Energy based simulation of an industrial pressurized air system

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (Riunet)

[EN] Compressed air systems cause about 10 % of the industrial electric energy use in the European Union. Accurate simulation models are an important tool to improve the efficiency of these systems. Enthalpy based simulation of compressed air systems does not create accurate results because the higher pressure of the compressed air is not considered. Exergy based analysis of the system does lead to better results because it comprises the ability to conduct work of different forms of energy. Topic of the thesis is the simulation of a compressed air system in MATLAB. This includes the static simulation of the compressor, the air treatment, the piping and an estimation of the air consumption. The thesis includes an extensive literature research on different models for the simulation of compressed air systems and the use of exergy for the estimation of the system's efficiency. Afterwards simulation algorithms for the different parts (compressor, treatment, piping, consumption) are implemented in MATLAB. These models are combined into a simulation model of the complete system. This model is validated according to the models presented in literature. Afterwards a parametric study is performed which includes different sizes and configurations of compressed air systems. The thesis is structured in the following way: - Familiarization to the topic of compressed air systems - Literature research on the topic of exergy based simulation - Modeling of the different components and subsystems - Modeling of a complete compressed air system - Validation of the model - Parametric study - Written documentation of the work incl. MATLAB source code