Domestic hot water treatment: 10,000 Swiss francs for two young Swiss researchers
Patrick Heller and Lorenz Rüegsegger, building services engineering graduates from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), win the national Siemens Excellence Award worth 10,000 Swiss francs. Their bachelor thesis entitled "Optimal control for a new type of decentralized latent storage module in an apartment building" convinced the jury.
The greatest potential for reducing the energy consumption of buildings in Switzerland lies in space heating and domestic hot water. In new buildings, domestic hot water is already being integrated into energy-efficient and environmentally friendly heating systems. However, in view of the unchanged high energy consumption for domestic hot water preparation, new solutions must be sought.
Decentralized domestic hot water preparation
As part of the research project "Domestic Hot Water Storage BWW++" of the Competence Center Thermal Energy Storage (HSLU) and BMS Energietechnik AG, Lorenz Rüegsegger from Sumiswald and Patrick Heller from Willisau have now developed a novel system for decentralized domestic hot water preparation. This includes a decentralized heat pump that draws its evaporation energy from the heating circuit in winter or the room heat in summer and operates a fresh water station via a latent heat storage tank.
The award-winning work helps to make an important contribution to efficient thermal energy supply in decarbonized residential buildings. In addition, the solution is scalable not only nationally but also internationally, making it a promising approach from an economic perspective as well. The system has a high energy saving potential and is expected to find long-term application in new buildings in the residential sector. Optimal use can reduce annual thermal energy demand by 12 % and final electrical energy demand by 20 %.
Project will be continued
With this practical and future-oriented project, the two young researchers convinced the jury. It is also gratifying that the project will be continued together with the industrial partner.
For Gerd Scheller, Country CEO of Siemens Switzerland, promoting young talent is very important: "With the Excellence Award, we want to motivate young people to work on scientific topics that can be implemented in practice." In addition to scientific achievement, the degree of innovation, social relevance and practical applicability of the work are the main factors that count in the evaluation of the work. The Excellence Award is part of the "Generation21" education program, with which Siemens seeks dialog with young people and promotes young talent in the fields of science and technology. "With this commitment, we accompany young people in their development and education and support them in seizing their future opportunities," says Gerd Scheller.
Source: Siemens Switzerland
