In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the... more In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the transition of cities towards a new sustainable model, this paper provides an overview of the outcomes of the PEDRERA project, which is focused on the development of a novel tool able to calculate multiple key performance indicators that can support renovation actions at the district level, according to a Positive Energy District (PED) concept. The new tool is programmed in Python programming language and is useful to evaluate several strategies for the renovation of existing building stock. It moves from a quick list of input according to several Public Private Partnership (PPP) models, in addition to other potential business models. Furthermore, the design of the model is supported by a step-by-step methodology in order to deal with a “financial appraisal” that is interactive in each context, customizable for each stakeholder, and user-friendly. The paper describes this innovative tool...
The representation of simulation results with regards to building energy flexibility is investiga... more The representation of simulation results with regards to building energy flexibility is investigated. The chosen case study is a residential flat located in Spain, equipped with an air-to-water heat pump. From a reference simulation scenario, active demand response (ADR) events are implemented; they consist in modulating the heating set-point for a few hours. If the starting time of the ADR event is varied in time, the resulting simulations enable to produce daily profiles quantifying the different aspects of energy flexibility. Different representations of these profiles are proposed and discussed, combining the flexibility capacity and efficiency profiles, or representing different ADR configurations in a single graph. A high dependency of the flexibility profiles was observed with regards to the existing consumption profile and temperature setbacks. An ADR event of 2 hours with set-point modulation of ±1°C provides a maximum flexibility capacity of 9.4kWh upwards and -8.6kWh down...
Flexibility in the energy demand of buildings equipped with Heat Pumps (HPs) may be a solution fo... more Flexibility in the energy demand of buildings equipped with Heat Pumps (HPs) may be a solution for the congestion and instability problems of the electrical energy system. However, this flexibility potential is difficult to quantify due to the lack of Variable Speed Heat Pump (VSHP) models in building simulation programs. The purpose of the present work is to present the development of an air-to-water reversible VSHP model in TRNSYS and its application in an energy flexibility scenario of Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) in a residential building. A simple but effective combination of TRNSYS Types is used to reproduce the behaviour of a VSHP, while its part load performance is modelled from manufacturer data. When compared with a fixed capacity HP, results showed that in the thermostatic control of the developed model both energy and monetary savings are achievable. These positive effects are even higher when the operation of the HP is managed by the EMPC, reaching a reducti...
ABSTRACT Surgery rooms are a space type with particularly stringent indoor environmental quality ... more ABSTRACT Surgery rooms are a space type with particularly stringent indoor environmental quality (IEQ) requirements (large airflow rates and narrow comfort windows), which translate into high energy use. Due to the unclear IEQ and infection control requirements for surgery rooms in Spain, these spaces are often designed and operated 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, to meet the most stringent recommendations (not only the requirements) in the available standards and guidelines. This paper critically reviews the Spanish mandatory requirements for surgery rooms by comparing them against their performance motivation and other international standards. Regulatory ambiguities and code-compliant energy efficiency opportunities are identified.The requirements and recommendations in the standards included in this review differ in their magnitude (particularly the airflow requirements), but are similar in their prescriptive nature. This paper identifies the performance goals associated to the prescriptive requirements, and proposes a method to adjust system operation (outdoor airflow rate, total supply air, indoor air temperature, and indoor air relative humidity) to meet IEQ performance goals while reducing energy use. Further work is required to define operation infection control requirements for the different surgery types and enable a performance based control strategy based on real time particle concentration monitoring.
Numerical Heat Transfer, Part B: Fundamentals, 1999
... FLOWS. Authors: Cadafalch J.; Oliva A.; Perez-Segarra CD; Costa M.; Salom J. Source: Numerica... more ... FLOWS. Authors: Cadafalch J.; Oliva A.; Perez-Segarra CD; Costa M.; Salom J. Source: Numerical Heat Transfer Part B: Fundamentals, Volume 35, Number 1, 1 January 1999 , pp. 65-84(20). Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd. ...
Recent advances in energy efficient data center (DC) design in combination with predictive optimi... more Recent advances in energy efficient data center (DC) design in combination with predictive optimization techniques have led to the emergence of DCs that are able to adapt their operation to their environment. Current approaches towards assessing the operational efficiency of the DCs are mostly static, disregarding the flexibility aspects of modern DCs, also failing to reflect the effects of DC optimization on their sustainability profile. In this context, eight EU research projects have joined forces to present new metrics allowing for the evaluation of DC flexibility as well as of the effects of DC optimization to their general operational efficiency. The present paper presents these metrics along with the verification methodologies employed for the evaluation of the obtained measurements and results.
Remote work can have many benefits when set up properly. Nevertheless, the preferences of home wo... more Remote work can have many benefits when set up properly. Nevertheless, the preferences of home workers’ comfort havenot been profoundly studied yet. Therefore, this study aims to understand their accepted Indoor Environmental Quality values in winter based on self-reported comfort. In this regard, 26 households in Catalonia’s Mediterranean region were monitored and surveyed for separated periods of 15 days during from 22 November 2021 to 6 March 2022. Measurements including temperature, temperature, CO2 and Relative Humidity levels were data logged in their most used workspace. Results show that most people work between 18 °C to 20 °C and find those temperatures acceptable. Common spaces used as homeoffices are on average 0.8 °C warmer and there are 470 ppm lower CO2 concentrations. Families with children or teenagers and especially women tend to have a warmer mean operative temperature. The comparison between theoretical thermal comfort models (Fanger and Adaptive) to direct vote p...
In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the... more In accordance with the new recovery plan, Next Generation EU (NGEU), and the need to speed up the transition of cities towards a new sustainable model, this paper provides an overview of the outcomes of the PEDRERA project, which is focused on the development of a novel tool able to calculate multiple key performance indicators that can support renovation actions at the district level, according to a Positive Energy District (PED) concept. The new tool is programmed in Python programming language and is useful to evaluate several strategies for the renovation of existing building stock. It moves from a quick list of input according to several Public Private Partnership (PPP) models, in addition to other potential business models. Furthermore, the design of the model is supported by a step-by-step methodology in order to deal with a “financial appraisal” that is interactive in each context, customizable for each stakeholder, and user-friendly. The paper describes this innovative tool...
The representation of simulation results with regards to building energy flexibility is investiga... more The representation of simulation results with regards to building energy flexibility is investigated. The chosen case study is a residential flat located in Spain, equipped with an air-to-water heat pump. From a reference simulation scenario, active demand response (ADR) events are implemented; they consist in modulating the heating set-point for a few hours. If the starting time of the ADR event is varied in time, the resulting simulations enable to produce daily profiles quantifying the different aspects of energy flexibility. Different representations of these profiles are proposed and discussed, combining the flexibility capacity and efficiency profiles, or representing different ADR configurations in a single graph. A high dependency of the flexibility profiles was observed with regards to the existing consumption profile and temperature setbacks. An ADR event of 2 hours with set-point modulation of ±1°C provides a maximum flexibility capacity of 9.4kWh upwards and -8.6kWh down...
Flexibility in the energy demand of buildings equipped with Heat Pumps (HPs) may be a solution fo... more Flexibility in the energy demand of buildings equipped with Heat Pumps (HPs) may be a solution for the congestion and instability problems of the electrical energy system. However, this flexibility potential is difficult to quantify due to the lack of Variable Speed Heat Pump (VSHP) models in building simulation programs. The purpose of the present work is to present the development of an air-to-water reversible VSHP model in TRNSYS and its application in an energy flexibility scenario of Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC) in a residential building. A simple but effective combination of TRNSYS Types is used to reproduce the behaviour of a VSHP, while its part load performance is modelled from manufacturer data. When compared with a fixed capacity HP, results showed that in the thermostatic control of the developed model both energy and monetary savings are achievable. These positive effects are even higher when the operation of the HP is managed by the EMPC, reaching a reducti...
ABSTRACT Surgery rooms are a space type with particularly stringent indoor environmental quality ... more ABSTRACT Surgery rooms are a space type with particularly stringent indoor environmental quality (IEQ) requirements (large airflow rates and narrow comfort windows), which translate into high energy use. Due to the unclear IEQ and infection control requirements for surgery rooms in Spain, these spaces are often designed and operated 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, to meet the most stringent recommendations (not only the requirements) in the available standards and guidelines. This paper critically reviews the Spanish mandatory requirements for surgery rooms by comparing them against their performance motivation and other international standards. Regulatory ambiguities and code-compliant energy efficiency opportunities are identified.The requirements and recommendations in the standards included in this review differ in their magnitude (particularly the airflow requirements), but are similar in their prescriptive nature. This paper identifies the performance goals associated to the prescriptive requirements, and proposes a method to adjust system operation (outdoor airflow rate, total supply air, indoor air temperature, and indoor air relative humidity) to meet IEQ performance goals while reducing energy use. Further work is required to define operation infection control requirements for the different surgery types and enable a performance based control strategy based on real time particle concentration monitoring.
Numerical Heat Transfer, Part B: Fundamentals, 1999
... FLOWS. Authors: Cadafalch J.; Oliva A.; Perez-Segarra CD; Costa M.; Salom J. Source: Numerica... more ... FLOWS. Authors: Cadafalch J.; Oliva A.; Perez-Segarra CD; Costa M.; Salom J. Source: Numerical Heat Transfer Part B: Fundamentals, Volume 35, Number 1, 1 January 1999 , pp. 65-84(20). Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd. ...
Recent advances in energy efficient data center (DC) design in combination with predictive optimi... more Recent advances in energy efficient data center (DC) design in combination with predictive optimization techniques have led to the emergence of DCs that are able to adapt their operation to their environment. Current approaches towards assessing the operational efficiency of the DCs are mostly static, disregarding the flexibility aspects of modern DCs, also failing to reflect the effects of DC optimization on their sustainability profile. In this context, eight EU research projects have joined forces to present new metrics allowing for the evaluation of DC flexibility as well as of the effects of DC optimization to their general operational efficiency. The present paper presents these metrics along with the verification methodologies employed for the evaluation of the obtained measurements and results.
Remote work can have many benefits when set up properly. Nevertheless, the preferences of home wo... more Remote work can have many benefits when set up properly. Nevertheless, the preferences of home workers’ comfort havenot been profoundly studied yet. Therefore, this study aims to understand their accepted Indoor Environmental Quality values in winter based on self-reported comfort. In this regard, 26 households in Catalonia’s Mediterranean region were monitored and surveyed for separated periods of 15 days during from 22 November 2021 to 6 March 2022. Measurements including temperature, temperature, CO2 and Relative Humidity levels were data logged in their most used workspace. Results show that most people work between 18 °C to 20 °C and find those temperatures acceptable. Common spaces used as homeoffices are on average 0.8 °C warmer and there are 470 ppm lower CO2 concentrations. Families with children or teenagers and especially women tend to have a warmer mean operative temperature. The comparison between theoretical thermal comfort models (Fanger and Adaptive) to direct vote p...
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Papers by Jaume Salom