Article published Solar thermal systems
Effective hot and cold
The solar thermal systems platform at the INES optimises the operation of thermal installations, whether they are for heating, cooling or hot water production.
A collection of good solar thermal components does not necessarily provide a high performance system in terms of energy. This is because of the connection of the components with each other and their monitoring and control in very variable conditions of sunlight resources (day, night, season, latitude, cloud cover, etc.) and the variability of the energy needs being addressed. It is therefore imperative to have a reliable understanding of these installations under real operating conditions. The objective of the researchers working on the solar thermal systems platform is to improve the efficiency of multisource (solar and others) and multi-use operation: Heating, cooling and domestic hot water production. They possess a semi-virtual, thermal test bench intended for carrying out dynamic tests on any type of individual or local-area thermal system, by following a test sequence which is representative of operation over the period of one year. Simulations relating to external parameters (temperature, sunlight, thermal inertia of the walls, etc.) are carried out using powerful, computer controlled, heat and cold generating sets, with a power of between 54 kilowatts at 180 °C and 110 kW at -10 °C. This equipment includes a test bench with artificial sunlight which recreates the sky conditions in order to evaluate the sensors as a function of the temperature and sunlight, to validate models and to determine their specific characteristics. A unique tool at the service of equipment manufacturers.
