the influence of the orientation or the elements’ frame.