Buffer vessel design and assessment

The following table lists the variables used in the spreadsheets with some sample values which can be adjusted.
BoilerDiff MCR Tmax Tmin BoilerMin VolRatio Volume HtgDiff PeakHeat Tpkflo Tret Tcomp pump1 pump2 14 500 90 60 175 20 10000 11 750 82 71 65 8.79 16.78 'C kW 'C 'C kW litre/kW litre 'C kW 'C 'C 'C litre/sec litre/sec Boiler temperature rise Boiler rating Max boiler out Min boiler in Min boiler output

Peak heating differential Peak heating Peak heating flow Peak heating return Min compensated flow Boiler pump Heating pump

We are only considering the operation of the boiler and buffer in equilibrium, i.e. under constant load conditions. The following statements and equations indicate the heat and mass balances and the derived formulae for some of the variables. For compensated heating systems the formula used for determining the heating flow temperature is Tflow = Tmin + (Tpkflow Tmin) * Heating / PeakHeat and the return temperature Tret = Tflow htgDiff * Heating / PeakHeat. If the Heating load is greater than the Boiler output the buffer temperature Tbuff is set Tmax, otherwise it is set to Tret. The mixed return temperature Tm = ((pump1 bypass) * Tout pump1 * blrDiff) / (pump1 bypass) The boiler output is restricted if the return temperature is higher than Tmax blrDiff If Tmax blrDiff > Tret Then Boiler = MCR else Boiler = MCR * (Tmax Tret) / blrDiff The fill time for the buffer when the biomass boiler is on = Volume / 60 / buffer The way that the other variables are determined is dependant on the boiler control setting as given in the two cases below.

Buffer vessel design with constant boiler flow temperature Tflow = Tcomp + (Tpkflo - Tmin) * Heating / PeakHeat Tret = Tflow - htgDiff * Heating / peakHeat Tout = Tmax Tbuff = IF(Heating > = Boiler Tmax ELSE Tret Tv = Tmax Tm = ((pump1-bypass)*Tout - pump1*blrDiff)/(pump1-bypass) forward = Heating / (Tv -Tret)/4.19/0.97 bypass = IF(Tret>=Tmax-blrDiff,0,Boiler/4.19/0.97*((1/blrDiff)-(1/(Tmax-Tret)))) buffer =IF(Heating>MCR, (Boiler-Heating)/4.19/0.97/(Tbuff-Tret), (Boiler-Heating)/4.19/0.97/(Tmax-D11)) Boiler =IF(Tmax-blrDiff<Tret,MCR*(Tmax-Tret)/blrDiff,MCR) ON fill time = Volume / 60 / buffer OFF MT time = - Volume / 60 / forward

Buffer vessel design with minimum boiler return temperature Tflow = Tcomp + (Tpkflo Tcomp) * Heating / PeakHeat Tret = Tcomp + (Tpkflo Tcomp htgDiff) * Heating / PeakHeat Tret = Tflow - htgDiff * Heating / peakHeat for non compensated flow Tout = MIN(Tmax, MAX(Tmin, Tret) + blrDiff) Tbuff = IF(Heating > = Boiler Tmax ELSE Tret Tv = IF(pump1>=pump2,Tout,IF(buffer>0,Tout,(pump1*Tout+(pump2-pump1)*Tbuff)/pump2)) Tm = IF(buffer<0, Tret, (buffer * Tbuff + forward * Tret)/(pump1 - bypass)) forward = MIN(Heating / (Tout -Tret)/4.19/0.97,pump2) bypass = pump1*(Tmin-MIN(Tmin,Tret))/(Tout -Tret) buffer = Boiler /4.19/0.97 /( Tout -Tret ) - forward Boiler = MIN(1,(Tmax-Tret)/blrDiff)*MCR ON fill time = Volume / 60 / buffer OFF MT time = - Volume*4.19*0.97*(Tmax-Tret)/60/Heating

This is a work in progress and all comments are appreciated. georgefletcher@gf-consulting.co.uk George Fletcher 8 April 2008

pump2 Tout Tv forward buffer Boiler bypass Tflow Tv forward

pump2 Tflow

Volume Tbuff Tin

Heating

Heating

Tm pump1

Tret

Tret