One-pipe heating systems are nowadays at the very edge of the interest of Czech designers, who prefer two-pipe systems, as we know them from most domestic houses. The University Center for Energy Efficient Buildings of CTU is developing a single-pipe pump heating system for administrative buildings, which should reduce investment costs and heat energy consumption.
Our IQ Pump team is working under the leadership of Jiří Dostál on a pump single-pipe heating system suitable for office buildings and heat exchangers for air conditioning or convectors. In the one-pipe arrangement, one double T-branch and a micropump are associated with each heating element, which directs the flow of hot water exactly according to the current need in the given room. These systems are popular in North America, while in the Czech Republic they are hardly used despite their economy.
Our particular scientific contribution is the use of statistical estimation methods to obtain the value of flow through the micropump. Thanks to this, a flow meter is not needed to determine the heat flow values of the exchanger or its remote thermal diagnostics. The value of the heat flow is then used to diagnose the heat exchanger, measure heat consumption and, last but not least, also to create a mathematical model of the building's behavior. With this model, optimal predictive control can be used and thus save up to 20% of the energy spent on heating while maintaining the same thermal comfort in the rooms. We are the owners of a Czech patent for this technology and foreign applications are pending.
