Collaborative Research: US-Ireland: Thermoelectric Concrete Envelope (ThermoConc)

由于建筑供暖和制冷系统占美国能源消耗的很大一部分，全国范围内的重点是发展基于可再生能源的供暖和制冷。虽然热电（TE）和固态TE热泵（TEHP）是能源生产的关键选择，但在降低低效系统复杂性方面仍存在重大差距。该项目的目标是通过开发具有TE特性的概念验证TE混凝土材料来解决系统级挑战，并可能导致独立，全面和可再生的加热和冷却系统。该项目的国际团队将利用热电材料，导电混凝土和建筑模型预测控制的进步来创建三合一热电混凝土，称为ThermoConc，作为发电和空间加热和冷却的建筑外壳。我们的目标是发展热电发电和热泵系统的特性，行为，操作和控制的基本理解，作为一种节能手段，被动和主动控制建筑物内部温度和收集废热，同时提高人体热舒适度。目标是：1）确定ThermoConc的优化设计和控制，并建立性能评估的数学模型; 2）表征新型TE混凝土，并从理论和实践上评估ThermoConc的性能; 3）通过全尺寸测试和气候敏感性案例研究，评估ThermoConc的环境和经济效益，并量化ThermoConc的节能潜力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With building heating and cooling systems accounting for a very significant portion of US energy consumption, a nation-wide focus is on developing renewable energy-based heating and cooling. While thermoelectric (TE) and solid state TE heat pumps (TEHP) are key options for energy generation, a significant gap remains in reducing inefficient system complexities. The objective of this project is to address the systems-level challenge by developing proof-of-concept TE concrete material that innately possesses TE properties and might result in an independent, comprehensive, and renewably sourced heating and cooling system.The international team for this project will leverage advances in thermoelectric materials, conductive concrete, and building model predictive control to create a three-in-one thermoelectric concrete, called ThermoConc, as a building envelope for electricity generation and space heating and cooling. The goal is to develop fundamental understanding of the characteristics, behaviors, operations, and controls of a thermoelectric generation and heat pumping system as an energy efficient means to both passively and actively control building interior temperature and harvest waste heat while enhancing human thermal comfort. Objectives will be to: 1) identify optimaldesign and control of ThermoConc and establish mathematical models for performance evaluation; 2) characterize the new TE concrete and evaluate the performance of ThermoConc both theoretically and practically; and 3) assess environmental and economic benefits and quantify energy-saving potentials of ThermoConc through full-scale testing and climate-sensitivity case study. The vision is that ThermoConc will facilitate savings in building sector energy consumption and accelerate adoption ofrenewable energy-based heating and cooling systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.