Lead Performer: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Richland, WA
June 22, 2023
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Lead Performer: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Richland, WA
Partners:
-- Texas A&M University
-- Trane Technologies
-- LG Electronics US
DOE Total Funding: $1,900,000
Cost Share: $120,000
Project Term: October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2025
Funding Type: Lab Award
Project Objective
PNNL, Texas A&M, Trane, and LG will create and demonstrate device-level grid-responsive predictive and adaptive control strategies for integrating heat pumps (HP) with thermal energy storage (TES) and improving variable speed HP performance. The project will address the drawbacks of existing device-level, rule-based control (RBC) schemes by adapting the control parameters and incorporating proactive features learned from advanced model predictive control (MPC). This results in unified device-level control strategies that agglomerate the benefits of MPC and learning-based methods with the relative implementation ease of RBC, enabling increased HP capacity and efficiency at lower temperatures and satisfactory grid response. Moreover, the team will mature an existing co-optimization-based sizing tool to deliver optimized system configuration and sizing decisions resulting in reduced upfront capital cost and building energy consumption. The team will demonstrate the efficacy of the controls and sizing tool on two residential HP systems: 1) a multipurpose HP with heat recovery, utilizing domestic hot water or phase change materials as storage, and 2) a variable-speed water source HP system for multifamily buildings. The HP systems and control performance will be tested under different climatic and operating conditions in PNNL Lab Homes and Texas A&M HP test facility.
Project Impact
This project aims to reduce the lifecycle cost of HVAC electrification by enabling optimal system configuration, sizing, and operation of HP-TES. This includes reducing upfront capital costs by at least 10% and cutting energy costs by over 15%. The project aims to enhance the inherent flexibility of HP-TES systems. This includes reducing energy consumption by more than 10% and increasing cold temperature operational capacity by over 15%. The project also aims to enable greater demand flexibility, shifting loads to off-peak periods or when renewable electricity sources are available, with a target of reducing peak load by more than 30%.
Contacts
DOE Technology Manager: Payam Delgoshaei
Lead Performer: Veronica Adetola