Simulation Method for Energy Estimation of Variable Speed Pump for Heating System

Model based energy management for a heating system driven by the circulating centrifugal pump with variable speed drive in household applications is a promising approach for potential energy savings. The paper presents a developed Matlab/Simulink model of an energy savings calculation for a dwelling supplied with a circulating heating system (HS). The heating system includes a circulating centrifugal pump that has a variable speed drive helping to carry out the control algorithm based on the energy management strategy. The model helps to select the proper control strategy to achieve the desired indoor climate by following the defined reference point to keep the indoor temperature within the desired range. It consists of several main parts such as parameters selection module, thermal module, and integrated circulating centrifugal pump. The proposed simulation model helps to determine the heating power that is necessary to satisfy thermal requirements for a residential building by taking into account the thermal criteria with minimal energy consumption. The model helps to evaluate the energy savings of the heating system in the broad range of outdoor temperature variations.