Automating tasks and processes are becoming more and more common in both corporate and everyday life. The aim of this project is to assist the company Hotswap in the development of a safety system for an existing automatic flagpole. The safety system should be able to monitor wind velocity and, optionally, wind direction as well as communicate the data to the flagpole’s main control unit. The thesis describes and discusses the different possible mechanisms, solutions for measuring wind, and a possible implementation. A method for measuring wind velocity by utilizing an FS5 thermal mass flow sensor was selected and a prototype was developed for testing the performance of the implementation. The tests showed that the thermal mass flow sensor fulfilled the requirements regarding wind velocity measurement and accuracy with an average deviation of 0.19 m/s from the reference value. The solution was then discussed and compared with Hotswap’s existing prototype. The comparison showed that the prototype was a viable alternative. Finally, some suggestions for further development were presented along with the conclusion that the prototype provides a proof of concept for a fully realizable solution. / Automatisering av arbetsuppgifter och processer blir mer och mer vanligt både på företag och i vardagslivet. Detta projekt hade som mål att bistå företaget Hotswap med utvecklingen av ett säkerhetssystem för en befintlig automatisk flaggstång. Säkerhetssystemet ska kunna mäta vindstyrka och vindriktning och kommunicera den uppmätta datan till flaggstångens kontrollenhet. Rapporten beskriver och diskuterar de olika möjliga mekanismer och lösningar som finns för att mäta vindhastighet samt en möjlig implementering. En metod för mätning av vindhastighet där en hot-wire flödessensor valdes och en prototyp utvecklades sedan för att testa den implementerade metodens prestanda. Testen visade att användning av flödessensorn tillfredsställde de ställda kraven på prototypen gällande vindhastighetsmätning och mätprecision med en medelavvikelse på 0.19 m/s från referensvärdet. Lösningen diskuterades och jämfördes sedan med Hotswaps befintliga prototyp. Jämförelsen visade att prototypen var ett rimligt alternativ. Slutligen presenterades några förslag på vidareutveckling tillsammans med slutsatsen att prototypen är en konceptvalidering för en fullt realiserbar lösning.

The aim of this essay is to investigate how forecast control can affect the energy consumption and the top effects for heating compared to the traditional control system in facilities with different building structures. In 2013 were the energy consumption 80 TWh for the heating and domestic hot water in resident buildings and facilities. This corresponds to 55 % of the total energy consumption within the building sector and facilities represent 28 % of the buildings. This indicates that there is room for efficiency for the heating systems in facilities.Demands from new directives for stricter energy consumptions for buildings are going to be established in the Swedish regulations and 19:th of June 2018 were the new amending directives published which need to be established in the Swedish regulations latest 10 March 2020. The demands on the buildings is pushed further and further. It is getting more difficult to reach the requirements from BBR and even more difficult to reach the requirements from environmental certifications like Miljöbyggnad. Therefore, it is important with detailed solutions that is able to lower the energy consumptions for the heating systems.A reference building has been used and created in the simulation software IDA ICE with three different building constructions to compare forecast control against the traditional control system. One with a large U-value and low amount of thermal mass, one with a smaller U-value and a low amount of thermal mass and one with a smaller U-value and a high amount of thermal mass.The centrally controlled forecast control is tested against the traditional controlled system for each building structure. Traditional controlled systems in facilities is normally using thermostatic valves, due to the lack of sustainability and the lack of maintenance the control systems are also tested without the thermostatic valves.The results for the forecast control indicate on an increase for the energy saving by 3.4 % without the thermostatic valves and an increase by 2.7 % with the thermostatic valves. The top effects can be improved with forecast control by 33 % without thermostatic valves and by 15 % with thermostatic valves. These improvements were made for the building construction with high amount of thermal mass. It is possible to argue for benefits with forecast control if it is installed in a heavy constructed building with regard to the decreased top effects. It is more difficult to argue for the benefits with regard to the energy consumption. Large benefits were found with in local control, especially for buildings with large U-value and low amount of thermal mass. The result indicated on an improvement of 30 % for the traditional control with thermostatic valves and of 28 % for the forecast control with thermostatic valves compared to the scenario without the thermostatic valves.Knowledge about the building characteristics has a significance for the choice of control system. According to the results forecast control may be a benefit with regard to the top effects if it is a heavy building construction. Regarding the energy consumption is the best strategy to carefully adjust and maintain the current traditional control system. / Denna rapport har i avsikt att undersöka hur energianvändningen och värmeeffekterna för uppvärmning påverkas med prognosstyrning i jämförelse med traditionell styrning av värmesystem i lokaler av olika byggnadskonstruktioner. 2013 var energianvändningen 80 TWh för uppvärmning och tappvarmvatten i hushåll och lokalbyggnader. Detta motsvarade då 55 % av den totala energianvändningen inom sektorn där lokaler representerar 28 % av byggnaderna. Med andra ord finns det utrymme för effektivisering av uppvärmningen i lokaler.Krav från direktiv om skärpt energianvändning av byggnader måste införas i svenska regler. Den 19 juni 2018 publicerades nya ändringsdirektiv som måste vara införda i svenska regler senast den 10 mars 2020. Kraven på byggnader blir allt hårdare för att uppnå kraven som ställs från BBR och så även för att uppnå miljöcertifieringar som miljöbyggnad. Det blir alltså allt viktigare att hitta detaljlösningar som kan minska på energianvändningen på byggnader.För att ställa prognosstyrning mot traditionell styrning har en referensbyggnad använts. Den har byggts upp i simuleringsverktyget IDA ICE med tre olika byggnadskonstruktioner. Ett med både högt U-värde och liten termisk massa (originalkonstruktion), en med lägre U-värde men fortfarande liten termisk massa (lätt konstruktion) och en med lägre U-värde och mycket termisk massa (tung konstruktion).Den centralt styrda prognosstyrningen prövades sedan mot den traditionella styrningen för respektive byggnadskonstruktion. Med traditionell styrning används vanligtvis termosstatventiler i lokaler men då hållbarheten på dessa är låg vilket också underhållet av dessa kan vara, prövas även båda strategierna utan termostatventiler också.Resultatet visar att prognosstyrningen förbättrar energianvändningen som mest med 3.4 % i det fallet termostatventiler inte används och 2.7 % i det fallet termostatventiler används. Effekttopparna kan förbättras med 33 % utan termostatventiler och 15 % med termostatventiler. Dessa förbättringar genererades med den tunga konstruktionen. En tung konstruktion kan visa på fördelar med prognosstyrning med avseende på lägre effekttoppar. Utifrån resultaten går det däremot inte att se några fördelar med avseende på energianvändningen.Stora fördelar kunde däremot gå att se med lokal reglering med termostatventiler, vilket var särskilt gynnsamt för byggnader med högt U-värde och låg termisk massa. Resultatet visade då på en förbättring med 30 % för den traditionella styrningen och 28 % för prognosstyrningen när jämförelse med om de inte användes.En god förståelse av byggnadsstommens karaktär har en betydande roll för valet av reglersystem. Prognosstyrning kan vara fördelaktigt med avseende på toppeffekterna, framför allt med den tunga konstruktionen i resultatet. För att minska på energianvändningen är det dock troligtvis viktigast att se över och injustera det befintliga systemet på både central som lokal nivå.

Although the airbath oven is a reliable heating method for gas chromatography (GC), resistive heating is needed for higher analytical throughput and on-site chemical analysis because of size, heating rate and power requirements. In the last thirty years, a variety of resistive heating methods were developed and implemented for both benchtop and portable GC systems. Although fast heating rates and low power consumption have been achieved, losses in column efficiency and resolution, complex construction processes and difficulties experienced in recovering damaged columns have also become problematic for routine use of resistively heated columns. To solve these problems, a new resistively heated column technique, which uses metal columns and self-insulated heating wires, was developed for capillary gas chromatography. With this method, the total thermal mass was significantly less than in commercial column assemblies. Temperature-programming using resistive heating was at least 10 times faster than with a conventional oven, while only consuming 1—5% of the power that an oven would use. Cooling a column from 350 °C to 25 °C with an air fan only required 1.5 min. Losses in column efficiency and peak capacity were negligible when compared to oven heating. The major trade-off was slightly worse run-to-run retention time deviations, which were still acceptable for most GC analyses. The resistively heated column bundle is highly suitable for fast GC separations and portable GC instruments. Fabrication technologies for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) allow miniaturization of conventional benchtop GC to portable, microfabricated GC (µGC) devices, which have great potential for on-site chemical analysis and remote sensing. The separation performance of µGC systems, however, has not been on par with conventional GC. Column efficiency, peak symmetry and resolution are often compromised by column defects and non-ideal injections. The relatively low performance of µGC devices has impeded their further commercialization and broader application. This problem can be resolved by incorporating thermal gradient GC (TGGC) into microcolumns. Negative thermal gradients reduce the on-column peak width when compared to temperature-programmed GC (TPGC) separations. This unique focusing effect can overcome many of the shortcomings inherent in µGC analyses. In this dissertation research, the separation performance of µGC columns was improved by using thermal gradient heating with simple set-ups. The analysis time was ~20% shorter for TGGC separations than for TPGC when wide injections were performed. Up to 50% reduction in peak tailing was observed for polar analytes, which significantly improved their resolution. The signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) of late-eluting peaks were increased by 3 to 4 fold. These results indicate that TGGC is a useful tool for bridging the performance gap between µGC and benchtop GC.

The building construction industry has seen the emergence of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) as a renewable replacement for structural application of steel, concrete, and masonry. However, CLT has not been researched extensively as a nonstructural component of the building envelope/facade. In the presented research, the application of CLT is introduced in the form of lightweight CLT (CLT-L) panels and presents a framework to evaluate the opportunities and application of CLT-L panels as an alternative construction method for non-load-bearing exterior wall systems. Since exterior walls as part of the enclosure system have a significant role in energy consumption and human comfort level, the research evaluates application opportunities of the CLT panels for US climates, by conducting a life cycle environmental analysis, and a thermal evaluation of CLT-L systems for Phoenix, Arizona, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The life cycle analysis was conducted to assess the environmental impact of a typical CLT wall system as compared to three conventional panelized wall systems. The results of the analysis have shown that CLT wall systems exhibit the lowest cumulative life cycle environmental impact indicators, including acidification potential, fossil fuel consumption, global warming potential, and human health particulate when compared to other wall systems. These results suggest that CLT wall systems could be a viable alternative to conventional panelized exterior wall systems from an environmental impact perspective. In the next step, a parametric study was conducted to determine the optimal configuration of a CLT-L wall system for enhanced thermal performance. This was achieved through dynamic thermal simulations by employing the conduction transfer algorithm and analyzing various thicknesses and locations of the thermal insulation layer. Through analysis of the annual thermal transmission load and decrement factor, the optimum insulation thicknesses for CLT wall systems in two climate regions were determined. The results showed that the exterior insulation location yields better thermal efficiency. The results of this phase were employed in the development of the CLT wall system model and conduction of a comparative parametric study on the thermal mass behavior of CLT and CMU wall systems via finite difference algorithm. One significant outcome of the simulation data analysis was the heat transfer dynamics within the CLT and CMU wall system when exterior insulation is applied. The analysis revealed that in the presence of exterior insulation, the CLT layer continues to be the primary contributor to the reduced thermal transmission of the wall. However, in the CMU mass wall configuration, the insulation layer assumes a dominant role in the reduced thermal transmission of the wall. The findings of this research present CLT as a potential environmentally efficient envelope alternative for framed buildings and provide insights into the thermal performance of CLT wall systems, which can lead to the opening of a new market for CLT panel application in the U.S. / Doctor of Philosophy / The construction industry has witnessed a notable shift with the advent of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), presenting itself as a renewable substitute for conventional materials like steel, concrete, and masonry in structural applications. However, the potential of CLT as a building component, particularly as a component of building exteriors wall, remains relatively underexplored. This research endeavors to fill this gap by introducing lightweight CLT (CLT-L) panels, which are three-layer CLT panels, and exploring their viability as an alternative construction method for non-load-bearing exterior wall systems. Non-load bearing exterior wall panels do not carry any structural support for the building. Recognizing the significant influence of exterior walls on both energy consumption and human comfort levels, the study assesses the applicability of CLT panels across diverse climates in the United States including states Minnesota and Arizona which show exterior temperature swings. The investigation began by conducting a comprehensive life cycle environmental analysis, comparing the environmental impact of a typical CLT wall system with three conventional panelized wall systems. Results revealed that CLT wall systems exhibit the lowest cumulative life cycle environmental impact indicators suggesting their potential as a sustainable alternative. The environmental indicators included acidification potential, fossil fuel consumption, global warming potential, and human health particulates. Subsequently, a parametric study delved into optimizing the thermal performance of CLT-L wall systems through dynamic thermal simulations. The dynamic simulation considered the exterior temperature changes during the day. By varying insulation thicknesses and locations, the study identifies optimal configurations for different climate regions. Notably, the analysis underscores the efficacy of exterior insulation placement in enhancing thermal efficiency. Furthermore, the study investigated the thermal mass behavior of CLT compared to concrete block (CMU) wall systems under different scenarios. Findings revealed that while CLT retains its significance as a primary contributor to thermal mass, particularly with exterior insulation, CMU configurations see a shift in thermal mass dynamics towards the insulation layer. These findings collectively underscored the potential of CLT as an environmentally efficient envelope alternative for framed buildings, shedding light on its thermal performance and paving the way for broader adoption in the US construction industry.

Thermal mass can be successfully implemented in the hot‐humid region of Austin, TX especially when well designed and with supplementary aids like nightcooling and day‐lighting. This study shows that in some situations thermal mass can be actually more beneficial at reducing electricity demands in hot‐humid regions than in the hot‐dry regions that are so emphasized in the literature. / text

Life-cycle assessment is being applied to an increasing number of building projects from one side while the usual dynamic thermal simulations are being conducted from the other side on the same projects. However, there are few observations in the literature linking these two types of calculations: embodied and operating energies are rarely directly compared. This paper compares those energies for some case studies. The challenge is to quantify to what extent chosen structural materials can change their global life-cycle energy balance. This question is raised by the different dynamic thermal behavior of materials. Consequently, the case studies focus on the influence of materials’ thermal mass on the operating energy consumptions.Nonetheless, few software programs can conduct both these calculations (LCA and dynamic thermal modeling). The Swiss regulatory tool LESOSAI has been implemented and offers now these two possibilities. However, its LCA database is arcane, this paper will first assess the LCA results of LESOSAI by comparing it with the French tool ELODIE developed by the CSTB. Measuring the reproducibility of their results provides boundaries to the LCA calculations that LESOSAI can perform. These identified limits enable to set the starting assumptions of the case studies. Two raw materials are compared: wood and concrete structures. Considering thermal mass as a dynamic property, different typologies of building usages and climates have been investigated for the materials comparisons. Finally, the conclusion emphasizes the material that permits the lowest life-cycle impact for each typology and climate.

The concern about global warming is gaining momentum. So, many initiatives, such as the Green European pact, which aims to reach to zero greenhouses emissions in 2050, are emerging to halt it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the energy usage, thermal mass and thermal comfort of a past-military building, now part of Gävle’s University Campus. For this purpose, changes in the heating schedule and location of the building, have been made. The results are based on theorical knowledge and computer simulations using IDA-ICE software. For the modeling of the building, a large number of parameters have been taken into consideration, such as climate values, the walls, windows and roof materials, room occupancy, etc. The results have proven that the current heating schedule of the university (24h working) is the most suitable schedule showing the best results on peak power demand and thermal comfort. Compared to constant heating regulation, turning off heating completely during weekends resulted in 10% energy saving, but 369% higher peaking power and discomfort increasing from 18 to 21 Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD). Same constant heating regulation compared with 8:00 to 18:00 heating regulation shows 18.7% energy saving, but 451% higher peaking power and discomfort increasing from 18 to 36 Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD), with the greatest discomfort feeling between 8:00 to 9:00. Finally, when comparing the current heating schedule with one on where the heating is shut off on the DH peak moments, results show 3% energy saving, but 152% higher peaking power and discomfort increasing from 18 to 27 PPD. Regarding thermal mass behavior, promising comfort results have been seen for warm indoor environments where cooling would be needed, simulations have shown 30.9% higher discomfort when in this environments there is not heavy walls. Moreover, for situations where heating is needed, the heating storage capacity of the heavy walls shows some advantages slowing temperature drops during heating reduction and therefore lowering the peak power demanded.

The transition to renewable energy for heating of buildings is limited due to load peaks during the heating season which also requires fossil energy during peak hours. Increased energy flexibility by utilizing building thermal mass is considered as a cost-effective solution to this problem by storing energy from off-peak hours to be used during peak hours. This study evaluates how five different types of external walls (concrete, lightweight concrete, light expanded clay aggregate, cross laminated timber and wooden frame) enables energy flexibility by simulating the thermal autonomy for a multi-storey building depending on U-value and climate conditions in Sweden, while also considering their environmental impact from the production process through a life cycle assessment during stage A1-A3. The result shows that a concrete wall has the biggest flexible potential and wooden frame the lowest, while there is no significant difference between the rest. Considering the combination of the actual required thermal autonomy, in this case 15 hours, and environmental impact for each case, walls of cross laminated timber and wooden frame can be seen as the overall best option for southern Sweden. Despite the biggest environmental impact, concrete can be seen as the best option for northern Sweden. / Det riktas idag stort fokus på att samhället ska bli fossilfritt till 2040, därbyggsektorn är en bransch som står för en stor del av koldioxidutsläppen;uppvärmning av bostäder i Sverige utgör ca 40% av den totalaenergianvändningen. Ett sätt att öka användningen av förnybar energi föruppvärmning är att utnyttja byggnaders energiflexibilitet genom att lagravärme i byggnadens termiska massa. Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra hur fem olikaytterväggskonstruktioner (betong, lättbetong, lättklinker, KL-trä och träregel) bidrar till byggnadens energiflexibilitet samt klimatpåverkan från produktskedet A1-A3 för att avgöra hur respektive ytterväggskonstruktionlämpar sig med hänsyn till båda dessa faktorer. Dessutom studeras hur olika U-värden och geografisk placering påverkar jämförelsen. Detta görs genomatt simulera byggnadens termiska autonomi i TRNSYS då värmesystemet stängs av vid kl 6:00 på morgonen. Klimatpåverkan beräknas med Byggsektorns miljöberäkningsverktyg i termer av CO2-ekv/m2. Slutligengörs en sammanvägd jämförelse med hänsyn till både energiflexibilitet och klimatpåverkan i ett scenario där gränsvärdet för termisk autonomi är 15 timmar. Resultatet från studien visar att en yttervägg av betong är klart mestenergiflexibel i alla scenarion och en träregelyttervägg minst, medan det inte är någon betydande skillnad mellan övriga. Vad gäller påverkan av U-värdeoch geografisk placering innebär lägre U-värde och mildare klimat att effekten av större mängd termisk massa blir större, vilket innebär att energiflexibiliteten för betongytterväggen växer ytterligare i jämförelse med övriga konstruktioner. För klimatpåverkan under livscykelskedet A1-A3 innebär en betongyttervägg störst koldioxidutsläpp, medan ytterväggar av KL-trä och träregel har lägst klimatpåverkan. Vid den sammanvägda bedömningen av energiflexibilitet och klimatpåverkan med hänsyn till att flytta energianvändningen till nattid visar studien att ytterväggar av KL-träoch träregel är tillräckligt energiflexibla i södra Sverige, vilket gör de totalt sett bäst lämpade. I norra Sverige innebär dock det kallare klimatet att betongytterväggen är bäst lämpad trots störst klimatpåverkan.

The world is constantly striving towards a more sustainable living, where every part of contribution is greatly appreciated. When it comes to heating of buildings, district heating is often the main source of heat. During specific times, peak demands are created by the tenants who are demanding a lot of heat at the same time. This demand peak puts a high load on the piping system as well as the need for certain peak boilers that run on non-environmental friendly peak fuel. One solution that is presented in this degree project that solves the time difference between production and demand is by utilizing thermal storage solutions. A dynamic district heated building model is developed with proper heat propagation in the pipelines, thermal inertia in the building and heat losses through the walls of the building. This is all done utilizing 4th generation district heating temperatures. Modelica is the tool that was used to simulate different scenarios, where the preheating of indoor temperature is done to mitigate the possibility for demand peaks. Using an already existing model, implementation and adjustments are done to simulate thermal storage and investigate its effectiveness in a 4th generation district heating system. The results show that short-term energy storage is a viable solution in concrete buildings due to high building mass. However, combining both 4th generation district heating with storage in thermal mass is shown not to be suitable due to low temperatures of supply water, which is not able to increase the temperature of the building’s mass enough.

Étant de plus en plus isolés, les bâtiments très performants sont très sensibles aux apports solaires transmis par les vitrages ainsi qu'aux apports internes. Dans ce contexte, l'inertie thermique peut être utile en stockant l'énergie excédentaire et en réduisant les variations de température, améliorant ainsi le confort thermique.Évaluer la performance énergétique, environnementale et le confort thermique des bâtiments nécessite des outils de simulation thermique dynamique (STD) fiables. Historiquement, les modélisateurs ont essayé de trouver un compromis approprié entre précision et efficacité. Des hypothèses simplificatrices ont alors été intégrées dans les outils STD et ont un lien étroit avec l'inertie thermique. La validité de telles hypothèses, notamment la globalisation des échanges convectifs et radiatifs GLO intérieurs, ou la distribution forfaitaire des apports solaires transmis par les vitrages nécessitent particulièrement d'être remises en questions dans le contexte des bâtiments très isolés.Ainsi, un modèle découplant les échanges convectifs et radiatifs GLO ainsi qu'un modèle de suivi de la tache solaire (modèles détaillés) ont été implémentés dans une plateforme de simulation mettant en œuvre l'analyse modale et une discrétisation par volumes finis.Une première comparaison entre les modèles détaillés et simplifiés a été réalisée sur des cas d'études du "BESTEST", intégrant aussi des résultats d'outils STD de référence au niveau international (EnergyPlus, ESP-r, TRNSYS). Un travail similaire a été réalisé sur le cas d'une maison passive instrumentée (plateforme INCAS à Chambéry) en utilisant des techniques d'analyses d'incertitudes et de sensibilité.Les résultats montrent qu'une tendance à la baisse concernant les besoins de chauffage et de refroidissement existe en ce qui concerne les modèles détaillés considérés ici. D'autre part, il semble que ces modèles détaillés ne contribuent pas à diminuer significativement les écarts entre les simulations et les mesures. / Being highly insulated, low energy buildings are very sensitive to variable solar and internal gains. In this context, thermal mass is useful by storing surplus energy and reducing temperature variation, thus improving thermal comfort.Assessing energy, environmental and thermal comfort performances requires reliable building dynamic thermal simulation (DTS) tools. Historically, model developers have tried to find a fair-trade between accuracy and simulation efficiency within a fit-to-purpose philosophy. Simplifying assumptions have therefore been integrated into DTS tools and have a close relation with thermal mass. The validity of such assumptions, for instance constant interior convective and infrared radiative superficial exchange coefficients, or fixed distribution of solar gains transmitted through windows, particularly need to be reassessed in the case of high performance buildings.A first comparison between detailed and simplified models has been performed according to the "BESTEST", integrating also international DTS reference tools (EnergyPlus, ESP-r, TRNSYS). Similar work, but using uncertainty and sensivitivity methods has been carried out using experimental measurements on a passive building (INCAS platform in Chambéry). The results show a trend for the detailed models studied here to estimate lower heating and cooling loads. Furthermore, it seems that these detailed models don't contribute to reduce significantly discrepancies between simulations and measurements.