Monitoring and Modeling Hot Water Consumption in Hotels for Solar Thermal Water Heating System Optimization
- ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Eric Joseph Urban (Creator)
- Institution
- Appalachian State University (ASU )
- Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/
- Advisor
- Brian Raichle
Abstract: In this study, hot water consumption was monitored at two hotels in Boone, North Carolina. A typical hot water profile was created for each hotel, and the profiles were then used to size a solar thermal water heating system for each of them. The systems were modeled and optimized with TRNSYS 16. Then, the effect of altering the hot water draw profile on solar thermal system performance was investigated. The effect of hotel occupancy on hot water consumption was also explored.
The optimal collector tilt angle (a few degrees below latitude) and collector flow rate (1 to 1.5 gpm per square foot of collector area) are similar to the values found in literature, but it was found that the optimal flow rate decreases with increasing collector area. The optimal storage volume was found to be 3 to 4 gallons per square foot of collector area, which is roughly twice the size recommended for residential solar thermal water heating systems. The hot water draw profile was found to have little effect on a properly-sized system’s life-cycle savings (2.7 to 3.8 percent). No correlation was found between hotel occupancy and hot water consumption.
Monitoring and Modeling Hot Water Consumption in Hotels for Solar Thermal Water Heating System Optimization
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Created on 8/17/2011
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Urban, E.J. (2011). Monitoring and Modeling Hot Water Consumption in Hotels for Solar Thermal Water Heating System Optimization. Unpublished master’s thesis. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
- Language: English
- Date: 2011
- Keywords
- Solar thermal water heating, Hot water, Hotel water use, Water draw profile