Cooling
Cooling
What is passive cooling?
Passive or ‘free’ cooling with a ground source heat pump is an available benefit to Kensa’s technology. Passive cooling provides ultra-low-cost cooling in the summer, whilst re-charging the ground for more efficient heating the following winter.
How does passive cooling work?
By integrating Kensa’s passive cooling module to the Shoebox heat pump or a separate plate heat exchanger to the Evo ground source heat pump, the distribution system bypasses the ground source heat pump and utilises the cooler temperature of the ground (compared to internal building temperatures) to deliver a degree of ‘free’ or passive cooling. The low temperature of the ground cools the property technically via a fan coil, passive beams or other potential systems. This is simply achieved by passing the fluid of the cooling system through a plate heat exchanger with the ground array fluid passing through the other side.
What projects suit passive cooling with heat pumps?
While passive cooling works well in individual properties or communal areas, multiple property schemes featuring Networked Heat Pump systems using Shared Ground Loop Arrays are particularly suited to passive cooling.
Perfect with Shared Ground Loop Arrays
Networked Heat Pumps, fitted with the Kensa passive cooling module and connected to an Ambient Heat Network with Shared Ground Loop Arrays, provide a one-stop-shop efficient heating and cooling solution for clusters of multiple buildings and flats.
The Kensa Passive Cooling Module can also be retrofitted to Kensa Shoebox ground source heat pump systems.
Networked Heat Pumps with passive cooling will use the heat removed to recharge the ground array to improve the overall efficiency of the system, rather than just throwing it away.
Combined heating & cooling demands
Networked Heat Pumps connecting multiple buildings with a mix of dwellings and commercial buildings create further opportunities. The addition of mixed heating and cooling demands for the diverse building types offers the opportunity for efficiency improvements and reduced capital cost of the ground array, as the balanced load means borehole depths can usually be reduced.
If higher cooling loads are required, such as for glazed offices or server rooms, then dedicated cooling heat pumps can be used to provide active cooling. Connecting these to the same Networked Heat Pump system again gives you the benefit of recycling the waste heat to recharge the ground array and improve heating system efficiency.
Ultra-efficient cooling
In the summer, the ground is almost always more efficient for cooling than air. So when you combine heating and cooling options together this advantage increases.
For example, if you have a block of flats with retail space on the ground floor, such as a supermarket, then the annual heating load of the flats could be larger than the annual cooling load of the supermarket. In this scenario, the cold stored in the ground (created by extracting heat from the ground to heat the flats) can be enough to provide all, or much of, the annual cooling demand for the supermarket without the use of a heat pump at all!
What are the advantages of passive cooling?
Perfect with Shared Ground Loop Arrays
Networked Heat Pumps, fitted with the Kensa passive cooling module and connected to an Ambient Heat Network with Shared Ground Loop Arrays, provide a one-stop-shop efficient heating and cooling solution for clusters of multiple buildings and flats.
The Kensa Passive Cooling Module can also be retrofitted to Kensa Shoebox ground source heat pump systems.
Networked Heat Pumps with passive cooling will use the heat removed to recharge the ground array to improve the overall efficiency of the system, rather than just throwing it away.
Combined heating & cooling demands
Networked Heat Pumps connecting multiple buildings with a mix of dwellings and commercial buildings create further opportunities. The addition of mixed heating and cooling demands for the diverse building types offers the opportunity for efficiency improvements and reduced capital cost of the ground array, as the balanced load means borehole depths can usually be reduced.
If higher cooling loads are required, such as for glazed offices or server rooms, then dedicated cooling heat pumps can be used to provide active cooling. Connecting these to the same Networked Heat Pump system again gives you the benefit of recycling the waste heat to recharge the ground array and improve heating system efficiency.
Ultra-efficient cooling
In the summer, the ground is almost always more efficient for cooling than air. So when you combine heating and cooling options together this advantage increases.
For example, if you have a block of flats with retail space on the ground floor, such as a supermarket, then the annual heating load of the flats could be larger than the annual cooling load of the supermarket. In this scenario, the cold stored in the ground (created by extracting heat from the ground to heat the flats) can be enough to provide all, or much of, the annual cooling demand for the supermarket without the use of a heat pump at all!
How much does passive cooling cost?
The coolest bit about passive cooling is that any energy taken out of the building during the cooling process helps to recharge the ground array; this will increase the efficiency of the heat pump when providing hot water through the summer, and also store enough energy in the ground to improve the efficiency of the heat pump when heating the building the following winter.
Dr. Matthew Trewhella
Kensa
What is Kensa's passive cooling module?
To help with the installation of passive cooling systems, Kensa has developed a passive cooling module and control wiring centre for use with the Kensa Shoebox only. When linked to Shoebox, this provides the components for a cost-effective cooling system.
The Kensa Passive Cooling Module can also be retrofitted to the Shoebox heat pump.
What is Kensa's passive cooling module?
To help with the installation of passive cooling systems, Kensa has developed a passive cooling module and control wiring centre for use with the Kensa Shoebox only. When linked to Shoebox, this provides the components for a cost-effective cooling system.
The Kensa Passive Cooling Module can also be retrofitted to the Shoebox heat pump.
What is active cooling with heat pumps?
What projects suit active cooling with heat pumps?
For applications requiring year-round cooling, the Kensa Commercial Range ground source heat pumps can be operated in active cooling reverse-cycle mode to deliver temperatures of 6°C – 12°C. Active cooling with ground source heat pumps is particularly commonplace in large commercial applications.
Kensa’s modular Commercial Range heat pumps enable the system to match any required cooling load.
What projects suit active cooling with heat pumps?
For applications requiring year-round cooling, the Kensa Commercial Range ground source heat pumps can be operated in active cooling reverse-cycle mode to deliver temperatures of 6°C – 12°C. Active cooling with ground source heat pumps is particularly commonplace in large commercial applications.
Kensa’s modular Commercial Range heat pumps enable the system to match any required cooling load.
How do I install ground source cooling?
What causes overheating in buildings?
Glazing
Modern properties, particularly apartment and office blocks, are well insulated and tend to have large amounts of glazing, making them prone to overheating.Traditional central plant systems
In such buildings, a traditional district heating system with a central plant is likely being used. In this system, hot water typically circulates at 65°C to 85°C through a network of pipes around the building. The system doesn’t know when each flat or office wants heating or hot water, so the high temperature circulating the pipework has to be maintained 24/7. This method of transferring heat throughout the building raises the temperature within the building, resulting in further overheating.Pipe insulation degrades over time
Although the pipes in such traditional central plant district heating schemes are insulated, they will still leak some heat into the building. In summer this can cause the building to overheat. Over time, the pipe insulation degrades and often parts of it get damaged, making the problem worse – and of course, these heat losses also have to be paid for in energy bills. Even if the central plant technology being used to provide heat is energy efficient and reduces climate change and air pollution, it can still worsen the overheating issue within the building. It could even be contributing to associated health problems.