Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Analysis of energy and savings of using ground loop or steam to change temperature of the bulding heat pump loop in Norm Asbjornson Hall(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2023) Kuikel, Shraddha; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kevin AmendeThe need for efficient and sustainable environmental conditioning systems in buildings has become increasingly important in the face of rising energy costs and environmental concerns. This thesis aims to assess the optimization of the control logic to maximize energy savings and costs associated with utilizing ground loop or steam to modify the temperature of a heat pump loop in ground source heat pumps (GSHP) in Norm Asbjornson Hall (NAH) building at Montana State University (MSU). The study begins by providing a comprehensive review of existing literature on GSHP systems, their working principles, and the various methods employed to alter the temperature of the heat pump loop. The research methodology involves determining the conditions under which it is economically viable to operate ground loops and/or a steam heat exchanger to maintain the heat pump loop temperature within a set operating range. This is done by deriving an equation that utilizes the coefficient of performance (COP) and entering water temperature (EWT) of the heat pump loop. Energy and cost analysis is then conducted to assess the energy efficiencies for different cases. The findings reveal that both steam and ground loops can effectively alter the temperature of heat pump loops, providing enhanced temperature control and increased energy efficiency. The analysis shows that each strategy does have important financial and environmental implications, nevertheless. Due to the equipment, infrastructure, and operational expenditures, steam injection is primarily utilized to raise the loop's temperature for heating mode only, and at extreme situations when the ground loop cannot provide enough energy to maintain the heat pump loop temperatures. However, compared to steam injection, ground loops, which can be used for both heating or cooling, offer significant energy savings and lower long-term maintenance costs, albeit needing a sizable initial investment. In summary, the thesis explores how to optimize control logic to save energy and costs using ground loop or steam to adjust building heat pump loop temperature. The study evaluates energy, cost, and environmental impact of the proposed control logic optimization approach. The findings aim to provide insights into informed decision-making regarding the adoption of this alternative method.Item Assessment of district energy integration between buildings(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2021) Oladeji, Oladayo; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Kevin AmendeDistrict heating or cooling is a system for distributing heat or chilled water in a centralized location through various systems which is intended for residential and commercial heating or cooling requirements. Montana State University (MSU) is looking at implementing a future energy district in form of a distributed heat pump model. Implementing such system will help in reducing carbon emissions in the atmosphere, provide energy savings and ensuring energy is being used efficiently. In the summer season, there is a lack of substantial heat sinks in which heat could be utilized and in the winter season there is a lack of substantial heat sources available due to the extreme cold weather. This project identifies systems that serves as heat sinks and sources in buildings and provides substantial energy. This project also looks into the feasibility of connecting such systems together in a building to follow a recirculating heat pump model which operates in the temperature range of 60°F - 90°F. If this model provides much energy saving opportunities, it could be incorporated in buildings on campus here at MSU and connected to the future energy district. The project scope was limited to Barnard Hall, in which heat sources opportunities identified include the building exhaust air system and the process cooling system while heat sink opportunities identified include the domestic hot water system and the outdoor air that needs to be pre heated majority of the time in Bozeman, Montana. Energy calculations were done for each system and imputed into TRNSYS, an extremely flexible graphically based software used to simulate the behavior of transient systems. The heat pump model was then designed and simulated for a time frame of 8760 hours (A year). The researched showed that this provided some energy savings opportunities and yields no profit in general.