WO2001073357A1

WO2001073357A1 - Method for heating and for an immediate control of the climate in separate rooms of a building by using a climating technique having a built intelligence

Info

Publication number: WO2001073357A1
Application number: PCT/SE2001/000295
Authority: WO
Inventors: Göran BERNHARDSSON; Georg Pfeiffer
Original assignee: Pluggit International N.V.
Priority date: 2000-03-27
Filing date: 2001-02-13
Publication date: 2001-10-04
Also published as: SE0001092D0; AU2001234286A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for substantially reducing heating transmission losses through rapid heating of individual rooms in a building with the aid of a programmable climate control system whilst adhering to a set comfort requirement. The method is characterised in that the heating is performed with such rapidity and control that the comfort requirement of the room users is catered for whilst the inside surface temperature of the outside wall of the rooms oscillates around a substantially lower average temperature than is possible in conventional heating systems.

Description

Method for heating and for an immediate control of the climate in seperate rooms of a building by using a climating technique having a built intelligence

The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for heating and direct control of the climate in individual rooms in a building affording the same level of comfort for a lower energy consumption. The system used for this purpose has a capacity to adjust to a number of parameters and to the occupants' requirements and perceptions of comfort, which means that the system possesses a certain form of intelligence.

The invention will be described below in only one heating application, but the principle can obviously also be used for convenient cooling of dwellings and other premises.

Ever since human beings migrated to geographically more northern and cooler areas in the search for food and survival, habitations and dwellings have been developed and adapted in a way suited to these purposes. Although heating technology was de- veloped from heating with an open fire in simple, tent-like dwellings, when human beings became settled it was primarily the building technology that underwent development. Flue gas ducts built into a solid structural fabric of clay and brick already existed two thousand years ago and created a pleasant indoor climate in Rome's bath houses through '"modern" under-floor heating. It is interesting that even in harsh inland climates nomadic peoples still use tent-like dwellings with an open fireplace as heat source. The Laplanders' tents can be quickly erected and an open fire provides a tolerable indoor climate in just a few minutes. The starting point for the invention is the fact that we have nowadays developed sluggish energy systems, which are obliged to heat dwellings even when we are not using them. The awareness that more than a third of the world's CO₂ emissions originate from residential heating and that we perhaps only utilise the heat in our dwellings for a third of the day has led to the invention. Human beings experience a sense of well-being and comfort indoors when they are in a state of equilibrium with the room/environment and can give of their radiated heat in a natural way, that is say through radiation from the skin to sur- rounding objects, through thermal convection to the air, and also, to a greater or lesser degree, though giving off heat by sweating (evaporation). The range in which the feeling of comfort occurs is relatively narrow with regard both to temperature, humidity and air speed. A human being's clothing obviously also contributes both to a feeling of comfort and a somewhat lower indoor temperature. A seated, unclothed human feels comfortable at a temperature of about 27°C. 0.05 to 0.10 m/s are normal and comfortable air flow rates, and natural convection from the chin to the forehead creates an air rate of flow of approximately 0.15 m/s over a "normally warm" face at room temperature. The perception of comfort indoors naturally also has to do with what activity a person is engaged in. A physical activity creates additional heat, which increases the skin temperature and while ever the activity is going on there is no need for the temperature in the room to be as high as in the case of non-physical activity.

The present invention has emerged from the way in which the modern family uses its dwelling, and utilises in certain respects "primitive" technology, which permits rapid air heating with only short periods of non-maximum comfort. The system according to the invention uses a modern, relatively simple microprocessor automatic control system and is aimed at saving energy through non-heating of dwellings. According to the invention, therefore, the lowest basic or standby temperature is selected that is consistent with how quickly the user wants the room to heat up, which naturally results in a lower wall temperature and an essentially lower transmission loss through the wall, and a reduced energy consumption for heating up through-flow ventilation air.

Existing buildings, often with obsolete and inefficient heating systems and poor insulation values in conjunction with an energy-inert structural fabric naturally result in a high energy consumption. High conduction temperatures and heating ducts laid in outer walls, which result in high transmission losses, contribute to this.

The main object of the present invention, therefore, is to save energy in connection with the heating of existing dwellings. According to the invention this is achieved in several stages and is described in more detail in the claims attached.

By maintaining a low standby temperature in individual rooms in a building when the rooms are not in use, and with the aid of an efficient microprocessor-controlled "rapid heating system" according to the invention raising the temperature when the rooms are to be used, we can rather speak of a "daytime increase" in the temperature in contrast to a "night-time reduction" as formerly. Computerised control equipment, which utilises fuzzy logic systems to establish a priority ranking and varying degrees of readiness for heating of the different rooms, helps to keep the standby temperature as low as possible for as long as possible. This naturally helps to keep the heat losses from the room low. The forward conduction temperature in a heat carrier can also be low for a greater part of the day, or constantly low throughout.

The advantage of a reduced forward conduction temperature is that the transmission losses are substantially lower compared to conventional systems with a constantly high forward conduction temperature.

According to the invention a further reduction in energy consumption can be achieved in that the system can provide exceptionally clear information not only on the current cost of heating but also on the cost saving - even on an annual basis - that can be achieved by heating on demand only those rooms that are in use, or are immediately about to be used. Clear information regarding the use and the saving in cash terms of an at least occasionally low initial temperature in a room that is brought into use probably increases both the understanding and the motivation for the residents to accept and to put up with this rapidly changing condition.

Another object of the invention is to produce a system, which makes it possible by simple means and with little interference to the existing structure to select a low standby temperature and to obtain an efficient heating by the use of a very quick-reacting heating plant. This plant is capable of functioning with moderate output transfers between heat-emitting surfaces and the ambient air in order to meet transmission losses, but also with large heat outputs for rapid heating of spaces that are about to be used.

A further object of the invention is to specify a system that can be used in existing older houses, in which the heating system was originally designed for a high forward conduction temperature, and for the replacement of radiators located underneath windows. These houses are normally difficult to convert to the use of alternative en- ergy sources, which in many cases give a lower conduction temperature. Using the present invention makes it possible to utilise solar heating technology, for example, with lower conduction temperatures, which also reduces the transmission losses for these older houses, which often have the pipe ducting in outer walls.

The system according to the present invention is therefore intended for use primarily in existing buildings in the form of detached houses, apartment blocks and offices. The energy saving normally ascribed to a heating demand control in a modern, well- insulated small house with triple glazed windows and with energy recovery from the ventilation air is in the order of 20-30%. By simultaneously using the facility afforded by the invention for minimising the temperature level in the winter a further 10-20% of the energy used for heating can be saved. If use is also made of the intelli- gent facility for predicting and partially storing energy in a separate part of the building, as well as in a conventional storage unit, only when the energy cost is advantageously low, and where this moreover fits in with the user's daily routine, a cost saving of up to a further 20% can be achieved compared to a climate control system with no storage capacity. This storage can be accomplished in various ways. Stone or brick-built houses with masonry partition walls between rooms can then be heated to an excess temperature that benefits the remainder of the apartment/house for a longer period. How this variant of the invention is to be applied largely depends on the room layout/design and the existing structural fabric. In the case of rented dwellings with an energy-inert fabric, the main advantage of the invention will lie primarily in heat- ing demand control and relatively low forward conduction temperatures without the need for major interference with the structural fabric. Separate units (individually installable in the climate control system, possibly for each room module) with an energy storage capacity can be used to rapidly provide large heat outputs for a limited period. These may have a balanced mass composed of ceramic, perforated elements provided with electrical heating coils (resistance heating) and in which air can be made to pass through the holes in the high output position when a room unit is being brought into use. By this means very high instantaneous heating outputs can be obtained despite the fact that the dwelling has a low (economical) mains electric fuse rating. Alternatively microwave systems can also be used for forced heating of the room and/or ventilation fresh air.

The invention could have beneficial advantages in a building with light, non-energy inert structural elements, that is to say a building in which the wall, floor and ceiling surfaces of the room modules have a low energy absorption capacity and in which the surface layers can rapidly assume an increased temperature when the room is to be heated. The invention will thus make it possible to increase the temperature rapidly in one or more room modules (where necessary, in order of priority) with the aim of saving energy, and to effectively maintain a (usually constant) desired comfort level when the room module is in use.

Implementation of the invention assumes a system that permits an extremely rapid temperature change by delivering instantaneously high heat outputs. For example, an inexpensive and efficient gas burner may be arranged for instantaneous high energy increases with a view to increasing the temperature markedly in a short time in one or more room units. This can be done in a predetermined order of priority. This forced heating can advantageously be generated with an extremely high circulating air out- put, even in excess of a normally acceptable noise level, especially where the heating must take place immediately before the residents return home or before employees arrive at work.

In addition, input data regarding external parameters such as insolation, outdoor tem- perature and current energy cost contribute to decisions by the unit concerning power output and user needs and requirements.

Input data regarding variable parameters can be supplied by way of the GSM or GPS network, and/or via internet connection, which affords great flexibility in controlling the indoor climate according to extremely up-to-date demand profiles and price conditions.

The forced-air circulation over the temperature-regulating units can advantageously be achieved by using the ventilation air as propelling medium to also entrain room air through the units in order to heat it up.

In older properties with obsolete or defectively functioning or condemned ventilation system, the ventilation air can be drawn in directly from outside in close proximity to an air heater, for example adjacent to a window where an earlier conventional radia- tor was located, and which is now being replaced by an air heater according to the invention. If outgoing air is at the same time delivered in connection with the said air intake, the energy in the outgoing air can be suitably transferred to the admission air by way of a heat exchanger

The invention will be described below with reference to examples of embodiments shown by way of comparison with the prior art, in which

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a conventional heating control with nighttime reduction, outdoor sensor and automatic shunt circuit.

Fig. 2 is a diagram for a heating control according to the invention, and Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the network used by an installation according to the present invention for intelligent and efficient demand-controlled utilisation of energy.

The basic algorithm that must be employed for microprocessor-controlled heat emission may be taken as x(t+l) = Ax(t) + Bιu(t) + B₂w(t) Y(t) = Cx(t), where y(t) is the indoor temperature w(t) is the outdoor temperature u(t) is the forward conduction temperature of water or reduced to y(t + 1 ) = ay(t) + bιu(t) + b₂w(t) • • • • 0 )

Assuming that the forward conduction temperature and the outdoor temperature are known, the room temperature m one step forward will be + m -l-i) ... (2)

Under reasonable assumptions and by suitable methods this formula can be reduced to

1 - cr

Ay (t + m/t) = b • Δ»(t) - (3)

The error will be small and is cancelled out by the fact that somebody will probably be present in the room during the heating period.

The formula 3 can be handled in cost-effective microprocessors, which is a basic prerequisite for marketing of the invention.

It follows from formula 3 that if our intelligence only knows one measurement of the output that is required at a given moment in order to maintain a certain temperamre, it can calculate the heating time. If the attempt fails, the values for a and b change until these have a value characteristic of the room. In this way the invention will be universal and will be capable of adapting to all installation variants without special programming and other arrangements. Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a conventional heating control with nighttime reduction, outdoor sensor and automatic shunt circuit. Here the wall temperature will approximate closely to the comfortable air temperature and a nighttime reduction will only have a marginal effect on the wall temperature.

Fig. 2 shows a diagram in a heating control according to the invention, that is to say where the wall temperature and the room temperature normally have a considerably lower value and where the increases in room air temperature increase the wall temperature only marginally.

By supplying further logging, the daily, weekly, monthly and/or yearly habits of those using the room can be learned by the system through the creation of algorithms or the control scheme that most efficiently regulates the room climate according to actual demand and accepted costs.

It might also be feasible to equip the system with a diagnostic function, perhaps with additional measuring probes, and in which a running-in period can extend over many different weather and temperature conditions and operating situations, measured parameters being compared with ideal parameters for a well-insulated, sealed space with the same room layout and with effective ventilation. From the recorded differences between measured parameters and ideal parameters, the system according to the invention can help to reveal defects in insulation, ventilation and sealing and even suggest where supplementary insulation, ventilation outlets etc. should provide the greatest financial benefit.

An application of the invention involves registering a geographical position for certain residents/room users, for example via a GPS system, so that any deviation from the daily or weekly heating and ventilation scheme can be identified by the system, which then does not increase the temperature in any room module or modules, should the room user or users be in a geographically remote location and do not have a feasible way of returning to the normally scheduled use of the room. Should other persons use these room units, the system obviously needs to be informed of this, for example by telephone or SMS communication or the like to the system central control unit.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the network used by an installation according to the present invention for intelligent and efficient demand-controlled utilisation of energy. A - C denoting the intelligent radiators in each room. D denotes the intelligent communications unit in the house. This controls the radiators in order of priority and hence the optimisation strategy for the house. It also handles the external communication. It has many functions besides energy optimisation. E denotes the opera- tor's server to which the house is connected, and F to I represent the services and utilities that energy companies, among others, supply to the house. Since the cost of energy can fluctuate markedly over time, the system according to the present invention can also control the switching on and off of energy storage devices. At what energy cost can it be reasonable to raise the temperature in the build- ing a couple of hours earlier than normal? In a well-insulated house it is more economical to advance the temperature increase, possibly even to an excess temperature so that a comfortable temperature will prevail when the user of the room arrives. The system according to the invention is therefore self-learning and decides in which of the various parameter constellations such a process is economically and/or environ- mentally justified.

One possibility afforded by the system according to the invention is to allow room users themselves to determine what deviations in temperature are to be tolerated and in what length of time a desired temperature adjustment is to be accomplished. A direct link to the current energy cost makes it possible, with the information available to the system and the parameter constellation of the building or space for various operating and climatic conditions, to get an idea, by way of a display for example, of what the cost of a rapid adjustment is compared to a slower temperature control, or what a 1 °C temperature reduction in a room saves or costs on a monthly or annual basis. Even though the system according to the invention is normally very swift to react to temperature changes occurring, the room user is generally unaware of the cost implication.

The invention can also form a platform for the integration of additional functions, such as humidity monitoring, C0₂ level, fragrance generation, aerosol medication, air filtering, etc.

The invention thus relates to a system that generally reduces losses in connection with the heating of existing dwellings and offices by permitting rapid increases in temperature in a short time. When this is accomplished together with reduced forward conduction temperatures in a heat-emitting medium, the transmission losses in the actual infrastructure are also low. The fact that low forward conduction temperatures can be used makes it possible to convert the heat generation to alternative energy sources producing less C0₂.

The fact that the units of the climate control system can be installed or more freely located in the room or building, and may even form part of the building's load- bearing or surface-covering structure or furnishing offers great scope for integration of the system into existing buildings or premises.

Claims

1. Method for substantially reducing heating transmission losses through rapid heating of individual rooms in a building with the aid of a programmable climate control system whilst adhering to a set comfort requirement, characterised in that the heating is performed with such rapidity and control that the comfort requirement of the room users is catered for whilst the inside surface temperature of the outside wall of the rooms oscillates around a substantially lower average temperature than is possible in conventional heating systems.

2. Method according to Claim 1 utilising a unit that operates with a combination of water and airborne heat and convection, the unit also having a data processing and control capacity in the form of a microprocessor control device, characterised in that the temperature in each room module is allowed to fall by 3 to 8°C in relation to a comfortable user temperature, the air in each room being forced, at least for periods, to circulate through the said unit at the initiation/control of at least one temperature sensor and/or a timer relay in order to register the room air temperature and, where necessary, to increase the air temperature, that the output of the unit is controlled by modulation of the circulation of the room and/or ventilation air, and/or the output from the unit by way of information from a central control unit with memory element and/or from the microprocessor device and by way of an interface for feeding input data to the microprocessor-controlled device concerning prevailing variable parameters.

3. Method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the output of the unit is also controlled by way of input data from any internal, instantaneously variable parameters relevant to the prevailing situation in the room, constantly prevailing trends and/or patterns in these parameters, such as persons present, personal requirements with regard to the room climate, wall temperature, C0₂ content, humidity, odour/fragrance, particle content and air purity, external solar radiation, open/closed windows, the maintenance of medicinal dosage in aerosol form, and by way of input data on external, variable parameters, such as outdoor temperature and current energy cost.

4. Method according to Claim 1 or 2. characterised in that the microprocessor device is provided with a fuzzy logic function, which allows the daily, weekly and/or monthly habits of residents to form the basis for generated algorithms or control schemes, which control the interior climate in the building according to the habits and needs of the residents, and that the said fuzzy logic function serves to process relevant information supplied to the central control unit, for example by mobile telephone.

5. Method according to Claim 3. characterised in that the fuzzy logic function forming part of the climate control system together with selectable algorithms exercises a learning and/or adaptive capability, which during a running-in period with different operating situations and external climatic influences will become all the more efficient at taking into account and adapting to the given physical conditions of the building/dwelling, such as insolation, sealing, venti- lation and the capacity of temperature-changing devices or means, in order to regulate the climate according to requirements in the most efficient way possible.

6. Method according to Claim 4 or 5, characterised in that further climate regis- tering devices are applied in connection with the spaces in which the climate is to be regulated, which devices continuously register information regarding actual climate parameters indoors and outdoors in order, together with a computer program, to compare these parameters with climate parameters valid for an ideal performance in corresponding spaces enjoying optimum conditions in respect of sealing, insolation, distribution of temperature-influencing devices, etc.

7. Method according to Claim 2, characterised in that a storage device storing energy is used in the system.

8. Method according to Claim 2, characterised in that information on the geographical situation (via a GPS system, for example) of occupants/users of the house/apartment/ office is fed to a microprocessor device, which determines whether it is reasonable to implement the programmed daily climate control for certain room units or all room units.

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the users of the room module themselves determine the time it takes to reach the desired comfort level and can then also obtain, via a display, information on the associated additional cost or cost saving.

10. Programmable climate control system for substantially reducing heating transmission losses through rapid cooling and heating of individual rooms in a building whilst maintaining a set level of comfort, whilst the inside surface temperature of the outer wall of the room oscillates around a substantially lower temperature than is possible with conventional climate control systems, comprising a unit that operates with a combination of water and airborne heat to substantially reduce the transmission losses and facilitate direct control of the climate in individual rooms in a building by way of units that operate with a combination of water and airborne heat and convection, the units also having a data processing and control capacity in the form of a microprocessor device, and for performing the method according to Claim 1, characterised by at least one temperature sensor for initiating at least one cyclically recurring forced circulation of the room air through the said units in order to register the room air temperature and in order to increase the temperature when necessary, a central control unit with memory element for controlling the output of the unit by modulation of the circulation of the air and/or the output from the unit by way of information from and/or to the microprocessor device and an interface by way of which input data are fed to the microprocessor device concerning variable parameters.

11. Climate control system according to Claim 10, characterised in that units of the climate control system are installed or freely located in the room or the building, or constitute a part of the load-bearing or surface-covering structure or furnishing of the building.

12. Platform in a climate control system according to Claim 10 or 11 permitting the integration of supplementary functions such as humidity monitoring. CO₂ level, fragrance generation, aerosol medication, air filtering etc. [2 pages of drawings]

Komforttemperatur = comfort(able) temperature

Naggtemperatur = wall temperature

Husvagg = house wall

Tid = time