Study of the influence of hot water consumption pattern on SHW systems under solar Spanish regulation compliance using TRNSYS

Abstract

This study is focused on assessing the real performance of a solar thermal system under current Spanish regulation compliance using TRNSYS. The effects on consumption pattern and occupancy rate based on the relationship between the seasonal profiles and the asynchronism between production and demand of a solar thermal system is investigated. Besides, the effect of various parameters such as mass flow rate through collector and initial water temperature is analyzed. The results of the simulation show that the system performance is affected strongly by the change of demand profile, primary mass flow rate and initial water temperature. Furthermore, the research shows that current Spanish regulations do not guarantee the safety of use in such systems because overheating problems, caused by applying some combinations of the above parameters, appear during summer period.