Highlights of the California GeoExchange Project
A two year project sponsored by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company, the California Energy Commission, and the National Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium was initiated in 1997 to increase public awareness, identify California-specific cost-effective technologies, and reduce market barriers for ground-coupled heat pumps. Major activities included demonstration projects, research and development of system and loop designs, and market evaluations. Four commercial projects, and seven single and multifamily residential projects consisting of 326 units, were initiated. Five of these sites were monitored for up to 16 months. Monitoring data were used to calibrate DOE-2 models, which were in turn used to develop performance data for technical evaluations and market studies. Technical evaluations were completed on sizing methods, flow optimization, loop design options, water heating options, hybrid systems, and loop irrigation. Vertical helix loop designs were developed, installed and tested. The project developed 600 pages of reports, including a business plan for GeoExchange in California, and a GeoExchange Handbook. Project recommendations were to distribute key project findings, continue R&D on near term technologies, continue support for R&D to reduce loop costs, and to expand DOE-2 modeling capabilities to accommodate a larger number of system design options.
Monitored ground source heat pump performance in northern California
Fourteen residential ground source heat pump installations in the greater Northern California area were monitored during the period of December 1996 to January 1998. Equipment power, capacity, and efficiency, and loop water temperatures and flow were recorded on a 15 minute basis. Monitoring results were used to calibrate the DOE2.1E hourly building simulation program ground loop model and DOE2.1E was then used to estimate energy savings and life cycle economics for various load, system, and installation configurations.
Accurate measurements of output characteristics and detonations of motorbike high-speed racing engine and their optimization at actual atmospheric conditions and combusted mixture composition
Abstract At a motorbike high speed racing engine there is very important an output engine characteristics which depends significantly on a detonation combustion rate, atmospheric conditions and a combusted mixture composition. The combustion process has got a relevant influence on a wear degree of main engine parts or on their damage eventually. The detonation combustion rate is very important because this kind of burning can be not only destructive but a useful phenomenon, as well. If the process of detonation burning is kept on a certain level, it can help significantly to the next increasing of an engine power output. In this article there is described the measurements of output characteristics of a high-speed racing engine which were performed by means of a data-recording system and the detonation combustion was evaluated using a quantitative method. The actual values of atmospheric conditions and the mixture composition were added to the measured values. Then the obtained values are compared visually with a damage degree of an engine piston caused by the detonation burning. The result is a limit value expressed in a number of detonation units related to a run distance interval of the vehicle driven by the high-speed racing engine. In framework of this run distance interval there is the process of detonation burning profitable. As well as it increases an engine power output and together it is not destructive with regard to engine design parts.