West Chester Work Center Solar Space Heating Demonstration Project. Interim test and evaluation report

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5717529· OSTI ID:5717529

This document reports on the test and evaluation stage of a solar space heating demonstration project. It describes an integrated system providing solar energy space heating for a 9982 sq ft, newly built, one-story building. The building is located at 966 Matlack Street, West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Functionally, the building consists of two sections: an office and a storeroom. The office section is heated by solar-assisted water-to-air heat pump units. The storeroom section is heated by an air-handling unit, containing a water-to-air coil. The system design was based on solar energy providing 62% of the heating load, with the balance to be supplied by a back-up electric boiler. The system includes 1900 active (2112 gross) square feet of flat-plate solar collectors, and a 6000 gallon above-ground indoor storage tank. Freeze protection is provided by a gravity drain-down scheme combined with nitrogen pressurization in a closed circuit. System operation during the 1977 to 1978 heating season disclosed some major deficiencies in both the design and installation of the system, which caused the system to freeze and required it to be shut down for prolonged periods. Several major modifications and repairs were undergone during 1978 and are described in detail. System operation during the 1978 to 1979 heating season showed noticeable gradual improvement.

• Research Organization: Bell Telephone Co. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5717529
• Report Number(s): DOE/CS/4048-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
AIR CONDITIONERS
APPLIANCES
BUILDINGS
CENTRAL REGION
CONTAINERS
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DESIGN
DIAGRAMS
DRAIN-DOWN SYSTEMS
ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
ENERGY STORAGE
EQUIPMENT
FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS
HEAT PUMPS
HEAT STORAGE
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
NORTH AMERICA
OFFICE BUILDINGS
OPERATION
PENNSYLVANIA
PERFORMANCE
SENSIBLE HEAT STORAGE
SOLAR AIR CONDITIONERS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR COOLING SYSTEMS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
SOLAR-ASSISTED HEAT PUMPS
SPACE HEATING
STORAGE
TANKS
USA
WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMPS