FITS-LCD: Fabric Integrated Thermal Storage for Low-Carbon Dwellings

随着英国试图在2050年前大幅削减碳排放，国内部门面临着一系列挑战。一个关键问题是减少对热量的总体需求，然后减少余热负荷-这包括对空间供暖和热水供应的需求。实现这些目标的两个非排他性手段是：首先，服务于建筑和社区的热源多样化，转向各种低碳热源，包括太阳能热能，生物质，废热和地源能。其次，空间电气化和使用脱碳电力运行的热泵热水供暖。储热将在促进这两方面的发展方面发挥关键作用，作为异质热源的综合机制，并使热量供应和需求脱钩，以减轻热量电气化的最坏影响。然而，也存在挑战，最重要的挑战之一是空间竞争-随着住宅规模的缩小，与传统热水存储相关的空间损失成为吸收的障碍。未来的存储可能需要从目前看到的传统热水箱迁移到相变材料和存储等介质，这些介质可以更好地利用建筑物内和周围的现有空间和热质量，包括大规模社区存储。一个有吸引力的存储选项是将未来的热存储器集成到住宅织物集成热存储器（FITS）的织物中。这项多学科研究的目的是调查如何将热存储集成到未来住宅和社区的结构中（包括新建和改造），以及如何在容纳多种低碳热能源的当地背景下以及在英国能源供应脱碳的更广泛背景下运营。具体活动包括：建立在未来低碳能源系统中运行的织物集成热存储器（FITS）的操作标准;生成原型FITS概念、控制器、能源服务和热传感解决方案;使用建模和模拟对FITS概念进行性能评估，从而选择最佳性能进行进一步研究;构建缩放的FITS原型，用于现场性能测试;测量用户对使用热存储为第三方提供能源服务的概念的反应，包括需求管理;最后与最终用户测试FITS的原型接口。这项研究将在许多领域产生新的知识：（消除与水箱有关的空间限制）;蓄热器与异质热源的接口;以及关于家庭蓄热器参与能源网络的可接受性的信息。培训方案的产出将包括：一系列FITS概念设计--其性能将通过建模和模拟进行评估;将建造两个有前途的概念原型作为示范（以测试现场性能）;将开发和测试新的热存储控制器;以及能源服务，前提是热存储积极参与能源网络管理。这项工作将使建筑行业受益，特别是建筑师和结构工程师，为将热存储集成到建筑物中的空间效率提供新的想法。这项工作还将使建筑服务社区和技术开发人员受益，提供有关多种低碳热源组合以及不同时间尺度内储存热量的测量，管理和控制的信息。最后，这项工作将对公用事业和能源服务提供商具有价值，可以深入了解热存储的潜力，以促进网络支持服务。

The domestic sector faces a range of challenges as the UK attempts to drastically cut its carbon emissions by 2050. A key issue is reducing the overall demand for heat and then decarbonising residual heat loads - which encompasses both demand for space heating and hot water provision. Two non-exclusive means to achieve these goals are: firstly, the diversification of the heat sources serving buildings and communities towards a variety of low-carbon heat sources including solar thermal energy, biomass, waste heat and ground source energy. Secondly, the electrification of space and hot water heating using heat pumps running on decarbonised electricity. Thermal storage would play a key role in facilitating both of these developments, acting as an integrating mechanism for heterogeneous heat sources and decoupling heat supply and demand to mitigate the worst impacts of the electrification of heat. However, there are challenges, one of the most significant is competition for space - as dwelling sizes reduce, the space penalty associated with conventional hot water storage acts as a barrier to uptake. Storage in the future may need to migrate away from the traditional hot water tank at seen at present, towards media such as phase-change materials and storage that makes better use of the existing space and thermal mass in and around buildings, including large scale community storage. An attractive storage option is to integrate future thermal stores into the fabric of the dwelling - fabric integrated thermal stores (FITS). The aim of this multi-discipline research is to investigate how thermal stores could be integrated into the fabric of future dwellings and communities (both new build and retrofit) and how they would be operated within the local context of accommodating multiple low-carbon thermal energy sources and within the wider context of the decarbonisation of the UK's energy supply. Specific activities include: establishing the operating criteria for fabric-integrated thermal stores (FITS) operating in a future low-carbon energy system; generating prototype FITS concepts, controllers, energy services and heat sensing solutions; performance evaluation of FITS concepts using modelling and simulation leading to selection of best performers for further investigation; construction of scaled FITS prototypes for testing of in-situ performance; gauging user reaction to the concept of using thermal storage for energy services to third parties including demand management; and finally testing of prototype interfaces to FITS with end-users.The research will generate new knowledge in a number of areas: the architectural integration of thermal storage materials (eliminating the space penalty associated with water tanks); interfacing of thermal stores with heterogeneous heat sources; and information on the acceptability of the participation of domestic heat storage in energy networks. Tangible outputs will include: a range of FITS concept designs - the performance of which will be evaluated using modelling and simulation; two prototypes of promising concepts will be constructed as demonstrators (to test performance in the field); new thermal storage controllers; and energy services will be developed and tested, predicated on the active participation of thermal storage in energy network management. The work will benefit the construction industry, particularly Architects and Structural Engineers, offering new ideas on the space-efficient integration of thermal storage into buildings. The work will also benefit the building services community and technology developers, providing information on the combination of multiple low-carbon heat sources and the measurement, management and control of stored heat over different timescales. Finally, the work will be of value to utilities and energy service providers, offering insight into the potential of thermal storage to facilitate network support services.