Optimized Energy Recovery - Closing the Loop on Recycling Waste Heat

Marvin Kirshenbaum, Advanced Photon Source Argonne National Laboratory

The overwhelming majority of electricity consumed by buildings eventually turns into low temperature (low-grade) waste heat at or below 32° C (90° F). While this waste heat can be recycled during cold weather for preheating of outdoor air, its low temperature makes its effective recycling and reuse for other purposes extremely difficult. Further, in milder climate zones (DOE Zones 1 through 4) the amount of outdoor air preheat required drops dramatically and the majority of this waste heat is simply rejected to the outdoors.

To maximize the effective recycling of low-grade waste heat efforts at Argonne National Laboratory's Advanced Photon Source have targeted applications that apply novel approaches to system design. These include reevaluating the energy flow path and temperature gradients in the system and integrating other portions of a building heating system including reheat and perimeter heating into the overall recovery process. The goal is to maximize the economical recycling of building waste heat. Documented performance data of existing energy recovery systems employed is presented and design concepts for future installations that will expand the reach of this underused energy source are illustrated. Our current proposal for a dynamic approach to energy recycling incorporating hybrid designs using technologies such as fuel cells, combined heat power units, and geothermal storage is discussed.

Expanding the use of low-grade waste heat beyond winter outdoor air preheat requires a rethinking of the interaction of building systems and the employment of state of the art technology providing a more holistic approach to the overall design of the building and its interaction with the mechanical and electrical systems. Targeting applications that integrate other portions of a building heating system including reheat and perimeter heat are important to this approach. While reheat demands are significant in laboratories, hospitals, and related facilities many large office buildings also employ reheat for space temperature control. In mild climates, the energy utilized by space reheat will dominate the building heating energy usage making it a prime candidate for recycled sources of energy. Further impacting the need for general office space reheat is the current trend toward more energy efficient space lighting, computer equipment, and the use of automated lighting controls which can decrease internal heat gains below the level needed to reheat minimum ventilation air forcing the building reheat systems to make up the difference. Our presentation will provide insights to our efforts to date and our current thinking on closing the loop on low-grade waste heat recycling.

Learning Objectives

  • Understanding current approaches to energy recovery in both laboratory and related facilities and in office building applications.
  • Review of current systems and their performance at Argonne National Laboratory's Advance Photon Source.
  • Exploring the potential for expanding the application of energy recovery through hybrid systems applying novel cutting-edge approaches.

Biography:

Marvin Kirshenbaum is a senior project mechanical engineer at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) facility at Argonne National Laboratory. He is responsible for new design and engineering support of facility operations at the APS. Mr. Kirshenbaum holds a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology with post graduate work at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is a CEM and CMVP He has spent the last 24 years providing engineering support at the APS.

 

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