Innovation means growth, in terms of products and corporate culture.
This is the theory behind our new research centre, the vermilion heart of our study into and experimentation on brand-new and existing products. In light of the vital role played by alternative energy in social responsibility and the development of market opportunities, Caleffi decided to devote its new laboratory to the development of components for solar energy and geothermal plants using energy created to power a percentage of the office needs, among other things.
This bright red building stands out immediately as the centrepiece of our main plant in Fontaneto. Its cubic design is evocative of both the solidity of our business and the scientific nature of the research, a kind of symbolism that embodies the essence of Caleffi’s corporate mission: innovation translated into growth in production and company culture.
We chose red, not one of our company colours, to highlight the need to concentrate on R&D, especially in the area of renewable energy. The new Research Centre will be the pulsating heart of our new alternative energy product lines
The main role of the centre consists of research into enhancing products already in the catalogue and tests on standard components with an emphasis on energy-saving features and top quality.
May 22, 2013 - time 18:00
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Research Centre
Photogallery 10.86 MB Virtual tour (.mov to download as .zip - 10 MB) 16.06 MB Virtual tour (.wmv to download as .zip - 16 MB)Presentation of the Centre to the Italian specialised Press The air conditioning plant is divided into two sections:
The use of heat pump systems powered by geothermal probes is still relatively new to the region. In contrast with countries like Switzerland, Germany, France and the Scandinavian countries, where it is widely used in all its varieties, geothermal power has only been around in Italy for a few years. The construction of two pilot installations which represent the two principal types of solution has numerous advantages:
The test aspect is directed at heating technicians and installers (who are still relatively distrustful of this technology) so as to demonstrate the effectiveness and real savings this type of plant provides; this could promote the use of geothermal plants, of which there are currently only a few hundred in the region. The second aspect is directed towards a potential development for Caleffi's in-house production, as is already happening in significant measure with components for solar-thermal plants. SIZING THE SYSTEM The Research Centre extends over two floors requiring air conditioning, which have the following heating requirements:
SYSTEMS OF DISTRIBUTION OF THE THERMAL VECTOR The distribution of the thermal vector, and hence the heating/conditioning of the various areas, will be handled by a variety of distributors of the following types:
Model 1: - Ceiling mounted - Average heating power: 3450 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 70°C/60°C) - Average heating power: 1725 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 45°C/40°C) - Heating water flow rate: 300 l/h - Average cooling power: 1700 W - Cooling water flow rate: 300 l/h - Maximum air flow rate: 680 mc/h - Replacement air flow rate: 100 mc/h Model 2: - Ceiling mounted - Average heating power: 3200 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 70°C/60°C) - Average heating power: 1600 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 45°C/40°C) - Heating water flow rate: 300 l/h - Average cooling power: 3170 W - Cooling water flow rate: 600 l/h - Maximum air flow rate: 680 mc/h - Replacement air flow rate: 100 mc/h Model 3: - Floor mounted - Average heating power: 6415 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 70°C/60°C) - Average heating power: 3100 W (inlet fluid thermal gradient 45°C/40°C) - Heating water flow rate: 686 l/h - Average cooling power: 2800 W - Cooling water flow rate: 535 l/h - Maximum air flow rate: 600 mc/h The fan coils are located throughout the various areas with the following distributed thermal powers:
List of areas with surface areas and power requirements. Ground/first floor heating, Research Centre, Caleffi S.p.A. SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION OF THE THERMAL VECTOR The plant has been conceived with 4 pipes as well as to provide good thermal comfort during intermediate seasons; it turns out that in a variety of test conditions there will be such a generation of heat as to require cooling even during the winter. Given the thermal requirement, we opted for a heat pump with the following characteristics:
As already noted above, we have provided for a second heat pump with thermal power of 8 kW (thermal power required for a single residential unit of average size) and water delivery to the condenser of 1.4 m³/h, powered alternatively with the following water/ground systems: Probe N.1: primary circuit composed of two vertical probes, average depth 85m (specific power 45 W/m) Probe N.2: primary circuit composed of horizontal probes, extension around 220 m². These two pumps will be used for tests and demonstrations, but their production of vector fluid could be used to supplement the primary pump, and in reality they will be used to supply, via a manifold, a 1000 l tank which will act as a thermal flywheel. The project has two parts:
The hot water for applications marginal at the industrial level (such as the canteen and dressing rooms) can be produced by renewable sources thus decoupling the main thermal energy source (such a large boilers) which can be switched off during the summer, thus avoiding pointless switching on/off which might compromise their operation; in actuality, the plant's thermal equipment, which is generally of a certain age, do not have the modularity required for the production of small amounts of sanitary water for these uses. To deal with the variability of the source (sunlight) we could install a smaller, dedicated boiler which would certainly have a higher efficiency. This type of thermal solar plant is currently in considerable demand in Italy, thanks also to new legislation. The possibility of testing the panels and verifying their effectiveness combined with the option to develop accessory equipment could lead to the development of new products and improvement of existing ones. In this case as well, the test aspect is aimed at heating technicians and installers to demonstrate experimentally the effectiveness and energy savings of such installations. SITUATION BEFORE INSTALLATION OF THE PANELS The hot water was produced with a plate heat exchanger and storage tank connected to the building's centralised heating equipment. Since the boilers were large, the production of hot water required intermittent operation which was damaging to the boilers during the summer. CALCULATION OF THERMAL POWER REQUIRED FOR SANITARY HOT WATER The services are the building's dressing rooms and the Caleffi canteen kitchen; the flow rate of hot water when required is: 4.3 l/s The power required to heat this demand is: QT=C x (Tu - Tf) Where:C = consumption of hot water during peak times QT = heat required to heat the water during peak times [kcal] Tu = temperature of use of hot water Tf = temperature of use of cold water Given the number of services and their requirements, the heat to be stored during the most unfavourable period is: QT= 84.750 kcal SIZING THE SOLAR PANELS The heat delivery of the solar panels can be considered to be on average 500 kcal/h for each m² of panel. For reasons of bulk, 12 panels will be installed on the roof, each with a surface area of 2 m², divided into two distinct plants. Given an average exposure to sunlight throughout the year of 7.5h (from 9.30 to 17.00), the overall thermal power delivered by the panels will thus be: QPS = 500 x 12 x 2 x 7,5 = 90.000 kcal The heat produced by the panels in the average period is sufficient to satisfy the thermal demand for sanitary water. Given days without contribution to this need, we should provide for supplementary heating from the boiler. The boilers will thus be sized with double heat exchanger (coil for exchange with the solar panels, and coil for exchange with the boiler) of the same surface areas. The dimension of the photovoltaic plant and hence its rated power must be selected in relation to the user demand, depending on the user's actual electricity consumption, as well as the available space and sunlight conditions in the place of installation. The building's average annual consumption of 6,000,000 kWh, is evidently greater than the production capacity of the solar plant. The building has a non-negligible consumption of reactive electrical power, and in this context we recommend analysing the mains to enable correct operation of the solar plant itself. The plant is intended for research into photovoltaic applications, the energy produced will be mainly used by the research centre. Given the availability of space for the installation, a plant capable of producing 19kWp has been selected. Criteria used in estimating the energy produced The generated energy depends on:
Installation site The availability of sunlight at the installation site is verified using the UNI 10349 data for monthly average daily values of solar radiation on the horizontal plane. In the case of the actual installation, FONTANETO D'AGOGNA (NO) with latitude 45.6439°, longitude 8.4836 ° and height above sea level 260m, the monthly average daily values of solar radiation on the horizontal plane are:
Source: UNI 10349 Hence the values of the annual solar radiation on the horizontal plane are equal to: Average annual solar radiation on the horizontal plane [kWh/m²] Annual: 1 324.04 Source: UNI 10349 Since direct values are not available for the locality of installation, we estimated the values using the procedure specified in UNI 10349, in other words, by using the weighted average for the latitude of the radiation for two reference localities selected for their vicinity and geographical similarity. Reference locality N. 1 is VERBANIA with latitude 45.9253°, longitude 8.5500 ° and height above sea level 197m. Monthly average daily solar radiation on the horizontal plane [MJ/m²]
Source: UNI 10349 Reference locality N. 2 is NOVARA with latitude 45.4497°, longitude 8.6203 ° and height above sea level 159m.Monthly average daily solar radiation on the horizontal plane [MJ/m²]
Source: UNI 10349 Overshadowing The solar panels will be installed on the roof the Research Centre building. Shadowing by volumes on the horizon, due to natural elements (hills, trees) or artificial (buildings), reduce the availability of solar radiation and the time in which the investment can be recouped. The following pictures were taken at the position of installation during construction. Given the distances maintained between the artificial elements present at the site, the Shadowing Coefficient, which is a function of the morphology of the site, is equal to: 1.00. Exposure of the modules The system was installed on the flat roof of the Research Centre building. The spaces dedicated to the installation of the solar panels account for available space and the shadow generated by the existing buildings and systems. The attached tables give the area covered by the panels in detail. The rows are composed in sets formed of two vertically superimposed modules. For the installation of the panels, we created a frame which not only supports the modules, but also sets them at the optimal angle. The frame is composed of galvanised or stainless steel horses and runners to which the solar panels are mounted with fasteners, themselves in galvanised or stainless steel. The frame horses are secured to anchor plates mounted to the roof itself. Given the requirement to observe the provisions of Ministerial Decree 19/02/07 regarding monetary incentives, we utilised the architectonic class of partial integration in the installation. Given the installation of the panels on a flat roof with perimeter fence, the maximum height, for the mean axis of the array with greatest angle does not protrude by more than half of the lowest part of the perimeter element. On the basis of the measurement of the elements and graphical checks, the maximum tilt allowed for the least favoured array may not be greater than 18°. The installation site, available space, existing supports, reciprocal shadowing and the height of the perimeter fence limited the positioning of the panels in tilt and azimuth. Configuration of the photovoltaic arrays The panels are interconnected to form rows which in turn form photovoltaic subarrays and arrays. Each array is connected, via a junction box and circuit breaker, to an inverter. The arrays have been configured as follows: ARRAY 1
ARRAY 2
In order to meet the requirements of DK 5940, art 5.2, on the criteria for connection of generation plant to the BT mains line, we installed a three phase connection, distributing the powers in such a way as not to have differences of more than 6 kW between phases, as follows:
Characteristics of the solar plant Photovoltaic panels The solar plant was constructed with components which guarantee observance of the conditions established in annex 1 of Ministerial Decree DM 19/02/2007. The panels have been checked and tested by an accredited agency, for the special tests required by standard UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025. The agencies are accredited EA (European Accreditation Agreement) or are mutually recognised by EA. The panels are of the Helios Technology HT 225P type with polycrystalline silicon cells with the following specifications: • Maximum power Pmax 225 W ± 3% • Voc (open circuit voltage) 37,00 V • Vmpp (optimum operating voltage) 29,20 V • Isc (short circuit current) 8,20 A • Impp (Optimum operating current) 7,71 A Inverter The inverter handles the DC / AC conversion. Each inverter is of the forced switching type with Pulse With Modulation, able to operate completely automatically and with one or more internal Maximum Power Point Trackers and the mains interface device (as per CEI 11-20) containing the AC side protection (breaks the circuit if voltage or current differs from that of the mains by more than the legally established limit or if the mains wire to which the inverter is connected is isolated). The equipment is suited to indoors installation. General characteristics of the equipment:
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Fronius IG 40 DC side:
Solar voltage; solar current; mains voltage; mains current; mains frequency; active power generation to mains; net energy delivery to mains (energy saved); inverter internal temperature. The same parameters can be read via an RS-485 port. Fronius IG 60 HV DC side:
Solar voltage; solar current; mains voltage; mains current; mains frequency; active power generation to mains; net energy delivery to mains (energy saved); inverter internal temperature. The same parameters can be read via an RS-485 port. Maximum MPP voltage 10 x 33,61V = 336,1 V Plant productivity The electrical power which a solar plant can produced in a year depends above all on: • solar radiation; • orientation and angle of panels; • efficiency of the solar plant. The nominal power of a solar plant declared by the manufacturer of the panels refers to standard radiation conditions equal to 1 kW/m² on the horizontal plane. To establish the production potential of the plant we use the average annual solar radiation on the horizontal plane for Fontaneto d’Agogna, previously determined using the method provided in UNI 10349, to be 1,324kWh/m². Given the South East orientation of -15° and average vertical angle of 14° we obtain an increase of 1.09, thus with a generator of nominal power 18.9kW, we obtain an annual gross production of 18,9 x 1,09 x 1.324 = 27.275 kWh This value, given losses due to system balancing (BOS) such as • loss due to reflection. • loss due to shadowing and low radiation. • loss due to mismatching. • loss due to temperature effects. • loss in the DC circuits. • loss in the inverter. • loss in the AC circuits. for an estimated efficiency of 0.75%, yield an effective annual energy production of 0.75 x 27.275 = 20.456 kWh The solar plant is equipped with a monitoring system for analysing and displaying the electrical and ambient data composed of: • n. 4 internal communications boards for PC; • n. 1 USB datalogger box, connected to an inverter via RJ 485 for data acquisition; • n. 1 sensor board box specific for distances > 20 m between sensor and inverter; • n. 1 panel temperature sensor; • n. 1 solar radiation sensor. The components are interconnected according to the manufacturer's instructions. The control system is composed of a set of components which monitor, control and coordinate the operation of the various sub-systems composing the plant as a whole. The system is monitored and its performaThe control system is composed of a central unit which interfaces with the company network, for selective, controlled access to the status and configuration pages. This enables the operators to modify the system's operational settings, while also allowing other users to monitor the status of part or the entirety of the plant. The control unit also maintains a log so that the operating values can be analysed statistically. The central control unit is connected to a variety of local control units which simplifies the automatic modular control of the plant's various components, and improve its performance. By the "performance" of the control units we mean the speed and quality of their response to the variations in their operating conditions. The local control units are connected to the sensors and actuators on the plant's various sub-systems.
We can break the plant into functional areas, even though varying a parameter in one area may affect its behaviour in other areas. The plant has the following functional areas: - ground and first floor air conditioning, - control of the cooling system, - control of the geothermal pumps, - control of the boilers, - control of the solar heating plant, - control of the test plant, - control of the sanitary water recovery system, - control of the auxiliary plants, - display and control system. The air conditioning plants are essentially composed of ambient thermostats, fan coils and heat recovery equipment. This plant ensures the ideal microclimate and energy savings throughout the building. Depending on whether anyone is in a room or area, and on the user's demand and external conditions, the area fan coils can be controlled in such a way as to optimise their operation and consumption. Best performance is obtained by controlling the areas independently, since the operating parameters are linked to different external factors (such as exposure to direct sunlight), human factors (sensitivity to temperature) and special circumstances. The air conditioning plant generates the requests to be supplied by other parts of the plant, especially by the boiler circuit, geothermal pumps and cooling system. The control section for the cooling system controls the operation of the external chillers and delivery pumps in response to requests and the temperature of the fluids in the system. Depending on external temperatures and system settings, the control system determines whether the cooling requests are to be supplied by the cooling plant or by the geothermal pumps and hence which plant is to be activated. The geothermal plant is composed of three different elements, in other words, three different types of heat pumps and probes. The main heat pump employs the method of drawing water from and returning it to the water source by means of wells. This yields high powers and is used both for cooling and for hot water production. The other two elements of the geothermal plant are two heat pumps, one with vertical and one with horizontal probes. These two pumps are used both for testing and to supplement the output of the main pump. The projected control system uses the two test heat pumps to supplement the main pump, when it's output is insufficient to satisfy the system's requests. If, when operating in cooling mode, the total power of the geothermal system is insufficient, the system activates the cooling plant. When operating in heating mode, if the thermal power of the geothermal pumps is unequal to demand, the control system activates the condensation boiler. The control system analyses the electrical consumption and the thermal energy produced by the heat pumps, and logs the data for historical analysis. The modular condensation boiler is used to produce hot water for testing, to supplement the solar system and to heat the rooms when the geothermal section's power is insufficient. The system's requests are served by activating the delivery pumps and monitoring the operation of the boiler itself: the boiler's internal control logic autonomously controls its heating elements. The solar heating plant is used for sanitary hot water generation. The power output of the solar panels is calculated and stored so as to verify its operation throughout the day and during the year. The use of sensors to monitor weather conditions enables us to correlate the thermal power of the solar panels with cloud coverage and to control the system more quickly. If the solar panels are unable to provide sufficient energy to respond to demand, the boiler can be used to supplement their output. The temperature of the storage tanks connected to the solar plant is controlled automatically and if it becomes excessive, a quantity of water sufficient to prevent overheating is discharged. Our laboratory tests require water at a variety of temperatures, pressures and flow rates. The centralised control of these parameters simplifies the laboratory test systems and reduces consumption. The hot water required for testing is obtained from the condensation boiler which, with its modular design, is sufficiently versatile to meet the various operating conditions with a high level of efficiency. The sanitary hot water recovery system enables us to recover a considerable part of the heat transferred to the water used for testing. This enables us to further reduce the energy required for the production of hot water for testing: the recovery plant is controlled by the control system and is completely automatic.
The control and display software is composed of synoptic displays employing refined graphics so as to make the data easy to understand.
Automatic control enables us to apply energy optimisation strategies, simplify the control of the plant by the users, and improve the operation of the subsystems and, at the same time, of the system as a whole. Finally, the control system improves the physical wellbeing produced by the microclimate in the building's various rooms, since optimal conditions are always ensured. The centralised control system allows us to adapt the operation of the plant to actual and contingent demand, thus avoiding the operation of components when unnecessary, and coordinating the operation of the various subsystems. It is actually possible to configure the actuators to operate as suitably as possible in response to the requests from the various parts of the system. Let us take the following case as an example: In the late autumn, the rooms are usually heated by a heat pump. The sanitary hot water used in the showers and kitchens is produced by the solar panels, supplemented when necessary by the boiler. If the laboratory needs to run a test with hot water, the suitable delivery pump is activated. The consequent reduction in water temperature leads to the activation of the number of boiler heating elements required to satisfy demand. If the external temperature drops too far and the geothermal plant is unable to satisfy the power demand, the boiler would be used for heating. The use of the control system enables us to optimise the operation of the various systems so as to select at any time that which requires less energy consumption in relation to its delivery capacity. If we wish to maintain the microclimate in the rooms, manual control of the system is not able to dynamically adapt the operation of the plant's subsystems, day to day or hour by hour, to the actual conditions, and we must consider the worst possible case. In that case, we would have to increase the period of operation of the boiler in the winter even as a replacement for the geothermal system. Similar considerations apply to the summer operation of the cooling plant. If we are to be able to heat and cool the rooms sufficiently, we must be able to guarantee a larger thermal power than that actually required at any time, so as to be able to handle oscillations. The climatic instability of recent years does not give us the luxury of choosing any given configuration, since repeated variations with strong oscillations are very possible which would require continual manual switching between the various types of heating and cooling systems. Using a global control system also allows us to avoid waste and provides daily and even hourly control of the system's various components. The system's additional electrical consumption can be estimated to be of the order of several tens of Watts, with the exception of the PC's which are in any case used in the laboratory and the LCD panel in the showroom. The control system also considerably increases the system's security, since it monitors critical parameters (such as pressure and temperature) and hazards (such as gas leaks, flooding, etc.). This reduces the risk of accidents and the consequent costs for the company. In case of imminent danger, alarms are handled in a variety of ways, by deactivating parts of the system where needed, and by promptly informing the users by email or pop-up windows on their networked computer terminals.  The materials and insulations used allow the building’s energy requirements to be classified as Class A (calculated according to regulations: UNI EN 832, UNI 10348, recommendation CTI R03/3 and correlated norms) with a square metre requirement accepted by the Casaclima agency. The proposed intervention and a traditional approach are compared using the typical calculations contemplated by Law 10 and the consequent energy certification in the two different cases. The materials and insulations used allow the building’s energy requirements to be classified as Class A (calculated according to regulations: UNI EN 832, UNI 10348, recommendation CTI R03/3 and correlated norms) with a square metre requirement accepted by the Casaclima agency. The proposed intervention and a traditional approach are compared using the typical calculations contemplated by Law 10 and the consequent energy certification in the two different cases. Our claim of replicability results from the fact that combined with the use of renewable energy, it is possible to construct buildings of this type to a given energy class, not only for residential contexts where the private user has a great interest in energy savings, but also in the industrial context where this requirement is not so strongly felt.
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