A thermal energy store corrects the misalignment of heating demand in the winter relative to solar thermal energy gathered in the summer. This thesis reviews the viability of a solar charged hot water tank thermal energy store for a school at latitude 56.25N, longitude -120.85W

Reference is increasingly being made towards the need for the world to find new and renewable forms of energy, especially for electric power generation, but also for space heating and the heating of water. Solar energy is one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy available and is so far one of the most underutilised resources. One contribution makes reference to the way forward as being ‘using concentrating solar power which uses parabolic mirrors to focus the solar heat (energy) and generate steam to drive electric generators’ as is currently happening in the utility power marketplace in the USA. This thesis deals with the issues surrounding the original development of a two axis solar energy tracking system (SET) in 1997. The subsequent redesign, development and upgrade, undertaken from 2002 to 2006, with its performance and efficiency being measured in 2006 and 2007 using a specially configured measurement and recording system. A Solar Energy Tracker (SET) is designed to track the sun moving in two axes, reflecting the solar radiation received on its mirrors to a target mounted at the end of a boom, at the focal point of the mirrors. In late 2005 and early 2006, a solar thermal hot water manufacturer and installer heard about the developments and requested some form of involvement, especially if Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) provided research input and assisted in the further development and testing of solar thermal hot water systems. This sponsor offered two projects in 2006 and again in 2007. Other solar thermal hot water suppliers also requested involvement in the research and development being performed at CPIT, which led in August 2006, December 2006, June 2007 and December 2007, to a number of other solar thermal hot water and air wall systems being installed. Progressively, the roof of C block at CPIT has become full of solar thermal hot water systems and solar air wall systems, both of the conventional type and those with newer technologies at the core of their development. This thesis outlines the stages in the redesign and development of the SET, and the various stages in its testing, development and refinement up to its present form. The thesis chapters are written based around the mechanical and electrical design, the auto-tracking and daylight controls, the PLC (programmable logic controller) controller, the mirror and substrate testing, the SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system, the testing and comparison with other domestic solar thermal hot water systems and finally the testing of the SET itself. It also details the future developments and outlines possible uses for the SET in its redefined form. With clean and polished mirrors the SET has proven itself capable of achieving a temperature rise across the target of 15 °C at a flow rate of 4 l/m. On some occasions this temperature rise can be in excess of 20 °C, but testing thus far, has shown this cannot be sustained for any worthwhile period of time (15-30 minutes). This translates to an efficiency of 5-10 % when related to an energy produced per twenty four hour time period. However, if the efficiency is calculated for the actual period of generation, ‘generation efficiency,’ then this figure rises to 24 %. An overview is given of associated solar thermal hot water and solar air wall system research and development (that is ongoing at CPIT) as well as the performance and efficiency graphs for the solar thermal hot water systems on test. No manufacturer’s, industry or brand trade names are mentioned, as this research is still confidential and commercially sensitive. However, the technology involved and characterised by each solar thermal system is recorded in a generic sense. The SET was originally developed with the purpose of heating hot water and today this is still the intent. The possible applications for this hot water are many and varied from electricity generation, space heating and further into developing or new industrial processes. The performances of the other domestic solar thermal hot water systems currently under test, are compared with the figures from the SET, with the maximum efficiency, presently available, being from an evacuated tube heat pipe system at up to 65 %, whereas traditional finned flat plate technologies have efficiencies after twelve months of up to 48 %.

Heat losses are an important problem in domestic hot water circulation systems. Therefore, toreduce these losses becomes an issue of utmost importance both economically andenvironmentally. Nevertheless, it has not been until recent years when these losses have beenstudied further. Commonly studies have focused on the heat space system operation or radiatorsystem. This study focuses on heat losses in the domestic hot water circulation through thepiping system in a building at a school located in Gävle (Sweden) using non-destructive flowand temperature reading devices. The heat used by the school is provided by the district heatingnetwork that feeds several heat exchangers. The heat losses, at the same time, will be comparedwith simulation and theoretical procedures to corroborate them. The domestic hot water pipingsystem of this study consists on more than 1200 meters of insulated copper pipes with differentdiameters and different insulation thickness. The system was measured for one week (April 26,2015 to May 3, 2015) when there are working days and nonworking days. A 5% of the annualdistrict heating consumption in the school was calculated as heat losses in the domestic hotwater circulation system in the building studied. Finally, improvements in insulation system andchanges in the domestic hot water temperature have been simulated and they demonstrate thatsavings of up to 35% of the heat losses can be achieved and produce significant energy savings.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 1993. / Title from PDF t.p.

This thesis investigates the influence of energy visualization on hot water consumption, as well as builds up the framework for the analysis of electricity consumption, of multi-apartment buildings in Sweden, . 115 apartments in Nynäshamn have been scheduled to be equipped with feedback visualization, through the use of television sets, allowing the monitoring of electricity and hot water consumption on a monthly basis. One year of consumption data prior to this feedback introduction was acquired for statistical analysis. The results were then displayed and analysed, allowing for the composition of a generalized conclusion whilst revealing the need for further investigation and future work. To achieve this end, clustering was performed on the 115 apartments according to the following characteristics: Number of tenants per apartment, Area of the apartment, Location of the apartment, and age of the tenants. Principal Component Analysis was used to select dominant characteristics, through eliminating highly correlated components, after which trend analysis was performed on each of the separate clusters revealing a seasonal change model. Finally, a Multivariate Analysis of Variance utilized on the paired clusters to identify any significant change, along with post-analysis tests to specify the groups in which significant change was detected, is presented to be applied in future work. The preliminary results clearly show that the characteristic data can be grouped into three distinct clusters of which the consumption trend of hot water consumption is distinct. Moreover the data reveals a correlation between the apartment’s characteristics and its hot water consumption. However further monitoring and data collection will be required before any strong trend can be identified, as well as power analysis will have to be applied to conclude any significant change. Nonetheless the initial results demonstrate promising signs that ought to be further investigated in the future. 2

This master thesis deals with the design of a heat source for heating and DHW in an apartment building. The theoretical part contains a brief division of heat sources for an apartment building and introduction of the components of the solar system. Significant part si devoted to the T*sol software, which was used as a simulation tool for calculation of the solar system parameters. Finally, an article that addresses similar design of the solar system was analyzed. The calculation part deals with the design of the heating system. It consists of the calculation of heat losses, the design of heating elements, heat source and other components. DHW calculation is solved in two variants – var. 1 with gas condensing boiler and var. 2 with gas condensing boiler and solar system. The last part of the master thesis is dedicated to the design of a solar system for DHW using the simulation of several variants followed by selection of the optimal solution.

Precipitation of solids in plumbing systems (i.e., scaling) is a major problem in both traditional tank (electric and gas) and tank-less building hot water systems. Scaling can cause energy inefficiencies, flow reduction, pressure loss, and erosion corrosion damage. Consumers are also concerned with unsightly soap scum, cloudy water, discolored glassware, and failing infrastructure including appliances and fixtures. There are many treatments available that claim to ameliorate scaling problems, and several efforts have been made to develop standardized test protocols to verify and quantify their performance. This work critically evaluated previous testing efforts and revealed limitations in terms of reproducibility and a need to measure all key aspects of scale deposition including quantity, location, aesthetic and other issues. A Standardized Scaling Test Protocol (SSTP) was conceived and vetted to address these deficiencies and measure key parameters of calcium carbonate scaling throughout a model premise plumbing system, while using a synthesized test water that could provide reproducible results in any laboratory. This synthetic water and methodology was able to produce significant scaling in a model hot water system within the targeted 5-day experimental time frame. The average amount of scale recovered for the triplicate control tests (with no scale reduction device) was 25.1 grams of calcium carbonate with a 95% confidence interval of 20.3-29.8 grams of calcium carbonate. The approach also worked in recreating scaling in natural waters and was used to verify the performance of a wide array of scale reduction technologies including cation exchange softeners, electrochemical deionization, physical magnets or electric field generators, media induced precipitation, sacrificial media (phosphate), and sacrificial media (citric acid). While calcium carbonate precipitation within a water distribution system is generally undesirable; it was recently discovered that calcium carbonate particles are sometimes naturally clogging leaks in pipes and extending the lifetime of aging infrastructure. Corrosion inhibitors, mainly phosphates, have been increasingly dosed (up to 3.0 mg/L as PO4) into water to inhibit the corrosion of lead and copper pipelines in potable water systems since the advent of the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in 1991 by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Phosphate corrosion inhibitors are now used at over 50% of water utilities in the United States and they can affect calcium carbonate scaling kinetics. In bench-scale experiments, the critical concentrations of phosphates that could inhibit leak repair over the short-term in one water tested were: tripolyphosphate (0.05 mg/L as P) < hexametaphosphate (0.1 mg/L) < orthophosphate (0.3 mg/L). The results prove that dosing of phosphates for corrosion control will also affect the kinetics and likelihood of calcium carbonate precipitation, with both beneficial and adverse consequences for pipes and consumers. Specifically, increased use of inhibitors for corrosion control is expected to reduce the likelihood of all calcium carbonate scaling problems while reducing the likelihood of autogenous pipe leak repair. In Providence, RI the dosing of orthophosphate at relatively high pH to control a lead corrosion problem, caused formation of a white precipitate, consumer reports of white water, clogging of aerators and loss of the added soluble phosphate corrosion control inhibitor due to precipitation. The precipitate was identified as a calcium phosphate solid. Field and lab scale tests suggest that at doses below 2 mg/L as PO4, precipitation did not occur in water at pH 10.4 even when the water was heated to 48°C. However, if the water was dosed above 2 mg/L as PO4 precipitation occurred within 5 minutes, and once pre-existing particles were formed precipitation tended to continue even at much lower phosphate doses. Virtually all of the phosphate precipitated within 4 hours at the upper range of 60°C that is commonly found in water heaters. Thus, dosing of phosphate can actually increase scaling problems in some circumstances. Prior work has highlighted a need for a simplified bench-scale test that can be used to rapidly screen for qualitative trends in scaling. The SSTP and practical experience showed that the vast majority of scaling occurred in the water heater. Therefore, a simplified bench-scale test consisting of a heating element in a small volume of water could be used to focus on the most sensitive aspect of scaling. A 3-hour bench-scale test was developed to quickly examine scaling with orders of magnitude less volume, time, labor, cost, and space requirements. This approach was used to evaluate aspects of scaling in water heaters for the following illustrative examples: (1) scale impacts of combined phosphate corrosion inhibitor addition and partial water softening at centralized treatment plants, (2) role of silica concentration in scaling propensity and deposit durability, (3) effects of phosphate addition on scaling in a water known to cause erosion corrosion pipe damage. This dissertation reveals the complexity of scaling for consumers and water utilities and provides tools to systematically study and resolve these practical problems. Dosing of phosphate corrosion control inhibitors can increase scaling from calcium phosphate, decrease scaling of calcium carbonate, and in other cases will have little or no effect on scaling. Both calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate can contribute to scaling as controlled by pH, temperature, hardness, phosphate dose, and other circumstances. The standardized bench and pilot scale approaches developed herein, can serve as a basis for building knowledge reproducibly in any modern laboratory. These methods can also be used to verify performance claims for a wide range of scale reduction technologies, test treatments that could be applied at centralized treatment plants, and optimize water heater design dependent on water chemistry. / Doctor of Philosophy / Precipitation of solids in plumbing systems (i.e., scaling) is a major problem in both traditional tank (electric and gas) and tank-less hot water systems. In addition to scale build up within the hot water system, consumers are also concerned with unsightly soap scum, cloudy water, discolored glassware, and failing infrastructure including appliances and fixtures. There are many treatments available that claim to mitigate scaling problems, and several efforts have been made to develop standardized test protocols to verify and quantify their performance. This work evaluated previous testing efforts to determine limitations in their methodology. A Standardized Scaling Test Protocol (SSTP) was developed to address these deficiencies and measure key parameters of calcium carbonate scaling throughout a model home plumbing system, while using a test water that could provide reproducible results in any laboratory. The test water was able to produce significant scaling within a 5-day test period with reproducible results. While calcium carbonate precipitation within a water distribution system is generally undesirable; it was recently discovered that calcium carbonate particles are sometimes naturally repairing leaks in pipes and extending the lifetime of aging plumbing systems. An increasing number of water treatment plants are adding corrosion inhibitors to water to prevent the corrosion of lead and copper pipelines. Small scale lab experiments were run to determine how effective this natural leak repair was when there were corrosion inhibitors in the water. The results showed that most corrosion inhibitors also prevented or delayed calcium carbonate precipitation which reduced the likelihood of pipe repair through clogging leaks. In Providence, RI the addition of a corrosion inhibitor caused a white precipitate to form in the water which led to consumer complaints of white water and clogging of aerators. This was due to the uniquely high pH of the water. The precipitate was identified as a calcium phosphate solid. Field and lab scale tests suggest that there is a critical inhibitor dose, below which no precipitation occurred in the high pH water. However, if the water was dosed above this critical limit, precipitation occurred immediately and continued as time went on. Prior work has highlighted a need for a simplified bench-scale test that can be used to rapidly screen for qualitative trends in scaling. A 3-hour bench-scale test was developed to quickly examine key aspects of scaling with orders of magnitude less volume, time, labor, cost, and space requirements. This dissertation reveals the complexity of scaling for consumers and water utilities and provides tools to systematically study and resolve these practical problems.

Erosion corrosion of plumbing materials in domestic water systems is a complex phenomenon driven by water quality, hydrodynamic and electrochemical factors. Erosion corrosion accounts for over a third of copper hot water system failures in the U.S., hundreds of millions in damage, and may be expected to increase with newer Legionella control strategies including increased use of water recirculation and high temperatures. Additionally, some nonleaded alloys introduced after the passage of a new federal law restricting lead content in plumbing, have been anecdotally implicated as failing prematurely from erosion corrosion compared to traditional alloys. This dissertation includes 1) a critical review of the literature, 2) investigation of a recent rapid erosion corrosion failure in a large building plumbing system, 3) replication of this phenomena in copper and nonleaded brass in laboratory studies, and 4) evaluation of 12 nonleaded alloys against conventional leaded brass. Current plumbing codes and guidelines to prevent erosion corrosion were found to be widely inconsistent and lacking scientific evidence. Large-scale recirculating hot water pipe-loop experiments demonstrated that an aggressive hard water with entrained aragonite (CaCO3) particles could cause fully penetrative failures (i.e., leaks) in brand new copper pipe and nonleaded brass fittings in just 3-49 days. This represents the first time rapid erosion corrosion failures have ever been replicated in the laboratory under conditions similar to those encountered in practice. The entrained particulates dramatically accelerated attack on metals, especially at pipe bends. In general, lowering pH, increasing flow velocity, increasing temperatures, entrainment of particles (of bigger sizes), and addition of chlorine disinfectant increased erosion corrosion rates. These results scientifically proved that hard waters are not inherently less aggressive than soft water, and in fact if CaCO3 solids form they can be much more aggressive. Finally, cavitation and erosion corrosion resistance of 12 nonleaded alloys was evaluated against leaded brass; stainless steels demonstrated superior performance, silicon brass had the greatest susceptibility and remaining alloys were in the middle. This performance data can aid decision making regarding choice of alloys for various water applications. Our work over the years, including involvement in the Flint Water Crisis, demonstrated that practicing trustworthy science as a public good requires commitment to scientific rigor, truth-seeking, managing conflicts of interest, and comprehensible evidence-based science communication. Critical problems in 21st century public science were highlighted including perverse incentives, misconduct, postmodernist "science anarchist" thought, and ineffectiveness of U.S. water utilities in communicating tap water safety to the American public. / Ph. D.

Consumer exposure to opportunistic pathogens in potable water systems poses a significant challenge to public health as manifested by numerous cases of pneumonia, non-tuberculosis lung disease, and keratitis eye infections. Water utilities have extensive understanding in control of heterotrophic and coliform bacteria re-growth in water distribution systems via disinfection, control of assimilable organic carbon (AOC), and biologically degradable organic carbon (BDOC). However, much little is known about the effect of AOC on the proliferation of heterotrophic bacteria and pathogens within premise plumbing. This thesis is the first systematic examination of opportunistic pathogen persistence and amplification in simulated glass water heaters (SGWH) as a function of influent organic matter concentration. The role of plumbing conditions that may internally generate AOC is critically examined as part of this evaluation. Strong correlations were often observed between influent organic matter and heterotrophic bacteria in effluent of SGWH as indicated by 16S rRNA gene abundance (average R2 value of 0.889 and 0.971 for heterotrophic organisms and 16S rRNA respectively). The correlation was strongest if water turnover was more frequent (every 48-72 hours) and decreased markedly when water changes were less frequent (stagnation up to 7 days). No simple correlations were identified between the concentration of pathogenic bacteria (L. pneumophila, M. avium, A. polyphaga, and H. vermiformis) and AOC, although correlations were observed between M. avium and TOC over a limited range (and only for a subset of experiments). Indeed, there was little evidence that Legionella and Acanthamoeba proliferated under any of the conditions tested in this work. Parallel experiments were conducted to examine the extent to which factors present in premise plumbing (e.g. sacrificial magnesium anode rods, cross-linked polyethylene, nitrifying bacteria, and iron) could influence water chemistry and influence growth of bacteria or specified pathogens. Although these factors could strongly influence pH, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and levels of organic matter (e.g. iron, magnesium, nitrifying), there was no major impact on effluent concentrations of either heterotrophic bacteria or premise plumbing pathogens under the conditions investigated. While additional research is needed to confirm these findings, at present, there is no evidence of correlations between organic matter and pathogen concentrations from SGWH under conditions tested. Substantial effort was also invested in attempting to identify SGWH and oligotrophic nutrient conditions that would consistently support L. pneumophila and A. polyphaga amplification. A review of the literature indicates no prior examples of large scale amplification of these microorganisms at nutrient levels commonly found in synthesized potable water. It is likely that a complex combination of abiotic and biotic factors (i.e. micronutrients, necrotrophic growth, ambient water temperature, disinfectant type and dose, plumbing materials, water usage patterns), which are not yet fully understood, control the amplification and viability of these pathogenic organisms in premise plumbing systems. / Master of Science

THE THESIS DEALS WITH PROBLEMS OF SANITARY INSTALLATIONS IN OFFICE BUILDING WITH SHOPS IN THE CITY OF BRNO. THE THEORETICAL PART FOCUSES OPTIONS OF PREPARING HOT WATER. EXPERIMENTAL PART FOCUSES ON DRINKING WATER CONSUMPTION. ANOTHER PART FOCUSES TO OPTIONS OF SPECIALIZATION. THE LAST PART OF THESIS FOCUSES TO SELECTED SANITARY INSTALLATIONS IN BUILDING.