In recent years, HVAC systems of commercial buildings imposed heavy load on power demand, especially during summertime on-peak periods. The HVAC power consumption of commercial buildings usually accounts for 40% of total which indicated huge potential for energy-savings if proper operation strategies can be implemented. In this research, three different operational strategies were studied in an attempt to conserve energy, namely: the Night Purge, Free Cooling,and Pre-cooling. They were simulated , under the local weather conditions, and then validated with full-scale experiments.The experimental results indicated that significant load-shifting effect can be experienced, which also warranted good engineering application potentials when coupled with other HVAC energy-savings operation strategies.

To determine the effects of torso cooling with ice (ICE) or water-perfused (WP) vests during rest and warm-up on subsequent 1500 m time trial rowing performance in the heat. Eight male rowers (23 ± 4 y) completed 3 sessions on an ergometer in an environmental chamber (38ºC, 47% RH) 1 week apart. Pre-cooling was applied during rest (45 min) and warm-up (30 min) in 2 trials using ICE or WP vests, but not in the control condition (CON). Rectal (Tre) and skin (Tsk) temperature, HR, RPE, thermal comfort (TC) and sensation (TS) were monitored throughout. HR, RPE or TS were not different between conditions. TC, Tre and Tsk were lower in WP and ICE than CON post warm-up (P<0.05). The reduction in strain was reflected by increased power output during the 1500 m time trial in ICE (11±1.2 %) and WP (9.6±1.1%) compared to CON (P<0.05). Pre-cooling with ICE or WP vests enhanced performance in a 1500 m rowing time trial and power output was higher from the onset.

To determine the effects of torso cooling with ice (ICE) or water-perfused (WP) vests during rest and warm-up on subsequent 1500 m time trial rowing performance in the heat. Eight male rowers (23 ± 4 y) completed 3 sessions on an ergometer in an environmental chamber (38ºC, 47% RH) 1 week apart. Pre-cooling was applied during rest (45 min) and warm-up (30 min) in 2 trials using ICE or WP vests, but not in the control condition (CON). Rectal (Tre) and skin (Tsk) temperature, HR, RPE, thermal comfort (TC) and sensation (TS) were monitored throughout. HR, RPE or TS were not different between conditions. TC, Tre and Tsk were lower in WP and ICE than CON post warm-up (P<0.05). The reduction in strain was reflected by increased power output during the 1500 m time trial in ICE (11±1.2 %) and WP (9.6±1.1%) compared to CON (P<0.05). Pre-cooling with ICE or WP vests enhanced performance in a 1500 m rowing time trial and power output was higher from the onset.

O desperdício de alimentos desde sua produção até o consumo, encontra-se, atualmente, no patamar de um terço de tudo o que é produzido no mundo. Durante a etapa de transporte, principalmente de alimentos com alta perecibilidade, tais como frutas e hortaliças, ocorrem perdas consideráveis devido à não utilização de tecnologia adequada de conservação e sua utilização é restrita devido ao seu alto custo. Durante o transporte refrigerado rodoviário de produtos agrícolas perecíveis, a carga transportada é suscetível à diversas aberturas de porta do caminhão refrigerado para a realização das entregas ao longo do percurso. Quando isso ocorre uma carga térmica de massa de ar entra no ambiente refrigerado elevando a temperatura neste momento, causando prejuízos em relação à qualidade do alimento transportado. Desta forma, é proposto neste trabalho uma etapa de pré-resfriamento em momento anterior à abertura das portas do caminhão refrigerado, a fim de se manter a temperatura dentro da faixa ideal de conservação. Para isso utilizou-se a estratégia do Controle PID na redução da temperatura antes da abertura de portas e após estas serem fechadas. Foi obtido um modelo em que foram simuladas aberturas de portas de um caminhão refrigerado utilizando técnicas de controle com o objetivo de manter a temperatura do ar do ambiente refrigerado dentro da faixa ideal. Os resultados obtidos indicam o potencial da utilização do controle de sistemas aliado à estratégia do pré-resfriamento na manutenção da temperatura auxiliando na preservação dos atributos de qualidade de alimentos transportados. Além disso, avalia-se que este modelo possa ser aplicado ao transporte refrigerado de outros alimentos. / Food waste, from its production up to its consumption, currently accounts for one-third of all the food produced in the world. During the transport stage, especially of highly perishable foods, such as fruit and vegetables, considerable losses occur due to not using adequate preservation technology; its use is limited owing to its high cost. Over the refrigerated road transport of perishable agricultural products, the load transported is susceptible to different door openings of the refrigerated truck for the deliveries along the route. When this occurs, an air mass thermal load enters the refrigerated environment elevating the temperature, causing damages to the quality of the food transported. Hence, this work proposes a pre-cooling stage at the moment prior to opening the doors of the refrigerated truck, so as to keep the temperature within the ideal preservation range. For this, PID Controller was employed for reducing the temperature before doors are opened and after they are closed. A model was obtained, whereby the door openings of a refrigerated truck were simulated using control techniques aiming to maintain the temperature of the refrigerated environment air within the ideal range. The results indicate the potential of using the system control combined with the pre-cooling strategy for keeping the temperature, aiding to preserve the quality attributes of the food transported. Besides, this model is believed to be able to be applied to the refrigerated transport of other foods.

abstract: Residential air conditioning systems represent a critical load for many electric utilities, especially for those who serve customers in hot climates. In hot and dry climates, in particular, the cooling load is usually relatively low during night hours and early mornings and hits its maximum in the late afternoon. If electric loads could be shifted from peak hours (e.g., late afternoon) to off-peak hours (e.g., late morning), not only would building operation costs decrease, the need to run peaker plants, which typically use more fossil fuels than non-peaker plants, would also decrease. Thus, shifting electricity consumption from peak to off-peak hours promotes economic and environmental savings. Operational and technological strategies can reduce the load during peak hours by shifting cooling operation from on-peak hours to off-peak hours. Although operational peak load shifting strategies such as precooling may require mechanical cooling (e.g., in climates like Phoenix, Arizona), this cooling is less expensive than on-peak cooling due to demand charges or time-based price plans. Precooling is an operational shift, rather than a technological one, and is thus widely accessible to utilities’ customer base. This dissertation compares the effects of different precooling strategies in a Phoenix-based utility’s residential customer market and assesses the impact of technological enhancements (e.g., energy efficiency measures and solar photovoltaic system) on the performance of precooling. This dissertation focuses on the operational and technological peak load shifting strategies that are feasible for residential buildings and discusses the advantages of each in terms of peak energy savings and residential electricity cost savings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Civil Engineering 2016

Le refroidissement post récolte des produits horticoles est une opération incontournable destinée à garantir des conditions de conservation optimales et de commercialisation. Cette opération, souvent réalisée par le biais d’un flux d’air est très énergivore, il importe donc de disposer d’outils permettant d’optimiser le dimensionnement et le pilotage de telles installations. Les études réalisées concernent le pré-refroidissement de choux fleurs qui nécessitent une phase de refroidissement de plusieurs heures. Des propriétés macroscopiques nécessaires à la simulation numérique de la conduction thermique au sein du produit ont été déterminées. Et un banc expérimental a été mis en place pour disposer des cinétiques de refroidissement d’un produit placé dans une veine d’air. En s’appuyant sur ces données expérimentales, un premier modèle numérique 3D représentatif des phénomènes thermo-aérauliques et de la conduction thermique a été mis en œuvre. Les équations ont été implémentées à l’aide du logiciel COMSOL Multiphysics. Un second modèle numérique 1D donnant accès aux champs de température et de teneur en eau au sein d’un produit a ensuite été retenu pour simuler le refroidissement de plusieurs produits placés dans une veine d’air. La confrontation de valeurs simulées aux mesures réalisées sur un site industriel a montré la pertinence de l’étude. A partir de ces développements numériques une approche de type commande optimale hors ligne du pilotage de la ventilation a été initiée. Deux critères sont pris en compte : la température finale souhaitée et la consommation d’énergie induite par les pertes thermiques au niveau de l’enveloppe des bâtiments. / The post-harvest cooling of horticultural products is an essential operation to ensure optimal conditions of preservation and of marketing. This operation which is often carried out using air flow is highly energy-consuming. Therefore it is important to dispose some tools that can optimize the design and management of such installations. This work concerns the pre-cooling of cauliflower which requires a cooling phase of several hours. The macroscopic properties that are needed for the numerical simulation of heat conduction within the product were determined. An experimental facility was set up in order to establish the cooling kinetics of a product placed in an air flow. From these experimental data, a first 3D numerical model that takes into account the thermo-aeraulic phenomena and thermal conduction has been implemented. The equations have been implemented under COMSOL Multiphysics software. A second 1D numerical model that calculates the fields of temperature and water content in a product was then developed to simulate the cooling of several products lined up in an air flow. The comparison of simulation results with experimental surveys on an industrial site shows the relevance of the method. These numerical developments were then used to initiate an offline approach of the optimal control of the ventilation. Two criteria are taken into account: the desired final temperature and the energy consumption owing to the thermal losses of the building envelope.

The demand for electricity of a particular location can vary significantly based on season, ambient temperature, time of the day etc. High demand can result in very high wholesale price of electricity. The reason for this is very short operating duration of peaking power plants which require large capital investments to establish. Those power plants remain idle for most of the time of a year except for some peak demand periods during hot summer days. This process is inherently inefficient but it is necessary to meet the uninterrupted power supply criterion. With the advantage of new technologies, demand response can be a preferable alternative, where peak reduction can be obtained during the short durations of peak demand by controlling loads. Some controllable loads are with thermal inertia and some loads are deferrable for a short duration without making any significant impact on users' lifestyle and comfort. Demand response can help to attain supply - demand balance without completely depending on expensive peaking power plants. In this research work, an incentive-based model is considered to determine the potential of peak demand reduction due to the participation of residential customers in a demand response program. Electric water heating and air-conditioning are two largest residential loads. In this work, hot water preheating and air-conditioning pre-cooling techniques are investigated with the help of developed mathematical models to find out demand response potentials of those loads. The developed water heater model is validated by comparing results of two test-case simulations with the expected outcomes. Additional energy loss possibility associated with water preheating is also investigated using the developed energy loss model. The preheating temperature set-point is mathematically determined to obtain maximum demand reduction by keeping thermal loss to a minimal level. Case studies are performed for 15 summer days to investigate the demand response potential of water preheating. Similarly, demand response potential associated with pre-cooling operation of air-conditioning is also investigated with the help of the developed mathematical model. The required temperature set-point modification is determined mathematically and validated with the help of known outdoor temperature profiles. Case studies are performed for 15 summer days to demonstrate effectiveness of this procedure. On the other hand, total load and demand response potential of a single house is usually too small to participate in an incentive-based demand response program. Thus, the scope of combining several houses together under a single platform is also investigated in this work. Monte Carlo procedure-based simulations are performed to get an insight about the best and the worst case demand response outcomes of a cluster of houses. In case of electrical water heater control, aggregate demand response potential of 25 houses is determined. Similarly, in case of air-conditioning control (pre-cooling), approximate values of maximum, minimum and mean demand reduction amounts are determined for a cluster of 25 houses. Expected increase in indoor temperature of a house is calculated. Afterwards, the air-conditioning demand scheduling algorithm is developed to keep aggregate air-conditioning power demand to a minimal level during a demand response event. Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:36:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1071729 bytes, checksum: 589cee2281058f43c8a1df71161af722 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The goals of this work were to evaluate the influence of the use of pre-cooling and hydration on the longevity of coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) leaves. In evaluating the use of pre-cooling were made bundles of leaves coriander 20-25 g. Immediately after the shape, the bundles were submerged for 10 min in a mixture at 5 °C with crushed ice and water (1:3 v/v), followed by storage at 20 and 5°C. The hydrocooling caused premature yellowing of the coriander leaves 72 and 96 h after the treatment, respectively, for storage at 20 and 5°C. It was concluded that the most appropriate treatment for post-harvest conservation of coriander bundles is the storage at 5 °C after harvest without pre-cooling. For to evaluation the effect of hydration of coriander leaves were used bundles 25-30 g, three times of submerged in water at 25°C (3, 6 and 9 h) and three percentages of weight loss before to immersion of the bundles in water (0.5 to 10%). The hydration was assessed in both storage temperatures. At first, the bundles were stored at 5°C and relative humidity (RH) of 80% after hydration, and the weight loss of 5 and 10% occurred at 5°C. At the second, the weight loss of 5 and 10% occurred at 25°C and the bundles were stored at 25°C and 54% RH. It was found that use of the hydration did not resulted in increase the longevity of coriander bundles, when the leaves were subsequently stored at 25°C. The hydration occasioned the appearance of dark spots on the leaves, yellowing and decay of leaves and branches, during storage at 25°C. The use of refrigeration at 5°C after hydration impeded the yellowing and branches of coriander bundles over the shelf life. The hydration for 3 h after harvest of coriander bundles can be used to increase in day the longevity of the same, if followed by storage at 5°C. / Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar a influência do uso do pré-resfriamento da temperatura e da hidratação na longevidade de folhas de coentro Português (Coriandrum sativum L.). Na avaliação do uso do pré-resfriamento e do armazenamento refrigerado foram feitos maços de folhas de coentro de 20-25 g. Logo após o feitio, os maços foram imerso por 10 minutos em uma mistura a 5ºC de gelo moído e água (1:3 v/v), seguido de armazenamento a 20 e 5°C. O hidroresfriamento provocou o amarelecimento prematuro das folhas de coentro 96 horas após o tratamento para o armazenamento a 5°C. Concluiu-se que o tratamento mais indicado para conservação pós-colheita de maços de coentro é o armazenamento a 5°C após a colheita sem pré-resfriamento. Para avaliação do efeito da hidratação de folhas de coentro foram utilizados maços de 25-30 g, três tempos de imersão em água a 25°C (3, 6 e 9 horas) e três porcentagens de perda de massa fresca antes da imersão dos maços em água (0, 5 e 10%). A hidratação foi avaliada em duas temperaturas de armazenamento. Na primeira, os maços foram armazenados a 5°C e umidade relativa do ar de 80%, logo após a hidratação, e a perda de massa fresca de 5 e 10% obtida a 5 °C. Na segunda, a perda de massa fresca de 5 e 10% foi obtida a 25°C e os maços foram armazenados a 25°C e a 54% de umidade relativa. Verificou-se que uso da hidratação não resultou em aumento da longevidade de maços de coentro, quando estes foram posteriormente armazenadas a 25°C. A hidratação ocasionou o aparecimento de manchas escuras nas folhas, amarelecimento e apodrecimento do limbo e pecíolo, ao longo do armazenamento a 25°C. O uso da refrigeração a 5°C após o hidratação impediu o amarelecimento e apodrecimento dos maços de coentro ao longo da vida de prateleira. A hidratação, por 3 horas, após a colheita de maços de coentro pode ser utilizado para aumentar em dia a longevidade dos mesmos, se for seguida do armazenamento a 5°C.

No description available.